AS the earliest suspicion of dawn appeared on Sunday morning, Huck came groping up the hill and rapped gently at the old Welshman's door. The inmates were asleep, but it was a sleep that was set on a hair-trigger, on account of the exciting episode of the night. A call came from a window:
Quan la primera sospita d'alba es mostrà en el matí del diumenge, Huck pujà a les palpentes el turó, i tustà dolçament a la porta del gal·lès. Els habitants dormien, però era un son dalt d'un punxó, a conseqüència de l'excitant episodi de la nit. Un crit vingué d'una finestra:
"Who's there!"
-Quí hi ha?
Huck's scared voice answered in a low tone:
La veu poruga de Huck respongué, tota baixa:
"Please let me in! It's only Huck Finn!"
-Deixeu-me entrar, si us plau! No és sinó Huck Finn!
"It's a name that can open this door night or day, lad!--and welcome!"
-És un nom que pot obrir aquesta porta de nit o de dia, minyó; i ben vingut sigueu!
These were strange words to the vagabond boy's ears, and the pleasantest he had ever heard. He could not recollect that the closing word had ever been applied in his case before. The door was quickly unlocked, and he entered. Huck was given a seat and the old man and his brace of tall sons speedily dressed themselves.
Aquestes paraules eren ben estranyes per a la oïda del minyó rodamón, i les més plaents que mai hagués sentit. No pogué recordar que la paraula darrera hagués estat mai aplicada amb referència a ell. La porta fou ràpidament oberta, i entrà. Hom donà seient a Huck, i el vell i sos dos fills cepats es vestiren acuitadament.
"Now, my boy, I hope you're good and hungry, because breakfast will be ready as soon as the sun's up, and we'll have a piping hot one, too--make yourself easy about that! I and the boys hoped you'd turn up and stop here last night."
-Ara, minyó, espero que tragineu salut i gana, perquè el desdejuni estarà a punt tan aviat com el sol hagi eixit; i que trencarà el bull fins a xiular: ja podeu començar d'abellir-vos. Jo i els nois esperàvem que tornaríeu i pararíeu aquí, la darrera nit.
"I was awful scared," said Huck, "and I run. I took out when the pistols went off, and I didn't stop for three mile. I've come now becuz I wanted to know about it, you know; and I come before daylight becuz I didn't want to run across them devils, even if they was dead."
-Tenia quí sap l'esverament,- digué Huck -i vaig apretar a córrer. Vaig engegar-me quan s'engegaren les pistoles, i no em vaig aturar fins a haver fet tres milles. He vingut ara perquè volia esbrinar-ne el què, sabeu?; i he vingut abans que trenqui el dia perquè no vull topar aquests diables, baldament fossin morts.
"Well, poor chap, you do look as if you'd had a hard night of it--but there's a bed here for you when you've had your breakfast. No, they ain't dead, lad--we are sorry enough for that. You see we knew right where to put our hands on them, by your description; so we crept along on tiptoe till we got within fifteen feet of them--dark as a cellar that sumach path was--and just then I found I was going to sneeze. It was the meanest kind of luck! I tried to keep it back, but no use--'twas bound to come, and it did come! I was in the lead with my pistol raised, and when the sneeze started those scoundrels a-rustling to get out of the path, I sung out, 'Fire boys!' and blazed away at the place where the rustling was. So did the boys. But they were off in a jiffy, those villains, and we after them, down through the woods. I judge we never touched them. They fired a shot apiece as they started, but their bullets whizzed by and didn't do us any harm. As soon as we lost the sound of their feet we quit chasing, and went down and stirred up the constables. They got a posse together, and went off to guard the river bank, and as soon as it is light the sheriff and a gang are going to beat up the woods. My boys will be with them presently. I wish we had some sort of description of those rascals--'twould help a good deal. But you couldn't see what they were like, in the dark, lad, I suppose?"
-Bé, pobre company: feu posat d'haver tingut una nit ben aspra; però aquí hi ha un llit per a vós, tot seguit que us hagueu desdejunat. No, no són morts, minyó: massa que ens reca. Compreneu?, sabíem ben bé on havíem d'aferrar-los, per la vostra descripció: així és que ens esquitllàrem de puntetes fins que n'arribàrem a quinze peus (era negre com un celler, aquell caminal de roldó!), i aleshores m'adono que estava a punt d'esternudar. Quína mena de sort tan roïna! Vaig mirar de fermar-ho, però tot endebades: havia de sortir, i va sortir! Jo anava endavant, amb la pistola alçada; i, quan l'esternut va fer que els dos bergants comencessin de fressejar per eixir del camí, vaig cridar: -Foc, minyons!- I vaig disparar a l'indret on se sentia la fressa. Això mateix feren els nois. Però en un segon van ésser fora els bergants, i nosaltres al darrera, boscos avall. Em penso que no els tocàrem. Dispararen un tret cadascú en començar a fugir; però llurs bales xiulaven a la vora nostra i no ens feren cap mal. Tan aviat com perdérem el so de llurs peus, vam deixar la caça i devallàrem, i avisàrem els comissaris de policia. Van reunir una força i eixiren a guardar la vora del riu, i, tan aviat com sigui clar, el xerif i una ronda aniran a fer una batuda pels boscos. Els meus nois no trigaran a ser-hi. El meu desig fóra que tinguéssim una mena de descripció de aquests brètols; això seria un gran ajut, Però no poguéreu veure en la fosca, quín posat tenien, em penso: oi, minyó!
"Oh yes; I saw them downtown and follered them."
-Oh! sí! Vaig veure'ls a baix, al poblet, i els vaig seguir.
"Splendid! Describe them--describe them, my boy!"
-Esplèndid! Descriviu-los, descriviu-los, minyó!
"One's the old deaf and dumb Spaniard that's ben around here once or twice, and t'other's a mean-looking, ragged--"
-L'un és l'espanyol sord i mut que ha donat el tomb per aquí una o dues vegades, i l'altre és un de posat roí, esparracat...
"That's enough, lad, we know the men! Happened on them in the woods back of the widow's one day, and they slunk away. Off with you, boys, and tell the sheriff--get your breakfast tomorrow morning!"
-Ja n'hi ha prou, minyó: sabem quí són els homes! Vam topar-los al bosc, darrera la casa de la vídua, un dia, i ells van escapolir-se. Endavant, minyons, i digueu-ho al xerif: ja us menjareu el desdejuni demà passat!
The Welshman's sons departed at once. As they were leaving the room Huck sprang up and exclaimed:
Els fills del gal·lès eixiren tot seguit. Quan deixaven la cambra, Huck pegà un bot i digué:
"Oh, please don't tell anybody it was me that blowed on them! Oh, please!"
-Oh! No ho digueu a ningú, si us plau, que hagi estat jo qui us hagi espiat la cosa, si us plau!
"All right if you say it, Huck, but you ought to have the credit of what you did."
-Molt bé si vós ho dieu, Huck; però hauríeu de tenir l'anomenada que mereix el vostre fet.
"Oh no, no! Please don't tell!"
-Oh! No, no! No ho digueu, si us plau!
When the young men were gone, the old Welshman said:
Quan els joves se n'hagueren anat, el vell gal·lès va fer:
"They won't tell--and I won't. But why don't you want it known?"
-No ho diran, i jo tampoc; però per què no voleu que se sàpiga?
Huck would not explain, further than to say that he already knew too much about one of those men and would not have the man know that he knew anything against him for the whole world--he would be killed for knowing it, sure.
Huck no volgué explicar altra cosa sinó que ja sabia massa sobre un d'aquests homes, i que no voldria que l'home sabés que ell sabia res contra d'ell, ni per tot el món: el mataria per haver-ho sabut, sens dubte.
The old man promised secrecy once more, and said:
El vell prometé secret una vegada més, i digué:
"How did you come to follow these fellows, lad? Were they looking suspicious?"
-Còm és que seguíreu els dos subjectes, minyó? Tenien cares de sospitosos?
Huck was silent while he framed a duly cautious reply. Then he said:
Huck callà, mentre teixia una resposta tan cauta com li esqueia. Després féu:
"Well, you see, I'm a kind of a hard lot,--least everybody says so, and I don't see nothing agin it--and sometimes I can't sleep much, on account of thinking about it and sort of trying to strike out a new way of doing. That was the way of it last night. I couldn't sleep, and so I come along upstreet 'bout midnight, a-turning it all over, and when I got to that old shackly brick store by the Temperance Tavern, I backed up agin the wall to have another think. Well, just then along comes these two chaps slipping along close by me, with something under their arm, and I reckoned they'd stole it. One was a-smoking, and t'other one wanted a light; so they stopped right before me and the cigars lit up their faces and I see that the big one was the deaf and dumb Spaniard, by his white whiskers and the patch on his eye, and t'other one was a rusty, ragged-looking devil."
-Bé, veureu: jo só d'una mena malota (almenys tothom ho diu, i jo no veig res a dir contra d'això), i de vegades no puc dormir gaire tot pensant-hi i fent per manera de començar un nou tarannà de vida. Això fou el que em passà la darrera nit: no podia dormir: així és que vaig pujar carrer amunt, pels volts de la mitja nit, a donar un tomb; i, quan vaig haver arribat a aquell vell dipòsit estropellat de rajoles que hi ha vora la taverna de Temperança, vaig recolzar-me a la paret per tenir una altra rumiada. Bé: aleshores mateix aquests dos companys passaren esquitllant-se arran mateix de mi, amb alguna cosa sota el braç, i vaig creure que devien haver-la robada. L'un estava fumant, i l'altre necessitava foc; i per això s'aturaren al meu davant mateix, i els cigars els il·luminaren les cares, i vaig veure que el gran era l'espanyol sord i mut, per les seves patilles blanques i l'emplastre de l'ull, i l'altre era un diable matusser, d'aire esparracat...
"Could you see the rags by the light of the cigars?"
-Poguéreu veure els parracs, a la llum dels cigars?
This staggered Huck for a moment. Then he said:
Això va fer vacil·lar Huck per un moment. Després digué:
"Well, I don't know--but somehow it seems as if I did."
-Bé, no ho sé pas; però, sigui com sigui, em sembla haver-los vist.
"Then they went on, and you--"
-Aleshores anaren fent via, i vós...
"Follered 'em--yes. That was it. I wanted to see what was up--they sneaked along so. I dogged 'em to the widder's stile, and stood in the dark and heard the ragged one beg for the widder, and the Spaniard swear he'd spile her looks just as I told you and your two--"
-Vaig seguir-los... Això és. Volia veure còm acabava tot allò... Com que s'esquitllaven d'aquella manera! Vaig espiar-los fins a l'entradeta de la vídua, i vaig romandre a la porta, i vaig sentir que l'esparracat parlava de la vídua, i l'espanyol jurava que li foradaria el posat, com vaig dir-vos a vós i als vostres dos fills.
"What! The deaf and dumb man said all that!"
-Còm s'entén! El sord i mut va dir tot això?
Huck had made another terrible mistake! He was trying his best to keep the old man from getting the faintest hint of who the Spaniard might be, and yet his tongue seemed determined to get him into trouble in spite of all he could do. He made several efforts to creep out of his scrape, but the old man's eye was upon him and he made blunder after blunder. Presently the Welshman said:
Huck havia comès una altra errada paorosa. Feia tot el que podia per evitar que el vell assolís la més petita clarícia de quí podia ésser l'espanyol; i tanmateix la seva llengua semblava determinada a ficar-lo en trencacolls, a desgrat de tot el que ell pogués intentar. Féu diferents esforços d'escapolir-se d'allà on havia ficat peus; però l'esguard del vell era al seu damunt, i digué disbarat darrera disbarat. Al cap de poc el gal·lès va dir:
"My boy, don't be afraid of me. I wouldn't hurt a hair of your head for all the world. No--I'd protect you--I'd protect you. This Spaniard is not deaf and dumb; you've let that slip without intending it; you can't cover that up now. You know something about that Spaniard that you want to keep dark. Now trust me--tell me what it is, and trust me--I won't betray you."
-Fill meu, de mi no en tingueu por; per tot el món no voldria fer mal a un cabell vostre. No; vull emparar-vos, vull emparar-vos. Aquest espanyol no és sord i mut: això ho heu deixat anar sense adonar-vos-en, i ara no podeu retirar-ho. Coneixeu alguna cosa, sobre aquest espanyol, que us voleu reservar. Refieu-vos de mi. Digueu-me el què és, i refieu-vos de mi: no us trairé.
Huck looked into the old man's honest eyes a moment, then bent over and whispered in his ear:
Huck mirà els ulls honradíssims del vell per un moment. Després es decantà, i murmurà a la seva oïda:
"'Tain't a Spaniard--it's Injun Joe!"
-No és un espanyol: és... Joe l'Indi!
The Welshman almost jumped out of his chair. In a moment he said:
El gal·lès gairebé saltà de la seva cadira. Tot seguit digué:
"It's all plain enough, now. When you talked about notching ears and slitting noses I judged that that was your own embellishment, because white men don't take that sort of revenge. But an Injun! That's a different matter altogether."
-Ara la cosa és ben natural. Quan parlàveu de retallar orelles i de fendir nassos, em pensava que ho agençàveu, perquè els homes blancs no prenen aquestes menes de revenja; però... un indi!... Això és d'un altre paner.
During breakfast the talk went on, and in the course of it the old man said that the last thing which he and his sons had done, before going to bed, was to get a lantern and examine the stile and its vicinity for marks of blood. They found none, but captured a bulky bundle of--
Durant el desdejuni la conversa continuà, i en ella digué el vell que la darrera cosa que havia fet amb els seus fills, abans de colgar-se al llit, era agafar una llanterna i examinar l'entradeta i el seu veïnatge per si hi havia senyals de sang. No en trobaren cap, però capturaren un gros embalum de...
"Of what?"
-De QUÈ?
If the words had been lightning they could not have leaped with a more stunning suddenness from Huck's blanched lips. His eyes were staring wide, now, and his breath suspended--waiting for the answer. The Welshman started--stared in return--three seconds--five seconds--ten--then replied:
Si aquelles paraules haguessin estat un llampec no haurien saltat amb una sobtesa més atarantada dels llavis esblaimats de Huck. Sos ulls eren oberts de bat a bat i son alè suspès, tot esperant la resposta. El gal·lès féu un moviment; mirà, en resposta, de fit a fit... tres segons... cinc segons... Després... després respongué:
"Of burglar's tools. Why, what's the matter with you?"
-D'eines de lladregueria. Bé, què us passa?
Huck sank back, panting gently, but deeply, unutterably grateful. The Welshman eyed him gravely, curiously--and presently said:
Huck es deixà caure enrera, panteixant suaument, però amb pregona, inexpressable satisfacció. El gal·lès el mirà greument, curiosament, i tot seguit digué:
"Yes, burglar's tools. That appears to relieve you a good deal. But what did give you that turn? What were you expecting we'd found?"
-Sí, eines de lladregueria. Sembla que això us lleva un gran pes de sobre. Però per què heu tingut aquell ensust? Què us créieu que trobaríem?
Huck was in a close place--the inquiring eye was upon him--he would have given anything for material for a plausible answer--nothing suggested itself--the inquiring eye was boring deeper and deeper--a senseless reply offered--there was no time to weigh it, so at a venture he uttered it--feebly:
Huck es sentia en lloc estret: l'esguard inquisitiu era al seu damunt: hauria dat qualsevol cosa per tenir el material d'una plausible resposta. No se li acudí res; l'esguard inquisitiu penetrava més i més endins. Se li ocorregué una contestació sense sentit: no hi havia temps de suspesar-la: així és que, a l'atzar, pronuncià, feblement:
"Sunday-school books, maybe."
-Llibres d'escola dominical, potser.
Poor Huck was too distressed to smile, but the old man laughed loud and joyously, shook up the details of his anatomy from head to foot, and ended by saying that such a laugh was money in a-man's pocket, because it cut down the doctor's bill like everything. Then he added:
El pobre Huck estava massa anguniat, per a somriure; però el vell rigué fortament, joiosament; sacsejà els detalls de la seva anatomia de cap a peus, i acabà dient que una rialla com aquella era diner a la butxaca d'un hom, perquè escurçava els comptes del metge com una mala cosa. Després afegí:
"Poor old chap, you're white and jaded--you ain't well a bit--no wonder you're a little flighty and off your balance. But you'll come out of it. Rest and sleep will fetch you out all right, I hope."
-Pobre company! Esteu esblaimat i atuït: teniu posat de malaltejar. No és estrany que estigueu una mica esmaperdut i fora de test. Però ja en sortireu: el descans i la son em penso que us remuntaran d'allò més bé.
Huck was irritated to think he had been such a goose and betrayed such a suspicious excitement, for he had dropped the idea that the parcel brought from the tavern was the treasure, as soon as he had heard the talk at the widow's stile. He had only thought it was not the treasure, however--he had not known that it wasn't--and so the suggestion of a captured bundle was too much for his self-possession. But on the whole he felt glad the little episode had happened, for now he knew beyond all question that that bundle was not the bundle, and so his mind was at rest and exceedingly comfortable. In fact, everything seemed to be drifting just in the right direction, now; the treasure must be still in No. 2, the men would be captured and jailed that day, and he and Tom could seize the gold that night without any trouble or any fear of interruption.
Huck estava enfurit de pensar que havia estat tan bajoc i havia traït una exaltació tan sospitosa. Perquè ell ja havia deixat córrer la idea que el paquet portat de la taverna fos un tresor, tot seguit que va sentir la conversa arran de l'entradeta de la vídua. Només ho havia pensat, que no era el tresor: tanmateix no ho sabia, que no ho fos: així és que la referència a un embalum capturat era massa perquè es pogues contenir. Per tot plegat estava content que aquest episodi hagués esdevingut, perquè ara sabia, fora de tot dubte, que aquell embalum no era l'embalum: així és que el seu magí es trobava en repòs i sobiranament confortable. De fet, tot semblava ben encaminat, ara: el tresor romandria encara al número 2, els homes serien capturats i empresonats aquell dia, i ell i Tom podrien apoderar-se de l'or, aquella nit, sense cap mal de cap o temença d'interrupció.
Just as breakfast was completed there was a knock at the door. Huck jumped for a hiding-place, for he had no mind to be connected even remotely with the late event. The Welshman admitted several ladies and gentlemen, among them the Widow Douglas, and noticed that groups of citizens were climbing up the hill--to stare at the stile. So the news had spread. The Welshman had to tell the story of the night to the visitors. The widow's gratitude for her preservation was outspoken.
Tot just acabat el desdejuni, sonà un tust a la porta. Huck saltà en cerca d'un amagatall, perquè no tenia el propòsit que se'l relacionés, ni d'una manera llunyana, amb el darrer esdeveniment. El gal·lès féu entrar diverses persones dels dos sexes, entre ells la vídua Douglas, i reparà que grups de ciutadans s'enfilaven pel turó, per badar davant l'entradeta. Així, doncs, les noves s'havien escampat. El gal·lès hagué de contar la història de la nit als visitants. La gratitud de la vídua per la seva preservació fou tota expressiva.
"Don't say a word about it, madam. There's another that you're more beholden to than you are to me and my boys, maybe, but he don't allow me to tell his name. We wouldn't have been there but for him."
-No me'n digueu una paraula, senyora. És un altre, ben segur, qui mereix la vostra atenció, més que jo i els meus fills; però no em permet que digui son nom. Mai no hauríem acudit allí si no hagués estat per ell.
Of course this excited a curiosity so vast that it almost belittled the main matter--but the Welshman allowed it to eat into the vitals of his visitors, and through them be transmitted to the whole town, for he refused to part with his secret. When all else had been learned, the widow said:
Naturalment, això excità una curiositat tan vasta que gairebé empetití la matèria principal; però el gal·lès li permeté que rosegués les entranyes de sos visitants, i per ells la comunicà a tota la ciutat, perquè refusà de pendre comiat de son secret. Quan totes les altres coses foren sabudes, la vídua digué:
"I went to sleep reading in bed and slept straight through all that noise. Why didn't you come and wake me?"
-Tot llegint al llit, vaig adormir-me, i vaig anar dormint mentre hi havia tot aquell renou. Per què no vinguéreu a despertar-me?
"We judged it warn't worth while. Those fellows warn't likely to come again--they hadn't any tools left to work with, and what was the use of waking you up and scaring you to death? My three negro men stood guard at your house all the rest of the night. They've just come back."
-Vam creure que no valia la pena. Aquells subjectes no era probable que tornessin; no els restava cap eina per a treballar; i de què hauria servit despertar-vos i dar-vos un espant de mort? Mos tres negres vetllaren la vostra casa tota la resta de la nit. Ara han tornat, tot just.
More visitors came, and the story had to be told and retold for a couple of hours more.
Vingueren més visites, i la història hagué d'ésser dita i redita per espai de dues hores més.
There was no Sabbath-school during day-school vacation, but everybody was early at church. The stirring event was well canvassed. News came that not a sign of the two villains had been yet discovered. When the sermon was finished, Judge Thatcher's wife dropped alongside of Mrs. Harper as she moved down the aisle with the crowd and said:
No hi havia escola dominical durant les vacances de l'escola quotidiana, però tothom va fer d'hora a l'església. L'esdeveniment sensacional fou ben escorcollat. Vingueren noves que no s'havia trobat encara cap rastre dels bergants. Quan el sermó fou acabat, la muller del jutge Thatcher es decantà al costat de la senyora Harper, en anar passadís avall amb la multitud, i digué:
"Is my Becky going to sleep all day? I just expected she would be tired to death."
-Que dormirà tot el dia, la meva Becky? Ja m'ho pensava, que es cansaria de mala manera.
"Your Becky?"
-La vostra Becky?
"Yes," with a startled look--"didn't she stay with you last night?"
-Sí- féu ella amb un esguard astorat. -No ha passat aquesta nit a casa vostra?
"Why, no."
-I ara! No!
Mrs. Thatcher turned pale, and sank into a pew, just as Aunt Polly, talking briskly with a friend, passed by. Aunt Polly said:
La senyora Thatcher s'esblaimà i caigué damunt un banc, mentre la tia Polly, enraonant vivament amb una amiga, passava per allí. La tia Polly digué:
"Goodmorning, Mrs. Thatcher. Goodmorning, Mrs. Harper. I've got a boy that's turned up missing. I reckon my Tom stayed at your house last night--one of you. And now he's afraid to come to church. I've got to settle with him."
-Bon dia, senyora Thatcher. Bon dia, senyora Harper. Em penso que Tom ha estat a casa vostra, aquesta nit; en una de vostres cases. I ara té por de venir a l'església. He de veure el què n'hi ha.
Mrs. Thatcher shook her head feebly and turned paler than ever.
La senyora Thatcher mogué el cap feblement, i encara es tornà més esblaimada.
"He didn't stay with us," said Mrs. Harper, beginning to look uneasy. A marked anxiety came into Aunt Polly's face.
-No ha vingut a casa- digué la senyora Harper començant d'esdevenir intranquila.
Una palesa angúnia aparegué a la cara de la tia Polly.
"Joe Harper, have you seen my Tom this morning?"
-Joe Harper: heu vist el meu Tom, aquest matí?
"No'm."
-No senyora.
"When did you see him last?"
-Quína és, la darrera vegada que l'heu vist?
Joe tried to remember, but was not sure he could say. The people had stopped moving out of church. Whispers passed along, and a boding uneasiness took possession of every countenance. Children were anxiously questioned, and young teachers. They all said they had not noticed whether Tom and Becky were on board the ferryboat on the homeward trip; it was dark; no one thought of inquiring if any one was missing. One young man finally blurted out his fear that they were still in the cave! Mrs. Thatcher swooned away. Aunt Polly fell to crying and wringing her hands.
Joe féu per manera de recordar-se'n, però no estava ben segur de la cosa. La gent s'aturava d'eixir de l'església. Van córrer els murmuris, i una inquieta preocupació s'ensenyorí de tots els posats. Els infants i els mestres joves foren anguniosament interrogats. Tots digueren que no havien reparat si Tom i Becky eren al vaporet en el viatge de retorn. Era fosc. Ningú no havia pensat a esbrinar si algú mancava. Un jove, a la fi, digué barroerament la seva temença que encara fossin a la cova! La senyora Thatcher caigué en basca. La tia Polly es posà a plorar i recargolà les mans.
The alarm swept from lip to lip, from group to group, from street to street, and within five minutes the bells were wildly clanging and the whole town was up! The Cardiff Hill episode sank into instant insignificance, the burglars were forgotten, horses were saddled, skiffs were manned, the ferryboat ordered out, and before the horror was half an hour old, two hundred men were pouring down highroad and river toward the cave.
L'alarma corregué de boca en boca, de grup a grup, de carrer a carrer; i al cap de cinc minuts les campanes sonaven desesperadament, i tot el poble era en peu. L'episodi de Cardiff Hill caigué immediatament en la insignificància. Els lladres foren oblidats, hom ensellà cavalls, hom aparellà bots, hom ordenà que el vaporet sortís, i, abans que l'esglai hagués envellit de mitja hora, dos cents homes s'escampaven, per la carretera i el riu, cap a la cova.
All the long afternoon the village seemed empty and dead. Many women visited Aunt Polly and Mrs. Thatcher and tried to comfort them. They cried with them, too, and that was still better than words. All the tedious night the town waited for news; but when the morning dawned at last, all the word that came was, "Send more candles--and send food." Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. Judge Thatcher sent messages of hope and encouragement from the cave, but they conveyed no real cheer.
Durant tota la tarda cançonera, el poble semblà buid i mort. Moltes dones visitaren la tia Polly i la senyora Thatcher, i provaren de reconfortar-les. Ploraren amb elles, també, i això encara fou millor que les paraules. Durant tota la nit tediosa, el poble esperà noves; però en albejar, finalment, el matí, tots els mots que vingueren foren: -Porteu-nos més candeles, i porteu queviures.- La senyora Thatcher estava gairebé folla, i la tia Polly també. El jutge Thatcher enviava missatges d'esperança i encoratjament, de la cova estant, però no comunicaven pas veritable goig.
The old Welshman came home toward daylight, spattered with candle-grease, smeared with clay, and almost worn out. He found Huck still in the bed that had been provided for him, and delirious with fever. The physicians were all at the cave, so the Widow Douglas came and took charge of the patient. She said she would do her best by him, because, whether he was good, bad, or indifferent, he was the Lord's, and nothing that was the Lord's was a thing to be neglected. The Welshman said Huck had good spots in him, and the widow said:
El vell gal·lès tornà a casa cap a trenc de dia, esquitxat de sèu de candela, empastifat d'argila i gairebé mort. Trobà que Huck era encara al llit que li havia estat destinat, i que la febre el feia delirar. Els metges eren tots a la cova: així és que comparegué la vídua Douglas i s'encarregà del pacient. Digué que faria tot el que podria, perquè, al capdavall, que fos bo, dolent o indiferent, era de Nostre Senyor, i cap cosa de Nostre Senyor no havia d'ésser abandonada. El gal·lès digué que Huck tenia bones qualitats, en el fons, i la vídua digué:
"You can depend on it. That's the Lord's mark. He don't leave it off. He never does. Puts it somewhere on every creature that comes from his hands."
-Podeu refiar-vos-en. Aquesta és la marca de Nostre Senyor. Ell no l'abandona. Mai no l'abandonarà. I aquesta marca la duu tota criatura que ve de les seves mans.
Early in the forenoon parties of jaded men began to straggle into the village, but the strongest of the citizens continued searching. All the news that could be gained was that remotenesses of the cavern were being ransacked that had never been visited before; that every corner and crevice was going to be thoroughly searched; that wherever one wandered through the maze of passages, lights were to be seen flitting hither and thither in the distance, and shoutings and pistol-shots sent their hollow reverberations to the ear down the sombre aisles. In one place, far from the section usually traversed by tourists, the names "BECKY & TOM" had been found traced upon the rocky wall with candle-smoke, and near at hand a grease-soiled bit of ribbon. Mrs. Thatcher recognized the ribbon and cried over it. She said it was the last relic she should ever have of her child; and that no other memorial of her could ever be so precious, because this one parted latest from the living body before the awful death came. Some said that now and then, in the cave, a far-away speck of light would glimmer, and then a glorious shout would burst forth and a score of men go trooping down the echoing aisle--and then a sickening disappointment always followed; the children were not there; it was only a searcher's light.
Pels volts del migdia, colles d'homes aclaparats arribaren al poblet, cada una pel seu cantó; però la gent més forta seguia cercant. Totes les noves no feien sinó dir que havíen estat escorcollades llunyanies de la caverna mai visitades abans; que tot recó i clivella seria completament examinat; que, onsevulla que hom anés a raure, en aquell laberint de passadissos, hom veia llums que voleiaven d'ací d'allí en la distància, i que cridòria i trets de pistola enviaven a la oïda llurs baumades reverberacions per avall de les naus ombrívoles. En un indret, lluny de la banda usualment atravessada pels excursionistes, hom havia trobat les paraules BECKY i TOM damunt la paret de roca, escrites amb fum de candela, i ben a la vora un tros de cinta tacat de sèu. La senyora Thatcher reconegué la cinta i plorà damunt ella. Digué que era l'última relíquia que tindria de la seva filla, i que cap altra memòria d'ella no seria tan preciosa, perquè aquesta fou la darrera que deixà son cos vivent abans que vingués la mort esglaiadora. Alguns digueren que de tant en tant, dins la cova, lluïa una remota llumeneta, i aleshores esclatava una cridòria entusiasmada, i una vintena d'homes anaven, arraïmats, pel ressonant passadís avall; i això sempre acabava amb una atuïdora decepció: no eren allí, els infants: no era sinó el llum d'un que cercava.
Three dreadful days and nights dragged their tedious hours along, and the village sank into a hopeless stupor. No one had heart for anything. The accidental discovery, just made, that the proprietor of the Temperance Tavern kept liquor on his premises, scarcely fluttered the public pulse, tremendous as the fact was. In a lucid interval, Huck feebly led up to the subject of taverns, and finally asked--dimly dreading the worst--if anything had been discovered at the Temperance Tavern since he had been ill.
Tres paorosos dies amb llurs nits anaren arrossegant llurs hores tedioses, i el poblet caigué en una estupor sense esperança: ningú tenia cor per a res. El casual descobriment, tot just realitzat, que el propietari de la Taverna de Temperança servava begudes alcohòliques en el seu local, amb prou feines agità el pols de l'opinió, tot i essent la cosa formidable. En un interval de lucidesa, Huck inicià feblement el tema de les tavernes; i, finalment, demanà, amb una vaga temença que hagués esdevingut la pitjor desgràcia, si hom havia descobert res a la Taverna de Temperança d'ençà que ell havia caigut malalt.
"Yes," said the widow.
-Sí- digué la vídua.
Huck started up in bed, wildeyed:
Huck pegà un bot en el seu llit, amb els ulls esverats.
"What? What was it?"
-Què! Quína cosa?
"Liquor!--and the place has been shut up. Lie down, child--what a turn you did give me!"
-Licors! I la casa ha estat tancada. Ajaieu-vos, minyó. I quín espant m'heu donat!
"Only tell me just one thing--only just one--please! Was it Tom Sawyer that found it?"
-Només digueu-me una cosa, només una, si us plau! Ha estat Tom Sawyer, qui ho ha trobat?
The widow burst into tears. "Hush, hush, child, hush! I've told you before, you must not talk. You are very, very sick!"
La vídua trencà el plor.
-Quietud, quietud, minyó; quietud! Ja us he dit, abans, que no heu de parlar. Esteu molt, molt malalt!
Then nothing but liquor had been found; there would have been a great powwow if it had been the gold. So the treasure was gone forever--gone forever! But what could she be crying about? Curious that she should cry.
Hom no havia trobat altra cosa que licor: hi hauria hagut qui-sap-lo safaretx si hagués estat l'or. Així, doncs, el tresor era perdut per a sempre, per a sempre. Però per què devia plorar, ella? Era curiós, que plorés!
These thoughts worked their dim way through Huck's mind, and under the weariness they gave him he fell asleep. The widow said to herself:
Aquests pensaments s'obriren pas, obscurament, a través del magí de Huck; i, sota el cansament que li causaren, caigué en el son. La vídua va dir-se:
"There--he's asleep, poor wreck. Tom Sawyer find it! Pity but somebody could find Tom Sawyer! Ah, there ain't many left, now, that's got hope enough, or strength enough, either, to go on searching."
-Té, ja dorm, pobre infeliç! Trobar-ho Tom Sawyer! Tant de bó que algú pogués trobar-lo a ell! Ah! No en resten gaires, ara, que encara tinguin prou esperança, o prou força, per a continuar cercant!