Watership Down: Chapter 39 Summary & Analysis

The ride on the river is relatively smooth, and the boat flies quickly downstream while the rabbits hang on. There is no celebration or joy, though; the rabbits are too traumatized by all they’ve been through and feel only the dullest measure of relief. Bigwig has collapsed onto his side, exhausted and wounded from his fight with the sentry. Bigwig tells Hazel how difficult and terrible the escape was, and Hazel reassures him that their “children’s children will [at least] hear a good story.”

Kehaar appears and points out that there is a bridge up ahead—unable to steer the boat, he warns them, they may get stuck. Their little boat barely clears the bottom of the bridge, and a doe is injured when her back scrapes the rough wood. Downstream, they encounter a second bridge. As they approach, the boat, turned sideways, is stopped by one of the central culverts. They have gone about half a mile, and now must find a way to get off and get to shore.

Kehaar urges the rabbits to jump into the river and swim. Though they are afraid, Kehaar shows them that if they pass through the culvert, they will come out the other side where the water is still and smooth. Fiver volunteers to jump first, but as he approaches the prow, the rabbits hear men’s voices on the bridge. They freeze, and the voices diminish as the men move along. Hazel urges all the rabbits to jump into the water quickly to avoid being caught by men. 

Fiver, Hazel, Pipkin, Blackavar, and the others make their way through the culvert to the pool beyond and decide to rest on the riverbanks. Blackavar and Hazel, realizing that many rabbits are still sitting nervously on the boat, scamper along the riverbank to the other side of the bridge and shout to the rabbits that there’s no time to lose. It takes a long time to get the ten frightened does off the boat, under the bridge, and up onto the banks, but all of the rabbits are safely on the other side by nightfall—except Bigwig.

After fu Inlé, the injured Bigwig slowly makes his way downstream with the help of Silver and Fiver. When he arrives exhausted on the bank, he says he needs to sleep, and Hazel helps him find a warm, dry fallen trunk where they can all settle in for the night.