巴斯克维尔的猎犬 华生医生的第一份报告（5）（在线收听）

　　The other day -- Thursday, to be more exact -- Dr. Mortimer lunched with us. He has beenexcavating a barrow at Long Down and has got a prehistoric skull which fills him with great joy.

　　Never was there such a single-minded enthusiast as he! The Stapletons came in afterwards, andthe good doctor took us all to the yew alley at Sir Henry's request to show us exactly howeverything occurred upon that fatal night. It is a long, dismal walk, the yew alley, between twohigh walls of clipped hedge, with a narrow band of grass upon either side. At the far end is an oldtumble-down summer-house. Halfway down is the moorgate, where the old gentleman left hiscigar-ash. It is a white wooden gate with a latch. Beyond it lies the wide moor. I remembered yourtheory of the affair and tried to picture all that had occurred. As the old man stood there he sawsomething coming across the moor, something which terrified him so that he lost his wits and ranand ran until he died of sheer horror and exhaustion. There was the long, gloomy tunnel downwhich he fled. And from what? A sheep-dog of the moor? Or a spectral hound, black, silent, andmonstrous? Was there a human agency in the matter? Did the pale, watchful Barrymore knowmore than he cared to say? It was all dim and vague, but always there is the dark shadow of crimebehind it.

　　那一天——更准确地说是星期四——摩梯末和我们一起吃饭， 他在长岗地方发掘了一座古坟， 弄到了一具史前人的颅骨， 他为之喜出望外。 真没有见过象他这样一心一意的热心人！

　　后来斯台普吞兄妹也来了， 在亨利爵士的请求之下， 这位好心肠的医生就领我们到水松夹道去了， 给我们说明了在查尔兹爵士丧命的那天晚上， 事情发生的全部经过。 这次散步既漫长而又沉闷， 那条水松夹道被夹在两行高高的剪齐的树篱中间， 小路两旁各有一条狭长的草地，尽头处有一栋破烂的旧凉亭。 那扇开向沼地的小门正在中间， 老绅士曾在那儿留下了雪茄烟灰， 是一扇装有门闩的白色木门， 外面就是广阔的沼地。 我还记得你对这件事的看法， 我在心中试着想象出全部发生过的事情的实况。 大概是当老人站在那里的时候， 他看见有什么东西穿过沼地向他跑了 过来， 那东西把他吓得惊慌失措地奔跑起来， 一直跑到因恐惧和力竭而死为止。 他就是顺着那条长而阴森的夹道奔跑的。 可是， 他为什么要跑呢？ 只因为沼地上的一只看羊狗吗？ 还是看到了 一只不出声的鬼怪似的黑色大猎狗呢？ 是有人在其中捣鬼吗？ 是不是那白皙而警觉的白瑞摩对他所知道的情况还有所隐瞒呢？ 这一切都显得扑朔迷离， 可是我总觉得幕后有着罪恶的阴影。