《能言馬與男孩》第21期:在塔什班城門口(3)
At every turn Shasta hoped they were getting out of the crowd, but they never did. This made their progress very slow, and every now and then they had to stop altogether. This usually happened because a loud voice shouted out "Way, way, way, for the Tarkaan", or "for the Tarkheena", or "for the fifteenth Vizier", "or for the Ambassador", and everyone in the crowd would crush back against the walls; and above their heads Shasta would sometimes see the great lord or lady for whom all the fuss was being made, lolling upon a litter which four or even six gigantic slaves carried on their bare shoulders. For in Tashbaan there is only one traffic regulation, which is that everyone who is less important has to get out of the way for everyone who is more important; unless you want a cut from a whip or punch from the butt end of a spear.
It was in a splendid street very near the top of the city (the Tisroc's palace was the only thing above it) that the most disastrous of these stoppages occurred.
"Way! Way! Way!" came the voice. "Way for the White Barbarian King, the guest of the Tisroc (may he live for ever)! Way for the Narnian lords."
Shasta tried to get out of the way and to make Bree go back. But no horse, not even a Talking Horse from Narnia, backs easily. And a woman with a very edgy basket in her hands, who was just behind Shasta, pushed the basket hard against his shoulders, and said, "Now then! Who are you shoving!" And then someone else jostled him from the side and in the confusion of the moment he lost hold of Bree. And then the whole crowd behind him became so stiffened and packed tight that he couldn't move at all. So he found himself, unintentionally, in the first row and had a fine sight of the party that was coming down the street.
It was quite unlike any other party they had seen that day. The crier who went before it shouting "Way, way!" was the only Calormene in it. And there was no litter; everyone was on foot. There were about half a dozen men and Shasta had never seen anyone like them before. For one thing, they were all as fair-skinned as himself, and most of them had fair hair. And they were not dressed like men of Calormen. Most of them had legs bare to the kneee. Their tunics were of fine, bright, hardy colours - woodland green, or gay yellow, or fresh blue. Instead of turbans they wore steel or silver caps, some of them set with jewels, and one with little wings on each side of it. A few were bare-headed. The swords at their sides were long and straight, not curved like Calormene scimitars. And instead of being grave and mysterious like most Calormenes, they walked with a swing and let their arms and shoulders free, and chatted and laughed. One was whistling. You could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn't give a fig for anyone who wasn't. Shasta thought he had never seen anything so lovely in his life.
But there was not time to enjoy it for at once a really dreadful thing happened. The leader of the fair-headed men suddenly pointed at Shasta, cried out, "There he is! There's our runaway!" and seized him by the shoulder. Next moment he gave Shasta a smack - not a cruel one to make you cry but a sharp one to let you know you are in disgrace and added, shaking:
"Shame on you, my lord! Fie for shame! Queen Susan's eyes are red with weeping because of you. What! Truant for a whole night! Where have you been?"
Shasta would have darted under Bree's body and tried to make himself scarce in the crowd if he had had the least chance; but the fair-haired men were all round him by now and he was held firm.
在離山頂很近的一條華麗的街上（惟一勝過這條街的，便是蒂斯羅克的王宮了)，懾倒黴的事發生了。
“閃開！閃開！閃開！”傳來了喊聲。”給白皮膚的外邦人國王，蒂斯羅克(願他萬壽無疆！)的貴賓讓路，給納尼亞君主們讓路。”
沙斯塔想讓開，叫布里退同去。但不論哪一匹馬，哪怕是納尼亞來的會說話的馬，耍退回去可不容易。一個婦人手裏拿着只尖角的籃子，正好站在沙斯塔的後面，把籃子死勁兒推到沙斯塔的肩膀上，說道：”餵你在推誰啊”接着又有人從旁邊向他擠將過來，他在混亂中時撒手放開了布里。隨後他背後的整個人羣緊密地擠成一團，硬如磐石，弄得他壓根兒無法挪動了。他終於發覺自己不由自主地給推到了最前列，清楚地看得見正從大街上走過來的那羣人物。
這羣人物可跟他們那天見到的其他人馬截然不同。在前邊喊着”閃開，閃開”的是其中惟一的卡樂門人。沒有轎子，人人都在徒步行走。他們總共有五六個人，沙斯塔以前從來沒有見過任何人跟他們相像的。第一，他們都像他一樣皮膚雪白，而且大部分都是金色頭髮。他們也穿得不像卡樂門人。他們大多數膝蓋以下都是光着的。他們的束腰外衣的色彩都是美麗、明亮、耐久的——或是林地的青翠，或是怡人的嫩黃，或足鮮明的蔚藍。他們不褰頭巾，卻戴上鋼帽或銀帽，有些帽了還鑲嵌着珠寶，訃有一頂帽子均邊綴着小翅膀。少數人光着腦袋不戴帽子。他們佩在腰問的劍長長的筆直的，並不像卡樂門彎刀。他們也不像大部分卡樂門人那樣莊嚴神祕，走路搖搖擺擺，雙肩放鬆自在，且談且笑。有個人還吹着口哨。你看得出來，他們準備同任何友好的人做朋友，對任何不友好的人也毫不介意。沙斯塔覺得他生平從沒有見過這樣可愛的場面。
然而，來不及欣賞了，因爲立刻發生了一件確實可怕的事情。金髮男子中的領袖突然指着沙斯塔喊了起來”他就在那兒！我們那逃跑的人就在那兒！”而且抓住了他的肩膀。接下來便給了他一巴掌——不是打得讓你哭出來的狠狠一巴掌，而是響亮的巴掌，叫你明白你是丟臉出醜了——而且搖晃着他的身體說道：
“天哪，你好不羞恥！你真可恥！蘇珊女王爲你哭紅了眼睛。還了得！閒蕩了整整夜！你到哪兒去了？”
如果有點兒機會的話，沙斯塔真想躥到布里的肚子底下，悄悄溜走，然而，現在金髮男子們把他團團圍住，他被他們牢牢地揪住了。
