What awaited them on this island was going to concern Eustace more than anyone else， but it cannot be told in his words because after September 11 he forgot about keeping his diary for a long time.
When morning came， with a low， grey sky but ver y hot， the adventurers found they were in a bay encircled by such cliffs and crags that it was like a Norwegian fjord. In front of them， at the head of the bay， there was some level land heavily overgrown with trees that appeared to be cedars， through which a rapid stream came out. Beyond that was a steep ascent ending in a jagged ridge and behind that a vague darkness of mountains which ran into dull-coloured clouds sothat you could not see their tops. The nearer cliffs， at each side of the
bay， were streaked here and there with lines of white which everyone knew to be waterfalls， though at that distance they did not show any movement or make any noise. Indeed the whole place was very silent and the water of the bay as smooth as glass. It reflected every detail of the cliffs. The scene would have been pretty in a picture but was rather oppressive in real life. It was not a country that welcomed visitors.
As Eustace lay under a tree and heard all these plans being discussed， his heart sank. Was there going to be no rest？ It looked as if their first day on the longed-for land was going to be quite as hard work as a day at sea. Then a delightful idea occurred to him. Nobody was looking- they were all chattering about their ship as if they actually liked the beastly thing. Why shouldn’t he simply slip away？ He would take a stroll inland， find a cool， airy place up in the mountains， have a good long sleep， and not rejoin the others till the day‘s work was over. He felt it would do him good. But he would take great care to keep the bay and the ship in sight so as to be sure of his way back. He wouldn’t like to be left behind in this country.
He at once put his plan into action. He rose quietly from his place and walked away among the trees， taking care to go slowly and in an aimless manner so that anyone who saw him would think he was merely stretching his legs. He was surprised to find how quickly the noise of conversation died away behind him and how very silent and warm and dark green the wood became. Soon he felt he could venture on a quicker and more determined stride.
This soon brought him out of the wood. The ground began sloping steeply up in front of him. The grass was dry and slippery but manageable if he used his hands as well as his feet， and though he panted and mopped his forehead a good deal， he plugged away steadily. This showed， by the way， that his new life， little as he suspected it， had already done him some good； the old Eustace， Harold and Alberta‘s Eustace， would have given up the climb after about ten minutes.
Slowly， and with several rests， he reached the ridge. Here he had expected to have a view into the heart of the island， but the clouds had now come lower and nearer and a sea of fog was rolling to meet him. He sat down and looked back. He was now so high that the bay looked small beneath him and miles of sea were visible. Then the fog from the mountains closed in all round him， thick but not cold， and he lay down and turned this way and that to find the most comfortable position to enjoy himself.
But he didn’t enjoy himself， or not for very long. He began， almost for the first time in his life， to feel lonely. At first this feeling grew very gradually. And then he began to worry about the time. There was not the slightest sound. Suddenly it occurred to him that he might have been lying there for hours. Perhaps the others had gone！ Perhaps they had let him wander away on purpose simply in order to leave him behind！ He leapt up in a panic and began the descent.
At first he tried to do it too quickly， slipped on the steep grass， and slid for several feet. Then he thought this had carried him too far to the left-and as he came up he had seen precipices on that side. So he clambered up again， as near as he could guess to the place he had started from， and began the descent afresh， bearing to his right. After that things seemed to be going better. He went very cautiously， for he could not see more than a yard ahead， and there was still perfect silence all around him. It is very unpleasant to have to go cautiously when there is a voice inside you saying all the time， “Hurry， hurry hurry.” For every moment the terrible idea of being left behind grew stronger. If he had understood Caspian and the Pevensies at all he would have known， of course， that there was not the least chance of their doing any such thing. But he had persuaded himself that they were all fiends in human form.
“At last！” said Eustace as he came slithering down a slide of loose stones （scree， they call it） and found himself on the level. “And now， where are those trees？ There is something dark ahead. Why， I do believe the fog is clearing.”
It was. The light increased every moment and made him blink. The fog lifted. He was in an utterly unknown valley and the sea was nowhere in sight.
中文阅读
他们上岸差不多三个星期之后，“黎明”号被拖出了窄港湾的港口。大家郑重地道别，一大群人前来为他们送行。卡斯宾向岛上居民发表了最后的演说，与公爵及其家人互道了珍重，人们又是欢呼，又是流泪。“黎明”号被拖着逐渐离开了海岸，船上的紫色风帆在无精打采地抖动着。随着船尾楼上的号角声越来越弱，每个人都安静了下来。接着，船的风帆鼓了起来，顺风行驶，于是拖船松开缆绳，划回了港口。这时，一个浪头冲着船首打来，“黎明”号又变成了一艘生龙活虎的大船。刚换班的水手们返回船舱，德利尼安在船尾楼上开始值第一个班。船绕过亚弗拉岛的南部，掉头向东驶去。
接下来的几天都很惬意。露西每天早上醒来，看到海水反射的阳光在舱室的天花板上跳动着，看着自己在孤独岛上得到的漂亮新礼物——长筒靴、半高筒靴、斗篷、无袖紧身短上衣和围巾，她觉得，自己是世界上最幸运的女孩子。起床后，她会来到甲板上，登上首楼眺望着每个清晨都变得越发蔚蓝的大海，呼吸一下日益变暖的空气。紧接着是吃早餐，只有在海上，人们的胃口才会如此之好。
坐在船尾的小长凳上，每天她都花很多时间与雷匹奇普下棋。每当雷匹奇普想把棋子挪动到棋盘中间的位置时，它都要踮起脚尖，用两只爪子捧着对它来说实在有点太大的棋子，那副模样真的很搞笑。雷匹奇普是个下棋高手，如果能记住自己所走的棋，它往往会赢。有时露西也会获胜，因为老鼠时常会走一步可笑的臭棋，比如把骑士送进女王与城堡结盟的虎口之中。这种事情之所以发生，是由于它一时忘记了是在下棋，误以为真的是在打仗，就让骑士做了它自己此时肯定会做的事情。它一心想的都是些难以实现的愿望，譬如冒死赢得荣誉的冲锋陷阵，以及殊死的抵抗。
