Prince Caspian

Chapter 6

The People that Lived in Hiding

S O L E M N - pronunciation (soul + m) [ADJECTIVE] formal or dignified in a manner where a character commits to keep promises, "a quiet sedate nature."

Now began the happiest times that Caspian had ever known. On a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he ser 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 folds of Archer Land.

"We will go first to the Three Bulgy Bears," said Trumpkin leading the way.

They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss, and Truffle Hunter 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. It's not time to get up yet." Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 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 has been explained to them (which took a long time because they were so sleepy) they said, just as Truffle Hunter had said, that a Son of Adam ought to be King of Narnia and all kissed Caspian - very wet, snugly kisses they were - and offered him so 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 un sticky.

After that they went on till they came among tall beech trees, and Truffle Hunter called out, "Patter Twig!" Patter Twig! Patter Twig!" 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 welcomed Caspian at once and asked if he would like a nut and Caspian said thanks, he would.

But as Patter Twig went bounding away to fetch it, Truffle Hunter whispered in Caspian's ear," Don't look. Look the other way. It's 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 Patter Twig came back with a nut and Caspian ate it and after that Patter Twig asked if he could take any messages to other friends. "For I can go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground," he said.

Truffle Hunter and the Dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave Patter Twig messages to all sorts of people with queer names telling them all to come to a feast and council on Dancing Lawn at midnight three nights ahead. 

"And you'd better tell the Three Bulgy Bears too," added Trumpkin. "We forgot to mention it to them."

Their next visit was to the Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood. Trumpkin pointed 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.

Then he 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 coming 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 was invited to come down.