Ch8-Munith Mor

CHAPTER EIGHT Munith Mor

The oxen bellowed. Oki barked wildly. "Jack! Annie!" Guinevere cried. As she climbed out of the back of the cart, Oki was barking, but King Arthur slept on. "Are you all right?" "Yes, Your Majesty," Annie said, standing up with Jack. "The rope snapped in two," said Jack. "I see," said the queen. The wooden pole that had been lashed to the oxen's yoke had fallen to the ground. The rope was frayed and broken. The oxen were no longer connected to the cart. "Can we fix it?" Annie asked hopefully. "No, I fear not," the queen said, holding the pieces of the rope. She took a deep breath. "Nothing can be fixed now. Even if we get to Munith Mor and find the gold dragon statue, we will never get back to Camelot's garden by dawn." "Oh," said Annie. No one said anything for a moment. Finally Jack broke the silence. "We never give up," he said. "We have to do something." "Like what?" said Annie.

"We'll have to walk," said Jack. "The king cannot walk, Jack," said the queen. "He is too weak." "Then we'll pull him in the cart," said Jack. "The pole is still attached. Annie and I can pick it up and pull the cart to Munith Mor." "Sure," said Annie. "It's not that far. We're almost there. We can do it." Guinevere took a deep breath. "Yes," she said. "Thank you, children. I will pull, too." "Should we take the yoke off the oxen first?" Annie asked. "Maybe they'll return home on their own." "Yes, of course," said the queen. With Guinevere's help, Jack and Annie lifted the heavy yoke from the necks of the two oxen and set it on the ground. "Go home. You're free," Jack said. Neither ox moved. "Go back home to Camelot," said Annie. "That's what we need you to do now. Don't worry about us."

The heavy animals snorted. Then they both began lumbering back across the moor. "Good job! Bye, guys! Thanks!" Annie called after them. "Come on, let's get going," said Jack. He picked up his pack. As he placed it in the back of the cart, he saw that the king was still sleeping in the hay under his cloak. Oki was lying on the king's chest. "Good dog. Stay with him," Jack whispered. Jack hurried to Annie and Guinevere. "Ready?" he said. "Ready," they both answered. Jack and Annie stood at one end of the pole, and Guinevere stood at the other. "Okay, team!" said Jack. "Grab and lift!" All of them wrapped their arms around the wooden pole. "Heave!" said Annie. Puffing and panting, they lifted the pole off the ground. "Onward!" said Jack. Gripping the pole, they struggled together, trying to move the cart forward. But it didn't budge. "Wait, I'll push," said Jack. He went to the back of the cart and pushed. He pushed so hard that his

feet slipped, and he fell to his knees. But he scrambled up and tried again. As Jack pushed, Annie and Guinevere pulled from the front. The cart rocked forward, then slipped back. Jack pushed as hard as he could. Finally the wheels creaked and moaned, and the cart began rolling over the ground.

该页暂无翻译