《The Horse and His Boy》第31章

they　seemed　to　have　given　up　blowing　that　horn。　the　only　sound　was　a　steady　drip…drip　from the　branches　of　the　trees。
〃well；　i　suppose　even　a　walk　will　get　us　somewhere　sometime；〃　said　shasta to　himself。　〃i　only　hope　i　shant　run　into　rabadash　and　his　people。”
he　went　on　for　what　seemed　a　long　time；　always　at　a　walking　pace。　he　began to　hate　that　horse；　and　he　was　also　beginning　to　feel　very　hungry。
presently　he　came　to　a　place　where　the　road　divided　into　two。　he　was　just wondering　which　led　to　anvard　when　he　was　startled　by　a　noise　from　behind　him。　it　was the　noise　of　trotting　horses。　〃rabadash！〃　thought　shasta。　he　had　no　way　of　guessing which　road　rabadash　would　take。　〃but　if　i　take　one；〃　said　shasta　to　himself；　〃he　may take　the　other：　and　if　i　stay　at　the　cross…roads　im　sure　to　be　caught。〃　he　dismounted　and led　his　horse　as　quickly　as　he　could　along　the　right…hand　road。
the　sound　of　the　cavalry　grew　rapidly　nearer　and　in　a　minute　or　two　shasta realized　that　they　were　at　the　crossroads。　he　held　his　breath；　waiting　to　see　which　way they　would　take。
there　came　a　low　word　of　mand　〃halt！〃　then　a　moment　of　horsey　noises　… nostrils　blowing；　hoofs　pawing；　bits　being　champed；　necks　being　patted。　then　a　voice spoke。
〃attend；　all　of　you；〃　it　said。　〃we　are　now　within　a　furlong　of　the　castle。 remember　your　orders。　once　we　are　in　narnia；　as　we　should　be　by　sunrise；　you　are　to　kill as　little　as　possible。　on　this　venture　you　are　to　regard　every　drop　of　narnian　blood　as more　precious　than　a　gallon　of　your　own。　on　this　venture；　i　say。　the　gods　will　send　us　a happier　hour　and　then　you　must　leave　nothing　alive　between　cair　paravel　and　the　western waste。　but　we　are　not　yet　in　narnia。　here　in　archenland　it　is　another　thing。　in　the assault　on　this　castle　of　king　lunes；　nothing　matters　but　speed。　show　your　mettle。　it　must be　mine
within　an　hour。　and　if　it　is；　i　give　it　all　to　you。　i　reserve　no　booty　for myself。　kill　me　every　barbarian　male　within　its　walls；　down　to　the　child　that　was　born yesterday；　and　everything　else　is　yours　to　divide　as　you　please　…　the　women；　the　gold；　the jewels；　the　weapons；　and　the　wine。　the　man　that　i　see　hanging　back　when　we　e　to　the gates　shall　be　burned　alive。　in　the　name　of　tash　the　irresistible；　the　inexorable forward！”
with　a　great　cloppitty…clop　the　column　began　to　move；　and　shasta　breathed again。　they　had　taken　the　other　road。
shasta　thought　they　took　a　long　time　going　past；　for　though　he　had　been talking　and　thinking　about　〃two　hundred　horse〃　all　day；　he　had　not　realized　how　many they　really　were。　but　at　last　the　sound　died　away　and　once　more　he　was　alone　amid　the drip…drip　from　the　trees。
he　now　knew　the　way　to　anvard　but　of　course　he　could　not　now　go　there：　that would　only　mean　running　into　the　arms　of　rabadashs　troopers。　〃what　on　earth　am　i to　do？〃　said　shasta　to　himself。　but　he　remounted　his　horse　and　continued　along　the　road he　had　chosen；　in　the　faint　hope　of　finding　some　cottage　where　he　might　ask　for shelter　and　a　meal。　he　had　thought；　of　course；　of　going　back　to　aravis　and　bree　and　hwin at　the　hermitage；　but　he　couldnt　because　by　now　he　had　not　the　least　idea　of　the direction。
〃after　all；〃　said　shasta；　〃this　road　is　bound　to　get　to　somewhere。”
but　that　all　depends　on　what　you　mean　by　somewhere。　the　road　kept　on getting　to　somewhere　in　the　sense　that　it　got　to　more　and　more　trees；　all　dark　and dripping；　and　to　colder　and　colder　air。　and　strange；　icy　winds　kept　blowing　the　mist　past him　though　they　never　blew　it　away。　if　he　had　been　used　to　mountain　country　he　would　have realized　that　this　meant　he　was　now　very　high　up　…　perhaps　right　at　the　top　of　the　pass。 but　shasta　knew　nothing　about　mountains。
〃i　do　think；〃　said　shasta；　〃that　i　must　be　the　most　unfortunate　boy　that ever　lived　in　the　whole　world。　everything　goes　right　for　everyone　except　me。　those　narnian lords　and　ladies　got　safe　away　from　tashbaan；　i　was　left　behind。　aravis　and　bree　and hwin　are　all　as　snug　as　anything　with　that　old　hermit：　of　course　i　was　the　one　who　was sent　on。　king　lune　and　his　people　must　have　got　safely　into　the　castle　and　shut　the　gates long　before　rabadash　arrived；　but　i　get　left　out。”
and　being　very　tired　and　having　nothing　inside　him；　he　felt　so　sorry　for himself　that　the　tears　rolled　down　his　cheeks。
what　put　a　stop　to　all　this　was　a　sudden　fright。　shasta　discovered　that someone　or　somebody　was　walking　beside　him。　it　was　pitch　dark　and　he　could　see nothing。　and　the　thing　（or　person）　was　going　so　quietly　that　he　could　hardly　hear　any footfalls。　what　he　could　hear　was　breathing。　his　invisible　panion　seemed　to　breathe　on　a very　large　scale；　and　shasta　got　the　impression　that　it　was　a　very　large　creature。　and he　had　e　to
notice　this　breathing　so　gradually　that　he　had　really　no　idea　how　long　it had　been　there。　it　was　a　horrible　shock。
it　darted　into　his　mind　that　he　had　heard　long　ago　that　there　were　giants in　these　northern　countries。　he　bit　his　lip　in　terror。　but　now　that　he　really　had　something to　cry　about；　he　stopped　crying。
the　thing　（unless　it　was　a　person）　went　on　beside　him　so　very　quietly　that shasta　began　to　hope　he　had　only　imagined　it。　but　just　as　he　was　being　quite　sure　of it；　there　suddenly　came　a　deep；　rich　sigh　out　of　the　darkness　beside　him。　that couldnt　be　imagination！　anyway；　he　had　felt　the　hot　breath　of　that　sigh　on　his　chilly left　hand。
if　the　horse　had　been　any　good　…　or　if　he　had　known　how　to　get　any　good　out of　the　horse　…　he　would　have　risked　everything　on　a　breakaway　and　a　wild　gallop。　but　he knew　he　couldnt　make　that　horse　gallop。　so　he　went　on　at　a　walking　pace　and　the unseen　panion　walked　and　breathed　beside　him。　at　last　he　could　bear　it　no longer。
〃who　are　you？〃　he　said；　scarcely　above　a　whisper。
〃one　who　has　waited　long　for　you　to　speak；〃　said　the　thing。　its　voice　was not　loud；　but　very　large　and　deep。
〃are　you…　are　you　a　giant？〃　asked　shasta。
〃you　might　call　me　a　giant；〃　said　the　large　voice。　〃but　i　am　not　like　the creatures　you　call　giants。”
〃i　cant　see　you　at　all；〃　said　shasta；　after　staring　very　hard。　then　（for an　even　more　terrible　idea　had　e　into