Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen The Battle of Anwald

About eleven o'clock the whole army marched again, galloping west, with the mountains on their left.Colin and Shasta rode in the rear, with the giants in front of them.Lucy, Edmund, and Peridan were busy discussing the battle plan; although Lucy said, "Where is Your Majesty the Goose Cap?" Edmund just replied, "It's really good news if you're not in the vanguard. .Let him go." Shasta told Colin most of his adventures, and explained that he had learned to ride from a horse, so he really didn't know how to use the rein.Colin taught him, and told him of their secret voyage from Tashbaan.

"And where is Queen Susan?" "In Cair Paravel," said Colin, "she's not like Lucy, you know, like a man, or, at any rate, like a boy. Queen Susan is more like a grown-up Common lady. She doesn't ride to war, though she's a good archer." The trail they were walking on became narrower and narrower, and the slope to the right became steeper.At last they walked in single file along the edge of the precipice; and Shasta shuddered to think that he had walked over this precipice the night before without knowing it. "But of course," he thought to himself, "I'm perfectly safe. That's why the Lion always walks on my left. The Lion walks all the way between me and the cliff."

Then, the mountain trail extended to the left, turning away from the cliff and heading south. At this time, there were dense forests on both sides, and the mountain path was steep and steep. They kept going up and up, and finally entered the pass.If the pass is an open area, it must be a good view from the top, but now you are among so many trees, you can't see anything—only when you saw some huge pinnacles standing on the top of the trees. Above, a hawk or two circled high in the blue sky. "The eagle smells war," said Colin, pointing to the birds. "They know we've got a good meal for them."

Shasta didn't like such witticism at all. When they had passed the pass, and went a good deal further down, they came to more open country, from which Shasta could see all of Archenland, blue and misty, spread out beneath his feet, (he thought ,) He even saw the great desert looming behind Archenland.However, the sun, which was about to set in two hours, shone directly into his eyes, dazzled him, and could not see the scene clearly. Here the army stopped, unfolded as a front, and made many new arrangements.A whole line of hideous-looking human-speaking beasts, Shasta had not noticed before; most of them belonged to the cat family (panthers, panthers, and whatnot), snarling and striding to the left to enter position.The giants were ordered to move to the right, and before they moved, they all unloaded their loads from their backs and sat on the ground for a while.Then Shasta saw that what the giants had just been carrying, and were now putting on their feet, were pairs of boots: horrible, heavy, spiked boots, knee-length.The giants then moved into their position with clubs shouldered.The archers and Queen Lucy tuned in to the back, and first you could see them bending their bows, and second you could hear them trying to draw the bowstring.Wherever you looked you could see men tightening their girths, putting on their helmets, drawing their swords, and throwing their cloaks on the ground.There is very little talk now.Very majestic, very terrible. "I can't go back now--I really can't go back now," thought Shasta.

Far in the distance there was a din of voices: many people shouting, and a steady thumping. "Battering ram," Colin whispered, "the enemy is pounding on the gate." Even Colin looked serious now. "Why doesn't King Edmund strike?" he said. "I can't stand the waiting. It's cold, too." Shasta nodded: I hope he's not as frightened outwardly as he feels inside. The horn finally rang!Now the troops were in motion—now the horses were trotting—and the flags were fluttering and fluttering in the wind.Now they climbed a low ridge, and the whole landscape below suddenly opened up before them.A small castle with many towers, with the gate facing them.Unfortunately there is no moat: the gates are of course closed and the portcullis lowered.They could see the faces of the defenders on the walls, like little white spots.Below the city, about fifty Calormenes dismounted, and were steadily swinging a great tree trunk against the gate.But the scene changes immediately

up.The main force of Rabadash, who had been dismounted and on foot to attack the gates, now saw the Narnian army galloping down the ridge.There is no doubt that these Calormene troops are well trained.It seemed to Shasta in a second that the enemies were on horseback, forming a neat file, and turning their horses to meet them. " It was a trot now, and the distance between the two armies was shortening every moment.Run faster and faster, faster and faster.All knives were drawn, all shields were brought to the nose, all prayers were said, and all teeth were set.Shasta was terribly frightened.But a sudden thought came to his mind: "If you shrink back and fear this time, then every time you fight in your life, you will shrink back and fear. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

However, when the two armies finally met, he really had no idea what happened on the scene.Terrible confusion and appalling cries.The knife in his hand was knocked out before long.He also lost the rein somehow.He found himself sliding off the horse.A spear came straight at him, and as he ducked to avoid it he rolled off his horse, his left knee slamming into someone else's armor, and...   But it was no use trying to describe the war from Shasta's point of view; he knew so little about combat in general that he didn't even understand his own part in it.The best way to tell you the actual situation of the battle is to take you to the house of the Hermit of the South War a few miles away. All by his side.

The hermit looked into this pool when he wanted to know what was going on in the world beyond his green walls.In the pool, as in a mirror, he could see, at a given time, what was going on in the streets of cities far south of Tashbaan, or what ships sailed in as far away as the Seven Isles. Red Harbor, or some brigand or beast harassed the great western woods between Lamppost Wild and Telmar.That day the hermit did not leave the pond all day, even to eat and drink, for he knew that something important was going on in Archenland.Aravis and the two horses were also looking into the pond.They could see that it was a pool of magic water.The water does not reflect the green trees and blue sky, but reflects the colorful image like clouds that are always moving in the depths.But they couldn't see anything clearly.The hermit could see clearly, and he often told them what he saw.A few moments before Shasta rode into the field of his first battle, the hermit spoke thus:

"I saw one - two - three eagles circling in the gap in Tempest Peak. One eagle was the oldest. He wouldn't fly out unless a battle was imminent. I saw him circle back and forth, sometimes looking down Anwad, sometimes looking east behind Tempest Peak. Ah—now I see what Rabadash and his troops are up to all day. They felled a big tree and sawed a good chunk of the trunk, and now Came out of the woods with a trunk on his shoulders, to use the trunk as a battering ram. They failed in their attack last night, and learned a little from their failure. He would be wiser if he asked his troops to make ladders: but do Ladders take more time, and he's impatient and can't wait. What a fool he is! He should have ridden back to Tashbaan immediately after losing the first battle, because his whole plan of battle was based on speed and surprise. Now they put The battering ram is deployed. King Lun's men shoot arrows down from the city. Five Calormenes fall; but not many, for their heads are shielded. Now Rabadash gave his orders. With him were his most trusted lords, the fierce Tarkans from the eastern provinces. I could see their faces. Coradin of Tomang Castle, Azrul , Kiramash, and Ilgameth the wry mouth, and a red-bearded Tarkhan--"

"My God, my old club, Allin!" said Bree. "Sh-shh," said Aravis. "Now the battering ram is coming. If only I could see and hear it, it's going to make a lot of noise! ​​Hit and hit! No gate can last forever I can bear it. Hold on! Something near Stormy Peak has startled the birds. Birds are flying out in great flocks. Wait a minute... I can't see it yet... Ah! Now I can see it. High up in the east Well, the whole ridge is black with cavalry. If only the wind would blow on the banner and unfurl it. Whoever they are, they're over the ridge now. Aha! I see the flag now. Narnia, Narnia Nia! It's the red lion. They're coming down the hill at full speed now. I see King Edmund. There's a woman in the archer's rear. O!—"

"What are those?" Hwin asked breathlessly. "All the feline beasts rushed out of the left line." "A cat?" said Aravis. "Big cats, leopards and leopards and all," said the hermit impatiently, "I see, I see. The cats are going to form a circle and catch the horses that are no longer riding. A brilliant move. Calormene's horses were mad with fear. Now the feline beasts charged among them again. But Rabadash reorganized his ranks, and a hundred or so mounted Saddled up. They're galloping at the Narnians. The two teams are about a hundred yards apart now. Not fifty yards. I can see King Edmund, I can see Lord Peridan. The Narnian procession There were two men in it, both of whom were but children. How could a king let a child join the battle? There was only ten yards between the two sides—the two teams touched. On the Narnia side, the giant on the right was doing miracles... But A giant fell...shot in the eye, I guess. A melee in the center. I see more on the left. Those two kids again. God, one is Prince Colin. The other Very much like Colin, they are like two pears. This other, is your little Shasta. Colin fought like a man. He killed a Calormene. Now I can see a little The situation at the Children's Center. Rabadash and Edmond nearly collided at this moment, but were separated by the rushing crowd—" "How's Shasta?" Aravis asked. "The fool!" sighed the hermit, "poor brave little fool. He doesn't know anything about fighting. He doesn't use his shield at all. His sides are exposed. He doesn't Don't know how to use his sword, now he remembers to use it. He swung it wildly...almost knocked off his own pony's head. Now the sword is knocked out of his hand .It's nothing but murder to send the boy to war; he won't live five minutes. You fool, keep your head down—oh, he fell off his horse." "Have you been killed?" Three voices asked holding their breath. "How should I know?" said the hermit, "the feline beasts had done their battle, and the unmanned horses either died or fled: there was no hope of life for the Calormenes who rode them. Now the cats The Beasts turned and went into the main battle. They fell on the men with battering rams. The battering rams fell to the ground. Ah, well, well! The gates are opening from the inside: a breakout is about to happen Three men came out at the beginning. King Lunn was in the middle, and the brothers Dale and Daran were on his left and right. Behind them came Tran, Shar, Cole, and the Corin brothers. Now ten of them came out--two Ten—thirty soldiers. The Calormenes were driven back. King Edmund was hacking here and there with incredible power. He had just beheaded Coradin. Many Calormenes The soldiers threw down their arms and fled into the woods. Those who remained were pressed hard, the giant from the right, the feline beast from the left, and King Lunn from behind them. Now the Calormenes were attacked from the back , a bit flustered and nervous, they fight back to back. Bree, your Taykhan is down. King Lunn and Azrul are fighting hand to hand; the king looks to be winning - the king holds the advantage - the king Already won. Azrou fell. King Edmund fell—no, he rose again: he was fighting Rabadash. They were fighting right at the gate of the castle. The gatemen surrendered. Dalan killed Ilgamesh. I couldn't see what happened to Rabadash. I think he was dead, leaning against the wall, but I couldn't figure it out. Chiramash and King Edmund is still fighting, but everywhere else the fighting is over. Chiramash has surrendered. The war is over. The Calormenes are utterly defeated." When Shasta fell from his horse he thought he was dead.But horses trample, even on the battlefield, far less frequently than you might expect.After ten horrific minutes had passed, Shasta suddenly noticed that there were no longer any horses stamping in the neighborhood, and the noise (for there were still many, many constant noises) was no longer the sound of war. up.He sat up, staring around.Though he knew nothing about war, even he saw it quickly: the Archenlanders and Narnia had won.The living Calormenes he saw were captives.The gates of the castle were wide open, and King Lunn and King Edmund shook hands over the battering ram.Among the circle of princes and warriors around them, there was an excited but apparently cheerful conversation.Then the conversation suddenly joined together and expanded into a roar of laughter. - Shasta got to his feet, feeling strangely stiff in his limbs, and ran towards the roar of laughter to see what the joke was.What he saw was a very strange sight.The hapless Rabadash appears to be hanging from the castle wall.His feet were about two feet off the ground, kicking wildly.His chain mail was hung up a little, and it was terribly tight under the armpits, covering half of his face in the middle.In fact, he looked like a man trying to put on a stiff shirt that was too small for him.From what I can gather afterwards (you can be sure that the story has been told for days and days), this is what happened: At the beginning of the battle, a giant with his big spiked boots Successfully stomped on Rabadash; unsuccessfully, in the sense that he failed to crush Rabadash to pieces as he wished; but not in vain, for the spikes on the boots pierced the chain mail, like You or I could tear an ordinary shirt the same way.So, when Rabadash was fighting Edmond at the gate of the city, there was a hole in the back of his chain mail.As Edmund drove him closer and closer to the city wall, he jumped onto a high platform, and stood there, raining down on Edmund with the sword in his hand.But then he felt that this position both put him above the crowd and made him a target for the Narnian archers, and he decided to jump off the stage again.He was watching the wind, and feeling it out -- no doubt he did watch it for a while -- and he danced in a stately and terrible way, crying out, "Tash's thunder has come down from the sky." But he He had to jump sideways, because the crowd in front of him was crowded, and there was no room for him directly in front of him.Then, in the most succinct way you could hope for it, the hole in the chain mail on his back was hooked by a hook in the wall (which had been a horse ring hundreds of years ago).He found himself like a piece of laundry hanging there to dry, and everyone was laughing at him. "Edmond, let me down," cried Rabadash, "let me down, and fight me like a king and a man; and if you are a great coward, and dare not let me down, kill me at once." "Of course." King Edmund began to speak, but King Lunn interrupted him. "Your Majesty, allow me to interject," King Lunn said to Edmund, "don't do that." Then, turning to Rabadash, he said, "Your Highness, if you had presented your challenge a week ago, I would have I will guarantee that in King Edmund's land, no one will refuse your request, from the Supreme King to the smallest human-speaking mouse. However, in peacetime, you will not send a letter of challenge. Assault on our Castle Anwald for your own sake, and prove yourself no true warrior, but a traitor, a fellow fit only to be whipped by an executioner, and not to be met by any noble man with a sword. Take him down, tie him up, and take him into the city, till we announce our joyous great event." Strong hands took his sword from Rabadash, and he was led into the castle, screaming, threatening, cursing, and even weeping.Because, although he can face torture, he can't stand people's ridicule and ridicule.Everyone in Tashbaan took him seriously. At this moment Colin ran up to Shasta, took him by the hand, and began to drag him towards the King. "Here he is, Father, he's here," Colin cried. "Why, you've come here anyway," said the king in a very rough voice, "and you've taken part in the battle. A boy who made his father worry and heartbroken. At your age, you can't get a good job in the back of your ass." A stick in your hand is better than a sword in your hand. Ha ha!" But everyone, including Colin, could see that the king was very proud of Shasta. "I beg your Majesty, please stop blaming him," said Lord Darland, "if he had not inherited your heroism, His Majesty could not have been your son. If he should be blamed for the opposite wrong, That would make His Majesty even more sad." "All right, all right," murmured the King, "we'll let him go this time. Now..." What followed surprised Shasta as much as anything that had happened to him in his life.He felt King Lunn suddenly hugging him like a bear and kissing him on both cheeks.Then the king set him down again, and said, "Stand here together, children, and let all the court come and see you. Hold up your heads. Now, gentlemen, look at them both. And Does anyone have any doubts?" And Shasta still couldn't understand: why did everyone keep their eyes on him and Colin? What was all this cheering about?