巴斯克威尔的猎犬巴斯克维尔的诅咒（6）（打印版）

"The company had come to a halt, more sober men, as you may guess, than when they started.

The most of them would by no means advance, but three of them, the boldest, or it may be the

most drunken, rode forward down the goyal. Now, it opened into a broad space in which stood two

of those great stones, still to be seen there, which were set by certain forgotten peoples in the days

of old. The moon was shining bright upon the clearing, and there in the centre lay the unhappy

maid where she had fallen, dead of fear and of fatigue. But it was not the sight of her body, nor yet

was it that of the body of Hugo Baskerviile lying near her, which raised the hair upon the heads of

these three daredevil roysterers, but it was that, standing over Hugo, and plucking at his throat,

there stood a foul thing, a great, black beast, shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound that

ever mortal eye has rested upon. And even as they looked the thing tore the throat out of Hugo

Baskerville, on which, as it turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws upon them, the three

shrieked with fear and rode for dear life, still screaming, across the moor. One, it is said, died that

very night of what he had seen, and the other twain were but broken men for the rest of their days.

“这帮人勒住了马，可以猜想得到，他们现在已比出发的时候清醒得多了。其中大多数

已经不想再前进了，可是有三个胆子最大的——也许是醉得最厉害的——继续策马向山沟走

了下去。前面出现了一片宽阔的平地，中间立着两根大石柱——至今还可以看到——是古时

不知是谁立起来的。月光把那块空地照得很亮，那因惊恐和疲惫而死的少女就躺在那块空地

的中央。可是使这三个胆大包天的酒鬼毛骨悚然的既不是少女的尸体，也不是躺在她近旁的

修果· 巴斯克维尔的尸体，而是站在修果身旁撕扯着他喉咙的那个可怕的东西，一只既大又

黑的畜生，样子象一只猎狗，可是谁也没见过这样大的猎狗。正当他们看着那家伙撕扯修

果· 巴斯克维尔的喉咙的时候，它把闪亮的眼睛和直流口涎的大嘴向他们转了过来。三个人

一看就吓得大叫起来，赶忙拨转马头逃命去了，甚至在穿过沼地的时候还惊呼不已。据说其

中的一个因为看到了那家伙当晚就吓死了，另外两个也落得个终身精神失常。

"Such is the tale, my sons, of the coming of the hound which is said to have plagued the

family so sorely ever since. If I have set it down it is because that which is clearly known hath less

terror than that which is but hinted at and guessed. Nor can it be denied that many of the family

have been unhappy in their deaths, which have been sudden, bloody, and mysterious. Yet may we

shelter ourselves in the infinite goodness of Providence, which would not forever punish the

innocent beyond that third or fourth generation which is threatened in Holy Writ. To that

Providence, my sons, I hereby commend you, and I counsel you by way of caution to forbear from

crossing the moor in those dark hours when the powers of evil are exalted.

“我的儿子们啊，这就是那只猎狗的传说的来历，据说从那时起那只狗就一直可怕地骚

扰着咱们的家族。我所以要把它写下来，还因为我觉得：随便听到的东西和猜测的东西要比

知道得清清楚楚的东西可怕得多。不可否认，在咱家的人里，有许多都是未得善终的，死得

突然、凄惨而又神秘。但愿能得上帝无边慈爱的庇护，不致降罚于我等三代以至四代唯圣经

是听的人们。我的儿子们，我借上帝之名命令你们，并且劝你们要多加小心，千万要避免在

黑夜降临、罪恶势力嚣张的时候走过沼地。