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And there were folks fiercer even than Varamyr, from the northernmost reaches of the haunted forest,
還有比瓦拉米爾兇猛的野人，他們來自鬼影森林極北處，
the hidden valleys of the Frostfangs, and even queerer places:
或霜雪之牙中的隱秘山谷，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,
冰封海岸的原住民駕著海象骨戰車，由彪悍的大白狗牽引；
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.
恐怖的冰川部落據說以人肉為生；穴居人把臉染成藍、紫和綠色；
With his own eyes Jon had beheld the Hornfoot men trotting along in column on bare soles as hard as boiled leather.
矮小的硬足民赤腳列隊在冰雪上疾走，腳板像沸水煮過的皮革。
He had not seen any snarks or grumpkins, but for all he knew Tormund would be having some to supper.
當然，隊伍中沒有什么古靈精怪，但他很確定如果必要，托蒙德也會弄一些來當夜宵。
Half the wildling host had lived all their lives without so much as a glimpse of the Wall, Jon judged,
根據瓊恩判斷，野人部隊中至少有一半一輩子沒見過長城，
and most of those spoke no word of the Common Tongue.
而且絕大多數不會講通用語。
It did not matter.
但這沒關系。
Mance Rayder spoke the Old Tongue, even sang in it, fingering his lute and filling the night with strange wild music.
曼斯·雷德會說古語，甚至能用它唱歌，每到夜晚，他便彈起豎琴，演奏奇異而野性的音樂。
Mance had spent years assembling this vast plodding host, talking to this clan mother and that magnar,
為整合這支龐大冗雜的隊伍，曼斯花了多年心血。他跟各地部落酋長談判，跟各位馬格拿談判，
winning one village with sweet words and another with a song and a third with the edge of his sword,
用甜言蜜語贏得第一個村落，用歌謠吟唱贏得另一個，又用刀鋒寶劍贏得第三個；
making peace between Hanna Dogshead and the Lord o' Bones, between the Hornfoots and the Nightrunners,
他讓狗頭哈犸與骸骨之王講和，讓硬足部與夜行部交流，
between the walrus men of the Frozen Shore and the cannibal clans of the great ice rivers,
讓冰凍海岸的海象民與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.
他將一百把不同的匕首打造成一支巨矛，瞄準七大王國的心臟。
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.
他沒有王冠，沒有權杖，也沒有絲衣華服，但瓊恩看得很清楚，曼斯·雷德決不是名義上的國王。
Jon had joined the wildlings at Qhorin Halfhand's command.
瓊恩遵照斷掌科林的托付加入野人。
"Ride with them, eat with them, fight with them,"
“與他們一起行軍，與他們一起用餐，與他們一起作戰，”
the ranger had told him, the night before he died.
游騎兵在死前的那一夜對他如是說，
"And watch."
“你的任務是，觀察。”
But all his watching had learned him little.
但一直以來，他觀察的成果殊為有限。
The Halfhand had suspected that the wildlings had gone up into the bleak and barren Frostfangs in search of some weapon,
斷掌懷疑野人們進入偏僻寒冷的霜雪之牙搜尋某件武器，某種力量，
some power, some fell sorcery with which to break the Wall…
某種沒落的法術，用于突破長城…
but if they had found any such, no one was boasting of it openly, or showing it to Jon.
不管他們找到沒有，反正既無人談論，更無人買弄。
Nor had Mance Rayder confided any of his plans or strategies.
曼斯·雷德也沒向他訴說任何計劃或策略，
Since that first night, he had hardly seen the man save at a distance.
自打頭天晚上的會面后，他從未接近過野人國王。
I will kill him if I must.
若情非得己，我會殺了他。
The prospect gave Jon no joy;
想到這里，瓊恩心情陰郁，
there would be no honor in such a killing, and it would mean his own death as well.
謀殺不僅毫無榮譽，也會賠上自己性命。
Yet he could not let the wildlings breach the Wall, to threaten Winterfell and the north,
但他不能讓野人們突破長城，侵略臨冬城和北境，
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，甚至南下頸澤。
For eight thousand years the men of House Stark had lived and died to protect their people against such ravagers;
八千年來，為保護子民不受掠襲者的威脅，史塔克家族奮勇抗爭，
and reavers… and bastard-born or no, the same blood ran in his veins.
代代相傳…而不管是不是私生子，他血管里終究流著相同的血液。
Bran and Rickon are still at Winterfell besides.
況且，布蘭和瑞肯仍在臨冬城，
Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrik, Old Nan, Farlen the kennelmaster, Mikken at his forge and Gage by his ovens…
還有魯溫學士、羅德利克爵士、老奶媽、獸舍掌管法蘭、鐵匠密肯、大廚蓋吉…
everyone I ever knew, everyone I ever loved.
每一個他認識與深愛的人都在。
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,
若我必須殺死一位值得仰慕的人，以保護他們不受叮當衫、狗頭哈犸和無耳的瑟恩馬格拿的殘害，
that was what he meant to do.
這也無可奈何。
Still, he prayed his father's gods might spare him that bleak task.
但他依然向父親的舊神祈禱，以求免除這一令人沮喪的任務。
The host moved but slowly, burdened as it was by all the wildlings' herds and children and mean little treasures,
隊伍為牲畜群、孩童和各種輜重所累，前行得非常緩慢，
and the snows had slowed its progress even more.
大雪更進一步放慢了進程。
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,
不過多數人馬已下了山，如融化的蜂蜜一樣于乳河西岸慢慢流淌，
following the course of the river into the heart of the haunted forest.
沿河朝鬼影森林深處而去。
And somewhere close ahead, Jon knew, the Fist of the First Men loomed above the trees,
瓊恩清楚，前方不遠處，先民拳峰聳立在森林上方，
home to three hundred black brothers of the Night's Watch, armed, mounted, and waiting.
那兒駐有三百名守夜人軍團的黑衣弟兄，全副武裝，配有座騎，扼守要道。
The Old Bear had sent out other scouts besides the Halffiand,
除斷掌之外，熊老還派出其他斥候，
and surely Jarman Buckwell or Thoren Smallwood would have returned by now with word of what was coming down out of the mountains.
現在賈曼·布克威爾和索倫·斯莫伍德應已返回，并帶去野人來襲的消息。
