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第17章

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第17章

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

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〃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 slanging the others。 but it wasnt my fault anyway; was it?鈥

the lion looked straight into her eyes。

〃oh; aslan;〃 said lucy。 〃you dont mean it was? how could i … i couldnt  have left the others and e up to you alone; how could i? dont look at me like that 。  。 。 oh well; i suppose i could。 yes; and it wouldnt have been alone; i know; not if i was  with you。 but what would have been the good?鈥

aslan said nothing。

〃you mean;〃 said lucy rather faintly; 〃that it would have turned out all  right … somehow?

but how? please; aslan! am i not to know?鈥

〃to know what would have happened; child?〃 said aslan。 〃no。 nobody is ever  told that。鈥

〃oh dear;〃 said lucy。

〃but anyone can find out what will happen;〃 said aslan。 〃if you go back to  the others now; and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you  must all get up at once and follow me … what will happen? there is only one way of  finding out。鈥

〃do you mean that is what you want me to do?〃 gasped lu

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