The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

seen flying through the air.) They weren't throwing them at the dancers as silly boys
might have been doing in England. They were throwing them through the dance in such
perfect time with the music and with such perfect aim that if all the dancers were in
exactly the right places at exactly the right moments, no one would be hit. This is called
the Great Snow Dance and it is done every year in Narnia on the first moonlit night when
there is snow on the ground. Of course it is a kind of game as well as a dance, because
every now and then some dancer will be the least little bit wrong and get a snowball in
the face, and then everyone laughs. But a good team of dancers, Dwarfs, and musicians
will keep it up for hours without a single hit. On fine nights when the cold and the drumtaps,
and the hooting of the owls, and the moonlight, have got into their wild, woodland
blood and made it even wilder, they will dance till daybreak. I wish you could see it for
yourselves.
What had stopped Jill when she got as far as the say of "I say" was of course simply a
fine big snowball that came sailing through the dance from a Dwarf on the far side and
got her fair and square in the mouth. She didn't in the least mind; twenty snowballs would
not have damped her spirits at that moment. But however happy you are feeling, you can't
talk with your mouth full of snow. And when, after considerable spluttering, she could
speak again, she quite forgot in her excitement that the others, down in the dark, behind
her, still didn't know the good news. She simply leaned as far out of the hole as she could,
and yelled to the dancers.
"Help! Help! We're buried in the hill. Come and dig us out."
The Narnians, who had not even noticed the little hole in the hillside, were of course very
surprised, and looked about in several wrong directions before they found out where the
voice was coming from. But when they caught sight of Jill they all came running towards
her, and as many as could scrambled up the bank, and a dozen or more hands were
stretched up to help her. And Jill caught hold of them and thus got out of the hole and
came slithering down the bank head first, and then picked herself up and said:
"Oh, do go and dig the others out. There are three others, besides the horses. And one of
them is Prince Rilian."
She was already in the middle of a crowd when she said this, for besides the dancers all
sorts of people who had been watching the dance, and whom she had not seen at first,
came running up. Squirrels came out of the trees in showers, and so did Owls. Hedgehogs
came waddling as fast as their short legs would carry them. Bears and Badgers followed
at a slower pace. A great Panther, twitching its tail in excitement, was the last to join the
party.
But as soon as they understood what Jill was saying, they all became active. "Pick and
shovel, boys, pick and shovel. Off for our tools!" said the Dwarfs, and dashed away into
the woods at top speed. "Wake up some Moles, they're the chaps for digging. They're
quite as good as Dwarfs," said a voice. "What was that she said about Prince Rilian?" said
another. "Hush!" said the Panther. "The poor child's crazed, and no wonder after being