《獅子女巫與魔衣櫥》第14章:妖婆的勝利
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 northeasterly direction, walking at an easy pace for they had not far to go.
During the first part of the journey Aslan explained to Peter his plan of campaign. "As soon as she has finished 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 fighting 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 to-night." 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 fighting 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 last 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 looked round. 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 first 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 grownups 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 first 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 fierce 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 first) 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 of those 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 flesh. Then they began to drag him towards the Stone Table.
"Stop!" said the Witch. "Let him first 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.
"Is that 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 first 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 the bound 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 they still afraid of him, even now?"
When once Aslan had been tied (and tied so that he was really a mass of cords) on the flat 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 hand then? Understand that you have given me Narnia forever, 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.
大家當然都很想問問它，它是怎麼跟妖婆商定這件事的，但阿斯蘭面如鐵板，而且大家耳邊依然迴盪着它的怒吼聲，因此誰也不敢開口。
在山頂露天下吃了一頓飯後(因爲陽光這會兒已經很強，把草地都曬乾了)，他們忙了一陣子，拆掉帳篷，收拾東西。不到兩點，他們就開始行程，向西北方向出發，大家從從容容地走着，因爲要去的地方並不很遠。
旅途中開頭一段時間，阿斯蘭向彼得說明它的作戰計劃。“妖婆一旦完成她在這一帶的活動，”它說，“她同那一夥幾乎肯定要退回她的老窩準備一次圍攻。你有可能切斷她的路．不讓她回到老窩，也有可能切不斷。”隨後它繼續提出兩種作戰方案——一種是跟妖婆及其一夥在樹林裏作戰，另一種是襲擊她的城堡。在這段時間裏它一直指點彼得怎麼指揮戰鬥，說什麼，“你必須把你的人頭馬布置在某某地方”，或者說“你必須派偵察員去看好她，不要讓她怎麼怎麼的”，彼得最後問：
“但你自己不也在場嗎，阿斯蘭？”
“那我可不能保證。”獅王回答說，同時它繼續給彼得指示。到了旅途的最後一個階段，蘇珊和露茜看阿斯蘭的時間最多。它不大說話，而且她們似乎覺得它有點憂傷。
天還沒黑，他們到了一個地方，這兒河谷豁然開闊，河面又寬又淺。這就是貝魯那淺灘，阿斯蘭下令大家停在水的這一邊。但彼得說：
“把營地駐紮在那一邊豈不更好——因爲就怕她會來一次夜間偷襲什麼的。”
阿斯蘭似乎正在想着另外的事情，只見它那身漂亮的鬃毛一抖，這纔回過神來，說道，“啊，什麼？”彼得又說了一遍。
“不會。”阿斯蘭聲音低沉地說，似乎這事沒什麼關係。
“不會，她今夜不會發動進攻的。”接着它深深嘆了口氣。但一會兒它又加了一句，“想得周到還是好的，軍人就應該這樣考慮。不過這其實沒什麼關係。”於是他們就着手搭帳篷了。
那天傍晚，阿斯蘭的情緒影響了大家。彼得想到要由他來打這一仗，心裏覺得很不安，阿斯蘭可能不在場的消息對他是一大打擊。那天晚上一頓飯大家吃得鴉雀無聲。大家都覺得這天晚上跟昨天晚上甚至當天早上大不一樣。彷彿好時光剛剛開頭，卻已經快結束了。
這種感覺對蘇珊也大有影響，她上牀後一直睡不着。她躺在那兒數數，又不停地翻來覆去，後來只聽見露茜長嘆一聲，在暗中翻到她身邊。
“你也睡不着嗎？”蘇珊問。
“是啊，”露茜說，“我還以爲你睡着了呢。我說，蘇珊！”
“什麼事？”
“我有一個最可怕的預感——好像有什麼大事要臨頭了呢。”
“是嗎？因爲，事實上，我也有這種感覺。”
“事情跟阿斯蘭有關，”露茜說，“不是它要出什麼可怕的事，就是它要幹什麼可怕的事。”
“整個下午它都不大對勁，”蘇珊說，“露茜！它說打仗時不跟我們在一起是什麼意思？你看它今晚不會離開我們，偷偷溜走吧？”
“它現在在哪兒？”露茜說，“它在這兒帳篷裏嗎？”
“不見得。”
“蘇珊，讓我們出去，到處看看。也許看得見它。”
“好，走吧，”蘇茜說，“醒着躺在這兒還不如出去看看呢。”
兩個女孩悄沒聲兒，在其他睡着的人中摸索出一條路，偷偷出了帳篷。月光皎潔，除了河水潺潺流過石頭的聲音，一切都十分寂靜。這時蘇珊突然抓住露茜的胳膊說，“瞧！”
她們看見營地的那一邊，就在樹林邊上，獅王正慢慢離開大家，走進樹林裏去。她倆一句話也沒說，就跟着它走去。
它領着她們爬上河谷的陡坡，然後稍微向左走去——
顯然這是當天下午她們從石桌山下來時走的路線。它領着她們走啊走啊，走進黑咕隆咚的陰影裏，又走到蒼白的月光下，走得她們的腳都被濃密的露水弄溼了。不知怎麼的，它看上去和她們認識的阿斯蘭不一樣了。它的尾巴和腦袋都搭拉下來，慢吞吞地走着，彷彿它非常、非常累了。後來，她們在穿過一片開闊的空地時，那兒沒什麼陰影讓她們躲蔽，它停下了，四面張望着。這時再逃走可就不好了，因此她們就朝它走去。她們走近時它說：
“哦，孩子們，孩子們，你們幹嗎跟着我呀？”
“我們睡不着。”露茜說。她深信自己不用多說，她們一直在想什麼，阿斯蘭全都知道。
“我們跟你一起去好嗎——不論你上哪兒？”蘇珊說。
“這個嘛——”阿斯蘭說，它似乎在考慮；後來它說，“今晚我很高興有人陪伴。好吧，如果你們答應我叫你們停下就停下，然後讓我一個人去，那你們就可以跟我來。”
“哦，謝謝你，謝謝你，我們答應。”兩個女孩子說。
他們又往前走了，兩個女孩子分別走在獅王兩側。可是它走得多慢哪！它那莊嚴、高貴的腦袋低垂着，鼻子都快捱到草地了。不久它一個跟蹌，發出一聲低低的呻吟。
“阿斯蘭！親愛的阿斯蘭！”露茜說，“怎麼了？你能告訴我們嗎？”
“你病了嗎，親愛的阿斯蘭？”蘇珊問道。
“沒有，”阿斯蘭說，“我感到悲傷和孤獨。你們把手擱在我的鬃毛上，好讓我感覺到你們在這兒，我們就這樣走吧。”
於是兩個女孩子照它的話做了。這可是從她們第一次看到它就想做而不經他許可永遠也不敢做的事呀——她們真的把冰涼的手伸進它那一大片美麗的鬃毛裏，撫摩着它，一面跟它一起走着。不一會兒她們就看出她們跟着它已經爬上了石桌山的山坡。她們爬到樹林邊緣那兒，等她們走到最後一棵樹旁(就是周圍還有幾叢灌木的那棵)，阿斯蘭就停下說：
“哦，孩子們，孩子們，你們得在這兒停下了。不論發生什麼事，可別讓人家看見你們。永別了。”
於是兩個女孩子都放聲痛哭(雖然她們自己也不知道爲什麼要哭)，她們摟着獅王，親親它的鬃毛，它的鼻子，它的爪子，以及它那莊重、悲哀的眼睛。這時它才轉過身去，走向山頂。露茜和蘇珊蹲在灌木叢中目送着它，以下就是她們看到的情景。
石桌周圍站着好大一堆人，儘管是在月光下，仍然有好多人手裏拿着火把，火把燃燒時吐出一團邪氣的紅焰和黑煙。可那是些什麼人啊！長着怪牙的吃人惡魔、豺狼、牛頭怪、惡樹精和毒樹精；其他動物我就不一一描寫了，因爲如果我再描寫下去，大人可能就不讓你們看這本書了——其中有冷麪怪、母夜叉、惡夢魔鬼、陰魂、恐怖魔鬼、小妖精、大頭鬼和小頭鬼等等。事實上凡是站在妖婆這一邊、聽到狼傳下妖婆命令的都來了。站在中間，靠着石桌的就是妖婆本人。
這些畜生起先看見偉大的獅王向它們走去時，都發出一陣陣驚慌的嚎叫，就連妖婆自己一時也害怕起來。隨後她就鎮定了，發出一陣粗野的狂笑。
“那笨蛋！”她叫道，“那笨蛋來了。把它緊緊捆上！”
露茜和蘇珊連大氣也不敢出，只等阿斯蘭一聲怒吼，向它的敵人撲去。可是它竟沒吼。四個母夜叉齜牙咧嘴，斜眼看着阿斯蘭，她們走近它身邊時，開頭也猶豫不前，對要做的事有點害怕。“我說，把它捆上！”白妖婆又說了一遍。四個母夜叉向它衝去，當她們發現它毫不抵抗時，才發出勝利的尖叫。隨後兇惡的小矮人和猿猴們都一擁而上，前來幫助她們，它們把體形龐大的獅王掀翻在地，把它四個爪子綁在一起，叫喊歡呼，彷彿它們做了什麼勇敢的事，雖然只要獅王願意，一隻爪子就可以要了它們大家的命；但它卻一聲不吭，甚至敵人又拉又拖，繩子拉得那麼緊，都勒進肉裏去了，它也不吭聲。接着它們開始把它拖向石桌。
“停下，”妖婆說，“先把它的毛剃了！”
一個吃人惡魔拿着一把大剪刀走上前來，蹲在阿斯蘭腦袋旁邊，妖婆的爪牙們發出一陣惡毒的狂笑。大剪刀喀嚓喀嚓，一堆堆鬈曲的金色鬃毛紛紛掉在地上。剪完後吃人惡魔退後一步站着，兩個女孩子從她們隱蔽的地方看得見阿斯蘭的臉沒有了鬃毛顯得那麼小，那麼異樣。敵人也看到了這一差別。
“咦，到頭來，只不過是一隻大貓啊！”一個爪牙叫道。
“我們過去怕的就是那東西嗎？”另一個爪牙說。它們全都擁向阿斯蘭身邊嘲笑它。說什麼“咪咪，咪咪，可憐的貓咪”，還有“你今天抓了幾隻老鼠，貓兒？”又說“你要一碟牛奶嗎，小貓咪？”
“哦，它們怎麼能這樣？”露茜說道．臉蛋上淚珠滾滾而下。“畜生！畜生！”因爲此刻一開頭感到的震驚過去了，她覺得阿斯蘭剪掉毛的臉看上去比以前顯得更勇敢、更美麗、更堅忍。
“把它的嘴套上！”妖婆說。即使現在，它們在給它套嘴套的時候，它只要張嘴一咬，就會咬掉它們兩三隻手。但它一動也不動。這羣烏合之衆似乎紅了眼，如今大夥兒都來欺侮它了。那些連它被綁起來以後仍然怕靠近它的，竟也鼓起勇氣來。過了片刻，兩個女孩子連看也看不見它了——它被整羣動物密密麻麻地包圍着，大家踢它，打它，向它吐唾沫，嘲笑它。
最後這夥暴徒鬧夠了。大家開始把五花大綁、戴着嘴套的獅王拖向石桌，推的推，拉的拉。阿斯蘭那麼魁梧，即使它們把它拖到石桌邊，也得用盡全部力氣才能把它拾到石桌面上。後來它又被緊緊捆上了很多道繩子。
“膽小鬼！膽小鬼！”蘇珊嗚咽着說，“事到如今，它們還在害怕它嗎？”
等到阿斯蘭被捆在那塊平坦的石頭上(而且捆得簡直成了一大堆繩子)，這羣暴徒才靜了下來。四個母夜叉拿着四支火把，站在石桌四角。妖婆捋起袖子，就跟前一個晚上她對付愛德蒙時一樣。接着她磨刀霍霍。在兩個女孩子看來，那刀給火把光一照，似乎不是鋼刀而是石刀，而且形狀又古怪又可惡。
最後她走近了。她站在阿斯蘭頭邊。她激動得臉也抽搐扭曲起來，但它卻仰着臉望着天空，仍然很平靜，既不生氣．也不害怕，只有一點憂傷。這時，就在她要砍下去的時候，她彎下腰，用顫抖的聲音說：
“現在，是誰贏了？笨蛋！你以爲這樣一來就救了那個人類的叛徒嗎？按照我們的條約，現在我要把你殺了來代替它，這一來高深魔法纔會應驗。但等你死了，誰還能阻止我把他也殺了呢？而且到了那時，誰又來從我手裏把他救出去呢？你要明白，你已經把納尼亞永遠給我了，你送了自己的命，還沒救出他。知道了這一點也太晚了，沒指望了，死吧！”
姐妹倆沒看到殺頭的那一時刻。她們不忍心看，都矇住了自己的眼睛。
