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Chapters (64)
  1. CAPTURED!
  2. Other Books
  3. Title Page
  4. Map
  5. Introduction
  6. BOOK ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. BOOK TWO
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. BOOK THREE
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

This is where a stone may fall and make no sound at all.

Those who cross and live to tell,

See the badger and the bell,

Face the lord who points the way

After noon on summer’s day.

Death will open up its grave.

Who goes there . . . ? None but the brave.’

“Look at this map, we’ve come through all these places. There are the cliffs, here is the pine forest, here the water with the bows of the rats on the far shore. This place here, hummocks and trees, this is where we are now. What do you think, Basil?”

“You’re right, of course, old warrior. Hmm, sound advice too. It warns of the dangers in the woods, even gives the little fishes a mention. Ha, ‘voyage when the daylight dims’; maybe we would have stood a chance of giving those rats the slip if we’d crossed by night. Well, well, a jolly old bit of prophecy here. Creatures certainly did die, and we’ve left the bones of warriors back there. But what’s all this about shrinking from barren lands, eh? The only thing I ever shrunk from was lack of food, wot?”

Orlando checked the map. “Jess, do you think you could climb a high tree and look over to the south?”

To an expert climber like Jess this was but the work of a moment. She was up a hornbeam in the twinkling of an eye.

“We’re nearly out of the woodlands,” she called down from the topmost branches. “I can see some sort of plain beyond. It looks very bare and dusty.”

Matthias nodded approval. “Well, at least we’re on the right track, but we’ve no way of telling how far south we’ve travelled. I suppose we’ll have to try and cross the barren land and look for some place where we can look below to where a stone may fall and make no sound at all. Does that make any sense to you, Orlando?”

The badger shook his head. “It’s all a mystery to me, but if it will help us to get our young ones back, I’m game to try. I know nothing of badgers’ heads and bells and lords who point the way and death and graves, though.”

Matthias stood. “Nor do I, friend, but I intend to find out. Log-a-Log, will your Guosim be ready to march at daybreak?”

“Ready as ever, Warrior. We’ll soon see what other little surprises this strange southland has in store for us.”

35

The Abbey bells tolled their eventide watch over Redwall as the sun sank below the western plain.

Constance had taken no chances with the three magpies. They huddled miserably in a corner of Cavern Hole, each with its pinion feathers bound, legs hobbled and beak shut tightly with twine. Constance and the Abbot sat together in the opposite corner, listening earnestly to Ambrose Spike’s report.