CHAPTER THREE
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THE LONE ISLANDS "LAND in sight," shouted the man in the bows.Lucy, who had been talking to Rhin the poop, came pattering down the ladder and raced forward. As she went she was joined by Edmund, and they found Caspian, Drinian and Reepicheep already on the forecastle. It was a coldish m, the sky very pale and the sea very dark blue with little white caps of foam, and there, a little way off oarboard bow, was the of the Lone Islands, Felimath, like a low green hill in the sea, and behind it, further off, the grey slopes of its sister Doorn.
"Same old Felimath! Same old Doorn," said Lucy, clapping her hands. "Oh - Edmund, how long it is since you and I saw them last!”
"Ive never uood why they belong to Narnia," said Caspian. "Did Peter the High King quer them?”
"Oh no," said Edmund. "They were Narnian before our time - in the days of the White Witch.”
(By the way, I have never yet heard how these remote islands became attached to the of Narnia; if I ever do, and if the story is at all iing, I may put it in some other book.)
"Are we to put in here, Sire?" asked Drinian.
"1 shouldnt think it would be much good landing on Felimath," said Edmund. "It was almost uninhabited in our days and it looks as if it was the same still. The people lived mostly on Doorn and a little on Avra - thats the third one; you t see it yet. They only kept sheep on Felimath.”
"Then well have to double that cape, I suppose," said Drinian, "and land on Doorn.
Thatll mean rowing.”
"Im sorry were not landing on Felimath," said Lucy. "Id like to walk there again. It was so lonely - a nice kind of loneliness, and all grass and clover and soft sea air.”
"Id love to stretch my legs now too," said Caspian. "I tell you what. Why shouldnt we go ashore in the boat and send it back, and then we could walk across Felimath ahe Dawn Treader pick us up oher side?”
If Caspian had been as experiehen as he became later on i<mark></mark>n this voyage he would not have made this suggestion; but at the moment it seemed an excellent one. "Oh do lets," said Lucy.
"Youll e, will you?" said Caspian to Eustace, who had e on deck with his hand bandaged.
"Anything to get off this blasted boat," said Eustace.
"Blasted?" said Drinian. "How do you mean?”
"In a civilized try like where I e from," said Eustace, "the ships are so big that when youre inside you wouldnt know you were at sea at all.”
"In that case you might just as well stay ashore," said Caspian. "Will you tell them to lower the boat, Drinian.”
The King, the Mouse, the two Pevensies, aace all got into the boat and were pulled to the beach of Felimath. When the boat had left them and was being rowed back they all turned and looked round. They were surprised at how small the Dawn Treader looked.
Lucy was of course barefoot, having kicked off her shoes while swimming, but that is no hardship if one is going to walk on downy turf. It was delightful to be ashain and to smell the earth and grass, even if at first the ground seemed to be pitg up and down like a ship, as it usually does for a while if one has been at sea. It was much warmer here than it had been on board and Lucy found the sand pleasant to her feet as they crossed it.
There was a lark singing.
They struland and up a fairly steep, though low, hill. At the top of course they looked back, and there was the Dawn Treader shining like a great bright i and crawling slowly north-westward with her oars. Then they went over the ridg<var></var>e and could see her no longer.
Doom now lay before them, divided from Felimath by a el about a mile wide; behind it and to the left lay Avra. The little white town of Narrowhaven on Doorn was easily seen.
"Hullo! Whats this?" said Edmund suddenly.
In the green valley to which they were desding six or seven rough- looking men, all armed, were sitting by a tree.
"Dohem who we are," said Caspian.
"And pray, your Majesty, why not?" said Reepicheep who had seo ride on Lucys shoulder.
"It just occurred to me," replied Caspian, "that no one here have heard from Narnia for a long time. Its just possible they may not still aowledge our over-lordship. In which case it might not be quite safe to be known as the King.”
"We have our swords, Sire," said Reepicheep.
"Yes, Reep, I know we have," said Caspian. "But if it is a question of re- quering the three islands, Id prefer to e back with a rather larger army.”
By this time they were quite close to the strangers, one of whom - a big black-haired fellow - shouted out, "A good m to you.”
"And a good m to you," said Caspian. "Is there still a Governor of the Lone Islands?”
"To be sure there is," said the man, "Governumpas. His Sufficy is at Narrowhaven. But youll stay and drink with us.”
Caspian thanked him, though her he nor the others much liked the look of their new acquaintance, and all of them sat down. But hardly had they raised their cups to their lips when the black-haired man o his panions and, as quick as lightning, all the five visitors found themselves ed in strong arms. There was a moments struggle but all the advantages were on one side, and soon everyone was disarmed and had their hands tied behind their backs except Reepicheep, writhing in his captrip and biting furiously.
"Careful with that beast, Tacks," said the Leader. "Dont damage him. Hell fetch the best price of the lot, I shouldnt wonder.”
"Coward! Poltroon!" squeaked Reepicheep. "Give me my sword and free my paws if you dare.”
"Whew!" whistled the slave mert (for that is what he was). "It talk! Well I never did. Blowed if I take less than two hundred crests for him." The en crest, which is the chief in those parts, is worth about a third of a pound.
"So thats what you are," said Caspian. "A kidnapper and slaver. I hope youre proud of it.”
"Now, now, now, now," said the slaver. "Dont you start any jaw. The easier you take it, the pleasanter all round, see? I dont do this for fun. Ive got my living to make same as anyone else.”
"Where will you take us?" asked Lucy, getting the words out with some difficulty.
"Over to Narrowhaven," said the slaver. "For market day tomorrow.”
"Is there a British sul there?" asked Eustace.
"Is there a which?" said the man.
But long before Eustace was tired to explain, the slaver simply said, "Well, Ive had enough of this jabber. The Mouse is a fair treat but this one would talk the hind leg off a donkey. Off we go, mates.”
Then the four human prisoners were roped together, not cruelly but securely, and made to march down to the shore. Reepicheep was carried. He had stopped biting on a threat of having his mouth tied up, but he had a great deal to say, and Lucy really wondered how any man could bear to have the things said to him which were said to the slave dealer by the Mouse. But the slave dealer, far from objeg, only said "Go on" whenever Reepicheep paused for breath, occasionally adding, "Its as good as a play," or, "Blimey, you t help almost thinking it knows what its saying!" or "Was it one of you what trai?" This so infuriated Reepicheep that in the end the number of things he thought of saying all at onearly suffocated him and he became silent.
When they got down to the shore that looked towards Doorn they found a little village and a long-boat on the bead, lying a little further out, a dirty bedraggled looking ship.
"Now, youngsters," said the slave dealer, "lets have no fuss and then youll have nothing to cry about. All aboard.”
At that moment a fine-looking bearded man came out of one of the houses (an inn, I think) and said: "Well, Pug. More of your usual wares?”
The slaver, whose name seemed to be Pug, bowed very low, and said in a wheedling kind of voice, "Yes, please your Lordship.”
"How much do you want for that boy?" asked the other, pointing to Caspian.
"Ah," said Pug, "I knew your Lordship would pi the best. No deceiving your Lordship with anything sed rate. That boy, now, Ive taken a fancy to him myself. Got kind of fond of him, I have. Im that tender-hearted I didnt ever ought to have taken up this job. Still, to a er like your Lordship-”
"Tell me your price, carrion," said the Lord sternly. "Do you think I want to listen to the rigmarole of your filthy trade?”
"Three hundred crests, my Lord to your honourable Lordship, but to anyone else -”
"Ill give you a hundred and fifty.”
"Oh please, please," broke in Lucy. "Dont separate us, whatever you do. You dont know -" But theopped for she saw that Caspian didnt even now want to be known.
"A hundred and fifty, then," said the Lord. "As for you, little maiden, I am sorry I ot buy you all. Unrope my boy, Pug. And look - treat these others well while they are in your hands or itll be the worse for you.”
"Well!" said Pug. "Now who ever heard of a gentleman in my way of business who treated his stock better than what I do? Well? Why, I treat em like my own childen.”
"Thats likely enough to be true," said the rimly.
The dreadful moment had now e. Caspian was untied and his new master said, "This way, lad," and Lucy burst into tears and Edmund looked very blank. But Caspian looked over his shoulder and said, "Cheer up. Im sure it will e all right in the end. So long.”
"Now, missie," said Pug. "Dont you start taking on and spoiling your looks for the market tomorrow. You be a good girl and then you wont have nothing to cry about, see?”
Then they were rowed out to the slave-ship and taken below into a long, rather dark plaooo , where they found many other unfortunate prisoners; f was of course a pirate and had just returned from cruising among the islands and capturing what he could. The children did anyone whom they khe prisoners were mostly Galmians and Terebinthians. And there they sat iraw and wondered what was happening to Caspian and tried to stop Eustace talking as if everyone except himself was to blame.
Meanwhile Caspian was having a much more iing time. The man who had bought him led him down a little laween two of the village houses and so out into an open place behind the village. Theurned and faced him.
"You be afraid of me, boy," he said. "Ill treat you well. I bought you for your face. You reminded me of someone." "May I ask of whom, my Lord?" said Caspian.
"You remind me of my master, King Caspian of Narnia.”
Then Caspian decided to risk everything oroke.
"My Lord," he said, "I am your master. I am Caspian King of Narnia.”
"You make very free," said the other. "How shall I know this is true?”
"Firstly by my face," said Caspian. "Sedly because I know within six guesses who you are. You are one of those seven lords of Narnia whom my Uncle Miraz sent to sea and whom I have e out to look for - Argoz, Bern, Octesiaimar, Mavramorn, or - or - I have fottehers. And finally, if your Lordship will give me a sword I will prove on any mans body in battle that I am Caspian the son of Caspian, lawful King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands.”
"By heaven," exclaimed the man, "it is his fathers very void trick of speech. My liege - your Majesty -" And there in the field he k and kissed the Kings hand.
"The moneys your Lordship disbursed for our person will be made good from our own treasury," said Caspian.
"Theyre not in Pugs purse yet, Sire," said the Lord Bern, for he it was. "And never will be, I trust. I have moved his Sufficy the Governor a huimes to crush this vile traffi mans flesh.”
"My Lord Bern," said Caspian, "we must talk of the state of these Islands. But first what is your Lordships own story?”
"Short enough, Sire," said Bern. "I came thus far with my six fellows, loved a girl of the islands, a I had had enough of the sea. And there was no purpose iurning to Narnia while your Majestys uncle held the reins. So I married and have lived here ever since.”
"And what is this governor, this Gumpas, like? Does he still aowledge the King of Narnia for his lord?”
"In words, yes. All is done in the Kings name. But he would not be best pleased to find a real, live King of Narnia ing in upon him. And if your Majesty came before him alone and unarmed - well he would not deny his allegiance, but he would pretend to disbelieve you. Yraces life would be in danger. What following has your Majesty in these waters?”
"There is my ship just rounding the point," said Caspian. "We are about thirty swords if it came to fighting. Shall we not have my ship in and fall upon Pug and free my friends whom he holds captive?”
"Not by my sel," said Bern. "As soon as there was a fight two or three ships would put out from Narrowhaven to rescue Pug. Your Majesty must work by a show of more power than you really have, and by the terror of the Kings must not e to plain battle. Gumpas is a chi-hearted man and be over-awed.”
After a little more versation Caspian and Bern walked down to the coast a little west of the village and there Caspian winded his horn. (This was not the great magic horn of Narnia, Queen Susans Horn: he had left that at home for his regent Trumpkin to use if any great need fell upon the land in the Kings absence.) Drinian, who was on the look-out for a signal, reized the royal horn at ond the Dawn Treader began standing in to shore. Then the boat put off again and in a few moments Caspian and the Lord Bern were on deck explaining the situation to Drinian. He, just like Caspian, wao lay the Dawn Treader alongside the slave-ship at ond board her, but Bern made the same obje.
"Steer straight down this el, captain," said Bern, "and then round to Avra where my owes are. But first run up the Kings banner, hang out all the shields, and send as mao the fighting top as you . And about five bowshots hence, when you get open sea on your port bow, run up a few signals.”
"Signals? To whom?" said Drinian.
"Why, to all the other ships we havent got but which it might be well that Gumpas thinks we have.”
"Oh, I see," said Drinian rubbing his hands. "And theyll read nals. What shall I say? Whole fleet round the South of Avra and assemble at -?”
"Bernstead," said the Lord Bern. "Thatll do excellently. Their whole journey - if there were any ships What Caspian did there would be out of sight from Narrowhaven.”
Caspian was sorry for the others languishing in the hold of Pugs slave- ship, but he could not help finding the rest of that day enjoyable. Late iernoon (for they had to do all by oar), having turo starboard round the northeast end of Doorn and pain
round the point of Avra, they entered into a good harbour on Avras southern shore where Berns pleasant lands sloped down to the waters edge. Berns people, many of whom they saw w in the fields, were all freemen and it py and prosperous fief. Here they all went ashore and were royally feasted in a low, pillared house overlooking the bay. Bern and his gracious wife and merry daughters made them good cheer. But after dark Ber a messenger over by boat to Doorn to order some preparations (he did not say exactly what) for the following day.
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