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CHAPTER ELEVEN THE PACE QUICKENS（第1页）

CHAPTERELEVENTHEPAS

QUICKaslightning，RishdaTarkaanleapedbackoutofreachoftheKing'ssard，andwouldhavefoughtsiTirianandtheDwarfifheottakeontheEagleandtheUniaswell。HeknewhowEaglestoyourfadpeckatyoureyesandblindyouwiththeirwings。Andhehadheardfromhisfather（whohadmetNarniansiharrspear，mati，foritrearsonitshifallsuponyouandtheshoofsanditshornaodealwithallatonce。Soherushedintothedstoode，tome，warriorsofTheTisroc，may-he-liveforever。Tome，allloyalNarhewrathofTashlanfalluponyou!”

&hiseningtwshappeheApehadnotrealizedhisdangerasquicklyastheTarkaan。ForaseaiihefirestaringatthehenTiriahewretchedcreature，pickeditupbythescruffoftheneddashedbacktothestableshoutihedi。“Goanddrinkyourow!”saidTirianaheApethroughintothedarkastheDwarfbahedain，ablindinggreeshofromtheihestable，theearthshook，arangenoise—agandsgasifitwasthehoarsevoionstrousbird。TheBeastsmoanedandhowledaashlan!Hideusfromhim!”andmanyfelldown，andmanyhidtheirfatheirwingsorpaws。FarsighttheEagle，whohasthebesteyesofalllivingthings，hefaceofRishdaTarkaanatthatmoment。AndfromwhatFarsightsawtherehekoRishdarised，andnearlyfrightened，aseveryoheregoesohht，“whohasgodshedoesnotbelievein。Howwillitbewithhimiftheyhavereallye?”

&hing—ehesamemoment—wastheonlyreallybeautifulthingthatnight。EverysialkingDoginthewholemeeting（therewerefifteenofthem）dingandbarkingjoyouslytotheKing'sside。Theyweremdogswiththickshouldersandheavyjaws。TheiringwaslikethebreakingofagreatwaveontheseabeaearlyknockedyoudhtheywereTalkingDogstheywerejustasdoggyastheycouldbe:aoodupapawsontheshouldersofthehumansaheirfaces，allsayingatone!Wele!We'llhelp，we'llhelp，help，help。Showushowtohelp，sho。Ho?”

Itwassolovelythatitmadeyouwanttocry。This，atlast，wasthesortofthingtheyhadbeenhopingfor。Andwheer，severallittleanimals（midmolesandasquirrelorso）camepatteringup，squealingwithjoy，andsaying“See，see。We'rehere，”aerthat，theBearandtheBoarcametoo，Eustatofeelthatperhaps，afterall，everythingmightbegoi。ButTiriangazedroundandsaoftheanimalshadmoved。

“Tome!tome!”hecalled。“HaveyouallturnedcowardssinceIwasy?”

“Wedaren't，”whimpereddozensofvoices。“Tashlanwouldbeangry。ShieldusfromTashlan。”

“WherearealltheTalkingHorses?”saidTiriantotheBoar。

“We'veseen，we'veseeheMice。“TheApehasmadethemwork。They'realltied—dowomofthehill。”

“Thenallyoulittleones，”saidTirian，“ynawersandnutcrackers，awaywithyouasfastasyousdseeiftheHorsesareonourside。Andiftheyare，getyourteethintotheropesandgnawtilltheHorsesarefreeandbriher。”

“Withagoodwill，Sire，”camethesmallvoidwithawhiskoftailsthosesharp-eyedandsharp-toothedfolkwereoff。Tiriansmiledformereloveashesawthemgo。Butitwasalreadytimetobethinkihings。RishdaTarkaanwasgivinghisorders。

“Forward，”hesaid。“Takeallofthemaliveifyoudhurlthemiableordrivethemintoit。WhentheyareallifiretoitahemahegreatgodTash。”

“Ha!”saidFarsighttohimself。“SothatishowhehopestowinTash'spardonforhisunbelief。”

TheehalfofRishda'sforovingforward，andTiriaogivehisorders。

“Outo，Jill，andtrytoshootallyoumaybeforetheyreachus。Boaraiayright。H，Jewel。Standbyhim，Puzzle，anduseyourhoofs。Hoverandstrike，Farsight。YouDogs，justbehindus。Goinamohesword-playhasbegun。Aslantoouraid!”

&oodwithhisheartbeatingterribly，hopingandhopingthathewouldbebrave。Hehadhing（thoughhehadseenbo）thatmadehisbloodrunsocoldasthatlineofdark-facedbright-eyedmen。TherewerefifteealkingBullofNarnia，SliheFletheSatyr。Theoandoneehentagaiyrelldoer!”cameTirian'svoidthentheehem。

&aeverrememberewomiwasalllikeadream（thesortyouhavewheureisover100）untilheheardRishdaTarkaan'svoigoutfromthedistaire。Backhitherandre-form。”

&acecametohissensesandsawtheenessgbacktotheirfriends。Butnotallofthem。TiercedbyJewel'shoririan'ssword。TheFoxlaydeadathisow，andhewowashewhohadkilledit。TheBullalsowasdown，shhtheeyebyanarrowfromJillandgashediheBoar'stusk。ButoursidehaditslossestswerekilledandafourthwashobblihelihreelegsaheBearlayontheground，movihenitmumbledinitsthroatyvoice，bewilderedtothelast，“I—Idon'tuand，”laiditsbigheaddownonthegrassasquietlyasagtosleep，andnevermovedagain。

Infact，thefirstattackhadfailed。Eustaabletobegladaboutit:hewassoterriblythirstyandhisarmachedso。

AsthedefeatedeotheiraheDwarfsbegahem。

“Hadenough，Darkies?”theyyelled。“Don'tyoulikeit?Whydoesn&#reatTarkaangoandfighthimselfinsteadofsendingyoutobekilled?PoorDarkies!”

“Dwarfs，”criedTirian。“ehereanduseyourswords，nues。Thereisstilltime。DwarfsofNarnia!Youfightwell，Ikiance。”

“Yah!”sheDwarfs。“Notlikely。You'rejustasbighumbugsastheotherlot。Wedon'twantanyKings。TheDwarfsarefortheDwarfs。Boo!”

&heDrumbegan:notaDwarfdrumthistime，butabigbull'shideehefromtheveryfirsthatedthesound。Boom—boom—ba-ba-boomitwent。Buttheywouldhavehateditfarworseiftheyhadknownwhatitmeant。Tiriandid。ItmeantthattherewereothereroopssomewherehatRishdaTarkaanwasgthemtohisaid。TirianandJewellookedatohersadly。Theyhadjustbeguheymightwinthatnight:butitwouldbealloverwiththemifnewenemiesappeared。

Tiriangazeddespairinglyround。SeveralNarandingwiththeehroughtreacheryorifearof“Tashlan“。still，staring，ojoiherside。Buttherewerefeweranimalsnow:theuchsmaller。Clearly，severalofthemhadjustcreptquietlyawayduriing。

Boom—boom—ba-ba-boomwentthehorribledrum。Thenanothersouomixwithit。“Listen!”saidJewel:andthen“Look!”saidFarsight。Amomeherewasnodoubtithathunderofhoofs，withtossingheads，widerils，andwavingmanes，overascoreofTalkingHorsesofNarniacamegupthehill。Thegnawersandnibblershaddoheirwork。

PoggintheDwarfandtheopehstocheerbutthatevercame。Suddenlytheairwasfullofthesoundoftwangingbsandhissingarroarfswhowereshootingand—foramomentJillcouldhardlybelievehereyes—theywereshootingtheHorses。Dwarfsaredeadlyarchers。HorseafterHorserolledover。hoseseverreachedtheKing。

“LittleSwine，”shriekedEustagiy，filthy，treacherouslittlebrutes。”EvenJewelsaid，“ShallIruhoseDwarfs，Sire，ahemonmyhornateage?”ButTirianwithhisfaceassternasstone，said，“Standfast，Jewel。Ifyoumustweep，sweetheart（thiswastoJill），turnyourfaceasideanotyourb。Aaotscold，likeakit-girl。Nowarriorscolds。Courteouswordsorelsehardknocksarehisonlylanguage。”

ButtheDwarfsjeeredbackatEustace。“Thatriseforyou，littleboy，eh?Thoughtwewereonyourside，didyou?Nofear。Wedon'twantanyTalkingHorses。Wedon'twantyoutowihe。You'ttakeusin。TheDwarfsarefortheD>

RishdaTarkaanwasstilltalkingtohismen，doubtlessmakisfortheadprobablywishihiswholefortothefirst。Thedrumboomedoheirhorror，Tirianandhisfriendsheard，farfainterasiffromalongwayoff，anansweringdrum。AnotherbodyofeneshadheardRishda'ssignalaosupporthim。YouwouldnothaveknownfromTirian'sfacethathehadnowgivenupallhope。

“Listen，”hewhisperedivoice，“wemustattaow，beforeyondermistsarestreheirfriends。”

&hinkyou，Sire，”saidPoggin，“thatherewehavethegoodwoodenwallofthestableatourbacks。Ifweadvance，shallwenotbeesword-poiweenourshoulders?”

“Iwouldsayasyoudo，Dwarf，”saidTiriaheirveryplaothestable?Thefurtherwearefromitsdeadlydoor，thebetter。”

“TheKingisright，”saidFarsight。“Awayfromthisaccursedstable，andwhatevergoblinlivesiallcosts。”

&'s，”saidEustaiheverysightofit。”

“Good，”saidTirian。“Nowlookyooourleft。Youseeagreatrockthatgleamswhitelikemarblei。Firstonthoseenes。You，maiden，shallmoveoutoandshootasfastaseveryoumayintotheirranks:andyou，Eagle，flyattheirfatheright。Meaherswillbegthem。Whenwearesoclose，Jill，thatyougershootatthemforfearus，gobacktothewhiterodwait。Youothers，keepyourearswideeveithemtoflightiesorelsenotatall，forwearefewerthanthey。AssoonasIcallBarushtojoinJillatthewhiterock，whererotebehindusaheawhile。Now，beoff，Jill。”

&erriblyalone，Jillranoutabouttweherrightlegbadherleftlegforward，aanarr。Shewishedherhashakingso。“'That'sarottenshot!”shesaidasherfirstarrowspedtowardtheenemyaheirheads。Butshehadahestri:shekspeedwaswhatmattered。Shesawsomethingbigandblagintothefacesoftheenes。'thatwasFarsight。Firstonemaher，droppedhissbothhishandstodefehenoneofherownarrowshitaman，aaNarnianwolf，whohad，itseemed，joishehadbeenshootingonlyforafewseshehadtostop。WithaflashofswordsandoftheBoar'stusksandJewel'shorn，andwithdeepbayingfromthedogs，Tirianandhispartywererushingontheirenemies，likemeninahundredyards'race。Jillwasastooseehowuheeobe。ShedidhatthiswastheresultofherworkandtheEagle's。Veryfewtroopskeeponlookiothefrotingarrowsintheirfaonesideandbeingpeeagleoher。

“Ohwelldone。WelldoedJill。TheKing'spartyweregtheirwayrightiheUniwastossingmenasyou'dtosshayonafork。EveoJill（whoafteralldidn'tknowverymuchabouts）tobefightingbrilliantly。TheDogswereattheehroats。Itwasgoingtowork!Itwasvictoryatlast—Withahorrible，coldshooticedastrahougheneswerefallingateasword-stroke，theyogetanyfewer。Infact，therewereactuallymoreofthemnowthabegan。Thereweremoreeverysed。Theywererunningupfromeveryside。Theywereneweheseneears。Therewassuchathatshecouldhardlyseeherowheirian'sv:“Back!Totherock!”

Theenemyhadbeenreihedrumhaddoswork。