THE FIGHT AT ANVARD By about eleven oclock the whole pany was once more on the march, ridiward with the mountains on their left. and Shasta rht at the rear with the Giants immediately in front of them. Lud Edmund and Peridan were busy with their plans for the battle and though Luce said, "But where is his goosecap Highness?」
Edmund only replied, "Not in the front, and thats good news enough. Leave well alone.」
Shasta told most of his adventures and explaihat he had learned all his riding from a horse and didnt really know how to use the reins. instructed him in this, besides telling him all about their secret sailing from Tashbaan.
"And where is the Queen Susan?」
"At Cair Paravel," said . "Shes not like Lucy, you know, whos as good as a man, or at any rate as good as a boy. Queen Susan is more like an ordinary grown-up lady. She doesnt ride to the wars, though she is an excellent archer.」
The hillside path which they were following became narrower all the time and the drop on their right hand became steeper. At last they were going in single file along the edge of a precipid Shasta shuddered to think that he had dohe same last night without knowing it. "But of course," he thought, "I was quite safe. That is why the Lio on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time.」
Theh we and south away from the cliff and there were thick woods on both sides of it and they went steeply up and up into the pass. There would have been a splendid view from the top if it were open ground but among all those trees you could see nothing - only, every now and then, some huge pinnacle of rock above the tree-tops, and an eagle or two wheeling high up in the blue air.
"They smell battle," said , pointing at the birds. "They know were preparing a feed for them.」
Shasta didnt like this at all.
When they had crossed the neck of the pass and e a good deal lower they reached more open ground and from here Shasta could see all Arland, blue and hazy, spread
out below him and evehought) a hint of the desert beyond it. But the sun, which had perhaps two hours or so to go before it set, was in his eyes and he couldnt make things out distinctly.
Here the army halted and spread out in a line, and there was a great deal of rearranging. A whole detat of very dangerous-looking Talkis whom Shasta had not noticed before and who were mostly of the cat kind (leopards, panthers, and the like)
went padding and growling to take up their positions on the left. The giants were ordered to the right, and befoing there they all took off something they had been carrying on their backs and sat down for a moment. Then Shasta saw that what they had been carrying and were now putting on were pairs of boots: horrid, heavy, spiked boots which came up to their khen they sloped their huge clubs over their shoulders and marched to their battle position. The archers, with Queen Lucy, fell to the rear and you could first see them bending their bows and thehe twangtwang as they tested the strings. And wherever you looked you could see people tightening girths, putting os, drawing swords, and throwing cloaks to the ground. There was hardly any talking now. It was very solemn and very dreadful. "Im in for it now - I really am in for it now," thought Shasta. Then there came noises far ahead: the sound of many men shouting and a steady thud-thud-thud "Battering ram," whispere