赫尔克里·波洛的丰功伟绩22

时间：2024-12-31 11:15:52

（单词翻译:单击）

Four
THE ERYMANTHIAN BOAR
The accomplishment1 of the third Labor2 of Hercules having brought him to Switzerland, Hercule
Poirot decided3 that being there, he might take advantage of the fact and visit certain places which
were up to now unknown to him.
He passed an agreeable couple of days at Chamonix, lingered a day or two at Montreux and
then went on to Andermatt, a spot which he had heard various friends praise highly.
Andermatt, however, affected4 him unpleasantly. It was at the end of a valley with towering
snow-peaked mountains shutting it in. He felt, unreasonably5, that it was difficult to breathe.
“Impossible to remain here,” said Hercule Poirot to himself. It was at that moment that he
caught sight of a funicular railway. “Decidedly, I must mount.”
The funicular, he discovered, ascended6 first to Les Avines, then to Caurouchet and finally to
Rochers Neiges, ten thousand feet above sea level.
Poirot did not propose mounting as high as all that. Les Avines, he thought, would be quite
sufficiently7 his affair.
But here he reckoned without that element of chance which plays so large a part in life. The
funicular had started when the conductor approached Poirot and demanded his ticket. After he had
inspected it and punched it with a fearsome pair of clippers, he returned it with a bow. At the same
time Poirot felt a small wad of paper pressed into his hand with the ticket.
The eyebrows8 of Hercule Poirot rose a little on his forehead. Presently, unostentatiously,
without hurrying himself, he smoothed out the wad of paper. It proved to be a hurriedly scribbled9
note written in pencil.
Impossible (it ran) to mistake those moustaches! I salute10 you, my dear colleague. If you are
willing, you can be of great assistance to me. You have doubtless read of the affaire Salley? The
killer11—Marrascaud—is believed to have a rendezvous12 with some members of his gang at Rochers
Neiges—of all places in the world! Of course the whole thing may be a blague—but our
information is reliable—there is always someone who squeals13, is there not? So keep your eyes
open, my friend. Get in touch with Inspector14 Drouet who is on the spot. He is a sound man—but
he cannot pretend to the brilliance15 of Hercule Poirot. It is important, my friend, that Marrascaud
should be taken—and taken alive. He is not a man—he is a wild boar—one of the most dangerous
killers16 alive today. I did not risk speaking to you at Andermatt as I might have been observed and
you will have a freer hand if you are thought to be a mere17 tourist. Good hunting! Your old friend
—Lementeuil.
Thoughtfully, Hercule Poirot caressed18 his moustaches. Yes, indeed, impossible to mistake the
moustaches of Hercule Poirot. Now what was all this? He had read in the papers the details of
l’affaire Salley—the cold-blooded murder of a well-known Parisian bookmaker. The identity of
the murderer was known. Marrascaud was a member of a well-known racecourse gang. He had
been suspected of many other killings—but this time his guilt19 was proved up to the hilt. He had
got away, out of France it was thought, and the police in every country in Europe were on the look
out for him.
So Marrascaud was said to have a rendezvous at Rochers Neiges. . . .
Hercule Poirot shook his head slowly. He was puzzled. For Rochers Neiges was above the
snow line. There was a hotel there, but it communicated with the world only by the funicular,
standing20 as it did on a long narrow ledge21 overhanging the valley. The hotel opened in June, but
there was seldom any one there until July and August. It was a place ill-supplied with entrances
and exits—if a man were tracked there, he was caught in a trap. It seemed a fantastic place to
choose as the rendezvous of a gang of criminals.
And yet, if Lementeuil said his information was reliable, then Lementeuil was probably right.
Hercule Poirot respected the Swiss Commissionaire of Police. He knew him as a sound and
dependable man.
Some reason unknown was bringing Marrascaud to this meeting place far above civilization.
Hercule Poirot sighed. To hunt down a ruthless killer was not his idea of a pleasant holiday.
Brain work from an armchair, he reflected, was more in his line. Not to ensnare a wild boar upon a
mountainside.
A wild boar—that was the term Lementeuil had used. It was certainly an odd coincidence. . . .
He murmured to himself: “The fourth Labor of Hercules. The Erymanthian Boar?”
Quietly, without ostentation22, he took careful stock of his fellow passengers.
On the seat opposite him was an American tourist. The pattern of his clothes, of his overcoat,
the grip he carried, down to his hopeful friendliness23 and his naïve absorption in the scenery, even
the guide book in his hand, all gave him away and proclaimed him a small town American seeing
Europe for the first time. In another minute or two, Poirot judged, he would break into speech. His
wistful doglike expression could not be
mistaken.
On the other side of the carriage a tall, rather distinguished-looking man with greyish hair and
a big curved nose was reading a German book. He had the strong mobile fingers of a musician or a
surgeon.
Farther away still were three men all of the same type. Men with bowed legs and an
indescribable suggestion of horsiness about them. They were playing cards. Presently, perhaps,
they would suggest a stranger cutting in on the game. At first the stranger would win. Afterwards,
the luck would run the other way.
Nothing very unusual about the three men. The only thing that was unusual was the place
where they were.
One might have seen them in any train on the way to a race meeting—or on an unimportant
liner. But in an almost empty funicular—no!
There was one other occupant of the carriage—a woman. She was tall and dark. It was a
beautiful face—a face that might have expressed a whole gamut24 of emotion—but which instead
was frozen into a strange inexpressiveness. She looked at no one, staring out at the valley below.
Presently, as Poirot had expected, the American began to talk. His name, he said, was
Schwartz. It was his first visit to Europe. The scenery, he said, was just grand. He’d been very
deeply impressed by the Castle of Chillon. He didn’t think much of Paris as a city—overrated—
he’d been to the Folies Bergères and the Louvre and Nôtre Dame—and he’d noticed that none of
these restaurants and cafés could play hot jazz properly. The Champs Elysées, he thought, was
pretty good, and he liked the fountains especially when they were floodlit.
Nobody got out at Les Avines or at Caurouchet. It was clear that everyone in the funicular
was going up to Rochers Neiges.
Mr. Schwartz explained his own reasons. He had always wished, he said, to be high up
among snow mountains. Ten thousand feet was pretty good—he’d heard that you couldn’t boil an
egg properly when you were as high up as that.
In the innocent friendliness of his heart, Mr. Schwartz endeavoured to draw the tall, grey-
haired man on the other side of the carriage into the conversation, but the latter merely stared at
him coldly over his pince-nez and returned to the perusal25 of his book.
Mr. Schwartz then offered to exchange places with the dark lady—she would get a better
view, he explained.
It was doubtful whether she understood English. Anyway, she merely shook her head and
shrank closer into the fur collar of her coat.
Mr. Schwartz murmured to Poirot:
“Seems kind of wrong to see a woman travelling about alone with no one to see to things for
her. A woman needs a lot of looking after when she’s travelling.”
Remembering certain American women he had met on the Continent, Hercule Poirot agreed.
Mr. Schwartz sighed. He found the world unfriendly. And surely, his brown eyes said
expressively26, there’s no harm in a little friendliness all round?

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能
参考例句：
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。
2 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦
参考例句：
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。
3 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
4 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
5 unreasonably 7b139a7b80379aa34c95638d4a789e5f     
adv. 不合理地
参考例句：
  • He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。
  • Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。
6 ascended ea3eb8c332a31fe6393293199b82c425     
v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地，充分地
参考例句：
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
8 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
9 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下
参考例句：
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
10 salute rYzx4     
vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮
参考例句：
  • Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
  • The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。
11 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者
参考例句：
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
12 rendezvous XBfzj     
n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇
参考例句：
  • She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。
  • I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。
13 squeals 4754a49a0816ef203d1dddc615bc7983     
n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • There was an outburst of squeals from the cage. 铁笼子里传来一阵吱吱的叫声。 来自英汉文学
  • There were squeals of excitement from the children. 孩子们兴奋得大声尖叫。 来自辞典例句
14 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员，监察员，视察员
参考例句：
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
15 brilliance 1svzs     
n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智
参考例句：
  • I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
  • The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。
16 killers c1a8ff788475e2c3424ec8d3f91dd856     
凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事
参考例句：
  • He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
  • They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。
17 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
18 caressed de08c4fb4b79b775b2f897e6e8db9aad     
爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • His fingers caressed the back of her neck. 他的手指抚摩着她的后颈。
  • He caressed his wife lovingly. 他怜爱万分地抚摸着妻子。
19 guilt 9e6xr     
n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责
参考例句：
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
20 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
21 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁
参考例句：
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。
22 ostentation M4Uzi     
n.夸耀，卖弄
参考例句：
  • Choose a life of action,not one of ostentation.要选择行动的一生，而不是炫耀的一生。
  • I don't like the ostentation of their expensive life - style.他们生活奢侈，爱摆阔，我不敢恭维。
23 friendliness nsHz8c     
n.友谊，亲切，亲密
参考例句：
  • Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
  • His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
24 gamut HzJyL     
n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识
参考例句：
  • The exhibition runs the whole gamut of artistic styles.这次展览包括了所有艺术风格的作品。
  • This poem runs the gamut of emotions from despair to joy.这首诗展现了从绝望到喜悦的感情历程。
25 perusal mM5xT     
n.细读，熟读；目测
参考例句：
  • Peter Cooke undertook to send each of us a sample contract for perusal.彼得·库克答应给我们每人寄送一份合同样本供阅读。
  • A perusal of the letters which we have published has satisfied him of the reality of our claim.读了我们的公开信后，他终于相信我们的要求的确是真的。
26 expressively 7tGz1k     
ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地
参考例句：
  • She gave the order to the waiter, using her hands very expressively. 她意味深长地用双手把订单递给了服务员。
  • Corleone gestured expressively, submissively, with his hands. "That is all I want." 说到这里，考利昂老头子激动而谦恭地表示：“这就是我的全部要求。” 来自教父部分

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