《能言马与男孩》第62期:不受欢迎的同路人(3)

The only result was that the horse broke into a kind of pretence of a trot for five or six paces and then subsided into a walk again. And now it was quite dark and they seemed to have given up blowing that horn. The only sound was a steady drip-drip from the branches of the trees.

惟一的效果是，那马儿爆发出一阵装模作样的小跑，才跑了五六步，又变成慢步了。现在天色已十分黑暗，他们似乎已经不再吹响号角了。惟一的声音是不断从树木的枝碰上往下滴水之声。

"Well, I suppose even a walk will get us somewhere sometime," said Shasta to himself. "I only hope I shan't run into Rabadash and his people."

“哦，我想、哪怕它步行也会走到某个地方吧，”沙斯塔跟他自己说道，”我只是希望我不要碰到拉巴达什和他的人马。

He went on for what seemed a long time, always at a walking pace. He began to hate that horse, and he was also beginning to feel very hungry.

他继续走了仿佛很长的时间，走的始终是那种慢步。他开始憎恨那马儿，也开始感觉十分饥饿。

Presently he came to a place where the road divided into two. He was just wondering which led to Anvard when he was startled by a noise from behind him. It was the noise of trotting horses. "Rabadash!" thought Shasta. He had no way of guessing which road Rabadash would take. "But if I take one," said Shasta to himself, "he may take the other: and if I stay at the cross-roads I'm sure to be caught." He dismounted and led his horse as quickly as he could along the right-hand road.

不久他来到了一个岔路口。他正在琢磨哪一条路是通向安瓦德的，这时他背后一阵声音使他吃了惊。原来是马儿奔腾的声音。”拉巴达什！”少斯塔心中想道。他没法儿猜测拉巴达什会走哪条路。”但如果我走这一条，”沙斯塔跟自己说道，”他说不定会走那一条，如果我待在这岔路口，我一定会被他们逮住的。”他下了马，尽最大力量赶紧牵着马儿沿右边那条路走去。

The sound of the cavalry grew rapidly nearer and in a minute or two Shasta realized that they were at the crossroads. He held his breath, waiting to see which way they would take.

骑兵的声音迅速地愈来愈近，一两分钟之内沙斯塔便觉察到他们已经在岔路口了。他屏息静气，等着看他们走哪条路。

There came a low word of command "Halt!" then a moment of horsey noises - nostrils blowing, hoofs pawing, bits being champed, necks being patted. Then a voice spoke.

传来一声低沉的命令”停止前进！”——接下来的片刻之间，都是马儿的声音——马鼻子里喷着鼻息，马蹄刨着地面，吧眩吧啦地咬着马嚼子，以及被轻轻拍着的马脖子等。然后，有个声音讲话了。

"Attend, all of you," it said. "We are now within a furlong of the castle. Remember your orders. Once we are in Narnia, as we should be by sunrise, you are to kill as little as possible. On this venture you are to regard every drop of Narnian blood as more precious than a gallon of your own. On this venture, I say. The gods will send us a happier hour and then you must leave nothing alive between Cair Paravel and the Western Waste. But we are not yet in Narnia. Here in Archenland it is another thing. In the assault on this castle of King Lune's, nothing matters but speed. Show your mettle. It must be mine within an hour. And if it is, I give it all to you. I reserve no booty for myself. Kill me every barbarian male within its walls, down to the child that was born yesterday, and everything else is yours to divide as you please - the women, the gold, the jewels, the weapons, and the wine. The man that I see hanging back when we come to the gates shall be burned alive. In the name of Tash the irresistible, theinexorable forward!"

“你们大家注意啦，”这声音说道，”我们现在离城堡不到八分之一英里了。牢牢记住命令。一旦我们进入纳尼亚国境(应该在太阳出来时到达)，你们要尽可能少杀人。在此番冒险行动中，你们要把每一滴纳尼亚人的血看得比你们自己的每一加仑血还要重要。我说的是在此番冒险行动中。天神会赐给我好时辰的，那时你们在凯尔帕拉维尔和西部沙漠之间就不必留下任何活的东西了。但你们现在还没有进入纳尼亚境内。在这儿阿钦兰境内那就是另外一回事了。在攻击伦恩国王的城堡时，最要紧的是速度，其他都无足轻重。拿出你们的勇气来。必须在一个钟头之内把它拿下来。如果你们占领了它，我把一切都给你们。我什么战利品也不留给自己。替我把城墙里每一个野蛮的男子，直到昨天刚生的孩子，统统杀掉，其余的一切也归你们，你们高兴怎样分享就怎样分享——包括女人、金子、珠宝、武器和美酒。进到城门口而退缩的人，我要把他活活烧死。以不可抗拒、不可阻挡的塔什神的名义——前进！”

With a great cloppitty-clop the column began to move, and Shasta breathed again. They had taken the other road.

蹄声嘚嘚复嘚嘚，骑兵纵队开始移动了，沙斯塔缓过一口气来。他们走上了另一条大路。

Shasta thought they took a long time going past, for though he had been talking and thinking about "two hundred horse" all day, he had not realized how many they really were. But at last the sound died away and once more he was alone amid the drip-drip from the trees.

沙斯塔认为骑兵纵队花了好长时间才开过去，尽管他整天讲着、想着”二百人马”，他可并未确悉他们究竟有多少人马。最后，骑兵纵队的声音终于消失了，他再次独自听着树木枝头滴水的声音。

He now knew the way to Anvard but of course he could not now go there: that would only mean running into the arms of Rabadash's troopers. "What on earth am I to do?" said Shasta to himself. But he remounted his horse and continued along the road he had chosen, in the faint hope of finding some cottage where he might ask for shelter and a meal. He had thought, of course, of going back to Aravis and Bree and Hwin at the hermitage, but he couldn't because by now he had not the least idea of the direction.

现在他知道到安瓦德去的路了，但他此刻当然不能到那儿去，去的话只不过是意味着撞到拉巴达什军队的刀剑上去。”我究竟该干什么呢?”沙斯塔跟他自己说。他重新跨上了马，沿着他选定的道路继续前进，心里抱着微薄的希望，但愿能找到一间茅屋，在那儿求个栖身之所，弄到一顿饭吃。当然，他曾想回到隐士住处同阿拉维斯、布里、赫温相会，可是他办不到，因为如今他压根儿弄不清方向了。