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the horse and his boy_c·s·刘易斯-第8部分

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ed arcades cast shadows over the burning  pavements。 and through the arched gateways of many a palace shasta caught sight of green  branches; cool fountains; and smooth lawns。 it must be nice inside; he thought。

at every turn shasta hoped they were getting out of the crowd; but they  never did。 this made their progress very slow; and every now and then they had to stop  altogether。 this usually happened because a loud voice shouted out 〃way; way; way; for the  tarkaan〃; or 〃for the tarkheena〃; or 〃for the fifteenth vizier〃; 〃or for the  ambassador〃; and everyone in the crowd would crush back against the walls; and above their heads  shasta would sometimes see the great lord or lady for whom all the fuss was being made;  lolling upon a litter which four or even six gigantic slaves carried on their bare  shoulders。 for in tashbaan there is only one traffic regulation; which is that everyone who  is less important has to get out of the way for everyone who is more important;  unless you want a cut from a whip or punch from the butt end of a spear。

it was in a splendid street very near the top of the city (the tisrocs  palace was the only thing above it) that the most disastrous of these stoppages occurred。

〃way! way! way!〃 came the voice。 〃way for the white barbarian king; the  guest of the tisroc (may he live for ever)! way for the narnian lords。鈥

shasta tried to get out of the way and to make bree go back。 but no horse;  not even a talking horse from narnia; backs easily。 and a woman with a very edgy  basket in her hands; who was just behind shasta; pushed the basket hard against his  shoulders; and said; 〃now then! who are you shoving!〃 and then someone else jostled him  from the side and in the confusion of the moment he lost hold of bree。 and then the  whole crowd  

behind him became so stiffened and packed tight that he couldnt move at  all。 so he found himself; unintentionally; in the first row and had a fine sight of the  party that was ing down the street。

it was quite unlike any other party they had seen that day。 the crier who  went before it shouting 〃way; way!〃 was the only calormene in it。 and there was no litter;  everyone was on foot。 there were about half a dozen men and shasta had never seen  anyone like them before。 for one thing; they were all as fair…skinned as himself; and  most of them had fair hair。 and they were not dressed like men of calormen。 most of them  had legs bare to the kneee。 their tunics were of fine; bright; hardy colours …  woodland green; or gay yellow; or fresh blue。 instead of turbans they wore steel or silver  caps; some of them set with jewels; and one with little wings on each side of it。 a few were  bare…headed。 the swords at their sides were long and straight; not curved like calormene  scimitars。 and instead of being grave and mysterious like most calormenes; they walked  with a swing and let their arms and shoulders free; and chatted and laughed。 one was  whistling。 you could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly  and didnt give a fig for anyone who wasnt。 shasta thought he had never seen anything so  lovely in his life。

but there was not time to enjoy it for at once a really dreadful thing  happened。 the leader of the fair…headed men suddenly pointed at shasta; cried out; 〃there he is!  theres our runaway!〃 and seized him by the shoulder。 next moment he gave shasta a  smack … not a cruel one to make you cry but a sharp one to let you know you are in  disgrace and added; shaking:  〃shame on you; my lord! fie for shame! queen susans eyes are red with  weeping because of you。 what! truant for a whole night! where have you been?鈥

shasta would have darted under brees body and tried to make himself scarce  in the crowd if he had had the least chance; but the fair…haired men were all  round him by now and he was held firm。

of course his first impulse was to say that he was only poor arsheesh the  fishermans son and that the foreign lord must have mistaken him for someone else。 but  then; the very last thing he wanted to do in that crowded place was to start explaining who he  was and what he was doing。 if he started on that; he would soon be asked where he had  got his horse from; and who aravis was … and then; goodbye to any chance of getting  through tashbaan。 his next impulse was to look at bree for help。 but bree had no  intention of letting all the crowd know that he could talk; and stood looking just as  stupid as a horse can。 as for aravis; shasta did not even dare to look at her for fear of  drawing attention。

and there was no time to think; for the leader of the narnians said at  once:  〃take one of his little lordships hands; peridan; of your courtesy; and  ill take the other。

and now; on。 our royal sisters mind will be greatly eased when she sees  our young scapegrace safe in our lodging。鈥

and so; before they were half…way through tashbaan; all their plans were  ruined; and without even a chance to say good…bye to the others shasta found himself  being marched off among strangers and quite unable to guess what might be going to happen  next。 the narnian king … for shasta began to see by the way the rest spoke to him  that he must be a king … kept on asking him questions; where he had been; how he had got out;  what he had done with his clothes; and didnt he know that he had been very naughty。  only the king called it 〃naught〃 instead of naughty。

and shasta said nothing in answer; because he couldnt think of anything to  say that would not be dangerous。

〃what! all mum?〃 asked the king。 〃i must plainly tell you; prince; that  this hangdog silence bees one of your blood even less than the scape itself。 to run  away might pass for a boys frolic with some spirit in it。 but the kings son of  archenland should avouch his deed; not hang his head like a calormene slave。鈥

this was very unpleasant; for shasta felt all the time that this young king  was the very nicest kind of grown…up and would have liked to make a good impression on  him。

the strangers led him…held tightly by both hands…along a narrow street and  down a flight of shallow stairs and then up another to a wide doorway in a white wall  with two tall; dark cypress trees; one on each side of it。 once through the arch; shasta  found himself in a courtyard which was also a garden。 a marble basin of clear water in the  centre was kept continually rippling by the fountain that fell into it。 orange trees grew  round it out of smooth grass; and the four white walls which surrounded the lawn were  covered with climbing roses。 the noise and dust and crowding of the streets seemed  suddenly fad away。 he was led rapidly across the garden and then into a dark doorway。  the crier remained outside。 after that they took him along a corridor; where the  stone floor felt beautifully cool to his hot feet; and up some stairs。 a moment later he  found himself blinking in the light of a big; airy room with wide open windows; all  looking north so that no sun came in。 there was a carpet on the floor more wonderfully  coloured than anything he had ever seen and his feet sank down into it as if he were  treading in thick moss。 all round the walls there were low sofas with rich cushions on them;  and the room seemed to be full of people; very queer people some of them; thought  shasta。 but he had no time to think of that before the most beautiful lady he had ever seen  rose from her place and threw her arms round him and kissed him; saying:  〃oh corin; corin; how could you? and thou and i such close friends ever  since thy mother died。 and what should i have said to thy royal father if i came home  without thee? would have been a cause almost of war between archenland and narnia  which are friends time out of mind。 it was naught; playmate; very naught of thee to  use us so。鈥

〃apparently;〃 thought shasta to himself; 〃im being mistaken for a prince  of archenland; wherever that is。 and these must be the narnians。 i wonder where the real  corin is?〃 but these thoughts did not help him say anything out loud。

〃where hast been; corin?〃 said the lady; her hands still on shastas  shoulders。

〃i… i dont know;〃 stammered shasta。

〃there it is; susan;〃 said the king。 〃i could get no tale out of him; true  or false。鈥

〃your majesties! queen susan! king edmund!〃 said a voice: and when shasta  turned to look at the speaker he nearly jumped out of his skin with surprise。 for  this was one of these queer people whom he had noticed out of the corner of his eye when he  first came into the room。 he was about the same height as shasta himself。 from the  waist upwards he was like a man; but his legs were hairy like a goats; and shaped like a  goats and he had goats hooves and a tail。 his skin was rather red and he had curly hair  and a short pointed beard and two little horns。 he was in fact a faun; which is a  creature shasta had never seen a picture of or even heard of。 and if youve read a book called  the lion; the witch and the wardrobe you may like to know that this was the very same  faun; tumnus by name; whom queen susans sister lucy had met on the very first day when  she found her way into narnia。 but he was a good deal older now for by this time  peter and susan and edmu
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