Thump, thump, thump ... and whatever it was must be very ow for she could feel the ground shaking. But she could e nothing. She thought the thing—or things—must be just behind her. But then there came a thump oh right in front of her. She k was oh not only by the sound but becau she saw the sand scatter as if it had been struck a heavy blow. But she could e nothing that had struck it. Then all the thumping nois drew together about twenty feet away from her and suddenly cead. Then came the Voice.
It was really very dreadful becau she could still e nobody at all. The whole of that park-like try still looked as quiet ay as it had looked when they first landed. heless, only a few feet away from her, a voice spoke. And what it said was：
“Mates, now’s our ce.”
Instantly a whole chorus of other voices replied, “Hear him. Hear him.‘Now’s our ce,’ he said. Well done, Chief. You never said a truer word.”
“What I say,” tihe first voice, “is, get down to the shore between them and their boat, a every mother’s son look to his ons. Catch ’em whery to put to a.”
“Eh, that’s the way,” shouted all the other voices. “You never made a better plan, Chief. Keep it up, Chief. You couldn’t have a better plan than that.”
“Lively, then, mates, lively,” said the first voice. “Off we go.”
“Right again, Chief,” said the others. “Couldn’t have a better order. Just what we were going to say ourlves. Off we go.”
Immediately the thumping began again—very loud at first but soon fainter and faiill it died out in the dire of the a.
Luew there was no time to sit puzzling as to what the invisible creatures might be. As soon as the thumping noi had died away she got up and ran along the path after the others as quickly as her legs would carry her. They must at all costs be warned.
While this had been happening the others had reached the hou. It was a low building—only two stories high—made of a beautiful mellow stone, many-windowed, and partially covered with ivy. Everything was so still that Eustace said, “I think it’s empty,” but Caspian silently poio the n of smoke which ro from one ey.