25.2 Chapter 26. Fiver Beyond

Fiver slips into what might be called just a dream in which he follows the ghostly rabbit he saw disappear on WD into the landscape below. You can clearly see how this description inspired the sequence in the 1978 film.

The similarity with that scene ends with the appearance of the disturbing human who gives Fiver all the clues he needs about where to find Hazel.

He finds himself at the place where the notice board was that warned of the destruction of the Sandleford Warren. The black stick shapes on the board seem to chatter to Fiver of a memorial to Hazel-rah. But the man says he cannot get to Hazel to hang him up on the board. Because he's gone down the "bloody hole". Fiver wakes up to a shower of earth from the roof of his burrow having landed on him due to the hot weather.

Blackberry has come to check on him. He was crying out Hazel's name in his sleep. Fiver asks if Blackberry knows exactly where Hazel was shot. Blackberry confirms he does and Fiver cuts short his objections to Hazel still being alive by saying they have to go and save Hazel right away.

On reaching the site of Hazel's shooting, Fiver notices the dried trail of blood coming out of the culvert. He has found the Bloody Hole.

And in that hole...is Hazel. Who is alive.

25.4: Chapter 27. 'You Can't Imagine it Unless You've been There'

This chapter mainly consists of Holly speaking as he recounts the experiences of the expedition to the other warren to try to get some Does for the WD warren. Holly gives an excellent account of a seasoned Owsla officer's tracking across open country. Then they meet a hare, who can obviously communicate with them easily. As soon as the hare realises where they are going, he recommends they run away very fast.

Three large Efrafan rabbits appear and one of them asks to see the expedition rabbits' "marks".

And so they arrive at Efrafa. Efrafa is a big warren. The entire warren is designed to conceal its existence. As well as the Owsla, there is a Council, each member of which is responsible for things such as feeding, breeding and concealment. The Efrafan Owsla is terrifying and the chief of the warren is General Woundwort. Under him are multiple captains of the Owsla, rather than the usual single captain. Each of them responsible for a mark.

Holly and his companions are then taken to see the Council. They meet General Woundwort, who has no interest in why they have travelled to Efrafa. He simply explains the rules under which they will live there.

The expedition are told they will join the Right Flank Mark under Captain Bugloss. It occurs to him that Captain Bugloss is a bit overstretched in his role, so Holly decides to adopt the role of a messenger from the Council, just as his mark are going on silflay.

The WD rabbits immediately escape. Just as Holly thinks they will have to turn and fight, they come to a steep bank, which they climb. This is a railway embankment.

They fall down the other side of the embankment and then experience the passing of a train as a visitation from one of Lord Frith's messengers, which overwhelms Holly. It would be far more frightening than just a car.

Next day Holly finds a tunnel under the track and they begin the journey north back to WD.

It is a very difficult journey and only Silver makes it back in a healthy condition. But they meet no Efrafans.

It takes a day and a night and they do not rest.

They return to the news of Hazel's death, though this low point for them isn't quite as bad for us as readers, as we know that he is alive.

Were it not for what we know as readers, this would truly be the lowest point in the story.

25.5 Next Episode

Next time, Hazel returns to WD...and hatches a plan that will make the raid on Nuthanger Farm seem like a walk in the park.

Vocab:

Hyzenthlay: Shine-Dew-Fur (Fur that shines like the dew)

Crixa: a crossroad between two human tracks.

Owslafa: Efrafan Council Police