Scripted by John Ruths and Newell Fisher

There will be a conference marking the anniversary at the University of Glasgow from the 2-4 September this year, 2022.  Apparently a graphic novel of the book is also coming out this year.

Episode 21 of 'Sophomore Lit' recorded on 6th March 2016, discussing Watership Down:

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.theincomparable.com/podcast/sophomorelit21.mp3

The pre-chapter quote, from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is one of the most well-known in the book.  It is spoken by Marc Anthony after Julius Caesar's assassination in an attempt to get a crowd stirred up so that they may take revenge against the assassins.

The word "havoc" would have become a word that fell out of common usage were it not for Shakespeare. It originates from an anglo-norman french word of unknown origin. Apparently it was a command used when the disciplined phase of a battle was over and victory secure. And it meant to break ranks and pillage and slaughter the surviving enemy.

The quotation mentions dogs of war. Which explains its use in this chapter.

This is a pretty short and simple chapter.  It starts off at the warren on WD and ends where the chapter title suggests.

It opens with Woundwort having stern words with Thistle and Ragwort. Thistle states that he's sure there is an animal down in the warren that is not a rabbit.  We now get to enjoy the effects on the Efrafans of the unnatural sounds made by Fiver underground in the previous chapter.

Among the Efrafan rabbits there is a feeling that is not quite panic but also not that far from it.  The great white bird that turned into a shaft of lightning is being discussed along with a comment about the recent voice from down below possibly coming from, not just a homba, but, by implication, the one that killed Captain Mallow.

Woundwort is also getting somewhat testy with his rabbits as the first signs of sunrise are seen.  This tells us that this operation is taking too long. The Efrafans are on the outside and have been exposed all night.

We now join Hazel and company at the foot of WD adjacent to a recently cut hayfield and near a pylon. Blackberry gets posted first, meaning that he'll have the last part of the mission.  That is, to lead the Nuthanger Farm dog to the warren. Hazel and Dandelion continue on and they are not covert in their movements, as it would only take more time than they have.

They get to the farm.  The dog is still sleeping as early morning birdsong is heard.  Hazel will take on the dangerous role of chewing the rope through.  Dandelion's job is to simply get chased but with the more complex task of keeping the dog on his tail and getting it to chase him all the way to Blackberry.

Hazel senses the dog underneath him.  However, as he gets through the rope, he sees something impossible to plan for: the cat!

Hazel instinctively stamps an alarm.  This sets off a whole chain of events: Dandelion takes off, the dog gives chase, the cat has sprung and has landed just where Dandelion was, Hazel is thrown off balance and falls to the ground on his bad leg.

And then Hazel feels himself being knocked violently and pressed to the ground, and a pricking feeling on his back, due to the cat having him exactly where it wants him.

Hazel tries to use his back legs to strike but they hit nothing.  The cat has him in a dominating position.  The chapter ends in a cliffhanger.

The cat, not one to forget the previous farm incursions, ironically asks Hazel the exact same question he taunted it with on his first visit to Nuthanger Farm in Chapter 24.  It both asks and answers the question in a chilling way. “Can you run?” hissed the cat. “I think not.”

And with those chilling words, the only ones spoken by Elil outside the Tales of El-ahrairah in the whole book, the chapter ends...