The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

LES AVENTURES DE TOM SAWYER

   CHAPTER XIV

   CAPÍTOL XIV

   WHEN Tom awoke in the morning, he wondered where he was. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and looked around. Then he comprehended. It was the cool gray dawn, and there was a delicious sense of repose and peace in the deep pervading calm and silence of the woods. Not a leaf stirred; not a sound obtruded upon great Nature's meditation. Beaded dewdrops stood upon the leaves and grasses. A white layer of ashes covered the fire, and a thin blue breath of smoke rose straight into the air. Joe and Huck still slept.

   En despertar-se Tom al matí, es preguntà on es trobava. S'assegué i es fregà els ulls, i mirà a son voltant: aleshores va compendre la cosa. Agrisava el cel l'alba freda, i hi havia una sensació delectable de repòs i pau en la profunda calma penetrant i el silenci dels boscos. No es movia una fulla; ni un so trencava la gran meditació de la natura. Hi havia rosaris de gotes de rosada damunt les fulles i les herbes. Un llit de blanques cendres cobria el caliu, i una garlanda de fum, prima i blava, s'alçava tota dreta per l'aire. Joe i Huck encara dormien.

   Now, far away in the woods a bird called; another answered; presently the hammering of a woodpecker was heard. Gradually the cool dim gray of the morning whitened, and as gradually sounds multiplied and life manifested itself. The marvel of Nature shaking off sleep and going to work unfolded itself to the musing boy. A little green worm came crawling over a dewy leaf, lifting two-thirds of his body into the air from time to time and "sniffing around," then proceeding again--for he was measuring, Tom said; and when the worm approached him, of its own accord, he sat as still as a stone, with his hopes rising and falling, by turns, as the creature still came toward him or seemed inclined to go elsewhere; and when at last it considered a painful moment with its curved body in the air and then came decisively down upon Tom's leg and began a journey over him, his whole heart was glad--for that meant that he was going to have a new suit of clothes--without the shadow of a doubt a gaudy piratical uniform. Now a procession of ants appeared, from nowhere in particular, and went about their labors; one struggled manfully by with a dead spider five times as big as itself in its arms, and lugged it straight up a tree-trunk. A brown spotted lady-bug climbed the dizzy height of a grass blade, and Tom bent down close to it and said, "Lady-bug, lady-bug, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children's alone," and she took wing and went off to see about it--which did not surprise the boy, for he knew of old that this insect was credulous about conflagrations, and he had practised upon its simplicity more than once. A tumblebug came next, heaving sturdily at its ball, and Tom touched the creature, to see it shut its legs against its body and pretend to be dead. The birds were fairly rioting by this time. A catbird, the Northern mocker, lit in a tree over Tom's head, and trilled out her imitations of her neighbors in a rapture of enjoyment; then a shrill jay swept down, a flash of blue flame, and stopped on a twig almost within the boy's reach, cocked his head to one side and eyed the strangers with a consuming curiosity; a gray squirrel and a big fellow of the "fox" kind came skurrying along, sitting up at intervals to inspect and chatter at the boys, for the wild things had probably never seen a human being before and scarcely knew whether to be afraid or not. All Nature was wide awake and stirring, now; long lances of sunlight pierced down through the dense foliage far and near, and a few butterflies came fluttering upon the scene.

   Aleshores, ben endins de la boscúria, un ocell cantà, i un altre respongué; no trigà de sentir-se el martelleig del pigot. Gradualment, el gris tèrbol i fred de la matinada s'esblanqueí, i al mateix compàs els sons es multiplicaren i es manifestà la vida. La meravella de la natura arrabassant-se al son i anant a la tasca, es descobrí al minyó consirós. Un cuquet verd anava arrossegant-se damunt una fulla amarada de rou, adesiara alçant en l'aire les dues terceres parts de son cos, flairant a son volt, i després tornant a avançar, perquè prenia mesures, segons deia Tom; i quan el cuc se li acostà de son grat, ell segué quiet com una pedra, amb ses esperances muntant o defallint alternativament a mesura que la bestioleta anava envers ell o semblava inclinada a adreçar-se a qualsevol altre indret; i quan a la fi reflexionà, per espai d'un moment anguniós, amb son cos encorbat en l'aire, i després baixà a la cama de Tom i començà un viatge al seu damunt, tot son cor se n'alegrà, perquè això volia dir que tindria un nou abillament, que, sense el més petit dubte, fóra un llampant uniforme de pirata. Després vingué una processó de formigues, de cap indret particular, i s'escamparen envers llurs tasques: una d'elles batallava virilment amb una aranya morta que duia en sos braços i era cinc vegades més gran que no pas ella, i ella l'estirava tot fent un camí tot recte per amunt una soca. Una marieta de taques brunes s'enfilà al cim espadat d'una tija d'herba, i Tom es decantà a la vora d'ella i digué:

    Marieta, marieta, fugiu al vostre casal. Se us cala foc a la casa, i estan sols vostres infants.

    I ella emprengué el vol i se n'anà a veure-ho, cosa que no sorprengué al noi, perquè sabia de qui-sap-lo temps que aquest insecte era crèdul quant a incendis, i ell havia posat a prova la seva simplicitat més d'una vegada. Un escarabat buiner empenyia obstinadament la seva bola, i Tom tocà la bestioleta per llucar còm tancava les cames contra el seu cos, fent veure que era morta. Els ocells feien aleshores un brau aldarull. Un estornell, el mofeta septentrional, se aturà en un arbre damunt el cap de Tom, i refilà les imitacions de sos veïns en un rapte de gaubança; després una cucala de veu aguda, d'un blau ardent i brillador, davallà precipitadament i s'aturà damunt un branquinyol, gairebé a l'abast del noi, enravenà son cap a una banda, i ullà la gent estranya amb una consumidora curiositat; un esquirol cendrós i un gros companyó de la família guineuenca passaren escapolint-se, girant-se a intervals per inspeccionar i garlar amb els minyons, perquè aquells animals boscans no havien vist fins aleshores, ben segur, una cara humana, i amb prou feines sabien si havien d'espantar-se o no. Tota la natura era ja desperta i moguda; llargues llances de sol atravessaren el fullatge espès d'ací d'allà, i unes quantes papallones vingueren a voleiar per l'escenari.

   Tom stirred up the other pirates and they all clattered away with a shout, and in a minute or two were stripped and chasing after and tumbling over each other in the shallow limpid water of the white sandbar. They felt no longing for the little village sleeping in the distance beyond the majestic waste of water. A vagrant current or a slight rise in the river had carried off their raft, but this only gratified them, since its going was something like burning the bridge between them and civilization.

   Tom sacsejà els altres pirates, i tots plegats eixordaren l'espai amb un crit, i al cap d'un o dos minuts s'havien despullat i es percaçaven, volcant-se l'un a l'altre dins la soma aigua netíssima de l'alfac esblanqueït. No enyoraven mica el poblet, que dormia al lluny, a l'altra banda de la majestuosa prodigalitat de l'aigua. Un corrent vagarívol o una lleu ascensió del riu se'ls n'havia emportat el rai; però això no feia més que acontentar-los, perquè la seva desaparició significava, com si diguéssim, cremar el pont entre ells i la civilització.

   They came back to camp wonderfully refreshed, glad-hearted, and ravenous; and they soon had the camp-fire blazing up again. Huck found a spring of clear cold water close by, and the boys made cups of broad oak or hickory leaves, and felt that water, sweetened with such a wildwood charm as that, would be a good enough substitute for coffee. While Joe was slicing bacon for breakfast, Tom and Huck asked him to hold on a minute; they stepped to a promising nook in the river-bank and threw in their lines; almost immediately they had reward. Joe had not had time to get impatient before they were back again with some handsome bass, a couple of sun-perch and a small catfish--provisions enough for quite a family. They fried the fish with the bacon, and were astonished; for no fish had ever seemed so delicious before. They did not know that the quicker a fresh-water fish is on the fire after he is caught the better he is; and they reflected little upon what a sauce open-air sleeping, open-air exercise, bathing, and a large ingredient of hunger make, too.

   Tornaren al campament prodigiosament renovellats, alegres i famolencs; i al cap de poc flamejava altra vegada el foc de llur campament. Huck trobà una font d'aigua gemada i clara ben a la vora, i els nois feren copes d'amples fulles de roure o noguera americana, i comprengueren que aquella aigua, endolcida amb un encís com el de la boscúria salvatge, seria prou bona substitució del cafè. Mentre Joe tallava llenques de porc per al desdejuni, Tom i Huck li demanaren que s'esperés un instant. Se n'anaren a un reconet prometedor de la vora del riu i tiraren l'ham: gairebé immediatament en foren recompensats. Joe no tingué ocasió d'esdevenir impacient abans que tornessin portant algunes belles llobines, un parell de perques del sol, i un barb petit: provisions per a tota una família. Fregiren el peix amb una mica de porc, i romangueren astorats, perquè en llur vida cap peix no els havia semblat tan delitós. No sabien que un peix d'aigua dolça, com més aviat és al foc, després de pescat, és millor; i poc imaginaven quína salsa és la dormida a l'aire lliure, l'exercici a l'aire lliure i el banyar-se; i quína vasta quantitat d'aperitiu també.

   They lay around in the shade, after breakfast, while Huck had a smoke, and then went off through the woods on an exploring expedition. They tramped gayly along, over decaying logs, through tangled underbrush, among solemn monarchs of the forest, hung from their crowns to the ground with a drooping regalia of grape-vines. Now and then they came upon snug nooks carpeted with grass and jeweled with flowers.

   Romangueren per allí, a l'ombra, després del desdejuni, mentre Huck fumava, i després anaren boscos a través, en una eixida d'exploració. Trescaven alegrement, damunt les branques podrides, a través de mates entortolligades, entre solemnes monarques de la selva, que tenien de llur cim fins a terra, penjarelles (insígnies reials) de plantes arrapadisses. De tant en tant topaven reconets avinents encatifats d'herbei i esmaltats de flors.

   They found plenty of things to be delighted with, but nothing to be astonished at. They discovered that the island was about three miles long and a quarter of a mile wide, and that the shore it lay closest to was only separated from it by a narrow channel hardly two hundred yards wide. They took a swim about every hour, so it was close upon the middle of the afternoon when they got back to camp. They were too hungry to stop to fish, but they fared sumptuously upon cold ham, and then threw themselves down in the shade to talk. But the talk soon began to drag, and then died. The stillness, the solemnity that brooded in the woods, and the sense of loneliness, began to tell upon the spirits of the boys. They fell to thinking. A sort of undefined longing crept upon them. This took dim shape, presently--it was budding homesickness. Even Finn the Red-Handed was dreaming of his doorsteps and empty hogsheads. But they were all ashamed of their weakness, and none was brave enough to speak his thought.

   Trobaren abundor de coses per a delectar-s'hi, però cap per astorar-se'n. Descobriren que l'illa tenia unes tres milles de llargada i un quart de milla d'amplària, i que la ribera que li era més aprop n'era separada només que per un estret canal que amb prou feines tenia un ample de dues centes yardes. Tot sovint es ficaven a l'aigua; així és que era gairebé mitja tarda quan tornaren al campament. Tenien massa gana per a aturar-se a pescar, però es nodriren sumptuosament de pernil fred, i després s'estiraren a l'ombra a conversar. Però la conversa, al cap de poca estona, s'arrossegà penosament, i després morí. La quietud, la solemnitat que aixoplugava el bosc i la sensació de solitud començaren d'obrar damunt els esperits dels nois. Es posaren a pensar. Una mena d'indefinida enyorança lliscà damunt ells. Aquesta enyorança, al cap de poc, prengué una forma opaca: era la puncella de l'enyorament de la llar. Fins i tot Finn el Mà-roja somiejava sos graons de llindar i ses bótes buides. Però tots ells estaven avergonyits de llur flaca, i cap no era prou gosat per a manifestar son pensament.

   For some time, now, the boys had been dully conscious of a peculiar sound in the distance, just as one sometimes is of the ticking of a clock which he takes no distinct note of. But now this mysterious sound became more pronounced, and forced a recognition. The boys started, glanced at each other, and then each assumed a listening attitude. There was a long silence, profound and unbroken; then a deep, sullen boom came floating down out of the distance.

   Per algun temps els minyons havien estat vagament conscients d'un so peculiar, en llunyania, com passa a un hom amb el tic-tac d'un rellotge quan no s'hi fixa deliberadament. Però aleshores el so misteriós esdevingué més pronunciat i obligà al seu reconeixement. Els minyons es redreçaren, es pegaren llambregada l'un a l'altre, i després cada un d'ells adoptà un posat d'atenció. Hi hagué un llarg silenci, pregon i ininterromput: després una sorda i malcarada detonació fou tramesa per l'aire de les llunyanies estant

   "What is it!" exclaimed Joe, under his breath.

   -Què és això?- exclamà Joe sota el seu alè.

   "I wonder," said Tom in a whisper.

   -Poc ho sé- digué Tom en un murmuri.

   "'Tain't thunder," said Huckleberry, in an awed tone, "becuz thunder--"

   -No és un tro- digué Huckleberry, en to esporuguit;- perquè el tro...

   "Hark!" said Tom. "Listen--don't talk."

   -Alerta!- digué Tom. -Pareu esment; calleu.

   They waited a time that seemed an age, and then the same muffled boom troubled the solemn hush.

   Esperaren una estona, que va semblar-los un segle, i després la mateixa sorda detonació trencà la quietud solemne.

   "Let's go and see."

   -Anem-ho a veure.

   They sprang to their feet and hurried to the shore toward the town. They parted the bushes on the bank and peered out over the water. The little steam ferry-boat was about a mile below the village, drifting with the current. Her broad deck seemed crowded with people. There were a great many skiffs rowing about or floating with the stream in the neighborhood of the ferryboat, but the boys could not determine what the men in them were doing. Presently a great jet of white smoke burst from the ferryboat's side, and as it expanded and rose in a lazy cloud, that same dull throb of sound was borne to the listeners again.

   Pegaren un bot i es precipitaren a la vorera, en front del poblet. Apartaren les mates de la riba i sotjaren cap enfora, damunt les aigües. El vaporet es trobava una milla més avall del poble, derivant pel corrent. La seva ampla coberta semblava atapeïda de persones. Hi havia una pila de bots que anaven a rem o suraven pel corrent, en el veïnatge del vaporet; però els minyons no podien determinar què cosa estaven fent els homes que hi anaven. Al cap de poc, un gran doll de fumera blanca brollà del costat del vaporet; i, mentre s'expandia i muntava en núvol peresós, la mateixa sorda pulsació sorollosa arribà fins als espectadors.

   "I know now!" exclaimed Tom; "somebody's drownded!"

   -Ja ho sé, ara!- exclamà Tom. -Hi ha algun ofegat!

   "That's it!" said Huck; "they done that last summer, when Bill Turner got drownded; they shoot a cannon over the water, and that makes him come up to the top. Yes, and they take loaves of bread and put quicksilver in 'em and set 'em afloat, and wherever there's anybody that's drownded, they'll float right there and stop."

   -Això és- digué Huck. -Això mateix van fer, l'istiu passat, en ofegar-se Bull Turner; engeguen canonades damunt l'aigua, i això els fa pujar fins a dalt. Sí; i agafen llesques de pa i hi posen argent-viu, i les deixen surar; i, onsevulla que hi hagi algun ofegat, se'n van cap a ell i s'hi aturen.

   "Yes, I've heard about that," said Joe. "I wonder what makes the bread do that."

   -Sí, ja ho he sentit contar- digué Joe. -Em plauria saber com és que el pa reïx en aquesta cosa.

   "Oh, it ain't the bread, so much," said Tom; "I reckon it's mostly what they say over it before they start it out."

   -Oh! No és el pa, especialment- digué Tom: -em penso que és, sobretot, allò que diuen abans de deixar-lo anar.

   "But they don't say anything over it," said Huck. "I've seen 'em and they don't."

   -Però si no diuen res- féu Huck. -Els he vist com ho feien, i poc diuen res.

   "Well, that's funny," said Tom. "But maybe they say it to themselves. Of course they do. Anybody might know that."

   -És curiós- digué Tom.- Però potser ho diuen per dins. És clar que ho deuen fer. Qualsevol ho pot capir.

   The other boys agreed that there was reason in what Tom said, because an ignorant lump of bread, uninstructed by an incantation, could not be expected to act very intelligently when set upon an errand of such gravity.

   Els altres minyons convingueren que allò que deia Tom era assenyat, perquè un tros de pa ignorant, no instruït per cap encís, no es podia esperar que obrés amb molta d'intel·ligència quan hom l'enviava a una missió de tanta de gravetat.

   "By jings, I wish I was over there, now," said Joe.

   -Malvinatge! Voldria ser allà baix- digué Joe.

   "I do too" said Huck "I'd give heaps to know who it is."

   -Jo també- digué Huck. -Daria qui-sab-lo per saber quí ha estat.

   The boys still listened and watched. Presently a revealing thought flashed through Tom's mind, and he exclaimed:

   Els nois seguiren parant atenció i vigilant. Al cap de poc, un pensament revelador creuà com un llampec l'enteniment de Tom, i exclamà:

   "Boys, I know who's drownded--it's us!"

   -Minyons! Ja sé qui és, l'ofegat: som nosaltres!

   They felt like heroes in an instant. Here was a gorgeous triumph; they were missed; they were mourned; hearts were breaking on their account; tears were being shed; accusing memories of unkindness to these poor lost lads were rising up, and unavailing regrets and remorse were being indulged; and best of all, the departed were the talk of the whole town, and the envy of all the boys, as far as this dazzling notoriety was concerned. This was fine. It was worth while to be a pirate, after all.

   Tot seguit es sentirem herois. Veu's aquí un triomf esplendorós: llur absència era reparada; eren planguts; els cors es fendien per llur causa; les llàgrimes anaven endoina; memòries acusadores de dolenties comeses envers els pobres minyons perduts, anaven brollant, i hom s'abandonava a infructuoses recances i remordiment; i, sobretot, els desapareguts feien parlar tot el poblet i eren l'enveja de tots els minyons pel que es referia a aquesta notorietat enlluernadora. Això era una bella cosa. Valia la pena de ser pirata, ben mirat.

   As twilight drew on, the ferryboat went back to her accustomed business and the skiffs disappeared. The pirates returned to camp. They were jubilant with vanity over their new grandeur and the illustrious trouble they were making. They caught fish, cooked supper and ate it, and then fell to guessing at what the village was thinking and saying about them; and the pictures they drew of the public distress on their account were gratifying to look upon--from their point of view. But when the shadows of night closed them in, they gradually ceased to talk, and sat gazing into the fire, with their minds evidently wandering elsewhere. The excitement was gone, now, and Tom and Joe could not keep back thoughts of certain persons at home who were not enjoying this fine frolic as much as they were. Misgivings came; they grew troubled and unhappy; a sigh or two escaped, unawares. By and by Joe timidly ventured upon a roundabout "feeler" as to how the others might look upon a return to civilization--not right now, but--

   En venir l'hora baixa, el vaporet tornà a sos afers de costum i els bots desaparegueren. Els pirates recularen al campament. Estaven que no hi veien de vanitat per llur nova grandesa i el magnífic mal de cap que ocasionaven. Pescaren, cuinaren llur sopar i el menjaren, i després es posaren a endevinar les coses que pensaria i diria d'ells el poble; i les imatges que es feien de l'aflicció de la gent per ells motivada eren ben satisfactòries de considerar, desde llur punt de mira. Però en envoltar-los les ombres de la nit, deixaren de parlar, gradualment, i s'assegueren a contemplar el foc, amb l'ànima errívola, evidentment, per altres indrets. L'exaltació era ja desapareguda, i Tom i Joe no podien evitar que se'ls acudissin certes persones de la llar que no gaudien aquell bell caprici com feien ells. Comparegueren els recels; esdevingueren contorbats i infeliços; un sospir o dos s'escaparen sense que ells se n'adonessin. Aviat Joe s'arriscà tímidament a insinuar una indirecta sobre la manera com els altres judicarien llur retorn a la civilització... no precisament ara, però...

   Tom withered him with derision! Huck, being uncommitted as yet, joined in with Tom, and the waverer quickly "explained," and was glad to get out of the scrape with as little taint of chicken-hearted home-sickness clinging to his garments as he could. Mutiny was effectually laid to rest for the moment.

   Tom l'avergonyí amb sos escarnis. Huck, que encara no s'havia compromès, s'uní a Tom, i el cagadubtes tot seguit oferí explicacions, i es donà per content d'eixir del trencacoll amb tan poca mala anomenada de pollet enyorívol com pogué. La revolta fou atuïda amb eficàcia per aquella vegada.

   As the night deepened, Huck began to nod, and presently to snore. Joe followed next. Tom lay upon his elbow motionless, for some time, watching the two intently. At last he got up cautiously, on his knees, and went searching among the grass and the flickering reflections flung by the campfire. He picked up and inspected several large semi-cylinders of the thin white bark of a sycamore, and finally chose two which seemed to suit him. Then he knelt by the fire and painfully wrote something upon each of these with his "red keel"; one he rolled up and put in his jacket pocket, and the other he put in Joe's hat and removed it to a little distance from the owner. And he also put into the hat certain schoolboy treasures of almost inestimable value--among them a lump of chalk, an India-rubber ball, three fishhooks, and one of that kind of marbles known as a "sure 'nough crystal." Then he tiptoed his way cautiously among the trees till he felt that he was out of hearing, and straightway broke into a keen run in the direction of the sandbar.

   A mesura que la nit es feia profunda, Huck començà de pesar figues, i tot seguit a roncar. Joe va imitar-lo. Tom romangué immòbil damunt son colze per algun temps, mirant-los a tots dos atentament. A la fi s'aixecà amb cautela damunt sos genolls, i anà explorant entre l'herba i els reflexos belluguedissos que enviava el foc del campament. Arreplegà i inspeccionà uns quants semicilindres, de bella grandària, de la fina escorça blanca d'un sicomor, i, finalment, escollí els dos que cregué que li convenien. Després s'agenollà vora el foc, i escrigué penosament alguna cosa en cada un d'ells amb la seva quilla roja. De l'un en féu un rotlle, i el posà a la butxaca de son gec; i l'altre el posà dins el capell de Joe, que fou transportat a una petita distància de son posseidor, i també deixà dins el capell determinats tresors de noi d'escola, de una valor gairebé inestimable, entre ells un tros de guix, una bala de cautxú, tres hams de pescar, i una bala de la mena coneguda per cristall de durada. Després féu son camí, de puntetes i amb moltes precaucions entre els arbres, fins que comprengué que ja no l'oirien, i emprengué una ràpida correguda, de dret, cap a l'alfac.