《最後一戰》第33期:老鷹帶來的消息(3)

And then, as Poggin pointed out, there was no harm in leaving the Ape to deal with his own difficulties for a day or two. He would have no Puzzle to bring out and show now. It wasn't easy to see what story he - or Ginger could make up to explain that. If the Beasts asked night after night to see Aslan, and no Aslan was brought out, surely even the simplest of them would get suspicious.

In the end they all agreed that the best thing was to go off and try to meet Roonwit.

As soon as they had decided this, it was wonderful how much more cheerful everyone became. I don't honestly think that this was because any of them was afraid of a fight (except perhaps Jill and Eustace). But I daresay that each of them, deep down inside, was very glad not to go any nearer - or not yet - to that horrible bird-headed thing which, visible or invisible, was now probably haunting Stable Hill. Anyway, one always feels better when one has made up one's mind.

Tirian said they had better remove their disguises, as they didn't want to be mistaken for Calormenes and perhaps attacked by any loyal Narnians they might meet. The Dwarf made up a horrid-looking mess of ashes from the hearth and grease out of the jar of grease which was kept for rubbing on swords and spear-heads. Then they took off their Calormene armour and went down to the stream. The nasty mixture made a lather just like soft soap: it was a pleasant, homely sight to see Tirian and the two children kneeling beside the water and scrubbing the backs of their necks or puffing and blowing as they splashed the lather off. Then they went back to the Tower with red, shiny faces, like people who have been given an extra good wash before a party. They re-armed themselves in true Narnian style, with straight swords and three-cornered shields. "Body of me," said Tirian. "That is better. I feel a true man again."

Puzzle begged very hard to have the lion-skin taken off him. He said it was too hot and the way it was rucked up on his back was uncomfortable: also, it made him look so silly. But they told him he would have to wear it a bit longer, for they still wanted to show him in that get-up to the other Beasts, even though they were now going to meet Roonwit first.

What was left of the pigeon-meat and rabbit-meat was not worth bringing away but they took some biscuits. Then Tirian locked the door of the Tower and that was the end of their stay there.

It was a little after two in the afternoon when they set out, and it was the first really warm day of that spring. The young leaves seemed to be much further out than yesterday: the snow-drops were over, but they saw several primroses. The sunlight slanted through the trees, birds sang, and always (though usually out of sight) there was the noise of running water. It was hard to think of horrible things like Tash. The children felt, "This is really Narnia at last." Even Tirian's heart grew lighter as he walked ahead of them, humming an old Narnian marching song which had the refrain: Ho, rumble, rumble, rumble, Rumble drum belaboured.

而且，正如波金所指出的，也不妨讓無尾猿有那麼一兩天去對付它的困難。現在它沒有驢子可拉出來示衆了。看來無尾猿——或金格——要設法編造出故事來解釋這個問題，可不容易哩。如果野獸們一夜復一夜地要求見到阿斯蘭，而無尾猿卻請不出阿斯蘭來，那麼，哪怕是頭腦最簡單的野獸，也會變得懷疑起來的。

商量到末末了兒，大家一致同意，最好的策略就是離開這兒，設法同龍威特會師。

他們剛做出這個決定，說也奇怪，每個人都感到高興得多了。說老實話，我並不認爲那是因爲他們之中有什麼人害怕戰鬥(也許吉爾和尤斯塔斯是例外)，但我敢大膽說一旬，他們之中的每位，內心裏對於不再走近——或者說還沒有走近——那長着鳥頭的可怕的東西，是十分欣慰的。這東西，不論看得見或看不見，現在很可能正出沒於馬廄山上哩。無論如何，一個人下定了決心，總是感覺舒暢多了。

蒂蓮說，他們還是去掉僞裝的好，因爲他們不想被誤認爲是卡樂門人，也不想或許被可能遇到的忠誠的納尼亞獸民所攻擊。小矮人用壁爐裏的灰和儲備在潤滑油瓶裏的用以擦劍擦矛的油，製成了一種形狀難看的糊糊。於是他們脫掉了卡樂門盔甲，到溪水裏去洗刷。這骯髒的混合物變成一種泡沫糊糊，就像半液體皁一般。蒂蓮和兩個孩子跪在水邊，擦着他們的脖子的後半部，用水潑掉泡沫糊糊時又噴又吹的，看上去真是一幅愉快的、家庭風味的圖畫。接着，他們就紅光滿面地回到堡壘裏，就像人們去參加宴會之前，特別賣力地好好洗了一番一般。他們按照真正的納尼亞方式，用筆直的劍和三個角的盾重新武裝自己。"還我身體的本色，"蒂蓮說道，"那就比較好了。我覺得我重新是個真正的人了。"

迷惑十分迫切地懇求把獅子毛皮從它身上取下來。它說裹着毛皮太熱，毛皮摺疊在它背脊上的方式也很不舒服，而且使它看上去愚蠢可笑。但他們告訴它，它還得再裹一陣子獅子毛皮，因爲他們仍舊要讓別的野獸看到它這身打扮，即使他們首先要去和龍威特會師。

吃剩下來的鴿子肉和野兔肉是不值得帶走的了，但他們帶了些餅乾。然後蒂蓮鎖上堡壘的大門，他們在堡壘裏的休整至此便結束了。

下午兩點鐘稍微過一點兒，他們出發了，這是當年春天第一個真正暖和的曰子，嫩葉似乎比昨天長出來好多了雪花蓮已經謝落，但他們看見了幾朵報春花。陽光斜斜地穿過樹木，衆鳥鳴眠，總是有流水奔騰的聲音(儘管往往看不見)。不會想到像塔什神之類的可怕事物了。孩子們感覺到"終於領略到了真正的納尼亞了。"甚至蒂蓮的心也變得比較輕鬆，他走在大夥兒的前頭，口中哼着一支古老的納尼亞進行曲。曲子裏有個疊句啊，戰鼓急匆匆亂哄哄，鼕鼕又鼕鼕，鼕鼕又鼕鼕。