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第15部分

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第15部分

小说: prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页4000字

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rumpkin 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 was not frightened: she  had seen such things before。 but when she looked again he was only a tree; though he was  still moving。

you couldnt see whether he had feet or roots; of course; because when  trees move they dont walk on the surface of the earth; they wade in it as we do in water。  the same thing happened with every tree she looked at。 at one moment they seemed to be the  friendly; lovely giant and giantess forms which the tree…people put on when some good  magic has called them into full life: next moment they all looked like trees again。  but when they looked like trees; it was like strangely human trees; and when they looked  like people; it was like strangely branchy and leafy people … and all the time that queer  lilting; rustling; cool; merry noise。

〃they are almost awake; not quite;〃 said lucy。 she knew she herself was  wide awake; wider than anyone usually is。

she went fearlessly in among them; dancing herself as she leaped this way  and that to avoid being run into by these huge partners。 but she was only half  interested in them。 she wanted to get beyond them to something else; it was from beyond them that  the dear voice had called。

she soon got through them (half wondering whether she had been using her  arms to push branches aside; or to take hands in a great chain with big dancers who  stooped to reach her) for they were really a ring of trees round a central open place。 she  stepped out from among their shifting confusion of lovely lights and shadows。

a circle of grass; smooth as a lawn; met her eyes; with dark trees dancing  all round it。

and then … oh joy! for he was there: the huge lion; shining white in the  moonlight; with his huge black shadow underneath him。

but for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion; but lucy  never thought of that。 she never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not。  she rushed to him。 she felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment。 and the next  thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far round his neck as  she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane。

〃aslan; aslan。 dear aslan;〃 sobbed lucy。 〃at last。鈥

the great beast rolled over on his side so that lucy fell; half sitting and  half lying between his front paws。 he bent forward and just touched her nose with his  tongue。 his warm breath came all round her。 she gazed up into the large wise face。

〃wele; child;〃 he said。

〃aslan;〃 said lucy; 〃youre bigger。鈥

〃that is because you are older; little one;〃 answered he。

〃not because you are?鈥

〃i am not。 but every year you grow; you will find me bigger。鈥

for a time she was so happy that she did not want to speak。 but aslan  spoke。

〃lucy;〃 he said; 〃we must not lie here for long。 you have work in hand; and  much time has been lost today。鈥

〃yes; wasnt it a shame?〃 said lucy。 〃i saw you all right。 they wouldnt  believe me。

theyre all so …鈥

from somewhere deep inside aslans body there came the faintest suggestion  of a growl。

〃im sorry;〃 said lucy; who understood some of his moods。 〃i didnt mean to  start sla

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