《魔法師的外甥》第48期:第一個笑柄及其他(4)

"Too true, mate, too true!" said the Cabby. "A 'ard world it was. I always did say those paving-stones weren't fair on any 'oss. That's Lunn'on, that is. I didn't like it no more than what you did. You were a country 'oss, and I was a country man. Used to sing in the choir, I did, down at 'ome. But there wasn't a living for me there."

"Oh please, please," said Digory. "Could we get on? The Lion's getting further and further away. And I do want to speak to him so dreadfully badly."

"Look 'ere, Strawberry," said the Cabby. "This young gen'leman 'as something on his mind that he wants to talk to the Lion about; 'im you call Aslan. Suppose you was to let 'im Ride on your back (which 'e'd take it very kindly) and trot 'im over to where the Lion is. And me and the little girl will be following along."

"Ride?" said Strawberry. "Oh, I remember now. That means sitting on my back. I remember there used to be a little one of you two-leggers who used to do that long ago. He used to have little hard, square lumps of some white stuff that he gave me. They tasted - oh, wonderful, sweeter than grass."

"Ah, that'd be sugar," said the Cabby.

"Please, Strawberry," begged Digory, "do, do let me get up and take me to Aslan."

"Well, I don't mind," said the Horse. "Not for once in a way. Up you get."

"Good old Strawberry," said the Cabby. "'Ere, young 'un, I'll give you a lift." Digory was soon on Strawberry's back, and quite comfortable, for he had ridden bare-back before on his own pony.

"Now, do gee up, Strawberry," he said.

"You don't happen to have a bit of that white stuff about you, I suppose?" said the Horse.

"No. I'm afraid I haven't," said Digory.

"Well, it can't be helped," said Strawberry, and off they went.

At that moment a large Bulldog, who had been sniffing and staring very hard, said:

"Look. Isn't there another of these queer creatures over there, beside the river, under the trees?"

“太對了，朋友，太對了！”馬車伕說，“那是個難以忍受的世界。我過去總說那些鋪路石對任何馬都不合適。那就是倫敦。我和你一樣不喜歡。你是匹鄉下馬，我是個鄉下人。過去我經常在教堂唱詩班裏唱歌，我唱過，在老家。但在那兒沒法活下去。”

“對不起，對不起，”迪格雷說，“我們繼續往前走好嗎？獅子越來越遠了，我太想跟它說話了。”

“聽我說，草莓”馬車伕說，“這個小先生有些心裏話想對獅子講，就是你們的阿斯蘭。我想請你馱着他（他會很感謝你的）去找獅子。我和這小女孩在後面跟着。”

“馱？”“草莓”說，“噢，我想起來了。這就是說，坐在我背上。我記得很久以前，常有一個像你這樣的兩條腿的小動物坐在我上面。他常給我吃一種白色的硬硬的小方塊。吃起來——唔，妙極了，比草甜。’

“哦，那是糖。”馬車伕說。

“草莓，請，”迪格雷央求道，“讓……讓我上去吧，帶我去找阿斯蘭。”

“好，我不介意，”馬說，“不介意馱你一次。上來吧。”

“老草莓，好樣的。”馬車伕說，“來，年輕人，我託你一把。”迪格雷很快上了“草莓”的背，他感到舒服極了，因爲他以前曾騎過自己那匹小馬駒的光背。

“好了，走吧，草莓。”他說。

“我想，你身上沒帶那種白色的小方塊吧？”馬說。

“恐怕沒帶。”迪格雷說。

“唉，沒辦法了。”草莓說着，邁步向前走。

就在那時，一條大公狗認真地嗅了一陣，又看了很久說道：

“瞧，那不是還有一個這種奇怪的東西嗎？——在那兒，河邊，樹下。”