《能言馬與男孩》第二章 沿途遇險

CHAPTER TWO A WAYSIDE ADVENTURE

第二章　沿途遇險

IT was nearly noon on the following day when Shasta was wakened by something warm and soft moving over his face. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the long face of a horse; its nose and lips were almost touching his. He remembered the exciting events of the previous night and sat up. But as he did so he groaned.

第二天快到中午的時候，沙斯塔是被一個舔他臉的熱熱軟軟的東西驚醒的。他張開眼睛，看到一張長長的馬臉，而它的鼻子和嘴唇都快貼到他臉上去了。他這才想起昨晚種種驚險刺激的遭遇，于是連忙坐了起來。但他才動了一下，就忍不住發(fā)出一聲呻吟。

"Ow, Bree," he gasped."I'm so sore.All over.I can hardly move."

“噢，布里，”他喘著氣說，“好痛喔。我全身都在發(fā)疼。根本動不了。”

"Good morning, small one," said Bree. "I was afraid you might feel a bit stiff. It can't be the falls. You didn't have more than a dozen or so, and it was all lovely, soft springy turf that must have been almost a pleasure to fall on. And the only one that might have been nasty was broken by that gorse bush. No, it' s the riding itself that comes hard at first. What about breakfast ? I' ve had mine."

“早安，小家伙，”布里說，“恐怕你會覺得肌肉有些痛。但不會是摔傷。你也不過摔了十多次，而且全都是跌到又厚又軟的美麗草地上，摔在上面簡直是種享受呢。唯一摔得最嚴重的那次，也只是掉到一叢金雀花灌木上，絕不是摔傷。剛學騎馬，難免會吃些苦頭。要不要吃點兒早餐?我已經(jīng)吃飽了。”

"Oh bother breakfast.Bother everything," said Shasta."I tell you I can't move. " But the horse nuzzled at him with its nose and pawed him gently with a hoof till he had to get up. And then he looked about him and saw where they were. Behind them lay a little copse. Before them the turf, dotted with white flowers, sloped down to the brow of a cliff. Far below them, so that the sound of the breaking waves was very faint, lay the sea. Shasta had never seen it from such a height and never seen so much of it before, nor dreamed how many colours it had. On either hand the coast stretched away, headland after headland, and at the points you could see the white foam running up the rocks but making no noise because it was so far off. There were gulls flying overhead and the heat shivered on the ground;it was a blazing day. But what Shasta chiefly noticed was the air. He couldn't think what was missing, until at last he realized that there was no smell of fish in it. For of course, neither in the cottage nor among the nets, had he ever been away from that smell in his life. And this new air was so delicious, and all his old life seemed so far away, that he forgot for a moment about his bruises and his aching muscles and said:

“我不想吃早餐，我什么都不想吃，”沙斯塔說，“我告訴你，我根本就動不了。”

但馬兒還是用鼻子頂他，并伸出一只馬蹄輕輕推他，逼得他不得不站了起來。他望了望四周，這才看清周遭的環(huán)境。他們背后有一小叢矮樹林。前方是向下通往懸崖邊緣的點綴著大片白色野花的草坡。在懸崖下方是一片汪洋，但距離他們十分遙遠，因此只能隱約聽見微弱的海浪聲。

沙斯塔這輩子從來沒在這么高的地方看過海，也從未見過如此浩瀚無垠的寬闊海面，而他連做夢也想不到的是，海洋竟然可以呈現(xiàn)出如此豐富多變的色彩。他往左右兩邊望去，全都是一片連綿不盡的海岸，海岬多得幾乎數(shù)不清，你可以看到翻飛的白浪一波波地涌上礁巖，但距離太過遙遠，因此完全聽不見一絲聲響。海鷗在天空盤旋飛舞，地上冒出蒸騰的熱氣，這是個炎熱的晴天。但沙斯塔最先注意到的，卻是這里的空氣。

剛開始他還搞不懂究竟有哪里不太對勁，但想了一會兒，他終于明白過來，這里的空氣完全沒有半點兒魚腥味。當然啦，自他出生以來，不論是在小屋里，或是在門前補漁網(wǎng)，都不曾擺脫過這樣的氣味。這種新鮮的空氣是如此清冽甜美，過去的生活似乎已被遠遠拋在背后，他在那一瞬間，完全忘了身上的瘀青和酸痛的肌肉，開口問道：

"I say, Bree, didn't you say something about breakfast ?"

“對了，布里，你剛才不是說要我吃早餐嗎?”

"Yes, I did," answered Bree."I think you'll find something in the saddle-bags. They're over there on that tree where you hung them up last night—or early this morning, rather. "

“是呀，”布里答道，“我想你可以在鞍囊里找到一些食物。就在那兒，你昨晚把馬鞍掛在那棵樹上——或者應該說是今天一大早。”

They investigated the saddle-bags and the results were cheering—a meat pasty, only slightly stale, a lump of dried figs and another lump of green cheese,a little flask of wine, and

他們檢查了鞍囊，結果令他們十分滿意──一個只有一點點不新鮮的肉餡餅、一大堆無花果干和綠奶酪、一小瓶酒，

some money;about forty crescents in all, which was more than Shasta had ever seen.

另外還有一些錢;大約有四十枚克利申，沙斯塔這輩子從來沒見過這么多錢。

While Shasta sat down-painfully and cautiously-with his back against a tree and started on the pasty, Bree had a few more mouthfuls of grass to keep him company.

沙斯塔坐下來──他努力忍住疼痛，小心翼翼地把背靠在一棵樹上，開始吃肉餡餅。布里為了陪他，也低頭再多嚼了幾口青草。

"Won't it be stealing to use the money ?" asked Shasta.

“用這些錢算不算是偷東西啊?”沙斯塔問道。

"Oh," said the Horse, looking up with its mouth full of grass,"I never thought of that. A free horse and a talking horse mustn' t steal, of course. But I think it' s all right. We' re prisoners and captives in enemy country. That money is booty, spoil. Besides, how are we to get any food for you without it ? I suppose, like all humans, you won' t eat natural food like grass and oats."

“喔，”塞了滿嘴青草的馬兒抬起頭來說，“我可從來沒想到這一點。一頭會說話的自由馬兒，當然是不能去偷東西。但我想這應該沒什么關系啦。我們可是困在敵國的囚犯和俘虜呀。那些錢全都是他們搶來的戰(zhàn)利品和贓物。何況，我們要是沒錢的話，要到哪兒去給你找東西吃啊?我想你就跟所有人類一樣，絕對不肯吃青草和燕麥這些自然食物對吧?”

I can t.

“這些東西我不能吃呀。”

"Ever tried ?"

“有沒有試過?”

"Yes,I have.I can't get it down at all.You couldn't either if you were me."

“有，我試過。就是吞不下去。你要是我的話，一定也吞不下去的。”

"You're rum little creatures, you humans," remarked Bree. When Shasta had finished his breakfast (which was by far the nicest he had ever eaten), Bree said,"I think I 'll have a nice roll before we put on that saddle again."And he proceeded to do so.

“你們?nèi)祟愡@種小動物還真是麻煩啊!”布里作出評論。等沙斯塔吃完這輩子從來沒吃過的這么好吃的早餐后，布里開口說：“在重新裝上馬鞍前，我想先在草地上好好打個滾，”他說做就做，

"That's good. That's very good," he said, rubbing his back on the turf and waving all four legs in the air."You ought to have one too,Shasta," he snorted."It's most refreshing. "

“真舒服，真是舒服死了。”他說，用背在草地上磨蹭，四腳在空中亂踢亂蹬，“你也來滾一下吧，沙斯塔，”他噴著鼻息說，“這是最佳的提神妙方。”

But Shasta burst out laughing and said,"You do look funny when you're on your back !"

但沙斯塔卻忽然放聲大笑道：“你四腳朝天的樣子，看起來好滑稽啊!”

"I look nothing of the sort," said Bree. But then suddenly he rolled round on his side, raised his head and looked hard at Shasta,blowing a little.

“才不會呢，”布里說。但接著他就突然翻過來，抬起頭，輕輕喘著氣，緊緊盯著沙斯塔。

"Does it really look funny ?" he asked in an anxious voice.

“這樣看起來真的很滑稽嗎?”他的語氣顯得相當不安。

"Yes, it does," replied Shasta. "But what does it matter ?"

“是啊，滑稽死了，”沙斯塔答道，“但這有什么關系呢?”

"You don't think, do you," said Bree, " that it might be a thing talking horses never do—a silly, clownish trick I ve learned from the dumb ones ?It would be dreadful to find,when I get back to Narnia, that I' ve picked up a lot of low,bad habits. What do you think, Shasta? Honestly,now.Don't spare my feelings. Should you think the real,free horses—the talking kind—do roll ?"

“你有沒有想過，”布里說，“會說話的馬兒說不定從來都不做這種事──這會不會是我跟那些啞巴笨馬學來的愚蠢把戲?要是等我回到納尼亞王國，結果卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己染上了許多低級的壞習慣，那不是很糟糕嗎?你覺得怎么樣，沙斯塔?跟我說實話。別怕傷害我的感情。你覺得那些真正自由的馬兒──那些會說話的馬兒──會在地上打滾嗎?”

"How should I know ? Anyway I don't think I should bother about it if I were you. We ve got to get there first. Do you know the way ?"

“這我怎么會知道?再說，我要是你的話，我才沒空去擔心這些事呢。我們得先趕到那兒才行呀。你到底知不知道路啊?”

"I know my way to Tashbaan.After that comes the desert. Oh,we ll manage the desert somehow,never fear. Why, we ll be in sight of the Northern mountains then.Think of it ! To Narnia and the North !Nothing will stop us then.But I d be glad to be past Tashbaan.You and I are safer away from cities."

“我知道怎么去塔什班。在那后面就是一片沙漠。喔，我們會有辦法穿越沙漠的，不用擔心。為什么呢，因為那時候我們就可以看到北方的山巒了啊。你想想看!我們就要去納尼亞和北方了呀!沒有任何事物能擋得了我們。要是能夠順利通過塔什班，我可就大大松一口氣了。我們兩個還是離城市遠一點比較安全。”

"Can't we avoid it ?"

“我們不能避開它嗎?”

"Not without going a long way inland, and that would take us into cultivated land and main roads;and I wouldn t know the way. No, we'll just have to creep along the coast. Up here on the downs we ll meet nothing but sheep and rabbits and gulls and afew shepherds.And by the way, what about starting ?"

“可以是可以，但那得往內(nèi)陸的方向繞很大一段路，這樣我們就會經(jīng)過繁華的地區(qū)和主要大道;而且我也不熟那邊的路。不，我們只能沿著海岸偷偷溜過去。待在這片高原上，除了綿羊、兔子、海鷗和幾個牧羊人之外，什么人也不會碰到。好了，現(xiàn)在可以上路了吧?”

Shasta s legs ached terribly as he saddled Bree and climbed into the saddle, but the Horse was kindly to him and went at a soft pace all afternoon. When evening twilight came they dropped by steep tracks into a valley and found a village. Before they got into it Shasta dismounted and entered it on foot to buy a loaf and some onions and radishes. The Horse trotted round by the fields in the dusk and met Shasta at the far side. This became their regular plan every second night.

沙斯塔替布里套上鞍具，然后再爬到馬鞍上，他的雙腿痛得要命，但馬兒很體貼，整個下午都刻意放輕了腳步。黃昏來臨時，他們沿著一條陡峭的下坡路走到一個山谷，在那兒找到了一個村莊。進村前，沙斯塔就先下馬，獨自步行走進村子里，買了一條面包和一些洋蔥跟蘿卜。馬兒在暮色中從田野繞過去，在村莊另一頭跟沙斯塔會合。此后，這成了他們每隔兩天的固定行程。

These were great days for Shasta, and every day better than the last as his muscles hardened and he fell less often. Even at the end of his training Bree still said he sat like a bag of flour in the saddle."And even if it was safe, young' un, I'd be ashamed to be seen with you on the main road."But in spite of his rude words Bree was a patient teacher. No one can teach riding so well as a horse. Shasta learned to trot, to canter, to jump, and to keep his seat even when Bree pulled up suddenly or swung unexpectedly to the left or the right-which, as Bree told him, was a thing you might have to do at any moment in a battle. And then of course Shasta begged to be told of the battles and wars in which Bree had carried the Tarkaan. And Bree would tell of forced marches and the fording of swift rivers, of charges and of fierce fights between cavalry and cavalry when the war horses fought as well as the men, being all fierce stallions, trained to bite and kick, and to rear at the right moment so that the horse s weight as well as the rider s would come down on a enemy s crest in the stroke of sword or battleaxe. But Bree did not want to talk about the wars as often as Shasta wanted to hear about them."Don't speak of them, youngster," he would say."They were only the Tisroc's wars and I fought in them as a slave and a dumb beast. Give me the Narnian wars where I shall fight as a free Horse among my own people ! Those will be wars worth talking about. Narnia and the North ! Bra-ha-ha ! Broo hoo !"

沙斯塔覺得這種生活非?？鞓罚S著他的肌肉日漸強壯，摔跤的次數(shù)越來越少，這段行程也就變得越來越愉快了。即使在沙斯塔從布里的騎術訓練課程畢業(yè)之后，布里仍常愛數(shù)落他，說他軟趴趴地癱在馬鞍上，活像個面粉袋似的。

“就算不用考慮安全問題，小鬼頭呀，我也不敢載著你在大路上走，要是被人看到的話，那我不是丟臉丟到家了。”布里嘴巴雖然犀利，卻是個很有耐心的老師。

絕對不會有人比馬兒更加在行騎術教學了。沙斯塔學會了騎馬小跑、慢跑、蹦跳，甚至在布里突然停下來，或是毫無預警地猛然轉向時，他也能穩(wěn)穩(wěn)坐在馬鞍上不掉下來──布里告訴他，這些全都是在戰(zhàn)場上應對突發(fā)狀況所必備的技巧。

然后沙斯塔自然就哀求布里說一些他載著泰坎上戰(zhàn)場打仗的事情。于是布里開始述說艱苦的行軍旅途與涉過激流的危險行動，述說騎兵隊兩兵交戰(zhàn)的慘烈戰(zhàn)況，在激戰(zhàn)中馬兒也像人類一樣參與戰(zhàn)役，這些兇猛的種馬受過嚴格的訓練，善于撕咬踢蹬，并會在適當?shù)臅r刻像人一樣站立起來。這樣，當騎士用寶劍或戰(zhàn)斧發(fā)動攻擊時，就可以借著馬兒和他本身的重量，以雷霆萬鈞之勢劈向敵人的頭顱。

沙斯塔雖然很愛聽，但布里卻不太喜歡談到打仗的事。“別再提這些事了，小伙子，”他會說，“這全都是太洛帝的戰(zhàn)爭，而我只是以一個奴隸，一頭啞巴笨馬的身份參戰(zhàn)。我更愿意在納尼亞王國參與戰(zhàn)爭，以一匹自由馬兒的身份，站在我自己的同胞之中上戰(zhàn)場作戰(zhàn)!這樣的戰(zhàn)役才真正值得一提。前往納尼亞，前往北方!布拉……哈……哈!布嚕……呵!”

Shasta soon learned,when he heard Bree talking like that, to prepare for a gallop.

After they had travelled on for weeks and weeks past more bays and headlands and rivers and villages than Shasta could remember, there came a moonlit night when they started their journey at evening, having slept during the day. They had left the downs behind them and were crossing a wide plain with a forest about half a mile away on their left. The sea, hidden by low sandhills, was about the same distance on their right. They had jogged along for about an hour, sometimes trotting and sometimes walking, when Bree suddenly stopped. "What's up ?" said Shasta.

沙斯塔很快就懂得，每當布里這么說的時候，就表示他要開始放足狂奔了。

他們就這樣走了好幾個禮拜，經(jīng)過許許多多的海灣、海岬、河流和村莊，數(shù)量多得讓沙斯塔都無法記得清。一天，在一個月光皎潔的夜晚，他們白天睡飽了覺，傍晚踏上了旅程。

他們此時已離開高地，踏上一片寬廣的平原，在距離他們左邊半里前后的地方，有座森林，在他們右邊大約同樣的距離，則是一片隱藏在低矮沙丘后方的浩瀚汪洋。他們時而小跑，時而漫步，就這樣徐行了一個鐘頭之后，布里突然停下腳步。

“怎么啦?”沙斯塔問道。

"S-s-ssh !" said Bree, craning his neck round and twitching his ears."Did you hear something ? Listen. "

“噓……噓……噓噓!”布里說，他伸長脖子東張西望，耳朵迅速抽動，“你有沒有聽到什么聲音?仔細聽。”

"It sounds like another horse—between us and the wood,"said Shasta after he had listened for about a minute.

“聽起來好像是有另外一匹馬兒──就在我們和樹林中間。”沙斯塔凝神聽了大約一分鐘后說道。

"It is another horse," said Bree. " And that's what I don't like."

“這的確是另外一匹馬兒，”布里說，“我擔心的就是這個。”

"Isn't it probably just a farmer riding home late ?" said Shasta with a yawn.

“大概只是一個比較晚回家的騎著馬的農(nóng)夫吧?”沙斯塔邊說邊打了個呵欠。

"Don't tell me ! " said Bree." That's not a farmer's riding. Nor a farmer' s horse either. Can' t you tell by the sound ? That' s quality,that horse is.And it's being ridden by a real horseman I. tell you what it is,Shasta.There' s a Tarkaan under the edge of that wood.Not on his war horse—it' s too light for that.On a fine blood mare,I should say."

“開什么玩笑!”布里說，“那絕不會是農(nóng)夫騎馬，也絕不會是農(nóng)夫的馬兒。你難道聽不出來嗎?那可是一匹高貴的駿馬呀。騎馬的人也是一位優(yōu)秀的騎士。我告訴你這是怎么回事，沙斯塔。有個泰坎正沿著樹林邊緣往前走。他騎的不是戰(zhàn)馬，戰(zhàn)馬的腳步聲沒那么輕。在我看來，他騎的應該是一匹品種優(yōu)良的母馬。”

"Well, it's stopped now, whatever it is," said Shasta.

“好吧，不管那是什么，反正它現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)停下來了。”沙斯塔說。

"You're right,"said Bree."And why should he stop just when we do ? Shasta, my boy, I do believe there' s someone shadowing us at last."

“沒錯，”布里說，“那為什么我們一停下來，他也跟著不走啦?沙斯塔，我的孩子啊，這下我們終于被人盯上啦。”

"What shall we do ?" said Shasta in a lower whisper than before."Do you think he can see us as well as hear us ?"

“那我們該怎么辦?”沙斯塔壓低聲音說，“你覺得他可以看見我們，或是聽到我們的聲音嗎?”

"Not in this light so long as we stay quite still," answered Bree."But look ! There's a cloud coming up. I'll wait till that gets over the moon. Then we' ll get off to our right as quietly as we can, down to the shore. We can hide among the sandhills if the worst comes to the worst."

“就算我們靜靜待著不動，在這么亮的月光下，遲早會被他發(fā)現(xiàn)，”布里答道，“但你看!那兒有一朵云飄過來了。等它一遮住月亮，我們就盡量放輕腳步往右邊走，悄悄溜到海岸邊。要是情況不妙，我們就躲到沙丘中藏身。”

They waited till the cloud covered the moon and then, first at a walking pace and afterwards at a gentle trot, made for the shore.

他們等云遮住月亮，就悄悄往海邊走去，一開始還緩步徐行，但沒過多久，他們就開始輕輕跑了起來。

The cloud was bigger and thicker than it had looked at first and soon the night grew very dark. Just as Shasta was saying to himself,"We must be nearly at those sandhills by now," his heart leaped into his mouth because an appalling noise had suddenly risen up out of the darkness ahead;a long snarling roar, melancholy and utterly savage.Instantly Bree swerved round and began galloping inland again as fast as he could gallop. "What is it ?" gasped Shasta.

那朵云比原先看起來更大更厚，四周很快就變得一片漆黑。就在沙斯塔暗暗替自己打氣：“馬上就會走到沙丘了，”時，他的心猛然一跳，因為在前方的黑暗中，突然響起一陣駭人的聲響;那是一聲長而凄厲的吼叫，聽起來抑郁悲壯又野性十足。布里趕緊掉轉方向，用最快的速度重新朝內(nèi)陸的方向狂奔過去。“那是什么東西啊?”沙斯塔喘著氣問道。

"Lions !" said Bree, without checking his pace or turning his head.

“獅群!”布里說，他并沒有停下腳步，也不曾回頭看上一眼。

After that there was nothing but sheer galloping for some time. At last they splashed across a wide, shallow stream and Bree came to a stop on the far side. Shasta noticed that he was trembling and sweating all over.

接下來他們沒再多做交流，只是一個勁兒往前奔馳。直到他們噼里啪啦地涉過一條清淺的溪流，終于登上河對岸的土地時，布里才總算停了下來。沙斯塔注意到布里渾身是汗，而且還在發(fā)抖。

"That water may have thrown the brute off our scent," panted Bree when he had partly got his breath again."We can walk for a bit now."

“河水會洗去我們的氣味，這樣那頭野獸就找不到我們了。”布里才稍稍緩過氣來，就接著說，“我們現(xiàn)在可以慢慢走一會兒了。”

As they walked Bree said, "Shasta,I'm ashamed of myself. I m just as frightened as a common,dumb Calormene horse. I am really.I don t feel like a Talking Horse at all.I don t mind swords and lances and arrows but I can t bear—those creatures. I think I ll trot for a bit."

他們開始往前走，布里又開口說：“沙斯塔，我覺得自己好丟臉哦?；钕袷悄切┯直坑謫〉钠胀R兒，嚇得死去活來。實在太不像話了。我覺得自己根本就不像是一只能言馬。什么寶劍啦、長矛啦、弓箭啦，我全都不當一回事，但我就是受不了那些生物。我想我還是小跑一下好了。”

About a minute later, however, he broke into a gallop again, and no wonder. For the roar broke out again, this time on their left from the direction of the forest.

但才過了一分鐘，他又開始拔足狂奔，這不能怪他。因為吼叫聲又再度響起，而且這次是從左邊森林那兒傳過來的。

"Two of them," moaned Bree. When they had galloped for several minutes without any further noise from the lions Shasta said,"I say !That other horse is galloping beside us now.Only a stone s throw away."

“有兩只。”布里呻吟道。他們繼續(xù)往前奔馳了好幾分鐘，并沒有再聽到吼叫聲，然后沙斯塔突然開口說：“哎呀!另外一匹馬現(xiàn)在就在我們旁邊跑呀。離我們大概只隔了十幾步遠。”

"All the b-better," panted Bree."Tarkaan on it-will have a sword-protect us all."

“太好……好了，”布里氣喘吁吁地說，“騎馬的人是個泰坎……他身上肯定會帶寶劍……這樣他就可以保護我們。”

"But,Bree !" said Shasta. "We might just as well be killed by lions as caught. Or I might. They'll hang me for horse-stealing."He was feeling less frightened of lions than Bree because he had never met a lion;Bree had.

“你真是搞不清狀況，布里!”沙斯塔說，“我們要是被抓到的話就沒命了，那還不如干脆被獅子吃掉。至少我是不想活命。他們會以偷馬的罪名把我吊死。”他不像布里那么怕獅子，因為他這輩子從來就沒見過這種動物;但布里可是領教過獅子的厲害的。

Bree only snorted in answer but he did sheer away to his right. Oddly enough the other horse seemed also to be sheering away to the left, so that in a few seconds the space between them had widened a good deal. But as soon as it did so there came two more lions roars, immediately after one another, one on the right and the other on the left, the horses began drawing nearer together. So, apparently, did the lions. The roaring of the brutes on each side was horribly close and they seemed to be keeping up with the galloping horses quite easily. Then the cloud rolled away. The moonlight, astonishingly bright, showed up everything almost as if it were broad day. The two horses and two riders were galloping neck to neck and knee to knee just as if they were in a race. Indeed Bree said (afterwards) that a finer race had never been seen in Calormen.

布里什么也沒說，只是哼了一聲，但接著他就掉頭轉向右方。奇怪的是，另外一匹馬似乎也立刻轉向左方，因此才短短幾秒，兩匹馬兒之間的距離就大幅拉開。但他們才剛分開，又此起彼落地接連響起兩聲獅吼，聽起來正好一只在右邊，一只在左邊，于是兩匹馬兒又嚇得重新靠攏。

兩頭獅子顯然也跟他們越靠越近。兩旁的獸吼聽起來近得嚇人，似乎可以輕而易舉地趕上馬兒疾馳的腳步。過了一會兒，云層漸漸散去。明亮無比的月光將黑夜照得亮如白晝，使周遭的一切全都顯得異常清晰。兩匹馬兒和兩名騎士仿佛是在賽馬場似的，肩貼著肩，腿挨著腿，并駕齊驅地往前飛奔。事實上，布里后來表示，這可算是卡樂門國有史以來最精彩的一場賽馬比賽了。

Shasta now gave himself up for lost and began to wonder whether lions killed you quickly or played with you as a cat plays with a mouse and how much it would hurt. At the same time (one sometimes does this at the most frightful moments) he noticed everything. He saw that the other rider was a very small, slender person, mail-clad (the moon shone on the mail) and riding magnificently.He had no beard.

沙斯塔覺得自己是死定了，他開始胡思亂想，揣測獅子殺戮時究竟是立刻一口斃命，還是像貓抓老鼠那樣，先玩上一陣子再痛下殺手，他甚至還想到，被獅子咬死不知道會有多痛呢。但他同時也清楚地注意到周遭的一切。你在最害怕的時候，有時會出現(xiàn)這樣的情況。他看到另外一名騎士穿著一身盔甲，月光把盔甲照得閃閃發(fā)亮，身材非常纖細瘦小，騎術看來十分精湛。他臉上并沒有胡子。

Something flat and shining was spread out before them. Before Shasta had time even to guess what it great splash and he found his mouth half full of salt water. The shining thing had been a long inlet of the sea. Both horses were swimming and the water was up to Shasta' s knees. There was an angry roaring behind them and looking back Shasta saw a great, shaggy, and terrible shape crouched on the water' s edge;but only one."We must have shaken off the other lion," he thought.

他們的前方出現(xiàn)一大片平坦而閃亮的東西。沙斯塔還來不及猜測那到底是什么，就聽到一陣嘩啦嘩啦的水聲，并發(fā)現(xiàn)自己吞了半口咸水。原來，那片閃亮的東西是一個狹長的海灣。兩匹馬兒正在往前泅泳，海水直淹到沙斯塔的膝蓋。他們背后響起一聲憤怒的吼叫，沙斯塔回過頭來，看到一個龐大而毛茸茸的可怕身影蹲伏在水邊;但是僅有一只。“我們想必已經(jīng)甩掉另外一頭獅子了。”他心想。

The lion apparently did not think its prey worth a wetting;at any rate it made no attempt to take the water in pursuit. The two horses, side by side, were now well out into the middle of the creek and the opposite shore could be clearly seen. The Tarkaan had not yet spoken a word."But he will," thought Shasta.

獅子似乎認為，這些獵物并不值得讓它弄濕身體;至少它并沒有跳到水里來追趕他們。兩匹馬兒肩并肩地朝前泅泳，游到了海灣中央，在這里可以清楚看到對面的海岸。那個泰坎到現(xiàn)在都還沒說過一句話。“但只要等我們登上海岸，”沙斯塔心想，

"As soon as we have landed. What am I to say ? I must begin thinking out a story."

“他就一定會開口詢問。那我該怎么說才好?得趕快編個故事。”

Then,suddenly, two voices spoke at his side.

然后，他突然聽到有兩個不同的嗓音在他身邊交談。

"Oh,I am so tired," said the one."Hold your tongue, Hwin, and don' t be a fool,"said the other.

“哎喲，我好累哦，”一個聲音說。“閉嘴，赫溫，別當個笨蛋。”另一個聲音說。

"I'm dreaming/' thought Shasta."I could have sworn that other horse spoke."

“我這是在做夢吧，”沙斯塔心想，“我發(fā)誓我聽到另外一匹馬兒開口說話了。”

Soon the horses were no longer swimming but walking and soon with a great sound of water running off their sides and tails and with a great crunching of pebbles under eight hoofs, they came out on the farther beach of the inlet. The Tarkaan, to Shasta' s surprise, showed no wish to ask questions. He did not even look at Shasta but seemed anxious to urge his horse straight on. Bree, however,at once shouldered himself in the other horse' s way.

沒過多久，兩匹馬兒就停止游泳，開始踏水而行。才一會兒，在一陣沖過他們腹側和尾巴的嘩啦水聲和八只馬蹄踏過碎石的嘎嗒嘎嗒聲中，他們終于登上了峽灣另一邊的海灘。沙斯塔驚愕地發(fā)現(xiàn)，那個泰坎竟然無意多詢問。他甚至連看都沒看沙斯塔一眼，反倒急著催促他的馬兒繼續(xù)往前走。但布里卻一個箭步趕上前來，擋住了另一匹馬兒的去路。

"Broo-hoo-hah !" he snorted."Steady there !I heard you, I did.There' s no good pretending, Ma' am.I heard you. You' re a Talking Horse, a Narnian horse just like me."

“布嚕……呵……哈!”他噴著鼻息說，“別急著走!我聽到你說話了，聽得一清二楚。沒必要再裝了，夫人。我已經(jīng)聽到你說話了。你跟我一樣，也是一匹會說話的馬兒，納尼亞王國的能言馬。”

"What's it got to do with you if she is ?" said the strange rider fiercely, laying hand on sword-hilt. But the voice in which the words were spoken had already told Shasta something.

“就算她會說話，那也不干你的事，”那名陌生的騎士兇巴巴地說，并用手按住劍柄。但她的嗓音卻已向沙斯塔透露了一個事實。

"Why, it's only a girl !" he exclaimed.

“哎呀，是個女孩子嘛!”沙斯塔驚呼。

"And what business is it of yours if I am only a girl ?" snapped the stranger. "You're probably only a boy: a rude, common little boy-a slave probably,who' s stolen his master' s horse."

“我是一個女孩子，又關你什么事啊?”陌生人厲聲吼道，“你也只是一個男孩子：一個粗魯、平凡的小男孩，八成還是個偷了主人馬匹的奴隸。”

"That's all you know," said Shasta.

“這個你也知道?”沙斯塔說。

"He's not a thief, little Tarkheena," said Bree. "At least, if there' s been any stealing, you might just as well say I stole him. And as for its not being my business,you wouldn' t expect me to pass a lady of my own race in this strange country without speaking to her ? It' s only natural I should."

“這位泰坎希娜(女泰坎)，他不是小偷，”布里說，“至少，就算真有誰偷了東西，那也該說是我偷走了他。再說，這雖然不關我的事，但你總不會以為，我在異國路上碰到一位女同胞，竟然連話都不跟她說一聲就匆匆走開吧。我當然要跟她打個招呼啊，這是天經(jīng)地義的事嘛。”

"I think it's very natural too," said the mare.

“我也覺得這是天經(jīng)地義的事。”母馬說。

"I wish you'd held your tongue, Hwin, "said the girl. "Look at the trouble you' ve got us into."

“你給我閉嘴，赫溫，”女孩說，“看看你給我們?nèi)莵硎裁绰闊?rdquo;

"I don't know about trouble," said Shasta. "You can clear off as soon as you like.We shan' t keep you."

“我看不出這有什么好麻煩的，”沙斯塔說，“你要走就快走啊。又沒人攔著你。”

"No, you shan't," said the girl.

“你就算想攔也攔不住。”女孩說。

"What quarrelsome creatures these humans are," said Bree to the mare. "They're as bad as mules.Let's try to talk a little sense. I take it,ma' am,your story is the same as mine ? Captured in early youth—years of slavery among the Calormenes ?"

“人類這種動物還真是愛吵架，”布里對母馬說，“他們簡直就跟騾子一樣難纏。別理他們了，我們來好好聊一聊。依我推斷，你的身世大概跟我差不多吧?小時候被抓到這兒來，在卡樂門國做了好多年的奴隸，我沒猜錯吧?”

"Too true,sir," said the mare with a melancholy whinny. "And now, perhaps-escape ?"

“的確是這樣，先生。”母馬答道，并發(fā)出一聲憂傷的嘶鳴。“那現(xiàn)在呢，你也許是在逃亡吧?”

"Tell him to mind his own business,Hwin," said the girl.

“叫他少管閑事，赫溫。”女孩說。

"No, I won't, Aravis," said the mare putting her ears back. "This is my escape just as much as yours. And I'm sure a noble warhorse like this is not going to betray us. We are trying to escape, to get to Narnia."

“我才不要呢，阿拉維斯，”母馬說，耳朵貼向腦后，“又不是只有你一個人在逃亡，我同樣也在逃亡啊。而且我相信，像他這樣高貴的戰(zhàn)馬，是絕不會出賣我們的。我們是在逃亡，想逃到納尼亞王國。”

"And so, of course, are we," said Bree. "Of course you guessed that at once. A little boy in rags riding (or trying to ride) a warhorse at dead of night couldn t mean anything but an escape of some sort. And, if I may say so, a high-born Tarkheena riding alone at night-dressed up in her brother s armour-and very anxious for everyone to mind their own business and ask her no questions-well, if that s not fishy, call me a cob !"

“好，那我告訴你，我們也是一樣，”布里說，“這你肯定早就猜到了。一個穿得破破爛爛的小男孩，在三更半夜騎著一匹戰(zhàn)馬奔馳，這顯然是在逃亡。不過呢，請原諒我這么說，一位出身高貴的泰坎希娜，在深夜孤零零地騎馬狂奔，身上穿著她兄弟的盔甲，而且還神經(jīng)兮兮地要大家少管閑事，不準別人問她問題。好，要是其中沒有蹊蹺的話，那你們就把我叫作做粗活的劣馬好了!”

"All right then," said Aravis."You've guessed it. Hwin and I are running away. We are trying to get to Narnia. And now, what about it ?"

“那好吧，”阿拉維斯說，“被你猜中了。赫溫和我的確是逃家了。我們想要到納尼亞去。好了，那你說你到底想怎么樣?”

"Why, in that case, what is to prevent us all going together ?" said Bree."I trust, Madam Hwin, you will accept such assistance and protection as I may be able to give you on the journey ?"

“哎呀，既然這樣的話，那我們?yōu)槭裁床桓纱嘁粔K兒走呢?”布里說，“我相信，赫溫夫人吶，你應該會愿意接受我這份心意，讓我在路上幫助你、保護你吧?”

"Why do you keep talking to my horse instead of to me ?"asked the girl.

“你干嗎老是不理我，反倒去跟我的馬兒說話呀?”女孩問道。

"Excuse me, Tarkheena," said Bree (with just the slightest backward tilt of his ears), "but that' s Calormene talk. We 're free Narnians,Hwin and I,and I suppose,if you re running away to Narnia, you want to be one too. In that case Hwin isn t your horse any longer.One might just as well say you re her human."

“對不起，泰坎希娜，”布里說，耳朵微微歪向后方，“但這是只有卡樂門國的人才會說的話。赫溫和我可是自由的納尼亞子民吶，而我猜想，既然你現(xiàn)在是要逃到納尼亞王國，那就表示你自己也想做個納尼亞人。這樣的話，赫溫就不再是你的馬兒了。說不定還會有人說你是她的人呢。”

The girl opened her mouth to speak and then stopped. Obviously she had not quite seen it in that light before.

女孩張開嘴想說些什么，但接著又閉上嘴。顯然，她過去從來沒想到過這些。

"Still," she said after a moment's pause,"I don't know that there s so much point in all going together. Aren t we more likely to be noticed ?"

“但事情還是一樣，”過了一會兒她又開口說，“我看不出我們一起走有什么好處。這樣不是更容易引人注目嗎?”

"Less," said Bree;and the mare said,"Oh do let's. I should feel much more comfortable. We re not even certain of the way.I m sure a great charger like this knows far more than we do."

“正好相反。”布里說，母馬也說：“喔，拜托讓我們一起走吧。這樣我會覺得放心多了。我們甚至連該走哪條路都搞不清。我相信像他這樣杰出的戰(zhàn)馬，一定比我們懂得多了。”

"Oh come on, Bree," said Shasta, "and let them go their own way.Can t you see they don t want us ?"

“喔，好了啦，布里，”沙斯塔說，“就讓她們自己走算了。難道你還看不出，她們根本不想跟我們一起走嗎?”

"We do," said Hwin.”

“我們想啊!”赫溫說。

"Look here," said the girl. "I don't mind going with you, Mr.War-Horse,but what about this boy ?How do I know he s not a spy ?"

“聽著，”女孩說，“我是不反對跟你一起走，戰(zhàn)馬先生，但這個男孩呢?我怎么知道他會不會是奸細?”

"Why don't you say at once that you think I'm not good enough for you ?"said Shasta.

“你憑什么一眼就認定我會對你不利?”沙斯塔說。

"Be quiet, Shasta," said Bree. "The Tarkheena's question is quite reasonable. I ll vouch for the boy, Tarkheena. He s been true to me and a good friend. And he s certainly either a Narnian or an Archenlander."

“安靜，沙斯塔，”布里說，“泰坎希娜的疑問相當合理。我可以替這個男孩做擔保，泰坎希娜。他是我的好朋友，對我一直都非常忠實真誠。而且照我看來，他要不是納尼亞人，就一定是阿欽蘭人。”

"All right, then. Let's go together. " But she didn't say anything to Shasta and it was obvious that she wanted Bree, not him.

“那好吧。我們就一起走好了。”但她還是沒跟沙斯塔說話，很明顯，她愿意跟布里一起走，卻懶得理會沙斯塔。

"Splendid !" said Bree. "And now that we've got the water between us and those dreadful animals, what about you two humans taking off our saddles and our all having a rest and hearing one another' s stories."

“太棒了!”布里說，“現(xiàn)在隔了一道海灣，那頭可怕的野獸就抓不到我們了，所以呢，現(xiàn)在請你們這兩位人類替我們把馬鞍卸下來，大家休息一會兒，好好聊一聊，彼此認識一下。”

Both the children unsaddled their horses and the horses had a little grass and Aravis produced rather nice things to eat from her saddle-bag ? But Shasta sulked and said No thanks, and that he wasn' t hungry. And he tried to put on what he thought very grand and stiff manners, but as a fisherman' s but is not usually a good place for learning grand manners, the result was dreadful. And he half knew that it wasn' t a success and then became sulkier and more awkward than ever. Meanwhile the two horses were getting on splendidly. They remembered the very same places in Narnia-"the grasslands up above Beaversdam"and found that they were some sort of second cousins once removed. This made things more and more uncomfortable for the humans until at last Bree said, "And now, Tarkheena, tell us your story. And don' t hurry it-I' m feeling comfortable now."

兩個孩子各自替他們的馬兒卸下馬鞍，兩頭馬兒吃了一點兒青草，阿拉維斯也從她的馬鞍袋里取出一些相當美味的食物來。但沙斯塔現(xiàn)在正生著悶氣，因此他只是逞強地說謝謝，不用客氣，他一點兒也不餓。然后故意抬頭挺胸，努力擺出一副他自認為最威嚴、最高貴的高尚風度，但可惜的是，漁夫住的小屋通常并不是學習高尚風度的好地方，所以結果可想而知。他心里也有些意識到自己的表現(xiàn)有多糟糕，這讓他的心情變得更加悶悶不樂，舉止也顯得比先前更加笨拙。但兩匹馬兒卻聊得興高采烈，交情越來越好了。他們一起回憶納尼亞王國的情景，都對一些同樣的地方念念不忘：“海貍水壩”上面那片牧草地，還發(fā)現(xiàn)他們竟然是遠房表親。這種情形使兩個人類感到越來越不自在，最后布里終于開口說：“好了，泰坎希娜，跟我們說說你的故事吧。不用講得太快，我現(xiàn)在覺得很舒服，可以慢慢聽你說。”

Aravis immediately began,sitting quite still and using a rather different tone and style from her usual one.For in Calormen,story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is a thing you're taught,just as English boys and girls are taught essay-writing.The difference is that people want to hear the stories,whereas I never heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays.

阿拉維斯立刻開始述說，她馬上把身子坐得挺直，不論是語氣聲調(diào)，或是遣詞用句，都變得跟平常很不一樣。這是因為在卡樂門王國中，說故事是一項必修課，不管故事是真的還是杜撰的，就跟英國的小男孩和小女孩得學寫作文一樣。不同的是，大家都喜歡聽故事，但我可從來沒聽說有哪個人想要讀作文的。