“You lie! We lay hidden and watched it all. You murdered your own comrades. Listen to me. If you do not speak the truth then you will all join them. Is that clear?”

The weasels nodded vigorously.

Jess Squirrel faced Skinpaw. “Where has Slagar taken the captives?”

“I know you’re not going to believe me,” the weasel moaned in despair, “but when we woke this morning he was gone. The prisoners too, and a rat named Vitch.”

Matthias drew his sword. The five weasels began pleading:

“It’s true, it’s true!”

“Please, sir, believe us!”

“See that dead weasel there? He’s Damper. We found him slain when we woke. He must have tried to stop Slagar leaving.”

Log-a-Log drew Matthias aside and whispered, “He’s probably telling the truth. My scouts have discovered tracks. They’ve been well covered, but there were rats here. Matthias, I’m not just speaking about a group; this was a horde, a mighty army.”

The warrior mouse nodded. He turned to the five weasels.

“I believe you. Now try to remember, did any of you wake last night and see who was here?”

“No, sir, no.”

“We were asleep.”

“Slagar took the watch alone.”

Basil picked up a rope and made five loops in it.

“Right, c’mere, you wicked weasel types. Put these nooses around your dirty necks. Stop blubberin’, we ain’t goin’ to string you up. Though it’s all you richly deserve, wot? Wretches! Now, we’ll let you march up front. Isn’t that good of us? That way you’ll get the benefit of any bally old traps that’ve been laid for us: poison arrows, swamps full of mad frogs, great eagles that rip your jolly old eyes out, an’ suchlike. Cheer up, chaps, it’ll be fun!”

Cheek found Threeclaws’ willow cane and gave it to Basil. “I say, a blinkin’ flogger. Is this what you keep the slaves goin’ with, sort of give them the odd whack. Like this, and this, and this! Whack! Swish! Thwack!”

Matthias stopped Basil. There was a sound from the bushes, and the old rabbit tottered out, still wrapped in his sack. He walked round the captured weasels, staring at them with rheumy eyes.

“Death, death, is this all he left? Last time the masked one came this way none of his band lived. Dead, all slain!”

Matthias tried questioning him further, but he staggered off into the bushes, still moaning about death and doom.

Orlando watched the ancient one until he was lost to sight.