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Here a number of the governor's guards were lounging about and several more(they were mostly wiping their mouths)came tumbling out of various doorways.
院子里有不少警卫, 一些人一边从各个门口慌忙出来, 还一边在擦嘴。
Though their armour was in a disgraceful condition, these were fellows who might have fought if they had been led or had known what was happening;so this was the dangerous moment. Caspian gave them no time to think.
虽然他们衣衫褴褛, 装备破旧, 但如果有人带领他们好好整编, 或许还能和凯斯宾打上一场恶战。在这个危险时刻, 凯斯宾不会给他们时间, 让这些人想到这些。
"Where is the captain ?"he asked.
"你们的首领在哪儿?"
"I am, more or less, if you know what I mean, "said a languid and rather dandified young person without any armour at all.
"我或多或少算一个, 如果你明白我的意思。"一个看上去很没精神的年轻人说。他没有穿铠甲, 身上的衣服花里胡哨的。
"It is our wish, "said Caspian, "that our royal visitation to our realm of the Lone Islands should, if possible, be an occasion of joy and not of terror to our loyal subjects.
"我们希望, "凯斯宾说, "这次御驾亲临孤独群岛, 如果可能的话, 应该是普天同庆, 而不是引起百姓的恐慌。
If it were not for that, I should have something to say about the state of your men's armour and weapons.
如果不是这样, 恐怕你们的盔甲和武器的状况就该受到批评了。
As it is, you are pardoned. Command a cask of wine to be opened that your men may drink our health.
当然, 今天我会赦免你们。拿酒来, 让我和将士们一起举杯。
But at noon tomorrow I wish to see them here in this courtyard looking like men-at-arms and not like vagabonds.
不过, 明天这个时候, 我希望看到院里的是将士, 而不是流浪汉。
See to it on pain of our extreme displeasure. "
违令者一律以触犯君王罪论处。"
The captain gaped but Bern immediately cried, "Three. cheers for the King," and the soldiers, who had understood about the cask of wine even if they understood nothing else, joined in.
那个所谓的长官目瞪口呆, 可是伯恩突然喊："让我们三呼国王万岁。"那些士兵虽然不明所以, 但一看到酒桶, 就一起欢呼起来。
Caspian then ordered most of his own men to remain in the courtyard. He, with Bern and Drinian and four others, went into the hall.
凯斯宾命令大部分人留在院子里, 他带着伯恩、德里宁和其他四个人走进了大厅。
Behind a table at the far end with various secretaries about him sat his Sufficiency, the Governor of the Lone Islands. Gumpas was a bilious-looking man with hair that had once been red and was now mostly grey.
大厅那头的一张桌子后面, 坐着孤独群岛的总督冈帕斯, 周围坐着很多秘书。冈帕斯看上去就不像个好脾气的人。头发本来是红色的, 现在大多都已成灰白色。
He glanced up as the strangers entered and then looked down at his papers saying automatically, "No interviews without appointments except between nine and ten p. m. on second Saturdays. "
他抬眼看到一行陌生人进去, 没有理会, 而是低头继续看他的文件, 同时说了句："没预约一律不见, 只有每个月第二个星期六晚上九点到十点才接见。"
Caspian nodded to Bern and then stood aside. Bern and Drinian took a step forward and each seized one end of the table.
凯斯宾对伯恩示意之后, 站到一边。伯恩和德里宁上前一步, 各自抓住桌子的一头,
They lifted it, and flung it on one side of the hall where it rolled over, scattering a cascade of letters, dossiers, ink-pots, pens, sealing-wax and documents.
然后抬起桌子一扔, 桌子就滚到了大厅一边, 信件、档案、墨水瓶、笔、封蜡和公文撒了一地。
Then, not roughly but as firmly as if their hands were pincers of steel, they plucked Gumpas out of his chair and deposited him, facing it, about four feet away.
然后他们伸出手, 一下把冈帕斯从椅子上揪到四英尺开外的地方。
Caspian at once sat down in the chair and laid his naked sword across his knees.
凯斯宾在椅子上坐下, 把出鞘的剑横放在双膝上。
"My Lord, "said he, fixing his eyes on Gumpas, "you have not given us quite the welcome we expected. We are the King of Narnia. "
"阁下, "他盯着冈帕斯说, "你本应该隆重地欢迎我们, 我是纳尼亚的国王。"
"Nothing about it in the correspondence, "said the governor.
"任何来信中都没提到这件事, "总督说,
"Nothing in the minutes. We have not been notified of any such thing. All irregular. Happy to consider any applications--"
"会议记录里也没有。我们没接到任何通知。这完全不符合法律程序, 不过如果你们有什么请求, 我倒是可以考虑……"
"And we are come to enquire into your Sufficiency's conduct of your office, "continued Caspian.
"我们前来查访阁下是否履行了自己的职责, "凯斯宾继续说,
"There are two points especially on which I require an explanation.
"有两点我必须特别作出解释。
Firstly I find no record that the tribute due from these Islands to the crown of Narnia has been received for about a hundred and fifty years. "
首先, 我在档案中查出纳尼亚国王已经有一百五十年没有收到这个群岛的进贡了。"
"That would be a question to raise at the Council next month, "said Gumpas.
"这个问题要等下个月提交议事时, 才会讨论, "冈帕斯说,
"If anyone moves that a commission of enquiry be set up to report on the financial history of the islands at the first meeting next year, why then. . . "
"如果有人提议成立一个调查委员会, 在明年第一次会议上作个本岛财政历史的报告, 说明当时……"
"I also find it very clearly written in our laws, "Caspian went on, "that if the tribute is not delivered the whole debt has to be paid by the Governor of the Lone Islands out of his private purse. "
"本国法律很清楚地写道, "凯斯宾接着说, "如果贡品没有及时送到, 积累的全部欠款由孤独群岛的总督个人支付。"
At this Gumpas began to pay real attention.
冈帕斯听了这句话才打起精神来。
