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第3章

THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER-第3章

小说: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER 字数: 每页3500字

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answered the king。 〃it couldnt be better。 theres no trouble at all now  between telmarines; dwarfs; talking beasts; fauns and the rest。 and we gave those  troublesome giants on the frontier such a good beating last summer that they pay us  tribute now。 and i had an excellent person to leave as regent while im away trumpkin; the  dwarf。 you remember him?”

〃dear trumpkin;〃 said lucy; 〃of course i do。 you couldnt have made a  better choice。”

〃loyal as a badger; maam; and valiant as … as a mouse;〃 said drinian。 he  had been going to say 〃as a lion〃 but had noticed reepicheeps eyes fixed on him。

〃and where are we heading for?〃 asked edmund。

〃well;〃 said caspian; 〃thats rather a long story。 perhaps you remember  that when i was a child my usurping uncle miraz got rid of seven friends of my fathers (who  might have taken my part) by sending them off to explore the unknown ; eastern seas  beyond the lone islands。”

〃yes;〃 said lucy; 〃and none of them ever came back。”

〃right。 well; on; my coronation day; with aslans approval; i swore an oath  that; if once i established peace in narnia; i would sail east myself for a year and a day  to find my fathers friends or to learn of their deaths and avenge them if i could。  these were their names … the lord revilian; the lord bern; the lord argoz; the lord  mavramorn; the lord octesian; the lord restimar; and … oh; that other one whos so hard to  remember。”

〃the lord rhoop; sire;〃 said drinian。

〃rhoop; rhoop; of course;〃 said caspian。 〃that is my main intention。 but  reepicheep here has an even higher hope。〃 everyones eyes turned to the mouse。

〃as high as my spirit;〃 it said。 〃though perhaps as small as my stature。  why should we not e to the very eastern end of the world? and what might we find  there? i expect to find aslans own country。 it is always from the east; across the sea; that  the great lion es to us。”

〃i say; that is an idea;〃 said edmund in an awed voice。

〃but do you think;〃 said lucy; 〃aslans country would be that sort of  country … i mean; the sort you could ever sail to?”

〃i do not know; madam;〃 said reepicheep。 〃but there is this。 when i was in  my cradle; a wood woman; a dryad; spoke this verse over me:  〃where sky and water meet; where the waves grow sweet; doubt not;  reepicheep; to find all you seek; there is the utter east。

〃i do not know what it means。 but the spell of it has been on me all my  life。”

after a short silence lucy asked; 〃and where are we now; caspian?”

〃the captain can tell you better than i;〃 said caspian; so drinian got out  his chart and spread it on the table。

〃thats our position;〃 he said; laying his finger on it。 〃or was at noon  today。 we had a fair wind from cair paravel and stood a little north for galma; which we  made on the next day。 we were in port for a week; for the duke of galma made a great  tournament for his majesty and there he unhorsed many knights…”

〃and got a few nasty falls myself; drinian。 some of the bruises are there  still;〃 put in caspian。

〃… and unhorsed many knights;〃 repeated drinian with a grin。 〃we thought  the duke would have been pleased if the kings majesty would have married his  daughter; but nothing came of that…”

〃squints; and has freckles;〃 said caspian。

〃oh; poor girl;〃 said lucy。

〃and we sailed from galma;〃 continued drinian; 〃and ran into a calm for the  best part of two days and had to row; and then had wind again and did not make  terebinthia till the fourth day from galma。 and there their king sent out a warning not to land  for there was sickness in terebinthia; but we doubled the cape and put in at a little  creek far from the city and watered。 then we had to lie off for three days before we got a  south…east wind and stood out for seven isles。 the third day out a pirate (terebinthian by  her rig)

overhauled us; but when she saw us well armed she stood off after some  shooting of arrows on either part …”

〃and we ought to have given her chase and boarded her and hanged every  mothers son of them;〃 said reepicheep。

〃… and in five days more we were insight of muil; which; as you know; is  the westernmost of the seven isles。 then we rowed through the straits and came  about sundown into redhaven on the isle of brenn; where we were very lovingly  feasted and had victuals and water at will。 we left redhaven six days ago and have made marvellously good speed; so that i hope to see the lone islands the day  after tomorrow。

the sum is; we are now nearly thirty days at sea and have sailed more than  four hundred leagues from narnia。”

〃and after the lone islands?〃 said lucy。

〃no one knows; your majesty;〃 answered drinian。 〃unless the lone islanders  themselves can tell us。”

〃they couldnt in our days;〃 said edmund。

〃then;〃 said reepicheep; 〃it is after the lone islands that the adventure  really begins。”

caspian now suggested that they might like to be shown over the ship before  supper; but lucys conscience smote her and she said; 〃i think i really must go and see  eustace。

seasickness is horrid; you know。 if i had my old cordial with me i could  cure him。”

〃but you have;〃 said caspian。 〃id quite forgotten about it。 as you left it  behind i thought it might be regarded as one of the royal treasures and so i brought it … if  you think it ought to be wasted on a thing like seasickness。”

〃itll only take a drop;〃 said lucy。

caspian opened one of the lockers beneath the bench and brought out the  beautiful little diamond flask which lucy remembered so well。 〃take back your own; queen;〃  he said。

they then left the cabin and went out into the sunshine。

in the deck there were two large; long hatches; fore and aft of the mast;  and both open; as they always were in fair weather; to let light and air into the belly of  the ship。 caspian led them down a ladder into the after hatch。 here they found themselves in a  place where benches for rowing ran from side to side and the light came in through the  oarholes and danced on the roof。 of course caspians ship was not that horrible thing; a  galley rowed by slaves。 oars were used only when wind failed or for getting in and out  of harbour and everyone (except reepicheep whose legs were too short) had often taken a  turn。 at each side of the ship the space under the benches was left clear for the rowers  feet; but all down the centre there was a kind of pit which went down to the very keel  and this was filled with all kinds of things … sacks of flour; casks of water and beer;  barrels of pork; jars of honey; skin bottles of wine; apples; nuts; cheeses; biscuits;  turnips; sides of bacon。

from the roof … that is; from the under side of the deck … hung hams and  strings of onions; and also the men of the watch offduty in their hammocks。 caspian led them  aft; stepping from bench to bench; at least; it was stepping for him; and something  between a step and a jump for lucy; and a real long jump for reepicheep。 in this way they came  to a partition with a door in it。 caspian opened the door and led them into a  cabin which filled the stern underneath the deck cabins in the poop。 it was of course not so  nice。 it was very low and the sides sloped together as they went down so that there was  hardly any floor; and though it had windows of thick glass; they were not made to open  because they were under water。 in fact at this very moment; as the ship pitched they were  alternately golden with sunlight and dim green with the sea。

〃you and i must lodge here; edmund;〃 said caspian。 〃well leave your  kinsman the bunk and sling hammocks for ourselves。”

〃i beseech your majesty…〃 said drinian。

〃no; no shipmate;〃 said caspian; 〃we have argued all that out already。 you  and rhince”

(rhince was the mate) 〃are sailing the ship and will have cares and labours  many a night when we are singing catches or telling stories; so you and he must have the  port cabin above。 king edmund and i can lie very snug here below。 but how is the  stranger?”

eustace; very green in the face; scowled and asked whether there was any  sign of the storm getting less。 but caspian said; 〃what storm?〃 and drinian burst out  laughing。

〃storm; young master!〃 he roared。 〃this is as fair weather as a man could  ask for。”

〃whos that?〃 said eustace irritably。 〃send him away。 his voice goes  through my head。”

〃ive brought you something that will make you feel better; eustace;〃 said  lucy。

〃oh; go away and leave me alone;〃 growled eustace。 but he took a drop from  her flask; and though he said it was beastly stuff (the smell in the cabin when she  opened it was delicious) it is certain that his face came the right colour a few moments  after he had swallowed it; and he must have felt better because; instead of wailing  about the storm and  

his head; he began demanding to be put ashore and said that at the first  port he would 〃lodge a disposition〃 against them all with the british consul。 but when  reepicheep asked what a disposition was and how you lodged it (reepicheep thought it  was some new way of arranging a single bat) eustace could only reply; 〃fancy not  knowing that。〃 in the end they succeeded in convincing eustace that they were  already sailing as fast as they could toward

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