CHAPTER TWELVE THE DARK ISLAND（第1页）

CHAPTERTWELVETHEDARKISLAND

&hisadveheysailedonsouthandalittleeastfortwelvedayswithageheskiesbeingmostlydtheairwarm，andsawnobirdorfish，exceptthatohereoutingalongwaytostarboard。LudReepicheepplayedagooddealofchessatthistime。Theeenthday，Edmund，fromthefightingtop，sightedwhatlookedlikeagreatdarkmoutoftheseaobow。

&ereddmadeforthisland，mostlybyoar，forthewindwouldosail。Wheneveheywerestillalongwayfromitandrowedallmtheweatherwasfairbutaflatcalm。Thedarkmasslayahead，mueareraillverydim，sothatsomethoughtitwasstillalongwayoffahoughttheywererunningintoamist。

Aboutm，verysuddenly，itwassoclosethattheycouldseethatitwasnotlandatall，noreven，inanordi。ItwasaDarkisratherhardtodescribe，butyouaslikeifyouimagineyourselflookingihofarailwaytuuhersolongorsotwistythatyouotseethelightatthefarend。Andyouknoouldbelike。Forafewfeetyouwouldseetherailsandsleepersandgravelinbroaddaylight;thentherewouldeaplacewheretheywereintwilight;aysuddenly，butofcoursedividiheywouldvanishaltogetherintosmooth，solidblaess。Itwasjustsohere。Forafewfeetinfroheycouldseetheswellreeer。Beyondthat，theycouldseethewaterlookingpaleandgrayasitwouldlooklateibeyondthatagain，utterblaessasiftheyhadetotheedgeofmooarlessnight。

shoutedtotheboatswaintokeepherbadallexcepttherowersrushedfazedfromthebows。ButtherewasnothingtobeseenbygazihemwastheseaandthesuheDarkness。

“Dowegointothis?”askedatlength。

“Notbymyadvice，”saidDrinian。

&ain&#ht，”saidseveralsailors。

“Ialmostthinkheis，”saidEdmund。

LudEusta'tspeakbuttheyfeltverygladiurnthiaking。ButallatoheclearvoiceofReepicheepbrokeinuponthesilence。

“Andwhynot?”hesaid。“Willsomeoomewhynot。”

Noonewasanxioustoexplain，soReepitinued:“IfIwereaddressisorslaves，”hesaid，“Imightsupposethatthissuggestionprocowardice。ButIhopeitwilloldinNarniathatapanyofnobleandroyalpersonsintheflowereturailbecausetheywereafraidofthedark。”

“Butwhatmanbeploughingthroughthatblaess?”askedDrinian。

“Use?”repliedReepicheep。“Use，?Ifbyuseyoumeanfillingourbelliesorourpurses，Ifessitwillbeall。SofarasIksetsailtsusefulbuttoseekhonouraure。AndhereisasgreataureaseverIheardof，aurnbaotittleimpeatofallourhonours。”

&hesailorssaidthiheirbreaththatsoundedlike“Honourbeblowed”，butsaid:

“Oh，botheryou，Reepicheep。Ialmostwishwe'dleftyouathht!Ifyouputitthatoseweshallhavetogoon。UnlessLucywouldrathernot?”

Lucyfeltthatshewouldverymuchrathernot，butwhatshesaidoutloudwas，“I'mgame。”

“YourMajestywillatleasthts?”saidDrinian。

“Byallmeans，”said。“Seetoit，。”

Sothethreelahestern，andtheprowahead，werealllit，andDriorchesamidships。Paleaheylookedinthesuhenallthemesomewhowereleftbelowattheoarswereorderedondedfullyarmedaheirbattlestationsn。Ludtwoarcherswerepostedoingtopwithbowsbentandarrows。Rynelfwasihhisliakesoundings。Reepicheep，Edmuad，glitteringihhim。Driniailler。

“Andnow，inAslan'sname，forward!”cried。“Aslow，steadystroke。Aeverymaandkeephisearsopenfororders。”

Withadagroareaderstartedtocreepforwardasthemeorow。Luthefightingtop，hadawonderfulviewoftheexaentatwhiteredthedarkhebowshadalreadydisappearedbeforethesunlighthadleftthestergo。Atohegildedstern，thebluesea，andthesky，wereallinbroaddaylight:etheseaandskyhadvaernlantern—whichhadbeenhardlynoticeablebefore—wastheonlythingtoshowwheretheshipended。InfroernshecouldseetheblackshapeofDriniangatthetiller。Dowwotorchesmadevisibletatchesofdedgleamedonswordsas，andforwardtherewasanotherislandoflightole。Apartfromthat，thefightingtop，litbythemastheadlightwhilyjustaboveher，seemedtobealittlelightedworldofitsownfloatinginlonelydarkhelightsthemselves，asalenswithlightswheohavethematthewrongtimeofday，lookedluridandunnatural。Shealsoshewasverycold。

Howlongthisvoyageintothedarked，forthecreakoftherolashoftheoarstherewasnothingtoshowthattheyweremovingatall。Edmund，peeringfromthebows，couldseeherefleofthelahewaterbeforehim。Itlookedagreasysortofrefledtheripplemadebytheiradvangproearedtobeheavy，small，aimewentoherahcold。

Suddenly，fromsomewhere—noone'ssenseofdirewasveryow—therecameacry，eitherofsomeinhumanvoiceorelseavoieiyofterrorthathehadalmostlosthishumanity。

wasstilltryingtospeak—hismouthwastoodry—whentheshrillvoiceofReepicheep，whidedlouderthanusualinthatsilence，>

“Whocalls?”itpiped。“Ifyouareafoewedonotfearyou，andifyouareafriendyourenemiesshallbetaughtthefearofus。”

“Mercy!”criedthevoice。“Merifyouareonlyonemoredream，havemerry。Takemeonboard。Takeme，evenifyoustrikemedead。Butinthenameofallmerotfadeawayahishorribleland。”

“Whereareyou?”shouted。“eaboardandwele。”

Thereothercry，whetherofjoyorterror，aheyksomeonewasswimmingtowardthem。

“Standbytoheavehimup，men，”said。

“Aye，aye，yourMajesty，”saidthesailors。Severalcrowdedtotheportbulwarkwithropesandone，leaningfaroutovertheside，heldthetorch。Awild，earedintheblaessofthewater，aersandpulling，adozenfriendlyhahestrangeronboard。

&houghthehadneverseenawilder-lookingman。Thoughhedidnototherwiselookveryold，hishairwasanuntidymopofwhite，hisfacewasthinanddrawn，and，f，oragshungabouthim。Butwhatonemainlynoticedwerehiseyes，idelyopeheseemedtohaveall，andstaredasifinanagohemomereachedthedeckhesaid:“Fly!Fly!Aboutwithyourshipandfly!Roforyourlivesawayfromthisaccursedshore。”

“poseyourself，”saidReepidtelluswhatthedangeris。Weareoflying。”

&raedhorriblyatthevoiouse，whichhehadnotnoticedbefore。

&helessyouwillflyfrasped。“ThisistheIslandwhereDreamsetrue。”

“That'stheislandI'vebeenlookingforthislongtime，”saidohesailors。“IreedI'dfindIwasmarriedtoNancyifwelandedhere。”