CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE TRIUMPH OF THE WITCH（第2/4页）

“I don’t think so．”

“Susan ！ let’s go outside and have a look round．We might see him．”

“All right．Let’s，”said Susan；“we might just as well be doing that as lying awake here．”

Very quietly the two girls groped their way among the other sleepers and crept out of the tent．The moonlight was bright and everything was quite still except for the noise of the river chattering over the stones．Then Susan suddenly caught Lucy’s arm and said，“Look ！”On the far side of the camping ground，just where the trees began，they saw the Lion slowly walking away from them into the wood．Without a word they both followed him.

He led them up the steep slope out of the river valley and then slightly to the right-apparently by the very same route which they had used that afternoon in coming from the Hill of the Stone Table. On and on he led them，into dark shadows and out into pale moonlight，getting their feet wet with the heavy dew．He looked somehow different from the Aslan they knew．His tail and his head hung low and he walked slowly as if he were very，very tired．Then，when they were crossing a wide open place where there where no shadows for them to hide in，he stopped and looked round．It was no good trying to run away so they came towards him．When they were closer he said，

“Oh，children，children，why are you following me ？”

“We couldn’t sleep，”said Lucy-and then felt sure that she need say no more and that Aslan knew all they had been thinking．“Please，may we come with you-wherever you’re going ？” asked Susan．

“Well-”said Aslan，and seemed to be thinking．Then he said，“I should be glad of company tonight．Yes，you may come，if you will promise to stop when I tell you，and after that leave me to go on alone．”

“Oh，thank you，thank you．And we will，”said the two girls.

Forward they went again and one of the girls walked on each side of the Lion．But how slowly he walked ！ And his great，royal head drooped so that his nose nearly touched the grass．Presently he stumbled and gave a low moan．

“Aslan ！ Dear Aslan ！”said Lucy，“what is wrong ？ Can’t you tell us ？”

“Are you ill，dear Aslan ？”asked Susan．

“No，”said Aslan．“I am sad and lonely．Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that．”

And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission，but what they had longed to do ever since they first saw him——buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and，so doing，walked with him．And presently they saw that they were going with him up the slope of the hill on which the Stone Table stood．They went up at the side where the trees came furthest up，and when they got to the last tree（it was one that had some bushes about it）Aslan stopped and said，

“Oh，children，children．Here you must stop．And whatever happens，do not let yourselves be seen．Farewell．”

And both the girls cried bitterly（though they hardly knew why）and clung to the Lion and kissed his mane and his nose and his paws and his great，sad eyes．Then he turned from them and walked out on to the top of the hill．And Lucy and Susan，crouching in the bushes，looked after him，and this is what they saw．

A great crowd of people were standing all round the Stone Table and though the moon was shining many of them carried torches which burned with evil-looking red flames and black smoke. But such people ！ Ogres with monstrous teeth，and wolves，and bull-headed men；spirits of evil trees and poisonous plants；and other creatures whom I won’t describe because if I did the grownups would probably not let you read this book-Cruels and Hags and Incubuses，Wraiths，Horrors，Efreets，Sprites， Orknies，Wooses，and Ettins．In fact here were all those who were on the Witch’s side and whom the Wolf had summoned at her command．And right in the middle，standing by the Table，was the Witch herself．