“Oh, bother you, Reepicheep. I almost wish we‘d left you t home. All right! If you put it that way, I suppose we shall ave to go on. Unless Lucy would rather not?”
Lucy felt that she would very much rather not, but what he said out loud was, “I’m game.”
“Your Majesty will at least order lights?” said Drinian. “By all means,” said Caspian. “See to it, Captain.”
So the three lanterns, at the stern, and the prow and the asthead, were all lit, and Drinian ordered two torchesamidships. Pale and feeble they looked in the sunshine. Then all the men except some who were left below at the oars were ordered on deck and fully armed and posted in their battle stations with swords drawn. Lucy and two archers were posted on the fighting top with bows bent and arrows on the string. Rynelf was in the bows with his line ready to take soundings. Reepicheep, Edmund, Eustace and Caspian, glittering in mail, were with him. Drinian took the tiller.
“And now, in Aslan‘s name, forward!” cried Caspian. “A slow, steady stroke. And let every man be silent and keep his ears open for orders.”