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chater fifteen the wnder f the t ea（第1页）

VERYsoonaftertheyhadleftRamandu’scountrytheybegantofeelthattheyhadalreadysailedbeyondtheworld．Allwasdifferent．Foronethingtheyallfoundthattheywereneedinglesssleep．Onedidnotwanttogotobednortoeatmuch，noreventotalkexceptinlowvoices．Anotherthingwasthelight．Therewastoomuchofit．Thesunwhenitcameupeachmorninglookedtwice，ifnotthreetimes，itsusualsize．Andeverymorning（whichgaveLucythestrangestfeelingofall）thehugewhitebirds，singingtheirsongwithhumanvoicesinalanguagenooneknew，streamedoverheadandvanishedasternontheirwaytotheirbreakfastatAslan’sTable．Alittlelatertheycameflyingbackandvanishedintotheeast．

“Howbeautifullyclearthewateris！”saidLucytoherself，assheleanedovertheportsideearlyintheafternoonofthesecondday．

Anditwas．Thefirstthingthatshenoticedwasalittleblackobject，aboutthesizeofashoe，travellingalongatthesamespeedastheship．Foramomentshethoughtitwassomethingfloatingonthesurface．Butthentherecamefloatingpastabitofstalebreadwhichthecookhadjustthrownoutofthegalley．Andthebitofbreadlookedasifitweregoingtocollidewiththeblackthing，butitdidn’t．Itpassedaboveit，andLucynowsawthattheblackthingcouldnotbeonthesurface．Thentheblackthingsuddenlygotverymuchbiggerandflickedbacktonormalsizeamomentlater．

NowLucyknewshehadseensomethingjustlikethathappensomewhereelse—ifonlyshecouldrememberwhere．Sheheldherhandtoherheadandscrewedupherfaceandputouthertongueintheefforttoremember．Atlastshedid．Ofcourse！Itwaslikewhatyousawfromatrainonabrightsunnyday．Yousawtheblackshadowofyourowncoachrunningalongthefieldsatthesamepaceasthetrain．Thenyouwentintoacutting；andimmediatelythesameshadowflickedcloseuptoyouandgotbig，racingalongthegrassofthecutting-bank．Thenyoucameoutofthecuttingand—flick！—oncemoretheblackshadowhadgonebacktoitsnormalsizeandwasrunningalongthefields．

“It’sourshadow！—theshadowoftheDawnTreader，”saidLucy．“Ourshadowrunningalongonthebottomofthesea．Thattimewhenitgotbiggeritwentoverahill．ButinthatcasethewatermustbeclearerthanIthought！Goodgracious，Imustheseeingthebottomofthesea；fathomsandfathomsdown．”

Assoonasshehadsaidthissherealizedthatthegreatsilveryexpansewhichshehadbeenseeing（withoutnoticing）forsometimewasreallythesandonthesea-bedandthatailsortsofdarkerorbrighterpatcheswerenotlightsandshadowsonthesurfacebutrealthingsonthebottom．Atpresent，forinstance，theywerepassingoveramassofsoftpurplygreenwithabroad，windingstripofpalegreyinthemiddleofit．Butnowthatsheknewitwasonthebottomshesawitmuchbetter．Shecouldseethatbitsofthedarkstuffweremuchhigherthanotherbitsandwerewavinggently．“Justliketreesinawind，”saidLucy．“AndIdobelievethat’swhattheyare．It’sasubmarineforest．”

Theypassedonaboveitandpresentlythepalestreakwasjoinedbyanotherpalestreak．“IfIwasdownthere，”thoughtLucy，“thatstreakwouldbejustlikearoadthroughthewood．AndthatplacewhereitjoinstheotherWouldbeacrossroads．Oh，IdowishIwas．Hallo！theforestiscomingtoanend．AndIdobelievethestreakreallywasaroad！Icanstillseeitgoingonacrosstheopensand．It’sadifferentcolour．Andit’smarkedoutwithsomethingattheedges—dottedlines．Perhapstheyarestones．Andnowit’sgettingwider．”

Butitwasnotreallygettingwider，itwasgettingnearer．Sherealizedthisbecauseofthewayinwhichtheshadowoftheshipcamerushinguptowardsher．Andtheroad—shefeltsureitwasaroadnow—begantogoinzigzags．Obviouslyitwasclimbingupasteephill．Andwhensheheldherheadsidewaysandlookedback，whatshesawwasverylikewhatyouseewhenyoulookdownawindingroadfromthetopofahill．Shecouldevenseetheshaftsofsunlightfallingthroughthedeepwaterontothewoodedvalley—and，intheextremedistance，everythingmeltingawayintoadimgreenness．Butsomeplaces—thesunnyones，shethought—wereultramarineblue．

Shecouldnot，however，spendmuchtimelookingback；whatwascomingintoviewintheforwarddirectionwastooexciting．Theroadhadapparentlynowreachedthetopofthehillandranstraightforward．Littlespecksweremovingtoandfroonit．Andnowsomethingmostwonderful，fortunatelyinfullsunlight—orasfullasitcanbewhenitfallsthroughfathomsofwater—flashedintosight．Itwasknobblyandjaggedandofapearly，orperhapsanivory，colour．Shewassonearlystraightaboveitthatatfirstshecouldhardlymakeoutwhatitwas．Buteverythingbecameplainwhenshenoticeditsshadow．ThesunlightwasfallingacrossLucy’sshoulders，sotheshadowofthethinglaystretchedoutonthesandbehindit．Andbyitsshapeshesawclearlythatitwasashadowoftowersandpinnacles，minaretsanddomes．

“Why！—it’sacityorahugecastle，”saidLucytoherself．“ButIwonderwhythey’vebuiltitontopofahighmountain？”

LongafterwardswhenshewasbackinEnglandandtalkedalltheseadventuresoverwithEdmund，theythoughtofareasonandIamprettysureitisthetrueone．Inthesea，thedeeperyougo，thedarkerandcolderitgets，anditisdownthere，inthedarkandcold，thatdangerousthingslive—thesquidandtheSeaSerpentandtheKraken．Thevalleysarethewild，unfriendlyplaces．Thesea-peoplefeelabouttheirvalleysaswedoaboutmountains，andfeelabouttheirmountainsaswefeelaboutvalleys．Itisontheheights（or，aswewouldsay，“intheshallows”）thatthereiswarmthandpeace．Therecklesshuntersandbraveknightsoftheseagodownintothedepthsonquestsandadventures，butreturnhometotheheightsforrestandpeace，courtesyandcouncil，thesports，thedancesandthesongs．

Theyhadpassedthecityandthesea-bedwasstillrising．Itwasonlyafewhundredfeetbelowtheshipnow．Theroadhaddisappeared．Theyweresailingaboveanopenpark-likecountry，dottedwithlittlegrovesofbrightly—colouredvegetation．Andthen—Lucynearlysquealedaloudwithexcitement—shehadseenPeople．

Therewerebetweenfifteenandtwentyofthem，andallmountedonsea-horses—notthetinylittlesea-horseswhichyoumayhaveseeninmuseumsbuthorsesratherbiggerthanthemselves．Theymustbenobleandlordlypeople，Lucythought，forshecouldcatchthegleamofgoldonsomeoftheirforeheadsandstreamersofemerald—ororange—colouredstuffflutteredfromtheirshouldersinthecurrent．Then：

“Oh，botherthesefish！”saidLucy，forawholeshoalofsmallfatfish，swimmingquiteclosetothesurface，hadcomebetweenherandtheSeaPeople．Butthoughthisspoiledherviewitledtothemostinterestingthingofall．Suddenlyafiercelittlefishofakindshehadneverseenbeforecamedartingupfrombelow，snapped，grabbed，andsankrapidlywithoneofthefatfishinitsmouth．AndalltheSeaPeopleweresittingontheirhorsesstaringupatwhathadhappened．Theyseemedtobetalkingandlaughing。Andbeforethehuntingfishhadgotbacktothemwithitsprey，anotherofthesamekindcameupfromtheSeaPeople．AndLucywasalmostcertainthatonebigSeaManwhosatonhissea-horseinthemiddleofthepartyhadsentitorreleasedit；asifhehadbeenholdngitbacktilltheninhishandoronhiswrist．

“Why，Idodeclare，”saidLucy，“it’sahuntingparty．Ormorelikeahawkingparty．Yes，that’sit．TheyrideoutwiththeselittlefiercefishontheirwristsjustasweusedtorideoutwithfalconsonourwristswhenwewereKingsandQueensatCairParavellongago．Andthentheyflythem—orIsupposeIshouldsayswimthem—attheothers．How—”

Shestoppedsuddenlybecausethescenewaschanging．TheSeaPeoplehadnoticedtheDawnTreader．Theshoaloffishhardscatteredineverydirection：thePeoplethemselveswerecominguptofindoutthemeaningofthisbig，blackthingwhichhadcomebetweenthemandthesun．Andnowtheyweresoclosetothesurfacethatiftheyhadbeeninair，insteadofwater，Lucycouldhavespokentothem．Thereweremenandwomenboth．Allworecoronetsofsomekindandmanyhadchainsofpearls．Theyworenootherclothes．Theirbodieswerethecolourofoldivory，theirhairdarkpurple．TheKinginthecentre（noonecouldmistakehimforanythingbuttheKing）lookedproudlyandfiercelyintoLucy’sfaceandshookaspearinhishand．Hisknightsdidthesame．Thefacesoftheladieswerefilledwithastonishment．Lucyfeltsuretheyhadneverseenashiporahumanbefore—andhowshouldthey，inseasbeyondtheworld’sendwherenoshipevercame？

“Whatareyoustaringat，Lu？”saidavoiceclosebesideher．

Lucyhadbeensoabsorbedinwhatshewasseeingthatshestartedatthesound，andwhensheturnedshefoundthatherarmhadgone“dead”fromleaningsolongontherailinoneposition．DrinianandEdmundwerebesideher．

“Look，”shesaid．

Theybothlooked，butalmostatonceDriniansaidinalowvoice：

“Turnroundatonce，yourMajesties—that’sright，withourbackstothesea．Anddon’tlookasifweweretalkingaboutanythingimportant．”

“Why，what’sthematter？”saidLucyassheobeyed．

“It’llneverdoforthesailorstoseeallthat，”saidDrinian．“We’llhavemenfallinginlovewithasea—woman，orfallinginlovewiththeunder-seacountryitself，andjumpingoverboard．I’veheardofthatkindofthinghappeningbeforeinstrangeseas．It’salwaysunluckytoseethesepeople．”

“Butweusedtoknowthem，”saidLucy．“IntheolddaysatCairParavelwhenmybrotherPeterwasHighKing．Theycametothesurfaceandsangatourcoronation．”