CHAPTER SIX THE ADVENTURES OF EUSTACE
六尤斯塔斯历险记
AT that very moment the others were washing hands and faces in the river and generally getting ready for dinner and a rest.The three best archers had gone up into the hills north of the bay and returned laden with a pair of wild goats which were now roasting over a fire.Caspian had ordered a cask of wine ashore，strong wine of Archenland which had to be mixed with water before you drank it，so there would be plenty for all.The work had gone well so far and it was a merry meal.Only after the second helping of goat did Edmund say，“Where’s that blighter Eustace ?”
此时，其他人正在河里洗手洗脸，准备吃饭休息。三个比较厉害的弓箭手到海湾北面的山里打猎，扛回来一对野山羊，这会正架在火上烤。凯斯宾下令搬一桶酒。这种烈酒是在阿钦兰生产的，喝的时候需要兑一些水，以供大伙喝个痛快。直到现在，一切都很顺利， 大家吃得更是愉快至极。往盘子里添了一份牛肉后，一爱一德蒙才发现尤斯塔斯不见了，说道：“那个讨人厌的尤斯塔斯去哪里了?”
Meanwhile Eustace stared round the unknown valley.It was so narrow and deep，and the precipices which surrounded it so sheer，that it was like a huge pit or trench.The floor was grassy though strewn with rocks，and here and there Eustace saw black burnt patches like those you see on the sides of a railway embankment in a dry summer.About fifteen yards away from him was a pool of clear，smooth water.There was，at first，nothingelse at all in the valley;not an animal，not a bird，not an insect. The sun beat down and grim peaks and horns of mountains peered over the valley’s edge.
这时，尤斯塔斯正在陌生的山谷里，瞪着眼睛四处张望。山谷又窄又深，周围都是悬崖，山谷里都是大坑或者壕沟。谷底的岩石长满了草，尤斯塔斯看到四处都有烧焦的黑印子，就像旱季的夏天， 铁路路基两边被晒焦了的一样。十五码开外是清澈见底的池塘，池水平稳地流动着。山谷里似乎再也找不到其他的活物，比如飞禽、走兽或昆虫。太一陽一从层层叠叠的峰峦上直射下来。
Eustace realized of course that in the fog he had come down the wrong side of the ridge，so he turned at once to see about getting back.But as soon as he had looked he shuddered.Apparently he had by amazing luck found the only possible way down—a long green spit of land，horribly steep and narrow，with precipices on either side.There was no other possible way of getting back.But could he do it，now that he saw what it was really like ? His head swam at the very thought of it.
尤斯塔斯很清醒地意识到自己爬到山脊的另一侧去了。他马上回头望望回去的路，这一看却让他浑身发一抖。他分明是侥幸才一摸一到这里的，这唯一一条下来的路，是一条长长的绿一色一通道，狭窄陡峭，两边悬崖耸立，没有其他的路可走。眼下的情况就是这样，他还能不能上去呢?他一想到这些，头都晕了。
He turned round again，thinking that at any rate he’d better ha一ve a good drink from the pool first.But as soon as he had turned and before he had taken a step forward into the valley he heard a noise behind him.It was only a small noise but it sounded loud in that immense silence.It froze him dead-still where he stood for a second.Then he slewed round his neck and looked.
他掉头回去，心想，不管怎样，先在水塘里喝个痛快吧。没想到刚刚转过头，还没向前走，他就突然听到背后有声音。声音虽很小， 但在寂静无声的山谷里还是相当明显的。他吓得在原地发呆，过了一会儿才敢回头去看。
At the bottom of the cliff a little on his left hand was a low， dark hole—the entrance to a ca一ve perhaps.And out of this two thin wisps of smoke were coming.And the loose stones just beneath the dark hollow were moving(that was the noise he had heard)just as if something were crawling in the dark behind them.
在悬崖的底部，他左手边有个低矮的山洞——那黑乎乎的地方， 应该是山洞的入口。洞一口冒出两缕轻烟，下一面有一堆松散的石头正在移动( 他听到的应该就是这东西发出的声音)，石头后面好像有什么东西。
Something was crawling.Worse still，something was coming out.Edmund or Lucy or you would ha一ve recognized it at once， but Eustace had read none of the right books.The thing that came out of the ca一ve was something he had never even imagined—a longlead-coloured snout，dull red eyes，no feathers or fur，a long lithe body that trailed on the ground，legs whose elbows went up higher than its back like a spider’s cruel claws，bat’s wings that made a rasping noise on the stones，yards of tail.And the lines of smoke were coming from its two nostrils.He never said the word Dragon to himself.Nor would it ha一ve made things any better if he had.
而且那个东西正在蠕一动。更糟的是，它竟然爬出来了。一爱一德蒙和露茜或许一下子就能认出这是什么，你应该也知道那是什么，可是尤斯塔斯看过的书里没有一本能在这个时候派上用场。爬出来的怪物让他无法想象——灰一色一的长鼻子，暗一红的眼睛，没有羽一毛一，没有皮一毛一， 全身软一软的，在地上爬行着。它的一腿一像蜘蛛的一腿一，爪子锋利，发出像蝙蝠的翅膀拍在石头上发出的刺耳的声音;它的尾巴很长，两股烟从鼻孔冒了出来。他想不到“龙”这个词，即便想到了，也于事无补了。
But perhaps if he had known something about dragons he would ha一ve been a little surprised at this dragon’s beha一viour.It did not sit up and clap its wings，nor did it shoot out a stream of flame from its mouth.The smoke from its nostrils was like the smoke of a fire that will not last much longer.Nor did it seem to ha一ve noticed Eustace.It moved very slowly towards the pool—slowly and with many pauses.Even in his fear Eustace felt that it was an old，sad creature.He wondered if he dared make a dash for the ascent.But it might look round if he made any noise.It might come more to life.Perhaps it was only shamming.Anyway， what was the use of trying to escape by climbing from a creature that could fly ?
不过，如果他稍微了解一些关于龙的知识，就不会那么吃惊了。这条龙没有展翅欲飞，也没有喷火。它鼻孔里冒出的烟就像烟雾，很快就消散了。它似乎根本没看到尤斯塔斯，自顾自地爬向池塘，中间还歇了好几次。尤斯塔斯虽然很害怕，但他觉得这个怪物也很可怜。他不知道自己该不该冲过去爬到山坡上，万一他弄出声音，那个怪物可能会回过头来。也许它只会装样子吓吓他，可是，即使他爬到上面去，就能从会飞的怪物身边顺利逃走了吗?
It reached the pool and slid its horrible scaly chin down over the gra一vel to drink：but before it had drunk there came from it a great croaking or clanging cry and after a few twitches and convulsions it rolled round on its side and lay perfectly still with one claw in the air.A little dark blood gushed from its wide-opened mouth.The smoke from its nostrils turned black for a moment and then floated away.No more came.
怪物爬到水塘，那长满鳞片的下巴刚滑一到沙砾层上，还没喝上水就发出嘎嘎的声音，像鹤唳一样。然后它挣扎了几下侧身躺着一动不动，一只爪子还翘在半空，张开的嘴里涌一出一些深黑一色一的血。它鼻孔里的烟变黑了，之后又飘走了。至此，它一动不动了。
For a long time Eustace did not dare to move.Perhaps this was the brute’s trick，the way it lured tra一vellers to their doom.But one couldn’t wait for ever.He took a step nearer，then two steps， and halted again.The dragon remained motionless;he noticed too that the red fire had gone out of its eyes.At last he came up to it. He was quite sure now that it was dead.With a shudder he touched it;nothing happened.
在很长一段时间里，尤斯塔斯不敢动弹。他猜想这或许是那怪物的诡计，诱骗别人送死的花招。可是也不能老等下去。他走近一步，再走两步又停下来，那条龙还是一点都未动弹。他还注意到它眼睛里的红火也消失了。终于，他走到它的面前，这才确定它真的死了。他不禁颤一抖了一下， 用手一摸一了它一下，却什么事情也没发生。
The relief was so great that Eustace almost laughed out loud. He began to feel as if he had fought and killed the dragon instead of merely seeing it die.He stepped over it and went to the pool for his drink，for the heat was getting unbearable.He was not surprised when he heard a peal of thunder.Almost immediately afterwards the sun disappeared and before he had finished his drink big drops of rain were falling.
尤斯塔斯终于放心了，差点笑出声来。他甚至开始幻想，自己不仅仅是亲眼看见这条龙死在自己面前，而是跟它打了一仗后，亲手杀掉了它。他跨过龙的一尸一体，想走到水塘边喝点水，这里实在太热了。伴随着一阵轰隆隆的雷声，太一陽一顿时消失了，还未等他喝完，大滴的雨点就落了下来。
The climate of this island was a very unpleasant one.In less than a minute Eustace was wet to the skin and half blinded with such rain as one never sees in Europe.There was no use trying to climb out of the valley as long as this lasted.He bolted for the only shelter in sight—the dragon’s ca一ve.There he lay down and tried to get his breath.
岛上的天气真是令人讨厌。不一会儿，尤斯塔斯浑身就一湿一透了， 什么也看不清楚了。在欧洲，他从未见过这样的大雨。如果这场大雨不停，他根本无法爬出山谷。他冲进龙的洞里避雨，然后就地躺下， 想缓缓气。
Most of us know what we should expect to find in a dragon’s lair，but，as I said before，Eustace had read only the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains，but they were weak on dragons.That is why he was so puzzled at the surface on which he was lying.Parts of it were too prickly to be stones and too hard to be thorns，and there seemed to be a great many round，flat things，and it all clinked when hemoved.There was light enough at the ca一ve’s mouth to examine it by.And of course Eustace found it to be what any of us could ha一ve told him in advance—treasure.There were crowns(those were the prickly things)，coins，rings，bracelets，ingots，cups，plates and gems.
大多数人都知道在龙洞里会看到什么，可是我说过的，尤斯塔斯只看过些不相干的书，书上都是关于进出口啦、行政啦、排水系统啦这一类事情，从没有涉及龙的一内一容。所以他躺下的时候，心想这里真是奇怪。有的地方硌人但不像石头，有些东西太硬却不像荆棘，看来似乎有一大堆又圆又扁的东西，他稍微一动，这些东西就咣当作响。洞一口的光线刚好可以让他看个清楚。不用说，尤斯塔斯看到的正是任何人都可以猜到的——财宝。这里还有好多王冠( 他身边那些扎人的东西)、钱币、戒指、手镯、金锭、酒杯、餐盘和宝石。
Eustace(unlike most boys)had never thought much of treasure but he saw at once the use it would be in this new world which he had so foolishly stumbled into through the picture in Lucy’s bedroom at home.“They don’t ha一ve any tax here，”he said，“and you don’t ha一ve to give treasure to the government.With some of this stuff I could ha一ve quite a decent time here—perhaps in Calormen. It sounds the least phoney of these countries.I wonder how much I can carry ?That bracelet now—those things in it are probably diamonds—I’ll slip that on my own wrist.Too big，but not if I push it right up here above my elbow.Then fill my pockets with diamonds—that’s easier than gold.I wonder when this infernal rain’s going to let up ?”He got into a less uncomfortable part of the pile，where it was mostly coins，and settled down to wait. But a bad fright，when once it is over，and especially a bad fright following a mountain walk，lea一ves you very tired.Eustace fell asleep.
尤斯塔斯并不像大多数孩子那样看重财富。可他很清楚，在这个他稀里糊涂地从露茜的卧房那幅画中闯进的这片新天地里，这笔财宝会大派用场。“这里不收税，”他说，“不用把财宝交给政一府。有了这些财宝，我在这儿——或者在卡乐门——都能来去自如了。这国名听上去比这里的其他国家都要真实。不知我能带走多少?那手镯——上面镶嵌的东西应该是钻石吧——我要把手镯戴在自己手腕上。有些太大了，没事，我可以把它戴在胳膊肘子上，就不显大了。我还可以在口袋里装满钻石——这可比装金子容易多了。就是不知道这令人讨厌的雨什么时候才能停?”他在一大堆财宝上找了个舒服的地方坐下来，这个地方堆着的大多是些钱币。不过，在遭受了一场不小的惊吓之后，受惊之后，特别又走了那么段山路，他感到很是疲惫。他竟然睡着了。
By the time he was sound asleep and snoring the others had finished dinner and became seriously alarmed about him.They shouted，“Eustace !Eustace !Coo-ee !”till they were hoarse and Caspian blew his horn.
在他沉沉地入睡时，其他人已经吃完饭，大家开始担心起他来。他们大声喊着，“尤斯塔斯!尤斯塔斯!喂!喂!喂!”喊得大家嗓子都哑了，凯斯宾甚至还吹起了号角。
“He’s nowhere near or he’d ha一ve heard that，”said Lucy with a white face.
“他应该不在附近，不然早听到我们在叫他了。”露茜脸都急白了。
“Confound the fellow，”said Edmund.“What on earth did he want to slink away like this for ?”
“该死的家伙，”一爱一德蒙说，“就这样偷偷溜走了，他到底想干什么?”
“But we must do something，”said Lucy.“He may ha一ve got lost，or fallen into a hole，or been captured by sa一vages.”
“我们必须想办法去找他，”露茜说，“他或许是迷路了，或许掉洞里去了，也有可能被野人抓走了。”
“Or killed by wild beasts，”said Drinian.
“也有可能是被野兽吃掉了。”德里宁说。
“And a good riddance if he has，I say，”muttered Rhince.
“我倒想，他要是被野兽吃了就好了。”赖因斯小声嘟囔着。
“Master Rhince，”said Reepicheep，“you never spoke a word that became you less.The creature is no friend of mine but he is of the Queen’s blood，and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honour to find him and to a一venge him if he is dead.”
“赖因斯先生，”雷佩契普说，“话不应该这样说。那个人虽然不是我们的朋友，但他是女王的亲戚。他是我们中的一员。找到他是我们的荣耀。如果他死了，我们就要为他报仇。”
“Of course we’ve got to find him(if we can)，”said Caspian wearily.“That’s the nuisance of it.It means a search party and endless trouble.Bother Eustace.”
“我们必须找到他 ( 假如真能找得到)，”凯斯宾有些无助地说， “可烦人的是，我们需要组织一支搜山队，这是相当麻烦的，该受罪的尤斯塔斯。”
Meanwhile Eustace slept and slept—and slept.What woke him was a pain in his arm.The moon was shining in at the mouth of the ca一ve，and the bed of treasures seemed to ha一ve grown much more comfortable：in fact he could hardly feel it at all.He was puzzled by the pain in his arm at first，but presently it occurred to him that the bracelet which he had shoved up above his elbow had become strangely tight.His arm must ha一ve swollen while he was asleep(it was his left arm).
此时的尤斯塔斯还在睡觉，一直睡到手臂发麻，才醒过来。月光从洞一口照了进来，躺在满地金银财宝上似乎是一件令人很享受的事，但事实上他一点都没感到舒服。一开始他觉得自己的手臂痛得莫名其妙，可是突然意识到他刚才捋到胳膊肘上的手镯变得出奇地紧， 才知道是自己睡着那会手臂肿了( 没错，是他的左臂)。
He moved his right arm in order to feel his left，but stopped before he had moved it an inch and bit his lip in terror.For just in front of him，and a little on his right，where the moonlight fell clear on the floor of the ca一ve，he saw a hideous shape moving.
他抬起右臂去一摸一左臂，可是刚挪动就停下来了，吓得直咬嘴唇。因为在他前面不远处的右边，月光把洞一口照得很清楚，他看见一个可怕的东西在移动。
He knew that shape：it was a dragon’s claw.It had moved as he moved his hand and became still when he stopped moving his hand.
他认出了那东西的形状：是龙爪!他动动手，它也动，他一停下来，它也不动了。
“Oh，what a fool I’ve been，”thought Eustace.“Of course， the brute had a mate and it’s lying beside me.”
“啊，我真糊涂!”尤斯塔斯心想，“肯定是那怪物有个伙伴， 现在正躺在我身边呢。”
For several minutes he did not dare to move a muscle.He saw two thin columns of smoke going up before his eyes，black against the moonlight;just as there had been smoke coming from the other dragon’s nose before it died.This was so alarming that he held his breath.The two columns of smoke vanished.When he could hold his breath no longer he let it out stealthily;instantly two jets of smoke appeared again.But even yet he had no idea of the truth.
他好一会儿都没敢动弹。然后，眼前冒起两缕细烟，借着月光， 他看到烟是黑一色一的，正如刚才那条龙临死前鼻子里喷一出来的烟一样。他吓得大气都不敢出。两缕烟就此消失了。他憋不了多久，一口气悄悄溜了出来，两道黑烟顿时又出现在眼前。不过直到现在，他仍然没明白是怎么回事。
Presently he decided that he would edge very cautiously to his left and try to creep out of the ca一ve.Perhaps the creature was asleep—and anyway it was his only chance.But of course before he edged to the left he looked to the left.Oh horror ! There was a dragon’s claw on that side too.
过了一会，他决定侧着身一子一摸一到左边，偷偷溜出洞去。如果这个怪物睡着了——这就是他唯一逃出去的机会。可还没等到他一摸一到左边， 他只是先朝左边看了一眼。天哪，真吓人!左边竟然也有一只龙爪。
No one will blame Eustace if at this moment he shed tears.He was surprised at the size of his own tears as he saw them splashing on to the treasure in front of him.They also seemed strangely hot;steam went up from them.
此刻，相信所有的人都不会怪尤斯塔斯哭鼻子了。他看到自己的眼泪落在面前的金银财宝上，那么大一滴，自己都觉得很吃惊。泪水是如此的烫，在金银财宝上冒着热气。
But there was no good crying.He must try to crawl out from between the two dragons.He began extending his right arm.The dragon’s fore—leg and claw on his right went through exactly the same motion.Then he thought he would try his left.The dragon limb on that side moved too.
哭解决不了任何问题，他必须想办法从两条龙中间爬出去。于是， 他伸开右臂，可恨的是，右边的龙与他的动作完全一样。于是他想， 不如试试左臂吧。可是，左边的龙与自己的动作竟然也是相同的。
Two dragons，one on each side，mimicking whatever he did ! His nerve broke and he simply made a bolt for it.
一边一条龙，不管他做什么，似乎它们都会模仿他的动作。他受不了了，马上跳起来逃了出去。
There was such a clatter and rasping，and clinking of gold， and grinding of stones，as he rushed out of the ca一ve that he thought they were both following him.He daren’t look back.He rushed to the pool.The twisted shape of the dead dragon lying in the moonlight would ha一ve been enough to frighten anyone but now he hardly noticed it.His idea was to get into the water.
当他冲出洞一口时，又听见叮叮当当、咔嚓咔嚓、金子锵锵、石头嘎吱的声音，他以为两条龙都在后面追着他。所以他压根不敢回头看，一口气冲到水塘边。月光下那条死去的龙的一尸一体扭曲狰狞，足以吓死任何人，可是这会儿尤斯塔斯没有注意到它。他只想赶紧走到水里去。
But just as he reached the edge of the pool two things happened. First of all，it came over him like a thunder-clap that he had been running on all fours—and why on earth had he been doing that ? And secondly，as he bent towards the water，he thought for a second that yet another dragon was staring up at him out of the pool. But in an instant he realized the truth.The dragon face in the pool was his own reflection.There was no doubt of it.It moved as he moved：it opened and shut its mouth as he opened and shut his.
当他走到水塘边的时候，发生了两件事。第一件简直是一个晴天霹雳，原来他一直在用四肢走路——他为什么会这样呢?第二件， 他趴在水塘边往水里看时发现有一只龙在盯着他。他很快就明白了。水里的龙是他的倒影，这是毋庸置疑的，因为他动，它也动，他张嘴， 它也张嘴，他合上嘴，它也合上嘴。
He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep.Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy，dragonish thoughts in his heart，he had become a dragon himself.
他睡着了，不知不觉竟变成了一条恶龙。因睡在龙窟里，心里带着骄奢、凶狠的念头，于是变成了一条恶龙。
That explained everything.There had been no two dragons beside him in the ca一ve.The claws to right and left had been his own right and left claw.The two columns of smoke had been coming from his own nostrils.As for the pain in his left arm(or what had been his left arm)he could now see what had happened by squinting with his left eye.The bracelet which had fitted very nicely on the upper arm of a boy was far too small for the thick， stumpy foreleg of a dragon.It had sunk deeply into his scaly fleshand there was a throbbing bulge on each side of it.He tore at the place with his dragon’s teeth but could not get it off.
事实摆在眼前，他的洞里没有两条龙，那两只龙爪只是他的左右手，那两缕轻烟是从他的鼻孔冒出来的。关于他左臂( 他以前的左臂) 的疼痛，现在他眯着左眼也看得出是怎么回事了。原来可以戴在孩子上臂的手镯，如今勒在龙的粗短的前肢上，显得实在是太小了。手镯深深陷入长着鳞片的肉里，把两边的肉勒得都鼓起来，扑扑直跳。他用牙去咬那里，也咬不掉。
In spite of the pain，his first feeling was one of relief.There was nothing to be afraid of any more.He was a terror himself now and nothing in the world but a knight(and not all of those)would dare to attack him.He could get even with Caspian and Edmund now—
尽管很痛，他首先想到的是终于可以放下心来，现在他什么都不用怕了。因为他自己就是恐怖的怪物，也许，除了骑士以外( 当然， 也并非所有的骑士都如此)，没人敢来攻击他。现在，他甚至可以去找凯斯宾和一爱一德蒙算账了。
But the moment he thought this he realized that he didn’t want to.He wanted to be friends.He wanted to get back among humans and talk and laugh and share things.He realized that he was a monster cut off from the whole human race.An appalling loneliness came over him.He began to see that the others had not really been fiends at all.He began to wonder if he himself had been such a nice person as he had always supposed.He longed for their voices.He would ha一ve been grateful for a kind word even from Reepicheep.
当他想到这些的时候，心里突然明白， 自己并不是要去报仇，而是需要朋友的帮助。他更想回到人类中去， 与大家交流与分享。如今，他变成了与世隔绝的怪物，巨大的孤独感油然而生。他甚至开始明白了，其他人并不是自己认为的恶魔，而他也不是自己所想象的好人。他希望能听到其他人的声音，哪怕是雷佩契普的一句好话，都可以让他感动至极。
When he thought of this the poor dragon that had been Eustace lifted up its voice and wept.A powerful dragon crying its eyes out under the moon in a deserted valley is a sight and a sound hardly to be imagined.
尤斯塔斯变成的龙是有多么可怜，想到这里他就放声痛哭了。一条彪悍的龙，在月光下荒凉的山谷中哭得死去活来，这情景和声音， 都太不可思议了。
At last he decided he would try to find his way back to the shore.He realized now that Caspian would never ha一ve sailed away and left him.And he felt sure that somehow or other he would be able to make people understand who he was.
最后他决定要想法找到回去的路，他也相信，凯斯宾不会把船开走，扔下他不管的。他相信自己也可以找到办法，让人们知道他是谁。
He took a long drink and then(I know this sounds shocking， but it isn’t if you think it over)he ate nearly all the dead dragon.He was half-way through it before he realized what he was doing; for，you see，though his mind was the mind of Eustace，his tastes and his digestion were dragonish.And there is nothing a dragon likes so well as fresh dragon.That is why you so seldom find more than one dragon in the same country.
喝饱了水之后，他把那条死龙吃了下去。( 这听上去很吓人，仔细想想，也没什么难以理解的。) 吃了一半，他才意识到自己在干什么。事实上，他的头脑还是尤斯塔斯的头脑，可是他的口味和消化能力却跟龙的一样。龙最喜欢吃新鲜的龙肉，所以你不可能在同一个地方找到两条龙。
Then he turned to climb out of the valley.He began the climb with a jump and as soon as he jumped he found that he was flying. He had quite forgotten about his wings and it was a great surprise to him—the first pleasant surprise he had had for a long time.He rose high into the air and saw innumerable mountain-tops spread out beneath him in the moonlight.He could see the bay like a silver slab and the Dawn Treader lying at anchor and camp fires twinkling in the woods beside the beach.From a great height he launched himself down towards them in a single glide.
他试图转身爬出山谷，可是刚准备爬，身一子一跃，却不自觉地飞了起来。他忘了自己有翅膀，这简直就是喜出望外的发现——他好久没有这样的惊喜了。然后他就飞上了天，看到月光下有无数的山顶。他看见一块银一色一的海湾，黎明踏一浪一号就在那里停泊着，海滩上的篝火闪闪发亮。他从高处停止滑翔，飞了下去。
Lucy was sleeping very soundly for she had sat up till the return of the search party in hope of good news about Eustace.It had been led by Caspian and had come back late and weary.Their news was disquieting.They had found no trace of Eustace but had seen a dead dragon in a valley.They tried to make the best of it and everyone assured everyone else that there were not likely to he more dragons about，and that one which was dead at about three o’clock that afternoon(which was when they had seen it)would hardly ha一ve been killing people a very few hours before.
露茜睡得很沉，她一直在等搜山队带来好消息，所以他们回来后，她才睡去。搜山队由凯斯宾亲自指挥，回来得很晚，都累坏了。他们带来的消息令人恐惧。他们没有找到尤斯塔斯，却在一个山谷里看到了一条死龙。他们尽力寻找，再也找不到别的龙了。那条龙应该是在下午三点左右死的，( 他们看见它的时候) 看上去不太可能在几个小时前吃过人。
“Unless it ate the little brat and died of him：he’d poison anything，”said Rhince.But he said this under his breath and no one heard it.
“除非是吃了那个讨厌鬼才死的，他可以毒死任何东西。”赖因斯说，他声音压得很低，低得只有自己能听见。
But later in the night Lucy was wakened，very softly，and found the whole company gathered close together and talking in whispers.
之后露茜在夜里被人叫醒，然后看见所有人都聚在一起说悄悄话。
“What is it ?”said Lucy.
“这是怎么了?”露茜问。
“We must all show great constancy，”Caspian was saying.“A dragon has just flown over the tree-tops and lighted on the beach. Yes，I am afraid it is between us and the ship.And arrows are no use against dragons.And they’re not at all afraid of fire.”
“我们大家必须齐心协力，”凯斯宾那时候正在讲，“刚才一条龙飞过树梢，现在降落在海滩上。是的，可能现在就停在我们和船之间。箭对付不了龙，而且它不怕火。”
“With your Majesty’s lea一ve—”began Reepicheep.
“如果陛下恩准的话……”雷佩契普先开口。
“No，Reepicheep，”said the King very firmly，“you are not to attempt a single combat with it.And unless you promise to obey me in this matter I’ll ha一ve you tied up.We must just keep close watch and，as soon as it is light，go down to the beach and give it battle.I will lead.King Edmund will be on my right and the Lord Drinian on my left.There are no other arrangements to be made. It will be light in a couple of hours.In an hour’s time let a meal be served out and what is left of the wine.And let everything be done silently.”
“不，雷佩契普，”国王非常坚决地说，“你不能单独跟它决斗。如果你不听，我就把你绑起来。我们只需密切监视它，等天亮之后到海湾去跟它开战。我带头，一爱一德蒙国王在我右边，德里宁公爵在我左边。不要节外生枝，再过一两个小时天就要亮了。我们在这一小时一内一先吃饭，把剩下的酒端来。还有，做任何事情都得悄悄地。”
“Perhaps it will go away，”said Lucy.
“或许它会自己走啊。”露茜说。
“It’ll be worse if it does，”said Edmund，“because then we shan’t know where it is.If there’s a wasp in the room I like to be able to see it.”
“要是它自己走了就糟了，”一爱一德蒙说，“如果那样的话我们就不知道它在哪儿，我们要知己知彼。”
The rest of the night was dreadful，and when the meal came， though they knew they ought to eat，many found that they had very poor appetites.And endless hours seemed to pass before the darkness thinned and birds began chirping here and there and the world got colder and wetter than it had been all night and Caspian said，“Now for it，friends.”
那天夜里的最后两个小时实在难熬。吃饭的时候，大家都知道自己应该多吃一点，可是都没胃口。那简直是度日如年。终于等到天空泛着鱼肚白，小鸟开始叽叽喳喳，周围显得比夜里还寂静还清冷。凯斯宾说：“朋友们，咱们行动吧。”
They got up，all with swords drawn，and formed themselves into a solid mass with Lucy in the middle and Reepicheep on her shoulder.It was nicer than the waiting about and everyone felt fonder of everyone else than at ordinary times.A moment later they were marching.It grew lighter as they came to the edge of the wood.And there on the sand，like a giant lizard，or a flexible crocodile，or a serpent with legs，huge and horrible and humpy， lay the dragon.
他们一拥而上，个个刀剑出鞘，紧紧围成一一团一，露茜居中，雷佩契普骑在她肩上。总比坐以待毙强，人人都觉得大家比平时更可亲。然后他们向前推进，来到林子边上，天更亮了。沙地上就躺着那条龙， 像条大蜥蜴，又像一条肢一体柔软的鳄鱼，或是像一条长着四条一腿一的大蟒蛇。那个庞然大物外形可怕，背部隆一起。
But when it saw them，instead of rising up and blowing fire and smoke，the dragon retreated—you could almost say it waddled—back into the shallows of the bay.
可是那条龙不但没有起身喷火，却后退了几步——简直是摇摇晃晃地缩回浅滩去了。
“What’s it wagging its head like that for ?”said Edmund.
“它为什么会摇头?”一爱一德蒙问。
“And now it’s nodding，”said Caspian.
“它现在在点头。”凯斯宾说。
“And there’s something coming from its eyes，”said Drinian.
“什么东西从它眼睛里流一出来了。”德里宁说。
“Oh，can’t you see，”said Lucy.“It’s crying.Those are tears.”
“啊，你们没发现吗?”露茜说，“它哭了，流下眼泪了。”
“I shouldn’t trust to that，Ma’am，”said Drinian.“That’s what crocodiles do，to put you off your guard.”
“我绝不相信它，女王陛下，”德里宁说，“鳄鱼的眼泪就是为了消除别人的防备之心的。”
“It wagged its head when you said that，”remarked Edmund.“Just as if it meant No.Look，there it goes again.”
“它听了你的话在摇头呢，”一爱一德蒙说，“意思好像在说不是那样的。瞧，它又摇头了。”
“Do you think it understands what we’re saying ?”asked Lucy.
“你觉得它听得懂我们的话?”露茜说。
The dragon nodded its head violently.
龙使劲地点头。
Reepicheep slipped off Lucy’s shoulder and stepped to the front.
雷佩契普从露茜肩头滑一下来，站到前面。
“Dragon，”came his shrill voice，“can you understand speech ?”
“龙啊龙，”它的声音有些尖，“你听得懂他们的话吗?”
The dragon nodded.
龙点了点头。
“Can you speak ?”
“你会说话吗?”
It shook its head.
它又摇头。
“Then，”said Reepicheep，“it is idle to ask you your business. But if you will swear friendship with us raise your left foreleg above your head.”
“这么说，”雷佩契普说，“看来问你也是白费口舌。不过， 你愿意和我们做朋友，就举起左前一腿一。”
It did so，but clumsily because that leg was sore and swollen with the golden bracelet.
龙照做了，可动作很是笨拙。一腿一上勒着金镯，让一腿一变得又痛又肿。
“Oh look，”said Lucy，“there’s something wrong with its leg. The poor thing—that’s probably what it was crying about.Perhaps it came to us to be cured like in Androcles and the lion.”
“看吧，”露茜说，“它的一腿一受伤了。它真可怜，它大概是因为这个才痛哭吧。也许它是正在向我们求助。就像那次在安德罗格尔斯，那头狮子的求助方式。”
“Be careful，Lucy，”said Caspian.“It’s a very clever dragon but it may be a liar.”
“小心啊，露茜，”凯斯宾说，“这条龙聪明过人，也许它是在骗人呢。”
Lucy had，however，already run forward，followed by Reepicheep，as fast as his short legs could carry him，and then of course the boys and Drinian came too.
露茜却早已跑上前去，雷佩契普也撒开两条短一腿一紧紧跟了上去， 几个小伙子和德里宁也跟在后面。
“Show me your poor paw，”said Lucy，“I might be able to cure it.”
“可怜的家伙，伸出来爪子给我看看，”露茜说，“或许我能把你治好。”
The dragon-that-had-been-Eustace held out its sore leg gladly enough，remembering how Lucy’s cordial had cured him of sea-sickness before he became a dragon.But he was disappointed. The magic fluid reduced the swelling and eased the pain a little but it could not dissolve the gold.
尤斯塔斯变的那条龙，喜出望外地伸出了受伤的一腿一。他心中依旧记得没变成龙时，露茜治好了他晕船的一毛一病。令他失望的是，魔法一药一水只能消肿止痛，却化不掉金镯。
Everyone had now crowded round to watch the treatment， and Caspian suddenly exclaimed，“Look !”He was staring at the bracelet.
大家围在一起，看她给龙治伤，凯斯宾大叫道：“瞧!”他紧紧盯着那只金镯。
