the dwarf

the worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early. and when you wake you have to get up because the ground is so hard that you are uncomfortable. and it makes matters worse if there is nothing but apples for breakfast and you have had nothing but apples for supper the night before. when lucy had said - truly enough that it was a glorious morning, there did not seem to be anything else nice to be said. edmund said what everyone was feeling, "we've simply got to get off this island."

when they had drunk from the well and splashed their faces they all went down the stream again to the shore and stared at the channel which divided them from the mainland.

"we'll have to swim," said edmund.

"it would be all right for su," said peter (susan had won prizes for swimming at school). "but i don't know about the rest of us." by "the rest of us" he really meant edmund who couldn't yet do two lengths at the school baths, and lucy, who could hardly swim at all.

"anyway," said susan, "there may be currents. father says it's never wise to bathe in a place you don't know."

"but, peter," said lucy, "look here. i know i can't swim for nuts at home - in england, i mean. but couldn't we all swim long ago - if it was long ago - when we were kings and queens in narnia? we could ride then too, and do all sorts of things. don't you think -?"

"ah, but we were sort of grown-up then," said peter.

"we reigned for years and years and learned to do things. aren't we just back at our proper ages again now?"

"oh!" said edmund in a voice which made everyone stop talking and listen to him.

"i've just seen it all," he said.

"seen what?" asked peter.

"why, the whole thing," said edmund. "you know what we were puzzling about last night, that it was only a year ago since we left narnia but everything looks as if no one had lived in cair paravel for hundreds of years? well, don't you see? you know that, however long we seemed to have lived in narnia, when we got back through the wardrobe it seemed to have taken no time at all?"

"go on," said susan. "i think i'm beginning to understand."

"and that means," continued edmund, "that, once you're out of narnia, you have no idea how narnian time is going. why shouldn't hundreds of years have gone past in narnia while only one year has passed for us in england?"

"by jove, ed," said peter. "i believe you've got it. in that sense it really was hundreds of years ago that we lived in cair paravel. and now we're coming back to narnia just as if we were crusaders or anglo-saxons or ancient britons or someone coming back to modern england?"

"how excited they'll be to see us -" began lucy, but at the same moment everyone else said, "hush!" or "look!" for now something was happening.

there was a wooded point on the mainland a little to their right, and they all felt sure that just beyond that point must be the mouth of the river. and now, round that point there came into sight a boat. when it had cleared the point, it turned and began coming along the channel towards them. there were two people on board, one rowing, the other sitting in the stern and holding a bundle that twitched and moved as if it were alive. both these people seemed to be soldiers. they had steel caps on their heads and light shirts of chain-mail. their faces were bearded and hard. the children drew back from the beach into the wood and watched without moving a finger.

"this'll do," said the soldier in the stern when the boat had come about opposite to them.

"what about tying a stone to his feet, corporal?" said the other, resting on his oars.

"garn!" growled the other. "we don't need that, and we haven't brought one. he'll drown sure enough without a stone, as long as we've tied the cords right." with these words he rose and lifted his bundle. peter now saw that it was really alive and was in fact a dwarf, bound hand and foot but struggling as hard as he could. next moment he heard a twang just beside his ear, and all at once the soldier threw up his arms, dropping the dwarf into the bottom of the boat, and fell over into the water. he floundered away to the far bank and peter knew that susan's arrow had struck on his helmet. he turned and saw that she was very pale but was already fitting a second arrow to the string. but it was never used. as soon as he saw his companion fall, the other soldier, with a loud cry, jumped out of the boat on the far side, and lie also floundered through the water (which was apparently just in his depth) and disappeared into the woods of the mainland.

"quick! before she drifts!" shouted peter. he and susan, fully dressed as they were, plunged in, and before the water was up to their shoulders their hands were on the side of the boat. in a few seconds they had hauled her to the bank and lifted the dwarf out, and edmund was busily engaged in cutting his bonds with the pocket knife. (peter's sword would have been sharper, but a sword is very inconvenient for this sort of work because you can't hold it anywhere lower than the hilt.) when at last the dwarf was free, he sat up, rubbed his arms and legs, and exclaimed:

"well, whatever they say, you don't feel like ghosts."

like most dwarfs he was very stocky and deep-chested. he would have been about three feet high if he had been standing up, and an immense beard and whiskers of coarse red hair left little of his face to be seen except a beak-like nose and twinkling black eyes.

"anyway," he continued, "ghosts or not, you've saved my life and i'm extremely obliged to you."

"but why should we be ghosts?" asked lucy.

"i've been told all my life," said the dwarf, "that these woods along the shore were as full of ghosts as they were of trees. that's what the story is. and that's why, when they want to get rid of anyone, they usually bring him down here (like they were doing with me) and say they'll leave him to the ghosts. but i always wondered if they didn't really drown 'em or cut their throats. i never quite believed in the ghosts. but those two cowards you've just shot believed all right. they were more frightened of taking me to my death than i was of going!"

"oh," said susan. "so that's why they both ran away."

"eh? what's that?" said the dwarf.

"they got away," said edmund. "to the mainland."

"i wasn't shooting to kill, you know," said susan. she would not have liked anyone to think she could miss at such a short range.

"hm," said the dwarf. "that's not so good. that may mean trouble later on. unless they hold their tongues for their own sake."

"what were they going to drown you for?" asked peter.

"oh, i'm a dangerous criminal, i am," said the dwarf cheerfully. "but that's a long story. meantime, i was wondering if perhaps you were going to ask me to breakfast? you've no idea what an appetite it gives one, being executed."

"there's only apples," said lucy dolefully.

"better than nothing, but not so good as fresh fish," said the dwarf. "it looks as if i'll have to ask you to breakfast instead. i saw some fishing tackle in that boat. and anyway, we must take her round to the other side of the island. we don't want anyone from the mainland coming down and seeing her."

"i ought to have thought of that myself," said peter.

the four children and the dwarf went down to the water's edge, pushed off the boat with some difficulty, and scrambled aboard. the dwarf at once took charge. the oars were of course too big for him to use, so peter rowed and the dwarf steered them north along the channel and presently eastward round the tip of the island. from here the children could see right up the river, and all the bays and headlands of the coast beyond it. they thought they could recognize bits of it, but the woods, which had grown up since their time, made everything look very different.

when they had come round into open sea on the east of the island, the dwarf took to fishing. they had an excellent catch of pavenders, a beautiful rainbow-coloured fish which they all remembered eating in cair paravel in the old days. when they had caught enough they ran the boat up into a little creek and moored her to a tree. the dwarf, who was a most capable person (and, indeed, though one meets bad dwarfs, i never heard of a dwarf who was a fool), cut the fish open, cleaned them, and said:

"now, what we want next is some firewood."

"we've got some up at the castle," said edmund.

the dwarf gave a low whistle. "beards and bedsteads!" he said. "so there really is a castle, after all?"

"it's only a ruin," said lucy.

the dwarf stared round at all four of them with a very curious expression on his face. "and who on earth - ?" he began, but then broke off and said, "no matter. breakfast first. but one thing before we go on. can you lay your hand on your hearts and tell me i'm really alive? are you sure i wasn't drowned and we're not all ghosts together?"

when they had all reassured him, the next question was how to carry the fish. they had nothing to string them on and no basket. they had to use edmund's hat in the end because no one else had a hat. he would have made much more fuss about this if he had not by now been so ravenously hungry.

at first the dwarf did not seem very comfortable in the castle. he kept looking round and sniffing and saying, "h'm. looks a bit spooky after all. smells like ghosts, too." but he cheered up when it came to lighting the fire and showing them how to roast the fresh pavenders in the embers. eating hot fish with no forks, and one pocket knife between five people, is a messy business and there were several burnt fingers before the meal was ended; but, as it was now nine o'clock and they had been up since five, nobody minded the burns so much as you might have expected. when everyone had finished off with a drink from the well and an apple or so, the dwarf produced a pipe about the size of his own arm, filled it, lit it, blew a great cloud of fragrant smoke, and said, "now."

"you tell us your story first," said peter. "and then we'll tell you ours."

"well," said the dwarf, "as you've saved my life it is only fair you should have your own way. but i hardly know where to begin. first of all i'm a messenger of king caspian's."

"who's he?" asked four voices all at once.

"caspian the tenth, king of narnia, and long may he reign!" answered the dwarf. "that is to say, he ought to be king of narnia and we hope he will be. at present he is only king of us old narnians - "

"what do you mean by old narnians, please?" asked lucy.

"why, that's us," said the dwarf. "we're a kind of rebellion, i suppose."

"i see," said peter. "and caspian is the chief old narnian."

"well, in a manner of speaking," said the dwarf, scratching his head. "but he's really a new narnian himself, a telmarine, if you follow me."

"i don't," said edmund.

"it's worse than the wars of the roses," said lucy.

"oh dear," said the dwarf. "i'm doing this very badly. look here: i think i'll have to go right back to the beginning and tell you how caspian grew up in his uncle's court and how he comes to be on our side at all. but it'll be a long story."

"all the better," said lucy. "we love stories."

so the dwarf settled down and told his tale. i shall not give it to you in his words, putting in all the children's questions and interruptions, because it would take too long and be confusing, and, even so, it would leave out some points that the children only heard later. but the gist of the story, as they knew it in the end, was as follows.

3小矮人

露宿最糟糕的是一大清早你就醒过来了，而且一旦醒来就非得起身不可，因为地面太硬，你觉得很不舒服。可是，早餐除了苹果之外什么也没有，在前一天的晚餐也只是苹果的情况下，这就更糟。当露茜说这是个灿烂的早晨时(她的话完全正确)，似乎没有什么别的恰当的话可说了。还是爱德蒙说出了大伙儿的心里话……我们必须尽快离开这个小岛。"

他们在井边喝足了水，草草地洗了把脸，然后便顺着小溪走向下游。他们来到海岸边，久久地凝视着海峡，正是这海峡把他们与大陆分开了。

"我们只有游过去。"爱德蒙说口

"苏没有问题。"彼得说。(她在学校时就曾获得游泳奖牌。)……可是，我不知道咱们几个怎么样。"他说的"咱们几个"其实是指爱德蒙和露茜。爱德蒙至今在学校的游泳池里游不了一个来田，而露茜简直就不会游。!

苏珊说"海里也许有漩涡爸爸说在一个不熟悉的地方游泳是危险的。"

"可是，彼得，"露茜说，"在家里我的确不会游泳，可是在纳尼亚我们不是都已学会了吗？——那时我们还会骑马，还学会了做其他的事情。你不认为…？

"啊，那时我们都是成年人。"彼得说，"我们治理国家许多年，的确学会了做很多事情。可现在已经时过境迁了。"

"现在我才算明白过来了。""明白什么了？”彼得问。

"当然是明白所发生的这一切啦。"爱德蒙激动地说，

"你们说昨天晚上最使我感到迷惑不解的是什么？我们离开纳尼亚才不过一年，凯尔帕拉维尔却好像已经有几百年没人住过了。怎么，还没明白过来？你们知道，无论在纳尼亚住多么久，对我们自己那个世界来说，都不过是一瞬间的事。"

"说下去，"苏珊说，"我想我已经开始明白了。"

"这就是说，"爱德蒙继续说道，"一旦你离开了纳尼亚，你就失去了那里的时间概念。我们在英国过了一年，而在纳尼亚就可能已经过了几百年呢！”

"好家伙，爱德，"彼得兴奋起来，"我相信你说得对。

这么说来，我们住在凯尔帕拉维尔竟是几百年以前的事情了！现在我们重返纳尼亚，就像是十字军的战士，或者盎格鲁－撒克逊人，或者古代的英国人重返现代的英国一样！”

"要是过去的朋友看到我们，该会多么激动，多么——"露茜话没说完，就被打断了。"嘘！”“看！”三个伙伴说，因为这时发生了一件事情。

海峡对面，在他们现在的位置稍微向右一点儿，有一只树林，他们都确信河口就在那片林子的另一侧。这时，从权林后面划出一条小船，顺着海峡朝他们这个方向驶来。船上有两个人，一个划桨，另一个坐在船尾，用于使劲抓着一个什么东西，那东西一个劲地扭动着，好像是活的。那两个人看样子是大兵：他们身穿盔甲，满脸胡须，相貌凶悍冷酷。孩子们从海岸上退回到树林中，紧张地注视着他们。'

"这儿就行。"坐在船尾的那个人说。这时候小船正好停在孩子们对面。

"在他脚上捆一块石头怎么样，头儿？"另一个停下了手中的桨。

"混蛋，"船尾那人粗鲁地怪声说，"用不着口再说咱们也没带石头来。没问题，只要咱们把绳子绑紧些，不用石头也能淹死他。"说着，他站起身来，提起了那捆东西。彼得这时看清了，那是一个小矮人，他的手脚都被捆住了，但仍在不停地奋力挣扎。突然，彼得听到耳边。翁的一声响，只见那领头的扬起双臂，把小矮人摔在小船的底板上，他自己却翻身落入水中，挣扎着朝对岸游去。彼得清楚地看到，苏珊一箭正射在他的头盔上。他转过身来，只见苏珊脸色苍白，已经把第二支箭搭在弦上了，可这支箭没有射出去。另一个士兵看到自己的同伴遭到袭击，立即惊叫一声，从小船的另一端跳下水去，没命地一口气游到对岸，一会儿便消失在树林之中。

"快l别让小船顺水漂走了！"彼得喊道。他和苏珊顾不得脱下衣服便一齐跳进水里，没费多大劲儿，他们便把那小船拖到岸边，把小矮人从船里抬了出来。爱德蒙忙着用小刀割断他身上的绳索。(彼得的剑应该说比小刀锋利，但是长剑在这种情况下很不方便，因为在剑柄以下的部位没有抓手的地方。)小矮人松了绑之后，立即坐起身来，活动一下四肢，然后大声说"你们是……不管他们怎么说，我看你们并不像是妖魔鬼怪。"

和绝大多数小矮人一样，他矮胖、鸡胸，身高不足一来，又粗又红的大胡子，使他的脸显得很小，只剩下一只山峰一般的高鼻子，和那双闪闪发光的黑眼睛。

"不管是不是鬼，"他继续说，"你们救了我的命，我感激万分。"

"我们怎么会是鬼呢？"露茜好奇地问。

"这话我可听了一辈子了，"小矮人说，"都说海岸这边树林里的鬼就和树叶一样多。大家一直是这么传说的。所以当他们想干掉谁的时候，就把他送到这个地方来(正像他们对付我一样)，说是把他留给那些鬼怪去”处理'。可是，那些鬼怪真会把人活活淹死，或者割断他的喉咙吗？人们对此一直将信将疑。我并不怎么相信鬼神，可是刚才那两个胆小鬼却深信不疑，他们送我去死，而面对死亡时，却比我更感到害怕！”

"真有意思，"苏珊笑着说，"难怪他俩逃命时跑得飞快。"

"什么？他们逃走了？"小矮人有些紧张起来。"是的，"爱德蒙说，"逃到大陆上去了。"

"我射他们，但并不打算伤害他们，你知道。"苏珊解释说。她怕别人误以为她在这么近的距离还射不中。

"嗯，"小矮人说，"那可不太妙，那意味着今后将会有麻烦，除非他们为了自己的利益而守口如瓶。"

"他们为什么要淹死你？"彼得问口

"我是一个危险的罪犯，真的！"小矮人不无自豪地说，"那可是说来话长了。不过，我现在脑子里想的是……也许你们会邀请我共进早餐？你们简直想象不出来，一个人死里逃生之后，他的胃口是多么好。"(

"可是，这儿只有苹果。"露茜泄气地说。

"总比什么都没有强。当然，能有几条鲜鱼做早餐就更好了，"小矮人咂咂嘴，"看来我只好反客为主，请你们吃早餐口罗。我看见那船上有些钓鱼用具。可是无论如何，我们必须先把小船弄到岛的另一边去，不能让对面大陆上的任何人看到它。"

"这一点我本该先想到的。"彼得有些惭愧地说。

四个孩子和小矮人一道来到水边，费了好大力气才托小船推进水里，然后一个个爬了上去。小矮人立即老练地指挥起来。船桨对他来说显然太大了。于是他来掌舵，彼得主桨，小船缓缓朝北驶去。一会儿，他们便绕过小岛的拐角，转向东方。从这里，孩子们举目望去，看到了整个海湾和对西海岸的土地。他们原以为旧日的纳尼亚总要留下些什么痕迹的，但那些树林，那些自他们的时代往后生长起来的松林，使得一切都面目全非了。

在小岛东边的海面上，小矮人开始钓鱼。他们钓到了词多鳝鱼，这是一种像彩虹一样美丽的鱼。这使孩子们又回想起在凯尔帕拉维尔的那些日子，那时他们也吃这种鱼。当他们认为钓到的鱼已经足够吃了，便把小船逆水划进一条小溪，拴在一棵树上。那小矮人十分能干(尽管小矮人里有坏蛋，可他们个个都很聪明)，他麻利地把鱼剖开、洗净，然后说：!

"好了，现在需要的是一堆篝火。"

"我们已经在城堡里架起了火堆。"爱德蒙说。

小矮人轻轻地吹了一声口哨，"果然有一个城堡！""只不过是一堆废墟。"露茜并没有介意。

小矮人满脸疑虑，仔细地依次打量着他们。"那你们究竟是……"他嗫嚅着说，但马上又改口道，"没事儿，没事儿，咱们先吃早饭。可是，让我们先来做一件事：请你们把手放在心口上，然后对我连说三遍’你现在的确还活着'。你们真的有把握，我没有淹死，而你们不是一群鬼？"

他们一齐向他保证，直到这小家伙放心为止。下面一个问题是，怎么拿走这些鱼。既没有铁丝把它们穿成一串，也没有笼子，最后，他们只好用爱德蒙的帽子，这是他们惟一的一顶帽子，要不是他实在饿得发慌，他是决不会同意的。

在城堡里，小矮人起先好像浑身都不自在，他不停地东张西望，使劲用鼻子嗅来嗅去，嘴里不停地嘟囔着，"真奇怪，真奇怪。这味道好像是从鬼穴里发出来的。"可是当篝火点燃时，他精神来了，指手画脚地教几个孩子如何用炭火烤新鲜蹲鱼。鱼很烫手，没有叉子，惟一的一把小刀要供五个人用，饭还没有吃完，几个人的手指都烫伤了。可是，孩子们早已饥饿难忍，所以对这点儿小小的烫伤并不十分在意。最后，大家喝了些井水，再吃一个苹果，就结束了这顿美餐。.

小矮人不知在什么时候做成了一根足有他胳膊那么粗的大烟斗，装满烟丝，凑在篝火上把烟点着，惬意地吐出了一口清香的灰色烟雾，心满意足地说"好了。"

"给我们讲讲你的故事好吗？"彼得说，"然后我们给你讲我们的故事。"

"好吧，"小矮人说，"既然你们救了我的命，当然应该满足你们的要求，才算是公平合理。从哪儿说起呢？首先我该告诉你们，我是凯斯宾国王的信使。"

"谁是凯斯宾？"四个声音同时问道。

"凯斯宾十世，纳尼亚的国王，祝他统治长久！"小矮人极其虔诚而庄严地祈祷着，"我是说，他应该是整个纳尼亚的统治者，这是我们的希望。可是眼下他还只是我们纳尼亚旧臣的国王。

"请问，”纳尼亚旧臣'是指哪些人？”露茜插了一句口,

"哦，那就是指我们，"小矮人说，"我们这些被称为”叛逆'的土生土长的纳尼亚人。"

"你是说，"彼得猜测道，"凯斯宾是过去的纳尼亚的首领？"

"对了，可以这么说，"小矮人用手搔搔头，"可他自己却是个新纳尼亚人，一个台尔马人。你们能够听明白我的意思吗？"

"我不明白。"爱德蒙说。

"我简直都糊涂了。"露茜说。

"哦，亲爱的，"小矮人抱歉地说，"我讲得很不好，我想最好还是从头讲起吧——从凯斯宾是怎样在他叔父的王宫里成长起来，以后又是怎样完全站在了我们一边。可这是个很长的故事。"

"长些更好，"露茜高兴极了，"我们都喜欢听故事。"

于是，那小矮人坐下来，讲了下面的故事。我不准备照他的原话把这故事复述给你们听，因为，那就要把孩子们在听故事过程中的提问和插话也都写出来，篇幅就会太长，情节就会太复杂，而且仍然不得不舍去孩子们只是在后来才听说的一些内容。不过，故事的要点，与孩子们最终所了解的完全一致，是下面这样的。