CHAPTER ELEVEN IN THE DARK CASTLE（第4/5页）

“Once and for all,”said the prisoner，“I adjure you to set me free. By all fears and all loves，by the bright skies of Overland， by the great Lion，by Aslan himself，I charge you—”

“Oh ！”cried the three travellers as though they had been hurt. “It’s the sign,”said Puddleglum. “It was the words of the sign,”said Scrubb more cautiously. “Oh，what are we to do ？”said Jill.

It was a dreadful question. What had been the use of promising one another that they would not on any account set the Knight free， if they were now to do so the first time he happened to call upon a name they really cared about ？ On the other hand，what had been the use of learning the signs if they weren’t going to obey them ？ Yet could Aslan have really meant them to unbind anyone—even a lunatic—who asked it in his name ？ Could it be a mere accident ？

Or how if the Queen of the Underworld knew all about the signs and had made the Knight learn this name simply in order to entrap them ？ But then，supposing this was the real sign ？...They had muffed three already；they daren’t muff the fourth.

“Oh，if only we knew ！”said Jill.

“I think we do know,”said Puddleglum.

“Do you mean you think everything will come right if we do untie him ？”said Scrubb.

“I don’t know about that,”said Puddleglum. “You see， Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he’s up，I shouldn’t wonder. But that doesn’t let us off following the sign.”

They all stood looking at one another with bright eyes. It was a sickening moment. “All right ！”said Jill suddenly. “Let’s get it over. Good-bye，everyone…！”They all shook hands. The Knight was screaming by now；there was foam on his cheeks.

“Come on，Scrubb,”said Puddleglum. He and Scrubb drew their swords and went over to the captive.

“In the name of Aslan,”they said and began methodically cutting the cords. The instant the prisoner was free，he crossed the room in a single bound，seized his own sword（which had been taken from him and laid on the table），and drew it.

“You first ！”he cried and fell upon the silver chair. That must have been a good sword. The silver gave way before its edge like string，and in a moment a few twisted fragments，shining on the floor，were all that was left. But as the chair broke，there came from it a bright flash，a sound like small thunder，and（for one moment）a loathsome smell.

“Lie there，vile engine of sorcery,”he said，“lest your mistress should ever use you for another victim.”Then he turned and surveyed his rescuers；and the something wrong，whatever it was，had vanished from his face.

“What ？ ”he cried，turning to Puddleglum. “Do I see before me a Marsh-wiggle—a real，live，honest，Narnian Marsh-wiggle ？”

“Oh，so you have heard of Narnia after all ？”said Jill.

“Had I forgotten it when I was under the spell ？”asked the Knight. “Well，that and all other bedevilments are now over. You may well believe that I know Narnia，for I am Rilian，Prince of Narnia，and Caspian the great King is my father.”

“Your Royal Highness,”said Puddleglum，sinking on one knee （and the children did the same），“we have come hither for no other end than to seek you.”

“And who are you，my other deliverers ？”said the Prince to Scrubb and Jill.

“We were sent by Aslan himself from beyond the world’s end to seek your Highness,”said Scrubb. “I am Eustace who sailed with him to the island of Ramandu.”

“I owe all three of you a greater debt than I can ever pay,”said Prince Rilian. “But my father ？ Is he yet alive ？”

“He sailed east again before we left Narnia，my lord,”said Puddleglum. “But your Highness must consider that the King is very old. It is ten to one his Majesty must die on the voyage.”