BY and by, when we got up, we turned over the truck the gang had stole off of the wreck1, and found boots, and blankets, and clothes, and all sorts of other things, and a lot of books, and a spyglass, and three boxes of seegars. We hadn't ever been this rich before in neither of our lives. The seegars was prime. We laid off all the afternoon in the woods talking, and me reading the books, and having a general good time. I told Jim all about what happened inside the wreck and at the ferryboat, and I said these kinds of things was adventures; but he said he didn't want no more adventures. He said that when I went in the texas and he crawled back to get on the raft and found her gone he nearly died, because he judged it was all up with HIM anyway it could be fixed4; for if he didn't get saved he would get drownded; and if he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him South, sure. Well, he was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon5 level head for a nigger.
I read considerable to Jim about kings and dukes and earls and such, and how gaudy6 they dressed, and how much style they put on, and called each other your majesty7, and your grace, and your lordship, and so on, 'stead of mister; and Jim's eyes bugged8 out, and he was interested. He says:
"I didn' know dey was so many un um. I hain't hearn 'bout3 none un um, skasely, but ole King Sollermun, onless you counts dem kings dat's in a pack er k'yards. How much do a king git?"
"Get?" I says; "why, they get a thousand dollars a month if they want it; they can have just as much as they want; everything belongs to them."
"AIN' dat gay? En what dey got to do, Huck?"
"THEY don't do nothing! Why, how you talk! They just set around."
"No; is dat so?"
"Of course it is. They just set around -- except, maybe, when there's a war; then they go to the war. But other times they just lazy around; or go hawking9 -- just hawking and sp -- Sh! -- d' you hear a noise?"
We skipped out and looked; but it warn't nothing but the flutter of a steamboat's wheel away down, coming around the point; so we come back.
"Yes," says I, "and other times, when things is dull, they fuss with the parlyment; and if everybody don't go just so he whacks10 their heads off. But mostly they hang round the harem."
"Roun' de which?"
"Harem."
"What's de harem?"
"The place where he keeps his wives. Don't you know about the harem? Solomon had one; he had about a million wives."
"Why, yes, dat's so; I -- I'd done forgot it. A harem's a bo'd'n-house, I reck'n. Mos' likely dey has rackety times in de nussery. En I reck'n de wives quarrels considable; en dat 'crease12 de racket. Yit dey say Sollermun de wises' man dat ever live'. I doan' take no stock in dat. Bekase why: would a wise man want to live in de mids' er sich a blim-blammin' all de time? No -- 'deed he wouldn't. A wise man 'ud take en buil' a biler-factry; en den13 he could shet DOWN de biler-factry when he want to res'."
"Well, but he WAS the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self."
"I doan k'yer what de widder say, he WARN'T no wise man nuther. He had some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two?"
"Yes, the widow told me all about it."
"WELL, den! Warn' dat de beatenes' notion in de worl'? You jes' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump14, dah -- dat's one er de women; heah's you -- dat's de yuther one; I's Sollermun; en dish yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does I do? Does I shin aroun' mongs' de neighbors en fine out which un you de bill DO b'long to, en han' it over to de right one, all safe en soun', de way dat anybody dat had any gumption15 would? No; I take en whack11 de bill in TWO, en give half un it to you, en de yuther half to de yuther woman. Dat's de way Sollermun was gwyne to do wid de chile. Now I want to ast you: what's de use er dat half a bill? -- can't buy noth'n wid it. En what use is a half a chile? I wouldn' give a dern for a million un um."
"But hang it, Jim, you've clean missed the point -- blame it, you've missed it a thousand mile."
"Who? Me? Go 'long. Doan' talk to me 'bout yo' pints16. I reck'n I knows sense when I sees it; en dey ain' no sense in sich doin's as dat. De 'spute warn't 'bout a half a chile, de 'spute was 'bout a whole chile; en de man dat think he kin2 settle a 'spute 'bout a whole chile wid a half a chile doan' know enough to come in out'n de rain. Doan' talk to me 'bout Sollermun, Huck, I knows him by de back."
"But I tell you you don't get the point."
"Blame de point! I reck'n I knows what I knows. En mine you, de REAL pint17 is down furder -- it's down deeper. It lays in de way Sollermun was raised. You take a man dat's got on'y one or two chillen; is dat man gwyne to be waseful o' chillen? No, he ain't; he can't 'ford18 it. HE know how to value 'em. But you take a man dat's got 'bout five million chillen runnin' roun' de house, en it's diffunt. HE as soon chop a chile in two as a cat. Dey's plenty mo'. A chile er two, mo' er less, warn't no consekens to Sollermun, dad fatch him!"
I never see such a nigger. If he got a notion in his head once, there warn't no getting it out again. He was the most down on Solomon of any nigger I ever see. So I went to talking about other kings, and let Solomon slide. I told about Louis Sixteenth that got his head cut off in France long time ago; and about his little boy the dolphin, that would a been a king, but they took and shut him up in jail, and some say he died there.
"Po' little chap."
"But some says he got out and got away, and come to America."
"Dat's good! But he'll be pooty lonesome -- dey ain' no kings here, is dey, Huck?"
"No."
"Den he cain't git no situation. What he gwyne to do?"
"Well, I don't know. Some of them gets on the police, and some of them learns people how to talk French."
"Why, Huck, doan' de French people talk de same way we does?"
"NO, Jim; you couldn't understand a word they said -- not a single word."
"Well, now, I be ding-busted! How do dat come?"
"I don't know; but it's so. I got some of their jabber20 out of a book. S'pose a man was to come to you and say Polly-voo-franzy -- what would you think?"
"I wouldn' think nuff'n; I'd take en bust19 him over de head -- dat is, if he warn't white. I wouldn't 'low no nigger to call me dat."
"Shucks, it ain't calling you anything. It's only saying, do you know how to talk French?"
"Well, den, why couldn't he SAY it?"
"Why, he IS a-saying it. That's a Frenchman's WAY of saying it."
"Well, it's a blame ridicklous way, en I doan' want to hear no mo' 'bout it. Dey ain' no sense in it."
"Looky here, Jim; does a cat talk like we do?"
"No, a cat don't."
"Well, does a cow?"
"No, a cow don't, nuther."
"Does a cat talk like a cow, or a cow talk like a cat?"
"No, dey don't."
"It's natural and right for 'em to talk different from each other, ain't it?"
"Course."
"And ain't it natural and right for a cat and a cow to talk different from US?"
"Why, mos' sholy it is."
"Well, then, why ain't it natural and right for a FRENCHMAN to talk different from us? You answer me that."
"Is a cat a man, Huck?"
"No."
"Well, den, dey ain't no sense in a cat talkin' like a man. Is a cow a man? -- er is a cow a cat?"
"No, she ain't either of them."
"Well, den, she ain't got no business to talk like either one er the yuther of 'em. Is a Frenchman a man?"
"Yes."
"WELL, den! Dad blame it, why doan' he TALK like a man? You answer me DAT!"
I see it warn't no use wasting words -- you can't learn a nigger to argue. So I quit.
后来，等到我睡醒了，就翻检那帮家伙打沉船上偷下来的东西，有靴子、毯子和衣服，各种各样的东西，以及许多书籍，还有小望远镜和三盒雪茄。过去，我们可从未如此阔过，我们两个谁也没有。雪茄是顶呱呱的。我们整个下午都躺在树林中聊天，我读读那些书，十分快活。我把在沉船上和在渡口船上发生的事全讲给吉姆听了，我说这些就是历险；可是他说他可不想再历什么险。他说当我躲到船顶舱的时候，他爬回去要上木排，结果却发觉木排不见了，他都快要急死了，因为他断定不管怎么说，这下自己算是全完了，因为如果没有救他，他就得淹死，要是有人救他，不论是谁救了他，都会送他回老家去领那笔赏钱，然后，华森小姐还是会把他卖到南方，一定会的。是的，他想得对，他差不多总是对的，他有一个不寻常的头脑，对一个黑人而言。
我给吉姆讲了好多国王、公爵、伯爵这些人的故事，他们穿得如此华贵典雅，他们都摆出很大的排场，相互之间称陛下、殿下、阁下等等，而不是叫什么先生；吉姆眼睛有些发直，他听入了迷。他说："我向来不知道有这么多国王什么的。我几乎一个都没有听说过，除了所罗门老国王，还得把扑克牌上的王也给算上。一个国王能挣多少钱？""挣钱？"我说，" 什么话，如果他们想要，他们一月能挣一千块，他们想要多少就是多少，全都是他们的。""那有多痛快呀？那他们都得干点儿啥，哈克？""（他们）啥也不干！嗨，你在讲什么？他们光是随便坐坐。""不能吧--真这样？""当然这样。他们就是随便坐坐。要是有战争的时候，那他们就去打仗。可是其他的时候，他们就懒洋洋地呆着，要不就是去放鹰打猎，只是放鹰与..嘘！你听到什么声响了吗？"我们跳出去看看，啥也没有，仅仅是轮船的轮子打水的响声而已，远远地正在顺水转过弯来，因此，我们又回来。"是的，"我说，" 还有的时候嘛，当日子过得乏了，他们就会寻议会的麻烦，要是有谁不一丝不苟照他说的做，他就砍掉谁的头。不过大多数时候，他们都在后宫里鬼混。""在哪儿混？""后宫。""后宫是什么地方？""就是他关他老婆们的地方。你连后宫也不知道？所罗门有个后宫，他大约有一百万个老婆。""噢，是嘛，那就对了，我--我全给忘了。后宫是个包吃包住的公寓吧，我猜是这样的。大部分时间，幼儿室也是吵吵闹闹的。我猜想着那些老婆也是总吵架，那就更忙乱了。但是，他们说所罗门是从古到今最聪明的人。我可不信这一套。为什么呢？一个聪明人会情愿住在这么个乱哄哄的鬼地方？不，他绝对不会。一个聪明人会去盖个锅炉厂，他如果想歇歇，他还能把锅炉厂关门。""但是，反正他是个最聪明的人，因为寡妇这儿对我说的，她自己说的。""我可不管寡妇说什么，他绝对算不上是个聪明人。有些事情他做得糊涂极了，我从没见过。你听过那个小孩子的事儿吧，他想把他劈为两半的那个？""是啊，寡妇全跟我讲过。""那么，好啦！那不是世上最愚蠢的事吗？你看看这事吧。那边有个树桩，那--那就算是那妇女吧，这是你--这就算是另外一个妇女吧，我是所罗门，这张一块钱的票子算作小孩儿。你们俩都说这张票子是自己的。我怎么办？我是不是该去找邻居挨家打听，查明白这张票子到底是你们谁的，并且交给那个应得的人，原模原样，完完整整，这可是哪一个有脑筋的人都会做的吧？不，我拿来把票子一撕两半，一半给你，另一半给那个女人。这就是所罗门想对那个小孩儿要用的办法。现在我想问你：半张票子有什么用？啥都干不了。那，半拉小孩儿有啥用？一百万个半拉小孩儿我也不会稀罕。""真该死，吉姆，你完全误解了它的要点。混蛋，你差不多错了十万八千里。""谁？我？走你的吧。别跟我讲什么要点。我想我懂道理，只要我看得出来它有道理；这种做法恰好就是没道理。他们争来夺去不是为了要半拉小孩儿，他们争的是一个完完整整的小孩儿，要是那人觉得他可以拿半拉小孩儿来解决人家为一个小孩儿而产生的争执，那么，他就是连外面下雨该往屋里躲都不明白。别跟我讲什么所罗门啦，哈克。我看透他啦。""可是我告诉你，你没抓住要点。""去他的要点吧！我看我明白的事儿我都明白。还得给你提个醒，真正的要点还在下面--下边的道理深得很。关键在于，所罗门是如何长大成人的。你拿一个只有一两个小孩儿的人来说吧，这样的人会糟蹋小孩儿吗？不，他不会；他糟蹋不起。（他）才明白该怎么样去疼爱他们。可是你拿一个有大约五百万个小孩儿在房子里四处乱跑的人来说吧，那可就大不一样啦：他一下把一个小孩子劈为两半，像劈一只猫似的。他还多得是。一个或两个小孩儿，多一个少一个，对所罗门没什么关系，他真该死！"我从未见过这样的黑人。他脑子里一旦有个什么想法，就决不可能打消。他是我见过的所有黑人当中，最瞧不起所罗门的了。因此，我就开始说别的国王，把所罗门丢在一边。我谈到路易十六，很久以前在法国被人砍了头，还谈到他的孩子，本来应该做国王的，但是他们把他抓起来关进了监狱，有人说他死在里面了。
"可怜的小东西。""可有人说他逃出来逃走了，到了美国。""那好啊！只是他会很孤独。这儿没有国王，对吧，哈克？""没有。""那他可找不到什么职位了。他想做啥？""呃，我不知道。他们有的发迹做上了警察，有的教人如何**语。""咦，哈克，法国人跟我们说话还不一样吗？""不一样，吉姆。他们说的话你一句也不懂，一个字也听不懂。""哎呀，这回要我的命啦！他们是怎么来的？""我也不清楚，不过有这回事儿。我打书本上学了一点他们的怪话。比方说一个人来到你这里，说波里--屋--疯郎崽，那你觉得如何？""我不觉得怎么样。如果他不是个白人的话，我就会一下子砸开他的脑袋。我可不允许哪个黑人这么叫我。""废话，那不是在叫你什么。那只是说你懂怎么说法语吗？""噢，那他怎么不说明白？""哎呀，他是说清楚了。可那是法国人的说法。""好吧，那真是他妈的古怪说法，我不乐意听了。没一点意思。""听着，吉姆，猫讲话跟我们一样吗？""不，不一样。""那么牛呢？""不，牛也不同。""猫讲话和牛一样吗，还是牛说话和猫一样呢？""不，都不一样。""它们说话各不一致，是自然又合理的，是不是？""自然了。""那么，猫和牛说话跟我们不一样，难道就不自然不合理吗？""嗨，那当然也自然合理了。""好啦，那么，为什么一个（法国人）说话不一样就不自然不合理呢？你正面回答我这个问题。""猫是人吗，哈克？""不是。""好啦，那，那就没有道理要求猫说话像人一样。牛是人吗？还有，牛是猫吗？""不是，两个全不是。""好啦，那，它就没必要说话像这个像那个。法国人是人吗？""是人。""（对极啦），混蛋！真他妈的，那为什么他（说话）会不像人呢？你回答我这个问题！"我明白，没必要再多费口舌了。你是教不会黑人讲道理的。因此我就回答了。
收听单词发音 |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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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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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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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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bugged
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| vt.在…装窃听器（bug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hawking
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| 利用鹰行猎 | |
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whacks
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| n.重击声( whack的名词复数 )；不正常；有毛病v.重击，使劲打( whack的第三人称单数 ) | |
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whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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crease
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| n.折缝，褶痕，皱褶；v.(使)起皱 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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gumption
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| n.才干 | |
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pints
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| n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒 | |
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pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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jabber
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| v.快而不清楚地说；n.吱吱喳喳 | |
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