It is undeniable that it was an extremely abominable day.Overhead was a gloomy sky, with no sun and low, thick snow clouds covering the sky; Beneath your feet, a layer of black frost and a biting cold wind hit you, and it felt like you were about to be scraped off a layer of skin.When they descended to the plains, they found that this part of the trail was more badly damaged than any section of the road they had seen before.They had to carry their way, walking on large broken rocks, walking between pebbles, and walking through piles of rubble.The journey was very difficult, and their feet ached.And no matter how tired they were, they couldn't stop and rest, because it was so cold.Around ten o'clock, the first small snowflakes slowly fell and landed on Jill's arm.Ten minutes later, I saw snowflakes coming all over the world.Within twenty minutes, the whole land was covered in snow.Half an hour later, a steady snowstorm finally formed, which looked like it would last all day.The cold wind swept the dense goose feather snow straight into their faces, and their vision was cut off by snowflakes, and they could barely see anything.In order to figure out what happened next, you must remember that they can barely see anything.As they approached the low hill, which had separated them from the place where the light had been in the window the night before, they had not seen the whole of it at all.The problem they now face is that they can only see a few steps ahead of them when they walk, and even then, they have to squint their eyes.Of course, needless to say, none of them said a word.When they reached the foot of the mountain, they glanced at what was most likely rocky on either side, and if you looked closely, you would see that it was a square stone, but none of them did.Everyone was more concerned about the stone wall directly in front of them blocking their way.The stone wall was about four feet high.The long-legged swamp monster Pudgren jumped on it without much effort, and then it helped the two children climb up.It was a nuisance for the children to climb all over the soak, because the snow on the rock wall was already thick, but the swamp monsters didn't care about it at all.Then they began the arduous climb, climbing a hundred or so yards up rough ground before reaching the second rock wall, where Jill fell once on the way.There are a total of four stone walls on this hill, which vary from each other at different distances.After some effort, they finally climbed the fourth stone wall, and there was no doubt that the truth was before their eyes, and they were now on the top of a flat mountain.That was the end of the hill that had kept them out a little from the wind, and here they had been hit by the most violent blizzard.Strangely, the summit of this hill is as flat as it looks from a distance.Blizzards swept unhindered across this wide, flat plateau.In most places, it is difficult for snow to form when it falls to the ground, because the wind is constantly sweeping across the ground, curling snowflakes into patches and clumps and smashing them into their faces.Little whirlpools of wind and snow swirled around their feet, just like the little whirlpools you sometimes see swirling on the ice.And, in fact, in many places, the ground is as smooth as ice.To make matters worse, the place is also dotted with bizarre riverbanks or dikes, which occasionally divide the ground into squares and rectangles.All of these banks or levees had to be climbed up, of course, and they varied in height, between two and five feet, and about two yards thick.Thick snow has accumulated on the north side of each riverbank; After each climb, they would sink into the snowdrift and get wet.Jill pulled on his hood, lowered his head vigorously, and stumbled forward as he reached his hands into his cloak, frozen unconscious.In this terrifying, obnoxious highland, Jill also caught a glimpse of something else odd.The things to her right looked a bit like factory chimneys; To her left, a massive cliff rises steeply, which should be straighter than any cliff.But she had no interest in it, and she didn't care at all.The only thing she cared about was her cold, unconscious hands, nose, jaw, and ears, as well as the warm hot baths and comfy beds of Harfang.Suddenly, the soles of her feet slipped, sliding about five feet, and she found herself slipping into a dark, narrow pit, much to her horror.It was as if the crack had just appeared in front of her, and in an instant she had already fallen to the bottom of the pit.She seemed to be in a trench or deep groove, about three feet wide.Although the fall alarmed her, the first thing she noticed was that the wind was cut off, which gave her a slight relief, as the walls of the ditch on both sides were a lot higher than hers.The next thing she noticed, needless to say, was the anxious and worried faces of Eustace and Pudgren, who were looking down at her from the edge of the ditch."
Jill, are you hurt," Eustace asked aloud."
Even if both legs are broken, I don't think it's surprising."
Pudgren shouted.Jill stood up and explained that she was fine, but they had to find a way to help her out."
What kind of place did you fall into?"
asked Eustace."
It's a ditch, or a dark alley, or something," replied Gil, "and it goes straight out." ”"Yes, my God," Eustace exclaimed, "and it's to the north."
I'm curious to know if this is the way to go.If so, we can go down and avoid this hateful wind.Is there a lot of snow at the bottom of the ditch?"
As far as I can guess, the snow was scraped straight from the top. ”Jill replied."
Go further and see what's ahead."
Eustace said."
Wait a minute, I'll go over and take a look."
Jill said.She stood up and walked forward along the trench.But she hadn't gone far when the trench suddenly turned to the right.She relayed the news out loud to the other two."
What's around the corner," Eustace continued.Now it was the case that Jill felt the same way that the underground, or almost underground, of the zigzag passages and the darkness of the places was the same as Scrobe's feeling of the edge of a cliff.She didn't have the inclination to turn that corner alone, especially when she heard Pudgren shouting behind her, "Be careful, Jill.There is a high probability that such a place will lead to the dragon's cave, and in such a giant country, there will probably be giant lizards and giant beetles. ”"I don't think it's going to lead to more places."
Jill said in a panic as she hurried back."
I really want to go down and have a look," Eustace said, "I'd love to know what you mean by more places." ”So he sat down on the edge of the ditch, and now everyone was drenched, and he didn't care about the slightest bit of wetness, and then he jumped into the ditch.He squeezed past Jill.He didn't say anything, but she was sure he knew she was avoiding her out of fear.She followed him closely, but she was still scared that one would accidentally walk in front of him.It turned out to be a disappointing exploration anyway.After turning right, they only took a few straight steps.There are two ways to choose from, go straight ahead or make a sharp turn to the right."
This road will not work," said Eustace, glancing at the right turn, "and if it does, it will take us back to the south." ”He chose to go straight ahead, but was in the same situation again, and after a few steps they found a second way to turn right, but this time there was no choice, for they had followed the trench to a dead end."
It's useless."
Eustace grunted.Jill didn't hesitate to turn around and lead the way back.They returned to the place where Jill had fallen, and the swamp monster's long arms pulled them out with little effort.But it's awful to go back to it again.In the narrow crevices of the trenches below, their ears were almost beginning to warm up.They can see clearly, breathe easily, and hear each other without shouting loudly.It's painful to be back in this place of snow and cold.To add insult to injury, Pudgren chose to ask at this time, "Jill, can you remember Aslan's instructions accurately, and now, which one should we follow?"
"Oh, forget it, go to his instructions," Jill said angrily, "probably about someone who will mention Aslan's name or something."
But I don't really want to recite any instructions here. ”As you know, she had misremembered the order of those instructions.That's because she's given up the habit of reciting these instructions every night.If she was willing to rack her brains to think about it, she would still remember it clearly, but she was no longer so skilled with her homework that she could not memorize it in exactly order without thinking.Pudgren's question annoyed her, for deep down she was already annoyed that she could not take the lesson to heart that the Lion King had given her, and she felt that she should always remember it.This annoyance, combined with the pain of the cold wind and exhaustion, caused her to say things like "go to his instructions", when in fact, she didn't mean to offend Aslan."
Oh, that's the next instruction," said Pudgren, "and now what I want to know is, whether you're right or not, and I don't think it's surprising that you've confused them."
It seems to me that this hill, the flat spot on which we stand, deserves to stop and take a closer look.Have you noticed," said Eustace, "Oh my God," said Eustace, "is this the time to stop and enjoy the view, for God's time, let's move on." ”"Oh, look, look, look there," cried Jill with his fingers.Everyone turned around, and everyone saw a row of lights in the direction of a little north, a lot higher than the mesa where they were standing.This time, it was even more visible than the lights travelers had seen the night before.It was a window: a smaller one reminiscent of an aromatic bedroom, a larger one reminiscent of the roaring fireplace in the hall, the hot soup on the dining table, and the tender, juicy beef tenderloin steaming hot."
It's the town of Harfang," Eustace cheered."
It's all wonderful," said Pudgren, "but, as I was just saying," "Oh, shut up," said Jill angrily, "we can't afford to waste a minute."
Don't you remember what the lady said about how they would lock the door early on, we had to get there in time, we had to go right away, and if we were shut out on a night like this, we would be dead. ”"Well, it's not night, it's not night, it's not night."
Pudgren spoke.But the two children said "let's go" in unison, and then began to stumble on the slippery high ground and spread their legs and run forward as quickly as possible.Pudgren followed them, still muttering, but now that they had been forced into the wind again, they couldn't hear it even if they wanted to, and they didn't want to hear it at all.The two of them were so preoccupied with hot baths, comfortable beds, and warm hot drinks that they couldn't bear to think of being turned away by the Kazakh side if they arrived too late.Despite their best efforts, it took them a long time to get past the flat top of the hill.Even though they had already made it to the top of the mountain, there were still a few protruding rock walls to climb in the distance.After they reached the bottom of the mountain, they could finally see what the town of Hafang looked like.It stands tall on a cliff and, despite its many towers, looks more like a mansion than a castle.It is clear that the gentle giant is not afraid of any attack.Many of the windows on the exterior walls of the house were very close to the ground, which would not have happened in a serious fortress.There's even a strange little door here and there, so it's easy to get in and out of the castle without having to go through the courtyard.This greatly raised the mental head of Jill and Eustace.It makes the whole castle look more intimate and friendly, and less intimidating.At first, they were frightened by the height and steepness of the cliffs, but soon they noticed an easier path on the left that winded up towards the castle.After such a difficult journey, it is really scary to continue climbing now.Jill was on the verge of giving up.Eustace and Pudgren had to help her climb the last few hundred yards.Finally, they stood at the gate of the castle.The gates were hung up, and the castle gates were open.No matter how tired you are, it always takes a certain amount of courage to walk to the gates of the giants.Although Pudgren had repeatedly warned and objected to their coming to Harfon, it was evident that he was the bravest of the three."
Now, take a steady step," it said, "and whatever you do, don't look scared.We're here to do one of the stupidest things in the world.But now that we're here, we'd better pretend to be nothing. ”With these words it strode to the doorway, and stood still under the arch, for the echo of the arch helped to raise its volume, and then it cried as loudly as it could."
Ho the gatekeeper has a guest seeking a stay" As it waited for a response, it removed its hat and slapped away the large amount of snow that had piled up on its wide brim."
Hey," Eustace whispered to Jill, "it may be a bad man, but it's gutsy and thick-skinned. ”A door opened, and a lovely glow of the fire, and the gatekeeper appeared.Jill bit her lips for fear of screaming.It wasn't exactly a giant giant, rather, it was much taller than an apple tree, but it was nowhere near as tall as a telephone pole.He had short, stiff red hair, and wore a leather sleeveless tunic with many fixed pieces of metal nailed to it, as if it were meant to be made into an armor.He had a lot of hair on his knees, and there seemed to be leggings on his legs.He leaned down and glared at Pudgren."
What kind of creatures do you call yourself?"
he asked.Jill marches forward."
I beg your pardon," she cried out to the giant, "Lady Greendress salutes the gentle Giant King, and sends us two southern children and the swamp monster's name is Pudgren to your autumn feast.Of course, if it's convenient. ”She added."
Oh ho," said the janitor happily, "that's quite different.Come in, little one, and come in quickly, and you'd better go to the porter when I report to your majesty later." ”He looked at the two children curiously."
The face was blue," he said, "and I didn't know the face was this color."
I don't think I'm impressed, but I dare say you should look at each other very well.As the saying goes, things gather by like, and people are grouped. ”"Our faces were just blue from the cold weather," Jill explained, "and in fact, we weren't that color. ”"Then come in and warm up.Come in, little shrimp. ”The janitor said.They followed him into the porter.It was a shudder to hear such a large door slamming behind them, but when they saw the flame of what they had longed for since yesterday's supper, they threw it out of the way.What a great fire, it looked like four or five whole trees were burning violently at the same time, and it was so hot that they couldn't get near it a few yards away.They all sat down on the brick floor with a thud of exhaustion, and as close as possible to the heat they could tolerate, they couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief."
All right, young man."
The janitor said to the other giant, who had been sitting at the back of the room.The giant stared straight at the travelers, his eyes as if they were about to fall."
Hurry up and report the news to the king."
At the same time, the janitor repeated what Jill had said to him.The young giant stared at them again, then let out a wild laugh and left the room."
Hey, little frog," said the janitor to Pudgren, "you look like you need something to cool off." ”He pulled out a black bottle, very similar to Pudgren's own, but about twenty times larger."
Let me see, let me see."
The janitor said, "I can't bring you a cup, or you'll drown in it."
Let me see, this salt shaker is just right for you.Don't mention it before the king.The silverware still keeps coming here, and besides, it's not my fault. ”The salt shaker was not quite like the one we had here, it was narrower and more vertical, and the giant placed it on the floor beside Pudgren, and it looked like it was a good wine glass for Pudgren.The two children thought that Pudgren would refuse to drink it, for he did not trust the gentle giant at all, but it whispered, "Now that we have come in and the door behind us is closed, it is too late to take any precautions." ”Then, it sniffed the wine."
It smells good," it said, "but that's not enough, it's better to try it." ”At the same time it took a small sip."
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It tastes good," it said, "but since the first sip tastes good, what if you keep drinking?"
it took another big sip."
Ah," it said, "Well, does it taste the same if you drink it all the time," and took another big sip."
I wouldn't be surprised if there's anything disgusting at the bottom of the bottle."
It said, and drank it all.It licked its lips and said to the children, "It's a test, you know it."
If I fall, or have a seizure, or become a lizard or something, you know that whatever they give you, you must not touch it. ”But the giant, who was so much taller than them, could not hear Pudgren speak in a low voice at such a distance, laughed and said, "Oh, little frog, you are such a man, you have drunk all your wine" "I am not a man, I am a swamp monster," Pudgren replied in a muffled voice, "I am not a frog, I am a swamp monster." ”At this moment, the door behind them opened, and the young giant walked in and said, "They are going to the audience room at once." ”The children stood up, but Pudgren still sat there, muttering, "Swamp Monster, Swamp Monster."
Very respectable swamp monster, respectable monster. ”"Show them, young man," said the gatekeeper, "you'd better get rid of the little frog, it's a little too drunk." ”"I'm totally fine," Pudgren said, "I'm not a frog.I'm not a frog.I'm a venerable swamp monster. ”But the young giant grabbed it by the waist and motioned for the children to follow him.They walked through the courtyard in this unsightly way.Caught in the hands of the giant, Pudgren kicked in the air in a daze, which really looked like a frog.But they didn't have much time to pay attention to this, for soon several men were entering the gates of the castle, and both of them were beating much faster than usual, and, in order to keep up with the giants, they had to trot through several corridors along the way.Later, they found themselves standing in a huge room, blinking in the light.The lights flickered in the house, the fireplace was blazing, and the lights and fires were reflected on the gilded roof and cornices.Countless giants stood on their left and right, all dressed in ornate robes.At the end of the room there were two thrones, on which sat two large figures, which seemed to be the king and the queen.About twenty feet from the throne, they stopped.Eustace and Jill clumsily tried to bow and the girls were not taught how to curtsy in the experimental school, and the young giant carefully placed Pudgren on the floor, and he sat there paralyzed.Truth be told, its long limbs make it look like an unusually large spider.t1706231537: