Hard pounding this, gentlemen. Let's see who will pound longest.
The Duke of Wellington (at Waterloo)Groundsel scrambled up the steep slope of the shaft and rejoined Woundwortin the pit at the top.
"There's nothing left to dig, sir," he said. "The bottom will fall in if anyone goesdown there now.""Can you make out what's below?" asked Woundwort. "Is it a run or a burrowwe shall be into?""I'm fairly sure it's a burrow, sir," answered Groundsel. "In fact, it feels to meas though there's an unusually big space underneath.""How many rabbits are in it, do you think?""I couldn't hear any at all. But they may be keeping quiet and waiting to attackus when we break in.""They haven't done much attacking up to now," said Woundwort. "A poor lot,I'd say -- skulking underground, and some of them running away in the night. Idon't fancy we'll have much trouble.""Unless, sir--" said Groundsel.
Woundwort looked at him and waited.
"Unless the -- the animal attacks us, sir," said Groundsel. "Whatever it is. It'snot like Ragwort to imagine anything. He's very stolid. I'm only trying to thinkahead," he added, as Woundwort still said nothing.
"Well," said Woundwort at last, "if there is an animal, it'll find out that I'm ananimal, too." He came out on the bank, where Campion and Vervain were waitingwith a number of the other rabbits.
"We've done all the hard work now," he said. "We'll be able to take our doeshome as soon as we've finished down below. The way we'll go about it is this. I'mgoing to break the bottom of the hole in and go straight down into the burrowunderneath. I want only three others to follow, otherwise there'll be completeconfusion and we shall all be fighting each other. Vervain, you come behind meand bring two more. If there's any trouble we'll deal with it. Groundsel, youfollow. But you're to stay in the shaft, understand? Don't jump down until I tellyou. When we know where we are and what we're doing, you can bring a fewmore in."There was not a rabbit in the Owsla but had confidence in Woundwort. As theyheard him preparing to go first into the depths of the enemy warren as calmly asthough he were looking for dandelions, his officers' spirits rose. It seemed tothem quite likely that the place would be given up without any fighting at all.
When the General had led the final assault at Nutley Copse he had killed threerabbits underground and no more had dared to oppose him, although there hadbeen some hard tussles in the outer runs the day before.
"Very well," said Woundwort. "Now, I don't want anyone straying away.
Campion, you see to that. As soon as we get one of the blocked runs opened frominside, you can fill the place up. Keep them together here till I let you know andthen send them in fast.""Best of luck, sir," said Campion.
Woundwort jumped into the pit, flattened his ears and went down the shaft.
He had already decided that he was not going to stop to listen. There was nopoint, since he meant to break in at once whether there was anything to be heardor not. It was more important that he should not seem to hesitate or causeVervain to do so; and that the enemy, if they were there, should have the shortestpossible time in which to hear him coming. Below, there would be either a run ora burrow. Either he would have to fight immediately or else there would first be achance to look round and sense where he was. It did not matter. What matteredwas finding rabbits and killing them.
He came to the bottom of the shaft. As Groundsel had said, it was plainly thin-- brittle as ice on a puddle -- chalk, pebbles and light soil. Woundwort scored itacross with his foreclaws. Slightly damp, it held a moment and then fell inward,crumbling. As it fell, Woundwort followed it.
He fell about the length of his own body -- far enough to tell him that he was ina burrow. As he landed he kicked out with his hind legs and then dashed forward,partly to be out of Vervain's way as he followed and partly to reach the wall andface about before he could be attacked from behind. He found himself against apile of soft earth -- evidently the end of a blocked run leading out of the burrow --and turned. A moment later Vervain was beside him. The third rabbit, whoever hewas, seemed to be in difficulties. They could both hear him scrabbling in thefallen soil.
"Over here," said Woundwort sharply.
The rabbit, a powerful, heavy veteran by the name of Thunder, joined them,stumbling.
"What's the matter?" asked Woundwort.
"Nothing, sir," answered Thunder, "only there's a dead rabbit on the floor andit startled me for a moment.""A dead rabbit?" said Woundwort. "Are you sure he's dead? Where is he?""Over there, sir, by the shaft."Woundwort crossed the burrow quickly. On the far side of the rubble that hadfallen in from the shaft was lying the inert body of a buck. He sniffed at it andthen pressed it with his nose.
"He's not been dead long," he said. "He's nearly cold but not stiff. What do youmake of it, Vervain? Rabbits don't die underground.
"It's a very small buck, sir," answered Vervain. "Didn't fancy the idea offighting us, perhaps, and the others killed him when he said so.""No, that won't do. There's not a scratch on him. Well, leave him, anyway.
We've got to get on, and a rabbit this size isn't going to make any difference, deador alive."He began to move along the wall, sniffing as he went. He passed the mouths oftwo blocked runs, came to an opening between thick tree roots and stopped. Theplace was evidently very big -- bigger than the Council burrow at Efrafa. Sincethey were not being attacked, he could turn the space to his own advantage bygetting some more rabbits in at once. He went back quickly to the foot of theshaft. By standing on his hind legs he could just rest his forepaws on the raggedlip of the hole.
"Groundsel?" he said.
"Yes, sir?" answered Groundsel from above.
"Come on," said Woundwort, "and bring four others with you. Jump to thisside" -- he moved slightly -- "there's a dead rabbit on the floor -- one of theirs."He was still expecting to be attacked at any moment, but the place remainedsilent. He continued to listen, sniffing the close air, while the five rabbits droppedone by one into the burrow. Then he took Groundsel over to the two blocked runsalong the eastern wall.
"Get these open as quick as you can," he said, "and send two rabbits to find outwhat's behind the tree roots beyond. If they're attacked you're to go and join in atonce.""You know, there's something strange about the wall at the other end, sir," saidVervain, as Groundsel began setting his rabbits to work. "Most of it's hard earththat's never been dug. But in one or two places there are piles of much softerstuff. I'd say that runs leading through the wall have been filled up very recently-- probably since yesterday evening."Woundwort and Vervain went carefully along the south wall of theHoneycomb, scratching and listening.
"I believe you're right," said Woundwort. "Have you heard any movement fromthe other side?""Yes, sir, just about here," said Vervain.
"We'll get this pile of soft earth down," said Woundwort. "Put two rabbits on it.
If I'm right and Thlayli's on the other side, they'll run into trouble before long.
That's what we want -- to force him to attack them."As Thunder and Thistle began to dig, Woundwort crouched silently behindthem, waiting.
-<*>-Even before he heard the roof of the Honeycomb fall in, Bigwig knew that itcould be only a matte............