The Pace Quickens and Through the Stable Door
Italicized portions come from The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis.
Eustace stood with his heart beating terribly, hoping and hoping he would be brave. He had never seen anything (though he had seen both a dragon and a sea-serpent) that made his blood run so cold as that line of dark faced bright-eyed men. There were fifteen Calormenes, a Talking Bull of Narnia, Slinkey the Fox, and Wraggle the Satyr. Then he heard twang-and-zipp on his left and one Calormene fell: then twang-and-zipp again and the Satyr was down. "Oh, well done, daughter!" came Tirian's voice; and then the enemy were upon them.
Eustace could never remember what happened in the next two minutes. It was all like a dream (the sort you have when your temperature is over 100)
Cut - slash - don't catch the blade with the edge of your sword, Scrubb, it'll be nicked - screams - am I screaming? - blood, blood - sweat running in my eyes oh Aslan give me strength -
until he heard Rishda Tarkaan's voice calling out from the distance:
"Retire. Back hither and re-form."
Then Eustace came to his senses and saw the Calormenes scampering back to their friends. But not all of them. Two lay dead, pierced by Jewel's horn, one by Tirian's sword. The Fox lay dead at his own feet, and he wondered if it was he who had killed it. The Bull also was down, shot through the eye by an arrow from Jill and gashed in his side by the Boar's tusk. But our side had its losses too. Three dogs were killed and a fourth was hobbling behind the line on three legs and whimperings. The Bear lay on the ground, moving feebly. Then it mumbled in its throaty voice, bewildered to the last, "I -- I don't -- understand," laid its big head down on the grass as quietly as a child going to sleep, and never moved again.
In fact, the first attack had failed. Eustace didn't seem able to be glad about it: he was so terribly thirsty and his arm ached so.
. . .
Then the Drum began: not a Dwarf drum this time, but a big bull's hide Calormene drum. The children from the very first hated the sound. Boom -- boom -- ba-ba-boom it went. But they would have hated it far worse if they had known what it meant.
. . .
Boom -- boom -- ba-ba-boom went the horrible drum. Then another sound began to mix with it. "Listen!" said Jewel: and then "Look!" said Farsight. A moment later there was no doubt what it was. With a thunder of hoofs, with tossing heads, widened nostrils, and waving manes, over a score of Talking Horses ofNarnia came charging up the hill. The gnawers and nibblers had done their work.
Pogging the Dwarf and the Children opened their mouths to cheer
Oh, Lor', I've never seen anything so beautiful -
but that cheer never came. Suddenly the air was full of the sound of twanging bow-strings and hissing arrows. It was the Dwarfs who were shooting and -- for a moment Jill could hardly believe her eyes -- they were shooting the Horses. Dwarfs are deadly archers. Horse after Horse rolled over. Not one of those noble beasts ever reached the King.
"Little Swine," shrieked Eustace, dancing in his rage. "Dirty, filthy, treacherous little brutes."
How dare they? How dare they? By - by Aslan, those little brutes should be -
Even Jewel said, "Shall I run after those Dwarfs, Sire, and spit ten of them on my horn at each plunge?" But Tirian with his face as stern as stone, said, "Stand fast, Jewel. If you must weep, sweetheart," (this was to Jill), "turn your face aside and see you wet not your bow-string. And peace, Eustace. Do not scold, like a kitchen-girl. No warrior scolds. Courteous words or else hard knocks are his only language."
For a moment, Eustace subsides, sullen.
But the Dwarfs jeered back at Eustace. "That was a surprise for you, little boy, eh? Thought we were on your side, did you? No fear. We don't want any Talking Horses. We don't want you to win any more than the other gang. You can't take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs."
I am so bloody sick of hearing them say that - hard knocks, Tirian says, well I'll give them such a knock -
. . .
"Bethink you, Sire," said Poggin, "that here we have the good wooden wall of the stable at our backs. If we advance, shall we not be encircled and get sword-points between our shoulders?"
"I would say as you do, Dwarf," said Tirian. "Were it not their very plan to force us into the stable. The further we are from its deadly dorr, the better."
"The King is right," said Farsight. "Away from this accursed stable, and whatever goblin lives inside it, at all costs."
"Yes, do let's," said Eustace. "I'm coming to hate the very sight of it."
Tirian agrees, and begins to outline the plan of battle. Eustace listens nervously -- Remember this, Scrubb, it'll be important -- and ignores the weariness of his limbs and the anxiety of his mind. The King sends Jill off, arrows in hand, and Eustace feels his stomach clench as the small brave figure moves away and start shooting.
The next instant, it seems, Tirian sounds the charge. Eustace adjusts his sweaty grip on his sword, raises it, and runs, yelling defiance. And thinking This is the Island of Darkness, and we are living the nightmare.
And then, again, it is only screams and movement and blood and sweat and dying men around him, and it goes on forever and for no time at all.
He is turning to catch a Calormene sword on his when he hears Tirian's call of "Back! To the rock!" All around, Narnian Animals are disengaging, falling back. He thrusts the Calormene's sword away and swipes for the man's unprotected shoulder, to give himself a moment to run --
When a strong arm catches him around the waist, a hand crushes the wrist of his sword arm, and he is hauled bodily off his feet. He struggles, and lets out one yell of surprise, before all of his energy goes to trying to wriggle free of the Calormene's grasp.
It's no use. The world bounces crazily in front of them as they run up the hill. The door (mouth) of the stable jerks into his vision, held open by another Calormene soldier, and he is in the air, flailing, and the dark rectangle is rushing to meet him.
Eustace knows, in a detached sort of way, that Tash is beyond that darkness, and he is going to die.
He will not go down without a fight.
Eustace stood with his heart beating terribly, hoping and hoping he would be brave. He had never seen anything (though he had seen both a dragon and a sea-serpent) that made his blood run so cold as that line of dark faced bright-eyed men. There were fifteen Calormenes, a Talking Bull of Narnia, Slinkey the Fox, and Wraggle the Satyr. Then he heard twang-and-zipp on his left and one Calormene fell: then twang-and-zipp again and the Satyr was down. "Oh, well done, daughter!" came Tirian's voice; and then the enemy were upon them.
Eustace could never remember what happened in the next two minutes. It was all like a dream (the sort you have when your temperature is over 100)
Cut - slash - don't catch the blade with the edge of your sword, Scrubb, it'll be nicked - screams - am I screaming? - blood, blood - sweat running in my eyes oh Aslan give me strength -
until he heard Rishda Tarkaan's voice calling out from the distance:
"Retire. Back hither and re-form."
Then Eustace came to his senses and saw the Calormenes scampering back to their friends. But not all of them. Two lay dead, pierced by Jewel's horn, one by Tirian's sword. The Fox lay dead at his own feet, and he wondered if it was he who had killed it. The Bull also was down, shot through the eye by an arrow from Jill and gashed in his side by the Boar's tusk. But our side had its losses too. Three dogs were killed and a fourth was hobbling behind the line on three legs and whimperings. The Bear lay on the ground, moving feebly. Then it mumbled in its throaty voice, bewildered to the last, "I -- I don't -- understand," laid its big head down on the grass as quietly as a child going to sleep, and never moved again.
In fact, the first attack had failed. Eustace didn't seem able to be glad about it: he was so terribly thirsty and his arm ached so.
. . .
Then the Drum began: not a Dwarf drum this time, but a big bull's hide Calormene drum. The children from the very first hated the sound. Boom -- boom -- ba-ba-boom it went. But they would have hated it far worse if they had known what it meant.
. . .
Boom -- boom -- ba-ba-boom went the horrible drum. Then another sound began to mix with it. "Listen!" said Jewel: and then "Look!" said Farsight. A moment later there was no doubt what it was. With a thunder of hoofs, with tossing heads, widened nostrils, and waving manes, over a score of Talking Horses ofNarnia came charging up the hill. The gnawers and nibblers had done their work.
Pogging the Dwarf and the Children opened their mouths to cheer
Oh, Lor', I've never seen anything so beautiful -
but that cheer never came. Suddenly the air was full of the sound of twanging bow-strings and hissing arrows. It was the Dwarfs who were shooting and -- for a moment Jill could hardly believe her eyes -- they were shooting the Horses. Dwarfs are deadly archers. Horse after Horse rolled over. Not one of those noble beasts ever reached the King.
"Little Swine," shrieked Eustace, dancing in his rage. "Dirty, filthy, treacherous little brutes."
How dare they? How dare they? By - by Aslan, those little brutes should be -
Even Jewel said, "Shall I run after those Dwarfs, Sire, and spit ten of them on my horn at each plunge?" But Tirian with his face as stern as stone, said, "Stand fast, Jewel. If you must weep, sweetheart," (this was to Jill), "turn your face aside and see you wet not your bow-string. And peace, Eustace. Do not scold, like a kitchen-girl. No warrior scolds. Courteous words or else hard knocks are his only language."
For a moment, Eustace subsides, sullen.
But the Dwarfs jeered back at Eustace. "That was a surprise for you, little boy, eh? Thought we were on your side, did you? No fear. We don't want any Talking Horses. We don't want you to win any more than the other gang. You can't take us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs."
I am so bloody sick of hearing them say that - hard knocks, Tirian says, well I'll give them such a knock -
. . .
"Bethink you, Sire," said Poggin, "that here we have the good wooden wall of the stable at our backs. If we advance, shall we not be encircled and get sword-points between our shoulders?"
"I would say as you do, Dwarf," said Tirian. "Were it not their very plan to force us into the stable. The further we are from its deadly dorr, the better."
"The King is right," said Farsight. "Away from this accursed stable, and whatever goblin lives inside it, at all costs."
"Yes, do let's," said Eustace. "I'm coming to hate the very sight of it."
Tirian agrees, and begins to outline the plan of battle. Eustace listens nervously -- Remember this, Scrubb, it'll be important -- and ignores the weariness of his limbs and the anxiety of his mind. The King sends Jill off, arrows in hand, and Eustace feels his stomach clench as the small brave figure moves away and start shooting.
The next instant, it seems, Tirian sounds the charge. Eustace adjusts his sweaty grip on his sword, raises it, and runs, yelling defiance. And thinking This is the Island of Darkness, and we are living the nightmare.
And then, again, it is only screams and movement and blood and sweat and dying men around him, and it goes on forever and for no time at all.
He is turning to catch a Calormene sword on his when he hears Tirian's call of "Back! To the rock!" All around, Narnian Animals are disengaging, falling back. He thrusts the Calormene's sword away and swipes for the man's unprotected shoulder, to give himself a moment to run --
When a strong arm catches him around the waist, a hand crushes the wrist of his sword arm, and he is hauled bodily off his feet. He struggles, and lets out one yell of surprise, before all of his energy goes to trying to wriggle free of the Calormene's grasp.
It's no use. The world bounces crazily in front of them as they run up the hill. The door (mouth) of the stable jerks into his vision, held open by another Calormene soldier, and he is in the air, flailing, and the dark rectangle is rushing to meet him.
Eustace knows, in a detached sort of way, that Tash is beyond that darkness, and he is going to die.
He will not go down without a fight.