巴斯克維爾的獵犬

The Hound of the Baskervilles

   第十二章

   Chapter 12

   沼地的慘劇

   Death on the Moor

   我屏息在那裡坐了一兩分鐘,簡直不能相信我的耳朵。後來,我的神志清醒了,也能夠說話了,同時那極為沉重的責任好象馬上從我心上卸了下來。因為那種冰冷、尖鋭和嘲諷的聲音只可能屬於那個人。

   For a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to believe my ears. Then my senses and my voice came back to me, while a crushing weight of responsibility seemed in an instant to be lifted from my soul. That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world.

   “福爾摩斯!”我喊了起來,“福爾摩斯!”

   "Holmes!" I cried--"Holmes!"

   “出來吧!”他說道,“請當心你那支左輪手槍。”

   "Come out," said he, "and please be careful with the revolver."

   我在粗糙的門框下面弓着身,看到他在外面的一塊石頭上坐著。當他看到我那吃驚的表情的時候,他那灰色的眼睛高興得轉動起來。他顯得又瘦又黑,可是清醒而機警,他那機靈的面孔被太陽曬成了棕色,被風砂吹得粗糙了。他身穿蘇格蘭呢的衣服,頭戴布帽,看起來和任何在沼地上旅行的人完全一樣,他竟還能象貓那樣地愛護着個人的清潔,這是他的一個特點,他的下巴還是颳得光光的,衣服也還象是住在貝克街時一樣的清潔。

   I stooped under the rude lintel, and there he sat upon a stone outside, his gray eyes dancing with amusement as they fell upon my astonished features. He was thin and worn, but clear and alert, his keen face bronzed by the sun and roughened by the wind. In his tweed suit and cloth cap he looked like any other tourist upon the moor, and he had contrived, with that cat-like love of personal cleanliness which was one of his characteristics, that his chin should be as smooth and his linen as perfect as if he were in Baker Street.

   “在我的一生裡,還從沒有因為看見任何人比這更快活過。”我一邊搖撼着他的手一邊說著。

   "I never was more glad to see anyone in my life," said I, as I wrung him by the hand.

   “或者說比這更吃驚吧,啊?”

   "Or more astonished, eh?"

   “噢,我只得承認吧。”

   "Well, I must confess to it."

   “其實並不只是單方面感到吃驚呢。我跟你說,我真沒有想到你已經找到我的臨時藏身之所了,更想不到你已經藏在屋裡了,直到我離這門口不到二十步的時候方纔發現。”

   "The surprise was not all on one side, I assure you. I had no idea that you had found my occasional retreat, still less that you were inside it, until I was within twenty paces of the door."

   “我想是由於我的腳印吧?”

   "My footprint, I presume?"

   “不,華生,我恐怕還不能擔保能從全世界人的腳印裡辨認出你的腳印來呢。如果你真的想把我矇混過去的話,你就非得把你的紙煙換換牌子不可,因為我一看到煙頭上印着‘布萊德雷,牛津街’,我就知道了,我的朋友華生一定就在附近。在小路的邊上你還能找到它呢。毫無疑問,就是在你衝進空屋的那個緊要關頭,你把它扔掉的。”

   "No, Watson; I fear that I could not undertake to recognize your footprint amid all the footprints of the world. If you seriously desire to deceive me you must change your tobacconist; for when I see the stub of a cigarette marked Bradley, Oxford Street, I know that my friend Watson is in the neighbourhood. You will see it there beside the path. You threw it down, no doubt, at that supreme moment when you charged into the empty hut."

   “正是。”

   "Exactly."

   “我想到了這點,而又素知你那值得佩服的、堅韌不拔的性格,我就準知道你在暗中坐著,手中握著你那支手槍,等待着屋主人回來。你真的以為我就是那逃犯吧?”

   "I thought as much--and knowing your admirable tenacity I was convinced that you were sitting in ambush, a weapon within reach, waiting for the tenant to return. So you actually thought that I was the criminal?"

   “我並不知道你是誰,可是我下定決心要弄清這一點。”

   "I did not know who you were, but I was determined to find out."

   “好極了,華生!你是怎樣知道我的地點的呢?也許是在捉逃犯的那晚上,我不小心站在初升的月亮前面被你看到了吧?”

   "Excellent, Watson! And how did you localize me? You saw me, perhaps, on the night of the convict hunt, when I was so imprudent as to allow the moon to rise behind me?"

   “對了,那次我看到你了。”

   "Yes, I saw you then."

   “你在找到這間石屋以前,一定找遍了所有的小屋吧?”

   "And have no doubt searched all the huts until you came to this one?"

   “沒有,我看到了你僱用的那小孩了,是他指給了我搜尋的方向。”

   "No, your boy had been observed, and that gave me a guide where to look."

   “準是在有一架望遠鏡的那位老紳士那裡看到的吧。最初我看到那鏡頭上的閃閃反光我還弄不清是什麼呢。”他站起來朝小屋裡望了一眼,“哈,卡特萊又給我送上來什麼吃用的東西了,這張紙是什麼?原來你已經到庫姆·特雷西去過了,是嗎?”

   "The old gentleman with the telescope, no doubt. I could not make it out when first I saw the light flashing upon the lens." He rose and peeped into the hut. "Ha, I see that Cartwright has brought up some supplies. What's this paper? So you have been to Coombe Tracey, have you?"

   “對了。”

   "Yes."

   “去找勞拉·萊昂絲太太嗎?”

   "To see Mrs. Laura Lyons?"

   “就是啊。”

   "Exactly."

   “幹得好!顯然咱倆的鑽研方向是一致的,但願咱倆的鑽研結果湊到一起的時候,咱們對這件案子就能有比較充分的瞭解了。”

   "Well done! Our researches have evidently been running on parallel lines, and when we unite our results I expect we shall have a fairly full knowledge of the case."

   “嘿,你能在這裡,我從心眼裡感到高興,這樣的重責和案情的神秘,我的神經實在受不住了。可是你究竟是怎麼到這裡來的呢?你都幹什麼來着?我以為你是在貝克街搞那件匿名恐嚇信的案子呢。”

   "Well, I am glad from my heart that you are here, for indeed the responsibility and the mystery were both becoming too much for my nerves. But how in the name of wonder did you come here, and what have you been doing? I thought that you were in Baker Street working out that case of blackmailing."

   “我正希望你這樣想呢。”

   "That was what I wished you to think."

   “原來你是使用我,可是並不信任我呀!”我又氣又惱地喊道,“我覺得我在你眼裡還不應該一至于此吧,福爾摩斯。”

   "Then you use me, and yet do not trust me!" I cried with some bitterness. "I think that I have deserved better at your hands, Holmes."

   “我親愛的夥伴,在這件案子裡就和在很多別的案子裡一樣,你對我的幫助是無可估量的,如果看來好象我對你耍了什麼花招的話,那就請你原諒吧。實際上呢,我所以要這樣做,一部分也是為了你的原故,正因為我體會到了你所冒的危險,我才親自到這裡來探察這件事的。如果我和你們—— 亨利爵士和你——都在一起的話,我相信你的看法一定和我的看法一樣,只要我一出面,就等於向我們的對手發出警告,叫他們多加小心了。事實上,我一直是能自由行動的,而如果我是住在莊園裡的話,那就根本沒有可能了。我使自己在這件事裡做一個不為人知的角色,隨時準備在緊要關頭全力以赴。”

   "My dear fellow, you have been invaluable to me in this as in many other cases, and I beg that you will forgive me if I have seemed to play a trick upon you. In truth, it was partly for your own sake that I did it, and it was my appreciation of the danger which you ran which led me to come down and examine the matter for myself. Had I been with Sir Henry and you it is confident that my point of view would have been the same as yours, and my presence would have warned our very formidable opponents to be on their guard. As it is, I have been able to get about as I could not possibly have done had I been living in the Hall, and I remain an unknown factor in the business, ready to throw in all my weight at a critical moment."

   “可是為什麼要把我蒙在鼓裡呢?”

   "But why keep me in the dark?"

   “因為叫你知道了,對咱們毫無幫助,也許還可能因而使我被人發現。你勢必要想來告訴我點什麼,或者是好心好意地給我送些什麼應用什物來,這樣咱們就要冒不必要的風險了。我把卡特萊帶來了——你一定還記得傭工介紹所的那個小傢伙吧——我的一些簡單的需要,都由他來照顧:一塊麵包和一副乾淨的硬領。一個人還需要什麼呢?他等於給我添了一雙勤快的腳和一對額外的眼睛,而這兩樣東西對我說來,都是無價之寶。”

   "For you to know could not have helped us, and might possibly have led to my discovery. You would have wished to tell me something, or in your kindness you would have brought me out some comfort or other, and so an unnecessary risk would be run. I brought Cartwright down with me--you remember the little chap at the express office--and he has seen after my simple wants: a loaf of bread and a clean collar. What does man want more? He has given me an extra pair of eyes upon a very active pair of feet, and both have been invaluable."

   “那麼說,我寫的報告恐怕都白費了!”我回想起在我寫那些報告時的辛苦和當時的驕傲的心情,我的聲調都顫起來了。

   "Then my reports have all been wasted!"--My voice trembled as I recalled the pains and the pride with which I had composed them.

   福爾摩斯從衣袋裏拿出一捲紙來。

   Holmes took a bundle of papers from his pocket.

   “這就是你的報告,我親愛的夥伴,而且都反覆地讀過了,我向你保證。我安排得好極了,因此它在途中只耽擱一天。我必須對你在處理這件極端困難的案子時所表現的熱情和智慧致以最高的敬意。”

   "Here are your reports, my dear fellow, and very well thumbed, I assure you. I made excellent arrangements, and they are only delayed one day upon their way. I must compliment you exceedingly upon the zeal and the intelligence which you have shown over an extraordinarily difficult case."

   我因為受了愚弄,心裡還是很不舒服,可是福爾摩斯這些讚揚話的溫暖,驅走了我內心的憤怒。我心裡也覺得他說得很對,要想達到我們的目的,這樣做實在是最好不過的了,我本不應該知道他已來到了沼地。

   I was still rather raw over the deception which had been practised upon me, but the warmth of Holmes's praise drove my anger from my mind. I felt also in my heart that he was right in what he said and that it was really best for our purpose that I should not have known that he was upon the moor.

   “這樣就好了,”他看到陰影已從我的臉上消失之後說道,“現在把你訪問勞拉·萊昂絲太太的結果告訴我吧。我本不難想象出你到那裡去為的是找她的,因為我已經知道,在庫姆·特雷西地方,她是在這件事裡唯一能對我們有所幫助的人了。說真的,如果你今天沒有去的話,很可能明天我就要去了。”

   "That's better," said he, seeing the shadow rise from my face. "And now tell me the result of your visit to Mrs. Laura Lyons--it was not difficult for me to guess that it was to see her that you had gone, for I am already aware that she is the one person in Coombe Tracey who might be of service to us in the matter. In fact, if you had not gone to-day it is exceedingly probable that I should have gone to-morrow."

   太陽已經落下去,暮色籠罩着整個沼地。空氣已經變得涼了起來,於是我們就退進小屋去取暖。我們在暮色之中坐在一起,我把和那女士談話的內容告訴了福爾摩斯。他非常感興趣,某些部分我還得重複兩遍,他才表示滿意。

   The sun had set and dusk was settling over the moor. The air had turned chill and we withdrew into the hut for warmth. There, sitting together in the twilight, I told Holmes of my conversation with the lady. So interested was he that I had to repeat some of it twice before he was satisfied.

   “這事是極為重要的,”當我談完後他說道,“它把在這件最複雜的事情裡我所聯結不起來的那個缺口給填上了。也許你已知道了,在這位女士和斯台普吞先生中間還有着極為親密的關係吧?”

   "This is most important," said he when I had concluded. "It fills up a gap which I had been unable to bridge, in this most complex affair. You are aware, perhaps, that a close intimacy exists between this lady and the man Stapleton?"

   “我並不知道這種親密的關係啊!”

   "I did not know of a close intimacy."

   “這件事是毫無疑問的。他們常見面,常通信,彼此十分瞭解。現在,這一點已使咱們手裡多了一件有力的武器。只要咱們用這一點對他妻子進行分化……”

   "There can be no doubt about the matter. They meet, they write, there is a complete understanding between them. Now, this puts a very powerful weapon into our hands. If I could only use it to detach his wife----"

   “他的妻子?!”

   "His wife?"

   “我現在供給你一些情況,來酬答你所供給我的一切吧。 那個在此地被人稱作斯台普吞小姐的女士,實際上就是他的妻子。”

   "I am giving you some information now, in return for all that you have given me. The lady who has passed here as Miss Stapleton is in reality his wife."

   “天哪,福爾摩斯!你說的是什麼話呀?!那他怎麼又會讓亨利爵士愛上她呢?”

   "Good heavens, Holmes! Are you sure of what you say? How could he have permitted Sir Henry to fall in love with her?"

   “亨利爵士的墮入情網,除了對亨利爵士本人之外對誰都不會有什麼害處。他曾經特別留意避免亨利爵士向她求愛,這是你親眼看到的。我再說一遍,那位女士就是他的妻子,而不是他的妹妹。”

   "Sir Henry's falling in love could do no harm to anyone except Sir Henry. He took particular care that Sir Henry did not make love to her, as you have yourself observed. I repeat that the lady is his wife and not his sister."

   “可是他為什麼要搞這一場煞費苦心的騙局呢?”

   "But why this elaborate deception?"

   “因為他早就看了出來,讓她扮成一個未婚的女子對他要有用得多。”

   "Because he foresaw that she would be very much more useful to him in the character of a free woman."

   我的全部猜測,我那模糊的懷疑突然變得具體起來,並且全都集中到生物學家身上了。在這戴着草帽拿着捕蝶網的、缺乏熱情和特色的人身上,我好象看出了什麼可怕的東西——無限的耐性和狡黠,一副佯裝的笑臉和狠毒的心腸。

   All my unspoken instincts, my vague suspicions, suddenly took shape and centred upon the naturalist. In that impassive, colourless man, with his straw hat and his butterfly-net, I seemed to see something terrible--a creature of infinite patience and craft, with a smiling face and a murderous heart.

   “那麼說咱們的敵人就是他羅,在倫敦尾隨咱們的也就是他羅?”

   "It is he, then, who is our enemy--it is he who dogged us in London?"

   “我就是這樣看破了這個謎的。”

   "So I read the riddle."

   “那個警告一定是她發的羅?”

   "And the warning--it must have come from her!"

   “正是。”

   "Exactly."

   在我心頭縈繞已久的,似有似無、半是猜想的一樁極為可怕的罪行已在黑暗之中隱隱約約地現出來了。

   The shape of some monstrous villainy, half seen, half guessed, loomed through the darkness which had girt me so long.

   “可是這一點你敢肯定嗎,福爾摩斯?你怎麼知道那女人就是他的妻子呢?”

   "But are you sure of this, Holmes? How do you know that the woman is his wife?"

   “因為在他第一次和你見面的時候,曾經不由自主地把他身世之中真實的一段告訴了你。我敢說,從那時以後,他曾不止一次因此而感到後悔。他從前曾在英格蘭北部一度作過小學校長,現在說來,再沒有比一個小學校長更容易被人調查清楚的了,通過教育機關就能弄清任何在教育界裡工作過的人。我稍微調查了一下,就弄清了曾有一所小學,在極為惡劣的情況下垮了台,而學校的主人——姓名可不相同—— 和他的妻子就不知去向了。他們的相貌特徵與咱們在這裡所看到的都符合。當我知道了那失蹤的人也同樣熱衷于昆蟲學之後,鑒別人物的工作就算是完滿地結束了。”

   "Because he so far forgot himself as to tell you a true piece of autobiography upon the occasion when he first met you, and I dare say he has many a time regretted it since. He was once a schoolmaster in the north of England. Now, there is no one more easy to trace than a schoolmaster. There are scholastic agencies by which one may identify any man who has been in the profession. A little investigation showed me that a school had come to grief under atrocious circumstances, and that the man who had owned it--the name was different--had disappeared with his wife. The descriptions agreed. When I learned that the missing man was devoted to entomology the identification was complete."

   黑幕已逐漸被揭了起來,但大部真相則仍在隱秘之中。

   The darkness was rising, but much was still hidden by the shadows.

   “如果這個女人真是他的妻子的話,那麼怎麼會又插進來一個勞拉·萊昂絲太太呢?”我問道。

   "If this woman is in truth his wife, where does Mrs. Laura Lyons come in?" I asked.

   “這正是全部問題之中的一個,而這個問題已被你的探察工作揭示出來了。你對那位女士的訪問已使情況明朗了許多。 我沒有聽說過她和她的丈夫想要離婚。如果她確曾計劃離婚,而又把斯台普吞當作未婚男子,那她無疑會要想到做他的妻子了。”

   "That is one of the points upon which your own researches have shed a light. Your interview with the lady has cleared the situation very much. I did not know about a projected divorce between herself and her husband. In that case, regarding Stapleton as an unmarried man, she counted no doubt upon becoming his wife."

   “可是,如果她弄清了這騙局呢?”

   "And when she is undeceived?"

   “啊,那樣的話,這位女士就可能對我們有用了。當然,我們首先就應該去找她——咱們兩人明天就去。華生,你不認為你離開自己的職責已經太久了嗎?你本應該是獃在巴斯克維爾莊園的啊。”

   "Why, then we may find the lady of service. It must be our first duty to see her--both of us--to-morrow. Don't you think, Watson, that you are away from your charge rather long? Your place should be at Baskerville Hall."

   最後的一抹晚霞也在西方消失了,夜降臨了沼地。在紫色的天空中,閃爍着幾顆半明半暗的星星。

   The last red streaks had faded away in the west and night had settled upon the moor. A few faint stars were gleaming in a violet sky.

   “還有最後一個問題,福爾摩斯,”我一邊站起來一邊說道,“當然了,在你我之間是無需保守什麼秘密的。他這樣做是什麼意思啊?其目的何在呢?”

   "One last question, Holmes," I said, as I rose. "Surely there is no need of secrecy between you and me. What is the meaning of it all? What is he after?"

   福爾摩斯在回答的時候,聲調都放低了:“這是謀殺,華生,是件深謀遠慮、殘忍已極的蓄意謀殺。

   Holmes's voice sank as he answered:----

   別再問我細節了。正如同他的那面網圍着亨利爵士一樣,我的網正緊緊地罩住了他,再加上你的協助,他几乎已經是我的囊中物了。我們所擔心的危險只剩了一個,就是說不定他可能在我們採取行動之前先行下手。再過一天——最多兩天——我就會把破案的準備工作完成了;在那以前,你得象一個感情深厚的媽媽看守她的病孩子那樣緊緊地看好你所保護的人。事實證明,你今天所做的事是正確的,但我還是希望你以不離開他的身邊為更好一些。聽!”

   "It is murder, Watson--refined, cold-blooded, deliberate murder. Do not ask me for particulars. My nets are closing upon him, even as his are upon Sir Henry, and with your help he is already almost at my mercy. There is but one danger which can threaten us. It is that he should strike before we are ready to do so. Another day--two at the most--and I have my case complete, but until then guard your charge as closely as ever a fond mother watched her ailing child. Your mission to-day has justified itself, and yet I could almost wish that you had not left his side. Hark!"

   一陣可怕的尖叫聲——一陣連綿不斷的恐懼與暴怒的喊叫聲衝破了沼地上的寂靜。那恐怖的喊聲使我血管裡的血液几乎都為之凝固了。

   A terrible scream--a prolonged yell of horror and anguish--burst out of the silence of the moor. That frightful cry turned the blood to ice in my veins.

   “唉呀,我的上帝!”我喘了起來,“這是什麼?這是什麼意思?”

   "Oh, my God!" I gasped. "What is it? What does it mean?"

   福爾摩斯猛然站了起來,我看到他那黑色的象是運動員似的身體站在小房的門口,雙肩下垂,頭向前方探出,朝黑暗之中望去。

   Holmes had sprung to his feet, and I saw his dark, athletic outline at the door of the hut, his shoulders stooping, his head thrust forward, his face peering into the darkness.

   “噓!”他輕聲說道,“不要出聲。”

   "Hush!" he whispered. "Hush!"

   由於情況的急切,喊聲很大,起初那喊聲是由黑暗的平原上一個很遠的地方傳過來的。現在衝進我們耳鼓的聲音,已顯得愈來愈近,愈來愈大,比以前更急迫了。

   The cry had been loud on account of its vehemence, but it had pealed out from somewhere far off on the shadowy plain. Now it burst upon our ears, nearer, louder, more urgent than before.

   “是哪一邊?”福爾摩斯低聲問道。由他那樣堅強的人的激動的聲音裡,我知道他也是深受震驚了,“是哪一邊,華生?”

   "Where is it?" Holmes whispered; and I knew from the thrill of his voice that he, the man of iron, was shaken to the soul. "Where is it, Watson?"

   “我想是那邊吧。”我向黑暗之中指去。

   "There, I think." I pointed into the darkness.

   “不,是那邊。”

   "No, there!"

   痛苦的喊聲,響徹了寂靜的夜,愈來愈大,也比以前更近得多了。混在一起的還有一種新的聲音,是一種深沉的咕咕噥噥,既悅耳而又可怕的聲音,一起一落的,正象是大海所發出的永無休止的低吟。

   Again the agonized cry swept through the silent night, louder and much nearer than ever. And a new sound mingled with it, a deep, muttered rumble, musical and yet menacing, rising and falling like the low, constant murmur of the sea.

   “是獵狗!”福爾摩斯喊了起來,“來呀,華生!來呀。天哪!說不定咱們已經來不及了!”

   "The hound!" cried Holmes. "Come, Watson, come! Great heavens, if we are too late!"

   他立即迅速地在沼地上跑了起來,我緊跟在他的後面。可是,突然間,就在我們的前面,由那片碎石參差、凹凸不平的地方發出了一聲最後的絶望的慘叫,然後就是模糊而沉重的咕咚一聲。我們站住傾聽著,再沒有別的聲音打破無風之夜的死寂了。

   He had started running swiftly over the moor, and I had followed at his heels. But now from somewhere among the broken ground immediately in front of us there came one last despairing yell, and then a dull, heavy thud. We halted and listened. Not another sound broke the heavy silence of the windless night.

   我看到福爾摩斯象是個神經錯亂的人似地把手按在額上,一面跺着腳。

   I saw Holmes put his hand to his forehead like a man distracted. He stamped his feet upon the ground.

   “他已經打敗了咱們了,華生。咱們來得太晚了。”

   "He has beaten us, Watson. We are too late."

   “不,不會,一定不會。”

   "No, no, surely not!"

   “我真是個笨蛋,竟不採取行動,而你呢,華生,現在該明白放開你應保護的人不管的後果是什麼了吧!天哪!如果不幸的事終於發生了的話,那我們就非得向他報復不可了。”

   "Fool that I was to hold my hand. And you, Watson, see what comes of abandoning your charge! But, by Heaven, if the worst has happened, we'll avenge him!"

   我們在黑暗之中向前亂跑,不時地撞在亂石上,勉強地擠過金雀花叢,上氣不接下氣地跑上了小山,再順着另一個斜坡衝了下去,一直朝着那可怕的聲音傳來的方向前進。每到高處,福爾摩斯都焦急地向四周望一望,可是沼地裡黑暗異常,在荒涼的地面上,沒有一件東西在動。

   Blindly we ran through the gloom, blundering against boulders, forcing our way through gorse bushes, panting up hills and rushing down slopes, heading always in the direction whence those dreadful sounds had come. At every rise Holmes looked eagerly round him, but the shadows were thick upon the moor, and nothing moved upon its dreary face.

   “你看到什麼東西沒有?”

   "Can you see anything?"

   “什麼也沒有看到。”

   "Nothing."

   “可是你聽聽那是什麼聲音?”

   "But, hark, what is that?"

   一陣低低的呻吟傳進了我們的耳鼓,又是在我們的左面!

    在那面有一條岩脊,盡頭處是直上直下的崖壁,由那裡向下,可以看到一片多石的山坡。在那高低不平的地面上,平攤着一堆黑咕隆咚的、形狀不規則的物體。當我們跑近了它的時候,模糊的輪廓就變得清楚起來了。原來是個趴在地上的人,頭可怕地在身體下面窩着,身體向裡蜷曲成一團,好象是要翻跟斗的樣子。他的樣子那樣特別,使我當時都不能相信,剛纔聽到的聲音是他靈魂脫殼時發出來的。我們彎身望着的那個人一言不發,動也不動。福爾摩斯把他抓住提了起來,一面驚恐地大叫了一聲。他劃燃了一根火柴,亮光照出了那死人緊攥在一起的手指,也照出了由他被打破的頭顱骨裡流出來的,慢慢擴大着的一灘可怕的血。火光還照清楚了另一件使我們痛心得几乎昏過去的事——正是亨利·巴斯克維爾爵士的屍體!

   A low moan had fallen upon our ears. There it was again upon our left! On that side a ridge of rocks ended in a sheer cliff which overlooked a stone-strewn slope. On its jagged face was spread-eagled some dark, irregular object. As we ran towards it the vague outline hardened into a definite shape. It was a prostrate man face downward upon the ground, the head doubled under him at a horrible angle, the shoulders rounded and the body hunched together as if in the act of throwing a somersault. So grotesque was the attitude that I could not for the instant realize that that moan had been the passing of his soul. Not a whisper, not a rustle, rose now from the dark figure over which we stooped. Holmes laid his hand upon him, and held it up again, with an exclamation of horror. The gleam of the match which he struck shone upon his clotted fingers and upon the ghastly pool which widened slowly from the crushed skull of the victim. And it shone upon something else which turned our hearts sick and faint within us--the body of Sir Henry Baskerville!

   我們倆誰也不可能忘記那身特別的、發紅色的、用蘇格蘭呢製成的衣服——就是第一天早晨在貝克街看到他穿的那一套。我們只清清楚楚地看了一眼,那根火柴閃了閃就滅了,就象是希望離開了我們的靈魂一樣。福爾摩斯呻吟着,在黑暗中也能看得出他的臉色發白。

   There was no chance of either of us forgetting that peculiar ruddy tweed suit--the very one which he had worn on the first morning that we had seen him in Baker Street. We caught the one clear glimpse of it, and then the match flickered and went out, even as the hope had gone out of our souls. Holmes groaned, and his face glimmered white through the darkness.

   “這個畜生!畜生!”我緊握著雙拳,喊着,“福爾摩斯,我永遠也不能原諒自己,我竟離開了他的身旁,以致使他遭到了厄運。”

   "The brute! the brute!" I cried with clenched hands. "Oh Holmes, I shall never forgive myself for having left him to his fate."

   “我比你的罪過還要重,華生。為了從各方面作好破案前的準備工作,我竟然把我們的囑託人的性命棄而不顧了。在我一生的事業之中,這是我所受到的最大的打擊了。可是我怎麼會知道——我怎麼會知道——他竟不顧我的一切警告,單身冒着性命的危險,跑到沼地裡來呢?”

   "I am more to blame than you, Watson. In order to have my case well rounded and complete, I have thrown away the life of my client. It is the greatest blow which has befallen me in my career. But how could I know--how could l know--that he would risk his life alone upon the moor in the face of all my warnings?"

   “咱們聽到了他的呼聲——我的上帝啊,那陣叫喚呀!——可是竟救不了他!把他置之死地的那只獵狗在哪裡呢?現在它可能正在亂石之間轉來轉去呢。還有斯台普吞呢,他在哪裡呢?他一定得對這件事負責。”

   "That we should have heard his screams--my God, those screams!--and yet have been unable to save him! Where is this brute of a hound which drove him to his death? It may be lurking among these rocks at this instant. And Stapleton, where is he? He shall answer for this deed."

   “他當然要負責了。我保證要讓他負責的。伯侄兩人都已被殺死了——一個是看到了那只他認為是妖魔的畜生就被嚇死了;另一個雖曾飛奔逃避也未能免于死亡。現在咱們得設法證明這人畜之間的關係了。如果不是咱們聽到了那聲音的話,甚至咱們都不會相信那畜生的存在,因為亨利爵士顯然是摔跤跌死的。可是,老天在上,不管他多麼狡猾,過不了明天,我就要抓住這傢伙!”

   "He shall. I will see to that. Uncle and nephew have been murdered--the one frightened to death by the very sight of a beast which he thought to be supernatural, the other driven to his end in his wild flight to escape from it. But now we have to prove the connection between the man and the beast. Save from what we heard, we cannot even swear to the existence of the latter, since Sir Henry has evidently died from the fall. But, by heavens, cunning as he is, the fellow shall be in my power before another day is past!"

   我們痛心地站在這具血肉模糊的屍體兩側,我們長期的奔波勞碌,竟落得這樣一個可憐的結果,這個突然而不可輓回的災難,使我們心裡感到異常沉重。後來,月亮升起之後,我們爬上了我們可憐的朋友摔倒的那塊山岩的最高處,並由絶頂處向黑暗的沼地裡逼視。黑暗中閃爍着銀白色的光輝,幾里開外的遠處,在朝着格林盆的那個方向,有一點單獨的黃色火光在閃亮着,只可能是來自斯台普吞家的那所孤獨的房子。我一面向前看著,一面對著它狂怒地揮舞着拳頭,並狠狠地咒罵了一句。

   We stood with bitter hearts on either side of the mangled body, overwhelmed by this sudden and irrevocable disaster which had brought all our long and weary labours to so piteous an end. Then, as the moon rose we climbed to the top of the rocks over which our poor friend had fallen, and from the summit we gazed out over the shadowy moor, half silver and half gloom. Far away, miles off, in the direction of Grimpen, a single steady yellow light was shining. It could only come from the lonely abode of the Stapletons. With a bitter curse I shook my fist at it as I gazed.

   “咱們為什麼不馬上抓住他呢?”

   "Why should we not seize him at once?"

   “咱們破案的條件還沒有成熟,那傢伙細心狡猾到了極點;問題不在於我們已經掌握了多少情況,而在於我們能證明些什麼。只要我們走錯一步,那惡棍說不定就要從咱們的手裡溜走了。”

   "Our case is not complete. The fellow is wary and cunning to the last degree. It is not what we know, but what we can prove. If we make one false move the villain may escape us yet."

   “那麼,咱們怎麼辦呢?”

   "What can we do?"

   “明天咱們有的是該做的事,今天晚上也就只能給可憐的朋友辦辦後事了。”

   "There will be plenty for us to do to-morrow. To-night we can only perform the last offices to our poor friend."

   我們倆一同下了陡坡,向屍體走去,在反射着銀光的石頭上,那黑色的身體能看得很清楚;四肢扭曲的那種痛苦的樣子使我感到心酸,淚水模糊了我的眼睛。

   Together we made our way down the precipitous slope and approached the body, black and clear against the silvered stones. The agony of those contorted limbs struck me with a spasm of pain and blurred my eyes with tears.

   “咱們非得找人來幫忙不可了,福爾摩斯!咱們無法把他一直抬到莊園去……”我的話還沒有說完就聽見他大叫了一聲,在屍體旁邊彎下了身。我見狀不禁喊道,“天哪,你瘋了嗎!”

   "We must send for help, Holmes! We cannot carry him all the way to the Hall. Good heavens, are you mad?"

   福爾摩斯跳起舞來了,大笑着抓住我的手亂搖。難道這就是我那嚴肅而善於自持的朋友嗎?這可真是悶住的火燒出來了啊!*

   He had uttered a cry and bent over the body. Now he was dancing and laughing and wringing my hand. Could this be my stern, self-contained friend? These were hidden fires, indeed!

   “鬍子!鬍子!這人有鬍子!”

   "A beard! A beard! The man has a beard!"

   “有鬍子?”

   "A beard?"

   “這不是準男爵——這是——啊,這是我的鄰居,那個逃犯!”

   "It is not the baronet--it is--why, it is my neighbour, the convict!"

   我趕快把死屍翻了過來,那撮滴嗒着血的鬍鬚向着冰冷而清澈的月亮翹着。一看他那突出的前額和野獸般地深陷的眼睛就不會弄錯,確實就是那天在燭光照耀之中從石頭後面閃露在我眼前的那張面孔——逃犯塞爾丹的面孔。

   With feverish haste we had turned the body over, and that dripping beard was pointing up to the cold, clear moon. There could be no doubt about the beetling forehead, the sunken animal eyes. It was indeed the same face which had glared upon me in the light of the candle from over the rock--the face of Selden, the criminal.

   我馬上就都明白了,我記起了準男爵曾經告訴過我,他曾把他的舊衣服送給了白瑞摩。白瑞摩把這些衣服轉送了出去,好幫助塞爾丹逃跑,靴子、襯衣、帽子——全都是亨利爵士的。這出悲劇演得是夠慘的,可是根據國家的法律,這個人至少是死得不冤的。我把事情的來由告訴了福爾摩斯,我對上帝的感激和我內心的快樂使我的滿腔熱血都為之沸騰起來了。

   Then in an instant it was all clear to me. I remembered how the baronet had told me that he had handed his old wardrobe to Barrymore. Barrymore had passed it on in order to help Selden in his escape. Boots, shirt, cap--it was all Sir Henry's. The tragedy was still black enough, but this man had at least deserved death by the laws of his country. I told Holmes how the matter stood, my heart bubbling over with thankfulness and joy.

   “那麼說,這身衣服就是那惡棍致死的原因了,”他說道,“問題很清楚,那只獵狗是先聞了亨利爵士穿用的東西之後,才被放出來進行追蹤的——最可能的就是那只在旅館裡被偷去的高筒皮鞋——因此這個人才被窮追不捨,直到摔死為止。 可是有一點非常奇怪:塞爾丹在黑暗之中怎麼會知道那狗跟在他身後的呢?”

   "Then the clothes have been the poor devil's death," said he. "It is clear enough that the hound has been laid on from some article of Sir Henry's--the boot which was abstracted in the hotel, in all probability--and so ran this man down. There is one very singular thing, however: How came Selden, in the darkness, to know that the hound was on his trail?"

   “他聽到的吧。”

   "He heard him."

   “只是在沼地裡聽到一隻獵狗的聲音,決不會使象這個逃犯那樣殘酷的人恐怖到這樣的地步,甚至冒着再度被捕的危險狂呼求救。根據他的喊聲判斷,在他知道了那狗在追他以後,他一定拚命地跑了很長的一段路。他是怎麼知道的呢?”

   "To hear a hound upon the moor would not work a hard man like this convict into such a paroxysm of terror that he would risk recapture by screaming wildly for help. By his cries he must have run a long way after he knew the animal was on his track. How did he know?"

   “還有一件我尤其感到神秘的事,假設咱們的推斷完全正確的話,那麼這只狗為什麼……”

   "A greater mystery to me is why this hound, presuming that all our conjectures are correct --"

   “我什麼也不想推測。”

   "I presume nothing."

   “啊,那麼為什麼這只狗單單今晚被放出來呢?我想那只狗並不是永遠放在沼地裡隨便跑的。除非有根據認為亨利爵士會到那裡去,否則斯台普吞是不會把它放出去的。”

   "Well, then, why this hound should be loose to-night. I suppose that it does not always run loose upon the moor. Stapleton would not let it go unless he had reason to think that Sir Henry would be there."

   “在兩種難題當中,我的困難是更加麻煩的一個,我認為,你那個疑問很快就可以得到解答了,可是我那問題則可能永遠是個謎。眼前的問題是:這個可憐的壞蛋的屍體,咱們怎麼辦呢?咱們總不能把他放在這裡喂狐狸和烏鴉啊!”

   "My difficulty is the more formidable of the two, for I think that we shall very shortly get an explanation of yours, while mine may remain forever a mystery. The question now is, what shall we do with this poor wretch's body? We cannot leave it here to the foxes and the ravens."

   “我建議在咱們與警察取得聯繫之前,先把他放進一間小屋去。”

   "I suggest that we put it in one of the huts until we can communicate with the police."

   “對,我相信你和我可以抬得動他。啊,華生,這是怎麼回事?正是他,真是大膽得出奇!你可不要說出一句顯出懷疑的話來,一句也不要說,不然的話,我的全部計劃就都要完蛋了。”

   "Exactly. I have no doubt that you and I could carry it so far. Halloa, Watson, what's this? It's the man himself, by all that's wonderful and audacious! Not a word to show your suspicions--not a word, or my plans crumble to the ground."

   在沼地上,有一個人正向着我們走來,我看見有一點隱約的雪茄煙火。月光照在他的身上,我能看得出來那位生物學家的短小精悍的身材和那輕快得意的腳步。他一看見我們便停住了,然後又向前走了過來。

   A figure was approaching us over the moor, and I saw the dull red glow of a cigar. The moon shone upon him, and I could distinguish the dapper shape and jaunty walk of the naturalist. He stopped when he saw us, and then came on again.

   “啊,華生醫生,不會是您吧,是嗎?我再也想不到在這樣的夜深時分會在沼地裡看到您。噢,我的天,這是怎麼回事?有人受傷了嗎?不——不要告訴我說這就是咱們的朋友亨利爵士!”他慌忙地由我們的身旁走過去,在那死人的身旁彎下身去。我聽到他猛然地倒吸了一口氣,手指夾着的雪茄也掉了下來。

   "Why, Dr. Watson, that's not you, is it? You are the last man that I should have expected to see out on the moor at this time of night. But, dear me, what's this? Somebody hurt? Not--don't tell me that it is our friend Sir Henry!" He hurried past me and stooped over the dead man. I heard a sharp intake of his breath and the cigar fell from his fingers.

   “誰,這是誰呀?”他口吃地說。

   "Who--who's this?" he stammered.

   “是塞爾丹,由王子鎮逃跑的那個人。”

   "It is Selden, the man who escaped from Princetown."

   斯台普吞轉向我們,面色蒼白,可是他以極大的努力剋制住了驚慌和失望的表情。他兩眼死盯着福爾摩斯和我。

   Stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us, but by a supreme effort he had overcome his amazement and his disappointment. He looked sharply from Holmes to me.

   “天哪!這是多麼驚人的事啊!他是怎麼死的?”

   "Dear me! What a very shocking affair! How did he die?"

   “看樣子他好象是在這些岩石上摔斷了脖子。當我們聽到喊聲的時候,我和我的朋友正在沼地裡散步。”

   "He appears to have broken his neck by falling over these rocks. My friend and I were strolling on the moor when we heard a cry."

   “我也聽到了喊聲,因此我才跑了出來,我很替亨利爵士擔心。”

   "I heard a cry also. That was what brought me out. I was uneasy about Sir Henry."

   “為什麼單單替亨利爵士擔心呢?”我忍不住地問了一句。

   "Why about Sir Henry in particular?" I could not help asking.

   “因為我已經約他來了,可是他並沒有來,我吃了一驚,因此當我聽到沼地裡的喊聲的時候,我當然要為他的安全而大感驚慌了。”他的眼光再度從我的臉上忽地轉向福爾摩斯,“除了那喊聲之外,您還聽到了什麼聲音沒有?”

   "Because I had suggested that he should come over. When he did not come I was surprised, and I naturally became alarmed for his safety when I heard cries upon the moor. By the way"--his eyes darted again from my face to Holmes's--"did you hear anything else besides a cry?"

   “沒有。”福爾摩斯說,“您呢?”

   "No," said Holmes; "did you?"

   “也沒有。”

   "No."

   “那麼,您這樣問是什麼意思呢?”

   "What do you mean, then?"

   “啊,您總知道農民們所說的關於那只鬼怪似的狗和其他等等的故事吧,據說夜間在沼地裡能夠聽得見。當時我正在想,今晚是否可能聽得到這樣的聲音呢。”

   "Oh, you know the stories that the peasants tell about a phantom hound, and so on. It is said to be heard at night upon the moor. I was wondering if there were any evidence of such a sound to-night."

   “我們沒有聽到這一類的聲音。”我說道。

   "We heard nothing of the kind," said I.

   “可是你們以為這個可憐的傢伙是怎麼死的呢?”

   "And what is your theory of this poor fellow's death?"

   “我可以肯定,焦慮的心情和長期露宿在外的生活已經把他逼得發瘋了。他一定曾經瘋狂地在沼地裡奔跑,而最終則在這裡跌了一跤,把脖子摔斷了。”

   "I have no doubt that anxiety and exposure have driven him off his head. He has rushed about the moor in a crazy state and eventually fallen over here and broken his neck."

   “看來這倒是個最合理的說法,”斯台普吞說道,他還嘆了一口氣。依我看,這是表示他已放了心了,“您認為怎麼樣,歇洛克·福爾摩斯先生?”

   "That seems the most reasonable theory," said Stapleton, and he gave a sigh which I took to indicate his relief. "What do you think about it, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?"

   我的朋友欠身還了禮。

   My friend bowed his compliments.

   “您認人認得真快。”他說道。

   "You are quick at identification," said he.

   “自從華生醫生到來之後,這裡的人就知道您也會來的。 您倒趕上了看這一出悲劇。”

   "We have been expecting you in these parts since Dr. Watson came down. You are in time to see a tragedy."

   “是的,確是如此,我確信我的朋友的解釋是能夠概括全部事實的。我明天就要帶著一樁不快的回憶回到倫敦去了。”

   "Yes, indeed. I have no doubt that my friend's explanation will cover the facts. I will take an unpleasant remembrance back to London with me to-morrow."

   “喔,您明天就回去嗎?”

   "Oh, you return to-morrow?"

   “我是這樣打算的。”

   "That is my intention."

   “我希望您的這次來訪,多少能把這些我們所大惑不解的事情搞出一些眉目來。”

   "I hope your visit has cast some light upon those occurrences which have puzzled us?"

   福爾摩斯聳了聳肩。

   Holmes shrugged his shoulders.

   “人並非總能根據自己的主觀願望得到成功的。負責調查工作的人需要的是事實而不是傳說和謡言。這件案子辦得並不使人滿意。”

   "One cannot always have the success for which one hopes. An investigator needs facts, and not legends or rumours. It has not been a satisfactory case."

   我的朋友以他那最坦白和最漫不經心的神態講着。斯台普吞還是死盯着看他,然後他又向我轉了過來。

   My friend spoke in his frankest and most unconcerned manner. Stapleton still looked hard at him. Then he turned to me.

   “我本想建議把這可憐的傢伙弄到我家裡去,可是他一定會使我妹妹大感驚恐,因此我覺得還是不要這樣做的好。我想若用什麼東西把他的頭部遮住是可以安全無事的,明天早晨再想辦法吧。”

   "I would suggest carrying this poor fellow to my house, but it would give my sister such a fright that I do not feel justified in doing it. I think that if we put something over his face he will be safe until morning."

   事情就這樣安排好了。福爾摩斯和我謝絶了斯台普吞好意的約請,就向巴斯克維爾莊園走去了,剩下了生物學家獨自走了回去。我們回頭望望,看到那背影還在廣闊的沼地上緩慢地向遠方移動;在他的身後,白花花的山坡上有一個黑點,標明着得到如此可怕的結局的那個人躺着的地方。

   And so it was arranged. Resisting Stapleton's offer of hospitality, Holmes and I set off to Baskerville Hall, leaving the naturalist to return alone. Looking back we saw the figure moving slowly away over the broad moor, and behind him that one black smudge on the silvered slope which showed where the man was lying who had come so horribly to his end.

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