Tragglo Spearback and Florian found themselves on dormitory duty. Tragglo was used to unruly Dibbuns, but the hare was losing patience with the wide-awake Abbeybabes. Stiffening both ears and squinching his eyes menacingly, he adopted his no-nonsense voice. "Listen here, you confounded curmudgeons, get t'sleep immediately. One more flippin' squeak out of ye, an' I'll do a spot o' tail-skelpin', wot!"
"Hurr, wot be ee spotter tail-skelpen, zurr?"
"Never you jolly well mind, you young rip, just get t'sleep!"
"Will y'skelper my tail too, mista Florian?"
"Indeed I will, master Dwopple, double sharp if y'don't pipe down!"
"D'you skelper tails too, mista Tragg'o?"
"Hoho, I'm known fer it, young 'un, worstest tail-skelper in Redwall, that's me. Now git back into bed with ye!"
Immediately all the Dibbuns deserted their beds and clamored around the two bewildered dormitory helpers, pleading with them to skelp their tails. It all sounded like great fun to them. Florian and Tragglo were completely overwhelmed, being new to dormitory duty, and the hare threw up his paws in resignation.
"It's all too bally much. How're we supposed to cope with this savage mob of infants, wot wot?"
"Just leave 'em to me, sir. I invented skelpin' naughty tails!"
At the sound of Cregga Badgermum's booming voice the Dibbuns hurled themselves into the little beds and pulled the blankets over their heads. Cregga strode into the dormitory. "Right, let's get started. Any particular one you'd like me to skelp, mister Florian?"
The hare shrugged carelessly. "Not really, marm. Mayhaps you could just dish out a good general skelpin' all round, wot!"
Cregga's huge paws felt their way around each bed as she recited:
"I'll skelp their tails I'll skelp their ears,
Then skelp some whiskers too,
Nobeast skelps like Cregga does,
An' I've skelped quite a few!
I love to see 'em turnin' pale,
Some'll weep or some'll wail,
Somell grow up with no tail,
When I'm done skelpin' here!
So hush my naughty dear,
Go fast asleep till morn,
That's if you wish to waken up,
With tail unskelped by dawn!
One more word, just one more peep,
Woe betide those not asleep,
They will call out, Mercy! Help!
When the badger starts to skelp!"
Silence reigned in the dormitory, apart from one or two false snores, from those trying to prove they were really asleep. Tip-pawing out, Cregga closed the door. Florian gulped visibly. "I say, marm, that did the trick, wot wot? I think a Marlfox'd take a swift snooze rather'n be skelped by you!"
Cregga smiled as she felt her way downstairs. "Bless their liddle hearts, the only beast I'd skelp would be one who tried to put a paw near my Dibbuns. 'Tis the sound of my big voice puts 'em in their place, that's all."
"So your roar's worse than your skelp, wot? Jolly good idea!"
Cregga bared her teeth and growled menacingly. "But only to Dibbuns. I come down extra hard on braggarts and salad fork wreckers!"
Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop nipped smartly behind Tragglo, placing the hedgehog between the badger and himself. "Indeed, quite right too, marm. Can't stand those types m'self!"
At the bottom of the spiral stairwell they met Bargle. The shrew was scratching his head. "Did a mouse pass by you on his way upstairs?"
Tragglo shook his head. "Which mouse? What was he like?"
"Well-built, strong-lookin' feller. Can't say where I've seen 'im afore, but 'e looked familiar like. Wearin' armor an' carryin' a sword, too, fine weapon ..."
Bargle found his paw enveloped by Cregga's huge mitt. "What did he say? Did he do anything? Speak?"
"Er, no, not really, marm. 'E smiled at me an' sorta nodded as if 'e wanted me t'foller 'im. Went up these stairs."
Cregga pushed the shrew in front of her. "Right, up y'go, let's see where your footpaws take you, Bargle. That could only have been the spirit of Martin the Warrior!"
On the floor above the dormitories Bargle halted, glancing down the passage. "There 'e is, by that window. Hi there, matey!" He dashed off down the passage.
"Can you see him?" Cregga muttered to her friends.
The stolid Tragglo shrugged slowly. "I don't see nothin', marm. Ain't nobeast there."
Florian started after Bargle. "Chap must be puddled, wot! Scoffed too much supper, I think."
Cregga could not help remarking, "Huh, if that were the case you'd be seeing visions day and night."
The window was merely a long, narrow, unglazed slit in the wall. Bargle stood by it, rubbing his eyes and blinking. "I'd'a took me oath 'e was 'ere a moment ago, an' now 'e's gone!"
Tragglo stepped up to the window. "Well, 'tis clear that Martin wanted us to look out of this window. Why else should he lead us up here?"
It needed but a single glance through the window to see what Martin had wanted to warn them about. Torches and firebrands were advancing on the Abbey from the east, over two hundred of them.
Bargle felt himself pushed toward the stairs by Florian. "Er, er, no need t'panic, old chap, just because the foebeast is back, wot! Dash on down an' get somebeast up t'the bally belltower, sound the flippin' alarm! Stand by to repel invaders, turn out the blinkin' troops! Er, er, what else? Oh, tell 'em t'pack me some tucker to keep me goin' up on those walls, wot! Nothin' elaborate, bowl of salad, basin o' trifle, er, er . . ."
Cregga's mighty paw stifled further babble from the excited hare. "Hearken, go downstairs quietly, don't rush. Gather every able-bodied Redwaller and report to Skipper and his friends on the walltop. They'll know what to do. Above all, don't toll the bells. The vermin will know we've seen them if they hear an alarm. Go swift and silent, now!"
Ascrod laughed aloud with exhilaration as the whirr of blazing torches, carried by charging vermin, swept by him. Waving his own firebrand at Vannan, he called out, "Tonight's the night we take Redwall, I know it!"
Pale eyes glittering in the torchflames, the vixen licked at her axblade, as if she were already tasting blood. "Luck is with us, I feel it in my bones, brother. One of Raventail's ferrets says he just slew an otter. A big male, probably a Redwall scout!"
Raventail was leading the front-runners. His keen eyes glimpsed the unmistakable bulk of the Abbey ramparts looming up in the darkness. Waving his scimitar, the barbarian ferret gave vent to an eerie howl, which was taken up by his followers.
"Killslay! Kye aaaaaaaaarrr!"
Fearsome-looking vermin, their faces painted heavily for war, leapt forward. Thrusting their torches in the ground, they whirled grappling hooks on ropes and hurled them up at the battlements. Torches clenched in their fangs, the first wave began hauling themselves up the ropes to the parapet. The three Marlfoxes marshaled their archers in position, Predak herself taking a bow and calling orders. "Shoot anything that moves on the walltops. Cover those climbing the ropes!"
Janglur stepped back as another grapnel flew over the battlements and latched in a niche. All along the east wall the three-pronged metal barbs were clanking and grating as they bit into mortared sandstone cracks. The squirrel warrior's hooded eyes watched them carefully. When he judged the time was right he signaled Rusvul and Bargle. "They're all in place. Tell Melilot an' the others they can bring it up now, mates."
Assisted by Rimrose, Ellayo, Sloey and all the kitchen helpers, Brother Melilot ascended the wallstairs. Each of them carried pan, pail, bowl or any other variety of large container they could lay paws upon. They came up the steps slowly, so as not to spill the contents of their vessels. Rusvul Reguba took a bucket from Sister Sloey's trembling paws, nodding politely. "Well done, marm. Now stan' back down those stairs, you've done yore bit. Leave the rest to us."
All along the wall Guosim shrews were taking the vessels from the kitchen helpers and setting them on the battlements anywhere a grapnel was fixed. Janglur took a swift peek over the walltop, moving immediately behind a battlement as a volley of arrows whizzed by. He nodded at Bargle and Rusvul. "Their archers have the walls well markedwe'd best do it smart like. There's all manner o' scum comin' up these ropes."