福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第12章Part4

"Yes," said McMurdo, "I do."
There was a murmur of astonishment through the hall.
"I believe we hold him in the hollow of our hands," he continued with an exulting smile upon his face. "If we act quickly and wisely, we can cut this thing short. If I have your confidence and your help, it is little that we have to fear."
"What have we to fear, anyhow? What can he know of our affairs?"
"You might say so if all were as stanch as you, Councillor. But this man has all the millions of the capitalists at his back. Do you think there is no weaker brother among all our lodges that could not be bought? He will get at our secrets--maybe has got them already. There's only one sure cure."
"That he never leaves the valley," said Baldwin.
McMurdo nodded. "Good for you, Brother Baldwin," he said. "You and I have had our differences, but you have said the true word to-night."
"Where is he, then? Where shall we know him?"
"Eminent Bodymaster," said McMurdo, earnestly, "I would put it to you that this is too vital a thing for us to discuss in open lodge. God forbid that I should throw a doubt on anyone here; but if so much as a word of gossip got to the ears of this man, there would be an end of any chance of our getting him. I would ask the lodge to choose a trusty committee, Mr. Chairman-- yourself, if I might suggest it, and Brother Baldwin here, and five more. Then I can talk freely of what I know and of what I advise should be done."
The proposition was at once adopted, and the committee chosen. Besides the chairman and Baldwin there were the vulture-faced secretary, Harraway, Tiger Cormac, the brutal young assassin, Carter, the treasurer, and the brothers Willaby, fearless and desperate men who would stick at nothing.
The usual revelry of the lodge was short and subdued: for there was a cloud upon the men's spirits, and many there for the first time began to see the cloud of avenging Law drifting up in that serene sky under which they had dwelt so long. The horrors they had dealt out to others had been so much a part of their settled lives that the thought of retribution had become a remote one, and so seemed the more startling now that it came so closely upon them. They broke up early and left their leaders to their council.
"Now, McMurdo!" said McGinty when they were alone. The seven men sat frozen in their seats.
"I said just now that I knew Birdy Edwards," McMurdo explained. "I need not tell you that he is not here under that name. He's a brave man, but not a crazy one. He passes under the name of Steve Wilson, and he is lodging at Hobson's Patch."
"How do you know this?"

“是的，"麥克默多說道，“我見過他。”
室內頓時出現一陣驚詫的低語聲。
“我相信他跑不出我們的手心，"麥克默多笑容滿面，繼續說道，“假如我們幹得迅速而機智，很快就可以把這件事解決好。如果你們信得過我，再給我一些幫助，那我們就更沒有什麼可怕的了。”
“可是，我們怕什麼呢？他怎麼能知道我們的事呢？”
“參議員先生，如果大家都象你那樣忠誠，你就可以這樣說。可是這個人有那些資本家的百萬資本做靠山。你難道以爲我們會裏就沒有一個意志薄弱的弟兄可以被收買嗎？他會弄到我們的祕密的——甚至可能已經把祕密弄到手了。現在只有一種可靠的對策。”
“那就是不叫他生離這山谷！"鮑德溫說道。
麥克默多點點頭。“你說得好，鮑德溫兄弟，"麥克默多說道，“你我過去往往意見不合，可是今晚你倒說對了。”
“那麼，他在哪裏呢？我們在哪裏能見到他？”
“可敬的身主，"麥克默多熱情洋溢地說道，“我要向你建議，這對我們是一件生死攸關的大事，不便在會上公開討論。我並不是不信任在座的哪位弟兄。可是隻要有隻言片語傳到那個偵探耳中，我們就會失掉抓到他的一切機會。我要求分會選擇一些最可靠的人。假如我可以提議的話，參議員先生，你自己算一個，還有鮑德溫兄弟，再找五個人。那麼我就可以自由地發表我所知道的一切，也可以說一說我打算怎麼做了。”
麥克默多的建議馬上被採納了。選出的人員除了麥金蒂和鮑德溫以外，還有面如鷲鷹的書記哈拉威、老虎科馬克、兇殘的中年殺人兇手司庫卡特和不顧生死的亡命徒威拉比兩兄弟。
大家精神上彷彿籠罩了一片烏雲，許多人頭一次開始看到，在他們居住得那麼久的地方，一片爲被害者復仇的烏雲——法律，瀰漫在晴空。他們施加於他人的恐怖，過去被他們認爲是遠不會遭到報應的，現在卻使他們大吃一驚，這種果報來得如此急迫，緊壓在他們頭上。所以黨徒們例常的歡宴，這次卻抑鬱不歡，草草收場了。黨徒們很早就走開了。只有他們的頭領們留下議事。
“麥克默多，現在你說吧，"他們孤零零的七個人呆呆地坐在那裏，麥金蒂說道。
“我剛纔說過我認識伯爾弟·愛德華，"麥克默多解釋說，“我用不着告訴你們，你們就可想到，他在這裏用的不是這個名字。他是一個勇敢的人，不是一個蠢才。他詭稱名叫史蒂夫·威爾遜，住在霍布森領地。”
“你怎麼知道的呢？”