最后一战芷江之战纪录片 《最后一战》第1期:大锅深渊(1)

《最后一战》第1期:大锅深渊(1)  

Chapter 1 By Caldron Pool
IN the last days of Narnia
far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall
there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first e to live in those parts
and he was the cleverest
ugliest
most wrinkled Ape you can imagine. He had a little house
built of wood and thatched with leaves
up in the fork of a great tree
and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs
or people of any sort
in that part of the wood
but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends
but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shift's servant than his friend. He did all the work. When they went together to the river
Shift filled the big skin bottles with water but it was Puzzle who carried them back. When they wanted anything from the towns further down the river it was Puzzle who went down with empty panniers on his back and came back with thepanniers full and heavy. And all the nicest things that Puzzle brought back were eaten by Shift; for as Shift said
"You see
Puzzle
I can't eat grass and thistles like you
so it's only fair I should make it up in other ways." And Puzzle always said
"Of course
Shift
of course. I see that." Puzzle never plained
because he knew that Shift was far cleverer than himself and he thought it was very kind of Shift to be friends with him at all. And if ever Puzzle did try to argue about anything
Shift would always say
"Now
Puzzle
I understand what needs to be done better than you. You know you're not clever
Puzzle." And Puzzle always said
"No
Shift. It's quite true. I'm not clever." Then he would sigh and do whatever Shift had said.
One morning early in the year the pair of them were out walking along the shore of Caldron Pool. Caldron Pool is the big pool right under the cliffs at the western end of Narnia. The great waterfall pours down into it with a noise like everlasting thunder
and the River of Narnia flows out on the other side. The waterfall keeps the Pool always dancing and bubbling and churning round and round as if it were on the boil
and that of course is how it got its name of Caldron Pool. It is liveliest in the early spring when the waterfall is swollen with all the snow that has melted off the mountains from up beyond Narnia in the Western Wild from which the river es. And as they looked at Caldron Pool Shift suddenly pointed with his dark
skinny finger and said

"Look! What's that?"
"What's what?" said Puzzle.
"That yellow thing that's just e down the waterfall. Look! There it is again
it's floating. We must find out what it is."
"Must we?" said Puzzle.
"Of course we must
" said Shift. "It may be something useful. Just hop into the Pool like a good fellow and fish it out. Then we can have a proper look at it."
"Hop into the Pool?" said Puzzle
itching his long ears.
"Well how are we to get it if you don't?" said the Ape.
"But — but
" said Puzzle
"wouldn't it be better if you went in? Because
you see
it's you who wants to know what it is
and I don't much. And you've got hands
you see. You're as good as a Man or a Dwarf when it es to catching hold of things. I've only got hoofs."
"Really
Puzzle
" said Shift
"I didn't think you'd ever say a thing like that. I didn't think it of you
really."
"Why
what have I said wrong?" said the Ass
speaking in rather a humble voice
for he saw that Shift was very deeply offended. "All I meant was —"
"Wanting me to go into the water
" said the Ape. "As if you didn't know perfectly well what weak chests Apes always have and how easily they catch cold! Very well. I will go in. I'm feeling cold enough already in this cruel wind. But I'll go in. I shall probably die. Then you'll be sorry." And Shift's voice sounded as if he was just going to burst into tears.
"Please don't
please don't
please don't
" said Puzzle
half braying
and half talking. "I never meant anything of the sort
Shift
really I didn't. You know how stupid I am and how I can't think of more than one thing at a time. I'd fotten about your weak chest. Of course I'll go in. You mustn't think of doing it yourself. Promise me you won't
Shift."