BY CALDRON POOL IN the last days of Narnia, far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall, there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first e to live in those parts, and he was the cleverest, ugliest, most wrinkled Ape you imagine. He had a little house, built of wood and thatched with leaves, up in the fork of a great tree, and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs, or people of any sort, in that part of the wood, but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends, but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shifts servant than his friend. He did all the work. When they went together to the river, Shift filled the big skin bottles with water but it uzzle who carried them back. When they wanted anything from the towns further down the river it uzzle who went down with empty panniers on his bad came back with the panniers full and heavy. And all the hings that Puzzle brought back were eaten by Shift; for as Shift said, "You see, Puzzle, I t eat grass and thistles like you, so its only fair I should make it up in other ways.」
And Puzzle always said, "Of course, Shift, of course. I see that." Puzzle never plained, because he khat Shift was far cleverer than himself ahought it was very kind of Shift to be friends with him at all. And if ever Puzzle did try tue about anything, Shift would always say, "Now, Puzzle, I uand what o be doer than you. You know youre not clever, Puzzle." And Puzzle always said, "No, Shift. Its quite true. Im not clever." Then he would sigh and do whatever Shift had said.
One m early in the year the pair of them were out walking along the shore of Caldron Pool. Caldron Pool is the big pht uhe cliffs at the western end of Narnia. The great waterfall pours down into it with a noise like everlasting thunder, and the River of Narnia flows out oher side. The waterfall keeps the Pool always dang and bubbling and ing round and round as if it were on the boil, and that of course is how it got its name of Caldron Pool. It is liveliest in the early spring wheerfall is swollen with all the snow that has melted off the mountains from up beyond Narnia in the Western Wild from which the river es. And as they looked at Caldron Pool Shift suddenly pointed with his dark, skinny finger and said, "Look! Whats that?」
"Whats what?" said Puzzle.
"That yellow thing thats just e dowerfall. Look! There it is again, its floating. We must find out what it is.」
"Must we?" said Puzzle.
"Of course we must," said Shift. "It may be something useful. Just hop into the Pool like a good fellow and fish it out. Then we have a proper look at it.」
"Hop into the Pool?" said Puzzle, twitg his long ears.
"Well how are we to get it if you dont?" said the Ape.
"But - but," said Puzzle, "wouldnt it be better if you went in? Because, you see, its you who wants to know what it is, and I dont much. And youve got hands, you see. Youre as good as a Man or a Dwarf when it es to catg hold of things. Ive only got hoofs.」
"Really, Puzzle," said Shift, "I didnt think youd ever say a thing like that. I didnt think it of you, really.」
"Why, what have I said wrong?" said the Ass, speaking in rather a humble voice, for he saw that Shift was very deeply offended. "All I meant was -