《最後一戰》第1期:大鍋深淵(1)

Chapter 1 By Caldron Pool
IN the last days of Narnia, far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall, there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first come to live in those parts, and he was the cleverest, ugliest, most wrinkled Ape you can imagine. He had a little house, built of wood and thatched with leaves, up in the fork of a great tree, and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs, or people of any sort, in that part of the wood, but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends, but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shift's servant than his friend. He did all the work. When they went together to the river, Shift filled the big skin bottles with water but it was Puzzle who carried them back. When they wanted anything from the towns further down the river it was Puzzle who went down with empty panniers on his back and came back with thepanniers full and heavy. And all the nicest things that Puzzle brought back were eaten by Shift; for as Shift said, "You see, Puzzle, I can't eat grass and thistles like you, so it's only fair I should make it up in other ways." And Puzzle always said, "Of course, Shift, of course. I see that." Puzzle never complained, because he knew that Shift was far cleverer than himself and he thought it was very kind of Shift to be friends with him at all. And if ever Puzzle did try to argue about anything, Shift would always say, "Now, Puzzle, I understand what needs to be done better than you. You know you're not clever, Puzzle." And Puzzle always said, "No, Shift. It's quite true. I'm not clever." Then he would sigh and do whatever Shift had said.
One morning early in the year the pair of them were out walking along the shore of Caldron Pool. Caldron Pool is the big pool right under the cliffs at the western end of Narnia. The great waterfall pours down into it with a noise like everlasting thunder, and the River of Narnia flows out on the other side. The waterfall keeps the Pool always dancing and bubbling and churning round and round as if it were on the boil, and that of course is how it got its name of Caldron Pool. It is liveliest in the early spring when the waterfall is swollen with all the snow that has melted off the mountains from up beyond Narnia in the Western Wild from which the river comes. And as they looked at Caldron Pool Shift suddenly pointed with his dark, skinny finger and said,
"Look! What's that?"
"What's what?" said Puzzle.
"That yellow thing that's just come down the waterfall. Look! There it is again, it's floating. We must find out what it is."
"Must we?" said Puzzle.
"Of course we must," said Shift. "It may be something useful. Just hop into the Pool like a good fellow and fish it out. Then we can have a proper look at it."
"Hop into the Pool?" said Puzzle, twitching his long ears.
"Well how are we to get it if you don't?" said the Ape.
"But — but," said Puzzle, "wouldn't it be better if you went in? Because, you see, it's you who wants to know what it is, and I don't much. And you've got hands, you see. You're as good as a Man or a Dwarf when it comes to catching hold of things. I've only got hoofs."
"Really, Puzzle," said Shift, "I didn't think you'd ever say a thing like that. I didn't think it of you, really."
"Why, what have I said wrong?" said the Ass, speaking in rather a humble voice, for he saw that Shift was very deeply offended. "All I meant was —"
"Wanting me to go into the water," said the Ape. "As if you didn't know perfectly well what weak chests Apes always have and how easily they catch cold! Very well. I will go in. I'm feeling cold enough already in this cruel wind. But I'll go in. I shall probably die. Then you'll be sorry." And Shift's voice sounded as if he was just going to burst into tears.
"Please don't, please don't, please don't," said Puzzle, half braying, and half talking. "I never meant anything of the sort, Shift, really I didn't. You know how stupid I am and how I can't think of more than one thing at a time. I'd forgotten about your weak chest. Of course I'll go in. You mustn't think of doing it yourself. Promise me you won't, Shift."

第1章 大鍋深淵
在納尼亞最後的日子裏，遠在西邊燈柱野林之外，緊挨着大瀑布，住着一頭無尾猿。它的年齡是那麼大了，沒有人記得它當初是在什麼時候來到這一帶居住的，它也是你能想象得出的最最聰明、最最醜陋、渾身皺紋最最多的無尾猿。它的名字叫詭譎。它有一間小屋子，木頭框架、樹葉屋頂，築在一棵大樹的丫枝上。在這部分樹林裏，會說人話的野獸、人、小矮人，或不論哪一種子民，爲數都很少，但詭譎有個鄰居，它是頭驢子，名字叫迷惑。至少它們倆都說它們是朋友，然而從事態的發展情況看來，你很可能認爲，與其說迷惑是詭譎的朋友，倒不如說它是詭譎的僕人。所有的活兒都是迷惑乾的。它們一起到河邊去，詭譎把大皮囊裏都灌滿了水，但把盛了水的皮囊揹回來的卻是迷惑。它們需要河流下游市鎮上的什麼東西時，背了空揹簍跑到市鎮上去，又把那裝得滿滿的沉重的揹簍揹回來的，又是迷惑。而迷惑揹回來的種種精美的食物，都被詭譎吃掉，因爲，詭譎說。“你瞧，迷惑，我不能像你那樣吃青草和薊，我用別的辦法彌補一下也是天公地道的。”迷惑總是說“當然啦，詭譎，當然啦。我明白的。”迷惑從不訴苦埋怨，因爲它覺得詭譎比它聰明，它還認爲詭譎跟它交朋友，壓根兒就是給它面子了。如果迷惑竟企圖爲了什麼事情跟詭譎爭辯，詭譎總是說：“迷惑，你聽着，需要做什麼事，我比你明白。迷惑啊，你明明知道你並不聰明。”迷惑總是說“是啊，詭譎。你說得很對，我並不聰明。”於是它就長嘆一聲，詭譎叫它幹什麼它就幹什麼了。
年初的一天早晨，這一對朋友出門沿着大鍋淵的岸邊散步。大鍋淵又深又大，正位於納尼亞西陸的懸崖絕壁之下。大瀑布從懸崖上轟然傾瀉而下，聲若接連不斷的雷鳴，納尼亞河則從另一邊奔流而過。大瀑布使深淵裏的水始終在跳躍、冒泡，繞着圈兒翻騰，彷彿一鍋水在沸騰一般，因此自然而然地被叫做大鍋淵。早春時節，大鍋淵是最最生氣勃勃的，那時納尼亞背後西部荒原裏羣山上融雪的水使大瀑布豐沛極了，而納尼亞河便是發源於荒原的。它們倆正瞧着大鍋淵，詭譎突然用它那黑黑的發亮的手指指指點點，說道：
“瞧！那是什麼？”
“什麼是什麼啊？”迷惑說道。
“剛纔被瀑布衝下來的那個黃色的東西。瞧！又出現了，它正浮在水面上。我們必須弄明白，那究竟是個什麼東西。”
“我們必須嗎？”迷惑問。
“當然我們必須弄明白，”詭譎說，“這也許是件有用的東西。像一個好角兒似的跳下水去，把它撈上來，我們就可以親眼觀察它了。”
“跳進深淵去嗎？”迷惑說，扇着耳朵。
“如果你不跳進去，我們怎麼把它弄到手呢？”無尾猿道。
“但——但，”迷惑說，“你如果跳下水去，豈不更好嗎？因爲，你明白，原是你想知道這是什麼東西，我可不大想知道。而且，你瞧，你還生得有手。趕上要抓住什麼東西的時候。你像人或小矮人一樣管用。我卻只有驢蹄兒。”
“說實在的，迷惑啊，”詭譎說道，“我認爲你一向不說這種話的。確確實實，我認爲你不說這種話的。”
“呀，我說了什麼錯話嗎？”驢子用一種相當謙卑的聲調說道，因爲它看到詭譎被它惹得十分生氣了，“我的意思無非是——”
“無非是要我跳到水裏去，”無尾猿說道，“倒像是你並不完全明白我們無尾猿的肺部總是很弱，總是容易受寒傷風！好吧！我決意下水去。在這冷酷的風裏，我已經感到冷了。可是我決意下水去。我可能會死的。那時你就要懊悔了。”詭譎說話的聲音，聽上去它快要哭出來了。
“別，別，別，請別，”迷惑說，一半兒是談話，一半兒是驢叫了，“我從來沒有這種意思，詭譎，我確實沒有這種意思，你知道我有多蠢，一件以上的事情，我在同一個時間內就沒法兒考慮了。我忘掉了你那很弱的肺。當然我會下水去的。你可別考慮親自下水。詭譎，請答應我，你不下水。”