Redwallers lined the broken windows, slinging stones and hurling anything that came to paw at the attackers. However, the vermin fought back with slingstones, spears and arrows. Janglur stooped to help a mole who had been hit by a spear, only to find that he was dead. The squirrel warrior gritted his teeth, calling out to his friend, “Rusvul, go an’ get those longbows!”

Rusvul came hurrying back with bows and quivers. “One of ’em’s missin’, Jang, I can only find two. Wish ole Skipper was ’ere to lend a paw. He could shoot a bow, that ’un!”

Janglur set shaft to bowstring and, standing tall, fired through the broken panes. From outside came a scream.

“So can I when I’m roused, mate, so can I!”

A dozen or more vermin lay transfixed by arrows when Ascrod decided to drop back a bit. He called a halt and ordered a large fire to be lit in the center of the lawn. When it was blazing he stood boldly in front of it and hailed the Abbey.

“Redwallers, listen to me. You’re surrounded. Come out!”

Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop gave the answer. “Come out? Nevah, sir. Why don’t you come in an’ get us, wot!”

“We could come in and get you if we wait long enough, but by then there’d be a lot of you dead and your young ones would be starving. If you don’t come out immediately we’ll kill the prisoner we took.” Without turning his head, he addressed his next remark to Vannan. “Bring the shrew over here.”

Janglur sat on the table edge, looked at Rusvul, then placed his head in both paws. “I don’t want to see or hear any of this, mate. You know what they’ll do to pore old Mayon.”

At a dormitory window the missing longbow was in the paws of the blind badger Cregga. Rimrose was amazed. She had never seen a longbow drawn so far back. The arrow was stretched to its very tip on the string. Cregga kept her face straight ahead, listening to Ellayo.

“Down a bit an’ left, Cregga, now up a touch, just a mite, that’s it, the shaft’s well lined on that villain’s head.”

The badger released the string with a mighty twang. The arrow carried on, straight through the fire, across the lawn and out through the open gates on to the flatlands, despite the fact that Ascrod was the first target it passed through.

Raventail snatched up a bow and thrust a rag-bound arrow into the fire to set it alight. Tragglo Spearback ducked as the blazing shaft zipped in through a broken window. Raventail’s horrendous message fell upon the Redwallers’ ears as he screeched savagely, “Burn Redwall! Kye arr! Burn, burn, burn!”

Cutting dark smoking trails, flaming arrows began whirring in through the windows. Foremole Gubbio alerted his crew. “Hurr, get ee buckets o’ water an’ wetted sacks, ’asten naow!”