《能言馬與男孩》第56期:南征隱士(3)
"It's not fair," thought Shasta. "I did think we'd be safe from lions here!"
He looked over his shoulder. Everything was only too clear. A huge tawny creature, its body low to the ground, like a cat streaking across the lawn to a tree when a strange dog has got into the garden, was behind them. And it was nearer every second and half second.
He looked forward again and saw something which he did not take in, or even think about. Their way was barred by a smooth green wall about ten feet high. In the middle of that wall there was a gate, open. In the middle of the gateway stood a tall man dressed, down to his bare feet, in a robe coloured like autumn leaves, leaning on a straight staff. His beard fell almost to his knees.
Shasta saw all this in a glance and looked back again. The lion had almost got Hwin now. It was making snaps at her hind legs, and there was no hope now in her foamflecked, wide-eyed face.
"Stop," bellowed Shasta in Bree's ear. "Must go back. Must help!"
Bree always said afterwards that he never heard, or never understood this; and as he was in general a very truthful horse we must accept his word.
Shasta slipped his feet out of the stirrups, slid both his legs over the left side, hesitated for one hideous hundredth of a second, and jumped. It hurt horribly and nearly winded him; but before he knew how it hurt him he was staggering back to help Aravis. He had never done anything like this in his life before and hardly knew why he was doing it now.
One of the most terrible noises in the world, a horse's scream, broke from Hwin's lips. Aravis was stooping low over Hwin's neck and seemed to be trying to draw her sword. And now all three - Aravis, Hwin, and the lion were almost on top of Shasta. Before they reached him the lion rose on its hind legs, larger than you would have believed a lion could be, and jabbed at Aravis with its right paw. Shasta could see all the terrible claws extended. Aravis screamed and reeled in the saddle. The lion was tearing her shoulders. Shasta, half mad with horror, managed to lurch towards the brute. He had no weapon, not even a stick or a stone. He shouted out, idiotically, at the lion as one would at a dog. "Go home! Go home!" For a fraction of a second he was staring right into its wideopened, raging mouth. Then, to his utter astonishment, the lion, still on its hind legs, checked itself suddenly, turned head over heels, picked itself up, and rushed away.
Shasta did not for a moment suppose it had gone for good. He turned and raced for the gate in the green wall which, now for the first time, he remembered seeing. Hwin, stumbling and nearly fainting, was just entering the gate: Aravis still kept her seat but her back was covered with blood.
"Come in, my daughter, come in," the robed and bearded man was saying, and then "Come in, my son" as Shasta panted up to him. He heard the gate closed behind him; and the bearded stranger was already helping Aravis off her horse.
“真是不順利，”沙斯塔心中想道，”我還認爲這兒比較安全、遠離獅子哩！”
他轉過頭去瞧瞧。一切看得分明極了。一頭黃褐色的大型動物，軀體低垂及地，正尾隨在他們的後面，彷彿一隻陌生的狗闖進花園時，一隻貓飛跑過草地要躥到樹上去的模樣。眨眼之間，那動物愈逼愈近了。
他向前看看，瞧到了他沒注意甚至沒想到的事情。他們前進的道路被一道十英尺高的平整的綠色牆垣擋住了。牆垣的中間有個大門，洞開着。門裏站着一個身材高大的人，赤腳穿一件秋葉色長袍，身子斜靠在一根筆直的手杖上。他的鬍鬚很長，幾乎下垂到膝頭。
沙斯塔一眼便看到了這一切，他重新回過頭去望。獅子現在幾乎要抓住赫溫了。獅子正在向赫溫的後腿撲呀撲的，此刻赫溫汗跡斑斑、兩眼圓睜的臉上已經露出絕望的神色。
“停步，”沙斯塔在布里的耳朵邊大聲叫嚷，”必須回去。必須救命去！”
布里事後老是說它從來沒有聽到這話，或是從來沒有聽懂這話；一般說來，它是匹十分忠實的馬兒，我們必須相信它的話。
沙斯塔從馬鐙裏抽出兩隻腳，猶豫了可怕的百分之一秒鐘，便從左邊跳下馬來。他受了重傷，幾乎閃了腰，但他還沒弄明白受了什麼傷，便蹣跚着走回去拯救阿拉維斯了。他生平從未做過類似的事，現在也不知道他爲什麼要這樣做。
世界上最最可怕的聲音，一匹馬兒的哀鳴，從赫溫的嘴裏迸發出來了。阿拉維斯正俯下身來伏在赫溫的脖子上，似乎企圖拔出刀來。如今她們三個——阿拉維斯、赫溫和獅子，幾乎就在沙斯塔的頭頂之上。她們尚未靠近他，那獅子便用後腿站了起來(它軀體之巨大，你簡直沒法兒相信)，伸出前腿的右爪，猛撲阿拉維斯。沙斯塔看得見那伸開來的所有爪子。阿拉維斯尖聲叫喊，在馬鞍上搖搖晃晃。獅子在扯她的肩膀。沙斯塔驚惶得半瘋半癲，設法向那野獸撲過去。他沒有武器，連一根木棒或一塊石頭也沒有。他傻瓜似的向獅子大喊，彷彿人們衝狗兒叫喊一樣。”回家去！回家去！”在一秒鐘不到的時間裏，他瞪眼望着那張得大大的、兇猛的獅子嘴巴。接着，卻使他詫異之至，那仍舊用後腿站着的獅子，突然剋制自己，變得俯首貼地了，它隨即擡起身子，迅速跑掉了。
沙斯塔一時間還認爲獅子不是真的跑掉了。他轉過身來，向那綠色牆垣跑去，現在他是第一次記起他見過那牆垣。赫溫，腳步蹣跚，快要昏過去了，剛進入大門；阿拉維斯仍舊坐在馬鞍子上，但她的背上全是血。
“進來吧，我的女兒，進來吧。”穿袍子的長鬚老人說道。當沙斯塔上氣不接下氣地向他跑去時，他又說”進來吧，我的兒子。”沙斯塔聽見他背後大門關上了，長鬚陌生人已經在幫助阿拉維斯下馬。
