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"Yes, if you'll come with me," answered the Horse. "This is the chance for both of us. You see if I run away without a rider, everyone who sees me will say "Stray horse" and be after me as quick as he can. With a rider I've a chance to get through. That's where you can help me. On the other hand, you can't get very far on those two silly legs of yours (what absurd legs humans have!) without being overtaken. But on me you can outdistance any other horse in this country. That's where I can help you. By the way, I suppose you know how to ride?"
“是的，如果你愿意跟我一起走的话。”马儿答道，“对咱们俩，这都是个机会。你瞧，如果我自己跑出去，却没有个骑马的人，每个看见我的人都会说我是一头‘走失的马’，就会拼命来追我了。有个骑马的人，我才能通行无阻。那就是你可以帮我忙的地方。另一方面，靠你那愚蠢可笑的两腿，(人的腿真是荒唐可笑！)你是没法儿走远的，总要被追上来逮住的。然而骑在我身上，你就可以把这个国家里其他任何马儿都远远地抛在后面。那就是我可以帮你忙的地方。顺便问一句，你大概懂得怎样骑马吧?”
"Oh yes, of course," said Shasta. "At least, I've ridden the donkey."
“是啊，当然会骑的呀。”沙斯塔说，“至少我骑过驴子。”
"Ridden the what?" retorted the Horse with extreme contempt. (At least, that is what he meant. Actually it came out in a sort of neigh — "Ridden the wha—ha—ha—ha—ha." Talking horses always become more horsy in accent when they are angry.)
“骑过什么?”马儿十分鄙夷地反唇相讥道。(至少，马儿是这个意思。实际上它发出了一种嘶鸣的声音：“骑过哇——哈——哈——哈。”会说话的马儿，当它们愤怒的时候，马腔马调就更加浓重了。）
"In other words," it continued, "you can't ride. That's a drawback. I'll have to teach you as we go along. If you can't ride, can you fall?"
“换句话说，”马儿继续说道，“你不会骑马。那倒是个麻烦。一路上我得教你骑马。如果你不会骑马，你会跌跤吗?”
"I suppose anyone can fall," said Shasta.
“我想谁都会跌跤的吧。”沙斯塔说。
"1 mean can you fall and get up again without crying and mount again and fall again and yet not be afraid of falling?"
“我的意思是，你有没有这个能耐：从马上摔下来了，就一声不吭地从地上爬起来，重新爬到马背上，再一次从马背上摔下来，然而依旧不害怕跌跤?”
"I — I'll try," said Shasta.
“我——我试试吧。”沙斯塔说。
"Poor little beast," said the Horse in a gentler tone. "I forget you're only a foal. We'll make a fine rider of you in time. And now — we mustn't start until those two in the but are asleep. Meantime we can make our plans. My Tarkaan is on his way North to the great city, to Tashbaan itself and the court of the Tisroc —"
“可怜的小牲口，”马儿用比较温和的语调说道，“我忘了你不过是头小驹子。我要及时地把你训练成一个好骑手。眼下——屋子里那两个人睡熟之前，我们千万不要动身。在这段时间里，我们可以把计划商量好。我那泰坎是在往北到大城市去的途中，他要到塔什班城，要到蒂斯罗克的宫廷——”
"I say," put in Shasta in rather a shocked voice, "oughtn't you to say 'May he live for ever'?"
“我说，”沙斯塔用吓了一跳的声音插嘴道，“你应该说‘愿他万寿无疆’吧?”
"Why?" asked the Horse. "I'm a free Narnian. And why should I talk slaves' and fools' talk? I don't want him to live for ever, and I know that he's not going to live for ever whether I want him to or not. And I can see you're from the free North too. No more of this Southern jargon between you and me! And now, back to our plans. As I said, my human was on his way North to Tashbaan."
“为什么?”马儿问道、“我是头自由的纳尼亚马，为什么我该像奴隶和傻瓜一样说话?我并不要他万寿无疆，而且我也知道，不论我要不要，他是不会万寿无疆的。你和我之间别再说这种南方的屁话了I现在回到我们的计划上来吧。就像我说过的，我的那个人正往北方走，要到塔什班去。”
"Does that mean we'd better go to the South?"
“你的意思是说，我们还是往南方去的好?”
"I think not," said the Horse. "You see, he thinks I'm dumb and witless like his other horses. Now if I really were, the moment I got loose I'd go back home to my stable and paddock; back to his palace which is two days' journey South. That's where he'll look for me. He'd never dream of my going on North on my own. And anyway he will probably think that someone in the last village who saw him ride through has followed us to here and stolen me."
“我不是这个意思。”马儿道，“你瞧，他认为我不会说话，毫不聪明，就跟他其他的马儿一样。这样的话，他认为我走散后会回到家里。走进我的马厩和围场。回他的王府要向南走两天的路程，他会在那儿寻找我。他做梦也想不到我会按照自己的意思往北走的。再说，他很可能认为有人看见他骑马走过最后一个村子时，钉上了我们的梢，到这儿便把我偷走了。”
"Oh hurrah!" said Shasta. "Then we'll go North. I've been longing to go to the North all my life."
“啊，好极了！”沙斯塔说道，“那么我们就决定往北走。我一生都渴望着要到北方去啊。”
"Of course you have," said the Horse. "That's because of the blood that's in you. I'm sure you're true Northern stock. But not too loud. I should think they'd be asleep soon now."
“当然你曾经渴望过的，”马儿说，“那是由于你身体里的血统的缘故。我确信你是真正的北方种。可是说话别太响了。我倒认为现在他们快要睡熟了。”
"I'd better creep back and see," suggested Shasta.
“我还是爬回去瞧瞧的好。”沙斯塔建议。
"That's a good idea," said the Horse. "But take care you're not caught."
“那是个好主意，”马儿说，“不过你要留神别给逮住。”
It was a good deal darker now and very silent except for the sound of the waves on the beach, which Shasta hardly noticed because he had been hearing it day and night as long as he could remember. The cottage, as he approached it, showed no light. When he listened at the front there was no noise. When he went round to the only window, he could hear, after a second or two, the familiar noise of the old fisherman's squeaky snore. It was funny to think that if all went well he would never hear it again. Holding his breath and feeling a little bit sorry, but much less sorry than he was glad, Shasta glided away over the grass and went to the donkey's stable, groped along to a place he knew where the key was hidden, opened the door and found the Horse's saddle and bridle which had been locked up there for the night. He bent forward and kissed the donkey's nose. "I'm sorry we can't take you," he said.
现在天黑得多了，也十分寂静，只听见海滩上的涛声；沙斯塔可毫不注意涛声，因为就他能记事的岁月以来，他日日夜夜听到的就是涛声。他走近时，屋子里没露出灯光来。他在前门侧耳静听，没有声音。他绕到惟一的一个窗子下面，过了一两秒钟，他能听到熟悉的老渔夫的呼呼鼾声了。想起来也好笑，如果一切顺利，他就会从此不再听到达鼾声了。他屏息静气，稍稍感到有点儿遗憾，但毕竟是快乐多于遗憾。沙斯塔悄悄走过草地，走到驴棚去。他摸索着走到一个他知道是藏钥匙的地方，打开门，找到了马鞍子和马笼头(那是搁在那儿过夜的)。他俯下身来吻吻驴子的鼻子。“我很抱歉，不能带你一起走。”他说。
"There you are at last," said the Horse when he got back to it. "I was beginning to wonder what had become of you."
“你终于来了，”他回去时马儿说道，“我正琢磨你到哪儿去了呢。”
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