AS soon as we reckoned everybody was asleep that night we went down the lightning-rod, and shut ourselves up in the lean-to, and got out our pile of fox-fire, and went to work. —
当我们认定那晚所有人都睡着后，我们沿着避雷针下到了里面，关上了拉皮窝，拿出我们的火狐狸堆，开始工作。 —

We cleared everything out of the way, about four or five foot along the middle of the bottom log. —
我们把所有东西都清理到一边，沿着底层的中央记录清空了大约四五英尺。 —

Tom said we was right behind Jim’s bed now, and we’d dig in under it, and when we got through there couldn’t nobody in the cabin ever know there was any hole there, because Jim’s counterpin hung down most to the ground, and you’d have to raise it up and look under to see the hole. —
汤姆说我们现在就在吉姆的床后面，我们要在床下面凿洞，到那时候在屋子里没有人会知道那里有洞，因为吉姆的上铺垂到地面，你得把它抬起来看下面的洞。 —

So we dug and dug with the case-knives till most midnight; —
所以我们用刀子挖，挖到几乎午夜; —

and then we was dog-tired, and our hands was blistered, and yet you couldn’t see we’d done anything hardly. At last I says:
然后我们累得要死，手都起了水泡，然而你几乎看不出我们干了什么。最后，我说：

“This ain’t no thirty-seven year job; this is a thirty-eight year job, Tom Sawyer.”
“这不是个三十七年的活儿;这是个三十八年的活儿，汤姆·索亚。”

He never said nothing. But he sighed, and pretty soon he stopped digging, and then for a good little while I knowed that he was thinking. Then he says:
他什么也没说。但是他叹了口气，过了一个好一会儿，我知道他在思考。然后他说：

“It ain’t no use, Huck, it ain’t a-going to work. —
“没用的，哈克，行不通。 —

If we was prisoners it would, because then we’d have as many years as we wanted, and no hurry; —
如果我们是囚犯的话，那倒是行，因为我们可以任性地用尽所需的时间，不着急; —

and we wouldn’t get but a few minutes to dig, every day, while they was changing watches, and so our hands wouldn’t get blistered, and we could keep it up right along, year in and year out, and do it right, and the way it ought to be done. —
每天只能挖几分钟，当他们换岗时，所以我们的手不会起水泡，我们可以一年又一年地坚持下去，做得对，按照应该做的方式进行。 —

But WE can’t fool along; we got to rush; we ain’t got no time to spare. —
但我们不能懒懒散散；我们必须加快速度；我们没有时间浪费。 —

If we was to put in another night this way we’d have to knock off for a week to let our hands get well – couldn’t touch a case-knife with them sooner.”
如果我们再这样过一夜，我们得休息一周，让手好起来-别想用手拿刀子。”

“Well, then, what we going to do, Tom?”
“那我们该怎么办，汤姆？”

“I’ll tell you. It ain’t right, and it ain’t moral, . and I wouldn’t like it to get out; —
“我告诉你吧。这不对，也不道德，我也不想让人知道; —

but there ain’t only just the one way: we got to dig him out with the picks, and LET ON it’s case-knives.”
但只有一种办法：我们得用镐把他挖出来，假装是用刀子。”

“NOW you’re TALKING!” I says; “your head gets leveler and leveler all the time, Tom Sawyer,” I says. —
“现在你开始讲话了！”我说道，“汤姆·索亚，你的头脑越来越清醒了，”我说道。 —

“Picks is the thing, moral or no moral; and as for me, I don’t care shucks for the morality of it, nohow. —
“选取才是关键，无论道德与否；至于我，对于道德我可一点也不在乎。 —

When I start in to steal a nigger, or a watermelon, or a Sunday-school book, I ain’t no ways particular how it’s done so it’s done. —
当我开始偷一个黑奴，或一个西瓜，或一本主日学校的书时，我并不特别在乎它是如何做到的，只要做到就行。 —

What I want is my nigger; or what I want is my watermelon; or what I want is my Sunday-school book; —
我想要的是我的黑奴；或我想要的是我的西瓜；或我想要的是我的主日学校的书； —

and if a pick’s the handiest thing, that’s the thing I’m a-going to dig that nigger or that watermelon or that Sunday-school book out with; —
如果一个镐是最方便的工具，那我就用它来挖那个黑奴或那个西瓜或那本主日学校的书； —

and I don’t give a dead rat what the authorities thinks about it nuther.”
我才不在乎当局对此有何看法呢。

“Well,” he says, “there’s excuse for picks and letting-on in a case like this; —
“嗯，”他说，“在这种情况下挖坑并不需要借口； —

if it warn’t so, I wouldn’t approve of it, nor I wouldn’t stand by and see the rules broke – because right is right, and wrong is wrong, and a body ain’t got no business doing wrong when he ain’t ignorant and knows better. —
如果没有这样的挖坑能逃脱，我既不会赞同，也不会袖手旁观看规则被破坏–因为对与错是很明显的，当一个人明知故犯时，他就没有做错的理由。 —

It might answer for YOU to dig Jim out with a pick, WITHOUT any letting on, because you don’t know no better; —
如果你用一把镐把吉姆挖出来而不让人察觉，那对你来说也许可以，因为你不懂得更好； —

but it wouldn’t for me, because I do know better. —
但对我来说就行不通了，因为我懂得更好。 —

Gimme a case-knife.”
给我一把剪刀。”

He had his own by him, but I handed him mine. He flung it down, and says:
他自己有剪刀，但我递给他我的。他把它丢在地上，然后说道：

“Gimme a CASE-KNIFE.”
“给我一把CASE-KNIFE。”

I didn’t know just what to do – but then I thought. —
我不知道该怎么办–但后来我想了想。 —

I scratched around amongst the old tools, and got a pickaxe and give it to him, and he took it and went to work, and never said a word.
我在旧工具中瞎翻找了一会儿，找到了一把镐给了他，他拿起来开始干活，一句话也没说。

He was always just that particular. Full of principle.
他总是那样挑剔。充满原则。

So then I got a shovel, and then we picked and shoveled, turn about, and made the fur fly. —
于是我拿了把铲子，然后我们轮流挖掘，每个人都使出浑身解数，让土飞扬。 —

We stuck to it about a half an hour, which was as long as we could stand up; —
我们坚持了大约半个小时，这已经是我们能够忍受的最长时间； —

but we had a good deal of a hole to show for it. —
但我们为此挖了个相当大的洞。 —

When I got up stairs I looked out at the window and see Tom doing his level best with the lightning-rod, but he couldn’t come it, his hands was so sore. At last he says:
当我上楼的时候，我从窗户外面望去，看见汤姆竭尽全力挂闪电避雷针，但他握不住，他的手太酸了。最后他说：

“It ain’t no use, it can’t be done. What you reckon I better do? Can’t you think of no way?”
“没用的，做不成。你猜我该怎么办？你想不出其他办法吗？”

“Yes,” I says, “but I reckon it ain’t regular. Come up the stairs, and let on it’s a lightning-rod.”
“是的，”我说，“但我想这不够正规。上楼来，假装是一根闪电避雷针。”

So he done it.
所以他照做了。

Next day Tom stole a pewter spoon and a brass candlestick in the house, for to make some pens for Jim out of, and six tallow candles; —
第二天，汤姆在房子里偷了一把锡匙和一只黄铜烛台，为了给吉姆做些笔，还有六支牛油蜡烛； —

and I hung around the nigger cabins and laid for a chance, and stole three tin plates. —
而我则在黑奴小屋附近逗留，等待机会，偷了三个锡盘。 —

Tom says it wasn’t enough; but I said nobody wouldn’t ever see the plates that Jim throwed out, because they’d fall in the dog-fennel and jimpson weeds under the window-hole – then we could tote them back and he could use them over again. —
汤姆说这不够；但我说，吉姆扔的盘子没人能看见，因为它们会掉到窗户底下的狗茴香和焦眠草丛里，于是我们可以把它们拿回去，他可以重复使用。 —

So Tom was satisfied. Then he says:
这样汤姆就满意了。然后他说：

“Now, the thing to study out is, how to get the things to Jim.”
“现在，我们要考虑的问题是，如何把这些东西送给吉姆。”

“Take them in through the hole,” I says, “when we get it done.”
“通过洞送进去，”我说，“等我们完成它时。”

He only just looked scornful, and said something about nobody ever heard of such an idiotic idea, and then he went to studying. —
他只是嘲笑地看了我一眼，说了点什么关于没人听说过如此白痴的主意，然后他开始思考。 —

By and by he said he had ciphered out two or three ways, but there warn’t no need to decide on any of them yet. —
后来他说他破译出了两三种方法，但现在还没有必要决定任何一种。 —

Said we’d got to post Jim first.
他说我们得先把吉姆解放出来。

That night we went down the lightning-rod a little after ten, and took one of the candles along, and listened under the window-hole, and heard Jim snoring; —
那天晚上，我们在10点多一点点顺着避雷针滑下去，带了一支蜡烛，听着窗户上的洞口，听到吉姆打呼噜； —

so we pitched it in, and it didn’t wake him. —
于是我们扔进去，没有把他吵醒。 —

Then we whirled in with the pick and shovel, and in about two hours and a half the job was done. —
然后我们用锄头和铲子快速地开挖，大约两个半小时就完成了。 —

We crept in under Jim’s bed and into the cabin, and pawed around and found the candle and lit it, and stood over Jim awhile, and found him looking hearty and healthy, and then we woke him up gentle and gradual. —
我们蹑手蹑脚地爬到吉姆床底下，进了小屋，乱翻找到了蜡烛点了起来，站在吉姆旁边观察了一会儿，发现他看起来精神饱满、健康，然后我们轻轻地叫醒了他。 —

He was so glad to see us he most cried; and called us honey, and all the pet names he could think of; —
他见到我们非常高兴，差点要哭了；叫我们宝贝，用尽了所有亲昵的称呼； —

and was for having us hunt up a cold-chisel to cut the chain off of his leg with right away, and clearing out without losing any time. —
他还要我们赶紧找把冷凿子把链子从他腿上砍断，立即离开，不要浪费时间。 —

But Tom he showed him how unregular it would be, and set down and told him all about our plans, and how we could alter them in a minute any time there was an alarm; —
但汤姆告诉他这么做是不合规矩的，坐下来告诉他我们的计划，以及我们如何在一分钟内随时改变计划以应变突发情况； —

and not to be the least afraid, because we would see he got away, SURE. So Jim he said it was all right, and we set there and talked over old times awhile, and then Tom asked a lot of questions, and when Jim told him Uncle Silas come in every day or two to pray with him, and Aunt Sally come in to see if he was comfortable and had plenty to eat, and both of them was kind as they could be, Tom says:
并向他保证不要害怕，因为我们会确保他逃走。吉姆说没问题，于是我们坐在那里稍微聊了一会儿过去的事情，然后汤姆问了很多问题，当吉姆告诉他赛拉斯大叔每隔一两天都会来为他祷告，莎莉姑妈来看他是否舒服、吃得够多，两个人都对他非常好时，汤姆说：

“NOW I know how to fix it. We’ll send you some things by them.”
“现在我知道怎么办了。我们会通过他们给你送点东西。”

I said, “Don’t do nothing of the kind; it’s one of the most jackass ideas I ever struck;” —
我说：“千万别那样做，这绝对是我见过的最蠢的想法；” —

but he never paid no attention to me; went right on. —
但他根本不理我，继续往下说。 —

It was his way when he’d got his plans set.
他制定了计划就是这个样子的。

So he told Jim how we’d have to smuggle in the rope-ladder pie and other large things by Nat, the nigger that fed him, and he must be on the lookout, and not be surprised, and not let Nat see him open them; —
所以他告诉吉姆我们要通过那个养他的黑奴纳特把绳梯饼和其他大件物品偷偷送进去，他必须保持警惕，不要被吓到，也不要让纳特看到他打开它们。 —

and we would put small things in uncle’s coatpockets and he must steal them out; —
我们会把小东西放进叔叔的大衣口袋里，然后他必须偷偷拿出来； —

and we would tie things to aunt’s apron-strings or put them in her apron-pocket, if we got a chance; and told him what they would be and what they was for. —
我们会把东西绑在阿姨的围裙带子上，或者放进她的围裙口袋里，只要我们找到机会；我们告诉他那些东西是什么以及用途是什么。 —

And told him how to keep a journal on the shirt with his blood, and all that. —
我们告诉他要用他的血在衬衣上记录日志，还有其他一些事情。 —

He told him everything. Jim he couldn’t see no sense in the most of it, but he allowed we was white folks and knowed better than him; —
他什么都告诉了他。吉姆觉得其中大部分都没有道理，但他认为我们是白人，知道得比他多，所以他满意地说他会按照汤姆说的去做。 —

so he was satisfied, and said he would do it all just as Tom said.
吉姆有很多玉米棒烟斗和烟草，所以我们玩得非常愉快。

Jim had plenty corn-cob pipes and tobacco; so we had a right down good sociable time; —
然后我们从洞里爬出来，回到家上床睡觉，手看上去像被咬过一样。 —

then we crawled out through the hole, and so home to bed, with hands that looked like they’d been chawed. —
汤姆情绪很高昂。他说这是他一生中最有趣、最有思想的玩笑； —

Tom was in high spirits. He said it was the best fun he ever had in his life, and the most intellectural; —
他说如果能找到方法，我们要继续这样做，直到我们生命的最后一刻，让吉姆自己摆脱困境； —

and said if he only could see his way to it we would keep it up all the rest of our lives and leave Jim to our children to get out; —
因为他相信吉姆越习惯这样的生活，他会越喜欢。 —

for he believed Jim would come to like it better and better the more he got used to it. —
他说这样一来，我们可以延续这个计划长达八十年，这将成为有记录以来最好的时光。 —

He said that in that way it could be strung out to as much as eighty year, and would be the best time on record. —
他说这将使我们所有参与其中的人都成为名人。 —

And he said it would make us all celebrated that had a hand in it.
早上我们去了柴堆，把黄铜烛台切成合适的尺寸，汤姆把它们和青铜勺子放进了口袋里。

In the morning we went out to the woodpile and chopped up the brass candlestick into handy sizes, and Tom put them and the pewter spoon in his pocket. —
然后我们去了黑奴小屋，我把纳特的通知书撕下来，而汤姆则把一块烛台插进吉姆锅里的玉米饼中间，然后我们跟着纳特一起看它的效果，结果很成功； —

Then we went to the nigger cabins, and while I got Nat’s notice off, Tom shoved a piece of candlestick into the middle of a corn-pone that was in Jim’s pan, and we went along with Nat to see how it would work, and it just worked noble; —
当吉姆咬下去的时候，几乎把他的牙都咬碎了； —

when Jim bit into it it most mashed all his teeth out; —
请问你觉得我们应该采取什么行动？ —

and there warn’t ever anything could a worked better. Tom said so himself. —
而且没有什么比这个更好的办法了。汤姆自己就这么说的。 —

Jim he never let on but what it was only just a piece of rock or something like that that’s always getting into bread, you know; —
吉姆没有说什么，但他暗示那只是一块石头或者是什么总是进入面包里的东西，你知道的； —

but after that he never bit into nothing but what he jabbed his fork into it in three or four places first.
但自此以后，他一刀切的往里戳了三四下才咬。

And whilst we was a-standing there in the dimmish light, here comes a couple of the hounds bulging in from under Jim’s bed; —
我们站在昏暗的光线中，这时有两只猎狗从吉姆的床底下冲出来； —

and they kept on piling in till there was eleven of them, and there warn’t hardly room in there to get your breath. —
并且它们一直不停地涌进来，直到有了11只，里面几乎没有地方让你呼吸。 —

By jings, we forgot to fasten that lean-to door! —
我们糟糕，我们忘了把那个窄门锁上！ —

The nigger Nat he only just hollered “Witches” once, and keeled over on to the floor amongst the dogs, and begun to groan like he was dying. —
黑人纳特只是大喊了一声“女巫”，然后倒在了狗群中，开始像他快要死了一样呻吟。 —

Tom jerked the door open and flung out a slab of Jim’s meat, and the dogs went for it, and in two seconds he was out himself and back again and shut the door, and I knowed he’d fixed the other door too. —
汤姆猛地拉开门，扔出了一块吉姆的肉，狗扑了上去，两秒钟后他自己也出来了，又关上了门，我知道他也把另一扇门修好了。 —

Then he went to work on the nigger, coaxing him and petting him, and asking him if he’d been imagining he saw something again. —
然后他开始哄着黑人，撒娇地对他讲话，问他是否又开始想象见到了什么。 —

He raised up, and blinked his eyes around, and says:
他坐了起来，四处眨着眼睛，说道：

“Mars Sid, you’ll say I’s a fool, but if I didn’t b’lieve I see most a million dogs, er devils, er some’n, I wisht I may die right heah in dese tracks. —
“西德先生，你可能会说我是个傻瓜，但如果我没看到了万只狗，或者魔鬼，或者其他某些东西，我真希望我能在这里死掉。 —

I did, mos’ sholy. Mars Sid, I FELT um – I FELT um, sah; dey was all over me. —
我真的有看见，当然是坠儿地看见了。西德先生，我感觉到了——我感觉到了，先生；它们都在我身上。 —

Dad fetch it, I jis’ wisht I could git my han’s on one er dem witches jis’ wunst – on’y jis’ wunst – it’s all I’d ast. —
让我咒骂一下，我恨不得能抓住其中的一个女巫——只是一次——那就是我想要的。 —

But mos’ly I wisht dey’d lemme ‘lone, I does.”
不过最重要的是，我希望它们能离我远点，我只是真的希望它们能别缠着我。”

Tom says:
汤姆说：

“Well, I tell you what I think. What makes them come here just at this runaway nigger’s breakfast-time? —
“嗯，我告诉你我是怎么想的。他们为什么偏偏在这个逃亡黑奴吃早餐的时候来呢？ —

It’s because they’re hungry; that’s the reason. —
“因为他们饿了，这就是原因。 —

You make them a witch pie; that’s the thing for YOU to do.”
“你给他们做一个巫婆派；那是你要做的事情。”

“But my lan’, Mars Sid, how’s I gwyne to make ’m a witch pie? —
“但是，我的好天！马萨辛，我怎么能做一个巫婆派给他们吃呢？ —

I doan’ know how to make it. I hain’t ever hearn er sich a thing b’fo’.”
“我不知道怎么做。我以前从没听说过这样的事。”

“Well, then, I’ll have to make it myself.”
“那好吧，那我就得自己来做了。”

“Will you do it, honey? – 褀ill you? I’ll wusshup de groun’ und’ yo’ foot, I will!”
“你会做吗，亲爱的？–你会吗？我会膜拜着你的脚下。”

“All right, I’ll do it, seeing it’s you, and you’ve been good to us and showed us the runaway nigger. But you got to be mighty careful. —
“好吧，既然是你，而且你对我们很好，并且给我们指出了这个逃亡的黑奴。但是你必须非常小心。 —

When we come around, you turn your back; —
“当我们过来的时候，你背过身去； —

and then whatever we’ve put in the pan, don’t you let on you see it at all. —
“然后无论我们把什么放在锅里，你都不可以让人察觉到你看到了。 —

And don’t you look when Jim unloads the pan – something might happen, I don’t know what. —
“当吉姆倒出锅里的东西时，你不要去看——可能会发生什么事情，我不知道会是什么。 —

And above all, don’t you HANDLE the witch-things.”
“最重要的是，你不能碰巫婆的东西。”

“HANNEL ’m, Mars Sid? What IS you a-talkin’ ‘bout? —
“碰他们，马萨辛？你在说什么呀？ —

I wouldn’ lay de weight er my finger on um, not f’r ten hund’d thous’n billion dollars, I wouldn’t.”
“就算给我十亿美元，我也不会在上面放手指头的重量，我不会。”