The next job， clearly， was to get something to eat and drink. Shasta trotted back through the Tombs-they looked quite ordinary now and he wondered how he could ever have been afraid of them-and down into the cultivated land by the river‘s side. There were a few people about but not very many， for the city gates had been open several hours and the early morning crowds had already gone in. So he had no diffculty in doing a little “raiding” （as Bree called it）. It involved a climb over a garden wall and the results were three oranges， a melon， a fig or two， and a pomegranate. After that， he went down to the river bank， but not too near the bridge， and had a drink. The water was so nice that he took off his hot， dirty clothes and had a dip； for of courseShasta， having lived on the shore all his life， had learned to swim almost as soon as he had learned to walk. When he came out he lay on the grass looking across the water at Tashbaan-all the splendour and strength and glory of it. But that made him remember the dangers of it too. He suddenly realized that the others might have reached the Tombs while he was bathing （“and gone on without me， as likely as not”）， so he dressed in a fright and tore back at such a speed that hewas all hot and thirsty when he arrived and so the good of his bathe was gone.
Like most days when you are alone and waiting for something this day seemed about a hundred hours long. He had plenty to think of， of course， but sitting alone， just thinking， is pretty slow. He thought a good deal about the Narnians and especially about Corin. He wondered what had happened when they discovered that the boy who had been lying on the sofa and hearing all their secret plans wasn’t really Corin at all. It was very unpleasant to think of all those nice people imagining him a traitor.
But as the sun slowly， slowly climbed up to the top of the sky and then slowly， slowly began going downwards to the West， and no one came and nothing at all happened， he began to get more and more anxious. And of course he now realized that when they arranged to wait for one another at the Tombs no one had said anything about how long. He couldn‘t wait here for the rest of his life！ And soon it would be dark again， and he would have another night just like last night. A dozen different plans went through his head， all wretched ones， and at last he fixed on the worst plan of all. He decided to wait till it was dark and then go back to the river and steal as many melons as he could carry and set out for Mount Pire alone， trusting for his direction to the line he had drawn that morning in the sand. It was a crazy idea and if he had read as many books as you have about journeys over deserts he would never have dreamed of it. But Shasta had read no books at all.
Before the sun set something did happen. Shasta was sitting in the shadow of one of the Tombs when he looked up and saw twohorses coming towards him. Then his heart gave a great leap， for he recognized them as Bree and Hwin. But the next moment his heart went down into his toes again. There was no sign of Aravis. The Horses were being led by a strange man， an armed man pretty handsomely dressed like an upper slave in a great family. Bree and Hwin were no longer got up like pack-horses， but saddled and bridled. And what could it all mean？ “It’s a trap，” thought Shasta.
“Somebody has caught Aravis and perhaps they‘ve tortured her and she’s given the whole thing away. They want me to jump out and run up and speak to Bree and then I‘ll be caught too！ And yet if I don’t， I may be losing my only chance to meet the others. Oh I do wish I knew what had happened.” And he skulked behind the Tomb， looking out every few minutes， and wondering which was the least dangerous thing to do.
中文阅读
夏斯塔蹑手蹑脚地在走廊顶上轻轻奔跑。他光着脚丫，感到屋顶热乎乎的。仅仅用了几秒钟，他就爬上了另一边的墙。到了拐角处，他看到一条狭窄的、散发着臭气的街道，外面靠墙有个垃圾堆，正如科林所告诉他的。往下跳之前，他迅速地扫视了一下四周，以了解自己所处的环境。显然，他已经越过了那座岛中小山的顶端，而塔西班正是建造在小山上的。眼前的建筑物顺着山坡迤逦而下，一层层平屋顶一直延伸到北城墙的塔楼与墙垛那里。城墙外是一条河流，河对岸低矮的山坡上花园密布。再往前，是某种他从未见过的东西——辽阔的黄灰色的东西，像海面一样平静浩瀚，向前延伸出很远很远。在它的远处是一些巨大的蓝色东西，起伏错落，顶部参差不齐，其中一些顶端是白色的。“沙漠！群山！”夏斯塔心里想道。
他纵身跳到垃圾堆上，撒开脚丫子沿着小巷向下一路狂奔。很快，他就来到一条比较宽的街道上，这里的人多了起来。没有谁留心察看一个衣衫褴褛、光着脚丫在跑的男孩子。尽管如此，他还是感到焦虑不安，直到拐过一个弯儿，看到前面的城门，才稍微放下心来。在这里，有一大帮人要出城，他被人流裹挟推搡着前行。到了城门外的桥上，人们才逐渐放缓了速度，人群变成了一条长龙。走在桥上，看着清澈的河水，摆脱了塔西班的臭味、炎热和噪音，使人顿时感到神清气爽。
