Chapter 43

THE first time I catched Tom private I asked him what was his idea, time of the evasion¹? -- what it was he'd planned to do if the evasion worked all right and he managed to set a nigger free that was already free before? And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river on the raft, and have adventures plumb² to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession and a brass-band, and then he would be a hero, and so would we. But I reckoned it was about as well the way it was.

We had Jim out of the chains in no time, and when Aunt Polly and Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally found out how good he helped the doctor nurse Tom, they made a heap of fuss over him, and fixed³ him up prime, and give him all he wanted to eat, and a good time, and nothing to do. And we had him up to the sick-room, and had a high talk; and Tom give Jim forty dollars for being prisoner for us so patient, and doing it up so good, and Jim was pleased most to death, and busted⁴ out, and says:

"DAH, now, Huck, what I tell you? -- what I tell you up dah on Jackson islan'? I TOLE you I got a hairy breas', en what's de sign un it; en I TOLE you I ben rich wunst, en gwineter to be rich AGIN; en it's come true; en heah she is! DAH, now! doan' talk to ME -- signs is SIGNS, mine I tell you; en I knowed jis' 's well 'at I 'uz gwineter be rich agin as I's astannin' heah dis minute!"

And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says, le's all three slide out of here one of these nights and get an outfit⁵, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns, over in the Territory, for a couple of weeks or two; and I says, all right, that suits me, but I ain't got no money for to buy the outfit, and I reckon I couldn't get none from home, because it's likely pap's been back before now, and got it all away from Judge Thatcher⁶ and drunk it up.

"No, he hain't," Tom says; "it's all there yet -- six thousand dollars and more; and your pap hain't ever been back since. Hadn't when I come away, anyhow."

Jim says, kind of solemn:

"He ain't a-comin' back no mo', Huck."

I says:

"Why, Jim?"

"Nemmine why, Huck -- but he ain't comin' back no mo."

But I kept at him; so at last he says:

"Doan' you 'member de house dat was float'n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn' let you come in? Well, den⁸, you kin⁷ git yo' money when you wants it, kase dat wuz him."

Tom's most well now, and got his bullet around his neck on a watch-guard for a watch, and is always seeing what time it is, and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it, because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn't a tackled it, and ain't a-going to no more. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before.


　　我头一回私下里抓住汤姆，就问他这次逃亡时他打什么主意？如果逃亡顺利，他为一个早已自由的黑人争取到了自由，按他的计划，那又该怎么办呢？他说，从一开始，他脑子里的计划就是，如果我们帮吉姆安全逃出，我们就让他坐上木排顺着大河向下漂，一路历险，漂到大河入海口，然后告诉他早已获得了自由，再光明正大坐上轮船带他回家，把他失去的时间折成钱赔给他，还要提前写信，叫全部黑人都出来迎接他，排成火炬长队，组织一个铜管乐队，前呼后拥回到镇上，那时他就会成为英雄，我们也是英雄。不过我看如今这样，也是挺好的。

　　我们赶忙把吉姆的镣铐打开，当波丽阿姨，还有赛拉斯姨父和莎丽姨知道了他帮助大夫把汤姆照料得有多好时，他们着实夸奖了他一番，给他穿上最漂亮的衣裳，还让他吃所有想吃的东西，让他痛痛快快地玩儿，什么也不必干。我领他到病房，热热闹闹聊了一阵话，汤姆给了吉姆40 块钱，表彰他为我们当囚犯当得那么有耐心，做得那么出色，吉姆快活得要死，放声大笑说："啊，怎么样了，哈克，我给你说什么了？在杰克逊岛上我对你说什么了？我告诉过你我胸口长毛这是个什么好兆头，我告诉过你我阔气过一次，以后还会阔的。眼下它灵验了，好运气来啦！眼前这就来啦！别跟我说兆头仅仅是兆头，记住我的话，我早知道我还会阔气的，就像我如今站在这儿一样不会有错！"接着汤姆说开了，一直说个没完，他说让我们三个在哪天夜里从这儿偷跑出去，带上全套用品，到印第安人中间，在他们居住的州里，轰轰烈烈搞把历险，闹它两三个星期。我说，好吧，这对于我很合适，不过我没钱去买那套用品，我想也不能从家里弄钱，因为爸爸很可能早已回去了，从萨切尔法官那儿把钱全拿走，喝酒花光了。

　　"不，他没，"汤姆说，" 钱都还在那儿。六千块还要多，你爸打那以后没回去过。反正我来的时候，一直没回去过。"吉姆说话了，神情严肃："他再也不会回来了，哈克。"我说："你说什么，吉姆？""哈克--他再也不会回来了。"因此我盯着问他，所以他终于说道："你不记得顺着河漂下来的那所房子吗？那儿有一个人，身上盖着块布，我进去把它揭开了，没让你进去，记得吗？好啊，你什么时候想要你的钱，你就可以拿到手，因为那个人就是他。"汤姆现在已经几乎全好了，他把那颗子弹拴到表链上挂在脖子上当成一块表，还总是看几点几分了。因此，再没有什么可写的了，我是高兴坏了，因为我要是早知道作一本书有这么麻烦，我压根儿就不会动手，也不打算再作了。不过我估计我过去已经得在其他二位前头赶快跑到印第安人那里去，因为莎丽阿姨她想收养我、教化我，我可受不了这个。我过去已经受够了。

1 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

2 plumb   

adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深

参考例句：

• No one could plumb the mystery.没人能看破这秘密。
• It was unprofitable to plumb that sort of thing.这种事弄个水落石出没有什么好处。

3 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

4 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

5 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

6 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

7 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

8 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。