四签名 112琼诺赞·斯茂的奇异故事（22）

Not a word about the jewels came out at the trial,

在审讯中没有人谈到宝物，

for the rajah had been deposed¹ and driven out of India: so no one had any particular interest in them.

因为那个土王已被罢黜并被逐出了印度，已经没有人对宝物有直接的关系了。

The murder, however, was clearly made out, and it was certain that we must all have been concerned in it.

可是谋杀案情确凿，判定我们四人同为凶手。

The three Sikhs got penal² servitude for life, and I was condemned³ to death,

三个印度人被判徒刑终身监禁，我被判死刑，

though my sentence was afterwards commuted⁴ to the same as the others.

可是后来得到减刑，和他们一样。

It was rather a queer position that we found ourselves in then.

我们的处境很是奇怪。

There we were all four tied by the leg and with precious little chance of ever getting out again,

我们四个人被判徒刑，恐怕今生再难恢复自由，

while we each held a secret which might have put each of us in a palace if we could only have made use of it.

可是同时我们四个人又共同保守着一个秘密。只要能够利用宝物，就可以立成富翁享清福。

It was enough to make a man eat his heart out to have to stand the kick and the cuff⁵ of every petty jack-in-office,

最让人难忍受的就是受每个禁卒的任意凌辱

to have rice to eat and water to drink,

还要吃些糙米，喝口凉水，

when that gorgeous fortune was ready for him outside, just waiting to be picked up.

而那时我们却明知大宗宝物在外面等着我们取用。

It might have driven me mad; but I was always a pretty stubborn one, so I just held on and bided⁶ my time.

我真要急得发疯，所幸我生性倔强，所以还能耐心忍受，等候时机。

At last it seemed to me to have come.

最后，好象时机到了。

I was changed from Agra to Madras, and from there to Blair Island in the Andamans.

我由阿格拉被转押到马德拉斯，又从那里被转到安达曼群岛的布雷尔岛。

There are very few white convicts at this settlement,

岛上白种人囚犯很少，

and, as I had behaved well from the first, I soon found myself a sort of privileged person.

又因为我一开始就表现得不错，不久就受到了特殊的待遇。

I was given a hut in Hope Town, which is a small place on the slopes of Mount Harriet, and I was left pretty much to myself.

在亥瑞厄特山麓的好望城里，我得到了一间自己居住的小茅屋，很是自在。

1 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 commuted   

通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 )； 减（刑）； 代偿

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. 他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. 死刑可能減为无期徒刑。

5 cuff   

n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口

参考例句：

• She hoped they wouldn't cuff her hands behind her back.她希望他们不要把她反铐起来。
• Would you please draw together the snag in my cuff?请你把我袖口上的裂口缝上好吗？

6 bided   

v.等待，停留( bide的过去式 )；居住；等待；面临

参考例句：

• Jack was hurt deeply, and he bided his time for revenge. 杰克受了很深的伤害，他等待着报仇的时机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their ready answer suggested that they had long bided that. 他们很爽快的回答表明他们已经等待这个（要求）很久了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》