CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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UNDERLAND WITHOUT THE QUEEN ALL felt that they had earned what Scrubb called a "breather". The Witch had locked the door and told the Earthmen not to disturb her, so there was no danger of interruption forthe present. Their first business was, of course, Puddleglums burnt foot. A couple of shirts from the Princes bedroom, torn into strips, and well greased on the ih butter and salad oil off the supper table, made a fairly good dressing. When this had been applied, they all sat down and had a little refreshment, and discussed plans for esg from the Underworld.
Rilian explaihat there were quite a lot of outlets by whie could get to the surface; he had been taken out through most of them at oime or another. But he had never go alone, only with the Witch; and he had always reached these outlets by going in a ship across the Sunless Sea. What the Earthmen would say if he went down to the harbour without the Witch, and with four strangers, and simply ordered a ship, no one could guess. But most likely they would ask awkward questions. Oher hand the new outlet, the one for the invasion of Overworld, was on this side of the sea, and only a few miles away. The Prinew that it was nearly finished; only a few feet of earth divided the diggings from the outer air. It was even possible that it had now been quite finished. Perhaps the Witch had e back to tell him this and to start the attack. Even if it was not, they could probably dig themselves out by that route in a few hours - if they could only get there without being stopped, and if only they found the diggings unguarded. But those were the difficulties.
"If you ask me -" began Puddleglum, when Scrubb interrupted.
"I say," he asked, "whats that noise?”
"Ive been w that for some time!" said Jill.
They had all, in fact, been hearing the it had begun and increased so gradually that they did not know when they had first noticed it. For a time it had been only a vague disquiet like gentle winds, or traffic very far away. Then it swelled to a murmur like the sea. Then came rumblings and rushings. Now there seemed to be voices as well and also a steady r that was not voices.
"By the Lion," said Prince Rilian, "it seems this silent land has found a to last." He rose, walked to the window, and drew aside the curtains. The others crowded round him to look out.
The very first thing they noticed was a great red glow. Its refleade a red pat the roof of the Underworld thousands of feet above them, so that they could see a rocky ceiling which had perhaps been hidden in darkness ever sihe world was made. The glow itself came from the far side of the city so that many buildings, grim and great, stood up blackly against it. But it also cast its light down many streets that ran from it towards the castle. And in those streets something very strange was going on. The closely-packed, silent crowds of Earthmen had vanished. Instead, there were figures darting about by ones, or twos, or threes. They behaved like people who do not want to be seen: lurking in shadow behind buttresses or in doorways, and then moving quickly across the open into fresh places of hiding. But the strahing of all, to anyone who
khe gnomes, was the noise. Shouts and cries came from all dires. But from the harbour there came a low, rumbling roar which grew steadily louder and was already shaking the whole city.
"Whats happeo the Earthmen?" said Scrubb. "Is it them shouting?”
"Tis hardly possible," said the Prince. "I never heard one of the rascals so much as speak with a loud voi all the weary years of my bondage. Some new devilry, I dont doubt.”
"And what is that red light over there?" asked Jill. "Is something on fire?”
"If you ask me," said Puddleglum, "I should say that was the tral fires of the Earth breaking out tbbr>99lｉｂ?</abbr>o make a new volo. Well be in the middle of it, I shouldnt wonder.”
"Look at that ship!" said Scrubb. "Whys it ing on so quickly? No ones rowing it.”
"Look, look!" said the Prince. "The ship is already far this side of the harbour - it is ireet. Look! All the ships are driving into the city! By my head, the seas rising. The flood is upon us. Aslan be praised, this castle stands on high ground. But the water es on grimly fast.”
"Oh, what be happening?" cried Jill. "Fire and water and all those people dodging about the streets.”
"Ill tell you what it is," said Puddleglum. "That Witch has laid a train of magic spells so that whenever she was killed, at that same moment her whole kingdom would fall to pieces. Shes the sort that wouldnt so much mind dying herself if she khat the chap who killed her was going to be burned, or buried, or drowned five minutes later.”
"Hast hit it, friend wiggle," said the Prince. "When our swords hacked off the Witchs head, that stroke ended all her magic works, and now the Deep Lands are falling to pieces. We are looking on the end of Underworld.”
"Thats it, Sir," said Puddleglum. "Unless it should happen to be the end of the whole world.”
"But are we just going to stay here and - wait?" gasped Jill.
"Not by my sel," said the Prince. "I would save my horse, Coalblack, and the Witchs Snowflake (a noble beast and worthy of a better mistress) which are both stabled in the courtyard. After that, let us make shift to get out to high ground and pray that we shall find an outlet. The horses carry two each at need, and if we put them to it they may outstrip the flood.”
"Will yhness not put on armour?" asked Puddleglum. "I dont like the look of those" - and he pointed down to the street. Everyone looked down. Dozens of creatures
(and now that they were close, they obviously were Earthmen) were ing up from the dire of the harbour. But they were not moving like an aimless crowd. They behaved like modern soldiers in an attack, making rushes and taking cover, anxious not to be seen from the castle windows.
"I dare not see the inside of that armain," said the Prince. "I rode in it as in a movable dungeon, and it stinks of magid slavery. But I will take the shield.”
He left the room aurned with a strange light in his eyes a moment later.
"Look, friends," he said, holding out the shield towards them. "An ho it was blad without device; and now, this." The shield had turned bright as silver, and on it, redder than blood or cherries, was the figure of the Lion.
"Doubtless," said the Prince, "this sighat Aslan will be ood lord, whether he means us to live or die. And alls one, for that. Now, by my sel, we shall all kneel and kiss his likeness, and then all shake hands oh another, as true friends that may shortly be parted. And the us desd into the city and take the advehat is sent us.”
And they all did as the Prince had said. But when Scrubb shook hands with Jill, he said, "So long, Jill. Sorry Ive been a funk and so ratty. I hope you get safe home," and Jill said, "So loace. And Im sorry Ive been such a pig." And this was the first time they had ever used Christian names, because one didnt do it at school.
The Prinlocked the door and they all went dowairs: three of them with drawn swords, and Jill with drawn khe attendants had vanished and the great room at the foot of the Priairs was empty. The grey, doleful lamps were still burning and by their light they had no difficulty in passing gallery after gallery and desding stairway after stairway. The noises from outside the castle were not so easily heard here as they had been in the room above. Ihe house all was still as death, and deserted. It was as they turned a er into the great hall on the ground floor that they met their first Earthman - a fat, whitish creature with a very piglike face who was gobbling up all the remains of food oables. It squealed (the squeal also was very like a pigs) and darted under a bench, whisking its long tail out of Puddleglums rea the nick of time.
Then it rushed away through the far door too quickly to be followed.
From the hall they came out into the courtyard. Jill, who went to a riding school in the holidays, had just noticed the smell of a stable (a very nice, ho, homely smell it is to meet in a place like Underland) wheace said, "Great Scott! Look at that!" A magnifit rocket had risen from somewhere beyond the castle walls and broken into green stars.
"Fireworks!" said Jill in a puzzled voice.
"Yes," said Eustace, "but you t imagihose Earth people letting them off for fun! It must <dfn>藏书网</dfn>be a signal.”
"And means no good to us, Ill be bound," said Puddleglum.
"Friends," said the Prince, "when once a man is launched on su adventure as this, he must bid farewell to hopes and fears, otherwise death or deliverance will both e too late to save his honour and his reason. Ho, my beauties" (he was now opening the stable door). "Hey cousins! Steady, Coalblack! Softly now, Snowflake! You are not fotten.”
The horses were both frightened by the strange lights and the noises. Jill, who had been so cowardly about going through a black hole betweeen one cave and another, went in without fear betweeamping and sn beasts, and she and the Prince had them saddled and bridled in a few minutes. Very fihey looked as they came out into the courtyard, tossing their heads. Jill mounted Snowflake, and Puddleglum got up behind her. Eustace got up behind the Prin Coalblack. Then with a great echo of hoofs, they rode out of the main gateway into the street.
"Not much danger of being burnt. Thats the bright side of it," observed Puddleglum, pointing to their right. There, hardly a hundred yards away, lapping against the walls of the houses, was water.
"Ce!" said the Prince. "The road there goes down steeply. That water has climbed only half up the greatest hill iy. It might e so near in the first half-hour and e no nearer in the wo. My fear is more of that -" and he pointed with his sword to a great tall Earthman with boars tusks, followed by six others of assorted shapes and sizes who had just dashed out of a side street and stepped into the shadow of the houses where no one could see them.
The Prince led them, aiming always in the dire of the glowing red light but a little to the left of it. His plan was to get round the fire (if it was a fire) on to high ground, in hope that they might find their way to the new diggings. Uhe other three, he seemed to be almost enjoying himself. He whistled as he rode, and sang snatches of an old song about Thunder-fist of Arland. The truth is, he was so glad at being free from his long entment that all dangers seemed a game in parison. But the rest found it an eerie journey.
Behind them was the sound of clashing aangled ships, and the rumble of collapsing buildings. Overhead was the great patch of lurid light on the roof of the Underworld.
Ahead was the mysterious glow, which did not seem to grow any bigger. From the same dire came a tinual hu<mark></mark>bbub of shouts, screams, cat-calls, laughter, squeals, and bellowings; and fireworks of all sorts rose in the dark air. No one could guess what they meant. o them, the city artly lit up by the red glow, and partly by the very different light of the dreary Gnome lamps. But there were many places where her of these lights fell, and those places were jet-black. And in and out of those places the shapes of Earthmen were darting and slipping all the time, always with their eyes fixed
oravellers, always trying to keep out of sight themselves. There were big faces and little faces, huge eyes like fishes eyes and little eyes like bears. There were feathers and bristles, horns and tusks, noses like whipcord, and s so long that they looked like beards. Every now and then a group of them would get too big or e too near. Then the Prince would brandish his sword and make a show of charging them. And the creatures, with all manner of hootings, squeakings, and clugs, would dive away into the darkness.
But when they had climbed many steep streets and were far away from the flood, and almost out of the town on the inland side, it began to be more serious. They were now close to the red glow and nearly on a level with it, though they still could not see what it really was. But by its light they could see their enemies more clearly. Hundreds - perhaps a few thousands - of gnomes were all moving towards it. But they were doing so in short rushes, and whehey stopped, they turned and faced the travellers.
"If yhness asked me," said Puddleglum, "Id say those fellows were meaning to cut us off in front.”
"That was my thought too, Puddleglum," said the Prince. "And we ever fight our way through so many. Hark you! Let us ride forth close by the edge of yonder house.
And even as we reach it, do you slip off into its shadow. The Lady and I will go forward a few paces. Some of these devils will follow us, I doubt not; they are thick behind us. Do you, who have long arms, take one alive if you may, as it passes your ambush. We may get a true tale of it or learn what is their quarrel against us.”
"But wont the others all e rushing at us to rescue the och," said Jill in a voiot so steady as she tried to make it.
"Then, Madam," said the Prince, "you shall see us die fighting around you, and you must end yourself to the Lion. Now, good Puddleglum.”
The Marsh-wiggle slipped off into the shadowbbr></abbr> as quickly as a cat. The others, for a siing minute or so, went forward at a walk. Then suddenly from behind them there broke out a series of blood-curdling screams, mixed with the familiar voice of Puddleglum, saying, "Now then! Dont cry out before youre hurt, or you will be hurt, see? Anyone would think it ig being killed.”
"That was good hunting," exclaimed the Prince, immediately turning Coalblad ing back to the er of the house. "Eustace," he said, "of your courtesy, take Coalblacks head." Then he dis<mark>?</mark>mounted, and all three gazed in silence while Puddleglum pulled his catch out into the light. It was a most miserable little gnome, only about three feet long. It had a sort e, like a cocks b (only hard), oop of its head, little pink eyes, and a mouth and se and round that its face looked like that of a pigmy hippopotamus. If they had not been in such a tight place, they would have burst into laughter at the sight of it.
"Now, Earthman," said the Prianding over it and holding his sword point very he prisoners neck, "speak, up, like an ho gnome, and you shall go free. Play the kh us, and you are but a dead Earthman. Good Puddleglum, how it speak while you hold its mouth tight shut?”
"No, and it t bite either," said Puddleglum. "If I had the silly soft hands that you humans have (saving yhnesss reverence) Id have been all over blood by now.
Yet even a Marsh-wiggle gets tired of being chewed. "Sirrah," said the Prio the gnome, "oe and you die. Let its mouth open, Puddleglum.”
"Oo-ee-ee," squealed the Earthman, "let me go, let me go. It isnt me. I didnt do it.”
"Didnt do what?" asked Puddleglum.
"Whatever your Honours say I did do," answered the creature.
"Tell me your name," said the Prince, "and what you Earthmen are all about today.”
"Oh please, your Honours, please, kilemen," whimpered the gnome. "Promise you will not tell the Queens graything I say.”
"The Queens grace, as you call her," said the Priernly, "is dead. I killed her myself.”
"What!" cried the gnome, opening its ridiouth wider and wider in astonishment.
"Dead? The Witch dead? And by your Honours hand?" It gave a huge sigh of relief and added, "Why then your Honour is a friend!”
The Prihdrew his sword an inch or so. Puddleglum let the creature sit up. It looked round on the four travellers with its twinkling, red eyes, chuckled once or twice, and began.
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