Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams Read Free Book Online
Authors: Richard Adams
my doe.”
“Well, I’ll come with you,” said the cat. “I’ve heard of King Fur-Rocious that he often drowns kittens.”
“Jump into my ear, then,” said El-ahrairah. And the cat jumped into El-ahrairah’s ear and went to sleep, while he still went marching along.
A little further on, he met some ants.
“Where are you going, El-ahrairah?” asked the ants.
“I’m going to beat the guts out of that dirty King Fur-Rocious,” answered El-ahrairah, “and make him give me back my doe.”
“We’ll come with you,” said the ants. “That King Fur-Rocious isn’t fit to live. His rabbits dig up ants’ nests for no reason at all.”
“Well, then, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “On we go!”
So the ants jumped into El-ahrairah’s ear.
After a while, he met a couple of big, black crows.
“Where are you going, El-ahrairah?” asked the crows.
“I’m going to tackle that disgusting King Fur-Rocious,” said El-ahrairah, “and make him give me back my doe.”
“We’ll come with you,” said the crows. “We’ve heard nothing but ill of King Fur-Rocious. He’s a bully and a tyrant.”
“Well, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “I can do with the likes of you.”
Then, further on, El-ahrairah came to a stream.
“Hullo, El-ahrairah!” said the stream. “Where are you going? You do look fierce.”
“No fiercer than I feel,” said El-ahrairah. “I’m going to knock the blazes out of that stinking King Fur-Rocious and make him give me back my doe Nur-Rama.”
“I’ll come with you,” said the stream. “I’ve heard of King Fur-Rocious, and I don’t like the sound of him at all. He thinks too much of himself.”
“Well, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “No, the other one. I’m sure I’ll be glad of you.”
Soon after this, El-ahrairah got back to the Down, and there was King Fur-Rocious, surrounded by his heavy rabbits and eating El-ahrairah’s grass for all he was worth.
“Ah, El-ahrairah!” said King Fur-Rocious, with his mouth full. “I saw you off this morning, didn’t I? What brings you here again?”
“You contemptible, stinking rabbit,” said El-ahrairah. “Give me back my doe Nur-Rama and get off my Down!”
“Seize this insolent animal!” cried the King. “Seize him, and shut him up for the night with the Rabid Rats! And we shall see what’s left of him in the morning!”
So they shut El-ahrairah up with the Rabid Rats.
As soon as it was dark, El-ahrairah sang:
“Come out, pussy, from my ear.
There are rats in plenty here.
Chase them round until they fly.
Chew their necks until they die.”
Out came the pussycat in a moment. The rats ran in all directions, but she was among them in a flash and chewed them up in hundreds until there wasn’t one left alive. Then she went back into El-ahrairah’s ear, and El-ahrairah went to sleep.
When morning came, King Fur-Rocious said to his rabbits, “Go and fetch the carcass of that insolent El-ahrairah and throw it out on the grass.”
But when they went in, they found El-ahrairah sitting among the dead rats, singing. “Where’s that loathsome King?” said El-ahrairah. “Tell him to give me back my doe.”
“You shan’t have her,” said the King. “Take him and shut him up with the Wildcat Weasels! Then we shall see what becomes of his insolent demands.”
So El-ahrairah was shut up with the Wildcat Weasels.
In the middle of the night, El-ahrairah sang:
“Come out, crows, by one and two,
Teach those weasels what to do.
Peck those weasels on the head.
Peck them till they fall down dead.”
Out came the crows from El-ahrairah’s ear and pecked the Wildcat Weasels all to pieces. Then they went back into his ear, and El-ahrairah went to sleep.
In the morning, the King said, “Well, those Wildcat Weasels will have finished El-ahrairah good and proper by now. You had better go and chuck out his body.”
But the tough rabbits found El-ahrairah dancing all over dead weasels
“Well, I’ll come with you,” said the cat. “I’ve heard of King Fur-Rocious that he often drowns kittens.”
“Jump into my ear, then,” said El-ahrairah. And the cat jumped into El-ahrairah’s ear and went to sleep, while he still went marching along.
A little further on, he met some ants.
“Where are you going, El-ahrairah?” asked the ants.
“I’m going to beat the guts out of that dirty King Fur-Rocious,” answered El-ahrairah, “and make him give me back my doe.”
“We’ll come with you,” said the ants. “That King Fur-Rocious isn’t fit to live. His rabbits dig up ants’ nests for no reason at all.”
“Well, then, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “On we go!”
So the ants jumped into El-ahrairah’s ear.
After a while, he met a couple of big, black crows.
“Where are you going, El-ahrairah?” asked the crows.
“I’m going to tackle that disgusting King Fur-Rocious,” said El-ahrairah, “and make him give me back my doe.”
“We’ll come with you,” said the crows. “We’ve heard nothing but ill of King Fur-Rocious. He’s a bully and a tyrant.”
“Well, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “I can do with the likes of you.”
Then, further on, El-ahrairah came to a stream.
“Hullo, El-ahrairah!” said the stream. “Where are you going? You do look fierce.”
“No fiercer than I feel,” said El-ahrairah. “I’m going to knock the blazes out of that stinking King Fur-Rocious and make him give me back my doe Nur-Rama.”
“I’ll come with you,” said the stream. “I’ve heard of King Fur-Rocious, and I don’t like the sound of him at all. He thinks too much of himself.”
“Well, jump into my ear,” said El-ahrairah. “No, the other one. I’m sure I’ll be glad of you.”
Soon after this, El-ahrairah got back to the Down, and there was King Fur-Rocious, surrounded by his heavy rabbits and eating El-ahrairah’s grass for all he was worth.
“Ah, El-ahrairah!” said King Fur-Rocious, with his mouth full. “I saw you off this morning, didn’t I? What brings you here again?”
“You contemptible, stinking rabbit,” said El-ahrairah. “Give me back my doe Nur-Rama and get off my Down!”
“Seize this insolent animal!” cried the King. “Seize him, and shut him up for the night with the Rabid Rats! And we shall see what’s left of him in the morning!”
So they shut El-ahrairah up with the Rabid Rats.
As soon as it was dark, El-ahrairah sang:
“Come out, pussy, from my ear.
There are rats in plenty here.
Chase them round until they fly.
Chew their necks until they die.”
Out came the pussycat in a moment. The rats ran in all directions, but she was among them in a flash and chewed them up in hundreds until there wasn’t one left alive. Then she went back into El-ahrairah’s ear, and El-ahrairah went to sleep.
When morning came, King Fur-Rocious said to his rabbits, “Go and fetch the carcass of that insolent El-ahrairah and throw it out on the grass.”
But when they went in, they found El-ahrairah sitting among the dead rats, singing. “Where’s that loathsome King?” said El-ahrairah. “Tell him to give me back my doe.”
“You shan’t have her,” said the King. “Take him and shut him up with the Wildcat Weasels! Then we shall see what becomes of his insolent demands.”
So El-ahrairah was shut up with the Wildcat Weasels.
In the middle of the night, El-ahrairah sang:
“Come out, crows, by one and two,
Teach those weasels what to do.
Peck those weasels on the head.
Peck them till they fall down dead.”
Out came the crows from El-ahrairah’s ear and pecked the Wildcat Weasels all to pieces. Then they went back into his ear, and El-ahrairah went to sleep.
In the morning, the King said, “Well, those Wildcat Weasels will have finished El-ahrairah good and proper by now. You had better go and chuck out his body.”
But the tough rabbits found El-ahrairah dancing all over dead weasels