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第24部分

the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯-第24部分

小说: the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页4000字

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〃ill take his place; sire;〃 said corin。

〃pshaw;〃 said edmund。 〃no one doubts your courage。 but a boy in battle is a  danger only to his own side。鈥

at that moment the king was called away to attend to something else; and  corin; after apologizing handsomely to the dwarf; rushed up to shasta and whispered;  〃quick。 theres a spare pony now; and the dwarfs armour。 put it on before  anyone notices。鈥

〃what for?〃 said shasta。

〃why; so that you and i can fight in the battle of course! dont you want  to?鈥

〃oh … ah; yes; of course;〃 said shasta。 but he hadnt been thinking of  doing so at all; and began to get a most unfortable prickly feeling in his spine。

〃thats right;〃 said corin。 〃over your head。 now the sword…belt。 but we  must ride near the tail of the column and keep as quiet as mice。 once the battle begins  everyone will be far too busy to notice us。鈥

w锛穡銆倄iaoshuo txt锛



CHAPTER THIRTEEN

銆灏彙/璇淬倀xt澶╁爞
the fight at anvard  by about eleven oclock the whole pany was once more on the march;  riding westward with the mountains on their left。 corin and shasta rode right at  the rear with the giants immediately in front of them。 lucy and edmund and peridan were busy  with their plans for the battle and though lucy once said; 〃but where is his goosecap  highness?鈥

edmund only replied; 〃not in the front; and thats good news enough。 leave  well alone。鈥

shasta told corin most of his adventures and explained that he had learned  all his riding from a horse and didnt really know how to use the reins。 corin instructed  him in this; besides telling him all about their secret sailing from tashbaan。

〃and where is the queen susan?鈥

〃at cair paravel;〃 said corin。 〃shes not like lucy; you know; whos as  good as a man; or at any rate as good as a boy。 queen susan is more like an ordinary grown…up  lady。 she doesnt ride to the wars; though she is an excellent archer。鈥

the hillside path which they were following became narrower all the time  and the drop on their right hand became steeper。 at last they were going in single file  along the edge of a precipice and shasta shuddered to think that he had done the same last  night without knowing it。 〃but of course;〃 he thought; 〃i was quite safe。 that is why the  lion kept on my left。 he was between me and the edge all the time。鈥

then the path went left and south away from the cliff and there were thick  woods on both sides of it and they went steeply up and up into the pass。 there would have  been a splendid view from the top if it were open ground but among all those trees  you could see nothing … only; every now and then; some huge pinnacle of rock above the  tree…tops; and an eagle or two wheeling high up in the blue air。

〃they smell battle;〃 said corin; pointing at the birds。 〃they know were  preparing a feed for them。鈥

shasta didnt like this at all。

when they had crossed the neck of the pass and e a good deal lower they  reached more open ground and from here shasta could see all archenland; blue and  hazy; spread  

out below him and even (he thought) a hint of the desert beyond it。 but the  sun; which had perhaps two hours or so to go before it set; was in his eyes and he  couldnt make things out distinctly。

here the army halted and spread out in a line; and there was a great deal  of rearranging。 a whole detachment of very dangerous…looking talking beasts whom shasta had  not noticed before and who were mostly of the cat kind (leopards; panthers; and  the like)

went padding and growling to take up their positions on the left。 the  giants were ordered to the right; and before going there they all took off something they had  been carrying on their backs and sat down for a moment。 then shasta saw that what they had  been carrying and were now putting on were pairs of boots: horrid; heavy; spiked  boots which came up to their knees。 then they sloped their huge clubs over their  shoulders and marched to their battle position。 the archers; with queen lucy; fell to the  rear and you could first see them bending their bows and then hear the twangtwang as  they tested the strings。 and wherever you looked you could see people tightening girths;  putting on helmets; drawing swords; and throwing cloaks to the ground。 there was  hardly any talking now。 it was very solemn and very dreadful。 〃im in for it now … i  really am in for it now;〃 thought shasta。 then there came noises far ahead: the sound of many  men shouting and a steady thud…thud…thud  〃battering ram;〃 whispered corin。 〃theyre battering the gate。鈥

even corin looked quite serious now。

〃why doesnt king edmund get on?〃 he said。 〃i can stand this waiting  about。 chilly too。鈥

shasta nodded: hoping he didnt look as frightened as felt。

the trumpet at last! on the move now … now trotting the banner streaming  out in the wind。 they had topped low ridge now; and below them the whole scene sudden  opened out; a little; many…towered castle with its gate towards them。 no moat;  unfortunately; but of course the gate shut and the portcullis down。 on the walls they could  see; like little white dots; the faces of the defenders。 down below; about fifty of the  calormenes; dismounted; were steadily swinging a great tree trunk against the gate。 but  at once the scene changed。 the main bulk of rshs men had been on foot ready to  assault the gate。 but now he had seen the narnians sweeping down from the ridge。 there  is no doubt those calormenes are wonderfully trained。 it seemed to shasta only a second  before a whole line of the enemy were on horseback again; wheeling round to meet  them; swinging towards them。

and now a gallop。 the ground between the two armies grew less every moment。  faster; faster。 all swords out now; all shields up to the nose; all prayers said;  all teeth clenched。

shasta was dreadfully frightened。 but it suddenly came into his head; 〃if  you funk this; youll funk every battle all your life。 now or never。鈥

but when at last the two lines met he had really very littler idea of what  happened。 there was a frightful confusion‘; and an appalling noise。 his sword was knocked  clean out of his hand pretty soon。 and hed got the reins tangled somehow。 then he found  himself slipping。 then a spear came straight at him and as he ducked to avoid it he  rolled right off his horse; bashed his left knuckles terribly against someone elses armour;  and then … but it is no use trying to describe the battle from shastas point of view; he  understood too little of the fight in general and even of his own part in it。 the best way  i can tell you what really happened is to take you some miles away to where the hermit of  the southern march sat gazing into the smooth pool beneath the spreading tree; with bree  and hwin and aravis beside him。

for it was in this pool that the hermit looked when he wanted to know what  was going on in the world outside the green walls of his hermitage。 there; as in a  mirror; he could see; at certain times; what was going on in the streets of cities far  farther south than tashbaan; or what ships were putting into redhaven in the remote seven  isles; or what robbers or wild beasts stirred in the great western forests between lantern  waste and telmar。 and all this day he had hardly left his pool; even to eat or drink;  for he knew that great events were on foot in archenland。 aravis and the horses gazed into  it too。 they could see it was a magic pool: instead of reflecting the tree and the sky  it revealed cloudy and coloured shapes moving; always moving; in its depths。 but they could  see nothing clearly。 the hermit could and from time to time he told them what he saw。 a  little while before shasta rode into his first battle; the hermit had begun speaking  like this:  〃i see one … two … three eagles wheeling in the gap by stormness head。 one  is the oldest of all the eagles。 he would not be out unless battle was at hand。 i see him  wheel to and fro; peering down sometimes at anvard and sometimes to the east; behind  stormness。 ah … i see now what rsh and his men have been so busy at all day。 they  have felled and lopped a great tree and they are now ing out of the woods carrying  it as a ram。

they have learned something from the failure of last nights assult。 he  would have been wiser if he had set his men to making ladders: but it takes too long and he  is impatient。

fool that he is! he ought to have ridden back to tashbaan as soon as the  first attack failed; for his whole plan depended on speed and surprise。 now they are  bringing their ram into position。 king lunes men are shooting hard from the walls。 five  calormenes have fallen: but not many will。 they have their shields above their heads。  rsh is giving his orders now。 with him are his most trusted lords; fierce tarkaans  from the eastern provinces。 i can see their faces。 there is corradin of castle  tormunt; and azrooh; and chlamash; and ilgamuth of the twisted lip; and a tall tarkaan with a  crimson beard …鈥

〃by the mane; my old master anradin!〃 said bree。

〃s…s…sly〃 said aravis。

〃now the ram has started。 if i could hear as well as see; what a noise that  would make!

stroke after stroke: and no gate can stand it for ever。 but wait! somethi

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