“It’s not fair,” thought Shasta. “I did think we’d be safe from lions here！”
He looked over his shoulder. Everything was only too clear. A huge tawny creature, its body low to the ground, like a cat streaking across the lawn to a tree when a strange dog has got into the garden, was behind them. And it was nearer every d and half d.
He looked fain and saw something which he did not take in, or even think about. Their way was barred by a smooth green wall about te high. In the middle of that wall there was a gate, open. In the middle of the gateway stood a tall man dresd, down to his bare feet, in a robe coloured like autumn leaves, leaning on a straight staff. His beard fell almost to his knees.
Shasta saw all this in a gland looked back again. The lion had almost got Hwin now. It was making snaps at her hind legs, and there was no hope now in her foam-flecked, wide-eyed face.
“Stop,” bellowed Shasta in Bree’s ear. “Must go back. Must help！”
Bree always said afterwards that he never heard, or never uood this; and as he was in general a very truthful hor we must accept his word.
Shasta slipped his feet out of the stirrups, slid both his legs over the left side, hesitated for one hideous huh of a d, and jumped. It hurt horribly and nearly winded him; but before he knew how it hurt him he was staggering back to help Aravis. He had never done anything like this in his life before and hardly knew why he was doing it now.
One of the most terrible nois in the world, a hor’s scream, broke from Hwin’s lips. Aravis was stooping low over Hwin’s ned emed to be trying to draw her sword. And now all three — Aravis, Hwin, and the lion were almost on top of Shasta. Before they reached him the lion ro on its hind legs, larger than you would have believed a lion could be, and jabbed at Aravis with its right paw. Shasta could e all the terrible claws extended. Aravis screamed and reeled in the saddle. The lion was tearing her shoulders. Shasta, half mad with horror, mao lurch towards the brute. He had no on, not even a stick or a stone. He shouted out, idiotically, at the lion as one would at a dog. “Go home！ Go home！” For a fra of a d he was staring right into its wide-opened, raging mouth. Then, to his utter astonishment, the lion, still on its hind legs, checked itlf suddenly, turned head over heels, picked itlf up, and rushed away.