And it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange and unexpected thing. We had risen from our rocks and were turning to go home, having abandoned the hopeless chase. The moon was low upon the right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc. There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay before him. He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place. It was not the convict. This man was far from the place where the latter had disappeared. Besides, he was a much taller man. With a cry of surprise I pointed him out to the baronet, but in the instant during which I had turned to grasp his arm the man was gone. There was the sharp pinnacle of granite still cutting the lower edge of the moon, but its peak bore no trace of that silent and motionless figure.

そしてこの瞬間だった / 非常に奇妙で予期しない出来事が起きたのは◆私達は石から立ち上がって戻ろうと振り返っていた / 見込みのない追跡を諦めて◆月は右側に低くかかっていた / そして花崗岩の岩山のギザギザした頂上が / 銀色の円盤の下の円弧を背景にそびえ立っていた◆そこに / 光り輝く背景を持った黒檀の彫像のように黒い輪郭をなし / 私は一人の男が岩山の上に立っている姿を見た◆錯覚とは思わないでくれ / ホームズ◆私は人生であれほどはっきりと目撃したことはないと約束する◆私が判定できる限り / その人影は背の高い痩せた男だった◆彼は脚をちょっと広げて立ち / 腕を組み / 頭はうつむいていた / あたかも考え込んでいるかのように / 彼の眼前に広がる泥炭と花崗岩の途方もない荒地について◆この恐ろしい場所の聖霊だったのかもしれない◆それは囚人ではなかった◆この男は囚人が居なくなった場所からはるかに離れたところにいた◆それに / この男はもっと背が高かった◆私は驚いて叫び声をあげ / 準男爵に男を指差した / しかし私が振り返って彼の腕をつかんでいる間に / 男は消えた◆鋭い花崗岩の頂上がまだ月の下端をえぐっていた / しかしその頂上にはあの静かで不動の人物の痕跡はなかった

I wished to go in that direction and to search the tor, but it was some distance away. The baronet’s nerves were still quivering from that cry, which recalled the dark story of his family, and he was not in the mood for fresh adventures. He had not seen this lonely man upon the tor and could not feel the thrill which his strange presence and his commanding attitude had given to me. “A warder, no doubt,” said he. “The moor has been thick with them since this fellow escaped.” Well, perhaps his explanation may be the right one, but I should like to have some further proof of it. To-day we mean to communicate to the Princetown people where they should look for their missing man, but it is hard lines that we have not actually had the triumph of bringing him back as our own prisoner. Such are the adventures of last night, and you must acknowledge, my dear Holmes, that I have done you very well in the matter of a report. Much of what I tell you is no doubt quite irrelevant, but still I feel that it is best that I should let you have all the facts and leave you to select for yourself those which will be of most service to you in helping you to your conclusions. We are certainly making some progress. So far as the Barrymores go we have found the motive of their actions, and that has cleared up the situation very much. But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants remains as inscrutable as ever. Perhaps in my next I may be able to throw some light upon this also. Best of all would it be if you could come down to us. In any case you will hear from me again in the course of the next few days.

私はその方向に行って岩山を捜索したいと思った / しかしそこはかなり離れていた◆準男爵の神経はあの叫び声でいまだに震えていた / 彼の家系の暗い伝説を思い起こさせる / そして彼は新しい冒険に出かける気分ではなかった◆彼は岩山の上の孤独な男を見ていなかった / そして興奮を感じる事が出来なかった / 彼の奇妙な物腰と堂々とした態度が私に与えていた◆「間違いなく看守だ」 / 彼は言った◆「あの男が逃げてから荒野には沢山来ている」 / おそらく彼の説明が正しいかもしれない / しかし私はもっと確実な証拠を得たい◆今日、私達はプリンスタウンの人達に連絡をとるつもりだ / どこで脱獄犯を探すべきかについて / しかし難しいことだ / 彼を我々自身の手で捕らえて連れ戻すという栄光を実際に勝ち取るのは◆これが昨夜の冒険だ / そして君は正しく評価してくれるに違いない / ホームズ / 今回報告した事件に関して非常によくやったと◆私が君に言った事の多くは / 間違いなく見当違いだろう / しかしそれでも私は感じている / これが最善だと / 私が全ての事実を君に与えて / 君自身で選択できるようにするのが / それが君にとっても一番の貢献になるだろう / 君が結論を出す手助けになる◆我々は確実に少し進展した◆バリモア夫妻の行動に関しては / 我々は彼らの行動の動機を見つけた / そしてそれによって状況は非常にはっきりした◆しかし謎と奇妙な住民を秘めた荒野は / これまでどおり不可解なままだ◆たぶん次の連絡で私はこれにも何らかの光を投げかけられるだろう◆君が私達の所に来る事ができればそれが一番だろうが◆どちらにしても / 数日の間にはもう一度連絡をするつもりだ