双料骗子
The trouble began in Laredo. It was the Llano Kids fault， for he should have confined his habit of manslaughtermanslaughter n.杀人， 一般杀人罪 to Mexicans. But the Kid was past twenty， and to have only Mexicans to ones credit at twenty is to blush unseen on the Rio Grande border.
乱子出在拉雷多。这件事要怪小利亚诺，因为他应该把杀人的对象仅限于墨西哥人。但是小利亚诺已经二十出头了，在格朗德河边境上，年过二十的人只有杀墨西哥人的纪录未免有点儿寒碜。
It happened in old Justo Valdoss gambling house. There was a pokerpoker n.拨火棍， (用棍)戳的人， 纸牌戏 vt.烙制 game at which sat players who were not all friends， as happens often where men ride in from afar to shoot Folly as she gallops. There was a row over so small a matter as a pair of queens， and when the smoke had cleared away it was found that the Kid had committed an indiscretionindiscretion n.欠详虑， 不慎重， 轻率， 轻举妄动， and his adversary had been guilty of a blunder. For， the unfortunate combatantcombatant n.战士， 战斗员adj.战斗的， instead of being a Greaser， was a highblooded youth from the cow ranches， of about the Kids own age and possessed of friends and champions. His blunder in missing the Kids right ear only a sixteenth of an inch when he pulled his gun did not lessen the indiscretion of the better marksmanmarksman n.射手， 神射手.
事情发生在老胡斯托·伐尔多斯的赌场里。当时有一场扑克牌戏，玩牌的人大多素昧平生。人们打老远的地方骑马来碰碰运气，互不相识也是常有的事。后来却为了一对皇后这样的小事吵了起来，硝烟消散之后，发现小利亚诺闯了祸，他的对手也犯了大错。那个不幸的家伙并不是墨西哥人，而是一个来自牧牛场的出身很好的青年，年纪同小利亚诺相仿，有一批支持他的朋友。他的过错在于开枪时，子弹擦过小利亚诺右耳十六分之一英寸的地方，没打中，这一失误并没有减少那个更高明的枪手的莽撞。
The Kid， not being equipped with a retinueretinue n.(要人的一批)随行人员， 扈从， nor bountifully supplied with personal admirers and supporters—on account of a rather umbrageousumbrageous adj.多荫的 reputation， even for the border—considered it not incompatible with his indispensableindispensable n.不可缺少之物 adj.不可缺少的， 绝对必要的 gameness to perform that judicious tractional act known as “pulling his freight”.
小利亚诺没有随从，也没有许多钦佩他和支持他的人——因为即使在边境上，他的脾气也算是出名的暴躁——他觉得采取那个“走为上策”的审慎行动，同他那无可争辩的倔强性格并不矛盾。
Quickly the avengers gathered and sought him. Three of them overtook him within a rod of the station. The Kid turned and showed his teeth in that brilliant but mirthless smile that usually preceded his deeds of insolenceinsolence n.傲慢 and violence， and his pursuers fell back without making it necessary for him even to reach for his weapon.
复仇的人迅速集结起来追踪。有三个人在火车站附近赶上了小利亚诺。他转过身，露出他通常在采取野蛮和暴力手段前的不怀好意的狞笑。追他的人甚至没等他伸手拔枪，便退了回去。
But in this affair the Kid had not felt the grim thirst for encounter that usually urged him on to battle. It had been a purely chance row， born of the cards and certain epithetsepithet n.绰号， 称号 impossible for a gentleman to brook that had passed between the two. The Kid had rather liked the slim， haughty， brownfaced young chapchap n.<俗>伙伴， 家伙， 小伙子， 颚， 颊 v.(使)皲裂 whom his bullet had cut off in the first pride of manhood. And now he wanted no more blood. He wanted to get away and have a good long sleep somewhere in the sun on the mesquit grass with his handkerchief over his face. Even a Mexican might have crossed his path in safety while he was in this mood.
当初，小利亚诺并不像平时那样好勇斗狠，存心找人拼命。那纯粹是一场偶然的口角，由于两人玩牌时某些使人按捺不住的粗话引起的。小利亚诺还相当喜欢那个被他枪杀的瘦长、傲慢、褐色脸膛、刚成年的小伙子。目前他不希望再发生什么流血事件。他想避开，找块牧牛草地，在太阳底下用手帕盖住脸，好好睡一大觉。他有这种情绪的时候，即使墨西哥人碰到他也是安全的。
The Kid openly boarded the northbound passenger train that departed five minutes later. But at Webb， a few miles out， where it was flagged to take on a traveller， he abandonedabandon vt.放弃， 遗弃 n.放任， 狂热 that manner of escape. There were telegraph stations ahead； and the Kid looked askanceaskance adv.斜， 斜视 at electricity and steam. Saddle and spur were his rocks of safety.
小利亚诺大模大样地搭上北行的客车，五分钟后便出站了。可是列车行驶了不久，到了令布，接到讯号，临时停下来让一个旅客上车，小利亚诺便放弃了搭车逃跑的办法。前面还有不少电报局，小利亚诺看到电气和蒸汽之类的玩意儿就恼火。马鞍和踢马刺才是安全的保证。
The man whom he had shot was a stranger to him. But the Kid knew that he was of the Coralitos outfit from Hidalgo， and that the punchers from that ranch were more relentless and vengefulvengeful adj.复仇心重的， (利于)报复的 than Kentucky feudists when wrong or harm was done to one of them. So， with the wisdom that has characterized many great farmers， the Kid decided to pile up as many leagues as possible of chaparral and pear between himself and the retaliation of the Coralitos bunch.
小利亚诺并不认识那个被他枪杀的人，不过知道他是伊达尔戈的科拉里托斯牛队的。那个牧场里的人，如果有一个吃了亏，就比肯塔基的冤冤相报的人更残酷，更爱寻仇。因此，小利亚诺以大勇者的大智决定尽可能远离科拉里托斯那帮人的报复。
Near the station was a store， and near the store， scattered among the mesquitsmesquit n.豆科灌木，牧豆树 and elms， stood the saddled horses of the customers. Most of them waited， half asleep， with sagging limbs and drooping heads. But one， a longlegged roan with a curved neck， snorted and pawed the turf. Him the Kid mounted， gripped with his knees， and slapped gently with the owners own quirt.
车站附近有一家店铺，店铺附近的牧豆树和榆树间有几匹顾客的没卸鞍的马。它们大多提起一条腿，耷拉着头，睡迷迷地等着。但是有一匹长腿弯颈的杂毛马却在喷鼻子，踹草皮。小利亚诺跳上马背，两膝一夹，用马主人的鞭子轻轻打着它。
If the slaying of the temerarioustemerarious adj.不顾一切的， 极大胆的 cardplayer had cast a cloud over the Kids standing as a good and true citizen， this last act of his veiled his figure in the darkest shadows of disreputedisrepute n.坏名声， 无信誉， 不光彩. On the Rio Grande border if you take a mans life you sometimes take trash， but if you take his horse， you take a thing the loss of which renders him poor， indeed， and which enriches you not—if you are caught. For the Kid there was no turning back now.
如果说，枪杀那个莽撞的赌牌人的行为，使小利亚诺正直善良的公民身份有所损害的话，那么盗马一事就足以使他名誉扫地。在格朗德河边境，你夺去一个人的生命有时倒无所谓，可是你夺去他的坐骑，简直就叫他破产，而你自己也并没有什么好处——如果你被逮住的话。不过小利亚诺现在也顾不得这些了。
With the springing roan under him he felt little care or uneasiness. After a fivemile gallop he drew it in to the plainsmans jogging trottrot v.(使)小跑， (使)快步走， 骑马小跑， 疾走 n.小跑， 骑马， 疾走， 忙碌， and rode northeastward toward the Nueces River bottoms. He knew the country well—its most tortuous and obscure trails through the great wilderness of brush and pear， and its camps and lonesome ranches where one might find safe entertainment. Always he bore to the east， for the Kid had never seen the ocean， and he had a fancy to lay his hand upon the mane of the great Gulf， the gamesome colt of the greater waters.