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The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

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lost <strong>in</strong>side the hill. She doesn't know what she's say<strong>in</strong>g." "That's right," said an old Bear.<br />

"Why, she said Pr<strong>in</strong>ce Rilian was a horse!" "No, she didn't," said a Squirrel, very pert.<br />

"Yes, she did," said another Squirrel, even perter.<br />

"It's quite t-t-t-true. D-d-don't be so silly," said Jill. She spoke like that because her teeth<br />

were now chatter<strong>in</strong>g with the cold.<br />

Immediately one <strong>of</strong> the Dryads flung round her a furry cloak which some Dwarf had<br />

dropped when he rushed to fetch his m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g tools, and an oblig<strong>in</strong>g Faun trotted <strong>of</strong>f among<br />

the trees to a place where Jill could see firelight <strong>in</strong> the mouth <strong>of</strong> a cave, to get her a hot<br />

dr<strong>in</strong>k. But before it came, all the Dwarfs reappeared with spades and pick-axes and<br />

charged at the hillside. <strong>The</strong>n Jill heard cries <strong>of</strong> "Hi! What are you do<strong>in</strong>g? Put that sword<br />

down," and "Now, young 'un: none <strong>of</strong> that," and, "He's a vicious one, now, isn't he?" Jill<br />

hurried to the spot and didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she saw Eustace's face,<br />

very pale and dirty, project<strong>in</strong>g from the blackness <strong>of</strong> the hole, and Eustace's right hand<br />

brandish<strong>in</strong>g a sword with which he made lunges at anyone who came near him.<br />

For <strong>of</strong> course Eustace had been hav<strong>in</strong>g a very different time from Jill dur<strong>in</strong>g the last few<br />

m<strong>in</strong>utes. He had heard Jill cry out and seen her disappear <strong>in</strong>to the unknown. Like the<br />

Pr<strong>in</strong>ce and Puddleglum, he thought that some enemies had caught her. And from down<br />

below he didn't see that the pale, blueish light was moonlight. He thought the hole would<br />

lead only <strong>in</strong>to some other cave, lit by some ghostly phosphorescence and filled with<br />

goodness-knows-what evil creatures <strong>of</strong> the Underworld. So that when he had persuaded<br />

Puddleglum to give him a back, and drawn his sword, and poked out his head, he had<br />

really been do<strong>in</strong>g a very brave th<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>The</strong> others would have done it first if they could,<br />

but the hole was too small for them to climb through. Eustace was a little bigger, and a lot<br />

clumsier, than Jill, so that when he looked out he bumped his head aga<strong>in</strong>st the top <strong>of</strong> the<br />

hole and brought a small avalanche <strong>of</strong> snow down on his face. And so, when he could see<br />

aga<strong>in</strong>, and saw dozens <strong>of</strong> figures com<strong>in</strong>g at him as hard as they could run, it is not<br />

surpris<strong>in</strong>g that he tried to ward them <strong>of</strong>f.<br />

"Stop, Eustace, stop," cried Jill. "<strong>The</strong>y're all friends. Can't you see? We've come up <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>Narnia</strong>. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g's all right."<br />

<strong>The</strong>n Eustace did see, and apologized to the Dwarfs (and the Dwarfs said not to mention<br />

it), and dozens <strong>of</strong> thick, hairy, dwarfish hands helped him out just as they had helped Jill<br />

out a few m<strong>in</strong>utes before. <strong>The</strong>n Jill scrambled up the bank and put her head <strong>in</strong> at the dark<br />

open<strong>in</strong>g and shouted the good news <strong>in</strong> to the prisoners. As she turned away she heard<br />

Puddleglum mutter. "Ah, poor Pole. It's been too much for her, this last bit. Turned her<br />

head, I shouldn't wonder. She's beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to see th<strong>in</strong>gs."<br />

Jill rejo<strong>in</strong>ed Eustace and they shook one another by both hands and took <strong>in</strong> great deep<br />

breaths <strong>of</strong> the free midnight air. And a warm cloak was brought for Eustace and hot<br />

dr<strong>in</strong>ks, for both. While they were sipp<strong>in</strong>g it, the Dwarfs had already got all the snow and<br />

all the sods <strong>of</strong>f a large strip <strong>of</strong> the hillside round the orig<strong>in</strong>al hole, and the pickaxes and<br />

spades were now go<strong>in</strong>g as merrily as the feet <strong>of</strong> Fauns and Dryads had been go<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the

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