《凱斯賓王子》第十二章 巫術(shù)和叛變

CHAPTER TWELVE SORCERY AND SUDDEN VENGEANCE

第十二章 巫術(shù)和叛變

MEANWHILE Trumpkin and the two boys arrived at the dark little stone archway which led into the inside of the Mound，and two sentinel badgers (the white patches on their cheeks were all Edmund could see of them) leaped up with bared teeth and asked them in snarling voices，"Who goes there?"

與此同時另一邊，杜魯普金和兩個男孩來到堡壘內(nèi)部的那個黑暗、狹小的通道。兩只負(fù)責(zé)守衛(wèi)的獾驚得跳起來，露出雪白、鋒利的牙齒問："誰?"它們臉上的白斑暴露了它們的身份。

"Trumpkin，"said the Dwarf."Bringing the High King of Narnia out of the far past."

"杜魯普金，"小矮人回答，"我把納尼亞的至尊王請來了。"

The badgers nosed at the boys' hands."At last，"they said."At last."

獾用鼻子聞聞孩子們的手。"終于，終于來了!"它們說道，"終于。"

"Give us a light，friends，"said Trumpkin.

"點燈吧，朋友們!"小矮人說道。

The badgers found a torch just inside the arch and Peter lit it and handed it to Trumpkin."The D.L.F.had better lead，"he said."We don't know our way about this place."

那只比較高大的獾拿了支火把。彼得把點燃的火把遞給杜魯普金。"請小不點在前面帶路，"他說，"我們對這里還不熟悉。"

Trumpkin took the torch and went ahead into the dark tunnel.It was a cold，black，musty place，with an occasional bat fluttering in the torchlight，and plenty of cobwebs.The boys，who had been mostly in the open air since that morning at the railway station，felt as if they were going into a trap or a prison.

杜魯普金拿過火把，帶頭走進(jìn)黑暗的通道。這個幽深、陰暗、潮濕的地方，掛滿了蜘蛛網(wǎng)，偶爾還有蝙蝠。孩子們從在火車站的那個早晨時起就一直待在敞亮的屋子外面，現(xiàn)在感覺就像掉入陷阱或牢籠一樣。

"I say，Peter，"whispered Edmund."Look at those carvings on the walls.Don't they look old? And yet we're older than that.When we were last here，they hadn't been made."

"我說，彼得，"愛德蒙小聲說，"你看那些壁畫，是不是像是很久以前的?可都還沒咱們的歲數(shù)大!上次來的時候，這兒可沒有堡壘。"

"Yes，"said Peter."That makes one think."

"是的，"彼得說，"讓我想起了很多。"

The Dwarf went on ahead and then turned to the right，and then to the left，and then down some steps，and then to the left again.Then at last they saw a light ahead-light from under a door.And now for the first time they heard voices，for they had come to the door of the central chamber.The voices inside were angry ones.Someone was talking so loudly that the approach of the boys and the Dwarf had not been heard.

小矮人繼續(xù)走，右拐再左拐，下了臺階之后又左拐。前面有亮光--是從門下透出的微光。這是他們進(jìn)來這里后第一次聽到的聲音是從堡壘的中央指揮室里傳出來的。講話的人好像非常憤怒，由于聲音太大，根本不知道外面有人進(jìn)來。

"Don't like the sound of that，"whispered Trumpkin to Peter."Let's listen for a moment."All three stood perfectly still on the outside of the door.

"那樣大聲說話真討厭，"杜魯普金輕聲對彼得說，"等等，我們來聽聽他們在說什么。"于是，他們?nèi)齻€人一動不動地在門外停下來。

"You know well enough，"said a voice ("That's the King，"whispered Trumpkin)，"why the Horn was not blown at sunrise this morning.Have you forgotten that Miraz fell upon us almost before Trumpkin had gone，and we were fighting for our lives for the space of three hours and more? I blew it when first I had a breathing space."

"你很清楚，"一個聲音說，("是國王。"杜魯普金輕聲說。)"為什么那天早晨太陽升起時沒有吹響號角，難道你不記得杜魯普金剛剛動身，彌若茲的軍隊就向我們撲來了?為了生存，我們奮勇殺敵，過了三個多小時。剛有喘息的機(jī)會，我就吹響了那支神號。"

"I'm not likely to forget it，"came the angry voice，"when my Dwarfs bore the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell."("That's Nikabrik，"whispered Trumpkin.)

"這個我當(dāng)然記得。"那憤怒的聲音響起，"那時我的手下就戰(zhàn)斗在最危險的地方，每五個小矮人中就有一個倒了下去。"("是尼克布瑞克。"杜魯普金小聲說。)

"For shame，Dwarf，"came a thick voice ("Trufflehunter's，"said Trumpkin)."We all did as much as the Dwarfs and none more than the King."

"不知羞恥，矮子!"一個聲音響起("是特魯佛漢特。"杜魯普金繼續(xù)提醒道)，"我們一樣努力，但都不如國王陛下。"

"Tell that tale your own way for all I care，"answered Nikabrik."But whether it was that the Horn was blown too late，or whether there was no magic in it，no help has come.You，you great clerk，you master magician，you know-all; are you still asking us to hang our hopes on Aslan and King Peter and all the rest of it?"

"隨你怎么說，"尼克布瑞克說，"不管是號角吹得太遲了，還是它根本沒用。反正至今我們沒得到任何援助。而你是個偉大的演說家，全能的魔法大師，無所不知的術(shù)士!你還想讓我們對阿斯蘭、至尊王彼得和其他人抱什么希望嗎?"

"I must confess-I cannot deny it-that I am deeply disappointed in the result of the operation，"came the answer.("That'll be Doctor Cornelius，"said Trumpkin.)

"我承認(rèn)......我并不否認(rèn)......我對那號角的效果感到抱歉。"有人回答。("那是克奈爾斯博士。"杜魯普金說。)

"To speak plainly，"said Nikabrik，"your wallet's empty，your eggs addled，your fish uncaught，your promises broken.Stand aside then and let others work.And that is why-"

"說白了你的錢包癟了，你的雞蛋壞了，你的魚跑了，你的承諾破碎了。"尼克布瑞克說道，"那么，你最好待在一邊看別人的。這就是為什么我......"

"The help will come，"said Trufflehunter."I stand by Aslan.Have patience，like us beasts.The help will come.It may be even now at the door."

"援軍會到的，"特魯佛漢特說，"我始終堅信阿斯蘭的力量。耐心一點，像我們一樣。援軍會來的，可能已經(jīng)到門口了。"

"Pah!"snarled Nikabrik."You badgers would have us wait till the sky falls and we can all catch larks.I tell you we can't wait.Food is running short; we lose more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away."

"呸!"尼克布瑞克吼道，"你們這些獾只知道等，天塌下來大家一塊去抓云雀。我告訴你們，我們不等了。食物也快沒有了。每次斗爭都損失很大，我們的軍心早已動搖了。"

"And why?"asked Trufflehunter."I'll tell you why.Because it is noised among them that we have called on the Kings of old and the Kings of old have not answered.The last words Trumpkin spoke before he went (and went，most likely，to his death) were，If you must blow the Horn，do not let the army know why you blow it or what you hope from it.But that same evening everyone seemed to know."

"你知道是為什么嗎?"特魯佛漢特說，"我告訴你吧。軍隊中謠言四起，說我們召喚古代君王的幫助卻沒有結(jié)果。杜魯普金離開之前說......那可能就是遺言，不要讓軍隊知道吹響那只號角的原因，也不要讓他們知道我們的想法。結(jié)果那天晚上就已人盡皆知。"

"You'd better have shoved your grey snout in a hornets' nest，Badger，than suggest that I am the blab，"said Nikabrik."Take it back，or-"

"你這只獾最好把灰鼻子插進(jìn)蜂巢里!"尼克布瑞克說道，"你這是暗示我泄密了嗎?你最好把話收回去，不然......"

"Oh，stop it，both of you，"said King Caspian."I want to know what it is that Nikabrik keeps on hinting we should do.But before that，I want to know who those two strangers are whom he has brought into our council and who stand there with their ears open and their mouths shut."

"哦，停下，你們兩個都閉嘴!"凱斯賓國王說，"我想知道，尼克布瑞克暗示了什么。不過在你說出你的想法前，請跟大家說清楚你帶來的這兩個只聽不說話的家伙是誰。"

"They are friends of mine，"said Nikabrik."And what better right have you yourself to be here than that you are a friend of Trumpkin's and the Badger's? And what right has that old dotard in the black gown to be here except that he is your friend? Why am I to be the only one who can't bring in his friends?"

"是我的朋友，"尼克布瑞克說，"你若不是杜魯普金和獾的朋友，也不能待這里!還有黑袍子的老家伙，如果不是你的朋友，也不能來這兒。為什么我不能帶朋友來呢?"

"His Majesty is the King to whom you have sworn allegiance，" said Trufflehunter sternly.

"陛下是君主，你曾發(fā)誓效忠于他。"特魯佛漢特非常嚴(yán)肅。

"Court manners，court manners，"sneered Nikabrik."But in this hole we may talk plainly.You know-and he knows that this Telmarine boy will be king of nowhere and nobody in a week unless we can help him out of the trap in which he sits."

"對，對，君臣之禮還是要有的。"尼克布瑞克諷刺說，"可在這個山洞里，就直接說吧。你知道，當(dāng)然他也很明白，如果我們一周還脫離不了險境，這個臺爾馬小子還坐什么王位?到時候，他什么都不是!只有我能幫他脫離這個陷阱"

"Perhaps，"said Cornelius，"your new friends would like to speak for themselves? You there，who and what are you?"

"也許，你的朋友愿意說幾句?"克奈爾斯說，"你們倆，是誰?來做什么?"

"Worshipful Master Doctor，"came a thin，whining voice."So please you，I'm only a poor old woman，I am，and very obliged to his Worshipful Dwarfship for his friendship，I'm sure.His Majesty，bless his handsome face，has no need to be afraid of an old woman that's nearly doubled up with the rheumatics and hasn't two sticks to put under her kettle.I have some poor little skill-not like yours，Master Doctor，of course-in small spells and cantrips that I'd be glad to use against our enemies if it was agreeable to all concerned.For I hate'em.Oh yes.No one hates better than me."

"尊敬的博士先生，"一個帶著哭腔的聲音說，"求你可憐可憐我這個老婆子吧。我對小矮人閣下非常感激。國王陛下，你長得真帥。你真的可以對我這樣一個患了嚴(yán)重的風(fēng)濕病身子已縮成一團(tuán)、只有借助拐杖才能行走的老婆子完全放心。我手無縛雞之力，只會幾樣小法術(shù)，當(dāng)然無法和尊敬的博士相比。如果各位允許，我愿意用咒語來抗擊敵人。我恨他們，是的，沒人比我更恨他們了。"

"That is all most interesting and-er-satisfactory，"said Doctor Cornelius."I think I now know what you are，Madam.Perhaps your other friend，Nikabrik，would give some account of himself?"

"有意思，而且......嗯......非常滿意。"克奈爾斯博士說，"我知道你是誰了，夫人。尼克布瑞克，讓你的另一位朋友也說幾句吧?"

A dull，grey voice at which Peter's flesh crept replied，"I'm hunger.I'm thirst.Where I bite，I hold till I die，and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me.I can fast a hundred years and not die.I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze.I can drink a river of blood and not burst.Show me your enemies."

一聽到那個木訥的聲音，彼得身上就起雞皮疙瘩。"我餓，我渴，咬住了敵人就絕不松口。就算戰(zhàn)死，也要把敵人身上肉咬掉，給我陪葬。我餓一百年不死、渴一百年不壞，凍一百年也不疆。我能喝像條河流一樣多的血液。你們說，敵人在哪兒。"

"And it is in the presence of these two that you wish to disclose your plan?"said Caspian.

"你是特地帶他們完成你的計劃，對嗎?"凱斯賓問。

"Yes，"said Nikabrik."And by their help that I mean to execute it."

"是的，"尼克布瑞克說，"我打算在他們幫助下開始這個計劃。"

There was a minute or two during which Trumpkin and the boys could hear Caspian and his two friends speaking in low voices but could not make out what they were saying.Then Caspian spoke aloud.

接下來的一會兒，杜魯普金和兩個男孩只聽得到凱斯賓和他的朋友們在低語，內(nèi)容聽不清。接著，凱斯賓說：

"Well，Nikabrik，"he said，"we will hear your plan."

"好吧，尼克布瑞克，說說你的計劃。"

There was a pause so long that the boys began to wonder if Nikabrik was ever going to begin; when he did，it was in a lower voice，as if he himself did not much like what he was saying.

沉默了好久之后，孩子們都以為那小矮人不打算說了。這個時候，尼克布瑞克開口了，它把聲音壓得很低，好像說了那些連自己都不想說的一番話。

"All said and done，"he muttered，"none of us knows the truth about the ancient days in Narnia.Trumpkin believed none of the stories.I was ready to put them to the trial.We tried first the Horn and it has failed.If there ever was a High King Peter and a Queen Susan and a King Edmund and a Queen Lucy，then either they have not heard us，or they cannot come，or they are our enemies-"

"該說也說了，該做也做了?？墒菦]人知道古納尼亞究竟是否存在。杜魯普金根本不信那些傳說，不過我之前還是想試試。我們吹響了號角，結(jié)果呢?如果這世上真有國王彼得和他的弟弟妹妹，肯定是沒聽見我們的求助或者無法前來，甚至站到了敵人的陣營......"

"Or they are on the way，"put in Trufflehunter.

"也許他們就在路上呢?"特魯佛漢特打斷了他的話，反問道。

"You can go on saying that till Miraz has fed us all to his dogs.As I was saying，we have tried one link in the chain of old legends，and it has done us no good.Well.But when your sword breaks，you draw your dagger.The stories tell of other powers beside the ancient Kings and Queens.How if we could call them up?"

"你可以接著這么說，直到彌若茲把我們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)喂狗。就像我剛剛說的，我們已經(jīng)用傳說中的寶物做了試驗結(jié)果毫無用處。事實就是如此。俗話說，寶劍斷了還有匕首。傳說中除了國王和女王，還有其他勢力。為什么我們不求助他們呢?"

"If you mean Aslan，"said Trufflehunter，"it's all one calling on him and on the Kings.They were his servants.If he will not send them (but I make no doubt he will)，is he more likely to come himself?"

"如果你想說阿斯蘭，"特魯佛漢特說，"那么他和古代君王們是一體的，他們是他的臣民。如果不派他們來--我相信他會的--或者他可能親自前來?"

"No.You're right there，"said Nikabrik."Aslan and the Kings go together.Either Aslan is dead，or he is not on our side.Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back.And if he did come-how do we know he'd be our friend? He was not always a good friend to Dwarfs by all that's told.Not even to all beasts.Ask the Wolves.And anyway，he was in Narnia only once that I ever heard of，and he didn't stay long.You may drop Aslan out of the reckoning.I was thinking of someone else."

"不。你說得沒錯，"尼克布瑞克說，"阿斯蘭會和眾國王一起來。因此，阿斯蘭可能已經(jīng)死了，可能成了敵人，或者被更強(qiáng)大的力量控制了。就算來了，我們又不能確定，他是不是我們的朋友!在許多傳說中，他和我們小矮人的交往并不密切，對動物來說也是這樣，比如野狼。而且，據(jù)我了解阿斯蘭到納尼亞就一次，而且待得不久。我們不必再妄想依靠阿斯蘭的力量了。不過我有另一個人選。"

There was no answer，and for a few minutes it was so still that Edmund could hear the wheezy and snuffling breath of the Badger.

然后就沒了下句，好久一會兒，屋里沒半點聲音，愛德蒙可以聽到獾的呼吸聲。

"Who do you mean?"said Caspian at last.

"你指的誰?"凱斯賓終于出聲問。

"I mean a power so much greater than Aslan's that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years，if the stories are true."

"我是說比阿斯蘭力量還大的人。如果傳說都是真的，那么這個人物也統(tǒng)治了納尼亞很多年。"

"The White Witch!"cried three voices all at once，and from the noise Peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet.

"白女巫!"三個聲音異口同聲地說?？次堇锏膭屿o，彼得猜測有三個人同時跳起來了。

"Yes，"said Nikabrik very slowly and distinctly，"I mean the Witch.Sit down again.Don't all take fright at a name as if you were children.We want power: and we want a power that will be on our side.As for power，do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan，and bound him，and killed him on that very stone which is over there，just beyond the light?"

"是的，"尼克布瑞克一字一頓地說，"我說的就是白女巫。坐下，別像小孩一樣聽到名字就嚇壞了。我們需要力量強(qiáng)大的人來幫助我們。說到能力，傳說不是說過白女巫打敗了阿斯蘭，把他捆起來在這里把他給殺死了嗎?"

"But they also say that he came to life again，"said the Badger sharply.

"可傳說他后來又活了。"獾尖著嗓子說。

"Yes，they say，"answered Nikabrik，"but you'll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards.He just fades out of the story.How do you explain that，if he really came to life? Isn't it much more likely that he didn't，and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?"

"不錯，是這樣，"尼克布瑞克答道，"可是從那以后就沒有他的消息了。他不知去向，從此銷聲匿跡。這點你該如何解釋?可能他根本就沒有復(fù)活?以后的傳說根本就再沒提過他，是因為已經(jīng)沒什么可說了，不是嗎?"

"He established the Kings and Queens，"said Caspian.

"是因為他冊封了國王和女王。"凱斯賓說。

"A King who has just won a great battle can usually establish himself without the help of a performing lion，"said Nikabrik.There was a fierce growl，probably from Trufflehunter.

"取得勝利的英雄可以自封為王，用不了獅子形式上的幫助。"尼克布瑞克說。這時特魯佛漢特發(fā)出一陣低沉的咆哮，他好像被激怒了。

"And anyway，"Nikabrik continued，"what came of the Kings and their reign? They faded too.But it's very different with the Witch.They say she ruled for a hundred years: a hundred years of winter.There's power，if you like.There's something practical."

"換句話說，"尼克布瑞克接著說，"那些被冊封的國王和統(tǒng)治過納尼亞的女王又能怎樣呢?他們也不見了。白女巫就不同了。傳說她統(tǒng)治了上百年--上百年都是冬天。這才是能力!這就是她的過人之處。"

"But，heaven and earth!"said the King，"haven't we always been told that she was the worst enemy of all? Wasn't she a tyrant ten times worse than Miraz?"

"可是，天地為證!"國王說，"她從來都是我們最兇險的對手。她不是比彌若茲還要可怕、可惡十倍嗎?"

"Perhaps，"said Nikabrik in a cold voice."Perhaps she was for you humans，if there were any of you in those days.Perhaps she was for some of the beasts.She stamped out the Beavers，I dare say; at least there are none of them in Narnia now.But she got on all right with us Dwarfs.I'm a Dwarf and I stand by my own people.We're not afraid of the Witch."

"可能吧，"尼克布瑞克冷冷地說，"或許對你們?nèi)祟悂碚f，如果那時候有人類。對動物來說，多半也是這樣--我敢說，她把海貍家族打到窮途末路，今天納尼亞沒有一只海貍了?？墒撬臀覀冃“艘恢毕嗵幍煤芎谩Ｎ沂切“耍?dāng)然要為自己說話。我們不怕她。"

"But you've joined with us，"said Trufflehunter.

"不過，你已經(jīng)是我們的一員。"特魯佛漢特說。

"Yes，and a lot of good it has done my people，so far，"snapped Nikabrik."Who is sent on all the dangerous!raids? The Dwarfs.Who goes short when the rations fail? The Dwarfs.Who-?"

"沒錯，可我的人至今得到過什么好處，"尼克布瑞克厲聲道，"是誰派我誰去執(zhí)行最危險的任務(wù)。糧食不夠，我們的身體變得越來越瘦小。是誰......"

"Lies! All lies!"said the Badger.

"胡說!都是胡說!"獾叫嚷。

"And so，"said Nikabrik，whose voice now rose to a scream，"if you can't help my people，I'll go to someone who can."

"因此，"尼克布瑞克提高嗓門，"如果你們對我的臣民毫無幫助，我們會投靠另一個有能力的人。"

"Is this open treason，Dwarf?"asked the King.

"你這是在造反嗎，小矮人?"凱斯賓問道。

"Put that sword back in its sheath，Caspian，"said Nikabrik."Murder at council，eh? Is that your game? Don't be fool enough to try it.Do you think I'm afraid of you? There's three on my side，and three on yours."

"把寶劍收起來，凱斯賓，"尼克布瑞克說道，"在會議上謀殺的，嗯?別傻了，你以為我會怕你?你們有三個人，我們也是。"

"Come on，then，"snarled Trufflehunter，but he was immediately interrupted.

"來吧!"特魯佛漢特大聲喊，卻被打斷了。

"Stop，stop，stop，"said Doctor Cornelius."You go on too fast.The Witch is dead.All the stories agree on that.What does Nikabrik mean by calling on the Witch?"

"停下，停下，停下，"克奈爾斯博士說，"你說得太快了。女巫已經(jīng)死了，這一點已被證實。尼克布瑞克還要向女巫求助是怎么回事?"

That grey and terrible voice which had spoken only once before said，"Oh，is she?"

那個令人不寒而栗的聲音又響了起來："噢，她真的死了?"

And then the shrill，whining voice began，"Oh，bless his heart，his dear little Majesty needn't mind about the White Lady-that's what we call her-being dead.The Worshipful Master Doctor is only making game of a poor old woman like me when he says that.Sweet Mastery Doctor，learned Master Doctor，who ever heard of a witch that really died? You can always get them back."

那個帶著哭腔的尖音接著說："哦!愿上帝保佑他，陛下別為白夫人太過擔(dān)心--我們稱她為白夫人。博士先生這么說，一定是在和老太婆開玩笑吧?我親愛的博士，知識淵博的博士，誰聽說過女巫會死?她隨時都可能出現(xiàn)在這里。"

"Call her up，"said the grey voice."We are all ready.Draw the circle.Prepare the blue fire."

"召喚她，"木訥的聲音說，"已準(zhǔn)備就緒，劃個圈，再點一堆藍(lán)色的火就好。"

Above the steadily increasing growl of the Badger and Cornelius's sharp"What?"rose the voice of King Caspian like thunder.

伴隨著獾越發(fā)大聲地怒吼和博士大聲喊出的"什么?"屋內(nèi)響起了凱斯賓雷霆一樣的聲音："這是你的計劃，尼克布瑞克!用邪惡魔法召喚惡魔!我知道你的同伙是什么人了，是巫婆和是狼人!"

"So that is your plan，Nikabrik! Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed ghost.And I see who your companions are-a Hag and a Werewolf!" The next minute or so was very confused.There was an animal roaring，a clash of steel; the boys and Trumpkin rushed in; Peter had a glimpse of a horrible，grey，gaunt creature，half man and half wolf，in the very act of leaping upon a boy about his own age，and Edmund saw a badger and a Dwarf rolling on the floor in a sort of cat fight.Trumpkin found himself face to face with the Hag.Her nose and chin stuck out like a pair of nut-crackers，her dirty grey hair was flying about her face and she had just got Doctor Cornelius by the throat.At one slash of Trumpkin's sword her head rolled on the floor.Then the light was knocked over and it was all swords，teeth，claws，fists，and boots for about sixty seconds.Then silence.

接下來的幾分鐘很混亂，有嗥叫，有金屬的撞擊。孩子們和杜魯普金沖了進(jìn)去。映入彼得眼簾的是一個龐然大物，面目猙獰。一邊是人一邊是狼，正撲向自己的同齡人。愛德蒙看見獾和一個小矮人在廝打，扭成一團(tuán)像兩只貓打架。杜魯普金走到巫婆的跟前，巫婆尖鼻子和下巴伸出來。她骯臟的頭發(fā)蓋住了整個臉，雙手抓住博士的脖子。杜魯普金一劍揮向巫婆，那個丑巴巴的腦袋就滾在地上。然后蠟燭被打滅了，屋里伸手不見五指，只能聽見擊劍聲、咬牙聲、拳打腳踢聲。在持續(xù)了大約一分鐘后，終于安靜了下來。

"Are you all right，Ed?"

"你還好吧，愛德蒙?"

"I-I think so，"panted Edmund."I've got that brute Nikabrik，but he's still alive."

"我......我沒事，"愛德蒙松了一口氣，"我抓住了混蛋尼克布瑞克，他還活著。"

Weights and water-bottles!"came an angry voice."It's me you're sitting on.Get off.You're like a young elephant."

"誰壓到我了!"傳來一個惱怒的聲音，"你坐在我身上了。起來，你這頭大象!"

"Sorry，D.L.F.，"said Edmund."Is that better?"

"很抱歉，小不點，"愛德蒙說，"好些了嗎?"

"Ow ! No !"bellowed Trumpkin."You're putting your boot in my mouth.Go away."

"噢!不!"杜魯普金叫道，"你的靴子伸我嘴里了!拿開。"

"Is King Caspian anywhere?"asked Peter.

"凱斯賓國王在哪兒?"彼得問道。

"I'm here，"said a rather faint voice."Something bit me."

"在這兒，"一個虛弱的聲音答道，"什么東西咬了我一下。"

They all heard the noise of someone striking a match.It was Edmund.The little flame showed his face，looking pale and dirty.He blundered about for a little，found the candle (they were no longer using the lamp，for they had run out of oil)，set it on the table，and lit it.When the flame rose clear，several people scrambled to their feet.Six faces blinked at one another in the candlelight.

大家聽到點火柴的聲音，是愛德蒙。他的臉被小小的火光照亮了，看上去又蒼白又臟。他摸了半天，找著一支蠟燭。這兒不用油燈，所有的油都吃了。愛德蒙點燃蠟燭放到桌子上，屋里亮了起來。地上的人歪歪扭扭地站起來，在燭光下打量著彼此。

"We don't seem to have any enemies left，"said Peter."There's the Hag，dead."(He turned his eyes quickly away from her.)"And Nikabrik，dead too.And I suppose this thing is a Were-wolf.It's so long since I've seen one.Wolf's head and man's body.That means he was just turning from man into wolf at the moment he was killed.And you，I suppose，are King Caspian?"

"沒有看到有人逃跑，"彼得說，"這是巫婆，已經(jīng)死了。他然后又看另一個東西，這是尼克布瑞克，也死了。哈，這就是人狼吧。很久沒看到這玩意了。這說明他以前犯了殺頭罪，死的時候托生成了狼，結(jié)果剛才就這個樣子。如果我沒猜錯，你是凱斯賓國王?"

"Yes，"said the other boy."But I've no idea who you are."

"是的，"對面的小伙子回答，"但你是哪位?"

"It's the High King，King Peter，"said Trumpkin.

"他就是至尊王彼得陛下。"杜魯普金說。

"Your Majesty is very welcome，"said Caspian.

"歡迎你，陛下。"凱斯賓說。

"And so is your Majesty，"said Peter."I haven't come to take your place，you know，but to put you into it."

"也歡迎你，陛下，"彼得說道，"我是來幫助你取得王位，而不是來接替你的。"

"Your Majesty，"said another voice at Peter's elbow.He turned and found himself face to face with the Badger.Peter leaned forward，put his arms round the beast and kissed the furry head: it wasn't a girlish thing for him to do，because he was the High King.

"陛下。"有個恭敬的聲音，他回過頭，正是那只忠誠的獾。彼得擁抱他，又親親他毛茸茸的臉。彼得這樣做并不顯得嬌氣，他畢竟是至尊王。

"Best of badgers，"he said."You never doubted us all through."

"好樣的!"他說道，"你從來沒對我們失去過信心。"

"No credit to me，your Majesty，"said Trufflehunter."I'm a beast and we don't change.I'm a badger，what's more，and we hold on."

"陛下過獎了，"特魯佛漢特說道，"動物是不會變心的，更何況是獾。我們從一而終。"

"I am sorry for Nikabrik，"said Caspian，"though he hated me from the first moment he saw me.He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating.If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace.I don't know which of us killed him.I'm glad of that."

"尼克布瑞克真讓人惋惜，"凱斯賓說，"雖然第一次見我就看我不順眼。他的心被苦難和仇恨扭曲了，如果我們短期內(nèi)取得了勝利，在和平時期他會是好人，好的小矮人。不知道他死在誰的手里，但我還是很開心。"

"You're bleeding，"said Peter.

"你在流血。"彼得說。

"Yes，I'm bitten，"said Caspian."It was that-that wolf thing."Cleaning and bandaging the wound took a long time，and when it was done Trumpkin said，"Now.Before everything else we want some breakfast."

"是的，我被咬了，"凱斯賓說，"是狼。"處理傷口花了一些時間。然后，杜魯普金說，"咱們應(yīng)該先吃點早餐，再做別的事。"

"But not here，"said Peter.

"不過，不是在這兒。"彼得說。

"No，"said Caspian with a shudder."And we must send someone to take away the bodies."

"對，"凱斯賓打了個寒戰(zhàn)，"必須讓人把尸體搬走。"

"Let the vermin be flung into a pit，"said Peter."But the Dwarf we will give to his people to be buried in their own fashion."

"把他們埋在一個坑里，"彼得說，"那個小矮人的尸體，就交給他的部下好了，按照他們的習(xí)俗埋葬。"

They breakfasted at last in another of the dark cellars of Aslan's How.It was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen，for Caspian and Cornelius were thinking of venison pasties，and Peter and Edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee，but what everyone got was a little bit of cold bear-meat (out of the boys' pockets)，a lump of hard cheese，an onion，and a mug of water.But，from the way they fell to，anyone would have supposed it was delicious.

最后，他們在另一個地窖吃上了早餐?？墒撬麄儫o法選擇，沒吃上想吃的：凱斯賓和克奈爾斯想吃鹿肉餡餅，彼得和愛德蒙想吃煎蛋和熱咖啡?？涩F(xiàn)在每人只有一小塊冰涼的熊肉，還是從兩個男孩口袋里拿出來的，一小塊已經(jīng)不新鮮的乳酪，一只洋蔥和一杯白開水?？墒牵此麄兡抢峭袒⒀实臉幼?，別人會以為他們在吃百年難遇的美食呢。

CHAPTER TWELVE SORCERY AND SUDDEN VENGEANCE

MEANWHILE Trumpkin and the two boys arrived at the dark little stone archway which led into the inside of the Mound，and two sentinel badgers (the white patches on their cheeks were all Edmund could see of them) leaped up with bared teeth and asked them in snarling voices，"Who goes there?"

"Trumpkin，"said the Dwarf."Bringing the High King of Narnia out of the far past."

The badgers nosed at the boys' hands."At last，"they said."At last."

"Give us a light，friends，"said Trumpkin.

The badgers found a torch just inside the arch and Peter lit it and handed it to Trumpkin."The D.L.F.had better lead，"he said."We don't know our way about this place."

Trumpkin took the torch and went ahead into the dark tunnel.It was a cold，black，musty place，with an occasional bat fluttering in the torchlight，and plenty of cobwebs.The boys，who had been mostly in the open air since that morning at the railway station，felt as if they were going into a trap or a prison.

"I say，Peter，"whispered Edmund."Look at those carvings on the walls.Don't they look old? And yet we're older than that.When we were last here，they hadn't been made."

"Yes，"said Peter."That makes one think."

The Dwarf went on ahead and then turned to the right，and then to the left，and then down some steps，and then to the left again.Then at last they saw a light ahead-light from under a door.And now for the first time they heard voices，for they had come to the door of the central chamber.The voices inside were angry ones.Someone was talking so loudly that the approach of the boys and the Dwarf had not been heard.

"Don't like the sound of that，"whispered Trumpkin to Peter."Let's listen for a moment."All three stood perfectly still on the outside of the door.

"You know well enough，"said a voice ("That's the King，"whispered Trumpkin)，"why the Horn was not blown at sunrise this morning.Have you forgotten that Miraz fell upon us almost before Trumpkin had gone，and we were fighting for our lives for the space of three hours and more? I blew it when first I had a breathing space."

"I'm not likely to forget it，"came the angry voice，"when my Dwarfs bore the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell."("That's Nikabrik，"whispered Trumpkin.)

"For shame，Dwarf，"came a thick voice ("Trufflehunter's，"said Trumpkin)."We all did as much as the Dwarfs and none more than the King."

"Tell that tale your own way for all I care，"answered Nikabrik."But whether it was that the Horn was blown too late，or whether there was no magic in it，no help has come.You，you great clerk，you master magician，you know-all; are you still asking us to hang our hopes on Aslan and King Peter and all the rest of it?"

"I must confess-I cannot deny it-that I am deeply disappointed in the result of the operation，"came the answer.("That'll be Doctor Cornelius，"said Trumpkin.)

"To speak plainly，"said Nikabrik，"your wallet's empty，your eggs addled，your fish uncaught，your promises broken.Stand aside then and let others work.And that is why-"

"The help will come，"said Trufflehunter."I stand by Aslan.Have patience，like us beasts.The help will come.It may be even now at the door."

"Pah!"snarled Nikabrik."You badgers would have us wait till the sky falls and we can all catch larks.I tell you we can't wait.Food is running short; we lose more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away."

"And why?"asked Trufflehunter."I'll tell you why.Because it is noised among them that we have called on the Kings of old and the Kings of old have not answered.The last words Trumpkin spoke before he went (and went，most likely，to his death) were，If you must blow the Horn，do not let the army know why you blow it or what you hope from it.But that same evening everyone seemed to know."

"You'd better have shoved your grey snout in a hornets' nest，Badger，than suggest that I am the blab，"said Nikabrik."Take it back，or-"

"Oh，stop it，both of you，"said King Caspian."I want to know what it is that Nikabrik keeps on hinting we should do.But before that，I want to know who those two strangers are whom he has brought into our council and who stand there with their ears open and their mouths shut."

"They are friends of mine，"said Nikabrik."And what better right have you yourself to be here than that you are a friend of Trumpkin's and the Badger's? And what right has that old dotard in the black gown to be here except that he is your friend? Why am I to be the only one who can't bring in his friends?"

"His Majesty is the King to whom you have sworn allegiance，" said Trufflehunter sternly.

"Court manners，court manners，"sneered Nikabrik."But in this hole we may talk plainly.You know-and he knows that this Telmarine boy will be king of nowhere and nobody in a week unless we can help him out of the trap in which he sits."

"Perhaps，"said Cornelius，"your new friends would like to speak for themselves? You there，who and what are you?"

"Worshipful Master Doctor，"came a thin，whining voice."So please you，I'm only a poor old woman，I am，and very obliged to his Worshipful Dwarfship for his friendship，I'm sure.His Majesty，bless his handsome face，has no need to be afraid of an old woman that's nearly doubled up with the rheumatics and hasn't two sticks to put under her kettle.I have some poor little skill-not like yours，Master Doctor，of course-in small spells and cantrips that I'd be glad to use against our enemies if it was agreeable to all concerned.For I hate'em.Oh yes.No one hates better than me."

"That is all most interesting and-er-satisfactory，"said Doctor Cornelius."I think I now know what you are，Madam.Perhaps your other friend，Nikabrik，would give some account of himself?"

A dull，grey voice at which Peter's flesh crept replied，"I'm hunger.I'm thirst.Where I bite，I hold till I die，and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me.I can fast a hundred years and not die.I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze.I can drink a river of blood and not burst.Show me your enemies."

"And it is in the presence of these two that you wish to disclose your plan?"said Caspian.

"Yes，"said Nikabrik."And by their help that I mean to execute it."

There was a minute or two during which Trumpkin and the boys could hear Caspian and his two friends speaking in low voices but could not make out what they were saying.Then Caspian spoke aloud.

"Well，Nikabrik，"he said，"we will hear your plan."

There was a pause so long that the boys began to wonder if Nikabrik was ever going to begin; when he did，it was in a lower voice，as if he himself did not much like what he was saying.

"All said and done，"he muttered，"none of us knows the truth about the ancient days in Narnia.Trumpkin believed none of the stories.I was ready to put them to the trial.We tried first the Horn and it has failed.If there ever was a High King Peter and a Queen Susan and a King Edmund and a Queen Lucy，then either they have not heard us，or they cannot come，or they are our enemies-"

"Or they are on the way，"put in Trufflehunter.

"You can go on saying that till Miraz has fed us all to his dogs.As I was saying，we have tried one link in the chain of old legends，and it has done us no good.Well.But when your sword breaks，you draw your dagger.The stories tell of other powers beside the ancient Kings and Queens.How if we could call them up?"

"If you mean Aslan，"said Trufflehunter，"it's all one calling on him and on the Kings.They were his servants.If he will not send them (but I make no doubt he will)，is he more likely to come himself?"

"No.You're right there，"said Nikabrik."Aslan and the Kings go together.Either Aslan is dead，or he is not on our side.Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back.And if he did come-how do we know he'd be our friend? He was not always a good friend to Dwarfs by all that's told.Not even to all beasts.Ask the Wolves.And anyway，he was in Narnia only once that I ever heard of，and he didn't stay long.You may drop Aslan out of the reckoning.I was thinking of someone else."

There was no answer，and for a few minutes it was so still that Edmund could hear the wheezy and snuffling breath of the Badger.

"Who do you mean?"said Caspian at last.

"I mean a power so much greater than Aslan's that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years，if the stories are true."

"The White Witch!"cried three voices all at once，and from the noise Peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet.

"Yes，"said Nikabrik very slowly and distinctly，"I mean the Witch.Sit down again.Don't all take fright at a name as if you were children.We want power: and we want a power that will be on our side.As for power，do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan，and bound him，and killed him on that very stone which is over there，just beyond the light?"

"But they also say that he came to life again，"said the Badger sharply.

"Yes，they say，"answered Nikabrik，"but you'll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards.He just fades out of the story.How do you explain that，if he really came to life? Isn't it much more likely that he didn't，and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?"

"He established the Kings and Queens，"said Caspian.

"A King who has just won a great battle can usually establish himself without the help of a performing lion，"said Nikabrik.There was a fierce growl，probably from Trufflehunter.

"And anyway，"Nikabrik continued，"what came of the Kings and their reign? They faded too.But it's very different with the Witch.They say she ruled for a hundred years: a hundred years of winter.There's power，if you like.There's something practical."

"But，heaven and earth!"said the King，"haven't we always been told that she was the worst enemy of all? Wasn't she a tyrant ten times worse than Miraz?"

"Perhaps，"said Nikabrik in a cold voice."Perhaps she was for you humans，if there were any of you in those days.Perhaps she was for some of the beasts.She stamped out the Beavers，I dare say; at least there are none of them in Narnia now.But she got on all right with us Dwarfs.I'm a Dwarf and I stand by my own people.We're not afraid of the Witch."

"But you've joined with us，"said Trufflehunter.

"Yes，and a lot of good it has done my people，so far，"snapped Nikabrik."Who is sent on all the dangerous!raids? The Dwarfs.Who goes short when the rations fail? The Dwarfs.Who-?"

"Lies! All lies!"said the Badger.

"And so，"said Nikabrik，whose voice now rose to a scream，"if you can't help my people，I'll go to someone who can."

"Is this open treason，Dwarf?"asked the King.

"Put that sword back in its sheath，Caspian，"said Nikabrik."Murder at council，eh? Is that your game? Don't be fool enough to try it.Do you think I'm afraid of you? There's three on my side，and three on yours."

"Come on，then，"snarled Trufflehunter，but he was immediately interrupted.

"Stop，stop，stop，"said Doctor Cornelius."You go on too fast.The Witch is dead.All the stories agree on that.What does Nikabrik mean by calling on the Witch?"

That grey and terrible voice which had spoken only once before said，"Oh，is she?"

And then the shrill，whining voice began，"Oh，bless his heart，his dear little Majesty needn't mind about the White Lady-that's what we call her-being dead.The Worshipful Master Doctor is only making game of a poor old woman like me when he says that.Sweet Mastery Doctor，learned Master Doctor，who ever heard of a witch that really died? You can always get them back."

"Call her up，"said the grey voice."We are all ready.Draw the circle.Prepare the blue fire."

Above the steadily increasing growl of the Badger and Cornelius's sharp"What?"rose the voice of King Caspian like thunder.

"So that is your plan，Nikabrik! Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed ghost.And I see who your companions are-a Hag and a Werewolf!" The next minute or so was very confused.There was an animal roaring，a clash of steel; the boys and Trumpkin rushed in; Peter had a glimpse of a horrible，grey，gaunt creature，half man and half wolf，in the very act of leaping upon a boy about his own age，and Edmund saw a badger and a Dwarf rolling on the floor in a sort of cat fight.Trumpkin found himself face to face with the Hag.Her nose and chin stuck out like a pair of nut-crackers，her dirty grey hair was flying about her face and she had just got Doctor Cornelius by the throat.At one slash of Trumpkin's sword her head rolled on the floor.Then the light was knocked over and it was all swords，teeth，claws，fists，and boots for about sixty seconds.Then silence.

"Are you all right，Ed?"

"I-I think so，"panted Edmund."I've got that brute Nikabrik，but he's still alive."

Weights and water-bottles!"came an angry voice."It's me you're sitting on.Get off.You're like a young elephant."

"Sorry，D.L.F.，"said Edmund."Is that better?"

"Ow ! No !"bellowed Trumpkin."You're putting your boot in my mouth.Go away."

"Is King Caspian anywhere?"asked Peter.

"I'm here，"said a rather faint voice."Something bit me."

They all heard the noise of someone striking a match.It was Edmund.The little flame showed his face，looking pale and dirty.He blundered about for a little，found the candle (they were no longer using the lamp，for they had run out of oil)，set it on the table，and lit it.When the flame rose clear，several people scrambled to their feet.Six faces blinked at one another in the candlelight.

"We don't seem to have any enemies left，"said Peter."There's the Hag，dead."(He turned his eyes quickly away from her.)"And Nikabrik，dead too.And I suppose this thing is a Were-wolf.It's so long since I've seen one.Wolf's head and man's body.That means he was just turning from man into wolf at the moment he was killed.And you，I suppose，are King Caspian?"

"Yes，"said the other boy."But I've no idea who you are."

"It's the High King，King Peter，"said Trumpkin.

"Your Majesty is very welcome，"said Caspian.

"And so is your Majesty，"said Peter."I haven't come to take your place，you know，but to put you into it."

"Your Majesty，"said another voice at Peter's elbow.He turned and found himself face to face with the Badger.Peter leaned forward，put his arms round the beast and kissed the furry head: it wasn't a girlish thing for him to do，because he was the High King.

"Best of badgers，"he said."You never doubted us all through."

"No credit to me，your Majesty，"said Trufflehunter."I'm a beast and we don't change.I'm a badger，what's more，and we hold on."

"I am sorry for Nikabrik，"said Caspian，"though he hated me from the first moment he saw me.He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating.If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace.I don't know which of us killed him.I'm glad of that."

"You're bleeding，"said Peter.

"Yes，I'm bitten，"said Caspian."It was that-that wolf thing."Cleaning and bandaging the wound took a long time，and when it was done Trumpkin said，"Now.Before everything else we want some breakfast."

"But not here，"said Peter.

"No，"said Caspian with a shudder."And we must send someone to take away the bodies."

"Let the vermin be flung into a pit，"said Peter."But the Dwarf we will give to his people to be buried in their own fashion."

They breakfasted at last in another of the dark cellars of Aslan's How.It was not such a breakfast as they would have chosen，for Caspian and Cornelius were thinking of venison pasties，and Peter and Edmund of buttered eggs and hot coffee，but what everyone got was a little bit of cold bear-meat (out of the boys' pockets)，a lump of hard cheese，an onion，and a mug of water.But，from the way they fell to，anyone would have supposed it was delicious.

第十二章 巫術(shù)和叛變

與此同時另一邊，杜魯普金和兩個男孩來到堡壘內(nèi)部的那個黑暗、狹小的通道。兩只負(fù)責(zé)守衛(wèi)的獾驚得跳起來，露出雪白、鋒利的牙齒問："誰?"它們臉上的白斑暴露了它們的身份。

"杜魯普金，"小矮人回答，"我把納尼亞的至尊王請來了。"

獾用鼻子聞聞孩子們的手。"終于，終于來了!"它們說道，"終于。"

"點燈吧，朋友們!"小矮人說道。

那只比較高大的獾拿了支火把。彼得把點燃的火把遞給杜魯普金。"請小不點在前面帶路，"他說，"我們對這里還不熟悉。"

杜魯普金拿過火把，帶頭走進(jìn)黑暗的通道。這個幽深、陰暗、潮濕的地方，掛滿了蜘蛛網(wǎng)，偶爾還有蝙蝠。孩子們從在火車站的那個早晨時起就一直待在敞亮的屋子外面，現(xiàn)在感覺就像掉入陷阱或牢籠一樣。

"我說，彼得，"愛德蒙小聲說，"你看那些壁畫，是不是像是很久以前的?可都還沒咱們的歲數(shù)大!上次來的時候，這兒可沒有堡壘。"

"是的，"彼得說，"讓我想起了很多。"

小矮人繼續(xù)走，右拐再左拐，下了臺階之后又左拐。前面有亮光--是從門下透出的微光。這是他們進(jìn)來這里后第一次聽到的聲音是從堡壘的中央指揮室里傳出來的。講話的人好像非常憤怒，由于聲音太大，根本不知道外面有人進(jìn)來。

"那樣大聲說話真討厭，"杜魯普金輕聲對彼得說，"等等，我們來聽聽他們在說什么。"于是，他們?nèi)齻€人一動不動地在門外停下來。

"你很清楚，"一個聲音說，("是國王。"杜魯普金輕聲說。)"為什么那天早晨太陽升起時沒有吹響號角，難道你不記得杜魯普金剛剛動身，彌若茲的軍隊就向我們撲來了?為了生存，我們奮勇殺敵，過了三個多小時。剛有喘息的機(jī)會，我就吹響了那支神號。"

"這個我當(dāng)然記得。"那憤怒的聲音響起，"那時我的手下就戰(zhàn)斗在最危險的地方，每五個小矮人中就有一個倒了下去。"("是尼克布瑞克。"杜魯普金小聲說。)

"不知羞恥，矮子!"一個聲音響起("是特魯佛漢特。"杜魯普金繼續(xù)提醒道)，"我們一樣努力，但都不如國王陛下。"

"隨你怎么說，"尼克布瑞克說，"不管是號角吹得太遲了，還是它根本沒用。反正至今我們沒得到任何援助。而你是個偉大的演說家，全能的魔法大師，無所不知的術(shù)士!你還想讓我們對阿斯蘭、至尊王彼得和其他人抱什么希望嗎?"

"我承認(rèn)......我并不否認(rèn)......我對那號角的效果感到抱歉。"有人回答。("那是克奈爾斯博士。"杜魯普金說。)

"說白了你的錢包癟了，你的雞蛋壞了，你的魚跑了，你的承諾破碎了。"尼克布瑞克說道，"那么，你最好待在一邊看別人的。這就是為什么我......"

"援軍會到的，"特魯佛漢特說，"我始終堅信阿斯蘭的力量。耐心一點，像我們一樣。援軍會來的，可能已經(jīng)到門口了。"

"呸!"尼克布瑞克吼道，"你們這些獾只知道等，天塌下來大家一塊去抓云雀。我告訴你們，我們不等了。食物也快沒有了。每次斗爭都損失很大，我們的軍心早已動搖了。"

"你知道是為什么嗎?"特魯佛漢特說，"我告訴你吧。軍隊中謠言四起，說我們召喚古代君王的幫助卻沒有結(jié)果。杜魯普金離開之前說......那可能就是遺言，不要讓軍隊知道吹響那只號角的原因，也不要讓他們知道我們的想法。結(jié)果那天晚上就已人盡皆知。"

"你這只獾最好把灰鼻子插進(jìn)蜂巢里!"尼克布瑞克說道，"你這是暗示我泄密了嗎?你最好把話收回去，不然......"

"哦，停下，你們兩個都閉嘴!"凱斯賓國王說，"我想知道，尼克布瑞克暗示了什么。不過在你說出你的想法前，請跟大家說清楚你帶來的這兩個只聽不說話的家伙是誰。"

"是我的朋友，"尼克布瑞克說，"你若不是杜魯普金和獾的朋友，也不能待這里!還有黑袍子的老家伙，如果不是你的朋友，也不能來這兒。為什么我不能帶朋友來呢?"

"陛下是君主，你曾發(fā)誓效忠于他。"特魯佛漢特非常嚴(yán)肅。

"對，對，君臣之禮還是要有的。"尼克布瑞克諷刺說，"可在這個山洞里，就直接說吧。你知道，當(dāng)然他也很明白，如果我們一周還脫離不了險境，這個臺爾馬小子還坐什么王位?到時候，他什么都不是!只有我能幫他脫離這個陷阱"

"也許，你的朋友愿意說幾句?"克奈爾斯說，"你們倆，是誰?來做什么?"

"尊敬的博士先生，"一個帶著哭腔的聲音說，"求你可憐可憐我這個老婆子吧。我對小矮人閣下非常感激。國王陛下，你長得真帥。你真的可以對我這樣一個患了嚴(yán)重的風(fēng)濕病身子已縮成一團(tuán)、只有借助拐杖才能行走的老婆子完全放心。我手無縛雞之力，只會幾樣小法術(shù)，當(dāng)然無法和尊敬的博士相比。如果各位允許，我愿意用咒語來抗擊敵人。我恨他們，是的，沒人比我更恨他們了。"

"有意思，而且......嗯......非常滿意。"克奈爾斯博士說，"我知道你是誰了，夫人。尼克布瑞克，讓你的另一位朋友也說幾句吧?"

一聽到那個木訥的聲音，彼得身上就起雞皮疙瘩。"我餓，我渴，咬住了敵人就絕不松口。就算戰(zhàn)死，也要把敵人身上肉咬掉，給我陪葬。我餓一百年不死、渴一百年不壞，凍一百年也不疆。我能喝像條河流一樣多的血液。你們說，敵人在哪兒。"

"你是特地帶他們完成你的計劃，對嗎?"凱斯賓問。

"是的，"尼克布瑞克說，"我打算在他們幫助下開始這個計劃。"

接下來的一會兒，杜魯普金和兩個男孩只聽得到凱斯賓和他的朋友們在低語，內(nèi)容聽不清。接著，凱斯賓說：

"""好吧，尼克布瑞克，說說你的計劃。"""

沉默了好久之后，孩子們都以為那小矮人不打算說了。這個時候，尼克布瑞克開口了，它把聲音壓得很低，好像說了那些連自己都不想說的一番話。

"該說也說了，該做也做了?？墒菦]人知道古納尼亞究竟是否存在。杜魯普金根本不信那些傳說，不過我之前還是想試試。我們吹響了號角，結(jié)果呢?如果這世上真有國王彼得和他的弟弟妹妹，肯定是沒聽見我們的求助或者無法前來，甚至站到了敵人的陣營......"

"也許他們就在路上呢?"特魯佛漢特打斷了他的話，反問道。

"你可以接著這么說，直到彌若茲把我們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)喂狗。就像我剛剛說的，我們已經(jīng)用傳說中的寶物做了試驗結(jié)果毫無用處。事實就是如此。俗話說，寶劍斷了還有匕首。傳說中除了國王和女王，還有其他勢力。為什么我們不求助他們呢?"

"如果你想說阿斯蘭，"特魯佛漢特說，"那么他和古代君王們是一體的，他們是他的臣民。如果不派他們來--我相信他會的--或者他可能親自前來?"

"不。你說得沒錯，"尼克布瑞克說，"阿斯蘭會和眾國王一起來。因此，阿斯蘭可能已經(jīng)死了，可能成了敵人，或者被更強(qiáng)大的力量控制了。就算來了，我們又不能確定，他是不是我們的朋友!在許多傳說中，他和我們小矮人的交往并不密切，對動物來說也是這樣，比如野狼。而且，據(jù)我了解阿斯蘭到納尼亞就一次，而且待得不久。我們不必再妄想依靠阿斯蘭的力量了。不過我有另一個人選。"

然后就沒了下句，好久一會兒，屋里沒半點聲音，愛德蒙可以聽到獾的呼吸聲。

"你指的誰?"凱斯賓終于出聲問。

"我是說比阿斯蘭力量還大的人。如果傳說都是真的，那么這個人物也統(tǒng)治了納尼亞很多年。"

"白女巫!"三個聲音異口同聲地說?？次堇锏膭屿o，彼得猜測有三個人同時跳起來了。

"是的，"尼克布瑞克一字一頓地說，"我說的就是白女巫。坐下，別像小孩一樣聽到名字就嚇壞了。我們需要力量強(qiáng)大的人來幫助我們。說到能力，傳說不是說過白女巫打敗了阿斯蘭，把他捆起來在這里把他給殺死了嗎?"

"可傳說他后來又活了。"獾尖著嗓子說。

"不錯，是這樣，"尼克布瑞克答道，"可是從那以后就沒有他的消息了。他不知去向，從此銷聲匿跡。這點你該如何解釋?可能他根本就沒有復(fù)活?以后的傳說根本就再沒提過他，是因為已經(jīng)沒什么可說了，不是嗎?"

"是因為他冊封了國王和女王。"凱斯賓說。

"取得勝利的英雄可以自封為王，用不了獅子形式上的幫助。"尼克布瑞克說。這時特魯佛漢特發(fā)出一陣低沉的咆哮，他好像被激怒了。

"換句話說，"尼克布瑞克接著說，"那些被冊封的國王和統(tǒng)治過納尼亞的女王又能怎樣呢?他們也不見了。白女巫就不同了。傳說她統(tǒng)治了上百年--上百年都是冬天。這才是能力!這就是她的過人之處。"

"可是，天地為證!"國王說，"她從來都是我們最兇險的對手。她不是比彌若茲還要可怕、可惡十倍嗎?"

"可能吧，"尼克布瑞克冷冷地說，"或許對你們?nèi)祟悂碚f，如果那時候有人類。對動物來說，多半也是這樣--我敢說，她把海貍家族打到窮途末路，今天納尼亞沒有一只海貍了?？墒撬臀覀冃“艘恢毕嗵幍煤芎?。我是小矮人，當(dāng)然要為自己說話。我們不怕她。"

"不過，你已經(jīng)是我們的一員。"特魯佛漢特說。

"沒錯，可我的人至今得到過什么好處，"尼克布瑞克厲聲道，"是誰派我誰去執(zhí)行最危險的任務(wù)。糧食不夠，我們的身體變得越來越瘦小。是誰......"

"胡說!都是胡說!"獾叫嚷。

"因此，"尼克布瑞克提高嗓門，"如果你們對我的臣民毫無幫助，我們會投靠另一個有能力的人。"

"你這是在造反嗎，小矮人?"凱斯賓問道。

"把寶劍收起來，凱斯賓，"尼克布瑞克說道，"在會議上謀殺的，嗯?別傻了，你以為我會怕你?你們有三個人，我們也是。"

"來吧!"特魯佛漢特大聲喊，卻被打斷了。

"停下，停下，停下，"克奈爾斯博士說，"你說得太快了。女巫已經(jīng)死了，這一點已被證實。尼克布瑞克還要向女巫求助是怎么回事?"

那個令人不寒而栗的聲音又響了起來："噢，她真的死了?"

那個帶著哭腔的尖音接著說："哦!愿上帝保佑他，陛下別為白夫人太過擔(dān)心--我們稱她為白夫人。博士先生這么說，一定是在和老太婆開玩笑吧?我親愛的博士，知識淵博的博士，誰聽說過女巫會死?她隨時都可能出現(xiàn)在這里。"

"召喚她，"木訥的聲音說，"已準(zhǔn)備就緒，劃個圈，再點一堆藍(lán)色的火就好。"

伴隨著獾越發(fā)大聲地怒吼和博士大聲喊出的"什么?"屋內(nèi)響起了凱斯賓雷霆一樣的聲音："這是你的計劃，尼克布瑞克!用邪惡魔法召喚惡魔!我知道你的同伙是什么人了，是巫婆和是狼人!"

接下來的幾分鐘很混亂，有嗥叫，有金屬的撞擊。孩子們和杜魯普金沖了進(jìn)去。映入彼得眼簾的是一個龐然大物，面目猙獰。一邊是人一邊是狼，正撲向自己的同齡人。愛德蒙看見獾和一個小矮人在廝打，扭成一團(tuán)像兩只貓打架。杜魯普金走到巫婆的跟前，巫婆尖鼻子和下巴伸出來。她骯臟的頭發(fā)蓋住了整個臉，雙手抓住博士的脖子。杜魯普金一劍揮向巫婆，那個丑巴巴的腦袋就滾在地上。然后蠟燭被打滅了，屋里伸手不見五指，只能聽見擊劍聲、咬牙聲、拳打腳踢聲。在持續(xù)了大約一分鐘后，終于安靜了下來。

"你還好吧，愛德蒙?"

"我......我沒事，"愛德蒙松了一口氣，"我抓住了混蛋尼克布瑞克，他還活著。"

"誰壓到我了!"傳來一個惱怒的聲音，"你坐在我身上了。起來，你這頭大象!"

"很抱歉，小不點，"愛德蒙說，"好些了嗎?"

"噢!不!"杜魯普金叫道，"你的靴子伸我嘴里了!拿開。"

"凱斯賓國王在哪兒?"彼得問道。

"在這兒，"一個虛弱的聲音答道，"什么東西咬了我一下。"

大家聽到點火柴的聲音，是愛德蒙。他的臉被小小的火光照亮了，看上去又蒼白又臟。他摸了半天，找著一支蠟燭。這兒不用油燈，所有的油都吃了。愛德蒙點燃蠟燭放到桌子上，屋里亮了起來。地上的人歪歪扭扭地站起來，在燭光下打量著彼此。

"沒有看到有人逃跑，"彼得說，"這是巫婆，已經(jīng)死了。他然后又看另一個東西，這是尼克布瑞克，也死了。哈，這就是人狼吧。很久沒看到這玩意了。這說明他以前犯了殺頭罪，死的時候托生成了狼，結(jié)果剛才就這個樣子。如果我沒猜錯，你是凱斯賓國王?"

"是的，"對面的小伙子回答，"但你是哪位?"

"他就是至尊王彼得陛下。"杜魯普金說。

"歡迎你，陛下。"凱斯賓說。

"也歡迎你，陛下，"彼得說道，"我是來幫助你取得王位，而不是來接替你的。"

"陛下。"有個恭敬的聲音，他回過頭，正是那只忠誠的獾。彼得擁抱他，又親親他毛茸茸的臉。彼得這樣做并不顯得嬌氣，他畢竟是至尊王。

"好樣的!"他說道，"你從來沒對我們失去過信心。"

"陛下過獎了，"特魯佛漢特說道，"動物是不會變心的，更何況是獾。我們從一而終。"

"尼克布瑞克真讓人惋惜，"凱斯賓說，"雖然第一次見我就看我不順眼。他的心被苦難和仇恨扭曲了，如果我們短期內(nèi)取得了勝利，在和平時期他會是好人，好的小矮人。不知道他死在誰的手里，但我還是很開心。"

"你在流血。"彼得說。

"是的，我被咬了，"凱斯賓說，"是狼。"處理傷口花了一些時間。然后，杜魯普金說，"咱們應(yīng)該先吃點早餐，再做別的事。"

"不過，不是在這兒。"彼得說。

"對，"凱斯賓打了個寒戰(zhàn)，"必須讓人把尸體搬走。"

"把他們埋在一個坑里，"彼得說，"那個小矮人的尸體，就交給他的部下好了，按照他們的習(xí)俗埋葬。"

最后，他們在另一個地窖吃上了早餐?？墒撬麄儫o法選擇，沒吃上想吃的：凱斯賓和克奈爾斯想吃鹿肉餡餅，彼得和愛德蒙想吃煎蛋和熱咖啡。可現(xiàn)在每人只有一小塊冰涼的熊肉，還是從兩個男孩口袋里拿出來的，一小塊已經(jīng)不新鮮的乳酪，一只洋蔥和一杯白開水?？墒牵此麄兡抢峭袒⒀实臉幼?，別人會以為他們在吃百年難遇的美食呢。