4 The Boat Chase

Chapter 4 The Boat Chase Despite Holmes's confident prediction, Wiggins reported in the evening that no trace of the Aurora could be found. Holmes barely slept that night. I could hear him pacing his room. At breakfast the next morning, he looked pale and haggard. "You look terrible," I remarked. "This problem is consuming me," he admitted. "I know who we are after and the boat they used. We've searched the whole river on both sides with no result. I can't believe they deliberately sank the craft. Surely we'll hear something today."

尽管福尔摩斯的预测很有信心，威金斯还是在晚上报告说，没有找到“极光”号的踪迹。 福尔摩斯那天晚上几乎没有睡觉。 我能听见他在房间里踱来踱去。 第二天吃早饭时，他显得苍白而憔悴。 “你脸色不好，”我说。 “这个问题困扰着我，”他承认。 “我知道我们在找谁，也知道他们用的是哪艘船。 我们把整条河的两边都找遍了，没有结果。 我不敢相信他们是故意把船弄沉的。 今天一定会有消息的。”

We didn't. Another day and night went by without news, and the following morning I awoke to find Holmes dressed to go out. "I'm off down the river, Watson," he said. "I have one last theory I'd like to try out." "Shall I come with?" "No, I need you here in case Wiggins reports any news."

我们没有。又过了一天一夜，没有任何消息。第二天早晨我醒来时，发现福尔摩斯已穿戴整齐准备出门。 “我要顺流而下了，华生，”他说。 “我还有最后一个理论想试试。” “要我一起去吗？”“不，我需要你留在这儿，以防维金斯报告什么消息。”

I waited in the flat all day, but heard nothing. The next morning, the newspapers contained an update on the Upper Norwood tragedy: "Fresh evidence has shown that it was impossible for Thaddeus Sholto to have been involved, and he has been released."

我在公寓里等了一整天，但什么也没听到。 第二天早上，报纸上刊登了上诺伍德悲剧的最新消息：“新的证据表明，塞迪厄斯·舒尔托不可能参与其中，他已被释放。”

At three o'clock that afternoon, I received a visit from none other than Athelney Jones. He was very different from the confident man of facts and common sense who had taken charge at Upper Norwood. He now appeared despondent, meek, and even apologetic. "Sherlock Holmes is out, I understand?" he said. "That's right, and I'm not sure when he's returning, but you're welcome to wait." "Thank you, I don't mind if I do." After I'd seated him and offered him a drink, he told me the latest on the investigation. "Thaddeus Sholto, it turns out, has witnesses claiming he was elsewhere on the night of his brother's death, which has blown a hole in my case against him. This is a much more complex case than I realized. My professional reputation is at stake, and I would be grateful for some assistance. Your friend Holmes may be unusual in his methods, and a little quick to form his theories, but I've never known a case he hasn't shed light on. I had a wire from him this morning

那天下午三点钟，我接待了来访的不是别人，正是埃塞尔尼·琼斯。 他完全不同于上诺伍德那个自信的、讲理的人。 他现在显得沮丧、温顺，甚至还有歉意。 “我想，歇洛克·福尔摩斯出去了吧？”他说。 “是的，我不确定他什么时候回来，但欢迎你等。” “谢谢你，我不介意。” 在我请他坐下并请他喝了一杯之后，他告诉了我调查的最新情况。 “事实证明，塞笛厄斯·舒尔托有证人声称，他哥哥被杀当晚他在别的地方，这就给我起诉他的案子打了个空子。 这比我想象的要复杂得多。 我的职业声誉危在旦夕，如果你能帮助我，我会很感激的。 你的朋友福尔摩斯的方法也许与众不同，他的推理也有点快，但我所知道的所有案件都是他侦破的。 我今天早上收到了他的电报

telling me to wait for him here. He says he's on the track of the Sholto gang." As he spoke, we heard footsteps ascending the stairs, and Holmes entered. "Ah, you got my message then?" he said to Jones. "How's the case going?" "It's come to nothing. I've had to release one of my prisoners and have no evidence against the other two." "Never mind, I shall give you two more to take their place. You can take all the credit for solving it, so long as you follow my instructions." "Of course," said Jones. "Just tell me what to do." "Can you provide a fast police boat at the Westminster wharf at seven o'clock this evening? We'll need two policemen onboard in case we meet trouble." "No problem. Anything else?" "I'd like, if I may, a private interview with Jonathan Small once we've captured him." "Since you identified the man, I can hardly refuse you that," said Jones. "Excellent."

让我在这里等他。 他说他正在追踪舒尔托帮。” 他说话的时候，我们听见有人上楼来，福尔摩斯走了进来。 “啊，那么你收到我的信息了？”他对琼斯说。 “案子怎么样了？”“没有结果。 我不得不释放了我的一个囚犯，而对另外两个没有任何证据。” “没关系，我再给你两个代替他们。 只要你按照我的指示去做，解决这个问题的功劳都归你。” “当然，”琼斯说。“告诉我该怎么做。” “你们能在今晚7点派一艘快艇到威斯敏斯特码头吗？” 船上需要两个警察，以防遇到麻烦。” “没问题。还有别的事吗?”“如果可以的话，我想在我们抓住乔纳森·斯莫尔之后私下采访他。” “既然你认出了那个人，我就不能拒绝你了，”琼斯说。 “很好。”

The three of us had an early dinner, then made our way over to the Westminster wharf, where the launch was waiting for us. We stepped aboard and the ropes were cast off. "Where to?" asked Jones. "The Tower of London. Tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's Yard." We chugged onto the river, soon picking up speed and flying past the lines of barges as if they were stationary. "Hopefully we'll be quick enough to catch the Aurora, which is said to be very fast," said Holmes. "How did you find her?" I asked.

我们三人早早地吃了晚饭，然后前往威斯敏斯特码头，那里的汽艇正等着我们。 我们上了船，绳子被解开了。 “去哪儿？”琼斯问。“伦敦塔。 叫他们在雅各布森院子对面停车。” 我们嘎吱嘎吱地上了河，很快就加快了速度，飞快地从一排排驳船旁飞过，仿佛它们是静止不动的。 “希望我们能赶上极光，据说极光非常快，”福尔摩斯说。 “你是怎么找到她的？”我问。