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Back Marlfox Save as PDF
Chapters (79)
  1. CHARGE!
  2. THE REDWALL BOOKS
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. ACT ONE
  7. 1
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 4
  15. 5
  16. 5
  17. 6
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 7
  21. 8
  22. 8
  23. 9
  24. 9
  25. 10
  26. 10
  27. 11
  28. 11
  29. 12
  30. 12
  31. 13
  32. 13
  33. ACT TWO
  34. 14
  35. 14
  36. 15
  37. 15
  38. 16
  39. 16
  40. 17
  41. 17
  42. 18
  43. 18
  44. 19
  45. 19
  46. 20
  47. 20
  48. 21
  49. 21
  50. 22
  51. 22
  52. 23
  53. 23
  54. 24
  55. 24
  56. 25
  57. 25
  58. ACT THREE
  59. 26
  60. 26
  61. 27
  62. 27
  63. 28
  64. 28
  65. 29
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 30
  69. 31
  70. 31
  71. 32
  72. 32
  73. 33
  74. 33
  75. 34
  76. 34
  77. Epilogue
  78. Epilogue
  79. What’s next onyour reading list?

Soll paused, gazing into the glowing peat fire, his face wreathed by aromatic smoke. He sighed heavily. “Aaaaaah, lackaday! Vermin ’ad raided my ’ome. ’Twas all ruin an’ wreck, with no sign of the villains. Tracks washed out by storm, y’see. My pore wife Beechtipp lay slain. She were a gentle creature, couldn’t fight t’save ’er life. My liddle daughter Nettlebud was gone, taken captive by vermin. My name was Skyspike in those days, ’cos of me great size an’ strength. But alas for me, I was never a warrior, couldn’t raise my paw to ’urt no livin’ thing. Be that as it may, I went mad with grief an’ sorrow. Three seasons I roamed far’n’wide, always searchin’, seekin’ to find my darlin’ Nettlebud. Questin’, wanderin’ o’er woodland, water an’ moorland. But my pore baby was gone. Then one day in autumn, when leaves died all redgold an’ small birds were flyin’ south’ards to chase the sun, I found I’d roamed back to this place. I’ll tell thee no lie, young friends, I sat ’ere an’ wept for days, thinkin’ on wot ’ad been. Then one mornin’ I awakened to find the sun shinin’ bright an’ birds singin’ joyous songs to it. A great peace came o’er me an’ I no longer wanted to spend my life wanderin’ about. That was when I changed my name to Sollertree an’ decided to live out my seasons ’ere. I rebuilt my ’ouse, reared liddle Croikle from a tadpole I found in the tricklin’ water, an’ guess wot?” Soll pointed out of the doorway to a tree. “That saplin’ I’d cast away weren’t no russet, ’twas a fine young almond tree. There ’tis yonder, see? So ’ere I am an’ ’ere I’ll stay, an’ allow me t’say this. I’ll never do another creature a bad turn if’n I can’t do ’im a good ’un!”

Song smiled at the huge spiky beast. “You’re a fine an’ rare creature, mister Soll!”

20

20

Mokkan was up to his usual tricks. As dusk fell, the Marlfox had ordered his crew to put in to shore and make camp, and now he sat in the branches of an elm listening to his water rats talking as they huddled in the lee of their logboat on the riverbank. From his tether in the stern of the vessel, Fenno was urging them to desertion or mutiny.

“Lissen, mates, now’s yer chance, while Mokkan’s away scoutin’ downriver. Make a break fer it while yer still can, mates!”

A rat named Gorm stared dully at the shrew. “We ain’t yore mates, so shut yer trap.”