At half-past nine, that night, Tom and Sid were sent to bed, as usual. —
当天晚上九点半，汤姆和西德像往常一样被送上床睡觉。 —

They said their prayers, and Sid was soon asleep. —
他们祈祷完后，西德很快就睡着了。 —

Tom lay awake and waited, in restless impatience. —
汤姆躺在床上焦躁不安地等待着。 —

When it seemed to him that it must be nearly daylight, he heard the clock strike ten! —
当他觉得天快亮时，他听到钟声敲了十下！ —

This was despair. He would have tossed and fidgeted, as his nerves demanded, but he was afraid he might wake Sid. So he lay still, and stared up into the dark. —
这真是绝望。他本想翻来覆去，如同神经所要求的那样，但他担心会把西德弄醒。所以他躺着，盯着黑暗。 —

Everything was dismally still. By and by, out of the stillness, little, scarcely perceptible noises began to emphasize themselves. —
一切都沉寂下来。不一会儿，在寂静中，一些微不可察的声音开始突出起来。 —

The ticking of the clock began to bring itself into notice. —
钟的滴答声开始显得引人注目。 —

Old beams began to crack mysteriously. —
旧横梁开始神秘地发出声响。 —

The stairs creaked faintly. Evidently spirits were abroad. —
楼梯发出微弱的响声。显然有些灵魂在四处游荡。 —

A measured, muffled snore issued from Aunt Polly’s chamber. —
安娜波利姨妈的房间传来规律而低沉的打鼾声。 —

And now the tiresome chirping of a cricket that no human ingenuity could locate, began. —
现在开始有讨厌的蟋蟀叫声，人类聪明才智无法找到它的来源。 —

Next the ghastly ticking of a death-watch in the wall at the bed’s head made Tom shudder—it meant that somebody’s days were numbered. —
接下来，床头墙上可怕的滴答声让汤姆感到毛骨悚然-这意味着某人的日子不多了。 —

Then the howl of a far-off dog rose on the night air, and was answered by a fainter howl from a remoter distance. —
接着，远处的狗的嚎叫在夜空中响起，并得到了更远处的回应。 —

Tom was in an agony. At last he was satisfied that time had ceased and eternity begun; —
汤姆痛苦不堪，终于确信时间停止了，永恒开始了； —

he began to doze, in spite of himself; the clock chimed eleven, but he did not hear it. —
尽管他自己不愿意，他开始昏昏欲睡，时钟敲响了十一下，但他没有听见。 —

And then there came, mingling with his half-formed dreams, a most melancholy caterwauling. —
然后，在他半睡半醒的梦境中，传来了一阵最悲伤的猫叫声。 —

The raising of a neighboring window disturbed him. A cry of “Scat! you devil! —
邻居打开窗户吵醒了他。一个喊声：“滚开，你这个魔鬼！ —

” and the crash of an empty bottle against the back of his aunt’s woodshed brought him wide awake, and a single minute later he was dressed and out of the window and creeping along the roof of the “ell” on all fours. —
”以及一个空瓶子砸在姑母的木棚后的巨响，让他立刻清醒过来。仅仅一分钟后，他已经穿好衣服，从窗户爬出，用四肢在“ell”的屋顶上匍匐前进。 —

He “meow’d” with caution once or twice, as he went; —
他小心翼翼地一两次发出“喵”的声音，随着前进； —

then jumped to the roof of the woodshed and thence to the ground. —
然后跳到木棚的屋顶，再跳到地面上。 —

Huckleberry Finn was there, with his dead cat. The boys moved off and disappeared in the gloom. —
哈克贝利·费恩在那里，带着他的死猫。男孩们悄悄离开，消失在暗中。 —

At the end of half an hour they were wading through the tall grass of the graveyard.
半个小时过去了，他们正蹚过墓地里的高草。

It was a graveyard of the old-fashioned Western kind. —
这是一个老式西部风格的墓地。 —

It was on a hill, about a mile and a half from the village. —
它位于一个山上，离村庄大约一英里半远。 —

It had a crazy board fence around it, which leaned inward in places, and outward the rest of the time, but stood upright nowhere. —
它周围有一道疯狂的木栅栏，在某些地方向内倾斜，在其他时间向外倾斜，但从未垂直立起。 —

Grass and weeds grew rank over the whole cemetery. —
草和杂草长满整个墓地。 —

All the old graves were sunken in, there was not a tombstone on the place; —
所有旧墓都下陷了，墓地上没有一块墓碑； —

round-topped, worm-eaten boards staggered over the graves, leaning for support and finding none. —
顶部带圆拱形的蛀虫啃食的木板歪斜在墓上，寻找支撑而没有找到。 —

“Sacred to the memory of” So-and-So had been painted on them once, but it could no longer have been read, on the most of them, now, even if there had been light.
“此地记忆永存于”某某，曾经在上面涂鸦，但现在，即使有光，大多数都已无法辨认。

A faint wind moaned through the trees, and Tom feared it might be the spirits of the dead, complaining at being disturbed. —
微风呻吟在树间传来，汤姆担心它可能是死者的灵魂在抱怨被打扰。 —

The boys talked little, and only under their breath, for the time and the place and the pervading solemnity and silence oppressed their spirits. —
男孩们很少说话，而且只是低声细语，时间、地点以及弥漫的庄严和寂静让他们的精神倍感压抑。 —

They found the sharp new heap they were seeking, and ensconced themselves within the protection of three great elms that grew in a bunch within a few feet of the grave.
他们找到了他们正在寻找的新坟墓， 躲在几英尺远的一丛大榆树的保护中。

Then they waited in silence for what seemed a long time. —
然后，他们静静等待了很长时间。 —

The hooting of a distant owl was all the sound that troubled the dead stillness. —
远处猫头鹰的叫声打破了这片死寂。 —

Tom’s reflections grew oppressive. He must force some talk. —
汤姆的思绪变得沉重起来。他必须引导一些谈话。 —

So he said in a whisper:
于是他低声说道：

“Hucky, do you believe the dead people like it for us to be here?”
“赫基，你认为死人喜欢我们在这里吗？”

Huckleberry whispered:
哈克低声说道：

“I wisht I knowed. It’s awful solemn like, ain’t it?”
“我希望知道。这真的很庄重，不是吗？”

“I bet it is.”
“我敢打赌确实是。”

There was a considerable pause, while the boys canvassed this matter inwardly. Then Tom whispered:
他们在心里讨论这个问题时，出现了相当长的一段时间的停顿。然后，汤姆低声问道：

“Say, Hucky—do you reckon Hoss Williams hears us talking?”
“说，赫基，你觉得霍斯·威廉斯听得到我们在说话吗？”

“O’ course he does. Least his sperrit does.”
“当然听得到。至少他的灵魂听得到。”

Tom, after a pause:
汤姆停顿片刻后说道：

“I wish I’d said Mister Williams. But I never meant any harm. Everybody calls him Hoss.”
“我希望我说的是威廉斯先生。但我并没有恶意。大家都叫他霍斯。”

“A body can’t be too partic’lar how they talk ’bout these-yer dead people, Tom.”
“人们不能对死人说得太挑剔，汤姆。”

This was a damper, and conversation died again.
这打了个冷灰，谈话再次停止了。

Presently Tom seized his comrade’s arm and said:
汤姆随即抓住他朋友的胳膊说：

“Sh!”
“嘘！”

“What is it, Tom?” And the two clung together with beating hearts.
“怎么了，汤姆？”两个人紧紧地靠在一起，心跳不止。

“Sh! There ’tis again! Didn’t you hear it?”
“嘘！那是什么声音？你没有听到吗？”

“I—”
“我——”

“There! Now you hear it.”
“听！现在你听到了。”

“Lord, Tom, they’re coming! They’re coming, sure. What’ll we do?”
“天啊，汤姆，他们来了！他们来了，肯定是来了。我们该怎么办？”

“I dono. Think they’ll see us?”
“我不知道。你觉得他们会发现我们吗？”

“Oh, Tom, they can see in the dark, same as cats. I wisht I hadn’t come.”
“哦，汤姆，他们能看见黑暗，就像猫一样。要是我没来就好了。”

“Oh, don’t be afeard. I don’t believe they’ll bother us. We ain’t doing any harm. —
“噢，别害怕。我不相信他们会找我们麻烦的。我们没有做任何坏事。 —

If we keep perfectly still, maybe they won’t notice us at all.”
如果我们完全不动，也许他们完全不会注意到我们。”

“I’ll try to, Tom, but, Lord, I’m all of a shiver.”
“我会试试的，汤姆，但是，天哪，我全身发抖。”

“Listen!”
“听！”

The boys bent their heads together and scarcely breathed. —
男孩们低下头，几乎不敢呼吸。 —

A muffled sound of voices floated up from the far end of the graveyard.
从墓地的那一头传来了一阵压低的声音。

“Look! See there!” whispered Tom. “What is it?”
“看！看那儿！”汤姆轻声说，“是什么？”

“It’s devil-fire. Oh, Tom, this is awful.”
“那是鬼火。哦，汤姆，太可怕了。”

Some vague figures approached through the gloom, swinging an old-fashioned tin lantern that freckled the ground with innumerable little spangles of light. —
一些模糊的身影从昏暗中靠近，摆动着一盏老式的锡制灯笼，地面上布满了无数的小亮点。 —

Presently Huckleberry whispered with a shudder:
不一会儿，哈克贝里战战兢兢地轻声说道：

“It’s the devils sure enough. Three of ’em! Lordy, Tom, we’re goners! Can you pray?”
“真的是恶魔。他们有三个！天啊，汤姆，我们完蛋了！你能祈祷吗？”

“I’ll try, but don’t you be afeard. —
“我试试，可是你别怕。 —

They ain’t going to hurt us. ‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I—’”
他们不会伤害我们的。‘睡前祈祷’现在我要睡觉，我…”

“Sh!”
“嘘！”

“What is it, Huck?”
“怎么了，哈克？”

“They’re humans! One of ’em is, anyway. One of ’em’s old Muff Potter’s voice.”
“它们是人类！至少有一个是人类。一个是老马夫·波特的声音。”

“No—’tain’t so, is it?”
“不，不可能，是吗？”

“I bet I know it. Don’t you stir nor budge. —
“我打赌我知道。你不要动，一动不动。” —

He ain’t sharp enough to notice us. Drunk, the same as usual, likely—blamed old rip!”
他不够聪明，没注意到我们。喝醉了，跟平常一样，很可能被控告成旧家伙了！

“All right, I’ll keep still. Now they’re stuck. Can’t find it. Here they come again. —
好吧，我不说话了。现在他们卡住了。找不到了。他们又来了。 —

Now they’re hot. Cold again. Hot again. Red hot! They’re p’inted right, this time. —
现在他们热了。又变冷了。又热了。非常热！这次他们找对了。 —

Say, Huck, I know another o’ them voices; —
说吧，哈克，我认识另一个声音；这是印第安乔。 —

it’s Injun Joe.”
没错，那个杀人的混血！

“That’s so—that murderin’ half-breed! —
我宁愿他们是魔鬼，可恶！ —

I’d druther they was devils a dern sight. —
他们在搞什么鬼？ —

What kin they be up to?”
耳语现在完全停止了，因为三个人已经走到坟墓旁边，离小孩们的藏身处只有几英尺远。

The whisper died wholly out, now, for the three men had reached the grave and stood within a few feet of the boys’ hiding-place.
“在这里，”第三个声音说道；说话人举起手电筒，露出了年轻的罗宾逊医生的脸。

“Here it is,” said the third voice; and the owner of it held the lantern up and revealed the face of young Doctor Robinson.
波特和印第安乔正在用双轮手推车搬着绳子和几把铁锨。

Potter and Injun Joe were carrying a handbarrow with a rope and a couple of shovels on it. —
他们放下东西，开始掘开坟墓。 —

They cast down their load and began to open the grave. —
医生将手电筒放在坟头，然后移过来靠在一棵榆树上坐下。 —

The doctor put the lantern at the head of the grave and came and sat down with his back against one of the elm trees. —
Potter和Injun Joe搬着一个手推车，上面绑着一根绳子和几把铁锹。他们放下东西，开始掘开坟墓。医生将手电筒放在坟头，然后移过来靠在一棵榆树上坐下。 —

He was so close the boys could have touched him.
他离得如此之近，几乎让男孩们能触摸到他了。

“Hurry, men!” he said, in a low voice; “the moon might come out at any moment.”
“快点，伙计们！”他低声说道，“月亮随时会出来。”

They growled a response and went on digging. —
他们嗥叫着回应并继续挖掘。 —

For some time there was no noise but the grating sound of the spades discharging their freight of mould and gravel. —
有一段时间里，只能听到铲子刮擦着土壤和砂砾的声音。 —

It was very monotonous. Finally a spade struck upon the coffin with a dull woody accent, and within another minute or two the men had hoisted it out on the ground. —
这种声音非常单调。最后，一把铲子发出了一声低沉的木质声音，再过一两分钟，人们就把棺材吊到了地上。 —

They pried off the lid with their shovels, got out the body and dumped it rudely on the ground. —
他们用铲子撬开了棺材盖，把尸体取出来，粗暴地摔到了地上。 —

The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face. —
月亮从云朵后面飘出来，显现出苍白的脸庞。 —

The barrow was got ready and the corpse placed on it, covered with a blanket, and bound to its place with the rope. —
手推车准备好了，尸体放在上面，用毯子盖住，并用绳子固定在原地。 —

Potter took out a large spring-knife and cut off the dangling end of the rope and then said:
波特拿出一把大弹簧刀，割掉了绳子上的悬垂部分，然后说道：

“Now the cussed thing’s ready, Sawbones, and you’ll just out with another five, or here she stays.”
“现在可准备好了，医生，再给五个，否则就留下来。”

“That’s the talk!” said Injun Joe.
“说得对！”印第安乔说道。

“Look here, what does this mean?” said the doctor. —
“你看这个，这是什么意思？”医生说。 —

“You required your pay in advance, and I’ve paid you.”
“你要求预付工资，我已经支付了。”

“Yes, and you done more than that,” said Injun Joe, approaching the doctor, who was now standing. “Five years ago you drove me away from your father’s kitchen one night, when I come to ask for something to eat, and you said I warn’t there for any good; —
“是的，你不仅做到了这一点，”印第安乔走近正在站立的医生说道。“五年前，有一个晚上，我去你父亲的厨房找东西吃，你把我赶走，说我不是为了好事来的； —

and when I swore I’d get even with you if it took a hundred years, your father had me jailed for a vagrant. —
我发誓要报复你，哪怕花上百年，你父亲就因为我流浪，把我关进监狱。 —

Did you think I’d forget? The Injun blood ain’t in me for nothing. —
以为我会忘记吗？我身上有印第安人的血液不是白混的。 —

And now I’ve got you, and you got to settle, you know!”
在我抓到了你，你必须解决，你知道的！”

He was threatening the doctor, with his fist in his face, by this time. —
时，他正威胁医生，拳头对准医生的脸。 —

The doctor struck out suddenly and stretched the ruffian on the ground. —
生突然出手，将这个恶棍打倒在地。 —

Potter dropped his knife, and exclaimed:
特掉了刀子，惊呼道：

“Here, now, don’t you hit my pard!” and the next moment he had grappled with the doctor and the two were struggling with might and main, trampling the grass and tearing the ground with their heels. —
“喂，你别打我伙伴！”下一刻，他与医生扭打在一起，拼尽全力，踩踏着草地，用脚践踏着地面。 —

Injun Joe sprang to his feet, his eyes flaming with passion, snatched up Potter’s knife, and went creeping, catlike and stooping, round and round about the combatants, seeking an opportunity. —
印弟安杰尔站起身来，双眼愤怒地闪烁着，抓起波特的刀，准备着机会时时刻刻地蹑手蹑脚地绕着战斗者周围。 —

All at once the doctor flung himself free, seized the heavy headboard of Williams’ grave and felled Potter to the earth with it—and in the same instant the half-breed saw his chance and drove the knife to the hilt in the young man’s breast. —
突然，医生挣脱开来，抓住威廉姆斯墓碑的沉重头板，用力地将波特击倒在地，与此同时，混血人见到了机会，将刀插入年轻人的胸口，直至插到刀柄。 —

He reeled and fell partly upon Potter, flooding him with his blood, and in the same moment the clouds blotted out the dreadful spectacle and the two frightened boys went speeding away in the dark.
他蹒跚而倒下，部分身体倒在波特身上，鲜血涌出，就在同一刻，乌云遮蔽了这可怕的场景，两个受惊的男孩在黑暗中急速逃离。

Presently, when the moon emerged again, Injun Joe was standing over the two forms, contemplating them. —
不久，当月亮再次升起时，印弟安杰尔站在那两具身体上，沉思着。 —

The doctor murmured inarticulately, gave a long gasp or two and was still. —
医生嘟哝着话，发出了几声长叹后就静止了。 —

The half-breed muttered:
那个混血儿嘀咕道：

“That score is settled—damn you.”
“那个账，算是一笔勾销了—该死的家伙。”

Then he robbed the body. After which he put the fatal knife in Potter’s open right hand, and sat down on the dismantled coffin. —
之后他搜刮了尸体。然后把那把致命的刀放进了波特的右手里，坐在了被拆掉的棺材上。 —

Three—four—five minutes passed, and then Potter began to stir and moan. —
三-四-五分钟过去了，波特开始动了起来，呻吟着。 —

His hand closed upon the knife; he raised it, glanced at it, and let it fall, with a shudder. —
他的手攥紧了刀，抬起来看了看，然后颤抖着放了下来。 —

Then he sat up, pushing the body from him, and gazed at it, and then around him, confusedly. —
然后他坐起来，将尸体推开，困惑地朝四周张望。 —

His eyes met Joe’s.
他的目光遇上了乔的目光。

“Lord, how is this, Joe?” he said.
“天啊，怎么回事，乔？”他说。

“It’s a dirty business,” said Joe, without moving.
“这事太脏了，”乔说，一动不动。

“What did you do it for?”
“你为什么这么做？”

“I! I never done it!”
“我！我没做过！”

“Look here! That kind of talk won’t wash.”
“听着！你那种说法解释不通。”

Potter trembled and grew white.
波特颤抖着，脸色变白。

“I thought I’d got sober. I’d no business to drink to-night. —
“我本以为我已经清醒了。今晚不该喝的。” —

But it’s in my head yet—worse’n when we started here. I’m all in a muddle; —
但它还在我脑海里—比我们开始的时候更糟。我全都迷糊了； —

can’t recollect anything of it, hardly. Tell me, Joe—honest, now, old feller—did I do it? —
我几乎什么都回忆不起来了。告诉我，乔—老实说，老伙计—是我干的吗？ —

Joe, I never meant to—’pon my soul and honor, I never meant to, Joe. Tell me how it was, Joe. Oh, it’s awful—and him so young and promising.”
乔，我绝不是有意的—我发誓，我绝不是有意的，乔。告诉我是怎么回事，乔。哦，太可怕了，他年纪那么轻，前途无量。

“Why, you two was scuffling, and he fetched you one with the headboard and you fell flat; —
“噢，你们两个在争斗，他用床头板打了你一下，你瞬间倒地； —

and then up you come, all reeling and staggering like, and snatched the knife and jammed it into him, just as he fetched you another awful clip—and here you’ve laid, as dead as a wedge til now.”
然后你又站了起来，摇摇晃晃地，一把抓起刀子，就在他猛击你又一下的时候，你捅了他一刀，一直躺在这里，就像死了一样。”

“Oh, I didn’t know what I was a-doing. I wish I may die this minute if I did. —
“哦，我不知道我在做什么。我宁愿此刻死去，如果我知道的话。 —

It was all on account of the whiskey and the excitement, I reckon. —
这全都是因为威士忌和兴奋，我想。 —

I never used a weepon in my life before, Joe. I’ve fought, but never with weepons. —
我从来没用过武器，乔。我打过架，但从来没用过武器。 —

They’ll all say that. Joe, don’t tell! Say you won’t tell, Joe—that’s a good feller. —
他们都会这么说。乔，别告诉任何人！说你不会说，乔—好人一名。 —

I always liked you, Joe, and stood up for you, too. Don’t you remember? —
我一直喜欢你，乔，也替你站出来，你记得吗？ —

You won’t tell, will you, Joe?” And the poor creature dropped on his knees before the stolid murderer, and clasped his appealing hands.
你不会告诉别人，对吧，乔？”可怜的人跪在无动于衷的凶手面前，双手紧握着恳求。

“No, you’ve always been fair and square with me, Muff Potter, and I won’t go back on you. —
不，你对我一直公平正直，马夫·波特，我不会对你撒谎。 —

There, now, that’s as fair as a man can say.”
好了，现在这话说得够公平了。

“Oh, Joe, you’re an angel. I’ll bless you for this the longest day I live. —
哦，乔，你是个天使。我会永生永世感激你的。 —

” And Potter began to cry.
波特开始哭泣。

“Come, now, that’s enough of that. This ain’t any time for blubbering. —
来吧，哭够了。现在不是哭泣的时候。 —

You be off yonder way and I’ll go this. —
你往那边走，我往这边走。 —

Move, now, and don’t leave any tracks behind you.”
走吧，现在，不要留下任何踪迹。

Potter started on a trot that quickly increased to a run. —
波特开始跑，速度迅速加快。 —

The half-breed stood looking after him. He muttered:
混血儿望着他远去。他咕哝着说：

“If he’s as much stunned with the lick and fuddled with the rum as he had the look of being, he won’t think of the knife till he’s gone so far he’ll be afraid to come back after it to such a place by himself—chicken-heart!”
“如果他被舔的东西和朗姆酒搞得跟看上去一样迷迷糊糊的，他就不会想到刀子，直到他走得太远，他会害怕一个人回到这样的地方来找它的 - 胆小鬼！”

Two or three minutes later the murdered man, the blanketed corpse, the lidless coffin, and the open grave were under no inspection but the moon’s. —
两三分钟后，被谋杀的人，盖着毯子的尸体，无盖的棺材和开放的坟墓都只有月光照看。 —

The stillness was complete again, too.
寂静再次变得完全。