Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes - The Adventure of the Three Garridebs 26




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Clearly our moment had come. Holmes touched my wrist as a signal, and together we stole across to the open trap-door. Gently as we moved, however, the old floor must have creaked under our feet, for the head of our American, peering anxiously round, emerged suddenly from the open space. His face turned upon us with a glare of baffled rage, which gradually softened into a rather shamefaced grin as he realized that two pistols were pointed at his head.
"Well, well!" said he coolly as he scrambled to the surface. "I guess you have been one too many for me, Mr. Holmes. Saw through my game, I suppose, and played me for a sucker from the first. Well, sir, I hand it to you; you have me beat and --"

In an instant he had whisked out a revolver from his breast and had fired two shots. I felt a sudden hot sear as if a red-hot iron had been pressed to my thigh. There was a crash as Holmes's pistol came down on the man's head. I had a vision of him sprawling upon the floor with blood running down his face while Holmes rummaged him for weapons. Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair.
"You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!"		 Notre heure était arrivée. Holmes me toucha légèrement le poignet ; ensemble, sur la pointe des pieds, nous arrivâmes au bord de la trappe. Nous avions eu beau marcher doucement, le vieux plancher avait gémi sous nos pieds, et la tête de l'Américain émergea du trou. Il tourna vers nous une tête où se lisait une rage furieuse, qui s'apaisa progressivement quand il vit deux revolvers braqués sur lui.
– Bon, bon ! fit-il froidement tout en remontant sur le plancher. Je crois que vous avez été de trop pour moi, monsieur Holmes. Vous avez percé mon jeu, je pense, depuis le début. Bien. Je vous l'accorde. Vous m'avez battu, et…
En un dixième de seconde, il avait tiré un revolver d'une poche intérieure et fait feu, deux fois. Je sentis comme une cautérisation au fer rouge à la cuisse. Puis le revolver de Holmes s'abattit sur la tête de l'homme. J'eus la vision de Killer Evans s'étalant sur le plancher, de son sang qui s'écoulait de sa figure, et de Holmes le fouillant pour le désarmer. Enfin les bras de mon ami m'entourèrent et me conduisirent sur une chaise.

– Vous n'êtes pas blessé, Watson ? Pour l'amour de Dieu, dites-moi que vous n'êtes pas touché !

vocabulary vocabulaire
wrist le poignet
gentle (gently = Adverb) doucement
to creak grincer
to peer regarder en dehors
baffled étourdi
rage la rage
shamefaced honteux,
scrambled (scrambled eggs) grimper
sucker le perdant
to whisk torcher
iron le fer à repasser
to rummage fouiller dans quelque chose
For xxx sake! Au nom de..!

grammar grammaire
... our moment had come. les temps du passé (past perfect)
... the floor must have creaked under our feet... les temps du passé
... peering anxiously round ... participe I
... said he coolly as he scrambled ... syntaxis
... hot sear as if a red-hot iron ... conjonctions
... he was leading me ... forme continue
You're not hurt, Watson? syntaxis



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