WE went tiptoeing along a path amongst the trees back towards the end of the widow’s garden, stooping down so as the branches wouldn’t scrape our heads. —
我们踮起脚尖沿着树林中的小径悄悄地走回寡妇花园的尽头，弯下腰以免树枝刮到我们的头。 —

When we was passing by the kitchen I fell over a root and made a noise. —
当我们经过厨房时，我被一根根树根绊倒发出了声音。 —

We scrouched down and laid still. Miss Watson’s big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; —
我们蹲了下来，保持安静。叫做吉姆的华生小姐的大个子黑人坐在厨房门口； —

we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him. —
我们能够清楚地看见他，因为他背后有一盏灯光。 —

He got up and stretched his neck out about a minute, listening. Then he says:
他站起身来，伸出脖子，静静地倾听了大约一分钟。然后他说：

“Who dah?”
“谁在那里？”

He listened some more; then he come tiptoeing down and stood right between us; —
他听了一会儿，然后蹑手蹑脚地走下来，站在我们中间； —

we could a touched him, nearly. Well, likely it was minutes and minutes that there warn’t a sound, and we all there so close together. —
我们几乎能够碰到他。好吧，可能已经有几分钟了，没有任何声音，我们都站得那么近。 —

There was a place on my ankle that got to itching, but I dasn’t scratch it; —
我的脚踝上有一个痒起来的地方，但是我不敢挠它； —

and then my ear begun to itch; and next my back, right between my shoulders. —
然后我的耳朵开始痒了；接着是我的背部，正好在我的肩膀之间。 —

Seemed like I’d die if I couldn’t scratch. Well, I’ve noticed that thing plenty times since. —
感觉好像如果我不能挠一下，我就会死掉。好吧，我早就注意到这种情况很多次了。 —

If you are with the quality, or at a funeral, or trying to go to sleep when you ain’t sleepy – if you are anywheres where it won’t do for you to scratch, why you will itch all over in upwards of a thousand places. —
如果你身处优质场合、葬礼现场或者试图入睡却不困的时候，如果你在任何地方都不能挠痒，那你就会感到浑身上下无数个地方发痒。 —

Pretty soon Jim says:
不久之后，吉姆说道：

“Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn’ hear sumf’n. —
“喂，你是谁？你在哪？我真的听到了什么声音。” —

Well, I know what I’s gwyne to do: I’s gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it agin.”
好吧，我知道我要做什么了：我要坐在这里，听到再次听到它。

So he set down on the ground betwixt me and Tom. He leaned his back up against a tree, and stretched his legs out till one of them most touched one of mine. —
于是他坐在地上，夹在我和汤姆之间。他靠在一棵树上，把腿伸直，几乎碰到了我的腿。 —

My nose begun to itch. It itched till the tears come into my eyes. But I dasn’t scratch. —
我的鼻子开始发痒。痒得我眼泪都流了出来。但是我不敢挠。 —

Then it begun to itch on the inside. Next I got to itching underneath. —
然后里面开始发痒。接下来我开始下面也痒了。 —

I didn’t know how I was going to set still. —
我不知道我怎么能保持静止不动。 —

This miserableness went on as much as six or seven minutes; but it seemed a sight longer than that. —
这种痛苦已经持续了六七分钟了，但感觉比那还要长。 —

I was itching in eleven different places now. —
我现在在十一个不同的地方都感到痒了。 —

I reckoned I couldn’t stand it more’n a minute longer, but I set my teeth hard and got ready to try. Just then Jim begun to breathe heavy; —
我认为我再也不能忍受超过一分钟了，但我咬紧牙关，准备尝试。就在那时，吉姆开始呼吸急促; —

next he begun to snore – and then I was pretty soon comfortable again.
接着他开始打鼾——很快我又感到舒适了。

Tom he made a sign to me – kind of a little noise with his mouth – and we went creeping away on our hands and knees. —
汤姆对我做了个手势——用嘴发出一点声音——我们就手脚并用地爬行了起来。 —

When we was ten foot off Tom whispered to me, and wanted to tie Jim to the tree for fun. —
当我们离得有十英尺远时，汤姆对我耳语，并想把吉姆绑在树上玩笑。 —

But I said no; he might wake and make a disturbance, and then they’d find out I warn’t in. —
但我说不行;他可能会醒来并制造骚动，然后他们就会发现我不在。 —

Then Tom said he hadn’t got candles enough, and he would slip in the kitchen and get some more. —
然后汤姆说他没带足够的蜡烛，他要溜进厨房再去拿一些。 —

I didn’t want him to try. I said Jim might wake up and come. But Tom wanted to resk it; —
我不想让他尝试。我说吉姆可能会醒来过来。但是汤姆想冒险; —

so we slid in there and got three candles, and Tom laid five cents on the table for pay. —
所以我们溜了进去，拿了三支蜡烛，然后汤姆在桌子上放了五分钱作为报酬。 —

Then we got out, and I was in a sweat to get away; —
然后我们出去了，我出了一身汗，想要离开; —

but nothing would do Tom but he must crawl to where Jim was, on his hands and knees, and play something on him. —
但汤姆坚持要匍匐前去找吉姆，用手脚爬行，并对他开个玩笑。 —

I waited, and it seemed a good while, everything was so still and lonesome.
我等待着，好像已经过了好一会儿，一切都如此寂静和孤独。

As soon as Tom was back we cut along the path, around the garden fence, and by and by fetched up on the steep top of the hill the other side of the house. —
汤姆一回来，我们就顺着小路走，绕过花园篱笆，不久来到了房子另一边陡峭的山顶上。 —

Tom said he slipped Jim’s hat off of his head and hung it on a limb right over him, and Jim stirred a little, but he didn’t wake. —
汤姆说他从吉姆的头上偷偷摘下了帽子，然后把它挂在离他很近的树枝上，吉姆动了一下，但没有醒过来。 —

Afterwards Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance, and rode him all over the State, and then set him under the trees again, and hung his hat on a limb to show who done it. —
后来吉姆说巫婆妖术降临到他身上，让他陷入了恍惚状态，然后骑着他飞越整个州，最后又把他放回了树下，并在树枝上挂了他的帽子以示炫耀。 —

And next time Jim told it he said they rode him down to New Orleans; —
吉姆接下来说他们骑着他飞到了新奥尔良。 —

and, after that, every time he told it he spread it more and more, till by and by he said they rode him all over the world, and tired him most to death, and his back was all over saddle-boils. —
之后，每次吉姆讲，他都会渲染得更加夸张，直到后来他说他们把他骑遍了全世界，把他累得要命，背上还起了一身疮。 —

Jim was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he wouldn’t hardly notice the other niggers. —
吉姆为此感到非常自豪，以至于几乎不再理会其他黑人了。 —

Niggers would come miles to hear Jim tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any nigger in that country. —
黑鬼们会走几英里来听吉姆讲述这件事，他比那个地区的任何一个黑鬼都更受尊敬。 —

Strange niggers would stand with their mouths open and look him all over, same as if he was a wonder. —
陌生的黑人们张着嘴巴看着他，就像他是个奇迹一样。 —

Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; —
黑人们总是在厨房的火炉边暗暗谈论着女巫； —

but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, “Hm! —
但是每当有人说起并装作对这些事情了如指掌时，吉姆就会走进来说：“嗯！你懂什么关于女巫的？”那个黑人就闭嘴了，不得不退到后座。 —

What you know ‘bout witches?” and that nigger was corked up and had to take a back seat. —
吉姆总是把那个五分硬币挂在脖子上，用一根绳子系着，他说那是魔鬼亲手给他的护身符，告诉他只要对着念点什么，就能治好任何人，并且想召唤女巫时也只需对它说点什么； —

Jim always kept that five-center piece round his neck with a string, and said it was a charm the devil give to him with his own hands, and told him he could cure anybody with it and fetch witches whenever he wanted to just by saying something to it; —
但他从来不说他对它说了什么。 —

but he never told what it was he said to it. —
黑人们会从附近赶来，拿出他们身上所有的东西，只为了看一眼那个五分硬币； —

Niggers would come from all around there and give Jim anything they had, just for a sight of that fivecenter piece; —
但他们不敢碰它，因为魔鬼曾经触碰过它。 —

but they wouldn’t touch it, because the devil had had his hands on it. —
吉姆差不多成了一个没用的仆人，因为他骄傲自满地以为自己见过魔鬼，被女巫骑过。 —

Jim was most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.
吉姆几乎变得毁了，因为他因为见过魔鬼并被女巫骑过而变得骄傲自满，无法再当一个仆人。

Well, when Tom and me got to the edge of the hilltop we looked away down into the village and could see three or four lights twinkling, where there was sick folks, maybe; —
当Tom和我到达山顶的边缘时，我们朝下看去，可以看到村子里闪烁着三四个灯光，那是有病的人们，可能； —

and the stars over us was sparkling ever so fine; —
而我们头上的星星闪耀得非常好； —

and down by the village was the river, a whole mile broad, and awful still and grand. —
村子下面是一条河，宽整整一英里，非常平静壮丽。 —

We went down the hill and found Jo Harper and Ben Rogers, and two or three more of the boys, hid in the old tanyard. —
我们下山找到了Jo Harper和Ben Rogers，还有两三个男孩，他们躲在旧皮革场中。 —

So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the river two mile and a half, to the big scar on the hillside, and went ashore.
于是我们卸下了一条小船，顺流而下，划了两英里半，到了山坡上的大伤疤处，然后上岸。

We went to a clump of bushes, and Tom made everybody swear to keep the secret, and then showed them a hole in the hill, right in the thickest part of the bushes. —
我们走到一丛灌木丛旁边，Tom让大家发誓保守秘密，然后给他们看了一棵灌木丛最密的地方的一个洞口。 —

Then we lit the candles, and crawled in on our hands and knees. —
然后我们点燃了蜡烛，趴着用手爬了进去。 —

We went about two hundred yards, and then the cave opened up. —
我们走了大约200码，然后洞口豁然开阔起来。 —

Tom poked about amongst the passages, and pretty soon ducked under a wall where you wouldn’t a noticed that there was a hole. —
Tom在通道间摸索，很快就在一堵墙下躲了进去，你根本不会注意到那里有个洞口。 —

We went along a narrow place and got into a kind of room, all damp and sweaty and cold, and there we stopped. Tom says:
我们沿着一条狭窄的通道走进了一个潮湿、汗湿又寒冷的房间，我们就在那里停下来了。汤姆说：

“Now, we’ll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyer’s Gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood.”
“现在，我们要组建一个抢劫团伙，叫做汤姆·索亚的帮派。谁想加入的都得发誓，用鲜血写下自己的名字。”

Everybody was willing. So Tom got out a sheet of paper that he had wrote the oath on, and read it. —
大家都愿意。于是汤姆拿出一张他写好誓言的纸，开始朗读。 —

It swore every boy to stick to the band, and never tell any of the secrets; —
它要求所有的男孩都要忠诚于帮派，绝不泄露任何秘密； —

and if anybody done anything to any boy in the band, whichever boy was ordered to kill that person and his family must do it, and he mustn’t eat and he mustn’t sleep till he had killed them and hacked a cross in their breasts, which was the sign of the band. —
如果有人对帮派中的任何一个男孩做了坏事，被指责的男孩和他的家人必须杀掉坏人，并刻上十字，这是帮派的标志。 —

And nobody that didn’t belong to the band could use that mark, and if he did he must be sued; —
只有属于帮派的人才可以使用那个标记，如果其他人使用了，就会受到起诉； —

and if he done it again he must be killed. —
如果他再次犯规，必须被杀掉。 —

And if anybody that belonged to the band told the secrets, he must have his throat cut, and then have his carcass burnt up and the ashes scattered all around, and his name blotted off of the list with blood and never mentioned again by the gang, but have a curse put on it and be forgot forever.
如果有人属于这个团队说出了秘密，他必须被割断喉咙，并将他的尸体烧毁，将灰烬撒得到处都是，并用鲜血从名单上抹去他的名字，并且永远不得再由帮派提起，但要降下诅咒，永远被人遗忘。

Everybody said it was a real beautiful oath, and asked Tom if he got it out of his own head. —
大家都说这是一个非常好的誓言，问汤姆是否自己想出来的。 —

He said, some of it, but the rest was out of pirate-books and robber-books, and every gang that was high-toned had it.
他说，有一部分是他自己想的，但其他的都是从海盗书和抢劫书中搞来的，每个高级帮派都有这样的誓言。

Some thought it would be good to kill the FAMILIES of boys that told the secrets. —
有些人认为杀掉那些泄露秘密的男孩的家人会很好。 —

Tom said it was a good idea, so he took a pencil and wrote it in. —
汤姆说这是个好主意，于是他拿起一支铅笔写上了这个。 —

Then Ben Rogers says:
然后本·罗杰斯说：

“Here’s Huck Finn, he hain’t got no family; what you going to do ‘bout him?”
“这里有哈克·芬，他没家人，你对他打算怎么办？”

“Well, hain’t he got a father?” says Tom Sawyer.
“嗯，他难道没有父亲吗？”汤姆·索亚说。

“Yes, he’s got a father, but you can’t never find him these days. —
“是的，他有父亲，但你现在根本找不到他。 —

He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tanyard, but he hain’t been seen in these parts for a year or more.”
他过去常常跟猪一起在鞣皮厂里喝醉，但在这片地方已经有一年多没见到他了。”

They talked it over, and they was going to rule me out, because they said every boy must have a family or somebody to kill, or else it wouldn’t be fair and square for the others. —
他们商量了一下，他们打算排除我，因为他们说每个男孩都必须有一个家庭或者某人要杀，否则就不公平了。 —

Well, nobody could think of anything to do – everybody was stumped, and set still. —
好吧，没人能想出什么办法 – 每个人都被难住了，都静了下来。 —

I was most ready to cry; but all at once I thought of a way, and so I offered them Miss Watson – they could kill her. Everybody said:
我几乎快要哭了；但突然我想到了一个办法，所以我提议把米丝·沃森交给他们 – 他们可以杀了她。每个人说：

“Oh, she’ll do. That’s all right. Huck can come in.”
“哦，她可以。没问题。哈克可以加入了。

Then they all stuck a pin in their fingers to get blood to sign with, and I made my mark on the paper.
然后他们都刺破手指取血签字，而我在纸上划上了我的印记。

“Now,” says Ben Rogers, “what’s the line of business of this Gang?”
“现在，”本·罗杰斯说，”这个帮派的业务是什么？”

“Nothing only robbery and murder,” Tom said.
“只是抢劫和谋杀，”汤姆说。

“But who are we going to rob? – houses, or cattle, or –”
“但我们要抢劫谁？ – 房屋，还是牛，还是–”

“Stuff! stealing cattle and such things ain’t robbery; it’s burglary,” says Tom Sawyer. —
“胡说八道！偷牛和这类的事不是抢劫；那是入室偷窃，”汤姆·索耶说。 —

“We ain’t burglars. That ain’t no sort of style. We are highwaymen. —
“我们不是入室偷窃犯。那种样式不对。我们是抢劫犯。 —

We stop stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money.”
我们在路上拦住马车和轿车，戴上面具，杀人抢劫他们的手表和钱。”

“Must we always kill the people?”
“我们总是必须杀死那些人吗？”

“Oh, certainly. It’s best. Some authorities think different, but mostly it’s considered best to kill them – except some that you bring to the cave here, and keep them till they’re ransomed.”
“哦，当然。这是最好的。有些权威机构持有不同看法，但通常认为最好的办法是杀掉他们，除非有些要带来这个洞穴里，然后把他们关起来直到赎金交付。”

“Ransomed? What’s that?”
“赎金？那是什么？”

“I don’t know. But that’s what they do. I’ve seen it in books; —
“我不知道。但书上是这么说的；” —

and so of course that’s what we’ve got to do.”
“所以当然，我们就必须这样做。”

“But how can we do it if we don’t know what it is?”
“但是如果我们不知道是什么意思，我们怎么办呢？”

“Why, blame it all, we’ve GOT to do it. Don’t I tell you it’s in the books? —
“为什么呢，全都怪我们必须这么做。难道我没有告诉你这都写在书里吗？” —

Do you want to go to doing different from what’s in the books, and get things all muddled up?”
“你想要做与书里不同的事情，把事情搞得乱七八糟吗？”

“Oh, that’s all very fine to SAY, Tom Sawyer, but how in the nation are these fellows going to be ransomed if we don’t know how to do it to them? —
“哦，汤姆·索亚，这么说很好听，但我们要怎样才能救赎这些家伙呢？如果我们不知道该怎么做。” —

– that’s the thing I want to get at. Now, what do you reckon it is?”
“这就是我想探究的事情。现在，你猜我们到底该怎么做呢？”

“Well, I don’t know. But per’aps if we keep them till they’re ransomed, it means that we keep them till they’re dead. “
“嗯，我不知道。但是也许，如果我们把他们关起来直到他们被赎回，意思就是我们一直把他们留下直到他们死去。”

“Now, that’s something LIKE. That’ll answer. Why couldn’t you said that before? —
“那才是有点意思。那才能回答问题。为什么你之前就不能这么说呢？” —

We’ll keep them till they’re ransomed to death; —
“我们要把他们关到他们自己吓死为止； —

and a bothersome lot they’ll be, too – eating up everything, and always trying to get loose.”
他们简直烦人 – 把一切都吃光，总是想要逃脱。”

“How you talk, Ben Rogers. How can they get loose when there’s a guard over them, ready to shoot them down if they move a peg?”
“你怎么说话呢，本·罗杰斯。只要有把守卫守着，他们怎么可能逃脱呢，一动辍就会被射杀呀？”

“A guard! Well, that IS good. So somebody’s got to set up all night and never get any sleep, just so as to watch them. —
“卫兵！嗯，那倒是好。所以就有人夜以继日地守着他们，永远都无法休息，只是为了看守他们。” —

I think that’s foolishness. Why can’t a body take a club and ransom them as soon as they get here?”
“我觉得这太愚蠢了。为什么不可以拿根棍子在他们一到这里的时候就赎回他们呢？”

“Because it ain’t in the books so – that’s why. —
“因为书上没这么写 – 所以呢。” —

Now, Ben Rogers, do you want to do things regular, or don’t you? – that’s the idea. —
“现在，本·罗杰斯，你是想按规矩办事，还是不想？ – 就是这个意思。” —

Don’t you reckon that the people that made the books knows what’s the correct thing to do? —
“难道你不认为编写这些书的人知道正确的做法吗？” —

Do you reckon YOU can learn ‘em anything? Not by a good deal. —
“你觉得你能教会他们什么吗？决不可能。” —

No, sir, we’ll just go on and ransom them in the regular way.”
“不，先生，我们要继续按规定的方式赎回他们。”

“All right. I don’t mind; but I say it’s a fool way, anyhow. Say, do we kill the women, too?”
“好吧。我无所谓；但我说这是个愚蠢的做法。喂，我们也要杀女人吗？”

“Well, Ben Rogers, if I was as ignorant as you I wouldn’t let on. Kill the women? No; —
“嗯，本·罗杰斯，如果我像你一样无知，我可不会说出这样的话。杀女人？不； —

nobody ever saw anything in the books like that. —
书上从来没见过这样的事情。 —

You fetch them to the cave, and you’re always as polite as pie to them; —
你要把她们带到洞穴，对她们总是客客气气的； —

and by and by they fall in love with you, and never want to go home any more.”
再过一会儿她们就会爱上你，再也不愿离开了。”

“Well, if that’s the way I’m agreed, but I don’t take no stock in it. —
“嗯，如果你这样说的话，我同意了，但我对这个不抱希望。 —

Mighty soon we’ll have the cave so cluttered up with women, and fellows waiting to be ransomed, that there won’t be no place for the robbers. —
很快我们的洞穴里会堆满女人，还有等待赎金的人，到时候强盗都没地方了。 —

But go ahead, I ain’t got nothing to say.”
但继续吧，我没什么好说的。”

Little Tommy Barnes was asleep now, and when they waked him up he was scared, and cried, and said he wanted to go home to his ma, and didn’t want to be a robber any more.
小汤米·巴恩斯现在已经睡着了，当他们把他叫醒时，他很害怕，哭着说他想回家找妈妈，不想再做强盗了。

So they all made fun of him, and called him crybaby, and that made him mad, and he said he would go straight and tell all the secrets. —
所以他们都取笑他，叫他嗷嗷哭，这让他生气，他说他会老老实实地告诉所有的秘密。 —

But Tom give him five cents to keep quiet, and said we would all go home and meet next week, and rob somebody and kill some people.
但是汤姆给了他五分钱让他保持沉默，并说我们都要回家，下周再见面，抢劫某人并杀死一些人。

Ben Rogers said he couldn’t get out much, only Sundays, and so he wanted to begin next Sunday; —
本·罗杰斯说他不能经常出去，只有星期天，所以他想从下个星期天开始； —

but all the boys said it would be wicked to do it on Sunday, and that settled the thing. —
但是所有的孩子都说在星期天这样做是邪恶的，这就解决了这个问题。 —

They agreed to get together and fix a day as soon as they could, and then we elected Tom Sawyer first captain and Jo Harper second captain of the Gang, and so started home.
他们同意尽快聚在一起商量一个日子，然后我们选了汤姆·索耶为第一队长，乔·哈珀为第二队长，于是我们回家了。

I clumb up the shed and crept into my window just before day was breaking. —
我爬上棚子，在黎明之前爬进了我的窗户。 —

My new clothes was all greased up and clayey, and I was dog-tired.
我的新衣服都沾满了油和泥，我累坏了。