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第10章

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第10章

小说: prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页3500字

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〃and now;〃 said peter; 〃if youve really decided to believe in us…鈥

〃i have;〃 said the dwarf。

〃its quite clear what we have to do。 we must join king caspian at once。鈥

〃the sooner the better;〃 said trumpkin。 〃my being such a fool has already  wasted about an hour。鈥

〃its about two days journey; the way you came;〃 said peter。 〃for us; i  mean。 we cant walk all day and night like you dwarfs。〃 then he turned to the others。  〃what trumpkin calls aslans how is obviously the stone table itself。 you remember it was  about half a days march; or a little less; from there down to the fords of beruna …鈥

〃berunas bridge; we call it;〃 said trumpkin。

〃there was no bridge in our time;〃 said peter。 〃and then from beruna down  to here was another day and a bit。 we used to get home about teatime on the second day;  going easily。 going hard; we could do the whole thing in a day and a half  perhaps。鈥

〃but remember its all woods now;〃 said trumpkin; 〃and there are enemies to  dodge。鈥

〃look here;〃 said edmund; 〃need we go by the same way that our dear little  friend came?鈥

〃no more of that; your majesty; if you love me;〃 said the dwarf。

〃very well;〃 said edmund。 〃may i say our d。l。f。?鈥

〃oh; edmund;〃 said susan。 〃dont keep on at him like that。鈥

〃thats all right; lass … i mean your majesty;〃 said trumpkin with a  chuckle。 〃a jibe wont raise a blister。〃 (and after that they often called him the d。l。f。 till  theyd almost forgotten what it meant。)

〃as i was saying;〃 continued edmund; 〃we neednt go that way。 why shouldnt  we row a little south till we e to glasswater creek and row up it? that brings us  up behind the hill of the stone table; and well be safe while were at sea。 if we start  at once; we can be at the head of glasswater before dark; get a few hours sleep; and be with  caspian pretty early tomorrow。鈥

〃what a thing it is to know the coast;〃 said trumpkin。 〃none of us know  anything about glasswater。鈥

〃what about food?〃 asked susan。

〃oh; well have to do with apples;〃 said lucy。 〃do lets get on。 weve done  nothing yet; and weve been here nearly two days。鈥

〃and anyway; no ones going to have my hat for a fishbasket again;〃 said  edmund。

they used one of the raincoats as a kind of bag and put a good many apples  in it。 then they all had a good long drink at the well (for they would meet no more  fresh water till they landed at the head of the creek) and went down to the boat。 the  children were sorry to leave cair paravel; which; even in ruins; had begun to feel like home  again。

〃the d。l。f。 had better steer;〃 said peter; 〃and ed and i will take an oar  each。 half a moment; though。 wed better take off our mail: were going to be pretty  warm before were done。 the girls had better be in the bows and shout directions to the  d。l。f。 because he doesnt know the way。 youd better get us a fair way out to sea till  weve passed the island。鈥

and soon the green; wooded coast of the island was falling away behind  them; and its little bays and headlands were beginning to look flatter; and the boat was  rising and falling in the gentle swell。 the sea began to grow bigger around them and;  in the distance; bluer; but close round the boat it was green and bubbly。  everything smelled salt and there was no noise except the swishing of water and the clop…clop of  water against the sides and the splash of the oars and the jolting noise of the rowlocks。  the sun grew hot。

it was delightful for lucy and susan in the bows; bending over the edge and  trying to get their hands in the sea which they could never quite reach。 the bottom;  mostly pure; pale sand but with occasional patches of purple seaweed; could be seen beneath  them。

〃its like old times;〃 said lucy。 〃do you remember our voyage to  terebinthia … and galma … and seven isles … and the lone islands?鈥

〃yes;〃 said susan; 〃and our great ship the splendour hyaline; with the  swans head at her prow and the carved swans wings ing back almost to her waist?鈥

〃and the silken sails; and the great stern lanterns?鈥

〃and the feasts on the poop and the musicians。鈥

〃do you remember when we had the musicians up in the rigging playing flutes  so that it sounded like music out of the sky?鈥

presently susan took over edmunds oar and he came forward to join lucy。  they had passed the island now and stood closer in to the shore … all wooded and  deserted。 they would have thought it very pretty if they had not remembered the time when  it was open and breezy and full of merry friends。

〃phew! this is pretty gruelling work;〃 said peter。 〃cant i row for a bit?〃  said lucy。 〃the oars are too big for you;〃 said peter shortly; not because he was cross but  because he had no strength to spare for talking。

w锛穡锛氾紵



CHAPTER 9

?灏弜iaoshuo璇磘xt澶╁爞
what lucy saw  susan and the two boys were bitterly tired with rowing before they rounded  the last headland and began the final pull up glasswater itself; and lucys head  ached from the long hours of sun and the glare on the water。 even trumpkin longed for the  voyage to be over。 the seat on which he sat to steer had been made for men; not dwarfs;  and his feet did not reach the floor…boards; and everyone knows how unfortable that  is even for  

ten minutes。 and as they all grew more tired; their spirits fell。 up till  now the children had only been thinking of how to get to caspian。 now they wondered what  they would do when they found him; and how a handful of dwarfs and woodland creatures  could defeat an army of grown…up humans。

twilight was ing on as they rowed slowly up the windings of glasswater  creek … a twilight which deepened as the banks drew closer together and the  overhanging trees began almost to meet overhead。 it was very quiet in here as the sound of  the sea died away behind them; they could even hear the trickle of the little streams  that poured down from the forest into glasswater。

they went ashore at last; far too tired to attempt lighting a fire; and  even a supper of apples (though most of them felt that they never wanted to see an apple  again) seemed better than trying to catch or shoot anything。 after a little silent  munching they all huddled down together in the moss and dead leaves between four large beech  trees。

everyone  except lucy went to sleep at once。 lucy; being far less tired;  found it hard to get fortable。 also; she had forgotten till now that all dwarfs snore。  she knew that one of the best ways of getting to sleep is to stop trying; so she opened her  eyes。

through a gap in the bracken and branches she could just see a patch of  water in the creek and the sky above it。 then; with a thrill of memory; she saw again;  after all those years; the bright narnian stars。 she had once known them better than the  stars of our own world; because as a queen in narnia she had gone to bed much later than as  a child in england。 and there they were … at least; three of the summer constellations  could be seen from where she lay: the ship; the hammer; and the leopard。 〃dear old  leopard;〃 she murmured happily to herself。

instead of getting drowsier she was getting more awake … with an odd;  night…time; dreamish kind of wakefulness。 the creek was growing brighter。 she knew now  that then moon was on it; though she couldnt see the moon。 and now she began to feel  that the whole forest was ing awake like herself。 hardly knowing why she did it;  she got up quickly and walked a little distance away from their bivouac。

〃this is lovely;〃 said lucy to herself。 it was cool and fresh; delicious  smells were floating everywhere。

somewhere close by she heard the twitter of a nightingale beginning to  sing; then stopping; then beginning again。 it was a little lighter ahead。 she went  towards the light and came to a place where there were fewer trees; and whole patches or  pools of moonlight; but the moonlight and the shadows so mixed that you could hardly  be sure where anything was or what it was。 at the same moment the nightingale;  satisfied at last with his tuning up; burst into full song。

lucys eyes began to grow accustomed to the light; and she saw the trees  that were nearest her more distinctly。 a great longing for the old days when the  trees could talk in  

narnia came over her。 she knew exactly how each of these trees would talk  if only she could wake them; and what sort of human form it would put on。 she looked at  a silver birch: it would have a soft; showery voice and would look like a slender  girl; with hair blown all about her face; and fond of dancing。 she looked at the oak: he  would be a wizened; but hearty old man with a frizzled beard and warts on his face and  hands; and hair growing out of the warts。 she looked at the beech under which she was  standing。 ah!

she would be the best of all。 she would be a gracious goddess; smooth and  stately; the lady of the wood。

〃oh; trees; trees; trees;〃 said lucy (though she had not been intending to  speak at all)。

〃oh; trees; wake; wake; wake。 dont you remember it? dont you remember me?  dryads and hamadryads; e out; e to me。鈥

though there was not a breath of wind they all stirred about her。 the  rustling noise of the leaves was almost like words。 the nightingale stopped singing as if to  listen to it。

lucy felt that at any moment she would begin to understand what the trees  were trying to say。 but the moment did not e。 the rustling died away。 the nightingale  resumed its song。 even in the moonlight the wood looked more ordinary again。 yet lucy  had the feeling (as you sometimes have when you are trying to remember a name or a  date and almost get it; but it vanishes before you really do) that she had just  missed something: as if she had spoken to the trees a split second too soon or a split second  too late; or used all the right words except one; or put in one word that was just wrong。

quite suddenly she began to feel tired。 she went back to the bivouac;  snuggled down between susan and peter; and was asleep in a few minutes。

it was a cold and cheerless waking for them all next morning; with a grey  twilight in the wood (for the sun had not yet risen) and everything damp and dirty。

〃apples; heigh…ho;〃 said trumpkin with a rueful grin。 〃i must say you  ancient kings and queens dont overfeed your courtiers!鈥

they stood up and shook themselves and looked about。 the trees were thick  and they could see no more than a few yards in any direction。

〃i suppose your majesties know the way all right?〃 said the dwarf。

〃i dont;〃 said susan。 〃ive never seen these woods in my life before。 in  fact i thought all along that we ought to have gone by the river。鈥

〃then i think you might have said so at the time;〃 answered peter; with  pardonable sharpness。

〃oh; dont take any notice of her;〃 said edmund。 〃she always is a wet  blanket。 youve got that pocket pass of yours; peter; havent you? well; then; were as  right as rain。 weve  

only got to keep on going north…west … cross that little river; the what… do…you…call…it? … the rush …鈥

〃i know;〃 said peter。 〃the one that joins the big river at the fords of  beruna; or berunas bridge; as the d。l。f。 calls it。鈥

〃thats right。 cross it and strike uphill; and well be at the stone table  (asla

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