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纳尼亚传奇4：凯斯宾王子（双语）
作者：C·S·路易斯
内容简介
 年轻的王子必然为他被夺走的王位而战。 纳尼亚那里是魔灯柱之外的神秘国度， 当狮王归来一场战争即将爆发。 故事发生在彼得等四兄妹回到自己的世界一年后。他们四人在假期回校时坐在火车站的长椅上等车，忽然感到有股特殊的力量将他们拉进纳尼亚。他们得知，自从他们离开纳尼亚后 已经过去了几百年。纳尼亚原国王的弟弟弥若兹篡夺了王位，杀害兄长。在他的残暴统治下，所有会说话的动物和精灵们都隐藏起来了。然而老国王的儿子凯斯宾王子渴望解放纳尼亚，他逃离王宫，在森林里找到了纳尼亚的老居民，并得到他们的支持。正邪双方展开激战。王子在寡不敌众的时候吹响了苏珊的魔法号角，将彼得四兄妹唤回这个世界帮助他们。他们领导纳尼亚的动物和精灵们战胜了邪恶的国王，凯斯宾王子继承了王位，纳尼亚又恢复了以往的生机勃勃。彼得四兄妹又重返自己的世界。 

第一章 小岛
从前有四个孩子，他们的名字分别叫彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜。他们在一本叫《狮子、女巫和魔衣橱》的书里已经有过一次非常精彩的冒险。他们穿过魔衣橱的门，发现了一个与我们截然不同的世界。在那个叫纳尼亚的国家里，他们是国王和女王。他们好像曾经在那里统治了许多年，但当他们从魔法衣橱的门回到我们的世界时，一切又好像没发生过一样，至少没有人发现他们离开过。他们把这件事告诉一位知识渊博的老者之后，再也没对任何人提起过。
那是一年前的事了。现在，他们四个正坐在火车站的椅子上，周围放着行李箱和玩具箱。实际上，他们这是在回学校的路上，他们的旅行到这个车站就算是结束了。再等一会儿，会有一辆火车带女孩们去她们的学校，然后再过大约半个小时，另一辆火车过来带男孩们去另外一所学校。他们感觉还没有从之前愉快的假期里走出来，仿佛还在度假一样。但是现在，他们马上就要说再见，然后去不同的地方。每个人都意识到到假期真的结束了，他们要开始新的学习生活，所以他们的情绪都很低落，什么话也不想说。况且，露茜是第一次去寄宿学校读书。
在这个沉寂的乡村车站，月台上除了他们几个，几乎再也没有其他人。突然，露茜像被马蜂蜇了一下一样，尖叫了一声。
“怎么啦，露茜……？”爱德蒙还没问完，他也跟着尖叫了起来。
“到底怎么……”彼得刚问了一半，就突然打住，说道：“苏珊，放手！你在干吗，你拉我去哪？”
“我没有碰你，好像有人在拉我。噢……噢……噢……停下！”苏珊叫道。
他们都看到大家的脸色突然都变得煞白。
“我也是。”爱德蒙都快喘不过气来了。“好像有人一直在拉我，好可怕……啊！又开始了。”
“我也是。”露茜说：“噢，我受不了了。”
“快！”爱德蒙喊。“大家快待在一起，紧紧拉着手。这是魔法的力量，我能感觉到。快！”
“没错。”苏珊也感觉到了。“快拉紧。噢，希望能赶快停下来……噢！”
紧接着行李、座椅、站台和车站瞬间全都消失了。四个孩子气喘吁吁地手拉着手，他们突然发现自己竟然是在一片森林中，而且这里的树木很茂密，周围全是树枝，他们一点儿活动的余地都没有。他们揉揉眼，深深吸了一口气。
“嘿，彼得！”露茜惊呼。“我们是不是又要回纳尼亚了？”
“也可能是其他地方。”彼得说道 ，“这里都是树，一米以外的东西什么都看不到。 也许咱们去找一找，看看有没有开阔一点的地方。”
他们费了九牛二虎之力，身上的许多地方都被树枝刮伤了，才从密林中走了出来。然后，让他们吃惊的是，一切突然变得明亮起来，再往前几步就走到了森林的边缘，下面竟然是一片沙滩。附近的海水轻轻地、柔柔地冲刷着海滩，激起一层又一层细浪，却没有一点儿声音。他们看不到陆地，天上也没有云朵。照太阳的位置来看，大概也就是早上10点钟的样子。眼前只有一片蔚蓝的大海，无边无际。他们站在海边，感受着大海的气息。
“天哪！”彼得惊叹道，“这儿太美了！”
五分钟后，大家都赤着脚走进了清澈、凉爽的海水里。
“这比坐在闷热的火车厢里，回学校去上拉丁文、法语和代数课强多了。”爱德蒙说。这之后的好一会儿，都没有人说话。他们一边往前走，一边在水里逮虾蟹。
“尽管如此，”苏珊说，“我还是认为我们应该好好计划一下，不然，我们很快就会饿肚子的。”
“妈妈不是给我们带了三明治让我们在路上吃吗？”爱德蒙说，“反正我这儿还有。”
“我的没了。”露茜说，“我把它放在小包里了。”
“我也是。”苏珊说。
“我的在外衣口袋里，搁在那边的海滩上，”彼得说，“四个人只有两份午餐，肯定不够。”
“我现在不饿，只想喝水。”露茜说。
这时候其他人也口渴了。烈日下在海水中玩一会儿之后，谁都会觉得口渴的。
“我们现在就像遇到了海难，”爱德蒙说，“故事书里都写着，遇到海难的人总能在岛上找到清澈新鲜的泉水，我们去找找看吧。”
“你是说我们要回到那个茂密的森林中吗？”苏珊开口问。
“不一定，”彼得说，“小溪一定会汇入大海。只要一直沿着海岸走，我们就能找到小溪。”
 
他们开始趟水往回走，穿过松软的沙滩，在干燥的地方掸掉沾在脚趾头上的细沙，穿上鞋袜。爱德蒙和露茜一开始还想扔掉鞋袜，光着脚走。但是苏珊说他们那样想太明智了，她说：“如果扔掉了，恐怕就再也找不到了。如果天黑了我们还在这里，肯定会需要它们的，因为到时候气温会很低。”
他们穿好鞋袜后，就继续沿着海岸走。左边是大海，右边是森林。这里非常安静，偶尔有海鸥飞过。森林里枝繁叶茂，枝叶相互交错、缠绕，他们根本看不到任何活动的东西，没有小鸟也没有昆虫。
海滩上到处都是贝壳、海藻和海葵，还有那些石头缝里的小螃蟹，这些都很有意思。但是如果你口渴的话，就会很快对这些东西失去兴趣。孩子们从冰凉的海水中走出来后，很快就感觉到自己的腿火辣辣、沉甸甸的。苏珊和露茜还要拿着自己的雨衣。而在魔术把他们带走之前爱德蒙把自己的外套放车站座位上了。所以他现在只能和彼得轮流抱着彼得的大衣。
没走多久，海岸在他们的右边延伸。大约又过了一刻钟后，他们穿过一个山崖，再前面是一个急转弯，把刚才的那片海远远地抛在了身后。现在再看海峡对面，那一片茂密的树木和脚下这片土地非常相似。
“我猜那是一个半岛把，说不定是跟这边连在一起的？”露茜说。
“不知道。”彼得说。然后所有人都一声不吭地往前走。
两边的海岸越来越靠近。他们都希望再转过一个海角就可以看到两边海岸交汇在一起。可结果总是让他们失望。走了很久之后，他们看到一块岩石，爬到岩石上可以看见有条小路向前延伸。“糟了，”爱德蒙说，“情况不妙，我们现在是在一个岛上，根本到不了那边的森林。”
千真万确！从这看过去，对面海峡两岸之间的距离不过三四十米宽，这无疑是最窄的地方。再继续往前走，海岸继续向右延伸，小岛和陆地之间的海面越来越开阔了。这么说，他们显然已经绕着整个岛走了大半圈。
“快看！”露茜突然说，“那边是什么？”她指着横穿在沙滩上那条长长的、银色的、像蛇一样的东西。
“小溪！是小溪！”其他孩子也大声喊。尽管他们已经十分疲惫，但还是以最快的速度跳下岩石，跑向小溪。上游的水更好喝，所以他们就沿着小溪一直向上走。虽然树木仍然很么密集，但小溪在经年累月的冲积下，已形成了一条通道 。他们弯下腰，穿过那些枝叶搭建的隧道顺流而上。终于，他们在第一个水潭边跪下身，尽情地喝了个够。他们把脸浸在水里，又把胳膊也伸进去，水漫过了他们的臂弯。
“现在，”爱德蒙说，“来点三明治怎么样？”
“噢，我们还是省着点儿吃吧？”苏珊说，“也许以后我们会更需要这些食物。”
“现在我们都不渴了，”露茜说，“我真希望，我们要是不饿该多好啊！”
“那这些三明治该怎么办呢？”爱德蒙说，“我们可别一味地想着节省，到最后却把它们给放坏了。你们应该知道这儿的温度可比英国高多了，而我们已经把它们装在口袋里走了很久了。”于是，他们拿出三明治，分成四份。他们都没有吃饱，但肯定比不吃好多了。接着他们开始计划他们的下一餐。
露茜提出大家可以一起回到海边去捉海虾，但有人立即提出他们没有网。爱德蒙说大家可以一起到岩石那边找海鸥蛋，但他们不记得刚才是不是看见了海鸥蛋，而且就算找到海鸥蛋，他们也没有办法把蛋煮熟。彼得心想，也许过不了多久，他们连生蛋都吃不上，除非大家运气好，能找到一些吃的。当然，他明白这些话是不能说出来的。苏珊开始后悔刚才那么快就把三明治吃完了。他们中还是有人沉不住气了，最后还是爱德蒙说：“大家听我说。我们现在唯一能做的就是去森林里寻找食物。那些隐士、侠客之类的人，在这种情况下总有办法活下来。他们会找到植物的根茎、野果或者是其他能吃的东西。
“什么植物的根茎？”苏珊问。
“我认为根茎就是树根。”露茜回答。
“走吧。”彼得鼓励大家，“爱德蒙说得对。我们应该去找找看。肯定比傻傻地站在这烈日下要强多了。”
于是，他们站起来顺着小溪走向森林深处。这并非易事，因为树木的枝叶茂盛，他们不得不弯着身子前进，或者爬过那些枝干。他们在大片大片杜鹊花之类的灌木丛里艰难地穿过，衣服破了，鞋也湿了。此刻，除了小溪传来的流水声和他们自己发出的声响外，树林里什么声音也没有。当他们越来越疲劳的时候，突然闻到一阵清香，紧接着，他们看到右岸上闪过一道明亮的色彩。
“看哪！”露茜大喊，“那是一棵苹果树。”
那真的是一棵苹果树。他们兴奋地爬上陡坡，从荆棘中踩出了一条路，终于站到了这棵挂满了沉甸甸、金黄色又美味多汁的苹果树前。
“还不止一棵呢。”嘴里塞满苹果的爱德蒙含糊不清地说道。“看那边，还有那边。”
“这有几十棵苹果树呢，”苏珊边说边扔掉了手里的苹果，开始摘第二个苹果吃。
“这里肯定是一个果园，在很久很久以前，树木还没有长大时，这儿肯定有人看管。”
“也就是说这儿曾经有人居住。”彼得说道。
“看那是什么？”露茜指着前面。
“天哪，是一堵墙。”彼得很吃惊。“一堵古老的石墙。”
他们扒开那些果实累累的树枝，走到了墙前面。显然这墙的年代已经很久远了，很多地方都已经塌了。墙面上长满了苔藓和那种开满黄色小花的藤本植物。墙上还有个又高又大的拱门，大家猜测这儿之前有一扇大门。不过现在，这个拱门被那棵最高的苹果树给挡住了。
他们只好折断一些树枝，才能爬进去。墙另一边的光线很明显要好很多。他们惊奇地发现来到了一片开阔的地方。四周的墙是灰色的，没有树木，只有草坪，却开满了小雏菊。这个明亮、神秘、安静的地方，不禁让人感到有些阴郁。他们四个走到院中，伸了伸懒腰，活动了一下四肢。

第二章 古代宝库
“这应该不是花园，”苏珊说，“更像是一个城堡，而且我们现在站的这个位置就是城堡的院子。”
“我明白了，”彼得说，“这是城堡，那是塔楼的遗迹，这是直通到墙上的楼梯。再看这些台阶，又宽又浅，一直通往门廊，那门一定是通往大厅的。”
“这看上去应该有些年头了。”爱德蒙说。
“是的，应该有很多年了。”彼得说，“我真想知道以前这住的是什么人，多久以前在这住过。”
“这一切让我感觉非常奇怪。”露茜说。
“你也感觉到了，露茜？”彼得转过身，看着她说，“我和你的感觉一样。这是今天这个奇怪的日子里发生的最奇怪的事情。我真的很想知道我们现在在哪里，到底发生了什么事？”
他们一边说着话，一边穿过了院子，走进了另一个门廊。可以看出，这以前是大厅。可现在它与外面的院子基本一样了，屋顶早没了，只能看见一片空地，满是荒草和雏菊。不同的是，它相对来说更窄更短，两边的墙要更高一些。在另一边还有一个平台，比别处高三英尺左右。
“真奇怪，难道以前这里真的是大厅吗？”苏珊说，“那这平台是干什么用的？”
“哎，你真笨，”彼得变得莫名地兴奋，“你没看见吗？那个高桌子是讲台，是国王和大领主们坐的地方。你是不是忘了，以前我们是国王和女王，坐在自己大殿里的高台上，跟这个差不多。”
“我们的凯尔帕拉维尔城堡，”苏珊像在梦里一般，心驰神往，“它就在纳尼亚大河的入口处，我怎么能忘了呢？”
“要是我们能回去该多好啊！”露茜说，“不如我们就把这当作凯尔帕拉维尔，反正这座大厅跟我们之前举行宴会的大殿很相似。”
“可惜这儿没有美味佳肴。”爱德蒙说，“你们看，天色越来越晚，影子已经被拉得这么长。你们有没有注意到天也没那么热了？”
“如果我们要在这过夜的话，需要准备一堆篝火，”彼得说，“我有火柴。我们去找一些干树枝来吧。”
大家也意识到这一点，所以接下来的半个小时里，他们都忙着捡树枝去了。果园里没有太多的枯枝，他们只好到城堡的另一端碰碰运气。他们穿过一扇小小的侧门，发现那就像个迷宫一样。以前那是一些连在一起的小房间，现在却长满了荨麻草和野玫瑰。
再往前走，他们发现围墙上有一个大豁口。穿过豁口，来到一片树林，这儿的树不但颜色深，而且还很高大。他们在那儿找到了很多干枝、朽木、枯叶和冷杉树的球果。于是，他们把这些东西搬了回去，在城堡平台上堆成一大堆。更幸运的是，在大厅外面，他们发现了一口隐在杂草堆里的井。他们清除了那些杂草后，发现井里的水不但清凉甘甜，而且水还很深。
在井边还有一条残存的石头路。后来，女孩们又出去摘了一些苹果，男孩们则找了一个他们觉得既温暖又舒适的地方——在平台上两堵墙之间的夹角处架起了篝火。在用了很多根火柴后，他们终于点燃了篝火。最后，四个人面对着火，背靠着墙坐了下来。
他们把苹果串在木棍上烤着吃。可是，没有白糖，烤苹果的味道实在不敢恭维。而且，烤好的苹果太烫了，没法拿着吃；但等它凉了，可以用手拿着吃的时候，又不怎么好吃了。因此，他们只好继续吃生苹果。就像爱德蒙说的，其实学校食堂里的晚餐也没有那么糟糕。“我不介意这时候能吃一块厚厚的奶油面包。”他加了一句。但是，他们冒险的热情正在膨胀，没有谁真的想马上回到学校去。
苏珊吃完最后一只苹果后，又跑去井边喝了一回水。回来时，手里拿着什么东西。
“看哪，”她的声音有些奇怪。“我在井边发现的。”她把东西递给彼得，然后坐下。从她的表情和声音来看，大家都以为她快要哭了。爱德蒙和露茜弯下腰，看到彼得的手心里是一块小小的、亮晶晶的东西，在篝火的照耀下闪闪发光。
“哎呀，奇怪。”彼得说话的声音听起来也有些奇怪。然后，他把东西递给了其他人。
现在，大家终于看清楚这是一个象棋里的马，但它重得很。因为它是纯金做的，马头上的两只眼睛还是两颗小宝石，应该说一只眼睛，因为另外一只已经掉了。
“好吧！”露茜说，“这和我们在凯尔帕拉维尔做国王和女王时经常玩的黄金象棋一模一样！”
“高兴一点，苏珊。”彼得对他的另一个妹妹说道。
“我不知道怎么回事，”苏珊说，“它使我想起了，嗯，那些美好时光。我跟那些小矮人和善良的巨人一起下棋，想起那些在大海里唱歌的海人，还有我美丽的小马驹……还有……还有……”
“现在，”彼得的声音有些激动，“是时候动动脑子好好想想了。”
“想什么？”爱德蒙问道。
“难道你们就没有想过我们现在在哪吗？”彼得说道。
“继续，你接着说，”露茜说道，“这几个小时以来，我一直感觉这里很神秘。”
“彼得，你接着说，”爱德蒙说，“我们都听着呢。”
“我们现在可能就在凯尔帕拉维尔城堡的废墟上。”彼得说道。
“但是，我要说，”爱德蒙接着说，“我的意思是，你是怎么看出来的？这个地方已经荒废有些年头了，你们看这些大树都长到门那么高了。再看看那些石头，任何人都能看出这个地方至少几百年没有人居住过了。
“我知道 ，”彼得说，“这正是我想不通的地方。我们先把这个问题放在一边，我先一点一点地说。第一，这里与凯尔帕拉维尔大厅的形状及大小完全一样。我们只要想象一下，这上边是个穹顶，把草地换成彩色路面，在墙上挂上壁毯，你们就会像置身在我们的宫殿大厅里一样了。
谁也没有插话。
“第二，”彼得继续说，“那个井和我们的水井位置也一样，在大殿偏南一点的地方，就连形状和大小都一样。”
其他几个人仍然一言不发。
“第三，苏珊刚刚发现的那枚古老的棋子，和我们以前玩的也一样。”
还是没人搭话。
“第四，你们应该不会忘记，在卡乐门国王的大使到来的前一天，我们在凯尔帕拉维尔城堡的北门外种植果树这件事吗？森林里最高贵的果树女神波莫娜亲自前来为果园祈祷，由好心的小鼹鼠刨坑。你们还记得那个上了年纪的首领哩哩格拉吗？他杵着铁锹说：“相信我陛下，这些果树终有一天会给你带来快乐。你们看，他真的说中了。”
“记得！当然记得！”露茜兴奋得一边拍手一边说。
“可是彼得，你看这儿，”爱德蒙说，“这就说不通了。首先，我们肯定不会挨着大门种果树的，我们不会这么笨的。”
“当然不可能。”彼得说，“这些树是慢慢长到门这边来的。”
“再说了，”爱德蒙说，“凯尔帕拉维尔城堡并不是在一座小岛上的。”
“对，这一点我也很奇怪。但要看你怎么叫这个地方了，这可能是一个半岛。英国本来也连着陆地，会不会是在我们以后的年代，有人挖了一道海峡，让它成了一个小岛？”
“等等！”爱德蒙说，“你刚刚说在我们的年代以后，可是我们离开纳尼亚仅仅一年。这么短的时间，怎么可能城堡就塌了，还形成了这个茂密的森林呢？那时候我们亲眼看着栽种的小树，怎么可能在一年时间就长成了这么高大的果树。天知道会不会有其他的怪事，这完全不可能。”
“我突然想起一件事，”露茜说道，“如果这真的是凯尔帕拉维尔城堡，那在高台的这端应该有一扇门。也就是说，这扇门应该就在我们身后。你们也知道，这扇门通向我们的宝库。”
“我觉得这儿没有门。”彼得站起来说。
他们身后的墙上爬满了常春藤。
“我们马上就可以弄明白了。”爱德蒙边说边拿起一根原本用来生火的粗树枝，开始慢慢敲打墙面。嗒，嗒，墙面发出坚实的响声。再打，依然是嗒嗒的响声。突然，咚，咚，发出了另一种声音，这是
打在木头上的声音。
“天哪！”爱德蒙惊叹道。
“我们必须先把这些藤蔓清理掉。”彼得说。
“噢，不要弄它。”苏珊说，“我们还是早上再弄吧。如果我们今晚要在这过夜，我不想背后开着一扇门，黑咕隆咚的，好像随时会跑出什么东西来，里面还会散发出凉风和湿气。你们看，天很快就要黑了。”
“苏珊，你怎么说出这样的话？”露茜责备地看了她一眼。此刻，两个男孩已经太兴奋了，根本没有注意到苏珊在说什么。他们已经自顾自地开始用小折刀去割那些常春藤。彼得的小刀断了之后，就用爱得蒙的小刀去割。不一会儿，他们刚才弄好的“安乐窝”就被常春藤弄得一团糟，折腾了半天，终于找到了那扇门。
“肯定被锁住了。”彼得说。
“没事，这些木头都腐朽了。”爱德蒙说，“我们可以把它砸碎，这样我们就有更多的柴火烧了。来吧！”
事情并不是他们想的那么简单。他们还没砸开门，天就已经黑了，天上闪烁着几颗星。男孩们一边站在乱七八糟的木片上，拍着手上的灰，一边望向那个阴森的黑洞。这会儿不只是苏珊，所有人都不寒而栗了。
“拿个火把来。”彼得说。
“哦，火把？”苏珊说道，“爱得蒙说……”
“我可没说，”爱德蒙打断道，“到现在我还是没有弄明白，不过等会儿，就明白是怎么回事了。彼得，你是想下去，对吧？”
“我们都下去，”彼得说，“苏珊，勇敢一些。现在我们又重新回到了纳尼亚，像小孩子一样是没有用的。在这里，你是一个女王。而且，无论如何我们也是睡不着的了，因为我们眼下有这么个神秘的谜团。”
他们打算用长树枝点燃火把，但没有成功。因为如果把树枝燃着那一头朝上的话，火就熄灭了。但要是把火把反过来拿的话，不仅会烧到手，烟还会熏眼睛。最后，他们只得用爱德蒙的手电筒。幸好在一个星期之前，爱德蒙收到了这个生日礼物，电池还是新的。他拿着手电筒，第一个向下走去，紧跟着他的是露茜和苏珊，最后是彼得。
“我要下台阶了。”爱德蒙说。
“数一下它们有多少级。”彼得说。
“一……二……三……”爱德蒙一边数着，一边小心翼翼地往下走去，一直数到十六级的时候，他朝身后喊道，“到底了。”
“也就是说这里真的是凯尔帕拉维尔，”露茜说，“台阶就是十六级的。”没有人再说话。他们走下来，紧紧靠在一起。爱德蒙打开手电筒，慢慢移动着光柱。
“噢……噢！”孩子们一起欢呼。
现在大家都确信，他们来到了凯尔帕拉维尔那个古老的宝库。以前他们是纳尼亚的国王和女王，是这里的主人。在房子的中间有一条通道（和暖房里的一样），两边不远处都就分别竖立着一副盔甲，就好像是骑士站在那守卫着宝藏。而在盔甲间的架子上，则摆满了各种奇珍异宝——项链、手镯、戒指、纯金餐具和长长的象牙，还有那成堆的没有镶嵌的宝石、像石头或者是土豆般大小的钻石、红宝石、绿宝石、红玉、黄玉，还有紫水晶。
有很多用铁条镶边的橡木箱子放在架子下面，箱子都是锁着的。这里死一般地寂静，几乎每个人都能听见自己的呼吸。那些珍宝上面落满了厚厚的灰尘，如果不知道这是什么地方，不知道之前发生的一切，根本不敢相信这些东西是珍宝。孩子们因新奇产生的兴奋渐渐消失了，取而代之的是有那么一点点的伤感和失落，甚至说是恐怖。
他们越来越感觉到这里是一片被人遗弃了很久的废墟。所以有很长一会儿，大家都没有说一句话。
紧接着，他们开始朝前走着，还时不时地把手边的东西拿出来看一看，就像是遇到了一个久违的朋友一样，发出一阵阵感叹，“啊，你们看！那是咱们的加冕戒指——你还记不记得第一次戴上它时的情景？咦，这不是我们都以为丢了的那枚胸针吗？……瞧，这还有你在独孤群岛穿过的盔甲？你还记得为我打造这幅盔甲的小矮人吗？你们还记得我们曾经用那只号角来喝酒吗？……记得吗，记得吗？”
突然，爱德蒙说，“大家听我说，我们不能再浪费电池了！我想我们以后会更需要它。现在咱们是不是应该拿上我们需要的东西，赶紧出去？”
“我们一定要带上那些礼物。”彼得说。在很久很久以前，在纳尼亚的一个圣诞夜，彼得、苏珊和露茜都得了一些礼物，他们把这些看得比整个王国都珍贵。爱德蒙没有得到任何礼物，因为当时他没有和大家在一起。（这完全是他自己的错，看这套书的其他故事你们就会明白的。）
所有人都同意彼得的主意，于是他们沿着甬道径直走向宝库的另一头。果然，那些东西仍然挂在墙上。露茜的礼物是一个小瓶子，是所有人礼物中最小的。不过这个瓶子可不是玻璃的，而是钻石制成的，里面还装着大半瓶神水，这神水可以瞬间治愈创伤和疾病。
露茜十分庄重地把它从墙上轻轻地取下来，斜背在肩上，再次感受到往日那只小瓶子贴在身上的感觉。苏珊的礼物则是一张弓、一筒箭和一只号。那张弓也是完好的，旁边的象牙箭筒仍然盛满了羽翎箭，但是——“啊！苏珊，”露茜问道，“你的那只号在哪儿呢？”
“啊，糟糕，糟糕，糟糕，”苏珊想了想说，“我想起来了，最后一天，我还带着它，就是去围猎白色牡鹿那天。我猜肯定是在我们回人类世界的路上给弄丢了。”
爱德蒙吹了一声口哨，表示深深的惋惜。因为那可是一只神奇的号，无论什么时候，在什么地方，只要一吹响它，就会得到帮助。
“我们现在就特别需要这个宝贝。”爱德蒙说。
“没事啦，我还有弓箭啊。”苏珊一边说着，一边把弓箭从墙上取了下来。
“弦会不会没弹性了呢，苏珊？”彼得问。
也许是宝库里的空气比较特别，这张弓依然很好用。在学校时，苏珊可是是射箭和游泳高手，她拉开弓试了试弦。嗡的一声响：振奋人心的弦声在整个屋子里回荡。这声响把孩子们又带回了那段美好的时光。战斗、狩猎、宴会……往日的那一幕幕浮现开来。
然后，她松了弦，把箭挎在身上。
紧接着彼得也取下了他的礼物——一张镶有红色巨狮的盾牌、一柄神圣的宝剑。他吹了吹剑鞘上的灰尘，又在地毯上擦了擦，然后佩在身上。之后，他又拿着盾牌试了一试。一开始，他担心宝剑可能会生锈，在剑鞘里根本拔不出来。可让他惊喜的是，只轻轻一拉，剑就出了鞘，并在黑暗中发出一道寒光。
“这是我的宝剑，我用它杀死过野狼。”他自豪的声音里充满了自信与勇气。其他人都感觉到，他又变成了那个高贵、威严的彼得国王。过了一会儿，大家突然意识到他们现在必须要节省电池了。
他们沿着台阶走上来重新架起篝火，然后紧紧地靠在一起，互相取暖。虽然地面很硬睡在上面很不舒服，可是他们太累了，很快全都沉沉地睡去。

第三章 小矮人
在小岛上过夜，最糟糕的事情就是一大早就醒来。如果你不想腰酸背痛的话，肯定不会像在自己家一样赖床，因为地面实在是太硬了。更糟糕的是，早餐除了吃前一天晚上就吃腻了的苹果，根本没有其他东西可吃。露茜说得不错，这的确是一个明媚的清晨，但是没有任何人觉得它美好。还是爱德蒙说出来了：“我们必须离开这儿。”的确，这是大家的心里话。
他们喝饱了井水，洗了脸之后，便一直顺着溪流原路返回，来到了海岸边。他们呆呆地注视着把他们和大陆隔开的海峡。
“看来我们只能游过去了。”爱德蒙说。
“ 这对苏珊来说绝对没问题，”彼得说，“不过我们就难说了。”因为之前苏珊拿到过学校游泳比赛的奖牌。其实他说的“我们”是指爱德蒙和露茜，因为就算是在学校的游泳池里，爱德蒙也游不了一个来回，而露茜更是根本不会游泳。
“不管怎么说”苏珊说，“海里会有漩涡。爸爸说过，在不熟悉的地方游泳绝对是不明智的。”
“但是，彼得，”露茜说，“好吧，我很清楚我在我们家乡不会游泳，我的意思是在英国。但是之前我们是纳尼亚国王和女王的时候，不是会游泳吗。我们还会骑马以及做很多其他各种事情，你说呢？”
“啊，是啊，不过那时候我们可是成年人。”彼得说。
“我们年复一年地统治纳尼亚，学会了很多事。但是现在我们不在纳尼亚，而是在自己生活的国家，不是吗？
“哦！”爱德蒙的声音很大，所有人都默不作声齐刷刷地看向他。
他说，“我终于明白了。”
“明白了什么？”彼得问道。
“嗯，就是整个事情啊，”爱德蒙说，“我终于明白你们说的，也就是之前一直困惑我们的问题。虽然我们离开纳尼亚仅仅一年，凯尔帕拉维尔城堡就好像有几百年没人住过了。好吧，难道你们还不明白吗？不管我们在纳尼亚待多久，一旦我们从魔衣橱里回到我们的世界，对于我们那个世界来说，好像根本没耗费一点时间。”
“接着说，”苏珊说，“我好像能搞清楚是怎么回事了。”
“也就是说，”爱德蒙继续说，“我们一离开纳尼亚，就没有了纳尼亚的时间概念。这么一来，我们在英国待一年，纳尼亚怎么就不能过了几百年了呢？”
“亲爱的爱德蒙，”彼得开口说,“我相信你说的是对的，现在看来凯尔帕拉维尔已经是过了几百年了！我们现在重返纳尼亚，就跟十字军和盎格鲁—撒克逊人或是古代的英国人穿越到现在社会一样。
“要是纳尼亚的朋友看到我们，该有多么激动啊！”露茜一张嘴，就被其他人的“嘘”声和那一声“看！”给打断了。
于是，所有人都注意到了海峡对面那个右边一点的树林。一时之间，他们似乎都确定了那就是河口。现在，有只小船正闯入他们的视线，划向他们。随着距离的拉近，一切变得越来越清晰。船上有两个人，其中一个在摇橹，另外一个则坐在船尾，抓住一个不停扭动的东西。他们戴着钢盔，穿着轻薄的锁子甲，满脸的胡须，表情凶悍，看起来像是士兵。孩子们从沙滩上退回树林，一动不动地注视着他们，不敢发出任何声响。
“这儿就可以了。”小船停到孩子对面的时候，船尾的那个人说。
“捆一块石头在他的脚上吧，老大？”摇橹的人边说边停下了手中的桨。
“闭嘴！”船尾的那个人粗鲁地说，“不需要，咱们没带石头。只要绑紧点，不用石头照样能淹死他。”说着，那个人站起来，提起了那个东西。彼得看得很清楚，是一个手和脚都被捆住的小矮人，他在拼命挣扎。突然，小矮人掉在了船上，士兵也掉到了水里，挣扎着游向河岸。彼得知道，肯定是苏珊一箭射中了士兵的头盔。回过头来，发现苏珊铁青着脸，正准备发射第二箭。但她还没有射出去，那个小兵看到老大遭到袭击，自己就尖叫着从船的另一头跳进了河水里，玩命似的一口气游到了对岸。很快，便消失在对岸的树林里。（显然这里水太浅，淹不死他。）
“快点！不要让小船漂走了！”彼得喊了一声。他和苏珊衣服都没来得及脱 ，就一头扎进了水里，把小船拖到了岸边，抬出了里面的小矮人。爱德蒙费力地用小折刀割断了绑着小矮人的绳子。（彼得的剑比小刀锋利多了，但是他的长剑在这种情况下不太方便，因为不能用手握着刀刃去割绳子。）小矮人被松绑后，就坐了起来，活动了一下手脚，说：“嗯，不管他们怎么说，可我觉得你们并不像幽灵鬼怪。”
和其他大多数的小矮人一样，他有鸡胸，又矮又胖，不足一米高。那满脸的红胡子让他的脸看起来几乎只剩下尖尖的高鼻子和闪闪发光的黑眼睛。
“不管你们是不是幽灵，”他继续说，“你们救了我的命，我真的非常感激。”
“我们怎么可能是幽灵呢？”露茜问。
“这话我已经听了一辈子了，”小矮人接着说，“大家都说，海岸这边树林里的幽灵多得像树叶一样，所以当他们想除掉谁的时候，就会把他送到这里，交给幽灵处置。（就像我遇到的情况一样。）但是那些幽灵真的会把人活活淹死或者割断喉咙吗？我一直不相信。但刚才那两个胆小鬼却深信不疑，他们本来是要害死我，到头来却吓破了自己的胆子 。
“哦，难怪他们逃命时跑得那么快！”苏珊说。
“什么？他们怎么了？”小矮人问。
“他们跑了，”爱德蒙说，“到大陆上去了。”
苏珊解释说：“我只是射了一箭吓吓他们，并没打算伤害他们。”她其实是怕别人以为那么近她还射不中。
“好吧，”小矮人说，“这可不太好，他们以后会来找麻烦的，除非他们愿意为了自己的利益保守秘密。”
彼得问：“他们为什么要淹死你？”
“哦，我是一个危险分子，是的，”小矮人非常自豪地回答。“说来话长，不过现在我想知道的是，你们会不会邀请我一起吃早餐？你们可能不知道一个人死里逃生之后，胃口会有多好。”
“我们只有苹果。”露茜顿时很沮丧。
“总比什么都吃不上强吧。如果加上几条活鱼做早餐，那就更好了。”小矮人说，“这样说来我只好反客为主，请你们吃早餐了，我看到了船上有一些渔具。不过无论如何，我们必须先把小船弄到小岛的另一边，千万不能让对面陆地上的人看到它。”
“这一点，我早该想到的。”彼得说。
四个孩子和小矮人一起来到水边，折腾了半天，终于把小船推进水里，然后爬了上去。小矮人熟练地指挥起来。可是，船桨对他来说显然太大了。于是他掌舵，彼得划桨，小船缓缓朝北驶去，绕过小岛驶向东方。从这里他们可以看到整个海湾和对面海岸的沙地。他们原本以为，那些往日美好的时光总会留下一些印记，但是那些不知道什么年代开始长成的松林，让这一切都那么陌生，那些时光就这么面目全非，无从寻找了。
到了小岛东边小矮人开始钓鱼。他们很幸运，钓到了很多像彩虹一样五颜六色的鳟鱼。这让他们想起了，在凯尔帕拉维尔时，他们也吃这种鱼。当他们钓到差不多足够吃的鱼时，就把小船划进了一条小溪，拴在树上。那个小矮人超级能干，（其实，尽管小矮人中也有坏人，但他们都很聪明。）他利落地杀鱼，把鱼剖开，并且清洗干净。然后说：“好了，现在我们需要一堆柴火来烤鱼。”
“在城堡里，我们已经架起了火堆。”爱德蒙说。
小矮人轻轻地吹了声口哨，“我的老天啊！这真的有城堡吗？”
“现在是一片废墟了。”露茜接过话。
小矮人满脸狐疑，打量着他们。“你们究竟是……”他小声嘟囔，但是很快就改口说，“无所谓了，先吃早饭。但是，吃饭前我们必须做一件事：你们把手放到胸口上，对我连说三遍‘你真的还活着’。你们真的确定，我既没有被淹死，也没有和幽灵们在一起吗？”
几个孩子齐声向他做出保证。于是，小矮人不再有任何怀疑。可是，接下来又有一个问题，那就是怎么带走这些鱼。他们没有绳子也没有笼子。最后，他们不得不用爱德蒙的帽子。要不是他饿得心慌，他才不会同意用自己心爱的帽子装鱼呢！
在城堡里面，刚开始时，小矮人浑身不自在，他时不时地东张西望，不停地闻来闻去，嘴里不停地嘟囔，“咦，这里真是古怪，有种幽灵的味道。”可是当火堆点燃后，他就来了精神，指手画脚地教那几个孩子如何用炭火烤新鲜的鳟鱼。他们没有叉子，只有一把小刀，还要五个人用。烤熟的鱼很烫手，饭还没吃完就有几个人的手指被烫伤了。不过，饥饿难耐的他们，根本顾不上这点烫伤。
当他们吃完这顿美餐后，又喝了些井水，吃了一两个苹果才算完事。那个小矮人不知道什么时候做了个跟他胳膊差不多粗的烟斗，填满烟丝，开始吞云吐雾。心满意足地说，“好了。”
“你先给我们讲讲你的故事，”彼得说，“然后我们再给你讲讲我们的。”
“好啊，”小矮人说，“看在你们救了我的份上，我当然会满足你们的要求，但是真不知该从何说起。首先，我是凯斯宾国王的信使。”
“凯斯宾是谁？”四个孩子异口同声地问道。
“凯斯宾十世，是纳尼亚的国王。凯斯宾万岁！”小矮人祈祷着。“也就是说，我们希望他是整个纳尼亚的统治者。可现在他只是我们旧纳尼亚人的国王。”
“旧纳尼亚人是指谁？”露茜问道。
“唉，当然是我们，”小矮人说，“我们这些土生土长的纳尼亚人，现在被称为‘叛徒’的人。”
“我明白了，”彼得说道，“凯斯宾是纳尼亚以前的首领。”
“好吧，也可以这么说，”小矮人挠了挠头，然后说，“其实，他自己也是个新纳尼亚人，是台尔马人。你们明白我的意思吗？”
我不明白。”爱德蒙说。
“我也糊涂了。”露茜说。
“啊，天哪，”小矮人说，“我的表达能力太差了，我还是从头讲起吧，从凯斯宾是怎样在他叔父的王宫里成长，讲到他是怎样站到我们这边的。这是一个很长很长的故事。”
“越长越好，”露茜说，“我们都很喜欢听故事。”
小矮人坐下来开始讲他的故事。我不打算复述他的原话，因为这样的话，孩子们的提问和他们的插话也要原原本本地写出来。这样一来，这个故事就更长更复杂了。我把小矮人讲的故事归纳了一下，与孩子们后来了解到的情况完全一致。那个故事就是下面这样的。

第四章 小矮人讲述凯斯宾王子的故事
在凯斯宾王子从小就住在纳尼亚中部最大的城堡里，和他的叔父和婶母一起生活，也就是纳尼亚的国王弥若兹和那个红头发的普鲁娜普瑞丝弥尔王后。凯斯宾王子的父母很早就去世了，保姆就是他最亲近的人。作为纳尼亚的王子，他有很多玩具，它们除了不会说话之外，什么都会做。但是，他最喜欢的还是每天睡觉之前的时间。因为每天的这个时候，他的保姆就会过来哄他睡觉，给他讲故事。
他的叔父和婶母好像并不太关心他的成长，但是几乎每周，他的叔父都会叫凯斯宾王子陪他散步半个钟头。有一天，他们散步时，他的叔父突然说：“孩子，我们计划安排人来教你骑马和击剑。你也知道，我和你婶母没有孩子。也就是说，我去世后就是你来继承王位了。你应该会很乐意的，是吧？”
“我不知道，叔父。”凯斯宾回答。
“你不知道？什么意思？”弥若兹感到很意外，“为什么！我想知道，一个人除了最高的尊敬和荣耀之外，还想要什么？”
“好吧，叔父，我真的有个愿望。”听到叔父这么问，凯斯宾认真地回答。
“你的愿望是什么？”国王又问。
“我希望……希望……我希望能生活在过去。”凯斯宾说。（那时候，他不过是个孩子。）
在这之前，弥若兹国王一直用成年人的语调跟他谈话，就是那种他们对孩子说的话不怎么感兴趣的样子。这时，弥尔兹投来了锐利的一瞥。
“嗯？那是什么日子？”他说，“什么叫过去的日子？”
“哦，你不知道吗，叔父？”凯斯宾说，“那个时候，所有一切和现在都不一样。那时候的动物会说话，大森林和小溪边都住着善良的仙女。还有很多小矮人和非常可爱的羊怪，他们有着像山羊一样的角，还有……”
“那全是无稽之谈，哄骗小孩的！”国王怒斥道，“只是糊弄三岁小孩的话，你明白了吗？你已经过了那样的年纪了。你现在长大了，应该去关注战争和探险，而不是童话故事。”
“嗯，可是在那个时候，也有战争和探险呀，”凯斯宾说，“还是很奇妙的冒险！那个时候，有个白女巫自封为纳尼亚的女王。她用魔法让整个纳尼亚只有漫长寒冷的冬天。然后，不知道从什么地方来了两个男孩和两个女孩，他们杀了女巫，成了纳尼亚的国王和女王。他们叫彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜。他们统治纳尼亚多年，让人们过着幸福的生活。这都是因为阿斯兰……。”
“阿斯兰是谁？”弥若兹生气地问。如果凯斯宾的年龄再大一点，他肯定能从叔父的语调中听出异样，并且识相地闭嘴。可是他还是讲了下去。
“噢，你不知道吗？”他说，“阿斯兰是漂洋过海而来的一头伟大的狮子。”
“你是听谁胡说八道的？”国王怒气冲冲地抓起凯斯宾的手，弥若兹的这一举动吓坏了凯斯宾，他不敢再说什么了。
“我尊贵的王子，”弥若兹国王放开了抓住凯斯宾的手，接着说，“你看着我的眼睛，告诉我，是谁给你讲了这些谎话？”
“是保……保姆。”凯斯宾颤抖地回答，吓得眼泪都出来了。
“不准哭！”国王抓住他的肩，使劲地摇，“别再让我听到你讲这些荒诞的故事，想都不准想。什么国王、女王的，根本都不存在。一个国家怎么可能有两个国王和女王，更没有什么阿斯兰狮子，也不会有什么会说话的动物。听明白了吗？”
“好的，叔父。”凯斯宾还在抽泣。
“好了，不说了。”国王叫来恭候在阳台的侍从，冷冷地说，“送王子殿下回他的房间，然后把他的保姆给我带上来！”
第二天，凯斯宾才知道自己做了多么可怕的事，保姆被赶走了，甚至不准她跟王子道别，而且他马上会有一位新的家庭教师。
凯斯宾非常想念他的保姆，还因此哭了好多次。可能是因为这现实生活太不尽如人意，所以他比以前更想念纳尼亚的古老故事了。他夜夜梦到小矮人和森林里的小仙女，还有会说话的动物。白天他便想尽一切办法，让那些城堡里的猫狗和他说话。可是，那些狗只会冲他摇尾巴，猫也只是会发出“咪咪”的叫声。
凯斯宾相信他新来的家庭教师，一定非常讨厌。可让他意外的是，一个礼拜后，当家庭教师出现在他面前时，他发现他太招人喜欢了。他是凯斯宾见过最矮最胖的人，长长的白胡子几乎垂到了他的肚子上。他的脸是棕色的，布满皱纹。老师虽然很丑，但是慈祥的眼睛里充满了智慧。只有跟他混得非常熟，才知道他什么时候开玩笑，什么时候在说正经话。他就是克奈尔斯博士。
在克奈尔斯博士所教的所有课程中，凯斯宾最喜欢历史课。到现在为止，除了保姆给他讲的故事，他对纳尼亚的历史根本是一无所知。当了解到自己的王族是从其他地方迁徙过来的时候，他非常惊讶。
“那是殿下的祖先，凯斯宾一世，”克奈尔斯博士说，“他征服了纳尼亚，并且成了它的国王。是他把你们的族人带到了纳尼亚。你们不是土生土长的纳尼亚人，而是台尔马人，来自西部大山那边的台尔马王国。这就是凯斯宾一世被称为‘征服者凯斯宾’的原因。
“可是，克奈尔斯博士，”有一天凯斯宾问，“我们台尔马人来这儿之前，是什么人住在这里的呢？”
“没有人，或者说在台尔马人来这儿之前，很少有人来过纳尼亚。”克奈尔斯博士回答。
“那么我的祖先征服了谁呢？”
“不是征服谁，而是谁被征服，王子殿下，“克奈尔斯博士话锋一转，“我觉得现在我们应该马上结束历史课了，接下来是语法课。”
“再等一下，马上就好，求求你了，”凯斯宾恳求道，“那你告诉我，这中间难道就没有发生过战争吗？不然，为什么大家称他为‘征服者凯斯宾’呢？”
“我说过了，纳尼亚之前很少有人的。”克奈尔斯博士透过他的老花镜，用一种异样的眼神看着这个小男孩。
有那么一瞬间，凯斯宾感到很迷惑，但是他马上就激动了起来。“那么说，”他急切地问道，“难道真的像故事里讲的那样，纳尼亚之前还有其他的生灵吗？比如有……”
“嘘！”克奈尔斯博士凑近凯斯宾说，“别提这个了。难道你忘了，你的保姆就是因为跟你讲这些故事被赶走的吗？我们的国王不让提这些。如果他发现我跟你讲了这些，我的命就会保不住，你也会被打一顿的。”
“可是，为什么不让提这些呢？”凯斯宾又问。
“我们现在必须上语法课了，”克奈尔斯博士提高了声调，“王子殿下，请打开《语法解析》翻到第四页，我们要讲趣味语法点滴以及语言的结构和妙用。”
这之后到午饭之前，克奈尔斯博士一直在讲名词、动词，但是凯斯宾什么都没听进去。他非常确定克奈尔斯博士迟早还会接着讲那些故事的，如果他不打算告诉他，之前也不会说这么多了。
克奈尔斯博士果然没有让他失望。过了几天，他对凯斯宾说：“今天晚上我们要上天文课。今夜两颗神圣的行星——塔瓦和阿拉姆毕尔将会相遇，他们之间的距离是近两百年里最接近的。恐怕此生见到这种奇迹的机会仅此一次。所以，王子殿下今晚最好早点睡觉，在两颗星星相遇之前我来叫醒你。”
凯斯宾觉得，这和古老的纳尼亚似乎没有什么关系。但是，半夜起床去做其他的事情倒也很新鲜，他想想都非常开心。起先，他估计自己会兴奋得睡不着，可事实是，他很快就睡着了。而且，好像是刚睡了一小会儿就有人轻轻地叫醒他。
他坐起来，看到屋子满是银色的月光。而克奈尔斯博士穿着一件带帽子的大斗篷，提着一盏灯，站在他的床边。
凯斯宾很快清醒过来。他赶紧爬起来穿衣服，虽然这是夏天，但深夜里还是有点凉意。克奈尔斯博士给他披了一件和自己一样的斗篷，还给了他一双温暖的长筒靴。然后，两个人裹上黑色的斗篷，在漆黑的廊子里蹑手蹑脚地走，一点声音也没有。这对师生像隐形了一样，离开了房间。
凯斯宾跟着克奈尔斯博士走过很多长廊，爬了很多层楼梯，最后穿过一扇小门，来到天台。凯斯宾在夜色中遥望下面幽暗的城堡和花园。抬起头，皓月当空，星罗棋布。很快，他们又进入另一扇门，走向城堡中心的高塔。克奈尔斯博士打开锁，带着凯斯宾沿着旋转楼梯爬上去。凯斯宾非常兴奋，因为这楼梯平时是不准爬的。
楼梯又长又陡。爬到塔顶时，凯斯宾已经上气不接下气了。但是，他马上发现这一切都是值得的。向右望去，山峦重重，依稀可见，左边是一条九曲回肠的大河。此时万籁俱寂，凯斯宾隐约听得见一英里外大坝的水声。他们开始从众星中找出那两颗神圣的星星，不过这似乎并不难——它们低悬在南方，明亮得像两颗小月亮，而且相距非常近。
“它们会撞在一起吗？“凯斯宾突然不安地问。
“不会的，我的王子殿下，”克奈尔斯博士说，“那些星星太熟悉它们的轨道了，怎么可能会撞在一起呢。你好好地看着吧，这次相聚是个吉兆的，将会给不幸的纳尼亚带来福音。你看！胜利之神塔瓦正在向和平女神阿拉姆毕尔致敬呢，它们就要到相距最近的地方了。”
“可惜被那棵树挡住了，”凯斯宾说，“西塔的视线应该会好一点，而且也不用爬这么高。”
大概有两分钟，克奈尔斯博士一句话都没说，就像雕像一样站在那里，注视着行星塔瓦和阿拉姆毕尔。然后，他深深地吐了口气，转头看着凯斯宾。
“在这里，”他说，“你看到了别人没看过的，而且此后再也不会有人看到的奇迹。当然你是对的，我们在西塔可以看得更清楚。但是我带你来这里，还有别的原因。”
凯斯宾仰起头看着他，可是克奈尔斯博士的帽子遮住了他大半个脸。
“来这座塔真正的原因，”克奈尔斯博士说，“是因为在我们下面，有六间空屋子，还有长长的楼梯，底楼还上了锁，所以没有人能听到我们讲话。
“你是不是要告诉我那天没说完的事？”凯斯宾急切地问。
“没错，”克奈尔斯博士说，“但是你必须要记住，我们不要再谈论这件事，除非在这里。”
“好的，我答应你。”凯斯宾说，“那你现在就给我讲吧。”
“那你听好了，”博士说，“那些关于纳尼亚的传说都是真实的。纳尼亚根本不是人类的领地，它属于阿斯兰。以前的纳尼亚，有清醒的大树，有机灵的水仙女、羊怪、小矮人和巨人，还有海狸和人马，以及其他会说话的动物。就是他们败给了凯斯宾一世，正是你们台尔马人让这些圣灵都变得安静和愚钝，是你们台尔马人赶走了小矮人和羊怪。而且你们台尔马人还想把这些恶行从人们的记忆中抹去，所以国王不准任何人提起这些事。”
“啊，我宁愿我的祖先没有做过这些事情，”凯斯宾说，“但是我很高兴，因为这些传说虽然已经过去了很久，但是它们都是真的。”
“当然，在你的同胞里，也有一些人暗地里反对过你们祖先做那些事情。”克奈尔斯博士说。
“但是，克奈尔斯博士，”凯斯宾禁不住问，“你为什么说‘我的同胞’，难道你不是台尔马人？”
“你觉得我像吗？”克奈尔斯博士问。
“嗯，你好歹算是一个人嘛。”凯斯宾回答。
“你确定？”克奈尔斯博士的声音更加低沉了，他说着取掉了斗篷的帽子。凯斯宾借着月光看清了他的脸。
凯斯宾顿时恍然大悟，他早就应该发现的，克奈尔斯博士身材那么矮小，那么胖，而且胡子那么长、那么密。他的脑海里立即闪过两个念头，一个声音恐惧地想，“难道克奈尔斯博士是个小矮人，为了报复台尔马人，把我带到这里偷偷杀掉。”另一个声音却很乐观，“竟然有小矮人活了下来，还让我亲眼见到了。”
“你应该明白是怎么回事了吧。”克奈尔斯博士说，“可能你猜对了，我不是纯正的小矮人，我有人类的血统。事实上，很多小矮人在那场战争中幸存了下来。只不过为了继续活着，他们剃掉胡子穿上长筒靴，扮成人类和台尔马人混居。我是其中的一个，但是我只是半个小矮人。如果我的同胞，也就是说纯正的小矮人还活在世上的话，他们肯定会瞧不起我，叫我‘叛徒’。但是这么多年来，我从来没有忘记它们，还有古纳尼亚的那些生灵和那神仙般的生活。”
“对……对不起，克奈尔斯博士，”凯斯宾说，“你知道的，那并不是我的错。”
“我的王子，我没有责备你的意思。”博士回答说，“你应该很好奇，我为什么对你说这些。这其中有两个原因，其一，这些秘密待在我心里面，实在是太久了，这些回忆在我心里隐隐作痛，但是我又改变不了什么。其二我希望你将来成为国王的时候，能帮助我们。因为我知道，虽然你是一个台尔马人，但是你像我一样，热爱古纳尼亚的一切。
“我愿意，当然愿意，”凯斯宾说，“可是我该怎么帮助你呢？”
“你可以对那些幸存下来的小矮人好一些，召集充满智慧的资深魔法师唤醒树神；你可以派人找找其他地方是不是还有羊怪、会说话的动物和小矮人。也许他们现在没有死，而是在我们找不到的地方避难。
“你觉得我们真的能找到他们吗？”凯斯宾急切地问。
“我也说不好，真的说不好，”克奈尔斯博士叹了口气“很多时候我也在怀疑，他们是不是真的幸存了下来。这些年来我一直在寻找他们的踪迹，有时我会听到山中有小矮人的鼓声；有时我似乎看到了森林中有羊怪，又或者是树仙女在跳舞。可是当我走向他们时，他们就突然消失了。每次都这样，真令人沮丧，但是之后又有类似的事情不断发生，又燃起了我的希望。我说不好他们究竟有没有幸存下来，可是你至少要做一位贤明的国王，像彼得国王那样，一定不要学你的叔父。
“那也就是说，关于国王和女王的传说也是真的？还有白女巫？”凯斯宾问。
“没错，都是真的，”克奈尔斯说，“那是纳尼亚的黄金时代，这块土地是永远不会忘记他们的。”
“克奈尔斯博士，他们当时就住在这座城堡吗？”
“不是的，我的王子，”这位充满智慧的老者说，“这座城堡是由你曾祖父在前些年修建的。在阿斯兰加封亚当的两个儿子和夏娃的两个女儿为国王和女王时，他们住的是凯尔帕拉维尔城堡。没有人到过那个神圣的地方，连废墟都找不到。所以，我们相信那儿离这儿很遥远，在大河的入海口。
“啊？！”凯斯宾吃惊不小，“你说的是‘黑树林’吗？那个……那个，那里不是住着幽灵吗？”
“尊敬的王子殿下，一定是有人曾对你说了谎话，”克奈尔斯博士说，“那里没有幽灵，那些都是台尔马人编造的谎言。历代的台尔马国王都很怕海水，因为他们对过去的传说耿耿于怀，他们担心阿斯兰会从海外回来惩恶扬善。因此他们不敢亲近大海，也不让其他人亲近大海。久而久之，那里的森林就越来越茂密，把他们居住的地方和海岸隔了开来。他们还害怕森林，臆想那里到处都是幽灵。而且历代国王和大臣都是这样，对那些谎言推波助澜。只要没有人敢去看大海，去遥望阿斯兰和初升的太阳，他们就觉得安心了。
他们俩默默地站了好久，都没有说话，最后还是克奈尔斯博士先开口，“走吧，我们出来的时间不短了，你该回去睡觉了。”
“一定要回去吗？”凯斯宾意犹未尽地说，“我还没听够呢，真想再听几个小时。”
“天快亮了，如果再讲下去，恐怕他们要开始四处寻找我们了。”克奈尔斯博士说。

第五章 王子的深山奇遇
那天以后，凯斯宾又和他的老师在大塔楼上秘密交谈了很多次，每一次都让凯斯宾对纳尼亚了解更多。他对那个奇幻世界越来越神往。但是他没有太多的时间去想。因为他还必须接受正规的学习，他要学会击剑、骑马、游泳和潜水，还要学会射箭和狩猎。他要知道宇宙结构学、修辞学、纹章学、诗体韵律学，还要学习历史、法律、物理，炼金术和天文学。至于魔法，他只了解到一些皮毛，因为博士说王子不适合学习魔法的实际操作。
“而且我自己，”他补充说，“充其量也只是半个魔法师，只能做些最简单的试验。”他也没上过航海课，（“其实这门课既高尚又富有传奇色彩。”博士是这样说的。）因为国王弥若兹不准任何人提起船舶和大海。
凭着所见所闻，他还了解了不少其他事情。孩童时代，他一直不明白自己为什么不喜欢婶母普鲁娜普瑞丝弥尔王后，现在他终于知道了——原来是因为她讨厌他。慢慢地他也发现，如今的纳尼亚并不是个幸福快乐的国度。这里有重税和严酷的法律，更有一个手段极其残忍的国王弥若兹。
时间过得很快，几年之后，王后似乎得了什么病，城堡上上下下都为她奔走操劳，医生们来回奔波，全国上下都在纷纷议论着什么。正值初夏，一天晚上，凯斯宾刚睡了几个小时，就突然被克奈尔斯博士叫醒了。
“克奈尔斯博士，我们是要做天文观察吗？”凯斯宾疑惑地问。
“嘘！”博士低声说，“相信我，按我说的去做，穿上你的衣服，一段漫漫征途正等着你呢。”
凯斯宾觉得很奇怪，但他相信自己的老师，马上按照他的话去做了。穿好衣服后，博士告诉他，“我已经为你准备好了一个包袱，我们现在就到隔壁房间去，把餐桌上的食物都装起来带走。
“仆人都在那儿呢，他们会一直守着的。”凯斯宾说道。
“我让他们都昏睡过去了，放心吧，他们不会醒的，”博士说，“我虽然是个不入流的魔法师，但让人昏睡还是小事一桩。”
于是，他们来到隔壁房间，果然看到两个仆人正靠在椅子上呼呼大睡。克奈尔斯博士快速装好剩下的那些凉鸡和几片鹿肉，还有一些面包，一个苹果，以及一小瓶好酒，把它们全部放进了那个包袱里，让王子带上。
“你带宝剑了吗？”博士问。
“带了。”凯斯宾说。
“快披上斗篷，遮好宝剑和包袱。好了，我们去塔顶上，我还有一些事情要跟你说。”
当他们来到塔顶时，满天乌云，寒气逼人，一点也不像他们一起看两星相会的那个夜晚不同，处处笼罩着恐怖的氛围，只听克奈尔斯博士说道：“王子殿下，你必须马上离开这座城堡，去外面的大世界里去寻找自己的生路吧。留在这里你会没命的。”
“为什么？”凯斯宾不解。
“因为你是凯斯宾九世的亲生儿子和继承人，你才是纳尼亚真正的国王啊。陛下万岁！”说着，这个小矮人突然单膝跪下，亲吻着他的手，这让凯斯宾为之一震。
“这到底怎么回事？我一点也不明白。”凯斯宾说。
“以前，你从来没有问过我”博士说，“为什么你身为凯斯宾国王的儿子，法定的继承人，你却不是国王。那是因为，除了你所有人都知道是弥若兹篡夺了王位。刚开始，他统治国家时，并不是以国王的身份出现的，他告诉大家他是君王的保护人。后来，你的母后去世了。她很贤惠，她可是唯一一位善待过我们的台尔马人。紧接着，那些正直、忠诚的大臣，都相继死去或是失踪了。更奇怪的是，没有一个是正常死亡。由此可见，他们是被那心狠手辣的弥若兹给杀掉了。我记得在一场狩猎中，伯力沙和犹威拉思被箭射死了，却被说成是被失手误杀的。不但如此 ，弥若兹还把所有伯萨瑞德的望族都派到了北边的战场上，让他们与巨人作战，直到最后他们一个个都战死沙场。而阿康和艾瑞蒙以及其他的一些人，则被子虚乌有的叛国罪处决了，海狸大坝的两兄弟也被当作疯子关了起来。 最终，他又说服了不怕大海的七位公爵，派他们去东海彼岸寻找新大陆。不出所料，他们也一去不回了。从此，再也没有一个人能为你说话了。在他的唆使下，那些阿谀奉承，只会拍马屁的人便奉迎他做纳尼亚的国王。当然，他高兴地接受了。
“那么，你是说现在他又想杀掉我？”凯斯宾说。
“很明显啊。”克奈尔斯博士说。
“为什么是现在呢？”凯斯宾说，“我的意思是，如果他想杀我，为什么要等到现在才下手呢。我触犯到他的利益了吗？”
“你的命运在两个小时之前彻底改变了——王后生了个儿子。”
“我看不出这跟我有什么关系。”凯斯宾不懂。
“你还不明白啊！”博士叫了起来，“我教给你的那些历史和政治，真是对你一点用也没有啊。你听好——如果说他没有自己的儿子，他理所当然要传位给你，即使他再不喜欢你，那也比传位给一个外人好多了。但是现在，他有了自己的儿子，王位当然要传给他的儿子。也就是说，你就变得很碍事了，他必然会想尽办法把你除掉的。”
“他真的就那么坏吗？”凯斯宾说，“他真会杀害我？”
“你的父亲就是被他谋杀的。”克奈尔斯博士说。
凯斯宾一下子难受得说不出话来了。
“我可以告诉你整个事情的经过，”博士说，“但不是现在，没时间了，你必须马上离开这里。”
“你会和我一起离开吗？”凯斯宾问。
“我不能，那样的话你的处境会更危险。因为两个人比一个人更容易暴露行踪。王子殿下，我亲爱的凯斯宾国王陛下，你要勇敢一点！你只能一个人走，并且要马上出发，想办法穿越南部边境，去找阿钦兰国的国王奈恩。他会善待你的。”
“那我还能见到你吗？”凯斯宾的声音有些颤抖。
“希望我们还能再见，我的国王陛下。”博士也低落地说道，“在这世界上，除了陛下你，我没有任何其他的朋友了。我只会一些小法术，不过现在速度才是一切。在你离开前，我还要送你这两件小小的礼物。这有一小袋金子——当然，这个城堡里所有的财宝理应归你所有。不过，我这儿还有一件东西比金子贵重百倍。”
说着，他把一个东西递到凯斯宾的面前。他几乎看不清那是什么，但摸着像是一只号。
“这是纳尼亚最珍贵的东西。在我年轻的时候，为了找到它，承受了很多恐惧，念了很多次咒语。它是属于苏珊女王的，是她在纳尼亚消失之前留下的。传说，不管谁吹响了这个号，就会立即得到帮助。不过，究竟是什么样的帮助，却没有人能说得出来。也许，它能召唤回女王露茜、国王爱德蒙、女王苏珊和至尊王彼得，他们将为受苦受难的纳尼亚人民主张正义。它也有可能是能唤回阿斯兰。把它带上来吧，凯斯宾国王。但是，不到万不得已时，千万不要用它。快走吧，快！现在，高塔底层那扇前往花园的小门正开着，我就送你到那里。”
“我的马戴斯特里尔能带上吗？”凯斯宾问。
“都准备好了，它正在果园那边等你呢。”
走在长长的旋转楼梯上，克奈尔斯又轻声地说了不少指示和建议。凯斯宾的心里很乱，但他还是努力地记着那些话。不一会，他们闻到了花园里的新鲜空气。从小径上还隐隐传来戴斯特里尔的马蹄声和亲切的嘶叫声。一老一少依依惜别。就这样，凯斯宾十世从他父亲的城堡里走了出来，他转过身看到天上升起许多礼花，那是大家在庆贺新王子的出生。
一整夜，他都在这块自己熟悉的土地上，朝南方奔跑。起初，他只走小路或便道，后来确定没有伏兵后，就开始在大路上飞奔。对于这次不一般的旅行，戴斯特里尔也非常激动。尽管凯斯宾在和克奈尔斯博士告别时掉了眼泪，但现在却表现得很勇敢，他只要一想到自己是国王凯斯宾正在历险的旅途中，就觉得很开心。剑佩在他的左腰，右腰是苏珊女王的神号。天蒙蒙亮时，天上开始下起小雨，凯斯宾勒住马向四下打量，周围满是从未见过的森林、盛开的野菊和青色的群山。他第一次见到这片广阔的天地，突然觉得自己是那么地渺小，心里不免有些紧张。
 
天大亮后，凯斯宾离开了大路，到森林中找了一片草地，想要好好休息一下。他卸下马鞍，让马去吃草，自己就地吃了些冷鸡肉，喝了点酒，才舒服地躺下，很快就睡着了。当他醒来的时候，已是黄昏，他又简单吃了点食物就再次启程了，方向依旧是南方。他越过一大片的荒凉草野后，没多久便进入了一片山地。这里的路很崎岖，一会上山，一会下坡，上山的路显然比下山的还要多。每登上一个山脊，他都可以看到那些山峦仿佛越来越近，颜色也越来越深沉。夜幕降临的时候，他正骑着马走在地势较低的山坡上。突然，刮起一阵大风，响起一阵雷声，暴雨来了。
戴斯特里尔开始焦躁不安。就在这个时候，他们进入了一个漆黑得看不到尽头的松树林。突然凯斯宾想起以前曾听过的故事：树林对人们一直很不友好。因为他的家族曾四处砍伐树木，甚至和所有山林家族打过仗，到处滥杀。尽管他和那些台尔马人不同，但树木怎么可能知道这个呢。
它们也确实不可能知道。风越来越大，整片树林在狂风暴雨下，不停发出呼啸声。突然一声巨响，有一棵巨树就在他的身后倒在了路上。“淡定，戴斯特里尔，淡定一些！”凯斯宾轻拍着马脖子说，他能感觉到自己也忍不住在颤抖。他暗自庆幸自己还活着，刚刚就差一点，他们就被那棵大树砸死了。炫目的闪电，伴着巨响的雷声，好像要把天空劈开两半。
戴斯特里尔拼命地奔跑着。虽然凯斯宾是个好骑手，可在这种情况下，他也拉不住缰绳。他心里明白，这样疯狂地奔跑对自己很危险，但他什么也做不了，只能紧贴在马背上。黑暗中，一棵棵大树从前面扫来，他都只能刚好躲过。突然，他的额头被什么东西猛地一撞，他还没感觉到疼痛，就失去了知觉。
当他醒来时，发现自己还活着，而且正躺在一堆又明亮又温暖的篝火旁。他的头很痛，胳膊和腿上全是伤痕。这个时候，轻微的交谈声传了过来。
“现在，”一个声音说，“在他清醒之前，我们必须决定该怎么处置他。
“杀了他！”另一个声音说，“我们不可以让他活着，他会背叛我们的。”
“当时我们就应该杀了他，或是放了他。”第三个声音说，“但是现在，我们不可以杀他。既然我们把他带回来了，又给他包了伤口，还精心照顾他，他就是一位客人，我们不能杀害一位客人。”
“先生们，”凯斯宾用微弱的声音说，“你们怎么对我都没问题，只求你们别杀害我那匹可怜的马。”
“我们找到你的时候，那匹马早就不见了。”第一个声音说。凯斯宾发觉这个声音带着沙哑憨厚，听着也有点古怪。
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“别听他的好话，”第二个声音说，“我依旧认为……”
“够了！”第三个声音大声地说，“我们绝对不可以杀他，这太可耻了，尼克布瑞克！特鲁佛汉特，你说呢？我们该怎么处置他？”
“先给他点水吧。”这是第一个人的声音， 他可能就是特鲁佛汉特。话音刚落，就看见一个黑影走过来，凯斯宾感觉到有只胳膊轻轻地放在了他肩上。他多么希望这是人的胳膊，可形状又不太像。借着微光，他看到俯下来的那张脸上全是茸毛，中间有一只长鼻子，两颊长着奇怪的白斑。“这一定是某种特别的面具，”凯斯宾暗想，“当然，也有可能是我发烧导致的幻觉。”一杯东西递到他口边，他一口就喝完了。他正回味着这杯又热又甜的东西，这时篝火更旺了。凯斯宾傻眼了，他差点失声大叫，因为他一下子看清楚了那张脸。
那不是人，是一只獾。它看起来比他以前见过的獾都高大，面相更友善、聪明。现在他可以确定，刚才一直说话的人就是它。他还发现自己正在一个山洞里，躺在一个用石南草铺的地方。在火堆边，还有两个长着胡子的小个子，他们比克奈尔斯博士更矮更胖，毛发也更浓密粗糙。他猜测，他们是小矮人——纯种的小矮人。凯斯宾突然意识到，他找到了纳尼亚的原住民。这一激动，又是一阵眩晕。
在接下来的几天里，凯斯宾和他们慢慢熟络起来。原来那只獾叫特鲁佛汉特，它年龄最大，也最忠厚。而建议杀他的是那个脾气不好的小矮人（他的头发和胡子全是黑的，跟马鬃一样，又厚又硬），他的名字叫尼克布瑞克。另外一个小矮人杜鲁普金，有着一头狐狸般火红的头发。
就在凯斯宾可以坐起来讲话的头一天晚上，尼克布瑞克对他的伙伴们说，“那么现在，我们必须找出一个处置这人的办法。你们两个死活不让我杀了他，还觉得是在做好事。依我看，这件事的解决办法就是我们必须要囚禁他一辈子。我绝不允许他活着离开这里——回到他的同类身旁，那我们的秘密就全被泄露了。”
“好了！尼克布瑞克，”杜鲁普金皱着眉头说，“你怎么能如此粗鲁？他的头撞到了洞外的树，又不是他的错。而且我认为他不像奸细。”
“我说，”凯斯宾说，“在你们做决定之前，也许该问下我是不是还想离开。说真的，我一点也没有想要离开这里的意思。如果你们同意，我愿意和你们生活在一起。要知道，我这些年一直在找你们这样的生灵。”
“说得真好听！”尼克布瑞克咆哮道，“你是台尔马人，也是人类，对吧？你肯定想回到你的同类身旁去！”
“即便我想回去了，我也做不到了，”凯斯宾说，“我之所以慌张撞上你们的树，是因为我在逃命。国王要杀我，如果你们现在杀了我，那正合他意。”
“好了，”特鲁佛汉特说道，“你不用说这些！”
“嗯？”杜鲁普金说，“这是怎么回事？你做错了什么事？为什么这么小的年纪就成了弥若兹的敌人？”
“他是我的叔父。”凯斯宾话还没说完，尼克布瑞克就握着他的短剑，跳了起来。
“好啊你！”他吼道，“你不但是一个台尔马人，还是我们最大敌人的侄子和继承者。你们还要犯傻吗？还准备留他一命吗？”要不是獾和杜鲁普金及时拉住他，用力把他推回座位，凯斯宾可能当场就被刺死了。
“现在，我再最后说一次，尼克布瑞克，”杜鲁普金说，“你再不安分，我和特鲁佛汉特就要惩戒你了！”
尼克布瑞克这才闷闷不乐地坐下去。于是，他们要凯斯宾讲讲他的来历。凯斯宾说完他的故事后，大家沉默了许久。
“这是我听过的最奇怪的事。”杜鲁普金说。
“我不喜欢这故事。”尼克布瑞克说，“我很难想象，在人类世界里居然还有那么多关于我们的传说。说实在的，我们的事他们知道得越少越好。那个老保姆，真该叫人绑住她的舌头。还有那个什么博士会把事情弄得更乱糟。这些家伙比人类更可恶。你们记住，这些人会带给我们无穷无尽的后患。”
“不要不懂装懂了，尼克布瑞克，”特鲁佛汉特说，“你们这些小矮人和人类一样健忘又善变。虽然我只是一只獾而已，但是我们不朝三暮四，向来都是从一而终的。我认为，事情这样发展下去，对我们有很大的好处。你们想：在我们面前的，才是纳尼亚真正的君主，而且他现在回到了真正的纳尼亚。也许你们小矮人已经忘记了，可我们动物却永远记得，只有亚当的儿子做了国王，纳尼亚才能永享安宁。”
“得了吧！特鲁佛汉特，”杜鲁普金说道，“你是说，你要把这个国度送给人类吗？”
“我没有那个意思，” 獾回答说，“这不是人类的国家，这一点我比谁都清楚，但它需要人来统治。我们獾一直记着这一点！老天保佑，你们忘了至尊王彼得也是个人类吗？”
“难道你还相信那些古老的传说吗？”杜鲁普金问。
“我告诉你，我们相信，我们所有动物都相信！”特鲁佛汉特说道，“我们绝不会忘记。我相信曾经治理凯尔帕拉维尔的至尊王彼得和其他人，就像我相信阿斯兰一样！”
“我看你们真够坚定的，”杜鲁普金说，“但是，如今谁还相信阿斯兰呢？”
“我相信，”凯斯宾突然插话道，“也许我原来也怀疑过，但是现在我完全相信了。嘲笑阿斯兰的那些人，他们从不相信有会讲话的兽类和小矮人。以前我常常疑惑，世界上到底有没有阿斯兰，有没有你们这些人。然而现在，你们就在这里。”
“说得对，”特鲁佛汉特说，“你说得很对，凯斯宾国王。只要你对古纳尼亚忠诚，我就拥护你做我的国王，不管他人怎么说，国王陛下万岁！”
“你可真让我恶心，獾。”尼克布瑞克哼了一声，“至尊王彼得和他的弟弟妹妹确实是人类，但他们是不同种类的人。但现在，在我们面前的却是台尔马人。围猎屠杀我们是他们的游戏，说实话，你干过这件事吗？”他突然转身面向凯斯宾。
“好吧，告诉你们，我做过，”凯斯宾说，“可……可它们是不会说话的动物。”
“那也没什么区别。”尼克布瑞克说。
“不，不，不，”特鲁佛汉特说，“你知道，这完全不一样。现在生活在纳尼亚的动物，跟我们可完全不同。它们不过是可怜的哑巴，没有一点灵性。这样的动物遍及卡乐门和台尔马，或者说世界各地到处都是。它们个子矮小，长相颜色也不尽相同，和我们之间的差别，就跟混血小矮人与你们的差别一样。
他们讨论了很久之后，还是决定让凯斯宾留下来。一旦他完全康复，就马上带他去见其他那些“自己人”。显然，纳尼亚的原住民至今还隐居在深山老林里。

第六章 隐士们
凯斯宾有生以来最快乐的时刻到来了。那是个夏天的早晨，青色小草上还带着露珠，他与獾和两个小矮人一起，越过树林，翻过高山，来到了充满阳光的南山坡上。在南山坡上往下看，阿钦兰的绿丘陵一览无遗。
“我们先去找那三头胖熊。”杜鲁普金说。
他们来到了林中的一处空地，这里最引人注目的是那棵空心橡树。在它的周围，长满了青苔。特鲁佛汉特敲了三下树干，没有回应。它便继续用力地敲，树里顿时传出一阵不清晰的抱怨，“走开，时间还早呢。”特鲁佛汉特只好再敲了一次。终于，一阵响动后，树干上的门开了，三只肥胖的棕熊慢悠悠地从里面走出来，不断地眨着他们的小眼睛。
正如特鲁佛汉特所料，它们在听了凯斯宾的故事后，一致表示同意由亚当的儿子来当纳尼亚的首领，它们抽着鼻子亲吻了凯斯宾，以此表达敬意。它们还拿出珍藏的蜂蜜来款待他。凯斯宾可不喜欢在大早上就吃蜂蜜，而且还没有面包，不过出于礼貌，他还是非常客气地接了过来。但后来，他花了好长时间才擦掉手上黏乎乎的蜂蜜。
告别了胖熊，他们继续前行。他们很快进入了一片桦树林中，特鲁佛汉特大声叫喊着：“佩蒂威格！佩蒂威格！佩蒂威格！”眨眼间，一只十分漂亮的红色松鼠出现在了大家面前，它从树上很灵敏地往下跳，最后落在离他们最近的树枝上。你一看见它，就知道它和凯斯宾以前在城堡花园中看到的不会说话的普通松鼠不同，它体格看起来差不多有小猎犬那么大，从它那张聪明、懂事的脸就可以肯定它会说话。果然，它很爱讲话。而且很快你就会发现，想让它闭嘴是件难事。它表示欢迎凯斯宾国王的驾临，还殷勤地问他吃不吃点坚果。凯斯宾表示了感谢并说愿意尝尝。
当松鼠佩蒂威格一蹦一跳去拿坚果时，特鲁佛汉特很小声地对凯斯宾说，“请把脸转开，不要盯着看。对松鼠来说，如果你看它进仓库，或是四处张望，就像是你想知道仓库在哪里，是不礼貌的。”不久，佩蒂威格拿着坚果过来了。凯斯宾吃过后，它问需不需要它去给好友们传话。“我脚不碰地，就能够去任何地方。”它自豪地说。特鲁佛汉特和小矮人们觉得这主意好，于是给许多名字听上去都很奇怪的动物写了便条。邀请它们在三天后的半夜到草坪参加宴会和政务会。“别忘记那三只棕熊，我们刚忘了跟他们说这事。”杜鲁普金补充说。
和松鼠告别后，他们又拜访了颤栗森林的七兄弟。杜鲁普金带着大家翻山越岭，沿着北山坡向东，最后进入岩石和松树中间的一个地方，这里一派庄严、肃穆。突然，凯斯宾感觉大地在震动，似乎地下有人在用铁锤不断地敲打。杜鲁普金踏上一块又扁又大的石头，跺了几下再站到一旁，好像在等待什么。过了好一会儿，石头被移到一旁，露出一个洞，伴随着热气和青烟，一个小矮人从洞口冒了出来，看上去和杜鲁普金很像。
在洞口，他们聊了很久。比起松鼠和大熊，那小矮人疑心重得多了，但最后他还是请大家进屋了。凯斯宾顺着漆黑的台阶往下走，也不知过了多久，眼前忽然一亮，终于看见火光了。亮光来自炼铁炉——原来，这是铁匠工厂。风箱旁有两个小矮人正卖力地干活，另一个小矮人正钳着一块烧红了的铁块；还有一个在敲打着铁块。其中两个小矮人在一块满是油的布上擦了擦满是老茧的手，随即过来迎接客人。
特鲁佛汉特说了好多，才让他俩相信凯斯宾并不是敌人而是朋友。明白了这些之后，他们一起大声呼喊着，“国王万岁！”还送来他们的礼物：三套金光熠熠的盔甲和三把利剑。凯斯宾、杜鲁普金和尼克布瑞克一人一套。獾本来也能得到一套，但它说自己是动物，再好的武器也比不上自己的爪子和牙齿。不是说大话，这些东西的做工比凯斯宾以前看过的武器都精致多了。这么一对比，他原来的剑就像个玩具，跟棍子一样粗糙。因此他很开心地接过这些礼物。七兄弟（都是红色小矮人）还开心地答应会去参加欢舞草坪的宴会。
他们继续往前走。在不远的地方，有一个干燥和满是岩石的沟壑。他们在那里找到一个山洞，里面有五个黑色小矮人。刚一见面，他们看着凯斯宾，眼里全是戒备和疑惑。不过后来他们的老大说，“如果他愿与弥若兹对抗，我们便尊敬他为王。”他们中的老二说，“需要我们送你一程吗？那边的山崖下住着几个食人怪和一个巫婆。我们可以介绍给你认识，看，就在那边。”
“不必了。”凯斯宾说。
“我看也没那个必要，”特鲁佛汉特说，“我们不要让那些家伙混入我们的队伍。”尼克布瑞克不同意这点，但杜鲁普金和獾否决了他的意见。凯斯宾感到非常震惊，他这才发现，纳尼亚那些古老的故事里的可怕生灵们也有自己的后代。
“我们一旦接受了那些坏蛋，阿斯兰就不愿意做我们的朋友了。”他们从黑色小矮人的山洞走出来后，特鲁佛汉特这样说。
“哦，阿斯兰！”杜鲁普金看似欢快却带着点轻蔑地说，“要是你们没有了我这个朋友，才叫不行呢！”
“你相信阿斯兰吗？”凯斯宾问尼克布瑞克。
“任何人、任何东西，我都相信。”尼克布瑞克说，“只要他能打败可恶的台尔马暴徒，把他们从纳尼亚驱逐出去，我不管他是人还是什么东西，也不管他叫阿斯兰还是白女巫，你懂吗？”
“闭嘴，闭嘴！”特鲁佛汉特说，“你都不清楚自己在说什么。白女巫可比弥若兹和他的同类更危险。”
“她倒不是我们小矮人的敌人。”尼克布瑞克说。
接下来的拜访就要愉快顺利得多了。他们沿着山坡下去，进入一个宽敞的幽谷。一条湍急的河穿过谷底，成片的毛地黄和夜玫瑰铺在河边空地上，蜜蜂嗡嗡地来来回回忙碌着。特鲁佛汉特大声喊话，“格兰仕托姆！格兰仕托姆！”过了一会儿，凯斯宾听到了越来越近的马蹄声，震得河谷都随之动起来。忽然，他们看到灌木丛中跑出来几个动物。这是凯斯宾这一生见过的最奇特、最高贵的动物——人马格兰仕托姆，他的三个儿子紧随他身后。他健硕的马身散发着栗色的光芒，胸前是一绺金红色的胡须随风飘扬。他是预言师，又是占星师，自然明白他的客人为何而来。
“国王万岁！”他喊道，“我和我的孩子们已经做好了战斗的准备。战斗什么时候开始？”
哪怕到现在，其实凯斯宾和其他几人都还没有考虑过打仗这事，他们只是有一些大概的想法。比如说，偷袭农夫和猎人，要是他们还敢骚扰这片森林的话。他们只是希望建立一个隐匿的、传统的纳尼亚，可以供大家居住，仅此而已。格兰仕托姆的话让大家一下清醒过来了。
“你的意思是发动一场正义的战争，彻底地将弥若兹驱逐出纳尼亚？”凯斯宾问。
“不然呢？”人马说，“陛下穿着铠甲，佩带宝剑，不正是为了这个吗？”
“有胜算吗，格兰仕托姆？” 獾问道。
“时机刚刚好，”格兰仕托姆说，“我观察过星相，獾老弟你知道的，观察星相是我的强项，就像你能牢记历史一样。在天上，塔瓦和阿拉姆毕尔两颗行星相会，而在大地上，亚当的孩子将召集并领导着纳尼亚人民去为自由战斗。你们听，钟声都响了，这次欢舞草坪的会议就是要动员大家参加这场战争。”他自信满满，听得凯斯宾和其他几人也蠢蠢欲动。他们觉得，这会是一场难以避免的正义之战，而最终的胜利必将属于他们。
时间到了中午，他们和人马父子一起吃饭，人马用燕麦饼、苹果、香草、酒和乳酪招待了他们。
他们下午要去拜访的地方并不远，就是要绕一个大弯，才能避开人类的居住区。当他们终于在河岸附近的一个洞口前停下来时，特鲁佛汉特又喊了起来。不过这次话音未落，就有东西突然从洞里蹦了出来。凯斯宾没想到，这次是一只会说话的老鼠。
毋庸置疑，它可比一般的老鼠大多了，它后腿立起大概有一尺多高，而它的两只大耳朵几乎跟兔子一般长（甚至还要宽些）。它叫雷佩契普，小家伙快活又英勇，它的腰间佩带的宝剑，小巧又锋利。它还时不时捻动它那几根胡须，显得很神气。“陛下，我们总共有十二名鼠将。”它表现得非常恭敬，还快速又优美地他鞠了一躬，“我所有的军马都愿意听从陛下的安排！”凯斯宾见它十分认真的模样，差点没忍住笑出来。要知道雷佩契普和它的手下，只要用一只晾衣篮子，就能让任何人毫不费力地带回家。
他们那天见了好多朋友。如果要一个一个地讲述这朋友，会很费时间——有钻洞高手鼹鼠，钢牙利爪的獾家族，野兔卡梅罗，以及刺猬豪格尔斯道克等等。最后，他们在一口井边停下，想休息一会儿。井旁有大片软软的草坪，周围全是榆树。这时，投在地上的树影被拉得很长，太阳开始落山了。雏菊花慢慢合拢花瓣，白嘴鸟也陆续飞回家了。他们席地而坐，准备吃晚饭。杜鲁普金点着了他的大烟斗（尼克布瑞克不抽烟）。
“我说，”獾说，“如果我们可以唤醒这儿的树神，那今天就真的太圆满了。”
“我们做不到吗？”凯斯宾说。
“做不到，”獾说，“我们没那个能力，随着人类的到来，这块土地的树木被砍伐，河流被污染，树神和水神都已经消失好久了，没人知道他们是否还在。对我们来讲，这个损失太大了。要知道，那些台尔马人最惧怕树林，只要大树们发怒，他们就会抱头鼠窜，迅速逃离纳尼亚。”
“你们动物的想象力真丰富！”杜鲁普金说，这话他压根不信，“你为什么只说到树和水呢，为什么不继续说下去？如果石头可以自己飞起来，直接砸向弥若兹，不是更妙吗？”
听到这话，獾哼了一声，表示不屑。之后大家都没有再说话，凯斯宾差点都要睡着了。突然，他好像听见从后面的树林深处传来一阵低沉奇异的音乐。起初，他以为那是幻觉。于是，翻身打算接着睡，然而他耳朵才靠近地面，他立马又听见了那乐声，也许应该说是感觉
 
到（总之很难说是哪一种）一阵轻微的敲打声。
他一抬头，那敲打声就减弱了，可音乐声又来了，而且这次更加清晰，好像是笛声。他看到特鲁佛汉特直起身，双眼注视着森林。这时，天已经黑了，天上的月亮洒下皎洁温和的光。凯斯宾睡了个大觉，睡得比他想象要久。那音乐声越来越近，旋律很粗犷却又让人精神恍惚。终于，随着轻快的脚步声，从树林里来到月光下的是一群翩翩舞动的身影——多年来，这些身影一直萦绕在凯斯宾心头。他们比小矮人高一点，但是身材苗条，姿态优美。在曲卷的头发上，长着两只角，赤裸的上身在月光下散发一种光辉，它们的腿脚长得和山羊一样。
“羊怪！”凯斯宾一跃而起，喊出声来。羊怪们立即友善地将他包围着。他们好像心灵相通，没有怎么交流，相互间便有了理解和信任。凯斯宾不由自主地加入到他们的舞蹈中。他们跳得很认真，很热情。杜鲁普金踏着步子，也跟着摆动着他那笨拙的身子跳了起来，连特鲁佛汉特也努力地蹦着，扭动着。只有尼克布瑞克在一旁闷闷不乐，只是默默地看着。
羊怪们用它们细小的蹄子围着凯斯宾跳来跳去，那些面孔看上去时而悲哀，时而欢快。和他们住在一起的还有几十个小矮人，曼蒂犹斯、奥本蒂纳斯、达姆纳斯等人都被叫了过来，向新王致敬。
第二天早上凯斯宾醒来，想起昨晚的事，他简直不敢相信这一切是真的。但草地上到处都是羊的蹄印。

第七章 纳尼亚的危机
在欢舞草坪上，他们遇到了羊怪。经过一番商议，凯斯宾和他的好友们选择住下，等着聚会的到来。他们渴了就喝井水，饿了就吃野果，夜晚就睡在漫天星斗之下，这一切都让凯斯宾觉得很新鲜。虽然以前睡的是挂满帷幔的房间，盖的是温暖柔软的被子，吃的是山珍海味，过着有人服侍的王宫生活，可他从来没有像现在这么快乐过。那时候他没有一个晚上睡得好，也几乎吃不下任何东西。他正在慢慢变得坚强起来，气质和仪态俨然已是一副国王的模样。
盛大的聚会之夜终于来临了，皎洁的月光下，凯斯宾那些各式各样、古里古怪的臣子们成群结队，陆续走进欢舞草坪。看着朋友们欢歌笑语，凯斯宾欣喜不已。之前见过的好友都来了，大棕熊、红色小矮人和黑色小矮人，还有鼹鼠、獾、兔子和刺猬，当然还有些没有见过的朋友，像那五个毛发艳红的大猩猩、猫头鹰、还有一伙渡鸦。全副武装的老鼠们踩着尖锐的喇叭声排队走来，当真是气势十足。人马和巨人温布维德是最后到的。凯斯宾被巨人那庞大的身体惊呆了。还有一箩筐晕船的小矮人被巨人背着，它们接纳了巨人的建议，让它背着；只是此刻，它们都被颠晕了一路，一个个都后悔地说，早知道就自己走过来了。
几头胖熊最在乎的还是宴会，它们建议政务会过两天再开。雷佩契普和它的老鼠军团则希望趁夜攻打城堡，袭击弥若兹，打他个措手不及；至于宴会和政务会干脆推迟举行。佩蒂威格和松鼠们则说，边吃边商量最节约时间，所以两个会为什么不同时举行呢？而鼹鼠们担心出问题，面色凝重地建议挖一条防御壕沟在欢舞草坪周围，再去说其他的。羊怪们极力推荐跳一回集体舞。胖熊们的建议得到了老渡鸦的支持，说应该开完所有的会再吃饭（它忙中出错把顺序弄反了）， 同时，他还想向大家致辞，希望大家同意。但是凯斯宾、人马和小矮人们不接受这些建议，坚持马上举行一次与战争相关的会议。
最终大家终于被说服了，围了个大圈坐下。之后他们花了好大功夫，才让佩蒂威格的嘴闭上——它一直在奔跑，喊着“安静，安静！大家请安静，国王要说话了。”凯斯宾站起来，心里有点紧张。“纳尼亚的臣民们！”他才开了个头，刚要接着说下去，兔子卡梅罗的耳朵就猛地竖了起来，警惕地打了个手势，“嘘！有人靠近！”
森林里的动物对猎人的追捕早就习以为常。因此，它们全部看向卡梅罗示意的那个方向，都跟雕塑似的，纹丝不动。
“是人的味道，可又不像真正的人。”特鲁佛汉特小声说。
“他越走越近了。”卡梅罗说。
“两只獾和你们三个小矮人拿好弓箭，悄悄过去看看是谁。”凯斯宾命令道。
“我们去灭了他！”黑色小矮人边说边装上利箭。
“要是只有一个人，别射他，”凯斯宾说，“留活的。”
“为什么？”小矮人问。
“听命行事。”人马格兰仕托姆说。
三个小矮人和两只獾低着身子，大步走向欢舞草坪西北方向的树林，其他人则静静等待。没一会儿，那里传来小矮人的尖叫声，“站住，不准动！”随即就是一阵急促的脚步声。一小会后，一个凯斯宾熟悉的声音响起，“别！别激动！我没有武器。你咬住我的手腕就行了，獾老弟，可别把手咬破了。我有话对国王说。”
“克奈尔斯博士！”凯斯宾惊喜地叫着。他飞奔着冲过去，一把将上年纪的老师抱住，大家则围了过去。
“呸！”尼克布瑞克说，“一个叛变的小矮人，才四分之一的血脉！要我一剑刺进他的喉咙吗？”
“住嘴，尼克布瑞克，”杜鲁普金说，“谁都不能选择自己的血统。”
“他是我最忠诚的朋友，他救过我的命，”凯斯宾说，“要是有人不喜欢他，那请离开我的部队，现在就离开。最亲爱的博士，能再见到你我真开心。你是怎么找到这里的？”
“只是用了点小魔法，陛下。”博士说。因为走得匆忙，他还大口大口地喘着气。“但是现在，没时间解释这个了。我们得赶紧离开，你们被人出卖了，弥若兹正领着大军杀过来呢，不用到午夜，这里就会被围堵起来。”
“出卖！”凯斯宾说，“是谁干的？”
“肯定是另一个叛变的小矮人，一定是的。”尼克布瑞克说。
“是马戴斯特里尔，”克奈尔斯博士说，“你从马背上摔下去后，那可怜的家伙没办法，只能回到城堡的马厩里去。然后，他们就知道你逃跑了。我不想被弥若兹逮住，就逃了出来。我用水晶球算出你们的方位。我亲眼见到弥若兹的搜索大军出了城堡，进了森林。就在昨天，我又听说，他已经出动了他的军队。我发现你的手下，这些……嗯……这些小矮人既缺乏森林知识又大意行事，弄得森林里到处都是痕迹。弥若兹正是发现了这些痕迹，才知道纳尼亚原住民并没有灭绝。所以，他又要行动了。”
“好啊！”博士的脚边迸出一个尖细的声音，“让他们来！我和我的勇士们想打头阵，请国王准许。”
“谁在说话？”克奈尔斯博士问“陛下怎么把蚂蚱和蚊子都收进你的队伍里呢？”他边说着边低下身子，隔着眼镜认真地打量了一会，最后大声笑出来。
“以狮王发誓，”他说道，“这绝对是老鼠。老鼠先生，我希望和你交个朋友，能遇见像你这样一位这么英勇的朋友是我的荣幸。”
“博士先生，我们会变成朋友的。”雷佩契普尖声应道，“以后，队伍要是有谁敢对你不敬，不管是矮人还是巨人，我都会用剑刺他。”
“现在是说这些蠢话的时候吗？”尼克布瑞克说，“我们该怎么办？战斗还是逃命？”
“如果实在有必要的话，就战斗。”杜鲁普金说，“不过，我们毫无准备，而且这地形对我们非常不利。”
“不能逃跑，我不同意。”凯斯宾说。
“不准，绝对不准！”大胖胖熊们说，“无论如何，我们都不能跑，特别是在吃饭前和刚吃完饭的时候。”
“撤退和逃跑可是不一样的。”人马说，“我们为何不主动点，选好时机和有利地形呢？我们要拿到主动权，再找机会与敌人一战，陛下您觉得呢？”
“很明智，陛下，这样是明智的。”特鲁佛汉特说。
“但是我们该去哪儿？”几个声音同时问。
“陛下，”克奈尔斯博士说，“还有各位，我想我们该往东走，顺流而下，进大森林里去，台尔马人一直惧怕大海，尤其是大海对面的地方。就是因为这样，他们一直希望树林快点长高，成为屏障，以为这样就安全了。而且那边有不少朋友，对我们更有利。况且阿斯兰堡垒在那，这点很重要。
“阿斯兰堡垒？”几个声音齐声问，“我们都不知道那是干什么用的？”
“就在大森林外围，有一个神秘的地方。那里有个大土丘，或许现在仍然竖着一块神奇的巨石。我们的祖先在那里挖了不少洞穴和通道，巨石则被放在土丘中心。那地方很大，可以容纳我们所有人和储备。我们之中一些需要隐匿和喜欢住地底下的朋友可以住在那，其余人则可以住在森林里。危急关头（巨人阁下在外）还可以全都进到土丘里面，只要有足够的食物，我们一定会没事的。”
“在我们中间，有位知识渊博的人真好。”特鲁佛汉特说。但它听到杜鲁普金在一旁说，“老头子！我觉得大家还是得考虑一下食物和武器的问题，别像那些老婆婆那样只会讲老故事。”大家最终还是接受了克奈尔斯的提议。三十分钟后，他们出发了。天亮前，他们赶到了阿斯兰堡垒。
这是一个绿色山丘，坐落在山包上，非常僻静。在葱郁的大树下，一条小路蜿蜒着直通向山丘的中心。里面结构复杂，对不熟悉的人来说，真可谓是个迷宫。四壁全是用光滑的石头砌起来的。借着昏暗的光线，凯斯宾看到石壁上有一些奇怪的文字和蛇形花纹，还有很多关于狮子的图画。这一切都说明，那个古老而又神秘的纳尼亚确实存在过。
他们安顿了下来。没想到，弥若兹的探子很快就发现了他们，随后而来的是大批军队。敌人的兵力看起来比他们想象的要强很多。敌军一队接着一队开过来，凯斯宾的心开始慢慢地往下沉。虽然弥若兹的士兵都惧怕大森林，但是他们更怕弥若兹。在他的谋划下，士兵们进入森林开始作战，甚至打到了堡垒门前。凯斯宾和他的部将们也先后向平原发动过几次反攻，但都是被动挨打居多。战斗大多数发生在白天，有时晚上也要作战。整体形势对凯斯宾很不利。
下了整整一天的大雨在傍晚时分总算停了下来。但气温骤降，每一个人都要冻僵了。第二天清晨，凯斯宾部署了一次最猛的攻击，他把所有希望都押在这场战斗上。在黎明时分，他亲自率领大部分小矮人扑向弥若兹的右翼，当他们在右翼阵地上拼杀时，巨人温布维德、人马和一部分最凶猛的动物从隐蔽的地方冲杀出来，竭力切断敌人的增援。但这场进攻最终还是失败了。
没人告诉过凯斯宾巨人虽然秉性憨厚，但是却不会用脑子——这事也没人想起来。尽管温布维德像狮子一样勇猛，不愧为一个巨人，但由于他进攻的时机、地点都不对，所以他的队伍甚至让凯斯宾的队伍都吃了败仗，而敌人却没有什么损失。就连最有战斗力的那只熊也挂了彩，人马伤势也严重。凯斯宾的部下里，只有少数人没有受伤。他们万分沮丧，挤在大树下面躲雨，一起吃那少得可怜的晚餐。
最难过的是巨人温布维德，他为自己的粗心大意，考虑不周而暗暗自责。他坐在那里一言不发，大滴大滴的眼泪顺着鼻尖，落在老鼠们的营地上。它才刚有点睡意，这下全都跳了起来了，一边抖身上的水，拧它们的小毯子，一边质问巨人，语调尖锐而愤怒；“你还嫌我们不够湿，是吧？”它们的叫声吵醒了其他人，大家都开始责备老鼠们，“你们是来当侦察兵的，不是合唱队！”大家要求它们马上安静下来。温布维德蹑手蹑脚地离开大家，打算找一个安安静静的地方一个人面壁思过。可又一不留神踩着了谁的尾巴，惹得那家伙咬了它一口。他后来才知道那是只狐狸。结果，又是一番争吵。在这个时候，大家都已经不耐烦了。
 
此时，在堡垒中心那个既隐蔽又富有传奇色彩的洞穴里，国王凯斯宾、克奈尔斯、獾、尼克布瑞克和杜鲁普金正在举行会议。洞穴的屋顶靠几根年代久远的大柱子支撑着，在屋子正中央摆着一块石头，确切地说是一张石桌。它从中间断成了两部分，上面还刻着没人能读懂的文字。在石桌被搬进洞穴之前，因为经年的风吹日晒，字迹早就模糊得根本难以辨认了。他们并没有在那石桌旁开会，因为他们认为这张石桌是神圣的，不可以随便使用。在石桌不远的地方，他们围着一张粗糙的木制桌子开会。桌上那盏简陋的泥灯，映照着他们苍白的脸，在墙壁上投下了他们长长的身影。
“如果陛下想使用那只神号，”特鲁佛汉特说，“我觉得现在是时候了。”凯斯宾几天前曾跟他们讲过，所以大家对它抱有很大的期望。
“我们确实急需帮助了，”凯斯宾说，“可现在不能确定我们是不是在最困难的时候。如果后面还有更糟的状况等着我们，但我们已经用掉了这次求助的机会，那该怎么办？”
“这么说的话，”尼克布瑞克说，“陛下，你就永远别用它了，就算错过了时机也别用了。”
“我同意。”克奈尔斯博士说。
“你说呢，杜鲁普金？”凯斯宾问。
“噢，要我说啊，”那个红色小矮人说，他之前一直漫不经心地听着，“陛下，我觉得你们说的那只号和那块断开的大石头，还有你们的至尊王彼得以及所谓的阿斯兰，都是海市蜃楼，或者说是镜花水月，看得见却摸不着，都是些虚幻的东西。陛下什么时候吹号，我根本不在意，反正结果都一样。但是，我请求陛下别对我们的部队提起这件事情，免得大家对此都抱有希望，如果结果恰恰相反，这样下去只会让大家失望。”
“那么，我们就以阿斯兰的名义，吹响苏珊女王的神号吧。”凯斯宾说。
“还有一件事情陛下，”克奈尔斯博士说，“或许应该先明确一下。因为我们都不知道号声会带给我们怎样的帮助，或许能唤来海外的阿斯兰，可是我觉得更大的可能是唤来纳尼亚的先王彼得和他的大力相助。不过无论什么情况，我想救援都不可能直接降临在我们面前。”
“你终于说了句实在话。”杜鲁普金插嘴说。
“我认为，”这位学识渊博的人继续说，“他们有可能会先到纳尼亚某个古老的宫殿，比如说，咱们脚下的这个地方。所以我想啊，那帮助也可能会在这儿出现。但是还有其他两个可能的地方：一是在河上游的灯柱野林，在海狸大坝的西边。听说王室的孩子就是从那儿来到纳尼亚的。另一个地方是当年的凯尔帕拉维尔城堡的所在地，就在下游河的入海口处。如果阿斯兰亲自来，那里肯定是迎接它的最佳地点。因为传说他是伟大的海外之王，将跨海而来。所以我提议，派出使臣去这两个地方迎接他们的到来。”
“果然跟我想的一样，”杜鲁普金嘟哝说，“这种愚蠢的行为不仅不会带来任何好处，反而可能害我们失去两名战士。”
“那你打算派谁去，克奈尔斯博士？”凯斯宾问。
“要穿过敌人的封锁，又不会被擒，看来松鼠是再合适不过了。”特鲁佛汉特说。
“我们这些松鼠为数并不多，”尼克布瑞克说，“而且它们很是轻浮，多嘴多舌。我认为，这次行动非同小可，恐怕唯一可以胜任的只有佩蒂威格。”
“那么就派佩蒂威格去，”凯斯宾国王说，“可第二个使臣应该是谁呢？我知道你肯定愿意前往，可是特鲁佛汉特，你的速度不够快。你也不行，克奈尔斯博士。”
“我才不去，”尼克布瑞克说，“这里有这么多人和动物，我必须留下来，保护其他的小矮人。”
“混账！”杜鲁普金勃然大怒，“你怎么能对国王这样说话？派我去吧，陛下，我去！”
“可你不是不相信那只号吗，杜鲁普金？”凯斯宾说。
“我是不相信，陛下。可这又有什么关系呢？不管死在徒劳无益的行动中，还是坐在这里等死，结果都一样。你是国王，提出忠告是我的义务，但是执行命令也是我不可推卸的责任。你已经听了我的忠告，现在该我执行命令了。”
“我不会忘记你的这番话，杜鲁普金。”凯斯宾说，“传佩蒂威格过来。那么，我们什么时候吹响号角呢？”
“我建议到黎明时分，陛下，”克奈尔斯博士说，“这是号角发挥最大效力的时候。”
几分钟之后，佩蒂威格被传进来。凯斯宾简单地告诉它此行的任务。佩蒂威格如往常一般充满了精神和活力。国王的话音未落，它就迫不及待地要出发了。凯斯宾派它去的是灯柱野林，而杜鲁普金则去出海口。两个人匆匆吃过饭，当然还有国王和其他人的祝福和期望，同时出发了。

第八章 启程
“事情就是这样的，”杜鲁普金说。到这里你们都该知道了吧，坐在凯尔帕拉维尔城堡废墟的草地上给四个孩子讲故事的，就是他。“我卸下身上的武器，只带了一柄短剑，往兜里随便塞了两片面包，就趁着暮色，走向森林深处了。我低着头向前走了很久，突然听到一种我从未听过的声音。那连绵不绝的声音响彻天空，分外优美欢快，有种春风拂面的感觉，但又有种足以撼动整片森林的力量。我对自己说‘我敢打赌如果不是那只号的神力，你们就管我叫兔子。’我很是不解，他为什么不早点儿把号角吹响呢？”
“那时是几点？”爱德蒙问。
“九点到十点之间吧。”杜鲁普金说。
“那时候我们正在火车站！”孩子们眼睛里闪烁着激动的光芒，异口同声地说。
“你接着说。”露茜对小矮人说。
“嗯，听到号声之后，我立刻信心倍增，继续向前走去，一直走了一天一夜。后来在破晓时分，我做了一件比巨人还傻的事。我为了省事不去绕那条河，冒险抄近路。当我正穿过一片开阔地时，就被他们捉住了。不过抓住我的不是军队，而是一个自命清高的老笨蛋。他驻守在一个小城堡里，那是通往海岸的必经之中，弥若兹设的最后一个关卡。我没有多说什么，他们也休想从我嘴里听到任何消息。可是我是小矮人，这一点已经足够给我判罪了。但是，哎呀，那个管事的老家伙还真不错，要是换了别人，我肯定当场就被干掉了。可是，他认为只有把我送到‘幽灵’那儿去才是最大的惩罚。结果，我就被这位年轻的小姐给救了(说着他冲苏珊点了点头)。遗憾的是我身上的盔甲都没有了，被他们剥走了。”他说着，又为自己的烟斗装上一斗烟。
“乖乖！”彼得说，“这么说，真的是那只号——你的那只神号，苏珊在昨天早上把我们从站台的座位上给拽到这儿来的！简直让人难以置信，可这一切的的确确发生了。”
“我不明白你为什么会不信，”露茜说，“你是相信魔法的呀。好多故事都有说魔法能带人离开某个地方，或者是某个世界，再到另一个世界去。比如《一千零一夜》中的魔法师一念咒语，精灵马上就会出现在他的面前。我们会回到纳尼亚，正是同样的道理。”
“没错，”彼得说，“我觉得奇怪的是念咒语的总是我们这个世界里的人，可到底有没有人认真想过，精灵到底是从哪儿来的呢。”
“现在我们都知道精灵的感受了。”爱德蒙笑了，“天哪！拿起号角就那么一吹，我们便不受自己控制地来了，这还真的有点不太自在。比爸爸说的被电话呼来唤去的还不好受。”
“但是我们都愿意来这儿，不是吗？”露茜说，“如果是阿斯兰要我们来的呢？”
“那现在怎么办？”小矮人说，“我想我最好马上回去，告诉国王我们并无援兵可指望，只能另想办法。”
“没有援兵？”苏珊说，“那号角不是已经把我们召来了吗？”
“嘿……嘿……是的，当然啰，我知道啊。”小矮人说，他的烟斗似乎是堵住了（他努力假装自己正忙着清理烟斗），“但是……那个……我的意思是……”
“你现在还不知道我们是谁吗？”露茜叫道，“你可够笨的！”
“我猜你们就是传说中的那四个孩子吧，”杜鲁普金说，“我当然很高兴见到你们。毫无疑问，这很有意思。可是……我没有意思冒犯你们吧”他又犹豫了。
“你想说什么，就说出来吧。”爱德蒙说。
“嗯，那个……我不是故意冒犯你们，”杜鲁普金说，“你们知道，凯斯宾国王、特鲁佛汉特和克奈尔斯博士都在期待，你们知道我在说什么——他们在期待着强有力的援兵，也就是说我原本以为你们应该是那种高大威猛、骁勇善战的勇士。可现实是你们还只是孩子。没错，我们都很喜欢孩子，但是在这样紧要的关头，在战斗中你们又能做些什么呢？你们能理解我的意思吧。”
“你的意思是你认为我们什么忙也帮不上。”爱德蒙说话的时候，脸都气红了。
“不要生气，”小矮人打断了他的话，“我向你们保证，亲爱的小朋友们……”
“‘小’朋友！你也太小看我们了吧！”爱德蒙跳了起来，“我认为，你不会相信是我们打赢了柏卢纳战役吧？你爱怎么说就怎么说好了，我知道……”
“现在不是发脾气的时候，”彼得说，“咱们先给他配一套盔甲，然后我们也马上武装起来，别的以后再说。”
“我看不出这么做……”爱德蒙这话刚出口，露茜立刻对他轻轻耳语：“咱们应该按彼得说的去做。他是我们的至尊王，我想他已经有办法了。”爱德蒙当即点点头，拿起手电筒带领大家和杜鲁普金，又一次走下台阶，来到那个又黑又冷，满是灰尘的宝库。
小矮人一看到架子上那些宝贝，眼睛就开始放光(尽管他要踮脚才能看到），嘴里不断地念叨着：“可不能让尼克布瑞克看到这些，绝不能！” 很快孩子们就给他找到了一套合身的锁子甲、一顶头盔、一把宝剑、一块盾牌、一张弓和满满一筒箭，这些都是专为小矮人们量身订做的。所以不仅大小合适，而且做工非常精细，材料也是上乘的。铜制的头盔上还嵌着宝石，剑柄是纯金铸成的。杜鲁普金这辈子都没见过，更没想过能拥有这么奢华的东西，所以他高兴得都不知说什么了。
四个孩子也相继穿上盔甲。一柄锋利的宝剑，以及一块小巧的皮质盾牌归了爱德蒙；一张弓是为露茜准备的；彼得和苏珊早已带上他们各自的宝物。当他们顺着台阶走出宝库时，身上的锁子甲叮当作响，俨然是纳尼亚最好的勇士，哪还像是只知道读书玩耍的学生。两个男孩跟在后面，很快他们就制定了一套行动方案。露茜只听爱德蒙说道，“不，让我来，要是我胜了他就显得更丢人。万一我输了，也不至于很丢脸。”
“那好吧，爱德蒙。”彼得同意了。
他们又重新来到阳光下。这时爱德蒙很有礼貌地把身子转向小矮人，对他说，“我有个请求，希望你同意。要知道我们这样的小孩子，是不可能常常遇到像你这样伟大的勇士的，你愿意和我比比剑术吗？这样比较合乎礼仪。”
“可是，小朋友，”杜鲁普金说，“这些剑都很锋利呢。”
“我知道啊，”爱德蒙说，“我的剑不可能碰到你，而你也可以轻松地解除我的武装，却不伤我半分。”
“这个游戏很危险，”杜鲁普金说，“不过既然是你提出来的，我就陪你玩个一两局吧。”
一时之间，两把宝剑“唰”地一下子被抽出来，另外三个孩子则跳下台来，在一旁观战。这可是一场真枪实战，跟戏台上用木头道具打给人看的小把戏完全不同，甚至连运动会上的击剑比赛也不可比拟，这可是一次战士间的格斗。最精彩的便是用宝剑劈对方的腿和脚，因为只有那里没有盔甲防护。当对方用剑劈来的那一刻，你必须迅速跳起来，这剑才会从你脚下快速掠过。这对小矮人是有利的，因为爱德蒙个子高，不得不蹲下身子去攻击对手。如果是在一天前，他和杜鲁普金进行比赛，爱德蒙根本没什么胜算。 可他们一来到小岛，纳尼亚的空气便潜移默化地给了他很多魔力。他回想起从前的战斗，胳膊和手指瞬间恢复了力气。现在，他又像是当年的国王爱德蒙了。两个战士在打了几个回合后，苏珊(她怎么也没法喜欢这种事情)不停地高声提醒道，“噢！小心啊！”就在一眨眼的功夫，爱德蒙使了一个花剑招数，打飞了小矮人的剑。杜鲁普金看着自己空空的右手，只能无辜地眨着眼睛。
“没受伤吧，我亲爱的小朋友？”爱德蒙轻喘着气，把宝剑插进剑鞘。
“我看懂了，”杜鲁普金灰溜溜地说，“你的这招我根本没学过。”
“没错，”彼得说，“世上最好的击剑手也有可能被一个他不知道的绝招给击溃。这样吧，再给你一次机会，咱们换一种武器比试，这样才公平合理，对不对，朋友？你想要和我妹妹比射箭吗？那可没有花招可耍了，相信你很清楚。”
“哈，开玩笑啊，你……”小矮人说，“她今天早上救了我，
 
那时我就知道她有多厉害了。不过，没关系，我也愿意再试一试。”他一副不高兴的样子，但眼里却满是欣慰，因为他能感觉到自己的阵营里多了几个不容小觑的主力军。
他们五个一同来到了院子里。
“用什么当靶子呢？”彼得问。
“我觉得树枝上那只苹果就行。”苏珊说。
“那不错，”杜鲁普金痛快地答道，“是说靠近树杈的那只黄苹果吗？”
“不是那只，”苏珊说，“我指的是树顶上的那只红苹果。”
小矮人的脸色当即沉下来，嘴里喃喃地说着，“这苹果比樱桃还像樱桃。”但他没有说出来。
他们决定用掷硬币来决定谁先射箭。杜鲁普金很有兴趣，他还从来没有玩过这种游戏。结果是苏珊在后。他们必须要先选好角度才能射中苹果，因为从大殿到花园之间有一段台阶。就凭小矮人的站位和拉弓的姿势，大家看得出来他也是个行家。
“嗖”的一声，箭射出去了，这一箭很漂亮。一箭过去，小苹果只是摆了一摆，倒是旁边的一片树叶飘然落下。下面到苏珊上场了。她站到了台阶上，拉开了弓。她对这场比赛不太有兴趣，倒不是因为她没有信心射中苹果，而是她心地善良不想去伤害已经吃了一场败仗的对手。小矮人仔细地看着她。苏珊把弓弦拉到耳边，只一瞬间，一声弦响，那颗苹果便应声落地了。苏珊的箭正中苹果中心。
“哦！做得好，苏珊！”其他几个孩子欢呼起来。
“我没有你厉害，”苏珊对小矮人说，“因为，你射的时候，我感觉到一阵风。”
“不，没有风，”杜鲁普金说，“你不用安慰我，我知道你们已经打败我了。可我刚才是因为肩膀的伤感到很痛……”
“啊，你受伤了吗？”露茜问，“快给我看看。”
“小姑娘，你看了也没用。”杜鲁普金此话一出，立即感到不妥，然后赶紧改口，“对不起，我又说傻话了。你的哥哥是出色的击剑家，你的姐姐是了不起的射手，我猜你应该是个高明的医生。”他坐到台阶上，解开锁子甲，脱掉了贴身的小衬衫，像水手一般多毛且肌肉发达的胳膊露了出来。大家看到他肩膀的伤口被马虎地包扎着。露茜解开看了一下，绷带下是一条很深的刀伤，已经发炎了，周围都又红又肿。“哦，可怜的杜鲁普金，”露茜说，“这伤口好可怕。”说着她从手中的小瓶里小心翼翼地倒出一滴神水，滴在伤口上。
“哎，嗯？你刚才做了什么啊？”杜鲁普金说着转过头来，却不由大吃一惊，“咦，我的伤口怎么不见了？”他摆动着小胡子到处看来看去，还仔仔细细把胳膊摸了一遍。最后，他舒展着胳膊活动了一下肌肉，跳起来大喊道，“神啊！我身上的伤口好啦！我的胳膊现在跟没受伤一样！”接着他又大笑着说，“啊，我怎么这么笨！你们都别跟我一般见识，我向各位陛下致敬……虽然这敬意微不足道。非常感谢你们救了我，治好了我的伤，用丰盛的早餐款待我……还有给我‘上了一课’。”
四个孩子都说，这只是小事，不值一提。
“那么现在，”彼得说，“你应该已经相信我们了。”
“当然。”小矮人说。
“我们必须马上启程，好尽快与凯斯宾国王会合。”
“而且越快越好，”杜鲁普金说，“我真是个傻瓜，已经耽误了将近一个钟头的时间。”
“如果沿你的来路过去，大概要两天时间，”彼得说，“但我们无法像你们小矮人那样日夜兼程。”说着他转向其他人，“杜鲁普金说的阿斯兰堡垒应该就是那个大石桌。你们应该还记得，从那儿往下走，到柏卢纳渡口只要半天就够了。”
“我们把那儿叫做柏卢纳大桥。”杜鲁普金说。
“在我们时代，那儿还没有桥，”彼得说，“那时从柏卢纳到这儿需要一天，通常我们都是在第二天吃晚饭时到家的。如果走得快一点，一天半应该可以赶到那儿。”
“可现在到处都是森林，”杜鲁普金提醒说，“而且还有敌人在那儿呢。”
“我想问，”爱德蒙开口道，“我们只能走这位小朋友来时走的那条路吗?”
“陛下别再叫我小朋友啦，留点面子给我吧。”小矮人说。
“好吧，”爱德蒙说，“那我能管你叫我们的小不点吗？”
“喂，爱德蒙，”苏珊说，“干吗总是对人家不依不饶的。”
“没关系的，小姑娘……哦，我是说女王陛下。”杜鲁普金笑着说，“这只是在开玩笑，没关系的。”(从那以后，他们就亲切地叫他小不点了，以致于到后来，这个称呼的真正含义倒是几乎被忘掉了。)
“我刚才是要说，”爱德蒙继续说，“咱们不用走那儿，只要乘船向南经过清水溪，然后逆流而上，就可以直达大石桌的后山。我觉得我们走水路会比较安全。如果我们马上出发，在天黑之前就可以赶到清水溪的入口处，然后休息几个小时，明天一大早就可以见到凯斯宾了。”
“真了不起啊！你知道那么多关于海岸的事。”杜鲁普金说，“我们还对清水溪这一路一无所知呢。”
“还有，食物问题又怎么解决？”苏珊问。
“噢，我们还有苹果，”露茜说，“快点走吧，都过了两天了，我们还什么事儿都没做呢。”
“不管怎样，谁也别再用我的帽子当篮子了。”爱德蒙说。
于是，他们把雨衣改成了一个袋子，装了很多苹果，又到井边喝足了水，因为在到达清水溪之前，很可能没有淡水。然后，他们上了小船，望着将要离开的凯尔帕拉维尔城堡，孩子们的心里不禁怅然。虽然那儿已是一片废墟，可还是像他们的第二故乡一样亲切。
“小不点a，最好由你来掌舵，”彼得说，“我和爱德蒙划桨。虽然路不远，咱们最好还是脱掉身上的锁子甲，不然划不了多久就会热得受不了。你们两个女孩子，就坐在船头，给小不点指示方向吧，他还不知道方向呢。你们最好让船直接驶进大海里，绕开这座岛。”
很快，他们把这座森林覆盖的绿色小岛远远抛在了后面，小船在海浪中颠簸着。周围的海域愈发辽阔了起来，向远处眺望那蓝蓝的海水望不着边际。近处有小船荡起的碧波，浪花在船边上翻滚。空气里是海水微涩的咸味。海上非常寂静，只有海水撞击船舷、船桨拍打水面的哗哗声和船桨发出的嘎吱声。天气更热了。
露茜和苏珊开心地坐在船头。她们弯下身把手伸在到船边，想要玩玩海水，可总是够不到。不过她们可以清楚地看见海底月白色的沙子，是那么地纯净。当然，偶尔还能看到一片片紫红色的海藻。
“好像时光倒流的感觉呢，”露茜说，“还记得我们航行到特里宾西亚……还有卡尔马……还有七群岛……还有孤独群岛的时光吗？”
“当然记得，”苏珊应道，“还有我们的‘辉煌海尔兰号’，
那船头镶有天鹅头雕塑，雕刻出来的天鹅翅膀一直伸到船的中部。”
“有绸子做的帆船尾还有个巨大的灯笼？”
“还有摆在甲板上的盛宴和那些乐师。”
“你们记不记得，有位乐师还爬到船帆的缆绳上去吹笛子？那声音简直就像天籁。”
他们边走边回忆，当苏珊去接爱德蒙的班划桨的时候，他们已经过了一大半路程。海岸越来越近了，他们记得当年的这里还只是一片开阔地，很多人在此聚会。现在却杂草丛生无比荒凉，让人颇为感慨。
“呼！这活儿还真是累人。”彼得说。
“那让我来替你一会儿吧？”露茜说。
“不行，你划不动。”彼得的话很简短，并不是因为发火，而是累得没力气说话了。

第九章 露茜发现了什么
绕过最后一个海角，逆流而上的时候，苏珊和两个男孩都已经疲惫不堪了。由于海水反光刺眼，露茜感到有些头疼。甚至连杜鲁普金都觉得疲惫不堪，希望快些结束这次航行。他一直坐在船尾为人类而不是小矮人准备的座位上，所以他的两只脚只能悬在那里，碰不到船板。每个人都知道那样坐着即使是仅仅十分钟也是那么地不舒服。而且随着大家越来越疲惫，他们的情绪也渐渐低落下去。起初，他们只是思考如何快点找到凯斯宾，现在他们开始怀疑，当他们找到他的时候，就凭这么几个小不点儿的小矮人和森林里的动物，他们可以怎么去打败一支成年人组成的军队。
当他们缓慢地划过清水溪的时候，天已经暗了——随着海岸一点点靠近，夜色也越来越重，河岸上伸出来的树枝几乎要碰到他们的头。海浪声渐渐消失，这里安静极了，安静到可以听见潺潺的小溪从森林里汇入清水溪的声音。
他们终于上岸了。大家都没有力气去捡柴和打猎了，他们宁愿再吃一顿苹果作为晚饭（尽管大多数人都感到他们再也不想看到苹果了）。在他们静静地嚼了一会苹果之后，他们所有人便挤作一团，躺在四棵高大的栎树下面那层厚厚的枯叶上。
除了露茜以外，其他人立刻睡着了。露茜还不怎么累，她发现很难找到舒服的姿势入睡。而且，直到现在她才想起，小矮人睡觉都会打鼾。她知道，在这种情况下要入睡，最好的方法之一就是不要逼迫自己入睡，于是她干脆睁着眼睛。
通过树枝间的空隙，她刚好可以看见河里的一泓清水和上面的天空。这是过了那长时间之后她再次看到纳尼亚的明亮星空，回想起往事让她心里很激动。相对我们这个世界的星空来说，她还是比较熟悉纳尼亚的星空。因为作为纳尼亚的女王她比任何一个英国的女孩更晚入睡。此时，从她躺着的地方看过去，至少可以看到夏季星座中的三个：大船星座、铁锤星座和豹子星座。“亲爱的老豹子。”她喃喃地对自己说道。
这样一来，她不但没有更有睡意，反而变得更精神了——那是一种古怪的、只有属于夜晚的、如同梦幻一般的情绪。海湾变得更加明亮，尽管她看不到月亮，但是她知道月亮已经升到海湾之上了。然后她感到整个森林都像她自己一样醒了过来。不知道出于什么样的原因，她迅速站起身悄无声息地离开了宿营地。
“这儿多么美好啊。” 露茜对自己说道。夜晚的空气凉爽、新鲜，到处都散发着美妙的花香。
她听到不远处有一只夜莺开始歌唱，时唱时停。前面光线更明亮一些，露茜朝着光走过去，来到一个树木很少的地方。这里月光与树木的阴影交错，让她很难确定自己是在什么地方，周围的景物到底是什么。这时有只夜莺终于对自己的调子感到满意了，开始欢快地歌唱。
露茜的眼睛开始适应了这里的光线，她看得到身边最近的树。她的心里满是对旧时光的怀念。那时，纳尼亚的树木还会说话。她深信只要自己能够唤醒它们，这里每一棵树都能够说话，而且能化作人形。她看向那棵银桦，它应该有柔美的,温润的嗓子，化作人形则应该是一位苗条的女孩，棕色的长发披散着，而且舞姿优美。她又看向那棵老橡树，它该是一位干瘪的但是精神饱满的老人，他脸上有着卷曲的胡须，由于上了年纪，手上的青筋鼓起。她看向站在她身边的这棵山毛榉，啊！她是所有树木中最好的。它应该是一位高尚的女神，安详而庄严是森林中的淑女。
“嗨，树们，树们，树们，”露茜说道（尽管她根本没有打算说出声来），“哦，树们，醒醒，醒醒，快醒醒。你们不记得了吗？你们不记得我了吗？森林女神和树神们啊，出来吧，到我这里来吧。”
尽管树林里没有风吹过，那些树却都在她身旁一齐摆动起来，树叶沙沙的响声就好像说话的声音。那只夜莺这时停止歌唱，就好像在侧耳倾听树的声音。
露茜觉得她随时可能听懂树木要说的话，但是那个时刻还是没有到来。沙沙的响声逐渐消失，夜莺重新开始了它的歌唱。在月光之下，树林再一次看起来更加寻常了。然而露茜有种感觉，她刚刚错过了什么（就好像你有时候觉得自己试图去记起一个名字或一个日期，几乎就要想起来了，但是在你真的完全想起来之前它又消失了），就好像她对树说话的时机太早或者太晚，要不就是说漏了一个字或是说错了一个字。
突然，她开始觉得疲惫。她走回营地，舒服地依靠在苏珊和彼得当中，没几分钟便进入了梦乡。
第二天早上空气很冷，大家一觉醒来都感到无精打采。森林里看起来灰蒙蒙又阴沉沉的(因为这时太阳还没升起)，周围一切都是潮湿和脏乱不堪的。
“苹果，啊……哈！”杜鲁普金悲伤地说着，“我说你们几位古代的国王和女王，再也不要给你们的大臣吃这么多苹果了！”
他们站起身摆动着身体，让自己清醒，然后向四周打量。这里树林茂密，无论朝任何一个方向望去，都只能望到不远的地方。
“我觉得陛下们一定认识路吧？”小矮人问。
“我不认识，”苏珊说，“我从来没见过这些树木。事实上，我一直在想，我们应该顺流而上才对。”
“那么你应该一早就这么说。”因为心情不好，彼得的话有些严厉。
“好了，别听她的，”爱德蒙说，“她总是让人扫兴。彼得，你带了那个袖珍指南针了，对吧？好，这样我们就一帆风顺了。我们只要保持一直朝西北方向走，穿过那条小河，你们怎么叫它来着，拉什河？”
“我知道，”彼得说，“那条小河在柏卢纳渡口汇入大河，也就是小不点说的柏卢纳大桥那儿。”
“对，我们过了桥，然后沿着山往上爬，就能在八九点钟到达石桌，也就是阿斯兰的堡垒。我希望凯斯宾国王会用一顿丰盛的早餐来款待我们！”
“我希望你说的是对的，”苏珊说，“我一点都记不起来了。”
“女孩子这个最差了，”爱德蒙对彼得和小矮人说，“她们的脑袋从来都不装地图。”
“那是我们脑子里装的是别的事情。”露茜说道。
起初，一切似乎都非常顺利，他们甚至认为自己以前走过这条路。可是假如他们知道一些关于森林的常识，就会知道走在森林里的人们总是会被自己想象出来的道路所迷惑。路在五分钟之后消失了，然后你认为自己已经找到了另一条，心里还希望这不是另一条，而是同一条路，然后它也消失了。你最后将意识到，原来脚下根本就没有任何路。幸亏两个男孩子和那小矮人都很熟悉森林，所以也没有绕多少弯路。
他们吃力地走了大概半个钟头。他们中的三个人都由于昨天划船，直到现在还浑身酸痛。当杜鲁普金突然悄声说道，“停。”大家全都停下了。“有个东西在跟着我们，”他用低低的声音说道，“它一直跟在我们身后——就在左边。”他们所有人都一动不动，仔细倾听并一直盯着那个方向，直到他们的耳朵和眼睛都感到酸痛了。“你和我最好先把箭上弦。”苏珊对杜鲁普金说。小矮人点点头，表示赞成。当两张弓都箭在弦上之后，队伍再次开始前进。
在一片相当开阔的林子里，他们保持警觉地走了几十米。然后他们来到一个灌木茂密的地方，并且不得不经过那里。就在他们穿过灌木丛的时候，突然间伴随着一声呼啸，一只野兽像闪电一样从灌木后面猛扑过来。露茜被扑倒在地上，打了几个滚。在跌倒的同时，她听见“嗒”的一声弓弦响。当她再次恢复知觉的时候，她看到一只面目可憎的大灰熊，躺在地上死了。杜鲁普金的箭插在熊的脑袋里。
“在这场射箭比赛中，你输给了小不点，苏珊。”彼得勉强地笑了一下说道。就连他也被这次险情吓到了。
“我……我箭放得太慢了，”苏珊尴尬地说道，“我生怕那会是一只……你们知道——那种有灵性的熊，一只会讲话的熊。”她从来都讨厌杀生。
“这就是麻烦所在。”杜鲁普金说，“有些纳尼亚的后代至今仍活在世上，而大部分的哑巴动物都投敌了，要分辨出来不容易。”
“可怜的熊，”苏珊说，“你认为它会是老布鲁恩吗？”
“不是他，”小矮人说，“我看清了那张脸，也听到了那声咆哮，它只是想把这小姑娘当作它的早餐。提到早餐，刚才你说你希望凯斯宾国王能用一顿丰盛的早餐款待你们，我真不想扫你们的兴，但是营地里肉非常稀缺，能吃上熊肉倒是不错。如果我们将熊尸体扔在这里，不带上一点熊肉是很可惜的，而且这最多耽误我们半个钟头。我敢说你们两个年轻人……对不起，我该说国王陛下——该知道怎么给熊剥皮的吧？”
“我们应该找个地方坐会儿，”苏珊对露茜说，“我知道那活儿很恶心。”露茜打了个哆嗦并且点头同意了。当她们坐下来的时候，露茜说，“苏珊，我脑子里闪过一个多么可怕的念头。”
“什么念头？”
“如果有一天在我们自己的世界里，有人野蛮地向你冲过来，就像这里的野兽一样；可长相却仍然是人，你也搞不清他是人是兽，是敌是友，那不是糟透了吗？”
“我们在纳尼亚遇到的烦恼足够多了，”苏珊现实地说，“你就不要在再幻想这样的事情了。”
当她们重新回到男孩们和小矮人的身边时，最好的熊肉已经被割下来了。要把生肉装入口袋很不容易，但是他们用新鲜叶子仔细地把肉包好了。经验告诉他们，在一番长途跋涉而肚子真的饿了的时候，这些又湿又软、令人恶心的小肉包裹会有大用处的。
他们再次艰难地跋涉着。他们在经过的第一条小溪边，停下来，将沾满熊血的双手洗干净，太阳升起来了，小鸟开始歌唱，嗡嗡作响的苍蝇从植物中蜂拥出来。昨天划船引起的浑身酸痛开始消失了，每个人的情绪又高涨了起来。太阳变得越来越热，他们将盔甲脱了下来拿在手上。
“我们走的方向是对的吧？”一个小时之后爱德蒙问道。
“我看不会错，只要我们没有偏离左边太多，”彼得说，“如果咱们靠右走得太多，最坏的情况就是多浪费一点时间太靠近河我们就抄不了近路了。”
他们就这么走着，除了脚步声就和锁子甲摩擦的叮当声就没有任何其他声音了。
“那该死的河口在哪儿？”过了老半天，爱德蒙终于忍不住了。
“我刚才就觉得我们该到了，”彼得说，“可现在除了继续向前走，没有什么可以做的。”
他俩都发觉那小矮人正焦虑地望着他们，但是他没有再说什么。
他们仍然不停地走啊走，感觉盔甲越来越重了，也越来越热。
“究竟是怎么回事？”彼得突然说道。
他们不知不觉中已经来到一个悬崖的边上，从这儿往下看是一条峡谷，谷底有一条河流，对面的峭壁更高。队伍里除了爱德蒙以外，没有谁懂攀岩。也许杜鲁普金也会。
“抱歉，”彼得说，“走这条路是我的错误。我们迷路了，我以前从来没有到过这个地方。”
小矮人轻轻吹了声口哨。
“噢，咱们退回去走另一条路吧，”苏珊说，“我老早就知道在这些树林里我们会迷路的。”
“苏珊！”露茜责备地看了她一眼说道，“别这样跟彼得唠叨，这可不好，而且他已经尽力了。”
“你也别这样严厉地和苏珊说话，”爱德蒙说，“我想她的话是对的。”
“啧啧！”杜鲁普金大声嚷道，“我们如果迷了路，怎样才能找到路回去呢？更何况，就算我们又回到岛上，一切从头开始我们可能将什么事都给耽误啦。在我们到达那里之前，弥若兹可能已经把凯斯宾打垮了。”
“你认为我们应该继续往前走吗？”露茜问。
“我不知道至尊王是不是真的迷路了，”杜鲁普金说，“怎么能确定这条河就不是我们要找的河呢？”
“因为那条河不在峡谷里。”彼得按捺住了他的脾气说道。
“陛下说的是，”小矮人回答说，“是不是应该说过去不是这样的？你所熟悉的是几百年甚至几千年以前的纳尼亚。它难道不可能发生了改变吗？一次大塌方就可能把半边山削去，留下光秃秃的岩石，形成峡谷那边的峭壁。然后年复一年，湍急的河流不断地冲刷河槽，让这一面又成为我们脚下的悬崖。要不就是这里可能曾经发生过地震之类的事情。”
“我从来没想过这些。”彼得说。
“不管怎么样，”杜鲁普金继续说，“就算这不是河口，可它向北流淌，最终肯定会汇入那条大河。我认为我来的路上似乎曾经走过这个地方。所以如果我们朝下游前进，再右拐，我们应该能到那条河了。如果你们能按我说的做，就算结果不如我们希望的好，但也不会糟糕到哪里去。”
“杜鲁普金，你真棒。”彼得说，“那么我们继续走吧，让我们下到峡谷里。”
“看！看！快看！”露茜大喊了起来。
“看哪里？看什么？”大家问道。
“是狮王，”露茜说，“是阿斯兰，你们没看见吗？”她激动得脸都完全变形了，两只眼睛发着光。
“你的意思是……？”彼得说。
“你认为你在哪儿看到他了？”苏珊问。
“不要像大人那样讲话，”露茜跺着脚说，“我不是‘认为’我看到他了，我确实看到了他。”
“在哪里，露茜？”彼得问。
“就在山顶上那些桉树丛里。不，是在峡谷的这一边，而且是在上面，不是下面。和你想去的方向正好相反。它想要我们到它那儿去——到上面。”
“你怎么知道它想要我们去？”爱德蒙问道。
“他……我……就是知道，”露茜说，“通过他的表情就可以看出来。”
大家都迷惑不解，沉默地望着彼此。
“露茜女王陛下看到的那一头狮子可能是真的，”杜鲁普金插嘴说，“树林里当然有狮子，这我太了解了。但它不一定是一头友好的、会说话的狮子，就像刚才那头熊一样。”
“噢，不要犯傻了，”露茜说，“你以为我会认不出阿斯兰吗？”
“它现在该是头老狮子了，”杜鲁普金说，“如果它是你们以前认识的那位老相识！再说，如果是同一只狮子，这么多年之后，谁能阻止它不像其他的动物一样变野蛮或者愚蠢呢？”
露茜的脸胀得通红，如果不是彼得把一只手放在她肩膀上，她已经扑向杜鲁普金了。“小不点是不明白的，他怎么能知道呢？你记住杜鲁普金，我们才真正了解阿斯兰，而且我的意思是，不只是了解一点。你不能再那样说他了。这样不好，而且都是些废话。现在唯一的问题是要搞清楚阿斯兰是否真的在那里。”
“但是我知道他就在那儿。”露茜说，她的眼睛充满了泪水。
“是的，露茜。可是我们没有看见，只有你看见了。”彼得说。
“除了表决，我们没有其他方法了。”爱德蒙说。
“行，”彼得回答道，“你年纪最大，小不点，你投谁一票？往上还是往下？”
“往下，”小矮人说，“我对阿斯兰一无所知，但是我确实知道如果咱们向左拐，再顺着峡谷往上走，那可能得花费整整一天才能找到一个可以过河的地方；可是如果我们往右拐，然后往下游去，肯定能在大约两个小时之内到达大河。而且，如果附近真的有狮子的话，我想要避开它们都来不及。”
“你怎么看，苏珊？”
“你不要生气，露茜，”苏珊说，“我确实认为我们应该朝下游走，我累得要死，我们要赶快离开这片可恶的森林，尽快到露天的空地去。而且，除了你一个人之外，我们大家谁都没看见任何东西。”
“爱德蒙呢？”彼得说。
“好吧，我是这么看的，”爱德蒙脸色微微发红，很快地说道“一年以前，我们第一次发现纳尼亚的时候——也许是一千年以前，这个先不去管——是露茜首先发现了它，而我们中没有人相信她。我的表现是最糟的，这我很清楚。最后事实证明她是对的，这一次我要支持她，才算是公平的。我投票赞成向上游走。”
“噢，爱德蒙！”露茜紧紧抓住他的手。
“现在轮到你了，彼得，”苏珊说，“我真希望……”
“嗨，闭嘴！闭嘴！让我自己决定，”彼得打断了她的话，“我想我最好不参加投票。”
“可你是至尊王。”杜鲁普金严厉地提醒道。
“向下。”沉思一会儿，彼得终于说，“我知道露茜可能最终还是对的，但是——我没有别的办法，两条路我们只能选择一条。”
就这样，他们沿着右边的悬崖朝下游出发。露茜伤心地哭着，走在队伍的最后面。

第十章 狮王归来
走在悬崖边并不容易。他们刚走一会儿，就碰到了茂密的冷杉树林，他们只好弯下腰钻过枝叶，缓慢地前行。他们很快意识到，照这个进度一个小时也走不了半里路。于是他们只好原路返回,想从别处绕过去。他们向右走了很远，直到没有峭壁也没有水声了。他们开始怀疑是不是走错路了，也不知道是几点，只感觉是一天中温度最高的时候。
最后他们终于又走到峡谷边缘（大约在他们出发地往下一英里的地方），下面的峭壁塌裂得很严重。很快，他们找到了通往下游的路，于是沿河前行。休息的时候，大家在河边喝了个饱。再也没有人说要和凯斯宾共进早餐或者晚餐了。
他们不上山而且沿着河水走，也许也是明智的。因为这样至少能确保他们走的方向是对的：他们一直害怕走得太远，在森林里迷路。这是一片幽深的树林，里面根本没有一条直路。他们在大片的荆棘、倒下的大树、沼泽、以及茂密的低矮丛林里绕了不少路。这里非常凶险，何况他们还急着赶路。如果是郊游，这里作为野餐和休息的地方，还是非常不错的。
这里的风景真是美不胜收——倾泻而下的大瀑布、银色的小瀑布、琥珀色的深潭、爬满青苔的石头，蕨类植物和珠宝色的蜻蜓，还有一脚下去就陷到脚踝的沼泽地。周围长满各种蕨类植物和宝石般的蜻蜓。天空偶尔飞过一只鹰，彼得和杜鲁普金觉得应该是一只雄鹰。不过，他们此时希望能快点赶到前面的河口和柏卢纳滩，那是去阿斯兰堡垒的必经之地。
接下来的路越走越坎坷，他们走得越来越慢——有时还要在光滑的岩石上攀爬，下面是看不见底的深渊，而且水流湍急。
他们就这样一边看着脚下的悬崖，一边留意着可以下脚的地方。走在这样难行的路上，实在让人恼火，可是只能咬着牙、狠下心往前走。他们确信只要走出峡谷，再过一个山坡就能到凯斯宾的营地了。
男孩子们和小矮人都说应该找个地方点一堆火，烤点熊肉吃。苏珊却不赞成，她坚持说“一直走，一直走，一定要走出这可恶的地方”。露茜这时已经累得什么想法都没有了。其实，走了那么远根本没有看到任何可以作柴火的东西，所以想法再好也没用。两个男孩子饿得快不行了，他们开始想生肉没准并没有别人说的那么难吃。但杜鲁普金掐灭了他们这个想法。
毫无疑问如果是在英国这样走几天，他们早累趴下了。前面我已经讲过纳尼亚是怎样改变他们的。就拿露茜来说，现在尽显女王气质，不再像一个第一次去寄宿学校的小女孩。
“总算出来了！”苏珊叹了口气。
“噢，太好了！”彼得说。
河道在峡谷的尽头转了个弯。在崖顶下面是另一个天地：一马平川的草原在远处和天空连成一体。河流像一条银色的缎带一样从草原中间穿行，以前那里是柏卢纳渡口其中一道宽却浅的河道，现在他们一眼就分辨了出来，那里唯一的改变是多了一座孔桥，桥的尽头是一个村落。
“我的天，”爱德蒙说，“就在这里，我们胜了柏卢纳战役！”
男孩子喜欢以此为荣耀。每当回想到以前赢得辉煌胜利的战场，而那儿在几百年前还是自己的王国，自豪之感油然而生，并且斗志昂扬非常神气。彼得和爱德蒙津津乐道地谈起那场战役，顿时就不觉得艰辛和劳累了，也不觉得身上盔甲的沉重。小矮人听得入了迷，露出一脸的钦佩和向往。
稍稍休息之后，他们加快了步伐。路途变得更轻松了，虽然左边还有峭壁悬崖，但到了峡谷，右边的平地逐渐开阔起来，道路好走了些，峡谷变成了河谷，瀑布也少了，他们又进入了一片茂密的灌木丛。
然后……“嗖……”地他们头顶飞过什么东西，像啄木鸟在啄树干似的。孩子们想着这种奇怪的声音好像在什么地方听过，突然听到杜鲁普金喊了一声“趴下！”离他最近的露茜就被他按倒在树丛里。彼得本想看看是不是松鼠，没想到刚一抬头，一支利箭刚好掠过他的头顶扎进树干。他赶紧拉了苏珊一把，让她也趴下。才刚趴下另一支箭就擦着他的肩射了过来，扎在旁边的泥土里。
“快！快！往后退！趴到地上！”杜鲁普金喘着气说。
他们掉过头穿过灌木丛，伴着苍蝇的嗡嗡声往山上爬去。无情的利箭包围着他们，又一支箭射过来，射在苏珊的头盔上，还碰撞出了一点火星。他们快速攀爬，不一会儿就满头大汗，上气不接下气。之后，他们索性弯着身子跑起来。男孩子断后，剑出鞘，做好准备随时和追上来的敌人厮杀。
这一路走得太艰难了他们顺着刚才走全是陡坡的路。大家都累得跑不动了，只好一下子瘫在瀑布旁边的大石头上，气喘吁吁的。等他们恢复过来望望四周，才发现已经爬得很高了，自己都非常吃惊。
他们听了半天，没有任何动静。
“终于没事了，”杜鲁普金呼了一口气，“他们没有在森林里搜索，我看只是几个哨兵。这说明弥若兹在那里有一个哨所，这应该是最近才有的事，可恶！”
“对不起，我带大家走了这样的路。”彼得说。
“陛下，说反了，”小矮人说，“不是你，是你弟弟，爱德蒙国王。是他建议我们沿着清水溪走的。”
“小不点是对的。”爱德蒙说。之前从迷路时起他就把这一点忘了，现在才想起来。
“回头想想，”杜鲁普金接着说，“如果走我选的那条路，没准会走进敌人的哨所，或者我们如果想绕开，也会遇到这情况。其实我想，我们选择的应该是一条最安全的路。”
“塞翁失马，焉知非福。”苏珊说。
“未必吧。”爱德蒙说。
“我想我们要顺着峡谷返回往上游走了。”露茜说。
“露茜，你真棒！”彼得说，“其实你这回可以批评我们之前没有听你的建议。我们马上出发，去上游。”
“等我们到了森林，”杜鲁普金说，“不管怎么样，我都要做饭。但是，这会儿我们必须先离开这儿。”
先不说返回途中遭了多少罪，但奇怪的是大家的情绪却高涨起来，浑身都是劲儿。“马上就可以填饱肚子了”大家恢复了精力，这个望梅止渴的想法，作用还是不小的。
大家又回到那片即使在白天也让他们感到麻烦的那片杉树林，他们找到一块高地，打算在此露宿。拣柴虽然无趣，可是想想熊熊燃烧的篝火就令人兴奋。他们开始动手料理那些油乎乎的生熊肉。对那些衣食无忧的人们来说，这样的确实让人感到恶心。小矮人擅长烹饪，他们把苹果切成块，然后拿肉当皮像包饺子一样把苹果裹起来，插在树枝上烤着吃，只是有点厚。苹果汁渗到熊肉里，吃的时候就像蘸了苹果酱一样。
熊如果吃太多肉维生，肉就会有很多纤维，而且不好吃。但是吃蜂蜜和水果长大的熊的肉却鲜嫩可口，味道好极了，他们的熊肉就是好吃的那种。这是一顿精致的晚餐，而且不用洗碗。每个人吃饱了就各自找个舒服的地方靠在树上，伸出累得麻木的双腿随便聊了起来。望着杜鲁普金的烟斗里冒出丝丝缕缕的白烟，大家心里都充满希望明天就能找到凯斯宾国王，而且还能打败弥若兹。虽不知道这是哪来的信心，但大家都有同感。
他们很快就睡熟了。
露茜从熟睡中惊醒，她好像听到了一个非常温和声音叫她的名字，你可以想象一下。她起初以为是爸爸，又不像。然后觉得是彼得，再听好像也不是，然后她就不想猜了。并不是因为她太累了——正好相反，她休息得很好，白天腰酸背痛的感觉也没有了，这会儿她感觉非常舒服以至于不想起来。他们露宿的地方很宽敞，抬头能看到比我们世界的月亮大得多的纳尼亚的月亮，夜空星罗棋布，非常静谧。
“露茜。”那声音又来了，确定不是爸爸的声音，也不是彼得哥哥的。她坐了起来，激动得有些发抖，但不感到害怕。月光把周围照得像白天一样，尽管看上去有些荒凉。后面是杉树林右边的峡谷旁是悬崖峭壁，在大约二十米开外的正前方，露茜盯着树林的一片草地上。
“哎哟，它们真的是在动，”她一个人嘟囔，“像走路一样。”
她站起来走过去，心怦怦地跳个不停。那片空地的确有东西在动，那时候没有风，树叶却在沙沙地响。一般情况下，树林是没有这种响声的。露茜听到沙沙声响起的时候，还响起一种旋律，可她听不清楚那旋律，就像她前天晚上也听不清它们的窃窃私语一样。只听出一些节奏，再走近一点，她开始感觉自己情不自禁要跳起来了。这时她确定那些树真的在动。枝叶往来交错，像一支复杂的民族舞。“我感觉，”露茜心想，“树跳起舞来的时候，确实像是民族舞，而且是非常、非常原始的民族舞。”现在，她已经身处它们之中了，就像是其中的一分子。
她第一眼看到的树像是有凌乱的胡子和头发蓬松的巨人一样。她不但不觉得恐怖，因为她以前遇到过这种情况。她看不到它的脚或者说树根，只看到它笨拙地扭动着身子，就像蹚水一样在泥土里走来走去。别的树也是这样。它们像被施了魔法一样，一会儿是人，一会儿是树。变成树的时候，看起来像人；变成人的时候，又觉得它像树。不管怎样，都能听到那种清晰而明快的奇怪节奏和颯颯声。
“它们应该是要苏醒了吧。”露茜说。她知道自己这时候非常清醒，比任何任何时候都清醒。
她一点都不害怕，走到他们身边。她一边走一边跳，以免被大树碰到。露茜并没有打算跟它们一起跳，她只是想穿过去到别的地方去。因为那个亲切的声音，一直呼唤她的那个声音，分明是从树林那边传来。
她很快就从它们中走了出来。不知道她是推开了那些树枝，还是用手握住了那些会跳舞的树的手，反正从那些令人眩晕的光影中走出来了。
一片整齐得像被修剪过的草坪映入眼帘，周围的树颜色很深它们仍然在跳舞。然后，啊，她愉快地叫了一声。威风凛凛的狮王就站在那儿。月光下，他的鬃毛闪闪发亮，地上的影子被拉得很长。
如果他的尾巴没有动那么一动，你肯定不相信他是一只有血有肉活生生的狮子。露茜毫不犹豫地跑过去。她没有去想，那究竟是阿斯兰还是一只凶残、食人的狮子。她的心简直要从胸腔里跳出来了。后来她记得她搂住了阿斯兰的脖子，喊他的名字，亲他，吻他，把脸埋进他那柔软、美丽，像缎子一样光滑的鬃毛里。
“阿斯兰，阿斯兰，亲爱的阿斯兰，”露茜哽咽道，“总算见到你了。”
狮王侧身躺下，露茜也俯身靠着他两条前腿。阿斯兰把头伸向露茜，轻轻舔了舔她的小鼻子，她感觉全身都传来他温暖的气息。她仰起头，凝望着全是智慧的大脑袋里。
“欢迎你，孩子。”他说。
“阿斯兰，”露茜说，“你变大了。”
“是你长大了，小朋友。”他回答道。
“不是因为你个头变大了吗？”
“没有。可是随着你慢慢长大，你会觉得我也越来越大。”
露茜乐得说不出话，还是阿斯兰先开口。
“露茜，”他说，“这里不能久待，我们还有很多事没做。现在已经浪费了很多时间了。”
“是的，他们不应该感到惭愧吗？”露茜说，“我看到你示意我们去山顶上，我的话他们根本都不听，他们总是那么……”
阿斯兰发出一声低吼，似乎带着责备。
“抱歉，”露茜很快意识到他的情绪，然后说，“我不想在背后说别人的坏话，但那不是我的错，是吧？”
      
 
狮王看着她的眼睛。
“噢，阿斯兰，”露茜说，“你认为是我的错吗？我不能……我不能抛弃他们，一个人上山找你，我怎么能呢？不要那样看着我……噢，好吧我能那么做，如果我能和你在一起，我不会孤单，可有什么用呢？”
阿斯兰沉默不语。
“你认为，”露茜的声音变得低了，“那样就会好一点吗？请告诉我，阿斯兰！那样会怎么样？”
“想知道可能发生却没发生的事，是吗，孩子？”阿斯兰说道，“不，没有人能知道。”
“哦，亲爱的。”露茜说。
“对将会发生的事，每个人想法都不同。”阿斯兰说，“如果你现在回到朋友们的身边，把他们叫醒说你又看到了我，然后跟我走——会发生什么？这是唯一能弄清楚的方法。”
“你是说我现在去做这些吗？”露茜很惊讶。
“嗯，小朋友。”阿斯兰说。
“我让他们来见你？”露茜问道。
“不着急，”阿斯兰说，“等一会儿，现在还不是时候。”
“他们不会相信我的！”露茜说。
“别担心。”阿斯兰说。
“噢，亲爱的，噢，亲爱的狮王。”露茜说，“很高兴又见到你，我以为你会让我站在你旁边。然后你咆哮一声，把敌人吓跑，就像上次一样。可是现在我感到恐惧。”
“对你而言这确实不容易，小朋友，”阿斯兰说，“可一件事情不会发生两次。之前我们在纳尼亚经历得比较苦。”
露茜把脸埋进狮王的鬃毛里，不看他的脸。他的鬃毛好像有魔法一样，她感受到阿斯兰身上的力量正传到自己身上，她突然坐起来。
“对不起，阿斯兰，”她说，“现在我准备好了。”
“现在，你像狮子一样勇敢了，”阿斯兰说，“纳尼亚马上就要苏醒了。快点，我们没有时间了。”
他站起来，迈开雄壮有力的步子，不声不响地走进会跳舞的树林。露茜跟在他旁边。大树留出一条路，而且有那么一会儿，那些树完全现出人的样子。露茜看见了高个子的，颤抖的手搭在他的鬃毛上树精和仙女。它们都向阿斯兰鞠躬、表达敬意。一转眼它们都变成了树，树枝和树干优雅地摆动，保持着鞠躬的姿势。它们的行礼简直就像在跳舞。
“那么，孩子，”他们走过树林后，阿斯兰说，“我在这儿等你，你去叫他们，然后跟我一起走。就算他们不来，你也要跟着我。”
把他们从梦中叫醒确实不是易事，何况他们都比你大，而且都累坏了。更要命的是，你是要告诉他们一些可能他们不信的话，要让他们做一件他们肯定不情愿做的事。“不能想这么多，我一定要把事情做好。”露茜心想。
她先走到彼得身边，摇他的肩膀。“彼得，”她趴到他耳边，“醒醒，快。阿斯兰来了。他让我们跟他一起离开。”
“好的，露茜，马上走。”彼得很爽快，太出乎意料了，这让露茜精神大振。可是没想到彼得翻了个身又睡了。真是白费力气。
然后她去喊苏珊。苏珊是醒了，只不过她用那令人讨厌的成年人腔调说，“你又在说梦话了，露茜接着睡吧。”
露茜没办法，只好去摇爱德蒙。真是不好叫醒，不过叫了他之后，他竟然真的醒了，还坐了起来。
狮王看着她的眼睛。
“噢，阿斯兰，”露茜说，“你认为是我的错吗？我不能……我不能抛弃他们，一个人上山找你，我怎么能呢？不要那样看着我……噢，好吧我能那么做，如果我能和你在一起，我不会孤单，可有什么用呢？”
阿斯兰沉默不语。
“你认为，”露茜的声音变得低了，“那样就会好一点吗？请告诉我，阿斯兰！那样会怎么样？”
“想知道可能发生却没发生的事，是吗，孩子？”阿斯兰说道，“不，没有人能知道。”
“哦，亲爱的。”露茜说。
“对将会发生的事，每个人想法都不同。”阿斯兰说，“如果你现在回到朋友们的身边，把他们叫醒说你又看到了我，然后跟我走——会发生什么？这是唯一能弄清楚的方法。”
“你是说我现在去做这些吗？”露茜很惊讶。
“嗯，小朋友。”阿斯兰说。
“我让他们来见你？”露茜问道。
“不着急，”阿斯兰说，“等一会儿，现在还不是时候。”
“他们不会相信我的！”露茜说。
“别担心。”阿斯兰说。
“噢，亲爱的，噢，亲爱的狮王。”露茜说，“很高兴又见到你，我以为你会让我站在你旁边。然后你咆哮一声，把敌人吓跑，就像上次一样。可是现在我感到恐惧。”
“对你而言这确实不容易，小朋友，”阿斯兰说，“可一件事情不会发生两次。之前我们在纳尼亚经历得比较苦。”
“嗯？”他生气地问，“你在说什么？”
她又说了一遍。这是她碰到的最难搞定的事。现在对于刚才的事，她自己都开始怀疑有没有那么回事了。
“阿斯兰！”爱德蒙跳了起来，“太好了！在哪儿？”
露茜转身，还是看见阿斯兰在那里等他们。“在那儿。”她用手一指。
“哪儿？”爱德蒙又问。
“那儿，那儿。还没看见？就在树林那边。”
爱德蒙瞅了半天，还是说，“没有，什么也看不到。月亮的光不够亮，你肯定是看花眼了。这很正常。有一会儿好像我也看到了，其实只是错觉而已。”
“我一直都能看到他，”露茜说，“他正看我们呢。”
“为什么我看不到呢？”
“他说你们可能看不到他。”
“为什么？”
“不知道，是他说的。”
“噢，就你事多，”爱德蒙说，“但愿你的脑袋没有坏掉，不过还是把他们都喊醒吧。”

第十一章 狮王的长啸
终于所有人都醒了，露茜第四遍重复她的话。大家沉默了许久，这让她失去了信心。
“我什么都看不见，”彼得看着前方的林子，眼睛都酸了，“你呢，苏珊？”
“没有，当然也没看不见。”苏珊有些不耐烦，“本来就什么都没有，她在说梦话。睡吧，露茜。”
“我非常希望，”露茜的声音有些发抖，“你们跟我走。因为……因为不管你们走不走，我都要跟他走。”
“别瞎说，露茜，”苏珊说，“不可能，你绝对不能一个人离开。别让她去，彼得，她在胡闹。”
“如果她坚决去，我和她一起，”爱德蒙说，“她之前一直都是对的。”
“我知道，”彼得说，“而且可能今天凌晨她说的话也是对的。但是，从下游的后角不好走出峡谷，何况是夜里，都这个时候了。再说，阿斯兰为什么不让我们看到他？他以前不这样，从来不这样，这不是他的风格。小不点，你说呢？”
“哦，没什么好说的，”小矮人说，“如果都去的话，那我也一起去。如果兵分两路，我就跟随至尊王，这是我应尽的职责。你们别问我个人意见，我只是个没有头脑的小矮人，白天都迷路，更别说晚上了。何况，我根本不喜欢那个无所不能的狮子。会说话却不说话，友好却不来帮我们。我想说的就这么多，都说完了。”
“他在跺脚，叫我们赶紧的。”露茜说，“我们必须马上走。你们不走，我可要自己走了。”
“你不能勉强我们听你的胡话。现在是四比一，而且你最小。”苏珊说。
“哦，快走吧，”爱德蒙有点不耐烦了，“都去吧，在这儿只会不停地争吵。”他心里非常支持露茜，但是因为没睡好所以不太高兴，结果就像跟大家怄气一样。
“那就动身吧。”彼得懒懒地穿上盔甲。如果换个场合，他会安慰安慰或者鼓励一下露茜，因为她毕竟是他的小妹妹。他心里清楚露茜现在一定很伤心，无论事情到底怎样都不是她的错。但是，他还是情不自禁地发火。
苏珊心情糟透了。“如果我学露茜我就赖在这儿不动，你们爱去哪儿去哪儿！你们不知道我多想这么做！”
“女王陛下，请服从至尊王，”杜鲁普金说，“那现在走吧。既然不能睡觉，我也不想说话，快点走吧。”
最后，大家终于出发了。露茜带着所有人走在前面，咬着嘴唇，竭力把责备苏珊的话都咽在肚子里。说来也奇怪只要看到阿斯兰，她就没有了抱怨的情绪，阿斯兰在他们前面三十码开外的地方淡定地带路，他的巨爪像猫爪一样落在地上，没有一点声音。剩下的人跟着露茜，他们看不到阿斯兰也听不到他说话。
他们跟着阿斯兰从会跳舞的树林右边穿过。没人注意那些树是不是还在跳，露茜紧跟着阿斯兰，其他人紧跟着露茜，加上脚下是峡谷，大家都小心翼翼的。“这算怎么回事！”杜鲁普金想道，“希望不要以掉下悬崖、全身摔得粉碎而告终。”
在阿斯兰带领下，他们走到长着一些小树的悬崖边。阿斯兰一拐弯，人就不见了。露茜吓得倒抽一口气，难道要直接跳到悬崖下面？可是她只能跟随阿斯兰，不然更麻烦。容不得多想，她三步并作两步，也消失在树丛中。朝下面一看，下面的路弯弯曲曲通往峡谷底部，阿斯兰正沿着小路往下走，忽然回过身对她会心一笑。露茜拍了拍手，赶紧跟上去。这时候后面有人喊：“露茜！小心，天哪，你走到悬崖边了、赶快回来……”可是又听见爱德蒙说：“不，她没错，这儿有一条路可以下去。”
爱德蒙很快在下山的半路上追上了露茜。
“看！”他大声喊，“看！看我们前面的影子是谁的？”
“是他的。”露茜说。
“我就知道你没错，露茜。“爱德蒙说，“可是之前为什么我就看不见他呢？现在他在哪儿？”
“当然和影子连在一起。你还看不见？”
“好吧，我看到了……只有一会儿。光线不好。”
“继续，爱德蒙国王，继续走。”杜鲁普金催促。然后在靠近崖顶的地方，彼得说：“哦，勇敢点，苏珊。我拉着你。看你，小孩子都能走得过来，你竟然吓成那个样子。”
不一会儿，所有人都到了谷底。河流发出哗哗的声音，阿斯兰在小溪里露出来的大石头上敏捷地跳来跳去，像只猫一样最后在小河中间停下来喝水。他仰起蓬松的头，转过脸看孩子们，脸上还滴着水。
不一会儿，所有人都到了谷底。河流发出哗哗的声音，阿斯兰在小溪里露出来的大石头上敏捷地跳来跳去，像只猫一样最后在小河中间停下来喝水。他仰起蓬松的头，转过脸看孩子们，脸上还滴着水。
这时候，爱德蒙能看见他了。“啊，阿斯兰！”他大叫着扑上去。可阿斯兰一转身，跳到了对岸，向河上游走去。
“彼得，彼得，”爱德蒙喊，“你看见了吗？”
“我看见一点了。”彼得说，“不过在月光下看不清。接着走吧，我现在不怎么累。感谢露茜，幸亏有她。”
阿斯兰毫不犹豫地带他们走向左边上游。大家都有像梦一样的感觉——那奔腾不息的河水、湿漉漉的草地、影影绰绰的峭壁，还有前面一直沉默的狮王。现在除了苏珊和小矮人，所有人都看到阿斯兰了。
很快他们走上另外一条崎岖的小路，面对着远处的山崖。这里比之前的山崖还高，更加坎坷不平。幸运的是月亮高悬在天空中，把周围的山崖照得像白天一样没有阴影。
阿斯兰的尾巴和两条后腿在崖顶不见之后，露茜就没了信心。她费了好大力气，尽力跟在他身后才爬到山顶。她累得两腿发抖，气喘吁吁。他们离开清水溪之后吃尽了苦头，一想到就要到达目的地了，自然是一阵狂喜。一段平缓的山坡长满了石南花和青草丛，月光下，山坡上的石头泛着白光，向前延伸有几百米，尽头是一个山丘长满了绿色的树。露茜知道，那就是石台的所在。
伴着盔甲的叮当声，所有人都到了山顶。阿斯兰带领大家走向山丘，仍然一言不发。
“露茜。”苏珊轻声叫她。
“什么事？”露茜说。
“我现在看见了。对不起，我向你道歉。”
“没关系。”
“其实，我比你想的还糟糕。昨天你第一次说阿斯兰不让我们到下游的时候，我就相信你见到阿斯兰了。今晚你叫我们时，我心里也是相信的。可我想快点离开，而且……而且……噢，我也说不清。现在我见到他了可不知道该怎么对他说了？”
“其实你没必要说。”露茜建议道。
很快他们来到树林，他们看到了阿斯兰的堡垒。在他们统治的那个时代之后，才建在石桌上的。
“我们的人警惕性不行，”小矮人小声说，“这样警戒，早就该被攻下……”
“嘘！”孩子们说。这时阿斯兰停下来转身，望着他们。他的目光让他们既兴奋又害怕。两个男孩先向他走去，然后是露茜，最后是苏珊和小矮人。
“哦，阿斯兰！”彼得走近雄狮单膝跪下，抬起一只狮爪亲吻，然后说，“见到你真高兴。抱歉，我带大家走了很多冤枉路，耽误了很久。特别是从昨天早晨开始。”
“亲爱的孩子，”阿斯兰说道。他转向爱德蒙说，“你很棒。”他沉默了一会，然后用那深沉的声音唤道：“苏珊。”苏珊没有回应，大家都以为她在哭。“你被吓着了吧，孩子。过来，我帮你。”阿斯兰说着，向苏珊吹了一口气。“忘记吧。现在，好点了吗?”
“好点了，阿斯兰。”苏珊回答。
“那么现在！”阿斯兰忽然提高嗓门，用尾巴拍打着自己，“现在，请告诉我，那位小矮人，著名的骑士，不相信阿斯兰的朋友，在哪儿？到这儿来，大地之子，快过来！”他最后几个字像是吼出来的，震人心魄。
“啊，我的天！”杜鲁普金小声颤动着。几个孩子都了解阿斯兰，知道他肯定会非常喜欢杜鲁普金，于是乖乖让到一边，观看接下来将要发生的事情。杜鲁普金此刻心里很不是滋味了。他从来没见过狮王，更没有和狮王待在一起过。不过他并没有被吓跑，而是颤巍巍地一点一点挪向阿斯兰，这才是明智之举。
阿斯兰扑向他，把他咬住，然后翻身一跳。不就像猫妈妈衔着小猫玩耍的场景吗？现在就是这样。杜鲁普金被阿斯兰咬在嘴里，可怜兮兮地缩成一团。阿斯兰头一甩，小矮人的盔甲就叮叮当当作响，非常好听。然后像变魔术一般把小矮人抛了起来。他其实非常安全，不过他的感觉却不是这样了。他落下来时，阿斯兰天鹅绒般柔软的的爪子轻轻地把他接住，像落在母亲的怀抱里一样稳稳地把他头朝上放在地上。
“大地之子，我可以做你的朋友吗？”阿斯兰问。
“可……可……可……可以。”小矮人还大声喘着气，神魂根本没定下来。
“听着，”阿斯兰说，“月亮就要下去了，你们看身后，黎明就要到来。我们没有时间了。你们三个亚当之子和大地之子们，现在马上进入堡垒，看看里面的情况。”
小矮人没有说话，两个男孩也没敢问阿斯兰是不是也一起来。三人抽出宝剑，向阿斯兰行了礼，然后就消失在夜色中。露茜看到他们并无倦意，有的是男子汉一往无前的坚定和勇敢。
两个女孩在阿斯兰身旁目送三人远去。东方的天色发生了变化，阿罗维尔这颗纳尼亚的晨星像月亮一样闪着明亮却柔和的光。此时的阿斯兰尤其威风，他甩着长尾昂起头仰天长啸。
那声音闷而有力像风琴一样从低音奏起，然后声音越来越大，大地也开始颤抖。狮吼从脚下的山丘传到每一个角落，撼动了整个纳尼亚。弥若兹的部下被吓得面如土色，不明所以，过了很久才在慌乱中拿起武器。在这一天中最寒冷的时刻，下游的水仙女仰起头，水神从河水里站了起来。远处的田野和树林里兔子竖起耳朵，小鸟从翅膀下探出头来，猫头鹰在咕叫，狐狸在嗷叫，刺猬在咕噜，树森在骚动。各种声音交织在一起，就像交响曲一样。城镇和乡村的母亲们都抱紧自己的孩子，睁大眼听着。狗叫个没完没了，男人们抓起自己的猎枪。北部的山上巨人们揉着眼走出城堡不知道到底发生了什么。
周围的黑影向露茜和苏珊涌来。乍一看像黑影扫过来，之后又像黑色的海浪，一浪盖过一浪，不停地涌过来气势澎湃。再去看，好像全世界的树林都朝阿斯兰跑来。直到它们跑到跟前时，那些树突然都不见了，露茜环顾四周，面前竟然都是人的模样，全部都在向阿斯兰鞠躬行礼，挥舞着细长的手臂向阿斯兰表达敬意。面色白净的白桦姑娘扬起自己漂亮的长脖子；杨柳姑娘甩着自己的长发，不然就会看不清阿斯兰；山毛榉姑娘亭亭玉立，像皇后一样高贵。它们都注视着阿斯兰。毛发浓密的栎树老人表皮粗糙的橡树，清瘦忧郁的榆树，枝叶散漫的冬青树，漂亮的花楸树也向阿斯兰俯首致意。所有的树都喊着：“阿斯兰！阿斯兰！”喊声一浪又一浪，像汹涌的波涛，经久不息。
阿斯兰周围的人越发多起来，舞蹈越来越热烈，这让露茜感到难以置信。她从来没见过这样的场面。她根本没有看到其他人是从哪里来的，只看到树林间突然涌出许多欢快的人。一个树皮作衣服的年轻人，头上戴着树叶编的草环。如果不是一脸尘土，肯定帅呆了。你会发现就像爱德蒙几天后见到他时说的：“这个人，应该什么事情都会。”他好像有好多名字：布洛来欧斯、巴萨和欧斯、拉姆等等就是其中三个。他身边围绕着许多女孩，也是到处透着野性。来了个骑在驴背上的人，所有人都情绪高涨，热烈地欢叫着，“哟咿，哟咿，嘿……嘿……嘿！”
 
“这是一场游戏吧，阿斯兰？”那年轻人喊道。大家的确是在做游戏，虽然每个人对这场游戏都有不同理解。这可能是个躲猫猫游戏，可露茜怎么也搞不明白大家在躲什么。又有点像蒙眼抓人，不过大家的动作都好像是扮演蒙眼人。也有点像是小孩子玩的找拖鞋游戏，不过没有人找到什么。更难懂的是身材肥胖骑着毛驴的矮个子老人最引人注目。他大叫着：“茶点！茶点时间到了！” 毛驴便以为这是大显身手的好时机，于是抬起前腿给大家表演。老人被毛驴掀下来好多次，每次都被人们扶上去。四处出现越来越多的葡萄叶，很快又垂下葡萄藤。到处都有人去爬葡萄藤，爬上树精的腿，抱住它们的脖子。露茜抬起手把头发拨到脑后，结果发现拨到后面的是葡萄藤。那头驴子把所有都弄得乱了。它尾巴被藤枝缠住，两只耳朵中间碰到个黑黑的东西。露茜仔细一看，原来是一串葡萄。然后悬挂下来的，落在脚边的，身体周围四处都出现了葡萄。
“茶点！茶点！”老人开始咆哮了。
不知道是谁拿来很多吃的，也没人讲究礼仪了，拿着就吃。不论你有多好的温室，都种不出这么好吃的葡萄。这真是好葡萄，表皮光泽有弹性，放进嘴里即化成汁，女孩们怎么吃都还有。周围的葡萄多得根本吃不完，人人手指里都是黏黏的。一边吃一边手舞足蹈，还大声喊，“哟咿，哟咿，嘿……嘿……嘿！”突然间不知道什么原因，大家都感到狂欢应该结束了。他们都气喘吁吁地坐到草地上，把面孔面向阿斯兰等待阿斯兰讲话。
旭日东升，露茜想起件事眼前一亮，小声地对苏珊说：“我说，苏珊，我知道他们是谁了。”
“谁？”
“一脸野性的那个男孩是酒神巴库斯，骑毛驴的那个老人是森林之神塞利努斯。你还记得不，以前图姆纳斯先生讲过他们的故事。”
“是的，当然记得。但是，露西……”
“什么？”
“若是阿斯兰不在的话，我觉得和巴库斯以及他的野姑娘们在一起不安全。”
“我不这么认为。”露茜回答。

第十二章 巫术和叛变
与此同时另一边，杜鲁普金和两个男孩来到堡垒内部的那个黑暗、狭小的通道。两只负责守卫的獾惊得跳起来，露出雪白、锋利的牙齿问：“谁？”它们脸上的白斑暴露了它们的身份。
“杜鲁普金，”小矮人回答，“我把纳尼亚的至尊王请来了。”
獾用鼻子闻闻孩子们的手。“终于，终于来了！”它们说道，“终于。”
“点灯吧，朋友们！”小矮人说道。
那只比较高大的獾拿了支火把。彼得把点燃的火把递给杜鲁普金。“请小不点在前面带路，”他说，“我们对这里还不熟悉。”
杜鲁普金拿过火把，带头走进黑暗的通道。这个幽深、阴暗、潮湿的地方，挂满了蜘蛛网，偶尔还有蝙蝠。孩子们从在火车站的那个早晨时起就一直待在敞亮的屋子外面，现在感觉就像掉入陷阱或牢笼一样。
“我说，彼得，”爱德蒙小声说，“你看那些壁画，是不是像是很久以前的？可都还没咱们的岁数大！上次来的时候，这儿可没有堡垒。”
“是的，”彼得说，“让我想起了很多。”
小矮人继续走，右拐再左拐，下了台阶之后又左拐。前面有亮光——是从门下透出的微光。这是他们进来这里后第一次听到的声音是从堡垒的中央指挥室里传出来的。讲话的人好像非常愤怒，由于声音太大，根本不知道外面有人进来。
“那样大声说话真讨厌，”杜鲁普金轻声对彼得说，“等等，我们来听听他们在说什么。”于是，他们三个人一动不动地在门外停下来。
“你很清楚，”一个声音说，(“是国王。”杜鲁普金轻声说。)“为什么那天早晨太阳升起时没有吹响号角，难道你不记得杜鲁普金刚刚动身，弥若兹的军队就向我们扑来了？为了生存，我们奋勇杀敌，过了三个多小时。刚有喘息的机会，我就吹响了那支神号。”
“这个我当然记得。”那愤怒的声音响起，“那时我的手下就战斗在最危险的地方，每五个小矮人中就有一个倒了下去。”（“是尼克布瑞克。”杜鲁普金小声说。）
“不知羞耻，矮子！”一个声音响起(“是特鲁佛汉特。”杜鲁普金继续提醒道)，“我们一样努力，但都不如国王陛下。”
“随你怎么说，”尼克布瑞克说，“不管是号角吹得太迟了，还是它根本没用。反正至今我们没得到任何援助。而你是个伟大的演说家，全能的魔法大师，无所不知的术士！你还想让我们对阿斯兰、至尊王彼得和其他人抱什么希望吗？”
“我承认……我并不否认……我对那号角的效果感到抱歉。”有人回答。(“那是克奈尔斯博士。”杜鲁普金说。）
“说白了你的钱包瘪了，你的鸡蛋坏了，你的鱼跑了，你的承诺破碎了。”尼克布瑞克说道，“那么，你最好待在一边看别人的。这就是为什么我……”
“援军会到的，”特鲁佛汉特说，“我始终坚信阿斯兰的力量。耐心一点，像我们一样。援军会来的，可能已经到门口了。”
“呸！”尼克布瑞克吼道，“你们这些獾只知道等，天塌下来大家一块去抓云雀。我告诉你们，我们不等了。食物也快没有了。每次斗争都损失很大，我们的军心早已动摇了。”
“你知道是为什么吗？”特鲁佛汉特说，“我告诉你吧。军队中谣言四起，说我们召唤古代君王的帮助却没有结果。杜鲁普金离开之前说……那可能就是遗言，不要让军队知道吹响那只号角的原因，也不要让他们知道我们的想法。结果那天晚上就已人尽皆知。”
“你这只獾最好把灰鼻子插进蜂巢里！”尼克布瑞克说道，“你这是暗示我泄密了吗？你最好把话收回去，不然……”
“哦，停下，你们两个都闭嘴！”凯斯宾国王说，“我想知道，尼克布瑞克暗示了什么。不过在你说出你的想法前，请跟大家说清楚你带来的这两个只听不说话的家伙是谁。”
“是我的朋友，”尼克布瑞克说，“你若不是杜鲁普金和獾的朋友，也不能待这里！还有黑袍子的老家伙，如果不是你的朋友，也不能来这儿。为什么我不能带朋友来呢？”
“陛下是君主，你曾发誓效忠于他。”特鲁佛汉特非常严肃。
“对，对，君臣之礼还是要有的。”尼克布瑞克讽刺说，“可在这个山洞里，就直接说吧。你知道，当然他也很明白，如果我们一周还脱离不了险境，这个台尔马小子还坐什么王位？到时候，他什么都不是！只有我能帮他脱离这个陷阱”
“也许，你的朋友愿意说几句？”克奈尔斯说，“你们俩，是谁？来做什么？”
“尊敬的博士先生，”一个带着哭腔的声音说，“求你可怜可怜我这个老婆子吧。我对小矮人阁下非常感激。国王陛下，你长得真帅。你真的可以对我这样一个患了严重的风湿病身子已缩成一团、只有借助拐杖才能行走的老婆子完全放心。我手无缚鸡之力，只会几样小法术，当然无法和尊敬的博士相比。如果各位允许，我愿意用咒语来抗击敌人。我恨他们，是的，没人比我更恨他们了。”
“有意思，而且……嗯……非常满意。”克奈尔斯博士说，“我知道你是谁了，夫人。尼克布瑞克，让你的另一位朋友也说几句吧？”
一听到那个木讷的声音，彼得身上就起鸡皮疙瘩。“我饿，我渴，咬住了敌人就绝不松口。就算战死，也要把敌人身上肉咬掉，给我陪葬。我饿一百年不死、渴一百年不坏，冻一百年也不疆。我能喝像条河流一样多的血液。你们说，敌人在哪儿。”
“你是特地带他们完成你的计划，对吗？”凯斯宾问。
“是的，”尼克布瑞克说，“我打算在他们帮助下开始这个计划。”
接下来的一会儿，杜鲁普金和两个男孩只听得到凯斯宾和他的朋友们在低语，内容听不清。接着，凯斯宾说：“好吧，尼克布瑞克，说说你的计划。”
沉默了好久之后，孩子们都以为那小矮人不打算说了。这个时候，尼克布瑞克开口了，它把声音压得很低，好像说了那些连自己都不想说的一番话。
“该说也说了，该做也做了。可是没人知道古纳尼亚究竟是否存在。杜鲁普金根本不信那些传说，不过我之前还是想试试。我们吹响了号角，结果呢？如果这世上真有国王彼得和他的弟弟妹妹，肯定是没听见我们的求助或者无法前来，甚至站到了敌人的阵营……”
“也许他们就在路上呢？”特鲁佛汉特打断了他的话，反问道。
“你可以接着这么说，直到弥若兹把我们统统喂狗。就像我刚刚说的，我们已经用传说中的宝物做了试验结果毫无用处。事实就是如此。俗话说，宝剑断了还有匕首。传说中除了国王和女王，还有其他势力。为什么我们不求助他们呢？”
“如果你想说阿斯兰，”特鲁佛汉特说，“那么他和古代君王们是一体的，他们是他的臣民。如果不派他们来——我相信他会的——或者他可能亲自前来？”
“不。你说得没错，”尼克布瑞克说，“阿斯兰会和众国王一起来。因此，阿斯兰可能已经死了，可能成了敌人，或者被更强大的力量控制了。就算来了，我们又不能确定，他是不是我们的朋友！在许多传说中，他和我们小矮人的交往并不密切，对动物来说也是这样，比如野狼。而且，据我了解阿斯兰到纳尼亚就一次，而且待得不久。我们不必再妄想依靠阿斯兰的力量了。不过我有另一个人选。”
然后就没了下句，好久一会儿，屋里没半点声音，爱德蒙可以听到獾的呼吸声。
“你指的谁？”凯斯宾终于出声问。
“我是说比阿斯兰力量还大的人。如果传说都是真的，那么这个人物也统治了纳尼亚很多年。”
“白女巫！”三个声音异口同声地说。看屋里的动静，彼得猜测有三个人同时跳起来了。
“是的，”尼克布瑞克一字一顿地说，“我说的就是白女巫。坐下，别像小孩一样听到名字就吓坏了。我们需要力量强大的人来帮助我们。说到能力，传说不是说过白女巫打败了阿斯兰，把他捆起来在这里把他给杀死了吗？”
“可传说他后来又活了。”獾尖着嗓子说。
“不错，是这样，”尼克布瑞克答道，“可是从那以后就没有他的消息了。他不知去向，从此销声匿迹。这点你该如何解释？可能他根本就没有复活？以后的传说根本就再没提过他，是因为已经没什么可说了，不是吗？”
“是因为他册封了国王和女王。”凯斯宾说。
“取得胜利的英雄可以自封为王，用不了狮子形式上的帮助。”尼克布瑞克说。这时特鲁佛汉特发出一阵低沉的咆哮，他好像被激怒了。
“换句话说，”尼克布瑞克接着说，“那些被册封的国王和统治过纳尼亚的女王又能怎样呢？他们也不见了。白女巫就不同了。传说她统治了上百年——上百年都是冬天。这才是能力！这就是她的过人之处。”
“可是，天地为证！”国王说，“她从来都是我们最凶险的对手。她不是比弥若兹还要可怕、可恶十倍吗？”
“可能吧，”尼克布瑞克冷冷地说，“或许对你们人类来说，如果那时候有人类。对动物来说，多半也是这样——我敢说，她把海狸家族打到穷途末路，今天纳尼亚没有一只海狸了。可是她和我们小矮人一直相处得很好。我是小矮人，当然要为自己说话。我们不怕她。”
“不过，你已经是我们的一员。”特鲁佛汉特说。
“没错，可我的人至今得到过什么好处，”尼克布瑞克厉声道，“是谁派我谁去执行最危险的任务。粮食不够，我们的身体变得越来越瘦小。是谁……”
“胡说！都是胡说！”獾叫嚷。
“因此，”尼克布瑞克提高嗓门，“如果你们对我的臣民毫无帮助，我们会投靠另一个有能力的人。”
“你这是在造反吗，小矮人？”凯斯宾问道。
“把宝剑收起来，凯斯宾，”尼克布瑞克说道，“在会议上谋杀的，嗯？别傻了，你以为我会怕你？你们有三个人，我们也是。”
“来吧！”特鲁佛汉特大声喊，却被打断了。
“停下，停下，停下，”克奈尔斯博士说，“你说得太快了。女巫已经死了，这一点已被证实。尼克布瑞克还要向女巫求助是怎么回事?”
那个令人不寒而栗的声音又响了起来：“噢，她真的死了？”
那个带着哭腔的尖音接着说：“哦！愿上帝保佑他，陛下别为白夫人太过担心——我们称她为白夫人。博士先生这么说，一定是在和老太婆开玩笑吧？我亲爱的博士，知识渊博的博士，谁听说过女巫会死？她随时都可能出现在这里。”
“召唤她，”木讷的声音说，“已准备就绪，划个圈，再点一堆蓝色的火就好。”
伴随着獾越发大声地怒吼和博士大声喊出的“什么？”屋内响起了凯斯宾雷霆一样的声音：“这是你的计划，尼克布瑞克！用邪恶魔法召唤恶魔！我知道你的同伙是什么人了，是巫婆和是狼人！”
接下来的几分钟很混乱，有嗥叫，有金属的撞击。孩子们和杜鲁普金冲了进去。映入彼得眼帘的是一个庞然大物，面目狰狞。一边是人一边是狼，正扑向自己的同龄人。爱德蒙看见獾和一个小矮人在厮打，扭成一团像两只猫打架。杜鲁普金走到巫婆的跟前，巫婆尖鼻子和下巴伸出来。她肮脏的头发盖住了整个脸，双手抓住博士的脖子。杜鲁普金一剑挥向巫婆，那个丑巴巴的脑袋就滚在地上。然后蜡烛被打灭了，屋里伸手不见五指，只能听见击剑声、咬牙声、拳打脚踢声。在持续了大约一分钟后，终于安静了下来。
“你还好吧，爱德蒙？”
“我……我没事，”爱德蒙松了一口气，“我抓住了混蛋尼克布瑞克，他还活着。”
“谁压到我了！”传来一个恼怒的声音，“你坐在我身上了。起来，你这头大象！”
“很抱歉，小不点，”爱德蒙说，“好些了吗？”
“噢！不！”杜鲁普金叫道，“你的靴子伸我嘴里了！拿开。”
“凯斯宾国王在哪儿？”彼得问道。
“在这儿，”一个虚弱的声音答道，“什么东西咬了我一下。”
大家听到点火柴的声音，是爱德蒙。他的脸被小小的火光照亮了，看上去又苍白又脏。他摸了半天，找着一支蜡烛。这儿不用油灯，所有的油都吃了。爱德蒙点燃蜡烛放到桌子上，屋里亮了起来。地上的人歪歪扭扭地站起来，在烛光下打量着彼此。
“没有看到有人逃跑，”彼得说，“这是巫婆，已经死了。他然后又看另一个东西，这是尼克布瑞克，也死了。哈，这就是人狼吧。很久没看到这玩意了。这说明他以前犯了杀头罪，死的时候托生成了狼，结果刚才就这个样子。如果我没猜错，你是凯斯宾国王？”
“是的，”对面的小伙子回答，“但你是哪位？”
“他就是至尊王彼得陛下。”杜鲁普金说。
“欢迎你，陛下。”凯斯宾说。
“也欢迎你，陛下，”彼得说道，“我是来帮助你取得王位，而不是来接替你的。”
“陛下。”有个恭敬的声音，他回过头，正是那只忠诚的獾。
彼得拥抱他，又亲亲他毛茸茸的脸。彼得这样做并不显得娇气，他毕竟是至尊王。
“好样的！”他说道，“你从来没对我们失去过信心。”
“陛下过奖了，”特鲁佛汉特说道，“动物是不会变心的，更何况是獾。我们从一而终。”
“尼克布瑞克真让人惋惜，”凯斯宾说，“虽然第一次见我就看我不顺眼。他的心被苦难和仇恨扭曲了，如果我们短期内取得了胜利，在和平时期他会是好人，好的小矮人。不知道他死在谁的手里，但我还是很开心。”
“你在流血。”彼得说。
“是的，我被咬了，”凯斯宾说，“是狼。”处理伤口花了一些时间。然后，杜鲁普金说，“咱们应该先吃点早餐，再做别的事。”
“不过，不是在这儿。”彼得说。
“对，”凯斯宾打了个寒战，“必须让人把尸体搬走。”
“把他们埋在一个坑里，”彼得说，“那个小矮人的尸体，就交给他的部下好了，按照他们的习俗埋葬。”
最后，他们在另一个地窖吃上了早餐。可是他们无法选择，没吃上想吃的：凯斯宾和克奈尔斯想吃鹿肉馅饼，彼得和爱德蒙想吃煎蛋和热咖啡。可现在每人只有一小块冰凉的熊肉，还是从两个男孩口袋里拿出来的，一小块已经不新鲜的乳酪，一只洋葱和一杯白开水。可是，看他们那狼吞虎咽的样子，别人会以为他们在吃百年难遇的美食呢。

第十三章 王者决斗
“现在，”他们吃过饭后，彼得说，“阿斯兰和女孩们就是苏珊女王和露茜女王就在附近。我们不确定他们会采取什么行动。很显然阿斯兰知道审时度势不会听我们指挥，但他也希望我们自己能大干一场。凯斯宾，你认为我们有没有胜算？”
“恐怕不行，至尊王。”凯斯宾说。他非常喜欢彼得，但与他在一起的时候又觉得自己嘴笨。两个不同年代的国王待在一起，卡斯宾觉得新奇又很有意思。
“好吧，”彼得说，“那我和他一对一进行挑战。”在场的人都从没有过这个想法。
“可不可以让我来决斗？”凯斯宾说，“我要为我父亲报仇。”
“你受伤了。”彼得说，“再说，他会嘲笑你。我是说，虽然我们大家都熟知你作为国王和勇士的风采。可他眼里，你只是个孩子。”
“可是，陛下，”说话的是獾，他挨着彼得而坐，默默地看着他，“他会迎战吗？他很清楚自己军力强盛。”
“是的，他可能拒绝。”彼得说，“但也不是不可能，就算他拒绝我们仍然可以派出使臣与他周旋。阿斯兰把握时机，彻底打败他们。而我们也可以趁机整理军队，加强防御。我要立刻下挑战书。博士，你有没有纸笔？”
“学者身上从来不缺这些，陛下。”克奈尔斯博士回答道。
“非常好，我口述。”彼得说。博士拿出纸笔。这时彼得靠在椅子上，闭着双眼在回忆纳尼亚的美好时代，他也曾下令写过这类战书。
“那么，”他开口问道，“现在你准备好了吗，博士？”
博士提笔等候，彼得口述如下：
阿斯兰在上，彼得凭民心所向，凭古代传统，赫赫战功，以以下名义——纳尼亚至尊王，孤独群岛与凯尔帕拉维尔的统治者，以及阿斯兰帐下的骑士，向凯斯宾八世之子，纳尼亚的护国公，现自封的纳尼亚国王的弥若兹致意。
“写好了吗？”
“弥若兹，逗号，致意，”博士喃喃地说着，“好了，陛下。”
“另起一段，”彼得继续说。
为了避免流血牺牲，也为了避免这场战争会带来太多的伤亡和不幸，我受命至此，以国王身份向阁下发出个人挑战。证实如下：首先，根据纳尼亚传统及特尔玛法律，凯斯宾王子是纳尼亚王位的法定继承人。其次，阁下犯有两重大罪——谋杀兄长凯斯宾九世，篡夺王位并残暴统治。因此，我代表纳尼亚的正义势力向阁下提出宣战。若阁下愿意同我一决胜负，本人将非常荣幸。由我尊敬的兄弟爱德蒙，曾经的纳尼亚国王，灯柱荒原公爵、西部沼地伯爵、石台贵族骑士递交战书。若阁下对决斗有任何意见，他将代表我作任何决定。
于阿斯兰堡，凯斯宾十世元年元月十二日。
“行了，”彼得深呼一口气，“现在，我们需要两名卫士与爱德蒙同行。我觉得，巨人可以算一个。
“他、他并不聪明，你是知道的。”凯斯宾说。
“是的，”彼得说，“可巨人很有气势。再说委以重任会增强他的自豪感。不过，另一个派谁呢？”
“在我看来，”杜鲁普金说，“用眼神就能杀死人的勇士，非老鼠将军雷佩契普莫属。”
“以我的经验，他能够胜任。”彼得笑着说，“要是他再魁梧一点就好了，敌人不走到他跟前就没法看到他。”
“派格兰仕托姆去，陛下，”特鲁佛汉特说，“没人取笑过人马。”
一小时后的敌营里，弥若兹的贵族军官——哥洛和索皮，一边溜达一边剔牙齿。无意中发现了从树林里出来的巨人和人马，不由大惊失色。在先前的战斗中，他们早已领教过他们的厉害，他们还发现中间的那个人是个没见过的人。爱德蒙在与阿斯兰相会并被他吹过一口气之后，由表及里的改变了，成熟了、英俊了、活力四射，正气凛然。就是他的同学们，此时恐怕也不能一下子认出来。
“他们来做什么？”哥洛爵士说，“突然袭击?”
“像是使节，”索皮说，“你看绿色的树枝，是来投降的。”
“但是走在巨人和人马中间的那人不像是要投降。”哥洛说，“他是谁？不像凯斯宾。”
“肯定不是，”索皮说，“那是个勇猛的骑士，我向你保证。也不知那些叛贼们从哪儿找来的。可比弥若兹还要气派……小心隔墙有耳。瞧那些盔甲，咱们的铁匠可做不出来！”
“我敢用这只梨打赌，他肯定是来下战书的，而不是来投降的。”哥洛说。
“怎么了？”索皮说道，“我们已经控制了敌军，弥若兹不会贸贸然不顾时事和一个陌生人决斗的。”
“也许他会上当。”哥洛低声说。
“轻点，”索皮说，“可不能让那些放哨的听到了。现在，你能把话说得更清楚些吗？”
“如果国王接受挑战，”哥洛小声说，“那么不是把对方杀掉，就是被对方杀掉。”
“是的。”索皮点头。
“如果他打赢了对手，那么我们就赢了。”
“那是当然。但如果不呢？”
“如果不这样，我们也可以胜利。大家心知肚明，弥若兹不是英明的君王。到那个时候，我们就没了国王，就可以……。”
“阁下，你是说，没有国王，我们就可以统治这片国土？”
哥洛丑态毕现。“别忘了，”他说道，“是我们把他推上国王宝座。他却一个人享受荣华富贵，我们却没得到任何好处，不是吗？”
“别说了，”索皮打断他，“你看，国王传我们。”
两人到了帐篷，正好看到爱德蒙和两个卫士在帐篷外面用餐。看来，他们已经把战书呈上去，国王正在考虑。这两个军官近距离打量对手，不由得心惊胆战。
在帐篷里他们看到弥若兹卸下武装，正在吃早餐。他眉头紧锁，已经动怒。
“看看！”他咬着牙把战书从桌子那端扔过来。“我的宝贝侄子给我送来的东西！”
“陛下容禀，”哥洛说，“假如信中提到的爱德蒙国王就是外面的那个青年，我觉得他是个很危险的骑士，不能小觑。”
“爱德蒙国王，呸！”弥若兹说，“阁下也相信老婆子那些有关彼得、爱德蒙之类的天方夜谭？”
“我相信自己的眼睛，陛下。”哥洛答道。
“哼，你的话没什么意义，”弥若兹说，“该如何回复这个挑战，或许我们的意见会一致一些？”
“我认为是这样的，陛下。” 哥洛说。
“是什么呢？”国王问道。
“应该拒绝，”哥洛说，“尽管我不是懦夫，但说实话和一个年轻人交手，我的内心忐忑不安。很可能他的哥哥——那个至尊王会比他更加危险，所以为了安全考虑，还是不招惹他为好。”
“大胆！”弥若兹吼了起来，“我不想听到你这么回答,你以为我会怕那个叫彼得的吗？而且有没有这个人还不知道！你以为我怕他？哼，我只想听听你们的意见了，看目前有没有必要决斗。”
“陛下，我唯一的答案，”哥洛说，“就是拒绝，那骑士杀气很重。”
“又来！”这时，弥若兹已彻底动怒了，“你难道想让我和你一样贪生怕死？”
“随陛下怎么说。”哥洛悻悻地说道。
“哥洛，你简直就像个乡下老太婆，”弥若兹说，“索皮阁下，你怎么想？”
“不管他，陛下。”索皮答道，“最好的办法就是置之不理。陛下不拒绝，也不会有人怀疑陛下的勇气了。”
“见鬼！”弥若兹大叫着从椅子上跳了起来，“你也疯了吗？你以为我在为自己找借口吗？那你还不如直接叫我懦夫。”
眼看目的达到，两个大臣装得毕恭毕敬的不再吱声。
“我懂了，”半晌，弥若兹说，“你们两个胆小的家伙，真没用！一直找不战的借口。你们像不像军人？是不是台尔马人的子孙？算男子汉吗？如果我拒绝挑战，尽管我有理由这么做，我的经验和感觉告诉我应该这么做，但你们会认为，别人也会认为，我是不敢接受挑战，是不是？”
“以陛下的年纪，”哥洛说，“拒绝一个年轻人的挑战，没有人会说是胆怯。”
“你的意思是，我不行了？”弥若兹大声吼起来，“我倒要让你们看一看，各位！你们这种老婆子的劝告，只会南辕北辙！我本想拒绝挑战，可现在我正式宣布我接受。你们听清楚没有，我接受！你们应该感到羞耻。”
“我们为陛下表示担心……”哥洛的话还没完，弥若兹就已走出去。他大声对爱德蒙宣布应战，他们互相挤挤眼，偷偷地笑了。
“我就知道，一被激怒他就会应战。”哥洛说，“可是我记着，他竟然叫我懦夫。他会后悔的。”
使者的消息走漏了风声，阿斯兰城堡一阵骚动。爱德蒙和弥若兹手下划出了决斗的场地打下桩子，然后圈了起来。双方助手和公证人站在两端。此时，彼得一直给凯斯宾勇气，让他觉得自己并不孤独，这是一场正义之战。突然，一个略带睡意的粗嗓音响起：“陛下，请准许。”彼得转过身，看到一只上了年纪的棕熊。“请准许我，”他说，“虽然我只是头棕熊。”
“确实，你是棕熊，还是一只好棕熊，我绝不怀疑。”彼得说道。
“是的，”大棕熊说，“决斗的公证人一向由熊家族担任。”
“别让他去，”杜鲁普金低声对彼得说，“不错，它虽心地善良，但去当公证人，会丢脸的。决斗没结束他就会睡着，还会当着敌人的面，舔它的爪子。”
“我不能不准，”彼得说，“它的话说得很对，熊家族有这个特权。虽然我已经遗忘很多旧事，但我对此印象却很深。”
“请陛下准许。”棕熊再次请求。
“这是你们的权利，”彼得说，“你就做助手吧。不过你一定要记住，决不能在那里舔爪子。”
“当然不会。”棕熊提高嗓门答道。
“那为什么，你现在就在舔！”杜鲁普金非常不悦。棕熊赶紧把爪子从嘴里拿出来，装出什么事也没有发生。
“陛下！”一个尖叫声从近处传来。
“啊——是雷佩契普！”彼得环顾四周，才看见地上的鼠将军。
“陛下，”雷佩契普说，“我的生命属于你，但我的荣誉只属于我自己。陛下，我们老鼠部队有我们大军中唯一的吹鼓手。他们都以为会让我去下战书，结果没有，我的军队因此没了信心。如果能让我做决斗的助手，他们也该恢复斗志了。”
这时，他们上方响起震耳欲聋的声音，原来是巨人韦姆布威热傻乎乎的笑声，一个好巨人总是会在不合适的时候发出傻笑。雷佩契普瞪了他一眼，他才发觉自己失态了赶紧闭上了嘴。
“恐怕不行，”彼得惋惜地说，“有人害怕老鼠……”
“我知道，陛下。”雷佩契普说。
“而且这对弥若兹不公平，”彼得接着说，“我们不能安排一名可能影响他的助手，影响他的情绪和士气。”
“陛下明察秋毫。”鼠将军优雅地鞠了一躬，“这事我想得太简单了。难怪刚才有人在笑。如果有人想拿我找乐子，我愿意效劳——用我的剑——随时奉陪。”
听了这话之后沉默了许久。彼得打破沉默说：“韦姆布威热、棕熊和格兰仕托姆将随我参战。下午两点开始决斗，中午按时吃饭。”
“我说，”他们离开后，爱德蒙说，“你是对的。我是说，你可以打败他的是吧？”
“我会在战斗中，想方设法打败他。”彼得说。

第十四章 纳尼亚的解放
快到两点钟的时候，杜鲁普金、棕熊和整个部队坐在树林的最外边。几十米开外，是弥若兹大军。放眼望去两军之间的草地被一块平地分开，那块平地已被圈起来。哥洛和索皮站在平地一边，手持宝剑，巨人韦姆布威热和大棕熊站在另外两边。棕熊不听同伴劝告，仍然不停舔爪子，样子十分有趣。格兰士托姆站在左边，弥补了熊的失仪，巨人像个雕塑般一动不动，只是偶尔踏一下脚，比起对面的助手有气势多了。这个时候彼得已经与爱德蒙和博士握过手，向平地中间走去。此时气氛紧张，甚至比赛场上发令枪响之前的那一刻还紧张。
“如果阿斯兰在就好了。”杜鲁普金说。
“我也这么想，”特鲁佛汉特说，“你看后面。”
“天哪！” 小矮人回过头，非常吃惊，“他们是？那么高……那么漂亮的……像神、女神和巨人一样，我们身后成千上万的那些人，是谁？”
“是树仙女、精灵和树神，”特鲁佛汉特说，“是阿斯兰唤醒了他们。”
“哼！”小矮人说，“看这种阵势，量敌人也不敢耍什么花招。
但如果弥若兹的剑法更好，我们也毫无办法。”
棕熊什么也没说。这时候彼得和弥若兹已经全身装备好走到平地中间，气氛更加紧张。他们行礼，说了几句话，不过由于距离太远，听不清谈话内容。忽然，两把剑都出了鞘，剑身闪着寒光。决斗就这样开始了。四周人声鼎沸，将两人的击剑声完全淹没。呐喊一浪盖过一浪，比足球比赛还热闹。
“漂亮！彼得，噢，漂亮！”爱德蒙看到弥若兹节节败退，开始大声喝彩，“快，进攻！”此时的彼得乘胜追击，看似胜券在握。没想到弥若兹竟然釜底抽薪，来了个回马枪。他依仗自己体重与身高的优势，步步为营。“弥若兹！弥若兹！国王！国王！”敌军大声呐喊，局势对彼得不利。这时候凯斯宾和爱德蒙脸都白了。
“彼得受到了一些致命伤。”爱德蒙说。
“那么！”雷佩契普说，“现在又怎么样了？”
“两人各就各位，”爱德蒙说，“要歇一歇。不过他们马上又开始了。这一次他们都比较谨慎，绕场一圈僵持着，寻找对手的破绽。”
“看来弥若兹的剑法精湛。”博士低声说。他话音没落就听到一阵雷鸣般的掌声和跺脚声。
“怎么回事？怎么了？”博士问，“我眼睛不好，看不清。”
“弥若兹被刺中了手臂，”凯斯宾边拍手边说，“剑穿过了他锁子甲的缝隙，弥若兹受伤了。”
“情况不对啊，”爱德蒙说，“彼得拿盾牌的姿势不对，他一定也受伤了。”
大家这才发现彼得手里的盾牌有些拿不稳。这时候敌军阵营中的呼喊声愈加高涨。
“你经验丰富，”凯斯宾说，“你说我们有胜算吗？”
“还有一点吧，”爱德蒙说，“我想彼得在等待时机，看运气吧。”
“哦，那我们为什么还让他们打？”凯斯宾说。
双方的喊叫声突然同时停了下来。爱德蒙马上明白过来：“哦，是的，双方同意暂停，休息一会儿。跟我来博士，看看能不能帮得上彼得。”说着，他俩走向决斗场。彼得朝他们走了过来。他满脸通红，汗流浃背，胸部急剧地起伏。
“你的左臂受伤了？”爱德蒙问。
“也不算受伤，”彼得说，“他把整个肩膀的重量，都压着我的盾……像砖头那么重，盾把手的边缘卡着我的手腕了。不过没有骨折，应该是扭了，绑一下就可以了。”
他们包扎时，爱德蒙担心地问：“你认为能赢他吗，彼得？”
“力不从心，”彼得说，“很吃力。我有个好想法：如果能让他不停地移动，他的重量和力量，都会成为他自己的负担——在这样的烈日下。说实话已经没有其他机会了。爱德蒙，如果我牺牲了，请告诉家里的每一个人我爱他们。他上场了。再见，兄弟。再见，博士。记着，爱德蒙，好好安慰杜鲁普金，他值得信赖。”
爱德蒙没有说话。他和博士一起回到自己的阵营里，心情异常沉重。
但第二场局势却有所好转，彼得的手臂灵活多了，脚步也灵活许多。他在场上进进退退，一边进攻，一边和弥若兹保持距离。这样，弥若兹就不得不跟着他兜圈子。
“懦夫！”台尔马的士兵开始叫嚣，“你怎么停了？你害怕了吗，啊？你是来决斗的，还是来跳舞的，呀哈哈！”
“哦，我希望他别在意。”凯斯宾说。
“他不会，”爱德蒙说，“你不了解他——噢！”弥若兹在彼得的头盔上猛击了一下。彼得没站稳，单膝跪地。台尔马人顿时叫了起来：“快点，弥若兹，快点。快！快！杀了他。”那阴谋家不需别人提醒，已经扑向了地上的彼得。眼看像是彼得被刺，爱德蒙紧张得把嘴唇都咬破了。弥若兹的剑术凶狠毒辣，看来势在必得。不过，谢天谢地！那一剑只砍在彼得的右臂上，不幸中的万幸，他的锁子甲没有被劈开，小矮人制作的锁子甲很结实。
“好样的！”爱德蒙激动得大叫，“他又站起来了。彼得，加油，彼得。”
“我没看清刚才发生了什么，”博士说，“到底怎么样了？”
“弥若兹砍下来的胳膊被彼得抓住了。”杜鲁普金一边说一边跳了起来，“至尊王！至尊王！为古纳尼亚，站起来！”
“你们看，”特鲁佛汉特说，“弥若兹没耐心了，这是好现象。”战斗已经到了高潮。每一击都很沉重，仿佛一个回合就能定输赢。观战的军队随着战斗紧张地进行，呐喊声却弱了下来。场面壮观又可怕，大家都屏住了呼吸。
古纳尼亚的军中突然沸腾起来。原来弥若兹被绊倒了，脸朝下摔了一跤，而且摔得不轻。彼得随即退后，等他爬起。
“啊，可恶，可恶，可恶，”爱德蒙嘟囔着，“都这时候了，还要讲究绅士风度吗？！当然他也不得不这样做，这是骑士以及一位高贵的国王应做的。这应该是阿斯兰所希望的吧。但等那个混蛋过一会儿再站起身来，就会……”
但那个混蛋再也没有站起来，因为哥洛和索皮开始他们的计划。他们看到弥若兹摔倒就跳入场内，大叫着：“阴谋！阴谋！我们的国王死啦！战斗！战斗，台尔马！”
彼得难以置信，他看到弥若兹那两个助手持剑扑来，接着又一个台尔马人也跳入决斗场。“战斗吧，纳尼亚！这是个阴谋！”彼得也喊起来。如果三个台尔马人一齐向他进攻，也许他就不能发号施令。哥洛冲向弥若兹一击毙命，嘴里还狠狠地说：“这是为了你早上对我的侮辱！”彼得转身对付索皮。一剑劈在索皮腿上，又是一剑要了他的命。这时爱德蒙已飞奔到哥哥的身旁，嘴里大喊着：“纳尼亚，纳尼亚！狮王！”台尔马军队忽然扑来，巨人及时赶到，弯下腰赶走了敌人，人马也奋勇出击，身后一阵弓弦声，头顶飞过小矮人射出的箭雨。杜鲁普金和那群小矮人从左边打过来。刹那间，战场上顿时乱成一团，打斗场面非常激烈。
“雷佩契普，去后面，你们这群小傻瓜！”彼得喊，“这不是老鼠待的地方，你们会被踩死的！”可那些小家伙毫不理会，像疯了一样。它们挥着自己手中的剑，奋勇杀敌。那天不少台尔马士兵感到脚非常痛，只好一边咒骂一边跳着往撤退，好多人都跌倒了。在战场上一旦摔倒在地，就没了活路。老鼠或是其他纳尼亚人一定会要了他的命。
古纳尼亚的战士们正高昂着斗志进攻，却发现敌军士兵瞬间放弃了抵抗，他们脸色苍白非常惊恐，然后扔下武器，尖叫着：“树精！树精！世界末日到啦！”
片刻功夫，海啸般的树声，淹没了敌人的惊叫声和武器的撞击声。成千上万的觉醒的树木绕过彼得的军队，扑向台尔马士兵。如果你曾在深秋的夜晚，站在树林的山崖上感受那强劲的西南风你就知道了。风呼啸着掠过树林，然后毫无遮拦地向你刮来。想想那声音！再想象树林突然间变成无数的巨人一齐扑向你。不过样子仍像树，因为它们手臂挥起来像树枝，脑袋摇来晃去，树叶像暴雨般落在身后。在台尔马人看来就是这么一个场景，甚至在古纳尼亚的军队也觉得心悸。
短短几分钟，弥若兹手下的士兵就不剩几个活口，他们顺着通往大河的路仓皇逃窜。他们打算渡过柏卢纳大桥打算占领附近的小镇，然后紧闭城门只守不攻。
可是他们来到河边，却找不到那座桥了！那座桥竟然在昨天晚上消失了。在极恐惧和绝望中，他们只好丢盔卸甲，举手投降了。
可到底是怎么回事呢？
是这样的，那天清晨，露茜和苏珊睡几小时后醒来。她们一睁眼就看到阿斯兰望着她们，说：“我们将一起度过美好的一天。”她们揉眼看看四周。树神们已经离开，只看到黑压压的一片朝阿斯兰堡垒的方向移动。巴库斯和那群野姑娘留了下来，还有塞利努斯。露茜精力充沛地跳了起来，大家清醒过来后空中很快响起了笑声和打闹声。会说话的和不会说话的兽类都被这欢快的场面吸引了，从四面八方聚拢过来。
“今天是节日吗，阿斯兰？”露茜说，她的目光闪烁步履轻快。
“过来，孩子们，”阿斯兰说，“还像之前一样坐到我背上吧。”
“噢，太棒了！露茜叫着，两个女孩就像很久以前那样，爬到了阿斯兰的背上。阿斯兰带领他们出发。巴库斯和他的姑娘们也一路上不停地奔跑打滚，而塞利努斯骑着毛驴紧随其后。
他们向右拐个小弯，下了陡坡，到柏卢纳大桥前。正准备过河，水中突然冒出一个湿淋淋的、长满毛发的脑袋，上面戴着一顶乱蓬蓬的草环。它望着阿斯兰低声说：
“我尊贵的神，”它说，“请解开我身上的锁链吧。”
“它是谁呀？”苏珊小声问。
“我觉得应该是河神吧，别出声。”露茜说。
“巴库斯，”阿斯兰吩咐道，“打开锁链。”
“可能是说那座桥。”露茜暗忖。果然巴库斯和他的部下来到浅水区。过了一分钟，奇迹发生了。茂盛的常春藤缠绕着桥墩拔地而起，卷起桥石。桥身瞬间就变成了篱笆，迅速地分裂瓦解然后坍塌下来，在河面上溅起了水花。那些野姑娘们拍打着水面尖叫着，大笑着，有的嬉水，有的游泳，还有的索性在河滩上跳起舞来。“万岁！又回到当年的柏卢纳渡口了！”姑娘们欢呼。然后过到河对面，走向小镇。
大街上的行人见到他们都吓得四散开去。他们先来到一所女子学校。这里的女孩子都扎着呆板、难看的辫子，衣领竖起校服既难看又不舒服。原来这里正上历史课，内容是弥若兹统治下的纳尼亚，非常枯燥，毫无逻辑。
“如果你再不认真听讲，格温多伦，”一个女教师说，“再往窗外看的话，我就记你的名字，扣你的分数！”
“可是，普蕾莱小姐……”格温多伦想开口为自己辩解。
“你没有听懂我说的话吗，格温多伦？” 普蕾莱小姐说。
“可是，普蕾莱小姐，”格温多伦说，“有一头狮子！”
“胡说八道，扣两分！”普蕾莱小姐说，“现在……”她的话被狮吼打断了。窗外长出了常青藤，一会儿就爬满了墙壁和屋顶，教室里生机勃勃的。普蕾莱小姐突然发现自己站在林中的草地上，非常吃惊连忙去扶桌子，桌子却变成了一簇玫瑰。野姑娘围过来，接着她又看到阿斯兰，吓得跑开了。那一班做作矫情的小姑娘也随之一哄而散，只有格温多伦还在犹豫。
“宝贝儿，你愿意跟我们在一起吗？”阿斯兰问她。
“噢，可以吗？谢谢你，太谢谢了！”格温多伦说着和身边两个姑娘手拉手。她们帮她脱下了那既不舒服又难看的校服，然后教她跳起舞来。
无论他们走到哪里，情况大致相同。多数人逃开了，一小部分加入。离开柏卢纳镇时，他们的队伍扩大了许多，也更热闹了。
他们走过平原，向河北岸而去。每一处农庄，就有家畜跑来。悲伤的老驴突然变得快乐而年轻；家犬第一次摆脱了它们的枷锁；小马踢碎了身上的大车，撂着蹶子绕着队伍来回跑。
一座院落的井边，一个男人正在打一个男孩。他手里的棍子突然变成了一枝花。他想扔掉那花，可是丢不掉。很快他变成了树，脚在地上扎了根。孩子破涕为笑，一蹦一跳地跟他们一起走了。
去海狸大坝的路上，在两条河交汇处有个村镇。他们走进了另一所学校，一位疲倦的姑娘，在给一群男孩上数学课。那些男孩像猪一般，呆头呆脑毫无生气。那姑娘向窗户望去，看见一个野姑娘边唱边跳，沿街走来。她的心情一下子好了。阿斯兰走到窗前看她。
“噢，不，不行，”姑娘说，“我想去，可是我不能。我得给他们上课。孩子们看见你会被吓坏的。”
“吓坏我们？”一个笨小孩说，“她在和窗外的人讲话？我们去告诉校长。”
“让我们一起去看看，到底是谁。”另一个孩子提议，于是大家都跑到了窗前。他们刚到窗边，就听到巴库斯一声大叫，吓跑了，他们互相推着，踩踏着，喊叫着，乱成一片。据说那以后(不知真假)，再也没见过那帮笨小孩，却多了一群非常听话的猪。
“现在没事了，亲爱的。”阿斯兰跟那姑娘说。那姑娘立跳出窗户，加入他们的队伍。
他们再次过河，然后往东走。不久便来到了一座农舍前，门外有个哭泣的小孩。阿斯兰上前问道：“你为什么哭呀，孩子？”那孩子显然不知道狮子是什么，所以也不害怕。“姨妈病得厉害，”她说，“她快死了。”阿斯兰想走进小屋，可是他进不去，房子太小了，他只好把头伸进门。这下露茜和苏珊就从他身上掉了下来。阿斯兰肩膀一抬，那房子就被掀了起来，再一抖房子就成了一堆废墟。露天的床上正躺着一个老妇人，显然是小矮人的后代，已经快没了呼吸。她睁开双眼，非常虚弱。她看到阿斯兰那毛茸茸的大头，竟然一点都不惊讶，也不恐惧。她说：“啊，阿斯兰！我知道这是真的。我等了一辈子，你是来接我的吧？”
“是的，亲爱的，”阿斯兰说，“还好没让你等太久。”此话一出，就像云开见月明一样，老妇人苍白的面颊竟然慢慢变红，她的眼睛也变得清澈、明亮。她突然坐起来，说：“我感觉好多了，可以吃东西了。”
“吃吧，嬷嬷，”巴库斯说着，就提了一桶水递给她。桶里的水却变成了最甘甜的美酒，像草莓一样鲜红，像油一样顺滑，像蜂蜜那么甘甜，像牛肉那么耐嚼，像茶一样温暖，像露水一样清凉。
“噢——一定是你在里面施了魔法，这水才变得这么好喝，真是好极了！”老妇人喝了几口之后惊讶地说，然后翻身跳下床。
“到我背上来吧，”阿斯兰说，然后他对苏珊和露茜说，“不过两位女王现在只有下来走了。”
“我们非常愿意下来活动筋骨。”苏珊说。于是，他们继续前行。
就这样他们边唱边跳来到了河边，看到弥若兹的军队丢盔弃甲宣布投降。彼得的部队站在一旁，脸上都洋溢着胜利的笑容。老妇人突然从阿斯兰的背上跳下来，跑向凯斯宾。两人抱在一起，激动得难以言语。原来她就是凯斯宾的老保姆。

第十五章 天门开启
一看到阿斯兰，台尔马士兵顿时吓得六神无主，不少人磕头求饶。他们从来不相信狮王阿斯兰的传说，他的突然出现更让人恐惧。虽然红发小矮人知道阿斯兰是友，可这时也目瞪口呆。尼克布瑞克部下的那些黑发小矮人，悄悄退到一边。但会说话的动物就没有丝毫恐惧和害怕，它们把阿斯兰团团围住，叫着、跳着，冲着他摇头摆尾，亲热地在他身上蹭来蹭去，在他的身下、腿间钻来钻去，用鼻子拱他、亲他。你要是见过一只猫跟一只信赖自己、了解自己的狗亲昵的话，你就能想象出当时的情景了。这时彼得领着凯斯宾挤进人群，来到了阿斯兰面前。
“这是凯斯宾王子，阁下，”他介绍道。凯斯宾便单腿跪下，吻了吻狮王的爪子。
“欢迎你，王子，”阿斯兰说，“你有足够的信心治理好纳尼亚吗?”
“我——我认为我不行，阁下，”凯斯宾说，“我尚年幼。”
“好，”阿斯兰说，“如果你自认为胸有成竹，这只能证明你幼稚。现在你就要成为继我和至尊王之后的纳尼亚国王、凯尔帕拉维尔统治者、孤独群岛君王。只要你的臣民还在这片土地上繁衍生息，你和你的继承人就要对他们负责。坐好你的宝座——是谁走过来了？”就在这时，一支小小的队伍走来——是十一只老鼠。六只抬着树枝担架，不过还不及一本地图大呢，看不清上面是什么。老鼠身上全是泥和血迹，老鼠们的尾巴无精打采地拖在草地上。领队吹着一支忧伤的曲子。队伍到大家跟前，才看清担架上那一小堆东西，是雷佩契普。它受伤非常严重，一只爪子被踩碎了，尾巴也掉了，就剩最后一口气。
“露茜，看你的了。”阿斯兰说。
露茜立刻拿出她的钻石瓶子。一个伤口只需一滴药水，但是她似乎好久才给雷佩契普上完药，它的伤口实在太多。最后一滴药水滴完，鼠将军翻身就从担架上跳了下来。它一手握着剑柄上，一手捻着胡须，优雅地向阿斯兰鞠躬。
“阿斯兰在上！”场上又响起它尖细的嗓音，“我很荣幸……”然后它突然停了下来。
实际上，虽然雷佩契普的伤口已经痊愈，但它没了尾巴。要么是露茜忘了它的尾巴部分，要么是她的药水虽然可以治愈伤口，却无法使身体失去的部分重获新生。雷佩契普鞠躬时，突然发现自己没了尾巴，就从右肩向身后望去，还是不见自己的尾巴。于是它又把脖子向后伸去，整个身体都扭动起来，却还是看不到自己的尾巴。反复了几次，终于确定了自己的尾巴不见了。
“我该死，”雷佩契普对阿斯兰说，“在您面前如此不稳重。以这样的样子在您面前出丑，请见谅。”
“看起来还好啊，小家伙。”阿斯兰说。
“如您所说，”雷佩契普回复道，“不过不知道有没有办法让尾巴再长出来……也许女王陛下？”雷佩契普说着，又向露茜行了个礼。
“可是要尾巴有什么用呢?”阿斯兰问。
“阁下，”鼠将军说，“没有尾巴丝毫不影响我的吃睡，也不影响我为您战斗牺牲。但是尾巴是老鼠的荣誉。”
“朋友，有时我想，”阿斯兰说，“你对你的荣誉是不是多虑了。”
“尊贵的王，”雷佩契普说，“请允许我说句，命运赋予我们这样小的身体，如果我们不保护自己的尊严，那么那些以身高来衡量价值的家伙，就会拿我们寻开心。这就是为什么我总告诫人们，如果不想被刺就不要在我面前提‘鼠夹子’、‘鼠药’、‘上灯台、下不来’等字眼。不管他是谁！个子多高！”雷佩契普说到这里，瞪了韦姆布威热一眼。可是，挡在大家身后的巨人并没有听到脚下的朋友在说什么，当然也不知道鼠将军是在指桑骂槐。
“请问，你的部下为什么都把宝剑抽出来？”阿斯兰说。
“启禀至高无上的君主，”老鼠副统帅雷佩希克回答说，“假如我们老大的尾巴无法恢复，我们所有人都割去尾巴来分担它的不幸。
“啊！”阿斯兰高声说，“你们心灵非常高尚，雷佩契普你将拥有一条新的尾巴，不是因为你的尊严，而是因为你和同伴非常友爱，并且感谢你们对我的帮助。还记得吗，大石桌上是你们咬断了我身上的绳索。于是从那时起，你们开始会讲话。”
阿斯兰话还没说完，雷佩契普就长出了一条新的尾巴。接着在阿斯兰的指示下，彼得授予凯斯宾骑士封号。凯斯宾又封特鲁佛汉特、杜鲁普金和雷佩契普为护国将军，封克奈尔斯博士为大法官，棕熊为决斗公证所所长。然后是一阵雷鸣般的掌声。
仪式结束后，那些战俘被押到河对岸囚禁在柏卢纳，每天给他们牛肉、啤酒，他们苟延残喘地活着。他们过河费了很大的劲儿，因为那些士兵特别害怕河水。在过河时一个个大喊大叫，惊恐万分。不过好在最后一切都归于平静，然后这一天中最美好的一段时光开始了。
露茜坐在阿斯兰身旁，说不出的开心。突然她看到那些树神好像是在跳舞。它们围成两个圈，缓缓地一个圈从左往右移动，另一个圈从右往左露茜注意到，移动它们不停地往圆圈中心扔着东西。她觉得它们在折断自己的长发，又觉得它们在折断自己的枝叶，总之它们有很多枝叶，也不觉得会痛。那些东西一落地，就变成了干柴。这时三四个小矮人拿着火柴点燃了地上的干柴。先是星星之火，很快就燃成了熊熊大火，大家在火旁堆旁坐了下来。
这时巴库斯、塞利努斯和那些野姑娘开始起舞。他们的舞非常特别，不仅舞姿优美，更像是在变魔术——他们所到之处，会出现各种美味佳肴：令人馋涎欲滴的烤肉，蛋糕、馅饼和色彩鲜艳的糖果令人目不暇接，还有入口即化的奶油、蜂蜜、鸭梨、葡萄、草莓、蜜桃、哈密瓜。而在常春藤缠绕着的巨大的木杯中，盛着各种美酒佳酿，有的像桑椹浆般醇厚 ，有的像果冻般透明，有的像青翠欲滴的葡萄，有的变换着色泽，这些都是黄葡萄酒、绿葡萄酒、黄绿葡萄酒和绿黄葡萄酒。
他们还给树木准备了不一样的宴席。鼹鼠们在首邻的带领下，按照巴库斯的指点用铁锹挖开了一些地方的草皮。露茜这才发现，树木要吃的原来是泥巴；想到这儿，她不由自主地打了个战栗。但是当她亲眼见到树木吃泥巴的样子，感觉就大不一样了。他们先吃了像巧克力一样的沃土——那看上去实在太像巧克力酱了，爱德蒙也忍不住抓起来尝了一点，但他还是觉得味道不太对。树木们吃了沃土之后，没有那么饿了，又吃起了另一种泥土。这种粉红色的泥土只能在萨默塞特郡找到。树木们说，这种泥土味道比较清淡，吃起来还有点甜。到了该吃奶酪的时候，树木享用的是一种白垩土；他们的甜品则是上面撒着细沙的优质卵石。他们也喝了一点葡萄酒，这让冬青树变得很话唠。大部分树木都喝饱了用露水和雨水调制的饮料，里面还掺了点森林花朵的味道，还有用最淡的云彩造的气泡。
阿斯兰以这样的盛宴款待了纳尼亚的臣民，一直到夜幕降临，繁星升起。篝火不再劈啪作响，却明亮得像一座灯塔，照亮了黑暗的山林。台尔马人从远处看到这火光，都惶惶不安，不知道这是一种什么预兆。这种宴会好就好在，大家不需要互相告别，也没有人中途退席；只听见谈话声渐弱，人们说话的声调越拉越长，然后就挨个儿睡去了。大家都躺在草地上或都依偎着好朋友，脚朝着篝火呼呼大睡。最后篝火四周都安静下来了，只有不远处传来柏卢纳渡口潺潺的水声。一整夜，只有阿斯兰像月亮一样，清醒地、默默地盯着每一张熟睡的面孔。
第二天，主要是松鼠和小鸟的使臣们被派到各处，向逃亡的台尔马人——包括柏卢纳的那些俘虏宣告：凯斯宾已经成为纳尼亚的国王，这个国家属于人类，也属于所有会说话的动物、小矮人和巨人。任何愿意在这块土地上生活的人，都可以留下来绝不勉强。那些不愿意留下的人阿斯兰另有安排，但这些人必须在第五天中午前到柏卢纳渡口。你可以想象，这些新政策肯定会在多数台尔马人中引起骚动。他们之中有许多年轻人，像凯斯宾一样自小就听过许多古老纳尼亚的传说，他们为美好时光的来临感到兴奋，并且已经和动物们成了朋友。这些人毫无疑问地都愿意留在纳尼亚。可那些大部分上了年纪的人，尤其是那些在弥若兹统治下有权有势的人却郁郁寡欢。他们不敢想象失去了权势，生活还会有什么意义。他们说：“和那些动物生活在一起！还有小矮人、巨人、人马那样的怪物！太恐怖了，我们可不干！”“还有鬼魂！”有人补充道，这话说起来不寒而栗，“还有树妖、树精那些吓人的东西。”还有人持怀疑态度：“我不相信那只狮子和他的属下会让我们过好日子的，走着瞧吧！”他们也不相信阿斯兰会给他们一个新家园，小声地嘟囔说：“他会把我们带回山洞，一个个吃掉！”他们越是议论，越是怀疑和不安。可是那一天大半人还是如期而至。
阿斯兰让人在林中空地上竖起两根木棍，一根人那么高，间隔一米左右，又把另一根木棍，横绑在那两根的顶端，最后的形状像个门框一样。阿斯兰站在不远处，左边是彼得，右边是凯斯宾，他们旁边站着爱德蒙、苏珊、露茜和其他人。孩子们和小矮人们都穿着节日的盛装。这些华丽的衣服都出自弥若兹城堡，当然确切地说现在已经是凯斯宾城堡了。可是，没有人去注意这些。阿斯兰那金色鬃毛，已经让他们头晕目眩。纳尼亚臣民分站空地两端。远处是台尔马人。天气很好，阳光明媚，战旗迎风飘扬。
“台尔马的同胞们，”阿斯兰说道，“愿意重建家园的人，听我说。我会把你们送回你们自己的国家，只有我知道的那里。”
“我们不记得台尔马了。不知道它在哪儿，也不知道那里现在是什么样子。”台尔马人各抒己见。
“你们从台尔马来到纳尼亚，”阿斯兰说，“而你们又是别的地方来到台尔马。你们的国家根本不属于这里。几百年前你们属于另一个世界，就是至尊王彼得所在的那个世界。”
听到这儿，台尔马人开始坐立不安。“看看，我没说错吧！他要把我们都杀死，把我们从这个世界上除掉！”但是另一些人拍拍彼此的肩膀，低语道：“怎么样！早该看出来，我们本来不属于这里，跟这些长相奇怪的家伙不是同类人。我们出身高贵，走着瞧吧！”这时候，甚至凯斯宾、克奈尔斯和孩子们都看着阿斯兰。
“安静！”阿斯兰简直像在吼叫。大地似乎颤抖了一下，大家突然一下子像石头一样静下来。
“是的，凯斯宾国王，”阿斯兰说，“你们应该知道，只有亚当的子孙，并且来自亚当子孙的世界，才有资格成为纳尼亚的国王。而你们正是亚当的子孙。很久以前，在那个叫南海的地方，有一船海盗遇到海难，被风暴吹上一个小岛。他们露出海盗的本性，杀光了所有本地男人，逼迫当地的妇女做自己的妻子。终日喝岛上自制的椰子酒，经常酩酊大醉，睡在椰子树下，醒来后就开始吵架，严重的时候还会互相残杀。有一次六个人遭到其他同伴追杀，他们带着自己的家眷逃到小岛中间的山顶，藏在一个山洞。没想到那个山洞通往两个世界。古代有许多类似的通道连接两个世界，可惜现在大部分都已经自动封闭了。他们碰巧钻进了其中一个。结果，他们就开始觉得天旋地转。再睁开眼时，他们发现自己在一片陌生的国土,就是后来的台尔马王国。之前这片土地还没有人类踏足。至于为什么没有人迹，那就是另一个故事了。这六对男女再也没离开，他们世代繁衍生息形成一个彪悍的民族。就这样过去了好多年。有一年台尔马闹饥荒，他们只好开始侵略纳尼亚，并统治这个国家。至于那时纳尼亚为什么那么容易被入侵，那就另有原因了。凯斯宾国王，这些你都记下来了吗？”
“我会牢记的，阁下，”凯斯宾说，“我一直希望自己出身体面。”
“你们的祖先是亚当和夏娃，”阿斯兰说，“这足以让一无所有的乞丐也能挺起胸膛，也足以令那些其他君主相形见绌。你们应该知足了。”
凯斯宾鞠了一躬。
“现在，”阿斯兰说道，“台尔马人，你们愿意回到你们祖先生活的那个世界吗？那是个好地方。岛上的海盗早已死光，一直荒无人烟。你们有水质甘甜的水井，肥沃的土地，足够的木材，还有捕不尽的鱼虾。人类至今还没有发现那里，天门依然为你们敞开。可是，我必须告诉你们，一旦你们走过通道天门就会永远关闭。”
一阵沉默之后，一个健壮、长得还算体面的台尔马人走过来，说：“好吧，我愿意接受这样的安排。”
“这是个明智的选择，”阿斯兰说，“你是第一个敢于做决定的人，你将得到神灵更多的眷顾，你的命运将比别人好。请你再往前走。”
那人脸色有些苍白，但还是迈开步子向前走去。阿斯兰和其他人退到两边，留出一条路，一直通往那个门框。
“走过去，孩子。”阿斯兰说着，起身用鼻子在那人的鼻子上轻轻碰了一下。接触到阿斯兰的气息，那人的神色随之一变目光坚定，仿佛充满回忆。他耸耸肩，从容地走向那门框。
所有人都盯着他。同时，他们可以看清那三根木棍和门框那边的草地、树林和纳尼亚的天空。他们看着那个人，一条腿刚跨进门框之后，一眨眼就消失了。
剩下的台尔马人都大声惊叫：“天哪！这是怎么了？你要谋杀我们吗？啊，我不去！”
这时一个明智的台尔马人站出来说：“从这里根本看不到另一个世界。如果要我们相信它，除非派你的部下先过去。为什么你的朋友都站得远远的呢？”
那人话音还没落，雷佩契普就站出来向阿斯兰鞠了一躬。“如果我能用自己的行动说服他们，尊敬的阿斯兰请你下令，我将带着我的十一名兄弟马上走过去，毫不犹豫。”
“不，小家伙，”阿斯兰把他毛茸茸的爪子轻轻放在老鼠的头上，“在那个世界，他们会虐待你们。让别人去吧。”
“我们去。”彼得对爱德蒙和露茜喊了一声，“是时候了。”
“干什么？”爱德蒙问。
“回家啊！”苏珊说，似乎对将要发生的事了然于胸。“但我们必须先换一下。”
“换什么？”露茜问。
“当然是衣服，”苏珊说，“穿这身衣服出现在火车站台上，那该多高的回头率啊！”
“可是我们的行李都在凯斯宾城堡。”爱德蒙说。
“不，不在那儿，”彼得站在木框前说，“在这里。早上送来的，都安排好了。”
“早上阿斯兰对你和苏珊说的就是这个吗？”露茜问道。
“是的。还有一件事，”彼得突然变得很严肃起来，“我无法全部都告诉你。有些事情他只希望我和苏珊明白就行了，因为我们再也回不来了。”
“再也？”爱德蒙和露茜一起叫起来。
“哦，不过你们还会回来的，”彼得回答说，“至少从他的话里，我能听出你们还会回到这里的。不过我和苏珊不会了。他说我们已经长大了。”
“哦，彼得，”露茜说，“真是太可怕了！你能接受吗？”
“我想我能，”彼得说，“我的思想已经足够理解这一切，当你们最后一次告别的时候，你们也会明白的。好了，快点，衣服都在这儿。
孩子们不情愿地脱下贵族服装穿上校服，几个台尔马人在窃笑。这时所有人都起立欢呼，向至尊王彼得、苏珊女王、爱德蒙国王和露茜女王致敬。大家依依不舍地道别。他们和小动物们亲吻，和大棕熊拥抱，和杜鲁普金握手。凯斯宾把号角还给苏珊。苏珊犹豫了一下，还是把号角交给凯斯宾留作纪念。他们的心情很复杂，向阿斯兰告别之后彼得在前面领路，苏珊双手搭在他肩上，爱德蒙他的手搭在苏珊肩上，露茜也照做。后面跟着一长队台尔马人向门框走去。然后是一阵天旋地转，孩子们同时看到了三幅画面：第一幅是洞口，看着像太平洋的一个无名岛屿。所有台尔马人都将来到这里开始他们的新生活。第二幅是纳尼亚的那片林间空地，他们看到了小矮人和动物们的笑脸，还有阿斯兰深邃的目光和獾两颊的白毛。第三幅画面很快覆盖了前两副，是乡间火车站里那个雾蒙蒙的站台和长凳，旁边放着几件行李箱，他们还坐在那里，好像他们没离开过。经历了这一场冒险，这里好像显得有些平淡乏味，不过熟悉的火车气味。英国的天空让孩子们很快清醒过来，面对周围久违的一切，和即将开始的暑期心生亲切之感。
“真好！”彼得说，“我们在那儿度过了一段美好时光。”
“糟了！”爱德蒙说，“我的新手电筒落在纳尼亚了。”

CHAPTER ONE THE ISLAND
ONCE there were four children whose names were Peter，Susan，Edmund，and Lucy，and it has been told in another book called The Lion，the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure．They had opened the door of a magic wardrobe and found themselves in a quite different world from ours，and in that different world they had become Kings and Queens in a country called Narnia．While they were in Narnia they seemed to reign for years and years; but when they came back through the door and found themselves in England again，it all seemed to have taken no time at all．At any rate，no one noticed that they had ever been away，and they never told anyone except one very wise grown-up．
That had all happened a year ago，and now all four of them were sitting on a seat at a railway station with trunks and playboxes piled up round them．They were，in fact，on their way back to school．They had travelled together as far as this station，which was a junction; and here，in a few minutes，one train would arrive and take the girls away to one school，and in about half an hour another train would arrive and the boys would go off to another school．The first part of the journey，when they were all together，always seemed to be part of the holidays; but now when they would be saying good-bye and going different ways so soon，everyone felt that the holidays were really over and everyone felt their term-time feelings beginning again，and they were all rather gloomy and no one could think of anything to say．Lucy was going to boarding school for the first time．
It was an empty，sleepy，country station and there was hardly anyone on the platform except themselves．Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry，like someone who has been stung by a wasp．
“What’s up，Lu？”said Edmund-and then suddenly broke off and made a noise like“Ow！”
“What on earth-”，began Peter，and then he too suddenly changed what he had been going to say．Instead，he said，“Susan，let go！ What are you doing？ Where are you dragging me to？”
“I’m not touching you，”said Susan．“Someone is pulling me．Oh-oh-oh-stop it！”
Everyone noticed that all the others’ faces had gone very white．
“I felt just the same，”said Edmund in a breathless voice．“As if I were being dragged along．A most frightful pulling-ugh！ it’s beginning again．”
“Me too，”said Lucy．“Oh，I can’t bear it．”
“Look sharp！”shouted Edmund．“All catch hands and keep together．This is magic-I can tell by the feeling．Quick！”
“Yes，”said Susan．“Hold hands．Oh，I do wish it would stop-oh！”
Next moment the luggage，the seat，the platform，and the station had completely vanished．The four children，holding hands and panting，found themselves standing in a woody place-such a woody place that branches were sticking into them and there was hardly room to move．They all rubbed their eyes and took a deep breath.
“Oh，Peter！”exclaimed Lucy．“Do you think we can possibly have got back to Narnia？”
“It might be anywhere，”said Peter．“I can’t see a yard in all these trees．Let’s try to get into the open-if there is any open．”
With some difficulty，and with some stings from nettles and pricks from thorns，they struggled out of the thicket．Then they had another surprise．Everything became much brighter，and after a few steps they found themselves at the edge of the wood，looking down on a sandy beach．A few yards away a very calm sea was falling on the sand with such tiny ripples that it made hardly any sound．There was no land in sight and no clouds in the sky．The sun was about where it ought to be at ten o’clock in the morning，and the sea was a dazzling blue．They stood sniffing in the sea-smell．
“By Jove！”said Peter．“This is good enough．”
Five minutes later everyone was barefooted and wading in the cool clear water．
“This is better than being in a stuffy train on the way back to Latin and French and Algebra！”said Edmund．And then for quite a long time there was no more talking，only splashing and looking for shrimps and crabs．
“All the same，”said Susan presently，“I suppose we’ll have to make some plans．We shall want something to eat before long．”
“We’ve got the sandwiches Mother gave us for the journey，”said Edmund．“At least I’ve got mine．”
“Not me，”said Lucy．“Mine were in my little bag．”
“So were mine，”said Susan．
“Mine are in my coat-pocket，there on the beach，”said Peter．“That’ll be two lunches among four．This isn’t going to be such fun．”
“At present，”said Lucy，“I want something to drink more than something to eat．”
Everyone else now felt thirsty，as one usually is after wading in salt water under a hot sun．
“It’s like being shipwrecked，”remarked Edmund．“In the books they always find springs of clear，fresh water on the island．We’d better go and look for them．”
“Does that mean we have to go back into all that thick wood？”said Susan．
“Not a bit of it，”said Peter．“If there are streams they’re bound to come down to the sea，and if we walk along the beach we’re bound to come to them．”
They all now waded back and went first across the smooth，wet sand and then up to the dry，crumbly sand that sticks to one’s toes，and began putting on their shoes and socks．Edmund and Lucy wanted to leave them behind and do their exploring with bare feet，but Susan said this would be a mad thing to do．“We might never find them again，”she pointed out，“and we shall want them if we’re still here when night comes and it begins to be cold．”
When they were dressed again they set out along the shore with the sea on their left hand and the wood on their right．Except for an occasional seagull it was a very quiet place．The wood was so thick and tangled that they could hardly see into it at all; and nothing in it moved-not a bird，not even an insect．
Shells and seaweed and anemones，or tiny crabs in rock-pools，are all very well，but you soon get tired of them if you are thirsty．The children’s feet，after the change from the cool water，felt hot and heavy．Susan and Lucy had raincoats to carry．Edmund had put down his coat on the station seat just before the magic overtook them，and he and Peter took it in turns to carry Peter’s great-coat．
Presently the shore began to curve round to the right．About quarter of an hour later，after they had crossed a rocky ridge which ran out into a point，it made quite a sharp turn．Their backs were now to the part of the sea which had met them when they first came out of the wood，and now，looking ahead，they could see across the water another shore，thickly wooded like the one they were exploring．
“I wonder，is that an island or do we join on to it presently？”said Lucy.
“Don’t know，”said Peter and they all plodded on in silence．
The shore that they were walking on drew nearer and nearer to the opposite shore，and as they came round each promontory the children expected to find the place where the two joined．But in this they were disappointed．They came to some rocks which they had to climb and from the top they could see a fair way ahead and-“Oh bother！”said Edmund，“it’s no good．We shan’t be able to get to those other woods at all．We’re on an island！”
It was true．At this point the channel between them and the opposite coast was only about thirty or forty yards wide; but they could now see that this was its narrowest place．After that，their own coast bent round to the right again and they could see open sea between it and the mainland．It was obvious that they had already come much more than halfway round the island．
“Look！”said Lucy suddenly．“What’s that？”She pointed to a long，silvery，snake-like thing that lay across the beach．
“A stream！ A stream！”shouted the others，and，tired as they were，they lost no time in clattering down the rocks and racing to the fresh water．They knew that the stream would be better to drink farther up，away from the beach，so they went at once to the spot where it came out of the wood．The trees were as thick as ever，but the stream had made itself a deep course between high mossy banks so that by stooping you could follow it up in a sort of tunnel of leaves．They dropped on their knees by the first brown，dimply pool and drank and drank，and dipped their faces in the water，and then dipped their arms in up to the elbow．
“Now，”said Edmund，“what about those sandwiches？”
“Oh，hadn’t we better have them？”said Susan．“We may need them far worse later on．”
“I do wish，”said Lucy，“now that we’re not thirsty，we could go on feeling as not-hungry as we did when we were thirsty．”
“But what about those sandwiches？”repeated Edmund．
“there’s no good saving them till they go bad．You’ve got to remember it’s a good deal hotter here than in England and we’ve been carrying them about in pockets for hours．”So they got out the two packets and divided them into four portions，and nobody had quite enough，but it was a great deal better than nothing．Then they talked about their plans for the next meal．Lucy wanted to go back to the sea and catch shrimps，until someone pointed out that they had no nets．Edmund said they must gather gulls’ eggs from the rocks，but when they came to think of it they couldn’t remember having seen any gulls’ eggs and wouldn’t be able to cook them if they found any．Peter thought to himself that unless they had some stroke of luck they would soon be glad to eat eggs raw，but he didn’t see any point in saying this out loud．Susan said it was a pity they had eaten the sandwiches so soon．One or two tempers very nearly got lost at this stage．Finally Edmund said:
“Look here．There’s only one thing to be done．We must explore the wood．Hermits and knights-errant and people like that always manage to live somehow if they’re in a forest．They find roots and berries and things．”
“What sort of roots？”asked Susan．
“I always thought it meant roots of trees，”said Lucy．
“Come on，”said Peter，“Ed is right．And we must try to do something．And it’ll be better than going out into the glare and the sun again．”
So they all got up and began to follow the stream．It was very hard work．They had to stoop under branches and climb over branches，and they blundered through great masses of stuff like rhododendrons and tore their clothes and got their feet wet in the stream; and still there was no noise at all except the noise of the stream and the noises they were making themselves．They were beginning to get very tired of it when they noticed a delicious smell，and then a flash of bright colour high above them at the top of the right bank．
“I say！”exclaimed Lucy．“I do believe that’s an apple tree．”
It was．They panted up the steep bank，forced their way through some brambles，and found themselves standing round an old tree that was heavy with large yellowish-golden apples as firm and juicy as you could wish to see．
“And this is not the only tree，”said Edmund with his mouth full of apple．“Look there-and there．”
“Why，there are dozens of them，”said Susan，throwing away the core of her first apple and picking her second．“This must have been an orchard—long，long ago，before the place went wild and the wood grew up．”
“Then this was once an inhabited island，”said Peter．
“And what’s that？”said Lucy，pointing ahead．
“By Jove，it’s a wall，”said Peter．“An old stone wall．”
Pressing their way between the laden branches they reached the wall．It was very old，and broken down in places，with moss and wallflowers growing on it，but it was higher than all but the tallest trees．And when they came quite close to it they found a great arch which must once have had a gate in it but was now almost filled up with the largest of all the apple trees．They had to break some of the branches to get past，and when they had done so they all blinked because the daylight became suddenly much brighter．They found themselves in a wide open place with walls all round it．In here there were no trees，only level grass and daisies，and ivy，and grey walls．It was a bright，secret，quiet place，and rather sad; and all four stepped out into the middle of it，glad to be able to straighten their backs and move their limbs freely．

CHAPTER TWO THE ANCIENT TREASURE HOUSE
“THIS wasn’t a garden，”said Susan presently．“It was a castle and this must have been the courtyard．”
“I see what you mean，”said Peter．“Yes．That is the remains of a tower．And there is what used to be a flight of steps going up to the top of the walls．And look at those other steps-the broad，shallow ones-going up to that doorway．It must have been the door into the great hall．”
“Ages ago，by the look of it，”said Edmund．
“Yes，ages ago，”said Peter．“I wish we could find out who the people were that lived in this castle; and how long ago．”
“It gives me a queer feeling，”said Lucy．
“Does it，Lu？”said Peter，turning and looking hard at her．“Because it does the same to me．It is the queerest thing that has happened this queer day．I wonder where we are and what it all means？”
While they were talking they had crossed the courtyard and gone through the other doorway into what had once been the hall．This was now very like the courtyard，for the roof had long since disappeared and it was merely another space of grass and daisies，except that it was shorter and narrower and the walls were higher．Across the far end there was a kind of terrace about three feet higher than the rest．
“I wonder，was it really the hall？”said Susan．“What is that terrace kind of thing？”
“Why，you silly，”said Peter (who had become strangely excited)，“don’t you see？ That was the dais where the High Table was，where the King and the great lords sat．Anyone would think you had forgotten that we ourselves were once Kings and Queens and sat on a dais just like that，in our great hall．”
“In our castle of Cair Paravel，”continued Susan in a dreamy and rather sing song voice，“at the mouth of the great river of Narnia．How could I forget？”
“How it all comes back！”said Lucy．“We could pretend we were in Cair Paravel now．This hall must have been very like the great hall we feasted in．”
“But unfortunately without the feast，”said Edmund．“It’s getting late，you know．Look how long the shadows are．And have you noticed that it isn’t so hot？”
“We shall need a camp-fire if we’ve got to spend the night here，”said Peter．“I’ve got matches．Let’s go and see if we can collect some dry wood．”
Everyone saw the sense of this，and for the next half-hour they were busy．The orchard through which they had first come into the ruins turned out not to be a good place for firewood．They tried the other side of the castle，passing out of the hall by a little side door into a maze of stony humps and hollows which must once have been passages and smaller rooms but was now all nettles and wild roses．Beyond this they found a wide gap in the castle wall and stepped through it into a wood of darker and bigger trees where they found dead branches and rotten wood and sticks and dry leaves and fir-cones in plenty．They went to and fro with bundles until they had a good pile on the dais．At the fifth journey they found the well，just outside the hall，hidden in weeds，but clean and fresh and deep when they had cleared these away．The remains of a stone pavement ran half-way round it．Then the girls went out to pick some more apples and the boys built the fire，on the dais and fairly close to the corner between two walls，which they thought would be the snuggest and warmest place．They had great difficulty in lighting it and used a lot of matches，but they succeeded in the end．Finally，all four sat down with their backs to the wall and their faces to the fire．They tried roasting some of the apples on the ends of sticks．But roast apples are not much good without sugar，and they are too hot to eat with your fingers till they are too cold to be worth eating．So they had to content themselves with raw apples，which，as Edmund said，made one realize that school suppers weren’t so bad after all—“I shouldn’t mind a good thick slice of bread and margarine this minute，”he added．But the spirit of adventure was rising in them all，and no one really wanted to be back at school．
Shortly after the last apple had been eaten，Susan went out to the well to get another drink．When she came back she was carrying something in her hand．
“Look，”she said in a rather choking kind of voice．“I found it by the well．”She handed it to Peter and sat down．The others thought she looked and sounded as if she might be going to cry．Edmund and Lucy eagerly bent forward to see what was in Peter’s hand—a little，bright thing that gleamed in the firelight．
“Well，I’m—I’m jiggered，”said Peter，and his voice also sounded queer．Then he handed it to the others．
All now saw what it was—a little chess-knight，ordinary in size but extraordinarily heavy because it was made of pure gold; and the eyes in the horse’s head were two tiny little rubies-or rather one was，for the other had been knocked out．
“Why！”said Lucy，“it’s exactly like one of the golden chessmen we used to play with when we were Kings and Queens at Cair Paravel．”
“Cheer up，Su，”said Peter to his other sister．
“I can’t help it，”said Susan．“It brought back—oh，such lovely times．And I remembered playing chess with fauns and good giants，and the mer-people singing in the sea，and my beautiful horse—and—and—”
“Now，”said Peter in a quite different voice，“it’s about time we four started using our brains．”
“What about？”asked Edmund．
“Have none of you guessed where we are？”said Peter．
“Go on，go on，”said Lucy．“I’ve felt for hours that there was some wonderful mystery hanging over this place．”
“Fire ahead，Peter，”said Edmund．“We’re all listening．”
“We are in the ruins of Cair Paravel itself，”said Peter．
“But，I say，”replied Edmund．“I mean，how do you make that out？ This place has been ruined for ages．Look at all those big trees growing right up to the gates．Look at the very stones．Anyone can see that nobody has lived here for hundreds of years．”
“I know，”said Peter．“That is the difficulty．But let’s leave that out for the moment．I want to take the points one by one．First point: this hall is exactly the same shape and size as the hall at Cair Paravel．Just picture a roof on this，and a coloured pavement instead of grass，and tapestries on the walls，and you get our royal banqueting hall．”
No one said anything．
“Second point，”continued Peter．“The castle well is exactly where our well was，a little to the south of the great hall; and it is exactly the same size and shape．”
Again there was no reply．
“Third point: Susan has just found one of our old chessmen—or something as like one of them as two peas．”
Still nobody answered．
“Fourth point．Don’t you remember—it was the very day before the ambassadors came from the King of Calormen—don’t you remember planting the orchard outside the north gate of Cair Paravel？ The greatest of all the wood-people，Pomona herself，came to put good spells on it．It was those very decent little chaps the moles who did the actual digging．Can you have forgotten that funny old Lilygloves，the chief mole，leaning on his spade and saying，Believe me，your Majesty，you’ll be glad of these fruit trees one day． And by Jove he was right．”
“I do！ I do！”said Lucy，and clapped her hands．
“But look here，Peter，”said Edmund．“This must be all rot．To begin with，we didn’t plant the orchard slap up against the gate．We wouldn’t have been such fools．”
“No，of course not，”said Peter．“But it has grown up to the gate since．”
“And for another thing，”said Edmund，“Cair Paravel wasn’t on an island．”
“Yes，I’ve been wondering about that．But it was a what-do-you-call-it，a peninsula．Jolly nearly an island．Couldn’t it have been made an island since our time？ Somebody has dug a channel．”
“But half a moment！”said Edmund．“You keep on saying since our time．But it’s only a year ago since we came back from Narnia．And you want to make out that in one year castles have fallen down，and great forests have grown up，and little trees we saw planted ourselves have turned into a big old orchard，and goodness knows what else．It’s all impossible．”
“There’s one thing，”said Lucy．“If this is Cair Paravel there ought to be a door at this end of the dais．In fact we ought to be sitting with our backs against it at this moment．You know—he door that led down to the treasure chamber．”
“I suppose there isn’t a door，”said Peter，getting up．
The wall behind them was a mass of ivy．
“We can soon find out，”said Edmund，taking up one of the sticks that they had laid ready for putting on the fire．He began beating the ivied wall．Tap-tap went the stick against the stone; and again，tap-tap; and then，all at once，boom-boom，with a quite different sound，a hollow，wooden sound．
“Great Scott！”said Edmund．
“We must clear this ivy away，”said Peter．
“Oh，do let’s leave it alone，”said Susan．“We can try it in the morning．If we’ve got to spend the night here I don’t want an open door at my back and a great big black hole that anything might come out of，besides the draught and the damp．And it’ll soon be dark．”
“Susan！ How can you？”said Lucy with a reproachful glance．But both the boys were too much excited to take any notice of Susan’s advice．They worked at the ivy with their hands and with Peter’s pocket-knife till the knife broke．After that they used Edmund’s.Soon the whole place where they had been sitting was covered with ivy; and at last they had the door cleared．
“Locked，of course，”said Peter．
“But the wood’s all rotten，”said Edmund．“We can pull it to bits in no time，and it will make extra firewood．Come on．”
It took them longer than they expected and，before they had done，the great hall had grown dusky and the first star or two had come out overhead．Susan was not the only one who felt a slight shudder as the boys stood above the pile of splintered wood，rubbing the dirt off their hands and staring into the cold，dark opening they had made．
“Now for a torch，”said Peter．
“Oh，what is the good？”said Susan．“And as Edmund said—”
“I’m not saying it now，”Edmund interrupted．“I still don’t understand，but we can settle that later．I suppose you’re coming down，Peter？”
“We must，”said Peter．Cheer up，Susan．It’s no good behaving like kids now that we are back in Narnia．“You’re a Queen here．And anyway no one could go to sleep with a mystery like this on their minds．”
They tried to use long sticks as torches but this was not a success．If you held them with the lighted end up they went out，and if you held them the other way they scorched your hand and the smoke got in your eyes．In the end they had to use Edmund’s electric torch; luckily it had been a birthday present less than a week ago and the battery was almost new．He went first，with the light．Then came Lucy，then Susan，and Peter brought up the rear．
“I’ve come to the top of the steps，”said Edmund．
“Count them，”said Peter．
“One—two—three，”said Edmund，as he went cautiously down，and so up to sixteen．“And this is the bottom，”he shouted back.
“Then it really must be Cair Paravel，”said Lucy．“There were sixteen．”Nothing more was said till all four were standing in a knot together at the foot of the stairway．Then Edmund flashed his torch slowly round．
“O-o-o-oh！！”said all the children at once．
For now all knew that it was indeed the ancient treasure chamber of Cair Paravel where they had once reigned as Kings and Queens of Narnia．There was a kind of path up the middle (as it might be in a greenhouse)，and along each side at intervals stood rich suits of armour，like knights guarding the treasures．In between the suits of armour，and on each side of the path，were shelves covered with precious things—necklaces and arm rings and finger rings and golden bowls and dishes and long tusks of ivory，brooches and coronets and chains of gold，and heaps of unset stones lying piled anyhow as if they were marbles or potatoes—diamonds，rubies，carbuncles，emeralds，topazes，and amethysts．Under the shelves stood great chests of oak strengthened with iron bars and heavily padlocked．And it was bitterly cold，and so still that they could hear themselves breathing，and the treasures were so covered with dust that unless they had realized where they were and remembered most of the things，they would hardly have known they were treasures．There was something sad and a little frightening about the place，because it all seemed so forsaken and long ago．That was why nobody said anything for at least a minute．
Then，of course，they began walking about and picking things up to look at．It was like meeting very old friends．If you had been there you would have heard them saying things like，“Oh look！ Our coronation rings-do you remember first wearing this？—Why，this is the little brooch we all thought was lost-I say，isn’t that the armour you wore in the great tournament in the Lone Islands？—do you remember the dwarf making that for me？—do you remember drinking out of that horn？-do you remember，do you remember？”
But suddenly Edmund said，“Look here．We mustn’t waste the battery: goodness knows how often we shall need it．Hadn’t we better take what we want and get out again？”
“We must take the gifts，”said Peter．For long ago at a Christmas in Narnia he and Susan and Lucy had been given certain presents which they valued more than their whole kingdom．Edmund had had no gift，because he was not with them at the time．(This was his own fault，and you can read about it in the other book．)
They all agreed with Peter and walked up the path to the wall at the far end of the treasure chamber，and there，sure enough，the gifts were still hanging．Lucy’s was the smallest for it was only a little bottle．But the bottle was made of diamond instead of glass，and it was still more than half full of the magical cordial which would heal almost every wound and every illness．Lucy said nothing and looked very solemn as she took her gift down from its place and slung the belt over her shoulder and once more felt the bottle at her side where it used to hang in the old days．Susan’s gift had been a bow and arrows and a horn．The bow was still there，and the ivory quiver，full of well-feathered arrows，but—“Oh，Susan，”said Lucy．“Where’s the horn？”
“Oh bother，bother，bother，”said Susan after she had thought for a moment．“I remember now．I took it with me the last day of all，the day we went hunting the White Stag．It must have got lost when we blundered back into that other place—England，I mean．”
Edmund whistled．It was indeed a shattering loss; for this was an enchanted horn and，whenever you blew it，help was certain to come to you，wherever you were．
“Just the sort of thing that might come in handy in a place like this，”said Edmund．
“Never mind，”said Susan，“I’ve still got the bow．”And she took it．
“Won’t the string be perished，Su？”said Peter．
But whether by some magic in the air of the treasure chamber or not，the bow was still in working order．Archery and swimming were the things Susan was good at．In a moment she had bent the bow and then she gave one little pluck to the string．It twanged: a chirruping twang that vibrated through the whole room．And that one small noise brought back the old days to the children’s minds more than anything that had happened yet．All the battles and hunts and feasts came rushing into their heads together．
Then she unstrung the bow again and slung the quiver at her side.
Next，Peter took down his gift—the shield with the great red lion on it，and the royal sword．He blew，and rapped them on the floor，to get off the dust．He fitted the shield on his arm and slung the sword by his side．He was afraid at first that it might be rusty and stick to the sheath．But it was not so．With one swift motion he drew it and held it up，shining in the torchlight．
“It is my sword Rhindon，”he said;“with it I killed the Wolf．”There was a new tone in his voice，and the others all felt that he was really Peter the High King again．Then，after a little pause，everyone remembered that they must save the battery．
They climbed the stair again and made up a good fire and lay down close together for warmth．The ground was very hard and uncomfortable，but they fell asleep in the end．

CHAPTER THREE THE DWARF
THE worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early．And when you wake you have to get up because the ground is so hard that you are uncomfortable．And it makes matters worse if there is nothing but apples for breakfast and you have had nothing but apples for supper the night before．When Lucy had said—truly enough—that it was a glorious morning，there did not seem to be anything else nice to be said．Edmund said what everyone was feeling，“We’ve simply got to get off this island．”
When they had drunk from the well and splashed their faces they all went down the stream again to the shore and stared at the channel which divided them from the mainland．
“We’ll have to swim，”said Edmund．
“It would be all right for Su，”said Peter (Susan had won prizes for swimming at school)．“But I don’t know about the rest of us．” By“the rest of us”he really meant Edmund who couldn’t yet do two lengths at the school baths，and Lucy，who could hardly swim at all.
“Anyway，”said Susan，“there may be currents．Father says it’s never wise to bathe in a place you don’t know．”
“But，Peter，”said Lucy，“look here．I know I can’t swim for nuts at home—in England，I mean．But couldn’t we all swim long ago—if it was long ago—when we were Kings and Queens in Narnia？ We could ride then too，and do all sorts of things．Don’t you think—？”
“Ah，but we were sort of grown-up then，”said Peter．
“We reigned for years and years and learned to do things．Aren’t we just back at our proper ages again now？”
“Oh！”said Edmund in a voice which made everyone stop talking and listen to him．
“I’ve just seen it all，”he said．
“Seen what？”asked Peter．
“Why，the whole thing，”said Edmund．“You know what we were puzzling about last night，that it was only a year ago since we left Narnia but everything looks as if no one had lived in Cair Paravel for hundreds of years？ Well，don’t you see？ You know that，however long we seemed to have lived in Narnia，when we got back through the wardrobe it seemed to have taken no time at all？”
“Go on，”said Susan．“I think I’m beginning to understand．”
“And that means，”continued Edmund，“that，once you’re out of Narnia，you have no idea how Narnian time is going．Why shouldn’t hundreds of years have gone past in Narnia while only one year has passed for us in England？”
“By Jove，Ed，”said Peter．“I believe you’ve got it．In that sense it really was hundreds of years ago that we lived in Cair Paravel．And now we’re coming back to Narnia just as if we were Crusaders or Anglo—Saxons or Ancient Britons or someone coming back to modern England？”
“How excited they’ll be to see us—”began Lucy，but at the same moment everyone else said，“Hush！”or“Look！”For now something was happening．
There was a wooded point on the mainland a little to their right，and they all felt sure that just beyond that point must be the mouth of the river．And now，round that point there came into sight a boat．When it had cleared the point，it turned and began coming along the channel towards them．There were two people on board，one rowing，the other sitting in the stern and holding a bundle that twitched and moved as if it were alive．Both these people seemed to be soldiers．They had steel caps on their heads and light shirts of chain-mail．Their faces were bearded and hard．The children drew back from the beach into the wood and watched without moving a finger．
“This’ll do，”said the soldier in the stern when the boat had come about opposite to them．
“What about tying a stone to his feet，Corporal？”said the other，resting on his oars．
“Garn！”growled the other．“We don’t need that，and we haven’t brought one．He’ll drown sure enough without a stone，as long as we’ve tied the cords right．”With these words he rose and lifted his bundle．Peter now saw that it was really alive and was in fact a Dwarf，bound hand and foot but struggling as hard as he could．Next moment he heard a twang just beside his ear，and all at once the soldier threw up his arms，dropping the Dwarf into the bottom of the boat，and fell over into the water．He floundered away to the far bank and Peter knew that Susan’s arrow had struck on his helmet．He turned and saw that she was very pale but was already fitting a second arrow to the string．But it was never used．As soon as he saw his companion fall，the other soldier，with a loud cry，jumped out of the boat on the far side，and he also floundered through the water (which was apparently just in his depth) and disappeared into the woods of the mainland．
“Quick！ Before she drifts！”shouted Peter．He and Susan，fully dressed as they were，plunged in，and before the water was up to their shoulders their hands were on the side of the boat．In a few seconds they had hauled her to the bank and lifted the Dwarf out，and Edmund was busily engaged in cutting his bonds with the pocket-knife．(Peter’s sword would have been sharper，but a sword is very inconvenient for this sort of work because you can’t hold it anywhere lower than the hilt．) When at last the Dwarf was free，he sat up，rubbed his arms and legs，and exclaimed:
“Well，whatever they say，you don’t feel like ghosts．”
Like most Dwarfs he was very stocky and deep-chested．He would have been about three feet high if he had been standing up，and an immense beard and whiskers of coarse red hair left little of his face to be seen except a beak—like nose and twinkling black eyes．
“Anyway，”he continued，“ghosts or not，you’ve saved my life and I’m extremely obliged to you．”
“But why should we be ghosts？”asked Lucy．
“I’ve been told all my life，”said the Dwarf，“that these woods along the shore were as full of ghosts as they were of trees．That’s what the story is．And that’s why，when they want to get rid of anyone，they usually bring him down here (like they were doing with me) and say they’ll leave him to the ghosts．But I always wondered if they didn’t really drown’em or cut their throats．I never quite believed in the ghosts．But those two cowards you’ve just shot believed all right．They were more frightened of taking me to my death than I was of going！”
“Oh，”said Susan．“So that’s why they both ran away．”
“Eh？ What’s that？”said the Dwarf．
“They got away，”said Edmund．“To the mainland．”
“I wasn’t shooting to kill，you know，”said Susan．She would not have liked anyone to think she could miss at such a short range．
“Hm，”said the Dwarf．“That’s not so good．That may mean trouble later on．Unless they hold their tongues for their own sake．”
“What were they going to drown you for？”asked Peter．
“Oh，I’m a dangerous criminal，I am，”said the Dwarf cheerfully．“But that’s a long story．Meantime，I was wondering if perhaps you were going to ask me to breakfast？ You’ve no idea what an appetite it gives one，being executed．”
“There’s only apples，”said Lucy dolefully．
“Better than nothing，but not so good as fresh fish，”said the Dwarf．“It looks as if I’ll have to ask you to breakfast instead．I saw some fishing tackle in that boat．And anyway，we must take her round to the other side of the island．We don’t want anyone from the mainland coming down and seeing her．”
“I ought to have thought of that myself，”said Peter．
The four children and the Dwarf went down to the water’s edge，pushed off the boat with some difficulty，and scrambled aboard．The Dwarf at once took charge．The oars were of course too big for him to use，so Peter rowed and the Dwarf steered them north along the channel and presently eastward round the tip of the island．From here the children could see right up the river，and all the bays and headlands of the coast beyond it．They thought they could recognize bits of it，but the woods，which had grown up since their time，made everything look very different．
When they had come round into open sea on the east of the island，the Dwarf took to fishing．They had an excellent catch of pavenders，a beautiful rainbow—coloured fish which they all remembered eating in Cair Paravel in the old days．When they had caught enough they ran the boat up into a little creek and moored her to a tree．The Dwarf，who was a most capable person (and，indeed，though one meets bad Dwarfs，I never heard of a Dwarf who was a fool)，cut the fish open，cleaned them，and said:
“Now，what we want next is some firewood．”
“We’ve got some up at the castle，”said Edmund．
The Dwarf gave a low whistle．“Beards and bedsteads！”he said．“So there really is a castle，after all？”
“It’s only a ruin，”said Lucy．
The Dwarf stared round at all four of them with a very curious expression on his face．“And who on earth-？”he began，but then broke off and said，“No matter．Breakfast first．But one thing before we go on．Can you lay your hand on your hearts and tell me I’m really alive？ Are you sure I wasn’t drowned and we’re not all ghosts together？”
When they had all reassured him，the next question was how to carry the fish．They had nothing to string them on and no basket．They had to use Edmund’s hat in the end because no one else had a hat．He would have made much more fuss about this if he had not by now been so ravenously hungry．
At first the Dwarf did not seem very comfortable in the castle．He kept looking round and sniffing and saying，“H’m．Looks a bit spooky after all．Smells like ghosts，too．”But he cheered up when it came to lighting the fire and showing them how to roast the fresh pavenders in the embers．Eating hot fish with no forks，and one pocket-knife between five people，is a messy business and there were several burnt fingers before the meal was ended; but，as it was now nine o’clock and they had been up since five，nobody minded the burns so much as you might have expected．When everyone had finished off with a drink from the well and an apple or so，the Dwarf produced a pipe about the size of his own arm，filled it，lit it，blew a great cloud of fragrant smoke，and said，“Now．”
“You tell us your story first，0”said Peter．“And then we’ll tell you ours．”
“Well，”said the Dwarf，“as you’ve saved my life it is only fair you should have your own way．But I hardly know where to begin．First of all I’m a messenger of King Caspian’s．”
“Who’s he？”asked four voices all at once．
“Caspian the Tenth，King of Narnia，and long may he reign！”answered the Dwarf．“That is to say，he ought to be King of Narnia and we hope he will be．At present he is only King of us Old Narnians—”
“What do you mean by old Narnians，please？”asked Lucy．
“Why，that’s us，”said the Dwarf．“We’re a kind of rebellion，I suppose．”
“I see，”said Peter．“And Caspian is the chief Old Narnian．”
“Well，in a manner of speaking，”said the Dwarf，scratching his head．“But he’s really a New Narnian himself，a Telmarine，if you follow me．”
“I don’t，”said Edmund．
“It’s worse than the Wars of the Roses，”said Lucy．
“Oh dear，”said the Dwarf．“I’m doing this very badly．Look here: I think I’ll have to go right back to the beginning and tell you how Caspian grew up in his uncle’s court and how he comes to be on our side at all．But it’ll be a long story．”
“All the better，”said Lucy．“We love stories．”
So the Dwarf settled down and told his tale．I shall not give it to you in his words，putting in all the children’s questions and interruptions，because it would take too long and be confusing，and，even so，it would leave out some points that the children only heard later．But the gist of the story，as they knew it in the end，was as follows．

CHAPTER FOUR THE DWARF TELLS OF PRINCE CASPIAN
PRINCE CASPIAN lived in a great castle in the centre of Narnia with his uncle，Miraz，the King of Narnia，and his aunt，who had red hair and was called Queen Prunaprismia．His father and mother were dead and the person whom Caspian loved best was his nurse，and though (being a prince) he had wonderful toys which would do almost anything but talk，he liked best the last hour of the day when the toys had all been put back in their cupboards and Nurse would tell him stories．
He did not care much for his uncle and aunt，but about twice a week his uncle would send for him and they would walk up and down together for half an hour on the terrace at the south side of the castle．One day，while they were doing this，the King said to him，
“Well，boy，we must soon teach you to ride and use a sword．You know that your aunt and I have no children，so it looks as if you might have to be King when I’m gone．How shall you like that，eh？”
“I don’t know，Uncle，”said Caspian．
“Don’t know，eh？”said Miraz．“Why，I should like to know what more anyone could wish for！”
“All the same，I do wish，”said Caspian．
“What do you wish？”asked the King．
“I wish—I wish—I wish I could have lived in the Old Days，”said Caspian．(He was only a very little boy at the time．)
Up till now King Miraz had been talking in the tiresome way that some grown-ups have，which makes it quite clear that they are not really interested in what you are saying，but now he suddenly gave Caspian a very sharp look．
“Eh？ What’s that？”he said．“What old days do you mean？”
“Oh，don’t you know，Uncle？”said Caspian．“When everything was quite different．When all the animals could talk，and there were nice people who lived in the streams and the trees．Naiads and Dryads they were called．And there were Dwarfs．And there were lovely little Fauns in all the woods．They had feet like goats．And—”
“That’s all nonsense，for babies，”said the King sternly．“Only fit for babies，do you hear？ You’re getting too old for that sort of stuff．At your age you ought to be thinking of battles and adventures，not fairy tales．”
“Oh，but there were battles and adventures in those days，”said Caspian．“Wonderful adventures．Once there was a White Witch and she made herself Queen of the whole country．And she made it so that it was always winter．And then two boys and two girls came from somewhere and so they killed the Witch and they were made Kings and Queens of Narnia，and their names were Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy．And so they reigned for ever so long and everyone had a lovely time，and it was all because of Aslan—”
“Who’s he？”said Miraz．And if Caspian had been a very little older，the tone of his uncle’s voice would have warned him that it would be wiser to shut up．But he babbled on，
“Oh，don’t you know？”he said．“Aslan is the great Lion who comes from over the sea．”
“Who has been telling you all this nonsense？”said the King in a voice of thunder．Caspian was frightened and said nothing．
“Your Royal Highness，”said King Miraz，letting go of Caspian’s hand，which he had been holding till now，“I insist upon being answered．Look me in the face．Who has been telling you this pack of lies？”
“N-Nurse，”faltered Caspian，and burst into tears．
“Stop that noise，”said his uncle，taking Caspian by the shoulders and giving him a shake．“Stop it．And never let me catch you talking-or thinking either-about all those silly stories again．There never were those Kings and Queens．How could there be two Kings at the same time？ And there’s no such person as Aslan．And there are no such things as lions．And there never was a time when animals could talk．Do you hear？”
“Yes，Uncle，”sobbed Caspian．
“Then let’s have no more of it，”said the King．Then he called to one of the gentlemen-in-waiting who were standing at the far end of the terrace and said in a cold voice，“Conduct His Royal Highness to his apartments and send His Royal Highness’s nurse to me AT ONCE．”
Next day Caspian found what a terrible thing he had done，for Nurse had been sent away without even being allowed to say good-bye to him，and he was told he was to have a Tutor．
Caspian missed his nurse very much and shed many tears; and because he was so miserable，he thought about the old stories of Narnia far more than before．He dreamed of Dwarfs and Dryads every night and tried very hard to make the dogs and cats in the castle talk to him．But the dogs only wagged their tails and the cats only purred．
Caspian felt sure that he would hate the new Tutor，buy when the new Tutor arrived about a week later he turns out to be the sort of person it is almost impossible not to like．He was the smallest，and also the fattest，man Caspian had ever seen．He had a long，silvery，pointed beard which came down to his waist，and his face，which was brown and covered with wrinkles，looked very wise，very ugly，and very kind．His voice was grave and his eyes were merry so that，until you got to know him really well，it was hard to know when he was joking and when he was serious．His name was Doctor Cornelius．
Of all his lessons with Doctor Cornelius the one that Caspian liked best was History．Up till now，except for Nurse’s stories，he had known nothing about the History of Narnia，and he was very surprised to learn that the royal family were newcomers in the country.
“It was your Highness’s ancestor，Caspian the First，”said Doctor Cornelius，“who first conquered Narnia and made it his kingdom．It was he who brought all your nation into the country．You are not native Narnians at all．You are all Telmarines—that is，you all came from the Land of Telmar，far beyond the Western Mountains．That is why Caspian the First is called Caspian the Conqueror．”
“Please，Doctor，”asked Caspian one day，“who lived in Narnia before we all came here out of Telmar？”
“No men—or very few—lived in Narnia before the Telmarines took it，”said Doctor Cornelius．
“Then who did my great-great-grandcesters conquer？”
“Whom，not who，your Highness，”said Doctor Cornelius．“Perhaps it is time to turn from History to Grammar．”
“Oh please，not yet！”said Caspian．
“I mean，wasn’t there a battle？ Why is he called Caspian the Conqueror if there was nobody to fight with him？”
“I said there were very few men in Narnia，”said the Doctor，looking at the little boy very strangely through his great spectacles．
For a moment Caspian was puzzled and then suddenly his heart gave a leap．“Do you mean，”he gasped，“that there were other things？ Do you mean it was like in the stories？ Were there-？”
“Hush！”said Doctor Cornelius，laying his head very close to Caspian’s．“Not a word more．Don’t you know your Nurse was sent away for telling you about Old Narnia？ The King doesn’t like it．If he found me telling you secrets，you’d be whipped and I should have my head cut off．”
“But why？”asked Caspian．
“1t is high time we turned to Grammar now，”said Doctor Cornelius in a loud voice．“Will your Royal Highness be pleased to open Pulverulentus Siccus at the fourth page of his Grammatical garden or the Arbour of Accidence pleasantlie open’d to Tender Wits？”
After that it was all nouns and verbs till lunchtime，but I don’t think Caspian learned much．He was too excited．He felt sure that Doctor Cornelius would not have said so much unless he meant to tell him more sooner or later．
In this he was not disappointed．A few days later his Tutor said，“Tonight I am going to give you a lesson in Astronomy．At dead of night two noble planets，Tarva and Alambil，will pass within one degree of each other．Such a conjunction has not occurred for two hundred years，and your Highness will not live to see it again．It will be best if you go to bed a little earlier than usual．When the time of the conjunction draws near,I will come and wake you．”
This didn’t seem to have anything to do with Old Narnia，which was what Caspian really wanted to hear about，but getting up in the middle of the night is always interesting and he was moderately pleased．When he went to bed that night，he thought at first that he would not be able to sleep; but he soon dropped off and it seemed only a few minutes before he felt someone gently shaking him．
He sat up in bed and saw that the room was full of moonlight．
Doctor Cornelius，muffled in a hooded robe and holding a small lamp in his hand，stood by the bedside．
Caspian remembered at once what they were going to do．He got up and put on some clothes．Athough it was a summer night he felt colder than he had expected and was quite glad when the Doctor wrapped him in a robe like his own and gave him a pair of warm，soft buskins for his feet．A moment later，both muffled so that they could hardly be seen in the dark corridors，and both shod so that they made almost no noise，master and pupil left the room．
Caspian followed the Doctor through many passages and up several staircases，and at last，through a little door in a turret，they came out upon the leads．On one side were the battlements，on the other a steep roof; below them，all shadowy and shimmery，the castle gardens; above them，stars and moon．Presently they came to another door，which led into the great central tower of the whole castle: Doctor Cornelius unlocked it and they began to climb the dark winding stair of the tower．Caspian was becoming excited; he had never been allowed up this stair before．
It was long and steep，but when they came out on the roof of the tower and Caspian had got his breath，he felt that it had been well worth it．Away on his right he could see，rather indistinctly，the Western Mountains．On his left was the gleam of the Great River，and everything was so quiet that he could hear the sound of the waterfall at Beaversdam，a mile away．There was no difficulty in picking out the two stars they had come to see．They hung rather low in the southern sky，almost as bright as two little moons and very close together．
“Are they going to have a collision？”he asked in an awestruck voice.
“Nay，dear Prince，”said the Doctor (and he too spoke in a whisper)．“The great lords of the upper sky know the steps of their dance too well for that．Look well upon them．Their meeting is fortunate and means some great good for the sad realm of Narnia．Tarva，the Lord of Victory，salutes Alambil，the Lady of Peace．They are just coming to their nearest．”
“It’s a pity that tree gets in the way，”said Caspian．“We’d really see better from the West Tower，though it is not so high．”
Doctor Cornelius said nothing for about two minutes，but stood still with his eyes fixed on Tarva and Alambil．Then he drew a deep breath and turned to Caspian．
“There，”he said．“You have seen what no man now alive has seen，nor will see again．And you are right．We should have seen it even better from the smaller tower．I brought you here for another reason．”
Caspian looked up at him，but the Doctor’s hood concealed most of his face．
“The virtue of this tower，”said Doctor Cornelius，“is that we have six empty rooms beneath us，and a long stair，and the door at the bottom of the stair is locked．We cannot be overheard．”
“Are you going to tell me what you wouldn’t tell me the other day？”said Caspian．
“I am，”said the Doctor．“But remember．You and I must never talk about these things except here-on the very top of the Great Tower．”
“No．That’s a promise，”said Caspian．“But do go on，please．”
“Listen，”said the Doctor．“All you have heard about Old Narnia is true．It is not the land of Men．It is the country of Aslan，the country of the Waking Trees and Visible Naiads，of Fauns and Satyrs，of Dwarfs and Giants，of the gods and the Centaurs，of Talking Beasts．It was against these that the first Caspian fought．It is you Telmarines who silenced the beasts and the trees and the fountains，and who killed and drove away the Dwarfs and Fauns，and are now trying to cover up even the memory of them．The King does not allow them to be spoken of．”
“Oh，I do wish we hadn’t，”said Caspian．“And I am glad it was all true，even if it is all over．”
“Many of your race wish that in secret，”said Doctor Cornelius．
“But，Doctor，”said Caspian，“why do you say my race？ After all，I suppose you’re a Telmarine too．”
“Am I？”said the Doctor．
“Well，you’re a Man anyway，”said Caspian．
“Am I？”repeated the Doctor in a deeper voice，at the same moment throwing back his hood so that Caspian could see his face clearly in the moonlight．
All at once Caspian realized the truth and felt that he ought to have realized it long before．Doctor Cornelius was so small，and so fat，and had such a very long beard．Two thoughts came into his head at the same moment．One was a thought of terror-“He’s not a real man，not a man at all，he’s a Dwarf，and he’s brought me up here to kill me．”The other was sheer delight—“There are real Dwarfs still，and I’ve seen one at last．”
“So you’ve guessed it in the end，”said Doctor Cornelius．“Or guessed it nearly right．I’m not a pure Dwarf．I have human blood in me too．Many Dwarfs escaped in the great battles and lived on，shaving their beards and wearing high-heeled shoes and pretending to be men．They have mixed with your Telmarines．I am one of those，only a half-Dwarf，and if any of my kindred，the true Dwarfs，are still alive anywhere in the world，doubtless they would despise me and call me a traitor．But never in all these years have we forgotten our own people and all the other happy creatures of Narnia，and the long-lost days of freedom．”
“I’m—I’m sorry，Doctor，”said Caspian．“It wasn’t my fault，you know．”
“I am not saying these things in blame of you，dear Prince，”answered the Doctor．“You may well ask why I say them at all．But I have two reasons．Firstly，because my old heart has carried these secret memories so long that it aches with them and would burst if I did not whisper them to you．But secondly，for this: that when you become King you may help us，for I know that you also，Telmarine though you are，love the Old Things．”
“I do，I do，”said Caspian．“But how can I help？”
“You can be kind to the poor remnants of the Dwarf people，like myself．You can gather learned magicians and try to find a way of awaking the trees once more．You can search through all the nooks and wild places of the land to see if any Fauns or Talking Beasts or Dwarfs are perhaps still alive in hiding．”
“Do you think there are any？”asked Caspian eagerly．
“I don’t know-I don’t know，”said the Doctor with a deep sigh．“Sometimes I am afraid there can’t be．I have been looking for traces of them all my life．Sometimes I have thought I heard a Dwarf-drum in the mountains．Sometimes at night，in the woods，I thought I had caught a glimpse of Fauns and Satyrs dancing a long way off; but when I came to the place，there was never anything there．I have often despaired; but something always happens to start me hoping again．I don’t know．But at least you can try to be a King like the High King Peter of old，and not like your uncle．”
“Then it’s true about the Kings and Queens too，and about the White Witch？”said Caspian．
“Certainly it is true，”said Cornelius．“Their reign was the Golden Age in Narnia and the land has never forgotten them．”
“Did they live in this castle，Doctor？”
“Nay，my dear，”said the old man．“This castle is a thing of yesterday．Your great-great-grandfather built it．But when the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve were made Kings and Queens of Narnia by Aslan himself，they lived in the castle of Cair Paravel．No man alive has seen that blessed place and perhaps even the ruins of it have now vanished．But we believe it was far from here，down at the mouth of the Great River，on the very shore of the sea．”
“Ugh！”said Caspian with a shudder．“Do you mean in the Black Woods？ Where all the—the—you know，the ghosts live？”
“Your Highness speaks as you have been taught，”said the Doctor．“But it is all lies．There are no ghosts there．That is a story invented by the Telmarines．Your Kings are in deadly fear of the sea because they can never quite forget that in all stories Aslan comes from over the sea．They don’t want to go near it and they don’t want anyone else to go near it．So they have let great woods grow up to cut their people off from the coast．But because they have quarrelled with the trees they are afraid of the woods．And because they are afraid of the woods they imagine that they are full of ghosts．And the Kings and great men，hating both the sea and the wood，partly believe these stories，and partly encourage them．They feel safer if no one in Narnia dares to go down to the coast and look out to sea—towards Aslan’s land and the morning and the eastern end of the world．”
There was a deep silence between them for a few minutes．Then Doctor Cornelius said，“Come．We have been here long enough．It is time to go down and to bed．”
“Must we？”said Caspian．“I’d like to go on talking about these things for hours and hours and hours．”
“Someone might begin looking for us，if we did that，”said Doctor Cornelius．

CHAPTER FIVE CASPIAN’S ADVENTURE IN THE MOUNTAINS
AFTER this，Caspian and his Tutor had many more secret conversations on the top of the Great Tower，and at each conversation Caspian learned more about Old Narnia，so that thinking and dreaming about the old days，and longing that they might come back，filled nearly all his spare hours．But of course he had not many hours to spare，for now his education was beginning in earnest．He learned sword-fighting and riding，swimming and diving，how to shoot with the bow and play on the recorder and the theorbo，how to hunt the stag and cut him up when he was dead，besides Cosmography，Rhetoric，Heraldry，Versification，and of course History，with a little Law，Physic，Alchemy，and Astronomy．Of Magic he learned only the theory，for Doctor Cornelius said the practical part was not proper study for princes．“And I myself，”he added，“am only a very imperfect magician and can do only the smallest experiments．”Of Navigation (“Which is a noble and heroical art，”said the Doctor) he was taught nothing，because King Miraz disapproved of ships and the sea．
He also learned a great deal by using his own eyes and ears．As a little boy he had often wondered why he disliked his aunt，Queen Prunaprismia; he now saw that it was because she disliked him．He also began to see that Narnia was an unhappy country.The taxes were high and the laws were stern and Miraz was a cruel man.
After some years there came a time when the Queen seemed to be ill and there was a great deal of bustle and pother about her in the castle and doctors came and the courtiers whispered．This was in early summertime．And one night，while all this fuss was going on，Caspian was unexpectedly wakened by Doctor Cornelius after he had been only a few hours in bed．
“Are we going to do a little Astronomy，Doctor？”said Caspian.
“Hush！”said the Doctor．“Trust me and do exactly as I tell you．Put on all your clothes; you have a long journey before you．”
Caspian was very surprised，but he had learned to have confidence in his Tutor and he began doing what he was told at once．When he was dressed the Doctor said，“I have a wallet for you．We must go into the next room and fill it with victuals from your Highness’s supper table．”
“My gentlemen-in-waiting will be there，”said Caspian．
“They are fast asleep and will not wake，”said the Doctor．“I am a very minor magician but I can at least contrive a charmed sleep．”
They went into the antechamber and there，sure enough，the two gentlemen-in-waiting were，sprawling on chairs and snoring hard．Doctor Cornelius quickly cut up the remains of a cold chicken and some slices of venison and put them，with bread and an apple or so and a little flask of good wine，into the wallet which he then gave to Caspian．It fitted on by a strap over Caspian’s shoulder，like a satchel you would use for taking books to school．
“Have you your sword？”asked the Doctor．
“Yes，”said Caspian．
“Then put this mantle over all to hide the sword and the wallet．That’s right．And now we must go to the Great Tower and talk．”
When they had reached the top of the Tower (it was a cloudy night，not at all like the night when they had seen the conjunction of Tarva and Alambil) Doctor Cornelius said，
“Dear Prince，you must leave this castle at once and go to seek your fortune in the wide world．Your life is in danger here．”
“Why？”asked Caspian．
"Because you are the true King of Narnia: Caspian the Tenth，the true son and heir of Caspian the Ninth．Long life to your Majesty’—and suddenly，to Caspian’s great surprise，the little man dropped down on one knee and kissed his hand．
“What does it all mean？ I don’t understand，”said Caspian．
“I wonder you have never asked me before，”said the Doctor，“why，being the son of King Caspian，you are not King Caspian yourself．Everyone except your Majesty knows that Miraz is a usurper．When he first began to rule he did not even pretend to be the King: he called himself Lord Protector．But then your royal mother died，the good Queen and the only Telmarine who was ever kind to me．And then，one by one，all the great lords，who had known your father，died or disappeared．Not by accident，either．Miraz weeded them out．Belisar and Uvilas were shot with arrows on a hunting party: by chance，it was pretended．All the great house of the Passarids he sent to fight giants on the northern frontier till one by one they fell．Arlian and Erimon and a dozen more he executed for treason on a false charge．The two brothers of Beaversdam he shut up as madmen．And finally he persuaded the seven noble lords，who alone among all the Telmarines did not fear the sea，to sail away and look for new lands beyond the Eastern Ocean，and，as he intended，they never came back．And when there was no one left who could speak a word for you，then his flatterers (as he had instructed them) begged him to become King．And of course he did．”
“Do you mean he now wants to kill me too？”said Caspian．
“That is almost certain，”said Doctor Cornelius．
“But why now？”said Caspian．“I mean，why didn’t he do it long ago if he wanted to？ And what harm have I done him？”
“He has changed his mind about you because of something that happened only two hours ago．The Queen has had a son．”
“I don’t see what that’s got to do with it，”said Caspian．
“Don’t see！”exclaimed the Doctor．“Have all my lessons in History and Politics taught you no more than that？ Listen．As long as he had no children of his own，he was willing enough that you should be King after he died．He may not have cared much about you，but he would rather you should have the throne than a stranger．Now that he has a son of his own he will want his own son to be the next King．You are in the way．He’ll clear you out of the way．”
“Is he really as bad as that？”said Caspian．“Would he really murder me？”
“He murdered your Father，”said Doctor Cornelius．
Caspian felt very queer and said nothing．
“I can tell you the whole story，”said the Doctor．“But not now．There is no time．You must fly at once．”
“You’ll come with me？”said Caspian．
“I dare not，”said the Doctor．“It would make your danger greater．Two are more easily tracked than one．Dear Prince，dear King Caspian，you must be very brave．You must go alone and at once．Try to get across the southern border to the court of King Nain of Archenland．He will be good to you．”
“Shall I never see you again？”said Caspian in a quavering voice．
“I hope so，dear King，”said the Doctor．“What friend have I in the wide world except your Majesty？ And I have a little magic．But in the meantime，speed is everything．Here are two gifts before you go．This is a little purse of gold—alas，all the treasure in this castle should be your own by rights．And here is something far better．”
He put in Caspian’s hands something which he could hardly see but which he knew by the feel to be a horn．
“That，”said Doctor Cornelius，“is the greatest and most sacred treasure of Narnia．Many terrors I endured，many spells did I utter，to find it，when I was still young．It is the magic horn of Queen Susan herself which she left behind her when she vanished from Narnia at the end of the Golden Age．It is said that whoever blows it shall have strange help—no one can say how strange．It may have the power to call Queen Lucy and King Edmund and Queen Susan and High King Peter back from the past，and they will set all to rights．It may be that it will call up Aslan himself．Take it，King Caspian: but do not use it except at your greatest need．And now，haste，haste，haste．The little door at the very bottom of the Tower，the door into the garden，is unlocked．There we must part．”
“Can I get my horse Destrier？”said Caspian．
“He is already saddled and waiting for you just at the corner of the orchard．”
During the long climb down the winding staircase Cornelius whispered many more words of direction and advice．Caspian’s heart was sinking，but he tried to take it all in．Then came the fresh air in the garden，a fervent handclasp with the Doctor，a run across the lawn，a welcoming whinny from Destrier，and so King Caspian the Tenth left the castle of his fathers．Looking back，he saw fireworks going up to celebrate the birth of the new prince．
All night he rode southward，choosing by-ways and bridle paths through woods as long as he was in country that he knew; but afterwards he kept to the high road．Destrier was as excited as his master at this unusual journey，and Caspian，though tears had come into his eyes at saying good-bye to Doctor Cornelius，felt brave and，in a way，happy，to think that he was King Caspian riding to seek adventures，with his sword on his left hip and Queen Susan’s magic horn on his right．But when day came，with a sprinkle of rain，and he looked about him and saw on every side unknown woods，wild heaths，and blue mountains，he thought how large and strange the world was and felt frightened and small．
As soon as it was full daylight he left the road and found an open grassy place amid a wood where he could rest．He took off Destrier’s bridle and let him graze，ate some cold chicken and drank a little wine，and presently fell asleep．It was late afternoon when he awoke．He ate a morsel and continued his journey，still southward，by many unfrequented lanes．He was now in a land of hills，going up and down，but always more up than down．From every ridge he could see the mountains growing bigger and blacker ahead．As the evening closed in，he was riding their lower slopes．The wind rose．Soon rain fell in torrents．Destrier became uneasy; there was thunder in the air．And now they entered a dark and seemingly endless pine forest，and all the stories Caspian had ever heard of trees being unfriendly to Man crowded into his mind．He remembered that he was，after all，a Telmarine，one of the race who cut down trees wherever they could and were at war with all wild things; and though he himself might be unlike other Telmarines，the trees could not be expected to know this．
Nor did they．The wind became a tempest，the woods roared and creaked all round them．There came a crash．A tree fell right across the road just behind him．“Quiet，Destrier，quiet！”said Caspian，patting his horse’s neck; but he was trembling himself and knew that he had escaped death by an inch．Lightning flashed and a great crack of thunder seemed to break the sky in two just overhead．Destrier bolted in good earnest．Caspian was a good rider，but he had not the strength to hold him back．He kept his seat，but he knew that his life hung by a thread during the wild career that followed．Tree after tree rose up before them in the dusk and was only just avoided．Then，almost too suddenly to hurt (and yet it did hurt him too) something struck Caspian on the forehead and he knew no more．
When he came to himself he was lying in a firelit place with bruised limbs and a bad headache．Low voices were speaking close at hand．
“And now，”said one，“before it wakes up we must decide what to do with it．”
“Kill it，”said another．“We can’t let it live．It would betray us．”
“We ought to have killed it at once，or else let it alone，”said a third voice．“We can’t kill it now．Not after we’ve taken it in and bandaged its head and all．It would be murdering a guest．”
“Gentlemen，”said Caspian in a feeble voice，“whatever you do to me，I hope you will be kind to my poor horse．”
“Your horse had taken flight long before we found you，”said the first voice—a curiously husky，earthy voice，as Caspian now noticed．
“Now don’t let it talk you round with its pretty words，”said the second voice．“I still say—”
“Horns and halibuts！”exclaimed the third voice．“Of course we’re not going to murder it．For shame，Nikabrik．What do you say，Trufflehunter？ What shall we do with it？”
“I shall give it a drink，”said the first voice，presumably Trufflehunter’s．A dark shape approached the bed．Caspian felt an arm slipped gently under his shoulders—if it was exactly an arm．The shape somehow seemed wrong．The face that bent towards him seemed wrong too．He got the impression that it was very hairy and very long nosed，and there were odd white patches on each side of it．“It’s a mask of some sort，”thought Caspian．“Or perhaps I’m in a fever and imagining it all．”A cupful of something sweet and hot was set to his lips and he drank．At that moment one of the others poked the fire．A blaze sprang up and Caspian almost screamed with the shock as the sudden light revealed the face that was looking into his own．It was not a man’s face but a badger’s，though larger and friendlier and more intelligent than the face of any badger he had seen before．And it had certainly been talking．He saw，too，that he was on a bed of heather，in a cave．By the fire sat two little bearded men，so much wilder and shorter and hairier and thicker than Doctor Cornelius that he knew them at once for real Dwarfs，ancient Dwarfs with not a drop of human blood in their veins．And Caspian knew that he had found the Old Narnians at last．Then his head began to swim again．
In the next few days he learned to know them by names．The Badger was called Trufflehunter; he was the oldest and kindest of the three．The Dwarf who had wanted to kill Caspian was a sour Black Dwarf (that is，his hair and beard were black，and thick and hard like horsehair)．His name was Nikabrik．The other Dwarf was a Red Dwarf with hair rather like a Fox’s and he was called Trumpkin．
“And now，”said Nikabrik on the first evening when Caspian was well enough to sit up and talk，“we still have to decide what to do with this Human．You two think you’ve done it a great kindess by not letting me kill it．But I suppose the upshot is that we have to keep it a prisoner for life．I’m certainly not going to let it go alive—to go back to its own kind and betray us all．”
“Bulbs and bolsters！ Nikabrik，”said Trumpkin．“Why need you talk so unhandsomely？ It isn’t the creature’s fault that it bashed its head against a tree outside our hole．And I don’t think it looks like a traitor．”
“I say，”said Caspian，“you haven’t yet found out whether I want to go back．I don’t．I want to stay with you-if you’ll let me.I’ve been looking for people like you all my life．”
“That’s a likely story，”growled Nikabrik．“You’re a Telmarine and a Human，aren’t you？ Of course you want to go back to your own kind．”
“Well，even if I did，I couldn’t，”said Caspian．“I was flying for my life when I had my accident．The King wants to kill me．If you’d killed me，you’d have done the very thing to please him．”
“Well now，”said Trufflehunter，“you don’t say so！”
“Eh？”said Trumpkin．“What’s that？ What have you been doing，Human，to fall foul of Miraz at your age？”
“He’s my uncle，”began Caspian，when Nikabrik jumped up with his hand on his dagger．
“There you are！”he cried．“Not only a Telmarine but close kin and heir to our greatest enemy．Are you still mad enough to let this creature live？”He would have stabbed Caspian then and there，if the Badger and Trumpkin had not got in the way and forced him back to his seat and held him down．
“Now，once and for all，Nikabrik，”said Trumpkin．“Will you contain yourself，or must Trufflehunter and I sit on your head？”
Nikabrik sulkily promised to behave，and the other two asked Caspian to tell his whole story．When he had done so there was a moment’s silence．
“This is the queerest thing I ever heard，”said Trumpkin．
“I don’t like it，”said Nikabrik．I didn’t know there were stories about us still told among the Humans．The less they know about us the better．That old nurse，now．She’d better have held her tongue．And it’s all mixed up with that Tutor: a renegade Dwarf．I hate them．I hate them worse than the Humans．You mark my words—no good will come of it．
“Don’t you go talking about things you don’t understand，Nikabrik，”said Trufflehunter．“You Dwarfs are as forgetful and changeable as the Humans themselves．I’m a beast，I am，and a Badger what’s more．We don’t change．We hold on．I say great good will come of it．This is the true King of Narnia we’ve got here: a true King，coming back to true Narnia．And we beasts remember，even if Dwarfs forget，that Narnia was never right except when a son of Adam was King．”
“Whistles and whirligigs！ Trufflehunter，”said Trumpkin．“You don’t mean you want to give the country to Humans？”
“I said nothing about that，”answered the Badger．“It’s not Men’s country (who should know that better than me？) but it’s a country for a man to be King of．We badgers have long enough memories to know that．Why，bless us all，wasn’t the High King Peter a Man？”
“Do you believe all those old stories？”asked Trumpkin．
“I tell you，we don’t change，we beasts，”said Trufflehunter．“We don’t forget．I believe in the High King Peter and the rest that reigned at Cair Paravel，as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself．”
“As firmly as that，I dare say，”said Trumpkin．“But who believes in Aslan nowadays？”
“I do，”said Caspian．“And if I hadn’t believed in him before，I would now．Back there among the Humans the people who laughed at Aslan would have laughed at stories about Talking Beasts and Dwarfs．Sometimes I did wonder if there really was such a person as Aslan: but then sometimes I wondered if there were really people like you．Yet there you are．”
“That’s right，”said Trufflehunter．“You’re right，King Caspian．And as long as you will be true to Old Narnia you shall be my King，whatever they say．Long life to your Majesty．”
“You make me sick，Badger，”growled Nikabrik．“The High King Peter and the rest may have been Men，but they were a different sort of Men．This is one of the cursed Telmarines．He has hunted beasts for sport．Haven’t you，now？”he added，rounding suddenly on Caspian．
“Well，to tell you the truth，I have，”said Caspian．“But they weren’t Talking Beasts．”
“It’s all the same thing，”said Nikabrik．
“No，no，no，”said Trufflehunter．“You know it isn’t．You know very well that the beasts in Narnia nowadays are different and are no more than the poor dumb，witless creatures you’d find in Calormen or Telmar．They’re smaller too．They’re far more different from us than the half-Dwarfs are from you．”
There was a great deal more talk，but it all ended with the agreement that Caspian should stay and even the promise that，as soon as he was able to go out，he should be taken to see what Trumpkin called“the Others””; for apparently in these wild parts all sorts of creatures from the Old Days of Narnia still lived on in hiding.

CHAPTER SIX THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN HIDING
NOW began the happiest times that Caspian had ever known．On a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the Badger and the two Dwarfs，up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down on to their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of Archenland．
“We will go first to the Three Bulgy Bears，”said Trumpkin．
They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss，and Trufflehunter tapped with his paw three times on the trunk and there was no answer．Then he tapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said，“Go away．It’s not time to get up yet．”But when he tapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears，very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes．And when everything had been explained to them (which took a long time because they were so sleepy) they said，just as Trufflehunter had said，that a son of Adam ought to be King of Narnia and all kissed Caspian—very wet，snuffly kisses they were—and offered him some honey．Caspian did not really want honey，without bread，at that time in the morning，but he thought it polite to accept．It took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky．
After that they went on till they came among tall beech trees and Trufflehunter called out，“Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！”and almost at once，bounding down from branch to branch till he was just above their heads，came the most magnificent red squirrel that Caspian had ever seen．He was far bigger than the ordinary dumb squirrels which he had sometimes seen in the castle gardens; indeed he was nearly the size of a terrier and the moment you looked in his face you saw that he could talk．Indeed the difficulty was to get him to stop talking，for，like all squirrels，he was a chatterer．He welcomed Caspian at once and asked if he would like a nut and Caspian said thanks，he would．But as Pattertwig went bounding away to fetch it，Trufflehunter whispered in Caspian’ s ear，“Don’ tlook．Look the other way．It’s very bad manners among squirrels to watch anyone going to his store or to look as if you wanted to know where it was．”Then Pattertwig came back with the nut and Caspian ate it and after that Pattertwig asked if he could take any messages to other friends．“For I can go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground，”he said．Trufflehunter and the Dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave Pattertwig messages to all sorts of people with queer names telling them all to come to a feast and council on Dancing Lawn at midnight three nights ahead．“And you’d better tell the three Bulgies too，”added Trumpkin．“We forgot to mention it to them．”
Their next visit was to the Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood．Trumpkin led the way back to the saddle and then down eastward on the northern slope of the mountains till they came to a very solemn place among rocks and fir trees．They went very quietly and presently Caspian could feel the ground shake under his feet as if someone were hammering down below．Trumpkin went to a flat stone about the size of the top of a water-butt，and stamped on it with his foot．After a long pause it was moved away by someone or something underneath，and there was a dark，round hole with a good deal of heat and steam coming out of it and in the middle of the hole the head of a Dwarf very like Trumpkin himself．There was a long talk here and the Dwarf seemed more suspicious than the Squirrel or the Bulgy Bears had been，but in the end the whole party were invited to come down．Caspian found himself descending a dark stairway into the earth，but when he came to the bottom he saw firelight．It was the light of a furnace．The whole place was a smithy．A subterranean stream ran past on one side of it．Two Dwarfs were at the bellows，another was holding a piece of red-hot metal on the anvil with a pair of tongs，a fourth was hammering it，and two，wiping their horny little hands on a greasy cloth，were coming forward to meet the visitors．It took some time to satisfy them that Caspian was a friend and not an enemy，but when they did，they all cried—“Long live the King，”and their gifts were noble—mail shirts and helmets and swords for Caspian and Trumpkin and Nikabrik．The Badger could have had the same if he had liked，but he said he was a beast，he was，and if his claws and teeth could not keep his skin whole，it wasn’t worth keeping．The workmanship of the arms was far finer than any Caspian had ever seen，and he gladly accepted the Dwarf-made sword instead of his own，which looked，in comparison，as feeble as a toy and as clumsy as a stick．The seven brothers (who were all Red Dwarfs) promised to come to the feast at Dancing Lawn.
A little farther on，in a dry，rocky ravine they reached the cave of five Black Dwarfs．They looked suspiciously at Caspian，but in the end the eldest of them said，“If he is against Miraz，we’ll have him for King．”And the next oldest said，“Shall we go farther up for you，up to the crags？ There’s an Ogre or two and a Hag that we could introduce you to，up there．”
“Certainly not，”said Caspian．
“I should think not，indeed，”said Trufflehunter．“We want none of that sort on our side．”Nikabrik disagreed with this，but Trumpkin and the Badger overruled him．It gave Caspian a shock to realize that the horrible creatures out of the old stories，as well as the nice ones，had some descendants in Narnia still．
“We should not have Aslan for friend if we brought in that rabble，”said Trufflehunter as they came away from the cave of the Black Dwarfs．
“Oh，Aslan！”said Trumpkin，cheerily but contemptuously.
“What matters much more is that you wouldn’t have me．”
“Do you believe in Aslan？”said Caspian to Nikabrik．
“I’ll believe in anyone or anything，”said Nikabrik，“that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia．Anyone or anything，Aslan or the White Witch，do you understand？”
“Silence，silence，”said Trufflehunter．“You do not know what you are saying．She was a worse enemy than Miraz and all his race．”
“Not to Dwarfs，she wasn’t，”said Nikabrik．
Their next visit was a pleasanter one．As they came lower down，the mountains opened out into a great glen or wooded gorge with a swift river running at the bottom．The open places near the river’s edge were a mass of foxgloves and wild roses and the air was buzzing with bees．Here Trufflehunter called again，“Glenstorm！ Glenstorm！”and after a pause Caspian heard the sound of hoofs．It grew louder till the valley trembled and at last，breaking and trampling the thickets，there came in sight the noblest creatures that Caspian had yet seen，the great Centaur Glenstorm and his three sons．His flanks were glossy chestnut and the beard that covered his broad chest was golden-red．He was a prophet and a star-gazer and knew what they had come about．
“Long live the King，”he cried．“I and my sons are ready for war．When is the battle to be joined？”
Up till now neither Caspian nor the others had really been thinking of a war．They had some vague idea，perhaps，of an occasional raid on some Human farmstead or of attacking a party of hunters，if it ventured too far into these southern wilds．But，in the main，they had thought only of living to themselves in woods and caves and building up an attempt at Old Narnia in hiding．As soon as Glenstorm had spoken everyone felt much more serious．
“Do you mean a real war to drive Miraz out of Narnia？”asked Caspian.
“What else？”said the Centaur．“Why else does your Majesty go clad in mail and girt with sword？”
“Is it possible，Glenstorm？”said the Badger．
“The time is ripe，”said Glenstorm．“I watch the skies，Badger，for it is mine to watch，as it is yours to remember．Tarva and Alambil have met in the halls of high heaven，and on earth a son of Adam has once more arisen to rule and name the creatures．The hour has struck．Our council at the Dancing Lawn must be a council of war．”He spoke in such a voice that neither Caspian nor the others hesitated for a moment: it now seemed to them quite possible that they might win a war and quite certain that they must wage one．
As it was now past the middle of the day，they rested with the Centaurs and ate such food as the centaurs provided—cakes of oaten meal，and apples，and herbs，and wine，and cheese．
The next place they were to visit was quite near at hand，but they had to go a long way round in order to avoid a region in which Men lived．It was well into the afternoon before they found themselves in level fields，warm between hedgerows．There Trufflehunter called at the mouth of a little hole in a green bank and out popped the last thing Caspian expected—a Talking Mouse．He was of course bigger than a common mouse，well over a foot high when he stood on his hind legs，and with ears nearly as long as (though broader than) a rabbit’s．His name was Reepicheep and he was a gay and martial mouse．He wore a tiny little rapier at his side and twirled his long whiskers as if they were a moustache．“There are twelve of us，Sire，”he said with a dashing and graceful bow，“and I place all the resources of my people unreservedly at your Majesty’s disposal．”Caspian tried hard (and successfully) not to laugh，but he couldn’t help thinking that Reepicheep and all his people could very easily be put in a washing basket and carried home on one’s back．
It would take too long to mention all the creatures whom Caspian met that day—Clodsley Shovel the Mole，the three Hardbiters (who were badgers like Trufflehunter)，Camillo the Hare，and Hogglestock the Hedgehog．They rested at last beside a well at the edge of a wide and level circle of grass，bordered with tall elms which now threw long shadows across it，for the sun was setting，the daisies closing，and the rooks flying home to bed．Here they supped on food they had brought with them and Trumpkin lit his pipe (Nikabrik was not a smoker)．
“Now，”said the Badger，“if only we could wake the spirits of these trees and this well，we should have done a good day’s work．”
“Can’t we？”said Caspian．
“No，”said Trufflehunter．“We have no power over them．Since the Humans came into the land，felling forests and defiling streams，the Dryads and Naiads have sunk into a deep sleep．Who knows if ever they will stir again？ And that is a great loss to our side．The Telmarines are horribly afraid of the woods，and once the Trees moved in anger，our enemies would go mad with fright and be chased out of Narnia as quick as their legs could carry them．”
“What imaginations you Animals have！”said Trumpkin，who didn’t believe in such things．“But why stop at Trees and Waters？ Wouldn’t it be even nicer if the stones started throwing themselves at old Miraz？”
The Badger only grunted at this，and after that there was such a silence that Caspian had nearly dropped off to sleep when he thought he heard a faint musical sound from the depth of the woods at his back．Then he thought it was only a dream and turned over again; but as soon as his ear touched the ground he felt or heard (it was hard to tell which) a faint beating or drumming．He raised his head．The beating noise at once became fainter，but the music returned，clearer this time．It was like flutes．He saw that Trufflehunter was sitting up staring into the wood．The moon was bright; Caspian had been asleep longer than he thought．Nearer and nearer came the music，a tune wild and yet dreamy，and the noise of many light feet，till at last，out from the wood into the moonlight，came dancing shapes such as Caspian had been thinking of all his life．They were not much taller than dwarfs，but far slighter and more graceful．Their curly heads had little horns，the upper part of their bodies gleamed naked in the pale light，but their legs and feet were those of goats．
“Fauns！”cried Caspian，jumping up，and in a moment they were all round him．It took next to no time to explain the whole situation to them and they accepted Caspian at once．Before he knew what he was doing he found himself joining in the dance．Trumpkin，with heavier and jerkier movements，did likewise and even Trufflehunter hopped and lumbered about as best he could．Only Nikabrik stayed where he was，looking on in silence．The Fauns footed it all round Caspian to their reedy pipes．Their strange faces，which seemed mournful and merry all at once，looked into his; dozens of Fauns，Mentius and Obentinus and Dumnus，Voluns，Voltinus，Girbius，Nimienus，Nausus，and Oscuns．Pattertwig had sent them all．
When Caspian awoke next morning he could hardly believe that it had not all been a dream; but the grass was covered with little cloven hoof-marks．

CHAPTER SEVEN OLD NARNIA IN DANGER
THE PLACE where they had met the Fauns was，of course，Dancing Lawn itself，and here Caspian and his friends remained till the night of the great Council．To sleep under the stars，to drink nothing but well water and to live chiefly on nuts and wild fruit，was a strange experience for Caspian after his bed with silken sheets in a tapestried chamber at the castle，with meals laid out on gold and silver dishes in the anteroom，and attendants ready at his call．But he had never enjoyed himself more．Never had sleep been more refreshing nor food tasted more savoury，and he began already to harden and his face wore a kinglier look．
When the great night came，and his various strange subjects came stealing into the lawn by ones and twos and threes or by sixes and sevens—the moon then shining almost at her full—his heart swelled as he saw their numbers and heard their greetings．All whom he had met were there: Bulgy Bears and Red Dwarfs and Black Dwarfs，Moles and Badgers，Hares and Hedgehogs，and others whom he had not yet seen—five Satyrs as red as foxes，the whole contingent of Talking Mice，armed to the teeth and following a shrill trumpet，some Owls，the Old Raven of Ravenscaur．Last of all (and this took Caspian’s breath away)，with the Centaurs came a small but genuine Giant，Wimbleweather of Deadman’s Hill，carrying on his back a basketful of rather sea-sick Dwarfs who had accepted his offer of a lift and were now wishing they had walked instead．
The Bulgy Bears were very anxious to have the feast first and leave the council till afterwards: perhaps till tomorrow．Reepicheep and his Mice said that councils and feasts could both wait，and proposed storming Miraz in his own castle that very night．Pattertwig and the other Squirrels said they could talk and eat at the same time，so why not have the council and feast all at once？ The Moles proposed throwing up entrenchments round the Lawn before they did anything else．The Fauns thought it would be better to begin with a solemn dance．The Old Raven，while agreeing with the Bears that it would take too long to have a full council before supper，begged to be allowed to give a brief address to the whole company．But Caspian and the Centaurs and the Dwarfs overruled all these suggestions and insisted on holding a real council of war at once.
When all the other creatures had been persuaded to sit down quietly in a great circle，and when (with more difficulty) they had got Pattertwig to stop running to and fro and saying“Silence！ Silence，everyone，for the King’s speech”，Caspian，feeling a little nervous，got up．“Narnians！”he began，but he never got
any further，for at that very moment Camillo the Hare said，“Hush！ There’s a Man somewhere near．”
They were all creatures of the wild，accustomed to being hunted，and they all became still as statues．The beasts all turned their noses in the direction which Camillo had indicated．
“Smells like Man and yet not quite like Man，”whispered Trufflehunter．
“It’s getting steadily nearer，”said Camillo．
“Two badgers and you three Dwarfs，with your bows at the-ready，go softly off to meet it，”said Caspian．
“We’ll settle’un，”said a Black Dwarf grimly，fitting a shaft to his bowstring．
Don’t shoot if it is alone，”said Caspian．“Catch it．”
“Why？”asked the Dwarf．
“Do as you’re told，”said Glenstorm the Centaur．
Everyone waited in silence while the three Dwarfs and two Badgers trotted stealthily across to the trees on the northwest side of the Lawn．Then came a sharp dwarfish cry，“Stop！ Who goes there？”and a sudden spring．A moment later a voice，which Caspian knew well，could he heard saying，“All right，all right，I’m unarmed．Take my wrists if you like，worthy Badgers，but don’t bite right through them．I want to speak to the King．”
“Doctor Cornelius！”cried Caspian with joy，and rushed forward to greet his old tutor．Everyone else crowded round．
“Pah！”said Nikabrik．“A renegade Dwarf．A half-and-halfer！ Shall I pass my sword through its throat？”
“Be quiet，Nikabrik，”said Trumpkin．“The creature can’t help its ancestry．”
“This is my greatest friend and the saviour of my life，”said Caspian．“And anyone who doesn’t like his company may leave my army: at once．Dearest doctor，I am glad to see you again．How ever did you find us out？”
“By a little use of simple magic，your Majesty，”said the Doctor，who was still puffing and blowing from having walked so fast．“But there’s no time to go into that now．We must all fly from this place at once．You are already betrayed and Miraz is on the move．Before midday tomorrow you will be surrounded．”
“Betrayed！”said Caspian．“And by whom？”
“Another renegade Dwarf，no doubt，”said Nikabrik．
“By your horse Destrier，”said Doctor Cornelius．“The poor brute knew no better．When you were knocked off，of course，he went dawdling back to his stable in the castle．Then the secret of your flight was known．I made myself scarce，having no wish to be questioned about it in Miraz’s torture chamber．I had a pretty good guess from my crystal as to where I should find you.But all day—hat was the day before yesterday—I saw Miraz’s tracking parties out in the woods．Yesterday I learned that his army is out．I don’t think some of your—um—pure-blooded Dwarfs have as much woodcraft as might be expected．You’ve left tracks all over the place．Great carelessness．At any rate something has warned Miraz that Old Narnia is not so dead as he had hoped，and he is on the move．”
“Hurrah！”said a very shrill and small voice from somewhere at the Doctor’s feet．“Let them come！ All I ask is that the King will put me and my people in the front．”
“What on earth？”said Doctor Cornelius．“Has your Majesty got grasshoppers—or mosquitoes—in your army？”Then after stooping down and peering carefully through his spectacles，he broke into a laugh．
“By the Lion，”he swore，“it’s a mouse．Signior Mouse，I desire your better acquaintance．I am honoured by meeting so valiant a beast．”
“My friendship you shall have，learned Man，”piped Reepicheep．“And any Dwarf—or Giant—in the army who does not give you good language shall have my sword to reckon with．”
“Is there time for this foolery？”asked Nikabrik．“What are our plans？ Battle or flight？”
“Battle if need be，”said Trumpkin．“But we are hardly ready for it yet，and this is no very defensible place．”
“I don’t like the idea of running away，”said Caspian．
“Hear him！ Hear him！”said the Bulgy Bears．“Whatever we do，don’t let’s have any running．Especially not before supper; and not too soon after it neither．”
“Those who run first do not always run last，”said the Centaur．“And why should we let the enemy choose our position instead of choosing it ourselves？ Let us find a strong place．”
“That’s wise，your Majesty，that’s wise，”said Trufflehunter．
“But where are we to go？”asked several voices．
“Your Majesty，”said Doctor Cornelius，“and all you variety of creatures，I think we must fly east and down the river to the great woods．The Telmarines hate that region．They have always been afraid of the sea and of something that may come over the sea．That is why they have let the great woods grow up．If traditions speak true，the ancient Cair Paravel was at the river-mouth．All that part is friendly to us and hateful to our enemies．We must go to Aslan’s How．”
“Aslan’s How？”said several voices．“We do not know what it is．”
“It lies within the skirts of the Great Woods and it is a huge mound which Narnians raised in very ancient times over a very magical place，where there stood—and perhaps still stands—a very magical Stone．The Mound is all hollowed out within into galleries and caves，and the Stone is in the central cave of all．There is room in the mound for all our stores，and those of us who have most need of cover and are most accustomed to underground life can be lodged in the caves．The rest of us can lie in the wood．At a pinch all of us (except this worthy Giant) could retreat into the Mound itself，and there we should be beyond the reach of every danger except famine．”
“It is a good thing we have a learned man among us，”said Trufflehunter; but Trumpkin muttered under his breath，“Soup and celery！ I wish our leaders would think less about these old wives’ tales and more about victuals and arms．”But all approved of Cornelius’s proposal and that very night，half an hour later，they were on the march．Before sunrise they arrived at Aslan’s How．
It was certainly an awesome place，a round green hill on top of another hill，long since grown over with trees，and one little，low doorway leading into it．The tunnels inside were a perfect maze till you got to know them，and they were lined and roofed with smooth stones，and on the stones，peering in the twilight，Caspian saw strange characters and snaky patterns，and pictures in which the form of a Lion was repeated again and again．It all seemed to belong to an even older Narnia than the Narnia of which his nurse had told him．
It was after they had taken up their quarters in and around the How that fortune began to turn against them．King Miraz’s scouts soon found their new lair，and he and his army arrived on the edge of the woods．And as so often happens，the enemy turned out stronger than they had reckoned．Caspian’s heart sank as he saw company after company arriving．And though Miraz’s men may have been afraid of going into the wood，they were even more afraid of Miraz，and with him in command they carried battle deeply into it and sometimes almost to the How itself．Caspian and other captains of course made many sorties into the open country．Thus there was fighting on most days and sometimes by night as well; but Caspian’s party had on the whole the worst of it．
At last there came a night when everything had gone as badly as possible，and the rain which had been falling heavily all day had ceased at nightfall only to give place to raw cold．That morning Caspian had arranged what was his biggest battle yet，and all had hung their hopes on it．He，with most of the Dwarfs，was to have fallen on the King’s right wing at daybreak，and then，when they were heavily engaged，Giant Wimbleweather，with the Centaurs and some of the fiercest beasts，was to have broken out from another place and endeavoured to cut the King’s right off from the rest of the army．But it had all failed．No one had warned Caspian (because no one in these later days of Narnia remembered) that Giants are not at all clever．Poor Wimbleweather，though as brave as a lion，was a true Giant in that respect．He had broken out at the wrong time and from the wrong place，and both his party and Caspian’s had suffered badly and done the enemy little harm．The best of the Bears had been hurt，a Centaur terribly wounded，and there were few in Caspian’s party who had not lost blood．It was a gloomy company that huddled under the dripping trees to eat their scanty supper．
The gloomiest of all was Giant Wimbleweather．He knew it was all his fault．He sat in silence shedding big tears which collected on the end of his nose and then fell off with a huge splash on the whole bivouac of the Mice，who had just been beginning to get warm and drowsy．They all jumped up，shaking the water out of their ears and wringing their little blankets，and asked the Giant in shrill but forcible voices whether he thought they weren’t wet enough without this sort of thing．And then other people woke up and told the Mice they had been enrolled as scouts and not as a concert party，and asked why they couldn’t keep quiet．And Wimbleweather tiptoed away to find some place where he could be miserable in peace and stepped on somebody’s tail and somebody (they said afterwards it was a fox) bit him．And so everyone was out of temper．
But in the secret and magical chamber at the heart of the How，King Caspian，with Cornelius and the Badger and Nikabrik and Trumpkin，were at council．Thick pillars of ancient workmanship supported the roof．In the centre was the Stone itself—a stone table，split right down the centre，and covered with what had once been writing of some kind: but ages of wind and rain and snow had almost worn them away in old times when the Stone Table had stood on the hilltop，and the Mound had not yet been built above it．They were not using the Table nor sitting round it: it was too magic a thing for any common use．They sat on logs a little way from it，and between them was a rough wooden table，on which stood a rude clay lamp lighting up their pale faces and throwing big shadows on the walls．
“If your Majesty is ever to use the Horn，”said Trufflehunter，“I think the time has now come．”Caspian had of course told them of his treasure several days ago．
“We are certainly in great need，”answered Caspian．“But it is hard to be sure we are at our greatest．Supposing there came an even worse need and we had already used it？”
“By that argument，”said Nikabrik，“your Majesty will never use it until it is too late．”
“I agree with that，”said Doctor Cornelius．
“And what do you think，Trumpkin？”asked Caspian．
“Oh，as for me，”said the Red Dwarf，who had been listening with complete indifference，“your Majesty knows I think the Horn—and that bit of broken stone over there—and your great King Peter—and your Lion Aslan—are all eggs in moonshine．It’s all one to me when your Majesty blows the Horn．All I insist on is that the army is told nothing about it．There’s no good raising hopes of magical help which (as I think) are sure to be disappointed．”
“Then in the name of Aslan we will wind Queen Susan’s Horn，”said Caspian．
“There is one thing，Sire，”said Doctor Cornelius，“that should perhaps be done first．We do not know what form the help will take．It might call Aslan himself from oversea．But I think it is more likely to call Peter the High King and his mighty consorts down from the high past．But in either case，I do not think we can be sure that the help will come to this very spot—”
“You never said a truer word，”put in Trumpkin．
“I think，”went on the learned man，“that they—or he—will come back to one or other of the Ancient Places of Narnia．This，where we now sit，is the most ancient and most deeply magical of all，and here，I think，the answer is likeliest to come．But there are two others．One is Lantern Waste，up-river，west of Beaversdam，where the Royal Children first appeared in Narnia，as the records tell.The other is down at the river-mouth，where their castle of Cair Paravel once stood．And if Aslan himself comes，that would be the best place for meeting him too，for every story says that he is the son of the great Emperor-over-he-Sea，and over the sea he will pass．I should like very much to send messengers to both places，to Lantern Waste and the river-mouth，to receive them—or him—or it．”
“Just as I thought，”muttered Trumpkin．“The first result of all this foolery is not to bring us help but to lose us two fighters．”
“Who would you think of sending，Doctor Cornelius？”asked Caspian.
“Squirrels are best for getting through enemy country without being caught，”said Trufflehunter．
“All our squirrels (and we haven’t many)，”said Nikabrik，“are rather flighty．The only one I’d trust on a job like that would be Pattertwig．”
“Let it be Pattertwig，then，”said King Caspian．“And who for our other messenger？ I know you’d go，Trufflehunter，but you haven’t the speed．Nor you，Doctor Cornelius．”
“I won’t go，”said Nikabrik．“With all these Humans and beasts about，there must be a Dwarf here to see that the Dwarfs are fairly treated．”
“Thimbles and thunderstorms！”cried Trumpkin in a rage．“Is that how you speak to the King？ Send me，Sire，I’ll go．”
“But I thought you didn’t believe in the Horn，Trumpkin，”said Caspian．
“No more I do，your Majesty．But what’s that got to do with it？ I might as well die on a wild goose chase as die here．You are my King．I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders．You’ve had my advice，and now it’s the time for orders．”
“I will never forget this，Trumpkin，”said Caspian．“Send for Pattertwig，one of you．And when shall I blow the Horn？”
“I would wait for sunrise，your Majesty，”said Doctor Cornelius.“That sometimes has an effect in operations of White Magic．”
A few minutes later Pattertwig arrived and had his task explained to him．As he was，like many squirrels，full of courage and dash and energy and excitement and mischief (not to say conceit)，he no sooner heard it than he was eager to be off．It was arranged that he should run for Lantern Waste while Trumpkin made the shorter journey to the river-mouth．After a hasty meal they both set off with the fervent thanks and good wishes of the King，the Badger，and Cornelius．

CHAPTER EIGHT HOW THEY LEFT THE ISLAND
“AND so，”said Trumpkin (for，as you have realized，it was he who had been telling all this story to the four children，sitting on the grass in the ruined hall of Cair Paravel)—“and so I put a crust or two in my pocket，left behind all weapons but my dagger，and took to the woods in the grey of the morning．I’d been plugging away for many hours when there came a sound that I’d never heard the like of in my born days．Eh，I won’t forget that．The whole air was full of it，loud as thunder but far longer，cool and sweet as music over water，but strong enough to shake the woods．And I said to myself，‘If that’s not the Horn，call me a rabbit． ’ And a moment later I wondered why he hadn’t blown it sooner—”
“What time was it？”asked Edmund．
“Between nine and ten of the clock，”said Trumpkin．
“Just when we were at the railway station！”said all the children，and looked at one another with shining eyes．
“Please go on，”said Lucy to the Dwarf．
I could pelt．I kept on all night—and then，when it was half light this morning，as if I’d no more sense than a Giant，I risked a short cut across open country to cut off a big loop of the river，and was caught．Not by the army，but by a pompous old fool who has charge of a little castle which is Miraz’s last stronghold towards the coast．I needn’t tell you they got no true tale out of me，but I was a Dwarf and that was enough．But，lobsters and lollipops！ it is a good thing the seneschal was a pompous fool．Anyone else would have run me through there and then．But nothing would do for him short of a grand execution: sending me down‘ to the ghosts’in the full ceremonial way．And then this young lady”，(he nodded at Susan)“does her bit of archery—and it was pretty shooting，let me tell you—and here we are．And without my armour，for of course they took that．”He knocked out and refilled his pipe．
“Great Scott！”said Peter．“So it was the horn—your own horn，Su—that dragged us all off that seat on the platform yesterday morning！ I can hardly believe it; yet it all fits in．”
“I don’t know why you shouldn’t believe it，”said Lucy，“if you believe in magic at all．Aren’t there lots of stories about magic forcing people out of one place—out of one world—into another？ I mean，when a magician in The Arabian Nights calls up a Jinn，it has to come．We had to come，just like that．”
“Yes，”said Peter，“I suppose what makes it feel so queer is that in the stories it’s always someone in our world who does the calling．One doesn’t really think about where the Jinn’s coming from．”
“And now we know what it feels like for the Jinn，”said Edmund with a chuckle．“Golly！ It’s a bit uncomfortable to know that we can be whistled for like that．It’s worse than what Father says about living at the mercy of the telephone．”
“But we want to be here，don’t we，”said Lucy，“if Aslan wants us？”
“Meanwhile，”said the Dwarf，“what are we to do？ I suppose
I’d better go back to King Caspian and tell him no help has come．”
“No help？”said Susan．“But it has worked．And here we are．”
“Um—um—yes，to be sure．I see that，”said the Dwarf，whose pipe seemed to be blocked (at any rate he made himself very busy cleaning it)．“But—well—I mean—”
“But don’t you yet see who we are？”shouted Lucy．“You are stupid．”
“I suppose you are the four children out of the old stories，”said Trumpkin．And I’m very glad to meet you of course．And it’s very interesting，no doubt．But—no offence？—and he hesitated again.
“Do get on and say whatever you’re going to say，”said Edmund.
“Well，then—no offence，”said Trumpkin．“But，you know，the King and Trufflehunter and Doctor Cornelius were expecting—well，if you see what I mean，help．To put it in another way，I think they’d been imagining you as great warriors．As it is—we’re awfully fond of children and all that，but just at the moment，in the middle of a war—but I’m sure you understand．”
“You mean you think we’re no good，”said Edmund，getting red in the face．
“Now pray don’t be offended，”interrupted the Dwarf．“I assure you，my dear little friends—”
“Little from you is really a bit too much，”said Edmund，jumping up．“I suppose you don’t believe we won the Battle of Beruna？ Well，you can say what you like about me because I know—”
“There’s no good losing our tempers，”said Peter．“Let’s fit him out with fresh armour and fit ourselves out from the treasure chamber，and have a talk after that．”
“I don’t quite see the point—”began Edmund，but Lucy whispered in his ear，“Hadn’t we better do what Peter says？ He is the High King，you know．And I think he has an idea．”So Edmund agreed and by the aid of his torch they all，including Trumpkin，went down the steps again into the dark coldness and dusty splendour of the treasure house．
The Dwarf’s eyes glistened as he saw the wealth that lay on the shelves (though he had to stand on tiptoes to do so) and he muttered to himself，“It would never do to let Nikabrik see this; never．”They found easily enough a mail shirt for him，a sword，a helmet，a shield，a bow and quiverful of arrows，all of dwarfish size．The helmet was of copper，set with rubies，and there was gold on the hilt of the sword: Trumpkin had never seen，much less carried，so much wealth in all his life．The children also put on mail shirts and helmets; a sword and shield were found for Edmund and a bow for Lucy—Peter and Susan were of course already carrying their gifts．As they came back up the stairway，jingling in their mail，and already looking and feeling more like Narnians and less like schoolchildren，the two boys were behind，apparently making some plan．Lucy heard Edmund say，“No，let me do it．It will be more of a sucks for him if I win，and less of a let-down for us all if I fail．”
“All right，Ed，”said Peter．
When they came out into the daylight Edmund turned to the Dwarf very politely and said，“I’ve got something to ask you．Kids like us don’t often have the chance of meeting a great warrior like you．Would you have a little fencing match with me？ It would be frightfully decent．”
“But，lad，”said Trumpkin，“these swords are sharp．”
“I know，”said Edmund．“But I’ll never get anywhere near you and you’ll be quite clever enough to disarm me without doing me any damage．”
“It’s a dangerous game，”said Trumpkin．“But since you make such a point of it，I’ll try a pass or two．”
Both swords were out in a moment and the three others jumped off the dais and stood watching．It was well worth it．It was not like the silly fighting you see with broad swords on the stage．It was not even like the rapier fighting which you sometimes see rather better done．This was real broad-sword fighting．The great thing is to slash at your enemy’slegs and feet because they are the part that have no armour．And when he slashes at yours you jump with both feet off the ground so that his blow goes under them．This gave the Dwarf an advantage because Edmund，being much taller，had to be always stooping．I don’t think Edmund would have had a chance if he had fought Trumpkin twenty-four hours earlier．But the air of Narnia had been working upon him ever since they arrived on the island，and all his old battles came back to him，and his arms and fingers remembered their old skill．He was King Edmund once more．Round and round the two combatants circled，stroke after stroke they gave，and Susan (who never could learn to like this sort of thing) shouted out，“Oh，do be careful．”And then，so quickly that no one (unless they knew，as Peter did) could quite see how it happened，Edmund flashed his sword round with a peculiar twist，the Dwarf’s sword flew out of his grip，and Trumpkin was wringing his empty hand as you do after a“sting”from a cricket-bat．
“Not hurt，I hope，my dear little friend？”said Edmund，panting a little and returning his own sword to its sheath．
“I see the point，”said Trumpkin drily．“You know a trick I never learned．”
“That’s quite true，”put in Peter．“The best swordsman in the world may be disarmed by a trick that’s new to him．I think it’s only fair to give Trumpkin a chance at something else．Will you have a shooting match with my sister？ There are no tricks in archery，you know．”
“Ah，you’re jokers，you are，”said the Dwarf．“I begin to see．As if I didn’t know how she can shoot，after what happened this morning．All the same，I’ll have a try．”He spoke gruffly，but his eyes brightened，for he was a famous bowman among his own people．
All five of them came out into the courtyard．
“What’s to be the target？”asked Peter．
“I think that apple hanging over the wall on the branch there would do，”said Susan．
“That’ll do nicely，lass，”said Trumpkin．“You mean the yellow one near the middle of the arch？”
“No，not that，”said Susan．“The red one up above—over the battlement．”
The Dwarf’s face fell．“Looks more like a cherry than an apple，”he muttered，but he said nothing out loud．
They tossed up for first shot (greatly to the interest of Trumpkin，who had never seen a coin tossed before) and Susan lost．They were to shoot from the top of the steps that led from the hall into the courtyard．Everyone could see from the way the Dwarf took his position and handled his bow that he knew what he was about．
Twang went the string．It was an excellent shot．The tiny apple shook as the arrow passed，and a leaf came fluttering down．Then Susan went to the top of the steps and strung her bow．She was not enjoying her match half so much as Edmund had enjoyed his; not because she had any doubt about hitting the apple but because Susan was so tender-hearted that she almost hated to beat someone who had been beaten already．The Dwarf watched her keenly as she drew the shaft to her ear．A moment later，with a little soft thump which they could all hear in that quiet place，the apple fell to the grass with Susan’s arrow in it．
“Oh，well done，Su，”shouted the other children．
“It wasn’t really any better than yours，”said Susan to the Dwarf．“I think there was a tiny breath of wind as you shot．”
“No，there wasn’t，”said Trumpkin．“Don’t tell me．I know when I am fairly beaten．I won’t even say that the scar of my last wound catches me a bit when I get my arm well back—”
“Oh，are you wounded？”asked Lucy．“Do let me look．”
“It’s not a sight for little girls，”began Trumpkin，but then he suddenly checked himself．“There I go talking like a fool again，”he said“I suppose you’re as likely to be a great surgeon as your brother was to be a great swordsman or your sister to be a great archer．”He sat down on the steps and took off his hauberk and slipped down his little shirt，showing an arm hairy and muscular (in proportion) as a sailor’s though not much bigger than a child’s．There was a clumsy bandage on the shoulder which Lucy proceeded to unroll．Underneath，the cut looked very nasty and there was a good deal of swelling．“Oh，poor Trumpkin，”said Lucy．“How horrid．”Then she carefully dripped on to it one single drop of the cordial from her flask．
“Hullo．Eh？ What have you done？”said Trumpkin．But however he turned his head and squinted and whisked his beard to and fro，he couldn’t quite see his own shoulder．Then he felt it as well as he could，getting his arms and fingers into very difficult positions as you do when you’re trying to scratch a place that is just out of reach．Then he swung his arm and raised it and tried the muscles，and finally jumped to his feet crying，“Giants and junipers！ It’s cured！It’s as good as new．”After that he burst into a great laugh and said，“Well，I’ve made as big a fool of myself as ever a Dwarf did．No offence，I hope？ My humble duty to your Majesties all—humble duty．And thanks for my life，my cure，my breakfast—and my lesson．”
The children all said it was quite all right and not to mention it．
“And now，”said Peter，“if you’ve really decided to believe in us—”
“I have，”said the Dwarf．
“It’s quite clear what we have to do．We must join King Caspian at once．”
“The sooner the better，”said Trumpkin．“My being such a fool has already wasted about an hour．”
“It’s about two days’journey，the way you came，”said Peter．“For us，I mean．We can’t walk all day and night like you Dwarfs．”Then he turned to the others．“What Trumpkin calls Aslan’s How is obviously the Stone Table itself．You remember it was about half a day’s march，or a little less，from there down to the Fords of Beruna-”
“Beruna’s Bridge，we call it，”said Trumpkin．
“There was no bridge in our time，”said Peter．“And then from Beruna down to here was another day and a bit．We used to get home about teatime on the second day，going easily．Going hard，we could do the whole thing in a day and a half perhaps．”
“But remember it’s all woods now，”said Trumpkin，“and there are enemies to dodge．”
“Look here，”said Edmund，“need we go by the same way that Our Dear Little Friend came？”
“No more of that，your Majesty，if you love me，”said the Dwarf．
“Very well，”said Edmund．“May I say our D．L．F．？”
“Oh，Edmund，”said Susan．“Don’t keep on at him like that．”
“That’s all right，lass—I mean your Majesty，”said Trumpkin with a chuckle．“A jibe won’t raise a blister．”(And after that they often called him the D．L．F．till they’d almost forgotten what it meant．)
“As I was saying，”continued Edmund，“we needn’t go that way．Why shouldn’t we row a little south till we come to Glasswater Creek and row up it？ That brings us up behind the Hill of the Stone Table，and we’ll be safe while we’re at sea．If we start at once，we can be at the head of Glasswater before dark，get a few hours’ sleep，and be with Caspian pretty early tomorrow．”
“What a thing it is to know the coast，”said Trumpkin．“None of us know anything about Glasswater．”
“What about food？”asked Susan．
“Oh，we’ll have to do with apples，”said Lucy．“Do let’s get on．We’ve done nothing yet，and we’ve been here nearly two days．”
“And anyway，no one’s going to have my hat for a fish-basket again，”said Edmund．
They used one of the raincoats as a kind of bag and put a good many apples in it．Then they all had a good long drink at the well (for they would meet no more fresh water till they landed at the head of the Creek) and went down to the boat．The children were sorry to leave Cair Paravel，which，even in ruins，had begun to feel like home again．
“The D．L．F．had better steer，”said Peter，“and Ed and I will take an oar each．Half a moment，though．We’d better take off our mail: we’re going to be pretty warm before we’re done．The girls had better be in the bows and shout directions to the D．L．F．because he doesn’t know the way．You’d better get us a fair way out to sea till we’ve passed the island．”
And soon the green，wooded coast of the island was falling away behind them，and its little bays and headlands were beginning to look flatter，and the boat was rising and falling in the gentle swell．The sea began to grow bigger around them and，in the distance，bluer，but close round the boat it was green and bubbly．Everything smelled salt and there was no noise except the swishing of water and the clop-clop of water against the sides and the splash of the oars and the jolting noise of the rowlocks．The sun grew hot．
It was delightful for Lucy and Susan in the bows，bending over the edge and trying to get their hands in the sea which they could never quite reach．The bottom，mostly pure，pale sand but with occasional patches of purple seaweed，could be seen beneath them．
“It’s like old times，”said Lucy．“Do you remember our voyage to Terebinthia—and Galma—and Seven Isles—and the Lone Islands？”
“Yes，”said Susan，“and our great ship the Splendour Hyaline，with the swan’s head at her prow and the carved swan’ wings coming back almost to her waist？”
“And the silken sails，and the great stern lanterns？”
“And the feasts on the poop and the musicians．”
“Do you remember when we had the musicians up in the rigging playing flutes so that it sounded like music out of the sky？”
Presently Susan took over Edmund’s oar and he came forward to join Lucy．They had passed the island now and stood closer in to the shore—all wooded and deserted．They would have thought it very pretty if they had not remembered the time when it was open and breezy and full of merry friends．
“Phew！ This is pretty gruelling work，”said Peter．“Can’t I row for a bit？”said Lucy．
“The oars are too big for you，”said Peter shortly，not because he was cross but because he had no strength to spare for talking．

CHAPTER NINE WHAT LUCY SAW
SUSAN and the two boys were bitterly tired with rowing before they rounded the last headland and began the final pull up Glasswater itself，and Lucy’s head ached from the long hours of sun and the glare on the water．Even Trumpkin longed for the voyage to be over．The seat on which he sat to steer had been made for men，not Dwarfs，and his feet did not reach the floor-boards; and everyone knows how uncomfortable that is even for ten minutes.And as they all grew more tired，their spirits fell.Up till now the children had only been thinking of how to get to Caspian．Now they wondered what they would do when they found him，and how a handful of Dwarfs and woodland creatures could defeat an army of grown-up Humans．
Twilight was coming on as they rowed slowly up the windings of Glasswater Creek-a twilight which deepened as the banks drew closer together and the overhanging trees began almost to meet overhead．It was very quiet in here as the sound of the sea died away behind them; they could even hear the trickle of the little streams that poured down from the forest into Glasswater．
They went ashore at last，far too tired to attempt lighting a fire; and even a supper of apples (though most of them felt that they never wanted to see an apple again) seemed better than trying to catch or shoot anything．After a little silent munching they all huddled down together in the moss and dead leaves between four large beech trees．
Everyone except Lucy went to sleep at once．Lucy，being far less tired，found it hard to get comfortable．Also，she had forgotten till now that all Dwarfs snore．She knew that one of the best ways of getting to sleep is to stop trying，so she opened her eyes．Through a gap in the bracken and branches she could just see a patch of water in the Creek and the sky above it．Then，with a thrill of memory，she saw again，after all those years，the bright Narnian stars．She had once known them better than the stars of our own world，because as a Queen in Narnia she had gone to bed much later than as a child in England．And there they were—at least，three of the summer constellations could be seen from where she lay: the Ship，the Hammer，and the Leopard．“Dear old Leopard，”she murmured happily to herself．
Instead of getting drowsier she was getting more awake—with an odd，night-time，dreamish kind of wakefulness．The Creek was growing brighter．She knew now that then moon was on it，though she couldn’t see the moon．And now she began to feel that the whole forest was coming awake like herself．Hardly knowing why she did it，she got up quickly and walked a little distance away from their bivouac．
“This is lovely，”said Lucy to herself．It was cool and fresh，delicious smells were floating everywhere．Somewhere close by she heard the twitter of a nightingale beginning to sing，then stopping，then beginning again．It was a little lighter ahead．She went towards the light and came to a place where there were fewer trees，and whole patches or pools of moonlight，but the moonlight and the shadows so mixed that you could hardly be sure where anything was or what it was．At the same moment the nightingale，satisfied at last with his tuning up，burst into full song．
Lucy’s eyes began to grow accustomed to the light，and she saw the trees that were nearest her more distinctly．A great longing for the old days when the trees could talk in Narnia came over her．She knew exactly how each of these trees would talk if only she could wake them，and what sort of human form it would put on．She looked at a silver birch: it would have a soft，showery voice and would look like a slender girl，with hair blown all about her face，and fond of dancing．She looked at the oak: he would be a wizened，but hearty old man with a frizzled beard and warts on his face and hands，and hair growing out of the warts．She looked at the beech under which she was standing．Ah！—she would be the best of all．She would be a gracious goddess，smooth and stately，the lady of the wood.
“Oh，Trees，Trees，Trees，”said Lucy (though she had not been intending to speak at all)．“Oh，Trees，wake，wake，wake．Don’t you remember it？ Don’t you remember me？ Dryads and Hamadryads，come out，come to me．”
Though there was not a breath of wind they all stirred about her．The rustling noise of the leaves was almost like words．The nightingale stopped singing as if to listen to it．Lucy felt that at any moment she would begin to understand what the trees were trying to say．But the moment did not come．The rustling died away．The nightingale resumed its song．Even in the moonlight the wood looked more ordinary again．Yet Lucy had the feeling (as you sometimes have when you are trying to remember a name or a date and almost get it，but it vanishes before you really do) that she had just missed something: as if she had spoken to the trees a split second too soon or a split second too late，or used all the right words except one，or put in one word that was just wrong．
Quite suddenly she began to feel tired．She went back to the bivouac，snuggled down between Susan and Peter，and was asleep in a few minutes．
It was a cold and cheerless waking for them all next morning，with a grey twilight in the wood (for the sun had not yet risen) and everything damp and dirty．
“Apples，heigh-ho，”said Trumpkin with a rueful grin．“I must say you ancient kings and queens don’t overfeed your courtiers！”
They stood up and shook themselves and looked about．The trees were thick and they could see no more than a few yards in any direction．
“I suppose your Majesties know the way all right？”said the Dwarf.
“I don’t，”said Susan．“I’ve never seen these woods in my life before．In fact I thought all along that we ought to have gone by the river．”
“Then I think you might have said so at the time，”answered Peter，with pardonable sharpness．
“Oh，don’t take any notice of her，”said Edmund．“She always is a wet blanket．You’ve got that pocket compass of yours，Peter，haven’t you？ Well，then，we’re as right as rain.We’ve only got to keep on going north west—cross that little river，the what-do-you-call-it？—the Rush—”
“I know，”said Peter．“The one that joins the big river at the Fords of Beruna，or Beruna’s Bridge，as theD．L．F．calls it．”
“That’s right．Cross it and strike uphill，and we’ll be at the Stone Table (Aslan’s How，I mean) by eight or nine o’clock．I hope King Caspian will give us a good breakfast！”
“I hope you’re right，”said Susan．“I can’t remember all that at all．”
“That’s the worst of girls，”said Edmund to Peter and the Dwarf．“They never carry a map in their heads．”
“That’s because our heads have something inside them，”said Lucy.
At first things seemed to be going pretty well．They even thought they had struck an old path; but if you know anything about woods，you will know that one is always finding imaginary paths．They disappear after about five minutes and then you think you have found another (and hope it is not another but more of the same one) and it also disappears，and after you have been well lured out of your right direction you realize that none of them were pats at all．The boys and the Dwarf，however，were used to woods and were not taken in for more than a few seconds．
They had plodded on for about half an hour (three of them very stiff from yesterday’s rowing) when Trumpkin suddenly whispered，“Stop．”They all stopped．“there’s something following us，”he said in a low voice．“Or rather，something keeping up with us: over there on the left．”They all stood still，listening and staring till their ears and eyes ached．“You and I’d better each have an arrow on the string，”said Susan to Trumpkin．The Dwarf nodded，and when both bows were ready for action the party went on again．
They went a few dozen yards through fairly open woodland，keeping a sharp look-out．Then they came to a place where the undergrowth thickened and they had to pass nearer to it．Just as they were passing the place，there came a sudden something that snarled and flashed，rising out from the breaking twigs like a thunderbolt．Lucy was knocked down and winded，hearing the twang of a bowstring as she fell．When she was able to take notice of things again，she saw a great grim-looking grey bear lying dead with Trumpkin’s arrow in its side．
“TheD．L．F．beat you in that shooting match，Su，”said Peter，with a slightly forced smile．Even he had been shaken by this adventure．
“I—I left it too late，”said Susan，in an embarrassed voice．“I was so afraid it might be，you know—one of our kind of bears，a talking bear．”She hated killing things．
“That’s the trouble of it，”said Trumpkin，“when most of the beasts have gone enemy and gone dumb，but there are still some of the other kind left．You never know，and you daren’t wait to see．”
“Poor old Bruin，”said Susan．“You don’t think he was？”
“Not he，”said the Dwarf．“I saw the face and I heard the snarl．He only wanted Little Girl for his breakfast．And talking of breakfast，I didn’t want to discourage your Majesties when you said you hoped King Caspian would give you a good one: but meat’s precious scarce in camp．And there’s good eating on a bear.It would be a shame to leave the carcass without taking a bit，and it won’t delay us more than half an hour．I dare say you two youngsters—Kings，I should say—know how to skin a bear？”
“Let’s go and sit down a fair way off，”said Susan to Lucy．“I know what a horrid messy business that will be．”Lucy shuddered and nodded．When they had sat down she said:“Such a horrible idea has come into my head，Su．”
“What’s that？”
“Wouldn’t it be dreadful if some day in our own world，at home，men started going wild inside，like the animals here，and still looked like men，so that you’d never know which were which？”
“We’ve got enough to bother about here and now in Narnia，”
said the practical Susan，“without imagining things like that．”
When they rejoined the boys and the Dwarf，as much as they thought they could carry of the best meat had been cut off．Raw meat is not a nice thing to fill one’s pockets with，but they folded it up in fresh leaves and made the best of it．They were all experienced enough to know that they would feel quite differently about these squashy and unpleasant parcels when they had walked long enough to be really hungry．
On they trudged again (stopping to wash three pairs of hands that needed it in the first stream they passed) until the sun rose and the birds began to sing，and more flies than they wanted were buzzing in the bracken．The stiffness from yesterday’s rowing began to wear off．Everybody’s spirits rose．The sun grew warmer
and they took their helmets off and carried them．
“I suppose we are going right？”said Edmund about an hour later.
“I don’t see how we can go wrong as long as we don’t bear too much to the left，”said Peter．“If we bear too much to the right，the worst that can happen is wasting a little time by striking the great River too soon and not cutting off the corner．”
And again they trudged on with no sound except the thud of their feet and the jingle of their chain shirts．
“Where’s this bally Rush got to？”said Edmund a good deal later．
“I certainly thought we’d have struck it by now，”said Peter．“But there’s nothing to do but keep on．”They both knew that the Dwarf was looking anxiously at them，but he said nothing．
And still they trudged on and their mail shirts began to feel very hot and heavy．
“What on earth？”said Peter suddenly．
They had come，without seeing it，almost to the edge of a small precipice from which they looked down into a gorge with a river at the bottom．On the far side the cliffs rose much higher．
None of the party except Edmund (and perhaps Trumpkin) was a rock climber．
“I’m sorry，”said Peter．“It’s my fault for coming this way．We’re lost．I’ve never seen this place in my life before．”
The Dwarf gave a low whistle between his teeth．
“Oh，do let’s go back and go the other way，”said Susan．“I knew all along we’d get lost in these woods．”
“Susan！”said Lucy，reproachfully，“don’t nag at Peter like that．It’s so rotten，and he’s doing all he can．”
“And don’t you snap at Su like that，either，”said Edmund．“I think she’s quite right．”
“Tubs and tortoiseshells！”exclaimed Trumpkin．“If we’ve got lost coming，what chance have we of finding our way back？ And if we’re to go back to the Island and begin all over again-even supposing we could-we might as well give the whole thing up．Miraz will have finished with Caspian before we get there at that rate．”
“You think we ought to go on？”said Lucy．
“I’m not sure the High King is lost，”said Trumpkin．“What’s to hinder this river being the Rush？”
“Because the Rush is not in a gorge，”said Peter，keeping his temper with some difficulty．
“Your Majesty says is，”replied the Dwarf，“but oughtn’t you to say was？ You knew this country hundreds-it may be a thousand-years ago．Mayn’t it have changed？ A landslide might have pulled off half the side of that hill，leaving bare rock，and there are your precipices beyond the gorge．Then the Rush might go on deepening its course year after year till you get the little precipices this side．Or there might have been an earthquake，or anything．”
“I never thought of that，”said Peter．
“And anyway，”continued Trumpkin，“even if this is not the Rush，it’s flowing roughly north and so it must fall into the Great River anyway．I think I passed something that might have been it，on my way down．So if we go downstream，to our right，we’ll hit the Great River．Perhaps not so high as we’d hoped，but at least we’ll be no worse off than if you’d come my way．”
“Trumpkin，you’re a brick，”said Peter．“Come on，then.Down this side of the gorge．”
“Look！ Look！ Look！”cried Lucy．
“Where？ What？”said everyone．
“The Lion，”said Lucy．“Aslan himself．Didn’t you see？”Her face had changed completely and her eyes shone．
“Do you really mean—？”began Peter．
“Where did you think you saw him？”asked Susan．
“Don’t talk like a grown-up，”said Lucy，stamping her foot．“I didn’t think I saw him．I saw him．”
“Where，Lu？”asked Peter．
“Right up there between those mountain ashes．No，this side of the gorge．And up，not down．Just the opposite of the way you want to go．And he wanted us to go where he was—up there．”
“How do you know that was what he wanted？”asked Edmund.
“He—I—I just know，”said Lucy，“by his face．”
The others all looked at each other in puzzled silence．
“Her Majesty may well have seen a lion， ”put in Trumpkin．“There are lions in these woods，I’ve been told．But it needn’t have been a friendly and talking lion any more than the bear was a friendly and talking bear．”
“Oh，don’t be so stupid，”said Lucy．“Do you think I don’t know Aslan when I see him？”
“He’d be a pretty elderly lion by now，”said Trumpkin，“if he’s one you knew when you were here before！ And if it could be the same one，what’s to prevent him having gone wild and witless like so many others？”
Lucy turned crimson and I think she would have flown at Trumpkin，if Peter had not laid his hand on her arm．“The D．L.
F．doesn’t understand．How could he？ You must just take it，Trumpkin，that we do really know about Aslan; a little bit about him，I mean．And you mustn’t talk about him like that again．It isn’t lucky for one thing: and it’s all nonsense for another．The only question is whether Aslan was really there．”
“But I know he was，”said Lucy，her eyes filling with tears．
“Yes，Lu，but we don’t，you see，”said Peter．
“There’s nothing for it but a vote，”said Edmund．
“All right，”replied Peter．“You’re the eldest，D．L．F．What do you vote for？ Up or down？”
“Down，”said the Dwarf．“I know nothing about Aslan．But I do know that if we turn left and follow the gorge up，it might lead us all day before we found a place where we could cross it．Whereas if we turn right and go down，we’re bound to reach the Great River in about a couple of hours．And if there are any real lions about，we want to go away from them，not towards them．”
“What do you say，Susan？”
“Don’t be angry，Lu，”said Susan，“but I do think we should go down．I’m dead tired．Do let’s get out of this wretched wood into the open as quick as we can．And none of us except you saw anything．”
“Edmund？”said Peter．
“Well，there’s just this，”said Edmund，speaking quickly and turning a little red．“When we first discovered Narnia a year ago-or a thousand years ago，whichever it is—it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her．I was the worst of the lot，I know．Yet she was right after all．Wouldn’t it be fair to believe her this time？ I vote for going up．”
“Oh，Ed！”said Lucy and seized his hand．
“And now it’s your turn，Peter，”said Susan，“and I do hope—”
“Oh，shut up，shut up and let a chap think，”interrupted Peter.“I’d much rather not have to vote．”
“You’re the High King，”said Trumpkin sternly．
“Down，”said Peter after a long pause．“I know Lucy may be right after all，but I can’t help it．We must do one or the other．”
So they set off to their right along the edge，downstream．And Lucy came last of the party，crying bitterly．

CHAPTER TEN THE RETURN OF THE LION
TO keep along the edge of the gorge was not so easy as it had looked．Before they had gone many yards they were confronted with young fir woods growing on the very edge，and after they had tried to go through these，stooping and pushing for about ten minutes，they realized that，in there，it would take them an hour to do half a mile．So they came back and out again and decided to go round the fir wood．This took them much farther to their right than they wanted to go，far out of sight of the cliffs and out of sound of the river，till they began to be afraid they had lost it altogether．Nobody knew the time，but it was getting to the hottest part of the day．
When they were able at last to go back to the edge of the gorge (nearly a mile below the point from which they had started) they found the cliffs on their side of it a good deal lower and more broken．Soon they found a way down into the gorge and continued the journey at the river’s edge．But first they had a rest and a long drink．No one was talking any more about breakfast，or even dinner，with Caspian．
They may have been wise to stick to the Rush instead of going along the top．It kept them sure of their direction: and ever since the fir wood they had all been afraid of being forced too far out of their course and losing themselves in the wood．It was an old and pathless forest，and you could not keep anything like a straight course in it．Patches of hopeless brambles，fallen trees，boggy places and dense undergrowth would be always getting in your way．But the gorge of the Rush was not at all a nice place for travelling either．I mean，it was not a nice place for people in a hurry．For an afternoon’s ramble ending in a picnic tea it would have been delightful．It had everything you could want on an occasion of that sort—rumbling waterfalls，silver cascades，deep，amber-coloured pools，mossy rocks，and deep moss on the banks in which you could sink over your ankles，every kind of fern，jewel-like dragon flies，sometimes a hawk overhead and once (Peter and Trumpkin．both thought) an eagle．But of course what the children and the Dwarf wanted to see as soon as possible was the Great River below them，and Beruna，and the way to Aslan’s How．
As they went on，the Rush began to fall more and more steeply．Their journey became more and more of a climb and less and less of a walk—in places even a dangerous climb over slippery rock with a nasty drop into dark chasms，and the river roaring angrily at the bottom.
You may be sure they watched the cliffs on their left eagerly for any sign of a break or any place where they could climb them; but those cliffs remained cruel．It was maddening，because everyone knew that if once they were out of the gorge on that side，they would have only a smooth slope and a fairly short walk to Caspian’s headquarters．
The boys and the Dwarf were now in favour of lighting a fire and cooking their bear-meat．Susan didn’t want this; she only wanted，as she said，“to get on and finish it and get out of these beastly woods”．Lucy was far too tired and miserable to have any opinion about anything．But as there was no dry wood to be had，it mattered very little what anyone thought．The boys began to wonder if raw meat was really as nasty as they had always been told．Trumpkin assured them it was．
Of course，if the children had attempted a journey like this a few days ago in England，they would have been worn out．I think I have explained before how Narnia was altering them．Even Lucy was by now，so to speak，only one-third of a little girl going to boarding school for the first time，and two-thirds of Queen Lucy of Narnia．
“At last！”said Susan．
“Oh，hurray！”said Peter．
The river gorge had just made a bend and the whole view spread out beneath them．They could see open country stretching before them to the horizon and，between it and them，the broad silver ribbon of the Great River．They could see the specially broad and shallow place which had once been the Fords of Beruna but was now spanned by a long，many-arched bridge．There was a little town at the far end of it．
“By Jove，”said Edmund．“We fought the Battle of Beruna just where that town is！”
This cheered the boys more than anything．You can’t help feeling stronger when you look at a place where you won a glorious victory not to mention a kingdom，hundreds of years ago．Peter and Edmund were soon so busy talking about the battle that they forgot their sore feet and the heavy drag of their mail shirts on their shoulders．The Dwarf was interested too．
They were all getting on at a quicker pace now．The going became easier．Though there were still sheer cliffs on their left，the ground was becoming lower on their right．Soon it was no longer a gorge at all，only a valley．There were no more waterfalls and presently they were in fairly thick woods again．
Then—all at once—whizz，and a sound rather like the stroke of a woodpecker．The children were still wondering where (ages ago) they had heard a sound just like that and why they disliked it so，when Trumpkin shouted，“Down,”at the same moment forcing Lucy (who happened to be next to him) flat down into the bracken．Peter，who had been looking up to see if he could spot a squirrel，had seen what it was—a long cruel arrow had sunk into a tree trunk just above his head．As he pulled Susan down and dropped himself，another came rasping over his shoulder and struck the ground at his side．
“Quick！ Quick！ Get back！ Crawl！”panted Trumpkin．
They turned and wriggled along uphill，under the bracken amid clouds of horribly buzzing flies．Arrows whizzed round them.
One struck Susan’s helmet with a sharp ping and glanced off．They crawled quicker．Sweat poured off them．Then they ran，stooping nearly double．The boys held their swords in their hands for fear they would trip them up．
It was heart-breaking work—all uphill again，back over the ground they had already travelled．When they felt that they really couldn’t run any more，even to save their lives，they all dropped down in the damp moss beside a waterfall and behind a big boulder，panting．They were surprised to see how high they had already got．
They listened intently and heard no sound of pursuit．
“So that’s all right，”said Trumpkin，drawing a deep breath.“They’re not searching the wood．Only sentries，I expect．But it means that Miraz has an outpost down there．Bottles and battledores！ though，it was a near thing．”
“I ought to have my head smacked for bringing us this way at all，”said Peter．
“On the contrary，your Majesty，”said the Dwarf．“For one thing it wasn’t you，it was your royal brother，King Edmund，who first suggested going by Glasswater．”
“I’m afraid the D．L．F．’s right，”said Edmund，who had quite honestly forgotten this ever since things began going wrong．
“And for another，”continued Trumpkin，“if we’d gone my way，we’d have walked straight into that new outpost，most likely; or at least had just the same trouble avoiding it．I think this Glasswater route has turned out for the best．”
“A blessing in disguise，”said Susan．
“Some disguise！”said Edmund．
“I suppose we’l l have to go right up the gorge again now，”said Lucy.
“Lu，you’re a hero，”said Peter．“That’s the nearest you’ve got today to saying I told you so．Let’s get on．”
“And as soon as we’re well up into the forest，”said Trumpkin，
“whatever anyone says，I’m going to light a fire and cook supper.But we must get well away from here．”
There is no need to describe how they toiled back up the gorge．It was pretty hard work，but oddly enough everyone felt more cheerful．They were getting their second wind; and the word supper had had a wonderful effect．
They reached the fir wood which had caused them so much trouble while it was still daylight，and bivouacked in a hollow just above it．It was tedious gathering the firewood; but it was grand when the fire blazed up and they began producing the damp and smeary parcels of bear-meat which would have been so very unattractive to anyone who had spent the day indoors．The Dwarf had splendid ideas about cookery．Each apple (they still had a few of these) was wrapped up in bear’s meat—as if it was to be apple dumpling with meat instead of pastry，only much thicker—and spiked on a sharp stick and then roasted．And the juice of the apple worked all through the meat，like apple sauce with roast pork．Bear that has lived too much on other animals is not very nice，but bear that has had plenty of honey and fruit is excellent，and this turned out to be that sort of bear．It was a truly glorious meal．And，of course，no washing up—only lying back and watching the smoke from Trumpkin’s pipe and stretching one’s tired legs and chatting．Everyone felt quite hopeful now about finding King Caspian tomorrow and defeating Miraz in a few days．It may not have been sensible of them to feel like this，but they did．
They dropped off to sleep one by one，but all pretty quickly．
Lucy woke out of the deepest sleep you can imagine，with the feeling that the voice she liked best in the world had been calling her name．She thought at first it was her father’s voice，but that did not seem quite right．Then she thought it was Peter’s voice，but that did not seem to fit either．She did not want to get up; not because she was still tired—on the contrary she was wonderfully rested and all the aches had gone from her bones-but because she felt so extremely happy and comfortable．She was looking straight up at the Narnian moon，which is larger than ours，and at the starry sky，for the place where they had bivouacked was comparatively open．
“Lucy，”came the call again，neither her father’s voice nor Peter’s．She sat up，trembling with excitement but not with fear．The moon was so bright that the whole forest landscape around her was almost as clear as day，though it looked wilder．Behind her was the fir wood; away to her right the jagged cliff-tops on the far side of the gorge; straight ahead，open grass to where a glade of trees began about a bow-shot away．Lucy looked very hard at the trees of that glade．
“Why，I do believe they’re moving，”she said to herself．“They’re walking about．”
She got up，her heart beating wildly，and walked towards them．There was certainly a noise in the glade，a noise such as trees make in a high wind，though there was no wind tonight.Yet it was not exactly an ordinary tree-noise either．Lucy felt there was a tune in it，but she could not catch the tune any more than she had been able to catch the words when the trees had so nearly talked to her the night before．But there was，at least，a lilt; she felt her own feet wanting to dance as she got nearer．And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving— moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance．(“And I suppose，”thought Lucy，“When trees dance,it must be a very,very country dance indeed.” She was almost among them now．
The first tree she looked at seemed at first glance to be not a tree at all but a huge man with a shaggy beard and great bushes of hair．She was not frightened: she had seen such things before．But when she looked again he was only a tree，though he was still moving.You couldn’t see whether he had feet or roots，of course，because when trees move they don’t walk on the surface of the earth; they wade in it as we do in water．The same thing happened with every tree she looked at.At one moment they seemed to be the friendly，lovely giant and giantess forms which the tree-people put on when some good magic has called them into full life: next moment they all looked like trees again．But when they looked like trees，it was like strangely human trees，and when they looked like people，it was like strangely branchy and leafy people—and all the time that queer lilting，rustling，cool，merry noise．
“They are almost awake，not quite，”said Lucy．She knew she herself was wide awake，wider than anyone usually is．
She went fearlessly in among them，dancing herself as she leaped this way and that to avoid being run into by these huge partners．But she was only half interested in them．She wanted to get beyond them to something else; it was from beyond them that the dear voice had called．
She soon got through them (half wondering whether she had been using her arms to push branches aside，or to take hands in a Great Chain with big dancers who stooped to reach her) for they were really a ring of trees round a central open place．She stepped out from among their shifting confusion of lovely lights and shadows.
A circle of grass，smooth as a lawn，met her eyes，with dark trees dancing all round it．And then—oh joy！ For he was there: the huge Lion，shining white in the moonlight，with his huge black shadow underneath him．
But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion，but Lucy never thought of that．She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not．She rushed to him．She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment．And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far round his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane．
“Aslan，Aslan．Dear Aslan，”sobbed Lucy．“At last．”
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell，half sitting and half lying between his front paws．He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue．His warm breath came all round her．She gazed up into the large wise face．
“Welcome，child，”he said．
“Aslan，”said Lucy，“you’re bigger．”
“That is because you are older，little one，”answered he．
“Not because you are？”
“I am not．But every year you grow，you will find me bigger．”
For a time she was so happy that she did not want to speak．But Aslan spoke．
“Lucy，”he said，“we must not lie here for long．You have work in hand，and much time has been lost today．”
“Yes，wasn’t it a shame？”said Lucy．“I saw you all right.They wouldn’t believe me．They’re all so—”
From somewhere deep inside Aslan’s body there came the faintest suggestion of a growl．
“I’m sorry，”said Lucy，who understood some of his moods．“I didn’t mean to start slanging the others．But it wasn’t my fault anyway，was it？”
The Lion looked straight into her eyes．
“Oh，Aslan，”said Lucy．“You don’t mean it was？ How could I—I couldn’t have left the others and come up to you alone，how could I？ Don’t look at me like that…oh well，I suppose I could．Yes，and it wouldn’t have been alone，I know，not if I was with you．But what would have been the good？”
Aslan said nothing．
“You mean，”said Lucy rather faintly，“that it would have turned out all right—somehow？ But how？ Please，Aslan！ Am I not to know？”
“To know what would have happened，child？”said Aslan.“No．Nobody is ever told that．”
“Oh dear，”said Lucy．
“But anyone can find out what will happen，”said Aslan．“If you go back to the others now，and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you must all get up at once and follow me—what will happen？ There is only one way of finding out．”
“Do you mean that is what you want me to do？”gasped Lucy．
“Yes，little one，”said Aslan．
“Will the others see you too？”asked Lucy．
“Certainly not at first，”said Aslan．“Later on，it depends．”
“But they won’t believe me！”said Lucy．
“It doesn’t matter，”said Aslan．
“Oh dear，oh dear，”said Lucy．“And I was so pleased at finding you again．And I thought you’d let me stay．And I thought you’d come roaring in and frighten all the enemies away—like last time．And now everything is going to be horrid．”
“It is hard for you，little one，”said Aslan．“But things never happen the same way twice．It has been hard for us all in Narnia before now．”
Lucy buried her head in his mane to hide from his face．But there must have been magic in his mane．She could feel lion-strength going into her．Quite suddenly she sat up．
“I’m sorry，Aslan，”she said．“I’m ready now．”
“Now you are a lioness，”said Aslan．“And now all Narnia will be renewed．But come．We have no time to lose．”
He got up and walked with stately，noiseless paces back to the belt of dancing trees through which she had just come: and Lucy went with him，laying a rather tremulous hand on his mane．The trees parted to let them through and for one second assumed their human forms completely．Lucy had a glimpse of tall and lovely wood—gods and wood—goddesses all bowing to the Lion; next moment they were trees again，but still bowing，with such graceful sweeps of branch and trunk that their bowing was itself a kind of dance.
“Now，child，”said Aslan，when they had left the trees behind them，“I will wait here．Go and wake the others and tell them to follow．If they will not，then you at least must follow me alone．”
It is a terrible thing to have to wake four people，all older than yourself and all very tired，for the purpose of telling them something they probably won’t believe and making them do something they certainly won’t like．“I mustn’t think about it，I must just do it，”thought Lucy．
She went to Peter first and shook him．“Peter，”she whispered in his ear，“wake up．Quick．Aslan is here．He says we’ve got to follow him at once．”
“Certainly，Lu.Whatever you like，”said Peter unexpectedly．This was encouraging，but as Peter instantly rolled round and went to sleep again it wasn’t much use．
Then she tried Susan．Susan did really wake up，but only to say in her most annoying grown-up voice，“You’ve been dreaming，Lucy．Go to sleep again．”
She tackled Edmund next．It was very difficult to wake him，but when at last she had done it he was really awake and sat up．
“Eh？”he said in a grumpy voice．“What are you talking about？”
She said it all over again．This was one of the worst parts of her job，for each time she said it，it sounded less convincing．
“Aslan！”said Edmund，jumping up．“Hurray！ Where？”
Lucy turned back to where she could see the Lion waiting，his patient eyes fixed upon her．“There，”she said，pointing．
“Where？”asked Edmund again．
“There．There．Don’t you see？ Just this side of the trees．”
Edmund stared hard for a while and then said，“No．There’s nothing there．You’ve got dazzled and muddled with the moonlight．One does，you know．I thought I saw something for a moment myself．It’s only an optical what-do-you-call-it．”
“I can see him all the time，”said Lucy．“He’s looking straight
at us．”
“Then why can’t I see him？”
“He said you mightn’t be able to．”
“Why？”
“I don’t know．That’s what he said．”
“Oh，bother it all，”said Edmund．“I do wish you wouldn’t keep on seeing things．But I suppose we’ll have to wake the others．

CHAPTER ELEVEN THE LION ROARS
WHEN the whole party was finally awake Lucy had to tell her story for the fourth time．The blank silence which followed it was as discouraging as anything could be．
“I can’t see anything，”said Peter after he had stared his eyes sore．“Can you，Susan？”
“No，of course I can’t，”snapped Susan．“Because there isn’t anything to see．She’s been dreaming．Do lie down and go to sleep，Lucy．”
“And I do hope，”said Lucy in a tremulous voice，“that you will all come with me．Because—because I’ll have to go with him whether anyone else does or not．”
“Don’t talk nonsense，Lucy，”said Susan．“Of course you can’t go off on your own．Don’t let her，Peter．She’s being downright naughty．”
“I’ll go with her，if she must go，”said Edmund．“She’s been right before．”
Caspian
“I know she has，”said Peter．“And she may have been right this morning．We certainly had no luck going down the gorge．Still-at this hour of the night．And why should Aslan be invisible to us？ He never used to be．It’s not like him．What does the D．L．F．say？”
“Oh，I say nothing at all，”answered the Dwarf．“If you all go，of course，I’ll go with you; and if your party splits up，I’ll go with the High King．That’smy duty to him and King Caspian．But，if you ask my private opinion，I’m a plain dwarf who doesn’t think there’s much chance of finding a road by night where you couldn’t find one by day．And I have no use for magic lions which are talking lions and don’t talk，and friendly lions though they don’t do us any good，and whopping big lions though nobody can see them．It’s all bilge and beanstalks as far as I can see．”
“He’s beating his paw on the ground for us to hurry，”said Lucy．“We must go now．At least I must．”
“You’ve no right to try to force the rest of us like that．It’s four to one and you’re the youngest，”said Susan．
“Oh，come on，”growled Edmund．“We’ve got to go．There’ll be no peace till we do．”He fully intended to back Lucy up，but he was annoyed at losing his night’s sleep and was making up for it by doing everything as sulkily as possible．
“On the march，then，”said Peter，wearily fitting his arm into his shield-strap and putting his helmet on．At any other time he would have said something nice to Lucy，who was his favourite sister，for he knew how wretched she must be feeling，and he knew that，whatever had happened，it was not her fault．But he couldn’t help being a little annoyed with her all the same．
Susan was the worst．“Supposing I started behaving like Lucy，”she said．“I might threaten to stay here whether the rest of you went on or not．I jolly well think I shall．”
“Obey the High King，your Majesty，”said Trumpkin，“and let’s be off．If I’m not to be allowed to sleep，I’d as soon march as stand here talking．”
And so at last they got on the move．Lucy went first，biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan．But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan．He turned and walked at a slow pace about thirty yards ahead of them．The others had only Lucy’s directions to guide them，for Aslan was not only invisible to them but silent as well．His big cat-like paws made no noise on the grass．
He led them to the right of the dancing trees—whether they were still dancing nobody knew，for Lucy had her eyes on the Lion and the rest had their eyes on Lucy—and nearer the edge of the gorge．“Cobbles and kettledrums！”thought Trumpkin．“I hope this madness isn’t going to end in a moonlight climb and broken necks．”
For a long way Aslan went along the top of the precipices．Then they came to a place where some little trees grew right on the edge．He turned and disappeared among them．Lucy held her breath，for it looked as if he had plunged over the cliff; but she was too busy keeping him in sight to stop and think about this．She quickened her pace and was soon among the trees herself．Looking down，she could see a steep and narrow path going slantwise down into the gorge between rocks，and Aslan descending it．He turned and looked at her with his happy eyes．Lucy clapped her hands and began to scramble down after him．From behind her she heard the voices of the others shouting，“Hi！ Lucy！ Look out，for goodness’ sake．You’re right on the edge of the gorge．Come back—”and then，a moment later，Edmund’s voice saying，“No，she’s right．There is a way down．”
Half—way down the path Edmund caught up with her．
“Look！”he said in great excitement．“Look！ What’s that shadow crawling down in front of us？”
“It’s his shadow，”said Lucy．
“I do believe you’re right，Lu，”said Edmund．“I can’t think how I didn’t see it before．But where is he？”
“With his shadow，of course．Can’t you see him？”
“Well，I almost thought I did-for a moment．It’s such a rum light．”
“Get on，King Edmund，get on，”came Trumpkin’s voice from behind and above: and then，farther behind and still nearly at the top，Peter’s voice saying，“Oh，buck up，Susan．Give me your hand．Why，a baby could get down here．And do stop grousing．”
In a few minutes they were at the bottom and the roaring of water filled their ears．Treading delicately，like a cat，Aslan stepped from stone to stone across the stream．In the middle he stopped，bent down to drink，and as he raised his shaggy head，dripping from the water，he turned to face them again．This time Edmund saw him．“Oh，Aslan！”he cried，darting forward．But the Lion whisked round and began padding up the slope on the far side of the Rush．
“Peter，Peter，”cried Edmund．“Did you see？”
“I saw something，”said Peter．“But it’s so tricky in this moonlight．On we go，though，and three cheers for Lucy．I don’t feel half so tired now，either．”
Aslan without hesitation led them to their left，farther up the gorge．The whole journey was odd and dream—like the roaring stream，the wet grey grass，the glimmering cliffs which they were approaching，and always the glorious，silently pacing Beast ahead．Everyone except Susan and the Dwarf could see him now．
Presently they came to another steep path，up the face of the farther precipices．These were far higher than the ones they had just descended，and the journey up them was a long and tedious zig-zag．Fortunately the Moon shone right above the gorge so that neither side was in shadow．
Lucy was nearly blown when the tail and hind legs of Aslan disappeared over the top: but with one last effort she scrambled after him and came out，rather shaky-legged and breathless，on the hill they had been trying to reach ever since they left Glasswater．The long gentle slope (heather and grass and a few very big rocks that shone white in the moonlight) stretched up to where it vanished in a glimmer of trees about half a mile away．She knew it．It was the hill of the Stone Table:
With a jingling of mail the others climbed up behind her．
Aslan glided on before them and they walked after him．
“Lucy，”said Susan in a very small voice．
“Yes？”said Lucy．
“I see him now．I’m sorry．”
“That’s all right．”
“But I’ve been far worse than you know．I really believed it was him—he，I mean—yesterday．When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood．And I really believed it was him tonight，when you woke us up．I mean，deep down inside．Or I could have，if I’d let myself．But I just wanted to get out of the woods and—and—oh，I don’t know．And what ever am I to say to him？”
“Perhaps you won’t need to say much，”suggested Lucy．
Soon they reached the trees and through them the children could see the Great Mound，Aslan’s How，which had been raised over the Table since their days．
“Our side don’t keep very good watch，”muttered Trumpkin．“We ought to have been challenged before now—”
“Hush！”said the other four，for now Aslan had stopped and turned and stood facing them，looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid，and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad．The boys strode forward: Lucy made way for them: Susan and the Dwarf shrank back．
“Oh，Aslan，”said King Peter，dropping on one knee and raising the Lion’s heavy paw to his face，“I’m so glad．And I’m so sorry．I’ve been leading them wrong ever since we started and especially yesterday morning．”
“My dear son，”said Aslan．
Then he turned and welcomed Edmund．“Well done，”were his words．
Then，after an awful pause，the deep voice said，“Susan．”Susan made no answer but the others thought she was crying．“You have listened to fears，child，”said Aslan．“Come，let me breathe on you．Forget them．Are you brave again？”
“A little，Aslan，”said Susan．
“And now！”said Aslan in a much louder voice with just a hint of roar in it，while his tail lashed his flanks．“And now，where is this little Dwarf，this famous swordsman and archer，who doesn’t believe in lions？ Come here，son of Earth，come HERE！”—and the last word was no longer the hint of a roar but almost the real thing.
“Wraiths and wreckage！”gasped Trumpkin in the ghost of a voice．The children，who knew Aslan well enough to see that he liked the Dwarf very much，were not disturbed; but it was quite another thing for Trumpkin，who had never seen a lion before，let alone this Lion．He did the only sensible thing he could have done; that is，instead of bolting，he tottered toward Aslan．
Aslan pounced．Have you ever seen a very young kitten being carried in the mother cat’s mouth？ It was like that．The Dwarf，hunched up in a little，miserable ball，hung from Aslan’s mouth．The Lion gave him one shake and all his armour rattled like a tinker’s pack and then—heypresto—the Dwarf flew up in the air．He was as safe as if he had been in bed，though he did not feel so．As he came down the huge velvety paws caught him as gently as a mother’s arms and set him (right way up，too) on the ground．
“Son of Earth，shall we be friends？”asked Aslan．
“Ye—he—he—hes，”panted the Dwarf，for it had not yet got its breath back．
“Now，”said Aslan．“The Moon is setting．Look behind you: there is the dawn beginning．We have no time to lose．You three，you sons of Adam and son of Earth，hasten into the Mound and deal with what you will find there．”
The Dwarf was still speechless and neither of the boys dared to ask if Aslan would follow them．All three drew their swords and saluted，then turned and jingled away into the dusk．Lucy noticed that there was no sign of weariness in their faces: both the High King and King Edmund looked more like men than boys．
The girls watched them out of sight，standing close beside Aslan．The light was changing．Low down in the east，Aravir，the morning star of Narnia，gleamed like a little moon．Aslan，who seemed larger than before，lifted his head，shook his mane，and roared．
The sound，deep and throbbing at first like an organ beginning on a low note，rose and became louder，and then far louder again，till the earth and air were shaking with it．It rose up from that hill and floated across all Narnia．Down in Miraz’s camp men woke，stared palely in one another’s faces，and grasped their weapons．Down below that in the Great River，now at its coldest hour，the heads and shoulders of the nymphs，and the great weedy-bearded head of the river-god，rose from the water．Beyond it，in every field and wood，the alert ears of rabbits rose from their holes，the sleepy heads of birds came out from under wings，owls hooted，vixens barked，hedgehogs grunted，the trees stirred．In towns and villages mothers pressed babies close to their breasts，staring with wild eyes，dogs whimpered，and men leaped up groping for lights．Far away on the northern frontier the mountain giants peered from the dark gateways of their castles．
What Lucy and Susan saw was a dark something coming to them from almost every direction across the hills．It looked first like a black mist creeping on the ground，then like the stormy waves of a black sea rising higher and higher as it came on，and then，at last，like what it was—woods on the move．All the trees of the world appeared to be rushing towards Aslan．But as they drew nearer they looked less like trees; and when the whole crowd，bowing and curtsying and waving thin long arms to Aslan，were all around Lucy，she saw that it was a crowd of human shapes．Pale birch-girls were tossing their heads，willowwomen pushed back their hair from their brooding faces to gaze on Aslan，the queenly beeches stood still and adored him，shaggy oak-men，lean and melancholy elms，shock-headed hollies (dark themselves，but their wives all bright with berries) and gay rowans，all bowed and rose again，shouting，“Aslan，Aslan！”in their various husky or creaking or wave-like voices．
The crowd and the dance round Aslan (for it had become a dance once more) grew so thick and rapid that Lucy was confused．She never saw where certain other people came from who were soon capering about among the trees．One was a youth，dressed only in a fawn-skin，with vine-leaves wreathed in his curly hair．His face would have been almost too pretty for a boy’s，if it had not looked，so extremely wild．You felt，as Edmund said when he saw him a few days later，“There’s a chap who might do anything—absolutely anything．”He seemed to have a great many names—Bromios，Bassareus，and the Ram were three of them．There were a lot of girls with him，as wild as he．There was even，unexpectedly，someone on a donkey．And everybody was laughing: and everybody was shouting out，“Euan，euan，eu-oi-oi-oi．”
“Is it a Romp，Aslan？”cried the youth．And apparently it was．But nearly everyone seemed to have a different idea as to what they were playing．It may have been Tig，but Lucy never discovered who was It．It was rather like Blind Man’s Buff，only everyone behaved as if they were blindfolded．It was not unlike Hunt the Slipper，but the slipper was never found．What made it more complicated was that the man on the donkey，who was old and enormously fat，began calling out at once，“Refreshments！ Time for refreshments，”and falling off his donkey and being bundled on to it again by the others，while the donkey was under the impression that the whole thing was a circus and tried to give a display of walking on its hind legs．And all the time there were more and more vine leaves everywhere．And soon not only leaves but vines．They were climbing up everything．They were running up the legs of the tree people and circling round their necks．Lucy put up her hands to push back her hair and found she was pushing back vine branches．The donkey was a mass of them．His tail was completely entangled and something dark was nodding between his ears．Lucy looked again and saw it was a bunch of grapes．After that it was mostly grapes—overhead and underfoot and all around．
“Refreshments！ Refreshments，”roared the old man．
Everyone began eating，and whatever hothouses your people may have，you have never tasted such grapes．Really good grapes，firm and tight on the outside，but bursting into cool sweetness when you put them into your mouth，were one of the things the girls had never had quite enough of before．Here，there were more than anyone could possibly want，and rib table-manners at all．One saw sticky and stained fingers everywhere，and，though mouths were full，the laughter never ceased nor the yodelling cries of Euan，euan，eu-oi-oi-oi-oi，till all of a sudden everyone felt at the same moment that the game (whatever it was)，and the feast，ought to be over，and everyone flopped down breathless on the ground and turned their faces to Aslan to hear what he would say next．
At that moment the sun was just rising and Lucy remembered something and whispered to Susan，
“I say，Su，I know who they are．”
“Who？”
“The boy with the wild face is Bacchus and the old one on the donkey is Silenus．Don’t you remember Mr.. Tumnus telling us about them long ago？”
“Yes，of course．But I say，Lu”
“What？”
“I wouldn’t have felt safe with Bacchus and all his wild girls if we’d met them without Aslan．”
“I should think not，”said Lucy．

CHAPTER TWELVE SORCERY AND SUDDEN VENGEANCE
MEANWHILE Trumpkin and the two boys arrived at the dark little stone archway which led into the inside of the Mound，and two sentinel badgers (the white patches on their cheeks were all Edmund could see of them) leaped up with bared teeth and asked them in snarling voices，“Who goes there？”
“Trumpkin，”said the Dwarf．“Bringing the High King of Narnia out of the far past．”
The badgers nosed at the boys’ hands．“At last，”they said.“At last．”
“Give us a light，friends，”said Trumpkin．
The badgers found a torch just inside the arch and Peter lit it and handed it to Trumpkin．“The D．L．F．had better lead，”he said.“We don’t know our way about this place．”
Trumpkin took the torch and went ahead into the dark tunnel．It was a cold，black，musty place，with an occasional bat fluttering in the torchlight，and plenty of cobwebs．The boys，who had been mostly in the open air since that morning at the railway station，felt as if they were going into a trap or a prison．
“I say，Peter，”whispered Edmund．“Look at those carvings on the walls．Don’t they look old？ And yet we’re older than that．When we were last here，they hadn’t been made．”
“Yes，”said Peter．“That makes one think．”
The Dwarf went on ahead and then turned to the right，and then to the left，and then down some steps，and then to the left again．Then at last they saw a light ahead-light from under a door．And now for the first time they heard voices，for they had come to the door of the central chamber．The voices inside were angry ones．Someone was talking so loudly that the approach of the boys and the Dwarf had not been heard．
“Don’t like the sound of that，”whispered Trumpkin to Peter.“Let’s listen for a moment．”All three stood perfectly still on the outside of the door．
“You know well enough，”said a voice (“That’s the King，”whispered Trumpkin)，“why the Horn was not blown at sunrise this morning．Have you forgotten that Miraz fell upon us almost before Trumpkin had gone，and we were fighting for our lives for the space of three hours and more？ I blew it when first I had a breathing space．”
“I’m not likely to forget it，”came the angry voice，“when my Dwarfs bore the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell．”(“That’s Nikabrik，”whispered Trumpkin．)
“For shame，Dwarf，”came a thick voice (“Trufflehunter’s，”said Trumpkin)．“We all did as much as the Dwarfs and none more than the King．”
“Tell that tale your own way for all I care，”answered Nikabrik.“
But whether it was that the Horn was blown too late，or whether there was no magic in it，no help has come．You，you great clerk，you master magician，you know-all; are you still asking us to hang our hopes on Aslan and King Peter and all the rest of it？”
“I must confess—I cannot deny it—that I am deeply disappointed in the result of the operation，”came the answer.(“That’ll be Doctor Cornelius，”said Trumpkin．)
“To speak plainly，”said Nikabrik，“your wallet’s empty，your eggs addled，your fish uncaught，your promises broken．Stand aside then and let others work．And that is why—”
“The help will come，”said Trufflehunter．“I stand by Aslan．Have patience，like us beasts．The help will come．It may be even now at the door．”
“Pah！”snarled Nikabrik．“You badgers would have us wait till the sky falls and we can all catch larks．I tell you we can’t wait．Food is running short; we lose more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away．”
“And why？”asked Trufflehunter．“I’ll tell you why．Because it is noised among them that we have called on the Kings of old and the Kings of old have not answered．The last words Trumpkin spoke before he went (and went，most likely，to his death) were，If you must blow the Horn，do not let the army know why you blow it or what you hope from it．But that same evening everyone seemed to know．”
“You’d better have shoved your grey snout in a hornets’ nest，Badger，than suggest that I am the blab，”said Nikabrik．“Take it back，or—”
“Oh，stop it，both of you，”said King Caspian．“I want to know what it is that Nikabrik keeps on hinting we should do．But before that，I want to know who those two strangers are whom he has brought into our council and who stand there with their ears open and their mouths shut．”
“They are friends of mine，”said Nikabrik．“And what better right have you yourself to be here than that you are a friend of Trumpkin’s and the Badger’s？ And what right has that old dotard in the black gown to be here except that he is your friend？ Why am I to be the only one who can’t bring in his friends？”
“His Majesty is the King to whom you have sworn allegiance，”
said Trufflehunter sternly．
“Court manners，court manners，”sneered Nikabrik．“But in this hole we may talk plainly．You know—and he knows that this Telmarine boy will be king of nowhere and nobody in a week unless we can help him out of the trap in which he sits．”
“Perhaps，”said Cornelius，“your new friends would like to speak for themselves？ You there，who and what are you？”
“Worshipful Master Doctor，”came a thin，whining voice．“So please you，I’m only a poor old woman，I am，and very obliged to his Worshipful Dwarfship for his friendship，I’m sure．His Majesty，bless his handsome face，has no need to be afraid of an old woman that’s nearly doubled up with the rheumatics and hasn’t two sticks to put under her kettle．I have some poor little skill—not like yours，Master Doctor，of course—in small spells and cantrips that I’d be glad to use against our enemies if it was agreeable to all concerned．For I hate’em．Oh yes．No one hates better than me．”
“That is all most interesting and—er—satisfactory，”said Doctor Cornelius．“I think I now know what you are，Madam．Perhaps your other friend，Nikabrik，would give some account of himself？”
A dull，grey voice at which Peter’s flesh crept replied，“I’m hunger．I’m thirst．Where I bite，I hold till I die，and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy’s body and bury it with me．I can fast a hundred years and not die．I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze．I can drink a river of blood and not burst．Show me your enemies．”
“And it is in the presence of these two that you wish to disclose your plan？”said Caspian．
“Yes，”said Nikabrik．“And by their help that I mean to execute it．”
There was a minute or two during which Trumpkin and the boys could hear Caspian and his two friends speaking in low voices but could not make out what they were saying．Then Caspian spoke aloud．
“Well，Nikabrik，”he said，“we will hear your plan．”
There was a pause so long that the boys began to wonder if Nikabrik was ever going to begin; when he did，it was in a lower voice，as if he himself did not much like what he was saying．
“All said and done，”he muttered，“none of us knows the truth about the ancient days in Narnia．Trumpkin believed none of the stories．I was ready to put them to the trial．We tried first the Horn and it has failed．If there ever was a High King Peter and a Queen Susan and a King Edmund and a Queen Lucy，then either they have not heard us，or they cannot come，or they are our enemies—”
“Or they are on the way，”put in Trufflehunter．
“You can go on saying that till Miraz has fed us all to his dogs．As I was saying，we have tried one link in the chain of old legends，and it has done us no good．Well．But when your sword breaks，you draw your dagger．The stories tell of other powers beside the ancient Kings and Queens．How if we could call them up？”
“If you mean Aslan，”said Trufflehunter，“it’s all one calling on him and on the Kings．They were his servants．If he will not send them (but I make no doubt he will)，is he more likely to come himself？”
“No．You’re right there，”said Nikabrik．“Aslan and the Kings go together．Either Aslan is dead，or he is not on our side.Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back．And if he did come-how do we know he’d be our friend？ He was not always a good friend to Dwarfs by all that’s told．Not even to all beasts．Ask the Wolves．And anyway，he was in Narnia only once that I ever heard of，and he didn’t stay long．You may drop Aslan out of the reckoning．I was thinking of someone else．”
There was no answer，and for a few minutes it was so still that Edmund could hear the wheezy and snuffling breath of the Badger．
“Who do you mean？”said Caspian at last．
“I mean a power so much greater than Aslan’s that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years，if the stories are true．”
“The White Witch！”cried three voices all at once，and from the noise Peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet．
“Yes，”said Nikabrik very slowly and distinctly，“I mean the Witch．Sit down again．Don’t all take fright at a name as if you were children．We want power: and we want a power that will be on our side．As for power，do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan，and bound him，and killed him on that very stone which is over there，just beyond the light？”
“But they also say that he came to life again，”said the Badger sharply．
“Yes，they say，”answered Nikabrik，“but you’ll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards．He just fades out of the story．How do you explain that，if he really came to life？ Isn’t it much more likely that he didn’t，and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say？”
“He established the Kings and Queens，”said Caspian．
“A King who has just won a great battle can usually establish himself without the help of a performing lion，”said Nikabrik．There was a fierce growl，probably from Trufflehunter．
“And anyway，”Nikabrik continued，“what came of the Kings and their reign？ They faded too．But it’s very different with the Witch．They say she ruled for a hundred years: a hundred years of winter．There’s power，if you like．There’s something practical．”
“But，heaven and earth！”said the King，“haven’t we always been told that she was the worst enemy of all？ Wasn’t she a tyrant ten times worse than Miraz？”
“Perhaps，”said Nikabrik in a cold voice．“Perhaps she was for you humans，if there were any of you in those days．Perhaps she was for some of the beasts．She stamped out the Beavers，I dare say; at least there are none of them in Narnia now．But she got on all right with us Dwarfs．I’m a Dwarf and I stand by my own people．We’re not afraid of the Witch．”
“But you’ve joined with us，”said Trufflehunter．
“Yes，and a lot of good it has done my people，so far，”snapped Nikabrik．“Who is sent on all the dangerous！raids？ The Dwarfs．Who goes short when the rations fail？ The Dwarfs．Who—？”
“Lies！ All lies！”said the Badger．
“And so，”said Nikabrik，whose voice now rose to a scream，“if you can’t help my people，I’ll go to someone who can．”
“Is this open treason，Dwarf？”asked the King．
“Put that sword back in its sheath，Caspian，”said Nikabrik.“Murder at council，eh？ Is that your game？ Don’t be fool enough to try it．Do you think I’m afraid of you？ There’s three on my side，and three on yours．”
“Come on，then，”snarled Trufflehunter，but he was immediately interrupted．
“Stop，stop，stop，”said Doctor Cornelius．“You go on too fast．The Witch is dead．All the stories agree on that．What does Nikabrik mean by calling on the Witch？”
That grey and terrible voice which had spoken only once before said，“Oh，is she？”
And then the shrill，whining voice began，“Oh，bless his heart，his dear little Majesty needn’t mind about the White Lady—that’s what we call her—being dead．The Worshipful Master Doctor is only making game of a poor old woman like me when he says that．Sweet Mastery Doctor，learned Master Doctor，who ever heard of a witch that really died？ You can always get them back．”
“Call her up，”said the grey voice．“We are all ready．Draw the circle．Prepare the blue fire．”
Above the steadily increasing growl of the Badger and Cornelius’s sharp“What？”rose the voice of King Caspian like thunder．
“So that is your plan，Nikabrik！ Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed ghost．And I see who your companions are—a Hag and a Werewolf！”
The next minute or so was very confused．There was an animal roaring，a clash of steel; the boys and Trumpkin rushed in; Peter had a glimpse of a horrible，grey，gaunt creature，half man and half wolf，in the very act of leaping upon a boy about his own age，and Edmund saw a badger and a Dwarf rolling on the floor in a sort of cat fight．Trumpkin found himself face to face with the Hag．Her nose and chin stuck out like a pair of nut-crackers，her dirty grey hair was flying about her face and she had just got Doctor Cornelius by the throat．At one slash of Trumpkin’s sword her head rolled on the floor．Then the light was knocked over and it was all swords，teeth，claws，fists，and boots for about sixty seconds．Then silence．
“Are you all right，Ed？”
“I—I think so，”panted Edmund．“I’ve got that brute Nikabrik，but he’s still alive．”
Weights and water-bottles！”came an angry voice．“It’s me you’re sitting on．Get off．You’re like a young elephant．”
“Sorry，D．L．F．，”said Edmund．“Is that better？”
“Ow ！ No ！”bellowed Trumpkin．“You’re putting your boot in my mouth．Go away．”
“Is King Caspian anywhere？”asked Peter．
“I’m here，”said a rather faint voice．“Something bit me．”
They all heard the noise of someone striking a match．It was Edmund．The little flame showed his face，looking pale and dirty．He blundered about for a little，found the candle (they were no longer using the lamp，for they had run out of oil)，set it on the table，and lit it．When the flame rose clear，several people scrambled to their feet．Six faces blinked at one another in the candlelight．
“We don’t seem to have any enemies left，”said Peter．“There’s the Hag，dead．”(He turned his eyes quickly away from her．)“And Nikabrik，dead too．And I suppose this thing is a Were-wolf．It’s so long since I’ve seen one．Wolf’s head and man’s body．That means he was just turning from man into wolf at the moment he was killed．And you，I suppose，are King Caspian？”
“Yes，”said the other boy．“But I’ve no idea who you are．”
“It’s the High King，King Peter，”said Trumpkin．
“Your Majesty is very welcome，”said Caspian．
“And so is your Majesty，”said Peter．“I haven’t come to take your place，you know，but to put you into it．”
“Your Majesty，”said another voice at Peter’s elbow．He turned and found himself face to face with the Badger．Peter leaned forward，put his arms round the beast and kissed the furry head: it wasn’t a girlish thing for him to do，because he was the High King.
“Best of badgers，”he said．“You never doubted us all through．”
“No credit to me，your Majesty，”said Trufflehunter．“I’m a beast and we don’t change．I’m a badger，what’s more，and we hold on．”
“I am sorry for Nikabrik，”said Caspian，“though he hated me from the first moment he saw me．He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating．If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace．I don’t know which of us killed him．I’m glad of that．”
“You’re bleeding，”said Peter．
“Yes，I’m bitten，”said Caspian．“It was that—that wolf thing.”Cleaning and bandaging the wound took a long time，and when it was done Trumpkin said，“Now．Before everything else we want some breakfast．”
“But not here，”said Peter．
“No，”said Caspian with a shudder．“And we must send someone to take away the bodies．”
“Let the vermin be flung into a pit，”said Peter．“But the Dwarf we will give to his people to be buried in their own fashion．”
They breakfasted at last in another of the dark cellars of Aslan’s How．It was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen，for Caspian and Cornelius were thinking of venison pasties，and Peter and Edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee，but what everyone got was a little bit of cold bear-meat (out of the boys’ pockets)，a lump of hard cheese，an onion，and a mug of water．But，from the way they fell to，anyone would have supposed it was delicious．

CHAPTER THIRTEEN THE HIGH KING IN COMMAND
“NOW，”said Peter，as they finished their meal，“Aslan and the girls (that’s Queen Susan and Queen Lucy，Caspian) are somewhere close．We don’t know when he will act．In his time，no doubt，not ours．In the meantime he would like us to do what we can on our own．You say，Caspian，we are not strong enough to meet Miraz in pitched battle？”
“I’m afraid not，High King，”said Caspian．He was liking Peter very much，but was rather tongue-ied．It was much stranger for him to meet the great Kings out of the old stories than it was for them to meet him．
“Very well，then，”said Peter，“I’ll send him a challenge to single combat．”No one had thought of this before．
“Please，”said Caspian，“could it not be me？ I want to avenge my father．”
“You’re wounded，”said Peter．“And anyway，wouldn’t he just laugh at a challenge from you？ I mean，we have seen that you are a king and a warrior but he thinks of you as a kid．”
“But，Sire，”said the Badger，who sat very close to Peter and never took his eyes off him．“Will he accept a．challenge even from you？ He knows he has the stronger．army．”
“Very likely he won’t，”said Peter，“but there’s always the chance．And even if he doesn’t，we shall spend the best part of the day sending heralds to and fro and all that．By then Aslan may have done something．And at least I can inspect the army and strengthen the position．I will send the challenge．In fact I will write it at once．Have you pen and ink，Master Doctor？”
“A scholar is never without them，your Majesty，”answered Doctor Cornelius．
“Very well，I will dictate，”said Peter．And while the Doctor spread out a parchment and opened his ink-horn and sharpened his pen，Peter leant back with half-closed eyes and recalled to his mind the language in which he had written such things long ago in Narnia’s golden age．
“Right，”he said at last．“And now，if you are ready，Doctor？”
Doctor Cornelius dipped his pen and waited．Peter dictated as follows:
“Peter，by the gift of Aslan，by election，by prescription，and by conquest，High King over all Kings in Narnia，Emperor of the Lone Islands and Lord of Cair Paravel，Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion，to Miraz，Son of Caspian the Eighth，sometime Lord Protector of Narnia and now styling himself King of Narnia，Greeting．Have you got that？”
“Narnia，comma，greeting，”muttered the Doctor．“Yes，Sire．”
“Then begin a new paragraph，”said Peter．For to prevent the effusion of blood，and for the avoiding all other inconveniences likely to grow from the wars now levied in our realm of Narnia，it is our pleasure to adventure our royal person on behalf of our trusty and well-beloved Caspian in clean wager of battle to prove upon your Lordship’s body that the said Caspian is lawful King under us in Narnia both by our gift and by the laws of the Telmarines，and your Lordship twice guilty of treachery both in withholding the dominion of Narnia from the said Caspian and in the most abhominable，—don’t forget to spell it with an H，Doctor—bloody，and unnatural murder of your kindly lord and brother King Caspian Ninth of that name．Wherefore we most heartily provoke，challenge，and defy your Lordship to the said combat and monomachy，and have sent these letters by the hand of our well beloved and royal brother Edmund，sometime King under us in Narnia，Duke of Lantern Waste and Count of the Western March，Knight of the Noble Order of the Table，to whom we have given full power of determining with your Lordship all the conditions of the said battle．Given at our lodging in Aslan’s How this XII day of the month Greenroof in the first year of Caspian Tenth of Narnia．
“That ought to do，”said Peter，drawing a deep breath．
“And now we must send two others with King Edmund．I think the Giant ought to be one．”
“He’s—he’s not very clever，you know，”said Caspian．
“Of course not，”said Peter．“But any giant looks impressive if only he will keep quiet．And it will cheer him up．But who for the other？”
“Upon my word，”said Trumpkin，“if you want someone who can kill with looks，Reepicheep would be the best．”
“He would indeed，from all I hear，”said Peter with a laugh．“If only he wasn’t so small．They wouldn’t even see him till he was close！”
“Send Glenstorm，Sire，”said Trufflehunter．“No one ever laughed at a Centaur．”
An hour later two great lords in the army of Miraz，the Lord Glozelle and the Lord Sopespian，strolling along their lines and picking their teeth after breakfast，looked up and saw coming down to them from the wood the Centaur and Giant Wimbleweather，whom they had seen before in battle，and between them a figure they could not recognize．Nor indeed would the other boys at Edmund’s school have recognized him if they could have seen him at that moment．For Aslan had breathed on him at their meeting and a kind of greatness hung about him．
“What’s to do？”said the Lord Glozelle．“An attack？”
“A parley，rather，”said Sopespian．“See，they carry green branches．They are coming to surrender most likely．”
“He that is walking between the Centaur and the Giant has no look of surrender in his face，”said Glozelle．“Who can he be？ It is not the boy Caspian．”
“No indeed，”said Sopespian．“This is a fell warrior，I warrant you，wherever the rebels have got him from．He is (in your Lordship’s private ear) a kinglier man than ever Miraz was．And what mail he wears！ None of our smiths can make the like．”
“I’ll wager my dappled Pomely he brings a challenge，not a surrender，”said Glozelle．
“How then？”said Sopespian．“We hold the enemy in our fist here．Miraz would never be so hair-brained as to throw away his advantage on a combat．”
“He might be brought to it，”said Glozelle in a much lower voice.
“Softly，”said Sopespian．“Step a little aside here out of earshot of those sentries．Now．Have I taken your Lordship’s meaning aright？”
“If the King undertook wager of battle，”whispered Glozelle，“why，either he would kill or be killed．”
“So，”said Sopespian，nodding his head．
“And if he killed we should have won this war．”
“Certainly．And if not？”
“Why，if not，we should be as able to win it without the King’s grace as with him．For I need not tell your Lordship that Miraz is no very great captain．And after that，we should be both victorious and kingless．”
“And it is your meaning，my Lord，that you and I could hold this land quite as conveniently without a King as with one？”
Glozelle’s face grew ugly．“Not forgetting，”said he，“that it was we who first put him on the throne．And in all the years that he has enjoyed it，what fruits have come our way？ What gratitude has he shown us？”
“Say no more，”answered Sopespian．“But look—here comes one to fetch us to the King’s tent．”
When they reached Miraz’s tent they saw Edmund and his two companions seated outside it and being entertained with cakes and wine，having already delivered the challenge，and withdrawn while the King was considering it．When they saw them thus at close quarters the two Telmarine lords thought all three of them very alarming．
Inside，they found Miraz，unarmed and finishing his breakfast．His face was flushed and there was a scowl on his brow.
“There！”he growled，flinging the parchment across the table to them．“See what a pack of nursery tales our jackanapes of a nephew has sent us．”
“By your leave，Sire，”said Glozelle．“If the young warrior whom we have just seen outside is the King Edmund mentioned in the writing，then I would not call him a nursery tale but a very dangerous knight．”
“King Edmund，pah！”said Miraz．“Does your Lordship believe those old wives’ fables about Peter and Edmund and the rest？”
“I believe my eyes，your Majesty，”said Glozelle．
“Well，this is to no purpose，”said Miraz，“but as touching the challenge，I suppose there is only one opinion between us？”
“I suppose so，indeed，Sire，”said Glozelle．
“And what is that？”asked the King．
“Most infallibly to refuse it，”said Glozelle．“For though I have never been called a coward，I must plainly say that to meet that young man in battle is more than my heart would serve me for．And if (as is likely) his brother，the High King，is more dangerous than he—why，on your life，my Lord King，have nothing to do with him．”
“Plague on you！”cried Miraz．“It was not that sort of council I wanted．Do you think I am asking you if I should be afraid to meet this Peter (if there is such a man)？ Do you think I fear him？ I wanted your counsel on the policy of the matter; whether we，having the advantage，should hazard it on a wager of battle．”
“To which I can only answer，your Majesty，”said Glozelle，“that for all reasons the challenge should be refused．There is death in the strange knight’s face．”
“There you are again！”said Miraz，now thoroughly angry.“Are you trying to make it appear that I am as great a coward as your Lordship？”
“Your Majesty may say your pleasure，”said Glozelle sulkily．
“You talk like an old woman，Glozelle，”said the King．“What say you，my Lord Sopespian？”
“Do not touch it，Sire，”was the reply．“And what your Majesty says of the policy of the thing comes in very happily．It gives your Majesty excellent grounds for a refusal without any cause for questioning your Majesty’s honour or courage．”
“Great Heaven！”exclaimed Miraz，jumping to his feet．“Are you also bewitched today？ Do you think I am looking for grounds to refuse it？ You might as well call me coward to my face．”
The conversation was going exactly as the two lords wished，so they said nothing．
“I see what it is，”said Miraz，after staring at them as if his eyes would start out of his head，“you are as lily-livered as hares yourselves and have the effrontery to imagine my heart after the likeness of yours！ Grounds for a refusal，indeed！ Excuses for not fighting！ Are you soldiers？ Are you Telmarines？ Are you men？ And if I do refuse it (as ail good reasons of captaincy and martial policy urge me to do) you will think，and teach others to think，I was afraid．Is it not so？”
“No man of your Majesty’s age，”said Glozelle，“would be called coward by any wise soldier for refusing the combat with a great warrior in the flower of his youth．”
“So I’m to be a dotard with one foot in the grave，as well as a dastard，”roared Miraz．“I’ll tell you what it is，my Lords．With your womanish counsels (ever shying from the true point，which is one of policy) you have done the very opposite of your intent．I had meant to refuse it．But I’ll accept it．Do you hear，accept it ！ I’ll not be shamed because some witchcraft or treason has frozen both your bloods．”
“We beseech your Majesty—”said Glozelle，but Miraz had flung out of the tent and they could hear him bawling out his acceptance to Edmund．
The two lords looked at one another and chuckled quietly．
“I knew he’d do it if he were properly chafed，”said Glozelle．“But I’ll not forget he called me coward．It shall be paid for．”
There was a great stirring at Aslan’s How when the news came back and was communicated to the various creatures．Edmund，with one of Miraz’s captains，had already marked out the place for the combat，and ropes and stakes had been put round it．Two Telmarines were to stand at two of the corners，and one in the middle of one side，as marshals of the lists．Three marshals for the other two corners and the other side were to be furnished by the High King．Peter was just explaining to Caspian that he could not be one，because his right to the throne was what they were fighting about，when suddenly a thick，sleepy voice said，“Your Majesty，please．”Peter turned and there stood the eldest of the Bulgy Bears．“If you please，your Majesty，”he said，“I’m a bear，I am．”
“To be sure，so you are，and a good bear too，I don’t doubt，”said Peter．
“Yes，”said the Bear．“But it was always a right of the，bears to supply one marshal of the lists．”
“Don’t let him，”whispered Trumpkin to Peter．“He’s a good creature，but he’ll shame us all．He’ll go to sleep and he will suck his paws．In front of the enemy too．”
“I can’t help that，”said Peter．“Because he’s quite right．The Bears had that privilege．I can’t imagine how it has been remembered all these years，when so many other things have been forgotten．”
“Please，your Majesty，”said the Bear．
“It is your right，”said Peter．“And you shall be one of the marshals．But you must remember not to suck your paws．”
“Of course not，”said the Bear in a very shocked voice．
“Why，you’re doing it this minute！”bellowed Trumpkin．
The Bear whipped his paw out of his mouth and pretended he hadn’t heard．
“Sire！”came a shrill voice from near the ground．
“Ah—Reepicheep！”said Peter after looking up and down and round as people usually did when addressed by the Mouse．
“Sire，”said Reepicheep．“My life is ever at your command，but my honour is my own．Sire，I have among my people the only trumpeter in your Majesty’s army．I had thought，perhaps，we might have been sent with the challenge．Sire，my people are grieved．Perhaps if it were your pleasure that I should be a marshal of the lists，it would content them．”
A noise not unlike thunder broke out from somewhere overhead at this point，as Giant Wimbleweather burst into one of those not very intelligent laughs to which the nicer sorts of Giant are so liable．He checked himself at once and looked as grave as a turnip by the time Reepicheep discovered where the noise came from．
“I am afraid it would not do，”said Peter very gravely．“Some humans are afraid of mice—”
“I had observed it，Sire，”said Reepicheep．
“And it would not be quite fair to Miraz，”Peter continued，“to have in sight anything that might abate the edge of his courage．”
“Your Majesty is the mirror of honour，”said the Mouse with one of his admirable bows．“And on this matter we have but a single mind…I thought I heard someone laughing just now．If anyone present wishes to make me the subject of his wit，I am very much at his service—with my sword—whenever he has leisure．”
An awful silence followed this remark，which was broken by Peter saying，“Giant Wimbleweather and the Bear and the Centaur Glenstorm shall be our marshals．The combat will be at two hours after noon．Dinner at noon precisely．”
“I say，”said Edmund as they walked away，“I suppose it is all right．I mean，I suppose you can beat him？”
“That’s what I’m fighting him to find out，”said Peter．

CHAPTER FOURTEEN HOW ALL WERE VERY BUSY
A LITTLE before two o’clock Trumpkin and the Badger sat with the rest of the creatures at the woods edge looking across at the gleaming line of Miraz’s army which was about two arrow-shots away．In between，a square space of level grass had been staked for the combat．At the two far corners stood Glozelle and Sopespian with drawn swords．At the near corners were Giant Wimbleweather and the Bulgy Bear，who in spite of all their warnings was sucking his paws and looking，to tell the truth，uncommonly silly．To make up for this，Glenstorm on the right of the lists，stock-still except when he stamped a hind hoof occasionally on the turf，looked much more imposing than the Telmarine baron who faced him on the left．Peter had just shaken hands with Edmund and the Doctor，and was now walking down to the combat．It was like the moment before the pistol goes at an important race，but very much worse．
“I wish Aslan had turned up before it came to this，”said Caspian Trumpkin．
“So do I，”said Trufflehunter．“But look behind you．”
“Crows and crockery！”muttered the Dwarf as soon as he had done so．“What are they？ Huge people—beautiful people—like gods and goddesses and giants．Hundreds and thousands of them，closing in behind us．What are they？”
“It’s the Dryads and Hamadryads and Silvans，”said Trufflehunter．“Aslan has waked them．”
“Humph！”said the Dwarf．“That’ll be very useful if the enemy try any treachery．But it won’t help the High King very much if Miraz proves handier with his sword．”
The Badger said nothing，for now Peter and Miraz were entering the lists from opposite ends，both on foot，both in chain shirts，with helmets and shields．They advanced till they were close together．Both bowed and seemed to speak，but it was impossible to hear what they said．Next moment，the two swords flashed in the sunlight．For a second the clash could be heard but it was immediately drowned because both armies began shouting like crowds at a football match．
“Well done，Peter，oh，well done！”shouted Edmund as he saw Miraz reel back a whole pace and a half．“Follow it up，quick！”And Peter did，and for a few seconds it looked as if the fight might be won．But then Miraz pulled himself together—began to make real use of his height and weight“Miraz！ Miraz！ The King！ The King！”came the roar of the Telmarines．Caspian and Edmund grew white with sickening anxiety．
“Peter is taking some dreadful knocks，”said Edmund．
“Hullo！”said Caspian．“What’s happening now？”
“Both falling apart，”said Edmund．“A bit blown，I expect.Watch．Ah，now they’re beginning again，more scientifically this time．Circling round and round，feeling each other’s defences．”
“I’m afraid this Miraz knows his work，”muttered the Doctor．But hardly had he said this when there was such a clapping and baying and throwing up of hoods among the Old Narnians that it was nearly deafening．
“What was it？ What was it？”asked the Doctor．“My old eyes missed it．”
“The High King has pricked him in the arm-pit，”said Caspian，still clapping.“Just where the arm-hole of the hauberk let the point through．First blood．”
“It’s looking ugly again now，though，”said Edmund．“Peter’s not using his shield properly．He must be hurt in the left arm．”
It was only too true．Everyone could see that Peter’s shield hung limp．The shouting of the Telmarines redoubled．
“You’ve seen more battles than I，”said Caspian．“Is there any chance now？”
“Precious little，”said Edmund．“I suppose he might just do it.With luck．”
“Oh，why did we let it happen at all？”said Caspian．
Suddenly all the shouting on both sides died down．Edmund was puzzled for a moment．Then he said，Oh，I see．They’ve both agreed to a rest．Come on，Doctor．You and I may be able to do something for the High King．They ran down to the lists and Peter came outside the ropes to meet them，his face red and sweaty，his chest heaving．
“Is your left arm wounded？”asked Edmund．
“It’s not exactly a wound，”Peter said．“I got the full weight of his shoulder on my shield—like a load of bricks—and the rim of the shield drove into my wrist．I don’t think it’s broken，but it might be a sprain．If you could tie it up very tight I think I could manage．”
While they were doing this，Edmund asked anxiously．“What do you think of him，Peter？”
“Tough，”said Peter．Very tough．I have a chance if can keep him on the hop till his weight and short wind come against him—in this hot sun too．To tell the truth，I haven’t much chance else．Give my love to—to everyone at home，Ed，if he gets me．Here he comes into the lists again.So long，old chap．Good-bye，Doctor．And I say，Ed，say something specially nice to Trumpkin．He’s been a brick．
Edmund couldn’t speak．He walked back with the Doctor to his own lines with a sick feeling in his stomach．
But the new bout went well．Peter now seemed to be able to make some use of his shield，and he certainly made good use of his feet．He was almost playing Tig with Miraz now，keeping out of range，shifting his ground，making the enemy work．
“Coward！”booed the Telmarines．“Why don’t you stand up to him？ Don’t you like it，eh？ Thought you’d come to fight，not dance．Yah！”
“Oh，I do hope he won’t listen to them，”said Caspian．
“Not he，”said Edmund．“You don’t know him-Oh！”for -Miraz had got in a blow at last，on Peter’s helmet．Peter staggered，slipped sideways，and fell on one knee．The roar of the Telmarines rose like the noise of the sea．“Now，Miraz，”they yelled．“Now．Quick ！ Quick ！ Kill him．”But indeed there was no need to egg the usurper on．He was on top of Peter already.
Edmund bit his lips till the blood came，as the sword flashed down on Peter．It looked as if it would slash off his head．Thank heavens ！ It had glanced down his right shoulder．The Dwarf—wrought mail was sound and did not break．
“Great Scott ！”cried Edmund．“He’s up again．Peter，go it，Peter．”
“I couldn’t see what happened，”said the Doctor．“How did he do it？”
“Grabbed Miraz’s arm as it came down，”said Trumpkin，dancing with delight．“There’s a man for you ！ Uses his enemy’s arm as a ladder．The High King ！ The High King ！ Up，Old Narnia！”
“Look，”said Trufflehunter．“Miraz is angry．It is good．”They were certainly at it hammer and tongs now: such a flurry of blows that it seemed impossible for either not to be killed．As the excitement grew，the shouting almost died away．The spectators were holding their breath．It was most horrible and most magnificent．
A great shout arose from the Old Narnians．Miraz was a down—not struck by Peter，but face downwards，having tripped on a tussock．Peter stepped back，waiting for him to rise．
“Oh bother，bother，bother，”said Edmund to himself．“Need he be as gentlemanly as that？ I suppose he must．Comes of being a Knight and a High King．I suppose it is what Aslan would like．But that brute will be up again in a minute and then—”
But“that brute”never rose．The Lords Glozelle and Sopespian had their own plans ready．As soon as they saw their King down they leaped into the lists crying，“Treachery！ Treachery！ The Narnian traitor has stabbed him in the back while he lay helpless．To arms ！ To arms，Telmar！”
Peter hardly understood what was happening．He saw two big men running toward him with drawn swords．Then the third Telmarine had leaped over the ropes on his left．“To arms，Narnia！ Treachery！”Peter shouted．If all three had set upon him at once he would never have spoken again．But Glozelle stopped to stab his own King dead where he lay:“That’s for your insult，this morning，”he whispered as the blade went home．Peter swung to face Sopespian，slashed his legs from under him and，with the back-cut of the same stroke，walloped off his head Edmund was now at his side crying，“Narnia，Narnia！ The Lion！”The whole Telmarine army was rushing toward them．But now the Giant was stamping forward，stooping low and swinging his club.The Centaurs charged．Twang，twang behind and hiss，hiss overhead came the archery of Dwarfs．Trumpkin was fighting at his left．Full battle was joined．
“Come back，Reepicheep，you little ass！”shouted Peter．“You’ll only be killed．This is no place for mice．”But the ridiculous little creatures were dancing in and out among the feet of both armies，jabbing with their swords．Many a Telmarine warrior that day felt his foot suddenly pierced as if by a dozen skewers，hopped on one leg cursing the pain，and fell as often as not．If he fell，the mice finished him off; if he did not，someone else did．
But almost before the Old Narnians were really warmed to their work they found the enemy giving way．Tough-looking warriors turned white，gazed in terror not on the Old Narnians but on something behind them，and then flung down their weapons，shrieking，“The Wood ！ The Wood ！ The end of the world ！”
But soon neither their cries nor the sound of weapons could be heard any more，for both were drowned in the ocean-like roar of the Awakened Trees as they plunged through the ranks of Peter’s army，and then on，in pursuit of the Telmarines．Have you ever stood at the edge of a great wood on a high ridge when a wild south-wester broke over it in full fury on an autumn evening？ Imagine that sound．And then imagine that the wood，instead of being fixed to one place，was rushing at you; and was no longer trees but huge people; yet still like trees because their long arms waved like branches and their heads tossed and leaves fell round them in showers．It was like that for the Telmarines．It was a little alarming even for the Narnians．In a few minutes all Miraz’s followers were running down to the Great River in the hope of crossing the bridge to the town of Beruna and there defending themselves behind ramparts and closed gates．
They reached the river，but there was no bridge．It had disappeared since yesterday．Then utter panic and horror fell upon them and they all surrendered．
But what had happened to the bridge？
Early that morning，after a few hours’ sleep，the girls had waked，to see Aslan standing over them and to hear his voice saying，“We will make holiday．”They rubbed their eyes and looked round them．The trees had all gone but could still be seen moving away toward Aslan’s How in a dark mass．Bacchus and the Maenads—his fierce，madcap girls—and Silenus were still with them．Lucy，fully rested，jumped up．Everyone was awake，everyone was laughing，flutes were playing，cymbals clashing．Animals，not Talking Animals，were crowding in upon them from every direction．
“What is it，Aslan？”said Lucy，her eyes dancing and her feet wanting to dance．
“Come，children，”said he．“Ride on my back again today．”
“Oh，lovely！”cried Lucy，and both girls climbed on to the warm golden back as they had done no one knew how many years before．Then the whole party moved off—Aslan leading，Bacchus and his Maenads leaping，rushing，and turning somersaults，the beasts frisking round them，and Silenus and his donkey bringing up the rear．
They turned a little to the right，raced down a steep hill，and found the long Bridge of Beruna in front of them．Before they had begun to cross it，however，up out of the water came a great wet，bearded head，larger than a man’s，crowned with rushes．It looked at Aslan and out of its mouth a deep voice came．
“Hail，Lord，”it said．“Loose my chains．”
“Who on earth is that？”whispered Susan．
“I think it’s the river-god，but hush，”said Lucy．
“Bacchus，”said Aslan．“Deliver him from his chains．”
“That means the bridge，I expect，”thought Lucy．And so it did．Bacchus and his people splashed forward into the shallow water，and a minute later the most curious things began happening．Great，strong trunks of ivy came curling up all the piers of the bridge，growing as quickly as a fire grows，wrapping the stones round，splitting，breaking，separating them．The walls of the bridge turned into hedges gay with hawthorn for a moment and then disappeared as the whole thing with a rush and a rumble collapsed into the swirling water．With much splashing，screaming，and laughter the revellers waded or swam or danced across the ford (“Hurrah ！ It’s the Ford of Beruna again now ！”cried the girls) and up the bank on the far side and into the town．
Everyone in the streets fled before their faces．The first house they came to was a school: a girls’ school，where lot of Narnian girls，with their hair done very tight and ugly tight collars round their necks and thick tickly stockings on their legs，were having a history lesson．The sort of“History”that was taught in Narnia under Miraz’s rule was duller than the truest history you ever read and less true than the most exciting adventure story．
“If you don’t attend，Gwendolen，”said the mistress，and stop looking out of the window，I shall have to give you an order-mark.
“But please，Miss Prizzle—”began Gwendolen．
“Did you hear what I said，Gwendolen？”asked Miss Prizzle．
“But please，Miss Prizzle，”said Gwendolen，“there’s a LION！”
“Take two order-marks for talking nonsense，”said Miss Prizzle．“And now—”A roar interrupted her．Ivy came curling in at the windows of the classroom．The walls became a mass of shimmering green，and leafy branches arched overhead where the ceiling had been．Miss Prizzle found she was standing on grass in a forest glade．She clutched at her desk to steady herself，and found that the desk was a rose-bush．Wild people such as she had never even imagined were crowding round her．Then she saw the Lion，screamed and fled，and with her fled her class，who were mostly dumpy，prim little girls with fat legs．Gwendolen hesitated．
“You’ll stay with us，sweetheart？”said Aslan．
“Oh，may I？ Thank you，thank you，”said Gwendolen．Instantly she joined hands with two of the Maenads，who whirled her round in a merry dance and helped her take off some of the unnecessary and uncomfortable clothes that she was wearing．
Wherever they went in the little town of Beruna it was the same．Most of the people fled，a few joined them．When they left the town they were a larger and a merrier company．
They swept on across the level fields on the north bank，or left bank，of the river．At every farm animals came out to join them．Sad old donkeys who had never known joy grew suddenly young again; chained dogs broke their chains; horses kicked their carts to pieces and came trotting along with them—clop—clop—kicking up the mud and whinnying．
At a well in a yard they met a man who was beating a boy．The stick burst into flower in the man’s hand．He tried to drop it，but it stuck to his hand．His arm became a branch，his body the trunk of a tree，his feet took root．The boy，who had been crying a moment before，burst out laughing and joined them．
At a little town half-way to Beaversdam，where two rivers met，they came to another school，where a tired-looking girl was teaching arithmetic to a number of boys who looked very like pigs．She looked out of the window and saw the divine revellers singing up the street and a stab of joy went through her heart．Aslan stopped right under the window and looked up at her．
“Oh，don’t，don’t，”she said．“I’d love to．But I mustn’t．I must stick to my work．And the children would be frightened if they saw you．”
“Frightened？”said the most pig-like of the boys．“Who’s she talking to out of the window？ Let’s tell the inspector she talks to people out of the window when she ought to be teaching us．”
“Let’s go and see who it is，”said another boy，and they all came crowding to the window．But as soon as their mean little faces looked out，Bacchus gave a great cry of Euan，euoi-oi-oi-oi and the boys all began howling with fright and trampling one another down to get out of the door and jumping out of the windows．And it was said afterward (whether truly or not) that those particular little boys were never seen again，but that there were a lot of very fine little pigs in that part of the country which had never been there before．
“Now，Dear Heart，”said Aslan to the Mistress，and she jumped down and joined them．
At Beaversdam they re-crossed the river and came east again along the southern bank．They came to a little cottage where a child stood in the doorway crying．“Why are you crying，my love？”asked Aslan．The child，who had never seen a picture of a lion，was not afraid of him．“Auntie’s very ill，”she said．“She’s going to die．”Then Aslan went to go in at the door of the cottage，but it was too small for him．So，when he had got his head through，he pushed with his shoulders (Lucy and Susan fell off when he did this) and lifted the whole house up and it fell backwards and apart．And there，still in her bed，though the bed was now in the open air，lay a little old woman who looked as if she had Dwarf blood in her．She was at death’s door，but when she opened her eyes and saw the bright，hairy head of the lion staring into her face，she did not scream or faint．She said，“Oh，Aslan！ I knew it was true．I’ve been waiting for this all my life.Have you come to take me away？”
“Yes，Dearest，”said Aslan．“But not the long journey yet．”And as he spoke，like the flush creeping along the underside of a cloud at sunrise，the colour came back to her white face and her eyes grew bright and she sat up and said，“Why，I do declare I feel that better．I think I could take a little breakfast this morning．”
“Here you are，mother，”said Bacchus，dipping a pitcher in the cottage well and handing it to her．But what was in it now was not water but the richest wine，red as red-currant jelly，smooth as oil，strong as beef，warming as tea，cool as dew．
“Eh，you’ve done something to our well，”said the old woman.“That makes a nice change，that does．”And she jumped out of bed.
“Ride on me，”said Aslan，and added to Susan and Lucy，“You two queens will have to run now．”
“But we’d like that just as well，”said Susan．And off they went again．
And so at last，with leaping and dancing and singing，with music and laughter and roaring and barking and neighing，they all came to the place where Miraz’s army stood flinging down their swords and holding up their hands，and Peter’s army，still holding their weapons and breathing hard，stood round them with stern and glad faces．And the first thing that happened was that the old woman slipped off Aslan’s back and ran across to Caspian and they embraced one another; for she was his old nurse．

CHAPTER FIFTEEN ASLAN MAKES A DOOR IN THE AIR
AT the sight of Aslan the cheeks of the Telmarine soldiers became the colour of cold gravy，their knees knocked together，and many fell on their faces．They had not believed in lions and this made their fear greater．Even the Red Dwarfs，who knew that he came as a friend，stood with open mouths and could not speak．Some of the Black Dwarfs，who had been of Nikabrik’s party，began to edge away．But all the Talking Beasts surged round the Lion，with purrs and grunts and squeaks and whinneys of delight，fawning on him with their tails，rubbing against him，touching him reverently with their noses and going to and fro under his body and between his legs．If you have ever seen a little cat loving a big dog whom it knows and trusts，you will have a pretty good picture of their behaviour．Then Peter，leading Caspian，forced his way through the crowd of animals.
“This is Caspian，Sir，”he said．And Caspian knelt and kissed the Lion’s paw．
“Welcome，Prince，”said Aslan．“Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the Kingship of Narnia？”
“I—I don’t think I do，Sir，”said Caspian．“I’m only a kid．”
“Good，”said Aslan．“If you had felt yourself sufficient，it would have been a proof that you were not．Therefore，under us and under the High King，you shall be King of Narnia，Lord of Cair Paravel，and Emperor of the Lone Islands．You and your heirs while your race lasts．And your coronation—but what have we here？”For at that moment a curious little procession was approaching—eleven Mice，six of whom carried between them something on a litter made of branches，but the litter was no bigger than a large atlas．No one has ever seen mice more woebegone than these．They were plastered with mud—some with blood too—and their ears were down and their whiskers drooped and their tails dragged in the grass，and their leader piped on his slender pipe a melancholy tune．On the litter lay what seemed little better than a damp heap of fur; all that was left of Reepicheep．He was still breathing，but more dead than alive，gashed with innumerable wounds，one paw crushed，and，where his tail had been，a bandaged stump．
“Now，Lucy，”said Aslan．
Lucy had her diamond bottle out in a moment．Though only a drop was needed on each of Reepicheep’s wounds，the wounds were so many that there was a long and anxious silence before she had finished and the Master Mouse sprang from the litter．His hand went at once to his sword hilt，with the other he twirled his whiskers．He bowed．
“Hail，Aslan！”came his shrill voice．“I have the honour—”But then he suddenly stopped．
The fact was that he still had no tail—whether that Lucy had forgotten it or that her cordial，though it could heal wounds，could not make things grow again．Reepicheep became aware of his loss as he made his bow; perhaps it altered something in his balance．He looked over his right shoulder．Failing to see his tail，he strained his neck further till he had to turn his shoulders and his whole body followed．But by that time his hind-quarters had turned too and were out of sight．Then he strained his neck looking over his shoulder again，with the same result．Only after he had turned completely round three times did he realize the dreadful truth．
“I am confounded，”said Reepicheep to Aslan．“I am completely out of countenance．I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion．”
“It becomes you very well，Small One，”said Aslan．
“All the same，”replied Reepicheep，“if anything could be done…Perhaps her Majesty？”and here he bowed to Lucy．
“But what do you want with a tail？”asked Aslan．
“Sir，”said the Mouse，“I can eat and sleep and die for my King without one．But a tail is the honour and glory of a Mouse．”
“I have sometimes wondered，friend，”said Aslan，“whether you do not think too much about your honour．”
“Highest of all High Kings，”said Reepicheep，“permit me to remind you that a very small size has been bestowed on us Mice，and if we did not guard our dignity，some (who weigh worth by inches) would allow themselves very unsuitable pleasantries at our expense．That is why I have been at some pains to make it known that no one who does not wish to feel this sword as near his heart as I can reach shall talk in my presence about Traps or Toasted Cheese or Candles: no，Sir—not the tallest fool in Narnia！”Here he glared very fiercely up at Wimbleweather，but the Giant，who was always a stage behind everyone else，had not yet discovered what was being talked about down at his feet，and so missed the point．
“Why have your followers all drawn their swords，may I ask？”said Aslan．
“May it please your High Majesty，”said the second Mouse，whose name was Peepiceek，“we are all waiting to cut off our own tails if our Chief must go without his．We will not bear the shame of wearing an honour which is denied to the High Mouse．”
“Ah！”roared Aslan．“You have conquered me．You have great hearts．Not for the sake of your dignity，Reepicheep，but for the love that is between you and your people，and still more for the kindness your people showed me long ago when you ate away the cords that bound me on the Stone Table (and it was then，though you have long forgotten it，that you began to be Talking Mice)，you shall have your tail again．”
Before Aslan had finished speaking the new tail was in its place．Then，at Aslan’s command，Peter bestowed the Knighthood of the Order of the Lion on Caspian，and Caspian，as soon as he was knighted，himself bestowed it on Trufflehunter and Trumpkin and Reepicheep，and made Doctor Cornelius his Lord Chancellor，of the Lists．And there was great applause．
After this the Telmarine soldiers，firmly but without taunts or blows，were taken across the ford and all put under lock and key in the town of Beruna and given beef and beer．They made a great fuss about wading in the river，for they all hated and feared running water just as much as they hated and feared woods and animals．But in the end the nuisance was over: and then the nicest parts of that long day began．
Lucy，sitting close to Aslan and divinely comfortable，wondered what the trees were doing．At first she thought they were merely dancing; they were certainly going round slowly in two circles，one from left to right and the other from right to left．Then she noticed that they kept throwing something down in the centre of both circles．Sometimes she thought they were cutting off long strands of their hair; at other times it looked as if they were breaking off bits of their fingers—but，if so，they had plenty of fingers to spare and it did not hurt them．But whatever they were throwing down，when it reached the ground，it became brushwood or dry sticks．Then three or four of the Red Dwarfs came forward with their tinder boxes and set light to the pile，which first crackled，and then blazed，and finally roared as a woodland bonfire on midsummer night ought to do．And everyone sat down in a wide circle round it．
Then Bacchus and Silenus and the Maenads began a dance，far wilder than the dance of the trees; not merely a dance for fun and beauty (though it was that too) but a magic dance of plenty，and where their hands touched，and where their feet fell，the feast came into existence—sides of roasted meat that filled the grove with delicious smell，and wheaten cakes and oaten cakes，honey and many-coloured sugars and cream as thick as porridge and as smooth as still water，peaches，nectarines，pomegranates，pears，grapes，strawberries，raspberries—pyramids and cataracts of fruit．Then，in great wooden cups and bowls and mazers，wreathed with ivy，came the wines; dark，thick ones like syrups of mulberry juice，and clear red ones like red jellies liquefied，and yellow wines and green wines and yellow-green and greenish-yellow．
But for the tree people different fare was provided．When Lucy saw Clodsley Shovel and his moles scuffling up the turf in various places (which Bacchus had pointed out to them) and realized that the trees were going to eat earth it gave her rather a shudder．But when she saw the earths that were actually brought to them she felt quite different．They began with a rich brown loam that looked almost exactly like chocolate; so like chocolate，in fact，that Edmund tried a piece of it，but he did not find it at all nice．When the rich loam had taken the edge off their hunger，the trees turned to an earth of the kind you see in Somerset，which is almost pink．They said it was lighter and sweeter．At the cheese stage they had a chalky soil，and then went on to delicate confections of the finest gravels powdered with choice silver sand．They drank very little wine，and it made the Hollies very talkative: for the most part they quenched their thirst with deep draughts of mingled dew and rain，flavoured with forest flowers and the airy taste of the thinnest clouds．
Thus Aslan feasted the Narnians till long after the sunset had died away，and the stars had come out; and the great fire，now hotter but less noisy，shone like a beacon in the dark woods，and the frightened Telmarines saw it from far away and wondered what it might mean．The best thing of all about this feast was that there was no breaking up or going away，but as the talk grew quieter and slower，one after another would begin to nod and finally drop off to sleep with feet towards the fire and good friends on either side，till at last there was silence all round the circle，and the chattering of water over stone at the Ford of Beruna could be heard once more．But all night Aslan and the Moon gazed upon each other with joyful and unblinking eyes．
Next day messengers (who were chiefly squirrels and birds) were sent all over the country with a proclamation to the scattered Telmarines—including，of course，the prisoners in Beruna．They were told that Caspian was now King and that Narnia would henceforth belong to the Talking Beasts and the Dwarfs and Dryads and Fauns and other creatures quite as much as to the men．Any who chose to stay under the new conditions might do so; but for those who did not like the idea，Aslan would provide another home．Anyone who wished to go there must come to Aslan and the Kings at the Ford of Beruna by noon on the fifth day．You may imagine that this caused plenty of head-scratching among the Telmarines．Some of them，chiefly the young ones，had，like Caspian，heard stories of the Old Days and were delighted that they had come back．They were already making friends with the creatures．These all decided to stay in Narnia．But most of the older men，especially those who had been important under Miraz，were sulky and had no wish to live in a country where they could not rule the roost．“Live here with a lot of blooming performing animals！ No fear，”they said．“And ghosts too，”some added with a shudder．“That’s what those there Dryads really are．It’s not canny．”They were also suspicious．“I don’t trust’em，”they said.“Not with that awful Lion and all．He won’t keep his claws off us long，you’ll see．”But then they were equally suspicious of his offer to give them a new home．“Take us off to his den and eat us one by one most likely，”they muttered．And the more they talked to one another the sulkier and more suspicious they became．But on the appointed day more than half of them turned up．
At one end of the glade Aslan had caused to be set up two stakes of wood，higher than a man’s head and about three feet apart．A third，and lighter，piece of wood was bound across them at the top，uniting them，so that the whole thing looked like a doorway from nowhere into nowhere．In front of this stood Aslan himself with Peter on his right and Caspian on his left．Grouped round them were Susan and Lucy，Trumpkin and Trufflehunter，the Lord Cornelius，Glenstorm，Reepicheep，and others．The children and the Dwarfs had made good use of the royal wardrobes in what had been the castle of Miraz and was now the castle of Caspian，and what with silk and cloth of gold，with snowy linen glancing through slashed sleeves，with silver mail shirts and jewelled sword—hilts，with gilt helmets and feathered bonnets，they were almost too bright to look at．Even the beasts wore rich chains about their necks．Yet nobody’s eyes were on them or the children．The living and strokable gold of Aslan’s mane outshone them all．The rest of the Old Narnians stood down each side of the glade．At the far end stood the Telmarines．The sun shone brightly and pennants fluttered in the light wind．
“Men of Telmar，”said Aslan，“you who seek a new land，hear my words．I will send you all to your own country，which I know and you do not．”
“We don’t remember Telmar．We don’t know where it is．We don’t know what it is like，”grumbled the Telmarines．
“You came into Narnia out of Telmar，”said Aslan．“But you came into Telmar from another place．You do not belong to this world at all．You came hither，certain generations ago，out of that same world to which the High King Peter belongs．”
At this，half the Telmarines began whimpering，“There you are．Told you so．He’s going to kill us all，send us right out of the world，”and the other half began throwing out their chests and slapping one another on the back and whispering，“There you are．Might have guessed we didn’t belong to this place with all its queer，nasty，unnatural creatures．We’re of royal blood，you’ll see．”And even Caspian and Cornelius and the children turned to Aslan with looks of amazement on their faces.
“Peace，”said Aslan in the low voice which was nearest to his growl．The earth seemed to shake a little and every living thing in the grove became still as stone．
“You，Sir Caspian，”said Aslan，“might have known that you could be no true King of Narnia unless，like the Kings of old，you were a son of Adam and came from the world of Adam’s sons．And so you are．Many years ago in that world，in a deep sea of that world which is called the South Sea，a shipload of pirates were driven by storm on an island．And there they did as pirates would: killed the natives and took the native women for wives，and made palm wine，and drank and were drunk，and lay in the shade of the palm trees，and woke up and quarrelled，and sometimes killed one another．And in one of these frays six were put to flight by the rest and fled with their women into the centre of the island and up a mountain，and went，as they thought，into a cave to hide．But it was one of the magical places of that world，one of the chinks or chasms between chat world and this．There were many chinks or chasms between worlds in old times，but they have grown rarer．This was one of the last: I do not say the last．And so they fell，or rose，or blundered，or dropped right through，and found themselves in this world，in the Land of Telmar which was then unpeopled．But why it was unpeopled is a long story: I will not tell it now．And in Telmar their descendants lived and became a fierce and proud people; and after many generations there was a famine in Telmar and they invaded Narnia，which was then in some disorder (but that also would be a long story)，and conquered it and ruled it．Do you mark all this well，King Caspian？”
“I do indeed，Sir，”said Caspian．“I was wishing that I came of a more honourable lineage．”
“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve，”said Aslan.“And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar，and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth．Be content．”
Caspian bowed．
“And now，”said Aslan，“you men and women of Telmar，will you go back to that island in the world of men from which your fathers first came？ It is no bad place．The race of those pirates who first found it has died out，and it is without inhabitants．There are good wells of fresh water，and fruitful soil，and timber for building，and fish in the lagoons; and the other men of that world have not yet discovered it．The chasm is open for your return; but this I must warn you，that once you have gone through，it will close behind you forever．There will be no more commerce between the worlds by that door．”
There was silence for a moment．Then a burly，decent looking fellow among the Telmarine soldiers pushed forward and said:
“Well，I’ll take the offer．”
“It is well chosen，”said Aslan．“And because you have spoken first，strong magic is upon you．Your future in that world shall be good．Come forth．”
The man，now a little pale，came forward．Aslan and his court drew aside，leaving him free access to the empty doorway of the stakes．
“Go through it，my son，”said Aslan，bending towards him and touching the man’s nose with his own．As soon as the Lion’s breath came about him，a new look came into the man’s eyes—startled，but not unhappy—as if he were trying to remember something．Then he squared his shoulders and walked into the Door.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him．They saw the three pieces of wood，and through them the trees and grass and sky of Narnia．They saw the man between the doorposts: then，in one second，he had vanished utterly．
From the other end of the glade the remaining Telmarines set up a wailing．“Ugh！ What’s happened to him？ Do you mean to murder us？ We won’t go that way．”And then one of the clever Telmarines said:
“We don’t see any other world through those sticks．If you want us to believe in it，why doesn’t one of you go？ All your own friends are keeping well away from the sticks．”
Instantly Reepicheep stood forward and bowed．“If my example can be of any service，Aslan，”he said，“I will take eleven mice through that arch at your bidding without a moment’s delay．”
“Nay，little one，”said Aslan，laying his velvety paw ever so lightly on Reepicheep’s head．“They would do dreadful things to you in that world．They would show you at fairs．It is others who must lead．”
“Come on，”said Peter suddenly to Edmund and Lucy．“Our time’s up．”
“What do you mean？”said Edmund．
“This way，”said Susan，who seemed to know all about it．“Back into the trees．We’ve got to change．”
“Change what？”asked Lucy．
“Our clothes，of course，”said Susan．“Nice fools we’d look on the platform of an English station in these．”
“But our other things are at Caspian’s castle，”said Edmund．
“No，they’re not，”said Peter，still leading the way into the thickest wood．“They’re all here．They were brought down in bundles this morning．It’s all arranged．”
“Was that what Aslan was talking to you and Susan about this morning？”asked Lucy．
“Yes-that and other things，”said Peter，his face very solemn．“I can’t tell it to you all．There were things he wanted to say to Su and me because we’re not coming back to Narnia．”
“Never？”cried Edmund and Lucy in dismay．
“Oh，you two are，”answered Peter．“At least，from what he said，I’mpretty sure he means you to get back some day．But not Su and me．He says we’re getting too old．”
“Oh，Peter，”said Lucy．“What awful bad luck．Can you bear it？”
“Well，I think I can，”said Peter．“It’s all rather different from what I thought．You’ll understand when it comes to your last time．But，quick，here are our things．”
It was odd，and not very nice，to take off their royal clothes and to come back in their school things (not very fresh now) into that great assembly．One or two of the nastier Telmarines jeered．But the other creatures all cheered and rose up in honour of Peter the High King，and Queen Susan of the Horn，and King Edmund，and Queen Lucy．There were affectionate and (on Lucy’s part) tearful farewells with all their old friends—animal kisses，and hugs from Bulgy Bears，and hands wrung by Trumpkin，and a last tickly，whiskerish embrace with Trufflehunter．And of course Caspian offered the Horn back to Susan and of course Susan told him to keep it．And then，wonderfully and terribly，it was farewell to Aslan himself，and Peter took his place with Susan’s hands on his shoulders and Edmund’s on hers and Lucy’s on his and the first of the Telmarine’s on Lucy’s，and so in a long line they moved forward to the Door．After that came a moment which is hard to describe，for the children seemed to be seeing three things at once．One was the mouth of a cave opening into the glaring green and blue of an island in the Pacific，where all the Telmarines would find themselves the moment they were through the Door．The second was a glade in Narnia，the faces of Dwarfs and Beasts，the deep eyes of Aslan，and the white patches on the Badger’s cheeks．But the third (which rapidly swallowed up the other two) was the grey，gravelly surface of a platform in a country station，and a seat with luggage round it，where they were all sitting as if they had never moved from it—a little flat and dreary for a moment after all they had been through，but also，unexpectedly，nice in its own way，what with the familiar railway smell and the English sky and the summer term before them．
“Well！”said Peter．“We have had a time．”
“Bother！”said Edmund．“I’ve left my new torch in Narnia．



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