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. When we was passing by the kitchen I fell over a root and made a noise. We scrouched down and laid still. Miss Watson's big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him. He got up and stretched his neck out about a minute, listening. Then he says:
"Who dah?"
He listened some more; then he come tiptoeing down and stood right between us; 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. There was a place on my ankle that got to itching3, but I dasn't scratch it; and then my ear begun to itch1; and next my back, right between my shoulders. Seemed like I'd die if I couldn't scratch. Well, I've noticed that thing plenty times since. 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 upwards4 of a thousand places. Pretty soon Jim says:
"Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn' hear sumf'n. Well, I know what I's gwyne to do: I's gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it agin."
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. My nose begun to itch. It itched5 till the tears come into my eyes. But I dasn't scratch. Then it begun to itch on the inside. Next I got to itching underneath6. I didn't know how I was going to set still. This miserableness7 went on as much as six or seven minutes; but it seemed a sight longer than that. I was itching in eleven different places now. 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; next he begun to snore -- and then I was pretty soon comfortable again.
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. When we was ten foot off Tom whispered to me, and wanted to tie Jim to the tree for fun. But I said no; he might wake and make a disturbance8, and then they'd find out I warn't in. Then Tom said he hadn't got candles enough, and he would slip in the kitchen and get some more. I didn't want him to try. I said Jim might wake up and come. But Tom wanted to resk it; so we slid in there and got three candles, and Tom laid five cents on the table for pay. Then we got out, and I was in a sweat to get away; but nothing would do Tom but he must crawl to where Jim was, on his hands and knees, and play something on him. I waited, and it seemed a good while, everything was so still and lonesome.
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. 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. 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. And next time Jim told it he said they rode him down to New Orleans; 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. Jim was monstrous9 proud about it, and he got so he wouldn't hardly notice the other niggers. Niggers would come miles to hear Jim tell about it, and he was more looked up to than any nigger in that country. Strange niggers would stand with their mouths open and look him all over, same as if he was a wonder. Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, "Hm! What you know 'bout2 witches?" and that nigger was corked10 up and had to take a back seat. 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; but he never told what it was he said to it. Niggers would come from all around there and give Jim anything they had, just for a sight of that fivecenter piece; but they wouldn't touch it, because the devil had had his hands on it. Jim was most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.
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; and the stars over us was sparkling ever so fine; and down by the village was the river, a whole mile broad, and awful still and grand. 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. So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the river two mile and a half, to the big scar on the hillside, and went ashore11.
We went to a clump12 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. Then we lit the candles, and crawled in on our hands and knees. We went about two hundred yards, and then the cave opened up. Tom poked13 about amongst the passages, and pretty soon ducked under a wall where you wouldn't a noticed that there was a hole. 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:
"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."
Everybody was willing. So Tom got out a sheet of paper that he had wrote the oath on, and read it. It swore every boy to stick to the band, and never tell any of the secrets; 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 hacked14 a cross in their breasts, which was the sign of the band. And nobody that didn't belong to the band could use that mark, and if he did he must be sued; and if he done it again he must be killed. 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 scattered15 all around, and his name blotted16 off of the list with blood and never mentioned again by the gang, but have a curse put on it and be forgot forever.
Everybody said it was a real beautiful oath, and asked Tom if he got it out of his own head. 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.
Some thought it would be good to kill the FAMILIES of boys that told the secrets. Tom said it was a good idea, so he took a pencil and wrote it in. Then Ben Rogers says:
"Here's Huck Finn, he hain't got no family; what you going to do 'bout him?"
"Well, hain't he got a father?" says Tom Sawyer.
"Yes, he's got a father, but you can't never find him these days. He used to lay drunk with the hogs17 in the tanyard, but he hain't been seen in these parts for a year or more."
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. Well, nobody could think of anything to do -- everybody was stumped18, and set still. 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:
"Oh, she'll do. That's all right. Huck can come in."
Then they all stuck a pin in their fingers to get blood to sign with, and I made my mark on the paper.
"Now," says Ben Rogers, "what's the line of business of this Gang?"
"Nothing only robbery and murder," Tom said.
"But who are we going to rob? -- houses, or cattle, or --"
"Stuff! stealing cattle and such things ain't robbery; it's burglary," says Tom Sawyer. "We ain't burglars. That ain't no sort of style. We are highwaymen. We stop stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money."
"Must we always kill the people?"
"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 ransomed20."
"Ransomed? What's that?"
"I don't know. But that's what they do. I've seen it in books; and so of course that's what we've got to do."
"But how can we do it if we don't know what it is?"
"Why, blame it all, we've GOT to do it. Don't I tell you it's in the books? Do you want to go to doing different from what's in the books, and get things all muddled21 up?"
"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? -- that's the thing I want to get at. Now, what do you reckon it is?"
"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. "
"Now, that's something LIKE. That'll answer. Why couldn't you said that before? We'll keep them till they're ransomed to death; and a bothersome lot they'll be, too -- eating up everything, and always trying to get loose."
"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 peg22?"
"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. I think that's foolishness. Why can't a body take a club and ransom19 them as soon as they get here?"
"Because it ain't in the books so -- that's why. Now, Ben Rogers, do you want to do things regular, or don't you? -- that's the idea. Don't you reckon that the people that made the books knows what's the correct thing to do? Do you reckon YOU can learn 'em anything? Not by a good deal. No, sir, we'll just go on and ransom them in the regular way."
"All right. I don't mind; but I say it's a fool way, anyhow. Say, do we kill the women, too?"
"Well, Ben Rogers, if I was as ignorant as you I wouldn't let on. Kill the women? No; nobody ever saw anything in the books like that. You fetch them to the cave, and you're always as polite as pie to them; and by and by they fall in love with you, and never want to go home any more."
"Well, if that's the way I'm agreed, but I don't take no stock in it. Mighty23 soon we'll have the cave so cluttered24 up with women, and fellows waiting to be ransomed, that there won't be no place for the robbers. But go ahead, I ain't got nothing to say."
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.
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. 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.
Ben Rogers said he couldn't get out much, only Sundays, and so he wanted to begin next Sunday; but all the boys said it would be wicked to do it on Sunday, and that settled the thing. 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.
I clumb up the shed and crept into my window just before day was breaking. My new clothes was all greased up and clayey, and I was dog-tired.
我们轻手轻脚地沿着一条林间小道向寡妇的花园尽头走去，猫着腰不让树枝蹭着头。路过厨房时，我让树枝绊了一下，弄出了点儿声响，我赶忙蹲下不动。华森小姐的大个子黑奴吉姆正坐在厨房门口，我们看得清楚，因为他身后有亮光。他站起来伸长脖子听了一阵，问道："谁？"他又听了听，随后踮着脚尖走下来，正好站在我跟汤姆中间，我们几乎能碰到他。过了好一会儿，一点儿声音也没有，我们离得这么近。我脚上一个地方痒了起来，可我不敢挠，接着我耳朵也痒，还有后背，刚好在两肩当中，都痒了起来，好像我不挠就会痒死。..不久，吉姆说："喂--你是谁？你在哪儿？我要是没听见动静才叫怪呢。好吧，我知道我该怎么做，我就坐在这儿，反正还能听见。"于是，他就在我和汤姆中间的地上坐下。背靠一株大树伸开腿，他的一条腿都快碰上我的脚了。我的鼻子开始痒了，痒得我眼泪都快流出来了，可我还是不敢挠。后来。鼻子里边也痒。我不知怎么办才能坐着不动。难受了足有六七分钟时间；好像比这还要长。我身上总共有11 处发痒。我觉得一分钟也受不了了，但是，我得咬紧牙关熬下去。刚好，吉姆呼吸也加重了；然后，他开始打呼噜--我身上马上也舒服了。
汤姆冲我打个招呼--嘴出了点声--我们手脚着地爬开了。爬出十英尺（一英尺：30 48 厘米。）远，汤姆小声对我说，他想把吉姆拴在树上开个玩笑。我说不行，他可能会醒过来闹开的，这么一来，他们就会发现我不在了。汤姆又说蜡烛不够，他要溜到厨房拿点儿。我不想让他去，担心吉姆会醒过来。可他偏要冒险，我们就悄悄进去拿了三支蜡烛，汤姆还在桌子上放了三分钱，算做蜡钱。我们出了厨房，我急得要死，只想走开；可是无论怎样也拦不住汤姆，他非要爬到吉姆那儿跟他开个玩笑。我等着，觉得时间过得特别慢，周围很静，让人心里发慌。
汤姆一回来，我们就抄小路，沿着花园的围墙向前走。很快就到了对面的山顶上。汤姆说他将吉姆的帽子从头上拿掉，挂到他头顶上的一个树枝上，吉姆动了一下，可没醒。..（删去一段吉姆的迷信想法。吉姆不是此章重点，删去此段不关要旨。）我们走到山脊上，向下面树林里望去，看见了三四处亮灯的地方，或许是谁家有人病了吧。星星在我们头上闪着光，十分好看，下面村子旁是那条大河，足足有一英里（ 一英里：1.609 公里。）宽，平静而又壮观。我们走下山坡，找到了乔·哈波、本·罗杰，另外还有两三个男孩，他们藏在那家老制革厂里。于是，我们解开一条小船，顺河划了大约有两英里半远，划到山边那块大岩石旁，便靠了岸。
我们走入矮矮的树丛，汤姆要每个人都发誓保密，随后，他将一个山洞指给我们看，山洞在树丛最密的地方。后来，我们点着蜡烛，爬了进去。爬了大概有两百码，洞豁然开阔。汤姆在过道中摸索了一阵，忽然在一块岩石底下弯下腰，谁也不会想到那儿有个洞。我们走过窄窄的过道，走入一个像房间一样的地方，四处滴着水珠，又潮又湿，我们站住。汤姆说道："现在，我们要组建一个强盗帮，就叫它汤姆·索亚帮好了。谁想加入都必须宣誓，还要用血签名。"大家都很乐意。于是，汤姆摸出一张纸读了一遍，上面写好了誓词。誓词要每个孩子忠于本帮，决不泄密；假如有人对本帮的孩子有什么伤害，不管派谁去杀那个人和那个人的全家，谁就得去；被派去的人不能吃饭，也不得睡觉，直到把他们杀掉，还得在他们胸前留个十字，这是本帮帮号。不属于本帮的人不能用此帮号，如果用了，就要受到起诉；如果再用，就被杀掉。属于本帮的人，一旦泄密，就会被切断喉咙，烧毁尸体，撒掉骨灰，他的名字也将用血涂去，帮中不许再提，还要咒他一回，永远忘掉。
每个人都说这简直是个漂亮的誓词，还问汤姆这是不是他自己想出来的。他说，一部分是，其余的都是人有关海盗和强盗小说中抄来的，每个高水准的帮都有这一些。
有人建议哪个孩子泄密最好就杀他全家。汤姆说这倒是个好主意，就拿笔将这一条也写入了誓词。这时，本·罗杰说："那么，哈克·芬呢？他没家--你们会拿他怎么办？""啊，他不是有个父亲吗？"汤姆·索亚说。
"对，他是有个父亲，可你根本不会找到他，这都有好长日子啦。过去，他总是喝得烂醉，和制革厂的猪睡在一起，可是有一年多了，在这些地方谁也没看见过他。"他们又讨论了一阵儿，想把我除名，因为他们说每个孩子都得有一个家或什么亲人可以让他们杀，否则，对别人就不公平。这样，谁也想不出个办法--都憋住了，坐着不吱声。我很想哭，但很快就想到一个主意，于是，我提出了华森小姐--他们可以杀她。大家说："哈，她行，她也行。这就好办啦。哈克可以入帮。"然后，他们用别针朝手指上一扎，挤出血来签名，我也在誓词上划了记号。
"那么，"本·罗杰说，" 这个帮做什么生意呢？""只干抢劫和谋杀。" 汤姆说。
"可我们抢谁呢？房子，还是牛羊，还是..""胡说八道！抢牛偷羊不算打劫，那是暗盗，"汤姆·索亚说，" 我们不是夜贼，那么干既没风度又没劲。我们是路霸。我们在大路上拦马车截商货，戴上面具，杀人夺表抢钱。""我们非得杀掉那些人吗？""噢，当然啦。那样最好。行家们有不同见解，可大多数人认为还是杀了最好。除了留几个你带进洞来，扣下等人赎回去。""赎回去？什么意思？""我不很清楚。可人家都这么干。我是从书上看的；因此，我们当然也要这么干。""可怎么干呢？我们连它是什么意思都不懂。""管它是啥意思呢，我们就得这么着。我不是给你讲过这是书上写的吗？你想做的跟书上写的不一样来把事情搞糟吗？""噢，说说倒是挺好，汤姆·索亚，可究竟怎么个赎法呢？我就想知道这一点。你猜猜是怎么回事？""嗯，我不知道。只是可能是我们扣住人等着来赎吧，也就是说，他们可能会把他们扣到死。""啊，这倒有点儿像。行啦。你怎么不早点说呢？我们就扣住人直到他们被赎死--那他们就成了一帮讨厌的家伙，会把东西都吃光，还老想着要逃跑。""你怎么可以这么说，罗杰。有人看守，他们怎么能逃掉呢？动一动就把他们打死好了。""看守！啊，那可倒好。这样就得有人整夜坐着，一点儿觉也不能去睡，就为了看守他们。我认为这可是件傻事。为什么不等他们一来就拿棍子赎了他们呢？""因为书上倒没这么写--这就是原因。喂，本·罗杰，你得按规矩办，还是不去胡思乱想为好--这才是关键。你难道认为那些写书的人不知道怎么办才对吗？你以为你自己还能教他们吗？不，先生，我们就得这么做，按规矩赎人。""好吧，我不在乎；不过我要说反正这是个傻办法。还有--我们也要杀那些女人吗？""好了，罗杰，我要是跟你一样无知，就不再张嘴了。杀掉女人？不--没有人在书上看到过这种事。你把她们接到洞里来，待她们总是彬彬有礼；渐渐地，她们就会爱上你，再也不想回家了。""好吧，如果是那么回事儿，我赞成，可我不信这一套。很快这洞里就会挤满女人，还有等着被赎出去的男人，可就没有我们这些强盗的地方了。接着往下讲吧，我没什么可说了。"小汤米·巴因斯这时已睡着了，他们把他一叫醒他就害怕起来，哭了，说他要回家找妈妈，不想再当强盗了。
于是，他们都开他的玩笑，喊他哭脸娃娃，这下他被气坏了，他说他要立刻出去，泄露所有的秘密。可是，汤姆给了他五分钱，让他安静，说我们全都回家，下周再来碰头，抢个人，再杀几个。
本·罗杰说他不能经常出来，只能在星期天，因此，他想在下星期日碰头；可所有的孩子都说是星期日干这种事是有罪的，这话把问题解决了。他们同意尽快见面，定个日子，然后，我们选汤姆·索亚做大首领，乔·哈波做二首领，接着就动身回家。
我爬上木棚，钻入窗户，天很快就要亮了。我的新衣服布满了油泥灰土，我浑身上下累得酸疼。
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itch
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| n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望 | |
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bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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itching
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| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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miserableness
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| 痛苦，悲惨，可怜 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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corked
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| adj.带木塞气味的，塞着瓶塞的v.用瓶塞塞住( cork的过去式 ) | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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hacked
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| 生气 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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stumped
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| 僵直地行走，跺步行走( stump的过去式和过去分词 )； 把（某人）难住； 使为难； （选举前）在某一地区作政治性巡回演说 | |
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ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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ransomed
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| 付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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cluttered
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| v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满… | |
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