《銀椅》第14章:世界底層
"MY name is Golg," said the gnome. "And I'll tell your Honours all I know. About an hour ago we were all going about our work - her work, I should say - sad and silent, same as we've done any other day for years and years. Then there came a great crash and bang. As soon as they heard it, everyone says to himself, I haven't had a song or a dance or let off a squib for a long time; why's that? And everyone thinks to himself, Why, I must have been enchanted. And then everyone says to himself, I'm blessed if I know why I'm carrying this load, and I'm not going to carry it any farther: that's that. And down we all throw our sacks and bundles and tools. Then everyone turns and sees the great red glow over yonder. And everyone says to himself, What's that? and everyone answers himself and says, There's a crack or chasm split open and a nice warm glow coming up through it from the Really Deep Land, a thousand fathom under us."
"Great Scott," exclaimed Eustace, "are there other lands still lower down?"
"Oh yes, your Honour," said Golg. "Lovely places; what we call the Land of Bism. This country where we are now, the Witch's country, is what we call the Shallow Lands. It's a good deal too near the surface to suit us. Ugh! You might alMost as well be living outside, on the surface itself. You see, we're all poor gnomes from Bism whom the Witch has called up here by magic to work for her. But we'd forgotten all about it till that crash came and the spell broke. We didn't know who we were or where we belonged. We couldn't do anything, or think anything, except what she put into our heads. And it was glum and gloomy things she put there all those years. I've nearly forgotten how to make a joke or dance a jig. But the moment the bang came and the chasm opened and the sea began rising, it all came back. And of course we all set off as quick as we could to get down the crack and home to our own place. And you can see them over there all letting off rockets and standing on their heads for joy. And I'll be very obliged to your Honours if you'll soon let me go and join in."
"I think this is simply splendid," said Jill. "I'm so glad we freed the gnomes as well as ourselves when we cut off the Witch's head! And I'm so glad they aren't really horrid and gloomy any more than the Prince really was well, what he seemed like."
"That's all very well, Pole," said Puddleglum cautiously. "But those gnomes didn't look to me like chaps who were just running away. It looked more like military formations, if you ask me. Do you look me in the face, Mr Golg, and tell me you weren't preparing for battle?"
"Of course we were, your Honour," said Golg. "You see, we didn't know the Witch was dead. We thought she'd be watching from the castle. We were trying to slip away without being seen. And then when you three came out with swords and horses, of course everyone says to himself, Here it comes: not knowing that his Honour wasn't on the Witch's side. And we were determined to fight like anything rather than give up the hope of going back to Bism."
"I'll be sworn 'tis an honest gnome," said the Prince. "Let go of it, friend Puddleglum. As for me, good Golg, I have been enchanted like you and your fellows, and have but newly remembered myself. And now, one question more. Do you know the way to those new diggings, by which the sorceress meant to lead out an army against Overland?"
"Ee-ee-ee!" squeaked Golg. "Yes, I know that terrible road. I will show you where it begins. But it is no manner of use your Honour asking me to go with you on it. I'll die rather."
"Why?" asked Eustace anxiously. "What's so dreadful about it?"
"Too near the top, the outside," said Golg, shuddering. "That was the worst thing the Witch did to us. We were going to be led out into the open - on to the outside of the world. They say there's no roof at all there; only a horrible great emptiness called the sky. And the diggings have gone so far that a few strokes of the pick would bring you out to it. I wouldn't dare go near them."
"Hurrah! Now you're talking!" cried Eustace, and Jill said, "But it's not horrid at all up there. We like it. We live there."
"I know you Overlanders live there," said Golg. "But I thought it was because you couldn't find your way down inside. You can't really like it - crawling about like flies on the top of the world!"
"What about showing us the road at once?" said Puddleglum.
"In a good hour," cried the Prince. The whole party set out. The Prince remounted his charger, Puddleglum climbed up behind Jill, and Golg led the way. As he went, he kept shouting out the good news that the Witch was dead and that the four Overlanders were not dangerous. And those who heard him shouted it on to others, so that in a few minutes the whole of Underland was ringing with shouts and cheers, and gnomes by hundreds and thousands, leaping, turning cart-wheels, standing on their heads, playing leap-frog, and letting off huge crackers, came pressing round Coalblack and Snowflake. And the Prince had to tell the story of his own enchantment and deliverance at least ten times.
In this way they came to the edge of the chasm. It was about a thousand feet long and perhaps two hundred wide. They dismounted from their horses and came to the edge, and looked down into it. A strong heat smote up into their faces, mixed with a smell which was quite unlike any they had ever smelled. It was rich, sharp, exciting, and made you sneeze. The depth of the chasm was so bright that at first it dazzled their eyes and they could see nothing. When they got used to it they thought they could make out a river of fire, and, on the banks of that river, what seemed to be fields and groves of an unbearable, hot brilliance - though they were dim compared with the river. There were blues, reds, greens, and whites all jumbled together: a very good stained-glass window with the tropical sun staring straight through it at midday might have something the same effect. Down the rugged sides of the chasm, looking black like flies against all that fiery light, hundreds of Earthmen were climbing.
"Your honours," said Golg (and when they turned to look at him they could see nothing but blackness for a few minutes, their eyes were so dazzled). "Your honours, why don't you come down to Bism? You'd be happier there than in that cold, unprotected, naked country out on top. Or at least come down for a short visit."
Jill took it for granted that none of the others would listen to such an idea for a moment. To her horror she heard the Prince saying:
"Truly, friend Golg, I have half a mind to come down with you. For this is a marvellous adventure, and it may be no mortal man has ever looked into Bism before or will ever have the chance again. And I know not how, as the years pass, I shall bear to remember that it was once in my power to have probed the uttermost pit of Earth and that I forbore. But could a man live there? You do not swim in the fire-river itself?"
"Oh no, your Honour. Not we. It's only salamanders live in the fire itself."
"What kind of beast is your salamander?" asked the Prince.
"It is hard to tell their kind, your Honour," said Golg. "For they are too white-hot to look at. But they are most like small dragons. They speak to us out of the fire. They are wonderfully clever with their tongues: very witty and eloquent."
Jill glanced hastily at Eustace. She had felt sure that he would like the idea of sliding down that chasm even less than she did. Her heart sank as she saw that his face was quite changed. He looked much more like the Prince than like the old Scrubb at Experiment House. For all his adventures, and the days when he had sailed with King Caspian, were coming back to him.
"Your Highness," he said. "If my old friend Reepicheep the Mouse were here, he would say we could not now refuse the adventures of Bism without a great impeachment to our honour."
"Down there," said Golg, "I could show you real gold, real silver, real diamonds."
"Bosh!" said Jill rudely. "As if we didn't know that we're below the deepest mines even here."
"Yes," said Golg. "I have heard of those little scratches in the crust that you Topdwellers call mines. But that's where you get dead gold, dead silver, dead gems. Down in Bism we have them alive and growing. There I'll pick you bunches of rubies that you can eat and squeeze you a cup full of diamond-juice. You won't care much about fingering the cold, dead treasures of your shallow mines after you have tasted the live ones of Bism."
"My father went to the world's end," said Rilian thoughtfully. "It would be a marvellous thing if his son went to the bottom of the world."
"If your Highness wants to see your father while he's still alive, which I think he'd prefer," said Puddleglum, "it's about time we were getting on to that road to the diggings."
"And I won't go down that hole, whatever anyone says," added Jill.
"Why, if your Honours are really set to go back to Overworld," said Golg, "there is one bit of the road that's rather lower than this. And perhaps, if that flood's still rising -"
"Oh, do, do, do come on!" begged Jill.
"I fear it must be so," said the Prince with a deep sigh. "But I have left half of my heart in the land of Bism."
"Please!" begged Jill.
"Where is the road?" asked Puddleglum.
"There are lamps all the way," said Golg. "Your Honour can see the beginning of the road on the far side of the chasm."
"How long will the lamps burn for?" asked Puddleglum.
At that moment a hissing, scorching voice like the voice of Fire itself (they wondered afterwards if it could have been a salamander's) came whistling up out of the very depths of Bism.
"Quick! Quick! Quick! To the cliffs, to the cliffs, to the cliffs!" it said. "The rift closes. It closes. It closes. Quick! Quick!" And at the same time, with ear-shattering cracks and creaks, the rocks moved. Already, while they looked, the chasm was narrower. From every side belated gnomes were rushing into it. They would not wait to climb down the rocks. They flung themselves headlong and, either because so strong a blast of hot air was beating up from the bottom, or for some other reason, they could be seen floating downwards like leaves. Thicker and thicker they floated, till their blackness almost blotted out the fiery river and the groves of live gems. "Good-bye to your Honours. I'm off," shouted Golg, and dived. Only a few were left to follow him. The chasm was now no broader than a stream. Now it was narrow as the slit in a pillarbox. Now it was only an intensely bright thread. Then, with a shock like a thousand goods trains crashing into a thousand pairs of buffers, the lips of rock closed. The hot, maddening smell vanished. The travellers were alone in an Underworld which now looked far blacker than before. Pale, dim, and dreary, the lamps marked the direction of the road.
"Now," said Puddleglum, "it's ten to one we've already stayed too long, but we may as well make a try. Those lamps will give out in five minutes, I shouldn't wonder."
They urged the horses to a canter and thundered along the dusky road in fine style. But almost at once it began going downhill. They would have thought Golg had sent them the wrong way if they had not seen, on the other side of the valley, the lamps going on and upwards as far as the eye could reach. But at the bottom of the valley the lamps shone on moving water.
"Haste," cried the Prince. They galloped down the slope. It would have been nasty enough at the bottom even five minutes later for the tide was running up the valley like a mill-race, and if it had come to swimming, the horses could hardly have won over. But it was still only a foot or two deep, and though it swished terribly round the horses' legs, they reached the far side in safety.
Then began the slow, weary march uphill with nothing ahead to look at but the pale lamps which went up and up as far as the eye could reach. When they looked back they could see the water spreading. All the hills of Underland were now islands, and it was only on those islands that the lamps remained. Every moment some distant light vanished. Soon there would be total darkness everywhere except on the road they were following; and even on the lower part of it behind them, though no lamps had yet gone out, the lamplight shone on water.
Although they had good reason for hurrying, the horses could not go on for ever without a rest. They halted: and in silence they could hear the lapping of water.
"I wonder is what's his name - Father Time - flooded out now," said Jill. "And all those queer sleeping animals."
"I don't think we're as high as that," said Eustace. "Don't you remember how we had to go downhill to reach the sunless sea? I shouldn't think the water has reached Father Time's cave yet."
"That's as may be," said Puddleglum. "I'm more interested in the lamps on this road. Look a bit sickly, don't they?"
"They always did," said Jill.
"Aye," said Puddleglum. "But they're greener now."
"You don't mean to say you think they're going out?" cried Eustace.
"Well, however they work, you can't expect them to last for ever, you know," replied the Marsh-wiggle. "But don't let your spirits down, Scrubb. I've got my eye on the water too, and I don't think it's rising so fast as it did."
"Small comfort, friend," said the Prince. "If we cannot find our way out. I cry you mercy, all. I am to blame for my pride and fantasy which delayed us by the mouth of the land of Bism. Now, let us ride on."
During the hour or so that followed Jill sometimes thought that Puddleglum was right about the lamps, and sometimes thought it was only her imagination. Meanwhile the land was changing. The roof of Underland was so near that even by that dull light they could now see it quite distinctly. And the great, rugged walls of Underland could be seen drawing closer on each side. The road, in fact, was leading them up into a steep tunnel. They began to pass picks and shovels and barrows and other signs that the diggers had recently been at work. If only one could be sure of getting out, all this was very cheering. But the thought of going on into a hole that would get narrower and narrower, and harder to turn back in, was very unpleasant.
At last the roof was so low that Puddleglum and the Prince knocked their heads against it. The party dismounted and led the horses. The road was uneven here and one had to pick one's steps with some care. That was how Jill noticed the growing darkness. There was no doubt about it now. The faces of the others looked strange and ghastly in the green glow. Then all at once (she couldn't help it) Jill gave a little scream. One light, the next one ahead, went out altogether. The one behind them did the same. Then they were in absolute darkness.
"Courage, friends," came Prince Rilian's voice. "Whether we live or die Aslan will be our good lord."
"That's right, Sir," said Puddleglum's voice. "And you must always remember there's one good thing about being trapped down here: it'll save funeral expenses."
Jill held her tongue. (If you don't want other people to know how frightened you are, this is always a wise thing to do; it's your voice that gives you away.)
"We might as well go on as stand here," said Eustace; and when she heard the tremble in his voice, Jill knew how wise she'd been not to trust her own.
Puddleglum and Eustace went first with their arms stretched out in front of them, for fear of blundering into anything; Jill and the Prince followed, leading the horses.
"I say," came Eustace's voice much later, "are my eyes going queer or is there a patch of light up there?"
Before anyone could answer him, Puddleglum called out: "Stop. I'm up against a dead end. And it's earth, not rock. What were you saying, Scrubb?"
"By the Lion," said the Prince, "Eustace is right. There is a sort of -"
"But it's not daylight," said Jill. "It's only a cold blue sort of light."
"Better than nothing, though," said Eustace. "Can we get up to it?"
"It's not right overhead," said Puddleglum. "It's above us, but it's in this wall that I've run into. How would it be, Pole, if you got on my shoulders and saw whether you could get up to it?"
“老天爺，”尤斯塔斯驚叫道，“還有另外的地方比這兒更低嗎?”
“哦，有的，大人，”戈爾格説。“可愛的地方。我們管它叫比斯姆國。我們現在所在的國家是女巫的國家，我們管它叫淺地。對我們來説，這兒離地面太近，不適合我們居住。呃!你還不如住在外面，住到地面上去呢。你瞧，我們都是從比斯姆國來的可憐的小精靈，是女巫用魔法把我們招到這兒來為她幹活的。可是我們把這些事全忘了，直到傳來轟隆一響，魔法破了才想起來。我們不知道自己是什麼人，從哪兒來。我們除了她灌到我們頭腦裏的東西，什麼也不能幹，什麼也不能想。這麼多年來她灌到我們頭腦裏全是些陰鬱、愁悶的東西。我幾乎已經忘掉了怎麼説笑話，怎麼跳快步舞了。不料轟隆一響，裂縫豁開了，海水開始漲起來了，一切才又想了起來。當然，我們大家都趕快出發，從裂縫下去，回到我們自己的地方去。而且你們能看見他們在那邊放焰火，豎蜻蜒，鬧着玩兒。要是你們能馬上讓我走，跟大家一道回去，我將十分感激各位大人。”
“我認為這簡直太好了，”吉爾説，“我真高興我們砍下女巫的頭既解救了自己也解救了小精靈!而且我也很高興他們其實並不那麼可怕和憂鬱，正如王子其實也並不是——嗯，看上去這副模樣。”
“這固然很好，波爾，”普德格倫謹慎地説，“但那些小精靈在我看來並不像只是在逃跑。依我説呀，它們更像一些軍事隊形。看着我的臉，戈爾格先生，告訴我，你們不是在準備打仗嗎?”
“我們當然準備打仗，大人，”戈爾格説，“不瞞你説，我們並不知道女巫死了。我們還以為她會從城堡裏看着。我們正想法溜掉，不讓她看見呢。後來你們四個出來了，拿着劍，騎着馬，大家當然不免都在暗自説，這下可來了。我們不知道大人不是女巫一邊的。我們決定寧可拼命戰鬥，也決不放棄回比斯姆的希望。”
“我敢説它是個誠實的小精靈，”王子説，“放開它，普德格倫朋友。至於我，好戈爾格，我也像你和你的同胞一樣被魔法迷住過，也是剛剛想起我自己的本來面目。現在我再問一個問題。你知道那條到新挖坑道的路嗎?就是女巫要領一支軍隊去打上面世界的那條地道?”-
“咦——咦——咦，”戈爾格尖叫道，“是啊，我知道那條可怕的路。我可以指給你們看那條路從哪兒開頭。但大人要叫我陪你們上那兒去，那可絕對不行，我情願死。”
“為什麼?”尤斯塔斯急切地問，“那兒有什麼可怕的?”
“離上面、外面太近了，”戈爾格哆哆嗦嗦地説，“這是女巫對我們下的最毒的一手。我們就要被帶出去——帶到世界外面。聽説，那兒根本沒有頂層，只有可怕的一大塊空白叫做天空。坑道已經挖得很遠，只要再挖幾鍬就可以到外面去了。我可不敢走近那兒。”
“好哇，你這才談得有點兒門了。”尤斯塔斯喊着説。吉爾説：“不過上面並不那麼恐怖。我們喜歡那兒。我們就住在那兒。”
“我知道你們上面世界的人住在那兒，”戈爾格説，“但我認為這是因為你們找不到往地底下的路。你們不會真正喜歡那兒——像蒼蠅似的在世界項上爬來爬去。”
“你馬上給我們指指路好嗎?”普德格倫説。
“趕得早不如趕得巧。”王子叫道。他們這一夥就此出發。王子重新騎上了馬，普德格倫爬到吉爾後面，戈爾格在前頭帶路。它一面走一面叫喊好消息，説女巫已經死了，這四個上面世界的人並不危險。聽見它喊叫的，又把消息傳給另外的小精靈，所以一會兒工夫，整個地下世界都響起了歡呼聲。成千上萬的小精靈跳啊，翻筋斗啊，豎蜻蜒啊，玩跳背遊戲啊，放大爆竹啊，還過來圍着黑炭和雪花。王子只好把他自己中了魔法以及解脱苦難的經歷講了又講，少説也講了十遍。
他們就這樣來到了缺口的邊緣。這條缺口大約有一千英尺長，兩百英尺寬。他們下了馬，來到缺口邊緣往下看。一股強烈的熱浪撲面而來，還夾雜着一種他們從來沒聞到過的氣味。這氣味又濃又辣，又刺激，使人要打噴嚏。缺口深處很亮，開頭他們的眼睛都發花了，什麼也看不見。等他們習慣了這麼亮的光，才覺得自己能分辨出一條火河，河的兩岸似乎是田野和一種發出難以忍受、熱辣辣的光的小樹林——可是比起那條河來就黯然失色了。那兒五顏六色，藍的、紅的、綠的和白的全都混在一起；一面優美的彩色玻璃窗在正午時分熱帶陽光直射下，效果可能跟這兒差不多。在那火紅的光照下，成千的地下人看上去就像黑壓壓一片蒼蠅正順着凹凸不平的裂縫邊往下爬去。
“各位大人，”戈爾格説，(他們回頭看它時，一時只見一片漆黑，什麼都看不見，他們的眼睛都發花了。)“各位大人，你們幹嗎不到比斯姆去呢?你們在那兒要比在上面那個冷冰冰、光禿禿、沒遮沒蓋的國家快活多了。要不至少下去作一次短期訪問也行呀。”
吉爾理所當然地認為決不會有誰聽從這麼個餿主意，誰知大吃一驚的是競聽到王子在説：
“説真的，戈爾格朋友，我也很想跟你一起下去。因為這是一次極好的探險，也許凡人從來還沒有看到過比斯姆，今後也不會再有這種機會。而一年一年過去，將來怎堪回首當年自己一度有能力去探索地球最深的深淵卻避而不去啊?但一個人能在那兒生活嗎?你們不在那條火河裏游泳吧?”
“哦，不，大人。我們不遊。只有火蛇才生活在火裏。”
“你説的火蛇是什麼樣的動物?”王子問。
“很難説它是哪一種，大人。”戈爾格説，“因為它們太熱太熱了，看也看不得。不過它們大多像小龍。在火焰外跟我們説話。它們的口才特別好，能説會道，滔滔不絕。”
吉爾匆匆看了尤斯塔斯一眼。她原來深信他對爬下裂縫的主意甚至比她還要不喜歡。當她看見他的臉色已經大不相同，心裏不禁一沉。看上去他更像王子而不像實驗學校裏過去那個斯克羅布了。因為他正回想起自己的一切奇遇，和跟凱斯賓國王一起航海的日子。
“殿下，”他説，“要是我的老朋友老鼠雷佩契普在這兒，他就會説眼下我們要是不去比斯姆冒險，我們的榮譽就免不了要大受指責。”
“在下面，”戈爾格説，
“我可以讓你們看看真正的金子、銀子和鑽石。”
“胡説八道，”吉爾粗魯地説，“難道我們不知道我們即使在這兒，就已經在最深的礦下面?”
“是啊，”戈爾格説，“我聽説過地殼上那些小小的擦痕，你們上界居民管它叫做礦。那就是你們得到死的金銀珠寶的地方。在比斯姆，我們的金銀珠寶都是活的，而且還在生長。在那兒我可以給你摘一束束能吃的紅寶石，給你擠滿滿一杯鑽石汁。你嘗過比斯姆這種活的金銀珠寶，就不屑於撫摸淺礦裏那些冷冰冰的、死的金銀珠寶了。”
“我父親到世界盡頭去了，”瑞廉沉思地説，“要是他的兒子到世界底層去，倒是一件妙事。”
“要是殿下想趁你父親活着的時候見他，我想他可是求之不得呢，”普德格倫説，“現在我們該上路去坑道了。”
“説什麼我也不願到那個洞裏去。”吉爾又説。
“哎呀，要是各位大人真的要動身回上面世界去，”戈爾格説，“有一段路比這還低呢，説不定，要是洪水還在漲的話……”
“哦，快來吧，請你們千萬快來吧!”吉爾懇求道。
“恐怕必須走了，”王子深深歎了口氣，“不過我的半顆心都留在比斯姆了。”
“求求你了。”吉爾懇求着。
“路在哪兒?”普德格倫問道。
“那兒一路上都有燈，”戈爾格説，“大人在裂縫盡頭就看得見路的起點。”
“那些燈能點多少時間?”普德格倫問。
正在這時，從比斯姆最深處一種嘶嘶響、火辣辣的聲音呼嘯而起。(事後他們真想知道那是不是火蛇的聲音。
“快，快，快，到懸崖去，到懸崖去，到懸崖去!”它説，“裂縫關了。關了。關了。快!快!快!”與此同時，巖石在震耳欲聾的嘩啦啦響聲中移動了。等他們看時，裂縫已經變窄了。掉隊的小精靈紛紛從兩邊朝裏面衝去。他們來不及爬下巖石，就倒栽葱似的跳下去，要麼是由於底層冒上來的那股熱浪太強，要麼是什麼其他原因，只見他們都像樹葉一樣朝下飄。飄浮的小精靈變得越來越密，直到黑壓壓的一片幾乎把那條火紅的河和活寶石的小樹林都遮暗了。“各位大人再見。我走了。”戈爾格大聲嚷着，跳了進去，只有少數幾個留下的跟着它跳進去。裂縫一會兒就沒有一條小溪那麼寬了，一會兒就像郵筒的投信口那麼窄，一會兒只剩下一條極亮的線了。隨後，砰的一聲，就像千百節貨車撞上了千百對緩衝器，巖石兩邊合攏了。那股灼熱，讓人發瘋的氣味也消失了。他們四個孤零零地待在地下世界裏，這兒現在看上去比以前更黑。只有那些蒼白、暗淡、陰森森的燈標誌着路的方向。
“好了，”普德格倫説，“十有八九我們已經待得太久了。不過我們還不妨試一下。那些燈不到五分鐘就要滅了，這我不會奇怪的。”
他們催着馬一溜小跑，神氣十足地在昏暗的路上蹄聲隆隆而去。但幾乎立刻就開始走下坡路了，要不是他們看見山谷的另一邊還有燈，而且放眼望去，燈都是往上面方向的，他們原來還以為戈爾格指錯了路呢。不過到了谷底，燈光照到的就是流水了。
“趕快!”王子叫道。他們沿着斜坡飛馳而下。再晚五分鐘，情況就夠嚴重的了，因為潮水正像水車溝裏的水似的滾滾流入山谷，要是弄得要游過去的話，兩匹馬恐怕就不大行了。不過這時潮水還只有一兩英尺深，儘管在馬腿邊發出可怕的嘩嘩聲，他們還是安全地到了對面山坡。
接着就開始又慢又累地爬山，前面除了通向上面那一眼望不到頭的蒼白燈光，什麼都看不見。他們回頭望望，看得出潮水已經蔓延開了。所有地下世界的山頭這時都變成了島嶼，只有那些島上的燈還亮着。每時每刻遠處都有一盞盞燈滅了。不久除了他們走的這條路，到處都會變得一片漆黑，即使是他們身後的較低的那一段路，雖然燈還沒滅，燈光卻照在水面上。
儘管他們有充分理由得趕路，馬卻不能沒有休息而一直走下去。他們就停下了，沉默中只聽見水的拍打聲。
“我真想知道那個叫什麼名字的——時間老人——現在是不是被大水衝出來了?”吉爾説，“還有那麼多奇怪的睡着的動物?”
“我認為我們還沒到那麼高，”尤斯塔斯説，“難道你不記得我們怎麼下山到那個暗無天日海的嗎?我認為大水還沒湧到時間老人那個洞呢。”
“那也可能，”普德格倫説，“我更感興趣的是這條路上的燈。看上去有點暗淡吧?”
“這些燈一直很暗淡。”吉爾説。
“啊，”普德格倫説，“不過這會兒燈更暗得發綠了。”
“你意思不是説你認為燈要滅了吧?”尤斯塔斯叫道。
“嗯，不管這些燈是怎麼亮的，要知道，你總不能希望燈永遠亮下去啊，”沼澤怪回答説，“不過你也別垂頭喪氣，斯克羅布。我也留意着水呢，我認為水沒有剛才漲得那麼快了。”
“小小的安慰，朋友，”王子説，“要是我們找不到出路，我要請大家原諒。都怪我自尊心強和異想天開，害得大家在比斯姆國入口耽擱了。好了，我們繼續前進吧。”
此後的一個多小時裏，吉爾有時覺得普德格倫關於燈的看法是對的，有時覺得這只是她的想像。同時地上也起了變化。地下世界的頂層已經很近了，即使在暗淡的燈光下，他們也能看得清清楚楚。還有地下世界兩邊大片凹凸不平的巖壁也看得出正在靠攏。事實上，這條路正把他們引進一條陡峭的地道。他們走過的路上開始出現鐵鎬、鐵鍬和手推車，以及其他等等，説明挖坑道的剛剛還在幹活。只要你肯定出得去，這一切倒是非常令人鼓舞的。但想到自己正走進一個變得越來越窄的洞，而且窄得難以轉身，這卻是非常不愉快的。
最後，頂層變得很低，普德格倫和王子腦袋都撞在頂上了。他們都下來牽着馬走。這兒的路面高低不平，走路也要小心翼翼。吉爾就是這樣才注意到周圍越來越黑了。這點目前已經毫無疑問。其他人的臉在綠熒熒的光下看上去又古怪又可怕。隨後，突然吉爾情不自禁地尖叫了一聲。一盞燈，就是前面的那盞完全滅了。接着他們後面的一盞也滅了。於是他們就完全在黑暗中了。
“鼓起勇氣，朋友們，”傳來了瑞廉王子的聲音，“不論我們是死是活，阿斯蘭都是我們的好主宰。”
“説得對，殿下，”普德格倫的聲音説，“而且你必須始終記住掉在這兒的陷阱裏還有一個好處：喪葬費也省下了。”
吉爾不吭聲。(要是你不想讓別人知道你有多驚慌，這一向是個聰明辦法；否則一出聲就露餡了。
“我們站在這兒還不如向前走的好。”尤斯塔斯説。當她聽見他嗓音在顫抖，吉爾就知道她不敢吭聲有多聰明瞭。
普德格倫和尤斯塔斯生怕碰上什麼東西，伸出兩手，走在頭裏。吉爾和王子拉着馬跟着。
“嗨，”過了好一會兒，尤斯塔斯的聲音説，“是我的眼睛作怪，還是那上面有片光?”
大家還來不及回答，普德格倫就叫了起來。“停下，我走到頭了。而且這是泥土，不是巖石。你説什麼來着，斯克羅布?”
“獅王在上，”王子説，“尤斯塔斯是對的。是有一種……”
“話説回來，有光總比沒光好，”尤斯塔斯説，“我們能上去嗎?”
“那光並不在我們頭頂上，”普德格倫説，“是在我們上面，不過就在我撞進來的這堵牆裏。波爾，你爬到我肩膀上，看看能不能爬到那兒，怎麼樣?”
