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"Hurrah! Now you're talking!" cried Eustace, and Jill said, "But it's not horrid at all up there. We like it. We live there."
“太好了！这才像话！”斯库波大叫起来。吉尔也跟着说：“但那儿一点都不恐怖，我们喜欢那，也住在那。”
"I know you Overlanders live there," said Golg. "But I thought it was because you couldn't find your way down inside. You can't really like it—-crawling about like flies on the top of the world!"
“我知道你们是住在地上的生物。”格尔戈说，“但在我看来，那是因为你们在地下找不到栖居之地吧。谁会喜欢那种破地方，整天像苍蝇似的在世界顶端爬行！”
"What about showing us the road at once?" said Puddleglum. "In a good hour," cried the Prince. The whole party set out.
“快点带路吧，怎么样？”帕德格莱姆说。“这真是个幸运的时刻。”王子大喊。队伍出发了。
The Prince remounted his charger, Puddleglum climbed up behind Jill, and Golg led the way.
王子骑上他的战马，帕德格莱姆也爬到马背上，坐在吉尔后边，格尔戈在最前方领路。
As he went, he kept shouting out the good news that the Witch was dead and that the four Overlanders were not dangerous.
他一边走一边向其他洞穴人宣布着好消息：“女巫已经死了，这四个地上的居民不是我们的敌人。”
And those who heard him shouted it on to others, so that in a few minutes the whole of Underland was ringing with shouts and cheers, and gnomes by hundreds and thousands,
听到消息的人又告诉其他人，一传十，十传百，几分钟之内，整个地下王国就被欢呼声与呐喊声所覆盖，
leaping, turning cart-wheels, standing on their heads, playing leap-frog, and letting off huge crackers, came pressing round Coalblack and Snowflake.
成百上千的地精们跳跃着，滚着马车轮，倒立着走，学青蛙跳，放烟花，怎么庆祝的都有。他们像潮水般涌来，在煤黑和雪花周围挤做一团。
And the Prince had to tell the story of his own enchantment and deliverance at least ten times. In this way they came to the edge of the chasm.
王子至少给地精们讲了十次他如何中了女巫的魔法，又是如何被救的过程。半路上，他们来到了地缝的边缘。
It was about a thousand feet long and perhaps two hundred wide. They dismounted from their horses and came to the edge, and looked down into it.
它大约有1000英尺长，200多英尺宽。王子一行下马来到裂缝边缘向下俯视。
A strong heat smote up into their faces, mixed with a smell which was quite unlike any they had ever smelled. It was rich, sharp, exciting, and made you sneeze.
一股很热的浓烟扑面而来，里面还夹杂着一种他们从没闻过的怪异味道。这股气味相当重，又刺鼻又令人兴奋，让人想打喷嚏。
The depth of the chasm was so bright that at first it dazzled their eyes and they could see nothing.
裂缝里光线强烈，刺得人眼睁不开，什么都看不到。
When they got used to it they thought they could make out a river of fire, and, on the banks of that river, what seemed to be fields and groves of an unbearable, hot brilliance—though they were dim compared with the river.
等到眼睛适应后，他们才看清下面是一条火焰河，岸边是五彩斑斓的田地或小树林之类的，光芒亮得刺眼，虽然跟河比起来要暗得多。
There were blues, reds, greens, and whites all jumbled together: a very good stained-glass window with the tropical sun staring straight through it at midday might have something the same effect.
蓝色、红色、绿色和白色交织在一起，估计只有夏季正午的灼热阳光照在彩色玻璃上才能显出这样的效果。
Down the rugged sides of the chasm, looking black like flies against all that fiery light, hundreds of Earthmen were climbing.
成群结队的地精沿着粗糙的岩壁向下爬，黑色的身影映在明亮的背景里和苍蝇差不多。
"Your honours," said Golg (and when they turned to look at him they could see nothing but blackness for a few minutes, their eyes were so dazzled).
“先生，”格尔戈说（王子他们再看向格尔戈时眼前一片漆黑，几分钟后才缓过劲来，洞里实在太亮了），
"Your honours, why don't you come down to Bism? You'd be happier there than in that cold, unprotected, naked country out on top. Or at least come down for a short visit."
“先生们，你们为什么不来比斯姆王国呢？住这可比住在那又冷又没有遮挡的裸露地皮上幸福多了。至少也可以下来看看嘛。”
Jill took it for granted that none of the others would listen to such an idea for a moment.
吉尔认为，根本没人会理会这家伙的建议。
To her horror she heard the Prince saying: "Truly, friend Golg, I have half a mind to come down with you.
但王子的话吓了她一大跳：“是啊，格尔戈，我的朋友，我的心已经被你说服一半了。
For this is a marvellous adventure, and it may be no mortal man has ever looked into Bism before or will ever have the chance again.
这真是精彩绝伦的冒险，也许从来没有凡人看到过比斯姆王国，而且也绝对没机会看到。
And I know not how, as the years pass, I shall bear to remember that it was once in my power to have probed the uttermost pit of Earth and that I forbore. But could a man live there? You do not swim in the fire-river itself?"
如果我有能力去到地下最底层的地方去探险而自己又放弃了的话，我真不知道多年后会如何看待自己。但人类能在那居住吗？你们自己不是在火河里游泳吗？”
"Oh no, your Honour. Not we. It's only salamanders live in the fire itself." "What kind of beast is your salamander?" asked the Prince.
“哦，不，先生。我们可不去，只有火蜥蜴才在那生活。”“火蜥蜴是什么动物？”王子问。
"It is hard to tell their kind, your Honour," said Golg. "For they are too white-hot to look at. But they are most like small dragons. They speak to us out of the fire. They are wonderfully clever with their tongues: very witty and eloquent."
“很难说它们是什么种类，先生。”格尔戈说，“这些家伙身上太热了，我们根本不敢靠近，看不清它们长什么样子。但外形很像小龙。它们能跳出火焰和我们说话。这帮家伙口才可好了，既聪明又善辩。”
Jill glanced hastily at Eustace. She had felt sure that he would like the idea of climbing down that chasm even less than she did.
吉尔赶忙看向斯库波，她确信他比自己更不喜欢去比斯姆王国这个主意。
Her heart sank as she saw that his face was quite changed. He looked much more like the Prince than like the old Scrubb at Experiment House.
然而，当吉尔看到斯库波的表情时简直大失所望。这家伙已经不是学校里的斯库波了，他像王子一样富有冒险精神。
For all his adventures, and the days when he had sailed with King Caspian, were coming back to him.
经历这些事情后，那个曾经和凯斯宾国王一起出航探险的斯库波又回来了。
"Your Highness," he said. "If my old friend Reepicheep the Mouse were here, he would say we could not now refuse the adventures of Bism without a great impeachment to our honour."
“殿下，”斯库波说，“如果我的老朋友——老鼠雷佩契普在这的话，他一定会说，如果这次比斯姆王国冒险无伤您的尊严的话就不要拒绝。”
"Down there," said Golg, "I could show you real gold, real silver, real diamonds."
“去吧。”格尔戈说，“我给你们看看真正的金子、银子和钻石。”
"Bosh!" said Jill rudely. "As if we didn't know that we're below the deepest mines even here."
“胡扯！”吉尔粗暴地打断他，“我们不就在矿井之下吗？好像自己不知道似的。”
