Chapter 8 Chapter 8 The Magic of the Horn

"That's it," said Trumpkin (reading this, you should know that sitting on the grass in the deserted Cair Paravel Hall and telling stories to four children is the dwarf Trumpkin )——"In this way, I stuffed two pieces of bread into my pocket, unloaded my weapon, and took only a dagger, and walked into the depths of the woods in the dim twilight. I bowed my head and walked forward For a long time, I suddenly heard a sound that I had never heard before. That unforgettable sound resounded through the sky and lasted for a long time. It was bright and beautiful, like a spring breeze blowing across the water, but it was strong enough to shake the forest. Says to himself "If it's not that horn, make me a rabbit" I wonder why he didn't blow it sooner...

"When was that?" asked Edmund. "About nine to ten o'clock," said Trumpkin. "We happened to be at the train station at that time!" The poor people said in unison, their eyes sparkling with excitement. "Please go on!" said Lucy to the Dwarf. "Well, when I heard the trumpet, I immediately felt reassured, and I kept on going, a whole day and a night. Then, at the crack of dawn, I did a foolish thing--in order not to go round the river, I I ventured a short cut across an open field, and they caught me. I was caught not by the army, but by a proud old fool. He was stationed in a small castle that Miraz set up on the way to the coast. The last hurdle down. I didn't have to confess myself, but they didn't get a word of the truth out of my mouth. But I'm a dwarf, and that's enough to condemn me. Ha, thank God! That old fool in charge That's great, someone else would have killed me on the spot. However, he thinks that sending me to the "ghost" is the most punishing punishment.In the end, thanks to the young lady who saved me (he nodded at Susan).It's a pity that the armor on my body is gone and they took it away. "He tapped the pipe in his hand, and filled another.

"Dude," said Peter, "so it was the horn—your horn, Sue—that dragged us all here from our seats on the platform yesterday morning! I can't believe it, But it all happened."' "I don't believe it, why don't I believe it." Lucy said, "Many stories have been told that magic can make people leave a certain place, or leave a certain world, and go to another world. For example, the mage in the story reads the secret , the Devil will appear before him at once. That is why we have suddenly returned to Narnia." "Yes," said Peter, "the strange thing is that in the stories it's always someone in our world who says 'Come on the devil', and no one really thinks about where 'the devil' comes from."

"Now we know, it's the same thing as 'Come on with the devil'. " laughed Edmund. "My God!It was a little uncomfortable to pick up the horn and just blow it, and we were being called around involuntarily. " "It's a good thing we'd all like to come here, don't we?" said Lucy. "What if Aslan wants us to?" "But what shall we do now?" said the Dwarf; "I think I should return at once, and report to the king that there is no help to be had, and that he must seek another way." "No help?" said Susan, "but didn't the horn call us?"

"This... this... yes, of course, I've seen it." The little man said hesitantly: His pipe seemed to be blocked, and he lowered his head, as if he was busy cleaning it. "But...well...I mean..." "Don't you know who we are by now?" cried Lucy. "You're so stupid." "I guess you must be the four children of the old legend," said Trumpkin. "Of course, I am glad to meet you. Of course it is very interesting. But... you are not angry?"— He hesitated again. "Say it quickly, more simply!" Edmund was a little impatient.

"Well, then...don't be mad," said Trumpkin uneasily, "you know the King, Trufflehunter, and Dr. Knells are expecting... well, you know what I mean What is it—they are expecting strong help, in other words, I think they have been imagining you as tall, strong, fighting warriors. But you are all children, and at such a time, fighting What can you do? I believe you can understand." "You mean we're all useless?" Edmund blushed. "Please don't be angry," interrupted the little man, "I assure you, my dear little friends...." "'Little friend'! This, this is really underestimating us!" Edmund jumped up, "I don't think you will believe that we won the Battle of Belluna? Well, you can say whatever you want." Just say something, I know..."

"What's the use of losing your temper now?" interrupted Peter. "Let's equip him with a suit of armor, and we must arm ourselves at once, and we'll talk about the rest later." "Shall we discuss it first..." Edmund didn't move.But Lucy whispered in his ear, "Let's do what Peter said first. You know, he is our leader. I think he knows it." Edmund nodded, picked up the flashlight, and led everyone , including Trumpkin, walked down the steps again to the dark, cold and dusty treasure house. ; The dwarf's eyes lit up at the sight of the treasures on the shelf (although he could only see them with his dirty toes), and he murmured, "Don't let Nick Brick see this, please!" The children soon found for him a suit of mail mail that fitted him, a helmet, a sword, a shield, a bow, and a pot full of arrows, all made for the dwarfs, and not only The size is right, and the workmanship is very good, and the materials are also high-quality.The helmet was of copper, inlaid with precious stones, and the hilt of the sword was of pure gold.Trumpkin had never seen such a valuable thing in his life, let alone owned such a valuable thing, so he was so happy that he didn't know what to say.The children also put on their armor.Edmund picked out a sharp sword, and a shield made of leather, smartly; Lucy picked out a bow; Peter and Susan had already hung their respective treasures.When they walked out of the treasure house along the steps, the chain mail on their bodies was tinkling, and they looked like warriors of Narnia, not schoolchildren who only knew how to read and play.The two boys walked behind and quickly worked out a course of action.Lucy heard Edmund say, "No, let me do it. If I win, his defeat will look worse. If I lose, we won't be too disgraced."

"All right, then, Ed," Peter replied. They are back in the sun.At this moment Edmund bowed himself politely Turning to the dwarf, he said, "I have a request, and I hope you don't refuse. You know, we children don't often have the opportunity to meet a great warrior like you. Would you like to compete with me in swordsmanship? That would be appropriate." etiquette.". "But, young man," said Trumpkin, "these swords are sharp, and they are no joke to touch!" "I know," said Edmund, "that I can never touch you, and you can easily disarm me without hurting me."

"It's a dangerous game," Trumpkin said. "Now that you've brought it up, I'll take you a round or two." In an instant, both swords were drawn out, and the other three children jumped off the stage together and stood aside to watch the battle.This is a contest with real swords and guns. It is by no means like the ostentatious wooden props used on the stage to show people. Even the fencing competition at the sports meeting cannot be compared with it.This is a fight between fighters.The most exciting thing is to use a sword to chop the opponent's legs and feet, because there is no armor protection opening on this part. When the opponent strikes with a sword, you have to jump up quickly, and his blow will pass by your feet.This was of course to the dwarf's advantage, for Edmund, being much taller, had to crouch down and attack his opponent from time to time.Had it been twenty-four hours before the match against Trumpkin, it would have been very difficult for Edmund to win.But since they came to the isle, everything in Narnia had worked on him, reminded him of the old battles, and his arms and fingers had regained their old strength and skill.He was now King Edmund again.The two fighters fought several rounds, and Susan (who couldn't enjoy such things) kept shouting "Oh! Be careful!" Suddenly, Edmund turned his wrist and made a foil, Knocked the dwarf's sword away.I saw Trumpkin staring at the empty right hand, blinking in bewilderment.

"Not hurt, my dear little friend?" Edmund panted slightly, putting his sword into the scabbard. "I know what it is," said Trumpkin dryly. "I've never learned your trick." "That's right," Peter interjected, "the best fencer in the world could be disarmed by a trick he's not familiar with. It's only fair to give you another chance and let's try another weapon. Reasonable, isn't it, my friend? Would you like to compete with my sister in archery? There's no tricks in archery, you know that." "Ah, you can joke, you!" said the Dwarf. "I know how good she is with the bow since she saved me this morning. But that's all right, I can try." He pretended to be unhappy, but his eyes shone with relief, because he began to realize that there was a new force in his camp that should not be underestimated.

The five of them came to the yard together. "What's the target?" Peter asked. "I'll just look at that apple hanging on the branch," said Susan. "Okay," said Trumpkin briskly, "you mean that yellow apple near the tree?" "No, it's not that one, it's the red one up there—the one on the top." The dwarf's face darkened, and he muttered, "It looks like a cherry, how is this apple?" long!" They tossed a coin to see who would shoot first (Trumpkin was very interested, he had never played such a trick), and it was Trumpkin who shot first.There is a section of steps from the main hall to the garden, and they have to choose a good angle to shoot the apple.From the way the dwarf chose his position and the way he drew his bow, it was obvious to all that he was an expert. There was a whoosh, and the arrow shot out.The arrow shot beautifully.Wherever the arrow landed, the little apple waved, and a leaf next to it fluttered down.Next it's Susan's turn.She went to the steps and drew her bow.She was not interested in the game, not because she had no confidence in hitting the apple, but because she was kind enough to hurt a heart that had already been hurt.The dwarf watched how she drew the shaft of the arrow to her ear.Suddenly, with a soft sound, the apple fell to the grass, and Susan's arrow stuck in the middle. "Wow! Nice shot, Sue!" cheered the other kids. "I'm not really a better shooter than you," Susan reassured the dwarf, "I feel like a gust of wind when you shoot." "No, there is no wind," Trumpkin said honestly, "you don't have to comfort me, I understand that I have been completely defeated by you. But I can't tell you clearly, the injury on my shoulder just now hurts... "What, you're hurt?" Lucy asked. "Let me see." "Little girl, it's useless to you." As soon as Trumpkin said the words, he immediately felt inappropriate, and quickly reviewed, "I'm sorry, I'm talking like a fool again. Your brother is an excellent fencer , your sister is a great archer, and I guess you might be a great doctor." Sitting on the steps, he unbuttoned his chain mail and took off his little shirt, revealing a hairy, watery body. And muscular arms.There was a very sloppy bandage on his shoulder.When I unwrapped it, I saw a deep knife wound under the bandage. The wound was already inflamed, and the surrounding area was very red and swollen. "Tsk tsk, poor Trumpkin," Lucy said sympathetically, "it's too scary." Then, she carefully poured a drop of magic water from the small bottle in her hand, and dripped it on the wound. "Hey, what are you doing?" said Trumpkin.But when he turned his head, he couldn't help being surprised, "Hey, why is my injury gone?" I saw him wiggling his mustache, squinting around, and then stroking that arm up and down again.Finally, he stretched his arms a few times, flexed his muscles, jumped up and yelled "Hey! The wound is healed! My arm is like new!" Then he laughed and said "Oh Why am I so stupid, I really don’t know Taishan! Don’t be angry with me, I pay tribute to your majesty—although it is a trivial tribute.Thank you for saving my life, for healing my wounds, for the great breakfast - and for getting to know you. " The four children said together that it was nothing, not worth mentioning. "Now," said Peter, "if you've trusted us..." Of course. ' said the little man. "We must rise at once and join King Caspian as soon as possible." "And the sooner the better," said Trumpkin, "by my stupidity I have been delayed by nearly an hour." "It will take about two days from the way you came," said Peter, "because we can't travel day and night like you little people." And then he turned to his brothers and sisters," Trumpkin said. Aslan's Fort is evidently the Great Stone Table. From there, you will remember, it is about half a day's walk down to Belluna's Ferry." "The Belluna Bridge, that's what we all call it," Trumpkin said. "In our time, there was no bridge there," Peter said. "It took about a day to get here from Belluna, and we usually got home by dinnertime the next day. If we walked faster, we might take a day and a half." can get there." "But don't forget, there are forests everywhere now," said Trumpkin, "and there are enemies to avoid." "Listen," said Edmund, "shall we have no choice but to choose the road our dear little friend took when he came?" "Don't call me a child, Your Majesty, save me some face." The dwarf blushed again. "Well then," said Edmund, "may I call you our DLF?" "Well, Edmund," said Susan, "don't do that, why do you keep catching people." "It's nothing, girl—I mean, Your Majesty," Trumpkin said with a smile, "just kidding, it's all right." (They used to call him DLF affectionately after that, and later, the nickname The true meaning of is almost forgotten.) "I just wanted to say," continued Edmund, "that we don't have to go that way. We can go south by boat, first to Clear Water Bay, and then go up the current. This way we can go straight to the back hill of the Big Stone Table. We It will be safer on the water. If we start at once, we can reach the entrance of Clearwater Bay before dark, sleep a few hours, and meet Caspian early tomorrow morning." ①DLF is the abbreviation of English DearLittleFriend, which means "dear little friend". " "The problem is we have to know what's going on along the coast," Trumpkin said. "We don't know the terrain and the enemy situation along the way." "How to solve the food problem?" asked Susan. "Oh, we can eat apples," said Lucy, "let's go quickly, for two days have passed and we haven't done anything." They made a sack out of a raincoat, and filled a good deal of apples, and went together to the well to drink enough water, for it was probable that no fresh water would be found before they reached Clearwater Bay.Then they boarded the boat, and looked at Cair Paravel who was about to leave, and the children couldn't help feeling sad.Although it has become a pile of ruins, they still feel very intimate, as if it is their second hometown. "You take the helm, DLF," said Peter, "and Edmund and I paddle. It's not far, but we'd better take off this chain mail lest we row too long and get too hot. You two A girl sat on the bow and gave directions to the DLF because he didn't know the way." Soon, the green island covered with dense forest was far behind them, and the boat was bumped up and down with the waves.The surrounding sea area is getting wider and wider. Looking into the distance, the blue water is boundless. Nearby are the green waves of the boat, and the waves are rolling around the boat.The air is filled with the salty smell of sea water.The sea is very quiet, only the sound of the sea hitting the ship's side, the splashing of the oars on the water, and the creaking of the oarlocks can be heard.The weather is starting to heat up. Lucy and Susan sat in the bow, very happy.They bent over the side of the boat and tried to reach into the water, but they could not reach it.But they can clearly see the extremely pure moon-white sand on the bottom of the sea, and sometimes they can also see patches of purple-red seaweed. "It's like going back in time," said Lucy, "do you remember when we sailed to Tribenzia... and Kalmar... and the Seven Isles... and the Lonely Isles?" "Of course I remember," said Susan, "and our big ship, the Splendid Hellland, with a swan's head on the prow, and carved swan wings reaching amidships." "And the silk sails and the huge lantern at the stern." "And the feast on deck and the musicians." "Do you remember, there was a musician who climbed the rigging to play his flute, and it sounded like it came from the sky." In this way, they walked - recalling.They had gone more than half the distance when Susan replaced Edmund.The coast ahead was not far away—they remembered that it used to be an open plain where many good friends gathered, but now it was overgrown with wild trees and weeds, and it looked very desolate.Touching the scene, the children couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in their hearts. "Hush! This is really tiring work." Peter was already sweating profusely. "Shall I paddle for a while?" said Lucy. ! "No, you're too young." Peter answered curtly, not because he was angry, but because he didn't have the energy to speak.