《巴斯克威尔猎犬》 08疑难问题(2)

'No footprints¹ could show on the grass，'said Mortimer．

“草地上看不到爪印，”摩梯末道。

'Were they on the same side of the path as the moor² gate？'

“是在与开向沼地的栅门同一路边上吗？”

'Yes．They were．'

“是的。是在与栅门同一路边上。”

'I find that very interesting indeed．Another question：was the moor gate closed？'

“我发现这确实有趣。还有一个问题：栅门是关着的吗？”

'Yes．It was closed and locked．'

“是的。它关着，还锁上了。”

'How high is it？'asked Holmes．

“门有多高？”福尔摩斯问道。

'It is just over a metre high．'

“刚一米出头高。”

'Then anyone could climb over it？'

“那么说，任何人都能爬过去啰？”

'Yes.'

“是的。”

'What prints did you see by the moor gate？'

“你在栅门处看到了什么痕迹？”

'Sir Charles seems to have stood there for five or ten min－ utes，'said Mortimer．'I know that because his cigar had burned down and the ash had dropped twice off the end of it．'

“查尔斯爵士似乎在那里站了五至十分钟，”摩梯末说道。“我之所以知道这个，是因为他抽的那支雪茄是点着的，烟蒂处还曾两次掉下烟灰。”

'Excellent，'said Holmes．'This man is a very good detective，Watson．'

“太妙了，”福尔摩斯道。“此人是位好侦探，华生。”

'Sir Charles had left his footprints all over that little bit of the path where he was standing³．I couldn't see any other prints．'

“查尔斯爵士在他所站的那一小片路面上到处都留下了自己的脚印。我看不出其他痕迹。”

Sherlock Holmes hit his knee with his hand angrily．

歇洛克·福尔摩斯生气地用手敲了敲自己的膝盖。

'I like to look closely⁴ at these things myself，'he said．'Oh，Dr Mortimer，why didn't you call me immediately？'

“我想亲自去仔细查看一番这些事情，”他说道。“唉，摩梯末医生，你为何当时不马上叫我去呢？”

'Mr Holmes，the best detective in the world can't help with some things，'said Mortimer．

“福尔摩斯先生，连世上最好的侦探对有些事情也是无能为力的。”摩梯末说道。

'You mean things that are outside the laws of nature—su- pernatural things？'asked Holmes．

“您是指那些超乎自然规律——超自然的事情啰？”福尔摩斯问道。

'I didn't say so exactly，'replied Mortimer．'But since Sir Charles died，I have heard about a number of things that seem to be supernatural．Several people have seen an animal on the moor that looks like an enormous⁵ hound⁶．They all agree that it was a huge creature，which shone with a strange light like a ghost．I have questioned these people carefully．They are all sensible⁷ people．They all tell the same story．Although they have only seen the creature far away，it is exactly like the hell- hound of the Baskerville story．The people are very frightened，and only the bravest man will cross the moor at night．'

“我并不完全是这个意思，”摩梯末回答道。“可是，自从查尔斯爵士死后，我就听到了一些似乎超自然的事情。有人曾在沼地上看到一个类似一条硕大的猎犬的动物。他们都认为那是一只大家伙，它像幽灵似地发着一种奇怪的光。我曾仔细地询问过那些人。他们都很明智。他们都讲了同一个故事。虽然他们都只是从远处见过那个畜生，但它的样子的确像巴斯克维尔故事中的那只地狱之犬。人们现在都非常害怕，只有最大胆的人才敢在夜间走过沼地。”

1 footprints   

n.（尤指软地上的）脚印( footprint的名词复数 )；（地板上的）脚印；（建筑物或设备，尤指计算机）占用的空间；（尤指来自卫星的）广播信号覆盖区

参考例句：

• footprints in the sand 沙地足迹
• He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

5 enormous   

adj.巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• An enormous sum of money is injected each year into teaching.每年都有大量资金投入到教学中。
• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。

6 hound   

n.猎狗，卑鄙的人；vt.用猎狗追，追逐

参考例句：

• The hound found the trail of the rabbit.猎狗发现了兔子的踪迹。
• The police have promised to hound down those responsible for the explosion.警方已保证要追查此次爆炸事件有责任的人员。

7 sensible   

adj.可察觉的，意识到的，实用的；n.可感知物

参考例句：

• Are you sensible of the dangers of your position? 你觉察到你处境中的危险了吗？
• He was sensible enough to mind his own business.他颇有见识，不去管闲事。