s awful war-cry, "A Mole! A
Mole!" Rat, desperate and determined, his belt bulging with weapons of
every age and every variety; Toad, frenzied with excitement and
injured pride, swollen to twice his ordinary size, leaping into the
air and emitting Toad-whoops that chilled them to the marrow! "Toad he
went a-pleasuring!" he yelled. "_I'll_ pleasure 'em!" and he went
straight for the Chief Weasel. They were but four in all, but to the
panic-stricken weasels the hall seemed full of monstrous animals,
grey, black, brown and yellow, whooping and flourishing enormous
cudgels; and they broke and fled with squeals of terror and dismay,
this way and that, through the windows, up the chimney, anywhere to
get out of reach of those terrible sticks.

The affair was soon over. Up and down, the whole length of the hall,
strode the four Friends, whacking with their sticks at every head that
showed itself; and in five minutes the room was cleared. Through the
broken windows the shrieks of terrified weasels escaping across the
lawn were borne faintly to their ears; on the floor lay prostrate some
dozen or so of the enemy, on whom the Mole was busily engaged in
fitting handcuffs. The Badger, resting from his labours, leant on his
stick and wiped his honest brow.

"Mole," he said, "you're the best of fellows! Just cut along outside
and look after those stoat-sentries of yours, and see what they're
doing. I've an idea that, thanks to you, we shan't have much trouble
from _them_ to-night!"

The Mole vanished promptly through a window; and the Badger bade the
other two set a table on its legs again, pick up knives and forks and
plates and glasses from the _debris_ on the floor, and see if they
could find materials for a supper. "I want some grub, I do," he said,
in that rather common way he had of speaking. "Stir your stumps, Toad,
and look lively! We've got your house back for you, and you don't
offer us so much as a sandwich."

Toad felt rather hurt that the Badger didn't say pleasant things to
him, as he had to the Mole, and tell him what a fine fellow he was,
and how splendidly he had fought; for he was rather particularly
pleased with himself and the way he had gone for the Chief Weasel and
sent him flying across the table with one blow of his stick. But he
bustled about, and so did the Rat, and soon they found some guava
jelly in a glass dish, and a cold chicken, a tongue that had hardly
been touched, some trifle, and quite a lot o