The Voyage of the Dawn Tread

ND OF TH

sun looked larger than it looked from Narnia, but others disagreed. And they sailed and sailed before a gentle yet steady breeze and saw neither fish nor gull- nor ship nor shore. And stores began to get low again, and it crept into their hearts that

empty as if it were an uninhabited land, but before them there were level lawns in which the grass was as smooth and short as it used to be in the grounds of a great English house where ten gardeners were

it and trees on either hand. Far off at the other end of this avenue they now ca

unknown place it might have been wiser for her to ask the others to wait while she took it out. But she

got the stone out and was putting the shoe on again she could no longer hear them. But a

oden mallets. And it was very quickly coming nearer. She was already sitting with her back to a tree, and as the tree was not one sh

behind her. But then there came a thump on the path right in front of her. She knew it was on the path not only by the sound but because she saw the sand scatter as if it had been

t park-like country still looked as quiet and empty as it had looked when they first la

now's ou

"Hear him. Hear him. `Now 's our chance', he sai

shore between them and their boat, and let every mother's so

. "You never made a better plan, Chief. Keep it up

lively," said the fi

ouldn't have a better order. Just what we

loud at first but soon fainter and fainter,

be. As soon as the thumping noise had died away she got up and ran along the path aft

de of a beautiful mellow stone, many-windowed, and partially covered with ivy. Everything was so still that Eust

tion that there was something odd about this island. In the middle of the courtyard stood a pump, and beneath the pump a buck

gic at work here

I do believe we've come to a

In a low voice she tried to make them understand what she had overheard. And whe

n. "And cutting us off from the boat

ort of creatures they

, when I could

like humans from

only voices and this frightful thud

"do they become visible when

"But let's get out of this gateway. There's one of

y make them less conspicuous. "Not that it's any good really," said Eust

the boat for lost, went down to another part of the bay, and

r her, Sire,"

swim," s

by any amount of creeping and skulking. If these creatures mean to bring us to battle, be sure they

is in the right thi

ers on the Dawn Treader see us fighting on

any enemy," said Eustace miserably. "They'll think

n uncomfort

d face them. Shake hands all round - arrow on the string, Lucy - s

ed there, and saw the boat lying where they had left her, and the smooth sand with no one to be seen on it, more than one doub

"We've got to talk with you first. There's fifty

hat's our Chief. You can depend on what h

fifty warriors," o

he Chief Voice. "You don't see us. A

her Voices. "You're talking like a book. The

louder voice, "You invisible people, what do you wan

said the Chief Voice. (The others explained that t

d Reepicheep. "The

out queens," said

," chimed in the others.) "But

it?" sa

nour or safety," added Reepicheep, "you will wo

ice. "It's a long story.

ved by the other voices but t

do? Well, I'll tell you what we did. We waited till we thought this same magician would be asleep in the afternoon and we creep upstairs and go to his magic book, as bold as brass, to see if we can do anything about this uglification. But we were all of a sweat and a tremble, so I won't deceive you. But, believe me or believe me not, I do assure you that we couldn't find any thing in the way of a spell for taking off the ugliness. And what with time getting on and being afraid that the old gentleman might wake up any minute - I was all of a muck sweat, so I won't deceive you - well, to cut a long story short, whether we did right or whether we did wrong, in the end we see a spell for making people invisible. And we thought we'd rather be invisible than go on being as ugly as all that. And why? Because we'd like it better. So my little girl, who's just about your little girl's age, and a sweet child she was before she was uglified, though now - but least said soonest mended - I say, my little girl she say

ally he never got out more than six or seven words without being interrupted by their agreements and encouragements

what's all this got to do w

gone and left out the whole

s with great enthusiasm. "No one couldn't have left it

r the whole story again

not," said Casp

that takes off the invisibleness, and say it. And we all swore that the first strangers as landed on this island (having a nice little girl with them, I mean, for if they hadn't it'd be another matter) we wouldn't let them go away alive

he words were scarcely out of his mouth before they heard a whizzing sound a

that is," said

is," said the others. "You c

Chief Voice continued. "They g

want me to do th

ur own people? Haven

said all the Voices. "We'r

g this lady to face some danger which you dare

erfully. "You couldn't have said it better. Eh, you'v

ageous - " began Edmun

stairs at night, or wo

e Chief Voice. "Not at night. No one's asking

others, "don't try to stop me. Can't you see it's no use? There are dozen

ician!" sa

bad as they make out. Don't you get the

ly not very clev

can't let you do a thing like this. Ask

" said Lucy. "I don't want to be cut to bits wi

ry-plain. It appears to me that we have none. And the service they ask of her is in no way contrary to her Majesty's h

Loud cheers broke from the invisible people when their decision was announced, and the Chief Voice (warmly supported by all the others) invited the Narnians to come to supper and spend the night. Eustace didn't want to accept, but Lucy said, "I'