第七章: 木桶的插曲 The Episode of the Barrel
The police had brought a cab with them, and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. After the angelic fashion of women, she had borne trouble with a calm face as long as there was someone weaker than herself to support, and I had found her bright and placid by the side of the frightened housekeeper. In the cab, however, she first turned faint and then burst into a passion of weeping — so sorely had she been tried by the adventures of the night. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. She little guessed the struggle within my breast, or the effort of self-restraint which held me back. My sympathies and my love went out to her, even as my hand had in the garden. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet, brave nature as had this one day of strange experiences. Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. She was weak and helpless, shaken in mind and nerve. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. Worse still, she was rich. If Holmes’s researches were successful, she would be an heiress. Was it fair, was it honourable, that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind. This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us.
警察们是坐马车来的，我就用这辆马车把摩斯坦小姐送回了家。她是一个天使般可爱的女人，在危难之中，只要她身边有人比她更脆弱，需要支持，她就总能保持镇定，当我去接她的时候，她仍镇静地坐在受惊的女管家旁边。但是，在马车里，她先是几乎晕厥过去，然后就失声哭泣起来——她被这一晚的经历折磨坏了。后来她跟我说，我那一路上显得有些冷漠和疏远。可她哪里知道我当时内心的斗争和压抑的痛苦呢。我对她充满了同情和爱意，就跟我们在院子里握着手时一样。我虽然饱经世故，但若没有这一晚的跌宕起伏，我也很难认识到她温柔而勇敢的秉性。而在那时候，有两件事让我无法表达自己的感情。她是那么脆弱而无助，身心饱受打击。如果此时我冒昧地示爱，很像是乘人之危。更让我为难的是，她拥有巨额财富。如果福尔摩斯的调查成功了的话，她就会成为遗产继承人。我这个半俸的医生如此利用这样一个亲密之机，还能算是光明正大吗？她会不会把我看作一个粗鄙的淘金者呢？我无法忍受有可能让她产生这样的印象。这批阿格拉宝物实在是我们之间不可逾越的障碍啊。
It was nearly two o’clock when we reached Mrs. Cecil Forrester’s. The servants had retired hours ago, but Mrs. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return. She opened the door herself, a middle-aged, graceful woman, and it gave me joy to see how tenderly her arm stole round the other’s waist and how motherly was the voice in which she greeted her. She was clearly no mere paid dependant but an honoured friend. I was introduced, and Mrs. Forrester earnestly begged me to step in and tell her our adventures. I explained, however, the importance of my errand and promised faithfully to call and report any progress which we might make with the case. As we drove away I stole a glance back, and I still seem to see that little group on the step — the two graceful, clinging figures, the half-opened door, the hall-light shining through stained glass, the barometer, and the bright stair-rods. It was soothing to catch even that passing glimpse of a tranquil English home in the midst of the wild, dark business which had absorbed us.
我们抵达塞西尔·福里斯特夫人家的时候，已经将近两点了。仆人已经休息了，可是福里斯特夫人对摩斯坦小姐接到怪信这件事非常关心，所以，她还坐在灯下，等候着摩斯坦小姐。她亲自开了门；她是一个中年妇女，非常优雅。我很高兴看到她温柔地挽着摩斯坦小姐的腰，用慈母般的语调迎接她。可见摩斯坦小姐在这里不仅仅是一个被雇佣的人，还是一个受到尊重的朋友。经过介绍，福里斯特夫人诚恳地邀请我进去坐坐，跟她聊聊我们这件案子的进展。不过，我向她解释，我今晚还有重要的事情要做，并承诺一定会再来拜访，如果事情有任何进展，也会告诉她。当我们乘着马车离开时，我偷偷回头看了一眼，依稀能看到台阶上的那一组图——两个优雅的手拉着手的身影、半开的门、从有色玻璃里透出来的大厅灯光、晴雨表，还有闪亮的楼梯毯棍。在身陷那样一件可怕、邪恶的事件之中时，瞧一瞧这么一个宁静的英国家庭，我心情就畅快多了。
Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby, two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth. I had to knock for some time at No. 3 before I could make any impression. At last, however, there was the glint of a candle behind the blind, and a face looked out at the upper window.
宾奇里路位于兰贝斯区地势较低处，由一列窄小、破旧的两层楼砖房组成。我叫三号门叫了很久，才有人应声。最后，百叶窗后出现了烛光，一张脸从上面一层楼的窗户里探了出来。
And the more I thought of what had happened, the wilder and darker it grew. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent, gas-lit streets. There was the original problem: that at least was pretty clear now. The death of Captain Morstan, the sending of the pearls, the advertisement, the letter — we had had light upon all those events. They had only led us, however, to a deeper and far more tragic mystery. The Indian treasure, the curious plan found among Morstan’s baggage, the strange scene at Major Sholto’s death, the rediscovery of the treasure immediately followed by the murder of the discoverer, the very singular accompaniments to the crime, the footsteps, the remarkable weapons, the words upon the card, corresponding with those upon Captain Morstan’s chart — here was indeed a labyrinth in which a man less singularly endowed than my fellow-lodger might well despair of ever finding the clue.
而对于今晚发生的事情，我越想就越觉得可怕、邪恶。当穿梭在被灯照亮的寂静街道上时，我回想了一遍这一连串奇异的事件。最初的问题至少现在已经很清楚了。关于摩斯坦上尉的死、寄出的珍珠、报上登出的广告以及那封信，我们现在已经明白了。但它们却把我们引向了更深远、更悲惨的神秘案件之中。那些印度珍宝、在摩斯坦的行李里找出的神秘图纸、肖尔托少校临死时的奇怪状况、财宝找到后紧接着发生的谋杀案、与罪案相伴出现的奇特事物、那些脚印、那些特别的武器、卡片上的字——跟摩斯坦上尉的图纸上的字一模一样——这真是一系列错综复杂的情况，除非是像我的合租人福尔摩斯那样有天赋的人，否则肯定在找寻线索之前就绝望了。
“Go on, you drunken vagabond,” said the face. “If you kick up any more row, I’ll open the kennels and let out forty-three dogs upon you.”
“走开！醉汉！”那个人说道，“如果你继续叫嚷，我就打开狗屋，放四十三条狗来咬你。”
“Go on!” yelled the voice. “So help me gracious, I have a wiper in this bag, and I’ll drop it on your’ead if you don’t hook it!”
“滚开！”那声音喊道，“老天在上！我这个袋子里有一把锤子，你要是不走的话，我就用锤子砸你脑袋！”
“If you’ll let one out, it’s just what I have come for,” said I.
“你只需要放出一条就够了，那就是我想要的。”我回答。
“I won’t be argued with!” shouted Mr. Sherman. “Now stand clear, for when I say ‘three,’ down goes the wiper.”
“少废话！”舍曼叫喊道，“站远点儿！我数到三就要扔锤子了！”
“But I want a dog,” I cried.
“不过，我想要的是一条狗。”我喊。
“Mr. Sherlock Holmes –” I began; but the words had a most magical effect, for the window instantly slammed down, and within a minute the door was unbarred and open. Mr. Sherman was a lanky, lean old man, with stooping shoulders, a stringy neck, and blue-tinted glasses.
“舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生——”我开始说道，但这几个词就像有魔法力量一般，那扇窗立刻关上了，不到一分钟，门就打开了。舍曼先生是一个瘦瘦的高个子老头，驼着背，脖子上青筋条条，还戴着蓝色眼镜。
“A friend of Mr. Sherlock is always welcome,” said he. “Step in, sir. Keep clear of the badger, for he bites. Ah, naughty, naughty, you take a nip at the gentleman?” This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage. “Don’t mind that, sir; it’s only a slow worm. It hain’t got no fangs, so I gives it the run o’ the room, for it keeps the beetles down. You must not mind my bein’ just a little short wi’ you at first, for I’m guyed at by the children, and there’s many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up. What was it that Mr. Sherlock Holmes wanted, sir?”
“我永远欢迎舍洛克先生的朋友，”他说，“请进吧，先生。小心那只獾，它咬人呢。啊，淘气！淘气！你想咬咬这位先生吗？”这话是朝着一只鼬鼠喊的，它正从笼子缝里探出它那可怕的脑袋，瞪着红红的眼睛。“别介意，先生，这不过是一只蛇蜥。它没有毒牙，所以我把它放在屋里吃甲虫。请别怪我刚才的失礼，实在是因为常常有顽童跟我捣乱，跑到这儿来把我吵醒。舍洛克·福尔摩斯先生想要什么呢？”
“Yes, Toby was the name.”
“是的，就是叫托比的那条。”
He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. In the uncertain, shadowy light I could see dimly that there were glancing, glimmering eyes peeping down at us from every cranny and corner. Even the rafters above our heads were lined by solemn fowls, who lazily shifted their weight from one leg to the other as our voices disturbed their slumbers.
他拿着蜡烛，缓慢地在他所饲养的奇怪动物群中移动。在那恍惚、昏暗的烛光里，我可以模糊地看见，在每个角落里，都有闪烁的目光盯着我们。就连我们头上的架子上面也排列了很多野鸟，我们的声音搅醒了它们的睡梦，它们懒懒地把重心从一只爪子换到另一只爪子上去。
“Toby lives at No. 7 on the left here.”
“托比住在左边的七号笼子里。”
“He wanted a dog of yours.”
“他想要你的一条狗。”
“Ah! that would be Toby.”
“阿！一定是托比。”
Toby proved to be an ugly, long-haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel and half lurcher, brown and white in colour, with a very clumsy, waddling gait. It accepted, after some hesitation, a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me, and, having thus sealed an alliance, it followed me to the cab and made no difficulties about accompanying me. It had just struck three on the Palace clock when I found myself back once more at Pondicherry Lodge. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had, I found, been arrested as an accessory, and both he and Mr. Sholto had been marched off to the station. Two constables guarded the narrow gate, but they allowed me to pass with the dog on my mentioning the detective’s name.
托比原来是一只丑陋的长毛垂耳朵狗，是西班牙猎犬和杂种猎狗的混血，毛色黄白相间，步态笨拙摇晃。它犹豫了一会儿，才接受了一块舍曼先生递给我的糖。喂过它以后，我们之间就建立了友谊，它这才随我上车，一路与我相伴，没出任何问题。我回到本地治里别墅的时候，皇宫的钟刚敲了三声。我发现，前拳击冠军麦克默多已经被作为从犯逮捕了，他和肖尔托先生都已经被押往警察局。两个警察把守着大门，当我提到侦探的名字时，他们就让我和狗进去了。
Holmes was standing on the doorstep with his hands in his pockets, smoking his pipe.
福尔摩斯正双手插在口袋里，站在门阶上，抽着烟管。
“Lend me your bull’s eye, Sergeant,” said my companion. “Now tie this bit of card round my neck, so as to hang it in front of me. Thank you. Now I must kick off my boots and stockings. Just you carry them down with you, Watson. I am going to do a little climbing. And dip my handkerchief into the creosote. That will do. Now come up into the garret with me for a moment.”
“警官，请把你的牛眼灯借给我用一用，”我的伙伴说，“把这块纸板替我系在脖子上，好让它挂在我胸前。谢谢你！现在我必须脱掉靴子和袜子，请你在下头帮我拿着它们，沃森。我需要做一些攀登。请你把这条手巾略蘸一些木馏油。好了，可以了。现在请跟我到顶楼来一趟。”
“Ah, you have him there!” said he. “Good dog, then! Athelney Jones has gone. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. He has arrested not only friend Thaddeus but the gatekeeper, the housekeeper, and the Indian servant. We have the place to ourselves but for a sergeant upstairs. Leave the dog here and come up.”
“啊！你把它带来了，”他说，“真是一条好狗！阿塞尔纳·琼斯已经走了。你走以后，我们大吵了一场。他不但逮捕了我们的朋友塞迪厄斯，还逮捕了门卫、管家，以及那个印度仆人。现在这里除了楼上的警探以外，就只有我们了。把狗放在这儿，然后上去吧。”
We tied Toby to the hall table and reascended the stairs. The room was as we had left it, save that a sheet had been draped over the central figure. A weary looking police-sergeant reclined in the corner.
我们把托比拴在大厅桌子上，然后爬上楼梯。房间如同我们离开时一样，只是房中间的尸体已经用被单盖了起来。一个疲倦的警察斜靠在屋角。
We clambered up through the hole. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust.
我们一起从洞口爬了上去。福尔摩斯重新用灯照了照灰尘上的脚印。
“I wish you particularly to notice these footmarks,” he said. “Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?”
“我希望你能尤其注意这些脚印，”他说。“你发现它们有些什么值得注意的地方了吗？”
“Your toes are all cramped together. The other print has each toe distinctly divided.”
“你的脚趾都挤在一起。而那个脚印的脚趾却是明显分开的。”
“Apart from their size, though. Is there nothing else?”
“除了尺寸以外。有什么别的吗？”
“They belong,” I said, “to a child or a small woman.”
“它们属于，”我说，“一个孩子，或者一个矮小的女人。”
“Not at all. Look here! This is the print of a right foot in the dust. Now I make one with my naked foot beside it. What is the chief difference?”
“不完全是这样的。看这里！灰尘上是一个右脚脚印。现在我把我光着的一只脚在旁边印上一个。最主要的不同是什么？”
“They appear to be much as other footmarks.”
“那它们就跟其他的脚印没什么不同了。”
“Quite so. That is the point. Bear that in mind. Now, would you kindly step over to that flap-window and smell the edge of the woodwork? I shall stay over here, as I have this handkerchief in my hand.”
“就是这样。这就是问题的关键。记住这一点。现在，请你到那个吊窗前去，闻一闻窗上的木框。我站在这里，因为我手上拿着手巾呢。”
By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof, and I could see him like an enormous glow-worm crawling very slowly along the ridge. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys, but he presently reappeared and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. When I made my way round there I found him seated at one of the corner eaves.
当我回到院子里的时候，福尔摩斯在屋顶上，我可以看见他在屋顶上缓慢地爬行，如同一只巨大的萤火虫。他爬到烟囱堆那里就不见了，不久又出现了，然后又一次消失在背面。我跟着他转到那边去，看到他坐在房檐的一角上。
“That is where he put his foot in getting out. If you can trace him, I should think that Toby will have no difficulty. Now run downstairs, loose the dog, and look out for Blondin.”
“这就是他出去时落脚的地方。如果你能闻得出他的味道，我想托比一定没问题。现在到楼下去，放开狗，等着我耍杂技吧。
I did as he directed and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell.
我按照他的指示去闻了闻，一股刺鼻的木馏油味扑鼻而来。
“No sign of the ladder?”
“没有梯子吗？”
“It was easy to follow him,” he said, drawing on his stockings and boots. “Tiles were loosened the whole way along, and in his hurry he had dropped this. It confirms my diagnosis, as you doctors express it.”
“追寻他的踪迹是一件很简单的事情，”他一边说，一边穿上了袜子和靴子，“一路上的瓦片都被他踩得松脱了，而且他在匆忙之中还遗漏了这个。用你们医生的话来说，它证明了我的诊断是正确的。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“This is the place. What is that black thing down there?”
“这就是那个地方了。那个黑色的东西是什么？”
“A water-barrel.”
“一个水桶。”
“No.”
“没有。”
“Yes.”
“有。”
There was a scuffling of feet, and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. Then with a light spring he came on to the barrel, and from there to the earth.
随着一阵窸窸窣窣的脚步声，那盏灯笼就顺着墙的一侧，稳稳地降落下来。然后他轻轻一跃，落在了桶上，又跳到地面上。
The object which he held up to me was a small pocket or pouch woven out of coloured grasses and with a few tawdry beads strung round it. In shape and size it was not unlike a cigarette-case. Inside were half a dozen spines of dark wood, sharp at one end and rounded at the other, like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto.
他拿给我的东西是一个用彩色草绳编织而成的袋子，外面穿着几颗俗丽的小珠子。这个口袋形状和大小都跟纸烟盒差不多。里边装着六根黑色的木刺，一头是尖的，另一头是圆的，和刺到巴塞洛缪·肖尔托脑袋上的一样。
“Top on it?”
“有盖子吗？”
“Confound the fellow! It’s a most breakneck place. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. The water-pipe feels pretty firm. Here goes, anyhow.”
“混账东西！这是一个非常危险的位置。不过，既然他能爬上来，我就能爬下去。水管感觉好像很牢固。无论如何，我要下去啦。”
“That you, Watson?” he cried.
“是你吗，沃森？”他喊。
“Your leg will stand it?”
“你的腿还能坚持吗？”
“They are hellish things,” said he. “Look out that you don’t prick yourself. I’m delighted to have them, for the chances are that they are all he has. There is the less fear of you or me finding one in our skin before long. I would sooner face a Martini bullet, myself. Are you game for a six-mile trudge, Watson?”
“这些都是很危险的东西，”他说，“小心不要刺伤你自己。我很高兴能得到它们，因为这很可能就是他的全部凶器。这样你我就不用那么担心，不久以后这刺会刺进我们的皮肤了。我宁愿被子弹打死，也不想中这个刺的毒。沃森，你还愿意走六英里的路吗？”
“Certainly,” I answered.
“当然，”我回答。
“Oh, yes.”
“没问题。”
“Here you are, doggy! Good old Toby! Smell it, Toby, smell it!” He pushed the creosote handkerchief under the dog’s nose, while the creature stood with its fluffy legs separated, and with a most comical cock to its head, like a connoisseur sniffing the bouquet of a famous vintage. Holmes then threw the handkerchief to a distance, fastened a stout cord to the mongrel’s collar, and led him to the foot of the water-barrel. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high, tremulous yelps and, with his nose on the ground and his tail in the air, pattered off upon the trail at a pace which strained his leash and kept us at the top of our speed.
“噢，托比！我的好托比！闻闻这个，托比，闻闻这个！”他把沾过木馏油的手帕放到狗鼻子下面，托比岔开多毛的腿站在那儿，鼻子滑稽地向上翘着，如同一位品酒师在嗅什么名酒的香味一般。然后，福尔摩斯就把手帕扔远，在狗脖子上系了一根结实的绳子，牵着它来到水桶边上。这只狗立刻就发出了一连串高亢、颤抖的狂吠，鼻子在地上嗅着，尾巴翘在空中，循着气味一直向前奔去，我们拽着绳子，紧随其后。
“There’s the print of Wooden-leg’s hand,” he remarked as I mounted up beside him. “You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster. What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday! The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and- twenty hours’ start.”
“这是那个木腿人留下的手印，”当我也爬到他身边的时候，他对我说，“你看到这些白灰上的少许血迹了吗？多么幸运昨天没有下大雨啊！虽然已经时隔二十八个小时了，但气味应该还在路上留着。”
The east had been gradually whitening, and we could now see some distance in the cold gray light. The square, massive house, with its black, empty windows and high, bare walls, towered up, sad and forlorn, behind us. Our course led right across the grounds, in and out among the trenches and pits with which they were scarred and intersected. The whole place, with its scattered dirt-heaps and ill-grown shrubs, had a blighted, ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it.
东方泛起了鱼肚白，灰暗的寒光里，已经能看到附近的一些地方了。那个广场，巨大的房子，连同那黑暗、空荡的窗户和光秃秃的高墙，都惨淡而孤独地矗立在我们身后。我们穿过了大院子，在纵横交错的无数坑坑洼洼间穿梭。这整个地方，加上院内凌乱的垃圾堆、长势不好的灌木，呈现出一种凋零、不祥的景象，与昨晚发生的惨案倒是很搭调。
On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along, whining eagerly, underneath its shadow, and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech. Where the two walls joined, several bricks had been loosened, and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side, as though they had frequently been used as a ladder. Holmes clambered up, and taking the dog from me he dropped it over upon the other side.
托比一路跑着到了边墙，在墙壁投下的阴影里狂叫，最后在一个长着一棵小山毛榉的墙角停了下来。那是两面墙的交界处，几块砖已经松脱了，剩下的砖的棱角被磨圆了，似乎经常被用来作为爬墙的梯子。福尔摩斯爬了上去，把狗接了过去，又从另一面把它放了下去。
“Do not imagine,” said Holmes, “that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical. I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways. This, however, is the readiest, and, since fortune has put it into our hands, I should be culpable if I neglected it. It has, however, prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be. There might have been some credit to be gained out of it but for this too palpable clue.”
“不要以为，”福尔摩斯说，“我是靠着案子里有一个人脚上沾染了化学制剂，才成功破案的。”凭我现在所掌握的信息，我可以用许多不同的手段找到他们。但既然幸运之神把最简便的方法送到我们的手里，如果我忽视它的话，那就是我的过失了。不过，这个方法确实把一个需要深奥的学问才能解决的问题简单化了。依据一个简单的线索来破案，难以显现我的功绩。”
“There is credit, and to spare,” said I. “I assure you, Holmes, that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope murder. The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable. How, for example, could you describe with such confidence the wooden-legged man?”
“你还是很有功绩的，”我说，“福尔摩斯，我向你保证，与你在杰斐逊·霍普谋杀案里所用的手法相比，你在这个案子里的破案手法更让我惊讶。在我看来，这个案子更加复杂，也更让人难以理解。举例来说吧，你怎么能那么自信地准确形容出那个装有木腿的人呢？”
I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic which had passed along the London road in the interval. My fears were soon appeased, however. Toby never hesitated or swerved but waddled on in his peculiar rolling fashion. Clearly the pungent smell of the creosote rose high above all other contending scents.
我承认，当看到川流不息的伦敦马路时，我难免有些怀疑。但我的疑虑马上就烟消云散了。托比毫不犹豫地嗅着地面，用他特有的步伐，摇摆着向前奔去。很明显，强烈的木馏油气味盖过了所有其他的气味。
“Pshaw, my dear boy! It was simplicity itself. I don’t wish to be theatrical. It is all patent and above-board. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small. You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan’s possession. He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates — the sign of the four, as he somewhat dramatically called it. Aided by this chart, the officers — or one of them — gets the treasure and brings it to England, leaving, we will suppose, some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. Now, then, why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself? The answer is obvious. The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts. Jonathan Small did not get the treasure because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away.”
“哦，老兄！这事情本身就很简单。我不想太过夸张。整个情况是非常清晰明了的。两个负责看守囚犯的部队军官听说了关于宝藏的秘密。一个叫做乔纳森·斯莫尔的英国人给他们画了一张图。你记得我们在摩斯坦上尉的图纸上看到的那个名字吧？他代表自己和同伴签了名字——那所谓的‘四签名’，有些故弄玄虚。在这个图纸的帮助下，两个军官，或者是其中一个，找到了宝藏，并带到了英国来，我想这个带回宝物的人可能没有履行当初约定好的条件。现在，为什么乔纳森·斯莫尔自己没有去找这些宝藏呢？答案很明显。图纸是在摩斯坦和囚犯们联系紧密时画下的。乔纳森·斯莫尔之所以没有去拿宝藏，是因为他和他的同伙都是囚犯，行动不自由。”
“But this is mere speculation,” said I.
“不过，这只是猜测。”我说。
“It is more than that. It is the only hypothesis which covers the facts. Let us see how it fits in with the sequel. Major Sholto remain sat peace for some years, happy in the possession of his treasure. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. What was that?”
“不只是猜测，是唯一符合事实的假设。让我们看看，这些假设跟后来所发生的事有多么吻合吧。肖尔托少校曾安稳地住了几年，对他所拥有的财宝相当满意。然后，他收到了一封给他带来巨大恐慌的印度来信。这是为什么呢？”
“No: it is clear and concise.”
“不，非常简明扼要。”
“Well, now, let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. Let us look at it from his point of view. He comes to England with the double idea of regaining what he would consider to be his rights and of having his revenge upon the man who had wronged him. He found out where Sholto lived, and very possibly he established communications with someone inside the house. There is this butler, Lal Rao, whom we have not seen. Mrs. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. Small could not find out, however, where the treasure was hid, for no one ever knew save the major and one faithful servant who had died. Suddenly Small learns that the major is on his deathbed. In a frenzy lest the secret of the treasure die with him, he runs the gauntlet of the guards, makes his way to the dying man’s window, and is only deterred from entering by the presence of his two sons. Mad with hate, however, against the dead man, he enters the room that night, searches his private papers in the hope of discovering some memorandum relating to the treasure, and finally leaves a memento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. He had doubtless planned beforehand that, should he slay the major, he would leave some such record upon the body as a sign that it was not a common murder but, from the point of view of the four associates, something in the nature of an act of justice. Whimsical and bizarre conceits of this kind are common enough in the annals of crime and usually afford valuable indications as to the criminal. Do you follow all this?”
“好，现在，让我们站在乔纳森·斯莫尔的立场上想想。让我们从他的角度来想想。他回到英国，应该有两个目的，一个是为了获得属于他的宝物，另一个是报复欺骗他的人。他找到了肖尔托少校住的地方，而且很有可能，他买通了家里面的一个人。有一个叫做拉尔·拉奥的仆人，我们并没有见过。伯恩斯通太太说过他性情顽劣。然而，斯莫尔没有找到藏宝的地方，因为除了少校和他忠心耿耿的仆人以外，没有人知道。忽然有一天，斯莫尔听说少校病危了。他害怕宝藏的秘密将和少校的尸体一起被掩埋，盛怒之下，他冒着被守卫抓住的危险，跑到垂死病人的窗前，但因为少校的两个儿子在床边，所以他没能进屋。然而，带着对死者的仇恨，当天晚上，他就潜入他的房间，翻动其私人文件，希望能找到关于宝藏的记录，可最后，他只留下一张写着简短题字的卡片，作为到访留念。毫无疑问，他事先进行了策划，如果他杀死了少校，也会在尸体上留这样的字条，表明这不是一起普通的谋杀案，而是一项伸张正义的行为——在那四位伙伴看来是如此。像这样奇怪的办法，在犯罪史上是很常见的，有时还能提供关于凶手的重要线索。这些你都明白了吗？”
“A letter to say that the men whom he had wronged had been set free.”
“信里说，他所欺瞒的囚犯已经出狱了。”
“Or had escaped. That is much more likely, for he would have known what their term of imprisonment was. It would not have been a surprise to him. What does he do then? He guards himself against a wooden-legged man — a white man, mark you, for he mistakes a white trades-man for him and actually fires a pistol at him. Now, only one white man’s name is on the chart. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. There is no other white man. Therefore we may say with confidence that the wooden legged man is identical with Jonathan Small. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?”
“或者已经越狱了。后者更有可能，因为他应该清楚他们的刑期有多长。所以，刑满出狱并不会让他这么惊讶。他到底对他们做了些什么呢？他很防备一个装有木腿的人——请注意，是一个白人，因为他曾经开枪误伤了一个装有木腿的白人商人。图纸上只有一个白人的名字。其他的都是印度人或者回教徒的名字。没有其他白种人了。因此，我们可以肯定地说，那个装有木腿的人就是乔纳森·斯莫尔。你看，这些理论有没有漏洞呢？”
“Very clearly.”
“是的，很清楚。”
“But it was the associate and not Jonathan who committed the crime.”
“这么说，杀人犯是那个同谋，而不是斯莫尔了。”
“Now what could Jonathan Small do? He could only continue to keep a secret watch upon the efforts made to find the treasure. Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals. Then comes the discovery of the garret, and he is instantly informed of it. We again trace the presence of some confederate in the household. Jonathan, with his wooden leg, is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. He takes with him, however, a rather curious associate, who gets over this difficulty but dips his naked foot creosote, whence come Toby, and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis.”
“然后，乔纳森·斯莫尔还会做什么呢？他只会继续秘密地关注寻找宝藏的努力过程。也许他已经离开英国了，只是偶尔回来。当顶楼的宝物被发现的时候，他马上就知道了。我们再一次觉察到，他在房子里绝对有内线。乔纳森戴着木腿，绝对不可能爬到巴塞洛缪·肖尔托家的楼上去。但是，他带着一位神秘的伙伴，那位伙伴解决了难题，但脚上却沾上了木馏油，因此才有了托比的出场，还弄得一个跟腱受了伤的半俸医生不得不瘸着腿走了六英里的路。”
“Quite so. And rather to Jonathan’s disgust, to judge by the way he stamped about when he got into the room. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto and would have preferred if he could have been simply bound and gagged. He did not wish to put his head in a halter. There was no help for it, however: the savage instincts of his companion had broken out, and the poison had done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record, lowered the treasure-box to the ground, and followed it himself. That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. Of course, as to his personal appearance, he must be middle-aged and must be sunburned after serving his time in such an oven as the Andamans. His height is readily calculated from the length of his stride, and we know that he was bearded. His hairiness was the one point which impressed itself upon Thaddeus Sholto when he saw him at the window. I don’t know that there is anything else.”
“应该是的。而且，从斯莫尔在房间里跺脚的情况来看，他是反对这么做的。他和巴塞洛缪·肖尔托并没有深仇大恨，把他的嘴堵上再捆起来就够了。他不想为此付出生命的代价。但这毫无帮助，那位同谋的野蛮本性已经爆发了，毒药也发挥了作用，所以斯莫尔留下了纸条，把宝盒降到地面上，自己也落到地面上，逃走了。这是我所能推论出来的情况。当然，就他的外貌来说，必然是一位中年男子，而由于长年被羁押在酷热的安达曼岛，皮肤也应该是黝黑的。从他步伐的长短，就可以准确计算出他的身高，而我们知道他蓄胡子。他的须发茂盛，这在塞迪厄斯·肖尔托隔着窗户看到他时就有印象。我不知道还有没有什么别的了。”
“The associate?”
“同谋者？”
“I have my stick.”
“我带了这根手杖。”
“Ah, well, there is no great mystery in that. But you will know all about it soon enough. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. Now the red rim of the sun pushes itself over the London cloud-bank. It shines on a good many folk, but on none, I dare bet, who are on a stranger errand than you and I. How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature! Are you well up in your Jean Paul?”
“啊，对了，那可是一个神秘的人物。不过，你很快就会弄清楚了。早晨的空气多么清新啊！看看那朵小小的浮云，就如同一只巨大红鹤的羽毛一样。红日已经穿越了伦敦的云层。它照耀着那么多的人，可我敢打赌，没有谁干着的差事比咱们干的更奇怪了。与大自然的原始力量相比，咱们的一点儿雄心壮志显得多么的渺小啊！读了琼·保罗的著作后，你有什么感想吗？”
“That was like following the brook to the parent lake. He makes one curious but profound remark. It is that the chief proof of man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness. It argues, you see, a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility. There is much food for thought in Richter. You have not a pistol, have you?”
“那就如同从河流回溯到湖泊一般。他曾经写过一句怪异却深奥的话。一个人的真正伟大之处就在于他能够认识到自己的渺小。如你所见，他强调对比和欣赏的力量本身就是崇高的证明。在里克特的作品里，能找到许多精神食粮。你带了手枪来没有？”
“Fairly so. I worked back to him through Carlyle.”
“多少有一些。我先读了卡莱尔的著作，然后才回过头来研究他的。”
“It is just possible that we may need something of the sort if we get to their lair. Jonathan I shall leave to you, but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot him dead.”
“也许在到达匪徒老巢的时候，我们需要这类东西。斯莫尔我就留给你了，如果他的同谋有什么不轨的举动的话，我就一枪打死他。”
We had traversed Streatham, Brixton, Camberwell, and now found ourselves in Kennington line, having borne away through the sidestreets to the east of the Oval. The men whom we pursued seemed to have taken a curiously zigzag road, with the idea probably of escaping observation. They had never kept to the main road if a parallel sidestreet would serve their turn. At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street. Where the latter street turns into Knight’s Place, Toby ceased to advance but began to run backward and forward with one ear cocked and the other drooping, the very picture of canine indecision. Then he waddled round in circles, looking up to us from time to time, as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassment.
我们经过了斯特雷特利区、布里克斯顿区、坎伯威尔区，绕过了许多条小街，一直走到奥弗尔区的东面，才到达了肯宁顿路。我们寻找的那个人似乎选择了一条异常曲折的路，也许是为了避免被人跟踪吧。如果另有一条平行的小街道可走的话，他们就绝不走大路。在肯宁顿路的尽头，他们转向左行，经过邦德街、迈尔斯街。从迈尔斯街拐入骑士街后，托比就不再前进了，而是开始前后奔走，一只耳朵竖着，另一只耷拉着，这是狗犹豫不决时的样子。然后他绕着圈子，不时地看着我们，好像在让我们同情他的窘境似的。
He took out his revolver as he spoke, and, having loaded two of the chambers, he put it back into the right-hand pocket of his jacket.
他拿出左轮手枪，装上两颗子弹，又放回到大衣的右边口袋里。
We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. Now, however, we were beginning to come among continuous streets, where labourers and dockmen were already astir, and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing doorsteps. At the square-topped corner public-houses business was just beginning, and rough-looking men were emerging, rubbing their sleeves across their beards after their morning wet. Strange dogs sauntered up and stared wonderingly at us as we passed, but our inimitable Toby looked neither to the right nor to the left but trotted onward with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent.
这时，我们随着托比，到了通往伦敦市区的路上，半乡村式的道路两旁都是一列列别墅。现在，我们已经来到了四通八达的街道上，劳工和码头工已经起床了，邋里邋遢的女人们正在放下百叶窗，打扫门庭。街角上四方房顶的酒馆刚刚开始营业，粗壮的汉子们从酒馆里出来，用他们的袖子擦去胡子上的清晨小饮。野犬在街头睁大了眼睛，望着我们，可是，我们忠心无比的托比，毫不左瞻右顾，鼻子冲着地面，一直往前，偶尔从鼻子里发出一阵急切的叫声，说明所循的气味仍很浓厚。
“Perhaps they stood here for some time,” I suggested.
“也许他们曾在这里站过一会儿，”我推断。
“Ah! It’s all right. He’s off again,” said my companion in a tone of relief.
“啊！没错。它又开始走了。”我的伙伴松了一口气说。
“What the deuce is the matter with the dog?” growled Holmes. “They surely would not take a cab or go off in a balloon.”
“这只狗是怎么回事？”福尔摩斯嘟囔道，“罪犯一定不会上马车，更不会乘着气球跑。”
He was indeed off, for after sniffing round again he suddenly made up his mind and darted away with an energy and determination such as he had not yet shown. The scent appeared to be much hotter than before, for he had not even to put his nose on the ground but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run. I could see by the gleam in Holmes’s eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey.
狗的确重新前进了，它往四下里又闻了一阵之后，似乎突然间下了决心，以前所未有的力量和决心向前冲去。那股气味变得比刚才更加浓烈，因为狗甚至不需要再把鼻子贴近地面去嗅了，而是狠狠地拽着绳子，试图飞奔。福尔摩斯的眼睛里闪烁着光芒，我可以看出，他正在想，这段旅途就要到头了。
Our course now ran down Nine Elms until we came to Broderick and Nelson’s large timber-yard just past the White Eagle tavern. Here the dog, frantic with excitement, turned down through the side gate into the enclosure, where the sawyers were already at work. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings, down an alley, round a passage, between two wood-piles, and finally, with a triumphant yelp, sprang upon a large barrel which still stood upon the hand-trolley on which it had been brought. With lolling tongue and blinking eyes Toby stood upon the cask, looking from one to the other of us for some sign of appreciation. He staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid, and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creosote.
我们经过九榆树街，到了白鹰酒店附近的布罗德里克和内尔森大木场。这只狗兴奋而紧张，从旁门跑进了木场，这里的锯木工人已经上工了。它继续穿过成堆的锯屑和刨花，跑过一条小道，绕过一条甬道，从两堆木材之间穿过，最后很得意地叫着，跳上了还在手推车上，没有卸下来的一只木桶上面。托比伸着舌头，眼睛眨巴着，站在木桶上，望着我们两人，表示得意。它在木桶上来回游走，手推车的轮子上沾满了黑色的油渍，空气中有浓重的木馏油气味。
Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other and then burst simultaneously into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
舍洛克·福尔摩斯和我面面相觑，然后不约而同地发出了一阵大笑。
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