Strange to say， this new world he had entered did not exist to him. He was an utter egoist of bricks and mortar. He had dropped out， he felt， into open space for a time， and all it contained was an audience for his reminiscencesreminiscence n.回想， 记忆力， 怀旧. Neither the limitless freedom of the prairie days nor the grand hush of the closedrawn， spangled nights touched him. All the hues of Aurora could not win him from the pink pages of a sporting journal. “Get something for nothing” was his mission in life， “Thirtyseventh” Street was his goal.
说来奇怪，他所进入的这个新环境对他毫无影响。他是个彻头彻尾，顽固不化的自私的人。他觉得自己仿佛暂时退居到一个空间，这个空间里只有听他回忆往事的人。无论是草原上白天的无边自由也好，还是夜晚的星光灿烂、庄严肃穆也好，都不能触动他。曙光的色彩并不能把他的注意力从粉红色的运动报刊上转移过来。“不劳而获”是他毕生的目标，第三十七号街上的咖啡馆是他奋斗的方向。
Nearly two months after his arrival he began to complain that he felt worse. It was then that he became the ranchs incubusincubus n.梦魇， 沉重的负担， its harpy， its Old Man of the Sea. He shut himself in his room like some venomous kobold or flibbertigibbet， whining， complaining， cursing， accusing. The keynote of his plaint was that he had been inveigled into a gehennagehenna n.欣嫩子谷， 地狱， 焦热地狱 against his will， that he was dying of neglect and lack of comforts. With all his dire protestationsprotestation n.明言 of increasing illness， to the eye of others he remained unchanged. His currantlike eyes were as bright and diabolic as ever， his voice was as rasping， his callous face， with the skin drawn tense as a drumhead， had no flesh to lose. A flush on his prominentprominent adj.卓越的， 显著的， 突出的 cheek bones each afternoon hinted that a clinical thermometer might have revealed a symptom， and percussionpercussion 打击乐器 might have established the fact that McGuire was breathing with only one lung， but his appearance remained the same.
他来了将近两个月后，便开始抱怨说，他觉得身体更糟了。从那时起，他就成了牧场上的负担，贪鬼和梦魇。他像一个恶毒的妖精或长舌妇，独自关在屋子里，整天发牢骚，抱怨，责骂，责备。他抱怨说，他被人家不由分说地骗到了地狱里；他就要用为缺乏照顾和舒适而死了。尽管他威胁说他的病越来越重，在别人眼里，他却没有变。他那双葡萄干似的眼睛仍旧那么亮，那么可怕；他的嗓音仍旧那么刺耳，他那皮肤绷得像鼓面一般紧；起老茧的脸并没有消瘦。他那高耸的颧骨每天下午泛起两片潮红，说明一支体温计也许可以揭露某种症状。其实麦圭尔只有半边的肺在呼吸，不过他的外表仍跟以前一样。
In constant attendance upon him was Ylario， whom the coming reward of the mayordomoship must have greatly stimulatedstimulate vt.刺激， 激励 v.刺激， 激励， for McGuire chained him to a bitter existence. The air—the mans only chance for life—he commanded to be kept out by closed windows and drawn curtains. The room was always blue and foul with cigarette smoke， whosoever entered it must sit， suffocating， and listen to the imps interminableinterminable adj.无限的， 冗长的 gasconadegasconade n.吹牛 v.吹牛 concerning his scandalous career.
经常伺候他的是伊拉里奥。指日可待的总管职位的许诺肯定给了他极大的激励，因为服侍麦圭尔的差使简直是活受罪。麦圭尔吩咐关上窗子，拉下窗帘，不让他惟一的救星新鲜空气进来。屋子里整天弥漫着污浊的蓝色的烟雾，谁走进这间叫人透不过气来的屋子，谁就得坐着听那小妖精无休无止地吹嘘他那不光彩的经历。
The oddest thing of all was the relation existing between McGuire and his benefactor. The attitude of the invalid toward the cattleman was something like that of a peevishpeevish adj.易怒的， 暴躁的， 带怒气的， 倔强的， perverse child toward an indulgent parent. When Raidler would leave the ranch McGuire would fall into a fit of malevolent， silent sullenness. When he returned， he would be met by a string of violent and stinging reproaches. Raidlers attitude toward his charge was quite inexplicableinexplicable adj.无法说明的 in its way. The cattleman seemed actually to assume and feel the character assigned to him by McGuires intemperateintemperate adj.放纵的 accusationsaccusation n.谴责， ［律］指控—the character of tyrant and guilty oppressor. He seemed to have adopted the responsibility of the fellows condition， and he always met his tirades with a pacific， patient， and even remorsefulremorseful adj.懊悔的， 悔恨的 kindness that never altered.
最叫人纳闷的是麦圭尔同他恩人之间的关系。这个病人对牧场主的态度，正如一个倔强乖张的小孩儿对待溺爱的父母。雷德勒离开牧场的时候，麦圭尔就不怀好意地闷声不响，发着脾气。雷德勒一回来，麦圭尔就激烈地、刻毒地把他骂得狗血喷头。雷德勒对他客人的态度也相当费解。牧场主仿佛真的承认并且觉得自己正是麦圭尔所猛烈攻击的人物——专制暴君和万恶的压迫者。他仿佛认为那家伙的情况应该由他负责，不管对方怎样谩骂，他总是心平气和，甚至觉得抱歉。
One day Raidler said to him， “Try more air， son. You can have the buckboard and a driver every day if youll go. Try a week or two in one of the cow camps. Ill fix you up plumb comfortable. The ground， and the air next to it—thems the things to cure you. I knowed a man from Philadelphy， sicker than you are， got lost on the Guadalupe， and slept on the bare grass in sheep camps for two weeks. Well， sir， it started him getting well， which he done. Close to the ground—thats where the medicine in the air stays. Try a little hossback riding now. Theres a gentle pony—”
一天，雷德勒对他说：“你不妨多呼吸些新鲜空气，老弟。假如你愿意到外面跑跑，每天都可以用我的马车，我还可以派一个车夫供你使唤。到一个营地里去试一两个星期。我准备替你安排得舒舒服服。土地和外面的空气——这些东西才能治好你的病。我知道有一个费城的人，比你病得凶，在瓜达卢佩迷了路，随着牧羊营里的人在草地上睡了两个星期。哎，先生，这使他的病情有了好转，后来果然完全恢复。接近土地——那里有自然界的医药。从现在开始不妨骑骑马。有一匹驯顺的小马——”
“Whatve I done to yer？” screamed McGuire. “Did I ever doublecross yer？ Did I ask you to bring me here？ Drive me out to your camps if you wanter， or stick a knife in me and save trouble. Ride！ I cant lift my feet. I couldnt sidestepsidestep n.横跨的一步， (侧面的)台阶 vt.横跨一步躲闪，回避(困难) vi.回避问题， 躲避打击 a jab from a fiveyearold kid. Thats what your dd ranch has done for me. Theres nothing to eat， nothing to see， and nobody to talk to but a lot of Reubens who dont know a punching bagpunching bag n.吊袋， 攻击目标 from a lobster salad.”
“我什么地方跟你过不去？”麦圭尔嚷道。“我几时坑害过你？我有没有求你带我上这儿来？你高兴的话，把我赶到你的营地里去好啦；或者一刀把我捅死，省却麻烦。叫我骑马？我连抬腿的力气都没有呢。即使一个五岁的娃娃来揍我，我也没法招架。全是你这该死的牧场害我的。这里没有吃的，没有看的，没有可以交谈的人，有的只是一批连练拳的沙袋和龙虾肉色位都分不清的乡巴佬。”
“Its a lonesomelonesome adj.寂寞的 place， for certain.” apologised Raidler abashedly. “We got plenty， but its rough enough. Anything you think of you want， the boysll ride up and fetch it down for you.”
“不错，这个地方很荒凉。”雷德勒不好意思地道歉说。“我们这儿很丰饶，但是很简朴。你想要什么，弟兄们可以骑马到外面去替你弄来。”
It was Chad Murchison， a cowpuncher from the Circle Bar outfit， who first suggested that McGuires illness was fraudulentfraudulent adj.欺诈的， 欺骗性的， 骗得的. Chad had brought a basket of grapes for him thirty miles， and four out of his way， tied to his saddlehorn. After remaining in the smoketainted room for a while， he emerged and bluntly confided his suspicions to Raidler.
查德·默奇森最先认为麦圭尔是诈病。查德是圆圈牛队里的牧童，他赶了三十英里路，并且绕了四英里的冤枉路，替麦圭尔弄来一篮子葡萄。在那烟气弥漫的屋子里待了一会儿后，他跑出来，直言不讳地把他的猜疑告诉了雷德勒。