At that very moment, the others were washing their hands and faces in the river and were generally getting ready for dinner and a rest. The three best archers, Susan among them, had gone up into the hills north of the bay and returned laden with a pair of wild goats, which were now roasting over the fire for dinner. Caspian had ordered a cask of wine ashore, strong wine of Archenland, which had to be mixed with water before you drank it, so that there would be plenty for all. The work had gone well so far and it was a merry meal. Susan dined at Caspian's side and the two were quite contented. Only after a second helping of goat did Edmund observe, "Where's that blighter Eustace?"
Meanwhile the boy in question stared round the unknown valley. It was so narrow and deep, and the precipices which surrounded it so sheer, that it was like a huge pit or trench. The floor was grassy though strewn with rocks, and here and there Eustace saw black burnt patches like those you see on the sides of a railway embankment in a dry summer. There was, at first, nothing else at all in the valley. Not an animal, not a bird, not an insect. The sun beat down, and grim peaks and horns of mountains peered over the valley's edge.
Eustace realized of course that in the fog that he had come down the wrong side of the ridge, so he turned at once to see about getting back. But as soon as he had looked he shuddered. He had apparently had amazing luck in finding the only possible way down: a long, green spit of land, horribly steep and narrow with precipices on either side. There was no other possible way of getting back. But could he do it, now that he saw what it was really like? His head swam at the very thought of making that climb.
He turned around again, thinking that at any rate he'd better have a good drink from the pool first. But as soon as he had turned and before he had taken a step forward into the valley, he heard a noise behind him. It was only a very small noise, but it sounded loud in the immense and until then unbroken silence. Then he slewed around his neck and looked.
At the bottom of the cliff a little on his left hand was a low, dark hole, the entrance to a cave perhaps. And out of this two thin wisps of smoke were coming. And the loose stones just beneath the dark hollow were moving just as if something were crawling in the dark behind them.
In fact, something was crawling. Worse still, something was coming out. Susan, Edmund, or Lucy, or even you, would have recognized it at once. Unfortunately for Eustace, he had read none of the right books. The thing that came out of the cave was something that he had never seen before. It had a long snout, dull legs, cruel claws, bat's wings, and a very long tail. The lines of smoke were coming from its nostrils. Eustace had never said the word "dragon" to himself before. Nor would it have made him feel any better if he had.
But perhaps if he had known something about dragons, he would have been a bit surprised at this one's behavior. It did not sit up and clap its wings, nor did it shoot out a stream of flame from its mouth. The smoke from its nostrils was like the smoke from a fire that is about to go out. The old dragon did not seem to have noticed Eustace. It moved very slowly towards the pool. Even in his fear, Eustace felt that it was an old, sad creature. He wondered if he dared make a dash for the ascent. But it might look round if he made any noise. It might come more to life. Perhaps it was only shamming. Anyway, what was the use of trying to escape by climbing when the beast could fly?
It reached the pool and slid its horribly scaly chin down over the gravel to drink, but before it had drunk, there came a great croaking or clanging cry. After a few twitches and convulsions, it rolled round on its side and lay perfectly still with one claw in the air. A little dark blood gushed from its wide opened mouth. The smoke from its nostrils turned black for a moment and then floated away. No more came.
For a long time, Eustace did not dare to move. Perhaps this was the brute's trick, the way it lured travelers to their doom. But one couldn't wait forever. He took a step nearer, then two steps, and halted again. The dragon remained motionless; he noticed too that the red fire had gone out of its eyes. At last he came up to it. He was quite sure now that it was dead. With a shudder he touched it. Nothing happened.
The relief was so great that Eustace almost laughed out loud. He felt as though he had fought and killed the dragon himself. He stepped over it and went to the pool for his own drink. It was growing quite warm, and before he knew it, thunder clapped and big drops of rain were falling.
The climate of this island was a rather unpleasant one. In less than a minute Eustace was wet to the bone and blinded with such rain as one never sees in Europe. There was no use trying to climb out of the valley as long as this lasted. He bolted for the only shelter in sight – the cave.
Now, most of us know what to expect to find in a dragon's lair, but, as previously mentioned, Eustace had read the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains, but they were quite weak on dragons. That is why he was so puzzled at the surface on which he was lying. Parts of it were too prickly to be stones and too hard to be thorns. There were many round, flat things. He picked one up and brought it to the light at the mouth of the cave. Of course, Eustace found it to be what any of us could have told him in advance – treasure.
Unlike most boys, Eustace had never thought much of treasure, but he saw at once the use it would be in this new world which he had so foolishly fallen into via the picture in Susan and Lucy's bedroom. He thought of how this land had no tax, so he would be able to keep all of the money to himself. He would have quite a decent time in doing so, and wondered how much of the treasure he could carry. He shoved things up his sleeves and into his pockets. After he was finished, he decided it would be best to wait for the rain to stop. But a bad fright, once it is over, and especially a bad fright following a mountain walk, leaves you very tired. Eustace fell asleep.
By the time he was sound asleep and snoring, the others had finished their supper and were beginning to become seriously alarmed about his absence. They shouted Eustace's name until they were hoarse, and Caspian blew his horn.
"He's nowhere near, or he'll have heard that," Susan observed.
"Confounded fellow," said Edmund. "What on earth did he want to slink away like this for?"
"But we must do something," Lucy added. "He may have gotten lost, or fallen into a hole, or captured by savages."
"Or killed by wild beasts," Drinian observed.
"And good riddance, I must say," muttered Rhince.
"Master Rhince," said Reepicheep, "you never spoke a word that became you less. The creature is no friend of mine, but he is of the same blood as our two Queens and our King, and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honor to find him and avenge him if he is dead."
"Of course we're going to find him, if we can," agreed Caspian. "That's the nuisance of it. It means a search party and endless trouble. Bother Eustace."
Meanwhile, Eustace slept and slept and slept some more. What finally woke him was the pain in his arm. The moon was shining at the mouth of the cave, and the bed of treasures seemed to have grown more comfortable. He was puzzled by the pain in his arm at first, but then it occurred to him that one of the bracelets he had shoved up his sleeve had become strangely tight. His arm must have swollen while he slept.
He moved his right arm in order to feel his left, which the tightened bracelet was on, but stopped before he had moved an inch in terror. For just in front of him, and a little on his right, where the moonlight fell clear on the floor of the cave, he saw a hideous shape moving. It was a dragon's claw. It had moved as he moved his hand and had became still when he stopped moving.
"Oh, what a fool I've been," thought Eustace. "Of course, the brute had a mate and it's lying beside me."
For several minutes, he did not dare move. He saw two thin columns of smoke going up before his eyes, black against the moonlight, just as there had been smoke coming from the other dragon before it had died. This was so alarming that he held his breath. The two columns of smoke vanished. When he could hold his breath no longer, he let it out stealthily. Instantly, two jets of smoke appeared again. But even yet he had no idea of what was really going on.
Presently he decided that he would edge very cautiously to his left and try to creep out of the cave. Perhaps the beast was asleep, and this was his only chance. But of course before he edged to the left, he looked in that direction. The dragon's claw was on that side too!
No one will blame Eustace if at this moment he shed some tears. He was surprised at the size of his own tears as he saw them splashing on to the treasure in front of him. They also seemed strangely hot, with steam coming up from them.
But there was no good crying. He must try to crawl out from between the two dragons. He began extending his right arm. The dragon's foreleg and claw on his right went through exactly the same motion. Then he thought he would try his left. The dragon limb on that side moved too,
Two dragons, one on each side, mimicking whatever he did! His nerve broke and he simply made a bolt for it.
There was such a clatter and rasping and clinking of gold and grinding of stones as he rushed out of the cave that he thought they were both following him. He daren't look back. He rushed for the pool. The twisted shape of the dead dragon lying in the moonlight would have been enough to frighten anyone but now he hardly noticed it. His idea was to get into the water.
But just as he reached the pool's edge, two things happened. First of all it came over him like a thunder clap that he had been running on all fours. Secondly, as he bent towards the water, he thought for a second that yet another dragon was staring up at him from the pool. But in an instant he realized the truth. The dragon reflection was his own. There was no doubt of it.
He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep. Sleeping on a dragon's hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.
That explained everything. There had been no two dragons beside him in the cave. The claws to his right and to his left had been his own. The bracelet felt so tight on his arm because it had grown in his metamorphosis. It had sunk deep into his scaly flesh and there was a throbbing bulge on each side of it. He tore at the place with his dragon's teeth but could not get it off.
In spite of the pain his first feeling was one of relief. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore. He was a terror and no one except perhaps a brave knight would attack him now. He could get even with Caspian and Edmund…
But the moment he thought this, he realized that he didn't want to. He wanted to be friends. He wanted to get back among humans and talk and laugh and share things. He realized that he was a monster cut off from the whole human race. An appalling loneliness came over him. He began to see that the others had not really been friends at all. He began to wonder if he himself had been such a nice person as he had always supposed. He longed for their voices. He would have been grateful for a kind word even from Reepicheep.
When he though of this the poor dragon that had been Eustace lifted up its voice and wept. A powerful dragon crying its eyes out under the moon in a deserted valley is a sight and sound hardly to be imagined.
At last he decided that he would try to find his way back to the shore. He realized now that Caspian would never have sailed away and left him. And he felt sure that somehow or other he would be able to make people understand who he was.
He took a long drink and, shockingly, ate nearly all of the dead dragon. He was halfway through it before he realized what he was doing. You see, though his mind was the mind of Eustace, his tastes and his digestion were dragonish. And there is nothing a dragon likes so well as fresh dragon. That is why there are seldom more than one in the same country.
Then he turned to climb out of the valley. He begun the climb with a jump and as soon as he jumped he found that he was flying. His wings pleasantly surprised him. He rose high into the air and saw innumerable mountaintops spread out beneath him in the moonlight. He could see the bay and the Dawn Treader lying at anchor, and campfires twinkling in the woods beside the beach. From a great height he launched himself down towards them in a single glide.
Lucy was sleeping very soundly for she had sat up until the return of the search party, which was led by Caspian and had returned very late and very weary. Their news was disquieting. They had found no trace of Eustace but had found the dead dragon. They tried to make the best of it and everyone assured everyone else that it was not likely that more dragons were about. Caspian held Susan, and each took turns coming up with hopes of comforting the other. "Perhaps he hiked further than our party searched." "Maybe he is fast asleep in a tree." "He could be tucked away in some hidden cave somewhere."
Rhince thought that the dead dragon had eaten Eustace and had died from poisoning. He chose not to voice this thought allowed, however, so it went unheard, which was probably the best for morale at this point.
But later in the night Lucy was wakened, very softly, and found the whole company gathered close together and talking in whispers.
"What is it?" said Lucy, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"We must all show great constancy," Caspian was saying. "A dragon has just flown over the treetops and lighted on the beach. Yes, I am afraid it is between us and the ship. An arrows are no use against dragons," Caspian directed at Susan, who looked like she was about to ask a question.
"With your Majesty's leave," Reepicheep began.
"No, Reep, you are not to attempt a single combat with it. And unless you promise to obey me in this matter I'll have you tied up. We must just keep close watch, and as soon as it is light, go down to the beach and give it battle. I will lead. King Edmund will be on my right and Drinian on my left. Susan, I'd rather that you didn't fight, but since I know there'll be no stopping you, you can lead a second line of men. There are no other arrangements to be made. It will be light in a couple of hours. In an hour's time let a meal be served out and what is left of the wine. And let everything be done silently."
As the group disbanded, Caspian took Susan's hand and held her back. They were left alone as the group began to make preparations.
"Perhaps it will just leave," Susan mused hopefully, standing facing Caspian with both of her hands in his.
"That would be worse," was his solemn answer, "because then we shan't know where it is."
Susan smiled sadly and looked down.
"I need you to be brave, Susan," Caspian willed.
"The only thing that frightens me is the though of losing you," Susan said, looking up with tears in her eyes.
Caspian placed both hands on her face and kissed her deeply. "That isn't anything you have to worry about. I fight for you, Susan. I fight to come back to you."
Susan smiled through her tears and wrapped her arms around Caspian's neck. Caspian took her by the waste, pulling her close, and the two shared a kiss so passionate and beautiful that if anyone else had seen it, he or she would have felt extremely embarrassed and like an intruder.
The rest of the night was dreadful, and when the meal came, though they knew they ought to eat, many found they had very poor appetites. Endless hours seemed to pass before the darkness thinned and birds began chirping here and there and the world got colder and wetter than it had been all night and Caspian said, "Now for it, friends."
They all got up, with swords drawn, and formed themselves into two lines, with Lucy next to Susan in the second. Caspian turned around and gave Susan a smile and a nod, letting her know that he loved her and there was nothing to fear. Susan returned the gesture. A moment later, they were marching. It grew lighter and the came to the edge of the wood. And there, on the sand, like a giant lizard, or a flexible crocodile, or a serpent with legs (depending on how you look at it) lay the dragon.
But when it saw them, instead of rising up and blowing fire and smoke, the dragon retreated back into the shallows of the bay.
"What's it wagging it's head like that for?" asked Susan.
"And now it's nodding," observed Caspian.
"And there's something coming from its eyes," said Drinian.
"Oh, can't you see?" exclaimed Lucy. "It's crying, those are tears!"
"I shouldn't trust that," said Edmund. "That's what crocodiles do, just to put you off guard."
"It wagged its head when you said that," said Susan cautiously. "Just as if it meant 'No.' Look, there it goes again."
"Do you think it understands what we're saying?" Lucy asked.
The dragon nodded its head.
Reepicheep stepped to the front. "Dragon," came his shrill voice, "Can you understand speech?"
It nodded.
"Can you speak?"
It shook its head.
"Then it is idle to ask you your business. But if you will swear friendship with us, raise your left foreleg above your head."
It did so, but clumsily because that leg was sore and swollen with the bracelet.
"Oh, look!" cried Lucy. "There's something wrong with its' leg. The poor thing! That's probably what it was crying about. Perhaps it came to us to be cured."
"Be careful, Lucy," said Caspian. "It's a very clever dragon but it may be a liar."
Lucy had, however, already run forward, escaping from Susan, who tried to catch the back of her dress. Reepicheep followed as fast as his short legs could carry him, and soon everyone else followed as well.
"Show me your poor paw," Lucy said. "I might be able to cure it."
The dragon, that had been Eustace, held out its sore leg gladly enough, remembering how Lucy's cordial had cued him of sea-sickness before he became a dragon. But he was disappointed. The magic fluid reduced the swelling and eased the pain a bit but could not dissolve to gold.
Everyone had now crowded round to watch the treatment, and Caspian suddenly exclaimed, "Look!" He was staring at the bracelet.