“I’ll try and save you, friends,” Father Brian said, his voice still a whisper, “but you must be quick and do as I say. There are soldiers arrived, twenty, even thirty, with a will to hunt you down. They already have the older Saxon brother trapped, but he’s a lively one and keeps them occupied, giving you a chance of escape. Be still, boy, stay with me!” Edwin was moving to the window, but Father Brian had reached out and clasped his arm. “I mean to lead you to safety, but we must first leave this chamber unseen. Soldiers cross the square below, but their eyes are on the tower where the Saxon still holds out. With God’s help they won’t notice us go down the steps outside, and then the worst will be behind us. But cause no sound to make their gazes turn, and take care not to trip on the steps. I’ll descend first, then signal your moment to follow. No, mistress, you must leave your bundle here. Let it be enough to keep your lives!”
“朋友们，我会想办法救你们，”布莱恩神父的声音仍然很低。“但你们动作要快点，按我说的做。来了士兵，二十个，甚至有三十，要抓你们。他们已经围住了年纪大一点的那位撒克逊兄弟，但他很敏捷，牵着他们团团转，给你们创造逃跑的机会。不要动，孩子，待在我身边！”埃德温要朝窗户旁边走，但布莱恩神父伸手抓住了他的胳膊。“我要带你们去个安全的地方，但我们先得离开这房间，不能让人看见。士兵们在下面的广场上来回巡逻，但他们眼睛都望着塔上，那个撒克逊人还在塔上坚持着呢。如果上帝眷顾，他们也许不会注意到我们走下外面的台阶，那最困难的一关就算过去了。但是，不要发出声响，否则他们就会朝这边看，下台阶要小心，不要绊着。我先下去，等我打手势，你们就跟上。不，夫人，你的行囊只能留在这里。保住性命就不错了！”
It was still the depths of night, but voices were calling outside and surely torches had been lit in the courtyard below, for there were now illuminated patches on the wall facing the window. The monk who had awoken them was dragging the boy, still half asleep, over to their side, and Axl recognised Father Brian’s limping gait before his face emerged from the dark.
还是深夜，但外面有人叫喊，下面的院子里肯定点了火把，因为窗户对面的墙上有一块块光亮。喊醒他们的僧侣把睡意朦胧的男孩拉到他们这边来，他的脸还在黑暗中，可埃克索已经认出了那一瘸一拐的步态是布莱恩神父的。
A hand had been shaking him, but by the time Axl sat up the figure was already on the other side of the room, bending over Edwin and whispering, “Quickly, boy, quickly! And not a sound!” Beatrice was awake beside him, and Axl rose unsteadily to his feet, the cold air startling him, then reached down to grasp his wife’s outstretched hands.
一只手在推埃克索，可等他坐起来，那人影已经到了房间另一头，正弯着腰低声对埃德温说，“快点，孩子，快点！不要发出声音！”身旁的比特丽丝已经醒了，冰冷的空气让他惊颤。埃克索摇摇晃晃站起身来，然后弯腰抓住妻子的双手。
They crouched near the door and listened to Father Brian’s footsteps descend with agonising slowness. Eventually, when Axl peered cautiously through the doorway, he saw torches moving at the far end of the courtyard; but before he could discern clearly what was going on, his attention was drawn by Father Brian, standing directly below and signalling frantically.
他们缩在门边，听着布莱恩神父下楼的脚步声，他走得极慢，对大家简直是煎熬。最后，埃克索小心翼翼朝门外望去，看见火把在院子较远的那一边移动；他还没来得及仔细看看是怎么回事，布莱恩神父先吸引了他的注意力，他就站在正下方，拼命打着手势。
“Follow close behind me, princess,” Axl said. “Don’t look across the yard, but keep your eyes on where your foot may find the next step, or it’ll be a hard fall and only enemies to come to our aid. Tell the boy what I’ve just said, and let’s have this behind us.”
“在我后面跟紧点儿，公主，”埃克索说道。“别看院子那边，眼睛一直盯着下一步落脚的地方，否则摔下去可够呛，而且下面都是敌人。把我刚讲的话告诉男孩，我们出发吧。”
Despite his own instructions, Axl could not help glancing across the courtyard as he went down. On the far side, soldiers had gathered around a cylindrical stone tower overlooking the building in which the monks had earlier had their meeting. Blazing torches were being waved, and there appeared to be disorder in their ranks. When Axl was halfway down the steps, two soldiers broke away and came running across the square, and he was sure they would be spotted. But the men vanished into a doorway, and before long Axl was gratefully ushering both Beatrice and Edwin into the shadows of the cloisters where Father Brian was waiting.
埃克索虽然发了指令，自己下楼的时候却忍不住朝院子那边望。院子较远的那一侧有一座圆柱形的石塔，俯瞰僧侣们之前开会的那幢建筑，士兵聚集在石塔周围，明亮的火把晃动着，队伍中似乎有些混乱。埃克索下了一半台阶的时候，两名士兵突然离开队伍，往广场这边跑，他觉得这下子肯定要被发现。不过，那两名士兵从一个门里进去，消失了；埃克索心里谢天谢地，领着比特丽丝和埃德温进入回廊的阴影之中，布莱恩神父在那儿等着。
The staircase, running diagonally down the side of the wall, was mostly in shadow except for one patch, quite near the ground, lit up brightly by the nearly full moon.
楼梯顺着墙壁一路斜下，台阶大多在黑暗中，只有接近地面的地方有块亮光，一轮满月明晃晃地照在上面。
They followed the monk along narrow corridors, some of which may have been the same as those taken earlier with the silent Father Ninian. Often they moved through complete darkness, following the rhythmic hiss of their guide’s dragged foot. Then they came into a chamber whose ceiling had partly fallen away. Moonlight was pouring in, revealing piles of wooden boxes and broken furniture. Axl could smell mould and stagnant water.
他们跟在僧侣后面，沿着狭窄的通道走，其中有些通道，静默的尼尼安神父之前可能带他们走过。路上常常漆黑一片，向导拖着一只脚，发出簌簌声，大家只能跟着这声音走。然后他们来到一个房间，一部分屋顶已经塌了。月光洒进来，照着一堆堆的木头箱子和破旧家具。埃克索闻到了霉菌和死水潭的气味。
“Take heart, friends,” Father Brian said, no longer whispering. He had gone into a corner and was moving objects aside. “You’re nearly safe.”
“振作一点，朋友们，”布莱恩神父说，这次他不再压低声音了。他到了房间一个角落里，正在把东西搬开。“你们快安全啦。”
Father Brian continued clearing the corner, and did not look up as he said: “A mystery to us, sir. They came this night without invitation, pouring through the gates and through our home as if it were their own. They demanded the two young Saxons lately arrived here, and though they made no mention of you or your wife, I wouldn’t trust them to treat you gently. This boy here, they would clearly wish to murder, as they do even now his brother. You must save yourselves and there’ll be time later to ponder the soldiers’ ways.”
布莱恩神父继续清理那个角落，眼睛也没抬，口中回答道：“先生，这对我们也是个谜。他们今晚不请自来，拥进大门，拥进我们家里，好像这是他们的地方一样。他们说，要抓刚到的这两个撒克逊年轻人，没提到你和你妻子，但我不相信他们会友好地对待你们。这个男孩呢，他们显然是想要他的命，就像他们现在追杀他哥哥一样。你们先要脱离危险，以后有时间慢慢去寻思这些士兵的行为。”
“Father,” Axl said, “we’re grateful to you for this rescue, but please tell us what’s occurred.”
“神父，”埃克索说，“感谢你救了我们，但请你告诉我们发生了什么事。”
“Master Wistan was a stranger to us only this morning,” Beatrice said, “yet we’re uneasy making our escape while a terrible fate threatens him.”
“我们是今天早晨才认识维斯坦阁下的，”比特丽丝说，“但是，在他面临着可怕命运的时候，我们自行逃走，心里感到不安。”
“The soldiers may yet come on our heels, mistress, for we left no barred doors behind us. And if that fellow bravely buys your escape, even with his own life, you must grasp it gratefully. Under this trap-door is a tunnel dug in ancient times. It will take you underground into the forest, where you’ll emerge far from your pursuers. Now help me raise it, sir, for it’s too heavy for my hands alone.”
“士兵们还是有可能追上来的，夫人，因为我们身后的门都没有上锁。如果那个人勇敢地为你们争取逃跑的时间，甚至要牺牲自己的性命，那么你们应该心怀感激去抓住这个机会。这道暗门下面，有条隧道，是古时候挖的。顺着隧道，可以从地下走到树林里，你们从树林里出来，追赶你们的人就被甩远了。先生，请你帮我抬一下，太重了，我两只手不够。”
Even for the two of them, it took some effort to raise the door till it stood up at a steep angle before them, revealing a square of deeper blackness.
两人一起动手，也花了不少力气才把门拉开，门在他们面前立起来，露出一个方形的黑洞。
But Edwin was saying something to Beatrice, and she now said: “Master Edwin would go to Master Wistan’s aid.”
但埃德温跟比特丽丝说了些什么，比特丽丝对大家说：“埃德温阁下要去帮助维斯坦阁下。”
“Tell him, princess, we might help Wistan yet by making our escape through this tunnel. Tell the boy what you must, but persuade him to come quickly.”
“公主，跟他说，我们从通道里逃出去，就是帮维斯坦的忙。随便你怎么跟他说，但是要说服他快点来。”
“Let the boy go down first,” the monk said, “for it’s years since any of us used this passage and who knows if the steps haven’t crumbled. He’s nimble-footed and could take a fall better.”
“让男孩先下去，”僧侣说，“我们很多年没用这条通道了，谁知道台阶有没有塌掉。他脚下灵活，摔一跤不会太严重。”
“Let’s go too, princess. Stay close to me.”
“我们也下去吧，公主。跟紧点儿啊。”
The steps leading underground were shallow — flat stones sunk into earth — and felt solid enough. They could see something of the way ahead by the light from the open trap-door above them, but just as Axl turned to speak to Father Brian, the door closed with what seemed a thunderous crash.
通向地下的台阶很平缓——扁平的石块嵌在泥土中——踩上去也比较牢固。头顶的暗门开着，有一些光亮，他们能看到一点前方的路。但是，就在埃克索转身对布莱恩神父说话的时候，暗门关上了，传来轰隆一声巨响，如同雷鸣。
As Beatrice spoke to him, a change seemed to come over the boy. He kept staring at the hole in the floor, and his eyes, caught in the moonlight, seemed to Axl at that moment to have something strange about them, as though he were steadily coming under a spell. Then even as Beatrice was speaking, Edwin walked towards the trap-door and without looking back at them, stepped into the blackness and vanished. As his footsteps grew fainter, Axl took Beatrice’s hand and said:
比特丽丝跟男孩说话的时候，男孩身上似乎发生了什么变化。他一直盯着地板上那个洞，月光反射在他眼睛里，那一刻在埃克索看来，男孩的眼睛里有种奇怪的东西，好像他慢慢进入了魔咒之中一样。比特丽丝还在说话，埃德温便迈步朝暗门走去，没有回头看大家，直接进了那个黑洞，消失了。他的脚步声渐渐远去，埃克索拉住比特丽丝的手，说道：
They all three stopped and for a while remained quite still. The air did not feel as stale as Axl had expected; in fact he thought he could feel a faint breeze. Somewhere in front of them, Edwin started to speak, and Beatrice answered him in a whisper. Then she said softly:
三人都停下脚步，站在那儿一动不动。空气不像埃克索想象的那样污浊；实际上，他似乎还能感觉到一点儿微风。埃德温在前面什么地方开口说话，比特丽丝低声回答。然后她轻声说道：
“Queer right enough. But there’s no doubting there’s soldiers in the monastery, for didn’t we see them ourselves just now? I don’t see what choice we have but to go on and pray this tunnel brings us safely to the forest. Tell the boy to keep moving forward, but slowly and always a hand to this mossy wall, for I fear this passage will only grow darker.”
“是有些奇怪。但修道院里来了士兵，这一点确定无疑，我们刚才不是都看到了吗？我看我们也没别的选择了，只能继续往前走，希望这条路能安全地通到树林。告诉男孩继续往前走，但是要慢一点，一只手要一直扶着这长满青苔的墙，我担心前面只会越来越暗。”
“The boy asks why Father Brian closed the door on us as he did. I told him he was most likely anxious to hide the tunnel from the soldiers maybe even now entering the room. All the same, Axl, it struck me a little queer too. And isn’t that him now, surely, moving objects over the door? If we find the way ahead obstructed by earth or water, the father himself saying it’s years since anyone came this way, how will we return and open that door, the way it’s so heavy and now with objects above it?”
“男孩问，为什么布莱恩神父在后面把门给关上了。我跟他说，他很可能是急着把洞口藏起来，也许现在那些士兵已经进了房间。可是啊，埃克索，这事我也觉得有些奇怪。你听，那肯定是他吧，在搬东西把门压住？神父自己说，通道很多年没人走了，如果前面有泥土或者水挡路，我们回去怎么开门呢？门那么重，现在上面又压了东西？”
Yet as they went forward they found there was a feeble light, so that at times they could even make out each other’s outlines. There were sudden puddles that surprised their feet, and more than once during this phase of their journey, Axl thought he heard a noise up ahead, but since neither Edwin nor Beatrice reacted he put it down to his overwrought imagination. But then Edwin suddenly halted, almost causing Axl to collide into him. He felt Beatrice behind him squeeze his hand, and for a moment they stood there very still in the dark. Then Beatrice moved even closer to him, and her breath felt warm on his neck as she said in the softest of whispers: “Do you hear it, Axl?”
但是，他们再往前走，发现有一线微弱的光，有时甚至还能分辨出彼此的轮廓。脚下不时会有水坑，吓人一跳，而且在这段路上，埃克索不止一次感觉头顶上有声音，但埃德温和比特丽丝都没什么反应，他也就当作是自己想象出来的，不去理睬了。后来埃德温突然停下脚步，埃克索差点都撞到了他身上。他感到身后的比特丽丝捏紧了他的手，有一刻，他们就这样静静地在黑暗中站着。比特丽丝贴得更紧了，他的脖子能感觉到她的气息，她用极低的声音说：“你听到了没，埃克索？”
“Hear what, princess?”
“听到什么，公主？”
“Perhaps a bat, princess. Or a rat.”
“也许是只蝙蝠，公主。或者老鼠。”
“No, Axl. I hear it now. It’s a man’s breathing.”
“不是，埃克索。我现在能听到。是人的呼吸声。”
Edwin’s hand touched him warningly, and they were silent again. Eventually Beatrice said in his ear: “There’s something here with us, Axl.”
埃德温用手碰碰他，以示警告，他们又沉默下来。最后，比特丽丝对着他的耳朵说：“这里面有什么东西，埃克索。”
“Fear not, friends,” a voice said. “It’s only Gawain, Arthur’s knight. And as soon as this tinder lights we’ll see each other better.”
“不要害怕，朋友们，”一个声音说。“是高文啊，亚瑟王的骑士。等这火绒点起来，我们就能看清楚对方啦。”
Axl listened again. Then there came a sharp noise, a striking sound repeating three times, four times, just beyond where they were standing. There were bright flashes, then a tiny flame which grew momentarily to reveal the shape of a seated man, then all was darkness again.
埃克索再次倾听。这时候传来一个尖锐的声音，是敲打发出的声响，重复了三次，四次，就在他们前面。一道亮光闪过，接着亮起一团微弱的火焰，火光下现出一个坐在地上的人影，随即又是一片黑暗。
There were more noises of flints, then eventually a candle flamed and began to burn steadily.
又是一通击打火石的声音，最后一根蜡烛终于亮起来，火焰慢慢稳定。
Sir Gawain was sitting on a dark mound. It evidently did not make an ideal seat for he was at an odd angle, like a giant doll about to topple. The candle in his hand illuminated his face and upper torso with wobbling shadows, and he was breathing heavily. As before, he was in tunic and armour; his sword, unsheathed, had been thrust at an angle into the ground near the foot of the mound. He stared at them balefully, moving the candle from one face to the next.
高文爵士坐在一个黑黑的土堆上。这个座位显然不太理想，因为他身体角度奇怪，像个随时会滚下来的巨大玩偶。他手里的蜡烛光影摇曳，照亮了他的脸和上半身，他在喘着粗气。和往常一样，他穿着盔甲，剑出了鞘，斜插在脚下的土里。他目光凶狠地瞪着大家，蜡烛从一张脸照到另一张脸。
“To defend you, sir! The melancholy truth is the monks have deceived you. There’s a beast dwells down here and they mean you to perish by it. Happily, not every monk thinks alike. Ninian, the silent one, brought me down here unseen and I’ll guide you to safety yet.”
“保护你们啊，先生！那些僧侣欺骗了你们，这令人难过，但是真的。这下面有一头野兽，他们想让你们在野兽嘴里送命。令人高兴的是，不是每个僧侣都这么想。尼尼安，那个不讲话的，把我领到这下面来，没被人发现，我要带着你们到安全的地方。”
“So you’re all here,” he said finally. “I’m relieved.”
“看来你们都到了，”他终于开口说道。“我放心了。”
“You hardly explain yourself, sir. Why do you walk before us?”
“你这不算解释啊，先生。你为什么在我们前面走？”
“You surprise us, Sir Gawain,” Axl said. “What do you mean by hiding yourself here?”
“你吓了我们一跳，高文爵士，”埃克索说。“你躲在这儿，要干什么？”
“Assume it does, sir. The monks wouldn’t have sent you down here if they didn’t mean you to meet the beast. It’s always their way. As men of Christ, it’s beyond them to use a sword or even poison. So they send down here those they wish dead, and in a day or two they’ll have forgotten they ever did so. Oh yes, that’s their way, especially the abbot’s. By Sunday he may even have convinced himself he saved you from those soldiers. And the work of whatever prowls this tunnel, should it cross his mind, he’ll disown, or even call God’s will. Well, let’s see what God wills tonight now a knight of Arthur walks before you!”
“做有危险的打算吧，先生。僧侣们如果不想你们碰到野兽，是不会让你们下来的。这就是他们用的办法。他们是信基督的人，不能用剑，甚至也不能下毒。他们希望谁死，就让谁下来，过一两天，他们就会忘记做过这件事。啊，没错，这就是他们的办法，尤其是院长。到星期天，他甚至还会相信，是他救了你们，否则你们就被士兵抓走了。这隧道里潜伏的野兽干了什么，他就算想起来，也不会承认，甚至还会说这是上帝的意愿。好啦，今晚一位亚瑟王的骑士在前面开路，我们看看上帝的意愿是什么。”
“I’ve been down here a while and walking before you, friends. Yet with this sword and armour, and my great height which forces me to stumble and go with bowed head, I can’t walk quickly and now you discover me.”
“我下来有一会儿了，在你们前面走，朋友们。我带着剑，穿着盔甲，个子又高，走得跌跌撞撞，还要低着头，所以走不快，你们就发现我啦。”
“Your news overwhelms us, Sir Gawain,” said Axl. “But first tell us of this beast you speak of. What is its nature and does it threaten us even as we stand here?”
“你这消息真让人回不过神来，高文爵士，”埃克索说。“不过，你先给我们说说这头野兽吧。是什么样的兽呢？我们现在站在这儿，有没有危险？”
“They certainly wish this boy dead, mistress. I tried to make them see it wasn’t necessary, even made a solemn promise to take him far away from this country, but no, they don’t listen to me! They won’t risk this boy loose, even with Master Wistan captured or killed, for who’s to say there won’t come some other fellow one day to find this boy. I’ll take him far away, I said, but they fear what may happen and wish him dead. You and your good husband they might have spared but that you’d inevitably be witnesses to their deeds. Had I seen all this in advance, would I have travelled here to this monastery? Who knows? It seemed my duty then, did it not? But their plans for the boy, and for an innocent Christian couple, I could not allow it! Luckily not all the monks think alike, you know, and Ninian, the silent one, led me down here unwatched. It was my intention to go before you much further, but this armour and my stumbling height — how many times over the years have I cursed this height! What advantage does it bring a man to be so tall? For every high-dangling pear I reached there’s been an arrow threatened me would have flown over a smaller man!”
“夫人，他们当然希望这个男孩死。我试图让他们明白，这没有必要，甚至还庄重地发了誓，带他远离这个国家，但都不行，他们不听我的话！就算维斯坦阁下被捕或被杀，他们也不愿意冒险放走男孩，因为说不定哪天又会来个什么人，要找这个男孩。我说，我带他走得远远的，但他们担心以后的事情，所以要他死。本来他们也许会饶了你和你丈夫的性命，但他们做的事，你们肯定会看到。如果我提前知道这一切，还会不会到这个修道院来呢？谁知道啊？这似乎是我的职责吧，是不是呢？可他们要这样对付一个男孩，还有一对虔诚、无辜的夫妻，这我可不答应！幸运的是，不是所有僧侣都这么想，你们知道，尼尼安，那位不说话的僧侣，是他带着我悄悄下来的。我打算在你们前面走得更远一些，但这身盔甲，还有这麻烦的大个头——这么多年，这大个头让我诅咒过多少次！一个人长这么高，有什么好处呢？能摘到挂在高处的梨子，可是一支箭射来，从矮一点的人头顶飞过去，却差点要了我的命。我看威胁我性命的箭，不比我摘的梨子少！”
“You’re saying, Sir Gawain,” Beatrice asked, “the monks wish us dead?”
“高文爵士，”比特丽丝问，“你是说，那些僧侣要我们死？”
“I never saw it, sir, only know those the monks send this way perish by it.”
“我从没见过，先生，只知道有些人被僧侣们送下来，被它咬死了。”
“What do you say, sir? I’m a mortal man, I don’t deny it, but I’m a knight well trained and nurtured for long years of my youth by the great Arthur, who taught me to face all manner of challenge with gladness, even when fear seeps to the marrow, for if we’re mortal let us at least shine handsomely in God’s eyes while we walk this earth! Like all who stood with Arthur, sir, I’ve faced beelzebubs and monsters as well as the darkest intents of men, and always upheld my great king’s example even in the midst of ferocious conflict. What is it you suggest, sir? How dare you? Were you there? I was there, sir, and saw all with these same eyes that fix you now! But what of it, what of it, friends, this is a discussion for some other time. Forgive me, we have other matters to attend to, of course we have. What is it you asked, sir? Ah yes, this beast, yes, I understand it’s monstrous fierce but no demon or spirit and this sword is good enough to slay it.”
“你说什么呢，先生？我是个凡人，这我不否认，可我是个训练有素的骑士啊，年轻的时候跟随伟大的亚瑟很多年，他教我要快乐地面对一切挑战，哪怕恐惧渗入骨髓，因为就算我们是凡人，趁着还活在人世，就该绽放光彩，让上帝看到！先生，和所有与亚瑟并肩作战的人一样，我对付过魔鬼妖怪，也对付过最阴险的人，哪怕在最激烈的战斗之中，也总是效仿我伟大的国王。你这是什么意思呢，先生？你怎么敢这么说？你那时候在场吗？我可在场啊，先生，现在盯着你的这双眼睛，当时可什么都见过！可是，又怎么样呢，又怎样呢，朋友们，这事以后什么时间再讨论吧。原谅我，我们有别的事要做，当然有啦。你刚才问什么来着，先生？哎呀，对啦，这头兽，没错，我知道它很凶猛，但不是什么魔鬼精灵，这把剑足以杀死它。”
“Is it one can be killed by an ordinary sword held by a mortal man?”
“一个凡人拿一把剑，能杀死它吗？”
“Sir Gawain,” Axl said, “what kind of beast is it, this one you say dwells down here?”
“高文爵士，”埃克索说，“你说住在这下面的兽，究竟是什么东西？”
“But Sir Gawain,” Beatrice said, “do you really propose we walk further down this tunnel knowing what we now do?”
“可是，高文爵士，”比特丽丝说，“现在我们知道了这些情况，你还认为我们该沿着隧道继续往前走吗？”
“What choice have we, mistress? If I’m not mistaken, the way back to the monastery is locked to us, and yet that same door may open any time to pour forth soldiers into this tunnel. There’s nothing for it but to go on, and but for this one beast in our way, we may soon find ourselves in the forest far from your pursuers, for Ninian assures me this is a true tunnel and well maintained. So let’s be on our way before this candle burns down, it’s the only one I have.”
“我们有什么办法呢，夫人？如果我没弄错的话，退路已经封起来了，我们回不去，但那扇门却随时会打开，把一批士兵放进隧道。没有别的办法，只能往前走，路上只有一头野兽，我们很快就能到树林，把追赶你们的人甩得远远的，因为尼尼安跟我说过，这条隧道是通的，没有损坏。所以，在蜡烛熄灭之前，我们还是动身吧，只有这条道啦。”
“Let’s follow him, princess. Sir Gawain, we thank you for your trouble. Please lead us now to safety, and let’s hope this beast’s dozing or gone prowling the night.”
“我们跟他走吧，公主。高文爵士，我们感谢你花这么大功夫。请带领我们到安全的地方吧，希望这头野兽已经睡着，或者潜到其他地方去了。”
“Do we trust him, Axl?” Beatrice asked, making no effort to prevent Sir Gawain hearing. “My mind’s giddy now and loath to believe our kind Father Brian’s betrayed us. Yet what this knight says has the ring of truth to it.”
“我们该相信他吗，埃克索？”比特丽丝问。她毫不遮掩，不在乎高文爵士也能听到。“我脑子有点乱，也不愿意相信好心的布莱恩神父会背叛我们。可这位骑士说的话也有道理。”
“I fear we have no such luck. But come, friends, we’ll go with courage.” The old knight rose slowly to his feet, then held out the candle at arm’s length. “Master Axl, perhaps you’ll carry for us this flame, for I’ll need both my hands to keep my sword at the ready.”
“恐怕我们没这么好运吧。走吧，朋友们，我们要勇敢地往前走。”老骑士慢慢站起身来，拿蜡烛的那只手伸到前面。“埃克索阁下，也许你能帮我们拿着蜡烛，因为我需要两只手，随时准备用剑。”
They went on into the tunnel, Sir Gawain leading, Axl following with the flame, Beatrice holding his arm from behind, and Edwin now at the rear. There was no option but to go in single file, the passage remaining narrow, and the ceiling of dangling moss and sinewy roots grew lower and lower until even Beatrice had to stoop. Axl did his best to hold the candle high, but the breeze in the tunnel was now stronger, and he was often obliged to lower it and cover the flame with his other hand. Sir Gawain though never complained, and his shape going before them, sword raised over his shoulder, seemed never to vary. Then Beatrice let out an exclamation and tugged Axl’s arm.
他们往隧道深处走，高文爵士在最前面，埃克索拿着蜡烛跟着，比特丽丝在后面拉着埃克索的手，埃德温在最后。没别的办法，只能排成单列，因为隧道还是很窄，上面挂着苔藓，露出粗壮的树根，顶部越来越低，最后连比特丽丝都要弯着腰走路。埃克索尽量举高蜡烛，但这时隧道里的风大了，他经常要把蜡烛放下来，用另一只手罩住火焰。不过高文爵士没有一句怨言，他的身影在大家前方，举剑过肩，似乎一直就保持着这个样子。比特丽丝突然叫了一声，拉住了埃克索的胳膊。
“What of it, princess? We have to move on.”
“那有什么关系，公主？我们还要继续走。”
“What is it, princess?”
“什么事，公主？”
“Oh, Axl, stop! My foot touched something then, but your candle moved too quickly.”
“噢，埃克索，停下来！我的脚刚才碰到了什么东西，但你的蜡烛移得太快了。”
“Axl, I thought it a child! My foot touched it and I saw it before your light passed. Oh, I believe it’s a small child long dead!”
“埃克索，我觉得那是个孩子！我的脚碰了一下，我看了一眼，然后你的蜡烛就移走了。哎呀，我相信那是个死了很久的孩子！”
“There, princess, don’t distress yourself. Where was it you saw it?”
“好啦，公主，别难过。你在哪儿看到的？”
Despite his counsel, Sir Gawain had doubled back, and Edwin too was now at Beatrice’s side. Axl crouched forward and moved the candle here and there, revealing damp earth, tree roots and stones. Then the flame illuminated a large bat lying on its back as though peacefully asleep, wings stretched right out. Its fur looked wet and sticky. The pig-like face was hairless, and little puddles had formed in the cavities of the outspread wings. The creature might indeed have been sleeping but for what was on the front of its torso. As Axl brought the flame even closer, they all stared at the circular hole extending from just below the bat’s breast down to its belly, taking in parts of the ribcage to either side. The wound was peculiarly clean, as though someone had taken a bite from a crisp apple.
高文爵士建议大家不要看，但他自己还是折回来，埃德温也来到了比特丽丝身边。埃克索弓着腰，拿着蜡烛到处照，看到了潮湿的泥土、树根以及石块。接着火光下出现了一只大蝙蝠，伸展双翅，仰面躺着，好像在安睡。蝙蝠的毛看起来又湿又黏，面孔像猪，没有毛发，伸展的翅膀上的凹陷处，已经积了水。要不是胸口上有些特殊，这东西真像是在睡觉。埃克索把蜡烛移得更近一些，大家都瞪大了眼睛：蝙蝠身前有个圆洞，从胸口下方一直到肚子，包括两侧胸腔的一部分。伤口特别整齐，好像有人在一只脆苹果上咬了一口。
“Come, come, friends,” Sir Gawain said from the dark. “Many things in this place are best left unseen.”
“走吧，走吧，朋友们，”高文爵士在黑暗中说道。“这地方的很多东西，最好还是不要看。”
Beatrice seemed not to hear the knight. “It was over here, Axl. Bring the flame this way. Down there, Axl, shine it down there, though I dread to see its poor face again!”
比特丽丝似乎没听见骑士的话。“在那边，埃克索。蜡烛往那边照。就是那儿，埃克索，往那地上照，我可不敢再看那可怜的脸！”
“What are you saying, princess? It’s not a baby. What are you saying?”
“你说什么呢，公主？那不是孩子。你说什么呢？”
“I’m sorry this flame’s out, princess, or I’d show you again. A bat it is, nothing more, yet myself I’d look again at what it lies on. Sir Gawain, did you notice the creature’s bed?”
“蜡烛灭了，公主，否则我可以再给你看一下。就是个蝙蝠，不是别的，不过我自己倒想看看蝙蝠下面是什么东西。高文爵士，你注意到蝙蝠躺的地方了吗？”
“Don’t worry, friends,” Sir Gawain said. “I’ll find my tinder again.”
“别担心，朋友们，”高文爵士说。“我会再找到火绒的。”
“What could have done work like this?” Axl asked.
“这样的伤口，可能是谁干的呢？”埃克索问。
“Didn’t I tell you, Axl?” Beatrice sounded close to tears. “I knew it was a baby the moment my foot touched it.”
“我不是跟你说过吗，埃克索？”听声音，比特丽丝好像都要哭出来了。“脚一碰到，我就知道那是个孩子。”
“What could have happened to the poor child? And what of its parents?”
“这可怜的孩子发生什么事了呢？他的父母呢？”
“What do you suggest, sir?” Sir Gawain’s voice became carelessly loud. “What skulls? I saw no skulls, sir! Only a bat fallen on misfortune!”
“先生，你这是说什么呢？”高文的声音不经意间高了起来。“什么头骨？我可没看到头骨，先生！只有一只倒霉的蝙蝠！”
“Oh Axl, it was a baby, I’m sure of it!”
“哎呀，埃克索，那是个孩子，我肯定！”
“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
“我不明白你说什么，先生。”
He must have moved the candle too swiftly, for at that moment the flame guttered and went out.
蜡烛可能是移得太快了，烛火晃了一下，灭了。
“Princess, it’s simply a bat, the like of which often haunts dark places.”
“公主，那就是个蝙蝠，黑暗的地方经常有这种东西。”
“It seemed to me the creature lay on a bed of bones, for I thought I saw a skull or two that could only have belonged to men.”
“我觉得那东西好像是躺在骨头堆上，我好像看到了一两个头骨，只能是人的骨头。”
“Such a lonely death. Where were its parents, Axl?”
“死得孤零零的。他父母在哪儿呢，埃克索？”
Beatrice was now sobbing quietly, and Axl straightened to embrace her.
这时比特丽丝在默默地抽泣，埃克索直起身去抱她。
“What could I do, sir, knowing what I did? Yes, I rode here and spoke to the abbot, yet how was I to know the darkness of that man’s heart? And the better men, poor Jonus, his liver pecked and his days not long, while that abbot lives on with barely a scratch from those birds…”
“我知道了情况，还能怎么办，先生？没错，我骑马到这儿来，和院长说了话，可我怎么知道他的心有这么黑呢？还有那个好人，可怜的乔纳斯，肝都被鸟啄过，恐怕活不久了，可院长却活得好好的，皮都没给鸟碰过…”
“Sir Gawain, your voice booms too much and who knows where the soldiers are this moment.”
“高文爵士，你的声音太高了，谁知道那些士兵这时候在哪儿呢。”
“What are you suggesting, sir? Skulls? I saw no skulls! And what if there are a few old bones here? What of it, is that anything extraordinary? Aren’t we underground? But I saw no bed of bones, I don’t know what you suggest, Master Axl. Were you there, sir? Did you stand beside the great Arthur? I’m proud to say I did, sir, and he was a commander as merciful as he was gallant. Yes, indeed, it was I who came to the abbot to warn of Master Wistan’s identity and intentions, what choice had I? Was I to guess how dark the hearts of holy men could turn? Your suggestions are unwarranted, sir! An insult to all who ever stood alongside the great Arthur! There are no beds of bones here! And am I not here now to save you?”
“你这是说什么呢，先生？头骨？我可没看到头骨！就是有几根老骨头，那又怎么样？又怎么样啊，有什么好大惊小怪的？我们不是在地下吗？但我没看到骨头堆，我不知道你这是说什么，埃克索阁下。那时候你在场吗？你站在伟大的亚瑟身边吗？我要骄傲地说，我在啊，先生，他是个又勇猛又仁慈的统帅。是啊，没错，是我去跟院长说的，让他留意维斯坦阁下的身份和动机，可我有什么办法？修道的人心会这么黑，难道我能猜到？你的说法根本没有依据，先生！这是对所有曾与伟大的亚瑟王并肩战斗的人的侮辱！这里没有什么骨头堆！现在我不是要救你们吗？”
“It was no child, princess,” he said more gently. “Don’t upset yourself.”
“那不是孩子，公主，”他更加轻柔地说。“不要难过。”
Sir Gawain broke off, interrupted by a noise from further down the tunnel. It was hard to determine how distant or near it had been, but the sound was unmistakably the cry of a beast; it had resembled the howl of a wolf, though there had also been something of the deeper roar of a bear. The cry had not been prolonged, but it made Axl clasp Beatrice to him, and Sir Gawain snatched his sword from out of the ground. Then, for several moments, they remained standing in silence, listening for the sound to return. But nothing further came, and suddenly Sir Gawain began to laugh, quietly and breathlessly. As his laughter went on, Beatrice said into Axl’s ear: “Let’s leave this place, husband. I wish no more reminding of this lonely grave.”
高文爵士住了口，隧道更深处传来一个声音，打断了他的话。声音的远近很难判断，但那肯定是野兽的叫声；听起来像狼嚎，不过也有点儿像熊发出的低吼声。叫声延续的时间很短，但足以让埃克索一把拉过比特丽丝，高文爵士快速从地上拔起剑。他们站在那儿，一句话也不说，等着那声音再次响起。过了一会儿，没有声音传来，高文爵士突然笑了，他没发出什么声响，却笑得几乎喘不过气来。他还在笑的时候，比特丽丝在埃克索耳边说：“我们离开这个地方吧，丈夫。我不愿意再想起这个孤零零的坟地。”
Sir Gawain stopped laughing and said: “Perhaps we heard then the beast, but we have no choice but to go on. So, friends, let’s finish our quarrel. We’ll light the candle again before long, but let’s go a little way now without it in case it hastens the beast our way. See, here’s a pale light and enough to walk by. Come, friends, no more of this quarrel. My sword’s ready and let’s continue.”
高文爵士不笑了。他说道：“也许我们刚才听到了野兽的叫声，但我们没有选择，只能继续前进。好啦，朋友们，让我们结束争吵。我们很快就能把蜡烛点起来，不过我们先摸黑走一会儿，以免蜡烛把野兽马上引来。看，这儿有一点点光，可以走路。来吧，朋友们，不要再争吵了。我的剑准备好了，我们继续前进。”
They all paused to recover their breaths and look around at their new surroundings. After the long walk with the earth brushing their heads, it was a relief to see the ceiling not only so high above them, but composed of more solid material. Once Sir Gawain had lit the candle again, Axl realised they were in some sort of mausoleum, surrounded by walls bearing traces of murals and Roman letters. Before them a pair of substantial pillars formed a gateway into a further chamber of comparable proportions, and falling across this threshold was an intense pool of moonlight. Its source was not obvious: perhaps somewhere behind the high arch crossing the two pillars there was an opening which at that moment, by sheer chance, was aligned to receive the moon. The light illuminated much of the moss and fungus on the pillars, as well as a section of the next chamber, whose floor appeared to be covered in rubble, but which Axl soon realised was comprised of a vast layer of bones. Only then did it occur to him that under his feet were more broken skeletons, and that this strange floor extended for the entirety of both chambers.
大家都停下来喘口气，打量周围的新环境。他们脑袋贴着隧道顶部的泥土走了那么长时间，看到这儿屋顶很高、材料坚固，都感到欣慰。等高文爵士再次点亮蜡烛，埃克索意识到，这似乎是个陵墓，四周的墙上有壁画和罗马字母的痕迹。他们前面有两根结实的柱子，形成一道门，通向另一个大小相仿的房间，房间门口有一块明亮的月光。看不出来月光来自哪里——也许两根柱子上的拱门背后有个通风口，这时机缘巧合，月光刚好能从那儿射进来，照亮了柱子上的霉菌青苔，以及另外那个房间的一部分。乍一看，房间地板上似乎铺着碎石，但埃克索很快发现，那其实是厚厚的一层骨头。这时候他才意识到，自己脚下也是破碎的骸骨，两个房间的地面上全是骨头。
The tunnel became more tortuous, and they moved with greater caution, fearing what each turn would reveal. But they encountered nothing, nor heard the cry again. Then the tunnel descended steeply for a good distance before coming out into a large underground chamber.
隧道更加曲折，大家也更加小心，每到拐弯的地方都害怕会冒出什么东西。但他们没遇到什么，也没有听到之前的野兽叫声。然后隧道突然下降，走过一段长长的陡坡后，他们来到一间很大的地下房间。
“We need not quarrel, Master Axl. Here are the skulls of men, I won’t deny it. There an arm, there a leg, but just bones now. An old burial ground. And so it may be. I dare say, sir, our whole country is this way. A fine green valley. A pleasant copse in the springtime. Dig its soil, and not far beneath the daisies and buttercups come the dead. And I don’t talk, sir, only of those who received Christian burial. Beneath our soil lie the remains of old slaughter. Horace and I, we’ve grown weary of it. Weary and we no longer young.”
“我们不用吵啦，埃克索阁下。这都是人的头骨，我不否认。这儿一条胳膊，那儿一条腿，现在都是骨头啦。一个古老的墓地。也许是吧。先生，我敢说我们整个国家都是这样。翠绿的山谷。春天里怡人的小灌木丛。可是，你往土里挖，雏菊毛茛下面，就是死者的尸骨。先生，我说的不仅仅是举行了基督教葬礼的那些人。我们的土地下面，埋着过去屠杀留下的遗骸。我和霍拉斯啊，我们已经厌倦了。厌倦了，也都老了。”
“This must be some ancient burial place,” he said aloud. “Yet there are so many buried here.”
“这肯定是个古老的墓地，”他大声说。“埋葬的人真不少啊。”
“A burial place,” Sir Gawain muttered. “Yes, a burial place.” He had been moving slowly around the chamber, sword in one hand, candle in the other. Now he went towards the arch, but stopped short of the second chamber, as if suddenly daunted by the brilliant moonlight. He thrust his sword into the ground, and Axl watched his silhouette leaning on his weapon, moving the candle up and down with a weary air.
“墓地，”高文爵士喃喃地说，“没错，是个墓地。”他刚才一手拿剑，一手拿蜡烛，绕着房间缓缓走了一圈。现在他正朝拱门走去，在第二个房间前面，他突然停了下来，好像被那明亮的月光镇住了一样。他把剑插到地上，埃克索看着他的剪影靠在剑上，手里的蜡烛上下移动着，颇有些厌倦的模样。
“I don’t forget the beast, sir. I merely consider this gateway before us. Look up there, you see it?” Sir Gawain was holding up the candle to reveal along the lower edge of the arch what appeared to be a row of spearheads pointing down to the ground.
“我没有忘记野兽，先生。我只是在考虑我们面前的这道门。你抬头看看，看见没？”高文爵士举起蜡烛，照着拱门下沿，那儿似乎有一排矛头，对着地面。
“A portcullis,” Axl said.
“一道闸门，”埃克索说。
“Sir Gawain,” Axl said, “we have but one sword between us. I ask you not to grow melancholic, nor forget the beast is near.”
“高文爵士，”埃克索说，“我们这儿只有一把剑。我请你不要沮丧，也不要忘记野兽就在附近。”
“Exactly, sir. This gate isn’t so ancient. Younger than either of us, I’d wager. Someone has raised it for us, wishing us to pass through. See there, the ropes that hold it. And there, the pulleys. Someone comes here often to make this gate rise and fall, and perhaps feed the beast.” Sir Gawain stepped towards one of the pillars, his feet crunching over bones. “If I cut this rope, the gate will surely come down, it will bar our way out. Yet if the beast’s beyond, we’ll be shielded from it. Is that the Saxon boy I hear or some pixie stolen in here?”
“没错，先生。这道门可没那么老。比我们俩都年轻，我敢打赌。有人把闸门打开了，希望我们进去。你看那边，那是拉住闸门的绳索。还有那边，那是滑轮。有人经常到这儿来，开门关门，也许是喂野兽。”高文爵士朝一根柱子走去，脚下踩着骨头，发出咯吱咯吱的声音。“如果我砍断这根绳索，闸门肯定会落下来，挡住我们出去的路。但如果野兽在那边，这闸门就能把它挡住。这是那个撒克逊男孩发出的声音吗，还是偷偷进来了什么精灵？”
Indeed Edwin, back in the shadows, had started to sing; faintly at first so that Axl had thought the boy was simply soothing his nerves, but then his voice had become steadily more conspicuous. His song seemed to be a slow lullaby, and he was rendering it with his face to the wall, his body rocking gently.
正是埃德温。他回到黑暗中，唱了起来；一开始声音很轻，埃克索以为他只是在安抚紧张情绪，但随后他的声音越来越高。那似乎是首舒缓的摇篮曲，唱的时候，他脸对着墙，身体轻轻摇晃着。
This time there was a snapping sound, and the gate crashed down raising a cloud of dust in the moonlight. The noise felt immense — Edwin abruptly stopped his singing — and Axl stared through the iron grid now fallen before them to see what it would summon. But there was no sign of the beast, and after a moment they all let go their breaths.
这一次，啪嗒一声，大门轰隆隆落下，在月光下扬起一片灰尘。那声音惊天动地——埃德温突然停止了歌唱——埃克索瞪大眼睛，盯着面前的铁栅栏，看那边会出现什么东西。但没有野兽的迹象，过了一会儿，大家都松了口气。
“Wise counsel, sir. I’ll do as you say.”
“明智的建议，先生。我就按你说的办。”
“I say we cut the rope, sir. We can surely raise the gate again when we wish. Let’s first discover what we face while the gate’s down.”
“先生，依我看，我们砍断绳索吧。想开门的时候，我们肯定还能打开。等门放下来，我们先看看要对付的是什么东西。”
“The boy behaves as one bewitched,” Sir Gawain said. “Never mind him, we must now decide, Master Axl. Do we walk on? Or do we cut this rope to give us at least a moment shielded from what lies beyond?”
“这男孩像着了魔似的，”高文爵士说。“别管他，现在我们要做决定，埃克索阁下。我们该继续走吗？还是该砍断绳索，无论门那边有什么东西，至少可以挡一阵子？”
Handing Axl the candle, Sir Gawain took a further step forward, raised his sword and swung at the pillar. There was the sound of metal striking stone, and the lower section of the gate shook, but remained suspended. Sir Gawain sighed with a hint of embarrassment. Then he repositioned himself, raised the sword again, and struck once more.
高文爵士把蜡烛递给埃克索，向前迈了一步，举起剑，砍在柱子上，发出金属撞击石头的声音，大门的下半部分晃了晃，但没有落下来。高文爵士叹了口气，有点儿不好意思。然后他重新站好位置，再次举起剑，又砍了一下。
She had spoken softly, but Sir Gawain turned to them. “What do you suggest, mistress? That I committed this slaughter?” He said this tiredly, with none of the anger he had shown earlier in the tunnel, but there was a peculiar intensity in his voice. “So many skulls, you say. Yet are we not underground? What is it you suggest? Can just one knight of Arthur have killed so many?” He turned back to the gate and ran a finger along one of the bars. “Once, years ago, in a dream, I watched myself killing the enemy. It was in my sleep and long ago. The enemy, in their hundreds, perhaps as many as this. I fought and I fought. Just a foolish dream, but still I recall it.” He sighed, then looked at Beatrice. “I hardly know how to answer you, mistress. I acted as I thought would please God. How was I to guess how dark had grown the hearts of these wretched monks? Horace and I came to this monastery while the sun was up, not long after you yourself arrived, for I supposed then I had need to speak urgently with the abbot. Then I discovered what he plotted against you, and I feigned complacence. I bade him farewell, and they all believed me gone, but I left Horace in the forest and returned up here on foot hidden by the night. Not all the monks think alike, thank God. I knew the good Jonus would receive me. And learning from him the abbot’s schemes, I had Ninian bring me unseen down to this place to await you. Curse it, the boy starts again!”
她声音不大，可高文爵士转过头来说：“你这是什么意思，夫人？难道是说人是我杀的？”他的声音很疲惫，没有之前在隧道里说话时的怒气，但有一种特别强烈的情绪。“你说，这么多头骨。可我们不是在地下吗？你这是什么意思呢？一名亚瑟王的骑士，能杀得了这么多？”他转过身，对着闸门，一根指头从上到下摸着一根铁条。“过去，很多年前，我在梦里看到自己杀敌人。那是在梦里，很久以前的事了。敌人呢，有好几百，也许和这儿的人数差不多。我就一直拼杀、拼杀。不过是个愚蠢的梦，但我现在还能想起来。”他叹了口气，然后看看比特丽丝。“我都不知道该怎么回答你，夫人。我以为这样做，会令上帝喜悦。我怎么能猜到，这些卑鄙的僧侣竟然心黑到这个地步？我和霍拉斯到修道院时，太阳还没落山，你们也刚到不久，因为那时候我想，我必须尽快告诉院长。后来我发现他要对付你们，就假装出得意的样子。我跟他告别，他们都以为我走了，实际上我把霍拉斯丢在树林里，趁着夜色又走上了山。感谢上帝，不是所有僧侣都那么想。我知道好心的乔纳斯会接待我。我从他那儿知道了院长的计划，就让尼尼安悄悄带我到这儿来，等着你们。该死，这男孩又来了！”
For all that they were now effectively trapped, the lowering of the portcullis brought a sense of relief, and they all four began to wander around the mausoleum. Sir Gawain, who had sheathed his sword, went up to the bars and touched them gingerly.
他们现在被困住了，但是闸门落下，大家都感到一阵轻松，四个人开始在陵墓里四处走动。高文爵士把剑插入剑鞘，走到闸门前，轻轻摸了摸栅栏。
“Good iron,” he said. “It’ll do its work.”
“好铁，”他说。“货真价实的东西。”
Beatrice, who had been quiet for some time, came up to Axl and pressed her head against his chest. As he put an arm around her, he realised her cheek was wet with tears.
比特丽丝之前安静了很长时间。这时她走到埃克索跟前，把脑袋贴在他胸口。他一条胳膊把她揽住，发现她脸上都是眼泪。
“Come, princess,” he said, “take heart. We’ll be out in the night air before long.”
“好啦，公主，”他说，“振作一点。我们很快就能出去呼吸夜晚的空气啦。”
“All these skulls, Axl. So many! Can this beast really have killed so many?”
“这些头骨，埃克索。这么多！这头野兽真的能杀死这么多人？”
Sure enough, Edwin was singing once more, not as loudly as before, but now in a curious posture. He had bent forward, a fist to each temple, and was moving slowly about in the shadows like someone in a dance enacting the part of an animal.
没错，埃德温又在唱歌了，这次他没之前那么大声，但姿势很奇怪。他身体向前倾着，两手握成拳头，放在太阳穴上，在黑暗中走来走去，步伐很慢，像一个人在扮演动物跳舞。
“The recent events surely overwhelm him,” Axl said. “It’s a wonder he’s shown the fortitude he has, and we must attend to him well once we’re away from here. But Sir Gawain, tell us now, why do the monks seek to murder such an innocent lad?”
“最近发生了很多事情，他肯定承受不了，”埃克索说。“他表现得非常坚韧，已经很了不起了，我们一离开这儿，一定要好好照顾他。高文爵士，你跟我们说说，那些僧侣为什么要杀死这样一个无辜少年呢？”
“Sir Gawain, please explain. Has this to do with his ogre’s wound? Yet these are men of Christian learning.”
“高文爵士，请你解释。这和他身上的食人兽伤口有没有关系？那些可都是有学识的基督徒啊。”
“No matter how I argued, sir, the abbot would have the boy destroyed. So I left Horace in the forest and retraced my steps…”
“先生，无论我怎么争辩，院长都要杀掉这个男孩。所以我才把霍拉斯丢在树林里，回到了…”
“That’s no ogre’s bite the boy carries. It’s a dragon gave him that wound. I saw it right away when yesterday that soldier raised his shirt. Who knows how he met with a dragon, but a dragon’s bite it is, and now the desire will be rising in his blood to seek congress with a she-dragon. And in turn, any she-dragon near enough to scent him will come seeking him. This is why Master Wistan is so fond of his protégé, sir. He believes Master Edwin will lead him to Querig. And for this same reason, the monks and these soldiers would have him dead. Look, the boy grows ever wilder!”
“男孩身上没有食人兽咬的伤口。那个伤口是龙咬的。昨天，那个士兵拉起他衣服的时候，我当场就看出来了。他怎么遇上了龙，这谁知道呢？但那肯定是龙咬的，现在他的血液里会充满欲望，要去找条母龙。同样，附近任何母龙只要闻到他的气息，也会来找他。所以维斯坦阁下才会急于保护他，先生。他认为埃德温阁下能带他找到魁瑞格。出于同样的原因，这些僧侣和士兵要杀死他。你们看，这男孩更疯了！”
“Get back, boy,” Sir Gawain said, grasping his shoulders. “There’s danger here, and that’s enough of your songs!”
“回来，孩子，”高文爵士抓住他的肩膀，说道。“这儿有危险。还有，不要唱歌了！”
“What is it you suggest, mistress? The skulls of babes? I’ve fought men, beelzebubs, dragons. But a slaughterer of infants? How dare you, mistress!”
“你这是什么意思，夫人？婴儿的头骨？我斗过男人、魔鬼和龙。但是屠杀婴儿？夫人，你怎么敢这么说！”
“What are all these skulls, sir?” Beatrice suddenly asked the knight. “Why so many? Can they all have belonged to babies? Some are surely small enough to fit in your palm.”
“那这些头骨呢，先生，”比特丽丝突然问骑士。“为什么有这么多？都是孩子吗？有些很小，都能放到你手掌里。”
“Princess, don’t distress yourself. This is a burial place, nothing more.”
“公主，不要难过了。这是个墓地而已。”
Suddenly Edwin, still singing, pushed past them, and going up to the portcullis pressed himself against the bars.
突然，仍在唱歌的埃德温从他们身旁挤过去，跑到闸门边，紧紧贴在栅栏上。
Edwin gripped the bars with both hands, and for a moment he and the old knight tussled. Then they both broke off and stepped back from the gate. Beatrice, at Axl’s breast, let out a small gasp, but at that instant Axl’s view was obscured by Edwin and Sir Gawain. Then the beast came into the pool of moonlight, and he saw it more clearly.
埃德温双手紧抓着栅栏，和老骑士拉扯了一会儿。随后，两人分开，都从闸门前往后退。比特丽丝靠在埃克索胸前，发出一声低呼，但这时埃克索的视线被埃德温和高文爵士挡住了。接着，那头野兽出现在月光之下，埃克索能看得更清楚了。
“God protect us,” Beatrice said. “Here’s a creature escaped from the Great Plain itself, and the air grows colder.”
“上帝保佑我们，”比特丽丝说。“这东西就是从大平原上直接跑过来的，连空气都变冷了。”
“Surely bad enough, sir,” Axl said. “It looks well able to devour each of us in turn.”
“够糟糕了吧，先生，”埃克索说。“看起来它能够一个一个把我们给吞了。”
Sir Gawain, who had immediately drawn his sword again, began to laugh quietly. “Not nearly as bad as I feared,” he said, then laughed a little more.
高文爵士的剑立即拔了出来，他低声笑了。“没我担心的那么糟糕，”他说，忍不住又笑了几声。
They might have been gazing at a large skinned animal: an opaque membrane, like the lining of a sheep’s stomach, was stretched tightly over the sinews and joints. Swathed as it was now in moonshadow, the beast appeared roughly the size and shape of a bull, but its head was distinctly wolf-like and of a darker hue — though even here the impression was of blackening by flames rather than of naturally dark fur or flesh. The jaws were massive, the eyes reptilian.
他们所看到的，很像一只剥了皮的大动物：肌肉和关节上，紧紧裹着一层不透明的膜，像翻过来的羊肚。野兽现在裹在月光下，大小与外形看起来都像一头公牛，但它的脑袋很特殊，像狼，颜色要深一些——尽管给人的感觉是被火烧过之后的焦黑色，而不是自然的黑色毛发或皮肉。它的嘴巴很大，眼睛像蛇。
“Don’t worry, princess. It can’t breach those bars.”
“不要担心，公主。它打不破铁栅栏。”
Sir Gawain was still laughing to himself. “Coming down that gloomy tunnel my wild imaginings had readied me for worse. Once, sir, on the marshes at Dumum, I faced wolves with the heads of hideous hags! And at Mount Culwich, double-headed ogres that spewed blood at you even as they roared their battlecry! Here’s little more than an angry dog.”
高文爵士仍旧一个人笑着。“从那个阴暗的隧道里走出来，我连最奇怪的东西都想象到了，早做好了准备。先生，有一次啊，我在杜玛姆沼泽上见到的狼，脑袋像可怕的老巫婆一样！在库尔维奇山，见过双头食人兽，战斗中发出吼叫时，能朝你喷血！这东西嘛，也不过是条生气的狗而已。”
“Yet it bars our way to freedom, Sir Gawain.”
“但它却拦住了我们获得自由的路，高文爵士。”
“I’m an old man, sir, and it’s many a year since I swung this blade in anger. Yet I’m still a knight well trained, and if this be a beast of this earth, I’ll get the better of it.”
“我是个老头子，先生，已经很多年没有愤怒地拔剑了。但我仍旧是个受过良好训练的骑士，只要这头野兽不是来自另一个世界，我就会占上风。”
“I’m inclined to think it a foe darker than a fierce dog, Sir Gawain. I ask you not to grow complacent.”
“高文爵士，我倒觉得这是个比疯狗更加凶狠的敌人。我请你不要大意。”
“It does that for sure. So we may stare at it for an hour until the soldiers come down the tunnel behind us. Or we may lift this gate and fight it.”
“没错，它的确挡了路。所以，我们可以瞪着它，过一个小时士兵们就会从隧道里追上来。或者打开闸门，与它战斗。”
“See, Axl,” Beatrice said, “how its eyes follow Master Edwin.”
“你看，埃克索，”比特丽丝说，“它的眼睛一直跟着埃德温阁下。”
“The dog hungers for the boy,” Sir Gawain said thoughtfully. “It may be there’s dragon spawn within this monster.”
“狗急着要这个男孩哪，”高文爵士若有所思地说。“也许这个妖怪身体里有龙的卵。”
“Whatever its nature,” Axl said, “it awaits our next move with strange patience.”
“不管是什么妖怪，”埃克索说，“它在等着我们的下一步行动，耐心不同寻常啊。”
“Then let me propose this, friends,” said Sir Gawain. “I’m loath to use this Saxon boy like a young goat tied to trap a wolf. Yet he seems a brave lad, and in no less danger wandering here weaponless. Let him take the candle and go stand there at the back of the chamber. Then if you, Master Axl, can somehow raise this gate again, perhaps even with your good wife’s help, the beast will be free to come through. My fancy is it will make straight for the boy. Knowing the path of its charge, I’ll stand here and cut it down as it passes. Do you approve the scheme, sir?”
“那么，我来提个办法，朋友们，”高文爵士说。“我讨厌利用这个男孩，像绑个小山羊引诱狼一样。但他似乎是个勇敢的少年，在这儿走来走去，没有武器，同样有危险。让他拿着蜡烛，到房间后面去站着。你呢，埃克索阁下，可以想办法再打开闸门，可能还需要你好心的妻子帮忙，门一开，野兽就能过来。我猜它会直接朝男孩冲过去。我知道它冲过去的路线，就站在这儿，在它经过的时候劈死它。你同意这个计划吗，先生？”
Edwin, now strangely calm, had been walking experimentally, first left, then to the right, always staring back at the beast whose gaze never left him.
奇怪的是，埃德温现在很平静，他一直在试探性地走着，先朝左边，然后是右边，总是要回头看看那头野兽，而野兽的目光从未离开过他。
“It’s a desperate one. Yet I too fear the soldiers will soon discover this tunnel. So let’s try it, sir, and even with my wife and I hanging together on the rope, we’ll do our best to raise this gate. Princess, explain to Master Edwin our plan and let’s see if he’ll enter into it.”
“这个计划很疯狂。但我也担心士兵们很快就会发现隧道。我们试一下吧，先生，我和妻子会尽力的，哪怕我们俩要一起吊到绳子上，也要把门打开。公主啊，你跟埃德温阁下解释一下我们的计划，看他愿不愿意。”
But Edwin seemed to have grasped Sir Gawain’s strategy without a word being said to him. Taking the candle from the knight, the boy measured out ten good strides over the bones till he was back in the shadows. When he turned again, the candle below his face barely trembled, and revealed blazing eyes fixed on the creature beyond the bars.
可是，埃德温似乎不用听任何人讲，就已经明白了高文爵士的策略。男孩从骑士手里接过蜡烛，斟酌好距离，在骨头堆上走了十步，回到了黑暗之中。他转过身来，面前的蜡烛几乎毫不颤动，一双亮闪闪的眼睛紧紧盯着栅栏后的野兽。
“Quick then, princess,” Axl said. “Climb on my back and try to reach the rope’s end. See where it dangles there.”
“那就快点，公主，”埃克索说。“爬到我背上，抓住绳头。晃来晃去的那个，看见了吧。”
At first they nearly toppled over. Then they used the pillar itself to support them, and after a little more groping, he heard her say: “I hold it, Axl. Release me and it’ll surely come down with me. Catch me so I don’t fall all at once.”
一开始，他们俩差点一起滚倒在地。随后两人扶着柱子站稳了，又摸索了一会儿，他听见她说，“我抓住啦，埃克索。让我下来，绳子也会跟着下来。把我抓住啊，要不然我就一下子跌下来了。”
“Sir Gawain,” Axl called softly. “Are you ready, sir?”
“高文爵士，”埃克索低声喊道。“你准备好了吗，先生？”
“I know it, sir. And it will not pass.”
“这我知道，先生。不会让它跑过去的。”
“We’re ready.”
“准备好了。”
“If the beast passes you, then surely it’s the end of this brave boy.”
“要是野兽从你身边跑过去，那这个勇敢的男孩就死定啦。”
“Let me down slowly, Axl. If I’m still in the air holding the rope, reach up and tug me down.”
“慢慢放我下来，埃克索。如果我抓着绳子吊在半空中，你就把我拉下来。”
There was a pause before Sir Gawain’s voice came back. “The dog stares our way and nothing now between us.”
停顿了一会儿，高文爵士的声音传回来。“这条狗正等着我们呢，中间没有障碍啦。”
Twisting, Axl looked around the pillar in time to see the beast leap forward. The old knight’s face, caught in moonlight, looked aghast as he swung his sword, but too late, and the creature was past him and moving unerringly towards Edwin.
埃克索扭过身体，头从柱子旁边探出去，刚好看到那野兽向前跳了出来。老骑士的脸在月光下，看起来他似乎惊呆了。他挥动宝剑，但太晚了，那野兽从他身边经过，径直朝埃德温冲去。
The boy’s eyes grew large, but he did not drop the candle. Instead he moved aside, almost as if out of politeness, to let the beast pass. And to Axl’s surprise, the creature did just that, running on into the blackness of the tunnel out of which not long ago they had all emerged.
男孩瞪大了眼睛，但手里的蜡烛没有掉下来。他朝旁边跨了一步，让野兽过去，几乎像是礼貌谦让。让埃克索惊讶的是，那野兽真的就过去了，继续朝他们刚走出来的黑暗隧道中跑去。
Axl released Beatrice and for an instant she hung suspended in the air, her body weight insufficient to raise the gate. Then Axl managed to grip another portion of the rope close to her two hands, and they tugged together. At first nothing happened, then something yielded, and the gate rose with a shudder. Axl continued tugging, and unable to see the effect, called out: “Is it high yet, sir?”
埃克索放开比特丽丝，有一下子她悬挂在空中，她身体的重量不够，拉不起闸门。随后埃克索抓住了她双手附近的另一段绳子，两人一起向下拉。一开始没什么动静，接着有什么东西动了，闸门颤抖着升了起来。埃克索继续拉，他看不见门，于是喊道：“够高了吗，先生？”
“Let the gate fall, Master Axl,” Sir Gawain said without looking up. “We’ll raise it again soon enough.”
“把门放下来吧，埃克索阁下，”高文爵士没有抬头。“我们等一下再拉起来。”
“I’ll hold it up yet,” Axl shouted. ‘Cross the threshold and save yourselves!”
“我拉着门，”埃克索喊道。“到门里去，逃命吧！”
“Some of it did, and I heard its footsteps cease. Now, Axl, go and see the part of it lies at the knight’s feet.”
“一部分吧，我听见它的脚步停了下来。好啦，埃克索，去吧，看看骑士脚下的另外那一部分。”
But neither Beatrice beside him, nor Sir Gawain, who had lowered his sword, seemed to hear. Even Edwin appeared to have lost interest in the terrible creature that had just sped past him and would surely return any moment. The boy, candle held before him, came over to where the old knight was standing, and together they stared down at the ground.
但是，无论是他身旁的比特丽丝，还是已经放下剑的高文爵士，似乎都没听到。那可怕的野兽刚从埃德温身边冲过去，肯定随时都会回来，可他好像毫不关心。男孩拿着蜡烛，来到老骑士站的地方，两人一起瞪大眼睛看着地上。
As Axl came towards them, Sir Gawain and Edwin both started as though shaken from a trance. Then they moved aside and Axl saw the beast’s head in the moonlight.
埃克索走了过去，高文爵士和埃德温都吓了一跳，好像恍惚中突然被人摇醒一样。然后两人让到一旁，埃克索看见了月光下野兽的脑袋。
The old knight and the boy, Axl realised, were regarding with fascination something moving on the ground before them. He let the gate fall, and as he did so, Beatrice said:
埃克索发现，老骑士和男孩正认真观察着地上正在动的什么东西。他放下闸门，这时比特丽丝说：
“A fearsome thing, Axl, and I’ve no need to see it. But go and look if you will and tell me what you see.”
“是个可怕的东西，埃克索，我就没必要去看了。你想看就去吧，然后告诉我。”
“Didn’t the beast run into the tunnel, princess?”
“野兽不是跑进隧道了吗，公主？”
“The jaws will not cease,” Sir Gawain said in a perturbed tone. “I’ve a mind to take my sword to it again, yet fear that would be a desecration to bring more evil upon us. Yet I wish it would cease moving.”
“嘴巴就是动个不停，”高文爵士不安地说。“我想拿出剑来再劈它几下，又担心那是亵渎，会给我们带来更多厄运。希望它停下来不要动就好了。”
“We’re beholden to you, Sir Gawain,” Axl said.
“我们都要感谢你，高文爵士，”埃克索说。
Indeed it was hard to believe the severed head was not a living thing. It lay on its side, the one visible eye gleaming like a sea creature. The jaws moved rhythmically with a strange energy, so that the tongue, flopping amidst the teeth, appeared to stir with life.
的确，很难相信这砍下的脑袋不是个活东西。野兽的头侧面着地，能看到一只眼睛，仍旧亮闪闪的，像海里的动物那样。上下颚有节奏地动着，似乎有罕见的力气，舌头因此在嘴巴里一起一落，好像是活的。
“A mere dog, sir, and I’d happily face worse. Yet this Saxon boy shows rare courage, and I’m glad to have done him some service. But now we must hurry on, and with caution too, for who knows what occurs above us, or even if a second beast awaits beyond that chamber.”
“不过是一条狗罢了，先生，就是更糟糕的东西，我也乐意奉陪。不过，这个撒克逊男孩勇气罕见呐，我很高兴帮了他一点儿忙。但我们现在要快点走了，而且还要小心，谁知道上面在发生什么事呢，说不定房间那边还有头野兽。”
They now discovered a crank behind one of the pillars, and fastening the rope end to it, soon raised the gate without difficulty. Leaving the beast’s head where it had fallen, they passed under the portcullis, Sir Gawain once more leading, sword poised, and Edwin at the rear.
这时他们在一根柱子后面发现了一个摇柄，把绳子系上去，很快就轻松地拉起了闸门。大家让野兽的脑袋留在原来的地方，从闸门下穿过，高文爵士又一次举着剑走在前面，埃德温走在最后。
Looking about him in the half-light, Axl spotted Sir Gawain’s figure nearby, silhouetted against the dawn, head bowed, a hand on a tree trunk to steady him while he regained his breath. But there was no sign of the boy.
在清晨的微光中，埃克索四下张望，看到高文爵士就在附近，在晨光的映衬下显出剪影，脑袋低着，一只手扶着树干，正在调匀呼吸。可男孩却不见踪影。
In a kind of daze, Axl came upon a cluster of roots rising between two large trees, and taking Beatrice’s hand, helped her sit down on it. At first Beatrice was too short of breath to speak, but after a moment she looked up, saying:
埃克索有点恍惚，两棵大树之间有一堆树根，他拉着比特丽丝的手，扶她坐到树根上。一开始比特丽丝气喘吁吁，没法开口，过了一会儿，她抬起头来，说道：
The second chamber of the mausoleum showed clear signs of having served as the beast’s lair: amidst the ancient bones were fresher carcasses of sheep and deer, as well as other dark, foul-smelling shapes they could not identify. Then they were once more walking stooped and short of breath along a winding passage. They encountered no more beasts, and eventually they heard birdsong. A patch of light appeared in the distance, and then they came out into the forest, the early dawn all around them.
陵墓的第二个房间，显然是野兽的巢穴：古老的骨头之中，有新近的羊和鹿的骨架，还有一些骨架是黑色的，气味难闻，他们无法辨认。随后他们又必须弯着腰、屏着气，走过一条曲折的通道。他们没有遇到野兽，最后终于听到了鸟鸣声。远处出现一块光亮，不久大家来到一片树林中，四下里晨曦初亮。
“There’s room here beside me, husband. If we’re safe for now, let’s sit together and watch the stars fade. I’m thankful we’re both well and that evil tunnel’s behind us.” Then she said: “Where’s Master Edwin, Axl? I don’t see him.”
“我这旁边还有地方，丈夫。如果我们现在安全了，那就坐下来，一起看看最后的星星吧。谢天谢地，我们俩都没事，那邪恶的隧道总算走出来了。”接着她说：“埃德温阁下呢，埃克索？我没看到他。”
“What would you have me do, sir? I did all I could. Hid myself in that airless place. Overcame the beast though it had devoured many brave men before us. Then at the end of it all, the boy runs back to the monastery! Am I to give chase with this heavy armour and sword? I’m all done in, sir. All done in. What’s my duty now? I must pause and think it over. What would Arthur have me do?”
“你想要我干什么呢，先生？我能做的都做了。躲在那个连空气都没有的地方。那头野兽之前吞噬了很多勇敢的人，我把它杀了。可是，到头来，那个男孩却跑回到了修道院！难道要我穿着这沉重的盔甲，带着剑，跟在后面追？我都累垮了，先生。累垮啦。现在我的职责是什么？我要歇一下，好好想想。如果亚瑟在，会让我干什么呢？”
“Didn’t you think to delay him, sir? Surely he hurries to grave danger, and Master Wistan by now killed or captured.”
“你没想过拦住他吗，先生？他这急匆匆地去，肯定有很大危险，维斯坦阁下这时候已经被杀或者被抓啦。”
“I watched him hasten on, sir,” Sir Gawain said without turning, his breath still laboured. “Not being elderly as the rest of us, he’s no need to lean on oaks panting and gasping. I suppose he hurries back to the monastery to rescue Master Wistan.”
“我看着他加快速度走了，先生，”高文爵士说道。他没有转身，仍旧气喘吁吁的。“他不像我们这些老人，不用靠在橡树上喘个不停。我猜他是急着回到修道院去救维斯坦。”
“Just now he was behind us,” Axl said. “I even heard him exclaim as we came into the fresh air.”
“刚才还在我们后面，”埃克索说。“我们走出隧道的时候，我听见他喊了一声。”
“Are we to understand, Sir Gawain,” Beatrice asked, “that it was you in the first place came to tell the abbot of Master Wistan’s real identity as a Saxon warrior from the east?”
“高文爵士，”比特丽丝问，“我们该不该认为，是你最先去告诉院长，说维斯坦阁下的真实身份是东方来的撒克逊武士？”
“Why go through it again, mistress? Did I not lead you to safety? So many skulls we trod upon before coming out to this sweet dawn! So many. No need to look down, one hears their cackle with each tread. How many dead, sir? A hundred? A thousand? Did you count, Master Axl? Or were you not there, sir?” He was still a silhouette beside a tree, his words sometimes hard to catch now the birds had begun their early chorus.
“为什么又要提这件事呢，夫人？我不是带着你们到安全的地方了吗？踩过那么多头骨，才步入这美好的清晨？那么多。不用低头看，每踩一脚，都能听到咔嚓声。死了多少，先生？一百？一千？你数过吗，埃克索阁下？莫非你不在场，先生？”他仍旧是树边的一个剪影，他的话有时候听不清楚，鸟儿们已经开始了清晨的合唱。
“Whatever the history of this night,” Axl said, “we owe you much thanks, Sir Gawain. Clearly your courage and skill remain undiminished. Yet I too have a question to put to you.”
“无论今晚发生了什么，”埃克索说，“我们都该好好感谢你，高文爵士。显然，你的勇气和本领都不减当年。不过，我也有个问题要问你。”
“Spare me, sir, enough. How can I chase a nimble youth up these wooded slopes? I’m drained, sir, and perhaps not just of breath.”
“放过我吧，先生，够了。这山坡上长满了树，我怎么能去追一个灵巧的年轻人呢？我已经垮掉啦，先生，不仅仅是喘不上气。”
“Spare me, sir. I did my duty tonight. Is that not enough? Now I must go find my poor Horace, tied to a branch so he wouldn’t wander, yet what if a wolf or bear comes upon him?”
“放过我吧，先生。我今晚尽了我的职责。难道还不够吗？现在，我必须去找我可怜的霍拉斯了，我把他拴在一根树枝上，不让他乱跑，要是狼或熊来攻击他怎么办？”
“Sir Gawain, were we not comrades once long ago?”
“高文爵士，很久以前我们曾是战友，是不是？”
“The mist hangs heavily across my past,” Axl said. “Yet lately I find myself reminded of some task, and one of gravity, with which I was once entrusted. Was it a law, a great law to bring all men closer to God? Your presence, and your talk of Arthur, stirs long-faded thoughts, Sir Gawain.”
“这迷雾遮住了我的过去，”埃克索说。“但最近我发现，我慢慢想起了某个任务，一项重要的任务，交给我去完成的。是不是一项法律呢？让所有人更接近上帝的伟大法律？高文爵士，看到你，听你谈起亚瑟，我想起了一些遗忘已久的事情。”
“We didn’t bid him farewell, Axl, and I feel poorly for it. Yet that was a strange leave he took of us and a sudden one.”
“我们没跟他道别，埃克索，我感觉很糟糕。可是，他跟我们的告别很奇怪啊，也很突然。”
“My poor Horace, sir, so dislikes the forest at night. The hooting owl or the screech of a fox is enough to frighten him, no matter he’ll face a shower of arrows without flinching. I’ll go to him now, and let me urge you good people not to rest here too late. Forget the young Saxons, the pair of them. Think now of your own cherished son waiting for you at his village. Best go on your way quickly, I say, now you’re without your blankets and provisions. The river’s near and a fast tide on it flowing east. A friendly word with a bargeman may secure you a ride downstream. But don’t dally here, for who knows when soldiers will come this way? God protect you, friends.”
“我可怜的霍拉斯啊，先生，那么厌恶夜晚的树林。猫头鹰或狐狸一叫，他都会吓得够呛，尽管面对箭雨他毫不畏缩。我要去找他了，也提醒一下你们两位好人，不要在这儿休息太久。忘掉那两个撒克逊年轻人吧。现在多想想在村里等着你们的宝贝儿子。依我看，你们现在毯子和食物都没了，最好快点上路。和货船的船夫讲句好话，你们就能搭船顺水而下。不要在这儿停留，谁知道士兵们什么时候到这儿来？朋友们，上帝保佑你们。”
With a rustle and a few thumps, Sir Gawain’s form disappeared into the dark foliage. After a moment, Beatrice said:
一阵沙沙的声响，几声咚咚的脚步声，高文爵士的身形消失在黑暗的树林中。过了一会儿，比特丽丝说道：
“I thought so too, princess. But perhaps he gives us wise counsel. We should hurry on to our son and never mind our recent companions. I feel concern for poor Master Edwin, yet if he’ll hasten back to the monastery, what can we do for him?”
“我也这么想，公主。但他给我们的建议也许很明智。我们该快点去找儿子，不去管最近碰到的那些伙伴。我有点担心可怜的埃德温阁下，但既然他急着回修道院去，我们能帮上什么忙呢？”
“Let’s rest just a moment longer, Axl. Soon we’ll be on our way, the two of us, and we’d do well to seek a barge to speed our journey. Our son must be wondering what keeps us.”
“我们再休息一会儿吧，埃克索。很快我们就上路，就我们俩，去找艘货船加快速度也很不错。儿子肯定在担心，我们怎么还没到。”
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