《最後一戰》第21期:成功的夜襲(1)
Chapter 6 A Good Night's Work
ABOUT four hours later Tirian flung himself into one of the bunks to snatch a little sleep. The two children were already snoring: he had made them go to bed before he did because they would have to be up most of the night and he knew that at their age they couldn't do without sleep. Also, he had tired them out. First he had given Jill some practice in archery and found that, though not up to Narnian standards, she was really not too bad. Indeed she had succeeded in shooting a rabbit (not a Talking rabbit, of course: there are lots of the ordinary kind about in Western Narnia) and it was already skinned, cleaned, and hanging up. He had found that both the children knew all about this chilly and smelly job; they had learned that kind of thing on their great journey through Giant-Land in the days of Prince Rilian. Then he had tried to teach Eustace how to use his sword and shield. Eustace had learned quite a lot about sword fighting on his earlier adventures but that had been all with a straight Narnian sword. He had never handled a curved Calormene scimitar and that made it hard, for many of the strokes are quite different and some of the habits he had learned with the long sword had now to be unlearned again. But Tirian found that he had a good eye and was very quick on his feet. He was surprised at the strength of both children: in fact they both seemed to be already much stronger and bigger and more grown-up than they had been when he first met them a few hours ago. It is one of the effects which Narnian air often has on visitors from our world.
All three of them agreed that the very first thing they must do was to go back to Stable Hill and try to rescue Jewel the Unicorn. After that, if they succeeded, they would try to get away Eastward and meet the little army which Roonwit the Centaur would be bringing from Cair Paravel.
An experienced warrior and huntsman like Tirian can always wake up at the time he wants. So he gave himself till nine o'clock that night and then put all worries out of his head and fell asleep at once. It seemed only a moment later when he woke but he knew by the light and the very feel of things that he had timed his sleep exactly. He got up, put on his helmet-and-turban (he had slept in his mail shirt), and then shook the other two till they woke up. They looked, to tell the truth, very grey and dismal as they climbed out of their bunks and there was a good deal of yawning.
"Now," said Tirian, "we go due North from here - by good fortune 'tis a starry night - and it will be much shorter than our journey this morning, for then we went round-about but now we shall go straight. If we are challenged, then do you two hold your peace and I will do my best to talk like a curst, cruel, proud lord of Calormen. If I draw my sword then thou, Eustace, must do likewise and let Jill leap behind us and stand with an arrow on the string. But if I cry `Home', then fly for the Tower both of you. And let none try to fight on - not even one stroke after I have given the retreat: such false valour has spoiled many notable plans in the wars. And now, friends, in the name of Aslan let us go forward."
Out they went into the cold night. All the great Northern stars were burning above the tree-tops. The North-Star of that world is called the Spear-Head: it is brighter than our Pole Star.
四個鐘頭以後，蒂蓮倒在一張牀鋪上，抓緊時間稍稍睡上一覺。兩個孩子已經在打呼嚕。他自己睡覺之前，已經叫孩子們上牀了，因爲夜間大部分時間他們都將沒有工夫睡覺，他知道這種年齡的孩子不睡一會兒是不行的。而且，他也弄得他們極爲疲倦。他首先讓吉爾練練拉弓射箭，發覺她雖然沒有達到納尼亞標準，技術倒確實不算太壞。事實上，她成功地射中了一隻野兔(當然不是會說人話的兔子，在納尼亞王國的西部，有許許多多普通尋常的兔子)，這野兔已經剝了皮，洗得乾乾淨淨，掛起來晾着了。他發覺這兩個孩子熟悉這種冷冰冰的氣味難聞的活兒的一切竅門；他們在瑞廉王子的時代，在巨人之鄉作那了不得的旅行時已經學會幹這種事了。接着他又教尤斯塔斯如何使用他的刀劍和盾牌。尤斯塔斯在他早期的冒險中曾學習過不少鬥劍的本領，但那時使用的全是筆直的納尼亞劍。他從來沒使用過一把卡樂門彎刀，這就難了，因爲彎刀的許多砍法跟他所學習的使用長劍的習慣是截然不同的，他現在得重新擺脫這種習慣。但蒂蓮發覺他眼睛銳利、腳步敏捷。他對兩個孩子的體力也感到驚訝：事實上，他們較之幾個鐘頭前和他初次見面時已經長得更壯、更大、更加成熟了。從我們這個世界到納尼亞去做客的人，納尼亞的空氣時常對他們產生這種效果。
三個人一致同意他們必須乾的第一樁事情就是回到馬廄所在的山上，把獨角獸珍寶救出來。如果此舉成功，他們就要設法向東突出去，同人頭馬龍威特從凱爾帕拉維爾帶來的一支小部隊會師。
像蒂蓮這樣的有經驗的戰士和獵人，始終能在他要想醒的時間醒來。所以那天夜裏他先規定自己睡到九點鐘醒來，然後排除頭腦裏一切煩惱，立刻便睡熟了。彷彿不過是一會兒以後他就醒了，但是他憑着外界的光線以及對事物的感覺，知道自己把睡眠的時間掌握得十分確切。他起了牀，戴上頭盔和纏頭巾(他穿着鎖子甲睡覺的)，然後搖得那兩個孩子醒來。說實在的，孩子們從牀上爬起來時，臉色十分蒼白，神情憂鬱，哈欠連連。
"聽着，"蒂蓮說，"現在我們從這兒朝正北方向走去——我們運氣好，今夜繁星滿天——這條路線要比我們今天早晨走的路短得多，因爲那時我們繞來繞去，現在我們筆直走去。如果我們受到挑戰，你們倆要沉住氣，別吭聲，我會盡我最大的力量談判的，變得就像一個殘酷驕傲、愛吵架的卡樂門王爺一樣。如果我拔出劍來，尤斯塔斯，你必須也拔出刀來，還要讓吉爾跳到我們的背後，站着張起弓來，箭按在弦上。但，如果我叫道，'回家'，你們倆就要向堡壘飛奔而回。我發出退卻命令後，誰也別試圖打下去——哪怕是打一下也別打——在戰爭中，這種虛假的勇敢破壞了許多宏大的作戰計劃。朋友們，以阿斯蘭的名義，現在讓我們前進吧。"
他們走進了寒冷的黑夜。北方所有的壯麗星星都在樹頂上空燃燒着。那個世界的北辰星，叫做矛尖，比我們的北極星還要明亮。
