I WANTED to go and look at a place right about the middle of the island that I'd found when I was exploring; so we started and soon got to it, because the island was only three miles long and a quarter of a mile wide.
This place was a tolerable long, steep hill or ridge1 about forty foot high. We had a rough time getting to the top, the sides was so steep and the bushes so thick. We tramped and clumb around all over it, and by and by found a good big cavern2 in the rock, most up to the top on the side towards Illinois. The cavern was as big as two or three rooms bunched together, and Jim could stand up straight in it. It was cool in there. Jim was for putting our traps in there right away, but I said we didn't want to be climbing up and down there all the time.
Jim said if we had the canoe hid in a good place, and had all the traps in the cavern, we could rush there if anybody was to come to the island, and they would never find us without dogs. And, besides, he said them little birds had said it was going to rain, and did I want the things to get wet?
So we went back and got the canoe, and paddled up abreast3 the cavern, and lugged4 all the traps up there. Then we hunted up a place close by to hide the canoe in, amongst the thick willows5. We took some fish off of the lines and set them again, and begun to get ready for dinner.
The door of the cavern was big enough to roll a hogshead in, and on one side of the door the floor stuck out a little bit, and was flat and a good place to build a fire on. So we built it there and cooked dinner.
We spread the blankets inside for a carpet, and eat our dinner in there. We put all the other things handy at the back of the cavern. Pretty soon it darkened up, and begun to thunder and lighten; so the birds was right about it. Directly it begun to rain, and it rained like all fury, too, and I never see the wind blow so. It was one of these regular summer storms. It would get so dark that it looked all blue-black outside, and lovely; and the rain would thrash along by so thick that the trees off a little ways looked dim and spiderwebby; and here would come a blast of wind that would bend the trees down and turn up the pale underside of the leaves; and then a perfect ripper of a gust6 would follow along and set the branches to tossing their arms as if they was just wild; and next, when it was just about the bluest and blackest -- FST! it was as bright as glory, and you'd have a little glimpse of treetops a-plunging about away off yonder in the storm, hundreds of yards further than you could see before; dark as sin again in a second, and now you'd hear the thunder let go with an awful crash, and then go rumbling7, grumbling8, tumbling, down the sky towards the under side of the world, like rolling empty barrels down stairs -- where it's long stairs and they bounce a good deal, you know.
"Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread."
"Well, you wouldn't a ben here 'f it hadn't a ben for Jim. You'd a ben down dah in de woods widout any dinner, en gittn' mos' drownded, too; dat you would, honey. Chickens knows when it's gwyne to rain, en so do de birds, chile."
The river went on raising and raising for ten or twelve days, till at last it was over the banks. The water was three or four foot deep on the island in the low places and on the Illinois bottom. On that side it was a good many miles wide, but on the Missouri side it was the same old distance across -- a half a mile -- because the Missouri shore was just a wall of high bluffs9.
Daytimes we paddled all over the island in the canoe, It was mighty10 cool and shady in the deep woods, even if the sun was blazing outside. We went winding11 in and out amongst the trees, and sometimes the vines hung so thick we had to back away and go some other way. Well, on every old broken-down tree you could see rabbits and snakes and such things; and when the island had been overflowed12 a day or two they got so tame, on account of being hungry, that you could paddle right up and put your hand on them if you wanted to; but not the snakes and turtles -- they would slide off in the water. The ridge our cavern was in was full of them. We could a had pets enough if we'd wanted them.
One night we catched a little section of a lumber13 raft -- nice pine planks14. It was twelve foot wide and about fifteen or sixteen foot long, and the top stood above water six or seven inches -- a solid, level floor. We could see saw-logs go by in the daylight sometimes, but we let them go; we didn't show ourselves in daylight.
Another night when we was up at the head of the island, just before daylight, here comes a frame-house down, on the west side. She was a two-story, and tilted15 over considerable. We paddled out and got aboard -- clumb in at an upstairs window. But it was too dark to see yet, so we made the canoe fast and set in her to wait for daylight.
The light begun to come before we got to the foot of the island. Then we looked in at the window. We could make out a bed, and a table, and two old chairs, and lots of things around about on the floor, and there was clothes hanging against the wall. There was something laying on the floor in the far corner that looked like a man. So Jim says:
"Hello, you!"
But it didn't budge16. So I hollered again, and then Jim says:
"De man ain't asleep -- he's dead. You hold still -- I'll go en see."
He went, and bent17 down and looked, and says:
"It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face -- it's too gashly."
I didn't look at him at all. Jim throwed some old rags over him, but he needn't done it; I didn't want to see him. There was heaps of old greasy18 cards scattered19 around over the floor, and old whisky bottles, and a couple of masks made out of black cloth; and all over the walls was the ignorantest kind of words and pictures made with charcoal20. There was two old dirty calico dresses, and a sun-bonnet, and some women's underclothes hanging against the wall, and some men's clothing, too. We put the lot into the canoe -- it might come good. There was a boy's old speckled straw hat on the floor; I took that, too. And there was a bottle that had had milk in it, and it had a rag stopper for a baby to suck. We would a took the bottle, but it was broke. There was a seedy old chest, and an old hair trunk with the hinges broke. They stood open, but there warn't nothing left in them that was any account. The way things was scattered about we reckoned the people left in a hurry, and warn't fixed21 so as to carry off most of their stuff.
We got an old tin lantern, and a butcher-knife without any handle, and a bran-new Barlow knife worth two bits in any store, and a lot of tallow candles, and a tin candlestick, and a gourd22, and a tin cup, and a ratty old bedquilt off the bed, and a reticule with needles and pins and beeswax and buttons and thread and all such truck in it, and a hatchet23 and some nails, and a fishline as thick as my little finger with some monstrous24 hooks on it, and a roll of buckskin, and a leather dog-collar, and a horseshoe, and some vials of medicine that didn't have no label on them; and just as we was leaving I found a tolerable good curry-comb, and Jim he found a ratty old fiddle-bow, and a wooden leg. The straps25 was broke off of it, but, barring that, it was a good enough leg, though it was too long for me and not long enough for Jim, and we couldn't find the other one, though we hunted all around.
And so, take it all around, we made a good haul. When we was ready to shove off we was a quarter of a mile below the island, and it was pretty broad day; so I made Jim lay down in the canoe and cover up with the quilt, because if he set up people could tell he was a nigger a good ways off. I paddled over to the Illinois shore, and drifted down most a half a mile doing it. I crept up the dead water under the bank, and hadn't no accidents and didn't see nobody. We got home all safe.
我想去看看岛上正中的一个地方，那是在我探险时发现的。我跟吉姆动身了，很快就到了那里，因为小岛仅仅三英里长，四分之一英里宽。
那地方是一条十分长的陡山脊，大约40 英尺高。我们费了很大劲才爬到山顶，坡壁陡峭，丛林茂密。我们手脚并用，四处探路，渐渐地发现在岩石中间，朝着伊利诺斯那边快到山顶的地方，有一个很大的山洞。山洞有两三个房间合在一块那么大，吉姆可以在里面站直身子。里面很凉爽。吉姆立刻就想把我们的东西搬进去，可我说，我们不能总是在那里爬上爬下。吉姆说，要是我们把独木舟藏在一个好地方，把其他东西都放在洞内，如果有人来这岛上，我们就能赶快跑进去，他不带狗绝对不会找到我们。此外，他还说，那些小鸟已经说了天会下雨，难道你想让东西被雨淋湿吗？
于是，我们回去，找到独木舟，划到正对着山洞的地方，把全部东西都搬了上去。然后，就近找了块地，把独木舟藏好，就藏在密密的柳树中间。我们从鱼线上摘下几条鱼，又把鱼线放好，开始动手准备午饭。
山洞口很大，可以滚得进一个大桶，门口有一边的地朝外伸出一点儿，十分平坦，是个生火的好地方。于是，我们就在那里点火做饭。
我们把毯子铺在里面当地毯用，就在那里面吃饭。我们把所有的东西都放在洞的后墙触手可及地方。不一会儿，天黑起来，开始电闪雷鸣，所以，小鸟预报对了。雨一下就很猛，我也从未见过风刮得那么急。那是一场典型的夏季暴风雨。天很黑，外面好像全变成了蓝黑色了，特别好看；大雨密密地横扫过来，把树都压弯了腰，看着模模糊糊的跟罩着蜘蛛网一般。忽然刮来一阵风把树吹倒，树叶发白的一面被吹翻了过来，紧接着又一阵狂风骤起，吹得树枝拼命地甩胳膊，如同发疯了似的。接下去，当天色差不多正是最蓝最黑的时候--唰！一下子亮得像天国的圣光一样，你一眼就可以看到树梢在远远的暴风雨中来回乱窜，比你平常所能看到的要远上几百码。可是一转眼的功夫，全都又黑成一团，这时，你就听见响雷发出一声吓死人的爆炸声，一路咕咚咚轰隆隆扑通通滚下天空，滚落到地底下，就像朝楼下滚空木桶一样，你知道吧，那楼梯还很长，桶又跳得很厉害。
"吉姆，这回好了，"我说，" 除了这里，我是哪儿也不想去了。再递给我一大块鱼和几个热玉米面包。""是啊，要不是有我吉姆，你就不会在这里。你会呆在下边的树林里，吃不上午饭，差不多还可能给淹死，你会的，宝贝儿。小鸡儿知道什么时候要下雨，鸟儿也知道，孩子。"大河一直在涨水，涨了10 天或12 天，到最后，水涨过了河岸。在低地方和伊利诺斯那边的洼地，水有三四英寸深。那边的大河有好多英里宽；但是，在靠密苏里州这边，还跟从前一样宽--只有半英里--因为密苏里这边的河岸是高高的悬崖，像一堵厚实的墙。
白天，我们坐在独木舟里绕着岛到处划。就算外面烈日炎炎，树林深处也很阴凉。我们穿着树林划进划出，有时，藤条挂得太厚太密，我们就得退出来，走别的路。啊，在每一棵倒下去的老树上，你都能看见兔子和蛇那些东西，岛被淹一两天以后，它们很乖，也都饿了，你划过去把手放在它们身上都可以，只要你肯这么做；可是蛇和乌龟不行--它们会溜进水里。我们山洞所在的那条山脊上遍布着这些动物。如果我们想要，我们就会有足够多的宠物。
一天晚上，我们截住一小截大木排--九根松木板拼成的。它有12 英尺宽，大约十五六英尺长，露出水面六七英寸高，是一块结实平整的大木板。白天有些时候，我们可以看到锯好的木料从水面漂过去，可是，我们都让它们漂走，白天我们从不露面。
又一个晚上，我们站在岛头的时候，也就是在天亮之前，从西岸边漂过来一个木头架房子。房子是个两层楼，整个地歪过去了。我们划过去上了房--从楼上的窗口爬进去。可是，因为天太黑看不真切，所以，我们就拴住独木舟，坐在上面呆到天亮。
我们还没到岛尾，天已亮起来。我们就从窗口朝里看。我们能看清楚一张床，一张桌子和两把旧椅子，还有许多东西在地板上到处堆放着；靠墙上挂着衣服。有什么东西躺在墙角的地板上，看起来像个人。于是，吉姆说："喂，你这人！"但是，它文风未动。我也喊了一声，然后，吉姆说："这人不是睡着了，他是死了。你就呆在这儿，我过去看看。"他过去弯下腰看了看，他说："这是个死人。是的，的确死了；身上还光着。他是被人从背后开枪打死的。我估计他死了有两三天。进来吧，哈克，只是别看他的脸，简直太吓人啦。"我根本就不看他。吉姆扔了些破烂布片盖在他身上，但是他一点儿也不必那么做，我不想看见他。油乎乎的旧纸牌一堆一堆地撒落在地板上，还有旧威士忌酒瓶，还有一对黑布做的假面具；满墙都是最下流的字和图画，是用木炭涂的。墙上还挂着两件又旧又脏的印花布衣服，一顶太阳帽，还有些女人的衬衣，另外也有些男人衣服。我们把全部东西都放进独木舟，或许会用得上。地板上有顶男孩子的花点儿旧草帽，我把它也拿走了。..从那些东西四处乱扔的样子看，我们猜是那些人走得太匆忙了，来不及把大部分东西收拾好带走。
我们找到一个旧铁灯笼，一把没有把儿的屠刀，一把簇新的巴罗刀，在哪个店里都能卖到两三毛钱，还有很多蜡烛，一个铁蜡烛台和一个葫芦瓢，一个铁杯..还有一把斧头和一些铁钉，一条跟我小手指一般粗的钓鱼线，上面吊着一些很大很大的鱼钩..这么一来，全算在内，我们是真捞着了。我们要撑船时，已经漂到离岛下面四分之一英里了，天刚大亮；于是，我让吉姆躺在独木舟里，盖上被子，因为他一坐起来，人们老远就能看出来他是个黑人。我朝着伊利诺斯河岸划过去，这样漂下去半英里多地。我又顺着岸边的静水向上水划，没出什么事也没碰上什么人。我们平安到家了。
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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lugged
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| vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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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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charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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gourd
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| n.葫芦 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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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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straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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