《The Horse and His Boy》第9章

lls　and　the　bad　riding。 bree　obviously　thought　it　very　funny；　but　aravis　did　not　laugh。　when　bree　had　finished they　all　went　to　sleep。
next　day　all　four　of　them；　two　horses　and　two　humans；　continued　their journey　together。
shasta　thought　it　had　been　much　pleasanter　when　he　and　bree　were　on　their own。　for　now　it　was　bree　and　aravis　who　did　nearly　all　the　talking。　bree　had　lived　a long　time　in　calormen　and　had　always　been　among　tarkaans　and　tarkaans　horses；　and　so　of course　he　knew　a　great　many　of　the　same　people　and　places　that　aravis　knew。　she would　always　be　saying　things　like；　〃but　if　you　were　at　the　fight　of　zulindreh　you　would have　seen　my　cousin　alimash；〃　and　bree　would　answer；　〃oh；　yes；　alimash；　he　was　only captain　of　the　chariots；　you　know。　i　dont　quite　hold　with　chariots　or　the　kind　of　horses who　draw　chariots。　thats　not　real　cavalry。　but　he　is　a　worthy　nobleman。　he　filled my　nosebag　with　sugar　after　the　taking　of　teebeth。〃　or　else　bree　would　say；　〃i　was　down　at the　lake　of　mezreel　that　summer；〃　and　aravis　would　say；　〃oh；　mezreel！　i　had　a　friend there；　lasaraleen　tarkheena。　what　a　delightful　place　it　is。　those　gardens；　and　the valley　of　the　thousand　perfumes！〃　bree　was　not　in　the　least　trying　to　leave　shasta　out　of things；　though　shasta　sometimes　nearly　thought　he　was。　people　who　know　a　lot　of　the same　things　can　hardly　help　talking　about　them；　and　if　youre　there　you　can hardly　help　feeling　that　youre　out　of　it。
hwin　the　mare　was　rather　shy　before　a　great　war…horse　like　bree　and　said very　little。　and　aravis　never　spoke　to　shasta　at　all　if　she　could　help　it。
soon；　however；　they　had　more　important　things　to　think　of。　they　were getting　near　tashbaan。　there　were　more；　and　larger；　villages；　and　more　people　on　the roads。　they　now　did　nearly　all　their　travelling　by　night　and　hid　as　best　they　could during　the　day。　and
at　every　halt　they　argued　and　argued　about　what　they　were　to　do　when　they reached　tashbaan。　everyone　had　been　putting　off　this　difficulty；　but　now　it　could be　put　off　no　longer。　during　these　discussions　aravis　became　a　little；　a　very　little； less　unfriendly　to　shasta；　one　usually　gets　on　better　with　people　when　one　is　making　plans than　when　one　is　talking　about　nothing　in　particular。
bree　said　the　first　thing　now　to　do　was　to　fix　a　place　where　they　would　all promise　to　meet　on　the　far　side　of　tashbaan　even　if；　by　any　ill　luck；　they　got separated　in　passing　the　city。　he　said　the　best　place　would　be　the　tombs　of　the　ancient　kings　on　the very　edge　of　the　desert。　〃things　like　great　stone　bee…hives；〃　he　said；　〃you　cant possibly　miss　them。
and　the　best　of　it　is　that　none　of　the　calormenes　will　go　near　them　because they　think　the　place　is　haunted　by　ghouls　and　are　afraid　of　it。〃　aravis　asked　if　it　wasnt really　haunted　by　ghouls。　but　bree　said　he　was　a　free　narnian　horse　and　didnt　believe　in these　calormene　tales。　and　then　shasta　said　he　wasnt　a　calormene　either　and　didnt　care　a straw　about　these　old　stories　of　ghouls。　this　wasnt　quite　true。　but　it　rather impressed　aravis　（though　at　the　moment　it　annoyed　her　too）　and　of　course　she　said　she　didnt　mind any　number　of　ghouls　either。　so　it　was　settled　that　the　tombs　should　be　their　assembly place　on　the　other　side　of　tashbaan；　and　everyone　felt　they　were　getting　on　very　well till　hwin　humbly　pointed　out　that　the　real　problem　was　not　where　they　should　go　when they　had　got　through　tashbaan　but　how　they　were　to　get　through　it。
〃well　settle　that　tomorrow；　maam；〃　said　bree。　〃time　for　a　little　sleep now。”
but　it　wasnt　easy　to　settle。　araviss　first　suggestion　was　that　they should　swim　across　the　river　below　the　city　during　the　night　and　not　go　into　tashbaan　at　all。　but bree　had　two　reasons　against　this。　one　was　that　the　river…mouth　was　very　wide　and　it would　be　far　too　long　a　swim　for　hwin　to　do；　especially　with　a　rider　on　her　back。　（he thought　it　would　be　too　long　for　himself　too；　but　he　said　much　less　about　that）。　the　other　was that　it　would　be　full　of　shipping　and　of　course　anyone　on　the　deck　of　a　ship　who　saw　two horses　swimming　past　would　be　almost　certain　to　be　inquisitive。
shasta　thought　they　should　go　up　the　river　above　tashbaan　and　cross　it where　it　was　narrower。　but　bree　explained　that　there　were　gardens　and　pleasure　houses　on both　banks　of　the　river　for　miles　and　that　there　would　be　tarkaans　and　tarkheenas living　in　them　and　riding　about　the　roads　and　having　water　parties　on　the　river。　in　fact　it would　be　the　most　likely　place　in　the　world　for　meeting　someone　who　would　recognize　aravis　or even　himself。
〃well　have　to　have　a　disguise；〃　said　shasta。
hwin　said　it　looked　to　her　as　if　the　safest　thing　was　to　go　right　through the　city　itself　from　gate　to　gate　because　one　was　less　likely　to　be　noticed　in　the　crowd。　but she　approved　of　the　idea　of　disguise　as　well。　she　said；　〃both　the　human　will　have　to　dress in　rags　and　look　like　peasants　or　slaves　and　all　araviss　armour　and　our　saddles　and　things must　be　made　into　bundles　and　put　on　our　backs；　and　the　children　must　pretend　to　drive us　and　people　will　think　were　on　pack…horses。”
〃my　dear　hwin！〃　said　aravis　rather　scornfully。　〃as　anyone　could　mistake bree　for　anything　but　a　war…hors　however　you　disguised　him！”
〃i　should　think　not；　indeed；〃　said　bree；　snorting　an　letting　his　ears　go ever　so　little　back。
〃i　know　its　not　a　very　good　plan；〃　said　hwin。　〃but　i　think　its　our　only chance。　and　we　havent　been　groomed　for　ages　and　were　not　looking　quite　ourselves　（at least；　im　sure　im　not）。　i　do　think　if　we　get　well　plastered　with　mud　and　go　along　with our　heads　down　as　if　were　tired　and　lazy　…and　dont　lift　our　hooves　hardly　at　all　…　we might　not　be　noticed。
and　our　tails　ought　to　be　cut　shorter：　not　neatly；　you　know；　but　all ragged。”
〃my　dear　madam；〃　said　bree。　〃have　you　pictured　to　yourself　how　very disagreeable　it　would　be　to　arrive　in　narnia　in　that　condition？”
〃well；〃　said　hwin　humbly　（she　was　a　very　sensible　mare）；　〃the　main　thing　is to　get　there。”
though　nobody　much　liked　it；　it　was　hwins　plan　which　had　to　be　adopted　in the　end。　it　was　a　troublesome　one　and　involved　a　certain　amount　of　what　shasta　called s