李·朗德尔建议添置一套野营装备，雇一个测量员测出西班牙传教基地到藏宝地点的路线，然后挖出那三十万元的金币银币，去沃思堡游山玩水。但是，正因为没有受过高深的教育，我倒有一个省时省钱的主意。
We went to the State landoffice and had a practical， what they call a “working，” sketch made of all the surveys of land from the old mission to the Alamito River. On this map I drew a line due southward to the river. The length of lines of each survey and section of land was accurately given on the sketch. By these we found the point on the river and had a “connection” made with it and an important， wellidentified corner of the Los Animos fiveleague survey—a grant made by King Philip of Spain.
我们去州大地局，请他们根据老传教基地到阿拉米托河一带的全部测量图绘制一幅实用的、所谓工作略图。我在图上对着南方画了一条通向河岸的直线。略图准确标明每张测量图的线长和地区。我们凭这些资料，找到河岸上的那一点，然后把它同洛斯安尼莫斯五里格的测量图上一个重要的，标志明确的地区——西班牙国王菲利浦的投地——联系起来。
By doing this we did not need to have the line run out by a surveyorsurveyor n.测量员， 检查员. It was a great saving of expense and time.
这一来，我们不需要雇测量员来测路线，可以省掉许多费用和时间。
So， Lee Rundle and I fitted out a twohorse wagon team with all the accessoriesaccessories n.［计］附件， and drove a hundred and fortynine miles to Chico， the nearest town to the point we wished to reach. There we picked up a deputy county surveyor. He found the corner of the Los Animos survey for us， ran out the five thousand seven hundred and twenty varas west that our sketch called for， laid a stone on the spot， had coffee and bacon， and caught the mailstage back to Chico.
李·朗德尔和我套好一辆两匹马拉的大车，装上所有的应用物品，赶了一百四十九英里，到了奇科，那是离我们要去的地点最近的一个市镇。我们在镇上找到县测量员的代理人。他替我们找到洛斯安尼莫斯测量图上的地区，按照我们略图上的要求，往西赶了五千七百二十巴拉，在那一点上搁一块石头，喝了咖啡，吃了成肉，然后搭上装运邮件的马车回奇科。
I was pretty sure we would get that three hundred thousand dollars. Lee Rundles was to be only onethird， because I was paying all the expenses. With that two hundred thousand dollars I knew I could find May Martha Mangum if she was on earth. And with it I could flutter the butterflies in old man Mangums dovecot， too. If I could find that treasure！
But Lee and I established camp. Across the river were a dozen little mountains densely covered by cedarbrakes， but not one shaped like a packsaddle. That did not deter us. Appearances are deceptivedeceptive adj.欺骗性的. A packsaddle， like beauty， may exist only in the eye of the beholder.
我认为我们很有把握找到那三十万块钱。李·朗德尔只能分到三分之一，因为我承担了全部勘探费用。有了那二十万元，我知道只要海·玛莎·曼格姆在世上，我准能找到她。有了这笔钱，我还能使蝴蝶在曼格姆老头的鸽笼里扑腾。只要我找到那笔藏宝就好啦！
I and the grandson of the treasure examined those cedarcovered hills with the care of a lady hunting for the wicked flea. We explored every side， top， circumference， mean elevation， angle， slope， and concavityconcavity n.凹度 of every one for two miles up and down the river. We spent four days doing so. Then we hitched up the roan and the dun， and hauled the remains of the coffee and bacon the one hundred and forty nine miles back to Concho City.
李和我扎好帐篷。河对岸有十来座小山，长满了郁郁葱葱的雪松，但是没有一座像是驮鞍。我们并没有泄气。情人眼里出西施，驮鞍也是如此。我同藏宝的孙子仔细搜索了那些长满雪松的小山，就像太太们找捣乱的跳蚤那般认真。我们沿着河岸两英里探索了每座山的山坡、山顶、周围、平均高度、角度、斜坡和凹处。我们干了整整四天。然后我们套好那两匹花毛马和暗褐色马，把剩下的咖啡和成肉拉了一百四十九英里路，回到康卓城。
Lee Rundle chewed much tobacco on the return trip. I was busy driving， because I was in a hurry.
回程中，李嚼了许多烟草。我急于回去，忙着赶车。
As shortly as could be after our empty return Goodloe Banks and I forgathered in the back room of Snyders saloon to play dominoes and fish for information. I told Goodloe about my expeditionexpedition n.远征， 探险队， 迅速， 派遣 after the buried treasure.
我们空手而回后，古德洛·班克斯和我很快就在斯奈德酒店的后房玩骨牌，探听消息。我把寻觅藏宝的远征经过告诉了古德洛。
“If I could have found that three hundred thousand dollars，” I said to him， “I could have scoured and sifted the surface of the earth to find May Martha Mangum.”
“假如我找到那三十万块钱，”我对他说，“我就可以走遍全世界去找梅·玛莎·曼格姆。”
“She is meant for higher things.” said Goodloe. “I shall find her myself. But， tell me how you went about discovering the spot where this unearthed increment increment n.增加， 增量was imprudently buried.”
“她是注定要享受更高级的东西的。”古德洛说，“我自己去找她。不过你倒说说，你是怎么去寻觅那笔出土的横财被人轻率地埋藏的地点的？”
I told him in the smallest detail. I showed him the draughtsmans sketch with the distances marked plainly upon it.
我详详细细地告诉了他。还给他看了制图员绘制的略图，上面的距离标得清清楚楚。
After glancing over it in a masterly way， he leaned back in his chair and bestowed upon me an explosion of sardonicsardonic adj.讽刺的， superior， collegiate laughter.
他大大咧咧地瞥了一眼，在椅上往后一靠，对我发出一阵讽刺的，高人一等的，大学式的哄笑。
“Well， you are a fool， Jim.” he said， when he could speak.
“咳，吉姆，你是傻瓜。”他笑得喘过气来时对我说。
“Its your play.” said I， patiently， fingering my doublesix.
“该你下注啦。”我捏住手里的双六，耐心地说。
“Twenty.” said Goodloe， making two crosses on the table with his chalk.
“二十。”古德洛说罢，用粉笔在桌子上画两个叉。
“Why am I a fool？” I asked. “Buried treasure has been found before in many places.”
“我傻在哪里？”我问道，“以前许多地方找到过藏宝。”
“Because，” said he， “in calculating the point on the river where your line would strike you neglected to allow for the variation. The variation there would be nine degrees west. Let me have your pencil.”
“因为，”他说，“在计算你那条线路同河岸相交的一点时，你没有考虑到磁差。那里的磁差应是偏西九度。把你的铅笔给我。”
Goodloe Banks figured rapidly on the back of an envelope.
古德洛·班克斯在一个旧信封背面迅速地作了一些计算。
“The distance， from north to south， of the line run from the Spanish mission，” said he， “is exactly twentytwo miles. It was run by a pocketcompass， according to your story. Allowing for the variation， the point on the Alamito River where you should have searched for your treasure is exactly six miles and nine hundred and fortyfive varas farther west than the place you hit upon. Oh， what a fool you are， Jim！”
“从西班牙传教基地自北往南的那条线路的距离，”他说，“恰好是二十二英里。据你所说，这条线是凭袖珍罗盘画的。考虑到磁差因素，你应该寻觅藏宝的地点是在阿拉米托河岸上离你实际到达的地点恰好偏西六英里九百四十五巴拉。哎，吉姆，你真傻！”
“What is this variation that you speak of？” I asked. “I thought figures never lied.”
“你说的磁差是什么玩意儿？”我问道，“我认为数字始终是可信的。”
“The variation of the magneticmagnetic adj.磁的， 有磁性的， 有吸引力的 compass，” said Goodloe， “from the true meridian.”
“磁差，”古德洛说，“是磁针罗盘与真正子午线之间的偏差。”
He smiled in his superior way； and then I saw come out in his face the singular， eager， consuming cupiditycupidity n.贪心， 贪婪 of the seeker after buried treasure.
他目空一切地笑了笑；接着我看到他脸上出现了寻觅藏宝的人所特有的那种急切的，贪心如焚的神情。
“Sometimes，” he said with the air of the oracle， “these old traditions of hidden money are not without foundation. Suppose you let me look over that paper describing the location. Perhaps together we might—”
“有时候，”他带着预言者的口气说，“这些古老的有关埋藏的钱财的传说并不是没有根据的。你不妨把那张记述藏宝地点的纸给我看看。也许我们一起——”