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"But we used to know them, "said Lucy.
"可是我们在凯尔帕拉维尔时认识他们, "露茜说,
"In the old days at Cair Paravel when my brother Peter was High King. They came to the surface and sang at our coronation. "
"当时我哥哥彼得被加冕为至尊王, 他们曾来到水面, 为我们唱歌, 祝贺我们的加冕。"
"I think that must have been a different kind, Lu, "said Edmund.
"我想你说的肯定是另外一种海人, 露茜, "爱德蒙说,
"They could live in the air as well as under water. I rather think these can't.
"他们可以在水下生活, 也可以在水上生活。我觉得这些人不能在水上生活。
By the look of them they'd have surfaced and started attacking us long ago if they could. They seem very fierce. "
看他们的样子, 如果可以的话, 早就冒出水面攻击我们了, 他们长得很凶。"
"At any rate, "said Drinian, but at that moment two sounds were heard. One was a plop.
"总而言之……"德里宁正要开口说话, 忽然听到两种声响。
The other was a voice from the fighting--top shouting, "Man overboard !" Then everyone was busy.
一种是扑通声, 另一种是观测台上传来一声吼, "有人落水了!"于是, 大家开始手忙脚乱地救人。
Some of the sailors hurried aloft to take in the sail; others hurried below to get to the oars;and Rhince, who was on duty on the poop, began to put the helm hard over so as to come round and back to the man who had gone overboard.
有的水手爬上去落篷, 有的水手跑去划桨。在船尾值班的赖因斯开始转舵, 掉过头开到那人落水的地方。
But by now everyone knew that it wasn't strictly a man. It was Reepicheep.
可是这时大家才发现落水的根本不是人, 而是雷佩契普。
"Drat that mouse !"said Drinian. "It's more trouble than all the rest of the ship's company put together.
"那只老鼠太可恶了!"德里宁说, "其他人加在一起也没它那么多的麻烦。
If there is any scrape to be got into, in it will get!
什么麻烦事, 都会有它!
It ought to be put in irons--keel-hauled--marooned--have its whiskers cut off. Can anyone see the little blighter ?"
给它戴上脚镣手铐, 并且用绳子把它绑在船上在下面拖, 不然把它的胡子剃干净, 再把它放逐到荒岛上去, 有人看到那个小混蛋吗?"
All this didn't mean that Drinian really disliked Reepicheep.
说了这么一大堆并不意味着德里宁不喜欢雷佩契普。
On the contrary he liked him very much and was therefore frightened about him, and being frightened put him in a bad temper--just as your mother is much angrier with you for running out into the road in front of a car than a stranger would be.
相反, 他很喜欢它, 所以担心它出事。因为担心, 德里宁才发脾气。就像你跑出去在路上迎面碰到了汽车令母亲因此大发雷霆那样, 陌生人就不会这样。
No one, of course, was afraid of Reepicheep's drowning, for he was an excellent swimmer; but the three who knew what was going on below the water were afraid of those long, cruel spears in the hands of the Sea People.
当然, 雷佩契普掉进水里, 谁都不担心, 因为它是个游泳高手。可是猜到即有可能发生什么事的三个人却十分紧张了, 水下那些面目凶狠的海人手中拿着杀气腾腾的长矛呢。
In a few minutes the Dawn Treader had come round and everyone could see the black blob in the water which was Reepicheep.
几分钟之后, 黎明踏浪号掉转了方向, 大家终于看清水里那个黑乎乎的家伙就是雷佩契普。
He was chattering with the greatest excitement but as his mouth kept on getting filled with water nobody could understand what he was saying.
它正兴高采烈地叽叽喳喳, 可他嘴里灌满了水, 所以, 大家听不懂它在说什么。
"He'll blurt the whole thing out if we don't shut him up, "cried Drinian.
"如果不让它闭上嘴, 它可要把什么事情都说出去了。"德里宁叫道。
To prevent this he rushed to the side and lowered a rope himself, shouting to the sailors, "All right, all right. Back to your places. I hope I can heave a mouse up without help. "
德里宁奔向舷侧, 亲自放下一根缆绳, 对水手们喊："行了, 行了, 回到你们的岗位上去。不用人帮忙我自己能把一只老鼠拉上来。"
And as Reepicheep began climbing up the rope--not very nimbly because his wet fur made him heavy--Drinian leaned over and whispered to him,
雷佩契普从缆绳上爬了上来----行动不是很利索, 因为他全身的皮毛都湿透, 身体很沉重----德里宁弯下腰, 对它小声说：
"Don't tell. Not a word. "
"别说。一个字也别说。"
But when the dripping Mouse had reached the deck it turned out not to be at all interested in the Sea People.
谁知那只湿淋淋的老鼠踏上甲板后, 竟然对海人毫无兴趣。
"Sweet !"he cheeped. "Sweet, sweet !"
"甜啊!"它吱吱叫道, "甜啊, 甜啊!"
"What are you talking about ?"asked Drinian crossly. "And you needn't shake yourself all over me, either. "
"你在说什么啊?"德里宁生气地问, "不要把你身上的水抖在我身上。"
"I tell you the water's sweet, "said the Mouse. "Sweet, fresh. It isn't salt. "
"水真的是甜的, "老鼠说, "很甜, 很鲜美, 没有盐的苦涩。"
For a moment no one quite took in the importance of this. But then Reepicheep once more repeated the old prophecy：
一时之间, 没有人完全明白这句话的意义。可是雷佩契普又重复一遍那段古老的预言：
"Where the waves grow sweet, Doubt not, Reepicheep, There is the utter East . "
"海水变得甜又香, 雷佩契普把心放, 那里就是最东方。"
Then at last everyone understood.
大家这才明白过来。
"Let me have a bucket, Rynelf, "said Drinian.
"给我一个水桶, 赖尼夫。"德里宁说。
It was handed him and he lowered it and up it came again. The water shone in it like glass.
赖尼夫把水桶递到他手里, 他放到海里, 再吊上来。那水真的像玻璃一样无比剔透。
"Perhaps your Majesty would like to taste it first, "said Drinian to Caspian.
"也许陛下想先品尝一口?"德里宁对凯斯宾说。
The King took the bucket in both hands, raised it to his lips, sipped, then drank deeply and raised his head.
凯斯宾国王双手捧住水桶, 举到唇边, 浅浅啜了一口, 又深深喝了一口, 再抬起头。
