英文
CHAPTER 14 THE TRIUMPH OF THE WITCH
As soon as the Witch had gone Aslan said,“We must move from this place at once, it will be wanted for other purposes. We shall encamp tonight at the Fords of Beruna.
Of course everyone was dying to ask him how he had arranged matters with the Witch;but his face was stern and everyone's ears were still ringing with the sound of his roar and so nobody dared.
After a meal, which was taken in the open air on the hill-top（for the sun had got strong by now and dried the grass），they were busy for a while taking the pavilion down and packing things up. Before two o'clock they were on the march and set off in a north-easterly direction, walking at an easy pace, for they had not far to go.
During the frst part of the journey Aslan explained to Peter his plan of campaign.“As soon as she has fnished her business in these parts,”he said,“the Witch and her crew will almost certainly fall back to her House and prepare for a siege. You may or may not be able to cut her off and prevent her from reaching it.”He then went on to outline two plans of battle—one for fghting the Witch and her people in the wood and another for assaulting her castle.And all the time he was advising Peter how to conduct the operations, saying things like,“You must put your Centaurs in such and such a place”or“You must post scouts to see that she doesn't do so-and-so,”till at last Peter said,
“But you will be there yourself, Aslan.”
“I can give you no promise of that,”answered the Lion. And he continued giving Peter his instructions.
For the last part of the journey it was Susan and Lucy who saw most of him. He did not talk very much and seemed to them to be sad.
It was still afternoon when they came down to a place where the river valley had widened out and the river was broad and shallow. This was the Fords of Beruna and Aslan gave orders to halt on this side of the water.But Peter said,
“Wouldn't it be better to camp on the far side—for fear she should try a night attack or anything?”
Aslan, who seemed to have been thinking about something else, roused himself with a shake of his magnificent mane and said,“Eh?What's that?”Peter said it all over again.
“No,”said Aslan in a dull voice, as if it didn't matter.“No. She will not make an attack tonight.”And then he sighed deeply.But presently he added,“All the same it was well thought of.That is how a soldier ought to think.But it doesn't really matter.”So they proceeded to pitch their camp.
Aslan's mood affected everyone that evening. Peter was feeling uncomfortable too at the idea of fghting the battle on his own;the news that Aslan might not be there had come as a great shock to him.Supper that evening was a quiet meal.Everyone felt how different it had been the previous night or even that morning.It was as if the good times, having just begun, were already drawing to their end.
This feeling affected Susan so much that she couldn't get to sleep when she went to bed. And after she had lain counting sheep and turning over and over she heard Lucy give a long sigh and turn over just beside her in the darkness.
“Can't you get to sleep either?”said Susan.
“No,”said Lucy.“I thought you were asleep. I say, Susan!”
“What?”
“I've a most horrible feeling—as if something were hanging over us.”
“Have you?Because, as a matter of fact, so have I.”
“Something about Aslan,”said Lucy.“Either some dreadful thing is going to happen to him, or something dreadful that he's going to do.”
“There's been something wrong with him all afternoon,”said Susan.“Lucy!What was that he said about not being with us at the battle?You don't think he could be stealing away and leaving us tonight, do you?”
“Where is he now?”said Lucy.“Is he here in the pavilion?”
“I don't think so.”
“Susan!let's go outside and have a look round. We might see him.”
“All right. Let's,”said Susan;“we might just as well be doing that as lying awake here.”
Very quietly the two girls groped their way among the other sleepers and crept out of the tent. The moonlight was bright and everything was quite still except for the noise of the river chattering over the stones.Then Susan suddenly caught Lucy's arm and said,“Look!”On the far side of the camping ground, just where the trees began, they saw the Lion slowly walking away from them into the wood.Without a word they both followed him.
He led them up the steep slope out of the river valley and then slightly to the right—apparently by the very same route which they had used that afternoon in coming from the Hill of the Stone Table. On and on he led them, into dark shadows and out into pale moonlight, getting their feet wet with the heavy dew.He looked somehow different from the Aslan they knew.His tail and his head hung low and he walked slowly as if he were very, very tired.Then, when they were crossing a wide open place where there where no shadows for them to hide in, he stopped and lookedround.It was no good trying to run away so they came towards him.When they were closer he said,
“Oh, children, children, why are you following me?”
“We couldn't sleep,”said Lucy—and then felt sure that she need say no more and that Aslan knew all they had been thinking.
“Please, may we come with you—wherever you're going?”asked Susan.
“Well—”said Aslan, and seemed to be thinking. Then he said,“I should be glad of company tonight.Yes, you may come, if you will promise to stop when I tell you, and after that leave me to go on alone.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you. And we will,”said the two girls.
Forward they went again and one of the girls walked on each side of the Lion. But how slowly he walked!And his great, royal head drooped so that his nose nearly touched the grass.Presently he stumbled and gave a low moan.
“Aslan!Dear Aslan!”said Lucy,“what is wrong?Can't you tell us?”
“Are you ill, dear Aslan?”asked Susan.
“No,”said Aslan.“I am sad and lonely. Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that.”
And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission, but what they had longed to do ever since they frst saw him—buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and, so doing, walked with him. And presently they saw that they were going with him up the slope of the hill on which the Stone Table stood.They went up at the side where the trees came furthest up, and when they got to the last tree（it was one that had some bushes about it）Aslan stopped and said,
“Oh, children, children. Here you must stop.And whatever happens, do not let yourselves be seen.Farewell.”
And both the girls cried bitterly（though they hardly knew why）and clung to the Lion and kissed his mane and his nose and his paws and his great, sad eyes. Then he turned from them and walked out on to the top of the hill.And Lucy and Susan, crouching in the bushes, looked after him, and this is what they saw.
A great crowd of people were standing all round the Stone Table and though the moon was shining many of them carried torches which burned with evil-looking red flames and black smoke. But such people!Ogres with monstrous teeth, and wolves, and bull-headed men;spirits of evil trees and poisonous plants;and other creatures whom I won't describe because if I did the grown-ups would probably not let you read this book—Cruels and Hags and Incubuses, Wraiths, Horrors, Efreets, Sprites, Orknies, Wooses, and Ettins.In fact here were all those who were on the Witch's side and whom the Wolf had summoned at her command.And right in the middle, standing by the Table, was the Witch herself.
A howl and a gibber of dismay went up from the creatures when they frst saw the great Lion pacing towards them, and for a moment even the Witch seemed to be struck with fear. Then she recovered herself and gave a wild ferce laugh.
“The fool!”she cried.“The fool has come. Bind him fast.”
Lucy and Susan held their breaths waiting for Aslan's roar and his spring upon his enemies. But it never came.Four Hags, grinning and leering, yet also（at frst）hanging back and half afraid of what they had to do, had approached him.“Bind him, I say!”repeated the White Witch.The Hags made a dart at him and shrieked with triumph when they found that he made no resistance at all.Then others—evil dwarfs and apes—rushed in to help them, and between them they rolled the huge Lion over on his back and tied all his four paws together, shouting and cheering as if they had done something brave, though, had the Lion chosen, one ofthose paws could have been the death of them all.But he made no noise, even when the enemies, straining and tugging, pulled the cords so tight that they cut into his fesh.Then they began to drag him towards the Stone Table.
“Stop!”said the Witch.“Let him frst be shaved.”
Another roar of mean laughter went up from her followers as an ogre with a pair of shears came forward and squatted down by Aslan's head. Snip-snip-snip went the shears and masses of curling gold began to fall to the ground.Then the ogre stood back and the children, watching from their hiding-place, could see the face of Aslan looking all small and different without its mane.The enemies also saw the difference.
“Why, he's only a great cat after all!”cried one.
“Isthat what we were afraid of?”said another.
And they surged round Aslan, jeering at him, saying things like,“Puss, Puss!Poor Pussy,”and,“How many mice have you caught today, Cat?”and,“Would you like a saucer of milk, Pussums?”
“Oh, how can they?”said Lucy, tears streaming down her cheeks.“The brutes, the brutes!”For now that the frst shock was over, the shorn face of Aslan looked to her braver, and more beautiful, and more patient than ever.
“Muzzle him!”said the Witch. And even now, as they worked about his face putting on the muzzle, one bite from his jaws would have cost two or three of them their hands.But he never moved.And this seemed to enrage all that rabble.Everyone was at him now.Those who had been afraid to come near him even after he was bound began to find their courage, and for a few minutes the two girls could not even see him—so thickly was he surrounded by the whole crowd of creatures kicking him, hitting him, spitting on him, jeering at him.
At last the rabble had had enough of this. They began to drag thebound and muzzled Lion to the Stone Table, some pulling and some pushing.He was so huge that even when they got him there it took all their efforts to hoist him on to the surface of it.Then there was more tying and tightening of cords.
“The cowards!The cowards!”sobbed Susan.“Are theystill afraid of him, even now?”
When once Aslan had been tied（and tied so that he was really a mass of cords）on the fat stone, a hush fell on the crowd. Four Hags, holding four torches, stood at the corners of the Table.The Witch bared her arms as she had bared them the previous night when it had been Edmund instead of Aslan.Then she began to whet her knife.It looked to the children, when the gleam of the torchlight fell on it, as if the knife were made of stone, not of steel, and it was of a strange and evil shape.
As last she drew near. She stood by Aslan's head.Her face was working and twitching with passion, but his looked up at the sky, still quiet, neither angry nor afraid, but a little sad.Then, just before she gave the blow, she stooped down and said in a quivering voice,
“And now, who has won?Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor?Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well?And who will take him out of my handthen?Understand that you have given me Narnia for ever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his.In that knowledge, despair and die.”
The children did not see the actual moment of the killing. They couldn't bear to look and had covered their eyes.
中文
第十四章 女巫的胜利
女巫一走，阿斯兰就说：“我们必须立刻从这个地方撤离，这里会被派上其他用场。我们今晚要在贝鲁纳浅滩处扎营。”
不用说，大家都特别想问他和女巫之间的谈论结果如何，可是阿斯兰一脸严肃，每个人耳朵里都还回响着他的咆哮声，谁也不敢开口问。
大家吃完饭，在山顶露天下吃的（因为此刻阳光已经很强烈，把草地都晒蔫了），就开始忙着拆卸帐篷，打包东西。还没到两点，大家就已经出发往东北方向行进。因为目的地并不远，所以大家步伐平缓。
旅途刚开始，阿斯兰就向彼得解释他的作战计划。“一旦女巫办完这边的事情，”他说，“几乎可以确定她会带着手下回到她的宫殿，并在那里准备围攻我们。你可以截住她，不让她回去，不过你也可能失败。”他继续构思两场作战计划，一场是在森林中对战女巫及其手下；另一场是攻打她的城堡。他一直在指导彼得如何作战，说着“你必须把半人马安排在某某地方”或是“你必须派侦察兵去，不让女巫做某某事”，最后彼得说：
“但是，阿斯兰，到时你也会在那里吧。”
“这个我不做任何保证。”狮子说完，继续给彼得讲解作战步骤。
到旅途后半段，见阿斯兰最多的就是苏珊和露西了。阿斯兰不怎么说话，她们觉得他看起来有点儿悲伤。
还是下午的时候，大家来到一个地方，那里河谷豁然开阔，河面宽广，但河水较浅，这就是贝鲁纳浅滩。阿斯兰下令在岸边停下，但彼得说：
“在对岸扎营不是更好——恐怕她晚上会来偷袭之类？”
阿斯兰仿佛在思考其他事情，回过神来抖了抖华丽的鬃毛，说：“啊？你说什么？”彼得又重复了一次。
“不，”阿斯兰说，语气低沉，似乎这无关紧要，“不，她今晚不会袭击我们。”说完深深地叹了口气，但是旋即又补充道：“想得如此周到是好事，作为一名士兵，就应该这么想，不过在哪边扎营没有差别。”于是大家就在那里扎营。
那一晚，阿斯兰的心情影响了每一个人。一想到自己将单独作战，彼得就觉得很不踏实，对他来说，阿斯兰可能不在场的消息是一个不小的打击。晚饭大家吃得很安静，所有人都觉察到一切与昨晚不同，甚至和当天早上都不一样，就好像好日子刚刚开始就已经迫近尾声了。
苏珊被这种感觉深深地影响了，她上床睡觉，但根本没有任何睡意。她躺在那里数绵羊，不停地翻来覆去。她听见躺在旁边的露西长长地叹了一口气，在黑暗中翻了个身。
“你也睡不着吗？”苏珊说。
“对啊，”露西说，“我以为你都睡着啦！嘿，苏珊。”
“怎么了？”
“我有一种可怕的感觉——好像有什么大事要发生。”
“你有这样的感觉吗？因为，说真的，我也有这种感觉。”
“与阿斯兰有关，”露西说，“要么是有可怕的事情要发生在他头上；要么就是他要做可怕的事情。”
“整个下午，他都不大对劲，”苏珊说，“露西！他说不和我们一起作战是什么意思啊？你觉得呢？他会不会今晚就要离开我们，偷偷溜走了呢？”
“现在他在哪里？”露西问，“他在帐篷里吗？”
“我觉得不在。”
“苏珊！我们出去看看吧，也许能看见他。”
“好的，走吧，”苏珊说，“反正躺在这里也睡不着，还不如出去看看呢。”
两个女孩蹑手蹑脚，静悄悄地从熟睡的人群中摸索出去，来到帐篷外。月光亮堂堂的，除了河水冲刷石头的声音，四下寂静无声。突然，苏珊抓住露西的胳膊，说：“看！”她们看见在营地另一边，就在树木开始出现的地方，狮子正慢慢远离营地，往树林中走去。两人二话不说，跟了上去。
他带着她俩爬上陡峭的斜坡，走出河谷，然后微微偏向右走——显然这是大家下午从石桌山下来所走的那条路，路线一模一样。他带着她俩走啊走，走进黑暗的阴影里，走到灰白的月光下，走到双脚被浓浓的露水沾湿。他看起来跟她们所认识的阿斯兰不太一样。他的尾巴低垂，头也低了下去，走得很慢，仿佛十分疲惫。接着，狮子来到一块空阔的空地停下来，然后环视四周。那里没有阴影供她俩藏身，往后逃走也显得没有必要，于是两人向狮子走了过去。等她俩走得更近一点儿，他才开口说：
“唉！孩子们啊！孩子们啊！你们为什么要跟着我呢？”
“我们睡不着。”露西说了这一句就没继续往下说了——她深信自己不必再多说，阿斯兰知道她们在想什么。
“请问，我们能跟着你吗——无论你去哪里？”苏珊问。
“这个——”阿斯兰顿了一下，好像是在思考，然后说，“今晚能有人陪伴，我应该感到高兴。嗯，你们可以跟着我，但是必须答应我，我叫你们停下就要停下来，然后让我自己一个人走。”
“哦！谢谢，谢谢！我们答应你。”两个女孩说。
他们又上路了，狮子走在中间，两个女孩站在两边。可是，他走得多么缓慢啊！那高贵而威武的脑袋垂得那么低，以至于鼻子都快碰到草地了。后来他走着走着，打了个趔趄，发出一声低沉的呻吟。
“阿斯兰！亲爱的阿斯兰！”露西说，“你怎么了？难道你不能告诉我们吗？”
“亲爱的阿斯兰，你是不是生病了？”苏珊问。
“不是，”阿斯兰说，“我只是很悲伤，很孤独。把你们的手放在我的鬃毛上吧，这样我就能感觉到你们的存在，我们就这样继续走吧。”
自她们第一眼见到阿斯兰，就想摸摸他的鬃毛，只是没有他的允许，她们永远也不敢，今天终于如愿以偿。两个女孩把冰冷的手埋进那一片美丽如海的鬃毛里，轻轻抚摸着，就这样继续和阿斯兰往前走。过了一会儿，她们发现自己正随着阿斯兰往放置石桌的山坡走。他们往上爬，来到树林边缘，等走到最后一棵树旁（那棵树周围是灌木丛），阿斯兰停住脚步，他说：
“好了，孩子们，孩子们。到这里，你们必须停下来了。无论发生什么，都不要让人发现你们。永别了！”
两个孩子哭得很伤心（虽然她们几乎不知道是什么原因），她们抱着狮子，亲他的鬃毛、鼻子、爪子和那威武、悲伤的眼睛。然后他转身离开，往山顶走去。露西和苏珊蜷伏在灌木丛里，眼睛一直盯着他。这就是她们看见的一切——
一大波人聚集在石桌周围。虽然月光明亮，仍有许多人举着火把，邪恶的红火苗熊熊燃烧，冒着黑色的烟。那都是怎样的人啊！长着丑陋牙齿的食人魔、饿狼、牛头怪、邪恶的树精、毒植物精，以及其他一些生物，我就不一一描述了，不然大人们可能就不会让你看这本书了，它们有：冷面怪、巫婆、梦淫妖、幽灵、阴魂、火魔、妖精、地妖、小鬼和双头怪。事实上，凡是站在白女巫那边的，以及狼奉命召集来的人都站在这里，他们中央挨着石桌站立的正是女巫。
那群生物看见威猛的狮子向它们迈步走来，刚开始一片恐慌，发出一阵嗡嗡的嚎叫，就连女巫也一时心生恐惧。但随后她就恢复镇定，哈哈狂笑起来。
“是那个笨蛋！”她大声说，“那个笨蛋来了。赶紧把他捆起来。”
露西和苏珊屏住呼吸，等待阿斯兰咆哮，等待阿斯兰扑向那群敌人，然而这一切都没有发生。四个巫婆龇牙咧嘴、斜眼瞪着阿斯兰，一步步靠近，但（一开始）又犹豫不前，十分害怕。“喂！把他绑起来！”女巫重复说。巫婆们发现狮子完全不反抗，便猛冲到他面前，发出胜利的尖叫。其他人——邪恶的小矮人和猿猴——也冲过去帮忙。它们把狮子推倒在地，把他四只爪子绑在一起。它们欢呼着、喊叫着，似乎完成了一件多么勇敢的事。然而，殊不知，只要狮子愿意，一只爪子就可以要了这群乌合之众的性命。可他一声不吭，甚至当敌人又扯又拉，把绳索勒进他肉里时，他也一言不发。接着他们开始把他往石桌拖去。
“停！”女巫说，“先把他的鬃毛剪掉！”
一只食人魔拿着大剪刀走上来，蹲在阿斯兰脑袋边上，女巫的手下爆发出一阵讥笑。随着大剪刀咔嚓咔嚓咔嚓，阿斯兰那浓密、金黄、鬈曲的鬃毛一一落在地上。剪毕，食人魔后退站立。两个孩子藏在灌木丛里，她们从远处能看见阿斯兰的脸，没了鬃毛，那张脸显得那么小，与先前完全不同。敌人也发现了这一变化。
“嗨！不过是只大猫而已！”其中一个说。
“我们害怕的竟然是这家伙？”另一个说。
接着它们都冲上去，围住阿斯兰，一边发出鄙夷的笑声，一边说着“小猫！小猫！可怜的猫咪！”或是“猫儿，你今天抓了多少只老鼠啊？”或是“猫咪呀，要不要来点儿牛奶？”
“天啊！它们怎么能这样？”露西说着眼泪顺着脸颊流了下来。“畜生！一群畜生！”这个时候，最初的震惊已经过去，阿斯兰虽被剪掉鬃毛，但在露西看来，他的脸显得更加勇敢，更加美丽，比以往更有耐心。
“套住他的嘴！”女巫发话。一行喽啰上前，给他套嘴套，即使这个时候，只要阿斯兰张张嘴，就能咬掉两三个喽啰的手，但他全然不动。他的安静似乎是一种挑衅，那群乌合之众被激怒了，每一个都上前欺辱他，那些之前害怕他，甚至当他被绑住也不敢上前的家伙现在都找到了勇气。那群密密麻麻的怪物将阿斯兰团团围住，不断踢他，打他，奚落他，向他吐唾沫。
最后，这群怪物闹够了，开始将被绑住且被套上嘴套的狮子拖向石桌，有的推，有的拉。阿斯兰体形巨大。它们好不容易将他拖到石桌跟前，又使出全身力气才把他搬到石桌上。之后，它们又给阿斯兰加上绳索，并且勒得更加紧实。
“胆小鬼！胆小鬼！”苏珊啜泣着说，“即使是现在，它们不也还是害怕他？”
等到阿斯兰被那群怪物绑在平坦的石头上（他被绑得如此严实，完全成了一堆绳索），现场陷入一片静默。这时，四个巫婆各举着一个火把，站在石桌的四角。女巫露出胳膊，就像前一晚对付埃德蒙时一样，只是这次是对阿斯兰下手，开始磨刀。火把的光映在刀刃上，在远处的孩子们眼里，那把刀不像是铁做的，倒像是石头做的，形状奇怪，透着邪恶之气。
最后，她走近石桌，站在阿斯兰的脑袋旁边，激动得面部扭曲，而阿斯兰脸朝上，望着天空，面容依旧安静，既无怒气，也不害怕，只是略带一点儿忧伤。女巫举刀正要捅下去，但她停了下来，她蹲下来，用颤抖的声音说：
“现在，是谁赢了？笨蛋！你以为你这样就能救那个人类的叛徒吗？现在根据协定，由你替他受罪，我将取你的性命，这样高深魔咒才不会应验。只要你一死，还能有谁阻止我杀他呢？那时还能有谁把他从我手掌心救出去？你要明白，你已经将纳尼亚拱手相让，直至永远。你失去了自己的性命，也没有救到他。也就是说，等待你的只有悔恨和死亡。”
女巫下手的瞬间两个孩子没有看。她们捂上眼睛，不敢看。
