The M.A.'s are carrying in the provisions, the boys are stowing them and also herding the beasts.

They are very good workers, sir.' 'Are you frightened ?' Lucy whispered, as he turned to go back to his overseeing.
[Illustration: A long procession toiled slowly up it of animals in pairs.] 'Not I,' said the Lord High Islander.

'Don't you understand that I've been promoted to be Lord Vice-Noah of Polistarchia?
And of course the hearts of all Vice-Noahs are strangers to fear.

But just think what a difficult thing Fear would have been to be a stranger to if you and Philip hadn't got us the ark!' 'It was Philip's doing,' said Lucy; 'oh, _do_ you think he's all right ?' 'I think his heart is a stranger to fear, naturally,' said the Lord High Islander, 'so he's certain to be all right.' When the last of the animals had sniffed and snivelled its way into the ark--it was a porcupine with a cold in its head--the islanders, the M.A.'s, Lucy and Mr.Noah followed.

And when every one was in, the door of the ark was shut from inside by an ingenious mechanical contrivance worked by a more than usually intelligent M.A.
You must not suppose that the inside of the ark was anything like the inside of your own Noah's ark, where all the animals are put in anyhow, all mixed together and wrong way up as likely as not.