《能言馬與男孩》第二章 沿途遇險(xiǎn)

CHAPTER TWO A WAYSIDE ADVENTURE

第二章　沿途遇險(xiǎn)

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(shí)候，沙斯塔是被一個(gè)舔他臉的熱熱軟軟的東西驚醒的。他張開(kāi)眼睛，看到一張長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)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(xiǎn)刺激的遭遇，于是連忙坐了起來(lái)。但他才動(dòng)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(shuō)，“好痛喔。我全身都在發(fā)疼。根本動(dòng)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(shuō)，“恐怕你會(huì)覺(jué)得肌肉有些痛。但不會(huì)是摔傷。你也不過(guò)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(jiǎn)直是種享受呢。唯一摔得最嚴(yán)重的那次，也只是掉到一叢金雀花灌木上，絕不是摔傷。剛學(xué)騎馬，難免會(huì)吃些苦頭。要不要吃點(diǎn)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(shuō)，“我告訴你，我根本就動(dòng)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(lái)。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(shù)林。前方是向下通往懸崖邊緣的點(diǎn)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(yuǎn)，因此只能隱約聽(tīng)見(jiàn)微弱的海浪聲。

沙斯塔這輩子從來(lái)沒(méi)在這么高的地方看過(guò)海，也從未見(jiàn)過(guò)如此浩瀚無(wú)垠的寬闊海面，而他連做夢(mèng)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(guò)遙遠(yuǎn)，因此完全聽(tīng)不見(jiàn)一絲聲響。海鷗在天空盤(pán)旋飛舞，地上冒出蒸騰的熱氣，這是個(gè)炎熱的晴天。但沙斯塔最先注意到的，卻是這里的空氣。

剛開(kāi)始他還搞不懂究竟有哪里不太對(duì)勁，但想了一會(huì)兒，他終于明白過(guò)來(lái)，這里的空氣完全沒(méi)有半點(diǎn)兒魚(yú)腥味。當(dāng)然啦，自他出生以來(lái)，不論是在小屋里，或是在門(mén)前補(bǔ)漁網(wǎng)，都不曾擺脫過(guò)這樣的氣味。這種新鮮的空氣是如此清冽甜美，過(guò)去的生活似乎已被遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)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(kāi)口問(wèn)道：

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

“對(duì)了，布里，你剛才不是說(shuō)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(shù)上——或者應(yīng)該說(shuō)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(jié)果令他們十分滿意──一個(gè)只有一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)不新鮮的肉餡餅、一大堆無(wú)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(qián);大約有四十枚克利申，沙斯塔這輩子從來(lái)沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)這么多錢(qián)。

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(lái)──他努力忍住疼痛，小心翼翼地把背靠在一棵樹(shù)上，開(kāi)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(qián)算不算是偷東西啊?”沙斯塔問(wèn)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(lái)說(shuō)，“我可從來(lái)沒(méi)想到這一點(diǎn)。一頭會(huì)說(shuō)話的自由馬兒，當(dāng)然是不能去偷東西。但我想這應(yīng)該沒(méi)什么關(guān)系啦。我們可是困在敵國(guó)的囚犯和俘虜呀。那些錢(qián)全都是他們搶來(lái)的戰(zhàn)利品和贓物。何況，我們要是沒(méi)錢(qián)的話，要到哪兒去給你找東西吃啊?我想你就跟所有人類(lèi)一樣，絕對(duì)不肯吃青草和燕麥這些自然食物對(duì)吧?”

I can t.

“這些東西我不能吃呀。”

"Ever tried ?"

“有沒(méi)有試過(guò)?”

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

“有，我試過(guò)。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?lèi)這種小動(dòng)物還真是麻煩啊!”布里作出評(píng)論。等沙斯塔吃完這輩子從來(lái)沒(méi)吃過(guò)的這么好吃的早餐后，布里開(kāi)口說(shuō)：“在重新裝上馬鞍前，我想先在草地上好好打個(gè)滾，”他說(shuō)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(shuō)，用背在草地上磨蹭，四腳在空中亂踢亂蹬，“你也來(lái)滾一下吧，沙斯塔，”他噴著鼻息說(shuō)，“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(lái)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(huì)呢，”布里說(shuō)。但接著他就突然翻過(guò)來(lái)，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(lái)真的很滑稽嗎?”他的語(yǔ)氣顯得相當(dāng)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(guān)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(méi)有想過(guò)，”布里說(shuō)，“會(huì)說(shuō)話的馬兒說(shuō)不定從來(lái)都不做這種事──這會(huì)不會(huì)是我跟那些啞巴笨馬學(xué)來(lái)的愚蠢把戲?要是等我回到納尼亞王國(guó)，結(jié)果卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己染上了許多低級(jí)的壞習(xí)慣，那不是很糟糕嗎?你覺(jué)得怎么樣，沙斯塔?跟我說(shuō)實(shí)話。別怕傷害我的感情。你覺(jué)得那些真正自由的馬兒──那些會(huì)說(shuō)話的馬兒──會(huì)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(huì)知道?再說(shuō)，我要是你的話，我才沒(méi)空去擔(dān)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(huì)有辦法穿越沙漠的，不用擔(dān)心。為什么呢，因?yàn)槟菚r(shí)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(méi)有任何事物能擋得了我們。要是能夠順利通過(guò)塔什班，我可就大大松一口氣了。我們兩個(gè)還是離城市遠(yuǎn)一點(diǎn)比較安全。”

"Can't we avoid it ?"

“我們不能避開(kāi)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(huì)經(jīng)過(guò)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(guò)去。待在這片高原上，除了綿羊、兔子、海鷗和幾個(gè)牧羊人之外，什么人也不會(huì)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(gè)下午都刻意放輕了腳步。黃昏來(lái)臨時(shí)，他們沿著一條陡峭的下坡路走到一個(gè)山谷，在那兒找到了一個(gè)村莊。進(jìn)村前，沙斯塔就先下馬，獨(dú)自步行走進(jìn)村子里，買(mǎi)了一條面包和一些洋蔥跟蘿卜。馬兒在暮色中從田野繞過(guò)去，在村莊另一頭跟沙斯塔會(huì)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(jué)得這種生活非?？鞓?lè)，隨著他的肌肉日漸強(qiáng)壯，摔跤的次數(shù)越來(lái)越少，這段行程也就變得越來(lái)越愉快了。即使在沙斯塔從布里的騎術(shù)訓(xùn)練課程畢業(yè)之后，布里仍常愛(ài)數(shù)落他，說(shuō)他軟趴趴地癱在馬鞍上，活像個(gè)面粉袋似的。

“就算不用考慮安全問(wèn)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(gè)很有耐心的老師。

絕對(duì)不會(huì)有人比馬兒更加在行騎術(shù)教學(xué)了。沙斯塔學(xué)會(huì)了騎馬小跑、慢跑、蹦跳，甚至在布里突然停下來(lái)，或是毫無(wú)預(yù)警地猛然轉(zhuǎn)向時(shí)，他也能穩(wěn)穩(wěn)坐在馬鞍上不掉下來(lái)──布里告訴他，這些全都是在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上應(yīng)對(duì)突發(fā)狀況所必備的技巧。

然后沙斯塔自然就哀求布里說(shuō)一些他載著泰坎上戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)打仗的事情。于是布里開(kāi)始述說(shuō)艱苦的行軍旅途與涉過(guò)激流的危險(xiǎn)行動(dòng)，述說(shuō)騎兵隊(duì)兩兵交戰(zhàn)的慘烈戰(zhàn)況，在激戰(zhàn)中馬兒也像人類(lèi)一樣參與戰(zhàn)役，這些兇猛的種馬受過(guò)嚴(yán)格的訓(xùn)練，善于撕咬踢蹬，并會(huì)在適當(dāng)?shù)臅r(shí)刻像人一樣站立起來(lái)。這樣，當(dāng)騎士用寶劍或戰(zhàn)斧發(fā)動(dòng)攻擊時(shí)，就可以借著馬兒和他本身的重量，以雷霆萬(wàn)鈞之勢(shì)劈向敵人的頭顱。

沙斯塔雖然很愛(ài)聽(tīng)，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(huì)說(shuō)，“這全都是太洛帝的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，而我只是以一個(gè)奴隸，一頭啞巴笨馬的身份參戰(zhàn)。我更愿意在納尼亞王國(guó)參與戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，以一匹自由馬兒的身份，站在我自己的同胞之中上戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)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(dāng)布里這么說(shuō)的時(shí)候，就表示他要開(kāi)始放足狂奔了。

他們就這樣走了好幾個(gè)禮拜，經(jīng)過(guò)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(wú)法記得清。一天，在一個(gè)月光皎潔的夜晚，他們白天睡飽了覺(jué)，傍晚踏上了旅程。

他們此時(shí)已離開(kāi)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(shí)而小跑，時(shí)而漫步，就這樣徐行了一個(gè)鐘頭之后，布里突然停下腳步。

“怎么啦?”沙斯塔問(wèn)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(shuō)，他伸長(zhǎng)脖子?xùn)|張西望，耳朵迅速抽動(dòng)，“你有沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到什么聲音?仔細(xì)聽(tīng)。”

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

“聽(tīng)起來(lái)好像是有另外一匹馬兒──就在我們和樹(shù)林中間。”沙斯塔凝神聽(tīng)了大約一分鐘后說(shuō)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(shuō)，“我擔(dān)心的就是這個(gè)。”

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

“大概只是一個(gè)比較晚回家的騎著馬的農(nóng)夫吧?”沙斯塔邊說(shuō)邊打了個(gè)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(kāi)什么玩笑!”布里說(shuō)，“那絕不會(huì)是農(nóng)夫騎馬，也絕不會(huì)是農(nóng)夫的馬兒。你難道聽(tīng)不出來(lái)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(gè)泰坎正沿著樹(shù)林邊緣往前走。他騎的不是戰(zhàn)馬，戰(zhàn)馬的腳步聲沒(méi)那么輕。在我看來(lái)，他騎的應(yīng)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(lái)了。”沙斯塔說(shuō)。

"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(méi)錯(cuò)，”布里說(shuō)，“那為什么我們一停下來(lái)，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?cè)撛趺崔k?”沙斯塔壓低聲音說(shuō)，“你覺(jué)得他可以看見(jiàn)我們，或是聽(tīng)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(dòng)，在這么亮的月光下，遲早會(huì)被他發(fā)現(xiàn)，”布里答道，“但你看!那兒有一朵云飄過(guò)來(lái)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(kāi)始還緩步徐行，但沒(méi)過(guò)多久，他們就開(kāi)始輕輕跑了起來(lái)。

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(lái)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(huì)走到沙丘了，”時(shí)，他的心猛然一跳，因?yàn)樵谇胺降暮诎抵?，突然響起一陣駭人的聲?那是一聲長(zhǎng)而凄厲的吼叫，聽(tīng)起來(lái)抑郁悲壯又野性十足。布里趕緊掉轉(zhuǎn)方向，用最快的速度重新朝內(nèi)陸的方向狂奔過(guò)去。“那是什么東西啊?”沙斯塔喘著氣問(wèn)道。

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

“獅群!”布里說(shuō)，他并沒(méi)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(lái)他們沒(méi)再多做交流，只是一個(gè)勁兒往前奔馳。直到他們噼里啪啦地涉過(guò)一條清淺的溪流，終于登上河對(duì)岸的土地時(shí)，布里才總算停了下來(lái)。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(huì)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(guò)氣來(lái)，就接著說(shuō)，“我們現(xiàn)在可以慢慢走一會(huì)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(kāi)始往前走，布里又開(kāi)口說(shuō)：“沙斯塔，我覺(jué)得自己好丟臉哦?；钕袷悄切┯直坑謫〉钠胀R兒，嚇得死去活來(lái)。實(shí)在太不像話了。我覺(jué)得自己根本就不像是一只能言馬。什么寶劍啦、長(zhǎng)矛啦、弓箭啦，我全都不當(dāng)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(guò)了一分鐘，他又開(kāi)始拔足狂奔，這不能怪他。因?yàn)楹鸾新曈衷俣软懫?，而且這次是從左邊森林那兒傳過(guò)來(lái)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(méi)有再聽(tīng)到吼叫聲，然后沙斯塔突然開(kāi)口說(shuō)：“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(yuǎn)。”

"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(shuō)，“騎馬的人是個(gè)泰坎……他身上肯定會(huì)帶寶劍……這樣他就可以保護(hù)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(shuō)，“我們要是被抓到的話就沒(méi)命了，那還不如干脆被獅子吃掉。至少我是不想活命。他們會(huì)以偷馬的罪名把我吊死。”他不像布里那么怕獅子，因?yàn)樗@輩子從來(lái)就沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)這種動(dòng)物;但布里可是領(lǐng)教過(guò)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(méi)說(shuō)，只是哼了一聲，但接著他就掉頭轉(zhuǎn)向右方。奇怪的是，另外一匹馬似乎也立刻轉(zhuǎn)向左方，因此才短短幾秒，兩匹馬兒之間的距離就大幅拉開(kāi)。但他們才剛分開(kāi)，又此起彼落地接連響起兩聲獅吼，聽(tīng)起來(lái)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?cè)娇吭浇?。兩旁的獸吼聽(tīng)起來(lái)近得嚇人，似乎可以輕而易舉地趕上馬兒疾馳的腳步。過(guò)了一會(huì)兒，云層漸漸散去。明亮無(wú)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(chǎng)似的，肩貼著肩，腿挨著腿，并駕齊驅(qū)地往前飛奔。事實(shí)上，布里后來(lái)表示，這可算是卡樂(lè)門(mén)國(guó)有史以來(lái)最精彩的一場(chǎng)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(jué)得自己是死定了，他開(kāi)始胡思亂想，揣測(cè)獅子殺戮時(shí)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(huì)有多痛呢。但他同時(shí)也清楚地注意到周遭的一切。你在最害怕的時(shí)候，有時(shí)會(huì)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(xì)瘦小，騎術(shù)看來(lái)十分精湛。他臉上并沒(méi)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(lái)不及猜測(cè)那到底是什么，就聽(tīng)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(lái)，那片閃亮的東西是一個(gè)狹長(zhǎng)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(guò)頭來(lái)，看到一個(gè)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(rèn)為，這些獵物并不值得讓它弄濕身體;至少它并沒(méi)有跳到水里來(lái)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(duì)面的海岸。那個(gè)泰坎到現(xiàn)在都還沒(méi)說(shuō)過(guò)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(huì)開(kāi)口詢問(wèn)。那我該怎么說(shuō)才好?得趕快編個(gè)故事。”

Then,suddenly, two voices spoke at his side.

然后，他突然聽(tīng)到有兩個(gè)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(gè)聲音說(shuō)。“閉嘴，赫溫，別當(dāng)個(gè)笨蛋。”另一個(gè)聲音說(shuō)。

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

“我這是在做夢(mèng)吧，”沙斯塔心想，“我發(fā)誓我聽(tīng)到另外一匹馬兒開(kāi)口說(shuō)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(méi)過(guò)多久，兩匹馬兒就停止游泳，開(kāi)始踏水而行。才一會(huì)兒，在一陣沖過(guò)他們腹側(cè)和尾巴的嘩啦水聲和八只馬蹄踏過(guò)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(gè)泰坎竟然無(wú)意多詢問(wèn)。他甚至連看都沒(méi)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(gè)箭步趕上前來(lái)，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(shuō)，“別急著走!我聽(tīng)到你說(shuō)話了，聽(tīng)得一清二楚。沒(méi)必要再裝了，夫人。我已經(jīng)聽(tīng)到你說(shuō)話了。你跟我一樣，也是一匹會(huì)說(shuō)話的馬兒，納尼亞王國(guó)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(huì)說(shuō)話，那也不干你的事，”那名陌生的騎士?jī)窗桶偷卣f(shuō)，并用手按住劍柄。但她的嗓音卻已向沙斯塔透露了一個(gè)事實(shí)。

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

“哎呀，是個(gè)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(gè)女孩子，又關(guān)你什么事啊?”陌生人厲聲吼道，“你也只是一個(gè)男孩子：一個(gè)粗魯、平凡的小男孩，八成還是個(gè)偷了主人馬匹的奴隸。”

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

“這個(gè)你也知道?”沙斯塔說(shuō)。

"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(shuō)，“至少，就算真有誰(shuí)偷了東西，那也該說(shuō)是我偷走了他。再說(shuō)，這雖然不關(guān)我的事，但你總不會(huì)以為，我在異國(guó)路上碰到一位女同胞，竟然連話都不跟她說(shuō)一聲就匆匆走開(kāi)吧。我當(dāng)然要跟她打個(gè)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(jué)得這是天經(jīng)地義的事。”母馬說(shuō)。

"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(shuō)，“看看你給我們?nèi)莵?lái)什么麻煩。”

"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(shuō)，“你要走就快走啊。又沒(méi)人攔著你。”

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

“你就算想攔也攔不住。”女孩說(shuō)。

"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(lèi)這種動(dòng)物還真是愛(ài)吵架，”布里對(duì)母馬說(shuō)，“他們簡(jiǎn)直就跟騾子一樣難纏。別理他們了，我們來(lái)好好聊一聊。依我推斷，你的身世大概跟我差不多吧?小時(shí)候被抓到這兒來(lái)，在卡樂(lè)門(mén)國(guó)做了好多年的奴隸，我沒(méi)猜錯(cuò)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(shuō)。

"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(shuō)，耳朵貼向腦后，“又不是只有你一個(gè)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(huì)出賣(mài)我們的。我們是在逃亡，想逃到納尼亞王國(guó)。”

"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(shuō)，“這你肯定早就猜到了。一個(gè)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(guò)呢，請(qǐng)?jiān)徫疫@么說(shuō)，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(zhǔn)別人問(wèn)她問(wèn)題。好，要是其中沒(méi)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(shuō)，“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(shuō)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(shuō)，“我相信，赫溫夫人吶，你應(yīng)該會(huì)愿意接受我這份心意，讓我在路上幫助你、保護(hù)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(shuō)話呀?”女孩問(wèn)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(duì)不起，泰坎希娜，”布里說(shuō)，耳朵微微歪向后方，“但這是只有卡樂(lè)門(mén)國(guó)的人才會(huì)說(shuō)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(guó)，那就表示你自己也想做個(gè)納尼亞人。這樣的話，赫溫就不再是你的馬兒了。說(shuō)不定還會(huì)有人說(shuō)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(kāi)嘴想說(shuō)些什么，但接著又閉上嘴。顯然，她過(guò)去從來(lái)沒(méi)想到過(guò)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(guò)了一會(huì)兒她又開(kāi)口說(shuō)，“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(shuō)，母馬也說(shuō)：“喔，拜托讓我們一起走吧。這樣我會(huì)覺(jué)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(shuō)，“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(shuō)。

"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(tīng)著，”女孩說(shuō)，“我是不反對(duì)跟你一起走，戰(zhàn)馬先生，但這個(gè)男孩呢?我怎么知道他會(huì)不會(huì)是奸細(xì)?”

"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(rèn)定我會(huì)對(duì)你不利?”沙斯塔說(shuō)。

"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(shuō)，“泰坎希娜的疑問(wèn)相當(dāng)合理。我可以替這個(gè)男孩做擔(dān)保，泰坎希娜。他是我的好朋友，對(duì)我一直都非常忠實(shí)真誠(chéng)。而且照我看來(lái)，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(méi)跟沙斯塔說(shuō)話，很明顯，她愿意跟布里一起走，卻懶得理會(huì)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(shuō)，“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(qǐng)你們這兩位人類(lèi)替我們把馬鞍卸下來(lái)，大家休息一會(huì)兒，好好聊一聊，彼此認(rèn)識(shí)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(gè)孩子各自替他們的馬兒卸下馬鞍，兩頭馬兒吃了一點(diǎn)兒青草，阿拉維斯也從她的馬鞍袋里取出一些相當(dāng)美味的食物來(lái)。但沙斯塔現(xiàn)在正生著悶氣，因此他只是逞強(qiáng)地說(shuō)謝謝，不用客氣，他一點(diǎn)兒也不餓。然后故意抬頭挺胸，努力擺出一副他自認(rèn)為最威嚴(yán)、最高貴的高尚風(fēng)度，但可惜的是，漁夫住的小屋通常并不是學(xué)習(xí)高尚風(fēng)度的好地方，所以結(jié)果可想而知。他心里也有些意識(shí)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(lè)，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(lái)越好了。他們一起回憶納尼亞王國(guó)的情景，都對(duì)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(yuǎn)房表親。這種情形使兩個(gè)人類(lèi)感到越來(lái)越不自在，最后布里終于開(kāi)口說(shuō)：“好了，泰坎希娜，跟我們說(shuō)說(shuō)你的故事吧。不用講得太快，我現(xiàn)在覺(jué)得很舒服，可以慢慢聽(tīng)你說(shuō)。”

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(kāi)始述說(shuō)，她馬上把身子坐得挺直，不論是語(yǔ)氣聲調(diào)，或是遣詞用句，都變得跟平常很不一樣。這是因?yàn)樵诳?lè)門(mén)王國(guó)中，說(shuō)故事是一項(xiàng)必修課，不管故事是真的還是杜撰的，就跟英國(guó)的小男孩和小女孩得學(xué)寫(xiě)作文一樣。不同的是，大家都喜歡聽(tīng)故事，但我可從來(lái)沒(méi)聽(tīng)說(shuō)有哪個(gè)人想要讀作文的。