tER ture ttle east for tle ly clear and t t once ting a long o starboard. Lucy and Reepic time. teenting top, sig looked like a great dark mountain rising out of t bow.
tered course and made for tly by oar, for t serve to sail nort. ill a long and ro a flat calm. t still very dim, so t some t it ill a long to a mist.
About nine t morning, very suddenly, it t it land at all, nor even, in an ordinary sense, a mist. It is rato
describe, but you o tunnel - a tunnel eity t you cannot see t at t it you ; ty suddenly, but of course a sogeto smoot so in front of t greeniser.
Beyond t, ter looking pale and grey as it e in t beyond t again, utter blackness as if to tarless night.
Caspian sed to tso keep t to be seen by gazing. Behe Darkness.
quot;Do o t; asked Caspian at length.
quot;Not by my advice,quot; said Drinian.
quot;tains rig; said several sailors.
quot;I almost t; said Edmund.
Lucy and Eustace didnt speak but t very glad inside at turn to be taking. But all at once the silence.
quot;And ; ;ill someone explain to me w.”
No one o explain, so Reepicinued: quot;If I s or slaves,quot; ;I mig tion proceeded from co I old in Narnia t a company of noble and royal persons in turned tail because the dark.”
quot;But be ploug blackness?quot; asked Drinian.
quot;Use?quot; replied Reepic;Use, Captain? If by use you mean filling our bellies or our purses, I confess it all. So far as I kno set sail to look for t to seek ure. And an adventure as ever I urn back, no tittle impeac of all our honours.”
Several of t sounded like quot;;, but Caspian said:
quot;O ! If you put it t ?”
Lucy felt t s, but ;Im game.”
quot;Your Majesty least order lig; said Drinian.
quot;By all means,quot; said Caspian. quot;See to it, Captain.”
So terns, at tern, and t, and Drinian ordered torc some ted in ttle stations ing top and arroring. Rynelf o take soundings. Reepicace and Caspian, glittering in mail, ook tiller.
quot;And no; cried Caspian. quot;A sloeady stroke. And let every man be silent and keep his ears open for orders.”
itreader started to creep foro roing top, moment at tern. S go. At one minute tern, t: next minute tern lantern - o s of tern s tiller. Doorccs, and for on tle. Apart from t, ting top, lit by t tle ligs oing in lonely darkness. And ts ts ime of day, looked lurid and unnatural. Siced t she was very cold.
o ted, nobody kne for to s t all. Edmund, peering from t tion of tern in ter before looked a greasy sort of reflection, and to be ime on everyone except to sh cold.
Suddenly, from someremity of terror t lost y.
Caspian ill trying to speak - oo dry - w silence, was heard.
quot;; it piped. quot;If you are a foe fear you, and if you are a friend your enemies saughe fear of us.”
quot;Mercy!quot; cried t;Mercy! Even if you are only one more dream, have merry.
take me on board. take me, even if you strike me dead. But in t fade ahis horrible land.”
quot;; sed Caspian. quot;Come aboard and welcome.”
terror, and t someone ohem.
quot;Stand by to ; said Caspian.
quot;Aye, aye, your Majesty,quot; said to t bul over torce face appeared in ter, and ter some scrambling and pulling, a dozen friendly ranger on board.
Edmund t otidy mop of iced ared as if in an agony of pure fear. t reac;Fly! Fly! About his accursed shore.”
quot;Compose yourself,quot; said Reepic;and tell us used to flying.”
tranger started t noticed before.
quot;Nevert; ;true.”
quot;ts time,quot; said one of t;I reckoned Id find I o Nancy if we landed here.”
quot;And Id find tom alive again,quot; said another.
quot;Fools!quot; said tamping ;t is t of talk t brougter I say? this is
o life, come real. Not daydreams: dreams.”
t es silence and t clatter of armour, tumbling doco roiller, and ts t stroke t sea. For it aken everyone just t e to remember certain dreams t make you afraid of going to sleep again - and to realize o land on a country wrue.
Only Reepicheep remained unmoved.
quot;Your Majesty, your Majesty,quot; ;are you going to tolerate tiny, troonery? t.”
quot;Ro; bello;Pull for all our lives. Is , Drinian? You can say w you like, Reepichings no man can face.”
quot;It is, tune not to be a man,quot; replied Reepiciff bow.
Lucy from up aloft all. In an instant t one of ried to forget came back to . So t o go doo t he use?
If dreams began coming true, Edmund and Caspian t turn into somet as sing top and tried to steady o t as now!
t did not quite conceal total silence whe ship.
Everyone kne ter not to listen, not to strain no one could ening. And soon everyone was hings.
Eac.
quot;Do you ting .. . over t; Eustace asked Rynelf.
quot;; said Rynelf. quot;I can he ship.”
quot;Its just going to settle on t,quot; said Caspian.
quot;Ug; said a sailor. quot;they would.”
Caspian, trying not to look at anyt to keep looking be aft to Drinian.
quot;Drinian,quot; ;ake roo wranger.”
quot;Five minutes, per; w;hy?”
quot;Because already trying to get out.”
Drinians iller and a line of cold s ran do;e s out, never get out,”
moaned t;eering us .quot; tranger, out into a horrible screaming laugh.
quot;Never get out!quot; ;ts it. Of course. e s out. a fool I o t me go as easily as t. No, no, .”
Lucy leant ing top and all, send us ; t gro so feel a little - a very, very little - better. quot;After all, noto us yet,quot; s.
quot;Look!quot; cried Rynelfs voice iny speck of ligc fell from it upon t did not alter t t up as if by searc. Caspian blinked, stared round, sah wild, fixed expressions.
Everyone aring in tion: behind everyone lay his black, sharply-edged shadow.
Lucy looked along tly sa. At first it looked like a cross, t looked like an aeroplane, t looked like a kite, and at last circled times round t and tant on t of t t called out in a strong s voice o be ood ter t it spread its o fly slole to starboard. Drinian steered after it not doubting t it offered good guidance. But no one except Lucy kne as it circled t it o ;Courage, dear ,quot; and t sure, hed in her face.
In a fes turned into a greyness a before to begin out into t and once everybody realized t to be afraid of and
never tness of tonised to find t to te and t one, and ther, began laughing.
quot;I reckon ty good fools of ourselves,quot; said Rynelf.
Lucy lost no time in coming doo time oo o speak, and could only gaze at to make sure ears rolled down his cheeks.
quot;t; last. quot;You I talk of t. And no me know welmarine of Narnia, and whe Lord Rhoop.”
quot;And I,quot; said Caspian, quot;am Caspian, King of Narnia, and I sail to find you and your companions whers friends.”
Lord R;Sire,quot; ;you are t me a boon.”
quot; is it?quot; asked Caspian.
quot;Never to bring me back t; ed astern. t t blue sea and brighe darkness had vanished for ever.
quot;; cried Lord R;You royed it!”
quot;I dont t ; said Lucy.
quot;Sire,quot; said Drinian, quot;t. S sail? And after t, every man wo his hammock.”
quot;Yes,quot; said Caspian, quot;and let the clock round myself.”
So all afternoon joy t nobody noticed wross had disappeared.