Introduction：The story takes place in a California community known as Poker Flat，near the town of La Porte。In November 1850，four“immoral”characters are exiled as part of the“cleansing”of bad elements by the townspeople。They set outfor a less-respectable camp a hard day’s journey away over a mountain range，but what await them are nothing but a deadly blizzard and a trial of their souls。
1 As Mr。John Oakhurst，gambler，stepped into the main street of Poker Flat on the morning of the twenty-third of November，1850，he was conscious of a changein its moral atmosphere since the preceding night。Two or three men，conversing earnestly together，ceased as he approached，and exchanged significant glances。There was a Sabbath lull in the air which，in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences，looked ominous。
2 Mr。Oakhurst’s calm，handsome face betrayed small concern in theseindications。Whether he was conscious of any predisposing cause was another question。“I reckon they’re after somebody，”he reflected“likely it’s me。”He returned to his pocket the handkerchief with which he had been whipping away the red dust of Poker Flat from his neat boots，and quietly discharged his mind of any further conjecture。
3 In point of fact，Poker Flat was“after somebody”。It had lately suffered theloss of several thousand dollars，two valuable horses，and a prominent citizen。It was experiencing a spasm of virtuous reaction，quite as lawless and ungovernable as any of the acts that had provoked it。A secret committee had determined to rid the town of all improper persons。This was done permanently in regard of two men who were then hanging from the boughs of a sycamore in the gulch，and temporarily in the banishment of certain other objectionable characters。I regret to say that some of these were ladies。It is but due to the sex，however，to state that their impropriety was professional，and it was only in such easily established standards of evil that Poker Flat ventured to sit in judgment。
评注：故事发生的背景是美国西部，19世纪下半叶，历史上称之为美国“镀金时代”。西部和东部不同，那里依然是执法者的盲区，定居者在那里尚未形成城镇，还只是很简陋的营地。于是人们往往通过社区内的秘密委员会来裁定一些司法问题。
Sabbath：n。安息日
lull：n。暂时的平静
ominous：adj。不详的
betray：v。显露……迹象
predisposing：adj。预先安排的
reckon：v。猜想
discharge：v。放行，遣散
conjecture：n。猜测，臆想
spasm：n。一阵发作
permanently：adv。
永久地
banishment：n。放
逐，驱逐
objectionable：adj。
引起反感的4Mr。Oakhurst was right in supposing that he was included in this category。A few of the committee had urged hanging him as a possible example，and a sure method of reimbursing themselves from his pockets of the sums he had won from them。“It’s agin justice，”said Jim Wheeler，“to let this yer young man from RoaringCamp—an entire stranger—carry away our money。”But a crude sentiment of equityresiding in the breasts of those who had been fortunate enough to win from Mr。Oakhurst overruled this narrower local prejudice。
5 Mr。Oakhurst received his sentence with philosophic calmness，none the less coolly that he was aware of the hesitation of his judges。He was too much of a gambler not to accept Fate。With him life was at best an uncertaingame，and he recognized the usual percentage in favor of the dealer。
评注：Oakhurst先生被作为不道德的赌徒而遭到驱逐，而在哈特的笔下他却具有冷静、勇敢、无私的英雄主义精神。其他几个遭到流放的人也都具有美好的品德。注意哈特的这种反讽式写作。
6 A body of armed men accompanied the deported wickedness of Poker Flat to the outskirts of the settlement。Besides Mr。Oakhurst，who was known to be a coolly desperate man，and for whose intimidation the armed escort was intended，the expatriated party consisted of a young woman familiarly known as the“Duchess”another，who had won the title of“Mother Shipton”and“Uncle Billy”，a suspected sluice-robber and confirmed drunkard。The cavalcade provoked no comments from the spectators，nor was any word uttered by the escort。Only，when the gulch whichmarked the uttermost limit of Poker Flat was reached，the leader spoke briefly and to the point。The exiles were forbidden to return at the peril of their lives。
reimburse：v。偿还
agin：prep。against
yer：[俚语]your
overrule：vt。驳回，否决
too……not to：“too……not to”此句型是由含否定意义的“too……to”演变而来，这个句型意为“太……不会不……”、“非常……一定能……”
deported：adj。被驱逐的
intimidation：n。威胁
escort：n。护卫
expatriated：adj。被驱逐的
cavalcade：n。队伍
gulch：n。峡谷
exile：n。流放
at the peril of：冒着……的危险7As the escort disappeared，their pent-up feelings found vent in a few hysterical tears from the Duchess，some bad language from Mother Shipton，and a Parthian volley of expletives from Uncle Billy。The philosophic Oakhurst alone remainedsilent。He listened calmly to Mother Shipton’s desire to cut somebody’s heartout，to the repeated statements of the Duchess that she would die in the road，and to the alarming oaths that seemed to be bumped out of Uncle Billy as he rode forward。With the easy good humor characteristic of his class，he insisted upon exchanging his own riding horse，“Five Spot”，for the sorry mule which the Duchess rode。But even this act did not draw the party into any closer sympathy。The young woman readjusted her somewhat draggled plumes with a feeble，faded coquetryMother Shipton eyed the possessor of“Five Spot”with malevolence，and Uncle Billy included the whole party in one sweeping anathema。
评注：从上下文不难推断出，Duchess是一个娼妓，而Mother Shipton很可能是妓院的老鸨，Uncle Billy则应该是一个惯偷和酒鬼。
8 The road to Sandy Bar—a camp that，not having as yet experiencedthe regenerating influences of Poker Flat，consequently seemed to offer some invitation to the emigrants—lay over a steep mountain range。It was distant a day’s severe travel。In that advanced season，the party soon passed out of the moist，temperateregions of the foothills into the dry，cold，bracing air of the Sierras。The trail was narrow and difficult。At noon the Duchess，rolling out of her saddle upon the ground，declared her intention of going no farther，and the party halted。
9 The spot was singularly wild and impressive。A wooded amphitheater，surrounded on three sides by precipitous cliffs of naked granite，sloped gently toward the crest of another precipice that overlooked the valley。It was，undoubtedly，the most suitable spot for a camp，had camping been advisable。But Mr。Oakhurst knew that scarcely half the journey to Sandy Bar was accomplished，and the party were not equipped or provisioned for delay。This fact he pointed out to his companions curtly，with a philosophic commentary on the folly of“throwing up their hand before the game was played out”。But they were furnished with liquor，whichin this emergency stood them in place of food，fuel，rest，and prescience。In spite of his remonstrances，it was not long before they were more or less under its influence。Uncle Billy passed rapidly from a bellicose state into one of stupor，the Duchess became maudlin，and Mother Shipton snored。Mr。Oakhurst alone remained erect，leaning against a rock，calmly surveying them。
pent-up：adj。被压抑的
hysterical：adj。歇斯底里的
volley：n。迸发
expletive：n。咒骂语
draggled：adj。邋遢的
plume：n。羽毛
coquetry：n。媚态
malevolence：n。恶意
anathema：n。诅咒
amphitheater：n。似圆形剧场的场所
precipice：n。悬崖
provision：v。提供……粮食（必需品）
curtly：adv。简单粗暴地
prescience：n。先见
remonstrance：n。抗议
bellicose：adj。好斗的
stupor：n。恍惚，麻木
maudlin：adj。伤感的
10 Mr。Oakhurst did not drink。It interfered with a profession which required coolness，impassiveness，and presence of mind，and，inhis ownlanguage，he“couldn’t afford it”。As he gazed at his recumbent fellow exiles，the loneliness begotten of his pariah trade，his habits of life，his very vices，for the first timeseriously oppressed him。He bestirred himself in dusting his black clothes，washing his hands and face，and other acts characteristic of his studiously neat habits，and for a moment forgot his annoyance。The thought of deserting his weakerand more pitiable companions never perhaps occurred to him。Yet he could not help feeling the want of that excitement which，singularly enough，was most conducive to that calm equanimity for which he was notorious。He looked at the gloomy walls that rose a thousand feet sheer above the circling pines around himat the sky，ominously cloudedat the valley below，already deepening into shadow。And，doing so，suddenly he heard his own name called。
评注：虽然Oakhurst凭借自己作为高水平赌徒的敏锐直觉判断出这次行程不宜中途在此歇脚，但他并没有阻拦或抛下大家，而是选择同舟共济。从对天色和四周景物的描写来看，一场不祥的自然灾难已经迫在眉睫了。
11 A horseman slowly ascended the trail。In the fresh，open face of the newcomer Mr。Oakhurst recognized Tom Simson，otherwise known as the“Innocent”of Sandy Bar。He had met him some months before over a“little game”，and had，with perfect equanimity，won the entire fortune—amounting to some forty dollars—of thatguileless youth。After the game was finished，Mr。Oakhurst drewthe youthful speculator behind the door and thus addressed him：“Tommy，you’re a good littleman，but you can’t gamble worth a cent。Don’t try it over again。”He then handedhim his money back，pushed him gently from the room，and so made a devoted slave of Tom Simson。
12 There was a remembrance of this in his boyish and enthusiastic greeting of Mr。Oakhurst。He had started，he said，to go to Poker Flat to seek his fortune。“Alone？”No，not exactly alonein fact（a giggle），he had run away with Piney Woods。Didn’t Mr。Oakhurst remember Piney？She that used to wait on the table at the Temperance House？They had been engaged a long time，but old Jake Woods had objected，and so they had run away，and were going to Poker Flat to be married，and here they were。And they were tired out，and how lucky it was they had found a place to camp and company。All this the Innocent delivered rapidly，while Piney，a stout，comely damsel of fifteen，emerged from behind the pine tree，where she had been blushing unseen，and rode to the side of her lover。
impassiveness：n。无动于衷，无感情
recumbent：adj。躺下的
beget of：由……导致或引起
pariah：n。为社会所摒弃者
equanimity：n。平静，镇静
notorious：adj。臭名昭著的
guileless：adj。不狡诈的，厚道的
giggle：n。咯咯笑
run away with：私奔
comely：adj。标志的，好看的
damsel：n。[雅]姑娘，少女13Mr。Oakhurst seldom troubled himself with sentiment，still less with proprietybut he had a vague idea that the situation was not fortunate。He retained，however，his presence of mind sufficiently to kick Uncle Billy，who was about to say something，and Uncle Billy was sober enough to recognize in Mr。Oakhurst’s kick a superior power that would not bear trifling。He then endeavored to dissuade Tom Simson from delaying further，but in vain。He even pointed out the fact that there was no provision，nor means of making a camp。But，unluckily，the Innocent met this objection by assuring the party that he was provided with an extra mule loaded with provisions and by the discovery of a rude attempt at a log house near the trail。“Piney can stay with Mrs。Oakhurst，”said the Innocent，pointing to the Duchess，“and I can shift for myself。”
14 Nothing but Mr。Oakhurst’s admonishing foot saved Uncle Billy from bursting into a roar of laughter。As it was，he felt compelled to retire up the canyon until he could recover his gravity。There he confided the joke to the tall pine trees，with many slaps of his leg，contortions of his face，and the usual profanity。But when he returned to the party，he found them seated by a fire—for the air had grown strangely chill and the sky overcast—in apparently amicable conversation。Piney was actually talking in an impulsive，girlish fashion to the Duchess，who was listening with an interest and animation she had not shown for many days。The Innocent was holding forth，apparently with equal effect，to Mr。Oakhurst and Mother Shipton，who was actually relaxing into amiability。“Is this yer adamned picnic？”said Uncle Billy with inward scorn as he surveyed the sylvan group，the glancing firelight，and the tethered animals in the foreground。Suddenly an idea mingled with the alcoholic fumes that disturbed his brain。It was apparently of a jocular nature，for he felt impelled to slap his legagain and cram his fist into his mouth。
评注：汤姆和萍妮的到来，给了这群流亡者很大的快乐。一方面，单纯的汤姆显然没有意识到他们是因为“道德败坏”才被驱逐的；另一方面，汤姆又因为Oakhurst的缘故而过分信赖他们，甚至将自己的底细（包括粮食）和盘托出。比莱大叔似乎在酝酿某个阴谋，这也为后文埋下了伏笔。
15 As the shadows crept slowly up the mountain，a slight breeze rocked the topsof the pine trees，and moaned through their long and gloomy aisles。The ruined cabin，patched and covered with pine boughs，was set apart for the ladies。As the lovers parted，they unaffectedly exchanged a kiss，so honest and sincere that it might have been heard above the swaying pines。The frail Duchess and the malevolent Mother Shipton were probably too stunned to remark upon this last evidence of simplicity，and so turned without a word to the hut。The fire was replenished，the men lay down before the door，and in a few minutes were asleep。
propriety：n。合乎礼节
retain one’s presence of mind：某人保持头脑冷静
sober：adj。清醒的
admonishing：adj。警告的
compel：v。强迫，迫使
confide sth。to：向……透露
contortion：n。扭曲，变型
profanity：n。亵渎的语言
amicable：adj。友善的，平和的
animation：n。活泼，有生气
amiability n。亲切，友善
jocular：adj。诙谐的
unaffectedly：adv。自然地，真挚地
replenish：v。补充，添加16Mr。Oakhurst was a light sleeper。Toward morning he awoke benumbed and cold。As he stirred the dying fire，the wind，which was now blowing strongly，broughtto his cheek that which caused the blood to leave it—snow！
17 He started to his feet with the intention of awakening the sleepers，for there was no time to lose。But turning to where Uncle Billy had been lying，he found him gone。A suspicion leaped to his brain and a curse to his lips。He ran to the spot where the mules had been tetheredthey were no longer there。The trackswere already rapidly disappearing in the snow。
18 The momentary excitement brought Mr。Oakhurst back to the fire with his usual calm。He did not waken the sleepers。The Innocent slumbered peacefully，with asmile on his good-humored，freckled facethe virgin Piney slept beside her frailer sisters as sweetly as though attended by celestial guardiansand Mr。Oakhurst，drawing his blanket over his shoulders，stroked his mustaches and waited for the dawn。It came slowly in a whirling mist of snowflakes that dazzled and confused the eye。What could be seen of the landscape appeared magically changed。He looked over the valley，and summed up the present and future in two words—“snowed in！”
19 A careful inventory of the provisions，which，fortunately for the party，hadbeen stored within the hut and so escaped the felonious fingersof Uncle Billy，disclosed the fact that with care and prudence they might last ten days longer。“That is，”said Mr。Oakhurst，sotto voce to the Innocent，“if you’re willing to board us。If you ain’t—and perhaps you’d better not—you can wait till Uncle Billy gets back with provisions。”For some occult reason，Mr。Oakhurst could not bring himself to disclose Uncle Billy’s rascality，and so offered the hypothesisthat he had wandered from the camp and had accidentally stampeded the animals。He dropped a warning to the Duchess and Mother Shipton，who of course knew the facts of their associate’s defection。“They’ll find out the truth about us allwhen they find out anything，”he added，significantly，“and there’s no good frightening them now。”
slumber：v。睡眠，睡觉
celestial guardians：
天使，保护神
inventory：n。存货
felonious：adj。恶毒的
prudence：n。谨慎
sotto voce：adv。低声地
occult：adj。神秘的
rascality：n。无赖行为，恶行
hypothesis：n。假说20Tom Simson not only put all his worldly store at the disposal of Mr。Oakhurst，but seemed to enjoy the prospect of their enforced seclusion。“We’ll have a good camp for a week，and then the snow’ll melt，and we’ll all go back together。”The cheerful gaiety of the young man，and Mr。Oakhurst’s calm，infected the others。The Innocent with the aid of pine boughs extemporized a thatch for the roofless cabin，and the Duchess directed Piney in the rearrangement of the interior with a taste and tact that opened the blue eyes of that provincial maiden to their fullest extent。“I reckon now you’re used to fine things at Poker Flat，”saidPiney。The Duchess turned away sharply to conceal something that reddened her cheeks through its professional tint，and Mother Shipton requested Piney not to“chatter”。But when Mr。Oakhurst returned from a weary search for the trail，he heard the sound of happy laughter echoed from the rocks。He stopped in some alarm，and his thoughts first naturally reverted to the whisky，whichhe had prudently cached。“And yet it don’t somehow sound like whisky，”said the gambler。It wasnot until he caught sight of the blazing fire through the still-blinding stormand the group around it that he settled to the conviction that it was“square fun”。
21 Whether Mr。Oakhurst had cached his cards with the whisky as something debarred the free access of the community，I cannot say。It was certain that，in Mother Shipton’s words，he“didn’t say cards once”during that evening。Haply the time was beguiled by an accordion，produced somewhat ostentatiously by Tom Simson from his pack。Notwithstanding some difficulties attending the manipulation of this instrument，Piney Woods managed to pluck several reluctant melodies from itskeys，to an accompaniment by the Innocent on a pair of bone castanets。But the crowning festivity of the evening was reached in a rude camp-meeting hymn，whichthe lovers，joining hands，sang with great earnestness and vociferation。I fearthat a certain defiant tone and Covenanter’s swing to its chorus，rather than any devotional quality，caused it speedily to infect the others，who at last joined in the refrain：
“I’m proud to live in the service of the Lord，
And I’m bound to die in His army。”
评注：这群“坏人”和“好人”在如此特殊的场合下相聚在一起，“坏人”竟然都似乎抹去了道德的污点（除了那个比莱大叔之外），成了为上帝唱赞美诗的虔诚信徒。哈特那篇《咆哮营的孤儿》也有类似的特点，即在特定的外部环境下，粗俗也会转化为圣洁。
at the disposal of：由……处理
seclusion：n。隔离
gaiety：n。欢乐的精神
extemporize：v。临时制作
thatch：n。茅草屋顶
revert to：想到
cache：vt。隐藏
conviction：n。可信性
haply：adv。或许
beguile by：以……消磨时间
accordion：n。手风琴
ostentatiously：adv。炫耀地，卖弄地
notwithstanding：prep。尽管，虽然
castanets：n。响板
vociferation：n。大声叫嚷
defiant：adj。藐视的，目中无人的22The pines rocked，the storm eddied and whirled above the miserable group，and the flames of their altar leaped heavenward as if in token of the vow。
23 At midnight the storm abated，the rolling clouds parted，and the stars glittered keenly above the sleeping camp。Mr。Oakhurst，whose professional habits hadenabled him to live on the smallest possible amount of sleep，in dividing the watch with Tom Simson somehow managed to take upon himself the greater part of that duty。He excused himself to the Innocent by saying that he had“often been aweek without sleep”，“Doing what？”asked Tom。“Poker！”replied Oakhurst，sententiously“when a man gets a streak of luck—nigger luck—he don’t get tired。Theluck gives in first。Luck，”continued the gambler，reflectively，“is a mightyqueer thing。All you know about it for certain is that it’s bound to change。Andit’s finding out when it’s going to change that makes you。We’ve had a streakof bad luck since we left Poker Flat—you come along，and slap you get into it，too。If you can hold your cards right along you’re all right。For，”added the gambler，with cheerful irrelevance，
“I’m proud to live in the service of the Lord，
And I’m bound to die in His army。”
24 The third day came，and the sun，looking through the white-curtained valley，saw the outcasts divide their slowly decreasing store of provisions for the morning meal。It was one of the peculiarities of that mountain climate that its rays diffused a kindly warmth over the wintry landscape，as if in regretful commiseration of the past。But it revealed drift on drift of snow piled high around the hut—a hopeless，uncharted，trackless sea of white lying below the rocky shores to which the castaways still clung。Through the marvelously clear air the smoke of the pastoral village of Poker Flat rose miles away。Mother Shipton saw it，and from a remote pinnacle of her rocky fastnesshurled in that direction a final malediction。It was her last vituperative attempt，and perhaps for that reasonwas invested with a certain degree of sublimity。It did her good，she privatelyinformed the Duchess。“Just you go out there and cuss，and see。”She then set herself to the task of amusing“the child”，as she and the Duchess were pleasedto call Piney。Piney was no chicken，but it was a soothing and original theory ofthe pair thus to account for the fact that she didn’t swear and wasn’t improper。
altar：n。圣坛
in token of：表示
abate：v。减弱
sententiously：adv。简洁地
diffuse：vt。散播
commiseration：n。同情
pinnacle：n。顶点
fastness：n。堡垒
malediction：n。咒骂
vituperative：adj。责骂的
sublimity：n。庄重
cuss：v。咒骂25When night crept up again through the gorges，the reedy notes of the accordion rose and fell in fitful spasms and long-drawn gasps by the flickering campfire。But music failed to fill entirely the aching void left by insufficient food，and a new diversion was proposed by Piney—storytelling。NeitherMr。Oakhurst nor his female companions caring to relate their personal experiences，this plan would have failed too but for the Innocent。Some months before he had chanced upon a stray copy of Mr。Pope’s ingenious translation of the ILIAD。He now proposed to narrate the principal incidents of that poem—having thoroughly mastered theargument and fairly forgotten the words—in the current vernacular of Sandy Bar。And so for the rest of that night the Homeric demigods again walked the earth。Trojan bully and wily Greek wrestled in the winds，and the great pines in the canyon seemed to bow to the wrath of the son of Peleus。Mr。Oakhurst listened with quiet satisfaction。Most especially was he interested in the fate of“Ash-heels”，as the Innocent persisted in denominating the“swift-footed Achilles”。
评注：阿基里斯是当之无愧的人间英雄，却也有着致命的缺陷。Oakhurst先生听到这个英雄的悲剧下场，大约对自己的命运也有了更为不祥的预感。
26 So with small food and much of Homer and the accordion，a week passed over the heads of the outcasts。The sun again forsook them，and again from leaden skies the snowflakes were sifted over the land。Day by day closer around them drew the snowy circle，until at last they looked from their prison over drifted walls of dazzling white that towered twenty feet above their heads。It became more andmore difficult to replenish their fires，even from the fallen trees beside them，now half-hidden in the drifts。And yet no one complained。The lovers turned from the dreary prospect and looked into each other’s eyes，and were happy。Mr。Oakhurst settled himself coolly to the losing game before him。The Duchess，more cheerful than she had been，assumed the care of Piney。Only Mother Shipton—once the strongest of the party—seemed to sicken and fade。At midnight on the tenth day she called Oakhurst to her side。“I’m going，”she said，in a voice of querulous weakness，“but don’t say anything about it。Don’t waken the kids。Take thebundle from under my head and open it。”Mr。Oakhurst did so。It contained MotherShipton’s rations for the last week，untouched。“Give’em tothe child，”she said，pointing to the sleeping Piney。“You’ve starved yourself，”said the gambler。“That’s what they call it，”said the woman，querulously，as she lay down again and，turning her face to the wall，passed quietly away。
评注：最年长的老鸨却把自己一点点可怜的粮食留给了年轻人。这种伟大的牺牲精神是对他们被逐罪名的另一个反讽。
void：n。没有，缺乏
diversion：n。消遣：分散注意和放松或娱乐的事
chance upon：偶然遇见
ingenious：adj。有独创性的
vernacular：n。地方语
demigod：n。半神半人
wily：adj。狡猾的
wrath：n。盛怒
denominate：v。为……命名，把……叫做
sift：v。筛分
ration：n。配给的粮食27The accordion and the bones were put aside that day，and Homer was forgotten。When the body of Mother Shipton had been committed to the snow，Mr。Oakhurst took the Innocent aside，and showed him a pair of snowshoes，which he had fashioned from the old pack saddle。
28 “There’s one chance in a hundred to save her yet，”he said，pointing toPiney“but it’s there，”he added，pointing toward Poker Flat。“If you can reachthere in two days she’s safe。”“And you？”asked Tom Simson。“I’ll stay here，”wasthe curt reply。
29 The lovers parted with a long embrace。“You are not going，too？”said theDuchess as she saw Mr。Oakhurst apparently waiting to accompany him。“As far as the canyon，”he replied。He turned suddenly，and kissed the Duchess，leaving herpallid face aflame and her trembling limbs rigid with amazement。
30 Night came，but not Mr。Oakhurst。It brought the storm again and the whirling snow。Then the Duchess，feeding the fire，found that someone had quietly piledbeside the hut enough fuel to last a few days longer。The tears rose to her eyes，but she hid them from Piney。
31 The women slept but little。In the morning，looking into each other’s faces，they read their fate。Neither spokebut Piney，accepting the position of the stronger，drew near and placed her arm around the Duchess’s waist。They kept thisattitude for the rest of the day。That night the storm reached its greatest fury，and，rending asunder the protecting pines，invaded the very hut。
32 Toward morning they found themselves unable to feed the fire，which gradually died away。As the embers slowly blackened，the Duchess crept closer to Piney，and broke the silence of many hours：“Piney，can you pray？”“No，dear，”said Piney，simply。The Duchess，without knowing exactly why，felt relieved，and，putting her head upon Piney’s shoulder，spoke no more。And so reclining，the younger and purer pillowing the head of her soiled sister upon her virgin breast，they fell asleep。
33 The wind lulled as if it feared to waken them。Feathery drifts of snow，shaken from the long pine boughs，flew like white-winged birds，and settled about them as they slept。The moon through the rifted clouds looked down upon what had been the camp。But all human stain，all trace of earthly travail，was hidden beneath the spotless mantle mercifully flung from above。
34 They slept all that day and the next，nor did they waken when voices and footsteps broke the silence of the camp。And when pitying fingers brushed the snow from their wan faces，you could scarcely have told from the equal peace that dwelt upon them which was she that had sinned。Even the law of Poker Flat recognized this，and turned away，leaving them still locked in each other’s arms。
评注：萍妮和妓女分不出谁是有罪的。这是哈特对人性善的一面的乐观主义表达。
35 But at the head of the gulch，on one of the largest pine trees，they found the deuce of clubs pinned to the bark with a bowie knife。It bore the following，written in pencil，in a firm hand：
BENEATH THIS TREE
LIES THE BODY OF JOHN OAKHURST，WHO STRUCK A STREAK OF BAD LUCKON THE 23D OF NOVEMBER，1850，ANDHANDED IN HIS CHECKSON THE 7TH DECEMBER，1850.
评注：the deuce of clubs：扑克牌中的梅花二，最小的牌，往往是不吉利的预兆。
36 And pulseless and cold，with a Derringer by his side and abullet in his heart，though still calm as in life，beneath the snow lay he who was at once the strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat。
评注：我们终于知道Oakhurst的不告而别并非是临阵脱逃，而是在绝望之时选择自己解脱，并将粮食和柴火留给两位女士。
rend asunder：撕碎
ember：n。余烬
soiled：adj。有污点的
Derringer：n。（美）大口径短口手枪
Comprehension Exercises
1.John is an outstanding person and has some phenomenal traits。Such as that he is unusually calm，courageous，and modest。Please give some examples。
2.Although Harte is often described as a“frontier humorist”，this story reads as a tragedy。Discuss how a writer may appeal to conflicting emotions。
3.Some critics said Bret Harte’s work was flawed because of its lackof realism and a reliance on melodrama and sentiment。Do you agree or disagree with such an opinion？Why？
布莱特·哈特（1836—1902）：美国小说家，生于纽约州的奥尔伯尼。幼时没有受过多少教育，阅读却很广泛。1854年随家迁往西部，做过矿工。1860年定居旧金山，担任教员和编辑。1848年加利福尼亚发现金矿后，淘金者蜂拥而至。哈特用短篇小说的形式描写了这些淘金者的生活，写法颇具特色，被称为“西部幽默小说家”、“乡土文学作家”等。他的代表作是短篇小说集《咆哮营的幸运儿及其他短篇》（1870）。哈特成名后迁居东部，曾出任美国驻德国和英国的领事，并继续写作，但他后来的小说失去了早年的光彩。
