CHAPTER EIGHT HOW THEY LEFT THE ISLAND（第3/3页）

“The D．L．F．had better steer，”said Peter，“and Ed and I will take an oar each．Half a moment，though．We’d better take off our mail: we’re going to be pretty warm before we’re done．The girls had better be in the bows and shout directions to the D．L．F．because he doesn’t know the way．You’d better get us a fair way out to sea till we’ve passed the island．”

And soon the green，wooded coast of the island was falling away behind them，and its little bays and headlands were beginning to look flatter，and the boat was rising and falling in the gentle swell．The sea began to grow bigger around them and，in the distance，bluer，but close round the boat it was green and bubbly．Everything smelled salt and there was no noise except the swishing of water and the clop-clop of water against the sides and the splash of the oars and the jolting noise of the rowlocks．The sun grew hot．

It was delightful for Lucy and Susan in the bows，bending over the edge and trying to get their hands in the sea which they could never quite reach．The bottom，mostly pure，pale sand but with occasional patches of purple seaweed，could be seen beneath them．

“It’s like old times，”said Lucy．“Do you remember our voyage to Terebinthia—and Galma—and Seven Isles—and the Lone Islands？”

“Yes，”said Susan，“and our great ship the Splendour Hyaline，with the swan’s head at her prow and the carved swan’ wings coming back almost to her waist？”

“And the silken sails，and the great stern lanterns？”

“And the feasts on the poop and the musicians．”

“Do you remember when we had the musicians up in the rigging playing flutes so that it sounded like music out of the sky？”

Presently Susan took over Edmund’s oar and he came forward to join Lucy．They had passed the island now and stood closer in to the shore—all wooded and deserted．They would have thought it very pretty if they had not remembered the time when it was open and breezy and full of merry friends．

“Phew！ This is pretty gruelling work，”said Peter．“Can’t I row for a bit？”said Lucy．

“The oars are too big for you，”said Peter shortly，not because he was cross but because he had no strength to spare for talking．