WE judged that three nights more would fetch us to Cairo, at the bottom of Illinois, where the Ohio River comes in, and that was what we was after. We would sell the raft and get on a steamboat and go way up the Ohio amongst the free States, and then be out of trouble.
Well, the second night a fog begun to come on, and we made for a towhead to tie to, for it wouldn't do to try to run in a fog; but when I paddled ahead in the canoe, with the line to make fast, there warn't anything but little saplings to tie to. I passed the line around one of them right on the edge of the cut bank, but there was a stiff current, and the raft come booming down so lively she tore it out by the roots and away she went. I see the fog closing down, and it made me so sick and scared I couldn't budge1 for most a half a minute it seemed to me -- and then there warn't no raft in sight; you couldn't see twenty yards. I jumped into the canoe and run back to the stern, and grabbed the paddle and set her back a stroke. But she didn't come. I was in such a hurry I hadn't untied2 her. I got up and tried to untie3 her, but I was so excited my hands shook so I couldn't hardly do anything with them.
As soon as I got started I took out after the raft, hot and heavy, right down the towhead. That was all right as far as it went, but the towhead warn't sixty yards long, and the minute I flew by the foot of it I shot out into the solid white fog, and hadn't no more idea which way I was going than a dead man.
Thinks I, it won't do to paddle; first I know I'll run into the bank or a towhead or something; I got to set still and float, and yet it's mighty4 fidgety business to have to hold your hands still at such a time. I whooped5 and listened. Away down there somewheres I hears a small whoop6, and up comes my spirits. I went tearing after it, listening sharp to hear it again. The next time it come I see I warn't heading for it, but heading away to the right of it. And the next time I was heading away to the left of it -- and not gaining on it much either, for I was flying around, this way and that and t'other, but it was going straight ahead all the time.
I did wish the fool would think to beat a tin pan, and beat it all the time, but he never did, and it was the still places between the whoops7 that was making the trouble for me. Well, I fought along, and directly I hears the whoop BEHIND me. I was tangled8 good now. That was somebody else's whoop, or else I was turned around.
I throwed the paddle down. I heard the whoop again; it was behind me yet, but in a different place; it kept coming, and kept changing its place, and I kept answering, till by and by it was in front of me again, and I knowed the current had swung the canoe's head down-stream, and I was all right if that was Jim and not some other raftsman hollering. I couldn't tell nothing about voices in a fog, for nothing don't look natural nor sound natural in a fog.
The whooping10 went on, and in about a minute I come a-booming down on a cut bank with smoky ghosts of big trees on it, and the current throwed me off to the left and shot by, amongst a lot of snags that fairly roared, the currrent was tearing by them so swift.
In another second or two it was solid white and still again. I set perfectly12 still then, listening to my heart thump13, and I reckon I didn't draw a breath while it thumped14 a hundred.
I just give up then. I knowed what the matter was. That cut bank was an island, and Jim had gone down t'other side of it. It warn't no towhead that you could float by in ten minutes. It had the big timber of a regular island; it might be five or six miles long and more than half a mile wide.
I kept quiet, with my ears cocked, about fifteen minutes, I reckon. I was floating along, of course, four or five miles an hour; but you don't ever think of that. No, you FEEL like you are laying dead still on the water; and if a little glimpse of a snag slips by you don't think to yourself how fast YOU'RE going, but you catch your breath and think, my! how that snag's tearing along. If you think it ain't dismal15 and lonesome out in a fog that way by yourself in the night, you try it once -- you'll see.
Next, for about a half an hour, I whoops now and then; at last I hears the answer a long ways off, and tries to follow it, but I couldn't do it, and directly I judged I'd got into a nest of towheads, for I had little dim glimpses of them on both sides of me -- sometimes just a narrow channel between, and some that I couldn't see I knowed was there because I'd hear the wash of the current against the old dead brush and trash that hung over the banks. Well, I warn't long loosing the whoops down amongst the towheads; and I only tried to chase them a little while, anyway, because it was worse than chasing a Jack-o'-lantern. You never knowed a sound dodge16 around so, and swap17 places so quick and so much.
I had to claw away from the bank pretty lively four or five times, to keep from knocking the islands out of the river; and so I judged the raft must be butting18 into the bank every now and then, or else it would get further ahead and clear out of hearing -- it was floating a little faster than what I was.
Well, I seemed to be in the open river again by and by, but I couldn't hear no sign of a whoop nowheres. I reckoned Jim had fetched up on a snag, maybe, and it was all up with him. I was good and tired, so I laid down in the canoe and said I wouldn't bother no more. I didn't want to go to sleep, of course; but I was so sleepy I couldn't help it; so I thought I would take jest one little cat-nap.
But I reckon it was more than a cat-nap, for when I waked up the stars was shining bright, the fog was all gone, and I was spinning down a big bend stern first. First I didn't know where I was; I thought I was dreaming; and when things began to come back to me they seemed to come up dim out of last week.
It was a monstrous19 big river here, with the tallest and the thickest kind of timber on both banks; just a solid wall, as well as I could see by the stars. I looked away down-stream, and seen a black speck20 on the water. I took after it; but when I got to it it warn't nothing but a couple of sawlogs made fast together. Then I see another speck, and chased that; then another, and this time I was right. It was the raft.
When I got to it Jim was setting there with his head down between his knees, asleep, with his right arm hanging over the steering-oar11. The other oar was smashed off, and the raft was littered up with leaves and branches and dirt. So she'd had a rough time.
I made fast and laid down under Jim's nose on the raft, and began to gap, and stretch my fists out against Jim, and says:
"Hello, Jim, have I been asleep? Why didn't you stir me up?"
"Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain' dead -- you ain' drownded -- you's back agin? It's too good for true, honey, it's too good for true. Lemme look at you chile, lemme feel o' you. No, you ain' dead! you's back agin, 'live en soun', jis de same ole Huck -- de same ole Huck, thanks to goodness!"
"What's the matter with you, Jim? You been adrinking?"
"Drinkin'? Has I ben a-drinkin'? Has I had a chance to be a-drinkin'?"
"Well, then, what makes you talk so wild?"
"How does I talk wild?"
"HOW? Why, hain't you been talking about my coming back, and all that stuff, as if I'd been gone away?"
"Huck -- Huck Finn, you look me in de eye; look me in de eye. HAIN'T you ben gone away?"
"Gone away? Why, what in the nation do you mean? I hain't been gone anywheres. Where would I go to?"
"Well, looky here, boss, dey's sumf'n wrong, dey is. Is I ME, or who IS I? Is I heah, or whah IS I? Now dat's what I wants to know."
"Well, I think you're here, plain enough, but I think you're a tangle-headed old fool, Jim."
"I is, is I? Well, you answer me dis: Didn't you tote out de line in de canoe fer to make fas' to de towhead?"
"No, I didn't. What tow-head? I hain't see no tow-head."
"You hain't seen no towhead? Looky here, didn't de line pull loose en de raf' go a-hummin' down de river, en leave you en de canoe behine in de fog?"
"What fog?"
"Why, de fog! -- de fog dat's been aroun' all night. En didn't you whoop, en didn't I whoop, tell we got mix' up in de islands en one un us got los' en t'other one was jis' as good as los', 'kase he didn' know whah he wuz? En didn't I bust21 up agin a lot er dem islands en have a turrible time en mos' git drownded? Now ain' dat so, boss -- ain't it so? You answer me dat."
"Well, this is too many for me, Jim. I hain't seen no fog, nor no islands, nor no troubles, nor nothing. I been setting here talking with you all night till you went to sleep about ten minutes ago, and I reckon I done the same. You couldn't a got drunk in that time, so of course you've been dreaming."
"Dad fetch it, how is I gwyne to dream all dat in ten minutes?"
"Well, hang it all, you did dream it, because there didn't any of it happen."
"But, Huck, it's all jis' as plain to me as --"
"It don't make no difference how plain it is; there ain't nothing in it. I know, because I've been here all the time."
Jim didn't say nothing for about five minutes, but set there studying over it. Then he says:
"Well, den22, I reck'n I did dream it, Huck; but dog my cats ef it ain't de powerfullest dream I ever see. En I hain't ever had no dream b'fo' dat's tired me like dis one."
"Oh, well, that's all right, because a dream does tire a body like everything sometimes. But this one was a staving dream; tell me all about it, Jim."
So Jim went to work and told me the whole thing right through, just as it happened, only he painted it up considerable. Then he said he must start in and "'terpret" it, because it was sent for a warning. He said the first towhead stood for a man that would try to do us some good, but the current was another man that would get us away from him. The whoops was warnings that would come to us every now and then, and if we didn't try hard to make out to understand them they'd just take us into bad luck, 'stead of keeping us out of it. The lot of towheads was troubles we was going to get into with quarrelsome people and all kinds of mean folks, but if we minded our business and didn't talk back and aggravate23 them, we would pull through and get out of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free States, and wouldn't have no more trouble.
It had clouded up pretty dark just after I got on to the raft, but it was clearing up again now.
"Oh, well, that's all interpreted well enough as far as it goes, Jim," I says; "but what does THESE things stand for?"
It was the leaves and rubbish on the raft and the smashed oar. You could see them first-rate now.
Jim looked at the trash, and then looked at me, and back at the trash again. He had got the dream fixed24 so strong in his head that he couldn't seem to shake it loose and get the facts back into its place again right away. But when he did get the thing straightened around he looked at me steady without ever smiling, and says:
"What do dey stan' for? I'se gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los', en I didn' k'yer no' mo' what become er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back agin, all safe en soun', de tears come, en I could a got down on my knees en kiss yo' foot, I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin' 'bout9 wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is TRASH; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed."
Then he got up slow and walked to the wigwam, and went in there without saying anything but that. But that was enough. It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed HIS foot to get him to take it back.
It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble25 myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way.
我们猜测再有三个夜晚就可以到凯罗，它位于伊利诺斯尽头，俄亥俄河从那里汇入，那才是我们的目的地。我们在那里卖掉木排，坐上轮船，沿俄亥俄河向上游走，到没有黑奴买卖的自由州去，那时就不会有麻烦了。
第二个晚上，天开始下大雾，我们就向一个沙洲划去，想系住木排，因为在大雾里再想往前走是不行了；但是，当我坐着独木舟划到前头，拿缆绳想拴住木排时，除了小树苗，没任何东西可以拴。我把缆绳拴在岸上的一棵小树上，可是一股急流冲过，木排轰地一声冲下去，将树苗连根拔起，木排冲走了。我看着大雾团团围过来，又着急又害怕，几乎是有半分钟我都不敢动一动。后来，木排看不见了；20 码开外都看不真切。我跳上独木舟，跑到船尾，抄起桨使劲朝后划。但是划不动。我太慌张了，没来得及解开缆绳。我又起身想解开它，可我心里着急，手发颤，啥也干不成。
我一解开缆绳，就追木排去了，拼命地划，直冲着沙洲追下去。那一段还算可以，可是，沙洲不过60 码长，我掠过沙洲，冲入一片茫茫白雾中，东南西北也辩不清了，跟死人差不多。我心想，再用桨划是没用了，首先我知道我会撞上河岸或者沙洲什么的，我只得老老实实坐着顺水漂，可在这种时候，硬要揣着两只手一动不动也真叫人心里烦躁。我大叫了几声，听一听。在下游很远，不知何处，我听见有人小声喊。我打起精神来了。我顺着声音赶忙过去，一边竖起耳朵仔细聆听。又听到了，我知道我不是在冲着它漂，而是冲着它右边漂去。又有一回我是偏向它左边漂去了。一直没赶上多少，因为我总是来回急冲，左一划右一拐，可声音一直在我正前方。
我真希望那傻子会想到敲起铁锅，并且一直不停地敲，可是他始终未这么办，喊声停下来，中间没声音的那段时间最让我作难。唉，我还是拼命朝前划，突然，我听见喊声，从我背后传了过来。这回我可迷惑了。那是别的什么人的喊声，要不就是我调头了。
我扔下桨，又听到那个喊声，它还在我背后，可位置变了，它不断地传过来，又不断换地方，我不断地应声，渐渐地，它又到我前面了。我知道水流已把独木舟调过头，它在顺水朝前漂，如果知道那喊声是吉姆而不是其他放排人在叫喊的话，我就好办了。在大雾里我听不明白是谁的声音，什么东西在雾里都看不清楚，听不自然。
那个声音还在叫，过了约有一分钟，我轰地一声撞到了一段塌陷的断岸上，岸上的大树如同烟雾腾腾中的鬼怪一般。急流将我抛出水面，甩向左边，象离弦之箭冲了出去，冲过许多断树残枝，咆哮着轰响着，急速向前。
又过了一两秒种之后，仍然是白雾弥漫，寂然无声。我一动不动地坐着，这时候，听得见我的心怦怦直跳，我觉得它怦怦了一百下，我大气不敢出。
我只得听天由命了。我知道这是怎么一回事了，那个断岸是一个岛，吉姆必定漂到岛另一边去了。这并不是一个十分钟就能漂得过的沙洲。它上面长着一个大岛才有的大树林，它大约有五六英里长，半英里多宽。
我静坐不动，耳朵立着，我觉得大约过了有15 分钟左右。我自然是一直在漂，一小时四五英里。可你都想不到，是的，你感觉着就好像一点儿没动，静静地躺在水面上一般。如果瞥一眼掠过的树枝，你自己绝不会想到你现在漂得有多么迅速，而是会倒吸口凉气，心想，我的天哪！那树枝朝下冲得好快呀。如果你觉得自己一个人，在弥漫的大雾里，在寂静的深夜，那么漂着能不凄凉孤独，你去试一回--你就知道了。
接着，约有半个小时，我过一会儿喊两声。终于，我听到很远很远有人答应，我就努力追过去，可我追不上，突然，我知道我要冲进沙洲正中间去了，因为在我的两旁，我都能朦朦胧胧地瞥见大大小小的沙洲，有时，沙洲当中仅有一条窄窄的水道；有些我看不到，但我知道确实有，因为我听得到水流拍打岸边树枝的哗哗声。不久我又听不到喊声了，就在沙洲中间漂下去，不管怎么着，我只想追它一小会儿，因为那可比追鬼火都难办。你从未见过一个声音这么东躲西藏，老换地方，而且还换得这么勤。
有四五回，我都只得赶紧撑离河岸，怕将那些小岛从河里撞出去。于是，我就断定木排必定也会时不时地撞上河岸，否则它就会走到前头很远的地方，我一点儿也听不见它的声音了--它比我漂得稍快点儿。
很快地，我好像又在开阔的大河水面上了，可是我那里也听不见一点儿喊声了。我估计吉姆是撞上了一根树桩，很可能是这么一回事，那么他就完了。我十分累，就倒在独木舟里，心想爱怎么着就怎么着吧。当然啦，我并不想睡，可我太困了，撑不住了，所以我就想还是眯上一会儿吧。
可是，我估摸着那可不止是眯了一小会儿，当我醒来时，发现星光闪烁，大雾全散了，我打着旋儿，船尾向前顺着一个大河湾向前冲。开始我还不明白自己在哪里，我想这是在做梦，后来，一件事一件事开始在我脑中浮现，迷迷登登地，都仿佛是上个星期的事情。
大河在这一段宽得吓人，两岸都长满了最高最密的树林，映着星光，在我眼中，它简直就是一堵坚固的墙壁。我沿着河流向远处眺望，看见水面上有个黑点。我追了过去，可是，追上它时，发觉原来那只是两根拴在一块的木料。后来，我又看到一个黑点，再追上去，又看见一个黑点，这一回我追对了，刚好是那只木排。
我赶上木排时，吉姆正坐在那里，头垂在两膝中间，人睡着了，右手还搭在转舵桨上。另一只桨也给撞丢了，木排上撒满了树叶、树枝和泥浆。看得出来，它也历经了一番凶险。我系好小舟，上了木排，躺在吉姆鼻子下面，然后，开始打哈欠，又伸开拳头对着吉姆说："喂，吉姆，我睡着了吗？你干嘛不叫醒我？""天呐，这是你吗，哈克？你没死--你没淹着--你又回来啦？太好啦。我不敢相信这是真的，宝贝儿，这可太好啦。叫我看看你，孩子，叫我摸摸你。啊，你没死！你又回来啦！神气十足，平平安安，还是从前那个哈克--还是从前那个哈克，上帝保佑！""你怎么了，吉姆？你喝酒了？""喝酒？我喝酒了？我有空喝酒吗？""那好，那你说话怎么颠三倒四的呢？""我怎么会说话疯癫呢？""怎么会？你不是总在说什么我回来了，还有那些胡话，就跟我离开过似的？""哈克--哈克·芬，你用眼睛看看我，用眼睛看看我。你难道没走开吗？""走开？怎么，你这究竟是什么意思？我哪儿也没去。我会去哪儿？""那好，听着，小爷儿，是有点不一样啦，是的。我还是我吗？那么我是谁？我在这儿吗？那么我在哪儿？眼下，这就是我想知道的事。""好了，我认为你是在这儿，这非常清楚，但是，我认为，你是个脑筋糊涂的老傻瓜，吉姆。""我是，是吗？那么，你告诉我。你是不是拿了绳子，坐着独木舟，想把它拴在沙洲上？""不，我没有。哪里有什么沙洲？我没看到什么沙洲。""你没看见沙洲？听着，难道不是绳子松开，木排哗的一下顺水冲跑了，把你和独木舟丢在后边的大雾里了吗？""什么大雾？""就是那场大雾呀。那雾一夜都未散。你没喊吗？我没喊吗？直喊到遇见个小岛，我们都弄糊涂了，我俩，一个人迷了道，另一个人也一样晕了头，因为他都不知道自己在哪儿啦？我要不是撞到那些岛上，遭了那么罪，还几乎给淹死吗？这能假得了吗？小爷儿，这还会假吗？你跟我说说。""好了，我听得云山雾罩的，吉姆。我没看见大雾，没见岛，没有遭难，啥也没遇上。我就坐在这里和你谈了一整夜，直到十分钟以前你开始睡着，我想我也睡了。刚才你不是喝醉了，就是你在做梦了。""活见鬼，我怎么会在十分钟里就梦见这么多事呢？""嗨，算了吧，你确实是做梦了，因为什么事也不曾发生过。""不过，哈克，这对我来说可都是明白得像是..""多明白都不相干，什么事都没有。我知道，因为我一直都在这里。"吉姆不再吱声，停了大约五分钟，光是坐在那里仔细在想。然后，他说："那好吧，我想我确实是做梦了，哈克，只是，这要不是我做过的最真的梦，那就是狗想捉猫邪门到家了。以前做梦可从来没象这次这么累。""噢，好了，这没什么，因为一些时候，做梦就是像真事儿一样累人。不过这梦挺棒的，从头到尾跟我讲讲吧，吉姆。"于是，吉姆就讲开了，讲了整个事情的经过，和事实一模一样，不过他有些添油加醋。然后，他说他得着手"解解这梦"，因为托这个梦是为了对我们有所警戒。第一个沙洲代表一个人，他老想给我们做些好事；而大水表示另一个人，他总想把我们从那些好人身旁拉开。喊叫声是随时传给我们的警告，要是我们不认认真真地弄懂它的意思，它就可能给我们带来坏运气，而不是让我们避开。许许多多的沙洲表示各种各样的灾难，我们会遭遇上爱争斗吵架的人们和形形色色卑鄙的家伙，话说回来，只要我们管好自己的事情，不同他们斗嘴，不惹他们生气，我们终将度过难关，挣脱迷雾，回到开阔晴朗的大河上。大河代表禁奴的自由州，自此，灾难就会消失了。
我刚上木排时，乌云密布，天色很暗，可现在，又晴朗起来了。
"啊，很好，到眼下为止，这梦都解得相当不错，吉姆，"我说，" 只是，这些东西又表示什么呢？"我是指木排上的树叶和脏东西，以及那支碰断的桨。现在，你可以看得一清二楚了。
吉姆看看那些垃圾，又看看我，再回身看看垃圾。他让那个梦牢牢地占据了他的头脑，他好像还不能很快摆脱，重回到现实中来。但是，当他把事情确确实实想清楚了，他直直地看着我，一脸的严肃和正经，他说："表示什么？我来告诉你吧。当我出劲地划着木排，还大声喊着你，简直快累死了，累得直想睡着的时候，我的心都快要碎了，因为你不见了，我就再也不想去管我自己还有木排会怎么着了。当我醒过来，看到你又回来了，平平安安活蹦乱跳的时候，我的眼泪都流下来了，我真想跪下来，亲亲你的脚啊，我真是要感谢上帝了。可是，你就只想着怎么编个瞎话，看老吉姆的笑话。那些垃圾就是垃圾；垃圾就是朝朋友头上抹脏东西，叫他们丢人现眼的那号人。"说完，他慢慢地起身，朝小窝棚走去，钻到里面，一句话也没有再讲。但是，这就足够了。他叫我觉得自己有多害臊，我恨不能去亲亲他的脚，来求他收回他说那些话。
又过了15 分钟，我才鼓起勇气，要向一个黑人低头--但是，我还是那样做了，而且自此以后，我也从未后悔过。我再也没有和他开过恶意的玩笑，要是当初知道会让他那样难受的话，我就不会跟他开那个玩笑。
收听单词发音 |
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budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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whooped
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| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
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whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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whoops
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| int.呼喊声 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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swap
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| n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易 | |
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butting
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| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
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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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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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aggravate
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| vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火 | |
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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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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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