THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JILL THE patch of light did not show up anything down in the darkness where they were standing. The others could only hear, not see, Jills efforts to get on to the Marsh-wiggles back. That is, they heard him saying, "You put your finger in my eye," and, "Nor your foot in my mouth either," and, "Thats more like it," and, "Now, Ill hold on to ys. Thatll leave your arms free to steady yourself against the earth.」
Then they looked up and soon they saw the black shape of Jills head against the patch of light.
"Well?" they all shouted up anxiously.
"Its a hole," called Jills voice. "I could get through it if I was a little bit higher.」
"What do you see through it?" asked Eustace.
"Nothing much yet," said Jill. "I say, Puddleglum, let go my legs so that I stand on your shoulders instead of sitting on them. I steady myself all right against the edge.」
They could hear her moving and then much more of her came into sight against the greyness of the opening; in fact all of her down to the waist.
"I say -" began Jill, but suddenly broke off with a cry: not a sharp cry. It sounded more as if her mouth had been muffled up or had something pushed into it. After that she found her void seemed to be shouting out as loud as she could, but they couldhe words. Two things then happe the same moment. The patch of light was pletely blocked up for a sed or so; and they heard both a scuffling, struggling sound and the voice of the Marsh-wiggle gasping: "Quick! Help! Hold on ts.
Someones pullihere! No, here. Too late!」
The opening, and the cold light which filled it, were now perfectly clear again. Jill had vanished.
"Jill! Jill!" they shouted frantically, but there was no answer.
"Why the dis couldnt you have held her feet?" said Eustace.
"I dont know, Scrubb," groaned Puddleglum. "Born to be a misfit, I shouldnt wonder.
Fated. Fated to be Poles death, just as I was fated to eat Talking Stag at Harfang. Not that it isnt my own fault as well, of course.」
"This is the greatest shame and sorrow that could have fallen on us," said the Prince. "We have sent a brave lady into the hands of enemies and stayed behind in safety.」
"Dont paint it too black, Sir," said Puddleglum. "Were not very safe except for death by starvation in this hole.」
"I wonder am I small enough to get through where Jill did?" said Eustace.
What had really happeo Jill was this. As soon as she got her head out of the hole she found that she was looking down as if from an upstairs window, not up as if through a trap-door. She had been so long in the dark that her eyes couldnt at first take in what they were seeing: except that she was not looking at the daylit, sunny world which she so wao see. The air seemed to be deadly cold, and the light ale and blue. There was also a good deal of noise going on and a lot of white objects flying about in the air. It was at that moment that she had shouted down to Puddleglum to let her stand up on his shoulders.
When she had dohis, she could see and hear a good deal better. The noises she had been hearing turned out to be of two kinds: the rhythmical thump of several feet, and the music of four fiddles, three flutes, and a drum. She also got her own position clear. She was looking out of a hole in a steep bank which sloped down and reached the level about fourtee below her. Everything was ve