福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第5章Part4

"Well, they were a mighty hard-looking crowd. They came up to the claim and wanted to know where he was. I told them that he was gone to Europe and that I did not know where to find him. They meant him no good--it was easy to see that."
"Were these men Americans--Californians?"
"Well, I don't know about Californians. They were Americans, all right. But they were not miners. I don't know what they were, and was very glad to see their backs."
"That was six years ago?"
"Nearer seven."
"And then you were together five years in California, so that this business dates back not less than eleven years at the least?"
"That is so."
"It must be a very serious feud that would be kept up with such earnestness for as long as that. It would be no light thing that would give rise to it."
"I think it shadowed his whole life. It was never quite out of his mind."
"But if a man had a danger hanging over him, and knew what it was, don't you think he would turn to the police for protection?"
"Maybe it was some danger that he could not be protected against. There's one thing you should know. He always went about armed. His revolver was never out of his pocket. But, by bad luck, he was in his dressing gown and had left it in the bedroom last night. Once the bridge was up, I guess he thought he was safe."
"I should like these dates a little clearer," said MacDonald. "It is quite six years since Douglas left California. You followed him next year, did you not?"
"That is so."

“嗯，是一羣看來非常冷酷無情的人。他們來到礦區，打聽道格拉斯在什麼地方。我告訴他們說，他已經到歐洲去了，我也不知道他住在什麼地方。不難看出，他們對他不懷好意。”
“這些人是美國人，也是加利福尼亞人吧？”
“這個，對於加利福尼亞人，我不太瞭解。但他們確實都是美國人，不過他們不是礦工。我不知道他們是些什麼人，只巴不得他們快點走開。”
“那是六年以前的事吧？”
“將近七年了。”
“這麼說，你們在加利福尼亞一起住了五年，所以，這樁事不是至少有十一年了麼？”
“是這樣。”
“其中一定有不共戴天的冤仇，隔了這麼長的時間，還不能忘懷。形成冤仇的原因看來決不是小事。”
“我以爲這就是道格拉斯一生中的隱患，使他永遠難以忘懷。”
“不過，一個人大難臨頭，而且知道是怎樣的危難，你想，他哪有不求警察保護的道理呢？”
“也許這種危險是別人無法保護他的。有一件事你們應當知道。他出門總是帶着武器的。他的手槍從來不離開他的衣袋。但是，不幸的是，昨晚他只穿着睡衣，把手槍留在臥室裏了。我猜想，他一定以爲吊橋一拉起來，他就安全了。”
麥克唐納說道：“我希望再把年代弄清楚些。道格拉斯離開加利福尼亞州整六年了。你不是在第二年就隨之而來了嗎？”
“是的。”