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第18部分

prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯-第18部分

小说: prince caspian_c·s·刘易斯 字数: 每页4000字

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ody was laughing: and  everybody was shouting out; 〃euan; euan; eu…oi…oi…oi。鈥

〃is it a romp; aslan?〃 cried the youth。 and apparently it was。 but nearly  everyone seemed to have a different idea as to what they were playing。 it may have  been tig; but lucy never discovered who was it。 it was rather like blind mans buff; only  everyone behaved as if they were blindfolded。 it was not unlike hunt the slipper;  but the slipper was never found。 what made it more plicated was that the man on the  donkey; who was old and enormously fat; began calling out at once; 〃refreshments! time  for refreshments;〃 and falling off his donkey and being bundled on to it again  by the others; while the donkey was under the impression that the whole thing was a circus  and tried to give a display of walking on its hind legs。 and all the time there were  more and more vine leaves everywhere。 and soon not only leaves but vines。 they were  climbing up everything。 they were running up the legs of the tree people and circling  round their necks。 lucy put up her hands to push back her hair and found she was  pushing back vine branches。 the donkey was a mass of them。 his tail was pletely entangled  and something dark was nodding between his ears。 lucy looked again and saw it  was a bunch of grapes。 after that it was mostly grapes overhead and underfoot and all  around。

〃refreshments! refreshments;〃 roared the old man。

everyone began eating; and whatever hothouses your people may have; you  have never tasted such grapes。 really good grapes; firm and tight on the outside; but  bursting into cool sweetness when you put them into your mouth; were one of the things  the girls had never had quite enough of before。 here; there were more than anyone could  possibly want; and rib table…manners at all。 one saw sticky and stained fingers  everywhere; and; though mouths were full; the laughter never ceased nor the yodelling cries  of euan; euan; eu…oi…oi…oi…oi; till all of a sudden everyone felt at the same moment that  the game (whatever it was); and the feast; ought to be over; and everyone flopped  down breathless on the ground and turned their faces to aslan to hear what he would say  next。

at that moment the sun was just rising and lucy remembered something and  whispered to susan;  〃i say; su; i know who they are。鈥

〃who?鈥

〃the boy with the wild face is bacchus and the old one on the donkey is  silenus。 dont you remember mr tumnus telling us about them long ago?鈥

〃yes; of course。 but i say; lu 鈥

〃what?鈥

〃i wouldnt have felt safe with bacchus and all his wild girls if wed met  them without aslan。鈥

〃i should think not;〃 said lucy。

 www銆傘



CHAPTER TWELVE

灏彛昏t;xt;澶诲爞
sorcery and sudden vengeance  meanwhile trumpkin and the two boys arrived at the dark little stone  archway which led into the inside of the mound; and two sentinel badgers (the white  patches on their cheeks were all edmund could see of them) leaped up with bared teeth and  asked them in snarling voices; 〃who goes there?鈥

〃trumpkin;〃 said the dwarf。 〃bringing the high king of narnia out of the  far past。鈥

the badgers nosed at the boys hands。 〃at last;〃 they said。 〃at last。鈥

〃give us a light; friends;〃 said trumpkin。

the badgers found a torch just inside the arch and peter lit it and handed  it to trumpkin。

〃the d。l。f。 had better lead;〃 he said。 〃we dont know our way about this  place。鈥

trumpkin took the torch and went ahead into the dark tunnel。 it was a cold;  black; musty place; with an occasional bat fluttering in the torchlight; and plenty of  cobwebs。 the boys; who had been mostly in the open air since that morning at the railway  station; felt as if they were going into a trap or a prison。

〃i say; peter;〃 whispered edmund。 〃look at those carvings on the walls。  dont they look old? and yet were older than that。 when we were last here; they hadnt  been made。鈥

〃yes;〃 said peter。 〃that makes one think。鈥

the dwarf went on ahead and then turned to the right; and then to the left;  and then down some steps; and then to the left again。 then at last they saw a light ahead  … light from under a door。 and now for the first time they heard voices; for they had  e to the door  

of the central chamber。 the voices inside were angry ones。 someone was  talking so loudly that the approach of the boys and the dwarf had not been heard。

〃dont like the sound of that;〃 whispered trumpkin to peter。 〃lets listen  for a moment。鈥

all three stood perfectly still on the outside of the door。

〃you know well enough;〃 said a voice (〃thats the king;〃 whispered  trumpkin); 〃why the horn was not blown at sunrise this morning。 have you forgotten that  miraz fell upon us almost before trumpkin had gone; and we were fighting for our lives for  the space of three hours and more? i blew it when first i had a breathing space。鈥

〃im not likely to forget it;〃 came the angry voice; 〃when my dwarfs bore  the brunt of the attack and one in five of them fell。〃 (〃thats nikabrik;〃 whispered  trumpkin。)

〃for shame; dwarf;〃 came a thick voice (〃trufflehunters;〃 said trumpkin)。  〃we all did as much as the dwarfs and none more than the king。鈥

〃tell that tale your own way for all i care;〃 answered nikabrik。 〃but  whether it was that the horn was blown too late; or whether there was no magic in it; no help  has e。 you; you great clerk; you master magician; you know…all; are you still asking us  to hang our hopes on aslan and king peter and all the rest of it?鈥

〃i must confess … i cannot deny it … that i am deeply disappointed in the  result of the operation;〃 came the answer。 (〃thatll be doctor cornelius;〃 said  trumpkin。)

〃to speak plainly;〃 said nikabrik; 〃your wallets empty; your eggs addled;  your fish uncaught; your promises broken。 stand aside then and let others work。 and  that is why …鈥

〃the help will e;〃 said trufflehunter。 〃i stand by aslan。 have patience;  like us beasts。 the help will e。 it may be even now at the door。鈥

〃pah!〃 snarled nikabrik。 〃you badgers would have us wait till the sky falls  and we can all catch larks。 i tell you we cant wait。 food is running short; we lose  more than we can afford at every encounter; our followers are slipping away。鈥

〃and why?〃 asked trufflehunter。 〃ill tell you why。 because it is noised  among them that we have called on the kings of old and the kings of old have not answered。  the last words trumpkin spoke before he went (and went; most likely; to his death)  were; ‘if you must blow the horn; do not let the army know why you blow it or what you  hope from it。 but that same evening everyone seemed to know。鈥

〃youd better have shoved your grey snout in a hornets nest; badger; than  suggest that i am the blab;〃 said nikabrik。 〃take it back; or…鈥

〃oh; stop it; both of you;〃 said king caspian。 〃i want to know what it is  that nikabrik keeps on hinting we should do。 but before that; i want to know who those  two strangers  

are whom he has brought into our council and who stand there with their  ears open and their mouths shut。鈥

〃they are friends of mine;〃 said nikabrik。 〃and what better right have you  yourself to be here than that you are a friend of trumpkins and the badgers? and what  right has that old dotard in the black gown to be here except that he is your friend? why  am i to be the only one who cant bring in his friends?鈥

〃his majesty is the king to whom you have sworn allegiance;〃 said  trufflehunter sternly。

〃court manners; court manners;〃 sneered nikabrik。 〃but in this hole we may  talk plainly。

you know … and he knows that this telmarine boy will be king of nowhere and  nobody in a week unless we can help him out of the trap in which he sits。鈥

〃perhaps;〃 said cornelius; 〃your new friends would like to speak for  themselves? you there; who and what are you?鈥

〃worshipful master doctor;〃 came a thin; whining voice。 〃so please you; im  only a poor old woman; i am; and very obliged to his worshipful dwarfship for his  friendship; im sure。 his majesty; bless his handsome face; has no need to be afraid of an  old woman thats nearly doubled up with the rheumatics and hasnt two sticks to put  under her kettle。

i have some poor little skill … not like yours; master doctor; of course …  in small spells and cantrips that id be glad to use against our enemies if it was  agreeable to all concerned。 for i hate em。 oh yes。 no one hates better than me。鈥

〃that is all most interesting and … er … satisfactory;〃 said doctor  cornelius。 〃i think i now know what you are; madam。 perhaps your other friend; nikabrik; would give  some account of himself?鈥

a dull; grey voice at which peters flesh crept replied; 〃im hunger。 im  thirst。 where i bite; i hold till i die; and even after death they must cut out my mouthful  from my enemys body and bury it with me。 i can fast a hundred years and not die。 i  can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze。 i can drink a river of blood and  not burst。 show me your enemies。鈥

〃and it is in the presence of these two that you wish to disclose your  plan?〃 said caspian。

〃yes;〃 said nikabrik。 〃and by their help that i mean to execute it。鈥

there was a minute or two during which 

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