斑点带子案 46多行不义必自毙(5)

"It is a swamp adder¹!" cried Holmes; "the deadliest snake in India.

"这是一条沼地蝰蛇！"福尔摩斯喊道，"印度最毒的毒蛇。

He has died within ten seconds of being bitten.

医生被咬后十秒钟内就已经死去了。

Violence does, in truth, recoil² upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.

真是恶有恶报，阴谋家掉到他要害别人而挖的陷坑里去了。

Let us thrust this creature back into its den³,

让我们把这畜生弄回到它的巢里去，

and we can then remove Miss Stoner to some place of shelter and let the county police know what has happened."

然后我们就可以把斯托纳小姐转移到一个安全的地方，再让地方警察知道发生了些什么事情。"

As he spoke⁴ he drew the dog-whip swiftly from the dead man's lap,

说着话，他迅即从死者膝盖上取过打狗鞭子，

and throwing the noose⁵ round the reptile's neck he drew it from its horrid⁶ perch⁷ and,

将活结甩过去，套住那条爬虫的脖子，从它可怕地盘踞着的地方把它拉了起来，

carrying it at arm's length, threw it into the iron safe, which he closed upon it.

伸长了手臂提着它，扔到铁柜子里，随手将柜门关上。

Such are the true facts of the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran.

这就是斯托克莫兰的格里姆斯比·罗伊洛特医生死亡的真实经过。

It is not necessary that I should prolong a narrative⁸ which has already run to too great a length

这个叙述已经够长的了，就没有必要在这里一一赘述

by telling how we broke the sad news to the terrified girl,

我们怎样把这悲痛的消息告诉那吓坏了的小姐；

how we conveyed her by the morning train to the care of her good aunt at Harrow,

怎样乘坐早车陪送她到哈罗，交给她好心的姨妈照看；

of how the slow process of official inquiry⁹ came to the conclusion

冗长的警方调查怎样最后得出结论，

that the doctor met his fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous pet.

认为医生是在不明智地玩弄他豢养的危险宠物时丧生的等等。

The little which I had yet to learn of the case was told me by Sherlock Holmes as we travelled back next day.

有关这件案子我还不太了解的一点情况，福尔摩斯在第二天回城的路上告诉了我。

1 adder   

n.蝰蛇；小毒蛇

参考例句：

• The adder is Britain's only venomous snake.蝰蛇是英国唯一的一种毒蛇。
• An adder attacked my father.一条小毒蛇攻击了我父亲。

2 recoil   

vi.退却，退缩，畏缩

参考例句：

• Most people would recoil at the sight of the snake.许多人看见蛇都会向后退缩。
• Revenge may recoil upon the person who takes it.报复者常会受到报应。

3 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

6 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

7 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

8 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

9 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。