The great brute bowed its head， turned， and galloped away.
“Now！” she said， “we have no table.let me see. We had better put it against the trunk of a tree.”
Edmund found himself being roughly forced to his feet. Then the dwarf set him with his back against a tree and bound him fast. He saw the Witch take off her outer mantle. Her arms were bare underneath it and terribly white. Because they were so very white he could see them， but he could not see much else， it was so dark in this valley under the dark trees.
“Prepare the victim，”， said the Witch. And the dwarf undid Edmund‘s collar and folded back his shirt at the neck. Then he took Edmund’s hair and pulled his head back so that he had to raise his chin. After that Edmund heard a strange noise.whizz.whizz.whizz. For a moment he couldn‘t think what it was. Then he realized. It was the sound of a knife being sharpened.
At that very moment he heard loud shouts from every direction.a drumming of hoofs and a beating of wings.a scream from the Witch.confusion all round him. And then he found he was being untied. Strong arms were round him and he heard big， kind voices saying things like.