“First we went to the main saloonsaloon n.大会客室， 公共大厅， 酒吧间 in Bird City， called the Blue Snake， and bought it. It cost us 1，200. And then we dropped in， casual， at Mexican Joes place， referred to the rain， and bought him out for 500. The other one came easy at 400.
“首先，我们到那家字号叫蓝蛇的鸟城最大的酒店里，花了一千二百元把它盘下来。然后我们装作很随便的样子，逛到墨西哥佬乔的酒店里，聊聊下雨的天气，又用五百元买下了他的店。第三家花了四百元，很顺利就成交了。
“The next morning Bird City woke up and found itself an island. The river had busted through its old channel， and the town was surrounded by roaring torrents. The rain was still raining， and there was heavy clouds in the northwest that presaged about six more mean annual rainfalls during the next two weeks. But the worst was yet to come.
“第二天早上，马城的人醒来，发现这个镇成了一个孤岛。河水冲进了旧河道，小镇被汹涌的激流围困住了。雨还下个不停，西北方乌云满布，预示未来的两星期内还有六个年平均降雨量。可更糟糕的事还在后面。
“Bird City hopped out of its nest， waggled its pin feathers and strolled out for its matutinal toot. Lo！ Mexican Joes place was closed and likewise the other little dobe life saving station. So， naturally the body politic emits thirsty ejaculationsejaculation n.突然说出， 射精， 射出 of surprise and ports hellum for the Blue Snake. And what does it find there？
“鸟城从它的窝里跳出来，抖擞一下它的粉红羽毛，摇摇摆摆地去过它早晨的酒病了。可是瞧呀！墨西哥佬乔的酒店上着门板，另一个土砖盖的小救命站也关着门。镇上的成员自然而然地发出惊异口渴的呼喊，掉过头来直奔蓝蛇酒店。他们在那里看到了什么？
“Behind one end of the bar sits Jefferson Peters， octopus， with a sixshooter on each side of him， ready to make change or corpsescorpse n.尸体 as the case may be. There are three bartenders， and on the wall is a ten foot sign reading， ‘All Drinks One Dollar.’ Andy sits on the safe in his neat blue suit and goldbanded cigar， on the lookout for emergenciesemergencies n.紧急事件，紧急需要. The town marshal is there with two deputies to keep order， having been promised free drinks by the trust.
“酒吧柜台后面坐着垄断家杰斐逊阁下彼得斯，腰两边各插一支六响左轮，准备见机行事，或是收款找钱，或是行凶杀人。店里有三个侍者，墙上有一幅十英尺长的通告：‘各种酒类，一律一元。’安迪穿一身整洁的蓝色衣服，叼着一支金纸箍的雪茄，坐在保险箱上，准备应付非常事件。镇上的警察局长带着两名警察在维持治安，因为托拉斯答应免费供应他们喝酒。
“Well， sir， it took Bird City just ten minutes to realize that it was in a cage. We expected trouble， but there wasnt any. The citizens saw that we had em. The nearest railroad was thirty miles away， and it would be two weeks at least before the river would be fordable. So they began to cuss， amiableamiable adj.亲切的， 和蔼可亲的， and throw down dollars on the bar till it sounded like a selection on the xylophone.
“不出十分钟，鸟城便明白自己已落进笼中。我们本来担心会闹事；结果并没有。镇民们发现我们占了上风。最近的铁路线离这儿有三十英里；再说至少要等两星期，河水才能减退，人才能踏过去。因此，他们只能和颜悦色地咒骂几句，开始往酒吧上扔银币，那叮咚的声响真像是一支木琴选曲。
“There was about 1，500 grownup adults in Bird City that had arrived at years of indiscretionindiscretion n.欠详虑， 不慎重， 轻率， 轻举妄动， and the majority of em required from three to twenty drinks a day to make life endurable. The Blue Snake was the only place where they could get em till the flood subsided. It was beautiful and simple as all truly great swindles are.
“鸟城里约有一千五百个到了荒唐年龄的成年人，其中大多数每天要喝三次至二十次酒，日子才能过下去。在洪水退去之前，蓝蛇酒店是他们能买到酒的惟一场所。这件事像一切真正伟大的骗局一样，干得又漂亮，又利索。
“About ten oclock the silver dollars dropping on the bar slowed down to playing twosteps and marches instead of jigs. But I looked out the window and saw a hundred or two of our customers standing in line at Bird City Savings and Loan Co.， and I knew they were borrowing more money to be sucked in by the clammyclammy adj.湿粘的， 湿冷的 tendrilstendril n.［植］卷须， 蔓， 卷须状之物 of the octopus.
“十点左右，银元落在酒吧上的速度放慢了，从快步舞曲变成了两步舞曲和进行曲。我朝窗外望去，只见我们的顾客在鸟城储蓄信托公司门口排队，有一二百人之多。我知道他们是在借款，好供托拉斯章鱼那又冷又黏的触手来攫取。
“At the fashionable hour of noon everybody went home to dinner. We told the bartenders to take advantage of the lull， and do the same. Then me and Andy counted the receiptsreceipt n.收条， 收据， 收到 v.收到. We had taken in 1，300. We calculated that if Bird City would only remain an island for two weeks the trust would be able to endow the Chicago University with a new dormitory of padded cells for the faculty， and present every worthyworthy n.杰出人物， 知名人士 adj.有价值的， 应……的，可敬的， 值得的， 相称的 poor man in Texas with a farm， provided he furnished the site for it.
“中午时分，大家都按规矩回家吃饭了。我们吩咐侍者利用空闲也去吃饭。我和安迪清点了一下收入，竟有一千三百元之多。照我们估计，只要鸟城再被洪水围困两星期，托拉斯就有条件捐赠一幢有垫衬墙壁的宿舍给芝加哥大学的教职员，还可以向得克萨斯州所有正派的穷人各赠一个农场，只要他能提供农场的地皮。
“Andy was especial inroaded by selfesteem at our success， the rudimentsrudiments n 初步；入门 of the scheme having originated in his own surmises and premonitionspremonition n.前兆. He got off the safe and lit the biggest cigar in the house.
“我们的成功使安迪觉得自己不可一世，因为这个计划的草案来自他的推测和预感。他从保险箱上跳下来，点燃了店里最大的一支雪茄。
“‘Jeff，’ says he， ‘I dont suppose that anywhere in the world you could find three cormorantscormorant n.鸬鹚， 贪婪的人 adj.贪婪的 with brighter ideas about downtreading the proletariatproletariat n.(古罗马社会中的)最下层阶级， 工人阶级，尤指无产阶级 than the firm of Peters， Satan and Tucker， incorporated. We have sure handed the small consumer a giant blow in the sole apoplecticapoplectic n.患中风者 adj.中风的， 易患中风的 region. No？
“‘杰夫，’他说，‘我想你走遍天下都找不到有哪三个贪心汉能想出比彼得斯撒旦塔克股份有限公司更聪明的压制无产阶级的主意了。我们确实在小消费者的中风神经中枢重重地打击了一下，可不是吗？
“‘Well，’ says I， ‘it does look as if we would have to take up gastritisgastritis n.［医］胃炎 and golf or be measured for kilts in spite of ourselves. This little turn in bug juice is， verily， all to the Skibo. And I can stand it，’ says I， ‘Id rather batten than bant any day.’
“‘哎，’我说，‘不管我们愿不愿意，看样子我们要像富翁那样闹闹胃气痛，玩玩高尔夫球，穿着苏格兰式的短裙去打猎啦。这场威士忌的小把戏确实非常成功。我很满意。’我说。‘我宁愿增肥，不愿减瘦。’
“Andy pours himself out four fingers of our best rye and does with it as was so intended. It was the first drink I had ever known him to take.
“安迪把我们最好的黑麦威士忌斟了一大杯，派了它应有的用场。据我记忆，他生平从不喝酒。
“‘By way of liberation，’ says he， ‘to the gods.’
“‘这杯祝贺神道的解放。’他说。
“And then after thus doing umbrageumbrage n.树阴， 不快 to the heathen diabetes he drinks another to our success. And then he begins to toast the trade， beginning with Raisuli and the Northern Pacific， and on down the line to the little ones like the school book combine and the oleomargarineoleomargarine n.人造黄油 outrages and the Lehigh Valley and Great Scott Coal Federation.
“他这样招惹了歪门邪道的神道之后，又为我们的成功干了一杯。然后，他开始为垄断事业祝酒，上至赖苏里和北太平洋铁路公司，下至规模比较小的企业，诸如教科书联营书店，人造黄油专卖公司，利哈伊山谷无烟煤矿和大苏格兰联合煤矿公司。