《最后一战》第35期:老鹰带来的消息(5)

"I dare swear," said the Unicorn, "from its flight, that it is a Talking bird."

"So think I," said the King. "But is it a friend, or a spy of the Ape's?"

"To me, Sire," said the Dwarf, "it has a look of Far-sight the Eagle."

"Ought we to hide under the trees?" said Eustace.

"Nay," said Tirian, "best stand still as rocks. He would see us for certain if we moved."

"Look! He wheels, he has seen us already," said Jewel. "He is coming down in wide circles."

"Arrow on string, Lady," said Tirian to Jill. "But by no means shoot till I bid you. He may be a friend."

If one had known what was going to happen next it would have been a treat to watch the grace and ease with which the huge bird glided down. He alighted on a rocky crag a few feet from Tirian, bowed his crested head, and said in his strange eagle's-voice, "Hail, King."

"Hail, Farsight," said Tirian. "And since you call me King, I may well believe you are not a follower of the Ape and his false Aslan. I am right glad of your coming."

"Sire," said the Eagle, "when you have heard my news you will be sorrier of my coming than of the greatest woe that ever befell you."

Tirian's heart seemed to stop beating at these words, but he set his teeth and said, "Tell on."

"Two sights have I seen," said Farsight. "One was Cair Paravel filled with dead Narnians and living Calormenes: The Tisroc's banner advanced upon your royal battlements: and your subjects flying from the city - this way and that, into the woods. Cair Paravel was taken from the sea. Twenty great ships of Calormen put in there in the dark of the night before last night."

No one could speak.

"And the other sight, five leagues nearer than Cair Paravel, was Roonwit the Centaur lying dead with a Calormene arrow in his side. I was with him in his last hour and he gave me this message to your Majesty: to remember that all worlds draw to an end and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy."

"So," said the King, after a long silence, "Narnia is no more."

"我敢发誓，"独角兽说，"从它飞翔的样子看来，它是一只能说人话的鸟儿。"

"我也这样想。"国王说，"但它是个朋友呢，还是无尾猿的一个密探?"

"在我看来，陛下，"小矮人道，"它具有老鹰千里眼的神气。"

"我们该躲在树底下吗?"尤斯塔斯问。

"不要，"蒂莲说道，"最好是站着一动也不动，像石头一样。我们如果走动了，它倒肯定无疑地会看到我们了。"

"瞧!它在盘旋哩，它已经看见我们了。"珍宝说，"它正在兜着大圈子盘旋而下哩。"

"箭搭在弦上，小姐，"蒂莲对吉尔说，"可是我不下令你无论如何别把箭射出去。它说不定是个朋友。"

如果有人知道下一步会发生什么事情，瞧着大鸟那么优美而从容地滑翔而下，倒是赏心悦目的。它栖息在一个幢崖上，离蒂莲不过几英尺，它用它生有冠毛的头鞠了一个躬，用它奇怪的老鹰噪音说道"好啊，国王。"

"好啊，老鹰千里眼。"蒂莲说道，"既然你称我为国王，我就不妨相信你不是无尾猿及其伪阿斯兰的一名追随者。我对你的来到感到高兴。"

"陛下，"老鹰说，"你听到我带来的消息时，我的到来啊，就会比过去你所遭到的最大的灾难更加使你感到伤心难受。"

蒂莲听到这些话，他的心脏仿佛停止跳动了，但他咬紧牙关，说道"请说下去吧。"

"我看到了两个景象，"老鹰千里眼说道，"第一个景象是：凯尔帕拉维尔城里充满了死掉的纳尼亚人和活着的卡乐门人：'蒂斯罗克'的旗帜插上了你那王城的雉堞。：你的老百姓从城里逃出去——从这条路或那条路，逃进森林里去了。凯尔帕拉维尔是被海上来的敌人攻占的。前天夜间，在漆黑一团的夜色里，二十条卡乐门大船闯了进来。"

没人说话。

"第二个景象是，在离凯尔帕拉维尔不到十五英里的地方，人头马龙威特腰间中了卡乐门人的一箭，倒下死了；他临终最后一小时，我是和他在一起的，他叫我给陛下送来这个信息要牢牢记住，所有的世界都要完结的，而崇高的牺牲是个宝库，可没有人穷得买不起这个宝库的。"

"如此说来，"国王在长时间的沉默之后说道，"纳尼亚王国是不复存在了。"