Brian Jacques - [Redwall 03] - Mattimeo

Imagine all that happening to a baby mouse. There wouldn’t be much left to tell the tale when he hit the

ground.”

John Churchmouse bit his lip until the blood trickled to his chin.

The Abbot disguised his true feelings and shrugged carelessly. “Then as far as I am concerned you have

our surrender, but not completely. Unfortunately, I am only the voice of one, and this Abbey belongs to us

all, not just me. We must have a little time to consider your offer, then a vote will have to be taken.”

Ironbeak raked the path fiercely with his talons. “I will have your complete surrender. Now!”

The Abbot sat upon the path. Plucking a blade of grass, he sucked it, shaking his head.

“I am very sorry, but it is not my decision. Throw the captives from the roof if you must. All our

creatures are not present, and it is not possible to give you a firm decision right now. We need time to

discuss this and take a ballot.”

Ironbeak kicked gravel left and right, realizing that if the captives were slain his bargaining power was

lost.

“You say you need time. How much time, earthcrawler?” he demanded.

“Oh, at least three sunsets.”

“That is too long. How do I know you are not planning something?”

The Abbot looked old and frail, and he smiled disarmingly. “General, you give us too much credit.

What could we do against you in the space of three sunsets? We are not warriors, we cannot fly like you

birds, we are only earthcrawlers. Besides, you hold the captives. What better insurance of our good

behaviour?”

The raven signalled Mangiz to have the captives taken into the roofspaces.

“Two sunsets, not three.” He clacked his beak decisively. “Two sunsets and no longer!”

Mordalfus stood up and bowed gravely. “Thank you, Ironbeak. You shall have our answer two sunsets

from now.”

Chapter 32

The raft was proving successful. Though the water hammered it hard in midcurrent, it held together

admirably. Log-a-Log was in his element, manoeuvring the tiller as he shouted out orders above the rush

of the waters. The long poles they had used for punting were now useless as a means of propelling the

craft, and they relied upon the steering skills of the shrew leader.

Matthias stood at the forward end scanning the other shore, Basil and Cheek hung on to each other for

dear life, with Jess, Jabez and Orlando near to paw, surrounded by shrews who packed the floating deck to

its edges. They were past the midriver point when Matthias made his way across to Log-a-Log.

“How is she handling?”

“Oh, fine, Matthias, fine,” Log-a-Log said airily. “As you can see, we’ve sprung a small leak or two, but

nothing to worry about. I’ll make for that spot over there. It’s a curving inlet and the water looks almost

still, so it must be by-passed by the main center current. Are you all right, not worried about anything?”

“Not exactly worried, just keeping my eyes, ears and wits about me,” Matthias admitted. “That shore

looks a bit too peaceful for my liking.”

“Ha, anything that looks peaceful is exactly to my liking.”

Stonefleck stood with his back to a rock on the open bank, completely disguised by his strange coat. In his

paws he held a bow with an arrow notched on its string. Coolly he watched the raft looming larger,

knowing that his formidable army was waiting, bows at the ready for its leader to fire the first arrow.

Basil relaxed his grip on Cheek. “Ha, we’re not bad sailors after all, young Cheek. Can’t you feel the water

gettin’ smoother, not so much of that infernal bobbin’ up and down like a duck’s bottom?”

“That’s as may be Basil, but I won’t feel easy until me young paws are on dry land again,” the otter said

nervously. “Lookit that Log-a-Log shrew, he’s enjoyin’ it all. I bet he’ll be sorry to leave this raft.”

“Stand ready with those poles,” Log-a-Log called to the shrews seated at the outboard edges. “We’ll be

into still waters soon.”

A hissing volley of arrows speeding like flighted death cut down the six shrews who stood grasping the

poles. They toppled lifeless into the water.

Immediately, the shore was alive with innumerable rats unleashing arrows one after another into the

unprotected creatures on the flat raft deck.

Taken completely by surprise, there was only one course of action open to Matthias. Ducking and

dodging flying shafts, he yelled, “Overboard! Everybeast overboard. Stay on the river side of the raft. Keep

low!”

There was a mass scramble, making the raft tilt perilously. Matthias, Log-a-Log and Jess unfastened

their slings. All around them the shrews leapt into the water, clinging to the side of the raft furthest from

the shore. The three friends launched slingstones at the attackers, but they did little good. Arrows still

poured back at them like spring rain.

“Log-a-Log, Jess, get off the raft, hurry!” Matthias shouted urgently.

The squirrel and the shrew did not stop to argue, they abandoned the heeling raft and took to the

water. Matthias went last.

Stonefleck looked at the sky. Twilight was arriving. He signalled a cease-fire.

“Wait, they’re in the water now. Let’s watch the sport before we open up again. But pick off any loose

ones that you sight.”

The rat army packed to the water’s edge, gazing at the bobbing raft an arrow’s-length away.

Basil spat out a mouthful of river water as he clung to the side of the raft.

“Ambushed!” he said disgustedly. “Where in the name of fur and claw did that mob spring from?

They’re no slouches with those bows, Orlando.”

“If I could reach them with my battleaxe, I’d show them I’m no slouch, the filthy assassins. Ouch, what

was that?”

There were shouts and screams from the shrews.

“Ow! I’ve been bitten!”

“Ouch, ow! Me too!”

“Owooh! I’m bleeding!”

Matthias gritted his teeth. “Silence. Be still. It’s probably just a shoal of small fish.”

Jess changed places until she was by Matthias. “Owch! It’s like sitting on a beehive,” she complained.

“Cheek’s got more sense. Look, he’s still on the raft.”

A shrew who had been bitten tried hauling himself out of the water; he took an arrow between the

eyes. Another shrew tried swimming away from the raft; two arrows sank him. The rats were sniping from

the bank at anything that popped up or moved.

Cheek lay sprawled flat in the center of the raft, ignoring Matthias.

“Come off that raft, Cheek. You’ll be shot,” Matthias said sharply.

“No fear. Lie low and cling tight, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going into that river.”

Basil sucked up water and spat it at the young otter.

“You little nuisance, come off that raft, sir. Off, I say!” he ordered.

Matthias felt tiny teeth bite his tail. He kicked out and was bitten again.

“Leave him, Basil. Let’s think of some way out of this. The raft is drifting towards those rats. Duck!

They’re firing again.”

More volleys of arrows followed.

For the first time in a long while, Stonefleck allowed himself a tight smile of satisfaction. “We’ve got them.

They’re sailing towards us. Keep up the arrows! Those who aren’t eaten will be shot. I want no captives.

We’re not slavers; leave that to Slagar.”

Jabez Stump was being bitten on his unprotected paws.

“I can’t stand much more of this,” the hedgehog winced. “What’s to be done?”

“Hold the raft tight,” Log-a-Log called out. “Try backing water. We might just tow it off into the main