On reaching the boundary wall Toby ran along, whining eagerly, underneath its shadow,
透比跟着我们一路跑来，在墙的阴影里焦急得哦哦地叫着，
and stopped finally in a corner screened by a young beech.
最后，我们来到了长着一棵小山毛榉树的墙角。
Where the two walls joined, several bricks had been loosened,
较低的地方，砖缝已被磨损，
and the crevices left were worn down and rounded upon the lower side,
砖的棱角被磨圆了，
as though they had frequently been used as a ladder.
似乎是常被用作爬墙的下脚之处。
Holmes clambered up, and taking the dog from me he dropped it over upon the other side.
福尔摩斯爬上去，从我手里把狗接过去，又由另一面把它放了下去。
"There's the print of Wooden-leg's hand," he remarked as I mounted up beside him.
在我也爬上了墙头的时候，他说道："墙上还留有木腿人的一个手印，
"You see the slight smudge of blood upon the white plaster.
你看那留在白灰上的血迹。
What a lucky thing it is that we have had no very heavy rain since yesterday!
昨晚幸而没有大雨，
The scent will lie upon the road in spite of their eight-and- twenty hours' start."
虽然隔了二十八小时，气味还可以留在路上。"
I confess that I had my doubts myself when I reflected upon the great traffic
当我们走过车马络绎不绝的伦敦马路的时候，我心中未免怀疑，
which had passed along the London road in the interval.
透比究竟能不能够循着气味追到凶手。
My fears were soon appeased, however.
可是不久我也就放心了。
Toby never hesitated or swerved but waddled on in his peculiar rolling fashion.
透比毫不犹豫地嗅着地，摇摇摆摆向前奔去，
Clearly the pungent smell of the creosote rose high above all other contending scents.
显然这强烈的木馏油味比路上的其他气味更为强烈。
"Do not imagine," said Holmes,
福尔摩斯道："你不要认为
"that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical.
我只是依靠着在这个案子里有一个人把脚踩进了化学药品，才能够破获这个案子。
I have knowledge now which would enable me to trace them in many different ways.
我已经知道几个另外的方法可以捕获凶犯了。
This, however, is the readiest, and, since fortune has put it into our hands,
不过既然幸运之神把这个最方便的方法送到咱们的手里，
I should be culpable if I neglected it.
而咱们竟忽视了的话，那就是我的过失了。
It has, however, prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be.
不过把一个需要有深奥的学问才能解决的问题简单化了。
There might have been some credit to be gained out of it but for this too palpable clue."
从一个简单的线索来破案，未免难于显得出来我们的功绩了。"
"There is credit, and to spare," said I. "I assure you, Holmes,
我道："还是有不少功绩呢。福尔摩斯，
that I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case even more than I did in the Jefferson Hope murder.
我觉得你在这个案子里所使用的方法比在杰弗逊·侯波谋杀案里所用的手法
The thing seems to me to be deeper and more inexplicable.
更是玄妙惊人，更是深奥而费解。
How, for example, could you describe with such confidence the wooden-legged man?"
举例来说吧，你怎么能毫无怀疑地形容那个装木腿的人呢？"
"Pshaw, my dear boy! it was simplicity itself.
"咳，老兄！这事本身就很简单，
I don't wish to be theatrical. It is all patent and above-board.
我并不想夸张，整个情况是明明白白的。
Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure.
两个负责指挥看守囚犯的部队的军官听得了一件藏宝的秘密。
A map is drawn for them by an Englishman named Jonathan Small.
一个叫做琼诺赞·斯茂的英国人给他们画了一张图。
You remember that we saw the name upon the chart in Captain Morstan's possession.
你记得吧，这个名字就写在摩斯坦上尉的图上。
He had signed it in behalf of himself and his associates
他自己签了名，还代他的同伙签了名，
the sign of the four, as he somewhat dramatically called it.
这就是他们所谓的'四个签名' 。
Aided by this chart, the officers–-or one of them--gets the treasure and brings it to England,
这两个军官按照这个图--或者是他们中间的一个人--觅得了宝物，带回英国。
leaving, we will suppose, some condition under which he received it unfulfilled.
我想象可能这个带回宝物的人，对于当初约定的条件，有的没有履行。
Now, then, why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself?
那么，为什么琼诺赞·斯茂自己没有拿到宝物呢？
The answer is obvious.
这个答案是显而易见的。
The chart is dated at a time when Morstan was brought into close association with convicts.
画那张图的日期，是摩斯坦和囚犯们接近的时候。
Jonathan Small did not get the treasure
琼诺赞·斯茂所以没有得到那宝物，
because he and his associates were themselves convicts and could not get away."
是因为他和他的同伙全都是囚犯，行动上不得自由。"
