《黎明踏浪號》第14章:世界盡頭的起點
Slowly the door opened again and out there came a figure as tall and straight as the girl's but not so slender. It carried no light but light seemed to come from it. As it came nearer, Lucy saw that it was like an old man. His silver beard came down to his bare feet in front and his saver hair hung down to his heels behind and his robe appeared to be made from the fleece of silver sheep. He looked so mild and grave that once more all the travellers rose to their feet and stood in silence.
But the old man came on without speaking to the travellers and stood on the other side of the table opposite to his daughter. Then both of them held up their arms before them and turned to face the east. In that position the began to sing. I wish I could write down the song, but one who was present could remember it. Lucy said afterwards that it was high, almost shrill, but very beautiful, cold kind of song, an early morning kind of song. And they sang, the grey clouds lifted from the eastern sky a the white patches 'grew bigger and bigger till it was white, and the sea began to shine like silver. And long afterwards (but those two sang all the time) the east began to turn red and at last, unclouded, the sun came up out the sea and its long level ray shot down the length of the table on the gold and silver sand on the Stone Knife.
Once or twice before, the Narnians had wondered whether the sun at its rising did not look bigger in these seas than it had looked at home. This time they we certain. There was no mistaking it. And the brightness its ray on the dew and on the table was far beyond an. morning brightness they had ever seen. And as Edmu said afterwards, "Though lots of things happened on that trip which sound more exciting, that moment was really the most exciting." For now they knew that they had truly come to the beginning of the End of the World.
Then something seemed to be flying at them out of the very centre of the rising sun: but of course one couldn't look steadily in that direction to make sure. But presently the air became full of voices - voices which took up same song that the Lady and her Father were singing, but in far wilder tones and in a language which no one knew And soon after that the owners of these voices could be seen. They were birds, large and white, and they came hundreds and thousands and alighted on everything; the grass, and the pavement, on the table, on your shoulders, your hands, and your head, till it looked as heavy snow had fallen. For, like snow, they not only make everything white but blurred and blunted all shapes. But Lucy, looking out from between the wings of the birds that covered her, saw one bird fly to the Old Man with something in its beak that looked like a little fruit, unless it was a little live coal, which it might have been, for it was too bright to look at. And the bird laid it in the Old Man's mouth.
Then the birds stopped their singing and appeared to be very busy about the table. When they rose from it again everything on the table that could be eaten or drunk had disappeared. These birds rose from their meal in their thousands and hundreds and carried away all the things that could not be eaten or drunk, such as bones, rinds, and shells, and took their flight back to the rising sun. But now, because they were not singing, the whir of their wings seemed to set the whole air a-tremble. And there was the table pecked clean and empty, and the three old Lords of Narnia still fast asleep.
Now at last the Old Man turned to the travellers and bade them welcome.
"Sir," said Caspian, "will you tell us how to undo the enchantment which holds these three Narnian Lords asleep."
"I will gladly tell you that, my son," said the Old Man. "To break this enchantment you must sail to the World's End, or as near as you can come to it, and you must come back having left at least one of your company behind."
"And what must happen to that one?" asked Reepicheep.
"He must go on into the utter east and never return into the world."
"That is my heart's desire," said Reepicheep.
"And are we near the World's End now, Sir?" asked Caspian. "Have you any knowledge of the seas and lands further east than this?"
"I saw them long ago," said the Old Man, "but it was from a great height. I cannot tell you such things as sailor need to know."
"Do you mean you were flying in the air?" Eustace blurted out.
"I was a long way above the air, my son," replied the Old Man. "I am Ramandu. But I see that you stare at on another and have not heard this name. And no wonder, for the days when I was a star had ceased long before any of you knew this world, and all the constellations have changed."
"Golly," said Edmund under his breath. "He's a retired star."
"Aren't you a star any longer?" asked Lucy.
"I am a star at rest, my daughter," answered Ramandu
"When I set for the last time, decrepit and old beyond all that you can reckon, I was carried to this island. I am not so old now as I was then. Every morning a bird brings me a fire-berry from the valleys in the Sun, and each fire-berry takes away a little of my age. And when I have become as young as the child that was born yesterday, then I shall take my rising again (for we are at earth's eastern rim) and once more tread the great dance."
"In our world," said Eustace, "a star is a huge ball of flaming gas."
"Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of. And in this world you ave already met a star, for I think you have been with Coriakin."
"Is he a retired star, too?" said Lucy.
"Well, not quite the same," said Ramandu. "It was not quite as a rest than he was set to govern the Duffers. You might call it a punishment. He might have shone for thousands of years more in the southern winter sky if all had gone well."
"What did he do, Sir?" asked Caspian.
"My son," said Ramandu, "it is not for you, a son of Adam, to know what faults a star can commit. But come, we waste time in such talk. Are you yet resolved? Will you sail further east and come again, leaving one to return no more, and so break the enchantment? Or will you sail westward?"
"Surely, Sire," said Reepicheep, "there is no question about that? It is very plainly part of our quest to rescue these three lords from enchantment."
"I think the same, Reepicheep," replied Caspian. "And even if it were not so, it would break my heart not to go as near the World's End as the Dawn Treader will take us. But I am thinking of the crew. They signed on to seek the seven lords, not to reach the rim of the Earth. If we sail east from here we sail to find the edge, the utter east. And not one knows how far it is. They're brave fellows, but I set signs that some of them are weary of the voyage and long to have our prow pointing to Narnia again. I don't think should take them further without their knowledge an consent. And then there's the poor Lord Rhoop. He's broken man."
"My son," said the star, "it would be no use, even though you wished it, to sail for the World's End with men unwilling or men deceived. That is not how great unenchantments are achieved. They must know where they go and why. But who is this broken man you speak of?"
Caspian told Ramandu the story of Rhoop.
"I can give him what he needs most," said Ramandu. "I this island there is sleep without stint or measure, and sleep in which no faintest footfall of a dream was ever heard. Let him sit beside these other three and drink oblivion till you return."
"Oh, do let's do that, Caspian," said Lucy. "I'm sure its just what he would love."
At that moment they were interrupted by the sound of many feet and voices: Drinian and the rest of the ship company were approaching. They halted in surprise whey they saw Ramandu and his daughter; and then, because these were obviously great people, every man uncovered his head. Some sailors eyed the empty dishes and flagons on the table with regret.
"My lord," said the King to Drinian, "pray send two men back to the Dawn Treader with a message to the Lord Rhoop. Tell him that the last of his old shipmates are here asleep - a sleep without dreams - and that he can share it."
When this had been done, Caspian told the rest to sit down and laid the whole situation before them. When he had finished there was a long silence and some whispering until presently the Master Bowman got to his feet, and said:
"What some of us have been wanting to ask for a long time, your Majesty, is how we're ever to get home when we do turn, whether we turn here or somewhere else. It's been west and north-west winds all the way, barring an occasional calm. And if that doesn't change, I'd like to know what hopes we have of seeing Narnia again. There's not much chance of supplies lasting while we row all that way.
"That's landsman's talk," said Drinian. "There's always a prevailing west wind in these seas all through the late summer, and it always changes after the New Year. We'll have plenty of wind for sailing westward; more than we shall like from all accounts."
"That's true, Master," said an old sailor who was a Galmian by birth. "You get some ugly weather rolling up from the east in January and February. And by your leave, Sire, if I was in command of this ship I'd say to winter here and begin the voyage home in March."
"What'd you eat while you were wintering here?" asked Eustace.
"This table," said Ramandu, "will be filled with a king's feast every day at sunset."
"Now you're talking!" said several sailors.
"Your Majesties and gentlemen and ladies all," said Rynelf, "there's just one thing I want to say. There's not one of us chaps as was pressed on this journey. We're volunteers. And there's some here chat are looking very hard at that table and thinking about king's feasts who were talking very loud about adventures on the day we sailed from Cair Paravel, and swearing they wouldn't come home till we'd found the end of the world. And there were some standing on the quay who would have given all they had to come with us. It was thought a finer thing then to have a cabin-boy's berth on the Dawn Treader than to wear a knight's belt. I don't know if you get the hang of what I'm saying. But what I mean is that I think chaps who set out like us will look as silly as - as those Dufflepuds - if we come home and say we got to the beginning of the world's end and hadn't the heart to go further."
Some of the sailors cheered at this but some said that that was all very well.
"This isn't going to be much fun," whispered Edmund to Caspian. "What are we to do if half those fellows hang back?"
"Wait," Caspian whispered back. "I've still a card to play."
"Aren't you going to say anything, Reep?" whispered Lucy.
"No. Why should your Majesty expect it?" answered Reepicheep in a voice that most people heard. "My owns plans are made. While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan's country, or shot over the edge of the world in some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise and Peepiceek will be head of the talking mice in Narnia."
"Hear, hear," said a sailor, "I'll say the same, barring the bit about the coracle, which wouldn't bear me." He added in a lower voice, "I'm not going to be outdone by a mouse."
At this point Caspian jumped to his feet. "Friends," he said, "I think you have not quite understood our purpose. You talk as if we had come to you with our hat in our hand, begging for shipmates. It isn't like that at all. We and our royal brother and sister and their kinsman and Sir Reepicheep, the good knight, and the Lord Drinian have an errand to the world's edge. It is our pleasure to choose from among such of you as are willing those whom we deem worthy of so high an enterprise. We have not said that any can come for the asking. That is why we shall now command the Lord Drinian and Master Rhince to consider carefully what men among you are the hardest in battle, the most skilled seamen, the purest in blood, the most loyal to our person, and the cleanest of life and manners; and to give their names to us in a schedule." He paused and went on in a quicker voice, "Aslan's mane!" he exclaimed. "Do you think that the privilege of seeing the last things is to be bought for a song? Why, every man that comes with us shall bequeath the title of Dawn Treader to all his descendants, and when we land at Cair Paravel on the homeward voyage he shall have either gold or land enough to make him rich all his life. Now - scatter over the island, all of you. In half an hour's time I shall receive the names that Lord Drinian brings me."
There was rather a sheepish silence and then the crew made their bows and moved away, one in this direction and one in that, but mostly in little knots or bunches, talking.
"And now for the Lord Rhoop," said Caspian.
But turning to the head of the table he saw that Rhoop was already there. He had arrived, silent and unnoticed, while the discussion was going on, and was seated beside the Lord Argoz. The daughter of Ramandu stood beside him as if she had just helped him into his chair; Ramandu stood behind him and laid both his hands on Rhoop's grey head. Even in daylight a faint silver light came from the hands of the star. There was a smile on Rhoop's haggard face. He held out one of his hands to Lucy and the other to Caspian. For a moment it looked as if he were going to say something. Then his smile brightened as if he were feeling) some delicious sensation, a long sigh of contentment came from his lips, his head fell forward, and he slept.
"Poor Rhoop," said Lucy. "I am glad. He must have had terrible times." '
"Don't let's even think of it," said Eustace.
Meanwhile Caspian's speech, helped perhaps by some magic of the island, was having just the effect he intended. A good many who had been anxious enough to get out of the voyage felt quite differently about being left out of it. And of course whenever any one sailor announced that he had made up his mind to ask for permission to sail, the ones who hadn't said this felt that they were getting fewer and more uncomfortable. So that before the half-hour was nearly over several people were positively "sucking up" to Drinian and Rhince (at least that was what they called it at my school) to get a good report. And soon there were only three left who didn't want to go, and those three were trying very hard to persuade others to stay with them. And very shortly after that there was only one left. And in they end he began to be afraid of being left behind all on his own and changed his mind.
At the end of the half-hour they all came trooping back to Aslan's Table and stood at one end while Drinian and Rhince went and sat down with Caspian and made their report; and Caspian accepted all the man but that one who'd had changed his mind at the last moment. His name was Pittencream and he stayed on the Island of the Star all the time the others were away looking for the World's End, and he very much wished he had gone with them. He wasn't the sort of man who could enjoy talking to Ramandu and Ramandu's daughter (nor they to him), and it rained a good deal, and though there was a wonderful feast on the Table every night, he didn't very much enjoy it. He said it gave him the creeps sitting there alone (and in the rain as likely as not) with those four Lords asleep at the end of the Table. And when the others returned he felt so out of things that he deserted on the voyage home at the Lone Islands, and went and lived in Calormen, where he told wonderful stories about his adventures at the End of the World, until at last he came to believe them himself. So you may say, in a sense, that he lived happily ever after. But he could never bear mice.
That night they all ate and drank together at the great table between the pillars where the feast was magically renewed: and next morning the Dawn Treader set sail once more just when the great birds had come and gone again.
"Lady," said Caspian, "I hope to speak with you again when I have broken the enchantments." And Ramandu's daughter looked at him and smiled.
可是老人並沒跟這一行人說話，只是站在桌子另一邊，面對他女兒。他們兩個都向前舉起雙臂，臉朝東。他們就用那種姿勢唱起歌來。但願我能夠把這歌寫下來，可是在場的沒一個人記得住。事後露茜說，這支歌聲調很高，近乎尖厲，不過很好聽。“是一種冷調的歌，一種清展的歌”。他們唱歌時，東方天際的灰色雲堆就散開了，一塊塊白雲越來越大，最後成了一片雪白，海面呈現閃閃銀光。過了好久(父女倆還一直唱着)東方纔開始發紅，最後，雲散天晴，太陽躍出海面，長長的光束筆直照在桌上，照在金銀餐具和石刀上。
這幾個納尼亞人以前有一兩回心裏總想知道這一帶海面上升起的太陽看上去是不是跟國內一樣大。這回他們肯定了。一點沒錯。照在露水和桌上的陽光遠比他們所曾見過的任何早晨的曙光更亮得多。正如事後愛德蒙所說的：“雖然那次旅程一路上碰到過不少聽起來更激動人心的事，那一時刻倒的確是最最激動人心的。”因爲現在他們知道他們確實到了世界盡頭的起點。
於是，那輪朝陽的中心似乎有什麼東西向他們飛來：不過你眼睛當然沒法一眨也不眨地看清楚。然而不久空中就都是聲音——應和父女倆唱的那支歌的聲音，只是聲調古怪些，而且唱的語言沒人懂。不一會兒就看得見這些歌聲是誰的了。原來是鳥，又大又白，成千上萬飛來，停在一切上面：草地上、石板地上、桌上、你的肩上、你的頭上、你的手上，看上去真像下了場大雪。說是像雪，因爲這些鳥不僅把一切都變成白的了，而且把一切東西的形狀弄得模模糊糊，看不清楚。可是露茜從遮住她身子的鳥翼間看出去，只見其中一隻鳥飛到老人身邊，喙裏含着什麼東西，要不是一塊燃燒着的火炭的話，看起來倒像個小果子，八成是火炭，因爲亮得你沒法正眼看着。那隻鳥把這東西放在老人嘴裏。
隨後那些鳥停止唱歌，在餐桌上顯得非常忙碌的樣子。但等它們從餐桌上再飛起來的時候，桌上凡是可以吃的、可以喝的都一掃而光了。這些鳥成千上萬地吃完又飛走，還把一切吃不得喝不得的東西，比如骨頭啊、皮啊、殼啊之類的，統統都帶走，飛回朝陽那邊。不過，現在因爲它們不是在唱歌，所以千萬對鳥翼似乎把整個空氣都撲騰得直震顫。而桌面上卻已被啄食一空，乾乾淨淨，三位納尼亞老爵爺則依然沉睡不醒。4
此刻那老人才終於向這一行人轉過身來，表示歡迎。
“閣下，”凱斯賓說，“請你告訴我們怎麼破除使這三位納尼亞爵爺沉睡的魔法吧。”
“孩子啊，我很樂意告訴你這個法子，”老人說，“要破這個魔法，你們必須把船開到世界盡頭，或者儘可能靠近那裏，同時至少把你們的一個夥伴留在那裏。”*
“留下的那一個怎麼辦呢?”雷佩契普問。
“他必須繼續深入極東地區，永不回到這個世界。”
這正是我衷心的願望。”雷佩契普說。
“閣下，我們現在靠近世界盡頭了嗎?”凱斯賓問，“你瞭解再往東去的海陸情況嗎?”
“我好久以前看到過的，”老人說，“不過是從高空中看到的。水手們需要了解的情況我可無法奉告。”
“你意思是說你是在天上飛?”尤斯塔斯脫口而出道。
“小夥子，我是遠在高空中，”老人答，“我是拉曼杜。不過我看你們大眼瞪小眼，沒聽說過這名字。這也難怪，因爲早在你們任何人出世懂事的很久以前，我就不再是一顆星辰了，一切星座都改變了。”
“天哪，”愛德蒙低聲說，“他是顆退隱的星辰。”
“你不再是顆星辰了?”露茜問。
“小姑娘，我是顆退休的星辰，”拉曼杜答，“上回我落下來時都衰老得沒法想像了。我被送到這島上來。現在我已經不像當時那樣老了。每天早晨都有一隻鳥從太陽的山谷裏帶給我一枚火果，每吃一枚火果都使我年輕一點。等我像新生兒那樣年輕時，就重新升上天(因爲我們是在東邊地角)，又可以遨遊太空了。”
“在我們的世界裏，”尤斯塔斯說，“星是一大團火焰熊熊的氣體。”
“小夥子，即使在你們的世界裏，那也不是星的真相，而是它的成分。在我們這個世界裏，你們已經遇到一顆星辰了，因爲你們大概碰見過科里亞金了吧。”
“他也是一顆退隱的星辰嗎?”露茜說。
“說起來，情況並不完全相同，”拉曼杜說，“他被謫來管理笨蛋並不完全算退休。不妨稱做懲罰。如果一切太平無事的話，他原可以在冬天的南方上空照耀千萬年。”5
“他幹了什麼啊，閣下?”凱斯賓問。
“小夥子，”拉曼杜說，“作爲亞當的兒子，你是不配知道星辰犯什麼過錯的。不過算了，我們談這種事是浪費時間。你們現在拿定主意了嗎?你們要不要繼續往東開，把一個人留下不再回來，然後你們再回來破除這魔法?或者要往西開?”
“陛下，”雷佩契普說，“那點想必沒問題吧?把這三位爵爺從魔法中解救出來分明是我們尋求的部分目標。”
“我也是這麼想的，雷佩契普，”凱斯賓答，“哪怕不是這麼着，如果黎明踏浪號可以帶我們到世界盡頭附近，而我們不去，我也會傷心的。不過我替水手們着想一下。他們訂約是來尋找七位爵爺的，不是到天涯海角。如果我們從這裏往東開，就要開去找天涯，極東地區。誰也不知道路程有多遠。他們是勇敢的弟兄，不過我看得出有跡象表明有些人對航海厭倦了，一心盼望我們的船頭重新掉向納尼亞。我想，不通知他們，不徵得他們同意，我是萬萬不能帶他們再走遠的。而且還有那個可憐的羅普爵爺。他是個萬念皆灰的人。”
“小夥子，”拉曼杜說，“帶着不願去的人或受騙上當的人開到世界盡頭去是沒有用的，儘管你許了願也沒用。這樣破除魔法可萬萬不成。他們必須知道自己上哪兒去，爲什麼去。不過你說的那個萬念皆灰的人是誰啊?”
凱斯賓就把羅普爵爺的經歷告訴了拉曼杜。
“我可以把他最需要的給他，”拉曼杜說，“在這個島上可以大睡特睡毫無限制，夢中一點點腳步聲都聽不到。就讓他坐在這三位旁邊，喝得忘卻一切，等到你們回來吧。”
“啊呀，那就這樣辦吧，凱斯賓，”露茜說，“我敢說這正是他喜愛的。”
正在這工夫，不少腳步聲和說話聲打斷了他們的話，原來是德里寧和船上其他人員都來了。他們看見拉曼杜和他女兒不禁吃了一驚，停頓下來；後來他們看到這兩個人顯然不是凡人，紛紛脫帽致敬。有些水手看到桌上的空盤和空壺，眼睛裏都充滿遺憾的神情。
“爵爺，”國王對德里寧說，“請派兩個人回船去給羅普爵爺捎個口信，告訴他說他那幾位同船老夥伴都在這裏睡覺——沒有夢的沉睡——他也可以來睡。”
凱斯賓辦完這事，就吩咐其餘的人坐下，把全部情況攤給大家。他說完以後，大家沉默了老半天，有幾個在悄聲說話，不久弓箭手頭頭起立說：
“陛下，我們有些人一直想問的就是，一旦我們掉轉航向，不管是在這裏掉轉，還是在什麼地方掉轉，我們究竟怎麼回家去。除了偶爾風平浪靜之外，這一路上都是西風和西北風。假如風向不變，我真想知道我們有沒有希望重見納尼亞。我們一路划槳回去，給養也沒多大把握維持得了。”
“真是陸地人的論調，”德里寧說，“這片海域整個夏末總是刮西風，總要過了新年才轉風呢。我們今後要往西開的話，會遇上不少順風的，根據各方面估計，多得我們受不了呢。”
“說得一點不錯，船長，”一個原是加爾馬人的老水手說，“一二月裏，東邊的壞天氣總是不斷的。船長大人，恕我直言，要是讓我指揮這條船的話，我就在這裏過冬，到三月裏開始起程回家。”
“你們在這裏過冬的話，那你們吃什麼呢?”尤斯塔斯問。
“這張餐桌到了每天太陽下山時就會擺滿國王的盛宴。”拉曼杜說。
“這纔像話!”幾個水手說。
“各位陛下，諸位先生，諸位女士，”賴尼夫說，“我只想說一件事。這次出海我們弟兄中沒有一個是被逼着來的。我們都是自告奮勇來的。這裏有幾個人正一面拼命盯着那張餐桌，一面琢磨着國王的盛宴，當初我們從凱爾帕拉維爾啓程那天，他們一面大聲談着什麼冒險，一面發誓找不到世界盡頭，他們就決不回家。還有些人站在碼頭上，情願拋棄所有一切跟我們一起來。當初人們都情願要黎明踏浪號一個船艙服務員的鋪位，也不願要騎士的腰帶。我不知道你們是不是明白我說的意思。不過我想說的意思是，我認爲像我們這樣出發遠航的弟兄要是回到家裏，說我們到了世界盡頭的起點，卻沒有勇氣再走遠，那我們看上去就跟那些笨蛋瓜一樣蠢了。”
有幾個水手爲這番話叫好，同時也有幾個說這話倒是不錯。
“情況看來不大妙，”愛德蒙悄聲對凱斯賓說，“如果那些傢伙有一半退縮，那我們怎麼辦?”
“等一下，”凱斯賓悄聲答，“我還有一張牌好打。”
“你不打算說什麼嗎，雷普?”露茜悄聲說。
“不，陛下爲什麼偏要我說呢，”雷佩契普用大多數人都聽得見的聲音說，“我自己的計劃已定。只要我辦得到，我就隨黎明踏浪號往東邊去。這船不帶我去，我就乘我的小筏子劃到東邊去。小筏子沉了，我就用四隻爪子游到東邊去。萬一我遊不動了，遊不到阿斯蘭的國土，或者萬一在世界邊緣給什麼特大瀑布沖掉了，那我就是沉下水也要鼻子對着日出的地方，那時就讓佩比西克當納尼亞會說話的老鼠首領。”
“說得好，說得好，”一個水手說，“我也會說這番話的，只是小筏子那段話除外，因爲我坐不下。”他又低聲說了一句，“我不打算讓一隻老鼠比下去。”
就在這關口，凱斯賓忽然站起來，“朋友們，”他說，“我想你們並不十分理解我們的用意。你們說話的口氣好像我們是手裏託着帽子來找你們，懇求你們做同船水手似的。根本不是這麼回事。我們和我們的王兄王姐，還有他們的親屬，還有好騎士雷佩契普爵士以及德里寧爵爺都奉有到世界邊緣的使命。我們很樂意在你們這些自願參加的人當中，物色我們認爲配從事如此崇高冒險事業的人選。我們並沒有說任何人都能要求參加。所以我們現在指派德里寧船長和賴因斯大副慎重考慮一下，你們當中什麼人在戰鬥中最頑強，什麼人是最熟練的海員，什麼人血統最純正，什麼人對我們最忠誠，什麼人的身世和作風最清白；把這些開張名單給我們。”他頓了一下，又用較快的聲音說，“阿斯蘭在上!”他大聲叫道，“你們以爲親眼看到最後大局的特權是白白到手的嗎?當然，每一個跟隨我們的人都將把黎明踏浪號的稱號傳給子孫後代，一旦我們返航踏上凱爾帕拉維爾，他將分得黃金或土地，足夠使他終身享受富貴。現在，你們大家在島上散開。半小時後我就要德里寧爵爺把名單交到我手裏。”;
大家聽了頓時乖乖默不作聲，水手們鞠了躬就走開了，一個朝東，一個往西，不過多半人都三三兩兩的說着話。
“現在要談到羅普爵爺了。”凱斯賓說。
不料他剛朝餐桌首席轉過身去，就看見羅普已經坐在那兒了。原來大家在討論時，他已不聲不響，默默無聲地來到這裏，就坐在阿爾戈茲爵爺身邊。拉曼杜的女兒站在他旁邊，好像她剛纔扶他坐下似的；拉曼杜站在他後面，雙手擱在他的白頭髮上。即使在白天，這個曾是星辰的老人雙手還是發出朦朧的銀光。羅普憔悴的臉上露出一絲笑容。他伸出一隻手給露茜，一隻手給凱斯賓。一時間似乎打算說點什麼。接着他笑得更歡了，彷彿他體會到一陣美妙的興奮感，脣邊發出一聲心滿意足的長嘆，腦袋往前一衝，就睡着了。
“可憐的羅普啊，”露茜說，“我真高興。他一定有過好多可怕的經歷。”
“我們還是別去想這事吧。”尤斯塔斯說。
這時，凱斯賓那番話剛好起到他預期中的作用，也許是島上什麼魔法的幫助吧。有不少人剛纔還迫不及待想脫離這次遠航，現在對被淘汰的感受竟大不相同了。當然每逢哪個水手宣稱他打定主意要求批准出海，那些還沒說出口的水手就感到他們人數越來越少，心裏滋味也越來越不好受。因此，半小時還不到，幾個人就積極向德里寧和賴因斯大獻殷勤(至少在我學校里人們是這麼個說法)，以便獲得一個好評價。不久就只剩下三個人千方百計想說服人家跟他們一起留下。不一會兒就只剩下一個人。到末了，他對留下他一個人感到害怕起來，也改變了主意。
半小時結束，大家全列隊回到阿斯蘭餐桌前，在一頭肅立，德里寧和賴因斯就去跟凱斯賓坐在一起，作了彙報；凱斯賓照單全收，只有那個在最後時刻才改變主意的人沒接受。他名叫皮頓克林，大家都出發尋找世界盡頭的時候，他就一直待在星島上，心裏巴不得跟他們一起去。他不是那種喜歡跟拉曼杜父女談天的人，人家也不喜歡跟他談，而且下了不少場雨，雖然餐桌上夜夜都有美味佳餚，可是他不大愛吃。他說孤零零坐在那兒，陪着睡在餐桌那頭的四位爵爺，而且晴雨無阻，真不由渾身發毛。當其他人回去時，他感到自己處處孤立，返航途中他就在孤獨羣島開了小差，去住在卡樂門國，他在那裏大講自己在世界盡頭的種種奇遇，到最後連自己也信以爲真了。所以，在某種意義上來說，他從此日子過得倒也愉快。不過他見了老鼠就受不了。
那天晚上，他們全在柱子之間那張大餐桌上一起吃喝，桌上的盛宴已用魔法換上新鮮的了。第二天早晨，黎明踏浪號就在大鳥飛來又飛去那會兒再次揚帆啓程。
“小姐，”凱斯賓說，“等我破了魔法後，希望再跟你談談。”拉曼杜的女兒瞧着他，微微一笑。
