霍比特人：來自內(nèi)部的消息 Inside Information （上）

INSIDE INFORMATION

來自內(nèi)部的消息

For a long time the dwarves stood in the dark before the door and debated, until at last Thorin spoke:

矮人們在洞口的黑暗中站了很久，爭辯不休，最后索林開了口：

“Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size, and if I may say so possessed of good luck far exceeding the usual allowance—now is the time for him to perform the service for which he was included in our Company; now is the time for him to earn his Reward.”

“現(xiàn)在，該是我們受人尊敬的巴金斯先生，他在我們的漫長旅程中已經(jīng)證明了自己是我們的好伙伴，是一個充滿著與他的身量不相稱的勇氣與智慧的霍比特人，而且，如果我可以這么說的話，他還擁有遠遠超出常人的好運——現(xiàn)在，該是他執(zhí)行他的使命的時候了，他正是為了這一使命才加入我們隊伍的，現(xiàn)在該是他賺取他應得報酬的時候了。”

You are familiar with Thorin’s style on important occasions, so I will not give you any more of it, though he went on a good deal longer than this. It certainly was an important occasion, but Bilbo felt impatient. By now he was quite familiar with Thorin too, and he knew what he was driving at.

你們都很明白索林在重要時刻的講話風格，所以我就不再詳細告訴大家他說話的內(nèi)容了，雖然他又啰里吧嗦說了一大通。這當然是一個很重要的時刻，但比爾博已經(jīng)有點不耐煩了。經(jīng)過這段時間的相處，他也已經(jīng)對索林很熟悉了，所以他知道這家伙真正想說的是什么。

“If you mean you think it is my job to go into the secret passage first, O Thorin Thrain’s son Oakenshield, may your beard grow ever longer,” he said crossly, “say so at once and have done! I might refuse. I have got you out of two messes already, which were hardly in the original bargain, so that I am, I think, already owed some reward. But ‘third time pays for all’ as my father used to say, and somehow I don’t think I shall refuse. Perhaps I have begun to trust my luck more than I used to in the old days”—he meant last spring before he left his own house, but it seemed centuries ago—“but anyway I think I will go and have a peep at once and get it over. Now who is coming with me?”

“哦，瑟萊因之子索林·橡木盾，如果你是想說，你覺得第一個走進這條密道是我該做的事，”他不客氣地打斷道，“那就請你馬上直說!我可以拒絕。我已經(jīng)兩次把你們從麻煩中解救出來了，這可不在原先談妥的條件之內(nèi)，所以我想，我已經(jīng)有一些應得的報酬了。不過，我老爸常說。凡事三次才圓滿。而且我也不覺得我會拒絕。或許，我對于自己的好運已經(jīng)比過去要更信任了些。”——他指的是在剛剛過去的春天他離開自己的住所之前，但這給人的感覺卻仿佛已經(jīng)是好幾世紀以前的事情了——“反正我想我會馬上去看一看，把事情作個了斷的。好了，有誰要和我一起去?”

He did not expect a chorus of volunteers, so he was not disappointed. Fili and Kili looked uncomfortable and stood on one leg, but the others made no pretence of offering—except old Balin, the lookout man, who was rather fond of the hobbit. He said he would come inside at least and perhaps a bit of the way too, ready to call for help if necessary.

他本來就不指望會有很多人異口同聲地搶著要去，所以對于大家的冷漠反應并不感到有多失望。菲力和奇力看起來還有些不好意思，身體隨著重心從一條腿換到另一條腿而輕微搖晃著，但其他人連裝裝樣子都不愿意——惟一的例外是負責站崗的巴林，他對比爾博相當有好感。說他至少愿意和比爾博一起進門，或許還能陪著走上一小段距離，如果有必要的話，他可以出來求援。

The most that can be said for the dwarves is this: they intended to pay Bilbo really handsomely for his services; they had brought him to do a nasty job for them, and they did not mind the poor little fellow doing it if he would; but they would all have done their best to get him out of trouble, if he got into it, as they did in the case of the trolls at the beginning of their adventures before they had any particular reasons for being grateful to him. There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don’t expect too much.

矮人們的心態(tài)其實是這樣的：他們準備為了比爾博的服務(wù)而付給他可觀的報酬;他們讓他為他們完成一樁特別危險的活兒，如果這個可憐的小家伙愿意干的話，他們并不介意讓他去干;但如果他遇到了什么麻煩的話，他們會竭盡全力幫他脫離險境，就像他們在冒險剛開始的時候遇到食人妖那次出手相救那樣，而當時他們還并沒有什么特別的理由要對比爾博感恩圖報。事實就是：矮人們并不是什么英雄，而是善于算計的、把錢看得很重的家伙。矮人一族中有些人是精明狡猾的奸惡之徒，而索林和他的伙伴們則不是，只要你對他們不要期望太高的話，他們也完全可以算得上是正派人。

The stars were coming out behind him in a pale sky barred with black when the hobbit crept through the enchanted door and stole into the Mountain. It was far easier going than he expected. This was no goblin entrance, or rough wood-elves’ cave. It was a passage made by dwarves, at the height of their wealth and skill: straight as a ruler, smooth-floored and smooth-sided, going with a gentle never-varying slope direct—to some distant end in the blackness below.

當霍比特人慢慢進入施了魔法的密門，偷偷邁向大山的腹地時，在他身后，涂抹上了黑色的黯淡天空中已經(jīng)開始出現(xiàn)了星辰。進山洞的過程遠比他想像的要容易。這不是半獸人的洞穴，也不是森林精靈的簡陋隧道，而是在矮人的財富和技藝都達到鼎盛的時期建造的通道：筆直得像把尺，地面和兩邊都很平整光滑，沿著一個平緩而又不變的坡度向前延伸——伸向下面的黑暗中某個遙遠的盡頭。

After a while Balin bade Bilbo “Good luck!” and stopped where he could still see the faint outline of the door, and by a trick of the echoes of the tunnel hear the rustle of the whispering voices of the others just outside. Then the hobbit slipped on his ring, and warned by the echoes to take more than hobbit’s care to make no sound, he crept noiselessly down, down, down into the dark. He was trembling with fear, but his little face was set and grim. Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief from Bag-End long ago. He had not had a pocket-handkerchief for ages. He loosened his dagger in its sheath, tightened his belt, and went on.

過了一會兒之后，巴林對比爾博說了句“祝好運!”就停住了腳步，這里還可以看見大門的依稀輪廓，而且憑借著洞穴的回音作用，還可以模模糊糊地聽見門外其他矮人低聲說話的聲音。巴林走了之后，霍比特人戴上戒指，由于知道了洞穴會有回音效果，他加倍小心地不弄出任何聲音，無聲無息地一直向下、向下、向下，朝著無盡的黑暗走去。他害怕得渾身發(fā)抖，但小臉上的表情則是凝重而又堅毅的。此時的他和許久前剛上路時慌得忘記帶手帕的那個霍比特人早已判若兩人，而且他也已經(jīng)很久沒用過手帕了。他松開腰間的短劍，勒緊腰帶，繼續(xù)前進。

“Now you are in for it at last, Bilbo Baggins,” he said to himself. “You went and put your foot right in it that night of the party, and now you have got to pull it out and pay for it! Dear me, what a fool I was and am!” said the least Tookish part of him. “I have absolutely no use for dragon-guarded treasures, and the whole lot could stay here for ever, if only I could wake up and find this beastly tunnel was my own front-hall at home!”

“比爾博·巴金斯，現(xiàn)在你可終于要吃苦頭了。那天晚上聚會的時候，你自己一腳踏入這趟渾水，現(xiàn)在就只能自己想辦法把腳拔出來啦!天哪!我那會兒和現(xiàn)在都是多么大的大傻瓜啊!”他在自言自語，而說這些話的是他身體里面圖克血統(tǒng)最稀薄的那部分，“惡龍守護的寶藏對我來說一點用都沒有，管它寶藏有多少，就讓它永遠留在這里好了，我只求這會兒能突然醒過來，發(fā)現(xiàn)這可怕的隧道就是自己家的客廳，那該有多好啊!”

He did not wake up of course, but went still on and on, till all sign of the door behind had faded away. He was altogether alone. Soon he thought it was beginning to feel warm. “Is that a kind of a glow I seem to see coming right ahead down there?” he thought.

他當然沒有醒過來，還是繼續(xù)往前走啊走，直到身后的石門連一點影子都看不到了。他現(xiàn)在完全是孤身一人了。很快他就開始覺得這里越來越暖了。“我在前面正下方隱約看見的難道是什么東西在發(fā)光嗎?”他想。

It was. As he went forward it grew and grew, till there was no doubt about it. It was a red light steadily getting redder and redder. Also it was now undoubtedly hot in the tunnel. Wisps of vapour floated up and past him and he began to sweat. A sound, too, began to throb in his ears, a sort of bubbling like the noise of a large pot galloping on the fire, mixed with a rumble as of a gigantic tom-cat purring. This grew to the unmistakable gurgling noise of some vast animal snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of him.

的確如此。隨著他繼續(xù)朝前走，光芒變得越來越強，直到最后變得確鑿無疑為止。那是一種越來越紅的光芒，而且隧道里面也不僅是溫暖，而是肯定稱得上熱了。一縷一縷的蒸汽從他身邊飄過，讓他開始冒汗。一個聲音也開始鉆進他的耳中躍動，聽起來像是架在火上的一口大鍋里在沸騰冒泡，還夾雜著一種類似超級大貓發(fā)出的咕嚕聲。再聽下去，這聲音漸漸明確地變成了某種巨大的動物在睡覺時的鼾聲，它就睡在前方下面那紅色的閃光里。

It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. At any rate after a short halt go on he did; and you can picture him coming to the end of the tunnel, an opening of much the same size and shape as the door above. Through it peeps the hobbit’s little head. Before him lies the great bottom-most cellar or dungeon-hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain’s root. It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed, but rising from the near side of the rocky floor there is a great glow. The glow of Smaug!

比爾博就在這個時候停了下來。繼續(xù)走下去成了他這輩子做過的最勇敢的事情。之后發(fā)生的任何驚天動地的事情都無法與之相比。真正的戰(zhàn)斗，是他孤身一人在隧道中，甚至還沒見到等待著他的巨大危險的時候所發(fā)生的。不管怎樣，他在經(jīng)過一段短暫的停頓后又繼續(xù)走了下去，你們可以想像他來到隧道盡頭時的緊張心情。那里是一個和入口差不多大小的開口處，霍比特人把小腦袋伸了出去，在他眼前是古代矮人在山中所挖掘洞穴的最底部，以前這里要么是用作酒窖，要么是用作地牢。這里幾乎是一片漆黑，比爾博只能粗略估計這里空間的寬闊，但是在巖石地面靠近他的這一端升起了一團熾熱的紅光——那正是惡龍史矛革所發(fā)出的光芒!

There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber. Beneath him, under all his limbs and his huge coiled tail, and about him on all sides stretching away across the unseen floors, lay countless piles of precious things, gold wrought and unwrought, gems and jewels, and silver red-stained in the ruddy light.

一條金紅色的巨龍就躺在那里熟睡著，從他的下頜和鼻孔中傳出呼嚕嚕的聲音，冒出一縷縷的黑煙，但他在睡眠時噴出的火焰并不很旺盛。在他的四肢和盤起來的巨大尾巴之下，以及身體周圍整個看不清的洞穴地面上，到處都是一堆堆珍貴的寶物，鑄造過和尚未鑄造過的黃金、寶石和珠寶，以及被惡龍發(fā)出的紅光染成了紅色的白銀。

Smaug lay, with wings folded like an immeasurable bat, turned partly on one side, so that the hobbit could see his underparts and his long pale belly crusted with gems and fragments of gold from his long lying on his costly bed. Behind him where the walls were nearest could dimly be seen coats of mail, helms and axes, swords and spears hanging; and there in rows stood great jars and vessels filled with a wealth that could not be guessed.

史矛革的雙翼收攏著，像是一只極其巨大的蝙蝠一樣躺在地上，身體微微偏向一側(cè)，因此霍比特人得以看見它那頎長而又蒼白的肚子，因為長時間躺在價值連城的珍寶之床上，它的肚子上粘了許多寶石和金塊。在史矛革身后的墻壁上，依稀可以看見掛著盔甲、頭盔、斧頭、劍和長矛等東西。墻邊還立著一排排的大甕，里面滿裝著的寶物價值難以估量。

To say that Bilbo’s breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful. Bilbo had heard tell and sing of dragon-hoards before, but the splendour, the lust, the glory of such treasure had never yet come home to him. His heart was filled and pierced with enchantment and with the desire of dwarves; and he gazed motionless, almost forgetting the frightful guardian, at the gold beyond price and count.

如果說比爾博看見寶物忘記了呼吸，真不算是過分的形容。人類的語言相對貧乏，所以沒有什么詞可以用來形容比爾當時目眩神迷的心靈震撼。人類的語言本來就是從精靈那里學來的，而精靈的語言跟他們當時所處的世界一樣，是絢麗多彩的，人類學來后作了改變，因此表達就越來越貧乏了。比爾博以前聽人們或說或唱過關(guān)于惡龍的財寶，卻從未面對面領(lǐng)略過財富如此輝煌的景象、如此強烈的欲望和如此璀燦的榮耀。他怔怔地望著這些價值無法估量的金銀財寶，幾乎完全忘記了那恐怖的守衛(wèi)，心中滿是迷亂，并深深感受到了矮人們所懷的渴望。

He gazed for what seemed an age, before drawn almost against his will, he stole from the shadow of the doorway, across the floor to the nearest edge of the mounds of treasure. Above him the sleeping dragon lay, a dire menace even in his sleep. He grasped a great two-handled cup, as heavy as he could carry, and cast one fearful eye upwards. Smaug stirred a wing, opened a claw, the rumble of his snoring changed its note.

他盯著財寶看了仿佛整整一個世紀，然后，他不由自主地從門口的陰影中偷偷走了出來，來到了最靠近他的寶山邊沿。惡龍依舊沉睡著，但即便是睡著的惡龍也是一種巨大的威脅。他拿起了一個很大的雙耳金杯，重得幾乎是他所能負擔的極限，同時滿懷恐懼地朝上瞄了一眼。史矛革的翅膀動了一下，張開了一只爪子，鼾聲的音調(diào)也跟著改變了。

Then Bilbo fled. But the dragon did not wake—not yet—but shifted into other dreams of greed and violence, lying there in his stolen hall while the little hobbit toiled back up the long tunnel. His heart was beating and a more fevered shaking was in his legs than when he was going down, but still he clutched the cup, and his chief thought was: “I’ve done it! This will show them. ‘More like a grocer than a burglar’ indeed! Well, we’ll hear no more of that.”

比爾博朝外逃去，但惡龍并沒有醒來——還不到醒的時候——它依舊躺在這個從矮人們手里偷來的大廳里，只是轉(zhuǎn)換到了另一個充滿貪婪和暴力的夢境而已?；舯忍厝藙t緊張萬分地沿著狹長的隧道往回跑著。他的心撲通撲通直跳，雙腿比剛才下來的時候更加激動地顫抖著，但他依舊緊緊抓著金杯不放，腦子里只有一個念頭：“我做到了!這個金杯就是證明。說我不像飛賊，倒更像雜貨店老板，哼!看以后誰還敢說出這種話來!”

Nor did he. Balin was overjoyed to see the hobbit again, and as delighted as he was surprised. He picked Bilbo up and carried him out into the open air. It was midnight and clouds had covered the stars, but Bilbo lay with his eyes shut, gasping and taking pleasure in the feel of the fresh air again, and hardly noticing the excitement of the dwarves, or how they praised him and patted him on the back and put themselves and all their families for generations to come at his service.

他的確再也沒有聽到這種說法了。巴林看到霍比特人安全地回來，不禁欣喜若狂，同時也感到非常驚訝。他一把抱起比爾博來到外面的空地上。這時還是半夜，云朵遮住了星星，可比爾博閉著眼躺在地上，大口地喘著氣，感受著新鮮空氣帶來的快感。他幾乎沒有注意到矮人們的興奮反應，或是他們?nèi)绾畏Q贊自己，拍打他的肩膀，還答應不僅矮人們自己，而且還有他們?nèi)?、全族的好幾代都愿意為他效勞?/p>

The dwarves were still passing the cup from hand to hand and talking delightedly of the recovery of their treasure, when suddenly a vast rumbling woke in the mountain underneath as if it was an old volcano that had made up its mind to start eruptions once again. The door behind them was pulled nearly to, and blocked from closing with a stone, but up the long tunnel came the dreadful echoes, from far down in the depths, of a bellowing and a trampling that made the ground beneath them tremble.

矮人們還在輪流傳看著金杯，興高采烈地討論著重新找到了他們的財寶，突然間山中深處傳來了一陣巨大的隆隆聲，仿佛有哪座古老的火山?jīng)Q定要再度噴發(fā)一般。他們身后的密門幾乎要全關(guān)上了，矮人們用一塊石頭卡在那里不讓它關(guān)上。但是，從長長的隧道里傳來了可怕的回聲，回聲來自遙遠的地底，是低吼和粗重的腳步聲，令他們腳下的大地也為之震動。

Then the dwarves forgot their joy and their confident boasts of a moment before and cowered down in fright. Smaug was still to be reckoned with. It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception. He had passed from an uneasy dream (in which a warrior, altogether insignificant in size but provided with a bitter sword and great courage, figured most unpleasantly) to a doze, and from a doze to wide waking. There was a breath of strange air in his cave. Could there be a draught from that little hole? He had never felt quite happy about it, though it was so small, and now he glared at it in suspicion and wondered why he had never blocked it up. Of late he had half fancied he had caught the dim echoes of a knocking sound from far above that came down through it to his lair. He stirred and stretched forth his neck to sniff. Then he missed the cup!

這時，矮人們完全忘記了不久之前他們還在興高采烈，還在自信滿滿地說著大話，紛紛害怕得趴倒在地上。史矛革還等著他們?nèi)Ω赌?。如果你住在一頭活蹦亂跳的惡龍附近，卻忘記把他估算在計劃內(nèi)，這可實在有點不像話。惡龍們或許不太能把寶藏派上真正的用場，但一般說來，它們對寶藏的數(shù)量是非常清楚的，甚至能精確到一盎司，這一點在占據(jù)這些寶藏多年后就更是如此，史矛革也不例外。他剛剛從一個噩夢(夢里有個戰(zhàn)士，雖然身材一點都不起眼，卻有一把鋒利的寶劍和滿腔的勇氣，讓他看了覺得十分不舒服)中醒來，正處于半夢半醒之間，然后又完全醒了過來。洞里有一股奇怪的味道，那難道是從那個小洞吹來的風嗎?他對那個小洞一直覺得很不舒服，盡管那個洞是那么小?，F(xiàn)在他滿腹懷疑地瞪著小洞的方向，心中在想自己為什么一直沒有把這個洞堵上呢?近來，他經(jīng)常覺得從小洞那里傳來隱隱約約的敲打聲，聲音從遙遠的上方一路直傳進他的巢穴。他驚醒起來，伸長脖子，用力地嗅了嗅。這時，他終于發(fā)現(xiàn)金杯不見了!

Thieves! Fire! Murder! Such a thing had not happened since first he came to the Mountain! His rage passes description—the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted. His fire belched forth, the hall smoked, he shook the mountain-roots. He thrust his head in vain at the little hole, and then coiling his length together, roaring like thunder underground, he sped from his deep lair through its great door, out into the huge passages of the mountain-palace and up towards the Front Gate.

失竊!失火!殺人!自從他來到這座大山之后，這種事情還從來沒發(fā)生過!他的狂怒難以形容——就好比某個有錢人，他擁有的財富超出了能實際享受的程度，突然間他發(fā)現(xiàn)少了一樣寶物，這樣東西他以前從來沒用到過，也沒有想到過要用，但他還是會憤怒無比。惡龍吐出高溫的火焰，整個大廳濃煙滾滾，令大山從根底處都搖動起來。他想要把腦袋朝小洞那里伸，卻根本伸不進去;然后他把身體蜷起來，在地底發(fā)出雷鳴般的暴吼，接著從他那幽深的巢穴中騰身而起，飛出大門，飛進山中宮殿的寬敞隧道，朝著大山的前門飛去。

To hunt the whole mountain till he had caught the thief and had torn and trampled him was his one thought. He issued from the Gate, the waters rose in fierce whistling steam, and up he soared blazing into the air and settled on the mountain-top in a spout of green and scarlet flame. The dwarves heard the awful rumour of his flight, and they crouched against the walls of the grassy terrace cringing under boulders, hoping somehow to escape the frightful eyes of the hunting dragon.

這時惡龍腦中惟一的念頭只有搜遍整座山，把這個該死的小賊找出來，撕碎，踩爛!他從大門沖出，流水瞬間呼嘯著騰起蒸汽，他振翅躍上空中，翱翔了一會兒后落到山頂，周身被包裹在一團糅合了紅綠兩種顏色的火焰中。矮人們早就聽到過惡龍如何飛翔的可怕傳言，全都緊貼著草地邊沿的石壁，縮在大石頭下面，希望多少能逃過四處搜索的巨龍那可怕的眼睛。

There they would have all been killed, if it had not been for Bilbo once again. “Quick! Quick!” he gasped. “The door! The tunnel! It’s no good here.”

如果不是再次多虧了比爾博的話，他們可能全都要難逃這一劫了。“快!快!”他上氣不接下氣地喊道，“進門!搜隧道!躲這兒沒用!”

Roused by these words they were just about to creep inside the tunnel when Bifur gave a cry: “My cousins! Bombur and Bofur—we have forgotten them, they are down in the valley!”

聽見這些話，他們才如夢方醒，開始悄悄朝隧道中轉(zhuǎn)移。這時，比弗驚呼起來：“還有我的表兄弟們呢!邦伯和伯弗——我們把他們給忘了，他們還在下面的山谷里!”

“They will be slain, and all our ponies too, and all our stores lost,” moaned the others. “We can do nothing.”

“他們會被殺的，還有我們所有的小馬，那些補給品也全都完了。”其他的人哀嚎道，“我們什么忙也幫不上了。”

“Nonsense!” said Thorin, recovering his dignity. “We cannot leave them. Get inside Mr. Baggins and Balin, and you two Fili and Kili—the dragon shan’t have all of us. Now you others, where are the ropes? Be quick!”

“胡說!”棱林于恢復了尊嚴，“我們不能拋下他們。巴金斯先生和巴林先進去，還有奇力、菲力你們倆——不能讓惡龍把我們一鍋端了!其他人，繩子在哪兒?快!”

Those were perhaps the worst moments they had been through yet. The horrible sounds of Smaug’s anger were echoing in the stony hollows far above; at any moment he might come blazing down or fly whirling round and find them there, near the perilous cliff’s edge hauling madly on the ropes. Up came Bofur, and still all was safe. Up came Bombur, puffing and blowing while the ropes creaked, and still all was safe. Up came some tools and bundles of stores, and then danger was upon them.

這可能是他們迄今為止遇到過的最嚴峻的時刻。史矛革憤怒的吼聲在遠方高處的山谷中回響，他隨時都有可能吐著烈焰沖下來，或是在天空盤旋時找到他們，發(fā)現(xiàn)他們死死攀著繩子，掛在危險的懸崖邊緣。波弗爬上來了，總算還平安無事。邦伯也爬上來了，呼哧呼哧地喘著粗氣，把繩子墜得吱吱直響，也還平安無事。接著又拉上來了一些工具和幾捆行李，也就在這時，危險降臨了。

A whirring noise was heard. A red light touched the points of standing rocks. The dragon came.

耳畔傳來一陣呼呼的翅翼扇動的聲音，一紅光射到他們站著的巖石上。惡龍來了!

They had barely time to fly back to the tunnel, pulling and dragging in their bundles, when Smaug came hurtling from the North, licking the mountain-sides with flame, beating his great wings with a noise like a roaring wind. His hot breath shrivelled the grass before the door, and drove in through the crack they had left and scorched them as they lay hid. Flickering fires leaped up and black rock-shadows danced. Then darkness fell as he passed again. The ponies screamed with terror, burst their ropes and galloped wildly off. The dragon swooped and turned to pursue them, and was gone.

他們剛剛飛奔著跑進隧道，把行李也又拖又拽地弄進去，史矛革就從北面扇動著翅膀殺到了，他口中噴出的火苗舔過山坡，拍動大翅膀的聲音如狂風呼嘯。他那灼熱的呼吸烤焦了門前的草地，并從他們留著的門縫里鉆了進來，令躲在門后的人覺得灼熱不堪。只見火苗上下跳動閃爍，巖石的黑影在火光映襯下舞蹈。接著，當他再次飛過的時候，周圍被完全籠罩在了黑暗里。小馬驚恐地撕鳴，掙脫了繩索，四下亂跑。惡龍俯沖下來，又掉過頭追獵它們，然后就飛走了。

“That’ll be the end of our poor beasts!” said Thorin. “Nothing can escape Smaug once he sees it. Here we are and here we shall have to stay, unless any one fancies tramping the long open miles back to the river with Smaug on the watch!”

“我們那些可憐的小馬肯定完蛋了!”索林說，“只要被史矛革看見了，就休想逃掉。我們現(xiàn)在躲在這里，也只能躲在這里，除非有人想在史矛革的眼皮底下走過長長的開闊地回到河邊去!”

It was not a pleasant thought! They crept further down the tunnel, and there they lay and shivered though it was warm and stuffy, until dawn came pale through the crack of the door. Every now and again through the night they could hear the roar of the flying dragon grow and then pass and fade, as he hunted round and round the mountain-sides.

這個主意聽聽就讓人害怕!他們又沿著隧道往下走了一點，然后躺下來，渾身發(fā)著抖，雖然這里已經(jīng)溫暖乃至悶熱了。最后，蒼白的曙光從門縫中照了進來。在剛剛過去的這個夜晚，他們時不時地聽見飛翔的惡龍的吼聲漸漸靠近，掠過，又漸漸遠去，史矛革顯然正圍著這邊的山坡在打著轉(zhuǎn)轉(zhuǎn)搜尋。

He guessed from the ponies, and from the traces of the camps he had discovered, that men had come up from the river and the lake and had scaled the mountain-side from the valley where the ponies had been standing; but the door withstood his searching eye, and the little high-walled bay had kept out his fiercest flames. Long he had hunted in vain till the dawn chilled his wrath and he went back to his golden couch to sleep—and to gather new strength. He would not forget or forgive the theft, not if a thousand years turned him to smouldering stone, but he could afford to wait. Slow and silent he crept back to his lair and half closed his eyes.

他從那些小馬和它發(fā)現(xiàn)的扎營痕跡中推測，這些人是，從河到湖一路過來的，然后又從小馬駐足的那個山谷爬上了這一側(cè)的山坡，但他的眼睛找了半天也沒有找到密門的所在，那片被巖壁圍住的小山坳也沒有受到烈火的攻擊。他白費力氣地搜尋了很久，直到黎明冷卻了他的怒火，他才回他的黃金睡榻去睡覺，好恢復力氣。他絕不會忘記，更不會原諒偷竊的行為，即使一千年的時光令對方變成了余燼中的石頭，他也不會輕饒了他。但是他可以等，也等得起。于是他慢慢地、靜靜地爬回洞中，半閉上了眼睛。

When morning came the terror of the dwarves grew less. They realized that dangers of this kind were inevitable in dealing with such a guardian, and that it was no good giving up their quest yet.

天亮了之后，矮人們的恐懼漸漸減少了，他們明白到，要對付這樣一個寶藏守衛(wèi)者，此類危險是不可避免的，就算現(xiàn)在放棄冒險也為時已晚。

Nor could they get away just now, as Thorin had pointed out. Their ponies were lost or killed, and they would have to wait some time before Smaug relaxed his watch sufficiently for them to dare the long way on foot. Luckily they had saved enough of their stores to last them still for some time.

索林指出，他們現(xiàn)在逃不出去了，他們的小馬不是逃掉，就是被殺掉了。他們必須要等上一段時間，等史矛革放松戒心到一定程度，他們才敢以長途步行的方式逃出去。幸運的是，他們搶救出來的物資還夠他們撐上一陣子的。

They debated long on what was to be done, but they could think of no way of getting rid of Smaug—which had always been a weak point in their plans, as Bilbo felt inclined to point out. Then as is the nature of folk that are thoroughly perplexed, they began to grumble at the hobbit, blaming him for what had at first so pleased them: for bringing away a cup and stirring up Smaug’s wrath so soon.

對于接下來該做什么，他們爭論了很久，卻完全想不出要怎樣才能除掉史矛革——比爾博一直有點想跟他們指出，這自始至終就是他們計劃的一大弱點。然后，由于他們頭腦一片混亂，因此矮人們出于天性就開始抱怨起比爾博來，當初他們對比爾博偷來金杯大感興奮，贊許有加，現(xiàn)在卻怪他過早暴露了目標，引發(fā)了惡龍的暴怒。

“What else do you suppose a burglar is to do?” asked Bilbo angrily. “I was not engaged to kill dragons, that is warrior’s work, but to steal treasure. I made the best beginning I could. Did you expect me to trot back with the whole hoard of Thror on my back? If there is any grumbling to be done, I think I might have a say. You ought to have brought five hundred burglars not one. I am sure it reflects great credit on your grandfather, but you cannot pretend that you ever made the vast extent of his wealth clear to me. I should want hundreds of years to bring it all up, if I was fifty times as big, and Smaug as tame as a rabbit.”

“你們覺得飛賊不偷東西該干什么?”比爾博生氣地反問，“我可不是來干殺死惡龍這種事的，那是戰(zhàn)士的工作，我的責任只是偷走寶物，我開了個我能開的最好的頭。難道你們還指望我把所有瑟羅爾的寶物都背上然后走回來嗎?如果要抱怨的話，我也有可以抱怨的。你們應該帶來五百個飛賊，而不是只有我一個!我知道這些寶藏反映了你們祖父的功績，但你們別裝得好像跟我說過這筆財富有多大似的。就算我的個頭是現(xiàn)在的五十倍，而史矛革又馴順得像只小兔子一樣，那些財寶我也得花上好幾百年才能搬完。”

After that of course the dwarves begged his pardon. “What then do you propose we should do, Mr. Baggins?” asked Thorin politely.

他一說這些話，矮人們自然只能請求他原諒。“巴金斯先生，那你看我們該怎么辦呢?”索林彬彬有禮地請教道。

“I have no idea at the moment—if you mean about removing the treasure. That obviously depends entirely on some new turn of luck and the getting rid of Smaug. Getting rid of dragons is not at all in my line, but I will do my best to think about it. Personally I have no hopes at all, and wish I was safe back at home.”

“如果你是指怎樣運走寶物，那我暫時還沒想到辦法。很明顯，這必須要靠一點新的運氣才行，而且史矛革必須得除掉。除掉惡龍絕對不是我所擅長的，不過我會盡力想想辦法的。就個人而言，我對此并不存奢望，只想能平安回家就行了。”

“Never mind that for the moment! What are we to do now, to-day?”

“現(xiàn)在先別管那么多了!那么今天，就是眼前，我們該做什么呢?”

“Well, if you really want my advice, I should say we can do nothing but stay where we are. By day we can no doubt creep out safely enough to take the air. Perhaps before long one or two could be chosen to go back to the store by the river and replenish our supplies. But in the meanwhile everyone ought to be well inside the tunnel by night.

“好吧，如果你們真心想聽我的建議，我認為我們除了待在這里別無選擇。白天的時候，我們毫無疑問能在保證安全的前提下偷偷溜出去呼吸點新鮮空氣，或許過不了多久，就可以挑一兩個人回到河邊放物資的地方去補充給養(yǎng)了。不過，在這段時間中，每個人到了晚上都應該乖乖地待在洞里。

“Now I will make you an offer. I have got my ring and will creep down this very noon—then if ever Smaug ought to be napping—and see what he is up to. Perhaps something will turn up. ‘Every worm has his weak spot,’ as my father used to say, though I am sure it was not from personal experience.”

“我可以主動答應你們一件事。今天中午我會戴上戒指，偷偷溜下去看看史矛革在干嗎——估計應該是在打噸兒。也許可以發(fā)現(xiàn)些什么。我父親常說：‘每只蟲都有他的弱點。’不過，我很肯定這不是他的親身體驗。”

Naturally the dwarves accepted the offer eagerly. Already they had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he had become the real leader in their adventure. He had begun to have ideas and plans of his own. When midday came he got ready for another journey down into the Mountain. He did not like it of course, but it was not so bad now he knew, more or less, what was in front of him. Had he known more about dragons and their wily ways, he might have been more frightened and less hopeful of catching this one napping.

矮人們自然高興地接受了比爾博的提議，他們已經(jīng)開始尊敬起小比爾博了。他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)真正成為了這次冒險的領(lǐng)隊，開始有了自己的點子和計劃。到了中午，他準備好了要再次下到山腹中去。當然，他并不喜歡這種冒險，不過，因為他已經(jīng)知道了自己要面對的是什么，所以也就不再像以前一樣害怕了。如果他對惡龍多一些了解，知道它們有多狡猾的話，他也許就會對自己如此冒冒失失地利用惡龍午睡的機會感到更多的害怕，不那么充滿希望了。

The sun was shining when he started, but it was as dark as night in the tunnel. The light from the door, almost closed, soon faded as he went down. So silent was his going that smoke on a gentle wind could hardly have surpassed it, and he was inclined to feel a bit proud of himself as he drew near the lower door. There was only the very faintest glow to be seen.

出發(fā)的時候，外面陽光燦爛，隧道中卻暗如黑夜。石門幾乎是全關(guān)的，從縫里漏進來的那點光在他往下走不了幾步后便馬上消失殆盡了。他走得無聲無息，簡直都快趕上微風中飄蕩的煙霧了。當他越來越靠近下面的那個門時，他也禁不住對自己有點感到自豪了。從那扇門里只透出一點非常微弱的光芒。

“Old Smaug is weary and asleep,” he thought. “He can’t see me and he won’t hear me. Cheer up Bilbo!” He had forgotten or had never heard about dragons’ sense of smell. It is also an awkward fact that they can keep half an eye open watching while they sleep, if they are suspicious.

“老史矛革一定累得睡著了。”他想，“他看不見我，也聽不見我的聲音。比爾博，打起精神來!”他已經(jīng)忘記了或者索性根本沒聽說過惡龍的嗔覺很厲害。而且還有一個要命的事實是，當它們起疑心的時候，是可以半閉著眼睛睡覺的。

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, almost dead and dark, with scarcely a snore more than a whiff of unseen steam, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Hurriedly Bilbo stepped back and blessed the luck of his ring. Then Smaug spoke.

比爾博再次從入口往內(nèi)張望的時候，史矛革的樣子的確像是睡熟了，幾乎一動不動，呼嚕也很輕，只從鼻孔里噴出一點點難以察覺到的蒸汽。當他正準備邁步踏進去的時候，突然注意到史矛革左眼聾拉著的眼皮下射出一絲細細的紅光——他是在裝睡!他正在緊盯著隧道的入口!比爾博趕緊縮回了腳步，心想多虧自己戴著能隱身的戒指，還不至于被發(fā)現(xiàn)，沒料到史矛革突然開口說話了。

“Well, thief! I smell you and I feel your air. I hear your breath. Come along! Help yourself again, there is plenty and to spare!”

“聽著，小偷!我聞到你了，而且感受到了你的氣息。我聽見了你的呼吸。過來吧!想拿就盡管拿吧，這兒有的是，分你點兒也無所謂!”

But Bilbo was not quite so unlearned in dragon-lore as all that, and if Smaug hoped to get him to come nearer so easily he was disappointed. “No thank you, O Smaug the Tremendous!” he replied.

但比爾博對惡龍的了解還不至于淺薄到會上這種當?shù)牡夭剑绻访锵Ｍ眠@種方法就能騙得他走過來，那么他只能失望了。“不啦，謝謝，大塊頭史矛革先生!”

“I did not come for presents. I only wished to have a look at you and see if you were truly as great as tales say. I did not believe them.”

他回答道，“我不是沖著禮物來的，我只是想來看看你，看你有沒有傳說中的那么偉大。我不相信別人的說法。”

“Do you now?” said the dragon somewhat flattered, even though he did not believe a word of it.

“那你現(xiàn)在相信了嗎?”惡龍聽了這話多少有些受寵若驚，盡管他一個字兒也不相信比爾博的話。

“Truly songs and tales fall utterly short of the reality, O Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities,” replied Bilbo.

“噢，史矛革，你是所有能給人帶來禍害的東西中最具威力的，那些歌曲和傳說根本不及事實的萬分之一啊!”比爾博回答道。

“You have nice manners for a thief and a liar,” said the dragon. “You seem familiar with my name, but I don’t seem to remember smelling you before. Who are you and where do you come from, may I ask?”

“對一個小偷和騙子來說，你倒還蠻有禮貌的!”惡龍說，“你似乎對我很熟悉啊，但我好像不記得以前聞到過你的味道?？梢詥枂柲闶钦l，又是從哪兒來的嗎?”