The night was clear and fine above us. The stars shone cold and bright, while a half-moon bathed the whole scene in a soft, uncertain light. Before us lay the dark bulk of the house, its serrated roof and bristling chimneys hard outlined against the silver-spangled sky. Broad bars of golden light from the lower windows stretched across the orchard and the moor. One of them was suddenly shut off. The servants had left the kitchen. There only remained the lamp in the dining-room where the two men, the murderous host and the unconscious guest, still chatted over their cigars.

その夜、私達の頭上はくっきりと晴れ渡っていた◆星が冷たく明るく輝き / 半月が景色全体に柔らかく不明瞭な光を投げかけていた◆我々の前に家が暗く大きな塊となって横たわっていた / ノコギリ状の屋根と逆立った煙突が / 銀色に光る空に堅い輪郭を見せていた◆下の階の窓から金色の広い光の帯が / 果樹園と荒野を横切って延びていた◆その一つが突然に消えた◆使用人が台所を後にしていた◆ただ一つ食堂のランプだけが残り / そこに二人の男が / 殺意ある主人と何も気づかない客人が / まだ葉巻を吸いながら話していた

Every minute that white woolly plain which covered one-half of the moor was drifting closer and closer to the house. Already the first thin wisps of it were curling across the golden square of the lighted window. The farther wall of the orchard was already invisible, and the trees were standing out of a swirl of white vapour. As we watched it the fog-wreaths came crawling round both corners of the house and rolled slowly into one dense bank, on which the upper floor and the roof floated like a strange ship upon a shadowy sea. Holmes struck his hand passionately upon the rock in front of us and stamped his feet in his impatience.

一分ごとに荒野の半分を覆うウールのような平原が / どんどんと家の近くに流れてきた◆すでに最初の薄い霧の一片が / 明かりがついた窓の金色の四角を横切って渦巻いていた◆果樹園の向こうの壁は既に見えなくなり / 木々は白い蒸気の渦から突き出していた◆我々が見ていると / 霧の渦が家の両側から這うように回り込んできて / そしてゆっくりと一つの濃い塊になった / その上に二階と屋根が漂っていた / 暗い海に浮かぶ奇妙な船のように◆ホームズは我々の前の岩を激しく手で打って / イライラして足踏みした

“If he isn’t out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered. In half an hour we won’t be able to see our hands in front of us.”

「もし彼が15分で出てこなかったら / 道が覆われてしまうだろう◆30分もすれば / 目の前の手も見えなくなる」

“Shall we move farther back upon higher ground?”

「もう少し高いところまでもっと引き下がるか？」

“Yes, I think it would be as well.”

「そうだな / その方が良さそうだ」

So as the fog-bank flowed onward we fell back before it until we were half a mile from the house, and still that dense white sea, with the moon silvering its upper edge, swept slowly and inexorably on.

霧の塊が前進してきたので / 私達はそれを前に後ずさりした / 我々が家から半マイル離れるまで / そしてその濃い白い海は / 上側を月が銀色に照らしていたが / ゆっくりと情け容赦なくやってきた

“We are going too far,” said Holmes. “We dare not take the chance of his being overtaken before he can reach us. At all costs we must hold our ground where we are.” He dropped on his knees and clapped his ear to the ground. “Thank God, I think that I hear him coming.”

「これ以上はだめだ」 / ホームズは言った◆「彼が我々のところに来る前に追いつかれるという危険をあえて冒すべきではない◆なんとしても / 今いる所から動くべきでない」 / 彼はひざまずいて地面に耳をつけた◆「ありがたい / 彼が来るのが聞こえるぞ」

A sound of quick steps broke the silence of the moor. Crouching among the stones we stared intently at the silver-tipped bank in front of us. The steps grew louder, and through the fog, as through a curtain, there stepped the man whom we were awaiting. He looked round him in surprise as he emerged into the clear, starlit night. Then he came swiftly along the path, passed close to where we lay, and went on up the long slope behind us. As he walked he glanced continually over either shoulder, like a man who is ill at ease.

急いだ足音が荒野の静けさを破った◆岩の間にうずくまって / 我々は一生懸命に目の前の銀色に覆われた霧を見つめた◆足音がどんどんと大きくなり / そして霧の向こうに / カーテンの向こうのように / 我々が待ち構えていた男が歩いてきた◆彼は驚いて周りを見回した / 彼がはっきり星の出た夜空に出てきた時◆それから彼は急ぎ足で道を進み / 我々が潜んでいる側を通り過ぎた / そして我々の後ろの長い斜面を登っていった◆彼は歩きながらしょっちゅう両肩越しに目をやった / 落ち着きのない男のように

“Hist!” cried Holmes, and I heard the sharp click of a cocking pistol. “Look out! It’s coming!”

「シッ！」 / ホームズが叫んだ / そして拳銃の撃鉄を起こす鋭い音が聞こえた◆「気をつけろ！ / 来るぞ！」