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第4章

the last battle_c·s·刘易斯-第4章

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him look sillier than ever。

〃well see about those two later;〃 said the ape; spitting out a shell in  the direction of the two prisoners。 〃i got some other business first。 they can wait。 now listen  to me; everyone。 the first thing i want to say is about nuts。 wheres that head  squirrel got to?鈥

〃here; sir;〃 said a red squirrel; ing forward and making a nervous  little bow。

〃oh you are; are you?〃 said the ape with a nasty look。 〃now attend to me。 i  want … i mean; aslan wants … some more nuts。 these youve brought arent anything  like enough。

you must bring some more; do you hear? twice as many。 and theyve got to be  here by sunset tomorrow; and there mustnt be any bad ones or any small ones among  them。鈥

a murmur of dismay ran through the other squirrels; and the head squirrel  plucked up courage to say:  〃please; would aslan himself speak to us about it? if we might be allowed  to see him …鈥

〃well you wont;〃 said the ape。 〃he may be very kind (though its a lot  more than most of you deserve) and e out for a few minutes tonight。 then you can all  have a look at him。 but he will not have you all crowding round him and pestering him with  questions。

anything you want to say to him will be passed on through me: if i think  its worth bothering him about。 in the meantime all you squirrels had better go and  see about the nuts。 and make sure they are here by tomorrow evening or; my word! youll  catch it。鈥

the poor squirrels all scampered away as if a dog were after them。 this new  order was terrible news for them。 the nuts they had carefully hoarded for the winter  had nearly all been eaten by now; and of the few that were left they had already given the  ape far more than they could spare。

then a deep voice … it belonged to a great tusked and shaggy boar … spoke  from another part of the crowd。

〃but why cant we see aslan properly and talk to him?〃 it said。 〃when he  used to appear in narnia in the old days everyone could talk to him face to face。鈥

〃dont you believe it;〃 said the ape。 〃and even if it was true; times have  changed。 aslan says hes been far too soft with you before; do you see? well; he isnt  going to be soft any more。 hes going to lick you into shape this time。 hell teach you to think  hes a tame lion!鈥

a low moaning and whimpering was heard among the beasts; and; after that; a  dead silence which was more miserable still。

〃and now theres another thing you got to learn;〃 said the ape。 〃i hear  some of you are saying im an ape。 well; im not。 im a man。 if i look like an ape; thats  because im so very old: hundreds and hundreds of years old。 and its because im so old  that im so wise。 and its because im so wise that im the only one aslan is ever  going to speak to。

he cant be bothered talking to a lot of stupid animals。 hell tell me what  youve got to do; and ill tell the rest of you。 and take my advice; and see you do it in  double quick time; for he doesnt mean to stand any nonsense。鈥

there was a dead silence except for the noise of a very young badger crying  and its mother trying to make it keep quiet。

〃and now heres another thing;〃 the ape went on; fitting a fresh nut into  its cheek; 〃i hear some of the horses are saying; lets hurry up and get this job of carting  timber over as quickly as we can; and then well be free again。 well; you can get that  idea out of your heads at once。 and not only the horses either。 everybody who can work is  going to be made to work in future。 aslan has it all settled with the king of calormen  … the tisroc; as our dark faced friends the calormenes call him。 all you horses and bulls  and donkeys are to be sent down into calormen to work for your living … pulling and  carrying the way horses and such…like do in other countries。 and all you digging animals  like moles and rabbits and dwarfs are going down to work in the tisrocs mines。 and …鈥

〃no; no; no;〃 howled the beasts。 〃it cant be true。 aslan would never sell  us into slavery to the king of calormen。鈥

〃none of that! hold your noise!〃 said the ape with a snarl。 〃who said  anything about slavery? you wont be slaves。 youll be paid … very good wages too。 that is  to say; your pay will be paid into aslans treasury and he will use it all for  everybodys good。〃 then he glanced; and almost winked; at the chief calormene。 the calormene bowed  and replied; in the pompous calormene way:  〃most sapient mouthpiece of aslan; the tisroc (may he…live…forever) is  wholly of one mind with your lordship in this judicious plan。鈥

〃there! you see!〃 said the ape。 〃its all arranged。 and all for your own  good。 well be able; with the money you earn; to make narnia a country worth living in。  therell be oranges and bananas pouring in … and roads and big cities and schools and  offices and whips and muzzles and saddles and cages and kennels and prisons … oh;  everything。鈥

〃but we dont want all those things;〃 said an old bear。 〃we want to be  free。 and we want to hear aslan speak himself。鈥

〃now dont you start arguing;〃 said the ape; 〃for its a thing i wont  stand。 im a man: youre only a fat; stupid old bear。 what do you know about freedom? you  think freedom means doing what you like。 well; youre wrong。 that isnt true freedom。  true freedom means doing what i tell you。鈥

〃h…n…n…h;〃 grunted the bear and scratched its head; it found this sort of  thing hard to understand。

〃please; please;〃 said the high voice of a woolly lamb; who was so young  that everyone was surprised he dared to speak at all。

〃what is it now?〃 said the ape。 〃be quick。鈥

〃please;〃 said the lamb; 〃i cant understand。 what have we to do with the  calormenes?

we belong to aslan。 they belong to tash。 they have a god called tash。 they  say he has four arms and the head of a vulture。 they kill men on his altar。 i dont  believe theres any such person as tash。 but if there was; how could aslan be friends with  him?鈥

all the animals cocked their heads sideways and all their bright eyes  flashed towards the ape。 they knew it was the best question anyone had asked yet。

the ape jumped up and spat at the lamb。

〃baby!〃 he hissed。 〃silly little bleater! go home to your mother and drink  milk。 what do you understand of such things? but the others; listen。 tash is only another  name for aslan。 all that old idea of us being right and the calormenes wrong is  silly。 we know better now。 the calormenes use different words but we all mean the same  thing。 tash and aslan are only two different names for you know who。 thats why there  can never be any quarrel between them。 get that into your heads; you stupid brutes。  tash is aslan: aslan is tash。鈥

you know how sad your own dogs face can look sometimes。 think of that and  then think of all the faces of those talking beasts … all those honest; humble;  bewildered birds; bears; badgers; rabbits; moles; and mice … all far sadder than that。 every  tail was down; every whisker drooped。 it would have broken your heart with very pity to  see their faces。

there was only one who did not look at all unhappy。

it was a ginger cat … a great big tom in the prime of life … who sat bolt  upright with his tail curled round his toes; in the very front row of all the beasts。 he had  been staring hard at the ape and the calormene captain all the time and had never once  blinked his eyes。

〃excuse me;〃 said the cat very politely; 〃but this interests me。 does your  friend from calormen say the same?鈥

〃assuredly;〃 said the calormene。 〃the enlightened ape … man; i mean … is in  the right。

aslan means neither less nor more than tash。鈥

〃especially; aslan means no more than tash?〃 suggested the cat。

〃no more at all;〃 said the calormene; looking the cat straight in the face。

〃is that good enough for you; ginger?〃 said the ape。

〃oh certainly;〃 said ginger coolly。 〃thank you very much。 i only wanted to  be quite clear。 i think i am beginning to understand。鈥

up till now the king and jewel had said nothing: they were waiting until  the ape should bid them speak; for they thought it was no use interrupting。 but now; as  tirian looked round on the miserable faces of the narnians; and saw how they would all  believe that aslan and tash were one and the same; he could bear it no longer。

〃ape;〃 he cried with a great voice; 〃you lie damnably。 you lie like a  calormene。 you lie like an ape。鈥

he meant to go on and ask how the terrible god tash who fed on the blood of  his people could possibly be the same as the good lion by whose blood all narnia was  saved。 if he had been allowed to speak; the rule of the ape might have ended that day;  the beasts might have seen the truth and thrown the ape down。 but before he could say  another word two calormenes struck him in the mouth with all their force; and a  third; from behind; kicked his feet from under him。 and as he fell; the ape squealed in  rage and terror。

〃take him away。 take him away。 take him where he cannot hear us; nor we  hear him。

there tie him to a tree。 i will … i mean; aslan will … do justice on him  later。鈥

w锛穡锛氾紵



CHAPTER FOUR

锝炲皬  璇磘  xt 澶诲爞
what happened that night

the king was so dizzy from being knocked down that he hardly knew what was happening until the calormenes untied his wrists and put his arms straight  down by his sides and set him with his back against an ash tree。 then they bound ropes  round his ankles and his knees and his waist and his chest and left him there。 what  worried him worst at the moment … for it is often little things that are hardest to  stand … was that his lip was bleeding where they had hit him and he couldnt wipe the little trickle  of blood away although it tickled him。

from where he was he could still see the little stable on the top of the  hill and the ape sitting in front of it。 he could just hear the apes voice still going on  and; every now and then; some answer from the crowd; but he could not make out the words。

〃i wonder what theyve done to jewel;〃 thought the king。

presently the crowd of beasts broke up and began going away in different  directions。

some passed close to tirian。 they looked at him as if they were both  frightened and sorry to see him tied up but none of them spoke。 soon they had all gone and  there was silence in the wood。 then hours and hours went past and tirian became first  very thirsty and then very hungry; and as the afternoon dragged on and turned into  evening; he became cold too。 his back was very sore。 the sun went down and it began to  be twilight。

when it was almost dark tirian heard a light pitter…patter of feet and saw  some small creatures ing towards him。 the three on the left were mice; and there  was a rabbit in the middle: on the right were two moles。 both these were carrying little  bags on their backs which gave them a curious look in the dark so that at first he  wondered what kind of beasts they were。 then; in a moment; they were all standing up on their  hind legs; laying their cool paws on his knees and giving his knees snuffly animal  kisses。 (they could reach his knees because narnian talking beasts of that sort are  bigger than the dumb beasts of the same kind in england。)

〃lord king! dear lord king;〃 said their shrill voices; 〃we are so sorry for  you。 we da

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