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 beto 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 weboth 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 a 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 smokewould 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. Itwasn'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

Fop, 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 to 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 - would

dream of riding on a Unicorn.

This time Jill and Eustace walked together. They had been feeling very brave when they

were begging to be allowed to come with the others, but now they didn't feel brave at all.

"Pole," said Eustace in a whisper. "I may as well tell you I've got the wind up."

"Oh you're all right, Scrubb," said Jill. "You can fight. But I - I'm just shaking, if you

want to know the truth."

"Oh shaking's nothing," said Eustace. "I'm feeling I'm going to be sick."

"Don't talk about that, for goodness' sake," said Jill.

They went on in silence for a minute or two.

"Pole," said Eustace presently.

"What?" said she."What'll happen if we get killed here?"

"Well we'll be dead, I suppose."

"But I mean, what will happen in our own world? Shall we wake up and find ourselves

back in that train? Or shall we just vanish and never be heard of any more? Or shall we

be dead in England?"

"Gosh. I never thought of that."

"It'll be rum for Peter and the others if they saw me waving out of the window and then

when the train comes in we're nowhere to be found! Or if they found two - I mean, if

we're dead over there in England."

"Ugh!" said Jill. "What a horrid idea."

"It wouldn't be horrid for us," said Eustace. "We shouldn't be there."

"I almost wish - no I don't, though," said Jill.

"What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say I wished we'd never come. But I don't, I don't, I don't. Even if we are

killed. I'd rather be killed fighting for Narnia than grow old and stupid at home and

perhaps go about in a bath-chair and then die in the end just the same."

"Or be smashed up by British Railways!"

"Why d'you say that?"

"Well when that awful jerk came - the one that seemed to throw us into Narnia - I thought

it was the beginning of a railway accident. So I was jolly glad to find ourselves here

instead."

While Jill and Eustace were talking about this, the others were discussing their plans and

becoming less miserable. That was because they were now thinking of what was to be

done this very night and the thought of what had happened to Narnia - the thought that all

her glories and joys were over - was pushed away into the back part of their minds. The

moment they stopped talking it would come out and make them wretched again: but they

kept on talking. Poggin was really quite cheerful about the night's work they had to do.

He was sure that the Boar and the Bear, and probably all the Dogs would come over to

their side at once. And he couldn't believe that all the other Dwarfs would stick to Griffle.

And fighting by firelight and in and out among trees would be an advantage to the weaker

side. And then, if they could win tonight, need they really throw their lives away by

meeting the main Calormene army a few days later?Why not hide in the woods, or even up in the Western Waste beyond the great waterfall

and live like outlaws? And then they might gradually get stronger and stronger, for

Talking Beasts and Archenlanders would be joining them every day. And at last they'd

come out of hiding and sweep the Calormenes (who would have got careless by then) out

of the country and Narnia would be revived. After all, something very like that had

happened in the time of King Miraz!

And Tirian heard all this and thought "But what about Tash?" and felt in his bones that

none of it was going to happen. But he didn't say so.

When they got nearer to Stable Hill of course everyone became quiet. Then the real

wood-work began. From the moment at which they first saw the Hill to the moment at

which they all arrived at the back of the stable, it took them over two hours. It's the sort

of thing one couldn't describe properly unless one wrote pages and pages about it. The

journey from each bit of cover to the next was a separate adventure, and there were very

long waits in between, and several false alarms. If you are a good Scout or a good Guide

you will know already what it must have been like. By about sunset they were all safe in

a clump of holly trees about fifteen yards behind the stable. They all munched some

biscuit and lay down.

Then came the worst part, the waiting. Luckily for the children they slept for a couple of

hours, but of course they woke up when the night grew cold, and what was worse, woke

up very thirsty and with no chance of getting a drink. Puzzle just stood, shivering a little

with nervousness, and said nothing. But Tirian, with his head against Jewel's flank, slept

as soundly as if he were in his royal bed at Cair Paravel, till the sound of a gong beating

awoke him and he sat up and saw that there was firelight on the far side of the stable and

knew that the hour had come.

"Kiss me, Jewel," he said. "For certainly this is our last night on earth. And if ever I

offended against you in any matter great or small, forgive me now."

"Dear King," said the Unicorn, "I could almost wish you had, so that I might forgive it.

Farewell. We have known great joys together. If Aslan gave me my choice I would

choose no other life than the life I have had and no other death than the one we go to."

Then they woke up Farsight, who was asleep with his head under his wing (it made him

look as if he had no head at all), and crept forward to the stable. They left Puzzle (not

without a kind word, for no one was angry with him now) just behind it, telling him not

to move till someone came to fetch him, and took up their position at one end of the

stable.

The bonfire had not been lit for long and was just beginning to blaze up. It was only a

few feet away from them, and the great crowd of Narnian creatures were on the other side

of it, so that Tirian could not at first see them very well, though of course he saw dozens

of eyes shining with the reflection of the fire, as you've seen a rabbit's or cat's eyes in theheadlights of a 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 thinkno 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 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: drewthe 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 it was 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 not I 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 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?"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 ofthem) 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?" said Tirian to the Boar.

"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 byhim, 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 wascalling 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.