Then he stepped away beyond the bonfire and sat down in the front row of the assembled Beasts: in the audience, as you might say.

然后它走过篝火，坐在那群野兽的前排，或者描述成你可能常说的那样——坐在了观众席上。

For really, as it happened, the whole thing was rather like a theatre.

说实在的，这里发生的一切像极了剧院中的情景。

The crowd of Narnians were like the people in the seats; the little grassy place just in front of the stable, where the bonfire burned and the Ape and the Captain stood to talk to the crowd, was like the stage;

那群纳尼亚的子民就像是剧院观众席上的观众；马厩前面的一小块草地就像是舞台，那里燃烧着篝火，有无尾猿和卡罗门人的首领站着对大家讲话；

the stable itself was like the scenery at the back of the stagehand Tirian and his friends were like people peering round from behind the scenery.

而马厩本身就像是舞台后面的布景；而蒂廉和他的朋友们就像是幕后的监督者。

It was a splendid position. If any of them stepped forward into the full firelight, all eyes would be fixed on him at once: on the other hand, so long as they stood still in the shadow of the end wall of the stable, it was a hundred to one against their being noticed.

这真是一个绝佳的方位。要是他们中有哪一个走向前去，就会完全暴露在熊熊火光之下，所有目光便会立刻聚焦到他的身上。从另一方面讲，只要他们站在马厩后头那面墙的阴影里保持不动，那么被发现的概率就只有百分之一了。

Rishda Tarkaan dragged the Ape up close to the fire. The pair of them turned to face the crowd, and this of course meant that their backs were towards Tirian and his friends.

利什达泰坎拖着无尾猿靠近了篝火。它们两个都面对着大家，当然也就意味着它们的后背是朝向蒂廉和他的朋友们的。

"Now, Monkey," said Rishda Tarkaan in a low voice. "Say the words that wiser heads have put into thy mouth. And hold up thy head."

“现在，狡黠，”利什达泰坎低声说道，“用你聪明的脑袋瓜想想该说些什么好。抬起你的头。”

As he spoke he gave the Ape a little prod or kick from behind with the point of his toe.

它说着，从后面用脚尖戳了无尾猿一下，或者说踢了无尾猿一下。

"Do leave me alone," muttered Shift. But he sat up straighter and began, in a louder voice—— "Now listen, all of you. A terrible thing has happened. A wicked thing. The wickedest thing that ever was done in Narnia. And Aslan——"

“别碰我。”无尾猿狡黠咕哝着。可是它却坐得更直了，开始用一种更低的声音面对众多生物们说道：“你们全部都给我听好了，一会儿会有可怕而又邪恶的事情发生。纳尼亚还从没发生过如此凶险的事。而阿斯兰——”

"Tashlan, fool," whispered Rishda Tarkaan. "Tashlan I mean, of course," said the Ape, "is very angry about it."

“塔什兰，蠢货。”利什达泰坎小声说道。“当然，我的意思是塔什兰，”无尾猿说，“对此非常愤怒。”

There was a terrible silence while the Beasts waited to hear what new trouble was in store for them.

此刻周围陷入了可怕的寂静之中，所有生物都在静静等待，聆听它们将要面临怎样的麻烦。

The little party by the end-wall of the stable also held their breath. What on earth was coming now?

在马厩后头的墙体后面，蒂廉和他的朋友们也屏住了呼吸，想听听究竟会发生什么事呢。

"Yes," said the Ape. "At this very moment, when the Terrible One himself is among us—there in the stable just behind me—one wicked Beast has chosen to do what you'd think no one would dare to do even if He were a thousand miles away.

“是的，”无尾猿说道，“此时此刻，可怕的神灵就在我们之中。而在我身后的马厩里，一头邪恶的野兽做了一件你们认为没有谁敢去做的事，就算神灵远在千里之外，也不会有谁敢这样胡作非为。

It has dressed itself up in a lionskin and is wandering about in these very woods pretending to be Aslan." Jill wondered for a moment if the Ape had gone mad.

它穿着一身狮子皮，假扮成阿斯兰在这片树林里晃荡。”吉尔惊了一阵，怀疑这只无尾猿是不是疯了：

Was he going to tell the whole truth? A roar of horror and rage went up from the Beasts. "Grrr!" came the growls, "Who is he? Where is he? Just let me get my teeth into him!"

难道它要说出全部的实情？动物们都发出了惊骇和狂怒的“嗷嗷嗷”声，“它是谁？它在哪里？让我用牙齿咬碎它！”

"It was seen last night," screamed the Ape, "but it got away. It's a donkey! A common, miserable Ass! If any of you see that Ass——"

“是昨晚发现的，”无尾猿尖叫着，“但是它跑远了。是一头驴！一头普普通通、可怜巴巴的驴子！要是你们中有谁看到了那头驴……”

"Grrr!" growled the Beasts. "We will, we will. He'd better keep out of our way." Jill looked at the King: his mouth was open and his face was full of horror.

“嗷嗷嗷！”动物们咆哮道，“我们会的，我们会咬碎它的。它最好离我们远远的。”吉尔看着蒂廉，她的嘴巴大张着，脸上充满了恐惧。

And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies' plan. By mixing a little truth with it they had made their lie far stronger.

之后她明白了敌人那邪恶而又狡猾的阴谋诡计。在它们的计谋中，掺杂了一丁点儿真实的元素，以使它们的谎言越来越牢不可破。

What was the good, now, of telling the Beasts that an ass had been dressed up as a lion to deceive them? The Ape would only say, "That's just what I've said."

那么，如果现在告诉现场的生物们，驴子套上了狮子皮来欺骗它们又能怎么样呢？那只无尾猿可能会说：“这就是我刚刚讲到的。”

What was the good of showing them Puzzle in his lionskin? They would only tear him in pieces. "That's taken the wind out of our sails," whispered Eustace.

如果牵出穿着狮子皮的困惑给它们看又如何呢？它们只会将它撕得粉碎。“事情的进展不再一帆风顺了。”尤斯塔斯小声说道。

"The ground is taken from under our feet," said Tirian. "Curst, curst cleverness!" said Poggin. "I'll be sworn that this new lie is of Ginger's making."

“我们脚下的土地让人给夺走了。”蒂廉说。“这该死的，该死的狡诈之徒！”波金道，“我发誓，这个新的谎言一定是金吉编造的。”