《能言馬與男孩》 第九章 穿越沙漠

CHAPTER NINE ACROSS THE DESERT

第九章　穿越沙漠

"HOVE dreadful ! How perfectly dreadful !"whimpered Lasaraleen."Oh darling, I am so frightened. I' m shaking all over.Feel me."

“真可怕啊!真是可怕到了極點(diǎn)!”拉斯阿拉莉恩嗚咽地說道，“噢，親愛的，我真是嚇壞了。我一直都在渾身顫抖。感覺一下我的顫抖。”

"Come on,"said Aravis, who was trembling herself. "They' ve gone back to the new palace.Once we' re out of this room we' re safe enough. But it' s wasted a terrible time.Get me down to that water-gate as quick as you can."

“來吧，”阿拉維斯說，她自己也在顫抖，“他們已經(jīng)返回到新宮殿去了。這次我們出了房間就足夠安全了。但是真的是浪費(fèi)了太多的時(shí)間。你要盡快地將我?guī)У缴较碌乃T那里去。”

"Darling, how can you ?"squeaked Lasaraleen."I can' t do anything-not now. My poor nerves ! No: we must just lie still a bit and then go back."

“親愛的，你怎么可以這樣?”拉斯阿拉莉恩尖聲說道，“我什么都做不了了——不能是現(xiàn)在。我可憐的神經(jīng)!不!我們必須只能是這樣躺一下，然后回去。”

"Why back ?" asked Aravis.

“為什么回去?”阿拉維斯問道。

"Oh, you don' t understand. You' re so unsympathetic,"said Lasaraleen, beginning to cry. Aravis decided it was no occasion for mercy.

“噢，你不懂。你是那么沒有同情心。”拉斯阿拉莉恩說，并且開始哭。阿拉維斯確定這絕對(duì)不是應(yīng)該同情的時(shí)刻。

."Look here !"she said, catching Lasaraleen and giving her a good shake..If you say another word about going back, and if you don' t start taking me to that water-gate at once-do you know what I' ll do ? I' ll rush out into that passage and scream. Then we' ll both be caught."

“聽著!”她抓住拉斯阿拉莉恩，并且搖晃她說道，“如果你再說一句關(guān)于回去的話，如果你不立刻將我送到水門那里——你知道我將會(huì)做什么嗎?我將沖出去，到通道里面尖叫。

"But we shall both be k-k-killed !" said Lasaraleen. "Didn't you hear what the Tisroc (may he live for ever) said ?"

然后我們兩個(gè)都會(huì)被抓住。” 你沒有聽到太洛帝( 愿吾皇萬壽無疆! ) 剛剛說了什么嗎?”

"Yes,and I'd sooner be killed than married to Ahoshta. So come on. "

“聽到了，而且，如果要嫁給阿霍什塔，我寧可早點(diǎn)被殺死。”

"Oh you are unkind," said Lasaraleen. "And I in such a state !"

“噢，你這個(gè)不善良的人，”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，“而且我竟然落到了這樣的處境。”

But in the end she had to give in to Aravis. She led the way down the steps they had already descended, and along another corridor and so finally out into the open air. They were now in the palace garden which sloped down in terraces to the city wall. The moon shone brightly. One of the drawbacks about adventures is that when you come to the most beautiful places you are often too anxious and hurried to appreciate them;so that Aravis (though she remembered them years later) had only a vague impression of grey lawns, quietly bubbling fountains, and the long black shadows of cypress trees.

但最后她還是不得不對(duì)阿拉維斯妥協(xié)了。她帶路走下那些之前她們已經(jīng)走下過的臺(tái)階，然后沿著另一條通道行走，最后走到了空曠的地方。她們現(xiàn)在在王宮的花園里，這里的臺(tái)階一層層地迤邐而下，一直延伸到城墻的地方。月亮十分明亮。冒險(xiǎn)的一大遺憾是，當(dāng)你進(jìn)入到最美妙的地方的時(shí)候，你總是太焦躁，太匆忙，而無法贊美眼前的美麗。所以，阿拉維斯( 盡管她很多年后記得它們) 僅僅只有一個(gè)很模糊的印象，關(guān)于那些銀灰色的草地，安靜流淌的泉水，和長長的柏樹的黑色影子。

When they reached the very bottom and the wall rose frowning above them, Lasaraleen was shaking so that she could not unbolt the gate. Aravis did it. There, at last, was the river, full of reflected moonlight, and a little landing stage and a few pleasure boats.

當(dāng)她們到達(dá)底部的時(shí)候，城墻在她們面前聳立著，拉斯阿拉莉恩渾身顫抖，以至于她不能打開門的門閂。于是阿拉維斯打開了門。在那里，她終于看到了河流，河面上布滿了余光，還有一個(gè)小小的碼頭和幾艘游船。

"Good-bye," said Aravis,"and thank you. I'm sorry if I' ve been a pig.But think what I' m flying from !"

“再見。”阿拉維斯說道，“而且，謝謝你。我很抱歉我曾經(jīng)像一頭豬一樣。但是想想，我正在逃跑啊。”

"Oh Aravis darling," said Lasaraleen."Won't you change your mind ? Now that you' ve seen what a very great man Ahoshta is!"

“噢，親愛的阿拉維斯。”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，“你能不能改變主意呢?現(xiàn)在你已經(jīng)看到阿霍什塔是一個(gè)多么偉大的男人了。”

"Great man !" said Aravis."A hideous grovelling slave who flatters when he' s kicked but treasures it all up and hopes to get his own back by egging on that horrible Tisroc to plot his son' s death. Faugh ! I' d sooner marry my father' s scullion than a creature like that."

“偉大的男人!”阿拉維斯說道，“一個(gè)可怕地卑躬屈膝的奴隸，當(dāng)人家踢他的屁股的時(shí)候，他還在阿諛逢迎，還將這件事情藏在心底，慫恿恐怖的太洛帝將他的兒子置于死地，希望通過這個(gè)來為自己報(bào)仇雪恨。我寧愿嫁給家里的廚子也不愿嫁給這樣一號(hào)人物。”

"Oh Aravis, Aravis ! How can you say such dreadful things;and about the Tisroc (may he live for ever) too. It must be right if he' s going to do it !"

“噢，阿拉維斯，阿拉維斯!你怎么能說出這么致命的話來!還涉及太洛帝( 愿吾皇萬壽無疆)。如果他決定去做一件事情，那一定是正確的。”

"Good-bye," said Aravis, "and I thought your dresses lovely. And I think your house is lovely too. I' m sure you' ll have a lovely life-though it wouldn' t suit me. Close the door softly behind me."

“再見。”阿拉維斯說道，“而且我認(rèn)為你的衣服十分可愛。我認(rèn)為你的馬也很可愛。我確信你將會(huì)擁有一個(gè)可愛的生活——盡管那并不適合我，輕輕地在我身后關(guān)上門吧。”

She tore herself away from her friend' s affectionate embraces, stepped into a punt, cast off, and a moment later was out in midstream with a huge real moon overhead and a huge reflected moon down, deep down, in the river. The air was fresh and cool and as she drew near the farther bank she heard the hooting of an owl."Ah ! That's better !"thought Aravis. She had always lived in the country and had hated every minute of her time in Tashbaan.

她將自己從朋友的熱情擁抱中掙脫出來，踏上一艘方頭平底船，撐起船，不一會(huì)兒船就到了河的中央，頭頂上是一輪巨大的真實(shí)的月亮，河里則是那個(gè)巨大月亮的倒影。空氣新鮮、涼爽，船到達(dá)對(duì)岸的時(shí)候她好像聽到了一只貓頭鷹的叫聲。“啊!這真好。”阿拉維斯心里想道。她過去一直生活在鄉(xiāng)村里，而且憎恨她自己在塔什班城里的每一分鐘。

When she stepped ashore she found herself in darkness for the rise of the ground, and the trees, cut off the moonlight. But she managed to find the same road that Shasta had found, and came just as he had done to the end of the grass and the beginning of the sand, and looked (like him) to her left and saw the big, black Tombs. And now at last, brave girl though she was, her heart quailed. Supposing the others weren't there!Supposing the ghouls were ! But she stuck out her chin (and a little bit of her tongue too) and went straight towards them.

當(dāng)她上岸的時(shí)候，由于地勢(shì)上升，樹木遮住了月光，她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己完全置身在黑暗之中。但她設(shè)法去找到沙斯塔以前發(fā)現(xiàn)的那條路，然后像他一樣走到了草地的盡頭和沙漠的開端，再然后像他一樣向左邊望去，并且看到了巨大的，黑漆漆的墳場(chǎng)。最后，即使她是個(gè)勇敢的姑娘，她心里還是害怕了。說不定其他人都不在那里!說不定食尸鬼們?cè)谀抢?但是她昂起下巴( 舌頭也伸出了一點(diǎn))，筆直地朝著墳場(chǎng)走去。

But before she had reached them she saw Bree and Hwin and the groom.

幸好她還沒有到達(dá)墳場(chǎng)就看到了布里、赫溫和那個(gè)侍從。

"You can go back to your mistress now," said Aravis (quite forgetting that he couldn' t, until the city gates opened next morning)."Here is money for your pains. "

“你現(xiàn)在可以回到你的女主人那里去了。”阿拉維斯說道( 完全忘記了直到明天早上城門打開，他不能回去)，“這是給你的酬勞。”

"To hear is to obey,"said the groom, and at once set off at a remarkable speed in the direction of the city. There was no need to tell him to make haste: he also had been thinking a good deal about ghouls.

“我服從命令。”侍從說道，然后立刻以相當(dāng)快的速度朝塔什班城跑去。根本沒必要告訴他盡快回去，他也已經(jīng)想了很多關(guān)于食尸鬼的事情。

For the next few seconds Aravis was busy kissing the noses and patting the necks of Hwin and Bree just as if they were quite ordinary horses.

接下來的幾秒鐘，阿拉維斯忙于親吻赫溫和布里的鼻子，拍拍他們的脖子，就好像他們只是安靜的普通馬兒一樣。

"And here comes Shasta !Thanks be to the Lion !" said Bree.

“沙斯塔來了!感謝獅王!”布里說道。

Aravis looked round, and there, right enough, was Shasta who had come out of hiding the moment he saw the groom going away.

阿拉維斯朝四周望去，的確，沙斯塔一看到侍從離開，就立刻從他躲藏的地方走出來了。

"And now, " said Aravis. "There's not a moment to lose." And in hasty words she told them about Rabadash' s expedition.

“現(xiàn)在，”阿拉維斯說道，“一分鐘都不能耽誤。”她快速地告訴他們關(guān)于羅八達(dá)的出征陰謀。

"Treacherous hounds !" said Bree,shaking his mane and stamping with his hoof."An attack in time of peace, without defiance sent ! But we' ll grease his oats for him. We' ll be there before he is."

“奸詐的野狗!”布里抖動(dòng)著鬃毛，蹬著四蹄，說道，“在這樣和平的時(shí)刻，連一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)書都不下就進(jìn)攻!但是我們會(huì)為他把燕麥拌上油，我們一定會(huì)在他之前趕到那里。”

"Can we ?" said Aravis, swinging herself into Hwin's saddle.Shasta wished he could mount like that.

“我們可以嗎?”阿拉維斯跳上赫溫的馬鞍說道。沙斯塔也希望自己能像那樣跳上馬去。

"Brooh-hoo !" snorted Bree."Up you get, Shasta. Can we ! And with a good start too !"

“布羅赫一霍赫!”布里噴著鼻息說道，“你上來，沙斯塔。我們可以!而且還會(huì)有一個(gè)好的開始。”

"He said he was going to start at once," said Aravis.

“他說他立刻就要出發(fā)。”阿拉維斯說。

"That's how humans talk," said Bree. "But you don't get a company of two hundred horse and horsemen watered and victualled and armed and saddled and started all in a minute. Now: what' s our direction ? Due North ?"

“人們總是這樣說。”布里說道，“但是，你要讓兩百人馬在一分鐘之內(nèi)成立一個(gè)隊(duì)伍，喝足水，吃飽飯是不可能的。現(xiàn)在，我們朝著哪個(gè)方向前進(jìn)?是正北方嗎?”

"No," said Shasta. "I know about that.I've drawn a line.I' ll explain later.Bear a bit to our left, both you horses. Ah here it is !"

“不，”沙斯塔說，“我知道。我已經(jīng)畫好了路線。我晚點(diǎn)解釋給你們。你們兩個(gè)要稍微往左邊一點(diǎn)兒。啊，這就對(duì)了。”

"Now," said Bree. "All that about galloping for a day and a night,like in stories,can' t really be done.It must be walk and trot: but brisk trots and short walks.And whenever we walk you two humans can slip off and walk too. Now.Are you ready, Hwin ? Off we go.Narnia and the North !"

“現(xiàn)在，”布里說，“像故事里所說的那樣一天一夜地奔跑，是不可能完成的。必須行走和小跑相互配合，輕快的小跑，然后短時(shí)間行走。而且無論我們什么時(shí)候行走，你們兩個(gè)人類也可以下來行走?，F(xiàn)在，你們準(zhǔn)備好了嗎，赫溫?我們走吧。向著納尼亞和北方!”

At first it was delightful. The night had now been going on for so many hours that the sand had almost finished giving back all the sun-heat it had received during the day, and the air was cool, fresh, and clear. Under the moonlight the sand, in every direction and as far as they could see, gleamed as if it were smooth water or a great silver tray. Except for the noise of Bree's and Hwin' s hoofs there was not a sound to be heard. Shasta would nearly have fallen asleep if he had not had to dismount and walk every now and then.

開始是快樂的。黑夜已經(jīng)持續(xù)了好幾個(gè)小時(shí)，沙漠已經(jīng)把它們?cè)诎滋鞆奶柲抢镂盏娜繜崃坎畈欢喽忌l(fā)沒了，空氣是涼爽，新鮮并且干凈的。在月光之下，他們能夠看到四面八方盡可能遠(yuǎn)的地方，仿佛是一片光滑平靜的水，或者是一個(gè)巨大的銀色盆子。除了布里和赫溫的聲音，什么聲音都沒有。沙斯塔幾乎要睡著了，如果不是他不時(shí)從馬上下來走走路的話。

This seemed to last for hours. Then there came a time when there was no longer any moon. They seemed to ride in the dead darkness for hours and hours. And after that there came a moment when Shasta noticed that he could see Bree' s neck and head in front of him a little more clearly than before;and slowly, very slowly, he began to notice the vast grey flatness on every side. It looked absolutely dead, like something in a dead world; and Shasta felt quite terribly tired and noticed that he was getting cold and that his lips were dry. And all the time the squeak of the leather, the jingle of the bits, and the noise of the hoofs-not Propputty-propputty as it would be on a hard road, but Thubbudy-thubbudy on the dry sand.

這種情況似乎持續(xù)了幾個(gè)小時(shí)。接下來一段時(shí)間，他們?cè)僖部床坏皆铝亮?。他們好像在死亡一樣的黑暗中騎行一個(gè)小時(shí)接著一個(gè)小時(shí)。又過了一陣子，沙斯塔注意到他能夠看到在他前面的布里的脖子和腦袋，比之前清晰一點(diǎn)了。然后，緩慢地，十分緩慢地，他開始注意到那一邊巨大的，灰茫茫的，平坦的沙漠?？瓷先ソ^對(duì)沒有任何生命，就好像完全在一個(gè)死亡的世界里。沙斯塔感覺到非?？植赖钠v，并且注意到自己開始感到寒冷，嘴唇也是干燥的。自始至終，能聽到皮帶嘎吱作響，馬嚼子叮當(dāng)作響，馬蹄敲擊的聲音——不是踩在堅(jiān)實(shí)的土地上的聲音，而是踩在干燥的沙子上的聲音。

At last, after hours of riding, far away on his right there came a single long streak of paler grey, low down on the horizon. Then a streak of red.It was the morning at last, but without a single bird to sing about it.He was glad of the walking bits now, for he was colder than ever.

最后，在幾個(gè)小時(shí)的騎行之后，他的右方出現(xiàn)了一道淡灰色，低低地鑲嵌在地平線上，然后是一道紅色。終于迎來了早晨，但是沒有一只鳥因?yàn)樵缟隙鴼g暢?，F(xiàn)在他很高興地散散步，因?yàn)樗戎案杏X更冷了。

Then suddenly the sun rose and everything changed in a moment. The grey sand turned yellow and twinkled as if it was strewn with diamonds. On their left the shadows of Shasta and Hwin and Bree and Aravis, enormously long, raced beside them. The double peak of Mount Pire, far ahead, flashed in the sunlight and Shasta saw they were a little out of the course. "A bit left, a bit left,"he sang out. Best of all, when you looked back, Tashbaan was already small and remote. The Tombs were quite invisible: swallowed up in that single, jagged-edged hump which was the city of the Tisroc.Everyone felt better.

突然太陽升起來了，所有的一切都在瞬間變了樣。灰色的沙漠變成了黃色，并且發(fā)著光，好像它們上面灑滿了鉆石。沙斯塔、赫溫、布里、阿拉維斯的影子極長，在他們的左邊互相追逐。皮爾峰的雙峰在他們前方的遠(yuǎn)處，在陽光中閃閃發(fā)光。沙斯塔看到他們有一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)偏離。“往左邊一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)，往左邊一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)。”他叫道。最好的是，當(dāng)你向后看的時(shí)候，塔什班城已經(jīng)小且遠(yuǎn)了。墳場(chǎng)完全看不到，被淹沒在邊緣參差不齊的駝峰里了，那駝峰就是太洛帝的城市，所有人都感覺好多了。

But not for long. Though Tashbaan looked very far away when they first saw it, it refused to look any further away as they went on. Shasta gave up looking back at it, for it only gave him the feeling that they were not moving at all. Then the light became a nuisance. The glare of the sand made his eyes ache: but he knew he mustn't shut them. He must screw them up and keep on looking ahead at Mount Pire and shouting out directions. Then came the heat. He noticed it for the first time when he had to dismount and walk: as he slipped down to the sand the heat from it struck up into his face as if from the opening of an oven door. Next time it was worse. But the third time, as his bare feet touched the sand he screamed with pain and got one foot back in the stirrup and the other half over Bree' s back before you could have said knife.

但是這種現(xiàn)象沒有持續(xù)很久。即使塔什班城在他們第一次回頭看的時(shí)候，看起來離得很遠(yuǎn)，但當(dāng)他們繼續(xù)前進(jìn)的時(shí)候，它看起來沒有更遠(yuǎn)一點(diǎn)。沙斯塔放棄回頭去看它，因?yàn)槟侵唤o了他一種在原地停留，根本沒有一點(diǎn)移動(dòng)的感覺。于是光也變成了令人厭煩的東西。沙子的光芒讓他的眼睛感到疼痛，但他知道他不能夠閉上眼睛。他必須瞇起眼睛，保證確認(rèn)皮爾峰就在他們的前方，并且不斷地大喊出正確的方向。隨后是炙熱，當(dāng)他不得不下來行走的時(shí)候，他第一次感覺到了灼熱。他從馬的身上滑下來到沙子上，沙子上騰起來的熱氣直直地朝著他的臉沖過來，就好像從爐灶門口沖出來的一樣。第二次下馬的時(shí)候更加糟糕了;第三次，他光光的腳丫子一碰到沙子就痛得叫了起來，說時(shí)遲那時(shí)快，他迅速縮回一只腳到馬鐙上，另外一只腳已經(jīng)半跨到布里的背上了。

"Sorry, Bree,"he gasped."I can't walk. It burns my feet.""Of course !" panted Bree."Should have thought of that myself.Stay on.Can' t be helped."

“抱歉，布里。”他氣喘吁吁地說，“我沒辦法走路，沙子燙傷了我的腳。”“當(dāng)然了。”布里喘著說，“我自己早就應(yīng)該想到的。待著吧，不會(huì)有其他辦法了。”

"It's all right for you," said Shasta to Aravis who was walking beside Hwin."You've got shoes on. "

“你倒還可以。”沙斯塔對(duì)正在赫溫身邊行走著的阿拉維斯說道，

Aravis said nothing and looked prim. Let' s hope she didn' t mean to, but she did.

“你穿著鞋呢。”阿拉維斯繃著臉什么都沒有說。我們希望她不是故意這樣的吧，但她的確是故意的。

On again, trot and walk and trot, jingle-jingle-jingle, squeak-squeak-squeak, smell of hot horse,smell of hot self, blinding glare,headache.And nothing at all different for mile after mile.Tashbaan would never look any further away. The mountains would never look any nearer.You felt this had been going on for always-jingle-jingle-jingle, squeaksqueak-squeak,smell of hot horse, smell of hot self.

再次地，小跑、行走、再小跑，叮當(dāng)……叮當(dāng)……叮當(dāng)……嘎吱……嘎吱……嘎吱，馬兒熱得出汗的味道，熱氣本身的味道，炫目的光，頭痛。一千米又一千米，一切沒有任何不同。塔什班城看上去永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)離得更遠(yuǎn)一些。那些山永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)離得更近一些。你會(huì)感覺一切都在重復(fù)——叮當(dāng)……叮當(dāng)……叮當(dāng)……嘎吱……嘎吱……嘎吱，馬兒熱的出汗的味道，熱氣本身的味道。

Of course one tried all sorts of games with oneself to try to make the time pass: and of course they were all no good. And one tried very hard not to think of drinks-iced sherbet in a palace in Tashbaan, clear spring water tinkling with a dark earthy sound, cold, smooth milk just creamy enough and not too creamy-and the harder you tried not to think, the more you thought.

當(dāng)然，當(dāng)人們精疲力竭的時(shí)候會(huì)用各種各樣的游戲嘗試來消耗時(shí)間。當(dāng)然，這些游戲毫無作用。他們竭力不去想飲料——那種在塔什班城地一個(gè)宮殿里喝到的冰涼果汁，來自黑土大地的清泉，乳酪豐富卻不油膩，冰涼柔和的牛奶——然而越是竭力不去想它，越是容易想得更多。

At last there was something different-a mass of rock sticking up out of the sand about fifty yards long and thirty feet high. It did not cast much shadow, for the sun was now very high, but it cast a little. Into that shade they crowded. There they ate some food and drank a little water. It is not easy giving a horse a drink out of a skin bottle, but Bree and Hwin were clever with their lips. No one had anything like enough. No one spoke. The Horses were flecked with foam and their breathing was noisy. The children were pale.

最后終于出現(xiàn)了一些不同的東西——沙子里挺起一塊巨大的石頭，有三十英尺高，五十碼那么長。大石頭并沒有投下多少影子，因?yàn)榇藭r(shí)太陽升的非常高，所以只有一點(diǎn)陰涼。他們擠到陰涼的地方。在那里他們吃了一些食物，喝了一點(diǎn)水。將裝在皮囊里的水給馬喝并不容易，但是布里和赫溫都聰明地利用了他們的嘴唇。沒有一個(gè)人擁有足夠的東西。誰也沒有說話。馬兒們渾身都是汗水，呼吸的聲音很吵，孩子們臉色蒼白。

After a very short rest they went on again. Same noises, same smells, same glare, till at last their shadows began to fall on their right, and then got longer and longer till they seemed to stretch out to the Eastern end of the world. Very slowly the sun drew nearer to the Western horizon. And now at last he was down and,thank goodness,the merciless glare was gone, though the heat coming up from the sand was still as bad as ever. Four pairs of eyes were looking out eagerly for any sign of the valley that Sallowpad the Raven had spoken about. But, mile after mile, there was nothing but level sand. And now the day was quite definitely done, and most of the stars were out, and still the Horses thundered on and the children rose and sank in their saddles, miserable with thirst and weariness. Not till the moon had risen did Shasta-in the strange, barking voice of someone whose mouth is perfectly dry-shout out: "There it is !"

在很短暫的休息之后，他們?cè)俅卫^續(xù)趕路。同樣的聲音，同樣的味道，同樣的光芒，直到最后他們的影子開始轉(zhuǎn)移到他們的右邊，然后變得越來越長，好像要伸展到世界的盡頭一樣。太陽十分緩慢地靠近了西邊的地平線?，F(xiàn)在，太陽最終落山了，謝天謝地，殘酷的反光終于消失了，盡管從沙漠里散發(fā)出來的熱氣仍然像之前一樣咄咄逼人。四雙眼睛都迫切地尋找著山谷的跡象，薩羅帕德和烏鴉都提到過的那個(gè)山谷。但是，一千米又一千米，除了沙子什么都沒有?，F(xiàn)在白天完全結(jié)束了，大部分星星也都出來了，馬兒們?nèi)匀辉谇靶兄?，孩子們?cè)隈R鞍上起伏不定，被口渴和疲憊折磨得十分痛苦。月亮還是沒有升起來，沙斯塔用奇怪的，渴到極點(diǎn)的人的聲音喊道：“前面就是了!”

There was no mistaking it now. Ahead, and a little to their right, there was at last a slope: a slope downward and hummocks of rock on each side. The Horses were far too tired to speak but they swung round towards it and in a minute or two they were entering the gully. At first it was worse in there than it had been out in the open desert, for there was a breathless stuffiness between the rocky walls and less moonlight. The slope continued steeply downwards and the rocks on either hand rose to the height of cliffs. Then they began to meet vegetation-prickly cactus-like plants and coarse grass of the kind that would prick your fingers. Soon the horse-hoofs were falling on pebbles and stones instead of sand. Round every bend of the valley-and it had many bends-they looked eagerly for water. The Horses were nearly at the end of their strength now, and Hwin,stumbling and panting,was lagging behind Bree. They were almost in despair before at last they came to a little muddiness and a tiny trickle of water through softer and better grass. And the trickle became a brook, and the brook became a stream with bushes on each side, and the stream became a river and there came (after more disappointments than I could possibly describe) a moment when Shasta, who had been in a kind of doze, suddenly realized that Bree had stopped and found himself slipping off. Before them a little cataract of water poured into a broad pool: and both the Horses were already in the pool with their heads down,drinking,drinking,drinking. "O-o-oh," said Shasta and plunged in-it was about up to his knees—and stooped his head right into the cataract. It was perhaps the loveliest moment in his life.

現(xiàn)在不會(huì)再錯(cuò)了。前邊，稍稍靠右一點(diǎn)，終于出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)斜坡：一個(gè)緩慢向下的斜坡，斜坡的兩邊都是石頭壘成的小堆。馬兒們已經(jīng)累得無法說話，只能蹣跚地向前跑去，一兩分鐘之后他們進(jìn)入了峽谷。一開始，在峽谷里比起在沙漠里還要不舒服，因?yàn)楸粖A在石墻的中間，悶熱得無法呼吸，而且月光也太少了。斜坡險(xiǎn)峻地向下延伸，兩邊的巖石聳立成峭壁。接著，他們開始發(fā)現(xiàn)植物了——很像仙人掌的多刺的植物，還有會(huì)扎痛手指的粗糙的草。不久，馬蹄不再是踏在沙子上，而是踩在石頭上了，他們?cè)谏焦鹊拿恳粋€(gè)拐角急切地尋找著水。馬兒們幾乎已經(jīng)精疲力竭，赫溫腳步蹣跚，喘著粗氣，落在了布里的后面。在他們幾乎絕望的時(shí)候，終于發(fā)現(xiàn)了一點(diǎn)兒泥漿，和一條從柔軟茂密的青草中滲出來的細(xì)細(xì)河流。那河流變成了溪水，溪水變成了兩岸長著灌木的小河，小河又變成了大河。在經(jīng)歷了無法形容的許多次失望之后，這個(gè)時(shí)刻真是喜出望外。一直處于困倦狀態(tài)的沙斯塔，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)布里停了下來，他自己也快速從馬上滑了下來。在他們面前一條瀑布流瀉到一個(gè)寬闊的水池里，兩匹馬兒們已經(jīng)在水池里面了，它們低著自己的腦袋，喝啊，喝啊，喝啊。“噢……噢……噢，”沙斯塔說著跳進(jìn)了池塘，池水一直升到他的膝蓋，他干脆直接將自己的腦袋伸到瀑布中區(qū)，這可能是他一生中最快樂的時(shí)刻了。

It was about ten minutes later when all four of them (the two children wet nearly all over) came out and began to notice their surroundings. The moon was now high enough to peep down into the valley. There was soft grass on both sides of the river, and beyond the grass, trees and bushes sloped up to the bases of the cliffs. There must have been some wonderful flowering shrubs hidden in that shadowy undergrowth for the whole glade was full of the coolest and most delicious smells. And out of the darkest recess among the trees there came a sound Shasta had never heard beforea nightingale.

大概十分鐘之后，當(dāng)他們四個(gè)( 其中兩個(gè)孩子幾乎渾身都濕了)從池塘里出來的時(shí)候，他們才開始注意到四周。月亮現(xiàn)在足夠高，又足夠照到山谷里面。河的兩邊有柔軟的青草，青草之上，大樹和灌木一直延續(xù)到懸崖絕壁的地步。那里一定有許多奇妙的花朵隱藏著，因?yàn)檎盏刂袕浡顩鏊罘枷愕奈兜?。而且從樹木之間緊密的地方傳來了一個(gè)聲音，沙斯塔以前從未聽到過的夜鶯的歌聲。

Everyone was much too tired to speak or to eat. The Horses, without waiting to be unsaddled,lay down at once.So did Aravis and Shasta.

每個(gè)人都太疲倦了，以致不能講話或者吃東西。馬兒們不等解下馬鞍就立刻躺了下來。阿拉維斯和沙斯塔也一樣躺了下來。

About ten minutes later the careful Hwin said, "But we mustn't go to sleep.We've got to keep ahead of that Rabadash. "

大概十分鐘之后，謹(jǐn)慎的赫溫說：“但是我們一定不能睡覺，我們要堅(jiān)持在羅八達(dá)到達(dá)之前趕到。”

"No," said Bree very slowly. "Mustn't go sleep. Just a little rest."

“是啊，”布里慢悠悠地說道，“一定不能睡覺，只是休息一下。”

Shasta knew (for a moment) that they would all go to sleep if he didn' t get up and do something about it, and felt that he ought to. In fact he decided that he would get up and persuade them to go on.But presently;not yet: not just yet"

沙斯塔知道了( 幾乎是瞬間)，如果他不站起來做一些他應(yīng)該做的事情的話，他們所有人都會(huì)沉沉入睡。事實(shí)上，他下定決心自己站起來，并且勸說他們繼續(xù)前行。但是現(xiàn)在……不，只是等一下……

Very soon the moon shone and the nightingale sang over two horses and two human children,all fast asleep.

不久，月光便照射到兩匹馬和兩個(gè)孩子的身上，夜鶯的歌聲也傳到了大家耳邊，他們?nèi)妓恕?/p>

It was Aravis who awoke first. The sun was already high in the heavens and the cool morning hours were already wasted. "It's my fault,"she said to herself furiously as she jumped up and began rousing the others. "One wouldn't expect Horses to keep awake after a day' s work like that, even if they can talk. And of course that Boy wouldn' t;he' s had no decent training. But I ought to have known better."

最先醒過來的是阿拉維斯。太陽已經(jīng)在天空中升得很高，涼爽的清晨時(shí)間已經(jīng)錯(cuò)過了。“這是我的錯(cuò)誤，”她一邊對(duì)自己憤憤地說道，一邊跳起身來，開始叫醒其他人。“馬兒連續(xù)趕了一整天的路，是不能指望他們不睡覺的，即使他們能夠說話;當(dāng)然男孩也是，他雖然沒有教養(yǎng)，但是我應(yīng)該更加懂事啊。”

The others were dazed and stupid with the heaviness of their sleep.

其他人馬都因?yàn)槌了悦院?，有些傻掉了?/p>

"Neigh-ho-broo-hoo," said Bree. "Been sleeping in my saddle, eh ? I' ll never do that again.Most uncomfortable—"

“嗨——噢!——布羅——呵!”布里說，“不解馬鞍就睡熟了，嗯?我再也不這么做了。最最不舒服的是……”

"Oh come on, come on," said Aravis. "We've lost half the morning already.There isn' t a moment to spare."

“噢，走吧，走吧，”阿拉維斯說道，“我們已經(jīng)浪費(fèi)了大半個(gè)早上。現(xiàn)在沒有一分鐘多余的了。”

"A fellow's got to have a mouthful of grass," said Bree.

“總得吃一口草吧。”布里說道。

"I'm afraid we can't wait," said Aravis.

“恐怕我們不能再等了。”阿拉維斯說道。

"What's the terrible hurry ?" said Bree. "We've crossed the desert, haven' t we ?"

“為什么這么急急忙忙的呢?”布里說道，“我們已經(jīng)穿過了沙漠，不是嗎?”

"But we're not in Archenland yet," said Aravis. "And we' ve got to get there before Rabadash."

“但是我們還沒有進(jìn)入阿欽蘭，”阿拉維斯說道，“而且我們必須要在羅八達(dá)到達(dá)之前趕到那里。”

"Oh, we must be miles ahead of him, "said Bree. "Haven't we been coming a shorter way ? Didn' t that Raven friend of yours say this was a short cut,Shasta ?"

“噢，我們一定在他前面好幾千米遠(yuǎn)了，”布里說，“我們不是走了一條更近的路嗎?沙斯塔，難道你的烏鴉朋友說的不是這條捷徑嗎?”

"He didn' t say anything about shorter,"answered Shasta. .He only said better,because you got to a river this way.If the oasis is due North of Tashbaan,then I'm afraid this may be longer."

“他并沒有說這里更近，”沙斯塔回答道，“他只是說更好，因?yàn)樵谶@條路上你可以遇到一條河。如果綠洲正好在塔什班城的正北方，那么，恐怕這條路更長些。”

"Well I can' t go on without a snack,"said Bree..Take my bridle off, Shasta."

“我如果不吃一頓的話就沒有辦法繼續(xù)趕路。”布里說道，“沙斯塔，幫我取下馬鞍。”

"P-please,"said Hwin, very shyly,.I feel just like Bree that I can' t go on. But when Horses have humans (with spurs and things) on their backs, aren' t they often made to go on when they' re feeling like this ? and then they find they can. I m-mean-oughtn' t we to be able to do even more, now that we' re free.It' s all for Narnia."

“對(duì)不起，”赫溫害羞地說道，“我只是和布里一樣感覺不能繼續(xù)了。但是當(dāng)馬身上背負(fù)著人( 還配上了馬刺一類的)，馬兒們不是即使像這樣感到饑餓，也經(jīng)常被驅(qū)使著趕路嗎?然后它們發(fā)現(xiàn)它們可以。我是說——我們甚至應(yīng)該做得更好，既然我們是自由的。這一切都是為了納尼亞啊。”

"I think, Ma' am,"said Bree very crushingly,.that I know a little more about campaigns and forced marches and what a horse can stand than you do."

“我認(rèn)為，女士，”布里用非常壓倒性的口氣說道，“關(guān)于戰(zhàn)爭，武力行軍，一匹馬能夠忍受什么，我比你懂的要更多一點(diǎn)。”

To this Hwin made no answer, being, like most highly bred mares, a very nervous and gentle person who was easily put down. In reality she was quite right, and if Bree had had a Tarkaan on his back at that moment to make him go on, he would have found that he was good for several hours' hard going. But one of the worst results of being a slave and being forced to do things is that when there is no one to force you any more you find you have almost lost the power of forcing yourself.

對(duì)于這點(diǎn)赫溫并沒有做出回答，像大部分出身高貴的馬一樣，她非常緊張和溫柔，很容易被說服。事實(shí)上，它的意見是十分正確的，而且如果此時(shí)有一個(gè)泰坎騎在布里的馬背上，布里能拼命跑上好幾個(gè)小時(shí)。但需要努力，又被迫需要干活的最壞結(jié)果就是：一旦沒有人強(qiáng)迫你去做什么的時(shí)候，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己幾乎沒有做事的力量。

So they had to wait while Bree had a snack and a drink, and of course Hwin and the children had a snack and a drink too. It must have been nearly eleven o' clock in the morning before they finally got going again. And even then Bree took things much more gently than yesterday. It was really Hwin, though she was the weaker and more tired of the two,who set the pace.

所以他們不得不等布里吃東西和喝水，當(dāng)然，赫溫和孩子們也吃了一點(diǎn)，喝了一點(diǎn)。他們重新開始趕路之前，已經(jīng)快要到上午十一點(diǎn)了。而且即使已經(jīng)到了這個(gè)時(shí)間，布里干起活來比昨天更加輕柔了。雖然赫溫是兩匹馬之中比較柔弱，而且更加疲憊的，但是真正走在前頭的卻是赫溫。

The valley itself, with its brown, cool river, and grass and moss and wild flowers and rhododendrons, was such a pleasant place that it made you want to ride slowly.

山谷本身，包括它棕色的，涼爽的河流、草坪、蒼苔和杜鵑花，是一個(gè)那么令人感到愉快的地方，使你不由放慢自己的腳步。