Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty-six to Thirty

Chapter Twenty-Six The Real Robber Finds a Chest of Gold About noon the next day, the two boys went to the dead tree to get tools.Tom was impatient to go to the haunted house; Huck evidently wanted to go too, but suddenly said, "Well, I say Tom, do you know what day it is?" Tom turned his head round and counted the days, then raised his eyes quickly with a surprised expression. "Damn! Huck, I haven't thought of that!" "Oh, me too, but I suddenly remembered that today is Friday." (Friday is the day of the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, so Christians think it is an unlucky day.)

"Damn it, Huck, you gotta be careful. We're probably asking for trouble for doing things like that on this day." "You say maybe. It's better to say definitely! It might be saved on another day, but not today." "Even a fool would know that. But, Huck, I think there's somebody who knows it besides you." "Hmph! Did I say I'm the only one who understands? Friday isn't enough. Last night I had a terrible dream—of rats." "What nonsense! It must be bad luck. Did they fight?" "No." "Well, that's all right. Huck, dreaming about rats but not seeing them fighting means there's going to be trouble. We've got to be extra, extra careful, and we'll be fine if we try to avoid it. Forget it today, go play." Come on, Huck, do you know Robin Hood?"

"I don't know. Who is he?" "Well, you don't know that. He's one of the greatest men that ever lived in England, and one of the best. He's a robber." "Oh, it's amazing. I wish I could do the same. Who is he robbing?" "He robs the rich and gives to the poor. He robs rich people like sheriffs, bishops, and kings. Not only does he not harass the poor, but he also divides the loot with them equally." "Well, he must be a good man." "Never mind, Huck. Oh, he's a marvel. I've never seen such a noble man. I dare say there's no such man now, I dare say it. He can put any He'd kill a man. He'd take that yew bow and he'd hit a dime a mile and a half away, every shot."

"What is a yew bow?" "I don't know. It's a kind of bow. If he doesn't hit ten rings, he'll sit down and cry—and curse. Come on, let's play Robin Hood, it's a lot of fun. I'll teach you." " "OK." They played a game of Robin Hood all afternoon, and while they were playing, they couldn't help but look at the haunted house once or twice, and talked about what would happen when they went there the next day.As the sun was setting they walked home along the long shadows of the trees, and soon disappeared into the woods of Cardiff Hill.

Shortly after noon on Saturday, the two children came to the dead tree again.They smoked for a while in the shade of the tree, chatted for a while, and then continued to dig a few shovels in the remaining hole.Of course, this was not done out of great hope, but because Tom said that there were many diggers who were only six inches away from the treasure, and the result was that someone else dug it up with a shovel.This time, however, they were not so lucky, so they picked up their tools and went, for treasure was a great value to them, and as far as digging was concerned, they did their best.

After a while, the two of them became familiar with the place and were no longer as scared as when they first came in.So they examined it carefully, both surprised and admired their courage.Then, they wanted to go upstairs to have a look, which seemed to be a bit of a back-to-back fight. They had to embolden each other, so they threw the things in their hands into the corner and went upstairs.The scene upstairs was as dilapidated as the downstairs.They soon found a closet in the corner, which seemed interesting, but turned out to be nothing.At this time, they were more courageous and full of courage.Just when the two of them were about to go downstairs to do it——

"Hush!" said Tom. "What's the matter?" Huck asked quietly, his face pale with fright. "Hush! ... over there ... do you hear that?" "I heard it! . . . Oh, my God! Let's run away!" "Quiet! Hold still! They're coming towards the door." The two children lay sprawled on the floor, staring at the knothole, waiting, terrified. "They stopped. . . . No—here it comes again . Two men came in, and the two children murmured to themselves: "One is the deaf and dumb old Spanish man who has appeared in the town once or twice recently, and the other is a stranger."

"The other guy" is ragged and unkempt, with a distressed expression on his face; an old Spanish man wearing a Mexican flower scarf, with a thick white beard on his face, a wide-brimmed hat, long white hair hanging down, and a nose on the shelf A pair of green glasses.After entering the room, "another person" whispered something, the two of them faced the door, and sat on the floor with their backs to the wall, "another person" continued talking, his expression was not too nervous, The words became more and more clear: "No," he said, "I thought about it over and over again, but I still don't want to do it, it's too dangerous."

"Dangerous!" murmured the deaf and dumb Spaniard, "nothing!" and the two children were astonished. It was the voice of Injun Joe, which made the two children gasp and tremble with terror!After a moment's silence, Joe said: "What we do up there is dangerous enough, But nothing went wrong. " "That's different. It's on the river, and it's far away. There are no people nearby. No one will know if we tried and failed." "Besides, what could be more dangerous than coming here in broad daylight?—anyone would be suspicious if they saw it."

"I know that. But after doing that stupid thing, there's no more convenient place. I want to leave this shitty house too. I wanted to leave yesterday, but those two nasty boys are playing on the hill, and they see everything here Chu, it’s impossible to slip away.” "Those damned boys" understood it, and trembled; and thought how lucky they were to wait until Saturday, and thought they were willing to wait a year, even if they had waited a year. The two men brought out some food for their lunch, and Injun Joe thought long and hard, and at last said: "Well, boy, you go back over the river where you ought to be,

Wait for my message.I want to go into the city to find out what's going on.When I feel safe and sound, let's do that dangerous thing again.Let's go to Texas together! " This was satisfactory, and there was a yawn between them, and Injun Joe said: "I'm sleepy! It's your turn to look out." He lay curled up on the grass, and soon began to snore, and his companion pushed him once or twice, and he stopped snoring.Soon the watchman also dozed off, his head lowered lower and lower, and the two began to snore. The two children took a deep breath, thank goodness.Tom whispered: "The opportunity is here - hurry up!" Huck said, "No, I'll die if they wake up." Tom urged him away--Huck was always afraid to move.As a result, Tom stood up slowly and walked out alone gently.But as soon as he took a step, the rickety broken floor creaked, so frightened that he immediately lay down, as if dead, he didn't dare to move again, and the two children lay there counting the minutes The time seems to feel like the days are like years, and finally the two of them feel that the days have finally come to an end, and they are full of gratitude when they see the sunset. Then one of them stopped snoring.Injun Joe sat up and looked around.His companion's head fell to his knees, he smiled coldly, kicked him awake with his feet, and said to him: "Hey, that's how you kept watch. Fortunately, nothing happened." "God, did I fall asleep?" "Man, almost, almost, it's time to open the way, what to do with the remaining oil and water?" "Leave it, as before, and pick it up when we go south. It's not easy to carry six hundred and fifty silver dollars." "Okay, it doesn't matter if you do it again." "No, it has to be the same as before. It's best to come at night." "Yes, but it may take a long time to do that, and there may be mistakes. This place is not absolutely safe. Let's just bury it—deep." "Excellent," said the companion.He went across the house, got down on his knees, took down a back hearthstone, pulled out a clinking bag, took out twenty or thirty dollars himself, and so much more for Injun Joe, and handed the bag To Joe, who is kneeling in a corner, digging with his hunting knife. At this moment, the two children put all their fear and misfortune to the sky.They held down the joy in their hearts and watched their every move.luck!Unbelievable luck!Six hundred dollars can turn five or six kids into rich men!It's really good luck to find a treasure, and it's easy to dig there, and it's right.From time to time they touched each other at the same time, and the meaning was very clear. "Oh, now you should be glad we were right to be here!" Joe's knife hit something. "Hi!" he said. "What's that?" asked his companion. "The rotten board—no, it must be a box, help me and see what it's for. Never mind, I've made a hole in it." He reached out and yanked the box out— "Dude, it's money!" The two men looked carefully at the coins in their hands, they were gold coins.The two children above were as excited and happy as they were. Joe's companion said: "We've got to dig fast. I just saw a rusty shovel in the hay around the corner by the fireplace." He ran to get back the two boys' tools: pick and shovel, looked critically at it, shook his head, muttered a word or two to himself, and began to dig.The box was quickly dug out, and it was covered with iron sheets. It was not too big, and after years of erosion, it was not as strong as before.The two men were looking at the treasure chest happily, without saying a word. "There's a thousand dollars in the box, man," said Injun Joe. "I used to hear that in the summer, Morel's gang came to this area for activities," said the stranger. "I know it," said Injun Joe. "I see it's kind of like that." "Now you don't have to do that work." The half-breed frowned.He said: "You don't know me, or at least you don't know all about it. It wasn't exactly robbery—it was revenge!" There was a savage gleam in his eyes. "I need you to help me with this matter. After finishing the work, go to Texas, go back to see your wife and children, and wait for my news." "Well—if that's the case, what about the box of gold coins?—and bury it here?" "Yes, (upstairs was overjoyed.) No! Good fellow! Absolutely not! (The mood on the upper floor plummeted.) I almost forgot that there was fresh dirt on that shovel! (The two children were frightened Fuck.) What's a shovel and a pick here for? Who brought it?—Anyone? Hear anybody? See? My boy, and bury the box for them to come back so they can find out that somebody's been messing around here? No, that's not right, let's take the box to me." "That's right, why not? Should have thought of that earlier, you mean to take number one?" "No, it's number two, under the cross, not anywhere else, there's no special place." "Okay, it's getting dark, we can start." Injun Joe got up, walked up and down the windows, and watched carefully what was going on outside, and then he said: "Who's going to bring the shovel and pick here? Do you think there's anyone upstairs?" The two children were too frightened to breathe.Injun Joe stood there with the knife in his hand, a little hesitant, and after a moment he turned and walked towards the landing. The children remembered the closet, but now they had no strength at all. The footsteps creaked, and they went up the stairs. The situation was extremely critical, and the two children strengthened their determination in the critical moment-they were just about to run to the closet when they heard a clatter, and Injun Joe took the rotten board together. All of a sudden, it fell into the pile of rotten stair logs on the ground.He stood up, cursing, when his companion said: "What's the use of scolding, if someone is upstairs, let him stay there, no one cares, if they jump down now to find trouble, no one objects, it will be dark in a quarter of an hour, if you want to follow, let them follow Yes. I would. I think whoever dumped the stuff here must have seen us and thought we were ghosts, and I bet they're still running." Jo muttered for a while, and then felt that his companion had a point, and before dark, hurry up and pack up and leave.Then they slipped out in the sinking twilight, and carried the chest towards the river. Tom and Huck rose, weary but much more comfortable now, and watched the two men's backs through the slats of the house.track them?The two of them couldn't do it. It was already a good thing to get down from the house safely without spraining their necks, and then climbed over the mountain and followed the path back to the city.They said nothing more, but kept complaining to themselves of the bad luck that had brought the unlucky shovel and pick here.Had it not been for these two tools, Injun Joe would never have been suspicious.He'd hide the chest of gold coins here, go out for revenge, and come back sad to find it missing.How can I even think of bringing tools here? Damn it, bad luck! They made up their minds that when the Spaniard came into the city to spy and seek revenge, they must follow him and follow him to "No. 2", whether he went to heaven or earth, they would follow him. Suddenly a terrible thought came to Tom's mind. "Revenge? Huck, what if they mean us?" "Oh, stop it," said Huck, almost fainting. They talked it over well, and when they came into town it was assumed that he meant someone else, at least Tom, since Tom was the only one who had ever testified in court. That Tom was alone in danger did make him uneasy, a little uneasy.He thought it would be better if he had a companion. Chapter 27 Uneasy Tracking Tom did not sleep well that night, and the adventures of the day were brought to sleep.Four times he had seized the treasure chest in his dreams, but when the dream faded away, he woke up to face the same unfortunate and harsh reality: the treasure chest was gone, and he was still empty-handed.As he lay there early in the morning, thinking back on the great adventures, events seemed to grow fainter and more distant—something that happened in another world, or something that happened a long, long time ago .Then he suddenly realized that this great adventure itself must be a dream!A strong argument for this idea was that he had seen too many gold coins to take seriously, and he had never seen fifty dollars at once before.Like the children of the same age, he believed that tens of thousands of yuan and tens of thousands of yuan were just talking, and such a large amount of money did not exist at all.It never occurred to him for a moment that anyone really owned such a large sum as a hundred dollars.The part of the treasure he believed to be buried, when he analyzed it, was nothing more than a handful of real cents and a heap of immeasurable, shiny bills. But the more he thought about it, the more he remembered the adventure, and he felt that it might not be a dream, but a reality.He must find out, so he went to Huck after breakfast in twos and threes. Huck sat on the side of a gondola with his feet listlessly in the water and looked worried.Tom decided to let Huck speak first on the subject.If he didn't mention it, it would prove that the last adventure was just a dream. "Huck, hello!" "Hello." There was a silence. "Tom, if we put that damned tool over there with the dead tree, we'll get paid for it, alas, if you say it's too bad!" "It's not a dream, it's real! Somehow I wish it was a dream. Liars are puppies, Huck." "What's not a dream?" "Oh, it was the incident yesterday. I was half convinced that it was a dream just now." "Dreams! You'd have more dreams if the stairs hadn't fallen down! I've had enough dreams in one night, and that one-eyed Spanish devil was after me—damn him!" "No, no, don't curse him to death, find someone alive! Get the money out!" "Tom, we won't find him. There are few chances to make a fortune, and this one is missed. Anyway, I'd tremble if I saw him." "Yes, I will tremble too, but I have to see him anyway, even if I go to number two, I have to dig him out." "No. 2, yes, that's right. I'm thinking about this too, but I can't figure it out. What's your best idea?" "I don't know what that is. It's too hard to figure it out. Huck, is that a house number?" "That's right!... No, Tom, that's not the house number. This small town the size of a palm, the city is only as big as a palm, so there's no need for any house number." "Yes, that's true. Let me Think about it again, this is the room number, it's in the inn, you know." "Oh, you're right! There's only two inns here, and you'll figure it out." "Huck, stay here till I come back." Tom went out at once, for he did not like being with Huck in public.He went there for half an hour, and he found that in the better hotel, a young lawyer lived in No. 2 for a long time, and he has not left yet.But the poorer inn, number two, was a mystery.The young son of the innkeeper said that No. 2 was locked all the time, and no one came in or out except at night. He didn't know why this happened, but he was a little curious and used the house as "haunted" to satisfy his curiosity. He had also noticed lights in Number Two the night before. "Huck, here's what I found out. I think that's the Number Two we're looking for." "I think so, Tom. What are you going to do?" "Let me think." After thinking for a long time, Tom said: "Listen, the back door of No. 2 leads to the narrow alley between the inn and the old wheel kiln factory. You go and get all the door keys you can find, and I will steal aunt's, and we will try the door when it gets dark .To remind you of Injun Joe. He said he was going to sneak back into the city to scout out things for revenge. If you see him, follow him; if he doesn't go into Number Two, it's not the place." "Hey, follow him alone, I won't do it!" "If you go at night, he will definitely not see you—even if he sees you, he won't think too much about it." "Well, if it's really going to be at night, I think I'll go, but I'm not sure, I'm not sure, let's try." "If it's dark, Huck, I'll follow him. He may see no hope of revenge, and he might as well go and get the money first." "That's right, Tom, that's right, I'll keep an eye on him, I'm sure, it's settled." "That's the good thing! Don't waver, Huck, I ain't waver." Chapter 28 Nest Tracking, Tom Discovers New Clues That night Tom and Huck got ready for an adventure.They wandered around the inn until 9 o'clock before starting to act.One looked at the alley from a long distance, and the other looked at the door of the inn.No one came and went in the alley, and there was no sign of the Spaniard who came in or out of the inn.It doesn't seem too dark at night.Before Tom went home, he made an agreement with Huck that if the night was fine, Huck would come out to learn how to meow, and when Tom heard it, he would slip out and use the key to try to open the door.But it was bright that night, and Huck finished his lookout about twelve o'clock and went to sleep in the empty sugar barrel. On Tuesday, the two children met the same bad luck, and on Wednesday also.The weather improved by Thursday night.Tom took his aunt's old tin lantern and a big towel to shade the light, and took the opportunity to slip out.He hid the lantern in Huck's sugar bucket and began to look out.An hour before midnight, the inn closed its doors and extinguished even the only light.The Spaniard did not show up, no one moved in the alley, and all was well.The night was deep and everything was quiet, except for one or two thunderclaps in the distance. Tom took the lantern, lighted it in the sugar bucket, and wrapped it tightly with a towel.In the night, the two explorers tiptoed towards the inn.Huck was on guard, and Tom felt his way into the alley.For a long time, Huck waited anxiously, with a heavy weight on his heart like a mountain.He wished he could see the lantern flicker, it frightened him, but at least it meant he was alive.Tom seemed to have been gone for hours.He must have passed out, or died, perhaps with a burst heart from fear and excitement.Uneasy, Huck had approached the alley unknowingly, fearful in his heart, always ready for the unexpected to happen, and he was suffocated in fright.In fact, he was out of breath. He could only breathe little by little now, and he would soon suffer from heart failure.Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Tom ran past him at a gallop. "Run!" he said, "Run for your life!" He didn't have to say it again, just one time was enough. Before Tom could say anything more, Huck's speed had reached thirty or forty miles per hour. They ran to the empty wooden shed of the old slaughterhouse at the end of the village before stopping .No sooner had they been under the eaves than the storm came, and then the rain fell in torrents, and as soon as Tom recovered his breath he said: "Huck, it was horrible. I opened the door as softly as I could, and tried both keys, and the sound was so loud that I couldn't breathe, and the key wouldn't turn. Then, somehow, I grabbed the door The door opened, and it turned out to be unlocked. I jumped in and pulled the towel off the lantern, and my god, I almost died of fright." "What?—What did you see, Tom?" "Huck, I almost stepped on Injun Joe's hand!" "Will not!" "That's right! He's lying there, fast asleep, with the gauze over his eyes and his arms spread out." "Hey, what did you do? Is he awake?" "I didn't wake up, I didn't even move. I thought, I must be drunk. I grabbed the towel and ran outside!" "If I were you, I wouldn't even want towels." "I can't. My aunt will make me feel better if I lose the towel." "Hey, Tom, have you seen that box!" "I don't have time to look, Huck. No box, no cross, nothing but a bottle and a tin cup on the ground beside Injun Joe. By the way, And saw two wine barrels and a pile of bottles in the house, don't you see, Huck, tell me, what's the matter with that haunted house?" "What's wrong?" "Haunted, by drunks! Maybe every temperance inn has a haunted room, say, Huck, don't you?" "Well, I think you're right. No one would have guessed such a thing? But then again, Tom, it's a good time to get the box while you're drunk on Injun Joe." "That's right! But, go and try!" Huck shuddered with terror. "Come, no—I don't think so." "I don't think so, Huck. Injun Joe can't get drunk with a bottle of wine. If he has three bottles with him, he must be very drunk. I dare to try." Tom thought for a long time before speaking: "Listen, Huck, as long as Injun Joe doesn't go away we ain't gonna try it. It's dreadful. If we keep an eye out every night, we're sure to see him come out, whenever he comes out, We rushed in like lightning, carried the box and ran." "Okay, I agree. I can see the light all night, every night. You are responsible for carrying the box." "Okay, so it's settled. You go to Amber Street, one block down, and meow like a cat. If I fall asleep, just throw a little rock at the window and wake me up." "No problem, it's great!" "Huck, the storm's over, and I'm going home. It'll be daylight in an hour or two, and you'll keep watch for that time, won't you?" "I'll do what I say, Tom. I'll do it. I'll go and keep an eye on that inn every night for a year, sleep in the daytime, and watch all night at night." "That's good, where are you going to sleep?" "Ben Rogers in the hayloft. He let me sleep, and that black person Uncle Jack his daddy used, and I carried water for him whenever Uncle Jack wanted me to do it. When there was food, I wanted it, he Just give me a little. He's a nice fellow, Tom. He likes me, and I never put on airs with him, and sometimes sit down and eat with him. But don't tell anyone. When you're hungry, you can't do that much. Yes. As long as there is food, I am willing to do anything." "Okay, if you don't need you during the day, you can go to sleep, and I won't bother you. If you have something to do at night, just run to the neighborhood and meow like a cat." Chapter Twenty-Nine The first thing Tom heard five mornings earlier was good news: Judge Thatcher's family had returned to town the night before.Injun Joe and the treasure were secondary now, and Becky held the boy's whole interest.He saw her, and the two of them played hide-and-seek with a group of classmates and played the game of "guarding the ditch", which was very happy.It was a very good day, and there was one other thing which was particularly pleasant: Becky pestered her mother to promise to have a picnic next day, because she had promised a long time ago and had never kept it.Mother agreed.The child's joy knew no bounds, and so did Tom, and the invitations were sent out at sunset, and the young people of the village were at once busy with preparations and excited anticipations of the moment.Tom also went to bed very late with excitement, waiting to hear Huck's "cat" with great hope, so that he could surprise Becky and the picnickers with his treasure at the next day's picnic, but His wishful thinking was in vain, and he was disappointed that there were no "cat" meows at all that night.Morning came, and around 10 and 11 a frenzied and rowdy group of children gathered outside Judge Thatcher's house, all ready to go.Adults routinely refrain from such picnics so as not to spoil the fun.Since there are a couple of 18-year-old girls and 23-year-old boys in attendance, it's safe for the kids to have a picnic.This time they rented the old steam ferry, and the merry crowd marched down the street with baskets full of goodies.Sid is sick and unable to have a party with everyone, Mary stays at home to play with him.Before leaving, Mrs Thatcher finally said to Becky: "Son, if you come back very late, you might as well go to live at the girl's house which is very close to the pier." "Mom, then I'm going to live with Susan Harper." "Okay, let's pay attention to others, don't be naughty!" As they went away Tom said to Becky: "Well, tell you, don't go to Joe Harper's. We'll go straight up the hill and stop at Widow Douglas's. She's got ice cream, and eats it almost every day—there's a lot of it. Let's go, she'll love it like hell." "Oh, it's so interesting!" Becky thought a little longer and said: "I don't know what mother would think?" "She won't know." She thought about it, and said reluctantly: "I don't think it's good, but..." "But shit! How does your mother know? It'll be all right. She just wants you to be safe, and I bet she'd have let you go if she'd thought about this place, and I know she would!" The hospitality of the Widow Douglas made the children very eager to go, and Tom's good advice finally settled it so that they would not tell anyone about their plans for the evening.It occurred to Tom again that Huck might come tonight to give the signal.Thinking of this, his energy lost a lot.What made him even more unbearable was giving up playing at Widow Douglas's house.Why not?He summed it up—there was no signal the night before, so how could there be a signal tonight?The treasure is far away, but the evening's games are near.So he decided to play a big game and find time to think about the treasure chest later. Three miles from the village the ferry docked at the mouth of a wooded valley.They swarmed ashore, and soon the children's songs and laughter echoed everywhere in the woods and high cliffs. They played with whatever made them sweat and exhausted.Gradually, those little guys who ran around returned to the camp, their tastes increased greatly, and they had a full meal when they saw delicious food.After dinner they rested in the shade of the oak tree, talking and recovering their strength, when someone cried out: "Who's going to play in the cave?" Everyone is ready to go.Bundles of candles were brought out, and everyone immediately began to climb the mountain happily.The hole was in the hillside--shaped like a capital letter A.The huge oaken door was unbolted, and inside was a small, cold room, surrounded by natural limestone walls, glistening with drops of water.Standing in this dark place, looking at the green valley under the sun is both romantic and mysterious.Soon everyone forgot the beautiful scenery here, and started laughing again. When the candle was lit, some people jumped on it and snatched it, and then there was a heroic self-defense counterattack. It was blown out, and then everyone let out a burst of laughter, and started a new chase.But there was an end to everything, and then one by one they descended the steep slope of the main passage, the tall stone walls dimly illuminated by a row of candles that reached almost sixty feet overhead where the two walls joined.This main passage is no more than eight to ten feet wide, and there are tall and narrow passages on both sides every few steps, because the McDouglas Cave is a big labyrinth of intertwined passages. You can't find the end of the cave after walking for several days and nights in this intricate cracks and cliff crevices; you can go straight down and go deep, a big maze is a small maze, and you can't get to the end of any one.No one is really familiar with this cave.It is impossible to become familiar with it.Most young men knew a little, but no one dared go any further in custom, and Tom Sawyer knew as little as anyone else. They walked along the main passage for about three-quarters of a mile, and then entered the fork in twos and threes, and ran down the gloomy corridor, often sneaking up on each other at the bends.People in the squad can dodge each other and won't get lost for half an hour. Gradually, groups of people came back to the entrance of the cave sporadically, panting, happy, covered with candle oil from head to toe, covered with mud, completely immersed in the joy of the day, at this time they were surprised I found that I was too busy playing and didn't pay attention to the time, and it was going to be dark soon.The clocks were striking half an hour, which was a romantic way to end a day of exploring, so everyone was happy.No one, except the owner of the ferry, felt like a waste of time when the ferry lifted anchor with its jubilant tourists. Huck was on his watch when the lights of the ferry flickered past the quay.He heard no sound from the boat, and the group of young men was silent now, as if they were terribly tired.Huck didn't know what ship it was, and then he gave up thinking about the ship and devoted himself to his watch.At night, clouds started to form, and the sky became darker and darker. At 10 o'clock, the sound of vehicles stopped, the lights around the place began to go out, and the pedestrians dispersed. The whole village fell asleep, and only this little guy was alone and lonely. Keep company with the devil. At eleven o'clock, the lights of the inn were also turned off, and it was now pitch black everywhere.Huck waited for a long time, and there was no one to wait, but there was still no movement. He began to waver. What's the use of staying here?really useful?It's better to go back to sleep and forget it. Suddenly he heard movement.He listened at once with rapt attention, and the alley door closed softly.He ran and jumped to the corner of the brick factory, when two men passed by him, one of them was carrying something under his arm, it must be a treasure chest!They are transferring treasure!Can't call Tom now, or it would be silly, and those two would run away.Once gone don't expect to find them again.Yes, he was going to keep an eye on them both, and walk behind, relying on the darkness for cover.Thinking in his mind, Huck slipped out barefoot and followed the two men like a cat, not far or close, as long as he could see them all the time. After walking three blocks along the river street, they turned left onto Cross Street and went straight on to the lane that led to Cardiff Hill.They took the road again, passed Welshman's old house halfway up the mountain, and continued to climb.Well, Huck thought, they'll bury the chest in the stone pit.But the two men passed through the old stone pit and climbed to the top of the mountain. They plunged into a path among the dense sumac trees and disappeared in the darkness at once.Huck moved closer to close the distance, for the two men would never see him now.He trotted for a while, worried that he was running too fast; then he slowed down again, and after he had walked forward for a while, he stopped and listened, but there was no sound; nothing could be heard except the beating of his heart .From the other side of the hill came the hooting of an owl—an ominous sound!But there were no footsteps.God, nothing is gone!He was about to run after him when, not four feet away, a man cleared his throat.哈克的心一下子跳到嗓子眼，他强忍着，站在那里好像打摆子似的直抖，直抖得要摔倒在地上。他知道他在什么地方。现在他在离道格拉斯寡妇家庭院的阶梯口不到五步远的地方。这很好，就让他们在这里埋宝吧，这里找起来不难。 一个声音传来，很低很低，是印第安·乔的声音： “他妈的，她家里也许有人——这么晚还亮着灯。” “我看不到有什么灯亮。” 这是那个陌生人的声音——那个闹鬼的房子里的陌生人。哈克的心一阵冰凉——那么这就是复仇！他这时的念头就是一溜烟地逃掉，他突然想起道格拉斯寡妇不止一次地待他很好，这两个家伙说不定想谋害她呢？他真希望自己有胆量去向她报个信，可他晓得他不敢那样做，因为那两个家伙可能会来把他逮住。这一切都在他脑子里飞逝即过，一切都发生在那陌生人和印第安·乔谈话的间隙。接着乔说： “树丛挡住了你的视线，往这边看——这下该看见灯光了吧，对不对？” “是的，看见了。我觉得确实有外人在那里，最好别干了吧。” “别干了，那怎么行，再说我就要离开这个国家，一去不回头，如果放弃这次行动，下次连机会都没有了，我再说一遍，以前已经跟你说过了，我根本不希罕她那几个小钱，你把钱拿去得了。可她丈夫对我太刻薄了——他多次是那样凶我——就因为他是治安官，说我是流氓，还不止这些，我说的还不到他对我干的一百万分之一多。他让人用马鞭抽我，像打黑人那样，就在监狱的前面抽我，让我在全镇人面前示众！挨马鞭抽，你懂吗？他死了，倒便宜了他，不过他欠我的我一定要从他女人这里得回来。” “啊，可别杀死她！别那么干！” “杀人！谁说过要杀人？要是他在，我真要杀了他，可不是弄死她。想报复女人，用不着要她的命——那太蠢了，你只要毁她的容就行，你扯开她的鼻孔，把耳朵弄个裂口，让她看上去像个猪。” “天哪，那可是……” “收起你的高见！这样对你最保险。我把她绑在床上，如果她因流血过多而一命呜呼，那能怪我吗？就是她死了，我也不会落泪的。老兄，这事你得帮我——看在我的面子上——叫你来就是干这个——我一个人也许干不了。你要是缩头不干，我就宰了你，明白吗？要是非宰你不可，那我也要治死那个女人——这样一来，我想决不会有人知道这事是什么人干的。” “好，该杀就杀吧，这就去干。越快越好，我浑身发抖。” “现在下手？还有外人在也不怕？听着，你有点可疑，现在不行。得等里边的灯灭了才能动手——用不着这样急。” 哈克觉得随后会有一阵沉默，这种沉默要比任何口头上说说杀人还要可怕。因此他屏住呼吸，小心翼翼往后退。他每退一步，靠单腿用力，身子先往一边倾，然后又倾向另一边，有时差点栽倒，然后小心地站稳脚跟，接着以同样的方式，冒同样的危险再挪另一只脚，就这样左右轮换着往后退——突然一根小树枝啪地一声被踩断！他憋住气，听了听。没有异样的响声——只有绝对的安静。他感到谢天谢地，现在他退回到两堵墙似的绿树之间的小道上，转身时非常小心，好像是一艘船在调头——然后步伐敏捷而又谨慎地往回走去。到了石坑那边，他觉得安全了，拔腿就跑，一路飞奔。一直跑到威尔斯曼家门口才停下来。他怦怦地敲门，接着老人和他那两个健壮的儿子从窗户里探出头。 “怎么搞的？是谁在敲门？你想干什么？” “开门让我进去——快点！我会全告诉你们。” “嗯？你是谁？” “哈克贝利·费恩——快点，让我进去！” “确实是哈克贝利·费恩，不过，冲你这名字，不会有很多人家愿意开门。孩子们，我们快开门让他进来，看是什么麻烦的事情。” “请别告诉别人说是我讲的，”哈克进门就说，“请您务必保密，否则人家一定会要我的命。那寡妇有时对我很好，我一定要讲出来，也愿意讲出来，您可千万不要对人说是我讲的。” “哎呀，他确实有事情要讲，否则不会这样的！”老人大声说，“孩子，说出来吧，这儿没人会讲出去的。” 三分钟后，老人和他的儿子带好武器上了山。他们手里拿着武器，踮着脚进入了绿树成荫的那条小路。哈克跟他们只走到这里，就没再往前去。他躲在一块大圆石后面，静静地听着。经过一阵沉默，哈克等急了，突然传来爆炸声和喊声。 哈克不等了解详情，跳起来拼命地冲下山坡。 第三十章汤姆和贝基山洞被困 星期天早上天刚刚有点蒙蒙亮，哈克就摸上山，轻轻地敲着老威尔斯曼家的门。里面的人还在睡觉，可是由于夜里那桩惊人的事情，大家变得十分警惕，窗户里传出了一句问话： "who's that?" 哈克有点惊魂未定低声答道： “请让我进去吧！是哈克·费恩呀！” “哦，是你呀，只要你来，白天、黑夜都欢迎你！” 这个流浪儿以前从没听过这样的话，这也是他有生以来听到的最快乐的话。他想不起来以前有没有人对他说过“欢迎”一词。门锁很快打开了，他走了进去。主人让哈克坐下，老人和两个大高个孩子很快穿好衣服。 “喂，好家伙，我想你一定饿极了。太阳一出来，早饭就好了，咱们可以吃上一顿热气腾腾的饭，你尽管放心吧！我和孩子们指望你昨晚到我的家来过夜呢。” “我吓得不得了，”哈克说，“我跑了，一听见枪响我就跑了。一口气跑出去有三英里。你瞧，我回来是想问问情况，乘天没大亮来是怕碰上那两个鬼东西，死也不愿碰上。” “嗯，可怜虫，看上去昨晚的事情确实让你受了不少苦——吃完早饭后，这里有张床铺，你可以睡上一觉。那两个家伙还没死，孩子，真不随人愿。你瞧，我们照你说的，知道该在什么地方对他们下手，所以我们踮着脚走到离他们只有十五英尺的地方——可那绿树丛黑的像个地窟——而这时我觉得要打喷嚏，真是倒霉透了！我想憋住，可不管事，结果打了个喷嚏！我是端着枪走在头里的，我惊动了那两个坏蛋，他们沙沙地钻出小路往外走，我大声说，'孩子们，开火！' 对着沙沙声的地方就放了一阵子枪，孩子们也开了枪，可那两个恶棍却溜了，我们穿过树林一直追过去，我想我们根本没打着他们。他们跑的时候也都放了枪，子弹从我们身边嗖嗖地飞过去却没有伤着我们。他们跑远了，我们就没有再追上去，只是下山去叫醒了警官。他们调集了一队人马，部署在河岸上，担任守卫工作。等天亮后，警长还亲自带一帮人到森林去搜查。我的两个儿子也要跟他们一起去搜查。我很想知道那两个家伙是什么模样，这样搜查起来要好办些。可是孩子，我想晚上天黑你也没看清他们长相，对吗？ " “不，我在镇上见过他俩，还跟踪过他们。” “太棒了！说说看——孩子——说出他们的特征来！” “一个是又聋又哑的西班牙人，有一两次他来过这里，另外一个长相难看，衣衫褴褛——” “孩子，这就够了，我们认识那两个家伙。有一次在寡妇家后面的树林中碰到过，他们却偷偷溜掉了。快去吧，孩子们，去告诉警长——明天早晨再吃早饭吧！” 威尔斯曼的两个孩子立即动身出发。他们走出屋子时，哈克跳起来，大声说道： “喂，请你们千万别对任何人讲是我走漏的风声！啊，千万千万不要说是我！” “好，你不让说，就不说，可你总该让人家知道你的功劳呀！” “不不不，请不要讲！” 两个年青人走后，威尔斯曼老人说： “他们不会说出去，我也不会的。可你为什么不愿让人知道呢？” 哈克没别的理由，他只是说他认识其中一人，不想让那人知道是他本人在和他作对，否则肯定要送命的。 老人再次表示要替他保守秘密，说道： “孩子，你怎么会盯梢他俩呢？是不是他们可疑？” 哈克没作声，心里却在精心编造，好回答他提出的问题。 He said: “您瞧，我是个无可救药的坏家伙，至少大伙是这么说我的，我也不觉得委屈——有时为了想这个问题，好改一改自己，结果弄得睡也睡不着，昨天晚上就是这样。我睡不着，大约午夜时来到街上，想着这件事，后来走到禁酒的客栈旁那个老砖厂时，我就靠在墙上又在想这桩事情。嘿，真巧这时那两个家伙悄悄从我身边溜过，腋下夹着东西，我想一定是偷来的。一个家伙抽着烟，另外一个要接火。他俩就停在我前边不远，雪茄烟的火光照亮了他们的脸。借着火光，我认出了那个长白胡子、眼睛上戴着眼罩的家伙是又聋又哑的西班牙人，另外一个家伙，有点迂腐，衣衫褴褛。” “雪茄的火光能让你看清他衣衫褴褛吗？” 这一问倒一下子难住了哈克。过了片刻后，他又说： “嗯，这不太清楚——不过我好像是看清了。” “然后他们继续往前走，而你——” “对，跟在他们后面，是这样的，我想知道他们要干什么坏事——他们那样偷偷摸摸的，实在有点不对劲。我一直跟到寡妇家院子的阶梯那里，站在黑暗里听见一个人在替寡妇求饶，可那西班牙佬发誓破她的相，就像我告诉您和您那两个……” “什么，这些是那个又聋又哑的西班牙人说的！” 哈克又犯了一个大错误！他一直不想让老人知道——哪怕是一点点——西班牙人的情况，尽管他十分小心，可那张舌头就是不听话，似乎有意给他添麻烦，他几次都想摆脱窘境，可老人盯着他，结果弄得他一次又一次露了马脚。随后老人说： “孩子，别怕我。我不会伤害你一根头毛。相反我要保护你。这个西班牙人既不聋也不哑，你无意中说了出来，现在瞒也来不及了。你了解那个西班牙人的一些情况，你想隐瞒？相信我——告诉我吧！请相信我——我不会翻脸不认人的。” 哈克看了看老人那双真诚的眼睛，过了片刻弯过身去，对着老人低声耳语道： “那不是西班牙人，是印第安·乔啊！” 威尔斯曼听后差点从椅子上跳起来，片刻后他说： “现在事情全明白了。你当时说什么撕开鼻子，把耳朵弄个缺口之类的事情，我当时还以为是你自己故意编出来的，白人们报仇不会这样做的。可这事是涉及到印第安·乔，那就完全不同了。” 吃早饭时，他俩继续谈论那事，谈话中老人说上床睡觉前，他和儿子们做的第一件事情是提着灯到阶梯附近看看有没有血迹，结果血迹没看见，倒找到了一大捆子——。 “一捆什么？” 这几个字，就像闪电一般快地从哈克嘴中突然脱口而出，他显得很吃惊，嘴唇发白。他眼睛瞪得溜溜圆，张着口在等回答。威尔斯曼吃了一惊——瞪着哈克——三秒——五秒——十秒——然后答道： “是强盗作案工具。唉，你怎么了？” 哈克一下子放松下来，微微喘着气，有一种说不出的如释重负感，威尔斯曼严肃地看着他，显得迷惑不解，然后接着说： “是啊，那是捆强盗作案的工具。你好像放心多了。可你刚才怎么突然变了色！你以为我们找到了什么？” 哈克被逼问得够呛——老人用质疑的眼光盯着他——他真愿用一切来换一个似乎能站住脚的答复——可就是想不出来怎么说好——质疑的眼睛盯得他入骨三分——他不知不觉地想出了理由——这由不得他再三斟酌。于是，他硬着头皮，捏着嗓子说： “主日学校用的教材，也许是的。” 可怜的哈克显得十分难过的样子，不苟言笑，可老人却开怀大笑，笑得浑身上下直发抖。最后，他还说这种大笑就等于到手的钱，因为笑口常开无病无灾。他接着补充道： “可怜的小伙子，你脸色发白，气色不正，怪不得，你有点发飘，站不稳。不过会好起来的，我想你只要休息休息，睡睡觉，就好了。” 哈克一想到自己是只笨鹅，激动得差点露出马脚，他不免有些懊恼。自他在寡妇家的阶梯处听到那两个家伙说话后，就不再认为从客栈中拿出来的包裹里有财宝。不过这只是他的猜想，可他并不晓得——里面确实没有财宝——结果在老人提及一捆东西时，他就沉不住气了。不管怎么说，他还是挺高兴的，至少他现在知道“这捆”毫无疑问不是他要的“那捆”，这下他心里十分高兴，舒服极了。实际情况也都在朝他希望的方向发展。那财宝一定还在二号里，那两个家伙当天会被捉住，关到牢里去，而他和汤姆晚上会不费吹灰之力，就弄到那些金子，根本用不着担心会有人来打搅。 早饭刚吃完，就有人来敲门。哈克跳起来找藏身的地方。他不想让任何别的人把他和最近发生的事情联系起来。威尔斯曼让几个女士和绅士进了门，道格拉斯寡妇也来了。老人还看见有一群人正在往山上爬——以便好看清楚那阶梯，原来人们已经知道这事了。 老人只好把晚上发生过的情况向在坐的人讲了一遍。寡妇因免遭迫害，也痛痛快快地把她的感激之情说了出来。“夫人，别提这事了，还有一个人比我和孩子们做得更多，更值得你感谢。不过他有言在先，不让我说出他的名子，要不是他，我们不会到你那里去。” 大家的好奇心一下子转到了这方面，但老人守口如瓶，只让大家牢牢地记住这事，再由他们传遍全城，可就不说出这人是谁。寡妇知道了一切后说： “我上床睡觉，在床上看书，外面吵吵闹闹我却睡着了。你们怎么不来把我叫醒？” “我们觉得没那必要，那些家伙不可能再回来，——他们没了作案工具。叫醒你，把你吓个半死又何必呢？后来我派了三个家奴守着你的房子，一直守到天亮。他们刚才回来。”来的人越来越多，老人一遍又一遍地对大家讲晚上发生的事情，花了有两个多小时才算结束。 走读学校放假，主日学校也不上课，可是去教堂的人却很早就到了。那桩惊人的事情已经是满城风雨。有消息说，那两个坏蛋现在连影子都见不着。做完布道，法官撒切尔的夫人同哈泼夫人一道随着人群顺着过道往外走，边走边说： “我那贝基难道要睡一整天不成？我料到她累得要命。” “你的贝基？” “对呀，”法官太太看上去很吃惊，“昨晚她不是和你住在一起的吗？” “和我住的，不，没有。” 撒切尔太太脸色发白，瘫坐在一把椅子上。这时波莉姨妈从她身旁走过，愉快地边走边和朋友聊着。 波莉姨妈说： “早晨好，撒切尔太太，早晨好，哈帕太太，我家那个鬼小子人不见了。我想我那个汤姆昨晚住在你们家中——不知是在你们哪一家。他现在不敢来教堂做礼拜。我得和他算帐。” “他没在我们这儿住过。”哈帕说着，看上去显得有些不安，波莉姨妈脸上明显地露出了焦虑的神色。 “乔·哈帕，你早上看到我家汤姆了吗？” “没有，大婶。” “什么时候你最后见过他？” 乔竭力在想，可说不准。往教堂外走的人现在都停下了脚步。到处窃窃私语，人人脸上露出不祥的焦虑。大人们迫不及待地询问孩子们和老师们。他们都不敢肯定汤姆和贝基是否上了回程的船；当时天黑，没人想到问一问人是否全到齐了。有个年青人突然说他们仍在山洞里，撒切尔夫人当即晕了过去，波莉姨妈捶胸顿足地放声大哭。 这个惊人的消息一传十，十传百，弄得大街小巷家喻户晓，不到五分钟的工夫，大钟疯了似地噹噹直响，全镇的人都行动起来。卡第夫山事件随即显得没有多大意义，盗贼的事也摆到了一边去。大家套上马鞍，给小船配好划手，叫渡船出发，不到半个时辰，全镇就有二百多个人潮水般顺着公路和河流向山洞涌去。 那天下午，林子里好像什么也没有，一片沉寂。许多妇女去看波莉姨妈和撒切尔夫人，想安慰她俩，结果大家一齐骂个不停，这要比安慰人的话更顶用。这一夜全镇显得十分沉闷，大家都在等消息；但当黎明最后来临时，所有的消息都是一句话：“再送些蜡烛去——送些吃的。” 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。撒切尔法官从洞中派人传来令人鼓舞的好消息，可这一点也不能引起大家的兴致。天快亮时老威尔斯曼回了家，他浑身滴满蜡烛油，蹭满泥土，差点累得精疲力竭。他看见哈克仍睡在那张床上，烧得昏过去。医生们都去了山洞，因此道格拉斯寡妇来负责照看他。她说她对他一定会尽全力，哈克是好孩子还是坏孩子，或者不好不坏，那是另一回事，但他属于上帝，上帝的任何东西都应该受到重视。威尔斯曼说哈克有优点，寡妇说： “的确如此，那就是上帝给他留下的记号，上帝从没有放弃给人留下良好的记号，凡经他手的人，都有良好记号。” 还没到下午，三三两两的人拖着疲惫的身体回到林里，那些身强力壮的人还在山洞里搜索。传来的消息只是说以前山洞里没人去过的地方，现在大家都在搜，就连一个角落，一处裂隙都要彻底地过一遍，错综复杂的迷宫中人们钻来钻去，老远就能看见到处灯光摇曳，喊声、枪声回荡在阴森可怖的通道里。有个地方，一般游客很少去，人们发现贝基和汤姆的名字用蜡烛烟熏在石壁上，不远处还有一截油乎乎的发带，撒切尔夫人认出这是贝基的东西，痛哭流涕。她说这是她女儿留给她的最后一点遗物，再也没有什么别的想头比这更宝贵，因为当那可怕的死亡降临时，这件东西最后离开她的孩子。有人说洞里远处的地方不时有微光闪动，然后就是大喊大叫声，接着一二十个男人排着队钻进声音荡漾的通道——结果照例是空欢喜一场，孩子并不在那里，亮光原来来自搜寻人的灯光。 漫长的三天三夜过去了，令人焦虑，令人乏味，全村陷入绝望，茫然不知所措。没有心情干别的事，就连碰巧发现禁酒客栈老板私自藏酒这样令人震惊的事情，众人们几乎都没劲头。哈克清醒的时候，断断续续地把话题扯到客栈上，最后问道——心里隐约觉得会有最坏的事情——他发病期间，在禁酒客栈里是否找到了什么。 “没错，是找到了点东西。”寡妇道。 哈克一下子从床上吃惊地坐起来，眼睛睁得溜圆。 “是什么？找到了什么东西？” “是酒啊！——现在客栈被查封了。躺下来，孩子——你确实吓了我一大跳呀！” “就告诉我一桩事——就一桩事，求您了！那是汤姆·索亚发现的吗？” 寡妇突然哭起来。“安静点，安静点，孩子，安静点！我早就跟你说过了，不要讲话，你现在病得很厉害，很虚弱！” 除酒之外，没发现别的东西。如果找到的是黄金的话，大家准会大谈特谈。足见那财宝是永远找不到了——永远找不到了！可是她为什么会哭呢？她居然哭，真是不可思议。 哈克迷迷糊糊地想着这些问题，感到十分疲倦，就睡着了。寡妇自言自语道： “唉，他终于睡了，可怜的孩子。是汤姆·索亚找到的！可遗憾的是没人能找到汤姆·索亚！更糟的是没有几个人还抱有希望或有力气去继续寻找他。”