《能言马与男孩》第10期:道旁遇险(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!"
“布鲁——霍——哈”它喷着气，”慢着我听到了，我听到你说话了。女士，假装是没有好处的。我听到你说话了。你是一匹说话的马儿。一匹像我一样的纳尼亚马儿。”'
“如果它是纳尼亚马儿，跟你又有什么相干，”奇怪的骑手凶狠地说道，手都按在剑柄上了。但说出这些话的声音已经向沙斯塔泄露了一些真相。
“呀，她不过是个小姑娘”他大声嚷道。
“如果我足个小姑娘，跟你又有什么相干’”陌生人厉声说道，”你不过是个男孩子：一个粗鲁无礼、平平凡凡的小男孩儿——可能是个奴隶，偷了他主人的马儿。”
“你知道的就是这么一点儿。”沙斯塔说。
“他不是贼，小泰克希娜，”布里说道，”至少，如果有什么偷窃行为，你倒不妨说是我偷了他。但这事与我不相干。你总不会指望我在这个奇怪的国家里，遇到我自己种族的一位女士而不跟它说说话吧。我跟它说说话倒是十分自然的。”
“我也认为这是十分自然的。”母马说。
“我希望你闭嘴，赫温，”小姑娘说道，”瞧你替我们招来麻烦了。”
“我可不知道什么麻烦，”沙斯塔说，”你高兴快走就快走吧。我们不会留你。”
“不，你们留不住我。”小姑娘说。
“这些人类多么喜欢吵嘴。”布里对母马说，”他们糟糕得像驴子样。让我们谈点儿有道理的。女士，我认为你的身世大概跟我的身世是一个样儿的：少年时代被俘——在卡乐门人中间度过了多年的奴隶生活。”
“千真万确，先生。”母马用忧郁的嘶声说道。
“而现在呢，也许是——逃走？”
“赫温，叫他管他自己的事情，别管闲事。”小姑娘说。
“不，我不愿这样，阿拉维斯，”母马收拢耳朵，说道，”这是我的出逃，就跟你样。我深信匹像你这样高贵的战马是不会出卖我们的。我们都是在设法逃走，逃到纳尼亚去。”
“我们当然是这么一回事，’布里说，”你当然猜就猜到了。一个小男孩，穿得破破烂烂的，深更半夜，骑着——或者是勉强骑着匹战马，这种情况只能意味着是逃走之类。同时，如果我可以这么说，位出身高贵的泰克希娜，深夜里单人匹马，身穿她哥哥的盔甲——急于要人人只管他自己的事情，可别向她提什么问题——哦，如果不是其中有鬼，你们管我叫傻瓜蛋就是了。”
