A GOOD NIGHTS WORK ABOUT four hours later Tirian flung himself into one of the bunks to snatch a little sleep. The two children were already sn: he had made them go to bed before he did because they would have to be up most of the night and he khat at their age they couldnt do without sleep. Also, he had tired them out. First he had given Jill some practi archery and found that, though not up to Narnian standards, she was really not too bad. Indeed she had succeeded in shooting a rabbit (not a Talking rabbit, of course: there are lots of the ordinary kind about iern Narnia) and it was already skinned, ed, and hanging up. He had found that both the children knew all about this chilly and smelly job; they had learhat kind of thing on their great jourhrough Giant-Land in the days of Prince Rilian. Then he had tried to teach Eustace how to use his sword and shield. Eustace had learned quite a lot about sword fighting on his earlier adventures but that had been all with a straight Narnian sword. He had never handled a curved ene scimitar and that made it hard, for many of the strokes are quite different and some of the habits he had learned with the long sword had now to be unlearned again. But Tirian found that he had a good eye and was very quick on his feet.
He was surprised at the strength of both children: in fact they both seemed to be already much stronger and bigger and mrown-up than they had been when he first met them a few ho. It is one of the effects whiarnian air often has on visitors from our world.
All three of them agreed that the very first thing they must do was to go back to Stable Hill and try to rescue Jewel the Uni. After that, if they succeeded, they would try to get away Eastward ahe little army which Roonwit the taur would be bringing from Cair Paravel.
An experienced warrior and huntsman like Tirian always wake up at the time he wants. So he gave himself till nine oclock that night and then put all worries out of his head and fell asleep at o seemed only a moment later when he woke but he knew by the light and the very feel of things that he had timed his sleep exactly. He got up, put on his helmet-and-turban (he had slept in his mail shirt), and then shook the other two till they woke up. They looked, to tell the truth, very grey and dismal as they climbed out of their bunks and there was a good deal of yawning.
"Now," said Tirian, "we go due North from here - by good fortuis a starry night - and it will be much shorter than our jourhis m, for then we went round-about but now we shall ght. If we are challehen do you two hold your pead I will do my best to talk like a curst, cruel, proud lord of en. If I draw my sword then thou, Eustace, must do likewise a Jill leap behind us and stand with an arrow oring. But if I cry `Home, then fly for the Tower both of you. And let ry to fight on - not everoke after I have givereat: such false valour has spoiled many notable plans in the wars. And now, friends, in the name of Asla us go forward.」
Out they went into the cold night. All the great Northern stars were burning above the tree-tops. The North-Star of that world is called the Spear-Head: it is brighter than our Pole Star.
For a time they could ght towards the Spear-Head but presently they came to a dehicket so that they had to go out of their course to get round it. And after that -for they were still overshadowed by branches - it was hard t