ng the trees once more。 you can search through all the nooks and wild places of the land to see if any fauns or talking beasts or dwarfs are perhaps still alive in hiding。”
〃do you think there are any？〃 asked caspian eagerly。
〃i dont know … i dont know；〃 said the doctor with a deep sigh。 〃sometimes i am afraid there cant be。 i have been looking for traces of them all my life。 sometimes i have thought i heard a dwarf…drum in the mountains。 sometimes at night； in the woods； i thought i had caught a glimpse of fauns and satyrs dancing a long way off； but when i came to the place； there was never anything there。 i have often despaired； but something always happens to start me hoping again。 i dont know。 but at least you can try to be a king like the high king peter of old； and not like your uncle。”
〃then its true about the kings and queens too； and about the white witch？〃 said caspian。
〃certainly it is true；〃 said cornelius。 〃their reign was the golden age in narnia and the land has never forgotten them。”
〃did they live in this castle； doctor？”
〃nay； my dear；〃 said the old man。 〃this castle is a thing of yesterday。 your great…great…grandfather built it。 but when the two sons of adam and the two daughters of eve were made kings and queens of narnia by aslan himself； they lived in the castle of cair paravel。 no man alive has seen that blessed place and perhaps even the ruins of it have now vanished。 but we believe it was far from here； down at the mouth of the great river； on the very shore of the sea。”
〃ugh！〃 said caspian with a shudder。 〃do you mean in the black woods？ where all the … the … you know； the ghosts live？”
〃your highness speaks as you have been taught；〃 said the doctor。 〃but it is all lies。
there are no ghosts there。 that is a story invented by the telmarines。 your kings are in deadly fear of the sea because they can never quite forget that in all stories aslan es from over the sea。 they dont want to go near it and they dont want anyone else to go near it。 so they have let great woods grow up to cut their people off from the coast。 but because they have quarrelled with the trees they are afraid of the woods。 and because they are afraid of the woods they imagine that they are full of ghosts。 and the kings and great men； hating both the sea and the wood； partly believe these stories； and partly encourage them。 they feel safer if no one in narnia dares to go down to the coast and look out to sea towards aslans land and the morning and the eastern end of the world。”
there was a deep silence between them for a few minutes。 then doctor cornelius said； 〃e。 we have been here long enough。 it is time to go down and to bed。”
〃must we？〃 said caspian。 〃id like to go on talking about these things for hours and hours and hours。”
〃someone might begin looking for us； if we did that；〃 said doctor cornelius。
。。
CHAPTER SIX
（／／小｜//说//网）
the people that lived in hiding now began the happiest times that caspian had ever known。 on a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the badger and the two dwarfs； up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down on to their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of archenland。
〃we will go first to the three bulgy bears；〃 said trumpkin。
they came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss； and trufflehunter tapped with his paw three times on the trunk and there was no answer。 then he tapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said； 〃go away。 its not time to get up yet。”
but when he tapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears； very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes。 and when everything had been explained to them （which took a long time because they were so sleepy） they said； just as trufflehunter had said； that a son of adam ought to be king of narnia and all kissed caspian … very wet； snuffly kisses they were … and offered him some honey。 caspian did not really want honey； without bread； at that time in the morning； but he thought it polite to accept。 it took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky。
after that they went on till they came among tall beech trees and trufflehunter called out； 〃pattertwig！ pattertwig！ pattertwig！〃 and almost at once； bounding down from branch to branch till he was just above their heads； came the most magnificent red squirrel that caspian had ever seen。 he was far bigger than the ordinary dumb squirrels which he had sometimes seen in the castle gardens； indeed he was nearly the size of a terrier and the moment you looked in his face you saw that he could talk。 indeed the difficulty was to get him to stop talking； for； like all squirrels； he was a chatterer。 he weled caspian at once and asked if he would like a nut and caspian said thanks； he would。 but as pattertwig went bounding away to fetch it； trufflehunter whispered in caspians ear； 〃dont look。 look the other way。 its very bad manners among squirrels to watch anyone going to his store or to look as if you wanted to know where it was。〃 then pattertwig came back with the nut and caspian ate it and after that pattertwig asked if he could take any messages to other friends。 〃for i can go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground；〃 he said。 trufflehunter and the dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave pattertwig messages to all sorts of people with queer names telling them all to e to a
feast and council on dancing lawn at midnight three nights ahead。 〃and youd better tell the three bulgies too；〃 added trumpkin。 〃we forgot to mention it to them。”
their next visit was to the seven brothers of shuddering wood。 trumpkin led the way back to the saddle and then down eastward on the northern slope of the mountains till they came to a very solemn place among rocks and fir trees。 they went very quietly and presently caspian could feel the ground shake under his feet as if someone were hammering down below。 trumpkin went to a flat stone about the size of the top of a water…butt； and stamped on it with his foot。 after a long pause it was moved away by someone or something underneath； and there was a dark； round hole with a good deal of heat and steam ing out of it and in the middle of the hole the head of a dwarf very like trumpkin himself。 there was a long talk here and the dwarf seemed more suspicious than the squirrel or the bulgy bears had been； but in the end the whole party were invited to e down。 caspian found himself descending a dark stairway into the earth； but when he came to the bottom he saw firelight。 it was the light of a furnace。 the whole place was a smithy。 a subterranean stream ran past on one side of it。 two dwarfs were at the bellows； another was holding a piece of red…hot metal on the anvil with a pair of tongs； a fourth was hammering it； and two； wiping their horny little hands on a greasy cloth； were ing forward to meet the visitors。 it took some time to satisfy them that caspian was a friend and not an enemy； but when they did； they all cried； 〃long live the king；〃 and their gifts were noble … mail shirts and helmets and swords for caspian and trumpkin and nikabrik。 the badger could have had the same if he had liked； but he said he was a beast； he was； and if his claws and teeth could not keep his skin whole； it wasnt worth keeping。 the workmanship of the arms was far finer than any caspian had ever seen； and he gladly accepted the dwarf…made sword instead of his own； which looked； in parison； as feeble as a toy and as clumsy as a stick。 the seven brothers （who were all red dwarfs） promised to e to the feast at dancing lawn。
a little farther on； in a dry； rocky ravine they reached the cave of five black dwarfs。
they looked suspiciously at caspian； but in the end the eldest of them said； 〃if he is against miraz； well have him for king。〃 and the next oldest said； 〃shall we go farther up for you； up to the crags？ theres an ogre or two and a hag that we could introduce you to； up there。”
〃certainly not；〃 said caspian。
〃i should think not； indeed；〃 said trufflehunter。 〃we want none of that sort on our side。”
nikabrik disagreed with this； but trumpkin and the badger overruled him。 it gave caspian a shock to realize that the horrible creatures out of the old stories； as well as the nice ones； had some descendants in narnia still。
〃we should not have aslan for friend if we brought in that rabble；〃 said trufflehunter as they came away from the cave of the black dwarfs。
〃oh； aslan！〃 said trumpkin； cheerily but contemptuously。 〃what matters much more is that you wouldnt have me。”
〃do you believe in aslan？〃 said caspian to nikabrik。
〃ill believe in anyone or anything；〃 said nikabrik； 〃thatll batter these cursed telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of narnia。 anyone or anything； aslan or the white witch； do you understand？”
〃silence； silence；〃 said trufflehunter。 〃you do not know what you are saying。 she was a worse enemy than miraz and all his race。”
〃not to dwarfs； she wasnt；〃 said nikabrik。
their next