大宗牛肉合同的事件始末
In as few words as possible I wish to lay before the nation whats here， however small， I have had in this matter—this matter which has so exercised the public mind， engenderedengender v.造成 so much illfeeling， and so filled the newspapers of both continents with distorted statements and extravagantextravagant adj.奢侈的， 浪费的， 过分的， 放纵的 comments.
不管它对我的关系是多么微不足道吧，但是我仍想尽可能简短地向全国人说明这件事里究竟有我什么份儿，因为这件事曾经引起公众的注意，激起很大的反感，以至两大州的报纸都用大量篇幅刊载了歪曲事实的报道和偏激夸大的评论。
The origin of this distressful thing was this—and I assert here that every fact in the following resumeresume n.摘要， 概略， <美> 履历 vt.再继续， 重新开始，重新占用， 再用， 恢复 can be amply proved by the official records of the General Government.
这里我要声明的是，在以下的简介中，每一件事都可以用中央政府的档案充分地予以证实——这件不幸的事是这样引起的：John Wilson Mackenzie， of Rotterdam， Chemung County， New Jersey， deceased， contracted with the General Government， on or about the 10th day of October， 1861， to furnish to General Sherman the sum total of thirty barrelsbarrel n.桶 vt.装入桶内 of beef.
大约在1861年10月10日，新泽西州希芒县鹿特丹区已故的约翰·威尔逊·麦肯齐和中央政府订立了一份合同，议定以总数为30大桶的牛肉供应给谢尔曼将军。
Very well.
多么好的一笔买卖。
He started after Sherman with the beef， but when he got to Washington Sherman had gone to Manassas， so he took the beef and followed him there， but arrived too late， he followed him to Nashville， and from Nashville to Chattanooga， and from Chattanooga to Atlanta—but he never could overtakeovertake vt.赶上， 追上， （暴风雨、麻烦等）突然来袭， 压倒 him. At Atlanta he took a fresh start and followed him clear through his march to the sea. He arrived too late again by a few days， but hearing that Sherman was going out in the Quaker City excursion to the Holy Land， he took shipping for Beirut， calculating to head off the other vessel. When he arrived in Jerusalem with his beef， he learned that Sherman had not sailed in the Quaker City， but had gone to the Plains to fight the Indians. He returned to America and started for the Rocky Mountains. After sixtyeight days of arduousarduous adj.费劲的， 辛勤的， 险峻的 travel on the Plains， and when he had got within four miles of Shermans headquarters， he was tomahawkedtomahawk n.印第安战斧， 钺 vt.用战斧斩 and scalped， and the Indians got the beef. They got all of it but one barrel. Shermans army captured that， and so， even in death， the bold navigator partly fulfilled his contract. In his will， which he had kept like a journal， he bequeathedbequeath vt.遗赠， 遗留， 把…传下去 the contractcontract n.合同， 契约， 婚约 v.使缩短， 感染， 订约 to his son Bartholomew W. Bartholomew W. made out the following bill， and then died.
他带着牛肉去找谢尔曼，但是，等他赶到华盛顿，谢尔曼已经去马纳萨斯；于是他又装好了牛肉，跟踪到那里，可是到达那里已经晚了；于是他又跟踪谢尔曼去纳什维尔，然后从纳什维尔去查塔努加，再从查塔努加去亚特兰大——然而，他始终没能追赶上。他从亚特兰大再一次整装出发，紧沿着谢尔曼的路线直趋海滨。这一次他又迟到了几天；但是，听说谢尔曼准备乘“贵格城”号去圣地旅行，他就乘了一艘开往贝鲁特的轮船，打算超过前一艘轮船。当他带着牛肉抵达耶路撒冷时，他获悉谢尔曼并没乘“贵格城”号出航，而是到大草原去打印第安人了。他回到美国，向落基山进发。在大草原上历尽艰辛，走了68天，离谢尔曼的大本营只4英里地，他被印第安人用战斧劈死，剥去头皮，牛肉也被印第安人抢走了。他们抢走了几乎所有的牛肉，只丢下其中的一桶。谢尔曼的军队截下了那一桶牛肉；所以，那位勇敢的航海者虽然自己身死，但仍旧部分履行了他的合同。在一份以日记形式写的遗嘱中，他将那份合同传给了他的儿子巴塞洛缨·W。巴塞洛缨开列了以下的账单，随后就死了：THE UNITED STATES
In account with JOHN WILSON MACKENZIE， of New Jersey， deceased，…Dr.
To thirty barrels of beef for General Sherman， at 100， 3，000 To traveling expenses and transportation…14，000
Total…17，000 Recd Payt.
致美利坚合众国政府
尊账应偿付新泽西州已故的约翰·威尔逊·麦肯齐以下各项费用：谢尔曼将军订购牛肉30大桶
每桶售价100元，共3000元
旅费与运输费 14000元
共计 17000元
收款人：
He died then， but he left the contract to Wm. J. Martin， who tried to collect it， but died before he got through. He left it to Barker J. Allen， and he tried to collect it also. He did not survive. Barker J. Allen left it to Anson G. Rogers， who attempted to collect it， and got along as far as the Ninth Auditors Office， when Death， the great Leveler， came all unsummoned， and foreclosedforeclose vt.排除在外， 妨碍， 自称， 阻止， 预先处理，取消抵押品赎回权 vi.[律］取消抵押品赎回权 on him also. He left the bill to a relative of his in Connecticut， Vengeance Hopkins by name， who lasted four weeks and two days， and made the best time on record， coming within one of reaching the Twelfth Auditor. In his will he gave the contract bill to his uncle， by the name of Obejoyful Johnson. It was too undermining for joyful. His last words were： “Weep not for me—I am willing to go.” And so he was， poor soul. Seven people inheritedinherited adj.通过继承得到的，遗传的 继承权的 the contract after that， but they all died. So it came into my hands at last. It fell to me through a relative by the name of， HubbardBethlehem Hubbard， of Indiana. He had had a grudge against me for a long time， but in his last moments he sent for me， and forgave me everything， and， weeping， gave me the beef contract.
他虽然去世了，但是死前已把合同留给了威廉小·J.马丁，马丁设法收回账款，可是这件事还没办妥，已经与世长辞。他把合同留给了巴克·J.艾伦，艾伦也试图收回那笔账款。他没能活到把钱弄到手就死了。他把合同留给了安森·G.罗杰斯，罗杰斯企图收回那笔账款，他层层申请，已经接近第九审计官的办公室，但是这时候对万物一视同仁的死神没经召唤就突然来到，把他也勾去了。他将单据留给了康涅狄格州一个叫文詹斯·霍普金斯的亲戚，霍普金斯此后只活了四星期零两天，但创造了最快的纪录，因为他在此期间已经差点儿接近第12审计官。他在遗嘱中把那份合同赠给了一位名叫“哦-寻乐吧·约翰逊”的舅父。但是，他虽然会寻乐，也经不起操那份心。他临终时说的是：“别再为我哭——我可是情愿走了。”于是他真的走了，瞧这个可怜的人儿。此后继承那份合同的共有七个，但是他们一个个都死了。所以它最后落到了我手里。它是由一个印第安纳州名叫哈伯德（伯利恒·哈伯德）的亲戚传到我手里的。这人长期以来一直对我怀恨在心，可是，到了弥留的时候，他却把我唤了去，宽恕了我过去的一切，垂着泪把那份合同交给了我。
This ends the history of it up to the time that I succeeded to the propertyproperty n.财产， 所有物， 所有权， 性质， 特性， （小）道具。 I will now endeavor to set myself straight before the nation in everything that concerns my share in the matter. I took this beef contract， and the bill for mileagemileage n.英里数， 英里里程 and transportation， to the President of the United States.
以上是我继承这笔遗产前的一段历史。现在我要将本人与此事有关的细节直接向全国人一一交代。我拿了这份牛肉合同和旅费运费单去见美利坚合众国总统。
He said， “Well， sir， what can I do for you？ ”
他说：“怎么，先生，有什么事我可以为您效劳的吗？”
I said， “Sir， on or about the 10th day of October， 1861， John Wilson Mackenzie， of Rotterdam， Chemung County， New Jersey， deceased， contracted with the General Government to furnishfurnish vt.供应， 提供， 装备， 布置 v.供给 to General Sherman the sum total of thirty barrels of beef—”
我说：“阁下，大约在1861年10月10日，新泽西州希芒县鹿特丹区已故的约翰·威尔逊·麦肯齐和中央政府订立了一份合同，议定以总数为三十大桶牛肉供应给谢尔曼将军……”
He stopped me there， and dismissed me from hi presence—kindly， but firmly. The next day called on the Secretary of State.
他听到这里就拦住了我，叫我离开他那儿——态度是和蔼的，但也是坚决的。第二天，我去拜会国务卿。
He said， “Well， sir？ ”
他说：“什么事呀，先生？”