Well, we've been lucky devils bothAnd there's no need of pledge or oathTo bind our lovely friendship fast,By firmer stuffClose bound enough.--Robert Graves, Two FusiliersAlthough Woundwort had shown himself at the last to be a creature virtuallymad, nevertheless what he did proved not altogether futile. There can be littledoubt that if he had not done it, more rabbits would have been killed thatmorning on Watership Down. So swiftly and silently had the dog come up the hillbehind Dandelion and Blackberry that one of Campion's sentries, half asleepunder a tussock after the long night, was pulled down and killed in the instantthat he turned to bolt. Later -- after it had left Woundwort -- the dog beat up anddown the bank and the open grass for some time, barking and dashing at everybush and clump of weeds. But by now the Efrafans had had time to scatter andhide, as best they could. Besides, the dog, unexpectedly scratched and bitten,showed a certain reluctance to come to grips. At last, however, it succeeded inputting up and killing the rabbit who had been wounded by glass the day before,and with this it made off by the way it had come, disappearing over the edge ofthe escarpment.
There could be no question now of the Efrafans renewing their attack on thewarren. None had any idea beyond saving his own life. Their leader was gone. Thedog had been set on them by the rabbits they had come to kill -- of this they weresure. It was all one with the mysterious fox and the white bird. Indeed, Ragwort,the most unimaginative rabbit alive, had actually heard it underground.
Campion, crouching in a patch of nettles with Vervain and four or five more, metwith nothing but shivering agreement when he said that he was sure that theyought to leave at once this dangerous place, where they had already stayed far toolong.
Without Campion, probably not one rabbit would have got back to Efrafa. As itwas, all his skill as a patroller could not bring home half of those who had come toWatership. Three or four had run and strayed too far to be found and whatbecame of them no one ever knew. There were probably fourteen or fifteenrabbits -- no more -- who set off with Campion, some time before ni-Frith, to tryto retrace the long journey they had made only the previous day. They were not fitto cover the distance by nightfall: and before long they had worse to face thantheir own fatigue and low spirits. Bad news travels fast. Down to the Belt andbeyond, the rumor spread that the terrible General Woundwort and his Owslahad been cut to pieces on Watership Down and that what was left of them wastrailing southward in poor shape, with little heart to keep alert. The Thousandbegan to close in -- stoats, a fox, even a tomcat from some farm or other. At everyhalt yet another rabbit was not to be found and no one could remember seeingwhat had happened to him. One of these was Vervain. It had been plain from thestart that he had nothing left and, indeed, there was little reason for him to returnto Efrafa without the General.
Through all the fear and hardship Campion remained steady and vigilant,holding the survivors together, thinking ahead and encouraging the exhausted tokeep going. During the afternoon of the following day, while the Off Fore Markwere at silflay, he came limping through the sentry line with a straggling handfulof six or seven rabbits. He was close to collapse himself and scarcely able to givethe Council any account of the disaster.
Only Groundsel, Thistle and three others had the presence of mind to dartdown the opened run when the dog came. Back in the Honeycomb, Groundselimmediately surrendered himself and his fugitives to Fiver, who was stillbemused from his long trance, and scarcely restored to his senses sufficiently tograsp what was toward. At length, however, after the five Efrafans had remainedcrouching for some time in the burrow, listening to the sounds of the dog huntingabove, Fiver recovered himself, made his way ............