The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

at every halt they argued and argued about what they were to do when they reached
Tashbaan. Everyone had been putting off this difficulty, but now it could be put off no
longer. During these discussions Aravis became a little, a very little, less unfriendly to
Shasta; one usually gets on better with people when one is making plans than when one is
talking about nothing in particular.
Bree said the first thing now to do was to fix a place where they would all promise to
meet on the far side of Tashbaan even if, by any ill luck, they got separated in passing the
city. He said the best place would be the Tombs of the Ancient Kings on the very edge of
the desert. "Things like great stone bee-hives," he said, "you can't possibly miss them.
And the best of it is that none of the Calormenes will go near them because they think the
place is haunted by ghouls and are afraid of it." Aravis asked if it wasn't really haunted by
ghouls. But Bree said he was a free Narnian horse and didn't believe in these Calormene
tales. And then Shasta said he wasn't a Calormene either and didn't care a straw about
these old stories of ghouls. This wasn't quite true. But it rather impressed Aravis (though
at the moment it annoyed her too) and of course she said she didn't mind any number of
ghouls either. So it was settled that the Tombs should be their assembly place on the
other side of Tashbaan, and everyone felt they were getting on very well till Hwin
humbly pointed out that the real problem was not where they should go when they had
got through Tashbaan but how they were to get through it.
"We'll settle that tomorrow, Ma'am," said Bree. "Time for a little sleep now."
But it wasn't easy to settle. Aravis's first suggestion was that they should swim across the
river below the city during the night and not go into Tashbaan at all. But Bree had two
reasons against this. One was that the river-mouth was very wide and it would be far too
long a swim for Hwin to do, especially with a rider on her back. (He thought it would be
too long for himself too, but he said much less about that). The other was that it would be
full of shipping and of course anyone on the deck of a ship who saw two horses
swimming past would be almost certain to be inquisitive.
Shasta thought they should go up the river above Tashbaan and cross it where it was
narrower. But Bree explained that there were gardens and pleasure houses on both banks
of the river for miles and that there would be Tarkaans and Tarkheenas living in them and
riding about the roads and having water parties on the river. In fact it would be the most
likely place in the world for meeting someone who would recognize Aravis or even
himself.
"We'll have to have a disguise," said Shasta.
Hwin said it looked to her as if the safest thing was to go right through the city itself from
gate to gate because one was less likely to be noticed in the crowd. But she approved of
the idea of disguise as well. She said, "Both the human will have to dress in rags and look
like peasants or slaves And all Aravis's armour and our saddles and things must be made
into bundles and put on our backs, and the children must pretend to drive us and people
will think we're on pack-horses."