he complained.

"Phew! Has somebeast moved the orchard compost heap into here, Father Abbot?'' he complained. Saxtus prodded the mess on his plate glumly. "Evidently you haven't heard of an old seagoing dish that Slipp our new cook has served up. It's called skilly an' duff. Like to try some?" "Stick to plain honest bread, my friend, you'll live longer," said Mother Mellus as she broke a fresh-baked farl and passed half to Simeon. "Dearie me, no wonder searats are so wicked and wild. I'd be like that too if I had to live on a diet of the dreaded skilly an* duff!" Slipp forestalled further conversation by pushing in a trolley piled high with platters of his creation. The sea- 270 BRIAN JACQUES rat captain was quite proud of his newfound cooking skills. Clad in a clean white smock and a tall chef's hat several sizes too small for him, he swaggered up to a table. "Skilly an' duff, that's the stuff t'put a curl in yer whiskers, made by me own fair paws. Anybeast want some more?" Suddenly a lot of Redwallers left the tables, claiming that they felt the need for fresh fruit from the orchard. Ladle in paw, Slipp looked from the empty places to his few remaining victims left sitting at the main table.' 'Fruit from the orchard? That'll never put a back on ye like velvet an* a twinkle in yer eye. Skilly an' duff, now that's a real brekkist for ye! C'mon, Father h'Abbot, yew ain't touched yores yet. It'll be gone cold. 'Ere, let ole Slipp freshen it up with some that's fresh cooked." Saxtus averted his head from the foul-smelling mess that Slipp was piling onto the cold contents of his plate. "You'll excuse me asking, Slipp, but what do you put into this, er, skilly an' duff?" he asked. Slipp licked the ladle and winked. "Haharr, that's an ole seadog's secret; a bit o' this an' a touch o' that, lashin's of wild garlic, white dead nettle, some cleavers an' just a smidgeon o' dogwort." Saxtus clapped a paw to his mouth and hurried from the table. Slipp hooked a clawful of the steaming concoction from Saxtus's plate, straight into his mouth. "Wot's wrong with 'im? Tastes fine fine." Mellus' s huge paw crashed down on the table. "Enough is enough! The only thing you've ever cooked up is roguish schemes. Clear this ... this ... garbage The BeUmaker 271 away, and bury it somewhere deep to let nature take care of it. Now!"