He expected that he would receive some message or remonstrance from Young as to his conduct, and he was not mistaken, though it came in an unlooked - for manner. Upon rising next morning he found, to his surprise, a small square of paper pinned on to the coverlet of his bed just over his chest. On it was printed, in bold, straggling letters:–

彼はヤングから何か伝言か抗議書が届くと予想していた / 彼の振る舞いに対して / そして彼は間違っていなかった / しかしそれは思いがけない方法でやってきた◆次の朝目覚めて彼は見つけた / 驚いた事に / 小さな四角い紙がベッドカバーの上にピンで留められていた / ちょうど胸の上に◆その上に書かれていた / 太くのたうつ字で

“Twenty-nine days are given you for amendment, and then– –”

「お前の改心に29日与える / その後は…」

The dash was more fear-inspiring than any threat could have been. How this warning came into his room puzzled John Ferrier sorely, for his servants slept in an outhouse, and the doors and windows had all been secured. He crumpled the paper up and said nothing to his daughter, but the incident struck a chill into his heart. The twenty-nine days were evidently the balance of the month which Young had promised. What strength or courage could avail against an enemy armed with such mysterious powers? The hand which fastened that pin might have struck him to the heart, and he could never have known who had slain him.

このダッシュは他の何よりも恐怖を煽った◆この警告がどうやって部屋に来たかはジョン･フェリアーをひどく戸惑わせた / 彼の使用人は離れに寝ていた / そして扉と窓は全て鍵がかかっていた◆彼は紙を丸め、娘には何も言わなかった / しかしこの出来事は彼の心を震え上がらせた◆29日は明らかにヤングが言った一月と釣り合う◆どんな強さや勇気が / こんな不可思議な力で武装した敵に効力がありうるか / あのピンを打った手は / 彼の心臓を突き刺していたかもしれない / そして彼は誰が自分を殺したか知ることは出来なかっただろう

Still more shaken was he next morning. They had sat down to their breakfast, when Lucy with a cry of surprise pointed upwards. In the centre of the ceiling was scrawled, with a burned stick apparently, the number 28. To his daughter it was unintelligible, and he did not enlighten her. That night he sat up with his gun and kept watch and ward. He saw and he heard nothing, and yet in the morning a great 27 had been painted upon the outside of his door.

次の朝、彼はさらに震え上がった◆彼らは朝食を食べるために席についていた / その時ルーシーは驚きの叫びを上げて上を指差した◆天井の真中に / 燃え端のようなもので走り書きされていた / 28の数字が◆娘にはこれは理解できなかった / そして彼は娘には教えなかった◆その夜彼は寝ずに見張りをした◆何も見聞きはしなかった / それにもかかわらず / 朝になると / 扉の外側に大きな27がペンキで書かれていた

Thus day followed day; and as sure as morning came he found that his unseen enemies had kept their register, and had marked up in some conspicuous position how many days were still left to him out of the month of grace. Sometimes the fatal numbers appeared upon the walls, sometimes upon the floors, occasionally they were on small placards stuck upon the garden gate or the railings. With all his vigilance John Ferrier could not discover whence these daily warnings proceeded. A horror which was almost superstitious came upon him at the sight of them. He became haggard and restless, and his eyes had the troubled look of some hunted creature. He had but one hope in life now, and that was for the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada.

このように日は過ぎた / 朝が来ると必ず / 彼は目に見えない敵が記録を付けているのを見つけた / そしてどこか目立つ場所に書き込んでいた / 一ヶ月の猶予期間のうちまだ何日残っているか◆決定的な数字は壁に現われる時もあり / 床に現れる時もあった / 時には庭の門や手すりに小さな張り紙が貼ってあった◆彼が寝ずの番をいくらしても / ジョン・フェリアーはこの毎日の警告が何時行われるのかを発見できなかった◆その印を見るとほとんど迷信的な恐怖が彼を襲った◆彼は徐々にやつれて落ち着きを失った / 彼の目は狩られる動物のように不安な様子となった◆今、彼は人生でたった一つの望みがあった / それはネバダから若き狩人が現われることだった

Twenty had changed to fifteen, and fifteen to ten, but there was no news of the absentee. One by one the numbers dwindled down, and still there came no sign of him. Whenever a horseman clattered down the road, or a driver shouted at his team, the old farmer hurried to the gate, thinking that help had arrived at last. At last, when he saw five give way to four and that again to three, he lost heart, and abandoned all hope of escape. Singlehanded, and with his limited knowledge of the mountains which surrounded the settlement, he knew that he was powerless. The more frequented roads were strictly watched and guarded, and none could pass along them without an order from the Council. Turn which way he would, there appeared to be no avoiding the blow which hung over him. Yet the old man never wavered in his resolution to part with life itself before he consented to what he regarded as his daughter’s dishonour.

２０が１５になり / そして１５が１０になった / しかし彼からの便りはなかった◆一つずつ数字は減っていった / しかし彼からの音沙汰はなかった◆馬に乗った男が道をカチャカチャと来るたび / または御者が馬に対して怒鳴るたび / 老農夫は門に急いだ / 助けが遂に来たと思いながら◆遂に / 彼が５が４になり３になるのを見た時 / 彼は失望し / 逃げる望みを完全に諦めた◆人の助けを借りずに / この入植地を取り巻く山岳地帯に関する彼の僅かな知識では / 彼は何の力もない事を知っていた◆もっと人通りの多い道は厳重に見張られ固められていた / そして長老会の命令なしにだれも通り抜けることは出来なかった◆どの道を選ぼうと / 頭上にある一撃を避けることはできそうもない◆しかし老人の決意は揺らがなかった / 命を手放すという / 彼が娘の恥辱と考えるものに同意する前に

He was sitting alone one evening pondering deeply over his troubles, and searching vainly for some way out of them. That morning had shown the figure 2 upon the wall of his house, and the next day would be the last of the allotted time. What was to happen then? All manner of vague and terrible fancies filled his imagination. And his daughter – what was to become of her after he was gone? Was there no escape from the invisible network which was drawn all round them? He sank his head upon the table and sobbed at the thought of his own impotence.

ある夜、彼は一人で座っていた / この災難をじっと考えながら / そして空しくそこから逃れる方法を探しながら◆その朝、数字の２が現われていた / 家の壁に / そして次の日は与えられた時間の最後の日になるはずだった◆その後どうなるのだろうか？ / ありとあらゆるぼんやりとした恐ろしい考えが彼の想像を埋め尽くしていた◆そして娘は / / 彼がいなくなるとどうなるのだろうか / 彼らの周り全体を包むこの見えない網から逃げる方法はないのか？ / 彼はテーブルの上に頭を置き / 自分の不甲斐なさを考えて泣いていた