TWO or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous1 big river down there -- sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating2 and tied up -- nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows3, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres -- perfectly5 still -- just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe. The first thing to see, looking away over the water, was a kind of dull line -- that was the woods on t'other side; you couldn't make nothing else out; then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness spreading around; then the river softened7 up away off, and warn't black any more, but gray; you could see little dark spots drifting along ever so far away -- trading scows, and such things; and long black streaks8 -- rafts; sometimes you could hear a sweep screaking; or jumbled10 up voices, it was so still, and sounds come so far; and by and by you could see a streak9 on the water which you know by the look of the streak that there's a snag there in a swift current which breaks on it and makes that streak look that way; and you see the mist curl up off of the water, and the east reddens up, and the river, and you make out a log-cabin in the edge of the woods, away on the bank on t'other side of the river, being a woodyard, likely, and piled by them cheats so you can throw a dog through it anywheres; then the nice breeze springs up, and comes fanning you from over there, so cool and fresh and sweet to smell on account of the woods and the flowers; but sometimes not that way, because they've left dead fish laying around, gars and such, and they do get pretty rank; and next you've got the full day, and everything smiling in the sun, and the song-birds just going it!
A little smoke couldn't be noticed now, so we would take some fish off of the lines and cook up a hot breakfast. And afterwards we would watch the lonesomeness of the river, and kind of lazy along, and by and by lazy off to sleep. Wake up by and by, and look to see what done it, and maybe see a steamboat coughing along up-stream, so far off towards the other side you couldn't tell nothing about her only whether she was a stern-wheel or side-wheel; then for about an hour there wouldn't be nothing to hear nor nothing to see -- just solid lonesomeness. Next you'd see a raft sliding by, away off yonder, and maybe a galoot on it chopping, because they're most always doing it on a raft; you'd see the axe11 flash and come down -- you don't hear nothing; you see that axe go up again, and by the time it's above the man's head then you hear the K'CHUNK! -- it had took all that time to come over the water. So we would put in the day, lazying around, listening to the stillness. Once there was a thick fog, and the rafts and things that went by was beating tin pans so the steamboats wouldn't run over them. A scow or a raft went by so close we could hear them talking and cussing and laughing -- heard them plain; but we couldn't see no sign of them; it made you feel crawly; it was like spirits carrying on that way in the air. Jim said he believed it was spirits; but I says:
"No; spirits wouldn't say, 'Dern the dern fog.'"
Soon as it was night out we shoved; when we got her out to about the middle we let her alone, and let her float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled12 our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things -- we was always naked, day and night, whenever the mosquitoes would let us -- the new clothes Buck's folks made for me was too good to be comfortable, and besides I didn't go much on clothes, nohow.
Sometimes we'd have that whole river all to ourselves for the longest time. Yonder was the banks and the islands, across the water; and maybe a spark -- which was a candle in a cabin window; and sometimes on the water you could see a spark or two -- on a raft or a scow, you know; and maybe you could hear a fiddle13 or a song coming over from one of them crafts. It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened. Jim he allowed they was made, but I allowed they happened; I judged it would have took too long to MAKE so many. Jim said the moon could a LAID them; well, that looked kind of reasonable, so I didn't say nothing against it, because I've seen a frog lay most as many, so of course it could be done. We used to watch the stars that fell, too, and see them streak down. Jim allowed they'd got spoiled and was hove out of the nest.
Once or twice of a night we would see a steamboat slipping along in the dark, and now and then she would belch15 a whole world of sparks up out of her chimbleys, and they would rain down in the river and look awful pretty; then she would turn a corner and her lights would wink16 out and her powwow shut off and leave the river still again; and by and by her waves would get to us, a long time after she was gone, and joggle the raft a bit, and after that you wouldn't hear nothing for you couldn't tell how long, except maybe frogs or something.
After midnight the people on shore went to bed, and then for two or three hours the shores was black -- no more sparks in the cabin windows. These sparks was our clock -- the first one that showed again meant morning was coming, so we hunted a place to hide and tie up right away.
One morning about daybreak I found a canoe and crossed over a chute to the main shore -- it was only two hundred yards -- and paddled about a mile up a crick amongst the cypress17 woods, to see if I couldn't get some berries. Just as I was passing a place where a kind of a cowpath crossed the crick, here comes a couple of men tearing up the path as tight as they could foot it. I thought I was a goner, for whenever anybody was after anybody I judged it was ME -- or maybe Jim. I was about to dig out from there in a hurry, but they was pretty close to me then, and sung out and begged me to save their lives -- said they hadn't been doing nothing, and was being chased for it -- said there was men and dogs a-coming. They wanted to jump right in, but I says:
"Don't you do it. I don't hear the dogs and horses yet; you've got time to crowd through the brush and get up the crick a little ways; then you take to the water and wade18 down to me and get in -- that'll throw the dogs off the scent19."
They done it, and soon as they was aboard I lit out for our towhead, and in about five or ten minutes we heard the dogs and the men away off, shouting. We heard them come along towards the crick, but couldn't see them; they seemed to stop and fool around a while; then, as we got further and further away all the time, we couldn't hardly hear them at all; by the time we had left a mile of woods behind us and struck the river, everything was quiet, and we paddled over to the towhead and hid in the cottonwoods and was safe.
One of these fellows was about seventy or upwards20, and had a bald head and very gray whiskers. He had an old battered-up slouch hat on, and a greasy21 blue woollen shirt, and ragged22 old blue jeans britches stuffed into his boot-tops, and home-knit galluses -- no, he only had one. He had an old long-tailed blue jeans coat with slick brass23 buttons flung over his arm, and both of them had big, fat, ratty-looking carpet-bags.
The other fellow was about thirty, and dressed about as ornery. After breakfast we all laid off and talked, and the first thing that come out was that these chaps didn't know one another.
"What got you into trouble?" says the baldhead to t'other chap.
"Well, I'd been selling an article to take the tartar off the teeth -- and it does take it off, too, and generly the enamel24 along with it -- but I stayed about one night longer than I ought to, and was just in the act of sliding out when I ran across you on the trail this side of town, and you told me they were coming, and begged me to help you to get off. So I told you I was expecting trouble myself, and would scatter25 out WITH you. That's the whole yarn26 -- what's yourn?
"Well, I'd ben a-running' a little temperance revival27 thar 'bout4 a week, and was the pet of the women folks, big and little, for I was makin' it mighty28 warm for the rummies, I TELL you, and takin' as much as five or six dollars a night -- ten cents a head, children and niggers free -- and business a-growin' all the time, when somehow or another a little report got around last night that I had a way of puttin' in my time with a private jug29 on the sly. A nigger rousted me out this mornin', and told me the people was getherin' on the quiet with their dogs and horses, and they'd be along pretty soon and give me 'bout half an hour's start, and then run me down if they could; and if they got me they'd tar14 and feather me and ride me on a rail, sure. I didn't wait for no breakfast -- I warn't hungry."
"Old man," said the young one, "I reckon we might double-team it together; what do you think?"
"I ain't undisposed. What's your line -- mainly?"
"Jour printer by trade; do a little in patent medicines; theater-actor -- tragedy, you know; take a turn to mesmerism and phrenology when there's a chance; teach singing-geography school for a change; sling30 a lecture sometimes -- oh, I do lots of things -- most anything that comes handy, so it ain't work. What's your lay?"
"I've done considerble in the doctoring way in my time. Layin' on o' hands is my best holt -- for cancer and paralysis31, and sich things; and I k'n tell a fortune pretty good when I've got somebody along to find out the facts for me. Preachin's my line, too, and workin' camp-meetin's, and missionaryin' around."
Nobody never said anything for a while; then the young man hove a sigh and says:
"What 're you alassin' about?" says the baldhead.
"To think I should have lived to be leading such a life, and be degraded down into such company." And he begun to wipe the corner of his eye with a rag.
"Dern your skin, ain't the company good enough for you?" says the baldhead, pretty pert and uppish.
" Yes, it IS good enough for me; it's as good as I deserve; for who fetched me so low when I was so high? I did myself. I don't blame YOU, gentlemen -- far from it; I don't blame anybody. I deserve it all. Let the cold world do its worst; one thing I know -- there's a grave somewhere for me. The world may go on just as it's always done, and take everything from me -- loved ones, property, everything; but it can't take that. Some day I'll lie down in it and forget it all, and my poor broken heart will be at rest." He went on a-wiping.
"Drot your pore broken heart," says the baldhead; "what are you heaving your pore broken heart at US f'r? WE hain't done nothing."
"No, I know you haven't. I ain't blaming you, gentlemen. I brought myself down -- yes, I did it myself. It's right I should suffer -- perfectly right -- I don't make any moan."
"Brought you down from whar? Whar was you brought down from?"
"Ah, you would not believe me; the world never believes -- let it pass -- 'tis no matter. The secret of my birth --"
"The secret of your birth! Do you mean to say --"
"Gentlemen," says the young man, very solemn, "I will reveal it to you, for I feel I may have confidence in you. By rights I am a duke!"
Jim's eyes bugged33 out when he heard that; and I reckon mine did, too. Then the baldhead says: "No! you can't mean it?"
"Yes. My great-grandfather, eldest34 son of the Duke of Bridgewater, fled to this country about the end of the last century, to breathe the pure air of freedom; married here, and died, leaving a son, his own father dying about the same time. The second son of the late duke seized the titles and estates -- the infant real duke was ignored. I am the lineal descendant of that infant -- I am the rightful Duke of Bridgewater; and here am I, forlorn, torn from my high estate, hunted of men, despised by the cold world, ragged, worn, heart-broken, and degraded to the companionship of felons35 on a raft!"
Jim pitied him ever so much, and so did I. We tried to comfort him, but he said it warn't much use, he couldn't be much comforted; said if we was a mind to acknowledge him, that would do him more good than most anything else; so we said we would, if he would tell us how. He said we ought to bow when we spoke36 to him, and say "Your Grace," or "My Lord," or "Your Lordship" -- and he wouldn't mind it if we called him plain "Bridgewater," which, he said, was a title anyway, and not a name; and one of us ought to wait on him at dinner, and do any little thing for him he wanted done.
Well, that was all easy, so we done it. All through dinner Jim stood around and waited on him, and says, "Will yo' Grace have some o' dis or some o' dat?" and so on, and a body could see it was mighty pleasing to him.
But the old man got pretty silent by and by -- didn't have much to say, and didn't look pretty comfortable over all that petting that was going on around that duke. He seemed to have something on his mind. So, along in the afternoon, he says:
"Looky here, Bilgewater," he says, "I'm nation sorry for you, but you ain't the only person that's had troubles like that."
"No?"
"No you ain't. You ain't the only person that's ben snaked down wrongfully out'n a high place."
"Alas!"
"No, you ain't the only person that's had a secret of his birth." And, by jings, HE begins to cry.
"Hold! What do you mean?"
"Bilgewater, kin6 I trust you?" says the old man, still sort of sobbing37.
"To the bitter death!" He took the old man by the hand and squeezed it, and says, "That secret of your being: speak!"
"Bilgewater, I am the late Dauphin!"
You bet you, Jim and me stared this time. Then the duke says:
"You are what?"
"Yes, my friend, it is too true -- your eyes is lookin' at this very moment on the pore disappeared Dauphin, Looy the Seventeen, son of Looy the Sixteen and Marry Antonette."
"You! At your age! No! You mean you're the late Charlemagne; you must be six or seven hundred years old, at the very least."
"Trouble has done it, Bilgewater, trouble has done it; trouble has brung these gray hairs and this premature38 balditude. Yes, gentlemen, you see before you, in blue jeans and misery39, the wanderin', exiled, trampled-on, and sufferin' rightful King of France."
Well, he cried and took on so that me and Jim didn't know hardly what to do, we was so sorry -- and so glad and proud we'd got him with us, too. So we set in, like we done before with the duke, and tried to comfort HIM. But he said it warn't no use, nothing but to be dead and done with it all could do him any good; though he said it often made him feel easier and better for a while if people treated him according to his rights, and got down on one knee to speak to him, and always called him "Your Majesty," and waited on him first at meals, and didn't set down in his presence till he asked them. So Jim and me set to majestying him, and doing this and that and t'other for him, and standing40 up till he told us we might set down. This done him heaps of good, and so he got cheerful and comfortable. But the duke kind of soured on him, and didn't look a bit satisfied with the way things was going; still, the king acted real friendly towards him, and said the duke's great-grandfather and all the other Dukes of Bilgewater was a good deal thought of by HIS father, and was allowed to come to the palace considerable; but the duke stayed huffy a good while, till by and by the king says:
"Like as not we got to be together a blamed long time on this h-yer raft, Bilgewater, and so what's the use o' your bein' sour? It 'll only make things oncomfortable. It ain't my fault I warn't born a duke, it ain't your fault you warn't born a king -- so what's the use to worry? Make the best o' things the way you find 'em, says I -- that's my motto. This ain't no bad thing that we've struck here -- plenty grub and an easy life -- come, give us your hand, duke, and le's all be friends."
The duke done it, and Jim and me was pretty glad to see it. It took away all the uncomfortableness and we felt mighty good over it, because it would a been a miserable41 business to have any unfriendliness on the raft; for what you want, above all things, on a raft, is for everybody to be satisfied, and feel right and kind towards the others.
It didn't take me long to make up my mind that these liars42 warn't no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs43 and frauds. But I never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it's the best way; then you don't have no quarrels, and don't get into no trouble. If they wanted us to call them kings and dukes, I hadn't no objections, 'long as it would keep peace in the family; and it warn't no use to tell Jim, so I didn't tell him. If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way.
接连两三个尽夜过去了，我看我该说是漂过去了，日子一天一天地滑走，过得这么平静，顺利又愉快。我们是这么打发时间的。大河到了这里宽得吓人--有的地方有一英里半宽。我们晚上赶路，白天收好木排，一到黑夜快过去的时候，我们就停止漂游，拴好木排--几乎总会拴在沙洲下面的静水里，接着，砍些小棉杨树和柳树，盖好木排，把钓鱼线放进水里。接下去，我们就下河游泳，好提提神，凉快凉快，上来以后，我们坐在河底的沙子上，那里水大约深及膝，等着白天到来。四周没有一丝声音，万籁俱静，好像全世界都在熟睡，只是有时也许会有青蛙呱呱的叫声。从水面上放眼望去，首先看到的是模模糊糊的一条线，那是河对岸的树林--你啥也分辨不清，接着看到的是天上一张苍白的脸，那白色越来越朝四周扩大；大河就变得柔和起来，在远处，就不再是黑色的，而变成了灰白，你还能看到有小黑点打水面上漂过，离得老远，那是平底商船之类，偶尔也有长长的黑条漂过，是木排；有时候，你还能听见一支桨吱吱嘎嘎响；或者有起伏的人声，四周很静，所以声音是从很远的地方传来的。渐渐地，你还可以看见出现在水面上的一条纹路，看那水纹，你就知道，急流里有一支树干，河水冲打着树干，令水纹成了那样的形状；过后，你看到薄雾缭绕升起，离开水面，东方通红，大河也被映红了，接着，天光大亮，所有的都在阳光下露出笑脸，会唱歌的小鸟儿唱得可真带劲儿！
这时，一缕炊烟不会引起人们的注意，所以，我们就打钓鱼线上取下几条鱼，做一顿热乎乎的早饭。后来，我们就坐着看孤单的大河，觉得懒得慌，就这样慢慢地睡着了。
一到晚上，我们就撑出木排，快到大河中央时，我们任由它自己顺水漂荡，然后，我们点上烟斗，把腿放进水里摇晃着，聊各种各样的事。我们总是光着身子，不论白天还是晚上，只要蚊子不咬我们，巴克家给我的衣服太考究了，我穿着不自在，再说，我本来就不大喜欢穿衣服。
有时候，我们俩把整条大河都给占了，很久都没有别人。隔着河水，远远的是河岸和小岛，也许还有亮光--那是小屋窗户里透出的烛光--有时是在水面，你也能看见一两处亮光--那是木排和商船上的，你知道，或许你还能听到琴声和歌声从某个木排上飘来。住在木排上，日子可真美呀。我们头顶上有天空，布满了星星，我们通常躲在木排上，仰脸瞅着它们，谈论星星是做出来的，还是原本就这样。吉姆说是做出来的，可我认为是原本如此，我估计要想做出这么多星星，不知道得花多大时间。吉姆说月亮会生蛋生出星星来，这么说好像还有些道理，因此，我也就不反驳了，因为我见过青蛙产卵，也产出那么多，月亮自然也能生出那么多星星。我们还经常看见有星星从天上掉下来，看着它们划一道光朝下落。吉姆认为那些是坏了的蛋，是从窝里给扔出来的。
半夜后，岸上的人都睡了，紧接着的两三个小时岸上全黑了--小屋窗户里的灯光也都没了。那些灯光是我们的钟表--再有灯光一亮起来就说明早上快到了，于是，我们得尽快找个能藏身的地方，拴好木排。
一个早上，天亮时分，我发现了一个独木舟，就把它横渡过一道急流，划到大河岸上去--仅有两百码--又顺着柏树林里的一条小河向前划了一英里地，想看看我能否找些草莓回来。正当我经过有一条羊肠小道穿过小河的地方时，从小道上奔过来两个人，他们奔跑如箭。我想这下完了，因为不管什么时候，只要是有人在追人，我就想着那肯定是在追我，或许是在追吉姆。我正想赶紧划开，可是他们已离我很近了，他们高声喊叫，求我救命，说他们并未做什么坏事，却让人家在后面追着跑，还说人和狗都追过来了。他们想马上跳上小舟，可是我说："你们别上来。我还没有听见狗叫和马蹄声，你们还有时间穿过树丛，沿河朝上游跑一段；然后，你们跳到河里，嘡水找我再上来，那样，狗就嗅不到你们去向了。"他们按我说的做了，一跳上独木舟，我就马上离开，朝我们的沙洲那儿划去，过了大约五分钟或十分钟左右，我们听到远远地有人在喊叫，狗也在汪汪叫。我们听见他们朝这条小河跑过来，但没看见他们；他们好像停下来，胡乱找了一会儿，后来，我们不停地越走越远，几乎到听不到任何声音了，等我们把一英里来长的树林甩到后面，划过了那条河，一切都平静下来，我们就划过去，到了沙洲那边，藏在棉杨树林里，平安无事了。
一个家伙大约70 来岁，或者更大一些，秃头，长着花白的络腮胡子。他戴一顶破旧的磨坏了的垂边帽，穿一件沾满油渍的蓝色羊毛衫，一条破旧的蓝色斜纹棉布裤，裤腿塞到了靴子筒里，吊一副手工编织的背带--不对，他只剩下一条背带了。他带一件旧燕尾服，蓝斜纹棉布做的，钉着光滑的铜扣子，搭在胳膊上。这两人都带着又大又脏鼓囊囊的毯制手提旅行包。另外一个家伙大约30 来岁，穿着也差不多一样差。早饭过后，我们在一起休息聊天，头一件露底的事儿就是这两家伙相互并不认识。
"你惹了什么祸？"那秃头向另一个家伙问道。
"唉，我在那儿卖一种去牙垢的东西--它也确实可以把牙垢去掉，可也总是把牙齿上的釉质也连带着给弄下来--只是我不该多停那一晚上，我正在偷偷儿往外跑，这时候在镇子这边那条小路上碰上了你，你对我说他们正在后边追你，还求我帮助你逃命。于是我就告诉你说，我自己正怕是要遭殃，干脆就跟你一块儿逃吧。这就是所有的经过--你的事儿呢？""唉，我在那儿开办一个小的戒酒布道会，大致办了一个星期，女人们不论大小老少都对我喜欢得不得了，因为我把那帮酒鬼骂得狗血喷头，确实如此。我一晚上能有五六块的进项--一个人一毛，小孩子跟黑人免费--生意一直是越做越火，后来竟然不知怎么搞的，在昨天晚上，有一点谣言传开了，说我老是自己偷偷儿喝闷酒，一个黑人今早上把我叫醒，告诉我人们正在悄悄集合，骑着马带着狗，他们很快就会过来，让我先跑半个钟头，随后再把我追得精疲力竭，要是他们能这么做的话；如果他们抓住了我，就可能把我浑身涂满柏油，粘上羽毛，让我骑在棍子上，没错儿。我可没有等吃什么早饭--我也不饿了。""老头儿，"那个年轻的说，" 我看我们能合伙一块儿干，你觉得怎样？""我不反对。你干的是哪一行--最主要的？""报馆印刷工，这是老本行；搞一点成药生意；当戏剧演员--演悲剧，你知道；有机会了，也能搞搞催眠术，看看骨相，教教唱歌、地理课，变变花样儿；来个演讲，有些时候--啊，我做好多事情--多数情况下是什么方便干什么，因此，算不上工作。你干哪一行？""我年轻的时候，给人家看过一阵子病。按摩我最拿手--专治癌症、瘫痪这类顽症；我还会算命，算得挺准，要是有人能帮我去摸清情况的话，讲道我也在行；开野营布道会，还能四处传教。"一时，谁也没讲一句话，后来，那个年轻人叹了口气，说道："哎呀！""你呀什么呀？"那个秃头问。
"想起来可真让人伤心哪，我竟然过这种生活，降低身份，丢尽颜面，和你们这些人为伍，想起来伤心不已。" 说着他还开始拿一块破布擦起他的眼角来了。
"你他妈的该死，和这些人在一起，对你还不好吗？"秃头说，他毫不顾忌，还挺骄傲。
"是啊，对我来说，这是够好啦，我也就配这么好啦，当初我是那样高贵，是谁让我落到如此下贱的地步呢？这全怪我自己。我不是责怪你们，先生们，我决没有那个意思，我谁也不怪。让这个冷酷的世界把最大的不幸加在我的头上吧。有件事我知道，在这世界上的某一个地方，留给我的只是一个坟墓。这世界一样横行，一如既往，它夺去了我的一切--我的爱人，财产，还有一切--但是，它不能夺走我的坟墓。有一天，我会躺到里面，忘光这些，我那可怜的、破碎的心将会安息。"他接着擦眼角。
"去你妈的可怜的破碎的心吧，"秃头说，" 你拿你那可怜的破碎的心冲着我们干嘛，我们又没做什么对不起你的事儿。""没有，我知道你们没。我不是在怪你们，诸位。是我自己让自己身份下贱的，是的，都怪我自己。所以，我活该受罪，确实活该，我一点儿也不抱怨。""你怎么身份下贱啦？你原来是什么身份？""唉，你们不会信我的。这个世界历来不相信，就让它成为过往吧，没什么关系。我出身的秘密呀..""你出身的秘密？你是说..""先生们，"那个年轻人说道，神情异常庄严，" 我乐意向你们公开，因为我觉得我可以信任你们。依照合法身份，我是个公爵！"听完这话，吉姆的眼睛都突出来了，我想我自己也差不多如此。后来那秃头说："不对，你的话是假的吧？""真的。我的曾祖父，就是布里奇沃特公爵的长子，差不我是在上个世纪末逃到这个国家来的，想来呼吸纯净的自由空气。他在这里结婚，死去，遗有一子，他的亲生父亲接近于同时死的。已故公爵的次子攫取了爵号和遗产，真正的公爵因为是个婴儿，却给忘掉了。我是那个婴儿的直系后代，我是合法的布里奇沃特公爵，我流落至此，孤苦无依，被人夺走了高位，到处追赶，让这个冷酷的世界看不上眼。我身着破衣烂衫，心神疲惫，还得降低身份，在一个木排上和一帮坏蛋为伍！"吉姆十分可怜他，我也可怜他。我们尽量安慰他，不过，他说这没什么大用，他很难被安慰好，如果我们愿意承认他的身份，那对他对别的什么都大有好处，所以我们说愿意，要他告诉我们怎么承认他。他说，我们同他说话的时候，最好先鞠躬，还要说"大人"，或是"阁下"，或是"爵爷"，他说如果我们直呼他"布里奇沃特"，他也不在意，他说好歹那是个头衔而不是什么名字，吃饭的时候，我们总得有个人伺候着他，他想让他干什么，就为他干什么。
噢，这些十分容易，所以，我们就一一照办了。吃饭时，从头到尾，吉姆都站在一旁伺候他，还说，" 大人您吃点这个，还是吃点那个？"等等，谁都可以看得出来，这使他十分高兴。但是，那个老人不怎么说话了，渐渐地也没有什么话可说了，他看着我们围着公爵不停地转，那上结奉承，他就显得不大愉快了。他好像有心事儿。所以，到了下午的时候，过了一阵，他说："听着吧，比尔奇沃特，（国王读音不准，把"布里奇沃特"说成是"比尔奇沃特"。）"他说，" 我替你绝对是难过极了，可是，你可不是唯一遭到那种难的人哪。""不是吗？""不，你不是。你可不是被人冤枉，从高位上硬给拽下来的唯一的人。""是吗？""不，你不是有出身秘密的唯一的人。" 嘿，天哪，他也开始哭了。
"打住！你这话什么意思？""比尔奇沃特，我可以信你吗？"那老人说，他还在抽抽嗒嗒。
"信不过不得好死！" 他抓住老人的手，出劲儿捏道："你的身世秘密，快说！""比尔奇沃特，我可是以前的法国王太子啊！"你知道，这一回我和吉姆都瞪着他了。然后，公爵说："你是什么？""对呀，我的朋友，这是真的呀。你的眼睛在此时此刻正看着的是那个可怜的、失踪了法国王太子，路易十七，就是路易十六与玛丽·安东内特的儿子。""你！你这把年纪！不！你说你自己是以前的查理曼吧，最起码你也该有六七百岁啦。""苦难使我成了这副模样，比尔奇沃特，苦难把我折磨为这样；苦难带来的这些花白头发，还有这未老先衰的秃顶。是的，先生们，你们眼前的这个人，身穿蓝色斜纹布衣，苦难深重，四处流浪，背井离乡，任人践踏，正在受难的正是合法的法国国王。"他说着说着就哭起来了，哭得那样伤心，我和吉姆简直不知如何是好，我们很难过，也很高兴很骄傲能有他跟我们在一起。所以，我们就开始讲话，就跟刚才对公爵那样，百般安慰他。可是他说这没有用，不如死了，一了百了，倒对他还有点好处，但他又说，如果人们按他的正当名份待他，单腿跪地同他说话，总是称他"陛下"，吃饭时先伺候他，在他面前，他不让坐就别坐，那样的话，还会让他时常感到轻松好受一点。因此，我和吉姆就开始称他陛下，为他做这做那还干其他，他不告诉我们能坐下了，我们就一直站着。这对他好处可大极了，所以他高兴了，也舒服了。可是，公爵对他却有点儿敌视，对事情到了这个地步，很不满意，只是，国王待他却是真友好，说他的父亲对公爵的曾祖父和其他的比尔奇沃特公爵都很关怀，常恩准他们进王宫里来，可公爵还是气恼了好大一阵子，后来，国王慢慢地说："说不定咱们要在这个木排上一块儿处他妈的很长一段日子呢，比尔奇沃特，所以，你闹别扭有什么用？这只能把事情搞得不愉快。我没有生就做公爵不是我的错，你生下来不是国王也不是你的错，所以，气恼干嘛？因地制宜，随遇而安，我说呀，它就是我的信条。我们在这里相遇，这不是件坏事，食物富足，日子自在，来，递给我们你的手，公爵，让咱们都做朋友吧。"公爵照办了，我和吉姆十分高兴能见到这种结果，它扫荡所有不愉快，我们感觉特别好，因为在这个木排上有任何的不友好都是件难受的事。在一个木排上，最要紧的是你想让每个人都满意、顺心、对别人和和气气。
不多久，我就看清楚了，这俩撒谎的家伙根本不是什么国王公爵，而仅仅是末流的无赖和骗子。不过我什么也没说，什么都不露，我自己心里有数，这是最好的办法；这样，你就没有争吵，也不致招惹麻烦。如果他们想让我们叫他们国王和公爵，我也不反对，只要在这个家里能保持平和，告诉吉姆也没用，因此我就没告诉他。如果说我从未打爸那里学到什么，我至少学会了这个：跟他这一路人相处的最好办法是让他们想怎么着就怎么着。
收听单词发音 |
1
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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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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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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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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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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jumbled
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| adj.混乱的；杂乱的 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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belch
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| v.打嗝，喷出 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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cypress
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| n.柏树 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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enamel
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| n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
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scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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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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34
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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35
felons
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| n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎 | |
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36
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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38
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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39
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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40
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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41
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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42
liars
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| 说谎者( liar的名词复数 ) | |
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43
humbugs
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| 欺骗( humbug的名词复数 )； 虚伪； 骗子； 薄荷硬糖 | |
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