英文小故事

into it with a plop-plop and a loud croaking. The panthers, leopards and things of that

sort, sat down at once to wash the loose earth off their hind quarters and then stood up

against the trees to sharpen their front claws. Showers of birds came out of the trees.

Butterflies fluttered. Bees got to work on the flowers as if they hadn't a second to lose.

But the greatest moment of all was when the biggest hump broke like a small earthquake

and out came the sloping back, the large, wise head, and the four baggy-trousered legs of

an elephant. And now you could hardly hear the song of the Lion; there was so much

cawing, cooing, crowing, braying, neighing, baying, barking, lowing, bleating, and

trumpeting.

But though Digory could no longer hear the Lion, he could see it. It was so big and so

bright that he could not take his eyes off it. The other animals did not appear to be afraid

of it. Indeed, at that very moment, Digory heard the sound of hoofs from behind; a

second later the old cab-horse trotted past him and joined the other beasts. (The air had

apparently suited him as well as it had suited Uncle Andrew. He no longer looked like the

poor, old slave he had been in London; he was picking up his feet and holding his head

erect.) And now, for the first time, the Lion was quite silent. He was going to and fro

among the animals. And every now and then he would go up to two of them (always two

at a time) and touch their noses with his. He would touch two beavers among all the

beavers, two leopards among all the leopards, one stag and one deer among all the deer,

and leave the rest. Some sorts of animal he passed over altogether. But the pairs which he

had touched instantly left their own kinds and followed him. At last he stood still and all

the creatures whom he had touched came and stood in a wide circle around him. The

others whom he had not touched began to wander away. Their noises faded gradually into

the distance. The chosen beasts who remained were now utterly silent, all with their eyes

fixed intently upon the Lion. The cat-like ones gave an occasional twitch of the tail but

otherwise all were still. For the first time that day there was complete silence, except for

the noise of running water. Digory's heart beat wildly; he knew something very solemn

was going to be done. He had not forgotten about his Mother; but he knew jolly well that,

even for her, he couldn't interrupt a thing like this.

The Lion, whose eyes never blinked, stared at the animals as hard as if he was going to

burn them up with his mere stare. And gradually a change came over them. The smaller

ones - the rabbits, moles and such-like grew a good deal larger. The very big ones - you

noticed it most with the elephants - grew a little smaller. Many animals sat up on their

hind legs. Most put their heads on one side as if they were trying very hard to understand.

The Lion opened his mouth, but no sound came from it; he was breathing out, a long,

warm breath; it seemed to sway all the beasts as the wind sways a line of trees. Far

overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again; a pure,

cold, difficult music. Then there came a swift flash like fire (but it burnt nobody) either

from the sky or from the Lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's

bodies, and the deepest, wildest voice they had ever heard was saying:

"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts.

Be divine waters."