读者文摘:21世纪最大规模的寻宝事件之一(2)（在线收听）

The "home of Brown," for instance, could be Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado, or Brown Cemetery in Montana, or Brown Hill in New Mexico.

例如，“布朗之家”可以是科罗拉多州的布朗峡谷国家纪念碑，或蒙大拿的布朗公墓，或新墨西哥州的布朗山。

Or a cabin or a bear. Maybe it's the color brown. Or maybe the treasure is hidden under some porta-potties.

或者一个小屋，或者一只熊。或许它指的是棕色。或者宝藏藏在某些移动厕所下面。

(Don't laugh; several people have already looked.) The treasure has attracted an eclectic bunch of hunters,

（别笑，有些人已经去那里找过了。）宝藏已经吸引了形形色色的猎人，

including "Tim Nobody," who collects pinball machines; a one-legged motorcycle rider named Michael Hendrickson; and a Connecticut woman everybody calls Grandma.

包括收集弹球机的“蒂姆·小卒”，一位叫迈克尔·亨德里克森的独腿摩托车骑手，还有一位人人称她为奶奶的康涅狄格女人。

Dal Neitzel, 72, manages a community cable TV station in Bellingham, Washington, and has taken about 70 road trips in search of the treasure.

72岁的达尔·雷特泽尔管理着华盛顿贝灵汉姆的一家有线电视台，他已经进行了大约70次的自驾游来寻找宝藏。

He runs a blog named the Thrill of the Chase that has become an online hub for hunters to post theories about where Fenn might have stashed all that gold.

他开了一个名为“追逐的刺激”的博客，该博客已成为一个在线中心，猎人可以在这里发布关于芬恩可能把所有的宝藏藏在哪里的理论。

He gets thousands of visitors a day. Marti Kreis from Blue Ridge, Georgia—better known by her handle, Diggin' Gypsy—searches an average of seven times a year, for weeks at a time.

他的博客每天有数以千计的访客。来自蓝岭的马丁·克莱斯-更为人熟知的是她的别名“发掘吉普赛”-平均每年探索7次，每次探索数周。

The 49-year-old grandmother is usually joined by her extended family and, room permitting, a pet rooster named John Wayne.

这个49岁的祖母通常会和她的大家庭一起探索，如果房间允许，还会有一只名叫约翰·韦恩的宠物公鸡。

She searches only in West Yellowstone, Montana, no longer bothering with Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico, the other three mountain states where the treasure might be hidden.

她只在蒙大拿的黄石公园西部搜寻，不再去怀俄明州，科罗拉多州或墨西哥州探寻，宝藏也有可能藏在这三个山州。

She says it's because Fenn once blogged about her, claiming, "If I were a betting man I'd bet on this woman."

她说，这是因为芬恩曾在博客上提到过她，“如果我是个赌徒的话，我会赌这个女人会找到宝藏。”

That was enough for Kreis to think she was on the right track. She's hardly the only optimist.

这就足够使克莱斯认为她走在了正确的道路上。她不是唯一的乐观主义者。

The truly devoted meet in June for an annual gathering in New Mexico called Fennboree.

六月在新墨西哥州的年度集会是一次真正的专门集会，集会名为芬恩宝藏会。

Since 2014, when only ten people attended, it has grown to become a hot ticket, with hundreds mingling around campfires and sharing stories.

自2014年只有10人参加以来，它已经成为一个热门事件，数百人围在篝火旁分享故事。

With so much at stake, there are also rivalries and infighting.

寻宝是件牵扯太多利益的事情，有很多的竞争和混战。

Some people claim that the treasure never existed— "Fenn should be arrested for scamming,"

有些人声称这些宝藏根本不存在，一位当地人曾经向新墨西哥圣菲市抱怨“芬恩应该因为诈骗而被捕，”

a local once grumbled to the Santa Fe New Mexican—or that it was discovered long ago and never reported.

或者它很久前就被发现了，但是却没有被报道。

Some frightening people have come out of the woodwork in search of the valuable cache.

一些可怕的人突然冒出来寻找这些珍贵的宝藏。

A Nevada man pleaded guilty to stalking after he became convinced that the treasure was actually Fenn's granddaughter.

一名内华达州男子承认，在他确信宝藏实际上是芬恩的孙女后，他曾跟踪过芬恩。

Another searcher, a Pennsylvania man who was certain that it was hidden in Fenn's home, was arrested after he used an ax to break in.

另一名搜寻者是宾夕法尼亚州的一名男子，他确信宝藏藏在芬恩的家中。他在用斧头破门而入后被捕。

And Fenn write to one overeager sleuth, "please don't dig up my parents' graves."

芬恩给过于热切的侦探写信，“请不要挖我父母的坟墓。”