A yelling horde of Ferahgo’s creatures came charging over the hill in front of them. Sapwood threw an imploring glance at Mara, then snatched his javelin from behind the rock and thrust it into her paws.

“Too late, missie, but run. Y’might ’ave a chance, both of you. I’ll lead ’em off!”

9

The Nameday celebrations at Redwall Abbey were in full swing. Early that morning they had started with the young ones marching round to the orchard, where they were met by Thrugg. As there was no badger to challenge them, the big otter had disguised himself, striping his face black and white and garbing himself with dusty old gray drapes. He shook a ladle at them as if it were a club and called out the challenge,

“What want you here, young beast, young beast,

What want you here at my feast, my feast?”

Two young mousemaids, Turzel and Blossom, stood forward. They danced around Thrugg as they chanted,

“O stripedog, great guardian, some food for us all,

For we are good young ones who live at Redwall!”

Thrugg appeared fearsome and waved his ladle at them.

“Some food, you say. Nay nay, away,

Unless our good Abbess says it is Nameday!”

It fell traditionally to Dumble, being the youngest, to call upon the Abbess to open the feast. He was pushed forward, his head wreathed in a posy of flowers and a willow wand in his paw. Twice he forgot his words as he waved the willow wand, but finally he plucked up confidence and got it right, the Sisters and Brothers laughing and applauding his babyspeech.

“Kind muvva, gudd muvva, er, er, O pleeze tell this beast

Dat this is our Nameday, an’, an’, an’ we wanna feast!”

Every creature cheered aloud as Abbess Vale came forward, dressed in her best ceremonial habit, and declaimed loudly:

“Fie on you, great guardian, for can you not see,

These young ones are hungry, and they are with me.”

All the young ones shouted at Thrugg:

“So stand aside and let us pass!”

Thrugg stood to one side as they dashed cheering to the tables. Samkim took Thrugg’s paw and led him to the feast.

“Mr. Thrugg, I dreamed about you last night.”

“Hohoho, I’ll bet you did an’ all, young un!”

“Mr. Thrugg, why does everybeast call you great guardian?”

“Oh, that’s only on Nameday, Samkim, when I’m dressed up as a badger. In the old days the Abbey badger was often called guardian. It was usually a female badger, like a great mother to Redwallers she was. Why do you ask?”