title: The Long Patrol: A Tale from Redwall
author:  Brian Jacques 
description: <b>Praise for <i>The Long Patrol</i></b><br /><br />[Jacques is] a masterful storyteller . . . As in the other Redwall books, the combination of an absorbing plot, robust characterization, and detailed description make the novel a page-turner.<i>The Horn Book</i><b><i><br /><br /></i><b>Praise for Brian Jacques'<i>Redwall</i>series...</b><i><br /><br /></i></b>"Astonishing!"<i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br /><br />"Energetic fantasy!"<i>The New York Times Book Review</i><br /><br />"Rousing adventure!"<i>Publishers Weekly</i><br /><br />"Old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure."<i>Locus</i><br /><br />"Jacques's realistically drawn characters are full of personality."<i>Publishers Weekly </i>
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  The Long Patrol  
  
  
  
  
  
  Redwall, Book 10
  
  
  
  
  
  Brian Jacques
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  V2.0 There were lots of scanning errors. Many doubtless remain.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Book One: The Runaway Recruit
  
  
  
  
  
  1?
  
  
  
  
  
  Melting snowdrifts with grassy knolls poking through made a patchwork of the
  far east lands as winter surrendered its icy grip of the earth to oncoming
  spring. Snowdrop, chickweed, and shepherd’s purse nodded gratefully beneath a
  bright mid-morning sun, which beamed through small islands of breeze-chased
  clouds. Carrying half-melted icicles along, a tinkling, chuckling stream
  bounded from rocky cliff ledges, meandering around fir and pine groves toward
  broad open plains. Already a few hardy wood ants and honeybees were abroad in
  the copse fringes. Clamoring and gaggling, a skein of barnacle geese in
  wavering formation winged their way overhead toward the coastline. All around,
  the land was wakening to springtime, and it promised to be a fair season.
  
  
  
  
  
  It is often said that a madness takes posses