27: Chapter 29. Return and Departure and Review of Part 2. 

 

27.1 Burrowkeeping 

 

One bit of burrowkeeping: I have added the musical interludes to episodes 1 to 7, as I didn't start using them until episode 8.  

 

27.2 Chapter 29. Return and Departure 

 

The opening quotation is among the more obvious in the book, as Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth guilt-trips his troops into fighting alongside him. 

 

The chapter opens with the eagerly anticipated return of Hazel to the Down. Just after sunrise Fiver arrives on the Down, followed by a limping Hazel. He is greeted back at the Warren with play fighting. He then has a conversation with Boxwood about how he is settling in. Hazel also talks to Strawberry, who has been very badly affected by his experiences in Efrafa.  

 

Hazel, like a true leader, make sure he talks to all the rabbits before going underground. 

 

Later Hazel calls a meeting in the Honeycomb, where he makes clear his intention to get more does from Efrafa. This is greeted with astonishment. When Bluebell asks how they're going to do this Hazel explains that he and Blackberry have a plan but they're not going to explain it in case anyone is caught and taken to Efrafa. 

 

Although Hazel hopes to avoid fighting he is going to take enough rabbits to deal with any wide-patrols they may meet He confirms that they will not be going into Efrafa. 

 

Holly interrupts and gives a comprehensive speech criticising Hazel's plan based on his experiences of Efrafa. This causes a buzz of conversation in the honeycomb and Hazel wait patiently for this to stop. 

 

He then reminds them of the reality that they do not have enough does and they have this chance to put that right for good. Someone asks what Fiver thinks. He says that he is going and that Hazel is right. But if he gets any feelings that things aren't right he will speak up. Hazel promises that he will not ignore such warnings. Bigwig then speaks, saying that he is going and they will have Kehaar with them. 

 

Hazel says that the hutch rabbits, and anyone who went to before, is not expected to come, though Silver says he will. 

 

Little Pipkin in a confused speech confirms he is going. So now the strongest and the weakest have confirmed they are going. No one else has any excuse. Henry the Fifth indeed. 

 

Blackberry, who Hazel thought was already in the meeting, then arrives to say that he has been talking to Kehaar, who has improved the plan considerably. Bluebell pipes up with his with his usual joking turn of phrase. But his reference to Bigwig being involved in the plan seems to annoy Hazel, who tells him to shut up. As we learn later, Bluebell has indeed accidentally guessed part of the plan which must have alarmed Hazel. 

 

Hazel then goes to speak with Kehaar. He says he will help them to get the 'mudders' out of Efrafa, but he will then want to leave them to return to thec sea, though he will return in the autumn or winter. 

 

Bigwig appears and Hazel confirms that they will set off at daybreak. Holly will be chief rabbit until they return and the farm rabbits, as well as Buckthorn and Strawberry, will remain with him on Watership Down. Anyone else who wants to can also stay. 

 

27.3 Review of Part Two: On Watership Down 

 

So ends Part Two of Watership Down, which began with the rabbits arrival at the foot of the down, and ends with most of them leaving a well-established warren on an expedition to ensure it has a future. 

 

Three more rabbits, two of them does, have joined them from Nuthanger Farm. But this has nearly resulted in the chief rabbit losng his life. 

 

We are well past the halfway point of the story, the rest of which is very much focused on Efrafa.  

 

Some frightening times lie ahead. 

 

27.4 Next Episode 

 

As ever, thank you to John Ruths for his notes. 

 

At the end of Part One of the book, I paused going through it for a couple of episodes and I now plan to do so again.

26: Chapter 28. At the Foot of the Hill 

26.1: Burrowkeeping 

Rebecca Porter is proving a very effective correcter of detail. Her latest refers to my skepticism about Blackberry definitely being the rabbit with black tipped ears, which I completely missed, from Chapter 3:  

“…Blackberry, the rabbit with tipped ears who’d been startled by Fiver the evening before…” 

26.2 Kehaar and Black Headed gulls briefly revisited 

Last week me and my wife travelled to Wiltshire to visit relatives. During the journey we stopped at a motorway service area that is close to Watership Down. There I clearly saw a black-headed gull with its head moulted white. Conclusion: The 1978 film got his appearance almost entirely wrong. 

26.3  Chapter 28. At the Foot of the Hill 

This chapter follows on immediately from Holly's account of Efrafa in the previous chapter.  

Bigwig spots Blackberry, returning to the Down, who brings the news that Hazel is alive. It has taken them all evening to get Hazel to the ditch at the foot of the hill. Hazel couldn't go on any further, thus giving this chapter its title. 

Bigwig immediately says he is going to see Hazel. Bigwig finds Fiver feeding by the ditch and they both spend the night crouched by Hazel. 

The next morning Bigwig sees Kehaar nearby, who asks if they have taken out the "liddle black stones" from Hazel's wound. Kehaar's sense of smell and beak does its magic. Doctor Kehaar prescribes 2 or 3 days ditch-rest. He may well have just saved Hazel's life. Hazel stays at the foot of the hill for 3 days, with nurse Fiver licking his wounds and monitoring his recovery. 

Their conversations there are what decide the course of the rest of the book. When Hazel says that none of them would be there if it weren't for him, Fiver talks of "another country" where we go when we dream, and when we die. Many rabbits think it is a pleasant place to be in, but Fiver disagrees. This is a far more classical view of the Underworld than the Judeo-Christian-Islamic idea of Heaven. When Hazel mentions Silverweed, the poet from the warren of the snares, Fiver responds by saying that the terrifying thing about him was that he knew he belonged in that other place. That the "ones in that country" got Silverweed. And that they don't give away their secrets for nothing. 

The arrival of Holly and Blackberry ends this conversation. When he told of the messenger of Frith saving them, Fiver, for all his mysticism, was sure there was a natural explanation. Their discussion about the does makes it clear that, aside from the females being referred to as little more than livestock, in this world of talking rabbits there is no romance, even though rabbits do form enduring pairs. The warren clearly needs more. 

Hazel says that he now knows what they need to do. But he can't yet see how to do it. They have to go back to Efrafa and get some does out. 

Holly, unsurprisingly, thinks this plan is very ill-advised. Hazel agrees that it cannot be done by fighting. So they will have to use a trick. He outlines the three things this trick must acheive: 

 

1) Get does out of Efrafa...obviously 

2) Evade the pursuit of the Efrafan Owsla 

3) Make the raiding party impossible to find. Beyond the reach of even a Wide Patrol 

Devising this trick will be the job of Blackberry. Blackberry says he thinks he can see how to achieve the first goal, but not the other two yet. He wants to talk to Fiver about it. 

Holly is not happy. He thinks Hazel is making a bad mistake that could get them all killed. He is very nearly correct about this. But Fiver responds. He agrees it ought to feel that way. But it somehow...doesn't. The scene is being rapidly set for the most exciting, and frightening, events of the book. 

26.4 Next Episode 

Thank you, once again, to John Ruths for his notes and to Rebecca Porter for her scrutiny. This is all very helpful. 

Vocab: 

Inlé: (additional definition to the one in episode 4) The Underworld or afterlife

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

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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.