《最後一戰》第40期:馬廄山的集會(5)

The bonfire had not been lit for long and was just beginning to blaze up. It was only a few feet away from them, and the great crowd of Narnian creatures were on the other side of it, so that Tirian could not at first see them very well, though of course he saw dozens of eyes shining with the reflection of the fire, as you've seen a rabbit's or cat's eyes in the headlights of a car. And just as Tirian took his place, the gong stopped beating and from somewhere on his left three figures appeared. One was Rishda Tarkaan the Calormene Captain. The second was the Ape. He was holding on to the Tarkaan's hand with one paw and kept whimpering and muttering, "Not so fast, don't go so fast, I'm not at all well. Oh my poor head! These midnight meetings are getting too much for me. Apes aren't meant to be up at night: It's not as if I was a rat or a bat - oh my poor head." On the other side of the Ape, walking very soft and stately, with his tail straight up in the air, came Ginger the Cat. They were heading for the bonfire and were so close to Tirian that they would have seen him at once if they had looked in the right direction. Fortunately they did not. But Tirian heard Rishda say to Ginger in a low voice:

"Now, Cat, to thy post. See thou play thy part well."

"Miaow, miaow. Count on me!" said Ginger. Then he stepped away beyond the bonfire and sat down in the front row of the assembled Beasts: in the audience, as you might say.

For really, as it happened, the whole thing was rather like a theatre. The crowd of Narnians were like the people in the seats; the little grassy place just in front of the stable, where the bonfire burned and the Ape and the Captain stood to talk to the crowd, was like the stage; the stable itself was like the scenery at the back of the stage; and Tirian and his friends were like people peering round from behind the scenery. It was a splendid position. If any of them stepped forward into the full firelight, all eyes would be fixed on him at once: on the other hand, so long as they stood still in the shadow of the end-wall of the stable, it was a hundred to one against their being noticed.

Rishda Tarkaan dragged the Ape up close to the fire. The pair of them turned to face the crowd, and this of course meant that their backs were towards Tirian and his friends.

"Now, Monkey," said Rishda Tarkaan in a low voice. "Say the words that wiser heads have put into thy mouth. And hold up thy head." As he spoke he gave the Ape a little prod or kick from behind with the point of his toe.

"Do leave me alone," muttered Shift. But he sat up straighter and began, in a louder voice - "Now listen, all of you. A terrible thing has happened. A wicked thing. The wickedest thing that ever was done in Narnia. And Aslan -"

"Tashlan, fool," whispered Rishda Tarkaan.

"Tashlan I mean, of course," said the Ape, "is very angry about it."

篝火才點亮不久，正好開始熊熊燃燒起來。篝火離他們不過幾英尺光景，而一大羣納尼亞野獸都在篝火的那一邊，所以蒂蓮開頭看不大清楚，當然他看見十幾雙眼睛在篝火的反光裏閃閃發亮，就像你在汽車前燈的燈光裏看到的野兔或貓的眼睛一般。蒂蓮剛站定位置，鑼聲便停了，三個黑影兒從他左邊一個地方冒出來了。一個是"泰坎"利什達，卡樂門隊長。第二個是無尾猿，它的一個前爪給抓在"泰坎"手裏，它不斷地嗚咽、咕噥"不要這樣快，別走得這樣快，我身體壓根兒不好。唉，我可憐的腦袋好疼啊！這些午夜大會我愈來愈吃不消了。無尾猿是不適宜夜間不睡覺的。無尾猿可不像老鼠或蝙蝠那樣夜間活動——唉，我可憐的腦袋好疼啊。"在無尾猿的另一邊，貓兒金格正在走來，它走得腳步很輕很莊重，尾巴筆直地翹在空中。它們向篝火走去，它們離蒂蓮很近，如果方向對頭，它們立刻就會看見蒂蓮的。幸虧它們看的方向不對頭。但蒂蓮聽見利什達低聲對金格說道。

"貓兒，站到你的崗位上去。注意好生扮演你的角色。"

"妙，妙。瞧我的!"金格說道。然後它走到篝火外面，在集合攏來的野獸們的第一排裏坐下，正如你要說的，坐在觀衆中間。

因爲事情的發展，整個局面確實就像在一個戲院裏一般。納尼亞的羣獸，就像坐在座位上的觀衆，馬廄前一小塊草地就像舞臺，篝火熊熊燃燒着，無尾猿和卡樂門隊長站在那兒向羣衆講話，馬廄既本身就像舞臺後面的佈景，而蒂蓮和他的朋友們，就像在佈景背後隱約出現的人們。如果他們之中有哪一個往外走到火光裏來，所有的眼睛立刻都會盯住他們直瞧，另一方面呢，只要他們一動也不動地站在馬廄遠處牆頭的陰影裏，百分之九十九是不會被人注意到的。

"泰坎"利什達把無尾猿拖到逼近篝火的地方。他們倆都轉過臉去，面向羣衆，當然，這就意味着他們是背對着蒂蓮和他的朋友們了。

"聽着，猴子，"泰坎利什達低聲說道，"把比你聰明的頭腦灌輸到你嘴巴里的話講出來吧。把你的頭昂起來。"他一邊說話一邊用他的腳趾尖在背後給無尾猿一戳或是一踢。

"你放開我。"詭譎喃喃說道。但它把身體坐得更直，用更加響亮的聲音，開言道, "你們大家都注意聽着。一件可怕的事情發生了。一件邪惡的事情。在納尼亞發生的最最邪惡的事情。阿斯蘭——"

"塔什蘭，傻瓜。"泰坎利什達低聲糾正。

"我的意思當然是指塔什蘭，"無尾猿說道，"塔什蘭對此十分憤怒。"