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汤姆·史威夫特和他的摩托艇 (Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa) （或卡洛斯湖的竞争对手） VICTOR APPLETON 维克多·阿普尔顿 CHAPTER III A TIMELY WARNING 第三章 及时警告 "Well, are you satisfied with your bargain, Tom?" asked Mr. Wood when the formalities about transferring the ownership of the motor-boat had been completed. "Oh, yes, I calculated to pay just what I did." "I'm glad you're satisfied, for Mr. Hastings told me to be sure the purchaser was satisfied. Here he comes now. I guess he wasn't at the auction." “好的，汤姆，你对这笔交易满意吗？” 伍德问，他麻利的完成转让摩托艇所有权的手续。 “哦，还行，这次交易掏光了我的口袋。” “我很高兴你对交易满意，因为黑斯廷斯先生告诉我，要确保买家满意。他现在来了。我想刚才他不在拍卖会上。” An elderly gentleman was approaching Mr. Wood and Tom. Most of the throng was dispersing, but the young inventor noticed that Andy Foger and Sam Snedecker stood to one side, regarding him closely. "So you got my boat," remarked the former owner of the craft. "I hope you will be able to fix it up." "Oh, I think I shall," answered the new owner of the CARLOPA. "If I can't, father will help me." 一位老先生向伍德和汤姆走来。大部分人正在散去，我们的发明家注意到，安迪·佛格和萨姆·斯内德克还站在一边，密切关注着他。 “你拍到了我的船，”那艘船的前主人说道。 “我希望您能把它修好。” “哦，我想我会的。” 卡洛帕的新老板回答。 “如果我修不好，我爸会帮我。” "Yes, you have an advantage there. Are you going to keep the same name?" and Mr. Hastings seemed quite interested in what answer the lad would make. "I think not," replied Tom. "It's a good name, but I want something that tells more what a fast boat it is, for I'm going to make some changes that will increase the speed." "That's a good idea. Call it the Swift." “是的，你有那方面的特长。你要这艘船还用这个名字吗？” 黑斯廷斯先生似乎对小伙子会做怎样回答很感兴趣。 “我想不是。”汤姆回答。 “这是一个好名字，但是我取个新名，能表现出这是一艘快艇，我将做一些改变，进一步提高它的速度。” “这是个好主意。称它为斯威夫特吧。” "Folks would say I was stuck up if I did that," retorted the youth quickly. "I think I shall call it the ARROW. That's a good, short name,and---" "It's certainly speedy," interrupted Mr. Hastings. "Well now, since you're not going to use the name CARLOPA, would you mind if I took it for my new boat? I have a fancy for it." "Not in the least," said Tom. "Don't you want the letters from each side of the bow to put on your new craft?" “如果我那样做，大家伙会说，我被这艘船困住了，”年轻人迅速反驳。 “我想我称它为“箭”。是一个好名字，简单，而且--” 黑斯廷斯先生打断道：“船肯定会很快。好吧，既然您不打算使用卡洛帕这个名字，您是否介意我将它用于我的新船？我很喜欢这个名字。” “至少不是，”汤姆说。 “你是不是想在新船船舷两边都刻上这些字母吧？” "It's very kind of you to offer them, and, since you will have no need for them, I'll be glad to take them off." "Come down to my boat," invited Tom, using the word "my" with a proper pride, "and I'll take off the brass letters. I have a screw driver in my motor-cycle tool bag." As the former and present owners of the ARROW (which is the name by which I shall hereafter designate Tom's motor-boat) walked down toward the dock where it was moored the young inventor gave a startled cry. “很高兴您把这个名字让给我，而且，由于您将不再需要它们，我很高兴将它们取下。” “请到我的船上来，”汤姆邀请，并以“我”一词为荣，“我将摘下这些黄铜字母。我的摩托车工具袋里有螺丝刀。” 船的原主人和现在“箭”的新主人（以后这就是汤姆的摩托艇的名字）朝停泊处的码头走去，年轻的发明家大叫一声。 "What's the matter?" asked Mr. Hastings. "That man! See him at my motor-boat?" cried Tom. He pointed to the craft in the lake. A man was in the cockpit and seemed to be doing something to the forward bulkhead, which closed off the compartment holding the gasoline tank. "Who is he?" asked Mr. Hastings, while Tom started on a run toward the boat. “怎么了？” 黑斯廷斯问。 “那个男人！他正在我的摩托艇上，看到了吗，？” 汤姆大叫。 他指着湖中的船。 有个人在驾驶舱内，似乎在对前舱壁做什么，前舱壁装满了汽油桶。 “他是谁？” 黑斯廷斯问道，汤姆加速跑向小船。 "I don't know. Some man who bid on the boat at the auction, but who didn't go high enough," answered the lad. As he neared the craft the man sprang out, ran along the lakeshore for a short distance and then disappeared amid the bushes which bordered the estate of Mr. Hastings. Tom hurriedly entered the ARROW.Did he do any damage?" asked Mr. Hastings. I guess he didn't have time," responded Tom. "But he was tampering with the lock on the door of the forward compartment. What's in there?" 小伙子回答道：“我不知道。好像是在拍卖会上竞标的一个人，但又像没这么高。” 当他接近游艇时，那个人突然跳了起来，沿着湖岸跑了一小段距离，然后消失在与黑斯廷斯的庄园接壤的灌木丛中。 汤姆急忙跳上船，黑斯廷斯先生问“他有没有搞破坏？” “我猜他没来得及，”汤姆回答，“但是他在戳弄前厢门上的锁，里面有什么？” "Nothing but the gasoline tank. I keep the bulkhead sliding door locked on general principles. I can't imagine what the fellow would want to open it for. There's nothing of value in there. Perhaps he isn't right in his head. Was he a tramp?" "No, he was well dressed but he seemed very nervous during the auction, as if he was disappointed not to have secured the boat. Yet what could he want in that compartment? Have you the key to the lock, Mr.Hastings?" “除了汽油箱，别无其他。按照一般原则，我通常会把舱壁推拉门锁上。我无法想象那个家伙到底为什么要打开门。里面没有任何价值。也许他脑子有病。 他是流浪汉吗？” “不，他穿戴整齐，但在拍卖会上他似乎很紧张，没有拍到船，好像让他失望。然而，他在那间前厢门搞什么？海斯廷斯先生，你有锁的钥匙吗？” "Yes, it belongs to you now, Mr. Swift," and the former owner handed it to Tom, who quickly unlocked the compartment. He slid back the door and peered within, but all he saw was the big galvanized tank."Nothing in there he could want," commented the former owner of the craft. "No," agreed Tom in a low voice. "I don't see what he wanted to open the door for." “是的，它现在属于你了，斯威夫特先生。”前老板把钥匙交给了汤姆，汤姆迅速打开了厢门 ，他向后滑动，凝视着里面，但他所看到的只是一个大型镀锌汽油桶。 船的原有者评论道：“那里没有他想要的东西。” “是啊。”汤姆低声答应。 “我不明白他为什么想打开厢门。” But the time was to come, and not far off, when Tom was to discover quite a mystery connected with the forward compartment of his boat, and the solution of it was fated to bring him into no little danger. "It certainly is odd," went on Mr. Hastings when, after Tom had secured the screw driver from his motor-cycle tool bag, he aided the lad in removing the letters from the bow of the boat "Are you sure you don't know the man?" 但是无法预料，不久以后，汤姆将发现与船前舱有关的谜团，而解决这件事注定会给他带来不少危险。 “这当然很奇怪，”黑斯廷斯继续说道，当汤姆将螺丝刀从摩托车工具包中取出来，他帮小伙子从船头上取下了字母，“你确信你不认识那个男人吗？ "No, I never saw him before. At first I thought his voice sounded like one of the members of the Happy Harry gang, but when I looked squarely at him I could not see a bit of resemblance. Besides, that gang would not venture again into this neighborhood." "No, I imagine not. Perhaps he was only a curious, meddlesome person. I have frequently been bothered by such individuals. They want to see all the working parts of an automobile or motor- boat, and they don't care what damage they do by investigating." “是啊，我从没见过他。起初，我觉得他的声音听起来像是快乐哈里帮派的成员之一，但是当我直视他时，我看不到任何相似之处。此外，那个帮派也不会冒险再次来这个社区。” “不，我想不是，也许他只是一个好奇的人。我经常被这样的人打扰。他们想看到汽车或摩托艇的所有部件，而且他们满足好奇时，不在乎造成什么损坏。” Tom did not reply, but he was pretty certain that the man in question had more of an object than mere curiosity in tampering with the boat. However, he could discover no solution just then, and he proceeded with the work of taking off the letters. "What are you going to do with your boat, now that you have it?"asked Mr. Hastings. "Can you run it down to your dock in the condition in which it is now?" 汤姆没有回答，但他可以肯定的是，这名可疑男子的行为不仅仅是出于好奇，而是有其他目的。 但是那时还没有想明白，他忙着拆字了。 “既然有了船，你有什么计划？”黑斯廷斯先生问。 “在现在的状态下，你能将它开到自己的码头吗？” "No, I shall have to go back home, get some tools and fix up the motor.It will take half a day, at least. I will come back this afternoon and, have the boat at my house by night. That is if I may leave it at your dock here." "Certainly, as long as you like." “不行，我必须回家，拿些工具修理电动机。至少要花半天时间。我今天下午就回来，晚上把船停到我家。 我可以把它暂时停放在你的码头。” “当然可以，只要您愿意。” The young inventor had many things to think about as he rode toward home, and though he was somewhat puzzled over the actions of the stranger, he forgot about that in anticipating the pleasure he would have when the motor-boat was in running order. "I'll take dad off on a cruise about the lake," he decided. "He needs a rest, for he's been working hard and worrying over the theft of the turbine motor model. I'll take Ned Newton for some rides, too, and he can bring his camera along and get a lot of pictures. Oh, I'll have some jolly sport this summer!" 年轻的发明家骑车回家的路上，考虑了很多事情，尽管他对陌生人的举动有些疑惑，一想到摩托艇马上可以运转起来，他感到高兴，其他事都忘掉了。 他暗自决定：“我将带爸爸去环湖游。他需要休息，因为他一直在努力工作，并且时时担心涡轮电动机模型失窃。我也将带内德-牛顿去兜风，他可以随身带着相机，拍摄很多照片。哦， 今年夏天将有很多乐子！” Tom was riding swiftly along a quiet country road and was approaching a steep hill, which he could not see until he was close to it,owing to a sharp turn.As he was about to swing around it and coast swiftly down the steep declivity he was startled by hearing a voice calling to him from the bushes at the side of the road."Hold on, dar I Hold on, Mistah Swift!" cried a colored man, suddenly popping into view. "Doan't go down dat hill." 汤姆迅速地沿着一条安静的乡间小路骑行，正驶向陡峭的山坡，由于急转弯，直到靠近山坡，他才看到。当他急刹车，控制住车子摆动，并迅速沿着陡峭的倾斜度滑行时，他听到路旁灌木丛中传来令他震惊的声音。“等等，等一下，斯威夫特！” 一个黑人喊道，突然冒出来。 “不要下山。” "Why, it's Eradicate Sampson!" exclaimed Tom, quickly shutting off the power and applying the brakes. "What's the matter, Rad? Why shouldn't I go down that hill?" "Beca'se, Mistah Swift, dere's a pow'ful monstrous tree trunk right across de road at a place whar yo' cain't see it till yo' gits right on top ob it.Ef yo' done hit dat ar tree on yo' lickity-split machine, yo' suah would land in kingdom come. Doan't go down dat hill!" “为什么，额瑞德科特-桑普森！” 汤姆叫道，迅速切断电源并刹车。 “怎么了，拉德？我为什么不能下山呢？” “因为，斯威夫特，在下山的路上，有一根巨大树干，在这里你看不到，到下边乱七八糟的时候才能看到。你骑车就会撞上那些树，你就去天国吧。 不要下山了！” Tom leaped off his machine and approached the colored man.Eradicate Sampson did odd jobs in the neighborhood of Shopton, and more than once Tom had done him favors in repairing his lawn mower or his wood-sawing machine. In turn Eradicate had given Tom a valuable clue as to the hiding place of the model thieves. "How'd the log get across the road, Rad?" asked Tom. 汤姆跳下机器，走近那个黑人。额瑞德科特-桑普森在邵普屯附近做零工，汤姆不止一次地帮他修理割草机或木锯机。同样，额瑞德科特也为汤姆提供过关于小偷藏身之处的宝贵线索。 “原木怎么横在马路上了，伙计？” 汤姆问。 "I dunno, Mistah Swift. "I see it when I come along wid mah mule, Boomerang, an' I tried t' git it outer de way, but I couldn't. Den I left Boomerang an' mah wagon at de foot ob de hill an' I come up heah t' git a long pole t' pry de log outer de way. I didn't t'ink nobody would come along, case dis road ain't much trabeled." "I took it for a short cut," said the lad. "Come on, let's take a look at the log." “我也古里糊涂，斯威夫特。我上爬这山时，看到大木头，我想试着挪开一下，但我做不到。 我就离开了，离开了，我他妈不管了，也搬不动，我爬上山坡，我不管了。 我没想过有人会来，没有人来，也不会有麻烦。” 小伙子说：“我要走这条捷径呢。来吧，让我们看一下这个路障。” Leaving his machine at the top of the slope, the young inventor accompanied the colored man 'down the hill. At the foot of it, well hidden from sight of any one who might come riding down, was a big log.It was all the way across the road. "That never fell there," exclaimed Tom in some excitement. "That never rolled off a load of logs, even if there had been one along, which there wasn't. That log was put there!" 年轻的发明家把摩托停在山坡顶上，跟着这个黑人，走到山坡下，看到一根大木头，它隐蔽在任何可能骑行下来的人的视线之外，直接横在马路上。 “树木从来没有落到过这里。”汤姆兴奋地道。 “即使有一根，也从来没有滚来滚去。这么大一段树干在那儿！” "Does yo' t'ink dat, Mistah Swift?" asked Eradicate, his eyes getting big. "I certainly do, and, if you hadn't warned me, I might have been killed." "Oh, I heard yo' lickity-split machine chug-chuggin' along when I were in de bushes, lookin' for a pryin' pole, an' I hurried out to warn yo. I knowed I could leave Boomerang safe, 'case he's asleep." “你不知道吗，斯威夫特？” 黑人问，他的眼睛越来越大。 “我当然知道，如果你没有警告我，我可能已经死了。” “哦，当我在灌木丛中时，我听到你的破摩托突然响起，我急忙警告你。我知道我可以放心了，这个回旋镖睡着了。” "I'm glad you did warn me," went on the youth solemnly. Then, as he went closer to the log, he uttered an exclamation. "That has been dragged here by an automobile!" he cried. "It's been done on purpose to injure some one. Come on, Rad, let's see if we can't find out who did it." Something on the ground caught Tom's eye. He stooped and picked up a nickle-plated wrench. "This may come in handy as evidence," he murmured. “我很高兴你警告了我，”青年严肃地说道。 然后，当他靠近树干时，他发出了惊叫声。 “那是被汽车拖到这里了！” 他大叫。 “这样是为了故意伤害某人。来吧，伙计，让我们看看，到底是谁做的。” 汤姆的目光投向地面。 他弯下腰，捡起一个镀镍的扳手。 他喃喃地说：“这是证据，可能会派上用场。” |
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