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23: Chapter 25. The Raid 

23.1 Burrowkeeping  

Returning to the Lost Paragraph, I have now found two places in the book where Bigwig calls Hazel 'Hazel-rah' before the ending, where, in an edition  with the Lost Paragraph, he does not. In the puffin edition, these occur on pages 225, at Nuthanger Farm, and 374, on the River Test. Thank you to Amber Rizzi for helping me find that second example. 

This means that the manuscript that omits the Lost Paragraph was also edited in detail in order to ensure that Bigwig does use Hazel's title, more than once, before the end.  

23.2 Chapter 25. The Raid 

This chapter possibly represents the low point for the Warren on WD. And yet, within it, lie all the seeds of their future success. 

The opening quotation relates to the coming of age of a leader and is taken from 'The King must Die' by Mary Renault.  

Hazel and Pipkin don't get back to the Warren until it is nearly dark. Hazel has missed the news that Holly and the rest of the expedition had reached the other warren the previous evening, as reported by Kehaar. Fiver is less than impressed with him when he outlines his plan. The raid has to be put off as the rain settles in. Fiver talks to Hazel again about the Raid, asking him not to go. He agrees not to enter the farm itself. 

The next day is dry. Bigwig and Hazel decide to go to the farm at sunset. As Hazel waits just outside the farm the raiding party sets off. 

Bigwig meets a cat almost straight away. This is not the cat that chased Fiver and Pipkin. Bigwig and Dandelion attack it immediately, with Speedwell following up. They quickly find the shed with the hutch. Bigwig and Blackberry set about opening the hutch while the others keep watch. 

In the hutch, the buck Boxwood speaks first, asking if that is Hazel who has come back to let them out. Blackberry sets about getting the hutch open. It is slow work. Blackberry suggests pushing the door from outside, which produces a twisting that wears the hinge off its final nail. The hutch is open. 

In the yard outside the cat is still watching them, though it won't attack. Boxwood and Clover seem to understand the urgency of the need to get away, but Laurel and Haystack are a lot slower. The cat begins to circle them. The cat Hazel and Pipkin met also emerges. 

And then the dog wakes up. It sees the rabbits and begins to bark. 

Bigwig orders them all to run. Clover and Boxwood do, but the other two stay where they are. Hazel gives some of the party the job of getting Clover and Boxwood back to WD, while he and Dandelion will go and get the other two hutch rabbits.  

Joining Hazel, Dandelion finds him taking to Haystack. An odd light becomes apparent. Adams' introduction of the car arriving at the farm, with its headlights on, is pure genius, as we experience it completely from a rabbit's point of view. 

Hearing human voices, Hazel snaps out of it and tells them all to close their eyes and run. Dandelion and Haystack do so, but the buck Laurel has to be left behind. 

The men are searching for them with the torch. Hazel creates a diversion so they can get away. They keep the torch on him. And he is shot. 

Hazel manages to drag himself into a land-drain just in time to avoid being found. They all wait for Hazel just in case. Then Bigwig and Dandelion go looking for him. They see blood and obviously get very close to where he is. But Hazel is unconscious and they can't see him. 

An advance party reaches the Down at first light. Fiver comes to meet them and is told what has happened by Blackberry. But he already knows. As they approached, he saw a rabbit following them, limping and blood-soaked, and then it disappeared. 

Later that morning, the party who went to the other Warren return with no does. Of the four of them, only Silver is okay. 

We have truly reached a low point in the story. 

23.3 Next episode 

Next time, Fiver has a vision...and we learn about the other Warren.

22: Chapter 24. Nuthanger Farm 

 

22.2 Nuthanger Farm 

 

This farm, which is a real farm, still with that name, lying just north of the foot of WD, is the setting of the main interactions between rabbits and humans in the book. Those interactions span the whole range of the relationship between our species and wild animals such as rabbits, from brutality to compassion. It is also the site of the main interactions between rabbits and the Elil who live with humans, namely cats and dogs. And, of course, it is, because of this, the source of the salvation of the rabbits of WD from the main peril they face from other rabbits during the climax of the story. 

 

For those of you wanting to know the exact road Nuthanger Farm lies on, it is the one between Sydmonton and Kingsclere in Hampshire. Its name as it passes WD and Nuthanger Farm, seems to be 'Sydmonton Road'. Nuthanger Farm lies up the lane that heads north from this road to the north of WD. 

 

22.3 Chapter 24. Nuthanger Farm 

 

The opening quotation, which seems to be in late Middle English, is a reference to Robin Hood visiting Nottingham in secret, where he is recognised by a monk. 

 

As this chapter opens Hazel feels the need for adventure. He seems to be feeling the need to prove himself to all the former Owsla members, and in particular the two, Holly and Silver, who are on the expedition. 

 

This is uncharacteristic of Hazel and rather disappointing I think. His humility has been a hallmark of the strength of his leadership and here that fails, as he lapses into individualism. 

 

His idea is initially to go to the farm where Kehaar saw the rabbits being kept in a box and to just scout it out. He decides not to go alone but to take one other rabbit. A rabbit who will do as he is told: Pipkin. The most vulnerable rabbit in the group. 

 

They make their way down the scarp slope of the Down. Hazel feels supremely confident. He asks a rat for directions to the farm. The sky is growing lighter. They make their way along a lane heading north from the road, to the top of the low rise the farm stands upon. 

 

Hazel takes in the smells as they reach the farm. among these are a lot of cat, less dog and definitely rabbit. They can see a dog kennel with a large black dog inside, tied up with a rope. They make their way through the farmyard, becoming more confident as there is no sign of a cat, and following the rabbit smell to a shed in which they find a rabbit-hutch. 

 

Hazel tells Pipkin to guard their only exit then speaks with the rabbits in the hutch. There are four of them, both bucks and does. The buck he speaks to is called Boxwood. He and his doe, Haystack, are black and white Himalayan rabbits. The other two, the buck Laurel and doe Clover, are short-haired black Angoras. Hazel tells them that he wants them to join his warren and takes some time describing life in the wild. The doe Clover is particularly interested and asks several questions. But her speech, again, is just reported, not quoted. A doe has still not spoken directly in the book. 

 

The hutch rabbits have heard bad things about living in the wild and are going to take some persuasion. Hazel decides to leave, but promises to return. 

 

Just then Pipkin says that a cat has appeared outside in the yard. Hazel reassures Pipkin and tells him to follow before leaving the shed in plain view of the cat. He tells Pipkin not to run until the cat starts to attack then deliberately provokes it to do just that with insults. The cat pounces and they manage to outrun it back to the lane. Hazel says a rabbit can outrun a cat, but only if the cat attacks first.  

Their adventure over, Pipkin asks what all this has been about and Hazel promises to tell him later on. They make their way back to WD slowly. 22.4 Next Episode 

 

Thank you to John Ruths for his notes on this chapter, which were useful as always. 

 

Next time, the rabbits of WD raid Nuthanger Farm, with horrific consequences. And the expedition returns empty handed.

21: Chapter 23. Kehaar 

21.1 Burrowkeeping  

A couple of mistakes from last week. 

I got the Chapter number wrong. It was Chapter 22 not 21. I have corrected the episode title and notes. I also referred to Hazel as Holly a couple of times. 

21.2 Chroicocephalus ridibundus or the Black-headed Gull 

The back-headed gull is a small gull. They have red beaks, as opposed to the yellow/orange beaks of larger white-headed seagull species. The black head is actually dark brown and moults in winter, leaving a patch behind each eye. 

Although Kehaar has been portrayed on film as keeping his black head throughout the story, there is actually a clear reference to his head moulting during the course of this chapter, leaving just a brown patch behind each eye.  

Can these gulls moult prematurely if they don't get to mate? Or did Adam's make a mistake by having Kehaar moult prematurely? 

21.3 The Doe-problem 

the overriding challenge facing this Warren is about to rear its head: the absence of does. 

The efforts of the rabbits of WD to get some does to join them has also been criticised as reducing female characters in the book to nothing more than breeders. 

Solving the doe problem will drive the remaining plot of the book. The means by which the problem will largely be solved is about to enter the story. 

21.4 Chapter 23. Kehaar 

Bigwig and Silver are outside feeding when they come across a creature nearly as big as themselves. The creature, a bird, is obviously injured and is striking out at them with its bill in fear and anger. 

Hazel tries to talk to it in the simple lingua franca used by all animals. 

Its speech is very exotic and it obviously comes from a long way away. It is clearly starving. 

Eventually they manage to find some rotten wood that will contain insects and take it to the bird. 

Once the bird has finished eating they start to talk again. The bird denies it is hurt and swears at Hazel, who decides to leave it alone for a while. He returns to the bird early in the evening. It agrees to follow Hazel to the warren.  

Bigwig learns that the gull was injured by a cat in a nearby farmyard but was able to stand up to it, before struggling up onto the Down. it lives with countless other birds of its kind in a place where...the earth stops.  

On a more practical note, the gull is male (obviously) and is called 'Kehaar' 

Hazel is keen to know if Kehaar will just leave once he is better. He explains why. 

At this point the doe-problem is introduced for the first time. Hazel says he plans to "get hold of some does" and bring them to WD. He plans to have Kehaar look further afield for them.  

Some days later, Kehaar has something to say to Hazel. He owes them his life. It’s is too late for him to breed now that year. He offers to look for "mudders" for the warren, as he puts it. 

The next day Kehaar makes some practice flights, then, three days later, he sets out on a "perfect June morning".  

'One afternoon' Kehaar returns. It is now July at the earliest. Kehaar has seen rabbits being kept in a "box" in a farm at the foot of the Down. He also flew south. There he saw a large "town of rabbits" with "Plenty mudders". 

He estimates it would take about two days for a rabbit to get there. 

The obvious answer is to go to the Warren and "get some does". Hazel suggests an expedition to the Warren.  Holly is an obvious choice. They also choose Silver, Buckthorn and Strawberry. 

They set out early the following morning, with Kehaar flying ahead, to navigate for them and bring back news. 

21.5 Next Episode  

A big thank you to John Ruths, whose notes have really helped in the preparation of this complex episode.  

In the next episode, while waiting for news, Hazel has an idea. I would argue that it is the low-point of his leadership.

20: Chapter 22. The Story of the Trial of El-ahrairah  

 

After the incredible heaviness of the previous chapter, a chapter about El-ahrairah being put of trial for his life comes as a bit of light relief. 

 

It takes the theme of rabbits mentioning things one wonders how they would know about to the next extreme, with the story-teller displaying knowledge of the concept of a jury-trial.  

The opening quotation from Congreve refers to Tyburn, a part of London that I believe is now Hyde Park Corner, where hangings used to take place in the 18th Century.  

 

Adams opens with a section about the resilience of rabbits and how Holly and Bluebell are already nearly recovered from their ordeal. 

 

This is balanced with the extreme reactions of the group as they had listened to their account of Sandleford's destruction. This ritual over, the rabbits return to practical matters. 

 

Hazel inspects Holly's ripped ear and realises it is a lot worse than he had thought and he, then Silver, start licking the wounds. 

 

Silver asks Hazel about his ideas for helping other animals, such as the mouse they saved from a kestrel. Hazel explains that non-rabbits who are not Elil could be a source of help and information. Bluebell mentions that El-ahrairah once enlisted the help of other animals and Hazel asks to hear the story. 

 

One evening Prince Rainbow arrives with a rabbit El-ahrairah has never seen before, called Hufsa and El-ahrairah is told he must look after him. 

 

After a while El-ahrairah notices his plans are going wrong, as if someone is leaking information. The following evening, Prince Rainbow asks El-ahrairah to help him plant a large crop of carrots nearby. Prince Rainbow makes it clear that if anyone were for steal these carrots, there would be dire consequences.  

 

El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle have a secret meeting at which they decide they will not only steal the carrots but they will also get rid of Hufsa. 

 

El-ahrairah meets Yona the hedgehog and offers him a load of slugs to eat if he will do something for him involving singing. Meanwhile Rabscuttle meets Hawock the pheasant and offers him a load of corn if he will do something for him involving swimming. 

El-ahrairah goes to Hufsa and says he cannot resist stealing Prince Rainbow's carrots any longer. He asks Hufsa to help him alone. 

As they make their way to the field, they come across Yona the hedgehog, who is standing on a box with petals stuck all over his prickles, making strange noises. When Hufsa asks him what he is doing, he replies that he is singing to the moon to make the slugs come.  

Moving on, they come across Hawock the pheasant splashing about in a pond. When Hufsa asks him what he is doing, he replies that he is swimming in the full moonlight to make his tail grow long and his head stay colourful.  

Moving on they come across a strange looking creature. It is a rabbit with a red tail and green ears. In its mouth it has a cigarette butt.  This is, of course, Rabscuttle in disguise. He says he is one of the messengers of Lord Frith, returning home to his golden palace, before disappearing as quickly as he came. 

 

Arriving at the field of carrots they strip it bare and hide the carrots. 

 

The next evening, Prince Rainbow arrives with two large dogs to arrest El-ahrairah. 

Prince Rainbow asks if El-ahrairah seriously wants a trial. He says he would. The jury will be made up of Elil, rather than rabbits. 

 

Predictably Hufsa is produced as the witness. El-ahrairah says he would like to question the witness. The reader can be forgiven for predicting what happens next.  

 

What follows is Hufsa claiming to have seen a singing hedgehog, a swimming pheasant and a messenger of Frith. He pulls his trump-card, which is obviously the stolen carrots, which Rabscuttle has moved from where they were hidden. 

 

And so the trial collapses. 

 

20.3 Next episode  

 

Next time, there is a new arrival on the Down. And a bit of swearing.

19: Chapter 21. ‘For El-ahrairah to Cry’ 

The chapter is the first in the book to open with two quotes.  

Holly begins his account by saying what happened in the immediate aftermath of the group leaving Sandleford. The search was quickly called off. 

The following day there were a lot of rumours about Fiver saying something bad was coming. On the next day he saw a group of men approach the Warren. They looked at all the holes. 

The next day was very different. He noticed a hrududu in a lane near the Warren. A lot of men were getting out of it, as well as a boy with a gun. 

The men carried long heavy objects into the field. After a while one of them started filling in the entrances of all the holes he could find. 

He continues that another man fetched some things like lengths of bramble. One of these was attached to each of the long heavy objects. There was a hissing sound and the air started to "turn bad". 

The heavy objects were clearly gas cannisters. The brambles were hoses. 

The men put one of the hoses in each of the holes they had not blocked up. 

After a while Holly saw a rabbit called Scabious come out of a hole the men had missed. The boy shot him.  

Bluebell, who was underground, takes over the story. 

He says the does seemed to be affected by the gas first. They tried to get out, apart from the ones with kittens, who started attacking anyone who came near them. The runs started to fill up with rabbits trying to claw and clamber over eachother to use ways out that no longer existed. 

Bluebell explains how lucky he was in being able to escape. The gas wasn't working in the open run he was in and he managed to keep his senses and run back down to an old deep run called the "Slack Run". Terrible sounds were coming down shafts from above.  

Bluebell found himself with another rabbit called Pimpernel, who knew the way out. Bluebell was terrified Pimpernel would die and block the run ahead. Eventually they smelled fresher air and emerged from a hole in the woods. 

Holly takes up the story again. 

Eventually the men took the hoses out of the holes and the boy put all the dead rabbits on a stick. This detail is too much for Holly, who stops for a moment. 

Holly then describes what is clearly a JCB having come into the field and dug it up. In describing this it is clear that among the earth it dug up were the bodies of rabbits. 

Holly was joined by Bluebell, Pimpernel and Toadflax, the Owsla member who bullied Fiver out of eating a cowslip in Chapter One. 

All Holly could think about was finding Bigwig so he could apologise to him. During the night Toadflax died. The remaining three rabbits found the place where Hazel's group had crossed the Enbourne. He describes crossing the road and coming to the Common. Pimpernel was feverish and Holly was afraid he would die too. 

They fell asleep, exhausted, and woke up the next day to find themselves surrounded by rabbits from the Warren of the Snares. As soon as Holly mentioned the names of the rabbits they were looking for, Cowslip ordered them torn to pieces. 

Holly got his ear ripped badly in the fighting, but he and Bluebell got away quite easily. But Pimpernel was left behind and must have been killed. 

Holly decided to take on Cowslip, who saved his skin by telling Holly where Hazel's group had headed. Holly's ripped ear was painful and Bluebell kept him going by joking with him the whole time. All he could think about was finding Bigwig to tell him he had been right to leave. When they reached the foot of WD and Bigwig was not there to greet him, his mind finally went. 

It was a happy coincidence that Bigwig was, indeed, close by to hear him. 

He closes by saying how grateful he is to be here with them all and tells Bigwig that the rabbit who tried to arrest him was another rabbit a long time ago. 

19.3 Next Episode  

The rabbits react to Holly's account, Hazel explains making friends with mice and Bluebell tells a story of El-ahrairah

18: Chapter 20.  A Honeycomb and a Mouse 

 

18.1 Burrowkeeping 

 

This week we look at Chapter 20, but first a brief look at a character in the book who has been changed perhaps more than any other in screen versions of the story. 

 

18.2 Strawberry 

 

Strawberry is the only rabbit who arrives at WD with the group who was not from Sandleford and his emotional journey in the book is fascinating. 

 

He begins as a deceptive and weird member of the Warren of the Snares. Then he becomes a little mentioned member of the group as they arrive on WD. 

 

As the story progresses, he becomes more and more impressive as a member of the group, eventually being indistinguishable from those who left Sandleford. 

 

One of the many things that really annoys me about the 1999 TV series is the treatment of Strawberry as they arrive on the Down, which goes directly against what happens in the book. He is portrayed as a lazy decadent slob who wants nothing to do with digging the new warren, though he redeems himself later, his portrayal in the distinct third series being very different, both in appearance and attitude. 

 

In the 2018 Netflix series Strawberry is changed to a female character. 

I haven't mentioned the 1978 film yet. The reason for this is very simple. Strawberry is completely edited out of the story in the first screen version of WD. 

 

To sum up, I think that Strawberry is a character who has been changed, to his detriment, in the screen portrayals of WD perhaps more than any other. Overall I think this is a shame for such a positive figure of redemption. 

 

18.3 Chapter 20.  A Honeycomb and a Mouse 

 

The opening quotation, from the oldest surviving written work in history, 'The Epic of Gilgamesh' simply emphasises that Holly has clearly been through a lot. 

 

We are told first of the position Holly, or rather CAPTAIN Holly, held in the Sandleford Warren. We also now have a calm confirmation of Fiver's supernatural abilities. 

 

It takes a long time to get Holly up the hill to the holes halfway Up the slope. He's in a bad way. Bigwig comments to Hazel that he won't forget how Hazel left the ditch ahead of him to see whatever it was that was approaching them.  

 

The next day is also hot and Hazel takes the rabbits in small groups to the top to continue digging under the Beech Hanger. He asks Strawberry about the Great Burrow. 

 

The new great Barrow is named the Honeycomb for reasons that still seem unclear to me. Hazel is content to allow Strawberry to direct its digging as he clearly knows what he's doing. 

 

Suddenly there is a stamp of alarm as a kestrel has been spotted. Silver spots a field mouse trapped out in the open. Hazel suddenly decides to help it, going out in the open and telling it to run to their holes. 

 

Dandelion arrives to report on Holly, who has had a bad night but is showing signs of recovery. Holly is in good spirits and curious for information. Hazel proudly tells him that the whole group who left Sandleford gave made it too the Down, though not without injury. 

 

Strawberry joins them and calls Hazel 'Hazel-Rah', which surprises Holly. He says that everyone wants to sleep in the Honeycomb and they are curious to hear Holly's account of what has happened since they left Sandleford. Holly warns them that what he has to say will not be easy to hear. 

 

Holly asks Silver to make it clear to the group that he is not going to try to dominate the group on any way and that he respects Hazel's leadership.  

Bigwig says they are keen to hear what he has to say. Holly had assumed he would be speaking above ground and the Honeycomb is a big surprise to him. 

 

Holly is just about to begin when Speedwell enters to say that the mouse would like to speak to Hazel. The mouse makes it clear that he would like to help them if he ever can, in return for helping him. 

 

They rejoin the rest of the group...and Holly begins. 

 

18.4 Next episode  

 

Next time, we learn of the terrible fate of the Sandleford Warren.

17: Chapter 19. Fear in the Dark 

17.1  Burrowkeeping  

Last weeks episode was done a bit on the fly and was a bit more rough around the edges than usual, for which I apologise. 

There was also another very annoying sound drop last week at 8:20, which I didn't notice until I published. The full phrase was: "The chapter opens on the evening of the following day after the group left the Warren of the Snares" 

I am taking steps to ensure such sound drops don't happen again, starting with this episode. 

Please also note that I have edited the podcast description to make it clear that this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for reading the original book, or watching one of the film versions of WD. 

17.2 Chapter 19. Fear in the Dark 

The opening quotation from Thomas Hardy speaks of a pale messenger who will soon be known. 

The burrows and runs discovered by Hawkbit are rough but dry. Bigwig says that they suit a bunch of 'Hlessil' like them. The short summer night passes quickly and the rabbits sleep after dawn. 

Upon waking Hazel goes outside to silflay. The mist is burning off the fields below and it is going to be a hot day. Blackberry joins him and they feed together. 

Hazel comments that many of the group will probably have to sleep in the open as bucks, or male rabbits, don't dig Burrows, which begs the question that, if finding the Burrows they just slept in was so important, what kind of plan for their long-term future did Hazel have when he lead them to this place? 

Blackberry cleverly connects the idea of rabbits doing un rabbit-like things to something that was already happening in their warren. This leads to a radical idea: 

Buck rabbits don't dig burrows because does dig them as part of providing shelter for their litters. Blackberry's idea is to dig in a small wood, or beech hanger, he saw at the top of the slope. They both go to the top to check it out. 

The beech hanger is unlike the woods they are used to. It is a lot more open and is a narrow belt of trees running away from the scarp slope towards the south.  

They come to the north east corner of the hanger, where there is a bank. Fiver comments that Blackberry is right. This is ideal for digging. Although this shocks several of the group, several of them are soon digging, lead by Hazel and Pipkin. 

Hazel suggests going back to the bottom of the hill to find some good grass. Bigwig, Dandelion and Speedwell join him. Once at the bottom of the hill, Hazel finds an old overgrown ditch to use for cover. 

Bigwig comments on the different quality of the soil at the top of the hill and Hazel mentions the possibility of trying to copy the Great Burrow they saw at the Warren of the Snares. 

The sun has set at the foot of the Down. Suddenly they hear a rabbit stamping an alarm followed by another. They both dash to the ditch. Speedwell and Dandelion join them fast. 

They have both heard an animal approaching clumsily along the line of the hedge. They wonder what it could be. A cat? A stoat? They wait as darkness falls. 

Suddenly they hear a strange unnatural wailing. Bigwig becomes convinced it is the Black Rabbit of Inlé. 

Then they hear words, the first of which is 'Zorn', meaning destroyed. And then it calls out Bigwig's name. 

Bigwig, now completely convinced it is the Black Rabbit, starts to make his way towards the voice, saying that you have to go when you are called, but Hazel pushes past him. 

Hazel pulls himself out of the ditch and sees a rabbit underneath the hedge. His eyes are wide and one ear is ripped and bloody. He cries out as if wanting to be hunted down and killed. 

It is Captain Holly of the Sandleford Owsla. 

17.3 Next Episode  

Next time Holly is looked after, work begins on a new Great Burrow and Hazel makes friends with a mouse. 

Vocab: 

Hlessi: a rabbit with no warren. Plural: Hlessil 

Inlé: The Moon, as in 'Fu Inlé' (after moonrise), but also with a meaning associated with death. Zorn: destroyed

16: Part Two: On Watership Down. Chapter 18. Watership Down 

 

16.1 Burrowkeeping  

 

I am going to ask for some feedback on the notes. Are they useful? Or have you not looked at them? 

 

Please let me know what you think. This can be a comment on the facebook page or an email to [email protected]. Or @thewatershipdo1 on Twitter. 

And do remember you can get your voice on this podcast by leaving a voice message at https://anchor.fm/watershipdown/message.  

 

16.2 Chalk Downland  

 

You might be wondering why a high place would be called a "Down". The word originates from the Old English word "dūn" (doon) meaning "hill". I don't know how this relates to the word "dune" as in a sand-dune, if at all. 

 

In the case of Watership Down the summit is 237 m (778 ft) above sea level and is one of the highest points in the county of Hampshire, on the Hampshire Downs in the South of England.  

 

As the main setting of our story is about to switch to this very British geological setting, I think it best to just explain its nature a little. 

 

On the high downs there are no streams at all, no cave-systems, no waterfalls and no natural ponds. This is because chalk is very porous and water is just absorbed through it, so there is no way for water to run off on the surface when there isn't an ice-age in progress. And no way for it to erode the soft chalk to create caves. 

 

If you ever see a scene in any portrayal of WD set near the Warren, in which there is a stream, waterfall, cave-system or pond, that scene is displaying an ignorance of the basic geology of the very place the book is named after. 

 

If you want excitement and drama in a portrayal of WD, look to the rabbits. Not the rocks. 

 

16.3 Introduction to Part Two 

 

What our heroes are about to do is going to have to become a lot more than just setting up a place where they can survive. If their new home is to have any prospect of succeeding, it will need to become something far more civilian in character: a sustainable community. 

 

16.4 Chapter 18. Watership Down  

 

The opening quote from William Blake is an effective reminder that the dream of a new home is about to become reality. 

 

Hazel and his companions are sheltering beneath some trees at the foot of the "turf cliff" of the scarp-slope of Watership Down. 

 

Since the Warren of the Snares, any doubts about their abilities have disappeared. This has been demonstrated by their working together during the rat attack. 

 

As the sun gets lower in the sky, the rabbits emerge to feed. 

 

Hazel suggests he go to the top to scout it out. He chooses Dandelion and Hawkbit to come with him, as they seem less tired. 

 

He sees Dandelion up ahead, standing out clearly against the sky. Alarmed he rushes towards him. 

 

At this point Dandelion says one of the phrases that seems most loved by fans of the 1978 film, in which it features prominently: "Come and look! You can see the whole world". 

The ground they are on has become more level. They are at the top of the Down and it is immediately obvious that they will have clear view of the approach of any danger here. Fiver was right. 

 

They realise Hawkbit is missing and wonder if he has turned back or come to harm.  

 

They come across a little group of stunted trees surrounding a dry bank that is commonly found on downs and there they find Hawkbit, who has found some old rabbit holes there. 

 

Hawkbit's discovery has probably saved lives and Hazel says to go and fetch the others straight away. 

 

And so they all arrive safe on Watership Down. 

 

16.5 Next episode  

 

In the next episode the rabbits start to plan for their new home...and something terrifying approaches. 

 

Vocab: 

Tharn: paralysed by fear.

15: Bigwig's Character and the Lost Paragraph  

 

15.1 Burrowkeeping  

 

I made my favourite mistake yet last week, when I referred to 'The Warren of the Snares' as 'The Warren of the Swears' 

 

That would make for a completely different story. One where they have to leave Cowslip's Warren because Fiver has an issue with all the bad language. Which is a bit rich for a rabbit who comes out with such potty-mouthed stuff as "embleer Frith".  

 

15.2: Bigwig's Character and the Lost Paragraph revisited. 

 

I have come to the view that the character the TV portrayals have got most wrong is Bigwig, though Michael Graham Cox's portrayal  of  him in the 1978 film got him just about right. 

In the 1999 TV series he is portrayed by Stephen Mangan largely as a self-important buffoon, with his Owsla training becoming a running joke. His portrayal improves, though, in the very distinct third series.  

 

The recent Netflix series made him far too aggressive in my view. It is the script that demands this aggression as it changes the whole tone of how he talks to Hazel and his attitude towards him is made far less supportive.  

 

 Yes Bigwig is capable of being overbearing and aggressive. But, like all good military types, that is not what he is all about. It is a nuance that I think is possibly sadly lost on a civilian population where such qualities are increasingly seen in a negative light. But in a world where you can be killed at any time, they can be essential.  

 

And we need to always bear in mind, of course, that Adams drew heavily on his experience in the military to create the characters in WD. This is a major reason (or excuse?) for the sexism of the novel. He was simply drawing on his relevant experience of a very male world. 

 

So...back to the Lost Paragraph. Could Bigwig's put down of Hazel be seen as the kind of harsh-but-necessary comment a Non commissioned officer might share with a commissioned officer? Though hopefully out of the hearing of the lower ranks.  

 

I make this distinction as Hazel has only just gained responsibility for the group, whereas Bigwig has, arguably, been trained for such a role by experience. Or so he could he forgiven for thinking. 

 

Or is what he says just bullying and unnecessary? 

 

In either case, I agree with John that the tension it sets up is essential to the story. Though I have very much seen the other view expressed, that Bigwig's character is better without it. This is the Bigwig who just says "Splendid!" when he sees Hazel, possibly keeping his true thoughts to himself. 

 

This Lost Paragraph really will not go away though. For good reason. 

 

15.3 The Lost Paragraph analysed  

 

It appears that the lost paragraph appeared in a minority of of the editions I have information on. So this becomes an exercise in chasing its presence rather than its absence, which actually makes this a bit simpler. 

 

My provisional conclusion is this: 

The version first sent to Rex Collings  in 1972 was missing the Lost Paragraph. Then, when Penguin became interested, they were sent a version that included it in 1973. This became the version that appeared in all their editions, both Puffin, their childrens’ division, and Penguin. 

The Kestrel illustrated edition used the penguin version as its text, so the Lost Paragraph ended up in that edition, from 1976. 

And the 1978 Martin Rosen film used the Penguin edition as their base text, which is why it appears in the film. 

I would welcome any further information on this subject. In particular anything that blows my theory out of the water. 

I will be posting images of my spreadsheet analysis to the Facebook page for scrutiny. Please note that green signifies the lost paragraph being present and red means it was absent. 

 

15.4 Next episode  

 

Next week I return to going through the book and we begin Part Two with perhaps the pivotal Chapter of the entire story. 

 

A chapter with the title...Watership Down.