11 The Camp Meeting

CHAPTER 11 The Camp Meeting The next day, the king and the duke had an idea about how they might be able to make some money in the next little town. Jim stayed on the raft while I went with the king and the duke. When we got to the town, the streets were empty and perfectly still. The duke found a printing-office and said he could do some work there. The king learned of a camp meeting, so he took me with him to it.

第十一章营地会议第二天，国王和公爵想到了一个办法，他们可以在下一个小镇上赚些钱。 吉姆留在木筏上，我跟国王和公爵一起去了。 当我们到达镇上时，街道上空荡荡的，一片寂静。 公爵找到了一家印刷厂，说他可以在那里做些工作。 王听说要开营会，就带我去。

There were almost a thousand people at the meeting, which was inside a large shed. Everyone sat on benches and listened to people talking about their lives and religion. The women wore sun-bonnets and some of the young men were barefoot. The old women were knitting and the young folks were flirting on the sly. The preacher had everyone excited. They were all singing and shouting. I thought it was crazy and wild. Well before I knew it, the king started yelling and talking like the preacher. The king even climbed on stage and started telling the people he had been a pirate for thirty years out in the Indian Ocean. He said he had come here looking for a new crew. But after hearing these people, he told the crowd, he was a changed man. He said he wanted to go back to the Indian Ocean to talk to the other pirates and get them to change their lives. And then he burst into tears. Everyone else began to cry, too. Then somebody yelled, "Take

会议在一个大棚子里举行，参加会议的人几乎有一千人。 每个人都坐在长凳上，听人们谈论他们的生活和宗教。 妇女们戴着遮阳帽，一些年轻人光着脚。 老妇人在织毛线，年轻人在偷偷地调情。 牧师使每个人都兴奋起来。 他们又唱又喊。 我觉得这很疯狂。 我还没反应过来，国王就开始像传教士一样大喊大叫了。 国王甚至爬上舞台，开始告诉人们他在印度洋做了三十年的海盗。 他说他是来这里找新船员的。 但听完这些话后，他告诉人群，他已经变了一个人。 他说他想回到印度洋去和其他海盗谈谈，让他们改变他们的生活。 然后他突然哭了起来。 其他人也开始哭了起来。 然后有人喊道：“拿

up a collection for him, take up a collection!" So the king went all through the crowd with his hat. By the time we got back to the raft, he had collected eighty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents! The next morning, the king and the duke practiced their lines for a play called Romeo and Juliet. It was pretty rough to hear. Then they got out a couple of long swords that the duke made out of some branches and practiced a swordfight. They also made up some more things to do on stage. Finally they decided that they had a whole show. They tried the play in town that night and it was awful. Hardly anyone showed up. Well the duke had learned of a circus that was in the next town. He had made up some new posters for the show that he and the king wanted to do. The poster said it would be "grand," and that "Ladies and children would not be admitted." "If that doesn't get them to come to the show,

给他凑点钱，凑点钱！”于是国王戴着帽子穿过人群。 当我们回到木筏时，他已经收集了87美元75美分！第二天早上，国王和公爵为一出名为《罗密欧与朱丽叶》的戏剧练习台词。 听起来很难受。 然后他们拿出几把长剑，这是公爵用一些树枝做的，他们开始练习剑斗。 他们还编了一些舞台上要做的事情。 最后他们决定他们有一个完整的节目。 那天晚上他们在城里试演了那出戏，结果很糟糕。 几乎没有人来。公爵听说了隔壁镇上有个马戏团。 他为他和国王想做的演出制作了一些新的海报。 海报上写着这将是“盛大的”，“女士和孩子不允许进入”。 “如果这不能让他们来看节目，

I don't know what will," the duke said. All the next day the king and the duke worked hard. They set up a stage with curtains and a row of candles for lights. They also discussed some new ideas for the night's show. That night the place was packed full of men. Each had paid fifty cents to get in. The duke's poster had worked on them. The duke came out on stage and talked about the play. He told the men over and over again how great it was. When he'd finally raised everyone's hopes up high enough, he rolled up the curtain. Then the king came out crawling on his hands and knees. His whole body was painted

我不知道什么会起作用。”公爵说。 第二天一整天，国王和公爵都在努力工作。 他们搭起了一个舞台，用窗帘和一排蜡烛照明。 他们还讨论了一些关于当晚演出的新想法。 那天晚上，这里挤满了男人。 每个人都付了50美分的入场费。 公爵的海报对他们起了作用。 公爵走上舞台，谈论着这出戏。 他一遍又一遍地告诉他们这是多么伟大。 当他终于把所有人的希望都提得足够高时，他拉开了帷幕。 然后国王用手和膝盖爬了出来。 他全身涂满了颜料

different colors. He was as colorful as a rainbow. It was wild, but it was also awfully funny. The audience almost died laughing. When the king finished prancing around on stage, they roared and clapped until he came back and did it over again. After that they made him do it another time. It would have made a cow laugh to see that old man. Then the duke closed the curtains and said that was the end of the show. Twenty people called out: "What, is it over? Is that all?" The duke said yes. Then there was a fine time. Everybody yelled and stood up. They were mad and were going to attack the stage and the two actors. But just then a big man shouted: "Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen. They got us all right, but we don't want to be the laughing stock of this whole town. We should leave quietly and talk this show up. We could sell the rest of the town on it! Then we'll all be in the

不同的颜色。他像彩虹一样多彩。 这很疯狂，但也非常有趣。 观众几乎笑死了。 当国王在舞台上跳完舞后，他们又欢呼又鼓掌，直到他回来再跳一遍。 在那之后，他们让他再做一次。 看到那个老人，牛都会笑的。 然后公爵拉上窗帘，说演出结束了。 二十个人喊道：“什么，结束了吗？ 就这些吗？”公爵答应了。 然后是一段美好的时光。 每个人都欢呼起来。 他们疯了，要攻击舞台和两个演员。 就在这时，一个大个子喊道：“坚持住！就一句话，先生们。 他们把我们抓得很好，但我们不想成为全镇的笑柄。 我们应该安静地离开，好好谈谈这个节目。 我们可以用它卖掉镇上其他的人！然后我们就都在

same boat. Ain't that smart?" The next day the place was full again. The king and the duke put on the same show for the new men. Then on the third night the house was crammed again. All of the people who were at the shows the first two nights had come back. I saw that every man had bulging pockets. Some held something bundled up under their coats. I smelled rotten eggs and cabbages. When the place couldn't hold any more people, the duke started around for the stage door and I followed him. The minute we turned the corner and were in the dark, he said: "Walk fast now till you get away from the houses. Then run for the raft like the devil was after you!" We got to the raft pretty quickly and were soon all out on the river again. The duke said he knew the audience would try to fool us by coming back to throw rotten food at us. They wanted revenge for being fooled the other two

相同的船。这不是很聪明吗？”第二天，这个地方又坐满了人。 国王和公爵为新来的人表演了同样的节目。 第三天晚上，房子里又挤满了人。 前两晚去看演出的人都回来了。 我看到每个人的口袋都鼓鼓的。 有些人的外套里裹着什么东西。 我闻到了臭鸡蛋和卷心菜的味道。 当这个地方坐不下更多的人时，公爵开始向舞台门走去，我跟着他。 我们刚拐过弯，走进黑暗中，他就说：“现在快走，离开那些房子。 那就赶快跑到木筏上去，好像魔鬼在追你似的！”我们很快就上了木筏，很快又回到了河上。 公爵说他知道观众会回来向我们扔腐烂的食物来愚弄我们。 他们想为被另外两个人愚弄而报仇