《最後一戰》第13期:夜裏發生的事(1)
Chapter 4 What Happened That Night
THE King was so dizzy from being knocked down that he hardly knew what was happening until the Calormenes untied his wrists and put his arms straight down by his sides and set him with his back against an ash tree. Then they bound ropes round his ankles and his knees and his waist and his chest and left him there. What worried him worst at the moment - for it is often little things that are hardest to stand - was that his lip was bleeding where they had hit him and he couldn't wipe the little trickle of blood away although it tickled him.
From where he was he could still see the little stable on the top of the hill and the Ape sitting in front of it. He could just hear the Ape's voice still going on and, every now and then, some answer from the crowd, but he could not make out the words.
"I wonder what they've done to Jewel," thought the King.
Presently the crowd of beasts broke up and began going away in different directions. Some passed close to Tirian. They looked at him as if they were both frightened and sorry to see him tied up but none of them spoke. Soon they had all gone and there was silence in the wood. Then hours and hours went past and Tirian became first very thirsty and then very hungry; and as the afternoon dragged on and turned into evening, he became cold too. His back was very sore. The sun went down and it began to be twilight.
When it was almost dark Tirian heard a light pitter-patter of feet and saw some small creatures coming towards him. The three on the left were Mice, and there was a Rabbit in the middle: on the right were two Moles. Both these were carrying little bags on their backs which gave them a curious look in the dark so that at first he wondered what kind of beasts they were. Then, in a moment, they were all standing up on their hind legs, laying their cool paws on his knees and giving his knees snuffly animal kisses. (They could reach his knees because Narnian Talking Beasts of that sort are bigger than the dumb beasts of the same kind in England.)
"Lord King! dear Lord King," said their shrill voices, "we are so sorry for you. We daren't untie you because Aslan might be angry with us. But we've brought you your supper."
At once the first Mouse climbed nimbly up till he was perched on the rope that bound Tirian's chest and was wrinkling his blunt nose in front of Tirian's face. Then the second Mouse climbed up and hung on just below the first Mouse. The other beasts stood on the ground and began handing things up.
國王給打得暈頭暈腦地倒下了，他不知道正在發生什麼事，直至卡樂門人縛住他的腕關節，叫他的兩臂筆直下垂在身體的兩側，背脊靠在一棵枝樹上。然後他們用繩索團團捆住他的踝關節、膝關節、腰部和胸膛，這就把他丟在那兒了。此時此刻，使他憂慮重重的，倒是他的嘴脣在出血，他們打破了他的嘴脣，他沒法兒擦掉傷口滴出來的血，癢得難受——時常是小小的事情最難受。
國王綁在校樹上仍能望見山頂上的小馬廄以及坐在馬廄前的無尾猿。他能間歇地勉強聽到無尾猿繼續說話的聲音，以及羣衆中答話的聲音，但他聽不清楚說話中的具體字句。
"不曉得他們怎樣對待珍寶啊。"國王心中想道。
這羣野獸不久就散開了，開始朝着不同的方向走掉了。有的就在蒂蓮身邊走過。它們瞧瞧他，看到他綁在樹上，它們彷彿感到害怕而又抱歉，但它們誰也不說話。不久，它們都走掉了，樹林裏一片寂靜。時間一個鐘頭又一個鐘頭地過去，蒂蓮起初感到十分口渴，後來又感到十分飢餓；拖延到傍晚時，他感到寒冷了。他的背脊疼痛。太陽落山了，黃昏開始了。'
天色幾乎全黑時，蒂蓮聽到一種輕微的窸窸窣窣的腳步聲，看到有些小動物在朝他走過來。左邊三隻是老鼠，中間一隻是野兔，右邊兩隻是鼴鼠。這些小動物的背上都馱着個小袋子，這就使它們在黑暗中顯得奇形怪狀，乍一看時，認不出它們是什麼動物。一會兒之後，它們都用後腿站起來了，把它們冰涼的腳爪按在國王的膝頭上，而且抽抽噎噎地給他的膝頭以野獸的接吻。(它們能夠夠得上國王的膝頭，因爲納尼亞的會說人話的這種小獸，比我們英國的同類小獸身材要高大得多。)
"國王陛下，親愛的國王陛下，"它們又尖又細的聲音說道，"我們真爲你感到難過。我們不敢替你鬆綁，因爲說不定阿斯蘭會對我們大發雷霆。然而，我們給你送晚飯來了。"
第一隻老鼠立刻敏捷地爬了上來，它的腳踩在縛住蒂蓮胸膛的繩索上，它對着蒂蓮的臉，正在翕動它那遲鈍的鼻子。然後第二隻老鼠爬了上來，掛在第一隻老鼠的下面。其餘的小獸都站在地上，開始把食物遞上來。
