THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN HIDING Now began the happiest times that Caspian had ever known. On a fine summer m when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the Badger and the two Dwarfs, up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down on to their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of Arland.
"We will go first to the Three Bulgy Bears," said Trumpkin.
They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss, and Trufflehuapped with his paw three times orunk and there was no aheapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said, "Go away. Its not time to get up yet.」
But wheapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears, very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes. And whehing had been explaio them (which took a long time because they were so sleepy) they said, just as Trufflehunter had said, that a son of Adam ought to be King of Narnia and all kissed Caspian - very wet, snuffly kisses they were - and offered him some honey. Caspian did not really want honey, without bread, at that time in the m, but he thought it polite to accept. It took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky.
After that they went on till they came among tall beech trees and Trufflehunter called out, "Pattertwig! Pattertwig! Pattertwig!" and almost at once, bounding down from branch to branch till he was just above their heads, came the most magnifit red squirrel that Caspian had ever seen. He was far bigger than the ordinary dumb squirrels which he had sometimes seen in the castle gardens; indeed he was nearly the size of a terrier and the moment you looked in his face you saw that he could talk. Ihe difficulty was to get him to stop talking, for, like all squirrels, he was a chatterer. He weled Caspian at ond asked if he would like a nut and Caspian said thanks, he would. But as Pattertwig went bounding away to fetch it, Trufflehunter whispered in Caspians ear, "Dont look. Look the other way. Its very bad manners among squirrels to watyone going to his store or to look as if you wao know where it was." Then Pattertwig came back with the nut and Caspia and after that Pattertwig asked if he could take any messages to other friends. "For I go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground," he said. Trufflehunter and the Dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave Pattertwig messages to all sorts of people with queer elling them all to e to a
feast and cil on Dang Lawn at midnight three nights ahead. "And youd better tell the three Bulgies too," added Trumpkin. "We fot to mention it to them.」
Their visit was to the Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood. Trumpkihe way back to the saddle and then dowward on the northern slope of the mountains till they came to a very solemn place among rocks and fir trees. They went very quietly and presently Caspian could feel the ground shake under his feet as if someone were hammering down below. Trumpkio a flat stone about the size of the top of a water-butt, and stamped on it with his foot. After a long pause it was moved away by someone or something underh, and there was a dark, round hole with a good deal of heat and steam ing out of it and in the middle of the hole the head of a Dwarf very like Trumpkin himself. There was a long talk here and the dwarf seemed more suspicious than the Squirrel or the Bulgy