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And there were folks fiercer even than Varamyr, from the northernmost reaches of the haunted forest,
还有比瓦拉米尔凶猛的野人，他们来自鬼影森林极北处，
the hidden valleys of the Frostfangs, and even queerer places:
或霜雪之牙中的隐秘山谷，甚至更奇怪的地方。
the men of the Frozen Shore who rode in chariots made of walrus bones pulled along by packs of savage dogs,
冰封海岸的原住民驾着海象骨战车，由彪悍的大白狗牵引；
the terrible ice-river clans who were said to feast on human flesh, the cave dwellers with their faces dyed blue and purple and green.
恐怖的冰川部落据说以人肉为生；穴居人把脸染成蓝、紫和绿色；
With his own eyes Jon had beheld the Hornfoot men trotting along in column on bare soles as hard as boiled leather.
矮小的硬足民赤脚列队在冰雪上疾走，脚板像沸水煮过的皮革。
He had not seen any snarks or grumpkins, but for all he knew Tormund would be having some to supper.
当然，队伍中没有什么古灵精怪，但他很确定如果必要，托蒙德也会弄一些来当夜宵。
Half the wildling host had lived all their lives without so much as a glimpse of the Wall, Jon judged,
根据琼恩判断，野人部队中至少有一半一辈子没见过长城，
and most of those spoke no word of the Common Tongue.
而且绝大多数不会讲通用语。
It did not matter.
但这没关系。
Mance Rayder spoke the Old Tongue, even sang in it, fingering his lute and filling the night with strange wild music.
曼斯·雷德会说古语，甚至能用它唱歌，每到夜晚，他便弹起竖琴，演奏奇异而野性的音乐。
Mance had spent years assembling this vast plodding host, talking to this clan mother and that magnar,
为整合这支庞大冗杂的队伍，曼斯花了多年心血。他跟各地部落酋长谈判，跟各位马格拿谈判，
winning one village with sweet words and another with a song and a third with the edge of his sword,
用甜言蜜语赢得第一个村落，用歌谣吟唱赢得另一个，又用刀锋宝剑赢得第三个；
making peace between Hanna Dogshead and the Lord o' Bones, between the Hornfoots and the Nightrunners,
他让狗头哈犸与骸骨之王讲和，让硬足部与夜行部交流，
between the walrus men of the Frozen Shore and the cannibal clans of the great ice rivers,
让冰冻海岸的海象民与大冰川的食人部落和解；
hammering a hundred different daggers into one great spear, aimed at the heart of the Seven Kingdoms.
他将一百把不同的匕首打造成一支巨矛，瞄准七大王国的心脏。
He had no crown nor scepter, no robes of silk and velvet, but it was plain to Jon that Mance Rayder was a king in more than name.
他没有王冠，没有权杖，也没有丝衣华服，但琼恩看得很清楚，曼斯·雷德决不是名义上的国王。
Jon had joined the wildlings at Qhorin Halfhand's command.
琼恩遵照断掌科林的托付加入野人。
"Ride with them, eat with them, fight with them,"
“与他们一起行军，与他们一起用餐，与他们一起作战，”
the ranger had told him, the night before he died.
游骑兵在死前的那一夜对他如是说，
"And watch."
“你的任务是，观察。”
But all his watching had learned him little.
但一直以来，他观察的成果殊为有限。
The Halfhand had suspected that the wildlings had gone up into the bleak and barren Frostfangs in search of some weapon,
断掌怀疑野人们进入偏僻寒冷的霜雪之牙搜寻某件武器，某种力量，
some power, some fell sorcery with which to break the Wall…
某种没落的法术，用于突破长城…
but if they had found any such, no one was boasting of it openly, or showing it to Jon.
不管他们找到没有，反正既无人谈论，更无人买弄。
Nor had Mance Rayder confided any of his plans or strategies.
曼斯·雷德也没向他诉说任何计划或策略，
Since that first night, he had hardly seen the man save at a distance.
自打头天晚上的会面后，他从未接近过野人国王。
I will kill him if I must.
若情非得己，我会杀了他。
The prospect gave Jon no joy;
想到这里，琼恩心情阴郁，
there would be no honor in such a killing, and it would mean his own death as well.
谋杀不仅毫无荣誉，也会赔上自己性命。
Yet he could not let the wildlings breach the Wall, to threaten Winterfell and the north,
但他不能让野人们突破长城，侵略临冬城和北境，
the barrowlands and the Rills, White Harbor and the Stony Shore, even the Neck.
先民荒冢和溪流地，白港和磐石海岸，甚至南下颈泽。
For eight thousand years the men of House Stark had lived and died to protect their people against such ravagers;
八千年来，为保护子民不受掠袭者的威胁，史塔克家族奋勇抗争，
and reavers… and bastard-born or no, the same blood ran in his veins.
代代相传…而不管是不是私生子，他血管里终究流着相同的血液。
Bran and Rickon are still at Winterfell besides.
况且，布兰和瑞肯仍在临冬城，
Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrik, Old Nan, Farlen the kennelmaster, Mikken at his forge and Gage by his ovens…
还有鲁温学士、罗德利克爵士、老奶妈、兽舍掌管法兰、铁匠密肯、大厨盖吉…
everyone I ever knew, everyone I ever loved.
每一个他认识与深爱的人都在。
If Jon must slay a man he half admired and almost liked to save them from the mercies of Rattleshirt and Harma Dogshead and the earless Magnar of Thenn,
若我必须杀死一位值得仰慕的人，以保护他们不受叮当衫、狗头哈犸和无耳的瑟恩马格拿的残害，
that was what he meant to do.
这也无可奈何。
Still, he prayed his father's gods might spare him that bleak task.
但他依然向父亲的旧神祈祷，以求免除这一令人沮丧的任务。
The host moved but slowly, burdened as it was by all the wildlings' herds and children and mean little treasures,
队伍为牲畜群、孩童和各种辎重所累，前行得非常缓慢，
and the snows had slowed its progress even more.
大雪更进一步放慢了进程。
Most of the column was out of the foothills now, oozing down along the west bank of the Milkwater like honey on a cold winter's morning,
不过多数人马已下了山，如融化的蜂蜜一样于乳河西岸慢慢流淌，
following the course of the river into the heart of the haunted forest.
沿河朝鬼影森林深处而去。
And somewhere close ahead, Jon knew, the Fist of the First Men loomed above the trees,
琼恩清楚，前方不远处，先民拳峰耸立在森林上方，
home to three hundred black brothers of the Night's Watch, armed, mounted, and waiting.
那儿驻有三百名守夜人军团的黑衣弟兄，全副武装，配有座骑，扼守要道。
The Old Bear had sent out other scouts besides the Halffiand,
除断掌之外，熊老还派出其他斥候，
and surely Jarman Buckwell or Thoren Smallwood would have returned by now with word of what was coming down out of the mountains.
现在贾曼·布克威尔和索伦·斯莫伍德应已返回，并带去野人来袭的消息。
