Chapter Eleven The Unwelcome Fellow Traveller
第十一章 不受欢迎的同路人
When Shasta went through the gate he found a slope of grass and a little heather running up before him to some trees.
沙斯塔穿过门,看到一个芳草萋萋的山坡,一些杂草蔓延到了树边。
He had nothing to think about now and no plans to make: he had only to run, and that was quite enough.
除了奔跑之外他毫无办法,但是这也足够了。
His limbs were shaking, a terrible stitch was beginning in his side, and the sweat that kept dropping into his eyes blinded them and made them smart.
他四肢颤抖,两肋如针扎般的疼,汗水落进眼睛里,让它们疼痛并且模糊不清。
He was unsteady on his feet too, and more than once he nearly turned his ankle on a loose stone.
走路踉踉跄跄,脚踝不止一次地撞在凌乱的石头上。
The trees were thicker now than they had yet been and in the more open spaces there was bracken. The sun had gone in without making it any cooler.
树木比刚才更加茂盛,空地上生长着大片的蕨类植物。太阳藏了起来,但是仍然燥热不已。
It had become one of those hot, grey days when there seem to be twice as many flies as usual.
当看到苍蝇似乎比往常多了一倍的时候,他感觉更加炎热灰暗。
Shasta's face was covered with them; he didn't even try to shake them off-he had too much else to do.
沙斯塔脸上爬满了苍蝇,但是他现在没有工夫去赶走它们。
Suddenly he heard a horn-not a great throbbing horn like the horns of Tashbaan but a merry call, Ti-ro-to-to-ho!
突然,他听到了号角声--不是塔什班城那种悸动的号角声,而是一种欢乐的呼喊:蒂...罗...托托...霍!
Next moment he came out into a wide glade and found himself in a crowd of people.
很快他就走进了一片宽阔的林间空地,发觉自己周围都是人了。
At least, it looked a crowd to him. In reality there were about fifteen or twenty of them, all gentlemen in green hunting-dress, with their horses; some in the saddle and some standing by their horses' heads.
至少在他看来是一大群人。事实上总共有大概十五或者二十人,绅士们都身着绿色打猎装,有的坐在马鞍上,有些站在马身边。
In the centre someone was holding the stirrup for a man to mount. And the man he was holding it for was the jolliest, fat, apple-cheeked, twinkling-eyed King you could imagine.
中间有个人拉住马镫,以方便一位绅士上马。那个绅士你能够想象得到,就是兴高采烈、肥头大耳、圆滚滚、眼睛亮晶晶的国王。
As soon as Shasta came in sight this King forgot all about mounting his horse.
国王一看到沙斯塔,就把上马的事儿全忘了。
He spread out his arms to Shasta, his face lit up, and he cried out in a great, deep voice that seemed to come from the bottom of his chest: "Corin! My son! And on foot, and in rags! What-"
兴高采烈的向他展开双臂,用他那仿佛来自胸腔最深处的洪厚声音喊道:“科林!我的儿子!像个乞丐一样在步行!发生了什么...”
"No," panted Shasta, shaking his head. "Not Prince Corin. I-I-know I'm like him…saw his Highness in Tashbaan… sent his greetings."
“不,”沙斯塔晃着脑袋,气喘吁吁的说,“我不是科林王子,我...我...知道和他长得很像...我在塔什班见到了王子殿下...我带来了王子的问候。”
The King was staring at Shasta with an extraordinary expression on his face.
国王用诧异的表情盯着沙斯塔。
"Are you K-King Lune?" gasped Shasta.And then, without waiting for an answer, "Lord King-fly-Anvard shut the gates-enemies upon you-Rabadash and two hundred horse."
“您是国...国王伦恩吗?”沙斯塔没有等国王回答就气喘吁吁的说了下去,“国王陛下...快跑...安瓦德关上城门...罗八达和两百人马正在逼近。”
"Have you assurance of this, boy?" asked one of the other gentlemen.
“你确信,孩子?”另一位绅士问道。
"My own eyes," said Shasta. "I've seen them. Raced them all the way from Tashbaan."
“亲眼所见,”沙斯塔说,“我看到了他们。我从塔什班城一路和他们赛跑过来的。”
"On foot?" said the gentleman, raising his eyebrows a little. "Horses-with the Hermit," said Shasta.
“步行?”绅士微微挑了下眉毛说道。“骑马...马在隐士家里。”沙斯塔说。
"Question him no more; Darrin," said King Lune. "I see truth in his face. We must ride for it, gentlemen. A spare horse there, for the boy. You can ride fast, friend?"
“别问了,达兰,”国王伦恩说,“我看是真的。绅士们,我们必须抓紧时间了。给这孩子一匹备用马。你能骑马快跑吗,朋友?”
For answer Shasta put his foot in the stirrup of the horse which had been led towards him and a moment later he was in the saddle.
作为回答,沙斯塔纵身骑到了马鞍上。
He had done it a hundred times with Bree in the last few weeks, and his mounting was very different now from what it had been on that first night when Bree had said that he climbed up a horse as if he were climbing a haystack.
过去几个星期,布里已经引导他骑过很多次马了,第一次上马的那个晚上,布里嘲笑他就像在爬一个干草堆,但是现在情况大为改观了。
He was pleased to hear the Lord Darrin say to the King, "The boy has a true horseman's seat, Sire. I'll warrant there's noble blood in him."
当听到达兰爵士对国王说:“这孩子骑马姿势颇具骑士风度,陛下,我保证他有贵族血统。”沙斯塔兴奋不已。
"His blood, aye, there's the point," said the King. And he stared hard at Shasta again with that curious expression, almost a hungry expression, in his steady, grey eyes.
“他的血统,是呀,这是关键。”国王说。再次用那双坚定的、灰色的眼睛紧紧盯着他,眼里露出探询甚至是渴望的神色。
But by now-the whole party was moving off at a brisk canter.
但是很快这群绅士就开始行动。
Shasta's seat was excellent but he was sadly puzzled what to do with his reins, for he had never touched the reins while he was on Bree's back.
沙斯塔的马鞍很棒,但是他苦于不知如何使用缰绳,当骑在布里背上时是从不用缰绳的。
But he looked very carefully out of the corners of his eyes to see what the others were doing (as some of us have done at parties when we weren't quite sure which knife or fork we were meant to use) and tried to get his fingers right.
他小心翼翼的偷瞄其他人的动作(就像我们在宴会上不知道选择刀子还是叉子那样),竭力让自己的手指姿势正确。
But he didn' t dare to try really directing the horse; he trusted it would follow the rest.
但他不敢直接用缰绳去控制马;他深信马会随着其他人马一起行动。
The horse was of course an ordinary horse, not a Talking Horse; but it had quite wits enough to realize that the strange boy on its back had no whip and no spurs and was not really master of the situation.
马当然是不会说话的普通马;但是它也认识到了,背上这个奇怪的孩子,既没有马鞭,也没有马刺,难以控制局面。
That was why Shasta soon found himself at the tail end of the procession. Even so, he was going pretty fast.
这就是为什么沙斯塔很快发现自己远远落后的原因了。即便如此,他的速度也不慢。
There were no flies now and the air in his face was delicious. He had got his breath back too. And his errand had succeeded.
苍蝇很少,空气清新。他呼吸平稳,使命已经完成。
For the first time since the arrival at Tashbaan (how long ago it seemed!) he was beginning to enjoy himself.
这是他到达塔什班城(好像是很久以前的事情了)后第一次感觉到逍遥自在。