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第15章 Buried Treasure(4)

The result was that Goodloe Banks and I, rivals in love, became companions in adventure. We went to Chico by stage from Huntersburg, the nearest railroad town. In Chico we hired a team drawing a covered springwagon and camping paraphernaliaparaphernalia n.随身用具. We had the same surveyor run out our distance, as revised by Goodloe and his variations, and then dismissed him and sent him on his homeward road.

结果,古德洛·班克斯和我从情场上的敌人变为探险时的伙伴。我们从铁路线上最近便的亨特斯堡塔驿车去奇科。到了奇科之后,我们雇了一辆有篷有弹簧的马车拉运野营装备。我们仍旧请原先的测量员,按照古德洛根据磁差修正的距离重新测定路线,然后打发他回去。

It was night when we arrived. I fed the horses and made a fire near the bank of the river and cooked supper. Goodloe would have helped, but his education had not fitted him for practical things.

到达目的地时天已经晚了。我喂了马,在河边生了火做晚饭。古德洛本来可以帮帮忙,但是他的大学教育使他不适于做实际工作。

But while I worked he cheered me with the expression of great thoughts handed down from the dead ones of old. He quoted some translations from the Greek at much length.

我干活的时候,他就用古时死人流传下来的伟大思想给我解闷。他大段大段地引用希腊文的译文。

“Anacreon,” he explained. “That was a favorite passage with Miss Mangum—as I recited it.”

“阿那克里翁,”他解释说,“曼格姆小姐最喜爱的一段——像我朗诵的那样。”

“She is meant for higher things.” said I, repeating his phrase.

“她注定应该享受更高级的东西。”我引用他的话说。

“Can there be anything higher,” asked Goodloe, “than to dwell in the society of the classics, to live in the atmosphere of learning and culture? You have often decrieddecry v.谴责 education. What of your wasted efforts through your ignorance of simple mathematics? How soon would you have found your treasure if my knowledge had not shown you your error?”

“还有什么东西,”古德洛问道,“能比整天同古典作品共处。生活在学问与文化的气氛中更为高级的呢?你常常诋毁教育。由于你连简单的数学都不懂,你不是白费了许多力气?如果我的知识没有指点出你的错误,你要花多少时间才找得到藏宝?”

“Well take a look at those hills across the river first,” said I, “and see what we find. I am still doubtful about variations. I have been brought up to believe that the needle is true to the pole.”

“我们先看看河对岸的那些小山吧,”我说,“看我们能找到什么。我对磁差仍旧表示怀疑。我活到这么大,一直相信磁针是正对北极的。”

The next morning was a bright June one. We were up early and had breakfast. Goodloe was charmed. He recited—Keats, I think it was, and Kelly or Shelley—while I broiled the bacon. We were getting ready to cross the river, which was little more than a shallow creek there, and explore the many sharppeaked cedarcovered hills on the other side.

当时是六月,第二天早晨阳光明媚。我们一早起来,吃了饭。古德洛被周围的景色迷住了。我在烤成肉的时候,他在朗诵诗——我想大概是济慈,凯莱或者雪莱的诗吧。前面的河只能算是一条浅浅的小溪。我们已准备好渡河到对岸去勘探那些尖顶的,长满了雪松的小山。

“My good Ulysses,” said Goodloe, slapping me on the shoulder while I was washing the tin breakfastplates, “let me see the enchanted document once more. I believe it gives directions for climbing the hill shaped like a packsaddle. I never saw a packsaddle. What is it like, Jim?”

“我的好奥德修斯啊,”我在洗早饭用的铁皮盘子时他拍拍我的肩膀说,“让我再看看那张宝图。我记得上面说明要爬一座像是驮鞍的小山。我从来没有见过驮鞍。驮鞍该是什么形状的,吉姆?”

“Score one against culture,” said I. “Ill know it when I see it.”

“这次文化可吃不开了,”我说,“我一看就知道。”

Goodloe was looking at old Rundles document when he ripped out a most uncollegiate swearword.

古德洛看着老朗德尔的那份文件,嘴里突然迸出一个很没有大学风度的骂人的词儿。

“Come here,” he said, holding the paper up against the sunlight. “Look at that.” he said, laying his finger against it.

“你过来,”他对着阳光举起那张纸说,“你瞧。”他用指头指点给我看。

On the blue paper—a thing I had never noticed before—I saw stand out in white letters the word and figures: “Malvern, 1898.”

那张蓝纸上——以前我从未注意——有几个明显的颜色较浅的字母和数字:“莫尔文,一八九八。”

“What about it?” I asked.

“那又怎么样?”我问道。

“Its the watermark.” said Goodloe. “The paper was manufactured in 1898. The writing on the paper is dated 1863. This is a palpable fraud.”

“那是水印。”古德洛说,“这张纸是一八九八年制造的。纸上文字的日期是一八六三年。这分明是伪造。”

“Oh, I dont know.” said I. “The Rundles are pretty reliable, plain, uneducated country people. Maybe the paper manufacturers tried to perpetrate a swindle.”

“哦,我可不敢说。”我说,“朗德尔一家都是很可靠,很淳朴,没有受过教育的乡下人。也许是造纸厂想设一个骗局。”

And then Goodloe Banks went as wild as his education permitted. He dropped the glasses off his nose and glared at me.

接着,古德洛在他受过的教育所许可的范围内大发脾气。他摘下眼镜,直瞪着我。

“Ive often told you you were a fool.” he said. “You have let yourself be imposed upon by a clodhopperclodhopper n.<口>庄稼汉,乡巴佬. And you have imposed upon me.”

“我时常说你是傻瓜。”他说,“你自己受了乡巴佬的骗不算,你还来骗我。”

“How,” I asked, “have I imposed upon you ?”

“我怎么骗了你?”我问道。

“By your ignorance.” said he. “Twice I have discovered serious flaws in your plans that a commonschool education should have enabled you to avoid. And,” he continued, “I have been put to expense that I could ill afford in pursuing this swindling quest. I am done with it.”

“你以你的无知骗了我。”他说,“我两次在你的计划里发现了严重的毛病,如果受过普通学校教育的话,你就不至于犯这种毛病。此外,”他接着说,“这场坑人的觅宝把戏害我花冤枉钱,我可花不起。我不干啦。”

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