《能言馬與男孩》第55期:南征隱士(2)
"Hullo!" he said suddenly. "What's that!"
"What's what?" said Bree, turning round. Hwin and Aravis did the same.
"That," said Shasta, pointing. "It looks like smoke. Is it a fire?"
"Sand-storm, I should say," said Bree.
"Not much wind to raise it," said Aravis.
"Oh!" exclaimed Hwin. "Look! There are things flashing in it. Look! They're helmets - and armour. And it's moving: moving this way."
"By Tash!" said Aravis. "It's the army. It's Rabadash."
"Oh course it is," said Hwin. "Just what I was afraid of. Quick! We must get to Anvard before it." And without another word she whisked round and began galloping North. Bree tossed his head and did the same.
"Come on, Bree, come on," yelled Aravis over her shoulder.
The race was very gruelling for the Horses. As they topped each ridge they found another valley and another ridge beyond it; and though they knew they were going in more or less the right direction, no one knew how far it was to Anvard. From the top of the second ridge Shasta looked back again. Instead of a dust-cloud well out in the desert he now saw a black, moving mass, rather like ants, on the far bank of the Winding Arrow. They were doubtless looking for a ford.
"They're on the river!" he yelled wildly.
"Quick! Quick!" shouted Aravis. "We might as well not have come at all if we don't reach Anvard in time. Gallop, Bree, gallop. Remember you're a war-horse."
It was all Shasta could do to prevent himself from shouting out similar instructions; but he thought, "The poor chap's doing all he can already," and held his tongue. And certainly both Horses were doing, if not all they could, all they thought they could; which is not quite the same thing. Bree had caught up with Hwin and they thundered side by side over the turf. It didn't look as if Hwin could possibly keep it up much longer.
At that moment everyone's feelings were completely altered by a sound from behind. It was not the sound they had been expecting to hear - the noise of hoofs and jingling armour, mixed, perhaps, with Calormene battle-cries. Yet Shasta knew it at once. It was the same snarling roar he had heard that moonlit night when they first met Aravis and Hwin. Bree knew it too. His eyes gleamed red and his ears lay flat back on his skull. And Bree now discovered that he had not really been going as fast - not quite as fast - as he could. Shasta felt the change at once. Now they were really going all out. In a few seconds they were well ahead of Hwin.
“喂！”他突然說道，”那是什麼呀？”
“什麼？”布里說道，它轉過身來瞧瞧。赫溫和阿拉維斯同樣轉過身來。
“那個，”沙斯塔用手指點着，說道，”它看上去像一團煙。是一場大火嗎？”
“據我看來，是沙暴。”布里說。
“風不大，揚不起沙暴。”阿拉維斯說。
“啊！”赫溫叫道，”瞧！其中有東西在閃閃發光。瞧！是鋼盔——盔甲。而且它在運動向這邊運動。”
“塔什神啊！”阿拉維斯說道，”這是軍隊。這是拉巴達什。”
“當然是拉巴達什的軍隊，”赫溫說，”這正是我所擔心的事。快！我們必須比軍隊先趕到安瓦德。”赫溫二話不說，轉過身來，開始向北馳騁。布里晃晃腦袋，同樣向北奔馳而去。
“趕上來吧，布里，趕上來吧。”阿拉維斯回頭叫喚道。
對馬兒來說，這是一場極度緊張的競賽。它們到每個山脊的頂上時，總是發現前面還有山谷或山脊，雖然它們知道自己走的是大致正確的方向，卻不知道離安瓦德還有多遠。沙斯塔在第二個山脊上回頭望去，現在看到的不是從大沙漠裏冒起來的一股塵煙，而是一團黑魁魁的東西，倒有點兒像螞蟻，正在叫做”盤旋的箭”的河岸上蠕動。毫無疑問，他們是在尋找可以涉水而過的地方。
“他們到河邊上了！”他瘋狂地叫喊道。
“快！快！”阿拉維斯大聲喊道，”如果我們不是及時趕到安瓦德，我們就等於壓根兒沒有來。快跑，布里，快跑。記住了，你是戰馬啊。”
沙斯塔能做的，只有剋制自己，不要叫出類似的指示，他心裏想”這可憐的傢伙已經把它所有的力氣都使出來了。”但他沒有說出口來。而這兩匹馬兒，如果不是竭盡全力，也都自以爲竭盡全力了——這兩者可不是一回事。布里已經追上赫溫，它們並駕齊驅地隆隆馳過草根土。看來赫溫不可能這樣堅持多久了。
就在這關鍵時刻，大家的感覺都被背後的吼聲完全改變了。這不是他們意料中的聲音——馬蹄嘚嘚聲和盔甲丁當聲，或者還夾雜着卡樂門人挑戰的吶喊聲。然而沙斯塔立刻聽出來這是什麼聲音了。他們在月明之夜第一次遇見阿拉維斯和赫溫時，聽到的是同樣的咆哮聲。布里也立刻明白了。它的眼睛發亮，它的兩個耳往後平貼在腦袋上。布里這時才發現，它並未確確實實地盡最大的力量快跑——跑得並不太快。現在可真的使足勁兒飛跑了。不出幾秒鐘，它就超過赫溫好多了。
