CHAPTER FIVE THE STORM AND WHAT CAME OF IT（第3/4頁）

“I had to apologize or the dangerous little brute would have been at me with his sword．And then Caspian showed up in his true colours as a brutal tyrant and said out loud for everyone to hear that anyone found‘stealing’water in future would‘get two dozen’． I didn’t know what this meant till Edmund explained to me．It comes in the sort of books those Pevensie kids read．

“After this cowardly threat Caspian changed his tune and started being patronizing．Said he was sorry for me and that everyone felt just as feverish as I did and we must all make the best of it，etc.，etc． Odious stuck-up prig．Stayed in bed all day today．

“September 7．A little wind today but still from the west．

Made a few miles eastward with part of the sail，set on what Drinian calls the jury-mast-that means the bowsprit set upright and tied(they call it‘lashed’)to the stump of the real mast．Still terribly thirsty．

“September 8．Still sailing east．I stay in my bunk all day now and see no one except Lucy till the two fiends come to bed．Lucy gives me a little of her water ration．She says girls don’t get as thirsty as boys．I had often thought this but it ought to be more generally known at sea．

“September 9．Land in sight；a very high mountain a long way off to the south east．

“September 10．The mountain is bigger and clearer but still a long way off．Gulls again today for the first time since I don’t know how long．

“September 11．Caught some fish and had them for dinner． Dropped anchor at about 7 p.m. in three fathoms of water in a bay of this mountainous island．That idiot Caspian wouldn’t let us go ashore because it was getting dark and he was afraid of savages and wild beasts．Extra water ration tonight ．”

What awaited them on this island was going to concern Eustace more than anyone else，but it cannot be told in his words because　after September 11 he forgot about keeping his diary for a long time．

When morning came，with a low，grey sky but very hot， the adventurers found they were in a bay encircled by such cliffs and crags that it was like a Norwegian fjord．In front of them，at the head of the bay，there was some level land heavily overgrown with trees that appeared to be cedars，through which a rapid stream came out．Beyond that was a steep ascent ending in a jagged ridge and behind that a vague darkness of mountains which ran into dull-coloured clouds so that you could not see their tops．The nearer cliffs，at each side of the bay，were streaked here and there with lines of white which everyone knew to be waterfalls，though at that distance they did not show any movement or make any noise． Indeed the whole place was very silent and the water of the bay as smooth as glass．It reflected every detail of the cliffs．The scene would have been pretty in a picture but was rather oppressive in real life．It was not a country that welcomed visitors．

The whole ship’s company went ashore in two boatloads and everyone drank and washed deliciously in the river and had a meal and a rest before Caspian sent four men back to keep the ship， and the day’s work began．There was everything to be done．The casks must be brought ashore and the faulty ones mended if possible and all refilled；a tree—a pine if they could get it—must be felled and made into a new mast；sails must be repaired；a hunting party organized to shoot any game the land might yield；clothes to be washed and mended；and countless small breakages on board to be set right．For the Dawn Treader herself—and this was more obvious now that they saw her at a distance—could hardly be recognized as the same gallant ship which had left Narrowhaven． She looked a crippled，discoloured hulk which anyone might have taken for a wreck．And her officers and crew were no better— lean，pale，red-eyed from lack of sleep，and dressed in rags．

As Eustace lay under a tree and heard all these plans being discussed his heart sank．Was there going to be no rest ？ It looked as if their first day on the longed-for land was going to be quite as hard work as a day at sea．Then a delightful idea occurred to him．Nobody was looking—they were all chattering about their ship as if they actually liked the beastly thing．Why shouldn’t he simply slip away ？He would take a stroll inland，find a cool，airy place up in the mountains，have a good long sleep，and not rejoin the others till the day’s work was over．He felt it would do him good. But he would take great care to keep the bay and the ship in sight so as to be sure of his way back．He wouldn’t like to be left behind in this country．

He at once put his plan into action．He rose quietly from his place and walked away among the trees，taking care to go slowly and in an aimless manner so that anyone who saw him would think he was merely stretching his legs．He was surprised to find how quickly the noise of conversation died away behind hiin and how very silent and warm and dark green the wood became．Soon he felt he could venture on a quicker and more determined stride．