四签名 92琼诺赞·斯茂的奇异故事（2）

"Yes, I have put it away where you shall never lay hand upon it," he cried exultantly¹.

斯茂狂笑着喊道："不错，我已经把宝物放到你们永远摸不到的地方去了。

"It is my treasure, and if I can't have the loot I'll take darned good care that no one else does.

宝物是属于我的，如果我得不到手，我就得想办法叫谁也摸不着。

I tell you that no living man has any right to it,

我告诉你，别人全没有权利要这些宝物。

unless it is three men who are in the Andaman convict-barracks and myself.

除了在安达曼岛囚犯营的三个人和我自己以外，

I know now that I cannot have the use of it, and I know that they cannot.

现在既然我们四个人都不能得到，

I have acted all through for them as much as for myself.

我就代表他们三人把宝物处理了。

It's been the sign of four with us always.

这样正符合我们四个人签名时所发的誓言：

Well, I know that they would have had me do just what I have done,

我知道他们三人必然同意我这样办

and throw the treasure into the Thames rather than let it go to kith or kin² of Sholto or Morstan.

宁可把宝物沉到泰晤士河河底，也不叫宝物落到舒尔托或摩斯坦的子女或亲属的手里。

It was not to make them rich that we did for Achmet.

我们干掉阿奇麦特并不是为了让他们发财的。

You'll find the treasure where the key is and where little Tonga is.

宝物和钥匙都和童格葬在一起了。

When I saw that your launch must catch us, I put the loot away in a safe place.

当我看到你们的船准能够追上我的时候，我就把宝物收藏到稳妥的地方去了。

There are no rupees for you this journey."

你们这趟是一个卢比也弄不到了。"

"You are deceiving us, Small," said Athelney Jones sternly;

琼斯厉声说道："斯茂，你这个骗子！

"if you had wished to throw the treasure into the Thames,

你如果要把宝物扔到泰晤士河里，

it would have been easier for you to have thrown box and all."

连箱子一同扔下去不是更省事吗？"

"Easier for me to throw and easier for you to recover," he answered with a shrewd, side-long look.

斯茂狡猾地斜眼看了看他，答道："我扔着省事，你们捞着也省事。

"The man that was clever enough to hunt me down is clever enough to pick an iron box from the bottom of a river.

你们有本领把我追寻着，你们就有本领去捞一只铁箱子。

Now that they are scattered³ over five miles or so, it may be a harder job.

现在我已把宝物散投在长达五英里的一段河道里，捞起来就不太容易了。

It went to my heart to do it though. I was half mad when you came up with us.

我也是横了心干的，当我看到你们追上来的时候，我几乎都要发疯了。

However, there's no good grieving over it.

惋惜是没有什么用处的，

I've had ups in my life, and I've had downs, but I've learned not to cry over spilled milk."

我这一辈子的命运有盛有衰，我可向来没有事后追悔过。"

1 exultantly   

adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地

参考例句：

• They listened exultantly to the sounds from outside. 她们欢欣鼓舞地倾听着外面的声音。 来自辞典例句
• He rose exultantly from their profane surprise. 他得意非凡地站起身来，也不管众人怎样惊奇诅咒。 来自辞典例句

2 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。