《最後一戰》第27期:關於小矮人(2)

But the Dwarfs had settled the two remaining Calormenes. There was no enemy left.

"Well struck, Eustace!" cried Tirian, clapping him on the back. "Now, Dwarfs, you are free. Tomorrow I will lead you to free all Narnia. Three cheers for Aslan!"

But the result which followed was simply wretched. There was a feeble attempt from a few Dwarfs (about five) which died away all at once: from several others there were sulky growls. Many said nothing at all.

"Don't they understand?" said Jill impatiently.

"What's wrong with all you Dwarfs? Don't you hear what the King says? It's all over. The Ape isn't going to rule Narnia any longer. Everyone can go back to ordinary life. You can have fun again. Aren't you glad?"

After a pause of nearly a minute a not-very-nice-looking Dwarf with hair and beard as black as soot said: "And who might you be, Missie?"

"I'm Jill," she said. "The same Jill who rescued King Rilian from the enchantment and this is Eustace who did it too - and we've come back from another world after hundreds of years. Aslan sent us."

The Dwarfs all looked at one another with grins; sneering grins, not merry ones.

"Well," said the Black Dwarf (whose name was Griffle), "I don't know how all you chaps feel, but I feel I've heard as much about Aslan as I want to for the rest of my life."

"That's right, that's right," growled the other Dwarfs. "It's all a plant, all a blooming plant."

"What do you mean?" said Tirian. He had not been pale when he was fighting but he was pale now. He had thought this was going to be a beautiful moment, but it was turning out more like a bad dream.

"You must think we're blooming soft in the head, that you must," said Griffle. "We've been taken in once and now you expect us to be taken in again the next minute. We've no more use for stories about Aslan, see! Look at him! An old moke with long ears!"

"By heaven, you make me mad," said Tirian. "Which of us said that was Aslan? That is the Ape's imitation of the real Aslan. Can't you understand?"

"And you've got a better imitation, I suppose!" said Griffle. "No thanks. We've been fooled once and we're not going to be fooled again."

"I have not," said Tirian angrily, "I serve the real Aslan."

"Where's he? Who's he? Show him to us!" said several Dwarfs.

"Do you think I keep him in my wallet, fools?" said Tirian. "Who am I that I could make Aslan appear at my bidding? He's not a tame lion."

但小矮人們已經解決了剩下來的兩個卡樂門士兵。敵人一個也不剩了。

"打得好，尤斯塔斯!"蒂蓮一面拍拍他的背脊，一面大聲叫好，"喂，小矮人們，現在你們自由了。明天我要帶著你們去解放整個兒納尼亞。為阿斯蘭三呼萬歲吧!"

但，隨之而來的後果卻是令人沮喪的。只有少數小矮人(大約五個人光景)發出了有氣無力的歡呼但立刻又沉默了，還有幾個人吼出了慍怒的號叫，許多人壓根兒不吭聲。

"他們不明白嗎?"吉爾不耐煩地問道。

"你們小矮人腦袋都有什麼毛病嗎?你們沒聽見國王所說的話嗎?災難統統結束了。無尾猿不會在納尼亞再統治下了。人人可以回去過正常的生活了。你們可以重新說說笑笑了。難道你們不高興嗎?"

大約停頓了一分鐘光景以後，有個頭髮鬍子黑得像煤煙、長相不太好看的小矮人說道，"小姐，那麼你可能是什麼人呢?"

"我叫吉爾，"她說道，"就是把國王蒂蓮從魔法困擾中拯救出來的那個吉爾——這一位是尤斯塔斯，他也一起拯救過國王的——一百年以後，我們又從另外一個世界回到這兒來了。阿斯蘭派我們來的。"-

小矮人們你瞧瞧我，我瞧瞧你，露齒而笑，是嘲笑，不是歡笑。

"得了，"黑小矮人(他的名字叫格里夫爾)說道，"我不知道你們小夥子們大家覺得怎麼樣，但我覺得我聽到阿斯蘭的次數太多了，此生今後再也不想聽到它了。"

"說得對，說得對，"其他小矮人咕嚕道，"這全是詭計，全是十足的詭計。"

"你這話是什麼意思?"蒂蓮說道。他作戰時臉色不曾發白，現在卻臉色發白了。他曾經認為此時此刻將成為一個美好的時刻，不料竟變得更像一個噩夢。

"你們必定認為我們的頭腦是十足愚蠢的，你們必定這樣想的，"格里夫爾說道，"我們已經受騙上當了一次，現在你們指望我們馬上就再次受騙上當。要知道，關於阿斯蘭的謊言，你們再也不能以此利用我們了。瞧瞧它吧。一頭長耳朵的老驢子!"

"天哪，你簡直要叫我發狂了，"蒂蓮說道，"我們哪個人說過它是阿斯蘭啊?是無尾猿拿它來假冒真正的阿斯蘭的。難道你沒法兒明白嗎?"

"我想，你們搞到了一個比較高明的假冒為王者。"格里夫爾說，"絲毫不感謝你們。我們已經被愚弄了一次，我們不願再受愚弄了。"

"我沒有搞什麼假冒者，"蒂蓮憤憤地說道，"我為真正的阿斯蘭效力。"

"阿斯蘭在哪兒?阿斯蘭是誰?把他給我們瞧瞧!"好幾個小矮人說道。

"傻瓜，你們以為我把阿斯蘭放在旅行袋裡嗎?我是什麼人物，竟能一聲令下就叫阿斯蘭出現嗎?他可不是頭馴服的獅子。"