《最後一戰》第48期:步伐加快了(1)

Chapter 11 The Pace Quickens

QUICK as lightning, Rishda Tarkaan leaped back out of reach of the King's sword. He was no coward, and would have fought single-handed against Tirian and the Dwarf if need were. But he could not take on the Eagle and the Unicorn as well. He knew how Eagles can fly into your face and peck at your eyes and blind you with their wings. And he had heard from his father (who had met Narnians in battle) that no man, except with arrows, or a long spear, can match a Unicorn, for it rears on its hind legs as it falls upon you and then you have its hoofs and its horn and its teeth to deal with all at once. So he rushed into the crowd and stood calling out:

"To me, to me, warriors of The Tisroc, may-he-liveforever. To me, all loyal Narnians, lest the wrath of Tashlan fall upon you!"

While this was happening two other things happened as well. The Ape had not realized his danger as quickly as the Tarkaan. For a second or so he remained squatting beside the fire staring at the newcomers. Then Tirian rushed upon the wretched creature, picked it up by the scruff of the neck, and dashed back to the stable shouting, "Open the door!" Poggin opened it.

"Go and drink your own medicine, Shift!" said Tirian and hurled the Ape through into the darkness. But as the Dwarf banged the door shut again, a blinding greenish-blue light shone out from the inside of the stable, the earth shook, and there was a strange noise - a clucking and screaming as if it was the hoarse voice of some monstrous bird. The Beasts moaned and howled and called out "Tashlan! Hide us from him!" and many fell down, and many hid their faces in their wings or paws. No one except Farsight the Eagle, who has the best eyes of all living things, noticed the face of Rishda Tarkaan at that moment. And from what Farsight saw there he knew at once that Rishda was just as surprised, and nearly frightened, as everyone else. "There goes one," thought Farsight, "who has called on gods he does not believe in. How will it be with him if they have really come?"

The third thing - which also happened at the same moment - was the only really beautiful thing that night. Every single Talking Dog in the whole meeting (there were fifteen of them) came bounding and barking joyously to the King's side. They were mostly great big dogs with thick shoulders and heavy jaws. Their coming was like the breaking of a great wave on the seabeach: it nearly knocked you down. For though they were Talking Dogs they were just as doggy as they could be: and they all stood up and put their front paws on the shoulders of the humans and licked their faces, all saying at once: "Welcome! Welcome! We'll help, we'll help, help, help. Show us how to help, show us how, how. How-how-how?"

It was so lovely that it made you want to cry. This, at last, was the sort of thing they had been hoping for. And when, a moment later, several little animals (mice and moles and a squirrel or so) came pattering up, squealing with joy, and saying "See, see. We're here," and when, after that, the Bear and the Boar came too, Eustace began to feel that perhaps, after all, everything might be going to come right. But Tirian gazed round and saw how very few of the animals had moved.

第11章 步伐加快了

迅速如閃電，“泰坎”利什達跳了回去，國王的劍砍不到他了。他倒不是個懦夫，如果需要，他會獨自一人跟蒂蓮和小矮人們作戰的。但他沒法兒對付老鷹，也沒法兒對付獨角獸。他知道老鷹如何飛到你臉上啄你的眼睛，而且用翅膀遮得你看也看不出。他還從他父親那裏聽說過(他在戰爭中碰到過納尼亞軍隊)：除非射箭或使用長矛，沒有人能戰勝獨角獸的，因爲獨角獸向你撲上來時，就用後腿站起來了，那時你就得立刻同時對付它的蹄子、獨角和牙齒。所以利什達奔到羣衆裏頭，站着喊道：

“聽我的，聽我的指揮，‘蒂斯羅克’(願他萬壽無疆)的戰士們。聽我的，一切忠誠的納尼亞子民們，不然的話，塔什蘭的憤怒就要落到你們身上了!”

這件事發生的時候，還同時發生了另外兩件事。無尾猿不像那“泰坎”那樣迅速地認識到處境的危險。大約有一兩秒鐘，它依舊蹲在篝火旁，定晴望着新來的野獸們。接着蒂蓮就向那倒黴的傢伙猛撲過去，抓住它的頸背把它拎了起來，然後衝回馬廄，大叫道：“開門。”波金打開馬廄的門。

“詭譎，進去喝你自己的藥吧!”蒂蓮一邊說，一邊把無尾猿往馬廄裏的黑暗中扔了進去。但小矮人砰的一聲重新把門關上時，一道令人目眩的藍綠色的強光從馬廄裏照射出來，大地震動了，響起了一種奇怪的聲音——一種咯咯的叫囂聲，彷彿是某種怪鳥嘶啞的叫聲。野獸們嗚咽、號哭、大聲呼喊。“塔什蘭!遮掩我們，別讓它看見!”許多禽獸倒下了，許多禽獸把自己的臉躲在翅膀或是腳爪下面。此時此刻，除了生着一切生物中最好的眼睛的老鷹外，沒有哪一個注意過 “泰坎”利什達的臉。千里眼老鷹憑它所看到的情況立刻就知道：利什達同大家一模一樣的感到奇怪，幾乎同大家一樣的誠惶誠恐。“一個走了，”老鷹心中想道，“他曾向他並不相信的諸神呼籲。如果諸神真的來了，他將怎麼辦呢?”

也在同時發生的第三件事，是那天夜裏真正美麗的事情。大會上的每頭會說人話的狗兒(總共十五頭)歡樂地跳着吠着跑到國王這邊來了。它們大部分是了不得的大狗，肩膀厚實，上下齶厚重。羣狗的來勢像是巨浪衝擊海灘，幾乎要把你衝倒。因爲，它們雖然是會人話的狗兒，卻又是儘可能發揮狗性的狗兒：它們都雙腳站了起來，前腿的爪子搭在人的肩膀上，用舌頭舔舔人的臉，它們大家立刻說道：“歡迎!歡迎!我們決心幫忙，幫忙，幫忙。告訴我們怎麼個幫法，怎麼個幫法，怎麼，怎麼——怎麼——怎麼?”

這情景是那麼動人，叫你簡直想哭；因爲，他們一直盼望的那種情景，最後終於出現了。片刻之後，當幾隻小動物(老鼠和鼴鼠，以及一隻松鼠什麼的)嗒嗒地走來，歡樂地吱吱亂叫，並且說道：“瞧，瞧，我們來了。”在此之後，當熊和野豬也來了，尤斯塔斯開始覺得，也許，畢竟一切都可能變得順利了。但蒂蓮向四周打量，看到了已在有所行動的野獸只是極少數。