“It don’t much matter to you why I hated these men,” he said; “it’s enough that they were guilty of the death of two human beings – a father and daughter – and that they had, therefore, forfeited their own lives. After the lapse of time that has passed since their crime, it was impossible for me to secure a conviction against them in any court. I knew of their guilt though, and I determined that I should be judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one. You’d have done the same, if you have any manhood in you, if you had been in my place.

「あんた方にはなぜ俺がこの男達を憎むかはたいした事じゃないだろう」 / 彼は言った / 「こいつらは二人の人間の死に関して有罪だと言えば十分だ / / 父と娘 / / そのために自分達の命を剥奪されたと◆こいつらの犯罪からこれだけの時間が経てば / 俺には不可能だった / 法律でこいつらを確実に有罪にする事が◆しかし俺はこいつらの罪を知っていた / そして俺は決心した / 俺は裁判官、陪審員、執行者の全てを一人でやると◆あんた方も同じようにしただろう / もし男としての気概があって / 同じ立場に立たされたら」

“That girl that I spoke of was to have married me twenty years ago. She was forced into marrying that same Drebber, and broke her heart over it. I took the marriage ring from her dead finger, and I vowed that his dying eyes should rest upon that very ring, and that his last thoughts should be of the crime for which he was punished. I have carried it about with me, and have followed him and his accomplice over two continents until I caught them. They thought to tire me out, but they could not do it. If I die to-morrow, as is likely enough, I die knowing that my work in this world is done, and well done. They have perished, and by my hand. There is nothing left for me to hope for, or to desire.

「俺が言った女性は20年前に俺と結婚するところだった◆彼女はむりやりこのドレバーと結婚させられた / それで彼女の命を奪った◆俺は死んだ彼女の指から結婚指輪を抜き取った / そしてこの指輪を死に際のあいつの目の前に突きつけてやろうと誓った / そして彼の最後の考えはそれで罰せられることになった犯罪のことにしてやると◆俺はそれを肌身話さず持ち運び / 奴と共犯者の後を追った / あいつらを捕まえるまで二つの大陸を越えて◆奴らは俺が疲れて諦めると思った / しかしそんなことは出来なかった◆もし俺が明日死んだら / 非常にありそうだが / 俺はこの世でやるべき自分の仕事を成し終えたと、上手く成し終えたと分かって死ぬ◆奴らは滅んだ / 俺の手によって◆俺には何も望みや願いは残っていない」

“They were rich and I was poor, so that it was no easy matter for me to follow them. When I got to London my pocket was about empty, and I found that I must turn my hand to something for my living. Driving and riding are as natural to me as walking, so I applied at a cab-owner’s office, and soon got employment. I was to bring a certain sum a week to the owner, and whatever was over that I might keep for myself. There was seldom much over, but I managed to scrape along somehow. The hardest job was to learn my way about, for I reckon that of all the mazes that ever were contrived, this city is the most confusing. I had a map beside me, though, and when once I had spotted the principal hotels and stations, I got on pretty well.

「奴らは金持ちで俺は金がなかった / だから俺にとって追いかけるのは簡単ではなかった◆俺がロンドンについた時、ほとんど一文無しだった / それで俺は何か生活の糧を得るために働かなければいけないと気づいた◆馬を走らせたり乗ったりするのは俺にとって歩くように自然なものだ / だから俺は辻馬車の事務所に応募し / すぐに採用された◆俺は毎週一定額を所有者に払わねばならないが / それ以上はいくらでも自分のものにできた◆そんなに多いことはほとんどなかったが / しかし俺はなんとか食いつないだ◆一番大変だったのは道を覚える事だ / 俺は思ったよ、これまで作られたあらゆる迷路の中で / この都市が一番ややこしいと◆しかし俺は地図を横に置き / いったん大きなホテルと駅を見つけた時は / 俺は上手くやっていけたよ」

“It was some time before I found out where my two gentlemen were living; but I inquired and inquired until at last I dropped across them. They were at a boarding-house at Camberwell, over on the other side of the river. When once I found them out, I knew that I had them at my mercy. I had grown my beard, and there was no chance of their recognizing me. I would dog them and follow them until I saw my opportunity. I was determined that they should not escape me again.

「俺がこの二人の男がどこに住んでいるか突き止めるまでにちょっと時間がかかった / しかし俺は捜査に捜査を重ね遂に奴らに出くわした◆彼らはキャンバーウェルの下宿屋にいた / 河の向こう側の◆いったん居所を突き止めれば / もう後は思いのままだと分かっていた◆俺は顎鬚を生やしていた / 奴らに見抜かれる機会はない◆俺は好機に出会うまであいつらの後をつけまわした◆俺は今度は彼らを逃がさないと決心していた」

“They were very near doing it for all that. Go where they would about London, I was always at their heels. Sometimes I followed them on my cab, and sometimes on foot, but the former was the best, for then they could not get away from me. It was only early in the morning or late at night that I could earn anything, so that I began to get behindhand with my employer. I did not mind that, however, as long as I could lay my hand upon the men I wanted.

「それでもあいつらは危うく逃げそうになった　◆ロンドンのどこに出歩こうとも / 俺はいつもぴったりと後をつけた◆ある時は自分の馬車でつけ / ある時は歩いて / しかし馬車が一番だった / そうすれば奴らは俺から逃げられなかったからだ◆ただ朝早くか夜遅くだけだった / 俺が稼ぐ事が出来るのは / だから雇用主への支払が滞り出した◆しかし気にしなかった / 俺が追い求めている男を捕まえる事ができるなら」

“They were very cunning, though. They must have thought that there was some chance of their being followed, for they would never go out alone, and never after nightfall. During two weeks I drove behind them every day, and never once saw them separate. Drebber himself was drunk half the time, but Stangerson was not to be caught napping. I watched them late and early, but never saw the ghost of a chance; but I was not discouraged, for something told me that the hour had almost come. My only fear was that this thing in my chest might burst a little too soon and leave my work undone.

「しかし非常に悪賢い奴らだった◆奴らはつけられる可能性があると思っていたに違いない / 奴らは決して一人で出かけようとしなかったし / 日が暮れても同じだった◆二週間俺は奴らの後を毎日馬車で追った / しかし一度も二人が離れているところを見なかった◆ドレバー自身は半分くらいの期間は酔っ払っていた / しかしスタンガーソンは居眠りするのを見たこともなかった◆俺は奴らを夜遅く、朝早く見張った / しかしまったくチャンスが見当たらなかった / しかし俺はくじけなかった / 何かが俺にその好機はもう来ると語っていた◆俺がただ一つ恐れていたのは / 俺の胸のこいつが / ちょっと早く破裂して俺の仕事が出来ないままになるのではないかということだった」