搜尋殺人兇手-巴斯克維爾獵犬

巴斯克維爾獵犬目錄17 搜尋殺人兇手 The Search for the Murderer Then our fear for Sir Henry became greater than our ter ror.Holmes and I fired our revolvers together.The creature gave a loud cry of pain,and we knew we had hit it.But it did not stop,and ran on,after Sir Henry.
When we heard the cry of pain,our fears disappeared.This was no supernatural hound.Our bullets could hurt it,and we could kill it.We ran after it as fast as we could.I have never seen anyone run as quickly as Holmes ran that night,and I could not keep up with him.In front of us on the path we heard scream after scream from Sir Henry,and the deep voice of the hound.I saw the creature jump at Sir Henry and throw him to the ground.Its teeth went for his throat.But the next moment Holmes had emptied his revolver into the hound's body.It gave a last deep cry,its teeth closed on the empty air,and it fell to the ground.I put my revolver to its head,but I did not need to fire.The hound was dead.
Sir Henry lay unconscious where he had fallen.Quickly we opened the neck of his shirt.Holmes had fired just in time,and the hound's teeth had not reached our friend's throat.Already his eyes were beginning to open and he looked up at us.
'My God,'he whispered.'What was it?What in heaven's name was it?'
'It's dead,whatever it was,'said Holmes.'We've killed the family ghost for ever.'
The creature that lay before us was as large as a small lion.Its mouth and teeth were huge.They shone with blue flames.There were rings of blue fire round its cruel eyes,too.I touched the hound's burning coat.When I held up my hand,it,too,seemed to be on fire.
'Phosphorus,'I said,'That is why the hound appears to burn in the dark.Stapleton put phosphorous paint on the hound in the hut beside the house.'
But Holmes was thinking more about Sir Henry than about Stapleton's cleverness.
'I must apologize to you,Sir Henry,'he said.'I put your life in danger.I expected to see a huge hound,but not a crea ture like this.The fog gave us a very short time to control our fear,and for moments we could not move.'
'Never mind,'said Sir Henry.'You saved my life,and I thank you.Please help me stand up.What are you going to do now?'
Sir Henry's legs were shaking so much from his terrible ex perience that he could not stand.We helped him to a rock.He sat there and held his head in his hands.
'We must leave you here,Sir Henry,and try to catch Staple ton.We shall come back as quickly as possible and take you to the Hall.Our case is complete,but we must now catch our man.'
I followed Holmes along the path back to the house.
'We must search the house,'said Holmes,'but almost cer tainly he won't be there.He probably heard the noise of our guns,so he knows his evil game is finished.'
The front door of the house was open.We went in and looked from room to room.All the rooms downstairs were empty,so we went upstairs and looked in all the rooms except one,which was locked.
'There's someone in there,'I said.'I heard someone move.Help me break open this door.'
We threw ourselves against the door,and as the lock broke we went in.We held our revolvers ready to fire.
In the middle of the room was a figure tied to a post.We could not see whether it was a man or a woman,as it was com pletely covered with sheets.Only the eyes and nose were free.
We pulled off the sheets and untied the prisoner from the post.It was Miss Stapleton.As we untied her,we could see long red bruises across her neck.
'That cruel devil Stapleton has beaten her,'Holmes said.'Put her into a chair.'Miss Stapleton had fainted from the beating and exhaustion.As we put her into the chair,she opened her eyes.
'Is he safe?'she asked.'Has he escaped?'
'He cannot escape us,Miss Stapleton,'Holmes said.
'No,no,I don't mean my husband.I mean Sir Henry.Is he safe?'
'Yes,'I said,'and the hound is dead.'
'Thank God,'she said.'Thank God.Oh,the cruel devil.Look what he has done to me.'She showed us her arms,and　we saw with horror that her skin was black and blue where she had been beaten.'But he has hurt me more in other ways.While I thought he loved me,I accepted many things.But he doesn't love me.He has used me.'
'Then help us now,'said Holmes.'Tell us where he has gone.'
'There is an old house on an island in the middle of the marsh,'she said.'He kept his hound there.He also had the house ready in case he needed to escape.He will be there,I'm sure.'
'Nobody could find his way into the Grimpen Marsh in this fog tonight,'said Holmes,looking out of the window.
The fog lay like white wool against the glass,and we knew we could not try to follow him until it cleared.We decided to take Sir Henry back to Baskerville Hall.We had to tell him everything about the Stapletons,and he was deeply hurt when he heard the truth about the woman he loved.The news that she was married,and the awful fear he had experienced,brought on a fever.We sent for Dr Mortimer,who came and sat with Sir Henry throughout the night.
On the following morning Miss Stapleton took us to the path through the marsh.The fog had lifted,and she showed us the sticks which she and her husband had put in to mark the way.We followed them through the marsh,which smelled of dying plants.The wet ground pulled at our feet as we walked.From time to time one of us stepped from the path and sank up to his waist in the marsh.One man on his own could not hope to escape the pull of the marsh；without help he would sink to his death.
But we did not find any sign of Stapleton.We searched andsearched without success.There is no doubt that he lost hisway in the fog,and sank in the marsh Somewhere,deep down,his body lies to this day.
We reached the island Miss Stapleton had described,and searched the old house.
'This place tells us nothing that we do not already know,'said Holmes.'These bones show that he hid the hound here,but he could not keep it quiet,so people heard its cries.Here is the bottle of phosphorous paint.Stapleton used it very cleverly on the hound.After what we saw and felt last night,we cannot be surprised that Sir Charles died of fright.And now I under stand how Selden knew that the hound was following him in the dark.It's not surprising the poor man screamed and ran as he did.The old story of the supernatural hound probably gave Stapleton the idea of using phosphorus.Very clever.I said it in London and I say it again,Watson.We have never had a more dangerous enemy than the one who is lying out there'—and he pointed to the great marsh that was all round us. 接著，我們為亨利爵士的擔憂勝過了我們自身的恐懼感。我和福爾摩斯一齊開了槍。那個家夥痛苦地大叫一聲，我們便知道我們已打中它了。可是它並沒有停下腳步，還繼續向前竄去，追著亨利爵士。
在我們聽到了它那痛苦的嗥叫時，我們的恐懼便煙消雲散了。這並非什麽魔犬。我們的****既能打傷它，我們也就能殺死它。我們盡力追趕它。我從沒見過誰能像福爾摩斯在那天夜裏跑得那樣快，我也跟不上他。我們聽到了前面路上亨利爵士一聲接一聲的喊叫和那只獵犬發出的低沈的吼聲。我看到那個家夥撲向亨利爵士，並將其掀翻在地上。它的牙齒直撲他的咽喉。可是就在這之後，福爾摩斯一連氣將****裏的****都打進了那只獵犬的身體。它發出了最後一聲低沈的嗥叫，向空中咬了一口，隨後就倒在地上了。我用****抵住它的頭部，可是我不必開槍了。獵犬已經死了。
亨利爵士躺在他摔倒的地方，毫無知覺。我們趕快把他的衣領解開。福爾摩斯開槍開得正及時，那只獵犬還沒夠著我們的朋友的喉嚨。他的眼睛已經開始睜開了，他仰視著我們。
“我的上帝啊，”他低聲說道，“那是什麽？究竟是什麽東西啊？”
“不管它是什麽，它已經死了，”福爾摩斯說道。“我們已經把您家的妖魔永遠地消滅了。”
躺在我們面前的那個家夥同一只小獅子一般大小。它的嘴巴和牙齒很大。它們閃爍著藍色的光芒。它那殘忍的眼睛周圍也有圈藍色的火苗。我摸了摸它那發光噴火的皮毛。我擡起手來時，手似乎也著火了。
“是磷，”我說道。“那便是那只獵犬在黑暗之中看上去冒火光的原因。斯臺普頓在房子旁邊的那個小屋裏給那只獵犬塗上了含磷的塗料。”
可是福爾摩斯對亨利爵士比對斯臺普頓的狡猾考慮得要多些。
“我必須向您抱歉，亨利爵士，”他說道。“我使您遭受了生命危險。我預計看到的是一只大獵犬，可沒想到會是這樣的一只。大霧曾留給我們短暫的一段時間克制我們的恐懼感，還有一會兒我們都驚訝得動彈不了身子。”
“沒關系，”亨利爵士說道。“您救了我的性命，我還得感謝您呢。請扶我站起來。你們現在打算怎麽辦呢？”
亨利爵士的雙腿因這次可怕的經歷而抖得很厲害，他自己都站不起來了。我們把他扶到了一塊石頭那兒。他坐在那兒，雙手捂著頭。
“我們現在得把您留在這兒了，亨利爵士，還要去想方設法抓住斯臺普頓呢。我們將盡快回來並把您帶到莊園去。案子已經了結了，可是我們現在必須抓住那個人。”
我跟著福爾摩斯沿著那條小路返回了那棟屋子。
“我們必須搜搜這棟屋子，”福爾摩斯說道，“可是幾乎可以肯定他是不會在的。他可能已聽到了我們的槍聲，於是便知道他那罪惡的勾當已經結束了。”
前門開著。我們進去一間一間地察看。樓下的房間都空著，於是我們上了樓，除了那個鎖起來的房間之外都查看過了。
“裏面有人，”我說道。“我聽到有人在動。幫我把這扇門打開。”
我們用身體撞門，門鎖一松動我們就進去了。我們握著****，準備隨時開槍射擊。
在房間的中央有一個人被綁在柱子上了。我們無法看出來是男是女，由於那人被床單蒙住了。只有眼睛和鼻子沒被蒙住。
我們解開床單，把這個被捆著的人從柱子那兒松開。是斯臺普頓小姐。我們給她松綁時可以看到她脖子上幾道長長的、紅色的傷痕。
“那個殘忍的惡魔斯臺普頓打了她，”福爾摩斯說道。“把她安置在椅子上。”斯臺普頓小姐已因毒打和疲憊而昏過去了。在我們把她安置在椅子上時，她睜開了雙眼。
“他安全了嗎？”她問道。“他逃脫了嗎？”
“他從我們手裏是逃不掉的，斯臺普頓小姐，”福爾摩斯說道。
“不，不，我不是指我丈夫。我指亨利爵士。他安全嗎？”
“安全；”我說道，“而且，那只獵犬已經死了。”
“感謝上帝，”她說道。“感謝上帝。噢，這個壞蛋。看看他是怎麽對待我的。”她給我們看了她的雙臂，我們驚恐地看到遭受毒打的地方皮膚又青又紫的。“但是，他還用別的途徑傷害我。我以為他愛我時，我能接受許多事情。可是他並不愛我。他利用了我。”
“那麽現在就請幫助我們吧，”福爾摩斯說道。“告訴我們他去哪兒了。”
“在泥潭中央的一個小島上有一棟古老的房子，”她說道。“他以往把獵犬安置在那裏。他還把那屋子準備好等萬一躲避藏身時用。他一定在那兒，我敢肯定。”
“今晚在這樣的大霧之中誰也找不到走進格林盆泥潭的路，”福爾摩斯望著窗外說道。
霧像雪白的羊毛似的緊圍在窗戶外面；我們知道，在大霧蒸發散盡之前我們是不能夠試著去追他的。我們決定將亨利爵士帶回巴斯克維爾莊園。我們被迫告訴他有關斯臺普頓夫婦的一切詳情，他聽到關於他所鐘愛的那個女子的實情時受到了很大的傷害。她已結婚的消息和他所經歷的恐怖之事使他發起高燒來。我們派人請摩梯末醫生來，他來了並在亨利爵士身旁守了一整夜。
第二天早上，斯臺普頓小姐帶我們到了貫穿泥潭的一條小路旁。霧散了，她給我們看了她和她丈夫為標記路途而插的一根根木棍。我們隨著這些小木棍穿過泥潭，那兒散發著腐敗的植物的臭味。我們走的時候濕乎乎的地面扯著我們的雙腳。我們不時從小路旁走歪，陷入了泥潭，直到齊腰那麽深。獨自一人是不敢奢求自己能逃脫泥潭的拖陷的；沒有別人的幫助就會陷進去沒命了。
但是，我們沒有發現斯臺普頓的任何跡象。我們搜啊搜，可是一無所獲。勿庸置疑，他在大霧中迷了路，陷進泥潭中去了。在泥潭深處的某個地方，他的屍體將永遠躺在那裏。
我們到達了斯臺普頓小姐描述過的那個小島，還搜尋了一番那棟古老的屋子。
“這個地方告訴我們我們已知曉的一切詳情，”福爾摩斯說道。“這些骨頭表明他曾把獵犬藏在這兒，可是他不能使它默不出聲，所以人們聽到了它的叫聲。這兒是瓶含磷的塗料。斯臺普頓狡猾地把它抹在了獵犬身上。有了我們昨晚的所見所感作鋪敘以後，我們對查爾斯爵士因恐慌而暴死就不足為奇了。我現在也明白塞爾登是怎麽知道那只獵犬在黑暗中跟在他後面的了。那個可憐的家夥就那麽大叫著向前跑，這並不奇怪。關於那只魔狗的那個古老的故事使他萌發了使用磷的念頭。十分狡猾。我曾在倫敦這麽說過，我現在再這麽說一遍，華生。咱們還從來沒有一個比躺在那邊的那個人更為危險的對手呢”——他指了指散布在我們四周的那片大泥潭。