CHAPTERSIXSHASTAAMOOMBS
SHASTAranlightlyalongtheroofofelthottohisbarefeet。Hewasonlyafewseblithefaretotheerhefoundhimselflookingdownintoanarrow，smellystreet，andtherewasarubbishheapagaisideofthewalljustashadtoldhim。Befdowlantogethisbearings。Apparentlyhehadheoftheisland-hillonwhichTashbaanisbuilt。Everythingslopedawaybeforehim，flatroofsbelowflatroofs，dowowersasofthecity'sNortherwastheriveraheriverashortslardeagaintherewassomethinghehadhelikeof—agreatyell，flatasacalmsea，ailes。Onthefarsideebluethings，lumpybutwithjaggededges，ahemwithwhitetops。“Thedesert!themountains!”thoughtShasta。
Hejumpeddownontotherubbishaingalongdownhillasfastashethenarrowlane，whibroughthimiwherethereweremorepeople。heredtolookatalittleraggedbaloill，hewasanxiousaillheturnedadtheresawthecitygateinfrontofhim。
Hereheresseda，foodmanyotherpeoingout;andebeyoheequiteaslowproorelikeaqueuethanacrowd。Outthere，withingwateroneachside，itwasdeliciouslyfreshafterthesmellaaashbaan。
Wheahadreachedthefarendehefoundtheeltingaway;everyoobegoihelefthtalongtheriverbaraightaheaduparoadthatdidobemuchused，betweengardens。Inafewpaceshewasalone，andafewmhthimtothetopoftheslope。Therehestoodawaslikeiheworldforallthegrassstoppedquitesuddebeforehimandthesandbegan:endlesslevelsandlikeonaseashorebutabitrougherbecauseitwashemountains，whiowlookedfurtheroffthanbefore，loomedahead。Greatlytohisreliefhesaw，aboutfiveminutes'walkawayomustlybetheTombs，justasBreehaddescribedthem;greatmassesstoneshapedlikegiganticbee-hive，butalittleheylookedverybladgrim，forthesunwasingrightbehindthem。
&urnedhisfadtrottedtowardtheTombs。Heothelplookingoutveryhardfnofhisfriends，thoughthesettingsunshoneihecouldseehardlyanything。“Andanyway，”hethought，“ofcoursethey'llberoundonthefarsideofthefarthestTomb，notthissidewhereaseethemfromthecity。”
TherewereabouttwelveTombs，eachwithalowarcheddooreoabsoluteblaess。Theyweredottedaboutinnokihatittookalongtime，goingroundthisoneandgoingroundthatone，beforeyoucouldbesurethatyouhadlookedroundeverysideofeverytomb。ThiswaswhatShastahadtodo。Therewasnobodythere。
Itwasveryquiethereoutohedesert;andnowthesu。
Suddenlyfromsomewherebehindhimtherecameaterriblesound。Shasta&#aveagreatjumpaobitehistookeephimselffr。herealizedwhatitwas:thehornsofTashbaanblowingforthegofthegates。“Don'tbeasillylittlecoward，”saidShastatohimself。“Why，it'sonlythesamenoiseyouheardthism。”Butthereisagreatdiffereweenaingyouinwithyourfriendsinthem，andanoiseheardalofall，shuttingyouout。Andnowthatthegateswereshuthekherewashehimthatevehey'reshutupinTashbaa，”thoughtShasta，“orelsethey'vegohoutme。It'sjustthesortofthingthatAraviswoulddo。ButBreewouldn't。Oh，hewouldn't。—now，wouldhe?”
IAravisShastawasoewrong。Sheroudandcouldbehardenoughbutshewasastrueassteelandwouldedapahershelikedhimornot。
NowthatShastaknewheealowasgettingdarkereverymiolikethelookofthepladless。Therewassomethingveryunfortableaboutthosegreat，sileone。Hehadbeentryinghishardestftimenottothinkofghouls:buthe'tkeepitupanylonger。
“Ow!Ow!Help!”heshoutedsuddenly，foratthatverymomehingtouchhisleg。Idon'tthinkanyonebeblamedfifsomethingesupfrombehindandtoucheshim;notinsuchapladatsuchatime，whenheisfrightenedalready。Shastaatahteorun。AnythingwouldbebetterthanbeingchasedroundandroundtheburialplacesoftheAKingswithsomethilookatbehindhim。Iwasreallythemostsehinghecoulddo。Helookedround;aalmostburstwithrelief。Whathadtouchedhim>
&wastoobadnowforShastatoseemuchofthecatexceptthatitwasbigandverysolemn。Itlookedasifitmighthavelivedf，ltheTombs，aloseyesmadeyouthisitwouldnottell。
“Puss，puss，”saidShasta。“Isupposeyou'renotatalkingcat。”
&aredathimharderthahenitstartedwalkingaway，andofcourseShastafollowedit。Itledhimrightthroughthetombsandoutosideofthem。ThereitsatdownbhtwithitstailcurledrousfacesettowardthedesertandtowardNarniaah，asstillasifitwerewateealaydowhhisbastthedhisfacetowardtheTombs，becauseifohere'snothinglikehavingyourfacetowardthedangerandhavihingwarmandsolidatyourback。Thesandwouldn'thaveseemedveryfortabletoyou，butShastahadbeehegroundforweeksandhardly。Verysoonhefellasleep，thougheveninhisdreamshewenteoBreeandAravisandHwin。
Hewaswakenedsuddenlybyanoisehehadneverheardbefore。“Perhapsitwasonlyanightmare，”saidShastatohimself。Atthesamemomeicedthatthehisbadhewishedithadn't。Buthelayquitestillwithoutevenopeninghiseyesbecausehefeltsurehewouldbemhteupandlookedrouombsandtheloasyhtliestillwiththeclothesoverourheads。Butthenthenoise—aharsh，piergbehindhimoutofthedesert。Thenofcoursehehadtoopeup。
Themoonwasshiningbrightly。TheTerahahoughttheywouldbe—lookedgrayinthemoonlight。Infact，theylookedhorriblylikehugeperayrobesthatcoveredtheirheadsaheywerenotatallohavenearyouwhenspendinganightalorahenoisehadtheoppositeside，fromthedesert。Shastahadtoturnhisbabs（hedidn'tlikethatmudstareoutacrossthelevelsand。Thewildgoutagain。
“Ihopeit'snotmorelions，”thoughtShasta。Itwasinfaotverylikethelion'sroarshehadheardowheHwinandAravis，ahecryofajackal。ButofcourseShastadidnotknowthis。Evenifhehadknown，hewouldedverymueetajackal。
Thegoutagainandagain。“There'smorethahem，whatevertheyare，”thoughtShasta。“Andthey&#nearer。”
IsupposethatifhehadbeeirelysensibleboyhewouldhavegohroughtheTombsheriverwheretherewerehouses，aswouldbelesslikelytoe。Butthentherewere（httherewere）theghouls。ToghtheTombsastthsiombs;andwhatmight?Itmayhavebeensilly，butShastafelthewouldratherriskthewildbeasts。Then，asthecriesearerandogehismind。
&goingtorunforitwheweenhima，ahugeanimalbouoview。Asthemoo，itlookedquitebladShastadidnotknoas，exceptthatithadaverybig，shaggyheadas。Itdidohavea，foritsuddeurowardthedesertaaroarwhichre-echhtheTombsaoshakethesaa'sfeet。Thecriesoftheothercreaturessuddenlystoppdahecouldhearfeetsgaway。Theturoexamia。
“It'salion，Iknowit'salion，”thoughtShasta。“I'mdone。Iwohurtmuch。Iwishitwasover。Iwohiopeopleafterthey'redead。O-o-oh!Hereites!”Ahiseyesa。
Butieethandclawsheohingwarmlyingdownathisfeet。Andwhenheopenedhiseyeshesaid，“Why，it'snasIthought!It'sonlyhalfthesize。No，itiserthesize。Idodeclareit'so!!Imusthavedreamedallthataboutitsbeingasbigasahorse。”
Aherhereallyhadbeendreamingornot，lyingathisfeet，andstaringhimoutofcewithitsbig，green，unwihecat;thoughlyocatshehadeverseen。
“Oh，Puss，”gaspedShasta。“Iamsogladtoseeyouagain。I'vebeenhavingsuchhorribledreams。”Aoncelaydownagain，backtobackwiththecatastheyhadbeenatthebeginnihewarmthfromitspreadalloverhim。
“I'llhingnastytoaaslongasIlive，”saidShasta，halftothedhalftohimself。“Ididonow。Ithrewstoahalf-starvedmangyoldstray。Hey!Stopthat。”Forthecathadturnedroundandgivenhimaso，”saidShasta。“Itisn'tasifyouderstandwhatI'msaying。”Thenhedozedoff。
&mwhewasgohesun，a。Shasta，verythirsty，satupandrubbedhiseyes。Thedesertwasblindihoughtherewasamurmurofhedhim，wherehesateverythilystill。Wheleleftahatthesunwasnotinhiseyes，hecouldseethemountainsonthefarsideofthedesert，sosharpaheylookedonlyastohroartiotieblueheightthatdividedihetopamustbeMou'sourdire，judgingbywhattheRavensaid，”hethought，“soI'lljustmakesureofit，soasnottowasteaheothersturnup。”Sohemadeagood，deepstraightfurrowwithhisfootpoioMountPire。
&job，clearly，wastogetsomethianddrink。ShastatrottedbackthroughtheTombs—theylookedquiteordinarynowandhewonderedhowhecouldeverhavebeenafraidofthem—anddowedlandbytheriver'sside。Thereleaboutbutnotverymany，forthecitygateshadbeenopenseveralhoursandtheearlymcrowdshadalreadygonein。Sohehadnodiffdoingalittle“raiding”（asBreecalledit）。Itinvolvedaclimbardenwallaswerethreees，amelon，afigortomegra，hewentdowntotheriverbank，buthebridge，andhadadrierwassohetookoffhishot，dirtydhadadip;forofcourseShasta，haviheshoreallhislife，hadlearoswimalmostassoonashehadlearowalk。WhehelayonthegrasslookingacrossthewateratTashbaan—allthesplendourahandgloryofit。Butthatmadehimrememberthedatoo。HesuddehatthehthavereachedtheTombswhilehewasbathing（“ahoutme，aslikelyasnot”），sohedressedinafrightasuchaspeedthathewasallhotandthirstywhenhearrivedandsothegoodofhisbathewasgone。
&dayswhenyouarealoingforsomethingthisdayseemedaboutahundredh。Hehadplentytothinkof，ofcourse，butsittihinkiyslow。HethoughtagooddealabouttheNarniansandespeciallyabout。Hewohadhappeheydiscoveredthattheboywhohadbeenlyingonthesofaandheariplanswasn'treallyatall。Itwasveryuothinkofallthoseniagininghimatraitor。
Butasthesunslowly，slowlyclimbeduptothetopoftheskyandthenslowly，slowlybegangoingdownwardstotheWest，andnoohingatallhappeogetmoreandmoreanxious。AndofcoursehehatwhentheyarraforoheTombsnoonehadsaidanythingaboutHowLong。He'twaitherefortherestofhislife!Andsoonitwouldbedarkagain，andhewouldhaveajustlikelastnight。Adozeplahroughhishead，allwretes，andatlasthefixedoplanofall。HedecidedtowaittillitwasdarkandthengobacktotheriverandstealasmanymelonsashecoulddsetoutforMourustingforhisdiretothelinehehaddrawnthatmiwasacrazyideaandifhehadreadasmanybooksasyouhaveaboutjourshewouldneverhavedreamedofit。ButShastahadreadnobooksatall。
&hesuhingdidhappen。Shastawassittingintheshadowofoombswhenhelookedupandsawtwohorses。Thegaveagreatleap，fhemasBreeandHwimomedownintohistoesagain。TherewasnosignofAravis。TheHledbyastrangeman，anarmedmayhandsomelydressedlikeanupperslaveifamily。BreeandHwinwereuplikepack-horses，butsaddledandbridled。Andwhatcoulditallmean?“It'satrap，”thoughtShasta。“SomebodyhascaughtAravisahey'vetorturedherandshe'sgivehingaway。TheywaojumpoutandrunupaoBreeandthenI'llbecaughttoo!AifIdon't，Imaybelosingmyotheothers。OhIdowishIkhadhappened。”Andheskulkedbehiomb，lookingouteveryfewminutes，andwwhichwastheleastdahingtodo。