《能言馬與男孩》第10期:道旁遇險(5)
Soon the horses were no longer swimming but walking and soon with a great sound of water running off their sides and tails and with a great crunching of pebbles under eight hoofs, they came out on the farther beach of the inlet. The Tarkaan, to Shasta's surprise, showed no wish to ask questions. He did not even look at Shasta but seemed anxious to urge his horse straight on. Bree, however, at once shouldered himself in the other horse's way.
"Broo-hoo-hah!" he snorted. "Steady there! I heard you. I did. There's no good pretending, Ma'am. 1 heard you. You're a Talking Horse, a Narnian horse just like me."
"What's it got to do with you if she is?" said the strange rider fiercely, laying hand on sword-hilt. But the voice in which the words were spoken had already told Shasta something.
"Why, it's only a girl!" he exclaimed.
"And what business is it of yours if I am only a girl?" snapped the stranger. "You're probably only a boy: a rude, common little boy - a slave probably, who's stolen his master's horse."
"That's all you know," said Shasta.
"He's not a thief, little Tarkheena," said Bree. "At least, if there's been any stealing, you might just as well say I stole him. And as for its not being my business, you wouldn't expect me to pass a lady of my own race in this strange country without speaking to her? It's only natural I should."
"I think it's very natural too," said the mare.
"I wish you'd held your tongue, Hwin," said the girl. "Look at the trouble you've got us into."
"I don't know about trouble," said Shasta. "You can clear off as soon as you like. We shan't keep you."
"No, you shan't," said the girl.
"What quarrelsome creatures these humans are," said Bree to the mare. "They're as bad as mules. Let's try to talk a little sense. I take it, ma'am, your story is the same as mine? Captured in early youth - years of slavery among the Calormenes?"
"Too true, sir," said the mare with a melancholy whinny.
"And now, perhaps - escape?"
"Tell him to mind his own business, Hwin," said the girl.
"No, I won't, Aravis," said the mare putting her ears back. "This is my escape just as much as yours. And I'm sure a noble war-horse like this is not going to betray us. We are trying to escape, to get to Narnia."
"And so, of course, are we," said Bree. "Of course you guessed that at once. A little boy in rags riding (or trying to ride) a war-horse at dead of night couldn't mean anything but an escape of some sort. And, if I may say so, a highborn Tarkheena riding alone at night - dressed up in her brother's armour - and very anxious for everyone to mind their own business and ask her no questions - well, if that's not fishy, call me a cob!"
“布魯——霍——哈”它噴着氣，”慢着我聽到了，我聽到你說話了。女士，假裝是沒有好處的。我聽到你說話了。你是一匹說話的馬兒。一匹像我一樣的納尼亞馬兒。”'
“如果它是納尼亞馬兒，跟你又有什麼相干，”奇怪的騎手兇狠地說道，手都按在劍柄上了。但說出這些話的聲音已經向沙斯塔泄露了一些真相。
“呀，她不過是個小姑娘”他大聲嚷道。
“如果我足個小姑娘，跟你又有什麼相干’”陌生人厲聲說道，”你不過是個男孩子：一個粗魯無禮、平平凡凡的小男孩兒——可能是個奴隸，偷了他主人的馬兒。”
“你知道的就是這麼一點兒。”沙斯塔說。
“他不是賊，小泰克希娜，”布里說道，”至少，如果有什麼偷竊行爲，你倒不妨說是我偷了他。但這事與我不相干。你總不會指望我在這個奇怪的國家裏，遇到我自己種族的一位女士而不跟它說說話吧。我跟它說說話倒是十分自然的。”
“我也認爲這是十分自然的。”母馬說。
“我希望你閉嘴，赫溫，”小姑娘說道，”瞧你替我們招來麻煩了。”
“我可不知道什麼麻煩，”沙斯塔說，”你高興快走就快走吧。我們不會留你。”
“不，你們留不住我。”小姑娘說。
“這些人類多麼喜歡吵嘴。”布里對母馬說，”他們糟糕得像驢子樣。讓我們談點兒有道理的。女士，我認爲你的身世大概跟我的身世是一個樣兒的：少年時代被俘——在卡樂門人中間度過了多年的奴隸生活。”
“千真萬確，先生。”母馬用憂鬱的嘶聲說道。
“而現在呢，也許是——逃走？”
“赫溫，叫他管他自己的事情，別管閒事。”小姑娘說。
“不，我不願這樣，阿拉維斯，”母馬收攏耳朵，說道，”這是我的出逃，就跟你樣。我深信匹像你這樣高貴的戰馬是不會出賣我們的。我們都是在設法逃走，逃到納尼亞去。”
“我們當然是這麼一回事，’布里說，”你當然猜就猜到了。一個小男孩，穿得破破爛爛的，深更半夜，騎着——或者是勉強騎着匹戰馬，這種情況只能意味着是逃走之類。同時，如果我可以這麼說，位出身高貴的泰克希娜，深夜裏單人匹馬，身穿她哥哥的盔甲——急於要人人只管他自己的事情，可別向她提什麼問題——哦，如果不是其中有鬼，你們管我叫傻瓜蛋就是了。”
