and all His biddings are joys. It is not that which makes me thoughtful. But it was coming into my mind to wonder whether there are two kinds of bidding.’
‘Some of our wise men have said …’ began Ransom, when she interrupted him.
‘Let us wait and ask the King,’ she said. ‘For I think, Piebald, you do not know much more about this than I do.’
‘Yes, the King, by all means,’ said Ransom. ‘If only we can find him.’ Then, quite involuntarily, he added in English, ‘By Jove! What was that?’ She also had exclaimed. Some thing like a shooting star seemed to have streaked across the sky, far away on their left, and some seconds later an indeterminate noise reached their ears.
‘What was that?’ he asked again, this time in Old Solar.
‘Something has fallen out of Deep Heaven,’ said the Lady. Her face showed wonder and curiosity: but on Earth we so rarely see these emotions without some admixture of defensive fear that her expression seemed strange to him.
‘I think you’re right,’ said he. ‘Hullo! What’s this?’ The calm sea had swelled and all the weeds at the edge of their island were in movement. A single wave passed under their island and all was still again.
‘Something has certainly fallen into the sea,’ said the Lady. Then she resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.
‘It was to look for the King that I had resolved to go over today to the Fixed Land. He is on none of these islands here, for I have searched them all. But if we climbed high up on the Fixed Land and looked about, then we should see a long way. We could see if there are any other islands near us.’
‘Let us do this,’ said Ransom. ‘If we can swim so far.’
‘We shall ride,’ said the Lady. Then she knelt down on the shore – and such grace was in all her movements that it was a wonder to see her kneel – and gave three low calls all on the same note. At first no result was visible. But soon Ransom saw broken water coming rapidly towards them. A moment later and the sea beside the island was a mass of the large silver fishes: spouting, curling their bodies, pressing upon one another to get nearer, and the nearest ones nosing the land. They had not only the colour but the smoothness of silver. The biggest were about nine feet long and all were thick-set and powerful-looking. They were very unlike any terrestrial species, for the base of the head was noticeablywider than the foremost part of the trunk. But then the trunk itself grew thicker again towards the tail. Without this tailward bulge they would have looked like giant tadpoles. As it was, they suggested rather pot-bellied and narrow-chested old men with very big heads. The Lady seemed to take a long time in selecting two of them. But the moment she had done so the others all fell back for a few yards and the two successful candidates wheeled round and lay still with their tails to the shore, gently moving their fins. ‘Now, Piebald, like this,’ she said, and seated herself astride the narrow part of the right-hand fish. Ransom followed her example. The great head in front of him served instead of shoulders so that there was no danger of sliding off. He watched his hostess. She gave her fish a slight kick with her heels. He did the same to his. A moment later they were gliding out to sea at about six miles an hour. The air over the water was cooler and the breeze lifted his hair. In a world where he had as yet only swum and walked, the fish’s progress gave the impression of quite an exhilarating speed. He glanced back and saw the feathery and billowy mass of the islands receding and the sky growing larger and more emphatically golden. Ahead, the fantastically shaped and coloured mountain dominated his whole field of vision. He noticed with interest that the whole school of rejected fish were still with them – some following, but the majority gambolling in wide extended wings to left and right.
‘Do they always follow like
‘Some of our wise men have said …’ began Ransom, when she interrupted him.
‘Let us wait and ask the King,’ she said. ‘For I think, Piebald, you do not know much more about this than I do.’
‘Yes, the King, by all means,’ said Ransom. ‘If only we can find him.’ Then, quite involuntarily, he added in English, ‘By Jove! What was that?’ She also had exclaimed. Some thing like a shooting star seemed to have streaked across the sky, far away on their left, and some seconds later an indeterminate noise reached their ears.
‘What was that?’ he asked again, this time in Old Solar.
‘Something has fallen out of Deep Heaven,’ said the Lady. Her face showed wonder and curiosity: but on Earth we so rarely see these emotions without some admixture of defensive fear that her expression seemed strange to him.
‘I think you’re right,’ said he. ‘Hullo! What’s this?’ The calm sea had swelled and all the weeds at the edge of their island were in movement. A single wave passed under their island and all was still again.
‘Something has certainly fallen into the sea,’ said the Lady. Then she resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.
‘It was to look for the King that I had resolved to go over today to the Fixed Land. He is on none of these islands here, for I have searched them all. But if we climbed high up on the Fixed Land and looked about, then we should see a long way. We could see if there are any other islands near us.’
‘Let us do this,’ said Ransom. ‘If we can swim so far.’
‘We shall ride,’ said the Lady. Then she knelt down on the shore – and such grace was in all her movements that it was a wonder to see her kneel – and gave three low calls all on the same note. At first no result was visible. But soon Ransom saw broken water coming rapidly towards them. A moment later and the sea beside the island was a mass of the large silver fishes: spouting, curling their bodies, pressing upon one another to get nearer, and the nearest ones nosing the land. They had not only the colour but the smoothness of silver. The biggest were about nine feet long and all were thick-set and powerful-looking. They were very unlike any terrestrial species, for the base of the head was noticeablywider than the foremost part of the trunk. But then the trunk itself grew thicker again towards the tail. Without this tailward bulge they would have looked like giant tadpoles. As it was, they suggested rather pot-bellied and narrow-chested old men with very big heads. The Lady seemed to take a long time in selecting two of them. But the moment she had done so the others all fell back for a few yards and the two successful candidates wheeled round and lay still with their tails to the shore, gently moving their fins. ‘Now, Piebald, like this,’ she said, and seated herself astride the narrow part of the right-hand fish. Ransom followed her example. The great head in front of him served instead of shoulders so that there was no danger of sliding off. He watched his hostess. She gave her fish a slight kick with her heels. He did the same to his. A moment later they were gliding out to sea at about six miles an hour. The air over the water was cooler and the breeze lifted his hair. In a world where he had as yet only swum and walked, the fish’s progress gave the impression of quite an exhilarating speed. He glanced back and saw the feathery and billowy mass of the islands receding and the sky growing larger and more emphatically golden. Ahead, the fantastically shaped and coloured mountain dominated his whole field of vision. He noticed with interest that the whole school of rejected fish were still with them – some following, but the majority gambolling in wide extended wings to left and right.
‘Do they always follow like
Similar Books
