tURES OF EUStACE  At t very moment tting ready for dinner and a rest. t arco turned laden s er before you drank it, so ty for all.  the work had

    gone  er t did Edmund say, quot; bligace?”

    Meanared round t  so s it rencreace sa patc in a dry summer.

    About fifteen yards a first, not all in t an animal, not a bird, not an  insect. t dohe valleys edge.

    Eustace realized of course t in turned at once to see about getting back. But as soon as ly  of land, eep and narroting back. But could , no  it  of it.

    urned round again, t at any rate ter . But as soon as urned and before aken a step  foro t  it  sounded loud in t immense silence. It froze ill hen  he slewed round his neck and looked.

    At ttom of ttle on  rance to a cave per of tones just beneat  as if somethem.

    Sometill, somet. Edmund or  Lucy or you  once, but Eustace  books. t came out of t, dull red eyes, no feat  trailed on t up s back like a spiders  cruel clas  made a rasping noise on tones, yards of tail. And ts trils. o  ter if he had.

    But per dragons tle surprised at t did not sit up and clap its  s out a stream of flame from its mouts nostrils   last muc seem to iced  Eustace. It moved very slooace felt t it ure. . But it mig migo life. Per was only

    s rying to escape by climbing from a  creature t could fly?

    It reacs o drink: but before it  a great croaking or clanging cry and  after a fec rolled round on its side and lay perfectly  still tle dark blood guss s nostrils turned black for a moment and ted aes trick, t lured travellers to t one couldnt   for ever. ook a step nearer, teps, and ed again. tionless; iced too t t of its eyes. At last o it. e sure no it ouc; nothing  happened.

    t t Eustace almost laug loud. o  feel as if  and killed tead of merely seeing it die. epped over it and  to t ting unbearable.  surprised ely afterhe sun  disappeared and before he had finished his drink big drops of rain were falling.

    te of t one. In less te  Eustace  to trying to climb out of ted. ed for  ter in sigried to get h.

    Most of us knoo find in a dragons lair, but, as I  said before, Eustace  to say about exports  and imports and governments and drains, but t is s of it oo prickly  to be stones and too o be to be a great many round, flat  t all clinked o  examine it by.

    And of course Eustace found it to be s, ingots, cups, plates and gems.

    Eustace (unlike most boys)  mucreasure but   once t umbled into  ture in Lucys bedroom at ;t ax ; ;And  you dont o give treasure to t. ituff I could e a decent time  sounds t pries. I  no are probably  diamonds - Ill slip t on my o. too big, but not if I pus right up here  above my elbow.

    ts s easier to let up?quot;  into a less uncomfortable part of t ly coins, and settled doo . But a bad frig is  over, and especially a bad frigain ired.  Eustace fell asleep.

    By time  ed, quot;Eustace! Eustace! Coo-ee!quot; till  they were hoarse and Caspian blew his horn.

    quot;,quot; said Lucy e face.

    quot;Confound t; said Edmund. quot; on eart to slink  ahis for?”

    quot;But  do somet; said Lucy. quot; lost, or fallen  into a ured by savages.”

    quot;Or killed by s,quot; said Drinian.

    quot;And a good riddance if ; muttered Rhince.

    quot;Master R; said Reepic;you never spoke a  became you  less. ture is no friend of mine but  concerns our o find o avenge him if he is  dead.”

    quot;Of course  to find ; said Caspian ;ts t. It means a searcy and endless trouble. Botace.”

    Mean and slept - and slept.  reasures  seemed to able: in fact  at all.  first, but presently it occurred to  t ig  was  arm).

    arm in order to feel , but stopped before  an inc error. For just in front of tle on  ,  s  ill wopped moving his hand.

    quot;O a fool Ive been,quot; t Eustace. quot;Of course, te e and its lying beside me.”

    For several minutes  dare to move a muscle.  t; just as t died. t  out stealtantly ts of smoke appeared again. But even  yet ruth.

    Presently  iously to  and try  to creep out of ture   o t. O side too.

    No one ace if at t ears.  tears as o treasure in front of rangely ; steam  up from them.

    But t try to cra from betwo  dragons.

    ending  arm. t  tly tion. t ry . t side moved too.

    t.

    tter and rasping, and clinking of gold, and grinding of  stones, as  of t  t look back. o ted s . o get into ter.

    But just as  of  all it came over  ? And secondly, as  toer,  for  a second t yet anotaring up at  of t in an instant  rution. t of it. It moved as  opened and s its mout his.

    urned into a dragon ws in , he had become a dragon himself.

    t explained everyt cla arm (or

    eye. t oo  small for tumpy foreleg of a dragon. It o . ore at teet could not get it off.

    In spite of t feeling o be afraid of any more. error  a knig all of to attack  even

    t  t   to. ed to  be friends. ed to get back among alk and laug er cut off from to see t t really been fiends at all. o wonder if eful for a kind word even from Reepicheep.

    of t ace lifted up its  voice and . A pos eyes out under ted  valley is a sigo be imagined.

    At last ry to find o t Caspian   someo make people understand who he was.

    ook a long drink and t it isnt if  you t over) e nearly all t before   ace,  astes and ion were dragonishing a dragon likes so well  as fresh dragon.

    t is wy.

    turned to climb out of t e forgotten about   surprise to  pleasant surprise ime. o tain-tops spread out beneat. reader  lying at anc   ohem in a single glide.

    Lucy ill turn of ty in  Eustace. It e and ing. trace of Eustace but  ried to make t of it and everyone  assured everyone else t t likely to , and t one   t afternoon (w) would  hardly have been killing people a very few hours before.

    quot;Unless it ate ttle brat and died of ; said  R .

    But later in t Lucy ly, and found togetalking in whispers.

    quot; is it?quot; said Lucy.

    quot;e must all s constancy,quot; Caspian ;A dragon   floree-tops and lig is bet dragons. And t at all afraid of fire.”

    quot;itys leave-quot; began Reepicheep.

    quot;No, Reepic; said t;you are not to attempt a  single combat . And unless you promise to obey me in tter Ill ied up. e must just keep close c is ligo t battle. I s to be made. It  a meal be served out and  of t everytly.”

    quot;Per ; said Lucy.

    quot;Itll be  does,quot; said Edmund, quot;because t knoo be able to see it.”

    t of t o eat, many found t tites. And endless o pass before t colder and ter t  and Caspian said, quot;No,  friends.”

    t up, all o a solid mass   ing  about and everyone felt fonder of everyone else t ordinary times. A moment  later t gre lizard, or a flexible crocodile, or a serpent he dragon.

    But ead of rising up and bloreated - you could almost say it o the  bay.

    quot;s it s  for?quot; said Edmund.

    quot;And nos nodding,quot; said Caspian.

    quot;And ts eyes,quot; said Drinian.

    quot;O you see,quot; said Lucy. quot;Its crying. tears.”

    quot;I s trust to t, Maam,quot; said Drinian. quot;ts o put you off your guard.”

    quot;It s ,quot; remarked Edmund. quot;Just as if it  meant No.

    Look, t goes again.”

    quot;Do you t understands ; asked Lucy.

    ts ly.

    Reepicepped to t.

    quot;Dragon,quot; came ;can you understand speech?”

    the dragon nodded.

    quot;Can you speak?”

    It ss head.

    quot;t; said Reepic;it is idle to ask you your business. But if you  will swear friends foreleg above your head.”

    It did so, but clumsily because t leg   quot;O; said Lucy, quot;ts leg. ts probably  . Per came to us to be cured like  in Androcles and the lion.”

    quot;Be careful, Lucy,quot; said Caspian. quot;Its a very clever dragon but it may be  a liar.”

    Lucy  as   legs could carry oo.

    quot;S; said Lucy, quot;I migo cure it.”

    t-ace  its sore leg gladly enoug  ed. ttle but it could not dissolve the gold.

    Everyone o creatment, and Caspian suddenly exclaimed, quot;Look!quot; aring at t.