The Epic1 of GilgameshIn the Sandleford warren, Holly2 had been a rabbit of consequence. He wasgreatly relied upon by the Threarah and had more than once carried out difficultorders with a good deal of courage. During the early spring, when a fox hadmoved into a neighboring copse, Holly, with two or three volunteers, had kept itsteadily under observation for several days and reported all its movements, untilone evening it left as suddenly as it had come. Although he had decided3 on hisown initiative to arrest Bigwig, he had not the reputation of being vindictive4. Hewas, rather, a stander of no nonsense who knew when duty was done and did ithimself. Sound, unassuming, conscientious5, a bit lacking in the rabbit sense ofmischief, he was something of the born second-in-command. There could havebeen no question of trying to persuade him to leave the warren with Hazel andFiver. To find him under Watership Down at all, therefore, was astonishingenough. But to find him in such a condition was all but incredible.
In the first moments after they had recognized the poor creature under thehemlock, Hazel and Dandelion felt completely stupefied, as though they hadcome upon a squirrel underground or a stream that flowed uphill. They could nottrust their senses. The voice in the dark had proved not to be supernatural, butthe reality was frightening enough. How could Captain Holly be here, at the footof the down? And what could have reduced him -- of all rabbits -- to this state?
Hazel pulled himself together. Whatever the explanation might be, theimmediate need was to take first things first. They were in open country, at night,away from any refuge but an overgrown ditch, with a rabbit who smelled of blood,was crying uncontrollably and looked as though he could not move. There mightvery well be a stoat on his trail at this moment. If they were going to help himthey had better be quick.
"Go and tell Bigwig who it is," he said to Dandelion, "and come back with him.
Send Speedwell up the hill to the others and tell him to make it clear that no oneis to come down. They couldn't help and it would only add to the risk."Dandelion had no sooner gone than Hazel became aware that something elsewas moving in the hedge. But he had no time to wonder what it might be, foralmost immediately another rabbit appeared and limped to where Holly waslying.
"You must help us if you can," he said to Hazel. "We've had a very bad time andmy master's ill. Can we get underground here?"Hazel recognized him as one of the rabbits who had come to arrest Bigwig, buthe did not know his name.
"Why did you stay in the hedge and leave him to crawl about in the open?" heasked.
"I ran away when I heard you coming," replied the other rabbit. "I couldn't getthe captain to move. I thought you were elil and there was no point in staying tobe killed. I don't think I could fight a field mouse.""Do you know me?" said Hazel. But before the other could answer, Dandelionand Bigwig came out of the darkness. Bigwig stared at Holly for a moment andthen crouched6 before him and touched noses.
"Holly, this is Thlayli," he said. "You were calling me."Holly did not answer, but only stared fixedly7 back at him. Bigwig looked up.
"Who's that who came with him?" he said. "Oh, it's you, Bluebell8. How manymore of you?""No more," said Bluebell. He was about to go on when Holly spoke9.
"Thlayli," he said. "So we have found you."He sat up with difficulty and looked around at them.
"You're Hazel, aren't you?" he asked. "And that's -- oh, I should know, but I'min very poor shape, I'm afraid.""It's Dandelion," said Hazel. "Listen -- I can see that you're exhausted10, but wecan't stay here. We're in danger. Can you come with us to our holes?""Captain," said Bluebell, "do you know what the first blade of grass said to thesecond blade of grass?"Hazel looked at him sharply, but Holly replied, "Well?""It said, 'Look, there's a rabbit! We're in danger!'""This is no time--" began Hazel.
"Don't silence him," said Holly. "We wouldn't be here at all without his bluetit's chatter11. Yes, I can go now. Is it far?""Not too far," said Hazel, thinking it all too likely that Holly would never getthere.
It took a long time to climb the hill. Hazel made them separate, himselfremaining with Holly and Bluebell while Bigwig and Dandelion went out to eitherside. Holly was forced to stop several times and Hazel, full of fear, had hard workto suppress his impatience12. Only when the moon began to rise -- the edge of itsgreat disc growing brighter and brighter on the skyline below and behind them --did he at last beg Holly to hurry. As he spoke he saw, in the white light, Pipkincoming down to meet them.
"What are you doing?" he said sternly. "I told Speedwell no one was to comedown.""It isn't Speedwell's fault," said Pipkin. "You stood by me at the river, so Ithought I'd come and look for you, Hazel. Anyway, the holes are just here. Is itreally Captain Holly you've found?"Bigwig and Dandelion approached.
"I'll tell you what," said Bigwig. "These two will need to rest for a good longtime. Suppose Pipkin here and Dandelion take them to an empty burrow13 and staywith them as long as they want? The rest of us had better keep away until theyfeel better.""Yes, that's best," said Hazel. "I'll go up with you now."They ran the short distance to the thorn trees. All the other rabbits were aboveground, waiting and whispering together.
"Shut up," said Bigwig, before anyone had asked a question. "Yes, it is Holly,and Bluebell is with him -- no one else. They're in a bad way and they're not to betroubled. We'll leave this hole empty for them. Now I'm going undergroundmyself and so will you if you've got any sense."But before he went, Bigwig turned to Hazel and said, "You got yourself out ofthat ditch down there instead of me, didn't you, Hazel? I shan't forget that."Hazel remembered Buckthorn's leg and took him down with him. Speedwelland Silver followed them.
"I say, what's happened, Hazel?" asked Silver. "It must be something very bad.
Holly would never leave the Threarah.""I don't know," replied Hazel, "and neither does anyone else yet. We'll have towait until tomorow. Holly may stop running, but I don't think Bluebell will. Nowlet me alone to do this leg of Buckthorn's."The wound was a great deal better and soon Hazel fell asleep.
The next day was as hot and cloudless as the last. Neither Pipkin norDandelion was at morning silflay; and Hazel relentlessly15 took the others up to thebeech hanger17 to go on with the digging. He questioned Strawberry about the greatburrow and learned that its ceiling, as well as being vaulted18 with a tangle19 offibers, was strengthened by roots going vertically20 down into the floor. Heremarked that he had not noticed these.
"There aren't many, but they're important," said Strawberry. "They take a lot ofthe load. If it weren't for those roots the ceiling would fall after heavy rain. Onstormy nights you could sense the extra weight in the earth above, but there wasno danger."Hazel and Bigwig went underground with him. The beginnings of the newwarren had been hollowed out among the roots of one of the beech16 trees. It wasstill no more than a small, irregular cave with one entrance. They set to work toenlarge it, digging between the roots and tunneling upward to make a second runthat would emerge inside the wood. After a time Strawberry stopped digging andbegan moving about between the roots, sniffing22, biting and scuffling in the soilwith his front paws. Hazel supposed that he was tired and pretending to be busywhile he had a rest, but at length he came back to them and said that he had somesuggestions.
"It's this way," he explained. "There isn't a big spread of fine roots above here.
That was a lucky chance in the great burrow and I don't think you can expect tofind it again. But, all the same, we can do pretty well with what we've got.""And what have we got?" asked Blackberry, who had come down the run whilehe was talking.
"Well, we've got several thick roots that go straight down -- more than therewere in the great burrow. The best thing will be to dig round them and leavethem. They shouldn't be gnawed23 through and taken out. We shall need them ifwe're going to have a hall of any size.""Then our hall will be full of these thick, vertical21 roots?" asked Hazel. He feltdisappointed.
"Yes, it will," said Strawberry, "but I can't see that it's going to be any the worsefor that. We can go in and out among them and they won't hinder anyone who'stalking or telling a story. They'll make the place warmer and they'll help toconduct sound from above, which might be useful some time or other."The excavation25 of the hall (which came to be known among them as theHoneycomb) turned out to be something of a triumph for Strawberry. Hazelcontented himself with organizing the diggers and left it to Strawberry to saywhat was actually to be done. The work went on in shifts and the rabbits took it inturns to feed, play and lie in the sun above ground. Throughout the day thesolitude remained unbroken by noise, men, tractors, or even cattle, and theybegan to feel still more deeply what they owed to Fiver's insight. By the lateafternoon the big burrow was beginning to take shape. At the north end, thebeech roots formed a kind of irregular colonnade26. This gave way to a more opencentral space: and beyond, where there were no supporting roots, Strawberry leftblocks of the earth untouched, so that the south end consisted of three or fourseparate bays. These narrowed into low-roofed runs that led away into sleepingburrows.
Hazel, much better pleased now that he could see for himself how the businesswas going to turn out, was sitting with Silver in the mouth of the run whensuddenly there was a stamping of "Hawk27! Hawk!" and a dash for cover by therabbits outside. Hazel, safe where he was, remained looking out past the shadowof the wood to the open, sunlit grass beyond. The kestrel sailed into view and tookup station, the black-edged flange28 of its tail bent29 down and its pointed24 wingsbeating rapidly as it searched the down below.
"But do you think it would attack us?" asked Hazel, watching it drop lower andrecommence its poised30 fluttering. "Surely it's too small?""You're probably right," replied Silver. "All the same, would you care to go outthere and start feeding?""I'd like to try standing31 up to some of these elil," said Bigwig, who had come upthe run behind them. "We're afraid of too many. But a bird from the air would beawkward, especially if it came fast. It might get the better of even a big rabbit if ittook him by surprise.""See the mouse?" said Silver suddenly. "There, look. Poor little beast."They could all see the field mouse, which was exposed in a patch of smoothgrass. It had evidently strayed too far from its hole and now could not tell what todo. The kestrel's shadow had not passed over it, but the rabbits' suddendisappearance had made it uneasy and it was pressed to the ground, lookinguncertainly this way and that. The kestrel had not yet seen it, but could hardly failto do so as soon as it moved.
"Any moment now," said Bigwig callously32.
On an impulse, Hazel hopped33 down the bank and went a little way into theopen grass. Mice do not speak Lapine, but there is a very simple, limited linguafranca of the hedgerow and woodland. Hazel used it now.
"Run," he said. "Here; quick."The mouse looked at him, but did not move. Hazel spoke again and the mousebegan suddenly to run toward him as the kestrel turned and slid sideways anddownward. Hazel hastened back to the hole. Looking out, he saw the mousefollowing him. When it had almost reached the foot of the bank it scuttered over afallen twig34 with two or three green leaves. The twig turned, one of the leavescaught the sunlight slanting35 through the trees and Hazel saw it flash for aninstant. Immediately the kestrel came lower in an oblique36 glide37, closed its wingsand dropped.
Before Hazel could spring back from the mouth of the hole, the mouse haddashed between his front paws and was pressed to the ground between his backlegs. At the same moment the kestrel, all beak38 and talons39, hit the loose earthimmediately outside like a missile thrown from the tree above. It scuffledsavagely and for an instant the three rabbits saw its round, dark eyes lookingstraight down the run. Then it was gone. The speed and force of the pounce40, not alength away, were terrifying and Hazel leaped backward, knocking Silver off hisbalance. They picked themselves up in silence.
"Like to try standing up to that one?" said Silver, looking round at Bigwig. "Letme know when. I"ll come and watch.""Hazel," said Bigwig, "I know you're not stupid, but what did we get out ofthat? Are you going in for protecting every mole41 and shrew that can't getunderground?"The mouse had not moved. It was still crouching42 a little inside the run, on alevel with their heads and outlined against the light. Hazel could see it watchinghim.
"Perhaps hawk not gone," he said. "You stay now. Go later."Bigwig was about to speak again when Dandelion appeared in the mouth of thehole. He looked at the mouse, pushed it gently aside and came down the run.
"Hazel," he said, "I thought I ought to come and tell you about Holly. He'smuch better this evening, but he had a very bad night and so did we. Every timehe seemed to be going to sleep, he kept starting up and crying. I thought he wasgoing out of his mind. Pipkin kept talking to him -- he was first-rate -- and heseems to set a lot of store by Bluebell. Bluebell kept on making jokes. He wasworn out before the morning and so were the lot of us -- we've been sleeping allday. Holly's been more or less himself since he woke up this afternoon, and he'sbeen up to silflay. He asked where you and the others would be tonight and, as Ididn't know, I came to ask.""Is he fit to talk to us, then?" asked Bigwig.
"I think so. It would be the best thing for him, if I'm any judge: and if he waswith all of us together he'd be less likely to have another bad night.""Well, where are we going to sleep?" said Silver.
Hazel considered. The Honeycomb was still rough-dug and half finished, but itwould probably be as comfortable as the holes under the thorn trees. Besides, if itproved otherwise, they would have all the more inducement to improve it. Toknow that they were actually making use of their day's hard work would pleaseeverybody and they were likely to prefer this to a third night in the chalk holes.
"I should think here," he said. "But we'll see how the others feel.""What's this mouse doing in here?" asked Dandelion.
Hazel explained. Dandelion was as puzzled as Bigwig had been.
"Well, I'll admit I hadn't any particular idea when I went out to help it," saidHazel. "I have now, though, and I'll explain later what it is. But, first of all, Bigwigand I ought to go and talk to Holly. And, Dandelion, you go and tell the rest whatyou told me, will you, and see what they want to do tonight?"They found Holly with Bluebell and Pipkin, on the turf by the anthill whereDandelion had first looked over the down. Holly was sniffing at a purple orchis.
The head of mauve blooms rocked gently on its stem as he pushed his noseagainst it.
"Don't frighten it, master," said Bluebell. "It might fly away. After all, it's got alot of spots to choose from. Look at them all over the leaves.""Oh, get along with you, Bluebell," answered Holly, good-humoredly. "Weneed to learn about the ground here. Half the plants are strange to me. This isn'tone to eat, but at least there's plenty of burnet and that's always good." A flysettled on his wounded ear and he winced43 and shook his head.
Hazel was glad to see that Holly was evidently in better spirits. He began to saythat he hoped he felt well enough to join the others, but Holly soon interruptedhim with questions.
"Are there many of you?" he asked.
"Hrair," said Bigwig.
"All that left the warren with you?""Every one," replied Hazel proudly.
"No one hurt?""Oh, several have been hurt, one way and another.""Never a dull moment, really," said Bigwig.
"Who's this coming? I don't know him."Strawberry came running down from the hanger and as he joined them beganto make the same curious dancing gesture of head and forepaws which they hadfirst seen in the rainy meadow before they entered the great burrow. He checkedhimself in some confusion and, to forestall44 Bigwig's rebuke45, spoke to Hazel atonce.
"Hazel-rah," he said (Holly looked startled, but said nothing), "everyone wantsto stay in the new warren tonight: and they're all hoping that Captain Holly willfeel able to tell them what's happened and how he came here.""Well, naturally, we all want to know," said Hazel to Holly. "This is Strawberry.
He joined us on our journey and we've been glad to have him. But do you thinkyou can manage it?""I can manage it," said Holly. "But I must warn you that it will strike the frostinto the heart of every rabbit that hears it."He himself looked so sad and dark as he spoke that no one made any reply, andafter a few moments all six rabbits made their way up the slope in silence. Whenthey reached the corner of the wood, they found the others feeding or basking46 inthe evening sun on the north side of the beech trees. After a glance round amongthem Holly went up to Silver, who was feeding with Fiver in a patch of yellowtrefoil.
"I'm glad to see you here, Silver," he said. "I hear you've had a rough time.""It hasn't been easy," answered Silver. "Hazel's done wonders and we owe a lotto Fiver here as well.""I've heard of you," said Holly, turning to Fiver. "You're the rabbit who saw itall coming. You talked to the Threarah, didn't you?""He talked to me," said Fiver.
"If only he'd listened to you! Well, it can't be changed now, till acorns47 grow onthistles. Silver, there's something I want to say and I can say it more easily to youthan to Hazel or Bigwig. I'm not out to make any trouble here -- trouble for Hazel,I mean. He's your Chief Rabbit now, that's plain. I hardly know him, but he mustbe good or you'd all be dead; and this is no time to be squabbling. If any of theother rabbits are wondering whether I might want to alter things, will you letthem know that I shan't?""Yes, I will," said Silver.
Bigwig came up. "I know it's not owl14 time yet," he said, "but everyone's soeager to hear you, Holly, that they want to go underground at once. Will that suityou?""Underground?" replied Holly. "But how can you all hear me underground? Iwas expecting to talk here.""Come and see," said Bigwig.
Holly and Bluebell were impressed by the Honeycomb.
"This is something quite new," said Holly. "What keeps the roof up?""It doesn't need to be kept up," said Bluebell. "It's right up the hill already.""An idea we found on the way," said Bigwig.
"Lying in a field," said Bluebell. "It's all right, master, I'll be quiet while you'respeaking.""Yes, you must," said Holly. "Soon no one will want jokes."Almost all the rabbits had followed them down. The Honeycomb, though bigenough for everybody, was not so airy as the great burrow and on this Juneevening it seemed somewhat close.
"We can easily make it cooler, you know," said Strawberry to Hazel. "In thegreat burrow they used to open tunnels for the summer and close them for thewinter. We can dig another run on the evening side tomorrow and pick up thebreeze."Hazel was just going to ask Holly to begin when Speedwell came down theeastern run. "Hazel," he said, "your -- er -- visitor -- your mouse. He wants tospeak to you.""Oh, I'd forgotten him," said Hazel. "Where is he?""Up the run."Hazel went up. The mouse was waiting at the top.
"You go now?" said Hazel. "You think safe?""Go now," said the mouse. "No wait owl. But a what I like a say. You 'elp amouse. One time a mouse 'elp a you. You want 'im 'e come.""Frith in a pond!" muttered Bigwig, further down the run. "And so will all hisbrothers and sisters. I dare say the place'll be crawling. Why don't you ask themto dig us a burrow or two, Hazel?"Hazel watched the mouse make off into the long grass. Then he returned to theHoneycomb and settled down near Holly, who had just begun to speak.
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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bluebell
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| n.风铃草 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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hanger
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| n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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vertically
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| adv.垂直地 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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colonnade
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| n.柱廊 | |
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hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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flange
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| n.边缘，轮缘，凸缘，法兰 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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callously
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hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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forestall
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| vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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acorns
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| n.橡子，栎实( acorn的名词复数 ) | |
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