The siege of Redwall continues when the defenders get two ideas to slow down Cluny’s progress. First, they tip a barrel containing a hornet’s nest down on the crew manning the battering ram. The rats flee as they are repeatedly stung by the angry insects. Next, the woodlanders pour two buckets of vegetable oil down on top of the battering ram, making it too slick to operate.

Cluny orders his army to retreat to the meadow, where he pitches his tent to think of a new plan. Having gotten an idea, Cluny leads a small band into the woods, leaving a lieutenant named Cheesethief in charge. The lieutenant dons Cluny’s armor and struts around inside his tent. Meanwhile, Constance has fashioned a huge crossbow and sends an arrow straight into the rat that she assumes is Cluny. Instead, she strikes Cheesethief, killing him instantly.

Far away from the battle at Redwall, Matthias deals with his own problems. He has fallen into the mouth of a cat, who instantly spits him out. The cat disdains eating mice. He is an aristocrat named Squire Julian Gingivere. The cat says that he’s had a quarrel with Captain Snow and has banished him from the barn.