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On a Saturday night McMurdo was introduced to the lodge.
星期六晚上，麦克默多被介绍入会。
He had thought to pass in without ceremony as being an initiate of Chicago;
他以为自己是芝加哥的老会员，不需要举行什么仪式就可以通过了，
but there were particular rites in Vermissa of which they were proud, and these had to be undergone by every postulant.
可是维尔米萨却有它引以自豪的特殊仪式，而每一个申请入会的人都要经受这种仪式。
The assembly met in a large room reserved for such purposes at the Union House.
集会是在工会楼里一间专供举行此种仪式的宽大房间里进行的。
Some sixty members assembled at Vermissa; but that by no means represented the full strength of the organization,
维尔米萨有六十多个人麇集在这里，但这决不是此地的全体会员，
for there were several other lodges in the valley, and others across the mountains on each side,
因为山谷中还有一些它们的分会，在山谷两边的山上也还有一些分会，
who exchanged members when any serious business was afoot, so that a crime might be done by men who were strangers to the locality.
在干重大营生时，便互相交换人员，所以，一些犯罪作恶的事就可以由当地不认识的人去做。
Altogether there were not less than five hundred scattered over the coal district.
总共有不下五百名会员散布在整个煤矿区。
In the bare assembly room the men were gathered round a long table.
在空旷的会议室里，人们围在一张长桌周围。
At the side was a second one laden with bottles and glasses, on which some members of the company were already turning their eyes.
旁边另一张桌子上摆满了酒瓶子和玻璃杯，一些会员已经垂涎欲滴地望着它们。
McGinty sat at the head with a flat black velvet cap upon his shock of tangled black hair, and a coloured purple stole round his neck;
麦金蒂坐在首席，蓬乱的黑发上戴着一顶平顶黑绒帽，脖子上围着一条主教举行仪式用的圣带，
so that he seemed to be a priest presiding over some diabolical ritual.
因此，他仿佛是一个主持恶魔仪典的祭司。
To right and left of him were the higher lodge officials, the cruel, handsome face of Ted Baldwin among them.
麦金蒂左右两旁是会中居于高位的人，其中就有生性凶残而面貌俊秀的特德·鲍德温。
Each of these wore some scarf or medallion as emblem of his office.
他们每个人都戴着绶带或是徽章，表明他们的职位。
They were, for the most part, men of mature age;
他们大都是中年人，
but the rest of the company consisted of young fellows from eighteen to twenty-five, the ready and capable agents who carried out the commands of their seniors.
其余的都是十八岁到二十五岁的青年，只要长者发出命令，他们就心甘情愿竭尽全力地去干。
Among the older men were many whose features showed the tigerish, lawless souls within;
长者中许多人从面貌上可以看出是些生性凶残、无法无天的人，
but looking at the rank and file it was difficult to believe that these eager and open-faced young fellows were in very truth a dangerous gang of murderers,
不过仅从那些普通成员来看，很难使人相信，这些热情、坦荡的年轻人确实是一伙杀人不眨眼的凶手，
whose minds had suffered such complete moral perversion that they took a horrible pride in their proficiency at the business,
他们道德败坏到了极点，把干坏事的本领引以为荣，
and looked with deepest respect at the man who had the reputation of making what they called "a clean job."
并且异常崇拜那些所谓"干得利落"的出名人物。
To their contorted natures it had become a spirited and chivalrous thing to volunteer for service against some man who had never injured them, and whom in many cases they had never seen in their lives.
由于具有这种变态的性格，他们主动去杀害那些从未得罪过他们的人；在许多情况下，还有那些素不相识的人。
The crime committed, they quarrelled as to who had actually struck the fatal blow,
他们把这当做勇敢而又侠义的事情，而在做案之后，还互相争论到底是谁打得最致命，
and amused one another and the company by describing the cries and contortions of the murdered man.
并且争相描述被害人的惨叫声和身体受痛的扭曲形状，引以为乐。
At first they had shown some secrecy in their arrangements; but at the time which this narrative describes their proceedings were extraordinarily open,
起初，在他们安排作恶事时，还有点保密，可是在他们讲这些事时，就破例把这些罪恶行径公开了，
for the repeated failures of the law had proved to them that, on the one hand, no one would dare to witness against them,
因为法律在他们身上屡次失效，这就使他们觉得，一方面，没有一个人敢于出面作证控告他们，
and on the other they had an unlimited number of stanch witnesses upon whom they could call,
另一方面，他们有无数随叫随到的可靠的假证人，
and a well filled treasure chest from which they could draw the funds to engage the best legal talent in the state.
有满仓的金银财宝可以用来聘请州内最有才干的律师作辩护人。
In ten long years of outrage there had been no single conviction, and the only danger that ever threatened the Scowrers lay in the victim himself
十年来，他们为非作歹，无所顾忌，但没有一个人被定罪，而威胁着死酷党人的唯一危险，还是来自他们的受害者，
who, however outnumbered and taken by surprise, might and occasionally did leave his mark upon his assailants.
因为尽管受害者寡不敌众或受到突然袭击，但他们可以而且有时确实给匪徒们以深刻的教训。
