6 The Race
Now there began a desperate race, the machines against the foxes. In the beginning, the hill lookedlike this:
After about an hour, as the machines bit away more and more soil from the hilltop, it looked likethis:
Sometimes the foxes would gain a little ground and the clanking noises would grow fainter andMr Fox would say, ‘We’re going to make it! I’m sure we are!’ But then a few moments later, themachines would come back at them and the crunch¹ of the mighty² shovels³ would get louder andlouder. Once the foxes actually saw the sharp metal edge of one of the shovels as it scraped up theearth just behind them.
‘Keep going, my darlings!’ panted Mr Fox. ‘Don’t give up!’
‘Keep going!’ the fat Boggis shouted to Bunce and Bean. ‘We’ll get him any moment now!’
‘Have you caught sight of him yet?’ Bean called back.
‘Not yet,’ shouted Boggis. ‘But I think you’re close!’
‘I’ll pick him up with my bucket!’ shouted Bunce. ‘I’ll chop him to pieces!’
But by lunchtime the machines were still at it. And so were the poor foxes. The hill now lookedlike this:
The farmers didn’t stop for lunch; they were too keen to finish the job.
‘Hey there, Mr Fox!’ yelled Bunce, leaning out of his tractor. ‘We’re coming to get you now!’
‘You’ve had your last chicken!’ yelled Boggis. ‘You’ll never come prowling around my farmagain!’
A sort of madness had taken hold of the three men. The tall skinny Bean and dwarfish⁴ pot-belliedBunce were driving their machines like maniacs⁵, racing⁶ the motors and making the shovels dig at aterrific speed. The fat Boggis was hopping⁷ about like a dervish and shouting, ‘Faster! Faster!’
By five o’clock in the afternoon this is what had happened to the hill:

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