雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第77章

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served　the　devil。
　　Tryphon　does　not　record　these　two　finds；　since　Tryphon　lived　in　the　twelfth　century；　and　since　the　devil　does　not　appear　to　have　had　the　wit　to　invent　powder　before　Roger　Bacon's　time；　and　cards　before　the　time　of　Charles　VI。
　　Moreover；　if　one　plays　at　cards；　one　is　sure　to　lose　all　that　one　possesses！　and　as　for　the　powder　in　the　horn；　it　possesses　the　property　of　making　your　gun　burst　in　your　face。
　　Now；　a　very　short　time　after　the　epoch　when　it　seemed　to　the　prosecuting　attorney　that　the　liberated　convict　Jean　Valjean　during　his　flight　of　several　days　had　been　prowling　around　Montfermeil；　it　was　remarked　in　that　village　that　a　certain　old　road…laborer；　named　Boulatruelle；　had　〃peculiar　ways〃　in　the　forest。
　　People　thereabouts　thought　they　knew　that　this　Boulatruelle　had　been　in　the　galleys。　He　was　subjected　to　certain　police　supervision；　and；　as　he　could　find　work　nowhere；　the　administration　employed　him　at　reduced　rates　as　a　road…mender　on　the　cross…road　from　Gagny　to　Lagny。
　　This　Boulatruelle　was　a　man　who　was　viewed　with　disfavor　by　the　inhabitants　of　the　district　as　too　respectful；　too　humble；　too　prompt　in　removing　his　cap　to　every　one；　and　trembling　and　smiling　in　the　presence　of　the　gendarmes；probably　affiliated　to　robber　bands；　they　said；　suspected　of　lying　in　ambush　at　verge　of　copses　at　nightfall。　The　only　thing　in　his　favor　was　that　he　was　a　drunkard。
　　This　is　what　people　thought　they　had　noticed：
　　Of　late；　Boulatruelle　had　taken　to　quitting　his　task　of　stone…breaking　and　care　of　the　road　at　a　very　early　hour；　and　to　betaking　himself　to　the　forest　with　his　pickaxe。
　　He　was　encountered　towards　evening　in　the　most　deserted　clearings；　in　the　wildest　thickets；　and　he　had　the　appearance　of　being　in　search　of　something；　and　sometimes　he　was　digging　holes。
　　The　goodwives　who　passed　took　him　at　first　for　Beelzebub；　then　they　recognized　Boulatruelle；　and　were　not　in　the　least　reassured　thereby。
　　These　encounters　seemed　to　cause　Boulatruelle　a　lively　displeasure。
　　It　was　evident　that　he　sought　to　hide；　and　that　there　was　some　mystery　in　what　he　was　doing。
　　It　was　said　in　the　village：
　　〃It　is　clear　that　the　devil　has　appeared。　Boulatruelle　has　seen　him；　and　is　on　the　search。
　　In　sooth；　he　is　cunning　enough　to　pocket　Lucifer's　hoard。〃
　　The　Voltairians　added；　〃Will　Boulatruelle　catch　the　devil；　or　will　the　devil　catch　Boulatruelle？〃
　　The　old　women　made　a　great　many　signs　of　the　cross。
　　In　the　meantime；　Boulatruelle's　manoeuvres　in　the　forest　ceased；　and　he　resumed　his　regular　occupation　of　roadmending；　and　people　gossiped　of　something　else。
　　Some　persons；　however；　were　still　curious；　surmising　that　in　all　this　there　was　probably　no　fabulous　treasure　of　the　legends；　but　some　fine　windfall　of　a　more　serious　and　palpable　sort　than　the　devil's　bank…bills；　and　that　the　road…mender　had　half　discovered　the　secret。
　　The　most　〃puzzled〃　were　the　school…master　and　Thenardier；　the　proprietor　of　the　tavern；　who　was　everybody's　friend；　and　had　not　disdained　to　ally　himself　with　Boulatruelle。
　　〃He　has　been　in　the　galleys；〃　said　Thenardier。
　　〃Eh！
　　Good　God！　no　one　knows　who　has　been　there　or　will　be　there。〃
　　One　evening　the　schoolmaster　affirmed　that　in　former　times　the　law　would　have　instituted　an　inquiry　as　to　what　Boulatruelle　did　in　the　forest；　and　that　the　latter　would　have　been　forced　to　speak；　and　that　he　would　have　been　put　to　the　torture　in　case　of　need；　and　that　Boulatruelle　would　not　have　resisted　the　water　test；　for　example。
　　〃Let　us　put　him　to　the　wine　test；〃　said　Thenardier。
　　They　made　an　effort；　and　got　the　old　road…mender　to　drinking。　Boulatruelle　drank　an　enormous　amount；　but　said　very　little。　He　bined　with　admirable　art；　and　in　masterly　proportions；　the　thirst　of　a　gormandizer　with　the　discretion　of　a　judge。　Nevertheless；　by　dint　of　returning　to　the　charge　and　of　paring　and　putting　together　the　few　obscure　words　which　he　did　allow　to　escape　him；　this　is　what　Thenardier　and　the　schoolmaster　imagined　that　they　had　made　out：
　　One　morning；　when　Boulatruelle　was　on　his　way　to　his　work；　at　daybreak；　he　had　been　surprised　to　see；　at　a　nook　of　the　forest　in　the　underbrush；　a　shovel　and　a　pickaxe；　concealed；　as　one　might　say。
　　However；　he　might　have　supposed　that　they　were　probably　the　shovel　and　pick　of　Father　Six…Fours；　the　water…carrier；　and　would　have　thought　no　more　about　it。
　　But；　on　the　evening　of　that　day；　he　saw；　without　being　seen　himself；　as　he　was　hidden　by　a　large　tree；　〃a　person　who　did　not　belong　in　those　parts；　and　whom　he；　Boulatruelle；　knew　well；〃　directing　his　steps　towards　the　densest　part　of　the　wood。
　　Translation　by　Thenardier：
　　A　rade　of　the　galleys。　Boulatruelle　obstinately　refused　to　reveal　his　name。
　　This　person　carried　a　packagesomething　square；　like　a　large　box　or　a　small　trunk。　Surprise　on　the　part　of　Boulatruelle。
　　However；　it　was　only　after　the　expiration　of　seven　or　eight　minutes　that　the　idea　of　following　that　〃person〃　had　occurred　to　him。
　　But　it　was　too　late；　the　person　was　already　in　the　thicket；　night　had　descended；　and　Boulatruelle　had　not　been　able　to　catch　up　with　him。
　　Then　he　had　adopted　the　course　of　watching　for　him　at　the　edge　of　the　woods。　〃It　was　moonlight。〃
　　Two　or　three　hours　later；　Boulatruelle　had　seen　this　person　emerge　from　the　brushwood；　carrying　no　longer　the　coffer；　but　a　shovel　and　pick。
　　Boulatruelle　had　allowed　the　person　to　pass；　and　had　not　dreamed　of　accosting　him；　because　he　said　to　himself　that　the　other　man　was　three　times　as　strong　as　he　was；　and　armed　with　a　pickaxe；　and　that　he　would　probably　knock　him　over　the　head　on　recognizing　him；　and　on　perceiving　that　he　was　recognized。　Touching　effusion　of　two　old　rades　on　meeting　again。
　　But　the　
shovel　and　pick　had　served　as　a　ray　of　light　to　Boulatruelle；　he　had　hastened　to　the　thicket　in　the　morning；　and　had　found　neither　shovel　nor　pick。
　　From　this　he　had　drawn　the　inference　that　this　person；　once　in　the　forest；　had　dug　a　hole　with　his　pick；　buried　the　coffer；　and　reclosed　the　hole　with　his　shovel。
　　Now；　the　coffer　was　too　small　to　contain　a　body；　therefore　it　contained　money。
　　Hence　his　researches。　Boulatruelle　had　explored；　sounded；　searched　the　entire　forest　and　the　thicket；　and　had　dug　wherever　the　earth　appeared　to　him　to　have　been　recently　turned　up。
　　In　vain。
　　He　had　〃ferreted　out〃　nothing。
　　No　one　in　Montfermeil　thought　any　more　about　it。
　　There　were　only　a　few　brave　gossips；　who　said；　〃You　may　be　certain　that　the　mender　on　the　Gagny　road　did　not　take　all　that　trouble　for　nothing；　he　was　sure　that　the　devil　had　e。〃


BOOK　SECOND。THE　SHIP　ORION
CHAPTER　III　
　　THE　ANKLE…CHAIN　MUST　HAVE　UNDERGONE　A　CERTAIN　PREPARATORY　MANIPULATION　TO　BE　THUS　BROKEN　WITH　A　BLOW　FROM　A　HAMMER
　　Towards　the　end　of　October；　in　that　same　year；　1823；　the　inhabitants　of　Toulon　beheld　the　entry　into　their　port；　after　heavy　weather；　and　for　the　purpose　of　repairing　some　damages；　of　the　ship　Orion；　which　was　employed　later　at　Brest　as　a　school…ship；　and　which　then　formed　a　part　of　the　Mediterranean　squadron。
　　This　vessel；　battered　as　it　was；for　the　sea　had　handled　it　roughly；　produced　a　fine　effect　as　it　entered　the　roads。
　　It　flew　some　colors　which　procured　for　it　the　regulation　salute　of　eleven　guns；　which　it　returned；　shot　for　shot；　total；　twenty…two。　It　has　been　calculated　that　what　with　salvos；　royal　and　military　politenesses；　courteous　exchanges　of　uproar；　signals　of　etiquette；　formalities　of　roadsteads　and　citadels；　sunrises　and　sunsets；　saluted　every　day　by　all　fortresses　and　all　ships　of　war；　openings　and　closings　of　ports；　etc。；　the　civilized　world；　discharged　all　over　the　earth；　in　the　course　of　four　and　twenty　hours；　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　useless　shots。
　　At　six　francs　the　shot；　that　es　to　nine　hundred　thousand　francs　a　day；　three　hundred　millions　a　year；　which　vanish　in　smoke。
　　This　is　a　mere　detail。
　　All　this　time　the　poor　were　dying　of　hunger。
　　The　year　1823　was　what　the　Restoration　called　〃the　epoch　of　the　Spanish　war。〃
　　This　war　contained　many　events　in　one；　and　a　quantity　of　peculiarities。　A　grand　family　affair　for　the　house　of　Bourbon；　the　branch　of　France　succoring　and　protecting　the　branch　of　Madrid；　that　is　to　say；　performing　an　act　devolving　on　the　elder；　an　apparent　return　to　our　national　traditions；　plicated　by　servitude　and　by　subjection　to　the　cabinets　of　the　North；　M。　le　Duc　d'Angouleme；　surnamed　by　the　liberal　sheets　the　hero　of　Andujar；　pressing　in　a　triumphal　attitude　that　was　somewhat　contradicted　by　his　peaceable　air；　the　ancient　and　very　powerful　terrorism　of　the　Holy　Office　at　variance　with　the　chimerical　terrorism　of　the　liberals；　the　sansculottes　resuscitated；　to　the　great　terror　of　dowagers；　under　the　name　of　descamisados；　monarchy　opposing　an　obstacle　to　progress　described　as　anarchy；　the　theories　of　'89　roughly　interrupted　in　the　sap；　a　European　halt；　called　to　the　French　idea；　which　was　making　the　tour　of　the　world；　beside　the　son　of　France　as　generalissimo；　the　Prince　de　Carignan；　afterwards　Charles　Albert；　enrolling　himself　in　that　crusade　of　kings　against　people　as　a　volunteer；　with　grenadier　epaulets　of　red　worsted；　the　soldiers　of　the　Empire　setting　out　on　a　fresh　campaign；　but　aged；　saddened；　after　eight　years　of　repose；　and　under　the　white　cockade；　the　tricolored　standard　waved　abroad　by　a　heroic　handful　of　Frenchmen；　as　the　white　standard　had　been　thirty　years　earlier　at　Coblentz；　monks　mingled　with　our　troops；　the　spirit　of　liberty　and　of　novelty　brought　to　its　senses　by　bayonets；　principles　slaughtered　by　cannonades；　France　undoing　by　her　arms　that　which　she　had　done　by　her　mind；　in　addition　to　this；　hostile　leaders　sold；　soldiers　hesitating；　cities　besieged　by　millions；　no　military　perils；　and　yet　possible　explosions；　as　in　every　mine　which　is　surprised　and　invaded；　but　little　bloodshed；　little　honor　won；　shame　for　some；　glory　for　no　one。　Such　was　this　war；　made　by　the　princes　descended　from　Louis　XIV。；　and　conducted　by　generals　who　had　been　under　Napoleon。
　　Its　sad　fate　was　to　recall　neither　the　grand　war　nor　grand　politics。
　　Some　feats　of　arms　were　serious；　the　taking　of　the　Trocadero；　among　others；　was　a　fine　military　action；　but　after　all；　we　repeat；　the　trumpets　of　this　war　give　back　a　cracked　sound；　the　whole　effect　was　suspicious；　history　approves　of　France　for　making　a　difficulty　about　accepting　this　false　triumph。
　　It　seemed　evident　that　certain　Spanish　officers　charged　with　resistance　yielded　too　easily；　the　idea　of　corruption　was　connected　with　the　victory；　it　appears　as　though　generals　and　not　battles　had　been　won；　and　the　conquering　soldier　returned　humiliated。
　　A　debasing　war；　in　short；　in　which　the　Bank　of　France　could　be　read　in　the　folds　of　the　flag。
　　Soldiers　of　the　war　of　1808；　on　whom　Saragossa　had　fallen　in　formidable　ruin；　frowned　in　1823　at　the　easy　surrender　of　citadels；　and　began　to　regret　Palafox。
　　It　is　the　nature　of　France　to　prefer　to　have　Rostopchine　rather　than　Ballesteros　in　front　of　her。
　　From　a　still　more　serious　point　of　view；　and　one　which　it　is　also　proper　to　insist　upon　here；　this　war；　which　wounded　the　mili