Every body knows Mud Sam, the old negro fisherman who has fished about the Sound for the last twenty or thirty years. Well, it is now many years since that Sam, who was then a young fellow, and worked on the farm of Killian Suydam on Long Island, having finished his work early, was fishing, one still summer evening, just about the neighborhood of Hell Gate. He was in a light skiff, and being well acquainted with the currents and eddies, he had been able to shift his station with the shifting of the tide, from the Hen and Chickens to the Hog's back, and from the Hog's back to the Pot, and from the Pot to the Frying-pan; but in the eagerness of his sport Sam did not see that the tide was rapidly ebbing; until the roaring of the whirlpools and rapids warned him of his danger, and he had some difficulty in shooting his skiff from among the rocks and breakers, and getting to the point of Blackwell's Island. Here he cast anchor for some time, waiting the turn of the tide to enable him to return homewards.

人人都知道“烂泥萨姆”，那个黑人老渔夫，过去的二三十年来他一直在松德海峡附近打渔。多年前萨姆还是个小伙子，在长岛的基里安·苏丹姆农场干活。那是一个寂静的夏日黄昏，他提早干完了活，就跑到正好临近地狱门水道的地方去打渔。他驾的是一条轻型小船，由于对水流和漩涡很熟悉，他能够依水势改变自己的位置，停在母雏群岛，转而停在猪背岛，又从猪背岛到罐子岛，从罐子岛到炸锅岛；萨姆玩得兴起，却没注意到潮水正在迅速退去，直到漩涡和急流的咆哮向他发出危险的警告。他费了一番力气才从岩石碎浪中箭一样地冲出来，驶到了布莱克韦尔岛的尖端。他在这儿抛锚，等了一会儿，打算等着涨起的潮水载他回家。

As the night set in it grew blustering and gusty. Dark clouds came bundling up in the west; and now and then a growl of thunder or a flash of lightning told that a summer storm was at hand. Sam pulled over, therefore, under the lee of Manhattan Island, and coasting along came to a snug nook, just under a steep beetling rock, where he fastened his skiff to the root of a tree that shot out from a cleft and spread its broad branches like a canopy over the water. The gust came scouring along; the wind threw up the river in white surges; the rain rattled among the leaves, the thunder bellowed worse than that which is now bellowing, the lightning seemed to lick up the surges of the stream; but Sam, snugly sheltered under rock and tree, lay crouched in his skiff, rocking upon the billows, until he fell asleep. When he awoke all was quiet. The gust had passed away, and only now and then a faint gleam of lightning in the east showed which way it had gone. The night was dark and moonless; and from the state of the tide Sam concluded it was near midnight. He was on the point of making loose his skiff to return homewards, when he saw a light gleaming along the water from a distance, which seemed rapidly approaching. As it drew near he perceived that it came from a lanthorn in the bow of a boat which was gliding along under shadow of the land. It pulled up in a small cove, close to where he was. A man jumped on shore, and searching about with the lanthorn exclaimed, "This is the place—here's the Iron ring." The boat was then made fast, and the man returning on board, assisted his comrades in conveying something heavy on shore. As the light gleamed among them, Sam saw that they were five stout, desperate-looking fellows, in red woollen caps, with a leader in a three-cornered hat, and that some of them were armed with dirks, or long knives, and pistols. They talked low to one another, and occasionally in some outlandish tongue which he could not understand.

夜幕降临，狂风咆哮。西边黑云密布，他不时看到电光闪烁，听到雷鸣声声，种种迹象表明，一场夏日的暴雨即将来临。于是萨姆就借曼哈顿岛作掩护，把船驶向岸边，沿岸划过去，到了一块舒适而隐蔽的、又恰好在一片凸出的峭岩荫蔽之下的地方。那儿有一株从岩石缝里伸出来的大树，枝叶广布，犹如华盖，笼罩水面。萨姆就把小船拴在了树根上。一阵强风扫过，河面卷起阵阵白浪，雨水从树叶当中噼噼啪啪地打了下来，雷声咆哮，比现在还要响，闪电仿佛要舔净河里的浪花。而萨姆却舒舒服服地躲在岩石和树木的遮蔽之下，蜷着身子躺在他的小船里，直到滔滔巨浪把他摇晃得睡着了。当他醒来时，一切都平静下来了。狂风已经停了，只留下东方不时闪烁的微弱电光，表明它的去向。夜色漆黑，没有一丝月光，萨姆从潮水上判断已时近午夜。他正要解开他的小船回家的时候，突然看见一道光在远处水面闪现，似乎在迅速靠近。当它靠近的时候，萨姆发现那是从一艘小船船头上的灯笼中发出来的，那艘船正在陆地的阴影下滑行。那艘船在一个小港湾停下来，离萨姆所在的地方很近。一个男人跃上岸边，拎着灯笼四处搜寻，并喊道：“就是这儿——铁环就在这儿。”那时那艘船已经绑牢了，接着那个男人回到甲板上，帮着他那伙人把一个重物搬到岸上。当灯在他们之间闪烁时，萨姆看到五个胖家伙，面目狰狞，戴着红色羊毛帽，为首的则戴着一顶三角帽，其中一些人还带着匕首、长刀和手枪。他们彼此嘀咕着，偶尔还说些他听不明白的外语。

On landing they made their way among the bushes, taking turns to relieve each other in lugging their burthen up the rocky bank. Sam's curiosity was now fully aroused, so leaving his skiff he clambered silently up the ridge that overlooked their path. They had stopped to rest for a moment, and the leader was looking about among the bushes with his lanthorn. "Have you brought the spades?" said one. "They are here," replied another, who had them on his shoulder. "We must dig deep, where there will be no risk of discovery," said a third.

一上岸他们就穿过灌木丛，轮流接替对方把他们那个重物拖上岩岸。此时萨姆的好奇心被完全勾了起来，因此他离开了他的小船，悄悄地攀上一条山脊来俯视他们的去向。他们停下来休息了一会儿，为首的拿着灯笼在灌木丛里四处张望。“你带铁锹了吗？”一个人问道。“铁锹在这儿。”另一个人回答，那人肩上扛着铁锹。“我们必须挖深点儿，这样就没有被人发现的危险了。”第三个人说道。

A cold chill ran through Sam's veins. He fancied he saw before him a gang of murderers, about to bury their victim. His knees smote together. In his agitation he shook the branch of a tree with which he was supporting himself as he looked over the edge of the cliff.

一阵寒意透过了萨姆全身。他暗想自己看到的定是一伙杀人犯，要埋掉他们害死的人。他双膝抖得撞到了一起。不安中他晃了下树枝，因为他正倚着这棵树往悬崖边下瞧。

"What's that?" cried one of the gang. "Some one stirs among the bushes!"

“那是什么？”那伙人中的一个大声说道，“有人在灌木从里动！”

The lanthorn was held up in the direction of the noise. One of the red-caps cocked a pistol, and pointed it towards the very place where Sam was standing. He stood motionless—breathless; expecting the next moment to be his last. Fortunately, his dingy complexion was in his favor, and made no glare among the leaves.

灯笼朝声音传来的地方照去。其中一个红帽子家伙扳起手枪的扳机，指向了萨姆所站的那个地方。他站着一动不动——屏住了呼吸，以为自己下一刻就没命了。幸运的是，他黝黑的肤色帮了他，在树叶中他并不显眼。

"'Tis no one," said the man with the lanthorn.

“没人啊。”提着灯笼的人说道。

"What a plague! you would not fire off your pistol and alarm the country."

“真见鬼！你是不是想开一枪让全乡都知道！”

The pistol was uncocked; the burthen was resumed, and the party slowly toiled up the bank. Sam watched them as they went; the light sending back fitful gleams through the dripping bushes, and it was not till they were fairly out of sight that he ventured to draw breath freely. He now thought of getting back to his boat, and making his escape out of the reach of such dangerous neighbors; but curiosity was all-powerful with poor Sam. He hesitated and lingered and listened. By and by he heard the strokes of spades.

手枪退了膛；那伙人继续拖着重物，费力地沿着河岸慢慢移动。萨姆看着他们往前走，那一阵阵微弱的灯光穿越了滴水的灌木丛，直到他们在视线中完全消失了，他才敢自由呼吸。此时，他本想回到船上，逃离这些危险人物的力量范围；可好奇心已经完全控制了这个可怜人。他犹豫不决，徘徊在那里听声响。不一会儿，他听到了铲土的声音。

"They are digging the grave!" said he to himself; the cold sweat started upon his forehead. Every stroke of a spade, as it sounded through the silent groves, went to his heart; it was evident there was as little noise made as possible; every thing had an air of mystery and secrecy. Sam had a great relish for the horrible—a tale of murder was a treat for him; and he was a constant attendant at executions. He could not, therefore, resist an impulse, in spite of every danger, to steal nearer, and overlook the villains at their work.

“他们在掘墓！”他自言自语道。冷汗开始从他额头上冒出来。铁锹每铲一下，声音都会穿过寂静的树丛，传进他的心里。显然他们尽可能不弄出动静，每件事都带有一丝神秘难解的气息。萨姆对恐怖的事情一向很有兴趣——对他而言，给他讲个谋杀故事就相当于请他吃了一餐。他经常去刑场看行刑。因此，尽管很危险，他还是抑制不住冲动，蹑手蹑脚地靠近，居高临下地看那帮坏蛋干活。

He crawled along cautiously, therefore, inch by inch; stepping with the utmost care among the dry leaves, lest their rustling should betray him. He came at length to where a steep rock intervened between him and the gang; he saw the light of their lanthorn shining up against the branches of the trees on the other side. Sam slowly and silently clambered up the surface of the rock, and raising his head above its naked edge, beheld the villains immediately below him, and so near that though he dreaded discovery, he dared not withdraw lest the least movement should be heard. In this way he remained, with his round black face peering over the edge of the rock, like the sun just emerging above the edge of the horizon, or the round-cheeked moon on the dial of a clock.

为此，他小心翼翼地一点儿一点儿爬过去；在枯叶上极小心地迈着步子，唯恐叶子的沙沙声暴露他。最后，他到了一个地方，这地方和那帮家伙间隔着一块陡峭的岩石；他看到他们的灯笼发出的光照到了对面树枝上。萨姆慢慢地悄无声息地爬上那块岩石，把头探到光秃秃的岩石边上，立刻看到那些恶棍就在下面，实在是太近了，虽然怕被发现，他还是不敢退回去，唯恐他们听见一点儿动静。他就这样呆着，黝黑的圆脸探出岩石边儿，恰如刚刚从地平线升起的太阳，或者钟面上圆脸的月亮。

The red-caps had nearly finished their work; the grave was filled up, and they were carefully replacing the turf. This done, they scattered dry leaves over the place. "And now," said the leader, "I defy the devil himself to find it out."

那些戴红帽子的人把活儿基本干完了；坟也填好了，他们正小心地把草皮放回去。做完这件事，他们还在那地方撒了些枯叶子。“现在，”为首的说，“我敢说魔鬼亲自来也发现不了。”

"The murderers!" exclaimed Sam involuntarily.

“凶手！”萨姆不由自主地大叫道。

The whole gang startled, and looking up, beheld the round black head of Sam just above them. His white eyes strained half out of their orbits; his white teeth chattering, and his whole visage shining with cold perspiration.

那帮人都吓着了，向上一看，看到萨姆圆圆的黑脑袋正好在他们上面。他的白眼球一半都夺出了眼眶，雪白的牙齿在打战，整个脸上都是晶莹的冷汗珠子。

"We're discovered!" cried one.

“我们被发现了！”一个人大喊。

"Down with him!" cried another.

“干掉他！”另一个吼道。

Sam heard the cocking of a pistol, but did not pause for the report. He scrambled over rock and stone, through bush and briar; rolled down banks like a hedgehog; scrambled up others like a catamount. In every direction he heard some one or other of the gang hemming him in. At length he reached the rocky ridge along the river; one of the red-caps was hard behind him. A steep rock like a wall rose directly in his way; it seemed to cut off all retreat, when he espied the strong cord-like branch of a grape-vine reaching half way down it. He sprang at it with the force of a desperate man, seized it with both hands, and being young and agile, succeeded in swinging himself to the summit of the cliff. Here he stood in full relief against the sky, when the red-cap cocked his pistol and fired. The ball whistled by Sam's head. With the lucky thought of a man in an emergency, he uttered a yell, fell to the ground, and detached at the same time a fragment of the rock, which tumbled with a loud splash into the river.

萨姆听到了手枪上膛的声音，他可不会等到他们开枪。他爬过岩石及碎石，穿过灌木荆棘；像刺猬般滚下好几个斜坡；又像大野猫似的爬上了好几个斜坡。他听到四面八方都有他们的人要包围他。最后，他到了河边一个重岩叠壁的山脊处，一个戴红帽子的在他后面紧追不舍。陡峭的岩石像墙一样直立着，正好挡住了他的路；它似乎把所有的退路也都断了。这时他突然看到一根如绳子般结实的葡萄藤枝子搭在岩石的半腰处。他用亡命之徒的力量跳向那根枝子，两手抓住它，因为年轻灵活，成功地把自己荡到了悬崖的顶部。在天空的衬托下，他满怀欣慰地站在那儿，这时红帽子扳动手枪开了火。子弹嗖地一下从萨姆脑袋旁飞了过去。幸运的是，紧要关头他灵光一现，大叫一声，倒在地上，同时弄下一块岩石推到河里，那岩石砰地一声入了水，打得水花四溅。

"I've done his business," said the red-cap, to one or two of his comrades as they arrived panting. "He'll tell no tales, except to the fishes in the river."

“他被我干掉了，”红帽子对一两个气喘吁吁跟上来的同伙说，“他不会乱说了，除非跟河里的鱼去说。”

His pursuers now turned off to meet their companions. Sam sliding silently down the surface of the rock, let himself quietly into his skiff, cast loose the fastening, and abandoned himself to the rapid current, which in that place runs like a mill-stream, and soon swept him off from the neighborhood. It was not, however, until he had drifted a great distance that he ventured to ply his oars; when he made his skiff dart like an arrow through the strait of Hell Gate, never heeding the danger of Pot, Frying-pan, or Hog's-back itself; nor did he feel himself thoroughly secure until safely nestled in bed in the cockloft of the ancient farm-house of the Suydams.

追赶萨姆的人现在都转身而去，和他们的同伙接头去了。萨姆一声不响地从石头上滑下来，悄悄地进入他的小船，解开绳子，置身于激流中，那儿的流水像磨坊的小河般，很快就把他冲离了那一带。不过，直到漂出好远一段距离，他才敢划桨；这时他飞快地划着小船，像箭一般穿过地狱门水道的河峡，丝毫没注意到罐子岛、炸锅岛或者猪背岛的危险。直到回到苏丹姆那古老的农舍，安稳地蜷缩在阁楼的床上，他才彻彻底底地放了心。 96omvkJx8QtxlB76o1JJtj4un/yItueBs47t6lPiUojsSLlDjUE2ohta3ywM1mCO