《PRINCE CASPIAN》第21章

so　they　set　off　to　their　right　along　the　edge；　downstream。　and　lucy　came last　of　the　party；　crying　bitterly。
。。
CHAPTER　TEN
？小说、网
the　return　of　the　lion to　keep　along　the　edge　of　the　gorge　was　not　so　easy　as　it　had　looked。 before　they　had　gone　many　yards　they　were　confronted　with　young　fir　woods　growing　on　the very　edge；　and　after　they　had　tried　to　go　through　these；　stooping　and　pushing　for about　ten　minutes；　they　realized　that；　in　there；　it　would　take　them　an　hour　to　do　half　a　mile。 so　they　came　back　and　out　again　and　decided　to　go　round　the　fir　wood。　this　took　them much　farther　to　their　right　than　they　wanted　to　go；　far　out　of　sight　of　the　cliffs　and　out of　sound　of　the　river；　till　they　began　to　be　afraid　they　had　lost　it　altogether。　nobody knew　the　time；　but　it　was　getting　to　the　hottest　part　of　the　day。
when　they　were　able　at　last　to　go　back　to　the　edge　of　the　gorge　（nearly　a mile　below　the　point　from　which　they　had　started）　they　found　the　cliffs　on　their　side　of it　a　good　deal　lower　and　more　broken。　soon　they　found　a　way　down　into　the　gorge　and continued　the　journey　at　the　rivers　edge。　but　first　they　had　a　rest　and　a　long　drink。　no one　was　talking　any　more　about　breakfast；　or　even　dinner；　with　caspian。
they　may　have　been　wise　to　stick　to　the　rush　instead　of　going　along　the top。　it　kept　them　sure　of　their　direction：　and　ever　since　the　fir　wood　they　had　all　been afraid　of　being　forced　too　far　out　of　their　course　and　losing　themselves　in　the　wood。　it was　an　old　and　pathless　forest；　and　you　could　not　keep　anything　like　a　straight　course　in it。　patches　of　hopeless　brambles；　fallen　trees；　boggy　places　and　dense　undergrowth　would be　always　getting　in　your　way。　but　the　gorge　of　the　rush　was　not　at　all　a　nice　place for　travelling　either。　i　mean；　it　was　not　a　nice　place　for　people　in　a　hurry。　for　an afternoons　ramble　ending　in　a　picnic　tea　it　would　have　been　delightful。　it　had　everything　you could　want　on　an　occasion　of　that　sort　…　rumbling　waterfalls；　silver　cascades；　deep； amber…coloured　pools；　mossy　rocks；　and　deep　moss　on　the　banks　in　which　you　could　sink　over your　ankles；　every　kind　of　fern；　jewel…like　dragon　flies；　sometimes　a　hawk overhead　and　once　（peter　and　trumpkin。　both　thought）　an　eagle。　but　of　course　what　the children　and　the　dwarf　wanted　to　see　as　soon　as　possible　was　the　great　river　below　them；　and beruna；　and　the　way　to　aslans　how。
as　they　went　on；　the　rush　began　to　fall　more　and　more　steeply。　their journey　became　more　and　more　of　a　climb　and　less　and　less　of　a　walk　…　in　places　even　a dangerous　climb　over　slippery　rock　with　a　nasty　drop　into　dark　chasms；　and　the　river roaring　angrily　at　the　bottom。
you　may　be　sure　they　watched　the　cliffs　on　their　left　eagerly　for　any　sign of　a　break　or　any　place　where　they　could　climb　them；　but　those　cliffs　remained　cruel。　it was　maddening；　because　everyone　knew　that　if　once　they　were　out　of　the　gorge　on that　side；　they　would　have　only　a　smooth　slope　and　a　fairly　short　walk　to　caspians headquarters。
the　boys　and　the　dwarf　were　now　in　favour　of　lighting　a　fire　and　cooking their　bear…meat。　susan　didnt　want　this；　she　only　wanted；　as　she　said；　〃to　get　on　and finish　it　and　get　out　of　these　beastly　woods〃。　lucy　was　far　too　tired　and　miserable　to　have any　opinion　about　anything。　but　as　there　was　no　dry　wood　to　be　had；　it　mattered　very little　what　anyone　thought。　the　boys　began　to　wonder　if　raw　meat　was　really　as　nasty　as they　had　always　been　told。　trumpkin　assured　them　it　was。
of　course；　if　the　children　had　attempted　a　journey　like　this　a　few　days　ago in　england；　they　would　have　been　knocked　up。　i　think　i　have　explained　before　how　narnia was　altering　them。　even　lucy　was　by　now；　so　to　speak；　only　one…third　of　a little　girl　going　to　boarding　school　for　the　first　time；　and　two…thirds　of　queen　lucy　of　narnia。
〃at　last！〃　said　susan。
〃oh；　hurray！〃　said　peter。
the　river　gorge　had　just　made　a　bend　and　the　whole　view　spread　out　beneath them。　they　could　see　open　country　stretching　before　them　to　the　horizon　and；　between it　and　them；　the　broad　silver　ribbon　of　the　great　river。　they　could　see　the　specially broad　and　shallow　place　which　had　once　been　the　fords　of　beruna　but　was　now　spanned　by　a long；　many…arched　bridge。　there　was　a　little　town　at　the　far　end　of　it。
〃by　jove；〃　said　edmund。　〃we　fought　the　battle　of　beruna　just　where　that town　is！”
this　cheered　the　boys　more　than　anything。　you　cant　help　feeling　stronger when　you　look　at　a　place　where　you　won　a　glorious　victory　not　to　mention　a　kingdom； hundreds　of　years　ago。　peter　and　edmund　were　soon　so　busy　talking　about　the　battle　that　they forgot　their　sore　feet　and　the　heavy　drag　of　their　mail　shirts　on　their　shoulders。　the dwarf　was　interested　too。
they　were　all　getting　on　at　a　quicker　pace　now。　the　going　became　easier。 though　there　were　still　sheer　cliffs　on　their　left；　the　ground　was　being　lower　on their　right。　soon　it　was　no　longer　a　gorge　at　all；　only　a　valley。　there　were　no　more　waterfalls and　presently　they　were　in　fairly　thick　woods　again。
then　…　all　at　once　…　whizz；　and　a　sound　rather　like　the　stroke　of　a woodpecker。　the　children　were　still　wondering　where　（ages　ago）　they　had　heard　a　sound　just like　that　and　why　they　disliked　it　so；　when　trumpkin　shouted；　〃down；　at　the　same　moment forcing　lucy　（who　happened　to　be　next　to　him）　flat　down　into　the　bracken。　peter； who　had　been　looking　up　to　see　if　he　could　spot　a　squirrel；　had　seen　what　it　was　…　a long　cruel　arrow　had　sunk　into　a　tree　trunk　just　above　his　head。　as　he　pulled　susan　down　and dropped　himself；　another　came　rasping　over　his　shoulder　and　struck　the　ground　at　his　side。
〃quick！　quick！　get　back！　crawl！〃　panted　trumpkin。
they　turned　and　wriggled　along　uphill；　under　the　bracken　amid　clouds　of horribly　buzzing　flies。　arrows　whizzed　round　them。　one　struck　susans　helmet　with　a sharp　ping　and　glanced　off。　they　crawled　quicker。　sweat　poured　off　them。　then　they ran；　stooping　nearly　double。　the　boys　held　their　swords　in　their　hands　for　fear　they would　trip　them　up。
it　was　heart…breaking　work　…　all　uphill　again；　back　over　the　ground　they had　already　travelled。　when　t