评论
打印
Chett raised his eyes and there it was.
齐特抬眼望着眼前的河流。
The river’s stony banks were bearded by ice, its pale milky waters flowing endlessly down out of the Frostfangs.
石岸结了冰，乳白色的水长年不歇地从霜雪之牙上流淌而下。
And now Mance Rayder and his wildlings were flowing down the same way.
曼斯·雷德和他的野人大军正顺着这条河流往下走。
Thoren Smallwood had returned in a lather three days past.
三天前，索伦·斯莫伍德快马加鞭地赶回来，
While he was telling the Old Bear what his scouts had seen, his man Kedge Whiteye told the rest of them.
向熊老报告侦查结果，他手下的白眼肯基则把消息透漏给其他人。
“They’re still well up the foothills, but they’re coming,” Kedge said, warming his hands over the fire.
“大队人马还没出山，但已经在途中。”肯基边用篝火暖手边说，
“Harma the Dogshead has the van, the poxy bitch.
“前锋是‘狗头’哈犸，麻脸婊子。
Goady crept up on her camp and saw her plain by the fire.
刺棒爬到营地边的树上，透过火光看见了她，
That fool Tumberjon wanted to pick her off with an arrow, but Smallwood had better sense.”
筋斗琼这傻瓜想直接放箭去射，幸亏斯莫伍德头脑清醒。”
Chett spat.
齐特啐了口唾沫，
“How many were there, could you tell?”
“他们有多少，算过吗？”
“Many and more.
“很多很多。
Twenty, thirty thousand, we didn’t stay to count.
或许两万，或许三万，来不及仔细计算。
Harma had five hundred in the van, every one a horse.”
哈犸的前锋有五百人，全都有马。”
The men around the fire exchanged uneasy looks.
篝火旁的人们交换着不安的眼神。
It was a rare thing to find even a dozen mounted wildlings, and five hundred …
从前，看到一打骑马的野人都是件稀罕事，五百……
“Smallwood sent Bannen and me wide around the van to catch a peek at the main body,” Kedge went on.
“斯莫伍德派巴棱和我抄远路绕开敌人前锋，前去打探主力，”肯基续道，
“There was no end of them.
“他们的队伍无边无际，
They’re moving slow as a frozen river, four, five miles a day,
移动时像结冻的河流，十分缓慢，一天只走四、五里，
but they don’t look like they mean to go back to their villages neither.
但决不像要返回村子的样子。
More’n half were women and children, and they were driving their animals before them, goats, sheep, even aurochs dragging sledges.
人群里一半多是女人和小孩，牲口吆喝在前面，有山羊、绵羊、拖雪橇的野牛等等。
They’d loaded up with bales of fur and sides of meat, cages of chickens, butter churns and spinning wheels, every damn thing they own.
他们赶着大车，推着小车，装满大捆毛皮、大片的肉、成笼的鸡、块块黄油，总而言之，带上了每件该死的家什。
The mules and garrons was so heavy laden you’d think their backs would break.
骡子和马驮得那么多，教你看了都为动物心痛。
The women as well.”
女人们背得也一样多。”
“And they follow the Milkwater?” Lark the Sisterman asked.
“他们顺着乳河走？”姐妹男拉克问。
“I said so, didn’t I?”
“我觉得不会错，不对吗？”
The Milkwater would take them past the Fist of the First Men, the ancient ringfort where the Night’s Watch had made its camp.
乳河会带他们经过先民拳峰，经过这座上古时代的环形堡垒，经过守夜人的营地。
Any man with a thimble of sense could see that it was time to pull up stakes and fall back on the Wall.
稍有理智的人都明白应该立刻拔营，退回长城，
The Old Bear had strengthened the Fist with spikes and pits and caltrops, but against such a host all that was pointless.
熊老却报之以更多的尖桩、陷坑和蒺藜。对一支大军而言，管什么用呢？
If they stayed here, they would be engulfed and overwhelmed.
如果赖着不走，迟早全军覆没。
