声明：本书为八零电子书(txt80.com)的用户上传至本站的存储空间，本站只提供TXT全集电子书存储服务以及免费下载服务，以下作品内容之版权与本站无任何关系。 ---------------------------用户上传之内容开始-------------------------------- 纳尼亚传奇7：最后一战（双语） 作者：C·S·路易斯 内容简介 前往魔法之地纳尼亚的终极旅程，是同邪恶的大决战。 纳尼亚那里最后的国王英勇奋战，当悲伤的道别化作欢歌冒险重又开始。 一只无尾猿无意中拣到一张狮子毛皮，劝诱他的朋友头脑简单的驴子披上狮皮，假扮阿斯兰，控制纳尼亚的生物。国王蒂莲为了解救纳尼亚的生灵，并揭穿无尾猿 的诡计而成为无尾猿和卡乐门人的俘虏。他向阿斯兰呼救，唤来了尤斯塔斯和吉儿。他们救出蒂莲国王,并带领独角兽等忠诚的动物和卡乐门军队、反叛的野兽以及矮人们展开战斗。但此时残酷的异教塔什神已经来到纳尼亚。尤斯塔斯被俘，在寡不敌众的情况下，蒂莲国王躲进马厩，却发现七个国王和女王彼得、爱德蒙、露西、尤斯塔斯、吉儿和恢复了青春的迪戈里、波莉以国王和女王的身份站在他的面前。雄狮阿斯出现了，时间醒来，世界末日的号角已被吹响，黑夜笼罩纳尼亚，纳尼亚终于被毁灭了。阿斯兰带领所有信仰他的生物穿过一道门，来到了他的王国。阿斯兰告诉露茜，他们其实都已经在火车事故中死去。老纳尼亚中一切重要的东西以及可爱的动物，都已经由这扇门进入真正的纳尼亚。过去出现过的人物都在这里。从此，他们在新的纳尼亚过着幸福的生活。 第一章 大锅深渊 在纳尼亚最后的那段日子，离西边的灯柱野林很远的地方有一条大瀑布，那里住着一头上了年纪的无尾猿，名叫诡谲。没有人知道他是何时到了这一带定居，但不可否认他是一头最聪明也最丑陋的， 且身上皱纹最多的无尾猿。他有一间建在大树枝丫上的小屋子，树叶堆成的屋顶，木头搭成的房梁。在这片林子里，有极少数的一些会说话的野兽、人和小矮人。诡谲有个驴子好朋友也是他的邻居，名叫迷惑，至少他们自己是这么认为的。但与其说他们是朋友，还不如说迷惑就是诡谲的仆人。因为所有的活儿都是迷惑干的。 去河边时，给大皮囊里灌满水的是诡谲，但把皮囊背回来的却是迷惑。去下游的市镇买东西时，背着空背篓跑到市镇，又背着满满当当的背篓回来的也是迷惑。然而，将他辛苦背回的各种美食吃掉的却是诡谲。因为诡谲说，他不能像迷惑那样吃青草和蓟，那就只好用别的东西弥补了。而迷惑却也附和着说他明白的，能理解。迷惑从不会抱怨这些，因为他承认诡谲比它聪明，还认为诡谲和他做朋友， 完全给了自己极大的面子。如果迷惑偶尔试图和诡谲争辩某一件事， 诡谲就会说：“迷惑啊，你要记住，无论什么事我一定比你清楚得多，你知道的，你很笨。”而这时，迷惑也只能乖乖地附和：“是啊是啊， 你说得对，我的确比较笨。”然后长叹一声，继续去做诡谲要他干的事儿了。 年初的一个早晨，这对朋友出了门，沿着家附近那瀑布下的大锅深渊岸边散步。这大锅深渊又深又大，是正处在纳尼亚西陆的绝壁之下的一个大水潭。大瀑布从悬崖倾泻而下，深渊另一边有纳尼亚河奔流而过，搅得里头的水总是不停地翻腾着冒泡，就像一口烧开水的大锅，这里由此而得名。早春，正是大锅深渊最有生气的时候。此时纳尼亚背后西部荒原的群山上大量积雪正在消融，那些雪水使大瀑布的水量更为充盈。诡谲和迷惑俩正欣赏这颇为壮观的一幕。忽然诡谲伸出他乌黑发亮的手指，指着大锅渊叫道： “快看，那是什么？” “什么啊？”迷惑一脸迷茫地问。 “就在刚才，瀑布冲下来一个黄色的东西，看见没有？还在那水面上浮着呢，走，我们一起去瞧瞧那究竟是什么？” “一定要去吗？”迷惑小声地嘀咕道。 “当然啦，”诡谲说，“也许是什么有用的东西呢！很简单的， 就像鱼一样跳进水里，然后把它捞上来，那我们就可以亲眼看看了。” “跳进这深渊里吗？”迷惑捏着自己的长耳朵问。 “要不怎么能把它捞上来呢？”诡谲反问他。 “可，可是，”迷惑有点结巴了，“不是应该由你跳下去更好吗？ 是你想知道那是什么啊，我又不感兴趣。而且你有手，可以像那些人类还有小矮人一样抓东西，我只有驴蹄啊！” “说真的，迷惑，”诡谲故作失望，“我从来没想到你会说出这样的话来，真是错看你了。” “为什么，我说错了什么吗？”看到诡谲生气了，迷惑赶紧小心地辩解着，“其实，我的意思是……” “你想要我跳下水里去，”无尾猿接着说道，“好像你根本不知道似的，我们无尾猿的肺部很虚弱，禁不起一点风寒。好吧，我会去的。风可真凉啊，我已经感觉到冷了，但我还是决定跳进去。我有可能会死的，到时候你可别后悔。”听起来，诡谲的声调好像都要哭出来了。 “别，别，千万别，”迷惑这下急了，半是嚷着，半是驴叫， “我根本没那意思，真的，诡谲，你知道我很笨，笨到在同一时间内根本无法考虑两件事儿。我忘了你的肺很虚弱，所以还是我下去吧。你千万别再想着下水了，答应我，诡谲。” 诡谲自然应允，答应不下水了。于是迷惑便犹豫地徘徊在大锅深渊的石头边缘，来回走动着，试图找到一个可以下水的地方。先不说那彻骨的寒冷，光看那翻滚冒泡的水就知道这可不是闹着玩的。迷惑足足哆嗦了一分钟，诡谲忽然在背后喊道：“看来还是我自己跳进去的好！”迷惑一听，连忙道：“不，不，你答应过不下水的。我现在就跳。”说罢，他终于下定决心，一头栽了进去。 一大片泡沫冲到迷惑的脸上，他的嘴里灌满了水，眼前一片模糊， 接着他便下沉了。等他浮出水面时，他已经在深渊的另一端。漩涡粗鲁地包围住他，带着他直打转，然后冲到了那大瀑布的底下。一股强大冲击力打压着他，就在他快要憋不住气的时候，才再次冒出了水面。这回他终于靠近了那个东西，可是当他伸手去抓那东西时，那东西又漂走了，顺着水流被冲到了瀑布下方，压入了水底。待那东西再浮上来时，离迷惑更远了。虽然又累又冷，还浑身是伤，迷惑最终还是成功地用牙齿咬住了那个东西。他爬出深渊，将那东西放在眼前，用前蹄使劲托起来。这才发现那东西很大，很像那种铺在火炉前的地毯， 沉重、冰凉、湿滑。 迷惑来到诡谲的面前，将东西丢在了地上，他浑身都在滴水、战抖，差点喘不过气来。可诡谲压根没看迷惑，也不问迷惑的感觉如何。只见他围绕那东西打转。他把那东西摊开，不时地拍一拍，闻一闻。诡谲的眼睛里闪过一道邪恶的亮光，说道： “这是一张狮子皮。” “尹伊……奥……奥……啊，真的吗？”迷惑喘着粗气说道。 “现在，我想……想知道……很想知道。”诡谲自言自语着， 因为他正很努力地思索着一个问题。 “我想知道，可怜的狮子是被谁杀的，”迷惑立刻说了出来，“我们应该将他埋了，然后为他举行一个葬礼。” “哦，可他已经不会说话了，”诡谲并不认同，“你没必要自找麻烦。在这西部荒原，过了大瀑布就没有什么说人话的野兽了。这张毛皮啊，肯定是一头哑巴野狮子的。” 诡谲这句话倒是说对了。几个月前，一个猎户——一名男子， 的确在西部荒原的某个地方猎杀了这头狮子，并且剥下了他的皮。只不过这事和现在这个故事没什么关系。 “诡谲，这没什么区别，”迷惑解释道，“就算这张皮来自于一头不会说话的狮子，难道我们就不应该为他举办一个体面的葬礼吗？我是说，所有的狮子不都是……嗯，不都是让人生畏的吗？你知道这是谁的缘故，难道你不知道吗？” “迷惑，停止你那些愚蠢的想法，”诡谲不以为然，“因为你明白的，思考并不是你所擅长的。我们要用这张狮子皮给你缝制一件可以过冬的保暖外套。” “哦，可我并不喜欢啊，”迷惑连忙抗议，“穿上它我就会变得像……我的意思是说，其他野兽会觉得……嗯，也就是我会感到……” “你在说什么呀？”诡谲边说边在身上乱挠着，就像其他的无尾猿都会做的那样。 “我说，如果我这样的驴子竟然穿着狮子皮外套，那就是对伟大的狮王阿斯兰最大的不敬啊！”迷惑说道。 “得了，你就别在这儿和我争辩了，”诡谲不屑地说，“像你这样的驴子能知道什么？你要知道，既然你那么不擅长思考，为什么就不让我来替你思考呢？你为什么就不能像我对待你那样来对待我呢？我从不认为自己能做好一切的事，我明白你在有些事情上的确比我能干。所以才让你去深渊里嘛，因为我觉得你会比我干得好啊。如今遇到一件我能干而你却不行的事情，为什么就不由我去做呢？难道永远都不许我去做任何事情了吗？你要公平对待啊，大家轮流表现嘛！” “噢，好吧。那当然可以咯。”迷惑只能这么应和。 “要我说……”诡谲又提议，“你还是赶快顺着这 条小河到下游的奇宾福德去，看看还有没有橘子或香蕉吧！” “可是我已经这么累了，诡谲。”迷惑哀求着，并不想去。 “我知道，但是你现在又湿又冷，”无尾猿说，“你需要做些什么让你尽快暖和起来，跑步就刚刚好。况且今天还是奇宾福德赶集 的日子呢。”于是，迷惑理所当然地表示它愿意去了。 只剩下诡谲一个的时候，他慢慢悠悠地走了起来，时而双脚着地， 时而四肢着地，走到了他自己的那棵树下。接着，他吱吱叫着，伸长手臂从这根树枝荡到那根，一副很开心的模样。最后他终于走进了那间小木屋，找到针线和一把大剪刀。他很聪明，小矮人们曾经教过他如何缝制衣服。只见他将一团很粗的纱线塞进嘴巴里，堆满了两个腮帮子，就像喝了一大口咖啡。然后，他把针咬在上下嘴唇间，左手拿着剪刀飞快地爬下了树，蹒跚地走到那狮子皮旁边，准备干活。 诡谲很快发现，如果给一头驴子缝制外套的话，狮子皮的身体部分有点过长了，而脖子处又太短。因此，他就从身体部分剪下一大块，补到了脖子部位做成了领子，再将狮子皮脑袋的部分剪下来，补在脑袋和肩膀之间。最后他把整张狮子皮的两边都用线缝上，以此收紧驴子的腹部。这里总是有小鸟从他的头顶飞过，每当这时，他就会停下来担心地向上看，免得任何飞禽走兽看到他正在做的事情。幸好， 他看到的那些鸟儿没有一只会说人话，所以就算他们看了也没有太大的关系。 傍晚的时候，迷惑总算走回来了，他没有小跑，而是很有耐心地迈着沉重的步伐，一步一步走回来的，跟所有普通的驴子一模一样。 “没有橘子，也没有香蕉，真是累死我了！”他说完，立即躺倒在地。 “过来试试你最新的美丽的狮皮外套吧。”诡谲说着。 “哦，我不喜欢这个旧的狮子皮，”迷惑皱眉，“明天再穿吧， 我今天实在是累坏了。” “你真是太不近人情了，迷惑，”诡谲又生气了，“你累，难道我就不累吗？整整一天，你是下山去游玩了一番，到处散步溜达， 而我却在这边努力地为你缝制外套。我的手脚累得连剪刀都快拿不动了，可你不但不说声谢谢，甚至连看都不肯看一眼……你根本不在乎……你，你……” “对不起，亲爱的，”迷惑随即站了起来，内疚地说，“是我不好。我当然乐意试穿了，你缝制的这件外套看上去非常的华丽，现在就让我试试吧，我穿起来给你看看。” “好吧，那你就站着别动。”诡谲说道。狮子皮很重，诡谲几乎搬不动它。但他又是推又是拉的，最后总算气喘吁吁地把狮子皮套到了迷惑的身上。他先把狮子躯体上的毛皮与迷惑的身体绑到一起， 又把狮子的腿与迷惑的腿绑到一起，再把狮子的尾巴与迷惑的尾巴绑到一起。透过狮子皮大张的嘴巴，可以清楚地看见迷惑大部分的鼻子和脸孔。但凡只要见过真狮子的动物，就没有一个会上当。不过， 如果有谁从来没有见过真正的狮子，或者站得比较远，或者环境光线不足，并且迷惑既不驴叫也不用蹄子弄出声音，准会将他错认成狮子。 “你现在看上去真的很厉害，很厉害，”诡谲说道，“现在无论谁遇见你，肯定都会把你当成阿斯兰，那令人敬畏的狮王本人。” “那该多可怕啊！”迷惑叫道。 “不，怎么会呢，”诡谲说道，“你吩咐别人做什么，别人就会按你的意思去做！” “但是我并没有想吩咐别人去做什么。” “那你就好好想想吧，”诡谲说，“要知道，有我在你身边帮你出主意呢。我会替你想出各种英明的命令，由你去发布。接下来他们就会听从我们的安排，连国王本人也是。这样的话，我们就可以在纳尼亚把一切整理得井然有序了。 “可是，如今的纳尼亚一切不都好好的吗？”迷惑不解。 “这是什么话！”诡谲不高兴地嚷道，“一切都好好的吗？—— 现在可是橘子和香蕉都没有呢！” “哦，你知道的，”迷惑好心地劝解着，“没有多少人……事实上， 我觉得除了你之外没有什么人……要吃这种东西的。” “可是也没有糖呀。”诡谲说。 “嗯，那是的，”迷惑说，“假如再多一些糖，那就好了。” “好吧，那就这么说定了。”诡谲一笑，“你要记得假扮成狮王阿斯兰，我会告诉你该说什么的。” “不，不，不，”迷惑还是有点害怕，“别再提那可怕的事儿了。会出事的，诡谲。我或许有些笨，但是这种事，我还是知道其中的利害的。假如我们遇到真正的阿斯兰，你想想我们会有什么下场？” “我觉得阿斯兰一定会很开心的，”诡谲说，“很有可能就是他故意把狮子皮托付给我们，这样我们就可以好好地安排事情了。无论如何，你记得一点，阿斯兰是从来不会出现的。在当今这个世界上， 他是不会再出现了。” 就在这时，天空中响起一声巨大的晴天霹雳，连脚下的土地都战抖着，似乎还爆发了小地震。他们两个都没站稳脚，失去了平衡， 脸部朝下摔倒在地。 “啊！”迷惑慢慢缓过来，喘着气说道，“这就是上天的征兆， 他在警告我们，让我们知道自己做的事情是有多么的可怕。赶紧把这令人讨厌的毛皮从我身上脱掉吧！” “不，不要脱，”诡谲的脑筋一转，说道，“恰恰相反，这是吉祥之兆。我刚正准备说，如果阿斯兰想要我们这么干，就会送我们一个霹雳和一个地震。只是我的话还未出口，这个预兆便出现了。迷惑啊，你听好，现在你只能这么干了。不要再和我争辩了，你自己心里清楚，这些事情你根本就不懂。你只是一头驴子，怎么会懂得什么是征兆呢？” 第二章 国王的鲁莽 三个星期后的一天，纳尼亚王国的最后一位国王，在狩猎小屋门旁的一棵大橡树底下坐着。在春天这大好时节，他时常会到这里住上个十天半月。这个茅草屋顶的低矮小屋距离灯柱野林的东端不远， 处于两条河流交汇点偏上游的地方。国王喜欢这样的生活，远离凯尔帕拉维尔宫殿的奢华和繁重的政务，只有乡野的简单朴素和逍遥自在。他便是国王蒂里安，二十出头的年纪，肩膀宽阔而强壮，肌肉坚实发达，只不过胡子有点稀稀拉拉。在他那张无所畏惧的诚实的脸上， 长着一双漂亮的蓝色眼睛。 那个春天的一个早晨，国王身边没有侍从，只有他最亲密的朋友： 名叫珍宝的独角兽。他们相亲相爱，患难与共如同兄弟，曾在战争中互相救过对方的性命。现在这只神兽就站在国王的御座旁，脖子弯着， 用奶白色的颈部擦亮它蓝色的角。 “珍宝啊，我今天根本无法专心干任何事情，或者搞什么体育活动了，”国王叹息道，“我什么也不敢想，只能想着这个劲爆的消息， 你觉得我们今天还会听到更多吗？” “陛下，如果这些都是真的，”珍宝说道，“那么就是我们这一代中，和我们上一辈，甚至是我们上上一辈中所听到的最最劲爆的消息了。” “这些消息不可能是假的啊！”国王说，“在一个多星期之前， 第一批经过我们这里的鸟儿就说——阿斯兰来了，阿斯兰重新回到纳尼亚了。接着是松鼠，它们没见过阿斯兰，但却肯定阿斯兰在树林里。然后是鹿，它可亲眼看见了，虽然离得很远，月光下，阿斯兰就在灯柱野林里。之后，是从卡乐门而来的商人，长着胡子的黑皮肤男人。卡乐门人不像我们对阿斯兰那么关心，但他也把阿斯兰来了说成是铁的事实。就连昨晚，獾来了，它也嚷着见过阿斯兰。” “事实上，陛下，”珍宝说道，“我相信所有这些消息，如果我表现出难以置信的样子，也只是因为内心的欢喜之情太甚。真的是太好了，好得没法儿相信那是真的！” “是啊，”国王说着，也高兴地长舒了一口气，身子几乎在战抖， “这大大超过我生平的各种期望了！” “你听！”珍宝突然打断了国王的话，将脑袋侧向一边，耳朵也随即竖了起来。 “什么声音？”国王问。 “是马蹄声，陛下，”珍宝回答，“一匹奔驰的马，而且还很重。看来一定是人马了。瞧，这不就来了吗！” 果然，一个长着金色胡须的高大人马，前额还流着人类特有的汗珠，栗色的两肋上淌着马的汗水，他直奔到国王面前停下，低头鞠躬。“国王万岁。”他用公牛般深沉的嗓音呼喊着。 “嗬，来人啊，”国王说着，眼睛却越过他的肩膀向狩猎小屋的门看去，“给这位尊贵的客人端一碗酒来。欢迎啊，龙威特，待你喘口气再和我们说说你带来的消息吧。” 一个侍从立即从狩猎小屋里走出来，手中拿着一只有着新奇雕刻的大木碗，平稳地递给了人马。人马接过碗后说道：“陛下，先为阿斯兰和真理干杯，然后再为国王你干杯。” 他一口气把一碗足够六个壮汉喝的酒全部灌了下去，然后把木碗还给了侍从。 “请讲，龙威特，”国王问，“你可有带来更多关于阿斯兰的消息？” 龙威特神情肃穆，眉头微皱着。 “陛下，”他说，“你是知道我的年纪的，也清楚我研究星相多少年了；我们人马比你们人类甚至比独角兽类都要长寿。今年以来的日子我夜夜都见到星空中种种可怕的星象，这可是从未有过的事情。从星象上看不仅看不出阿斯兰光临，甚至没有任何和平欢乐的迹象。相反从我的占星术我看到了五百年来从未见过的巨大灾难—— ‘行星会合’。我立刻领悟，必须赶来向陛下汇报：有某种严重的灾难会笼罩着纳尼亚。昨晚我还听到谣言，说是阿斯兰来了。陛下， 千万不要相信这种鬼话，这根本不可能。星象不会撒谎，人和野兽却有可能撒谎。如果阿斯兰真的光临纳尼亚，天上的星象一定会有预兆。如果阿斯兰真的光临纳尼亚，天上的星星都会向此地聚拢，向伟大的狮王致敬。所以，这根本就是个彻头彻尾的谎言。” “谎言！”国王失控地大叫，“在这么重大的事情上，在纳尼亚， 甚至这世界上有什么人竟敢撒谎？”他不禁把手按在了剑柄上。 “我不知道，国王，”人马回应道，“我知道这世上骗子可不少， 天上却没有一颗会撒谎的星星。” “我在想啊，”珍宝突然插嘴，“阿斯兰是不是真的来了，星象也许不一定显示。狮王不是众星的奴隶，而是众星的创造者。所有古老的传说不都说，他是桀骜不驯的狮王吗？” “说得对，说得对，珍宝，”国王忍不住惊呼，“就是这句话： 他是桀骜不驯的狮王。很多故事里都那么说。” 龙威特刚要抬头向前伸过去和国王认真地说话时，他们三个都因为一个愈来愈近的号哭声而纷纷转过头去倾听。由于西边的树林很稠密，他们还看不见来者是谁。但很快他们就听清楚了哭号的内容。 “灾难，灾难，灾难！”这个声音号啕着，“大难临头，灾难就要降临，可怜我的兄弟姐妹，可怜的神圣的树木！森林就要被破坏了。那些可怕的斧头，就要砍到我们身上来了。大树都倒了，倒了，倒了！” 随着最后一个“倒下”的尾音，说话者出现在了大家的视线里。她看起来是一个很高大的女人，个头和人马差不多，同时她也很像一棵树。如果你从未见过树精，恐怕很难想象。否则只要看到她的肤色和头发的样子、听到她的声音，就能像国王蒂里安和那两头野兽一样立刻认出她是山毛榉树精。 “请为我们作主啊，国王陛下！”她哭喊道，“请救救我们保护你的臣民吧。他们在灯柱野林砍伐我们，我的四十位兄弟姐妹的巨大躯体已经倒在地上了。” “什么，夫人！难道有人竟敢砍伐灯柱野林，谋杀会说话的树精？”国王大叫着，跳起身拔出佩剑，“谁竟然如此胆大妄为？凭阿斯兰的鬃毛……” “啊……啊……啊……呵！”树精叫喊道，她浑身战抖，看来痛苦万分。她剧烈地发抖，似乎受到猛烈的攻击。片刻后，她便倾斜着倒了下去，好像她的双脚被什么人砍掉了。国王就这样眼睁睁地看着她躺倒在草地上死去，一会儿就完全消失了。他们完全知道发生了什么。几英里之外她灵魂所附的躯体，那棵可怜的树木被砍倒了。 国王悲愤交集，半晌都没说话。很久他才开口： “来吧，朋友们。我们必须迅速地赶到河流上游找到那些恶棍。我决不会放过他们，他们谁也休想活着回去。” “陛下，衷心祝您成功。”珍宝说。 然而龙威特却说，“陛下，我知道您是出于震愤，可是千万小心！ 奇怪的事情不断发生。在山谷里说不定埋伏着武装的叛徒，就凭我们三个恐怕无法迎战。如果你愿意等待，不如……” “我连十分之一秒也不愿等，”国王打断了他，“那么我和珍宝先去，而你拿着我的戒指尽快赶去凯尔帕拉维尔，调遣二十个全副武装善于骑射的武士，二十只会说人话的狗，十个小矮人（只要百发百中的弓箭手），一两只豹子和一些石足巨人尽快前来支援。” “陛下，祝您成功。”龙威特回复道，随后立刻转身朝东跑下山谷去了。 国王大步向前，不时喃喃自语，双拳紧攥。珍宝在他的身边默默前行，寂静中只有独角兽脖子上挂的金链条碰撞发出的微弱声响、国王踏步声和独角兽落步的噔噔声。 不久他们就到了河流边，一路芳草萋萋，左边河水奔腾，右边密林丛丛。之后他们走到一处崎岖之地，道路在这里被河水阻断，树林从这里开始绵延至河水之滨，他们不得不涉水过去才能抵达南岸。河水足足漫到了蒂里安胳肢窝处，与蒂里安比起来珍宝的四条腿显然站得稳当多了。它站在国王的右边替他承担了大部分的激流，蒂里安用他有力的胳膊紧紧搂住独角兽强壮的脖子，总算安全过河。沉浸在愤怒中的国王甚至没有注意到河水有多冷。上岸后他理所当然分外仔细地用身上唯一没有浸湿的部位——外套的肩部擦干了他的剑。 接着他们沿着河流的左岸继续西行，灯柱野林已经出现了正前方了。经过不到一英里的路程，两人突然同时站定并同时开口。国王说：“这是什么东西？”而珍宝则说:“瞧！” “原来是个木排！”国王蒂里安说道。 还真是个木排，用六根新砍伐的漂亮树干做成，枝丫全被砍掉了。一只河鼠手中拿着竹蒿驾驭着木排，逐流而下。 “嗨！河鼠！你这是要去哪？”国王大声问道。 “去把木头卖给下游的卡乐门人，陛下，”河鼠答道，一边举手到耳朵上向国王致敬，如果戴着帽子他的双手会贴着帽檐以示敬意。 “卡乐门人！”蒂里安勃然大怒，“什么？到底是谁作主砍倒了这些树木？” 一年中的这个时节河水奔流得很快，木排迅速从国王和珍宝的身边滑过。船夫不得不转过头来喊道：“奉狮王之令，陛下。是阿斯兰亲口下令。”他还补充了几句，不过国王他们一个字也没听见。 此时，国王和独角兽你看着我，我看着你，脸色比参加战役时还要惶恐。 “阿斯兰，”最终，国王沉下嗓音说道，“阿斯兰，这是真的吗？ 阿斯兰会砍伐那些神圣的树木，谋杀那些树精？” “除非那些树精犯下了可怕的罪行……”珍宝喃喃道。 “还有，竟然把树木卖给卡乐门人！”国王叫道，“这可能吗？” “我也不知道，”珍宝悲伤地应道，“他可是只桀骜不驯的狮子。” “好吧，”国王叹息道，“让我们继续前进吧，不管前面有什么风险。” “现在只能这么做了，陛下。”独角兽说道。这时他没有看出他俩单独前往是有多么愚蠢，同样国王也没有意识到。愤怒已经冲昏了他们的头脑，完全看不到他们的鲁莽会给他们招致多少可怕的灾难。 国王紧紧地靠着好友的脖子，低下了头。 “珍宝，”他说，“前面等着我们的会是什么呢？在我心里尽是可怕的思绪。如果我们早就死了反倒幸福了。” “是啊，”珍宝回应，“我们活得实在太久了，世上最糟糕的事已经降临。”他们这样静默地站立了一两分钟，才继续前行。 不久，他们听到了斧头乱砍木材时的那种乒乒乓乓的声响，只是前面的土坡遮住了他们的视线，因此什么也没看见。直到他们爬到最高处，灯柱野林的一切尽收眼底，把国王气得脸都绿了。 在这古老森林里曾经生长过的金树和银树，从我们的世界过去的一个孩子在这里种植过的“守卫树”全都倒下了。如今只剩一条宽敞的大道贯穿其中，就像是在大地裂出的一条豁口，实在令人憎恨。有一大群人正在干活，他们手里的马鞭啪啪作响，马儿们正费劲地拖动着木头。 国王和独角兽首先注意到干活的多数是人，而不是会说话的动物，而且这些人还都不是白皮肤金发的纳尼亚人，而是黑皮肤大胡子的卡乐门大汉。卡乐门地处阿钦兰后方，大沙漠南边，是个凶狠的国家。虽然说在纳尼亚不碰到几个卡乐门人是不可能的。例如商人或大使，这都很正常，毕竟这段日子里两国是和平共处的。但蒂里安实在搞不懂为何会有那么多的卡乐门人居然正在砍伐他的森林。他卷起袖子，右手紧握宝剑，迅速走到人群间。 国王走到两个卡乐门人面前，他们正在鞭打一匹拉木头的马儿， 那根木头陷入了泥坑，怎么也拔不出来。 “快走，懒家伙！快啊，真是头懒猪！”卡乐门人一边高呼， 一边噼里啪啦地挥舞皮鞭。那马拼了命地干活，两眼发红，全身都是汗水。 “干活呀，懒惰的畜生！”其中一个卡乐门人喊着，还用马鞭残忍地鞭打马儿。而这时，发生了一件真正可怕的事情。 在此之前，国王蒂里安想当然地认为，这些马儿跟咱们世界的马儿一样，是卡乐门人自己的那种不会说话并且毫无头脑的畜生。虽说他也不愿看到一匹不会说话的马儿受到如此虐待，但他此刻更关注的还是被砍伐的这些神圣的树木。他压根没想到居然有人如此胆大包天，竟敢迫使享有自由和权利的纳尼亚马干这种活儿，而且还拿着皮鞭抽打他们。然而当那残忍的皮鞭落下时，这匹马当即用后腿站起来叫喊道：“蠢猪！暴君！你没看见我正全力以赴拉它吗？” 当国王蒂里安一想到这竟然是他的纳尼亚马，怒火呼的一下就窜上了他的心头，想都没有多想就冲了过去，独角兽也不例外。国王把剑高高举起，独角兽用角猛刺下去。一瞬就有两个卡乐门人倒地死了，一个是被国王蒂里安砍掉了脑袋，另一个则被独角兽狠狠地刺穿了心。 ( 重要提示：如果书友们打不开t x t 8 0. c o m 老域名，可以通过访问t x t 8 0. c c 备用域名访问本站。 ) 第三章 烜赫一时的无尾猿 “马师傅，马师傅，”蒂里安飞快地割断了马身上的挽缰问道， “这些外来人怎敢奴役你呢？纳尼亚什么时候被征服了？这里打过仗吗？” “不，陛下，”马儿喘息着说，“阿斯兰在这儿，这都是他的命令， 他曾经吩咐……” “我们有危险，陛下。”珍宝突然提醒。蒂里安抬头一看，看到卡乐门人（其中还有几头会说话的野兽）正从四面八方围过来。那两个人一声不响地死了，刚才其他人还都没反应过来。而现在他们已经明白了，蒂里安看到大部分人手里还拿着已经出鞘的弯刀。 “快，到我背上来。”珍宝叫道。 国王毫不迟疑地立刻跨坐上去，同时独角兽转身飞奔离开。一路上它变换了好几次方向，在渡过一条小溪之后他们总算脱离了敌人的视线。可是独角兽的脚步并未松懈，他一边奔跑一边大喊着：“咱们去哪儿，陛下？要回凯尔帕拉维尔吗？” “停步，朋友，”蒂里安回答道，“让我下来。”他从独角兽的背上滑下，看着独角兽。 “珍宝啊，”国王还心有余悸，“我们刚才做了一件很可怕的事。” “嗯，我们都被愤怒冲昏了头。”珍宝回应。 “不过在他们毫无准备的时候，我们甚至没有向他们提出挑战， 就不由自主地扑了上去——呸！我们跟杀人犯有什么区别，珍宝，我真是把脸都丢尽了。” 珍宝垂下头，也觉得十分羞愧。 “还有，”国王继续说，“那马儿说这都是阿斯兰的命令，老鼠也是。虽然他们都说阿斯兰在这里，可是我在怀疑这消息到底是真是假？” “不过，陛下，您认为阿斯兰真的会下令做这样残忍恐怖的事么？” “可他是桀骜不驯的，”蒂里安说道，“我们又如何知晓阿斯兰的想法呢？如今咱们可都成了杀人犯。珍宝，我要回去交出我的宝剑，把自己也一并交给那些卡乐门人，恳求他们把我带到阿斯兰面前， 让他公平地审判我吧。” “那样你一定会死的。”珍宝说。 “你认为我会介意阿斯兰是否判我死刑吗？”国王说道，“那没什么，根本不算什么。咱们一心盼着阿斯兰来，可他现在真的来了， 却又完全不像是我们信仰期盼的那个阿斯兰，与其在这里怀疑、担心、受怕，还不如死了算了。这就像是人们盼着太阳升起，却得到了一个黑色的太阳。” “我知道，”珍宝接着说，“就像你去喝水，而水却是干的。您说得对，陛下。现在是世界末日了，让我们一起回去自首吧。” “不需要咱们两个同去。” “既然我们是朋友，有福同享有难同当，就让我和你一起去吧，” 独角兽说，“假如阿斯兰不再是原来的阿斯兰，你要是真的死了，剩下我一个又有什么意思呢？” 他们泛着苦涩的泪水，一起转身走了回去。 当他们一回到那里，卡乐门人便抄起武器，大声呐喊着冲他们跑来。国王却伸出剑柄对着他们，说道：“我曾经是纳尼亚的国王， 现在却是个可耻的罪犯，我愿意向阿斯兰狮王自首。请带我去面见他吧。” “我也是来自首的。”珍宝跟着说道。 那些黑皮肤的人聚拢过来，把他们团团围住。周围散发着刺鼻的大蒜和洋葱味，白色的眼珠在他们那褐色的脸上闪烁着可怕的光芒。他们缴了国王的械，把他的双手绑在背后，还用绳子做的笼头牢牢套住了珍宝。有一个戴着头盔而不是头巾的卡乐门人，看起来是个小头目，还趁机抢走了蒂里安的头上的一只金箍，匆忙塞进自己衣服里。然后他们跟羁押其他犯人一样把这两个犯人带到山上的一块林中空地中央。眼前的景象让他们感到不可思议。 两个犯人看到在空地中央，也就是这座小山的制高点有一间茅草屋顶的类似于马厩的小屋。门关着，一头无尾猿正坐在前面的草地上。蒂里安和珍宝满心希望能见到阿斯兰，压根没想过会见到一只无尾猿。这时他们心中就更加诧异不解了。 无尾猿自然就是诡谲了，但是看上去，他现在要比住在大锅深渊旁边时还要丑上十倍，因为他学会“打扮”了。他穿着一件猩红色的夹克衫，看起来像是小矮人似的，所以他穿着并不合身。他的后爪上穿的是嵌满珠宝的拖鞋，也不合脚，明显穿不住，因为如你所知道的无尾猿的后爪就像人的手。在他头上还戴着一顶用纸做成的像王冠一样的帽子。在他身边堆着许多坚果，它正在“咔嚓咔嚓”吃着呢，果壳吐了一地。它还不时地拉起那夹克衫在自己身上搔着痒。一群会说话的动物面对无尾猿站着，看起来既焦虑又惶恐，显得悲惨万分。当它们看清楚两个犯人的面貌，更是忍不住开始呜咽了。 “诡谲阁下，阿斯兰的代言人，”那个小头目说道，“我们把犯人押来了。凭着我们的勇气和本事，在伟大的塔什大神的保佑下， 我们总算是把这两个亡命之徒给活捉了。” “把他的剑给我。”无尾猿命令道。他们立刻把国王的剑连同剑鞘一起交给了那猴子。无尾猿把它们都挂在自己的脖子上，显得更加愚蠢了。 “一会儿再处置他们，”无尾猿说着，朝两个犯人吐了一口果壳， “我还有要事要办，让他们先等着。现在大家都听我说，首先我要说说坚果的事儿，松鼠的首领来了么？” “我就是，大人，”一只红毛松鼠应道，上前一步惴惴不安地鞠了一躬。 “哦，是你，就是你呀？”无尾猿作出一副厌恶的表情说着，“现在听清楚，我要——我的意思是阿斯兰要——还要更多的坚果。你们送来的这些连塞牙缝都不够！你必须送更多的来，听见没？数量至少要翻倍。明天太阳落山之前必须送到！里面不能有一颗坏的或小的。” 其他的松鼠发出一阵惊慌的咕哝声，松鼠头儿鼓起勇气说道：“恳请您，让阿斯兰亲自来对我们说说这件事好吗？求您让我们见一见他……” “你们不行，”无尾猿说，“狮王仁慈，虽说你们根本不配， 但今晚它会出来个几分钟，到时你们都可以看上一眼。不过狮王可不想你们都挤在他周围，拿问题和它纠缠不清。你们想要向狮王禀告任何事情都由我传达，如果我觉得那事情重要的话我会帮你们通报的。现在你们这些松鼠们最好还是赶紧搜寻坚果去吧。最好保证在明天晚上送过来，不然的话有你们的苦头吃的。我可是说一是一，说二是二的！” 可怜的松鼠通通惊慌失措地跑开了，就像后面有狗儿在追赶他们似的。这个新的命令对他们来说是很可怕的。他们小心地藏起过冬的坚果，早就吃得差不多了，留下来的那一点也早就全部拿出来给无尾猿了，而这些都已经远超他们所能节省下来的了。 随后一个低沉的声音从另一边的人群中走来，这是只长着大獠牙满身毛的大野猪。 “为什么我们就不能光明正大地见阿斯兰，和他说话呢？”他说， “过去，阿斯兰经常在纳尼亚出现的时候，大家无论谁都可以堂堂正正地和他面对面交流。” “你们别信这话，”无尾猿辩解着，“就算这是真的，时代也早就发生变化了。阿斯兰说它以前待你们太好了，明白吗？它再也不会那样做了，这一回他要好好整顿你们。他会狠狠地教训你们，叫你们知道他的厉害。” 可以听见野兽之间发出了一阵低低的呜咽声，之后便是死一般的寂静，那真是太悲惨了。 “现在还有一件事是你们必须清楚，”无尾猿接着说，“我听说有人怀疑我是只无尾猿。听清楚了，我是人，不是什么无尾猿。当然可能我看上去有点像，那是因为我已经太老了，成百上千岁的年纪了，要不我怎么会这么聪明呢。要不怎么只有我能和阿斯兰说话呢。他可不想跟你们这些蠢笨的动物交流。他会把要你们做的事儿告诉我，由我来告诉你们。你们最好听我的忠告，加快速度办好那些事， 要知道狮王可是没法忍受那些没意义的胡话。” 四周仍旧是死一般的寂静，一只小獾在小声地哭泣，它的妈妈正在竭力安慰他。 “还有，”无尾猿把一颗新的坚果扔进嘴巴： “我还听见有些马说，赶紧把活干完，把这些木头全部运出去，就能重获自由了。喔！ 请你们立刻把这种愚蠢的想法从你们的脑袋瓜里赶快清除出去。不光是马儿，还有你们，所有能干活的都不能免除，必须去干活。阿斯兰和卡乐门的国王——蒂斯罗克早已达成了协议。蒂斯罗克，咱们的黑脸朋友们，卡乐门人都是这么称呼他们的国王的。所有的动物，马、公牛还有驴子，都要送去卡乐门，跟其他国家的牲畜一样，做些拖啊拉啊的活。而你们这些只会挖洞的家伙，鼹鼠、兔子还有小矮人， 都得到蒂斯罗克的矿山去，还有……” “不，不，不，”野兽们哀号，“这不可能是真的。阿斯兰决不会把我们卖给卡乐门国王做奴隶的。” “少来这套！不许吵闹！”无尾猿咆哮道，“谁说让你们去做奴隶？你们怎么会做奴隶呢。你们都会得到报酬，待遇还蛮不错呢。狮王说了，你们的报酬会纳入阿斯兰国库，用来给你们所有人谋取福利。”无尾猿看了看卡乐门人的头儿，眨了眨眼睛。那卡乐门人随即用卡乐门式的浮夸礼仪鞠躬回应： “阿斯兰狮王最贤明的代言人，对于这个明智公平的计划，蒂斯罗克同阁下是完全一致的。” “好了！看吧！”无尾猿说，“都安排好了，可都是为了你们着想。用你们挣来的钱好好改造纳尼亚，使它成为一个更值得爱护的国家。橘子和香蕉会大量涌入，还要建设公路、大城市、学校、办公楼，购入马鞭子、口勒、马鞍子、笼子、狗窝、笼子……啊，建设一切。” “但我们都不需要这些，”一头老熊说道，“我们只想要自由。请阿斯兰亲自来跟我们说。” “你们别争了，”无尾猿说，“简直受不了了。我可是人，而你，不过是一头又蠢又笨、满身肥肉的老熊。你知道什么是自由吗？ 你以为自由就是想干什么就干什么？那我可要告诉你，你完全错了， 那并不是真正的自由，真正的自由应该是我叫你干什么你就干什么。” “赫……恩……恩……赫，”老熊搔着脑袋，悻悻地咕哝着， 这个东西对他而言实在太难懂了。 “对不起，对不起，”一头浑身绒毛的小羊发出高而尖的声音， 它是那么年轻，以至于大家都惊讶于他敢如此大胆地说话。 “这回又是什么？”无尾猿不耐烦了，“快说。” “对不起，”小羊答道，“我不理解。我们跟卡乐门人有什么干系？ 我们属于阿斯兰。他们属于塔什。他们有个神，叫作塔什。据说他有四条胳膊和一个鹰头。他们在他的祭台上杀人。我都不敢相信竟然会有像塔什那样的人物。然而如果有的话，阿斯兰怎么会和他做朋友呢？” 所有的野兽歪着的脑袋都抬起来了，它们明亮的眼睛都炯炯地注视着无尾猿。它们知道这是个谁也没提过的最好的问题了。 无尾猿气得跳脚，冲小羊吐了一口唾沫。 “小娃娃！”无尾猿愤愤地骂道，“真是愚蠢的小羊羔！赶快滚回去你娘的那里喝奶去吧。你能懂些啥？不过其他的野兽你们听着。塔什不过是阿斯兰的另一个名字。那些陈旧的观念，说什么我们是正确而卡乐门人是错的，简直愚蠢之极。你们要明白，虽说卡乐门人用词跟我们不同，但是说的都是一个意思。塔什和阿斯兰只是听起来不同，指的是谁我想你们早都清楚。要不然他们怎么从来没有争吵呢。你们这些愚蠢的家伙必须得牢牢记住，塔什是阿斯兰，阿斯兰就是塔什。” 你们应该知道自己家的狗有时候脸色会有多悲伤。想想他的脸， 然后再想想这些会说话的野兽的脸就知道他们现在有多悲伤了。所有那些诚实温顺又失措的鸟、熊、獾、松鼠、麝鼠们的脸都要悲伤得多。每条尾巴都是低垂着，每根胡须都萎靡不振。只要你看到，一定会万分同情他们，甚至感到心痛。只有一头野兽看上去根本没有一点不快乐的样子。 那是一只姜黄色的雄猫——正值盛年。他坐在所有野兽的前面， 身体笔挺笔挺，尾巴绕在脚趾上。他紧盯着无尾猿和那个卡乐门的小头目，眼睛眨也不眨一下。 “打断一下，”雄猫十分客气地说道，“这个问题倒是吸引了我。我想知道这个从卡乐门而来的你朋友也这样认为吗？” “放心吧，”卡乐门头目回应，“英明的无尾猿……我的意思是这位英明的人说得很对。阿斯兰就是塔什，一点没错。” “那么说阿斯兰肯定超不过塔什了？”那猫意味深长地问。 “绝对超不过。”卡乐门头目保证，眼睛直直地盯着猫的脸。 “这样的回答你满意了吧，姜黄猫？”无尾猿笑道。 “哦，当然，”姜黄猫冷冰冰地回应道，“很感谢！我不过是想搞得清楚一些。我想我已经差不多明白了。” 到此为止，国王和珍宝连一个字也没说。他们正等着那无尾猿叫他们呢，而且他们也觉得插话是没用的。不过现在，蒂里安环顾着纳尼亚走兽凄惨兮兮的脸，认为他们都已经相信这一点——阿斯兰和塔什是一体的。他终于受不了了。 “无尾猿，”国王大喊，“你这个卑鄙的家伙，你一定在撒谎， 你跟卡乐门人一样，像只无尾猿一样撒谎。” 他本来还想继续质问那搜刮民脂民膏的可怕塔什神和那个用自己的生命拯救纳尼亚的善良的狮王，怎么可能是同一个神？如果他能把这个话说出来，无尾猿的统治当天就要完结，因为大家会看到真相， 并将它推翻。可是，在他说这句话之前就有两个卡乐门人全力掌掴他， 还有一个从背后猛踢他双脚。在他倒下的一刻，无尾猿愤怒而恐惧尖叫道：“带下去，把他带下去。把他带到一个没人的地方，绑到树上。我会……我意思是阿斯兰会审判他。” 第四章 夜里发生了什么 国王晕头转向地倒在了地上，完全搞不清状况，直到卡乐门人绑住了他手腕，让他的两只手臂垂在两侧，紧紧把他绑在一颗岑树上。接着他们用绳索绑住他的脚踝、膝部、腰和胸膛，然后就把他扔在那里。此时最令他难受的是，被那些卡乐门人弄破唇边流淌出来的鲜血， 痒痒的又不能擦——越是小事，越让人难受。 从这里望去国王可以看见山顶上的小马厩还有那只无尾猿，也能断断续续听到无尾猿说话的声音和大众的答话声，不过他完全听不清其中的内容。 “不知道他们会把珍宝怎么样。”国王心想着。 没多久，野兽散往不同的方向。从蒂里安身边经过时，他们担心地看着他，既害怕又难过，但是谁也没敢说话。很快，它们都走了， 树林里恢复寂静。时间一点点过去，蒂里安觉得有些渴，后来觉得饿， 到了傍晚，他又很冷，脊背生疼。最后太阳终于落下，渐入黄昏。 天色快要完全暗下来时，突然响起一阵窸窸窣窣的脚步声，蒂里安看到一些小动物正在靠近。三只老鼠在左，两只鼹鼠在右，还有一只野兔在正中间。每个动物的背上都背着一只小布袋，让他们的样子看起来有点怪异。乍一看，还以为是什么怪物呢。过了一会儿， 它们用后腿支撑着站起来，冰凉的脚爪搭在国王的膝盖上，一边抽噎一边行亲吻礼。纳尼亚这些会说话的动物比我们这里的要高大得多， 所以他们才能够得着国王的膝盖。 “国王陛下！亲爱的国王陛下，”它们尖细着声音说道，“我们真为你难过。很抱歉，因为害怕阿斯兰生气，我们不敢给您松绑， 但是我们给您一点吃的。” 第一只老鼠随即踩着绳索敏捷地爬了上来，他踩住蒂里安胸部的绳子，抽了抽鼻子作为信号；接着第二只老鼠上来倒挂在它下面。其他的小兽则站在地上传递食物。 “喝吧，陛下，然后你就能吃下食物了。”最上面那只老鼠一边说一边递过来一只小木杯凑到蒂里安嘴边。杯子很小只有一只鸡蛋那么大，蒂里安还没尝出酒味就喝完了。不过老鼠很快把空杯传下去给第二只老鼠，斟满酒送了上来给蒂里安喝干。就这样蒂里安总算喝了个痛快。事实上一小杯一小杯饮用，比大碗喝起来反而更解渴呢。 “这是奶酪，陛下，”第一只老鼠说道，“东西不多，我们担心你会口渴。”之后，它们又给国王喂了些燕麦饼和鲜黄油还有些酒水。 “给我点水，”第一只老鼠说道，“让我给他洗洗脸，把血迹擦掉。” 接着蒂里安感觉到一小块海绵样的东西轻柔地擦拭他的脸，真是太清爽舒适了。 “小个子朋友们，”蒂里安很感激，“我该怎么谢谢你们呢？” “不用谢，不用谢，”小小的声音说道，“除此之外，我们也做不了什么。我们是您的子民，我们不认其他任何人。假如反对你的只是那只可恶的无尾猿和卡乐门人，我们一定会起来战斗，除非他们把我们剁成肉酱，才能把你这么绑起来。我们会，真的会。但是， 我们不能反抗阿斯兰啊。” “你们真的认为是阿斯兰吗？”国王问。 “啊，是啊，是啊，”兔子应道，“昨晚他从马厩出来了，我们都看见了。” “阿斯兰是什么样子？”国王继续问。 “看起来就是一只可怕的大狮子，是真的。”一只小老鼠说。 “你们真的相信是阿斯兰杀死那些树精，并且把大家变成卡乐门国的奴隶吗？” “啊，简直糟糕透顶，不是吗？”第二只老鼠接着说，“要是在这之前，我们都死了就好了。可是到目前为止，我没有发现疑点。每个人都说是阿斯兰的命令，我们也确实见过他。尽管我们的确不相信阿斯兰会喜欢。咳，我们……我们想他回到纳尼亚来。” “他似乎非常愤怒，”第一只老鼠说，“我们一定是犯了什么错事而不自知。因此他才来惩罚我们。不过我认为，阿斯兰至少应该告诉我们我们到底犯了什么错啊。” “我猜测也许我们现在干的事就是错的。”兔子说。 “就算错了，我也不在乎，”一只鼹鼠接着说道，“我还是要这么做的。” 其他小家伙提醒说：“别出声。”“要小心。”接着大家都说， “真抱歉，亲爱的国王，我们得走了，要是被人逮住就不好了。” “亲爱的小伙伴，赶快走吧，”蒂里安回答，“为了纳尼亚， 我不愿连累你们当中的任何一个。” “晚安，晚安，”小兽们在国王的膝上恋恋不舍地摩擦鼻子，“我们会回来的……如果可以的话。”接着它们都悄悄地走了，跟它们来之前相比，树林显得愈发黑暗、愈发凄冷、愈发寂寞。 繁星升空，时间一点一点过去……想象一下这该多么难熬…… 纳尼亚王国的最后一位国王被绑在树上，四肢僵硬，全身酸痛。然而又有一件事发生了。 一片红光出现在远方，它逐渐消散了一会儿突然又亮起来，变得更大更强烈。凑着火光，他看见有黑影来回走动，背着一捆一捆的东西扔在地上。好半天他才明白过来，那是个新燃起的篝火，有人正往里面添柴呢。 不久，篝火完全燃起，看得出它就在那个山顶上。从火光中， 蒂里安还清楚地看到后面的马厩和一大群动物还有人。篝火旁有个隆起的小物体，估计就是那只无尾猿。它正在和大家说着什么，不过国王一点也没听清。他只看到无尾猿走到马厩门前，深深地鞠了三个躬。才起身打开马厩的大门。接着一头四条腿走路不很灵活的动物从里面走了出来，面对着众人。 一大片哀鸣和号啕的声音瞬间响起，响彻云霄，连蒂里安都听出了一些内容。 “阿斯兰！阿斯兰！阿斯兰！”动物们大喊，“对我们说点什么， 安慰一下我们，别再生我们的气了。” 从蒂里安的位置望去，他没法看清那是个什么东西，只知道是个黄黄的、长满毛发的动物。他从没见过伟大的狮王，甚至连一头普通的狮子都没见过。他不敢肯定自己看到的是不是真的阿斯兰。而且他从没想过阿斯兰竟然是只干站着不说话、呆板生硬的野兽。然而， 怎样才能确定呢？不一会儿，一个可怕的想法爬上了他的心头：他想起了塔什和阿斯兰是同一个神的蠢话，随即觉得这整件事情一定是个骗局。 无尾猿把他的头凑近那只动物的头，仿佛聆听它的低声细语。接着它转身面向大家说了些什么，引起满地哀号。随后这黄色的动物笨拙地转身，迈开步伐，步履蹒跚地走进了马厩。无尾猿迅速把门合拢。这之后，光芒完全消失了，显然篝火已经被扑灭了，蒂里安再次陷入了寒冷和黑暗中。 他想起了远古时期在纳尼亚生活过而已经逝世的其他国王，在他看来，他们当中没有一个像他这么倒霉。他想到他曾祖父的曾祖父瑞利安——在他年轻的时候，曾经被一个女巫带走，在北方巨人的土地下的黑洞里关押了很多年。最后还是得到了两个来自外面世界的孩子的帮助，逢凶化吉回到了纳尼亚，延续了长期繁荣昌盛的统治。“他跟我的情况可完全不同啊！”蒂里安对自己说道。 然后他继续追溯瑞利安的父亲——航海家凯斯宾，也曾经被邪恶的叔父弥若兹谋害，而不得不逃进大森林中跟小矮人们一起生活。他也有一个完美的结局——凯斯宾得到了来自外来世界的四个孩子的帮助，打了个大胜仗，帮助他成功加冕继承了父亲的王位。“但这都是很久以前的事了，”蒂里安自言自语道，“这样的事再也不会发生了。”他小时候历史学得很好。 甚至他还想起（他孩提时代就已经很熟悉的故事）帮助过凯斯宾的那四个小孩，在一千多年以前曾经到过纳尼亚，那时他们一起打败了邪恶的白女巫，结束了笼罩纳尼亚几百年的冬季。此后他们一起在凯尔帕拉维尔统治多年，直到他们长大成为尊贵的国王们和美丽可爱的女王们，那些岁月是纳尼亚的黄金时代。阿斯兰这个名字在故事里出现过很多次。蒂里安还想起了，阿斯兰在所有别的故事里都出现过。“阿斯兰和外来世界的孩子们，”蒂里安心想，“在事情恶化到极致的时候，他们总能出现。啊，如果他们现在就出现该多好。” 于是他大喊，“阿斯兰！阿斯兰！阿斯兰！现在就来帮我们吧！” 然而黑暗、凄冷、寂寞依旧。 “杀死我吧，”国王哭喊，“我不为自己，只恳求您，快来拯救纳尼亚。” 可惜无论是黑夜还是树林，没有发生任何变化。在蒂里安的内心， 倒是有了莫名的转变，不知道为什么，他感到内心充满了力量，心中升起一种隐约的希望。“啊，阿斯兰，阿斯兰，”他低声自语，“假如你不愿亲自来，就请从外面世界派些助手来吧。啊，我真想呼唤他们，请把我的声音传到外面世界去。”接着，他忽然大声叫喊起来， 尽管他自己也不知道为什么：“孩子们！孩子们！纳尼亚的朋友们！ 快，到我这里来。我在远方呼唤你们，我是蒂里安，纳尼亚的国王， 凯尔帕拉维尔的君主，也是这孤岛的帝王！” 紧接着，他便进入了一个梦境，但不像是梦境，因为这个梦比他生平做过的任何一个都要鲜明生动。 他正站在一个灯火通明的房间内，七个人围坐在一张桌子旁， 看起来他们似乎刚吃完饭。这些人当中，其中一个是白胡子老汉、一个老妇，两人的眼睛闪闪发亮，充满欢喜。老汉右边坐着一个年轻人， 他肯定比蒂里安本人还要年轻，不过从他脸上已经看得出国王和战士的坚毅神情了。老妇右边的那个少年，看起来跟他差不多。还有一个金发姑娘，看起来比两个少年还要年轻些，正在桌子那边面向蒂里安坐着。她身边的一男一女，比她还要小些，所有的人都穿着万分奇特的衣服。 但他根本没时间去想这些，因为最年轻的那个男孩和两个女孩子已经从座位上跳起来了，有一个还发出了轻微的叫声。老妇人倒抽一口气，显然也吃了一惊。老汉也不例外，因为他右手边的酒杯摔下桌面，发出啪啦脆裂的声音。 蒂里安这才意识到这些人能看到他，此时他们正像见了鬼一样的，瞪着他看哪。同时他也注意到了老汉身旁的那个国王模样的人， 他一动不动（尽管他的脸色发白），两手攥得紧紧的。接着他说道：“请讲，如果您不是一个幻影，但是我们看得出来你有纳尼亚人的神态， 我们七个是纳尼亚王国的朋友。” 蒂里安急切地想要大喊说，他就是纳尼亚国王蒂里安，急需帮助。但他却发现，他压根说不出来话，就像我们做梦时常发生的那样。 和他说话的那人起身，“不管你是影子还是鬼魂，不管你是谁，” 他盯着蒂里安，“如果你属于纳尼亚，我就将以阿斯兰的名义下令， 有什么就告诉我吧，我就是至尊王彼得。” 突然，蒂里安眼前的房间开始摇晃。他听到七个人在说些什么， 音量逐渐减弱，他们似乎在说“看，他在褪色。”“融化了。”“他消失了。”没过多久，他便从梦里彻底醒来。发现自己仍然被绑在树上，而且感觉更加寒冷、僵硬了。晨曦中，苍白灰暗的光芒布满树林， 他已经被露水浸透，又是一天早晨。 此刻梦醒时分，算得上是他这一生中最糟糕的时刻了。 第五章 拯救国王 国王的苦难并没有延续多久。几乎在他醒来的同时只听“砰” 的一声，又一声，两个孩子突然出现在国王眼前。要知道就在前一秒钟，国王面前还空空如也，而且他们也不可能是从背后跑出来的， 那样他肯定会听见脚步声。看起来，他们就像是从某个地方变出来一样。国王一眼看出，他们正穿着他梦里见到的那种稀奇古怪的服装。再看过去，他发现，他们就是那餐桌上七人中最年轻的男孩和女孩。 “天啊！”男孩喊道，“差点没喘过气来！我还以为……” “快给他松绑，”女孩说道，“咱们稍后再谈。”接着她转向蒂里安， 补充道，“很抱歉，我们来晚了。我们已经尽可能早出发。” 她说这些的时候，男孩已经迅速从兜里掏出一把刀，割断绳索。国王早已浑身麻木，绳索刚断他就立刻倒了下来，像动物一样双手和双膝撑地才勉强稳住。他用力地把双腿好好摩擦了一阵，才恢复力气， 站了起来。 “我说，”女孩问道，“那天晚上，就在我们吃饭的时候，突然出现的是不是你？就是一个礼拜以前。” “一个礼拜以前？漂亮姑娘？”蒂里安有点疑惑，“从我做梦去到你们的世界里，到现在还没有十分钟。” “波尔，关于时间的问题恐怕谁也算不清楚。”男孩说。 “我想起来了，”蒂里安说道，“古老传说中有相关的记载。你们世界的时间跟我们是完全不同的。不过说到时间，咱们现在也该走了，敌人就在附近。你们愿意和我一起吗？” “当然，”女孩接道，“我们就是来帮你的啊。” 蒂里安迈开大步，领着他们迅速下山。他一路向南，离马厩越来越远。他很清楚自己的目的地，但是首先他要先回到石子路上，隐藏足迹；其次他想要涉水前行，隐匿气味。这个过程花了他们大约一个小时的时间，一路上，大家都没有说话。蒂里安则不停地偷瞄自己的同伴，和外面世界的人并肩而行的感觉如此奇妙，把他弄得晕乎乎的。同时他明白，这一切令古老的传说变得如此真实……一切皆有可能。 “现在，”蒂里安说，“我们已经走远了，可以放松一些了。” 这时，他们正站在一个山谷的入口处，大片的白桦树顺着山势迤逦而下。太阳早已升起，树叶上的露珠闪闪发亮，鸟儿们在枝头啁啾鸣唱。 “咱们吃点小吃吧？——我的意思是，陛下，您要不要吃点东西， 我们都是已经吃过早饭的。”男孩说。 蒂里安不太明白他说的那个“吃点小吃”是什么意思。但是当男孩打开手提包，取出一些油腻软绵的东西时，他突然反应过来自己已经饿过头了。这里有鸡蛋三明治、奶酪三明治还有果酱三明治， 每种两份。要不是太饿了，他是绝不会吃果酱三明治的，毕竟纳尼亚人从来不吃果酱。当他把三明治都吃完的时候，他们恰好走到谷底。在这里他们发现了一个满是苔藓的山崖，泉水从崖口汩汩地流淌。三个人停下来补充了些泉水，顺便洗了把脸清爽了一番。 “好了，”女孩把额头的湿发向后甩开说道，“现在你得要对我们坦白了。你是什么人，为什么被绑在树上，这到底是怎么回事？” “我很愿意向你们坦诚，小姐，”蒂里安说，“不过现在我们必须赶路。”接下来，他们一边走一边谈，说清楚了他的身份和所有遭遇。“现在，”最后他说，“我要去找一个堡垒，在我祖先统治的时代，曾经在灯柱野林修筑了三个堡垒，以便抵御那里的亡命之徒。阿斯兰保佑，我的钥匙没被他们抢走。在那里我们能找到武器和盔甲还有食物，虽然那里恐怕只有又干又硬的饼干。但是那里很安全，我们甚至可以躺着制定计划。而现在，请二位告诉我——你们是什么人， 你们都有哪些经历？” “我叫尤斯塔斯?斯克罗布，这位是姬尔?波尔，”男孩说，“我们很久前来过这里，按我们的时间算是一年前，当时这里有个朋友叫瑞利安王子，他被囚禁在地下，多亏沼泽怪把脚伸向……” “哈！”蒂里安叫起来，“原来你们就是把瑞利安王子从长期魔法控制中解救出来的那两人，你就是那位尤斯塔斯，你就是那位姬尔？” “噢，对，我们”姬尔说，“他是国王瑞利安，对吗？哦，他会做国王的。我差点忘了……” “不，”蒂里安说，“我是他的第七代后裔，他已经去世了快两百多年了。” 姬尔扮了个鬼脸。“额！”她说，“回到纳尼亚，就这种事最令人难受。”尤斯塔斯继续说道：“陛下，我想你知道我们是什么人了，”他说，“是这样的，教授和波莉姨妈帮我们请来了所有纳尼亚的朋友……” “我不知道他们，尤斯塔斯。”蒂里安回道。 “他们是第一批进入纳尼亚的两个人，那个时候所有的动物才开始学说话。” “天哪，”蒂里安大喊道，“原来是他们俩！迪格雷勋爵和波莉夫人！开创世纪的伟人！居然还活在你们的世界里？简直太神奇， 太荣耀了！快给我讲讲，讲讲。” “要知道，她不是我们真正的姨妈，”尤斯塔斯说道，“她是普卢默小姐，只不过大家都这么叫她——波莉姨妈。是他们两位把我们邀请到聚会上去的，一半是为了寻开心，让大家痛快地聊聊纳尼亚王国。像这样的事，是没有办法跟别人聊的；一半也是因为教授预感到也许这里会需要我们。接着你就出现了，吓了我们一跳，然后又不声不响突然消失了，就好像鬼魂，或者天知道是什么玩意。反正这一来，我们就知道这里肯定出了什么事。 “下面要解决的就是怎么到这里来，这可从来不由得我们想来就来。于是我们坐下来商量又商量，最后，教授提议运用魔戒的力量。很久之前，我们还没有出生的时候，他们还都是年轻人，教授和波莉姨妈就曾经凭借魔戒的力量来过这里。不过那些魔戒早就被埋在伦敦（我们的一个大城市，陛下）一所住宅的后花园中，而且那所住宅早就被卖掉了。所以，首先我们必须先设法找到魔戒。 “你准猜不着我们是怎么把它弄到手的。彼得……就是至尊王和跟你说话的那个爱德蒙……，大清早就赶到伦敦，那会儿大家还没起床呢。他们打扮成工人的模样，从后边进去的。不管是谁看见他们， 都会以为他们是去疏通水道的。我真希望跟他们一块去，这可是一件既光荣又高兴的事儿，而且他们肯定能成功完成任务。果然第二天彼得给我们发了一封电报——这是一种通讯手段，陛下，等有机会再给您解释——说他已经拿到魔戒了。 “第二天，我和波尔去学校的时候——只有我们俩还是学生， 而且同一所学校，彼得和爱德蒙准备在途中把魔戒交给我们。你看， 只有我们才能到纳尼亚来，他们的年纪都已经太大了，不能来了。后来，我们上了火车——那是我们那个世界的一种交通工具，它由很多车厢联接而成——教授、波莉姨妈和露茜和我们一起，我们很喜欢跟他们在一起，越久越好。接着，火车在一个车站停靠了，不少人在那儿迎接我们，我从窗户探出头去看他们的时候，突然来了恐怖的地震和噪音。后来，我们就已经出现在纳尼亚，正好看到您被绑在树上。” “还没用上魔戒呢，是吗？”蒂里安问。 “没有，”尤斯塔斯说，“我连瞧都没瞧一眼。阿斯兰已经替我们安排好了一切，根本用不上什么魔戒。” “但是至尊王彼得还拿着那个魔戒。”蒂里安说。 “是的，”姬尔说，“我想他说不定根本没法用魔戒。至于佩文西家的另外两位——爱德蒙国王和露茜女王还在这里的时候，阿斯兰早就说过他们永远不能再到纳尼亚来。至尊王彼得也一样，更早之前阿斯兰也这么对他说过。你可以相信只要获得批准，彼得大帝也会像箭一样飞快赶来。” “噢，”尤斯塔斯叫道，“太阳太毒辣了，我已经越来越热了。快到了吧，陛下？” “看！”蒂里安指向前方，几码开外的树梢上方，雄伟的堡垒隐约可见。没几分钟，他们就来到了一个开阔的地方，地上芳草萋萋， 小溪潺潺流过，一个方形的宏伟堡垒就立在对面，墙上稀疏地开着狭长形状的窗户，正中间开了一扇门，看起来很沉重。 蒂里安警惕地审视四周，确认视线范围内没有敌人。接着向前几步靠近堡垒，停留了片刻才从猎装里摸出一串钥匙。钥匙上穿着一根细长的银制链条，就挂在他脖子上。这是一串精美的钥匙，其中两条是用黄金制成的，其他不少还雕刻着华丽的装饰。很容易看出这些钥匙都是用来打开宫里庄严机密的房间门或珍藏珠宝的香木柜或木盒子的。不过，他用来打开堡垒大门的钥匙，是一条大而普通做工也很粗糙的。门锁看起来有点老旧，蒂里安一时没法转动，好在最终还是成功了，随着一阵嘎吱嘎吱的声音，大门开了。 “亲爱的朋友，欢迎光临，”蒂里安说道，“请原谅，这已经是纳尼亚国王能用来接待贵宾的最好的宫殿了。” 两个孩子都说：“别客气，这肯定是最好的了。”如此礼貌有教养令蒂里安很是高兴。 事实上，这里还真算不得“不错”。堡垒里很黑，到处散发着潮气。这里唯一的房间直通屋顶，一角搭着一个木头楼梯，通过那里的活门能够上到堞墙上。屋里放着几张粗重的床铺，可以用来睡觉，旁边摆着几个小柜子和包袱。虽然有一个壁炉，可是很明显已经很久没有人在这里生火了。 “我们还是先找点木柴吧？”姬尔提议。 “稍等，伙伴们。”蒂里安说道。他一定下了决心，绝不束手就擒。他一边翻箱倒柜，一边为自己每年检查一次堡垒的措施而庆幸，这里储备着所有必需品。果然，他很快找到了用油绸覆盖的弓箭，涂上了防锈油的宝剑和长矛，包裹密实保持铮亮的盔甲。此外，还有不少好东西呢！“看！”蒂里安抽出一件样式新奇的长款锁子甲，在孩子们的眼前晃动着。 “这件锁子甲挺有意思啊，陛下。”尤斯塔斯说道。 “说得没错，小伙子，”蒂里安说，“纳尼亚小矮人可造不出来， 这是卡乐门人的锁子甲，样子很奇怪吧。我之所以收藏这几套，也是因为担心自己或朋友有一天需要偷偷去到蒂斯罗克的领土。看看这只石头瓶子，把这里面的液体擦在手上和脸上，就能把咱们的肤色变得跟卡乐门人一模一样。” “哦，太好了！”姬尔欢呼道，“乔装打扮！我最喜欢了。” 蒂里安立刻给他们演示了一番，把液体倒在手掌中，擦在脖子上、脸上，再到肩膀处、手臂上，手肘也不能漏掉了。 “等它干透之后，”他说，“就算在水里也不会掉色的，除非把油跟灰混在一起擦洗，才能把我们变成原状。现在，可爱的姬尔， 你先去试试这件锁子甲吧。它似乎有点长，不过我想不用太担心。这件肯定是泰坎大批侍从中的哪个人的。” 除了锁子甲，他们还戴上了卡乐门的头盔。这头盔看起来小小的圆圆的，顶部一个尖头，看起来像个倒扣在头上的三角漏斗。随后， 蒂里安又从柜子里取出一卷长白布，缠绕在头盔上，只留下中间突出的尖铁。他和尤斯塔斯分别选了一把卡乐门弯刀和一面圆形小盾牌。他们没有找到轻便适合姬尔使用的宝剑，最后只好给了她一把轻便的狩猎用小刀，以防万一。 “你会射箭吗，小姐？”蒂里安问。 “只会一点点，”姬尔红了脸，说，“斯克罗布的箭术倒挺好。” “别信她，陛下，”尤斯塔斯说，“自从我们从纳尼亚回去之后， 就没有断过练习，我俩的箭术不相上下，不过都不怎么样。” 于是蒂里安还给了姬尔一把弓和一个装满的箭筒。接下来，他们设法在壁炉里生起一堆火。堡垒里跟室内不同，反倒像山洞里，叫人冷得打战。不过，等他们搬完木柴，早就已经浑身发热了。此时太阳正值中天，炉火熊熊燃烧直往烟囱里灌去，马上把这个地方变得舒适多了。可惜，正餐的确有些单调，毕竟他们唯一找到的只有柜子里的一些硬饼干，所以他们只能把它敲碎加上盐在水里煮一煮而已。当然，除了水也没有什么别的饮品。 “我要是能带着一盒茶叶来就好了。”姬尔说。 “或者是一罐可可粉也好啊。”尤斯塔斯叹道。 “如果我没记错的话，在这样的堡垒里都藏着一小桶美酒。” 蒂里安说道。 第六章 夜袭成功 四个小时以后，蒂里安才能和衣倒在一张床上小憩一会儿，这时两个孩子早已经开始打呼噜了。孩子们上床的时间比他的早一些， 因为他知道处在这种年龄的孩子，必须要多睡会，而后恐怕在大部分的夜晚，他们都没法睡觉了，况且他们也实在太疲惫了。稍早些的时候，他让姬尔尝试着搭弓射箭，虽然还没有达到纳尼亚的标准， 不过总体说来也不算太坏。事实上，她真有射中一只野兔（当然是那种普通的不会说话的兔子，在纳尼亚西部，有许多这种普通的兔子）。现在它已经被剥皮洗净，晾起来了。他注意到两个孩子似乎挺会干这活儿。事实上，他们在瑞利安王子时期，在巨人废城那次冒险中就已经学会做这个了。 接着他还教了一会尤斯塔斯，告诉他如何使用卡乐门弯刀和盾牌。在先前的冒险中，尤斯塔斯学过不少剑术，但是他更习惯用笔直的纳尼亚剑。弯刀的砍伐和长剑的刺法完全不同，他不得不重新学习。在蒂里安看来，他的眼神锐利、脚步轻便。同时，他对孩子们充沛的体力也颇感讶异。与几个钟头刚见到他们的时候相比，他们似乎变得更加高大、健壮和成熟。事实的确如此，从咱们世界去到纳尼亚的人，在那里的特殊空气的影响下，是会发生这种奇特转变的。 经过讨论，三个人决定先回到无尾猿那里，救出独角兽珍宝。成功之后，他们将从东边突围，与人马龙威特从凯尔帕拉维尔调来的小部队汇合。 像蒂里安这样经验丰富的战士、猎人，总能在合适的时间醒来。就像现在他暗自决定要睡到九点，醒来的时候，虽然感觉自己似乎刚睡着，但他还是从外界的光线判断，现在确实已经九点了。起床后他戴上头盔，缠上头巾（他穿着锁子甲睡觉），再把两个孩子摇醒。实话实说，孩子们爬起来的时候，不仅脸色分外苍白，而且精神萎靡哈欠连连。 “现在，”蒂里安说，“我们要出发往北方走，很幸运，外面繁星满天，这条路线跟我们早上走过的相比要短得多，这次我们笔直前行，不需要绕来绕去。如果遇到敌人，你们千万要沉住气，别吱声。我会尽我所能去扮演一个残忍自大爱吵架的卡乐门王爷。一旦我拔刀，尤斯塔斯，你也要拔出刀来，姬尔你要跳到我们身后，搭起弓箭。如果我喊‘回家’，你们最好迅速飞奔回堡垒。只要听到我的撤退命令， 谁也不要顽抗，一下都不行，在这次对抗中，这种愚勇只会破坏我们既定的作战计划。现在，朋友们，以阿斯兰之名，让我们出发吧。” 于是他们进入了凄寒的黑夜。北方所有美丽的星星在树顶上空闪烁。这个世界的北斗星，矛尖，比我们所能见到的还要明亮得多。 刚开始，他们可以朝着矛尖星的方向挺进，可是不久他们遭遇了一片浓密的树林，以至于他们不得不绕道而行。此后很长一段路， 由于被大树遮盖，定位变得有些困难。多亏了姬尔，才帮助他们回到了正确的方向。在英国的时候她就是一名出色的向导，再加上她还跑过纳尼亚北方荒野的许多地方，早就学会了辨识纳尼亚的星星，甚至当矛尖星隐没时，她也完全能够凭别的星星断定方向。蒂里安一发现这一点，就立刻让她在前面领路，之后，他更讶异地发现，她的行进竟然如此低调隐蔽，简直称得上悄无声息。 “天啊！”他低声对尤斯塔斯说道，“她可真是个神奇的森林姑娘，就算她身上有树精的血统，也不可能做得更好呢。” “她个头小，这也是个优势。”尤斯塔斯低声道。但姬尔在前边喊着：“嘘，嘘，声音轻点儿。” 周围的树木一直保持这安静，甚至于有点静得过了头。平常纳尼亚的夜晚，是肯定有些声响的——刺猬偶尔的“晚安”声，树上猫头鹰的号叫声，羊怪们跳舞时伴奏的笛音，亦或地底下小矮人们制造的震动和打击声。然而这里确实是完全寂静的，空气中充满了幽暗和恐惧的气息。 过了一会儿，他们开始爬坡，树木变得稀疏多了。蒂里安能隐隐看见那人人皆知的山顶和马厩。姬尔越来越谨慎：她不断打着各种手势，提醒他们小心。突然她停住了有那么一会儿连一下都没动， 蒂里安见她慢慢地低身探入草丛中，悄无声息消失不见了。一会儿， 她重新站起来，凑到蒂里安的耳旁，尽可能压低声音说道：“趴下， 看。”她的话如此简短，就怕说多了会被敌人听见。 蒂里安赶紧静静地趴下，几乎做得和姬尔一样好，虽然多少还有些声响。毕竟他年纪不小了，身体还如此庞大沉重。这样一来，蒂里安看到了漫天繁星的背景下鲜明的小山边缘，那里出现了两个黑影，一个就是马厩，另一个则是站在马厩前方约有几英尺处值夜的卡乐门哨兵。他的守卫实在相当差劲，既不站岗，也没有巡视，只会扛着长矛干坐在那儿，现在连下巴也靠在胸膛上（估计睡着了）。“做得好。”蒂里安夸赞道。她让他看到的正是他们需要知道的。 于是，他们悄悄站起来，由蒂里安带领着慢慢向前移动，脚步很轻，走得很慢，连呼吸声都没有，慢慢走到了一丛小树前，离岗哨只有不到四十英尺。 “在这儿等着，”他低声对两个孩子说，“我要是失败了，就赶快逃跑。”接着他稳了稳神，大大方方地走了出去，叫敌人清楚地看到他。岗哨一见到他，简直惊得差点没跳起来，他一定是某位长官， 再这么坐下去肯定会给他惹麻烦的。不过他还没来得及起身，蒂里安就已经在他身边单脚下跪，说道：“您是蒂斯罗克的战士吗？在纳尼亚的动物和魔鬼群中能遇见你，真是令人开心啊。握个手吧，朋友。” 这位卡乐门岗哨还没搞清楚状况呢，就已经被人制服了。他的右手被一双强有力的大手紧紧抓住，另外一个人死死压住他的双腿， 还有一把匕首正架在他脖子上呢。 “你敢叫就没命了，”蒂里安在他的耳边警告说，“告诉我独角兽在哪儿，就饶你一命。” “在……在马厩背后，哦，我的神啊。”这不幸的男人结结巴巴地回答。 “好。站起来，把我带到那儿去。” 岗哨站起来的时候，匕首的刀尖一直架在他的脖子上，即便是蒂里安走动的时候，匕首也只是仅仅围着他的脖子来回转圈而已（冰凉还又令人痒痒）最后在他耳朵下一个方便的地方停住了。哨兵浑身颤抖着绕到了马厩的背后。 虽然天色昏暗，蒂里安却立刻看到了珍宝的白色躯体。 “嘘！”他说，“不，不要嘶鸣。是的，珍宝，是我呀。他们怎么绑住你的？” “他们拴住了我的腿，把我绑在马厩里一个大铁环上。”珍宝的声音传来。 “来，哨兵，背靠着墙，对，就这样站着。现在，珍宝，用你尖锐的角，对着卡乐门人的胸膛顶去吧。” “非常乐意，陛下。”珍宝说。 “他敢动一动，你就捅破他的心脏。”蒂里安说话间迅速割断了绳索，并绑住了哨兵的手脚，用青草把他的嘴巴塞得严严实实，让他什么声音也发不出来。最后他们才把他压倒，变成背靠围墙的坐姿。 “我对您不太礼貌，战士，”蒂里安说道，“我是迫不得已的。如果有机会再见，我一定会好好款待你的。现在，珍宝，我们必须悄悄离开了。” 他伸出左臂紧紧搂住独角兽的脖子，低下身子亲吻它的鼻头， 他俩都高兴极了。两位尽其所能偷偷回到了孩子们的位置上去。那里非常暗，以至于他们回去的时候，差点撞到尤斯塔斯。 “一切顺利，”蒂里安低语道，“夜袭成功，该撤退回家了。” 他们转身离去，可还没走出几步，尤斯塔斯突然说，“姬尔， 你在哪呢？”没有回应。“姬尔没跟你在一起吗，陛下？”他问。 “什么？”蒂里安惊道，“难道她不是和你在一块儿吗？” 这可实在是个糟糕的时刻。他们都尽自己的所能，偷偷地、却又尽可能响亮地呼唤姬尔，但仍然久久没有回应。 “我刚才过去的时候，她还在吗？”蒂里安问。 “我完全没有注意到这一点，”尤斯塔斯说，“她完全可以悄无声息地走掉，而不被我发觉。她的行动就像猫儿一样，完全不发出任何声音来，这一点您是知道的。” 此时，远处突然传来阵阵擂鼓声。珍宝凑前一探道，“是小矮人。” “小矮人都是背信弃义的，他们说不定是敌人。”蒂里安咕哝着。 “马蹄声近了，相当近。”珍宝又说。 两人跟独角兽一起只能傻站在那里，动也不能动，惊慌失措地担心着各种可能。马蹄声渐行渐近，很快就靠近了他们，这时有个轻轻的声音传来：“哈喽！大家都在吗？” 谢天谢地，这是姬尔。 “你到底去哪儿了？”尤斯塔斯恼怒地低声喊道，他刚才还在为她惊慌难过呢。 “我去马厩了。”姬尔喘着粗气，似乎在抑制自己的笑声。 “哦，”尤斯塔斯嘀咕道，“你真觉得好笑是吗？我只想说……” “救出珍宝了吗，陛下？”姬尔问。 “是的。它就在这里。那你骑着的又是什么？” “就是它啊，”姬尔说，“现在，趁没人发现，我们还是赶紧回家去吧。”说完，她又忍不住低声笑了起来。 其他的人立刻开始行动往南方撤退，这里如此危险，而他们已经待得太久了，另外小矮人们的擂鼓声也好像更近了。他们刚走没几分钟，尤斯塔斯突然问道：“你刚才说就是它？那是什么意思？” “假的阿斯兰。”姬尔说道。 “什么？”蒂里安惊道，“你到那里去了？干了些什么？” “是这样的，陛下，”姬尔说，“自从你把守卫引开之后，我就想不如到马厩里面去瞧瞧，看看里面到底藏着什么秘密。所以我偷偷爬过去，轻而易举拉开了马厩的门闩。里面漆黑一片，味道和任何马厩没什么区别。接着我打着了火，看到了……难以置信，里边什么也没有，只有这只老驴，身上披着一张狮子皮。于是我拔出刀，命令他跟我一起走。事实上，它早就已经烦透了，完全不用逼迫，也心甘情愿地跟我走。是不是啊，亲爱的迷惑？” “真了不起！”尤斯塔斯说道，“我……哎呀，可真该死。刚刚还对你发了顿脾气呢，虽然我仍然觉得你不该这么偷偷溜走，但我又不得不承认……哦，我想说……你干得漂亮。她要是个男孩，一定能被封为骑士的，对吗，陛下？” “如果她是的话，”蒂里安接道，“会挨鞭子的，谁让她不听从命令呢。”黑暗之中谁也看不见他的表情，也不知他是说真的还是开玩笑。可是话音刚落，一阵金属的摩擦声骤然响起。 “干吗呢您，陛下？”独角兽警觉地问道。 “我正拔出剑来，砍掉这该死的驴脑袋，”蒂里安凶狠万分地说道，“小姑娘快让开。” “哦，千万不要，请你不要杀死它，”姬尔叫道，“真的，你不能杀它。一切都是那只无尾猿的主意，不是他的错。他早先并没有想到这个，现在他是十分后悔的。他叫迷惑，本性不坏，算是头老实的好驴子，我正搂着他的脖子呢。” “姬尔，”蒂里安无奈，“你是我的国民中最勇敢、最聪明却又最鲁莽，而且最不听从命令的人。算了，就暂且饶了这驴子吧，你有什么要说的吗，驴子？” “我吗，陛下？”驴子的声音传来，“我是很懊悔的，如果我的行为真召来了什么恶果的话。无尾猿告诉我，是阿斯兰要我这样打扮的。我没有他那么聪明，我以为他说的都是真的，我一向如此， 做他让我做的一切。整天待在马厩里，我早就觉得无聊了。我甚至都不知道外面到底发生了些什么。除了晚上能出去那么一两分钟之外， 他从不让我离开马厩。有段时间，他们甚至都忘了给我端水。” “陛下，”珍宝说，“小矮人们正在靠近，要跟他们碰面吗？” 蒂里安想了想，突然大声笑道：“狮王在上，”他说，“我真是反应迟钝！和他们碰面？当然。现在我们要和所有人见面，让我们这头驴子给他们看，让他们看看到底他们正在害怕什么，又在对谁那样卑躬屈膝，让我们拆穿无尾猿那邪恶的阴谋，把它的秘密暴露于光天化日之下。青天已经回来了，明天无尾猿就会被倒挂在纳尼亚最高的那棵大树上。我们再也用不着这样偷偷摸摸、低声下气，也用不着乔装打扮。那些诚实的小矮人在哪儿？让我们现在就去告诉他们这天大的好消息。” 经过几个小时的低语后，到恢复正常响亮的音量说话时，总能增添一种振奋人心的力量。大伙儿不禁说说笑笑起来，就连迷惑也抬起头，响亮地喊道：“哈……唏……哈……唏……唏！”很早的时候， 无尾猿就已经禁止他这样大叫了。接着，他们立刻循着鼓点的方向找去。很快他们就看见前面出现了许多火炬，还有好几条高低不平的贯通灯柱野林的小路（在英国，我们并不把它们称作路），他们选了一条走了过去。 迈着大步迎面走来的，是一小批小矮人，大约三十名，每个人都扛着小铁锹和鹤嘴锄。他们被四个全副武装的卡乐门人两个在前， 两个在后地押着。 “站住！”蒂里安站在路中央，大吼一声，“站住，士兵们， 你们要把这些纳尼亚小矮人带到哪儿去？是谁的命令？” 第七章 关于小矮人 走在最前面的两名卡乐门士兵，还以为喊话的人是“泰坎”或大王爷的人，他身后站着的是两个装备齐全的侍从。于是他们立刻止步不前，同时举起长矛向他表示敬意。 “哦，长官，”卡乐门士兵中的一个说道，“我们正要带这些矮子到卡乐门，送去蒂斯罗克的矿井里干活。” “伟大的塔什神在上，他们还挺听话的啊。”蒂里安说。接着他突然转向小矮人们。那边正站着六个小矮人，其中一个拿着火炬， 在火炬那摇曳闪烁的光芒中，他看见每一个小矮人们都在看他，长满胡须的脸上，表情肃穆而坚毅。“小矮人们，蒂斯罗克难道对你们开战， 征服了你们的国土？”他问，“所以你们才不得不忍辱负重，前赴后继地往普格拉汉的盐坑里跳吗？” 两个士兵惊讶地瞪着他，小矮人们都一致回答：“我们奉了阿斯兰的命令，这都是阿斯兰的命令。他把我们卖掉了，难道我们能反对阿斯兰吗？” “事实上是蒂斯罗克，”另一个吐了口唾沫，补充道，“我倒想看看他是怎么把我们卖掉的！” “闭嘴，狗东西！”士兵的头儿喝道。 “看！”蒂里安将迷惑一把推到光亮处，说道，“这一切都是骗局， 阿斯兰根本没到纳尼亚来。你们都被那只可耻的猿猴给骗了。无尾猿每天晚上从马厩里牵出来的，不过是头驴子，好好看看吧。” 小矮人们终于可以靠近看它了，他们眼前的一切，足以令他们心中生疑，自己到底是为什么竟然会上当受骗呢。迷惑被关在马厩里很久了，狮子皮早就弄得脏兮兮的，加上刚才在树林中穿行，毛皮也被弄得歪歪斜斜的。大部分毛皮全堆在肩膀这块地方，头上的毛皮， 不仅歪着，还往后面缩了一大截，露出那张温和的愚蠢的驴脸。嘴边还咬着些青草呢，看来一路上他早已不吭不响地啃起了青草。他的嘴巴还在嘀咕着说，“那可不是我的错，我知道我很笨，我从来没说过我聪明。” 一瞬间，所有的小矮人都吃惊地张大了嘴巴，他们瞪着眼睛上下打量驴子。这时有个士兵机警地说道，“长官，你难道疯了吗？对这些奴隶，您说的都是些什么话？”另一个士兵也问道，“你到底是什么人？”两支长矛这时也不再被高举着行礼，而被握在手中呈备战姿势了。 “请说出口令！”士兵头目查问道。 “这就是我的口令，”国王拔出剑道，“天亮了，谎言被揭穿了。无赖们，保护你们自己吧，我就是纳尼亚国王蒂里安。” 他闪电般朝那个小头目扑过去。看到国王拔剑，尤斯塔斯也早早拔出宝剑，冲向另一名士兵。虽然他面色惨白，但是我想我们不能因此责备他。他的运气不错，初上战场的人似乎总是这么幸运。他把蒂里安昨天下午教给他的东西全都忘了，只知道疯狂地胡砍。事实上， 我都不知道他的眼睛是睁开的还是闭着的，令他大吃一惊的是：那个卡乐门士兵突然倒地，死在了他的脚下。尽管这让他放松了许多， 但是那一瞬间，说起来还真吓人。国王的战斗比他的只多了一两秒， 那个士兵也被他杀死了，同时他还冲尤斯塔斯大喊道，“另外两个士兵在哪儿？” 小矮人们已经把那两个卡乐门士兵给解决了，现在连一个敌人也没有了。 “打得好，尤斯塔斯！”蒂里安拍打着他的脊背大声叫好，“现在， 小矮人们，你们全都自由了。明天我就要带着你们去解放整个纳尼亚。让我们为阿斯兰欢呼吧！” 但是，接下来的情景却是令人沮丧的。只有少数几个小矮人（大约五个）发出了有气无力的欢呼但随即又沉默了，其中几个人发出恼恨的呼喊声，而更多人只是沉默。 “难道他们还不明白？”姬尔有些不耐烦，“你们这些小矮人的脑袋都有毛病吗？难道你们没听见国王刚才说的话吗？灾难已经完全结束，无尾猿再也不能统治纳尼亚了。你们每个人都可以回到过去，过正常的、自由的、愉快的生活。难道你们不高兴吗？” 沉默持续了大约一分钟后，一个头发胡子像煤炭那么黑、外貌颇有些丑陋的小矮人问道：“你又是什么人呢，小姐？” “我叫姬尔，”她说，“这位是尤斯塔斯，就是很久之前把瑞利安国王从魔法中拯救出来的那个姬尔和尤斯塔斯——几百年以后， 我们又从外面的世界回到这儿了，奉阿斯兰之命。” 小矮人们你看看我，我看看你，并没有高兴起来，反而嘲笑起来。 “得了吧，”那个又黑又丑的小矮人（他叫格里夫尔）说，“我不知道你们大家怎么想，阿斯兰这个名字，我已经听得够多了，从今以后再也不想听到它。” “对，没错，”其他小矮人附和着，“这全是诡计，十足的诡计。” “你说这话什么意思？”蒂里安说道。刚才作战时他的脸色都没有变样，现在却明显苍白了。他本以为这将是一个美妙的时刻，不料事实上，它更像个噩梦。 “你们会想，这些小矮人们可真愚蠢啊。”格里夫尔说，“我们已经受骗上当了一次，别指望再让我们上当，那是不可能的。所有关于阿斯兰的话，都是谎言，你们不能再用它来欺骗和利用我们！ 看吧！看看它吧！看看这头长耳朵的老驴！” “天啊，我都快被你弄疯了，”蒂里安说道，“我们谁说过它是阿斯兰？这是无尾猿用来假冒阿斯兰的，难道你们还不明白吗？” “说不定你们搞到了一个更加高明的假冒者呢。”格里夫尔说， “我们不会感谢你的，我们已经被愚弄了一次，不会再被人愚弄了。” “我没有，”蒂里安愤愤地说道，“我只效命于真正的阿斯兰。” “他在哪儿？他是谁？把他带给我们好好看看！”几个小矮人起哄道。 “笨蛋，难道我能把阿斯兰放在钱夹里随身携带？”蒂里安说， “我是什么人，凭什么命令阿斯兰出现？他可是一头桀骜不驯的狮子。” 这最后脱口而出时，他就认识到自己的错误。因为小矮人几乎立刻开始用嘲弄的语气重复着:“不是一头驯服的狮子，不是一头驯服的狮子。”一个小矮人说道，“这就是那帮人一直重复的话啊。” “难道你们不相信有真正的阿斯兰？”姬尔说，“可我见过他。就是他把我们两个人从外面的世界送到这儿来的。” “啊，”格里夫尔的笑容更加明显了，他说，“既然说了，他们早就把这一套东西都传授给你了是吗？你早就把它背得滚瓜烂熟了，对吗？” “没礼貌的东西，”蒂里安吼道，“竟敢当着小姐的面胡说八道？” “你还是自己留着那些文明礼貌用语吧，先生，”小矮人答道， “我可不认为我们还需要什么国王，就算你是蒂里安，可你看上去根本不像，我们也不需要阿斯兰。从现在开始，我们要自己照顾自己， 不再向谁举手到帽子边沿敬礼了。明白吗？” “说得对，”其他小矮人们附和道，“现在我们只对自己负责。再没什么阿斯兰了，再没有什么国王，更没有外面世界的那些无聊故事。小矮人们要对小矮人自己负责了。”于是，小矮人们准备回家去， 回到他们最初的地方。 “小畜生！”尤斯塔斯说道，“我们把你们救出来，竟然连一声‘谢谢’也不说吗？” “哼，我们早就明白，”格里夫尔回过头说，“你们不过是想利用我们，这才是你们来救我们的真正原因。那都是些耍弄人的把戏， 咱们走吧。” 小矮人们唱着音调奇怪的进行曲，踏着鼓点声，从黑暗中渐渐离去。 蒂里安和他的朋友们只能眼睁睁看着小矮人们远去。最后蒂里安说了声“走”，他们也继续上路了。 一路上，他们都默默无言。迷惑只知道自己还是不太光彩，但它同时也无法理解发生的一切。姬尔现在除了讨厌小矮人之外，也很为自己羞愧，毕竟刚才只有尤斯塔斯勇敢地跳出来战胜了卡乐门士兵。至于尤斯塔斯，他的心情激动，心跳加速，久久难以平静。蒂里安和独角兽悲痛地一起走在队伍最后面。国王把手臂搭在独角兽的肩上，独角兽则不时用它柔软的鼻子碰触国王的面颊，以示安慰，谁都不想说话。 蒂里安做梦也想不到，无尾猿伪造的假阿斯兰，竟然会让人们不再相信真正的阿斯兰。他原本坚信，只要向小矮人们揭露无尾猿的诡计，他们就会立刻站到他这边来。他甚至连计划都想好了，第二天深夜，他会领着他们一起攻上小山，向大家揭露迷惑的真面目，接着所有人都会起来反抗。也许还会有一场混战，可以在打败卡乐门人后， 所有问题就会迎刃而解了。但是，现在看来，他根本没什么希望。还有多少纳尼亚人，会跟小矮人一样呢？ “我觉得，有人在后面跟踪我们。”迷惑突然说道。 他们立即停下脚步凝神细听。说得不错，是有一阵小脚走路的声响。 “谁在后面跟着我们？”国王大喊一声。 “是我，陛下，”一个声音传来，“是我，小矮人波金。我刚尽力摆脱别的小矮人。陛下，我站在您这边，站在阿斯兰这边。假如您愿意，给我一把剑，我一定乐意尽我所能战斗到底。” 大家围着他，欢迎、赞叹，还拍了拍他的脊背。当然，单凭一个小矮人并不能扭转局面，但，就算只有一个，也值得高兴，每个人都积极起来。不过姬尔和尤斯塔斯并没能坚持太久，他们打着哈欠， 感到头昏脑涨，疲倦只想上床睡觉。 他们抵达堡垒时，正是晚间最冷的时间，黎明即将来临。要是这里早就有准备好的食物，他们一定会高高兴兴饱餐一顿的，但是想到弄一顿饭要费多少时间和精力，他们一致决定舍弃这一顿，大家在小溪里喝了点水，洗了把脸，便一头倒在床上睡去了，只有迷惑和珍宝说它们更乐意待在户外。这样正好，一头独角兽和一头全身是肉的胖驴子，还是挺占空间的，难免会把房间变得拥挤不堪。 纳尼亚的小矮人，虽说身高不足四英尺，但就其身材而言，却是纳尼亚最能吃苦耐劳又最强壮有力了。波金虽然经历了沉重的一天，昨晚还睡得那么晚，早上却比谁都起得早。而且他的体力已经完全恢复，精神百倍。他即刻拿起姬尔的弓箭，在外面猎到两只野鸽。接着他就坐在门口石阶上一边拔毛，一边跟珍宝和迷惑闲聊。在这个清晨，迷惑感觉好多了，独角兽珍宝是动物中最高贵又最娇嫩的一种， 它对待迷惑十分亲切，和它聊着双方都能了解的事情，例如青草、糖， 还有如何保养蹄子。 在将近十点半的时候，姬尔和尤斯塔斯打着哈欠揉着眼睛，从屋里走了出来，小矮人给他们指示了一个地方，派他们去采集名为野弗雷斯尼的纳尼亚野草。这种草外形很像我们常见的浆草，煮熟了吃味道很好。如果加点黄油和胡椒味道会更好，不过他们现在手头上还没有这些东西。这次他们加了些别的东西，就做成了一份美味的早餐或正餐（随你怎么叫都行）。 蒂里安带着斧头进入附近林间，砍了些柴火回来。当菜肴正在火上炖的时候，时间总是过得特别慢，特别快熟时那种美妙的香味飘散时，大家都更有这种感觉。国王给波金找来了一整套小矮人装备： 锁子甲、头盔、盾牌、剑、剑带和匕首。随后，国王又帮尤斯塔斯检查了一下宝剑，发现他在杀死了卡乐门士兵之后，就直接把沾满血迹的宝剑插入了剑鞘。国王批评了他，并命令他立刻把剑擦干净。 这个时候，姬尔则在来回踱步，不时地搅一搅锅里炖着的食物， 偶尔向心满意足地吃草的驴子和独角兽投去嫉妒的眼神。那天早上， 她真的希望自己也能吃草呢！ 然而，当食物被端上来的时候，所有人都觉得等待是值得的了， 更好的是，每个人都可以分到两份。大家痛痛快快饱餐一顿之后，大家来到了门口，坐在台阶上，迷惑和珍宝则躺在门口的草地上。小矮人征得姬尔和蒂里安的同意后，还点上了他的烟斗，然后国王开口道： “波金，关于敌人的消息你所知道的，肯定比我们多。现在就通通告诉我们吧。首先，请告诉我，他们是怎么解释我的逃脱的？” “编造了一个空前狡猾的故事，陛下，”波金回答，“故事是一只姜黄色猫儿金格讲出来的，没准就是他捏造的。这个金格，陛下……啊，如果说猫都是滑头，那么它就是个老滑头……它说当它走过那帮恶棍们绑住你的那个大树时，恕我如实汇报它说你大声叫骂， 诅咒阿斯兰呢。原话我就不重复了，听起来义正词严的，好像它是个君子似的。你知道，一只猫儿只要他高兴，是完全能做得到的。据金格说，阿斯兰突然出现在一道闪电中，一口就把陛下你吞下去了。 “所有的野兽听到这个故事都忍不住哆嗦，有的甚至当场吓昏过去。当然，无尾猿跟着添油加醋是免不了的。好吧，无尾猿最后说， 看看阿斯兰是怎么对待那些不敬者的吧。记住千万要把这件事作为警示。可怜的野兽们号啕大哭着说对啊，对呀。所以，陛下脱身逃掉的结果，并没有让野兽们想到你是否有什么皇室的朋友在帮你，反而使野兽们更加害怕，对无尾猿更加俯首帖耳了。” “多么阴险的诡计！”蒂里安感叹，“这样看来，这个金格肯定参与了这起阴谋。” “现在的问题是，陛下，可能金格才是主使者，”波金说：“你知道吗，无尾猿近来在酗酒。我相信他们现在耍的诡计大多都是金格和那个卡乐门领头泰坎利什达搞的。我认为金格在小矮人中散布谣言，才令小矮人和你卑鄙作对。我告诉你这其中的缘故。 “前天夜里，夜半的可怕会议刚刚散场，我正走在回家的路上， 突然发现我把烟斗落下了。那可是个上等的烟斗，也是我多年的珍藏，于是我就回去找它。但我快要走到我曾经待过的地方时，突然听见一声猫叫，随后还有卡乐门人的声音说道：‘这儿……说话要低声。’ 我一听赶紧一动不动站着，就跟被冻僵了那样。 “那两个家伙正是金格和泰坎利什达——他们总是叫他泰坎， ‘高贵的泰坎，’肥猫金格讨好地说，‘今天所说的阿斯兰超不过塔什的说法，我想知道，咱们内心真正的意思到底是什么？’‘毫无疑问， 纳尼亚最聪明的猫咪，’另一个说，‘你完全了解我的意思。’‘您的意思就是，’金格道，‘无论是阿斯兰还是塔什神，其实两个都不存在。’‘但凡有点学问和头脑的人，都清楚这一点，’泰坎说。‘看来， 我们都已经完全了解彼此的想法了。’猫儿道，‘您是不是和我一样， 开始讨厌起那只无尾猿了？’‘一只又蠢又贪的畜生，’另一个说， ‘不过，眼前我们还得好好利用它，咱们暗中布置一切，让无尾猿来帮咱们达成愿望。’‘让一些有思想有知识的纳尼亚国民参与我们的计划，不妨逐个吸收——就可能能把事情做好了，对吗？’金格道， ‘诚然，真正信仰阿斯兰的动物，随时都是有可能激变的，一旦无尾猿的秘密被揭露，它们就会变化。但是，还有一些既不关心塔什神也不关心阿斯兰，眼里只看得到自己的利益的家伙则是非常坚定的，尤其是当纳尼亚成为卡乐门的一个省，蒂斯罗克再悬以重赏之时。’‘聪明的猫儿，’队长说，‘选择他们可要千万谨慎小心了。’” 小矮人讲这些的时候，天色起了变化。他们坐下的时候还阳光灿烂，而这会儿迷惑忍不住发抖，珍宝也不安地晃动脑袋，姬尔则抬头看了看天。 “满天乌云。”她说。 “而且还那么冷。”迷惑说。 “狮王在上，今天真是冷啊！”蒂里安边对双手呵气说着，“哎呀，这是什么味道，这么臭？” “咦！”尤斯塔斯喘着气说道，“闻起来像是有什么动物死掉了。你们在附近看到有死鸟吗？早先我们怎么就没注意呢？” 珍宝附在地面缓慢走动，用独角在前面探索，仔细地搜索了一遍。 “看！”它嚷道，“看看它！看，快看！” 接着他们全都看见了，脸上都显出惊愕万分而且十分惊恐的那个神情。 第八章 老鹰的讯息 在这片空地的那一头，树木的阴影里，有个东西正在迅速移动， 看得出它正缓慢地朝北方滑翔。第一眼看去，你有可能认为那是一片灰白色烟霭，它的颜色很像，并且还可以透视过去。只是散发出来的是尸体的恶臭味而不是烟味。况且那东西也总是保持着相同的形状， 不像烟霭那样随风变化，弯曲、翻腾、缭绕。再看一眼的话，就会发现它有人性躯体，和一个硕大的鸟头，而且是那种具备了厉害的钩形嘴的某种猛禽。他的四条健壮的手臂，全部高举过头，朝北方伸张去， 似乎要把整个纳尼亚掌握其中。它的手指——共二十个——都像嘴巴一样弯曲，尖端的不是指甲，而是长长的尖尖的鸟爪。另外，看起来它不像是走路，倒像是在草地上面漂浮行动，青草在它身下似乎全部枯萎了。 迷惑只瞧上一眼就发出了一声专属于驴子的哀鸣，立刻蹿回堡垒里去了。姬尔（你知道，她可不是个懦夫）也害怕得用双手遮住自己的脸，试图遮挡视线。其余人倒是看了差不多一分钟，直到它从树林右边消失得无影无踪。随后，太阳仍和之前一样普照大地，鸟儿也重新开始啁啾鸣唱。 大家都恢复了呼吸和正常活动。刚才那东西出现时，他们全都呆若木鸡，一动不动的。 “那是什么？”尤斯塔斯低声问道。 “我以前见过，”蒂里安说道，“不过那是个石雕，表面贴着金箔， 眼睛是坚硬的钻石。那时我的年龄跟你现在差不多，正在塔什班城蒂斯罗克宫殿做客。 蒂斯罗克带我走进塔什神大庙。我就是在那里见到它的，就在祭台的上方。” “难道，那个……那个东西……就是塔什神吗？”尤斯塔斯问道。 蒂里安没有回答，而是用手臂环过姬尔的后肩，问道，“小姐， 你还好吗？” “还……还好，”姬尔说着，把手从苍白的脸拿下来，竭力微笑道， “我没事。只不过刚才那一会感觉快要吐出来了。” “那么看来，”独角兽说，“塔什神竟然是真的了。” “是的，”小矮人说，“这个愚蠢的无尾猿，居然敢不信塔什神， 那么他最终得到的惩罚，一定会超出他的想象。他呼唤塔什神：而塔什神确实来了。” “他……这个东西……哪儿去了？”姬尔问。 “北上到纳尼亚中心地区去了，”蒂里安答道，“就住在纳尼亚， 他们呼唤他，所以它来这儿了。” “哈哈，哈哈，哈哈！”小矮人搓着两只尽是毛的手，直偷笑道， “那肯定会让无尾猿大吃一惊的。人们不该口是心非地呼唤魔鬼。” “谁知道无尾猿到底会不会看得见塔什神呢？”珍宝说。 “迷惑去哪儿了？”尤斯塔斯突然问道。 他们高声呼喊迷惑的名字，姬尔则跑到了堡垒的另一边去找它。 他们四处寻找，直到筋疲力尽时，它那灰色大脑袋终于战战兢兢从门口探出来张望，问道：“它走了吗？”等他们把迷惑拖出来时， 它还浑身哆嗦着，犹如小狗遭遇了猛烈的暴风雨。 “我完全明白了，”迷惑说道，“我确实做了很坏的事情，我实在是一只很坏很坏的驴子。我根本不该听诡谲的话。我从未想到会发生这样可怕的事情。” “如果你把时间放在努力变聪明，而不是只用嘴说自己不聪明……”尤斯塔斯才开口就被姬尔打断了。 “迷惑这么可怜，年纪又这么大，就由它去吧，”她说，“这只是一个误会，对不对啊，亲爱的迷惑？”说着还亲了亲它的鼻头。 他们所看到的东西，的确令他们大为震动了一番，但现在大家已经完全可以继续谈话了。 珍宝没有什么有用的信息可以提供。它被抓起来以后，基本上一直都在马厩后面，没得到半点有关敌人计划的消息。它惨遭毒打， 也回踢过几脚甚至被以死亡威胁，除非它说它相信每晚在火光中出来的那个，的确是阿斯兰。而事实上，那天早晨就是行刑的日子，谢天谢地，多亏蒂里安及时救了它。另外，它不知道那只小羊羔后来发生了什么事。 他们必须尽快决定，是先去马厩山把迷惑展示给纳尼亚国民， 让他们了解真相，知道自己被人愚弄了，还是先偷偷到东边去跟人马龙威特带领的援军汇合，然后大举进攻无尾猿和它的卡乐门士兵。蒂里安更想采取第一个方案：只要一想无尾猿的统治还要继续，哪怕只是短暂的片刻，他也恨得不行。 然而从另一角度看，昨晚小矮人的表现，不能说不是个警告。很明显，如果把迷惑推出去揭露真相，大伙的态度是拿不准的。而且还得分心对付那些卡乐门士兵，波金估计大约有三十个。如果大家都站在他这边，加上他、独角兽、孩子们以及小矮人波金（驴子就不算了）蒂里安是很有把握能够打败敌人的。但是，假如纳尼亚平民和里面所有的小矮人都只是坐在那儿冷眼旁观，甚至和他对立起来的呢？ 那风险就太大，还有那个看起来像一片云的塔什，它又会做什么呢？ 而且，正如波金所说，不妨让无尾猿也焦头烂额两天好啦。现在它可没有迷惑能够展示了呢。无尾猿或金格总要设法捏造故事来解释，那可不容易。一旦动物们日复一日地恳求见阿斯兰，而无尾猿又请不来，那么，哪怕是头脑最简单的动物也会有所怀疑的。 到最后大家一致同意，最好的办法就是先离开这里，设法与龙威特汇合。 说来奇怪，做出这个决定时，每个人都感觉兴奋了不少。说实话， 这绝不是因为他们当中的谁害怕战斗，有可能姬尔和尤斯塔斯例外。但我敢说，他们之中的每个人，内心对于不再走近，或是暂时不用靠近那鸟头人身的可怕东西时，是宽慰的。这东西，无论能不能看得见， 总是很可能出没于马厩山上的。而且，不管怎么说，无论谁一旦下定决心也总会感觉舒畅的。 蒂里安说，他们最好还是去掉伪装，因为他们不想被那些可能忠诚的纳尼亚兽民们当成卡乐门人攻击。小矮人立刻用壁炉的灰和早就储备在瓶子里的用来保养宝剑和长矛的油，混合成了一种难看的糊糊。接着他们脱掉了卡乐门盔甲，到溪水里好好洗刷了一番。那些肮脏的东西擦在身上成为一种泡沫状的糊糊，跟半液体皂差不多。蒂里安和两个孩子跪在水边，擦洗脖子的后半部分，泼洗泡沫糊糊时还不时又喷又吹闹着玩，看上去就是一副愉快的家庭风景画。 接着，他们就满面红光精神焕发地重回堡垒内，就好像人们在参加宴会之前，好好地梳洗一番那样。接着他们按照纳尼亚人的习惯， 用笔直的剑和三角盾重新武装自己。“还我本色，”蒂里安说道，“那就更好了，我觉得自己又是真正的人了。” 迷惑迫切地恳求大家帮他把狮子皮取下来。它说太热了，而且皮毛盖在它脊背上也很不舒服，况且这也令它变得益发愚蠢可笑了。可是他们却告诉它，它还必须裹一阵子狮子皮，因为即便已经决定要先去和龙维特汇合，最后他们还是要让别的野兽看到它这身打扮的。 吃剩的鸽子肉和野兔肉不值得打包，他们只捡了一些硬饼干。接着蒂里安锁上堡垒的大门，他们在堡垒内的休整就到此结束了。 出发的时候，下午两点刚过，那天算是入春以来第一个真正暖和的日子，绿叶比昨天似乎多了不少。雪莲花已经完全凋谢，报春花则喜气洋洋地开放。阳光斜射入树林，鸟儿在这里婉转鸣唱，水流的嘈杂声叮咚不停，虽然很少看见溪流。令人很难再想到塔什神之类的可怕事物。孩子们不由感叹道：“这才是真正的纳尼亚。”连蒂里安的内心也轻松了许多，他走在大伙儿的前头，哼起一支古老的纳尼亚进行曲。曲子里有个叠句： 啊，战鼓急匆匆乱哄哄，咚咚又咚咚，咚咚又咚咚。 紧跟着国王的是尤斯塔斯和小矮人波金。波金正给尤斯塔斯介绍他还不认识的纳尼亚的树木、飞禽、农作物。偶尔，尤斯塔斯也会把它们的英文名字告诉波金。 在他们后面走着的是驴子迷惑，再后边是姬尔和独角兽珍宝， 他们靠得很近。你可能会说，姬尔已经爱上了独角兽。她认为这倒也不错。他是她生平见过的最杰出、最娇嫩、最优雅的动物，何况他还如此文质彬彬、轻声细语，如果不是熟悉它的人，恐怕难以相信在战斗中它会变得那样凶猛可怕。 “哦，这样太好了！”姬尔说，“要是一直像这样漫步。我觉得这样的冒险越多越好，纳尼亚要是没有那么多乱子就好了。” 但独角兽说她搞错了，它给姬尔解释这都是因为只有在纳尼亚有灾难，发生动乱或惨遭颠覆时，亚当和夏娃的孩子们才会被送到纳尼亚来。其实纳尼亚并不总是这样混乱，要知道他们两次来访期间， 可隔了几百年甚至上千年呢，和平时期的国王一个接一个逝去，有的甚至没有留下名字，也没有人知道到底有经历了多少任国王，因为历史书上也确实没什么记载。 它提到了姬尔从来没有听过的老女王们和英雄们。它说到在白女巫时期严冬覆盖的纳尼亚之前的白天鹅女王，她的美貌举世无双， 随便往树林里随便哪个池塘瞧一眼，就会看到她的倒影从水里散发的光辉，犹如暗夜中的星辰，光芒整整持续一年零一天。它还讲到长着一对神奇耳朵的野兔蒙伍德，它坐在大锅深渊轰隆作响的大瀑布下， 都可以清楚地听到远在凯尔帕拉维尔宫殿里的窃窃私语。它还说到弗兰克一世的第九个孙子，国王加尔，是怎样远航抵达东海，从恶龙手里解放孤独群岛的。作为报答，岛民就把那岛献给了他，从此成为纳尼亚国土的一部分。它还讲到在整整几个世纪里，纳尼亚举国上下的幸福生活，那些美丽的舞蹈和盛大的宴会，还有名目繁多的比武大会， 生活一天比一天好。 独角兽讲述的时候，所有幸福岁月的图片，成千上万张在姬尔的脑海中堆积，最终就像是在高山上俯瞰一片富饶、美丽的平原，仔细观察那上面可爱的森林、河流和麦田，之后再连绵不断地往远处张望延伸那样逐渐淡化，模糊。最后她说：“哦，我真希望能尽快解决无尾猿的问题，重新回到那美好而幸福的时代。我还希望这和平时代能永远继续。就算我们自己的世界崩溃终结，这个世界也要继续。珍宝啊，如果纳尼亚真能继续存在，像从前如你所说那样一直幸福美好， 不是很棒吗？” “不，小妹妹，”珍宝答道，“所有的世界都要完结的，除了阿斯兰自己的世界。” “哦，那么，”姬尔说，“我希望这个世界要持续至少亿万年…… 嘿，怎么不往前走了啊？” 国王、尤斯塔斯和小矮人都举头仰望。姬尔一阵哆嗦，她又想起刚才那个可怕的生物。好在这回可不是那东西，它看起来很小，在蓝天背景的映衬下，像是黑色的。 “我敢说，”独角兽说，“从它飞翔的样子来看，那绝对是一只会说话的鸟儿。” “我也这么认为，”国王说，“可是它会是朋友，还是敌人—— 无尾猿的密探呢？” “照我看，陛下，”小矮人道，“它恐怕具有老鹰的千里眼。” “我们要躲起来吗？”尤斯塔斯问。 “不，”蒂里安说，“咱们最好站着别动，扮演石头。一旦我们走动， 它肯定会看到我们的。” “看！它在盘旋，它已经看到我们了，”珍宝大叫，“它正兜着大圈子盘旋而下。” “把箭搭在弦上，小姐，”蒂里安对姬尔说，“没有我的命令， 不准发射。弄不好它是个朋友。” 如果大家心里完全没有疑心或忐忑的话，瞧着那只大鸟优雅从容地滑翔，算得上是件赏心悦目的事。它落在蒂里安前面几英尺外的一块岩石上，接着它低下长有冠毛的头，恭敬地鞠了一躬，用它怪异的老鹰嗓音说道，“您好！国王。” “好啊，千里眼，”蒂里安说，“既然你尊称我为国王，我就不妨把你当成我的朋友，而不是无尾猿和那个伪造的阿斯兰的拥护者。你能来我很高兴。” “陛下，”老鹰说，“听完我给你的消息，我的到来啊，恐怕会令你遭受比任何巨大灾难还要更加难受的打击。” 听到这话，蒂里安的心脏几乎要停摆，但他咬紧牙关，说道：“请讲。” “我看到两个画面，”老鹰千里眼说道，“第一个是：凯尔帕拉维尔城里到处都是死了的纳尼亚人和活着的卡乐门人；蒂斯罗克的大旗在你王城的雉堞上挥舞。您的百姓慌不择路，全都逃了出去—— 逃到了树林里。凯尔帕拉维尔是被从海上来的敌人占领的。就在前天夜里，在漆黑的夜色中，二十条卡乐门大船闯了进去。” 没人吱声。 “第二个画面是：就在距离凯尔帕拉维尔不到十五英里之处， 卡乐门一箭射中人马龙威特腰部；他临终前最后一小时，是跟我在一起的，是他让我来给陛下送信的。他说：‘谨记，每一个世界都有终结的那天，崇高的牺牲是巨大的宝库，人人都拥有这份宝藏。’” “这么说，”国王沉默很久之后才说道，“纳尼亚王国已经不存在了。” 第九章 山顶集会 很长时间他们都没有。一滴眼泪也没有。然后，独角兽用蹄子跺着大地，摇晃着鬃毛，开口道：“陛下，”它说，“现在用不着再商量了。看来无尾猿的阴谋和野心，比咱们现在了解的要深得多啊。 “现在一切都清楚了，它肯定早就跟蒂斯罗克秘密往来了，所以它找到狮子皮之后，就立刻跟蒂斯罗克联络，让他提前准备，从海上进攻凯尔帕拉维尔和纳尼亚王国。如今我们七个别无他法，只能回山顶去，说出真相，告知我们是奉了阿斯兰的命令。如果奇迹出现， 我们就能轻松打败无尾猿和它的那三十个卡乐门士兵。然后我们掉转头去，迎战从凯尔帕拉维尔来的声势浩大的敌军，直至战死沙场。” 蒂里安点头赞同，可是当他转过身来面对孩子们的时候，却说： “我的朋友们，现在到了分别的时候了，你们该回到自己的世界中去， 你们已经把该做的都做了。” “可……可是我们根本什么也没做，”姬尔哆哆嗦嗦地说，不是因为害怕而是因为他们要面临的实在太恐怖。 “怎么没做，”国王说，“是你把我救出来的，昨夜，是你悄无声息地领着我们在林中前行，逮住驴子迷惑的还是你。而你，尤斯塔斯，你帮我杀死了那个卡乐门士兵。你们都这么年轻，没必要跟我们一起去冒险，这是我和其他纳尼亚人自己要去面对的事情。今晚， 或者三天之后，无论如何我们都要和敌人死战。我恳求……不，命令你们，回你们自己的世界去。我不能让如此年幼的战士倒在我身边。” “不、不、不，”姬尔连忙说道。她说话间，脸色从白到红， 又从红到白变了好几次，“我们绝不回去，你说的那些事情，我们根本不怕。无论如何我们都忠于你，并且坚持和你站在一起，尤斯塔斯， 对吧？ “没错，不过你不用激动，”尤斯塔斯说，习惯性地把双手插进口袋里，这姿势有点古怪，因为他忘了身上穿的是锁子甲，“因为， 你看，我们无从选择。只在嘴上说说回去回去的，怎么回？我们可不懂这个魔法。” 说的都是事实，但是现在，姬尔讨厌尤斯塔斯说这些。当别人激动的时候，他总是这样太就事论事了。 当蒂里安明白除非阿斯兰亲自出马他们根本回不去时，他决定改变计划，带领他们穿过更加安全的南部山麓进入阿钦兰。难题是， 他们既不认识路，也找不到向导。如波金推测的那样，卡乐门军队一旦占领纳尼亚，最多一个星期，他们就一定会发兵进攻阿钦兰。因为蒂斯罗克早就想占领这些北方国家了。最终，在尤斯塔斯和姬尔的苦苦哀求下，蒂里安终于同意带他们一起去“碰碰运气”——或者换个说法——“奉阿斯兰之命冒冒风险”。 国王原本认为最好入夜之后才回到马厩山顶去——只要提起这名字他们就已经深恶痛绝了。但是波金告诉他说，白天山上除了警卫之外，几乎一个人也没有。动物们都被无尾猿和金格展示的阿斯兰——或塔什的愤怒吓坏了，除了非去不可的午夜会议之外，根本不敢接近马厩。而且卡乐门人向来不擅长在森林中活动。波金建议， 白天去那里更容易，更不会被人发现。当夜幕降临，无尾猿就会把大家召集起来，那时全部卡乐门士兵都会执勤，反而难得多。大会刚开始之前，他们可以把迷惑藏在马厩后，直到他们要把它牵出来为止。这当然是件好事，也是他们唯一的机会，绝对可以让所有的纳尼亚兽民们大吃一惊。 确定这套方案后，队伍便折向西北方位沿着一条全新的路线， 往那可恨的山头进发。老鹰在他们头顶飞来飞去，有时还会停在迷惑的脊背上歇息，没人敢骑独角兽——除非必要，就连国王也不会这么做。 这一次，姬尔和尤斯塔斯并行。当他们向国王恳求参与战斗的时候还很勇敢，而现在他们的勇气似乎已经消散了。 “波尔，”尤斯塔斯小声说道，“告诉你吧，我早就心惊肉跳的了。” “哦，斯克罗布，你可以的，”姬尔说，“至少你能打仗。但我…… 事实上，我却已经开始发抖了，如果你想知道的话。” “啊，发抖算什么，”尤斯塔斯说，“我都快要生病了。” “天啊，别提它了。”姬尔说。 他们继续沉默着走了一两分钟。 “波尔。”尤斯塔斯开口道。 “什么事？”她说。 “如果我们死在这儿了，会怎么样呢？” “我想，那就死了呗。” “我的意思是在咱们的世界里会发生什么？有没有可能，回到那辆火车里？或者干脆消失了？再也没有消息？或者在英国我们也是死人？” “天啊，我从来没有想过这些。” “彼得和其他人肯定会吃惊的，毕竟前几分钟还看到我在车窗那里挥着手，等火车到站之后，却怎么也找不到我们，甚至于他们找到两具……我的意思是……尸体。” “呀！”姬尔说，“你的想法真可怕。” “对我们来说，不可怕，”尤斯塔斯说，“我们永远也回不去了。” “我几乎希望……不，不，我还是不说了。”姬尔说。 “你到底想说什么啊？” “我要说的是，我希望我们从没到过这里。但，我不能，不想， 不愿说出口，就算死在这里也不能讲这种话。我甘愿在这里为纳尼亚牺牲，也不愿回到家乡最后变成一个又老又蠢的老太太，说不定我还得坐在轮椅上什么也干不了，而且最终还不是会死掉！” “也有可能会被英国火车压扁呢！” “为什么？” “嗯，当火车震动，我指的是把我们扔进来的那一刻，我本以为是因为火车失事了。所以当我发现自己来到纳尼亚的时候，我真是开心极了。” 姬尔和尤斯塔斯交谈的时候，其他人正在讨论计划，痛苦似乎离他们远了些。现在他们脑子里想的都是今晚要做的事情——纳尼亚的灾难、荣耀和欢乐终将毁灭的想法，已经被他们抛诸脑后了。当然， 一旦他们中断谈话和思考，那些思想仍会突然冒出来，给他们带来痛楚，于是他们不停地讲话。只有波金一个人，因为晚间的计划，而分外兴奋、愉快。他深信野猪、熊和所有的狗，都会立刻坚定地站到他们这一边，他也绝不相信小矮人们都会依附格里夫尔。当然晚上凑着火光在林间作战是有利于弱势一方的。况且，假如今夜他们获胜了，几天之后，真的会在与卡乐门主力部队的交战中牺牲吗？ 为什么不能逃亡到森林里，或到大瀑布外的西部荒原生活呢？ 随着时间的推移，每天都会有新的兽民和阿钦兰人前来，他们的队伍将逐渐壮大。最后，他们可以来个突然袭击，把卡乐门人（他们很可能疏忽大意）驱逐出他们的国家，纳尼亚就成功复兴了。毕竟，在国王弥若兹的时代，这样的事情也不是没有的！ 蒂里安把这些话都听在耳里，他想的是“难道塔什神会坐视不管吗？”他认为这种情况完全没有可能发生，但他没有说出来。 快靠近马厩山时，大家自然而然都安静了下来，很快他们就张罗开了。从第一眼看到那座山到来到马厩背后，总共花了大约两个小时的时间，各种惊险一言难尽，从一个地点转移到另一个地点，都是一段惊险的故事，其中的等待和虚惊更是多次出现。假如你是一个优秀的侦察员或向导，相信你一定能理解这种状况。太阳快下山时， 他们都已经安全藏身于马厩后面十五码处的一丛冬青树中了。大家胡乱吃了点饼干，都躺在地上休息。 接下来的等待是最难熬的。孩子们还好，至少睡了两个钟头。等他们醒来时，天已全黑，空气变得冷极了。糟糕的是，他们觉得很渴，却没有水喝。迷惑站在那儿，紧张得浑身发颤。只有蒂里安还在沉睡中，他把头枕在珍宝的肚子上，香甜得就和躺在凯尔帕拉维尔的御榻上没什么区别。突然一阵锣声响起，将他吵醒了。他起身一看， 马厩远处火光闪烁，时候到了。 “亲吻我，珍宝，”他说道，“这可能是我们在这世界的最后一夜。过去我有做得不好的地方，请你原谅我吧。” “亲爱的国王，”独角兽说道，“我倒希望你真的得罪过我， 这样我就谈得上原谅了。再见! 无论如何，我们至少曾经快乐过。如果阿斯兰让我重新选择，我还是会选择过一样的生活，不会选别的， 还是选择一样的方式赴死。” 他们把老鹰唤醒。它总是这样把脑袋缩在翅膀下睡觉，看起来他好像没有脑袋一样。接着，他们都摸到马厩去了，只留下驴子迷惑在马厩后面。大家对它还算客气，因为现在大家已经不生他的气了。他们叮嘱驴子在别人来带走它之前，千万不要胡乱走动，他们自己则在马厩的另一边做好了准备。 离他们不到几英尺的地方，篝火刚刚燃起没多久，火焰极其热烈。在篝火的那头站着一大群纳尼亚兽民，蒂里安一开始没看太清，只看见十几双眼睛在篝火中闪闪发亮，就像汽车前灯照射下野兔和夜猫的眼睛那样。 蒂里安刚刚站定，锣声便停止了，三个黑影从他左手边突然冒出来：他们分别是卡乐门队长泰坎?利什达和无尾猿。猿猴的前爪被泰坎紧扣在手里，嘴里不停地嘀咕、呜咽道，“别这样，太快了，我身体不好。唉，头可真疼啊！真是越来越受不了这午夜大会了。无尾猿晚上不睡觉怎么行呢，我可不像老鼠或蝙蝠，习惯在夜间活动…… 唉，头疼。”无尾猿旁边的是肥猫金格，它迈着轻快庄重的步伐，尾巴高高翘起。 他们正往篝火走去，有那么一会儿离蒂里安很近，差一点就会看到他了。好在他们方向不对，所以并没有看到他。蒂里安倒是听见利什达小声对金格说：“好了，猫咪，到你的位置上去。扮演好你的角色。” “喵呜，喵呜。看我的！”金格说道。他来到篝火外围，在聚拢的野兽中第一排里坐下，就像你想的那样，坐在观众间。 而后来发生的事情，还真像在戏院演戏那样。纳尼亚的兽民，就是看台下的观众，马厩前的那一片青草地是舞台，熊熊篝火在映照下，是无尾猿和卡乐门队长正在发表演讲。马厩本身是幕后布景， 蒂里安和他的朋友们则是布景后面忽隐忽现的演员。无论他们之中谁走入舞台，必定会吸引所有人的目光。但是如果他们一直这么安静地站在马厩外墙的阴影中，是肯定不会引人注意的。 利什达把无尾猿拖到了篝火附近。然后都转过脸去面对众兽民， 这就是说他们现在是背对着蒂里安和他的朋友们的。 “来吧，猿猴，”利什达低声说道，“把你那聪明脑袋想到的事情都说出来。抬起头来。”说着不时在无尾猿的后背踢一踢。 “放开我，”诡谲挺直了身体，喃喃说道，接着他用更响亮的声音说道，“请大家注意，一件可怕的、邪恶的事情发生了，这是纳尼亚发生的最邪恶的事情。阿斯兰……” “塔什兰，傻瓜。”利什达低声纠正道。 “当然我说的是塔什兰，”无尾猿说道，“塔什兰因此十分恼怒。” 草原上寂静万分，兽民们屏气凝神仔细聆听，等着听他们的新麻烦。马厩墙脚站着的那一伙人也一样，大气也不敢出。到底会发生什么事呢？ “是的，”无尾猿说道，“就在这非常时刻，在我们中间的某人， 就在我身后马厩中，某只邪恶的动物存心做出了一件十恶不赦的坏事。相信你们也会同意，虽然说神远在千里之外，也不会有人敢做出这样的事情来。它披着一张狮子皮，在树林中跑来跑去，假冒阿斯兰。” 姬尔一时之间有些惊讶……这只该死的无尾猿难道真的疯了吗？难道它会把整个真相讲出来？动物群中响起了阵阵恐怖而恼怒的吼叫声：“该死！”吼声来了，“它是谁？在哪儿呢？让我们咬死他！” “昨晚你们还见过他，”无尾猿尖叫道，“可惜它逃跑了。那是只驴子！一头平常而可怜的驴子。谁要是看见他了……” “该死！”动物们怒吼道，“我们绝对，绝对要咬死他。他最好别被我们找到。” 姬尔看了一眼国王。他的嘴巴大张着，脸上都是恐怖震惊的神情。她这时才知道敌人的计划到底有多么邪恶狡诈。掺杂了真相的谎言， 如此强悍有力。现在，告诉动物们说那狮王是一头驴子假扮的，是用来欺骗他们的……能有什么用呢？无尾猿只要说“看，我说了吧” 就够了。把穿着狮子皮外套的驴子推出来，又能怎么样呢？兽民们只会把他撕得粉碎。“计划全被打乱了，”尤斯塔斯低语道，“好一招釜底抽薪！”蒂里安说道：“真该死，这该死的小聪明！”波金说： “我敢发誓，这新的谎言一定是金格编造出来的。” 第十章 谁进马厩 这时有个东西正在姬尔的耳朵边挠得她直痒痒。原来是独角兽珍宝，正把他那马嘴凑在她耳边低语。听清楚他说的话后，姬尔点了点头，踮着脚尖回到驴子迷惑那里。她悄悄地飞快地割断了连着狮子皮的最后几根绳子。既然无尾猿全都说了，万一有谁逮住披着狮子皮的他，肯定没命！她真想把狮子皮远远地丢开，可是那实在太沉了。她只好把它踢进浓密的灌木丛中。接着她示意迷惑跟着她和其他人站在了一起。 无尾猿又在说话了。 “在这可怕的事情发生之后，阿斯兰……塔什兰……更加愤怒了。他说他对你们太好了，每晚都出来给你们瞻仰。现在！他生气了， 再也不会出来了。” 话音刚落，只听见各种号叫声、尖叫声、咕哝声，喵叫声在兽民中响起，然而突然有人一反常态，哈哈大笑之后说道； “听这猴子胡说八道吧，”它高声喊着，“我们知道它为什么不把它的宝贝阿斯兰请出来。告诉你们吧：那是因为它根本没有阿斯兰。除了一头披着狮子皮的老驴子之外，它根本什么东西也没有。 如今它把那驴子给弄丢了，他实在没办法了。” 蒂里安看不清楚篝火那边的脸，但他猜说话的一定是小矮人的首领格里夫尔。很快，他就肯定了自己的推测，因为所有小矮人都附和着喊起来：“没办法！没办法！没办法！” “安静！”利什达大发雷霆道，“安静，这群泥巴矮人！其他纳尼亚子民们，听我说，要不我就让士兵砍死你们。诡谲王爷既然已经把那只邪恶驴子的事儿告诉你们了。怎么？难道你们竟然认为， 真正的塔什兰没在马厩里面吗？是那样的吗？那你们可要小心了，小心了。” “不，我们没这么想。”大部分兽民高喊道。然而小矮人们却说： “你说得对，黑皮，你正中要害。猴子，那就给我们瞧瞧马厩里到底藏着什么，眼见为实，耳听为虚嘛。” 短暂的沉默过后，无尾猿说道：“你们这些小矮人自认聪明，哈？ 别这么快下结论。我可没说过你们不能见塔什兰。谁想见都行。” 所有人立刻无语了。不久，差不多一分钟之后，熊开始说话了， 缓慢地、充满疑惑和惶恐： “我完全搞不清楚你在说什么，”它咕哝道，“我想你的意思是……” “你想！”无尾猿故意强调道，“好像随便谁都把他头脑里的活动叫作‘想’。其他人都听好了。任何人都可以去觐见塔什兰。但塔什兰绝对不会自己出来的。想觐见他的就自己进去吧。” “哦，太感谢了，太感谢了。”十几个兽民齐声说道，“那就是我们所想要的！我们要进去，觐见他。他一定是仁慈的，就跟往常一般，处处宽容。”小鸟和小狗们全都高兴地鸣唱、吠叫起来。随着一阵巨大的骚动和喧哗，兽民们几乎全都站起来，立刻往前冲去，大家都竭尽全力要挤进马厩中去。但，无尾猿大叫道：“回去！安静！ 别这么激动！” 动物们都停住了，不少兽民们的前爪僵在半空，有的则不停摆着尾巴，它们的脑袋都转向一边。 “我猜你想说……”熊才开口，便被诡谲打断了。 “你们谁都能进去，”无尾猿说道，“不过，只能一次一个。你们谁先去？我可没说他是仁慈的。自从大前天他把那个邪恶的国王生吞下肚之后，他就不停地舔着自己的唇角。今天早上他还大声嚎叫了好一会儿。今晚连我都不怎么想进去。不过，你们随便。谁想第一个进去，不管他把你整个儿吞进去也好，或者用他那火眼金睛将你烧成灰烬也罢，都别怪我。那是你自己的事。好吧，进来吧，谁先？ 你们小矮人先来？” “呀，呀，进去被你杀死！”格里夫尔嘲笑道，“我们怎么知道你在马厩里藏了些什么呢？” “哈哈！”无尾猿喊道，“你们现在又在想里边有什么东西了， 是吗？看吧，一分钟以前你们这些动物都吵吵闹闹的。现在又是谁把你们都变成了哑巴？谁想第一个进去呀？” 大家全都站在那儿，你看看我我看看你，全都开始往后退了。现在已经没几条尾巴晃荡了。无尾猿大摇大摆着走来走去，抿嘴笑着嘲讽道：“哈哈哈！你们不是很着急吗？现在都改变主意啦？都想让别人先去觐见塔什兰啦？嗯？” 蒂里安低下头仔细聆听姬尔的耳边细语。“你觉得马厩真的藏了什么吗？”她说。“谁知道呢？”蒂里安答，“我看很有可能，瞧那两个卡乐门人，手中都握着已经出鞘的剑，门口也增加了两名守卫。”“你想，”姬尔说，“会不会……你知道……里面藏着我们看到的那个可怕的怪物？”“真正的塔什吗？”蒂里安小声说，“不知道。但是，孩子，勇敢起来，我们大家都受阿斯兰保佑。” 接着，一件出人意料的事发生了。猫儿金格冷静、清楚、镇定地说道，好像一点不激动：“假如你愿意，就让我先去吧。” 每一只动物都吃惊地转过头来，直盯着这只猫儿看。“留神，陛下， 他们都很狡猾，”波金对国王说道，“这该死的猫儿不仅参与了阴谋， 更是他们的核心。无论马厩里藏着什么，都绝对不会伤害它，我肯定。金格一定会从马厩中出来，说它看到了奇迹。” 可是蒂里安根本没空回答。无尾猿正叫那猫儿呢。“哈哈！” 无尾猿笑道，“那么你，冒失的猫咪，居然是你要先去面对他。那就来吧，我替你开门。如果他把你吓得连胡须从脸上掉下来，可别怪我。那都是你自找的。” 于是猫儿站起来，从大众中走了出去，它一本正经往前走着， 那样优雅，尾巴翘着，柔软发亮的皮毛是那样得体。它一路向前， 越过篝火，逐渐靠近。蒂里安把肩膀倚在马厩边沿的墙上，正好可以仔细端详猫儿的脸。它那碧绿的大眼睛一眨不眨。 “坦然自若，” 尤斯塔斯喃喃自语，“它知道自己没什么可怕的。”无尾猿讪笑着， 扮着鬼脸拖拖拉拉走过来，站在猫儿身旁，伸出前爪，拉开门闩，打开大门。蒂里安听见了猫儿走进黑暗中时那种特有的呜呜声。 “阿艾……阿艾……阿奥威！”从来没人听过那样可怕的猫叫声，大家都吓得跳了起来。只要在半夜时听到过猫儿在屋顶上打架的声音，就能明白是哪种声音了。 事情恶化了。金格用最快的速度从马厩里蹿出来，把无尾猿撞了个四脚朝天。要不是早就知道那是只猫，谁都会把它误以为一道姜黄色的闪电。它迅速穿过开阔的草地，回到兽民当中。这种情况下，谁也不敢碰它。只见野兽们往纷纷闪开，给它让道。最后它爬上了一棵大树，倒挂在树枝上，把大树弄得哗哗作响，震颤不已。接着他把尾巴倒竖起来，那玩意现在已经变得跟他的身体一般粗大了；眼睛碧绿碧绿的像一个火焰碟子，背上每根毛都竖了起来。 “我宁愿以我的胡子为代价，”波金小声地说道，“去搞清楚这畜生到底是在演戏，还是真的遇到了令它害怕的东西。” “别吱声，朋友。”蒂里安说道，因为卡乐门队长正和无尾猿窃窃私语着呢，他想好好听听他们到底说了些什么。可惜他什么也没听到，只有无尾猿的呜咽：“我的头，我的头可真疼。”于是他有了新的想法：这两个家伙，跟那只猫儿一样被自己给搞糊涂了。 “现在，金格，”卡乐门人说道，“你的号叫也够了。把你看到的， 都告诉他们吧。” “阿艾……阿艾……阿奥……阿瓦。”猫儿叫着。 “难道你不会说话了？”队长不耐烦了，“别再那么邪恶地号叫啦，快点说！” 随之发生的事情是很可怕的。蒂里安万分肯定（别人也一样） 猫儿正竭力想要说些什么，可是它却一个字也说不出来，只能发出平常的难听至极的猫叫声，在英国人的后院，任何愤怒或吃惊的猫儿都是这么叫的。而且，它号叫的时间越长，就越像一只普通的不会讲话的动物。其他的野兽立刻迸发出了不安的呜咽和微弱的尖叫。 “看吧，看吧！”野猪的声音响起，“它都不会说话了。它已经忘记怎样说话了。它已经退化成一只哑巴畜生了。瞧瞧它的脸。” 而大家看到的的确如此。于是最大的恐怖降落在了在场纳尼亚兽民的心中。因为它们都听说过——当它们还是只小鸡或小狗或幼狐的时候，阿斯兰在创立世界的时候，就让纳尼亚的动物们学会说话的本事，并且警告它们，如果一旦发现他们行为不检，就会变回老样子，变成跟别的国家那些可怜的愚蠢的禽兽一样。“如今这种变化降临到我们身上了。”它们叹道。 “求求您大发慈悲，发发慈悲！”野兽们哀号着，“救救我们， 诡谲王爷，你作为我们和阿斯兰的联络人，请您进去，帮我们说说好话。我们不敢，再也不敢了。” 金格走进树林深处，很快消失了，再也没有人见过它。 蒂里安耷拉着脑袋，把手放在剑柄上，呆立在那儿。整夜的恐怖剧情把他搅得头昏脑涨的。他一会儿想，最好立刻拔出剑向那些卡乐门兵砍去；一会儿又觉得还是再等等看，观察观察形势变化的好。现在，新的变化又来了。 “我的父亲，”一个清脆响亮的声音从群众的左侧传来。蒂里安立刻听出来那是一个普通的卡乐门士兵，因为在蒂斯罗克的军队里，普通士兵都把他们的长官称为“我师父”，军官则把他们的上级军官称作“我父亲”。姬尔和尤斯塔斯不知道这个，但他们左顾右盼的， 总算找到了说话的人。站在大火边上与站在中间的人相比，视线要好得多。中间火光熊熊，会让后面的一切变得更黑。这是个高大、苗条、皮肤黝黑的年轻人，颇有些自命不凡的卡乐门风度，看起来还挺英俊的。 “我的父亲，”他对队长说道，“我也想进去。” “安静，伊梅斯，”队长说道，“谁叫你参与讨论的，一个小孩子， 怎么能在这里发言？” “我的父亲，”伊梅斯说，“我是比你年幼，但是我跟您一样， 身上流的都是泰坎的血统，我也是塔什神的仆人，所以……” “别说了，”利什达说道，“我不是你的队长了吗？你跟这马厩没有关系。马厩是为纳尼亚群众而设的。” “不，我的父亲，”伊梅斯答道，“是你自己说的，他们的阿斯兰跟我们的塔什是一体的。如果你说的都是真的，也就是说塔什神就在马厩里。因此，你怎么能说和马厩跟我没有关系呢？如果我能真的见到塔什神，哪怕让我死一千次我也愿意。” “你这个笨蛋，什么也不知道，”利什达说道，“这是高深的道理。” 伊梅斯脸上的表情变得更加严峻。“那么，你说什么塔什和阿斯兰是一体的，根本就是假话？”他问，“难道是无尾猿在撒谎骗人？” “他们当然是一体的。”无尾猿说。 “你发誓，无尾猿。”伊梅斯道。 “哦，天！”诡谲哀叹一声，“真希望你们别再打扰我了。我的头很疼。好，好，我这就发誓。” “它发誓了，我的父亲，”伊梅斯说，“我坚持要进去看看。” “真是个笨蛋。”利什达说道。可小矮人们却立刻喊起来：“来吧，黑皮。为什么不让他进去看看？为什么只让纳尼亚人进去，却把你们国家的人挡在外头？难道你在里面设了什么机关，所以才不敢让自己人去那儿瞎碰？” 泰坎?利什达背对着蒂里安和他的朋友，因此他们只能看到他耸了耸肩肩膀，却看不到他脸上的神情：“请大家作证，不管这傻瓜的遭遇如何，我是不负任何责任的。你进去吧，鲁莽的孩子，快去吧。” 接着，跟金格一样，伊梅斯上前，走过了篝火和马厩之间的那片宽阔的草地。他两眼放光，脸色庄重，右手端正地按在剑柄上，头扬得高高的。姬尔望着他的脸，差点没哭出来。珍宝也附在国王的耳边低语着：“狮王的鬃毛啊，我简直要爱上这年轻的战士了，尽管他是卡乐门人。他值得比塔什更好的神保佑呢。” “但愿我们能知道马厩里到底放了什么东西。”尤斯塔斯说道。 伊梅斯打开门进去，进了漆黑的马厩里。他关上身后的门。然而， 片刻过后——感觉上好像过了很久，门又开了。一个穿卡乐门锁子甲的身影跌跌撞撞地退出来，一出门就仰面倒地，瘫倒在那里动也不动。马厩的门重新阖上了。队长跳到那人身边，俯身端详了一会儿他的脸。显然，他也吓了一跳，但他立刻恢复了镇定，并转向群众喊道： “这个鲁莽的孩子达成了他的心愿。他看到了塔什神。他已经死了。请大家要引以为鉴。” “会的，我们会的。”可怜的兽民们答应着。但是蒂里安和他的朋友们，则死死盯住那个死掉的卡乐门士兵细细端详了一番，接着彼此给了个眼神。他们离尸体很近，能看到大家（距离太远，又在篝火后面）看不到的东西：死的那个不是伊梅斯。这个人年纪更大，身材更加粗壮，没有伊梅斯那么高，还留着大胡子，这根本是另一个人。 “哈哈哈，”无尾猿吃吃笑了，“还有谁？还有谁要进去？算了， 既然大家都那么害羞，就让我来挑吧。野猪，你过来。把他押过来， 卡乐门卫兵们。让他去觐见觐见塔什神。” “奥、奥、姆比，”野猪咕哝着，它沉重地站起来，“那就来吧， 来试试我的獠牙。” 当蒂里安看到勇敢的野猪准备为它的生命而搏斗，卡乐门卫兵已经拔出弯刀逼近，却没人来救它时，他内心里的什么东西突然爆发了。他不再在乎这时机是否恰当了。 “拔出剑来，”他对其他人低声说道，“箭搭在弦上，跟我上。” 紧接着，吃惊的纳尼亚兽民们看到七个黑影从马厩那边跳了出来，四个人身上锁子甲闪闪发亮。国王的宝剑反射出耀眼的光芒，他把宝剑高举过顶，大声吼道： “我，纳尼亚的国王蒂里安，站在这儿，以阿斯兰之名，以我的身躯证明：塔什是邪恶的魔王，无尾猿是诡计多端的卖国贼，这些卡乐门人都是些该死的家伙。所有真正的纳尼亚子民，跟我一起战斗吧！难道你们真要坐等新主人把你们一个个杀光吗？” 第十一章 短兵相见 泰坎?利什达犹如闪电般迅速跳了回去，躲开了国王的剑。倒不是因为他懦弱，如有必要，他会独自迎战蒂里安和小矮人们。但他根本不是老鹰和独角兽的对手。他知道老鹰会飞到他脸上啄瞎他， 用翅膀蒙住他的眼睛，叫他什么也看不到。他还从他父亲那儿听说（他在战争中遭遇过纳尼亚军队）：除非射箭或用长矛，否则没人能战胜独角兽，因为它向你扑过来时，后腿也站了起来，那时你就得立刻同时对付它的蹄子、独角和牙齿。所以利什达随即跑到群众里，站着大喊： “听着，听我指挥，蒂斯罗克的战士们。还有忠诚的纳尼亚子民们！不然，塔什兰的愤怒就会降临到你们头上去！” 与此同时，还发生了两件事。无尾猿没有利什达的反应快，刚开始的一两秒，它还呆呆地蹲在篝火旁，望着突然出现的国王和动物们。随后，蒂里安朝他猛扑过去，一把抓住它的脊背把它高高地拎起来，冲到马厩前面，大叫了一声：“开门！”波金就把马厩的门打开了。 “自饮毒酒吧，诡谲！”蒂里安把无尾猿往黑暗的马厩里扔了过去。然而，当小矮人“嘭”的一声把门关上后，一道炫目的蓝绿色强光突然从马厩里照射出来，大地被震动了，一种奇怪的声音出现——咯、咯、咯地好像什么怪鸟的嘶鸣声。动物们呜咽着、号哭着， 大声呼喊道：“塔什兰！赶快隐蔽，别叫他看见！”兽民们纷纷卧倒， 把脸藏在翅膀或脚爪下。此刻，除了眼睛最好的老鹰，没有一个人注意到利什达的脸。千里眼老鹰根据他看到情景推测：利什达跟他们一样奇怪和惶恐。“那个神走了，”老鹰暗想，“是他呼唤了他不信奉的神祗，现在神真的来了，他会怎么样呢？” 随后发生的第三件事，是那晚唯一美好的事情。十五只会说话的狗每一只欢快地叫着跳着跑到国王身边。它们大多数都是了不起的大狗，肩膀厚实，上下颚厚重。大家来势汹汹犹如巨浪冲击海滩， 差点把人都冲翻了。他们虽然会说话，却仍尚未脱离狗的本性。他们用后腿站着，把前腿的爪子搭在人们的肩膀上，用舌头舔舔他们的脸， 说道：“欢迎！欢迎！我们要帮忙，帮忙，帮忙。告诉我们怎么做， 怎么，怎么……怎么……怎么做？” 这情景如此动人啊，简直让你想哭了。因为，他们一直期盼的景象总算是出现了。不久，几只小动物，老鼠和鼹鼠和一只松鼠等嗒嗒嗒地走过来，嘴里还高兴地吱吱吱地叫唤个不停，说道：“看，看， 我们来了。”此后，熊和野猪也跟来了，尤斯塔斯开始觉得，这一切总算走上正轨了，事情变得更加顺利了。然而蒂里安向四周打量着， 发觉有所行动的野兽数量仍然比较少。 “听我的！听我指挥！”他高喊道，“自从我做了你们的国王， 你们都变成懦夫了吗？” “我们不敢，”十几个声音呜咽道，“塔什兰会震怒的，替我们挡住那塔什兰吧。” “所有会说话的马儿都去哪儿了？”蒂里安问道。 “我们知道，见过的，”老鼠吱吱叫道，“无尾猿让它们干活。 它们都累坏了，就在小山脚下呢。” “你们这些小不点儿，”蒂里安说道，“你们这些擅长啃噬， 甚至能把硬壳咬碎的小家伙们，尽快跑到山底下去吧，看看马儿能不能跟我们一起？如果可以的话，请你们用上坚硬的牙齿咬断绳索， 一直帮助他们恢复自由为止，然后请把他们带到这儿来。” “遵命，陛下。”小家伙们尖声细语地回答道。他们把尾巴轻轻那么一甩，这些眼神好、牙齿好的小家伙们很快就跑远了。蒂里安看着他们远去的背影，露出了和蔼慈爱的微笑。但还有很多事情需要他考虑呢，现在必须行动起来了，因为利什达正在下令呢。 “冲上去，”利什达说，“如果你们能做到，最好把他们全部活捉， 然后把他们统统丢进或赶进马厩去。然后，我们就放火烧掉马厩，把他们作为祭品献给伟大的塔什神。” “哈哈！”老鹰对自己说，“原来他指望这样来争取塔什的宽恕啊。” 敌人的阵线——多半是利什达的军队——在向前推进，没有时间多想，蒂里安命令道： “从左边出击，姬尔，尽你的全力阻挡敌人。野猪和熊跟着她。波金和尤斯塔斯跟我一起，一个在左，一个在右边。珍宝你守住右翼。迷惑你到珍宝旁边去，把蹄子用起来，勇敢作战。千里眼老鹰， 你就在天空盘旋、出击。你们这些大狗，暂且守卫后方。开始交战后， 你们要乘机闯进敌人中间去。愿阿斯兰保佑！” 尤斯塔斯呆站着，心怦怦地直跳着，他希望，希望自己能大胆勇敢。看着眼前的队伍中，一张张深色皮肤两眼发光的脸庞，他感觉浑身的血液都是凉的，这是他从未有过的感觉，尽管过去他也曾亲眼见过飞龙和海蛇。敌军有十五个卡乐门士兵、一头来自纳尼亚的会说话的公牛、狐狸斯林基，还有半神半兽的森林之神拉格尔。突然他听到左边“嘣”一声弓响，“嗖”一声放箭声，一个卡乐门士兵倒下了； 紧接着又是一下，半神半兽的森林之神也倒下了。“好，射得好，姑娘！”蒂里安连声赞扬道。紧接着，敌人向他们发起了猛烈的进攻。 在这两分钟内发生了些什么，尤斯塔斯已经回忆不起来了。他陷入了一种奇怪的心境，一切就好像做梦一样，就像发高烧时的那种梦境。终于，他听见利什达在远处高喊： “撤退。回去，重振旗鼓。” 接着尤斯塔斯清醒了，他看见卡乐门士兵惊慌失措地朝后方撤退，很多人都倒在路上。珍宝用它的独角戳死一个，蒂里安用宝剑杀死了一个，那只狐狸死在他的脚边，他想不起来是不是自己杀了他。公牛也倒下了，眼睛中了姬尔一箭，胁部被野猪獠开了。我方的损失也不少，三条狗牺牲了，第四条狗也断了一条腿，在后面步履蹒跚地跟着，嘴里不停地呜咽哀鸣。熊虚弱地躺在地上，微微颤动着。它最终还是不明白，喉咙里咕哝着：“我……我不懂。”接着就像进入梦境的孩子一样，大脑袋安静地落在草地上，永远不能再动了。 显然，敌人的第一次攻击被击败了。尤斯塔斯对此不怎么高兴， 他渴得厉害，胳膊也疼得要命。 落败的卡乐门士兵回到指挥官那儿时，小矮人们便开始嘲讽他们。 “打够了，黑皮？”他们叫道，“你们不是喜欢打仗吗？怎么伟大的泰坎自己不去作战，却派你们去送死？可怜的黑皮！” “小矮人们，”蒂里安喊道，“过来吧，举起你们的宝剑，可别光打口水仗，时间有的是。纳尼亚的小矮人们，我知道，你们打仗很厉害。快来效忠你们的国家。” “呀！”小矮人们嘲笑道，“不见得吧。你们跟他们一大帮子都一样，全是骗子。我们小矮人压根不需要国王，我们只为自己奋斗， 呸！” 战鼓再次敲响：这一次敲响的不再是小矮人的小鼓，而是卡乐门的公牛皮大鼓。孩子们原本就讨厌这种鼓声，可它偏偏一直那么嘭、吧、吧、吧、嘭地响着。如果孩子们了解其中的含义，一定会更加讨厌它了。可是蒂里安却清楚，这鼓点声是敌军附近的卡乐门军队请求支援。蒂里安和珍宝面面相觑，刚开始他们还指望着今夜兴许能够获胜，可是如果真有大批敌军支援，他们就全完了。 蒂里安绝望地看了看四周。几个纳尼亚兽民不知是背信弃义， 还是出于害怕，正跟卡乐门的士兵们站在一起。大部分兽民仍一动也不动坐在那里，目不转睛地观战，毫无参战之意。然而，兽民的人数少了许多，群体更小了。很明显，不少兽民已经趁着激战偷偷溜走了。 嘭、吧、吧、嘭，那可怕的鼓声还在继续。这时另一种声音混杂了进来。“听！”珍宝说。“看！”老鹰道。片刻之后，谜底被揭开了，这是马蹄声！二十多匹会说话的马，正摇头晃脑，鼻孔大张， 鬃毛抖擞地冲上山来。那些擅长啃噬的小家伙们做足了功夫，马儿们成群结队赶来支援了。 小矮人波金和孩子们不仅张嘴欢呼起来，可惜还没发出声音呢， 就被一阵密集的弓弦声和射箭声打断了。嘣嘣嘣！嗖嗖嗖！射箭的居然是小矮人们——姬尔简直不敢自己的眼睛——是他们在向马群射箭。要知道小矮人的箭术是一流的，他们更是致人死命的射手。二十多匹马，一个接一个倒在地上。没有一匹高贵的马到达国王身边。 “小混蛋”尤斯塔斯气得跳脚，尖声骂道，“肮脏龌龊，背信弃义的小畜生。”就连珍宝都气得说：“我能否追上那些小矮人，用我的独角来那么一下，刺穿他十个？”可是，蒂里安面色严峻得就像雕塑那样，说道：“站住，珍宝！宝贝儿，”对姬尔说，“如果一定要哭，请转过脸去，别让泪水打湿了弓弦。尤斯塔斯，安静点， 别像个厨娘一样骂人。战士可不会骂人。礼貌的言辞和强悍的攻击， 是战士们唯一的语言。” 小矮人们对尤斯塔斯嘲笑道：“大吃一惊了啊，小男孩，啊？ 你以为我们是站在你们这边的吗？别害怕，我们不想要那些会讲话的马儿。因为我们不希望你们任何一边赢。你们谁也骗不倒我们，小矮人只为自己奋斗。” 利什达仍在跟他的部下喊话，显然是部署第二次攻击，看起来他似乎会让整支部队当成先头部队作战，战鼓咚咚作响。而接下来， 令他们更加惶恐的是，蒂里安和他的朋友们听到从远方传来的遥相呼应的轻微鼓声。显然，另一支卡乐门部队已经听到了利什达的信号， 正赶来支援。蒂里安已经完全绝望了，但从他脸上可一点也瞧不出来。 “听着，”他镇定地低语道，“我们必须现在发起攻击，趁敌人的支援还没来。” “请您再考虑一下，陛下，”波金说，“在这里我们至少还有马厩坚实的木板墙遮挡背部。假如我们现在就挺进，有没有可能陷入包围圈，腹背受敌？” “我明白你的意思，小矮人，”蒂里安说道，“可是他们不就是想要把我们逼进马厩吗？那我们就应该离那该死的门越远越好。” “国王说得对，”老鹰说道，“我们一定要离开这讨厌的马厩， 哪怕付出一切，不管它里边藏着什么妖魔。” “是啊，让我们赶紧离开吧，”尤斯塔斯说道，“我现在一看见它就生气。” “好的，”蒂里安说道，“你们看左边，那里有一块大石头， 在火光闪耀着雪白的光彩，就跟大理石一样。让我们先去袭击那里的卡乐门士兵，小姐，你到我们左边来，尽可能快地朝他们射箭；老鹰， 你从左边袭击他们的脸。同时我们其他的人马要向他们猛冲而去。当我们靠近敌人时，姬尔，你要停止射箭，免得伤了自己人，然后回到那块白石头那儿等候。其他人注意，作战中也要随时注意倾听。我们只有几分钟时间，却要尽量把他们打散，不然根本没用，毕竟我们的人数太少。我一喊后退，你们就赶紧跑到石头那儿与姬尔会合。在石头的掩护下，我们还可以稍微喘口气。现在，出发吧，姬尔。” 姬尔跑开二十英尺左右，摆开架势，搭弓上箭。单独出击令姬尔感到非常害怕，她真希望能控制双手，别抖得那么厉害。第一支箭迅速射向敌人，但是没有射中。“这一箭射得可真糟。”她说道。但她随即立刻搭上了第二支箭，她知道，速度是重要的，只有这样才能打得敌人措手不及。这时，她看到一个又大又黑的东西，直扑到卡乐门士兵脸上，那是千里眼老鹰。很快的，卡乐门士兵们一个接着一个，纷纷丢下手中的剑，举起双手捂住眼睛。她则击中了一个士兵， 还有一头纳尼亚狼，那只狼加入了敌人的队伍。但没射几下，她就不得不停止了攻击。 蒂里安他们用百米赛跑般的速度朝敌人猛冲过去，一时之间剑光闪闪，野猪和珍宝凭借獠牙和独角在敌人的队伍里横冲直撞，狗儿们不时发出吠叫呐喊的声音。姬尔注意到卡乐门士兵全部慌了神， 对此她相当吃惊，完全没有意识到正是她和老鹰的杰作。毕竟在利箭和老鹰尖嘴的同时攻击下，恐怕没几个人还能坚持紧盯正面战线。 “哦，干得漂亮！”姬尔大叫着。国王带领的小分队已经攻进敌阵。独角兽的独角挑起敌人，犹如农夫在用叉子挑动干柴。在姬尔看来，就连尤斯塔斯的表现也相当不错，毕竟她不太了解剑术。大狗们见着卡乐门士兵就死死咬住他们的喉咙。国王的战斗计划进行得非常顺利。胜利在望——姬尔突然打了个寒战，她注意到一件奇怪的事情。 在蒂里安的利剑下，卡乐门士兵一个一个都倒下了，可是看起来， 卡乐门士兵的数量却不仅没有减少，反而越来越多了。几乎每一秒钟都有新的卡乐门士兵赶来，加入到战斗中。而且这些刚刚赶到的士兵手里都握着尖利的长矛。敌人越来越多了，姬尔甚至找不到她的战友了。紧接着她听到蒂里安喊声：“撤！退到白石头那儿去！” 敌人的支援部队到了，鼓声起作用了。 第十二章 走进马厩 姬尔原本立刻赶到白石头那去的，可是出于兴奋、激动和紧张， 她完全忘记这个命令。被国王一提醒，她赶紧转身向白石头跑去。幸亏还不太晚，其他的人几乎和她一起同时赶到了。由于撤退，他们都背对着敌人，没有办法看清楚后面的情况。等他们转过身去后，才发现了可怕的事实： 一个卡乐门士兵正往马厩跑去，在他手里挟着什么，在不停地踢腿挣扎。那个士兵跑过篝火的那几秒钟，他们看清楚了那个士兵的脸还有他手里挟着的——尤斯塔斯。 蒂里安和独角兽赶紧跑上前去救尤斯塔斯，可惜太晚了，卡乐门士兵已经快到马厩门前了。他们刚跑到一半，那个士兵已经把尤斯塔斯扔进马厩，关上了门。六七个卡乐门士兵也赶来了，他们就在马厩前的空地摆开了阵势，堵住了蒂里安和独角兽的路。 姬尔转过脸去偷偷哭了， “虽然忍不住哭泣，但是我绝对不沾湿弓弦。”她说。 “小心利箭。”波金突然说道。 大家赶紧低头拉低头盔遮住要害，几支箭掉落在他们身边。狗儿们跟在他们后面。然而，他们很快意识到，这些箭不是冲着他们来的。箭的主人——格里夫尔和他的小矮人们正摆弄着弓箭冷静地射杀卡乐门士兵呢。 “勇敢些，孩子们！”格里夫尔高喊道，“大家相互照应。小心点。我们不要黑皮，也不要无尾猿、狮子，还有国王。小矮人自己保护自己。” 不论你怎么看待小矮人，但是凭良心说，他们的勇气是相当难得的。它们本可以轻轻松松离开这里，到一个安全的地方去。可他们却宁愿留下来，尽其所能杀掉许多他们认为对他们有威胁的人。当然如果两方相互残杀，他们也就懒得动手，显然他们只想让纳尼亚成为他们的纳尼亚。 不过小矮人恐怕没有想到这一点：卡乐门士兵身上有铠甲保护， 马儿却没有。而且卡乐门士兵们还有个指挥作战的首领。利什达正在大声喊叫道： “留三十个人看着白石头那边的傻瓜，其他的都跟我来，得给他们这些泥土里长出来的小东西一点颜色看看。” 蒂里安和他的朋友们，一直都没有喘息的机会，这下倒好了， 总算可以稍稍松口气，得到片刻的休息。泰坎带着人马向小矮人们发起攻击时，他们只需要在一旁观战。眼前的景象发生了奇怪的变化。篝火的火焰降低了，变成了暗红色，亮度减弱。在微弱的光线下，很难看清楚周围的一切，人们只知道，集会之地变得空荡荡的，除了对峙中的小矮人和卡乐门士兵，一个旁人也没有。从声音判断，小矮人们正和卡乐门人搏命。蒂里安听见格里夫尔大声骂着脏话，泰坎也不时高喊道：“尽全力，活捉他们！活捉他们！” 不管情况如何，战斗很快就结束了，嘈杂声渐渐减弱最后消失了。 接着姬尔看到泰坎带着十一个士兵和一些小矮人俘虏回到马厩这边。其他小矮人下场如何，永远也无从知晓了。 “把它们扔进塔什的神殿去。”泰坎说道。 十一个小矮人很快一个接一个扔进或踢进马厩中，门又被关上了。接着，他在马厩前，恭敬地鞠躬说道：“这些也是献给您的祭品， 伟大的塔什神。” 所有卡乐门士兵疯狂地用刀背砰砰砰敲打在盾牌上，齐声大喊： “塔什！塔什！伟大的塔什神！无坚不摧的塔什神！”如今他们再也不叫他“塔什兰”了。 白石头站着的这小群人一边旁观，一边窃窃私语。他们还发现一道涓涓细流在石头表面流淌，于是他们都迫不及待补充了些水分。姬尔、波金和国王赶紧捧起水来喝，四条腿的动物则把头低下在石头底下的小水潭中舔着水喝。他们渴了那么久了，这水对他们来说无疑是最美味的饮品；他们喝得尽兴，暂时忘记了其他的事。 “我确信，”波金说，“我们每一个人，都会一个接一个地， 被扔进那个黑暗之门的。我不愿那样死去。其他死法，哪样都比这个好。” “这的确是个残酷无情的门，”蒂里安道，“也就好像一张血盆大口。” “哦，我们有什么办法能堵住它吗？”姬尔颤抖着声音问道。 “没有，漂亮的朋友，”珍宝说着，用鼻子温柔地碰碰她，“说不定这道门通往阿斯兰的领地呢，今晚我们就能和阿斯兰一起吃晚饭了。” 利什达转过身来，慢慢靠近白石头。 “听着，”他说，“野猪、狗和独角兽，如果愿意来哀求，我愿意饶你们不死。野猪，我会送你到蒂斯罗克御花园的笼子里去，狗会分配到蒂斯罗克的养狗场，独角兽，等我锯掉那只角以后，还可以去拉车。老鹰、孩子还有那个国王，今晚都要当成是祭品，进贡给塔什神。” 愤怒的号叫声，是他们的回答。 “士兵们，上！”泰坎下令，“杀死那些畜生，活捉住那几个人。” 于是，纳尼亚最后一个国王的最后一战开始了。 敌人人多势众，还有长矛，国王他们根本毫无希望。刚开始跟无尾猿沆瀣一气的那些卡乐门人都没有长矛，他们乔装的是商人，不可能带上长矛来，而且长矛也无法隐藏。 这些卡乐门人都是后来的，那时无尾猿已经掌控了局面，卡乐门人便可大摇大摆公开行军。毕竟只要他们动作敏捷，头脑镇静， 手中握着长矛，就连野猪和独角兽也都不怕了。在他们够着你之前， 完全可以用长矛把他们刺死。现在，无数根长矛正同时向蒂里安和他最后的朋友们紧逼过来，他们即将和敌人展开殊死搏斗。 也许你觉得，从某个角度看，现在这样拼命似乎也不坏。 当你全神贯注充分调动全身肌肉低头躲避矛尖，跳起来越过它， 忽前忽后，忽左忽右，可能还需要急转身，就没时间去惊惶或伤心了。蒂里安非常清楚，面对这些人，他们已经无能为力了，所有人在劫难逃。他模模糊糊看到野猪倒在他身边，珍宝还在另一边英勇搏斗。从另一边，他勉强看见，一个大个子卡乐门士兵正揪着姬尔的头发， 不知道把她拉到哪里去了。他很难去思考，也不容他思考了，他现在想做和能做的事就是杀死更多的人，为自己陪葬。 最糟糕的是他已经没办法守在最初选定的白石头那里了。当一个人同时与十几个敌人搏斗的时候，只能随机应变，抓住每一次机会:只要看到敌人露出的胸膛或脖子，他就一定会冲过去。必须要很多次， 他就会离开原地，越跑越远。蒂里安发现正一路向右，往马厩方向靠近。原本在他脑子里一直有个朦胧的感觉：应该远离马厩。可是，现在他已经差不多忘记了。而且，就算他记得住，现在他也无可奈何了。 忽然，他又能看清一切了。他发现自己正和那个泰坎搏斗。篝火那残存的火焰就在他正前方。实际上，他已经到马厩门口了，而且那里的门是开着的，被两个卡乐门士兵控制着门，准备要把他关进去。现在，他完全明白了，从一开始，敌人就想把自己逼到马厩去。想到这一点后，他无可奈何，只能尽力与泰坎搏斗。 突然，他想到一个新的主意。他把剑放下，猛地往泰坎的弯刀下面的空隙钻过去，紧紧抓住泰坎的皮带，把他抓了过来，带他一起跳进了大门里，大喊道：“你自己进去拜见塔什吧！” 跟无尾猿被扔进去时一样，响起了震耳欲聋的声音，大地颤抖着， 一道令人炫目的光芒射出来。 门外卡乐门士兵大喊着，“塔什，塔什！”只听见“砰”的一声， 门合上了。如果塔什神需要队长，肯定会把他留下来。而他们，不管怎么说，是绝对不想跟塔什神见面的。 有那么一两分钟，蒂里安压根想不起来自己身处何处，甚至连自己是谁都忘了。等他站稳脚跟，他不由自主眨了眨眼睛，才能看清四周。马厩里跟他想象的不同，这里根本不黑，还很亮呢。他现在就站在一道强光里，这就是他眨眼的原因。 他转过身去看了看利什达，利什达不仅没有看他，还用手指着一个地方，号啕大哭起来。接着他把手捂在脸上，脸朝下，倒下去了。蒂里安顺着他指的方向看过去，一下子全都明白了。 迎面走来的，是个可怕的东西，跟他们之前在城堡看到的一样。 他有个秃鹫的头和四个胳膊。虽说他的体型看起来比想象中的要小得多，但还是比一个成年人高大得多。它的眼睛里怒火熊熊，尖尖的嘴巴张开着，话音嘶哑： “你曾经呼唤我，要我到纳尼亚来，利什达。现在我来了，你想跟我说什么呢？” 然而，那个利什达没有抬头，甚至连一句话也没说。他浑身颤抖， 犹如得了恶性嗝症的患者。搏斗的时候，他是很勇敢；可是在之前， 他从内心开始怀疑真正的塔什的确存在时，他已经丢掉了一半的勇气，现在，剩余的那一半勇气也早都消失了。 塔什猛地身子一拧，好像一只母鸡俯身啄虫子那样扑到可怜的利什达身上，一把提起挟在了左边两条胳膊下。接着，塔什侧过脸， 一只眼睛紧紧盯住蒂里安：它长了个鸟头，当然没办法笔直地看人了。 然而，塔什身后突然响起一个洪亮平静的声音，如同夏日的海涛， 他说： “回去吧，妖怪，以阿斯兰和阿斯兰伟大的父王海外皇帝之名， 命令你，带着属于你的祭品，回你自己的地方去。” 那个可怕的怪物，胳膊底下挟着泰坎，立刻消失了。蒂里安转过身去看那个说话的人。当他看清楚之后，他的心脏立刻剧烈跳动起来，比在任何激烈的战斗中还要剧烈。 站在他面前的是七个国王和女王，每个人头上都戴着王冠，穿着熠熠生辉的华服，国王身上还穿了精致的铠甲，握着已经出鞘的宝剑。蒂里安彬彬有礼地向他们鞠躬，正要说话，那位年轻的女王却突然大笑起来，她是姬尔！不过再也不是刚才见到的模样，脏兮兮的脸上布满泪痕，穿的是一件旧训练服，肩部太宽，有一半总是滑落在一旁。现在的她神清气爽，焕然一新，气色好极了，就像刚洗过澡似的。 刚开始，他觉得姬尔好像突然长大了很多，不过他又不能肯定。接着他又发现，国王中最年轻的那个就是尤斯塔斯，他和姬尔一样变化很大。 蒂里安突然有些尴尬：为自己身上因为厮杀留下来的血汗和灰尘。但是很快，他发现根本不必如此，因为他现在也是洁净的、优雅的， 穿的还是他在凯尔帕拉维尔赴宴时才穿的美服。 不过纳尼亚华丽的衣服绝不会让人不舒服的。在纳尼亚，人们最擅长怎样把衣服做得既美观又舒适。在这里的任何一个地方，你甚至找不到浆衣服用的淀粉、法兰绒还有松紧带。 “陛下，”姬尔走上前，行了个美丽的屈膝礼，说道，“请让我向您引见，纳尼亚各国的首领至尊王彼得。” 不用问蒂里安也知道哪一位是至尊王，就是那位在梦境里见过的大王，尽管他穿得十分雍容华贵。他快步向前，单膝下跪，亲吻了一下彼得的手。 “至尊王，”他说，“欢迎您的大驾。” 至尊王把他扶起来，照规矩亲吻他的双颊。接着，至尊王又给他引见了最年长的女王。虽然她的年纪一点也不大，既没有白头发， 也没长皱纹。他说： “殿下，这位是波莉夫人，在阿斯兰赐予树木生长和野兽语言的第一天，她就来到纳尼亚了。”接着，至尊王还带他觐见了一个男人， 长长的金色的胡须垂在他的胸前，满脸智慧。“这位是，”他介绍道， “迪格雷勋爵，他和波莉夫人是一起到纳尼亚来的。这是我的弟弟， 爱德蒙国王，这是我妹妹，露茜女王。” “陛下，”向每一位国王和王后一一行礼后，蒂里安问道，“如果没有记错，在纳尼亚的史记上记载，陛下还有一个妹妹，那么苏珊女王在哪儿呢？” “我妹妹苏珊，”彼得简短而严肃地回答，“不再是纳尼亚的朋友了。” “是的，”尤斯塔斯接道，“不论何时，只要你跟她谈纳尼亚， 或请她为纳尼亚做些事儿，她总是说：‘你们的记忆可真神奇！真没想到你们居然还想着我们小时候玩的那些好玩游戏。’” “哦，苏珊！”姬尔说，“现在的她只对尼龙制品、唇膏和邀请函感兴趣，别的什么也勾不起她的兴趣。她更加喜欢成年人的世界。” “成人，是的，”波莉夫人说道，“我倒希望她快点成人。她已经浪费了过去所有在学校的时间，一心想要变成现在的年纪，现在她又竭尽全力希望阻止时光的流逝，而希望永远停留在现在的年纪， 简直是对她人生的浪费。她一心只想着这件事。” “好了，我们不要再谈那个了。”彼得说，“看！这里有甜美可爱的水果，让我们去品尝一番好啦。” 蒂里安这才注意到周围的环境，并且意识到这一次历险实在有些怪异。 第十三章 被小矮人拒绝 蒂里安原本以为——或者说，假如给他时间思考，他应该会认为——他们正在一个长约十二英尺，宽约六英尺的，屋顶覆盖着茅草的马厩里。事实并非如此。他们正站在柔软的青草地上，头顶是又高又远的湛蓝色天空，脸颊上拂过的是初夏温情的风。离他们边缘的地方，种植着一丛果树，枝繁叶茂，硕果累累。那些果实，是彩色的， 金色、浅黄、紫色和火红色，从每一片叶子底下露出来。在我们世界， 从没有见过这样的果实。蒂里安都觉得现在一定是秋季，可是温柔的风却又明明是六月甚至五月的感觉。 每个人都伸出手去采摘自己喜欢的果实，可是下一秒，他们又停下了。那些果实实在太美了，令大家都不舍得下手：“这些也许不是给我们准备的……一定不允许我们采摘。” “没关系，”彼得说道，“我知道大家的想法。但我相信，确信无疑， 我们完全不需要顾忌。我有种感觉，这里的一切都是给我们准备的。。” “那就吃吧！”尤斯塔斯接道。于是，他们都开始吃了起来。 这些到底是什么水果呢？可惜它的味道是难以言表的。我只能告诉你们，如果它和我们所了解的水果相比，你吃过最新鲜的葡萄是淡然无味的，汁液最盛的柑橘是干燥缺水的，入口即化的梨是又硬又凉的，最清甜的野草莓也觉得是酸的。这些水果既没有籽，也没有核， 更没有黄蜂骚扰。一旦品尝过它的滋味，再吃世界上任何食物都会觉得味同嚼蜡。它的滋味，已经超出世上所有语言的表达能力。想要知道它的味道，只有亲自去到那个国家，品尝一番才好。 他们吃饱之后，尤斯塔斯对至尊王彼得说道：“你还没告诉我们， 你是怎么到这儿来的？蒂里安国王出现的时候，你刚要说下去的。” “也没什么可说的了，”彼得答道，“当时爱德蒙和我正站在月台上，看着你坐的那一列火车缓缓进站。当时我就想，那火车拐弯的速度实在太快了，我还想着，这多奇怪啊，我们的人大概都在同一辆火车上，虽说露茜对此一无所知……” “大帝，您指的是？”蒂里安问。 “我说的是我的父亲和母亲——爱德蒙、露茜还有我的父母。” “为什么？”姬尔不解，“难道他们也知道纳尼亚？” “不，这和纳尼亚没有关系。他们要去布里斯托尔。我也是那天早晨才知道的。不过爱德蒙说他们必然坐这趟车。”爱德蒙非常熟悉铁路和列车。 “后来发生了什么？”姬尔问。 “呀，这可不太好说描述，对吧，爱德蒙？”至尊王说道。 “是不好说，”爱德蒙接道，“这次跟上次完全不同，上次是魔法把我们拉进来的。只听见一阵恐怖的震动声，接着好像有什么东西“嘭”的敲了我一下，我没有受伤，但是我很吃惊，也觉得很兴奋。哦……这可真奇怪啊。 “我的膝盖原本总是很疼，那是以前打橄榄球留下来的老伤。但是我突然发现不痛了，一下子轻松了。然后……我们就到这儿了。” “这跟我们在车厢里的情况很像，”迪格雷勋爵把金色胡须上的果汁擦掉，说道，“但是我的感觉不一样，波莉，你跟我都一样， 我觉得身体和四肢不再那么僵硬了。你们这些年轻人恐怕很难明白， 我们都不会明白的，我们就好像不再衰老了。” “我们年轻人？真是的！”姬尔说道，“我不信你们两位比我们大多少。” “虽说我们看起来不老，但是过去我们是真的经历过衰老的。” 波莉夫人说。 “难道来到这儿之后，发生了什么事吗？”尤斯塔斯问道。 “哦，”彼得说，“很长时间里，至少我觉得很久，什么也没发生， 最后，门打开了……” “门？”蒂里安问。 “是的，”彼得说，“就是那扇出入的门——难道你忘了？” “门在哪儿？” “看。”彼得说着，用手一指。 蒂里安一看，他见到了世界上最古怪、最有趣的事物。仅仅几码开外，在阳光下伫立着一扇粗糙的门，说是门，事实上只是一个木门而已，既没有墙，也没有屋顶。他已经完全被搞糊涂了，朝门那儿走过去，其他人紧随其后，他会准备做什么。他绕到了门的那一边， 从那儿看，是一模一样的：还是夏日的早晨，他还是站在野地里。门就在那矗立着，就像一棵树长在那儿。 “公正的阁下，”蒂里安对至尊王说，“这是一大奇迹。” “你跟那个卡乐门军人就是从这扇门里出来的啊！”彼得微笑着说。 “可是，我明明是走进树林里那个马厩那个门的啊！这个门根本不知道是从哪儿冒出来的。” “看起来，你只是简单地绕了一圈，”彼得说，“但，你怎么不把眼睛凑近，从木板之间的缝隙看出去试试呢。” 蒂里安凑近门缝，刚开始除了一片黑暗，他什么也没看见。然而， 等他的眼睛适应之后，他就看到快要熄灭的篝火，以及篝火上面天空中点点星辰。他还看到中间来回走动的站立着的黑色物体，他甚至听到了他们的声音，听起来跟卡乐门士兵没什么区别。他确定看到的正是最后一仗的战场——灯柱野林。士兵们正在讨论要不要进去找找利什达，但没人真想这么做。或者干脆放火烧掉马厩。 他又看了看周围，简直没法相信自己的眼睛。湛蓝的天空之下， 芳草萋萋的平原向四面延伸开来，一直到天尽头，他的新朋友在周围哈哈大笑。 “看起来，”蒂里安笑着说道，“门里门外看到的马厩实实在在是两个完全不同的地方。” “是的，”迪格雷勋爵说，“马厩里面可要比它看起来大得多。” “没错，”露茜女王说，“在我们的世界也是这样，一个马厩， 一旦里边装了点东西，就会比我们整个世界还要大。”这是她第一次说话，从她颤动的声音中，流露出深切的情感。蒂里安非常能够体会这种感觉，她对这儿的一切事物的感情，比其他人都要深得多。她简直高兴得连话都说不出来了。但他还想听她再说，于是他说道： “如您同意，女士，继续讲下去吧。请把你的历险过程通通告诉我吧。” “震动和巨响之后，”露茜说，“我们发现自己到了这里。跟你一样，看到这个门我们万分惊讶。接着，门被打开了，我们从中看到了一片黑暗，从那里走出来一个大个子，手里还握着一把出鞘的宝剑。从他的胳膊来看，他应该是个卡乐门人。他站在门边，把宝剑高高举起依靠在肩上，随之准备砍杀靠近的人。我们走过去跟他说话， 可是他似乎既看不到也听不到。 他不往四周看，不看天空、阳光还有青草：我想那也是因为他看不见。所以我们继续等待，等了很长时间。随后，门闩突然被拔掉了， 这个士兵没有动手，看来他决定看清来人才下刀。我们因此猜测他曾奉命砍杀一些人，放过另一些人。 但，就在门快要被打开的那一瞬间，塔什出现了，他就站在门这边，我们谁都没注意他是从哪儿冒出来的。紧随其后的，是一只大猫。它一见到塔什就赶紧逃命去了，逃得还算及时，因为塔什向它扑过去的时候，塔什的鸟嘴巴正好碰到了那扇门。士兵也看见了塔什， 他脸色苍白，一下子跪倒在地，然而怪物却突然消失不见了。 “接下来我们等了许久，才看到门第三次被打开。一个年轻的卡乐门士兵走进来，我喜欢他。但是我注意到门口的岗哨很吃惊，我想他一定在期待着什么人，跟这个年轻人完全不同的……” “我想我全明白了，”尤斯塔斯说道。讲故事的时候打断别人是他的坏习惯，“猫进去的时候，岗哨早就知道，所以没有打算伤害它。等猫走出马厩之后，他就会装出一副害怕的模样来，说自己看到了可怕的塔什兰，以此吓唬其他的兽民。诡谲根本不会想到真正的塔什居然真的在这里；所以金格出来的时候害怕的模样看来确实是真的。之后诡谲会把所有他想要送进马厩的人，一个接着一个送进来，好叫岗哨杀死他们。接下来……” “朋友，”蒂里安温和地说道，“你妨碍这位女士讲故事了。” “好吧，”露茜继续说道，“岗哨吃了一惊，给了进来的战士机会， 他拿起宝剑跟守卫大战了一场。年轻人杀了岗哨，把他扔出门外，然后他慢慢地往前走，一直到我们这里。他能看见我们，还有所有一切。我们试着和他说话来着，但他的精神看起来有些紊乱。他嘴里不停地说，塔什，塔什，塔什在哪儿？我要去见塔什。所以我们就放弃了， 结果最终他也走到了某个地方——到另外一边去了。我本来挺喜欢他。但是接着……呀！”露茜做了个鬼脸。 “接下来，”爱德蒙接道，“有人又扔进来一只猴子。塔什又出现了。我妹妹心肠好，她不想告诉你们：那个塔什嘴巴这么一啄， 那猴子就没命了。” “活该！”尤斯塔斯说，“反正都一样，我想那猴子也不会听塔什的。” “再之后，”爱德蒙继续说，“又来了十几个小矮人；还有姬尔、尤斯塔斯，最后你也来了。” “我真希望塔什把那些小矮人通通吃掉，”尤斯塔斯说道，“这些兔崽子。” “不，它不吃小矮人，”露茜说，“你别这样，小矮人还在这儿呢。实际上，从这儿能看到他们。我也尝试过要跟他们交朋友，可是没用。” “跟小矮人交朋友！”尤斯塔斯不由嚷道，“如果你知道他们的所作所为，我保证你再也不那么说。” “别说了，尤斯塔斯，”露茜说，“快来瞧瞧他们。蒂里安国王， 说不定您能想出对付他们的办法呢。” “今天我对小矮人们可没多少好感，”蒂里安说道，“不过既然你要求，女士，那我今天就勉为其难吧。” 露茜在前面带路，没多久他们就看见了小矮人们。他们的表情都很奇怪。他们既没有散步，也没有开心地玩耍，甚至没有人躺下休息，尽管绑着他们的绳索早就不见了。他们一个挨着一个，紧密相连围成了一个圈。而且他们也不向四周张望，根本没有注意到不断靠近的露茜和蒂里安。一直到她们快要碰到他们的时候。小矮人们才都昂起头来。看起来他们好像在听一个看不见的人讲话，试图搞清楚这一切。 “小心！”一个小矮人粗鲁地说道，“往哪儿走呢，也不看看路， 都快走到我们脸上来了！” “行！”尤斯塔斯愤愤地说道，“我们又不是瞎子，我们有眼睛。” “既然在这里你们都能看得见，那么，眼睛一定是很好使了。” 那个小矮人又说话了，他的名字叫迪格尔。 “什么？在哪儿？”爱德蒙问。 “你真是个笨蛋，当然是在这个里边了，”迪格尔说，“就是在马厩的这个漆黑、狭窄、臭气熏天的小洞里。” “难道你们都瞎了吗？”蒂里安问。 “在黑暗中，我们不是瞎子是什么？”迪格尔道。 “但，这儿哪黑啦？你们这些又蠢又笨又可怜的小矮人，”露茜说道，“你们难道看不见？看看头顶！看看周围！难道你们真的没看见天空、树木还有花朵？你们甚至连我也看不到吗？” “用我的一切发誓，我怎么可能看得见根本不存在的东西？这里漆黑一片，你们看不见我，叫我们怎么看见你们？” “可是的确能看到你，”露茜说，“我会给你证明，我能看见你， 你嘴里正叼着个烟斗呢。” “任何一个能闻见烟草味道的人都能这么说。”迪格尔说。 “哦，可怜的家伙！简直太可怕了。”露茜说道，接着她又有了个主意，她俯下身，在草地上摘了几朵野生紫罗兰。“听着，小矮人，”她说道，“就算你的眼睛有问题，你的鼻子总该是健康的吧： 你能闻到味道吗？”她侧过身子，把湿润、新鲜的紫罗兰凑到小矮人迪格尔那丑陋的鼻子旁。小矮人回敬她的是坚硬的小拳头，令她不得不迅速退回。 “我才不要呢！”他嚷嚷着，“你的胆子真是太大了！居然把那肮脏的马厩草凑到我鼻子旁边，你这什么意思？里面还有蓟刺呢。闻起来就像酱油！你到底是什么人？” “泥土人，”蒂里安说道，“她是女王露茜，阿斯兰把她从遥远地方送来这里。我是蒂里安，你们的国王。要不是有她，我早就把你们的脑袋砍下来了，事实早就证明你们都是些背信弃义之徒。” “简直荒谬，闻所未闻！”迪格尔嚷道，“你怎么能这么乱讲话呢？你们那了不起的狮子可没来帮你们，他来了吗？你想想看，现在都已经这样了，你们都战败，也被塞进这个可怕的黑洞里，跟我们一样。到这个时候，你还在玩你那套把戏，捏造谎言！想要让我们相信，我们并没有被谁关起来，这儿不仅不黑，甚至还有天知道是什么意思的东西。” “真是个笨蛋，除了你们自己的幻觉，哪里有黑洞，”蒂里安大叫道，“你站出来吧。”说完，他俯下身一把抓住迪格尔的腰带和帽兜，把他从圆圈中揪了出来。可是蒂里安才把他放下，迪格尔就立刻蹿回去原来的位置，还搓着鼻子号哭道： “哦！哦！你干吗要这样！把我的脸往墙上撞。你差点没打断我的鼻梁。” “哦，天啊，”露茜说，“我们能为他们做些什么呢？” “让他们去吧。”尤斯塔斯说。这时，大地震动起来，空气中的香气变得愈加浓烈。一道光从他们背后放射出来。所有人都转过身去，蒂里安是最后一个，因为他很害怕。身后站的是他一心期盼的、真正的狮王——阿斯兰，其他人已经在金狮的前脚爪跪成了一圈。狮子低下大脑袋，正用舌头亲吻他们呢，每一个都趁机把手和脸埋在他的鬃毛中。最后狮子目不转睛盯着蒂里安。他浑身颤抖，慢慢走过来伏在狮子的脚边。狮子吻了吻他，说道：“做得很好，纳尼亚最后一个国王，最黑暗的时刻你依旧坚定昂首挺胸绝不屈服。” “阿斯兰，”露茜透过泪水说道，“你能不能——愿不愿意—— 为这些可怜的小矮人们做点什么呢？” “最亲爱的，”阿斯兰说道，“我会向你们展示一切，既有我能做到也有我办不到的。”他靠近小矮人们，发出了一声低沉的长啸， 所有的空气一下子都被震动了。小矮人们则紧张地问其他人说：“听到了没有？这肯定都是马厩那边那些人搞出来，想要吓唬我们的。他们不知道用了什么机器，搞出来这种声音。别理他们，我们绝不会再上当受骗！” 阿斯兰抬头，轻轻摇晃鬃毛。精美的大餐一下子出现在小矮人们的膝头上：馅饼、酱舌、鸽子、点心和冰淇淋。每个小矮人的右手还端着一杯好酒，然而这也没有起到什么作用。 他们大吃大喝，然而很显然他们根本没有品出大餐的味道。他们以为那些不过是马厩里能找到的东西而已。一个说他正在吃的是干草，另一个则说他吃到了一点陈年萝卜，还有人说他发现了一片生卷心菜叶子。他们把盛满红葡萄酒的金杯举到自己的唇边，说道：“呸！ 想想看吧，居然喝了驴子饲料槽里的脏水！真没想到我们会沦落到如此地步。” 而且，很快地，小矮人怀疑起其他人是不是吃到了更好的食物， 竟然你争我抢，吵起架来，几分钟之后，他们互相大打出手，把所有的美食扔到脸上、衣服上，甚至踩在脚底下。很久之后，当他们终于坐下来打理被打黑的眼眶还有流血的鼻子时，他们却又说：“行啦， 不管怎么样，这儿可没有谎言。我们没有被任何人欺骗，小矮人总是为自己奋斗的。” “看呐，”阿斯兰开口道，“他们拒绝帮助。比起相互信任， 他们宁愿狡猾。他们的牢狱，全存于心。就算现在，他们也还被困在那里。他们害怕上当受骗，我也无可奈何。不过，孩子们，快来吧。我们还有事情要做。” 阿斯兰带着大家朝门走去。他抬起头，大声呼喊道：“是时候了！” 又更大声喊道，“是时候了！”第三声比第二声还要响亮：“是时候了！”连星辰都被震动了，门突然开了。 第十四章 黑夜降临在纳尼亚 他们都站在阿斯兰的右手边，一起往门外望去。 篝火已经完全熄灭了。四处漆黑一片：如果不是看到茂密的树木、尽头的黑影还有闪烁的繁星，你恐怕很难相信自己看到的是一片树林。在阿斯兰第二次高喊之时，他们还注意到左方出现的一个黑影。那是他们黑暗中，看到的另一片黑色；而且它越来越高，最终变成了一个人的形状，巨人中最最巨大的巨人。 通过纳尼亚的地形地貌目测巨人的位置，对于他们来说一点也不难。他一定站在高沼地上，也就是斯力布河岸向北延展开的那片土地上。姬尔和尤斯塔斯突然想起来，很久很久以前，在高沼地的深洞里，他们见过一个最大最大的巨人，正在沉睡。那里的人告诉他们， 这个巨人就是时间老人，他会一直睡到世界末日那天。 “是的，”虽然他们没有人问问题，阿斯兰却回答道，“他睡觉的时候，的确叫做‘时间老人’。现在他已经醒了，他会有一个新的名字。” 这时，这个最大最大的巨人举起了一个号角，在星光的辉映下， 他们很清楚地能判断出巨人的动作。此后，好长一会儿后（声音传得十分缓慢），他们听到号角的声音：高亢激越、骇人心魂，还有一奇异的阴森森的美。 突然天空出现了无数流星。一颗流星也是美丽的，现在却同时有十几颗、二十几颗甚至成百上千颗流星，就像银白色的星雨，不断下滑。过了一会儿，一道新的黑影在空中出现，它的位置刚好在人们头顶，类似于称之为“天空屋顶”的地方。他们中有一两个人猜想到， 会不会再出现一个巨大的黑影呢？ “那也可能是一片云。”爱德蒙暗想到。不管怎么样，那儿不仅没有繁星，压根什么都没有——除了漆黑。在它周围，流星雨还在不停地下滑。那块黑暗的区域逐渐变大，从中央向外铺开。没过多久， 四分之一天空都变黑了，只剩下另一半，最终流星雨也逐渐消失，只在几个靠近地平线的地方出现。 满怀神奇还有毛骨悚然，他们意识到有什么事情正在发生。那片铺陈开的黑暗根本不是云，而是空虚。天空完全黑暗的区域，连一颗星星也没有，因为所有的星星都被阿斯兰召唤回家了。 流星雨即将结束的最后几分钟是最激动人心的，无数流星在他们的周围如雨点般落下。这个世界的流星跟我们世界的不一样，不是那种巨大的火球，而是人，爱德蒙和露茜还碰到过其中的一个。这才知道，这些流星，都是些熠熠生辉的人，他们的头发犹如燃烧的银丝， 手中拿着的是白热化金属材质的长矛。他们从黑暗的夜空急速奔驰， 快速下落，速度远超天上落下来的石头，还会发出嘶嘶的响声。一接触地面，青草就被点燃了，并且所有流星人下落的位置都差不多， 全是他们身后略靠右边的地方。 这对他们大有好处。因为，既然天上的星星全都落下来了，那么整个世界就会变得完全漆黑，什么都看不见。而现在，他们身后的繁星射出强烈的白光，正越过他们的肩膀照亮了每一个地方。每一丛灌木，甚至每一片草叶背后，都因此有了黑色阴影。强光下，大家清楚地看到每一片叶子挺立的边缘，似乎很容易把手指割破。 眼前的草地上，还透射着他们自己的影子，其中最大的那个是阿斯兰的影子。从他们左边一直延伸开去，大得叫人害怕。所有这一切，全都发生在这个没有星星的夜晚。 背后稍偏右处的光线如此强烈，连北方高沼地的高坡也被照亮了。那里有东西正在游走，巨大的动物悄悄地下坡进入纳尼亚：庞大的龙、硕大的蜥蜴，长着蝙蝠翅膀的无毛鸟儿。几分钟之后，它们就全部消失在树林里，只留下一片寂静。接着，从远方——刚开始很远——传来了号啕大哭的声音，随后响起的是各种沙沙瑟瑟、啪嗒啪嗒的声音以及翅膀振动声，几乎到处都是。 声音越来越近，不久他们就能从中辨识出声音的来源了。大脚丫子扑通扑通，大脚爪啪嗒啪嗒，又小又轻的蹄子嘚嘚不停，又大又重的蹄子隆隆作响。紧接着出现的是成千上万双的眼睛。成千上万只各种野兽，为了保全性命，都从黑暗的树林里窜出来，争先恐后跑上山去——会说话的兽民、小矮人、森林之神、半人半羊的农牧神、巨人、卡乐门人、阿钦兰人、马诺帕德人，还有来自远方岛屿和西方陆地的神怪。所有动物都往同一个目标——阿斯兰站立的那扇门奔去。 这样的历险是从未有过的，简直像一场梦，醒来之后根本记不清楚。最特别的一点是，当事人似乎丧失了时间概念，说不出这个梦持续的时间。好像几分钟，又好像好几年。唯一确定的是，除非那扇门一下子变得超级大，或者这些动物瞬间变得超级小，否则这么多动物根本没办法通过那扇门的。不过当时似乎没有一个人想到这个问题。 所有的生物全都涌过来了，当他们越靠近地上的繁星时，眼睛就变得越明亮。然而，在真正走到阿斯兰前面时，每个人总会发生这样那样的状况。 他们全部直勾勾地看着阿斯兰的脸，我想他们恐怕没得选择， 必须如此。一看到阿斯兰，有的生物的脸色瞬间变了——因为害怕或憎恨。那些会说话的兽民们，刚表现出这种情绪，下一秒就会变成不会说话的、平凡无奇的动物。然后他们都转向右方，也就是阿斯兰的左手边，消失在阿斯兰巨大的身影中。就好像一道洪水，从门的左侧分流出去，再也看不见了。我也说不清它们都会变成什么样。 留下来的其他的动物目不转睛地看着阿斯兰，虽然心中难免害怕，可是他们从内心深处深爱着他。这些动物，全部穿过那扇门，站到了阿斯兰的右侧。它们当中也不乏稀奇古怪的家伙。其中有一个小矮人，就被尤斯塔斯认出来了，他就是那些射杀马的小矮人中的一个。但是他并没有对此多加关注，再说那也不是他能管得了的，因为有一件大喜事发生了。 眼前挤过来围在蒂里安和朋友们之间的，都是那些早已“牺牲” 的战友：人马龙威特、独角兽珍宝、善良的野猪、憨厚的熊、千里眼老鹰，还有亲爱的大狗、高贵的马儿，甚至小矮人波金。 “更深更高！”龙威特大喊着向西边跑去，蹄声隆隆叫人兴奋。虽说大家可能和他不怎么熟，但是听了它的话，每一个人都感到万分激动。野猪们兴奋地直咕哝。大熊刚准备唠叨说“不明白，不明白”的时候，它突然看到了那些果树。它立刻摇头晃脑地来到树前， 毫无疑问，它找到了它“明白”的东西。摇着尾巴的大狗们没有走； 小矮人波金也留下来微笑着跟大家一一握手，一脸的真诚一如往昔。独角兽珍宝把它白发苍苍的脑袋依靠在国王的肩上，国王则附在珍宝耳边不知道说着什么悄悄话。最后，大家把注意力重新集中了门那边的景象上。 纳尼亚已经变成了巨龙和蜥蜴的天下。他们跑过来蹿过去，一会儿把大树连根拔起，就像吃大葱那样嘎吱嘎吱地啃。片刻之后，树木全都没了，大地一片荒芜，地上的东西全都露出来了，包括那些你从未注意到的小丘和小洞。 青草全部枯萎了。蒂里安看到，纳尼亚变成了一个由光秃秃的石头和泥巴组成的世界。他简直难以置信这里曾经养育过生物。那些怪物也纷纷老去，全都倒下死了。他们的肉萎缩枯槁，露出里面的骨头，变成巨大的骷髅，东一个西一个躺在石头上，就好像已经死了几千年似的。很久很久的时间中，整个世界都变得安静了。 最后，在流星人的照耀下，一道长而平整的白色水平线一个白色的东西从世界的最东边移动过来。 在没有树木的世界，一切变得非常清楚。河流逐渐宽阔，湖泊从小到大，小湖泊汇聚成大湖，山谷几经演变变成新的湖泊，小山又成了岛屿，然后连岛屿也完全消失了。他们左边的高沼地、右边的崇山峻岭，全都裂开崩塌，噼里啪啦掉进上涨的河水中。浪花翻滚着， 涌到门口而没有漫过去，泡沫在阿斯兰的前腿那边乱飞。现在他们站立的地方到水天相交处，全部都是泛滥的大水。 慢慢地有了光，一道阴沉不祥的曙光从地平线升起，越来越大， 越来越亮，甚至掩住了他们身后繁星的光芒。最后，太阳升起来了。 太阳升起时，迪格雷勋爵和波莉夫人看了对方一眼，微微地点了点头：这两位老人过去在另一个世界里，见过垂死的太阳，他们很清楚，现在这个太阳，也濒临死亡。它的体型比一般的太阳大三倍， 甚至二十倍，是暗红颜色的。太阳光芒泼洒在伟岸的时间巨人身上， 把他也变得红彤彤的。在这种光线下，无边无际的水域也染上了红色， 犹如鲜血。 接着月亮出来了，和平常不同，这个月亮离太阳特别近，也是红色的。见到月亮之后的太阳，突然放射出巨大的火焰，犹如殷红的火髯或火蛇。它好像一只巨型章鱼，正试图把月亮拉到身边。也许事实也正是这样，不管怎样，月亮确实在向太阳靠拢，刚开始还很慢， 后来越来越快。最后，太阳外表的火焰舔上了月亮的表面，两个合并在一起，变成一个大火球，看起来就跟一堆熊熊燃烧的煤一样。火焰从里面掉下来，跌入海中，蒸汽般大小的云雾从海面冉冉升起。 接着阿斯兰说：“该结束了。” 时间老人把号角扔进大海里，然后他伸出一只几英里长黑色的手臂向天空伸去，把太阳抓住。他用力挤着太阳，就好像我们压榨橘子汁那样，天地立刻变黑了。 除了阿斯兰，所有人都从门口跳了回去，这里严寒彻骨，门口都全部结满了冰块。 “彼得，纳尼亚的至尊王，”阿斯兰说道，“把门关上吧。” 彼得冻得直发抖，他从黑暗中探出了身子，拉上门。门板在冰面剧烈地摩擦。过了很久，他才笨拙地摸出一把金钥匙，将门锁上。因为片刻间他的双手都已经冻得发青发紫，完全麻木了。 人们从门里向门外看到的景象已经很奇怪了。可是，比这更奇怪的是，他们发现自己所处的环境也发生变化。现在是温暖的白天， 湛蓝的天空在头顶展开，朵朵鲜花在他们脚边盛开，阿斯兰的眼中满是笑意。 阿斯兰迅速转身，压低身子，一边用尾巴轻轻拍打着身体，如同一支金箭般蹿了出去。 “来，到更深处去吧！跟我来，跑到更高的地方去！”阿斯兰转过头高喊道。可是有谁能赶上它的步伐呢？于是大家都跟着朝西去了。 “那么，”彼得说道，“纳尼亚被黑夜笼罩了。怎么了，露茜？ 你该不会哭了吧？阿斯兰在前面，而我们大家都在这儿啊！” “彼得，别劝我，”露茜说道，“我想阿斯兰也不会的。我确信， 为纳尼亚哀悼，并没什么错。想想那些在门外倒下的还有那些被冻死的生物。” “是啊，”姬尔说，“我也希望这些东西会永生、永恒。虽然我知道在咱们自己的世界里，是不可能的。但是过去，我确实认为纳尼亚就是永恒的。” “我亲眼见到纳尼亚的形成，”迪格雷勋爵说道，“我从没想过有看见她灭亡的那一天。” “爵士，”蒂里安说道，“女士们哭泣有什么不对呢？你看， 连我都哭了。我曾亲眼见过母亲去世。除了纳尼亚之外，我又知道些什么世界呢？这不是道德问题，而是，我们如果不为她哀悼，不仅不敬而且还很失礼。” 他们一路走开，离那扇门越来越远，离那些坐在心牢里的小矮人们越来越远。他们边走边谈，从古老的战争说到古老的和平，从古时的国王谈到纳尼亚的全部荣耀。 狗儿们依然跟着他们，偶尔也会参与谈话，但说得不多。因为它们总是前前后后跑着，或者在草地里闻闻气味，直到打喷嚏为止。突然它们嗅到一种气味，令他们万分激动，甚至争论开了：“是， 这是……不，不是……那像我所说的那样……谁都能闻得出它的味道……把你那大鼻子让开，让别的狗来闻闻。” “这是什么，各位？”彼得问。 “一个卡乐门人，陛下。”几条狗同时回答。 “请带着大家一块去找他吧，”彼得说道，“无论他用什么方法来迎接我们，不管和平与否，我们都欢迎他。” 狗们蹿在前头，不一会儿拼命跑回来，嘴里大叫说这人确实是卡乐门士兵。会说话的狗跟普通的狗一样，不管他在做什么，总要表现得非常重要。 在大狗的带领下，他们很快发现一个年轻的卡乐门士兵，正坐在一条清澈见底的小溪旁一棵栗树下。他就是伊梅斯，他赶紧站起来， 庄重地鞠躬行礼。 “殿下，”他对彼得说，“我不知道你到底算朋友还是敌人； 不过无论哪个我都引以为荣。有个诗人还说过：一个崇高的朋友是最好的礼物，一个崇高的敌人是次好的礼物。” “阁下，”彼得回道，“我看不出来我们之间还有什么战争。” “请告诉我们，你是什么人，还有你的故事？”姬尔问。 “如果说来话长，让我们先喝点口水，然后坐下来慢慢谈，” 狗们叫着，“我们累得直喘气。” “像你们刚才那样跑，不喘气才怪呢。”尤斯塔斯说道。 于是人们全部在草地上坐下来。大狗们吵吵闹闹地在溪水边痛饮了一番，也坐下来听故事。它们坐得笔挺笔挺，大口呼着气，舌头伸在嘴巴外面微微偏向一边。只有珍宝仍然站着，一边在两肋上摩擦着头上的独角。 第十五章 更高更深的地方 “尚武的国王们，”伊梅斯道，“还有你们，美丽足以照耀宇宙的女士们，奉告各位，我是大漠往西的荒原蒂希什班城的泰坎哈泮的第七代后裔。我跟二十九个卡乐门士兵一起，听从了利什达的指挥进入纳尼亚。说实话，第一次听到自己要去纳尼亚的时候，我简直兴奋得说不出话来。因为我听过许多关于纳尼亚的故事，也很想跟你们在战场上较量一番。 “但是，我发现我们必须乔装打扮变成一位商人。靠撒谎和阴谋诡计办事时，我就完全沉沦了，这对一个战士，泰坎的儿子而言， 穿上商人的衣服就是一个巨大的耻辱。最叫人生气的是，我居然还必须侍奉一只猿猴，甚至有人说塔什和阿斯兰是一体的，世界就一下子变得更加黑暗、丑陋。从我幼儿时期，我就信奉塔什神，我最大的心愿， 就是完全了解我的神。可惜，见到之后，我却觉得厌恶与憎恨。 “就像你们看见的那样，一夜又一夜，我们都被召集到那间茅草屋外，燃起篝火。那无尾猿从里面牵出一头四条腿的东西。我看不清，那到底是什么，但是所有的人和动物却都向他致敬。我想，泰坎很可能是被那只猿猴给骗了。从这个马厩里牵出来的东西，既不是动物又不是塔什，更不是别的什么神。但是，当我仔细打量着他的脸色， 注意聆听猿猴说的每句话每个字时，我突然发现：就连泰坎自己也不相信那些。我这才明白过来：他甚至压根不相信塔什。毕竟，假如他真的相信塔什，又怎么敢如此大胆地嘲弄他呢？ “当我搞清楚这一点时，我非常愤怒，同时我也好奇，真正的神为什么不直接从天空出现，用烈火攻击猿猴和泰坎呢？然而我隐藏了这些，一直保持沉默，静静等待事情结束。 “可是昨晚，正如你们几位所知，那只猿猴没有把那头黄色的东西牵出来，只说但凡想去看塔什兰的就得挨个到马厩中探查真相。他们故意把两个名字变成了相近的一个名字，并且声称两者是同一位神。最后我对自己说，这肯定是一场新的骗局。可是，当猫走进马厩又疯了一样逃离出来的时候，我告诉自己，那一定是真正的塔什神。他们呼唤他，却对他毫无认识，并全无信仰，也许他这是要来泄愤呢。 “尽管塔什神的伟大和难言的恐怖，早已把我的内心征服，可是我的渴望却远比恐惧要强烈得多。我使劲克制住自己，忍着不要让双膝颤抖，避免牙齿咯咯作响，下决心要去看看塔什的真面目，就算他很有可能把我杀掉。所以我主动要求进入草棚；泰坎虽然不愿意， 可也无法阻止。 “尽管从门外看来，这座茅屋里面相当黑暗。可是走进门内时， 我却发现自己正沐浴在一片温暖的阳光中，就像现在这样，这简直是个奇迹。但是我没有太多时间用来惊讶，我必须立即为了生存和自己人搏杀。一看到他我就完全明白了，猿猴和泰坎把他布置在这儿， 就是为了把每一个不参与谎言制造和计划的人统统杀掉。他也是一个大骗子和混蛋，而非塔什神忠实的仆人。我下定决心跟他搏斗，把他杀掉，扔到门外。 “后来我再次环顾四周，看到湛蓝的天空、辽阔的大地，还有芬芳四溢的青草地。于是我便说，诸神作证，这可真是个好地方：我很有可能走进了塔什的领土。于是我便在这片新奇的土地中四处游历，找寻塔什神。 “我经过无数草地，游历许多繁花，在茁壮秀丽的树木之间盘桓。最终，就在这两块大石头之间的窄路上遇到了这头巨大的狮子，他的行动迅速堪比鸵鸟，身躯庞大犹如大象，毛发金黄好像赤金，眼睛明亮胜过熔炉里的黄金溶液。 “他比拉戈尔的火焰山还要可怕，同时又比世界上任何东西都要美，他就像盛开的玫瑰与沙漠中尘土的比较。我跪倒在他脚边，暗暗猜测，自己的死期到了。因为这狮子，这值得尊敬的神肯定知晓， 从前我信奉的是塔什而不是他。但是，我深信就算立刻死去，也比一直活着当上统领世界的蒂斯罗克，却从来没有见到阿斯兰更好。 “然而，这头伟大的狮子只是低下他那金色的大脑袋，用舌头轻轻舔了舔我的前额，说道：孩子，欢迎你，我说：‘可是，阿斯兰， 我不是您的孩子，我是塔什的仆人。’他回答说：‘孩子，你对塔什做的一切奉献，我都当成是对我做出的奉献。’接着出于对智慧和醒悟的渴望，我终于克服了恐惧，恳求尊贵的狮王说：‘狮王啊，这么说， 无尾猿说您和塔什是一体的，难道是对的吗？’狮子大声咆哮起来， 大地都剧烈地震动起来。但他的愤怒并不针对我，他说：‘这不对， 我和他不是一体的，而是截然相反的，我把你对他所做的奉献都接受， 是因为我们之间有着本质的差别：那些卑鄙的奉献，一点都不会贡献给我，只能给塔什；而给他的效劳，实在没有一个是不卑鄙的。所以， 假如真有什么人以塔什的名义发誓并信守承诺，事实上，他是在对我起誓，虽然他自己并不知道这一点。因此酬谢他的，也只有我。假如有什么人以我的名义，做了一件坏事，那么虽然他嘴上说的是阿斯兰， 事实上他效劳的却是塔什，因为只有塔什能接受他的奉献。孩子，你明白了吗？’ “我说：‘伟大的狮王，我想我明白了。但真理迫使我要说， 过去我一直寻找的是塔什。’尊贵的狮王回答：‘亲爱的，你寻找的心意如此纯洁、正直，那么你的愿望就是找我，而只要你诚心，就一定能找到想要找的东西。’ “接着他把气息呼在我身上，解除了我四肢的颤抖，帮助我站稳脚跟。之后，他只说，以后我们还会见面的，并且要求我到更高更深的地方去。只有一秒钟，他就如同一阵金黄的风暴一样，突然离开了。 “国王和女士们，那之后，我就不停东奔西跑到处寻他。我简直太幸福了，幸福得叫我疼，让我丧失一切力量。这简直是奇迹中的奇迹，他叫我亲爱的呢，我呢，其实不过像一条狗……” “哎？那是什么话？”一条狗问。 “先生，”伊梅斯道，“这只是我们卡乐门人流行的一种说法而已。” “好吧，我可不喜欢这种说法。”那狗说道。 “他没有恶意，”一条年纪大一些的狗说，“当小狗们行为不当的时候，我们不也叫他们人崽子吗？” “是这样的，”第一条狗说道，“或者是，叫他们臭丫头。” “嘻，嘻！”年纪大的狗说，“那可不是个好词，不管走到哪儿可要记好。” “看哪！”姬尔突然说。有一个东西慢慢地、怯生生地走过来； 他长着四条腿，风度翩翩，一身银灰色。他们瞪大眼睛足足看了他十秒钟，五六个生物才突然齐声说道：“哎呀，这不是老迷惑吗！” 他们从没在白天见过他脱掉狮子皮的模样，跟他那时的样子比起来， 那可大不一样。现在的他已经恢复了本色：一头美丽的驴子，一身柔和灰色的皮毛，长着一张温和诚实的脸。你要是看见他，肯定也会跟姬尔和露茜那样——猛冲上去，用力搂他的脖子，亲吻他的鼻子， 摩挲他的耳朵。 他们问他一直在哪儿，他说是和其他动物一起走进门来的，但他曾经，咳咳，老实说，他过去总是故意躲开他们，避开阿斯兰。因为， 看到真正的狮王之后，让他对自己披狮子皮这种行为感到深深的羞耻，根本没脸见大家。可是，当他看到所有的朋友都往西边去的时候， 他嚼了几口青草，“我还从来没吃到过这么美味的青草。”迷惑如此说， 又鼓足了勇气，跟大家一起走过去了。“但，假如我不得不见到阿斯兰， 我还是不知道自己应该如何是好。”他补充道。 “等你见到阿斯兰，你就知道啦。”露茜女王说。 接下来，他们一起仍然往西边走去。因为阿斯兰高呼着“到更高更深的地方去”时，就是往这个方向跑的。其他的动物也同在这条路上，动物很多，不过这片领土十分辽阔的，完全不用担心交通拥堵。 现在好像还挺早，空气里弥漫着清晨的新鲜和甜美。他们不时停下脚步，看看周围，看看后面。一是被秀丽的景色吸引，二是因为他们总觉得这当中有些事情没有搞明白。 “彼得，”露茜说，“这是哪儿？你觉得是哪儿？” “我不知道，”至尊王道，“这里很熟悉，就像某个去过的地方， 可是我又说不上来。兴许是我们在很小的时候度过假的地方。” “那一定是个愉快有趣的假期，”尤斯塔斯接道，“我敢说， 在咱们的世界里，肯定找不到这样的地方。看看这里的色彩！在我们那里的崇山峻岭上，绝对找不出这种蓝。” “难道这里不是阿斯兰的国土？”蒂里安问。 “不像是世界东端外高山顶上的阿斯兰国土，”姬尔说，“我去过那儿的。” “如果你问我，”爱德蒙说，“我倒觉得它挺像纳尼亚的什么地方。看看前面的山，还有山后面的巨大冰山。根本就是我们在纳尼亚经常见到的那些，大瀑布后面面朝西方耸立的群山。” “是的，说的是，”彼得也说，“不过这些山比那些更大。” “我不这么认为，”露茜则说，“但是看那边。”她往左边也就是南方一指，大家全部停下脚步，转头观望。“那些山，”露茜说， “这片长满秀美树林的高山跟后面那座蓝色山，像不像纳尼亚的南部边境？” “像！”爱德蒙略微沉默忽然喊道，“呀，像极了，它们简直一模一样。看哪，那是皮尔峰两个山峰正对着呢，那里则是阿钦兰的关隘和别的一切！” “我觉得它们不怎么像，”露茜说，“还是不一样。它们的颜色更加丰富，而且比我记忆中远得多。相较而言，它们更……更…… 嗯，我说不上来……” “更像是真正的东西。”迪格雷勋爵低声说道。 千里眼老鹰忽地张开翅膀，飞到三四十码高的空中，大大地盘旋了一周之后才回到地面。 “国王和女王们，”老鹰大声汇报着，“我们刚才都白看了， 现在我们才领悟到这里到底是什么地方。我在高空看得一清二楚—— 艾丁斯荒原、海狸大坝、大河，还有东海之滨的凯尔帕拉维尔仍旧耸立在那闪烁着光芒。纳尼亚根本没有灭亡，这里就是纳尼亚。” “但，怎么可能？”彼得说，“阿斯兰告诉过我们这些“老”人，有生之年，我们绝对不可能再到纳尼亚来，可现在我们却还在这儿。” “就是，”尤斯塔斯说，“我们不是亲眼看到纳尼亚被毁灭， 太阳也消失了吗？” “这里是不同的。”露茜接道。 “老鹰说得对，”迪格雷勋爵说道，“听着，彼得。阿斯兰说你不能再回到纳尼亚来，指的是过去那个，你脑海里一直想着的那个纳尼亚。而不是真正的，现在这个纳尼亚。那里总有开始和结束， 因为它不过是真正的纳尼亚的一个临摹本或绘本。它的过去未来，不过尔尔。跟我们自己的世界，英国、全世界一模一样，都只是阿斯兰世界中某个东西的临摹本或绘本。露茜，不用再为纳尼亚伤心了。老纳尼亚里一切重要的东西，可爱的动物，全都从门那里进来了。当然， 这也很不同的，真的东西毕竟跟它的影子是完全不同的，就好比现实生活跟梦境不同是一个道理。” 他说这些时，声音大得跟喇叭一样，一下子令大家都兴奋激动了好一会儿。不过，接着他又低语补充道：“这些文字的意思全部在帕拉图的书籍中。天啊，他们到底在学校都教了些什么啊！”年长些的孩子全都哈哈大笑起来。这番话跟他们很久之前，在另外一个世界说的话一模一样，不过在那里，他的胡子还是灰白色的，而不是金色的。他很理解大家哈哈大笑的原因，自己也很快参与其中。不过很快的，他们立刻恢复严肃。因为正如您所知，一种奇妙的幸福和神奇感觉叫你认真看待。这里实在太好了，没有舍得在这里开玩笑，浪费时间。 很难解释如今这个被阳光普照的领土跟已经消失的那个纳尼亚王国到底有哪些区别，就好像你说不清这里的果实到底哪一点出类拔萃是一个道理。这样一想，也许你会得到一些这方面的启发。例如， 你曾经在一间什么样的房间呆过，窗户正对可爱的海湾，亦或起伏于蜿蜒的群山和翠绿溪谷之中。正对着窗户的墙上说不定还挂了一面镜子。窗口那里转身回头的时候，你很有可能会从镜子中，看到映照的海湾和溪谷。从某种意义上讲，镜子里的海湾和溪谷，跟实际的海湾和溪谷，看起来绝对是一模一样的。但是就道理而言，又确实发现不了其中的错误：镱中世界太深，太神奇，就好像一个故事里的地方。 过去的纳尼亚和新的纳尼亚的不同也是一样道理。 新的纳尼亚似乎更深，更加辽阔，这里的每一块石头，每一朵鲜花，每一片叶子，都似乎蕴含着深刻的含义。我没法完全描述出来， 但是只要你有机会上那儿去，你总会明白的。 将大家的感受提炼出来的，是独角兽。它在地面用力蹬着前蹄， 扬声长嘶，大叫道： “我可算是到家了！这才是我的祖国！我穷尽一生，都在找寻的国土。虽然知道今天，我才发现它。为什么我们会爱那个老去的纳尼亚呢？是因为很多时候他的确挺像新的纳尼亚。布里……嘻…… 嘻！让我们走得更高，更深！” 独角兽摇晃鬃毛，向前迅速跑去，四肢差点没腾空飞起。在我们的世界中，一头独角兽如果跑得这么快，很快就会消失踪迹的。然而这时人们发现了一个奇怪的现象：当所有的人或动物也开始奔跑起来之后，他们居然全部都能够赶上独角兽，可不光是狗和人，连胖乎乎慢吞吞的迷惑和短腿的波金都能赶得上。风吹拂着他们的脸，好像他们开着一辆没有挡风玻璃的快车。他们就像在特快的车况中看到的情景一样：越跑越快，而且不觉得热、累或者连气都喘不过来。 第十六章 离开影子的世界 如果一个人飞奔之后丝毫不觉得累，肯定就不会去想要做别的什么事情。当然，总有那么一刻因为什么原因必须停下脚步，这也正是尤斯塔斯大声叫喊的原因。 “我说！咱们先别着急！让我们先看看到什么地方了吧！” 事实上，他可能必须要停下来了。因为大家所有人都已经看到了大锅深渊，还有背后那些高耸入云的悬崖，一秒钟喷泻几千吨水的巨型瀑布。从某些角度看，它亮光闪闪犹如金刚钻，某些角度，又有些像玻璃那种暗绿色。事实上，那电闪雷鸣般的瀑布声早就贯穿他们的双耳了。 “别停！往更高更深的地方去！”老鹰一边高喊，一边倾斜着身子飞稍微高了一些。 “对它而言就很简单。”尤斯塔斯说道，但珍宝也在大叫道：“别停。往更高更深的地方去！你们大步向前的时候一定会完全领悟到这种精神。” 在大瀑布轰鸣声中，独角兽的叫声勉强能被听到，但很快就看到它跳入到大锅深渊里去了。手忙脚乱的，溅起很多水，其他人和动物也跟着下去了。水并没有像他们想象的那么冰冷彻骨，尤其是驴子迷惑，反倒冒着泡沫，凉快极了。他们都发现自己正笔直地向大瀑布游去。 “真的是快疯了。”尤斯塔斯对爱德蒙说道。 “我知道。可是……”爱德蒙说。 “你不觉得这个很奇妙吗？”露茜说，“不知你是否注意，我们在这里完全不害怕，就算你想害怕也不行？你试试。” “天啊，还真的是呢。”尤斯塔斯试了后说道。 第一个到大瀑布下面的是独角兽珍宝，蒂里安紧随其后，最后到的是姬尔，所以她看到的比别人都多。她看见一个白色的东西漂浮在瀑布下的水面上，缓缓往上移动。那是独角兽珍宝。很难说他到底是在游泳还是攀登，不管怎么说，他都在不断攀高，而且越来越高。他头上的独角的尖尖把头顶的水分成两道水流，反射着五颜六色的光芒从他肩膀上流淌而下。 最可笑的那些大狗，他们一路狂奔跑得气都要上不来了，如今他们挤在一起，拼命向上爬。与此同时，它们还嘴里不停地狂吠、交谈，结果他们一直打喷嚏，还把自己搞得满身是水。不过，姬尔还没来得及完全看清就爬进大瀑布里去了。这在我们的世界里是不可能做到的。瀑布的恐怖力量一旦把你冲在石头尖端，就算没被淹死，也会被打得粉身碎骨。但是在这个世界却不会受伤。 当你向前、向上的时候，沐浴在瀑布和彩色石子反射出来的彩色光线中。远远看去，好像你在一团七彩光中向上攀登，越来越高， 高到令你害怕，同时还有荣耀和兴奋。经过顶端水流喷薄而出的那美丽可爱、翠绿光滑的弯道，你终于来到瀑布上方平坦的河面上，激流在身后奔腾而下。你不折不扣是个非凡的游泳健将，居然真的逆流而上了！很快，他们全都爬上岸来，浑身浸湿，快乐无比。 眼前出现了一条狭长的河谷和宏伟的雪山，在天空的映衬下， 高山巍峨。 “到更高更深的地方去。”独角兽珍宝大喊着，和大伙儿一起踏上了新的路程。 现在他们已经走出纳尼亚，进入更高的西部荒原。除了迪格雷勋爵和波莉夫人，其他人——蒂里安、彼得还有老鹰都不曾见过这个地方。“你还记得吗？你记得吗？”他们说，语调平稳和气，相互诉说， 并不怎么喘，虽然他们比其他人和动物都跑得快得多。 “啊，陛下，”蒂里安问道，“传说您们两位在世界开创那天就到这里，这是真的吗？” “是啊，”迪格雷勋爵感慨道，“我觉得好像不过是昨天的事一般。” “骑着一匹飞马？”蒂里安又问，“这部分也是真的吗？” “当然了。”迪格雷说。但狗们又叫了，“快，再快点！” 他们跑得越来越快，像飞一样，几乎和天上的老鹰比肩而行。穿过一个又一个弯弯的河谷，爬上无数个陡坡，又飞快地跑下去。时而跋山涉水，时而随波逐流，犹如一艘艘独具生命力量的快艇。最终， 他们来到了一个狭长形的湖泊边，湖水湛蓝好像土耳其美玉。湖畔耸立着翠绿的小山，小山很陡，两侧角度快赶上金字塔斜边了。一道绿色的围墙在山顶处环绕，几根树枝探出头来，上面长满了银色的叶子和金色的果实。 “往更高更深的地方去！”独角兽再一次大吼道，没有一个人后退。他们端直地往山上冲去，几乎毫不费力都跑上去了，就像被海岸边突起的石头拦断的波浪一样。尽管山坡陡峭得好像屋顶，草地滑得好像木球场，但是没有一个人失足跌倒。上山之后，他们的步伐逐渐慢下来，因为前面有一座巨大的金色大门。有那么一瞬间，大家都不敢去推那金门。这种感觉，就和当他们去采摘那些神奇果实的时候如出一辙——“敢吗？可以吗？这门会因我们而开吗？” 但是，当他们刚站在门外，一个巨大的号角就突然被吹响了， 声音嘹亮而舒润，也不知道谁在花园的什么地方呜呜呜吹响，金色的大门应声而开。 蒂里安大气也不敢出，正在猜想会是谁要走出来呢。他怎么也想不到，出来的竟然是一只小小的、毛发柔顺而有光泽、眼睛闪亮、会说话的老鼠，他的头上插着一根红色羽毛，左脚爪按着一把长剑。它弯腰，鞠了一个极其漂亮的躬，接着尖声说道：“以狮王之名，欢迎您！往更高更深地方去吧。” 紧接着，蒂里安看到至尊王彼得和国王爱德蒙还有女王露茜快跑上前，单膝下跪向老鼠致意，他们都齐声叫道：“雷佩契普！” 这件奇妙的事，让蒂里安的呼吸都变得急促起来，因为他知道， 在他眼前的是纳尼亚的大英雄老鼠雷佩契普，它在柏卢纳大战中立下赫赫战功，还跟着航海家凯斯宾国王去过天涯海角。但，他还没来得及深思，就被人紧紧搂住了，一个大胡子亲吻着他的面颊，紧接着他听到了一个熟悉的声音：“还好吗，孩子？跟上次我吻你时候相比， 胡子更长更密了吧？” 那是他的父亲，善良的国王厄莲：他不再是那个因与巨人战斗受伤，被人送回来的一脸苍白的父亲，也不是那个白发苍苍的老战士， 而是年轻的、愉快的父亲，跟他小时候看到的一模一样。当他还是小男孩的时候，夏日黄昏睡觉之前，就经常在凯尔帕拉维尔城堡的花园里和父亲一起玩耍。空气中漂浮着熟悉的味道——牛奶面包——他最常吃的晚餐。 独角兽珍宝暗暗对自己说：“让他们好好聊一会儿，我再向国王厄莲致敬。当我还是个小不点的时候，他给过我很多鲜润的苹果呢。”可是下一秒钟，他又想到别的事情上去了，门里跑出来一匹大马。他高大健壮，高贵优雅，背上还长着两个大翅膀，独角兽在他面前也自惭形秽。大马仔细打量了迪格雷勋爵和波莉夫人好大一会儿， 才嘶鸣着说：“哎呀，小兄弟、小妹妹！”他们则一起大叫：“弗兰奇！ 善良的老弗兰奇！”然后跑过去亲吻它。 这时候，老鼠再一次催促他们进屋去，于是大家穿门而过。这里阳光充沛，清澈洁净，树荫下光斑点点，草地上星星点点缀着白色的小花，微风拂过带来花园里的香气。大家印象最深的是：这花园似乎比在外面看到的要大得多，不过没有谁顾得上去想这个问题，因为很多人正从四面八方涌来和他们打招呼呢。 如果你了解这个国家的历史，所有你听说过的人物，好像都出现了。猫头鹰格里姆费瑟、沼泽怪普德格勒姆、诛魔者国王瑞利安、瑞利安的母亲星辰女、瑞利安那了不起的父亲凯斯宾。紧挨着凯斯宾的，是德里宁勋爵和伯尼勋爵、小矮人杜鲁普金、特鲁佛汉特、善良的獾、人马格兰斯托姆，以及拯救大战中的其他上百个英雄。从那边过来的是阿钦兰国王科奥、他父亲国王伦恩、他的王后阿拉维斯、他的兄弟勇敢的王子霹雳拳击手科林、战马布里以及母马赫温。 接着，在蒂里安看来，这简直是奇迹中的奇迹：甚至还有遥远古老时期，善良的海狸和羊怪图姆纳斯。他们互相问候着，亲吻，握手， 开着古老的玩笑。你恐怕难以想象一个五六百年前的古老的玩笑，现在听来是多有趣。大家一起朝前往花园的中心走去。在那里，一棵大树上稳稳地蹲着一只凤凰，向下俯瞰他们，树底下两个御座上坐的是国王弗兰克和王后海伦，高贵而美丽。他们是大部分古代国王的先祖。所有人，包括他们全跪下来，向国王和王后行礼。蒂里安则感觉自己好像见到了年轻时期的亚当和夏娃。 半个小时之后，也可能是五十年之后，因为这里的时间跟咱们世界的时间是截然不同的，露茜和她亲爱的朋友羊怪图姆纳斯站在一起，在花园墙头之上俯瞰，观望下面纳尼亚的全貌。她发现在此俯瞰， 山似乎比想象的还要大，悬崖亮光闪闪绵延数千英尺，底下的树木看上去只有绿色的盐粒大小。接着她转过身去，背靠墙向内望着花园。 “我知道了，”她沉思半晌说道，“我总算明白了。这个花园跟那个马厩一样，里面远比外面看到的大得多。” “当然了，夏娃的女儿，”羊怪说，“在越高越深的地方，东西会变得越大，也就是里面比外面大的原因。” 露茜这才开始观察整个花园，她发现这儿根本是一个完整的世界，而非一个小小的花园。这儿有她熟悉的一切——江河、森林、海洋和山岭。 “我知道了，”她又说道，“花园里的也是纳尼亚，但比下面的那个更美丽更真，马厩里的纳尼亚比外面的更美更真！我知道了…… 世界中的世界，纳尼亚中的纳尼亚……” “是的，”图姆纳斯先生说，“就像洋葱头，不同的是一层裹着一层，每一层总是比里面那层大。” 露茜东看看西瞧瞧，很快发现她眼睛也发生新奇的变化。不管她在看什么，也不管那东西有多远，只要她紧盯着看，那东西就会变得又近又清晰，好像从望远镜里看到的一样。她能看到南方的一整片沙漠，还有那后头的塔什班城，还能看到东方海滨处的凯尔帕拉维尔城，看到她曾经住过的房间的窗户。在大海之滨，她还看到了许多岛屿，一个接着另一个，直到天涯海角。天涯之后，她看到了阿斯兰领地上的崇山峻岭。 接着，她还发现，整个世界都是被连绵不断的山岭包围的，她之前看到的高山险岭，不过是其中的一小部分。如今这些山岭就在她眼前仿佛触手可及。随后，她向左边看去，在一条鸿沟对面发现了一大团色彩艳丽的云彩。她再看下去才发现那些其实不是云彩，而是一块陆地。接着当她看到一个熟悉的地点时，她大喊起来：“彼得！ 爱德蒙！快来！快来看看。”他们于是都来看了，因为他们的眼睛也和露茜一样。 “呀！”彼得叫道，“那是英国。那间房子不正是柯克教授在乡下的老屋——我们全部奇遇开始的地方！” “那房子不是塌了吗？”爱德蒙说。 “那房子早就坍塌了，”羊怪接道，“你现在看到的英国，是英国中的英国，最里面的最美的最完善的英国，跟这里一样，所有美好的东西都将永存。” 突然，他们看向了另一个地点，这下可让彼得、爱德蒙和露茜都惊讶得连呼吸都忘了。他们大声呼喊着，双手用力地舞动起来：他们看到了自己的父母，也正隔着鸿沟向他们挥手示意呢。就好像在码头，船上的人在甲板上向迎接他们的人挥手致意。 “我们能和他们相聚吗？”露茜问道。 “很容易，”图姆纳斯说道，“这里的所有国家，那个还有这个， 都是真正的国家，跟阿斯兰的峻岭上一块突起的岩石一样。我们只要沿着山脊，一直往里面、往上面去，走到两国接壤处……听！弗兰克国王的号角吹响了，我们都该出发了。” 不久所有人都走到了一起——结成一个宏伟、辉煌的行列，走到更深更高的，比你现在能看到的一切还要高的山上去。不过，这些山上并没有冰雪，只有茂密的树林、翠绿的山坡、香气四溢的果园和闪闪发光的瀑布，一个连着一个绵延不断。他们正在两个深谷当中的一条小路上行走，越走越窄，距离深谷那一头真正的英国越来越近。 眼前的光线越来越强，露茜看到许多层层叠叠的峭壁悬崖，很像是巨人的磴道。接着她忘了其他所有的一切，因为她看到了阿斯兰， 它正从其中一个峭壁跑过来，力量十足，生动活泼。 阿斯兰最先召唤的是驴子迷惑。迷惑慢慢地往阿斯兰走去，从没有人见过哪一头驴子像他那样软弱和愚笨。站在阿斯兰身边的他像是圣?贝尔纳身边的小猫。狮王低下头，小声地在它耳边低声细语， 听完之后，迷惑的长耳朵垂下了；于是狮王又说了些什么，这一次迷惑的耳朵很快竖了起来。大家都不知道狮王到底说了些什么。接着， 阿斯兰转向众人说道： “看来你们好像不怎么高兴啊。” 露茜说，“阿斯兰，我们担心你会把我们送走。有好几次，你都是这么做的。” “别担心，”阿斯兰说道，“难道你们没猜到吗？” 他们的心怦怦直跳，心中燃起了希望的火苗。 “的确发生了一场列车事故，”阿斯兰低声说道，“你们的父母以及你们自己都——就像你们曾经说过的那样——死了。学期结束了，假期开始了。梦做完了，现在是早晨了。” 阿斯兰说这些的时候，压根不像一头狮子。接下来的事情美好极了，我很难在这里表述出来。对我们来说，这就是故事的结局了， 从此以后，大家都能快乐幸福地生活在一起。但是对他们而言，这不过是故事的开始，他们又翻开了在这个世界中奇遇的新篇章。没有人读过这个新故事，它会一直继续下去，而且一章比一章更加精彩。 CHAPTER ONE BY CALDRON POOL IN the last days of Narnia，far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall，there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first come to live in those parts，and he was the cleverest，ugliest，most wrinkled Ape you can imagine. He had a little house，built of wood and thatched with leaves，up in the fork of a great tree， and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs，or people of any sort，in that part of the wood， but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends，but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shift’s servant than his friend. He did all the work. When they went together to the river，Shift filled the big skin bottles with water but it was Puzzle who carried them back. When they wanted anything from the towns further down the river it was Puzzle who went down with empty panniers on his back and came back with the panniers full and heavy. And all the nicest things that Puzzle brought back were eaten by Shift; for as Shift said，“You see，Puzzle，I can’t eat grass and thistles like you，so it’s only fair I should make it up in other ways.”And Puzzle always said，“Of course，Shift，of course. I see that.”Puzzle never complained，because he knew that Shift was far cleverer than himself and he thought it was very kind of Shift to be friends with him at all. And if ever Puzzle did try to argue about anything，Shift would always say，“Now，Puzzle， I understand what needs to be done better than you. You know you’re not clever，Puzzle.”And Puzzle always said，“No，Shift. It’s quite true. I’m not clever.”Then he would sigh and do whatever Shift had said． One morning early in the year the pair of them were out walking along the shore of Caldron Pool. Caldron Pool is the big pool right under the cliffs at the western end of Narnia. The great waterfall pours down into it with a noise like everlasting thunder， and the River of Narnia flows out on the other side. The waterfall keeps the Pool always dancing and bubbling and churning round and round as if it were on the boil，and that of course is how it got its name of Caldron Pool. It is liveliest in the early spring when the waterfall is swollen with all the snow that has melted off the mountains from up beyond Narnia in the Western Wild from which the river comes. And as they looked at Caldron Pool Shift suddenly pointed with his dark，skinny finger and said， “Look! What’s that ？” “What’s what ？”said Puzzle． “That yellow thing that’s just come down the waterfall. Look! There it is again，it’s floating. We must find out what it is.” “Must we ？”said Puzzle． “Of course we must，”said Shift.“It may be something useful. Just hop into the Pool like a good fellow and fish it out. Then we can have a proper look at it.” “Hop into the Pool ？”said Puzzle，twitching his long ears． “Well how are we to get it if you don’t ？”said the Ape． “But-but，”said Puzzle，“wouldn’t it be better if you went in ？ Because，you see，it’s you who wants to know what it is， and I don’t much. And you’ve got hands，you see. You’re as good as a Man or a Dwarf when it comes to catching hold of things. I’ve only got hoofs.” “Really，Puzzle，”said Shift，“I didn’t think you’d ever say a thing like that. I didn’t think it of you，really.” “Why，what have I said wrong ？”said the Ass，speaking in rather a humble voice，for he saw that Shift was very deeply offended.“All I meant was-” “Wanting me to go into the water，”said the Ape.“As if you didn’t know perfectly well what weak chests Apes always have and how easily they catch cold! Very well. I will go in. I’m feeling cold enough already in this cruel wind. But I’ll go in. I shall probably die. Then you’ll be sorry.”And Shift’s voice sounded as if he was just going to burst into tears． “Please don’t，please don’t，please don’t，”said Puzzle， half braying，and half talking.“I never meant anything of the sort，Shift，really I didn’t. You know how stupid I am and how I can’t think of more than one thing at a time. I’d forgotten about your weak chest. Of course I’ll go in. You mustn’t think of doing it yourself. Promise me you won’t，Shift.” So Shift promised，and Puzzle went cloppety-clop on his four hoofs round the rocky edge of the Pool to find a place where he could get in. Quite apart from the cold it was no joke getting into that quivering and foaming water，and Puzzle had to stand and shiver for a whole minute before he made up his mind to do it. But then Shift called out from behind him and said：“Perhaps I’d better do it after all，Puzzle.”And when Puzzle heard that he said，“No， no. You promised. I’m in now，”and in he went． A great mass of foam got him in the face and filled his mouth with water and blinded him. Then he went under altogether for a few seconds，and when he came up again he was in quite another part of the Pool. Then the swirl caught him and carried him round and round and faster and faster till it took him right under the waterfall itself，and the force of the water plunged him down，deep down， so that he thought he would never be able to hold his breath till he came up again. And when he had come up and when at last he got somewhere near the thing he was trying to catch，it sailed away from him till it too got under the fall and was forced down to the bottom. When it came up again it was further from him than ever. But at last，when he was almost tired to death，and bruised all over and numb with cold，he succeeded in gripping the thing with his teeth. And out he came carrying it in front of him and getting his front hoofs tangled up in it，for it was as big as a large hearthrug， and it was very heavy and cold and slimy． He flung it down in front of Shift and stood dripping and shivering and trying to get his breath back. But the Ape never looked at him or asked him how he felt. The Ape was too busy going round and round the Thing and spreading it out and patting it and smelling it. Then a wicked gleam came into his eye and he said： “It is a lion’s skin.” “Ee-auh-auh-oh，is it ？”gasped Puzzle． “Now I wonder... I wonder... I wonder，”said Shift to himself， for he was thinking very hard． “I wonder who killed the poor lion，”said Puzzle presently.“It ought to be buried. We must have a funeral.” “Oh，it wasn’t a Talking Lion，”said Shift.“You needn’t bother about that. There are no Talking Beasts up beyond the Falls，up in the Western Wild. This skin must have belonged to a dumb，wild lion.” This，by the way，was true. A Hunter，a Man，had killed and skinned this lion somewhere up in the Western Wild several months before. But that doesn’t come into this story． “All the same，Shift，”said Puzzle，“even if the skin only belonged to a dumb，wild lion，oughtn’t we to give it a decent burial ？ I mean，aren’t all lions rather-well，rather solemn ？ Because of you know Who. Don’t you see ？” “Don’t you start getting ideas into your head，Puzzle，”said Shift.“Because，you know，thinking isn’t your strong point. We’ll make this skin into a fine warm winter coat for you.” “Oh，I don’t think I’d like that，”said the Donkey.“It would look-I mean，the other Beasts might think-that is to say，I shouldn’t feel-” “What are you talking about ？”said Shift，scratching himself the wrong way up as Apes do． “I don’t think it would be respectful to the Great Lion，to Aslan himself，if an ass like me went about dressed up in a lion-skin，”said Puzzle． “Now don’t stand arguing，please，”said Shift.“What does an ass like you know about things of that sort ？ You know you’re no good at thinking，Puzzle，so why don’t you let me do your thinking for you ？ Why don’t you treat me as I treat you ？ I don’t think I can do everything. I know you’re better at some things than I am. That’s why I let you go into the Pool; I knew you’d do it better than me. But why can’t I have my turn when it comes to something I can do and you can’t ？ Am I never to be allowed to do anything ？ Do be fair. Turn and turn about.” “Oh，well，of course，if you put it that way，”said Puzzle． “I tell you what，”said Shift.“You’d better take a good brisk trot down river as far as Chippingford and see if they have any oranges or bananas.” “But I’m so tired，Shift，”pleaded Puzzle． “Yes，but you are very cold and wet，”said the Ape.“You want something to warm you up. A brisk trot would be just the thing. Besides，it’s market day at Chippingford today.”And then of course Puzzle said he would go． As soon as he was alone Shift went shambling along， sometimes on two paws and sometimes on four，till he reached his own tree. Then he swung himself up from branch to branch， chattering and grinning all the time，and went into his little house. He found needle and thread and a big pair of scissors there; for he was a clever Ape and the Dwarfs had taught him how to sew. He put the ball of thread (it was very thick stuff，more like cord than thread) into his mouth so that his cheek bulged out as if he were sucking a big bit of toffee. He held the needle between his lips and took the scissors in his left paw. Then he came down the tree and shambled across to the lion-skin. He squatted down and got to work． He saw at once that the body of the lion-skin would be too long for Puzzle and its neck too short. So he cut a good piece out of the body and used it to make a long collar for Puzzle’s long neck. Then he cut off the head and sewed the collar in between the head and the shoulders. He put threads on both sides of the skin so that it would tie up under Puzzle’s chest and stomach. Every now and then a bird would pass overhead and Shift would stop his work，looking anxiously up. He did not want anyone to see what he was doing. But none of the birds he saw were Talking Birds，so it didn’t matter． Late in the afternoon Puzzle came back. He was not trotting but only plodding patiently along，the way donkeys do． “There weren’t any oranges，”he said，“and there weren’t any bananas. And I’m very tired.”He lay down． “Come and try on your beautiful new lion-skin coat，”said Shift． “Oh bother that old skin，”said Puzzle.“I’ll try it on in the morning. I’m too tired tonight.” “You are unkind，Puzzle，”said Shift.“If you’re tired what do you think I am ？ All day long，while you’ve been having a lovely refreshing walk down the valley，I’ve been working hard to make you a coat. My paws are so tired I can hardly hold these scissors. And you won’t say thank you-and you won’t even look at the coat-and you don’t care-and-and-” “My dear Shift，”said Puzzle getting up at once，“I am so sorry. I’ve been horrid. Of course I’d love to try it on. And it looks simply splendid. Do try it on me at once. Please do.” “Well，stand still then，”said the Ape. The skin was very heavy for him to lift，but in the end，with a lot of pulling and pushing and puffing and blowing，he got it on to the donkey. He tied it underneath Puzzle’s body and he tied the legs to Puzzle’s legs and the tail to Puzzle’s tail. A good deal of Puzzle’s grey nose and face could be seen through the open mouth of the lion’s head. No one who had ever seen a real lion would have been taken in for a moment. But if someone who had never seen a lion looked at Puzzle in his lion-skin he just might mistake him for a lion，if he didn’t come too close，and if the light was not too good，and if Puzzle didn’t let out a bray and didn’t make any noise with his hoofs． “You look wonderful，wonderful，”said the Ape.“If anyone saw you now，they’d think you were Aslan，the Great Lion， himself.” “That would be dreadful，”said Puzzle． “No it wouldn’t，”said Shift.“Everyone would do whatever you told them.” “But I don’t want to tell them anything.” “But you think of the good we could do!”said Shift.“You’d have me to advise you，you know. I’d think of sensible orders for you to give. And everyone would have to obey us，even the King himself. We would set everything right in Narnia.” “But isn’t everything right already ？”said Puzzle． “What!”cried Shift.“Everything right ？-when there are no oranges or bananas ？” “Well，you know，”said Puzzle，“there aren’t many people-in fact，I don’t think there’s anyone but yourself-who wants those sort of things.” “There’s sugar too，”said Shift． “H’m yes，”said the Ass.“It would be nice if there was more sugar.” “Well then，that’s settled，”said the Ape.“You will pretend to be Aslan，and I’ll tell you what to say.” “No，no，no，”said Puzzle.“Don’t say such dreadful things. It would be wrong，Shift. I maybe not very clever but I know that much. What would become of us if the real Aslan turned up ？” “I expect he’d be very pleased，”said Shift.“Probably he sent us the lion-skin on purpose，so that we could set things to right. Anyway，he never does turn up，you know. Not nowadays.” At that moment there came a great thunderclap right overhead and the ground trembled with a small earthquake. Both the animals lost their balance and were flung on their faces． “There!”gasped Puzzle，as soon as he had breath to speak.“It’s a sign，a warning. I knew we were doing something dreadfully wicked. Take this wretched skin off me at once.” “No， no，”said the Ape (whose mind worked very quickly).“It’s a sign the other way. I was just going to say that if the real Aslan，as you call him，meant us to go on with this，he would send us a thunderclap and an earth-tremor. It was just on the tip of my tongue，only the sign itself came before I could get the words out. You’ve got to do it now，Puzzle. And please don’t let us have any more arguing. You know you don’t understand these things. What could a donkey know about signs ？” CHAPTER TWO THE RASHNESS OF THE KING About three weeks later the last of the Kings of Narnia sat under the great oak which grew beside the door of his little hunting lodge，where he often stayed for ten days or so in the pleasant spring weather. It was a low，thatched building not far from the Eastern end of Lantern Waste and some way above the meeting of the two rivers. He loved to live there simply and at ease，away from the state and pomp of Cair Paravel，the royal city. His name was King Tirian，and he was between twenty and twenty-five years old; his shoulders were already broad and strong and his limbs full of hard muscle，but his beard was still scanty. He had blue eyes and a fearless，honest face． There was no one with him that spring morning except his dearest friend，Jewel the Unicorn. They loved each other like brothers and each had saved the other’s life in the wars. The lordly beast stood close beside the King’s chair，with its neck bent round polishing its blue horn against the creamy whiteness of its flank． “I cannot set myself to any work or sport today，Jewel，”said the King.“I can think of nothing but this wonderful news. Think you we shall hear any more of it today ？” “They are the most wonderful tidings ever heard in our days or our fathers’ or our grandfathers’ days，Sire，”said Jewel，“if they are true.” “How can they choose but be true ？”said the King.“It is more than a week ago that the first birds came flying over us saying， Aslan is here，Aslan has come to Narnia again. And after that it was the squirrels. They had not seen him，but they said it was certain he was in the woods. Then came the Stag. He said he had seen him with his own eyes，a great way off，by moonlight， in Lantern Waste. Then came that dark Man with the beard，the merchant from Calormen. The Calormenes care nothing for Aslan as we do; but the man spoke of it as a thing beyond doubt. And there was the Badger last night; he too had seen Aslan.” “Indeed，Sire，”answered Jewel，“I believe it all. If I seem not to，it is only that my joy is too great to let my belief settle itself. It is almost too beautiful to believe.” “Yes，”said the King with a great sigh，almost a shiver，of delight.“It is beyond all that I ever hoped for in all my life.” “Listen!”said Jewel，putting his head on one side and cocking his ears forward． “What is it ？”asked the King． “Hoofs，Sire，”said Jewel.“A galloping horse. A very heavy horse. It must be one of the Centaurs. And look，there he is.” A great，golden bearded Centaur，with man’s sweat on his forehead and horse’s sweat on his chestnut flanks，dashed up to the King，stopped，and bowed low.“Hail，King，”it cried in a voice as deep as a bull’s． “Ho，there!”said the King，looking over his shoulder towards the door of the hunting lodge.“A bowl of wine for the noble Centaur. Welcome，Roonwit. When you have found your breath you shall tell us your errand.” A page came out of the house carrying a great wooden bowl， curiously carved，and handed it to the Centaur. The Centaur raised the bowl and said， “I drink first to Aslan and truth，Sire，and secondly to your Majesty.” He finished the wine (enough for six strong men) at one draught and handed the empty bowl back to the page． “Now，Roonwit，”said the King.“Do you bring us more news of Aslan ？” Roonwit looked very grave，frowning a little． “Sire，”he said.“You know how long I have lived and studied the stars; for we Centaurs live longer than you Men，and even longer than your kind，Unicorn. Never in all my days have I seen such terrible things written in the skies as there have been nightly since this year began. The stars say nothing of the coming of Aslan，nor of peace，nor of joy. I know by my art that there have not been such disastrous conjunctions of the planets for five hundred years. It was already in my mind to come and warn your Majesty that some great evil hangs over Narnia. But last night the rumour reached me that Aslan is abroad in Narnia. Sire，do not believe this tale. It cannot be. The stars never lie，but Men and Beasts do. If Aslan were really coming to Narnia the sky would have foretold it. If he were really come，all the most gracious stars would be assembled in his honour. It is all a lie.” “A lie!”said the King fiercely.“What creature in Narnia or all the world would dare to lie on such a matter ？”And，without knowing it，he laid his hand on his sword hilt． “That I know not，Lord King，”said the Centaur.“But I know there are liars on earth; there are none among the stars.” “I wonder，”said Jewel，“whether Aslan might not come though all the stars foretold otherwise. He is not the slave of the stars but their Maker. Is it not said in all the old stories that He is not a tame lion.” “Well said，well said，Jewel，”cried the King.“Those are the very words：not a tame lion. It comes in many tales.” Roonwit had just raised his hand and was leaning forward to say something very earnestly to the King when all three of them turned their heads to listen to a wailing sound that was quickly drawing nearer. The wood was so thick to the West of them that they could not see the newcomer yet. But they could soon hear the words． “Woe，woe，woe!”called the voice.“Woe for my brothers and sisters! Woe for the holy trees! The woods are laid waste. The axe is loosed against us. We are being felled. Great trees are falling，falling，falling.” With the last“falling”the speaker came in sight. She was like a woman but so tall that her head was on a level with the Centaur’s yet she was like a tree too. It is hard to explain if you have never seen a Dryad but quite unmistakable once you have-something different in the colour，the voice，and the hair. King Tirian and the two Beasts knew at once that she was the nymph of a beech tree． “Justice，Lord King!”she cried. “Come to our aid. Protect your people. They are felling us in Lantern Waste．Forty great trunks of my brothers and sisters are already on the ground.” “What，Lady! Felling Lantern Waste ？ Murdering the talking trees ？”cried the King，leaping to his feet and drawing his sword.“How dare they ？ And who dares it ？ Now by the Mane of Aslan-” “A-a-a-h，”gasped the Dryad shuddering as if in pain-shuddering time after time as if under repeated blows. Then all at once she fell sideways as suddenly as if both her feet had been cut from under her. For a second they saw her lying dead on the grass and then she vanished. They knew what had happened. Her tree， miles away，had been cut down． For a moment the King’s grief and anger were so great that he could not speak. Then he said： “Come，friends. We must go up river and find the villains who have done this，with all the speed we may. I will leave not one of them alive.” “Sire，with a good will，”said Jewel． But Roonwit said，“Sire，be wary in your just wrath. There are strange doings on foot. If there should be rebels in arms further up the valley，we three are too few to meet them. If it would please you to wait while-” “I will not wait the tenth part of a second，”said the King.“But while Jewel and I go forward，do you gallop as hard as you may to Cair Paravel. Here is my ring for your token. Get me a score of men-at-arms，all well mounted，and a score of Talking Dogs， and ten Dwarfs (let them all be fell archers)，and a Leopard or so， and Stonefoot the Giant. Bring all these after us as quickly as may be.” “With a good will，Sire，”said Roonwit. And at once he turned and galloped Eastward down the valley． The King strode on at a great pace，sometimes muttering to himself and sometimes clenching his fists. Jewel walked beside him，saying nothing; so there was no sound between them but the faint jingle of a rich gold chain that hung round the Unicorn’s neck and the noise of two feet and four hoofs． They soon reached the River and turned up it where there was a grassy road：they had the water on their left and the forest on their right. Soon after that they came to the place where the ground grew rougher and thick wood came down to the water’s edge. The road， what there was of it，now ran on the Southern bank and they had to ford the River to reach it. It was up to Tirian’s arm-pits，but Jewel (who had four legs and was therefore steadier) kept on his right so as to break the force of the current，and Tirian put his strong arm round the Unicorn’s strong neck and they both got safely over. The King was still so angry that he hardly noticed the cold of the water. But of course he dried his sword very carefully on the shoulder of his cloak，which was the only dry part of him，as soon as they came to shore． They were now going Westward with the River on their right and Lantern Waste straight ahead of them. They had not gone more than a mile when they both stopped and both spoke at the same moment. The King said“What have we here ？”and Jewel said“Look!” “It is a raft，”said King Tirian． And so it was. Half a dozen splendid tree-trunks，all newly cut and newly lopped of their branches，had been lashed together to make a raft，and were gliding swiftly down the river. On the front of the raft there was a water rat with a pole to steer it． “Hey! Water-Rat! What are you about ？”cried the King． “Taking logs down to sell to the Calormenes，Sire，”said the Rat，touching his ear as he might have touched his cap if he had had one． “Calormenes!”thundered Tirian.“What do you mean ？ Who gave order for these trees to be felled ？” The River flows so swiftly at that time of the year that the raft had already glided past the King and Jewel. But the Water-Rat looked back over its shoulder and shouted out： “The Lion’s orders，Sire. Aslan himself.”He added something more but they couldn’t hear it． The King and the Unicorn stared at one another and both looked more frightened than they had ever been in any battle． “Aslan，”said the King at last，in a very low voice.“Aslan. Could it be true ？ Could he be felling the holy trees and murdering the Dryads ？” “Unless the Dryads have all done something dreadfully wrong-”murmured Jewel． “But selling them to Calormenes!”said the King.“Is it possible ？” “I don’t know，”said Jewel miserably.“He’s not a tame lion.” “Well，”said the King at last，“we must go on and take the adventure that comes to us.” “It is the only thing left for us to do，Sire，”said the Unicorn. He did not see at the moment how foolish it was for two of them to go on alone; nor did the King. They were too angry to think clearly. But much evil came of their rashness in the end． Suddenly the King leaned hard on his friend’s neck and bowed his head． “Jewel，”he said，“what lies before us ？ Horrible thoughts arise in my heart. If we had died before today we should have been happy.” “Yes，”said Jewel.“We have lived too long. The worst thing in the world has come upon us.”They stood like that for a minute or two and then went on． Before long they could hear the hack-hack-hack of axes falling on timber，though they could see nothing yet because there was a rise of the ground in front of them. When they had reached the top of it they could see right into Lantern Waste itself. And the King’s face turned white when he saw it． Right through the middle of that ancient forest-that forest where the trees of gold and of silver had once grown and where a child from our world had once planted the Tree of Protection-a broad lane had already been opened. It was a hideous lane like a raw gash in the land，full of muddy ruts where felled trees had been dragged down to the river. There was a great crowd of people at work，and a cracking of whips，and horses tugging and straining as they dragged at the logs. The first thing that struck the King and the Unicorn was that about half the people in the crowd were not Talking Beasts but Men. The next thing was that these men were not the fair-haired men of Narnia：they were dark，bearded men from Calormen，that great and cruel country that lies beyond Archenland across the desert to the south. There was no reason，of course，why one should not meet a Calormene or two in Narnia-a merchant or an ambassador-for there was peace between Narnia and Calormen in those days. But Tirian could not understand why there were so many of them：nor why they were cutting down a Narnian forest. He grasped his sword tighter and rolled his cloak round his left arm. They came quickly down among the men． Two Calormenes were driving a horse which was harnessed to a log. Just as the King reached them the log got stuck in a bad muddy place． “Get on，son of sloth! Pull，you lazy pig!”cried the Calormenes，cracking their whips. The horse was already straining himself as hard as he could; his eyes were red and he was covered with foam． “Work，lazy brute，”shouted one of the Calormenes：and as he spoke he struck the horse savagely with his whip. It was then that the really dreadful thing happened． Up till now Tirian had taken it for granted that the horses which the Calormenes were driving were their own horses; dumb，witless animals like the horses of our own world. And though he hated to see even a dumb horse overdriven，he was of course thinking more about the murder of the Trees. It had never crossed his mind that anyone would dare to harness one of the free Talking Horses of Narnia，much less to use a whip on it. But as that savage blow fell the horse reared up and said，half screaming： “Fool and tyrant! Do you not see I am doing all I can ？” When Tirian knew that the Horse was one of his own Narnians，there came over him and over Jewel such a rage that they did not know what they were doing. The King’s sword went up，the Unicorn’s horn went down. They rushed forward together. Next moment both the Calormenes lay dead，the one beheaded by Tirian’s sword and the other gored through the heart by Jewel’s horn． CHAPTER THREE THE APE IN ITS GLORY “MASTER Horse，Master Horse，”said Tirian as he hastily cut its traces，“how came these aliens to enslave you ？ Is Narnia conquered ？ Has there been a battle ？” “No，Sire，”panted the horse，“Aslan is here. It is all by his orders. He has commanded-” “‘Ware danger，King，”said Jewel. Tirian looked up and saw that Calormenes (mixed with a few Talking Beasts) were beginning to run towards them from every direction. The two dead men had died without a cry and so it had taken a moment before the rest of the crowd knew what had happened. But now they did. Most of them had naked scimitars in their hands． “Quick. On my back，”said Jewel． The King flung himself astride of his old friend who turned and galloped away. He changed direction twice or thrice as soon as they were out of sight of their enemies，crossed a stream，and shouted without slackening his pace，“Whither away，Sire ？ To Cair Paravel ？” “Hold hard，friend，”said Tirian.“Let me off.”He slid off the Unicorn’s back and faced him． “Jewel，”said the King.“We have done a dreadful deed.” “We were sorely provoked，”said Jewel． “But to leap on them unawares-without defying them while they were unarmed-faugh! We are two murderers，Jewel. I am dishonoured forever.” Jewel drooped his head. He too was ashamed． “And then，”said the King，“the Horse said it was by Aslan’s orders. The Rat said the same. They all say Aslan is here. How if it were true ？” “But，Sire，how could Aslan be commanding such dreadful things ？” “He is not a tame lion，”said Tirian.“How should we know what he would do ？ We，who are murderers. Jewel，I will go back. I will give up my sword and put myself in the hands of these Calormenes and ask that they bring me before Aslan. Let him do justice on me.” “You will go to your death，then，”said Jewel． “Do you think I care if Aslan dooms me to death ？ ”said the King.“That would be nothing，nothing at all. Would it not be better to be dead than to have this horrible fear that Aslan has come and is not like the Aslan we have believed in and longed for ？ It is as if the sun rose one day and were a black sun.” “I know，”said Jewel.“Or as if you drank water and it were dry water. You are in the right，Sire. This is the end of all things. Let us go and give ourselves up.” “There is no need for both of us to go.” “If ever we loved one another，let me go with you now，”said the Unicorn.“If you are dead and if Aslan is not Aslan，what life is left for me ？” They turned and walked back together，shedding bitter tears． As soon as they came to the place where the work was going on the Calormenes raised a cry and came towards them with their weapons in hand. But the King held out his sword with the hilt towards them and said： “I who was King of Narnia and am now a dishonoured knight give myself up to the justice of Aslan. Bring me before him.” “And I give myself up too，”said Jewel． Then the dark men came round them in a thick crowd， smelling of garlic and onions，their white eyes flashing dreadfully in their brown faces. They put a rope halter round Jewel’s neck. They took the King’s sword away and tied his hands behind his back. One of the Calormenes，who had a helmet instead of a turban and seemed to be in command，snatched the gold circlet off Tirian’s head and hastily put it away somewhere among his clothes. They led the two prisoners uphill to a place where there was a big clearing. And this was what the prisoners saw. At the centre of the clearing，which was also the highest point of the hill，there was a little hut like a stable，with a thatched roof. Its door was shut. On the grass in front of the door there sat an Ape. Tirian and Jewel，who had been expecting to see Aslan and had heard nothing about an Ape yet，were very bewildered when they saw it. The Ape was of course Shift himself，but he looked ten times uglier than when he lived by Caldron Pool，for he was now dress-ed up. He was wearing a scarlet jacket which did not fit him very well，having been made for a dwarf. He had Jewelled slippers on his hind paws which would not stay on properly because，as you know，the hind paws of an Ape are really like hands. He wore what seemed to be a paper crown on his head. There was a great pile of nuts beside him and he kept cracking nuts with his jaws and spitting out the shells. And he also kept on pulling up the scarlet jacket to scratch himself. A great number of Talking Beasts stood facing him，and nearly every face in that crowd looked miserably worried and bewildered. When they saw who the prisoners were they all groaned and whimpered． “O Lord Shift，mouthpiece of Aslan，”said the chief Calormene.“We bring you prisoners. By our skill and courage and by the permission of the great god Tash we have taken alive these two desperate murderers.” “Give me that man’s sword，”said the Ape. So they took the King’s sword and handed it，with the sword-belt and all，to the monkey. And he hung it round his own neck：and it made him look sillier than ever． “We’ll see about those two later，”said the Ape，spitting out a shell in the direction of the two prisoners.“I got some other business first. They can wait. Now listen to me，everyone. The first thing I want to say is about nuts. Where’s that Head Squirrel got to ？” “Here，Sir，”said a red squirrel，coming forward and making a nervous little bow． “Oh you are，are you ？”said the Ape with a nasty look.“Now attend to me. I want-I mean，Aslan wants-some more nuts. These you’ve brought aren’t anything like enough. You must bring some more，do you hear ？ Twice as many. And they’ve got to be here by sunset tomorrow，and there mustn’t be any bad ones or any small ones among them.” A murmur of dismay ran through the other squirrels，and the Head Squirrel plucked up courage to say： “Please，would Aslan himself speak to us about it ？ If we might be allowed to see him-” “Well you won’t，”said the Ape.“He may be very kind (though it’s a lot more than most of you deserve) and come out for a few minutes tonight. Then you can all have a look at him. But he will not have you all crowding round him and pestering him with questions. Anything you want to say to him will be passed on through me： if I think it’s worth bothering him about. In the meantime all you squirrels had better go and see about the nuts. And make sure they are here by tomorrow evening or，my word! you’ll catch it.” The poor squirrels all scampered away as if a dog were after them. This new order was terrible news for them. The nuts they had carefully hoarded for the winter had nearly all been eaten by now; and of the few that were left they had already given the Ape far more than they could spare． Then a deep voice-it belonged to a great tusked and shaggy Boar-spoke from another part of the crowd． “But why can’t we see Aslan properly and talk to him ？”it said.“When he used to appear in Narnia in the old days everyone could talk to him face to face.” “Don’t you believe it，”said the Ape.“And even if it was true， times have changed. Aslan says he’s been far too soft with you before，do you see ？ Well，he isn’t going to be soft any more. He’s going to lick you into shape this time. He’ll teach you to think he’s a tame lion!” A low moaning and whimpering was heard among the Beasts; and，after that，a dead silence which was more miserable still． “And now there’s another thing you got to learn，”said the Ape.“I hear some of you are saying I’m an Ape. Well，I’m not. I’m a Man. If I look like an Ape，that’s because I’m so very old： hundreds and hundreds of years old. And it’s because I’m so old that I’m so wise. And it’s because I’m so wise that I’m the only one Aslan is ever going to speak to. He can’t be bothered talking to a lot of stupid animals. He’ll tell me what you’ve got to do，and I’ll tell the rest of you. And take my advice，and see you do it in double quick time，for he doesn’t mean to stand any nonsense.” There was a dead silence except for the noise of a very young badger crying and its mother trying to make it keep quiet． “And now here’s another thing，”the Ape went on，fitting a fresh nut into its cheek，“I hear some of the horses are saying， Let’s hurry up and get this job of carting timber over as quickly as we can，and then we’ll be free again. Well，you can get that idea out of your heads at once. And not only the Horses either. Everybody who can work is going to be made to work in future. Aslan has it all settled with the King of Calormen-The Tisroc，as our dark faced friends the Calormenes call him. All you Horses and Bulls and Donkeys are to be sent down into Calormen to work for your living-pulling and carrying the way horses and such-like do in other countries. And all you digging animals like Moles and Rabbits and Dwarfs are going down to work in The Tisroc’s mines. And-” “No，no，no，”howled the Beasts.“It can’t be true. Aslan would never sell us into slavery to the King of Calormen.” “None of that! Hold your noise!”said the Ape with a snarl.“Who said anything about slavery ？You won’t be slaves. You’ll be paid-very good wages too. That is to say，your pay will be paid into Aslan’s treasury and he will use it all for everybody’s good.”Then he glanced，and almost winked，at the chief Calormene. The Calormene bowed and replied，in the pompous Calormene way： “Most sapient Mouthpiece of Aslan，The Tisroc (may he-live-forever) is wholly of one mind with your lordship in this judicious plan.” “There! You see!”said the Ape.“It’s all arranged. And all for your own good. We’ll be able，with the money you earn，to make Narnia a country worth living in. There’ll be oranges and bananas pouring in-and roads and big cities and schools and offices and whips and muzzles and saddles and cages and kennels and prisons- Oh，everything.” “But we don’t want all those things，”said an old Bear.“We want to be free. And we want to hear Aslan speak himself.” “Now don’t you start arguing，”said the Ape，“for it’s a thing I won’t stand. I’m a Man：you’re only a fat，stupid old Bear. What do you know about freedom ？ You think freedom means doing what you like. Well，you’re wrong. That isn’t true freedom. True freedom means doing what I tell you.” “H-n-n-h，”grunted the Bear and scratched its head; it found this sort of thing hard to understand． “Please，please，”said the high voice of a woolly lamb，who was so young that everyone was surprised he dared to speak at all． “What is it now ？”said the Ape.“Be quick.” “Please，”said the Lamb，“I can’t understand. What have we to do with the Calormenes ？ We belong to Aslan. They belong to Tash. They have a god called Tash. They say he has four arms and the head of a vulture. They kill Men on his altar. I don’t believe there’s any such person as Tash. But if there was，how could Aslan be friends with him ？” All the animals cocked their heads sideways and all their bright eyes flashed towards the Ape. They knew it was the best question anyone had asked yet． The Ape jumped up and spat at the Lamb． “Baby!”he hissed.“Silly little bleater! Go home to your mother and drink milk. What do you understand of such things ？ But the others，listen. Tash is only another name for Aslan. All that old idea of us being right and the Calormenes wrong is silly. We know better now. The Calormenes use different words but we all mean the same thing. Tash and Aslan are only two different names for you know Who. That’s why there can never be any quarrel between them. Get that into your heads，you stupid brutes. Tash is Aslan： Aslan is Tash.” You know how sad your own dog’s face can look sometimes. Think of that and then think of all the faces of those Talking Beasts-all those honest，humble，bewildered Birds，Bears，Badgers， Rabbits，Moles，and Mice-all far sadder than that. Every tail was down，every whisker drooped. It would have broken your heart with very pity to see their faces. There was only one who did not look at all unhappy． It was a ginger Cat-a great big Tom in the prime of life-who sat bolt upright with his tail curled round his toes，in the very front row of all the Beasts. He had been staring hard at the Ape and the Calormene captain all the time and had never once blinked his eyes． “Excuse me，”said the Cat very politely，“but this interests me. Does your friend from Calormen say the same ？” “Assuredly，”said the Calormene.“The enlightened Ape- Man，I mean-is in the right. Aslan means neither less nor more than Tash.” “Especially，Aslan means no more than Tash ？”suggested the Cat． “No more at all，”said the Calormene，looking the Cat straight in the face． “Is that good enough for you，Ginger ？”said the Ape． “Oh certainly，”said Ginger coolly.“Thank you very much. I only wanted to be quite clear. I think I am beginning to understand.” Up till now the King and Jewel had said nothing：they were waiting until the Ape should bid them speak，for they thought it was no use interrupting. But now，as Tirian looked round on the miserable faces of the Narnians，and saw how they would all believe that Aslan and Tash were one and the same，he could bear it no longer． “Ape，”he cried with a great voice，“you lie damnably. You lie like a Calormene. You lie like an Ape.” He meant to go on and ask how the terrible god Tash who fed on the blood of his people could possibly be the same as the good Lion by whose blood all Narnia was saved. If he had been allowed to speak，the rule of the Ape might have ended that day; the Beasts might have seen the truth and thrown the Ape down. But before he could say another word two Calormenes struck him in the mouth with all their force，and a third，from behind，kicked his feet from under him. And as he fell，the Ape squealed in rage and terror． “Take him away. Take him away. Take him where he cannot hear us，nor we hear him. There tie him to a tree. I will-I mean， Aslan will-do justice on him later.” CHAPTER FOUR WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT THE King was so dizzy from being knocked down that he hardly knew what was happening until the Calormenes untied his wrists and put his arms straight down by his sides and set him with his back against an ash tree. Then they bound ropes round his ankles and his knees and his waist and his chest and left him there. What worried him worst at the moment-for it is often little things that are hardest to stand-was that his lip was bleeding where they had hit him and he couldn’t wipe the little trickle of blood away although it tickled him． From where he was he could still see the little stable on the top of the hill and the Ape sitting in front of it. He could just hear the Ape’s voice still going on and，every now and then，some answer from the crowd，but he could not make out the words． “I wonder what they’ve done to Jewel，”thought the King． Presently the crowd of beasts broke up and began going away in different directions. Some passed close to Tirian. They looked at him as if they were both frightened and sorry to see him tied up but none of them spoke. Soon they had all gone and there was silence in the wood. Then hours and hours went past and Tirian became first very thirsty and then very hungry; and as the afternoon dragged on and turned into evening，he became cold too. His back was very sore. The sun went down and it began to be twilight． When it was almost dark Tirian heard a light pitter-patter of feet and saw some small creatures coming towards him. The three on the left were Mice，and there was a Rabbit in the middle： on the right were two Moles. Both these were carrying little bags on their backs which gave them a curious look in the dark so that at first he wondered what kind of beasts they were. Then，in a moment，they were all standing up on their hind legs，laying their cool paws on his knees and giving his knees snuffly animal kisses. (They could reach his knees because Narnian Talking Beasts of that sort are bigger than the dumb beasts of the same kind in England.) “Lord King! dear Lord King，”said their shrill voices，“we are so sorry for you. We daren’t untie you because Aslan might be angry with us. But we’ve brought you your supper.” At once the first Mouse climbed nimbly up till he was perched on the rope that bound Tirian’s chest and was wrinkling his blunt nose in front of Tirian’s face. Then the second Mouse climbed up and hung on just below the first Mouse. The other beasts stood on the ground and began handing things up． “Drink，Sire，and then you’ll find you are able to eat，”said the topmost Mouse，and Tirian found that a little wooden cup was being held to his lips. It was only the size of an egg cup so that he had hardly tasted the wine in it before it was empty. But then the Mouse passed it down and the others re-filled it and it was passed up again and Tirian emptied it a second time. In this way they went on till he had quite a good drink，which was all the better for coming in little doses，for that is more thirst-quenching than one long draught． “Here is cheese，Sire，”said the first Mouse，“but not very much，for fear it would make you too thirsty.”And after the cheese they fed him with oat-cakes and fresh butter，and then with some more wine． “Now hand up the water，”said the first Mouse，“and I’ll wash the King’s face. There is blood on it.” Then Tirian felt something like a tiny sponge dabbing his face，and it was most refreshing． “Little friends，”said Tirian，“how can I thank you for all this ？” “You needn’t，you needn’t，”said the little voices.“What else could we do ？ We don’t want any other King. We’re your people. If it was only the Ape and the Calormenes who were against you we would have fought till we were cut into pieces before we’d let them tie you up. We would，we would indeed. But we can’t go against Aslan.” “Do you think it really is Aslan ？”asked the King． “Oh yes，yes，”said the Rabbit.“He came out of the stable last night. We all saw him.” “What was he like ？”said the King． “Like a terrible，great Lion，to be sure，”said one of the Mice ． “And you think it is really Aslan who is killing the Wood- Nymphs and making you all slaves to the King of Calormen ？” “Ah，that’s bad，isn’t it ？”said the second Mouse.“It would have been better if we’d died before all this began. But there’s no doubt about it. Everyone says it is Aslan’s orders. And we’ve seen him. We didn’t think Aslan would be like that. Why，we-we wanted him to come back to Narnia.” “He seems to have come back very angry this time，”said the first Mouse.“We must all have done something dreadfully wrong without knowing it. He must be punishing us for something. But I do think we might be told what it was!” “I suppose what we’re doing now may be wrong，”said the Rabbit． “I don’t care if it is，”said one of the Moles.“I’d do it again.” But the others said，“Oh hush，”and“Do be careful，”and then they all said，“We’re sorry，dear King，but we must go back now. It would never do for us to be caught here.” “Leave me at once，dear Beasts，”said Tirian.“I would not for all Narnia bring any of you into danger.” “Goodnight，goodnight，”said the Beasts，rubbing their noses against his knees.“We will come back-if we can.”Then they all pattered away and the wood seemed darker and colder and lonelier than it had been before they came． The stars came out and time went slowly on-imagine how slowly-while that last King of Narnia stood stiff and sore and upright against the tree in his bonds. But at last something happened． Far away there appeared a red light. Then it disappeared for a moment and came back again，bigger and stronger. Then he could see dark shapes going to and fro on this side of the light and carrying bundles and throwing them down. He knew now what he was looking at. It was a bonfire，newly lit，and people were throwing bundles of brushwood on to it. Presently it blazed up and Tirian could see that it was on the very top of the hill. He could see quite clearly the stable behind it，all lit up in the red glow，and a great crowd of Beasts and Men between the fire and himself. A small figure，hunched up beside the fire，must be the Ape. It was saying something to the crowd，but he could not hear what. Then it went and bowed three times to the ground in front of the door of the stable. Then it got up and opened the door. And something on four legs-something that walked rather stiffly-came out of the stable and stood facing the crowd． A great wailing or howling went up，so loud that Tirian could hear some of the words． “Aslan! Aslan! Aslan!”cried the Beasts.“Speak to us. Comfort us. Be angry with us no more.” From where Tirian was he could not make out very clearly what the thing was; but he could see that it was yellow and hairy. He had never seen the Great Lion. He had never seen a common lion. He couldn’t be sure that what he saw was not the real Aslan. He had not expected Aslan to look like that stiff thing which stood and said nothing. But how could one be sure ？ For a moment horrible thoughts went through his mind：then he remembered the nonsense about Tash and Aslan being the same and knew that the whole thing must be a cheat． The Ape put his head close up to the yellow thing’s head as if he were listening to something it was whispering to him. Then he turned and spoke to the crowd，and the crowd wailed again. Then the yellow thing turned clumsily round and walked-you might almost say，waddled-back into the stable and the Ape shut the door behind it. After that the fire must have been put out for the light vanished quite suddenly，and Tirian was once more alone with the cold and the darkness． He thought of other Kings who had lived and died in Narnia in old times and it seemed to him that none of them had ever been so unlucky as himself. He thought of his great-grandfather’s great-grandfather King Rilian who had been stolen away by a Witch when he was only a young prince and kept hidden for years in the dark caves beneath the land of the Northern Giants. But then it had all come; right in the end，for two mysterious children had suddenly appeared from the land beyond the world’s end and had rescued him so that he came home to Narnia and had a long and prosperous reign.“It’s not like that with me，”said Tirian to himself. Then he went further back and：thought about Rilian’s father，Caspian the Seafarer，whose wicked uncle King Miraz had tried to murder him and how Caspian had fled away into the woods and lived among the Dwarfs. But that story too had all come right in the end：for Caspian also had been helped by children-only there were four of them that time-who came from somewhere beyond the world and fought a great battle and set him on his father’s throne.“But it was all long ago，”said Tirian to himself.“That sort of thing doesn’t happen now.”And then he remembered (for he had always been good at history when he was a boy) how those same four children who had helped Caspian had been in Narnia over a thousand years before; and it was then that they had done the most remarkable thing of all. For then they had defeated the terrible White Witch and ended the Hundred Years of Winter，and after that they had reigned (all four of them together) at Cair Paravel，till they were no longer children but great Kings and lovely Queens，and their reign had been the golden age of Narnia. And Aslan had come into that story a lot. He had come into all the other stories too，as Tirian now remembered.“Aslan-and children from another world，”thought Tirian.“They have always come in when things were at their worst. Oh，if only they could now.” And he called out“Aslan! Aslan! Aslan! Come and help us now.” But the darkness and the cold and the quietness went on just the same． “Let me be killed，”cried the King.“I ask nothing for myself. But come and save all Narnia.” And still there was no change in the night or the wood， but there began to be a kind of change inside Tirian. Without knowing why，he began to feel a faint hope. And he felt somehow stronger.“Oh Aslan，Aslan，”he whispered.“If you will not come yourself，at least send me the helpers from beyond the world. Or let me call them. Let my voice carry beyond the world.”Then，hardly knowing that he was doing it，he suddenly cried out in a great voice： “Children! Children! Friends of Narnia! Quick. Come to me. Across the worlds I call you; I Tirian，King of Narnia，Lord of Cair Paravel，and Emperor of the Lone Islands!” And immediately he was plunged into a dream (if it was a dream) more vivid than any he had had in his life． He seemed to be standing in a lighted room where seven people sat round a table. It looked as if they had just finished their meal. Two of those people were very old，an old man with a white beard and an old woman with wise，merry，twinkling eyes. He who sat at the right hand of the old man was hardly full grown，certainly younger than Tirian himself，but his face had already the look of a king and a warrior. And you could almost say the same of the other youth who sat at the right hand of the old woman. Facing Tirian across the table sat a fair-haired girl younger than either of these， and on either side of her a boy and girl who were younger still. They were all dressed in what seemed to Tirian the oddest kind of clothes． But he had no time to think about details like that，for instantly the younger boy and both the girls started to their feet，and one of them gave a little scream. The old woman started and drew in her breath sharply. The old man must have made some sudden movement too for the wine glass which stood at his right hand was swept off the table：Tirian could hear the tinkling noise as it broke on the floor． Then Tirian realized that these people could see him; they were staring at him as if they saw a ghost. But he noticed that the king-like one who sat at the old man’s right never moved (though he turned pale) except that he clenched his hand very tight. Then he said： “Speak，if you’re not a phantom or a dream. You have a Narnian look about you and we are the seven friends of Narnia.” Tirian was longing to speak，and he tried to cry out aloud that he was Tirian of Narnia，in great need of help. But he found (as I have sometimes found in dreams too) that his voice made no noise at all． The one who had already spoken to him rose to his feet.“Shadow or spirit or whatever you are，”he said，fixing his eyes full upon Tirian.“If you are from Narnia，I charge you in the name of Aslan，speak to me. I am Peter the High King.” The room began to swim before Tirian’s eyes. He heard the voices of those seven people all speaking at once，and all getting fainter every second，and they were saying things like，“Look! It’s fading.”“It’s melting away.”“It’s vanishing.”Next moment he was wide awake，still tied to the tree，colder and stiffer than ever. The wood was full of the pale，dreary light that comes before sunrise，and he was soaking wet with dew; it was nearly morning． That waking was about the worst moment he had ever had in his life． CHAPTER FIVE HOW HELP CAME TO THE KING Bur his misery did not last long. Almost at once there came a bump，and then a second bump，and two children were standing before him. The wood in front of him had been quite empty a second before and he knew they had not come from behind his tree， for he would have heard them. They had in fact simply appeared from nowhere. He saw at a glance that they were wearing the same queer，dingy sort of clothes as the people in his dream; and he saw，at a second glance，that they were the youngest boy and girl out of that party of seven． “Gosh!”said the boy，“that took one’s breath away! I thought-” “Hurry up and get him untied，”said the girl.“We can talk， afterwards.”Then she added，turning to Tirian，“I’m sorry we’ve been so long. We came the moment we could.” While she was speaking the Boy produced a knife from his pocket and was quickly cutting the King’s bonds：too quickly，in fact，for the King was so stiff and numb that when the last cord was cut he fell forward on his hands and knees. He couldn’t get up again till he had brought some life back into his legs by a good rubbing． “I say，”said the girl.“It was you，wasn’t it，who appeared to us that night when we were all at supper ？ Nearly a week ago.” “A week，fair maid ？”said Tirian.“My dream led me into your world scarce ten minutes since.” “It’s the usual muddle about times，Pole，”said the Boy． “I remember now，”said Tirian.“That too comes in all the old tales. The time of your strange land is different from ours. But if we speak of Time，’tis time to be gone from here：for my enemies are close at hand. Will you come with me ？” “Of course，”said the girl.“It’s you we’ve come to help.” Tirian got to his feet and led them rapidly down hill， Southward and away from the stable. He knew where he meant to go but his first aim was to get to rocky places where they would leave no trail，and his second to cross some water so that they would leave no scent. This took them about an hour’s scrambling and wading and while that was going on nobody had any breath to talk. But even so，Tirian kept on stealing glances at his companions. The wonder of walking beside the creatures from another world made him feel a little dizzy：but it also made all the old stories seem far more real than they had ever seemed before... anything might happen now． “Now，”said Tirian as they came to the head of a little valley which ran down before them among young birch trees，“we are out of danger of those villains for a space and may walk more easily.”The sun had risen，dew-drops were twinkling on every branch，and birds were singing． “What about some grub ？-I mean for you，Sir，we two have had our breakfast，”said the Boy． Tirian wondered very much what he meant by“grub”，but when the Boy opened a bulgy satchel which he was carrying and pulled out a rather greasy and squashy packet，he understood. He was ravenously hungry，though he hadn’t thought about it till that moment. There were two hard-boiled egg sandwiches，and two cheese sandwiches，and two with some kind of paste in them. If he hadn’t been so hungry he wouldn’t have thought much of the paste，for that is a sort of food nobody eats in Narnia. By the time he had eaten all six sandwiches they had come to the bottom of the valley and there they found a mossy cliff with a little fountain bubbling out of it. All three stopped and drank and splashed their hot faces． “And now，”said the girl as she tossed her wet hair back from her forehead，“aren’t you going to tell us who you are and why you were tied up and what it’s all about ？” “With a good will，damsel，”said Tirian.“But we must keep on the march.”So while they went on walking he told them who he was and all the things that had happened to him.“And now，”he said at the end，“I am going to a certain tower，one of three that were built in my grandsire’s time to guard Lantern Waste against certain perilous outlaws who dwelled there in his day. By Aslan’s good will I was not robbed of my keys. In that tower we shall find stores of weapons and mail and some victuals also，though no better than dry biscuit. There also we can lie safe while we make our plans. And now，prithee，tell me who you two are and all your story.” “I’m Eustace Scrubb and this is Jill Pole，”said the Boy.“And we were here once before，ages and ages ago，more than a year ago by our time，and there was a chap called Prince Rilian，and they were keeping this chap underground，and Puddleglum put his foot in-” “Ha!”cried Tirian，“are you then that Eustace and that Jill who rescued King Rilian from his long enchantment ？” “Yes，that’s us，”said Jill.“So he’s King Rilian now，is he ？ Oh of course he would be. I forgot-” “Nay，”said Tirian，“I am the seventh in descent from him. He has been dead over two hundred years.” Jill made a face.“Ugh!”she said.“That’s the horrid part about coming back to Narnia.”But Eustace went on． “Well now you know who we are，Sire，”he said.“And it was like this. The Professor and Aunt Polly had got all us friends of Narnia together-” “I know not these names，Eustace，”said Tirian． “They’re the two who came into Narnia at the very beginning，the day all the animals learned to talk.” “By the Lion’s Mane，”cried Tirian.“Those two! The Lord Digory and the Lady Polly! From the dawn of the world! And still in your place ？ The wonder and the glory of it! But tell me，tell me.” “She isn’t really our aunt，you know，”said Eustace. “She’s Miss Plummer，but we call her Aunt Polly. Well those two got us all together partly just for fun，so that we could all have a good jaw about Narnia (for of course there’s no one else we can ever talk to about things like that) but partly because the Professor had a feeling that we were somehow wanted over here. Well then you came in like a ghost or goodness-knows-what and nearly frightened the lives out of us and vanished without saying a word. After that，we knew for certain there was something up．The next question was how to get here. You can’t go just by wanting to. So we talked and talked and at last the Professor said the only way would be by the Magic Rings. It was by those Rings that he and Aunt Polly got here long， long ago when they were only kids，years before we younger ones were born. But the Rings had all been buried in the garden of a house in London (that’s our big town，Sire) and the house had been sold. So then the problem was how to get at them. You’ll never guess what we did in the end! Peter and Edmund-that’s the High King Peter，the one who spoke to you-went up to London to get into the garden from the back，early in the morning before people were up. They were dressed like workmen so that if anyone did see them it would look as if they’d come to do something about the drains. I wish I’d been with them：it must have been glorious fun. And they must have succeeded for next day Peter sent us a wire-that’s a sort of message，Sire，I’ll explain about it some other time-to say he’d got the Rings. And the day after that was the day Pole and I had to go back to school-we’re the only two who are still at school and we’re at the same one. So Peter and Edmund were to meet us at a place on the way down to school and hand over the Rings. It had to be us two who were to go to Narnia，you see， because the older ones couldn’t come again. So we got into the train that’s a kind of thing people travel in in our world：a lot of wagons chained together-and the Professor and Aunt Polly and Lucy came with us. We wanted to keep together as long as we could. Well there we were in the train. And we were just getting to the station where the others were to meet us，and I was looking out of the window to see if I could see them when suddenly there came a most frightful jerk and a noise：and there we were in Narnia and there was your Majesty tied up to the tree.” “So you never used the Rings ？”said Tirian． “No，”said Eustace.“Never even saw them. Aslan did it all for us in his own way without any Rings.” “But the High King Peter has them，”said Tirian． “Yes，”said Jill.“But we don’t think he can use them. When the two other Pevensies-King Edmund and Queen Lucy-were last here，Aslan said they would never come to Narnia again. And he said something of the same sort to the High King，only longer ago. You may be sure he’ll come like a shot if he’s allowed.” “Gosh!”said Eustace.“It’s getting hot in this sun. Are we nearly there，Sire ？” “Look，”said Tirian and pointed. Not many yards away grey battlements rose above the tree-tops，and after a minute’s more walking they came out in an open grassy space. A stream ran across it and on the far side of the stream stood a squat，square tower with very few and narrow windows and one heavy-looking door in the wall that faced them． Tirian looked sharply this way and that to make sure that no enemies were in sight. Then he walked up to the tower and stood still for a moment fishing up his bunch of keys which he wore inside his hunting-dress on a narrow silver chain that went round his neck. It was a nice bunch of keys that he brought out，for two were golden and many were richly ornamented：you could see at once that they were keys made for opening solemn and secret rooms in palaces，or chests and caskets of sweet-smelling wood that contained royal treasures. But the key which he now put into the lock of the door was big and plain and more rudely made. The lock was stiff and for a moment Tirian began to be afraid that he would not be able to turn it：but at last he did and the door swung open with a sullen creak． “Welcome friends，”said Tirian.“I fear this is the best palace that the King of Narnia can now offer to his guests.” Tirian was pleased to see that the two strangers had been well brought up. They both said not to mention it and that they were sure it would be very nice． As a matter of fact it was not particularly nice. It was rather dark and smelled very damp. There was only one room in it and this room went right up to the stone roof：a wooden staircase in one corner led up to a trap door by which you could get out on the battlements. There were a few rude bunks to sleep in，and a great many lockers and bundles. There was also a hearth which looked as if nobody had lit a fire in it for a great many years． “We’d better go out and gather some firewood first thing， hadn’t we ？”said Jill． “Not yet，comrade，”said Tirian. He was determined that they should not be caught unarmed，and began searching the lockers，thankfully remembering that he had always been careful to have these garrison towers inspected once a year and to make sure that they were stocked with all things needful. The bow strings were there in their coverings of oiled silk，the swords and spears were greased against rust，and the armour was kept bright in its wrappings. But there was something even better.“Look you!”said Tirian as he drew out a long mail shirt of a curious pattern and flashed it before the children’s eyes． “That’s funny-looking mail，Sire，”said Eustace． “Aye，lad，”said Tirian.“No Narnian Dwarf smithied that.‘ Tis mail of Calormen，outlandish gear. I have ever kept a few suits of it in readiness，for I never knew when I or my friends might have reason to walk unseen in The Tisroc’s land. And look on this stone bottle. In this there is a juice which，when we have rubbed it on our hands and faces，will make us brown as Calormenes.” “Oh hurrah!”said Jill.“Disguise! I love disguises.” Tirian showed them how to pour out a little of the juice into the palms of their hands and then rub it well over their faces and necks，right down to the shoulders，and then on their hands，right up to the elbows. He did the same himself． “After this has hardened on us，”he said，“we may wash in water and it will not change. Nothing but oil and ashes will make us white Narnians again. And now，sweet Jill，let us go see how this mail shirt becomes you .’Tis something too long，yet not so much as I feared. Doubtless it belonged to a page in the train of one of their Tarkaans.” After the mail shirts they put on Calormene helmets，which are little round ones fitting tight to the head and having a spike on top. Then Tirian took long rolls of some white stuff out of the locker and wound them over the helmets till they became turbans： but the little steel spike still stuck up in the middle. He and Eustace took curved Calormene swords and little round shields. There was no sword light enough for Jill，but he gave her a long，straight hunting knife which might do for a sword at a pinch． “Hast any skill with the bow，maiden ？”said Tirian． “Nothing worth talking of，”said Jill，blushing.“Scrubb’s not bad.” “Don’t you believe her，Sire，”said Eustace.“We’ve both been practising archery ever since we got back from Narnia last time， and she’s about as good as me now. Not that either of us is much.” Then Tirian gave Jill a bow and a quiver full of arrows. The next business was to light a fire，for inside that tower it still felt more like a cave than like anything indoors and set one shivering. But they got warm gathering the wood-the sun was now at its highest-and once the blaze was roaring up the chimney the place began to look cheerful. Dinner was，however，a dull meal，for the best they could do was to pound up some of the hard biscuit which they found in a locker and pour it into boiling water，with salt，so as to make a kind of porridge. And of course there was nothing to drink but water． “I wish we’d brought a packet of tea，”said Jill． “Or a tin of cocoa，”said Eustace． “A firkin or so of good wine in each of these towers would not have been amiss，”said Tirian． CHAPTER SIX A GOOD NIGHT’S WORK ABOUT four hours later Tirian flung himself into one of the bunks to snatch a little sleep. The two children were already snoring：he had made them go to bed before he did because they would have to be up most of the night and he knew that at their age they couldn’t do without sleep. Also，he had tired them out. First he had given Jill some practice in archery and found that，though not up to Narnian standards，she was really not too bad. Indeed she had succeeded in shooting a rabbit (not a Talking rabbit， of course：there are lots of the ordinary kind about in Western Narnia) and it was already skinned，cleaned，and hanging up. He had found that both the children knew all about this chilly and smelly job; they had learned that kind of thing on their great journey through Giant-Land in the days of Prince Rilian. Then he had tried to teach Eustace how to use his sword and shield. Eustace had learned quite a lot about sword fighting on his earlier adventures but that had been all with a straight Narnian sword. He had never handled a curved Calormene scimitar and that made it hard，for many of the strokes are quite different and some of the habits he had learned with the long sword had now to be unlearned again. But Tirian found that he had a good eye and was very quick on his feet. He was surprised at the strength of both children：in fact they both seemed to be already much stronger and bigger and more grown-up than they had been when he first met them a few hours ago. It is one of the effects which Narnian air often has on visitors from our world． All three of them agreed that the very first thing they must do was to go back to Stable Hill and try to rescue Jewel the Unicorn. After that，if they succeeded，they would try to get away Eastward and meet the little army which Roonwit the Centaur would be bringing from Cair Paravel． An experienced warrior and huntsman like Tirian can always wake up at the time he wants. So he gave himself till nine o’clock that night and then put all worries out of his head and fell asleep at once. It seemed only a moment later when he woke but he knew by the light and the very feel of things that he had timed his sleep exactly. He got up，put on his helmet-and-turban (he had slept in his mail shirt)，and then shook the other two till they woke up. They looked，to tell the truth，very grey and dismal as they climbed out of their bunks and there was a good deal of yawning． “Now，”said Tirian，“we go due North from here-by good fortune ‘tis a starry night-and it will be much shorter than our journey this morning，for then we went round-about but now we shall go straight. If we are challenged，then do you two hold your peace and I will do my best to talk like a curst，cruel，proud lord of Calormen. If I draw my sword then thou，Eustace，must do likewise and let Jill leap behind us and stand with an arrow on the string. But if I cry ‘Home’，then fly for the Tower both of you. And let none try to fight on-not even one stroke after I have given the retreat：such false valour has spoiled many notable plans in the wars. And now，friends，in the name of Aslan let us go forward.” Out they went into the cold night. All the great Northern stars were burning above the tree-tops. The North-Star of that world is called the Spear-Head：it is brighter than our Pole Star． For a time they could go straight towards the Spear-Head but presently they came to a dense thicket so that they had to go out of their course to get round it. And after that-for they were still overshadowed by branches-it was hard to pick up their bearings. It was Jill who set them right again：she had been an excellent Guide in England. And of course she knew her Narnian stars perfectly， having travelled so much in the wild Northern Lands，and could work out the direction from other stars even when the Spear-Head was hidden. As soon as Tirian saw that she was the best pathfinder of the three of them he put her in front. And then he was astonished to find how silently and almost invisibly she glided on before them． “By the Mane!”he whispered to Eustace.“This girl is a wondrous wood-maid. If she had Dryad’s blood in her she could scarce do it better.” “She’s so small，that’s what helps，”whispered Eustace. But Jill from in front said：“S-s-s-h，less noise.” All round them the wood was very quiet. Indeed it was far too quiet. On an ordinary Narnia night there ought to have been noises-an occasional cheery“Goodnight”from a Hedgehog，the cry of an Owl overhead，perhaps a flute in the distance to tell of Fauns dancing，or some throbbing，hammering noises from Dwarfs underground. All that was silenced：gloom and fear reigned over Narnia． After a time they began to go steeply uphill and the trees grew further apart. Tirian could dimly make out the wellknown hill-top and the stable. Jill was now going with more and more caution： she kept on making signs to the others with her hand to do the same. Then she stopped dead still and Tirian saw her gradually sink down into the grass and disappear without a sound. A moment later she rose again，put her mouth close to Tirian’s ear，and said in the lowest possible whisper，“Get down. Thee better.”She said thee for see not because she had a lisp but because she knew that the hissing letter S is the part of a whisper most likely to be overheard. Tirian at once lay down，almost as silently as Jill，but not quite， for he was heavier and older. And once they were down，he saw how from that position you could see the edge of the hill sharp against the star-strewn sky. Two black shapes rose against it： one was the stable，and the other，a few feet in front of it，was a Calormene sentry. He was keeping very ill watch：not walking or even standing but sitting with his spear over his shoulder and his chin on his chest.“Well done，”said Tirian to Jill. She had shown him exactly what he needed to know． They got up and Tirian now took the lead. Very slowly，hardly daring to breathe，they made their way up to a little clump of trees which was not more than forty feet away from the sentinel． “Wait here till I come again，”he whispered to the other two.“If I miscarry，fly.”Then he sauntered out boldly in full view of the enemy. The man started when he saw him and was just going to jump to his feet：he was afraid Tirian might be one of his own officers and that he would get into trouble for sitting down. But before he could get up Tirian had dropped on one knee beside him，saying： “Art thou a warrior of the Tisroc’s，may he live for ever ？ It cheers my heart to meet thee among all these beasts and devils of Narnians. Give me thy hand，friend.” Before he well knew what was happening the Calormene sentry found his right hand seized in a mighty grip. Next instant someone was kneeling on his legs and a dagger was pressed against his neck． “One noise and thou art dead，”said Tirian in his ear.“Tell me where the Unicorn is and thou shalt live.” “B-behind the stable，O My Master，”stammered the unfortunate man． “Good. Rise up and lead me to him.” As the man got up the point of the dagger never left his neck. It only travelled round (cold and rather ticklish) as Tirian got behind him and settled it at a convenient place under his ear. Trembling he went round to the back of the stable． Though it was dark Tirian could see the white shape of Jewel at once． “Hush!”he said.“No，do not neigh. Yes，Jewel，it is I. How have they tied thee ？” “Hobbled by all four legs and tied with a bridle to a ring in the stable wall，”came Jewel’s voice． “Stand here，sentry，with your back to the wall. So. Now， Jewel：set the point of your horn against this Calormene’s breast.” “With a good will，Sire，”said Jewel． “If he moves，rive him to the heart.”Then in a few seconds Tirian cut the ropes. With the remains of them he bound the sentry hand and foot. Finally he made him open his mouth，stuffed it full of grass and tied him up from scalp to chin so that he could make no noise，lowered the man into a sitting position and set him against the wall． “I have done thee some discourtesy，soldier，”said Tirian.“But such was my need. If we meet again I may happen to do thee a better turn. Now，Jewel，let us go softly.” He put his left arm round the beast’s neck and bent and kissed its nose and both had great joy. They went back as quietly as possible to the place where he had left the children. It was darker in there under the trees and he nearly ran into Eustace before he saw him． “All’s well，”whispered Tirian.“A good night’s work. Now for home.” They turned and had gone a few paces when Eustace said， “Where are you，Pole ？ ”There was no answer.“Is Jill on the other side of you，Sire ？ ”he asked． “What ？”said Tirian.“Is she not on the other side of your” It was a terrible moment. They dared not shout but they whispered her name in the loudest whisper they could manage. There was no reply． “Did she go from you while I was away ？”asked Tirian． “I didn’t see or hear her go，”said Eustace.“But she could have gone without my knowing. She can be as quiet as a cat; you’ve seen for yourself.” At that moment a far off drum beat was heard. Jewel moved his ears forward.“Dwarfs，”he said． “And treacherous Dwarfs，enemies，as likely as not，”muttered Tirian． “And here comes something on hoofs，much nearer，”said Jewel． The two humans and the Unicorn stood dead still. There were now so many different things to worry about that they didn’t know what to do. The noise of hoofs came steadily nearer. And then， quite close to them，a voice whispered： “Hallo! Are you all there ？” Thank heaven，it was Jill’s． “Where the devil have you been to ？”said Eustace in a furious whisper，for he had been very frightened． “In the stable，”gasped Jill，but it was the sort of gasp you give when you’re struggling with suppressed laughter． “Oh，”growled Eustace，“you think it funny，do you ？ Well all I can say is-” “Have you got Jewel，Sire ？”asked Jill． “Yes. Here he is. What is that beast with you ？” “That’s him，”said Jill.“But let’s be off home before anyone wakes up.”And again there came little explosions of laughter． The others obeyed at once for they had already lingered long enough in that dangerous place and the Dwarf drums seemed to have come a little nearer. It was only after they had been walking Southward for several minutes that Eustace said： “Got him ？ What do you mean ？” “The false Aslan，”said Jill． “What ？”said Tirian.“Where have you been ？ What have you done ？” “Well，Sire，”said Jill. “As soon as I saw that you’d got the sentry out of the way I thought hadn’t I better have a look inside the stable and see what really is there ？ So I crawled along. It was as easy as anything to draw the bolt．Of course it was pitch black inside and smelled like any other stable. Then I struck a light and-would you believe it ？-there was nothing at all there but this old donkey with a bundle of lion-skin tied on to his back. So I drew my knife and told him he’d have to come along with me. As a matter of fact I needn’t have threatened him with the knife at all. He was very fed up with the stable and quite ready to come-weren’t you， Puzzle dear ？” “Great Scott!”said Eustace.“Well I’m-jiggered. I was jolly angry with you a moment ago，and I still think it was mean of you to sneak off without the rest of us：but I must admit-well，I mean to say-well it was a perfectly gorgeous thing to do. If she was a boy she’d have to be knighted，wouldn’t she，Sire ？” “If she was a boy，”said Tirian，“she’d be whipped for disobeying orders.”And in the dark no one could see whether he said this with a frown or a smile. Next minute there was a sound of rasping metal． “What are you doing，Sire ？”asked Jewel sharply． “Drawing my sword to smite off the head of the accursed Ass，”said Tirian in a terrible voice.“Stand clear，girl.” “Oh don’t，please don’t，”said Jill.“Really，you mustn’t. It wasn’t his fault. It was all the Ape. He didn’t know any better. And he’ svery sorry. he’s a nice Donkey. His name’s Puzzle. And I’ve got my arms round his neck.” “Jill，”said Tirian，“you are the bravest and most woodwise of all my subjects，but also the most malapert and disobedient. Well：let the Ass live. What have you to say for yourself，Ass ？” “Me，Sire ？”came the Donkey’s voice.“I’m sure I’m very sorry if I’ve done wrong. The Ape said Aslan wanted me to dress up like that. And I thought he’d know. I’m not clever like him. I only did what I was told. It wasn’t any fun for me living in that stable. I don’t even know what’s been going on outside. He never let me out except for a minute or two at night. Some days they forgot to give me any water too.” “Sire，”said Jewel.“Those Dwarfs are coming nearer and nearer. Do we want to meet them ？” Tirian thought for a moment and then suddenly gave a great laugh out loud. Then he spoke，not this time in a whisper.“By the Lion，”he said，“I am growing slow witted! Meet them ？Certainly we will meet them. We will meet anyone now. We have this Ass to show them. Let them see the thing they have feared and bowed to. We can show them the truth of the Ape’s vile plot. His secret’s out. The tide’s turned. Tomorrow we shall hang that Ape on the highest tree in Narnia. No more whispering and skulking and disguises. Where are these honest Dwarfs ？We have good news for them.” When you have been whispering for hours the mere sound of anyone talking out loud has a wonderfully stirring effect. The whole party began talking and laughing：even Puzzle lifted up his head and gave a grand Haw-hee-haw-hee-hee; a thing the Ape hadn’t allowed him to do for days. Then they set off in the direction of the drumming. It grew steadily louder and soon they could see torchlight as well. They came out on one of those rough roads (we should hardly call them roads at all in England) which ran through Lantern Waste. And there，marching sturdily along，were about thirty Dwarfs，all with their little spades and mattocks over their shoulders. Two armed Calormenes led the column and two more brought up the rear． “Stay!”thundered Tirian as he stepped out on the road.“Stay， soldiers. Whither do you lead these Narnian Dwarfs and by whose orders ？” CHAPTER SEVEN MAINLY ABOUT DWARFS THE two Calormene soldiers at the head of the column，seeing what they took for a Tarkaan or great lord with two armed pages， came to a halt and raised their spears in salute． “O My Master，”said one of them，“we lead these manikins to Calormen to work in the mines of The Tisroc，may-he-live-forever.” “By the great god Tash，they are very obedient，”said Tirian. Then suddenly he turned to the Dwarfs themselves. About one in six of them carried a torch and by that flickering light he could see their bearded faces all looking at him with grim and dogged expressions.“Has The Tisroc fought a great battle，Dwarfs，and conquered your land ？”he asked，“that thus you go patiently to die in the salt-pits of Pugrahan ？” The two soldiers glared at him in surprise but the Dwarfs all answered，“Aslan’s orders，Aslan’s orders. He’s sold us. What can we do against him ？” “Tisroc indeed!”added one and spat.“I’d like to see him try it!” “Silence，dogs!”said the chief soldier． “Look!”said Tirian，pulling Puzzle forward into the light.“It has all been a lie. Aslan has not come to Narnia at all. You have been cheated by the Ape. This is the thing he brought out of the stable to show you. Look at it.” What the Dwarfs saw，now that they could see it close，was certainly enough to make them wonder how they had ever been taken in. The lion-skin had got pretty untidy already during Puzzle’s imprisonment in the stable and it had been knocked crooked during his journey through the dark wood. Most of it was in a big lump on one shoulder. The head，besides being pushed sideways，had somehow got very far back so that anyone could now see his silly， gentle，donkeyish face gazing out of it. Some grass stuck out of one corner of his mouth，for he’d been doing a little quiet nibbling as they brought him along. And he was muttering，“It wasn’t my fault，I’m not clever. I never said I was.” For one second all the Dwarfs were staring at Puzzle with wide open mouths and then one of the soldiers said sharply，“Are you mad，My Master ？ What are you doing to the slaves ？”and the other said，“And who are you ？”Neither of their spears was at the salute now-both were down and ready for action． “Give the password，”said the chief soldier． “This is my password，”said the King as he drew his sword.“The light is dawning，the lie broken. Now guard thee， miscreant，for I am Tirian of Narnia.” He flew upon the chief soldier like lightning. Eustace，who had drawn his sword when he saw the King draw his，rushed at the other one：his face was deadly pale，but I wouldn’t blame him for that. And he had the luck that beginners sometimes do have. He forgot all that Tirian had tried to teach him that afternoon， slashed wildly (indeed I’m not sure his eyes weren’t shut) and suddenly found，to his own great surprise，that the Calormene lay dead at his feet. And though that was a great relief，it was，at the moment，rather frightening. The King’s fight lasted a second or two longer：then he too had killed his man and shouted to Eustace，“‘Ware the other two.” But the Dwarfs had settled the two remaining Calormenes. There was no enemy left． “Well struck，Eustace!”cried Tirian，clapping him on the back.“Now，Dwarfs，you are free. Tomorrow I will lead you to free all Narnia. Three cheers for Aslan!” But the result which followed was simply wretched. There was a feeble attempt from a few Dwarfs (about five) which died away all at once：from several others there were sulky growls. Many said nothing at all． “Don’t they understand ？”said Jill impatiently.“What’s wrong with all you Dwarfs ？ Don’t you hear what the King says ？It’s all over. The Ape isn’t going to rule Narnia any longer. Everyone can go back to ordinary life. You can have fun again. Aren’t you glad ？” After a pause of nearly a minute a not-very-nice-looking Dwarf with hair and beard as black as soot said：“And who might you be，Missie ？” “I’m Jill，”she said.“The same Jill who rescued King Rilian from the enchantment-and this is Eustace who did it too-and we’ve come back from another world after hundreds of years. Aslan sent us.” The Dwarfs all looked at one another with grins; sneering grins，not merry ones． “Well，”said the Black Dwarf (whose name was Griffle)，“I don’t know how all you chaps feel，but I feel I’ve heard as much about Aslan as I want to for the rest of my life.” “That’s right，that’s right，”growled the other Dwarfs.“It’s all a plant，all a blooming plant.” “What do you mean ？”said Tirian. He had not been pale when he was fighting but he was pale now. He had thought this was going to be a beautiful moment，but it was turning out more like a bad dream． “You must think we’re blooming soft in the head，that you must，”said Griffle.“We’ve been taken in once and now you expect us to be taken in again the next minute. We’ve no more use for stories about Aslan，see! Look at him! An old moke with long ears!” “By heaven，you make me mad，”said Tirian.“Which of us said that was Aslan ？ That is the Ape’s imitation of the real Aslan. Can’t you understand ？” “And you’ve got a better imitation，I suppose!”said Griffle.“No thanks. We’ve been fooled once and we’re not going to be fooled again.” “I have not，”said Tirian angrily，“I serve the real Aslan.” “Where’s he ？Who’s he ？Show him to us!”said several Dwarfs． “Do you think I keep him in my wallet，fools ？”said Tirian.“Who am I that I could make Aslan appear at my bidding ？ He’s not a tame lion.” The moment those words were out of his mouth he realized that he had made a false move. The Dwarfs at once began repeating“not a tame lion，not a tame lion，”in a jeering sing-song.“That’s what the other lot kept on telling us，”said one． “Do you mean you don’t believe in the real Aslan ？”said Jill.“But I’ve seen him. And he has sent us two here out of a different world.” “Ah，”said Griffle with a broad smile.“So you say. They’ve taught you your stuff all right. Saying your lessons，ain’t you ？” “Churl，”cried Tirian，“will you give a lady the lie to her very face ？” “You keep a civil tongue in your head，Mister，”replied the Dwarf.“I don’t think we want any more Kings-if you are Tirian， which you don’t look like him-no more than we want any Aslans. We’re going to look after ourselves from now on and touch our caps to nobody. See ？” “That’s right，”said the other Dwarfs.“We’re on our own now. No more Aslan，no more Kings，no more silly stories about other worlds. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.”And they began to fall into their places and to get ready for marching back to wherever they had come from． “Little beasts!”said Eustace.“Aren’t you even going to say thank you for being saved from the salt-mines ？” “Oh，we know all about that，”said Griffle over his shoulder.“You wanted to make use of us，that’s why you rescued us. You’re playing some game of your own. Come on you chaps.” And the Dwarfs struck up the queer little marching song which goes with the drum-beat，and off they tramped into the darkness． Tirian and his friends stared after them. Then he said the single word“Come，”and they continued their journey． They were a silent party. Puzzle felt himself to be still in disgrace，and also he didn’t really quite understand what had happened. Jill，besides being disgusted with the Dwarfs，was very impressed with Eustace’s victory over the Calormene and felt almost shy. As for Eustace，his heart was still beating rather quickly. Tirian and Jewel walked sadly together in the rear. The King had his arm on the Unicorn’s shoulder and sometimes the Unicorn nuzzled the King’s cheek with his soft nose. They did not try to comfort one another with words. It wasn’t very easy to think of anything to say that would be comforting. Tirian had never dreamed that one of the results of an Ape’s setting up as a false Aslan would be to stop people from believing in the real one. He had felt quite sure that the Dwarfs would rally to his side the moment he showed them how they had been deceived. And then next night he would have led them to Stable Hill and shown Puzzle to all the creatures and everyone would have turned against the Ape and，perhaps after a scuffle with the Calormenes，the whole thing would have been over. But now，it seemed，he could count on nothing. How many other Narnians might turn the same way as the Dwarfs ？ “Somebody’s coming after us，I think，”said Puzzle suddenly． They stopped and listened. Sure enough，there was a thump-thump of small feet behind them． “Who goes there!”shouted the King． “Only me，Sire，”came a voice.“Me，Poggin the Dwarf. I’ve only just managed to get away from the others. I’m on your side， Sire：and on Aslan’s. If you can put a Dwarfish sword in my fist，I’d gladly strike a blow on the right side before all’s done.” Everyone crowded round him and welcomed him and praised him and slapped him on the back. Of course one single Dwarf could not make a very great difference，but it was somehow very cheering to have even one. The whole party brightened up. But Jill and Eustace didn’t stay bright for very long，for they were now yawning their heads off and too tired to think about anything but bed． It was at the coldest hour of the night，just before dawn，that they got back to the Tower. If there had been a meal ready for them they would have been glad enough to eat，but the bother and delay of getting one was not to be thought of. They drank from a stream，splashed their faces with water，and tumbled into their bunks， except for Puzzle and Jewel who said they’d be more comfortable outside. This perhaps was just as well，for a Unicorn and a fat， full-grown Donkey indoors always make a room feel rather crowded． Narnian Dwarfs，though less than four feet high，are for their size about the toughest and strongest creatures there are，so that Poggin，in spite of a heavy day and a late night，woke fully refreshed before any of the others. He at once took Jill’s bow，went out and shot a couple of wood pigeons. Then he sat plucking them on the doorstep and chatting to Jewel and Puzzle. Puzzle looked and felt a good deal better this morning. Jewel，being a Unicorn and therefore one of the noblest and delicatest of beasts，had been very kind to him，talking to him about things of the sort they could both understand like grass and sugar and the care of one’s hoofs. When Jill and Eustace came out of the Tower yawning and rubbing their eyes at almost half past ten，the Dwarf showed them where they could gather plenty of a Narnian weed called Wild Fresney，which looks rather like our wood-sorrel but tastes a good deal nicer when cooked. (It needs a little butter and pepper to make it perfect，but they hadn’t got these.) So that what with one thing and another， they had the makings of a capital stew for their breakfast or dinner，whichever you choose to call it. Tirian went a little further off into the wood with an axe and brought back some branches for fuel. While the meal was cooking-which seemed a very long time， especially as it smelled nicer and nicer the nearer it came to being done-the King found a complete Dwarfish outfit for Poggin： mail shirt，helmet，shield，sword，belt，and dagger. Then he inspected Eustace’s sword and found that Eustace had put it back in the sheath all messy from killing the Calormene. He was scolded for that and made to clean and polish it． All this while Jill went to and fro，sometimes stirring the pot and sometimes looking out enviously at the Donkey and the Unicorn who were contentedly grazing. How many times that morning she wished she could eat grass! But when the meal came everyone felt it had been worth waiting for，and there were second helpings all round. When everyone had eaten as much as he could，the three humans and the Dwarf came and sat on the doorstep，the four-footed ones lay down facing them，the Dwarf (with permission both from Jill and from Tirian) lit his pipe，and the King said： “Now，friend Poggin，you have more news of the enemy， belike，than we. Tell us all you know. And first，what tale do they tell of my escape ？” “As cunning a tale，Sire，as ever was devised，”said Poggin.“It was the Cat，Ginger，who told it，and most likely made it up too. This Ginger，Sire-oh，he’s a slyboots if ever a cat was-said he was walking past the tree to which those villains bound your Majesty. And he said (saving your reverence) that you were howling and swearing and cursing Aslan：‘language I wouldn’t like to repeat’ were the words he used，looking ever so prim and proper-you know the way a Cat can when it pleases. And then，says Ginger，Aslan himself suddenly appeared in a flash of lightning and swallowed your Majesty up at one mouthful. All the Beasts trembled at this story and some fainted right away. And of course the Ape followed it up. There，he says，see what Aslan does to those who don’t respect him. Let that be a warning to you all. And the poor creatures wailed and whined and said，it will， it will. So that in the upshot your Majesty’s escape has not set them thinking whether you still have loyal friends to aid you，but only made them more afraid and more obedient to the Ape.” “What devilish policy!”said Tirian.“This Ginger，then，is close in the Ape’s counsels.” “It’s more a question by now，Sire，if the Ape is in his counsels，”replied the Dwarf.“The Ape has taken to drinking，you see. My belief is that the plot is now mostly carried on by Ginger or Rishda-that’s the Calormene captain. And I think some words that Ginger has scattered among the Dwarfs are chiefly to blame for the scurvy return they made you. And I’ll tell you why. One of those dreadful midnight meetings had just broken up the night before last and I’d gone a bit of the way home when I found I’d left my pipe behind. It was a real good ‘un，an old favourite， so I went back to look for it. But before I got to the place where I’d been sitting (it was black as pitch there) I heard a cat’s voice say Mew and a Calormene voice say ‘here... speak softly，’ so I just stood as still as if I was frozen. And these two were Ginger and Rishda Tarkaan as they call him. ‘Noble Tarkaan，’said the Cat in that silky voice of his，‘I just wanted to know exactly what we both meant today about Aslan meaning no more than Tash.’ Doubtless，most sagacious of cats，‘says the other，you have perceived my meaning.’ You mean，says Ginger，that there’s no such person as either.”“All who are enlightened know that，‘said the Tarkaan. Then we can understand one another，’purrs the Cat. Do you，like me，grow a little weary of the Ape ？‘A stupid，greedy brute，’ says the other，but we must use him for the present. Thou and I must provide for all things in secret and make the Ape do our will.‘And it would be better，wouldn’t it，’ said Ginger， to let some of the more enlightened Narnians into our counsels： one by one as we find them apt. For the Beasts who really believe in Aslan may turn at any moment：and will，if the Ape’s folly betrays his secret. But those who care neither for Tash nor Aslan but have only an eye to their own profit and such reward as The Tisroc may give them when Narnia is a Calormene province，will be firm.‘Excellent Cat，’ said the Captain.‘But choose which ones carefully.”’ While the Dwarf had been speaking the day seemed to have changed. It had been sunny when they sat down. Now Puzzle shivered. Jewel shifted his head uneasily. Jill looked up． “It’s clouding over，”she said． “And it’s so cold，”said Puzzle． “Cold enough，by the Lion!”said Tirian，blowing on his hands.“And faugh! What foul smell is this ？” “Phew!”gasped Eustace.“It’s like something dead. Is there a dead bird somewhere about ？And why didn’t we notice it before ？” With a great upheaval Jewel scrambled to his feet and pointed with his horn． “Look!”he cried.“Look at it! Look，look!” Then all six of them saw; and over all their faces there came an expression of uttermost dismay． CHAPTER EIGHT WHAT NEWS THE EAGLE BROUGHT IN the shadow of the trees on the far side of the clearing something was moving. It was gliding very slowly Northward. At first glance you might have mistaken it for smoke，for it was grey and you could see things through it. But the deathly smell was not the smell of smoke. Also，this thing kept its shape instead of billowing and curling as smoke would have done. It was roughly the shape of a man but it had the head of a bird; some bird of prey with a cruel，curved beak. It had four arms which it held high above its head，stretching them out Northward as if it wanted to snatch all Narnia in its grip; and its fingers-all twenty of them-were curved like its beak and had long，pointed，bird-like claws instead of nails. It floated on the grass instead of walking，and the grass seemed to wither beneath it． After one look at it Puzzle gave a screaming bray and darted into the Tower. And Jill (who was no coward，as you know) hid her face in her hands to shut out the sight of it. The others watched it for perhaps a minute，until it streamed away into the thicker trees on their right and disappeared. Then the sun came out again，and the birds once more began to sing． Everyone started breathing properly again and moved. They had all been still as statues while it was in sight． “What was it ？”said Eustace in a whisper． “I have seen it once before，”said Tirian. “But that time it was carved in stone and overlaid with gold and had solid diamonds for eyes. It was when I was no older than thou，and had gone as a guest to The Tisroc’s court in Tashbaan．He took me into the great temple of Tash. There I saw it，carved above the altar.” “Then that-that thing-was Tash ？”said Eustace． But instead of answering him Tirian slipped his arm behind Jill’s shoulders and said，“How is it with you，Lady ？” “A-all right，”said Jill，taking her hands away from her pale face and trying to smile.“I’m all right. It only made me feel a little sick for a moment.” “It seems，then，”said the Unicorn，“that there is a real Tash，after all.” “Yes，”said the Dwarf.“And this fool of an Ape，who didn’t believe in Tash，will get more than he bargained for! He called for Tash：Tash has come.” “Where has it-he-the Thing-gone to ？”said Jill． “North into the heart of Narnia，”said Tirian.“It has come to dwell among us. They have called it and it has come.” “Ho，ho，ho!”chuckled the Dwarf，rubbing his hairy hands together.“It will be a surprise for the Ape. People shouldn’t call for demons unless they really mean what they say.” “Who knows if Tash will be visible to the Ape ？”said Jewel． “Where has Puzzle got to ？”said Eustace． They all shouted out Puzzle’s name and Jill went round to the other side of the Tower to see if he had gone there． They were quite tired of looking for him when at last his large grey head peered cautiously out of the doorway and he said，“Has it gone away ？”And when at last they got him to come out，he was shivering the way a dog shivers before a thunderstorm． “I see now，”said Puzzle，“that I really have been a very bad donkey. I ought never to have listened to Shift. I never thought things like this would begin to happen.” “If you’d spent less time saying you weren’t clever and more time trying to be as clever as you could-”began Eustace but Jill interrupted him． “Oh leave poor old Puzzle alone，”she said.“It was all a mistake; wasn’t it，Puzzle dear ？”And she kissed him on the nose． Though rather shaken by what they had seen，the whole party now sat down again and went on with their talk． Jewel had little to tell them. While he was a prisoner he had spent nearly all his time tied up at the back of the stable，and had of course heard none of the enemies’ plans. He had been kicked (he’d done some kicking back too) and beaten and threatened with death unless he would say that he believed it was Aslan who was brought out and shown to them by firelight every night. In fact he was going to be executed this very morning if he had not been rescued. He didn’t know what had happened to the Lamb． The question they had to decide was whether they would go to Stable Hill again that night，show Puzzle to the Narnians and try to make them see how they had been tricked，or whether they should steal away Eastward to meet the help which Roonwit the Centaur was bringing up from Cair Paravel and return against the Ape and his Calormenes in force. Tirian would very much like to have followed the first plan：he hated the idea of leaving the Ape to bully his people one moment longer than need be. On the other hand，the way the Dwarfs had behaved last night was a warning. Apparently one couldn’t be sure how people would take it even if he showed them Puzzle. And there were the Calormene soldiers to be reckoned with. Poggin thought there were about thirty of them. Tirian felt sure that if the Narnians all rallied to his side，he and Jewel and the children and Poggin (Puzzle didn’t count for much) would have a good chance of beating them. But how if half the Narnians-including all the Dwarfs-just sat and looked on ？ or even fought against him ？ The risk was too great. And there was，too， the cloudy shape of Tash. What might it do ？ And then，as Poggin pointed out，there was no harm in leaving the Ape to deal with his own difficulties for a day or two. He would have no Puzzle to bring out and show now. It wasn’t easy to see what story he-or Ginger-could make up to explain that. If the Beasts asked night after night to see Aslan，and no Aslan was brought out，surely even the simplest of them would get suspicious． In the end they all agreed that the best thing was to go off and try to meet Roonwit． As soon as they had decided this，it was wonderful how much more cheerful everyone became. I don’t honestly think that this was because any of them was afraid of a fight (except perhaps Jill and Eustace). But I daresay that each of them，deep down inside， was very glad not to go any nearer-or not yet-to that horrible bird-headed thing which，visible or invisible，was now probably haunting Stable Hill. Anyway，one always feels better when one has made up one’s mind． Tirian said they had better remove their disguises，as they didn’t want to be mistaken for Calormenes and perhaps attacked by any loyal Narnians they might meet. The Dwarf made up a horrid-looking mess of ashes from the hearth and grease out of the jar of grease which was kept for rubbing on swords and spear-heads. Then they took off their Calormene armour and went down to the stream. The nasty mixture made a lather just like soft soap：it was a pleasant，homely sight to see Tirian and the two children kneeling beside the water and scrubbing the backs of their necks or puffing and blowing as they splashed the lather off. Then they went back to the Tower with red，shiny faces，like people who have been given an extra good wash before a party. They re-armed themselves in true Narnian style，with straight swords and three-cornered shields.“Body of me，”said Tirian.“That is better. I feel a true man again.” Puzzle begged very hard to have the lion-skin taken off him. He said it was too hot and the way it was rucked up on his back was uncomfortable：also，it made him look so silly. But they told him he would have to wear it a bit longer，for they still wanted to show him in that get-up to the other Beasts，even though they were now going to meet Roonwit first． What was left of the pigeon-meat and rabbit-meat was not worth bringing away but they took some biscuits. Then Tirian locked the door of the Tower and that was the end of their stay there． It was a little after two in the afternoon when they set out， and it was the first really warm day of that spring. The young leaves seemed to be much further out than yesterday：the snow-drops were over，but they saw several primroses. The sunlight slanted through the trees，birds sang，and always (though usually out of sight) there was the noise of running water. It was hard to think of horrible things like Tash. The children felt，“This is really Narnia at last.”Even Tirian’s heart grew lighter as he walked ahead of them，humming an old Narnian marching song which had the refrain： Ho，rumble，rumble，rumble，Rumble drum belaboured． After the King came Eustace and Poggin the Dwarf. Poggin was telling Eustace the names of all the Narnian trees，birds，and plants which he didn’t know already. Sometimes Eustace would tell him about English ones． After them came Puzzle，and after him Jill and Jewel walking very close together. Jill had，as you might say，quite fallen in love with the Unicorn. She thought-and she wasn’t far wrong-that he was the shiningest，delicatest，most graceful animal she had ever met：and he was so gentle and soft of speech that，if you hadn’t known，you would hardly have believed how fierce and terrible he could be in battle． “Oh，this is nice!”said Jill.“Just walking along like this. I wish there could be more of this sort of adventure. It’s a pity there’s always so much happening in Narnia.” But the Unicorn explained to her that she was quite mistaken. He said that the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve were brought out of their own strange world into Narnia only at times when Narnia was stirred and upset，but she mustn’t think it was always like that. In between their visits there were hundreds and thousands of years when peaceful King followed peaceful King till you could hardly remember their names or count their numbers，and there was really hardly anything to put into the History Books. And he went on to talk of old Queens and heroes whom she had never heard of. He spoke of Swanwhite the Queen who had lived before the days of the White Witch and the Great Winter，who was so beautiful that when she looked into any forest pool the reflection of her face shone out of the water like a star by night for a year and a day afterwards. He spoke of Moonwood the Hare who had such ears that he could sit by Caldron Pool under the thunder of the great waterfall and hear what men spoke in whispers at Cair Paravel. He told how King Gale，who was ninth in descent from Frank the first of all Kings，had sailed far away into the Eastern seas and delivered the Lone Islanders from a dragon and how，in return，they had given him the Lone Islands to be part of the royal lands of Narnia for ever. He talked of whole centuries in which all Narnia was so happy that notable dances and feasts，or at most tournaments，were the only things that could be remembered，and every day and week had been better than the last. And as he went on，the picture of all those happy years，all the thousands of them，piled up in Jill’s mind till it was rather like looking down from a high hill on to a rich，lovely plain full of woods and waters and cornfields，which spread away and away till it got thin and misty from distance. And she said： “Oh，I do hope we can soon settle the Ape and get back to those good，ordinary times. And then I hope they’ll go on for ever and ever and ever. Our world is going to have an end some day. Perhaps this one won’t. Oh Jewel wouldn’t it be lovely if Narnia just went on and on-like what you said it has been ？” “Nay，sister，”answered Jewel，“all worlds draw to an end， except Aslan’s own country.” “Well，at least，”said Jill，“I hope the end of this one is millions of millions of millions of years away-hallo! what are we stopping for ？” The King and Eustace and the Dwarf were all staring up at the sky. Jill shuddered，remembering what horrors they had seen already. But it was nothing of that sort this time. It was small，and looked black against the blue． “I dare swear，”said the Unicorn，“from its flight，that it is a Talking bird.” “So think I，”said the King.“But is it a friend，or a spy of the Ape’s ？” “To me，Sire，”said the Dwarf，“it has a look of Far-sight the Eagle.” “Ought we to hide under the trees ？”said Eustace． “Nay，”said Tirian，“best stand still as rocks. He would see us for certain if we moved.” “Look! He wheels，he has seen us already，”said Jewel.“He is coming down in wide circles.” “Arrow on string，Lady，”said Tirian to Jill.“But by no means shoot till I bid you. He may be a friend.” If one had known what was going to happen next it would have been a treat to watch the grace and ease with which the huge bird glided down. He alighted on a rocky crag a few feet from Tirian， bowed his crested head，and said in his strange eagle’s-voice，“Hail， King.” “Hail，Farsight，”said Tirian.“And since you call me King， I may well believe you are not a follower of the Ape and his false Aslan. I am right glad of your coming.” “Sire，”said the Eagle，“when you have heard my news you will be sorrier of my coming than of the greatest woe that ever befell you.” Tirian’s heart seemed to stop beating at these words，but he set his teeth and said，“Tell on.” “Two sights have I seen，”said Farsight.“One was Cair Paravel filled with dead Narnians and living Calormenes：The Tisroc’s banner advanced upon your royal battlements：and your subjects flying from the city-this way and that，into the woods. Cair Paravel was taken from the sea. Twenty great ships of Calormen put in there in the dark of the night before last night.” No one could speak． “And the other sight，five leagues nearer than Cair Paravel， was Roonwit the Centaur lying dead with a Calormene arrow in his side. I was with him in his last hour and he gave me this message to your Majesty：to remember that all worlds draw to an end and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy.” “So，”said the King，after a long silence，“Narnia is no more.” CHAPTER NINE THE GREAT MEETING ON STABLE HILL FOR a long time they could not speak nor even shed a tear. Then the Unicorn stamped the ground with his hoof，and shook his mane，and spoke． “Sire，”he said，“there is now no need of counsel. We see that the Ape’s plans were laid deeper than we dreamed of. Doubtless he has been long in secret traffic with The Tisroc，and as soon as he had found the lion-skin he sent him word to make ready his navy for the taking of Cair Paravel and all Narnia. Nothing now remains for us seven but to go back to Stable Hill，proclaim the truth，and take the adventure that Aslan sends us. And if，by a great marvel， we defeat those thirty Calormenes who are with the Ape，then to turn again and die in battle with the far greater host of them that will soon march from Cair Paravel.” Tirian nodded. But he turned to the children and said：“Now， friends，it is time for you to go hence into your own world. Doubtless you have done all that you were sent to do.” “B-but we’ve done nothing，”said Jill who was shivering，not with fear exactly but because everything was so horrible． “Nay，”said the King，“you loosed me from the tree：you glided before me like a snake last night in the wood and took Puzzle：and you，Eustace，killed your man. But you are too young to share in such a bloody end as we others must meet tonight or，it may be，three days hence. I entreat you-nay，I command you-to return to your own place. I should be put to shame if I let such young warriors fall in battle on my side.” “No，no，no，”said Jill (very white when she began speaking and then suddenly very red and then white again.)“We won’t， I don’t care what you say. We’re going to stick with you whatever happens，aren’t we，Eustace ？” “Yes，but there’s no need to get so worked up about it，”said Eustace who had stuck his hands in his pockets (forgetting how very odd that looks when you are wearing a mail shirt).“Because，you see，we haven’t any choice. What’s the good of talking about our going back! How ？ We’ve got no magic for doing it!” This was very good sense but，at the moment，Jill hated Eustace for saying it. He was fond of being dreadfully matter-of-fact when other people got excited． When Tirian realized that the two strangers could not get home (unless Aslan suddenly whisked them away)，he next wanted them to go across the Southern mountains into Archenland where they might possibly be safe. But they didn’t know their way and there was no one to send with them. Also，as Poggin said，once the Calormenes had Narnia they would certainly take Archenland in the next week or so：The Tisroc had always wanted to have these Northern countries for his own. In the end Eustace and Jill begged so hard that Tirian said they could come with him and take their chance-or，as he much more sensibly called it，“the adventure that Aslan would send them”． The King’s first idea was that they should not go back to Stable Hill-they were sick of the very name of it by now till after dark. But the Dwarf told them that if they arrived there by daylight they would probably find the place deserted，except perhaps for a Calormene sentry. The Beasts were far too frightened by what the Ape (and Ginger) had told them about this new angry Aslan-or Tashlan-to go near it except when they were called together for these horrible midnight meetings. And Calormenes are never good woodsmen. Poggin thought that even by daylight they could easily get round to somewhere behind the stable without being seen. This would be much harder to do when the night had come and the Ape might be calling the Beasts together and all the Calormenes were on duty. And when the meeting did begin they could leave Puzzle at the back of the stable，completely out of sight，till the moment at which they wanted to produce him. This was obviously a good thing：for their only chance was to give the Narnians a sudden surprise． Everyone agreed and the whole party set off on a new line- North-West-towards the hated Hill. The Eagle sometimes flew to and fro above them，sometimes he sat perched on Puzzle’s back. No one-not even the King himself except in some great need- car. And just as Tirian took his place，the gong stopped beating and from somewhere on his left three figures appeared. One was Rishda Tarkaan the Calormene Captain. The second was the Ape. He was holding on to the Tarkaan’s hand with one paw and kept whimpering and muttering，“Not so fast，don’t go so fast，I’m not at all well. Oh my poor head! These midnight meetings are getting too much for me. Apes aren’t meant to be up at night：It’s not as if I was a rat or a bat-oh my poor head.”On the other side of the Ape，walking very soft and stately，with his tail straight up in the air，came Ginger the Cat. They were heading for the bonfire and were so close to Tirian that they would have seen him at once if they had looked in the right direction. Fortunately they did not. But Tirian heard Rishda say to Ginger in a low voice： “Now，Cat，to thy post. See thou play thy part well.” “Miaow，miaow. Count on me!”said Ginger. Then he stepped away beyond the bonfire and sat down in the front row of the assembled Beasts：in the audience，as you might say． For really，as it happened，the whole thing was rather like a theatre. The crowd of Narnians were like the people in the seats; the little grassy place just in front of the stable，where the bonfire burned and the Ape and the Captain stood to talk to the crowd， was like the stage; the stable itself was like the scenery at the back of the stage; and Tirian and his friends were like people peering round from behind the scenery. It was a splendid position. If any of them stepped forward into the full firelight，all eyes would be fixed on him at once：on the other hand，so long as they stood still in the shadow of the end-wall of the stable，it was a hundred to one against their being noticed． Rishda Tarkaan dragged the Ape up close to the fire. The pair of them turned to face the crowd，and this of course meant that their backs were towards Tirian and his friends． “Now，Monkey，”said Rishda Tarkaan in a low voice.“Say the words that wiser heads have put into thy mouth. And hold up thy head.”As he spoke he gave the Ape a little prod or kick from behind with the point of his toe． “Do leave me alone，”muttered Shift. But he sat up straighter and began，in a louder voice-“Now listen，all of you. A terrible thing has happened. A wicked thing. The wickedest thing that ever was done in Narnia. And Aslan-” “Tashlan，fool，”whispered Rishda Tarkaan． “Tashlan I mean，of course，”said the Ape，“is very angry about it.” There was a terrible silence while the Beasts waited to hear what new trouble was in store for them. The little party by the end-wall of the stable also held their breath. What on earth was coming now ？ “Yes，”said the Ape.“At this very moment，when the Terrible One himself is among us-there in the stable just behind me-one wicked Beast has chosen to do what you’d think no one would dare to do even if He were a thousand miles away. It has dressed itself up in a lion-skin and is wandering about in these very woods pretending to be Aslan.” Jill wondered for a moment if the Ape had gone mad. Was he going to tell the whole truth ？ A roar of horror and rage went up from the Beasts.“Grrr!”came the growls.“Who is he ？ Where is he ？ Just let me get my teeth into him!” “It was seen last night，”screamed the Ape，“but it got away. It’s a Donkey! A common，miserable Ass! If any of you see that Ass-” “Grrr!”growled the Beasts.“We will，we will. He’d better keep out of our way.” Jill looked at the King：his mouth was open and his face was full of horror. And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies’ plan. By mixing a little truth with it they had made their lie far stronger. What was the good，now，of telling the Beasts that an ass had been dressed up as a lion to deceive them ？ The Ape would only say，“That’s just what I’ve said.”What was the good of showing them Puzzle in his lion-skin ？ They would only tear him in pieces.“That’s taken the wind out of our sails，”whispered Eustace.“The ground is taken from under our feet，”said Tirian.“Cursed，cursed cleverness!”said Poggin.“I’ll be sworn that this new lie is of Ginger’s making.” CHAPTER TEN WHO WILL GO INTO THE STABLE JILL felt something tickling her ear. It was Jewel the Unicorn， whispering to her with the wide whisper of a horse’s mouth. As soon as she heard what he was saying she nodded and tip-toed back to where Puzzle was standing. Quickly and quietly she cut the last cords that bound the lion-skin to him. It wouldn’t do for him to be caught with that on，after what the Ape had said! She would like to have hidden the skin somewhere very far away，but it was too heavy. The best she could do was to kick it in among the thickest bushes. Then she made signs to Puzzle to follow her and they both joined the others． The Ape was speaking again． “And after a horrid thing like that，Aslan-Tashlan-is angrier than ever. He says he’s been a great deal too good to you，coming out every night to be looked at，see! Well，he’s not coming out any more.” Howls and mewings and squeals and grunts were the Animals’ answer to this，but suddenly a quite different voice broke in with a loud laugh． “Hark what the monkey says，”it shouted.“We know why he isn’t going to bring his precious Aslan out. I’ll tell you why： because he hasn’t got him. He never had anything except an old donkey with a lion-skin on its back. Now he’s lost that and he doesn’t know what to do.” Tirian could not see the faces on the other side of the fire very well but he guessed this was Griffle the Chief Dwarf. And he was quite certain of it when，a second later，all the Dwarfs’ voices joined in，singing：“Don’t know what to do! Don’t know what to do! Don’t know what to do-o-o!” “Silence!”thundered Rishda Tarkaan.“Silence，children of mud! Listen to me，you other Narnians，lest I give command to my warriors to fall upon you with the edge of the sword. The Lord Shift has already told you of that wicked Ass. Do you think， because of him that there is no real Tashlan in the stable! Do you ？ Beware，beware.” “No，no，”shouted most of the crowd. But the Dwarfs said， “That’s right，Darkie，you’ve got it. Come on，Monkey，show us what’s in the stable，seeing is believing.” When next there was a moment’s quiet the Ape said：“You Dwarfs think you’re very clever，don’t you ？ But not so fast. I never said you couldn’t see Tashlan. Anyone who likes can see him.” The whole assembly became silent. Then，after nearly a minute，the Bear began in a slow，puzzled voice： “I don’t quite understand all this，”it grumbled，“I thought you said-” “You thought!”repeated the Ape.“As if anyone could call what goes on in your head thinking. Listen，you others. Anyone can see Tashlan. But he’s not coming out. You have to go in and see him.” “Oh，thank you，thank you，thank you，”said dozens of voices.“That’s what we wanted! We can go in and see him face to face. And now he’ll be kind and it will all be as it used to be.”And the Birds chattered，and the Dogs barked excitedly. Then suddenly，there was a great stirring and a noise of creatures rising to their feet，and in a second the whole lot of them would have been rushing forward and trying to crowd into the stable door all together. But the Ape shouted： “Get back! Quiet! Not so fast.” The Beasts stopped，many of them with one paw in the air many with tails wagging，and all of them with heads on one side． “I thought you said，”began the Bear，but Shift interrupted． “Anyone can go in，”he said.“But，one at a time. Who’ll go first ？ He didn’t say he was feeling very kind. He’s been licking his lips a lot since he swallowed up the wicked King the other night. He’s been growling a good deal this morning. I wouldn’t much like to go into that stable myself tonight. But just as you please. Who’d like to go in first ？ Don’t blame me if he swallows you whole or blasts you into a cinder with the mere terror of his eyes. That’s your affair. Now then! Who’s first ？ What about one of you Dwarfs ？” “Dilly，dilly，come and be killed!”sneered Griffle.“How do we know what you’ve got in there ？” “Ho-ho!”cried the Ape.“So you’re beginning to think there’s something there，eh ？ Well，all you Beasts were making noise enough a minute ago. What’s struck you all dumb ？ Who’s going in first ？” But the Beasts all stood looking at one another and began backing away from the stable. Very few tails were wagging now. The Ape waddled to and fro jeering at them.“Ho-ho-ho!”he chuckled.“I thought you were all so eager to see Tashlan face to face! Changed your mind，eh ？” Tirian bent his head to hear something that Jill was trying to whisper in his ear.“What do you think is really inside the stable ？”she said.“Who knows ？”said Tirian.“Two Calormenes with drawn swords，as likely as not，one on each side of the door.”“You don’t think，”said Jill，“it might be... you know... that horrid thing we saw ？”“Tash himself ？”whispered Tirian.“There’s no knowing. But courage，child：we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.” Then a most surprising thing happened. Ginger the Cat said in a cool，clear voice，not at all as if he was excited，“I’ll go in，if you like.” Every creature turned and fixed its eyes on the Cat.“Mark their subtleties，Sire，”said Poggin to the King.“This cursed cat is in the plot，in the very centre of it. Whatever is in the stable will not hurt him，I’ll be bound. Then Ginger will come out again and say that he has seen some wonder.” But Tirian had no time to answer him. The Ape was calling the Cat to come forward.“Ho-ho!”said the Ape.“So you，a pert Puss，would look upon him face to face. Come on，then! I’ll open the door for you. Don’t blame me if he scares the whiskers off your face. That’s your affair.” And the Cat got up and came out of its place in the crowd， walking primly and daintily，with its tail in the air，not one hair on its sleek coat out of place. It came on till it had passed the fire and was so close that Tirian，from where he stood with his shoulder against the end-wall of the stable，could look right into its face. Its big green eyes never blinked. (“Cool as a cucumber，”muttered Eustace.“It knows it has nothing to fear.”) The Ape，chuckling and making faces，shuttled across beside the Cat：put up his paw： drew the bolt and opened the door. Tirian thought he could hear the Cat purring as it walked into the dark doorway． “Aii-aii-aouwee!-”The most horrible caterwaul you ever heard made everyone jump. You have been wakened yourself by cats quarrelling or making love on the roof in the middle of the night：you know the sound． This was worse. The Ape was knocked head over heels by Ginger coming back out of the stable at top speed. If you had not known he was a cat，you might have thought he was a ginger-coloured streak of lightning. He shot across the open grass，back into the crowd. No one wants to meet a cat in that state. You could see animals getting out of his way to left and right. He dashed up a tree，whisked around，and hung head downwards. His tail was bristled out till it was nearly as thick as his whole body：his eyes were like saucers of green fire：along his back every single hair stood on end． “I’d give my beard，”whispered Poggin，“to know whether that brute is only acting or whether it has really found something in there that frightened it!” “Peace，friend，”said Tirian，for the Captain and the Ape were also whispering and he wanted to hear what they said. He did not succeed，except that he heard the Ape once more whimpering“My head，my head，”but he got the idea that those two were almost as puzzled by the cat’s behaviour as himself． “Now，Ginger，”said the Captain.“Enough of that noise. Tell them what thou hast seen.” “Aii-Aii-Aaow-Awah，”screamed the Cat． “Art thou not called a Talking Beast ？”said the Captain.“Then hold thy devilish noise and talk.” What followed was rather horrible. Tirian felt quite certain (and so did the others) that the Cat was trying to say something：but nothing came out of his mouth except the ordinary，ugly cat-noises you might hear from any angry or frightened old Tom in a backyard in England. And the longer he caterwauled the less like a Talking Beast he looked. Uneasy whimperings and little sharp squeals broke out from among the other Animals． “Look，look!”said the voice of the Bear.“It can’t talk. It has forgotten how to talk! It has gone back to being a dumb beast. Look at its face.”Everyone saw that it was true. And then the greatest terror of all fell upon those Narnians. For every one of them had been taught-when only a chick or a puppy or a cub-how Aslan at the beginning of the world had turned the beasts of Narnia into Talking Beasts and warned them that if they weren’t good they might one day be turned back again and be like the poor witless animals one meets in other countries.“And now it is coming upon us，”they moaned． “Mercy! Mercy!”wailed the Beasts.“Spare us，Lord Shift， stand between us and Aslan，you must always go in and speak to him for us. We daren’t，we daren’t.” Ginger disappeared further up into the tree. No one ever saw him again． Tirian stood with his hand on his sword-hilt and his head bowed. He was dazed with the horrors of that night. Sometimes he thought it would be best to draw his sword at once and rush upon the Calormenes：then next moment he thought it would be better to wait and see what new turn affairs might take. And now a new turn came． “My Father，”came a clear，ringing voice from the left of the crowd. Tirian knew at once that it was one of the Calormenes speaking，for in The Tisroc’s army the common soldiers call the officers“My Master”but the officers call their senior officers“My Father”. Jill and Eustace didn’t know this but，after looking this way and that，they saw the speaker，for of course people at the sides of the crowd were easier to see than people in the middle where the glare of the fire made all beyond it look rather black. He was young and tall and slender，and even rather beautiful in the dark，haughty，Calormene way． “My Father，”he said to the Captain，“I also desire to go in.” “Peace，Emeth，”said the Captain，“Who called thee to counsel ？Does it become a boy to speak ？” “My Father，”said Emeth.“Truly I am younger than thou，yet I also am of the blood of the Tarkaans even as thou art，and I also am the servant of Tash. Therefore...” “Silence，”said Rishda Tarkaan.“Am I not thy Captain ？ Thou hast nothing to do with this stable. It is for the Narnians.” “Nay，my Father，”answered Emeth.“Thou hast said that their Aslan and our Tash are all one. And if that is the truth，then Tash himself is in yonder. And how then sayest thou that I have nothing to do with him ？ For gladly would I die a thousand deaths if I might look once on the face of Tash.” “Thou art a fool and understandest nothing，”said Rishda Tarkaan.“These be high matters.” Emeth’s face grew sterner.“Is it then not true that Tash and Aslan are all one ？”he asked.“Has the Ape lied to us ？” “Of course they’re all one，”said the Ape． “Swear it，Ape，”said Emeth． “Oh dear!”whimpered Shift，“I wish you’d all stop bothering me. My head does ache. Yes，yes，I swear it.” “Then，my Father，”said Emeth，“I am utterly determined to go in.” “Fool，”began Rishda Tarkaan，but at once the Dwarfs began shouting：“Come along，Darkie. Why don’t you let him in ？ Why do you let Narnians in and keep your own people out ？ What have you got in there that you don’t want your own men to meet ？” Tirian and his friends could only see the back of Rishda Tarkaan，so they never knew what his face looked like as he shrugged his shoulders and said，“Bear witness all that I am guiltless of this young fool’s blood. Get thee in，rash boy，and make haste.” Then，just as Ginger had done，Emeth came walking forward into the open strip of grass between the bonfire and the stable. His eyes were shining，his face very solemn，his hand was on his sword-hilt，and he carried his head high. Jill felt like crying when she looked at his face. And Jewel whispered in the King’s ear，“By the Lion’s Mane，I almost love this young warrior，Calormene though he be. He is worthy of a better god than Tash.” “I do wish we knew what is really inside there，”said Eustace． Emeth opened the door and went in，into the black mouth of the stable. He closed the door behind him. Only a few moments passed-but it seemed longer before the door opened again. A figure in Calormene armour reeled out，fell on its back，and lay still：the door closed behind it. The Captain leaped towards it and bent down to stare at its face. He gave a start of surprise. Then he recovered himself and turned to the crowd，crying out： “The rash boy has had his will. He has looked on Tash and is dead. Take warning，all of you.” “We will，we will，”said the poor Beasts. But Tirian and his friends stared first at the dead Calormene and then at one another. For they，being so close，could see what the crowd，being further off and beyond the fire，could not see：this dead man was not Emeth. He was quite different：an older man，thicker and not so tall，with a big beard． “Ho-ho-ho，”chuckled the Ape.“Any more ？ Anyone else want to go in ？Well，as you’re all shy，I’ll choose the next. You， you Boar! On you come. Drive him up，Calormenes. He shall see Tashlan face to face.” “O-o-mph，”grunted the Boar，rising heavily to his feet.“Come on，then. Try my tusks.” When Tirian saw that brave Beast getting ready to fight for its life-and Calormene soldiers beginning to close in on it with their drawn scimitars-and no one going to its help-something seemed to burst inside him. He no longer cared if this was the best moment to interfere or not． “Swords out，”he whispered to the others.“Arrow on string. Follow.” Next moment the astonished Narnians saw seven figures leap forth in front of the stable，four of them in shining mail. The King’s sword flashed in the firelight as he waved it above his head and cried in a great voice： “Here stand I，Tirian of Narnia，in Aslan’s name，to prove with my body that Tash is a foul fiend，the Ape a manifold traitor，and these Calormenes worthy of death. To my side，all true Narnians. Would you wait till your new masters have killed you all one by one ？” CHAPTER ELEVEN THE PACE QUICKENS QUICK as lightning，Rishda Tarkaan leaped back out of reach of the King’s sword. He was no coward，and would have fought single-handed against Tirian and the Dwarf if need were. But he could not take on the Eagle and the Unicorn as well. He knew how Eagles can fly into your face and peck at your eyes and blind you with their wings. And he had heard from his father (who had met Narnians in battle) that no man，except with arrows，or a long spear，can match a Unicorn，for it rears on its hind legs as it falls upon you and then you have its hoofs and its horn and its teeth to deal with all at once. So he rushed into the crowd and stood calling out： “To me ,to me，warriors of The Tisroc , may -he - liveforever. To me，all loyal Narnians，lest the wrath of Tashlan fall upon you!” While this was happening two other things happened as well. The Ape had not realized his danger as quickly as the Tarkaan. For a second or so he remained squatting beside the fire staring at the newcomers. Then Tirian rushed upon the wretched creature， picked it up by the scruff of the neck，and dashed back to the stable shouting，“Open the door!”Poggin opened it.“Go and drink your own medicine，Shift!”said Tirian and hurled the Ape through into the darkness. But as the Dwarf banged the door shut again， a blinding greenish-blue light shone out from the inside of the stable，the earth shook，and there was a strange noise-a clucking and screaming as if it was the hoarse voice of some monstrous bird. The Beasts moaned and howled and called out“Tashlan! Hide us from him!”and many fell down，and many hid their faces in their wings or paws. No one except Farsight the Eagle，who has the best eyes of all living things，noticed the face of Rishda Tarkaan at that moment. And from what Farsight saw there he knew at once that Rishda was just as surprised，and nearly frightened，as everyone else.“There goes one，”thought Farsight，“who has called on gods he does not believe in. How will it be with him if they have really come ？” The third thing-which also happened at the same moment-was the only really beautiful thing that night. Every single Talking Dog in the whole meeting (there were fifteen of them) came bounding and barking joyously to the King’s side. They were mostly great big dogs with thick shoulders and heavy jaws. Their coming was like the breaking of a great wave on the seabeach：it nearly knocked you down. For though they were Talking Dogs they were just as doggy as they could be：and they all stood up and put their front paws on the shoulders of the humans and licked their faces，all saying at once：“Welcome! Welcome! We’ll help，we’ll help， help，help. Show us how to help，show us how，how. How-how-how ？” It was so lovely that it made you want to cry. This，at last， was the sort of thing they had been hoping for. And when，a moment later，several little animals (mice and moles and a squirrel or so) came pattering up，squealing with joy，and saying“See， see. We’re here，”and when，after that，the Bear and the Boar came too，Eustace began to feel that perhaps，after all， everything might be going to come right. But Tirian gazed round and saw how very few of the animals had moved． “To me! to me!”he called.“Have you all turned cowards since I was your King ？” “We daren’t，”whimpered dozens of voices.“Tashlan would be angry. Shield us from Tashlan.” “Where are all the Talking Horses ？”asked Tirian． “We’ve seen，we’ve seen，”squealed the Mice.“The Ape has made them work. They’re all tied-down at the bottom of the hill.” “Then all you little ones，”said Tirian，“you nibblers and gnawers and nutcrackers，away with you as fast as you can scamper and see if the Horses are on our side. And if they are，get your teeth into the ropes and gnaw till the Horses are free and bring them hither.” “With a good will，Sire，”came the small voices，and with a whisk of tails those sharp-eyed and sharp-toothed folk were off. Tirian smiled for mere love as he saw them go. But it was already time to be thinking of other things. Rishda Tarkaan was giving his orders． “Forward，”he said.“Take all of them alive if you can and hurl them into the stable or drive them into it. When they are all in we will put fire to it and make them an offering to the great god Tash.” “Ha!”said Farsight to himself.“So that is how he hopes to win Tash’s pardon for his unbelief.” The enemy line-about half of Rishda’s force-was now moving forward，and Tirian had barely time to give his orders． “Out on the left，Jill，and try to shoot all you may before they reach us. Boar and Bear next to her. Poggin on my left，Eustace on my right. Hold the right wing，Jewel. Stand by him，Puzzle，and use your hoofs. Hover and strike，Farsight. You Dogs，just behind us. Go in among them after the sword-play has begun. Aslan to our aid!” Eustace stood with his heart beating terribly，hoping and hoping that he would be brave. He had never seen anything (though he had seen both a dragon and a seaserpent) that made his blood run so cold as that line of dark-faced bright-eyed men. There were fifteen Calormenes，a Talking Bull of Narnia，Slinkey the Fox， and Wraggle the Satyr. Then he heard twang-and-zipp on his left and one Calormene fell：then twang-andzipp again and the Satyr was down.“Oh，well done，daughter!”came Tirian’s voice; and then the enemy were upon them． Eustace could never remember what happened in the next two minutes. It was all like a dream (the sort you have when your temperature is over 100) until he heard Rishda Tarkaan’s voice calling out from the distance： “Retire. Back hither and re-form.” Then Eustace came to his senses and saw the Calormenes scampering back to their friends. But not all of them. Two lay dead，pierced by Jewel’s horn，one by Tirian’s sword. The Fox lay dead at his own feet，and he wondered if it was he who had killed it. The Bull also was down，shot through the eye by an arrow from Jill and gashed in his side by the Boar’s tusk. But our side had its losses too. Three dogs were killed and a fourth was hobbling behind the line on three legs and whimpering. The Bear lay on the ground，moving feebly. Then it mumbled in its throaty voice， bewildered to the last，“I-I don’t understand，”laid its big head down on the grass as quietly as a child going to sleep，and never moved again． In fact，the first attack had failed. Eustace didn’t seem able to be glad about it：he was so terribly thirsty and his arm ached so． As the defeated Calormenes went back to their commander， the Dwarfs began jeering at them． “Had enough，Darkies ？”they yelled.“Don’t you like it ？ Why doesn’t your great Tarkaan go and fight himself instead of sending you to be killed ？Poor Darkies!” “Dwarfs，”cried Tirian.“Come here and use your swords，not your tongues. There is still time. Dwarfs of Narnia! You can fight well，I know. Come back to your allegiance.” “Yah!”sneered the Dwarfs.“Not likely. You’re just as big humbugs as the other lot. We don’t want any Kings. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs. Boo!” Then the Drum began：not a Dwarf drum this time，but a big bull’s hide Calormene drum. The children from the very first hated the sound. Boom-boom-ba-ba-boom it went. But they would have hated it far worse if they had known what it meant. Tirian did. It meant that there were other Calormene troops somewhere near and that Rishda Tarkaan was calling them to his aid. Tirian and Jewel looked at one another sadly. They had just begun to hope that they might win that night：but it would be all over with them if new enemies appeared． Tirian gazed despairingly round. Several Narnians were standing with the Calormenes，whether through treachery or in honest fear of“Tashlan”. Others were sitting still，staring，not likely to join either side. But there were fewer animals now：the crowd was much smaller. Clearly，several of them had just crept quietly away during the fighting． Boom-boom-ba-ba-boom went the horrible drum. Then another sound began to mix with it.“Listen!”said Jewel：and then“Look!”said Farsight. A moment later there was no doubt what it was. With a thunder of hoofs，with tossing heads，widened nostrils，and waving manes，over a score of Talking Horses of Narnia came charging up the hill. The gnawers and nibblers had done their work． Poggin the Dwarf and the children opened their mouths to cheer but that cheer never came. Suddenly the air was full of the sound of twanging bow-strings and hissing arrows. It was the Dwarfs who were shooting and-for a moment Jill could hardly believe her eyes-they were shooting the Horses. Dwarfs are deadly archers. Horse after Horse rolled over. Not one of those noble Beasts ever reached the King． “Little Swine，”shrieked Eustace，dancing in his rage.“Dirty， filthy，treacherous little brutes.”Even Jewel said，“Shall I run after those Dwarfs，Sire，and spit ten of them on my horn at each plunge ？ ”But Tirian with his face as stern as stone，said，“Stand fast，Jewel. If you must weep，sweetheart (this was to Jill)，turn your face aside and see you wet not your bow-string. And peace， Eustace. Do not scold，like a kitchen-girl. No warrior scolds. Courteous words or else hard knocks are his only language.” But the Dwarfs jeered back at Eustace.“That was a surprise for you，little boy，eh ？ Thought we were on your side，did you ？ No fear. We don’t want any Talking Horses. We don’t want you to win any more than the other gang. You can’t take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.” Rishda Tarkaan was still talking to his men，doubtless making arrangements for the next attack and probably wishing he had sent his whole force into the first. The drum boomed on. Then，to their horror，Tirian and his friends heard，far fainter as if from a long way off，an answering drum. Another body of Calormenes had heard Rishda’s signal and were coming to support him. You would not have known from Tirian’s face that he had now given up all hope． “Listen，”he whispered in a matter-of-fact voice，“we must attack now，before yonder miscreants are strengthened by their friends.” “Bethink you，Sire，”said Poggin，“that here we have the good wooden wall of the stable at our backs. If we advance，shall we not be encircled and get sword-points between our shoulders ？” “I would say as you do，Dwarf，”said Tirian.“Were it not their very plan to force us into the stable ？ The further we are from its deadly door，the better.” “The King is right，”said Farsight.“Away from this accursed stable，and whatever goblin lives inside it，at all costs.” “Yes，do let’s，”said Eustace.“I’m coming to hate the very sight of it.” “Good，”said Tirian.“Now look yonder to our left. You see a great rock that gleams white like marble in the firelight. First we will fall upon those Calormenes. You，maiden，shall move out on our left and shoot as fast as ever you may into their ranks： and you，Eagle，fly at their faces from the right. Meanwhile we others will be charging them. When we are so close，Jill，that you can no longer shoot at them for fear of striking us，go back to the white rock and wait. You others，keep your ears wide even in the fighting. We must put them to flight in a few minutes or else not at all，for we are fewer than they. As soon as I call Back，then rush to join Jill at the white rock，where we shall have protection behind us and can breathe awhile. Now，be off，Jill.” Feeling terribly alone，Jill ran out about twenty feet，put her right leg back and her left leg forward，and set an arrow to her string. She wished her hands were not shaking so.“‘That’s a rotten shot!”she said as her first arrow sped towards the enemy and flew over their heads. But she had another on the string next moment： she knew that speed was what mattered. She saw something big and black darting into the faces of the Calormenes.’that was Farsight. First one man，and then another，dropped his sword and put up both his hands to defend his eyes. Then one of her own arrows hit a man，and another hit a Narnian wolf，who had，it seemed， joined the enemy. But she had been shooting only for a few seconds when she had to stop. With a flash of swords and of the Boar’s tusks and Jewel’s horn，and with deep baying from the dogs， Tirian and his party were rushing on their enemies，like men in a hundred yards’ race. Jill was astonished to see how unprepared the Calormenes seemed to be. She did not realize that this was the result of her work and the Eagle’s. Very few troops can keep on looking steadily to the front if they are getting arrows in their faces from one side and being pecked by an eagle on the other． “Oh well done. Well done!”shouted Jill. The King’s party were cutting their way right into the enemy. The Unicorn was tossing men as you’d toss hay on a fork. Even Eustace seemed to Jill (who after all didn’t know very much about swordsmanship) to be fighting brilliantly. The Dogs were at the Calormenes’ throats. It was going to work! It was victory at last-With a horrible，cold shock Jill noticed a strange thing. Though Calormenes were falling at each Narnian sword-stroke，they never seemed to get any fewer. In fact，there were actually more of them now than when the fight began. There were more every second. They were running up from every side. They were new Calormenes. These new ones had spears. There was such a crowd of them that she could hardly see her own friends. Then she heard Tirian’s voice crying： “Back! To the rock!” The enemy had been reinforced. The drum had done its work． CHAPTER TWELVE THROUGH THE STABLE DOOR JILL ought to have been back at the white rock already but she had quite forgotten that part of her orders in the excitement of watching the fight. Now she remembered. She turned at once and ran to it，and arrived there barely a second before the others. It thus happened that all of them，for a moment，had their backs to the enemy. They all wheeled round the moment they had reached it. A terrible sight met their eyes． A Calormene was running towards the stable door carrying something that kicked and struggled. As he came between them and the fire they could see clearly both the shape of the man and the shape of what he carried. It was Eustace． Tirian and the Unicorn rushed out to rescue him. But the Calormene was now far nearer to the door then they. Before they had covered half the distance he had flung Eustace in and shut the door on him. Half a dozen more Calormenes had run up behind him. They formed a line on the open space before the stable. There was no getting at it now． Even then Jill remembered to keep her face turned aside，well away from her bow.“Even if I can’t stop blubbing，I won’t get my string wet，”she said． “‘Ware arrows，”said Poggin suddenly． Everyone ducked and pulled his helmet well over his nose. The Dogs crouched behind. But though a few arrows came their way it soon became clear that they were not being shot at. Griffle and his Dwarfs were at their archery again. This time they were coolly shooting at the Calormenes． “Keep it up，boys!”came Griffle’s voice.“All together. Carefully. We don’t want Darkies any more than we want Monkeys-or Lions-or Kings. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.” Whatever else you may say about Dwarfs，no one can say they aren’t brave. They could easily have got away to some safe place. They preferred to stay and kill as many of both sides as they could，except when both sides were kind enough to save them trouble by killing one another. They wanted Narnia for their own． What perhaps they had not taken into account was that the Calormenes were mail-clad and the Horses had had no protection. Also the Calormenes had a leader. Rishda Tarkaan’s voice cried out： “Thirty of you keep watch on those fools by the white rock. The rest，after me，that we may teach these sons of earth a lesson.” Tirian and his friends，still panting from their fight and thankful for a few minutes’ rest，stood and looked on while the Tarkaan led his men against the Dwarfs. It was a strange scene by now. The fire had sunk lower：the light it gave was now less and of a darker red. As far as one could see，the whole place of assembly was now empty except for the Dwarf and the Calormenes. In that light one couldn’t make out much of what was happening. It sounded as if the Dwarfs were putting up a good fight. Tirian could hear Griffle using dreadful language，and every now and then the Tarkaan calling，“Take all you can alive! Take them alive!” Whatever that fight may have been like，it did not last long. The noise of it died away. Then Jill saw the Tarkaan coming back to the stable：eleven men followed him，dragging eleven bound Dwarfs. (Whether the others had all been killed，or whether some of them had got away，was never known.) “Throw them into the shrine of Tash，”said Rishda Tarkaan． And when the eleven Dwarfs，one after the other，had been flung or kicked into that dark doorway and the door had been shut again，he bowed low to the stable and said： “These also are for thy burnt offering，Lord Tash.” And all the Calormenes banged the flats of their swords on their shields and shouted，“Tash! Tash! The great god Tash! Inexorable Tash!”(There was no nonsense about“Tashlan”now.) The little party by the white rock watched these doings and whispered to one another. They had found a trickle of water coming down the rock and all had drunk eagerly-Jill and Poggin and the King in their hands，while the four-footed ones lapped from the little pool which it had made at the foot of the stone. Such was their thirst that it seemed the most delicious drink they had ever had in their lives，and while they were drinking they were perfectly happy and could not think of anything else． “I feel in my bones，”said Poggin，“that we shall all，one by one，pass through that dark door before morning. I can think of a hundred deaths I would rather have died.” “It is indeed a grim door，”said Tirian.“It is more like a mouth.” “Oh，can’t we do anything to stop it ？ ”said Jill in a shaken voice． “Nay，fair friend，”said Jewel，nosing her gently.“It may be for us the door to Aslan’s country and we shall sup at his table tonight.” Rishda Tarkaan turned his back on the stable and walked slowly to a place in front of the white rock． “Hearken，”he said.“If the Boar and the Dogs and the Unicorn will come over to me and put themselves in my mercy，their lives shall be spared. The Boar shall go to a cage in The Tisroc’s garden，the Dogs to The Tisroc’s kennels，and the Unicorn， when I have sawn his horn off，shall draw a cart. But the Eagle， the children，and he who was the King shall be offered to Tash this night.” The only answer was growls． “Get on，warriors，”said the Tarkaan.“Kill the beasts，but take the two-legged ones alive.” And then the last battle of the last King of Narnia began． What made it hopeless，even apart from the numbers of the enemy，was the spears. The Calormenes who had been with the Ape almost from the beginning had had no spears：that was because they had come into Narnia by ones and twos，pretending to be peaceful merchants，and of course they had carried no spears for a spear is not a thing you can hide. The new ones must have come in later，after the Ape was already strong and they could march openly. The spears made all the difference. With a long spear you can kill a boar before you are in reach of his tusks and a unicorn before you are in reach of his horn; if you are very quick and keep your head. And now the levelled spears were closing in on Tirian and his last friends. Next minute they were all fighting for their lives． In a way it wasn’t quite so bad as you might think．When you are using every muscle to the full-ducking under a spear-point here，leaping over it there，lunging forward，drawing back， wheeling round-you haven’t much time to feel either frightened or sad. Tirian knew he could do nothing for the others now; they were all doomed together. He vaguely saw the Boar go down on one side of him，and Jewel fighting furiously on the other. Out of the corner of one eye he saw，but only just saw，a big Calormene pulling Jill away somewhere by her hair. But he hardly thought about any of these things. His only thought now was to sell his life as dearly as he could. The worst of it was that he couldn’t keep to the position in which he had started，under the white rock. A man who is fighting a dozen enemies at once must take his chances wherever he can; must dart in wherever he sees an enemy’s breast or neck unguarded. In a very few strokes this may get you quite a distance from the spot where you began. Tirian soon found that he was getting further and further to the right，nearer to the stable. He had a vague idea in his mind that there was some good reason for keeping away from it. But he couldn’t now remember what the reason was. And anyway，he couldn’t help it． All at once everything came quite clear. He found he was fighting the Tarkaan himself. The bonfire (what was left of it) was straight in front. He was in fact fighting in the very doorway of the stable，for it had been opened and two Calormenes were holding the door，ready to slam it shut the moment he was inside. He remembered everything now，and he realized that the enemy had been edging him to the stable on purpose ever since the fight began. And while he was thinking this he was still fighting the Tarkaan as hard as he could． A new idea came into Tirian’s head. He dropped his sword， darted forward，in under the sweep of the Tarkaan’s scimitar， seized his enemy by the belt with both hands，and jumped back into the stable，shouting： “Come in and meet Tash yourself!” There was a deafening noise. As when the Ape had been flung in，the earth shook and there was a blinding light． The Calormene soldiers outside screamed.“Tash，Tash!”and banged the door. If Tash wanted their own Captain，Tash must have him. They，at any rate，did not want to meet Tash． For a moment or two Tirian did not know where he was or even who he was. Then he steadied himself，blinked，and looked around. It was not dark inside the stable，as he had expected. He was in strong light：that was why he was blinking． He turned to look at Rishda Tarkaan，but Rishda was not looking at him. Rishda gave a great wail and pointed; then he put his hands before his face and fell flat，face downwards，on the ground. Tirian looked in the direction where the Tarkaan had pointed. And then he understood． A terrible figure was coming towards them. It was far smaller than the shape they had seen from the Tower，though still much bigger than a man，and it was the same. It had a vulture’s head and four arms. Its beak was open and its eyes blazed. A croaking voice came from its beak． “Thou hast called me into Narnia，Rishda Tarkaan. Here I am. What hast thou to say ？” But the Tarkaan neither lifted his face from the ground nor said a word. He was shaking like a man with a bad hiccup. He was brave enough in battle：but half his courage had left him earlier that night when he first began to suspect that there might be a real Tash. The rest of it had left him now． With a sudden jerk-like a hen stooping to pick up a worm- Tash pounced on the miserable Rishda and tucked him under the upper of his two right arms. Then Tash turned his head sidewise to fix Tirian with one of his terrible eyes：for of course，having a bird’s head，he couldn’t look at you straight． But immediately，from behind Tash，strong and calm as the summer sea，a voice said： “Begone，Monster，and take your lawful prey to your own place：in the name of Aslan and Aslan’s great Father the Emperor-over-the-Sea.” The hideous creature vanished，with the Tarkaan still under its arm. And Tirian turned to see who had spoken．And what he saw then set his heart beating as it had never beaten in any fight． Seven Kings and Queens stood before him，all with crowns on their heads and all in glittering clothes，but the Kings wore fine mail as well and had their swords drawn in their hands. Tirian bowed courteously and was about to speak when the youngest of the Queens laughed. He stared hard at her face，and then gasped with amazement，for he knew her. It was Jill：but not Jill as he had last seen her，with her face all dirt and tears and an old drill dress half slipping off one shoulder. Now she looked cool and fresh，as fresh as if she had just come from bathing. And at first he thought she looked older，but then didn’t，and he could never make up his mind on that point. And then he saw that the youngest of the Kings was Eustace：but he also was changed as Jill was changed． Tirian suddenly felt awkward about coming among these people with the blood and dust and sweat of a battle still on him. Next moment he realized that he was not in that state at all. He was fresh and cool and clean，and dressed in such clothes as he would have worn for a great feast at Cair Paravel. (But in Narnia your good clothes were never your uncomfortable ones. They knew how to make things that felt beautiful as well as looking beautiful in Narnia：and there was no such thing as starch or flannel or elastic to be found from one end of the country to the other.) “Sire，”said Jill coming forward and making a beautiful curtsey，“let me make you known to Peter the High King over all Kings in Narnia.” Tirian had no need to ask which was the High King，for he remembered his face (though here it was far nobler) from his dream. He stepped forward，sank on one knee and kissed Peter’s hand． “High King，”he said.“You are welcome to me.” And the High King raised him and kissed him on both cheeks as a High King should. Then he led him to the eldest of the Queens-but even she was not old，and there were no grey hairs on her head and no wrinkles on her cheek-and said，“Sir，this is that Lady Polly who came into Narnia on the First Day，when Aslan made the trees grow and the Beasts talk.”He brought him next to a man whose golden beard flowed over his breast and whose face was full of wisdom.“And this，”he said，“is the Lord Digory who was with her on that day. And this is my brother，King Edmund：and this my sister，the Queen Lucy.” “Sir，”said Tirian，when he had greeted all these.“If I have read the chronicle aright，there should be another. Has not your Majesty two sisters ？ Where is Queen Susan ？” “My sister Susan，”answered Peter shortly and gravely，“is no longer a friend of Narnia.” “Yes，”said Eustace，“and whenever you’ve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia，she says，‘What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.’” “Oh Susan!”said Jill.“She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.” “Grown-up，indeed，”said the Lady Polly.“I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now，and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.” “Well，don’t let’s talk about that now，”said Peter.“Look! Here are lovely fruit-trees. Let us taste them.” And then，for the first time，Tirian looked about him and realized how very queer this adventure was． CHAPTER THIRTEEN HOW THE DWARFS REFUSED TO BE TAKEN IN TIRIAN had thought-or he would have thought if he had time to think at all-that they were inside a little thatched stable，about twelve feet long and six feet wide. In reality they stood on grass， the deep blue sky was overhead，and the air which blew gently on their faces was that of a day in early summer. Not far away from them rose a grove of trees，thickly leaved，but under every leaf there peeped out the gold or faint yellow or purple or glowing red of fruits such as no one has seen in our world. The fruit made Tirian feel that it must be autumn but there was something in the feel of the air that told him it could not be later than June. They all moved towards the trees． Everyone raised his hand to pick the fruit he best liked the look of，and then everyone paused for a second. This fruit was so beautiful that each felt“It can’t be meant for me... surely we’re not allowed to pluck it.” “It’s all right，”said Peter.“I know what we’re all thinking. But I’m sure，quite sure，we needn’t. I’ve a feeling we’ve got to the country where everything is allowed.” “Here goes，then!”said Eustace. And they all began to eat． What was the fruit like ？ Unfortunately no one can describe a taste. All I can say is that，compared with those fruits，the freshest grapefruit you’ve ever eaten was dull，and the juiciest orange was dry，and the most melting pear was hard and woody， and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones，and no wasps. If you had once eaten that fruit，all the nicest things in this world would taste like medicines after it. But I can’t describe it. You can’t find out what it is like unless you can get to that country and taste it for yourself． When they had eaten enough，Eustace said to King Peter，“You haven’t yet told us how you got here. You were just going to， when King Tirian turned up.” “There’s not much to tell，”said Peter.“Edmund and I were standing on the platform and we saw your train coming in. I remember thinking it was taking the bend far too fast. And I remember thinking how funny it was that our people were probably in the same train though Lucy didn’t know about it-” “Your people，High King ？”said Tirian． “I mean my Father and Mother-Edmund’s and Lucy’s and mine.” “Why were they ？”asked Jill.“You don’t mean to say they know about Narnia ？” “Oh no，it had nothing to do with Narnia. They were on their way to Bristol. I’d only heard they were going that morning. But Edmund said they’d be bound to be going by that train.”(Edmund was the sort of person who knows about railways.) “And what happened then ？”said Jill． “Well，it’s not very easy to describe，is it，Edmund ？ ”said the High King． “Not very，”said Edmund. “It wasn’t at all like that other time when we were pulled out of our own world by Magic. There was a frightful roar and something hit me with a bang，but it didn’t hurt. And I felt not so much scared as-well，excited. Oh-and this is one queer thing．I’d had a rather sore knee，from a hack at rugger. I noticed it had suddenly gone. And I felt very light. And then-here we were.” “It was much the same for us in the railway carriage，”said the Lord Digory，wiping the last traces of the fruit from his golden beard.“Only I think you and I，Polly，chiefly felt that we’d been unstiffened. You youngsters won’t understand. But we stopped feeling old.” “Youngsters，indeed!”said Jill.“I don’t believe you two really are much older than we are here.” “Well if we aren’t，we have been，”said the Lady Polly． “And what has been happening since you got here ？”asked Eustace． “Well，”said Peter，“for a long time (at least I suppose it was a long time) nothing happened. Then the door opened-” “The door ？”said Tirian． “Yes，”said Peter.“The door you came in-or came out-by. Have you forgotten ？” “But where is it ？” “Look，”said Peter and pointed． Tirian looked and saw the queerest and most ridiculous thing you can imagine. Only a few yards away，clear to be seen in the sunlight，there stood up a rough wooden door and，round it， the framework of the doorway：nothing else，no walls，no roof. He walked towards it，bewildered，and the others followed， watching to see what he would do. He walked round to the other side of the door. But it looked just the same from the other side： he was still in the open air，on a summer morning. The door was simply standing up by itself as if it had grown there like a tree． “Fair Sir，”said Tirian to the High King，“this is a great marvel.” “It is the door you came through with that Calormene five minutes ago，”said Peter smiling． “But did I not come in out of the wood into the stable ？ Whereas this seems to be a door leading from nowhere to nowhere.” “It looks like that if you walk round it，”said Peter.“But put your eye to that place where there is a crack between two of the planks and look through.” Tirian put his eye to the hole. At first he could see nothing but blackness. Then，at his eyes grew used to it，he saw the dull red glow of a bonfire that was nearly going out，and above that，in a black sky，stars. Then he could see dark figures moving about or standing between him and the fire：he could hear them talking and their voices were like those of Calormenes. So he knew that he was looking out through the stable door into the darkness of Lantern Waste where he had fought his last battle. The men were discussing whether to go in and look for Rishda Tarkaan (but none of them wanted to do that) or to set fire to the stable． He looked round again and could hardly believe his eyes. There was the blue sky overhead，and grassy country spreading as far as he could see in every direction，and his new friends all round him laughing． “It seems，then，”said Tirian，smiling himself，“that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.” “Yes，”said the Lord Digory.“Its inside is bigger than its outside.” “Yes，”said Queen Lucy.“In our world too，a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”It was the first time she had spoken，and from the thrill in her voice，Tirian now knew why. She was drinking everything in even more deeply than the others. She had been too happy to speak. He wanted to hear her speak again，so he said： “Of your courtesy，Madam，tell on. Tell me your whole adventure.” “After the shock and the noise，”said Lucy，“we found ourselves here. And we wondered at the door，as you did. Then the door opened for the first time (we saw darkness through the doorway when it did) and there came through a big man with a naked sword. We saw by his arms that he was a Calormene. He took his stand beside the door with his sword raised，resting on his shoulder，ready to cut down anyone who came through. We went to him and spoke to him，but we thought he could neither see nor hear us. And he never looked round on the sky and the sunlight and the grass：I think he couldn’t see them either. So then we waited a long time. Then we heard the bolt being drawn on the other side of the door. But the man didn’t get ready to strike with his sword till he could see who was coming in. So we supposed he had been told to strike some and spare others. But at the very moment when the door opened，all of a sudden Tash was there，on this side of the door; none of us saw where he came from. And through the door there came a big Cat. It gave one look at Tash and ran for its life： just in time，for he pounced at it and the door hit his beak as it was shut. The man could see Tash. He turned very pale and bowed down before the Monster：but it vanished away． “Then we waited a long time again. At last the door opened for the third time and there came in a young Calormene. I liked him. The sentinel at the door started，and looked very surprised，when he saw him. I think he’d been expecting someone quite different-” “I see it all now，”said Eustace (he had the bad habit of interrupting stories). ”The Cat was to go in first and the sentry had orders to do him no harm. Then the Cat was to come out and say he’d seen their beastly Tashlan and pretend to be frightened to scare the other Animals. But what Shift never guessed was that the real Tash would turn up; so Ginger came out really frightened. And after that，Shift would send in anyone he wanted to get rid of and the sentry would kill them． And- “Friend，”said Tirian softly，“you hinder the lady in her tale.” “Well，”said Lucy，“the sentry was surprised. That gave the other man just time to get on guard. They had a fight. He killed the sentry and flung him outside the door. Then he came walking slowly forward to where we were. He could see us，and everything else. We tried to talk to him but he was rather like a man in a trance. He kept on saying Tash，Tash，where is Tash ？ I go to Tash. So we gave it up and he went away somewhere-over there. I liked him. And after that... ugh!”Lucy made a face． “After that，”said Edmund，“someone flung a monkey through the door. And Tash was there again. My sister is so tender-hearted she doesn’t like to tell you that Tash made one peck and the Monkey was gone!” “Serve him right!”said Eustace.“All the same，I hope he’ll disagree with Tash too.” “And after that，”said Edmund，“came about a dozen Dwarfs：and then Jill，and Eustace，and last of all yourself.” “I hope Tash ate the Dwarfs too，”said Eustace.“Little swine.” “No，he didn’t，”said Lucy.“And don’t be horrid. Thery’re still here. In fact you can see them from here. And I’ve tried and tried to make friends with them but it’s no use.” “Friends with them!”cried Eustace.“If you knew how those Dwarfs have been behaving!” “Oh stop it，Eustace，”said Lucy.“Do come and see them. King Tirian，perhaps you could do something with them.” “I can feel no great love for Dwarfs today，”said Tirian.“Yet at your asking，Lady，I would do a greater thing than this.” Lucy led the way and soon they could all see the Dwarfs. They had a very odd look. They weren’t strolling about or enjoying themselves (although the cords with which they had been tied seemed to have vanished) nor were they lying down and having a rest. They were sitting very close together in a little circle facing one another. They never looked round or took any notice of the humans till Lucy and Tirian were almost near enough to touch them. Then the Dwarfs all cocked their heads as if they couldn’t see anyone but were listening hard and trying to guess by the sound what was happening． “Look out!”said one of them in a surly voice.“Mind where you’re going. Don’t walk into our faces!” “All right!”said Eustace indignantly.“We’re not blind. We’ve got eyes in our heads.” “They must be darn good ones if you can see in here，”said the same Dwarf whose name was Diggle． “In where ？”asked Edmund． “Why you bone-head，in here of course，”said Diggle.“In this pitch-black，poky，smelly little hole of a stable.” “Are you blind ？”said Tirian． “Ain’t we all blind in the dark!”said Diggle． “But it isn’t dark，you poor stupid Dwarfs，”said Lucy.“Can’t you see ？ Look up! Look round! Can’t you see the sky and the trees and the flowers ？ Can’t you see me ？” “How in the name of all Humbug can I see what ain’t there ？ And how can I see you any more than you can see me in this pitch darkness ？” “But I can see you，”said Lucy.“I’ll prove I can see you. You’ve got a pipe in your mouth.” “Anyone that knows the smell of baccy could tell that，”said Diggle． “Oh the poor things! This is dreadful，”said Lucy. Then she had an idea. She stopped and picked some wild violets.“Listen， Dwarf，”she said.“Even if your eyes are wrong，perhaps your nose is all right：can you smell that ？”She leaned across and held the fresh，damp flowers to Diggle’s ugly nose. But she had to jump back quickly in order to avoid a blow from his hard little fist． “None of that!”he shouted.“How dare you! What do you mean by shoving a lot of filthy stable-litter in my face ？ There was a thistle in it too. It’s like your sauce! And who are you anyway ？” “Earth-man，”said Tirian，“she is the Queen Lucy，sent hither by Aslan out of the deep past. And it is for her sake alone that I，Tirian your lawful King，do not cut all your heads from your shoulders，proved and twice-proved traitors that you are.” “Well if that doesn’t beat everything!”exclaimed Diggle.“How can you go on talking all that rot ？ Your wonderful Lion didn’t come and help you，did he ？ Thought not. And now-even now-when you’ve been beaten and shoved into this black hole，just the same as the rest of us，you’re still at your old game. Starting a new lie! Trying to make us believe we’re none of us shut up，and it ain’t dark，and heaven knows what.” “There is no black hole，save in your own fancy，fool，”cried Tirian.“Come out of it.”And，leaning forward，he caught Diggle by the belt and the hood and swung him right out of the circle of Dwarfs. But the moment Tirian put him down，Diggle darted back to his place among the others，rubbing his nose and howling： “Ow! Ow! What d’you do that for! Banging my face against the wall. You’ve nearly broken my nose.” “Oh dear!”said Lucy，“What are we to do for them ？” “Let’em alone，”said Eustace：but as he spoke the earth trembled. The sweet air grew suddenly sweeter. A brightness flashed behind them. All turned. Tirian turned last because he was afraid. There stood his heart’s desire，huge and real，the golden Lion， Aslan himself，and already the others were kneeling in a circle round his forepaws and burying their hands and faces in his mane as he stooped his great head to touch them with his tongue. Then he fixed his eyes upon Tirian，and Tirian came near，trembling， and flung himself at the Lion’s feet，and the Lion kissed him and said，“Well done，last of the Kings of Narnia who stood firm at the darkest hour.” “Aslan，”said Lucy through her tears，“could you-will you-do something for these poor Dwarfs ？” “Dearest，”said Aslan，“I will show you both what I can，and what I cannot，do.”He came close to the Dwarfs and gave a low growl：low，but it set all the air shaking. But the Dwarfs said to one another，“Hear that ？ That’s the gang at the other end of the stable. Trying to frighten us. They do it with a machine of some kind. Don’t take any notice. They won’t take us in again!” Aslan raised his head and shook his mane. Instantly a glorious feast appeared on the Dwarfs’ knees：pies and tongues and pigeons and trifles and ices，and each Dwarf had a goblet of good wine in his right hand. But it wasn’t much use. They began eating and drinking greedily enough，but it was clear that they couldn’t taste it properly. They thought they were eating and drinking only the sort of things you might find in a stable. One said he was trying to eat hay and another said he had got a bit of an old turnip and a third said he’d found a raw cabbage leaf. And they raised golden goblets of rich red wine to their lips and said“Ugh! Fancy drinking dirty water out of a trough that a donkey’s been at! Never thought we’d come to this.”But very soon every Dwarf began suspecting that every other Dwarf had found something nicer than he had，and they started grabbing and snatching，and went on to quarrelling， till in a few minutes there was a free fight and all the good food was smeared on their faces and clothes or trodden under foot. But when at last they sat down to nurse their black eyes and their bleeding noses，they all said： “Well，at any rate there’s no Humbug here. We haven’t let anyone take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.” “You see，”said Aslan.“They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds，yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out. But come，children. I have other work to do.” He went to the Door and they all followed him. He raised his head and roared，“Now it is time!”then louder，“Time!”; then so loud that it could have shaken the stars，“TIME.”The Door flew open． CHAPTER FOURTEEN NIGHT FALLS ON NARNIA THEY all stood beside Aslan，on his right side，and looked through the open doorway． The bonfire had gone out. On the earth all was blackness： in fact you could not have told that you were looking into a wood if you had not seen where the dark shapes of the trees ended and the stars began. But when Aslan had roared yet again，out on their left they saw another black shape. That is，they saw another patch where there were no stars：and the patch rose up higher and higher and became the shape of a man，the hugest of all giants. They all knew Narnia well enough to work out where he must be standing. He must be on the high moorlands that stretch away to the North beyond the River Shribble. Then Jill and Eustace remembered how once long ago，in the deep caves beneath those moors，they had seen a great giant asleep and been told that his name was Father Time，and that he would wake on the day the world ended． “Yes，”said Aslan，though they had not spoken.“While he lay dreaming his name was Time. Now that he is awake he will have a new one.” Then the great giant raised a horn to his mouth. They could see this by the change of the black shape he made against the stars. After that-quite a bit later，because sound travels so slowly-they heard the sound of the horn：high and terrible，yet of a strange， deadly beauty． Immediately the sky became full of shooting stars. Even one shooting star is a fine thing to see; but these were dozens，and then scores，and then hundreds，till it was like silver rain：and it went on and on. And when it had gone on for some while，one or two of them began to think that there was another dark shape against the sky as well as the giant’s. It was in a different place， right overhead，up in the very roof of the sky as you might call it.“Perhaps it is a cloud，”thought Edmund. At any rate，there were no stars there：just blackness. But all around，the downpour of stars went on. And then the starless patch began to grow， spreading further and further out from the centre of the sky. And presently a quarter of the whole sky was black，and then a half， and at last the rain of shooting stars was going on only low down near the horizon． With a thrill of wonder (and there was some terror in it too) they all suddenly realized what was happening. The spreading blackness was not a cloud at all：it was simply emptiness. The black part of the sky was the part in which there were no stars left. All the stars were falling：Aslan had called them home． The last few seconds before the rain of stars had quite ended were very exciting. Stars began falling all round them. But stars in that world are not the great flaming globes they are in ours. They are people (Edmund and Lucy had once met one). So now they found showers of glittering people，all with long hair like burning silver and spears like white-hot metal，rushing down to them out of the black air，swifter than falling stones. They made a hissing noise as they landed and burnt the grass. And all these stars glided past them and stood somewhere behind，a little to the right． This was a great advantage，because otherwise，now that there were no stars in the sky，everything would have been completely dark and you could have seen nothing. As it was，the crowd of stars behind them cast a fierce，white light over their shoulders. They could see mile upon mile of Narnian woods spread out before them，looking as if they were floodlit. Every bush and almost every blade of grass had its black shadow behind it. The edge of every leaf stood out so sharp that you’d think you could cut your finger on it． On the grass before them lay their own shadows. But the great thing was Aslan’s shadow. It streamed away to their left，enormous and very terrible. And all this was under a sky that would now be starless forever． The light from behind them (and a little to their right) was so strong that it lit up even the slopes of the Northern Moors. Something was moving there. Enormous animals were crawling and sliding down into Narnia：great dragons and giant lizards and featherless birds with wings like bats’ wings. They disappeared into the woods and for a few minutes there was silence. Then there came-at first from very far off-sounds of wailing and then，from every direction，a rustling and a pattering and a sound of wings. It came nearer and nearer. Soon one could distinguish the scamper of little feet from the padding of big paws，and the clack-clack of light little hoofs from the thunder of great ones. And then one could see thousands of pairs of eyes gleaming. And at last，out of the shadow of the trees，racing up the hill for dear life，by thousands and by millions，came all kinds of creatures-Talking Beasts， Dwarfs，Satyrs，Fauns，Giants，Calormenes，men from Archenland，Monopods，and strange unearthly things from the remote islands of the unknown Western lands. And all these ran up to the doorway where Aslan stood． This part of the adventure was the only one which seemed rather like a dream at the time and rather hard to remember properly afterwards. Especially，one couldn’t say how long it had taken. Sometimes it seemed to have lasted only a few minutes，but at others it felt as if it might have gone on for years. Obviously， unless either the Door had grown very much larger or the creatures had suddenly grown as small as gnats，a crowd like that couldn’t ever have tried to get through it. But no one thought about that sort of thing at the time． The creatures came rushing on，their eyes brighter and brighter as they drew nearer and nearer to the standing Stars. But as they came right up to Aslan one or other of two things happened to each of them. They all looked straight in his face，I don’t think they had any choice about that. And when some looked，the expression of their faces changed terribly-it was fear and hatred：except that， on the faces of Talking Bears，the fear and hatred lasted only for a fraction of a second. You could see that they suddenly ceased to the Talking Beasts. They were just ordinary animals. And all the creatures who looked at Aslan in that way swerved to their right， his left，and disappeared into his huge black shadow，which (as you have heard) streamed away to the left of the doorway. The children never saw them again. I don’t know what became of them. But the others looked in the face of Aslan and loved him，though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door，in on Aslan’s right. There were some queer specimens among them. Eustace even recognized one of those very Dwarfs who had helped to shoot the Horses. But he had no time to wonder about that sort of thing (and anyway it was no business of his) for a great joy put everything else out of his head. Among the happy creatures who now came crowding round Tirian and his friends were all those whom they had thought dead. There was Roonwit the Centaur and Jewel the Unicorn and the good Boar and the good Bear，and Farsight the Eagle，and the dear Dogs and the Horses，and Poggin the Dwarf． “Further in and higher up!”cried Roonwit and thundered away in a gallop to the West. And though they did not understand him， the words somehow set them tingling all over. The Boar grunted at them cheerfully. The Bear was just going to mutter that he still didn’t understand，when he caught sight of the fruit-trees behind them. He waddled to those trees as fast as he could and there，no doubt，found something he understood very well. But the Dogs remained，wagging their tails，and Poggin remained，shaking hands with everyone and grinning all over his honest face. And Jewel leaned his snowy white head over the King’s shoulder and the King whispered in Jewel’s ear. Then everyone turned his attention again to what could be seen through the Doorway． The Dragons and Giant Lizards now had Narnia to themselves. They went to and fro tearing up the trees by the roots and crunching them up as if they were sticks of rhubarb. Minute by minute the forests disappeared. The whole country became bare and you could see all sorts of things about its shape-all the little humps and hollows which you had never noticed before. The grass died. Soon Tirian found that he was looking at a world of bare rock and earth. You could hardly believe that anything had ever lived there. The monsters themselves grew old and lay down and died. Their flesh shrivelled up and the bones appeared：soon they were only huge skeletons that lay here and there on the dead rock，looking as if they had died thousands of years ago. For a long time everything was still． At last something white-a long，level line of whiteness that gleamed in the light of the standing stars-came moving towards them from the Eastern end of the world． A widespread noise broke the silence：first a murmur then a rumble，then a roar. And now they could see what it was that was coming，and how fast it came. It was a foaming wall of water. The sea was rising. In that tree-less world you could see it very well. You could see all the rivers getting wider and the lakes getting larger，and separate lakes joining into one，and valleys turning into new lakes，and hills turning into islands，and then those islands vanishing. And the high moors to their left and the higher mountains to their right crumbled and slipped down with a roar and a splash into the mounting water; and the water came swirling up to the very threshold of the Doorway (but never passed it) so that the foam splashed about Aslan’s forefeet. All now was level water from where they stood to where the waters met the sky． And out there it began to grow light. A streak of dreary and disastrous dawn spread along the horizon，and widened and grew brighter，till in the end they hardly noticed the light of the stars who stood behind them. At last the sun came up. When it did，the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly looked at one another and gave a little nod：those two，in a different world，had once seen a dying sun，and so they knew at once that this sun also was dying. It was three times-twenty times-as big as it ought to be，and very dark red. As its rays fell upon the great Time-giant，he turned red too： and in the reflection of that sun the whole waste of shoreless waters looked like blood． Then the Moon came up，quite in her wrong position，very close to the sun，and she also looked red. And at the sight of her the sun began shooting out great flames，like whiskers or snakes of crimson fire，towards her. It is as if he were an octopus trying to draw her to himself in his tentacles. And perhaps he did draw her. At any rate she came to him，slowly at first，but then more and more quickly，till at last his long flames licked round her and the two ran together and became one huge ball like a burning coal. Great lumps of fire came dropping out of it into the sea and clouds of steam rose up． Then Aslan said，“Now make an end.” The giant threw his horn into the sea. Then he stretched out one arm-very black it looked，and thousands of miles long-across the sky till his hand reached the Sun. He took the Sun and squeezed it in his hand as you would squeeze an orange. And instantly there was total darkness． Everyone except Aslan jumped back from the ice-cold air which now blew through the Doorway. Its edges were already covered with icicles． “Peter，High King of Narnia，”said Aslan.“Shut the Door.” Peter，shivering with cold，leaned out into the darkness and pulled the Door to. It scraped over ice as he pulled it. Then，rather clumsily (for even in that moment his hands had gone numb and blue) he took out a golden key and locked it． They had seen strange things enough through that Doorway. But it was stranger than any of them to look round and find themselves in warm daylight，the blue sky above them，flowers at their feet，and laughter in Aslan’s eyes． He turned swiftly round，crouched lower，lashed himself with his tail and shot away like a golden arrow． “Come further in! Come further up!”he shouted over his shoulder. But who could keep up with him at that pace ？ They set out walking Westward to follow him． “So，”said Peter，“night falls on Narnia. What，Lucy! You’re not crying ？ With Aslan ahead，and all of us here ？” “Don’t try to stop me，Peter，”said Lucy，“I am sure Aslan would not. I am sure it is not wrong to mourn for Narnia. Think of all that lies dead and frozen behind that door.” “Yes and I did hope，”said Jill，“that it might go on for ever. I knew our world couldn’t. I did think Narnia might.” “I saw it begin，”said the Lord Digory.“I did not think I would live to see it die.” “Sirs，”said Tirian.“The ladies do well to weep. See，I do so myself. I have seen my mother’s death. What world but Narnia have I ever known ？ It were no virtue，but great discourtesy，if we did not mourn.” They walked away from the Door and away from the Dwarfs who still sat crowded together in their imaginary stable. And as they went they talked to one another about old wars and old peace and ancient Kings and all the glories of Narnia． The Dogs were still with them. They joined in the conversation but not very much because they were too busy racing on ahead and racing back and rushing off to sniff at smells in the grass till they made themselves sneeze. Suddenly they picked up a scent which seemed to excite them very much. They all started arguing about it-“Yes it is-No it isn’t-That’s just what I said-anyone can smell what that is-Take your great nose out of the way and let someone else smell.” “What is it，cousins ？”said Peter． “A Calormene，Sire，”said several Dogs at once． “Lead on to him，then，”said Peter.“Whether he meets us in peace or war，he shall be welcome.” The Dogs darted on ahead and came back a moment later， running as if their lives depended on it，and barking loudly to say that it really was a Calormene. (Talking Dogs，just like the common ones，behave as if they thought whatever they are doing at the moment immensely important.) The others followed where the Dogs led them and found a young Calormene sitting under a chestnut tree beside a clear stream of water. It was Emeth. He rose at once and bowed gravely． “Sir，”he said to Peter，“I know not whether you are my friend or my foe，but I should count it my honor to have you for either. Has not one of the poets said that a noble friend is the best gift and a noble enemy the next best ？” “Sir，”said Peter，“I do not know that there need be any war between you and us.” “Do tell us who you are and what’s happened to you，”said Jill． “If there’s going to be a story，let’s all have a drink and sit down，”barked the Dogs.“We’re quite blown.” “Well of course you will be if you keep tearing about the way you have done，”said Eustace． So the humans sat down on the grass. And when the Dogs had all had a very noisy drink out of the stream they all sat down，bolt upright，panting，with their tongues hanging out of their heads a little on one side to hear the story. But Jewel remained standing， polishing his horn against his side． CHAPTER FIFTEEN FURTHER UP AND FURTHER IN “KNOW，O Warlike Kings，”said Emeth，“and you，O ladies whose beauty illuminates the universe，that I am Emeth the seventh son of Harpha Tarkaan of the city of Tehishbaan，Westward beyond the desert. I came lately into Narnia with nine and twenty others under the command of Rishda Tarkaan Now when I first heard that we should march upon Narnia I rejoiced; for I had heard many things of your Land and desired greatly to meet you in battle. But when I found that we were to go in disguised as merchants (which is a shameful dress for a warrior and the son of a Tarkaan) and to work by lies and trickery， then my joy departed from me. And most of all when I found we must wait upon a Monkey，and when it began to be said that Tash and Aslan were one，then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash and my great desire was to know more of him，if it might be，to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me．” And，as you have seen，we were called together outside the straw-roofed hovel，night after night，and the fire was kindled， and the Ape brought forth out of the hovel something upon four legs that I could not well see. And the people and the Beasts bowed down and did honour to it. But I thought，the Tarkaan is deceived by the Ape：for this thing that comes out of the stable is neither Tash nor any other god. But when I watched the Tarkaan’s face， and marked every word that he said to the Monkey，then I changed my mind：for I saw that the Tarkaan did not believe in it himself. And then I understood that he did not believe in Tash at all：for if he had，how could he dare to mock him ？ “When I understood this，a great rage fell upon me and I wondered that the true Tash did not strike down both the Monkey and the Tarkaan with fire from heaven. Nevertheless I hid my anger and held my tongue and waited to see how it would end. But last night，as some of you know，the Monkey brought not forth the yellow thing but said that all who desired to look upon Tashlan-for so they mixed the two words to pretend that they were all one-must pass one by one into the hovel. And I said to myself，Doubtless this is some other deception. But when the Cat had followed in and had come out again in a madness of terror，then I said to myself， Surely the true Tash，whom they called on without knowledge or belief，has now come among us，and will avenge himself. And though my heart was turned into water inside me because of the greatness and terror of Tash，yet my desire was stronger than my fear，and I put force upon my knees to stay them from trembling，and on my teeth that they should not chatter，and resolved to look upon the face of Tash though he should slay me. So I offered myself to go into the hovel; and the Tarkaan，though unwillingly，let me go．” As soon as I had gone in at the door，the first wonder was that I found myself in this great sunlight (as we all are now) though the inside of the hovel had looked dark from outside. But I had no time to marvel at this，for immediately I was forced to fight for my head against one of our own men. As soon as I saw him I understood that the Monkey and the Tarkaan had set him there to slay any who came in if he were not in their secrets：so that this man also was a liar and a mocker and no true servant of Tash. I had the better will to fight him; and having slain the villain，I cast him out behind me through the door． “Then I looked about me and saw the sky and the wide lands， and smelled the sweetness. And I said，By the Gods，this is a pleasant place：it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country and to seek him．” So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich，and his size was an elephant’s; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour，and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought，Surely this is the hour of death，for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless，it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said，Son，thou art welcome. But I said，Alas，Lord，I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered，Child，all the service thou hast done to Tash，I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding，I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said，Lord，is it then true，as the Ape said，that thou and Tash are one ？ The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said，It is false. Not because he and I are one，but because we are opposites，I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me，and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake，it is by me that he has truly sworn，though he know it not，and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name，then，though he says the name Aslan，it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand， Child ？ I said，Lord，thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me)，Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved，said the Glorious One，unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek． “Then he breathed upon me and took away the trembling from my limbs and caused me to stand upon my feet. And after that， he said not much，but that we should meet again，and I must go further up and further in. Then he turned him about in a storm and flurry of gold and was gone suddenly． “And since then，O Kings and Ladies，I have been wandering to find him and my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels，that he called me Beloved，me who am but as a dog-” “Eh ？What’s that ？ ”said one of the Dogs． “Sir，”said Emeth.“It is but a fashion of speech which we have in Calormen.” “Well，I can’t say it’s one I like very much，”said the Dog． “He doesn’t mean any harm，”said an older Dog． “After all，we call our puppies Boys when they don’t behave properly.” “So we do，”said the first Dog.“Or girls.” “S-s-sh!”said the Old Dog.“That’s not a nice word to use. Remember where you are.” “Look!”said Jill suddenly. Someone was coming，rather timidly，to meet them; a graceful creature on four feet，all silvery-grey. And they stared at him for a whole ten seconds before five or six voices said all at once，“Why，it’s old Puzzle!”They had never seen him by daylight with the lion-skin off，and it made an extraordinary difference. He was himself now：a beautiful donkey with such a soft，grey coat and such a gentle，honest face that if you had seen him you would have done just what Jill and Lucy did- rushed forward and put your arms round his neck and kissed his nose and stroked his ears． When they asked him where he had been he said he had come in at the door along with all the other creatures but he had-well， to tell the truth，he had been keeping out of their way as much as he could; and out of Aslan’s way. For the sight of the real Lion had made him so ashamed of all that nonsense about dressing up in a lion-skin that he did not know how to look anyone in the face. But when he saw that all his friends were going away Westward， and after he had had a mouthful or so of grass (“And I’ve never tasted such good grass in my life，”said Puzzle)，he plucked up his courage and followed.“But what I’ll do if I really have to meet Aslan，I’m sure I don’t know，”he added． “You’ll find it will be all right when you really do，”said Queen Lucy． Then they all went forward together，always Westward， for that seemed to be the direction Aslan had meant when he cried out，“Further up and futher in.”Many other creatures were slowly moving the same way，but that grassy country was very wide and there was no crowding． It still seemed to be early，and the morning freshness was in the air. They kept on stopping to look round and to look behind them，partly because it was so beautiful but partly also because there was something about it which they could not understand． “Peter，”said Lucy，“where is this，do you suppose ？” “I don’t know，”said the High King.“It reminds me of somewhere but I can’t give it a name. Could it be somewhere we once stayed for a holiday when we were very，very small ？” “It would have to have been a jolly good holiday，”said Eustace.“I bet there isn’t a country like this anywhere in our world. Look at the colours! You couldn’t get a blue like the blue on those mountains in our world.” “Is it not Aslan’s country ？”said Tirian． “Not like Aslan’s country on top of that mountain beyond the Eastern end of the world，”said Jill.“I’ve been there.” “If you ask me，”said Edmund，“it’s like somewhere in the Narnian world. Look at those mountains ahead-and the big ice-mountains beyond them. Surely they’re rather like the mountains we used to see from Narnia，the ones up Westward beyond the Waterfall ？” “Yes，so they are，”said Peter.“Only these are bigger.” “I don’t think those ones are so very like anything in Narnia，”said Lucy.“But look there.”She pointed Southward to their left，and everyone stopped and turned to look.“Those hills，”said Lucy，“the nice woody ones and the blue ones behind-aren’t they very like the Southern border of Narnia ？” “Like!”cried Edmund after a moment’s silence.“Why，they’re exactly like. Look，there’s Mount Pire with his forked head，and there’s the pass into Archenland and everything!” “And yet they’re not like，”said Lucy.“They’re different. They have more colours on them and they look further away than I remembered and they’re more... more... oh，I don’t know...” “More like the real thing，”said the Lord Digory softly． Suddenly Farsight the Eagle spread his wings，soared thirty or forty feet up into the air，circled round and then alighted on the ground． “Kings and Queens，”he cried，“we have all been blind. We are only beginning to see where we are. From up there I have seen it all-Ettinsmuir，Beaversdam，the Great River，and Cair Paravel still shining on the edge of the Eastern Sea. Narnia is not dead. This is Narnia.” “But how can it be ？”said Peter.“For Aslan told us older ones that we should never return to Narnia，and here we are.” “Yes，”said Eustace.“And we saw it all destroyed and the sun put out.” “And it’s all so different，”said Lucy． “The Eagle is right，”said the Lord Digory.“Listen，Peter. When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia，he meant the Narnia you were thinking of. But that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been here and always will be here：just as our world，England and all，is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan’s real world. You need not mourn over Narnia，Lucy. All of the old Narnia that mattered，all the dear creatures，have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream.”His voice stirred everyone like a trumpet as he spoke these words：but when he added under his breath“It’s all in Plato，all in Plato：bless me， what do they teach them at these schools!”the older ones laughed. It was so exactly like the sort of thing they had heard him say long ago in that other world where his beard was grey instead of golden. He knew why they were laughing and joined in the laugh himself. But very quickly they all became grave again：for，as you know， there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes． It is as hard to explain how this sunlit land was different from the old Narnia as it would be to tell you how the fruits of that country taste. Perhaps you will get some idea of it if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out on a lovely bay of the sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite to the window there may have been a lookingglass. And as you turned away from the window you suddenly caught sight of that sea or that valley，all over again，in the looking glass. And the sea in the mirror，or the valley in the mirror，were in one sense just the same as the real ones：yet at the same time they were somehow different-deeper，more wonderful，more like places in a story： in a story you have never heard but very much want to know. The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country：every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more. I can’t describe it any better than that：if ever you get there you will know what I mean． It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right fore-hoof on the ground and neighed，and then cried： “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life，though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up，come further in!” He shook his mane and sprang forward into a great gallop-a Unicorn’s gallop，which，in our world，would have carried him out of sight in a few moments. But now a most strange thing happened. Everyone else began to run，and they found，to their astonishment，that they could keep up with him：not only the Dogs and the humans but even fat little Puzzle and short-legged Poggin the Dwarf. The air flew in their faces as if they were driving fast in a car without a windscreen. The country flew past as if they were seeing it from the windows of an express train. Faster and faster they raced，but no one got hot or tired or out of breath． CHAPTER SIXTEEN FAREWELL TO SHADOWLANDS IF one could run without getting tired，I don’t think one would often want to do anything else. But there might be special reasons for stopping，and it was a special reason which made Eustace presently shout： “I say! Steady! Look what we’re coming to!” And well he might. For now they saw before them Caldron Pool and beyond the Pool the high unclimbable cliffs and，pouring down the cliffs，thousands of tons of water every second，flashing like diamonds in some places and dark，glassy green in others，the Great Waterfall; and already the thunder of it was in their ears． “Don’t stop! Further up and further in，”called Farsight，tilting his flight a little upwards． “It’s all very well for him，”said Eustace，but Jewel also cried out： “Don’t stop. Further up and further in! Take it in your stride.” His voice could only just be heard above the roar of the water but next moment everyone saw that he had plunged into the Pool. And helter-skelter behind him，with splash after splash，all the others did the same. The water was not bitingly cold as all of them (and especially Puzzle) expected，but of a delicious foamy coolness. They all found they were swimming straight for the Waterfall itself． “This is absolutely crazy，”said Eustace to Edmund． “I know. And yet-”said Edmund． “Isn’t it wonderful ？”said Lucy.“Have you noticed one can’t feel afraid，even if one wants to ？ Try it.” “By Jove，neither one can，”said Eustace after he had tried． Jewel reached the foot of the Waterfall first，but Tirian was only just behind him. Jill was last，so she could see the whole thing better than the others. She saw something white moving steadily up the face of the Waterfall. That white thing was the Unicorn. You couldn’t tell whether he was swimming or climbing，but he moved on，higher and higher. The point of his horn divided the water just above his head，and it cascaded out in two rainbow-coloured streams all round his shoulders. Just behind him came King Tirian. He moved his legs and arms as if he were swimming but he moved straight upwards：as if one could swim up the wall of a house． What looked funniest was the Dogs. During the gallop they had not been at all out of breath，but now，as they swarmed and wriggled upwards，there was plenty of spluttering and sneezing among them; that was because they would keep on barking， and every time they barked they got their mouths and noses full of water. But before Jill had time to notice all these things fully， she was going up the Waterfall herself. It was the sort of thing that would have been quite impossible in our world. Even if you hadn’t been drowned，you would have been smashed to pieces by the terrible weight of water against the countless jags of rock. But in that world you could do it. You went on，up and up，with all kinds of reflected lights flashing at you from the water and all manner of coloured stones flashing through it，till it seemed as if you were climbing up light itself-and always higher and higher till the sense of height would have terrified you if you could be terrified，but later it was only gloriously exciting. And then at last one came to the lovely，smooth green curve in which the water poured over the top and found that one was out on the level river above the Waterfall. The current was racing away behind you，but you were such a wonderful swimmer that you could make headway against it. Soon they were all on the bank，dripping but happy． A long valley opened ahead and great snow-mountains，now much nearer，stood up against the sky． “Further up and further in，”cried Jewel and instantly they were off again． They were out of Narnia now and up into the Western Wild which neither Tirian nor Peter nor even the Eagle had ever seen before. But the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly had.“Do you remember ？Do you remember ？”they said-and said it in steady voices too，without panting，though the whole party was now running faster than an arrow flies． “What，Lord ？”said Tirian.“Is it then true，as stories tell， that you two journeyed here on the very day the world was made ？” “Yes，”said Digory，“and it seems to me as if it were only yesterday.” “And on a flying horse ？”asked Tirian.“Is that part true ？” “Certainly，”said Digory. But the Dogs barked，“Faster， faster!” So they ran faster and faster till it was more like flying than running，and even the Eagle overhead was going no faster than they. And they went through winding valley after winding valley and up the steep sides of hills and，faster than ever，down the other side，following the river and sometimes crossing it and skimming across mountainlakes as if they were living speed-boats，till at last at the far end of one long lake which looked as blue as a turquoise， they saw a smooth green hill. Its sides were as steep as the sides of a pyramid and round the very top of it ran a green wall：but above the wall rose the branches of trees whose leaves looked like silver and their fruit like gold． “Further up and further in!”roared the Unicorn，and no one held back. They charged straight at the foot of the hill and then found themselves running up it almost as water from a broken wave runs up a rock out at the point of some bay. Though the slope was nearly as steep as the roof of a house and the grass was smooth as a bowling green，no one slipped. Only when they had reached the very top did they slow up; that was because they found themselves facing great golden gates. And for a moment none of them was bold enough to try if the gates would open. They all felt just as they had felt about the fruit-“Dare we ？ Is it right ？ Can it be meant for us ？” But while they were standing thus a great horn，wonderfully loud and sweet，blew from somewhere inside that walled garden and the gates swung open． Tirian stood holding his breath and wondering who would come out. And what came was the last thing he had expected：a little，sleek，bright-eyed Talking Mouse with a red feather stuck in a circlet on its head and its left paw resting on a long sword. It bowed，a most beautiful bow，and said in its shrill voice： “Welcome，in the Lion’s name. Come further up and further in.” Then Tirian saw King Peter and King Edmund and Queen Lucy rush forward to kneel down and greet the Mouse and they all cried out“Reepicheep!”And Tirian breathed fast with the sheer wonder of it，for now he knew that he was looking at one of the great heroes of Narnia，Reepicheep the Mouse who had fought at the great Battle of Beruna and afterwards sailed to the World’s end with King Caspian the Seafarer. But before he had had much time to think of this he felt two strong arms thrown about him and felt a bearded kiss on his cheeks and heard a well remembered voice saying： “What，lad ？Art thicker and taller since I last touched thee!” It was his own father，the good King Erlian：but not as Tirian had seen him last when they brought him home pale and wounded from his fight with the giant，nor even as Tirian remembered him in his later years when he was a grey-headed warrior. This was his father，young and merry，as he could just remember him from very early days when he himself had been a little boy playing games with his father in the castle garden at Cair Paravel，just before bedtime on summer evenings. The very smell of the bread-and-milk he used to have for supper came back to him． Jewel thought to himself，“I will leave them to talk for a little and then I will go and greet the good King Erlian. Many a bright apple has he given me when I was but a colt.”But next moment he had something else to think of，for out of the gateway there came a horse so mighty and noble that even a Unicorn might feel shy in its presence：a great winged horse. It looked a moment at the Lord Digory and the Lady Polly and neighed out“What，cousins!”and they both shouted“Fledge! Good old Fledge!”and rushed to kiss it． But by now the Mouse was again urging them to come in. So all of them passed in through the golden gates，into the delicious smell that blew towards them out of that garden and into the cool mixture of sunlight and shadow under the trees，walking on springy turf that was all dotted with white flowers. The very first thing which struck everyone was that the place was far larger than it had seemed from outside. But no one had time to think about that for people were coming up to meet the newcomers from every direction． Everyone you had ever heard of (if you knew the history of these countries) seemed to be there. There was Glimfeather the Owl and Puddleglum the Marshwiggle，and King Rilian the Disenchanted，and his mother the Star’s daughter and his great father Caspian himself. And close beside him were the Lord Drinian and the Lord Berne and Trumpkin the Dwarf and Truffle-hunter the good Badger with Glenstorm the Centaur and a hundred other heroes of the great War of Deliverance. And then from another side came Cor the King of Archenland with King Lune his father and his wife Queen Aravis and the brave prince Corin Thunder-Fist， his brother，and Bree the Horse and Hwin the Mare. And then-which was a wonder beyond all wonders to Tirian-there came from further away in the past，the two good Beavers and Tumnus the Faun. And there was greeting and kissing and hand-shaking and old jokes revived，(you’ve no idea how good an old joke sounds when you take it out again after a rest of five or six hundred years) and the whole company moved forward to the centre of the orchard where the Phoenix sat in a tree and looked down upon them all，and at the foot of that tree were two thrones and in those two thrones a King and Queen so great and beautiful that everyone bowed down before them. And well they might，for these two were King Frank and Queen Helen from whom all the most ancient Kings of Narnia and Archenland are descended. And Tirian felt as you would feel if you were brought before Adam and Eve in all their glory． About half an hour later-or it might have been half a hundred years later，for time there is not like time here-Lucy stood with her dear friend，her oldest Narnian friend，the Faun Tumnus，looking down over the wall of that garden，and seeing all Narnia spread out below. But when you looked down you found that this hill was much higher than you had thought：it sank down with shining cliffs，thousands of feet below them and trees in that lower world looked no bigger than grains of green salt. Then she turned inward again and stood with her back to the wall and looked at the garden． “I see，”she said at last，thoughtfully.“I see now. This garden is like the stable. It is far bigger inside than it was outside.” “Of course，Daughter of Eve，”said the Faun.“The further up and the further in you go，the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside.” Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw that it was not really a garden but a whole world，with its own rivers and woods and sea and mountains. But they were not strange：she knew them all． “I see，”she said.“This is still Narnia，and more real and more beautiful then the Narnia down below，just as it was more real and more beautiful than the Narnia outside the stable door! I see... world within world，Narnia within Narnia...” “Yes，”said Mr Tumnus，“like an onion：except that as you continaeto go in and in，each circle is larger than the last.” And Lucy looked this way and that and soon found that a new and beautiful thing had happened to her. Whatever she looked at，however far away it might be，once she had fixed her eyes steadily on it， became quite clear and close as if she were looking through a telescope. She could see the whole Southern desert and beyond it the great city of Tashbaan：to Eastward she could see Cair Paravel on the edge of the sea and the very window of the room that had once been her own. And far out to sea she could discover the islands，islands after islands to the end of the world，and，beyond the end，the huge mountain which they had called Aslan’s country. But now she saw that it was part of a great chain of mountains which ringed round the whole world. In front of her it seemed to come quite close. Then she looked to her left and saw what she took to be a great bank of brightly-coloured cloud，cut off from them by a gap. But she looked harder and saw that it was not a cloud at all but a real land. And when she had fixed her eyes on one particular spot of it，she at once cried out，“Peter! Edmund! Come and look! Come quickly.”And they came and looked，for their eyes also had become like hers． “Whys”exclaimed Peter.“It’s England. And that’s the house itself-Professor Kirk’s old home in the country where all our adventures began!” “I thought that house had been destroyed，”said Edmund． “So it was，”said the Faun.“But you are now looking at the England within England，the real England just as this is the real Narnia. And in that inner England no good thing is destroyed.” Suddenly they shifted their eyes to another spot，and then Peter and Edmund and Lucy gasped with amazement and shouted out and began waving：for there they saw their own father and mother，waving back at them across the great，deep valley. It was like when you see people waving at you from the deck of a big ship when you are waiting on the quay to meet them． “How can we get at them ？”said Lucy． “That is easy，”said Mr Tumnus.“That country and this country-all the real countries-are only spurs jutting out from the great mountains of Aslan. We have only to walk along the ridge，upward and inward，till it joins on. And listen! There is King Frank’s horn：we must all go up.” And soon they found themselves all walking together and a great，bright procession it was-up towards mountains higher than you could see in this world even if they were there to be seen. But there was no snow on those mountains：there were forests and green slopes and sweet orchards and flashing waterfalls，one above the other，going up forever. And the land they were walking on grew narrower all the time，with a deep valley on each side：and across that valley the land which was the real England grew nearer and nearer． The light ahead was growing stronger. Lucy saw that a great series of many-coloured cliffs led up in front of them like a giant’s staircase. And then she forgot everything else，because Aslan himself was coming，leaping down from cliff to cliff like a living cataract of power and beauty． And the very first person whom Aslan called to him was Puzzle the Donkey. You never saw a donkey look feebler and sillier than Puzzle did as he walked up to Aslan，and he looked，beside Aslan，as small as a kitten looks beside a St Bernard. The Lion bowed down his head and whispered something to Puzzle at which his long ears went down，but then he said something else at which the ears perked up again. The humans couldn’t hear what he had said either time. Then Aslan turned to them and said： “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Lucy said，“We’re so afraid of being sent away，Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often.” “No fear of that，”said Aslan.“Have you not guessed ？” Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them． “There was a real railway accident，”said Aslan softly． “Your father and mother and all of you are-as you used to call it in the Shadowlands-dead. The term is over：the holidays have begun. The dream is ended：this is the morning.” And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories，and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page：now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read：which goes on forever：in which every chapter is better than the one before．
[1]编注：尤斯塔斯这个名字来源于希腊语，含义是“五谷丰登”，斯克罗布(Scrubb) 有“矮个子”的意思。读者读了下文就知道这里说的“名副其实”有挖苦的意味。 [2]原文中尤斯塔斯的名字“Eustace”与“useless”（没用处）的发音相近。　 [3]　“码”是英制长度单位，1 码（yard）=3 英尺（foot）=91.44 厘米。 ---------------------------用户上传之内容结束-------------------------------- 声明：本书为八零电子书(txt80.com)的用户上传至其在本站的存储空间，本站只提供TXT全集电子书存储服务以及免费下载服务，以上作品内容之版权与本站无任何关系。