Shasta tiptoed along the rooftop, his feet feeling a little hot.In a matter of seconds, he had climbed to the other end of the wall.When he reached the corner, he looked down and saw a narrow, smelly street, and directly opposite the wall was a garbage heap, the same one that Prince Colin had told him.Before jumping off, he quickly looked around to see where he was.It is clear that he has now reached the top of the hill in the city of Tashban.Everything sloped down in front of him, with cascading flat roofs that stretched down to the northern walls of the city and its towers and battlements.Outside the walls is a river, and beyond the river is a short slope covered by gardens.Looking further out, there was a sight he had never seen before: a very large, yellowish, gray thing, as flat as a calm sea, stretching for countless miles.Its far edges were massive, blue things, uneven, undulating, with jagged borders, some of which were snow-white at the top."
It's a desert or a mountain," Shasta thought, very excited.He jumped right onto the garbage heap and began to run down the hill as fast as he could in the narrow alleys.In a few moments he was on a wider, more crowded street.No one noticed a child in tattered clothes running barefoot down the street.Still, he was anxious and distracted, until he turned around a corner and saw the gate in front of him.The gates of the city were a bit crowded, and people were pushing each other around, because many people were about to leave the city at this time.The crowd on the bridge outside the gate turned into a slowly advancing queue, which looked more like a line than the crowd.Outside the city, the bridge is flanked by a clear river, and after experiencing the smell, heat and noise of Tashban, Shasta finds the air exceptionally fresh, natural and pleasantly aromatic.As Shasta reached the bridge of the bridge, he suddenly realized that the crowd had been evacuated; It was as if everyone got off the bridge and walked either to the left or to the right along the riverbank.He walked straight on, down a path in the middle of a garden that didn't seem to be very well walked.After a few steps, he was the only one left, and after a few more steps, he was directly at the top of the hill.He stood at the top of the slope and stared.It felt like we had come to the end of the world, because all the green grass suddenly disappeared a few steps ahead, followed by a vast expanse of yellow sand.The endless, flat yellow sand, like a seaside sand, was just a little rougher than that, because it could never be wet.The mountains loomed ahead, but now they seemed to be farther away.But, to his consolation, about five minutes' walk to his left, there must have been a number of large weathered stones from the burial ground of the ancient king that Brie had depicted with them, which had developed into the shape of a giant beehive, but a little narrower.It looked dark and cold, as the sun had now set behind the cemetery.Shasta turned his face to the west and walked briskly towards the cemetery.He couldn't help but look around desperately, looking for traces of his friends.But now the setting sun was shining on his face, so that he could barely see anything clearly."
Anyway," he thought to himself, "they will go around to the other side of the cemetery and wait, not on the side where anyone in the city can see them." ”There are twelve graves in the cemetery, each with a low arch in front of which plunges into the darkness.The graves are scattered and not very orderly, and before you are sure that you have searched every side of each grave, you have to spend a long time going around here and there.That's what Shasta has to do.There was not a single person in the cemetery.It's on the edge of the desert, it's silent, and now the sun has completely set.Suddenly, a terrible voice came from behind him.Shasta's heart pounded violently, and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming.After a few moments, he understood what it was, the sound of the trumpets blowing from the city of Tashban announcing the closure of the gates."
Don't be a stupid little coward," Shasta said to herself, "it's just the same voice you heard early this morning." ”But there is now such a great difference between the sound of the trumpet that lets you and your friends into the city in the morning and the trumpet that you are alone in the evening when you are locked out of the city.Now that the gates were closed, he knew they were unlikely to come here to meet him tonight."
It's possible that they've been locked up in Tashban for the night," Shasta pondered, "or they'd have left me behind."
Something like this, Alaves should be able to do it, but Brie certainly won't.Oh, it wouldn't do that, now think about it, will it do that" On this assumption of Alaves, Shasta was wrong again.She was arrogant and ruthless enough, but she was as loyal as steel, and she would never abandon her companion, whether she liked him or not.Now Shasta understood that he had to spend this terrible night alone, and every minute it was getting darker, and he became more and more disliked to see this cemetery, as if there was something very uncomfortable hidden in the various stones of the great dead silence.For a long time, he tried his best not to think about the ghouls, but he couldn't hold on any longer."
AhhhI don't think anyone would blame him if something came from behind and touched him and made him scream, especially in a place like this and at such a time, he was already scared enough.Shasta was so frightened that he could barely run, and it was much better than something behind him that chased him and made him run round and round about the tombs of the ancient kings.In this way, he did make the most sane decision he could make, he did not run, but looked around, and his heart almost exploded with relief.It turned out that it was just a cat that touched his leg just now.The light was so bad that Shasta couldn't see the cat clearly, only that it was large and serious.The cat looked as if it had been living alone in the cemetery for many years.Its eyes make you think it knows a lot of secrets, but it never reveals half a word."
Cat, cat," Shasta said, "I guess you're a talking cat." ”The cat stared at him more and more.Then the cat walked away, and of course, Shasta followed closely.The cat led him through the cemetery and led him to the edge of the desert outside the cemetery.Suddenly, the cat sat down with its tail in a circle on its feet, its face facing the direction of the desert, that is, Narnia and the north, and its body was still, as if it were watching the enemy.Shasta lay down beside it, his back against the cat and his face towards the cemetery, because if one is feeling very nervous, it is better to face danger with his back to something warm and reliable.The sand may seem very uncomfortable to you, but Shasta had slept on the ground for weeks before, and that didn't bother him in the slightest.Soon, he fell asleep, but he continued to worry about what had happened to Brie, Alaves, and Herwin in his dreams.Suddenly, he was awakened by a voice he had never heard before."
Maybe it was just a nightmare."
Shasta comforted herself.At the same time, he noticed that the cat had gone away from his back, and he really wished the cat hadn't left.But he lay there quietly, not even opening his eyes, for he was sure that if he sat up and looked around the cemetery, he would be even more frightened and lonely, just as you or I would rather lie there with your head covered in your clothes.But then the voice rang out again, and a piercing, high-pitched cry came from the desert behind him.Of course, he had to open his eyes and sit up at this time.The bright moon pours a cool and soft glow.The cemetery was far larger than he had imagined, and looked gray in the moonlight.In fact, the graves looked as terrifying as giants, like gray robes that covered their heads and faces.It's not a good thing to spend the night alone in a strange place where these terrifying things are close at hand.The cry came from the other side of the desert.Shasta had to turn his back to the cemetery, which he didn't like, and looked over the flat desert with wide eyes.The brutal cry rang out again."
I hope I didn't run into a lion again."
Shasta thought to himself.In fact, it was not the same as the lion's roar heard on the night he met Herwin and Alaves, it was actually the cry of a jackal.Shasta doesn't know, though, and rightfully so.Even if he knew, he didn't want to meet a jackal.Howl after howl came."
Whatever it is, there's more than one of them."
Shasta pondered, "And they're getting closer." ”I suspect that if Shasta had been a wise child, he would have walked back from the graveyard to the river, where there were many houses, and the beasts were not usually very fond of going there.However, there would be, or he thought there would be, ghouls in that place.Walking through the graveyard meant passing through those dark caves, and who knew what would come out of them, it might be foolish to think so, but Shasta thought he would rather risk being eaten by wild beasts than do that.Then, as the howls approached, he began to change his mind.He was about to run away when suddenly, between him and the desert, a giant beast came into view.Because of the moon behind it, it looked quite dark, and Shasta didn't know what kind of beast it was, but it had a large, fluffy head and walked on four legs.It didn't seem to notice Shasta, for it suddenly stopped, turned its head towards the desert and let out a roar that echoed through the graveyard and seemed to shake even the sand beneath Shasta's feet.The other animals' cries then stopped abruptly, and Shasta thought he heard a panicked run of footsteps.Then, the beast turned and looked at Shasta."
It's a lion, I know it's a lion," Shasta thought to himself, his heart beating out of his heart by the moment, "I'm done."
I was worried it would hurt too much.I hope it ends soon.I'm worried about what will happen when people die.Oooh, it's coming this way," he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.However, there was no bite from the fangs and claws, and he only felt something warm lying at his feet.When he opened his eyes, he said, "What's the matter, it's not as big as I thought, only half the size."
No, not even a quarter.I dare say it's just a cat, I must have had a dream that it was as big as a horse. ”Whether Shasta had really dreamed or not, the one lying at his feet, staring at him with its big, green, round eyes, was nothing more than a cat, but it was certain that it was the largest cat he had ever seen."
Oh, cat," said Shasta, breathlessly, "it makes me so happy to see you again."
I've been having nightmares. ”Then he lay down again, back to back with the cat, as he had done at the beginning of the night.The warmth that emanated from the cat spread throughout his body."
As long as I'm alive, I'll never do anything bad to a cat again."
Shasta said half to the cat and half to herself, "You know, I did a bad thing once.I stoned a half-hungry, mud-smeared, very old stray cat.Hey, stop it. ”Because the cat turned around and scratched him."
Don't do that again," Shasta said, "it's not like you can understand what I'm saying." ”Then he fell asleep.When Shasta woke up the next morning, the cat was gone, and the sun had risen, and the sand was hot.Shasta felt his mouth dry and sat up and rubbed his eyes.The desert looked blinding white, and the place where he sat was silent, despite the faint noise of a low noise coming from the city behind him.He turned his head slightly to the left and looked to the west, for so that the sun would not shine into his eyes, and he could see the tall mountains on the far edge of the desert, so majestic, so clear, that they seemed to be only one step away.He noticed a blue plateau with two peaks at the top, and it was clear that it must be Peel Peak."
Judging by what Raven said, that's the direction we're going," he pondered, "so I have to make sure of it, and I won't have to waste too much time when the rest of the men arrive." ”So, with his feet, he dug a deep, straight trench in the ground, pointing precisely at Peel Peak.The next thing to do, obviously, is to get something to eat and drink.Shasta trotted back through the graveyard, and now that the graves looked normal, he wondered how he had been so frightened of them, and ran all the way down until he was into the fields by the river.There were a few people nearby, but not much, for the gates had been opened a few hours earlier, and the crowd had already entered early in the morning.So Shasta "robbed" that's what Brie said.The "robbery" consisted of climbing over a garden wall and harvesting three oranges, a melon, one or two figs, and a pomegranate.When he had done this, he walked to the riverbank, but not too close to the bridge, and drank some water.The water was cool and clear, so he took off his hot and dirty clothes and went down to take a bath.Of course, Shasta grew up on the seashore and almost learned to swim when he first learned to walk.When he came out of the river, he lay down on the green meadow, and his eyes crossed the river to look at the city of Tashban in all its magnificence, strength, and glory.But it also reminded him of the dangers of Tashban.He suddenly realized that perhaps the other centaurs had already arrived at the cemetery while he was bathing, and "it was very likely that they would leave me behind", and he immediately put on his clothes in a panic and ran back as fast as he could, feeling hot and thirsty when he arrived at the cemetery, and all the comforts he had just had had taken a shower were gone.Like most days when one waits for something alone, Shasta thinks it's like a hundred hours.Of course, he had a lot to think about, but if he was just sitting there alone, just thinking about things, time did pass slowly.He spent most of his time thinking about the Narnians, especially Colin.He was curious to know what would happen if they found out that the kid lying on the couch and hearing their secret plan wasn't the real Colin.When he thought that these good people would think that he was a spy, he felt very uncomfortable.But as the sun slowly crept up to the center of the sky, and then slowly settled toward the west, and no one came, and nothing happened, he became more and more anxious.Of course, he understood now that they had planned to wait for each other at the cemetery, but no one had ever said how long they would have to wait.He couldn't have spent his whole life waiting here, and soon it would be dark again, and he would have to spend the night like last night, and more than a dozen different plans came to his mind, all useless plans, and in the end he chose the worst of them.He decided to stay here until dark, and then he ran to the river to steal as much melon as he could, and then set out alone, in the direction of the line he had dug in the sand, toward Peel.It's a crazy idea, and if he's read a lot of books about desert travel like you do, he wouldn't have such an unrealistic dream.But unfortunately, Shasta never read.Before the sun went down, something happened.When Shasta looked up and saw two horses running towards him, he was sitting in the shadow of one of the tombs.At this point, his heart skipped a beat, for he recognized them as Brie and Herwin.But the next second his heart sank to his toes, because he didn't see Alaves at all.The horse was brought by a strange, good-looking soldier, and by dress, it resembled a high-ranking slave from a noble family.Brie and Herwin no longer dressed up like pack horses, with saddles and halters, what does it all mean?"
said Shasta, "someone must have caught Aaves, and maybe they tortured her, and she confessed the whole thing."
They wanted me to jump out of my own accord and run over to talk to Brie, and then take the opportunity to arrest me, but if I didn't jump out, maybe I would lose the only chance I had to be with the other centaurs.Oh, I wish I could know what was going on. ”He hid behind the grave, peering out every few minutes, all the while thinking about what action to take to minimize the danger.t1706231537: