Then Sir Beaumains... rode all that ever he might ride through marshes andfields and great dales, that many times... he plunged over the head in deep mires,for he knew not the way, but took the gainest way in that woodness.... And at thelast him happened to come to a fair green way.
Malory, Le Morte d'ArthurWhen Hazel and Fiver reached the floor of the hollow they found Blackberrywailing for them, crouching on the peat and nibbling at a few brown stalks ofsedge grass.
"Hello," said Hazel. "What's happened? Where are the others?""Over there," answered Blackberry. "There's been a fearful row. Bigwig toldHawkbit and Speedwell that he'd scratch them to pieces if they didn't obey him.
And when Hawkbit said he wanted to know who was Chief Rabbit, Bigwig bithim. It seems a nasty business. Who is Chief Rabbit, anyway -- you or Bigwig?""I don't know," answered Hazel, "but Bigwig's certainly the strongest. Therewas no need to go biting Hawkbit: he couldn't have gone back if he'd tried. Heand his friends would have seen that if they'd been allowed to talk for a bit. NowBigwig's put their backs up, and they'll think they've got to go on because hemakes them. I want them to go on because they can see it's the only thing to do.
There are too few of us for giving orders and biting people. Frith in a fog! Isn'tthere enough trouble and danger already?"They went over to the far end of the pit. Bigwig and Silver were talking withBuckthorn under an overhanging broom. Nearby, Pipkin and Dandelion werepretending to feed on a patch of scrub. Some way away, Acorn was making a greatbusiness of licking Hawkbit's throat, while Speedwell watched.
"Keep still if you can, poor old chap," said Acorn, who obviously wanted to beoverheard. "Just let me clean the blood out. Steady, now!" Hawkbit winced in anexaggerated manner and backed away. As Hazel came up, all the rabbits turnedand stared at him expectantly.
"Look," said Hazel, "I know there's been some trouble, but the best thing willbe to try to forget it. This is a bad place, but we'll soon get out of it.""Do you really think we will?" asked Dandelion.
"If you'll follow me now," replied Hazel desperately, "I'll have you out of it bysunrise.""If I don't," he thought, "they'll very likely tear me to bits, and much good mayit do them."For the second time he made his way out of the pit, and the others followed.
The weary, frightening journey began again, broken only by alarms. Once a whiteowl swept silently overhead, so low that Hazel saw its dark, searching eyeslooking into his own. But either it was not hunting or he was too big to tackle, forit disappeared over the heather; and although he waited motionless for sometime, it did not return. Once Dandelion struck the smell of a stoat and they alljoined him, whispering and sniffing over the ground. But the scent was old andafter a time they went on again. In this low undergrowth their disorganizedprogress and uneven, differing rhythms of movement delayed them still morethan in the wood. There were continual stampings of alarm, pausing, freezing tothe spot at the sound of movement real or imagined. It was so dark that Hazelseldom knew for certain whether he was leading or whether Bigwig or Silvermight not be ahead. Once, hearing an unaccountable noise in front of him, whichceased on the instant, he kept still for a long time; and when at last he movedcautiously forward, found Silver crouching behind a tussock of cocksfoot for fearof the sound of his own approach. All was confusion, ignorance, clambering andexhaustion. Throughout the bad dream of the night's journey, Pipkin seemed tobe always close beside him. Though each of the others vanished and reappearedlike fragments floating round a pool, Pi............