Al cap de cinc minuts les noves s'havien escampat, i una dotzena de barcades d'homes feien llur via a la cova de McDougal, i el vaporet, ben atapeït de passatgers, no trigà a seguir-los. Tom Sawyer era a la barca on anava el jutge Thatcher.
WITHIN a few minutes the news had spread, and a dozen skiff-loads of men were on their way to McDougal's cave, and the ferryboat, well filled with passengers, soon followed. Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher.
Quan la porta de la cova fou oberta, un patètica vista es mostrà en la penombra opaca de l'indret: Joe l'Indi jeia estirat a terra, amb la cara arran de l'escletxa de la porta, com si sos ulls dalerosos haguessin romàs clavats fins al darrer moment en la llum i la vida del món lliure del defora. Tom en fou commogut, perquè sabia per experiència còm havia sofert aquell malanat. Sa compassió es desvetllà, però tanmateix experimentà una ufanosa sensació d'alleujament i de seguretat, aleshores, que li revelava, en un grau abans no valorat abastament, quína considerable càrrega de por havia pesat damunt seu d'ençà del dia que va alçar la veu contra aquest sanguinari bandejat.
When the cave door was unlocked, a sorrowful sight presented itself in the dim twilight of the place. Injun Joe lay stretched upon the ground, dead, with his face close to the crack of the door, as if his longing eyes had been fixed, to the latest moment, upon the light and the cheer of the free world outside. Tom was touched, for he knew by his own experience how this wretch had suffered. His pity was moved, but nevertheless he felt an abounding sense of relief and security, now, which revealed to him in a degree which he had not fully appreciated before how vast a weight of dread had been lying upon him since the day he lifted his voice against this bloody-minded outcast.
El coltell de caçar de Joe l'Indi era al seu devora, amb la fulla mig partida. La gran post que hi havia al peu de la porta havia estat estellada i feta miques amb tediosa tasca. Inútil treball, tanmateix, perquè la roca viva formava una llinda al defora, i sobre aquest material obstinat el ganivet no havia aconseguit res: l'únic mal se l'havia fet el ganivet mateix. Però, baldament no hi hagués hagut cap destorb de pedra, la tasca hauria estat així mateix inútil, perquè, si la post hagués estat foragitada del tot, Joe l'Indi no hauria pogut encabir el seu cos sota la porta, i ell ho sabia. Així, doncs, només havia estellat aquell indret per fer una cosa o altra, per passar el temps ronsejador, per esmerçar en quelcom les seves torturades facultats. Ordinàriament hom podia trobar una dotzena de caps de candela plantats a les escletxes del vestíbul, on els excursionistes els havien deixat; però ara no se'n veia cap: el presoner els havia anat cercant i se'ls havia menjats. S'havia enginyat, també, per atrapar unes quantes rates pennades, i se les havia menjades així mateix, no deixant-ne sinó els unglots. El pobre malanat havia mort de fam. En un indret d'a la vora, una estalagmita havia anat alçant-se de terra, segle darrera segle, bastida per la gota d'aigua de l'estalactita que tenia al damunt. El captiu havia trencat l'estalagmita, i havia posat damunt el socot una pedra, on tenia obrada una mica de concavitat, per recollir la preciosa gota que queia una vegada cada vint minuts amb la paorosa regularitat d'un so de rellotge: una cullaradeta petita cada vint-i- quatre hores. El degotís ja hi era quan les Piràmides foren noves, quan Troia caigué, quan foren posats els fonaments de Roma, quan Jesús fou crucificat, quan Guillem el Conqueridor creà l'Imperi anglès, quan Colomb navegava, quan el carnatge de Lexington era «una nova».
Injun Joe's bowie-knife lay close by, its blade broken in two. The great foundation-beam of the door had been chipped and hacked through, with tedious labor; useless labor, too, it was, for the native rock formed a sill outside it, and upon that stubborn material the knife had wrought no effect; the only damage done was to the knife itself. But if there had been no stony obstruction there the labor would have been useless still, for if the beam had been wholly cut away Injun Joe could not have squeezed his body under the door, and he knew it. So he had only hacked that place in order to be doing something--in order to pass the weary time--in order to employ his tortured faculties. Ordinarily one could find half a dozen bits of candle stuck around in the crevices of this vestibule, left there by tourists; but there were none now. The prisoner had searched them out and eaten them. He had also contrived to catch a few bats, and these, also, he had eaten, leaving only their claws. The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In one place, near at hand, a stalagmite had been slowly growing up from the ground for ages, builded by the water-drip from a stalactite overhead. The captive had broken off the stalagmite, and upon the stump had placed a stone, wherein he had scooped a shallow hollow to catch the precious drop that fell once in every three minutes with the dreary regularity of a clock-tick--a dessertspoonful once in four and twenty hours. That drop was falling when the Pyramids were new; when Troy fell; when the foundations of Rome were laid; when Christ was crucified; when the Conqueror created the British empire; when Columbus sailed; when the massacre at Lexington was "news."
Ara hi cau, i seguirà caient quan totes les coses que diem hagin romàs en la tarda de la història, i l'hora baixa de la tradició, i seran engolides dins la nit espessa de l'oblit. Tenen, totes les coses, un fi i una missió? Caigué pacientment, la gota d'aigua, per espai de cinc mil anys, per trobar-se a l'abast d'aquella necessitat de l'efímer insecte humà, i té un altre important objecte a complir en deu mil anys venidors? Tant se val. Han passat una pila d'anys d'ençà que el desvalgut mestís baumà la pedra per recollir-hi les inapreciables gotes d'aigua; però, fins i tot avui, l'excursionista mira més estona aquella pedra patètica i aquella aigua de lent degotar que no pas les mateixes meravelles de la caverna: ni el mateix Palau d'Aladí no pot rivalitzar-hi.
It is falling now; it will still be falling when all these things shall have sunk down the afternoon of history, and the twilight of tradition, and been swallowed up in the thick night of oblivion. Has everything a purpose and a mission? Did this drop fall patiently during five thousand years to be ready for this flitting human insect's need? and has it another important object to accomplish ten thousand years to come? No matter. It is many and many a year since the hapless half-breed scooped out the stone to catch the priceless drops, but to this day the tourist stares longest at that pathetic stone and that slow-dropping water when he comes to see the wonders of McDougal's cave. Injun Joe's cup stands first in the list of the cavern's marvels; even "Aladdin's Palace" cannot rival it.
Joe l'Indi fou enterrat vora la gola de la cova, i la gent hi anà a ramades en barques i carros, del poblet estant i de tots els masos i caserius d'una rodalia de set milles; hi portaren llurs infants, i tota mena de queviures; i confessaren que gairebé s'havien divertit tant en l'enterrament com haurien fet en veure'l enforcat.
Injun Joe was buried near the mouth of the cave; and people flocked there in boats and wagons from the towns and from all the farms and hamlets for seven miles around; they brought their children, and all sorts of provisions, and confessed that they had had almost as satisfactory a time at the funeral as they could have had at the hanging.
Aquest enterrament aturà la ulterior creixença d'una cosa: la súplica adreçada al governador per tal que Joe fos perdonat. La petició havia reunit una colla de firmes: hom havia tingut moltes de reunions ploroses i eloqüents, i un comitè de dones totes sentimentals havia estat designat per anar, amb extraordinari dol i gemegadissa, a trobar el governador i pregar-li que fos un ase clement i trepitgés el seu deure. Hom creia que Joe l'Indi havia matat cinc habitants del poblet; però què hi feia? Llucifer mateix que hagués estat, hauria pogut acoblar una pila de curts de gambals, decidits a escritotejar llurs noms al peu d'una súplica de perdó i a deixar caure damunt ella una llàgrima de ses canals d'aigua, sempre perjudicades i traspuadores.
This funeral stopped the further growth of one thing--the petition to the governor for Injun Joe's pardon. The petition had been largely signed; many tearful and eloquent meetings had been held, and a committee of sappy women been appointed to go in deep mourning and wail around the governor, and implore him to be a merciful ass and trample his duty under foot. Injun Joe was believed to have killed five citizens of the village, but what of that? If he had been Satan himself there would have been plenty of weaklings ready to scribble their names to a pardon-petition, and drip a tear on it from their permanently impaired and leaky water-works.
El matí després de l'enterrament, Tom se'n dugué Huck a una banda reservada, per tenir-hi una important conversa. Huck, aleshores, sabia ja pel gal·lès i la vídua Douglas tota l'aventura de Tom; però Tom digué que es pensava que hi havia una cosa que no li havien fet saber, i que d'aquesta cosa volia parlar. A Huck se li entristí la cara, i féu:
The morning after the funeral Tom took Huck to a private place to have an important talk. Huck had learned all about Tom's adventure from the Welshman and the Widow Douglas, by this time, but Tom said he reckoned there was one thing they had not told him; that thing was what he wanted to talk about now. Huck's face saddened. He said:
-Ja sé què és: heu anat al Número 2 i no hi heu trobat sinó whisky. Ningú em va dir que haguéssiu estat vós, però vaig compendre que el devíeu ésser, de seguida que vaig sentir parlar d'aquesta qüestió del whisky; i vaig capir que no havíeu arreplegat el diner perquè d'una manera o altra us hauríeu acostat on jo no era i m'ho hauríeu fet saber, encara que haguéssiu tingut la boca closa per a tothom. El cor sempre m'havia dit que no en tiraríem cap tros a l'olla.
"I know what it is. You got into No. 2 and never found anything but whiskey. Nobody told me it was you; but I just knowed it must 'a' ben you, soon as I heard 'bout that whiskey business; and I knowed you hadn't got the money becuz you'd 'a' got at me some way or other and told me even if you was mum to everybody else. Tom, something's always told me we'd never get holt of that swag."
-Bé, Huck: jo no vaig dir-ne res, d'aquell taverner. Ja sabeu que la seva taverna anava com una seda el dissabte, que és quan vaig anar a la forada. No us recordeu que havíeu de vigilar-la aquella nit?
"Why, Huck, I never told on that tavern-keeper. You know his tavern was all right the Saturday I went to the picnic. Don't you remember you was to watch there that night?"
-Oh! sí! És que sembla que hagi passat un any! Fou la mateixa nit que vaig seguir Joe l'Indi fins al tros de la vídua.
"Oh yes! Why, it seems 'bout a year ago. It was that very night that I follered Injun Joe to the widder's."
-Vau seguir-lo?
"You followed him?"
-Sí. Però... muixoni!... Em penso que Joe l'Indi ha deixat amics al seu darrera, i no vull que m'amarguin la vida i em juguin males passades. Si no hagués estat per mi, seria a Texas, ara, d'allò més bé.
"Yes--but you keep mum. I reckon Injun Joe's left friends behind him, and I don't want 'em souring on me and doing me mean tricks. If it hadn't ben for me he'd be down in Texas now, all right."
Aleshores Huck digué tota la seva aventura, en confidència, a Tom, el qual fins a aquell moment només havia sentit la part que en sabia el gal·lès.
Then Huck told his entire adventure in confidence to Tom, who had only heard of the Welshman's part of it before.
-Bé- digué Huck al cap de poca estona, tornant a la qüestió principal -el que va pescar el whisky del Número 2 va pescar els diners, també, penso jo. Sigui com sigui, és cosa perduda per a nosaltres, Tom.
"Well," said Huck, presently, coming back to the main question, "whoever nipped the whiskey in No. 2, nipped the money, too, I reckon--anyways it's a goner for us, Tom."
-Huck, els diners no han estat mai al Número 2!
"Huck, that money wasn't ever in No. 2!"
-Còm!- Huck escorcollà vivament la cara del seu companyó! -Heu tornat a trobar la pista d'aquests diners, Tom?
"What!" Huck searched his comrade's face keenly. "Tom, have you got on the track of that money again?"
-Huck, són a la cova!
"Huck, it's in the cave!"
Els ulls de Huckleberry flamejaren.
Huck's eyes blazed.
-Torneu-ho a dir, Tom!
"Say it again, Tom."
-Els diners són a la cova!
"The money's in the cave!"
-Tom, digueu la veritat, ara: va de facècia o de bo de bo?
"Tom--honest injun, now--is it fun, or earnest?"
-De bo de bo, Huck: tan de bo de bo com mai hagi dit cap cosa en la vida. Voldreu anar-hi amb mi i ajudar-me a treure'ls?
"Earnest, Huck--just as earnest as ever I was in my life. Will you go in there with me and help get it out?"
-Ja ho crec, que voldré! Voldré, si és en un indret on puguem arribar amb llum i sense temença de perdre'ns.
"I bet I will! I will if it's where we can blaze our way to it and not get lost."
-Huck, podem fer-ho sense gens ni mica d'enquimerament.
"Huck, we can do that without the least little bit of trouble in the world."
-De primera! I per què penseu que els diners són a...?
"Good as wheat! What makes you think the money's--"
-Huck, espereu a saber-ho fins que siguem allí. Si no els trobem, m'avinc a donar-vos el meu timbal i totes les coses que mai hagi arreplegat. Ho faré, mala negada!
"Huck, you just wait till we get in there. If we don't find it I'll agree to give you my drum and every thing I've got in the world. I will, by jings."
-Molt bé. D'això, se'n diu engegar-se! I quan serà?
"All right--it's a whiz. When do you say?"
-Ara mateix, si voleu. Esteu fort abastament?
"Right now, if you say it. Are you strong enough?"
-És molt endins de la cova? Fa tres o quatre dies que moc els puntals, ara; però no puc caminar més d'una milla, Tom: o, si més no, aquest és el meu parer.
"Is it far in the cave? I ben on my pins a little, three or four days, now, but I can't walk more'n a mile, Tom--least I don't think I could."
-Hi ha unes cinc milles, fins allí, pel camí que tothom pendria, fora de mi; però hi ha una drecera d'allò més curta que ningú la sap, fora de mi. Huck, us hi portaré en un bot. Jo remaré fins allà, i tornaré a remar fins aquí, jo tot sol. No haureu de donar ni un cop de rem.
"It's about five mile into there the way anybody but me would go, Huck, but there's a mighty short cut that they don't anybody but me know about. Huck, I'll take you right to it in a skiff. I'll float the skiff down there, and I'll pull it back again all by myself. You needn't ever turn your hand over."
-Almenys eixim ben endegats.
"Less start right off, Tom."
-Molt bé. Necessitem pa i vianda, i les pipes, i un saquet o dos, i dos o tres cordills d'estel, i algunes d'aquestes coses de nova mena que en diuen mistos. Ja us dic jo que quí sap les vegades vaig desitjar de tenir~ne uns quants, en ésser allà dins.
"All right. We want some bread and meat, and our pipes, and a little bag or two, and two or three kite-strings, and some of these new-fangled things they call lucifer matches. I tell you, many's the time I wished I had some when I was in there before."
Una mica després de migdia, els nois emmanllevaren un bot d'un habitant del poblet que estava absent, i van posar-se tot seguit en camí. Quan foren unes quantes milles més avall del forat de la cova, Tom digué:
A trifle after noon the boys borrowed a small skiff from a citizen who was absent, and got under way at once. When they were several miles below "Cave Hollow," Tom said:
-Veieu? Tot aquest roquissar és del mateix caient, del forat de la cova estant, fins qui-sap-lo en avall. No hi ha cases ni clapes de bosc: són les mateixes mates. Però no veieu aquell indret esblanqueït allà baix, on hi ha una rossola? Bé, doncs, això és una de les meves marques. Ara anirem a terra.
"Now you see this bluff here looks all alike all the way down from the cave hollow--no houses, no wood-yards, bushes all alike. But do you see that white place up yonder where there's been a landslide? Well, that's one of my marks. We'll get ashore, now."
Desembarcaren.
They landed.
-Ara, Huck, aquí on estem, podríeu tocar aquell forat per on vaig sortir, amb una canya de pescar. Vejam si sabríeu trobar-lo.
"Now, Huck, where we're a-standing you could touch that hole I got out of with a fishing-pole. See if you can find it."
Huck cercà a tot el volt i no trobà res. Tom avançà altívolament envers un grup de roldons espessos i digué:
Huck searched all the place about, and found nothing. Tom proudly marched into a thick clump of sumach bushes and said:
-Veu's-lo aquí! Mireu-lo, Huck; és el forat més avinent de la contrada. I, sobre això, muixoni! Fa temps que vull ésser lladre, però reconec que em calia trobar una cosa així, i el romanso era on l'aniria a cercar. Ara ja el tenim, i el tindrem secretament; només hi deixarem venir Joe Harper i Ben Rogers. Perquè, naturalment, ha d'ésser una partida: altrament seria fora d'estil. La Partida de Tom Sawyer! Sona esplèndidament: veritat, Huck?
"Here you are! Look at it, Huck; it's the snuggest hole in this country. You just keep mum about it. All along I've been wanting to be a robber, but I knew I'd got to have a thing like this, and where to run across it was the bother. We've got it now, and we'll keep it quiet, only we'll let Joe Harper and Ben Rogers in--because of course there's got to be a Gang, or else there wouldn't be any style about it. Tom Sawyer's Gang--it sounds splendid, don't it, Huck?"
-Sí, talment, Tom. I a quí robarem?
"Well, it just does, Tom. And who'll we rob?"
-Oh! A tothom, si fa no fa. Als vianants: aquest és principalment el costum.
"Oh, most anybody. Waylay people--that's mostly the way."
-I hom els mata?
"And kill them?"
-No, no sempre. Se'ls encabeix a la cova fins que paguen un rescat.
"No, not always. Hive them in the cave till they raise a ransom."
-Què és, un rescat?
"What's a ransom?"
-Diners. Els feu arreplegar tot el diner que puguin de sos amics, i, després que els heu tingut un any tancats, si no l'arrepleguen, els mateu. Aquest és el costum general. Però les dones no les mateu. Les dones les tanqueu, però sense matar-les. Sempre són belles i riques, i qui-sap-lo espaordides. Els preneu els rellotges i altres coses que duen, però sempre llevant-vos el capell i parlant amb cortesia. No hi ha ningú tan cortès com els lladres: a tots, els llibres ho trobareu. Bé, les dones comencen d estimar-vos, i, al cap d'una o dues setmanes que són a la cova, paren de plorar, i després no podreu aconseguir de cap de les maneres que se'n vagin. Si les en traieu, tomben en rodó i tornen. Això es veu a tots els llibres.
"Money. You make them raise all they can, off'n their friends; and after you've kept them a year, if it ain't raised then you kill them. That's the general way. Only you don't kill the women. You shut up the women, but you don't kill them. They're always beautiful and rich, and awfully scared. You take their watches and things, but you always take your hat off and talk polite. They ain't anybody as polite as robbers--you'll see that in any book. Well, the women get to loving you, and after they've been in the cave a week or two weeks they stop crying and after that you couldn't get them to leave. If you drove them out they'd turn right around and come back. It's so in all the books."
-Bé, és de primera, Tom. Em penso que és millor que no l'ésser pirata.
"Why, it's real bully, Tom. I believe it's better'n to be a pirate."
-Sí, és millor per alguns cantons, perquè hom està més a prop de casa, i del circ, i totes aquestes coses.
"Yes, it's better in some ways, because it's close to home and circuses and all that."
Mentrestant tot estava a punt, i els minyons entraren pel forat, Tom el primer. S'obriren pas fins a l'altre cap de la foradada, lligaren llurs cordills d'estel empalmats, i anaren avançant. Uns quants passos els portaren a la font, i Tom sentí una esgarrifança en tot el seu cos. Mostrà a Huck el fragment de ble encastat damunt un pilot d'argila, contra la paret, i descrigué còm ell i Becky havien espiat la flama que oscil·lava i moria.
By this time everything was ready and the boys entered the hole, Tom in the lead. They toiled their way to the farther end of the tunnel, then made their spliced kite-strings fast and moved on. A few steps brought them to the spring, and Tom felt a shudder quiver all through him. He showed Huck the fragment of candle-wick perched on a lump of clay against the wall, and described how he and Becky had watched the flame struggle and expire.
Els minyons començaren de baixar el to fins al murmuri, perquè la quietud i la tenebror del lloc els oprimien l'esperit. Anaren fent via, i al cap de poc encetaren i seguiren l'altre passadís de Tom, fins que arribaren al lloc on calia saltar. Les candeles revelaren el fet que no era realment un precipici, sinó una espadada muntanyola d'argila, d'uns vint o trenta peus d'altura. Tom va zumzejar:
The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now, for the stillness and gloom of the place oppressed their spirits. They went on, and presently entered and followed Tom's other corridor until they reached the "jumping-off place." The candles revealed the fact that it was not really a precipice, but only a steep clay hill twenty or thirty feet high. Tom whispered:
-Ara us mostraré quelcom, Huck.
"Now I'll show you something, Huck."
Aixecà la candela en l'aire i digué:
He held his candle aloft and said:
-Mireu cap al recó, tan lluny com pugueu. No veieu la cosa?... allí, damunt la grossa roca de més enllà, feta amb fum de candela?
"Look as far around the corner as you can. Do you see that? There--on the big rock over yonder--done with candle-smoke."
-Tom, és una creu.
"Tom, it's a cross!"
-Doncs bé: on és, el Número 2? Sota la creu: oi? Allà sota és on vaig veure que Joe l'Indi ficava la seva candela, Huck!
"Now where's your Number Two? 'under the cross,' hey? Right yonder's where I saw Injun Joe poke up his candle, Huck!"
Huck mirà una estona de fit a fit el místic senyal, i digué amb veu sacsejada:
Huck stared at the mystic sign awhile, and then said with a shaky voice:
-Tom, sortim d'aquí!
"Tom, less git out of here!"
-Còm s'entén! I deixar córrer el tresor!
"What! and leave the treasure?"
-Sí, deixeu-lo: la fantasma de Joe l'Indi corre per aquí, sens dubte.
"Yes--leave it. Injun Joe's ghost is round about there, certain."
-No, Huck: no hi corre: rodarà per l'indret on va morir, lluny, a l'entrada de la cova, a cinc milles d'aquí.
"No it ain't, Huck, no it ain't. It would ha'nt the place where he died--away out at the mouth of the cave--five mile from here."
-No, Tom: no hi serà, allà: voltarà pels encontorns de sos diners. Conec el costum de les fantasmes, i vós també.
"No, Tom, it wouldn't. It would hang round the money. I know the ways of ghosts, and so do you."
Tom començà de témer que Huck tenia raó: s'aplegaren recels en la seva ment. Però al cap de poc se li acudí una idea:
Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Mis-givings gathered in his mind. But presently an idea occurred to him--
-Ei, Huck: estem perdent el seny: la fantasma de Joe l'Indi no voltarà pas per una banda on hi ha la creu!
"Lookyhere, Huck, what fools we're making of ourselves! Injun Joe's ghost ain't a going to come around where there's a cross!"
El punt estava ben tocat: féu el seu efecte.
The point was well taken. It had its effect.
-Tom, no hi havia pensat, en això, però és veritat: és una sort, per a nosaltres, aquesta creu. Penso que hem de trescar cap allí i percaçar la caixa.
"Tom, I didn't think of that. But that's so. It's luck for us, that cross is. I reckon we'll climb down there and have a hunt for that box."
Tom passà al davant, obrint matussers graons a la muntanyola d'argila en la seva davallada. Huck el seguí. Quatre avingudes sortien de la petita caverna on era el gran penyal. Els minyons n'examinaren tres sense resultat. Trobaren un petit catau en la més pròxima a la base de la roca, amb un jaç de flassades estès en terra, i també un vell elàstic, i un budell on hi havia hagut un embotit de porc, i els ossos ben rosegats de dues o tres òlibes; però no hi havia la caixa dels diners. Els minyons escorcollaren i tornaren a escorcollar l'indret, però endebades. Tom va fer:
Tom went first, cutting rude steps in the clay hill as he descended. Huck followed. Four avenues opened out of the small cavern which the great rock stood in. The boys examined three of them with no result. They found a small recess in the one nearest the base of the rock, with a pallet of blankets spread down in it; also an old suspender, some bacon rind, and the well-gnawed bones of two or three fowls. But there was no moneybox. The lads searched and researched this place, but in vain. Tom said:
-Digué sota la creu. Bé aquest passadís és el més atansat a complir això d'escaure's sota la creu. No pot pas ésser sota la roca mateixa, perquè està sòlidament plantada en terra.
"He said under the cross. Well, this comes nearest to being under the cross. It can't be under the rock itself, because that sets solid on the ground."
Cercaren a tot arreu una vegada més, i després s'assegueren descoratjats. Huck no podia suggerir cap cosa. Al cap de poca estona, Tom digué:
They searched everywhere once more, and then sat down discouraged. Huck could suggest nothing. By-and-by Tom said:
-Mireu, Huck: aquí hi ha petjades i una mica de sèu de candela vora un costat de la roca, però no als altres costats. A què ve, això? Em jugo qualsevol cosa que els diners són sota la roca. Cavaré l'argila.
"Lookyhere, Huck, there's footprints and some candle-grease on the clay about one side of this rock, but not on the other sides. Now, what's that for? I bet you the money is under the rock. I'm going to dig in the clay."
-Bon acudit, Tom- digué Huck amb animació.
"That ain't no bad notion, Tom!" said Huck with animation.
El veritable Barlow de Tom eixí tot seguit, i encara no havia cavat quatre polzades que topà fusta.
Tom's "real Barlow" was out at once, and he had not dug four inches before he struck wood.
-Ei, Huck: no sentiu això?
"Hey, Huck!--you hear that?"
Huck començà aleshores de cavar i esgarrapar. Aviat foren descoberts i separats alguns taulons. Ells amagaven un precipici natural que conduïa sota el penyal. Tom va ficar-s'hi i sostingué la candela tan lluny, sota la roca, com pogué; però digué que no podia veure la fi de l'espluga. Es proposà d'explorar-ho. Es decantà i davallà: l'estret camí baixava gradualment. Seguí les tortes de son camí, de primer cap a la dreta, després cap a l'esquerra, amb Huck als seus talons. Tom va donar una volta, per una corba de poca durada i exclamà:
Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some boards were soon uncovered and removed. They had concealed a natural chasm which led under the rock. Tom got into this and held his candle as far under the rock as he could, but said he could not see to the end of the rift. He proposed to explore. He stooped and passed under; the narrow way descended gradually. He followed its winding course, first to the right, then to the left, Huck at his heels. Tom turned a short curve, by-and-by, and exclaimed:
-En nom de Déu, Huck! Mireu aquí!
"My goodness, Huck, lookyhere!"
Era la caixa del tresor, ben segur, ocupant una confortable caverneta, amb un barrilet de pólvora buit, un parell d'escopetes en llurs estoigs de cuiro, dos o tres parells de mocassins, un cinyell de cuiro, i algunes altres deixalles ben amarades pels degotissos.
It was the treasure-box, sure enough, occupying a snug little cavern, along with an empty powder-keg, a couple of guns in leather cases, two or three pairs of old moccasins, a leather belt, and some other rubbish well soaked with the water-drip.
-A la fi és nostre!- digué Huck llaurant amb la mà entre les monedes, d'una entelada lluïssor. -Ja som rics, manoi!
"Got it at last!" said Huck, ploughing among the tarnished coins with his hand. "My, but we're rich, Tom!"
-Huck, sempre havia pensat que l'hauríem. És massa bonic per a creure-ho, però l'hem hagut, verament! Escolteu: no badoquegem per aquí; esquitllem-nos cap a fora, Deixeu-me veure si puc alçar la caixa.
"Huck, I always reckoned we'd get it. It's just too good to believe, but we have got it, sure! Say--let's not fool around here. Let's snake it out. Lemme see if I can lift the box."
Pesava unes cinquanta lliures, Tom podia alçar-la matusserament, però no pas traginar-la com convenia.
It weighed about fifty pounds. Tom could lift it, after an awkward fashion, but could not carry it conveniently.
-Ja m'ho pensava- digué: -la traginaven com una cosa feixuga, aquell dia, de la casa on surt por: vaig reparar-ho. Crec encertat el meu acudit de venir amb els saquets.
"I thought so," he said; "They carried it like it was heavy, that day at the ha'nted house. I noticed that. I reckon I was right to think of fetching the little bags along."
Aviat hi foren, els diners, en el saquet; i els minyons pujaren cap al penyal de la creu.
The money was soon in the bags and the boys took it up to the cross rock.
-Ara anem a cercar les escopetes i les altres coses- digué Huck.
"Now less fetch the guns and things," said Huck.
-No, Huck; deixem-ho allí. Justament són les coses que ens caldran quan ens posem a robar. Hem de servar-les allí constantment, i hi tindrem les nostres orgies, allí dins, també. És un indret avinentíssím, per a les orgies.
"No, Huck--leave them there. They're just the tricks to have when we go to robbing. We'll keep them there all the time, and we'll hold our orgies there, too. It's an awful snug place for orgies."
-Què són orgies?
"What orgies?"
-No ho sé pas; però els lladres sempre en fan, i és clar que nosaltres també n'haurem de fer. Endavant, Huck: hem estat aquí dins qui-sap-lo temps. Es fa tard, em penso. I em corre la rateta. Menjarem i fumarem en arrivar al bot.
"I dono. But robbers always have orgies, and of course we've got to have them, too. Come along, Huck, we've been in here a long time. It's getting late, I reckon. I'm hungry, too. We'll eat and smoke when we get to the skiff."
Al cap de poc eixiren a l'escamot de mates de roldó, miraren estratègicament enfora, veieren la ribera neta, i no trigaren a menjar i a fumar dins el bot. Quan el sol davallava cap a l'horitzó, mogueren els rems i començaren la ruta. Tom examinava la ribera durant el llarg capvespre, parlotejant vivament amb Huck, i desembarcaren poc després d'haver-se escampat la fosca.
They presently emerged into the clump of sumach bushes, looked warily out, found the coast clear, and were soon lunching and smoking in the skiff. As the sun dipped toward the horizon they pushed out and got under way. Tom skimmed up the shore through the long twilight, chatting cheerily with Huck, and landed shortly after dark.
-Ara, Huck,- digué Tom -amagarem els diners a la golfa del cobert de fusta de la vídua, i jo hi pujaré al matí i en traurem el compte i en farem les parts; i després cercarem un indret, per dins el bosc, on estigui segur. Esteu-vos aquí ben quiet, i vigileu la mercaderia, mentre jo, d'una correguda, pispo el carretó de Benny Taylor. No trigaré ni un minut.
"Now, Huck," said Tom, "we'll hide the money in the loft of the widow's woodshed, and I'll come up in the morning and we'll count it and divide, and then we'll hunt up a place out in the woods for it where it will be safe. Just you lay quiet here and watch the stuff till I run and hook Benny Taylor's little wagon; I won't be gone a minute."
Desaparegué; i tot seguit retornà amb el carretó, hi posà els dos saquets, va cobrir-ho amb alguns drapots, i s'engegà, amb el carregament al seu darrera. Els minyons, un cop arribaren a la casa del gal·lès, s'aturaren a reposar. Quan estaven a punt de «tornar-hi», el gal·lès va sortir i va fer-los:
He disappeared, and presently returned with the wagon, put the two small sacks into it, threw some old rags on top of them, and started off, dragging his cargo behind him. When the boys reached the Welshman's house, they stopped to rest. Just as they were about to move on, the Welshman stepped out and said:
-Ep! Qui hi ha?
"Hallo, who's that?"
-Huck i Tom Sawyer.
"Huck and Tom Sawyer."
-Molt bé! Veniu amb mi, nois: tothom us està esperant. Apa, acuiteu-vos: endavant, tot dret. Ja l'estiraré jo, el carretó. Oh! i no és tan lleuger com podria ser! Hi heu posat rajoles o metall venturer?
"Good! Come along with me, boys, you are keeping everybody waiting. Here--hurry up, trot ahead--I'll haul the wagon for you. Why, it's not as light as it might be. Got bricks in it?--or old metal?"
-Metall venturer- digué Tom.
"Old metal," said Tom.
-Ja m'ho pensava: els nois d'aquest poble malden més i fan més el ximple per atrapar seixanta cèntims de ferro vell per vendre'l a la fundició, del que farien per guanyar el doble de moneda en una feina regular. Però aquesta és la naturalesa humana. Cuiteu, cuiteu!
"I judged so; the boys in this town will take more trouble and fool away more time hunting up six bits' worth of old iron to sell to the foundry than they would to make twice the money at regular work. But that's human nature--hurry along, hurry along!"
Els minyons desitjaven saber a què venia la pressa.
The boys wanted to know what the hurry was about.
-Tant se val: ja ho veureu quan siguem amb la vídua Douglas.
"Never mind; you'll see, when we get to the Widow Douglas'."
Huck digué, amb alguna aprehensió, perquè temps ha que estava acostumat a ésser objecte de falses acusacions:
Huck said with some apprehension--for he was long used to being falsely accused:
-Senyor Jones, no hem fet res de mal.
"Mr. Jones, we haven't been doing nothing."
El gal·lès es posà a riure.
The Welshman laughed.
-Bé, no ho sé pas, Huck, fill meu: no en sé res, d'això. Que no sóu bons amics, vós i la vídua?
"Well, I don't know, Huck, my boy. I don't know about that. Ain't you and the widow good friends?"
-Sí. Bé, ella, tanmateix, me n'ha estat, de bona amiga.
"Yes. Well, she's ben good friends to me, anyway."
-Molt bé, doncs. Per què us heu d'esverar?
"All right, then. What do you want to be afraid for?"
Aquesta pregunta no trobà sencera resposta, dins el lent esperit de Huck, abans de trobar-se empès, juntament amb Tom, dins la sala de la senyora Douglas. El senyor Jones deixà el carretó vora la porta i els seguí.
This question was not entirely answered in Huck's slow mind before he found himself pushed, along with Tom, into Mrs. Douglas' drawing-room. Mr. Jones left the wagon near the door and followed.
L'indret era sumptuosament il·luminat, i tota la gent obiradora del poble s'hi esqueia. Hi eren els Thatchers, els Harpers, els Rogers, la tia Polly, Sid, Mary, el ministre, el director del periòdic, i molts altres; i tots amb la millor roba. La vídua rebé els minyons tan coralment com ningú fos capaç de rebre dues criatures d'aquell posat. Estaven coberts d'argila i de sèu de candela. La tia Polly esdevingué carmesina d'humiliació, i arrufà les celles i mogué el cap envers Tom. Ningú, però, va sofrir tant com els dos minyons. El senyor Jones digué:
The place was grandly lighted, and everybody that was of any consequence in the village was there. The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, the Rogerses, Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, the minister, the editor, and a great many more, and all dressed in their best. The widow received the boys as heartily as any one could well receive two such looking beings. They were covered with clay and candle-grease. Aunt Polly blushed crimson with humiliation, and frowned and shook her head at Tom. Nobody suffered half as much as the two boys did, however. Mr. Jones said:
-Tom no era a casa, encara: així és que ho deixava córrer; però a ell i a Huck els he ensopegat a la meva porta, i els he portat a cuita corrents.
"Tom wasn't at home, yet, so I gave him up; but I stumbled on him and Huck right at my door, and so I just brought them along in a hurry."
-Molt ben fet- digué la vídua. -Veniu amb mi, minyons.
"And you did just right," said the widow. "Come with me, boys."
Després se'ls emportà a una alcova i digué:
She took them to a bedchamber and said:
-Ara renteu-vos i vestiu-vos. Aquí hi ha vestits per a dos, complets. Camises, mitges: tot hi és. Són de Huck (no, no em regracieu, Huck): el senyor Jones ha comprat l'un vestit i jo l'altre. Però us vindran bé a tots dos. Poseu-vos-els. Ens esperarem: quan fareu prou goig baixareu.
"Now wash and dress yourselves. Here are two new suits of clothes--shirts, socks, everything complete. They're Huck's--no, no thanks, Huck--Mr. Jones bought one and I the other. But they'll fit both of you. Get into them. We'll wait--come down when you are slicked up enough."
I sortí.
Then she left.