《能言马与男孩》第7期:道旁遇险(2)

"I can't."
"Ever tried?"
"Yes, I have. I can't get it down at all. You couldn't either if you were me."
"You're rum little creatures, you humans," remarked Bree.
When Shasta had finished his breakfast (which was by far the nicest he had ever eaten), Bree said, "I think I'll have a nice roll before we put on that saddle again." And he proceeded to do so. "That's good. That's very good," he said, rubbing his back on the turf and waving all four legs in the air. "You ought to have one too, Shasta," he snorted. "It's most refreshing."
But Shasta burst out laughing and said,"You do look funny when you're on your back!"
"I look nothing of the sort," said Bree. But then suddenly he rolled round on his side, raised his head and looked hard at Shasta, blowing a little.
"Does it really look funny?" he asked in an anxious voice.
"Yes, it does," replied Shasta. "But what does it matter?"
"You don't think, do you," said Bree, "that it might be a thing talking horses never do - a silly, clownish trick I've learned from the dumb ones? It would be dreadful to find, when I get back to Narnia, that I've picked up a lot of low, bad habits. What do you think, Shasta? Honestly, now. Don't spare my feelings. Should you think the real, free horses - the talking kind - do roll?"
"How should I know? Anyway I don't think I should bother about it if I were you. We've got to get there first. Do you know the way?"
"I know my way to Tashbaan. After that comes the desert. Oh, we'll manage the desert somehow, never fear. Why, we'll be in sight of the Northern mountains then. Think of it! To Narnia and the North! Nothing will stop us then. But I'd be glad to be past Tashbaan. You and I are safer away from cities."
"Can't we avoid it?"
"Not without going along way inland, and that would take us into cultivated land and main roads; and I wouldn't know the way. No, we'll just have to creep along the coast. Up here on the downs we'll meet nothing but sheep and rabbits and gulls and a few shepherds. And by the way, what about starting?"
Shasta's legs ached terribly as he saddled Bree and climbed into the saddle, but the Horse was kindly to him and went at a soft pace all afternoon. When evening twilight came they dropped by steep tracks into a valley and found a village. Before they got into it Shasta dismounted and entered it on foot to buy a loaf and some onions and radishes. The Horse trotted round by the fields in the dusk and met Shasta at the far side. This became their regular plan every second night.
These were great days for Shasta, and every day better than the last as his muscles hardened and he fell less often. Even at the end of his training Bree still said he sat like a bag of flour in the saddle. "And even if it was safe, young 'un, I'd be ashamed to be seen with you on the main road." But in spite of his rude words Bree was a patient teacher. No one can teach riding so well as a horse. Shasta learned to trot, to canter, to jump, and to keep his seat even when Bree pulled up suddenly or swung unexpectedly to the left or the right - which, as Bree told him, was a thing you might have to do at any moment in a battle. And then of course Shasta begged to be told of the battles and wars in which Bree had carried the Tarkaan. And Bree would tell of forced marches and the fording of swift rivers, of charges and of fierce fights between cavalry and cavalry when the war horses fought as well as the men, being all fierce stallions, trained to bite and kick, and to rear at the right moment so that the horse's weight as well as the rider's would come down on a enemy's crest in the stroke of sword or battleaxe. But Bree did not want to talk about the wars as often as Shasta wanted to hear about them. "Don't speak of them, youngster," he would say. "They were only the Tisroc's wars and I fought in them as a slave and a dumb beast. Give me the Narnian wars where I shall fight as a free Horse among my own people! Those will be wars worth talking about. Narnia and the North! Bra-ha-ha! Broo hoo!"

“我吃不了。”
“从前试过吗？”
“是的，试过。我压根儿咽不下去。如果你是我，你也咽不下去的。”
“你们是离奇古怪的小动物，你们人类。”布里评论道。
沙斯塔吃完了他的早餐(这是他所吃过的早餐中最最精美的餐)，布里说道，”在重新装上马鞍子以前，我想我要美美地打个滚。”它说罢就开始打滚。”舒服，舒服极了。”
它说，一面在草皮上摩擦它的背脊，四脚朝天在空中晃动。
“你应该也来打个滚儿，沙斯塔，”它喷着鼻息，”这是最最振作精神的了。”
但沙斯塔哈哈大笑道，”你四脚朝天时，瞧上去可笑极了。”
“我看起来丝毫也不可笑。”布里说道。但这当儿它却突然翻身侧卧，抬起头来，紧瞅着沙斯塔，还稍稍有点儿气喘。
“真的看上去可笑吗？”它用急躁的声音问道。
“是的，可笑。”沙斯塔答道，”但那又有什么大不了呢？”
“你是否认为，”布里说，”说话的马儿可能从来不干这种事情，那是我跟哑巴马儿们学来的愚蠢粗鲁的把戏？回到纳尼亚时，如果发现我沾染了许多下贱的坏习惯，那就很可怕了。沙斯塔，你怎么想呢，老老实实说吧，别照顾我的感情。你究竟认为真正的自由的马儿——说话的那种马儿——打滚吗，”
“我怎么会知道呢？无论如何，假如我就是你，我想我是不会为此烦恼的。我们首先要到达纳尼亚。你认得路吗？”
“我认识到塔什班去的路。这之后就是大沙漠。啊，我们无论如何会想办法穿过沙漠的，别害怕。晤，然后我们就会望见北方的崇山峻岭。想想吧！到纳尼亚去，到北方去那时，什么也阻挡不了我们。但绕过塔什班我是高兴的。我和你远离城市都是比较安全的。”
“我们能避开城市吗？”
“那就非得朝内陆走一段路不可，那就要走进耕地走上大路而我不认识路。不，我们还是要沿着海岸悄悄走过去。从这儿往前走，在丘陵地带上我们碰不到什么，只会遇见羊、野兔、海鸥和几个牧羊入。顺便说句，咱们这就出发，好不好，”:
沙斯塔给马儿装上马鞍并攀上去时，两腿痛得厉害，但马儿对他很照顾，整个下午它走的都是种柔和的步子。当暮色降临时，他们经由陡峭的小道进入一个山谷，在那儿找到一个村庄。进山谷之前，沙斯塔先下了马，步行到村庄里去买个面包，买些洋葱和小萝卜。马儿在田地附近的黑暗中溜达，在远离村庄的一边和沙斯塔相会。这种办法变成了接下来几夜的定规。
对沙斯塔说来，这几天真是了不得的日子，而且一天好似一天，因为他的肌肉都比较结实了，摔下马来的次数也少了。甚至训练已经结束了，布里还是说他坐在马鞍子上像一袋面粉。”哪怕你是坐稳了，小家伙，在大路上被人看见你坐在我身上，我真是感到羞耻。”尽管布里言语粗鲁生硬，它还足个有耐心的教练。没有人教授骑马术能像一匹马儿那样教得地道了。沙斯塔学会了骑马小跑、骑马慢跑和骑马跳跃，即使布里突然停下或出乎意外地左右摇晃——布里告诉他，在一场战斗中，随时都可能非做出这种动作不可——他仍能稳如泰山地坐在鞍座上。当然啦，沙斯塔这就恳求布里讲讲那些它驮着泰坎所参加的战斗和战争。布里便讲起急行军、涉水强渡激流、骑兵和骑兵之间的冲锋与恶战，这当儿战马跟士兵样拼命战斗，它们都是凶猛的公马，训练得能咬善踢，并且在恰当的时刻用后腿站将起来，使得剑或斧向敌人猛砍过去时，马和骑兵的全部重量都压在对手的头盔上。但布里不肯像沙斯塔希望的那样时常讲起打仗的事。“别提那些了，小家伙。”它总是说，“那都是蒂斯罗克的战争，我只是作为一个奴隶和匹哑巴牲口参加战争的。让我参加纳尼亚的战争，我就将在我自己的人民中间，作为一匹自由的马儿去作战。这些才是值得谈论的战争。纳尼亚和北方布拉哈一晗！布鲁一胡！”