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第2部分

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第2部分

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

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ember its a good deal hotter here than in  england and weve been carrying them about in pockets for hours。〃 so they got out the  two packets and divided them into four portions; and nobody had quite enough; but it  was a great deal better than nothing。 then they talked about their plans for the next meal。  lucy wanted to go back to the sea and catch shrimps; until someone pointed out that they  had no nets。

edmund said they must gather gulls eggs from the rocks; but when they came  to think of it they couldnt remember having seen any gulls eggs and wouldnt be able  to cook them if they found any。 peter thought to himself that unless they had some  stroke of luck they would soon be glad to eat eggs raw; but he didnt see any point in saying  this out loud。

susan said it was a pity they had eaten the sandwiches so soon。 one or two  tempers very nearly got lost at this stage。 finally edmund said:   

〃look here。 theres only one thing to be done。 we must explore the wood。  hermits and knights…errant and people like that always manage to live somehow if  theyre in a forest。

they find roots and berries and things。鈥

〃what sort of roots?〃 asked susan。

〃i always thought it meant roots of trees;〃 said lucy。

〃e on;〃 said peter; 〃ed is right。 and we must try to do something。 and  itll be better than going out into the glare and the sun again。鈥

so they all got up and began to follow the stream。 it was very hard work。  they had to stoop under branches and climb over branches; and they blundered through  great masses of stuff like rhododendrons and tore their clothes and got their feet wet  in the stream; and still there was no noise at all except the noise of the stream and the  noises they were making themselves。 they were beginning to get very tired of it when they  noticed a delicious smell; and then a flash of bright colour high above them at the  top of the right bank。

〃i say!〃 exclaimed lucy。 〃i do believe thats an apple tree。鈥

it was。 they panted up the steep bank; forced their way through some  brambles; and found themselves standing round an old tree that was heavy with large  yellowishgolden apples as firm and juicy as you could wish to see。

〃and this is not the only tree;〃 said edmund with his mouth full of apple。  〃look there…and there。鈥

〃why; there are dozens of them;〃 said susan; throwing away the core of her  first apple and picking her second。 〃this must have been an orchard … long; long ago;  before the place went wild and the wood grew up。鈥

〃then this was once an inhabited island;〃 said peter。

〃and whats that?〃 said lucy; pointing ahead。

〃by jove; its a wall;〃 said peter。 〃an old stone wall。鈥

pressing their way between the laden branches they reached the wall。 it was  very old; and broken down in places; with moss and wallflowers growing on it; but it was  higher than all but the tallest trees。 and when they came quite close to it they found  a great arch which must once have had a gate in it but was now almost filled up with the  largest of all the apple trees。 they had to break some of the branches to get past; and  when they had done so they all blinked because the daylight became suddenly much  brighter。 they found themselves in a wide open place with walls all round it。 in here  there were no trees; only level grass and daisies; and ivy; and grey walls。 it was a bright;  secret; quiet place;  

and rather sad; and all four stepped out into the middle of it; glad to be  able to straighten their backs and move their limbs freely。

www銆偂 o m



CHAPTER TWO

銆灏忚t…xt澶╁爞銆  銆
the ancient treasure house  〃this wasnt a garden;〃 said susan presently。 〃it was a castle and this  must have been the courtyard。鈥

〃i see what you mean;〃 said peter。 〃yes。 that is the remains of a tower。  and there is what used to be a flight of steps going up to the top of the walls。 and look at  those other steps … the broad; shallow ones … going up to that doorway。 it must have been the  door into the great hall。鈥

〃ages ago; by the look of it;〃 said edmund。

〃yes; ages ago;〃 said peter。 〃i wish we could find out who the people were  that lived in this castle; and how long ago。鈥

〃it gives me a queer feeling;〃 said lucy。

〃does it; lu?〃 said peter; turning and looking hard at her。 〃because it  does the same to me。 it is the queerest thing that has happened this queer day。 i wonder  where we are and what it all means?鈥

while they were talking they had crossed the courtyard and gone through the  other doorway into what had once been the hall。 this was now very like the  courtyard; for the roof had long since disappeared and it was merely another space of grass  and daisies; except that it was shorter and narrower and the walls were higher。 across  the far end there was a kind of terrace about three feet higher than the rest。

〃i wonder; was it really the hall?〃 said susan。 〃what is that terrace kind  of thing?鈥

〃why; you silly;〃 said peter (who had bee strangely excited); 〃dont you  see? that was the dais where the high table was; where the king and the great lords  sat。 anyone would think you had forgotten that we ourselves were once kings and queens  and sat on a dais just like that; in our great hall。鈥

〃in our castle of cair paravel;〃 continued susan in a dreamy and rather  sing…song voice; 〃at the mouth of the great river of narnia。 how could i forget?鈥

〃how it all es back!〃 said lucy。 〃we could pretend we were in cair  paravel now。

this hall must have been very like the great hall we feasted in。鈥

〃but unfortunately without the feast;〃 said edmund。 〃its getting late; you  know。 look how long the shadows are。 and have you noticed that it isnt so hot?鈥

〃we shall need a camp…fire if weve got to spend the night here;〃 said  peter。 〃ive got matches。 lets go and see if we can collect some dry wood。鈥

everyone saw the sense of this; and for the next halfhour they were busy。  the orchard through which they had first e into the ruins turned out not to be a  good place for firewood。 they tried the other side of the castle; passing out of the hall  by a little side door into a maze of stony humps and hollows which must once have been  passages and smaller rooms but was now all nettles and wild roses。 beyond this they  found a wide gap in the castle wall and stepped through it into a wood of darker and bigger  trees where they found dead branches and rotten wood and sticks and dry leaves and fir …cones in plenty。 they went to and fro with bundles until they had a good pile on the  dais。 at the fifth journey they found the well; just outside the hall; hidden in weeds;  but clean and fresh and deep when they had cleared these away。

the remains of a stone pavement ran half…way round it。 then the girls went  out to pick some more apples and the boys built the fire; on the dais and fairly close  to the corner between two walls; which they thought would be the snuggest and warmest  place。 they had great difficulty in lighting it and used a lot of matches; but they  succeeded in the end。

finally; all four sat down with their backs to the wall and their faces to  the fire。 they tried roasting some of the apples on the ends of sticks。 but roast apples  are not much good without sugar; and they are too hot to eat with your fingers till they  are too cold to be worth eating。 so they had to content themselves with raw apples; which;  as edmund said; made one realize that school suppers werent so bad after all … 〃i  shouldnt mind a good thick slice of bread and margarine this minute;〃 he added。 but the  spirit of adventure was rising in them all; and no one really wanted to be back at  school。

shortly after the last apple had been eaten; susan went out to the well to  get another drink。 when she came back she was carrying something in her hand。

〃look;〃 she said in a rather choking kind of voice。 〃i found it by the  well。〃 she handed it to peter and sat down。 the others thought she looked and sounded as if she  might be going to cry。 edmund and lucy eagerly bent forward to see what was in  peters hand … a little; bright thing that gleamed in the firelight。

〃well; im … im jiggered;〃 said peter; and his voice also sounded queer。  then he handed it to the others。

all now saw what it was … a little chess…knight; ordinary in size but  extraordinarily heavy because it was made of pure gold; and the eyes in the horses head were two  tiny little rubies or rather one was; for the other had been knocked out。

〃why!〃 said lucy; 〃its exactly like one of the golden chessmen we used to  play with when we were kings and queens at cair paravel。鈥

〃cheer up; su;〃 said peter to his other sister。

〃i cant help it;〃 said susan。 〃it brought back … oh; such lovely times。  and i remembered playing chess with fauns and good giants; and the mer…people singing in the  sea; and my beautiful horse … and … and …鈥

〃now;〃 said peter in a quite different voice; 〃its about time we four  started using our brains。鈥

〃what about?〃 asked edmund。

〃have none of you guessed where we are?〃 said peter。

〃go on; go on;〃 said lucy。 〃ive felt for hours that there was some  wonderful mystery hanging over this place。鈥

〃fire ahead; peter;〃 said edmun

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