It was pitch-black in the Grotto. All the General could see was the pale beam of his flashlight, slipping over the walls.

He turned down his engine and inched the boat forward, searching for the Secret Tunnel.

The deeper he went, the colder the cave became. He shivered and rubbed his paws on the steering wheel to keep warm. Then all of a sudden there was a pool of green light—and to his surprise, he saw a lantern hanging from the wall.

Below the lantern, there was a small opening in the rock. And beside it, carved into the rock in big rough letters, was written:

“Hurrah!” the General cried.

He chugged toward it and tied his boat to a thin sliver of rock jutting from the wall. Then he clambered up into the passage.

The tunnel twisted and turned, and got fatter and thinner, and colder and damper—and in places it was so steep that the General had to clamber along on all fours.

Eventually, he came to a big cave, the size of a shoe box. On the other side of the cave, there was a flight of stairs cut into the rock. He climbed up—but when he got to the top, there was just a brick wall.

“Drat,” he said, thinking he had reached a dead end.

But just as he was about to turn back down the stairs, he noticed a thin ribbon of light on the floor.

And when he shone his flashlight over the wall, he saw to his astonishment that there was a door cut into the rock. It didn’t have a bell. There was just a rusty iron latch and a bolt that had been left drawn.

He lifted the latch and gave the door a push. It felt very stiff, as if it hadn’t been used for a long time. And when it opened, there was a flood of golden light.

The General stepped inside and gave a loud gulp. He was in a cave lit by a chandelier and filled with the most sumptuous treasures. There were paintings and tapestries, and silver candlesticks, and four-poster beds with velvet curtains. And there was a big enamel bath, and a toilet with a pink seat! And there were chests full of fancy jugs and plates, and a dining room table with a china swan on top!

General Marchmouse was astonished—he had never seen such luxuries.

No wonder Lord Seamouse was so anxious to get everything back.

But the General wasn’t interested in the furniture. It was Uncle Jeremy’s teeth he had come for. He started rummaging through the chests, pulling out the jugs and plates and cups and candlesticks, determined to find them.

Then he noticed a rusty candy tin in the corner of the cave, with the words FRUIT PASTILLES written on it. He scuttled over to it and pried off the lid… and there they were—a whole set of fat white milk teeth, shining like pearls.

The General gasped. Just think how much the tooth fairies would pay for teeth such as these! It was hardly surprising Purple Claw was so keen to get his paws on them.

But he was too late now!

The General quickly pressed the lid back on the tin and heaved it up onto his shoulders.

He wanted to get away as quickly as possible and show off his amazing discovery. He couldn’t wait to tell the Mouse Times that he had solved The Case of the Missing Teeth—when every other mouse in Mousewall had failed!

But as he was staggering to the door, he suddenly saw some bright beads of light coming from the back of the cave—and when he looked more closely he saw that there was a dark green curtain hanging there.

He put down the tin and walked over to it, wondering what was on the other side. And when he touched the curtain, he found to his surprise that it was made of moss. It was so thick he had to push his way through it with both paws—and when he came out on the other side he let out a cry.

For suddenly he was outside again! He was standing at the mouth of the cave, right at the top of Stargazer—and below him the rock fell away in a steep cliff. He could see the Rock Pool far below him, and the gulls wheeling in the air above.

He was so high up he felt quite giddy.

He crouched down on all fours, for he was frightened of losing his balance. Then he took up his field glasses and peered down the cliff. Arthur and Lucy had gone. But he wondered if Tumtum and the others had stayed behind.

He looked all around the beach, as far as he could see. But there was no sign of them. He supposed they must have gone back to Smugglers’ Keep with the children.

Then he noticed a big sand castle, just in front of the rocks, with a red flag flying from the turret. He twisted his lens to bring it into focus and then his heart gave a sudden jolt.

Purple Claw was standing in the watchtower with a telescope—peering straight at him.