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They had jogged along for about an hour, sometimes trotting and sometimes walking, when Bree suddenly stopped. "What's up?" said Shasta.
他们时而小跑，时而漫步，就这样徐行了一个钟头之后，布里突然停下脚步。“怎么啦？”沙斯塔问道。
"S-s-ssh!" said Bree, craning his neck round and twitching his ears. "Did you hear something? Listen."
“嘘……嘘……嘘嘘！”布里说，他伸长脖子东张西望，耳朵迅速抽动，“你有没有听到什么声音？仔细听。”
"It sounds like another horse—between us and the wood," said Shasta after he had listened for about a minute. "It is another horse," said Bree. "And that's what I don't like."
“听起来好像是有另外一匹马儿，就在我们和树林中间。”沙斯塔凝神听了大约一分钟后说道。“这的确是另外一匹马儿，”布里说，“我担心的就是这个。”
"Isn't it probably just a farmer riding home late?" said Shasta with a yawn.
“大概只是一个比较晚回家的骑着马的农夫吧？”沙斯塔边说边打了个呵欠。
"Don't tell me!" said Bree. "That's not a farmer's riding. Nor a farmer's horse either. Can't you tell by the sound? That's quality,that horse is. And it's being ridden by a real horseman.
“开什么玩笑！”布里说，“那绝不会是农夫骑马，也绝不会是农夫的马儿。你难道听不出来吗？那可是一匹高贵的骏马呀。骑马的人也是一位优秀的骑士。
I tell you what it is, Shasta. There's a Tarkaan under the edge of that wood. Not on his war horse—it's too light for that. On a fine blood mare, I should say."
我告诉你这是怎么回事，沙斯塔。有个泰坎正沿着树林边缘往前走。他骑的不是战马，战马的脚步声没那么轻。在我看来，他骑的应该是一匹品种优良的母马。”
"Well, it's stopped now, whatever it is," said Shasta.
“好吧，不管那是什么，反正它现在已经停下来了。”沙斯塔说。
"You're right,"said Bree." And why should he stop just when we do? Shasta, my boy, I do believe there's someone shadowing us at last."
“没错，”布里说，“那为什么我们一停下来，他也跟着不走啦？沙斯塔，我的孩子啊，这下我们终于被人盯上啦。”
"What shall we do?" said Shasta in a lower whisper than before. "Do you think he can see us as well as hear us?"
“那我们该怎么办？”沙斯塔压低声音说，“你觉得他可以看见我们，或是听到我们的声音吗？”
"Not in this light so long as we stay quite still," answered Bree. "But look! There's a cloud coming up. I'll wait till that gets over the moon. Then we'll get off to our right as quietly as we can, down to the shore. We can hide among the sandhills if the worst comes to the worst."
“就算我们静静待着不动，在这么亮的月光下，迟早会被他发现，”布里答道，“但你看！那儿有一朵云飘过来了。等它一遮住月亮，我们就尽量放轻脚步往右边走，悄悄溜到海岸边。要是情况不妙，我们就躲到沙丘中藏身。”
They waited till the cloud covered the moon and then, first at a walking pace and afterwards at a gentle trot, made for the shore.
他们等云遮住月亮，就悄悄往海边走去，一开始还缓步徐行，但没过多久，他们就开始轻轻跑了起来。
The cloud was bigger and thicker than it had looked at first and soon the night grew very dark.
那朵云比原先看起来更大更厚，四周很快就变得一片漆黑。
Just as Shasta was saying to himself, "We must be nearly at those sandhills by now," his heart leaped into his mouth because an appalling noise had suddenly risen up out of the darkness ahead; a long snarling roar, melancholy and utterly savage.
沙斯塔暗暗替自己打气：“马上就会走到沙丘了。”就在这时，他的心猛然一跳，因为在前方的黑暗中，突然响起一阵骇人的声响；那是一声长而凄厉的吼叫，听起来抑郁悲壮又野性十足。
Instantly Bree swerved round and began galloping inland again as fast as he could gallop. "What is it?" gasped Shasta. "Lions!" said Bree, without checking his pace or turning his head.
布里赶紧掉转方向，用最快的速度重新朝内陆的方向狂奔过去。“那是什么东西啊？”沙斯塔喘着气问道。“狮群！”布里说，他并没有停下脚步，也不曾回头看上一眼。
After that there was nothing but sheer galloping for some time. At last they splashed across a wide, shallow stream and Bree came to a stop on the far side. Shasta noticed that he was trembling and sweating all over.
接下来他们没再多做交流，只是一个劲儿往前奔驰。直到他们噼里啪啦地涉过一条清浅的溪流，终于登上河对岸的土地时，布里才总算停了下来。沙斯塔注意到布里浑身是汗，而且还在发抖。
"That water may have thrown the brute off our scent," panted Bree when he had partly got his breath again. "We can walk for a bit now."
“河水会洗去我们的气味，这样那头野兽就找不到我们了。”布里才稍稍缓过气来，就接着说，“我们现在可以慢慢走一会儿了。”
As they walked Bree said, "Shasta,I'm ashamed of myself. I m just as frightened as a common, dumb Calormene horse. I am really. I don't feel like a Talking Horse at all. I don't mind swords and lances and arrows but I can't bear—those creatures. I think I'll trot for a bit."
他们开始往前走，布里又开口说：“沙斯塔，我觉得自己好丢脸哦。活像是那些又笨又哑的普通马儿，吓得死去活来。实在太不像话了。我觉得自己根本就不像是一只能言马。什么宝剑啦、长矛啦、弓箭啦，我全都不当一回事，但我就是受不了那些生物。我想我还是小跑一下好了。”
About a minute later, however, he broke into a gallop again, and no wonder. For the roar broke out again, this time on their left from the direction of the forest. "Two of them," moaned Bree.
但才过了一分钟，他又开始拔足狂奔，这不能怪他。因为吼叫声又再度响起，而且这次是从左边森林那儿传过来的。“有两只。”布里呻吟道。
When they had galloped for several minutes without any further noise from the lions Shasta said, "I say! That other horse is galloping beside us now. Only a stone's throw away."
他们继续往前奔驰了好几分钟，并没有再听到吼叫声，然后沙斯塔突然开口说：“哎呀！另外一匹马现在就在我们旁边跑呀。离我们大概只隔了十几步远。”
"All the b-better," panted Bree. "Tarkaan on it-will have a sword-protect us all."
“太好……好了，”布里气喘吁吁地说，“骑马的人是个泰坎……他身上肯定会带宝剑……这样他就可以保护我们。”
"But, Bree!" said Shasta. "We might just as well be killed by lions as caught. Or I might. They'll hang me for horse-stealing."
“你真是搞不清状况，布里！”沙斯塔说，“我们要是被抓到的话就没命了，那还不如干脆被狮子吃掉。至少我是不想活命。他们会以偷马的罪名把我吊死。”
He was feeling less frightened of lions than Bree because he had never met a lion; Bree had.
他不像布里那么怕狮子，因为他这辈子从来就没见过这种动物；但布里可是领教过狮子的厉害的。
Bree only snorted in answer but he did sheer away to his right.
布里什么也没说，只是哼了一声，但接着他就掉头转向右方。
Oddly enough the other horse seemed also to be sheering away to the left, so that in a few seconds the space between them had widened a good deal.
奇怪的是，另外一匹马似乎也立刻转向左方，因此才短短几秒，两匹马儿之间的距离就大幅拉开。
But as soon as it did so there came two more lions roars, immediately after one another, one on the right and the other on the left, the horses began drawing nearer together.
但他们才刚分开，又此起彼落地接连响起两声狮吼，听起来正好一只在右边，一只在左边，于是两匹马儿又吓得重新靠拢。
So, apparently, did the lions. The roaring of the brutes on each side was horribly close and they seemed to be keeping up with the galloping horses quite easily. Then the cloud rolled away.
两头狮子显然也跟他们越靠越近。两旁的兽吼听起来近得吓人，似乎可以轻而易举地赶上马儿疾驰的脚步。过了一会儿，云层渐渐散去。
