17 The Great Feast
Back in the tunnel they paused so that Mr Fox could brick up the hole in the wall. He was hummingto himself as he put the bricks back in place. ‘I can still taste that glorious cider,’ he said. ‘What animpudent fellow Rat is.’
‘He has bad manners,’ Badger¹ said. ‘All rats have bad manners. I’ve never met a polite rat yet.’
‘And he drinks too much,’ said Mr Fox, putting the last brick in place. ‘There we are. Now, hometo the feast!’
They grabbed their jars of cider and off they went. Mr Fox was in front, the Smallest Fox camenext and Badger last. Along the tunnel they flew . . . past the turning that led to Bunce’s MightyStorehouse . . . past Boggis’s Chicken House Number One and then up the long home stretch towardsthe place where they knew Mrs Fox would be waiting.
‘Keep it up, my darlings!’ shouted Mr Fox. ‘We’ll soon be there! Think what’s waiting for us atthe other end! And just think what we’re bringing home with us in these jars! That ought to cheer uppoor Mrs Fox.’ Mr Fox sang a little song as he ran:
‘Home again swiftly I glide²,
Back to my beautiful bride.
She’ll not feel so rotten
As soon as she’s gotten
Some cider inside her inside.’
Then Badger joined in:
‘Oh poor Mrs Badger, he cried,
So hungry she very near died.
But she’ll not feel so hollow
If only she’ll swallow
Some cider inside her inside.’
They were still singing as they rounded the final corner and burst in upon the most wonderful andamazing sight any of them had ever seen. The feast was just beginning. A large dining-room hadbeen hollowed out of the earth, and in the middle of it, seated around a huge table, were no less thantwenty-nine animals. They were:
Mrs Fox and three Small Foxes.
Mrs Badger and three Small Badgers³.
Mole⁴ and Mrs Mole and four Small Moles⁵.
Rabbit and Mrs Rabbit and five Small Rabbits.
Weasel and Mrs Weasel and six Small Weasels.
The table was covered with chickens and ducks and geese and hams and bacon, and everyone wastucking into the lovely food.

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