顽童流浪记4

It rained for two weeks. So the river kept on rising, too. At last the water was three or four feet deep. As soon as it stopped raining, we went all over the island. Though the weather was very hot, it was cool in the woods. On every old broken tree, we saw rabbits, snakes and other small animals.
　　One night we were up at the head of the island. Just before the sun was up, we found a two-story house floating down. We went over to it in the canoe, and got on it. Jim and I went upstairs at first, but it was too dark to see anything. We waited until the sun was up.

　　When it became bright enough, we saw a table, a bed, and two old chairs, and other things on the floor. To my surprise, there was a man lying there!
　　"Hello, wake up. It's morning," Jim said to him. But he didn't move. Soon we found that he was dead! "It's a dead man. He was shot. He has been dead for two or three days," said Jim. He told me not to look at his face.

　　On the floor, there were a woman's old dresses and a hat. There were a man's clothes, an old tin lantern, a butcher knife, and some candles. We put everything that seemed useful in the canoe. Then we went back to the island.

　　After breakfast, I wanted to talk about the dead man, but Jim didn't want to.

　　I was very happy to find eight dollars in the jacket of the dead man. "Oh, you'd better not take that money from him. It belongs to him," Jim said.
　　The next morning I felt bored, so I decided to go across the river and find out what was going on. Jim said, "That's a good idea, but you'd better wear those women's clothes and dress up like a girl." So I wore the clothes and a girl's hat.

　　"Nobody will know you, even in the daytime. But you have to walk like a girl," said Jim. So I practiced all day, and at last I was able to walk like a girl.
　　When it got dark, I started off in the canoe. I arrived at the town in an hour. Then I tied up the canoe and began to walk along the bank. There was a light shining in a little house. I wondered who lived there. I got close to it and looked inside. There was a woman who was about forty years old. She was knitting by a candle on a table.

　　I knocked on the door. While knocking, I told myself not to forget that I was a girl. ," said the woman. When I went in, she said, "Take a seat." She looked at me with her little shiny eyes.
　　"What's your name?" said the woman.

　　"Sarah Williams."
　　"Where do you live? In this neighborhood?"

　　"No, ma'am. In Hookerville, seven miles below. I've walked all the way and I'm very tired."
　　"Hungry, too, I guess."

　　"No, ma'am. I was so hungry that I had to stop at a farm on my way here. So I'm not hungry now. My mother has been sick, and we have no money. I'm going to visit my uncle. He lives at the upper end of the town. Abner Moore is his name," I said.
　　"I don't know him because I have lived here for only two weeks. It's quite a long way to the end of the town. You'd better stay here tonight. Take off your hat," she said.

　　"No, thank you. I'll rest here for a while and then I'll move on. I'm not afraid of the dark," I said.
　　"I won't let you go alone. When my husband comes back, he'll take you there." She kept on talking. But she didn't say a word about what was going on in the town. At last she said, "I know Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, who found all that money."

　　She knew about Daddy, who was drunk every day.
　　"We have often heard about Huck, who was killed when his father was out," she said.

"Who killed him?"
　　"Some people say his father did. But others say Huck was killed by Miss Watson's slave Jim. He ran off on the same day when Huck was killed. So if you catch him, you can get a three-thousand-dollar reward. They will give you two hundred dollars if you catch Huck's father. Everybody around my house is trying to catch them and get the reward. I am, too."

　　"Do you think you can find either of them? How and where do you look for them?"
　　"Well, they may live on that island over there. I'll try some day with my husband,because I saw smoke over there the other day."

　　When the woman stopped talking, I looked up. She was looking at me curiously.
　　"What did you say your name was?" she asked.

　　"M─ Mary Williams."
　　"I thought you said it was Sarah when you first came in."

　　"Oh, yes. I did. Sarah Mary Williams. My first name is Sarah."
　　"Is that right? But tell me your real name. Is it Bill, or Tom, or Bob?" I really didn't know what to say. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I know you're a runaway. Why did you run away? Tell me all about it," she said.

　　"My parents are dead and I was sent to an unkind farmer. He treated me very badly. So I ran away in his daughter's dress and hat. I'm sure my uncle will take care of me," I said.
　　"Poor boy. By the way, do you know how I found that you were a boy? When I saw you thread the needle, I thought you were a boy. A girl usually holds the needle still and pokes the thread at it. But you did in a different way. Now, you'd better go to your uncle's," she said.

　　So I said good night and left her home. When I got back, Jim was already asleep. I woke him up, and said, "Jim, they are after us. We must leave here at once." Suddenly his face turned pale. We put out the campfire, and took our things to the canoe.
We said good-bye, and left Jackson's Island, which lay still in the dark.
　　Jim and I had many more adventures. Later I learned that the dead man Jim and I had seen on the house in the river was my father. We also found out that Miss Watson had died, and that she had freed Jim in her will. So we were both free.

　　We returned to our hometown. But I don't think I'll be staying long. Widow Douglas is trying to civilize me─and I won't stand for that.

　　这场雨下了两星期，所以河川水位不断升高。最后积水已有三、四英尺深。雨一停，我们便乘独木舟游遍全岛。虽然天气依旧炎热，但林中还是清凉。在每棵残缺的老树上，我们看到了兔子、蛇，还有其它小动物。

　　有一天晚上，我们爬上岛端高处。就在太阳升起之前，我们发现一栋两层房屋浮在水面顺流而下。我们划独木舟过去，爬上那栋浮屋。吉姆和我先到楼上，但因太暗，什么也看不清楚。于是我们等到太阳升起。
　　天亮时，我们发现地板上有一张桌子，一张床，二把旧椅子，以及其它东西。令我惊讶的是，那边还躺了一个人！

　　吉姆对他说：『哈啰，醒醒，天亮了。』但这人动也不动。不久我们发现原来他已经死了！吉姆说：『那人死了。他是被枪杀的。已经死了两、三天了。』吉姆叫我不要看死者的脸。
　　地板上留有一些女人穿的旧洋装和一顶帽子。还有一些男人的衣物、一盏旧的锡制灯笼、一把屠刀和几根蜡烛。我们把所有看来可用的东西全都搬到独木舟上，然后划回岛上去。

　　早餐后，我想谈谈那位死者，但吉姆不愿意。
　　我很高兴从死者夹克口袋里找到八块钱。但吉姆说：『哎！你最好别拿。那是死者的钱。』

　　第二天早上，我感到很无聊，于是决定渡河去看看对岸有什么动静。吉姆说：『这是个好主意。但你最好换上那些女人的衣服，装扮成一个女孩。』于是我照他的话穿了女装、戴了女帽。
　　『就算在白天，也没有人会认出你。但你走路时要像个女孩子。』吉姆说。于是我苦练了一整天，最后终于能像女孩子一般走路了。

　　天黑时，我乘独木舟出发。一小时后，我到达镇上。捆好独木舟后，我便沿着河岸走去。在一间小屋内，点着一盏灯。不知是谁住在里面。我走上前去往里面看个究竟，发现一位年约四十左右的妇人正在桌上的烛光下编织。
　　我敲了敲门。敲门时，我提醒自己不要忘记我现在是个女孩。那妇人说：『进来。』进入屋内后，她说：『请坐。』她那一双小而明亮的眼睛端详着我。

　　她问道：『你叫什么名字啊？』
　　『莎拉‧威廉斯』。

　　『你住那儿？在这附近吗？』
　　『不是的，夫人。是在下游离这儿七英里的胡克维尔镇。我一路步行走来，我好累啊。』

　　『想必你也饿了吧。』
　　『不，夫人，在来这里途中，我饿得必须到一座农庄停留了一会儿，所以现在不饿了。家母一直卧病在床，我们又没有钱。我要去找我叔叔。他住在本镇的另一头。他叫亚伯纳‧摩尔，』我说。

　　『我不认识他，因为我刚搬来两周。由这里到本镇的那一端路相当远。你今晚最好在这里过夜。脱下帽子吧，』她说。
　　『不用了，谢谢。我休息一会儿就走。我不怕黑，』我说。

　　『我不能让你单独走。等我先生回来，他会带你去那儿。』她不停地说着，但对城里的情形却只字未提。最后，她说：『我知道汤姆‧苏儿和哈克贝利‧芬发现了一笔巨款的事。』
　　她也知道我爹地天天酗酒。

　　她又说：『我们常常听人说起哈克父亲外出时，哈克遇害的事。』

　　『是谁杀了哈克呢？』
　　『有人说是哈克他父亲干的。也有人说是华森小姐的黑奴吉姆干的。他在哈克遇害当天逃走了。所以如果妳能抓到他，就可以得到三千元奖赏。而如果你抓到哈克的父亲，他们也会给你两百元奖金。我这附近的人都想捉到他们领赏。我也不例外。』

　　『你认为你可以找到他们吗？怎么找？到那儿找？』
　　『嗯，他们可能住在那边的小岛上。我和我先生会找一天去找找看，因为前几天我看到岛上有烟。』

　　当妇人不说话时，我抬起头来，发现她用好奇地眼光看着我。
　　她问道：『你刚说你叫什么名字？』

　　『玛……玛丽‧威廉斯』
　　『我记得你一进门时，说你叫莎拉‧威廉斯嘛。』

　　『呃，是的。我是叫莎拉‧玛丽‧威廉斯。我名字第一个字是莎拉。』
　　『是吗？请告诉我你的真名。是叫比尔、汤姆、还是鲍勃？』我一时瞠目结舌。她接着说：『别担心。我不会伤害你的。我知道你是个翘家的男孩。你为什么翘家呢？说来听听吧。』

　　『我父母双亡，而我被送到一位坏心的农夫那儿。他虐待我，所以我就穿著他女儿的衣服和帽子逃了出来。我确信我叔叔会照顾我。』
　　『可怜的孩子。对了，你知道我怎么察觉出你是个男孩吗？我是在你穿针线时看出来的。女孩子家通常稳住针，然后再把线对准针眼穿。但你穿针的方法不一样。你现在最好就到你叔叔那儿去，』她说。

　　我道过晚安，随即离去。当我回到岛上时，吉姆已经睡着了。我叫醒了他，并对他说：『吉姆，他们在追捕我们。你我必须立刻离开这里。』吉姆的脸色突然变得苍白。我们熄灭了营火，带着所有物品回到独木舟上。
　　在道声再见后，我们离开了黑暗中寂静的杰克森岛。

　　吉姆和我还经历了许多冒险。后来我得知我们在漂流于河中的那栋屋子里见到的死人是我爸爸。还有华森小姐也死了，她在遗嘱中让吉姆自由。所以，我们俩都无拘无束了。
　　我们回到家乡。但我想我不会待很久。道格拉斯寡妇想要教化我，那我可受不了。