The Long Patrol
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{{infobox Book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = The Long Patrol
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = [[Image:LongPatrolUK.jpg]]
| image_caption = UK 1st Edition Cover
| author = [[Brian Jacques]]
| illustrator = Allan Curless
| cover_artist = Redfield Baker
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| series = [[Redwall]]
| genre = [[Fantasy novel]]
| publisher = [[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson]] (UK) & Philomel (US)
| release_date = 1997
| media_type = Print ([[Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])
| pages = 384 (UK Hardback) & 352 (US Hardback)
| isbn = ISBN 0-09-176546-3 (UK Hardback) & ISBN 0-399-23165-X (US Hardback)
| preceded_by = [[The Pearls of Lutra]]
| followed_by = [[Marlfox]]
}}
'''''The Long Patrol''''' is a [[fantasy]] novel by [[Brian Jacques]], published in [[1997]]. It is the tenth book in the [[Redwall]] series.
==Plot introduction==
As young Tammo dreams of joining the Long Patrol, the legendary army of fighting hares that serves the Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, Ruler of Salamandastron, the brutal reality of a battle with Damug Warfang's mighty battalion of savage Rapscallions fast approaches.
==Plot summary==
Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (or Tammo), a young hare who lives at Camp Tussock, longs to be part of the [[Long Patrol]] at [[Salamandastron (Redwall)|Salamandastron]]. However, his father, Cornspurrey De Fformelo Tussock, will not hear of it. He believes that his son is too young to join up.
Against her husband's wishes, Tammo's mother, Mem Divinia, prepares for him to leave during the night with [[Russa Nodrey]], a wandering squirrel who is a friend of the family. The two then set off to find the Long Patrol. Along the way, they encounter the ferrets Skulka and Gromal. They do eventually meet up with the Long Patrol, but Russa is killed saving a baby badger, who is named [[Badger Lord#Russano_the_Wise|Russano]] by one of the hares, Rockjaw Grang, in Russa's honor.
[[Image:LongPatrolUS.jpg|thumb|left|150px|US cover of ''The Long Patrol'']]
Meanwhile, Gormad Tunn, the rat leader of the Rapscallion army has been dying from mortal wounds. The Rapscallions are in fear of [[Badger Lord#Cregga_Rose_Eyes|Cregga Rose Eyes]], the ruler of Salamandastron. Tunn's two sons, Byral Fleetclaw and Damug Warfang, fight to the death to determine who will be the new commander of the Rapscallions. Damug kills Byral through treachery and takes over control of the army, which he commands to move inland.
At [[Redwall Abbey]], the inhabitants discover that the south wall is mysteriously sinking into the ground. [[Foremole|Foremole Diggum]] and his crew believe the best thing to do is to knock the wall down and re-build it. During the night, a storm brings a tree down on the wall, making the moles' job easier but also leaving the Abbey open to attack. The broken wall reveals a well, which turns out to be part of the ancient castle Kotir. [[Abbey Leader (Redwall)#Tansy|Abbess Tansy]], Friar Butty, Shad the Gatekeeper, Diggum, and Craklyn the Recorder investigate below. After a harrowing journey, they find the treasure of [[Verdauga Greeneyes]], the long-dead lord of Kotir.
The Long Patrol goes to Redwall, hoping to inform the denizens about the threat posed by Damug. At the abbey, the spirit of [[Martin the Warrior (Redwall)|Martin the Warrior]] appears to Tammo, instructing him to go in the company of the hare [[Midge Manycoats]] to Damug's camp. Disguised as a vermin seer, Midge advises Damug not to attack the vulnerable abbey directly, but suggests an alternate place and time instead, buying the defenders precious time to prepare themselves.
When the hare Rockjaw Grang is killed by the Rapscallions, Cregga's dreams direct her to the ridge where Midge has directed the battle to occur. Meanwhile, the Redwallers have gathered all the allies they can find, and with the Long Patrol, they battle a losing effort against the rat hordes. At a crucial point in the battle when it seems Damug might win, Lady Cregga Rose Eyes appears with the rest of the Salamandastron hares. She seizes Damug and strangles him, but he hacks at her eyes, blinding her in the process. The hares and Redwallers are eventually victorious, and the treasure brought back from Kotir by the Friar Butty is melted down into medals for the creatures that fought in battle. The ridge is named The Ridge of a Thousand after the vermin horde that lost all thousand of their number.
In the end, Tammo marries the beautiful Pasque Valerian, the healer of the Long Patrol, and travels to Salamandastron. Cregga remains at Redwall Abbey as the new [[Badger mother]], and Russano, later on, journeys to Salamandastron, with Russa's hardwood stick as his weapon. He will turn out to be one of the only [[Badger Lord|Badger Lords]] never to be possessed by the [[Bloodwrath]].
==Characters in "The Long Patrol"==
*Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (Tammo)
*Cornspurrey De Fformelo Tussock
*Mem Divinia
*[[Russa Nodrey]]
*[[Russano the Wise]]
*Rockjaw Grang
*Gormad Tunn
*Byral Fleetclaw
*Damug Warfang
*[[Badger Lord#Cregga_Rose_Eyes|Cregga Rose Eyes]]
*[[Foremole|Foremole Diggum]]
*[[Abbey Leader (Redwall)#Tansy|Abbess Tansy]]
*Friar Butty
*Shad the Gatekeeper
*Craklyn the Recorder
*[[Midge Manycoats]]
*Pasque Valerian
== Book Divisions (English) ==
*Book 1: The Runaway Recruit
*Book 2: A Gathering of Warriors
*Book 3: The Ridge
==Translations==
*([[Finnish language|Finnish]]) ''Jänisten kaukopartio''
*([[French language|French]]) ''Rougemuraille : La Patrouille''
**''Tome 1 : La Fugue de Tammo''
**''Tome 2 : Les Pièges de Mousseray''
**''Tome 3 : Sous les remparts de Rougemuraille''
**''Tome 4 : La Crête des mille''
*([[Italian language|Italian]]) ''La Pattuglia Delle Dune''
*([[Swedish language|Swedish]]) ''Långa Patrullen''
==External links==
* [http://www.redwall.org/dave/patrol.html Plot summary]
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before= [[The Pearls of Lutra]]|
title= [[Redwall|Redwall Series]]|
years= (chronological order)|
after= [[Marlfox]]
}}
{{succession box |
before= [[The Great Redwall Feast]]|
title= [[Redwall|Redwall Series]]|
years= (publication order)|
after= [[Marlfox]]|
}}
{{end box}}
{{redwall}}
[[Category:Children's novels|Long Patrol, The]]
[[Category:Redwall books|Long Patrol, The]]
[[Category:1997 novels|Long Patrol, The]]
[[fi:Jänisten kaukopartio]]
[[simple:The Long Patrol]]