“Don’t sit staring， fool！ Get out and help.”
And of course Edmund had to obey. He stepped out into the snow.but it was really only slush by now.and began helping the dwarf to get the sledge out of the muddy hole it had got into. They got it out in the end， and by being very cruel to the reindeer the dwarf managed to get it on the move again， and they drove a little further. And now the snow was really melting in earnest and patches of green grass were beginning to appear in every direction. Unless you have looked at a world of snow as long as Edmund had been looking at it， you will hardly be able to imagine what a relief those green patches were after the endless white. Then the sledge stopped again.
“It‘s no good， your Majesty，” said the dwarf. “We can’tsledge in this thaw.”
“Then we must walk，” said the Witch.
“We shall never overtake them walking，” growled the dwarf. “Not with the start they‘ve got.”
“Are you my councillor or my slave？” said the Witch. “Do as you’re told. Tie the hands of the human creature behind it and keep hold of the end of the rope. And take your whip. And cut the harness of the reindeer； they‘ll find their own way home.”