CHAPTER TEN THE HERMIT OF THE SOUTHERN MARCH（第2/3页）

Shasta did not for a moment suppose it had gone for good. He turned and raced for the gate in the green wall which, now for the first time, he remembered seeing. Hwin, stumbling and nearly fainting, was just entering the gate: Aravis still kept her seat but her back was covered with blood.

"Come in, my daughter, come in," the robed and bearded man was saying, and then"Come in, my son"as Shasta panted up to him. He heard the gate closed behind him;and the bearded stranger was already helping Aravis off her horse.

They were in a wide and perfectly circular enclosure,protected by a high wall of green turf. A pool of perfectly still water, so full that the water was almost exactly level with the ground, lay before him. At one end of the pool, completely overshadowing it with its branches, there grew the hugest and most beautiful tree that Shasta had ever seen. Beyond the pool was a little low house of stone roofed with deep and ancient thatch. There was a sound of bleating and over at the far side of the enclosure there were some goats. The level ground was completely covered with the finest grass.

"Are-are-are you,"panted Shasta..Are you King Lune of Archenland ?"

The old man shook his head."No,"he replied in a quiet voice,"I am the Hermit of the Southern March. And now, my son, waste no time on questions, but obey. This damsel is wounded. Your horses are spent. Rabadash is at this moment finding a ford over the Winding Arrow. If you run now, without a moment' s rest, you will still be in time to warn King Lune."

Shasta' s heart fainted at these words for he felt he had no strength left. And he writhed inside at what seemed the cruelty and unfairness of the demand. He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.But all he said out loud was:

"Where is the King ?"

The Hermit turned and pointed with his staff..Look,"he said..There is another gate, right opposite to the one you entered by.Open it and go straight ahead: always straight ahead, over level or steep,over smooth or rough, over dry or wet.I know by my art that you will find King Lune straight ahead.But run, run: always run."

Shasta nodded his head,ran to the northern gate and disappeared beyond it.Then the Hermit took Aravis,whom he had all this time been supporting with his left arm,and half led, half carried her into the house.After a long time he came out again.

"Now, cousins,"he said to the Horses."It is your turn."

Without waiting for an answer-and indeed they were too exhausted to speak-he took the bridles and saddles off both of them. Then he rubbed them both down,so well that a groom in a King' s stable could not have done it better.

"There, cousins,"he said,.dismiss it all from your minds and be comforted. Here is water and there is grass. You shall have a hot mash when I have milked my other cousins, the goats."

"Sir,"said Hwin, finding her voice at last,.will the Tarkheena live ? Has the lion killed her ?"

"I who know many present things by my art,"replied the Hermit with a smile,.have yet little knowledge of things future. Therefore I do not know whether any man or woman or beast in the whole world will be alive when the sun sets tonight.But be of good hope.The damsel is likely to live as long as any of her age."

When Aravis came to herself she found that she was lying on her face on a low bed of extraordinary softness in a cool, bare room with walls of undressed stone. She couldn' t understand why she had been laid on her face;but when she tried to turn and felt the hot, burning pains all over her back, she remembered, and realized why. She couldn' t understand what delightfully springy stuff the bed was made of, because it was made of heather (which is the best bedding) and heather was a thing she had never seen or heard of.

The door opened and the Hermit entered, carrying a large wooden bowl in his hand. After carefully setting this down, he came to the bedside, and asked:

"How do you find yourself, my daughter ?" "My back is very sore, father," said Aravis,"but there is nothing else wrong with me."

He knelt beside her, laid his hand on her forehead, and felt her pulse.

"There is no fever," he said."You will do well. Indeed there is no reason why you should not get up tomorrow. But now,drink this."

He fetched the wooden bowl and held it to her lips. Aravis couldn' t help making a face when she tasted it, for goats' milk is rather a shock when you are not used to it. But she was very thirsty and managed to drink it all and felt better when she had finished.

"Now, my daughter, you may sleep when you wish," said the Hermit. "For your wounds are washed and dressed and though they smart they are no more serious than if they had been the cuts of a whip. It must have been a very strange lion;for insteadof catching you out of the saddle and getting his teeth into you, he has only drawn his claws across your back.Ten scratches: sore, but not deep or dangerous."

"I say !" said Aravis."I have had luck. "

"Daughter," said the Hermit, "I have now lived a hundred and nine winters in this world and have never yet met any such thing as Luck. There is something about all this that I do not understand: but if ever we need to know it, you may be sure that we shall."

"And what about Rabadash and his two hundred horse ?" asked Aravis.

"They will not pass this way, I think,"said the Hermit. "They must have found a ford by now well to the east of us. From there they will try to ride straight to Anvard."

"Poor Shasta !" said Aravis."Has he far to go ? Will he get there first ?"

"There is good hope of it,"said the old man. Aravis lay down again (on her side this time) and said, "Have I been asleep for a long time ? It seems to be getting dark."

The Hermit was looking out of the only window, which faced north. "This is not the darkness of night, " he said presently. "The clouds are falling down from Stormness Head. Our foul weather always comes from there in these parts. There will be thick fog tonight."

Next day, except for her sore back, Aravis felt so well that after breakfast (which was porridge and cream) the Hermit said she could get up. And of course she at once went out to speak to the Horses. The weather had changed and the whole of that green enclosure was filled, like a great green cup, with sunlight. It was a very peaceful place, lonely and quiet.

Hwin at once trotted across to Aravis and gave her a horse-kiss.

"But where' s Bree ?"said Aravis when each had asked after the other' s health and sleep.

"Over there,"said Hwin,pointing with her nose to the far side of the circle..And I wish you' d come and talk to him. There' s something wrong,I can' t get a word out of him."

They strolled across and found Bree lying with his face towards the wall, and though he must have heard them coming, he never turned his head or spoke a word.

"Good morning, Bree,"said Aravis..How are you this morning ?"