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chater ix hata ang the tb（第1页）

SHASTAranlightlyalongtheroofontiptoes。Itfelthottohisbarefeet。Hewasonlyafewsecondsscramblingupthewallatthefarendandwhenhegottothecornerhefoundhimselflookingdownintoanarrow，smellystreet，andtherewasarubbishheapagainsttheoutsideofthewalljustasCorinhadtoldhim。Beforejumpingdownhetookarapidglanceroundhimtogethisbearings。Apparentlyhehadnowcomeoverthecrownoftheisland-hillonwhichTashbaanisbuilt。Everythingslopedawaybeforehim，flatroofsbelowflatroofs，downtothetowersandbattlementsofthecity'sNorthernwall。Beyondthatwastheriverandbeyondtheriverashortslopecoveredwithgardens。Butbeyondthatagaintherewassomethinghehadneverseenthelikeof—agreatyellowish—greything，flatasacalmsea，andstretchingformiles。Onthefarsideofitwerehugebluethings，lumpybutwithjaggededges，andsomeofthemwithwhitetops。"Thedesert!themountains!"thoughtShasta。

Hejumpeddownontotherubbishandbegantrottingalongdownhillasfastashecouldinthenarrowlane，whichsoonbroughthimintoawiderstreetwherethereweremorepeople。Noonebotheredtolookatalittleraggedboyrunningalongonbarefeet。Still，hewasanxiousanduneasytillheturnedacornerandtheresawthecitygateinfrontofhim。Herehewaspressedandjostledabit，foragoodmanyotherpeoplewerealsogoingout;andonthebridgebeyondthegatethecrowdbecamequiteaslowprocession，morelikeaqueuethanacrowd。Outthere，withclearrunningwateroneachside，itwasdeliciouslyfreshafterthesmellandheatandnoiseofTashbaan。

WhenonceShastahadreachedthefarendofthebridgehefoundthecrowdmeltingaway;everyoneseemedtobegoingeithertotheleftorrightalongtheriverbank。Hewentstraightaheaduparoadthatdidnotappeartobemuchused，betweengardens。Inafewpaceshewasalone，andafewmorebroughthimtothetopoftheslope。Therehestoodandstared。Itwaslikecomingtotheendoftheworldforallthegrassstoppedquitesuddenlyafewfeetbeforehimandthesandbegan:endlesslevelsandlikeonaseashorebutabitrougherbecauseitwasneverwet。Themountains，whichnowlookedfurtheroffthanbefore，loomedahead。Greatlytohisreliefhesaw，aboutfiveminutes'walkawayonhisleft，whatmustcertainlybetheTombs，justasBreehaddescribedthem;greatmassesofmoulderingstoneshapedlikegiganticbee-hive，butalittlenarrower。Theylookedveryblackandgrim，forthesunwasnowsettingrightbehindthem。

HeturnedhisfaceWestandtrottedtowardstheTombs。Hecouldnothelplookingoutveryhardforanysignofhisfriends，thoughthesettingsunshoneinhisfacesothathecouldseehardlyanything。"Andanyway，"hethought，"ofcoursethey'llberoundonthefarsideofthefarthestTomb，notthissidewhereanyonemightseethemfromthecity。"

TherewereabouttwelveTombs，eachwithalowarcheddoorwaythatopenedintoabsoluteblackness。Theyweredottedaboutinnokindoforder，sothatittookalongtime，goingroundthisoneandgoingroundthatone，beforeyoucouldbesurethatyouhadlookedroundeverysideofeverytomb。ThiswaswhatShastahadtodo。Therewasnobodythere。

Itwasveryquiethereoutontheedgeofthedesert;andnowthesunhadreallyset。

Suddenlyfromsomewherebehindhimtherecameaterriblesound。Shasta'sheartgaveagreatjumpandhehadtobitehistonguetokeephimselffromscreaming。Nextmomentherealizedwhatitwas:thehornsofTashbaanblowingfortheclosingofthegates。"Don'tbeasillylittlecoward，"saidShastatohimself。

"Why，it'sonlythesamenoiseyouheardthismorning。"Butthereisagreatdifferencebetweenanoiseheardlettingyouinwithyourfriendsinthemorning，andanoiseheardaloneatnightfall，shuttingyouout。Andnowthatthegateswereshutheknewtherewasnochanceoftheothersjoininghimthatevening。"Eitherthey'reshutupinTashbaanforthenight，"thoughtShasta，"orelsethey'vegoneonwithoutme。It'sjustthesortofthingthat

Araviswoulddo。ButBreewouldn't。Oh，hewouldn't。—now，wouldhe?"

InthisideaaboutAravisShastawasoncemorequitewrong。Shewasproudandcouldbehardenoughbutshewasastrueassteelandwouldneverhavedesertedacompanion，whethershelikedhimornot。

NowthatShastaknewhewouldhavetospendthenightalone（itwasgettingdarkereveryminute），hebegantolikethelookoftheplacelessandless。Therewassomethingveryuncomfortableaboutthosegreat，silentshapesofstone。Hehadbeentryinghishardestforalongtimenottothinkofghouls:buthecouldn'tkeepitupanylonger。

"Ow!Ow!Help!"heshoutedsuddenly，foratthatverymomenthefeltsomethingtouchhisleg。Idon'tthinkanyonecanbeblamedforshoutingifsomethingcomesupfrombehindandtoucheshim;notinsuchaplaceandatsuchatime，whenheisfrightenedalready。Shastaatanyratewastoofrightenedtorun。AnythingwouldbebetterthanbeingchasedroundandroundtheburialplacesoftheAncientKingswithsomethinghedarednotlookatbehindhim。Instead，hedidwhatwasreallythemostsensiblethinghecoulddo。Helookedround，andhisheartalmostburstwithrelief。Whathadtouchedhimwasonlyacat。

ThelightwastoobadnowforShastatoseemuchofthecatexceptthatitwasbigandverysolemn。Itlookedasifitmighthavelivedforlong，longyearsamongtheTombs，alone。Itseyesmadeyouthinkitknewsecretsitwouldnottell。"Puss，puss，"saidShasta。"Isupposeyou'renotatalkingcat。"

Thecatstaredathimharderthanever。Thenitstartedwalkingaway，andofcourseShastafollowedit。Itledhimrightthroughthetombsandoutonthedesertsideofthem。ThereitsatdownboltuprightwithitstailcurledrounditsfeetanditsfacesettowardsthedesertandtowardsNarniaandtheNorth，asstillasifitwerewatchingforsomeenemy。ShastalaydownbesideitwithhisbackagainstthecatandhisfacetowardstheTombs，becauseifoneisnervousthere'snothinglikehavingyourfacetowardsthedangerandhavingsomethingwarmandsolidatyourback。Thesandwouldn'thaveseemedverycomfortabletoyou，butShastahadbeensleepingonthegroundforweeksandhardlynoticedit。Verysoonhefellasleep，thougheveninhisdreamshewentonwonderingwhathadhappenedtoBreeandAravisandHwin。

Hewaswakenedsuddenlybyanoisehehadneverheardbefore。"Perhapsitwasonlyanightmare，"saidShastatohimself。Atthesamemomenthenoticedthatthecathadgonefromhisback，andhewishedithadn't。ButhelayquitestillwithoutevenopeninghiseyesbecausehefeltsurehewouldbemorefrightenedifhesatupandlookedroundattheTombsandtheloneliness:justasyouorImightliestillwiththeclothesoverourheads。Butthenthenoisecameagain-aharsh，piercingcryfrombehindhimoutofthedesert。Thenofcoursehehadtoopenhiseyesandsitup。

Themoonwasshiningbrightly。TheTombs-farbiggerandnearerthanhehadthoughttheywouldbe-lookedgreyinthemoonlight。Infact，theylookedhorriblylikehugepeople，drapedingreyrobesthatcoveredtheirheadsandfaces。Theywerenotatallnicethingstohavenearyouwhenspendinganightaloneinastrangeplace。Butthenoisehadcomefromtheoppositeside，fromthedesert。ShastahadtoturnhisbackontheTombs（hedidn'tlikethatmuch）andstareoutacrossthelevelsand。Thewildcryrangoutagain。

"Ihopeit'snotmorelions，"thoughtShasta。Itwasinfactnotverylikethelion'sroarshehadheardonthenightwhentheymetHwinandAravis，andwasreallythecryofajackal。ButofcourseShastadidnotknowthis。Evenifhehadknown，hewouldnothavewantedverymuchtomeetajackal。

Thecriesrangoutagainandagain。"There'smorethanoneofthem，whatevertheyare，"thoughtShasta。"Andthey'recomingnearer。"

IsupposethatifhehadbeenanentirelysensibleboyhewouldhavegonebackthroughtheTombsnearertotheriverwheretherewerehouses，andwildbeastswouldbelesslikelytocome。Butthentherewere（orhethoughttherewere）theghouls。TogobackthroughtheTombswouldmeangoingpastthosedarkopeningsintheTombs;andwhatmightcomeoutofthem?Itmayhavebeensilly，butShastafelthewouldratherriskthewildbeasts。Then，asthecriescamenearerandnearer，hebegantochangehismind。

Hewasjustgoingtorunforitwhensuddenly，betweenhimandthedesert，ahugeanimalboundedintoview。Asthemoonwasbehindit，itlookedquiteblack，andShastadidnotknowwhatitwas，exceptthatithadaverybig，shaggyheadandwentonfourlegs。ItdidnotseemtohavenoticedShasta，foritsuddenlystopped，turneditsheadtowardsthedesertandletoutaroarwhichre-echoedthroughtheTombsandseemedtoshakethesandunderShasta'sfeet。Thecriesoftheothercreaturessuddenlystoppdandhethoughthecouldhearfeetscamperingaway。ThenthegreatbeastturnedtoexamineShasta。

"It'salion，Iknowit'salion，"thoughtShasta。"I'mdone。Iwonderwillithurtmuch。Iwishitwasover。Iwonderdoesanythinghappentopeopleafterthey'redead。O-o-oh!Hereitcomes!"Andheshuthiseyesandhisteethtight。

Butinsteadofteethandclawsheonlyfeltsomethingwarmlyingdownathisfeet。Andwhenheopenedhiseyeshesaid，"Why，it'snotnearlyasbigasIthought!It'sonlyhalfthesize。No，itisn'tevenquarterthesize。Idodeclareit'sonlythecat!Imusthavedreamedallthataboutitsbeingasbigasahorse。"

Andwhetherhereallyhadbeendreamingornot，whatwasnowlyingathisfeet，andstaringhimoutofcountenancewithitsbig，green，unwinkingeyes，wasthecat;thoughcertainlyoneofthelargestcatshehadeverseen。

"Oh，Puss，"gaspedShasta。"Iamsogladtoseeyouagain。I'vebeenhavingsuchhorribledreams。"Andheatoncelaydownagain，backtobackwiththecatastheyhadbeenatthebeginningofthenight。Thewarmthfromitspreadalloverhim。

"I'llneverdoanythingnastytoacatagainaslongasIlive，"saidShasta，halftothecatandhalftohimself。"!didonce，youknow。Ithrewstonesatahalf-starvedmangyoldstray。Hey!Stopthat。"Forthecathadturnedroundandgivenhimascratch。"Noneofthat，"saidShasta。"Itisn'tasifyoucouldunderstandwhatI'msaying。"Thenhedozedoff。

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