《最後一戰》第25期:成功的夜襲(5)

"What are you doing, Sire?" asked Jewel sharply.
"Drawing my sword to smite off the head of the accursed Ass," said Tirian in a terrible voice. "Stand clear, girl."
"Oh don't, please don't," said Jill. "Really, you mustn't. It wasn't his fault. It was all the Ape. He didn't know any better. And he's very sorry. And he's a nice Donkey. His name's Puzzle. And I've got my arms round his neck."
"Jill," said Tirian, "you are the bravest and most woodwise of all my subjects, but also the most malapert and disobedient. Well: let the Ass live. What have you to say for yourself, Ass?"
"Me, Sire?" came the Donkey's voice. "I'm sure I'm very sorry if I've done wrong. The Ape said Aslan wanted me to dress up like that. And I thought he'd know. I'm not clever like him. I only did what I was told. It wasn't any fun for me living in that stable. I don't even know what's been going on outside. He never let me out except for a minute or two at night. Some days they forgot to give me any water too."
"Sire," said Jewel. "Those Dwarfs are coming nearer and nearer. Do we want to meet them?"
Tirian thought for a moment and then suddenly gave a great laugh out loud. Then he spoke, not this time in a whisper. "By the Lion," he said, "I am growing slow witted! Meet them? Certainly we will meet them. We will meet anyone now. We have this Ass to show them. Let them see the thing they have feared and bowed to. We can show them the truth of the Ape's vile plot. His secret's out. The tide's turned. Tomorrow we shall hang that Ape on the highest tree in Narnia. No more whispering and skulking and disguises. Where are these honest Dwarfs? We have good news for them."
When you have been whispering for hours the mere sound of anyone talking out loud has a wonderfully stirring effect. The whole party began talking and laughing: even Puzzle lifted up his head and gave a grand Haw-hee-haw-hee-hee; a thing the Ape hadn't allowed him to do for days. Then they set off in the direction of the drumming. It grew steadily louder and soon they could see torchlight as well. They came out on one of those rough roads (we should hardly call them roads at all in England) which ran through Lantern Waste. And there, marching sturdily along, were about thirty Dwarfs, all with their little spades and mattocks over their shoulders. Two armed Calormenes led the column and two more brought up the rear.
"Stay!" thundered Tirian as he stepped out on the road. "Stay, soldiers. Whither do you lead these Narnian Dwarfs and by whose orders?"

"陛下，你在幹嗎?"獨角獸警惕地問道。
"拔出我的劍來，砍掉這該死的驢子的腦袋，"蒂蓮用可怕的聲音說，"閃開，小姑娘。"
"啊，別，請你別殺它，"吉爾說，"說真的，你不能殺它。這可不是它的過錯。全是無尾猿搞的鬼。它可沒有看透。它是十分懊惱的。它是十分懊惱的。它是一頭不壞的驢子。它的名字叫迷惑。我的雙臂抱着它的頸子哩。"
"吉爾，"蒂蓮說道，"你是我的一切國民中最勇敢最聰明的人，但也是最魯莽最不聽話的人。得了，就饒這驢子一命吧。驢子，你可有什麼話要爲你自己辯護的?"
"陛下，我嗎?"傳來了驢子的聲音，"如果我犯了錯誤，我相信我是十分懊悔的。無尾猿說，阿斯蘭要我這樣穿衣打扮。我以爲無尾猿會知道的。我不及無尾猿聰明。我只不過是幹了它叫我乾的事。生活在馬廄裏，我自己可毫無趣味。我甚至連外邊正發生什麼事也不知道。除了夜間出去一兩分鐘，無尾猿從來不放我出去。有些日子，他們連水也忘了給我喝。"
"陛下，"珍寶說，"小矮人們正愈走愈近，我們要跟他們見面嗎?"
蒂蓮思索了一會兒，接着就揚聲大笑。於是他說話了，這回可不是壓低聲音的耳語。"獅王在上，"他說，"我變得腦子遲鈍了！跟他們見面嗎?我們一定要跟他們見面。現在我們要跟任何人見面。我們要把這驢子給他們看看，讓他們看看以前他們曾經害怕的曾經向它卑躬屈膝的東西。我們可以拆穿無尾猿邪惡陰謀的真相。它的祕密暴露無遺。潮流變了。明天我們要把無尾猿懸掛在納尼亞最高的樹木上。再也用不着切竊私語、偷偷摸摸和喬裝改扮了。那些誠實的小矮人在哪兒?我們有好消息告訴他們。"
好幾個鐘頭一直低聲耳語，任何人響亮的講話聲都有一種神奇的激動人心的效果。大夥兒開始說說笑笑，甚至迷惑也擡起腦袋，發出一種洪亮的聲音"哈一唏一哈一唏一唏I"無尾猿已有好幾天不准它這樣嗚叫了。接着，他們就朝着鼓聲的方向走去。鼓聲穩定地愈來愈響，不久他們就看得見火炬了。貫穿燈柱野林的，有好幾條高低不平的道路(在英國，我們就不該管它們叫道路了)，他們從其中一條道路上走來。壯健地邁步向前的，是三十名光景的小矮人，肩上都扛着小鐵鍬和鶴嘴鋤。兩個武裝的卡樂門人帶頭走在縱隊的前面，還有兩個卡樂門人殿後。
"站住！"蒂蓮走上大路，雷鳴似的喝道，"站住，士兵們，你們把這些納尼亞小矮人帶到哪兒去?是誰下的命令?