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Watership Down
Chapter 1 The Notice Board
Two young rabbits, Hazel and Fiver, are out feeding. Though they are each only a
year old and still under their full weight, it is clear that Hazel will be a large
rabbit but that Fiver will never be large. Fiver begins to get a bad feeling about
the area. When they stumble upon a sign planted into the ground nearby, he falls
into a panic, telling Hazel that something terrible is coming to the warren. The
sign that the rabbits could not read describes the housing development that is
soon to be built right on top of their warren.
Chapter 2 The Chief Rabbit
Fiver has a nightmare that something terrible will happen to the warren, and he
convinces Hazel that they must go visit the Chief Rabbit. Hazel convinces a
member of the Owsla (the leading rabbits who surround the Chief Rabbit) named
Bigwig to let them see the Chief Rabbit. Hazel tells him that Fiver is his brother,
and Fiver tells the Chief Rabbit, called the Threarah (rah is added to the name of
a leader), of his premonition. However, the Threarah ignores the warning and
yells at Bigwig for letting them interrupt his sleep.
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Chapter 3 Hazel´s decision
Hazel, Fiver, and two of their friends, Dandelion and Blackberry, are discussing
the conversation with the Chief Rabbit when Bigwig comes up to the group. He
has left the Owsla and wants to leave the warren with them. Hazel says that they
will leave that evening, at moonrise, and that they should try to convince other
rabbits to come.
Chapter 4: The Departure
Hazel, Fiver, and Pipkin (a friend of Fiver's) wait for the other rabbits to arrive.
Dandelion gets Hawkbit to come, and Blackberry brings Buckthorn, a large rabbit
likely to soon be a member of the Owsla, and two other rabbits Hazel does not
know, Acorn and Speedwell. They wait a while, and finally Bigwig comes with
Silver, a large rabbit who recently joined the Owsla. Just before they leave,
Captain Holly, leader of the Owsla, comes to arrest Bigwig because he believes
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they want to overthrow the Chief Rabbit. Bigwig attacks Holly and forces him to
retreat. The rabbits leave.
Chapter 5: In the Woods
The rabbits spend the night crawling through the woods, slowly and cautiously.
Hazel leads them forward, going forward himself at times to make sure the way
is safe. The rabbits grow exhausted, however, and they decide to rest. Hazel
realizes they are tense and nervous, so he asks Dandelion to tell them a story.
Chapter 6: The Story of the Blessing of Elahrairah
Dandelion tells a story about El-ahrairah, the rabbit folk hero. The story goes
that when the world was first made, all of the animals were friends and the
rabbits populated the entire earth. But then Frith, the sun god who created the
world, told El-ahrairah to stop his people from multiplying. Frith decided to trick
El-ahrairah, and he told all of the animals to come get a gift. To foxes, stoats,
weasels, and many other animals Frith gave gifts of cunning and strength to hunt
rabbits. El-ahrairah heard this and decided to hide from Frith. He began to dig a
hole, but at that moment Frith came upon him. Frith told the prince of the rabbits
that he would have a thousand enemies, but that they would have to catch him,
and that if his people were crafty they would survive.
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Chapter 7: The Lendri and the River
A lendri (badger) surprises the rabbits and they run away from it. Then they
come to a river that Fiver decides they need to cross, but they are unsure if they
can. To the rabbits the river seems immense, but on the other side are fields that
look much better than they woods where they have been.
Chapter 8: The Crossing
Hazel knows that the other rabbits may not want to cross the river, but Fiver
tells him that they must. Bigwig wants to know what they are going to do, and
Blackberry convinces him to swim across and take a look at the other side to
make sure it is safe. Bigwig comes hurrying back to tell them that there is a dog
loose in their wood. Hazel realizes they must get across, but Pipkin is hurt and
will not be able to swim. Blackberry figures out a way to float Fiver and Pipkin on
a piece of wood, and they all get across safely. Blackberry's discovery mystifies
all of the other rabbits except Fiver, who understands what happened.
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Chapter 9: The Crow and the Beanfield
While most of the others sleep, Hazel goes to find a safer place for them, and he
discovers a field of bean plants that will provide cover and hide their smell from
predators. Everyone sets off to reach the bean field, and they spread out as they
climb up a slope. Suddenly a crow attacks Pipkin and Fiver, who are struggling
behind the others. Hazel, Bigwig, and Silver rush to help, and Bigwig knocks the
crow over. The bird flies off, angry, and the rabbits continue to the bean field,
where they drop off to rest. Hazel takes the first watch and removes the thorn
from Pipkin's paw that has been making him limp.
Chapter 10: The Road and the Common
The rabbits are awakened from their sleep by the sound of a gunshot, and they
scatter all about the field. Hazel and Silver return to the spot where they were all
sleeping, and slowly the others come back as well. They set off across the field,
but Hazel soon stops when he sees a car coming along a road. He does not know
about roads, and Bigwig explains to him that the hrududil (cars) are not
dangerous during the day, but that at night their lights are so bright that they
make it impossible to move.
The rabbits continue on for some time in unfamiliar terrain until Hawkbit, Acorn,
and Speedwell come to Hazel and tell him that they want to go back. Hazel tells
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them how ridiculous such an idea is, and before he can explain why they cannot
go back Fiver comes to talk to him. Bigwig yells at the three insubordinates.
Fiver, in a trance, tells Hazel his vision of where they need to go, to some hills
that are very far away. Fiver says they are in for trouble on the way but that they
need to get to the hills. Hazel is dubious because of the distance and worried
about what they will do. When Fiver comes to himself and asks what he was
talking about Hazel tells him to forget it.
Chapter 11: Hard Going
Hazel knows that Acorn, Speedwell, and Hawkbit are unhappy because of the
way Bigwig has kept them in line, and he knows they need to rest and find a
place to settle down. Although Hazel is unsure of himself, he promises he will
take the others to a better place soon. They travel through difficult terrain for
hours, and just when it seems they can go no further, they come upon a perfect
field.
Chapter 12: The Stranger in the Field
The rabbits laze about contentedly in the field and begin to scratch out a few
holes. They do not work very seriously, however, since serious digging is done by
does (female rabbits) and they are all bucks. Soon they see a strange rabbit
looking at them. Hazel and Blackberry go to speak to him. They are puzzled by
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the very large rabbit, who seems unconcerned that they wish to stay and comes
over to meet the rest of the group. His name is Cowslip, and he invites them to
stay in his warren, which has many empty burrows. He runs off before the rain
comes, and the group talks it over. Everyone thinks that there is no danger,
except Fiver, who believes they should stay away. Hazel decides they will go to
Cowslip's warren.
Chapter 13: Hospitality
Cowslip's warren is strangely conspicuous, and Hazel leads his rabbits down into
it. They come to a huge burrow where all of the rabbits from the warren are
gathered. Hazel's group quickly mixes among them, except Fiver, who sits apart.
Hazel goes off with a rabbit named Strawberry, who tells him that they never
have to deal with any elil (enemies), because the man who lives nearby often
shoots them. Strawberry shows Hazel around but seems to dodge Hazel's
questions and shows him a form of stone artwork that bewilders Hazel, as most
rabbits do not create art. He realizes that Strawberry will not answer any
question beginning with the word "where."
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Chapter 14: "Like Trees in November"
They return to the big hall and Hazel wants to talk to Blackberry alone. He tells
Cowslip they are going to silflay (eat outside), but Cowslip tells them that they
have plenty of food inside and that it is raining outside anyway. When Hazel
insists, Cowslip laughs at them. Laughter is foreign to rabbits, and Hazel and
Blackberry run outside, puzzled. They meet Pipkin and the three of them discuss
how strange these rabbits seem to be. They go back downstairs and fall asleep.
The rabbits are awakened by Strawberry stamping and calling out to wake
everyone. He explains that there is flayrah (good food) outside. The rabbits all go
outside and find carrots in the field. They eat their fill, and then Cowslip explains
how to carry some food back to the warren for later. Hazel sees the angry Fiver,
who tells him that there is something unnatural about the warren. Fiver slept
outside and will not join them, and Hazel is worried.
Hazel sees Bigwig later, and although they both agree the warren is strange, they
have been treated well and they see no reason to alter things. Bigwig forces Fiver
to come down into the burrow with them. The other rabbits ask for a story, and,
after a discussion, Blackberry says that Hazel will describe their adventures. The
rabbits are silent, and Hazel's group confers again and decides that Dandelion
should tell another story of El-ahrairah.
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Chapter 15: The Story of the King's Lettuce
In the great burrow, Dandelion tells the story of a time when El-ahrairah and his
people were down on their luck and living in marshland where there was little
food. El-ahrairah convinced Prince Rainbow, whom Frith had placed in charge of
the world, to let his people out of the marshes if he could steal King Darzin's
lettuces. King Darzin had a great animal kingdom and his lettuce garden was
heavily guarded, but along with his friend Rabscuttle, the Captain of his Owsla,
El-ahrairah pulled off the trick. And from that day on, rabbits could not be kept
out of vegetable gardens, as they always had a trick for the occasion.
Chapter 16: Silverweed
Hazel and his gang are sure that Dandelion has made a favorable impression
because he has told a classic rabbit story and told it very well. However, they
soon realize that the reception they have received is not very enthusiastic. They
learn that these rabbits do not tell the traditional stories and that they believe
that rabbits need dignity, not tricks. One of the new rabbits, Silverweed, a young
poet, recites a beautiful poem about movement and life, and it affects Fiver
greatly. He writhes in agony, insulting the other rabbits, and Hazel has trouble
getting him up out of the burrow, along with Bigwig. Fiver thinks they have come
out with him because they also sense the danger in the warren, but he is startled
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to learn that they are only upset because he may have endangered their
relationship with Cowslip and the other rabbits. They go back underground to
sleep.
Chapter 17: The Shining Wire
Hazel wakes up, realizes that Fiver is not there, and goes with Bigwig to find him.
Fiver tells them he is leaving. Hazel tells Bigwig he must go with Fiver a little way
to hear what he has to say and to try to convince him to come back. Bigwig yells
at Fiver because he believes that Fiver just wants everyone to follow him.
Bigwig turns to go back to the warren and gets caught in a snare. He struggles
furiously until Hazel tells him he is in a snare and Bigwig mouths that they need
to get the peg out. Fiver runs for help and brings the others. Blackberry finds the
peg and they get it out, but Bigwig does not move. They learn that Cowslip and all
the others would not come help and that they ignored Fiver when he went for
help. Suddenly Bigwig gets up, claiming that he will go kill Cowslip.
The rabbits become enraged and go to kill the others, but Fiver silences them all
and tells them the story he has pieced together. The snares are there for the
rabbits, set out by the farmer who feeds them. The rabbits know about the
snares, but they pretend everything is all right and come up with art and poetry
to pass their time. Fiver convinces them the warren is a death trap, and they are
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about to leave when Strawberry comes running up and begs them to take him
with them. Hazel agrees and they leave.
Chapter 18: Watership Down
By the evening of the next day, the rabbits have traveled over three miles. They
trust each other more after their experience in the last warren, and Fiver's
intuitions are no longer questioned. They rest in a barn where they are attacked
by rats, but Silver and Buckthorn fight them off under Bigwig's guidance. Finally
the rabbits come to the foot of the downs, and Fiver wants them to climb up to
the top. Hazel, Dandelion, and Hawkbit go ahead and scope out the territory.
Hazel and Dandelion find that the top of the downs is perfect for them, and
Hawkbit finds some rabbit holes on the way up that will be great places for them
to sleep that night.
Chapter 19: Fear in the Dark
The rabbits sleep well that night. The next day, Blackberry suggests to Hazel that
they build a warren for themselves. Although this is normally a task for does, not
bucks, they decide that it is a good idea anyway and begin working. Later, Hazel,
Bigwig, Dandelion, and Speedwell go down the hill to find some good grass. Soon
they hear a terrible sound, one that they cannot place. They hide together, but
then the voice begins to speak words, and it calls Bigwig. Shocked, Hazel goes to
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see what it could be. With Dandelion behind him, he finds a rabbit in terrible
shape, on the verge of collapse—it is Captain Holly of the Owsla, from their home
warren.
Chapter 20: A Honeycomb and a Mouse
Hazel realizes that they are in danger, as the injured Holly smells of blood and
will attract predators. Soon, another rabbit appears—Holly's friend Bluebell.
Hazel manages to get Holly and Bluebell up to the top of the down without any
trouble, although it takes a while and he is very worried. Pipkin and Dandelion
take the two injured rabbits into one of the holes and tell the others to leave
them be to rest as much as they need.
The next day, Hazel takes the others back to continue digging the new warren,
which he wants to have a great burrow like the one in Strawberry's old warren.
Soon, Strawberry takes control of the building process, using his knowledge from
the other warren to help build the great burrow, which they call the Honeycomb.
Hazel saves a mouse from a falcon by telling it (in the simple woodland
language) to come down into one of their holes.
Captain Holly has recovered enough to tell them his story—one that he warns
will drive fear into all of their hearts—but before he does so, the mouse speaks
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to Hazel. The mouse promises to help Hazel sometime in return for saving his life
earlier.
Chapter 21: "For El-ahrairah to Cry"
Holly tells them that after they left, the Threarah explained that even if Fiver
were right in his premonition, to move an entire warren is a tremendous
undertaking. The Threarah pointed out that it is almost always better to stay
underground and try to dodge the dangers than to pick up and leave, as many
rabbits could not make a long journey, and predators would come from far
around.
A few days later, Holly was out on his own, and when he came back he saw a
group of men and a boy with a gun. The men filled in many of the holes and then
put poisonous gas into each of the holes they had left open. Bluebell picks up the
story and describes the terror inside the burrows. Rabbits panicked and mothers
fought with any who came near their young. Bluebell managed to find a path that
went far down into the earth and came out of a hole in the woods, along with
another rabbit, Pimpernel, who was in bad shape.
Before they escaped, Holly tells them, a great plow came and destroyed the field.
Then, with the two other rabbits, he followed the path that Hazel had taken.
When they came to the warren of the snares, Cowslip and the others attacked
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them and managed to kill Pimpernel, who was sick, but Holly and Bluebell
managed to escape. Holly attacked Cowslip and would have killed him, but
Cowslip told him where Hazel and the others had gone. They went on without
sleeping, and by the end Holly was delirious and hallucinating. It was at that
point that Hazel found him.
Chapter 22: The Story of the Trial of El-ahrairah
After Holly's story is finished, Hazel begins to clean his ear out and tells them
why he saved the mouse. He figures that it cannot hurt to befriend other animals
who are enemies of their enemies. They go out to eat, and Hawkbit tells Hazel
that another mouse told him of a place where there is very good grass to eat.
They go eat, and Hazel is pleased that helping the mouse paid off.
Bluebell then tells a story about El-ahrairah that took place soon after the story
that Dandelion told about the King's Lettuce. Prince Rainbow wanted to put Elahrairah back in his place, so he brought a rabbit named Hufsa to live with him
and made Rabscuttle live somewhere else. Hufsa spoiled all of El-ahrairah's plans
by secretly telling Prince Rainbow about them. El- ahrairah finally tricked Hufsa
into looking like a fool, and managed to steal Prince Rainbow's new carrots in the
process. He went with Hufsa to steal the carrots, but made so many other
animals do so many strange things along the way that no one believed Hufsa's
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story at the trial. The jury, made up entirely of elil—the enemies of rabbits—
acquitted El-ahrairah, and Prince Rainbow took Hufsa away.
Chapter 23: Kehaar
Bigwig and Silver find an injured bird in a hollow. The bird is a black- headed
gull, something the rabbits have never seen before. Hazel goes with them to look
at the bird, talks to it in the same dialect that he used with the mouse, and
decides that it is hungry. They collect worms and other insects and bring them to
the gull. After feeding the bird, Hazel tries to convince it that they want to help it.
The bird wants nothing to do with them, however, so they leave.
Later that afternoon, Hazel convinces the bird to come and stay in a hole that
they could build for it. While the other rabbits dig the hole, Hazel explains to the
bird the way they live. By the next day, the bird is much better and much
friendlier, and Bigwig becomes its constant companion. Bigwig tells the others
that a cat injured the bird's wing, and that the bird comes from a place far away
where the earth stops and is followed by so much water that no land can be seen.
The rabbits are impressed and incredulous, but Bigwig is sure the bird, whose
name is Kehaar, is not lying.
As they learn about the bird, Hazel tells the others of his plan. He points out that
they have no does in the warren and, unless they find some, their new warren
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will have been built in vain. Hazel wants Kehaar to find some does, as the bird
can travel farther much faster than the rabbits could. Bigwig says he will work on
it.
A few days later, when Kehaar is better, he comes to Hazel and presents his
plan—the bird will go and find females for the rabbits. Kehaar leaves and returns
after several days, telling them that there are rabbits in a farm at the bottom of
the hill. He also tells of a warren he found that take them a few days to reach.
They decide to send an expedition to the warren to try to bring back some does.
Holly, Silver, Buckthorn, and Strawberry set off the next morning.would
Chapter 24:
That night, Hazel decides that he should see about securing a few does before the
expedition comes back. He sets off with Pipkin to look at the rabbits on the farm.
Inside the shed with the rabbits, Hazel has Pipkin keep watch for cats while
Hazel talks to the rabbits. He meets Boxwood, who tells him there are two does
and two bucks. Hazel tells them he wants them to join the warren, and he
promises to come back and free them. Just then, Pipkin warns him that a cat is
outside. Hazel waits for the cat to approach and then goads it into jumping at
them. The rabbits take off, getting away just in the nick of time. Pipkin asks Hazel
why he went to talk to the rabbits, and Hazel says that he will explain later.
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Chapter 25: The Raid
The next day, Fiver finds out about Hazel's adventure to the farm, and Fiver is
angry because he believes that Holly will bring back plenty of does and that
Hazel is simply acting like a show-off. Hazel disagrees with his brother, and later
on he and Pipkin tell the others about the visit. Bigwig is excited to go, and he
and Hazel convince Blackberry to come with them to figure out how to open the
rabbit hutch. Dandelion, Speedwell, and Hawkbit are also to go along. Fiver
warns Hazel that he foresees danger for him, so Hazel promises he will not go
into the farmyard himself.
They leave the next evening. At the end of the barn, the rabbits stumble upon a
cat (different from the one Hazel and Pipkin met earlier). Dandelion scratches
the cat only a moment before Bigwig hits it, rolls over it, and kicks it several
times, sending the cat running. Blackberry figures out a way to rip the leather
hinge, and they free the other rabbits. But the rabbits in the hutch are not certain
whether to follow the others or not. Two of them, Boxwood and Clover, try to
move quickly, but the other two, Haystack and Laurel, hang back. Soon the other
cat arrives and the dog begins barking. The rabbits run off, leaving Haystack and
Laurel behind.
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They get to Hazel, who tells them to continue on. Hazel goes back with Dandelion
to get the other two. Suddenly a car pulls up, blinding the rabbits with light. The
men grab Laurel, and the other rabbits run off. While the men search, the rabbits
get stuck in a ditch. Hazel runs out to distract the men so the others can get away,
and he is shot. He crawls up the drain and hides.
The other rabbits gather together and wait for Hazel, and then Dandelion and
Bigwig go down to look for him. They see the blood and the men's footsteps, and
they go back to tell the others. The rabbits make the march back to the downs to
meet Fiver, who already knows about Hazel's ordeal from a vision. Later that
night, Holly comes back with Buckthorn, Strawberry, and Silver. Only Silver is
unhurt. The rabbits have no does with them.
Chapter 26: Fiver Beyond
Fiver has a dream in which he learns that Hazel is still alive. Fiver asks
Blackberry if he knows where Hazel was shot, and he tells Blackberry to take
him to that spot. Even though Blackberry is sure that Hazel must be dead, Fiver
convinces him to go. They return to the farm, Fiver rushing as fast as he can and
telling Blackberry to hurry up. Fiver moves through the ditch and follows the
trail of blood to the drain. He looks in the drain and sees that Hazel is inside, and
that he is still alive.
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Chapter 27: "You Can't Imagine It Unless You've
Been There"
Deprived of their leader, the rabbits are uncertain of themselves and do not
know what to do. Holly tells the story of what happened on their journey to the
warren that Kehaar told them about. They bumped into a rabbit who told them
not to go to Efrara (the warren), but just then three big rabbits approached them
and escorted them in.
The Owsla in Efrafa are in complete control, along with a Council of advisors, and
a rabbit named General Woundwort is the leader. Each of the rabbits is marked
and then put in a group with a similar mark, and they only go above ground with
their group. The warren is designed to avoid detection because the rabbits fear
humans. The Owsla run a "Wide Patrol" they move far away from the warren
looking for enemies or wandering rabbits.
A rabbit called Captain Campion took Holly and the others into a burrow, where
they learned about the warren by talking to the rabbits, especially a doe named
Hyzenthlay, who told them that the warren was overcrowded. They were
brought before the Council, and Holly tried to explain that they just wanted a few
does for their own warren. However, General Woundwort explained to them that
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they were to stay in Efrafa—they quickly realized that they were prisoners, not
guests.
Holly came up with a plan to escape, and they ran away while their guard was
eating outside. They were soon pursued, however, and they knew they would be
overtaken. They were saved only by climbing over one side of a railroad track,
although Holly did not know what the track was. The train came through and cut
them off from the Efrafan Owsla. Holly describes the train as a giant hrududu
sent by Lord Frith himself to save them. They managed to make their way back
to the warren, only to learn that Hazel was killed in the raid on the barn.
Chapter 28: At the Foot of the Hill
Blackberry comes and tells them that Hazel is alive and that he is with Fiver at
the bottom of the hill. Bigwig runs down to help and finds Hazel sleeping. The
next morning, Kehaar comes down and pulls the shotgun pellets out of Hazel's
leg. Hazel spends three days resting and tells Holly and the rest what they need
to do. They need to return to Efrafa and bring back some does, and Hazel wants
Blackberry to figure out how to do it.
Chapter 29: Return and Departure
Hazel returns the next morning and tells the rabbits that he plans to go to Efrafa
and get some does. Holly speaks out against the plan, saying it is suicide. But
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then Fiver says that he will go and claims that he thinks it will work. Bigwig also
says that he is going and that Kehaar is coming with them. Silver and Pipkin
volunteer, and then Blackberry comes in and says that the plan is better than he
originally thought. Kehaar tells Hazel he will help them to find the does, but that
he must leave afterwards. He promises to return another time in the future.
Chapter 30: A New Journey
The rabbits set out on their quest for Efrafan does, leaving behind only
Buckthorn, Strawberry, Holly, and the hutch rabbits. Hazel wants to find a hiding
place close to Efrafa, and Kehaar comes and tells him they can hide on the other
side of the nearby river. They ask Dandelion to tell a story, and Bigwig requests
El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé.
Chapter 31: The Story of El-ahrairah and the
Black Rabbit of Inlé
Dandelion tells the story of a time when King Darzin sent his soldiers to get rid of
El-ahrairah once and for all. The soldiers attacked the rabbits as soon as they
came out of their holes, and soon all of El-ahrairah's people were miserable. Elahrairah could not figure out a way to get rid of King Darzin, and he realized he
needed special help. He decided to seek out the Black Rabbit of Inlé, an immortal
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rabbit appointed by Lord Frith to determine the deaths of all rabbits. El-ahrairah
wanted to offer the Black Rabbit his own life in exchange for help for his people.
After a long journey with his friend Rabscuttle, El-ahrairah came to the dwelling
of the Black Rabbit and tried to bargain with him, but the Black Rabbit would not
accept his offer. El-ahrairah tried to trick the Black Rabbit, but he lost his
whiskers, his tail, and his ears in the process. Finally, the Black Rabbit told Elahrairah to leave, and said that he had already gotten rid of King Darzin's
soldiers. Rabscuttle and El-ahrairah made their way home, getting lost and
having many adventures on the way. When they finally returned, the warren was
bigger and the younger rabbits knew nothing about the war with King Darzin. In
fact, they thought war itself was foolish. El-ahrairah sat to think, and Lord Frith
came to talk to him, telling him that wisdom is not easy, and brought him a tail,
whiskers, and a pair of ears with starlight in them. Just then, Pipkin interrupts
the story to tell the others that there is a fox approaching.
Chapter 32: Across the Iron Road
Hazel gathers everyone to run from the fox, but just at that moment Bigwig
rushes past him, draws the fox's attention, and runs into the undergrowth. They
hear a rabbit squeal and then, surprisingly, Bigwig comes running back. Hazel is
angry with him, but Bigwig says he needed to do something because he was very
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tense. He tells Hazel that when he went into the brush with the fox behind him,
he bumped into three strange rabbits. He told them to run, but they tried to stop
him, so he knocked one of them down and then ran off. He figures the fox must
have gotten the rabbit that he knocked down.
The rabbits move on through the night. In the morning, Kehaar comes and tells
them that there is a patrol nearby that will find them soon if they do not hide.
They cross over the iron road—the railroad tracks—that Holly told them about,
and Kehaar tells them they are safe. The rabbits go to sleep.
Chapter 33: The Great River
Hazel realizes that Bigwig's stunt with the fox probably broke up a Wide Patrol
that was very close to finding them. He asks Kehaar to take them to the river,
which is huge and awes the rabbits. The need to get to the other side, so Kehaar
shows them the way to a bridge. Fiver reassures Hazel that the bridge is no
worse than many other places they have been, and is in fact better than some.
Fiver and Hazel go across first with Pipkin, and soon Silver and Dandelion follow.
Many of the other rabbits are even more reluctant than Hazel to cross, and Fiver
has to convince them all to come over. They check out the terrain and then sleep.
Blackberry and Hazel need to figure out the last step in the plan. They explore
the other side of the river and find a smaller bridge further down the river. They
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cross it, along with Fiver, Bigwig, and Bluebell. They come upon a boat, which
Kehaar explains to them, and Blackberry strikes upon using the boat themselves.
The plan is complete, and Hazel tells Bigwig it is time for him to go. Bigwig
pauses for a moment and then takes off.
Chapter 34: General Woundwort
General Woundwort is a huge, fearless rabbit who has fought many types of elil
in the past. He created Efrafa because he craved power, and he fully controlled it
from the beginning. He used the Wide Patrols to systematically gain control over
the area surrounding Efrafa and he made his warren very safe. The patrols were
also used to train rabbits to become fierce and cunning. Woundwort himself
sometimes joins the patrols.
However, the General is concerned because Holly and his group's escape hurt the
prestige of the Owsla and also caused the death of a good captain (the one who
was hit by the train). Furthermore, the fox, led on by Bigwig, killed another of
Woundwort's best officers. Captain Campion, one of Woundwort's officers,
comes to tell him that they have found a rabbit who wants to join Efrafa. The
rabbit is Bigwig, although Woundwort does not know him. Bigwig convinces the
General that he would be a good addition to the warren, and Woundwort makes
him an officer.
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Chapter 35: Groping
Bigwig learns about the Efrafa security, and begins to think that his task may be
close to hopeless. He meets the rabbit Blackavar, who tried to escape but was
caught by Campion. Blackavar was hurt very badly, and he is left out as a public
demonstration. Bigwig decides that if he brings anyone out, Blackavar is coming
with them. Bigwig meets Hyzenthlay and some other does, and later he has her
come to see him. He talks to Hyzenthlay and tells her that he plans to break some
does out of Efrafa. She is intelligent and helpful and tells him that they must
leave in the next two nights, because after that their Mark does not go out at
night. They settle on the next night, and she is to tell the does just before they go
out to eat.
Chapter 36: Approaching Thunder
One of the officers wakes Bigwig up, and he heads out to feed with his Mark.
Outside, he sees Kehaar and, while eating, talks to the bird. He tells Kehaar that
the rabbits must be ready at sunset and that he must attack the sentries. Bigwig
goes to tell Hyzenthlay and her friend Thethuthinnang about the plan. Just as
Bigwig gets ready to make the break that night, General Woundwort calls him
aside to talk to him.
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Chapter 37: The Thunder Builds Up
Woundwort questions Bigwig because one of the officers from the patrol Bigwig
encountered while running from the fox has recognized him. Bigwig explains to
Woundwort that he did not bring the fox on them intentionally. Woundwort asks
him if he knows anything about the other rabbits that his Patrol was tracking.
Bigwig says that he saw their tracks, but otherwise has no idea where they went.
Woundwort invites Bigwig to go on a Wide Patrol with him two days later and
then tells him to keep an eye on Hyzenthlay because there may be more trouble.
Hazel and the other rabbits realize that something must have gone wrong. They
return to the other side of the river, trying to keep their spirits up. Bigwig is very
worried, and to add to his troubles he learns that Hyzenthlay and
Thethuthinnang have told the other does to be ready. He is worried that one of
them will talk and that they will be found out. The next morning, Bigwig finds a
way to send a message to Kehaar by using another officer as his unwitting pawn.
He tells the bird to come back that night. Later, Bigwig finds Blackavar apart
from his escort for a moment and tells him to be ready to break later that night.
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Chapter 38: The Thunder Breaks
Hazel and the others get Bigwig's message through Kehaar and prepare to meet
him. Hyzenthlay wakes Bigwig up to tell him that a doe has been arrested. He
tells her to gather the others quickly and goes to get Blackavar. Bigwig attacks
one of Blackavar's escorts, while the prisoner fights with the other. Bigwig
knocks down both escorts and then takes off with Blackavar and the does right
behind him. They hear stamping and know that the Efrafans have spotted their
escape.
Woundwort learns what has happened and takes off after them. Campion tries to
get Bigwig to stop, but they continue on. Soon, however, the General and his men
catch up to them. Just when the escapees turn to fight, lightning flashes, giving
everyone pause. It begins to pour, and then Kehaar attacks out of nowhere. The
other rabbits come to Bigwig and the does' aid, and they make a hasty retreat
towards the river.
Woundwort and his rabbits come at them from one side while Campion comes
from the other. Now all the rabbits are on the boat except Dandelion, who is
hiding in the bushes, and Woundwort comes to kill them all. Hazel says they
must leave, but Bigwig cries out that Kehaar is there. Woundwort leaps back, and
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Dandelion jumps on the boat. The force breaks the already frayed rope, and the
rabbits drift away from Woundwort and Efrafa.
Chapter 39: The Bridges
The rabbits float down the river, wondering what to do next. Kehaar tells them
that there is a bridge coming and that they might not fit under it. They squeeze
through the bridge, but one of the does is hurt as they go under. They come to
another bridge that stops the boat. Kehaar tells them to jump out and swim
underneath the bridge, and he does so himself just to show them that it is safe.
Hazel does not know whether Kehaar's advice is sound for rabbits, but then a
group of men passes over the bridge and Hazel realizes how unsafe their position
is. He and Pipkin jump into the water, and Blackavar follows behind them. Once
safe on land, Blackavar points out that they can walk around to the other side.
From there they tell the others that it is safe to jump. Although some of the does
need convincing, they finally all jump in, drift to the shore, and fall asleep.
Chapter 40: The Way Back
In the morning they learn that the doe who was injured going under the bridge
has died during the night. Hazel and Bigwig say goodbye to Kehaar, who takes off
for the ocean, promising to return in the winter. Then the rabbits set off on the
road home. Blackavar proves himself very useful because from his Efrafan
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training he knows how to track very well. At one point, Hazel wants to stop and
dig some holes to stay in for a few days, and Fiver is not opposed to doing so.
Blackavar feels that they are in fox country, but Bigwig disagrees and Hazel
decides they should rest.
Two days later, a fox grabs one of the does. The group moves on. They stumble
upon Captain Campion, who only sees a few of them and tries to get them to
surrender, but soon realizes he is outnumbered. Hazel prepares to go past
without any force, but Blackavar tells him they must kill the patrol or else it will
report back to Efrafa. They move on without fighting and make their wake back
to their warren at the downs. Campion and his patrol, which have looped back
behind them, see the warren and then go back to Efrafa to report.
Chapter 41: The Story of Rowsby Woof and the
Fairy Wogdog
Everyone is content in the warren. The sixteen bucks manage to get along with
only ten does, and they are all pleased to be once again living normal rabbit lives.
They persuade Dandelion to tell them a story, and he tells them about the time
that El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle played a trick on Rowsby Woof, a vicious dog, so
that they could eat some good food. El-ahrairah dressed up and pretended to be
the Fairy Wogdog, a spirit sent by the Dog Queen. El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle got
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their food and left Rowsby Woof convinced that he saved both his master and the
Fairy Wogdog from an evil rat spirit.
Chapter 42: News at Sunset
After Dandelion finishes his story, he goes to take over the sentry post from
Acorn. Hazel goes with him and is visited by his mouse friend, who brings news
of other rabbits gathered close by. Bigwig wants to talk to Hazel and ignores the
mouse, but Hazel asks the mouse to repeat its message and then insists on
sending Holly and Blackavar to check. Speedwell comes out happily to tell them
that Clover has had a litter of six kittens.
Bigwig chats happily with Hazel, but then Holly and Blackavar come running
back. They bring news that a huge raiding party has come from Efrafa. They have
bumped into Campion and they think Woundwort himself may be there. Hazel
decides to fill in the holes leading into the burrows so their enemies will have to
dig them out, leaving one hole open to enter and exit. Hazel decides to go try to
talk to General Woundwort, and he makes Bigwig Chief Rabbit until he returns.
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Chapter 43: The Great Patrol
We learn that Woundwort's authority was damaged after Bigwig engineered the
great escape, and he was determined to get revenge. He set up Campion to look
for the escapees at the spot where the fox ruined their earlier patrol. After
learning where the warren was, he set up an expedition.
Once Woundwort learns that the rabbits have been spotted, he takes a few of his
own rabbits with him to look at what the enemy is doing. Hazel comes forward
and offers a compromise. He suggests that they create a warren between Efrafa
and the downs, made up of rabbits from each warren. Woundwort barely
considers Hazel's offer before telling him that if all the does, Blackavar, and
Bigwig are not waiting when he gets there, then he will kill all of the bucks.
Chapter 44: A Message from El-ahrairah
While the Efrafans struggle to get through, Bigwig suggests to Hazel that they
move everyone into the burrows behind the Honeycomb and then block the
entrances. That way once they are in, the Efrafans will have to get through
Bigwig to get to the rest of the warren. Fiver falls into some sort of trance,
screams, and Hazel has a vision: he needs to go to the farm and free the dog. He
takes Blackberry and Dandelion with him and they fly out of the open hole.
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Chapter 45: Nuthanger Farm Again
Hazel takes Dandelion and Blackberry to the farm. Blackberry stays back, and
while Dandelion waits Hazel gnaws at the dog's leash. Suddenly a cat appears,
and Hazel stamps to warn Dandelion. The cat pounces, the dog jumps up, breaks
the leash, and runs, and Hazel falls hard from the kennel, looks up, and sees the
cat he once dodged looking down at him.
Chapter 46: Bigwig Stands His Ground
Woundwort moves down into the burrow and prepares to attack. Bigwig has had
to leave Fiver on the other side because he would not wake up, but Woundwort
thinks Fiver is dead and leaves him alone. Woundwort brings in more rabbits,
and they see the newly formed wall at one end of the hall. When they break
through, Woundwort steps in first, and Bigwig, who has buried himself below the
entrance, bites deep into the General's leg. Woundwort scratches back and then
advances. Bigwig rips into the leg again, but then Woundwort comes down on
top of him and takes control. Just as Woundwort goes for the kill, his leg gives out
and he falls backward, receiving a few blows from Bigwig as he moves back.
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Chapter 47: The Sky Suspended
Dandelion takes off with the dog behind him. After a brief rest in the cattle shed,
he manages to keep the dog following him up to where Blackberry is waiting. He
draws the dog out of the gate, but then it seems to lose interest. Finally it starts
up the hill at a slow trot. Dandelion catches up, and together the two rabbits get
the dog's attention. It charges after them.
Woundwort tries to get Bigwig to move, but Bigwig knows that even his dead
body will be a major obstacle, as it will block the way. Finally Woundwort jumps
at Bigwig and pushes him backwards. Bigwig struggles, but is slowly pushed
back, when suddenly Woundwort loses strength. Bigwig's blows have caused
Woundwort's nose to bleed, and he cannot breathe as he tries pushing Bigwig.
Finally the General lets go and retreats. His troops are incredulous, and when he
sends one rabbit in to finish off Bigwig, the rabbit is too scared to go. Woundwort
decides to work from another angle, leaving Bigwig there. He goes above ground
to work out a new digging plan. Just then, Campion comes running and screams
for them all to flee. The dog appears, running fast, and only Woundwort stands
his ground, urging the others to stay and fight.
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Chapter 48: Dea ex Machina
Lucy, the little girl who lives on the farm, hears squealing and rescues Hazel from
her cat. She wants to show the hurt rabbit to the doctor, who comes over just as
the dog comes back, with a bad scratch on his nose and a bite on his leg. The
doctor says the rabbit is fine, and he offers to give Lucy a ride to somewhere they
can let it go. She lets it go right at the base of Watership Down.
Chapter 49: Hazel Comes Home
Woundwort's standing up to the dog has probably saved the lives of many
rabbits by giving them time to run away. Campion decides that the Efrafans
should go home, and with his guidance most of them make it back alive. Several
Efrafans ran into the hole when the dog came and surrendered immediately to
Fiver. Bigwig is hurt badly, but he seems to recover, and Hazel comes running up
to tell his story.
Chapter 50: And Last
It is October. Two more of the does have had litters, and everyone is living well.
The Efrafans who surrendered have joined the warren and get along fine,
although they believe Woundwort is still alive somewhere. Hazel thinks they
should start a new warren between theirs and Efrafa. The young kittens are
growing up, hearing stories of adventure and receiving training from Bigwig in
how to attack cats.
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Epilogue
It is several years later. The new warren was started and things went well with
all three warrens. Woundwort was never seen again, but his legend lived on.
Hazel has lived long, much longer than rabbits live. One cold morning in March, a
rabbit with shining light in his ears comes for Hazel. They walk out into the day,
and Hazel leaves his body behind him, looking back only to see that all is well
before moving on to his new world.
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