The Hill of the Stone Table is a landmark in South Narnia, visible from the cottage where the Dwarfs shelter Shasta. Its appearance in Duffle’s account gives Shasta a first geographical point of reference in the country he has reached, placing the cottage within a larger landscape that he has yet to explore.

Location and Description

Duffle identifies the Hill of the Stone Table while showing Shasta the lie of the land from the cottage. From their vantage point, the hill is the rounded height on the right; the Western Mountains are visible in the opposite direction, beyond the nearer hills. The description establishes the hill through its shape and position in the view, rather than through any account of what happens upon it.

Place in Shasta’s Arrival

The landmark enters the narrative during a pause in Shasta’s journey. After a night on the road, he has eaten breakfast with the Dwarfs and sits outside while Duffle begins to explain the surrounding country. Before the explanation can continue beyond the hill, Shasta falls asleep from exhaustion. The hill is therefore introduced as part of a welcoming but still unfamiliar landscape: the Dwarfs offer him a view and orientation, while his weariness interrupts the lesson.

Narrative Significance

The Hill of the Stone Table anchors the scene in South Narnia and enlarges the reader’s sense of the world beyond the cottage. Its brief introduction is tied to Shasta’s transition from flight to temporary rest: he has arrived among people who can show him the land, but he is not yet ready to take it in. The passage identifies the landmark and its place in the panorama without describing its history or assigning it a further role in this scene.