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The Horse and His Boy-第5章

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way。 no; well just have to creep along  the coast。 up here on the downs well meet nothing but sheep and rabbits and gulls and a  few shepherds。 and by the way; what about starting?”

shastas legs ached terribly as he saddled bree and climbed into the  saddle; but the horse was kindly to him and went at a soft pace all afternoon。 when evening  twilight came they dropped by steep tracks into a valley and found a village。 before they got  into it shasta dismounted and entered it on foot to buy a loaf and some onions and  radishes。 the horse trotted round by the fields in the dusk and met shasta at the far side。  this became their regular plan every second night。

these were great days for shasta; and every day better than the last as his  muscles hardened and he fell less often。 even at the end of his training bree still  said he sat like a bag of flour in the saddle。 〃and even if it was safe; young un; id be  ashamed to be seen with you on the main road。〃 but in spite of his rude words bree was a  patient teacher。 no one can teach riding so well as a horse。 shasta learned to trot; to canter;  to jump; and to keep his seat even when bree pulled up suddenly or swung unexpectedly to  the left or the right … which; as bree told him; was a thing you might have to do at any  moment in a battle。 and then of course shasta begged to be told of the battles and wars  in which bree had carried the tarkaan。 and bree would tell of forced marches and the  fording of swift rivers; of charges and of fierce fights between cavalry and cavalry when  the war horses fought as well as the men; being all fierce stallions; trained to bite and  kick; and to rear at the right moment so that the horses weight as well as the riders would  e down on a enemys crest in the stroke of sword or battleaxe。 but bree did not want to  talk about the wars as often as shasta wanted to hear about them。 〃dont speak of them;  youngster;〃 he would say。 〃they were only the tisrocs wars and i fought in them as a  slave and a dumb beast。 give me the narnian wars where i shall fight as a free horse among  my own people! those will be wars worth talking about。 narnia and the north! bra… ha…ha! broo hoo!”

shasta soon learned; when he heard bree talking like that; to prepare for a  gallop。

after they had travelled on for weeks and weeks past more bays and  headlands and rivers and villages than shasta could remember; there came a moonlit night when  they started their journey at evening; having slept during the day。 they had left the  downs behind them and were crossing a wide plain with a forest about half a mile away on  their left。

the sea; hidden by low sandhills; was about the same distance on their  right。 they had jogged along for about an hour; sometimes trotting and sometimes walking;  when bree suddenly stopped。

〃whats up?〃 said shasta。

〃s…s…ssh!〃 said bree; craning his neck round and twitching his ears。 〃did  you hear something? listen。”

〃it sounds like another horse … between us and the wood;〃 said shasta after  he had listened for about a minute。

〃it is another horse;〃 said bree。 〃and thats what i dont like。”

〃isnt it probably just a farmer riding home late?〃 said shasta with a  yawn。

〃dont tell me!〃 said bree。 〃thats not a farmers riding。 nor a farmers  horse either。 cant you tell by the sound? thats quality; that horse is。 and its being ridden  by a real horseman。 i tell you what it is; shasta。 theres a tarkaan under the edge  of that wood。

not on his war horse … its too light for that。 on a fine blood mare; i  should say。”

〃well; its stopped now; whatever it is;〃 said shasta。

〃youre right;〃 said bree。 〃and why should he stop just when we do? shasta;  my boy; i do believe theres someone shadowing us at last。”

〃what shall we do?〃 said shasta in a lower whisper than before。 〃do you  think he can see us as well as hear us?”

〃not in this light so long as we stay quite still;〃 answered bree。 〃but  look! theres a cloud ing up。 ill wait till that gets over the moon。 then well get off  to our right as quietly as we can; down to the shore。 we can hide among the sandhills if  the worst es to the worst。”

they waited till the cloud covered the moon and then; first at a walking  pace and afterwards at a gentle trot; made for the shore。

the cloud was bigger and thicker than it had looked at first and soon the  night grew very dark。 just as shasta was saying to himself; 〃we must be nearly at those  sandhills by  

now;〃 his heart leaped into his mouth because an appalling noise had  suddenly risen up out of the darkness ahead; a long snarling roar; melancholy and utterly  savage。 instantly bree swerved round and began galloping inland again as fast as he could  gallop。

〃what is it?〃 gasped shasta。

〃lions!〃 said bree; without checking his pace or turning his head。

after that there was nothing but sheer galloping for some time。 at last  they splashed across a wide; shallow stream and bree came to a stop on the far side。  shasta noticed that he was trembling and sweating all over。

〃that water may have thrown the brute off our scent;〃 panted bree when he  had partly got his breath again。 〃we can walk for a bit now。”

as they walked bree said; 〃shasta; im ashamed of myself。 im just as  frightened as a mon; dumb calor mene horse。 i am really。 i dont feel like a talking  horse at all。 i dont mind swords and lances and arrows but i cant bear … those creatures。  i think ill trot for a bit。”

about a minute later; however; he broke into a gallop again; and no wonder。  for the roar broke out again; this time on their left from the direction of the forest。

〃two of them;〃 moaned bree。

when they had galloped for several minutes without any further noise from  the lions shasta said; 〃i say! that other horse is galloping beside us now。 only a  stones throw away。”

〃all the b…better;〃 panted bree。 〃tarkaan on it … will have a sword …  protect us all。”

〃but; bree!〃 said shasta。 〃we might just as well be killed by lions as  caught。 or 1 might。

theyll hang me for horsestealing。〃 he was feeling less frightened of lions  than bree because he had never met a lion; bree had。

bree only snorted in answer but
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