chater ix a gd night’ wrk (第1/7页)

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ABOUT four hours later Tirian flung himself into one of the bunks to snatch a little sleep. The two children were already snoring：he had made them go to bed before he did because they would have to be up most of the night and he knew that at their age they couldn’t do without sleep. Also，he had tired them out. First he had given Jill some practice in archery and found that，though not up to Narnian standards，she was really not too bad. Indeed she had succeeded in shooting a rabbit not a Talking rabbit， of course：there are lots of the ordinary kind about in Western Narnia and it was already skinned，cleaned，and hanging up. He had found that both the children knew all about this chilly and smelly job; they had learned that kind of thing on their great journey through Giant-Land in the days of Prince Rilian. Then he had tried to teach Eustace how to use his sword and shield. Eustace had learned quite a lot about sword fighting on his earlier adventures but that had been all with a straight Narnian sword. He had never handled a curved Calormene scimitar and that made it hard，for many of the strokes are quite different and some of the habits he had learned with the long sword had now to be unlearned again. But Tirian found that he had a good eye and was very quick on his feet. He was surprised at the strength of both children：in fact they both seemed to be already much stronger and bigger and more grown-up than they had been when he first met them a few hours ago. It is one of the effects which Narnian air often has on visitors from our world．

All three of them agreed that the very first thing they must do was to go back to Stable Hill and try to rescue Jewel the Unicorn. After that，if they succeeded，they would try to get away Eastward and meet the little army which Roonwit the Centaur would be bringing from Cair Paravel．

An experienced warrior and huntsman like Tirian can always wake up at the time he wants. So he gave himself till nine o’clock that night and then put all worries out of his head and fell asleep at once. It seemed only a moment later when he woke but he knew by the light and the very feel of things that he had timed his sleep exactly. He got up，put on his helmet-and-turban he had slept in his mail shirt，and then shook the other two till they woke up. They looked，to tell the truth，very grey and dismal as they climbed out of their bunks and there was a good deal of yawning．

“Now，”said Tirian，“we go due North from here-by good fortune ‘tis a starry night-and it will be much shorter than our journey this morning，for then we went round-about but now we shall go straight. If we are challenged，then do you two hold your peace and I will do my best to talk like a curst，cruel，proud lord of Calormen. If I draw my sword then thou，Eustace，must do likewise and let Jill leap behind us and stand with an arrow on the string. But if I cry ‘Home’，then fly for the Tower both of you. And let none try to fight on-not even one stroke after I have given the retreat：such false valour has spoiled many notable plans in the wars. And now，friends，in the name of Aslan let us go forward.”

Out they went into the cold night. All the great Northern stars were burning above the tree-tops. The North-Star of that world is called the Spear-Head：it is brighter than our Pole Star．

For a time they could go straight towards the Spear-Head but presently they came to a dense thicket so that they had to go out of their course to get round it. And after that-for they were still overshadowed by branches-it was hard to pick up their bearings. It was Jill who set them right again：she had been an excellent Guide in England. And of course she knew her Narnian stars perfectly， having travelled so much in the wild Northern Lands，and could work out the direction from other stars even when the Spear-Head was hidden. As soon as Tirian saw that she was the best pathfinder of the three of them he put her in front. And then he was astonished to find how silently and almost invisibly she glided on before them．

“By the Mane!”he whispered to Eustace.“This girl is a wondrous wood-maid. If she had Dryad’s blood in her she could scarce do it better.”

“She’s so small，that’s what helps，”whispered Eustace. But Jill from in front said：“S-s-s-h，less noise.”

All round them the wood was very quiet. Indeed it was far too quiet. On an ordinary Narnia night there ought to have been noises-an occasional cheery“Goodnight”from a Hedgehog，the cry of an Owl overhead，perhaps a flute in the distance to tell of Fauns dancing，or some throbbing，hammering noises from Dwarfs underground. All that was silenced：gloom and fear reigned over Narnia．