Brian Jacques - [Redwall 10] - The Long Patrol

Tansy drew herself up grandly, spikes abristle and eyes alight. “Nonsense! Show me the wall this instant!”

The group wandered up and down the length of the high battlemented south wall for the remainder of the

afternoon, talking and debating and pointing earnestly. The final conclusion was inescapable. The wall was sinking,

bellying inward too. They probed the mortar between the stone joints, stood on top of the wall, and swung a weighted

plumb line from top to bottom. Then, placing their faces flat to the wall surface and each one squinting with one eye,

they gauged the extent of the stone warp. Whichever way they looked at it there was only one thing all were agreed

upon. The south wall was crumbling!

10?

Darkness was stealing over Redwall Abbey, and the lights of Great Hall shone through long, stained-glass

windows, laying columns of rainbow colors across the lawn. Buttressed and arched, the ancient building towered

against a backdrop of Mossflower woodlands. From bell tower to high roof ridge, it was the symbol of safety, comfort,

and achievement to all the Redwallers who called it home.

Sister Viola Bankvole had never adopted the simple habit worn by most Abbey creatures. She favored flounces and

ruffles, supported by more petticoats than enough. She made her way out of the Abbey’s main door, holding up a

lantern and tutting fussily as playful night breezes tugged at her cloak and bonnet. Brazen and slow, RedwalFs twin

bells boomed out sonorously, calling everybeast to table for the evening meal.

Abbess Tansy and her party were at the north wall gable, completing an exhaustive inspection of the entire outer

walls.

Foremole Diggum patted the stones fondly. “Burr! Thank ee, season’n’fates, thurr b’aint nuthen wrong with ee rest

of’n our walls, marm, boi ’okey thurr b’aint!”

Arven held up his lantern, watching Abbess Tansy’s face anxiously. “He’s right, Tansy. The east, north, and west

walls, including the gatehouse, stairs, ramparts, and main gates, are all sound as the day they were built!”

The Abbess rubbed a paw across her tired eyes. “So they are, but that’s little comfort when the whole south wall

could topple at a moment’s notice.”

Viola came bustling up, bonnet ribbons streaming out behind her. “Mother Abbess! There’s a full evening meal

waiting inside that cannot start without your presence! My word, just look at yourselves, dusty paws, thorns and teazels

sticking to your clothing, what a sight! Craklyn, I thought you were supposed to be helping with the Dibbuns’ bedtime.

Goodness knows what time those babes will get up to the dormitory tonight when they haven’t even been fed yet! Oh,

and another thing ...”

Arven’s voice cut strongly across the bankvole’s tirade: “Enough! That will do, Sister Viola!”

Tansy took advantage of Viola’s huffy silence to say, “Thank you, Sister, we will be in to dine shortly. Meanwhile,

would you be good enough to take my chair and order the meal to start in my absence? But do not send the Dibbuns to

bed. I have something to say for all Redwallers to hear.”

Viola seemed to swell up with die importance of her mission. Nothing she could think of pleased her more than

taking the Abbess’s place, albeit only for a short time. The bankvole swept off back to the Abbey, cloak aswirt with

the wind.

Craklyn watched her go as they made their way toward the Abbey pond to wash. “Hmph! That bankvole,

sometimes I think a swift kick in the bustle would do her the world of good.”

Tansy stifled a smile as she reproved her friend. “Sister Viola is a good and dutiful creature, and she can’t help

being a bit overzealous at times. Mayhap we could all take a little lesson from her devotion to detail.”

The bustle and chatter of good company was always a keynote to Redwall dining. Great Hall was packed with

Redwallers, eating and conversing across well-laden tables. Golden and brown crusts of batch loaves, nut-bread, and

oatfarl shone in the candlelight; tureens of steaming barley and beet soup, filled with corn dumplings, were placed at

intervals, between hot cheese and mushroom flans and fresh spring salads. Flagons of spiced fruit cordial and

dandelion tea vied for place with pear and chestnut turnovers, apple and cream puddings, and two huge wild cherry

and almond cakes. Many of the elders sat Dibbuns on their laps, sharing their plates with the Abbeybabes. The young

ones were jubilant at the chance to stay up late.

Arven and the moles came to the table in Tansy’s wake. The good Abbess signaled Viola to stay where she was, in

the big chair at the head of the table. Shoving Sloey the mouse-babe and Gubbio the Dibbun mole playfully apart,

Tansy placed herself between them on the low bench, saying, “Move aside there, you two great fatties, let a poorbeast

in!”

Sloey looked up from her soup as she moved to make room. “Big fatty y’self, marm. Wot you be late for?”

Gubbio spoke for his Abbess as he munched a large slice of cake. “Apportant bizness, oi surpose.”

Tansy ladled soup for herself, winking at the molebabe. “Aye, mate, apportant bizness it was!”

The meal continued in no great hurry, a low buzz of conversation accompanying it. Time was never a factor when

victuals were being taken at Redwall. When Tansy judged the moment was right, she stood up and nodded to Viola.

The bankvole rang a small pawbell which was on the table near where she sat. Talk died away and Dibbuns were

shushed as Tansy addressed her creatures.

“My friends, listen carefully. As your Mother Abbess I have something to tell you. Now there is no cause for

alarm, but Foremole Diggum, Arven, Craklyn, some other good moles, and myself have inspected the structure of our

Abbey’s outer wall is today. For some reason as yet unknown to us, the south wall is in a dangerous state.”

Shad, a big otter who occupied the gatehouse as Keeper, was immediately up on his paws. “What’s t’be done,

marm?”

Tansy gestured to Diggum, and the Foremole answered for her: “Hurr, furstly us’n’s needs to foind out whoi ee be

unsafe, on’y then’ll us be able to fixen ee wall.”

With Tansy’s permission, Arven was next to speak. “There’s no need for anybeast to worry, but we must set a few

sensible rules for the safety of all. From tomorrow we will fence off an area isolatin’ the entire south wall. Please do

not hang about near it. Carry on with your chores and pleasures as normal, and see that none of our little ’uns try to

play in (he area, because it will be dangerous for a while. Lots of stone and rubble are bound to be lying about when

the wall is demolished.”

An incredulous murmur arose ’round Great Hall.

“They’re going to knock down the south wall, demolish it!”

Shad the Gatekeeper thwacked the table with his thick tail, silencing the talkers. “Hearken t’me! Wot’s all the

bother about? Stands t’sense that a wobbly wall ’as t’be knocked down afore y’can build it back right. You ’card

Abbess Tansy, there ain’t no cause to worry!”

Pellit, a fat dormouse kitchen helper, shook his head knowingly. “Huh, just wait until the first vermin comin’ up

the path spots the wall knocked down. That’ll be the time to start wor-ryin’!”

A loud hubbub broke out as a result of the dormouse’s observation, and argument and dispute took over until Great

Hall was in uproar. Many of the Abbeybabes, upset by the noise, began wailing with fright.

Without warning, Viola Bankvole leapt up onto the table. Seizing a big empty earthenware basin, she raised it high