7.1 Introduction  

Another shout out to Will Fuller for his recommendation on the WD Fans Facebook group. We’re planning an episode in June on the two most recent audiobooks. Thanks also to Ric Morris who has been providing me with a LOT of material for future podcasts. Including information on...THE LOST PARAGRAPH. More on this when I cover Chapter 11.  

There may be times I pair chapters together. This was nearly one example, but it makes sense to pair the following chapter with the one after that. Besides, this chapter has a particular feature that merits a bit more time: the largest example of Lapine in the book. 

7.2 Chapter 9  

The Sun rises as the rabbits rest. They must be exhausted and the lack of cover is not enough to prevent several from sleeping. Hazel is aware they are not safe, but where is there to go? He scouts out the country uphill and detects another smell that is dominating everything. He decides to check it out on his own. 

There are signs of insecurity here due to Bigwigs presence in the group. An insight into the realities of leadership? He sees what he does not realise is a crow. It is hunting a mole along the ground. Hazel is unaware of the risk this might pose. The smell gets stronger. It is a field of broad beans. Rabbits cannot eat them, but their smell and height will provide cover.  

Getting back to the others, Hazel explains his plan and they get the other rabbits up to get to the bean-field. They still do not move as a group but straggle widely. These touches demonstrate that we are still dealing with rabbits with rabbit instincts.  

Suddenly there is a screaming sound. Fiver and Pipkin have been attacked by the crow! It is aiming at their eyes, as crows do. Hazel rushes towards them, just to distract it, followed by Bigwig then Silver. The crow actively stands up to Silver, who hesitates. This is the first active contact with Elil in the book. Bigwig actually attacks the crow and tells the others to get in behind it. But it has already had enough. 

Bigwig goes to Pipkin as he utters the poem I will discuss in the next section. Hazel notices Pipkin is clearly wounded in a front paw. They enter the bean-field. It is clearly going to be a safe place and they gather in a hollow. Safe at last. Hazel offers to look at Pipkin's paw and sees a thorn sticking out of his foot. Hazel manages to get it out. 

Speedwell sees the size of it and jokes that they could have used it to make another notice board to scare Fiver with, or a weapon to use against the Lendri (Badger). How does he know what a notice-board is? Would rabbits need a word for this? Hazel tells Pipkin to lick the wound better and sleep. 

7.3 Lapine grammar and THAT poem  

If Lapine were an actual language, this poem would give us vital clues. I am speaking as a monolingual English speaker, so input from any linguists or bilingual listeners would be welcome. Word order in Lapine appears to coincide mostly with English. A little too convenient? However this poem does  contain an example of changed word order. The reversal of the noun 'hraka' and the following verb does vary from English word order.  

Vocab:  

Hoi: Hey!  

u: the  

m' : a possibly contracted and inflected version of 'we'?  

saion: a possibly contracted and inflected version of 'meet them' (sai... - ...on)?  

ulé: 'even' (as in "even when we") OR 'stop'. Possibly slang. Possibly a single word for a concept that would only need a word for rabbits, given the importance of feeding in the open and flight to such animals.  

hraka: droppings as in rabbit excrement  

vair: pass, as in pass droppings. Possibly a verb meaning to defecate, distinguishing the noun for excrement from the verb, as opposed to words such as 'poo'. Is this conflation unique to English?  

7.4  

Next episode: Chapters 10 and 11. The rabbits face more new dangers...and there is dissent about whether they should even have left their old warren at all.