《凱斯賓王子》第六章（上）

劉易斯

凱斯賓終于開始了自己的奇幻旅程。夏日清晨，嫩綠的小草上還掛著露珠，凱賓斯王子已經踏上了多彩的行程，陪伴他左右的是獾和兩個小矮人。他們橫穿樹林，翻過一道山峰，來到山的南麓，放眼望去，碧綠青翠的阿欽蘭在陽光的映照下顯得安詳而靜謐。

“先去找三只胖熊吧。”杜普魯金說。

他們來到一片林中空地，一棵長滿了青苔的空心櫟樹兀然矗立。特魯佛漢特用爪子在樹干上敲了三下，沒有動靜。他又咚咚咚地使勁敲打樹干，只聽樹干里傳出一個迷迷糊糊的聲音：“走走走，還不是起床的時候呢。”特魯佛漢特繼續狂敲樹干。終于，嘎吱一聲，樹干上打開了一扇門，從里面慢吞吞地走出三頭肥胖無比的大棕熊，邊走邊不停地眨巴著它們的小眼睛。正如特魯佛漢特料想的那樣，在聽完凱斯賓的故事后，它們一致擁護這個亞當之子做納尼亞的國王，并且獻上了胖熊家族的吻—— 一種濕乎乎、熱騰騰的吻——以示敬意，同時還拿出貯藏的蜂蜜來款待貴賓。凱斯賓并不喜歡一大早就只吃蜂蜜，至少也得來點面包蘸著吃吧。但是出于禮節，他還是無比艱難地把那些蜂蜜吃完了。凱斯賓感到嘴巴鼻子都黏糊糊的，別提多難受了。

從胖熊家出來，他們繼續往前走，不久又來到一片山毛櫸樹林中，特魯佛漢特高聲叫道：“佩蒂威格！佩蒂威格！”轉眼間，一只漂亮得驚人的紅色松鼠出現在樹梢，它一蹦一蹦地跳了下來，最后站立的那根樹枝離大家很近，凱斯賓得以近距離欣賞這優美的精靈。它比那些不會說話的松鼠大得多，看它那輕巧的步伐、嫻靜的神態、婀娜的身姿，就能判斷出它不是普通的松鼠。果然，佩蒂威格十分健談，簡直滔滔不絕。很快，大家就意識到想讓它閉嘴是一件多么困難的事情。當它對凱斯賓國王表示完歡迎后，還是意識到必須停止說話，并去拿堅果來招待大家。對于堅果，凱斯賓還是十分喜愛的。于是在佩蒂威格蹦蹦跳跳去取堅果的時候，他一直盯著它看。特魯佛漢特馬上在凱斯賓的耳邊低聲說：“快別老盯著看了。對于松鼠來說，最怕別人知道它們倉庫的秘密了。如果誰盯著要看個究竟，那是很不禮貌的。”一會兒，佩蒂威格帶著堅果回來了，凱斯賓趕緊吃完，準備離開。佩蒂威格自告奮勇，要為凱斯賓給森林的其他朋友捎信。“就沒有我去不了的地方，腳都不用沾地的。”它驕傲地說。特魯佛漢特和小矮人們高興地接受了這個建議，他們寫了好多張便條給許多名字聽起來稀奇古怪的動物，邀請它們次日午夜來跳舞場參加盛宴和政務會。“對了，別忘了通知那三只大棕熊，剛才我忘記提這事兒了。”杜普魯金補充說。

告別松鼠后，他們的下一站是去走訪薩德森林的七個小矮人。杜魯普金帶領大家翻過一座山脊，順著山的北麓來到一片巖石和松林之間的陰暗地帶，這里顯得肅穆而莊嚴。他們輕手輕腳地走著，突然，凱斯賓感覺大地似乎都在顫動，似乎有什么東西在地下敲敲打打。杜普魯金踩在一塊扁平的大石頭上，用腳猛跺了幾下，然后站在一邊，顯然在等待回應。不一會兒，石頭從里面被挪開了，露出一個口子，原來石頭下面是一個大洞。只見熱氣、水氣夾雜著一縷青煙，從那洞口沖出來。煙霧漸漸消散后，一個小矮人探出半個腦袋，模樣有點像杜普魯金。費了好多的口舌，可那小矮人比松鼠和胖熊謹慎多了，不過他最終還是邀請大家“進屋里說話”。凱斯賓沿著漆黑的臺階摸索著往下走，也不知走了多遠，突然眼前一亮。一陣暈眩之后，才看清楚遠端一座煉鐵爐冒出火紅的烈焰，將洞里照得亮堂堂的。原來，這里是小矮人的地下兵工廠。兩個小矮人拉著風箱，另一個用鉗子將一塊火紅的鐵固定在鐵墩子上，還有一個站在他對面，賣力地敲打著那塊鐵，發出叮叮當當的聲音。旁邊站著的另外兩個小矮人，一邊用一塊油膩的布擦那滿是老繭的手，一邊走上前來迎接客人。虧得特魯佛漢特能言善辯，才使他們最終放松了警惕，并且接受了新的國王。小矮人們都停下手中的活兒，齊聲高呼“國王萬歲！”他們呈上幾件看家寶貝：三套富麗堂皇的盔甲和三柄寶劍。凱斯賓、杜魯普克和尼克布瑞克各自得一套，而那獾本來也可以有一套的，可是它說，它是個動物，假如它的爪子和牙齒無法保護自己，給它再好的裝備也是白搭。確實，對它而言，如果除了那兩樣東西，再好的武器都是白搭。這些寶貝的做工是如此精美，凱斯賓甚至覺得原來的劍簡直像個玩具，殺傷力還不如根棍子。而七兄弟（他們都是紅小矮人）都高興地接受了去跳舞場赴宴的邀請。

往前不遠，在一條干燥而遍布巖石的溝壑里，他們找到一個山洞，那里的主人是五個黑小矮人。剛一見面，凱斯賓心里一驚，因為黑小矮人的目光里充滿著戒備甚至是敵意。不過最后他們的老大還是想明白了，聲稱：“假如他反對彌若茲，那我們就擁立他為王。”老二也友好地問道：“要不要我們送你一段路？那邊的山崖下住著幾個食人怪，還有一個巫婆。我們可以把它們介紹給你，喏，就在那兒。”

“不必了。”凱斯賓說。

“我看也大可不必。”特魯佛漢特說，“我們不要那些家伙混入我們的陣營。”尼克布瑞克不同意這話，但杜普魯金和獾駁倒了他。凱斯賓曾在故事中聽說那些牛鬼蛇神也有后代活在世上，此刻不由十分震驚。

Now began the happiest times that Caspian had ever known. On a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the Badger and the two Dwarfs， up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down onto their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of Archenland.

“We will go first to the Three Bulgy Bears，” said Trumpkin.

They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss， and Trufflehunter tapped with his paw three times on the trunk and there was no answer. Then he tapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said， “Go away. Its not time to get up yet.” But when he tapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears， very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes. And when everything had been explained to them （which took a long time because they were so sleepy） they said， just as Trufflehunter had said， that a son of Adam ought to be King of Narnia and all kissed Caspian—very wet， snuffly kisses they were—and offered him some honey. Caspian did not really want honey， without bread， at that time in the morning， but he thought it polite to accept. It took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky.

After that they went on till they came among tall beech trees and Trufflehunter called out， “Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！ Pattertwig！” and almost at once， bounding down from branch to branch till he was just above their heads， came the most magnificent red squirrel that Caspian had ever seen. He was far bigger than the ordinary dumb squirrels which he had sometimes seen in the castle gardens; indeed he was nearly the size of a terrier and the moment you looked in his face you saw that he could talk. Indeed the difficulty was to get him to stop talking， for， like all squirrels， he was a chatterer. He welcomed Caspian at once and asked if he would like a nut and Caspian said thanks， he would. But as Pattertwig went bounding away to fetch it， Trufflehunter whispered in Caspians ear， “Dont look. Look the other way. Its very bad manners among squirrels to watch anyone going to his store or to look as if you wanted to know where it was.” Then Pattertwig came back with the nut and Caspian ate it and after that Pattertwig asked if he could take any messages to other friends. “For I can go nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground，” he said. Trufflehunter and the Dwarfs thought this a very good idea and gave Pattertwig messages to all sorts of people with queer names telling them all to come to a feast and council on Dancing Lawn at midnight three nights ahead. “And youd better tell the three Bulgies too，” added Trumpkin. “We forgot to mention it to them.”

Their next visit was to the Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood. Trumpkin led the way back to the saddle and then down eastward on the northern slope of the mountains till they came to a very solemn place among rocks and fir trees. They went very quietly and presently Caspian could feel the ground shake under his feet as if someone were hammering down below. Trumpkin went to a flat stone about the size of the top of a water-butt， and stamped on it with his foot. After a long pause it was moved away by someone or something underneath， and there was a dark， round hole with a good deal of heat and steam coming out of it and in the middle of the hole the head of a Dwarf very like Trumpkin himself. There was a long talk here and the dwarf seemed more suspicious than the Squirrel or the Bulgy Bears had been， but in the end the whole party were invited to come down. Caspian found himself descending a dark stairway into the earth， but when he came to the bottom he saw firelight. It was the light of a furnace. The whole place was a smithy. A subterranean stream ran past on one side of it. Two Dwarfs were at the bellows， another was holding a piece of red-hot metal on the anvil with a pair of tongs， a fourth was hammering it， and two， wiping their horny little hands on a greasy cloth， were coming forward to meet the visitors. It took some time to satisfy them that Caspian was a friend and not an enemy， but when they did， they all cried， “Long live the King，” and their gifts were noble—mail shirts and helmets and swords for Caspian and Trumpkin and Nikabrik. The Badger could have had the same if he had liked， but he said he was a beast， he was， and if his claws and teeth could not keep his skin whole， it wasnt worth keeping. The workmanship of the arms was far finer than any Caspian had ever seen， and he gladly accepted the Dwarf-made sword instead of his own， which looked， in comparison， as feeble as a toy and as clumsy as a stick. The seven brothers （who were all Red Dwarfs） promised to come to the feast at Dancing Lawn.

A little farther on， in a dry， rocky ravine they reached the cave of five Black Dwarfs. They looked suspiciously at Caspian， but in the end the eldest of them said， “If he is against Miraz， well have him for King.” And the next oldest said， “Shall we go farther up for you， up to the crags？ Theres an Ogre or two and a Hag that we could introduce you to， up there.”

“Certainly not，” said Caspian.

“I should think not， indeed，” said Trufflehunter. “We want none of that sort on our side.” Nikabrik disagreed with this， but Trumpkin and the Badger overruled him. It gave Caspian a shock to realize that the horrible creatures out of the old stories， as well as the nice ones， had some descendants in Narnia still.