The attack was fierce, without mercy, leaving Blindy handicapped for life. Yet Blindy wanted no pity. He had taken his revenge.
那一架打得兇猛殘酷，盲漢落下了一輩子殘疾。可盲漢不要憐憫。他已經(jīng)復(fù)仇雪恥。
一條好漢
歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威
The blind man knew the sounds of all the different machines in the Saloon. I don't know how long it took him to learn the sounds of the machines but it must have taken him quite a time because he only worked one saloon at a time. He worked two towns though and he would start out of The Flats along after it was good and dark on his way up to Jessup. He'd stop by the side of the road when he heard a car coming and their lights would pick him up and either they would stop and give him a ride or they wouldn't and would go on by on the icy road. () It would depend on how they were loaded and whether there were women in the car because the blind man smelled plenty strong and especially in winter. But someone would always stop for him because he was a blind man.
那個(gè)盲人對酒館里不同機(jī)器發(fā)出的聲響了如指掌。我不知道他用了多久才把各種機(jī)器的聲音一一辨清，但這事兒準(zhǔn)花了他不少時(shí)間，因?yàn)樗淮沃辉谝患揖起^做。不過他在兩個(gè)鎮(zhèn)上都有活，他會(huì)在弗拉特先做，一直到天全黑了，再前往杰塞普。聽見有車開過來他就會(huì)在路旁停下來，車燈照見他，有時(shí)他們會(huì)停下車來帶他一程，有時(shí)則不，徑直在冰凍的路面從他身旁開過。帶不帶他要看車上有沒有坐滿，有沒有女士，因?yàn)橄棺由砩蠚馕逗苤兀绕湓诙臁５倳?huì)有人停車讓他上去，因?yàn)樗莻€(gè)盲人。
Everybody knew him and they called him Blindy, which is a good name for a blind man in that part of the country, and the name of the saloon that he threw his trade to was The Pilot. Right next to it was another saloon, also with gambling and a dining room, that was called The Index. Both of these were the names of mountains and they were both good saloons with old-days bars and the gambling was about the same in one as in the other except you ate better in The Pilot probably. Blindy probably preferred The Pilot because the machines were right along the left-hand wall as you came in and faced the bar. This gave him better control over them than he would have had at The Index where they were scattered on account it was a bigger place with more room. On this night it was really cold outside and he came in with icicles on his mustache and he didn't look really very good. () Even his smell was froze but that wasn't for very long and he started to put out almost as soon as the door was shut. It was always hard for me to look at him but I was looking at him carefully because I knew he always rode and I didn't see how he would be frozen up so bad. Finally I asked him.
人人都認(rèn)識(shí)他，叫他盲漢，在那一帶，這是對盲人表示尊重的稱呼，他干活的那家酒館叫派勒特。就在隔壁又是一家酒吧，也有賭博機(jī)和餐廳，店名叫做印岱克斯。這兩家店名原來都是山名，兩家酒館都不錯(cuò)，都有那種舊式的吧臺(tái)，賭博機(jī)也都沒什么兩樣，只不過派勒特的菜肴可能略好一些。盲漢可能喜歡派勒特，因?yàn)檫M(jìn)門就是吧臺(tái)，賭博機(jī)都沿左墻一溜兒擺放。賭博機(jī)集中擺放，他就容易控制，不像在印岱克斯，因?yàn)榈胤酱螅臻g多，機(jī)器四處擺放著。這天晚上，外面冷得夠嗆，他進(jìn)來時(shí)胡茬上還掛著冰柱，那樣子看上去不太對勁。連他的臭味也凍住了，但凍住的時(shí)間不長，門一關(guān)上，他身上又發(fā)出氣味了。過去我總是不忍心看他，不過那晚我卻仔細(xì)打量了他，因?yàn)槲抑浪偰艽钌媳丬嚕壹{悶，他怎么會(huì)凍成這樣。我終于問他了。
"Where you walk from, Blindy?"
“你從哪兒走過來的，盲漢？”
"Willie Sawyer put me out of his car down below the railway bridge. There weren't no more cars come and I walked in."
“威利·索亞在鐵路橋下面把俺攆下車。一直沒別的車開過來，俺就一路走來了。”
"What did he put you afoot for?" somebody asked.
“他干嘛要讓你下去走？”有人問。
"Said I smelled too bad."
“說俺身上氣味重。”
Somebody hit on a machine but it wasn't any heavy hit. Blindy moved on it just the same. It was a quarter machine and the young fellow who was playing it gave him a quarter sort of reluctantly. Blindy felt it before he put it in his pocket.
有人玩吃角子機(jī)贏了，可沒有贏多少。盲漢還是走了過去。那是臺(tái)分幣的吃角子機(jī)，在玩的那小伙子不很情愿地給了他一個(gè)角分的硬幣。盲漢摸了摸硬幣，然后放進(jìn)衣袋。
"Thank you," he said. "You'll never miss it."
“多謝了，”他說。“你準(zhǔn)會(huì)贏的。”
The young fellow said, "Nice to know that," and put a quarter back in the machine and pulled down again.
年輕人說：“那敢情好，”說罷又投了個(gè)角分的硬幣進(jìn)去，再往下拉了一下。
He hit again but this time pretty good and he scooped in the quarters and gave a quarter to Blindy.
他又贏了，可這次贏了不少。他撈起大把大把角分的硬幣，給了盲漢一個(gè)。
"Thanks," Blindy said, "You're doing fine."
“多謝，”盲漢說，“打得不錯(cuò)。”
"Tonight's my night," the young fellow who was playing said.
“今晚咱運(yùn)氣好，”正在玩的年輕人說。
"Your night is my night," Blindy said and the young fellow went on playing but he wasn't doing any good any more and Blindy was so strong standing by him and he looked so awful and finally the fellow quit playing and came over to the bar.
“你走運(yùn)，俺沾光，”盲漢說。年輕人繼續(xù)在玩，可不再像剛才那樣贏錢；站在他旁邊的瞎子氣味實(shí)在難聞，樣子又那么惹人厭煩，年輕人終于歇手不玩了，向酒吧間走去。
"What will yours be, Tom?" Frank the bartender asked me. "This is on the house."
“你想喝什么，湯姆？”名叫弗蘭克的酒吧間侍者問我。“酒店請客。”
"I was figuring on shoving."
“我想回去了。”
"Have one first then."
“那就先喝上一杯吧。”
Frank asked the young fellow what he would drink and the young fellow took the same. The whisky was Old Forester.
弗蘭克問年輕人要喝什么，年輕人要了同樣的酒。是老林務(wù)員威士忌。
I nodded to him and raised my drink and we both sipped at the drinks. Blindy was down at the far end of the machines. I think he figured maybe no one would come in if they saw him at the door. Not that he was self-conscious.
我朝他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，舉起酒杯，兩人都呷了一口。盲漢站在那排賭博機(jī)的最盡頭。我想，他這是估摸著要是見他在門口，沒人會(huì)進(jìn)來。這倒不是他怕難為情。
"How did that man lose his sight?" the young fellow asked me.
“那個(gè)人是怎么失明的？”那年輕人問我。
"In a fight," Frank told him.
“打架鬧的，”弗蘭克告訴他。
"I wouldn't know," I told him.
“我不清楚，”我對他說。
"Him fight?" the stranger said. He shook his head.
“他打架？”陌生人說。他搖搖頭。
"Yeah," Frank said. "He got that high voice out of the same fight. Tell him, Tom."
“是啊，”弗蘭克說。“他那尖嗓子也是那一架給打出來的。跟他說說，湯姆。”
"I never heard of it."
“我從來沒聽說過。”
"No. You wouldn't of," Frank said. "Of course not. You wasn't here, I suppose. Mister, it was a night about as cold as tonight. Maybe colder. It was a quick fight too. I didn't see the start of it. Then they came fighting out of the door of The Index. Blackie, him that's Blindy now, and this other boy Willie Sawyer, and they were slugging and kneeing and gouging and biting and I see one of Blackie's eyes hanging down on his cheek. They were fighting on the ice of the road with the snow all banked up and the light from this door and The Index door, and Hollis Sands was right behind Willie Sawyer who was gouging for the eye and Hollis kept hollering, 'Bite it off! Bite it off just like it was a grape!' Blackie was biting onto Willie Sawyer's face and he had a good pull and it gave away with a jerk and then he had another good pull and they were down on the ice now and Willie Sawyer was gouging him to make him let go and then Blackie gave a yell like you've never heard. Worse than when they cut a boar."
“對了。你是不會(huì)知道的，”弗蘭克說。“當(dāng)然不知道。我想那時(shí)你還沒來這兒。先生，那天晚上差不多就跟今晚一樣冷。可能更冷些。那一架打得快。我沒見到是怎么打起來的。只看到他們從印岱克斯的門里扭打出來。布蘭奇，如今叫盲漢了，還有那個(gè)叫威利·索亞的家伙，兩人又打又踢，又抓又咬，我看到布蘭奇的一個(gè)眼珠掉了出來掛在臉上。兩人在冰凍的路面上打，路旁都堆著雪，這扇門里，還有印岱克斯店門里透出燈光，霍利斯·桑茲就站在威利·索亞的身后，威利·索亞正要挖那個(gè)眼珠，霍利斯不停地嚷嚷著：‘咬下來！咬下來，就當(dāng)是個(gè)葡萄！’布蘭奇咬進(jìn)威利·索亞的臉，他狠狠一咬，猛地咬下一塊，接著又大咬一口，兩人都倒在冰上，威利·索亞掐他的眼睛，逼他松手，就在這時(shí)，布蘭奇慘叫一聲，沒聽見過叫得那么怕人的。比殺豬叫還嚇人。”
Blindy had come up opposite us and we smelled him and turned around.
這時(shí)盲漢已經(jīng)走到我們對面，我們聞到他身上的氣味，便轉(zhuǎn)過身去。
" 'Bite it off just like it was a grape,'" he said in his high-pitched voice and looked at us, moving his head up and down. "That was the left eye. He got the other one without no advice. Then he stomped me when I couldn't see. That was the bad part." He patted himself.
“‘咬下來，就當(dāng)是個(gè)葡萄，’”他尖聲說，一邊看著我們，一邊搖頭晃腦。“那是左眼珠。他連聲警告也沒有就把另一只也咬下了。俺什么也看不見了，他卻狠命踩俺。那才叫慘哪。”他拍了拍自己。
"I could fight good then," he said. "But he got the eye before I knew even what was happening. He got it with a lucky gouge. Well," Blindy said without any ill feeling, "that put a stop to my fighting days."
“那時(shí)俺可真能打架，”他說。“可俺還沒明白過來是怎么回事他就咬著我的眼珠了。他下手下得巧。唉，”布蘭奇說著，不帶一點(diǎn)敵意。“這下俺打架的日子也就到頭了。”
"Give Blackie a drink," I said to Frank.
“給布蘭奇來杯酒，”我吩咐弗蘭克。
"Blindy's the name, Tom. I earned that name. You seen me earn it. That's the same fellow who put me adrift down the road tonight. Fellow bit the eye. We ain't never made friends."
“叫俺盲漢，湯姆。這個(gè)名字是俺打架打出來的。你都親眼見到的。就是今晚把俺扔在路上的那個(gè)小子。咬眼珠的那個(gè)小子。俺兩個(gè)一直就沒和好。”
"What did you do to him?" the stranger asked.
“你拿他怎么了？”陌生人問。
"Oh, you'll see him around," Blindy said. "You'll recognize him any time you see him. I'll let it come as a surprise."
“啊，你會(huì)在附近見到他的，”盲漢說。“你一見到他就會(huì)認(rèn)出他。俺要讓你見了覺得出乎意料。”
"You don't want to see him," I told the stranger.
“你見了他會(huì)害怕的，”我跟陌生人說。
"You know that's one of the reasons I'd like to see sometimes," Blindy said. "I'd like to just have one good look at him."
“要知道，就為了這，有時(shí)俺也希望有雙眼睛能親眼瞧瞧。”盲漢說。“俺只想好好瞧他一眼。”
"You know what he looks like," Frank told him. "You went up and put your hands on his face once."
“你知道他現(xiàn)在的模樣，”弗蘭克對他說。“有次你走上去摸過他的臉。”
"Did it again tonight too," Blindy said happily. "That's why he put me out of the car. He ain't got no sense of humor at all. () I told him on a cold night like this he'd ought to bundle up so the whole inside of his face wouldn't catch cold. He didn't even think that was funny. You know that Willie Sawyer he'll never be a man of the world."
“今晚俺又摸了一次，”盲漢得意地說。“就為這他把俺給攆下了車。他一點(diǎn)玩笑都開不起。俺對他說，今晚這么冷，他應(yīng)當(dāng)穿得暖暖的，這樣他臉龐里邊就不會(huì)著涼感冒了。他壓根兒沒覺得這話挺逗。你知道威利·索亞，成不了漢子。”
"Blackie, you have one on the house," Frank said. "I can't drive you home because I only live just down the road. But you can sleep in the back of the place."
“布蘭奇，喝一杯，不收錢，”弗蘭克說。“我不能開車送你回家，因?yàn)槲揖妥≡诼返哪穷^。不過你可以在屋子后邊睡。”
"That's mighty good of you, Frank. Only just don't call me Blackie. I'm not Blackie any more. Blindy's my name."
“你真好，弗蘭克。可別叫俺布蘭奇。俺不再是什么布蘭奇。俺叫盲漢。”
"Have a drink, Blindy."
“喝，盲漢。”
"Yes, sir," Blindy said. His hand reached out and found the glass and he raised it accurately to the three of us.
“喝，老兄，”盲漢說。他伸出手來摸到了杯子，很準(zhǔn)地對著我們?nèi)伺e杯。
"That Willis Sawyer," he said. "Probably alone home by himself. That Willie Sawyer he don't know how to have any fun at all."
“威利·索亞那小子，”他說。“沒準(zhǔn)一個(gè)人呆在家里呢。威利·索亞那小子一點(diǎn)兒不會(huì)取樂。”
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