12 Huck’s a Hero

CHAPTER 12 Huck's a Hero The first thing Tom heard on Friday morning was a glad piece of news—Becky Thatcher and her family had finally come back to town from their summer holiday. Tom saw Becky right away, and they had a great time playing games with their schoolmates. Becky then convinced her mother to choose the next day for a long- promised and long-delayed school picnic. Next morning a rowdy group of youngsters gathered outside Judge Thatcher's house. An old steamboat had been chartered for the all- day trip and, presently, the happy throng of

第十二章哈克的英雄星期五早上，汤姆听到的第一件事是一个好消息——贝基·撒切尔一家终于从暑假回来了。 汤姆马上看到了贝基，他们和同学们玩得很开心。 贝基于是说服她的母亲选择第二天去学校野餐，这是一个承诺已久却又拖延已久的计划。 第二天早上，一群吵闹的年轻人聚集在撒切尔法官的房子外面。 他们租了一艘旧汽船，准备进行一整天的旅行

children, laden with baskets of food, made their way to the boat. "You'll not get back till late," Mrs.Thatcher said to Becky, as the children prepared to leave. "You'd better stay the night with some of the girls who live near the ferry landing." "I'll stay with Susie Harper, Mamma." "Very well. And mind you don't be any trouble." As Tom raced along with Becky and the other children toward the ferry, he thought suddenly of Huck, that he might come that very night and give Tom a signal that Injun Joe's room was empty. Still, the signal hadn't come the night before, so why should it be any more likely to come tonight? Three miles below town, the ferryboat stopped at the mouth of a woody hollow. The crowd of happy children swarmed ashore, and soon the forest distances and

孩子们提着装满食物的篮子，向船上走去。 “你要很晚才能回来，”孩子们准备离开时，撒切尔夫人对贝基说。 “你最好和住在渡口附近的姑娘们一起过夜。” “妈妈，我要和苏西·哈珀住在一起。” “很好。注意别给人添麻烦。” 汤姆带着贝基和其他孩子向渡口跑去的时候，他突然想起哈克，他可能当晚就来，给汤姆打个信号，说印第安·乔的房间空了。 不过，信号前天晚上没有发出来，为什么今晚就更有可能发出来呢？ 在离镇三英里的地方，渡船在一个树木丛生的山谷口停了下来。 一群快乐的孩子涌上了岸，很快森林就消失了

rocky heights echoed far and near with shouting and laughter. All the different ways of getting hot and tired were fully explored before the picnickers straggled back to the camp with mighty appetites. After much feasting, it now was time to explore McDougal's cave. Candles were brought, and the whole group scampered up the hill. The cave's entrance was up the hillside, and its massive oak door stood wide open. It was breathtaking to stand there in the deep gloom at the cave's mouth and look out upon the green valley shining in the sun.

四周的岩石上回荡着喊声和笑声。 在野餐的人带着巨大的胃口回到营地之前，他们充分探索了所有让自己变得又热又累的不同方式。 饱餐一顿之后，是时候去探索麦克杜格尔的洞穴了。 蜡烛拿来了，整个团队都跑上了山。 山洞的入口在山坡上，巨大的橡木门敞开着。 站在幽暗的洞口，望着阳光下闪闪发光的绿色山谷，真是令人叹为观止。

By and by the procession of children began filing down the steep descent of the cave's main passage, their flickering rank of lights dimly revealing the lofty walls of rock surrounding them. It was no more than ten feet wide, and narrower crevices branched off it every few feet. It was said that one might

过了一会儿，孩子们开始鱼贯而下，沿着山洞的主要通道走下去，他们那一排闪烁的灯光模糊地照出了他们周围高耸的岩壁。 它不过十英尺宽，每隔几英尺就会有更窄的裂缝分叉出来。 据说可以

wander days and nights through this vast tangle of rifts and chasms and never find the end of it. After a while, some of the children began to sneak away from the larger group and play hide and seek in the explored areas of the cave before straggling back toward the mouth of the cavern, panting for breath, laughing, smeared head to toe with candle drippings, daubed with clay, and delighted with their adventure. They arrived just in time; the bell had been clanging, and the ferry-boat was set to return to town. An hour later, Huck was just starting on his watch when he saw the ferryboat's lights go glinting past the wharf. He wondered what boat it was and why it didn't stop at the wharf. But he didn't wonder long. The night was growing dark, and he had business to attend to.

日日夜夜在这巨大的裂缝和峡谷中徘徊，永远找不到它的尽头。 过了一会儿，一些孩子开始从大群孩子中溜出来，在洞穴的探索区域玩捉迷藏，然后散乱地回到洞穴口，喘着气，笑着，从头到脚涂满蜡烛滴，涂满粘土，为他们的冒险感到高兴。 他们来得正是时候；钟一直在响，渡船正准备回城里去。 一小时后，哈克刚开始值班，就看见渡船的灯光闪烁着经过码头。 他想知道那是什么船，为什么不停靠码头。 但他没想多久。 天渐渐黑了，他还有事要办。

Ten o'clock came, and the noise of vehicles ceased. Scattered lights also began to go out, and the streets grew empty. By eleven o'clock, darkness was everywhere. Huck waited for what seemed like a weary long time, but nothing happened. Was there really any use in staying longer? He wondered. Why not give it up and turn in? Then a noise fell upon his ear. The alley door closed softly. Huck sprang to the corner of a closed barbershop. The next moment two men brushed by him, and one seemed to have something under his arm. The box! They were going to remove the treasure! Huck's mind was racing. The men would get away with the box and never be found again. No, he would follow them him self. Huck stepped out and glided behind the men, catlike, with bare feet, allowing them to keep just far enough ahead so as not to be invisible.

十点钟到了，车辆的声音停止了。 零星的灯光也开始熄灭，街道变得空荡荡的。 到了十一点，到处都是黑暗。 哈克似乎等了很长一段时间，但什么也没发生。 再待久一点真的有什么用吗？ 他想知道。为什么不放弃，然后去睡觉呢？ 这时，一个声音传到了他的耳朵里。 小巷的门轻轻地关上了。 哈克跳到一家关门的理发店的角落里。 过了一会儿，有两个人从他身边擦过，其中一个腋下似乎夹着什么东西。 这个盒子!他们要把宝藏搬走！哈克的脑子飞快地转着。 这些人会带着箱子逃走，再也找不到了。 不，他会自己跟着他们。 哈克走了出来，光着脚像猫一样溜到那几个人后面，让他们在前面保持足够远的距离，以免被发现。