He could see nothing, and could hear only the sound of distant talking. 他什么都看不到，只听到远处人们的谈话声。

What were they doing on the lonely shore thus at night? Then he suddenly turned 他们在这样的夜色，在这样的荒凉海湾做什么？他突然转过身，

and cut off across the sand hillocks, but kept pretty close to the shore, his object being to spy upon them, 他穿越了沙丘，但离海岸非常近，他的目标是监视他们，

and to watch what they were about from the back of the low sand hills that fronted the beach. 看看他们在小沙丘后面在干什么，这片沙丘前面就是沙滩。

He had gone along some distance when he became aware of the sound of voices that seemed to be drawing closer to him 他径直走了很长的路，突然他发现声音离他越来越近了，

as he came toward the speakers. He stopped and stood listening, and instantly, as he stopped, 他正在向说话者走去，他站住，停下来聆听，但就在他停住的那刹那，

the voices stopped also. He crouched there silently in the glimmering moonlight, surrounded by the silent stretches of sand, 声音也静止了，他在皎洁的月光下安静地蹲下，周围是安静的沙滩，

and the stillness seemed to press upon him like a heavy hand. Then suddenly the sound of a man's voice began again, 寂静像一只沉重的手一样压着他，突然一名男性的声音再次开始，

and as Tom listened he could hear someone counting. Ninety-one, the voice began, ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-five, 汤姆听到有人在算数，91，声音开始响起，92，93，94，95，

ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred, one hundred and one, 96，97，98，99，100，101，

the slow monotonous count coming nearer and nearer; one hundred and two, one hundred and three, one hundred and four, and so on. 缓慢单调的数数声越来越近，102，103，104等等。

Suddenly he saw three heads appear above the sand hill, so I close to him that he crouched down quickly with a keen thrill, 突然，他看到沙丘上出现了三颗头，我靠近他，他激动地快速蹲下身，

close beside the hillock near which he stood. His first fear was that they might have seen him in the moonlight; 站在了靠近他站立的山丘旁边，他最先害怕的是他们或许已经在月光下看到他了；

but they had not, and his heart rose again as the counting voice went steadily on. One hundred and twenty, 但他们没有，就在数数声平缓前进时，他的心蹦蹦直跳，120，

it was saying, and twenty-one and twenty-two, and twenty-three, and twenty-four, 数数声继续，21和22，23和24，

and then he who was counting came out from behind the little sandy hill into the shimmering brightness. 数数的这名男子从后面的沙丘上出来，进入了闪烁的光亮中。

It was the man with the cane whom Tom had seen some time before, the captain of the party who had landed. 这名拿着手杖的男子是汤姆之前看到过的，是这个派对的首领。

He carried his cane under his arm now. He was holding his lantern close to something that he held in his hand, 他如今将手杖放在腋下，他手里的灯笼靠近他手里拿着的东西，

upon which he looked closely as he walked slowly in a perfect straight line across the sand, 他在沙滩上径直缓慢走着，同时他仔细端详着手里的东西，

counting each step as he took it. And twenty-five, and twenty-six, and twenty-seven, and twenty-eight, and twenty-nine, and thirty. 算着他走的每一步，25，26，27，28，29，30。