"T. H. White - The Once and Future King" - читать интересную книгу автора (White T.H)

straight into the sky. The clouds which were sailing majestically across its endless depth made him feel
giddy. He thought: How far is it to that cloud? A mile? And the one above it? Two miles? And beyond
that a mile and a mile, and a million million miles, all in the empty blue. Perhaps I will fall off the earth
now, supposing the earth is upside down, and then I shall go sailing and sailing away. I shall try to catch
hold of the clouds as I pass them, but they wul not stop me. Where shall I go?
This thought made Gareth feel sick, and, as he was also feeling ashamed of himself for running away
from the gralloch, he became uncomfortable all over. In these circumstances, the only thing to do was to
abandon the place in which he was feeling uncomfortable, in the hope of leaving his discomfort behind
him. He got up and went back to the others.
"Hallo," said Gawaine, "did you catch her?"
"No, she escaped away to the castle."
"I hope she will not tell anybody," said Gaheris. "It has to be a surprise, or it is no good for us."
The three butchers were daubed with sweat and blood, and they were absolutely miserable. Agravaine
had been sick twice. Yet they continued in their labour and Gareth helped them.
"It is no good stopping now," said Gawaine. "Think how good it will be, if we can take it to our mother."
"She will probably come upstairs to say good night to us, if we can take her what she needs."
"She will laugh, and say we are mighty hunters."
When the grisly spine was severed, the head was too heavy to carry. They got thelmselves in a mess,
trying to lift it. Then Gawaine suggested that it had better be dragged with rope. There was none.
"We could drag it by the horn," said Gareth. "At any rate we could drag and push it like that, so long as
it was downhill."
Only one of them at a time could get a good hold of the horn, so they took it in turns to do the hauling,
while the others pushed behind when the head got snagged in a heather root or a drain. It was heavy for
them, even in this way, so that they had to stop every twenty yards or so, to change over.
"When we get to the castle," panted Gawaine, "we will prop it up in the seat in the garden. Our mother is


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bound to walk past there, when she goes for her walk before supper. Then we will stand in front of it
until she is ready, and all will suddenly step back at once, and there it will be."
"She will be surprised," said Gaheris.
When they had at last got it down from the sloping ground, there was another hitch. They found that it
was no longer possible to drag it on the flat land, because the horn did not give enough purchase.
In this emergency, for it was getting near to suppertime, Gareth voluntarily ran ahead to fetch a rope.
The rope was tied round what remained of the head, and thus at last, with eyes ruined, flesh bruised and
separating from the bones, the muddy, bloody, heather-mangled exhibit was conveyed on its last stage to
the herb garden. They heaved it to the seat, and arranged its mane as well as they could. Gareth
particularly tried to prop it up so that it would give a little idea of the beauty which he remembered.
The magic queen came punctually on her walk, conversing with Sir Grummore and followed by her lap
dogs: Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart. She did not notice her four sons, lined up in front of the seat. They
stood respectfully in a row, dirty, excited, their breasts beating with hope.
"Now!" cried Gawaine, and they stood aside.
Queen Morgause did not see the unicorn. Her mind was busy with other things. With Sir Grummore she
passed by.
"Mother!" cried Gareth in a strange voice, and he ran after her, plucking at her skirt.
"Yes, my white one? What do you want?"
"Oh, Mother. We have got you a unicorn."