The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chapter 17 (1)
No.16 Chapter (1)
We slept almost all day, and were on the road at night.We followed a particularly long raft that floated down the river like a long procession.There are four long oars on each side of this wooden raft, and it looks like there can be more than thirty people sitting on it.There are five shacks set up on it, quite far from each other, with a big fire burning in the middle, and a tall flagpole at each end.This raft is really magnificent, and it's a great thing to be a sailor on it.

We drifted all the way down and into a big river bend.The nights are getting darker and the weather is getting hotter.The river is very wide, and the dense forests on both sides are like two big walls. For a long time, there is no gap or light.We talked about Cairotown, but we weren't sure when we'd get there, if we'd recognize the place.I said I probably couldn't recognize it, because I heard that there were only a dozen or so families in that place. If it happened that they didn't light up the lights, how would we know it was a small town?Jim said the two rivers joined together there, and you could tell.I said that it would also be regarded as whether it had just passed the end of an island or was in a big river.Jim was a little anxious when he heard that, and I was also anxious.Now the question arises, what should I do?I said that if I saw the light again, I would go to the shore, and when I met people, I would say that my father was behind, driving a big boat for business.Said that he had just started this line of work and was not very familiar with it, and wanted to know how far it was from Cairo Town.Jim thought it was a good idea, so we smoked and talked again, biding our time.

The only way right now is to keep staring ahead, so as not to pass by a small town without knowing it.Jim said he could see the place at a glance, because when he saw Kylo he would be a free man.If you miss it, you will go to a slave state again, and it will be difficult to be free again.Every now and then he would jump up and say:
"That is!"

But that wasn't Cairotown at all, it was a will-o'-the-wisp, or a firefly.He had to sit down again, staring blankly as before.Jim said he was trembling and burning with excitement at the thought of being free soon.Oh, to tell you the truth, I felt trembling and hot all over, too, hearing him say that, because I thought he was indeed going to be free--whose fault was it?Oh, it's all my fault, I can't calm down my conscience anyway.Because of this, I was really annoyed, and I was so restless that I couldn't stay in one place honestly.I hadn't thought about it that way before, didn't have the slightest idea how serious what I was doing could be.Now this pimple can't be solved no matter what, it makes my heart feel like it's on fire.I keep trying to reassure myself that I'm not to blame for this, because I'm not the one who made Jim run away from his master's house; Yes, you can go ashore and tell others about it." It's true—I can't shirk my responsibility, and that's where the trouble lies.Conscience said to itself, "What can poor Miss Watson do to you? Do you just watch her nigger run away from you without saying a word? Poor woman What offended you, that you treat her so hatefully? She has worked so hard to teach you to read, teach you to be polite, and try her best to treat you well, but she always treats you like this. "

I really felt that I was so hateful and shameful that I would be better off dead.I was flustered and walked up and down the raft, scolding myself all the time.Jim walked up and down beside me, as did I.Both of us couldn't hold back what we had to say.Every time he passed by me, he would turn around and say excitedly, "That's Kailuo Town!" Hearing this, I felt as if I had been shot, thinking that if it really was Kailuo Town, I would But it was painful as hell.

I've been thinking and not saying anything, but Jim's always talking in a rough voice.He talked about what to do when you got to the Free State, and how to save money and spend nothing.Save enough money to go to the farm near Miss Watson's house, buy the wife back from there, and they can keep working after that, and buy back the two children.If their masters would not sell, go to the anti-slavery people and steal them out.

As soon as I heard his words, I felt cold in my heart.In the past, he didn't even dare to think about it.Look at him like this, before he became a free man, he became arrogant.I remember an old saying: "Damn the nigger, get an inch." I thought to myself, this is the result of not using my brain.The black man in front of me can really be said that I helped him escape, and now he is talking about stealing the child--I don't know the owner of the child at all, and he has never offended me.

It made me feel bad to hear Jim say that.It's shameful that he thought of it.My conscience tortured me to death, and then I said to my conscience, "Give me forgiveness—it's not too late—when I see the light again, I'll go ashore and denounce him." , as light as a chicken feather, no worries at all.I watched the shore carefully, trying to find the place where the light was, and I was so happy now, it seemed to be singing in my heart.Not long after, he saw a bright light, and Jim shouted happily:
"We're all right now, Huck, we're all right! Jump up and stand at attention! That's Cairotown, that's a good place. Here we are, and we can't go wrong this time!" "

I say:

"I'll get in the boat and row over first, Jim. Maybe not this time, you know."

Immediately he jumped over to get the boat ready, and put his old coat on for me to sit in, and handed me the oars.I had rowed out, and he said again:

"It won't be long before I'm going to be happy and start yelling. I'm going to say I'm a free man with Huck's help, and I ain't a free man without Huck's help Well, it's all thanks to Huck's help. Jim will never forget you in his life, Huck, you are such a good friend to Jim. I never met such a good friend in my life. You are the only friend old Jim has now. "

I was about to go ashore to denounce him, but he said something like this, which immediately discouraged me.I can't row fast anymore, I really don't know if it's bad luck or good luck for me to paddle alone.At fifty yards out Jim said:
"You're going there, my real old friend Huck, and you're the only one of the white folks to trust old Jim."

"I was getting more and more upset when I heard that, but I said to myself, I have to do it--there's no other way. Just then, a boat came, and there were two men with guns in it, and they I stopped, and so did I. One of them asked me:
"What's there?"

"That's half a raft," I said.

"Are you from there?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is there anyone else up there?"

"Just one, sir."

"Well, five niggers ran over the bend tonight, is that a black man or a white man on your raft?"

I didn't answer right away. I wanted to say it all at once, but somehow I couldn't.After a short pause, I wanted to pull myself together and say it, but I just didn't have the guts to say it—even the rabbit's guts couldn't match it.I knew that I was defeated, so I simply dismissed the idea and blurted out:
"It's white."

"I think we'd better go up and have a look."

"I wish you'd go and see," I said, "because that's my father, and maybe you could do me a favor and get that raft ashore, right there with the light. My father Sick—my mother and Marianne are sick too."

"Hey, damn it, we're busy, little one. But it looks like we've got to go, so let's row hard, let's go."

I grasped the scull and rowed hard, and they rowed hard.After a few swipes I said:
"My dad will thank you very much. I have been asking someone to help me row the raft ashore, but they refused to do it. I don't have that much strength by myself."

"Hey, that's bloody heartless. That's weird, little guy. What's wrong with your father?"

"Come on...uh...that's...well, it doesn't matter."

The two stopped.At this time, it was not far from the raft.One of them said:

"Little guy, you lied. What's wrong with your dad? To be honest, it's not good for you."

"Then I'll tell you the truth, sir, but don't go away, please. What he's got... is... gentlemen, you just have to paddle ahead and catch my cable, you don't have to go near the wood Pai—please do me a favor, please help."

"Back back, John, back up!" said one of them.They backed away. "Keep out of the way, little fellow—don't be in the wind. It's bad luck, I'm afraid the wind is blowing us here. Your father's got smallpox, and you know it, why don't you tell us the truth? Are you going to spread the disease everywhere?"

"Oh," I cried, "I've always been telling the truth to everybody, but they just leave us alone."

(End of this chapter)