刎颈之交
Returning from a huntinghunting n.打猎， 搜索， 追逐 trip， I waited at the little town of Los Pinos， in New Mexico， for the southbound train， which was one hour late. I sat on the porchporch n.门廊， 走廊 of the Summit House and discussed the functions of life with Telemachus Hicks， the hotel proprietorproprietor n.所有者， 经营者.
我狩猎归来，在新墨西哥州的洛斯比尼奥斯小镇等候南下的火车。火车误点，迟了一小时。我便坐在“顶点”客栈的阳台上，同客栈老板泰勒马格斯·希克斯闲聊，议论生活的意义。
Perceiving that personalitiespersonality n.个性， 人格， 人物， 名人， (用复数)诽谤、人身攻击 were not out of order， I asked him what species of beast had long ago twisted and mutilated his left ear. Being a hunter， I was concerned in the evils that may befall one in the pursuit of game.
我发现他的性情并不乖戾，不像是爱打架斗殴的人，便问他是哪种野兽伤残了他的左耳。作为猎人，我认为狩猎时很容易遭到这类不幸的事件。
“That ear，” says Hicks， “is the relic of true friendship.”
“那只耳朵，”希克斯说，“是真挚友情的纪念。”
“An accident？” I persistedpersist vi.坚持， 持续.
“一件意外吗？”我追问道。
“No friendship is an accident.” said Telemachus， and I was silent.
“友情怎么能说是意外呢？”泰勒马格斯反问道，这下子可把我问住了。
“The only perfect case of true friendship I ever knew，” went on my host， “was a cordialcordial n.兴奋剂， 兴奋性饮料 adj.热忱的， 诚恳的， 兴奋的 intent between a Connecticut man and a monkey. The monkey climbed palms in Barranquilla and threw down cocoanuts to the man. The man sawed them in two and made dippersdipper n.浸渍者， 汲取的人， 浸染工， 显影液容器， 北斗七星， which he sold for two reales each and bought rum. The monkey drank the milk of the nuts. Through each being satisfied with his own share of the graft， they lived like brothers.
“我所知道的仅有的一对亲密无间，真心实意的朋友，”客栈老板接着说，“要算是一个康涅狄格州人和一只猴子了。猴子在巴兰基利亚爬椰子树，把椰子摘下来扔给那个人。那个人把椰子锯成两片，做成水勺，每只卖两个雷阿尔，换了钱来沽酒。椰子汁归猴子喝。他们两个坐地分赃，各得其所，像兄弟一般，生活得非常和睦。
“But in the case of human beings， friendship is a transitory art， subject to discontinuancediscontinuance n.停止， 废止， 中止 without further notice.
“换了人类，情况就不同了，友情变幻无常，随时可以宣告失效，不再另行通知。
“I had a friend once， of the entitlemententitlement 权利 of Paisley Fish， that I imagined was sealed to me for an endless space of time. Side by side for seven years we had mined， ranched， sold patent churns， herded sheep， took photographs and other things， built wire fences， and picked prunes. Thinks I， neither homocide nor flatteryflattery n.谄媚， 阿谀， 巴结， 奉承， 捧场话， 恭维话，谄媚的举动 nor riches nor sophistry nor drink can make trouble between me and Paisley Fish. We was friends an amount you could hardly guess at. We was friends in business， and we let our amicableamicable adj.友善的， 和平的 qualities lap over and season our hours of recreation and folly. We certainly had days of Damon and nights of Pythias.
“以前我有个朋友，名叫佩斯利·菲什，我认为我同他的交情是地久天长，牢不可破的。有七年了，我们一起挖矿，办牧场，兜销专利的搅乳器，放羊，摄影，打桩拉铁丝网，摘水果当临时工，碰到什么就干什么。我想，我同佩斯利两人的感情是什么都离间不了的，不管它是凶杀，谄谀，财富，诡辩或者老酒。我们交情之深简直使你难以想像。干事业的时候，我们是朋友，休息娱乐的时候，我们也让这种和睦相好的特色持续下去，给我们的生活增添了不少乐趣。不论白天黑夜，我们都难舍难分，好比达蒙和派西斯。
“One summer me and Paisley 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 down into these San Andres mountains for the purpose of a months surcease and levity， dressed in the natural store habilimentshabiliment n.服装， 装饰， 制服 of man. We hit this town of Los Pinos， which certainly was a roofgarden spot of the world， and flowing with condensed milk and honey. It had a street or two， and air， and hens， and a eatinghouse； and that was enough for us.
“有一年夏天，我和佩斯利两人打扮得整整齐齐，骑马来到这圣安德烈斯山区，打算休养一个月，消遣消遣。我们到了这个洛斯比尼奥斯小镇，这里简直算得上是世界的屋顶花园，是流炼乳和蜂蜜之地。这里空气新鲜，有一两条街道，有鸡可吃，有客栈可住；我们需要的也就是这些东西。
“We strikes the town after suppertime， and we concludes to samplesample n.标本， 样品， 例子 vt.取样， 采样，抽取……的样品， 试验的一部分， 尝试 whatever efficacy there is in this eatinghouse down by the railroad tracks. By the time we had set down and pried up our plates with a knife from the red oilcloth， along intrudes Widow Jessup with the hot biscuit and the fried liver.
“我们进镇时，天色已晚，便决定在铁路旁边的这家客栈里歇歇脚，尝尝它所能供应的任何东西。我们刚坐定，用刀把粘在红油布上的盘子撬起来，寡妇杰塞普就端着刚出炉的热面包和炸肝进来了。
“Now， there was a woman that would have tempted an anchovyanchovy n.凤尾鱼 to forget his vows. She was not so small as she was large； and a kind of welcome air seemed to mitigatemitigate v.减轻 her vicinityvicinity n.邻近， 附近， 接近. The pink of her face was the in hoc signo of a culinary temper and a warm disposition， and her smile would have brought out the dogwood blossoms in December.
“哎呀，这个女人叫鲸鱼看了都会动心。她长得不肥不瘦，不高不矮，一副和蔼的样子，使人觉得分外可亲。红润的脸颊是她喜爱烹调和为人热情的标志，她的微笑叫山荣英在寒冬腊月都会开花。
“Widow Jessup talks to us a lot of garrulousness about the climate and history and Tennyson and prunes and the scarcityscarcity n.缺乏， 不足 of mutton， and finally wants to know where we came from.
“寡妇杰塞普风趣地同我们扯了起来，聊着天气、历史、丁尼生、梅干，以及不容易买到羊肉等等，最后才问我们是从哪儿来的。
“‘Spring Valley.’ says I.
“‘春谷。’我回答说。
“‘Big Spring Valley.’ chips in Paisley， out of a lot of potatoes and knucklebone of ham in his mouth.
“‘大春谷。’佩斯利嘴里塞满了土豆和火腿骨头，突然插进来说。
“That was the first sign I noticed that the old fidus Diogenes business between me and Paisley Fish was ended forever. He knew how I hated a talkativetalkative adj.多话的， 爱说话的， 多嘴的 person， and yet he stampedes into the conversation with his amendments and addendumsaddendum n.附录， 补遗 of syntax. On the map it was Big Spring Valley， but I had heard Paisley himself call it Spring Valley a thousand times.
“我注意到，这件事的发生标志着我同佩斯利·菲什的忠诚友谊的结束。他明知我最恨多嘴的人，可还是冒冒失失地插了嘴，替我作了一些措辞上的修正和补充。地图上的名称固然是大春谷，然而佩斯利自己也管它叫春谷，我听了不下一千遍。
“Without saying any more， we went out after supper and set on the railroad track. We had been pardners too long not to know what was going on in each others mind.
“我们也不多话，吃了晚饭便走出客栈，在铁轨上坐定。我们合伙的时间太长了，不可能不了解彼此的心情。
“‘I reckon you understand，’ says Paisley， ‘that Ive made up my mind to accrueaccrue vi.自然增加， 产生 that widow woman as part and parcel in and to my hereditaments forever， both domestic， sociable， legal， and otherwise， until death us do part.’
“‘我想你总该明白，’佩斯利说，‘我已经打定主意，要让那位寡妇太太永远成为我的不动产的主要部分，在家庭、社会、法律等等方面都是如此，到死为止。’
“‘Why， yes，’ says I， ‘I read it between the lines， though you only spoke one. And I suppose you are aware，’ says I， ‘that I have a movement on foot that leads up to the widows changing her name to Hicks， and leaves you writing to the society column to inquire whether the best man wears a japonicajaponica n.日本产植物 or seamlessseamless adj.无缝合线的， 无伤痕的 socks at the wedding！’
“‘当然啦，’我说，‘你虽然只说了一句话，我已经听到了弦外之音。不过我想你也该明白。’我说，‘我准备采取步骤，让那位寡妇改姓希克斯，我劝你还是等着写信给报纸的社会新闻栏，问问举行婚礼时，男傧相是不是在纽扣孔里插了山茶花，穿了无缝丝袜！’