WE slept most all day, and started out at night, a little ways behind a monstrous long raft that was as long going by as a procession. —
我们大部分时间都睡了一整天，而在夜晚出发时，我们离一艘庞大的长筏稍微有些距离，这艘筏子像一大队伍一样长。 —

She had four long sweeps at each end, so we judged she carried as many as thirty men, likely. —
她的两端各有四个长桨，所以我们估计她上面有30个人。 —

She had five big wigwams aboard, wide apart, and an open camp fire in the middle, and a tall flag-pole at each end. —
她上面有五个大的小屋，相互之间间隔很远，中间有一个露天的篝火，两端还有一根高高的旗杆。 —

There was a power of style about her. It AMOUNTED to something being a raftsman on such a craft as that.
她身上有一股气派。在这样一艘艇上当筏工肯定是身份独特的。

We went drifting down into a big bend, and the night clouded up and got hot. —
我们顺流而下进入一个大的弯道，天气开始阴沉起来，变得炎热。 —

The river was very wide, and was walled with solid timber on both sides; —
河流很宽，两岸是一片茂密的实木。 —

you couldn’t see a break in it hardly ever, or a light. —
基本上看不到破口，也看不到灯火。 —

We talked about Cairo, and wondered whether we would know it when we got to it. —
我们谈论着开罗，纳闷着到达那里后我们会不会认得出来。 —

I said likely we wouldn’t, because I had heard say there warn’t but about a dozen houses there, and if they didn’t happen to have them lit up, how was we going to know we was passing a town? —
我说可能认不出来，因为我听人说那里只有大约十几栋房子，如果它们没有亮灯，我们怎么会知道我们经过了一个城镇呢？ —

Jim said if the two big rivers joined together there, that would show. —
吉姆说，如果这两条大河在那里汇合，那将会显示出来。 —

But I said maybe we might think we was passing the foot of an island and coming into the same old river again. —
但我说，也许我们可能会认为我们正在路过一个岛的脚下，又进入了同样的河流。 —

That disturbed Jim – and me too. So the question was, what to do? —
这让吉姆和我都感到不安。所以问题就是，该怎么办？ —

I said, paddle ashore the first time a light showed, and tell them pap was behind, coming along with a trading-scow, and was a green hand at the business, and wanted to know how far it was to Cairo. Jim thought it was a good idea, so we took a smoke on it and waited.
我说，第一次出现光亮时划到岸边，告诉他们帕普在后面，带着一艘交易船，是个新手，想知道离开开罗有多远。吉姆觉得这个主意不错，所以我们就坐下来等着。

There warn’t nothing to do now but to look out sharp for the town, and not pass it without seeing it. He said he’d be mighty sure to see it, because he’d be a free man the minute he seen it, but if he missed it he’d be in a slave country again and no more show for freedom. —
现在除了看紧城镇，不要错过它之外，没有别的事可做。他说他会非常确定地看到它，因为一旦他看到它，他就是一个自由人了，但如果他错过了，他将再次成为奴隶，并且没有释放的机会了。 —

Every little while he jumps up and says:
他每隔一会儿跳起来说：

“Dah she is?”
“那是她吗？”

But it warn’t. It was Jack-o’-lanterns, or lightning bugs; —
但它不是。那是萤火虫； —

so he set down again, and went to watching, same as before. —
所以他又坐下来，继续观察，和之前一样。 —

Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. —
吉姆说，靠近自由使他感到颤抖和发烧。 —

Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he WAS most free – and who was to blame for it? —
唉，我告诉你，当我听他说这话时，我也感到全身颤抖和发烧，因为我开始明白他几乎已经自由了，这一切怪谁呢？ —

Why, ME. I couldn’t get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. —
恩，怪我。无论如何，我都无法从我的良心中摆脱这一点。 —

It got to troubling me so I couldn’t rest; I couldn’t stay still in one place. —
它让我无法安息，无法停留在一个地方。 —

It hadn’t ever come home to me before, what this thing was that I was doing. But now it did; —
这件事之前从未真正意识到，但现在我明白了； —

and it stayed with me, and scorched me more and more. —
它一直与我同在，越来越烧灼着我。 —

I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; —
我试着对自己说，不怪我，因为我没有将吉姆赶走，使他离开他的合法主人； —

but it warn’t no use, conscience up and says, every time, “But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody.” —
但是没有用，良心总是声称，“但是你知道他为了自由而逃跑，你本可以划船上岸告诉别人。” —

That was so – I couldn’t get around that noway. That was where it pinched. —
就是这样 - 我无论如何都无法摆脱这一点。这就是我的痛处。 —

Conscience says to me, “What had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? —
内心告诉我：“怎么会让你看着属于可怜的沃森小姐的黑奴就这样跑了，你竟然一句话都没有说？“ —

What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean? —
那个可怜的老妇人对你来说做了什么，竟然让你如此恶劣对待她？ —

Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how. —
你知道她曾努力教你读书，教你礼仪，以各种方式对你好。 —

THAT’S what she done.”
那就是她所做的。”

I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead. —
我感到非常可耻和痛苦，几乎希望自己已经死了。 —

I fidgeted up and down the raft, abusing myself to myself, and Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. —
我在木筏上来回烦躁，自言自语地责备自己，而吉姆也在我身边焦躁不安地来回走动。 —

We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, “Dah’s Cairo!” —
我们俩都无法保持安静。每次他跳来跳去说着“那就是开罗！”时， —

it went through me like a shot, and I thought if it WAS Cairo I reckoned I would die of miserableness.
我就像中了一枪一样，我想，如果那真的是开罗，我大概会因为极度痛苦而死去。

Jim talked out loud all the time while I was talking to myself. —
我自言自语的时候，吉姆一直大声地说话。 —

He was saying how the first thing he would do when he got to a free State he would go to saving up money and never spend a single cent, and when he got enough he would buy his wife, which was owned on a farm close to where Miss Watson lived; —
他说，当他进入一个自由州时，他会开始积攒钱，从不花一分钱，等存够了钱就会买下他的妻子，她被卖到了靠近Mis Watson住的农场上。 —

and then they would both work to buy the two children, and if their master wouldn’t sell them, they’d get an Ab’litionist to go and steal them.
然后他们会一起努力工作来买下两个孩子，如果他们的主人不愿意卖，他们会找一个废奴主义者来偷走他们。

It most froze me to hear such talk. He wouldn’t ever dared to talk such talk in his life before. —
听到这样的话，我简直惊呆了。在以前，他从未敢这样说过。 —

Just see what a difference it made in him the minute he judged he was about free. —
只要他觉得自己快要自由了，他立刻就发生了天翻地覆的变化。 —

It was according to the old saying, “Give a nigger an inch and he’ll take an ell.” —
就像那句老话说的，“给黑奴一寸，他们会取走一码”。 —

Thinks I, this is what comes of my not thinking. —
我想，这就是我没有好好思考所带来的结果。 —

Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children – children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know; —
竟然这个黑奴，我几乎是帮他逃跑的，居然直截了当地说要偷走他的孩子-孩子属于一个我甚至都不认识的人； —

a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm.
一个从来没有伤害过我的人。

I was sorry to hear Jim say that, it was such a lowering of him. —
我听到吉姆那样说实在很遗憾，这让他降低了身份。 —

My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it, “Let up on me – it ain’t too late yet – I’ll paddle ashore at the first light and tell.” —
我的良心越来越激动，一直到最后，我对它说：“别再纠缠我了——现在还不算晚——我会在天亮时划到岸边去告诉别人。” —

I felt easy and happy and light as a feather right off. All my troubles was gone. —
我感到轻松、快乐，如同舍去了千斤重的包袱。 —

I went to looking out sharp for a light, and sort of singing to myself. —
我开始密切注意是否有灯光，同时还在自己唱着小曲。 —

By and by one showed. Jim sings out:
过了一会儿，的确有一点灯光出现了。吉姆大声喊道：

“We’s safe, Huck, we’s safe! Jump up and crack yo’ heels! —
“哈克，我们安全了，我们安全了！站起来，扬起你的脚！ —

Dat’s de good ole Cairo at las’, I jis knows it!”
看，那是我们最终目标的开罗港！”

I says:
我说：

“I’ll take the canoe and go and see, Jim. It mightn’t be, you know.”
“我要划着小船过去看看，吉姆。也许不是我们要找的地方，你知道的。”

He jumped and got the canoe ready, and put his old coat in the bottom for me to set on, and give me the paddle; —
他跳起来，准备好小船，把他的旧外套放在底下给我坐，递给我桨。 —

and as I shoved off, he says:
当我划开的时候，他说道：

“Pooty soon I’ll be a-shout’n’ for joy, en I’ll say, it’s all on accounts o’ Huck; —
“很快我会喜上眉梢，然后我会说，这全都要归功于哈克； —

I’s a free man, en I couldn’t ever ben free ef it hadn’ ben for Huck; Huck done it. —
我是一个自由人了，如果不是哈克，我永远都不会自由。哈克办到了。” —

Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de ONLY fren’ ole Jim’s got now.”
吉姆永远不会忘记你，哈克；你是吉姆有过的最好的朋友，也是吉姆唯一的朋友。

I was paddling off, all in a sweat to tell on him; —
我划着船，上气不接下气地打算告诉别人关于他的事。 —

but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me. —
但是当他说了这句话后，我好像一下子没有了勇气。 —

I went along slow then, and I warn’t right down certain whether I was glad I started or whether I warn’t. —
我慢慢地前进，我不确定我是否应该高兴我开始了还是不该开始。 —

When I was fifty yards off, Jim says:
当我离开五十码远的时候，吉姆说：

“Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on’y white genlman dat ever kep’ his promise to ole Jim.”
“哈克，你是那个忠诚的老朋友；你是唯一一个对吉姆忠诚的白人绅士。

Well, I just felt sick. But I says, I GOT to do it – I can’t get OUT of it. —
好吧，我感到非常不舒服。但是我说，我必须做这件事——我没法逃避。 —

Right then along comes a skiff with two men in it with guns, and they stopped and I stopped. One of them says:
就在这时，一艘带着两个拿枪的人的小船过来了，他们停下，而我也停下了。其中一个人说：

“What’s that yonder?”
“那边是什么东西？”

“A piece of a raft,” I says.
“是个木筏的碎片，” 我说。

“Do you belong on it?”
“你是它上面的人吗？”

“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”

“Any men on it?”
“上面有人吗？”

“Only one, sir.”
“只有一个，先生。”

“Well, there’s five niggers run off to-night up yonder, above the head of the bend. —
“好吧，今晚有五个黑人从弯道的上面逃走了。 —

Is your man white or black?”
你的男人是白人还是黑人？

I didn’t answer up prompt. I tried to, but the words wouldn’t come. —
我没有及时回答。我尝试了，但话不由己出口。 —

I tried for a second or two to brace up and out with it, but I warn’t man enough – hadn’t the spunk of a rabbit. —
我试着支撑了一两秒钟，但我没有足够的勇气，像只兔子一样怂了。 —

I see I was weakening; so I just give up trying, and up and says:
我看出我开始软弱了，所以我放弃了尝试，然后说道：

“He’s white.”
“他是白人。”

“I reckon we’ll go and see for ourselves.”
“我想我们得自己去看看。”

“I wish you would,” says I, “because it’s pap that’s there, and maybe you’d help me tow the raft ashore where the light is. —
“我希望你们能去，”我说，“因为那里有我的爸爸，也许你们可以帮我把木筏拖到靠近灯光的地方。 —

He’s sick – and so is mam and Mary Ann.”
他病了——妈妈和玛丽安也是。”

“Oh, the devil! we’re in a hurry, boy. But I s’pose we’ve got to. —
“哦，见鬼！我们在赶时间，孩子。但我猜我们得去。 —

Come, buckle to your paddle, and let’s get along.”
快点，抓紧你的桨，咱们赶紧走吧。

I buckled to my paddle and they laid to their oars. When we had made a stroke or two, I says:
我抓住我的桨，他们用力划着桨。我们划了几下后，我说道：

“Pap’ll be mighty much obleeged to you, I can tell you. —
“我爸爸会非常感激你们的，我告诉你们。 —

Everybody goes away when I want them to help me tow the raft ashore, and I can’t do it by myself.”
当我需要别人帮我把木筏拖上岸的时候，每个人都离开了，我自己没办法。

“Well, that’s infernal mean. Odd, too. Say, boy, what’s the matter with your father?”
“唔，那可够恶心的。还有点怪异。听着，孩子，你爸爸怎么了？”

“It’s the – a – the – well, it ain’t anything much.”
“这是一种……一个……一个……嗯，它并不算什么特别的东西。”

They stopped pulling. It warn’t but a mighty little ways to the raft now. One says:
他们停止了拉船。离筏子只有很短的距离了。

“Boy, that’s a lie. What IS the matter with your pap? —
“孩子，那是个谎言。你爸爸到底怎么了？” —

Answer up square now, and it’ll be the better for you.”
快答话，对你有好处的。

“I will, sir, I will, honest – but don’t leave us, please. —
“我会的，先生，我会的，老实说——但请不要离开我们。” —

It’s the – the – Gentlemen, if you’ll only pull ahead, and let me heave you the headline, you won’t have to come a-near the raft – please do.”
是那个——先生们，只要你们继续前进，让我把头绳扔给你们，就不用靠近筏子了——求求你们了。”

“Set her back, John, set her back!” says one. They backed water. “Keep away, boy – keep to looard. —
“往后划，约翰，往后划！”有人说。他们逆流而退。“离开点，孩子——往左走。” —

Confound it, I just expect the wind has blowed it to us. —
“见鬼，我觉得是风给我们吹来了。” —

Your pap’s got the small-pox, and you know it precious well. —
“你爸爸得了天花，你十分清楚。” —

Why didn’t you come out and say so? Do you want to spread it all over?”
“你为什么不直接说呢？你想把它传遍吗？”

“Well,” says I, a-blubbering, “I’ve told everybody before, and they just went away and left us.”
“唉，”我抽泣着说，“我以前告诉过每个人，他们都走开了。”

“Poor devil, there’s something in that. We are right down sorry for you, but we – well, hang it, we don’t want the small-pox, you see. —
“可怜的家伙，这中间肯定有原因。我们为你难过，但是唉，我们可不想得上天花，你知道的。” —

Look here, I’ll tell you what to do. Don’t you try to land by yourself, or you’ll smash everything to pieces. —
听着，我会告诉你该怎么做。你别试图自己着陆，否则一切都会摧毁。 —

You float along down about twenty miles, and you’ll come to a town on the left-hand side of the river. —
你沿着河流大约漂行20英里，就会来到河左岸的一个小镇。 —

It will be long after sun-up then, and when you ask for help you tell them your folks are all down with chills and fever. —
那时太阳已经升起了很久，当你寻求帮助时告诉他们你的家人都得了寒热。 —

Don’t be a fool again, and let people guess what is the matter. —
别再傻了，不要让别人猜测出问题出在哪里。 —

Now we’re trying to do you a kindness; so you just put twenty miles between us, that’s a good boy. —
现在我们正想帮你一个忙，所以你就和我们保持20英里的距离，好孩子。 —

It wouldn’t do any good to land yonder where the light is – it’s only a wood-yard. —
要是你着陆到那个灯光所在的地方，没什么好处——那只是一个堆木场。 —

Say, I reckon your father’s poor, and I’m bound to say he’s in pretty hard luck. —
听说你父亲很穷，我得说他的运气相当不好。 —

Here, I’ll put a twentydollar gold piece on this board, and you get it when it floats by. —
看这里，我在这块木板上放了一个二十美元的金币，当它漂过时你就可以拿到。 —

I feel mighty mean to leave you; but my kingdom! —
我离开你心里也觉得不好受，可是我的王国啊！ —

it won’t do to fool with small-pox, don’t you see?”
千万别玩弄天花，你明白吗？

“Hold on, Parker,” says the other man, “here’s a twenty to put on the board for me. —
“等等，帕克，”另一个人说，”这是我在木板上放的一个二十美元，代表我的意思。 —

Good-bye, boy; you do as Mr. Parker told you, and you’ll be all right.”
再见，孩子；按照帕克先生告诉你的去做，你会没问题的。

“That’s so, my boy – good-bye, good-bye. —
是的，孩子，再见，再见。 —

If you see any runaway niggers you get help and nab them, and you can make some money by it.”
如果你看到有逃跑的黑奴，就寻求帮助并抓住他们，你可以靠此赚钱。

“Good-bye, sir,” says I; “I won’t let no runaway niggers get by me if I can help it.”
“再见，先生，” 我说；”只要我能帮助，我不会让任何逃跑的黑奴溜走的。

They went off and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong, and I see it warn’t no use for me to try to learn to do right; —
他们走了，我上了木筏，感到很难过和失落，因为我知道我做错了事，而且我明白努力学好并没有用； —

a body that don’t get STARTED right when he’s little ain’t got no show – when the pinch comes there ain’t nothing to back him up and keep him to his work, and so he gets beat. —
一个小时的人，小时候不会立刻开始要好，关键时刻没有什么能够支持他保持他的工作，结果就是失败。 —

Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on; —
然后我思考了一会儿，对自己说，稍等； —

s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now? —
假设你做对了，放弃了吉姆，你会比现在感觉更好吗？ —

No, says I, I’d feel bad – I’d feel just the same way I do now. —
不会，我说，我会感到糟糕–我会和现在一样感觉。 —

Well, then, says I, what’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same? —
那么，我就说，学会做对事情有什么用呢？做对事情很麻烦，而做错事一点也不麻烦，而且工资还是一样的。 —

I was stuck. I couldn’t answer that. So I reckoned I wouldn’t bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time.
我陷入了困惑。我无法回答那个问题。所以我想我以后就不再费心了，每次都随手做最方便的事情。

I went into the wigwam; Jim warn’t there. I looked all around; he warn’t anywhere. I says:
我走进小屋，吉姆不在那里。我四处看了看，他哪里也没有。我说：

“Jim!”
“吉姆！”

“Here I is, Huck. Is dey out o’ sight yit? Don’t talk loud.”
“我在这里，哈克。他们看不见了吗？别大声说话。”

He was in the river under the stern oar, with just his nose out. —
他在船尾桨下的河里，只露出鼻子。 —

I told him they were out of sight, so he come aboard. He says:
我告诉他他们看不见了，所以他上船了。他说：

“I was a-listenin’ to all de talk, en I slips into de river en was gwyne to shove for sho’ if dey come aboard. —
“我一直在听他们说话，我溜进了河里，如果他们上船的话我就准备驶离。他们走后，我打算再游回筏上去。但天哪，你是如何愚弄他们的，哈克！ —

Den I was gwyne to swim to de raf’ agin when dey was gone. But lawsy, how you did fool ‘em, Huck! —
这真是个聪明的障眼法！孩子，我相信你救了老吉姆-老吉姆是不会忘记你的，亲爱的。” —

Dat WUZ de smartes’ dodge! I tell you, chile, I’spec it save’ ole Jim – ole Jim ain’t going to forgit you for dat, honey.”
就是这个聪明的伎俩！我告诉你，孩子，这个救了老吉姆–老吉姆不会忘记你的，亲爱的。

Then we talked about the money. It was a pretty good raise – twenty dollars apiece. —
然后我们谈论了钱的事。涨薪挺不错的——每人二十美元。 —

Jim said we could take deck passage on a steamboat now, and the money would last us as far as we wanted to go in the free States. —
吉姆说我们现在可以乘坐汽船的甲板舱，这笔钱能让我们去自由州想去的任何地方。 —

He said twenty mile more warn’t far for the raft to go, but he wished we was already there.
他说再走二十英里对于木筏来说不算远，但他希望我们已经到了那里。

Towards daybreak we tied up, and Jim was mighty particular about hiding the raft good. —
天快亮的时候，我们把木筏停了下来，吉姆特别小心地藏好了它。 —

Then he worked all day fixing things in bundles, and getting all ready to quit rafting.
然后他整天都在整理东西，准备好全面停止木筏运行。

That night about ten we hove in sight of the lights of a town away down in a left-hand bend.
那天晚上大约十点，我们看到了一个镇子的灯光，它在一个左弯中远远可见。

I went off in the canoe to ask about it. Pretty soon I found a man out in the river with a skiff, setting a trotline. —
我划着独木舟过去打听。很快，我在河中发现了一个人，他用一条小船在布置一个张网。 —

I ranged up and says:
我靠近他说道：

“Mister, is that town Cairo?”
“先生，那个镇子是开罗吗？”

“Cairo? no. You must be a blame’ fool.”
“开罗？不是。你一定是该死的傻瓜。”

“What town is it, mister?”
“那是哪个镇子，先生？”

“If you want to know, go and find out. If you stay here botherin’ around me for about a half a minute longer you’ll get something you won’t want.”
“如果你想知道，去打听一下。如果你还在这里困扰我再多半分钟，你将得到你不想要的东西。”

I paddled to the raft. Jim was awful disappointed, but I said never mind, Cairo would be the next place, I reckoned.
我划船到了筏上。吉姆非常失望，但我说无所谓，开罗将是下一个地方，我估计。

We passed another town before daylight, and I was going out again; —
天亮之前，我们经过了另一个城镇，我又想再出去； —

but it was high ground, so I didn’t go. No high ground about Cairo, Jim said. I had forgot it. —
但那是高地，所以我没有去。吉姆说，开罗周围没有高地。我忘了这个。 —

We laid up for the day on a towhead tolerable close to the left-hand bank. —
我们在一个离左岸相当近的沙洲停了一天。 —

I begun to suspicion something. So did Jim. I says:
我开始怀疑起来。吉姆也是。我说：

“Maybe we went by Cairo in the fog that night.”
“也许那天晚上我们在雾中错过了开罗。”

He says:
他说：

“Doan’ le’s talk about it, Huck. Po’ niggers can’t have no luck. —
“别说这个了，哈克。可怜的黑人没什么好运。 —

I awluz ‘spected dat rattlesnake-skin warn’t done wid its work.”
我一直觉得那块响尾蛇皮还没完事呢。”

“I wish I’d never seen that snake-skin, Jim – I do wish I’d never laid eyes on it.”
“我真希望我从来没见过那块蛇皮，吉姆 - 我真希望我没看见它。”

“It ain’t yo’ fault, Huck; you didn’ know. Don’t you blame yo’self ‘bout it.”
“这不是你的错，哈克；你不知道。别责怪自己。”

When it was daylight, here was the clear Ohio water inshore, sure enough, and outside was the old regular Muddy! —
天亮时，岸边确实是清澈的俄亥俄河水，而外面则是那老旧的浑浊河水！ —

So it was all up with Cairo.
所以开罗完蛋了。

We talked it all over. It wouldn’t do to take to the shore; —
我们把这事都讨论了一遍。不能靠岸； —

we couldn’t take the raft up the stream, of course. —
当然，我们不能让筏子顺流而上。 —

There warn’t no way but to wait for dark, and start back in the canoe and take the chances. —
别无选择只能等到天黑，然后坐着独木舟倒回去，碰碰运气。 —

So we slept all day amongst the cottonwood thicket, so as to be fresh for the work, and when we went back to the raft about dark the canoe was gone!
所以我们整天都在棉杉丛中睡觉，以便为工作保持清醒。当我们在天黑之后回到筏子时，独木舟不见了！

We didn’t say a word for a good while. There warn’t anything to say. —
有好一阵子我们一言不发。什么都没有可说的。 —

We both knowed well enough it was some more work of the rattlesnake-skin; —
我们俩都太清楚这是蛇皮的又一次恶作剧。 —

so what was the use to talk about it? It would only look like we was finding fault, and that would be bound to fetch more bad luck – and keep on fetching it, too, till we knowed enough to keep still.
所以谈论有什么用呢？那只会像我们在找茬，那只会招来更多的厄运 - 还要继续招来直到我们懂得保持沉默。

By and by we talked about what we better do, and found there warn’t no way but just to go along down with the raft till we got a chance to buy a canoe to go back in. —
不久之后我们讨论了该怎么办，发现除了继续沿着筏子下游直到有机会买一条独木舟回去外，别无他法。 —

We warn’t going to borrow it when there warn’t anybody around, the way pap would do, for that might set people after us.
我们可不想在没有人的时候借独木舟，那种做法可能会惹来人们的追捕。

So we shoved out after dark on the raft.
所以我们在天黑后推开筏子出发了。

Anybody that don’t believe yet that it’s foolishness to handle a snake-skin, after all that that snake-skin done for us, will believe it now if they read on and see what more it done for us.
任何不相信触摸蛇皮是愚蠢的人，在看到蛇皮对我们还做了什么之后，现在会相信了。

The place to buy canoes is off of rafts laying up at shore. But we didn’t see no rafts laying up; —
购买独木舟的地方是靠岸边的筏子上，但我们没有看到靠岸的筏子。 —

so we went along during three hours and more. —
所以我们一直走了三个多小时。 —

Well, the night got gray and ruther thick, which is the next meanest thing to fog. —
夜晚变得阴沉而浓厚，这是仅次于雾的恶劣情况。 —

You can’t tell the shape of the river, and you can’t see no distance. —
你无法看清河流的形状，也无法看到远处。 —

It got to be very late and still, and then along comes a steamboat up the river. —
天已经很晚了，一片寂静，然后一艘汽船沿着河流驶来。 —

We lit the lantern, and judged she would see it. Up-stream boats didn’t generly come close to us; —
我们点亮了灯笼，觉得她应该能看见。上游的船通常不会靠近我们； —

they go out and follow the bars and hunt for easy water under the reefs; —
它们会驶出去，在暗礁下寻找易水。 —

but nights like this they bull right up the channel against the whole river.
但是像这样的夜晚，他们会顶住整个河流直往上游开。

We could hear her pounding along, but we didn’t see her good till she was close. —
我们能听到她的轰鸣声，但直到她靠近我们才看清楚。 —

She aimed right for us. Often they do that and try to see how close they can come without touching; —
她正朝我们开过来。他们经常这样做，试图看能靠多近而不碰到； —

sometimes the wheel bites off a sweep, and then the pilot sticks his head out and laughs, and thinks he’s mighty smart. —
有时候船轮会咬断扫帚，然后船长探出头来笑，觉得自己很聪明。 —

Well, here she comes, and we said she was going to try and shave us; —
好了，她来了，我们说她要试图透过我们旁边擦过去； —

but she didn’t seem to be sheering off a bit. —
但她似乎没有稍微偏转一点。 —

She was a big one, and she was coming in a hurry, too, looking like a black cloud with rows of glow-worms around it; —
她是一艘大船，而且还来得很匆忙，看起来像一个黑云，周围有一排萤火虫。 —

but all of a sudden she bulged out, big and scary, with a long row of wide-open furnace doors shining like red-hot teeth, and her monstrous bows and guards hanging right over us. —
但突然她猛地膨胀起来，又大又可怕，一排敞开的火炉门像炽热的牙齿一样闪闪发光，她那庞大的船头和护板就悬挂在我们头顶上方。 —

There was a yell at us, and a jingling of bells to stop the engines, a powwow of cussing, and whistling of steam – and as Jim went overboard on one side and I on the other, she come smashing straight through the raft.
有人大喊着对我们喊话，随即停止了发动机，一阵咒骂和蒸汽的吹响声此起彼伏。当吉姆从一边跌入水中时，我也从另一边跳下去，她直接径直地撞到了木筏上。

I dived – and I aimed to find the bottom, too, for a thirty-foot wheel had got to go over me, and I wanted it to have plenty of room. —
我跳入水中 - 并且我打算找到底部，因为有一个长达三十英尺的车轮要从我身上经过，所以我需要足够的空间。 —

I could always stay under water a minute; this time I reckon I stayed under a minute and a half. —
我通常可以在水下停留一分钟；这一次我想我呆了将近一分半钟。 —

Then I bounced for the top in a hurry, for I was nearly busting. —
然后我匆忙地向上跳，因为我差点憋炸了。 —

I popped out to my armpits and blowed the water out of my nose, and puffed a bit. —
我从水面中露出了肩膀，把水从鼻子里吹出来，稍微喘了一口气。 —

Of course there was a booming current; and of course that boat started her engines again ten seconds after she stopped them, for they never cared much for raftsmen; —
当然有一个湍急的水流；当然，那条船在停下十秒钟后就又开动了引擎，因为他们对筏工们并不在乎； —

so now she was churning along up the river, out of sight in the thick weather, though I could hear her.
所以现在她正在沿着河流翻滚前进，在浓雾中看不见，尽管我能听到她的声音。

I sung out for Jim about a dozen times, but I didn’t get any answer; —
我高声呼喊了吉姆大约十几次，但没有得到任何答复； —

so I grabbed a plank that touched me while I was “treading water,” and struck out for shore, shoving it ahead of me. —
所以当我在“踩水”时，我抓住了一块碰到我的木板，用它推着前进朝着岸边游去。 —

But I made out to see that the drift of the current was towards the lefthand shore, which meant that I was in a crossing; —
但我发现水流的漂移是朝着左边的岸边，这意味着我现在正处于一个渡口； —

so I changed off and went that way.
所以我改变了方向，向那边游去。

It was one of these long, slanting, two-mile crossings; so I was a good long time in getting over. —
这是一次长达两英里的斜穿越；所以我花了很长时间才过去。 —

I made a safe landing, and clumb up the bank. —
我安全着陆，爬上了河岸。 —

I couldn’t see but a little ways, but I went poking along over rough ground for a quarter of a mile or more, and then I run across a big old-fashioned double log-house before I noticed it. —
我视野只能看到一点点，但我在崎岖的地上走了大约四分之一英里或更多，然后我才注意到在前面有一座又大又老式的双层原木房子。 —

I was going to rush by and get away, but a lot of dogs jumped out and went to howling and barking at me, and I knowed better than to move another peg.
我本打算匆匆走开，但是许多狗突然冲出来，开始对我嗥叫和吠叫，我确信最好不再移动一步。