巴斯克维尔的猎犬 华生医生日记摘录（2）

　　And have I not cause for such a feeling? Consider the long sequence of incidents which haveall pointed to some sinister influence which is at work around us. There is the death of the lastoccupant of the Hall, fulfilling so exactly the conditions of the family legend, and there are therepeated reports from peasants of the appearance of a strange creature upon the moor. Twice Ihave with my own ears heard the sound which resembled the distant baying of a hound. It isincredible, impossible, that it should really be outside the ordinary laws of nature. A spectralhound which leaves material footmarks and fills the air with its howling is surely not to be thoughtof. Stapleton may fall in with such a superstition, and Mortimer also, but if I have one qualityupon earth it is common sense, and nothing will persuade me to believe in such a thing. To do sowould be to descend to the level of these poor peasants, who are not content with a mere fiend dogbut must needs describe him with hell-fire shooting from his mouth and eyes. Holmes would notlisten to such fancies, and I am his agent. But facts are facts, and I have twice heard this cryingupon the moor. Suppose that there were really some huge hound loose upon it; that would go far toexplain everything. But where could such a hound lie concealed, where did it get its food, wheredid it come from, how was it that no one saw it by day? It must be confessed that the naturalexplanation offers almost as many difficulties as the other. And always, apart from the hound,there is the fact of the human agency in London, the man in the cab, and the letter which warnedSir Henry against the moor. This at least was real, but it might have been the work of a protectingfriend as easily as of an enemy. Where is that friend or enemy now? Has he remained in London,or has he followed us down here? Could he -- could he be the stranger whom I saw upon the tor?

　　难道我这种感觉是毫无来由的吗？ 只要考虑一下连续发生的这一长串意外的事件就会明白， 这些都说明在我们的周围正进行着一件有计划的罪恶活动。这庄园的前一个主人的死，分毫不爽地应验了这家族中的传说的内容， 还有农民们一再声称的在沼地里出现的怪兽。 我曾两次亲耳听到了很象是一只猎狗在远处嗥叫的声音， 这竟会是真正超乎自然的事？ 简直是既不可信也不可能。 一只魔犬， 可是又留下了 爪印， 又能嗥叫冲天， 这实在是不可想象的事。

　　斯台普吞可能会信这套鬼话， 摩梯末也可能； 可是如果我还能算是稍具常识的话， 无论如何我也不能相信这样的事。 如果我自己对此也信以为真的话， 那就无异于甘心把自 己降低到这些可怜的庄稼人的水平。 他们把那狗说成妖魔鬼怪还不够， 甚至还把它形容成口、 眼都向外喷着地狱之火。 福尔摩斯决不会听信这些异想天开的说法， 而我则是他的代理人。 我就两次在沼地里听到过这种叫声。 可是事实终归是事实啊， 假如真的有什么大猎狗跑到沼地上来的话， 那就一切都好解释了 。 可是这样一只猎狗能藏到什么地方去呢？ 它到哪里去找吃的呢？

　　它是从哪里来的呢？ 白天为什么没有人看到它呢？ 不可否认， 不管是合乎自然法则的解释或是不合乎自然法则的解释， 现在都同样地难于说得通。 暂且先放下这只猎狗不提， 那么在伦敦发现的那个“人” 总是事实啊！ 马车里的那个人， 还有警告亨利爵士不要到沼地来的那封信， 这至少是真的吧。 这可能是个要保护他的朋友干的事， 但也同样可能是个敌人干的事。

　　那个朋友或敌人现在究竟在哪里呢？ 他是仍旧在伦敦呢， 还是已经跟踪我们到了 这里呢？ 他会不会……会不会就是我所看到的在岩岗上站着的那个陌生人呢？