sorcery and sudden vengeance

meanwhile trumpkin and the two boys arrived at the dark little stone archway which led into the inside of the mound, and two sentinel badgers (the white patches on their cheeks were all edmund could see of them) leaped up with bared teeth and asked them in snarling voices, "who goes there?"

"trumpkin," said the dwarf. "bringing the high king of narnia out of the far past."

the badgers nosed at the boys' hands. "at last," they said. "at last."

"give us a light, friends," said trumpkin.

the badgers found a torch just inside the arch and peter lit it and handed it to trumpkin. "the d.l.f. had better lead," he said. "we don't know our way about this place."

trumpkin took the torch and went ahead into the dark tunnel. it was a cold, black, musty place, with an occasional bat fluttering in the torchlight, and plenty of cobwebs. the boys, who had been mostly in the open air since that morning at the railway station, felt as if they were going into a trap or a prison.

"i say, peter," whispered edmund. "look at those carvings on the walls. don't they look old? and yet we're older than that. when we were last here, they hadn't been made."

"yes," said peter. "that makes one think."

the dwarf went on ahead and then turned to the right, and then to the left, and then down some steps, and then to the left again. then at last they saw a light ahead - light from under a door. and now for the first time they heard voices, for they had come to the door of the central chamber. the voices inside were angry ones. someone was talking so loudly that the approach of the boys and the dwarf had not been heard.

"don't like the sound of that," whispered trumpkin to peter. "let's listen for a moment." all three stood perfectly still on the outside of the door.

"you know well enough," said a voice ("that's the king," whispered trumpkin), "why the horn was not blown at sunrise this morning. have you forgotten that miraz fell upon us almost before trumpkin had gone, and we were fighting for our lives for the space of three hours and more? i blew it when first i had a breathing space."

"i'm not likely to forget it," came the angry voice, "when my dwarfs bore the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell." ("that's nikabrik," whispered trumpkin.)

"for shame, dwarf," came a thick voice ("trufflehunter's," said trumpkin). "we all did as much as the dwarfs and none more than the king."

"tell that tale your own way for all i care," answered nikabrik. "but whether it was that the horn was blown too late, or whether there was no magic in it, no help has come. you, you great clerk, you master magician, you know-all; are you still asking us to hang our hopes on aslan and king peter and all the rest of it?"

"i must confess - i cannot deny it - that i am deeply disappointed in the result of the operation," came the answer. ("that'll be doctor cornelius," said trumpkin.)

"to speak plainly," said nikabrik, "your wallet's empty, your eggs addled, your fish uncaught, your promises broken. stand aside then and let others work. and that is why -"

"the help will come," said trufflehunter. "i stand by aslan. have patience, like us beasts. the help will come. it may be even now at the door."

"pah!" snarled nikabrik. "you badgers would have us wait till the sky falls and we can all catch larks. i tell you we can't wait. food is running short; we lose more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away."

"and why?" asked trufflehunter. "i'll tell you why. because it is noised among them that we have called on the kings of old and the kings of old have not answered. the last words trumpkin spoke before he went (and went, most likely, to his death) were, `if you must blow the horn, do not let the army know why you blow it or what you hope from it.' but that same evening everyone seemed to know."

"you'd better have shoved your grey snout in a hornets' nest, badger, than suggest that i am the blab," said nikabrik. "take it back, or-"

"oh, stop it, both of you," said king caspian. "i want to know what it is that nikabrik keeps on hinting we should do. but before that, i want to know who those two strangers are whom he has brought into our council and who stand there with their ears open and their mouths shut."

"they are friends of mine," said nikabrik. "and what better right have you yourself to be here than that you are a friend of trumpkin's and the badger's? and what right has that old dotard in the black gown to be here except that he is your friend? why am i to be the only one who can't bring in his friends?"

"his majesty is the king to whom you have sworn allegiance," said trufflehunter sternly.

"court manners, court manners," sneered nikabrik. "but in this hole we may talk plainly. you know - and he knows that this telmarine boy will be king of nowhere and nobody in a week unless we can help him out of the trap in which he sits."

"perhaps," said cornelius, "your new friends would like to speak for themselves? you there, who and what are you?"

"worshipful master doctor," came a thin, whining voice. "so please you, i'm only a poor old woman, i am, and very obliged to his worshipful dwarfship for his friendship, i'm sure. his majesty, bless his handsome face, has no need to be afraid of an old woman that's nearly doubled up with the rheumatics and hasn't two sticks to put under her kettle. i have some poor little skill - not like yours, master doctor, of course - in small spells and cantrips that i'd be glad to use against our enemies if it was agreeable to all concerned. for i hate 'em. oh yes. no one hates better than me."

"that is all most interesting and - er - satisfactory," said doctor cornelius. "i think i now know what you are, madam. perhaps your other friend, nikabrik, would give some account of himself?"

a dull, grey voice at which peter's flesh crept replied, "i'm hunger. i'm thirst. where i bite, i hold till i die, and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me. i can fast a hundred years and not die. i can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. i can drink a river of blood and not burst. show me your enemies."

"and it is in the presence of these two that you wish to disclose your plan?" said caspian.

"yes," said nikabrik. "and by their help that i mean to execute it."

there was a minute or two during which trumpkin and the boys could hear caspian and his two friends speaking in low voices but could not make out what they were saying. then caspian spoke aloud.

"well, nikabrik," he said, "we will hear your plan."

there was a pause so long that the boys began to wonder if nikabrik was ever going to begin; when he did, it was in a lower voice, as if he himself did not much like what he was saying.

"all said and done," he muttered, "none of us knows the truth about the ancient days in narnia. trumpkin believed none of the stories. i was ready to put them to the trial. we tried first the horn and it has failed. if there ever was a high king peter and a queen susan and a king edmund and a queen lucy, then either they have not heard us, or they cannot come, or they are our enemies -"

"or they are on the way," put in trufflehunter.

"you can go on saying that till miraz has fed us all to his dogs. as i was saying, we have tried one link in the chain of old legends, and it has done us no good. well. but when your sword breaks, you draw your dagger. the stories tell of other powers beside the ancient kings and queens. how if we could call them up?"

"if you mean aslan," said trufflehunter, "it's all one calling on him and on the kings. they were his servants. if he will not send them (but i make no doubt he will), is he more likely to come himself?"

"no. you're right there," said nikabrik. "aslan and the kings go together. either aslan is dead, or he is not on our side. or else something stronger than himself keeps him back. and if he did come - how do we know he'd be our friend? he was not always a good friend to dwarfs by all that's told. not even to all beasts. ask the wolves. and anyway, he was in narnia only once that i ever heard of, and he didn't stay long. you may drop aslan out of the reckoning. i was thinking of someone else."

there was no answer, and for a few minutes it was so still that edmund could hear the wheezy and snuffling breath of the badger.

"who do you mean?" said caspian at last.

"i mean a power so much greater than aslan's that it held narnia spellbound for years and years, if the stories are true."

"the white witch!" cried three voices all at once, and from the noise peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet.

"yes," said nikabrik very slowly and distinctly, "i mean the witch. sit down again. don't all take fright at a name as if you were children. we want power: and we want a power that will be on our side. as for power, do not the stories say that the witch defeated aslan, and bound him, and killed him on that very stone which is over there, just beyond the light?"

"but they also say that he came to life again," said the badger sharply.

"yes, they say," answered nikabrik, "but you'll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards. he just fades out of the story. how do you explain that, if he really came to life? isn't it much more likely that he didn't, and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?"

"he established the kings and queens," said caspian.

"a king who has just won a great battle can usually establish himself without the help of a performing lion," said nikabrik. there was a fierce growl, probably from trufflehunter.

"and anyway," nikabrik continued, "what came of the kings and their reign? they faded too. but it's very different with the witch. they say she ruled for a hundred years: a hundred years of winter. there's power, if you like. there's something practical."

"but, heaven and earth!" said the king, "haven't we always been told that she was the worst enemy of all? wasn't she a tyrant ten times worse than miraz?"

"perhaps," said nikabrik in a cold voice. "perhaps she was for you humans, if there were any of you in those days. perhaps she was for some of the beasts. she stamped out the beavers, i dare say; at least there are none of them in narnia now. but she got on all right with us dwarfs. i'm a dwarf and i stand by my own people. we're not afraid of the witch."

"but you've joined with us," said trufflehunter.

"yes, and a lot of good it has done my people, so far," snapped nikabrik. "who is sent on all the dangerous !, raids? the dwarfs. who goes short when the rations fail? the dwarfs. who -?"

"lies! all lies!" said the badger.

"and so," said nikabrik, whose voice now rose to a scream, "if you can't help my people, i'll go to someone who can."

"is this open treason, dwarf?" asked the king.

"put that sword back in its sheath, caspian," said nikabrik. "murder at council, eh? is that your game? don't be fool enough to try it. do you think i'm afraid of you? there's three on my side, and three on yours."

"come on, then," snarled trufflehunter, but he was immediately interrupted.

"stop, stop, stop," said doctor cornelius. "you go on too fast. the witch is dead. all the stories agree on that. what does nikabrik mean by calling on the witch?"

that grey and terrible voice which had spoken only once before said, "oh, is she?"

and then the shrill, whining voice began, "oh, bless his heart, his dear little majesty needn't mind about the white lady - that's what we call her - being dead. the worshipful master doctor is only making game of a poor old woman like me when he says that. sweet mastery doctor, learned master doctor, who ever heard of a witch that really died? you can always get them back."

"call her up," said the grey voice. "we are all ready. draw the circle. prepare the blue fire."

above the steadily increasing growl of the badger and cornelius's sharp "what?" rose the voice of king caspian like thunder.

"so that is your plan, nikabrik! black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed ghost. and i see who your companions are-a hag and a werewolf!"

the next minute or so was very confused. there was an animal roaring, a clash of steel; the boys and trumpkin rushed in; peter had a glimpse of a horrible, grey, gaunt creature, half man and half wolf, in the very act of leaping upon a boy about his own age, and edmund saw a badger and a dwarf rolling on the floor in a sort of cat fight. trumpkin found himself face to face with the hag. her nose and chin stuck out like a pair of nut-crackers, her dirty grey hair was flying about her face and she had just got doctor cornelius by the throat. at one slash of trumpkin's sword her head rolled on the floor. then the light was knocked over and it was all swords, teeth, claws, fists, and boots for about sixty seconds. then silence.

"are you all right, ed?"

"i - i think so," panted edmund. "i've got that brute nikabrik, but he's still alive."

"weights and water-bottles!" came an angry voice. "it's me you're sitting on. get off. you're like a young elephant."

"sorry, d.l.f.," said edmund. "is that better?"

"ow! no!" bellowed trumpkin. "you're putting your ' boot in my mouth. go away." `

"is king caspian anywhere?" asked peter.

"i'm here," said a rather faint voice. "something bit me."

they all heard the noise of someone striking a match. it was edmund. the little flame showed his face, looking pale and dirty. he blundered about for a little, found the candle (they were no longer using the lamp, for they had run out of oil), set it on the table, and lit it. when the flame rose clear, several people scrambled to their feet. six faces blinked at one another in the candlelight.

"we don't seem to have any enemies left," said peter. "there's the hag, dead." (he turned his eyes quickly away from her.) "and nikabrik, dead too. and i suppose this thing is a werewolf. it's so long since i've seen one. wolf's head and man's body. that means he was just turning from man into wolf at the moment he was killed. and you, i suppose, are king caspian?"

"yes," said the other boy. "but i've no idea who you are."

"it's the high king, king peter," said trumpkin.

"your majesty is very welcome," said caspian.

"and so is your majesty," said peter. "i haven't come to take your place, you know, but to put you into it." ,

"your majesty," said another voice at peter's elbow. he turned and found himself face to face with the badger.

peter leaned forward, put his arms round the beast and kissed the furry head: it wasn't a girlish thing for him to do, because he was the high king.

"best of badgers," he said. "you never doubted us all through."

"no credit to me, your majesty," said trufflehunter. "1'm a beast and we don't change. i'm a badger, what's more, and we hold on."

"i am sorry for nikabrik," said caspian, "though he hated me from the first moment he saw me. he had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. if we had won quickly he might have become a good dwarf in the days of peace. i don't know which of us killed him. i'm glad of that."

"you're bleeding," said peter.

"yes, i'm bitten," said caspian. "it was that - that wolf thing." cleaning and bandaging the wound took a long time, and when it was done trumpkin said, "now. before everything else we want some breakfast."

"but not here," said peter.

"no," said caspian with a shudder. "and we must send someone to take away the bodies."

"let the vermin be flung into a pit," said peter. "but the dwarf we will give to his people to be buried in their own fashion."

they breakfasted at last in another of the dark cellars of aslan's how. it was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen, for caspian and cornelius were thinking of venison pasties, and peter and edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee, but what everyone got was a little bit of cold bear-meat (out of the boys' pockets), a lump of hard cheese, an onion, and a mug of water. but, from the way they fell to, anyone would have supposed it was delicious.

12反叛

这时候，杜鲁普金和两个男孩已经来到了通往堡垒内部的那个黑暗、狭窄的门廊。两只负责守卫的獾跳起来，一边露出雪白锋利的牙齿尖声问道：“谁在那里?”

“杜鲁普金，”小矮人回答，“我把纳尼亚的先王们从遥远的过去带到这里来了。”

獾卫士低下头来闻一闻孩子们的手。“终于来了，谢天谢地!”

“给点儿光亮，伙计们!”小矮人亲切地招呼着。

那身材比较高大的獾从门后取出一支火把。彼得将火把点燃后交给杜鲁普金。“请dlf在前面领路，”他说，“我们不熟悉这里的地形。”

杜鲁普金接过火把，领头向黑暗的通道走去。这是个阴冷、黑暗、潮湿的地方，到处都是蜘蛛网，偶尔还会飞过一只蝙蝠。孩子们自火车站的那个早晨起就一直在室外，这时不由感到好像正走入一个陷阱或者监狱。

“彼得，”爱德蒙小声说，“你看石墙上那些壁画，是不是好多年以前的?可咱们的年龄比它还大!咱们上次来的时候，这儿连石墙都还没有呢!”

“不错，”彼得说，“这使人想起了许多往事。”

小矮人继续往前走，然后向右拐，又向左拐，下几级台阶，走一段又向左拐。这时，他们看到了前面有一线光亮——门下透出的微光。同时，他们听到有说话的声音。小矮人告诉他们，堡垒的中心到了，屋里传出的讲话声好像十分愤怒，由于声音太高，屋里的人没有注意到外面有人走来。"

“我不喜欢那样高声讲话，”杜鲁普金轻声对彼得说，“咱们停一下，听他们在说些什么。”于是，他们三个人一动不动地在门外停了下来。

“你知道得很清楚，”一个声音说，(“这是国王。”小矮人轻声说。)“你问为什么那天早晨太阳升起时没有吹响号角，难道你已经忘记，杜鲁普金刚刚动身，弥若兹的军队就向我们扑来了?为了生存，我们浴血奋战，连续三个多小时。刚有喘息的机会，我就吹响了那支神奇的号。”

“这个我当然没有忘记。”这是那愤怒的声音，“那时我的部下战斗在最危险的地方，每五个小矮人中就有一个倒下去了。”“这是尼克布瑞克。”杜鲁普金小声说。

“真不害臊，矮子!”一个粗哑的声音说，(“这是特鲁佛汉特。”)“我们大家和小矮人们同样卖力，而谁都比不上凯斯宾国王陛下。”

“你爱怎么说就怎么说好了，”尼克布瑞克忿忿地说，“问题是，那号吹得太迟了。要不然就是它根本没有什么魔力。反正至今我们没有得到丝毫的帮助。你，你这伟大的教士，万能的术士，你这无所不知的家伙!你现在还指望我们对阿斯兰、对彼得国王和其他的一切抱什么希望?”

“我必须承认——我无法否认——我对那神号的效力深感失望。”有人回答道。(“那是克奈尔斯博士。”小矮人说。

“说穿了，你的宝贝没用，你的预言失灵，你现在已是山穷水尽、无计可施了。”尼克布瑞克尖刻地挖苦忠厚的博士，“那么，你最好站到一边去，看别人怎么干。这就是为什么我要——”

“凭阿斯兰的名义起誓!我们一定能够得到神灵的帮助。”特鲁佛汉特说，“耐心些，学学我们的样子。那帮助会来的，没准已经在门口了。”

“呸!”尼克布瑞克根本听不进去，“你们这些獾就知道让我们等待，等待，耐心等待，一直等到天塌下来，大家同归于尽。我告诉你们，我们不再等了。食物眼看就要吃光了。每次战斗我们都付出沉重的代价，我们的军队开始有人开小差了。”

“为什么?”特鲁佛汉特说，“我来告诉你原因吧：这是因为战士们纷纷传言，说我们已经召唤古代君王请他帮助却毫无结果。杜鲁普金临行前说(那可能就是他的遗言了)，假如你们不得已吹响那只号角，不要让部队知道其中的原委，也不要让大家知道我们的期望。结果怎样呢?就在当天晚上，一切秘密已尽人皆知。”

“闭上你的臭嘴!”尼克布瑞克恼羞成怒了，“你胆敢暗示我泄露了机密!把话收回去，否则——”

“你们两个听着，别吵了!”凯斯宾国王打断小矮人的话，“我倒想要知道，尼克布瑞克一直在暗示的是什么。你认为我们现在该怎么办，尼克布瑞克?不过在你发表高见之前，请你先告诉大家，你带到我们指挥部来的，一直竖起耳朵却紧闭嘴巴的这两个陌生人是干什么的。”

“他们是我的朋友，”尼克布瑞克说，“你本人若不是杜鲁普金和獾的朋友，又有什么资格站在这里?还有那个穿着黑袍子的混血老家伙，要不是你的朋友，他又有什么资格站在这儿?为什么惟独我不可以带自己的朋友来呢?”

“陛下是一国之君，别忘了你发过誓要效忠于他。”特鲁佛汉特严肃地提醒他。

“对，对对，君臣之礼不可逾越嘛。”尼克布瑞克嘲笑道，“可是在这个暗无天日的山洞里，我们的谈话还是坦率些好。你知道——当然，他也很清楚——如果我们一周内再不设法帮助他逃出这个险境，那么这台尔马小子还想当谁的国王?哼!那时候，他将什么也不是!”-

“或许，你的新朋友们愿意自己说些什么。”克奈尔斯说着，转向那两个陌生人，“喂，你们是谁?干什么的?”

“尊敬的博士，”这是一个尖细的、哭腔哭调的声音，“我是个可怜的老妇人，我对可敬的小矮人阁下以及他的真诚友谊感激万分。国王陛下，赞美上苍赐予你这张英俊的面孔。你完全可以不必提防我这样一个因患严重风湿病身子已缩成一团、必须借助拐杖才能行走的老妇人。我会几样微不足道的小法术——当然无法与您相比，尊敬的博士——如果在座各位允许的话，我很乐意念几段咒语，以抗击我们的敌人。因为我恨他们，相信我，没有谁比我恨得更加厉害了。”

“非常有趣，而且——呃——很令人满意。”克奈尔斯博士说，“我想现在我知道你是谁了，夫人。尼克布瑞克，也许你的另一位朋友也乐意做一番自我介绍吧?”

一个呆板的声音响了起来，彼得身上立刻起了一层鸡皮疙瘩。“我饥饿，我口渴，一旦咬住了敌人，我死也不松口。即便我那样英勇战死，也只有把我嘴里那块肉从敌人的身上割下来，与我一同埋入坟墓。一百年不吃不喝，我也死不了：在冰面上躺一百个通宵，我也冻不坏。我还能一口气饮下血水汇成的河流，肚子也撑不破。告诉我，你们的仇人在哪里。”

“你特地带这两个人来宣布你的计划，是这样吗?”凯斯宾问。

“不错，”尼克布瑞克说，“我想在他们的帮助下实施这个计划。”

下面的一两分钟里，杜鲁普金和两个男孩只听到凯斯宾和他的朋友们低声商量什么，具体内容却听不清楚。又过了一会，凯斯宾大声说道：

“好吧，尼克布瑞克，我们就来听听你的计划。”

接着是很长一段时间的沉默，直到孩子们开始怀疑那小矮人是否还打算讲话。这时，尼布瑞克开口了，他把声音压得很低，似乎连他自己都不太喜欢将要说出来的一席话。

“该说的都说了，该做的也都做了。我们大家谁都不知道古老纳尼亚究竟是真是假。杜鲁普金根本不相信那些传说，我当初倒想试一试。于是我们吹响了那只神奇的号角，结果怎样呢?假设这世上真有国王彼得与他的弟妹，那他们要么听不到我们的求援，要么无法前来，要么已经变成了我们的敌人——”

“没准他们正在路上呢?”特鲁佛汉特打断他的话。

“这话你可以一直说下去，直到弥若兹把我们大家都捉去喂他的狗。正如我方才所说，我们已经用古老传说中的一件宝物做了试验，结果全无用处。情况就是这样。俗话说，宝剑折了，还有匕首；古老传说中除了国王和女王，还有别的势力存在。我们为什么不试着求助于别的势力呢?”

“假如你是指阿斯兰，”特鲁佛汉特说，“它和古代君王们是连在一起的。他们是它的奴仆。如果它不肯派他们来——我相信它会的——它会不会亲自来呢?”

“阿斯兰和诸王是连在一起的，这一点你说对了，”尼克布瑞克说，“他们一同行动。那么，阿斯兰要么已经死了，要么不站在我们一边，或者，某种更强大的力量使它无法前来。就算它真的来了，我们又怎么知道，它肯定会是我们的朋友呢?在许多古老的传说中，它与我们小矮人的交往并不是十分友好，对有些动物来说也同样如此，不信问问野狼。话又说回来，据我所知，阿斯兰到纳尼亚只来过一次，而且呆的时间很短。我们可以不必考虑阿斯兰。我想到了另一个人。”

没人回答，足有好几分钟屋里没有一点声音，爱德蒙几平可以听到獾的呼吸。

“你说的是谁?”凯斯宾终于问道。

“我是说那个比阿斯兰威力大得多的人物。假如古老传说都是真的，那么她这个人物曾经统治了纳尼亚许多许多年。”

“白女巫!”几个声音同时惊呼道。根据屋里的响声，彼得判断有三个人忽地跳了起来。

“不错，”尼克布瑞克缓慢地、一字一顿地说，“我说的这个人就是女巫。坐下来，别像小孩一样，听到这个名字就给吓坏了。我们需要有能耐、有本事的人帮助，而这个人又必须站在我们这一边。说到能耐，古老传说不是早已告诉过我们，女巫曾经打败阿斯兰，把它捆作一团，就在这块大石头上把它杀掉了吗?”.

“可传说又告诉我们，阿斯兰为了解救爱德蒙甘愿受缚，而且后来又复活了。”獾尖锐地说。

“不错，是这么说的，”尼克布瑞克答道，“可是你有没有注意到，从那以后就很少有关它的消息了。它销声匿迹、不知去向了。这点你作何解释?是不是很可能它根本不曾复活?以后的传说不再提起它，那是因为已经无话可说了，是不是这样?”

“一个取得了辉煌胜利的英雄完全可以自立为王，用不着别人帮忙。”尼克布瑞克说。这时特鲁佛汉特发出一阵被激怒了的低沉的咆哮。

“再说，国王及其统治的结果又怎么样呢?”尼克布瑞克接着说，“他们也消失了。女巫的情况则大不一样了。传说她统治了上百年——上百个严冬。可以说，那就是能耐!那就是她与众不同之处。”

“可是，天地可以作证，传说中她从来是我们最凶恶、最危险的敌人。”凯斯宾说，难道她不是比弥若兹可怕、可憎十倍的暴君吗?”

“也许是的，”尼克布瑞克冷冷地说，“对你们人类来讲，或许她是的，假如那个时代有你们人类的话；对一些动物来说，多半也是如此——我相信，她把海狸家族打翻在地，又踏上一只脚，至少今天的纳尼亚你是见不到一只海狸了。可是，她与我们小矮人关系一直不错。我是个小矮人，我当然站在自己人的立场上说话。我们不害怕女巫。”

“但是你已经加入了我们的阵营。”特鲁佛汉特说。

“不错，可这对我的人有什么好处?谁被派遣去执行最危险的任务?我们小矮人。粮食不够吃，谁的身材变得越来越矮小?还是我们小矮人!谁……”

“胡说!全是胡说!”獾大叫起来。

“因此，”尼克布瑞克毫不理会，他把声音提到最高，“假如你们无法帮助我的人民，我就将投奔一个有这种本事的人。”

“你这是公然反叛!”凯斯宾说着抽出了宝剑。

“收起你的宝剑，凯斯宾，”尼克布瑞克毫不示弱，“想在开会的时候搞谋杀，嗯?我警告你别干蠢事!你以为我怕你?你们有三个，我们也是三个。”

“那就来吧!”特鲁佛汉特狂怒地咆哮起来，可他的话立即被打断了。

“慢着，慢着，”克奈尔斯博士说，“你讲得太快了。女巫已经死了，所有的传说都证实了这一点。尼克布瑞克还在打算向女巫求救，这是什么意思?”

那个呆板而令人毛骨悚然的声音又响了起来：“哦!真是这样?”

那尖细、哭腔哭调的声音接着说：“哇!上天保佑那颗小小的心吧，小陛下别为白夫人的生死而担忧——我们都尊称她为白夫人。可敬的博士说那话时，一定是在和我这可怜的老太婆开玩笑吧?我亲爱的博士，学识渊博的博士，女巫难道会死吗?她随时都可能出现在我们的面前。”

“呼唤她吧，我们已准备好了，”呆板的声音说，“划一个圆圈，再准备一堆蓝色的火。”

随着獾那越来越响的怒吼，随着博士大声喊出的“什么!”屋内响起了凯斯宾雷鸣般的声音：

“这就是你的计划，尼克布瑞克!用黑色的魔法去召唤那受世人诅咒的魔鬼!现在我认清你的同伴了——一个巫婆，一只人狼!”

门外的三个人接着听到里面一阵混乱，有尖声的嗥叫，还有金属的撞击。孩子们和杜鲁普金破门而入。彼得一眼看见一只面目狰狞的灰色庞然大物，一半儿是人，一半儿是狼，正疯狂地扑向一个年纪与自己差不多的少年；爱德蒙看见一只獾和一个小矮人厮打着，在地板上滚作一团；杜鲁普金则一下来到巫婆的面前。巫婆尖尖的鼻子和下巴难看地伸出面部许多，活像一把钳子，她肮脏的头发散乱地披在脸前，双手刚刚扼住了博士的脖子。杜鲁普金扬手就是一剑，巫婆的丑脑袋应声滚落在地。接着灯也被打翻了，屋里一片漆黑，只听见一阵剑击声、咬牙声、拳打声、脚踢声，大约持续了六秒钟，然后是死一样的沉寂。

“你没事吧，爱德?”

“我——我想没事，”爱德蒙松了一口气，“我逮住了那个混蛋尼克布瑞克，他还活着。”

“上帝保佑，上帝保佑!”这是杜鲁普金生气的声音，“你怎么坐在我的身上，你!还不快点起来，你简直重得像一头大象!”

“唷，是dlf?对不起，这样好些了?”

“哎，哎哎……你把靴子伸到我嘴里了!一边去吧，你!”身下的杜鲁普金使劲地蠕动着。

“凯斯宾国王在哪里?”彼得问道。

“我在这儿，”一个微弱的声音答道，“我被咬了一口。”

这时，大家听到有划火柴的声音，是爱德蒙。小小的火焰照亮了他的脸，苍白而且很脏。他四下摸索着，找到一支蜡烛(这儿早就不用油灯了，因为点灯的油都被吃了个精光)。爱德蒙把蜡烛点燃，放在桌子上，屋里顿时明亮起来。地上的人们歪歪斜斜地站起身来。六个人在烛光下互相打量着。

“看来敌人一个也没跑掉，”彼得看看地上说，“那是巫婆，死了(他赶快把目光掉向一边)。这是尼克布瑞克，也给干掉了。哈，我猜这家伙就是人狼吧。很久没看到这东西了。狼头人身，这意味着它曾是个犯下杀头之罪的囚犯，在行刑的一刹那，超生变成了狼，结果就成了这样的一个怪物。而你，如果我猜得不错，便是凯斯宾国王?”

“是的，”对面的少年回答道，“但我却不知道你是谁。”

“他就是至尊王彼得陛下。”杜鲁普金赶忙介绍说。

“欢迎你，陛下。”凯斯宾诚恳地说。

“也同样欢迎你，陛下，”彼得微笑道，“你知道，我不是来取代你的王位，而是来帮助你取得王位的。”

“陛下。”彼得身边响起一个毕恭毕敬的声音。他转过身去，看到面前正是那只勇敢忠诚的獾。彼得伸出手，拥抱了它一下，又亲了亲它那毛茸茸的面颊。彼得这个举动丝毫没有女孩子的娇柔，因为他是至尊王

“你是好样的!在最困难的时刻也不曾失去信心。”

“陛下过奖了，”特鲁佛汉特谦虚地说，“我们动物是不会变心的，何况我还是只獾。我们一如既往。”

“对尼克布瑞克，我感到十分惋惜，”凯斯宾说，“尽管第一次见面他就仇视我。长时间的苦难和仇恨扭曲了他的心灵。假如我们在短时间内就取得决定性的胜利，那么在和平时期他会变成一个很好的小矮人。”

“你在流血。”彼得望着他说。

“是的，我被那狼咬伤了。”

清洗包扎伤口花了不少时间。这一切都做完了之后，杜鲁普金说，“好啦。先不要干别的事，咱们先吃早点吧。”

“别在这儿吃。”彼得赶紧说。

“对，不能在这儿吃。”凯斯宾望着地上的尸体，不由一阵恶心，“我们必须叫人来把这些尸体搬出去。”

“把那两个家伙随便扔在一个坑里埋掉，”彼得说，

“把小矮人的尸体交给他的部下，让他们按自己的习惯来埋葬他。”

半小时之后，他们总算在隔壁房间里坐下来开始用早餐。面前的食物并不诱人：每人一小块冰凉的熊肉、一小条坚硬的乳酪、一只洋葱，还有一缸子白开水。可是，从他们那狼吞虎咽的样子来看，谁都会以为他们吃的是千载难逢的美味佳肴呢。