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发信人: dantao (涛涛), 信区: Emprise
标 题: 书剑恩仇录2-1
发信站: 紫 丁 香 (Wed Jul 29 15:31:33 1998), 转信
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发信人: gallstone (gallstone), 信区: Emprise
标 题: 英译《书剑恩仇录》(二)之(1)
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Sat Jun 28 10:18:45 1997)
The Book and The Sword
Copyright Graham Earnshaw 1995
------------------------------
PART TWO
** 1 **
Lead Escort Tong eagerly led Zhang and the others to Iron Gall
Manor. This time, having some support with him, he walked
brazenly up to the manor gate.
"Tell your Lord to come out and receive Imperial officials,"
he shouted to an attendant.
The attendant turned to go inside, but Zhang decided they
could not afford to offend such a respected man as Lord Zhou.
"Say that we have come from Beijing and that there is some
official business we would like to consult Lord Zhou about,"
he called.
He glanced meaningfully at Officer Wu, who nodded and went
round to the rear of the Manor with one of the officers to
prevent anyone escaping.
As soon as he heard the attendant's report, Meng knew the
officers had come for Wen Tailai. He told Song to go out and
keep them occupied, and then went immediately to Wen's room.
"Master Wen, there are some Eagle's Claws outside," he said.
"There's nothing we can do. We'll just have to hide the three
of you for a while."
He helped Wen up, and led him to a pavilion in the garden
behind the Manor house. Meng and 'Scholar' Yu pushed aside a
stone table in the pavilion, exposing an iron plate. They
worked free an iron ring on top of the plate and pulled it up.
Underneath was a cellar.
Just then, they heard people outside the back gate, and at the
same time shouting from in front as Zhang forced his way
through towards the garden. Wen saw that they were surrounded
and hurried down the steps into the cellar. Meng replaced the
iron plate, and pushed the stone table back over it with the
help of two attendants. Zhou's young son kept getting in the
way as he tried to help. Meng looked round quickly to make
sure nothing was out of place, then ordered the attendants to
open the rear gate.
Zhang and the others entered the garden. Seeing Tong amongst
the group, Meng said coldly: "So you are an official. I should
not have been so impolite to you earlier."
"I am a lead escort with the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency," Tong
replied. "Haven't you made a mistake, brother?" He looked
round at Zhang. "I saw the three fugitives enter the manor.
You should order a search, Master Zhang."
"We are peaceful citizens," said Song. "His Lordship, Master
Zhou, is one of the most respected gentlemen west of the
Yellow River. How could he dare to harbour either bandits or
rebellious intentions?"
Meng asked Zhang to explain the purpose of his visit. Zhang
did so, and Meng laughed out loud. "But the Red Flower Society
is a secret society in south China," he protested. "Why would
they come to the northwest border areas? This lead escort has
a wild imagination."
Zhang and the rest were professionals, and they knew Wen was
in the manor. If they conducted a thorough search and found
him, there would be no problem. But if the search failed to
find him, the matter would certainly not rest there. Causing
offence to a man such as Lord Zhou was no game and they
hesitated.
Worried that he would be laughed at if Wen wasn't caught that
day, Tong decided to trick Zhou's son into talking. He smiled
and took him by the hand, but the boy snatched his hand away.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Little brother," Tong said. "Tell me where the three visitors
who came to your house today are hiding and I'll give you this
to buy sweets with." He took out a silver ingot and presented
it to the boy.
The boy made a face at him. "Who do you think I am? Do you
think any member of the Zhou family of Iron Gall manor would
want your stinking money?"
Zhang studied the child's face and guessed he knew where Wen
was hidden. "Just you wait until we find them," he warned. "We
will behead not only your father, but you and your mother as
well."
The boy raised his eyebrows. "I'm not afraid of you, so why
would my father be afraid of you?" he replied.
Suddenly, Tong noticed the boy was wearing a pearl bracelet on
his left wrist and recognised it immediately as Luo Bing's.
"Those pearls on your wrist. They belong to one of the
visitors," he said. "You must have stolen them from her."
Why should I steal?" the boy replied angrily. "She gave them
to me."
Tong laughed. "All right. She gave them to you. Well, where is
she?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Stop chattering with the child," Zhang interrupted. "They
wouldn't let a child in on the great affairs of the Manor. He
would certainly have been shooed away before they hid the
three guests in their secret place."
As he hoped, the child rose to the bait. "How would you know?"
he shouted.
Meng was becoming anxious. "Let's go inside, little brother,"
he said.
Zhang seized the opportunity. "Yes, go away little boy. You
don't know anything."
The boy could stand it no longer. "I know!" he shouted.
"They're in the garden, in the pavilion!"
Meng was greatly alarmed. "Little brother, what nonsense are
you talking? Go inside quickly!"
As soon as the words were out, the boy knew he had made a mess
of everything. He flew indoors, panic-stricken and on the
verge of tears.
Zhang could see that the pavilion, wide and empty with
red-painted railings around its sides, provided no hiding
place. He leapt onto one of the railings and looked up into
the roof, but saw no sign of a hiding-place. He jumped down
again and stood silently, deep in thought. Then he had an
idea.
"Master Meng," he smiled. "My kung fu is unsophisticated, but
I have some clumsy strength. Let us have a competition."
"I wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous," Meng replied. "With
weapons or without, I leave the choice to you."
Zhang laughed loudly. "There's no need for fighting, it would
injure this amiable atmosphere. No, I suggest we take turns at
trying to lift this stone table. I hope you won't laugh at me
if I can't."
Meng started in fright. "No, it's...it's not a good..." he
stuttered.
The others were surprised at Zhang's desire to engage Meng in
a test of strength, and they watched intently as he pushed up
his sleeves and grasped one of the round legs of the stone
table with his right hand. He shouted the word "Lift!", and
raised the 400-odd pound table off the ground using just the
one hand.
They applauded him for his strength, but the shouts of
applause quickly changed to calls of surprise as they noticed
the iron plate that had been exposed.
The officers lifted up the plate and saw Wen in the hole
beneath them, but none dared to go down and arrest him. They
couldn't use darts either as they had been ordered to capture
him alive, so all they could do was stand at the entrance to
the cellar, weapons in hand, shouting at him.
"We've been betrayed by Iron Gall Manor," Wen said quietly to
Luo Bing. "We are husband and wife, and I want you to promise
me one thing."
"What's that?"
"Whatever I tell you to do in a moment, you must do."
Luo Bing nodded, her eyes full of tears.
"Wen Tailai is here," Wen shouted. "What's all the noise
about?"
A sudden silence descended on the group above.
"My leg is wounded," Wen added. "Send a rope down and lift me
up."
Zhang turned round to ask Meng to get some rope, but he had
disappeared, so he ordered an attendant to go instead. A
length of rope was brought, and an Imperial Bodyguard named
Cheng Huang grabbed one end and threw the other down into the
cellar and lifted Wen out.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Wen jerked the rope
out of Cheng Huang's hands, and with a roar, whirled it round
and round his head. Caught off guard, Zhang and the others
ducked in panic as the rope swept towards them. Tong, who had
already suffered at Wen's hand, had hidden behind the others,
and didn't see the rope until it was too late. With the
piercing force of an iron rod, the rope smashed solidly into
his back, knocking him to the ground.
Two other Imperial Bodyguards, Rui and Yan, raced towards Wen
from either side while 'Scholar' Yu, wielding the Golden
Flute, leapt up the stone steps and attacked Cheng Huang.
Cheng was wielding a brass staff, but despite its advantage of
length over the flute, Yu quickly forced him onto the
defensive. Luo Bing limped up the steps, supporting herself
with her sword, but found her way blocked by a tall, muscular
man standing at the mouth of the cellar, with his hands on his
hips. She pulled out a throwing knife and threw it at him. The
man, Zhang, made no move until the knife was only an inch from
his nose, then stretched out his hand and grabbed it by the
hilt. Luo Bing saw his leisurely reaction, and drew a ragged
breath.
Zhang forced her sword to one side, then gave her a push which
threw her off balance. She fell back down into the cellar.
Wen, meanwhile, was battling simultaneously with the two
Imperial Bodyguards, Rui and Yan. His mind was numb with the
excruciating pain from his wounds, and he fought like a
madman, striking out wildly. Yu, however, had gained the upper
hand in his fight with Cheng Huang. Zhang noticed his
technique contained many elements peculiar to the Wudang
School. Greatly surprised, he was about to go over and
question him, when Yu suddenly jumped back into the cellar to
help Luo Bing.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
"It's nothing. Go and help Fourth Brother."
"I'll support you up," Yu said.
Wen looked around and saw that his wife had not yet managed to
get out of the cellar, and he realised he could continue no
longer. He threw himself at Cheng Huang, paralysed him with a
blow to the kidneys, then grabbed him round the waist and fell
into the cellar with him.
They landed on the cellar floor with Wen on top of Cheng
Huang, neither of them able to move. Luo Bing quickly helped
Wen up. His face was completely drained of colour and covered
in sweat, but he forced a smile, and with a "Wa" sound, a
mouthful of blood sprayed out onto the front of her tunic. Yu
understood what Wen was planning, and shouted. "Make way! Make
way!"
With Cheng Huang in the hands of the enemy, Zhang decided
against any precipitous action. He heard Yu's shout and waved
his arm at the others, indicating they should clear a path for
them.
The first one out of the cellar was Cheng Huang with Luo Bing
grasping his collar and holding the point of a dagger to the
small of his back. Next came Yu supporting Wen. The four
shuffled slowly out, pushing and pulling each other as they
came.
"If anyone moves, this man dies," Luo Bing shouted.
The four passed through the forest of swords and spears and
made their way slowly towards the rear gate. Luo Bing spotted
three horses tied to the willow trees just outside, and she
silently thanked Heaven and Earth.
Zhang could see the fugitives were about to escape and decided
that capturing Wen Tailai and taking him back to Beijing was
more important than saving Cheng Huang's life. He picked up
the rope Wen had thrown on the ground, fashioned it into a
lassoo and flung it at Wen using all his Inner Strength. The
rope flew whistling through the air and encircled Wen, and
with a tug, Zhang pulled him out of Yu's grasp. Wen cried out
and Luo Bing turned to help him, ignoring Cheng Huang. But her
thigh was wounded, and she fell to the ground before she had
taken two steps.
"Go! Go quickly!" Wen shouted.
"I'll die with you," said Luo Bing.
"You agreed that you would do what I told you..." he replied
angrily, but before he could finish, the officers swarmed over
him. Yu raced over and picked Luo Bing up, then charged
straight out of the gate. One officer moved to stop him, but
one of Yu's legs flew up and kicked him so hard that he fell
to the ground five or six paces away.
Yu ran with her over to the horses and placed her on the back
of one just as three officers raced through the gates after
them.
"Use your throwing knives, quick!" he shouted.
A string of knives flashed out from her hand and there was a
blood-curdling shriek as one of them planted itself in the
shoulder of one of the officers. Yu freed the reins of the
three horses, mounted one and pulled the head of the third
round so that it faced the gate. He rapped it sharply on the
rump with his flute and the horse charged straight to the
officers, trapping them in the gateway. In the confusion, Yu
and Luo Bing galloped off.
Luo Bing lay on the horse in a semi-delirious state. She tried
on several occasions to pull the horse round and return to
Iron Gall Manor, but each time Yu stopped her. He slowed the
pace only when he was sure there was no-one chasing them.
Another mile further on, Yu saw four riders approaching led by
a man with a flowing white beard: it was the Lord of Iron Gall
Manor, Zhou Zhongying. Seeing Yu and Luo Bing, he reined in
his horse and called out:
"Honoured guests, please stop! I have called for a doctor."
Full of hatred, Luo Bing flung a throwing knife at him. Zhou
started in fright, and threw himself down flat on his horse,
and the knife flew over his back. Behind him, one of his
followers deflected the knife with a stroke from his sword,
and it plunged into the trunk of a large willow tree beside
the road. The rays of the blood-red setting sun reflected off
the blade, the light flashing and dancing all around them.
Just as Zhou was about to question them, Luo Bing began
cursing him.
"You old thief! You betrayed my husband! I will have my
revenge on you!" she shouted, tears coursing down her face.
She urged her horse forward, brandishing her pair of swords.
"Let us discuss this first," Zhou called out, greatly puzzled.
"We must save Fourth Brother first," Yu said to Luo Bing,
restraining her. "We can raze Iron Gall Manor to the ground
once we've rescued him."
Luo Bing saw the logic in what he said, and pulled the head of
her horse round. She spat on the ground in hate, slapped her
horse and galloped off.
Lord Zhou wondered what was behind this young girl's anger and
questioned the attendant who had been sent to the town to
fetch a doctor. But he said only that when he left, Lady Zhou
and Master Meng had been looking after the guests, and that
there had been no disgreements.
Zhou galloped all the way back to the manor, and strode
quickly inside shouting: "Call Meng!"
"Master Meng is with her Ladyship," one of the attendants told
him. Then the rest all began talking at once, giving him
accounts of what had happened, how the officers had arrested
Wen Tailai and taken him away, and had left the manor only a
short while before.
"Who tolf the officers the three guests were hiding in the
cellar?" Zhou asked.
The attendants looked at each other, not daring to speak. The
sound of Zhou's two iron balls clacking together in his hand
was even louder than usual. "What are you all standing there
for?" he shouted. "Go and get Meng quickly!"
As he spoke, Meng ran in.
"Who let the secret out?" Zhou shouted hoarsely. "Tell me!
You..."
Meng hesitated, and said: "The Eagle's Claws found it out for
themselves."
"Nonsense!" Zhou roared. "How would that bunch of dog thieves
ever find a place as well-hidden as my cellar?"
Meng did not answer, not daring to meet his master's gaze.
Lady Zhou came in hugging her son, but Zhou ignored her.
His gaze swung round to Song's face. "As soon as you saw the
officers, you took fright and talked, didn't you?" he shouted.
Meng was trustworthy but Song was a coward and knew no kung
fu.
"No...it wasn't me who talked," he replied, scared out of his
wits. "It was...it was the young...the young master."
Zhou's heart missed a beat. "Come over here," he said to his
son.
The boy walked, cringing, over to his father.
"Was it you who told the officers that the three guests were
in the garden cellar?" he asked.
The boy had never dared to lie to his father, but he could not
bring himself to confess. Zhou brandished his whip.
"Will you speak?" he shouted.
The boy looked at his mother, so scared he wanted to cry. Lady
Zhou walked over and stood close beside him.
Meng saw that the deception would not work. "Master," he said.
"The officers were very cunning. They made out that if the
young master did not talk, he would be a coward."
"You wanted to be a hero, so you told them, is that correct?"
Zhou shouted.
The boy's face was drained of colour. "Yes, father," he
replied quietly.
Zhou could not control his anger. "Is that any way for a brave
hero to act?" he shouted. He threw the two iron balls in his
right hand at the opposite wall in frustration, but at that
very moment, his son threw himself into his arms to beg for
mercy, and one of the balls hit the boy square on the head.
Zhou had put all of his rage into the throw and its power was
extraordinary. Blood sprayed in all directions.
Greatly shocked, Zhou quickly took hold of his son and
embraced him.
"Father," the boy said. "I...I won't do it again...Don't hit
me..." He was dead before he finished speaking. Everyone in
the room was stunned into silence.
Lady Zhou grabbed her son, shouting: "Child, child!" When she
saw he had stopped breathing, she stared dumbly at him for a
moment then, like a crazed tiger, struck out at Zhou.
"Why...why did you kill the child?" she sobbed.
Zhou shook his head and retreated two paces. "I... I
didn't..."
Lady Zhou put down her son's corpse, and grabbed a sword from
the scabbard of one of the attendants. She leapt forward and
struck out at her husband, but he made no move to avoid the
blow.
"It will be better if we all die," he said, closing his eyes.
Seeing him in such a state, her hand loosened. She dropped the
sword to the ground and ran out of the hall, sobbing.
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