The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

shamming. Anyway, what was the use of trying to escape by climbing from a creature
that could fly?
It reached the pool and slid its horrible scaly chin down over the gravel to drink: but
before it had drunk there came from it a great croaking or clanging cry and 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. this was the
brute's trick, the way it lured travellers to their doom. But one couldn't wait for ever. 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 began to feel as if he
had fought and killed the dragon instead of merely seeing it die. He stepped over it and
went to the pool for his drink, for the heat was getting unbearable. He was not surprised
when he heard a peal of thunder. Almost immediately afterwards the sun disappeared and
before he had finished his drink big drops of rain were falling.
The climate of this island was a very unpleasant one. In less than a minute Eustace was
wet to the skin and half 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 dragon's cave. There he lay down and tried to get his breath.
Most of us know what we should expect to find in a dragon's lair, but, as I said before,
Eustace had read only the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports
and governments and drains, but they were 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, and there seemed to be a great many round, flat things, and it all
clinked when he moved. There was light enough at the cave's mouth to examine it by.
And of course Eustace found it to be what any of us could have told him in advance -
treasure. There were crowns (those were the prickly things), coins, rings, bracelets,
ingots, cups, plates and gems.
Eustace (unlike most boys) 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 stumbled into through the picture
in Lucy's bedroom at home. "They don't have any tax here," he said, "And you don't have
to give treasure to the government. With some of this stuff I could have quite a decent
time here - perhaps in Calormen. It sounds the least phoney of these countries. I wonder
how much I can carry? That bracelet now - those things in it are probably diamonds - I'll
slip that on my own wrist. Too big, but not if I push it right up here above my elbow.
Then fill my pockets with diamonds - that's easier than gold. I wonder when this infernal
rain's going to let up?" He got into a less uncomfortable part of the pile, where it was
mostly coins, and settled down to wait. But a bad fright, when once it is over, and
especially a bad fright following a mountain walk, leaves you very tired. Eustace fell
asleep.