WE was feeling pretty good after breakfast, and took my canoe and went over the river a-fishing, with a lunch, and had a good time, and took a look at the raft and found her all right, and got home late to supper, and found them in such a sweat and worry they didn't know which end they was standing¹ on, and made us go right off to bed the minute we was done supper, and wouldn't tell us what the trouble was, and never let on a word about the new letter, but didn't need to, because we knowed as much about it as anybody did, and as soon as we was half up stairs and her back was turned we slid for the cellar cubboard and loaded up a good lunch and took it up to our room and went to bed, and got up about half-past eleven, and Tom put on Aunt Sally's dress that he stole and was going to start with the lunch, but says:

"Where's the butter?"

"I laid out a hunk of it," I says, "on a piece of a corn-pone."

"Well, you LEFT it laid out, then -- it ain't here."

"We can get along without it," I says.

"We can get along WITH it, too," he says; "just you slide down cellar and fetch it. And then mosey right down the lightning-rod and come along. I'll go and stuff the straw into Jim's clothes to represent his mother in disguise, and be ready to BA like a sheep and shove soon as you get there."

So out he went, and down cellar went I. The hunk of butter, big as a person's fist, was where I had left it, so I took up the slab³ of corn-pone with it on, and blowed out my light, and started up stairs very stealthy, and got up to the main floor all right, but here comes Aunt Sally with a candle, and I clapped the truck in my hat, and clapped my hat on my head, and the next second she see me; and she says:

"You been down cellar?"

"Yes'm."

"What you been doing down there?"

"Noth'n."

"NOTH'N!"

"No'm."

"Well, then, what possessed⁴ you to go down there this time of night?"

"I don't know 'm."

"You don't KNOW? Don't answer me that way. Tom, I want to know what you been DOING down there."

"I hain't been doing a single thing, Aunt Sally, I hope to gracious if I have."

I reckoned she'd let me go now, and as a generl thing she would; but I s'pose there was so many strange things going on she was just in a sweat about every little thing that warn't yard-stick straight; so she says, very decided⁵:

"You just march into that setting-room and stay there till I come. You been up to something you no business to, and I lay I'll find out what it is before I'M done with you."

So she went away as I opened the door and walked into the setting-room. My, but there was a crowd there! Fifteen farmers, and every one of them had a gun. I was most powerful sick, and slunk to a chair and set down. They was setting around, some of them talking a little, in a low voice, and all of them fidgety and uneasy, but trying to look like they warn't; but I knowed they was, because they was always taking off their hats, and putting them on, and scratching their heads, and changing their seats, and fumbling⁷ with their buttons. I warn't easy myself, but I didn't take my hat off, all the same.

I did wish Aunt Sally would come, and get done with me, and lick me, if she wanted to, and let me get away and tell Tom how we'd overdone⁸ this thing, and what a thundering hornet's-nest we'd got ourselves into, so we could stop fooling around straight off, and clear out with Jim before these rips got out of patience and come for us.

At last she come and begun to ask me questions, but I COULDN'T answer them straight, I didn't know which end of me was up; because these men was in such a fidget now that some was wanting to start right NOW and lay for them desperadoes, and saying it warn't but a few minutes to midnight; and others was trying to get them to hold on and wait for the sheep-signal; and here was Aunty pegging⁹ away at the questions, and me a-shaking all over and ready to sink down in my tracks I was that scared; and the place getting hotter and hotter, and the butter beginning to melt and run down my neck and behind my ears; and pretty soon, when one of them says, "I'M for going and getting in the cabin FIRST and right NOW, and catching¹⁰ them when they come," I most dropped; and a streak¹¹ of butter come a-trickling down my forehead, and Aunt Sally she see it, and turns white as a sheet, and says:

"For the land's sake, what IS the matter with the child? He's got the brain-fever as shore as you're born, and they're oozing¹² out!"

And everybody runs to see, and she snatches off my hat, and out comes the bread and what was left of the butter, and she grabbed me, and hugged me, and says:

"Oh, what a turn you did give me! and how glad and grateful I am it ain't no worse; for luck's against us, and it never rains but it pours, and when I see that truck I thought we'd lost you, for I knowed by the color and all it was just like your brains would be if -- Dear, dear, whyd'nt you TELL me that was what you'd been down there for, I wouldn't a cared. Now cler out to bed, and don't lemme see no more of you till morning!"

I was up stairs in a second, and down the lightningrod in another one, and shinning through the dark for the lean-to. I couldn't hardly get my words out, I was so anxious; but I told Tom as quick as I could we must jump for it now, and not a minute to lose -- the house full of men, yonder, with guns!

His eyes just blazed; and he says:

"No! -- is that so? AIN'T it bully¹³! Why, Huck, if it was to do over again, I bet I could fetch two hundred! If we could put it off till --"

"Hurry! HURRY!" I says. "Where's Jim?"

"Right at your elbow; if you reach out your arm you can touch him. He's dressed, and everything's ready. Now we'll slide out and give the sheepsignal."

But then we heard the tramp of men coming to the door, and heard them begin to fumble¹⁴ with the padlock, and heard a man say:

"I TOLD you we'd be too soon; they haven't come -- the door is locked. Here, I'll lock some of you into the cabin, and you lay for 'em in the dark and kill 'em when they come; and the rest scatter¹⁵ around a piece, and listen if you can hear 'em coming."

So in they come, but couldn't see us in the dark, and most trod on us whilst we was hustling¹⁶ to get under the bed. But we got under all right, and out through the hole, swift but soft -- Jim first, me next, and Tom last, which was according to Tom's orders. Now we was in the lean-to, and heard trampings close by outside. So we crept to the door, and Tom stopped us there and put his eye to the crack, but couldn't make out nothing, it was so dark; and whispered and said he would listen for the steps to get further, and when he nudged us Jim must glide¹⁷ out first, and him last. So he set his ear to the crack and listened, and listened, and listened, and the steps a-scraping around out there all the time; and at last he nudged us, and we slid out, and stooped down, not breathing, and not making the least noise, and slipped stealthy towards the fence in Injun file, and got to it all right, and me and Jim over it; but Tom's britches catched fast on a splinter on the top rail, and then he hear the steps coming, so he had to pull loose, which snapped the splinter and made a noise; and as he dropped in our tracks and started somebody sings out:

"Who's that? Answer, or I'll shoot!"

But we didn't answer; we just unfurled our heels and shoved. Then there was a rush, and a BANG, BANG, BANG! and the bullets fairly whizzed around us! We heard them sing out:

"Here they are! They've broke for the river! After 'em, boys, and turn loose the dogs!"

So here they come, full tilt¹⁸. We could hear them because they wore boots and yelled, but we didn't wear no boots and didn't yell. We was in the path to the mill; and when they got pretty close on to us we dodged¹⁹ into the bush and let them go by, and then dropped in behind them. They'd had all the dogs shut up, so they wouldn't scare off the robbers; but by this time somebody had let them loose, and here they come, making powwow enough for a million; but they was our dogs; so we stopped in our tracks till they catched up; and when they see it warn't nobody but us, and no excitement to offer them, they only just said howdy, and tore right ahead towards the shouting and clattering²⁰; and then we up-steam again, and whizzed along after them till we was nearly to the mill, and then struck up through the bush to where my canoe was tied, and hopped²¹ in and pulled for dear life towards the middle of the river, but didn't make no more noise than we was obleeged to. Then we struck out, easy and comfortable, for the island where my raft was; and we could hear them yelling and barking at each other all up and down the bank, till we was so far away the sounds got dim and died out. And when we stepped on to the raft I says:

"NOW, old Jim, you're a free man again, and I bet you won't ever be a slave no more."

"En a mighty²² good job it wuz, too, Huck. It 'uz planned beautiful, en it 'uz done beautiful; en dey ain't NOBODY kin⁶ git up a plan dat's mo' mixed-up en splendid den²³ what dat one wuz."

We was all glad as we could be, but Tom was the gladdest of all because he had a bullet in the calf²⁴ of his leg.

When me and Jim heard that we didn't feel so brash as what we did before. It was hurting him considerable, and bleeding; so we laid him in the wigwam and tore up one of the duke's shirts for to bandage him, but he says:

"Gimme the rags; I can do it myself. Don't stop now; don't fool around here, and the evasion²⁵ booming along so handsome; man the sweeps, and set her loose! Boys, we done it elegant! -- 'deed we did. I wish WE'D a had the handling of Louis XVI., there wouldn't a been no 'Son of Saint Louis, ascend²⁶ to heaven!' wrote down in HIS biography; no, sir, we'd a whooped²⁷ him over the BORDER -- that's what we'd a done with HIM -- and done it just as slick as nothing at all, too. Man the sweeps -- man the sweeps!"

But me and Jim was consulting -- and thinking. And after we'd thought a minute, I says:

"Say it, Jim."

So he says:

"Well, den, dis is de way it look to me, Huck. Ef it wuz HIM dat 'uz bein' sot free, en one er de boys wuz to git shot, would he say, 'Go on en save me, nemmine 'bout² a doctor f'r to save dis one?' Is dat like Mars Tom Sawyer? Would he say dat? You BET he wouldn't! WELL, den, is JIM gywne to say it? No, sah -- I doan' budge²⁸ a step out'n dis place 'dout a DOCTOR, not if it's forty year!"

I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say -- so it was all right now, and I told Tom I was a-going for a doctor. He raised considerable row about it, but me and Jim stuck to it and wouldn't budge; so he was for crawling out and setting the raft loose himself; but we wouldn't let him. Then he give us a piece of his mind, but it didn't do no good.

So when he sees me getting the canoe ready, he says:

"Well, then, if you re bound to go, I'll tell you the way to do when you get to the village. Shut the door and blindfold²⁹ the doctor tight and fast, and make him swear to be silent as the grave, and put a purse full of gold in his hand, and then take and lead him all around the back alleys³⁰ and everywheres in the dark, and then fetch him here in the canoe, in a roundabout way amongst the islands, and search him and take his chalk away from him, and don't give it back to him till you get him back to the village, or else he will chalk this raft so he can find it again. It's the way they all do."

So I said I would, and left, and Jim was to hide in the woods when he see the doctor coming till he was gone again.

吃了早饭以后，我们兴致很高，便坐了我的独木船，往河上钓鱼，还带了中饭，玩得很
开心。我们还看了一下木筏子，见到木筏子好好的。我们很迟才回家吃晚饭，发现他们惶惶
不安，不知道前途吉凶。他们叮嘱我们一吃好晚饭便上床去睡觉，却并没有告诉我们会是什
么样的一种灾难。对那封刚收到的信，他们也一字不提。不过那也是不必要的事了，因为我
们跟不论哪一个人一样肚里清楚。我们走到楼梯半中间，萨莉阿姨一转身，我们就溜进了地
窖，打开食柜，把中上的午餐食品装得满满的，带到了我们的房间里，随后就睡了。到晚上
十一点半左右，我们便起身了。汤姆就穿上了他偷来的萨莉阿姨的衣服，正要带着饭食动
身。他说：
    “黄油在哪儿？”
    “我弄了一大块，”我说，“搁在一块玉米饼上。”
    “那就是你忘了拿搁在那儿啦——这里没有啊。”
    “没有，我们也能对付。”我说。
    “有，我们也能对付嘛，”他说，“你就溜到下边地窖里去一趟，弄一些来，随后抱着
避雷针下楼，赶上来。我就去，去把稻草塞进杰姆的衣服里，假扮成他妈的模样。等你一
到，我就学羊叫，呣的一声，然后一块儿逃跑。”
    于是他就出去了，我也去了地窖。一大块黄油，象拳头般大，正在我刚才忘了拿的地
方。我就拿起搁了黄油的大块玉米饼子，吹灭了我的烛火，偷偷走上楼去，平安无事地到了
地窖上面那一层。不过萨莉阿姨手持蜡烛正在走过来。我赶快把手里的东西往帽子里一塞，
把帽子往头上一扣。再一瞬间，她看到了我。她说：
    “你刚才在下面地窖里啊？”
    “是的，姨妈。”
    “你在下面干什么？”
    “没干什么。”
    “没干什么？”
    “没，姨妈。”
    “天这么晚了，是什么叫你这个样子下去，是你见了鬼么？”
    “我不知道，姨妈。”
    “你不知道？汤姆，别这样回答我的问话。我要知道你在下边干了些什么？”
    “我什么事都没有干，萨莉姨妈。要是能干过什么那倒好了。”
    我以为，这样她会放我走了。要是在平时，她是会放我走的。不过，如今这么多怪事不
断，只要有一点儿小事出了格，她就急得什么似的。所以她斩钉截铁地说：
    “你给我到起坐间去，耽在那儿等我回来。你卷进了与你丝毫不相关的事。我决意要把
这个弄清楚，不然的话，我可饶不了你。”
    于是她走开了，我把门打开，走进了起坐间。我的天，这么一大群人！有十五个农民，
一个个带了枪。我怕得要死，便轻手轻脚走了过去，在一张椅子里坐下。这些人围坐在一
起，其中有些人偶然谈几句话，声音放得轻轻的。一个个心神不定，坐立不安，可又装得若
无其事。不过我知道他们真正的心理，因为你可以看到，他们一会把帽子摘下来，一会又戴
上，一会儿抓抓脑瓜，一会儿换个座位，一会儿摸摸钮扣，如此等等。我自己呢，也心神不
定，只是我自始至终，并没有把帽子摘下来。
    我确实巴不得萨莉阿姨快来，跟我说个清楚，高兴的话，就揍我一顿，随后放开我，让
我好告诉汤姆，我们怎样把事情搞得太过火了，怎样已经一头撞上了一个天大的马蜂窝了，
怎样该在这些家伙失去耐性找到我们头上来以前，就和杰姆溜之大吉，一逃了事。
    她终于来了，便开始盘问我，不过我无法直接了当地回答。我已经慌得六神无主，不知
如何是好。因为这伙人如今已是焦躁不安，其中有些人主张立时立刻马上就动手，去埋伏
好，等候那些亡命之徒。还说现在离半夜整只有几分钟了。有些人则力图劝说他们暂时按兵
不动，静候羊呣呣叫的信号。姨妈呢，偏偏盯着我问这问那。我呢，浑身发抖，吓得要晕过
去了。房间里又闷又热，牛油开始在化，流到了我的颈子里和耳朵根的后边。这时，有一个
人在叫：“我主张先到小屋里去，现时立刻就去，他们一来，就逮起来。”我听了差点儿昏
过去，同时一道黄油从额骨头上往下流淌，萨莉阿姨一见，马上脸色白得象一张纸。她说：
    “天啊，我的孩子怎么啦——肯定是他得了脑炎，准没有错，脑浆正往外流啊！”
    于是大伙儿都跑过来看，她呢，一把摘下了我的帽子，只见面包啦、剩下的牛油啦，都
掉了出来。她立刻把我一把抓住，搂在怀里。她说：
    “哦，你可吓坏了我啦！现在我又多么高兴，原来你没有病啊。我们如今运气不好，碰
上了祸不单行。我一见那浆子，以为这下子你的命可要保不住了。一见那颜色，分明和你的
脑浆一个样啊——亲爱的，亲爱的，为什么不告诉我一声，说一说你到地窖里去为的是什
么，我根本不会在乎嘛。好了，睡觉去吧，天亮以前，别让我再看见你。”
    我马上就上了楼，又一眨眼便抱住了避雷针滑下来。我在黑地里如飞一般冲往那个披
间，心里急得连话也差点儿说不成。不过我还是赶快告诉了汤姆说，大事不好，必须马上就
逃，立时立刻就逃，一时一刻也不容耽搁——那边屋里已经挤满了人，都带着枪哩。
    他的眼睛亮了一下。他说：
    “不会吧！——真是这样！多棒啊！啊，哈克，要是能从头再来一次的话，我打赌，准
能抬来两百个人！只要我们能推迟到——”
    “快！快！”我说，“杰姆在哪里？”
    “就在你眼皮底下。只要手一伸，你能摸得到他。他衣服穿好了，什么都准备好了。现
在我们就溜出去，发出羊叫的暗号。”
    不过我们那时已经听到大伙儿的脚步声，正一步步逼近门口。接着听到摸弄门上那把挂
锁的声音，只听得其中一人在说：
    “我早就对你们说了，来得太早啦，他们还没有来嘛——门是锁着的。好吧，我现下把
几个人锁在小屋里，你们就在黑洞洞里守候着，他们一进来，就杀死他们。其余的人分散开
来，仔细听着，看能不能听到他们摸过来。”
    有些人便进了小屋，只是黑漆漆的看不见我们，差点儿踩着了我们。我们这时急忙往床
底下钻。我们顺顺当当钻到了床底下，从洞中钻了出来，行动迅速，轻手轻脚——杰姆在
前，其次是我，汤姆最后，这都是按照了汤姆的命令的。如今我们已经爬到了那间披间，只
听得外面不远的脚步声。我们便爬到了门口。汤姆要我们就地停下来，他往门缝里张望，可
是什么也望不见，实在天太黑了。他低声说，他会听着，看脚步声有没有走远。要是他用胳
膊后捅我们一下，杰姆就必须先走，由他压阵最后走。随后他把耳朵贴在门缝上，听啊，听
啊，听啊，可是四下里一直有脚步声。到最后，他用胳膊后捅了捅我们，我们便溜了出来，
弓着腰，屏住了呼吸，不发任何一点点儿声音，一跟着一个，轻手轻脚，朝栅栏走去，平平
安安地走到了栅栏边，我和杰姆跨过了栅栏，可是汤姆的裤子给栅栏顶上一根横木裂开的木
片给绊住了，他听到脚步声在走拢来，他使劲扯，啪地一声把木片扯断了。他跟在我们后面
跑。有人叫了起来：
    “是谁？答话，不然我要开枪了。”
    不过我们并没有答话，只是拔腿飞奔。接着有一群人追上来了。砰，砰，砰，枪弹在我
们四周飞过！只听得他们在喊叫：
    “他们在这里啦。他们在朝河边跑啦！伙计们，追啊！把狗放出来！”
    于是他们在后边穷追。我们能听到他们的声音，因为他们脚上穿的是靴子，又一路喊
叫。我们呢，没有穿靴子，也没有喊叫。我们走的是通往锯木厂的小路。等到他们追得逼近
了，我们就往矮树丛里一躲，让他们在身边冲过去，然后在他们后面走。他们为了不致于把
强盗吓跑，把狗都关了起来。到了此时此刻，有些人把狗放了出来，这些狗便一路奔来，汪
汪直叫，仿佛千百只一齐涌来，不过这些毕竟是我们自家的狗，我们一收住脚步，等它们赶
上来，它们一见是我们，并非外人，有什么好大惊小怪的，便跟我们打了个招呼，朝呼喊声
和重重的脚步声那个方向直冲过去。我们便鼓足马力，在它们的后面跑，后来到锯木厂，便
改道穿过矮树丛，到原来拴独木舟的那边，跳了上去，为了保住一命，使劲往河中心划，不
过一路上尽量不发出声音。随后舒舒服服、自自在在地到了藏着我那个木筏子的小岛，这时
还听得见沿河从上边到下边一路之上人吼狗叫，乱作一团。到后来，离得越来越远了，声音
越来越低，最后终于消失了。我们一跨上木筏子，我就说：
    “杰姆啊，如今你再一次成了个自由的人啦。我敢打赌，你不会再一次沦为奴隶啦。”
    “这一回也真干得飘良（漂亮），哈克。计划得太巧妙了，干得也巧妙。谁也搞不出一
个这么复杂又这么浜（棒）的计划啦。”
    我们都高兴非凡，最高兴的是汤姆，因为他腿肚子上中了一枪。
    我和杰姆一听说这事，便没有刚才那样的兴致了。他伤得挺厉害，还在淌血，所以我们
让他在窝棚里躺了下来，把公爵的一件衬衫撕了给他包扎，不过他说：
    “把布条给我，我自己能包扎。现如今我们不能停留啊，别在这儿磨磨蹭蹭了。这一回
逃亡搞得多么漂亮。划起长桨来，顺水放木排！伙计们，我们干得多棒——确实如此。这一
回啊，要是我们是带着路易十六出奔，那该多有劲。那样的话，在他的传记里便不会写下什
么‘圣·路易之子上升天堂’之类的话啦。不会的，我们会把他哄过国界，——我们肯定会
带他哄过国界——而且干得十分巧妙。划起长桨来，划起长桨来！”
    不过这时我和杰姆正在商量——正在考虑呢。我们想了一分钟以后，我就说：
    “杰姆，你说吧。”
    他就说了：
    “那好。据我看，事情就是如此的。哈克，要是这回逃出来的是他，伙计们中间有一个
吃了一抢（枪），那他命不会说，‘为了纠（救）我，往前走吧，别为了纠（救）其他人惹
麻烦，找什么医生啊。’汤姆少爷是那样的人么？他会这么说么？你可以打多（赌），他才
不会呢！那么杰姆呢，我会这样说么？不，先生，要是不找医生，我一布（步）也不走，即
便要等四十年也行！”
    我知道他心里是颗白人的心。我也料到了他会说他刚才说的话——所以现在事情就好办
了。我就对汤姆说，我要去找个医生。他为了这便大闹了起来，可是我和杰姆始终坚持，寸
步不让。后来他要从窝棚里爬出来，自己放木筏子，我们就不许他这么干。随后他对我们发
作了一通，——可是，那也没有用。
    他见到独木船准备好了，就说：
    “那好吧。既然你执意要去，我告诉你到了村子里怎么办。把门一关，把医生的眼睛用
布给绑个严严实实，要他宣誓严守秘密。随后把一袋金币放在他手心里。接着在黑地里带他
在大街小巷里转来转去，然后带他到独木舟上，在各处小岛那里转圈子。还要搜他的身，把
粉笔扣下来，在他回到村子里以前，不要发还给他。不然的话，他准会在这个木筏子上做上
记号，以便往后找到它。这样的方法是人家都这么干的。”
    我就说，我一定照着办，就出发了。杰姆呢，只要一看见医生来，就往林子里躲起来，
一直到医生离开为止。

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