THE UNWELE FELLOW TRAVELLER
WHEN Shasta went through the gate he found a slope of grass and a little heather running up before him to some trees. He had nothing to think about now and no plans to make: he had only to run, and that was quite enough. His limbs were shaking, a terrible stitch was beginning in his side, and the sweat that kept dropping into his eyes blihem and made them smart. He was unsteady on his feet too, and more than once he nearly turned his ankle on a loose stone.
The trees were thicker now than they had yet been and in the more open spaces there was bra. The sun had gone in without making it any cooler. It had bee one of those hot, grey days when there seem to be twice as many flies as usual. Shastas face was covered with them; he didnt even try to shake them off - he had too much else to do.
Suddenly he heard a horn - not a great throbbing horn like the horns of Tashbaan but a merry call, Ti-ro-to-to-ho! moment he came out into a wide glade and found himself in a crowd of people.
At least, it looked a crowd to him. Iy there were about fifteen or twenty of them, all gentlemen in green huntingdress, with their horses; some in the saddle and some standing by their horses heads. In the tre someone was holding the stirrup for a man to mount. And the man he was holding it for was the jolliest, fat, applecheeked, twinkling eyed King you could imagine.
As soon as Shasta came in sight this King fot all about mounting his horse. He spread out his arms to Shasta, his face lit up, and he cried out in a great, deep voice that seemed to e from the bottom of his chest: "! My son! And on foot, and in rags! What-」
"No," panted Shasta, shaking his head. "Not Prince . I - I - know Im like him... saw his Highness in Tashbaan... sent his greetings.」
The King was staring at Shasta with araordinary expression on his face.
"Are you K-King Lune?" gasped Shasta. And then, without waiting for an answer, "Lord King - fly - Anvard shut the gates - enemies upon you - Rabadash and two hundred horse.」
"Have you assurance of this, boy?" asked one of the entlemen.
"My own eyes," said Shasta. "Ive seen them. Raced them all the way from Tashbaan.」
"On foot?" said the gentleman, raising his eyebrows a little.
Horses-with the Hermit," said Shasta.
"Question him no more; Darrin," said King Lune. "I see truth in his face. We must ride for it, gentlemen. A spare horse there, for the boy. You ride fast, friend?」
For answer Shasta put his foot iirrup of the horse which had beeowards him and a moment later he was in the saddle. He had do a huimes with Bree in the last few weeks, and his mounting was very different now from what it had been on that first night when Bree had said that he climbed up a horse as if he were climbing a haystack.
He leased to hear the Lord Darrin say to the King, "The boy has a true horsema, Sire. Ill warrant theres noble blood in him.」
"His blood, aye, theres the point," said the King. Aared hard at Shasta again with that curious expression, almost a hungry expression, in his steady, grey eyes.
But by now -the whole party was moving off at a brisk ter. Shastas seat was excellent but he was sadly puzzled what to do with his reins, for he had ouched the reins while he was on Brees back. But he looked very carefully out of the ers of his eyes to see what the others were doing (as some of us have