凯斯宾王子

Chapter Five  Caspians Adventure in the Mountains （Ⅱ）

第五章 凯斯宾的神奇探险之旅（下）

C. S. 刘易斯（1898—1963），英国著名文学家。所著儿童故事集《纳尼亚传奇》七部曲，情节动人，妙趣横生。本文选自《纳尼亚传奇》第二部《凯斯宾王子》。

As soon as it was full daylight he left the road and found an open grassy place amid a wood where he could rest. He took off Destriers bridle and let him graze， ate some cold chicken and drank a little wine， and presently fell asleep. It was late afternoon when he awoke. He ate a morsel and continued his journey， still southward， by many unfrequented lanes. He was now in a land of hills， going up and down， but always more up than down. From every ridge he could see the mountains growing bigger and blacker ahead. As the evening closed in， he was riding their lower slopes. The wind rose. Soon rain fell in torrents.

Destrier became uneasy; there was thunder in the air. And now they entered a dark and seemingly endless pine forest， and all the stories Caspian had ever heard of trees being unfriendly to Man crowded into his mind. He remembered that he was， after all， a Telmarine， one of the race who cut down trees wherever they could and were at war with all wild things; and though he himself might be unlike other Telmarines， the trees could not be expected to know this.

Nor did they. The wind became a tempest， the woods roared and creaked all round them. There came a crash. A tree fell right across the road just behind him. “Quiet， Destrier， quiet！” said Caspian， patting his horses neck; but he was trembling himself and knew that he had escaped death by an inch. Lightning flashed and a great crack of thunder seemed to break the sky in two just overhead.

天光大亮后，凱斯宾离开大路，在森林中找到一片草地，准备稍稍休息一会儿。他卸下戴思特里尔身上的鞍子，让它在一旁吃草。自己则用冷鸡肉佐酒，然后舒舒服服地躺在草地上，很快就进入了梦乡。这一睡就睡到傍晚，凯斯宾草草吃了些东西，便又上路，一直向南，穿过大片荒芜的原野，便来到一片山地。这儿的道路颠簸不平，似乎一直在往上走。翻过一座座山脊，前面的山峰显得越来越近，青翠的颜色变成墨绿。当夜幕降临时，他已经开始下坡了。突然，狂风大作，巨大的雨点劈头盖脸打了下来。

天空中雷声隆隆，戴思特里尔变得焦躁不安起来。这时，他们走进一片漆黑一团、似乎没有尽头的松树林。凯斯宾一下子想起了他曾听过的那些故事。故事里的树林对人类总是很不友善。他的家族台尔马人曾经到处砍伐树木，还和所有山林家族打仗。虽然他本人和那些台尔马人不同，可树木哪里知道这个？

它们的确不知道。风越来越大，狂风暴雨摇撼着整个树林，发出一阵阵呼啸。突然一声巨响，一棵大树倒在他身后的路上。“镇定些，戴思特里尔，镇定些！”凯斯宾拍拍马的脖子，可自己却难以克制地哆嗦起来。他庆幸自己从死神手里逃了出来——因为只差那么一点儿，那棵大树就会把他们都砸死。闪电让人一阵目眩，惊雷似乎要把天空劈开。

Destrier bolted in good earnest. Caspian was a good rider， but he had not the strength to hold him back. He kept his seat， but he knew that his life hung by a thread during the wild career that followed. Tree after tree rose up before them in the dusk and was only just avoided. Then， almost too suddenly to hurt （and yet it did hurt him too） something struck Caspian on the forehead and he knew no more.

When he came to himself he was lying in a firelit place with bruised limbs and a bad headache. Low voices were speaking close at hand.

“And now，” said one， “before it wakes up we must decide what to do with it.”

“Kill it，” said another. “We cant let it live. It would betray us.”

“We ought to have killed it at once， or else let it alone，” said a third voice. “We cant kill it now. Not after weve taken it in and bandaged its head and all. It would be murdering a guest.”

“Gentlemen，” said Caspian in a feeble voice， “whatever you do to me， I hope you will be kind to my poor horse.”

“Your horse had taken flight long before we found you，” said the first voice—a curiously husky， earthy voice， as Caspian now noticed.

“Now dont let it talk you round with its pretty words，” said the second voice. “I still say—”

“Horns and halibuts！” exclaimed the third voice. “Of course were not going to murder it. For shame， Nikabrik. What do you say， Trufflehunter？ What shall we do with it？”

戴斯特里尔拼命地奔跑起来，擅骑射的凯斯宾简直抓不住缰绳。他紧紧地贴在马背上，心里明白，这样的奔跑对他有多么危险。黑暗中，一棵接一棵的大树向他迎面扑来，又从身边一闪而过。突然，他感到前额被什么东西猛击了一下，之后便什么也不知道了。

当凯斯宾醒来时，他发现自己躺在温暖的篝火旁，胳膊和腿上伤痕累累，而且头痛得厉害。这时，身边传来低沉的对话。

“现在，”一个声音说，“在他醒来之前，我们必须商定一个处置他的办法。”

“干掉他！”另一个声音说，“咱们不能让他活着，他会出卖我们的。”

“咱们本来就该当场下手干掉他的，不然就放了他。”第三个声音说，“既然我们把他带了回来，给他包扎好头上的伤口和其他伤口，就不能杀他，不然就是谋杀客人。”

“先生們，”凯斯宾说，声音很微弱，“你们怎样对待我都可以，只希望你们能仁慈地对待我那匹可怜的马。”

大家被这声音惊了一下。“我们发现你的时候，那匹马早就跑掉了。”第一个声音说——凯斯宾这会儿察觉到这声音沙哑而憨厚。

“别相信他会对一匹马有多少感情。”这是第二个声音，“我还是坚持……”

“嘿，嘿，嘿！尼克布瑞克！”第三个声音高声说，“咱们绝不能杀掉他，那将使我们蒙羞！特鲁佛汉特，你说我们该怎么办？”

Word Study

torrent /'t?r?nt/ n. 急流;洪流

The rain was coming down in torrents.

roar /r??（r）/ v. 吼叫;咆哮

bolt /b??lt/ v. 跑开;（尤指）逃跑

When he saw the police arrive， he bolted down an alley.

feeble /'fi?bl/ adj. 虚弱的;衰弱的

“I shall give it a drink，” said the first voice， presumably Trufflehunters. A dark shape approached the bed. Caspian felt an arm slipped gently under his shoulders—if it was exactly an arm. The shape somehow seemed wrong. The face that bent towards him seemed wrong too. He got the impression that it was very hairy and very long nosed， and there were odd white patches on each side of it. “Its a mask of some sort，” thought Caspian. “Or perhaps Im in a fever and imagining it all.” A cupful of something sweet and hot was set to his lips and he drank. At that moment one of the others poked the fire. A blaze sprang up and Caspian almost screamed with the shock as the sudden light revealed the face that was looking into his own. It was not a mans face but a badgers， though larger and friendlier and more intelligent than the face of any badger he had seen before. And it had certainly been talking. He saw， too， that he was on a bed of heather， in a cave. By the fire sat two little bearded men， so much wilder and shorter and hairier and thicker than Doctor Cornelius that he knew them at once for real Dwarfs， ancient Dwarfs with not a drop of human blood in their veins. And Caspian knew that he had found the Old Narnians at last. Then his head began to swim again.

In the next few days he learned to know them by names. The Badger was called Trufflehunter; he was the oldest and kindest of the three. The Dwarf who had wanted to kill Caspian was a sour Black Dwarf （that is， his hair and beard were black， and thick and hard like horsehair）. His name was Nikabrik. The other Dwarf was a Red Dwarf with hair rather like a Foxs and he was called Trumpkin.

“先讓他喝点儿水吧。”又是第一个声音，也许是特鲁佛汉特。一个黑影朝床边走来，凯斯宾感到肩上有一只胳膊——但愿这是人的胳膊，但不完全像。俯向他的那张脸似乎也不对劲，那是一张毛茸茸的脸，正中一只长长的鼻子，两颊上还有古怪的白斑。“这准是一种特殊的口罩。”凯斯宾有些疑虑，“难道是我发烧产生的幻觉？”一杯又甜又热的东西放到他的嘴边，他一口气喝了下去。这时，篝火被拨得更旺了一些，凯斯宾几乎失声叫起来，因为他借着篝火的光亮，一下子看清了正对着他的那张脸。那不是一个人！那是一只獾。尽管它远比他以前见过的任何一只獾都大，却更加友善，也更加聪明。而且可以肯定，刚才一直在讲话的就是它。他还看出，自己是在一个山洞里，正躺在用石南草铺成的床上。在火堆旁边，坐着两个长着长胡须的小个子，他们比克奈尔斯博士显得更粗胖矮小，毛发也更浓密粗硬。他立即断定他们是小矮人——真正的纯种小矮人。凯斯宾意识到，他终于发现了古老的纳尼亚。激动之中，他又感到一阵眩晕。

以后的几天里，凯斯宾渐渐熟悉了他们的名字：那只獾叫特鲁佛汉特，年长而忠厚;那个说要杀了他的，是一个脾气很坏的小矮人，须发都是黑色，粗硬如马鬃一般，他叫尼克布瑞克;另一个小矮人长着一头狐狸毛般的红头发，他就是杜普鲁金。

“And now，” said Nikabrik on the first evening when Caspian was well enough to sit up and talk， “we still have to decide what to do with this Human. You two think youve done it a great kindness by not letting me kill it. But I suppose the upshot is that we have to keep it a prisoner for life. Im certainly not going to let it go alive—to go back to its own kind and betray us all.”

“Bulbs and bolsters！ Nikabrik，” said Trumpkin. “Why need you talk so unhandsomely？ It isnt the creatures fault that it bashed its head against a tree outside our hole. And I dont think it looks like a traitor.”

“I say，” said Caspian， “you havent yet found out whether I want to go back. I dont. I want to stay with you—if youll let me. Ive been looking for people like you all my life.”

“Thats a likely story，” growled Nikabrik. “Youre a Telmarine and a Human， arent you？ Of course you want to go back to your own kind.”

“Well， even if I did， I couldnt，” said Caspian. “I was flying for my life when I had my accident. The King wants to kill me. If youd killed me， youd have done the very thing to please him.”

“Well now，” said Trufflehunter， “you dont say so！”

“Eh？” said Trumpkin. “Whats that？ What have you been doing， Human， to fall foul of Miraz at your age？”

“Hes my uncle，” began Caspian， when Nikabrik jumped up with his hand on his dagger.

“There you are！” he cried. “Not only a Telmarine but close kin and heir to our greatest enemy. Are you still mad enough to let this creature live？” He would have stabbed Caspian then and there， if the Badger and Trumpkin had not got in the way and forced him back to his seat and held him down.

“无论如何，”在凯斯宾能够坐起来说话的第一天晚上，尼克布瑞克对他的同伴们说，“我们要商定一个办法来处置这个人。你们拦着不让我杀他，还以为是做了一件大好事。我看，这件事情的最终结局是把他终身监禁起来。我决不让他活着离开这里——回到他的同类那里，把我们的秘密都泄露出去。”

“嘿，嘿，嘿！尼克布瑞克！”杜普鲁金说，“你为什么讲话这么粗野？这家伙的头不小心撞在我们洞外的树上，但这并不是他的過错。我看他不像是奸细。”

“在决定放不放我之前，”凯斯宾说，“你们首先应该搞清楚，我是不是想走。说实话，我并不打算离开这里。假如你们允许的话，我想和你们待在一起。这些年来，我一直都在寻找你们。”

“说得好听！”尼克布瑞克咆哮起来，“你是一个台尔马人，人类的一分子，难道不是吗？你怎么会不想回到你的同类那里去呢？”

“可是，就算我想回去，我也回不去了。”凯斯宾说，“我是因为逃命才撞在了树上。国王想杀掉我。假如你们把我杀了，那正是帮他做了件好事。”

“在我们这里，”特鲁佛汉特安慰道，“你不必害怕！”

“嗯？”杜普鲁金问，“你说什么？人类，你做了什么错事，小小年纪就成了弥若兹的对头？”

“他是我的叔父……”凯斯宾话音未落，尼克布瑞克已经跳了起来，用手握住他的宝剑。

“好哇！”他叫道，“你不仅仅是一个台尔马人，而且还是我们最大敌人的侄子和继承人。你们现在还发傻吗？还想留这家伙一条活命吗？”多亏獾和杜鲁普金及时挡住了他，使劲把他推回到他的座位上去，否则，凯斯宾也许当场就被刺死了。

Word Study

scream /skri?m/ v.（因伤痛、害怕、激动等）尖叫

People ran for the exits， screaming out in terror.

traitor /'tre?t?（r）/ n. 背叛者;叛徒;卖国贼

growl /ɡra?l/ v. 发出低沉的怒吼;咆哮

“Who are you？” he growled at the stranger.

stab /st?b/ v.（用刀等锐器）刺，捅

“Now， once and for all， Nikabrik，” said Trumpkin. “Will you contain yourself， or must Trufflehunter and I sit on your head？”

Nikabrik sulkily promised to behave， and the other two asked Caspian to tell his whole story. When he had done so there was a moments silence.

“This is the queerest thing I ever heard，” said Trumpkin.

“I dont like it，” said Nikabrik. “I didnt know there were stories about us still told among the Humans. The less they know about us the better. That old nurse， now. Shed better have held her tongue. And its all mixed up with that Tutor： a renegade Dwarf. I hate them. I hate them worse than the Humans. You mark my words—no good will come of it.

“Dont you go talking about things you dont understand， Nikabrik，” said Trufflehunter. “You Dwarfs are as forgetful and changeable as the Humans themselves. Im a beast， I am， and a Badger whats more. We dont change. We hold on. I say great good will come of it. This is the true King of Narnia weve got here： a true King， coming back to true Narnia. And we beasts remember， even if Dwarfs forget， that Narnia was never right except when a son of Adam was King.”

“Whistles and whirligigs！ Trufflehunter，” said Trumpkin. “You dont mean you want to give the country to Humans？”

“I said nothing about that，” answered the Badger. “Its not Mens country （who should know that better than me？） but its a country for a man to be King of. We badgers have long enough memories to know that. Why， bless us all， wasnt the High King Peter a Man？”

“Do you believe all those old stories？” asked Trumpkin.

“I tell you， we dont change， we beasts，” said Trufflehunter. “We dont forget. I believe in the High King Peter and the rest that reigned at Cair Paravel， as firmly as I believe in Aslan himself.”

“As firmly as that， I dare say，” said Trumpkin. “But who believes in Aslan nowadays？”

“我最后一次警告你，尼克布瑞克，”杜普鲁金说，“你要是再不老实，我和特鲁佛汉特就要惩罚你了！”

尼克布瑞克悻悻地坐了下去。在另外两个的要求下，凯斯宾开始讲述自己的故事。故事讲完的那一刻，山洞里一片沉寂。

“我从来没有听过这样的怪事儿。”杜普鲁金说。

“我不喜欢这故事。”尼克布瑞克说，“想不到在人类中，还有那么多有关我们的传说。其实，他们知道的越少越好。那个多嘴的老保姆，应该绑住她的舌头！而那个什么博士还添油加醋，这个该死的混血小矮人！我憎恨他们！我恨他们胜过恨那些人类！你们记着我的话，他们会给我们带来无穷的后患！”

“你不要再大放厥词了，尼克布瑞克！”特鲁佛汉特说，“你们这些小矮人和人类一样健忘，让人捉摸不透。我是个动物，一只獾而已。我们从不朝三暮四，总是一如既往。我认为事情发展下去，将对我们大有好处。在我们面前的是纳尼亚真正的君主，一位真正的国王。他回到了真正的纳尼亚，尽管你们小矮人已经忘记了，可我们动物们却依然记得：只有亚当的儿子做国王，纳尼亚才能得安宁。”

“喂，特鲁佛汉特！”杜普鲁金冷笑道，“你是想把纳尼亚拱手送給人类吧？”

“我并不是那个意思。”獾回答道，“这不是人类的国家（这一点我比谁都知道得更清楚），但这是一个要由人来治理的国家。我们獾有足够的记性来记住这一点，不是吗？上苍保佑，那至尊王彼得不就是个人吗？”

“难道你真的相信那些古老的传说？”杜普鲁金问道。

“告诉你，我们动物坚信不疑！”特鲁佛汉特说，“我们没有忘记过去，我们相信曾经在凯尔帕拉维尔治理纳尼亚的至尊王彼得和其他几个人，正如我们相信阿斯兰一样，绝不动摇！”

“恕我冒昧，”杜普鲁金反驳道，“如今恐怕只有你还相信阿斯兰吧！”

“I do，” said Caspian. “And if I hadnt believed in him before， I would now. Back there among the Humans the people who laughed at Aslan would have laughed at stories about Talking Beasts and Dwarfs. Sometimes I did wonder if there really was such a person as Aslan： but then sometimes I wondered if there were really people like you. Yet there you are.”

“Thats right，” said Trufflehunter. “Youre right， King Caspian. And as long as you will be true to Old Narnia you shall be my King， whatever they say. Long life to your Majesty.”

“You make me sick， Badger，” growled Nikabrik. “The High King Peter and the rest may have been Men， but they were a different sort of Men. This is one of the cursed Telmarines. He has hunted beasts for sport. Havent you， now？” he added， rounding suddenly on Caspian.

“Well， to tell you the truth， I have，” said Caspian. “But they werent Talking Beasts.”

“Its all the same thing，” said Nikabrik.

“No， no， no，” said Trufflehunter. “You know it isnt. You know very well that the beasts in Narnia nowadays are different and are no more than the poor dumb， witless creatures youd find in Calormen or Telmar. Theyre smaller too. Theyre far more different from us than the half-Dwarfs are from you.”

There was a great deal more talk， but it all ended with the agreement that Caspian should stay and even the promise that， as soon as he was able to go out， he should be taken to see what Trumpkin called “the Others”， for apparently in these wild parts all sorts of creatures from the Old Days of Narnia still lived on in hiding.

“我也相信！”凯斯宾插嘴道，“也许从前我只是半信半疑，但现在我相信了。那些嘲笑阿斯兰的人同样也从来不相信关于会讲话的动物和小矮人的传说。有时候，我的确也感到迷惑，世上到底有没有这么个阿斯兰，有没有你们这样的生灵。瞧，你们就在这里。”

“说得对！”特鲁佛汉特说，“千真万确，凯斯宾国王。只要你忠于至尊王和阿斯兰，你就是我的国王，不管别人说什么。国王陛下万岁！”

“你真让我觉得肉麻，獾。”尼克布瑞克哼了一声，“不错，至尊王彼得和其他几个是人，但他们可不是台尔马人。我们面前的却是个该死的台尔马人。你忘了台尔马人是怎样围猎屠杀动物取乐的吗？老实说，你有没有做过？”他猛地把身子转向凯斯宾。

“好吧，说实话，我是那么做过。”凯斯宾说，“可那些完全是一些普通的不会讲话的动物。”

“那还不是一样。”尼克布瑞克说。

“不，不，不，”特鲁佛汉特说，“那可不一样。你明明知道，那些动物和如今生活在纳尼亚的动物可不一样，那些动物不过是些可怜的哑巴，毫无理性的生灵。这样的动物在卡乐门和台尔马，以及在世界各个地方都不难找到。它们个子比较小，与我们之间的差距，比起混血小矮人与你们的差距真是大多了。

他们就这样争论了很久，最后决定让凯斯宾留下来。他们甚至还答应，一旦他完全康复，便马上领他去见杜普鲁金所说的“自己人”。显然，在这荒山野林之中，纳尼亚的老公民们至今还躲躲藏藏地生活着。

Word Study

queer /kw??（r）/ adj. 奇怪的;反常的

His face was a queer pink color.

apparently /?'p?r?ntli/ adv. 看来;显然

He paused， apparently lost in thought.