Brian Jacques - Redwall #07 - Mariel of Redwall

"The idea is to throw as much food to the lobster as possible. Let's start right now. Durry, Tarquin, chuck the shrimp and fish in. I want you to keep your eyes on the lobster. Once it stops coming out to get the food, let me know. Dandin, you and I will search about for two rocks. We need something to weight us down and make us sink to the bottom of the pool. While we're down there, you keep watch, with the sword ready. I'll get the swallow, then Durry and Tarquin can haul us up out of it."

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Soon the final preparations had been made. Mariel and Dandin sat on the rock lip of the pool with ropes tied about their waists. The mousemaid put aside her Gullwhacker; it would be useless underwater. Dandin took off his scabbard and held on to the sword. Durry and Tarquin were still dropping odd bits of food into the water.

"I think the old lobster villain's had enough. He's not botherin' to come out for any more tucker. The water's teemin' with jolly nice fish an' shrimp, but he seems to have had a tummyfulgreat glutton!"

Both mice picked up their rocks. Bobbo gave final instructions.

"Now then, do you go straight down and get the bird, tug on the ropes and we will haul you up fast. If we see the creature come out we will pull you up, whether you have the swallow or not. I wish you both luck and good fortune. Now take a slow deep breath."

Side by side Mariel and Dandin slid into the water, the coldness forcing them to take deep breaths, then the weight of the stones took over. With eyes wide open, the pool closed above their heads and they began their descent, into the silent aquamarine depths of the watery world.

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BOOK THREE

The Sound of a Bell!

The hare shook paws with Mother Mellus inside Great Hall as the fire-swingers roared outside on the lawns and in the orchard.

"Long patrol from Salamandastron at y'service, marm. Colonel Clary, Brigadier Thyme and Hon Rosie."

Mellus inspected Clary's paw. "You've been hurt. I'll get a proper dressing for that wound. Sister Sage! Bring a clean dressing and some salve, will you."

Clary winced slightly as the dressing was applied.

"Much obliged, marm. Only a scratch, really. Good healin' fur us Meadowclarys have, wot? The young mouse chappie, wotsisname, Saxtus, he's told us what the position is. Not to worry, we'll have the vermin sorted out by dawn for you dealt with their types before. Oh, by the way, marm, can I count on you to be on the west walltop in, say, two hours?"

Mellus nodded. "You can count on me for anything, as long as it gets those filthy searats away from Redwall Abbey, Colonel Clary."

Hon Rosie gawped around Great Hall in open admiration. "Oh, I say, what a super-dooper cottage y'have here. Whoohahahahooh!"

This time it was Mellus's turn to wince. "Colonel

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Clary, would it be possible for Hon Rosie to do her laughing outside? We have infants in the dormitories, trying to sleep."

Clary saluted. "Right you are, marm. Rosie! Put a lid on the giggles, old gel. Keepin' the babies awake, wot!"

"Oops! Silly old me, I'll go an' have a swift chortle in the shrubbery. Whooha Sorry!"

Thyme went about his business efficiently. Mounting the west wall, he introduced himself to Rule Brush and tested a bow and arrow.

"Hmm, this all the archery equipment you've got? Sadly lackin', old lad. Now let me see, range, trajectory, distance . . . Hmmm, yersss! Is there a wicker gate in your east wall leadin' out into the jolly old woodlands?"

Rufe nodded dumbly, slightly overawed by the militaristic hare.

"Good show! Next question: where'll I find your grub wallah y'know the cook chappie, the chef?"

"In the kitchens, gettin' tomorrow's breakfast set up, I s'pose. Inside the Abbey, one floor down below Great Hall."

"Top-hole! See y'later. Face front now, don't turn y'back on the bally enemy, old chap. They'll shoot you in the behind, wot!"

Rufe was left so bewildered he nearly forgot to duck as a low-flying fire-swinger sped overhead.

"Hiyo the grounds, fire-swinger come in over main gate!"

"Hurr, maister Brush," a mole cried out from below. "You'm a bit late, baint 'ee? Durned foir-s'inger near burned moi nose offen."

Friar Alder reluctantly parted with his three best vegetable knives again. "Take care of them please, Mr. Thyme."

"It's Brigadier, sah, Brigadier but you can call me Brig. Not to worry about the old frogstickers, we'll have 'em back good as new."

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Saxtus and Flagg sat with their backs to the Abbey building, taking a breather and a drink of cool dandelion and burdock cordial while Gabriel Quill and Friar Hubert took over the fire-fighting relief column. Flagg rubbed the cold stone beaker against his brow.

"Whew! I 'opes those hares c'n help us. Nice folk, though a little snooty in their manner o' talkin' like."

Saxtus took a long draught of his drink. "They're Salamandastron hares, Brother Hubert said, battle-trained and ready for anything. Leave it to them. They'll know what to do, Flagg."

oo

Out in the woodlands beyond the east wallgate, Clary trimmed shoots from a thick yewpole with Friar Alder's knife.

"There, that should be just the ticket, wot? Six long staves, good solid yew. How's the oak comin' along, Rosie old gel?"

"Capital, Clary. We found a big old one, quite dead an' ready to topple, but loads of sound branches on it, just the right length too. Hahahahooh."

Thyme looked up from his labors. "I noted lots of fishin' line in the kitchens. We can plait it together; should be ideal."

Clary smiled grimly. "Well done, Thyme. Come on, let's go!"

00

An hour before daybreak Deadglim shook Graypatch awake. He went to the fire and warmed himself.

"How's it goin', mateys?"

Swinging his arm around ever faster, Frink suddenly let a fire-swinger go. It roared off into the lightening sky like a shooting star,

"Great, Cap'n, though we're usin' green vines instead o' rope now there's loads of it growin' over yonder, plenty o' dead grass too. We could keep this up all season. It's bags o' fun."

Graypatch helped himself to roasted bird, tearing at

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it hungrily. "Haharr, so it is, shipmate. Get summat to eat now. I'll take over fer a while. Hoho, they must be run ragged inside those walls by now. Pretty soon they'll be too tired an' slow. Then a fire'll start that they won't be able to cope with. That's when we'll pay em a visit. Come on, me lucky bucks, keep a-slingin' those flames in!"

Bigfang stood up. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stared toward the Abbey walls in the gathering daylight. He ran across to Graypatch.

"Cap'n, look! It's those three big rabbits who were aboard the Darkqueen. See 'em, large as life on the walltop!"

Graypatch spat out some burnt feathers and picked at his fangs. "Noddletop! Those ain't rabbits. Don't y'know a hare when y'see one? Any'ow, what difference does it make to us who they are? They'll burn same as the rest of 'em. Wake yerself up, addlebrain,

an' start throwin'."

C/D

They met on the walltop in front of the threshold, facing the plain from where Graypatch and his entire contingent could be seen around the large fire which provided ignition for the missilesColonel Clary, Brig Thyme, Hon Rosie, Mother Mellus and Flagg.

Saxtus stood to one side. He watched as Clary took command, all traces of jocularity and fun gone from the hare's normally quirky voice. There were six bows and a large stock of arrows on the threshold. Clary picked up a bow and a single shaft.

"I'm aware that you all know how to fire a bow, but I'll go over this once to refresh your memories. This bow, like the others we have made, is a longbow solid yew and more than twice the size of the ones you are used to. It is strung with a cord plaited from fishing lines to give it extra power. The arrows, as you can see, are far longer than normal arrows; thicker too. They are oak, fire-hardened tips and leaf flights. Now, I have