《最後一戰》第26期:關於小矮人(1)

Chapter 7 Mainly about Dwarfs

THE two Calormene soldiers at the head of the column, seeing what they took for a Tarkaan or great lord with two armed pages, came to a halt and raised their spears in salute.

"O My Master," said one of them, "we lead these manikins to Calormen to work in the mines of The Tisroc, may-he-live-forever. "

"By the great god Tash, they are very obedient," said Tirian.

Then suddenly he turned to the Dwarfs themselves. About one in six of them carried a torch and by that flickering light he could see their bearded faces all looking at him with grim and dogged expressions. "Has The Tisroc fought a great battle, Dwarfs, and conquered your land?" he asked, "that thus you go patiently to die in the salt-pits of Pugrahan?"

The two soldiers glared at him in surprise but the Dwarfs all answered, "Aslan's orders, Aslan's orders. He's sold us. What can we do against him?"

"Tisroc indeed!" added one and spat. "I'd like to see him try it!"

"Silence, dogs!" said the chief soldier.

"Look!" said Tirian, pulling Puzzle forward into the light. "It has all been a lie. Aslan has not come to Narnia at all. You have been cheated by the Ape. This is the thing he brought out of the stable to show you. Look at it."

What the Dwarfs saw, now that they could see it close, was certainly enough to make them wonder how they had ever been taken in. The lion-skin had got pretty untidy already during Puzzle's imprisonment in the stable and it had been knocked crooked during his journey through the dark wood. Most of it was in a big lump on one shoulder. The head, besides being pushed sideways, had somehow got very far back so that anyone could now see his silly, gentle, donkeyish face gazing out of it. Some grass stuck out of one corner of his mouth, for he'd been doing a little quiet nibbling as they brought him along. And he was muttering, "It wasn't my fault, I'm not clever. I never said I was."

For one second all the Dwarfs were staring at Puzzle with wide open mouths and then one of the soldiers said sharply, "Are you mad, My Master? What are you doing to the slaves?" and the other said, "And who are you?" Neither of their spears was at the salute now - both were down and ready for action.

"Give the password," said the chief soldier.

"This is my password," said the King as he drew his sword. "The light is dawning, the lie broken. Now guard thee, miscreant, for I am Tirian of Narnia."

He flew upon the chief soldier like lightning. Eustace, who had drawn his sword when he saw the King draw his, rushed at the other one: his face was deadly pale, but I wouldn't blame him for that. And he had the luck that beginners sometimes do have. He forgot all that Tirian had tried to teach him that afternoon, slashed wildly (indeed I'm not sure his eyes weren't shut) and suddenly found, to his own great surprise, that the Calormene lay dead at his feet. And though that was a great relief, it was, at the moment, rather frightening. The King's fight lasted a second or two longer: then he too had killed his man and shouted to Eustace, "'Ware the other two."

第7章 關於小矮人

走在縱隊前面的卡樂門士兵，看到了他們認爲是"泰坎"或大王爺的人帶着兩個武裝的侍從站在道路上，便停步不走，舉起長矛向他敬禮。

"啊，我的長宮，"其中一個卡樂門士兵說道，"我們帶着這些個矮子到卡樂門去，到'蒂斯羅克'(願他萬壽無疆)的礦井裏去幹活。"

"偉大的塔什神在上，他們倒是十分聽話的。"蒂蓮說。

然後他突然轉向小矮人們。六個小矮人中總有一個拿着火炬，憑着火炬閃爍搖曳的光，他看得見滿臉鬍鬚的小矮人都在瞧他，神情嚴厲而又頑固。"小矮人啊，蒂斯羅克可曾打了一個大仗，征服了你們的土地?"他問道，"以致你們如此忍辱負重地去死在普格拉漢的鹽坑裏嗎?"

兩個士兵詫異地瞪着眼睛瞧他，但小矮人們回答道："阿斯蘭的命令，阿斯蘭的命令。阿斯蘭把我們出賣了。難道我們能做出反對阿斯蘭的事來嗎?"

"事實上是'蒂斯羅克'存心不良，"另一個盹了口唾沫，補充道，"我倒要瞧他怎麼試試哩。"

"閉嘴，狗東西，士兵頭兒喝道。"

"瞧瞧！"蒂蓮-面把迷惑這頭驢子推到亮光裏，一面說道，"這一切全是撒謊造謠。阿斯蘭壓根兒沒有到納尼亞來。你們都被無尾猿騙了。無尾猿從馬廄裏牽出來給你們看的，就是這頭驢子。好生瞧瞧吧。"

小矮人們現在可以逼近來瞧瞧它了，他們所看到的真相，肯定足以使他們心裏感到奇怪他們怎麼竟會受騙上當的。迷惑長時間給關閉在馬廄裏，獅子毛皮已經弄得很不整潔了，而它在黑暗的樹林裏穿行時，毛皮又磕磕碰碰得歪歪扭扭了。大部分毛皮擠在肩膀上的一塊地方。頭上的毛皮，除了碰歪以外，還碰得向後縮了一大截，所以現在誰都看得見那愚蠢而溫和的驢子臉蛋在向外張望。嘴角邊露出一些青草。因爲他們把它牽來時，它已經一聲不響地啃了點青草而且它還在咕叨"這不是我的過錯，我不聰明。我從未說過我以前是聰明的。"

片刻之間，所有的小矮人都張大着嘴巴，瞪着眼睛打量那驢子，這時有個士兵機警地說道"我的長官，你瘋了嗎?你在對奴隸們說些什麼話呀?"另一個士兵說"你究竟是什麼人?"現在不是高舉長矛敬禮了——而是兩支長矛都放下來準備戰鬥了。

"口令是什麼?"士兵頭目查問道。

"這就是我的口令，"國王一面拔出劍來，一面說道，"天亮了，謊言破產了。無賴，保護你自己吧，因爲我就是納尼亞國王蒂蓮。"

他像閃電似的向士兵頭目猛撲過去。尤斯塔斯看到國王拔劍，也拔出劍來，衝向另一個士兵。他的臉色蒼白得像死人，但我不會因此責備他。而且他運道很好，初次作戰的人有時總是幸運的。他把蒂蓮在昨天下午竭力教給他的一切統統都忘掉了，瘋狂地亂砍一氣(事實上，我不能肯定他沒有閉上眼睛)；使他自己大爲吃驚的是：他突然發現那卡樂門士兵倒在他腳下，死了。雖然這是一大安慰，但在片刻之間，那倒是很嚇人的。國王的戰鬥比他多了一兩秒鐘：他也殺死了對方，並且對尤斯塔斯大聲喊道"另外兩個兵在哪兒呢?"