《黎明踏浪號》第六章 尤斯塔斯歷險記

CHAPTER SIX THE ADVENTURES OF EUSTACE
第六章　尤斯塔斯歷險記

AT that very moment the others were washing hands and faces in the river and generally getting ready for dinner and a rest.The three best archers had gone up into the hills north of the bay and returned laden with a pair of wild goats which were now roasting over a fire.Caspian had ordered a cask of wine ashore，strong wine of Archenland which had to be mixed with water before you drank it，so there would be plenty for all.The work had gone well so far and it was a merry meal.Only after the second helping of goat did Edmund say，“Where’s that blighter Eustace ?”
此時，其他人正在河里洗手洗臉，準備吃飯休息。三個比較厲害的弓箭手到海灣北面的山里打獵，扛回來一對野山羊，這會正架在火上烤。凱斯賓下令搬一桶酒。這種烈酒是在阿欽蘭生產(chǎn)的，喝的時候需要兌一些水，以供大伙喝個痛快。直到現(xiàn)在，一切都很順利， 大家吃得更是愉快至極。往盤子里添了一份牛肉后，愛德蒙才發(fā)現(xiàn)尤斯塔斯不見了，說道：“那個討人厭的尤斯塔斯去哪里了?”
Meanwhile Eustace stared round the unknown valley.It was so narrow and deep，and the precipices which surrounded it so sheer，that it was like a huge pit or trench.The floor was grassy though strewn with rocks，and here and there Eustace saw black burnt patches like those you see on the sides of a railway embankment in a dry summer.About fifteen yards away from him was a pool of clear，smooth water.There was，at first，nothing　else at all in the valley;not an animal，not a bird，not an insect. The sun beat down and grim peaks and horns of mountains peered over the valley’s edge.
這時，尤斯塔斯正在陌生的山谷里，瞪著眼睛四處張望。山谷又窄又深，周圍都是懸崖，山谷里都是大坑或者壕溝。谷底的巖石長滿了草，尤斯塔斯看到四處都有燒焦的黑印子，就像旱季的夏天， 鐵路路基兩邊被曬焦了的一樣。十五碼開外是清澈見底的池塘，池水平穩(wěn)地流動著。山谷里似乎再也找不到其他的活物，比如飛禽、走獸或昆蟲。太陽從層層疊疊的峰巒上直射下來。
Eustace realized of course that in the fog he had come down the wrong side of the ridge，so he turned at once to see about getting back.But as soon as he had looked he shuddered.Apparently he had by amazing luck found the only possible way down—a long green spit of land，horribly steep and narrow，with precipices on either side.There was no other possible way of getting back.But could he do it，now that he saw what it was really like ? His head swam at the very thought of it.
尤斯塔斯很清醒地意識到自己爬到山脊的另一側(cè)去了。他馬上回頭望望回去的路，這一看卻讓他渾身發(fā)抖。他分明是僥幸才摸到這里的，這唯一一條下來的路，是一條長長的綠色通道，狹窄陡峭，兩邊懸崖聳立，沒有其他的路可走。眼下的情況就是這樣，他還能不能上去呢?他一想到這些，頭都暈了。
He turned round again，thinking that at any rate he’d better have a good drink from the pool first.But as soon as he had turned and before he had taken a step forward into the valley he heard a noise behind him.It was only a small noise but it sounded loud in that immense silence.It froze him dead-still where he stood for a second.Then he slewed round his neck and looked.
他掉頭回去，心想，不管怎樣，先在水塘里喝個痛快吧。沒想到剛剛轉(zhuǎn)過頭，還沒向前走，他就突然聽到背后有聲音。聲音雖很小， 但在寂靜無聲的山谷里還是相當明顯的。他嚇得在原地發(fā)呆，過了一會兒才敢回頭去看。
At the bottom of the cliff a little on his left hand was a low， dark hole—the entrance to a cave perhaps.And out of this two thin wisps of smoke were coming.And the loose stones just beneath the dark hollow were moving(that was the noise he had heard)just as if something were crawling in the dark behind them.
在懸崖的底部，他左手邊有個低矮的山洞——那黑乎乎的地方， 應該是山洞的入口。洞口冒出兩縷輕煙，下面有一堆松散的石頭正在移動( 他聽到的應該就是這東西發(fā)出的聲音)，石頭后面好像有什么東西。
Something was crawling.Worse still，something was coming out.Edmund or Lucy or you would have recognized it at once， but Eustace had read none of the right books.The thing that came out of the cave was something he had never even imagined—a long　lead-coloured snout，dull red eyes，no feathers or fur，a long lithe body that trailed on the ground，legs whose elbows went up higher than its back like a spider’s cruel claws，bat’s wings that made a rasping noise on the stones，yards of tail.And the lines of smoke were coming from its two nostrils.He never said the word Dragon to himself.Nor would it have made things any better if he had.
而且那個東西正在蠕動。更糟的是，它竟然爬出來了。愛德蒙和露茜或許一下子就能認出這是什么，你應該也知道那是什么，可是尤斯塔斯看過的書里沒有一本能在這個時候派上用場。爬出來的怪物讓他無法想象——灰色的長鼻子，暗紅的眼睛，沒有羽毛，沒有皮毛， 全身軟軟的，在地上爬行著。它的腿像蜘蛛的腿，爪子鋒利，發(fā)出像蝙蝠的翅膀拍在石頭上發(fā)出的刺耳的聲音;它的尾巴很長，兩股煙從鼻孔冒了出來。他想不到“龍”這個詞，即便想到了，也于事無補了。
But perhaps if he had known something about dragons he would have been a little surprised at this dragon’s behaviour.It did not sit up and clap its wings，nor did it shoot out a stream of flame from its mouth.The smoke from its nostrils was like the smoke of a fire that will not last much longer.Nor did it seem to have noticed Eustace.It moved very slowly towards the pool—slowly and with many pauses.Even in his fear Eustace felt that it was an old，sad creature.He wondered if he dared make a dash for the ascent.But it might look round if he made any noise.It might come more to life.Perhaps it was only shamming.Anyway， what was the use of trying to escape by climbing from a creature that could fly ?
不過，如果他稍微了解一些關(guān)于龍的知識，就不會那么吃驚了。這條龍沒有展翅欲飛，也沒有噴火。它鼻孔里冒出的煙就像煙霧，很快就消散了。它似乎根本沒看到尤斯塔斯，自顧自地爬向池塘，中間還歇了好幾次。尤斯塔斯雖然很害怕，但他覺得這個怪物也很可憐。他不知道自己該不該沖過去爬到山坡上，萬一他弄出聲音，那個怪物可能會回過頭來。也許它只會裝樣子嚇嚇他，可是，即使他爬到上面去，就能從會飛的怪物身邊順利逃走了嗎?
It reached the pool and slid its horrible scaly chin down over the gravel to drink：but before it had drunk there came from it a great croaking or clanging cry and after a few twitches and convulsions it rolled round on its side and lay perfectly still with one claw in the air.A little dark blood gushed from its wide-opened mouth.The smoke from its nostrils turned black for a moment and then floated away.No more came.
怪物爬到水塘，那長滿鱗片的下巴剛滑到沙礫層上，還沒喝上水就發(fā)出嘎嘎的聲音，像鶴唳一樣。然后它掙扎了幾下側(cè)身躺著一動不動，一只爪子還翹在半空，張開的嘴里涌出一些深黑色的血。它鼻孔里的煙變黑了，之后又飄走了。至此，它一動不動了。
For a long time Eustace did not dare to move.Perhaps this was the brute’s trick，the way it lured travellers to their doom.But one couldn’t wait for ever.He took a step nearer，then two steps， and halted again.The dragon remained motionless;he noticed too that the red fire had gone out of its eyes.At last he came up to it. He was quite sure now that it was dead.With a shudder he touched it;nothing happened.
在很長一段時間里，尤斯塔斯不敢動彈。他猜想這或許是那怪物的詭計，誘騙別人送死的花招?？墒且膊荒芾系认氯ァＫ呓徊?，再走兩步又停下來，那條龍還是一點都未動彈。他還注意到它眼睛里的紅火也消失了。終于，他走到它的面前，這才確定它真的死了。他不禁顫抖了一下， 用手摸了它一下，卻什么事情也沒發(fā)生。
The relief was so great that Eustace almost laughed out loud. He began to feel as if he had fought and killed the dragon instead of merely seeing it die.He stepped over it and went to the pool for his drink，for the heat was getting unbearable.He was not surprised when he heard a peal of thunder.Almost immediately afterwards the sun disappeared and before he had finished his drink big drops of rain were falling.
尤斯塔斯終于放心了，差點笑出聲來。他甚至開始幻想，自己不僅僅是親眼看見這條龍死在自己面前，而是跟它打了一仗后，親手殺掉了它。他跨過龍的尸體，想走到水塘邊喝點水，這里實在太熱了。伴隨著一陣轟隆隆的雷聲，太陽頓時消失了，還未等他喝完，大滴的雨點就落了下來。
The climate of this island was a very unpleasant one.In less than a minute Eustace was wet to the skin and half blinded with such rain as one never sees in Europe.There was no use trying to climb out of the valley as long as this lasted.He bolted for the only shelter in sight—the dragon’s cave.There he lay down and tried to get his breath.
島上的天氣真是令人討厭。不一會兒，尤斯塔斯渾身就濕透了， 什么也看不清楚了。在歐洲，他從未見過這樣的大雨。如果這場大雨不停，他根本無法爬出山谷。他沖進龍的洞里避雨，然后就地躺下， 想緩緩氣。
Most of us know what we should expect to find in a dragon’s lair，but，as I said before，Eustace had read only the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains，but they were weak on dragons.That is why he was so puzzled at the surface on which he was lying.Parts of it were too prickly to be stones and too hard to be thorns，and there seemed to be a great many round，flat things，and it all clinked when he　moved.There was light enough at the cave’s mouth to examine it by.And of course Eustace found it to be what any of us could have told him in advance—treasure.There were crowns(those were the prickly things)，coins，rings，bracelets，ingots，cups，plates and gems.
大多數(shù)人都知道在龍洞里會看到什么，可是我說過的，尤斯塔斯只看過些不相干的書，書上都是關(guān)于進出口啦、行政啦、排水系統(tǒng)啦這一類事情，從沒有涉及龍的內(nèi)容。所以他躺下的時候，心想這里真是奇怪。有的地方硌人但不像石頭，有些東西太硬卻不像荊棘，看來似乎有一大堆又圓又扁的東西，他稍微一動，這些東西就咣當作響。洞口的光線剛好可以讓他看個清楚。不用說，尤斯塔斯看到的正是任何人都可以猜到的——財寶。這里還有好多王冠( 他身邊那些扎人的東西)、錢幣、戒指、手鐲、金錠、酒杯、餐盤和寶石。
Eustace(unlike most boys)had never thought much of treasure but he saw at once the use it would be in this new world which he had so foolishly stumbled into through the picture in Lucy’s bedroom at home.“They don’t have any tax here，”he said，“and you don’t have to give treasure to the government.With some of this stuff I could have quite a decent time here—perhaps in Calormen. It sounds the least phoney of these countries.I wonder how much I can carry ?That bracelet now—those things in it are probably diamonds—I’ll slip that on my own wrist.Too big，but not if I push it right up here above my elbow.Then fill my pockets with diamonds—that’s easier than gold.I wonder when this infernal rain’s going to let up ?”He got into a less uncomfortable part of the pile，where it was mostly coins，and settled down to wait. But a bad fright，when once it is over，and especially a bad fright following a mountain walk，leaves you very tired.Eustace fell asleep.
尤斯塔斯并不像大多數(shù)孩子那樣看重財富?？伤芮宄谶@個他稀里糊涂地從露茜的臥房那幅畫中闖進的這片新天地里，這筆財寶會大派用場。“這里不收稅，”他說，“不用把財寶交給政府。有了這些財寶，我在這兒——或者在卡樂門——都能來去自如了。這國名聽上去比這里的其他國家都要真實。不知我能帶走多少?那手鐲——上面鑲嵌的東西應該是鉆石吧——我要把手鐲戴在自己手腕上。有些太大了，沒事，我可以把它戴在胳膊肘子上，就不顯大了。我還可以在口袋里裝滿鉆石——這可比裝金子容易多了。就是不知道這令人討厭的雨什么時候才能停?”他在一大堆財寶上找了個舒服的地方坐下來，這個地方堆著的大多是些錢幣。不過，在遭受了一場不小的驚嚇之后，受驚之后，特別又走了那么段山路，他感到很是疲憊。他竟然睡著了。
By the time he was sound asleep and snoring the others had finished dinner and became seriously alarmed about him.They shouted，“Eustace !Eustace !Coo-ee !”till they were hoarse and Caspian blew his horn.
在他沉沉地入睡時，其他人已經(jīng)吃完飯，大家開始擔心起他來。他們大聲喊著，“尤斯塔斯!尤斯塔斯!喂!喂!喂!”喊得大家嗓子都啞了，凱斯賓甚至還吹起了號角。
“He’s nowhere near or he’d have heard that，”said Lucy with a white face.
“他應該不在附近，不然早聽到我們在叫他了。”露茜臉都急白了。
“Confound the fellow，”said Edmund.“What on earth did he want to slink away like this for ?”
“該死的家伙，”愛德蒙說，“就這樣偷偷溜走了，他到底想干什么?”
“But we must do something，”said Lucy.“He may have got lost，or fallen into a hole，or been captured by savages.”
“我們必須想辦法去找他，”露茜說，“他或許是迷路了，或許掉洞里去了，也有可能被野人抓走了。”
“Or killed by wild beasts，”said Drinian.
“也有可能是被野獸吃掉了。”德里寧說。
“And a good riddance if he has，I say，”muttered Rhince.
“我倒想，他要是被野獸吃了就好了。”賴因斯小聲嘟囔著。
“Master Rhince，”said Reepicheep，“you never spoke a word that became you less.The creature is no friend of mine but he is of the Queen’s blood，and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honour to find him and to avenge him if he is dead.”
“賴因斯先生，”雷佩契普說，“話不應該這樣說。那個人雖然不是我們的朋友，但他是女王的親戚。他是我們中的一員。找到他是我們的榮耀。如果他死了，我們就要為他報仇。”
“Of course we’ve got to find him(if we can)，”said Caspian wearily.“That’s the nuisance of it.It means a search party and endless trouble.Bother Eustace.”
“我們必須找到他 ( 假如真能找得到)，”凱斯賓有些無助地說， “可煩人的是，我們需要組織一支搜山隊，這是相當麻煩的，該受罪的尤斯塔斯。”
Meanwhile Eustace slept and slept—and slept.What woke him was a pain in his arm.The moon was shining in at the mouth of the cave，and the bed of treasures seemed to have grown much more comfortable：in fact he could hardly feel it at all.He was puzzled by the pain in his arm at first，but presently it occurred to him that the bracelet which he had shoved up above his elbow had become strangely tight.His arm must have swollen while he was asleep(it was his left arm).
此時的尤斯塔斯還在睡覺，一直睡到手臂發(fā)麻，才醒過來。月光從洞口照了進來，躺在滿地金銀財寶上似乎是一件令人很享受的事，但事實上他一點都沒感到舒服。一開始他覺得自己的手臂痛得莫名其妙，可是突然意識到他剛才捋到胳膊肘上的手鐲變得出奇地緊， 才知道是自己睡著那會手臂腫了( 沒錯，是他的左臂)。
He moved his right arm in order to feel his left，but stopped before he had moved it an inch and bit his lip in terror.For just in front of him，and a little on his right，where the moonlight fell clear on the floor of the cave，he saw a hideous shape moving.
他抬起右臂去摸左臂，可是剛挪動就停下來了，嚇得直咬嘴唇。因為在他前面不遠處的右邊，月光把洞口照得很清楚，他看見一個可怕的東西在移動。
He knew that shape：it was a dragon’s claw.It had moved as he moved his hand and became still when he stopped moving his hand.
他認出了那東西的形狀：是龍爪!他動動手，它也動，他一停下來，它也不動了。
“Oh，what a fool I’ve been，”thought Eustace.“Of course， the brute had a mate and it’s lying beside me.”
“啊，我真糊涂!”尤斯塔斯心想，“肯定是那怪物有個伙伴， 現(xiàn)在正躺在我身邊呢。”
For several minutes he did not dare to move a muscle.He saw two thin columns of smoke going up before his eyes，black against the moonlight;just as there had been smoke coming from the other dragon’s nose before it died.This was so alarming that he held his breath.The two columns of smoke vanished.When he could hold his breath no longer he let it out stealthily;instantly two jets of smoke appeared again.But even yet he had no idea of the truth.
他好一會兒都沒敢動彈。然后，眼前冒起兩縷細煙，借著月光， 他看到煙是黑色的，正如剛才那條龍臨死前鼻子里噴出來的煙一樣。他嚇得大氣都不敢出。兩縷煙就此消失了。他憋不了多久，一口氣悄悄溜了出來，兩道黑煙頓時又出現(xiàn)在眼前。不過直到現(xiàn)在，他仍然沒明白是怎么回事。
Presently he decided that he would edge very cautiously to his left and try to creep out of the cave.Perhaps the creature was asleep—and anyway it was his only chance.But of course before he edged to the left he looked to the left.Oh horror ! There was a dragon’s claw on that side too.
過了一會，他決定側(cè)著身子摸到左邊，偷偷溜出洞去。如果這個怪物睡著了——這就是他唯一逃出去的機會?？蛇€沒等到他摸到左邊， 他只是先朝左邊看了一眼。天哪，真嚇人!左邊竟然也有一只龍爪。
No one will blame Eustace if at this moment he shed tears.He was surprised at the size of his own tears as he saw them splashing on to the treasure in front of him.They also seemed strangely hot;steam went up from them.
此刻，相信所有的人都不會怪尤斯塔斯哭鼻子了。他看到自己的眼淚落在面前的金銀財寶上，那么大一滴，自己都覺得很吃驚。淚水是如此的燙，在金銀財寶上冒著熱氣。
But there was no good crying.He must try to crawl out from between the two dragons.He began extending his right arm.The dragon’s fore—leg and claw on his right went through exactly the same motion.Then he thought he would try his left.The dragon limb on that side moved too.
哭解決不了任何問題，他必須想辦法從兩條龍中間爬出去。于是， 他伸開右臂，可恨的是，右邊的龍與他的動作完全一樣。于是他想， 不如試試左臂吧?？墒牵筮叺凝埮c自己的動作竟然也是相同的。
Two dragons，one on each side，mimicking whatever he did ! His nerve broke and he simply made a bolt for it.
一邊一條龍，不管他做什么，似乎它們都會模仿他的動作。他受不了了，馬上跳起來逃了出去。
There was such a clatter and rasping，and clinking of gold， and grinding of stones，as he rushed out of the cave that he thought they were both following him.He daren’t look back.He rushed to the pool.The twisted shape of the dead dragon lying in the moonlight would have been enough to frighten anyone but now he hardly noticed it.His idea was to get into the water.
當他沖出洞口時，又聽見叮叮當當、咔嚓咔嚓、金子鏘鏘、石頭嘎吱的聲音，他以為兩條龍都在后面追著他。所以他壓根不敢回頭看，一口氣沖到水塘邊。月光下那條死去的龍的尸體扭曲猙獰，足以嚇死任何人，可是這會兒尤斯塔斯沒有注意到它。他只想趕緊走到水里去。
But just as he reached the edge of the pool two things happened. First of all，it came over him like a thunder-clap that he had been running on all fours—and why on earth had he been doing that ? And secondly，as he bent towards the water，he thought for a second that yet another dragon was staring up at him out of the pool. But in an instant he realized the truth.The dragon face in the pool was his own reflection.There was no doubt of it.It moved as he moved：it opened and shut its mouth as he opened and shut his.
當他走到水塘邊的時候，發(fā)生了兩件事。第一件簡直是一個晴天霹靂，原來他一直在用四肢走路——他為什么會這樣呢?第二件， 他趴在水塘邊往水里看時發(fā)現(xiàn)有一只龍在盯著他。他很快就明白了。水里的龍是他的倒影，這是毋庸置疑的，因為他動，它也動，他張嘴， 它也張嘴，他合上嘴，它也合上嘴。
He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep.Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy，dragonish thoughts in his heart，he had become a dragon himself.
他睡著了，不知不覺竟變成了一條惡龍。因睡在龍窟里，心里帶著驕奢、兇狠的念頭，于是變成了一條惡龍。
That explained everything.There had been no two dragons beside him in the cave.The claws to right and left had been his own right and left claw.The two columns of smoke had been coming from his own nostrils.As for the pain in his left arm(or what had been his left arm)he could now see what had happened by squinting with his left eye.The bracelet which had fitted very nicely on the upper arm of a boy was far too small for the thick， stumpy foreleg of a dragon.It had sunk deeply into his scaly flesh　and there was a throbbing bulge on each side of it.He tore at the place with his dragon’s teeth but could not get it off.
事實擺在眼前，他的洞里沒有兩條龍，那兩只龍爪只是他的左右手，那兩縷輕煙是從他的鼻孔冒出來的。關(guān)于他左臂( 他以前的左臂) 的疼痛，現(xiàn)在他瞇著左眼也看得出是怎么回事了。原來可以戴在孩子上臂的手鐲，如今勒在龍的粗短的前肢上，顯得實在是太小了。手鐲深深陷入長著鱗片的肉里，把兩邊的肉勒得都鼓起來，撲撲直跳。他用牙去咬那里，也咬不掉。
In spite of the pain，his first feeling was one of relief.There was nothing to be afraid of any more.He was a terror himself now and nothing in the world but a knight(and not all of those)would dare to attack him.He could get even with Caspian and Edmund now—
盡管很痛，他首先想到的是終于可以放下心來，現(xiàn)在他什么都不用怕了。因為他自己就是恐怖的怪物，也許，除了騎士以外( 當然， 也并非所有的騎士都如此)，沒人敢來攻擊他。現(xiàn)在，他甚至可以去找凱斯賓和愛德蒙算賬了。
But the moment he thought this he realized that he didn’t want to.He wanted to be friends.He wanted to get back among humans and talk and laugh and share things.He realized that he was a monster cut off from the whole human race.An appalling loneliness came over him.He began to see that the others had not really been fiends at all.He began to wonder if he himself had been such a nice person as he had always supposed.He longed for their voices.He would have been grateful for a kind word even from Reepicheep.
當他想到這些的時候，心里突然明白， 自己并不是要去報仇，而是需要朋友的幫助。他更想回到人類中去， 與大家交流與分享。如今，他變成了與世隔絕的怪物，巨大的孤獨感油然而生。他甚至開始明白了，其他人并不是自己認為的惡魔，而他也不是自己所想象的好人。他希望能聽到其他人的聲音，哪怕是雷佩契普的一句好話，都可以讓他感動至極。
When he thought of this the poor dragon that had been Eustace lifted up its voice and wept.A powerful dragon crying its eyes out under the moon in a deserted valley is a sight and a sound hardly to be imagined.
尤斯塔斯變成的龍是有多么可憐，想到這里他就放聲痛哭了。一條彪悍的龍，在月光下荒涼的山谷中哭得死去活來，這情景和聲音， 都太不可思議了。
At last he decided he would try to find his way back to the shore.He realized now that Caspian would never have sailed away and left him.And he felt sure that somehow or other he would be able to make people understand who he was.
最后他決定要想法找到回去的路，他也相信，凱斯賓不會把船開走，扔下他不管的。他相信自己也可以找到辦法，讓人們知道他是誰。
He took a long drink and then(I know this sounds shocking， but it isn’t if you think it over)he ate nearly all the dead dragon.He was half-way through it before he realized what he was doing; for，you see，though his mind was the mind of Eustace，his tastes and his digestion were dragonish.And there is nothing a dragon likes so well as fresh dragon.That is why you so seldom find more than one dragon in the same country.
喝飽了水之后，他把那條死龍吃了下去。( 這聽上去很嚇人，仔細想想，也沒什么難以理解的。) 吃了一半，他才意識到自己在干什么。事實上，他的頭腦還是尤斯塔斯的頭腦，可是他的口味和消化能力卻跟龍的一樣。龍最喜歡吃新鮮的龍肉，所以你不可能在同一個地方找到兩條龍。
Then he turned to climb out of the valley.He began the climb with a jump and as soon as he jumped he found that he was flying. He had quite forgotten about his wings and it was a great surprise to him—the first pleasant surprise he had had for a long time.He rose high into the air and saw innumerable mountain-tops spread out beneath him in the moonlight.He could see the bay like a silver slab and the Dawn Treader lying at anchor and camp fires twinkling in the woods beside the beach.From a great height he launched himself down towards them in a single glide.
他試圖轉(zhuǎn)身爬出山谷，可是剛準備爬，身子一躍，卻不自覺地飛了起來。他忘了自己有翅膀，這簡直就是喜出望外的發(fā)現(xiàn)——他好久沒有這樣的驚喜了。然后他就飛上了天，看到月光下有無數(shù)的山頂。他看見一塊銀色的海灣，黎明踏浪號就在那里停泊著，海灘上的篝火閃閃發(fā)亮。他從高處停止滑翔，飛了下去。
Lucy was sleeping very soundly for she had sat up till the return of the search party in hope of good news about Eustace.It had been led by Caspian and had come back late and weary.Their news was disquieting.They had found no trace of Eustace but had seen a dead dragon in a valley.They tried to make the best of it and everyone assured everyone else that there were not likely to he more dragons about，and that one which was dead at about three o’clock that afternoon(which was when they had seen it)would hardly have been killing people a very few hours before.
露茜睡得很沉，她一直在等搜山隊帶來好消息，所以他們回來后，她才睡去。搜山隊由凱斯賓親自指揮，回來得很晚，都累壞了。他們帶來的消息令人恐懼。他們沒有找到尤斯塔斯，卻在一個山谷里看到了一條死龍。他們盡力尋找，再也找不到別的龍了。那條龍應該是在下午三點左右死的，( 他們看見它的時候) 看上去不太可能在幾個小時前吃過人。
“Unless it ate the little brat and died of him：he’d poison anything，”said Rhince.But he said this under his breath and no one heard it.
“除非是吃了那個討厭鬼才死的，他可以毒死任何東西。”賴因斯說，他聲音壓得很低，低得只有自己能聽見。
But later in the night Lucy was wakened，very softly，and found the whole company gathered close together and talking in whispers.
之后露茜在夜里被人叫醒，然后看見所有人都聚在一起說悄悄話。
“What is it ?”said Lucy.
“這是怎么了?”露茜問。
“We must all show great constancy，”Caspian was saying.“A dragon has just flown over the tree-tops and lighted on the beach. Yes，I am afraid it is between us and the ship.And arrows are no use against dragons.And they’re not at all afraid of fire.”
“我們大家必須齊心協(xié)力，”凱斯賓那時候正在講，“剛才一條龍飛過樹梢，現(xiàn)在降落在海灘上。是的，可能現(xiàn)在就停在我們和船之間。箭對付不了龍，而且它不怕火。”
“With your Majesty’s leave—”began Reepicheep.
“如果陛下恩準的話……”雷佩契普先開口。
“No，Reepicheep，”said the King very firmly，“you are not to attempt a single combat with it.And unless you promise to obey me in this matter I’ll have you tied up.We must just keep close watch and，as soon as it is light，go down to the beach and give it battle.I will lead.King Edmund will be on my right and the Lord Drinian on my left.There are no other arrangements to be made. It will be light in a couple of hours.In an hour’s time let a meal be served out and what is left of the wine.And let everything be done silently.”
“不，雷佩契普，”國王非常堅決地說，“你不能單獨跟它決斗。如果你不聽，我就把你綁起來。我們只需密切監(jiān)視它，等天亮之后到海灣去跟它開戰(zhàn)。我?guī)ь^，愛德蒙國王在我右邊，德里寧公爵在我左邊。不要節(jié)外生枝，再過一兩個小時天就要亮了。我們在這一小時內(nèi)先吃飯，把剩下的酒端來。還有，做任何事情都得悄悄地。”
“Perhaps it will go away，”said Lucy.
“或許它會自己走啊。”露茜說。
“It’ll be worse if it does，”said Edmund，“because then we shan’t know where it is.If there’s a wasp in the room I like to be able to see it.”
“要是它自己走了就糟了，”愛德蒙說，“如果那樣的話我們就不知道它在哪兒，我們要知己知彼。”
The rest of the night was dreadful，and when the meal came， though they knew they ought to eat，many found that they had very poor appetites.And endless hours seemed to pass before the darkness thinned and birds began chirping here and there and the world got colder and wetter than it had been all night and Caspian said，“Now for it，friends.”
那天夜里的最后兩個小時實在難熬。吃飯的時候，大家都知道自己應該多吃一點，可是都沒胃口。那簡直是度日如年。終于等到天空泛著魚肚白，小鳥開始嘰嘰喳喳，周圍顯得比夜里還寂靜還清冷。凱斯賓說：“朋友們，咱們行動吧。”
They got up，all with swords drawn，and formed themselves into a solid mass with Lucy in the middle and Reepicheep on her shoulder.It was nicer than the waiting about and everyone felt fonder of everyone else than at ordinary times.A moment later they were marching.It grew lighter as they came to the edge of the wood.And there on the sand，like a giant lizard，or a flexible crocodile，or a serpent with legs，huge and horrible and humpy， lay the dragon.
他們一擁而上，個個刀劍出鞘，緊緊圍成一團，露茜居中，雷佩契普騎在她肩上?？偙茸源龜缽?，人人都覺得大家比平時更可親。然后他們向前推進，來到林子邊上，天更亮了。沙地上就躺著那條龍， 像條大蜥蜴，又像一條肢體柔軟的鱷魚，或是像一條長著四條腿的大蟒蛇。那個龐然大物外形可怕，背部隆起。
But when it saw them，instead of rising up and blowing fire and smoke，the dragon retreated—you could almost say it waddled—back into the shallows of the bay.
可是那條龍不但沒有起身噴火，卻后退了幾步——簡直是搖搖晃晃地縮回淺灘去了。
“What’s it wagging its head like that for ?”said Edmund.
“它為什么會搖頭?”愛德蒙問。
“And now it’s nodding，”said Caspian.
“它現(xiàn)在在點頭。”凱斯賓說。
“And there’s something coming from its eyes，”said Drinian.
“什么東西從它眼睛里流出來了。”德里寧說。
“Oh，can’t you see，”said Lucy.“It’s crying.Those are tears.”
“啊，你們沒發(fā)現(xiàn)嗎?”露茜說，“它哭了，流下眼淚了。”
“I shouldn’t trust to that，Ma’am，”said Drinian.“That’s what crocodiles do，to put you off your guard.”
“我絕不相信它，女王陛下，”德里寧說，“鱷魚的眼淚就是為了消除別人的防備之心的。”
“It wagged its head when you said that，”remarked Edmund.“Just as if it meant No.Look，there it goes again.”
“它聽了你的話在搖頭呢，”愛德蒙說，“意思好像在說不是那樣的。瞧，它又搖頭了。”
“Do you think it understands what we’re saying ?”asked Lucy.
“你覺得它聽得懂我們的話?”露茜說。
The dragon nodded its head violently.
龍使勁地點頭。
Reepicheep slipped off Lucy’s shoulder and stepped to the front.
雷佩契普從露茜肩頭滑下來，站到前面。
“Dragon，”came his shrill voice，“can you understand speech ?”
“龍啊龍，”它的聲音有些尖，“你聽得懂他們的話嗎?”
The dragon nodded.
龍點了點頭。
“Can you speak ?”
“你會說話嗎?”
It shook its head.
它又搖頭。
“Then，”said Reepicheep，“it is idle to ask you your business. But if you will swear friendship with us raise your left foreleg above your head.”
“這么說，”雷佩契普說，“看來問你也是白費口舌。不過， 你愿意和我們做朋友，就舉起左前腿。”
It did so，but clumsily because that leg was sore and swollen with the golden bracelet.
龍照做了，可動作很是笨拙。腿上勒著金鐲，讓腿變得又痛又腫。
“Oh look，”said Lucy，“there’s something wrong with its leg. The poor thing—that’s probably what it was crying about.Perhaps it came to us to be cured like in Androcles and the lion.”
“看吧，”露茜說，“它的腿受傷了。它真可憐，它大概是因為這個才痛哭吧。也許它是正在向我們求助。就像那次在安德羅格爾斯，那頭獅子的求助方式。”
“Be careful，Lucy，”said Caspian.“It’s a very clever dragon but it may be a liar.”
“小心啊，露茜，”凱斯賓說，“這條龍聰明過人，也許它是在騙人呢。”
Lucy had，however，already run forward，followed by Reepicheep，as fast as his short legs could carry him，and then of course the boys and Drinian came too.
露茜卻早已跑上前去，雷佩契普也撒開兩條短腿緊緊跟了上去， 幾個小伙子和德里寧也跟在后面。
“Show me your poor paw，”said Lucy，“I might be able to cure it.”
“可憐的家伙，伸出來爪子給我看看，”露茜說，“或許我能把你治好。”
The dragon-that-had-been-Eustace held out its sore leg gladly enough，remembering how Lucy’s cordial had cured him of sea-sickness before he became a dragon.But he was disappointed. The magic fluid reduced the swelling and eased the pain a little but it could not dissolve the gold.
尤斯塔斯變的那條龍，喜出望外地伸出了受傷的腿。他心中依舊記得沒變成龍時，露茜治好了他暈船的毛病。令他失望的是，魔法藥水只能消腫止痛，卻化不掉金鐲。
Everyone had now crowded round to watch the treatment， and Caspian suddenly exclaimed，“Look !”He was staring at the bracelet.
大家圍在一起，看她給龍治傷，凱斯賓大叫道：“瞧!”他緊緊盯著那只金鐲。