《能言马与男孩》第17期:在塔什班城门口(6)

"We'll have to have a disguise," said Shasta.

“我们只好乔装改扮了。”沙斯塔说。

Hwin said it looked to her as if the safest thing was to go right through the city itself from gate to gate because one was less likely to be noticed in the crowd. But she approved of the idea of disguise as well. She said, "Both the human will have to dress in rags and look like peasants or slaves And all Aravis's armour and our saddles and things must be made into bundles and put on our backs, and the children must pretend to drive us and people will think we're on pack-horses."

赫温说，据它看来，最安全的办法是干脆从城门到城门直接穿过这个城市，因为在人群之中是比较不容易被人注意的。不过，它同时也赞成乔装改扮的办法。它说：”两个人都得穿上破烂衣衫，看上去像农民或奴隶。阿拉维斯的全部盔甲、我们的马鞋子以及其他东西，必须卷成捆，放在我们的背卜，孩子们必须假装鞭打我们，人们就会认为我们不过是两匹驮马罢了。”

"My dear Hwin!" said Aravis rather scornfully. "As anyone could mistake Bree for anything but a war-hors however you disguised him!"

“我亲爱的赫温”阿拉维斯鄙夷地说道，”不论你怎样把布里乔装改扮，别人也未必看不出它是匹战马啊。”

"I should think not, indeed," said Bree, snorting an letting his ears go ever so little back.

“确确实实，我也这么想。”布里说道，它喷着鼻息，让双耳稍稍往后靠拢。

"I know it's not a very good plan," said Hwin. "But I think it's our only chance. And we haven't been groomed for ages and we're not looking quite ourselves (at least, I'm sure I'm not). I do think if we get well plastered with mud and go along with our heads down as if we're tired and lazy -and don't lift our hooves hardly at all - we might not be noticed. And our tails ought to be cut shorter: not neatly, you know, but all ragged."

“我知道这不是个很好的计划，”赫温说，”但我想这是我们惟一的机会了。而且我们已经好久好久没梳理修饰了，看上去不大像原来的样子了(至少，我确信我是不像从前的模样了)。我真的认为，如果我们身上恰到好处地涂上烂混，耷拉着脑袋一路走去，仿佛又疲倦又懒惰——压根儿难得抬起我们的马蹄来人家就可能不注意我们了。还有，我们的尾巴应该割得短一点儿：不足整洁光滑，而是毛发蓬乱。”

"My dear Madam," said Bree. "Have you pictured to yourself how very disagreeable it would be to arrive in Narnia in that condition?"

“我亲爱的女士啊，”布里说道，”你自己可曾设想过，弄成这副模样，我们回到纳尼亚时，将是多么别扭啊，”

"Well," said Hwin humbly (she was a very sensible mare), "the main thing is to get there."

“晤，”赫温谦和地说(它是一匹十分敏感的母马)，”可主要的问题是要到得了纳尼亚啊。”

Though nobody much liked it, it was Hwin's plan which had to be adopted in the end. It was a troublesome one and involved a certain amount of what Shasta called stealing, and Bree called "raiding". One farm lost a few sacks that evening and another lost a coil of rope the next: but some tattered old boy's clothes for Aravis to wear had to be fairly bought and paid for in a village. Shasta returned with them in triumph just as evening was closing in. The others were waiting for him among the trees at the foot of a low range of wooded hills which lay right across their path. Everyone was feeling excited because this was the last hill; when they reached the ridge at the top they would be looking down on Tashbaan. "I do wish we were safely past it," muttered Shasta to Hwin. "Oh I do, I do," said Hwin fervently.

虽然没有人喜欢赫温的计划，可来了儿大家不得不接受的，还是这个计划。这是个很麻烦的计划，而且包括一定数量的沙斯塔称之为”偷窃”、布里称之为”袭击”的事情。那天晚上，有个农场丢失了几只麻袋，第二大晚上另一个农场又丢失了一圈绳子；不过一些给阿拉维斯穿的、破破烂烂的男孩旧衣服，倒是在个村庄里用现金规规矩矩地买来的。暮色四合时，沙斯塔拿着旧衣服凯旋归来了。其他的人马正在小山脚下的树木之间等着他哩。小山坐落在他们要走的道路上。大家感到心情激动，因为这是最后的小山了；当他们到达山顶上时，他们就可以俯瞰塔什班城。”我但愿我们安全通过山脊。”沙斯塔对赫温说。”啊，我也但愿如此，但愿如此。”赫温热情地答道。