Chapter 7 CHAPTER VII. DANGER LOOKS IN ANCIENT NARRIA

The lawn where they met the Faun was the famous dance ground.After discussion, Caspian and his friends decided to stay and wait for the grand gathering.They sang well water to quench their thirst, and ate wild fruit to satisfy their hunger, and they slept in the open under the stars at night, and all this was very new to Caspian.Although he has long been used to the bedroom covered with tapestries, the warm and soft bedding, and the life in the palace where the mountains and seas are ambiguous and the servants are in groups, the prince has never been so happy as now, he has never slept so soundly at night, and his appetite has never been so good .He has become stronger, no matter his temperament or appearance, he looks like the king of a country.

That glorious night came at last.The bright moon was shining brightly, and Caspian's various and grotesque subjects came to the dancing hall one after another in groups of three and four.It pleased Caspian to see so many friends, and to hear their songs and laughter.All the friends who have met him are here, the big brown bear, the red dwarf and the black dwarf, as well as the rat, the cane, the rabbit and the thorn, and there are also some friends who have not met, such as the five red-haired gorillas, owls, and even a flock of ravens.The army of mice is fully armed and marching in line with the sound of horns, it is really majestic.Last of all was the giant Wembweger, who had come with Centaur.His gigantic size left Caspian dumbfounded.Behind the giant was a basket full of dwarfs who were prone to seasickness, and they accepted his kind offer, and he carried them.But now, they were all dizzy and regretted that this road was not as good as walking by themselves.

The great concern of the big bears was to hold the banquet, and they proposed to postpone the council for a day or two: Reepicheep and his army of rats proposed to suspend the feast and the meeting, and stormed the castle that night, attacked Miraz, and fought He was caught off guard, and the squirrels headed by Petty Wig said, eating and talking saves the most time, why can't they start at the same time?The Eyemouses solemnly suggested digging a defensive howling ditch around the dance hall first, in case of accidents, before doing other things. The goats thought it best to have a grand group dance first: but the old raven agreed with the bears , said that it would finish the whole meeting before eating (it reversed the procedure in the rush!), and at the same time it asked for permission to give a short speech to all the friends first.But Caspian the Centaur Dwarfs disagreed with all these proposals, and insisted on a council of war at once. )

Everyone was finally persuaded by them and sat down in a circle.Then they had a hard time shutting up Petitwig's mouth--he came running on and on, saying, "Be quiet, be quiet! Be quiet, gentlemen, the king is going to make a speech." ’” Caspian stood up, feeling a little nervous. "Subjects of Narnia!" he began.But when he was about to speak, Rabbit Carmelo suddenly pricked up his ears and gestured vigilantly, "Shhh someone is coming! " These animals in the woods have long been accustomed to being chased by hunters, so they immediately turned their noses in the direction indicated by Camero, all of them motionless like sculptures.

"Smells like a human, but not pure human," Trufflehunter whispered. "He's coming." Camero wanted to run away, but was caught by the dwarf around him in time. "The chimpanzees and you three dwarfs get your bows and arrows ready, and walk softly over to see who it is," ordered Caspian decisively. "Let's go and kill him!" said the black dwarf, nodding a sharp arrow. "If there's only one, don't shoot him," said Caspian. "Catch him alive." "Why?" asked the Dwarf. "Follow the order." Granstorm shot him a glare.

The three dwarves and the two bush cats walked quickly to the forest in the northwest of the dance hall, while the others waited quietly on the lawn.Presently there was a shrill cry from the dwarf, "Stop, hold still!" followed by a haste.After a while came a voice so familiar to Caspian, "Don't! Don't be so fierce! I'm unarmed. You bite my wrist, my dear gorilla. But don't bite my hand out." .I'm going to speak to the king." "Dr. Knells!" cried Caspian joyfully.He walked forward quickly, hugged his elderly teacher, and everyone surrounded them.

"Wang!" said Nickbreaker, "a renegade dwarf, one-quarter blood! Shall I thrust my sword through his throat?" "Keep your mouth shut, Nick Brick," said Trumpkin, "no one chooses his bloodline." "This is my most faithful friend and my savior," said Caspian solemnly. "Anyone who does not like him, then please leave my regiment and leave at once." Then he turned to the teacher. "Dearest Doctor, I am so glad to see you again. How did you find me?" "It's just a little spell cast, stay with me," said the doctor.Because of walking so fast, he is still wheezing all day long. "But, I don't have time to talk about this now. You have to leave here immediately. Someone has betrayed you. Miruz has already led the army to rush over, and this place will be surrounded before midnight."

"Betrayed?" said Caspian. "Who betrayed us?" "Another renegade dwarf, yes," Nickbreaker interrupted, still bitter about the half-blood doctor. "It was your horse," said Dr. Knells, "and the poor beast had no choice. After you were thrown off, he had to go back to his horse bottom in the castle. Later, word of your escape came. I got out. Of course I didn’t want to be caught by Miraz, so I also escaped. I observed the stars and calculated your general position. But at this moment, I saw Miraz’s search team leaving the castle and entering the castle. Yesterday, I heard that his army was also dispatched. I found that your subordinates, those... um... those purebred dwarves, who don't have much forest knowledge, have left traces everywhere, so careless! It was those traces that made Miraz discover that ancient Narnia was not as utterly destroyed as he had hoped. So he began to act."

"Hmph!" came a shrill voice at the doctor's feet. "Let them come. I beg the king to send me and my warriors to the front!" "Whose voice is this?" asked Dr. Knells. "How did you get grasshoppers—or mosquitos—into your ranks?" Passed through the glasses, looked at it carefully for a while, and then burst out laughing. "By Aslan," he swore, "it must be a mouse. Mr. Mouse, I wish to be your friend, and I am honored to have such a gallant and chivalrous friend as you." "We will be friends, Mr. Doctor." Hearing such praise, Reepicheep was very satisfied, and immediately replied sharply, "From now on, if anyone in our team dares to be rude to you, I will punish you." Use this sword to teach him a lesson."

"Is there time for such stupid things?" said Nickbreaker. "What are we going to do? Fight, or run for our lives?" "Fight if you have to," Trumpkin said, "but we're not ready to fight yet, and the terrain is not in our favor." "I disagree with the idea of ​​escape," said Caspian. "I don't agree, I strongly disagree!" The three big bears responded in unison, "Anyway, we can't run, especially before eating, not just after eating." "Voluntary evacuation and escape are completely different things." Remy Martin said, "Why don't we take the initiative to choose the terrain and timing? We must strive for the initiative and wait for the opportunity to fight the enemy to the death. What do you think?"

"That is wise, Your Majesty." Trufflehunter immediately agreed. "But where are we going?" Several voices asked at the same time. "My lord," said Dr. Knells, "and my friends, I think we must move eastward, down the river, into the great forest, which is the region most hated by the Telmarines, They have always been afraid of the sea, and of the land across the sea. So they let the woods grow up as a barrier, thinking it would be safer. There are many friends in that area, which is very good for us. More importantly, As Fort Lane is right there."" "Aslan's Fortress?" several voices asked together. "What is Aslan's Fortress?" "In a mysterious place on the edge of the big forest, there is a big mound, on which there used to be a huge stone called the Big Stone Table. Later, our ancestors dug many south roads and caves on that mound, that A boulder was placed in the cave in the center of the mound, and there was room enough for all our men and stores. Those of us who most needed privacy and were accustomed to living underground could live in it, and the others in the forest. In a pinch, all of us (except Lord Giant) may scatter into the mound, where we shall be safe from all danger, as long as there is a sufficient supply of provisions."5 "It is good to have such a learned man among us," said Trufflehunter with satisfaction.But it heard Trumpkin muttering in private, "Ghost old man! I hope everyone will think less about the stories of these old women and more about food and weapons." The final result of the discussion was that Knells' suggestion was adopted.After half an hour, they set off.They were all at Aslan's Fort before sunrise. 4 This is a secluded place, a bun-shaped green mound on top of a hill.Under the shade of the big trees, there is a winding path leading to the center of the mound.The interior of the fortress is complex, and to those who are not familiar with it, it is a maze.The walls inside are all made of smooth stones.In the dim light, Caspian saw some strange characters and serpentine patterns engraved on the stone wall, as well as many pictures about lions.All these are showing him that the ancient and mysterious Narnia really exists. They settled down in the fortress, but Miraz's spies soon discovered their tracks.As a result, a large number of troops followed.The enemy was much stronger than they had reckoned, and Caspian's heart sank at the sight of them approaching in column after column.Although Miraz's soldiers were afraid of the forest, they were even more afraid of Miraz's majesty.Under his command, the soldiers marched into the depths of the forest to fight, sometimes even reaching the gates of the fortress.Caspian and his generals also launched several counterattacks on the plain, but they were often beaten passively.Most of the fighting is during the day, sometimes at night.The general situation was very unfavorable for Caspian's side. , It rained heavily all day and finally stopped in the evening, but the temperature plummeted and the cold hit everyone.Early next morning Caspian deployed the most violent attack on which he had pinned all his hopes.He led most of the dwarfs to the right flank of Miroz at dawn. The fiercest animals charge from cover, struggling to cut off enemy reinforcements.But the battle was lost again.Caspian did not know that the Giant was simple but not wise.Lion-like in spite of poor Wembweger (and in that he was a true giant), his attack was ill-timed and in the wrong place, and the result was that his party, and even Caspian's, were in disarray. After losing the battle, the enemy suffered no losses.The bear who had the most fighting power failed, the centaur was badly wounded, and most of Caspian's men were wounded.It was dusk when the battle ended, and they huddled under a big tree, sharing their meager supper.The icy rain dripped down through the thick leaves.The soldiers suffering from hunger and cold were downcast one by one, and their morale was low. ) Saddest of all was the giant Wembweger, who knew he was to blame for his carelessness and lack of consideration.He sat there in silence, big tears pooled on the tip of his nose, and splashed down on the mice's camp, which had just felt warmer and was drowsy.All the mice jumped up at once, shaking off the water, wringing their blankets dry, and asking the giant in sharp and angry tones, "You don't think we're wet enough, do you?" They woke up everyone else, and they all blamed the rat warriors, "You came to the army to be scouts, not to be a chorus!" and strongly urged them to be quiet immediately.Wembwere left everyone with hands and feet, wanting to find a place where he could quietly reflect on his grief alone.But it accidentally stepped on someone's tail, causing the guy to turn around and bite it. It turned out that it was a fox.As a result, there was another quarrel, and everyone lost their temper. $ At this time, in the most hidden and legendary cave in the center of the fortress, King Caspian, Knells, Guan, Nick Brick and Trumpkin were in council.Several large ancient pillars supported the roof of the cave, and in the center of the room stood the stone-a stone table.The stone table was broken into two parts from the middle, and it was engraved with characters that no one knew.Before the stone table was moved into the cave, the handwriting on it was blurred and illegible due to years of wind and rain.They did not meet at the stone table because they considered it a sacred object and should not be used casually.They sat on a log not far from the stone table, around a crude wooden table, on which stood a crude clay lamp, which shone on their pale faces and left their long shadows on the wall. long figure. "If Land wants to use that wonderful ship," said Trufflehunter, "I think it's time." Caspian had told them about this treasure a few days ago, so they all had high hopes for it. great hope. "We do need help very much," said Caspian, "but it's hard to tell if we've hit the bottom line. What if something worse comes and we've already used that number?" Woolen cloth?" "In that case," said Nickbreaker, "your Majesty, don't use it until things get too bad." "I agree with the idea," Dr. Knells said. "What do you think, Trumpkin?" asked Caspian. "Oh, let me say," the red dwarf had been listening with an air of indifference, "that Luxia knows, I think that the horn and the big broken stone, and your great old king Peter, and the so-called Aslan, the lion, is all mirages, or moons in water--see, not touch, unreliable things. I don't care when the trumpet blows on land, because I It doesn’t matter whether you brag or not. I just ask Lu Xia not to tell our troops about this matter, lest everyone hope for those illusory things, but they are disappointed in the end, which is of no benefit at all.” "Then, in Aslan's name, we will sound Queen Susan's horn, and see what miracles will happen," said Caspian. "There is one thing, my lord," said Dr. Knells, "perhaps it should be done first. None of us knows what aid the sound of the trumpet will bring us. Perhaps the sound of the trumpet will call Aslan from overseas. , but I think it is more probable that Peter, the former King of Narnia, and his aid be called upon. However, in either case, I do not think we can expect that aid to come directly to us."- "That's the truth," broke in Trumpkin. "I thought," went on the learned man, "that they might go back to some holy place in Narnia first, and this place we're standing on, for example, is one of them, and the most magical. So I thought, That help might come here. But there are two other places. One is Lamppost Wild, up the river, west of Beaver Dam. According to legend, the royal children came from there to the land of Narnia The other shrine is downriver, at the mouth of the river, where the castle of Cair Paravel was once the royal palace. If Aslan came himself, it would be the best place to meet him. For according to legend, it is great Overseas Emperor, he will come across the sea. I propose to send ambassadors to these two places-Lamppost Field and the Estuary-to meet our savior." "I thought," muttered Trumpkin, "that instead of doing us any good, this stupidity would cost us two warriors." "Whom are you going to send, Dr. Knells?" asked Caspian. "Squirrels are perfect for getting through an enemy blockade without getting caught," Trufflehunter said. "Our squirrels (although there aren't many of them)," Nick Brick said, "are mostly very flighty and talkative. I think the stakes are high and the only one we can trust is Petty Wigg." "Send Petitwig, then," said King Caspian, "but who will be our second ambassador? I know you will, Trufflehunter, but you won't come fast enough." .Neither can you, Dr. Knells." "I'm not going," said Nick Brick, "there are so many people and animals here, I'm going to stay and protect the other Dwarfs from being bullied." "Bastard!" Trumpkin raged. "Is that what you are talking to the king? Send me, Your Majesty, I will!" "Didn't you disbelieve the number, Trumpkin?" said Caspian. "I don't believe it now, my lord. But what does it matter? To die in futile action is to die here, with the same result. You are our king, and it is my duty to give advice, but to carry out orders." It is my bounden duty. You have heard my advice, and now it is time for me to carry out my orders." "I shall never forget what you said, good Trumpkin," said Caspian emotionally. "And when shall we blow the horn?" "I advocate waiting until dawn, Your Majesty," said Dr. Knells, "that is the best hour for the horn to be effective." A few minutes later Pettwig was called.Caspian set it a task simply and concisely.As always, Petitwig was full of courage and vitality, and he was eager to set off before the king's words were spoken.Caspian sent it to Lamppost Wild, and Trumpkin's journey was closer, to the mouth of the river.The two took some food with them, as well as the thanks, blessings and expectations of their friends, and set off on the road at the same time.