In spite of his expectation of catching no eels, he had a dozen or so, which he had already skinned and cleaned. He put a big pot on, mended the fire, and lit his pipe.
虽然他预测自己抓不到鳗鱼,但最后还是抓了五六条,他已经将鱼剥皮洗好了。帕德格莱姆把一个大锅放在火上,又把火弄得旺了些,然后点起了烟斗。
Marsh-wiggles smoke a very strange, heavy sort of tobacco (some people say they mix it with mud) and the children noticed the smoke from Puddleglum's pipe hardly rose in the air at all.
沼泽人抽一种非常奇怪的烟草,很重(有些人说他们在烟草里混入了泥巴)。孩子们还看见冒出的烟圈根本无法飘起来。
It trickled out of the bowl and downwards and drifted along the ground like a mist. It was very black and set Scrubb coughing.
它从烟管中流出,垂直向下,飘在地面上,像雾气一般。烟雾是黑色的,呛得斯库波直咳嗽。
"Now," said Puddleglum. "Those eels will take a mortal long time to cook, and either of you might faint with hunger before they're done.
“现在,”帕德格莱姆说,“鳗鱼要过很长时间才能熟。你们俩当中的一个到时可能会饿晕了。
I knew a little girl-but I'd better not tell you that story. It might lower your spirits, and that's a thing I never do. So, to keep your minds off your hunger, we may as well talk about our plans."
我认识一个小女孩,算了,还是不说她的故事为好,没准儿你们听了就更没精神了,我从不干那种事。现在忘了饥饿,我们还是讨论一下出发的计划为好。
"Yes, do let's," said Jill. "Can you help us to find Prince Rilian?" The Marsh-wiggle sucked in his cheeks till they were hollower than you would have thought possible.
“没错,开始吧。”吉尔说,“你能帮我们找到瑞廉王子吗?”沼泽人使劲地嘬着双唇,直到整个脸颊都陷下去为止,你根本想不到他的脸能变形到这个程度。
"Well, I don't know that you'd call it help," he said. "I don't know that anyone can exactly help.
“怎么说呢,我不知道你们管这个叫帮忙,”他说,“也不知道有谁能真正帮到你们。
It stands to reason we're not likely to get very far on a journey to the North, not at this time of the year, with the winter coming on soon and all. And an early winter too, by the look of things. But you mustn't let that make you down-hearted.
冬天很快就要来了,我们不在这个时候北上才是明智的。看样子,今年冬天会来得很早,但你们绝不能因此就意志消沉。
Very likely, what with enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to nothing to eat, and sore feet, we'll hardly notice the weather.
这一路可能会遇到敌人,可能要翻山过河,也可能会迷路,弹尽粮绝,到时脚也会酸疼不止,所以我们根本无暇顾及天气如何。
And if we don't get far enough to do any good, we may get far enough not to get back in a hurry."
如果远行没有任何收获的话,我们还不如再走远点,别着急回来。”
Both children noticed that he said "we" , not "you", and both exclaimed at the same moment. "Are you coming with us?"
两个孩子注意到沼泽人后来用了“我们”两个字而非“你们”,于是他俩几乎异口同声地欢呼道:“你和我们一起去吗?”
"Oh yes, I'm coming of course. Might as well, you see. I don't suppose we shall ever see the King back in Narnia, now that he's once set off for foreign parts; and he had a nasty cough when he left.
“是的,当然会去,还是一起出发的好。你们看,如今国王已经出海,我认为他可能就回不来了,他出发时咳嗽得很厉害。再
Then there's Trumpkin. He's failing fast. And you'll find there'll have been a bad harvest after this terrible dry summer. And I shouldn't wonder if some enemy attacked us. Mark my words."
瞧瞧杜普鲁金,他又老得很快。经历过夏天大旱后,庄稼的收成一定糟得要命。如果有外敌入侵纳尼亚,我一点也不感到奇怪。记住我的话好了。”
"And how shall we start?" said Scrubb. "Well," said the Marsh-wiggle very slowly, "all the others who ever went looking for Prince Rilian started from that same fountain where Lord Drinian saw the lady.
“我们从哪儿开始呢?”斯库波问。“嗯。”沼泽人的语速极其缓慢,“别人寻找瑞廉王子都是从王子看到那个美女的喷泉开始。
They went north, mostly. And as none of them ever came back, we can't exactly say how they got on." "We've got to start by finding a ruined city of giants," said Jill. "Aslan said so."
他们大部分都是从那儿出发,一路向北。但却没有一个人能够回来,所以我们也无法准确知道他们是如何寻找的。”“我们得先找到巨人居住的废城。”吉尔说,“阿斯兰是这么告诉我的。”
"Got to start by finding it, have we?" answered Puddleglum. "Not allowed to start by looking for it, I suppose?" "That's what I meant, of course," said Jill. "And then, when we've found it—"
“找到废城才能确定最终路线,是吧?”帕德格莱姆回答,“寻找废城只是准备阶段,我说的对吗?”“我就是这个意思,当然,”吉尔说,“我们找到它后……”
"Yes, when! " said Puddleglum very drily. "Doesn't anyone know where it is?" asked Scrubb.
“没错,找到后冒险才开始!”帕德格莱姆冷冷地说。“没人知道废城在哪儿吗?”斯库波问道。
"I don't know about Anyone," said Puddleglum. "And I won't say I haven't heard of that Ruined City. You wouldn't start from the fountain, though. You'd have to go across Ettinsmoor.
“反正我没听说过有人知道。”帕德格拉姆说,“我不能否认自己听说过废城这个地方。虽然你们不从喷泉出发,但也要横跨艾斯汀荒地。
That's where the Ruined City is, if it's anywhere. But I've been as far in that direction as most people and I never got to any ruins, so I won't deceive you."
如果废城真的存在的话,它就在那里。但我和其他大多数人一样也曾经横跨荒地,却没碰见什么废城。我没骗你们。”
"Where's Ettinsmoor?" said Scrubb. "Look over there northward," said Puddleglum, pointing with his pipe. "See those hills and bits of cliff? That's the beginning of Ettinsmoor. But there's a river between it and us; the river Shribble. No bridges, of course."
“艾斯汀荒地在哪?”斯库波说。“从这里一直往北。”帕德格莱姆边说边用烟斗指了指,“看见那些山和几个悬崖峭壁了吗?从那往北就是荒地了。但我们还要过一条河,雪利波河。当然,上面没有桥。”
"I suppose we can ford it, though," said Scrubb. "Well, it has been forded," admitted the Marsh-wiggle. "Perhaps we shall meet people on Ettinsmoor who can tell us the way," said Jill.
“我想我们可以蹚过去。”斯库波说。“没错,的确有人蹚过去过。”沼泽人承认。“也许我们能在艾斯汀荒地碰上什么人,他能告诉我们怎么走。”吉尔说。
"You're right about meeting people," said Puddleglum. "What sort of people live there?" she asked.
“没错,那儿确实有人。”帕德格莱姆说。“什么人住在那?”她问。
"It's not for me to say they aren't all right in their own way," answered Puddleglum. "If you like their way."
“我不能说他们那种生活状态有什么不好。”帕德格莱姆说,“如果你们喜欢那种方式的话。”
"Yes, but what are they?" pressed Jill. "There are so many queer creatures in this country. I mean, are they animals, or birds, or dwarfs, or what?"
“是的,但他们是什么种族?”吉尔追问道,“这个国家的奇怪生物太多了。我的意思是他们是动物,还是鸟或矮人?还是别的什么东西?”
The Marsh-wiggle gave a long whistle. "Phew!" he said. "Don't you know? I thought the owls had told you. They're giants."
沼泽人长长地吹了声口哨。“唷!”他说,“你们不知道吗?我以为猫头鹰都告诉你们了。他们是巨人。”
Jill winced. She had never liked giants even in books, and she had once met one in a nightmare.
吉尔面部抽搐了一下。她一点都不喜欢巨人,甚至都不想在书上看到他们,她有一次做噩梦曾经梦到巨人。
Then she saw Scrubb's face, which had turned rather green, and thought to herself, "I bet he's in a worse funk than I am." That made her feel braver.
再看斯库波,他脸都吓绿了。吉尔想:“我敢打赌,这家伙比我还害怕。”这么一想,她觉得自己勇敢多了。
"The King told me long ago," said Scrubb—"that time when I was with him at sea—that he'd jolly well beaten those giants in war and made them pay him tribute."
“很久以前,国王曾告诉我,”斯库波说,“当时,我们一起在海上航行,他说他在战争中彻底打败了那些巨人,令他们完全臣服。”