《THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER》第46章

〃your　majesty　promised；〃　said　reepicheep；　〃to　be　good　lord　to　the　talking beasts　of　narnia。”
〃talking　beasts；　yes；〃　said　caspian。　〃i　said　nothing　about　beasts　that never　stop　talking。”
and　he　flung　down　the　ladder　in　a　temper　and　went　into　the　cabin；　slamming the　door。
but　when　the　others　rejoined　him　a　little　later　they　found　him　changed；　he was　white　and　there　were　tears　in　his　eyes。
〃its　no　good；〃　he　said。　〃i　might　as　well　have　behaved　decently　for　all　the good　i　did　with　my　temper　and　swagger。　aslan　has　spoken　to　me。　no　…　i　dont　mean　he　was actually　here。
he　wouldnt　fit　into　the　cabin；　for　one　thing。　but　that　gold　lions　head　on the　wall　came　to　life　and　spoke　to　me。　it　was　terrible　his　eyes。　not　that　he　was　at　all rough　with　me　…　only　a　bit　stern　at　first。　but　it　was　terrible　all　the　same。　and　he　said　…　he　said …　oh；　i　cant　bear　it。
the　worst　thing　he　could　have　said。　youre　to　go　on　…　reep　and　edmund；　and lucy；　and　eustace；　and　im　to　go　back。　alone。　and　at　once。　and　what　is　the　good　of anything？”
〃caspian；　dear；〃　said　lucy。　〃you　knew　wed　have　to　go　back　to　our　own　world sooner　or　later。”
〃yes；〃　said　caspian　with　a　sob；　〃but　this　is　sooner。”
〃youll　feel　better　when　you　get　back　to　ramandus　island；〃　said　lucy。
he　cheered　up　a　little　later　on；　but　it　was　a　grievous　parting　oo　both sides　and　i　will　not　dwell　on　it。　about　two　oclock　in　the　afternoon；　well　victualled　and watered　（though　they　thought　they　would　need　neither　food　nor　drink）　and　with　reepicheeps coracle　on　board；　the　boat　pulled　away　from　the　dawn　treader　to　row　through　the　endless carpet　of　lilies。
the　dawn　trader　flew　all　her　flags　and　hung　out　her　shields　to　honour　their departure。
tall　and　big　and　homelike　she　looked　from　their　low　position　with　the lilies　all　round　them。　and　before　she　was　out　of　sight　they　saw　her　turn　and　begin　rowing slowly　westward。　yet　though　lucy　shed　a　few　tears；　she　could　not　feel　it　as　much as　you　might　have　expected。　the　light；　the　silence；　the　tingling　smell　of　the　silver sea；　even　（in　some　odd　way）　the　loneliness　itself；　were　too　exciting。
there　was　no　need　to　row；　for　the　current　drifted　them　steadily　to　the east。　none　of　them　slept　or　ate。　all　that　night　and　all　next　day　they　glided　eastward；　and when　the　third　day　dawned　…　with　a　brightness　you　or　i　could　not　bear　even　if　we　had　dark glasses　on　…　they　saw　a　wonder　ahead。　it　was　as　if　a　wall　stood　up　between　them　and　the　sky； a　greenish…grey；　trembling；　shimmering　wall。　then　up　came　the　sun；　and　at　its　first rising　they　saw　it　through　the　wall　and　it　turned　into　wonderful　rainbow　colours。　then　they knew　that　the　wall　was　really　a　long；　tall　wave　…　a　wave　endlessly　fixed　in　one　place　as you　may　often　see　at　the　edge　of　a　waterfall。　it　seemed　to　be　about　thirty　feet　high；　and the　current　was　gliding　them　swiftly　towards　it。　you　might　have　supposed　they　would　have thought　of　their　danger。　they　didnt。　i　dont　think　anyone　could　have　in　their position。　for　now　they　saw　something　not　only　behind　the　wave　but　behind　the　sun。　they　could　not have　seen　even　the　sun　if　their　eyes　had　not　been　strengthened　by　the　water　of　the last　sea。　but　now　they　could　look　at　the　rising　sun　and　see　it　clearly　and　see　things beyond　it。　what　they　saw　…　eastward；　beyond　the　sun　…　was　a　range　of　mountains。　it　was　so high　that　either
they　never　saw　the　top　of　it　or　they　forgot　it。　none　of　them　remembers seeing　any　sky　in　that　direction。　and　the　mountains　must　really　have　been　outside　the　world。 for　any　mountains　even　a　quarter　of　a　twentieth　of　that　height　ought　to　have　had ice　and　snow　on　them。　but　these　were　warm　and　green　and　full；　of　forests　and　waterfalls however　high　you　looked。　and　suddenly　there　came　a　breeze　from　the　east；　tossing　the　top of　the　wave　into　foamy　shapes　and　ruffling　the　smooth　water　all　round　them。　it　lasted only　a　second　or　so　but　what　it　brought　them　in　that　second　none　of　those　three　children will　ever　forget。
it　brought　both　a　smell　and　a　sound；　a　musical　sound　edmund　and　eustace would　never　talk　about　it　afterwards。　lucy　could　only　say；　〃it　would　break　your　heart。〃 〃why；〃　said　i；　〃was　it　so　sad：　〃　〃sad！！　no；〃　said　lucy。
no　one　in　that　boat　doubted　chat　they　were　seeing　beyond　the　end　of　the world　into　aslans　country。
at　that　moment；　with　a　crunch；　the　boat　ran　aground。　the　water　was　too shallow　now　for　it。　〃this；〃　said　reepicheep；　〃is　where　i　go　on　alone。”
they　did　not　even　try　to　stop　dim；　for　everything　now　felt　as　if　it　had been　fated　or　had　happened　before。　they　helped　him　to　lower　his　little　coracle。　then　he　took off　his　sword　（〃i　shall　need　it　no　more；〃　he　said）　and　flung　it　far　away　across　the　idled sea。　where　it　fell　it　stood　upright　with　the　hilt　above　the　surface。　then　he　bade　them　goodbye trying　to　be　sad　for　their　sakes　but　he　was　quivering　with　happiness。　lucy；　for　the first　and　last　time；　did　what　she　had　always　wanted　to　do；　taking　him　in　her　arms　and　caressing him。　then　hastily　he　got　into　his　coracle　and　took　his　paddle；　and　the　current　caught it　and　away　he　went；　very　black　against　the　lilies。　but　no　lilies　grew　on　the　wave；　it　was a　smooth　green　slope。　the　coracle　went　more　and　more　quickly；　and　beautifully　it　rushed　up the　waves　side。　for　one　split　second　they　saw　its　shape　and　reepicheeps　on　the　very top。　then　it　vanished；　and　since　that　moment　no　one　can　truly　claim　to　have　seen reepicheep　the　mouse。　but　my　belief　is　that　he　came　safe　to　aslans　country　and　is　alive there　to　this　day。
as　the　sun　rose　the　sight　of　those　mountains　outside　the　world　faded　away。 the　wave　remained　but　there　was　only　blue　sky　behind　it。
the　children　got　out　of　the　boat　and　waded　…　not　towards　the　wave　but southward　with　the　wall　of　water　on　their　left。　they　could　not　have　told　you　why　they　did this；　it　was　their　fate。　and　though　they　had　felt　…　and　been　very　grown…up　on　the　dawn treader；　they　now　felt　just　the　opposite　and　held　hands　as　they　waded　through　the　lilies。 they　never　felt　tired。　the　water　was　warm　and　all　the　time　it　got　shallower。　at　last　they were　on　dry　sand；　and　then　on　grass　…　a　huge　plain　of　very　fine　short　grass；　almost level　with　the