Here the army halted and spread out in a line, and there was a great deal of rearranging. A whole detat of very dangerous-looking Talkis whom Shasta had not noticed before and who were mostly of the cat kind （leopards, panthers, and the like） went padding and growling to take up their positions on the left. The giants were ordered to the right, and befoing there they all took off something they had been carrying on their backs and sat down for a moment. Then Shasta saw that what they had been carrying and were now putting on were pairs of boots: horrid, heavy, spiked boots which came up to their khen they sloped their huge clubs over their shoulders and marched to their battle position.The archers, with Queen Lucy, fell to the rear and you could first e them bending their bows and thehe twangtwang as they tested the strings. And wherever you looked you could e people tightening girths, putting os, drawing swords, and throwing cloaks to the ground. There was hardly any talking now. It was very solemn and very dreadful. “I’m in for it now — I really am in for it now,” thought Shasta. Then there came nois far ahead: the sound of many men shouting and a steady thud-thud-thud.
“Battering ram,” whispered . “They’re battering the gate.”
Even looked quite rious now.
“Why doesn’t King Edmu on?” he said. “I ’t stand this waiting about. Chilly too.”
Shasta nodded： hoping he didn’t look as frightened as felt.
The trumpet at last！ On the move now — now trotting the bareaming out in the wind. They had topped le now, and below them the whole se suddenly opened out; a little, many-towered castle with its gate towards them. No moat, unfortunately, but of cour the gate shut and the portcullis down. On the walls they could e, like little white dots, the faces of the defenders. Down below, about fifty of the enes, dismounted, were steadily swinging a great tree trunk against the gate. But at ohe se ged. The main bulk of Rabadash’s men had been on foot ready to assault the gate. But now he had en the Narnians sweeping down from the ridge. There is no doubt tho enes are wonderfully trained. It emed to Shasta only a d before a whole line of the enemy were on horback again, wheeling round to meet them, swinging towards them.
And now a gallop. The grouweewo armies grew less every moment. Faster, faster. All swords out now, all shields up to the no, all prayers said, all teeth ched. Shasta was dreadfully frightened. But it suddenly came into his head, “If you funk this, you’ll funk every battle all your life. Now or never.”
But when at last the two lines met he had really very littler idea of what happehere was a frightful fusion; and an appalling noi. His sword was knocked out of his hand pretty soon. And he’d got the reins tangled somehow. Then he found himlf slipping. Then a spear came straight at him and as he ducked to avoid it he rolled right off his hor, bashed his left knuckles terribly against someone el’s armour, and then —