Watership Down

Long ago, the great Frith made the world.

He made all the stars.

and the world lived among the stars.

Frith made all the animals and birds.

and, at first, made them all the same.

Now, among the animals was El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits.

He had many friends.

and they all ate grass together.

After a time, the rabbits wandered everywhere.

multiplying and eating as they went.

Then Frith said to El-ahrairah:

"Prince Rabbit, if you cannot control your people.

I shall find ways to control them."

El-ahrairah would not listen, and said to Frith:

"My people are the strongest in the world."

This angered Frith, so he determined to get the better of El-ahrairah.

He gave a present to every animal and bird.

making each one different from the rest.

When the fox came, and others like the dog and cat.

the hawk and weasel.

to each of them, Frith gave a fierce desire.

to hunt and slay the children of El-ahrairah.

El-ahrairah knew that Frith was too clever for him, and he was frightened.

He had never before seen the Black Rabbit of Death.

"My friend," said Frith, "Have you seen El-ahrairah?

For I wish to give him a gift."

"Uh, eh.

No, I have not seen him."

So, Frith said, "Come out, and I will bless you instead."

"No, I cannot. I am busy. The fox and weasel are coming.

If you want to bless me, you will have to bless my bottom."

"Very well. Be it so."

And El-ahrairah's tail grew shining white and flashed like a star.

And his back legs grew long and powerful.

He tore across the hill faster than any creature in the world.

"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies.

And whenever they catch you, they will kill you.

But first, they must catch you.

digger, listener, runner.

Prince with the swift warning.

Be cunning and full of tricks.

and your people will never be destroyed."

Along the edge of that wood, there. Enjoyed many a game pie from it, too.

You can't hold back progress. Shame, though.

It's gone 8:00, and I told Elizabeth we'd go into Newbury this evening.

Old sun sets so late in summer, it's morning before.

I think it's safe now, Fiver.

There's still something strange about the warren this evening.

Is it dangerous?

It's not exactly danger. It's.

I don't know. Something oppressive.

Like thunder. It seems safe enough now, though.

Come on, see if you can find me a coltsfoot. If you can't, no one can.

- What's going on? - It's only that runt, Fiver.

Jumping at bluebottles again.

- Come on. Hurry up. - Fiver found it, Toadflax.

And we'll eat it.

Coltsfoot are for Owsla. You know that.

Tell you the truth, I'm getting sick and tired of it.

Sometimes I feel like clearing out of the warren altogether.

Never mind. Let's forget it, and try to enjoy the evening.

Hazel?

Hazel, this is where it comes from.

I know now that terrible thing is coming.

- What do you mean? - Look.

The field! The field!

- It's covered with blood! - Blood? Don't be silly.

All right, Fiver. It's getting dark.

- We should get back to the burrow. - Back to the burrow?

It'll come there. Don't think it won't.

It's all around us.

Now, stop it, Fiver.

We've got to go away from here. All of us.

- Go away? What, the whole warren? - Yes, before it's too late.

You're being silly.

They'll think you're out of your mind.

You must listen to me, Hazel. Something very bad is going to happen.

We'd better try and see the Chief Rabbit. You can tell him about it.

But I don't expect he'll like the ideia at all.

We've got to go away from the warren! All of us!

- Go away? - Yes, before it's too late.

Is something wrong?

- What's the matter? - Is there danger?

Come on. Let's find out what's happening.

- Hazel? It is Hazel, isn't it? - It is.

- What are you doing here? - We want to see the Chief Rabbit, Bigwig.

"We"? You mean he wants to see him, too?

- Yes. - I must.

- What's it all about? - Bigwig? What do they want?

- They want to see the Chief Rabbit. - What for?

- I have to. - Send them away.

I'll take care of it, Holly.

Look, Bigwig, when have I ever asked to see the Chief Rabbit before?

All right.

Wait here.

Excuse me, sir. These two outskirts have asked to see you.

Is it all right if I bring them down?

Come on, then. Though I'll probably get my ears chewed off for this.

Now, Walnut.

- It is Walnut, isn't it? - No, sir. Hazel.

Hazel.

I knew your mother well. And your friend?

- My brother, sir. Fiver. - Your brother.

Now, do tell me how I can help you.

Well, he says there's a bad danger coming to our warren.

A bad danger.

How very upsetting.

Now, what sort of danger, I wonder?

I don't know. But it's bad. It's so bad.

Well, now. What ought we to do?

- Go away. All of us. Now. - Now? In May?

The mating season? And where would we go to?

He's had these feelings before, and he's been right again and again.

I shall have to consider this very carefully.

Perhaps we'll discuss it later, in the summer.

We can't wait!

It's been good of you to come, Walnut.

Bigwig!

- Bigwig. - Sir?

- What was that all about? - Well, sir.

Your duty as an officer is to protect this burrow.

- Yes, sir. - Those two lunatics.

Yes, sir.

- Who's that? - It's me.

Dandelion?

No, Blackberry.

Dandelion told me you were leaving the warren tonight.

- Lf so, I'd like to come along. - We'd like to come along, too.

I don't like the look of things.

We must get everyone.

That Toadflax fellow followed me down the run.

It could mean the Owsla has been turned out tonight.

Then the sooner we're off, the better.

It's the Owsla. They're coming.

There aren't many of you left, are there?

Bigwig? Are you off duty?

Off duty, and likely to remain off. I've left the Owsla.

Fiver, I've been thinking about what you said.

- Are you sure? - I'm sure.

- We're leaving. - Leaving? All of you? Where to?

We don't know exactly. But we're going.

- You're all under arrest! - Under arrest?

- What do you mean? - What for?

Spreading dissension, inciting to mutiny.

- There's a bad danger coming. - It's not good.

You'll all come with me.

Is he alone?

I am captain of Owsla.

Go, now, or we'll kill you.

It's you who'll be killed.

- Bigwig! - Yes, you know me.

- He'll come back with the Owsla. - Right. I think I'll come with you.

Hazel, we'll have to stop here.

Fiver and that other half-size, we're all in. They need to rest.

He's right, Hazel.

Look. Once we're beyond the woods.

we'll really be clear of the Owsla. We can rest then.

I've never been in a wood before, Hazel. It looks dangerous.

Follow me.

A lendri!

This way.

It had just killed. I saw blood on its lips.

Lucky for us, it had.

Otherwise, it might have been quicker.

- We shall have to cross it. - Cross it? Who's going to cross it?

- What do you want to cross it for? - Are you sure about this?

Yes. But I don't think I can swim, Hazel. I'm worn out.

- Pipkin is even worse off than me. - We can't just sit here.

I know what we ought to be looking for.

A high, lonely place with dry soil.

where we can see and hear all around, and men hardly ever come.

- There's a dog loose in the wood. - Well, that does it.

- A dog? - Come on.

What do you think will happen when he picks up our scent?

Those that can swim, swim.

The others will have to make out the best they can.

That's not good enough.

We got into this together, we'll get out of it together.

Hazel, look.

It floats.

That's it. That's it!

Fiver, get on, quickly.

Silver, Bigwig, get your nose under it. Push it out.

Quickly!

Keep still!

- Are you all right? - Of course.

That was a good ideia of yours, Blackberry.

Yes. Let's try to remember it. Might come in handy again.

Does anyone know where we're going?

Hazel does, I'm sure.

I've never seen anything like that before.

- The man-thing killed it. - A man-thing?

A hrududu. It runs on it.

- The what? - The hrududu.

- It runs on it? - Yeah, faster than we can.

- It's dangerous. It could catch us. - No, no.

It won't take any notice of us at all. I'll show you.

Watch this.

See? It's not interested.

What are you waiting for?