Why Watership Down is the best book I've read in ages

Love the animals.
God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.
Don’t trouble it, don’t harass them, don’t deprive them of their happiness, don’t work against God’s intent.

Dostoevsky,
The Brothers Karamazov

Acts of injustice done
Between the setting and the rising sun
In history lie like bones, each one.

W.H. Auden,
The Ascent of F6

To evacuate a warren is a tremendous business. Some refuse to go. (…) At the best, you’ve got a big bunch of hlessil trailing round in the open, probably with does and kittens tacked on. (…)

- Of course, I never sat down and thought – said Fiver. – (…) I simply had the screaming horrors. (…) I shall never forget it – that and the night I spent under the yew tree. There’s terrible evil in the world.

- It comes from men – said Holly. – All other elil do what they have to do and Frith moves them as he moves us. They live on the earth and they need food. Men will never rest till they’ve spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals. But I’d better go on with this tale of mine.

Beginning of Chapter 21,
a few rabbits narrowly escape
the destruction of Sandleford warren
and find our heroes.

Rabbits (says Mr. Lockley) are like human beings in many ways. One of these is certainly their staunch ability to withstand disaster and to let the stream of life carry them along, past reaches of terror and loss. They have a certain quality which it would not be accurate to describe as callousness or indifference. It is, rather, a blessedly circumscribed imagination and an intuitive feeling that Life is Now. A foraging wild creature, intent above all upon survival, is as strong as the grass. (…) Hardly a full day had elapsed since Holly had come crawling in delirium to the foot of Watership Down. Yet already he was near recovery, while the more light-hearted Bluebell seemed even less the worse for the dreadful catastrophe that he survived. Hazel and his companions had suffered extremes of grief and horror during the telling of Holly’s tale. Pipkin had cried and trembled piteously at the death of Scabious, and Acorn and Speedwell had been seizes with convulsive choking as Bluebell told of the poisonous gaz that murdered underground. Yet, as with primitive humans, the very strength and vividness of their sympathy brought with it a true release. (…) While the story was being told, they heard it without any of the reserve or detachment that the kindest of civilized humans retains as he reads his newspaper. To themselves, they seemed to struggle in the poisoned runs and to blaze with rage for poor Pimpernel in the ditch. This was their way of honoring the dead.

Beginning of Chapter 22,
bucks need does
to have kittens and a good warren.

Crouching under a fallen branch on the verge of the lane, Hazel watched the others as they followed Bigwig down toward the farmyard. They went slowly, rabbit fashion, hop, step and pause. (…)

Bigwig’s hopes of action were fulfilled almost at once. The cat that he met as he reached the far end of the barn was not Hazel’s tabby, but another; ginger, black and white (and therefore a female); one of those slim, trotting, quick-moving, tail-twitching cats that sit on farm windowsills in the rain or keep watch from the tops of sacks on sunny afternoons. It came briskly round the corner of the barn, saw the rabbits and stopped dead.

Without an instant’s hesitation, Bigwig went straight for it, as though it had been the beech branch on the down. But quicker even than he Dandelion ran forward, scratched it and leaped clear. As it turned, Bigwig threw his full weight upon it from the other side. The cat closed with him, biting and scratching, and Bigwig rolled over on the ground. The others could hear him swearing lime a cat himself and struggling for a hold. Then he sank one back leg into the cat’s side and kicked backward rapidly, several times.

Anyone who is familiar with cats knows that they do not care for a determined assailant. A dog that tries to make itself pleasant to a cat may very well get scratched for its pains. But let that same dog rush in to the attack and many a cat will not wait to meet it. The farm cat was bewildered by the speed and fury of Bigwig’s charge. It was no weakling and a good ratter, but it had the bad luck to be up against a dedicated fighter who was spoiling for action. As it scrabbled out of Bigwig’s reach, Speedwell cuffed it across the face. This was the last blow struck, for the wounded cat made off across the yard and disappeared under the fence of the cow byre.

Chapter 25, at Nuthanger Farm,
where they go to fetch does for their warren.

When the youngster had scurried off, Bigwig returned to his burrow, wondering whether there would be any suspicion. It seemed unlikely. From what Chervil had said, it was common enough for Efrafan officers to send for does. If he were questioned he had only to play up. (…)

- I am Hyzenthlay.

- I want to talk to you – said Bigwig.

- I am in the Mark, sir, and under your orders. But you have made a mistake.

- No, I haven’t – replied Bigwig. – You needn’t be afraid. Come in here, close beside me.

Hyzenthlay obeyed. He could feel her fast pulse. Her body was tense: her eyes were closed and her claws dug into the floor.

- Hyzenthlay – whispered Bigwig in her ear – listen carefully. You remember that many days ago now, four rabbits came to Efrafa in the evening. (…) You talked with our leader – his name was Holly. I know what he told you.

She turned her head in fear. – How do you know?

- Never mind. Only listen to me.

(…)

- Those rabbits returned to us safely. One of them is not far away now, with our Chief Rabbit and several more. They are cunning and resourceful. They are waiting for me to bring does out of Efrafa – as many as I can get to come. I shall be able to send them a message tomorrow morning.

(…)

Bigwig realized that he had stumbled, quite unexpectedly, upon what he need most of all: a strong, sensible friend who would think on her own account and help to bear his burden.

(…)

Hyzenthlay was silent again and Bigwig realized with admiration that she was going over what he had said and searching for flaws.

(…)

- We’re going to take Blackavar.

- Blackavar? How? He is guarded by the Council police.

(…)

- His guards never leave him and they take him out to silflay alone.

- For how long will he have to live like that?

- When he has been to every Mark in turn, the Council will kill him. We all feel sure of that.

- Then that settles it. I won’t go without him.

- Thlayli, you are very brave. Are you cunning, too? All our lives will depend on you tomorrow.

- Well, can you see anything wrong with the plan?

- No, but I am only a doe who has never been out of Efrafa. Suppose something unexpected happens?

- Risk is risk. Don’t you want to get out and come and live on the high downs with us? Think of it!

- Oh, Thlayli! Shall we mate with whom we choose and dig our own burrows and bear our litters alive?

- You shall: and tell stories in the Honeycomb and silflay whenever you feel like it. It’s a fine life, I promise you.

- I’ll come! I’ll run any risk.

- What a stroke of luck that you should be in this Mark – said Bigwig. – Before this talk with you tonight, I was at my wits’ end, wondering whatever I was going to do.

(…)

- No, we mustn’t give up yet – he said, as gently as he could. – It’s the thunder and the waiting that make you feel so much upset. Listen, I promise you that by this time tomorrow you’ll be out of Efrafa forever and the others with you. Now go to sleep for a little while and then go back and help Thethuthinnang. Keep thinking of those high downs and all that I told you. We’ll get there – our troubles won’t last much longer.

As she feel asleep beside him, Bigwig wondered how on earth he was going to fulfill his promise and whether they would be woken by the Council police. – If we are – he thought – I’ll fight until they tear me to bits. They’ll make no Blackavar out of me.

Chapters 35 and 36, at Efrafa, the totalitarian,
militarized warren where they go to fetch does.

These last excerpts are to me one of the most beautiful hymns to friendship I've ever read.

[My bold formatting]

The title link refers to the Wikipedia entry on Watership Down, a good source of information.

Bunny rabbits from Cute Overload, of course.

And for a crazy video of a cat and a rabbit:

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