Five Days
- Mrs. Frisby goes into stealth-mouse-mode and hides in a fence post, trying to observe the tractor and avoid Dragon's observation.
- Mr. FitzGibbon backs the tractor out of the barn (cue doom and gloom music) and soon his son Paul appears outside to help him.
- Billy, the younger son comes out and Mrs. Frisby expresses her dislike for him because he throws rocks at animals. We're shaking our fists in solidarity.
- The humans start to check out the tractor, while Mrs. Frisby waits with baited breath.
- Then, there's lots of clanking (and probably some grunting and back-slapping) as the men look inside the tractor.
- Mrs. Frisby is terrified that they are going to start plowing that day.
- The tractor starts to move forward… and dies. Phew! Universe, you are most kind and generous and also lovely.
- The linch pin is "sheared" off, which means the FitzGibbons will have to order a new one. That's good news for our mouse friends, since it buys them some time: the last time they had to order a new one, it took five days to arrive.
- Five days is better than nothing, but it's definitely not long enough for Timothy to get well. Mrs. Frisby realizes she has to go back to Mr. Ages for more medical advice.
- She climbs out of her hole and sees Dragon looking at her.
- Amazingly, the cat doesn't pounce. Mrs. Frisby wonders if he is sick? But, hey, she'll take it—she's not looking this gift cat in the mouse.
- In the distance, she sees a "troop" of grey figures marching. Rats! (No, not rats like, "Gee whiz!" Actual rats. Marching rats.)
- They're moving a piece of cable into the ground in a long assembly line. Yup, you read that right: an assembly line. That doesn't exactly sound rat-like.
- Meanwhile, Dragon sleeps on. Zzzzzzzz…snort….zzzzzzzz….