49. Hazel Comes Home

Well, we've been lucky devils bothAnd there's no need of pledge or oathTo bind¹ our lovely friendship fast,By firmer stuffClose bound enough.--Robert Graves, Two FusiliersAlthough Woundwort had shown himself at the last to be a creature virtuallymad, nevertheless what he did proved not altogether futile². There can be littledoubt that if he had not done it, more rabbits would have been killed thatmorning on Watership Down. So swiftly and silently had the dog come up the hillbehind Dandelion and Blackberry that one of Campion's sentries³, half asleepunder a tussock after the long night, was pulled down and killed in the instantthat he turned to bolt. Later -- after it had left Woundwort -- the dog beat up anddown the bank and the open grass for some time, barking and dashing at everybush and clump⁴ of weeds. But by now the Efrafans had had time to scatter⁵ andhide, as best they could. Besides, the dog, unexpectedly scratched and bitten,showed a certain reluctance⁶ to come to grips. At last, however, it succeeded inputting⁷ up and killing⁸ the rabbit who had been wounded by glass the day before,and with this it made off by the way it had come, disappearing over the edge ofthe escarpment.
There could be no question now of the Efrafans renewing their attack on thewarren. None had any idea beyond saving his own life. Their leader was gone. Thedog had been set on them by the rabbits they had come to kill -- of this they weresure. It was all one with the mysterious fox and the white bird. Indeed, Ragwort,the most unimaginative rabbit alive, had actually heard it underground.
Campion, crouching¹⁰ in a patch of nettles¹¹ with Vervain and four or five more, metwith nothing but shivering agreement when he said that he was sure that theyought to leave at once this dangerous place, where they had already stayed far toolong.
Without Campion, probably not one rabbit would have got back to Efrafa. As itwas, all his skill as a patroller could not bring home half of those who had come toWatership. Three or four had run and strayed too far to be found and whatbecame of them no one ever knew. There were probably fourteen or fifteenrabbits -- no more -- who set off with Campion, some time before ni-Frith, to tryto retrace¹² the long journey they had made only the previous day. They were not fitto cover the distance by nightfall: and before long they had worse to face thantheir own fatigue¹³ and low spirits. Bad news travels fast. Down to the Belt andbeyond, the rumor¹⁴ spread that the terrible General Woundwort and his Owslahad been cut to pieces on Watership Down and that what was left of them wastrailing southward in poor shape, with little heart to keep alert. The Thousandbegan to close in -- stoats, a fox, even a tomcat from some farm or other. At everyhalt yet another rabbit was not to be found and no one could remember seeingwhat had happened to him. One of these was Vervain. It had been plain from thestart that he had nothing left and, indeed, there was little reason for him to returnto Efrafa without the General.
Through all the fear and hardship Campion remained steady and vigilant,holding the survivors¹⁵ together, thinking ahead and encouraging the exhausted¹⁶ tokeep going. During the afternoon of the following day, while the Off Fore⁹ Markwere at silflay, he came limping through the sentry¹⁷ line with a straggling handfulof six or seven rabbits. He was close to collapse¹⁸ himself and scarcely able to givethe Council any account of the disaster.
Only Groundsel, Thistle and three others had the presence of mind to dartdown the opened run when the dog came. Back in the Honeycomb, Groundselimmediately surrendered himself and his fugitives¹⁹ to Fiver, who was stillbemused from his long trance, and scarcely restored to his senses sufficiently²⁰ tograsp what was toward. At length, however, after the five Efrafans had remainedcrouching for some time in the burrow²¹, listening to the sounds of the dog huntingabove, Fiver recovered himself, made his way to the mouth of the run whereBigwig still lay half conscious, and succeeded in making Holly²² and Silverunderstand that the siege was ended. There was no lack of helpers to tear openthe blocked gaps in the south wall. It so happened that Bluebell²³ was the firstthrough into the Honeycomb; and for many days afterward²⁴ he was still improvingupon his imitation of Captain Fiver at the head of his crowd of Efrafan prisoners-- "like a tomtit rounding up a bunch of molting²⁵ jackdaws," as he put it.
No one was inclined to pay them much attention at the time, however, for theonly thoughts throughout the warren were for Hazel and Bigwig. Bigwig seemedlikely to die. Bleeding in half a dozen places, he lay with closed eyes in the run hehad defended and made no reply when Hyzenthlay told him that the Efrafanswere defeated and the warren was saved. After a time, they dug carefully tobroaden the run and as the day wore on the does, each in turn, remained besidehim, licking his wounds and listening to his low, unsteady breathing.
Before this, Blackberry and Dandelion had burrowed²⁶ their way in fromKehaar's run -- it had not been blocked very heavily -- and told their story. Theycould not say what might have happened to Hazel after the dog broke loose, andby the early afternoon everyone feared the worst. At last Pipkin, in great anxietyand distress²⁷, insisted on setting out for Nuthanger. Fiver at once said that hewould go with him and together they left the wood and set off northward²⁸ over thedown. They had gone only a short distance when Fiver, sitting up on an anthill tolook about, saw a rabbit approaching over the high ground to the west. They bothran nearer and recognized Hazel. Fiver went to meet him while Pipkin raced backto the Honeycomb with the news.
As soon as he had learned all that had happened -- including what Groundselhad to tell -- Hazel asked Holly to take two or three rabbits and find out forcertain whether the Efrafans had really gone. Then he himself went into the runwhere Bigwig was lying. Hyzenthlay looked up as he came.
"He was awake a little while ago, Hazel-rah," she said. "He asked where youwere; and then he said his ear hurt very much."Hazel nuzzled the matted fur cap. The blood had turned hard and set intopointed spikes²⁹ that pricked³⁰ his nose.
"You've done it, Bigwig," he said. "They've all run away."For several moments Bigwig did not move. Then he opened his eyes and raisedhis head, pouching³¹ out his cheeks and sniffing³² at the two rabbits beside him. Hesaid nothing and Hazel wondered whether he had understood. At last hewhispered, "Ees finish Meester Voundvort, ya?""Ya," replied Hazel. "I've come to help you to silflay. It'll do you good and wecan clean you up a lot better outside. Come on: it's a lovely afternoon, all sun andleaves."Bigwig got up and tottered³³ forward into the devastated³⁴ Honeycomb. There hesank down, rested, got up again and reached the foot of Kehaar's run.
"I thought he'd killed me," he said. "No more fighting for me -- I've hadenough. And you -- your plan worked, Hazel-rah, did it? Well done. Tell me whatit was. And how did you get back from the farm?""A man brought me in a hrududu," said Hazel, "nearly all the way.""And you flew the rest, I suppose," said Bigwig, "burning a white stick in yourmouth? Come on, tell me sensibly. What's the matter, Hyzenthlay?""Oh!" said Hyzenthlay, staring. "Oh!""What is it?""He did!""Did what?""He did ride home in a hrududu. And I saw him as he came -- that night inEfrafa, when I was with you in your burrow. Do you remember?""I remember," said Bigwig. "I remember what I said, too. I said you'd better tellit to Fiver. That's a good idea -- let's go and do it. And if he'll believe you, Hazel-rah, then I will."

1 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

2 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

3 sentries   

哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We posted sentries at the gates of the camp. 我们在军营的大门口布置哨兵。
• We were guarded by sentries against surprise attack. 我们由哨兵守卫，以免遭受突袭。

4 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

5 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

6 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

7 inputting   

v.把…输入电脑( input的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Micro-motor drive, open the door by inputting the password. 微电机驱动，输入密码，箱门开启。 来自互联网
• In charge of matching and inputting invoice in SAP system. 负责在SAP系统内匹配及输入发票信息。 来自互联网

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

10 crouching   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影
• A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

11 nettles   

n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I tingle where I sat in the nettles. 我坐过在荨麻上的那个部位觉得刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard. 那蔓草丛生的凄凉地方是教堂公墓。 来自辞典例句

12 retrace   

v.折回；追溯，探源

参考例句：

• He retraced his steps to the spot where he'd left the case.他折回到他丢下箱子的地方。
• You must retrace your steps.你必须折回原来走过的路。

13 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

14 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

15 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

16 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

17 sentry   

n.哨兵，警卫

参考例句：

• They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。
• The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。

18 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

19 fugitives   

n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

20 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

21 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。

22 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。

23 bluebell   

n.风铃草

参考例句：

• The girl picked herself up and pulled a bluebell out of her hair.姑娘坐起身来，从头发里摘出一枝风铃草。
• There is a branch of bluebell in the vase.花瓶里有一束风铃草。

24 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。

25 molting   

n.蜕皮v.换羽，脱毛( molt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The old cuticle is digested by molting fluid. 旧表皮被蜕皮液消化。 来自辞典例句
• Molting in insects is triggered by rising levels of a hormone called ecdysone. 昆虫的脱皮是由于称为脱皮素激素的含量升高而引起的。 来自辞典例句

26 burrowed   

v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• The rabbits burrowed into the hillside. 兔子在山腰上打洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She burrowed her head into my shoulder. 她把头紧靠在我的肩膀上。 来自辞典例句

27 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

28 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

29 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

31 pouching   

vt.& vi.（使）成为袋状（pouch的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

32 sniffing   

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

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

33 tottered   

v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠

参考例句：

• The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下，然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。