4. The Departure

Now sir, young Fortinbras,Of unimproved mettle¹ hot and full,Hath in the skirts of Norway here and thereSharked up a list of lawless resolutesFor food and diet to some enterpriseThat hath a stomach in't.
Shakespeare, HamletFu Inlé means "after moonrise." Rabbits, of course, have no idea of precisetime or of punctuality. In this respect they are much the same as primitive² people,who often take several days over assembling for some purpose and then severalmore to get started. Before such people can act together, a kind of telepathicfeeling has to flow through them and ripen³ to the point when they all know thatthey are ready to begin. Anyone who has seen the martins and swallows inSeptember, assembling on the telephone wires, twittering, making short flightssingly and in groups over the open, stubbly fields, returning to form longer andeven longer lines above the yellowing verges⁴ of the lanes -- the hundreds ofindividual birds merging⁵ and blending, in a mounting excitement, into swarms⁶,and these swarms coming loosely and untidily together to create a great,unorganized flock, thick at the center and ragged⁷ at the edges, which breaks andre-forms continually like clouds or waves -- until that moment when the greaterpart (but not all) of them know that the time has come: they are off, and havebegun once more that great southward flight which many will not survive; anyoneseeing this has seen at work the current that flows (among creatures who think ofthemselves primarily as part of a group and only secondarily, if at all, asindividuals) to fuse them together and impel⁸ them into action without consciousthought or will: has seen at work the angel which drove the First Crusade intoAntioch and drives the lemmings into the sea.
It was actually about an hour after moonrise and a good while before midnightwhen Hazel and Fiver once more came out of their burrow⁹ behind the bramblesand slipped quietly along the bottom of the ditch. With them was a third rabbit,Hlao -- Pipkin -- a friend of Fiver. (Hlao means any small concavity in the grasswhere moisture may collect -- e.g., the dimple formed by a dandelion or thistlecup.) He too was small, and inclined to be timid, and Hazel and Fiver had spentthe greater part of their last evening in the warren in persuading him to jointhem. Pipkin had agreed rather hesitantly. He still felt extremely nervous aboutwhat might happen once they left the warren, and had decided¹⁰ that the best wayto avoid trouble would be to keep close to Hazel and do exactly what he said.
The three were still in the ditch when Hazel heard a movement above. Helooked up quickly.
"Who's there?" he said. "Dandelion?""No, I'm Hawkbit," said the rabbit who was peering over the edge. He jumpeddown among them, landing rather heavily. "Do you remember me, Hazel? Wewere in the same burrow during the snow last winter. Dandelion told me youwere going to leave the warren tonight. If you are, I'll come with you."Hazel could recall Hawkbit -- a rather slow, stupid rabbit whose company forfive snowbound days underground had been distinctly tedious. Still, he thought,this was no time to pick and choose. Although Bigwig might succeed in talkingover one or two, most of the rabbits they could expect to join them would notcome from the Owsla. They would be outskirters who were getting a thin timeand wondering what to do about it. He was running over some of these in hismind when Dandelion appeared.
"The sooner we're off the better, I reckon," said Dandelion. "I don't much likethe look of things. After I'd persuaded Hawkbit here to join us, I was just startingto talk to a few more, when I found that Toadflax fellow had followed me downthe run. 'I want to know what you're up to,' he said, and I don't think he believedme when I told him I was only trying to find out whether there were any rabbitswho wanted to leave the Warren. He asked me if I was sure I wasn't working upsome kind of plot against the Threarah and he got awfully¹¹ angry and suspicious.
It put the wind up me, to tell you the truth, so I've just brought Hawkbit alongand left it at that.""I don't blame you," said Hazel. "Knowing Toadflax, I'm surprised he didn'tknock you over first and ask questions afterward¹². All the same, let's wait a littlelonger. Blackberry ought to be here soon."Time passed. They crouched¹³ in silence while the moon shadows movednorthward in the grass. At last, just as Hazel was about to run down the slope toBlackberry's burrow, he saw him come out of his hole, followed by no less thanthree rabbits. One of these, Buckthorn, Hazel knew well. He was glad to see him,for he knew him for a tough, sturdy fellow who was considered certain to get intothe Owsla as soon as he reached full weight.
"But I dare say he's impatient," thought Hazel, "or he may have come off worstin some scuffle over a doe and taken it hard. Well, with him and Bigwig, at leastwe shan't be too badly off if we run into any fighting."He did not recognize the other two rabbits and when Blackberry told him theirnames -- Speedwell and Acorn¹⁴ -- he was none the wiser. But this was notsurprising, for they were typical outskirters -- thin-looking six-monthers, with thestrained, wary¹⁵ look of those who are only too well used to the thin end of thestick. They looked curiously¹⁶ at Fiver. From what Blackberry had told them, theyhad been almost expecting to find Fiver foretelling¹⁷ doom¹⁸ in a poetic¹⁹ torrent²⁰.
Instead, he seemed more calm and normal than the rest. The certainty of goinghad lifted a weight from Fiver.
More time went slowly by. Blackberry scrambled²¹ up into the fern and thenreturned to the top of the bank, fidgeting nervously²² and half inclined to bolt atnothing. Hazel and Fiver remained in the ditch, nibbling²³ halfheartedly at the darkgrass. At last Hazel heard what he was listening for; a rabbit -- or was it two? --approaching from the wood.
A few moments later Bigwig was in the ditch. Behind him came a hefty, brisk-looking rabbit something over twelve months old. He was well known by sight toall the warren, for his fur was entirely²⁴ gray, with patches of near-white that nowcaught the moonlight as he sat scratching himself without speaking. This wasSilver, a nephew of the Threarah, who was serving his first month in the Owsla.
Hazel could not help feeling relieved that Bigwig had brought only Silver -- aquiet, straightforward²⁵ fellow who had not yet really found his feet among theveterans. When Bigwig had spoken earlier of sounding out the Owsla, Hazel hadbeen in two minds. It was only too likely that they would encounter dangersbeyond the warren and that they would stand in need of some good fighters.
Again, if Fiver was right and the whole warren was in imminent²⁶ peril²⁷, then ofcourse they ought to welcome any rabbit who was ready to join them. On theother hand, there seemed no point in taking particular pains to get hold of rabbitswho were going to behave like Toadflax.
"Wherever we settle down in the end," thought Hazel, "I'm determined²⁸ to seethat Pipkin and Fiver aren't sat on and cuffed²⁹ around until they're ready to runany risk just to get away. But is Bigwig going to see it like that?""You know Silver, don't you?" asked Bigwig, breaking in on his thoughts.
"Apparently³⁰ some of the younger fellows in the Owsla have been giving him a thintime -- teasing him about his fur, you know, and saying he only got his placebecause of the Threarah. I thought I was going to get some more, but I supposenearly all the Owsla feel they're very well off as they are."He looked about him. "I say, there aren't many here, are there? Do you thinkit's really worth going on with this idea?"Silver seemed about to speak when suddenly there was a pattering in theundergrowth above and three more rabbits came over the bank from the wood.
Their movement was direct and purposeful, quite unlike the earlier, haphazardapproach of those who were now gathered in the ditch. The largest of the threenewcomers was in front and the other two followed him, as though under orders.
Hazel, sensing at once that they had nothing in common with himself and hiscompanions, started and sat up tensely. Fiver muttered in his ear, "Oh, Hazel,they've come to--" but broke off short. Bigwig turned toward them and stared, hisnose working rapidly. The three came straight up to him.
"Thlayli?" said the leader.
"You know me perfectly³¹ well," replied Bigwig, "and I know you, Holly³². What doyou want?""You're under arrest.""Under arrest? What do you mean? What for?""Spreading dissension and inciting³³ to mutiny. Silver, you're under arrest too,for failing to report to Toadflax this evening and causing your duty to devolve ona comrade. You're both to come with me."Immediately Bigwig fell upon him, scratching and kicking. Holly fought back.
His followers³⁴ closed in, looking for an opening to join the fight and pin Bigwigdown. Suddenly, from the top of the bank, Buckthorn flung himself headlong intothe scuffle, knocked one of the guards flying with a kick from his back legs andthen closed with the other. He was followed a moment later by Dandelion, wholanded full on the rabbit whom Buckthorn had kicked. Both guards broke clear,looked round for a moment and then leaped up the bank into the wood. Hollystruggled free of Bigwig and crouched on his haunches, scuffling his front pawsand growling³⁵, as rabbits will when angry. He was about to speak when Hazelfaced him.
"Go," said Hazel, firmly and quietly, "or we'll kill you.""Do you know what this means?" replied Holly. "I am Captain of Owsla. Youknow that, don't you?""Go," repeated Hazel, "or you will be killed.""It is you who will be killed," replied Holly. Without another word he, too,went back up the bank and vanished into the wood.
Dandelion was bleeding from the shoulder. He licked the wound for a fewmoments and then turned to Hazel.
"They won't be long coming back, you know, Hazel," he said. "They've gone toturn out the Owsla, and then we'll be for it right enough.""We ought to go at once," said Fiver.
"Yes, the time's come now, all right," replied Hazel. "Come on, down to thestream. Then we'll follow the bank -- that'll help us to keep together.""If you'll take my advice--" began Bigwig.
"If we stay here any longer I shan't be able to," answered Hazel.
With Fiver beside him, he led the way out of the ditch and down the slope. Inless than a minute the little band of rabbits had disappeared into the dim,moonlit night.

1 mettle   

n.勇气，精神

参考例句：

• When the seas are in turmoil,heroes are on their mettle.沧海横流，方显出英雄本色。
• Each and every one of these soldiers has proved his mettle.这些战士个个都是好样的。

2 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

3 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

4 verges   

边，边缘，界线( verge的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The small stream verges to the north. 这条小河向北延伸。
• The results ob-tained agree well with those given by Verges using random Bethe lattice model. 所得结果与Verges用非晶的Bethe晶格模型的计算结果相符。

5 merging   

合并（分类）

参考例句：

• Many companies continued to grow by merging with or buying competing firms. 许多公司通过合并或收买竞争对手的公司而不断扩大。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• To sequence by repeated splitting and merging. 用反复分开和合并的方法进行的排序。

6 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

7 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

8 impel   

v.推动；激励，迫使

参考例句：

• Financial pressures impel the firm to cut back on spending.财政压力迫使公司减少开支。
• The progress in science and technical will powerfully impel the education's development.科学和技术的进步将有力地推动教育的发展。

9 burrow   

vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞

参考例句：

• Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
• The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

12 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

13 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

14 acorn   

n.橡实，橡子

参考例句：

• The oak is implicit in the acorn.橡树孕育于橡子之中。
• The tree grew from a small acorn.橡树从一粒小橡子生长而来。

15 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

16 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

17 foretelling   

v.预言，预示( foretell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Are you calling or foretelling? 你是否在召唤或者预言？ 来自互联网
• If the conclusion is right, there will be an important complement for the novel's foretelling ways. 这一结论如果成立，将是对《红楼梦》预示手法的一个重要补充。 来自互联网

18 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

19 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

20 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

21 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

23 nibbling   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

25 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

26 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

27 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

28 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

29 cuffed   

v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She cuffed the boy on the side of the head. 她向这男孩的头上轻轻打了一巴掌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother cuffed the dog when she found it asleep on a chair. 妈妈发现狗睡在椅子上就用手把狗打跑了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

30 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

31 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

32 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

33 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

34 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

35 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。