《The Horse and His Boy》第37章

two　lines　now。 only　fifty。　i　can　see　king　edmund；　i　can　see　the　lord　peridan。　there　are　two　mere children　in　the　narnian　line。　what　can　the　king　be　about　to　let　them　into　battle？　only　ten yards　…　the　lines　have　met。　the　giants　on　the　narnian　right　are　doing　wonders　。　。　。　but ones　down　。　。　。
shot　through　the　eye；　i　suppose。　the　centres　all　in　a　muddle。　i　can　see more　on　the　left。
there　are　the　two　boys　again。　lion　alive！　one　is　prince　corm。　the　other； like　him　as　two　peas。　its　your　little　shasta。　corm　is　fighting　like　a　man。　hes　killed　a calormene。　i　can　see　a　bit　of　the　centre　now。　rabadash　and　edmund　almost　met　then；　but　the press　has　separated　them　…”
〃what　about　shasta？〃　said　aravis。
〃oh　the　fool！〃　groaned　the　hermit。　〃poor；　brave　little　fool。　he　knows nothing　about　this　work。　hes　making　no　use　at　all　of　his　shield。　his　whole　sides　exposed。　he hasnt　the　faintest　idea　what　to　do　with　his　sword。　oh；　hes　remembered　it　now。　hes waving　it　wildly　about　。　。　。　nearly　cut　his　own　ponys　head　off；　and　he　will　in　a moment　if　hes　not　careful。　its　been　knocked　out　of　his　hand　now。　its　mere　murder　sending　a child　into　the　battle；　he　cant　live　five　minutes。　duck　you　fool　…　oh；　hes　down。”
〃killed？〃　asked　three　voices　breathlessly。
〃how　can　i　tell？〃　said　the　hermit。　〃the　cats　have　done　their　work。　all　the riderless　horses　are　dead　or　escaped　now：　no　retreat　for　the　calormenes　on　them。　now the　cats　are　turning　back　into　the　main　battle。　theyre　leaping　on　the　rams…men。　the　ram is　down。　oh；　good！　good！　the　gates　are　opening　from　the　inside：　theres　going　to　be　a sortie。　the　first　three　are　out。　its　king　lune　in　the　middle：　the　brothers　dar　and　darrin　on each　side　of　him。　behind　them　are　tran　and　shar　and　cole　with　his　brother　colin。　there are　ten　…　twenty　…　nearly　thirty　of　them　out　by　now。　the　calormen　line　is　being forced　back　upon　them。　king　edmund　is　dealing　marvellous　strokes。　hes　just　slashed corradins　head　off。
lots　of　calormenes　have　thrown　down　their　arms　and　are　running　for　the woods。　those　that　remain　are　hard　pressed。　the　giants　are　closing　in　on　the　right　…　cats on　the　left　…
king　lune　from　their　rear。　the　calormenes　are　a　little　knot　now；　fighting back　to　back。
your　tarkaans　down；　bree。　lune　and　azrooh　are　fighting　hand　to　hand；　the king　looks　like　winning　…　the　king　is　keeping　it　up　well　…　the　king　has　won。　azroohs down。　king　edmunds　down　…　no；　hes　up　again：　hes　at　it　with　rabadash。　theyre fighting　in　the　very　gate　of　the　castle。　several　calormenes　have　surrendered。　darrin　has　killed ilgamuth。　i　cant　see　whats　happened　to　rabadash。　i　think　hes　dead；　leaning　against the　castle　wall；　but　i　dont　know。　chlamash　and　king　edmund　are　still　fighting　but　the battle　is　over　everywhere　else。　chlamash　has　surrendered。　the　battle　is　over。　the calormenes　are　utterly　defeated。”
when　shasta　fell　off　his　horse　he　gave　himself　up　for　lost。　but　horses； even　in　battle；　tread　on　human　beings　very　much　less　than　you　would　suppose。　after　a　very horrible　ten　minutes　or　so　shasta　realized　suddenly　that　there　were　no　longer　any　horses stamping　about　in　the　immediate　neighbourhood　and　that　the　noise　（for　there　were still　a　good　many　noises　going　on）　was　no　longer　that　of　a　battle。　he　sat　up　and　stared about　him。
even　he；　little　as　he　knew　of　battles；　could　soon　see　that　the archenlanders　and　narnians　had　won。　the　only　living　calormenes　he　could　see　were　prisoners；　the　castle gates　were　wide　open；　and　king　lune　and　king　edmund　were　shaking　hands　across　the battering　ram。　from　the　circle　of　lords　and　warriors　around　them　there　arose　a　sound of　breathless　and　excited；　but　obviously　cheerful　conversation。　and　then；　suddenly；　it all　united　and　swelled　into　a　great　roar　of　laughter。
shasta。　picked　himself　up；　feeling　unmonly　stiff；　and　ran　towards　the sound　to　see　what　the　joke　was。　a　very　curious　sight　met　his　eyes。　the　unfortunate rabadash　appeared　to　be　suspended　from　the　castle　walls。　his　feet；　which　were　about　two　feet from　the　ground；　were　kicking　wildly。　his　chain…shirt　was　somehow　hitched　up　so　that it　was　horribly　tight　under　the　arms　and　came　half　way　over　his　face。　in　fact　he looked　just　as　a　man　looks　if　you　catch　him　in　the　very　act　of　getting　into　a　stiff　shirt that　is　a　little　too　small　for　him。　as　far　as　could　be　made　out　afterwards　（and　you　may　be　sure the　story　was　well　talked　over　for　many　a　day）　what　happened　was　something　like　this。 early　in　the　battle　one　of　the　giants　had　made　an　unsuccessful　stamp　at　rabadash　with his　spiked　boot：　unsuccessful　because　it　didnt　crush　rabadash；　which　was　what　the giant　had　intended；　but　not　quite　useless　because　one　of　the　spikes　tore　the　chain mail；　just　as　you　or　i　might　tear　an　ordinary　shirt。　so　rabadash；　by　the　time　he　encountered edmund　at　the　gate；　had　a　hole　in　the　back　of　his　hauberk。　and　when　edmund　pressed　him back　nearer　and　nearer　to　the　wall；　he　jumped　up　on　a　mounting　block　and　stood　there raining　down　blows　on　edmund　from　above。　but　then；　finding　that　this　position；　by raising　him　above　the　heads　of　everyone　else；　made　him　a　mark　for　every　arrow　from　the narnian　bows；　he　decided　to　jump　down　again。　and　he　meant　to　look　and　sound　…　no　doubt　for　a moment　he　did　look　and　sound　…　very　grand　and　very　dreadful　as　he　jumped；　crying； 〃the　bolt　of　tash　falls　from　above。〃　but　he　had　to　jump　sideways　because　the　crowd　in front　of　him　left　him　no　landing　place　in　that　direction。　and　then；　in　the　neatest　way you　could　wish；　the　tear　in　the　back　of　his　hauberk　caught　on　a　hook　in　the　wall。　（ages　ago this　hook　had　had　a　ring　in　it　for　tying　horses　to。）　and　there　he　found　himself；　like　a piece　of　washing　hung　up　to　dry；　with　everyone　laughing　at　him。
〃let　me　down；　edmund；〃　howled　rabadash。　〃let　me　down　and　fight　me　like　a king　and　a　man；　or　if　you　are　too　great　a　coward　to　do　that；　kill　me　at　once。”
〃certainly；〃　began　king　edmund；　but　king　lune　interrupted。
〃by　your　majestys　good　leave；〃　said　king　lune　to　edmund。　〃not　so。〃　then turning　to　rabadash　he　said；　〃your　royal　highness；　if　you　had　given　that　challenge　a week　ago；　ill　answer　for　it　there　was　no　one　in　king　edmunds　dominion；　from　the　hig