The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chapter 13

Chapter 12
It must have been nearly one o'clock when we left the end of the island, and the raft seemed to be moving very slowly.If a boat came we were going to slip in the canoe and paddle down the Illinois bank.Luckily no boat came, for it never occurred to us to put guns or line or anything to eat in the canoe.We were in such a hurry that we didn't have time to think about it.It's not a good idea to put everything on the raft at once.

If those people get to the island, I wish they'd find the fire I made, and sit there all night, till Jim goes back.Anyway, we got a long way from them, and it wasn't my fault if the fire I made didn't fool them.The trick I played on them was really bad enough.

When a ray of light appeared on the horizon, we landed in a great inlet on the Illinois coast, tied the raft to the sandbar, and hacked some poplar twigs with an axe, and put them over it, so that it looked like It looks like the shore has collapsed into a piece.The sandbar was already covered with poplar trees, as dense as rake teeth.

The banks of the Missouri are full of mountains, and the banks of the Illinois are densely covered with woods, and the rapids of the river follow the banks of the Missouri for this part, so we don't have to worry about running into anyone.We lay there all day and watched the rafts and steamboats gallop down the banks of the Missouri and the steamboats scrambling up the middle of the river against the current.I told Jim all about the shit I was with that woman, and Jim said that woman was a cunt.If she came after us, I'm afraid she wouldn't wait by that fire, no, sir, she would bring a dog.I said, why didn't she tell her master to bring a dog?Jim said he'd bet that woman thought about taking the dog when the men started off, and Jim's sure they must've walked around town to get the dog, that's why it took so long, or we wouldn't have come There's this sandbar sixteen or seventeen miles below the village, yes, really, and we'll be taken back to that old town.So I said I don't really care why they didn't catch us, as long as they didn't.

When it got dark, we poked our heads out from the dense poplar branches, looked around for a while, but saw nothing, Jim picked up the boards on the raft and built a comfortable little shack , can block the hot sun, shelter from the wind and rain, and can also put things in so as not to get wet in the rain.Jim made a floor in the hut, more than a foot above the raft, on which blankets and other things were laid so as not to get wet from the steamboat's waves.We spread a piece of soil in the middle of the shack, about half a foot thick, and put it on all sides so that it would not spread out.I made this thing for lighting a fire in rainy or cold weather, and it was blocked by a shed so I couldn't see it from the outside.We also made a spare rudder oar, and when we hit a branch in the water, we broke the old one and replaced it with a new one; we also erected a forked stick on the raft to hang the old lantern on Above, as long as you meet a steamboat coming from upstream, you have to light a lamp so as not to be knocked over by it.There was no need to light a light for a boat going upriver, unless we came to what they called the "Crossroads"; for the water was still quite deep at that time, and the low places on the bank were submerged; The boats going upstream do not always sail on the rapids, and they may also run into still water.

The next night we paddled for seven or eight hours in the water, and the rapids flowed more than four miles in an hour.We were fishing, chatting, swimming in the water every once in a while, or dozing off.It was a wonderful scene, floating on the quiet river, lying on the wooden raft looking up at the stars, neither of us wanted to speak loudly, nor did we dare to laugh out loud, just smiled quietly occasionally.This time the weather was fine, and nothing happened to us, and nothing unexpected happened that night, the next night, and the third night.

We passed through several towns every night, and some towns were on the dark hillside in the distance, only a bright patch of lights could be seen, and no house could be seen.On the fifth night we passed Saint-Louis, and the lights were so bright that it seemed as if the whole world was illuminated.In St. Petersburg, people say that there are 3 or [-] people in St. Louis, but I never believed it. I didn’t know it was true until I saw the lights at two o’clock in the quiet night.There was no sound, and everyone was asleep.

During these days, we would sneak to the small villages on the shore every night at ten o'clock to buy noodle bread or bacon, or other food for one or two cents.Occasionally, a chick would not stay in the nest to rest obediently, slip out to play, and if I saw it, I would grab it and bring it back.Dad often said, if you see a chick you can catch it, you don’t always have someone wanting it, and others will never forget the good deeds you have done.I never saw Dad catch a chicken and he didn't want it, but he used to say that.

Before dawn in the morning, I used to sneak into the cornfield and borrow a watermelon, sometimes a melon, sometimes a pumpkin, sometimes a fresh corn on the cob, or something like that.Papa used to say there was no harm in borrowing something, as long as you remembered to pay it back someday.But the widow said it was the same as stealing, only in a nice way, and no decent man would do such a thing.Jim said there was a grain of truth in what the widow said, and a grain of truth in what papa said, and the best thing to do was to pick out two or three of those things, and stop there, and never borrow them again, so that they would be borrowed again later. It doesn't matter.We talked about this topic all night, drifting casually on the water on the raft, trying to come up with an idea of ​​what to discard, whether it was watermelon, muskmelon, cantaloupe, or something else.When it was almost dawn, I finally made a satisfactory decision: discard the sago and persimmon.Before that, we had always felt that it was not right to borrow things, but now that we have made this decision, we feel at ease.I am quite satisfied with the result, because I have never liked to eat sand fruits, and besides, persimmons are all raw, and they will not be ripe in two or three months.

Sometimes we can also catch waterfowl, the kind that either get up too early in the morning or go to bed too late at night.All in all, we had a pretty good time.

In the middle of the night on the fifth day, we both had a storm under St.Louis. The thunder and lightning were so violent that the rain poured down like a wall of water.The two of us stayed in the small shack and couldn't come out, so we didn't care where the raft drifted.With a flash of lightning, we could see a straight river in front of us, with high cliffs on both sides.After a while, I said, "Well, Jim, look there!" It was a steamer that hit the rocks.We are drifting towards it.The light of the lightning illuminated it clearly.It tilted to one side, part of the deck was above the water, and the chains holding the chimney could be clearly seen in a flash.Beside the clock was a chair, with an old hat hanging down its brim on the back of the chair.

Why, in the middle of the night, with the wind and the rain, when everything is so mysterious, I see that lonely wreck lying there in the middle of the river, and I feel like any other boy.I wanted to go for a walk in the boat and see what was on it, so I said:

"Jim, let's go up and see."

Jim protested desperately, saying:
"I don't want to waste my time on a wreck. We're doing pretty well now, so let's go on like this, because that's what the Bible says. Besides, there's got to be someone guarding the boat."

"Fuck your granny," I said, "there's nothing to defend except the headroom and the rudder; in a storm like this, when the boat's going to be shattered to pieces and drifting down the stream, who do you think will be the top?" and the cockpit and the wheelhouse? Hearing what I said, Jim couldn't say anything, and he fell silent. Then I said, "Perhaps we can borrow something of value from the captain's cabin.Cigars, for instance, I bet there were, five cents apiece, clinking cash.The captains on the steamship are very rich, they can earn 60 yuan a month, they are very generous with their money, you know, as long as they meet what they want, no matter how expensive it is, they will buy it.Just put a candle in your pocket, Jim, I don't mind if I don't go up and search.You think it's called Tom?If Sawyer meets him, can he let it go by?No way, he will definitely go up.He would call it an adventure--he would call it that.Even if going up would kill him, he must go up to see what happened.Isn't he doing it in style?Could he not show himself?Can he let go of this opportunity to show off?Must he look like Christopher?Columbus found paradise like paradise.I wish Tom?Sawyer is here too. "

Jim grumbled once or twice, but finally gave in.He said that we should try our best not to talk, and try to keep our voices down as much as possible.Another lightning, and we saw where the ship was, and just in time, we found the crane on the starboard side, and fastened the raft to it.

The deck is quite high here. We groped along the slope on the deck to the port side in the dark, intending to sneak to the top cabin. We groped our way on the deck with our feet and stretched our hands in front of us to avoid the sling. It was so dark. Can't see either.After a while we touched the front side of the skylight, climbed up from there, and took another step to the door of the captain's cabin. The door was open. My God, there was a light shining in the top cabin hall!Just at that moment, we thought we heard a low voice there!
Jim whispered that he felt the chills in his heart and told me to get out immediately.I said that's all right, and I planned to go back to the raft.Just then, I heard a voice crying out:
"Oh, boys, spare me, I swear I'll never tell!"

Another voice spoke loudly:
"Fucking bullshit, Jim? Turner. You've done it before. You always try to take more when you divide things, and you always take advantage of it because you swear you can't take advantage and you tell. But this time you Then again, it's your bad luck. You're the meanest, most insidious villain there is."

By this time Jim was on his way to the raft.I was so curious that I said to myself, Tom?Sawyer would never slip away at a time like this, so neither did I.I want to see what's going on here.So I lay down on the ground in the small aisle, and crawled towards the stern in the dark until I was only separated from the top hall by a stateroom.I saw a man lying on the floor there, bound hand and foot, and two men standing beside him, one with a dim lantern in his hand, and the other with a pistol.The man with the gun pointed the muzzle of the gun at the head of the man on the ground and said:
"I really want to end you, and I should end you, you despicable stinky bastard!" The man on the ground huddled in fear and said tremblingly, "Oh, please forgive me, Bill, I will never say get out."

As soon as he said this, the man with the lantern laughed and said:
"Yes, of course you wouldn't say it! You're right about that." After a while he said, "Just ask him to beg for mercy! If we hadn't tied up his uniform, he would have sent us away." We're seeing Hades. What the hell? Nothing. Just because we both get our fair share. It's as simple as that. Now you can't scare anyone, Jim? Turner. Put the gun away Get up, Bill."

Bill said:
"That's not right, Jack? Packard. I'm going to kill him. Didn't he just kill old Hatfield? Shouldn't he do the same?"

"But I don't want him to be killed just like that. I have my own reasons."

"You have said good things, God will bless you, Jack Packard! As long as I live, I will never forget your great kindness!" The man on the ground said in a crying tone.

Packard didn't listen to that at all. He hung the lantern on a nail and walked towards the dark place where I was, beckoning Bill to come too.I hurried back, only about two yards, because the ship tilted so badly that I had no time to dodge, and scrambled into one of the upper staterooms to avoid being stepped on and grabbed.The man came up in the dark, and when Packard came into the door of my stateroom, he said:

"Here, come here."

He walked in as he spoke, and Bill followed him.But before they came in, I climbed to the upper berth first. There was no way out, so I had to hide in a corner, regretting that I should not have come to this cabin.Immediately afterwards, the two men put their hands on the bed frame and stood there talking.I couldn't see them, but I could smell the whiskey on them and know where they were standing.Luckily I didn't drink whiskey, but it didn't matter if I did or not, they couldn't find me anyway, because I didn't even dare to vent my anger up there.I was frightened to death, and anyone who listened to their conversation would dare not vent their anger.They speak low and earnestly.Bill wanted to kill Turner.He said:
"He said that he wanted to speak out, so he must speak out. Now it's getting stiff anyway, and he has been dealt with badly. Even if we gave him both of us, I'm afraid it won't do anything. He He will definitely report it. You should listen to me, I don’t want him to suffer, and send him to the king of Hades.”

"I think so," Packard said, his tone calm.

"Damn it, I thought you didn't want to kill him. Well, that's all right, so let's do it."

"Wait a minute; I haven't finished my sentence. You listen. It's all right to shoot him, but if it's a must, there's another way to do it and keep it quiet. I I mean this: See if I can find a way to get things done without getting into trouble, so that I don’t keep breaking the law and getting my head in the noose. Are you right?"

"Yes, very well said. But what are you going to do?"

"Oh, what I mean is: let's get to work quickly and get what's left of those staterooms, and put them ashore and hide them. We'll wait when we're done. I don't think it's going to be two hours before this wretch is rotten. Shards, washed away by water. You know? Then he'll drown, with no one to blame but himself. I think that's a much better outcome than killing him. I think murder can be done Just avoid it. It's not smart or ethical to do that. Am I right?"

"Yes, I think what you said is right. But what if the boat can't be broken and can't be rushed down?"

"Anyway, how about we wait two hours and see?"

"Okay then, let's go."

They finally left, I was so frightened that I was in a cold sweat, I quickly slipped out and crawled forward.It was dark in front of me, and I whispered "Jim!" in a hoarse voice, and I heard him answer at my elbow, and the voice seemed to be humming.I say:
"Come on, Jim, this ain't the time for hooting and moaning; there's a gang of murderers out there, and if we don't go find their lifeboat, untie it and let it float down the river, and let the gang run overboard, It's going to be a disaster for one of them. If we find their lifeboat, we'll put them all in trouble, and the cops will come and get 'em. Quick—quick! I'll look to the left, you'll look to the right. You find it from the raft, and ┄┄”

"Oh, my God, my God! The raft? The raft is gone, the raft is washed away! We can't go!"

(End of this chapter)