A lank, strong, red-faced man with a Wellington beak and small, fiery eyes tempered by flaxen lashes, sat on the station platform at Los Pinos swinging his legs to and fro. —
一个身材矮小、强壮、面色红润、眼睛小而炯炯有神，鹿皮色的长睫毛让其显得有些狡黠的男人，坐在洛斯皮诺斯车站的站台上，腿儿来回荡着。 —

At his side sat another man, fat, melancholy, and seedy, who seemed to be his friend. —
他身旁坐着另一个样子肥胖、郁郁寡欢且穿着破旧的男人，看起来像是他的朋友。 —

They had the appearance of men to whom life had appeared as a reversible coat– seamy on both sides.
他们给人一种生活看似变化无常的感觉，就像一件双面可见的旧外套－无论哪一面都有破损。

“Ain’t seen you in about four years, Ham,” said the seedy man. “Which way you been travelling?”
“好几年没见到你了，汉姆，”那个破旧男人说道，“最近去了哪里？”

“Texas,” said the red-faced man. —
“去了德克萨斯州，”那红润面色的男人说， —

“It was too cold in Alaska for me. —
“阿拉斯加对我来说太冷了。” —

And I found it warm in Texas. I’ll tell you about one hot spell I went through there.
“而且我发现德克萨斯州很温暖。我给你讲个那里闹的一个热天。”

“One morning I steps off the International at a water-tank and lets it go on without me. —
“有一天早晨，我从国际大巴上下来，在一个水箱旁下了车，让它继续走了。 —

‘Twas a ranch country, and fuller of spite-houses than New York City. Only out there they build ‘em twenty miles away so you can’t smell what they’ve got for dinner, instead of running ‘em up two inches from their neighbors’ windows.
‘那是个养牧场的区域，比纽约市的短斤缺两的户型房还多。只不过在那里他们会在20英里之外建造，这样你就闻不到他们晚餐的气味了，而不是挨着邻居窗户两厢作对。”

“There wasn’t any roads in sight, so I footed it ‘cross country. —
“视野中没有任何道路，所以我步行穿过乡村。 —

The grass was shoe-top deep, and the mesquite timber looked just like a peach orchard. —
草丛齐踝深，刺槐林看起来就像桃园一样。 —

It was so much like a gentleman’s private estate that every minute you expected a kennelful of bulldogs to run out and bite you. —
这地方就像绅士的私人庄园，每一分钟你都预期会有一群斗牛犬冲出来咬你。 —

But I must have walked twenty miles before I came in sight of a ranch-house. —
但在我看到一个牧场房屋之前，我一定已经走了二十英里。 —

It was a little one, about as big as an elevated- railroad station.
那是一个很小的，大概像高架铁路站一样大。

“There was a little man in a white shirt and brown overalls and a pink handkerchief around his neck rolling cigarettes under a tree in front of the door.
“门前树下，有一个身穿白色衬衫和棕色工作裤，脖子上围着一条粉红手帕的矮个子在滚烟卷。

”‘Greetings,’ says I. ‘Any refreshment, welcome, emoluments, or even work for a comparative stranger?’
“‘你好，”我说。’能提供点茶点、欢迎、利益，甚至是给个陌生人点工作吗？’

”‘Oh, come in,’ says he, in a refined tone. —
“‘哦，进来吧，”他说，语气温文尔雅。 —

‘Sit down on that stool, please. —
’请坐在那个凳子上。 —

I didn’t hear your horse coming.’
我没有听到你的马脚声。’

”‘He isn’t near enough yet,’ says I. ‘I walked. —
“‘它还没靠近，”我说。’我是步行来的。 —

I don’t want to be a burden, but I wonder if you have three or four gallons of water handy.’
我不想成为负担，但请问你有三四加仑的水吗？’”

”‘You do look pretty dusty,’ says he; —
“他说：’你看起来确实很满是尘土， —

‘but our bathing arrangements–’
但我们有洗澡的安排……’ “

”‘It’s a drink I want,’ says I. ‘Never mind the dust that’s on the outside.’
“我说：’我要的是饮料。不要紧在外面有多少尘土。’”

“He gets me a dipper of water out of a red jar hanging up, and then goes on:
他给我端来了一个挂着的红瓶子的水罐，然后继续说：

”‘Do you want work?’
“你想要工作吗？”

”‘For a time,’ says I. ‘This is a rather quiet section of the country, isn’t it?’
我说：”暂时要。这里是一个相当安静的地方，是吗？”

”‘It is,’ says he. ‘Sometimes–so I have been told–one sees no human being pass for weeks at a time. —
“是的，”他说。”有时候——据我听说——会有好几个星期没有人经过。” —

I’ve been here only a month. —
我在这儿只有一个月。 —

I bought the ranch from an old settler who wanted to move farther west.’
我从一个想往西移动的老拓荒者手里买下了这个牧场。”

”‘It suits me,’ says I. ‘Quiet and retirement are good for a man sometimes. —
“这个地方适合我，”我说。”安静和隐居有时对一个人很好。而且我需要一份工作。我会经营酒吧、盐矿、演讲、经营股票市场， —

And I need a job. —
可以打打轻量级拳击，还会弹钢琴。” —

I can tend bar, salt mines, lecture, float stock, do a little middle-weight slugging, and play the piano.’
“你会放羊吗？” 那个小牧场主问道。

”‘Can you herd sheep ?’ asks the little ranch-man.
“你是说我听说过放羊吗？”我说。

”‘Do you mean have I heard sheep?’ says I.
“你会放羊吗——负责一群羊吗？”他说。

”‘Can you herd ‘em–take charge of a flock of ‘em ?’ says he.
“啊，”我说，”现在我明白了。你是说追着它们跑，并像牧羊犬一样对它们吠叫。”

”‘Oh,’ says I, ‘now I understand. —
“原来是这样，他赶紧说，” —

You mean chase ‘em around and bark at ‘em like collie dogs. —
那么你愿意来给我的羊群放羊吗？” —

Well, I might,’ says I. ‘I’ve never exactly done any sheep-herding, but I’ve often seen ‘em from car windows masticating daisies, and they don’t look dangerous.’
‘嗯，也许吧，’我说。’虽然我从来没有过养羊的经验，但我经常从车窗里看到它们吃着菊花，看起来并不危险。’

”‘I’m short a herder,’ says the ranchman. —
‘我手下缺了一个牧羊人，’ —

‘You never can depend on the Mexicans. —
牧场主说道。’墨西哥人从来靠不住。 —

I’ve only got two flocks. —
我只有两群羊。 —

You may take out my bunch of muttons–there are only eight hundred of ‘em–in the morning, if you like. —
早上你可以带出我的一批羊肉，只有八百只。如果你愿意的话。 —

The pay is twelve dollars a month and your rations furnished. You camp in a tent on the prairie with your sheep. —
薪水是每月十二美元，并提供口粮。你在草原上用帐篷露宿，和羊在一起。 —

You do your own cooking, but wood and water are brought to your camp. —
你要自己做饭，但是木材和水会送到你的营地。 —

It’s an easy job.’
这是一份轻松的工作。

”‘I’m on,’ says I. ‘I’ll take the job even if I have to garland my brow and hold on to a crook and wear a loose-effect and play on a pipe like the shepherds do in pictures.’
‘我答应了，’我说。’即使我不得不戴上花环，拿着牧羊杖，穿上宽松的服装，像图片中的牧羊人一样吹奏笛子，我也愿意。

“So the next morning the little ranchman helps me drive the flock of muttons from the corral to about two miles out and let ‘em graze on a little hillside on the prairie. —
‘于是第二天早上，那个小牧场主帮我把这群羊从围栏里赶出来，让它们在草原上的一处小山坡上吃草。 —

He gives me a lot of instructions about not letting bunches of them stray off from the herd, and driving ‘em down to a water-hole to drink at noon.
他给了我很多关于不让它们离开群体、中午时分将它们赶到水坑喝水的指示。

”‘I’ll bring out your tent and camping outfit and rations in the buckboard before night,’ says he.
“‘我会在天黑前用马车给你拿出帐篷、野营装备和口粮，’他说。”

”‘Fine,’ says I. ‘And don’t forget the rations. —
“‘很好，’我说。‘别忘了口粮。 —

Nor the camping outfit. And be sure to bring the tent. —
也别忘了野营装备。还有记得带帐篷。 —

Your name’s Zollicoffer, ain’t it?”
你叫佐利科夫，对吧？’”

”‘My name,’ says he, ‘is Henry Ogden.’
“‘我的名字，’他说，‘是亨利·奥格登。’”

”‘All right, Mr. Ogden,’ says I. ‘Mine is Mr. Percival Saint Clair.’
“‘好的，奥格登先生，’我说。‘我叫珀西瓦尔·圣克莱尔先生。’”

“I herded sheep for five days on the Rancho Chiquito; —
“我在奇奎多牧场牧羊了五天；然后， —

and then the wool entered my soul. —
羊毛进入了我的灵魂。 —

That getting next to Nature certainly got next to me. —
那种亲近大自然的感觉确实深深影响了我。” —

I was lonesomer than Crusoe’s goat. —
“我比十字绣羊更寂寞。 —

I’ve seen a lot of persons more entertaining as companions than those sheep were. —
我见过比那些羊更有趣的人。” —

I’d drive ‘em to the corral and pen ‘em every evening, and then cook my corn-bread and mutton and coffee, and lie down in a tent the size of a table-cloth, and listen to the coyotes and whippoorwills singing around the camp.
“我每天晚上都会把它们赶到圈舍然后关起来，然后煮玉米面包、羊肉和咖啡，躺在比桌布还小的帐篷里，听着郊狼和布谷鸟在营地周围唱歌。”

“The fifth evening, after I had corralled my costly but uncongenial muttons, I walked over to the ranch-house and stepped in the door.
第五天晚上，我圈住了我那些昂贵但合群的绵羊，走到了牧场房子门口，迈进了门。

”‘Mr. Ogden,’ says I, ‘you and me have got to get sociable. —
“奥格登先生，”我说，“你和我必须要变得可以相互交谈。 —

Sheep are all very well to dot the landscape and furnish eight-dollar cotton suitings for man, but for table-talk and fireside companions they rank along with five-o’clock teazers. —
绵羊可以点缀风景，为人类提供价值八美元的棉质套装，但作为餐桌上的话题和炉边的伴侣，它们只能放在和五点钟刺激品一起。 —

If you’ve got a deck of cards, or a parcheesi outfit, or a game of authors, get ‘em out, and let’s get on a mental basis. —
如果你有一副扑克牌，或者扑克牌游戏，或者一副作家游戏，拿出来，让我们达到心灵的共鸣。 —

I’ve got to do something in an intellectual line, if it’s only to knock somebody’s brains out.’
我必须在智力上做点什么，即使只是敲敲某人的脑袋。”

“This Henry Ogden was a peculiar kind of ranchman. —
这个亨利·奥格登是一种特殊类型的农场主。 —

He wore finger- rings and a big gold watch and careful neckties. —
他戴着戒指，戴着一块大金表，领带打理得很得体。 —

And his face was calm, and his nose-spectacles was kept very shiny. —
他的脸看起来很平静，鼻子上那副眼镜总是保持得很亮。 —

I saw once, in Muscogee, an outlaw hung for murdering six men, who was a dead ringer for him. —
我曾经在马斯科吉见过一个因谋杀六人而被绞死的逃犯，他长得跟他一模一样。 —

But I knew a preacher in Arkansas that you would have taken to be his brother. —
但是，我认识一个在阿肯色州的传教士，你可能会以为他是他的兄弟。 —

I didn’t care much for him either way; —
无论如何，我对他都不太在乎； —

what I wanted was some fellowship and communion with holy saints or lost sinners–anything sheepless would do.
我想要的是与圣徒或迷失的罪人共同交流和交往——任何没有羊的都行。

”‘Well, Saint Clair,’ says he, laying down the book he was reading, ‘I guess it must be pretty lonesome for you at first. —
“’好吧，圣·克莱尔（Saint Clair），’ 他说着放下了他正在看的书， ‘我猜你刚开始会觉得很孤单。 —

And I don’t deny that it’s monotonous for me. —
我并不否认对我来说很单调。 —

Are you sure you corralled your sheep so they won’t stray out ?
你确定你把你的羊圈住了，它们不会走失吗？

”‘They’re shut up as tight as the jury of a millionaire murderer,’ says I. ‘And I’ll be back with them long before they’ll need their trained nurse.’
“’它们被关得像百万富翁杀人凶手的陪审团，’ 我说。’在它们需要护士照料之前，我就会带它们回来。’

“So Ogden digs up a deck of cards, and we play casino. —
于是，奥格登找出一副扑克牌，我们玩起了赌场。 —

After five days and nights of my sheep-camp it was like a toot on Broadway. —
在经过五天五夜的羊圈生活后，这就像在百老汇上的一场酒会一样令人兴奋。 —

When I caught big casino I felt as excited as if I had made a million in Trinity. —
当我拿到大的梭哈时，我感到兴奋得就好像我在三位一体教堂里赚了一百万。 —

And when H. O. loosened up a little and told the story about the lady in the Pullman car I laughed for five minutes.
当H.O.放松一下，讲了关于普尔曼车上那位女士的故事时，我笑了五分钟。

“That showed what a comparative thing life is. —
“这说明了生活是多么有比较性的事情。 —

A man may see so much that he’d be bored to turn his head to look at a $3, 000,000 fire or Joe Weber or the Adriatic Sea. But let him herd sheep for a spell, and you’ll see him splitting his ribs laughing at ‘Curfew Shall Not Ring To-night,’ or really enjoying himself playing cards with ladies.
一个人可能见过如此之多，以至于他对一场价值300万美元的大火、乔·韦伯或亚得里亚海都不感兴趣。但让他去放羊一段时间，你会看到他会开怀大笑看《钟声不要敲晚》，或者与女士们玩牌时真正地享受自己。”

“By-and-by Ogden gets out a decanter of Bourbon, and then there is a total eclipse of sheep.
“不久之后，奥格登拿出一瓶波旁威士忌，然后羊就完全被遮蔽了。”

”‘Do you remember reading in the papers, about a month ago,’ says he, ‘about a train hold-up on the M. K. & T.? —
“‘你还记得大约一个月前在报纸上看到的那个消息吗，’他说。‘关于M. K. & T.铁路遭到劫持的那起事故？’” —

The express agent was shot through the shoulder, and about $15,000 in currency taken. —
快递员被子弹射中了肩膀，大约拿走了1.5万美元的现金。 —

And it’s said that only one man did the job.’
据说只有一个人干了这件事。

”‘Seems to me I do,’ says I. ‘But such things happen so often they don’t linger long in the human Texas mind. —
“‘我好像记得，’我说。‘但这类事情发生得太频繁，不会在人们的脑海中停留太久。” —

Did they overtake, overhaul, seize, or lay hands upon the despoiler?’
他们追上、逮捕、抓住或控制住了那个掠夺者吗？”

”‘He escaped,’ says Ogden. ‘And I was just reading in a paper to-day that the officers have tracked him down into this part of the country. —
“奥格登说：’他逃脱了。今天我在报纸上读到，警官们已经找到了他逃到这个地区。’” —

It seems the bills the robber got were all the first issue of currency to the Second National Bank of Espinosa City. And so they’ve followed the trail where they’ve been spent, and it leads this way.’
“看起来，那个劫匪得到的钞票都是第二国家银行发行的首批货币。所以他们一直追踪着这些被花掉的钱的踪迹，而它们的路径指向这个方向。’ “

“Ogden pours out some more Bourbon, and shoves me the bottle.
“奥格登倒了些波旁威士忌，把瓶子递给我。”

”‘I imagine,’ says I, after ingurgitating another modicum of the royal boose, ‘that it wouldn’t be at all a disingenuous idea for a train robber to run down into this part of the country to hide for a spell. —
“在喝下另一小口皇家威士忌后，我说：’我想，对于一个火车抢劫犯来说，跑到这个地区躲藏一段时间一点都不不甚聪明的主意。’” —

A sheep-ranch, now,’ says I, would be the finest kind of a place. —
“养一头绵羊，’我说，’ 那将是最好的办法。’ —

Who’d ever expect to find such a desperate character among these song- birds and muttons and wild flowers? —
“在这些鸟鸣、美味羊肉和野花中，谁会想到找到这样一个绝望的角色？’ —

And, by the way,’ says I, kind of looking H. Ogden over, ‘was there any description mentioned of this single-handed terror? —
“顺便说一句，’我说着，有没有提到这个单枪匪的描述呢？’ —

Was his lineaments or height and thickness or teeth fillings or style of habiliments set forth in print ?’
他的相貌、身高和体型、牙齿的填充物以及服装风格有没有被印刷出来？

”‘Why, no,’ says Ogden; ‘they say nobody got a good sight of him because he wore a mask. —
“不，”奥格登说，“他们说没人能看清他，因为他戴着面具。” —

But they know it was a train-robber called Black Bill, because he always works alone and because he dropped a handkerchief in the express-car that had his name on it.’
但他们知道他是一个叫做布莱克·比尔的抢劫火车的人，因为他总是独自行动，而且由于他在快车厢里掉了一块有他名字的手帕。

”‘All right,’ says I. ‘I approve of Black Bill’s retreat to the sheep-ranges. —
“‘好吧，’我说。‘我同意黑比尔撤退到绵羊地区。 —

I guess they won’t find him.’
我猜他们找不到他。’”

”‘There’s one thousand dollars reward for his capture,’ says Ogden.
“‘抓获他的赏金有一千美元，’奥格登说。”

”‘I don’t need that kind of money,’ says I, looking Mr. Sheepman straight in the eye. —
“‘我不需要那种钱，’我直视着羊业主先生的眼睛说。 —

‘The twelve dollars a month you pay me is enough. —
‘你每月付给我的12美元足够了。’” —

I need a rest, and I can save up until I get enough to pay my fare to Texarkana, where my widowed mother lives. —
“我需要休息，我可以存钱直到攒够足够的费用去德萨卡纳，那里住着我那个丧夫的母亲。” —

If Black Bill,’ I goes on, looking significantly at Ogden, was to have come down this way–say, a month ago–and bought a little sheep-ranch and–’
“如果黑比尔，”我指着奥格登，继续说道，是在一个月前经过这个地区，买了一片小绵羊牧场，然后雇佣了我来照顾它们，像你们一样对我友好公平，他就不用担心我。”

”‘Stop,’ says Ogden, getting out of his chair and looking pretty vicious. —
“‘停一下，’奥格登说着站起来，神情相当恶劣。 —

‘Do you mean to insinuate–’
‘你是想暗示什么吗？’”

”‘Nothing,’ says I; ‘no insinuations. —
“‘没有，’我说。‘没有任何暗示。 —

I’m stating a hypodermical case. —
我只是举了一个假设的例子。’” —

I say, if Black Bill had come down here and bought a sheep- ranch and hired me to Little-Boy-Blue ‘em and treated me square and friendly, as you’ve done, he’d never have anything to fear from me. —
“我说，如果黑比尔在这里买了一片绵羊牧场，然后雇佣我来照顾它们，像你对我这样真诚友好，他就永远不用担心我。” —

A man is a man, regardless of any complications he may have with sheep or railroad trains. —
无论他对绵羊或火车有什么麻烦，一个男人就是一个男人。 —

Now you know where I stand.’
现在你知道我的立场了。

“Ogden looks black as camp-coffee for nine seconds, and then he laughs, amused.
奥格登的脸黑得像营养快线咖啡，然后他笑了起来，很开心。

”‘You’ll do, Saint Clair,’ says he. —
“你会做到的，圣克莱尔，”他说。” —

‘If I was Black Bill I wouldn’t be afraid to trust you. —
如果我是布莱克·比尔，我会毫不犹豫地信任你。 —

Let’s have a game or two of seven-up to- night. That is, if you don’t mind playing with a train-robber.’
今晚我们来玩几局7点游戏吧。当然，如果你不介意和一个抢劫火车的人一起玩的话。

”‘I’ve told you,’ says I, ‘my oral sentiments, and there’s no strings to ‘em.’
“我告诉过你，”我说，”我的观点是真心实意的，没有任何附加条件。”

“While I was shuffling after the first hand, I asks Ogden, as if the idea was a kind of a casualty, where he was from.
当我在第一局之后洗牌的时候，我像是无意中问奥格登，他是哪儿人。

”‘Oh,’ says he, ‘from the Mississippi Valley.’
“哦，”他说，”我来自密西西比河流域。”

”‘That’s a nice little place,’ says I. ‘I’ve often stopped over there. —
“那是个不错的地方，” 我说。”我经常在那儿停留。 —

But didn’t you find the sheets a little damp and the food poor? —
但你没有觉得那里的床单有点潮湿，食物很糟糕吗？ —

Now, I hail,’ says I, ‘from the Pacific Slope. Ever put up there?’
我来自太平洋沿岸，”我说。”你去过那儿吗？

”‘Too draughty,’ says Ogden. ‘But if you’ve ever in the Middle West just mention my name, and you’ll get foot-warmers and dripped coffee.’
“太有风了，”奥格登说。”但如果你去过中西部，只要提一下我的名字，你就能得到暖脚垫和滴滤咖啡。”

”‘Well,’ says I, ‘I wasn’t exactly fishing for your private telephone number and the middle name of your aunt that carried off the Cumberland Presbyterian minister. —
“嗯，”我说道，”我并不是特意要你的私人电话号码和姨妈的中间名字，她是那个带走了坎伯兰长老教会的牧师的人。” —

It don’t matter. I just want you to know you are safe in the hands of your shepherd. —
无所谓。我只是想让你知道你在你的牧人手中是安全的。 —

Now, don’t play hearts on spades, and don’t get nervous.’
现在，不要玩红桃或黑桃，也不要紧张起来。

”‘Still harping,’ says Ogden, laughing again. —
“又在唠叨了，”奥格登笑着说道。” —

‘Don’t you suppose that if I was Black Bill and thought you suspected me, I’d put a Winchester bullet into you and stop my nervousness, if I had any?’
你难道不觉得，如果我是黑比尔，并且觉得你怀疑我，我会开枪打死你，停止我的紧张吗，如果我有的话？”

”‘Not any,’ says I. ‘A man who’s got the nerve to hold up a train single-handed wouldn’t do a trick like that. —
“没有，”我说道。”一个敢于单枪匹马抢劫火车的人不会做出那样的把戏。 —

I’ve knocked about enough to know that them are the kind of men who put a value on a friend. —
我四处走过，知道那些男人会珍视朋友。 —

Not that I can claim being a friend of yours, Mr. Ogden,’ says I, ‘being only your sheep-herder; —
不过，我并不能声称是你的朋友，奥格登先生，因为我只是你的牧羊人。 —

but under more expeditious circumstances we might have been.’
但在更便捷的情况下，我们可能会成为朋友。

”‘Forget the sheep temporarily, I beg,’ says Ogden, ‘and cut for deal.’
“请暂时忘记羊吧，”奥格登说道，” 开始切牌吧。”

“About four days afterward, while my muttons was nooning on the water- hole and I deep in the interstices of making a pot of coffee, up rides softly on the grass a mysterious person in the garb of the being he wished to represent. —
大约四天后，当我的羊群在水坑上休息时，我正专心致志地煮咖啡，一个神秘的人骑马悄无声息地来到草地上，他的装扮让他看起来像他想要扮演的角色。 —

He was dressed somewhere between a Kansas City detective, Buffalo Bill, and the town dog-catcher of Baton Rouge. His chin and eye wasn’t molded on fighting lines, so I knew he was only a scout.
他的装束介于堪萨斯城侦探、野牛比尔和巴吞鲁日市的捕狗员之间。他的下巴和眼睛没有战斗的痕迹，所以我知道他只是一个侦察员。

”‘Herdin’ sheep?’ he asks me.
“你是放羊的吗？”他问我。

”‘Well,’ says I, ‘to a man of your evident gumptional endowments, I wouldn’t have the nerve to state that I am engaged in decorating old bronzes or oiling bicycle sprockets.’
“嗯，”我说道，”对于一个你明显具备聪明才智的人来说，我就不敢说我是在装饰古老的青铜器或给自行车齿轮上油了。”

”‘You don’t talk or look like a sheep-herder to me,’ says he.
“在我看来，你说话和看起来都不像一个放羊人，”他说。

”‘But you talk like what you look like to me,’ says I.
“但在我看来，你说话像你的样子，”我说。

“And then he asks me who I was working for, and I shows him Rancho Chiquito, two miles away, in the shadow of a low hill, and he tells me he’s a deputy sheriff.
然后他问我为谁工作，我告诉他我在两英里外、在一座低矮山丘的阴影下的Rancho Chiquito工作，他告诉我他是一名副警长。

”‘There’s a train-robber called Black Bill supposed to be somewhere in these parts,’ says the scout. —
“侦察员说：’这附近有个名叫布莱克·比尔的火车劫匪。’ ” —

‘He’s been traced as far as San Antonio, and maybe farther. —
“他说：’他被追踪到圣安东尼奥，可能还有更远。 —

Have you seen or heard of any strangers around here during the past month?’
你在过去的一个月里见过或听说过陌生人吗？’”

”‘I have not,’ says I, ‘except a report of one over at the Mexican quarters of Loomis’ ranch, on the Frio.’
“我回答说：’除了有一个关于他的报告在弗里奥河的卢米斯牧场的墨西哥人区有一个陌生人外，我没有见过。’”

”‘What do you know about him?’ asks the deputy.
“副警长问道：’你知道他的什么情况？’”

”‘He’s three days old,’ says I.
“我说：’他三天前才来的。’”

”‘What kind of a looking man is the man you work for ?’ he asks. ‘Does old George Ramey own this place yet? —
“他问道：’你工作的那个人长什么样？老乔治·雷米还拥有这个地方吗？’” —

He’s run sheep here for the last ten years, but never had no success.’
“他说：’他在这里放羊已经十年了，但一直没有成功。’”

”‘The old man has sold out and gone West,’ I tells him. —
“我告诉他说：’老人已经卖掉了，去了西部。 —

‘Another sheep-fancier bought him out about a month ago.’
一个养羊的人大约一个月前买下了他的地方。’”

”‘What kind of a looking man is he ?’ asks the deputy again.
“副警长再次问道：’他长什么样？’”

”‘Oh,’ says I, ‘ a big, fat kind of a Dutchman with long whiskers and blue specs. —
“我说：’噢，一个大而胖的荷兰人，长着长胡子和蓝色的眼镜。我觉得他根本不知道绵羊和沙鼠有什么区别。我猜老乔治在这笔交易上赚了他不少钱。’” —

I don’t think he knows a sheep from a ground-squirrel. —
“我说：’我不认为他知道绵羊和沙鼠有什么区别。 —

I guess old George soaked him pretty well on the deal,’ says I.
我猜老乔治在这笔交易上赚了他不少钱。’”

“After indulging himself in a lot more non-communicative information and two-thirds of my dinner, the deputy rides away.
“在尽情享受着更多非交流性的信息和我三分之二的晚餐之后，副县长骑走了。”

“That night I mentions the matter to Ogden. “‘They’re drawing the tendrils of the octopus around Black Bill,’ says I. And then I told him about the deputy sheriff, and how I’d described him to the deputy, and what the deputy said about the matter.
“那天晚上，我向奥格登提到了这件事。我说，‘他们正在将章鱼的千里眼伸向布莱克·比尔。’然后我告诉他关于副县长的事，以及我是如何向副县长描述他的，以及副县长对此事的回答。”

”‘Oh, well,’ says Ogden, ‘let’s don’t borrow any of Black Bill’s troubles. —
“‘哦，算了吧，’奥格登说道，‘我们不要给布莱克·比尔添麻烦了。 —

We’ve a few of our own. —
我们自己已经有一些了。’” —

Get the Bourbon out of the cupboard and we’ll drink to his health–unless,’ says he, with his little cackling laugh, ‘you’re prejudiced against train-robbers.’
“把波旁威士忌从橱柜拿出来，我们要为他的健康而喝一杯。除非，’他用他那咯咯的笑声说道，‘你对抢劫火车的人有偏见。’”

”‘I’ll drink,’ says I, ‘to any man who’s a friend to a friend. —
“‘我愿意为任何对朋友友善的人而干杯，’我说道。” —

And I believe that Black Bill,’ I goes on, ‘would be that. —
“并且我相信布莱克·比尔会是这样一个人。 —

So here’s to Black Bill, and may he have good luck.’
所以，为布莱克·比尔干杯，祝他好运。”

“And both of us drank.
“我们两个人都喝了。”

“About two weeks later comes shearing-time. —
“大约两周后到了剪羊毛的时候。 —

The sheep had to be driven up to the ranch, and a lot of frowzy-headed Mexicans would snip the fur off of them with back-action scissors. —
羊必须被赶到牧场上，一群头发蓬乱的墨西哥人用反动剪刀给它们剪毛。 —

So the afternoon before the barbers were to come I hustled my underdone muttons over the hill, across the dell, down by the winding brook, and up to the ranch-house, where I penned ‘em in a corral and bade ‘em my nightly adieus.
所以在理发师来之前的那天下午，我匆忙地把我那些没熟透的羊群赶过山丘，穿过峡谷，沿着蜿蜒的小溪，走到牧场，把它们关进圈舍，向它们道了晚安。

“I went from there to the ranch-house. I find H. Ogden, Esquire, lying asleep on his little cot bed. —
“我从那里去了牧场。我发现奥格登先生正躺在他的小小床上睡着。 —

I guess he had been overcome by anti-insomnia or diswakefulness or some of the diseases peculiar to the sheep business. —
我想他可能被抗失眠症或不醒症之类的与养羊业有关的疾病所困扰。 —

His mouth and vest were open, and he breathed like a second-hand bicycle pump. —
他的嘴巴和背心都是敞开的，像个旧自行车泵一样呼吸着。 —

I looked at him and gave vent to just a few musings. —
我看着他，发出了一些随想。 —

‘Imperial Caesar,’ says I, ‘asleep in such a way, might shut his mouth and keep the wind away.’
“我说，‘伟大的凯撒，这样睡着也能闭上嘴巴，抵挡风寒。’”

A man asleep is certainly a sight to make angels weep. —
一个熟睡的男人无疑会让天使心碎。 —

What good is all his brain, muscle, backing, nerve, influence, and family connections? —
那些大脑、肌肉、支持、胆量、影响力和家族关系又有什么用呢？ —

He’s at the mercy of his enemies, and more so of his friends. —
他完全任凭敌人摆布，而朋友更是如此。 —

And he’s about as beautiful as a cab-horse leaning against the Metropolitan Opera House at 12.30 A.M. dreaming of the plains of Arabia. —
而他的容貌就像半夜12点30分倚靠着大都会歌剧院的出租马，幻想着阿拉伯平原，丑陋无比。 —

Now, a woman asleep you regard as different. —
而一个熟睡的女人则被认为是另一回事。 —

No matter how she looks, you know it’s better for all hands for her to be that way.
无论她的样子如何，她处于这种状态对所有人来说都是更好的。

“Well, I took a drink of Bourbon and one for Ogden, and started in to be comfortable while he was taking his nap. —
“好吧，我喝了一口波旁威士忌，再为奥格登倒了一杯，然后开始享受舒适的时光，因为他在午睡。 —

He had some books on his table on indigenous subjects, such as Japan and drainage and physical culture–and some tobacco, which seemed more to the point.
他的桌上有一些关于日本、排水和体能等本土主题的书籍，还有一些看起来更有用的烟草。

“After I’d smoked a few, and listened to the sartorial breathing of H. O., I happened to look out the window toward the shearing-pens, where there was a kind of a road coming up from a kind of a road across a kind of a creek farther away.
“我抽了几口烟，听着H.O.那种有节奏的呼吸声，恰巧朝窗外看去，朝着剪羊毛的圈地而来的一条道路，从更远的地方穿过一条溪流。”

“I saw five men riding up to the house. —
我看见五个人骑着马朝房子走来。 —

All of ‘em carried guns across their saddles, and among ‘em was the deputy that had talked to me at my camp.
他们都把枪放在马鞍上，其中有个副警长曾经在我的营地向我交谈过。

“They rode up careful, in open formation, with their guns ready. —
他们小心翼翼地骑着马，敞开地队形，枪已备好。 —

I set apart with my eye the one I opinionated to be the boss muck-raker of this law-and-order cavalry.
我用眼睛分辨出了我认为是这个秩序维护骑兵队中的头目。

”‘Good-evening, gents,’ says I. ‘Won’t you ‘light, and tie your horses?’
“晚上好，先生们。”我说，“您们下来吧，把马绑好。”

“The boss rides up close, and swings his gun over till the opening in it seems to cover my whole front elevation.
头目骑近，把他的枪悬挂起来，开口看起来能把我整个正面区域都盖住。

”‘Don’t you move your hands none,’ says he, ‘till you and me indulge in a adequate amount of necessary conversation.’
“你可别动手，”他说，“除非你愿意和我进行充分必要的交谈。”

”‘I will not,’ says I. ‘I am no deaf-mute, and therefore will not have to disobey your injunctions in replying.’
“我不会的。”我说，“我不是个哑巴，所以不需要违抗你的指示来回答。”

”‘We are on the lookout,’ says he, ‘for Black Bill, the man that held up the Katy for $15, 000 in May. We are searching the ranches and everybody on ‘em. —
“我们正在搜捕一个叫布莱克比尔的人，他在五月份抢劫了凯蒂铁路15, 000美元。我们搜查牧场和所有住在上面的人。” —

What is your name, and what do you do on this ranch?’
你叫什么名字，在这个牧场上做什么工作？

”‘Captain,’ says I, ‘Percival Saint Clair is my occupation, and my name is sheep-herder. —
”‘船长，’我说，’Percival Saint Clair是我的职业，我的名字是牧羊人。 —

I’ve got my flock of veals–no, muttons–penned here to-night. —
我有一群小羊–不，应该是绵羊–今晚关在这里。 —

The shearers are coming to-morrow to give them a hair- cut–with baa-a-rum, I suppose.’
剪羊毛工人明天要来给它们理个发–baa-a-rum声音，我猜测是。

”‘Where’s the boss of this ranch?’ the captain of the gang asks me.
‘这个牧场的老板在哪里？’帮派头目问我。

”‘Wait just a minute, cap’n,’ says I. ‘Wasn’t there a kind of a reward offered for the capture of this desperate character you have referred to in your preamble?’
’等一下，船长，’我说。’对那个被你在开场白中提到的逃犯，不是有个悬赏要抓住他吗？’

”‘There’s a thousand dollars reward offered,’ says the captain, ‘but it’s for his capture and conviction. —
‘有一千美元的悬赏，’船长说，’ 但是要抓获并定罪才能得到。 —

There don’t seem to be no provision made for an informer.’
没有为告密者提供任何条款。’

”‘It looks like it might rain in a day or so,’ says I, in a tired way, looking up at the cerulean blue sky.
‘看起来可能会在一天左右下雨，’ 我以疲惫的态度说着，抬头望着湛蓝的天空。

”‘If you know anything about the locality, disposition, or secretiveness of this here Black Bill,’ says he, in a severe dialect, ‘you are amiable to the law in not reporting it.’
‘如果你了解这个所谓的Black Bill的地点、性格或隐藏性，’ 他以一口严厉的口音说，’ 你应该遵守法律，不要报告它。’

”‘I heard a fence-rider say,’ says I, in a desultory kind of voice, ‘that a Mexican told a cowboy named Jake over at Pidgin’s store on the Nueces that he heard that Black Bill had been seen in Matamoras by a sheepman’s cousin two weeks ago.’
“一个围栏骑手说过，”我用漫不经心的语气说，“在Nueces的Pidgin商店，有个墨西哥人告诉一个叫做杰克的牛仔，说两周前在马塔莫拉斯看到了黑比尔，是一个放羊人的堂兄弟听说的。”

”‘Tell you what I’ll do, Tight Mouth,’ says the captain, after looking me over for bargains. —
“听着，紧嘴，”船长在瞧了瞧我，像是在寻找便宜货后说道。 —

‘If you put us on so we can scoop Black Bill, I’ll pay you a hundred dollars out of my own–out of our own–pockets. —
“如果你能让我们逮住黑比尔，我愿意从我们自己的口袋里支付给你100美元。 —

That’s liberal,’ says he. —
“这可够大方的，”他说， —

‘You ain’t entitled to anything. —
“你一分也没资格得到。 —

Now, what do you say?’
现在，你说呢？”

”‘Cash down now?’ I asks.
我问，“现金交付吗？”

“The captain has a sort of discussion with his helpmates, and they all produce the contents of their pockets for analysis. —
船长和他的助手们进行了一番商讨，然后他们全部掏出口袋里的东西进行了分析。 —

Out of the general results they figured up $102.30 in cash and $31 worth of plug tobacco.
从总体结果中，他们算出了现金102.30美元和价值31美元的砂糖浆烟草。

”‘Come nearer, capitan meeo,’ says I, ‘and listen.’ He so did.
“靠近一点，船长，”我说，“听好了。”他照办了。

”‘I am mighty poor and low down in the world,’ says I. ‘I am working for twelve dollars a month trying to keep a lot of animals together whose only thought seems to be to get asunder. —
“我在这个世界上非常贫穷而低下，” 我说。”我每个月只能挣12美元，努力将一群动物拴在一起，他们唯一的想法似乎是分开。 —

Although,’ says I, ‘I regard myself as some better than the State of South Dakota, it’s a come-down to a man who has heretofore regarded sheep only in the form of chops. —
“虽然,“我说，”我认为自己比南达科塔州好一些，但对于一个过去只把羊看作是大餐的人来说，这是一种下降。 —

I’m pretty far reduced in the world on account of foiled ambitions and rum and a kind of cocktail they make along the P. R. R. all the way from Scranton to Cincinnati–dry gin, French vermouth, one squeeze of a lime, and a good dash of orange bitters. —
“由于失败的抱负，朗姆酒以及一种他们在从斯克兰顿到辛辛那提的铁路上制作的鸡尾酒，我在这个世界上降得非常远——干琴、法国苦艾酒、一撮酸橙汁和一大勺橙烈酒。 —

If you’re ever up that way, don’t fail to let one try you. —
“如果你曾经到过那个地方，千万不要错过试试。 —

And, again,’ says I, ‘I have never yet went back on a friend. —
再说一次，”我说，”我从来没有对朋友失信过。 —

I’ve stayed by ‘em when they had plenty, and when adversity’s overtaken me I’ve never forsook ‘em.
“当他们富有时，我一直陪着他们，当逆境降临时，我从未抛弃过他们。

”‘But,’ I goes on, ‘this is not exactly the case of a friend. Twelve dollars a month is only bowing-acquaintance money. —
“但是，”我继续说道，”这并不完全是一个朋友的情况。每个月12美元只是微不足道的零花钱。 —

And I do not consider brown beans and corn-bread the food of friendship. —
我不认为红豆和玉米面包是友谊的食物。 —

I am a poor man,’ says I, ‘and I have a widowed mother in Texarkana. —
我是一个穷人，还有一个在得克萨斯阿肯色纳州的寡妇母亲。 —

You will find Black Bill,’ says I, ‘lying asleep in this house on a cot in the room to your right. —
你会找到黑比尔，我说道，他躺在这个房子里的一张床上，就在你右边的房间里。 —

He’s the man you want, as I know from his words and conversation. —
从他的言语和对话中，我知道他就是你要找的人。 —

He was in a way a friend,’ I explains, ‘and if I was the man I once was the entire product of the mines of Gondola would not have tempted me to betray him. —
他在某种程度上是我的朋友，我解释道，如果我还是曾经的那个人，就算龚多拉的矿石全部给我，我也不会背叛他。 —

But,’ says I, ‘every week half of the beans was wormy, and not nigh enough wood in camp.
但是，我说道，每周一半的豆子都有虫子，而且营地里的木材也不够。

”‘Better go in careful, gentlemen,’ says I. ‘He seems impatient at times, and when you think of his late professional pursuits one would look for abrupt actions if he was come upon sudden.’
“先生们最好小心进去，”我说道。” 他有时候看起来很不耐烦，而且考虑到他最近的职业追求，如果他突然出现，人们可能会预料到他会采取突然的行动。

“So the whole posse unmounts and ties their horses, and unlimbers their ammunition and equipments, and tiptoes into the house. —
“所以整个队伍下马，解开马匹，解开子弹和装备，蹑手蹑脚地走进房子。 —

And I follows, like Delilah when she set the Philip Stein on to Samson.
我像参孙被戴利拉诱使的时候一样跟着进去。

“The leader of the posse shakes Ogden and wakes him up. —
“领队抓起奥格登并把他弄醒。接着， —

And then he jumps up, and two more of the reward-hunters grab him. —
他跳了起来，又有两个悬赏猎人抓住了他。” —

Ogden was mighty tough with all his slimness, and he gives ‘em as neat a single- footed tussle against odds as I ever see.
奥格登虽然身材瘦削，但他非常强悍，他对抗众多对手的单脚搏斗让我见识到了。

”‘What does this mean?’ he says, after they had him down.
“‘这是什么意思？’他们把他按倒后，他问道。”

”‘You’re scooped in, Mr. Black Bill,’ says the captain. ‘That’s all.’
“‘黑比尔先生，你被抓了，’队长说，‘就是这么简单。’”

”‘It’s an outrage,’ says H. Ogden, madder yet.
“‘这太荒谬了，’奥格登越发愤怒。”

”‘It was,’ says the peace-and-good-will man. —
“‘你们是错了，’和平与善良的男士说， —

‘The Katy wasn’t bothering you, and there’s a law against monkeying with express packages.’
‘凯蒂没有给你们添麻烦，而偷窃快递包裹是违法的。’”

“And he sits on H. Ogden’s stomach and goes through his pockets symptomatically and careful.
“他坐在奥格登的胃上，有系统地和仔细地搜遍他的口袋。”

”‘I’ll make you perspire for this,’ says Ogden, perspiring some himself. —
“‘我会让你为此挥汗如雨，’奥格登说道，自己也有些流汗了， —

‘I can prove who I am.’
‘我能证明我是谁。”

”‘So can I,’ says the captain, as he draws from H. Ogden’s inside coat-pocket a handful of new bills of the Second National Bank of Espinosa City. ‘Your regular engraved Tuesdays-and-Fridays visiting- card wouldn’t have a louder voice in proclaiming your indemnity than this here currency. —
“船长说：’我也可以，’ 他从H. Ogden的内兜里掏出一把全新的第二国家银行的钞票。’你定期雕刻的周二和周五的拜访卡在宣布你的赔偿方面并不比这里的货币更响亮。” —

You can get up now and prepare to go with us and expatriate your sins.
“你现在可以起床准备跟我们走，流亡你的罪过。

“H. Ogden gets up and fixes his necktie. —
“H. Ogden站起来整理领带。 —

He says no more after they have taken the money off of him.
他们将他的钱拿走后他不再说话。

”‘A well-greased idea,’ says the sheriff captain, admiring, ‘to slip off down here and buy a little sheep-ranch where the hand of man is seldom heard. —
““涂得很好，”警长队长赞赏道，“在这里溜走买个几乎无人闻知的羊牧场，真是个机灵的藏身之处。 —

It was the slickest hide-out I ever see,’ says the captain.
“那是我见过最狡猾的藏身之处，”队长说。

“So one of the men goes to the shearing-pen and hunts up the other herder, a Mexican they call John Sallies, and he saddles Ogden’s horse, and the sheriffs all ride tip close around him with their guns in hand, ready to take their prisoner to town.
“于是其中一名男子进入剪羊毛的围栏，找到了另一名牧羊人，一个他们称之为约翰·萨利斯的墨西哥人，他给Ogden的马上鞍，警长们都近距离骑在他周围，手里拿着枪，准备把他带回城里审判。

“Before starting, Ogden puts the ranch in John Sallies’ hands and gives him orders about the shearing and where to graze the sheep, just as if he intended to be back in a few days. —
在开始之前，奥格登把牧场交给约翰·萨利斯，告诉他剪羊毛的事情和放牧的地点，好像他打算几天后回来一样。 —

And a couple of hours afterward one Percival Saint Clair, an ex-sheep-herder of the Rancho Chiquito, might have been seen, with a hundred and nine dollars–wages and blood-money–in his pocket, riding south on another horse belonging to said ranch.”
几个小时后，人们可能会看到来自奇基托牧场的前牧羊人佩西瓦尔·圣克莱尔，他口袋里装着109美元的工资和赏金，骑着该牧场的另一匹马向南行驶。

The red-faced man paused and listened. —
面红的男人停下来听着。 —

The whistle of a coming freight-train sounded far away among the low hills.
一声来自低矮山丘间远处的货运列车的哨声传来。

The fat, seedy man at his side sniffed, and shook his frowzy head slowly and disparagingly.
他身旁的肥胖、邋遢的男人嗅了嗅，然后缓慢而不屑地摇了摇蓬乱的头发。

“What is it, Snipy?” asked the other. “Got the blues again?”
“怎么了，斯尼皮？”另一个人问道。“又忧心忡忡了吗？”

“No, I ain’t” said the seedy one, sniffing again. —
“不，我不忧心忡忡”邋遢的人嗅了嗅再次说道。 —

“But I don’t like your talk. —
“但我不喜欢你的话。 —

You and me have been friends, off and on, for fifteen year; —
你和我交情已经有十五年了； —

and I never yet knew or heard of you giving anybody up to the law–not no one. —
我从来没有见过或听说过你向法律举报过任何人——一个也没有。 —

And here was a man whose saleratus you had et and at whose table you had played games of cards–if casino can be so called. —
这是一个你吃过他做的碱面的人，还在他的桌子上玩过牌游戏的人——如果赌场可以这么称呼的话。 —

And yet you inform him to the law and take money for it. —
然而你却向他报了警，并为此拿了钱。 —

It never was like you, I say.”
我从来没见过你这样做，我说。

“This H. Ogden,” resumed the red-faced man, “through a lawyer, proved himself free by alibis and other legal terminalities, as I so heard afterward. —
“这个H. Ogden”，那满脸红的人接着说道， “ 通过一位律师证明自己的清白，通过不在场证明等其他法律程序，我后来听说的. —

He never suffered no harm. He did me favors, and I hated to hand him over.”
他从来没有受到任何伤害。他帮了我的忙，我不愿意出卖他。

“How about the bills they found in his pocket?” asked the seedy man.
“他口袋里的账单怎么说?” 破烂男子问道。

“I put ‘em there,” said the red-faced man, “while he was asleep, when I saw the posse riding up. —
“是我放进去的，” 那满脸红的人说， “ 等他睡着的时候，当我看到一群追捕者赶过来的时候. —

I was Black Bill. Look out, Snipy, here she comes! —
我是黑比尔。小心，斯尼皮，她来了！ —

We’ll board her on the bumpers when she takes water at the tank.”
我们等它在水塔上停了以后就上去搭车。