Mudpuddle Farm: Six Animal Adventures by Michael Morpurgo - extract

Illustrated llustrated by Shoo Rayner

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First First First First First First

Mossop’s Last Chance first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1983 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins, Albertine, Goose Queen first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1989 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins, And Pigs Might Fly first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1983 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins, Jigger’s Day Off first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1989 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins, Martians at Mudpuddle Farm first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1994 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins, Mum’s the Word first published in hardback

by A&C Black (Publishers) Limited 1995 published in paperback by Collins, a division of HarperCollins,

1988 1990 1988 1990 1995 1996

This bind-up edition first published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2009 Reissued in this edition in 2018 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk 1 Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo 1983, 1989, 1994, 1995 Illustrations copyright © Shoo Rayner 1983, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2017 All rights reserved.

ISBN 978–0–00–729666–8 Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of the work respectively.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY Conditions of Sale This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. ™

™

FSC is a non-profit international organisationcertified established to promote This™book is produced from independently FSC™ paper ensure responsible forestforests. management. the responsibleto management of the world’s Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come For information visit: www.harpercollins.co.uk/green frommore forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations, and other controlled sources.

Find out more about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green FINAL_9780007296668_MudpuddleFarm.indd 4

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Six A

Mo ssop s Last Chance ’

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Chapter One There was once a family of all sorts of animals that lived in the farmyard behind the tumbledown barn on Mudpuddle Farm.

At first light every morning Frederick, the flame-feathered cockerel, lifted his eyes to the sun and crowed and crowed until the light came on at old Farmer Rafferty’s bedroom window.

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WAKEY! WAKEY! WAKEY!

JON DEAR

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the animals crept out . . .

by one . . .

to

the dawn .

..

in

One . . .

and stretched . . . a nd y

awn ed . .

.

and scratched themselves.

but no one ever spoke a word – not until after breakfast.

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Mossop was a tired old farm cat who spent most of his day curled up asleep on the seat of Farmer Rafferty’s tractor. Mossop paid no attention to Frederick – he got up when he pleased.

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Farmer Rafferty was usually a kind man with smiling eyes, but like Mossop he was old and tired, and he ached in his bones in the wet weather. His animals were his only friends and his only family.

You look after me, and I’ll look after you.

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So Frederick woke him up every morning.

Wakey!

Wakey!

Penelope and her speckled friends laid their eggs for him.

Isn’t this eggsiting?

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Aunty Grace and Primrose let down their milk for him.

Upside and Down kept the pond clear of weeds.

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Captain carried him all around the farm to check the sheep.

ZIP

W

HI

ZZ

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Jigger, the almost-always-sensible sheepdog, rounded up the sheep.

YAP YAP

VROOM

WOOOOOF

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And Mossop was supposed to catch mice and rats.

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Farmer Rafferty always liked to sing as he worked. He sang in a crusty, croaky kind of voice.

o-hum . . .

Chapter Two

-di-doo-h

u

He’s in a good mood today.

ddle

Hmmm! It’s Beethoven’s violin concerto today.

I like to hear him sing.

Now that’s what I call music!

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Dummy!

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That morning though, as old Farmer Rafferty went into the tumbledown barn to fetch corn from the corn bin, he suddenly stopped singing.

m-

Oh!

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The animals crowded into the barn to find out what was the matter.

They found Farmer Rafferty standing by the corn bin holding a mouse up by its tail.

This is a mouse, and there are three more in there, Mossop.

Mossop!

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Where is that Mossop?

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‘Have we or have we not got a cat on this farm?’ said Farmer Rafferty in the nasty, raspy voice he kept for special occasions.

‘We have,’ said Aunty Grace the dreamy-eyed brown cow.

‘She’s right,’ said her friend Primrose, who always agreed with her. ‘We have, and he’s asleep on the tractor seat.’

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‘Having a catnap,’ sniggered Upside or Down – no one could ever tell which was which.

‘Having his beauty sleep,’ mumbled Egbert, the greedy, grumbly goat who ate anything and everything. ‘Not that it’ll help him much.’

‘Fetch him,’ ordered old Farmer Rafferty. ‘Fetch that Mossop here. I have a thing or two to say to him.’

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But at that very same moment Mossop wandered into the barn, yawning hugely.

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MOSSOP! Everywhere I go these days there’s mice or there’s rats. There’s mice in my barley sacks, there’s rats in my roof and now there’s mice in my corn bin. I’ve warned you before and this time I have had enough. If you aren’t up to the job, you will have to go. That’s all there is to it.

Gulp!

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Oh, please, Mr Rafferty, Mossop does his best.

He’s just old – that’s all.

All right, Captain, I’ll give him one last chance to prove he’s still cat enough to stay on this farm. Mossop, by tomorrow I want twenty-six mice dropped outside my back door, d’you hear me? Twenty-six mice or you’re on your way.

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