CHAPTER ONE THE ISLAND（第2/3页）

“This is better than being in a stuffy train on the way back to Latin and French and Algebra！”said Edmund．And then for quite a long time there was no more talking，only splashing and looking for shrimps and crabs．

“All the same，”said Susan presently，“I suppose we’ll have to make some plans．We shall want something to eat before long．”

“We’ve got the sandwiches Mother gave us for the journey，”said Edmund．“At least I’ve got mine．”

“Not me，”said Lucy．“Mine were in my little bag．”

“So were mine，”said Susan．

“Mine are in my coat-pocket，there on the beach，”said Peter．“That’ll be two lunches among four．This isn’t going to be such fun．”

“At present，”said Lucy，“I want something to drink more than something to eat．”

Everyone else now felt thirsty，as one usually is after wading in salt water under a hot sun．

“It’s like being shipwrecked，”remarked Edmund．“In the books they always find springs of clear，fresh water on the island．We’d better go and look for them．”

“Does that mean we have to go back into all that thick wood？”said Susan．

“Not a bit of it，”said Peter．“If there are streams they’re bound to come down to the sea，and if we walk along the beach we’re bound to come to them．”

They all now waded back and went first across the smooth，wet sand and then up to the dry，crumbly sand that sticks to one’s toes，and began putting on their shoes and socks．Edmund and Lucy wanted to leave them behind and do their exploring with bare feet，but Susan said this would be a mad thing to do．“We might never find them again，”she pointed out，“and we shall want them if we’re still here when night comes and it begins to be cold．”

When they were dressed again they set out along the shore with the sea on their left hand and the wood on their right．Except for an occasional seagull it was a very quiet place．The wood was so thick and tangled that they could hardly see into it at all; and nothing in it moved-not a bird，not even an insect．

Shells and seaweed and anemones，or tiny crabs in rock-pools，are all very well，but you soon get tired of them if you are thirsty．The children’s feet，after the change from the cool water，felt hot and heavy．Susan and Lucy had raincoats to carry．Edmund had put down his coat on the station seat just before the magic overtook them，and he and Peter took it in turns to carry Peter’s great-coat．

Presently the shore began to curve round to the right．About quarter of an hour later，after they had crossed a rocky ridge which ran out into a point，it made quite a sharp turn．Their backs were now to the part of the sea which had met them when they first came out of the wood，and now，looking ahead，they could see across the water another shore，thickly wooded like the one they were exploring．

“I wonder，is that an island or do we join on to it presently？”said Lucy.

“Don’t know，”said Peter and they all plodded on in silence．

The shore that they were walking on drew nearer and nearer to the opposite shore，and as they came round each promontory the children expected to find the place where the two joined．But in this they were disappointed．They came to some rocks which they had to climb and from the top they could see a fair way ahead and-“Oh bother！”said Edmund，“it’s no good．We shan’t be able to get to those other woods at all．We’re on an island！”

It was true．At this point the channel between them and the opposite coast was only about thirty or forty yards wide; but they could now see that this was its narrowest place．After that，their own coast bent round to the right again and they could see open sea between it and the mainland．It was obvious that they had already come much more than halfway round the island．

“Look！”said Lucy suddenly．“What’s that？”She pointed to a long，silvery，snake-like thing that lay across the beach．