beleaguered enemy.
“Haharr, so yore the bold crew who were gonna spank us an’ send us off in tears, eh? I wager the one who
shouted that is ’idin’ somewheres at the back now, prob’ly in tears hisself!”
Mass laughter and cheering from the Rapscallion horde prompted Bluggach to become bolder. He leered at the
Red-wallers, licking the tip of the hook he carried. “C’mon out an’ face me, ’tis my turn t’do the spankin’!”
Gurgan Spearback was already out as he spoke, wielding his tree-trunk-headed war mallet. “Stoats be windy
braggarts. Come an’ spank me if thee thinks thou art warrior enough to do it!”
Bluggach gave a wild yell and charged the big Waterhog. Gurgan sidestepped and swung the mallet once. Just
once.
Bluggach slumped to the ground, never to rise again.
But Gurgan’s sidestep had carried him close to the Rapscallion mob. A crowd leapt upon him, overwhelming the
Waterhog Chieftain.
The Redwallers could not leave their friend in enemy paws. They charged forward into the vermin pack, roaring,
“Red-waaaaallll! Redwaaaaaallll!”
They were hopelessly outnumbered, but prepared to sell their lives dearly. Strangely, though, it was Damug
Warfang who saved them.
The unpredictable Warlord strode among his vermin, lashing out with the flat of his swordblade. “Halt! Enough, I
say! We will take these creatures as prisoners. Nobeast must touch them. I will keep them as captives to serve me!”
The Greatrat halted in front of Perigord. “All except you, hare. Nobeast talks to me as you did and lives!”
Held fast by four Rapscallions, the Major still struggled to break free and get at his enemy, even though he was
twice wounded. “So be it, foulface. Give me back my saber an’ I’ll fight you, blade-to-blade. Come on, vermin, let’s
have at it, wot!”
Damug looked Perigord up and down. Dried blood was caked over the Major’s brow, covering his right eye, while
the Redwall tunic hung from him in shreds, revealing a ragged scar on one shoulder. The Greatrat sneered
contemptuously. “Your fighting days are over, fool. I’m going to make an example of you in front of your friends.
Conquered beasts always leam to behave better when they see their leader executed. Get him down in front of me and
bend his head!”
A massive roar shook the night air, chilling the blood of every Rapscallion on the ridge.
“Eulaliaaaaaaa!”
Thundering forward, fifty paces ahead of her command, Lady Cregga Rose Eyes hit the vermin ranks like a
lightning storm.
Tammo saw vermin actually fly through the air as the huge badger, her eyes blazing red with Bloodwrath, swung
her ax-pike into them. Then she was upon Damug Warfang. Casting her weapon away, she seized the Firstblade with
both paws and teeth.
“Spawn of Gormad Tunn! Evil murderer’s kin! Come to me!”
Hacking furiously at the Badger Warrior’s head with his sword, Damug gave an unearthly screech. Locked
together, the pair hurtled into space from the ridgetop.
“Eulaliaaaa! ’S death on the wind! Eulaliaaaaaa!”
Booting aside a rat, Major Perigord grabbed his saber. “Hares on the ridge, hundreds of ’em! Eulaliaaaaaa!”
The army from Salamandastron charged into the Rapscallions’ midst to join the Redwallers. Galloper Riffle was
down; a snarling weasel who was about to dispatch him with a dagger thrust fell forward, slain by a saber swing.
Riffle felt himself pulled upright; he stopped a moment in the thick of battle, recognizing his rescuer. “Algador! My
brother!”
The young Runner blinked, smiling and crying at the same time. “Riffle, thank the seasons you’re alive!”
“Logalogalogalogalooooog!”
The shrew Chieftain, at the head of his remaining Guosim, tore into a pack of vermin and chased them the length
of the ridge.
“Redwaaaaaalll! No surrender, no quarter, me buckoes!”
Skipper of Otters and his ragged band threw themselves headlong at another group of foebeasts, javelins forward.
Tammo had formed foursquare with Pasque, Midge, Tway-blade, and Fourdun, battling madly against the
desperate Rapscallions. They pushed their way with blade, sling, and tooth to where Corporal Rubbadub lay stretched
on the ground, limp and trampled. While the others fought, Pasque stooped to inspect the big lump and the awesome
cut across the back of Rubbadub’s head. She looked up sadly at her friends. “I think poor old Rubbadub’s gone!”
“Nonsense!” Twayblade kicked Rubbadub’s paw roughly.
Turning over, the drummer rubbed his head, grinning widely. “Dubadubadubb! B’boom!”
Sergeant Torgoch found himself fighting alongside Drill Sergeant Clubrush. The pair fought like madbeasts but
chatted like old pals.
“By the left, Sar’nt, yore young’uns are shapin’ up well!”
“They certainly are, Sar’nt—they pulled yore chestnuts out o’ the fire!”
Tare and Tuny had formed up with Trowbaggs and Furgale. They pressed forward in a straight line, driving
Rapscallions off the edge of the ridge. Determined to distinguish himself in this his first action, Trowbaggs pulled
away from the others and began taking on four vermin single-pawedly. “Have at ye, y’scurvy rascals, Trowbaggs the
Terrible’s here!”
He managed to slay one before another got behind him and put him down with a dagger in his side. Corporal
Ellbrig and Shangle Widepad rushed in to his aid, slaying two and sending the other one running.
Holding on to his side, Trowbaggs managed a weak smile. “Chap got behind me. Wasn’t very sportin’ of him, was
it, Corp?”
Shangle provided cover while Ellbrig ministered to the recruit. “Trowbaggs, wot am I goin’ t’do with you, eh? War
isn’t no game—there ain’t no such thing as a vermin bein’ sporty. Good job that dagger only took a bit o’ fur’n’flesh.
You’d be a goner now if’n that was an inward stab instead o’ a sideways one. Come on, up on yore
hunkers, me
beauty, stick wid me’n’ole Shang.”
Furgale and Reeve Starbuck were in difficulties. Heavily outnumbered, they fought gallantly. Tammo’s party saw
they were in a fix and dashed over to help, but too late. Both the recruits went under from vermin spear thrusts before
they could be reached. Others came running to avenge their comrades, exacting a terrible retribution on the vermin
spear-carriers with swords and javelins.
Clubrush saw Furgale twitch, and he knelt by him, supporting his head. “Y’did bravely, young sir. Be still now,
we’ll git you some ’elp.”
Furgale tried to focus on Clubrush, his eyes fluttering weakly. “Get my old job back, servin’ you an’ Colonel Eye-
bright in the mess ... won’t shout too loud though, Colonel doesn’t like that ...”
The young recruit’s head lolled to one side, his eyes closed. Drill Sergeant Clubrush hugged him tightly, tears
flowing openly down his grizzled face. “I ’ope you’ve gone to an ’appier place than this blood-strewn ridge,”
The tide of battle was turned. What was left of the mighty Rapscallion army fled from the hill, pursued by the hares
and the Redwallers. Major Perigord and Captain Twayblade limped their way down the hill and across the valley, with
Tammo and Pasque following them. They found Lady Cregga in the rift, clutching the mangled remains and broken
sword of Damug Warfang.
Pasque Valerian was the only one of the four who was still fit and active. She climbed down to the bottom of the
rift. Perigord peered over the edge, watching her inspect the badger.
“I say, Pasque, get a chunk o’ that smoulderin’ wood t’make a torch.”