早期五早晨，湯姆聽到的第一件事情是條好消息：撒切爾法官一家前天晚上又回到了城裡。現在印第安·喬和那份財寶變得次要了，貝基吸引了這孩子的全部興趣。他見到了她，倆人一起和一群同學捉迷藏，玩“守溝”遊戲，痛快極了。這一天大家玩得特別痛快，另外還有一件事情特別令人愉快：貝基纏着她媽媽，要她答應第二天去野餐，因為她老早答應過的，可一直到現在都沒有兌現。母親同意了。孩子的歡樂無止無境，湯姆也大致如此，太陽沒落山，請帖就送了出去，村裡的年青人立即忙活起來，準備着，激動地等待着這一時刻的到來。湯姆也激動得很晚才睡着，他懷着極大的希望等着聽哈克的“貓”叫，好在第二天野餐時拿出財寶給貝基和參加野餐的人一個驚喜，可他的如意算盤落了空，令他失望的是那天晚上根本沒有任何“貓”叫聲傳來。
THE first thing Tom heard on Friday morning was a glad piece of news--Judge Thatcher's family had come back to town the night before. Both Injun Joe and the treasure sunk into secondary importance for a moment, and Becky took the chief place in the boy's interest. He saw her and they had an exhausting good time playing "hispy" and "gully-keeper" with a crowd of their schoolmates. The day was completed and crowned in a peculiarly satisfactory way: Becky teased her mother to appoint the next day for the long-promised and long-delayed picnic, and she consented. The child's delight was boundless; and Tom's not more moderate. The invitations were sent out before sunset, and straightway the young folks of the village were thrown into a fever of preparation and pleasurable anticipation. Tom's excitement enabled him to keep awake until a pretty late hour, and he had good hopes of hearing Huck's "maow," and of having his treasure to astonish Becky and the picnickers with, next day; but he was disappointed. No signal came that night.
早晨到了，１０點、１１點左右撒切爾法官家門口聚集了一群顛顛狂狂、閙閙哄哄的孩子們，全都準備好了就等出發。大人們照例不參加這樣的野餐以免掃興。因為有幾個１８歲的姑娘和２３歲左右的小伙子加盟，所以孩子們在一起野餐不會出事的。這次他們租了那只老蒸汽渡船，隨後歡樂的人群帶著盛滿吃的東西的籃子排着隊走上大街。希德生病，沒法和大家聯歡，瑪麗留在家中陪他玩。撒切爾夫人臨走時最後對貝基說：
Morning came, eventually, and by ten or eleven o'clock a giddy and rollicking company were gathered at Judge Thatcher's, and everything was ready for a start. It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence. The children were considered safe enough under the wings of a few young ladies of eighteen and a few young gentlemen of twenty-three or thereabouts. The old steam ferry-boat was chartered for the occasion; presently the gay throng filed up the main street laden with provision-baskets. Sid was sick and had to miss the fun; Mary remained at home to entertain him. The last thing Mrs. Thatcher said to Becky, was:
“孩子，要是很晚才回來，你不如到離碼頭很近的女孩家去住。”
"You'll not get back till late. Perhaps you'd better stay all night with some of the girls that live near the ferry-landing, child."
“媽媽，那我就到蘇珊·哈帕家去住。”
"Then I'll stay with Susy Harper, mamma."
“行，到人家注意點，別調皮啊！”
"Very well. And mind and behave yourself and don't be any trouble."
他們走了，路上湯姆對貝基說：
Presently, as they tripped along, Tom said to Becky:
“喂，告訴你，不要去喬·哈帕家，我們直接去爬山，到道格拉斯寡婦家歇腳。她有冰淇淋，几乎每天吃——多得不得了，我們去，她一准喜歡得要命。”
"Say--I'll tell you what we'll do. 'Stead of going to Joe Harper's we'll climb right up the hill and stop at the Widow Douglas'. She'll have ice-cream! She has it most every day--dead loads of it. And she'll be awful glad to have us."
“噢，太有趣了！”
"Oh, that will be fun!"
貝基又想了片刻後說：
Then Becky reflected a moment and said:
“可不知媽媽會怎麼想？”
"But what will mamma say?"
“她不會知道的。”
"How'll she ever know?"
她想了想，不情願地說：
The girl turned the idea over in her mind, and said reluctantly:
“我看這不好，不過……”
"I reckon it's wrong--but--"
“不過個狗屁！你媽媽怎麼知道？不會有事的。她只希望你平安無事，我敢打賭要是她想到這地方，一定早答應讓你去了，我知道她會的！”
"But shucks! Your mother won't know, and so what's the harm? All she wants is that you'll be safe; and I bet you she'd 'a' said go there if she'd 'a' thought of it. I know she would!"
道格拉斯寡婦十分好客，弄得孩子們非常想去，再加上湯姆的巧言，事情終於這麼定下來：他們不向任何人透露有關晚上的行動計劃。湯姆又忽然想到哈克在今晚說不定會來，發出信號。想到這，他的勁頭消了不少。更讓他受不了的是放棄到道格拉斯寡婦家中去玩。為什麼不去呢？他合計着——前天晚上沒有信號，那麼今晚怎麼就偏偏可能有信號呢？財寶遠在天邊，而晚上的玩耍近在眼前。因此他決定大玩一場，等以後再抽時間去想寶箱的事情。
The Widow Douglas' splendid hospitality was a tempting bait. It and Tom's persuasions presently carried the day. So it was decided to say nothing to anybody about the night's programme. Presently it occurred to Tom that maybe Huck might come this very night and give the signal. The thought took a deal of the spirit out of his anticipations. Still he could not bear to give up the fun at Widow Douglas'. And why should he give it up, he reasoned--the signal did not come the night before, so why should it be any more likely to come tonight? The sure fun of the evening outweighed the uncertain treasure; and, boy-like, he determined to yield to the stronger inclination and not allow himself to think of the box of money another time that day.
在離村鎮三英里的地方，渡船在樹木叢生的山谷口靠岸停泊。他們一窩蜂地湧上岸，不久樹林中，高崖處到處都迴蕩着孩子們的歡歌笑語，什麼能讓他們汗流浹背，精疲力盡，他們就玩什麼。漸漸地，那些亂跑的小傢伙回到營地，味口大增，見到好吃的東西就飽餐一頓。飯後，他們在橡樹蔭下休息，邊談話邊恢復體力，後來有人大喊：
Three miles below town the ferryboat stopped at the mouth of a woody hollow and tied up. The crowd swarmed ashore and soon the forest distances and craggy heights echoed far and near with shoutings and laughter. All the different ways of getting hot and tired were gone through with, and by-and-by the rovers straggled back to camp fortified with responsible appetites, and then the destruction of the good things began. After the feast there was a refreshing season of rest and chat in the shade of spreading oaks. By-and-by somebody shouted:
“誰打算到洞裡去玩？”
"Who's ready for the cave?"
大家都準備去。一捆捆蠟燭拿了出來，大家立即歡快地開始爬山。洞口在山坡上——形狀像大寫的字母Ａ。巨大的橡木門沒上門閂，裏邊有個小室，寒氣逼人，四周是天然的石灰岩牆壁，上面水珠晶瑩透亮。站在這黑暗的地方，看著陽光下綠瑩瑩的山谷真是既浪漫，又神秘。很快大家忘卻這裡的美景，又嘻閙起來，蠟燭一點亮，有些人撲上去就搶走，隨後就是一陣英勇的你爭我奪的自衛反擊戰，要不了多久蠟燭要麼被打翻，要麼就被吹滅，接着大家發出一陣哄笑，又開始新的追逐。可是凡事都有個完，隨後大家一個接一個順着主要通道的陡坡往下走，那一排燭光照得高聳的石壁模模糊糊，燭光几乎能達到頭頂上六十英呎兩壁相連的地方。這條主通道寬不過八到十英呎，每隔幾步兩旁就有高聳而又狹窄的通口叉出去，——因為麥克道格拉斯山洞是個通道交錯的大迷宮，不知通往何處，有人說你在這錯綜複雜的裂口和崖縫中一連走上幾晝夜都找不到山洞的盡頭；你盡可以一直往下走，往深處裡去，大迷宮套小迷宮，一個也走不到頭。沒有人真正熟悉這個山洞。要熟悉它是不可能的事情。大多數年青人都知道一點，但習慣上沒人敢再往裏邊多跑一點，湯姆·索亞和別的人一樣也不過只知道一點而已。
Everybody was. Bundles of candles were procured, and straightway there was a general scamper up the hill. The mouth of the cave was up the hillside--an opening shaped like a letter A. Its massive oaken door stood unbarred. Within was a small chamber, chilly as an icehouse, and walled by Nature with solid limestone that was dewy with a cold sweat. It was romantic and mysterious to stand here in the deep gloom and look out upon the green valley shining in the sun. But the impressiveness of the situation quickly wore off, and the romping began again. The moment a candle was lighted there was a general rush upon the owner of it; a struggle and a gallant defence followed, but the candle was soon knocked down or blown out, and then there was a glad clamor of laughter and a new chase. But all things have an end. By-and-by the procession went filing down the steep descent of the main avenue, the flickering rank of lights dimly revealing the lofty walls of rock almost to their point of junction sixty feet overhead. This main avenue was not more than eight or ten feet wide. Every few steps other lofty and still narrower crevices branched from it on either hand--for McDougal's cave was but a vast labyrinth of crooked aisles that ran into each other and out again and led nowhere. It was said that one might wander days and nights together through its intricate tangle of rifts and chasms, and never find the end of the cave; and that he might go down, and down, and still down, into the earth, and it was just the same--labyrinth under labyrinth, and no end to any of them. No man "knew" the cave. That was an impossible thing. Most of the young men knew a portion of it, and it was not customary to venture much beyond this known portion. Tom Sawyer knew as much of the cave as any one.
他們一行人沿主通道大約走了四分之三英里，然後三三兩兩、成群結伴鑽進了叉道，奔跑在陰森的長廊裡，在拐彎的地方時常彼此相互偷襲。小隊的人可以互相閃避，半個小時內不會迷路。
The procession moved along the main avenue some three-quarters of a mile, and then groups and couples began to slip aside into branch avenues, fly along the dismal corridors, and take each other by surprise at points where the corridors joined again. Parties were able to elude each other for the space of half an hour without going beyond the "known" ground.
漸漸地，一組組的人零星地回到洞口，喘着氣，樂滋滋的，從頭到腳，都是蠟燭油，身上蹭滿了泥土，完全沉浸在一天的快樂之中，這時他們吃驚地發現光顧着玩，沒注意時間，天馬上就要黑了。鐘已噹噹地敲了半個小時，這樣結束一天的探險活動很浪漫，因此大家很滿意。當渡船載着興高采烈的遊客啟錨時，除船老大外，沒人有浪費時間的感覺。
By-and-by, one group after another came straggling back to the mouth of the cave, panting, hilarious, smeared from head to foot with tallow drippings, daubed with clay, and entirely delighted with the success of the day. Then they were astonished to find that they had been taking no note of time and that night was about at hand. The clanging bell had been calling for half an hour. However, this sort of close to the day's adventures was romantic and therefore satisfactory. When the ferryboat with her wild freight pushed into the stream, nobody cared sixpence for the wasted time but the captain of the craft.
渡船的燈光一搖一閃從碼頭邊經過時，哈克已經開始守夜了。他沒聽見船上有什麼聲音，那群年青人現在不聲不響，好像累得要命。哈克不知道這是條什麼船，隨後他不再想船的事，專心致志于守夜。晚上起了雲，天色越來越暗，１０點時，車輛的聲音停止了，四處的燈火開始熄滅，行人也都散盡，整個村莊進入了夢鄉，只有這個小傢伙，獨自一人空守寂寞，與魔鬼作伴。１１點鐘，客棧也熄了燈，現在到處一片漆黑。哈克等了很長一段時間，等得乏人，可仍無動靜，他開始動搖了，還守在這裡有什麼用呢？真有用嗎？不如回去睡覺算了。
Huck was already upon his watch when the ferryboat's lights went glinting past the wharf. He heard no noise on board, for the young people were as subdued and still as people usually are who are nearly tired to death. He wondered what boat it was, and why she did not stop at the wharf--and then he dropped her out of his mind and put his attention upon his business. The night was growing cloudy and dark. Ten o'clock came, and the noise of vehicles ceased, scattered lights began to wink out, all straggling foot-passengers disappeared, the village betook itself to its slumbers and left the small watcher alone with the silence and the ghosts. Eleven o'clock came, and the tavern lights were put out; darkness everywhere, now. Huck waited what seemed a weary long time, but nothing happened. His faith was weakening. Was there any use? Was there really any use? Why not give it up and turn in?
突然他聽到了動靜。他立即全神貫注地聽著，小巷的門輕輕關上。他連跑帶跳來到磚廠拐彎的地方，這時兩個男人從他身邊一掠而過，其中一人腋下挾着件東西，一定是寶箱！他們是在轉移財寶啊！現在不能叫湯姆，否則太傻了，那兩個人會逃跑。一旦跑了再也不要指望能找到他們。對，他要盯着他倆，跟在後邊走，靠夜色來掩護自己。哈克心裏邊合計着，邊光着腳溜出去，像貓似的跟在那兩人後頭，離得不遠不近，始終保持着能看見他們就行了。
A noise fell upon his ear. He was all attention in an instant. The alley door closed softly. He sprang to the corner of the brick store. The next moment two men brushed by him, and one seemed to have something under his arm. It must be that box! So they were going to remove the treasure. Why call Tom now? It would be absurd--the men would get away with the box and never be found again. No, he would stick to their wake and follow them; he would trust to the darkness for security from discovery. So communing with himself, Huck stepped out and glided along behind the men, cat-like, with bare feet, allowing them to keep just far enough ahead not to be invisible.
他們順着沿河的街道走了三個街區後，向左轉上了十字街，然後徑直往前來到通向卡第夫山的那條小路。他們又上了這條路，經過半山腰的威爾斯曼的老房子，仍一直往上爬。好吧，哈克心裡想，他們會把寶箱埋在石坑裡。可那兩個人卻經過老石坑，爬上了山頂他們一頭鑽進了茂密的漆樹之間的一條小路，一下子就消失在黑暗中。哈克靠上去縮短了距離，因為那兩人現在絶不會看見他。他小跑一陣，擔心跑得太快；然後又放慢腳步，他向前走了一段路後，就停下來，聽一聽，沒聲音；除他呼呼的心跳聲音外，什麼也聽不到。山那邊傳來貓頭鷹的叫聲——不祥的聲音！可是卻沒有腳步聲。老天啊，什麼都不見了！他正想拔腳去追，這時不到四英呎的地方，有個男人在清嗓子。哈克的心一下子跳到嗓子眼，他強忍着，站在那裡好像打擺子似的直抖，直抖得要摔倒在地上。他知道他在什麼地方。現在他在離道格拉斯寡婦家庭院的階梯口不到五步遠的地方。這很好，就讓他們在這裡埋寶吧，這裡找起來不難。
They moved up the river street three blocks, then turned to the left up a crossstreet. They went straight ahead, then, until they came to the path that led up Cardiff Hill; this they took. They passed by the old Welshman's house, halfway up the hill, without hesitating, and still climbed upward. Good, thought Huck, they will bury it in the old quarry. But they never stopped at the quarry. They passed on, up the summit. They plunged into the narrow path between the tall sumach bushes, and were at once hidden in the gloom. Huck closed up and shortened his distance, now, for they would never be able to see him. He trotted along awhile; then slackened his pace, fearing he was gaining too fast; moved on a piece, then stopped altogether; listened; no sound; none, save that he seemed to hear the beating of his own heart. The hooting of an owl came over the hill--ominous sound! But no footsteps. Heavens, was everything lost! He was about to spring with winged feet, when a man cleared his throat not four feet from him! Huck's heart shot into his throat, but he swallowed it again; and then he stood there shaking as if a dozen agues had taken charge of him at once, and so weak that he thought he must surely fall to the ground. He knew where he was. He knew he was within five steps of the stile leading into Widow Douglas' grounds. Very well, he thought, let them bury it there; it won't be hard to find.
一個聲音傳來，很低很低，是印第安·喬的聲音：
Now there was a voice--a very low voice--Injun Joe's:
“他媽的，她家裡也許有人——這麼晚還亮着燈。”
"Damn her, maybe she's got company--there's lights, late as it is."
“我看不到有什麼燈亮。”
"I can't see any."
這是那個陌生人的聲音——那個閙鬼的房子裡的陌生人。哈克的心一陣冰涼——那麼這就是復仇！他這時的念頭就是一溜煙地逃掉，他突然想起道格拉斯寡婦不止一次地待他很好，這兩個傢伙說不定想謀害她呢？他真希望自己有膽量去向她報個信，可他曉得他不敢那樣做，因為那兩個傢伙可能會來把他逮住。這一切都在他腦子裡飛逝即過，一切都發生在那陌生人和印第安·喬談話的間隙。接着喬說：
This was that stranger's voice--the stranger of the haunted house. A deadly chill went to Huck's heart--this, then, was the "revenge" job! His thought was, to fly. Then he remembered that the Widow Douglas had been kind to him more than once, and maybe these men were going to murder her. He wished he dared venture to warn her; but he knew he didn't dare--they might come and catch him. He thought all this and more in the moment that elapsed between the stranger's remark and Injun Joe's next--which was--
“樹叢擋住了你的視線，往這邊看——這下該看見燈光了吧，對不對？”
"Because the bush is in your way. Now--this way--now you see, don't you?"
“是的，看見了。我覺得確實有外人在那裡，最好別幹了吧。”
"Yes. Well, there is company there, I reckon. Better give it up."
“別幹了，那怎麼行，再說我就要離開這個國家，一去不回頭，如果放棄這次行動，下次連機會都沒有了，我再說一遍，以前已經跟你說過了，我根本不希罕她那幾個小錢，你把錢拿去得了。可她丈夫對我太刻薄了——他多次是那樣凶我——就因為他是治安官，說我是流氓，還不止這些，我說的還不到他對我干的一百萬分之一多。他讓人用馬鞭抽我，像打黑人那樣，就在監獄的前面抽我，讓我在全鎮人面前示眾！挨馬鞭抽，你懂嗎？他死了，倒便宜了他，不過他欠我的我一定要從他女人這裡得回來。”
"Give it up, and I just leaving this country forever! Give it up and maybe never have another chance. I tell you again, as I've told you before, I don't care for her swag--you may have it. But her husband was rough on me--many times he was rough on me--and mainly he was the justice of the peace that jugged me for a vagrant. And that ain't all. It ain't a millionth part of it! He had me horsewhipped!--horsewhipped in front of the jail, like a nigger!--with all the town looking on! Horsewhipped!--do you understand? He took advantage of me and died. But I'll take it out of her."
“啊，可別殺死她！別那麼幹！”
"Oh, don't kill her! Don't do that!"
“殺人！誰說過要殺人？要是他在，我真要殺了他，可不是弄死她。想報復女人，用不着要她的命——那太蠢了，你只要毀她的容就行，你扯開她的鼻孔，把耳朵弄個裂口，讓她看上去像個豬。”
"Kill? Who said anything about killing? I would kill him if he was here; but not her. When you want to get revenge on a woman you don't kill her--bosh! you go for her looks. You slit her nostrils--you notch her ears like a sow!"
“天哪，那可是……”
"By God, that's--"
“收起你的高見！這樣對你最保險。我把她綁在床上，如果她因流血過多而一命嗚呼，那能怪我嗎？就是她死了，我也不會落淚的。老兄，這事你得幫我——看在我的面子上——叫你來就是幹這個——我一個人也許幹不了。你要是縮頭不幹，我就宰了你，明白嗎？要是非宰你不可，那我也要治死那個女人——這樣一來，我想決不會有人知道這事是什麼人干的。”
"Keep your opinion to yourself! It will be safest for you. I'll tie her to the bed. If she bleeds to death, is that my fault? I'll not cry, if she does. My friend, you'll help me in this thing--for my sake--that's why you're here--I mightn't be able alone. If you flinch, I'll kill you. Do you understand that? And if I have to kill you, I'll kill her--and then I reckon nobody'll ever know much about who done this business."
“好，該殺就殺吧，這就去幹。越快越好，我渾身發抖。”
"Well, if it's got to be done, let's get at it. The quicker the better--I'm all in a shiver."
“現在下手？還有外人在也不怕？聽著，你有點可疑，現在不行。得等裏邊的燈滅了才能動手——用不着這樣急。”
"Do it now? And company there? Look here--I'll get suspicious of you, first thing you know. No--we'll wait till the lights are out--there's no hurry."
哈克覺得隨後會有一陣沉默，這種沉默要比任何口頭上說說殺人還要可怕。因此他屏住呼吸，小心翼翼往後退。他每退一步，靠單腿用力，身子先往一邊傾，然後又傾向另一邊，有時差點栽倒，然後小心地站穩腳跟，接着以同樣的方式，冒同樣的危險再挪另一隻腳，就這樣左右輪換着往後退——突然一根小樹枝啪地一聲被踩斷！他憋住氣，聽了聽。沒有異樣的響聲——只有絶對的安靜。他感到謝天謝地，現在他退回到兩堵牆似的綠樹之間的小道上，轉身時非常小心，好像是一艘船在調頭——然後步伐敏捷而又謹慎地往回走去。到了石坑那邊，他覺得安全了，拔腿就跑，一路飛奔。一直跑到威爾斯曼家門口才停下來。他怦怦地敲門，接着老人和他那兩個健壯的兒子從窗戶裡探出頭。
Huck felt that a silence was going to ensue--a thing still more awful than any amount of murderous talk; so he held his breath and stepped gingerly back; planted his foot carefully and firmly, after balancing, one-legged, in a precarious way and almost toppling over, first on one side and then on the other. He took another step back, with the same elaboration and the same risks; then another and another, and--a twig snapped under his foot! His breath stopped and he listened. There was no sound--the stillness was perfect. His gratitude was measureless. Now he turned in his tracks, between the walls of sumach bushes--turned himself as carefully as if he were a ship--and then stepped quickly but cautiously along. When he emerged at the quarry he felt secure, and so he picked up his nimble heels and flew. Down, down he sped, till he reached the Welshman's. He banged at the door, and presently the heads of the old man and his two stalwart sons were thrust from windows.
“怎麼搞的？是誰在敲門？你想幹什麼？”
"What's the row there? Who's banging? What do you want?"
“開門讓我進去——快點！我會全告訴你們。”
"Let me in--quick! I'll tell everything."
“嗯？你是誰？”
"Why, who are you?"
“哈克貝利·費恩——快點，讓我進去！”
"Huckleberry Finn--quick, let me in!"
“確實是哈克貝利·費恩，不過，衝你這名字，不會有很多人家願意開門。孩子們，我們快開門讓他進來，看是什麼麻煩的事情。”
"Huckleberry Finn, indeed! It ain't a name to open many doors, I judge! But let him in, lads, and let's see what's the trouble."
“請別告訴別人說是我講的，”哈克進門就說，“請您務必保密，否則人家一定會要我的命。那寡婦有時對我很好，我一定要講出來，也願意講出來，您可千萬不要對人說是我講的。”
"Please don't ever tell I told you," were Huck's first words when he got in. "Please don't--I'd be killed, sure--but the widow's been good friends to me sometimes, and I want to tell--I will tell if you'll promise you won't ever say it was me."
“哎呀，他確實有事情要講，否則不會這樣的！”老人大聲說，“孩子，說出來吧，這兒沒人會講出去的。”
"By George, he has got something to tell, or he wouldn't act so!" exclaimed the old man; "out with it and nobody here'll ever tell, lad."
三分鐘後，老人和他的兒子帶好武器上了山。他們手裡拿着武器，踮着腳進入了綠樹成蔭的那條小路。哈克跟他們只走到這裡，就沒再往前去。他躲在一塊大圓石後面，靜靜地聽著。經過一陣沉默，哈克等急了，突然傳來爆炸聲和喊聲。
Three minutes later the old man and his sons, well armed, were up the hill, and just entering the sumach path on tiptoe, their weapons in their hands. Huck accompanied them no further. He hid behind a great bowlder and fell to listening. There was a lagging, anxious silence, and then all of a sudden there was an explosion of firearms and a cry.
哈克不等瞭解詳情，跳起來拚命地衝下山坡。
Huck waited for no particulars. He sprang away and sped down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him.