《能言马与男孩》第59期:南征隐士(6)

Next day, except for her sore back, Aravis felt so well that after breakfast (which was porridge and cream) the Hermit said she could get up. And of course she at once went out to speak to the Horses. The weather had changed and the whole of that green enclosure was filled, like a great green cup, with sunlight. It was a very peaceful place, lonely and quiet.

Hwin at once trotted across to Aravis and gave her a horse-kiss.

"But where's Bree?" said Aravis when each had asked after the other's health and sleep.

"Over there," said Hwin, pointing with her nose to the far side of the circle. "And I wish you'd come and talk to him. There's something wrong, I can't get a word out of him."

They strolled across and found Bree lying with his face towards the wall, and though he must have heard them coming, he never turned his head or spoke a word.

"Good morning, Bree," said Aravis. "How are you this morning?"

Bree muttered something that no one could hear.

"The Hermit says that Shasta probably got to King Lune in time," continued Aravis, "so it looks as if all our troubles are over. Narnia, at last, Bree!"

"I shall never see Narnia," said Bree in a low voice.

"Aren't you well, Bree dear?" said Aravis.

Bree turned round at last, his face mournful as only a horse's can be.

"I shall go back to Calormen," he said.

"What?" said Aravis. "Back to slavery!"

"Yes," said Bree. "Slavery is all I'm fit for. How can I ever show my face among the free Horses of Narnia? - I who left a mare and a girl and a boy to be eaten by lions while I galloped all I could to save my own wretched skin!"

"We all ran as hard as we could," said Hwin.

"Shasta didn't!" snorted Bree. "At least he ran in the right direction: ran back. And that is what shames me most of all. I, who called myself a war-horse and boasted of a hundred fights, to be beaten by a little human boy - a child, a mere foal, who had never held a sword nor had any good nurture or example in his life!"

"I know," said Aravis. "I felt just the same. Shasta was marvellous. I'm just as bad as you, Bree. I've been snubbing him and looking down on him ever since you met us and now he turns out to be the best of us all. But I think it would be better to stay and say we're sorry than to go back to Calormen."

"It's all very well for you," said Bree. "You haven't disgraced yourself. But I've lost everything."

"My good Horse," said the Hermit, who had approached them unnoticed because his bare feet made so little noise on that sweet, dewy grass. "My good Horse, you've lost nothing but your self-conceit. No, no, cousin. Don't put back your ears and shake your mane at me. If you are really so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, you must learn to listen to sense. You're not quite the great Horse you had come to think, from living among poor dumb horses. Of course you were braver and cleverer than them. You could hardly help being that. It doesn't follow that you'll be anyone very special in Narnia. But as long as you know you're nobody special, you'll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole, and taking one thing with another. And now, if you and my other four-footed cousin will come round to the kitchen door we'll see about the other half of that mash."

第二天，除了背上疼痛外，阿拉维斯觉得身体很好，所以，早餐(吃的是粥和奶油)以后，隐士说她可以起床了。当然啰，她立刻就去和两匹马儿说话。天气转晴，整个围场像只苍翠的巨大杯子，里面盛满了阳光。这是个十分安宁的地方，寂寞而又宁静。

赫温立刻小跑着过来，给了她一个马儿的接吻。

互相问候过健康和睡得好不好后，阿拉维斯说道“可布里在哪儿呢？”

“在那一边。”赫温说，用它的鼻子指点着圆圆另一边，”我希望你来跟它说说话；它有点儿闹情绪，我没法从它嘴里挤出一言半语来。”

她们慢步走过去，发现布里面壁躺着，虽然它明明听见她们来了，却根本不回过头来或说句话儿。

“早晨好，布里，”阿拉维斯说，”今天早晨你身体可好？”

布里喃喃而语，可谁也听不清楚。

“隐士说，沙斯塔可能及时赶到了国王伦恩那儿，”阿拉维斯继续说道，”所以，看来咱们的一切困难都解决了。终于要到纳尼亚去了，布里！”

“我将永远见不到纳尼亚了。”布里用低沉的声音说道。

“你身体不好吗，我亲爱的布里？'阿拉维斯说。

布里终于转过身来，它一脸哀痛的神色，只有马儿才能这样。

“我要回卡乐门去。”它说。

“什么？”阿拉维斯说道，”回去做奴隶吗？”

“是的，”布里说，”我只配做奴隶。我有何面目去见纳尼亚的自由的马儿啊？我，丢下一匹母马，一个女孩，一个男孩，让他们去被狮子吃掉，自己却为了活命，使出浑身力气逃跑了！”

“我们大家都是拼命飞跑的啊。”赫温说。

“沙斯塔没有逃跑！”布里喷着鼻息，”至少他是按照正确的方向飞跑的他跑回去了。这是最使我感到羞愧的了。我，自称是一匹战马，夸口身经百战，却被一个乳臭小儿比下去了——一个孩子，不过是一头驹子，生平从没有拿过剑，也没有受过任何良好的教育或见过任何典范？”

“我明白，”阿拉维斯说，”我有同样的感想。沙斯塔是了不得的。我同你一样的糟糕，布里。自从你们遇到我们以来，我一直怠慢他，瞧不起他，如今他可一变而为我们之中最出色的人了。但我认为。还是待下来表示歉意，要比回到卡乐门去好得多。”

“这办法对你是挺好的，”布里说，”你没有给自己丢脸。我却把什么都丢光了。”

“我的好马儿，”隐士说道，大家没有察觉他的悄悄到来，因为他的光脚板踏在清香的沾露青草上是没有什么声音的，”我的好马儿，你除了自命不凡，没有丢失什么东西。不，不，我的老伙计。别对我把耳朵向后贴去，也别抖动你的崇毛。如果你确实像你一分钟以前所说的那样谦虚，那么你就应该听听理智的声音。你一直生活在可怜的哑巴马儿中间，便自以为是了不得的马儿；其实不然。当然，你比它们要勇敢、聪明些。你是不由自主地成了比它们高明的马儿的。但这种情况不能引伸为你将在纳尼亚成为什么特别出类拔萃的马儿。然而，只要你认识到你并不是出类拔萃的，那么，总的看来，你就基本上属于一种挺不错的马儿。现在，如果你和我的另一位四足老伙计愿意绕到厨房门口去，我们就将瞧瞧另外半份饲料了。”