顽童流浪记2

Daddy started to go to town or somewhere else more often than before. One day he locked me in and did not return for three days. I was very lonesome. I thought he had drowned. It was then that I made up my mind to leave the cabin. I tried to get out of the cabin many times, but I couldn't find a way out. There wasn't a window big enough for me to get through. Daddy never left a knife or a hammer behind when he went away.

When Daddy was home, we made it a rule to go to the river bank to see if there were some fish on the lines for breakfast. One morning he woke me up and we went up to the bank. I saw some pieces of wood and logs floating down. I knew the river had risen. The June rise always brought me a lot of money, because as soon as the rise began, some logs─sometimes a dozen logs─floated down together. All I had to do was to get them and sell them to the sawmill.
　　All at once, there came a canoe, about thirteen or fourteen feet long. I jumped into the water and caught hold of the canoe. I was all wet, but it was all right. There was nobody in it. I climbed in and paddled it ashore. I thought, "Daddy would sell it─it is worth ten dollars." I decided to hide it in the little creek which was covered with the branches of willow trees. When Daddy came, I said, "I fell into the water and that's why I'm all wet."

　　We caught five catfish and went home. After breakfast I thought of running off somewhere in the canoe. About twelve o'clock we went up to the bank again. The river was running pretty fast and lots of wood drifted. We went out in Daddy's small boat and got some of the logs and took them ashore.
　　The next day Daddy locked me in and started for the sawmill in town to sell the logs. His small boat went very slow as it towed the raft, so I thought he wouldn't come back that night. As soon as he left, I took my saw and began to try to make a hole in the wall. After an hour I could make a hole which was big enough for me to get through. Now I was busy preparing my escape.

　　I took a sack of cornmeal and carried it to the canoe. Then I took some bacon, coffee and sugar, some ammunition, two blankets and other useful things. I took the axe with me, too.
　　I crawled out of the hole and dragged out my things. I worked hard to restore the wall and the floor to its former condition. Then I took the gun and went into the woods. I shot a wild pig and took it back to the cabin. I smashed the door open with the axe, then I cut the pig's throat. I laid it down on the floor near the table to let it bleed. Next I took an old sack and put a lot of big rocks in it. I dragged it to the door and through the woods down to the river. At last I pulled out some of my hair, put some of the pig's blood on the axe, and stuck it in the backyard. I threw the pig into the river so that nobody would see it. I did all these things, because I wanted to make Daddy think I was killed by someone and was taken away somewhere.

　　It was getting darker and darker. I waited in the canoe for the moon to rise. I said to myself, "They will think that robbers killed me and will search the river for my dead body. But soon they'll get tired of it. Then I'll be free. Then I can go anywhere and live by myself."
　　I was going to go to Jackson's Island when it was dark. I was so tired that I fell asleep. When I woke up, I didn't know where I was for a minute or two. After a while, I remembered that I was still in the canoe.

　　The moon was bright, so I could count the drifting logs a hundred yards away from shore.

　　I had no time to lose. In a great hurry I left the shore. I rowed the canoe slowly at first. Then I rowed it as fast as I could till I reached Jackson's Island. I got to shore on the Illinois side. I hid the canoe well so that nobody could find it. I sat down on a log at the head of the island. I looked over the dark river. About three miles away, I could see the town where several lights were twinkling.

　　现在爹地比以前更常进城或到其它地方去。有一天，他把我锁在屋内，三天未归。我好孤独落寞。我还以为他淹死了呢。就在那时，我下定决心要逃离木屋。我多次尝试潜逃，但都无法找到出路。每扇窗户都太小我无法爬出去。爹地离开时，也从未留下刀子或铁锤。

　　爹地在家时，我们习惯到河岸去瞧瞧鱼线有无鱼儿上钩好当早餐吃。一天早晨，爹地叫醒了我，我们到河岸去。我看到一些木块和圆木顺流而下，知道河川已开始涨潮。六月潮涨总为我带来许多财富，因为一涨潮时，一些圆木──有时甚至有一打之多──一起顺流而下。我只要把这些圆木打捞起来，再把它们卖到锯木厂就行了。

　　突然间，漂来一艘大约十三或十四英尺长的独木舟。我跳入河中，抓住这艘独木舟。我全身湿答答的，但无所谓。独木舟上没有人，我爬上去后划到岸边。心想：『爹地一定会卖掉它──它可以卖十块钱。』我决定把它藏到柳树枝遮盖的小溪流内。当爹地来时，我对他说，『我掉入河中，所以全身湿透了。』

　　我们捉了五条鲶鱼后就回家了。早餐后，我想到乘独木舟逃到别处去。大约十二点左右，我们又去河岸。河水非常湍急，水上漂浮着好多木头。我们乘爹地的小船捞到一些圆木，带到岸上。

　　第二天，爹地将我锁在屋内独自一人到城里的锯木厂去卖圆木。由于他的小船拖着木筏，所以行驶得很慢，我想他那晚应该不会回来了。当爹地一离开，我就开始用铁锯设法在墙上开洞口。一小时后，墙上的洞已开得够大，可以让我穿过了。我便忙着准备逃走时所需的东西。

　　我拿了一袋玉米粉，带到独木舟上。接着又拿了一些熏肉、咖啡、糖、弹药、两条毯子以及其它管用的东西。另外，我还带了一把斧头。

　　我拖着这些东西，爬出洞外。又费了很大的力把墙壁及地板恢复原状。然后，我带着枪走入树林，射杀了一条野猪，带回小木屋。我用斧头敲破大门，又割断野猪喉咙，将它放在桌旁地板上让它把血流光。接着我取出一个旧袋子，放入许多大石块，然后把它拖出门外，穿越树林，来到河边。最后，我把自己的头发拔下一些来，把斧头上抹上一些猪血，然后插立在后院。我把死猪扔入河中，以免被人发现。我这样做，是为了要使爹地认为哈克已遇害，而且弃尸地点不明。

　　天色愈来愈暗。我在独木舟上等待月亮升起。我自言自语地说：『他们会认为我已被盗匪杀害，而且会沿河寻找我的尸首。但很快地他们便会厌烦而不想再找了。那时我就自由了。我可以去任何想去的地方，独自过活。』

　　我正打算前往杰克森岛，这时天色暗了下来。我好累，也就睡着了。我醒来时，一时之间不知身在何处。过了一会，才记起自己仍在独木舟上。

　　这时明月高挂，离岸边一百码以外漂浮的圆木都清晰可数。

　　我时间宝贵，立刻匆匆离开岸边。起初，我缓缓地划着独木舟。然后，我使尽全力，以最快的速度划到杰克森岛。我终于划到伊利诺州的岸边。我将独木舟藏好，以免被人发现。我坐在岛端的一根圆木上，望着黑暗中的河川。我可以看到约三英里外那座城市中几盏闪烁的灯火。