CHAPTER FOUR A PARLIAMENT OF OWLS（第3/3页）

Drinian doubted very much whether he ought not to tell this adventure to the King，but he had little wish to be a blab and a tale-bearer and so he held his tongue. But afterwards he wished he had spoken. For next day Prince Rilian rode out alone. That night he came not back，and from that hour no trace of him was ever found in Narnia nor any neighbouring land，and neither his horse nor his hat nor his cloak nor anything else was ever found.

Then Drinian in the bitterness of his heart went to Caspian and said，“Lord King，slay me speedily as a great traitor：for by my silence I have destroyed your son.”And he told him the story. Then Caspian caught up a battle-axe and rushed upon the Lord Drinian to kill him，and Drinian stood still as a stock for the death blow. But when the axe was raised，Caspian suddenly threw it away and cried out，“I have lost my queen and my son：shall I lose my friend also ？”And he fell upon the Lord Drinian’s neck and embraced him and both wept，and their friendship was not broken.

Such was the story of Rilian. And when it was over，Jill said，“I bet that serpent and that woman were the same person.”

“True，true，we think the same as you,”hooted the owls.

“But we don’t think she killed the Prince,”said Glimfeather， “because no bones—”

“We know she didn’t,”said Scrubb. “Aslan told Pole he was still alive somewhere.”

“That almost makes it worse,”said the oldest owl. “It means she has some use for him，and some deep scheme against Narnia. Long，long ago，at the very beginning，a White Witch came out of the North and bound our land in snow and ice for a hundred years. And we think this may be some of the same crew.”

“Very well，then,”said Scrubb. “Pole and I have got to ‘find this Prince. Can you help us ？”

“Have you any clue，you two ？”asked Glimfeather.

“Yes,”said Scrubb. “We know we’ve got to go north. And we know we’ve got to reach the ruins of a giant city.”

At this there was a greater tu-whooing than ever，and noise of birds shifting their feet and ruffling their feathers，and then all the owls started speaking at once. They all explained how very sorry they were that they themselves could not go with the children on their search for the lost Prince. “You’d want to travel by day，and we’d want to travel by night,”they said. “It wouldn’t do，wouldn’t do.”One or two owls added that even here in the ruined tower it wasn’t nearly so dark as it had been when they began，and that the parliament had been going on quite long enough. In fact，the mere mention of a journey to the ruined city of giants seemed to have damped the spirits of those birds. But Glimfeather said：

“If they want to go that way—into Ettinsmoor—we must take them to one of the Marsh—wiggles. They’re the Only people who can help them much.”

“True，true. Do,”said the owls.

“Come on，then,”said Glimfeather. “I’ll take one. Who’ll take the other ？ It must be done tonight.”

“I will：as far as the Marsh-wiggles,”said another owl.

“Are you ready ？”said Glimfeather to Jill.

“I think Pole’s asleep,”said Scrubb.