《能言馬與男孩》第一章　冒險的開端

CHAPTER ONE HOW SHASTA SET OUT ON HIS TRAVELS

第一章　冒險的開端

THIS is the story of an adventure that happened in Narnia and Calormen and the lands between， in the Golden Age when Peter was High King in Narnia and his brother and his two sisters were King and Queens under him.

這是個冒險故事，發(fā)生在納尼亞王國和卡樂門王國，還有它們之間的地方。那是一個黃金時代，那時納尼亞的國王叫至尊王彼得，而他的弟弟和兩個妹妹則是從屬的國王和女王。

In those days， far south in Calormen on a little creek of thesea， there lived a poor fisherman called Arsheesh， and withhim there lived a boy who called him Father. The boy’s name wasShasta. On most days Arsheesh went out in his boat to fish in themorning， and in the afternoon he harnessed his donkey to a cartand loaded the cart with fish and went a mile or so southward tothe village to sell it.If it had sold well he would come home ina moderately good temper and say nothing to Shasta， but if ithad sold badly he would find fault with him and perhaps beat him.There was always something to find fault with for Shasta had plentyof work to do， mending and washing the nets， cooking thesupper， and cleaning the cottage in which they both lived.

那時候，遠在卡樂門王國南部的小港灣，住著一位叫阿什伊什的貧窮漁夫，還有一位叫他父親的小男孩沙斯塔。平時，阿什伊什早上出海打魚，下午再用驢車將魚拉到更南邊的村子里賣掉。如果生意好，阿什伊什的脾氣就會不錯，對沙斯塔也不說什么;如果生意不好，他就會找沙斯塔的茬，甚至打他。沙斯塔每天要干很多活兒，比如修補漁網(wǎng)、做飯、收拾房間等等。因此阿什伊什想挑沙斯塔的錯簡直太容易了。

Shasta was not at all interested in anything that lay south of his home because he had once or twice been to the village with Arsheesh and he knew that there was nothing very interesting there. In the village he only met other men who were just like his father— men with long, dirty robes, and wooden shoes turned up at the toe, and turbans on their heads, and beards, talking to one another very slowly about things that sounded dull. But he was very interested in everything that lay to the North because no one ever went that way and he was never allowed to go there himself. When he was sitting out of doors mending the nets, and all alone, he would often look eagerly to the North. One could see nothing but a grassy slope running up to a level ridge and beyond that the sky with perhaps a few birds in it.

沙斯塔對他們家南邊的一切都沒興趣。因為他曾跟著阿什伊什到那些村子里去過幾次。那里除了和他父親一樣穿著破爛、胡子拉碴、講話單調(diào)乏味的人外，沒有任何有趣的事物。不過沙斯塔卻對北邊充滿了好奇。也許是因為從來沒有人去過吧，所以他也被禁止去北邊。每當他獨自在屋外補漁網(wǎng)時，總對著遙遠的北方出神?？伤吹降某碎L滿野草的山坡，或者遠處的山脊、天空，也許就只有幾只飛鳥了。

Sometimes if Arsheesh was there Shasta would say,"O my Father, what is there beyond that hill ?" And then if the fisherman was in a bad temper he would box Shasta's ears and tell him to attend to his work. Or if he was in a peaceable mood he would say,"O my son, do not allow your mind to be distracted by idle questions. For one of the poets has said, 'Application to business is the root of prosperity, but those who ask questions that do not concern them are steering the ship of folly towards the rock of indigence'. "

有時沙斯塔也會問阿什伊什：“爸爸，山的那邊是什么?”如果阿什伊什心情不好，他就會被打耳光，然后要他專心干活。如果阿什伊什心情好，就會勸他：“兒子，別因為愚蠢的問題分心。一個詩人曾說：‘專注生意，才能發(fā)財;誰若分心，必致貧窮’。”

Shasta thought that beyond the hill there must be some delightful secret which his father wished to hide from him. In reality, however, the fisherman talked like this because he didn' t know what lay to the North. Neither did he care. He had a very practical mind.

沙斯塔卻覺得山外肯定有很多有趣的秘密，只是爸爸想瞞著他罷了。其實，阿什伊什之所以那么說，是因為他自己也不知道北邊是什么樣子的。不過，他從來不關心那個，他只想著那些實際的東西，比如賺錢。

One day there came from the South a stranger who was unlike any man that Shasta had seen before. He rode upon a strong dappled horse with flowing mane and tail and his stirrups and bridle were inlaid with silver. The spike of a helmet projected from the middle of his silken turban and he wore a shirt of chain mail. By his side hung a curving scimitar, a round shield studded with bosses of brass hung at his back, and his right hand grasped a lance. His face was dark, but this did not surprise Shasta because all the people of Calormen are like that; what did surprise him was the man's beard which was dyed crimson, and curled and gleaming with scented oil. But Arsheesh knew by the gold on the stranger's bare arm that he was a Tarkaan or great lord, and he bowed kneeling before him till his beard touched the earth and made signs to Shasta to kneel also.

一天，從南邊來了一位騎著馬的陌生人。他和沙斯塔以前見過的所有人都不同。那人臉色黝黑，和所有卡樂門王國的人一樣，穿著鎧甲，拿著長矛，身上掛著把短彎刀，背后還背著圓盾牌。他的花斑馬高大又強壯，尾巴和鬃毛隨風飄揚，馬鐙和馬籠頭都是鑲銀的。但讓沙斯塔覺得奇怪的是，那人卷曲的胡子不僅被染成了血紅色，還散發(fā)出一股油香味。阿什伊什根據(jù)那人胳膊上的金環(huán)判斷出他是個“泰坎”，或者什么王爺。因此，他連忙跪倒在陌生人的面前，并叫沙斯塔也照他的做。

The stranger demanded hospitality for the night which of course the fisherman dared not refuse. All the best they had was set before the Tarkaan for supper (and he didn't think much of it) and Shasta, as always happened when the fisherman had company, was given a hunk of bread and turned out of the cottage. On these occasions he usually slept with the donkey in its little thatched stable. But it was much too early to go to sleep yet, and Shasta, who had never learned that it is wrong to listen behind doors, sat down with his ear to a crack in the wooden wall of the cottage to hear what the grown-ups were talking about. And this is what he heard.

那人提出晚上要在這里借宿，阿什伊什沒敢拒絕。父子倆用最好的食物款待他，可那人似乎不領情。和往常一樣，沙斯塔就拿著一塊面包住到驢棚里去了。每當家里來了客人，沙斯塔就得這樣，早就習慣了。然而，這個時間睡覺還太早，沙斯塔便把耳朵貼在墻上，偷聽“泰坎”和阿什伊什的談話。誰都沒有教過他偷聽是不道德的行為。于是他聽到了這些：

"And now, O my host," said the Tarkaan,"I have a mind to buy that boy of yours."

“伙計，跟你商量個事兒，”泰坎說，“我想買下你的孩子。”

"O my master/' replied the fisherman (and Shasta knew by the wheedling tone the greedy look that was probably coming into his face as he said it),"what price could induce your servant, poor though he is, to sell into slavery his only child and his own flesh ? Has not one of the poets said, 'Natural affection is stronger than soup and offspring more precious than carbuncles ?'

“哎呀，王爺，”漁夫回答道，沙斯塔聽著這諂媚的語氣就能想象出漁夫是有多貪婪了，“雖然我很窮，但我怎會因你出高價就把獨子賣了呢?不是有詩人說過‘血濃于水，親情無價’嗎?”

"It is even so,"replied the guest dryly."But another poet has likewise said,"He who attempts to deceive the judicious is already baring his own back for the scourge."Do not load your aged mouth with falsehoods. This boy is manifestly no son of yours, for your cheek is as dark as mine but the boy is fair and white like the accursed but beautiful barbarians who inhabit the remote North."

“盡管這樣，”客人冷冷地說，“還有詩人說‘欺騙智者，早晚會玩火自焚’。你一把年紀卻滿嘴謊言，那孩子根本不是你親生的。看你那張黑臉，再看那孩子白皙的面孔，他就像令人討厭但美麗的北方人，你們怎么可能是父子呢?”

"How well it was said," answered the fisherman,"that Swords can be kept off with shields but the Eye of Wisdom pierces through every defence ! Know then, O my formidable guest, that because of my extreme poverty I have never married and have no child. But in that same year in which the Tisroc (may he live forever) began his august and beneficent reign, on a night when the moon was at her full, it pleased the gods to deprive me of my sleep. Therefore I arose from my bed in this hovel and went forth to the beach to refresh myself with looking upon the water and the moon and breathing the cool air. And presently I heard a noise as of oars coming to me across the water and then, as it were, a weak cry.And shortly after, the tide brought to the land a little boat in which there was nothing but a man lean with extreme hunger and thirst who seemed to have died but a few moments before (for he was still warm), and an empty water-skin, and a child, still living."Doubtless,"said I,"these unfortunates have escaped from the wreck of a great ship, but by the admirable designs of the gods, the elder has starved himself to keep the child alive and has perished in sight of land."Accordingly, remembering how the gods never fail to reward those who befriend the destitute, and being moved by compassion (for your servant is a man of tender heart) —"

“俗話說得好，”阿什伊什答道，“明人不說暗話，我也不瞞您啦，尊貴的老爺。我實在是太窮了，根本沒錢娶老婆，更沒兒子。但在萬壽無疆的太洛帝登上王位的那年，有天晚上月亮特別圓，我睡不著，就去了海灘。本來我想著看看海水和月亮，呼吸點兒新鮮空氣，讓自己平靜些就去睡覺?？晌覅s聽到了劃槳聲，混合著微弱的哭聲。過了一會兒，一只小船被沖到了岸上。我上前一看，發(fā)現(xiàn)船里有個死去的瘦弱男子，一個空水袋和一個氣息微弱的孩子。從男人尸體的溫熱我判斷，他可能才剛剛死去。估計他們是從失事的大船上逃出來的，那男人可能把所有食物和水都留給了孩子，并堅持到靠近陸地時才死去。當然，也是因為我心腸好，老爺，不然上天也不會將這個孩子賜給我。”

"Leave out all these idle words in your own praise, " interrupted the Tarkaan."It is enough to know that you took the child— and have had ten times the worth of his daily bread out of him in labour, as anyone can see. And now tell me at once what price you put on him, for I am wearied with your loquacity."

“別說那些自夸的廢話了，”泰坎打斷阿什伊什說，“我知道這個孩子是你收養(yǎng)的就行了。誰都看得出來，這孩子給你帶來的好處，遠比你養(yǎng)他所付出的多。你打算多少錢才把他賣給我，直說吧，我不想再聽你啰唆了!”

"You yourself have wisely said, " answered Arsheesh, "that the boy' s labour has been to me of inestimable value.This must be taken into account in fixing the price. For if I sell the boy I must undoubtedly either buy or hire another to do his work."

“您看，老爺，您自己也說了，”阿什伊什回答，“這個孩子對我大有用處，如果我把他賣給您，我還得再買或租個孩子來代替他干活兒。”

"I'll give you fifteen crescents for him," said the Tarkaan.

“我出15 個克利申買他。”泰坎說。

"Fifteen!" cried Arsheesh in a voice that was something between a whine and a scream."Fifteen !For the prop of my old age and the delight of my eyes !Do not mock my grey beard, Tarkaan though you be. My price is seventy. "

“十五個?”阿什伊什夸張地驚叫，“您出十五個克利申就想把我預備養(yǎng)老的兒子買走?雖然您是泰坎老爺，但也不能這樣嘲弄我這老頭子呀。至少七十個克利申。”

At this point Shasta got up and tiptoed away. He had heard all he wanted, for he had open listened when men were bargaining in the village and knew how it was done. He was quite certain that Arsheesh would sell him in the end for something much more than fifteen crescents and much less than seventy, but that he and the Tarkaan would take hours in getting to an agreement.

聽到這里，沙斯塔便走開了。他已經(jīng)知道了一切。因為常在村里聽大人們討價還價，沙斯塔很清楚怎么做生意。他明白，自己最終會以高于十五克利申又低于七十克利申的價格被賣掉。為了達成這次生意，阿什伊什和泰坎至少還得磨好幾個小時。

You must not imagine that Shasta felt at all as you and I would feel if we had just overheard our parents talking about selling us for slaves. For one thing, his life was already little better than slavery;for all he knew, the lordly stranger on the great horse might be kinder to him than Arsheesh. For another, the story about his own discovery in the boat had filled him with excitement and with a sense of relief.He had often been uneasy because, try as he might, he had never been able to love the fisherman, and he knew that a boy ought to love his father. And now, apparently, he was no relation to Arsheesh at all.That took a great weight off his mind."Why, I might be anyone !"he thought.'! might be the son of a Tarkaan myself—or the son of the Tisroc (may he live for ever) or of a god !"

雖然沙斯塔聽到了自己要被阿什伊什賣做奴隸的消息，可是他一點兒也不難過。首先，他目前的生活比奴隸強不了多少，說不定那泰坎老爺還仁慈些;其次，那個關于他來歷的故事，讓他特別激動，甚至得到了某種安慰。以前他常感到不安，因為他知道孩子應該愛自己的父親，可是無論怎么努力，他從來不愛阿什伊什。現(xiàn)在明白了，原來他們沒有血緣關系，他頓時感覺很輕松。“我會是什么人呢?”沙斯塔忍不住想，“一個泰坎的兒子?一個普通人的兒子?是太洛帝的兒子也說不定!也有可能是神的兒子呢!”

He was standing out in the grassy place before the cottage while he thought these things. Twilight was coming on apace and a star or two was already out, but the remains of the sunset could still be seen in the west. Not far away the stranger' s horse, loosely tied to an iron ring in the wall of the donkey' s stable, was grazing. Shasta strolled over to it and patted its neck. It went on tearing up the grass and took no notice of him.

沙斯塔站在屋外的草地上，心里想著這些事，暮色開始降臨，雖然天邊已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了幾顆星星，但落霞余暉仍在。泰坎的馬被松松地系在驢棚的鐵圈上，正在不遠處吃草，沙斯塔便走過去拍了拍馬的脖子。馬兒繼續(xù)吃草，并不理會沙斯塔。

Then another thought came into Shasta's mind."I wonder what sort of a man that Tarkaan is," he said out loud."It would be splendid if he was kind. Some of the slaves in a great lord's house have next to nothing to do. They wear lovely clothes and eat meat every day. Perhaps he'd take me to the wars and I'd save his life in a battle and then he' d set me free and adopt me as his son and give me a palace and a chariot and a suit of armour. But then he might be a horrid cruel man. He might send me to work on the fields in chains. I wish I knew. How can I know ? I bet this horse knows, if only he could tell me."

沙斯塔又猜想起來。“這個泰坎到底是什么樣的人呢?”他自言自語地說道，“如果他是個和藹的人那就太好了。在王爺家里，有些奴隸都不用干活，他們穿著好衣服，每天吃肉。說不定他會帶我去打仗，而我又在戰(zhàn)場上救了他的命，他收我為義子，賜我王宮戰(zhàn)車盔甲，我就不用再當奴隸了……不過他也有可能是個殘忍的人，會給我戴上鎖鏈把我趕到地里干活兒。唉，到底怎樣才能知道呢?馬兒，你肯定知道，如果你能告訴我就好了。”

The Horse had lifted its head. Shasta stroked its smooth—as— satin nose and said,"I wish you could talk, old fellow."

這時，馬抬起了頭，沙斯塔撫摸著他絲綢般光滑的鼻子說：“老伙計，如果你會說話該多好。”

And then for a second he thought he was dreaming, for quite distinctly, though in a low voice, the Horse said,"But I can."

接下來的事，讓沙斯塔一度覺得自己是在做夢。盡管聲音低沉，他還是清楚地聽到馬兒說：“我會說話。”

Shasta stared into its great eyes and his own grew almost as big, with astonishment.

沙斯塔和馬對視著，驚呆了，他的眼睛瞪得像馬的眼睛一樣大。

"How ever did you learn to talk ?" he asked.

“你到底怎么學會說話的?”沙斯塔驚訝地問。

"Hush !Not so loud," replied the Horse."Where I come from, nearly all the animals talk."

“小點兒聲，”馬兒回答，“我以前住的地方，幾乎所有的動物都會說話。”

"Wherever is that ?" asked Shasta.

“那地方在哪里?”沙斯塔忙問。

"Narnia," answered the Horse."The happy land of Narnia—Narnia of the heathery mountains and the thymy downs, Narnia of the many rivers, the plashing glens, the mossy caverns and the deep forests ringing with the hammers of the Dwarfs. Oh the sweet air of Narnia ! An hour' s life there is better than a thousand years in Calormen."It ended with a whinny that sounded very like a sigh.

“納尼亞，”馬兒回答，“納尼亞是人間樂土。那里山丘長滿石楠，遍地是百里香。納尼亞到處流水潺潺，還有長滿蒼苔的山洞，小矮人的錘聲不時在森林深處響起，連空氣都是如此芬芳!在那里生活一小時比在卡樂門生活一千年還要強得多。”馬兒長嘶一聲，仿佛深深嘆了口氣。

"How did you get here ?" said Shasta.

“那你怎么到這兒來了呢?”沙斯塔問。

"Kidnapped," said the Horse."Or stolen, or captured whichever you like to call it. I was only a foal at the time. My mother warned me not to range the Southern slopes, into Archenland and beyond, but I wouldn' t heed her. And by the Lion' s Mane I have paid for my folly. All these years I have been a slave to humans, hiding my true nature and pretending to be dumb and witless like their horses."

“被綁架過來的。”馬兒回答，“那時我還是一頭調(diào)皮的小馬駒，不聽母親的勸告闖進了阿欽蘭。以獅王的鬃毛發(fā)誓，我為此付出了沉重的代價，這些年我一直裝作一只普通的馬，當一個愚蠢的啞巴，隱藏本性。”

"Why didn't you tell them who you were ?"

“為什么你不告訴他們這些呢?”沙斯塔又問。

"Not such a fool, that's why. If they'd once found out I could talk they would have made a show of me at fairs and guarded me more carefully than ever. My last chance of escape would have been gone."

“我才不那么傻呢。他們?nèi)绻l(fā)現(xiàn)我是誰，肯定會把我送到集市上展覽，并且更加嚴格的看管我，那我更沒機會逃跑了。”

"And why—"began Shasta, but the Horse interrupted him.

“那你為什么……”沙斯塔還想問，但是馬兒打斷了他的話。

"Now look," it said," we mustn't waste time on idle questions. You want to know about my master the Tarkaan Anradin. Well, he' s bad. Not too bad to me, for a war horse costs too much to be treated very badly. But you' d better be lying dead tonight than go to be a human slave in his house tomorrow."

“好了，”馬兒說，“別把時間浪費在無關緊要的問題上了。你不是想知道我的主人泰坎安拉丁是什么樣的人嗎?告訴你吧，他可不是什么好人，雖然對我還不算壞，因為虐待一匹戰(zhàn)馬就太得不償失了。不過，與給他當奴隸相比，你還是現(xiàn)在死掉好。”

"Then I'd better run away," said Shasta, turning very pale.

“那我現(xiàn)在還是逃跑吧!”沙斯塔急得臉都白了。

"Yes, you had," said the Horse."But why not run away with me ?"

“嗯，你的確該逃，”馬兒回答，“不如和我一起逃吧?”

"Are you going to run away too ?" said Shasta. "Yes, if you'll come with me," answered the Horse."This is the chance for both of us.You see if I run away without a rider, everyone who sees me will say' Stray horse' and be after me as quick as he can. With a rider I' ve a chance to get through. That' s where you can help me. On the other hand, you can' t get very far on those two silly legs of yours (what absurd legs humans have!) without being overtaken. But on me you can outdistance any other horse in this country. That' s where I can help you. By the way,I suppose you know how to ride ?"

“你也要逃嗎?”沙斯塔問。“嗯，如果你愿意，那對我們倆都好。”馬兒繼續(xù)說道，“如果我自己逃，別人會認為我是‘無主的馬’，就都想來抓我了，不過有你騎著我就安全多了。而你，僅憑兩條腿，人類可笑的腿!根本走不了多遠，很快就會被抓回來的。但騎著我，你會比全國騎馬的都快。所以我們倆一起逃是最好的辦法。不過，你會騎馬嗎?”

"Oh yes, of course," said Shasta."At least, I've ridden the donkey."

“當然，我會騎。”沙斯塔回答，“至少我騎過驢。”

"Ridden the what ?" retorted the Horse with extreme contempt. (At least,that is what he meant. Actually it came out in a sort of neigh— "Ridden the wha-ha-ha-ha-ha."Talking horses always become more horsy in accent when they are angry.)

“騎過什么?”馬兒鄙視地問道。至少它是這個意思。事實上它發(fā)出了一種類似憤怒的嘶鳴。“騎過……什……么……啊……哈?”會說話的馬生氣了，就會發(fā)出這種馬的嘶鳴。

"In other words," it continued," you can't ride. That's a drawback. I' ll have to teach you as we go along. If you can' t ride, can you fall ?"

“也就是說，”馬兒繼續(xù)問，“你不會騎馬。這就麻煩了，看來我得先教你怎么騎馬。如果你不會騎，那你會跌倒嗎?”

"I suppose anyone can fall," said Shasta.

“這誰不會?”沙斯塔反問道。

"I mean can you fall and get up again without crying and mount again and fall again and yet not be afraid of falling ?"

“我是說，你有沒有本事從馬上摔下來也不哭，繼續(xù)爬到馬背上，就算繼續(xù)騎，再摔下來也不害怕?”

"I—I'll try,"said Shasta."Poor little beast,"said the Horse in a gentler tone."I forget you're only a foal. We'll make a fine rider of you in time. And now—we mustn't start until those two in the but are asleep. Meantime we can make our plans. My Tarkaan is on his way North to the great city, to Tashbaan itself and the court of the Tisroc—"

“我，我盡量。”沙斯塔回答。“可憐的小家伙，”馬兒和藹地說，“我忘了你還是個孩子。不過，我會讓你成為好騎手的。記住，在屋子里的那兩人睡著之前，我們不能行動。我們還需要再商量一下逃跑的具體計劃。泰坎會朝北往塔什班城的方向走，因為他要去太洛帝的宮殿……”

"I say, " put in Shasta in rather a shocked voice,"oughtn't you to say 'May he live for ever'?"

“天哪，”沙斯塔相當震驚，“提到‘太洛帝’你怎么不說萬歲呢?”

"Why ?"asked the Horse."I'm a free Narnian. And why should I talk slaves' and fools' talk ? I don' t want him to live for ever, and I know that he' s not going to live for ever whether I want him to or not. And I can see you' re from the free North too. No more of this Southern jargon between you and me ! And now, back to our plans. As I said, my human was on his way North to Tashbaan."

“為什么要說?”馬兒問，“我是自由的納尼亞馬，為什么要像奴隸和傻瓜那樣說話?況且無論我說不說他都不可能‘萬歲’的。我看得出你也是來自自由的北方。好了，不要再說這些南方的廢話啦，繼續(xù)說我們的計劃吧。剛才說到我的主人要朝北走去塔什班城……”

"Does that mean we'd better go to the South ?"

“你是說我們該往南走嗎?”

"I think not," said the Horse. "You see, he thinks I'm dumb and witless like his other horses. Now if I really were, the moment I got loose I' d go back home to my stable and paddock; back to his palace which is two days' journey South. That' s where he' ll look for me. He' d never dream of my going on North on my own. And anyway he will probably think that someone in the last village who saw him ride through has followed us to here and stolen me."

“我不是那個意思，”馬兒回答，“泰坎覺得我就是一匹普通的馬，因此他會以為我走失了以后會自己回家。所以他會往南找我。但是他不會想到，其實我往北走了。而且他很可能覺得是我們經(jīng)過的上一個村子里的人跟蹤他到這兒來把我偷走了。”

"Oh hurrah !" said Shasta."Then we'll go North. I've been longing to go to the North all my life."

“啊，太好了!”沙斯塔叫道，“那我們就往北走吧，我一直都想去北邊呢!”

"Of course you have," said the Horse."That's because of the blood that' s in you. I' m sure you' re true Northern stock. But not too loud. I should think they' d be asleep soon now."

“你當然想去北邊，那是你身體里流著的血決定的。我敢肯定你是北邊的人。好了小聲點，我覺得他們快睡熟了。”馬兒說。

"I'd better creep back and see," suggested Shasta.

“要不我去看看吧。”沙斯塔建議。

"That's a good idea," said the Horse."But take care you're not caught."

“好主意!”馬兒回答，“不過要小心別被他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了。”

It was a good deal darker now and very silent except for the sound of the waves on the beach, which Shasta hardly noticed because he had been hearing it day and night as long as he could remember. The cottage, as he approached it, showed no light. When he listened at the front there was no noise. When he went round to the only window, he could hear, after a second or two, the familiar noise of the old fisherman' s squeaky snore. It was funny to think that if all went well he would never hear it again. Holding his breath and feeling a little bit sorry, but much less sorry than he was glad, Shasta glided away over the grass and went to the donkey' s stable, groped along to a place he knew where the key was hidden, opened the door and found the Horse' s saddle and bridle which had been locked up there for the night. He bent forward and kissed the donkey's nose."I'm sorry we can't take you," he said.

天已經(jīng)全黑了，寂靜的夜里只能聽見海濤的聲音。不過沙斯塔并沒有注意這些從他記事時起每天都聽得到的聲音。他悄悄地靠近屋子，發(fā)現(xiàn)屋里的燈已經(jīng)熄滅了。于是他把耳朵貼到門上，小心地聽著里面的動靜，里面沒有任何聲音。他又繞到唯一的窗子下，幾秒鐘后他聽到了漁夫熟悉的鼾聲。想到以后可能再也聽不到這鼾聲了，沙斯塔竟覺得有點遺憾。不過逃走的興奮很快沖淡了那點遺憾。他又小心翼翼地穿過草地走進驢棚，找到了藏起來的鑰匙，打開門拿走鎖在那兒過夜的馬鞍子和馬籠頭。臨走時，沙斯塔還吻了吻驢的鼻子跟它告別：“對不起，我們沒法帶你走。”

"There you are at last," said the Horse when he got back to it."I was beginning to wonder what had become of you."

“你終于回來了，”他回去時馬兒說，“我正擔心你呢。”

"I was getting your things out of the stable," replied Shasta."And now, can you tell me how to put them on ?"

“我去驢棚取你的東西了。”沙斯塔回答，“你能告訴我怎么樣把這些放到你身上嗎?”

For the next few minutes Shasta was at work, very cautiously to avoid jingling, while the Horse said things like, "Get that girth a bit tighter, " or "You'll find a buckle lower down, " or"You'll need to shorten those stirrups a good bit."When all was finished it said:

接下來的一段時間，沙斯塔凈忙著這件事兒了。他小心翼翼地盡量不弄出動靜來，而馬兒則時不時提醒他“肚帶收緊一些”、“往下找找?guī)Э?rdquo;、“馬鐙縮短點兒”之類的事。裝配好了一切，馬兒又說：

"Now,we've got to have reins for the look of the thing, but you won' t be using them. Tie them to the saddle-bow: very slack so that I can do what I like with my head. And, remember¬ you are not to touch them."

“為了像那么回事兒，你還得給我戴上韁繩。不過你用不著它，只要綁在馬鞍子上就好了，記得綁松些，要保證我的頭可以自由活動。另外，一定要記住，你不許碰韁繩!”

"What are they for, then ?" asked Shasta.

“那要韁繩有什么用呢?”沙斯塔問。

"Ordinarily they are for directing me," replied the Horse."But as I intend to do all the directing on this journey, you' ll please keep your hands to yourself. And there' s another thing. I' m not going to have you grabbing my mane."

“韁繩一般是用來給我指引方向的。”馬兒回答，“不過這次我自己來把控方向，所以用不著它。你的手就隨便放吧。還有，你不許揪我的鬃毛!”

"But I say," pleaded Shasta."If I'm not to hold on by the reins or by your mane, what am I to hold on by ?"

“可是，”沙斯塔懇切地問道，“如果什么都不抓，我怎么能在背上坐穩(wěn)呢?”

"You hold on with your knees," said the Horse."That's the secret of good riding. Grip my body between your knees as hard as you like; sit straight up, straight as a poker; keep your elbows in. And by the way,what did you do with the spurs ?"

“用你的膝蓋夾住我。”馬兒回答，“騎馬的訣竅就是身體坐直，要直得像個撥火棍，膝蓋夾的越緊越好，胳膊肘別往兩邊甩。再問一下，你打算怎么處理馬刺呢?”

"Put them on my heels, of course," said Shasta."I do know that much."

“當然是裝在我的腳后跟上。”沙斯塔回答，“這我還是知道的。”

"Then you can take them off and put them in the saddle-bag. We may be able to sell them when we get to Tashbaan. Ready ? And now I think you can get up."

“把它卸下來放到鞍囊里吧，到了塔什班城或許還能賣掉。現(xiàn)在準備好了嗎?那么就上來吧!”馬兒說道。

"Ooh ! You're a dreadful height," gasped Shasta after his first,and unsuccessful, attempt.

“天哪!你高得嚇人。”沙斯塔第一次上馬失敗后氣喘吁吁地說。

"I'm a horse, that's all," was the reply."Anyone would think I was a haystack from the way you' re trying to climb up me ! There, that' s better. Now sit up and remember what I told you about your knees. Funny to think of me who has led cavalry charges and won races having a potato—sack like you in the saddle ! However,off we go."It chuckled, not unkindly.

“我不過是一匹馬而已，可是看你費勁往我背上爬的樣子，簡直就像在爬一個高高的柴火堆。”馬兒回答。經(jīng)過一番努力，沙斯塔終于爬上了馬背。“現(xiàn)在好多了，身體坐直，雙腿夾緊，按照我講的那些要領做就好了。真是滑稽，想當初我是一匹多么威風的戰(zhàn)馬啊，還總能贏得賽馬比賽。沒想到現(xiàn)在竟然馱著像袋土豆一樣的你。好了，現(xiàn)在出發(fā)咯。”馬兒開玩笑地說。

And it certainly began their night journey with great caution.

就這樣沙斯塔和馬兒開始了夜間旅程。

First of all it went just south of the fisherman' s cottage to the little river which there ran into the sea, and took care to leave in the mud some very plain hoof-marks pointing South. But as soon as they were in the middle of the ford it turned upstream and waded till they were about a hundred yards farther inland than the cottage. Then it selected a nice gravelly bit of bank which would take no footprints and came out on the Northern side. Then, still at a walking pace, it went Northward till the cottage, the one tree, the donkey' s stable, and the creek—everything, in fact, that Shasta had ever known—had sunk out of sight in the grey summer-night darkness. They had been going uphill and now were at the top of the ridge— that ridge which had always been the boundary of Shasta' s known world. He could not see what was ahead except that it was all open and grassy. It looked endless: wild and lonely and free.

馬兒走得十分小心，它先朝漁夫屋子的南邊走了一段，走近流向大海的一條小河邊，故意在泥沙上留了些往南去的蹄印。走進小河里后又返回頭從河水中逆流而上往北走。就這樣走了一百碼遠，他們才選了一塊不會留下蹄印的礫石河岸從水中走出來。接下來，他們一直朝著北邊的方向前進著。慢慢地，漁夫的屋子、驢棚、河流、沙斯塔熟悉的一切都消失在茫茫的黑暗之中。很快他們登上了一個山脊，沙斯塔曾經(jīng)無數(shù)次望著這里想象那邊的世界。此時，他就站在它的頂端。雖然他現(xiàn)在什么都看不見，但是他能感覺到這開闊的荒野帶給他的自由，還有寂寞。

"I say !" observed the Horse."What a place for a gallop, eh !"

“這里真是一個縱馬奔馳的好地方啊!”馬兒感嘆道。

"Oh don't let's," said Shasta."Not yet. I don't know how to—please, Horse. I don' t know your name."

“呀，別跑太快了，”沙斯塔懇求道，“我還不知道該怎樣做……請你教我。馬兒，對不起，我還不知道你的名字。”

"Breehy—hinny—brinny—hooky—hah," said the Horse.

“我叫布里海•希尼•布林尼•霍海•哈。”馬兒回答。

"I'll never be able to say that," said Shasta."Can I call you Bree ?"

“那么長的名字我可記不住，”沙斯塔說，“我叫你布里好嗎?”

"Well,if it's the best you can do,I suppose you must, said the Horse."And what shall I call you ?" "I'm called Shasta."

“好吧，如果你竭盡所能也只能記住我叫布里的話。”馬兒又問，“可是我怎么稱呼你呢?”“我叫沙斯塔。”

"Hm," said Bree."Well, now, there's a name that's really hard to pronounce. But now about this gallop. It' s a good deal easier than trotting if you only knew, because you don' t have to rise and fall. Grip with your knees and keep your eyes straight ahead between my ears. Don't look at the ground. If you think you're going to fall just grip harder and sit up straighter. Ready ? Now:for Narnia and the North. "

“嗯，”布里說，“你的名字才難發(fā)音呢。不過現(xiàn)在讓我們聊聊怎么飛馳奔跑吧。這可比你知道的小跑要輕松得多。因為你不用被顛簸得起伏不定了?，F(xiàn)在聽我說，雙膝夾緊，兩眼直視前方，不要看地面。如果覺得要摔下來了你就夾得再緊些，身體坐得再直些。現(xiàn)在準備好了嗎?面向納尼亞，面向北方出發(fā)啦!”