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Back Mattimeo Save as PDF
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?

“Can’t spare the time to fetch ’em, I’m ’fraid. Besides, they’d wander all over the show and hold us up.”

“You’re right, Basil, we can deal with the fox and his band if we take them by surprise. Let’s leave a message at the roadside for Mrs. Churchmouse and the others in case they come back looking for us. Here, I’ll write on this haversack with some charcoal and we’ll stand it on a stick by the side of the path.”

“Capital wheeze, laddie buck. Right, forward the buffs and don’t worry about B. Stag Hare esquire. It takes more than a splinter to keep a good scout down, y’know.”

A short while later, the trio had struck off east into the wet woodlands of Mossflower.

14

Mattimeo sat in frightened silence as Slagar undid the drawstring of his silk-patterned harlequin headcover.

“Watch, little one. Before I begin my story you must see this!” With a flick of his paw the fox whipped off the hood.

The young mouse swallowed hard. It was the most horrifying sight he had ever witnessed. Slagar’s head was that of a normal fox, on the left side. His right side was hideous! Only the eye was alive and unwinking in the dead half of the sly one’s face, the rest was scabrous furless flesh, with the side of the mouth twisted upward into a fiendish grin. Greenish gums and yellowed teeth hung out of the frozen jaw, and the skin beneath showed a mottled black and purple, hanging in folds, loose and lifeless.

Mattimeo was revolted, but he could not tear his eyes away from the awful sight. Slagar laughed, a short breathless cackle which trickled damply from the dreadful mouth.

“Look at me. Aren’t I the pretty one?”

Mattimeo’s stomach heaved queasily. “H-h-how did that happen?” he gasped.

Slagar hid the injured side of his face by holding the silken hood to it. “A long long time ago, or that’s what it seems like. Anyhow, it was before you were born. I was a wandering healer fox. Me and my mother, Sela the Vixen, knew many secrets of healing arts and the herbs, nostrums, potions and remedies of the forest. Eight seasons ago your Redwall creatures fought a great war with the rats from the north. It was woodlanders who betrayed my mother to the rats. They speared her and she was left to die in a ditch. I was wounded and captured by those at Redwall. They held me prisoner in a room called the infirmary. Oh, they said it was only until I got well, but I knew better. A prisoner is a prisoner, no matter what they call the place where they keep him from his freedom and deny him liberty. So one afternoon, while your father’s precious creatures were about their business, I escaped!