評論
打印
"What then?" "I searched the Dundee records,
"以后又怎樣呢？""我查閱了敦提的記錄。
and when I found that the bark Lone Star was there in January, '85, my suspicion became a certainty.
當我看到一八八五年一月三桅帆船'孤星號'抵達那里的記錄時，我心里的猜想就變為確信無疑的了。
I then inquired as to the vessels which lay at present in the port of London." "Yes?"
我接著就對目前停泊在倫敦港內的船只的情況進行了查詢。""結果呢？"
"The Lone Star had arrived here last week.
"那'孤星號'上星期到達這里。
I went down to the Albert Dock and found that she had been taken down the river by the early tide this morning, homeward bound to Savannah.
我跑到艾伯特船塢，查明這船今天早晨已趁著早潮順流而下，返航薩瓦納港去了。
I wired to Gravesend and learned that she had passed some time ago,
我發電報給格雷夫森德，得知這船已經在不久前駛過去了。
and as the wind is easterly I have no doubt that she is now past the Goodwins and not very far from the Isle of Wight."
由于風向是朝東的，我確信：這船此刻已開過古德溫斯，離懷特島不遠。"
"What will you do, then?" "Oh, I have my hand upon him.
"那么，你想干什么呢？""我要去逮住他！
He and the two mates, are, as I learn, the only native-born Americans in the ship. The others are Finns and Germans.
他和那兩個副手，據我所知，是那船上僅有的美國人。其余的是芬蘭人和德國人。
I know, also, that they were all three away from the ship last night.
我還了解到他們三人昨晚曾離船上岸。
I had it from the stevedore who has been loading their cargo.
這消息是當時正在給他們裝貨的碼頭工人說的。
By the time that their sailing-ship reaches Savannah the mail-boat will have carried this letter,
等到他們的這艘帆船到達薩瓦納時，郵船也已經把這封信帶到那地方了，
and the cable will have informed the police of Savannah that these three gentlemen are badly wanted here upon a charge of murder."
同時海底電報則已經通知了薩瓦納的警察，說明這三位先生是這里正在通緝中的被控犯有謀殺罪的人犯。"
There is ever a flaw, however, in the best laid of human plans,
然而，人謀布下的羅網縱極工巧，終不能沒有絲毫漏洞。
and the murderers of John Openshaw were never to receive the orange pips which would show them that another,
謀殺約翰·奧彭肖的兇手竟然再也收不到那幾個桔核了，而那幾個桔核是會使他們知道
as cunning and as resolute as themselves, was upon their track.
世界上另外還有一個和他們同樣狡猾、同樣堅決的人正在追捕著他們。
Very long and very severe were the equinoctial gales that year.
那年秋分時的暴風刮得久，刮得猛。
We waited long for news of the Lone Star of Savannah, but none ever reached us.
我們等了很長時間，想得到薩瓦納"孤星號"的消息，卻一直杳無音信。
We did at last hear that somewhere far out in the Atlantic
終于我們聽說：在遠遠的大西洋某處，
a shattered stern-post of the boat was seen swinging in the trough of a wave,
有人看到在一次海浪的退潮中漂泊著一塊破碎的船尾柱，
with the letters "L. S." carved upon it, and that is all which we shall ever know of the fate of the Lone Star.
上面刻著"L.S."兩個字母，而我們所能知道的關于"孤星號"的命運僅此而已。
