CHAPTER SIXTEEN FAREWELL TO SHADOWLANDS

IF one could run without getting tired，I don’t think one would often want to do anything else. But there might be special reasons for stopping，and it was a special reason which made Eustace presently shout：

“I say! Steady! Look what we’re coming to!”

And well he might. For now they saw before them Caldron Pool and beyond the Pool the high unclimbable cliffs and，pouring down the cliffs，thousands of tons of water every second，flashing like diamonds in some places and dark，glassy green in others，the Great Waterfall; and already the thunder of it was in their ears．

“Don’t stop! Further up and further in，”called Farsight，tilting his flight a little upwards．

“It’s all very well for him，”said Eustace，but Jewel also cried out：

“Don’t stop. Further up and further in! Take it in your stride.”

His voice could only just be heard above the roar of the water but next moment everyone saw that he had plunged into the Pool. And helter-skelter behind him，with splash after splash，all the others did the same. The water was not bitingly cold as all of them (and especially Puzzle) expected，but of a delicious foamy coolness. They all found they were swimming straight for the Waterfall itself．

“This is absolutely crazy，”said Eustace to Edmund．

“I know. And yet-”said Edmund．

“Isn’t it wonderful ？”said Lucy.“Have you noticed one can’t feel afraid，even if one wants to ？ Try it.”

“By Jove，neither one can，”said Eustace after he had tried．

Jewel reached the foot of the Waterfall first，but Tirian was only just behind him. Jill was last，so she could see the whole thing better than the others. She saw something white moving steadily up the face of the Waterfall. That white thing was the Unicorn. You couldn’t tell whether he was swimming or climbing，but he moved on，higher and higher. The point of his horn divided the water just above his head，and it cascaded out in two rainbow-coloured streams all round his shoulders. Just behind him came King Tirian. He moved his legs and arms as if he were swimming but he moved straight upwards：as if one could swim up the wall of a house．

What looked funniest was the Dogs. During the gallop they had not been at all out of breath，but now，as they swarmed and wriggled upwards，there was plenty of spluttering and sneezing among them; that was because they would keep on barking， and every time they barked they got their mouths and noses full of water. But before Jill had time to notice all these things fully， she was going up the Waterfall herself. It was the sort of thing that would have been quite impossible in our world. Even if you hadn’t been drowned，you would have been smashed to pieces by the terrible weight of water against the countless jags of rock. But in that world you could do it. You went on，up and up，with all kinds of reflected lights flashing at you from the water and all manner of coloured stones flashing through it，till it seemed as if you were climbing up light itself-and always higher and higher till the sense of height would have terrified you if you could be terrified，but later it was only gloriously exciting. And then at last one came to the lovely，smooth green curve in which the water poured over the top and found that one was out on the level river above the Waterfall. The current was racing away behind you，but you were such a wonderful swimmer that you could make headway against it. Soon they were all on the bank，dripping but happy．

A long valley opened ahead and great snow-mountains，now much nearer，stood up against the sky．

“Further up and further in，”cried Jewel and instantly they were off again．

They were out of Narnia now and up into the Western Wild which neither Tirian nor Peter nor even the Eagle had ever seen before. But the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly had.“Do you remember ？Do you remember ？”they said-and said it in steady voices too，without panting，though the whole party was now running faster than an arrow flies．

“What，Lord ？”said Tirian.“Is it then true，as stories tell， that you two journeyed here on the very day the world was made ？”

“Yes，”said Digory，“and it seems to me as if it were only yesterday.”

“And on a flying horse ？”asked Tirian.“Is that part true ？”

“Certainly，”said Digory. But the Dogs barked，“Faster， faster!”

So they ran faster and faster till it was more like flying than running，and even the Eagle overhead was going no faster than they. And they went through winding valley after winding valley and up the steep sides of hills and，faster than ever，down the other side，following the river and sometimes crossing it and skimming across mountainlakes as if they were living speed-boats，till at last at the far end of one long lake which looked as blue as a turquoise， they saw a smooth green hill. Its sides were as steep as the sides of a pyramid and round the very top of it ran a green wall：but above the wall rose the branches of trees whose leaves looked like silver and their fruit like gold．