Ahab's Adventure's In Wonderland; or The Rabbit

Chapter Forty-One

With our escape ensured, but having lost our quarry, we wondered about the forest rather aimlessly and debated amongst ourselves what are next step would be. So it was that we were surprised to encounter another company of rabbit hunters led by a German named Derick De Deer, master, of Bremen.

At one time the greatest farmers in the world, the Dutch and Germans are now among the least; but here and there at very wide intervals of latitude and longitude, you still occasionally meet with their accents in these United States.

For some reason, these men seemed quite eager to pay their respects. While yet some distance from us, they rounded to, and impelled towards us.

'What has he in his hand there?' cried Starbuck, pointing to something wavingly held by the German. 'Impossible!--a lamp-feeder!'

'Not that,' said Franklin, 'no, no, it's a coffee-pot, Mr. Starbuck; he's coming off to make us our coffee; don't you see that big tin can there alongside of him?--that's his boiling water. Oh! he's all right, is the German.'

'Go along with you,' cried Starbuck, 'it's a lamp-feeder and an oil-can. He's out of oil, and has come a-begging as it can become so dark in the underworld.'

However curious it may seem for an underground expedition to be borrowing oil on the rabbit-ground, and however much it may invertedly contradict the old proverb about carrying coals to Newcastle, yet sometimes such a thing really happens; and in the present case Captain Derick De Deer did indubitably conduct a lamp-feeder as Starbuck did declare.

As he met us in this strange underworld woods, Ahab abruptly accosted him, without at all heeding what he had in his hand; but in his broken lingo, the German soon evinced his complete ignorance of the White Rabbit; immediately turning the conversation to his lamp-feeder and oil can, with some remarks touching his having to turn into his hammock at night in profound darkness--his last drop of Bremen oil being gone.

But if the German had no information of the White Rabbit, certainly Ahab would not trade with him for anything else, and so Derick departed; but he had not gotten twenty yards, when rabbits were almost simultaneously spied by both parties; and so eager for the chase was Derick, that without pausing to put his oil-can and lamp-feeder safely away, he turned round and made after the leporidians.

Now, the game having risen to our left, he and the other three Germans that soon followed him, had considerably the head-start on us. There were eight rabbits, an average warren, and they would make for a fine rabbit stew. Aware of their danger, they were going all abreast with great speed straight into the wind, rubbing their flanks as closely as so many spans of horses in harness. They left a great, wide wake in the grass, as though continually unrolling a great wide parchment upon the plain.

Full on their heels, and many yards in the rear, hopped a huge, humped old bull, which by his comparatively slow progress, as well as by the unusual yellowish incrustations over-growing him, seemed afflicted with the jaundice, or some other infirmity. Whether this rabbit belonged to the group in advance, seemed questionable; for it is not customary for such venerable leporidians to be at all social.

With one intent all the rival hunters were aiming for this one rabbit, because not only was he the largest, and therefore the most valuable rabbit, but he was nearest to them, and the other rabbits were going with such great velocity, moreover, as almost to defy pursuit for the time. At this juncture, Derick still led the chase, though every moment neared by his foreign rivals. The only thing they feared, was, that from being already so nigh to his mark, he would be enabled to shoot his prey before they could completely overtake and pass him. As for Derick, he seemed quite confident that this would be the case, and occasionally with a deriding gesture shook his lamp-feeder at the rest of us.

'The dog!' cried Starbuck; 'look at how he mocks us!'-- Then in his old intense whisper--'give way, greyhounds! Dog to it!'

But so decided an original start had Derick had, that spite of all their gallantry, he would have proved the victor in this race, had not a righteous judgment descended upon him in a gnarly old root which caught his boot. While this clumsy lubber was striving to get back to his feet, and he thundering away at his men in a mighty rage;--that was a good time for Starbuck, Franklin, and myself. With a shout, we took a mortal start forwards, and slantingly ranged up on the German's quarter. An instant more, and all three of us were in the rabbit's immediate wake.

But run as we might, even for this fat old rabbit, none of us could get within 20 yards of him, not nearly close enough to have a decent shot of bringing him down. We were all getting quite weary with the chase, when Ahab told us to stop altogether. He pointed out that this particular rabbit was a Cotton-Tail, and belonged to that species of uncapturable rabbits, because of its incredible power of hopping. Nevertheless, the Cotton-Tail's ears are so similar to the Jack-Rabbit's, that by unskilful farmers it is often mistaken for it. And consequently Derick and all his host were now in valiant chase of this unnearable brute.

Oh! many are the Cotton-Tails, and many are the Dericks, my friend.