Chapter 32 Summary

Across the Iron Road

Bigwig pushes past the other rabbits and pretends to be hurt, so the fox will chase him. The fox follows him into the woods and the rabbits hear a squeal, which they think came from Bigwig. Though he returns unharmed, Hazel scolds him harshly for taking a chance when the rabbits could have easily outrun the fox. He asks why Bigwig squealed as if he had been attacked. Bigwig tells him that he was not hurt, but had inadvertently led the fox to another group of rabbits. The fox attacked one of these.

The rabbits reach the iron road, or railroad tracks, when Kehaar warns them of Efrafa patrols nearing the tracks. The Efrafa Owsla are looking for Hazel and his group. The rabbits move into the woods on the opposite side of the track. Kehaar tells them the...