Lost horizon消失的地平线（1）

CIGARS HAD BURNED low, and we were beginning to sample the disillusionment that usually afflicts old school friends who have met again as men and found themselves with less in common than they had believed they had. 雪茄已经燃尽，之前大家对聚会的那种兴致开始被幻灭取代，老同学们长大后重聚，却发现彼此之间差异甚大，并没有想象中那么多共同话题。这种情况也属寻常。

Rutherford wrote novels; Wyland was one of the Embassy secretaries; he had just given us dinner at Tempelhof—not very cheerfully, I fancied, but with the equanimity which a diplomat must always keep on tap for such occasions. 卢瑟福成了小说家; 怀兰在使馆做秘书; 他前不久才在Tempelhof机场款待了我们。在我看来他显得比较沉闷，但在这种交际场合中，并不失了一名外交人员需时刻保持的稳重。

It seemed likely that nothing but the fact of being three celibate Englishmen in a foreign capital could have brought us together, 在这异国的首都，看起来是我们唯一的共同之处使大家走到了一起: 三个单身的英国男士。

and I had already reached the conclusion that the slight touch of priggishness which I remembered in Wyland Tertius had not diminished with years 我看出来了，怀兰•特修斯身上那种微微地优越感这些年来一点也没变，

and an M.V.O. Rutherford I liked more, he had ripened well out of the skinny, precocious infant whom I had once alternately bullied and patronized. 而M.V.O卢瑟福让我更加喜欢，他像完全变了个人，不再是原来那个常常被我欺负的又瘦又老气的妈宝。

The probability that he was making much more money and having a more interesting life than either of us, gave Wyland and me our one mutual emotion—a touch of envy. 也许因为他活得又有钱又有趣，让我和怀兰产生了一样的情绪~嫉妒。

The evening, however, was far from dull. We had a good view of the big Luft-Hansa machines as they arrived at the aerodrome from all parts of Central Europe, and towards dusk, when arc-flares were lighted, the scene took on a rich, theatrical brilliance. 然而到了晚上，气氛变得活跃起来。我们兴致勃勃地观赏了从欧洲中部地区飞来的汉莎航空飞机在这里降落，一直到天空一片漆黑。当机场的大灯亮起来时，整个场景看起来像是一个繁忙又明亮的舞台。

One of the planes was English, and its pilot, in full flying-kit, strolled past our table and saluted Wyland, who did not at first recognize him. 有一个从英国来的航班，乘务人员身着制服从我们的桌子旁边经过的时候向怀兰打招呼，而一开始他没有认出这个人是谁。

When he did so there were introductions all around, and the stranger was invited to join us. 他反应过来后将这个人向大家轮番介绍一遍，之后邀请这个人跟我们坐在一起。

He was a pleasant, jolly youth named Sanders. Wyland made some apologetic remark about the difficulty of identifying people when they were all dressed up in Sibleys and flying-helmets; at which Sanders laughed and answered: “Oh, rather, I know that well enough. Don't forget I was at Baskul.” 这是一个面容愉悦，性格活泼的年轻人叫桑德斯，怀兰抱歉的说因为他身穿制服头戴飞行帽才没认出来，桑德斯笑着回答说: " 确实如此，这不是第一次了，别忘了我以前在巴斯库尔。"

Wyland laughed also, but less spontaneously, and the conversation then took other directions. 怀兰不太自在地也笑起来。然后开始谈起别的事。

Sanders made an attractive addition to our small company, and we all drank a great deal of beer together. 新来的这位桑德斯在我们这个小团体中很受欢迎，我们一起喝了很多啤酒。

About ten o'clock Wyland left us for a moment to speak to some one at a table near by, and Rutherford, into the sudden hiatus of talk, remarked: “Oh, by the way, you mentioned Baskul just now. I know the place slightly. What was it you were referring to that happened there?” 大概10点左右怀特走开了一会去跟邻座的人攀谈，在这个间隙中，卢瑟福问道:" 对了，你刚才提到巴斯库尔，我知道这个地方，刚才你是想说那里发生了什么事呢？"

Sanders smiled rather shyly. “Oh, just a bit of excitement we had once when I was in the Service.” But he was a youth who could not long refrain from being confidential. 桑德斯相当为难地微笑着并回答说:" 哦，只不过是一些我在工作中遇到的一些事情." 而他是个藏不住秘密的年轻人。

“Fact is, an Afghan or an Afridi or somebody ran off with one of our buses, and there was the very devil to pay afterwards, as you can imagine. 他接着说到:" 事情是这样的，一个阿富汗人或者叫做阿夫里迪的人，或根本不知道是谁，开着我们的一辆飞机跑了，之后付出的惨重代价可想而知。

Most impudent thing I ever heard of. The blighter waylaid the pilot, knocked him out, pinched his kit, and climbed into the cockpit with out a soul spotting him. Gave the mechanics the proper signals, too, and was up and away in fine style. The trouble was, he never came back.” 这个混蛋撂倒了一个飞行员，把他敲晕了，扒掉了他的制服，爬上了驾驶室，一直没有人认出他来，他熟练操作，打出了正确的信号，起飞逃跑一气呵成。问题在于，他消失得无影无踪。"

Rutherford looked interested. “When did this happen?” “Oh—must have been about a year ago. May, 'thirty-one. We were evacuating civilians from Baskul to Peshawar owing to the revolution—perhaps you remember the business. 卢瑟福饶有兴趣地追问" 这件事发生在几时?"，"嗯～至少快一年了，5月31号。那时我们正忙着把住在巴斯库尔的公民撤往白沙瓦，就是革命军驻守的地区，或许你还记得这档子事。

The place was in a bit of an upset, or I don't suppose the thing could have happened. Still, it did happen—and it goes some way to show that clothes make the man, doesn't it?” 那里一度局势紧张，或者是我胡编乱造，但事情确实发生了。从某方面来说，是制服帮了这个人大忙，不是吗？"

Rutherford was still interested. “I should have thought you'd have had more than one fellow in charge of a plane on an occasion like that?” 卢瑟福挖根挖底地问道:" 我猜在那种情况下，你们一定安排了好几个人负责把守飞机?"

“We did, on all the ordinary troop-carriers, but this machine was a special one, built for some maharajah originally—quite a stunt kind of outfit. The Indian Survey people had been using it for high-altitude flights in Kashmir.” "所有的常规军用运输机都安排了不止一个，到这架飞机不同，它原本是为某个印度王公制造的～陈设无比奢华。印度地理测绘的人曾经用它在克什米尔这些高纬度地区飞行"

“And you say it never reached Peshawar?” " 你说它没有在白沙瓦出现过?"

“Never reached there, and never came down anywhere else, so far as we could discover. That was the queer part about it. " 从来没有。从我们的调查来看，它没有在任何其他地方降落。怪就怪在这里."

Of course, if the fellow was a tribesman he might have made for the hills, thinking to hold the passengers for ransom. " 当然了，如果那家伙是部落人，可能他把飞机开到山上去了，想要用飞机里的乘客换赎金"

I suppose they all got killed, somehow. There are heaps of places on the frontier where you might crash and not be heard of afterwards.” " 我猜他们都死了，前线有很多地势险要容易坠机的地方，掉下去就很难被发现"

“Yes, I know the sort of country. How many passengers were there?” " 对，我知道在那样的国家，掉下去就找不到了。飞机上有多少人?"

“Four, I think. Three men and some woman mission ary.” " 我想应该有四个，3个男的，和一个执勤的女的"

“Was one of the men, by any chance, named Conway?” " 有没有可能其中有一个叫康威的男的?"

Sanders looked surprised. “Why, yes, as a matter of fact ‘Glory' Conway—did you know him?” 桑德斯吃惊的看着他，" 为什么这么问？是的，确实上有一个叫格劳瑞•康威的人，你认识他?"

“He and I were at the same school,” said Rutherford a little self-consciously, for it was true enough, yet a remark which he was aware did not suit him. " 他是我的同学" 卢瑟福喃喃自语地说道，因为受到现实的冲击，他还没意识到自己的失态。