CHAPTER SEVEN
"O My Master," said one of them, "we lead these manikins to Calormen to work in the mines of The Tisroc, may-he-live-forever. “
"By the great god Tash, they are very obedient," said Tirian. Then suddenly he turned to the Dwarfs themselves. About one in six of them carried a torch and by that flickering light he could see their bearded faces all looking at him with grim and dogged expressions. "Has The Tisroc fought a great battle, Dwarfs, and conquered your land?" he asked, "that thus you go patiently to die in the salt-pits of Pugrahan?”
The two soldiers glared at him in surprise but the Dwarfs all answered, "Aslans orders, Aslans orders. Hes sold us. What can we do against him?”
"Tisroc indeed!" added one and spat. "Id like to see him try it!”
"Silence, dogs!" said the chief soldier.
"Look!" said Tirian, pulling Puzzle forward into the light. "It has all been a lie. Aslan has not come to Narnia at all. You have been cheated by the Ape. This is the thing he brought out of the stable to show you. Look at it.”
What the Dwarfs saw, now that they could see it close, was certainly enough to make them wonder how they had ever been taken in. The lion-skin had got pretty untidy already during Puzzles imprisonment in the stable and it had been knocked crooked during his journey through the dark wood. Most of it was in a big lump on one shoulder.
The head, besides being pushed sideways, had somehow got very far back so that anyone could now see his silly, gentle, donkeyish face gazing out of it. Some grass stuck out of one corner of his mouth, for hed been doing a little quiet nibbling as they brought him along. And he was muttering, "It wasnt my fault, Im not clever. I never said I was.”
For one second all the Dwarfs were staring at Puzzle with wide open mouths and then one of the soldiers said sharply, "Are you mad, My Master? What are you doing to the slaves?" and the other said, "And who are you?" Neither of their spears was at the salute now - both were down and ready for action.
"Give the password," said the chief soldier.
"This is my password," said the King as he drew his sword. "The light is dawning, the lie broken. Now guard thee, miscreant, for I am Tirian of Narnia.”
He flew upon the chief soldier like lightning. Eustace, who had drawn his sword when he saw the King draw his, rushed at the other one: his face was deadly pale, but I wouldnt blame him for that. And he had the luck that beginners sometimes do have. He forgot all that Tirian had tried to teach him that afternoon, slashed wildly (indeed Im not sure his eyes werent shut) and suddenly found, to his own great surprise, that the Calormene lay dead at his feet. And though that was a great relief, it was, at the moment, rather frightening. The Kings fight lasted a second or two longer: then he too had killed his man and shouted to Eustace, "Ware the other two.”
But the Dwarfs had settled the two remaining Calormenes. There was no enemy left.
"Well struck, Eustace!" cried Tirian, clapping him on the back. "Now, Dwarfs, you are free. Tomorrow I will lead you to free all Narnia. Three cheers for Aslan!”
But the result which followed was simply wretched. There was a feeble attempt from a few Dwarfs (about five) which died away all at once: from several others there were sulky growls. Many said nothing at all.
"Dont they understand?" said Jill impatiently. "Whats wrong with all you Dwarfs? Dont you hear what the King says? Its all over. The Ape isnt going to rule Narnia any longer.
Everyone can go back to ordinary life. You can have fun again. Arent you glad?”
After a pause of nearly a minute a not-very-nice-looking Dwarf with hair and beard as black as soot said: "And who might you be, Missie?”
"Im Jill," she said. "The same Jill who rescued King Rilian from the enchantment and this is Eustace who did it too - and weve come back from another world after hundreds of years. Aslan sent us.”
The Dwarfs all looked at one another with grins; sneering grins, not merry ones.
"Well," said the Black Dwarf (whose name was Griffle), "I dont know how all you chaps feel, but I feel Ive heard as much about Aslan as I want to for the rest of my life.”
"Thats right, thats right," growled the other Dwarfs. "Its all a plant, all a blooming plant.”
"What do you mean?" said Tirian. He had not been pale when he was fighting but he was pale now. He had thought this was going to be a beautiful moment, but it was turning out more like a bad dream.
"You must think were blooming soft in the head, that you must," said Griffle. "Weve been taken in once and now you expect us to be taken in again the next minute. Weve no more use for stories about Aslan, see! Look at him! An old moke with long ears!”
"By heaven, you make me mad," said Tirian. "Which of us said that was Aslan? That is the Apes imitation of the real Aslan. Cant you understand?”
"And youve got a better imitation, I suppose!" said Griffle. "No thanks. Weve been fooled once and were not going to be fooled again.”
"I have not," said Tirian angrily, "I serve the real Aslan.”
"Wheres he? Whos he? Show him to us!" said several Dwarfs.
"Do you think I keep him in my wallet, fools?" said Tirian. "Who am I that I could make Aslan appear at my bidding? Hes not a tame lion.”
The moment those words were out of his mouth he realized that he had made a false move. The Dwarfs at once began repeating "not a tame lion, not a tame lion," in a jeering sing-song. "Thats what the other lot kept on telling us," said one.
"Do you mean you dont believe in the real Aslan?" said Jill. "But Ive seen him. And he has sent us two here out of a different world.”
"Ah," said Griffle with a broad smile. "So you say. Theyve taught you your stuff all right. Saying your lessons, aint you?”
"Churl," cried Tirian, "will you give a lady the lie to her very face?”
"You keep a civil tongue in your head, Mister," replied the Dwarf. "I dont think we want any more Kings - if you are Tirian, which you dont look like him - no more than we want any Aslans. Were going to look after ourselves from now on and touch our caps to nobody. See?”
"Thats right," said the other Dwarfs. "Were on our own now. No more Aslan, no more Kings, no more silly stories about other worlds. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs." And they began to fall into their places and to get ready for marching back to wherever they had come from.
"Little beasts!" said Eustace. "Arent you even going to say thank you for being saved from the salt-mines?”
"Oh, we know all about that," said Griffle over his shoulder. "You wanted to make use of us, thats why you rescued us. Youre playing some game of your own. Come on you chaps.”
And the Dwarfs struck up the queer little marching song which goes with the drum-beat, and off they tramped into the darkness.
Tirian and his friends stared after them. Then he said the single word "Come," and they continued their journey.
They were a silent party. Puzzle felt himself to be still in disgrace, and also he didnt really quite understand what had happened. Jill, besides being disgusted with the Dwarfs, was very impressed with Eustaces victory over the Calormene and felt almost shy. As for Eustace, his heart was still beating rather quickly. Tirian and Jewel walked sadly together in the rear. The King had his arm on the Unicorns shoulder and sometimes the Unicorn nuzzled the Kings cheek with his soft nose. They did not try to comfort one another with words. It wasnt very easy to think of anything to say that would be comforting. Tirian had never dreamed that one of the results of an Apes setting up as a false Aslan would be
to stop people from believing in the real one. He had felt quite sure that the Dwarfs would rally to his side the moment he showed them how they had been deceived. And then next night he would have led them to Stable Hill and shown Puzzle to all the creatures and everyone would have turned against the Ape and, perhaps after a scuffle with the Calormenes, the whole thing would have been over. But now, it seemed, he could count on nothing. How many other Narnians might turn the same way as the Dwarfs?
"Somebodys coming after us, I think," said Puzzle suddenly.
They stopped and listened. Sure enough, there was a thump-thump of small feet behind them.
"Who goes there!" shouted the King.
"Only me, Sire," came a voice. "Me, Poggin the Dwarf. Ive only just managed to get away from the others. Im on your side, Sire: and on Aslans. If you can put a Dwarfish sword in my fist, Id gladly strike a blow on the right side before alls done.”
Everyone crowded round him and welcomed him and praised him and slapped him on the back. Of course one single Dwarf could not make a very great difference, but it was somehow very cheering to have even one. The whole party brightened up. But Jill and Eustace didnt stay bright for very long, for they were now yawning their heads off and too tired to think about anything but bed.
It was at the coldest hour of the night, just before dawn, that they got back to the Tower.
If there had been a meal ready for them they would have been glad enough to eat, but the bother and delay of getting one was not to be thought of. They drank from a stream, splashed their faces with water, and tumbled into their bunks, except for Puzzle and Jewel who said theyd be more comfortable outside. This perhaps was just as well, for a Unicorn and a fat, full-grown Donkey indoors always make a room feel rather crowded.
Narnian Dwarfs, though less than four feet high, are for their size about the toughest and strongest creatures there are, so that Poggin, in spite of a heavy day and a late night, woke fully refreshed before any of the others. He at once took Jills bow, went out and shot a couple of wood pigeons. Then he sat plucking them on the doorstep and chatting to Jewel and Puzzle. Puzzle looked and felt a good deal better this morning. Jewel, being a Unicorn and therefore one of the noblest and delicatest of beasts, had been very kind to him, talking to him about things of the sort they could both understand like grass and sugar and the care of ones hoofs. When Jill and Eustace came out of the Tower yawning and rubbing their eyes at almost half past ten, the Dwarf showed them where they could gather plenty of a Narnian weed called Wild Fresney, which looks rather like our wood-sorrel but tastes a good deal nicer when cooked. (It needs a little butter and pepper to make it perfect, but they hadnt got these.) So that what with one thing and another, they had the makings of a capital stew for their breakfast or dinner, whichever you choose to call it. Tirian went a little further off into the wood with an axe and brought back some branches for fuel. While the meal was cooking - which seemed a very long time,
especially as it smelled nicer and nicer the nearer it came to being done - the King found a complete Dwarfish outfit for Poggin: mail shirt, helmet, shield, sword, belt, and dagger.
Then he inspected Eustaces sword and found that Eustace had put it back in the sheath all messy from killing the Calormene. He was scolded for that and made to clean and polish it.
All this while Jill went to and fro, sometimes stirring the pot and sometimes looking out enviously at the Donkey and the Unicorn who were contentedly grazing. How many times that morning she wished she could eat grass!
But when the meal came everyone felt it had been worth waiting for, and there were second helpings all round. When everyone had eaten as much as he could, the three humans and the Dwarf came and sat on the doorstep, the four-footed ones lay down facing them, the Dwarf (with permission both from Jill and from Tirian) lit his pipe, and the King said: "Now, friend Poggin, you have more news of the enemy, belike, than we. Tell us all you know. And first, what tale do they tell of my escape?”
"As cunning a tale, Sire, as ever was devised," said Poggin. "It was the Cat, Ginger, who told it, and most likely made it up too. This Ginger, Sire - oh, hes a slyboots if ever a cat was - said he was walking past the tree to which those villains bound your Majesty. And he said (saving your reverence) that you were howling and swearing and cursing Aslan: `language I wouldnt like to repeat were the words he used, looking ever so prim and proper you know the way a Cat can when it pleases. And then, says Ginger, Aslan himself suddenly appeared in a flash of lightning and swallowed your Majesty up at one mouthful. All the Beasts trembled at this story and some fainted right away. And of course the Ape followed it up. There, he says, see what Aslan does to those who dont respect him. Let that be a warning to you all. And the poor creatures wailed and whined and said, it will, it will. So that in the upshot your Majestys escape has not set them thinking whether you still have loyal friends to aid you, but only made them more afraid and more obedient to the Ape.”
"What devilish policy!" said Tirian. "This Ginger, then, is close in the Apes counsels.”
"Its more a question by now, Sire, if the Ape is in his counsels," replied the Dwarf. "The Ape has taken to drinking, you see. My belief is that the plot is now mostly carried on by Ginger or Rishda - thats the Calormene captain. And I think some words that Ginger has scattered among the Dwarfs are chiefly to blame for the scurvy return they made you.
And Ill tell you why. One of those dreadful midnight meetings had just broken up the night before last and Id gone a bit of the way home when I found Id left my pipe behind.
It was a real good un, an old favourite, so I went back to look for it. But before I got to the place where Id been sitting (it was black as pitch there) I heard a cats voice say Mew and a Calormene voice say `here . . . speak softly, so I just stood as still as if I was frozen. And these two were Ginger and Rishda Tarkaan as they call him. `Noble Tarkaan, said the Cat in that silky voice of his, `I just wanted to know exactly what we
both meant today about Aslan meaning no more than Tash. `Doubtless, most sagacious of cats, says the other, `you have perceived my meaning. `You mean, says Ginger, `that theres no such person as either." "All who are enlightened know that, said the Tarkaan.
`Then we can understand one another, purrs the Cat. `Do you, like me, grow a little weary of the Ape? `A stupid, greedy brute, says the other, `but we must use him for the present. Thou and I must provide for all things in secret and make the Ape do our will. `And it would be better, wouldnt it, said Ginger, `to let some of the more enlightened Narnians into our counsels: one by one as we find them apt. For the Beasts who really believe in Aslan may turn at any moment: and will, if the Apes folly betrays his secret.
But those who care neither for Tash nor Aslan but have only an eye to their own profit and such reward as The Tisroc may give them when Narnia is a Calormene province, will be firm. `Excellent Cat, said the Captain. `But choose which ones carefully." While the Dwarf had been speaking the day seemed to have changed. It had been sunny when they sat down. Now Puzzle shivered. Jewel shifted his head uneasily. Jill looked up.
"Its clouding over," she said.
"And its so cold," said Puzzle.
"Cold enough, by the Lion!" said Tirian, blowing on his hands. "And faugh! What foul smell is this?”
"Phew!" gasped Eustace. "Its like something dead. Is there a dead bird somewhere about? And why didnt we notice it before?”
With a great upheaval Jewel scrambled to his feet and pointed with his horn.
"Look!" he cried. "Look at it! Look, look!”
Then all six of them saw; and over all their faces there came an expression of uttermost dismay.