《能言馬與男孩》第48期:穿過大沙漠(2)

When they re"ached the very bottom and the wall rose frowning above them, Lasaraleen was shaking so that she could not unbolt the gate. Aravis did it. There, at last, was the river, full of reflected moonlight, and a little landing stage and a few pleasure boats.

"Good-bye," said Aravis, "and thank you. I'm sorry if I've been a pig. But think what I'm flying from!"

"Oh Aravis darling," said Lasaraleen. "Won't you change your mind? Now that you've seen what a very great man Ahoshta is!"

"Great man!" said Aravis. "A hideous grovelling slave who flatters when he's kicked but treasures it all up and hopes to get his own back by egging on that horrible Tisroc to plot his son's death. Faugh! I'd sooner marry my father's scullion than a creature like that."

"Oh Aravis, Aravis! How can you say such dreadful things; and about the Tisroc (may he live for ever) too. It must be right if he's going to do it!"

"Good-bye," said Aravis, "and I thought your dresses lovely. And I think your house is lovely too. I'm sure you'll have a lovely life - though it wouldn't suit me. Close the door softly behind me."

She tore herself away from her friend's affectionate embraces, stepped into a punt, cast off, and a moment later was out in midstream with a huge real moon overhead and a huge reflected moon down, deep down, in the river. The air was fresh and cool and as she drew near the farther bank she heard the hooting of an owl. "Ah! That's better!" thought Aravis. She had always lived in the country and had hated every minute of her time in Tashbaan.

When she stepped ashore she found herself in darkness for the rise of the ground, and the trees, cut off the moonlight. But she managed to find the same road that Shasta had found, and came just as he had done to the end of. the grass and the beginning of the sand, and looked (like him) to her left and saw the big, black Tombs. And now at last, brave girl though she was, her heart quailed. Supposing the others weren't there! Supposing the ghouls were! But she stuck out her chin (and a little bit of her tongue too) and went straight towards them.

But before she had reached them she saw Bree and Hwin and the groom.

"You can go back to your mistress now," said Aravis (quite forgetting that he couldn't, until the city gates opened next morning). "Here is money for your pains."

"To hear is to obey," said the groom, and at once set off at a remarkable speed in the direction of the city. There was no need to tell him to make haste: he also had been thinking a good deal about ghouls.

當她們到達山麓，牆垣顰眉蹙額地聳立在她們面前時，拉斯阿拉莉恩渾身發抖，無力打開水門上的門閂。阿拉維斯把門打開。最後終於看到了河流，河上到處反照着月光，還有一個小小的碼頭，幾艘遊艇。

“再會了，”阿拉維斯說道，”謝謝你了。我很抱歉，如果我曾經固執得像豬一樣。可是，請想想我是在逃亡啊！”

“啊，阿拉維斯，寶貝兒，”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，”你可否改變主意呢?現在你已經親眼目睹阿霍什塔是個多麼偉大的人物了！”

“好一個偉大人物！”阿拉維斯說道，”他是個駭人聽聞的卑躬屈節的奴隸，人家踢他屁股時他還拍馬阿諛，還把這件事珍藏在心裏，慫恿可怕的蒂斯羅克設計置兒子於死地，希望藉此給自己報仇雪恨。”

“啊，阿拉維斯，阿拉維斯l你怎麼能說出如此可怕的話來，而且還牽涉到蒂斯羅克(願他萬壽無疆！)哩。如果他去幹這件事，那就必定是正確的。”

“再會了，”阿拉維斯說，”我認爲你的衣裳很美麗可愛，我認爲你的住宅也很美麗可愛，我深信你將過一種美麗可愛的生活——儘管這種生活跟我不合適。輕輕地關上我背後的門吧。”

她從朋友的多情擁抱中掙脫出來，踏上一條方頭平底船，用篙子把船撐離河岸，一會兒船就到了河中！司。頭上是一輪巨大的真正的明月，河底深處是一個巨大明月的倒影。空氣新鮮而涼爽，船靠近對岸時，她聽到了一隻貓頭鷹的叫聲。”啊！好極了。”她一直生活在鄉村裏，因此憎恨她住在塔什班城裏的每一分鐘。

她登上對岸時，由於地勢上升，樹木遮住了月光，她覺得自己置身於黑暗之中了。但她設法找到了沙斯塔發現的那條路，就像他一樣走到了妻萎芳草的盡頭和沙漠的開端，(像他一樣)向左望去，瞧見了巨大的黑魁魁的墳場。儘管她是個勇敢的姑娘，現在她的心裏終於害怕起來了。說不定其他人馬不在那兒！說不定食屍鬼倒在那兒！她冒險伸出下巴頦兒(舌頭也伸出了一點兒)，筆直地向墳場走去。

但她還沒有走到校場就看到了布里、赫溫和那個侍從。

“現在你可以回到你的女主人那兒去了，”阿拉維斯說道(完全忘了在第二天清晨打開城門之前那侍從是無法回去的)，”這兒是給你的酬勞。”

“聽到命令，就遵命照辦。”侍從說道，立刻以相當快的速度向塔什班城跑去。無需告訴他趕緊回去，他也已經對食屍鬼想得很多了。