IN the low-pitched, crooked little hut of Artyom, the forester, two men were sitting under the big dark ikon—Artyom himself, a short and lean peasant with a wrinkled, aged-looking face and a little beard that grew out of his neck, and a well-grown young man in a new crimson shirt and big wading boots, who had been out hunting and come in for the night. —-
在低矮而弯曲的阿尔秋姆森林管理员的小茅屋里，有两个人坐在大而黑暗的圣像下。阿尔秋姆本人是一个矮小而瘦弱的农民，面容皱纹累累，颈部长着一小撮胡须。另外一个人是一个身材魁梧的年轻人，身穿一件新的深红色衬衫，脚踏着大靴子。他刚从外面打猎回来，准备过夜。 —-

They were sitting on a bench at a little three-legged table on which a tallow candle stuck into a bottle was lazily burning.
他们坐在一个小三条腿的桌子旁的长凳上，桌子上插着一支蜡烛，懒洋洋地燃烧着。

Outside the window the darkness of the night was full of the noisy uproar into which nature usually breaks out before a thunderstorm. —-
窗外的黑暗中弥漫着一片喧嚣，这是雷暴前大自然通常爆发的声响。 —-

The wind howled angrily and the bowed trees moaned miserably. —-
风怒号着，低头的树若有所思地呻吟。 —-

One pane of the window had been pasted up with paper, and leaves torn off by the wind could be heard pattering against the paper.
窗户上有一块用纸粘上的玻璃，被风吹来的树叶可以听到拍打着纸的声音。

“I tell you what, good Christian,” said Artyom in a hoarse little tenor half-whisper, staring with unblinking, scared-looking eyes at the hunter. —-
“我告诉你，善良的基督徒，”阿尔秋姆用一种沙哑的小男高音半压低的声音说道，他不眨眼地盯着猎人，神情惊恐。 —-

“I am not afraid of wolves or bears, or wild beasts of any sort, but I am afraid of man. —-
“我不怕狼、熊，或者任何野兽，但我害怕人。 —-

You can save yourself from beasts with a gun or some other weapon, but you have no means of saving yourself from a wicked man.”
你可以用枪或其他武器保护自己免受野兽的伤害，但你没有办法保护自己免受恶人的伤害。”

“To be sure, you can fire at a beast, but if you shoot at a robber you will have to answer for it: —-
“当然了，你可以向野兽开枪，但如果你向强盗开枪，你必须为此负责： —-

you will go to Siberia.”
你会被流放到西伯利亚。”

“I’ve been forester, my lad, for thirty years, and I couldn’t tell you what I have had to put up with from wicked men. —-
“我做了三十年的森林管理员，我的小伙子，我告诉不尽我遭受过的恶人之苦。 —-

There have been lots and lots of them here. —-
这里来了很多很多坏蛋。 —-

The hut’s on a track, it’s a cart-road, and that brings them, the devils. —-
小屋在一条道路上，是个马车道，这就引来了他们，这些可恶之人。 —-

Every sort of ruffian turns up, and without taking off his cap or making the sign of the cross, bursts straight in upon one with: —-
各种各样的流氓会出现，他们不揭帽子，也不做十字架的手势，径直冲进来说： —-

‘Give us some bread, you old so-and-so.’ And where am I to get bread for him? —-
‘给我们点面包，你这个老家伙。’那我给他提供面包的地方在哪里呢？ —-

What claim has he? Am I a millionaire to feed every drunkard that passes? —-
他提出了什么要求？我是个百万富翁吗，能养活每个经过的醉鬼吗？ —-

They are half-blind with spite. . . . They have no cross on them, the devils . . . . —-
他们怨恨地目光模糊不清…他们身上没有十字架，他们是魔鬼… —-

They’ll give you a clout on the ear and not think twice about it: ‘Give us bread! —-
他们会给你一个耳光，丝毫不会考虑：“给我们面包吧！ —-

’ Well, one gives it. . . . One is not going to fight with them, the idols! —-
“好吧，就给吧…不会跟他们争吵，这些偶像！” —-

Some of them are two yards across the shoulders, and a great fist as big as your boot, and you see the sort of figure I am. —-
他们中的一些肩膀有两码宽，拳头大得和你的靴子一样大，你看到了我这样的体型。 —-

One of them could smash me with his little finger. . . . —-
他们中的一个用小手指就能摧毁我… —-

Well, one gives him bread and he gobbles it up, and stretches out full length across the hut with not a word of thanks. —-
“好吧，给他面包他就狼吞虎咽地吃掉，然后横躺在屋子里，一句感谢的话也没有。” —-

And there are some that ask for money. ‘Tell me, where is your money? —-
还有一些人要钱。“告诉我，你的钱在哪里？ —-

’ As though I had money! How should I come by it?”
“好像我有钱一样！我怎么会有钱呢？”

“A forester and no money!” laughed the hunter. —-
“你每个月都有工资，我敢说你私下里偷卖木材。” —-

“You get wages every month, and I’ll be bound you sell timber on the sly.”
阿尔铁姆小心翼翼地斜视着他的访客，像喜鹊拖曳尾巴一样扯动着胡须。

Artyom took a timid sideway glance at his visitor and twitched his beard as a magpie twitches her tail.
“你还年轻，不应该对我说出这样的话，”他说。

“You are still young to say a thing like that to me,” he said. —-
“你要对上帝负责你的言辞。 —-

“You will have to answer to God for those words. —-
“你们是什么人？你们从哪里来？” —-

Whom may your people be? Where do you come from?”
请问你的民族是什么？你来自哪里？”

“I am from Vyazovka. I am the son of Nefed the village elder.”
“我来自维亚佐夫卡。我是村长内费德的儿子。”

“You have gone out for sport with your gun. I used to like sport, too, when I was young. H’m! —-
“你带着枪出去打猎了。我年轻的时候也喜欢运动。嗯！” —-

Ah, our sins are grievous,” said Artyom, with a yawn. “It’s a sad thing! —-
“啊，我们的罪孽确实严重，”阿尔捷姆打着哈欠说。“真是个悲哀的事情！ —-

There are few good folks, but villains and murderers no end—God have mercy upon us.”
“好人少，恶棍和杀人犯却不计其数——愿上帝怜悯我们。”

“You seem to be frightened of me, too. . . .”
“你好像也害怕我……”

“Come, what next! What should I be afraid of you for? I see. . . . I understand. . . . —-
“来吧，下一步是什么！我为什么要害怕你？我懂……” —-

You came in, and not just anyhow, but you made the sign of the cross, you bowed, all decent and proper. —-
“你进来了，而且不是随便进来，还十字架，还鞠躬，都很得体。 —-

. . . I understand. . . . One can give you bread. . . . —-
“我懂……你可以吃面包……” —-

I am a widower, I don’t heat the stove, I sold the samovar. . . . —-
“我是个鳏夫，我不生火，我卖了茶炉……” —-

I am too poor to keep meat or anything else, but bread you are welcome to.”
“我太穷了，没法存肉或其他东西，但面包你想吃多少就吃多少。”

At that moment something began growling under the bench: the growl was followed by a hiss. —-
此时，长椅下开始低吼：低吼后是一声嘶嘶声。 —-

Artyom started, drew up his legs, and looked enquiringly at the hunter.
阿尔捷姆吓了一跳，蜷缩起腿，疑惑地看着猎人。

“It’s my dog worrying your cat,” said the hunter. “You devils! —-
“那是我的狗在打你的猫，”猎人说。“你们这些恶魔！ —-

” he shouted under the bench. “Lie down. You’ll be beaten. —-
”他在长椅下喊道。“躺下。否则会挨打的。 —-

I say, your cat’s thin, mate! She is nothing but skin and bone.”
哎，你的猫太瘦了！只剩下皮包骨头了。”

“She is old, it is time she was dead. . . . So you say you are from Vyazovka?”
“她年纪大了，是时候她去世了……所以你说你来自Vyazovka？”

“I see you don’t feed her. Though she’s a cat she’s a creature . . . —-
“我看见你不喂她。虽然她是只猫，但她也是个生物…… —-

every breathing thing. You should have pity on her!”
每一个呼吸的生物。你应该对她怜悯！”

“You are a queer lot in Vyazovka,” Artyom went on, as though not listening. —-
“你们在Vyazovka真是一群奇怪的人”，Artyom继续说道，似乎没有在听。 —-

“The church has been robbed twice in one year. . . To think that there are such wicked men! —-
“教堂在一年内被抢劫了两次……想想看有这样邪恶的人存在！ —-

So they fear neither man nor God! To steal what is the Lord’s! —-
他们既不怕人也不敬畏上帝！竟然去偷主的东西！ —-

Hanging’s too good for them! In old days the governors used to have such rogues flogged.”
绞刑对他们来说太好了！在过去，州长们会鞭打这样的流氓。”

“However you punish, whether it is with flogging or anything else, it will be no good, you will not knock the wickedness out of a wicked man.”
“无论你用什么方式惩罚，无论是鞭打还是其他，都没有用，你无法敲出一个坏人身上的邪恶。”

“Save and preserve us, Queen of Heaven!” The forester sighed abruptly. —-
“拯救并保佑我们，天上的女王！”林务员突然叹了口气。 —-

“Save us from all enemies and evildoers. —-
“拯救我们脱离一切敌人和恶人。 —-

Last week at Volovy Zaimishtchy, a mower struck another on the chest with his scythe . . . —-
上周在Volovy Zaimishtchy，一名割草工用镰刀击打另一名人的胸膛…… —-

he killed him outright! And what was it all about, God bless me! —-
他马上就把他杀了！这到底是因为什么啊，天啊！ —-

One mower came out of the tavern . . . drunk. —-
一个割草工从酒馆出来……喝醉了。 —-

The other met him, drunk too.”
另一个遇到他，也喝醉了。”

The young man, who had been listening attentively, suddenly started, and his face grew tense as he listened.
年轻人一直在专心听着，突然他动了一下，脸色变得紧张，听得入神。

“Stay,” he said, interrupting the forester. “I fancy someone is shouting.”
“等等,”他打断了林务员。“我觉得有人在喊。”

The hunter and the forester fell to listening with their eyes fixed on the window. —-
猎人和林木管理员眼睛盯着窗户，倾听起来。 —-

Through the noise of the forest they could hear sounds such as the strained ear can always distinguish in every storm, so that it was difficult to make out whether people were calling for help or whether the wind was wailing in the chimney. —-
在这片森林的噪音中，他们能够听到那种在每场暴风雨中耳朵都能辨别出来的声音，以至于很难弄清楚是人们在呼救，还是风在烟囱中呼啸。 —-

But the wind tore at the roof, tapped at the paper on the window, and brought a distinct shout of “Help!”
但风在屋顶上肆虐，敲打着窗户上的纸，传来了一声清晰的“救命！”

“Talk of your murderers,” said the hunter, turning pale and getting up. —-
“说到谋杀犯啊”，猎人说着脸色变白，站了起来。 —-

“Someone is being robbed!”
“有人被抢劫了！”

“Lord have mercy on us,” whispered the forester, and he, too, turned pale and got up.
“主啊，怜悯我们”，林木管理员低声说道，他也变得苍白，并站了起来。

The hunter looked aimlessly out of window and walked up and down the hut.
猎人茫然地朝窗外看着，踱来踱去。

“What a night, what a night!” he muttered. —-
“多么可怕的夜晚，多么可怕的夜晚！”他嘟哝着。 —-

“You can’t see your hand before your face! —-
“你连手都看不见了！ —-

The very time for a robbery. Do you hear? —-
这正是抢劫的时候，你听到了吗？ —-

There is a shout again.”
又有喊声了。”

The forester looked at the ikon and from the ikon turned his eyes upon the hunter, and sank on to the bench, collapsing like a man terrified by sudden bad news.
林木管理员看着圣像，然后从圣像上转向猎人，瘫坐在长椅上，像是被突如其来的坏消息吓坏了的人。

“Good Christian,” he said in a tearful voice, “you might go into the passage and bolt the door. —-
“好的基督徒”，他用哭腔说道，“你可以走到走廊锁上门。 —-

And we must put out the light.”
我们必须把灯熄灭。”

“What for?”
“为什么？”

“By ill-luck they may find their way here. . . . Oh, our sins!”
“不幸的是，他们可能会找到这里. . . 哦，我们的罪孽！”

“We ought to be going, and you talk of bolting the door! You are a clever one! Are you coming?”
“我们应该走了，你还谈论锁门！你真聪明！你来吗？”

The hunter threw his gun over his shoulder and picked up his cap.
猎人把枪背在肩上，拿起了他的帽子。

“Get ready, take your gun. Hey, Flerka, here,” he called to his dog. “Flerka!”
“准备好，拿起你的枪。嘿，弗勒卡，过来，”他对他的狗喊道。“弗勒卡！”

A dog with long frayed ears, a mongrel between a setter and a house-dog, came out from under the bench. —-
一只长长的、耳朵破烂的、介于猎犬和家狗之间的杂种狗从长凳下面走了出来。 —-

He stretched himself by his master’s feet and wagged his tail.
它在主人脚边舒展了一下，摇着尾巴。

“Why are you sitting there?” cried the hunter to the forester. “You mean to say you are not going?”
“你在那里坐着干什么？”猎人对护林员喊道。“你是说你不去了吗？”

“Where?”
“去哪里？”

“To help!”
“帮忙！”

“How can I?” said the forester with a wave of his hand, shuddering all over. —-
“我怎么可以？”护林员挥了挥手，浑身颤抖。 —-

“I can’t bother about it!”
“我不能操心这些事情！”

“Why won’t you come?”
“你为什么不来？”

“After talking of such dreadful things I won’t stir a step into the darkness. —-
“在谈过这样可怕的事情之后，我不会踏进黑暗的一步。 —-

Bless them! And what should I go for?”
祝福他们！我为什么要去？”

“What are you afraid of? Haven’t you got a gun? Let us go, please do. —-
“你害怕什么？你有枪吗？让我们走吧，拜托。” —-

It’s scaring to go alone; it will be more cheerful, the two of us. —-
一个人去有点可怕；我们两个人会更愉快。 —-

Do you hear? There was a shout again. Get up!”
你听到了吗？又有人喊了。起床！

“Whatever do you think of me, lad?” wailed the forester. —-
“你怎么想我，小子？”林务员嚎啕大哭。 —-

“Do you think I am such a fool to go straight to my undoing?”
“你以为我是傻瓜，会主动去招致灾祸吗？”

“So you are not coming?”
“那你不来了？”

The forester did not answer. The dog, probably hearing a human cry, gave a plaintive whine.
林务员没有回答。狗可能听到了人的呼喊，发出一声哀怨的呜咽。

“Are you coming, I ask you?” cried the hunter, rolling his eyes angrily.
“你来不来，我问你？”猎人怒视着他的眼睛。

“You do keep on, upon my word,” said the forester with annoyance. “Go yourself.”
“真是让人恼火，你说个不停，天哪。”林务员愤怒地说。“你自己去吧。”

“Ugh! . . . low cur,” growled the hunter, turning towards the door. “Flerka, here!”
“呸！……卑鄙的畜生。”猎人咆哮着走向门。“弗莱卡，过来！”

He went out and left the door open. The wind flew into the hut. —-
他走出去，把门敞开。风迅速吹进了屋子。 —-

The flame of the candle flickered uneasily, flared up, and went out.
蜡烛的火焰不安地摇曳着，猛然烧起来，然后熄灭了。

As he bolted the door after the hunter, the forester saw the puddles in the track, the nearest pine-trees, and the retreating figure of his guest lighted up by a flash of lightning. —-
当林务员在追赶猎人之后把门闩上时，他看到了道路上的水洼、最近的松树，以及退去的闪电照亮的客人的身影。 —-

Far away he heard the rumble of thunder.
远处传来了雷声的隆隆声。

“Holy, holy, holy,” whispered the forester, making haste to thrust the thick bolt into the great iron rings. —-
“圣哉，圣哉，圣哉。”林务员低声说着，急忙将厚厚的门闩插入巨大的铁环中。 —-

“What weather the Lord has sent us!”
“上帝给我们带来了什么天气啊！”

Going back into the room, he felt his way to the stove, lay down, and covered himself from head to foot. —-
走回房间，他摸索到炉子旁，躺了下来，脑袋到脚都盖住了。 —-

Lying under the sheepskin and listening intently, he could no longer hear the human cry, but the peals of thunder kept growing louder and more prolonged. —-
躺在羊皮下，用心倾听，他听不到人类的哭声了，但打雷声越来越响，时间也越来越长。 —-

He could hear the big wind-lashed raindrops pattering angrily on the panes and on the paper of the window.
他听到大风吹打着窗户和纸上的雨滴，生气地滴答着。

“He’s gone on a fool’s errand,” he thought, picturing the hunter soaked with rain and stumbling over the tree-stumps. —-
“他上当了”，他想象着猎人浑身湿透、绊倒在树桩上。 —-

“I bet his teeth are chattering with terror!”
“我敢打赌他吓得牙齿直打颤！”

Not more than ten minutes later there was a sound of footsteps, followed by a loud knock at the door.
不到十分钟过后，传来脚步声，随后是一声响亮的敲门声。

“Who’s there?” cried the forester.
“谁啊？”林务员喊道。

“It’s I,” he heard the young man’s voice. “Unfasten the door.”
“是我”，他听到年轻人的声音说道。”打开门。”

The forester clambered down from the stove, felt for the candle, and, lighting it, went to the door. The hunter and his dog were drenched to the skin. —-
林务员从炉子上爬下来，摸索着找到了蜡烛，点燃它，走到了门口。那个猎人和他的狗已经浑身湿透了。 —-

They had come in for the heaviest of the downpour, and now the water ran from them as from washed clothes before they have been wrung out.
他们刚好遇上了最大的一场倾盆大雨，现在水从他们身上像被洗过一样流淌出来，还没拧干。

“What was it?” asked the forester.
“发生了什么？”林务员问道。

“A peasant woman driving in a cart; she had got off the road . . . —-
“一位农妇开着马车，她跑出了道路…”年轻人气喘吁吁地回答道。 —-

” answered the young man, struggling with his breathlessness. —-
“她被困在了丛林里。” —-

“She was caught in a thicket.”
“啊，这傻瓜！她肯定吓坏了。。。那么，你把她带上道路了吗?”

“Ah, the silly thing! She was frightened, then. . . . Well, did you put her on the road?”
林务员问道。

“I don’t care to talk to a scoundrel like you.”
“像你这样的恶棍，我可不想和你说话。”

The young man flung his wet cap on the bench and went on:
年轻人把湿透的帽子扔在长椅上，然后继续说道：

“I know now that you are a scoundrel and the lowest of men. —-
“现在我知道你是个恶棍，是最卑劣的人。” —-

And you a keeper, too, getting a salary! You blackguard!”
“你还是个守林人，拿着薪水！你这个流氓！”

The forester slunk with a guilty step to the stove, cleared his throat, and lay down. —-
守林人沮丧地走到火炉旁，清了清嗓子，然后躺下。 —-

The young man sat on the bench, thought a little, and lay down on it full length. —-
年轻人坐在长椅上，想了一会儿，然后躺了下来。 —-

Not long afterwards he got up, put out the candle, and lay down again. —-
不久之后，他起身，把蜡烛灭了，又躺了下来。 —-

During a particularly loud clap of thunder he turned over, spat on the floor, and growled out:
在一声特别响亮的雷声中，他翻了个身，朝地上吐了口痰，咕哝道：

“He’s afraid. . . . And what if the woman were being murdered? —-
“他害怕……如果那个女人被谋杀了怎么办？ —-

Whose business is it to defend her? And he an old man, too, and a Christian . —-
谁来保护她？他也是个老人，还是个基督徒…… —-

. . . He’s a pig and nothing else.”
……他是个畜生，什么都不是。”

The forester cleared his throat and heaved a deep sigh. —-
守林人清了清嗓子，深深地叹了口气。 —-

Somewhere in the darkness Flerka shook his wet coat vigorously, which sent drops of water flying about all over the room.
在黑暗中，弗莱卡猛烈地摇动湿透的外套，水滴四溅，弄得屋子里到处都是水。

“So you wouldn’t care if the woman were murdered?” the hunter went on. —-
“那么如果那个女人被谋杀了，你不在乎？”猎人接着说。 —-

“Well—strike me, God—I had no notion you were that sort of man. . . .”
“唔——天啊——真没想到你是那种人……”

A silence followed. The thunderstorm was by now over and the thunder came from far away, but it was still raining.
一阵寂静随之而来。雷电风暴已经过去，雷声由远而近，但仍在下雨。

“And suppose it hadn’t been a woman but you shouting ‘Help!’? —-
“如果不是一个女人，而是你大喊‘救命’，那会怎样呢？ —-

” said the hunter, breaking the silence. —-
”猎人打破了寂静。 —-

“How would you feel, you beast, if no one ran to your aid? —-
“如果没有人跑来帮助你，你这个畜生会有什么感受？ —-

You have upset me with your meanness, plague take you!”
你的卑鄙行为让我感到恶心，让瘟疫降临在你身上!”

After another long interval the hunter said:
又过了一段很长的时间，猎人说道：

“You must have money to be afraid of people! —-
“你肯定是有钱才会害怕人！ —-

A man who is poor is not likely to be afraid. . . .”
一个穷人不太可能害怕…..”

“For those words you will answer before God,” Artyom said hoarsely from the stove. —-
“为了你刚才那些话，你将在上帝面前负责，”阿尔乔姆从炉子里嘶哑地说道。 —-

“I have no money.”
“我没有钱。”

“I dare say! Scoundrels always have money. . . . Why are you afraid of people, then? —-
“我敢说！恶棍们总是有钱………你怎么会害怕人？ —-

So you must have! I’d like to take and rob you for spite, to teach you a lesson! . . .”
那你一定有钱！我想抢劫你来发泄，好好教训教训你！……”

Artyom slipped noiselessly from the stove, lighted a candle, and sat down under the holy image. —-
阿尔乔姆悄无声息地从炉子里走了出来，点亮了蜡烛，坐在了圣像下。 —-

He was pale and did not take his eyes off the hunter.
他的脸色苍白，目不转睛地盯着猎人。

“Here, I’ll rob you,” said the hunter, getting up. “What do you think about it? —-
“好，我就抢劫你，”猎人站起来说。“你怎么看？ —-

Fellows like you want a lesson. Tell me, where is your money hidden?”
像你这样的家伙需要上一课。告诉我，你把钱藏在哪里？”

Artyom drew his legs up under him and blinked. “What are you wriggling for? —-
阿尔乔姆把腿卷到了身下，眨了眨眼睛。“你为什么在蠕动？ —-

Where is your money hidden? Have you lost your tongue, you fool? —-
你把钱藏在哪里？难道你失言了，你这个傻瓜？ —-

Why don’t you answer?”
你为什么不回答？”

The young man jumped up and went up to the forester.
年轻人跳了起来，走向林务员。

“He is blinking like an owl! Well? Give me your money, or I will shoot you with my gun.”
“他眨眼睛就像猫头鹰！怎样？把你的钱给我，否则我就用枪打死你。”

“Why do you keep on at me?” squealed the forester, and big tears rolled from his eyes. —-
“你为什么一直纠缠着我？”林务员尖声说道，大泪珠从他的眼睛中滚落下来。 —-

“What’s the reason of it? God sees all! —-
“这是为什么？上帝无所不知！ —-

You will have to answer, for every word you say, to God. You have no right whatever to ask for my money.”
你将不得不对每一个你说的话向上帝负责。你无权要求我的钱。”

The young man looked at Artyom’s tearful face, frowned, and walked up and down the hut, then angrily clapped his cap on his head and picked up his gun.
年轻人看着阿尔乔姆满是泪水的脸，皱了皱眉头，来回在小屋里走动，然后愤怒地帽子戴上头，拿起枪。

“Ugh! . . . ugh! . . . it makes me sick to look at you,” he filtered through his teeth. —-
“呸！..呸！..看你就恶心，”他咬字嘶嘶地说道。 —-

“I can’t bear the sight of you. I won’t sleep in your house, anyway. —-
“我无法忍受看到你。反正我是不会在你的房子里睡的。 —-

Good-bye! Hey, Flerka!”
再见！嘿，弗莱尔卡！”

The door slammed and the troublesome visitor went out with his dog. . . . —-
门“砰”的一声关上，令人讨厌的访客带着他的狗走了出去…. —-

Artyom bolted the door after him, crossed himself, and lay down.
阿尔乔姆把门锁上，做了个十字架，然后躺下来。