At the first ridge Shasta turned in the saddle and looked back. There was no sign of Tashbaan; the dert, unbroken except by the narrow green crack which they had travelled down, spread to the horizon.
“Hullo！” he said suddenly. “What’s that！”
“What’s what?” said Bree, turning round. Hwin and Aravis did the same.
“That,” said Shasta, pointing. “It looks like smoke. Is it a fire?”
“Sand-storm, I should say,” said Bree.
“Not much wind to rai it,” said Aravis.
“Oh！” exclaimed Hwin. “Look！ There are things flashing in it. Look！ They’re helmets — and armour. And it’s moving： moving this way.”
“By Tash！” said Aravis. “It’s the army. It’s Rabadash.”
“Oh cour it is,” said Hwin. “Just what I was afraid of. Quick！ We must get to Anvard before it.” And without another word she whisked round and began galloping North. Bree tosd his head and did the same.
“e on, Bree, e on,” yelled Aravis over her shoulder.
The race was very gruelling for the Hors. As they topped each ridge they found another valley and another ridge beyond it; and though they khey were going in more or less the right dire, no one knew how far it was to Anvard. From the top of the d ridge Shasta looked back again. Instead of a dust-cloud well out in the dert he now saw a black, moving mass, rather like ants, on the far bank of the Winding Arrow. They were doubtless looking for a ford.
“They’re on the river！” he yelled wildly.
“Quick！ Quick！” shouted Aravis. “We might as well not have e at all if we don’t reavard in time. Gallop, Bree, gallop. Remember you’re a war-hor.”
It was all Shasta could do to prevent himlf from shouting out similar instrus; but he thought, “The poor chap’s doing all he already,” and held his tongue. Aainly both Hors were doing, if not all they could, all they thought they could; which is not quite the same thing. Bree had caught up with Hwin and they thundered side by side over the turf. It didn’t look as if Hwin could possibly keep it up much longer.
At that moment everyone’s feelings were pletely altered by a sound from behind. It was not the sound they had been expeg to hear — the noi of hoofs and jingling armour, mixed, perhaps, with etle-cries. Yet Shasta k at o was the same snarling roar he had heard that moonlit night when they first met Aravis and Hwin. Bree k too. His eyes gleamed red and his ears lay flat ba his skull. And Bree now discovered that he had not really been going as fast — not quite as fast — as he could. Shasta felt the ge at onow they were really going all out. In a few ds they were well ahead of Hwin.