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"OH-my-father-and-oh-the-delight-of-my-eyes, " began the young man, muttering the words very quickly and sulkily and not at all as if the Tisroc were the delight of his eyes."May you live forever, but you have utterly destroyed me. If you had given me the swiftest of the galleys at sunrise when I first saw that the ship of the accursed barbarians was gone from her place I would perhaps have overtaken them. But you persuaded me to send first and see if they had not merely moved round the point into better anchorage . And now the whole day has been wasted. And they are gone-gone-out of my reach ! The false jade, the—"and here he added a great many descriptions of Queen Susan which would not look at all nice in print. For of course this young man was Prince Rabadash and of course the false jade was Susan of Narnia.
"Compose yourself, O my son," said the Tisroc. "For the departure of guests makes a wound that is easily healed in the heart of a judicious host."
"But I want her," cried the Prince."I must have her. I shall die if I do not get her-false, proud, black-hearted daughter of a dog that she is ! I can not sleep and my food has no savour and my eyes are darkened because of her beauty. I must have the barbarian queen."
"How well it was said by a gifted poet," observed the Vizier, raising his face (in a somewhat dusty condition) from the carpet, "that deep draughts from the fountain of reason are desirable in order to extinguish the fire of youthful love."
This seemed to exasperate the Prince."Dog," he shouted, directing a series of well-aimed kicks at the hindquarters of the Vizier,"do not dare to quote the poets to me.I have had maxims and verses flung at me all day and I can endure them no more."I am afraid Aravis did not feel at all sorry for the Vizier.
The Tisroc was apparently sunk in thought, but when, after a long pause,he noticed what was happening,he said tranquilly:
"My son, by all means desist from kicking the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden in a dung-hill, so old age and discretion are to be respected even in the vile persons of our subjects. Desist therefore, and tell us what you desire and propose."
"I desire and propose,O my father," said Rabadash, "that you immediately call out your invincible armies and invade the thrice-accursed land of Narnia and waste it with fire and sword and add it to your illimitable empire,killing their High King and all of his blood except the queen Susan.For I must have her as my wife, though she shall learn a sharp lesson first."
"Understand, O my son," said the Tisroc, "that no words you can speak will move me to open war against Narnia."
"If you were not my father, O ever-living Tisroc,"said the Prince, grinding his teeth,.I should say that was the word of a coward."
"And if you were not my son, O most inflammable Rabadash," replied his father,"your life would be short and your death slow when you had said it."(The cool, placid voice in which he spoke these words made Aravis' s blood run cold.)
"But why, O my father,"said the Prince-this time in a much more respectful voice,.why should we think twice about punishing Narnia any more than about hanging an idle slave or sending a worn-out horse to be made into dog' smeat ? It is not the fourth size of one of your least provinces. A thousand spears could conquer it in five weeks. It is an unseemly blot on the skirts of your empire."
"Most undoubtedly,"said the Tisroc..These little barbarian countries that call themselves free (which is as much as to say, idle, disordered,and unprofitable) are hateful to the gods and to all persons of discernment."
"Then why have we suffered such a land as Narnia to remain thus long unsubdued ?"
"Know, O enlightened Prince."said the Grand Vizier, "that until the year in which your exalted father began his salutary and unending reign,the land of Narnia was covered with ice and snow and was moreover ruled by a most powerful enchantress."
"This I know very well, O loquacious Vizier,"answered the Prince..But I know also that the enchantress is dead. And the ice and snow have vanished,so that Narnia is now wholesome, fruitful,and delicious."
"And this change, O most learned Prince, has doubtless been brought to pass by the powerful incantations of those wicked persons who now call themselves kings and queens of Narnia."
.I am rather of the opinion,"said Rabadash,.that it has come about by the alteration of the stars and the operation of natural causes."
.All this,"said the Tisroc,.is a question for the disputations of learned men.I will never believe that so great an alteration, and the killing of the old enchantress,were effected without the aid of strong magic.And such things are to be expected in that land, which is chiefly inhabited by demons in the shape of beasts that talk like men, and monsters that are half man and half beast. It is commonly reported that the High King of Narnia (whom may the gods utterly reject) is supported by a demon of hideous aspect and irresistible maleficence who appears in the shape of a Lion. Therefore the attacking of Narnia is a dark and doubtful enterprise, and I am determined not to put my hand out farther than I can draw it back."
"How blessed is Calormen," said the Vizier, popping up his face again,.on whose ruler the gods have been pleased to bestow prudence and circumspection !Yet as the irrefutable and sapient Tisroc has said it is very grievous to be constrained to keep our hands off such a dainty dish as Narnia. Gifted was that poet who said-"but at this point Ahoshta noticed an impatient movement of the Prince' s toe and became suddenly silent.
"It is very grievous,"said the Tisroc in his deep, quiet voice."Every morning the sun is darkened in my eyes, and every night my sleep is the less refreshing, because I remember that Narnia is still free."
"O my father,"said Rabadash."How if I show you a way by which you can stretch out your arm to take Narnia and yet draw it back unharmed if the attempt prove unfortunate ?"
"If you can show me that, O Rabadash,""aid the Tisroc,"you will be the best of sons."
"Hear then, O father. This very night and in this hour I will take but two hundred horse and ride across the desert. And it shall seem to all men that you know nothing of my going. On the second morning I shall be at the gates of King Lune's castle of Anvard in Archenland. They are at peace with us and unprepared and I shall take Anvard before they have bestirred themselves. Then I will ride through the pass above Anvard and down through Narnia to Cair Paravel. The High King will not be there;when I left them he was already preparing a raid against the giants on his northern border. I shall find Cair Paravel, most likely with open gates, and ride in. I shall exercise prudence and courtesy and spill as little Narnian blood as I can. And what then remains but to sit there till the Splendour Hyaline puts in, with Queen Susan on board, catch my strayed bird as she sets foot ashore, swing her into the saddle, and then, ride, ride,ride back to Anvard ?"
"But is it not probable, O my son, " said the Tisroc, "that at the taking of the woman either King Edmund or you will lose his life ?"
"They will be a small company," said Rabadash,"and I will order ten of my men to disarm and bind him: restraining my vehement desire for his blood so that there shall be no deadly cause of war between you and the High King."
"And how if the Splendour Hyaline is at Cair Paravel before you ?"
"I do not look for that with these winds, O my father. "
