纳尼亚传奇:凯斯宾王子评价 《凯斯宾王子》第13章:决斗

《凯斯宾王子》第13章:决斗  

"Now
" said Peter
as they finished their meal
"Aslan and the girls (that's Queen Susan and Queen Lucy
Caspian) are somewhere close. We don't know when he will act. In his time
no doubt
not ours. In the meantime he would like us to do what we can on our own. You say
Caspian
we are not strong enough to meet Miraz in pitched battle?"
"I'm afraid not
High King
" said Caspian. He was liking Peter very much
but was rather tongue-tied. It was much stranger for him to meet the great Kings out of the old stories than it was for them to meet him.
"Very well
then
" said Peter
"I'll send him a challenge to single bat." No one had thought of this before.
"Please
" said Caspian
"could it not be me? I want to avenge my father."
"You're wounded
" said Peter. "And anyway
wouldn't he just laugh at a challenge from you? I mean
we have seen that you are a king and a warrior but he thinks of you as a kid."
"But
Sire
" said the Badger
who sat very close to Peter and never took his eyes off him. "Will he accept a . challenge even from you? He knows he has the stronger . army."
"Very likely he won't
" said Peter
"but there's always the chance. And even if he doesn't
we shall spend the best part of the day sending heralds to and fro and all that. By then Aslan may have done something. And at least I can inspect the army and strengthen the position. I will send the challenge. In fact I will write it at once. Have you pen and ink
Master Doctor?"
"A scholar is never without them
your Majesty
" answered Doctor Cornelius.
"Very well
I will dictate
" said Peter. And while the Doctor spread out a parchment and opened his ink-horn and sharpened his pen
Peter leant back with half-closed eyes and recalled to his mind the language in which he had written such things long ago in Narnia's golden age.
"Right
" he said at last. "And now
if you are ready
Doctor?"
Doctor Cornelius dipped his pen and waited. Peter dictated as follows:
"Peter
by the gift of Aslan
by election
by prescription
and by conquest
High King over all Kings in Narnia
Emperor of the Lone Islands and Lord of Cair Paravel
Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion
to Miraz
Son of Caspian the Eighth
sometime Lord Protector of Narnia and now styling himself King of Narnia
Greeting. Have you got that?"
"Narnia
ma
greeting
" muttered the Doctor. "Yes
Sire."
"Then begin a new paragraph
" said Peter. "For to prevent the effusion of blood
and for the avoiding all other inconveniences likely to grow from the wars now levied in our realm of Narnia
it is our pleasure to adventure our royal person on behalf of our trusty and well-beloved Caspian in clean wager of battle to prove upon your Lordship's body that the said Caspian is lawful King under us in Narnia both by our gift and by the laws of the Telmarines
and your Lordship ice guilty of treachery both in withholding the dominion of Narnia from the said Caspian and in the most abhominable
- don't fet to spell it with an H
Doctor - bloody
and unnatural murder of your kindly lord and brother King Caspian Ninth of that name. Wherefore we most heartily provoke
challenge
and defy your Lordship to the said bat and monomachy
and have sent these letters by the hand of our well beloved and royal brother Edmund
sometime King under us in Narnia
Duke of Lantern Waste and Count of the Western March
Knight of the Noble Order of the Table
to whom we have given full power of determining with your Lordship all the conditions of the said battle. Given at our lodging in Aslan's How this XII day of the month Greenroof in the first year of Caspian Tenth of Narnia.
"That ought to do
" said Peter
drawing a deep breath.
"And now we must send o others with King Edmund. I think the Giant ought to be one."
"He's - he's not very clever
you know
" said Caspian.
"Of course not
" said Peter. "But any giant looks impressive if only he will keep quiet. And it will cheer him up. But who for the other?"
"Upon my word
" said Trumpkin
"if you want someone who can kill with looks
Reepicheep would be the best."
"He would indeed
from all I hear
" said Peter with a laugh. "If only he wasn't so small. They wouldn't even see him till he was close!"
"Send Glenstorm
Sire
" said Trufflehunter. "No one ever laughed at a Centaur."
An hour later o great lords in the army of Miraz
the Lord Glozelle and the Lord Sopespian
strolling along their lines and picking their teeth after breakfast
looked up and saw ing down to them from the wood the Centaur and Giant Wimbleweather
whom they had seen before in battle
and beeen them a figure they could not recognize. Nor indeed would the other boys at Edmund's school have recognized him if they could have seen him at that moment. For Aslan had breathed on him at their meeting and a kind of greatness hung about him.
"What's to do?" said the Lord Glozelle. "An attack?"
"A parley
rather
" said Sopespian. "See
they carry green branches. They are ing to surrender most likely."
"He that is walking beeen the Centaur and the Giant has no look of surrender in his face
" said Glozelle. "Who can he be? It is not the boy Caspian."
"No indeed
" said Sopespian. "This is a fell warrior
I warrant you
wherever the rebels have got him from. He is (in your Lordship's private ear) a kinglier man than ever Miraz was. And what mail he wears! None of our smiths can make the like."
"I'll wager my dappled Pomely he brings a challenge
not a surrender
" said Glozelle.
"How then?" said Sopespian. "We hold the enemy in our fist here. Miraz would never be so hair-brained as to throw away his advantage on a bat."
"He might be brought to it
" said Glozelle in a much lower voice.
"Softly
" said Sopespian. "Step a little aside here out of earshot of those sentries. Now. Have I taken your Lordship's meaning aright?"
"If the King undertook wager of battle
" whispered Glozelle
"why
either he would kill or be killed."
"So
" said Sopespian
nodding his head.
"And if he killed we should have won this war."
"Certainly. And if not?"
"Why
if not
we should be as able to win it without the King's grace as with him. For I need not tell your Lordship that Miraz is no very great captain. And after that
we should be both victorious and kingless."
"And it is your meaning
my Lord
that you and I could hold this land quite as conveniently without a King as with one?"
Glozelle's face grew ugly. "Not fetting
" said he
"that it was we who first put him on the throne. And in all the years that he has enjoyed it
what fruits have e our way? What gratitude has he shown us?"
"Say no more
" answered Sopespian. "But look - herd es one to fetch us to the King's tent." `
When they reached Miraz's tent they saw Edmund and his o panions seated outside it and being entertained with cakes and wine
having already delivered the challenge
and withdrawn while the King was considering it. When they saw them thus at close quarters the o Telmarine lords thought all three of them very alarming.
Inside
they found Miraz
unarmed and finishing his breakfast. His face was flushed and there was a scowl on his brow.
"There!" he growled
flinging the parchment across the table to them. "See what a pack of nursery tales our jackanapes of a nephew has sent us."
"By your leave
Sire
" said Glozelle. "If the young warrior whom we have just seen outside is the King Edmund mentioned in the writing
then I would not call him a nursery tale but a very dangerous knight."
"King Edmund
pah!" said Miraz. "Does your Lordship believe those old wives' fables about Peter and Edmund and the rest?"
"I believe my eyes
your Majesty
" said Glozelle.
"Well
this is to no purpose
" said Miraz
"but as touching the challenge
I suppose there is only one opinion beeen us?"
"I suppose so
indeed
Sire
" said Glozelle.
"And what is that?" asked the King.
"Most infallibly to refuse it
" said Glozelle. "For though I have never been called a coward
I must plainly say that to meet that young man in battle is more than my heart would serve me for. And if (as is likely) his brother
the High King
is more dangerous than he why
on your life
my Lord King
have nothing to do with him."
"Plague on you!" cried Miraz. "It was not that sort of council I wanted. Do you think I am asking you if I should be afraid to meet this Peter (if there is such a man)? Do you think I fear him? I wanted your counsel on the policy of the matter; whether we
having the advantage
should hazard it on a wager of battle."
"To which I can only answer
your Majesty
" said Glozelle
"that for all reasons the challenge should be refused. There is death in the strange knight's face."
"There you are again!" said Miraz
now thoroughly angry. "Are you trying
to make it appear that I am as great a coward as your Lordship?"
"Your Majesty may say your pleasure
" said Glozelle sulkily.
"You talk like an old woman
Glozelle
" said the King. "What say you
my Lord Sopespian?"
"Do not touch it
Sire
" was the reply. "And what your Majesty says of the policy of the thing es in very happily. It gives your Majesty excellent grounds for a refusal without any cause for questioning your Majesty's honour or courage."
"Great Heaven!" exclaimed Miraz
jumping to his feet. "Are you also bewitched today? Do you think I am looking for grounds to refuse it? You might as well call me coward to my face."
The conversation was going exactly as the o lords wished
so they said nothing.
"I see what it is
" said Miraz
after staring at them as if his eyes would start out of his head
"you are as lilylivered as hares yourselves and have the effrontery to imagine my heart after the likeness of yours! Grounds for a refusal
indeed! Excuses for not fighting! Are you soldiers? Are you Telmarines? Are you men? And if I dog refuse it (as ail good reasons of captaincy and martial policy urge me to do) you will think
and teach others tan think
I was afraid. Is it not so?"
"No man of your Majesty's age
" said Glozelle
"would be called coward by any wise soldier for refusing the bat with a great warrior in the flower of his youth."
"So I'm to be a dotard with one foot in the grave
as well as a dastard
" roared Miraz. "I'll tell you what it is
my Lords. With your womanish counsels (ever shying from the true point
which is one of policy) you have done the very opposite of your intent. I had meant to refuse it. But I'll accept it. Do you hear
accept it! I'll not be shamed because some witchcraft or treason has frozen both your bloods."
"We beseech your Majesty -" said Glozelle
but Miraz had flung out of the tent and they could hear him bawling out his acceptance to Edmund.
The o lords looked at one another and chuckled quietly.
"I knew he'd do it if he were properly chafed
" said Glozelle. "But I'll not fet he called me coward. It shall be paid for."
There was a great stirring at Aslan's How when the news came back and was municated to the various creatures. Edmund
with one of Miraz's captains
had already marked out the place for the bat
and ropes and stakes had been put round it. Two Telmarines were to stand at o of the corners
and one in the middle of one side
as marshals of the lists. Three marshals for the other o corners and the other side were to be furnished by the High King. Peter was just explaining to Caspian that he could not be one
because his right to the throne was what they were fighting about
when suddenly a thick
sleepy voice said
"Your Majesty
please." Peter turned and there stood the eldest of the Bulgy Bears.
"If you please
your Majesty
" he said
"I'm a bear
I am."
"To be sure
so you are
and a good bear too
I don't doubt
" said Peter.
"Yes
" said the Bear. "But it was always a right of the
bears to supply one marshal of the lists."
"Don't let him
" whispered Trumpkin to Peter. "He's a good creature
but he'll shame us all. He'll go to sleep and he will suck his paws. In front of the enemy too."
"I can't help that
" said Peter. "Because he's quite right. The Bears had that privilege. I can't imagine how it has been remembered all these years
when so many other things have been fotten."
"Please
your Majesty
" said the Bear.
"It is your right
" said Peter. "And you shall be one of the marshals. But you must remember not to suck your paws."
"Of course not
" said the Bear in a very shocked voice.
"Why
you're doing it this minute!" bellowed Trumpkin.
The Bear whipped his paw out of his mouth and pretended he hadn't heard.
"Sire!" came a shrill voice from near the ground.
"Ah - Reepicheep!" said Peter after looking up and down and round as people usually did when addressed by the Mouse.
"Sire
" said Reepicheep. "My life is ever at your mand
but my honour is my own. Sire
I have among my people the only trumpeter in your Majesty's army. I had thought
perhaps
we might have been sent with the challenge. Sire
my people are grieved. Perhaps if it were your pleasure that I should be a marshal of the lists
it would content them."
A noise not unlike thunder broke out from somewhere overhead at this point
as Giant Wimbleweather burst into one of those not very intelligent laughs to which the nicer sorts of Giant are so liable. He checked himself at once and looked as grave as a turnip by the time Reepicheep discovered where the noise came from.
"I am afraid it would not do
" said Peter very gravely. "Some humans are afraid of mice -"
"I had observed it
Sire
" said Reepicheep.
"And it would not be quite fair to Miraz
" Peter continued
"to have in sight anything that might abate the edge of his courage."
"Your Majesty is the mirror of honour
" said the Mouse with one of his admirable bows. "And on this matter we have but a single mind... I thought I heard someone laughing just now. If anyone present wishes to make me the subject of his wit
I am very much at his service - with my sword - whenever he has leisure."
An awful silence followed this remark
which was broken by Peter saying
"Giant Wimbleweather and the Bear and the Centaur Glenstorm shall be our marshals. The bat will be at o hours after noon. Dinner at noon precisely."
"I say
" said Edmund as they walked away
"I suppose it is all right. I mean
I suppose you can beat him?"
"That's what I'm fighting him to find out
" said Peter.