《凱斯賓王子》第七章 納尼亞的危機(jī)

CHAPTER SEVEN OLD NARNIA IN DANGER

第七章 納尼亞的危機(jī)

THE PLACE where they had met the Fauns was，of course，Dancing Lawn itself，and here Caspian and his friends remained till the night of the great Council.To sleep under the stars，to drink nothing but well water and to live chiefly on nuts and wild fruit，was a strange experience for Caspian after his bed with silken sheets in a tapestried chamber at the castle，with meals laid out on gold and silver dishes in the anteroom，and attendants ready at his call.But he had never enjoyed himself more.Never had sleep been more refreshing nor food tasted more savoury，and he began already to harden and his face wore a kinglier look.

在歡舞草坪上，他們遇到了羊怪。經(jīng)過一番商議，凱斯賓和他的好友們選擇住下，等著聚會(huì)的到來(lái)。他們渴了就喝井水，餓了就吃野果，夜晚就睡在漫天星斗之下，這一切都讓凱斯賓覺得很新鮮。雖然以前睡的是掛滿帷幔的房間，蓋的是溫暖柔軟的被子，吃的是山珍海味，過著有人服侍的王宮生活，可他從來(lái)沒有像現(xiàn)在這么快樂過。那時(shí)候他沒有一個(gè)晚上睡得好，也幾乎吃不下任何東西。他正在慢慢變得堅(jiān)強(qiáng)起來(lái)，氣質(zhì)和儀態(tài)儼然已是一副國(guó)王的模樣。

When the great night came，and his various strange subjects came stealing into the lawn by ones and twos and threes or by sixes and sevens-the moon then shining almost at her full-his heart swelled as he saw their numbers and heard their greetings.All whom he had met were there: Bulgy Bears and Red Dwarfs and Black Dwarfs，Moles and Badgers，Hares and Hedgehogs，and others whom he had not yet seen-five Satyrs as red as foxes，the whole contingent of Talking Mice，armed to the teeth and following a shrill trumpet，some Owls，the Old Raven of Ravenscaur.Last of all (and this took Caspian's breath away)，with the Centaurs came a small but genuine Giant，Wimbleweather of Deadman's Hill，carrying on his back a basketful of rather sea-sick Dwarfs who had accepted his offer of a lift and were now wishing they had walked instead.

盛大的聚會(huì)之夜終于來(lái)臨了，皎潔的月光下，凱斯賓那些各式各樣、古里古怪的臣子們成群結(jié)隊(duì)，陸續(xù)走進(jìn)歡舞草坪?？粗笥褌儦g歌笑語(yǔ)，凱斯賓欣喜不已。之前見過的好友都來(lái)了，大棕熊、紅色小矮人和黑色小矮人，還有鼴鼠、獾、兔子和刺猬，當(dāng)然還有些沒有見過的朋友，像那五個(gè)毛發(fā)艷紅的大猩猩、貓頭鷹、還有一伙渡鴉。全副武裝的老鼠們踩著尖銳的喇叭聲排隊(duì)走來(lái)，當(dāng)真是氣勢(shì)十足。人馬和巨人溫布維德是最后到的。凱斯賓被巨人那龐大的身體驚呆了。還有一籮筐暈船的小矮人被巨人背著，它們接納了巨人的建議，讓它背著;只是此刻，它們都被顛暈了一路，一個(gè)個(gè)都后悔地說，早知道就自己走過來(lái)了。

The Bulgy Bears were very anxious to have the feast first and leave the council till afterwards: perhaps till tomorrow.Reepicheep and his Mice said that councils and feasts could both wait，and proposed storming Miraz in his own castle that very night.Pattertwig and the other Squirrels said they could talk and eat at the same time，so why not have the council and feast all at once? The Moles proposed throwing up entrenchments round the Lawn before they did anything else.The Fauns thought it would be better to begin with a solemn dance.The Old Raven，while agreeing with the Bears that it would take too long to have a full council before supper，begged to be allowed to give a brief address to the whole company.But Caspian and the Centaurs and the Dwarfs overruled all these suggestions and insisted on holding a real council of war at once.

幾頭胖熊最在乎的還是宴會(huì)，它們建議政務(wù)會(huì)過兩天再開。雷佩契普和它的老鼠軍團(tuán)則希望趁夜攻打城堡，襲擊彌若茲，打他個(gè)措手不及;至于宴會(huì)和政務(wù)會(huì)干脆推遲舉行。佩蒂威格和松鼠們則說，邊吃邊商量最節(jié)約時(shí)間，所以兩個(gè)會(huì)為什么不同時(shí)舉行呢?而鼴鼠們擔(dān)心出問題，面色凝重地建議挖一條防御壕溝在歡舞草坪周圍，再去說其他的。羊怪們極力推薦跳一回集體舞。胖熊們的建議得到了老渡鴉的支持，說應(yīng)該開完所有的會(huì)再吃飯(它忙中出錯(cuò)把順序弄反了)， 同時(shí)，他還想向大家致辭，希望大家同意。但是凱斯賓、人馬和小矮人們不接受這些建議，堅(jiān)持馬上舉行一次與戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)相關(guān)的會(huì)議。

When all the other creatures had been persuaded to sit down quietly in a great circle，and when (with more difficulty) they had got Pattertwig to stop running to and fro and saying"Silence! Silence，everyone，for the King's speech"，Caspian，feeling a little nervous，got up."Narnians!"he began，but he never got　any further，for at that very moment Camillo the Hare said，"Hush! There's a Man somewhere near."

最終大家終于被說服了，圍了個(gè)大圈坐下。之后他們花了好大功夫，才讓佩蒂威格的嘴閉上--它一直在奔跑，喊著"安靜，安靜!大家請(qǐng)安靜，國(guó)王要說話了。"凱斯賓站起來(lái)，心里有點(diǎn)緊張。"納尼亞的臣民們!"他才開了個(gè)頭，剛要接著說下去，兔子卡梅羅的耳朵就猛地豎了起來(lái)，警惕地打了個(gè)手勢(shì)，"噓!有人靠近!"

They were all creatures of the wild，accustomed to being hunted，and they all became still as statues.The beasts all turned their noses in the direction which Camillo had indicated.

森林里的動(dòng)物對(duì)獵人的追捕早就習(xí)以為常。因此，它們?nèi)靠聪蚩妨_示意的那個(gè)方向，都跟雕塑似的，紋絲不動(dòng)。

"Smells like Man and yet not quite like Man，"whispered Trufflehunter.

"是人的味道，可又不像真正的人。"特魯佛漢特小聲說。

"It's getting steadily nearer，"said Camillo.

"他越走越近了。"卡梅羅說。

"Two badgers and you three Dwarfs，with your bows at the-ready，go softly off to meet it，"said Caspian.

"兩只獾和你們?nèi)齻€(gè)小矮人拿好弓箭，悄悄過去看看是誰(shuí)。"凱斯賓命令道。

"We'll settle'un，"said a Black Dwarf grimly，fitting a shaft to his bowstring.

"我們?nèi)缌怂?"黑色小矮人邊說邊裝上利箭。

Don't shoot if it is alone，"said Caspian."Catch it."

"要是只有一個(gè)人，別射他，"凱斯賓說，"留活的。"

"Why?"asked the Dwarf.

"為什么?"小矮人問。

"Do as you're told，"said Glenstorm the Centaur.

"聽命行事。"人馬格蘭仕托姆說。

Everyone waited in silence while the three Dwarfs and two Badgers trotted stealthily across to the trees on the northwest side of the Lawn.Then came a sharp dwarfish cry，"Stop! Who goes there?"and a sudden spring.A moment later a voice，which Caspian knew well，could he heard saying，"All right，all right，I'm unarmed.Take my wrists if you like，worthy Badgers，but don't bite right through them.I want to speak to the King."

三個(gè)小矮人和兩只獾低著身子，大步走向歡舞草坪西北方向的樹林，其他人則靜靜等待。沒一會(huì)兒，那里傳來(lái)小矮人的尖叫聲，"站住，不準(zhǔn)動(dòng)!"隨即就是一陣急促的腳步聲。一小會(huì)后，一個(gè)凱斯賓熟悉的聲音響起，"別!別激動(dòng)!我沒有武器。你咬住我的手腕就行了，獾老弟，可別把手咬破了。我有話對(duì)國(guó)王說。"

"Doctor Cornelius!"cried Caspian with joy，and rushed forward to greet his old tutor.Everyone else crowded round.

"克奈爾斯博士!"凱斯賓驚喜地叫著。他飛奔著沖過去，一把將上年紀(jì)的老師抱住，大家則圍了過去。

"Pah!"said Nikabrik."A renegade Dwarf.A half-and-halfer! Shall I pass my sword through its throat?"

"呸!"尼克布瑞克說，"一個(gè)叛變的小矮人，才四分之一的血脈!要我一劍刺進(jìn)他的喉嚨嗎?"

"Be quiet，Nikabrik，"said Trumpkin."The creature can't help its ancestry."

"住嘴，尼克布瑞克，"杜魯普金說，"誰(shuí)都不能選擇自己的血統(tǒng)。"

"This is my greatest friend and the saviour of my life，"said Caspian."And anyone who doesn't like his company may leave my army: at once.Dearest doctor，I am glad to see you again.How ever did you find us out?"

"他是我最忠誠(chéng)的朋友，他救過我的命，"凱斯賓說，"要是有人不喜歡他，那請(qǐng)離開我的部隊(duì)，現(xiàn)在就離開。最親愛的博士，能再見到你我真開心。你是怎么找到這里的?"

"By a little use of simple magic，your Majesty，"said the Doctor，who was still puffing and blowing from having walked so fast."But there's no time to go into that now.We must all fly from this place at once.You are already betrayed and Miraz is on the move.Before midday tomorrow you will be surrounded."

"只是用了點(diǎn)小魔法，陛下。"博士說。因?yàn)樽叩么颐?，他還大口大口地喘著氣。"但是現(xiàn)在，沒時(shí)間解釋這個(gè)了。我們得趕緊離開，你們被人出賣了，彌若茲正領(lǐng)著大軍殺過來(lái)呢，不用到午夜，這里就會(huì)被圍堵起來(lái)。"

"Betrayed!"said Caspian."And by whom?"

"肯定是另一個(gè)叛變的小矮人，一定是的。"尼克布瑞克說。

"Another renegade Dwarf，no doubt，"said Nikabrik.

"出賣!"凱斯賓說，"是誰(shuí)干的?"

"By your horse Destrier，"said Doctor Cornelius."The poor brute knew no better.When you were knocked off，of course，he went dawdling back to his stable in the castle.Then the secret of your flight was known.I made myself scarce，having no wish to be questioned about it in Miraz's torture chamber.I had a pretty good guess from my crystal as to where I should find you.But all day-hat was the day before yesterday-I saw Miraz's tracking parties out in the woods.Yesterday I learned that his army is out.I don't think some of your-um-pure-blooded Dwarfs have as much woodcraft as might be expected.You've left tracks all over the place.Great carelessness.At any rate something has warned Miraz that Old Narnia is not so dead as he had hoped，and he is on the move."

"是馬戴斯特里爾，"克奈爾斯博士說，"你從馬背上摔下去后，那可憐的家伙沒辦法，只能回到城堡的馬廄里去。然后，他們就知道你逃跑了。我不想被彌若茲逮住，就逃了出來(lái)。我用水晶球算出你們的方位。我親眼見到彌若茲的搜索大軍出了城堡，進(jìn)了森林。就在昨天，我又聽說，他已經(jīng)出動(dòng)了他的軍隊(duì)。我發(fā)現(xiàn)你的手下，這些......嗯......這些小矮人既缺乏森林知識(shí)又大意行事，弄得森林里到處都是痕跡。彌若茲正是發(fā)現(xiàn)了這些痕跡，才知道納尼亞原住民并沒有滅絕。所以，他又要行動(dòng)了。"

"Hurrah!"said a very shrill and small voice from somewhere at the Doctor's feet."Let them come! All I ask is that the King will put me and my people in the front."

"好啊!"博士的腳邊迸出一個(gè)尖細(xì)的聲音，"讓他們來(lái)!我和我的勇士們想打頭陣，請(qǐng)國(guó)王準(zhǔn)許。"

"What on earth?"said Doctor Cornelius."Has your Majesty got grasshoppers-or mosquitoes-in your army?"Then after stooping down and peering carefully through his spectacles，he broke into a laugh.

"誰(shuí)在說話?"克奈爾斯博士問"陛下怎么把螞蚱和蚊子都收進(jìn)你的隊(duì)伍里呢?"他邊說著邊低下身子，隔著眼鏡認(rèn)真地打量了一會(huì)，最后大聲笑出來(lái)。

"By the Lion，"he swore，"it's a mouse.Signior Mouse，I desire your better acquaintance.I am honoured by meeting so valiant a beast."

"以獅王發(fā)誓，"他說道，"這絕對(duì)是老鼠。老鼠先生，我希望和你交個(gè)朋友，能遇見像你這樣一位這么英勇的朋友是我的榮幸。"

"My friendship you shall have，learned Man，"piped Reepicheep."And any Dwarf-or Giant-in the army who does not give you good language shall have my sword to reckon with."

"博士先生，我們會(huì)變成朋友的。"雷佩契普尖聲應(yīng)道，"以后，隊(duì)伍要是有誰(shuí)敢對(duì)你不敬，不管是矮人還是巨人，我都會(huì)用劍刺他。"

"Is there time for this foolery?"asked Nikabrik."What are our plans? Battle or flight?"

"現(xiàn)在是說這些蠢話的時(shí)候嗎?"尼克布瑞克說，"我們?cè)撛趺崔k?戰(zhàn)斗還是逃命?"

"Battle if need be，"said Trumpkin."But we are hardly ready for it yet，and this is no very defensible place."

"如果實(shí)在有必要的話，就戰(zhàn)斗。"杜魯普金說，"不過，我們毫無(wú)準(zhǔn)備，而且這地形對(duì)我們非常不利。"

"I don't like the idea of running away，"said Caspian.

"不能逃跑，我不同意。"凱斯賓說。

"Hear him! Hear him!"said the Bulgy Bears."Whatever we do，don't let's have any running.Especially not before supper; and not too soon after it neither."

"不準(zhǔn)，絕對(duì)不準(zhǔn)!"大胖胖熊們說，"無(wú)論如何，我們都不能跑，特別是在吃飯前和剛吃完飯的時(shí)候。"

"Those who run first do not always run last，"said the Centaur."And why should we let the enemy choose our position instead of choosing it ourselves? Let us find a strong place."

"撤退和逃跑可是不一樣的。"人馬說，"我們?yōu)楹尾恢鲃?dòng)點(diǎn)，選好時(shí)機(jī)和有利地形呢?我們要拿到主動(dòng)權(quán)，再找機(jī)會(huì)與敵人一戰(zhàn)，陛下您覺得呢?"

"That's wise，your Majesty，that's wise，"said Trufflehunter.

"很明智，陛下，這樣是明智的。"特魯佛漢特說。

"But where are we to go?"asked several voices.

"但是我們?cè)撊ツ膬?"幾個(gè)聲音同時(shí)問。

"Your Majesty，"said Doctor Cornelius，"and all you variety of creatures，I think we must fly east and down the river to the great woods.The Telmarines hate that region.They have always been afraid of the sea and of something that may come over the sea.That is why they have let the great woods grow up.If traditions speak true，the ancient Cair Paravel was at the river-mouth.All that part is friendly to us and hateful to our enemies.We must go to Aslan's How."

"陛下，"克奈爾斯博士說，"還有各位，我想我們?cè)撏鶘|走，順流而下，進(jìn)大森林里去，臺(tái)爾馬人一直懼怕大海，尤其是大海對(duì)面的地方。就是因?yàn)檫@樣，他們一直希望樹林快點(diǎn)長(zhǎng)高，成為屏障，以為這樣就安全了。而且那邊有不少朋友，對(duì)我們更有利。況且阿斯蘭堡壘在那，這點(diǎn)很重要。

"Aslan's How?"said several voices."We do not know what it is."

"阿斯蘭堡壘?"幾個(gè)聲音齊聲問，"我們都不知道那是干什么用的?"

"It lies within the skirts of the Great Woods and it is a huge mound which Narnians raised in very ancient times over a very magical place，where there stood-and perhaps still stands-a very magical Stone.The Mound is all hollowed out within into galleries and caves，and the Stone is in the central cave of all.There is room in the mound for all our stores，and those of us who have most need of cover and are most accustomed to underground life can be lodged in the caves.The rest of us can lie in the wood.At a pinch all of us (except this worthy Giant) could retreat into the Mound itself，and there we should be beyond the reach of every danger except famine."

"就在大森林外圍，有一個(gè)神秘的地方。那里有個(gè)大土丘，或許現(xiàn)在仍然豎著一塊神奇的巨石。我們的祖先在那里挖了不少洞穴和通道，巨石則被放在土丘中心。那地方很大，可以容納我們所有人和儲(chǔ)備。我們之中一些需要隱匿和喜歡住地底下的朋友可以住在那，其余人則可以住在森林里。危急關(guān)頭(巨人閣下在外)還可以全都進(jìn)到土丘里面，只要有足夠的食物，我們一定會(huì)沒事的。"

"It is a good thing we have a learned man among us，"said Trufflehunter; but Trumpkin muttered under his breath，"Soup and celery! I wish our leaders would think less about these old wives' tales and more about victuals and arms."But all approved of Cornelius's proposal and that very night，half an hour later，they were on the march.Before sunrise they arrived at Aslan's How.

"在我們中間，有位知識(shí)淵博的人真好。"特魯佛漢特說。但它聽到杜魯普金在一旁說，"老頭子!我覺得大家還是得考慮一下食物和武器的問題，別像那些老婆婆那樣只會(huì)講老故事。"大家最終還是接受了克奈爾斯的提議。三十分鐘后，他們出發(fā)了。天亮前，他們趕到了阿斯蘭堡壘。

It was certainly an awesome place，a round green hill on top of another hill，long since grown over with trees，and one little，low doorway leading into it.The tunnels inside were a perfect maze till you got to know them，and they were lined and roofed with smooth stones，and on the stones，peering in the twilight，Caspian saw strange characters and snaky patterns，and pictures in which the form of a Lion was repeated again and again.It all seemed to belong to an even older Narnia than the Narnia of which his nurse had told him.

這是一個(gè)綠色山丘，坐落在山包上，非常僻靜。在蔥郁的大樹下，一條小路蜿蜒著直通向山丘的中心。里面結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜，對(duì)不熟悉的人來(lái)說，真可謂是個(gè)迷宮。四壁全是用光滑的石頭砌起來(lái)的。借著昏暗的光線，凱斯賓看到石壁上有一些奇怪的文字和蛇形花紋，還有很多關(guān)于獅子的圖畫。這一切都說明，那個(gè)古老而又神秘的納尼亞確實(shí)存在過。

It was after they had taken up their quarters in and around the How that fortune began to turn against them.King Miraz's scouts soon found their new lair，and he and his army arrived on the edge of the woods.And as so often happens，the enemy turned out stronger than they had reckoned.Caspian's heart sank as he saw company after company arriving.And though Miraz's men may have been afraid of going into the wood，they were even more afraid of Miraz，and with him in command they carried battle deeply into it and sometimes almost to the How itself.Caspian and other captains of course made many sorties into the open country.Thus there was fighting on most days and sometimes by night as well; but Caspian's party had on the whole the worst of it.

他們安頓了下來(lái)。沒想到，彌若茲的探子很快就發(fā)現(xiàn)了他們，隨后而來(lái)的是大批軍隊(duì)。敵人的兵力看起來(lái)比他們想象的要強(qiáng)很多。敵軍一隊(duì)接著一隊(duì)開過來(lái)，凱斯賓的心開始慢慢地往下沉。雖然彌若茲的士兵都懼怕大森林，但是他們更怕彌若茲。在他的謀劃下，士兵們進(jìn)入森林開始作戰(zhàn)，甚至打到了堡壘門前。凱斯賓和他的部將們也先后向平原發(fā)動(dòng)過幾次反攻，但都是被動(dòng)挨打居多。戰(zhàn)斗大多數(shù)發(fā)生在白天，有時(shí)晚上也要作戰(zhàn)。整體形勢(shì)對(duì)凱斯賓很不利。

At last there came a night when everything had gone as badly as possible，and the rain which had been falling heavily all day had ceased at nightfall only to give place to raw cold.That morning Caspian had arranged what was his biggest battle yet，and all had hung their hopes on it.He，with most of the Dwarfs，was to have fallen on the King's right wing at daybreak，and then，when they were heavily engaged，Giant Wimbleweather，with the Centaurs and some of the fiercest beasts，was to have broken out from another place and endeavoured to cut the King's right off from the rest of the army.But it had all failed.No one had warned Caspian (because no one in these later days of Narnia remembered) that Giants are not at all clever.Poor Wimbleweather，though as brave as a lion，was a true Giant in that respect.He had broken out at the wrong time and from the wrong place，and both his party and Caspian's had suffered badly and done the enemy little harm.The best of the Bears had been hurt，a Centaur terribly wounded，and there were few in Caspian's party who had not lost blood.It was a gloomy company that huddled under the dripping trees to eat their scanty supper.

下了整整一天的大雨在傍晚時(shí)分總算停了下來(lái)。但氣溫驟降，每一個(gè)人都要凍僵了。第二天清晨，凱斯賓部署了一次最猛的攻擊，他把所有希望都押在這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗上。在黎明時(shí)分，他親自率領(lǐng)大部分小矮人撲向彌若茲的右翼，當(dāng)他們?cè)谟乙黻嚨厣掀礆r(shí)，巨人溫布維德、人馬和一部分最兇猛的動(dòng)物從隱蔽的地方?jīng)_殺出來(lái)，竭力切斷敵人的增援。但這場(chǎng)進(jìn)攻最終還是失敗了。沒人告訴過凱斯賓巨人雖然秉性憨厚，但是卻不會(huì)用腦子--這事也沒人想起來(lái)。盡管溫布維德像獅子一樣勇猛，不愧為一個(gè)巨人，但由于他進(jìn)攻的時(shí)機(jī)、地點(diǎn)都不對(duì)，所以他的隊(duì)伍甚至讓凱斯賓的隊(duì)伍都吃了敗仗，而敵人卻沒有什么損失。就連最有戰(zhàn)斗力的那只熊也掛了彩，人馬傷勢(shì)也嚴(yán)重。凱斯賓的部下里，只有少數(shù)人沒有受傷。他們?nèi)f分沮喪，擠在大樹下面躲雨，一起吃那少得可憐的晚餐。

The gloomiest of all was Giant Wimbleweather.He knew it was all his fault.He sat in silence shedding big tears which collected on the end of his nose and then fell off with a huge splash on the whole bivouac of the Mice，who had just been beginning to get warm and drowsy.They all jumped up，shaking the water out of their ears and wringing their little blankets，and asked the Giant in shrill but forcible voices whether he thought they weren't wet enough without this sort of thing.And then other people woke up and told the Mice they had been enrolled as scouts and not as a concert party，and asked why they couldn't keep quiet.And Wimbleweather tiptoed away to find some place where he could be miserable in peace and stepped on somebody's tail and somebody (they said afterwards it was a fox) bit him.And so everyone was out of temper.

最難過的是巨人溫布維德，他為自己的粗心大意，考慮不周而暗暗自責(zé)。他坐在那里一言不發(fā)，大滴大滴的眼淚順著鼻尖，落在老鼠們的營(yíng)地上。它才剛有點(diǎn)睡意，這下全都跳了起來(lái)了，一邊抖身上的水，擰它們的小毯子，一邊質(zhì)問巨人，語(yǔ)調(diào)尖銳而憤怒;"你還嫌我們不夠濕，是吧?"它們的叫聲吵醒了其他人，大家都開始責(zé)備老鼠們，"你們是來(lái)當(dāng)偵察兵的，不是合唱隊(duì)!"大家要求它們馬上安靜下來(lái)。溫布維德躡手躡腳地離開大家，打算找一個(gè)安安靜靜的地方一個(gè)人面壁思過。可又一不留神踩著了誰(shuí)的尾巴，惹得那家伙咬了它一口。他后來(lái)才知道那是只狐貍。結(jié)果，又是一番爭(zhēng)吵。在這個(gè)時(shí)候，大家都已經(jīng)不耐煩了。

But in the secret and magical chamber at the heart of the How，King Caspian，with Cornelius and the Badger and Nikabrik and Trumpkin，were at council.Thick pillars of ancient workmanship supported the roof.In the centre was the Stone itself-a stone table，split right down the centre，and covered with what had once been writing of some kind: but ages of wind and rain and snow had almost worn them away in old times when the Stone Table had stood on the hilltop，and the Mound had not yet been built above it.They were not using the Table nor sitting round it: it was too magic a thing for any common use.They sat on logs a little way from it，and between them was a rough wooden table，on which stood a rude clay lamp lighting up their pale faces and throwing big shadows on the walls.

此時(shí)，在堡壘中心那個(gè)既隱蔽又富有傳奇色彩的洞穴里，國(guó)王凱斯賓、克奈爾斯、獾、尼克布瑞克和杜魯普金正在舉行會(huì)議。洞穴的屋頂靠幾根年代久遠(yuǎn)的大柱子支撐著，在屋子正中央擺著一塊石頭，確切地說是一張石桌。它從中間斷成了兩部分，上面還刻著沒人能讀懂的文字。在石桌被搬進(jìn)洞穴之前，因?yàn)榻?jīng)年的風(fēng)吹日曬，字跡早就模糊得根本難以辨認(rèn)了。他們并沒有在那石桌旁開會(huì)，因?yàn)樗麄冋J(rèn)為這張石桌是神圣的，不可以隨便使用。在石桌不遠(yuǎn)的地方，他們圍著一張粗糙的木制桌子開會(huì)。桌上那盞簡(jiǎn)陋的泥燈，映照著他們蒼白的臉，在墻壁上投下了他們長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的身影。

"If your Majesty is ever to use the Horn，"said Trufflehunter，"I think the time has now come."Caspian had of course told them of his treasure several days ago.

"如果陛下想使用那只神號(hào)，"特魯佛漢特說，"我覺得現(xiàn)在是時(shí)候了。"凱斯賓幾天前曾跟他們講過，所以大家對(duì)它抱有很大的期望。

"We are certainly in great need，"answered Caspian."But it is hard to be sure we are at our greatest.Supposing there came an even worse need and we had already used it?"

"我們確實(shí)急需幫助了，"凱斯賓說，"可現(xiàn)在不能確定我們是不是在最困難的時(shí)候。如果后面還有更糟的狀況等著我們，但我們已經(jīng)用掉了這次求助的機(jī)會(huì)，那該怎么辦?"

"By that argument，"said Nikabrik，"your Majesty will never use it until it is too late."

"這么說的話，"尼克布瑞克說，"陛下，你就永遠(yuǎn)別用它了，就算錯(cuò)過了時(shí)機(jī)也別用了。"

"I agree with that，"said Doctor Cornelius.

"我同意。"克奈爾斯博士說。

"And what do you think，Trumpkin?"asked Caspian.

"你說呢，杜魯普金?"凱斯賓問。

"Oh，as for me，"said the Red Dwarf，who had been listening with complete indifference，"your Majesty knows I think the Horn-and that bit of broken stone over there-and your great King Peter-and your Lion Aslan-are all eggs in moonshine.It's all one to me when your Majesty blows the Horn.All I insist on is that the army is told nothing about it.There's no good raising hopes of magical help which (as I think) are sure to be disappointed."

"噢，要我說啊，"那個(gè)紅色小矮人說，他之前一直漫不經(jīng)心地聽著，"陛下，我覺得你們說的那只號(hào)和那塊斷開的大石頭，還有你們的至尊王彼得以及所謂的阿斯蘭，都是海市蜃樓，或者說是鏡花水月，看得見卻摸不著，都是些虛幻的東西。陛下什么時(shí)候吹號(hào)，我根本不在意，反正結(jié)果都一樣。但是，我請(qǐng)求陛下別對(duì)我們的部隊(duì)提起這件事情，免得大家對(duì)此都抱有希望，如果結(jié)果恰恰相反，這樣下去只會(huì)讓大家失望。"

"Then in the name of Aslan we will wind Queen Susan's Horn，"said Caspian.

"那么，我們就以阿斯蘭的名義，吹響蘇珊女王的神號(hào)吧。"凱斯賓說。

"There is one thing，Sire，"said Doctor Cornelius，"that should perhaps be done first.We do not know what form the help will take.It might call Aslan himself from oversea.But I think it is more likely to call Peter the High King and his mighty consorts down from the high past.But in either case，I do not think we can be sure that the help will come to this very spot-"

"還有一件事情陛下，"克奈爾斯博士說，"或許應(yīng)該先明確一下。因?yàn)槲覀兌疾恢捞?hào)聲會(huì)帶給我們?cè)鯓拥膸椭?，或許能喚來(lái)海外的阿斯蘭，可是我覺得更大的可能是喚來(lái)納尼亞的先王彼得和他的大力相助。不過無(wú)論什么情況，我想救援都不可能直接降臨在我們面前。"

"You never said a truer word，"put in Trumpkin.

"你終于說了句實(shí)在話。"杜魯普金插嘴說。

"I think，"went on the learned man，"that they-or he-will come back to one or other of the Ancient Places of Narnia.This，where we now sit，is the most ancient and most deeply magical of all，and here，I think，the answer is likeliest to come.But there are two others.One is Lantern Waste，up-river，west of Beaversdam，where the Royal Children first appeared in Narnia，as the records tell.The other is down at the river-mouth，where their castle of Cair Paravel once stood.And if Aslan himself comes，that would be the best place for meeting him too，for every story says that he is the son of the great Emperor-over-he-Sea，and over the sea he will pass.I should like very much to send messengers to both places，to Lantern Waste and the river-mouth，to receive them-or him-or it."

"我認(rèn)為，"這位學(xué)識(shí)淵博的人繼續(xù)說，"他們有可能會(huì)先到納尼亞某個(gè)古老的宮殿，比如說，咱們腳下的這個(gè)地方。所以我想啊，那幫助也可能會(huì)在這兒出現(xiàn)。但是還有其他兩個(gè)可能的地方：一是在河上游的燈柱野林，在海貍大壩的西邊。聽說王室的孩子就是從那兒來(lái)到納尼亞的。另一個(gè)地方是當(dāng)年的凱爾帕拉維爾城堡的所在地，就在下游河的入海口處。如果阿斯蘭親自來(lái)，那里肯定是迎接它的最佳地點(diǎn)。因?yàn)閭髡f他是偉大的海外之王，將跨海而來(lái)。所以我提議，派出使臣去這兩個(gè)地方迎接他們的到來(lái)。"

"Just as I thought，"muttered Trumpkin."The first result of all this foolery is not to bring us help but to lose us two fighters."

"果然跟我想的一樣，"杜魯普金嘟噥說，"這種愚蠢的行為不僅不會(huì)帶來(lái)任何好處，反而可能害我們失去兩名戰(zhàn)士。"

"Who would you think of sending，Doctor Cornelius?"asked Caspian.

"那你打算派誰(shuí)去，克奈爾斯博士?"凱斯賓問。

"Squirrels are best for getting through enemy country without being caught，"said Trufflehunter.

"要穿過敵人的封鎖，又不會(huì)被擒，看來(lái)松鼠是再合適不過了。"特魯佛漢特說。

"All our squirrels (and we haven't many)，"said Nikabrik，"are rather flighty.The only one I'd trust on a job like that would be Pattertwig."

"我們這些松鼠為數(shù)并不多，"尼克布瑞克說，"而且它們很是輕浮，多嘴多舌。我認(rèn)為，這次行動(dòng)非同小可，恐怕唯一可以勝任的只有佩蒂威格。"

"Let it be Pattertwig，then，"said King Caspian."And who for our other messenger? I know you'd go，Trufflehunter，but you haven't the speed.Nor you，Doctor Cornelius."

"那么就派佩蒂威格去，"凱斯賓國(guó)王說，"可第二個(gè)使臣應(yīng)該是誰(shuí)呢?我知道你肯定愿意前往，可是特魯佛漢特，你的速度不夠快。你也不行，克奈爾斯博士。"

"I won't go，"said Nikabrik."With all these Humans and beasts about，there must be a Dwarf here to see that the Dwarfs are fairly treated."

"我才不去，"尼克布瑞克說，"這里有這么多人和動(dòng)物，我必須留下來(lái)，保護(hù)其他的小矮人。"

"Thimbles and thunderstorms!"cried Trumpkin in a rage."Is that how you speak to the King? Send me，Sire，I'll go."

"混賬!"杜魯普金勃然大怒，"你怎么能對(duì)國(guó)王這樣說話?派我去吧，陛下，我去!"

"But I thought you didn't believe in the Horn，Trumpkin，"said Caspian.

"可你不是不相信那只號(hào)嗎，杜魯普金?"凱斯賓說。

"No more I do，your Majesty.But what's that got to do with it? I might as well die on a wild goose chase as die here.You are my King.I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders.You've had my advice，and now it's the time for orders."

"我是不相信，陛下?？蛇@又有什么關(guān)系呢?不管死在徒勞無(wú)益的行動(dòng)中，還是坐在這里等死，結(jié)果都一樣。你是國(guó)王，提出忠告是我的義務(wù)，但是執(zhí)行命令也是我不可推卸的責(zé)任。你已經(jīng)聽了我的忠告，現(xiàn)在該我執(zhí)行命令了。"

"I will never forget this，Trumpkin，"said Caspian."Send for Pattertwig，one of you.And when shall I blow the Horn?"

"我不會(huì)忘記你的這番話，杜魯普金。"凱斯賓說，"傳佩蒂威格過來(lái)。那么，我們什么時(shí)候吹響號(hào)角呢?"

"I would wait for sunrise，your Majesty，"said Doctor Cornelius."That sometimes has an effect in operations of White Magic."

"我建議到黎明時(shí)分，陛下，"克奈爾斯博士說，"這是號(hào)角發(fā)揮最大效力的時(shí)候。"

A few minutes later Pattertwig arrived and had his task explained to him.As he was，like many squirrels，full of courage and dash and energy and excitement and mischief (not to say conceit)，he no sooner heard it than he was eager to be off.It was arranged that he should run for Lantern Waste while Trumpkin made the shorter journey to the river-mouth.After a hasty meal they both set off with the fervent thanks and good wishes of the King，the Badger，and Cornelius.

幾分鐘之后，佩蒂威格被傳進(jìn)來(lái)。凱斯賓簡(jiǎn)單地告訴它此行的任務(wù)。佩蒂威格如往常一般充滿了精神和活力。國(guó)王的話音未落，它就迫不及待地要出發(fā)了。凱斯賓派它去的是燈柱野林，而杜魯普金則去出?？?。兩個(gè)人匆匆吃過飯，當(dāng)然還有國(guó)王和其他人的祝福和期望，同時(shí)出發(fā)了。