《能言馬與男孩》第53期:穿過大沙漠(7)

"What's the terrible hurry?" said Bree. "We've crossed the desert, haven't we?"

"But we're not in Archenland yet," said Aravis. "And we've got to get there before Rabadash."

"Oh, we must be miles ahead of him," said Bree. "Haven't we been coming a shorter way? Didn't that Raven friend of yours say this was a short cut, Shasta?"

"He didn't say anything about shorter," answered Shasta. "He only said better, because you got to a river this way. If the oasis is due North of Tashbaan, then I'm afraid this may be longer."

"Well I can't go on without a snack," said Bree. "Take my bridle off, Shasta."

"P-please," said Hwin, very shyly, "I feel just like Bree that I can't go on. But when Horses have humans (with spurs and things) on their backs, aren't they often made to go on when they're feeling like this? and then they find they can. I m-mean - oughtn't we to be able to do even more, now that we're free. It's all for Narnia."

"I think, Ma'am," said Bree very crushingly, "that I know a little more about campaigns and forced marches and what a horse can stand than you do."

To this Hwin made no answer, being, like most highly bred mares, a very nervous and gentle person who was easily put down. In reality she was quite right, and if Bree had had a Tarkaan on his back at that moment to make him go on, he would have found that he was good for several hours' hard going. But one of the worst results of being a slave and being forced to do things is that when there is no one to force you any more you find you have almost lost the power of forcing yourself.

So they had to wait while Bree had a snack and a drink, and of course Hwin and the children had a snack and a drink too. It must have been nearly eleven o'clock in the morning before they finally got going again. And even then Bree took things much more gently than yesterday. It was really Hwin, though she was the weaker and more tired of the two, who set the pace.

The valley itself, with its brown, cool river, and grass and moss and wild flowers and rhododendrons, was such a pleasant place that it made you want to ride slowly.

“幹嗎這麼可怕地急急忙忙呢?”布里說，”我們穿過了沙漠，不是嗎?”

“可我們還沒有進入阿欽蘭，”阿拉維斯說，”我們得在拉巴達什之前趕到那兒。”

“噢，我們一定在他前面好幾英里了，”布里說，”我們不是走了二條比較近的路嗎?沙斯塔，你那渡鴉朋友不是說過這是條捷徑嗎?”

“它並沒說比較近，”沙斯塔答道，”它只是說比較好，因爲在這條路上你碰得到一條河流。如果綠洲是在塔什班城的正北方，那麼我想那條路就可能要長些。”

“我不吃一頓，沒法兒趕路，”布里說，”沙斯塔，替我解下鞍子。”

“對不起，”赫溫十分靦腆地說道，”我的感覺跟布里一樣，沒法兒趕路了。但有人騎在馬背上(還配上了馬刺之類的東西)，馬兒不是在感到飢餓時也往往被驅策着趕路嗎?那時，馬兒發覺它們能趕路。我的意思是說——現在我們既然自由了，那就應該能趕更多的路。這全是爲了納尼亞啊。”

“我想，女士，”布里以壓倒對方的口氣說道，”關於戰爭、急行軍、馬兒的承受力等等，我懂得要比你多一點兒。”

赫溫對此未作答覆，像出身高貴的馬兒一樣，秉性膽怯溫和，是容易被吃癟的。事實上，它的意見是十分正確的，如果此時此刻有個泰坎騎在布里的背上，布里是能拼命跑上好幾個鐘頭的。但做着奴隸而又被迫幹活的最壞結果是:沒有人強迫你幹活時，你發覺自己幾乎已經喪失了強迫自己幹活的力量。

所以，他們不得不等待布里吃東西唱水；當然，赫溫和孩子們也跟着吃一點喝一點。他們最後重新趕路時，必定是上午靠近十一點鐘光景了。而且即使到了這個時辰，布里幹起活來也比昨天更加斯文了。雖然赫溫是兩匹馬兒中比樣弱小和更加疲乏的，真正領先的倒是赫溫。

山谷本身以及山谷裏棕色的清涼河流，青草、蒼苔、野花和杜鵲花，是那麼賞心悅目，使你很想放慢馳騁喲步