THE wind never failed but it grew gentler every day till at length the waves were little more than ripples2, and the ship glided3 on hour after hour almost as if they were sailing on a lake. And every night they saw that there rose in the east new constellations4 which no one had ever seen in Narnia and perhaps, as Lucy thought with a mixture of joy and fear, no living eye had seen at all. Those new stars were big and bright and the nights were warm. Most of them slept on deck and talked far into the night or hung over the ship's side watching the luminous5 dance of the foam6 thrown up by their bows.
On an evening of startling beauty, when the sunset behind them was so crimson7 and purple and widely spread that the very sky itself seemed to have grown larger, they came in sight of land on their starboard bow. It came slowly nearer and the light behind them made it look as if the capes8 and headlands of this new country were all on fire. But presently they were sailing along its coast and its western cape9 now rose up astern of them, black against the red sky and sharp as if it was cut out of cardboard, and then they could see better what this country was like. It had no mountains but many gentle hills with slopes like pillows. An attractive smell came from it - what Lucy called "a dim, purple kind of smell", which Edmund said (and Rhince thought) was rot, but Caspian said, "I know what you mean."
They sailed on a good way, past point after point, hoping to find a nice deep harbour, but had to content themselves in the end with a wide and shallow bay. Though it had seemed calm out at sea there was of course surf breaking on the sand and they could not bring the Dawn Treader as far in as they would have liked. They dropped anchor a good way from the beach and had a wet and tumbling landing in the boat. The Lord Rhoop remained on board the Dawn Treader. He wished to see no more islands. All the time that they remained in this country the sound of the long breakers was in their ears.
Two men were left to guard the boat and Caspian led the others inland, but not far because it was too late for exploring and the light would soon go. But there was no need to go far to find an adventure. The level valley which lay at the head of the bay showed no road or track or other sign of habitation. Underfoot was tine springy turf dotted here and there with a low bushy growth which Edmund and Lucy took for heather. Eustace, who was really rather good at botany; said it wasn't, and he was probably right; but it was something of very much the same kind.
When they had gone less than a bowshot from the shore, Drinian said, "Look! What's that?" and everyone stopped.
"Are they great trees?" said Caspian.
"Towers, l think," said Eustace.
"It might be giants," said Edmund in a lower voice.
"The way to find out is to go right iv among them," said Reepicheep, drawing his sword and pattering off ahead of everyone else.
"I think it's a ruin," said Lucy when they had got a good deal nearer, and her guess was the best so far. What they now saw was a wide oblong space flagged with smooth stones and surrounded by grey pillars but unroofed. And from end to end of it ran a long table laid with a rich crimson cloth that came down nearly to the pavement. At either side of it were many chairs of stone richly carved and with silken cushions upon the seats. But on the table itself there was set out such a banquet as had never been seen, not even when Peter the High King kept his court at Cair Paravel. There were turkeys and geese and peacocks, there were boars' heads and sides of venison, there were pies shaped like ships under full sail or like dragons and elephants, there were ice puddings and bright lobsters11 and gleaming salmon12, there were nuts and grapes, pineapples and peaches, pomegranates and melons and tomatoes. There were flagons of gold and silver and curiouslywrought glass; and the smell of the fruit and the wine blew towards them like a promise of all happiness.
"I say!" said Lucy.
They came nearer and nearer, all very quietly.
"But where are the guests?" asked Eustace.
"We can provide that, Sir," said Rhince.
"Look!" said Edmund sharply. They were actually within the pillars now and standing13 on the pavement. Everyone looked where Edmund had pointed14. The chairs were not all empty. At the head of the table and in the two places beside it there was something- or possibly three somethings.
"What are those?" asked Lucy in a whisper. "It looks like three beavers15 sitting on the table."
"Or a huge bird's nest," said Edmund.
"It looks more like a haystack to me," said Caspian.
Reepicheep ran forward, jumped on a chair and thence on to the table, and ran along it, threading his way as nimbly as a dancer between jewelled cups and pyramids of fruit and -ivory salt-cellars. He ran right up to the mysterious grey mass at the end: peered, touched, and then called out:
"These will not fight, I think."
Everyone now came close and saw that what sat in those three chairs was three men, though hard to recognize as men till you looked closely. Their hair, which was grey, had grown over their eyes till it almost concealed16 their, faces, and their beards had grown over the table, climbing pound and entwining plates and goblets17 as brambles; entwine a fence, until, all mixed in one great mat of hair, they flowed over the edge and down to the floor. And from their heads the hair hung over the backs of their chairs so that they were wholly hidden. In fact the three men were; nearly all hair.
"Dead?" said Caspian.
"I think not, Sire," said Reepicheep, lifting one of their hands out of its tangle18 of hair in his two paws. "This one is warm and his pulse beats."
"This one, too, and this," said Drinian.
"Why, they're only asleep," said Eustace.
"It's been a long sleep, though," said Edmund, "to let their hair grow like this."
"It must be an enchanted19 sleep," said Lucy. "I felt the moment we landed on this island that it was full of magic. Oh! do you think we have perhaps come here to break it?"
"We can try," said Caspian, and began shaking the nearest of the three sleepers. For a moment everyone thought he was going to be successful, for the man breathed hard and muttered, "I'll go eastward20 no more. Out oars10 for Narnia." But he sank back almost at once into a yet deeper sleep than before: that is, his heavy head sagged21 a few inches lower towards the table and all efforts to rouse him again were useless. With the second it was much the same. "Weren't born to live like animals. Get to the east while you've a chance - lands behind the sun," and sank down. And the third only said, "Mustard, please," and slept hard.
"Out oars for Narnia, eh?" said Drinian.
"Yes," said Caspian, "you are right, Drinian. I think our quest is at an end. Let's look at their rings. Yes, these are their devices. This is the Lord Revilian. This is the Lord Argoz: and this, the Lord Mavramorn."
"But we can't wake them," said Lucy. "What are we to do?"
"Begging your Majesties22' pardons all," said Rhince, "but why not fall to while you're discussing it? We don't see a dinner like this every day."
"Not for your life!" said Caspian.
"That's right, that's right," said several of the sailors.
"Too much magic about here. The sooner we're back on board the better."
"Depend upon it," said Reepicheep, "it was from eating this food that these three lords came by a seven years' sleep."
"I wouldn't touch it to save my life," said Drinian.
"The light's going uncommon23 quick," said Rynelf.
"Back to ship, back to ship," muttered the men.
"I really think," said Edmund, "they're right. We can decide what to do with the three sleepers tomorrow. We daren't eat the food and there's no point in staying here for the night. The whole place smells of magic - and danger."
"I am entirely24 of King Edmund's opinion," said Reepicheep, "as far as concerns the ship's company in general. But I myself will sit at this table till sunrise."
"Why on earth?" said Eustace.
"Because," said the Mouse, "this is a very great adventure, and no danger seems to me so great as that of knowing when I get back to Narnia that I left a mystery behind me through fear."
"I'll stay with you, Reep," said Edmund.
"And I too," said Caspian.
"And me," said Lucy. And then Eustace volunteered also. This was very brave of him because never having read of such things or even heard of them till he joined the Dawn Treader made it worse for him than for the others.
"I beseech25 your Majesty26 -" began Drinian.
"No, my Lord," said Caspian. "Your place is with the ship, and you have had a day's work while we five have idled." There was a lot of argument about this but in the end Caspian had his way. As the crew marched off to the shore in the gathering27 dusk none of the five watchers, except perhaps Reepicheep, could avoid a cold feeling in the stomach.
They took some time choosing their seats at the perilous28 table. Probably everyone had the same reason but no one said it out loud. For it was really a rather nasty choice. One could hardly bear to sit all night next to those three terrible hairy objects which, if not dead, were certainly not alive in the ordinary sense. On the other hand, to sit at the far end, so that you would see them less and less as the night grew darker, and wouldn't know if they were moving, and perhaps wouldn't see them at all by about two o'clock no, it was not to be thought of. So they sauntered round and round the table saying, "What about here?" and "Or perhaps a bit further on," or, "Why not on this side?" till at last they settled down somewhere about the middle but nearer to the sleepers than to the other end. It was about ten by now and almost dark. Those strange new constellations burned in the east. Lucy would have liked it better if they had been the Leopard29 and the Ship and other old friends of the Narnian sky.
They wrapped themselves in their sea cloaks and sat still and waited. At first there was some attempt at talk but it didn't come to much. And they sat and sat. And all the time they heard the waves breaking on the beach.
After hours that seemed like ages there came a moment when they all knew they had been dozing30 a moment before but were all suddenly wide awake. The stars were all in quite different positions from those they had last noticed. The sky was very black except for the faintest possible greyness in the east. They were cold, though thirsty, and stiff. And none of them spoke31 because now at last something was happening.
Before them, beyond the pillars, there was the slope of a low hill. And now a door opened in the hillside, and light appeared in the doorway32, and a figure came out, and the door shut behind it. The figure carried a light, and this light was really all that they could see distinctly. It came slowly nearer and nearer till at last it stood right at the table opposite to them. Now they could see that it was a tall girl, dressed in a single long garment of clear blue which left her arms bare. She was bareheaded and her yellow hair hung down her back. And when they looked at her they thought they had never before known what beauty meant.
The light which she had been carrying was a tall candle in a silver candlestick which she now set upon the table. If there had been any wind off the sea earlier in the night it must have died down by now, for the flame of the candle burned as straight and still as if it were in a room with the windows shut and the curtains drawn33. Gold and silver on the table shone in its light.
Lucy now noticed something lying lengthwise on the table which had escaped her attention before. It was a knife of stone, sharp as steel, a cruel-looking, ancient looking thing.
No one had yet spoken a word. Then - Reepicheep first, and Caspian next - they all rose to their feet, because they felt that she was a great lady.
"Travellers who have come from far to Aslan's table," said the girl. "Why do you not eat and drink?"
"Madam," said Caspian, "we feared the food because we thought it had cast our friends into an enchanted sleep.
"They have never tasted it," she said.
"Please," said Lucy, "what happened to them?"
"Seven years ago," said the girl, "they came here in a ship whose sails were rags and timbers ready to fall apart. There were a few others with them, sailors, and when they came to this table one said, `Here is the good place. Let us set sail and reef sail and row no longer but sit down and end our days in peace!' And the second said, `No, let us re-embark and sail for Narnia and the west; it may be that Miraz is dead.' But the third, who was a very masterful man, leaped up and said, `No, by heaven. We are men and Telmarines, not brutes34. What should we do but seek adventure after adventure? We have not long to live in any event. Let us spend what is left in seeking the unpeopled world behind the sunrise.' And as they quarrelled he caught up the Knife of Stone which lies there on the table and would have fought with his comrades. But it is a thing not right for him to touch. And as his fingers closed upon the hilt, deep sleep fell upon all the three. And till the enchantment35 is undone36 they will never wake."
"What is this Knife of Stone?" asked Eustace.
"Do none of you know it?" said the girl.
"I - I think," said Lucy, "I've seen something like it before. It was a knife like it that the White Witch used when she killed Aslan at the Stone Table long ago."
"It was the same.," said the girl, "and it was brought here to be kept in honour while the world lasts."
Edmund, who had been looking more and more uncomfortable for the last few minutes, now spoke.
"Look here," he said, "I hope I'm not a coward - about eating this food, I mean - and I'm sure I don't mean to be rude. But we have had a lot of queer adventures on this voyage of ours and things aren't always what they seem. When I look in your face I can't help believing all you say: but then that's just what might happen with a witch too. How are we to know you're a friend?"
"You can't know," said the girl. "You can only believe or not."
After a moment's pause Reepicheep's small voice was heard.
"Sire," he said to Caspian, "of your courtesy fill my cup with wine from that flagon: it is too big for me to lift. I will drink to the lady."
Caspian obeyed and the Mouse, standing on the table, held up a golden cup between its tiny paws and said, "Lady, I pledge you." Then it fell to on cold peacock, and in a short while everyone else followed its example. All were very hungry and the meal, if not quite what you wanted for a very early breakfast, was excellent as a very late supper.
"Why is it called Aslan's table?" asked Lucy presently.
"It is set here by his bidding," said the girl, "for those who come so far. Some call this island the World's End, for though you can sail further, this is the beginning of the end."
"But how does the food keep?" asked the practical Eustace. ?
"It is eaten, and renewed every day," said the girl. "This you will see."
"And what are we to do about the Sleepers?" asked Caspian. "In the world from which my friends come" (here, he nodded at Eustace and the Pevensies) "they have a story of a prince or a king coming to a castle where all the people lay in an enchanted sleep. In that story he could not dissolve the enchantment until he had kissed the Princess."
"But here," said the girl, "it is different. Here he cannot kiss the Princess till he has dissolved the enchantment."
"Then," said Caspian, "in the name of Aslan, show me how to set about that work at once."
"My father will teach you that," said the girl.
"Your father!" said everyone. "Who is he? And where?"
"Look," said the girl, turning round and pointing at the door in the hillside. They could see it more easily now, for while they had been talking the stars had grown fainter and great gaps of white light were appearing in the greyness of the eastern sky.
13、三个沉睡的人
风虽没停过，却一天比一天小，到最后浪花变成了涟漪那么大小，船一个小时接着一个小时悄悄行驶着，仿佛行驶在湖面上似的。每夜他们都看见东方升起新的星辰，在纳尼亚可没人见过这种星辰，正如露茜心里惊喜交加地琢磨着的，也许任何人的肉眼都根本没见过吧。那些新星又大又亮，夜间天气暖和，他们大半人睡在甲板上，有的一直谈到深更半夜，有的在船舷徘徊，观看船头激起的灿烂泡沫翩然起舞。
一天黄昏，美景惊人，只见船后面的夕阳血红血红，漫天红霞，天空更见空旷，他们忽然看见右舷船头那边有陆地。陆地慢慢接近，他们后面的霞光照得这个新地方的所有岬角都着了火似的。但不久他们就沿着它的海岸行驶了，这时它的西部岬角在他们船尾方向升起，黑乎乎的，衬着红彤彤的天，轮廓分明，犹如硬纸板剪影一般，这下子他们才看得清这地方是什么样子。陆上没有大山，只有许多不很陡的小山，山坡像枕头。陆上飘来一股诱人的味儿——露茜说是“一股暗淡的紫红色的味儿”，爱德蒙说这是胡说(赖因斯也这么想)，可是凯斯宾却说：“我知道你的意思。”6
他们开了好长一段路程，开过一个小岬又一个小岬，只指望找一个深水良港，可是末了只得在一个又宽又浅的海滩将就一下。虽然外边海面上风平浪静，可是不消说，沙滩上还是有拍岸碎浪，他们没法把黎明踏浪号按照心意中那样深入开进去，只好在离开海滩老远处抛锚，再坐小船，弄得身上透湿，跌跌撞撞地上了岸。罗普爵爷依然留在黎明踏浪号上。他不希望再看见什么岛屿了。他们留在这岛上的时候，耳边一直听到长长的碎浪拍岸的声音。
凯斯宾留下两个人看守小船，自己带领其他人到内陆去，但没走远，因为天太晚了，无法探测，而且天色很快就暗了。不过也用不着走远去探险。滩头处那一片平地既看不见道路，也看不见足迹，更看不见任何人烟。脚下到处都点缀着细软湿润的草皮，还有一种低矮的丛生植物，爱德蒙和露茜认为是石南。尤斯塔斯对植物学的确相当精通，他说不是石南，大概说对了；不过这东西多少跟石南一类大同小异。
他们走到离岸不到一箭之遥的地方，德里宁说：“瞧，那是什么?”大家听了都站住了。
“是大树吗?”凯斯宾说。
“我想是塔。”尤斯塔斯说。
“可能是巨人吧。”爱德蒙放低嗓音说。
“要知道真相只有一直闯进去看一看。”雷佩契普拔出剑来，啪嗒啪嗒地走在大家前头。
“我想是座废墟吧。”他们走得更近时，露茜说，她的猜测到目前为止可以说是最正确的了。他们眼前看到的是一个宽阔的长方形空地，地面铺着光滑的石块，四下都是灰色的柱子，不过没有屋顶。从这一端到那一端有一张长长的桌子，桌上铺着大红桌布，几乎拖到石板地上。桌子两边有许多精工细雕的石椅，座位上铺着绸缎垫子。而且上面还摆了一桌从未见过的丰盛宴席，连至尊王彼得在凯尔帕拉维尔执政时也未见过这么丰盛的宴席。席上有火鸡、鹅和孔雀，有野猪头、鹿脯，有馅饼，有的形状像满帆的大船，有的像巨龙，有的像大象，有冰镇布丁，有鲜艳的龙虾、闪亮的鲑鱼，有果仁、葡萄、菠萝，有桃子、石榴、蜜瓜和番茄。还有金酒壶、银酒壶、制作奇巧的玻璃酒杯；水果和美酒的香味向他们迎面扑来，像有喜庆活动。
“哎呀!”露茜说。
他们越走越近，越走越近，大家悄无声息。
“可是客人在哪儿呢?”尤斯塔斯问。
“我们可以来凑个数，阁下。”赖因斯说。
“瞧!，”爱德蒙厉声说。眼下他们已走在柱子之间，站在石板地上了。大家都朝爱德蒙所指的地方看去。原来椅子不全是空座。在桌子首席和左右两边座位上有什么东西——可能有三个。"
“那些是什么?”露茜悄声问，“看上去像三个坐在席上的海狸。”
“是个大鸟窠吧。”爱德蒙说。
“照我看来更像个干草堆。”凯斯宾说。
雷佩契普奔上前去，跳到椅子上，再跳到桌上，顺着桌子跑过去，一面像个舞蹈家那么灵活地穿行在镶珠嵌宝的酒杯和堆得山高的水果和象牙盐瓶间。它一直跑到桌子尽头那堆灰不溜秋的神秘东西旁边；东张西望，碰几下，随即叫道：
“我想，这些东西不会打架。”
这时大家走近一看，只见那三个座位上坐着的原来是三个人，可是不凑近看就看不出是人。他们的头发都已灰白，长得盖过眼睛，几乎遮住了脸，他们的胡子长得盖住桌子，沿着桌子攀缘，像荆棘盘绕篱笆似的盘绕着杯盘，缠到后来成了一大簇毛，飘拂过桌沿，拖到地面。他们头上的发丝还披散到椅背上，把身子全遮住了。实际上这三个人几乎浑身是毛发。
“死了吗?”凯斯宾说。
“我看没死，陛下。”雷佩契普说，它两爪撩起那簇乱毛发，举起他们其中一个人的一只手，“这只手是温热的，脉搏还在跳。”
“这只手也是，还有这只。”德里宁说。
“哎呀，他们只是睡着罢了。”尤斯塔斯说。
“可是，让头发长到这副模样，真是长眠不醒啊。”爱德蒙说。
“这样睡必定是中了魔法。”露茜说，“我们一踏上这个岛的时刻，我就感到岛上充满魔力。哦!你们看，我们到这儿来，不定就是来破这魔法的吧?”
“我们可以试试。”凯斯宾说，一面开始摇醒三个沉睡的人中最靠近他的一个。有一会儿大家以为他就要成功了，因为那人拼命吸着气，咕哝道：“我再也不往东去了，准备划船到纳尼亚去。”可是说完几乎一下子又陷入沉睡，而且睡得比先前还要沉；就是说，他那个沉沉的脑袋朝桌子冲下几英寸，任你怎么想方设法把他吵醒都没用。第二个人也差不多一样。“我们不是生来就得过牛马生活的。趁你有个机会快到东方去吧——到太阳后面的陆地上去。”说着就不省人事了。第三个人只说了一句：“请递给我芥末。”说完呼呼大睡。
“准备划船到纳尼亚去，呃?”德里宁说。
“是啊，”凯斯宾说，“你说得不错，德里宁。我想，我们的寻访结束了。我们来瞧瞧他们的戒指吧。是的，这些就是他们的纹章。这位是雷维廉爵爷。这位是阿尔戈兹爵爷。这位是马夫拉蒙爵爷。”
“可是我们叫不醒他们啊，”露茜说，“我们该怎么办?”
“请各位陛下原谅，”赖因斯说，“可我们何不趁你们讨论的时候先开始用餐呢?这么样的美餐我们可不是天天看到的啊。”
“千万吃不得。”凯斯宾说。
“说得对，说得对，”几个水手说，“这里的魔法多得不得了。我们还是趁早回船为妙。”
“的确，”雷佩契普说，“这三位爵爷就是吃了这酒菜才睡了七年之久。”
“为了保命，我才不愿碰这些酒菜呢。”德里宁说。
“天色很快就暗下来了。”赖尼夫说。
“回船吧，回船吧。”其他的人嘀咕说。
“我倒真的认为，”爱德蒙说，“他们说得对。我们可以到明天再决定拿这三个沉睡的人怎么办。我们又不敢吃这顿酒菜，待在这里过夜就没意思了。这里整个地方都有魔法——和危险的味儿。”
“就船上全体人员来说，我完全赞同爱德蒙国王的意见，”雷佩契普说，“不过我个人倒愿意在这桌上坐到天亮。”
“到底为什么?”尤斯塔斯说。
“因为，”老鼠说，“这是一件很了不起的奇遇，对我来说，任何危险都算不了什么，要是回到纳尼亚去，心里明白由于害怕，扔下一个谜没解开，那才不得了呢。”
“我留下陪你，雷普。”爱德蒙说。
“我也留下。”凯斯宾说。
“我也留下。”露茜说。于是尤斯塔斯也自告奋勇留下。这在他是非常勇敢的行为，因为在他没登上黎明踏浪号的时候，从来没在书上看到过这种事，甚至连听也没听到过，所以这对他来说比对其他人更难受。
“恳求陛下——”德里宁开口说。
“不，爵爷，”凯斯宾说，“你的岗位在船上，你已经工作了一天，而我们五个闲着没事干。”争论这件事花了不少口舌，到末了还是凯斯宾说了算。暮色苍茫中，船员出发到海岸去，五个留下守夜的人，也许雷佩契普除外，不免都感到肚子里冷冰冰的。:
他们花了老半天工夫才在这张危机四伏的桌上挑好座位，恐怕每个人都出于同样的原因，但是没人说出口而已。因为这的确是件相当讨厌的选择。要你整夜坐在三个浑身长着吓人长毛的怪物旁边，可不大受得了，这三个即使不是死人，按常理来说，确实也不是活人。但另一方面呢，坐在那一头，天色越来越黑，就越是看不见他们，不会知道他们是不是有动静，也许到半夜两点钟光景就一点也看不见他们了——不，不该想这事。于是他们就绕着桌子走了一圈又一圈，嘴里一面说：“这儿怎么样?”一会儿说：“或许还是坐得远一点儿吧，”一会儿又说：“为什么不坐在这一边呢?”到未了终于决定坐在中间，不过离三个沉睡的人比离另一头更近些。这时大约十点钟，天几乎黑了。那些陌生的新星座在东方发光。如果这是豹子星座和船星座，以及纳尼亚上空看到过的老朋友，露茜会更喜欢。
他们身上裹着航海外套，端坐不动，静静等着。开头他们也几次试图谈谈，可是谈不出什么大名堂。于是大家就那么坐着，耳边一直听到海滩上碎浪拍岸的声音。7
过了几个小时，倒仿佛过了好几个世纪似的，有一阵子他们都明白刚才已经打过一会儿盹，突然一下子又全都清醒了。那些星座的方向都跟刚才看见的大不相同了。天空很黑，只有东方隐隐约约有点灰白。他们虽然口渴，而且身上又冷又僵，却没一个人开口说话，因为终于出现了奇事。
在他们前面，柱子外有座低矮的小山的斜坡。这时坡上有扇门打开了，门口露出了亮光，一个人走了出来，背后的门又关上了。那人手里拿着灯火，这灯火其实就是他们惟一能看得清的东西。灯火慢慢越来越近，越来越近，最后就正好对着他们，放在桌子对面。他们这才看见来人是个高个儿姑娘，身穿一件蓝色露臂长袍。她没戴帽子，一头金发披散在背后。他们瞧着她的时候心里就想，活到这么大才知道什么叫美人儿呢。
她刚才拿着的灯火原来是枝插在银烛台上的长烛，现在她把烛台搁在桌上。如果上半夜刮过什么海风的话，这会儿一定早就停了，因为烛火笔直不动，就像是搁在一间关紧窗户，拉上窗帘的屋里似的。桌上的金银餐具在烛光下闪闪发亮。
这时露茜注意到桌子另一头放着一件东西，原先她没留意。这是把石刀，锋利如钢，是件样子古老、杀气腾腾的东西。
到现在还没人开口说过一句话。那时雷佩契普和凯斯宾一先一后站了起来——大家也都站了起来，因为他们感到她是位贵妇人。
“远道来到阿斯兰餐桌的旅客们，”那姑娘说，“你们为什么不吃不喝啊?”
“小姐，”凯斯宾说，“我们不敢吃，因为我们想，我们的朋友就是吃了这些酒莱才中了魔法睡不醒了。”
“他们根本没尝过这些东西。”她说。
“请问，”露茜说，“他们是怎么回事?”
“七年前，”那姑娘说，“他们乘了一条船来到这儿，船帆都成了碎布条，船骨也快散架了。他们还带着几个水手，他们走到这张餐桌前，一个人说，‘这儿是个好地方。我们就解开帆篷，不再划桨，坐着安享天年吧!’第二个人说，‘不，我们还是重新上船，开到纳尼亚去，开到西方去，说不定弥若兹死了呢。’但第三个人非常专横，他跳起来说，‘不，老天在上!我们是男子汉大丈夫，是台尔马人，不是畜生。我们除了不断探险猎奇还该干什么呢?反正我们也活不长了。让我们利用余生去探索太阳后面那个无人世界吧。’说着他们就争吵起来，他操起放在桌上的那把石刀，想跟伙伴打架。谁知那把刀他是动不得的。他手指刚攥住刀把，这三个人就都陷入沉睡。一直要睡到魔法破除才会醒来呢。”
“这把石刀是什么东西?”尤斯塔斯问。
“你们谁也不知道吗?”那姑娘说。
“我——我想，”露茜说，“我以前见过这样的东西。这把刀像很久以前白女巫用来在石桌上杀死阿斯兰的那把刀。”
“就是这把，”那姑娘说，“带到这里永远保存起来作为纪念。”
爱德蒙刚才几分钟里神色越来越不安，这时开口了。!
“听着，”他说，“但愿我不是个胆小鬼——我是说，吃这些酒莱——我的确不是存心冒犯。不过我们这次远航一路上经历了不少希奇古怪的险情，而且事情并不尽是表面上那样。当我看着你脸时，我不得不相信你说的一切；可是碰到女巫，也可能会相信她。我们怎么才知道你是朋友呢?”
“你们没法知道，”那姑娘说，“只能信不信由你了。”
歇了片刻，只听得雷佩契普小声说话。
“陛下，”它对凯斯宾说，“劳驾您从那个酒壶里替我斟杯酒：这壶太大，我拿不了。我要为这位小姐干杯。”
凯斯宾照做了，老鼠站在餐桌上，两个小爪子捧着金杯说：“小姐，祝您健康。”说罢它就吃起冷孔雀肉来。一会儿工夫大家都跟着它又吃又喝了。大家都很饿，这顿酒菜即使不是你心目中想要的早早餐，作为一顿宵夜可是再好也没有了。.
“为什么称这是阿斯兰的餐桌?”不一会儿露茜问。
“餐桌是按照他的嘱咐摆在这里的，”那姑娘说，“专门招待那些远道来这里的人。有人叫这岛做世界尽头，因为你虽然还可以再往远处开，但是这里就是尽头的开端。”
“那么这些酒菜是怎么保鲜的?”讲究实际的尤斯塔斯问。
“每天吃掉了再重新做呗，”那姑娘说，“你回头就明白了。”
“那我们拿这几个沉睡的人怎么办?”凯斯宾问，“在我这几位朋友来的那个世界里，”(说到这里他朝尤斯塔斯和佩文西兄妹点点头)“流传着一个故事，有个王子或国王来到一个城堡，城堡里的人全都中了魔法沉睡不醒。在那故事里，他要吻了公主才能解除魔法。”
“可是这儿的情况不同，”姑娘说，“在这儿他要解除了魔法才能吻公主。”
“那么说，”凯斯宾说，“以阿斯兰的名义，告诉我怎么立即着手这工作。”
“我父亲会指点你的。”姑娘说。
“你父亲!”大家说，“他是什么人?在哪儿?”
“瞧。”姑娘回过头，指着山坡上那扇门说。此刻他们看起来格外方便了，因为他们谈话那会儿，星星都已暗淡了，灰蒙蒙的东方天空正露出了大片白色曙光。
收听单词发音 |
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sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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capes
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| 碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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lobsters
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| 龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉 | |
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salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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beavers
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| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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goblets
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| n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 ) | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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majesties
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| n.雄伟( majesty的名词复数 )；庄严；陛下；王权 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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