One time I found it necessary to go down to this coast town of Oratama to straighten out a lot of political unrest and chop off a few heads in the customs and military departments. Fergus， who owned the ice and sulphurmatch concessionsconcession n.让步 of the republic， says hell keep me company.
有一次，我不得不到奥拉塔马这个滨海小镇来解决一些政治动乱，在海关和军事部门砍掉几颗脑袋。弗格斯，他掌握着这个共和国的冰和硫磺火柴的专卖权，说是愿意陪我跑一趟。
So， in a jangle of muletrain bells， we gallopsgallop n.疾驰， 飞奔 vi.飞驰， 急速进行， 急急忙忙地说vt.使飞跑， 迅速运输 into Oratama， and the town belonged to us as much as Long Island Sound doesnt belong to Japan when T. R. is at Oyster Bay. I say us， but I mean me. Everybody for four nations， two oceans， one bay and isthmusisthmus n.［地理］地峡， 峡部， and five archipelagoes around had heard of Judson Tate. Gentleman adventurer， they called me. I had been written up in five columns of the yellow journals， 40，000 words (with marginal decorations) in a monthly magazine， and a stickful on the twelfth page of the New York Times. If the beauty of Fergus McMahan gained any part of our reception in Oratama， Ill eat the pricetag in my Panama. It was me that they hung out paper flowers and palm branches for. I am not a jealous man， I am stating facts. The people were Nebuchadnezzars； they bit the grass before me， there was no dust in the town for them to bite. They bowed down to Judson Tate. They knew that I was the power behind Sancho Benavides. A word from me was more to them than a whole deckleedged library from East Aurora in sectional bookcasesbookcase n.书架， 书柜 was from anybody else. And yet there are people who spend hours fixing their faces—rubbing in cold cream and massaging the muscles (always toward the eyes) and taking in the slack with tincture of benzoinbenzoin n.安息香胶 and electrolyzing moles—to what end？ Looking handsome. Oh， what a mistake！ Its the larynx that the beauty doctors ought to work on. Its words more than warts， talk more than talcumtalcum n.［矿］滑石， palaver more than powder， blarney more than bloom that counts—the phonographphonograph n.留声机， 电唱机 vi.灌入留声机 instead of the photograph. But I was going to tell you.
在紧急的铃哨声中，我们长驱直入奥拉塔马，这个小镇便属于我们了；正如西奥多·罗斯福在奥伊斯特湾时，长岛海峡不属于日本人一样。我说的虽然是“我们”，事实上是指“我”。只要是到过四个国家，两个海洋，一个海湾和地峡，以及五个群岛的人，都听到过贾德森·塔特的大名。人们管我叫绅士冒险家。 黄色报纸用了五栏，一个月刊用了四万字（包括花边装饰），《纽约时报》用第十二版的全部篇幅来报道我的消息。如果说我们在奥拉塔马受到的欢迎部分原因是由于弗格斯·麦克马汉的俊美，我就可以把我那巴拿马草帽里的标签吃下去。他们张灯结彩是为了我。我不是爱妒忌的人，我说的是事实。镇上的人都是尼布甲尼撒，他们在我面前拜倒也因为这个镇里没有尘埃可以拜倒。他们向贾德森·塔特顶礼膜拜。他们知道我是桑乔·贝纳维德斯背后的主宰。对他们来说，我的一句话比任何别人的话更像是东奥罗拉图书馆书架上的全部毛边书籍。居然有人把时间花在美容上——抹冷霜，按摩面部（顺眼睛内角按摩），用安息香胶防止皮肤松弛，用电疗来除黑病——为了什么的？要漂亮。哦，真是大错特错！美容师应该注意的是喉咙。起作用的不是赘疣而是言语，不是爽身粉而是谈吐，不是香粉而是聊天，不是花颜玉容而是花言巧语——不是照片而是留声机。闲话少说，还是谈正经的吧。
“The local Astors put me and Fergus up at the Centipede Club， a frame building built on posts sunk in the surf. The tides only nine inches. The Little Big High Low Jackinthegame of the town came around and kowtowed. Oh， it wasnt to Herr Mees. They had heard about Judson Tate.
“当地头面人物把我和弗格斯安顿在蜈蚣俱乐部里，那是一座建筑在海边柱子上的木头房子。涨潮时海水和房子相距只有九英寸。镇里的大小官员、诸多人等都来致敬。哦，并不是向赫耳·墨斯致敬。他们早听到贾德森·塔特的名声了。
“One afternoon me and Fergus McMahan was sitting on the seawardseaward adj.朝海的， 海那一边的 adv.向海， 向海那一边 gallery of the Centipede， drinking iced rum and talking.
“一天下午，我和弗格斯·麦克马汉坐在蜈蚣旅馆朝海的回廊里，一面喝冰甘蔗酒，一面聊天。
“Judson，” says Fergus， “theres an angel in Oratama.”
“贾德森，”弗格斯说道，“奥拉塔马有一个天使。”
“So long，” says I， “as it aint Gabriel， why talk as if you had heard a trumptrump n.王牌， 法宝， 最后大的手段， 喇叭 vt.打出王牌赢， 胜过 vi.出王牌， 吹喇叭 n.<口>好人 blow？”
“只要这个天使不是加百列，”我说，“你谈话的神情为什么像是听到了最后审判的号角声那样紧张？”
“Its the Senorita Anabela Zamora，” says Fergus. “Shes—shes—shes as lovely as—as hell！”
“是安娜贝拉·萨莫拉小姐。”弗格斯说，“她——她——她美得——没治！”
“Bravo！” says I， laughing heartily， “You have a true lovers eloquence to paint the beauties of your inamoratainamorata n.情人， 情妇， 姘妇. You remind me，” says I， “of Fausts wooing of Marguerite—that is， if he wooed her after he went down the trapdoor of the stage.”
“呵呵！”我哈哈大笑说，“听你形容你情人的口吻倒真像是一个多情种子。你叫我想起了浮士德追求玛格丽特的事——就是说，假如他进了舞台的活板门之后仍旧追求她的话。”
“Judson，” says Fergus， “you know you are as beautiless as a rhinocerosrhinoceros n.［动］犀牛. You cant have any interest in women. Im awfully gone in Miss Anabela. And thats why Im telling you.”
“贾德森，”弗格斯说，“你知道你自己像犀牛一般丑。女人不可能对你有兴趣。我却发疯般地迷上了安娜贝拉小姐。因此我才讲给你听。”
“Oh， seguramente，” says I. “I know I have a front elevation like an Aztec god that guards a buried treasure that never did exist in Jefferson County， Yucatan. But there are compensationscompensation n.补偿， 赔偿. For instance， I am It in this country as far as the eye can reach， and then a few perches and poles. And again，” says I， “when I engage people in a set of oral， vocal， and laryngeallaryngeal adj.喉的 n.喉部 utterancesutterance n.意见， 说话， 发表， 说话的方式， 死， I do not usually confine my side of the argument to what may be likened to a cheap phonographic reproduction of the ravings of a jellyfish.”
“哦，当然啦。”我说，“我知道我自己的面孔像是尤卡坦杰斐逊县那个守着根本不存在的窖藏的印第安阿兹特克偶像。不过有补偿的办法。比如说，在这个国家里抬眼望到的地方，以及更远的地方，我都是至高无上的人物。此外，当我和人们用口音、声音、喉音争论的时候，我说的话并不限于那种低劣的留声机式的胡言乱语。”
“Oh， I know，” says Fergus， amiableamiable adj.亲切的， 和蔼可亲的， “that Im not handy at small talk. Or large， either. Thats why Im telling you. I want you to help me.”
“哦，”弗格斯亲切地说，“我知道不论闲扯谈或者谈正经，我都不成。因此我才请教你。我要你帮忙。”
“How can I do it？” I asked.
“我怎么帮忙呢？”我问道。
“I have subsidized，” says Fergus， “the services of Senorita Anabelas duennaduenna n.少女的保姆， whose name is Francesca. You have a reputation in this country， Judson，” says Fergus， “of being a great man and a hero.”
“我已经买通了安娜贝拉小姐的陪伴，”弗格斯说，“她名叫弗朗西斯卡。贾德森，你在这个国家里博得了大人物和英雄的名声。”
“I have，” says I. “And I deserve it.”
“不错，”我说，“可我是当之无愧的。”
“And I，” says Fergus， “am the bestlooking man between the arctic circlearctic circle n.北极圈 and antarctic ice pack.”
“而我呢，”弗格斯说，“我是北极和南极之间最漂亮的人。”
“With limitations，” says I， “as to physiognomyphysiognomy n.人相学， 人相， 脸， 相面术， 相貌， 地貌， 地势 and geography， I freely concede you to be.”
“如果只限于相貌和地理，”我说，“我完全同意你的说法。”
“Between the two of us，” says Fergus， “we ought to land the Senorita Anabela Zamora. The lady， as you know， is of an old Spanish family， and further than looking at her driving in the family carruaje of afternoons around the plazaplaza n.广场， 露天汽车停车场， 购物中心， or catching a glimpse of her through a barred window of evenings， she is as unapproachableunapproachable adj.不能接近的， 不可亲的， 无可匹敌的 as a star.”
“你我两人，”弗格斯说，“我们应该能把安娜贝拉·萨莫拉小姐弄到手。你知道，这位小姐出身于一个古老的西班牙家族，除了看她坐着马车在广场周围兜圈子，或者傍晚在栅栏窗外瞥见她一眼之外，她简直像是星星那样高不可攀。”