“No， sir，” he said， in a low but steady tone； “those securities are neither in the safe nor in the vault. I have taken them. You may hold me personally responsible for their absence.”
“不，先生，”他说，声调低沉而坚定，“那些担保品不在保险库也不在保险箱里。是我拿的。它们不在，这件事完全由我个人负责。”
Nettlewick felt a slight thrill. He had not expected this. He had struck a momentous trailtrailn.踪迹， 痕迹， 形迹vt.跟踪， 追踪， 拉， 拖， 拖拉，（指植物）蔓生， 蔓延， （指人）没精打采地走 when the hunt was drawing to a close.
内特尔威克不免有点吃惊。他没有料到竟会发生这种事情。打猎将近尾声时，他发现了一个重要线索。
“Ah！” said the examiner. He waited a moment， and then continued： “May I ask you to explain more definitely？”
“啊！”稽核说。他顿了一顿又找补一句：“我可不可以请你说得更明确一些？”
“The securities were taken by me.” repeated the major. “It was not for my own use， but to save an old friend in trouble. come in here， sir， and well talk it over.”
“担保品是我拿的。”少校重复说。“并不是我自己用，而是为了解救一个朋友的困难。请到里面来，先生，我们谈谈。”
He led the examiner into the banks private office at the rear， and closed the door. There was a desk， and a table， and halfadozen leathercovered chairs. On the wall was the mounted head of a Texas steer with horns five feet from tip to tip. Opposite hung the majors old cavalrycavalry n.骑兵 saber that he had carried at Shiloh and Fort Pillow.
他把稽核让进营业室后面的小办公室，关上了门。里面有一张写字台、一张桌子和六把皮面椅子。墙上挂着一只剥制的得克萨斯鹿头，两支鹿角的尖端之间有五英尺阔。鹿头对面的墙上挂着少校在夏伊洛和比卢港用过的马刀。
Placing a chair for Nettlewick， the major seated himself by the window， from which he could see the postoffice and the carved limestone front of the Stockmens National. He did not speak at once， and Nettlewick felt， perhaps， that the ice could be broken by something so near its own temperature as the voice of official warning.
少校替内特尔威克端了一把椅子，自己坐在窗前，从那里可以看到邮政局和国家畜牧银行的雕花的石灰石前门。他没有立即开口，内特尔威克觉得也许应该用一个冷冰冰的正式警告来打破这种冷冰冰的僵局。
“Your statement，” he began， “since you have failed to modify it， amounts， as you must know， to a very serious thing. You are aware， also， of what my duty must compelcompel vt.强迫， 迫使 me to do. I shall have to go before the United States commissioner and make—”
“你刚才的话，”他说，“既然没有什么补充，你一定了解，这将会引起非常严重的后果。你一定也了解，我的责任将迫使我采取什么措施。我不得不向联部审计官——”
“I know， I know.” said Major Tom， with a wave of his hand. “You dont suppose Id run a bank without being posted on national banking laws and the revised statutes！ Do your duty. Im not asking any favours. But， I spoke of my friend. I did want you to hear me tell you about Bob.”
“我了解，我了解。”汤姆少校挥挥手说。“我经营银行难道不知道国民银行法和它的修正条例吗！履行你的责任好了。我并不向你求情。但是我要谈谈我朋友的事。我希望你听我谈谈鲍勃。”
Nettlewick settled himself in his chair. There would be no leaving San Rosario for him that day. He would have to telegraph to the comptroller of the Currency； he would have to swear out a warrant before the United States commissioner for the arrest of Major Kingman； perhaps he would be ordered to close the bank on account of the loss of the securities. It was not the first crime the examiner had unearthedunearthv.掘出。 Once or twice the terrible upheaval of human emotions that his investigations had loosed had almost caused a ripple in his official calm. He had seen bank men kneel and plead and cry like women for a chance—an hours time—the overlooking of a single error. One cashier had shot himself at his desk before him. None of them had taken it with the dignity and coolness of this stern old Westerner. Nettlewick felt that he owed it to him at least to listen if he wished to talk. With his elbow on the arm of his chair， and his square chin resting upon the fingers of his right hand， the bank examiner waited to hear the confession of the president of the First National Bank of San Rosario.
内特尔威克在椅子上坐定。他当天不能离开圣罗萨里奥了。他得打电报向货币审计员汇报；还得向联邦审计官要求拘捕金曼少校；由于担保品的失踪，他还可能奉命封闭这家银行。稽核以前也查获过违法乱纪的事，这不是头一次。他调查时引起了人们可怕的情绪骚乱。他那公事公办的宁静有一两次几乎受到一丝波动。他见过银行家往往为了一个失误，竟像女人那样跪下来苦苦哀求，求他给他们一个机会，给一小时的宽限。有一个负责人曾经当着他的面在座位上开枪自杀。没有谁能像这个严肃的西部人那样对此泰然自若。内特尔威克至少应该听听他要说的话。稽核把胳臂支在椅子扶手上，右手托着他那方下巴，等着听取圣罗萨里奥第一国民银行总经理的坦白交代。
“When a mans your friend，” began Major Tom， somewhat didactically， “for forty years， and tried by water， fire， earth， and cyclonescyclonen.旋风， 飓风， 暴风， 龙卷风， [气］气旋， when you can do him a little favour you feel like doing it.”
“你同一个人交了四十年朋友，” 汤姆少校近乎说教似的开始说，“经过水火风土的考验，当你能给他一些小恩惠时，你自然是乐意的。”
（“Embezzle for him 70，000 worth of securities.” thought the examiner.）
（“为他挪用了七万元的担保品。”稽核想道。）
“We were cowboys together， Bob and I，” continued the major， speaking slowly， and deliberately， and musingly， as if his thoughts were rather with the past than the critical present， “and we prospected together for gold and silver over Arizona， New Mexico， and a good part of California. We were both in the war of sixtyone， but in different commands. Weve fought Indians and horsethieves side by side； weve starved for weeks in a cabin in the Arizona mountains， buried twenty feet deep in snow； weve ridden herd together when the wind blew so hard the lightning couldnt strike—well， Bob and I have been through some rough spells since the first time we met in the branding camp of the old AnchorBar ranch. And during that time weve found it necessary more than once to help each other out of tight places. In those days it was expected of a man to stick to his friend， and he didnt ask any credit for it. Probably next day youd need him to get at your back and help stand off a band of Apaches， or put a tourniquettourniquet n.止血带， 压脉器 on your leg above a rattlesnake bite and ride for whisky. So， after all， it was give and take， and if you didnt stand square with your pardner， why， you might be shy one when you needed him. But Bob was a man who was willing to go further than that. He never played a limit.
