CHAPTER FOURTEEN HOW ALL WERE VERY BUSY（第2页）

“eback，Reepicheep，youlittleass!”shoutedPeter。“You'llonlybekilled。Thisisnoplaice。”Buttheridiculouslittlecreaturesweredandoutamoharmies，jabbingwiththeirswords。ManyaTelmarinewarriorthatdayfelthisfootsuddenlypiercedasifbyadozenskewers，hoppedononeleggthepaienashemiishedhimoff;ifhedidnot，someoneelsedid。

ButalmostbeforetheOldNarnianswerereallywarmedtotheirworktheyfoundtheenemygivingway。Toughlookingwarriorsture，gazediontheOldNarniansbutohihem，andthenflungdowntheir，“TheWood!TheWood!Theendoftheworld!”

Butsooheirorthesoundofonscouldbeheardahweredrowheo-likeroaroftheAwakeheypluhroughtheraer'sarmy，andthenon，inpursuitoftheTelmarines。Haveyoueverstoodattheedgeofagreatwoodonahighridgewhenawildsouth-westerbrokeoveritinfullfuryonanautumnevening?Imagisound。Andthehewood，insteadofbeiooneplace，wasrushingatyou;andwasreesbuthugepeople;yetstillliketreesbecausetheirlongarmswavedlikebraheirheadstossedandleavesfellroundthemiwaslikethatfortheTelmariwasalittlealarmiheNarnians。IesallMiraz'sfolldowRiverinthehthebridgetothetownofBerunaandtheredefendingthemselvesbehindrampartsaes。

Theyreachedtheriver，buttherewashaddisappearedsihenutterpanidhorrorfellupoheyallsurrendered。

Butehebridge?

&m，afterafewhours'sleep，thegirlshadwaked，toseeAslanstahemandtohearhisvoig，“Wewillmakeholiday。”Theyrubbedtheireyesahem。ThetreeshadallgocouldstillbeseenmovingawaytowardAslan'sHowinadarkmass。BadtheMaenads—hisfierce，madcapgirls—andSileillwiththem。Lucy，fullyrested，jumpedup。Everyonewasawake，everyonewaslaughing，fluteswereplaying，cymbalsg。Animals，notTalkingAnimals，wereginuponthemfromeverydire。

“Whatisit，Aslan?”saidLucy，hereyesdandherfeetwantingtodance。

“e，，”saidhe。“Rideonmybatoday。”

“Oh，lovely!”criedLudbothgirlstoldenbackastheyhaddonenooneknewhowmanyyearsbefore。ThenthewholepartymovedoffAslanleading，BadhisMaenadsleaping，rushing，andturs，thebeastsfriskingroundthem，andSilenusandhisduptherear。

&urletht，raasteephill，andfoundtheleofBerunainfrontofthem。Beforetheyhadbeguntocrossit，however，upoutofthewatercameagreatwet，beardedhead，largerthanaman's，edwithrushes。ItlookedatAslanandoutofitsmouthadeepvoicecame。

“Hail，Lord，”itsaid。“Loosemys。”

“Whoohat?”whisperedSusan。

“Ithinkit'stheriver-god，buthush，”saidLucy。

“Bacchus，”saidAslan。“Deliverhimfromhiss。”

“Thatmeansthebridge，Iexpect，”thoughtLudsoitdid。Badhispeoplesplashedforwardintotheshallowwater，andamihemostcuriousthingsbeganhapperongtrunksofivycamegupallthepiersrowingasquicklyasafiregrthestonesround，splitting，breakiihewallseturohedgesgaywithhawthornforamomentandthehewholethingwitharushandarumblecollapsedintwater。Withmuchsplashing，sg，aherevellerswadedorswamordancedacrosstheford（“Hurrah!It'stheFainhegirls）andupthebankonthefarsideandiown。

Everyosfledbeforetheirfaces。Thefirsthousetheycametowasaschool:agirls'school，wherelirls，withtheirhairdhtanduglytightcollarsroundtheirhickticklystotheirlegs，werehavingahistorylessoof“History”thatwastaughtinNarniaunderMiraz'srulewasdullerthaoryyoueverreadahaexgadveory。

“Ifyoudon'tattend，Gwendolen，”saidthemistress，andstoplookingoutofthewindow，Ishallhavetogiveyouanorder-mark。”

“Butplease，MissPrizzle—”beganGwendolen。

“DidyouhearwhatIsaid，Gwendolen?”askedMissPrizzle。

“Butplease，MissPrizzle，”saidGwehere'saLION!”

&woorder-marksfnonsense，”saidMissPrizzle。“Andnow—”Aroariedher。Ivycameatthewindowsofthe。Thewallsbecameamassreen，andleafybranchesarchedoverheadwheretheghadbeen。MissPrizzlefouandingongrassiglade。Sheclutchedatherdesktosteadyherself，andfoundthatthedeskwasarose-bush。WildpeoplesuchasshehadneverevenimaginedweregrouheheLion，sdfled，andwithherfledherostlydumpy，primlittlegirlswithfatlegs。Gweed。

“You'llstaywithus，sweetheart?”saidAslan。

“Oh，mayI?Thankyou，thankyou，”saidGweantlyshejoinedhandswithtwooftheMaenads，whowhirledherroundinamerrydandhelpedhertakeoffsomeoftheunnedunfortableclothesthatshe>

&heyweowwasthesame。Mostofthepeoplefled，afewjoiheyleftthetowntheywerealargerandamerrierpany。

&onacrossthelevelfieldsohbabank，oftheriver。Ateveryfarmanimalscameouttojointhem。Sadolddonkeyswhohadneverknownjoygrewsuddenlyyoungagain;eddogsbroketheirs;horseskickedtheircartstopiedcametrottingalongwiththem—clop-clop—kigupthemudandwhinnying。

Atawellinayardtheymetamanwhowasbeatingaboy。Thestickburstiheman'shaodropit，butitstucktohishand。Hisarmbecameabranch，hisbodythetrunkofatree，hisfeettookroot。Theboy，whohadbeengamomeoutlaughingahem。

Atalittletownhalf-waytoBeaversdam，wheretworiversmet，theyotherschool，whereatiredlookinggirlwasteagarithmetiberofboyswholookedverylikepigs。Shelookedoutofthethedivinerevellerssingiandastabofjoywentthroughherheart。Aslauhewindowaher。

“Oh，don't，don't，”shesaid。“I'dloveto。ButImustn't。Imuststiywork。Andthewhteheysawyou。”

“Frightened?”saidthemostpig-likeoftheboys。“Who'sshetalkingtooutofthewi'stelltheiorshetalkstopeopleoutoftheheobeteagus。”

&'sgoais，”saidanotherboy，andtheyallcamegtothewindow。Butassoonastheirmeanlittlefaceslookedout，BacchusgaveagreatcryofEuan，euoi-oi-oi-ofandtheboysallbeganhowlingwithfrightandtrampliherdowofthedoorandjumpingoutofthewindows。Anditwassaidafterward（whethertrulyornot）thatthoseparticularlittleboyswereneverseenagain，butthattherewerealotofveryfilepigsinthatpartofthetrywhieverbeentherebefore。

“，”saidAslaress，andshejumpeddownahem。

AtBeaversdamtheyre-crossedtheriveraagainalohernbaoalittlecottagewhereachildstoodinthed。“Whyarey，mylove?”askedAslan。Thechild，whohadureofalion，wasnotafraidofhim。“Auntie'sveryill，”shesaid。“She'sgoiheogoinatthedoorofthecottage，butitwastoosmallforhim。So，whehisheadthrough，hepushedwithhisshoulders（LudSusanfelloffwhehis）ahewholehouseupanditfellbadapart。Aillihoughthebedwasnowintheopenair，layalittleoldwomanwholookedasifshehadDwarfbloodideath'sdoor，butwhensheopenedhereyesa，hairyheadoftheliintoherface，shedidnotscreamorfaint。Shesaid，“Oh，Aslawastrue。I'vebeenwaitingforthisallmylife。Haveyouea>

“Yes，Dearest，”saidAslan。“Butnotthelo。”Andashespoke，liketheflushgalongtheundersideofacloudatsuheebacktoherwhitefadhereyesgrewbrightaupandsaid，“Why，IdodeclareIfeelthatbetter。IthinkIcouldtakealittlebreakfastthism。”

“Hereyouare，mother，”saidBacchus，dippingapitthecottagewellandhandingittoher。Butwhatwasinitnoaterbuttherie，redasred-tjelly，smoothasasbeef，warmingastea，coolasdew。

“Eh，you'vedooourwell，”saidtheoldwoman。“Thatmakesanige，thatdoes。”Andshejumpedoutofbed。

“Rideonme，”saidAslan，aoSusanandLucy，“Youtwoqueenswillhavetorunnow。”

“Butwe'dlikethatjustaswell，”saidSusan。Aagain。

Andsoatlast，inganddandsinging，withmusidlaughterandrandbarkiheyallcametotheplacewhereMiraz'sarmystoodflingingdowntheirswordsandholdinguptheirhands，aer'sarmy，stillholdingtheirhard，stoodrouernandgladfadthefirstthingthathappehattheoldedoffAslan'sbaacrosstodtheyembraother;forshewashisoldnurse。