5 Race Day

Chapter 5 Race Day The following Tuesday, Holmes and I journeyed again by train, this time to Winchester to see the race for the Wessex Cup. Colonel Ross met us outside the station, and we drove in his open carriage to the racecourse outside the town. His manner toward us was extremely cold. "I have seen nothing of my horse." "Are you sure you'd know him if you saw him?" asked Holmes. The colonel grew very red. "I've been racing horses for twenty years and have never been asked such a question!" he exploded. "A child would know Silver Blaze, with its white forehead and mottled left foreleg."

接下来的星期二，福尔摩斯和我再次乘火车旅行，这次是去温彻斯特看威塞克斯杯的赛马赛。 罗斯上校在车站外接我们，我们坐上他的敞篷马车去了城外的赛马场。 他对我们的态度极其冷淡。 “我没有看到我的马。” “如果你见到他，你肯定能认出他来吗？”福尔摩斯问道。 上校的脸涨得通红。 “我参加赛马已经20年了，从来没有人问过我这样的问题！”他爆发了。 “小孩子都认得银光，它的前额是白色的，左前腿是斑驳的。”

"What's the betting like?" "That's the strange part. You couldn't have got fifteen to one on Silver Blaze yesterday, but more and more money has been bet on the horse since then. Today, the odds are nearer three to one." Holmes raised an eyebrow. "Somebody knows something, that much is clear." We arrived at the racecourse and entered the special enclosure where wealthy and important people could watch the race. A sign on the wall showed six horses running, including Desborough and Silver Blaze. "We decided against running our other horse," said the colonel. "We've pinned all our hopes on

“赌博怎么样？”“这就是奇怪的地方。 昨天你不可能以一赔十五的赔率赌“银光”，但从那以后，押在这匹马身上的钱越来越多了。 如今，这种可能性接近三比一。” 福尔摩斯扬起眉毛。“有人知道一些事情，这一点很清楚。” 我们到达了赛马场，进入了有钱人和重要人物可以观看比赛的专用场地。 墙上的一个标志显示有六匹马在跑，包括德斯伯勒和银光。 “我们决定不跑另一匹马了，”上校说。 “我们把所有的希望都寄托在

your assurance that—" He gave a start. "What? Silver Blaze is now the front runner, with odds of five to four against!" We watched the horses trotting to their starting positions. I counted them off. "All six horses are there," I said. "All six?" cried the colonel. "Then mine must be running. But I don't see it." "Your riders wear black and red, don't they, Colonel?" asked Holmes. He pointed out a rider wearing a black cap and red jacket mounted on a powerful black horse. "That's not Silver Blaze," shouted the colonel. "It doesn't have a white hair on its body. What's going on, Mr. Holmes?"

你保证——”他吃了一惊。 “什么?银光现在是领先者，赔率是五比四！”我们看着马小跑到起跑位置。 我数了数。“六匹马都在那儿，”我说。 “六个人？”上校叫道。 “那么我的肯定是跑步。 但我看不出来。”“上校，您的骑手穿的是黑红相间的衣服，对吗？”福尔摩斯问道。 他指给我看，一个头戴黑帽子、身穿红夹克的骑手骑在一匹强壮的黑马上。 “那不是银光。”上校喊道。 “它身上没有一根白色的毛。 出什么事了，福尔摩斯先生？”

"We shall see," said Holmes with a calm smile. The race began, and we watched as they came round the curve. The six horses were so close together a carpet could have covered them, but halfway up the straight, Desborough broke clear. Before they reached us, however, the Mapleton horse tired and the colonel's horse took the lead. Its lead steadily increased and it passed the finishing post six horse lengths ahead of its nearest rival.

福尔摩斯面带平静的微笑说："等着瞧吧。 比赛开始了，我们看着他们绕过弯道。 六匹马靠得很近，可以用地毯把它们盖住，但在直道跑到一半时，德斯伯勒出线了。 然而，在他们到达我们之前，梅普尔顿的马累了，上校的马领先了。 它的领先优势稳步扩大，在终点线领先最接近的对手六匹马。

"I won anyhow," said a dazed colonel. "Now don't you think you've kept up your mystery long enough, Mr. Holmes?" "I shall explain everything, Colonel. But first let's go and take a look at the horse." We made our way to the winner's enclosure. The colonel approached the victorious horse with a puzzled frown. "Just wash his face and leg in spirit of wine and you'll find he's the same old Silver Blaze underneath," said Holmes. "Unbelievable!" gasped the colonel. "I found him in the hands of a faker. He disguised him, hoping to pass him off as a different horse, until I threatened to report him." "My dear sir, I'm so sorry for doubting you! You've done me a great service by recovering my horse. You'd do me an even greater one by finding John Straker's murderer." "I've already done so," said Holmes quietly. The colonel and I stared at him in amazement. "You've got him? Where is he?" "Right here." "Here? Where?"

“不管怎么说，我赢了，”一个迷迷糊糊的上校说。 “福尔摩斯先生，你不认为你保守这个秘密的时间已经够长了吗？”“上校，我会解释一切的。 不过我们先去看看那匹马吧。” 我们向获胜者的场地走去。 上校不解地皱着眉头走近胜利的战马。 福尔摩斯说：“只要用烈酒把他的脸和腿洗一洗，你就会发现他骨子里还是那个‘银光’。” “难以置信！”上校喘着气说。 “我发现他在一个骗子手里。 他把它伪装成另一匹马，直到我威胁说要举报他。” “亲爱的先生，我很抱歉怀疑了你！你救回了我的马，帮了我很大的忙。 如果你能找到杀害约翰·斯特雷克的凶手，那你对我的帮助就更大了。" “我已经这样做了，”福尔摩斯平静地说。 上校和我惊奇地盯着他。 “你抓住他了？”他在哪儿？”“在这里。” “在这里?在哪里?”

"He's standing right behind you." The colonel whirled around. "I don't see him." Laughing, Sherlock Holmes stepped past the colonel and laid his hand on the glossy neck of Silver Blaze. "The horse?" the colonel and I cried out together.

“他就站在你后面。” 上校转过身来。 “我没看见他。”歇洛克·福尔摩斯笑着从上校身边走过，把手放在银光闪闪的脖子上。 “马？”上校和我一起喊道。