"Poison, once introduced to an environment is very difficult to get rid of," he said. "If one of those pails had spiled it could have gotten into the crops or the village's water supply and harmed everyone. And the rats may well have avoided the water after the first few fell, or detected the scent of the poison and not drunk it at all. Thus was Tothor praised not only for his cleverness, but for his sacrifice for the greater good. He did what was right, even at great cost to himself."