Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Two Narrow Escapes

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader sailed out of Dragon Island, and everyone was overjoyed.They had a favorable wind as soon as they were out of the bay, and they reached the unnamed place early next morning.Some people had seen this place when Eustace was a dragon and had flown over the mountains on him.It was a low green island with only some rabbits and a few goats on it, but from the ruins of the stone houses and the blackened areas from the fire, they concluded that people lived here not long ago.There are still some bones and tattered weapons on the island. "Good work for the pirates," said Caspian.

"Or the dragon did it," said Edmund. The only other thing they found on the island was a small kayak, or leather chopsticks, on the beach.It was made of rawhide stretched over a wicker frame, and it was a little boat, only four feet long, with the oars still standing, but it was of proper size.Either the boat was built for children, they thought, or the people in that place were dwarfs.Reepicheep decided to keep the boat, as it was just the right size for her, and took the boat aboard.They called the place Fire Island, and they left before noon. For five days they sailed with a south-southeast wind and saw no land nor fish nor gulls.Then, one day it rained heavily, and it didn't stop till noon.Eustace lost two games of chess to Reepicheep, and he was showing his old nasty look again.Edmund said he wished they could go to America with Susan.Then Lucy looked out of the stern window and said: (

"Hey! I believe the rain has stopped. What's that?" They all stumbled up to the poop to look, but the rain had stopped, and Drinian on watch was staring desperately at something beyond the stern.More precisely, several things.They looked a little like smooth boulders, each about forty feet apart in a long row. "But those won't be rocks," Drinian was saying, "because there weren't any of them there five minutes ago." "One piece just disappeared," said Lucy. "Yes, there's another piece popping out," said Edmund. "Closer," said Eustace.

"Damn it," said Caspian, "the whole thing's moving this way." "And moving much faster than our ship, Lander," said Drinian, "will overtake us in a second." They all held their breath, for it was not a good thing to be pursued by something unknown, whether on land or sea.Unexpectedly, when the thing appeared, it was much more terrifying than anyone suspected.Suddenly, just a throw away from their port side, a terrifying head emerged from the water.Except for the place where the shellfish parasitizes, the head is green and vermilion, and there are also purple-red bumps - the shape is very similar to a horse's head, but there are no ears.There are big eyes on the head, such eyes are born to see the depths of the ocean, and there is a big grinning mouth with two rows of sharp teeth growing up and down.The head grew on what they thought was a huge neck at first glance, and it became longer and longer until everyone realized that it was not the neck, but the body, and finally they saw what many people wanted to see absurdly—the sea serpent .The furrows on its huge tail can be seen from afar, rising above the water from time to time.Now it was holding its head high above the mast.

Everyone ran to get weapons, but there was nothing to be done, the monster was too high to be reached. "Shoot! shoot!" cried the chief archer.A few obeyed and shot, but the arrows grazed the sea snake's skin as if they had been shot through iron armor.At this time, everyone remained motionless, staring up at the sea snake's eyes and big mouth, and worried for a while, not knowing where it would pounce. Unexpectedly, it did not pounce.It leaned its head across the hull along the mast-sail.Its head was right next to the Hammertop Observatory right now.But it continued to elongate until it stretched its head over the starboard bulwark.Then it began to go down again--not to the crowded deck, but to the water, so that the whole ship was under the arc of the snake's body, and the arc narrowed almost at once. Some; the body of the sea snake on the starboard side almost touched the side at this time. ,

Eustace had been trying desperately to learn well, and when it rained and he fell back again in a game of chess, he performed the first feat he had ever done in his life.He had with him a sword that Caspian had lent him, and just as the snake was approaching the starboard side he threw himself against the bulwark and began to thrust at it with all his strength.It was true that he had done nothing but break Caspian's second best sword into pieces, but that was a good thing for a novice. Had Reepicheep not shouted, "Don't hit! Push!" the others would have joined him.Even at that critical juncture, it was unusual for the mouse to persuade everyone not to fight, so everyone turned their eyes to it.When it rushed to the bulwark and stood in front of the sea snake, using its small furry body to block the large scaled and greasy body of the sea snake, and pushed it as hard as possible; many people understood its intention at this time, They rushed to both sides of the ship's side one after another, and pushed outwards as before.After a while, the sea snake's head appeared again, this time on the port side, and this time with its back to everyone, so everyone understood.

The monster actually circled itself around the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and began to tighten the snare.And when the snare was quite tight, and with a snap, the big ship would be a pile of floating debris, and it would be able to pick them up in the water—clean them up.Their only way of life was to push the trap astern of the boat so that it slid over the stern, or to push the trap the other way and push the boat forward out of the trap. Reepicheep was alone and weak, of course he couldn't do it, it would be like shaking a tree, and by the time someone pushed him aside, he had exhausted his strength and almost died.In a short time the whole crew, except Lucy and the fainting Mouse, were lined up along the bulwarks in two long lines, with their chests to their backs, so that the weight of the whole line lay one month behind. Everyone pushed hard.After pushing for a few seconds, it was as uncomfortable as pushing for hours, but there was still no result.Everyone's joints fell apart, beads of sweat dripped down, humming, panting.Then they felt the boat move.They saw that the coil of snakes was farther from the mast than before.But they also saw that the snake circle was narrowed.Now the real danger is imminent.Could they get the poop through the trap?Is the trap already too tight?Yes, the snare was right around, against the railing of the poop.A dozen men jumped onto the poop.This is much better.The Sea Serpents were so low now that they could line up across the poop and push shoulder to shoulder.They were hopeful, and then suddenly they remembered the dragon's tail on the tall carved stern of the Dawn Treader.It is absolutely impossible to let Longwei get rid of that trap. (

"Take an axe," cried Caspian hoarsely, "and push as hard as before." Lucy, who knew exactly where everything was put, was standing on the main deck looking up at the poop, and when she heard his words, she went down immediately, took the axe, and ran up the ladder to the poop.Unexpectedly, just as she reached the top, there was a click, a loud noise like a tree falling, and the ship swayed and rushed forward.For at that very moment, whether it was because the sea snake was being pushed hard, or the sea snake foolishly decided to tighten the snare, the whole carved stern snapped off and the ship was free.

Everyone was too exhausted to see what Lucy saw.It turned out that a few yards behind the stern, the snare of the sea snake's body suddenly became smaller and smaller, and disappeared with a plop.Lucy kept saying she saw the idiot-satisfied look on the monster's face (but of course she was very excited at the time, and that might just be imagining).But one thing is certain, the sea snake was very stupid, for instead of going after the boat, it turned around and began sniffing all over itself, as if it thought it could find the wreck.But the Dawn Treader was out of the way," sailing against the light wind, and all lay and sat on deck, panting and moaning, and it was a while before they could talk about it and make fun of it. But wait Some rum was served, and they actually toasted, and everyone praised Eustace for being brave (though to no avail) and Reepicheep for being brave.

After this escape, they sailed for three days, seeing only the sea and the sky. On the fourth day, the northerly wind turned, and the sea began to rise; by noon, it almost turned into a gale.But just then they saw land beyond the port bow. "Your Majesty, please," said Drinian, "let us row the oars, stay in the harbor, and try to shelter there until the wind passes." Caspian agreed, but paddling against the gale, Didn't get there until evening.By the last light of the day they entered a natural harbor and dropped anchor, but no one came ashore that night.In the morning they found themselves in a green bay, rough and deserted, whose slope met a rocky summit.Over the top of the mountain, dark clouds rolled swiftly and violently from the windy north.They lowered the boat and loaded the empty buckets on board. +

"Which river are we going to fetch, Drinian?" said IJ Caspian, sitting down on the taffboard of the skiff. "It looks like there are two rivers going into the bay. " "That's all right, Landing," said Drinian, "but I think it's a shorter way to starboard yonder east." "It's raining," said Lucy. "I think it's raining!" said Edmund, for it was already pouring down with rain. "I say we'd better go to the other river. There are trees there for shelter." "Yes, go on," said Eustace, "it's no fun getting wet." Drinian kept steering the boat steadily to starboard, like a nasty fellow driving, and you tell him he's going the wrong way, and he keeps going at forty miles an hour. " "They're right, Drinian," said Caspian, "why don't you turn the boat around and paddle out to the river west?" "As Your Majesty pleases," said Drinian, somewhat displeased.He had been worrying about the weather all day yesterday, and he didn't like people on land pointing him out.But he changed course anyway; and it turned out he had done a good job. When they had filled up and the rain had stopped, Caspian decided to take Eustace, the Pevensies, and Reepicheep up to the top of the hill to see what they could find.It was a hard climb up the rough weed and heather slope, and there was no sight of man or beast, only sea-birds.They climbed to the top of the hill and saw that it was a very small island, not more than twenty acres; , more desolate. "Going crazy, you know," whispered Eustace to Lucy, looking at the eastern horizon. "I don't know where I'm going, and I just drive and drive and drive to places like that." But he said this only out of habit, not out of deliberate discord as before. It was too cold on the mountain to stay long because there were still gusts of cold wind blowing from the north. "Let's not go back the way we used to," said Lucy on the way back. "We'll go a little way down to the other river, the one that Drinian wanted to go to." Everyone agreed to go this way, and after walking for fifteen minutes, they reached the source of another river.The place was even more fascinating than they had expected: a deep mountain lake, surrounded by cliffs and cliffs, with only a narrow channel on the seaward side, from which the lake's waters flowed into the sea.They finally got no wind here, and everyone sat down and rested among the heather bushes on the cliff. Everyone sat down, only one person jumped up quickly, it was Edmund. "This island is full of sharp stones," he said, groping in the heather. "Where's the goddamn stone... . . . Ah, I found it. . . . Hey! It's not a stone at all, it's a sword-hilt. No, my God, it's a whole sword; what a layer of rust it's got on it. It must have been here for years." "Looks like it's also a Narnia sword," said Caspian, as they gathered around to look. "I'm sitting on something, too," said Lucy, "it's kind of stiff." It turned out to be a fragment of a suit of armor'.Now everyone was on their knees and groping around in the dense heather with their hands.They successively found a helmet, a dagger, and several coins; not the crescent of Calormen, but the real "lion" and "tree" of Narnia. This currency can be seen in the market at any time. "It appears that this may be all that is left of one of our seven lords," said Edmund. "I'm thinking that too," said Caspian. "I don't know which one. There's nothing on the dagger. I don't know how he died." "I don't know how to avenge him," added Reepicheep. Edmund, the only one in the group who had read a few detective novels, was working his brains all the time. "Look," he said, "this is a very strange thing. He didn't die in a duel." "Why not?" asked Caspian. "No bones," said Edmund. "An enemy would have taken the armor and dropped the body. But who ever heard of a victor taking the body and dropping the armor?" "Perhaps he was eaten by wild animals," suggested Lucy. "Only a wise beast would take off a man's armor," said Edmund. "A dragon, perhaps?" said Caspian. "No," said Eustace, "a dragon can't do it. I ought to know." "Well, anyway, let's get out of this place," said Lucy.She did not want to sit down any longer when Edmund mentioned the subject of bones. "Whatever," said Caspian, rising, "I don't think any of these things are worth taking." They went down the mountain, walked around to the small clearing where the river flowed from the small lake, and stood looking at the deep water surrounded by cliffs.If it's hot and some people can't help but take a bath, everyone will have a drink.Indeed, even though it was not hot, at the very moment when Eustace stooped to get some water out of his hands, Reepicheep and Lucy cried out at the same time, "Look!" Suddenly forgot to drink water and looked into the water. The bottom of the pool is made of big blue-gray stones, and the water is very clear. Lying on the bottom of the pool is a human-sized human figure, obviously made of gold.Face down, arms raised above head.As they watched it, the clouds parted and the sun came out.The golden statue was illuminated from head to toe.Lucy thought it was the most beautiful portrait she had ever seen. "Well!" said Caspian, whistling, "that's worth seeing! I wonder if it can be salvaged?" "We can dive and salvage, accompany," said Reepicheep. "It's no use at all," said Edmund. "At least, if it were real gold, pure gold would be too heavy to salvage. And the pool is at least twelve or fifteen feet deep. Anyway. , wait a minute. Luckily I have a harpoon with me. Let's see how deep the water is. Caspian, grab my hand as I lean out to the surface." Caspian grabbed his hand, Edmund leaned forward and began to sink the harpoon into the water. said Lucy, not halfway down. .I can't believe it looks like gold at all.It's just a matter of light.Your harpoon looks the same color. " "What's the matter?" asked several voices in unison; for Edmund suddenly dropped the harpoon. "I can't hold it," panted Edmund; "it seems very heavy." "It's down to the bottom now," said Caspian, "and Lucy's right. It looks the color of a portrait." It seemed that something was wrong with Edmund's boots, at least he was stooping, but suddenly he straightened himself up, and gave a shriek that no one could resist. "Back off! Back off from the water's edge. You guys. Now! They all backed away, staring at him intently. "Look," said Edmund, "look at the toe of my boot." "It looks a little yellow," Eustace began. "It's gold, pure gold," put in Edmund. "Look. Feel it. The leather has come off the toe. It's as heavy as lead." "By Aslan," said Caspian, "you don't necessarily mean—" "Yes, that's what I mean," said Edmund, "that pool of water turns everything into gold. It turns the harpoon into gold, and that's why it's so heavy. The pool just splashed. On my feet, luckily I wasn't barefoot, the toes of my boots turned to gold.That poor guy at the bottom of the pool—what, you see. " "So it wasn't a statue at all," whispered Lucy. "No. Now the whole truth is out. He came here on a hot day. He undressed on the top of the cliff where we were just sitting. The clothes were either rotten or the birds took them and laid them in their nests; armor Still there. So he dived in and—", "No," said Lucy, "it's a dreadful thing." "We're in danger," said Edmund. "It is dangerous indeed," said Reepicheep, "any finger, any foot, any beard, or any tail may slip into the water at any moment." "Nevertheless," said Caspian, "we might as well try." He stooped and broke off a sprig of heather.So he carefully knelt by the water and soaked the flower branch in the water.What he dipped was heather, but what he drew out was a model of heather made of pure gold, as heavy and soft as lead. "The king who owns this island," said Caspian slowly, blushing, "will soon be the richest king in the world. I declare that this land shall henceforth be a possession of Narnia, and shall be named Goldwater And I ask you all to keep it a secret. Keep it to no one. Not even Drinian--by death, do you hear?" "Who are you talking to?" said Edmund, "I am not your subject. Well, it should be said the other way around. I am one of the four old kings of Narnia. Your allegiance is to My brother, the Supreme King, is right." "Is that so, King Edmund?" said Caspian, laying his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Oh, shut up, you two," said Lucy, "that's the worst thing you can do with boys. You're all such pompous, bullying idiots--oh..." she said There was no sound, and I held my breath.Everyone saw what she saw. Opposite them on the gray hillside high--it looked gray because the heather hadn't bloomed--the most majestic lion ever seen by the human eye walked by, soundlessly, without looking at them. , although in fact the sun was covered by clouds, but he was golden all over, as if bathed in bright sunlight.Lucy said afterward of the scene that "he was as big as an elephant," but another time she just said "as big as a cart-horse." Size didn't matter, though.No one dared to ask what it was.Everyone knows this is Aslan. However, no one saw how he left and where he went.They looked at each other as if they had just woken up. "What are we talking about?" said Caspian. "Did I make a fool of myself just now?" "Your Majesty," said Reepicheep, "this place is cursed. Let us get back to the ship at once. If I have the honor to name this island, I shall call it Deadwater Island." "I think it's a good name, Rip," said Caspian, "though I don't know why now, though I don't think of it now. But the weather seems to have stabilized, and I think Drinian will be willing to set sail. We How much do you have to say to him?"" But in fact they didn't say anything to him, because some things in the previous hour were lost and mixed up. "These kings seemed a little bewitched when they got back on board," Drinian said to Reines when the Dawn Treader set sail again a few hours later, and the island of Deadwater was below the horizon. "What happened to them there. The only thing I can figure out is that they thought they had found the body of one of those lords we were looking for." "Really, Captain," Reines replied, "that's three. Only four left. At this rate, we'll be home right after New Years. That's a good thing." I'm nearly done with my tobacco. See you tomorrow, Captain."