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WHAT CASPIAN DID THERE:
Next morning the Lord Bern called his guests early, and after breakfast he
asked Caspian to order every man he had into full armour. "And above all," he
added, "let everything be as trim and scoured as if it were the morning of the
first battle in a great war between noble kings with all the world looking on."
This was done; and then in three boatloads Caspian and his people, and Bern with
a few of his, put out for Narrowhaven. The king's flag flew in the stern of his
boat and his trumpeter was with him.
When they reached the jetty at Narrowhaven, Caspian found a considerable crowd
assembled to meet them. "This is what I sent word about last night," said Bern.
"They are all friends of mine and honest people." And as soon as Caspian stepped
ashore the crowd broke out into hurrahs and shouts of, "Narnia! Narnia! Long
live the King." At the same moment - and this was also due to Bern's messengers
- bells began ringing from many parts of the town. Then Caspian caused his
banner to be advanced and his trumpet to be blown and every man drew his sword
and set his face into a joyful sternness, and they marched up the street so that
the street shook, and their armour shone (for it was a sunny morning) so that
one could hardly look at it steadily.
At first the only people who cheered were those who had been warned by Bern's
messenger and knew what was happening and wanted it to happen. But then all the
children joined in because they liked a procession and had seen very few. And
then all the schoolboys joined in because they also liked processions and felt
that the more noise and disturbance there was the less likely they would be to
have any school that morning. And then all the old women put their heads out of
doors and windows and began chattering and cheering because it was a king, and
what is a governor compared with that? And all the young women joined in for the
same reason and also because Caspian and Drinian and the rest were so handsome.
And then all the young men came to see what the young women were looking at, so
that by the time Caspian reached the castle gates, nearly the whole town was
shouting; and where Gumpas sat in the castle, muddling and messing about with
accounts and forms and rules and regulations, he heard the noise.
At the castle gate Caspian's trumpeter blew a blast and cried, "Open for the
King of Narnia, come to visit his trusty and wellbeloved servant the governor of
the Lone Islands." In those days everything in the islands was done in a
slovenly, slouching manner. Only the little postern opened, and out came a
tousled fellow with a dirty old hat on his head instead of a helmet, and a rusty
old pike in his hand. He blinked at the flashing figures before him. "Carn -
seez - fishansy," he mumbled which was his way of saying, -"You can't see his
Sufficiency"). "No interviews without 'pointments 'cept 'tween nine 'n' ten p.m.
second Saturday every month."
"Uncover before Narnia, you dog," thundered the Lord Bern, and dealt him a rap
with his gauntleted hand which sent his hat flying from his head.
"'Ere? Wot's it all about?" began the doorkeeper, but no one took any notice of
him. Two of Caspian's men stepped through the postern and after some struggling
with bars and bolts (for everything was rusty) flung both wings of the gate wide
open. Then the King and his followers strode into the courtyard. Here a number
of the governor's guards were lounging about and several more (they were mostly
wiping their mouths) came tumbling out of various doorways. Though their armour
was in a disgraceful condition, these were fellows who might have fought if they
had been led or had known what was happening; so this was the dangerous moment.
Caspian gave them no time to think.
"Where is the captain?" he asked.
"I am, more or less, if you know what I mean," said a languid and rather
dandified young person without any j armour at all.
"It is our wish," said Caspian, "that our royal visitation to our realm of the
Lone Islands should, if possible, be an occasion of joy and not of terror to our
loyal subjects. If it were not for that, I should have something to say about
the state of your men's armour and weapons. As it is, you are pardoned. Command
a cask of wine to be opened that, your men may drink our health. But at noon
tomorrow I wish to see them here in this courtyard looking like men-at-arms and
not like vagabonds. See to it on pain of our extreme displeasure."
The captain gaped but Bern immediately cried, "Three. cheers for the King," and
the soldiers, who had understood about the cask of wine even if they understood
nothing else, joined in. Caspian then ordered most of his own men to remain in
the courtyard. He, with Bern and Drinian and four others, went into the hall.
Behind a table at the far end with various secretaries about him sat his
Sufficiency, the Governor of the Lone Islands. Gumpas was a bilious-looking man
with hair that had once been red and was now mostly grey. He glanced up as the
strangers entered and then looked down at his papers saying automatically, "No
interviews without appointments except between nine and ten p.m. on second
Saturdays."
Caspian nodded to Bern and then stood aside. Bern and Drinian took a step
forward and each seized one end of the table. They lifted it, and flung it on
one side of the hall where it rolled over, scattering a cascade of letters,
dossiers, ink-pots, pens, sealing-wax and documents. Then, not roughly but as
firmly as if their hands were pincers of steel, they plucked Gumpas out of his
chair and deposited him, facing it, about four feet away. Caspian at once sat
down in the chair and laid his naked sword across his knees.
"My Lord," said he, fixing his eyes on Gumpas, "you have not given us quite the
welcome we expected. I am the King of Narnia."
"Nothing about it in the correspondence," said the governor. "Nothing in the
minutes. We have not been notified of any such thing. All irregular. Happy to
consider any applications-"
"And we are come to enquire into your Sufficiency's conduct of your office,"
continued Caspian. "There are two points especially on which I require an
explanation. Firstly I find no record that the tribute due from these Islands to
the crown of Narnia has been received for about a hundred and fifty years."
"That would be a question to raise at the Council next month," said Gumpas. "If
anyone moves that a commission of enquiry be set up to report on the financial
history of the islands at the first meeting next year, why then . . ."
"I also find it very clearly written in our laws," Caspian went on, "that if the
tribute is not delivered the whole debt has to be paid by the Governor of the
Lone Islands out of his private purse."
At this Gumpas began to pay real attention. "Oh, that's quite out of the
question," he said. "It is an economic impossibility - er - your Majesty must be
joking."
Inside, he was wondering if there were any way of getting rid of these unwelcome
visitors. Had he known that Caspian had only one ship and one ship's company
with him, he would have spoken soft words for the moment, and hoped to have them
all surrounded and killed during the night. But he had seen a ship of war sail
down the straits yesterday and seen it signalling, as he supposed, to its
consorts. He had not then known it was the King's ship for there was not wind
enough to spread the flag out and make the golden lion visible, so he had waited
further developments. Now he imagined that Caspian had a whole fleet at
Bernstead. It would never have occurred to Gumpas that anyone would walk into
Narrowhaven to take the islands with less than fifty men; it was certainly not
at all the kind of thing he could imagine doing himself.
"Secondly," said Caspian, "I want to know why you have permitted this abominable
and unnatural traffic in slaves to grow up here, contrary to the ancient custom
and usage of our dominions."
"Necessary, unavoidable," said his Sufficiency. "An essential part of the
economic development of the islands, I assure you. Our present burst of
prosperity depends on it."
"What need have you of slaves?"
"For export, your Majesty. Sell 'em to Calormen mostly; and we have other
markets. We are a great centre of the trade."
"In other words," said Caspian, "you don't need them. Tell me what purpose they
serve except to put money into the pockets of such as Pug?"
"Your Majesty's tender years," said Gumpas, with what was meant to be a fatherly
smile, "hardly make it possible that you should understand the economic problem
involved. I have statistics, I have graphs, I have-"
"Tender as my years be," said Caspian, "I believe I understand the slave trade
from within quite as well as your Sufficiency. And I do not see that it brings
into the islands meat or bread or beer or wine or timber or cabbages or books or
instruments of music or horses or armour or anything else worth having. But
whether it does or not, it must be stopped."
"But that would be putting the clock back," gasped the governor. "Have you no
idea of progress, of development?"
"I have seen them both in an egg," said Caspian. "We call it `Going Bad' in
Narnia. This trade must stop."
"I can take no responsibility for any such measure," said Gumpas.
"Very well, then," answered Caspian, "we relieve you of your office. My Lord
Bern, come here." And before Gumpas quite realized what was happening, Bern was
kneeling with his hands between the King's hands and taking the oath to govern
the Lone Islands in accordance with the old customs, rights, usages and laws of
Narnia. And Caspian said, "I think we have had enough of governors," and made
Bern a Duke, the Duke of the Lone Islands.
"As for you, my Lord," he said to Gumpas, "I forgive you your debt for the
tribute. But before noon tomorrow you and yours must be out of the castle, which
is now the Duke's residence."
"Look here, this is all very well," said one of Gumpas's secretaries, "but
suppose all you gentlemen stop playacting and we do a little business. The
question before us really is-"
"The question is," said the Duke, "whether you and the rest of the rabble will
leave without a flogging or with one. You may choose which you prefer."
When all this had been pleasantly settled, Caspian ordered horses, of which
there were a few in the castle, though very ill-groomed and he, with Bern and
Drinian and a few others, rode out into the town and made for the slave market.
It was a long low building near the harbour and the scene which they found going
on inside was very much like any other auction; that is to say, there was a
great crowd and Pug, on a platform, was roaring out in a raucous voice:
"Now, gentlemen, lot twenty-three. Fine Terebinthian agricultural labourer,
suitable for the mines or the galleys. Under twenty-five years of age. Not a bad
tooth in his head. Good, brawny fellow. Take off his shirt, Tacks, and let the
gentlemen see. There's muscle for you! Look at the chest on him. Ten crescents
from the gentleman in the corner. You must be joking, sir. Fifteen! Eighteen!
Eighteen is bidden for lot twenty-three. Any advance on eighteen? Twenty-one.
Thank you, sir. Twenty-one is bidden-"
But Pug stopped and gaped when he saw the mail-clad figures who had clanked up
to the platform.
"On your knees, every man of you, to the King of Narnia," said the Duke.
Everyone heard the horses jingling and stamping outside and many had heard some
rumour of the landing and the events at the castle. Most obeyed. Those who did
not were pulled down by their neighbours. Some cheered.
"Your life is forfeit, Pug, for laying hands on our royal person yesterday,"
said Caspian. "But your ignorance is pardoned. The slave trade was forbidden in
all our dominions quarter of an hour ago. I declare every slave in this market
free."
He held up his hand to check the cheering of the slaves and went on, "Where are
my friends?"
"That dear little gel and the nice young gentleman?" said Pug with an
ingratiating smile. "Why, they were snapped up at once-"
"We're here, we're here, Caspian," cried Lucy and Edmund together and, "At your
service, Sire," piped Reepicheep from another corner. They had all been sold but
the men who had bought them were staying to bid for other slaves and so they had
not yet been taken away. The crowd parted to let the three of them out and there
was great handclasping and greeting between them and Caspian. Two merchants of
Calormen at once approached. The Calormen have dark faces and long beards. They
wear flowing robes and orange-coloured turbans, and they are a wise, wealthy,
courteous, cruel and ancient people. They bowed most politely to Caspian and
paid him long compliments, all about the fountains of prosperity irrigating the
gardens of prudence and virtue - and things like that - but of course what they
wanted was the money they had paid.
"That is only fair, sirs," said Caspian. "Every man who has bought a slave today
must have his money back. Pug, bring out your takings to the last minim." (A
minim is the fortieth part of a crescent.)
"Does your good Majesty mean to beggar me?" whined Pug.
"You have lived on broken hearts all your life," said Caspian, "and if you are
beggared, it is better to be a beggar than a slave. But where is my other
friend?"
"Oh him?" said Pug. "Oh take him and welcome. Glad to have him off my hands.
I've never seen such a drug in the market in all my born days. Priced him at
five crescents in the end and even so nobody'd have him. Threw him in free with
other lots and still no one would have him. Wouldn't touch him. Wouldn't look at
him. 'Packs, bring out Sulky."
Thus Eustace was produced, and sulky he certainly looked; for though no one
would want to be sold as a slave, it is perhaps even more galling to be a sort
of utility slave whom no one will buy. He walked up to Caspian and said, "I see.
As usual. Been enjoying yourself somewhere while the rest of us were prisoners.
I suppose you haven't even found out about the British Consul. Of course not."
That night they had a great feast in the castle of Narrowhaven and then,
"Tomorrow for the beginning of our real adventures!" said Reepicheep when he had
made his bows to everyone and went to bed. But it could not really be tomorrow
or anything like it. For now they were preparing to leave all known lands and
seas behind them and the fullest preparations had to be made. The Dawn Treader
was emptied and drawn on land by eight horses over rollers and every bit of her
was gone over by the most skilled shipwrights. Then she was launched again and
victualled and watered as full as she could hold - that is to say for
twenty-eight days. Even this, as Edmund noticed with disappointment, only gave
them a fortnight's eastward sailing before they had to abandon their quest.
While all this was being done Caspian missed no chance of questioning all the
oldest sea captains whom he could find in Narrowhaven to learn if they had any
knowledge or even any rumours of land further to the east. He poured out many a
flagon of the castle ale to weather-beaten men with short grey beards and clear
blue eyes, and many a tall yarn he heard in return. But those who seemed the
most truthful could tell of no lands beyond the Lone Islands, and many thought
that if you sailed too far east you would come into the surges of a sea without
lands that swirled perpetually round the rim of the world - "And that, I reckon,
is where your Majesty's friends went to the bottom." The rest had only wild
stories of islands inhabited by headless men, floating islands, waterspouts, and
a fire that burned along the water. Only one, to Reepicheep's delight, said,
"And beyond that, Aslan country. But that's beyond the end of the world and you
can't get there." But when they questioned -him he could only say that he'd
heard it from his father.
Bern could only tell them that he had seen his six companions sail away eastward
and that nothing had, ever been heard of them again. He said this when he and
Caspian were standing on the highest point of Avra looking down on the eastern
ocean. "I've often been up here of a morning," said the Duke, "ands seen the sun
come up out of the sea, and sometimes it looked as if it were only a couple of
miles away. And I've wondered about my friends and wondered what there really is
behind that horizon. Nothing, most likely, yet I am always half ashamed that I
stayed behind. But I wish your Majesty wouldn't go. We may need your help here.
This closing the slave market might make a new world; war with Calormen is what
I foresee. My liege, think again."
"I have an oath, my lord Duke," said Caspian. "And anyway, what could I say to
Reepicheep?"
