《最後一戰》第20期:救援國王(4)
As a matter of fact it was not particularly nice. It was rather dark and smelled very damp. There was only one room in it and this room went right up to the stone roof: a wooden staircase in one corner led up to a trap door by which you could get out on the battlements. There were a few rude bunks to sleep in, and a great many lockers and bundles. There was also a hearth which looked as if nobody had lit a fire in it for a great many years.
"We'd better go out and gather some firewood first thing, hadn't we?" said Jill.
"Not yet, comrade," said Tirian. He was determined that they should not be caught unarmed, and began searching the lockers, thankfully remembering that he had always been careful to have these garrison towers inspected once a year and to make sure that they were stocked with all things needful. The bow strings were there in their coverings of oiled silk, the swords and spears were greased against rust, and the armour was kept bright in its wrappings. But there was something even better. "Look you!" said Tirian as he drew out a long mail shirt of a curious pattern and flashed it before the children's eyes.
"That's funny-looking mail, Sire," said Eustace.
"Aye, lad," said Tirian. "No Narnian Dwarf smithied that. 'Tis mail of Calormen, outlandish gear. I have ever kept a few suits of it in readiness, for I never knew when I or my friends might have reason to walk unseen in The Tisroc's land. And look on this stone bottle. In this there is a juice which, when we have rubbed it on our hands and faces, will make us brown as Calormenes."
"Oh hurrah!" said Jill. "Disguise! I love disguises."
Tirian showed them how to pour out a little of the juice into the palms of their hands and then rub it well over their faces and necks, right down to the shoulders, and then on their hands, right up to the elbows. He did the same himself.
"After this has hardened on us," he said, "we may wash in water and it will not change. Nothing but oil and ashes will make us white Narnians again. And now, sweet Jill, let us go see how this mail shirt becomes you. 'Tis something too long, yet not so much as I feared. Doubtless it belonged to a page in the train of one of their Tarkaans."
After the mail shirts they put on Calormene helmets, which are little round ones fitting tight to the head and having a spike on top. Then Tirian took long rolls of some white stuff out of the locker and wound them over the helmets till they became turbans: but the little steel spike still stuck up in the middle. He and Eustace took curved Calormene swords and little round shields. There was no sword light enough for Jill, but he gave her a long, straight hunting knife which might do for a sword at a pinch.
"Hast any skill with the bow, maiden?" said Tirian.
"Nothing worth talking of," said Jill, blushing. "Scrubb's not bad."
"Don't you believe her, Sire," said Eustace. "We've both been practising archery ever since we got back from Narnia last time, and she's about as good as me now. Not that either of us is much."
Then Tirian gave Jill a bow and a quiver full of arrows. The next business was to light a fire, for inside that tower it still felt more like a cave than like anything indoors and set one shivering. But they got warm gathering wood - the sun was now at its highest - and once the blaze was roaring up the chimney the place began to look cheerful. Dinner was, however, a dull meal, for the best they could do was to pound up some of the hard biscuit which they found in a locker and pour it into boiling water, with salt, so as to make a kind of porridge. And of course there was nothing to drink but water.
"I wish we'd brought a packet of tea," said Jill.
"Or a tin of cocoa," said Eustace.
"A firkin or so of good wine in each of these towers would not have been amiss," said Tirian.
"且慢，夥伴們。"蒂蓮說道。他下定決心，他們不該手無寸鐵地束手就擒；他開始在櫃子裏搜索，感謝地記起自己總是小心謹慎地規定每年檢查這些衛戌堡壘一次，確保一切必需的東西都有所儲備。果然儲備着不少東西：有弓弦，用油綢遮蓋得好好的，有劍與矛，都塗上了油以防止生鏽，有盔甲，包裹嚴密，依舊程亮生輝。但，甚至還有些更加美妙的東西。"瞧瞧!"蒂蓮一邊說一邊抽出一件長長的式樣新奇的鎖子甲來，在孩子們的眼前揮動着。"這是件看土去挺有趣的鎖子甲啊，陛下。"尤斯塔斯說道。
"是呀，小夥子，"蒂蓮說道，"納尼亞小矮人可沒人鑄造得出這種鎖子甲，這是卡樂門人的鎖子甲，稀奇古怪的模樣兒。我收藏了幾套備用，因爲我絕對不知道我或我的朋友什麼時候會需要在’蒂斯羅克’的國土上行走而不被察覺。再瞧瞧這石頭瓶子，這裏面盛着一種液體，用它擦在我們的手上和臉上，就可以使我們的皮膚變成棕色，跟卡樂門人一模一樣。"
"啊，嗚啦I"吉爾說，"喬裝改扮!我喜歡喬裝改扮。"
蒂蓬教他們怎樣倒一點兒液體在手掌裏，然後擦在臉上頸子上，一直擦到肩膀上，然後把液體擦在於臂上，一直擦到肘拐兒止。他自己也這樣擦着。"這液體在我們皮膚上硬化以後，"他說，"我們就不怕在水裏洗滌了，它不會褪色。只有用油與灰一同洗滌，才能使我們重新變成白皮膚的納尼亞人。可愛的吉爾，讓我們去試試這鎖子甲是否適合你的身材。它長了點兒，可並不像我擔心的那麼長得過分。毫無疑問，它原來是屬於’泰坎’的大批侍從中的某一個人的。"
穿上鎖子甲後，他們又戴上卡樂門頭盔，那是個小小圓圓的東西，緊扣在腦袋上，頂上有個尖鐵。接着，蒂蓮從櫃子裏拿出長長一卷白布，纏在頭盔的外面，直至纏成頭巾方纔罷休，但那小小的尖鐵仍舊突出在當中間兒。他和尤斯塔斯拿了卡樂門彎刀和圓圓的小盾牌。可沒有供吉爾用的、重量夠輕的劍，但他給了她一把長長的筆直的猝獵用小刀，逢到緊急關頭，可以拿它當作劍使用。"小姐，你可有點兒拉弓射箭的技術嗎?"蒂蓮問道。
"不值得一提，"吉爾紅着臉說道，"斯克羅布的技術不壞。""別信她的話，陛下，"尤斯塔斯說，"上次我們從納尼亞回去以後，一直在練習拉弓射箭，她跟我的技術大致差不多。但我們兩個誰都不太高明。"
於是蒂蓮給了吉爾一張弓和一個盛滿箭的箭筒。第二樁事情是生了一爐火，因爲置身堡壘之中，覺得並不像在室內，倒是更像在山洞內，叫人冷得發抖。但，他們把木柴搬進來時身上發熱了——太陽正在中天——爐火轟隆轟隆向煙囪裏踏上去時，這個地方看上去挺愉快舒適。然而，正餐卻是單調乏味的，因爲他們能做得到的上策，也只不過是把他們在一個櫃子裏的硬餅乾敲碎，倒在沸水裏，加上鹽，煮成一種糊狀的東西。除了水，也沒有什麼可喝的。"我要是能帶來一盒茶葉就好了。"吉爾說。"或者是一罐可可粉也好。"尤斯塔斯道。"在這幾個堡壘裏，每一個堡壘裏都有一小桶好酒，這可不會錯的。"蒂蓮說道。
