小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 经典英文小说 » The Adventures of Tom Sawyer汤姆.索亚历险记 » Chapter 28
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
Chapter 28
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。

THAT night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure. They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern1 until after nine, one watching the alley2 at a distance and the other the tavern door. Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door. The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and "maow," whereupon he would slip out and try the keys. But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired3 to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

Tuesday the boys had the same ill luck. Also Wednesday. But Thursday night promised better. Tom slipped out in good season with his aunt's old tin lantern, and a large towel to blindfold4 it with. He hid the lantern in Huck's sugar hogshead and the watch began. An hour before midnight the tavern closed up and its lights (the only ones thereabouts) were put out. No Spaniard had been seen. Nobody had entered or left the alley. Everything was auspicious5. The blackness of darkness reigned6, the perfect stillness was interrupted only by occasional mutterings of distant thunder.

Tom got his lantern, lit it in the hogshead, wrapped it closely in the towel, and the two adventurers crept in the gloom toward the tavern. Huck stood sentry7 and Tom felt his way into the alley. Then there was a season of waiting anxiety that weighed upon Huck's spirits like a mountain. He began to wish he could see a flash from the lantern -- it would frighten him, but it would at least tell him that Tom was alive yet. It seemed hours since Tom had disappeared. Surely he must have fainted; maybe he was dead; maybe his heart had burst under terror and excitement. In his uneasiness Huck found himself drawing closer and closer to the alley; fearing all sorts of dreadful things, and momentarily expecting some catastrophe8 to happen that would take away his breath. There was not much to take away, for he seemed only able to inhale9 it by thimblefuls, and his heart would soon wear itself out, the way it was beating. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Tom came tearing by him: "Run!" said he; "run, for your life!"

He needn't have repeated it; once was enough; Huck was making thirty or forty miles an hour before the repetition was uttered. The boys never stopped till they reached the shed of a deserted10 slaughterhouse at the lower end of the village. Just as they got within its shelter the storm burst and the rain poured down. As soon as Tom got his breath he said:

"Huck, it was awful! I tried two of the keys, just as soft as I could; but they seemed to make such a power of racket that I couldn't hardly get my breath I was so scared. They wouldn't turn in the lock, either. Well, without noticing what I was doing, I took hold of the knob, and open comes the door! It warn't locked! I hopped11 in, and shook off the towel, and, great Caesar's ghost!"

"What! -- what'd you see, Tom?"

"Huck, I most stepped onto Injun Joe's hand!"

"No!"

"Yes! He was lying there, sound asleep on the floor, with his old patch on his eye and his arms spread out."

"Lordy, what did you do? Did he wake up?"

"No, never budged12. Drunk, I reckon. I just grabbed that towel and started!"

"I'd never 'a' thought of the towel, I bet!"

"Well, I would. My aunt would make me mighty13 sick if I lost it."

"Say, Tom, did you see that box?"

"Huck, I didn't wait to look around. I didn't see the box, I didn't see the cross. I didn't see anything but a bottle and a tin cup on the floor by Injun Joe; yes, I saw two barrels and lots more bottles in the room. Don't you see, now, what's the matter with that ha'nted room?"

"How?"

"Why, it's ha'nted with whiskey! Maybe ALL the Temperance Taverns14 have got a ha'nted room, hey, Huck?"

"Well, I reckon maybe that's so. Who'd 'a' thought such a thing? But say, Tom, now's a mighty good time to get that box, if Injun Joe's drunk."

"It is, that! You try it!"

Huck shuddered15.

"Well, no -- I reckon not."

"And I reckon not, Huck. Only one bottle alongside of Injun Joe ain't enough. If there'd been three, he'd be drunk enough and I'd do it."

There was a long pause for reflection, and then Tom said:

"Lookyhere, Huck, less not try that thing any more till we know Injun Joe's not in there. It's too scary. Now, if we watch every night, we'll be dead sure to see him go out, some time or other, and then we'll snatch that box quicker'n lightning."

"Well, I'm agreed. I'll watch the whole night long, and I'll do it every night, too, if you'll do the other part of the job."

"All right, I will. All you got to do is to trot16 up Hooper Street a block and maow -- and if I'm asleep, you throw some gravel17 at the window and that'll fetch me."

"Agreed, and good as wheat!"

"Now, Huck, the storm's over, and I'll go home. It'll begin to be daylight in a couple of hours. You go back and watch that long, will you?"

"I said I would, Tom, and I will. I'll ha'nt that tavern every night for a year! I'll sleep all day and I'll stand watch all night."

"That's all right. Now, where you going to sleep?"

"In Ben Rogers' hayloft. He lets me, and so does his pap's nigger man, Uncle Jake. I tote water for Uncle Jake whenever he wants me to, and any time I ask him he gives me a little something to eat if he can spare it. That's a mighty good nigger, Tom. He likes me, becuz I don't ever act as if I was above him. Sometime I've set right down and eat with him. But you needn't tell that. A body's got to do things when he's awful hungry he wouldn't want to do as a steady thing."

"Well, if I don't want you in the daytime, I'll let you sleep. I won't come bothering around. Any time you see something's up, in the night, just skip right around and maow."
 
 
第二十八章 巢穴追踪,汤姆发现新线索

    那天晚上汤姆和哈克作好准备去冒一次险。他俩在客栈周围转悠到9点后才开始行动。
一个在老远处注视着小巷子,另外一个看客栈的门。巷子里没人来往,进出客栈的人,没有那个西班牙人的影子。晚上好像不太黑。汤姆回家前和哈克约定,如果夜色不错,哈克就出来学猫叫,汤姆听到后就溜出去用钥匙试开门。可是那晚天色明亮,哈克12点左右结束望风,到空糖桶睡觉去了。
    星期二,两个孩子遭了同样的歹运,星期三也是如此。到星期四晚上,天气有起色。汤姆提着姨妈那只洋铁旧灯笼,拿了一条遮灯光的大毛巾,乘机溜出去。他把灯笼藏在哈克的糖桶里,开始望风。午夜前一小时,客栈关了门,连那仅有的灯光也熄灭了。西班牙人没露面,巷子里也没人走动,一切平安无事。夜色深深,万籁俱静,远处偶尔传来一两声雷声。
    汤姆拿起灯笼,在糖桶里点亮后用毛巾将它紧紧围住。夜幕中两个探险者蹑手蹑脚朝客栈走去。哈克放哨,汤姆摸着进了巷子。好一阵工夫,哈克焦急地等待着,心头好像压着座大山那样沉重。他希望能看到灯笼闪一下光,这虽然让他害怕,但它至少说明他还活着。汤姆好像走了有好几个小时似的。他一定是昏过去了,要么就是死了,或许因害怕和兴奋,心脏炸裂了。不安中,哈克已不知不觉地接近那条小巷,心里诚惶诚恐,时刻准备着意外不测的降临,一下子把他吓得憋过气去。事实上他已没有多少气了,他现在只能一点一点呼吸,这样下去不久就会心力衰竭。突然灯光一闪,只见汤姆狂奔着从他身边跑过。
    “快逃!”他说,“快逃命!”
    他不必再重说,一遍就够了,还没等汤姆再说下去,哈克的速度已达到每小时三四十里,他俩一口气跑到村头旧屠宰场的空木棚那里才停下来。他们刚到屋檐下,风暴就来了,接着大雨倾盆而下,汤姆一缓过气就说:
    “哈克,真恐怖。我尽量轻地开门,试了两把钥匙,声音哗哗直响,吓得我气都喘不过来,钥匙也转不动了。后来,不知怎的我抓住门柄,结果门开了,门原来没上锁。我连忙跳进去,扯下灯笼上的毛巾,我的妈呀,我差点没被吓死。”
    “是什么?——汤姆你看见了什么?”
    “哈克,我差点正踩上印第安·乔的手!”
    “不会的!”
    “没错!他躺在那里,睡得很熟,眼睛上还贴着那块纱布,手臂摊开。”
    “乖乖,你干了什么?他醒了吗?”
    “没醒,连动也没动。我想,一定是喝醉酒了。我抓起毛巾就往外跑!”
    “我要是你的话,连毛巾都不要了。”
    “我不行。要是丢了毛巾,姨妈会让我好受的。”
    “喂,汤姆,你见到那箱子了吗!”
    “哈克,我哪有时间看呢,没看到箱子,也没见到十字,除印第安·乔身边的地上有一个瓶和一只洋铁杯之外,别的什么也没看见。对了,还看到屋里有两只酒桶和一堆瓶子,你明白了吧,哈克,你说说,那间闹鬼的房子到底怎么了?”
    “怎么了?”
    “闹鬼,闹的是酒鬼!也许所有的禁酒客栈都有个闹鬼的房间,喂,哈克,你说是不是?”
    “嗯,我想你说得对。谁也想不到有这样的怪事?可话说回来了,汤姆,现在乘印第安·乔还醉着,正是拿箱子的好机会。”
    “说的是!不过,你去试试!”
    哈克吓得直打哆嗦。
    “得了,不——我看不行。”
    “我也觉得不行,哈克,一瓶酒是醉不倒印第安·乔的,他身边要是有三瓶,那他一定烂醉,我也敢去试一试。”
    汤姆沉思了很久后才开口说:
    “哈克,听着,只要印第安·乔一刻不走,我们就别试了。太吓人了。要是每天晚上都盯着点,我们肯定能看到他出来,无论何时,只要他一出来,我们就闪电般冲进去,抱着箱子就跑。”
    “行,我赞成,我一夜看到亮,天天晚上看,你负责去抱箱子。”
    “好,就这么定下来。你到琥珀街去,过一个街区,并学猫叫。要是我睡着了,就朝窗上扔个小石头,叫醒我。”
    “没问题,太妙了!”
    “哈克,风暴停了,我要回家去。再过一两个小时,天就亮了,你坚持看守这段时间,行吗?”
    “我说过的就干,汤姆,我愿意干。我愿每晚去盯那客栈,盯一年都行,白天睡觉,晚上盯个整夜。”
    “这就好,你打算睡在什么地方?”
    “本·罗杰斯家的干草棚里。他让我睡,他爸爸用的那个黑人杰克叔也让我睡,只要杰克叔要我干,我就帮他提水。有吃的时候,我要,他就给我一点。他真是个好人,汤姆。他喜欢我,我对他从不摆臭架子,有时坐下来和他一起吃饭。不过不要跟别人讲。一个人饿的时候,就管不了那么多了。只要有吃,什么事都愿意干。”
    “好,白天要是用不着你,你就睡觉,我不会来烦你。晚上如有事情,就赶快跑到附近,学声猫叫就行了。”


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tavern wGpyl     
n.小旅馆,客栈;小酒店
参考例句:
  • There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
  • Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。
2 alley Cx2zK     
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路
参考例句:
  • We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
  • The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。
3 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
4 blindfold blindfold     
vt.蒙住…的眼睛;adj.盲目的;adv.盲目地;n.蒙眼的绷带[布等]; 障眼物,蒙蔽人的事物
参考例句:
  • They put a blindfold on a horse.他们给马蒙上遮眼布。
  • I can do it blindfold.我闭着眼睛都能做。
5 auspicious vu8zs     
adj.吉利的;幸运的,吉兆的
参考例句:
  • The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
  • With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽,正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。
6 reigned d99f19ecce82a94e1b24a320d3629de5     
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式)
参考例句:
  • Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静,一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
7 sentry TDPzV     
n.哨兵,警卫
参考例句:
  • They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。
  • The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。
8 catastrophe WXHzr     
n.大灾难,大祸
参考例句:
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
9 inhale ZbJzA     
v.吸入(气体等),吸(烟)
参考例句:
  • Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
  • They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。
10 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
11 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
12 budged acd2fdcd1af9cf1b3478f896dc0484cf     
v.(使)稍微移动( budge的过去式和过去分词 );(使)改变主意,(使)让步
参考例句:
  • Old Bosc had never budged an inch--he was totally indifferent. 老包斯克一直连动也没有动,他全然无所谓。 来自辞典例句
  • Nobody budged you an inch. 别人一丁点儿都算计不了你。 来自辞典例句
13 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
14 taverns 476fbbf2c55ee4859d46c568855378a8     
n.小旅馆,客栈,酒馆( tavern的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They ain't only two taverns. We can find out quick." 这儿只有两家客栈,会弄明白的。” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • Maybe ALL the Temperance Taverns have got a ha'nted room, hey, Huck?" 也许所有的禁酒客栈都有个闹鬼的房间,喂,哈克,你说是不是?” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
15 shuddered 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86     
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
参考例句:
  • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 trot aKBzt     
n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧
参考例句:
  • They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
  • The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。
17 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533