《凯斯宾王子》第六章（上）

刘易斯

凯斯宾终于开始了自己的奇幻旅程。夏日清晨，嫩绿的小草上还挂着露珠，凯宾斯王子已经踏上了多彩的行程，陪伴他左右的是獾和两个小矮人。他们横穿树林，翻过一道山峰，来到山的南麓，放眼望去，碧绿青翠的阿钦兰在阳光的映照下显得安详而静谧。

“先去找三只胖熊吧。”杜普鲁金说。

他们来到一片林中空地，一棵长满了青苔的空心栎树兀然矗立。特鲁佛汉特用爪子在树干上敲了三下，没有动静。他又咚咚咚地使劲敲打树干，只听树干里传出一个迷迷糊糊的声音：“走走走，还不是起床的时候呢。”特鲁佛汉特继续狂敲树干。终于，嘎吱一声，树干上打开了一扇门，从里面慢吞吞地走出三头肥胖无比的大棕熊，边走边不停地眨巴着它们的小眼睛。正如特鲁佛汉特料想的那样，在听完凯斯宾的故事后，它们一致拥护这个亚当之子做纳尼亚的国王，并且献上了胖熊家族的吻—— 一种湿乎乎、热腾腾的吻——以示敬意，同时还拿出贮藏的蜂蜜来款待贵宾。凯斯宾并不喜欢一大早就只吃蜂蜜，至少也得来点面包蘸着吃吧。但是出于礼节，他还是无比艰难地把那些蜂蜜吃完了。凯斯宾感到嘴巴鼻子都黏糊糊的，别提多难受了。

从胖熊家出来，他们继续往前走，不久又来到一片山毛榉树林中，特鲁佛汉特高声叫道：“佩蒂威格！佩蒂威格！”转眼间，一只漂亮得惊人的红色松鼠出现在树梢，它一蹦一蹦地跳了下来，最后站立的那根树枝离大家很近，凯斯宾得以近距离欣赏这优美的精灵。它比那些不会说话的松鼠大得多，看它那轻巧的步伐、娴静的神态、婀娜的身姿，就能判断出它不是普通的松鼠。果然，佩蒂威格十分健谈，简直滔滔不绝。很快，大家就意识到想让它闭嘴是一件多么困难的事情。当它对凯斯宾国王表示完欢迎后，还是意识到必须停止说话，并去拿坚果来招待大家。对于坚果，凯斯宾还是十分喜爱的。于是在佩蒂威格蹦蹦跳跳去取坚果的时候，他一直盯着它看。特鲁佛汉特马上在凯斯宾的耳边低声说：“快别老盯着看了。对于松鼠来说，最怕别人知道它们仓库的秘密了。如果誰盯着要看个究竟，那是很不礼貌的。”一会儿，佩蒂威格带着坚果回来了，凯斯宾赶紧吃完，准备离开。佩蒂威格自告奋勇，要为凯斯宾给森林的其他朋友捎信。“就没有我去不了的地方，脚都不用沾地的。”它骄傲地说。特鲁佛汉特和小矮人们高兴地接受了这个建议，他们写了好多张便条给许多名字听起来稀奇古怪的动物，邀请它们次日午夜来跳舞场参加盛宴和政务会。“对了，别忘了通知那三只大棕熊，刚才我忘记提这事儿了。”杜普鲁金补充说。

告别松鼠后，他们的下一站是去走访萨德森林的七个小矮人。杜鲁普金带领大家翻过一座山脊，顺着山的北麓来到一片岩石和松林之间的阴暗地带，这里显得肃穆而庄严。他们轻手轻脚地走着，突然，凯斯宾感觉大地似乎都在颤动，似乎有什么东西在地下敲敲打打。杜普鲁金踩在一块扁平的大石头上，用脚猛跺了几下，然后站在一边，显然在等待回应。不一会儿，石头从里面被挪开了，露出一个口子，原来石头下面是一个大洞。只见热气、水气夹杂着一缕青烟，从那洞口冲出来。烟雾渐渐消散后，一个小矮人探出半个脑袋，模样有点像杜普鲁金。费了好多的口舌，可那小矮人比松鼠和胖熊谨慎多了，不过他最终还是邀请大家“进屋里说话”。凯斯宾沿着漆黑的台阶摸索着往下走，也不知走了多远，突然眼前一亮。一阵晕眩之后，才看清楚远端一座炼铁炉冒出火红的烈焰，将洞里照得亮堂堂的。原来，这里是小矮人的地下兵工厂。两个小矮人拉着风箱，另一个用钳子将一块火红的铁固定在铁墩子上，还有一个站在他对面，卖力地敲打着那块铁，发出叮叮当当的声音。旁边站着的另外两个小矮人，一边用一块油腻的布擦那满是老茧的手，一边走上前来迎接客人。亏得特鲁佛汉特能言善辩，才使他们最终放松了警惕，并且接受了新的国王。小矮人们都停下手中的活儿，齐声高呼“国王万岁！”他们呈上几件看家宝贝：三套富丽堂皇的盔甲和三柄宝剑。凯斯宾、杜鲁普克和尼克布瑞克各自得一套，而那獾本来也可以有一套的，可是它说，它是个动物，假如它的爪子和牙齿无法保护自己，给它再好的装备也是白搭。确实，对它而言，如果除了那两样东西，再好的武器都是白搭。这些宝贝的做工是如此精美，凯斯宾甚至觉得原来的剑简直像个玩具，杀伤力还不如根棍子。而七兄弟（他们都是红小矮人）都高兴地接受了去跳舞场赴宴的邀请。

往前不远，在一条干燥而遍布岩石的沟壑里，他们找到一个山洞，那里的主人是五个黑小矮人。刚一见面，凯斯宾心里一惊，因为黑小矮人的目光里充满着戒备甚至是敌意。不过最后他们的老大还是想明白了，声称：“假如他反对弥若兹，那我们就拥立他为王。”老二也友好地问道：“要不要我们送你一段路？那边的山崖下住着几个食人怪，还有一个巫婆。我们可以把它们介绍给你，喏，就在那儿。”

“不必了。”凯斯宾说。

“我看也大可不必。”特鲁佛汉特说，“我们不要那些家伙混入我们的阵营。”尼克布瑞克不同意这话，但杜普鲁金和獾驳倒了他。凯斯宾曾在故事中听说那些牛鬼蛇神也有后代活在世上，此刻不由十分震惊。

Now began the happiest times that Caspian had ever known. On a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the Badger and the two Dwarfs， up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down onto their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of Archenland.

“We will go first to the Three Bulgy Bears，” said Trumpkin.

They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss， and Trufflehunter tapped with his paw three times on the trunk and there was no answer. Then he tapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said， “Go away. Its not time to get up yet.” But when he tapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears， very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes. And when everything had been explained to them （which took a long time because they were so sleepy） they said， just as Trufflehunter had said， that a son of Adam ought to be King of Narnia and all kissed Caspian—very wet， snuffly kisses they were—and offered him some honey. Caspian did not really want honey， without bread， at that time in the morning， but he thought it polite to accept. It took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky.

After that they went on till they came among tall beech trees and Trufflehunter called out， “Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！” and almost at once， bounding down from branch to branch till he was just above their heads， came the most magnificent red squirrel that Caspian had ever seen. He was far bigger than the ordinary dumb squirrels which he had sometimes seen in the castle gardens; indeed he was nearly the size of a terrier and the moment you looked in his face you saw that he could talk. Indeed the difficulty was to get him to stop talking， for， like all squirrels， he was a chatterer. He welcomed Caspian at once and asked if he would like a nut and Caspian said thanks， he would. But as Pattertwig went bounding away to fetch it， Trufflehunter whispered in Caspians ear， “Dont look. Look the other way. Its very bad manners among squirrels to watch anyone going to his store or to look as if you wanted to know where it was.” Then Pattertwig came back with the nut and Caspian ate it and after that Pattertwig asked if he could take any messages to other friends. “For I can go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground，” he said. Trufflehunter and the Dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave Pattertwig messages to all sorts of people with queer names telling them all to come to a feast and council on Dancing Lawn at midnight three nights ahead. “And youd better tell the three Bulgies too，” added Trumpkin. “We forgot to mention it to them.”

Their next visit was to the Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood. Trumpkin led the way back to the saddle and then down eastward on the northern slope of the mountains till they came to a very solemn place among rocks and fir trees. They went very quietly and presently Caspian could feel the ground shake under his feet as if someone were hammering down below. Trumpkin went to a flat stone about the size of the top of a water-butt， and stamped on it with his foot. After a long pause it was moved away by someone or something underneath， and there was a dark， round hole with a good deal of heat and steam coming out of it and in the middle of the hole the head of a Dwarf very like Trumpkin himself. There was a long talk here and the dwarf seemed more suspicious than the Squirrel or the Bulgy Bears had been， but in the end the whole party were invited to come down. Caspian found himself descending a dark stairway into the earth， but when he came to the bottom he saw firelight. It was the light of a furnace. The whole place was a smithy. A subterranean stream ran past on one side of it. Two Dwarfs were at the bellows， another was holding a piece of red-hot metal on the anvil with a pair of tongs， a fourth was hammering it， and two， wiping their horny little hands on a greasy cloth， were coming forward to meet the visitors. It took some time to satisfy them that Caspian was a friend and not an enemy， but when they did， they all cried， “Long live the King，” and their gifts were noble—mail shirts and helmets and swords for Caspian and Trumpkin and Nikabrik. The Badger could have had the same if he had liked， but he said he was a beast， he was， and if his claws and teeth could not keep his skin whole， it wasnt worth keeping. The workmanship of the arms was far finer than any Caspian had ever seen， and he gladly accepted the Dwarf-made sword instead of his own， which looked， in comparison， as feeble as a toy and as clumsy as a stick. The seven brothers （who were all Red Dwarfs） promised to come to the feast at Dancing Lawn.

A little farther on， in a dry， rocky ravine they reached the cave of five Black Dwarfs. They looked suspiciously at Caspian， but in the end the eldest of them said， “If he is against Miraz， well have him for King.” And the next oldest said， “Shall we go farther up for you， up to the crags？ Theres an Ogre or two and a Hag that we could introduce you to， up there.”

“Certainly not，” said Caspian.

“I should think not， indeed，” said Trufflehunter. “We want none of that sort on our side.” Nikabrik disagreed with this， but Trumpkin and the Badger overruled him. It gave Caspian a shock to realize that the horrible creatures out of the old stories， as well as the nice ones， had some descendants in Narnia still.