Beyond one of the ntinels nobody was in sight; the railroad ran straight away into a forest for a hundred yards, then, curving, was lost to view. Doubtless there was an outpost farther along. The other bank of the stream was open ground--a gentle acclivity topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge. Midway of the slope between the bridge and fort were the spectators--a single company of infantry in line, at "parade rest," the butts of the rifles on the ground, the barrels inclining slightly backward against the right shoulder, the hands crosd upon the stock. A lieu tenant stood at the right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, hi
s left hand resting upon his right. Excepting the group of four at the center of the bridge, not a man moved. The company faced the bridge, staring stonily, motionless. The ntinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge. The captain stood with folded arms, silent, obrving the work of his subordinates, but making no sign. Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by tho most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.
蘑菇的英文那个就将被绞死的人看上去大约有三十五岁。如果从他那身种植园主的装束来判断，他是一个平民。他的相貌很端正一直直的鼻梁，坚毅的嘴巴，宽阔的额角，长长的黑发从前额朝后面梳去，从耳根背后一直披泻到那件很合身的大礼服领子上。他蓄着上髭和山羊胡子，但是没有络腮胡子。他有两只深灰色的大眼睛。他神情和蔼，一个脖子上套着绞索的人能如此和蔼，倒是令人意想不到的。显然，他不是寻常的刺客。尺度很宽的军事法典规定可以绞死许多等级的人，绅士先生并不例外。
准备工作就绪之后，那两个列兵就向旁边跨出一步，各自抽掉原先的踏脚板。中士转过身来，向上尉敬了一个礼，随即站到他的身后去《上尉接着朝横里跨了一步。这样一来，就
只剩下死囚和中士站在铺在桥面三根枕木上的木板的两端．平民站的那一头伸得相当远，几乎要接到第四根忱木了。这木板原来由上尉的体重压牢在那里，现在则由中士压着。只要上尉发出信号，中士就会跨向一旁，木板就会翘起来，死囚就会从两根枕木之间跌落下去。这种安排在他看来倒是简单而有效的。他的脸没有被蒙住，眼睛上也没有扎东西。他朝自己“不牢靠的立足点”膘了一眼，然后把目光移向脚下奔腾翻滚的河水。一块时起时落的浮木抓住了他的视线，他目送这块浮木向下游漂去。它漂得多么慢呀！这河水流得太不带劲了1
他把眼睛闭起来，以便让最后的心思集中到他的妻子和子女身上，因为被朝阳染成金黄色的河冰，低低地覆盖在远处岸脚边上的迷雾，碉堡，士兵，以及那块浮木，都使他分散注意力。这时候，他开始感到一种新的干扰：在他思念亲人的当儿，他听到一个声音在响。既不能充耳不闻，又感到莫名其妙。那是一种尖厉、清哳、铿锵的打击声，就象铁匠用铁锤在敲打铁砧，声音也是那样的清脆。他不知道那是什么声音爹它远在天边呢，还是近在眼前？好象都是。这声音在有节奏地重复着，但是慢慢象敲丧钟。
The man who was engaged in being hanged was apparently about thirty-five years of age. He was a civilian, if one might judge from his habit, which was that of a planter. His features were good--a straight no, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting frock coat. He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one who neck was in the hemp. Evidently this was no vulgar assassin. The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.
The preparations being complete, the two private soldiers stepped aside and each drew away the plank upon which he had been standing. The rgeant turned to the captain, saluted and placed himlf immediately behind that officer, who in turn moved apart one pace. The movements left the condemned man and the rgeant standing on the two ends of the same plank, which spanned three of the cross-ties of the bridge. The end upon which the civilian stood almost, but not quite, reached a fourth. This plank had been held in place by the weight of the captain; it was now held by that of the rgeant. At a signal from the former the latter would step aside, the plank would tilt and the condemned
man go down between two ties. The arrangement commended itlf to his judgment as simple and effective. His face had not been covered nor his eyes bandaged. He looked a moment at his "unsteadfast footing," then let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current.米勒鲁豫有约 How slowly it appeared to move, What a sluggish stream!
He clod his eyes in order to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children. The water, touched to gold by the early sun, the brooding mists under the banks at some distance down the stream, the fort, the soldiers, the piece of drift--all had distracted him. And now he became conscious of a new disturbance. Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith's hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality. He wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by--it emed both. Its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. 他焦躁不安地等待每一声敲打，同时不明白为什么还带有一丝恐惧的心理。沉寂的间歇越
拉越长，停顿的时间长得令人发疯。随着一声声敲打越来越漫，声音却越来越响，越来越尖。它们象刀子那样刺痛他的耳朵。他担心自己会尖叫出 他听到的是他的手表的滴嗒声。
厦门英语他睁开眼睛，又一次见到了脚下的河水。“要是我能脱双手，”他思忖着，“我就可以甩掉绞索，跳到河里去。我可以用扎猛子来躲避子弹，使劲游水，登上河岸，奔进森林，逃回家去。我的家园，谢谢上帝，总算还在他们的战线外面。侵略军的先头都队还没有挺进到我的妻子和小家伙们那里理发培训学校。
这里只能借用文字来表达的这些念头，与其说是死囚脑子里浮现出来的，还不如说是从外面一下子闪进他的脑子里去的。就在它们闪进去的时候，上尉朝中士点了一下头》中士朝旁边跨出了一步。
佩顿·法夸示是一个富裕的种植主，出身于 亚拉巴马州的一个名门贵族。他是一价奴隶主，并且象其他奴隶主那样，也是一个政客，因此他自然是一个天生的脱离主义者．，满腔热忱地献身于南方的事业。他为某种身不由己的情况所逼（在此不必细加叙述），没有能够加入英勇的军队参加战斗》这支军队一直在吃败仗，直到科林思失守才彻底结束．他因受到这种丢脸的牵累而忿懑恼怒，渴望英雄有用武之地，渴望领略一下粗犷豪放的戎马生涯，渴望有机会一举成名。他认为这种机会是会来的，因为在战争期间，人人都会碰上
这种机会。与此同时，他做着力所能及的事情。为了支援南方，他愿效犬马之劳，甘冒天大危险，只要这种冒险符合这一位骨子里是的平民的性格，这位平民对于“在情场上和战场上可以不择手段”这样一条赤裸裸地邪恶的信条，至少有一部分是真心实意赞成的。
一天傍晚，法夸示和他的妻子坐在他们庄园大门口一条粗糙的长凳上，一个穿灰军装@的士兵骑马来到门前讨水喝。法夸示太太能用自己白嫩的双手为他效劳，感到十分高兴。她取水去了，她的丈夫走近那位风尘仆仆的骑兵，热切地打听前方的消息。
He awaited each stroke with impatience and--he knew not why--apprehension. The intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening. With their greater infrequency the sounds incread in strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he heard was the ticking of his watch.
