Headscratchers / The Horse and His Boy

• At the very end of the book, we are told of the legend of Corin Thunder-Fist defeating the Lapsed Bear of Stormness in a 33 round "boxing match". The author defines "lapsed" as in the Talking Bear "going back to Wild Bear habits", which I believe we can safely presume entails preying on weaker creatures for food, whether they are sentient or not. It's not made clear in this short passage whether or not the Lapsed Bear lost his sentience and ability to speak (which is what is supposed to befall any Talking Beast that goes back to their savage ways, as decreed at the beginning of Recorded Time by Aslan Himself), nor what is meant by the statement that after losing the fight the bear "became a reformed character". Presumably he stopped hunting other creatures, but if he did lose his sentience, was it restored by Aslan? Or is the bear still witless and speechless (not to mention virtually blind), but now a vegetarian?
  • I'd say he didn't go all the way back, more like he just started indulging in bad habits. After Corin took him, he realised he better smarten up.

• Does it seem odd to anyone else that the Narnians got away with their plan? They were able to spend an entire day loading their ship under guise of preparing to host a banquet and no one thought "Hey, it looks like they're going to cut and run"?
  • Presumably Susan made a good show of being a perfect lady and appealing to Rabadash's bashfulness. If he was that convinced this beautiful queen (and Susan is said to be a famous beauty when she grows up) was into him, he'd probably be willing to believe the banquet was all they were doing.
  • Rabadash is also arrogant. He'd never believe anyone would dare to pull the wool over his eyes like that.
  • Also, when Mr. Tumnus first thinks of the plan, someone says that loading their ship is exactly what the Calormenes would expect them to do if they're really going to hold a banquet.
  • On second reading, it looks like the Tisroc might have seen through it but decided to let them go. When Rabadash first notices the ship gone, his father delays him by suggesting they may have just moved to a better spot to anchor; hence the temper tantrum which Aravis and Lasaraleen witness in the Old Palace.