The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

ehind him became so stiffened and packed tight that he couldn't move at all. So he found
himself, unintentionally, in the first row and had a fine sight of the party that was coming
down the street.
It was quite unlike any other party they had seen that day. The crier who went before it
shouting "Way, way!" was the only Calormene in it. And there was no litter; everyone
was on foot. There were about half a dozen men and Shasta had never seen anyone like
them before. For one thing, they were all as fair-skinned as himself, and most of them
had fair hair. And they were not dressed like men of Calormen. Most of them had legs
bare to the kneee. Their tunics were of fine, bright, hardy colours - woodland green, or
gay yellow, or fresh blue. Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them
set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side of it. A few were bare-headed. The
swords at their sides were long and straight, not curved like Calormene scimitars. And
instead of being grave and mysterious like most Calormenes, they walked with a swing
and let their arms and shoulders free, and chatted and laughed. One was whistling. You
could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn't give
a fig for anyone who wasn't. Shasta thought he had never seen anything so lovely in his
life.
But there was not time to enjoy it for at once a really dreadful thing happened. The leader
of the fair-headed men suddenly pointed at Shasta, cried out, "There he is! There's our
runaway!" and seized him by the shoulder. Next moment he gave Shasta a smack - not a
cruel one to make you cry but a sharp one to let you know you are in disgrace and added,
shaking:
"Shame on you, my lord! Fie for shame! Queen Susan's eyes are red with weeping
because of you. What! Truant for a whole night! Where have you been?"
Shasta would have darted under Bree's body and tried to make himself scarce in the
crowd if he had had the least chance; but the fair-haired men were all round him by now
and he was held firm.
Of course his first impulse was to say that he was only poor Arsheesh the fisherman's son
and that the foreign lord must have mistaken him for someone else. But then, the very last
thing he wanted to do in that crowded place was to start explaining who he was and what
he was doing. If he started on that, he would soon be asked where he had got his horse
from, and who Aravis was - and then, goodbye to any chance of getting through
Tashbaan. His next impulse was to look at Bree for help. But Bree had no intention of
letting all the crowd know that he could talk, and stood looking just as stupid as a horse
can. As for Aravis, Shasta did not even dare to look at her for fear of drawing attention.
And there was no time to think, for the leader of the Narnians said at once:
"Take one of his little lordship's hands, Peridan, of your courtesy, and I'll take the other.
And now, on. Our royal sister's mind will be greatly eased when she sees our young
scapegrace safe in our lodging."