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第12章

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第12章

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

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?灏弜iaoshuo璇磘xt澶╁爞
the return of the lion  to keep along the edge of the gorge was not so easy as it had looked。  before they had gone many yards they were confronted with young fir woods growing on the  very edge; and after they had tried to go through these; stooping and pushing for  about ten minutes; they realized that; in there; it would take them an hour to do half a mile。  so they came back and out again and decided to go round the fir wood。 this took them  much farther to their right than they wanted to go; far out of sight of the cliffs and out  of sound of the river; till they began to be afraid they had lost it altogether。 nobody  knew the time; but it was getting to the hottest part of the day。

when they were able at last to go back to the edge of the gorge (nearly a  mile below the point from which they had started) they found the cliffs on their side of  it a good deal lower and more broken。 soon they found a way down into the gorge and  continued the journey at the rivers edge。 but first they had a rest and a long drink。 no  one was talking any more about breakfast; or even dinner; with caspian。

they may have been wise to stick to the rush instead of going along the  top。 it kept them sure of their direction: and ever since the fir wood they had all been  afraid of being forced too far out of their course and losing themselves in the wood。 it  was an old and pathless forest; and you could not keep anything like a straight course in  it。 patches of hopeless brambles; fallen trees; boggy places and dense undergrowth would  be always getting in your way。 but the gorge of the rush was not at all a nice place  for travelling either。 i mean; it was not a nice place for people in a hurry。 for an  afternoons ramble ending in a picnic tea it would have been delightful。 it had everything you  could want on an occasion of that sort … rumbling waterfalls; silver cascades; deep;  amber…coloured pools; mossy rocks; and deep moss on the banks in which you could sink over  your ankles; every kind of fern; jewel…like dragon flies; sometimes a hawk  overhead and once (peter and trumpkin。 both thought) an eagle。 but of course what the  children and the dwarf wanted to see as soon as possible was the great river below them; and  beruna; and the way to aslans how。

as they went on; the rush began to fall more and more steeply。 their  journey became more and more of a climb and less and less of a walk … in places even a  dangerous climb over slippery rock with a nasty drop into dark chasms; and the river  roaring angrily at the bottom。

you may be sure they watched the cliffs on their left eagerly for any sign  of a break or any place where they could climb them; but those cliffs remained cruel。 it  was maddening; because everyone knew that if once they were out of the gorge on  that side; they would have only a smooth slope and a fairly short walk to caspians  headquarters。

the boys and the dwarf were now in favour of lighting a fire and cooking  their bear…meat。 susan didnt want this; she only wanted; as she said; 〃to get on and  finish it and get out of these beastly woods〃。 lucy was far too tired and miserable to have  any opinion about anything。 but as there was no dry wood to be had; it mattered very  little what anyone thought。 the boys began to wonder if raw meat was really as nasty as  they had always been told。 trumpkin assured them it was。

of course; if the children had attempted a journey like this a few days ago  in england; they would have been knocked up。 i think i have explained before how narnia  was altering them。 even lucy was by now; so to speak; only one…third of a  little girl going to boarding school for the first time; and two…thirds of queen lucy of narnia。

〃at last!〃 said susan。

〃oh; hurray!〃 said peter。

the river gorge had just made a bend and the whole view spread out beneath  them。 they could see open country stretching before them to the horizon and; between  it and them; the broad silver ribbon of the great river。 they could see the specially  broad and shallow place which had once been the fords of beruna but was now spanned by a  long; many…arched bridge。 there was a little town at the far end of it。

〃by jove;〃 said edmund。 〃we fought the battle of beruna just where that  town is!鈥

this cheered the boys more than anything。 you cant help feeling stronger  when you look at a place where you won a glorious victory not to mention a kingdom;  hundreds of years ago。 peter and edmund were soon so busy talking about the battle that they  forgot their sore feet and the heavy drag of their mail shirts on their shoulders。 the  dwarf was interested too。

they were all getting on at a quicker pace now。 the going became easier。  though there were still sheer cliffs on their left; the ground was being lower on  their right。 soon it was no longer a gorge at all; only a valley。 there were no more waterfalls  and presently they were in fairly thick woods again。

then … all at once … whizz; and a sound rather like the stroke of a  woodpecker。 the children were still wondering where (ages ago) they had heard a sound just  like that and why they disliked it so; when trumpkin shouted; 〃down; at the same moment  forcing lucy (who happened to be next to him) flat down into the bracken。 peter;  who had been looking up to see if he could spot a squirrel; had seen what it was … a  long cruel arrow had sunk into a tree trunk just above his head。 as he pulled susan down and  dropped himself; another came rasping over his shoulder and struck the ground at his side。

〃quick! quick! get back! crawl!〃 panted trumpkin。

they turned and wriggled along uphill; under the bracken amid clouds of  horribly buzzing flies。 arrows whizzed round them。 one struck susans helmet with a  sharp ping and glanced off。 they crawled quicker。 sweat poured off them。 then they  ran; stooping nearly double。 the boys held their swords in their hands for fear they  would trip them up。

it was heart…breaking work … all uphill again; back over the ground they  had already travelled。 when they felt that they really couldnt run any more; even to  save their lives; they all dropped down in the damp moss beside a waterfall and behind a big  boulder; panting。 they were surprised to see how high they had already got。

they listened intently and heard no sound of pursuit。

〃so thats all right;〃 said trumpkin; drawing a deep breath。 〃theyre not  searching the wood。 only sentries; i expect。 but it means that miraz has an outpost down  there。 bottles and battledores! though; it was a near thing。鈥

〃i ought to have my head smacked for bringing us this way at all;〃 said  peter。

〃on the contrary; your majesty;〃 said the dwarf。 〃for one thing it wasnt  you; it was your royal brother; king edmund; who first suggested going by glasswater。鈥

〃im afraid the d。l。f。s right;〃 said edmund; who had quite honestly  forgotten this ever since things began going wrong。

〃and for another;〃 continued trumpkin; 〃if wed gone my way; wed have  walked straight into that new outpost; most likely; or at least had just the same  trouble avoiding it。 i think this glasswater route has turned out for the best。鈥

〃a blessing in disguise;〃 said susan。

〃some disguise!〃 said edmund。

〃i suppose well have to go right up the gorge again now;〃 said lucy。

〃lu; youre a hero;〃 said peter。 〃thats the nearest youve got today to  saying i told you so。 lets get on。鈥

〃and as soon as were well up into the forest;〃 said trumpkin; 〃whatever  anyone says; im going to light a fire and cook supper。 but we must get well away from  here。鈥

there is no need to describe how they toiled back up the gorge。 it was  pretty hard work; but oddly enough everyone felt more cheerful。 they were getting their  second wind; and the word supper had had a wonderful effect。

they reached the fir wood which had caused them so much trouble while it  was still daylight; and bivouacked in a hollow just above it。 it was tedious  gathering the firewood; but it was grand when the fire blazed up and they began producing the damp  and smeary parcels of bear…meat which would have been so very unattractive to anyone  who had spent the day indoors。 the dwarf had splendid ideas about cookery。 each  apple (they still had a few of these) was wrapped up in bears meat … as if it was to be  apple dumpling with meat instead of pastry; only much thicker … and spiked on a sharp  stick and then roasted。 and the juice of the apple worked all through the meat; like apple  sauce with roast pork。 bear that has lived too much on other animals is not very nice;  but bear that has had plenty of honey and fruit is excellent; and this turned out to be  that sort of bear。 it was a truly glorious meal。 and; of course; no washing up … only lying back  and watching the smoke from trumpkins pipe and stretching ones tired legs and  chatting。 everyone felt quite hopeful now about finding king caspian tomorrow and defeating  miraz in a few days。 it may not have been sensible of them to feel like this; but they  did。

they dropped off to sleep one by one; but all pretty quickly。

lucy woke out of the deepest sleep you can imagine; with the feeling that  the voice she liked best in the world had been calling her name。 she thought at first it  was her fathers voice; but that did not seem quite right。 then she thought it was peters  voice; but that did not seem to fit either。 she did not want to get up; not because she was  still tired … on the contrary she was wonderfully rested and all the aches had gone from her  bones … but because she felt so extremely happy and fortable。 she was looking  straight up at the narnian moon; which is larger than ours; and at the starry sky; for the  place where they had bivouacked was paratively open。

〃lucy;〃 came the call again; neither her fathers voice nor peters。 she  sat up; trembling with excitement but not with fear。 the moon was so bright that the whole  forest landscape around her was almost as clear as day; though it looked wilder。  behind her was the fir wood; away to her right the jagged cliff…tops on the far side of  the gorge; straight ahead; open grass to where a glade of trees began about a bow…shot away。  lucy looked very hard at the trees of that glade。

〃why; i do believe theyre moving;〃 she said to herself。 〃theyre walking  about。鈥

she got up; her heart beating wildly; and walked towards them。 there was  certainly a noise in the glade; a noise such as trees make in a high wind; though there  was no wind tonight。 yet it was not exactly an ordinary treenoise either。 lucy felt  there was a tune in  

it; but she could not catch the tune any more than she had been able to  catch the words when the trees had so nearly talked to her the night before。 but there was;  at least; a lilt; she felt her own feet wanting to dance as she got nearer。 and now there was  no doubt that the trees were really moving moving in and out through one another as if in  a plicated country dance。 (〃and i suppose;〃 thought lucy; 〃when trees  dance; it must be a very; very country dance indeed。) she was almost among them now。

the first tree she looked at seemed at first glance to be not a tree at all  but a huge man with a shaggy beard and great bushes of hair。 she wa

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