04-01-04-三十九级台阶 [17]
住的好；让警察抓住比让这个人和他那两个朋友抓住我觉得安全些。
他们要回来吃午饭，所以我只有两个小时的时间。我试着打开窗户，可是弄不动。我摸索着箱子、瓶子，后来发现墙上有个门，是壁橱的门，紧锁着。除此无法可想，所以我就使劲拉那个门，门被打开了。
屋里放着好多东西。在一个书架上有火柴，我点着火柴，更仔细地观察着。在一个书架后面放着个硬木箱。我把箱子打开，出乎我的意料，里面有导火索和若干方形包装的炸药。
我知道用这些炸药可以把整座房子炸飞。问题是我不知道该用多少炸药。如果用得太多，那么会连我自己也被炸飞。而要是索性不用，那么用不了三个小时我就得完蛋。
我把一包炸药放在门边，把导火索从那儿接到屋的另一头。我点着导火索，躲在箱子后面。五秒钟内默无声息……
轰然一声，屋墙被炸成亮黄色的火光，什么东西砸到我的左臂上，后来就失去了知觉。
我只昏迷了几秒钟。然后我站起来，尽量不呼吸炸药的黄烟。窗户被炸开了，我爬窗而出，跳到庭院里。庭院的对面是房子，其中有一个古塔。我感觉太难受，没法走远，看来这个塔是个最好的藏身之所。
从塔的外面向上爬，我从来没干过这么难的事。我头疼得要命，硝烟熏得我很难受，但最后终于爬了上去，在塔顶上躺下来。后来我又昏过去了。
醒来时我觉得头发烧，阳光照在我的脸上。我一动不动地躺了好长时间。我可以听到人们的说话声。透过墙上的窟隆我看到人们都拿着枪。有那个秃头的人，我想还会有那个胖子。
他们把所有建筑物搜索了半个小时。他们又来到塔底的门口，我一闪念，以为他们准备要上来，然而门给锁上了。
我在塔顶躺了整整一个下午。我口渴得要命，更糟糕的是我可以看到也可以听到从荒原上流来一条小溪，在附近的田野里淌着。要是能喝上一口这么清凉的水，这世界上什么东西我都不想要了。
从塔顶可以看到四周的荒原。我看见两个人坐车走了，另一个则骑着马，我估计他们正在找我。我还看见了更有意思的东西。在房子后面的山顶上，树围成一个圆圈，圈里是草地。很显然，这是飞机降落的地方。
这个地方作机场太好了。它位于山顶，所以从下往上看不到；从山谷向上看，看到山好像被树覆盖着。所以，如果有人看到飞来要降落的飞机还以为飞机正在飞越山顶。我意识到如果现在飞机飞过来，驾驶员多半会看见我，所以我躺着一动不动，盼着天快点黑下来。
运气真是不错，飞机真地飞过来的时候，天差不多黑了。我望着飞机降落，然后等着一切归于平静。天上没有月亮，我渴得等不下去了，于是九点钟我爬了下去。走了一半，我看见有人拿着灯从房里出来，我吓得僵住了。后来灯光不见了，我接着走到平地上。
我沿着树林一直爬。我估计着那所房子会怎么布置警戒，所以，我慢慢地、小心翼翼地爬，看到有一截电线露出地面大约六十厘米。如果绊上肯定会引响房里的警铃。
一百米开外还有一段电线，后面便是开阔的荒原。爬了十分钟，我一头扎进小溪，喝了好几升凉水。
我跑出距那所可怕的房子有十公里才停下脚。
■ 7 The fisherman
Ⅰsat on a hill－top and thought about my next move. I wasn't very happy，because although I had escaped，I was feeling very ill. The smoke had been very unpleasant， and the day on the roof had made things worse. I had a terrible headache，and my arm hurt so badly that I could not move it.
I decided to go back to Mr Turnbull's house and find my clothes and Scudder's notebook. Then I would take a train to the south. The sooner I met Sir Harry's friend in the government， Sir Walter Bullivant，the better. I hoped he would believe my story， but，even if he did not， I would be safer with him，or even the British police，than with those men at the farmhouse.
It was a clear，starry night and easy to find my way across the hills. I thought I was probably about thirty kilometres from Mr Turnbull's house， so I could not get there in one night. I would have to hide somewhere for the day. When it started to get light，I stopped to wash in a river and then knocked on the door of a small house. I told the woman who lived there that I had had a bad fall， and she could see that I was not well. She gave me some milk and whisky. She also gave me an old coat and hat of her husband's. I now looked like every other Scotsman， and felt safer.
It started to rain，and I spent the afternoon under a rock. That night was the most miserable of all. There were no stars，and I got lost a least twice. I had about fifteen kilometres more to go，but I think I walked thirty. In the end， in the very early morning，in a thick fog，I knocked on Mr Turnbull's door.
Mr Turnbull opened the door wearing an old black suit and a tie. At first he did not recognize me.
'What are you doing here at this time on a Sunday morning？'
My head was so bad that I could not answer for a moment，but then he recognized me，and saw that I was ill.
'Have you got my glasses？'he asked.
I took them out of my pocket and gave them to him.
'You want your clothes，'he said. 'Come in. You're not looking well at all. Come and sit down. '
I realized that my malaria had come back. I had had malaria in Africa，and it returned sometimes，The smoke，my arm，the wet and the cold had probably not helped. Soon， Mr Turnbull was helping me into a bed.
He was a good friend，that roadman. He took care of me for ten days，until my fever had gone and my arm was much bet-ter. He went out to work every day，locking the door，and in the evening he sat by the fire. He asked no questions，but on some days he brought me a newspaper， and I saw that the ex-citement over the Langham Place murder was over.
One day he gave me my money back. 'There's a lot of mon－ey there. You'd better count it and see if it's all there. '
I wanted to move as soon as possible， but it was not until the 12th of June that I felt well enough to go. I made Turnbull accept some money for my food
他们要回来吃午饭，所以我只有两个小时的时间。我试着打开窗户，可是弄不动。我摸索着箱子、瓶子，后来发现墙上有个门，是壁橱的门，紧锁着。除此无法可想，所以我就使劲拉那个门，门被打开了。
屋里放着好多东西。在一个书架上有火柴，我点着火柴，更仔细地观察着。在一个书架后面放着个硬木箱。我把箱子打开，出乎我的意料，里面有导火索和若干方形包装的炸药。
我知道用这些炸药可以把整座房子炸飞。问题是我不知道该用多少炸药。如果用得太多，那么会连我自己也被炸飞。而要是索性不用，那么用不了三个小时我就得完蛋。
我把一包炸药放在门边，把导火索从那儿接到屋的另一头。我点着导火索，躲在箱子后面。五秒钟内默无声息……
轰然一声，屋墙被炸成亮黄色的火光，什么东西砸到我的左臂上，后来就失去了知觉。
我只昏迷了几秒钟。然后我站起来，尽量不呼吸炸药的黄烟。窗户被炸开了，我爬窗而出，跳到庭院里。庭院的对面是房子，其中有一个古塔。我感觉太难受，没法走远，看来这个塔是个最好的藏身之所。
从塔的外面向上爬，我从来没干过这么难的事。我头疼得要命，硝烟熏得我很难受，但最后终于爬了上去，在塔顶上躺下来。后来我又昏过去了。
醒来时我觉得头发烧，阳光照在我的脸上。我一动不动地躺了好长时间。我可以听到人们的说话声。透过墙上的窟隆我看到人们都拿着枪。有那个秃头的人，我想还会有那个胖子。
他们把所有建筑物搜索了半个小时。他们又来到塔底的门口，我一闪念，以为他们准备要上来，然而门给锁上了。
我在塔顶躺了整整一个下午。我口渴得要命，更糟糕的是我可以看到也可以听到从荒原上流来一条小溪，在附近的田野里淌着。要是能喝上一口这么清凉的水，这世界上什么东西我都不想要了。
从塔顶可以看到四周的荒原。我看见两个人坐车走了，另一个则骑着马，我估计他们正在找我。我还看见了更有意思的东西。在房子后面的山顶上，树围成一个圆圈，圈里是草地。很显然，这是飞机降落的地方。
这个地方作机场太好了。它位于山顶，所以从下往上看不到；从山谷向上看，看到山好像被树覆盖着。所以，如果有人看到飞来要降落的飞机还以为飞机正在飞越山顶。我意识到如果现在飞机飞过来，驾驶员多半会看见我，所以我躺着一动不动，盼着天快点黑下来。
运气真是不错，飞机真地飞过来的时候，天差不多黑了。我望着飞机降落，然后等着一切归于平静。天上没有月亮，我渴得等不下去了，于是九点钟我爬了下去。走了一半，我看见有人拿着灯从房里出来，我吓得僵住了。后来灯光不见了，我接着走到平地上。
我沿着树林一直爬。我估计着那所房子会怎么布置警戒，所以，我慢慢地、小心翼翼地爬，看到有一截电线露出地面大约六十厘米。如果绊上肯定会引响房里的警铃。
一百米开外还有一段电线，后面便是开阔的荒原。爬了十分钟，我一头扎进小溪，喝了好几升凉水。
我跑出距那所可怕的房子有十公里才停下脚。
■ 7 The fisherman
Ⅰsat on a hill－top and thought about my next move. I wasn't very happy，because although I had escaped，I was feeling very ill. The smoke had been very unpleasant， and the day on the roof had made things worse. I had a terrible headache，and my arm hurt so badly that I could not move it.
I decided to go back to Mr Turnbull's house and find my clothes and Scudder's notebook. Then I would take a train to the south. The sooner I met Sir Harry's friend in the government， Sir Walter Bullivant，the better. I hoped he would believe my story， but，even if he did not， I would be safer with him，or even the British police，than with those men at the farmhouse.
It was a clear，starry night and easy to find my way across the hills. I thought I was probably about thirty kilometres from Mr Turnbull's house， so I could not get there in one night. I would have to hide somewhere for the day. When it started to get light，I stopped to wash in a river and then knocked on the door of a small house. I told the woman who lived there that I had had a bad fall， and she could see that I was not well. She gave me some milk and whisky. She also gave me an old coat and hat of her husband's. I now looked like every other Scotsman， and felt safer.
It started to rain，and I spent the afternoon under a rock. That night was the most miserable of all. There were no stars，and I got lost a least twice. I had about fifteen kilometres more to go，but I think I walked thirty. In the end， in the very early morning，in a thick fog，I knocked on Mr Turnbull's door.
Mr Turnbull opened the door wearing an old black suit and a tie. At first he did not recognize me.
'What are you doing here at this time on a Sunday morning？'
My head was so bad that I could not answer for a moment，but then he recognized me，and saw that I was ill.
'Have you got my glasses？'he asked.
I took them out of my pocket and gave them to him.
'You want your clothes，'he said. 'Come in. You're not looking well at all. Come and sit down. '
I realized that my malaria had come back. I had had malaria in Africa，and it returned sometimes，The smoke，my arm，the wet and the cold had probably not helped. Soon， Mr Turnbull was helping me into a bed.
He was a good friend，that roadman. He took care of me for ten days，until my fever had gone and my arm was much bet-ter. He went out to work every day，locking the door，and in the evening he sat by the fire. He asked no questions，but on some days he brought me a newspaper， and I saw that the ex-citement over the Langham Place murder was over.
One day he gave me my money back. 'There's a lot of mon－ey there. You'd better count it and see if it's all there. '
I wanted to move as soon as possible， but it was not until the 12th of June that I felt well enough to go. I made Turnbull accept some money for my food