爱爱小说网 > 名著电子书 > the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯 >

第9章

the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯-第9章

小说: the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页3500字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



er going to narnia by sea than toiling across the desert。

when he had thought all this he did what i expect you would have done if  you had been up very early and had a long walk and a great deal of excitement and then a  very good meal; and were lying on a sofa in a cool room with no noise in it except  when a bee came buzzing in through the wide open windows。 he fell asleep。

what woke him was a loud crash。 he jumped up off the sofa; staring。 he saw  at once from the mere look of the room … the lights and shadows all looked  different … that he must have slept for several hours。 he saw also what had made the crash: a  costly porcelain vase which had been standing on the window…sill lay on …the floor  broken into about thirty pieces。 but he hardly noticed all these things。 what he did  notice was two hands gripping the window…sill from outside。 they gripped harder and harder  (getting  

white at the knuckles) and then up came a head and a pair of shoulders。 a  moment later there was a boy of shastas own age sitting astride the sill with one leg  hanging down inside the room。

shasta had never seen his own face in a looking…glass。 even if he had; he  might not have realized that the other boy was (at ordinary times) almost exactly like  himself。 at the moment this boy was not particularly like anyone for he had the finest  black eye you ever saw; and a tooth missing; and his clothes (which must have been splendid  ones when he put them on) were torn and dirty; and there was both blood and mud on his  face。

〃who are you?〃 said the boy in a whisper。

〃are you prince corin?〃 said shasta。

〃yes; of course;〃 said the other。 〃but who are you?鈥

〃im nobody; nobody in particular; i mean;〃 said shasta。 〃king edmund  caught me in the street and mistook me for you。 i suppose we must look like one another。 can  i get out the way youve got in?鈥

〃yes; if youre any good at climbing;〃 said corin。 〃but why are you in such  a hurry? i say: we ought to be able to get some fun out of this being mistaken for one  another。鈥

〃no; no;〃 said shasta。 〃we must change places at once。 itll be simply  frightful if mr tumnus es back and finds us both here。 ive had to pretend to be you。  and youre starting tonight … secretly。 and where were you all this time?鈥

〃a boy in the street made a beastly joke about queen susan;〃 said prince  corin; 〃so i knocked him down。 he ran howling into a house and his big brother came out。  so i knocked the big brother down。 then they all followed me until we ran into  three old men with spears who are called the watch。 so i fought the watch and they  knocked me down。

it was getting dark by now。 then the watch took me along to lock me up  somewhere。 so i asked them if theyd like a stoup of wine and they said they didnt mind  if they did。 then i took them to a wine shop and got them some and they all sat down and  drank till they feel asleep。 i thought it was time for me to be off so i came out quietly  and then i found the first boy … the one who had started all the trouble … still hanging  about。 so i knocked him down again。 after that i climbed up a pipe on to the roof of a house  and lay quiet till it began to get light this morning。 ever since that ive been finding my  way back。 i say; is there anything to drink?鈥

〃no; i drank it;〃 said shasta。 〃and now; show me how you got in。 theres  not a minute to lose。 youd better lie down on the sofa and pretend…but i forgot。 itll be  no good with all those bruises and black eye。 youll just have to tell them the truth; once  im safely away。鈥

〃what else did you think id be telling them?〃 asked the prince with a  rather angry look。

〃and who are you?鈥

〃theres no time;〃 said shasta in a frantic whisper。 〃im a narnian; i  believe; something northern anyway。 but ive been brought up all my life in calormen。 and im  escaping: across the desert; with a talking horse called bree。 and now; quick! how do  i get away?鈥

〃look;〃 said corin。 〃drop from this window on to the roof of the verandah。  but you must do it lightly; on your toes; or someone will hear you。 then along to your  left and you can get up to the top of that wall if youre any good at all as a climber。 then  along the wall to the corner。 drop onto the rubbish heap you will find outside; and there you  are。鈥

〃thanks;〃 said shasta; who was already sitting on the sill。 the two boys  were looking into each others faces and suddenly found that they were friends。

〃good…bye;〃 said corin。 〃and good luck。 i do hope you get safe away。鈥

〃good…bye;〃 said shasta。 〃i say; you have been having some adventures。鈥

〃nothing to yours;〃 said the prince。 〃now drop; lightlyi say;〃 he added as  shasta dropped。 〃i hope we meet in archenland。 go to my father king lune and tell  him youre a friend of mine。 look out! i hear someone ing。鈥

w锛穡銆倄iaoshuo txt锛



CHAPTER SIX

锛佸皬锛犺锛僼xt锛勫ぉ锛惧爞锛
shasta among the tombs  shasta ran lightly along the roof on tiptoes。 it felt hot to his bare feet。  he was only a few seconds scrambling up the wall at the far end and when he got to the  corner he found himself looking down into a narrow; smelly street; and there was a rubbish  heap against the outside of the wall just as corin had told him。 before jumping down he  took a rapid glance round him to get his bearings。 apparently he had now e over the  crown of the island…hill on which tashbaan is built。 everything sloped away before him;  flat roofs below flat roofs; down to the towers and battlements of the citys northern  wall。 beyond that was the river and beyond the river a short slope covered with gardens。  but beyond that again there was something he had never seen the like of … a great  yellowish…grey thing; flat as a calm sea; and stretching for miles。 on the far side of it  were huge blue things; lumpy but with jagged edges; and some of them with white tops。 〃the  desert! the mountains!〃 thought shasta。

he jumped down on to the rubbish and began trotting along downhill as fast  as he could in the narrow lane; which soon brought him into a wider street where there  were more people。 no one bothered to look at a little ragged boy running along on  bare feet。 still; he was anxious and uneasy till he turned a corner and there saw the city gate  in front of him。

here he was pressed and jostled a bit; for a good many other people were  also going out; and on the bridge beyond the gate the crowd became quite a slow procession;  more like a queue than a crowd。 out there; with clear running water on each side; it  was deliciously fresh after the smell and heat and noise of tashbaan。

when once shasta had reached the far end of the bridge he found the crowd  melting away; everyone seemed to be going either to the left or right along the  river bank。 he went straight ahead up a road that did not appear to be much used; between  gardens。 in a few paces he was alone; and a few more brought him to the top of the slope。  there he stood and stared。 it was like ing to the end of the world for all the  grass stopped quite suddenly a few feet before him and the sand began: endless level sand like  on a sea shore but a bit rougher because it was never wet。 the mountains; which now looked  further off than before; loomed ahead。 greatly to his relief he saw; about five  minutes walk away on his left; what must certainly be the tombs; just as bree had described  them; great masses of mouldering stone shaped like gigantic bee…hive; but a little narrower。  they looked very black and grim; for the sun was now setting right behind them。

he turned his face west and trotted towards the tombs。 he could not help  looking out very hard for any sign of his friends; though the setting sun shone in his  face so that he could see hardly anything。 〃and anyway;〃 he thought; 〃of course theyll be  round on the far side of the farthest tomb; not this side where anyone might see them  from the city。鈥

there were about twelve tombs; each with a low arched doorway that opened  into absolute blackness。 they were dotted about in no kind of order; so that it  took a long time; going round this one and going round that one; before you could be  sure that you had looked round every side of every tomb。 this was what shasta had to do。  there was nobody there。

it was very quiet here out on the edge of the desert; and now the sun had  really set。

suddenly from somewhere behind him there came a terrible sound。 shastas  heart gave a great jump and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming。  next moment he realized what it was: the horns of tashbaan blowing for the closing of  the gates。

〃dont be a silly little coward;〃 said shasta to himself。 〃why; its only  the same noise you heard this morning。〃 but there is a great difference between a noise heard  letting you in with your friends in the morning; and a noise heard alone at nightfall;  shutting you out。

and now that the gates were shut he knew there was no chance of the others  joining him that evening。 〃either theyre shut up in tashbaan for the night;〃 thought  shasta; 〃or else theyve gone on without me。 its just the sort of thing that aravis would  do。 but bree wouldnt。 oh; he wouldnt。 … now; would he?鈥

in this idea about aravis shasta was once more quite wrong。 she was proud  and could be hard enough but she was as true as steel and would never have deserted a  panion; whether she liked him or not。

now that shasta knew he would have to spend the night alone (it was getting  darker every minute) he began to like the look of the place less and less。 there  was something very unfortable about those great; silent shapes of stone。 he had been  trying his hardest for a long time not to think of ghouls: but he couldnt keep it up  any longer。

〃ow! ow! help!〃 he shouted suddenly; for at that very moment he felt  something touch his leg。 i dont think anyone can be blamed for shouting if something es  up from behind and touches him; not in such a place and at such a time; when he is  frightened already。 shasta at any rate was too frightened to run。 anything would be  better than being chased round and round the burial places of the ancient kings with  something he dared not look at behind him。 instead; he did what was really the most sensible  thing he could do。 he looked round; and his heart almost burst with relief。 what had  touched him was only a cat。

the light was too bad now for shasta to see much of the cat except that it  was big and very solemn。 it looked as if it might have lived for long; long years among  the tombs; alone。 its eyes made you think it knew secrets it would not tell。

〃puss; puss;〃 said shasta。 〃i suppose youre not a talking cat。鈥

the cat stared at him harder than ever。 then it started walking away; and  of course shasta followed it。 it led him right through the tombs and out on the desert side  of them。 there it sat down bolt upright with its tail curled round its feet and its face set  towards the desert and towards narnia and the north; as still as if it were watching for some  enemy。 shasta lay down beside it with his back against the cat and his face towards the  tombs; because if one is nervous theres nothing like having your face towards the danger  and having something warm and solid at your 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 1

你可能喜欢的