The Last Battle 精彩片段：
CHAPTER TEN
WHO WILL GO INTO THE STABLE?
JILL felt something tickling her ear. It was Jewel the Unicorn, whispering to her with the wide whisper of a horses mouth. As soon as she heard what he was saying she nodded and tip-toed back to where Puzzle was standing. Quickly and quietly she cut the last cords that bound the lion-skin to him. It wouldnt do for him to be caught with that on, after what the Ape had said! She would like to have hidden the skin somewhere very far away, but it was too heavy. The best she could do was to kick it in among the thickest bushes. Then she made signs to Puzzle to follow her and they both joined the others.
The Ape was speaking again.
"And after a horrid thing like that, Aslan - Tashlan - is angrier than ever. He says hes been a great deal too good to you, coming out every night to be looked at, see! Well, hes not coming out any more.”
Howls and mewings and squeals and grunts were the Animals answer to this, but suddenly a quite different voice broke in with a loud laugh.
"Hark what the monkey says," it shouted. "We know why he isnt going to bring his precious Aslan out. Ill tell you why: because he hasnt got him. He never had anything except an old donkey with a lion-skin on its back. Now hes lost that and he doesnt know what to do.”
Tirian could not see the faces on the other side of the fire very well but he guessed this was Griffle the Chief Dwarf. And he was quite certain of it when, a second later, all the Dwarfs voices joined in, singing: "Dont know what to do! Dont know what to do! Dont know what to do-o-o!”
"Silence!" thundered Rishda Tarkaan. "Silence, children of mud! Listen to me, you other Narnians, lest I give command to my warriors to fall upon you with the edge of the sword. The Lord Shift has already told you of that wicked Ass. Do you think, because of him that there is no real Tashlan in the stable! Do you? Beware, beware.”
"No, no," shouted most of the crowd. But the Dwarfs said, "Thats right, Darkie, youve got it. Come on, Monkey, show us whats in the stable, seeing is believing.”
When next there was a moments quiet the Ape said: "You Dwarfs think youre very clever, dont you? But not so fast. I never said you couldnt see Tashlan. Anyone who likes can see him.”
The whole assembly became silent. Then, after nearly a minute, the Bear began in a slow, puzzled voice: "I dont quite understand all this," it grumbled, "I thought you said -”
"You thought!" repeated the Ape. "As if anyone could call what goes on in your head thinking. Listen, you others. Anyone can see Tashlan. But hes not coming out. You have to go in and see him.”
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," said dozens of voices. "Thats what we wanted!
We can go in and see him face to face. And now hell be kind and it will all be as it used to be." And the Birds chattered, and the Dogs barked excitedly. Then suddenly, there was a great stirring and a noise of creatures rising to their feet, and in a second the whole lot of them would have been rushing forward and trying to crowd into the stable door all together. But the Ape shouted: "Get back! Quiet! Not so fast.”