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Then our fear for Sir Henry became greater than our ter ror.Holmes and I fired our revolvers together.The creature gave a loud cry of pain,and we knew we had hit it.But it did not stop,and ran on,after Sir Henry.
When we heard the cry of pain,our fears disappeared.This was no supernatural hound.Our bullets could hurt it,and we could kill it.We ran after it as fast as we could.I have never seen anyone run as quickly as Holmes ran that night,and I could not keep up with him.In front of us on the path we heard scream after scream from Sir Henry,and the deep voice of the hound.I saw the creature jump at Sir Henry and throw him to the ground.Its teeth went for his throat.But the next moment Holmes had emptied his revolver into the hound's body.It gave a last deep cry,its teeth closed on the empty air,and it fell to the ground.I put my revolver to its head,but I did not need to fire.The hound was dead.
Sir Henry lay unconscious where he had fallen.Quickly we opened the neck of his shirt.Holmes had fired just in time,and the hound's teeth had not reached our friend's throat.Already his eyes were beginning to open and he looked up at us.
'My God,'he whispered.'What was it?What in heaven's name was it?'
'It's dead,whatever it was,'said Holmes.'We've killed the family ghost for ever.'
The creature that lay before us was as large as a small lion.Its mouth and teeth were huge.They shone with blue flames.There were rings of blue fire round its cruel eyes,too.I touched the hound's burning coat.When I held up my hand,it,too,seemed to be on fire.
'Phosphorus,'I said,'That is why the hound appears to burn in the dark.Stapleton put phosphorous paint on the hound in the hut beside the house.'
But Holmes was thinking more about Sir Henry than about Stapleton's cleverness.
'I must apologize to you,Sir Henry,'he said.'I put your life in danger.I expected to see a huge hound,but not a crea ture like this.The fog gave us a very short time to control our fear,and for moments we could not move.'
'Never mind,'said Sir Henry.'You saved my life,and I thank you.Please help me stand up.What are you going to do now?'
Sir Henry's legs were shaking so much from his terrible ex perience that he could not stand.We helped him to a rock.He sat there and held his head in his hands.
'We must leave you here,Sir Henry,and try to catch Staple ton.We shall come back as quickly as possible and take you to the Hall.Our case is complete,but we must now catch our man.'
I followed Holmes along the path back to the house.
'We must search the house,'said Holmes,'but almost cer tainly he won't be there.He probably heard the noise of our guns,so he knows his evil game is finished.'
The front door of the house was open.We went in and looked from room to room.All the rooms downstairs were empty,so we went uPStairs and looked in all the rooms except one,which was locked.
'There's someone in there,'I said.'I heard someone move.Help me break open this door.'
We threw ourselves against the door,and as the lock broke we went in.We held our revolvers ready to fire.
In the middle of the room was a figure tied to a post.We could not see whether it was a man or a woman,as it was com pletely covered with sheets.Only the eyes and nose were free.
We pulled off the sheets and untied the prisoner from the post.It was Miss Stapleton.As we untied her,we could see long red bruises across her neck.
'That cruel devil Stapleton has beaten her,'Holmes said.'Put her into a chair.'Miss Stapleton had fainted from the beating and exhaustion.As we put her into the chair,she opened her eyes.
'Is he safe?'she asked.'Has he escaped?'
'He cannot escape us,Miss Stapleton,'Holmes said.
'No,no,I don't mean my husband.I mean Sir Henry.Is he safe?'
'Yes,'I said,'and the hound is dead.'
'Thank God,'she said.'Thank God.Oh,the cruel devil.Look what he has done to me.'She showed us her arms,and we saw with horror that her skin was black and blue where she had been beaten.'But he has hurt me more in other ways.While I thought he loved me,I accepted many things.But he doesn't love me.He has used me.'
'Then help us now,'said Holmes.'Tell us where he has gone.'
'There is an old house on an island in the middle of the marsh,'she said.'He kept his hound there.He also had the house ready in case he needed to escape.He will be there,I'm sure.'
'Nobody could find his way into the Grimpen Marsh in this fog tonight,'said Holmes,looking out of the window.
The fog lay like white wool against the glass,and we knew we could not try to follow him until it cleared.We decided to take Sir Henry back to Baskerville Hall.We had to tell him everything about the Stapletons,and he was deeply hurt when he heard the truth about the woman he loved.The news that she was married,and the awful fear he had experienced,brought on a fever.We sent for Dr Mortimer,who came and sat with Sir Henry throughout the night.
On the following morning Miss Stapleton took us to the path through the marsh.The fog had lifted,and she showed us the sticks which she and her husband had put in to mark the way.We followed them through the marsh,which smelled of dying plants.The wet ground pulled at our feet as we walked.From time to time one of us stepped from the path and sank up to his waist in the marsh.One man on his own could not hope to escape the pull of the marsh；without help he would sink to his death.
But we did not find any sign of Stapleton.We searched andsearched without success.There is no doubt that he lost hisway in the fog,and sank in the marsh Somewhere,deep down,his body lies to this day.
We reached the island Miss Stapleton had described,and searched the old house.
'This place tells us nothing that we do not already know,'said Holmes.'These bones show that he hid the hound here,but he could not keep it quiet,so people heard its cries.Here is the bottle of phosphorous paint.Stapleton used it very cleverly on the hound.After what we saw and felt last night,we cannot be surprised that Sir Charles died of fright.And now I under stand how Selden knew that the hound was following him in the dark.It's not surprising the poor man screamed and ran as he did.The old story of the supernatural hound probably gave Stapleton the idea of using phosphorus.Very clever.I said it in London and I say it again,Watson.We have never had a more dangerous enemy than the one who is lying out there'—and he pointed to the great marsh that was all round us.
接着，我们为亨利爵士的担忧胜过了我们自身的恐惧感。我和福尔摩斯一齐开了枪。那个家伙痛苦地大叫一声，我们便知道我们已打中它了。可是它并没有停下脚步，还继续向前窜去，追着亨利爵士。
在我们听到了它那痛苦的嗥叫时，我们的恐惧便烟消云散了。这并非什么魔犬。我们的子弹既能打伤它，我们也就能杀死它。我们尽力追赶它。我从没见过谁能像福尔摩斯在那天夜里跑得那样快，我也跟不上他。我们听到了前面路上亨利爵士一声接一声的喊叫和那只猎犬发出的低沉的吼声。我看到那个家伙扑向亨利爵士，并将其掀翻在地上。它的牙齿直扑他的咽喉。可是就在这之后，福尔摩斯一连气将手枪里的子弹都打进了那只猎犬的身体。它发出了最后一声低沉的嗥叫，向空中咬了一口，随后就倒在地上了。我用手枪抵住它的头部，可是我不必开枪了。猎犬已经死了。
亨利爵士躺在他摔倒的地方，毫无知觉。我们赶快把他的衣领解开。福尔摩斯开枪开得正及时，那只猎犬还没够着我们的朋友的喉咙。他的眼睛已经开始睁开了，他仰视着我们。
“我的上帝啊，”他低声说道，“那是什么？究竟是什么东西啊？”
“不管它是什么，它已经死了，”福尔摩斯说道。“我们已经把您家的妖魔永远地消灭了。”
躺在我们面前的那个家伙同一只小狮子一般大小。它的嘴巴和牙齿很大。它们闪烁着蓝色的光芒。它那残忍的眼睛周围也有圈蓝色的火苗。我摸了摸它那发光喷火的皮毛。我抬起手来时，手似乎也着火了。
“是磷，”我说道。“那便是那只猎犬在黑暗之中看上去冒火光的原因。斯台普顿在房子旁边的那个小屋里给那只猎犬涂上了含磷的涂料。”
可是福尔摩斯对亨利爵士比对斯台普顿的狡猾考虑得要多些。
“我必须向您抱歉，亨利爵士，”他说道。“我使您遭受了生命危险。我预计看到的是一只大猎犬，可没想到会是这样的一只。大雾曾留给我们短暂的一段时间克制我们的恐惧感，还有一会儿我们都惊讶得动弹不了身子。”
“没关系，”亨利爵士说道。“您救了我的性命，我还得感谢您呢。请扶我站起来。你们现在打算怎么办呢？”
亨利爵士的双腿因这次可怕的经历而抖得很厉害，他自己都站不起来了。我们把他扶到了一块石头那儿。他坐在那儿，双手捂着头。
“我们现在得把您留在这儿了，亨利爵士，还要去想方设法抓住斯台普顿呢。我们将尽快回来并把您带到庄园去。案子已经了结了，可是我们现在必须抓住那个人。”
我跟着福尔摩斯沿着那条小路返回了那栋屋子。
“我们必须搜搜这栋屋子，”福尔摩斯说道，“可是几乎可以肯定他是不会在的。他可能已听到了我们的枪声，于是便知道他那罪恶的勾当已经结束了。”
前门开着。我们进去一间一间地察看。楼下的房间都空着，于是我们上了楼，除了那个锁起来的房间之外都查看过了。
“里面有人，”我说道。“我听到有人在动。帮我把这扇门打开。”
我们用身体撞门，门锁一松动我们就进去了。我们握着手枪，准备随时开枪射击。
在房间的中央有一个人被绑在柱子上了。我们无法看出来是男是女，由于那人被床单蒙住了。只有眼睛和鼻子没被蒙住。
我们解开床单，把这个被捆着的人从柱子那儿松开。是斯台普顿小姐。我们给她松绑时可以看到她脖子上几道长长的、红色的伤痕。
“那个残忍的恶魔斯台普顿打了她，”福尔摩斯说道。“把她安置在椅子上。”斯台普顿小姐已因毒打和疲惫而昏过去了。在我们把她安置在椅子上时，她睁开了双眼。
“他安全了吗？”她问道。“他逃脱了吗？”
“他从我们手里是逃不掉的，斯台普顿小姐，”福尔摩斯说道。
“不，不，我不是指我丈夫。我指亨利爵士。他安全吗？”
“安全；”我说道，“而且，那只猎犬已经死了。”
“感谢上帝，”她说道。“感谢上帝。噢，这个坏蛋。看看他是怎么对待我的。”她给我们看了她的双臂，我们惊恐地看到遭受毒打的地方皮肤又青又紫的。“但是，他还用别的途径伤害我。我以为他爱我时，我能接受许多事情。可是他并不爱我。他利用了我。”
“那么现在就请帮助我们吧，”福尔摩斯说道。“告诉我们他去哪儿了。”
“在泥潭中央的一个小岛上有一栋古老的房子，”她说道。“他以往把猎犬安置在那里。他还把那屋子准备好等万一躲避藏身时用。他一定在那儿，我敢肯定。”
“今晚在这样的大雾之中谁也找不到走进格林盆泥潭的路，”福尔摩斯望着窗外说道。
雾像雪白的羊毛似的紧围在窗户外面；我们知道，在大雾蒸发散尽之前我们是不能够试着去追他的。我们决定将亨利爵士带回巴斯克维尔庄园。我们被迫告诉他有关斯台普顿夫妇的一切详情，他听到关于他所钟爱的那个女子的实情时受到了很大的伤害。她已结婚的消息和他所经历的恐怖之事使他发起高烧来。我们派人请摩梯末医生来，他来了并在亨利爵士身旁守了一整夜。
第二天早上，斯台普顿小姐带我们到了贯穿泥潭的一条小路旁。雾散了，她给我们看了她和她丈夫为标记路途而插的一根根木棍。我们随着这些小木棍穿过泥潭，那儿散发着腐败的植物的臭味。我们走的时候湿乎乎的地面扯着我们的双脚。我们不时从小路旁走歪，陷入了泥潭，直到齐腰那么深。独自一人是不敢奢求自己能逃脱泥潭的拖陷的；没有别人的帮助就会陷进去没命了。
但是，我们没有发现斯台普顿的任何迹象。我们搜啊搜，可是一无所获。勿庸置疑，他在大雾中迷了路，陷进泥潭中去了。在泥潭深处的某个地方，他的尸体将永远躺在那里。
我们到达了斯台普顿小姐描述过的那个小岛，还搜寻了一番那栋古老的屋子。
“这个地方告诉我们我们已知晓的一切详情，”福尔摩斯说道。“这些骨头表明他曾把猎犬藏在这儿，可是他不能使它默不出声，所以人们听到了它的叫声。这儿是瓶含磷的涂料。斯台普顿狡猾地把它抹在了猎犬身上。有了我们昨晚的所见所感作铺叙以后，我们对查尔斯爵士因恐慌而暴死就不足为奇了。我现在也明白塞尔登是怎么知道那只猎犬在黑暗中跟在他后面的了。那个可怜的家伙就那么大叫着向前跑，这并不奇怪。关于那只魔狗的那个古老的故事使他萌发了使用磷的念头。十分狡猾。我曾在伦敦这么说过，我现在再这么说一遍，华生。咱们还从来没有一个比躺在那边的那个人更为危险的对手呢”——他指了指散布在我们四周的那片大泥潭。