The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Chapters 1–4

There was a second of struggling and shouting, and just as they thought they had got their balance a great blue roller surged up round them, swept them off their feet, and drew them down into the sea.

Edmund was close beside her now, treading water, and had caught the arms of the howling Eustace.

Even with all their best endeavours she had a bruised knee when she finally stood, dripping and shivering, on the deck.

What he saw was blue waves flecked with foam, and paler blue sky, both spreading without a break to the horizon.

And I never could bear performing animals. They're silly and vulgar and—and sentimental.

She fell in love with it at once—the three square windows that looked out on the blue, swirling water astern, the low cushioned benches round three sides of the table, the swinging silver lamp overhead (Dwarfs' work, she knew at once by its exquisite delicacy) and the flat gold image of Aslan the Lion on the forward wall above the door.

Well, on my coronation day, with Aslan's approval, I swore an oath that, if once I established peace in Narnia, I would sail east myself for a year and a day to find my father's friends or to learn of their deaths and avenge them if I could.

The sum is, we are now nearly thirty days at sea and have sailed more than four hundred leagues from Narnia.

Of course Caspian's ship was not that horrible thing, a galley rowed by slaves.

At each side of the ship the space under the benches was left clear for the rowers' feet, but all down the centre there was a kind of pit which went down to the very keel and this was filled with all kinds of things—sacks of flour, casks of water and beer, barrels of pork, jars of honey, skin bottles of wine, apples, nuts, cheeses, biscuits, turnips, sides of bacon.

Then they were taken to the poop, where Rhince was on duty with another man at the great tiller, and behind that the dragon's tail rose up, covered with gilding, and round inside it ran a little bench.

She was only a little bit of a thing compared with one of our ships, or even with the cogs, dromonds, carracks and galleons which Narnia had owned when Lucy and Edmund had reigned there under Peter as the High King, for nearly all navigation had died out in the reigns of Caspian's ancestors.

"Why do you not draw your own sword, poltroon!" cheeped the Mouse.

"I'm a pacifist. I don't believe in fighting."

"Then take that," said Reepicheep, "and that—to teach you manners—and the respect due to a knight—and a Mouse—and a Mouse's tail—" and at each word he gave Eustace a blow with the side of his rapier, which was thin, fine dwarf-tempered steel and as supple and effective as a birch rod.

Eustace (of course) was at a school where they didn't have corporal punishment, so the sensation was quite new to him.

There was a moment's struggle but all the advantages were on one side, and soon everyone was disarmed and had their hands tied behind their backs—except Reepicheep, writhing in his captor's grip and biting furiously.

When they got down to the shore that looked towards Doorn they found a little village and a long-boat on the beach and, lying a little further out, a dirty bedraggled looking ship.

I have moved his Sufficiency the Governor a hundred times to crush this vile traffic in man's flesh.

Caspian was sorry for the others languishing in the hold of Pug's slave ship, but he could not help finding the rest of that day enjoyable.

When they reached the jetty at Narrowhaven, Caspian found a considerable crowd assembled to meet them.

But then all the children joined in because they liked a procession and had seen very few.

In those days everything in the islands was done in a slovenly, slouching manner.

"It is our wish," said Caspian, "that our royal visitation to our realm of the Lone Islands should, if possible, be an occasion of joy and not of terror to our loyal subjects.

But at noon to-morrow I wish to see them here in this courtyard looking like men at arms and not like vagabonds.

They lifted it, and flung it on one side of the hall where it rolled over, scattering a cascade of letters, dossiers, ink-pots, pens, sealing-wax and documents.

But he had seen a ship of war sail down the straits yesterday and seen it signalling, as he supposed, to its consorts.

"I want to know why you have permitted this abominable and unnatural traffic in slaves to grow up here, contrary to the ancient custom and usage of our dominions."

"An essential part of the economic development of the islands, I assure you. Our present burst of prosperity depends on it."

But those who seemed the most truthful could tell of no lands beyond the Lone Islands, and many thought that if you sailed too far east you would come into the surges of a sea without lands that swirled perpetually round the rim of the world...