CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD "MY name is Golg," said the gnome. "And Ill tell your Honours all I know. About an ho we were all going about our work - her work, I should say - sad and silent, same as weve done any other day for years and years. Then there came a great crash and bang.As soon as they heard it, everyone says to himself, I havent had a song or a dance or let off a squib for a long time; whys that? And everyohinks to himself, Why, I must have been ented. And then everyone says to himself, Im blessed if I know why Im carrying this load, and Im not going to carry it any farther: thats that. And down we all throw our sacks and bundles and tools. Then everyourns ahe great red glow over yonder. And everyone says to himself, Whats that? and everyone answers himself and says, Theres a crack or chasm split open and a nice warm glow ing up through it from the Really Deep Land, a thousand fathom under us.”
"Great Scott," exclaimed Eustace, "are there other lands still lower down?”
"Oh yes, your Honour," said Golg. "Lovely places; what we call the Land of Bism. This try where we are now, the Witchs try, is what we call the Shallow Lands. Its a good deal too he surface to suit us. Ugh! You might almost as well be living outside, on the surface itself. You see, were all pnomes from Bism whom the Witch has called up here by magic to work for her. But wed fotten all about it till that crash came and the spell broke. We didnt knoe were or where we belonged. We couldnt do anything, or think anything, except what she put into our heads. And it was glum and gloomy things she put there all those years. Ive nearly fotten how to make a joke or dance a jig. But the moment the bang came and the chasm opened and the sea began rising, it all came back. And of course we all set off as quick as we could to get down the crad home to our own place. And you see them over there all letting off rockets and standing on their heads for joy. And Ill be very obliged to your Honours if youll soo me go and join in.”
"I think this is simply splendid," said Jill. "Im so glad we freed the gnomes as well as ourselves whe off the Witchs head! And Im so glad they arent really horrid and gloomy any more than the Prince really w<var></var>as well, what he seemed like.”
"Thats all very well, Pole," said Puddleglum cautiously. "But those gnomes didnt look to me like chaps who were just running away. It looked more like military formations, if you ask me. Do you look me in the face, Mr Golg, and tell me you werent preparing for battle?”
"Of course we were, your Honour," said Golg. "You see, we didnt know the Witch was dead. We thought shed be watg from the castle. We were trying to slip away without being seen. And then when you three came out with swords and horses, of course everyone says to himself, Here it es: not knowing that his Honour wasnt ochs side. And we were determio fight like anything rather than give up the hope of going back to Bism.”
"Ill be sworn tis an ho gnome," said the Prince. "Let go of it, friend Puddleglum. As for me, good Golg, I have been ented like you and your fellows, and have but newly remembered myself. And now, one question more. Do you know the way to those new diggings, by which the sorceress meant to lead out an army against Overland?”
"Ee-ee-ee!" squeaked Golg. "Yes, I know that terrible road. I will show you where it begins. But it is no manner of use your Honour askio go with you on it. Ill die rather.”
"Why?" asked Eustaxiously. "Whats so dreadful about it?”
"Too he top, the outside," said Golg, shuddering. "That was the worst thing the Witch did to us. We were going to be led out into the open - on to the outside of the world. They say theres no roof at all there; only a horrible great emptiness called the sky.
And the diggings have gone so far that a few strokes of the pick would bring you out to it.
I wouldnt dare go hem.”
"Hurrah! Now youre talking!" cried Eustace, and Jill said, "But its not horrid at all up there. We like it. We live there.”
"I know you Overlanders live there," said Golg. "But I thought it was because you couldnt find your way down inside. You t really like it - crawling about like flies oop of the world!”
"What about showing us the road at once?" said Puddleglum.
"In a good hour," cried the Prihe whole party set out. The Prince remounted his charger, Puddleglum climbed up behind Jill, and Golg led the way. As he went, he kept shouting out the good hat the Witch was dead and that the four Overlanders were not dangerous. And those who heard him shouted it on to others, so that in a few mihe whole of Underland was ringing with shouts and cheers, and gnomes by hundreds and thousands, leaping, turning cart-wheels, standing on their heads, plause s a blast of hot air was beating up from the bottom, or for some other reason, they could be seen floating downwards like leaves. Thicker and thicker they floated, till their blaess almost blotted out the fiery river and the groves of live gems. "Good-bye to your Honours. Im off," shouted Golg, and dived. Only a few were left to follow him. The chasm was now no broader than a stream. Now it was narrow as the slit in a pillarbox. Now it was only an intensely bright thread. Then, with a shock like a thousand goods trains crashing into a thousand pairs of buffers, the lips of rock closed. The hot, maddening smell vanished.
The travellers were alone in an Underworld whiow looked far blacker than before.
Pale, dim, and dreary, the lamps marked the dire of the road.
"Now," said Puddleglum, "its ten to one weve already stayed too long, but we may as well make a try. Those lamps will give out in five minutes, I shouldnt wonder.”
They urged the horses to a ter and thundered along the dusky road in fiyle. But almost at o began going downhill. They would have thought Golg had sent them the wrong way if they had not seen, oher side of the valley, the lamps going on and upwards as far as the eye could reach. But at the bottom of the valley the lamps shone on moving water.
"Haste," cried the Prihey galloped down the slope. It would have been nasty enough at the bottom even five minutes later for the tide was running up the valley like a mill-race, and if it had e to swimming, the horses could hardly have won over. But it was still only a foot or two deep, and though it swished terribly round the horses legs, they reached the far side in safety.
Then began the slow, weary march uphill with nothing ahead to look at but the pale lamps which went up and up as far as the eye could reach. When they looked back they could see the water spreading. All the hills of Underland were now islands, and it was only on those islands that the lamps remained. Every moment some distant light vanished. Soon there would be total darkness everywhere except on the road they were following; and even on the lower part of it behind them, though no lamps had yet go, the lamplight shone on water.
Although they had good reason for hurrying, the horses could not go on for ever without a rest. They halted: and in silehey could hear the lapping of water.
"I wonder is whats his name - Father Time - flooded out now," said Jill. "And all those queer sleeping animals.”
"I dont think were as high as that," said Eustace. "Dont you remember how we had to go downhill to reach the sunless sea? I shouldnt think the water has reached Father Times cave yet.”
"Thats as may be," said Puddleglum. "Im more ied in the lamps on this road.
Look a bit sickly, dont they?”
"They always did," said Jill.
"Aye," said Puddleglum. "But theyre greener now.”
"You doo say you think theyre going out?" cried Eustace.
"Well, however they work, you t expect them to last for ever, you know," replied the Marsh-wiggle. "But do your spirits down, Scrubb. Ive got my eye on the water too, and I dont think its rising so fast as it did.”
"Small fort, friend," said the Prince. "If we ot find our way out. I cry you mercy, all. I am to blame for my pride and fantasy which delayed us by the mouth of the land of Bism. Now, let us ride on.”
During the hour or so that followed Jill sometimes thought that Puddleglum was right about the lamps, and sometimes thought it was only her imagination. Meanwhile the land was ging. The roof of Underland was so hat even by that dull light they could now see it quite distinctly. And the great, rugged walls of Underland could be seen drawing closer on each side. The road, in fact, was leading them up into a steep tunnel.
They began to pass picks and shovels and barrows and ns that the diggers had retly been at work. If only one could be sure of getting out, all this was very cheering.
But the thought of going on into a hole that would get narrower and narrower, and harder to turn ba, was very unpleasant.
At last the roof was so louddleglum and the Prinocked their heads against it.
The party dismounted ahe horses. The road was uneven here and one had to pies steps with some care. That was how Jill noticed the growing darkness. There was no doubt about it now. The faces of the others looked strange and ghastly in the green glow. Then all at once (she couldnt help it) Jill gave a little scream. One light, the one ahead, went out altogether. The one behind them did the same. Then they were in absolute darkness.
"Ce, friends," came Prince Rilians voice. "Whether we live or die Aslan will be ood lord.”
"Thats right, Sir," said Puddleglums voice. "And you must always remember theres one good thing about being trapped down here: itll save funeral expenses.”
Jill held her tongue. (If you dont want other people to know how frightened you are, this is always a wise thing to do; its your voice that gives you away.)
"We might as well go on as stand here," said Eustace; and when she heard the tremble in his voice, Jill kneise shed been not to trust her own.
Puddleglum aace went first with their arms stretched out in front of them, for fear of blundering into anything; Jill and the Prince followed, leading the horses.
"I say," came Eustaces voice much later, "are my eyes going queer or is there a patch of light up there?”
Before anyone could answer him, Puddleglum called out: "Stop. Im up against a dead end. And its earth, not rock. What were you saying, Scrubb?”
"By the Lion," said the Prince, "Eustace is right. There is a sort of -”
"But its not daylight," said Jill. "Its only a cold blue sort of light.”
"Better than nothing, though," said Eustace. " we get up to it?”
"Its nht overhead," said Puddleglum. "Its above us, but its in this wall that Ive run into. How would it be, Pole, if you got on my shoulders and saw whether you could get up to it?”
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