old narnia in danger
the place where they had met the fauns was, of course, dancing lawn itself, and here caspian and his friends remained till the night of the great council. to sleep under the stars, to drink nothing but well water and to live chiefly on nuts and wild fruit, was a strange experience for caspian after his bed with silken sheets in a tapestried chamber at the castle, with meals laid out on gold and silver dishes in the anteroom, and attendants ready at his call. but he had never enjoyed himself more. never had sleep been more refreshing nor food tasted more savoury, and he began already to harden and his face wore a kinglier look.
when the great night came, and his various strange subjects came stealing into the lawn by ones and twos and threes or by sixes and sevens - the moon then shining almost at her full - his heart swelled as he saw their numbers and heard their greetings. all whom he had met were there: bulgy bears and red dwarfs and black dwarfs, moles and badgers, hares and hedgehogs, and others whom he had not yet seen - five satyrs as red as foxes, the whole contingent of talking mice, armed to the teeth and following a shrill trumpet, some owls, the old raven of ravenscaur. last of all (and this took caspian's breath away), with the centaurs came a small but genuine giant, wimbleweather of deadman's hill, carrying on his back a basketful of rather sea-sick dwarfs who had accepted his offer of a lift and were now wishing they had walked instead.
the bulgy bears were very anxious to have the feast first and leave the council till afterwards: perhaps till tomorrow. reepicheep and his mice said that councils and feasts could both wait, and proposed storming miraz in his own castle that very night. pattertwig and the other squirrels said they could talk and eat at the same time, so why not have the council and feast all at once? the moles proposed throwing up entrenchments round the lawn before they did anything else. the fauns thought it would be better to begin with a solemn dance. the old raven, while agreeing with the bears that it would take too long to have a full council before supper, begged to be allowed to give a brief address to the whole company. but caspian and the centaurs and the dwarfs overruled all these suggestions and insisted on holding a real council of war at once.
when all the other creatures had been persuaded to sit down quietly in a great circle, and when (with more difficulty) they had got pattertwig to stop running to and fro and saying "silence! silence, everyone, for the king's speech", caspian, feeling a little nervous, got up. "narnians!" he began, but he never got any further, for at that very moment camillo the hare said, "hush! there's a man somewhere near."
they were all creatures of the wild, accustomed to being hunted, and they all became still as statues. the beasts all turned their noses in the direction which camillo had indicated.
"smells like man and yet not quite like man," whispered trufflehunter.
"it's getting steadily nearer," said camillo.
"two badgers and you three dwarfs, with your bows at the - ready, go softly off to meet it," said caspian.
"we'll settle 'un," said a black dwarf grimly, fitting a shaft to his bowstring.
"don't shoot if it is alone," said caspian. "catch it."
"why?" asked the dwarf.
"do as you're told," said glenstorm the centaur.
everyone waited in silence while the three dwarfs and two badgers trotted stealthily across to the trees on the northwest side of the lawn. then came a sharp dwarfish cry, "stop! who goes there?" and a sudden spring. a moment later a voice, which caspian knew well, could he heard saying, "all right, all right, i'm unarmed. take my wrists if you like, worthy badgers, but don't bite right through them. i want to speak to the king."
"doctor cornelius!" cried caspian with joy, and rushed forward to greet his old tutor. everyone else crowded round.
"pah!" said nikabrik. "a renegade dwarf. a half-and-halfer! shall i pass my sword through its throat?"
"be quiet, nikabrik," said trumpkin. "the creature can't help its ancestry."
"this is my greatest friend and the saviour of my life," said caspian. "and anyone who doesn't like his company may leave my army: at once. dearest doctor, i am glad to see you again. how ever did you find us out?"
"by a little use of simple magic, your majesty," said the doctor, who was still puffing and blowing from having walked so fast. "but there's no time to go into that now. we must all fly from this place at once. you are already betrayed and miraz is on the move. before midday tomorrow you will be surrounded."
"betrayed!" said caspian. "and by whom?"
"another renegade dwarf, no doubt," said nikabrik.
"by your horse destrier," said doctor cornelius. "the poor brute knew no better. when you were knocked off, of course, he went dawdling back to his stable in the castle. then the secret of your flight was known. i made myself scarce, having no wish to be questioned about it in miraz's torture chamber. i had a pretty good guess from my crystal as to where i should find you. but all day - that was the day before yesterday - i saw miraz's tracking parties out in the woods. yesterday i learned that his army is out. i don't think some of your - um - pure-blooded dwarfs have as much woodcraft as might be expected. you've left tracks all over the place. great carelessness. at any rate something has warned miraz that old narnia is not so dead as he had hoped, and he is on the move."
"hurrah!" said a very shrill and small voice from somewhere at the doctor's feet. "let them come! all i ask is that the king will put me and my people in the front."
"what on earth?" said doctor cornelius. "has your majesty got grasshoppers - or mosquitoes - in your army?" then after stooping down and peering carefully through his spectacles, he broke into a laugh.
"by the lion," he swore, "it's a mouse. signior mouse, i desire your better acquaintance. i am honoured by meeting so valiant a beast."
"my friendship you shall have, learned man," piped reepicheep. "and any dwarf - or giant - in the army who does not give you good language shall have my sword to reckon with."
"is there time for this foolery?" asked nikabrik. "what are our plans? battle or flight?"
"battle if need be," said trumpkin. "but we are hardly ready for it yet, and this is no very defensible place."
"i don't like the idea of running away," said caspian.
"hear him! hear him!" said the bulgy bears. "whatever we do, don't let's have any running. especially not before supper; and not too soon after it neither."
"those who run first do not always run last," said the centaur. "and why should we let the enemy choose our position instead of choosing it ourselves? let us find a strong place."
"that's wise, your majesty, that's wise," said trufflehunter.
"but where are we to go?" asked several voices.
"your majesty," said doctor cornelius, "and all you variety of creatures, i think we must fly east and down the river to the great woods. the telmarines hate that region. they have always been afraid of the sea and of something that may come over the sea. that is why they have let the great woods grow up. if traditions speak true, the ancient cair paravel was at the river-mouth. all that part is friendly to us and hateful to our enemies. we must go to aslan's how."
"aslan's how?" said several voices. "we do not know what it is."
"it lies within the skirts of the great woods and it is a huge mound which narnians raised in very ancient times over a very magical place, where there stood - and perhaps still stands - a very magical stone. the mound is all hollowed out within into galleries and caves, and the stone is in the central cave of all. there is room in the mound for all our stores, and those of us who have most need of cover and are most accustomed to underground life can be lodged in the caves. the rest of us can lie in the wood. at a pinch all of us (except this worthy giant) could retreat into the mound itself, and there we should be beyond the reach of every danger except famine."
"it is a good thing we have a learned man among us," said trufflehunter; but trumpkin muttered under his breath, "soup and celery! i wish our leaders would think less about these old wives' tales and more about victuals and arms." but all approved of cornelius's proposal and that very night, half an hour later, they were on the march. before sunrise they arrived at aslan's how.
it was certainly an awesome place, a round green hill on top of another hill, long since grown over with trees, and one little, low doorway leading into it. the tunnels inside were a perfect maze till you got to know them, and they were lined and roofed with smooth stones, and on the stones, peering in the twilight, caspian saw strange characters and snaky patterns, and pictures in which the form of a lion was repeated again and again. it all seemed to belong to an even older narnia than the narnia of which his nurse had told him.
it was after they had taken up their quarters in and around the how that fortune began to turn against them. king miraz's scouts soon found their new lair, and he and his army arrived on the edge of the woods. and as so often happens, the enemy turned out stronger than they had reckoned. caspian's heart sank as he saw company after company arriving. and though miraz's men may have been afraid of going into the wood, they were even more afraid of miraz, and with him in command they carried battle deeply into it and sometimes almost to the how itself. caspian and other captains of course made many sorties into the open country. thus there was fighting on most days and sometimes by night as well; but caspian's party had on the whole the worst of it.
at last there came a night when everything had gone as badly as possible, and the rain which had been falling heavily all day had ceased at nightfall only to give place to raw cold. that morning caspian had arranged what was his biggest battle yet, and all had hung their hopes on it. he, with most of the dwarfs, was to have fallen on the king's right wing at daybreak, and then, when they were heavily engaged, giant wimbleweather, with the centaurs and some of the fiercest beasts, was to have broken out from another place and endeavoured to cut the king's right off from the rest of the army. but it had all failed. no one had warned caspian (because no one in these later days of
narnia remembered) that giants are not at all clever. poor wimbleweather, though as brave as a lion, was a true giant in that respect. he had broken out at the wrong time and from the wrong place, and both his party and caspian's had suffered badly and done the enemy little harm. the best of the bears had been hurt, a centaur terribly wounded, and there were few in caspian's party who had not lost blood. it was a gloomy company that huddled under the dripping trees to eat their scanty supper.
the gloomiest of all was giant wimbleweather. he knew it was all his fault. he sat in silence shedding big tears which collected on the end of his nose and then fell off with a huge splash on the whole bivouac of the mice, who had just been beginning to get warm and drowsy. they all jumped up, shaking the water out of their ears and wringing their little blankets, and asked the giant in shrill but forcible voices whether he thought they weren't wet enough without this sort of thing. and then other people woke up and told the mice they had been enrolled as scouts and not as a concert party, and asked why they couldn't keep quiet. and wimbleweather tiptoed away to find some place where he could be miserable in peace and stepped on somebody's tail and somebody (they said afterwards it was a fox) bit him. and so everyone was out of temper.
but in the secret and magical chamber at the heart of the how, king caspian, with cornelius and the badger and nikabrik and trumpkin, were at council. thick pillars of ancient workmanship supported the roof. in the centre was the stone itself - a stone table, split right down the centre, and covered with what had once been writing of some kind: but ages of wind and rain and snow had almost worn them away in old times when the stone table had stood on the hilltop, and the mound had not yet been built above it. they were not using the table nor sitting round it: it was too magic a thing for any common use. they sat on logs a little way from it, and between them was a rough wooden table, on which stood a rude clay lamp lighting up their pale faces and throwing big shadows on the walls.
"if your majesty is ever to use the horn," said trufflehunter, "i think the time has now come." caspian had of course told them of his treasure several days ago.
"we are certainly in great need," answered caspian. "but it is hard to be sure we are at our greatest. supposing there came an even worse need and we had already used it?"
"by that argument," said nikabrik, "your majesty will never use it until it is too late."
"i agree with that," said doctor cornelius.
"and what do you think, trumpkin?" asked caspian.
"oh, as for me," said the red dwarf, who had been listening with complete indifference, "your majesty knows i think the horn - and that bit of broken stone over there and your great king peter - and your lion aslan - are all eggs in moonshine. it's all one to me when your majesty blows the horn. all i insist on is that the army is told nothing about it. there's no good raising hopes of magical help which (as i think) are sure to be disappointed."
"then in the name of aslan we will wind queen susan's horn," said caspian.
"there is one thing, sire," said doctor cornelius, "that should perhaps be done first. we do not know what form the help will take. it might call aslan himself from oversea. but i think it is more likely to call peter the high king and his mighty consorts down from the high past. but in either case, i do not think we can be sure that the help will come to this very spot -"
"you never said a truer word," put in trumpkin.
"i think," went on the learned man, "that they - or he will come back to one or other of the ancient places of narnia. this, where we now sit, is the most ancient and most deeply magical of all, and here, i think, the answer is likeliest to come. but there are two others. one lantern waste, up-river, west of beaversdam, where the royal children first appeared in narnia, as the records tell the other is down at the river-mouth, where their castle of cair paravel once stood. and if aslan himself comes, that would be the best place for meeting him too, for every story says that he is the son of the great emperor-over-the-sea, and over the sea he will pass. i should like very much to send messengers to both places, to lantern waste and the river-mouth, to receive them - or him or it."
"just as i thought," muttered trumpkin. "the first result of all this foolery is not to bring us help but to lose us two fighters."
"who would you think of sending, doctor cornelius?" asked caspian.
"squirrels are best for getting through enemy country without being caught," said trufflehunter.
"all our squirrels (and we haven't many)," said nikabrik, "are rather flighty. the only one i'd trust on a job like that would be pattertwig."
"let it be pattertwig, then," said king caspian. "and who for our other messenger? i know you'd go, trufflehunter, but you haven't the speed. nor you, doctor cornelius."
"i won't go," said nikabrik. "with all these humans and beasts about, there must be a dwarf here to see that the dwarfs are fairly treated."
"thimbles and thunderstorms!" cried trumpkin in a rage. "is that how you speak to the king? send me, sire, i'll go."
"but i thought you didn't believe in the horn, trumpkin," said caspian.
"no more i do, your majesty. but what's that got to do with it? i might as well die on a wild goose chase as die here. you are my king. i know the difference between giving advice and taking orders. you've had my advice, and now it's the time for orders."
"i will never forget this, trumpkin," said caspian. "send for pattertwig, one of you. and when shall i blow the horn?"
"i would wait for sunrise, your majesty," said doctor cornelius. "that sometimes has an effect in operations of white magic."
a few minutes later pattertwig arrived and had his task explained to him. as he was, like many squirrels, full of courage and dash and energy and excitement and mischief (not to say conceit), he no sooner heard it than he was eager to be off. it was arranged that he should run for lantern waste while trumpkin made the shorter journey to the river-mouth. after a hasty meal they both set off with the fervent thanks and good wishes of the king, the badger, and cornelius.
7危险笼罩着古老的纳尼亚
他们遇见羊怪的草坪，正是著名的跳舞场。经过商量，凯斯宾和他的朋友们决定留下，等待那盛大集会的来临。他们唱井水止渴，吃野果充饥，晚上就露宿在满天星斗之下口这一切对凯斯宾来说真是新鲜极了。虽然早已习惯了挂满壁毯的卧室，温暖柔软的被褥，以及山珍海昧、奴仆成群的王宫生活，王子从来没有像现在这样快活，晚上从来不曾睡得这么香甜，胃口也从来没有这么好。他已经变得坚强起来，不论气质还是仪表都俨然是一国之君的样子。
那辉煌的夜晚终于来临了。明月当空，洒下一片皎洁的光芒，凯斯宾的那些形形色色、奇形怪状的臣民们三五成群地陆续来到跳舞场。看到这么多朋友，听着他们的欢歌笑语，凯斯宾不禁心花怒放。与他见过面的朋友全都来了，大棕熊、红小矮人和黑小矮人，还有腰鼠、灌、兔子和刺猜，另外还有一些没见过面的朋友，如五个毛发火红的大猩猩，猫头鹰，甚至还有一群渡鸦。老鼠大军全副武装，踏着尖厉的喇叭声列队走来，真是威风凛凛。走在最后面的是和人头马一道来的巨人韦姆布威热。他巨大的身材使凯斯宾惊得目瞪口呆。巨人身后背着满满一筐子易晕船的小矮人，他们接受了他好心的提议，由他背了来。可是现在，他们一个个被颠得晕头转向，都后悔说，这一路还不如自己走的好。
大狗熊们最关心的是举行宴会，它们提出把政务会延迟一两天：雷佩契普和它的老鼠大军则建议暂缓举行盛宴和会议，当天夜里就直捣城堡，袭击弥若兹，打他个猝不及防，以佩蒂威格为首的松鼠们说，边吃边谈最省时间，为什么不能同时开始？眼鼠们郑重提议先在跳舞场四周挖出一道防御嚎沟，以防不测，然后再做其他事情，羊怪们认为最好先隆重地跳一次集体舞：老渡鸦却表示同意狗熊们的意见，说要把整个会议开完了再吃饭(忙乱中它把程序说反了！)，同时它还请求允许它先向全体朋友简短致辞。可是凯斯宾、人头马来口小矮人们不同意所有这些提议，坚持立即召开一次关于战争的会议。)
大家终于被他们说服，围成一圈坐了下来。然后他们又费了好大劲儿，才使佩蒂威格闭上嘴——它来固不停地奔跑，嘴里叫着"静一静，静一静！请诸位安静，国王要演说了。"凯斯宾站起身来，心里有点儿紧张。"纳尼亚的臣民们！"他开始讲话了。可是当他刚要往下说时，兔子卡梅罗突然竖起耳朵，警觉地做了个手势"嘘|有人来了！"
这些树林里的动物早已习惯了猎人的追捕，所以，它们立即都把鼻子转向卡梅罗示意的那个方向，一个个像雕塑一样，一动也不动。
"闻起来好像是个人，可又不像是纯种的人类。"特鲁佛汉特悄声说。
"他走过来了。"卡梅罗撒腿就想跑，被身边的小矮人及时拉住了。
"两只猩和你们三个小矮人把弓箭准备好，轻轻地走过去，看看究竟是什么人。"凯斯宾果断地命令道。
"我们去把他干掉！"黑小矮人说着，把一支利箭搭上。
"如果只有一个，就不要射他，"凯斯宾说，"抓活的。""为什么？"小矮人问。
"执行命令。"格兰斯托姆瞪了他一眼。
三个小矮人和两只灌猫着腰，快步向跳舞场西北部的那片树林走去，其他人则静静地等候在草坪上。没多久，那边响起了小矮人尖声的叫喊"站住，不许动！"接着是一阵急步。过了一会儿，传来一个凯斯宾很熟悉的声音"别！别那么凶！我没带武器。你咬住我的手腕好了，可敬的猩老弟。不过别把我的手咬破啦。我要和国王说话。"
"克奈尔斯博士！"凯斯宾高兴地叫了起来。他快步迎上前去，抱住他那上了岁数的老师，大家把他们团团围了起来。
"旺！"尼克布瑞克说，"一个变节的小矮人，四分之一的血统！要不要我一剑刺穿他的喉咙？"
"别多嘴，尼克布瑞克，"杜鲁普金说，"没有谁能选择自己的血统。"
"这是我最忠实的朋友，也是我的救命恩人，"凯斯宾郑重地说，"谁要是不喜欢他，那么，就请离开我的部队，马上离开。"说完又转向老师。"最亲爱的博士，我真高兴又见到你。你是怎么找来的？"
"不过施了一点小小的法术，陪下。"博士说。由于走得太快，他现在还日子哧呼哧地喘个不停。"可是，现在没空说这个啦，你们得马上离开这里，有人出卖了你们，弥若兹已经率领大军扑过来了，午夜之前这里就会被包围的。"
"出卖？"凯斯宾说，"是谁出卖了我们？"
"准又是一个变节的小矮人，没错。"尼克布瑞克对混血博士仍然耿耿于怀，马上插嘴说。
"是你的马，"克奈尔斯博士说，"那可怜的畜生别无选择。在你被摔下来之后，它只好回到城堡中自己的马底里去了。后来，你逃走的消息传了出去。我当然不想被弥若兹抓住，于是也逃了出来。我观察星相，算出你们大致的方位。可是，就在这时我看到弥若兹的搜索大队正从城堡出发，进入了森林。昨天，我又听说他的军队也出动了。我发现你的部下，那些……嗯……那些纯种小矮人，没有多少森林知识，到处都留下了痕迹，太粗心大意了！就是那些痕迹使弥若兹发现，古老的纳尼亚并没有像他所希望的那样彻底灭亡。于是，他开始行动了。"
"哼！"一个尖细的声音在博士脚边响起来，"让他们来好了。我请求国王把我和我的勇士们派到前线去！”
"这是谁的声音？"克奈尔斯博士问道，"隆下怎么把蚂蚱——要不就是蚊子——也收编到你的队伍里来了？"说着，他弯下腰，透过眼镜，仔细地端详了一会儿，然后哈哈大笑起来。
"凭阿斯兰的名义起誓，"他发誓说，"这肯定是只老鼠。老鼠先生，我希望能和你交个朋友，我很荣幸遇到你这样一位英勇侠义的朋友。"
"我们会成为朋友的，博士先生。"听到这样的称赞，雷佩契普十分满意，立即尖声答道，"今后，在我们的队伍里，如果有谁胆敢对你不礼貌，我就用这把剑来教训他。"
"还有时间说这些蠢话吗？"尼克布瑞克说，"我们打算怎么办？战斗，还是各自逃命去？"
"如果有必要，那就战斗。"杜鲁普金说，"可我们现在还没有做好战斗的准备，而且这里的地形对我们也不利。"
"我不同意逃跑的主张。"凯斯宾说。
"不同意，坚决不同意！"三只大狗熊齐声响应，"不管怎样，我们不能跑，尤其是在吃饭之前，刚吃完饭也不行。"
"主动撤离和逃跑，完全是两码事。"人头马说，"为什么我们不主动选择地形和时机呢？我们一定要争取主动，伺机与敌人决一死战，陆下以为如何？"
"这是明智的，陛下。"特鲁佛汉特立即表示支持。"可是我们到哪儿去呢？"几个声音同时间道。
"隆下，"克奈尔斯博士说，"还有各位朋友，我认为我们必须向东转移，沿着河流往下游走，到那大森林里去，台尔马人最仇恨那个地区，他们一向害怕大海，害怕大海对面的那块土地。因此，他们让那树林成长起来，作为一道屏障，自以为这样就安全一些。那个地区有许多朋友，对我们非常有利。更重要的是阿斯兰堡垒就在那里。""
"阿斯兰堡垒？"几个声音一齐问，"什么是阿斯兰堡垒？"
"在大森林边缘一个神秘的地方，有一个大土丘，大土丘上曾经有一块被称为大石桌的巨石。后来，我们的祖先在那土丘上挖了许多南道和洞穴，那块巨石就放在土丘中心那个洞穴里，那儿足以容纳我们所有的人员与储备。我们当中那些最需要隐蔽和习惯于地下生活的伙伴，都可以住进去，其他人则可以住在森林里。在紧要关头，我们全体(除了巨人阁下)都可以撒到土丘里面去，在那里只要有充足的粮食储备，我们就算摆脱了所有的危险。"5
"有这么一个博学的人在我们中间，这真好。"特鲁佛汉特满意地说。可它听见杜鲁普金私下嘟哝着"鬼老头儿！我希望大伙儿少去想这些老婆婆的故事，多想想粮食和武器方面的问题。"最后商议的结果是，克奈尔斯的建议被采纳了。半小时后，他们就出发了。日出之前，他们全部来到了阿斯兰堡垒。4
这是个僻静的地方，一个馒头状的绿色土丘，坐落在小山顶上。在大树的浓阴下，有一条蜿蜒的小道，直通土丘的中心。堡垒里面结构复杂，对不熟悉它的人来说，简直是个迷宫。里面四壁全是用光滑的石头砌起来的。借着昏暗的光线，凯斯宾看到石壁上刻着一些奇形怪状的文字和蛇形花纹，还有许多有关狮子的图画。这一切都在向他表明那个古老而又神秘的纳尼亚确实存在着。
他们在堡垒安顿了下来，没想到弥若兹的探子很快就发现了他们的踪迹。于是，大批军队跟踪而来。敌人的兵力比他们估计的要强得多，看到敌军一队接着一队开过来，凯斯宾的心直往下沉。尽管弥若兹的士兵惧怕这大森林，但他们更怕弥若兹的淫威。在他的指挥下，士兵们开进森林深处作战，有时甚至打到堡垒的大门前。凯斯宾和他的部将们也曾向平原发动了几次反攻，但被动挨打的时候较多。战斗多半是在白天，有时晚上也打。总的形势对凯斯宾一方很不利。,
大雨下了整整一天，傍晚时分总算停了下来，但气温骤降，寒冷袭击着每一个人。次日清晨，凯斯宾部署了最猛烈的一次攻击，他把所有希望都寄托在这场战斗上了。他率领大部分小矮人在黎明时分扑向弥若兹的右翼，当右翼阵地上双方殊死拼杀的时候，巨人韦姆布威热、人头马和一部分#
最凶猛的动物从隐蔽的地方冲杀出来，奋力切断敌人的增援部队。可是这一仗又打败了。凯斯宾不知道巨人秉性憨厚，却并不聪明。尽管可怜的韦姆布威热像狮子一般勇猛(在这一点上他不愧是一个真正的巨人)，可因为他进攻的时机、地点都不合适，结果使得他的队伍乃至凯斯宾的队伍都吃了败仗，而敌人却没有受到什么损失。最有战斗力的一只熊挂了彩，人头马伤势严重，凯斯宾的部下大多数都受了伤。战斗结束时已是黄昏时分，他们挤在大树下面，分食那少得可怜的晚餐。冰凉的雨水穿过浓密的树叶滴在身上。饥寒交迫的战士们一个个垂头丧气，士气低沉。)
最伤心的是巨人韦姆布威热，他知道这都怪自己粗心大意，考虑不周。他一声不响地坐在那里，大滴大滴的眼泪汇聚在鼻子尖上，然后溅落在老鼠们的营地上——它们刚刚觉得暖和一点，正在昏昏欲睡。老鼠们一下子全都跳了起来，一边抖掉身上的水，使劲拧干它们的小毯子，一边用尖锐而愤怒的语调质问巨人"你还嫌我们湿得不够，是不是？”它们的叫喊声把别人都给吵醒了，纷纷责备鼠勇士们"你们到军队里来是当侦察兵的，不是来当合唱队的！"并强烈要求它们立即安静下来。韦姆布威热摄手摄脚地离开大家，想去找一个能够安安静静独自悲伤反省的地方。可是它不留神又踩着了谁的尾巴，惹得那家伙转身咬了它一口，原来那是只狐狸。结果，又是一阵争吵，大家都发脾气了。$
这时，在堡垒中心那个最为隐蔽而又富有传奇色彩的洞穴里，国王凯斯宾、克奈尔斯、灌、尼克布瑞克和杜鲁普金正在开会。几根年代久远的大柱子支撑着洞穴的屋顶，屋子正中央摆着那块石头——一张石桌。石桌从中间断为两截，上面刻满了谁也不认识的文字。在那石桌被搬进洞穴之前，由于长年的风吹雨淋，上面的字迹都已模糊不清，难以辨认了。他们没有在那石桌旁开会，因为他们认为这张石桌是个神圣的物品，不可随便使用。他们坐在离石桌不远的木头上，围着一张粗糙的木制桌子，桌上放着一盏简陋的泥灯，灯光照着他们苍白的脸，并在墙壁上留下了他们长长的身影。
"假如陆下想要使用那只神奇的号，"特鲁佛汉特说，"我想应该是时候了。"凯斯宾几天以前曾向他们讲起这个宝贝，所以大家对它都寄予很大的希望。
"我们的确非常需要援助，"凯斯宾说，"可是很难确定我们是不是已到了最困难的关头。假如还有更糟的情况出现，而我们已经用过了那号，又该怎么办呢？"
"要是这么说，"尼克布瑞克说，"陛下，那就一直别用它，直到形势坏得不可收拾时再用。"
"我同意这个想法。"克奈尔斯博士说。"你怎么想，杜鲁普金。"凯斯宾问。
"噢，要让我说，"红小矮人一直以一种漠不关心的神情听着，"陆下知道，我认为那号角和那块断裂了的大石头，还有你们伟大的先王彼得，以及所谓的雄狮阿斯兰，全是海市屋楼，或者是水里的月亮——看得见，摸不着，是些顶靠不住的东西。陆下什么时候吹那号，我都无所谓，因为我觉得吹不吹都一样。我只请求陆下对我们的部队不要讲起这件事情，免得大家对那些虚幻的东西抱有希望，结果却大失所望，这样一点儿好处都没有。"
"那么，以阿斯兰的名义，我们就吹响苏珊女王的号角，看看会发生什么奇迹。"凯斯宾说。
"有一件事情，陛下，"克奈尔斯博士说，"或许应该先办。我们谁都不清楚号声将给我们带来什么样的援助，也许那号角声能唤来海外的阿斯兰，可是我以为，更可能的是唤来纳尼亚的先王彼得和他的鼎力相助。然而，无论是哪种情况，我想我们都不能指望这援助会直接降临到我们的眼前。"-
"这才是句实在话。"杜鲁普金插嘴说。
"我以为，"这位知识渊博的人继续说，"他们有可能先回到纳尼亚某个圣地，比如说，咱们脚下的这个地方便是其中之，而且最富魔力。所以我想，那援助有可能会在这儿出现。可是还有其他两处地方。一个是灯柱野林，在河的上游，海狸大坝的西边。据传说，王室的孩子们就是从那儿来到纳尼亚国土上的。另一个圣地在下游，河的出口处，是当年王宫凯尔帕拉维尔城堡的所在地。假如阿斯兰亲自来，那是迎接它的最好地方。因为根据传说，它是伟大的海外皇帝，它将横渡大海而来。我提议向这两个地方——灯柱野林和河口——派出使臣去迎接我们的救星。"
"我以为，"杜鲁普金嘟哝说，"这愚蠢的行为不仅不会给我们带来任何好处，反而会使我们失掉两个战士。"
"你打算派谁去，克奈尔斯博士？"凯斯宾问。
"要穿过敌人的封锁区，又不会被擒，松鼠最合适不过了。"特鲁佛汉特说。
"我们的这些松鼠(虽然为数并不很多)，”尼克布瑞克说，"大多十分轻浮，多嘴多舌。我以为，此次行动关系重大，我们惟一可以信托的是佩蒂威格。"
"那么就派佩蒂威格去，"国王凯斯宾说，"可谁来做我们的第二个使臣呢？我知道你会去的，特鲁佛汉特，可是你的速度不够快。你也不行，克奈尔斯博士。"
"我可不去，"尼克布瑞克说，"有这么多人和动物在这里，我要留下来，保护其他的小矮人不受欺侮。"
"混账东西！"杜鲁普金勃然大怒，"你就这么对国王讲话吗？派我去吧，陛下，我去！"
"你不是不相信那号吗，杜鲁普金？”凯斯宾说。
"我现在也不相信，陛下。可那有什么关系？死在徒劳无益的行动中和死在这里，结果是一样的。你是我们的国王，提出忠告是我的本分，而执行命令却是我义不容辞的责任。你已经听到了我的忠告，现在该是我执行命令的时候了。"
"我将永远忘不了你的这番话，好杜鲁普金。"凯斯宾感动地说，"那么，我们什么时候吹号？"
"我主张等到黎明，隆下，"克奈尔斯博士说，"这是号角发生效力的最佳时刻。"
几分钟之后，佩蒂威格应召而来。凯斯宾简单扼要地给它布置了任务。佩蒂威格一如既往，浑身充满了勇气和活力，国王的话音未落，它就急于出发了。凯斯宾派它去灯柱野林，而杜鲁普金的旅程近一些，到河口去。两个随身带了点吃的，还带着朋友们的感谢、祝福和期望，同时上路了。
