It was not very long after this that there occurred the first of the mysterious events that rid us at last of the captain, though not, as you will see, of his affairs. It was a bitter cold winter, with long, hard frosts and heavy gales; and it was plain from the first that my poor father was little likely to see the spring. He sank daily, and my mother and I had all the inn upon our hands, and were kept busy enough without paying much regard to our unpleasant guest.

这件事情过去不久，便发生了第一桩神秘事件，使我们终于摆脱了船长。不过，正如你会看到的那样，这并未使我们摆脱掉有关他的事情。那是一个寒冷的冬天，下了很久的严霜，风也很大。很明显，我可怜的父亲几乎不可能看到春天了。他的病一天比一天重，店里的活都落在我母亲和我身上。我们忙得够呛，基本没工夫注意我们那位讨厌的客人。

It was one January morning, very early—a pinching, frosty morning—the cove all grey with hoar-frost, the ripple lapping softly on the stones, the sun still low and only touching the hilltops and shining far to seaward. The captain had risen earlier than usual and set out down the beach, his cutlass swinging under the broad skirts of the old blue coat, his brass telescope under his arm, his hat tilted back upon his head. I remember his breath hanging like smoke in his wake as he strode off, and the last sound I heard of him as he turned the big rock was a loud snort of indignation, as though his mind was still running upon Dr. Livesey.

那是一个一月的早上，很早——一个令人痛苦的有严霜的早晨——整个海湾覆盖着白霜，灰蒙蒙一片，波浪轻轻拍打在岩石上，太阳仍低悬在山顶，照到远远的海上。船长比平时起得还早，出发去了海边，他的短刀在旧蓝色外套的宽下摆下左右摇晃，铜制望远镜夹在他的胳膊底下，他的帽子斜歪着搭在脑袋上。我记得他大步走着的时候，呼吸像烟雾一样，我是在他转过大石块的时候听到了他最后发出的的声音——气愤地哼了一下鼻子——好像还在对利夫西医生有什么想法。

Well, mother was upstairs with father and I was laying the breakfast-table against the captain's return when the parlour door opened and a man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before. He was a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand, and though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter. I had always my eye open for seafaring men, with one leg or two, and I remember this one puzzled me. He was not sailorly, and yet he had a smack of the sea about him too.

那时候，母亲和父亲在楼上，我正在摆放早餐桌，等船长回来。突然大厅门开了，一个我从未见过的人出现在我眼前。他是一个面色苍白、身体肥壮的家伙，左手少了两根手指。虽然他带着短刀，但看上去不太像是个好斗的人。我一直在留意着水手，一条或两条腿的，可我记得这个人使我很困惑。他不像个水手，但身上却又带着海的气息。

I asked him what was for his service, and he said he would take rum; but as I was going out of the room to fetch it, he sat down upon a table and motioned me to draw near. I paused where I was, with my napkin in my hand.

我问能否为他效劳，他说他要朗姆酒；但是正当我要走出房间取朗姆酒时，他在一张桌子旁坐下，做了个手势叫我过去。我停在原地，手里还拿着纸巾。

"Come here, sonny," said he.

“过来，孩子。”他说，

"Come nearer here."

“走过来一点儿。”

I took a step nearer.

我走近了一步。

"Is this here table for my mate Bill?" he asked with a kind of leer.

“这儿的这张桌子是我同伴比尔的吗？”他带着恶意的目光问道。

I told him I did not know his mate Bill, and this was for a person who stayed in our house whom we called the captain.

我告诉他我不认识他的同伴比尔，这张桌子是给住在我们房子的一个叫做“船长”的人的。

"Well," said he, "my mate Bill would be called the captain, as like as not. He has a cut on one cheek and a mighty pleasant way with him, particularly in drink, has my mate Bill. We'll put it, for argument like, that your captain has a cut on one cheek—and we'll put it, if you like, that that cheek's the right one. Ah, well! I told you. Now, is my mate Bill in this here house?"

“哦，”他说，“我的同伴比尔好像也被叫做船长，很有可能。他的脸颊上有一个刀疤，而且性格很开朗，尤其是喝酒的时候，我的同伴比尔就是这样的。为了证明，我们可以指出，你们的船长的一侧脸颊有一处刀疤——我们还可以指出，如果你想知道的话，那个刀疤在右半边脸。哦，好啦！我已经告诉你了。现在，我的同伴比尔在这间房子里吗？”

I told him he was out walking.

我告诉他，船长正在外面散步。

"Which way, sonny? Which way is he gone?"

“哪条路，孩子？他走的是哪条路？”

And when I had pointed out the rock and told him how the captain was likely to return, and how soon, and answered a few other questions, "Ah," said he, "this'll be as good as drink to my mate Bill."

于是，我指了指那块石头，告诉他船长可能会怎么回来、多久回来，还回答了其他的一些问题。“哦，”他说，“这对我的同伴比尔来说会和喝酒一样好。”

The expression of his face as he said these words was not at all pleasant, and I had my own reasons for thinking that the stranger was mistaken, even supposing he meant what he said. But it was no affair of mine, I thought; and besides, it was difficult to know what to do. The stranger kept hanging about just inside the inn door, peering round the corner like a cat waiting for a mouse. Once I stepped out myself into the road, but he immediately called me back, and as I did not obey quick enough for his fancy, a most horrible change came over his tallowy face, and he ordered me in with an oath that made me jump. As soon as I was back again he returned to his former manner, half fawning, half sneering, patted me on the shoulder, told me I was a good boy and he had taken quite a fancy to me. "I have a son of my own," said he, "as like you as two blocks, and he's all the pride of my 'art. But the great thing for boys is discipline, sonny—discipline. Now, if you had sailed along of Bill, you wouldn't have stood there to be spoke to twice—not you. That was never Bill's way, nor the way of such as sailed with him. And here, sure enough, is my mate Bill, with a spy-glass under his arm, bless his old 'art, to be sure. You and me'll just go back into the parlour, sonny, and get behind the door, and we'll give Bill a little surprise—bless his 'art, I say again."

他说这些话的时候，脸上丝毫没表现出愉快的表情，而我自己也有理由认为这个陌生人认错了，即使假设他说的就是这个意思。不过这和我无关。再说，我自己也不知道该怎么办才好。这个陌生人一直在旅店里边转悠，盯着那个角落，像一只在等老鼠的猫。我一走出去到大路上，他立刻就会叫我回来。要是我没有像他想象的那样迅速服从，他饱含油脂的脸就会变得特别可怕，他会用足以让我跳起来的咒骂命令我进来。只要我一回来，他就回到原来的状态，半讨好、半嘲讽地拍拍我的肩膀，告诉我我是个好孩子，他很喜欢我。“我自己有个儿子，”他说，“简直和你一模一样。他是我全部的骄傲。但是对男孩子来说，最重要的是纪律，孩子——纪律。现在，要是你和比尔一起出海，你就不会站在那里被叫上两遍了——你肯定不会。这从来不是比尔的风格，也不是和他一起航海的人的风格。那边，肯定无疑，是我的同伴比尔，胳膊底下夹着一个小望远镜，上帝保佑，这肯定是他。你和我回客厅去，孩子，到门后边去，咱们要给比尔一个小小的惊喜——上帝保佑他，我再说一遍。”

So saying, the stranger backed along with me into the parlour and put me behind him in the corner so that we were both hidden by the open door. I was very uneasy and alarmed, as you may fancy, and it rather added to my fears to observe that the stranger was certainly frightened himself. He cleared the hilt of his cutlass and loosened the blade in the sheath; and all the time we were waiting there he kept swallowing as if he felt what we used to call a lump in the throat.

说着，陌生人跟我一起回到了客厅，让我躲在他身后的角落里。这样，我们就都被敞开的门挡住了。你们可以想象，我既不安又惊慌，看到这个陌生人自己也很害怕，我就更恐惧了。他擦了擦短刀的刀柄，又松了松护套里的刀刃。我们在那儿等的时候，他一直在咽口水，仿佛我们通常所说的如鲠在喉。

At last in strode the captain, slammed the door behind him, without looking to the right or left, and marched straight across the room to where his breakfast awaited him.

终于，船长迈着大步走了进来，砰地一声关上身后的门，没有向左右两边看一眼，径直穿过房间到为他的早餐那里。

"Bill," said the stranger in a voice that I thought he had tried to make bold and big.

“比尔。”那个陌生人喊道。那种声音，我认为，是他想为自己壮胆。

The captain spun round on his heel and fronted us; all the brown had gone out of his face, and even his nose was blue; he had the look of a man who sees a ghost, or the evil one, or something worse, if anything can be; and upon my word, I felt sorry to see him all in a moment turn so old and sick.

船长转过身来对着我们，脸上的褐色全都不见了，连鼻子都青了。他看起来像看到了一个幽灵，或者一个恶魔，或者是更可怕的东西，如果还有这个东西的话。而对于我，看到他刹那间变得如此苍老和衰弱，我感到很内疚。

"Come, Bill, you know me; you know an old shipmate, Bill, surely," said the stranger.

“来，比尔，你认得我。你认得这个老船友，比尔，这是当然的。”那个陌生人说。

The captain made a sort of gasp.

船长发出一声叹息。

"Black Dog!" said he.

“黑狗！”他说。

"And who else?" returned the other, getting more at his ease. "Black Dog as ever was, come for to see his old shipmate Billy, at the Admiral Benbow inn. Ah, Bill, Bill, we have seen a sight of times, us two, since I lost them two talons," holding up his mutilated hand.

“还能有谁呢？”另一个答道，变得轻松了一些。“黑狗和以前一样，来看他的老船友比尔来了，在‘本博将军’旅店。哦，比尔，比尔，我们都目睹了时光的流逝，我们两个，自从我丢了两根手指。”他举起自己残缺的手。

"Now, look here," said the captain; "you've run me down; here I am; well, then, speak up; what is it?"

“现在，看呐，”船长说道，“你已经找到我了，我就在这里，那么，说吧，什么事？”

"That's you, Bill," returned Black Dog, "you're in the right of it, Billy. I'll have a glass of rum from this dear child here, as I've took such a liking to; and we'll sit down, if you please, and talk square, like old shipmates."

“是你，比尔。”黑狗回答道，“你说得对，比尔。我想从这个可爱的孩子这儿要杯朗姆酒，因为我已经有了这个嗜好。如果你愿意的话，咱们就坐下，像老船友一样实实在在地聊聊。”

When I returned with the rum, they were already seated on either side of the captain's breakfast-table—Black Dog next to the door and sitting sideways so as to have one eye on his old shipmate and one, as I thought, on his retreat.

当我拿着朗姆酒回来的时候，他们已经坐在船长的早餐桌两边——黑狗挨着门，朝一边斜坐着，一是为了能看到他的老船友，另外我想，也是为了给自己留个退路。

He bade me go and leave the door wide open. "None of your keyholes for me, sonny," he said; and I left them together and retired into the bar.

他让我走开，并且把门大敞着。“别想从钥匙孔里偷看，孩子。”他说。于是我让他们呆在一起，自己回到酒吧间里。

For a long time, though I certainly did my best to listen, I could hear nothing but a low gattling; but at last the voices began to grow higher, and I could pick up a word or two, mostly oaths, from the captain.

很长一段时间，尽管我尽力去偷听，但除了低低的嘟囔声还是听不到一点声音。但最终声音开始越来越高，我能够听到一两句话了，大多是来自船长的咒骂。

"No, no, no, no; and an end of it!" he cried once. And again, "If it comes to swinging, swing all, say I."

“不，不，不，不，到此为止吧！”他喊了一声。然后他又喊了一声：“如果要上绞刑架，就大家就都上，我说的。”

Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises—the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder. Just at the door the captain aimed at the fugitive one last tremendous cut, which would certainly have split him to the chine had it not been intercepted by our big signboard of Admiral Benbow. You may see the notch on the lower side of the frame to this day.

接着就爆发出突如其来的咒骂和其他噪音——椅子和桌子倒在了一团，接着是金属的撞击，然后是一声惨叫。接下来，我看到黑狗拼命地逃跑，船长紧追其后，两个人都拔出了短刀，前者左肩流着血。就在门口，船长瞄准这个亡命徒，使劲儿给了他最后一刀。要不是我们“本博旅店”的大招牌挡着，这一刀准能把他劈成两半。到现在，你都还可以看到边框下边的那个缺口。

That blow was the last of the battle. Once out upon the road, Black Dog, in spite of his wound, showed a wonderful clean pair of heels and disappeared over the edge of the hill in half a minute. The captain, for his part, stood staring at the signboard like a bewildered man. Then he passed his hand over his eyes several times and at last turned back into the house.

这是那场战斗的最后一击。一出来到了路上，黑狗尽管受了伤，仍然显示出非凡的脚下功夫，不到半分钟，就消失在小山的脚下了。船长则站在那里盯着招牌，像一个茫然困惑的人。然后他揉了几下眼睛，最后转身回到屋里。

"Jim," said he, "rum"; and as he spoke, he reeled a little, and caught himself with one hand against the wall.

“吉姆，”他说，“朗姆酒。”他说话时，有些摇晃，便用一只手扶墙支撑住自己。

"Are you hurt?" cried I.

“你受伤了么？”我叫道。

"Rum," he repeated. "I must get away from here. Rum! Rum!"

“朗姆酒。”他重复道。“我必须离开这里。朗姆酒！朗姆酒！”

I ran to fetch it, but I was quite unsteadied by all that had fallen out, and I broke one glass and fouled the tap, and while I was still getting in my own way, I heard a loud fall in the parlour, and running in, beheld the captain lying full length upon the floor. At the same instant my mother, alarmed by the cries and fighting, came running downstairs to help me. Between us we raised his head. He was breathing very loud and hard, but his eyes were closed and his face a horrible colour.

我跑去拿酒，但是所有发生的一切让我非常不安。我打碎了一个杯子，弄脏了塞子，并且在我回来的路上时，我听到大厅里一声巨大的倒地声，于是我跑进去，看到船长整个人躺在地板上。就在这时，我的母亲被喊叫声和打斗声惊动，跑下楼来帮我。我们两个人一起抬起他的脑袋。他大声地用力喘着气，但是他的眼睛是闭着的，脸色很吓人。

"Dear, deary me," cried my mother, "What a disgrace upon the house! And your poor father sick!"

“哦，我的天呐，”我的母亲叫道，“这屋子真是倒霉！你可怜的父亲也病了。”

In the meantime, we had no idea what to do to help the captain, nor any other thought but that he had got his death-hurt in the scuffle with the stranger. I got the rum, to be sure, and tried to put it down his throat, but his teeth were tightly shut and his jaws as strong as iron. It was a happy relief for us when the door opened and Doctor Livesey came in, on his visit to my father.

这时候，我们也不知道该怎么帮船长，而且除了知道他是在和陌生人混战的时候得了这个致命伤以外，我们对其他的事也一无所知。我的确拿来了朗姆酒，并试图把它灌进他的喉咙，但是他的牙关紧闭，下巴也坚硬得像铁一样。等到门被打开，利夫西医生进来探望我的父亲时，我们都高兴地松了口气。

"Oh, doctor," we cried, "what shall we do? Where is he wounded?"

“哦，医生，”我们叫道，“我们该怎么办？他伤到哪了？”

"Wounded? A fiddle-stick's end!" said the doctor. "No more wounded than you or I. The man has had a stroke, as I warned him. Now, Mrs. Hawkins, just you run upstairs to your husband and tell him, if possible, nothing about it. For my part, I must do my best to save this fellow's trebly worthless life; Jim, you get me a basin."

“受伤？乱弹琴！”医生说。“没比你我多受任何伤。这个人是中风了，我曾经警告过他。现在，霍金斯太太，你跑到楼上你丈夫那里，如果可能的话，别告诉他任何关于这里的事。至于我，我一定尽力挽救这个家伙的毫无价值的生命。吉姆，给我拿个盆来。”

When I got back with the basin, the doctor had already ripped up the captain's sleeve and exposed his great sinewy arm. It was tattooed in several places. "Here's luck," "A fair wind," and "Billy Bones his fancy," were very neatly and clearly executed on the forearm; and up near the shoulder there was a sketch of a gallows and a man hanging from it—done, as I thought, with great spirit.

当我拿着盆回来的时候，医生已经撕开船长的袖子，让他粗壮有力的胳膊露在外面。很多地方都刺了青。“鸿运高照”、“一路顺风”和“比利·博恩斯事事如愿”清晰整洁地纹在他的前臂上。上面接近肩膀的地方有一个人吊在绞刑架上的草图——完成这些刺青，我认为，需要极大的勇气。

"Prophetic," said the doctor, touching this picture with his finger. "And now, Master Billy Bones, if that be your name, we'll have a look at the colour of your blood. Jim," he said, "are you afraid of blood?"

“有先见之明。”医生说，同时用他的手摸着这些图案。“那么现在，比利·博恩斯先生，如果那是你的名字，我们就可以看看你的血是什么颜色了。吉姆，”他说，“你害怕血么？”

"No, sir," said I.

“不怕，先生，”我说。

"Well, then," said he, "you hold the basin"; and with that he took his lancet and opened a vein.

“那么，好的，”他说，“你拿着这个盆。”说着他拿起小刀，割开了一条静脉。

A great deal of blood was taken before the captain opened his eyes and looked mistily about him. First he recognized the doctor with an unmistakable frown; then his glance fell upon me, and he looked relieved. But suddenly his colour changed, and he tried to raise himself, crying, "Where's Black Dog?" "There is no Black Dog here," said the doctor, "except what you have on your own back. You have been drinking rum; you have had a stroke, precisely as I told you; and I have just, very much against my own will, dragged you headforemost out of the grave. Now, Mr. Bones—"

放了许多血以后，船长睁开了眼睛，迷迷糊糊地望着四周。他先认出了医生，毫无疑问地皱着眉头，然后他的目光落在我身上，他看起来放松了一些。但是突然他的脸色变了，他努力想坐起来，并喊道：“黑狗在哪里？”“这里没有黑狗，”医生说，“只有你仰面朝天地躺在这里。你一直酗酒，已经中风了，如我曾经明确告诫过你的一样。我刚才已经违背了自己的意愿，抢先把你从坟墓里拉了出来。现在，博恩斯先生——”

"That's not my name," he interrupted.

“那不是我的名字。”他打断了医生的话。

"Much I care," returned the doctor.

“我不在乎。”医生回答说。

"It's the name of a buccaneer of my acquaintance; and I call you by it for the sake of shortness, and what I have to say to you is this; one glass of rum won't kill you, but if you take one you'll take another and another, and I stake my wig if you don't break off short, you'll die—do you understand that? —die, and go to your own place, like the man in the Bible. Come, now, make an effort.

“这是我认识的一个海盗的名字，我这样称呼你是为了简短起见。我不得不和你说的是，一杯酒不会害死你，但是如果你喝了一杯，然后又一杯接一杯地喝，我以我的假发打赌，如果你不赶快停止，你一定会死掉——你明白吗？——死掉，到你该去的地方，像《圣经》里的人一样。来，现在，用点力。

I'll help you to your bed for once."

我会扶你到床上，就这一次。”

Between us, with much trouble, we managed to hoist him upstairs, and laid him on his bed, where his head fell back on the pillow as if he were almost fainting.

我们俩费了好大力气，设法把他抬上楼，把他放到床上。他的脑袋歪倒在枕头上，仿佛快晕倒了一样。

"Now, mind you," said the doctor, "I clear my conscience—the name of rum for you is death."

“现在，我提醒你，”医生说，“我问心无愧——朗姆酒这个词对你来说就是死亡。”

And with that he went off to see my father, taking me with him by the arm.

说着，他拉着我的胳膊，离开去看我父亲了。

"This is nothing," he said as soon as he had closed the door. "I have drawn blood enough to keep him quiet awhile; he should lie for a week where he is—that is the best thing for him and you; but another stroke would settle him."

“没关系，”他一关上门便说道，“我给他放了血，足以使他安静一会了。他应该会在那儿躺上一个星期——对他和你来说这是最好的事情，但是再来一次中风就会解决他了。” i+HyhkX0j1Alo3dFQtCM+BpZj+lFDQhk6/LE4ViX77tsT3CGjQQtXZgOQSX2acIU