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.

我一有机会能和汤姆单独交谈，便问他当初搞逃亡的时候，究竟是什么用意？——如果
他搞的逃亡能成功，并且设法释放掉的黑奴原本已经自由了，那他的计划究竟是什么？他
说，从一开始，他脑子里的计划是，一旦能把杰姆平安无事地释放掉，就由我们用木排送他
到大河的下游，在大河入海口来一番真价实货的历险，然后告诉他已经自由了，于是叫他风
风光光地坐了轮船，回到上游家里来。至于这段耽误了的功夫，我们照样付给他最后的一笔
钱。并且还准备事前写个信，把四下里所有的黑奴全都招得来，让他们组成一个火炬游行队
伍，再来个军乐队，吹吹打打，在一片狂欢中，送他回到镇上。这样一来，他就会成为一名
英雄，而我们也会成为英雄。不过依我看，目前这个情形，也应该说是差不多可以满意了。
    我们赶紧给杰姆卸下了身上的镣铐。葆莉姨妈、西拉斯姨父和萨莉姨妈知道了他怎样忠
心地帮助医生照看汤姆以后，就大大地夸奖了他一番，从优把他安顿好，他爱吃什么就让他
吃什么，还让他玩得开心，不用做任何什么事。我们把他带到楼上的病房里，痛痛快快地聊
了一番。此外，汤姆还给了他四十块大洋，作为他为了我们耐着性子充当囚犯，并且表现得
这么好的酬劳。杰姆开心得要死，不禁高声大叫：“你看，哈克，我当初怎么对你说的，—
—在杰克逊岛上，我是怎么对你说的？我对你说，我胸上有毛，明（命）中就会有些什么。
我还对你说，我已经发过一回才（财），以后还会发。如今可不是都应了验，运气已经来
啦！别再跟我说啦——命相就是命相，记住我说的话，我知道得一清二楚，我就是会再发，
这如同我如今这一刻正站在这里一样的敏敏拜拜（明明白白）。”
    接下来是汤姆滔滔不绝地说得没完没了。他说，让我们三人挑最近的一个晚上从这儿溜
之大吉，备齐了行装，然后到“领地”①去，在印第安人中间耽上两三个星期，来一番轰轰
烈烈的历险。我说，行啊，这很合我的心意。不过我没有钱买行装。依我看，我也不可能从
家里弄到钱，因为我爸爸很可能如今早已回去了，并且从撒切尔法官那里把钱都要了去，喝
个精光啦。   

　　①即印第安人领地，见三十九章的注。

    “不，他没有，”汤姆说，“钱都还在那里，——六千多块钱。你爸爸从此就没有回去
过。反正我出来以前，他就没有回去过。”
杰姆以庄严的语气说道：
“他是再也不会回来了，哈克。”
我说：
“为什么呢，杰姆？”
“别问为什么啦，哈克——不过他再也不会回来了。”
可是我钉住他不放，他终于说了：
“你还记得大河上漂下来的那个屋子么？还记得屋里有个人全身用布该（盖）着的么？
我进去，揭开来看了看，还不让你进去，你还记得么？所以说，你需要的时候，能拿到那笔
钱的，因为纳（那）就是他。”
如今汤姆身体快完全康复了，还把子弹用链子拴好，系在颈子上，当作表用，还时不时
拿在手里，看看是什么一个时辰。所以现在已经没有什么要写的了。我也为此万分高兴，因
为我要是早知道写书要费多大的劲，我当初就不会写，以后自然也就不会写了。不过嘛，依
我看，我得比其他的人先走一步，先到“领地”去。这是因为萨莉阿姨要认领我做儿子，要
教我学文明规矩，这可是我受不了的。我先前经受过一回啦。
完啦，你们真诚的朋友哈克·芬
１８８４，１８８５