"cannot fly south", a primitive compass. The next day, Bobbo led them to a deep pool. At the bottom was the swallow, trapped between two rocks and guarded by an enormous lobster. The five animals threw food into the water to satiate the crustacean's appetite, and Mariel and Dandin descended into the murky, forbidding depths to retrieve the swallow. Book 3: The Sound of a Bell! The Search for the Swallow After suffering an ignominious defeat, Greypatch hatched a new plan to attack the Abbey: fire-swingers! Greypatch convinced his sceptical crew to create scores of miniature boulders wrapped in flammable substances. Tied to vines and swung like oversized bolas, they made formidable incendiary weapons. Since none of their weapons could match the range of a fire-swinger, the Redwallers were defenceless against the onslaught of missiles. However, Colonel Clary, Brigadier Thyme, and Hon Rosie made their way to the Abbey and constructed special arrows out of yew staves. The well-trained hares stood on the Abbey ramparts and fired their far-reaching longbows, felling several of Greypatch's rats. Pandemonium broke out among the searats, and they retreated out of range of the Abbey. As the creature of the Abbey put up a valiant defence, Dandin and Mariel encountered unexpected difficulties in their pursuit of the swallow. Dandin, with sword in paw, protected Mariel as she trisd to dislodge the swallow. Mariel found that the metal swallow was wedged firmly between two rocks, and her vigorous motions to free it attracted the attention of the lobster. During the frenzied melee, Dandin dropped the Sword of Martin and was immobilized, with the creature's claws at his back. Mariel caught the sword and dealt the lobster a terrible blow, allowing Dandin to be rescued, hauled up on the rope around his waist. Unfortunately, the lobster wheeled around and locked onto the Sword of Martin. A tug-of-war ensued as Mariel was pulled up by her rope and the lobster clutched doggedly onto the opposite end of the sword. However, it releases its grip after being pelted by several rocks from the surface. Mariel and Dandin gasped for air on the shore, thankful to be alive but despondent at their failure to retrieve the swallow. With a twinkle in his eye, Bobbo handed them the swallow, explaining that Firl retrieved the swallow during the confusion. Bobbo then directed them to the burned out hulk of Greenfang, which remained