CHAPTER NINE THE GREAT MEETING ON STABLE HILL

FOR a long time they could not speak nor even shed a tear. Then the Unicorn stamped the ground with his hoof，and shook his mane，and spoke．

“Sire，”he said，“there is now no need of counsel. We see that the Ape’s plans were laid deeper than we dreamed of. Doubtless he has been long in secret traffic with The Tisroc，and as soon as he had found the lion-skin he sent him word to make ready his navy for the taking of Cair Paravel and all Narnia. Nothing now remains for us seven but to go back to Stable Hill，proclaim the truth，and take the adventure that Aslan sends us. And if，by a great marvel， we defeat those thirty Calormenes who are with the Ape，then to turn again and die in battle with the far greater host of them that will soon march from Cair Paravel.”

Tirian nodded. But he turned to the children and said：“Now， friends，it is time for you to go hence into your own world. Doubtless you have done all that you were sent to do.”

“B-but we’ve done nothing，”said Jill who was shivering，not with fear exactly but because everything was so horrible．

“Nay，”said the King，“you loosed me from the tree：you glided before me like a snake last night in the wood and took Puzzle：and you，Eustace，killed your man. But you are too young to share in such a bloody end as we others must meet tonight or，it may be，three days hence. I entreat you-nay，I command you-to return to your own place. I should be put to shame if I let such young warriors fall in battle on my side.”

“No，no，no，”said Jill (very white when she began speaking and then suddenly very red and then white again.)“We won’t， I don’t care what you say. We’re going to stick with you whatever happens，aren’t we，Eustace ？”

“Yes，but there’s no need to get so worked up about it，”said Eustace who had stuck his hands in his pockets (forgetting how very odd that looks when you are wearing a mail shirt).“Because，you see，we haven’t any choice. What’s the good of talking about our going back! How ？ We’ve got no magic for doing it!”

This was very good sense but，at the moment，Jill hated Eustace for saying it. He was fond of being dreadfully matter-of-fact when other people got excited．

When Tirian realized that the two strangers could not get home (unless Aslan suddenly whisked them away)，he next wanted them to go across the Southern mountains into Archenland where they might possibly be safe. But they didn’t know their way and there was no one to send with them. Also，as Poggin said，once the Calormenes had Narnia they would certainly take Archenland in the next week or so：The Tisroc had always wanted to have these Northern countries for his own. In the end Eustace and Jill begged so hard that Tirian said they could come with him and take their chance-or，as he much more sensibly called it，“the adventure that Aslan would send them”．

The King’s first idea was that they should not go back to Stable Hill-they were sick of the very name of it by now till after dark. But the Dwarf told them that if they arrived there by daylight they would probably find the place deserted，except perhaps for a Calormene sentry. The Beasts were far too frightened by what the Ape (and Ginger) had told them about this new angry Aslan-or Tashlan-to go near it except when they were called together for these horrible midnight meetings. And Calormenes are never good woodsmen. Poggin thought that even by daylight they could easily get round to somewhere behind the stable without being seen. This would be much harder to do when the night had come and the Ape might be calling the Beasts together and all the Calormenes were on duty. And when the meeting did begin they could leave Puzzle at the back of the stable，completely out of sight，till the moment at which they wanted to produce him. This was obviously a good thing：for their only chance was to give the Narnians a sudden surprise．

Everyone agreed and the whole party set off on a new line- North-West-towards the hated Hill. The Eagle sometimes flew to and fro above them，sometimes he sat perched on Puzzle’s back. No one-not even the King himself except in some great need- car. And just as Tirian took his place，the gong stopped beating and from somewhere on his left three figures appeared. One was Rishda Tarkaan the Calormene Captain. The second was the Ape. He was holding on to the Tarkaan’s hand with one paw and kept whimpering and muttering，“Not so fast，don’t go so fast，I’m not at all well. Oh my poor head! These midnight meetings are getting too much for me. Apes aren’t meant to be up at night：It’s not as if I was a rat or a bat-oh my poor head.”On the other side of the Ape，walking very soft and stately，with his tail straight up in the air，came Ginger the Cat. They were heading for the bonfire and were so close to Tirian that they would have seen him at once if they had looked in the right direction. Fortunately they did not. But Tirian heard Rishda say to Ginger in a low voice：

“Now，Cat，to thy post. See thou play thy part well.”

“Miaow，miaow. Count on me!”said Ginger. Then he stepped away beyond the bonfire and sat down in the front row of the assembled Beasts：in the audience，as you might say．

For really，as it happened，the whole thing was rather like a theatre. The crowd of Narnians were like the people in the seats; the little grassy place just in front of the stable，where the bonfire burned and the Ape and the Captain stood to talk to the crowd， was like the stage; the stable itself was like the scenery at the back of the stage; and Tirian and his friends were like people peering round from behind the scenery. It was a splendid position. If any of them stepped forward into the full firelight，all eyes would be fixed on him at once：on the other hand，so long as they stood still in the shadow of the end-wall of the stable，it was a hundred to one against their being noticed．

Rishda Tarkaan dragged the Ape up close to the fire. The pair of them turned to face the crowd，and this of course meant that their backs were towards Tirian and his friends．

“Now，Monkey，”said Rishda Tarkaan in a low voice.“Say the words that wiser heads have put into thy mouth. And hold up thy head.”As he spoke he gave the Ape a little prod or kick from behind with the point of his toe．

“Do leave me alone，”muttered Shift. But he sat up straighter and began，in a louder voice-“Now listen，all of you. A terrible thing has happened. A wicked thing. The wickedest thing that ever was done in Narnia. And Aslan-”

“Tashlan，fool，”whispered Rishda Tarkaan．

“Tashlan I mean，of course，”said the Ape，“is very angry about it.”

There was a terrible silence while the Beasts waited to hear what new trouble was in store for them. The little party by the end-wall of the stable also held their breath. What on earth was coming now ？

“Yes，”said the Ape.“At this very moment，when the Terrible One himself is among us-there in the stable just behind me-one wicked Beast has chosen to do what you’d think no one would dare to do even if He were a thousand miles away. It has dressed itself up in a lion-skin and is wandering about in these very woods pretending to be Aslan.”