CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD（第2/3页）

“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 pillar box. 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.