巴斯克维尔的猎犬 巴斯克维尔的猎犬（16）

 

"It is worth a mud bath," said he. "It is our friend Sir Henry's missing boot."“这个泥浴还是值得一洗的， ” 他说道，“这就是咱们的朋友亨利爵士失去的那只皮鞋。”

"Thrown there by Stapleton in his flight."

“一定是斯台普吞逃跑时丢在那里的。”

"Exactly. He retained it in his hand after using it to set the hound upon the track. He fledwhen he knew the game was up, still clutching it. And he hurled it away at this point of his flight.

We know at least that he came so far in safety."“正是。 他让猎狗闻了鞋味去追踪之后还把鞋留在手边， 当他知道把戏已经被拆穿了而逃跑的时候， 仍把它紧抓在手里， 在逃跑的途中就丢在这里了。 我们知道， 至少一直到这里为止他还是安全的。”

But more than that we were never destined to know, though there was much which we mightsurmise. There was no chance of finding footsteps in the mire, for the rising mud oozed swiftly inupon them, but as we at last reached firmer ground beyond the morass we all looked eagerly forthem. But no slightest sign of them ever met our eyes. If the earth told a true story, then Stapletonnever reached that island of refuge towards which he struggled through the fog upon that last night.

Somewhere in the heart of the great Grimpen Mire, down in the foul slime of the huge morasswhich had sucked him in, this cold and cruel-hearted man is forever buried.

我们虽然可以作很多推测， 可是永远也不能知道比这更多的情况了 ， 在沼地里根本无法找出脚印来。 因为冒上来的泥浆很快就把它盖上了。 一过了最后的一段泥淖小路， 走到坚实的土地上的时候， 我们就都急切地寻找起脚印来了， 可是一点影子也没有看到。 如果大地并没有说谎的话， 那么斯台普吞就是昨天在挣扎着穿过浓雾走向他那隐蔽之所的小岛时并没有能达到目的地。在格林盆大泥潭中心的某个地方， 大泥淖的污浊的黄泥浆已经把他吞了进去。

这个残忍的、 心肠冰冷的人就这样地永远被埋葬了。