Chapter 17 Chapter 16 The Encounter of the Stone Statue

"What a strange place!" cried Lucy. "All those stone animals—and stone men! It's like—like a museum." "Hush!" said Susan. "What is Aslan doing?" It really is casting a spell.It jumped in front of the stone lion and blew on the stone lion.Then suddenly turned away--almost like a cat chasing its own tail--and blew on the little stone dwarf, who, you will remember, was standing a foot or two away with his back to the stone lion.Then it suddenly sprang at a tall stone dryad standing on the side of the dwarf, then quickly turned on the other side to deal with a stone hare on its right, and rushed to the two centaurs.But at that moment Lucy said:

"Oh, Susan, look! Look at that lion." I reckon you've all seen it when a match is lit and it's put over a pile of unlit newspapers on the mantelpiece.For a split second there seems to be no movement, and then you see a little flame spread around the edge of the paper.This is the case at this time.After Aslan had blown on the stone lion, the stone lion looked the same for a moment.Then a little streak of gold began to flit across its white marble back--then the gold spread--then the gold seemed to go all over him, like flames engulfing the wad of newspaper--and then, despite its The hind legs were stone, and the lion shook his mane so hard that all those heavy creases of the stone fluttered into a living mane.It just opened its bloody mouth, exhaled air and heat, and let out a big yawn.Now its hind legs came alive.It raised a hind leg and scratched itself.Then when it saw Aslan, it jumped up behind the Lion, and jumped up and down beside Aslan, and wept for joy, and jumped up and licked Aslan's face.

The eyes of both girls followed the Lion, of course; but they saw such a marvelous sight that they soon forgot it.There are living stone statues everywhere.The yard is no longer like a museum, but like a zoo.The animals all ran after Aslan and danced around him, until he was almost hidden from sight by them all.The courtyard was originally pale, but now it is colorful; the chestnut body of the centaur, the dark blue horns of the unicorn, the gorgeous feathers of the birds, the reddish-brown fox, the dog and the satyr, wearing yellow socks and red The dwarf in the hood, the birch girl in silver, the beech girl in crystal green, and the larch girl in a green dress so bright it was almost yellow.The place had been dead and silent, but now the whole yard was filled with joyful noises: the roar of the lion, the roar of the tiger, the braying of the donkey, the barking of the dog, the cooing of the pigeon, the neighing of the horse, the screaming, the stomping, and the shouting. , cheers, singing and laughter.

"Oh," Susan's voice had changed, "look! Don't know—I mean, wouldn't it hurt?" Lucy looked and saw Aslan blowing on the feet of a stone giant. "It's all right!" Aslan shouted excitedly. "As soon as these feet are healed, the rest of them will be healed." "I don't quite mean that," Susan whispered to Lucy.But even if Aslan had heard her, it would be too late now.The giant's legs have gradually improved.Presently he was moving his feet, and after a while he took down the big stick from his shoulder, rubbed his eyes, and said:

"My God! I must have fallen asleep. Hey! Where's that damned little witch running around? Where was she at my feet just now?" when everyone looked up and shouted at him When they tried to explain what was really going on here, the Giant put his hand to his ear and told them to repeat it, and at last they understood.Then he bowed his head so low that it was only as high as the top of the haystack, and kept touching the brim of his hat in greeting to Aslan, his honest, ugly face beaming. (It's rare to see a giant of any kind in England these days, and a good-natured giant is even rarer, and you've probably never seen a smiling giant, and it's a sight to behold.)

"It's time to go to the house now!" said Aslan. "Hurry up, everyone. Upstairs, downstairs, and the witch's room! Search every nook and cranny. You have no idea where the poor prisoners are hiding." where." So they all rushed in.In a few moments the whole dark, horrible, musty old castle was filled with the sound of windows opening and shouts: "Don't forget the dungeon - open this door for us! - and here's a winding staircase —Oh, I say, here's a poor wallaby. Tell Aslan to come—shh! It smells so bad here—watch out for those secret doors—come here! There's plenty more on the landing!” But The best thing ever happened was when Lucy rushed upstairs, screaming, "Aslan! Aslan! I've found Mr. Tumnus. Oh, come on!"

After a while, Lucy and the little sheep monster danced hand in hand, happily turning round and round.Turned to stone, the little fellow was unhurt, and was of course very interested in what she told him.The thorough search of the Hag's fortress has finally come to an end.The whole castle was empty, the doors and windows were thrown wide open, and the sunshine and the fragrant spring breath poured into all those dark and wicked places that needed so much sunshine and fresh air.The large group of stone statues regained life crowded back into the courtyard.Only then did someone (Tumnus, I think) speak first: "But how do we get out?"

Because Aslan had jumped in, the yard gate was still locked. "That's all right," said Aslan, and rearing up, he called out to the giant. "Hey, you up there," it growled, "what's your name?" "My lord, I am Rumbo Buffin the giant," said the giant, touching his hat in respect. "Well then, Giant Rumbo Buffin," said Aslan, "let's get out of here, shall we?" "Certainly, my lord. Willing to oblige," said the giant Rumbo Buffin. "Stay away from the gate, you little ones!"The first time the gate creaked, the second time it cracked open, the third time the gate was in pieces.Then he went to the towers on either side of the gate, pounding and pounding, and in a few strokes the towers on both sides and most of the high wall beside them came crashing down in a heap of broken bricks; and when the dust cleared, Standing in this bare and gloomy stone yard, looking at the grass beyond the gap, the swaying trees, the sparkling stream in the forest, and the green hills and blue sky beyond the stream, it is really special.

"I don't think I'm sweating," said the giant, panting like a locomotive. "Due to poor conditions, I don't think you young ladies have any handkerchiefs with you?" "Yes, I have," said Lucy, standing on tiptoe, raising her handkerchief as high as she could. "Thank you, miss," said the giant Rumbo Buffin, bending down.In a blink of an eye, Lucy was startled, because she was unknowingly pinched by the giant's two fingers and lifted into the air.But when she came close to his face, he was startled suddenly, and then he put her back on the ground gently, and murmured, "God, I picked up the little girl. I'm sorry, miss, I thought You are the handkerchief."

"No, no," said Lucy, laughing, "here's the handkerchief!" He managed to get it this time, but the handkerchief was as big to a giant as your tablet of saccharine, so she saw him looking serious. Rubbing the handkerchief back and forth on his big red face, he couldn't help saying, "Mr. Rumbobuffin, I'm afraid this handkerchief won't do you much good." "Where, where," said the giant politely, "I never saw a better handkerchief. So fine, so convenient. So—I don't know how to describe it." "What a fine giant he is!" said Lucy to Mr. Tumnus.

"Oh, yes," replied the Faun, "the Buffins are all like that. They're one of the most respected families of giants in Narnia. Not very bright, perhaps (I never knew the giants of the family), but they're an old family. There's tradition, you know. If he'd been another kind of man, she wouldn't have turned him to stone at all." Then Aslan clapped his paws and told everyone to be quiet. "Our work is not done for the day," said it, "and we must fight the Hags at once if we are to defeat them before bedtime." "I wish I was one of them, sir," added the largest centaur. "Of course," said Aslan, "now those who can't keep up—that is, children, dwarfs, and small animals—must ride on the backs of those who can—that is, Lions, centaurs, unicorns, horses, giants, and eagles. Those with sharp noses must go ahead with us lions, that they may smell where wars are fought. Come on, and sort it out yourselves." Then there was a rush, a cheer, and they were all sorted.The happiest thing here is the other lion, who has been running around pretending to be busy, in order to say to everyone he meets, "Did you hear what he said? We Lion. That means it and me. We Lion. That's what I like about Aslan. He's not airy, not domineering. We Lion. That means him and me." He went on and on, at least until Aslan put three dwarves, a Dryad, two rabbits, and a hedgehog on its back, and it was steady.When everything was ready (it turned out that a collie helped Aslan get everyone into their places), they set out from the gap in the castle wall.In the beginning, the lion and the dog sniffed around.But then a big hound suddenly caught the scent and barked.After that, everyone hurry up.All the dogs, lions, wolves, and other animals in the pursuit put their noses to the ground and went full speed, and the others followed them as fast as they could, about half a mile behind them.It sounded like an English fox-hunt, for now and then the barking of the hounds was heard, mingled with the roar of another lion, and sometimes the deeper and more terrible roar of Aslan himself.The scents became easier to track, and they ran faster and faster.They had just come to the last bend in the canyon when Lucy heard, besides all these, another sound--a different sound, and it gave her a strange feeling.It was the whoops and screams and clanging of metal. When they walked out of the canyon, Lucy immediately understood the reason.Peter and Edmund, with the rest of Aslan's army, were fighting desperately against the hideous beasts she had seen the night before, only now in the daylight they looked stranger, worse, and uglier, The number also seems to be much higher.Aslan's army - with their backs to Lucy - looked pitifully small.And there are many stone statues scattered on the battlefield, obviously this is the witch who used her wand.But she didn't seem to be using a wand at this moment, she was fighting with a stone knife.She was fighting Peter--so hard Lucy could hardly see what was going on; all she saw was a dazzling flash of swords and swords, and it looked as if there were three knives and three swords.The pair fought in the middle, with both sides forming a line.Whichever way she looked, it was a horrible scene. "Come down, boys," cried Aslan.They both tumbled down.Then there was a roar that shook the whole land of Narnia from the lamppost in the west to the sea in the east, and the giant beast leaped at the White Witch himself.Lucy saw the Witch look up at it for a split second, her face full of horror and surprise.Then the Lion and the Hag rolled into one ball, but the Hag was crushed underneath; and all the animals that Aslan had brought to battle from the Hag's lair were rushing wildly into the enemy line, the Dwarf with his tomahawk and the Hound with his teeth. , the giant with a club (his feet also crushed many enemies to death), the unicorn with its horn, and the centaur with its sword and hooves.Immediately the morale of Peter's worn-out army was lifted, and the roaring of the new animals, and the squawking and screaming of the enemies, filled the woods with blood.