the triumph of the witch

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.

第十四章 妖婆的胜利 『这里的妖婆 即 女巫』

妖婆刚走，阿斯兰就说，“我们得马上离开这个地方，这儿要派别的用场。我们今晚得到贝鲁那浅滩去安营。”

大家当然都很想问问它，它是怎么跟妖婆商定这件事的，但阿斯兰面如铁板，而且大家耳边依然回荡着它的怒吼声，因此谁也不敢开口。

在山顶露天下吃了一顿饭后(因为阳光这会儿已经很强，把草地都晒干了)，他们忙了一阵子，拆掉帐篷，收拾东西。不到两点，他们就开始行程，向西北方向出发，大家从从容容地走着，因为要去的地方并不很远。

旅途中开头一段时间，阿斯兰向彼得说明它的作战计划。“妖婆一旦完成她在这一带的活动，”它说，“她同那一伙几乎肯定要退回她的老窝准备一次围攻。你有可能切断她的路．不让她回到老窝，也有可能切不断。”随后它继续提出两种作战方案——一种是跟妖婆及其一伙在树林里作战，另一种是袭击她的城堡。在这段时间里它一直指点彼得怎么指挥战斗，说什么，“你必须把你的人头马布置在某某地方”，或者说“你必须派侦察员去看好她，不要让她怎么怎么的”，彼得最后问：

“但你自己不也在场吗，阿斯兰？”

“那我可不能保证。”狮王回答说，同时它继续给彼得指示。到了旅途的最后一个阶段，苏珊和露茜看阿斯兰的时间最多。它不大说话，而且她们似乎觉得它有点忧伤。

天还没黑，他们到了一个地方，这儿河谷豁然开阔，河面又宽又浅。这就是贝鲁那浅滩，阿斯兰下令大家停在水的这一边。但彼得说：

“把营地驻扎在那一边岂不更好——因为就怕她会来一次夜间偷袭什么的。”

阿斯兰似乎正在想着另外的事情，只见它那身漂亮的鬃毛一抖，这才回过神来，说道，“啊，什么？”彼得又说了一遍。

“不会。”阿斯兰声音低沉地说，似乎这事没什么关系。

“不会，她今夜不会发动进攻的。”接着它深深叹了口气。但一会儿它又加了一句，“想得周到还是好的，军人就应该这样考虑。不过这其实没什么关系。”于是他们就着手搭帐篷了。

那天傍晚，阿斯兰的情绪影响了大家。彼得想到要由他来打这一仗，心里觉得很不安，阿斯兰可能不在场的消息对他是一大打击。那天晚上一顿饭大家吃得鸦雀无声。大家都觉得这天晚上跟昨天晚上甚至当天早上大不一样。仿佛好时光刚刚开头，却已经快结束了。

这种感觉对苏珊也大有影响，她上床后一直睡不着。她躺在那儿数数，又不停地翻来覆去，后来只听见露茜长叹一声，在暗中翻到她身边。

“你也睡不着吗？”苏珊问。

“是啊，”露茜说，“我还以为你睡着了呢。我说，苏珊！”

“什么事？”

“我有一个最可怕的预感——好像有什么大事要临头了呢。”

“是吗？因为，事实上，我也有这种感觉。”

“事情跟阿斯兰有关，”露茜说，“不是它要出什么可怕的事，就是它要干什么可怕的事。”

“整个下午它都不大对劲，”苏珊说，“露茜！它说打仗时不跟我们在一起是什么意思？你看它今晚不会离开我们，偷偷溜走吧？”

“它现在在哪儿？”露茜说，“它在这儿帐篷里吗？”

“不见得。”

“苏珊，让我们出去，到处看看。也许看得见它。”

“好，走吧，”苏茜说，“醒着躺在这儿还不如出去看看呢。”

两个女孩悄没声儿，在其他睡着的人中摸索出一条路，偷偷出了帐篷。月光皎洁，除了河水潺潺流过石头的声音，一切都十分寂静。这时苏珊突然抓住露茜的胳膊说，“瞧！”

她们看见营地的那一边，就在树林边上，狮王正慢慢离开大家，走进树林里去。她俩一句话也没说，就跟着它走去。

它领着她们爬上河谷的陡坡，然后稍微向左走去——

显然这是当天下午她们从石桌山下来时走的路线。它领着她们走啊走啊，走进黑咕隆咚的阴影里，又走到苍白的月光下，走得她们的脚都被浓密的露水弄湿了。不知怎么的，它看上去和她们认识的阿斯兰不一样了。它的尾巴和脑袋都搭拉下来，慢吞吞地走着，仿佛它非常、非常累了。后来，她们在穿过一片开阔的空地时，那儿没什么阴影让她们躲蔽，它停下了，四面张望着。这时再逃走可就不好了，因此她们就朝它走去。她们走近时它说：

“哦，孩子们，孩子们，你们干吗跟着我呀？”

“我们睡不着。”露茜说。她深信自己不用多说，她们一直在想什么，阿斯兰全都知道。

“我们跟你一起去好吗——不论你上哪儿？”苏珊说。

“这个嘛——”阿斯兰说，它似乎在考虑；后来它说，“今晚我很高兴有人陪伴。好吧，如果你们答应我叫你们停下就停下，然后让我一个人去，那你们就可以跟我来。”

“哦，谢谢你，谢谢你，我们答应。”两个女孩子说。

他们又往前走了，两个女孩子分别走在狮王两侧。可是它走得多慢哪！它那庄严、高贵的脑袋低垂着，鼻子都快挨到草地了。不久它一个跟跄，发出一声低低的呻吟。

“阿斯兰！亲爱的阿斯兰！”露茜说，“怎么了？你能告诉我们吗？”

“你病了吗，亲爱的阿斯兰？”苏珊问道。

“没有，”阿斯兰说，“我感到悲伤和孤独。你们把手搁在我的鬃毛上，好让我感觉到你们在这儿，我们就这样走吧。”

于是两个女孩子照它的话做了。这可是从她们第一次看到它就想做而不经他许可永远也不敢做的事呀——她们真的把冰凉的手伸进它那一大片美丽的鬃毛里，抚摩着它，一面跟它一起走着。不一会儿她们就看出她们跟着它已经爬上了石桌山的山坡。她们爬到树林边缘那儿，等她们走到最后一棵树旁(就是周围还有几丛灌木的那棵)，阿斯兰就停下说：

“哦，孩子们，孩子们，你们得在这儿停下了。不论发生什么事，可别让人家看见你们。永别了。”

于是两个女孩子都放声痛哭(虽然她们自己也不知道为什么要哭)，她们搂着狮王，亲亲它的鬃毛，它的鼻子，它的爪子，以及它那庄重、悲哀的眼睛。这时它才转过身去，走向山顶。露茜和苏珊蹲在灌木丛中目送着它，以下就是她们看到的情景。

石桌周围站着好大一堆人，尽管是在月光下，仍然有好多人手里拿着火把，火把燃烧时吐出一团邪气的红焰和黑烟。可那是些什么人啊！长着怪牙的吃人恶魔、豺狼、牛头怪、恶树精和毒树精；其他动物我就不一一描写了，因为如果我再描写下去，大人可能就不让你们看这本书了——其中有冷面怪、母夜叉、恶梦魔鬼、阴魂、恐怖魔鬼、小妖精、大头鬼和小头鬼等等。事实上凡是站在妖婆这一边、听到狼传下妖婆命令的都来了。站在中间，靠着石桌的就是妖婆本人。

这些畜生起先看见伟大的狮王向它们走去时，都发出一阵阵惊慌的嚎叫，就连妖婆自己一时也害怕起来。随后她就镇定了，发出一阵粗野的狂笑。

“那笨蛋！”她叫道，“那笨蛋来了。把它紧紧捆上！”

露茜和苏珊连大气也不敢出，只等阿斯兰一声怒吼，向它的敌人扑去。可是它竟没吼。四个母夜叉龇牙咧嘴，斜眼看着阿斯兰，她们走近它身边时，开头也犹豫不前，对要做的事有点害怕。“我说，把它捆上！”白妖婆又说了一遍。四个母夜叉向它冲去，当她们发现它毫不抵抗时，才发出胜利的尖叫。随后凶恶的小矮人和猿猴们都一拥而上，前来帮助她们，它们把体形庞大的狮王掀翻在地，把它四个爪子绑在一起，叫喊欢呼，仿佛它们做了什么勇敢的事，虽然只要狮王愿意，一只爪子就可以要了它们大家的命；但它却一声不吭，甚至敌人又拉又拖，绳子拉得那么紧，都勒进肉里去了，它也不吭声。接着它们开始把它拖向石桌。

“停下，”妖婆说，“先把它的毛剃了！”

一个吃人恶魔拿着一把大剪刀走上前来，蹲在阿斯兰脑袋旁边，妖婆的爪牙们发出一阵恶毒的狂笑。大剪刀喀嚓喀嚓，一堆堆鬈曲的金色鬃毛纷纷掉在地上。剪完后吃人恶魔退后一步站着，两个女孩子从她们隐蔽的地方看得见阿斯兰的脸没有了鬃毛显得那么小，那么异样。敌人也看到了这一差别。

“咦，到头来，只不过是一只大猫啊！”一个爪牙叫道。

“我们过去怕的就是那东西吗？”另一个爪牙说。它们全都拥向阿斯兰身边嘲笑它。说什么“咪咪，咪咪，可怜的猫咪”，还有“你今天抓了几只老鼠，猫儿？”又说“你要一碟牛奶吗，小猫咪？”

“哦，它们怎么能这样？”露茜说道．脸蛋上泪珠滚滚而下。“畜生！畜生！”因为此刻一开头感到的震惊过去了，她觉得阿斯兰剪掉毛的脸看上去比以前显得更勇敢、更美丽、更坚忍。

“把它的嘴套上！”妖婆说。即使现在，它们在给它套嘴套的时候，它只要张嘴一咬，就会咬掉它们两三只手。但它一动也不动。这群乌合之众似乎红了眼，如今大伙儿都来欺侮它了。那些连它被绑起来以后仍然怕靠近它的，竟也鼓起勇气来。过了片刻，两个女孩子连看也看不见它了——它被整群动物密密麻麻地包围着，大家踢它，打它，向它吐唾沫，嘲笑它。

最后这伙暴徒闹够了。大家开始把五花大绑、戴着嘴套的狮王拖向石桌，推的推，拉的拉。阿斯兰那么魁梧，即使它们把它拖到石桌边，也得用尽全部力气才能把它拾到石桌面上。后来它又被紧紧捆上了很多道绳子。

“胆小鬼！胆小鬼！”苏珊呜咽着说，“事到如今，它们还在害怕它吗？”

等到阿斯兰被捆在那块平坦的石头上(而且捆得简直成了一大堆绳子)，这群暴徒才静了下来。四个母夜叉拿着四支火把，站在石桌四角。妖婆捋起袖子，就跟前一个晚上她对付爱德蒙时一样。接着她磨刀霍霍。在两个女孩子看来，那刀给火把光一照，似乎不是钢刀而是石刀，而且形状又古怪又可恶。

最后她走近了。她站在阿斯兰头边。她激动得脸也抽搐扭曲起来，但它却仰着脸望着天空，仍然很平静，既不生气．也不害怕，只有一点忧伤。这时，就在她要砍下去的时候，她弯下腰，用颤抖的声音说：

“现在，是谁赢了？笨蛋！你以为这样一来就救了那个人类的叛徒吗？按照我们的条约，现在我要把你杀了来代替它，这一来高深魔法才会应验。但等你死了，谁还能阻止我把他也杀了呢？而且到了那时，谁又来从我手里把他救出去呢？你要明白，你已经把纳尼亚永远给我了，你送了自己的命，还没救出他。知道了这一点也太晚了，没指望了，死吧！”

姐妹俩没看到杀头的那一时刻。她们不忍心看，都蒙住了自己的眼睛。