13 LIEUTENANT AND CLOWN
第13章 中尉与小丑
If, from a distance of seven thousand parsecs, the fall of Kalgan to the armies of the Mule had produced reverberations that had excited the curiosity of an old Trader, the apprehension of a dogged captain, and the annoyance of a meticulous mayor……to those on Kalgan itself, it produced nothing and excited no one. It is the invariable lesson to humanity that distance in time, and in space as well, lends focus. It is not recorded, incidentally, that the lesson has ever been permanently learned.
骡的军队攻陷卡尔根这件事，若说在七千秒差距外造成一些回响，例如一位老行商的好奇、一名顽固上尉的不安，以及一位神经过敏市长的烦恼……对于身在卡尔根的人们，这个事实却不曾导致任何变化，也没有引起任何反应。时间或空间上的距离，会放大某些事件的重要性，这是人类历史上永恒不变的教训。话说回来，根据历史的记载，人类从来没有真正学到这个教训。
Kalgan was……Kalgan. It alone of all that quadrant of the Galaxy seemed not to know that the Empire had fallen, that the Stannells no longer ruled, that greatness had departed, and peace had disappeared.
卡尔根仍旧是……卡尔根。在银河系这个象限中，只有卡尔根好像还不知道帝国已经崩溃，斯达涅尔皇朝的统治已经结束，帝国的伟业已经远去，和平的时代也已经不再。
Kalgan was the luxury world. With the edifice of mankind crumbling, it maintained its integrity as a producer of pleasure, a buyer of gold and a seller of leisure.
卡尔根是个充满享乐的世界。尽管有史以来最庞大的政治结构已土崩瓦解，它却没有受到波及，仍然继续不断生产欢乐，经营着稳赚不赔的休闲业。
It escaped the harsher vicissitudes of history, for what conqueror would destroy or even seriously damage a world so full of the ready cash that would buy immunity.
它躲掉了冷酷无情的历史劫数，因为无论多么凶狠的征服者，都不会毁灭或严重破坏这样一棵摇钱树。
Yet even Kalgan had finally become the headquarters of a warlord and its softness had been tempered to the exigencies of war.
但即使是卡尔根，也终究变成一名军阀的大本营；这个柔顺的世界，被锻炼成随时随地能够应战。
Its tamed jungles, its mildly modeled shores, and its garishly glamorous cities echoed to the march of imported mercenaries and impressed citizens. The worlds of its province had been armed and its money invested in battleships rather than bribes for the first time in its history. Its ruler proved beyond doubt that he was determined to defend what was his and eager to seize what was others.
不论是人工栽培的丛林、线条柔和的海岸线，或是华丽而充满魅力的城市，都呼应着军队行进的雄壮节奏，其中有来自其他世界的佣兵，也有征召入伍的卡尔根国民。卡尔根辖下的各个世界也一一武装起来，这是有史以来第一次，卡尔根将贿赂的花费省下，挪作购买星际战舰之用。它的统治者以实际行动向全银河证明，他决心保卫既有的疆域，并汲汲于攫取他人的领土。
He was a great one of the Galaxy, a war and peace maker, a builder of Empire, an establisher of dynasty.
他是银河中的一位大人物，足以左右战争与和平，也足以成为一个帝国的缔造者，一个皇朝的开国皇帝。
And an unknown with a ridiculous nickname had taken him……and his arms……and his budding Empire……and had not even fought a battle.
不料杀出一个默默无闻、却有着滑稽绰号的人物，轻而易举就击败了他……以及他的军队，还有他的短命帝国，甚至可说是不战而胜。
So Kalgan was as before, and its uniformed citizens hurried back to their older life, while the foreign professionals of war merged easily into the newer bands that descended.
于是卡尔根又恢复昔日的秩序。国民兵脱下制服，重新拥抱过去的生活；原有的军队完成改编，收编了许多其他世界的职业军人。
Again as always, there were the elaborate luxury hunts for the cultivated animal life of the jungles that never took human life; and the speedster bird-chases in the air above, that was fatal only to the Great Birds.
就像过去一样，卡尔根又充满各种观光活动。例如丛林中的打猎游戏，游客付一笔可观的费用，即可追猎那些人工饲养、从不害人的动物。如果厌倦了陆上的游猎，还能坐上高速空中飞车，去猎杀天空中无辜的巨鸟。
In the cities, the escapers of the Galaxy could take their varieties of pleasure to suit their purse, from the ethereal sky-palaces of spectacle and fantasy that opened their doors to the masses at the jingle of half a credit, to the unmarked, unnoted haunts to which only those of great wealth were of the cognoscenti.
各大城市中，充满着来自银河各处逃避现实的人群。他们可以根据各自的经济状况，选择适合自己的娱乐活动。从只需要花费半个信用点、老少咸宜的空中宫殿观光，到绝对隐密、只有大财主才精通门路的声色场所。
To the vast flood, Toran and Bayta added not even a trickle. They registered their ship in the huge common hangar on the East Peninsula, and gravitated to that compromise of the middle-classes, the Inland Sea-where the pleasures were yet legal, and even respectable, and the crowds not yet beyond endurance.
卡尔根的人潮多了杜伦与贝泰两人，顶多像在大海中注入两滴雨点。他们将太空船停在“东半岛”的大型公共船库，随即理所当然地被吸引到“内海”……这里是中产阶级的游乐区，各种游乐活动仍然合法，甚至可算是高尚，游客也不至于令人无法忍受。
Bayta wore dark glasses against the light, and a thin, white robe against the heat. Warm-tinted arms, scarcely the goldener for the sun, clasped her knees to her, and she stared with firm, abstracted gaze at the length of her husband's outstretched body……almost shimmering in the brilliance of white sun-splendor.
由于阳光很强，天气又热，贝泰戴着一副黑色太阳眼镜，穿着一件白色的薄纱袍。她用那双被晒得发烫、但几乎没有晒红的手臂紧紧抱住双膝，眼睛则茫然地盯着她的先生，从头到脚仔细端详他摊开的身体……在耀眼的阳光照耀下，他的肌肤仿佛也在微微发光。
"Don't overdo it," she had said at first, but Toran was of a dying-red star, Despite three years of the Foundation, sunlight was a luxury, and for four days now his skin, treated beforehand for ray resistance, had not felt the harshness of clothing, except for the brief shorts.
“可别晒得太久。”她早就警告过他，可是杜伦家乡的太阳是一颗垂死的红色星球，尽管他在基地待过三年，阳光对他而言仍是奢侈品。他们来到卡尔根已经四天，杜伦总是先做好防紫外线措施，然后只穿一条短裤来享受日光浴。
Bayta huddled close to him on the sand and they spoke in whispers.
贝泰挤到他身边，两人依偎在沙滩上轻声低语。
Toran's voice was gloomy, as it drifted upwards from a relaxed face, "No, I admit we're nowhere. But where is he? Who is he? This mad world says nothing of him. Perhaps he doesn't exist."
杜伦的表情显得轻松，他的声音却很沮丧。“好吧，我承认我们毫无进展。可是他在哪里？他到底是什么人？这个疯狂的世界完全没有他的踪迹，也许他根本不存在。”
"He exists," replied Bayta, with lips that didn't move. "He's clever, that's all. And your uncle is right. He's a man we could use……if there's time."
“他绝对存在。”贝泰答道，她的嘴唇却没有动，“只不过他太聪明了。你叔叔说得对，他是我们可以利用的人……只要还有时间。”
A short pause. Toran whispered, "Know what I've been doing, Bay? I'm just daydreaming myself into a sun-stupor. Things figure themselves out so neatly……so sweetly." His voice nearly trailed off, then returned, "Remember the way Dr. Amann talked back at college, Bay. The Foundation can never lose, but that does not mean the rulers of the Foundation can't. Didn't the real history of the Foundation begin when Salvor Hardin kicked out the Encyclopedists and took over the planet Terminus as the first mayor? And then in the next century, didn't Hober Mallow gain power by methods almost as drastic? That's twice the rulers were defeated, so it can be done. So why not by us?"
短暂的沉默后，杜伦轻声说：“贝，你知道我在做什么吗？我正在做白日梦，梦见被太阳晒得昏昏沉沉。一切似乎都进行得很顺利……很完美。”他的声音愈来愈小，几乎细不可闻，然后又逐渐提高音量。“贝，记不记得大学里的亚曼博士怎么说的？虽然基地不可能战败，但并不代表基地的统治者不会下台。基地的正式历史，难道不是从塞佛·哈定赶走百科全书编者，以第一任市长的身份接管端点星才开始的吗？然后又过了一个世纪，侯伯·马洛掌握大权的方式，难道不也是同样激进吗？既然有两次统治者被击败的先例，就代表这是可行的。我们又为什么做不到呢？”
"It's the oldest argument in the books. Torie. What a waste of good reverie."
“杜，那是书本上老掉牙的说法。你想得太美了，根本是在浪费时间。”
"Is it? Follow it out. What's Haven? Isn't it part of the Foundation? If we become top dog, it's still the Foundation winning, and only the current rulers losing."
“是吗？你听好，赫汶是什么？难道它不是基地的一部分吗？假如由我们当家做主，仍然算是基地的胜利，失败的只是当今的统治者。”
"Lots of difference between 'we can' and 'we will.' You're just jabbering."
“在‘我们能’和‘我们会’之间，还有很大的一段距离。你说的只是一堆废话。”
Toran squirmed. "Nuts, Bay, you're just in one of your sour, green moods. What do you want to spoil my fun for? I'll just go to sleep if you don't mind."
杜伦蠕动了一下。“贝，小笨蛋，你这是酸葡萄心理。你这样扫我的兴，对你又有什么好处？如果你不介意，我想要睡一会儿。”
But Bayta was craning her head, and suddenly……quite a non sequitur……she giggled, and removed her glasses to look down the beach with only her palm shading her eyes.
贝泰却伸长脖子，突然……相当没来由地……吃吃笑了起来。她还摘下太阳眼镜，仅用手遮着眼睛，向海滩远处眺望。
Toran looked up, then lifted and twisted his shoulders to follow her glance.
杜伦抬起头，然后又爬起来，转过身，顺着她的视线望去。
Apparently, she was watching a spindly figure, feet in air, who teetered on his hands for the amusement of a haphazard crowd. It was one of the swarming acrobatic beggars of the shore, whose supple joints bent and snapped for the sake of the thrown coins.
她显然是望向一个细长的身影，那人正在为来往的群众表演倒立，双脚停驻在半空中，双手在地面摇摇晃晃地走动。他是那些群聚海边的乞丐之一；他们利用柔软的关节做出种种杂耍，以便向围观的群众乞讨。
A beach guard was motioning him on his way and with a surprising one-handed balance, the clown brought a thumb to his nose in an upside-down gesture. The guard advanced threateningly and reeled backward with a foot in his stomach. The clown righted himself without interrupting the motion of the initial kick and was away, while the frothing guard was held off by a thoroughly unsympathetic crowd.
这时一名海滩警卫向他走去，小丑竟然能用单手保持平衡，伸出一只手，将拇指放在鼻尖，头下脚上地做了一个鬼脸。警卫来势汹汹地冲过去，却被小丑一脚踢中肚子，立刻跌跌撞撞地退了好几步。小丑动作流畅地顺势站起来，一溜烟地消失无踪。气得口吐白沫的警卫拔腿想追，却被冷漠的人群阻住了去路。
The clown made his way raggedly down the beach. He brushed past many, hesitated often, stopped nowhere. The original crowd had dispersed. The guard had departed.
小丑顺着海边左冲右撞。他掠过许多人，不时表现得犹豫不决，却从未停下脚步。原先观看杂耍的群众早已散去，那名警卫也已经离开了。
"He's a queer fellow," said Bayta, with amusement, and Toran agreed indifferently. The clown was close enough now to be seen clearly. His thin face drew together in front into a nose of generous planes and fleshy tip that seemed all but prehensile. His long, lean limbs and spidery body, accentuated by his costume, moved easily and with grace, but with just a suggestion of having been thrown together at random.
“他真是个奇怪的家伙。”贝泰显得很感兴趣，而杜伦只是随口表示同意。此时小丑愈跑愈近，看得清楚他的容貌了。他的鼻子又大又长，好像一个手把，一张瘦脸都集中在长鼻子周围。华丽的衣裳将他瘦弱的四肢与细长的身躯衬托得更醒目。而他虽然行动灵活优雅，整个人却有点像是随意拼凑起来的。
To look was to smile.
令人看到就忍不住发笑。
The clown seemed suddenly aware of their regard, for he stopped after he had passed, and, with a sharp turn, approached. His large, brown eyes fastened upon Bayta.
小丑经过了杜伦与贝泰，似乎突然察觉到他们在注意自己，于是停下脚步，一个急转弯，又向他们走了过来。他那双褐色的大眼睛紧紧盯住贝泰。
She found herself disconcerted.
一时之间，她不知如何是好。
The clown smiled, but it only saddened his beaked face, and when he spoke it was with the soft, elaborate phrasing of the Central Sectors.
小丑露出微笑，可是他那张挂着长鼻子的脸孔，越笑却越显得愁容满面。当他开口的时候，说的则是核心星区的方言，听起来既和气又做作。
"Were I to use the wits the good Spirits gave me," he said, "then I would say this lady can not exist……for what sane man would hold a dream to be reality. Yet rather would I not be sane and lend belief to charmed, enchanted eyes."
“假若我能借用慈悲的圣灵赐予我的智慧，”他说道，“我会说眼前这位女士绝不属于人间……头脑清楚的人会认为这只是一场美梦。可是我宁愿头脑不清，相信这双被迷惑且着了魔的眼睛见到的都是真实。”
Bayta's own eyes opened wide. She said, "Wow!"
贝泰双眼睁得老大，叫道：“哇！”
Toran laughed, "Oh, you enchantress. Go ahead, Bay, that deserves a five-credit piece. Let him have it."
杜伦哈哈大笑。“喔，你成了迷人心魄的妖精了。贝，这些话值得五个信用点，拿给他吧。”
But the clown was forward with a jump. "No, my lady, mistake me not. I spoke for money not at all, but for bright eyes and sweet face."
不料小丑向前跳了一步。“不，我亲爱的女士，千万别误会我。我如此言语绝非为了金钱，而是为了一双明亮的眸子，和一张甜美的脸蛋。”
"Well, thanks," then, to Toran, "Golly, you think the sun's in his eyes?"
“可真谢谢你啦。”然后，她又对杜伦说：“天哪，你想他是不是被太阳晒昏了头？”
"Yet not alone for eyes and face," babbled the clown, as his words hurled past each other in heightened frenzy, "but also for a mind, clear and sturdy……and kind as well."
“可不只是眸子和脸蛋而已，”小丑继续喋喋不休，口中吐出的话愈来愈疯癫，“还有您的心地，纯洁而善良……并且充满慈爱。”
Toran rose to his feet, reached for the white robe he had crooked his arm about for four days, and slipped into it. "Now, bud," he said, "suppose you tell me what you want, and stop annoying the lady."
杜伦站起身来，抓起四天以来一直挟在腋下的白袍，然后套在身上。“好啦，兄弟，”他说，“请你告诉我究竟想要什么，别再烦这位女士了。”
The clown fell back a frightened step, his meager body cringing. "Now, sure I meant no harm. I am a stranger here, and it's been said I am of addled wits; yet there is something in a face that I can read. Behind this lady's fairness, there is a heart that's kind, and that would help me in my trouble for all I speak so boldly."
小丑吓得倒退一步，瘦弱的身子缩成一团。“喔，我绝对没有恶意。我是外地人，大家都认为我的脑筋有问题，不过我还懂得相随心转的道理。在这位女士的美丽外表之下，藏着一颗慈爱的心，我知道她会帮我解决问题，才敢说出如此冒昧的言语。”
"Will five credits cure your trouble?" said Toran, dryly, and held out the coin.
“五个信用点能不能解决你的问题？”杜伦以挖苦的口气说，同时掏出了一枚硬币。
But the clown did not move to take it, and Bayta said, "Let me talk to him, Torie," She added swiftly, and in an undertone, "There's no use being annoyed at his silly way of talking. That's just his dialect; and our speech is probably as strange to him."
小丑并没有伸手，于是贝泰说：“杜，让我跟他讲吧。”她又很快地细声补充道：“他说的话虽然听来疯疯癫癫，不过你根本不用介意。他们的方言本来就是这样；对他而言，我们的言语也许一样奇怪呢。”
She said, "What is your trouble? You're not worried about the guard, are you? He won't bother you."
她说：“你的问题是什么？你不是在担心那个警卫吧？他不会再找你的麻烦了。”
"Oh, no, not he. He's but a windlet that blows the dust about my ankles. There is another that I flee, and he is a storm that sweeps the worlds aside and throws them plunging at each other. A week ago, I ran away, have slept in city streets, and hid in city crowds. I've looked in many faces for help in need. I find it here." He repeated the last phrase in softer, anxious tones, and his large eyes were troubled, "I find it here."
“喔，不是，不是他。他只是一阵微风，只能把一些灰尘吹上我的脚踝。我是在躲避另外一个人，他可是席卷世界的暴风，能将许多世界吹得东倒西歪。一个星期之前，我逃了出来，露宿在城市街头，混迹在城市的人群中。为了寻找能帮助我的好心人，我端详过许多张脸孔。如今我终于找到了。”他把最后这句话又重复了一遍，语气听来更温柔、更急切，大眼睛里还充满了不安。“如今我终于找到了。”
"Now," said Bayta, reasonably, "I would like to help, but really, friend, I'm no protection against a world-sweeping storm. To be truthful about it, I could use……"
“听好，”贝泰实事求是地说，“我很愿意帮助你，可是说句实话，朋友，对于席卷世界的暴风，我也无法提供任何庇护。老实说，我也许能……”
There was an uplifted, powerful voice that bore down upon them.
此时，一阵高亢的怒吼声突然逼近。
"Now, then, you mud-spawned rascal……"
“好啊，你这泥巴里长出来的混蛋……”
It was the beach guard, with a fire-red face, and snarling mouth, that approached at a run. He pointed with his low-power stun pistol.
朝他们跑来的正是那名海滩警卫，他的脸涨得通红，嘴巴骂个不停。站定后，他举起低功率的麻痹枪。
"Hold him, you two. Don't let him get away." His heavy hand fell upon the clown's thin shoulder, so that a whimper was squeezed out of him.
“你们两个，抓住他，别让他跑了。”他粗大的手掌落向小丑细瘦的肩头，小丑立刻发出一阵哭喊。
Toran said, "What's he done?"
杜伦问道：“他到底做了什么？”
"What's he done? What's he done? Well, now, that's good!" The guard reached inside the dangling pocket attached to his belt, and removed a purple handkerchief, with which he mopped his bare neck. He said with relish. "I'll tell you what he's done. He's run away. The word's all over Kalgan and I would have recognized him before this if he had been on his feet instead of on his hawkface top." And he rattled his prey in a fierce good humor.
“他到底做了什么？他到底做了什么？哈哈，问得好！”警卫将手伸进腰带上的随身囊中，掏出一条紫色手帕，擦了擦脖子上的汗珠。然后，他兴冲冲地答道：“让我告诉你他到底做了什么。他是一名逃犯。他逃跑的消息传遍了整个卡尔根，刚才若不是他头下脚上，我早该认出他来了。”他一面狂笑，一面猛力摇晃他的猎物。
Bayta said with a smile, "Now where did he escape from, sir?"
贝泰带着微笑说：“警官，请问他又是从哪里逃出来的？”
The guard raised his voice. A crowd was gathering, popeyed and jabbering, and with the increase of audience, the guard's sense of importance increased in direct ratio.
警卫提高了嗓门。此时附近的人群渐渐靠拢，个个目不转睛、叽叽喳喳地看着这场好戏。随着旁观的人愈来愈多，警卫愈来愈感到自己的重要性。
"Where did he escape from?" he declaimed in high sarcasm. "Why, I suppose you've heard of the Mule, now."
“他又是从哪里逃出来的？”他以充满嘲讽的口气，慷慨激昂地说，“哈哈，我想你们一定听说过骡吧。”
All jabbering stopped, and Bayta felt a sudden iciness trickle down into her stomach. The clown had eyes only for her……he still quivered in the guard's brawny grasp.
所有的叽喳声顿时消失，贝泰感到胃部突然冒出一丝寒气。小丑仍被警卫结结实实地抓住，他不停地发抖……眼睛却始终停驻在贝泰身上。
"And who," continued the guard heavily, "would this infernal ragged piece be, but his lordship's own court fool who's run away." He jarred his captive with a massive shake, "Do you admit it, fool?"
“你可知道，”警卫继续凶巴巴地说，“这个可恶的杂碎是谁？他就是大人的弄臣，是前几天从宫中逃走的。”他又用力摇晃着小丑，“傻子，你承不承认？”
There was only white fear for answer, and the soundless sibilance of Bayta's voice close to Toran's ear.
小丑没有回答，只是脸色更加苍白。贝泰靠在杜伦身边，跟他耳语了几句。
Toran stepped forward to the guard in friendly fashion, "Now, my man, suppose you take your hand away for just a while. This entertainer you hold has been dancing for us and has not yet danced out his fee."
杜伦客客气气地走近警卫。“老兄，请你把手拿开一下子就好。你抓着的这个艺人收了我们的钱，正在为我们表演舞蹈，还没有表演完呢。”
"Here!" The guard's voice rose in sudden concern. "There's a reward……"
“对了！”警卫陡然提高音量，好像突然想到什么，“还有赏金……”
"You'll have it, if you can prove he's the man you want. Suppose you withdraw till then. You know that you're interfering with a guest, which could be serious for you."
“你可以去领赏，只要你能证明他就是你要找的人。在此之前，请你把手松开。你可知道你正在干扰游客，这会让你吃不了兜着走。”
"But you're interfering with his lordship and that will be serious for you." He shook the clown once again. "Return the man's fee, carrion."
“你却是在干扰大人的公事，这一定会让你吃不了兜着走。”他再度摇晃那个小丑，“死东西，把钱还给人家。”
Toran's hand moved quickly and the guard's stun pistol was wrenched away with half a finger nearly following it. The guard howled his pain and rage. Toran shoved him violently aside, and the clown, unhanded, scuttled behind him.
杜伦突然以迅雷不及掩耳的动作，一把夺下警卫手中的麻痹枪，差点还把警卫的半根手指一块扯下来。又痛又怒的警卫发出一阵狂哮。杜伦又猛力推了他一把，小丑终于脱身，赶紧躲到杜伦背后。
The crowd, whose fringes were now lost to the eye, paid little attention to the latest development. There was among them a craning of necks, and a centrifugal motion as if many had decided to increase their distance from the center of activity.
看热闹的群众现在已经人山人海，却没有什么人注意到这个最新发展。外圈有不少人拉长了脖子，内圈许多人却开始向外挤，像是决心与中心保持更安全的距离。
Then there was a bustle, and a rough order in the distance. A corridor formed itself and two men strode through, electric whips in careless readiness. Upon each purple blouse was designed an angular shaft of lightning with a splitting planet underneath.
远方突然又起了一阵骚动，随即传来一声刺耳的号令。群众赶紧让出一条路，两名士兵大摇大摆走了过来，手中的电鞭仿佛蓄势待发。他们的紫色军服上绣着一道尖锐的闪电，下方还有一颗裂成两半的行星。
A dark giant, in lieutenant's uniform, followed them; dark of skin, and hair, and scowl.
走在两人后面的，是一位身穿中尉制服的军官；体格魁梧，黑皮肤，黑头发，脸色极为阴沉。
The dark man spoke with the dangerous softness that meant he had little need of shouting to enforce his whims. He said, "Are you the man who notified us?"
黑人中尉的声音温和得很虚假，代表他根本不必大吼大叫以壮声势。他说：“你就是那个通知我们的人？”
The guard was still holding his wrenched hand, and with a pain-distorted face mumbled, "I claim the reward, your mightiness, and I accuse that man……"
警卫仍然紧握着扭伤的手，脸孔因痛苦而扭曲。他含糊地答道：“阁下，赏金是我的，我还要指控那个人……”
"You'll get your reward," said the lieutenant, without looking at him. He motioned curtly to his men, "Take him."
“你会得到赏金的。”中尉答道，却根本没有望着警卫。他对手下随便做个手势。“把他带走。”
Toran felt the clown tearing at his robe with a maddened grip.
杜伦感觉到小丑死命扯着他的袍子。
He raised his voice and kept it from shaking, "I'm sorry, lieutenant; this man is mine."
于是他提高嗓门，并且尽力不让声音发抖，说道：“很抱歉，中尉，这个人是我的。”
The soldiers took the statement without blinking. One raised his whip casually, but the lieutenant's snapped order brought it down.
两名士兵把杜伦的话当耳边风，其中一个已经顺手举起鞭子。中尉立时大喝一声，鞭子才放了下来。
His dark mightiness swung forward and planted his square body before Toran, "Who are you?"
中尉黝黑而粗壮的身躯向前移动，峙立在杜伦面前。“你是什么人？”
And the answer rang out, "A citizen of the Foundation."
杜伦不假思索便答道：“基地的公民。”
It worked……with the crowd, at any rate. The pent-up silence broke into an intense hum. The Mule's name might excite fear, but it was, after all, a new name and scarcely stuck as deeply in the vitals as the old one of the Foundation……that had destroyed the Empire……and the fear of which ruled a quadrant of the Galaxy with ruthless despotism.
这句话立刻生效……至少在群众间引起了震撼。勉强维持的沉默立时打破，周遭又充满了嘈杂声。骡的名字或许能引起畏惧，但那毕竟是一个新的名号，不像“基地”的老招牌那样深入人心且令人敬畏。基地过去曾经击败帝国，如今则以残酷的专制手段，统治着银河系的四分之一。
The lieutenant kept face. He said, "Are you aware of the identity of the man behind you?"
中尉却面不改色，他说：“躲在你后面的那个人，你知道他的身份吗？”
"I have been told he's a runaway from the court of your leader, but my only sure knowledge is that he is a friend of mine. You'll need firm proof of his identity to take him."
“听说他是从贵国领导者的宫廷中逃出来的，但我只能肯定他是我的朋友。你想带他走，必须提出坚实的证据。”
There were high-pitched sighs from the crowd, but the lieutenant let it pass. "Have you your papers of Foundation citizenship with you?"
人群中发出了尖声的叹息，可是中尉毫不理会。“你带着基地公民的证件吗？”
"At my ship."
“在我的太空船上。”
"You realize that your actions are illegal? I can have you shot."
“你可了解你的行为已经违法？我能当场把你枪毙。”
"Undoubtedly. But then you would have shot a Foundation citizen and it is quite likely that your body would be sent to the Foundation……quartered……as part compensation. It's been done by other warlords."
“这点毫无疑问。但如果你杀死一名基地公民，你们的统领很可能会把你大卸八块，然后才送去基地，当做赔罪的一部分。其他世界的统领就这么做过。”
The lieutenant wet his lips. The statement was true.
中尉舔了舔嘴唇。因为杜伦说的都是事实。
He said, "Your name?"
他又问：“你叫什么名字？”
Toran followed up his advantage, "I will answer further questions at my ship. You can get the cell number at the Hangar; it is registered under the name 'Bayta'."
杜伦却得理不饶人。“回到我的太空船后，我才愿意回答其他的问题。你可以在船库中查到我们的隔间号码，登记的名称是贝泰号。”
"You won't give up the runaway?"
“你不肯把这个逃犯交给我吗？”
"To the Mule, perhaps. Send your master!"
“或许我会交给骡。叫你的主子来吧！”
The conversation had degenerated to a whisper and the lieutenant turned sharply away.
他们的对话已经逐渐变成耳语，不久，中尉陡然一转身。
"Disperse the crowd!" he said to his men, with suppressed ferocity.
“驱散群众！”他对两名手下说，口气听来居然不算太凶残。
The electric whips rose and fell. There were shrieks and a vast surge of separation and flight.
两条电鞭此起彼落。立刻传来一阵尖叫声，众人争先恐后作鸟兽散。
Toran interrupted his reverie only once on their way back to the Hangar. He said, almost to himself, "Galaxy, Bay, what a time I had! I was so scared……"
在他们乘坐短程飞船，从海滩回到船库的途中，杜伦一直低头沉思。他总共只开了一次口，却几乎是在自言自语：“银河啊，贝，刚才实在太惊险了！我好害怕……”
"Yes," she said, with a voice that still shook, and eyes that still showed something akin to worship, "it was quite out of character."
“是啊，”她的声音带着颤抖，双眼依然流露出近乎崇拜的目光，“看不出来你那么勇敢。”
"Well, I still don't know what happened. I just got up there with a stun pistol that I wasn't even sure I knew how to use, and talked back to him. I don't know why I did it."
“可是，我还是不清楚发生了什么事。我突然发现手中多了一柄麻痹枪，甚至不确定自己会不会用，而我却跟他对答如流。我也不晓得自己为何这样做。”
He looked across the aisle of the short-run air vessel that was carrying them out of the beach area, to the seat on which the Mule's clown scrunched up in sleep, and added distastefully, "It was the hardest thing I've ever done."
他抬头看了看飞船走道对面的座位，骡的小丑正缩成一团呼呼大睡。他又以苦涩的口气补充道：“我这辈子从未遇过这么困难的事。”
The lieutenant stood respectfully before the colonel of the garrison, and the colonel looked at him and said, "Well done. Your part's over now."
中尉恭敬地站在驻军团长面前，团长望着他说：“干得很好，你的任务完成了。”
But the lieutenant did not retire immediately. He said darkly, "The Mule has lost face before a mob, sir. It will be necessary to undertake disciplinary action to restore proper atmosphere of respect."
中尉并没有立刻离去。他以沉重的口气说：“报告长官，骡在众人面前丢了脸。我们需要进行一些惩戒行动，以挽回世人的尊重。”
"Those measures have already been taken."
“补救措施都已经做过了。”
The lieutenant half turned, then, almost with resentment, "I'm willing to agree, sir, that orders are orders, but standing before that man with his stun pistol and swallowing his insolence whole, was the hardest thing I've ever done."
中尉刚要转身，又以近乎愤慨的口吻说：“长官，命令就是命令，我必须服从。可是站在一个手持麻痹枪的人面前，对他的无礼态度忍气吞声，我这辈子从未遇过这么困难的事。”