The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer（三十一）

《湯姆·索亞歷險記》是美國小說家馬克·吐溫創(chuàng)作的長篇小說，首次發(fā)表于1876年。小說中的故事發(fā)生在19世紀(jì)上半葉美國密西西比河畔的一個普通小鎮(zhèn)上。主人公湯姆·索亞天真活潑、敢于冒險、追求自由，不堪忍受束縛個性、枯燥乏味的生活，總是幻想著干一番英雄事業(yè)。小說通過主人公的冒險經(jīng)歷，對美國當(dāng)時虛偽庸俗的社會習(xí)俗、偽善的宗教儀式和刻板陳腐的學(xué)校教育制度進行了諷刺和批判。

CHAPTER ⅩⅩⅪ（part 1）

Now to return to Tom and Becky’s share in the picnic.They tripped along the murky aisles with the rest of the company，visiting the familiar wonders of the cave—wonders dubbed with rather overdescriptive names，such as“The Drawing Room，”“The Cathedral，”“Aladdin’s Palace，”and so on.Presently the hide-and-seek frolicking began，and Tom and Becky engaged in it with zeal until the exertion began to grow a trifle wearisome；then they wandered down a sinuous avenue holding their candles aloft and reading the tangled webwork of names，dates，post-office addresses，and mottoes with which the rocky walls had been frescoed（in candle smoke）.Still drifting along and talking，they scarcely noticed that they were now in a part of the cave whose walls were not frescoed.They smoked their own names under an overhanging shelf and moved on.Presently they came to a place where a little stream of water，trickling over a ledge and carrying a limestone sediment with it，had，in the slow-dragging ages，formed a laced and ruffled Niagara in gleaming and imperishable stone.Tom squeezed his small body behind it in order to illuminate it for Becky‘s gratification.He found that it curtained a sort of steep natural stairway which was enclosed between narrow walls，and at once the ambition to be a discoverer seized him.Becky responded to his call，and they made a smoke mark for future guidance，and started upon their quest.They wound this way and that，far down into the secret depths of the cave，made another mark，and branched off in search of novelties to tell the upper world about.In one place they found a spacious cavern，from whose ceiling depended a multitude of shining stalactites of the length and circumference of a man’s leg；they walked all about it，wondering and admiring，and presently left it by one of the numerous passages that opened into it.This shortly brought them to a bewitching spring，whose basin was encrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals；it was in the midst of a cavern whose walls were supported by many fantastic pillars which had been formed by the joining of great stalactites and stalagmites together，the result of the ceaseless water-drip of centuries.Under the roof vast knots of bats had packed themselves together，thousands in a bunch；the lights disturbed the creatures and they came flocking down by hundreds，squeaking and darting furiously at the candles.Tom knew their ways and the danger of this sort of conduct.He seized Becky‘s hand and hurried her into the first corridor that offered；and none too soon，for a bat struck Becky’s light out with its wing while she was passing out of the cavern.The bats chased the children a good distance；but the fugitives plunged into every new passage that offered，and at last got rid of the perilous things.Tom found a subterranean lake，shortly，which stretched its dim length away until its shape was lost in the shadows.He wanted to explore its borders，but concluded that it would be best to sit down and rest awhile，first.Now，for the first time，the deep stillness of the place laid a clammy hand upon the spirits of the children. Becky said：

“Why，I didn’t notice，but it seems ever so long since I heard any of the others.”

“Come to think，Becky，we are away down below them—and I don‘t know how far away north，or south，or east，or whichever it is.We couldn’t hear them here.”

Becky grew apprehensive.

“I wonder how long we’ve been down here，Tom.We better start back.”

“Yes，I reckon we better.P’raps we better.”

“Can you find the way，Tom？It’s all a mixed-up crookedness to me.”

“I reckon I could find it—but then the bats.If they put both our candles out it will be an awful fix.Let’s try some other way，so as not to go through there.”

“Well.But I hope we won’t get lost.It would be so awful！”and the girl shuddered at the thought of the dreadful possibilities.

They started through a corridor，and traversed it in silence a long way，glancing at each new opening，to see if there was anything familiar about the look of it；but they were all strange.Every time Tom made an examination，Becky would watch his face for an encouraging sign，and he would say cheerily：

“Oh，it’s all right.This ain’t the one，but we’ll come to it right away！”

But he felt less and less hopeful with each failure，and presently began to turn off into diverging avenues at sheer random，in desperate hope of finding the one that was wanted.He still said it was“all right”， but there was such a leaden dread at his heart that the words had lost their ring and sounded just as if he had said，“All is lost！”Becky clung to his side in an anguish of fear，and tried hard to keep back the tears，but they would come.At last she said：

“Oh，Tom，never mind the bats，let’s go back that way！We seem to get worse and worse off all the time.”

Tom stopped.

“Listen！”said he.

Profound silence；silence so deep that even their breathings were conspicuous in the hush.Tom shouted.The call went echoing down the empty aisles and died out in the distance in a faint sound that resembled a ripple of mocking laughter.

“Oh，don’t do it again，Tom，it is too horrid，”said Becky.

“It is horrid，but I better，Becky；they might hear us，you know，”and he shouted again.

The“might”was even a chillier horror than the ghostly laughter，it so confessed a perishing hope.The children stood still and listened；but there was no result.Tom turned upon the back track at once，and hurried his steps.It was but a little while before a certain indecision in his manner revealed another fearful fact to Becky—he could not find his way back！

“Oh，Tom，you didn’t make any marks！”

“Becky，I was such a fool！Such a fool！I never thought we might want to come back！No—I can‘t find the way.It’s all mixed up.”

“Tom，Tom，we’re lost！we’re lost！We never can get out of this awful place！Oh，why did we ever leave the others！”

She sank to the ground and burst into such a frenzy of crying that Tom was appalled with the idea that she might die，or lose her reason.He sat down by her and put his arms around her；she buried her face in his bosom，she clung to him，she poured out her terrors，her unavailing regrets，and the far echoes turned them all to jeering laughter.Tom begged her to pluck up hope again，and she said she could not.He fell to blaming and abusing himself for getting her into this miserable situation；this had a better effect.She said she would try to hope again，she would get up and follow wherever he might lead if only he would not talk like that any more.For he was no more to blame than she，she said.

So they moved on，again—aimlessly—simply at random—all they could do was to move，keep moving.For a little while，hope made a show of reviving—not with any reason to back it，but only because it is its nature to revive when the spring has not been taken out of it by age and familiarity with failure.

By and by Tom took Becky’s candle and blew it out.This economy meant so much！Words were not needed.Becky understood，and her hope died again.She knew that Tom had a whole candle and three or four pieces in his pockets—yet he must economize.

By and by，fatigue began to assert its claims；the children tried to pay no attention，for it was dreadful to think of sitting down when time was grown to be so precious，moving，in some direction，in any direction，was at least progress and might bear fruit；but to sit down was to invite death and shorten its pursuit.

At last Becky’s frail limbs refused to carry her farther.She sat down.Tom rested with her，and they talked of home，and the friends there，and the comfortable beds and，above all，the light！Becky cried，and Tom tried to think of some way of comforting her，but all his encouragements were grown threadbare with use，and sounded like sarcasms.Fatigue bore so heavily upon Becky that she drowsed off to sleep.Tom was grateful.He sat looking into her drawn face and saw it grow smooth and natural under the influence of pleasant dreams；and by and by a smile dawned and rested there.The peaceful face reflected somewhat of peace and healing into his own spirit，and his thoughts wandered away to bygone times and dreamy memories.While he was deep in his musings，Becky woke up with a breezy little laugh—but it was stricken dead upon her lips，and a groan followed it.

“Oh，how could I sleep！I wish I never，never had waked！No！No，I don’t，Tom！Don’t look so！I won’t say it again.”

“I’m glad you’ve slept，Becky；you’ll feel rested，now，and we’ll find the way out.”

“We can try，Tom；but I’ve seen such a beautiful country in my dream.I reckon we are going there.”

“Maybe not，maybe not.Cheer up，Becky，and let’s go on trying.”

They rose up and wandered along，hand in hand and hopeless.They tried to estimate how long they had been in the cave，but all they knew was that it seemed days and weeks，and yet it was plain that this could not be，for their candles were not gone yet.A long time after this—they could not tell how long—Tom said they must go softly and listen for dripping water—they must find a spring.They found one presently，and Tom said it was time to rest again.Both were cruelly tired，yet Becky said she thought she could go on a little farther.She was surprised to hear Tom dissent.She could not understand it.They sat down，and Tom fastened his candle to the wall in front of them with some clay.Thought was soon busy；nothing was said for some time.Then Becky broke the silence：

“Tom，I am so hungry！”

Tom took something out of his pocket.

“Do you remember this？”said he.

Becky almost smiled.

“It’s our wedding cake，Tom.”

“Yes—I wish it was as big as a barrel，for it‘s all we’ve got.”

“I saved it from the picnic for us to dream on，Tom，the way grown-up people do with wedding cake—but it’ll be our—”

She dropped the sentence where it was.Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite，while Tom nibbled at his moiety.There was abundance of cold water to finish the feast with.By and by Becky suggested that they move on again.Tom was silent a moment.Then he said：

“Becky，can you bear it if I tell you something？”

Becky’s face paled，but she thought she could.

“Well，then，Becky，we must stay here，where there’s water to drink.That little piece is our last candle！”

Becky gave loose to tears and wailings.Tom did what he could to comfort her，but with little effect.At length Becky said：

“Tom！”

“Well，Becky？”

“They’ll miss us and hunt for us！”

“Yes，they will！Certainly they will！”

“Maybe they’re hunting for us now，Tom.”

“Why，I reckon maybe they are.I hope they are.”

“When would they miss us，Tom？”

“When they get back to the boat，I reckon.”

“Tom，it might be dark then—would they notice we hadn’t come？”

“I don’t know.But anyway，your mother would miss you as soon as they got home.”

A frightened look in Becky‘s face brought Tom to his senses and he saw that he had made a blunder.Becky was not to have gone home that night！The children became silent and thoughtful.In a moment a new burst of grief from Becky showed Tom that the thing in his mind had struck hers also—that the Sabbath morning might be half spent before Mrs.Thatcher discovered that Becky was not at Mrs.Harper’s.

The children fastened their eyes upon their bit of candle and watched it melt slowly and pitilessly away；saw the half inch of wick stand alone at last；saw the feeble flame rise and fall，climb the thin column of smoke，linger at its top a moment，and then—the horror of utter darkness reigned！

How long afterward it was that Becky came to a slow consciousness that she was crying in Tom’s arms，neither could tell.All that they knew was，that after what seemed a mighty stretch of time，both awoke out of a dead stupor of sleep and resumed their miseries once more.Tom said it might be Sunday，now—maybe Monday.He tried to get Becky to talk，but her sorrows were too oppressive，all her hopes were gone.Tom said that they must have been missed long ago，and no doubt the search was going on.He would shout and maybe someone would come.He tried it；but in the darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it no more.

第三十一章（上）

現(xiàn)在得回頭說說有關(guān)野餐會上湯姆和貝基的事了。他倆與其他幾名同伴一起沿著暗黑的通道游覽了洞中那些熟悉的奇觀異景——這些奇境都被人們冠以諸如“會客廳”“大教堂”“阿拉丁神宮”等等夸張的名字。后來他們玩起了捉迷藏的游戲。湯姆和貝基玩得很投入，盡興了，這才感到很累很累，便手舉著蠟燭，沿著彎彎曲曲的小道，邊走邊讀著那些用燭煙熏在巖壁上的人名、日期、地址、格言警句等。他倆邊走邊聊，不知不覺間已到了巖壁上沒有題字的地方，便在一塊突出的巖壁上用煙熏上了各自的名字。寫完了繼續(xù)往前走。不久到了一個地方，一股細小的水流從突出的巖壁上汩汩淌下來，水中夾雜著一些細小的石灰石，日積月累，形成了一道晶光點點、萬年不涸的瀑布，水花四濺，恰如鑲著無數(shù)的花邊。湯姆將自己瘦小的身軀，擠到水幕之后，用燭光照亮，讓貝基看得更清楚。他發(fā)現(xiàn)，水幕后面、狹窄的峭壁之間有一段天然陡坡。他突然萌發(fā)雄心，想前去探險一番。貝基對此積極響應(yīng)，并用燭煙留下記號，便于回來時認路，然后繼續(xù)探險。兩個人在洞內(nèi)繞來繞去，來到神秘洞穴的深處，又在那里留下記號。接著進了一個岔道獵奇搜幽，回去后好向大家報告。他們在一處發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個寬敞洞廳，洞頂上懸掛下數(shù)不勝數(shù)的鐘乳石，晶晶亮，長短粗細如同人腿。他們把這洞穴細細探看了一番，又驚訝又贊嘆，最后從眾多的小道中的一條退了出去。很快他倆眼前出現(xiàn)一泓令人心醉神迷的泉水，泉水下落處是個水池，池的四壁鑲嵌著亮晶晶的霜花。水池位于洞窟的中央，支撐巖壁的是由許多巨大的鐘乳石和石筍上下相連而成的柱子，神奇怪異，是多少世紀(jì)從不間斷的滴水的結(jié)晶。洞頂下，聚集著成群成堆的蝙蝠，每一群有數(shù)千只之多，它們被燭光驚起，上百成千地吵吵嚷嚷，怒氣沖沖地撲向蠟燭。湯姆懂得蝙蝠的習(xí)性，知道這會帶來什么危險，急忙抓住貝基的手，跑進就近的一條小道。正在這時。就在貝基往洞外跑時，一只蝙蝠的翅膀撲滅了她手中的蠟燭，蝙蝠追了兩個孩子好一段路，嚇得這兩個逃命者慌不擇路，見路就鉆，好不容易擺脫了這些危險的家伙。不久，湯姆發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個地下湖。長長的湖身往遠處延伸，昏暗中見不到盡頭。他想對這湖作一番探索，但覺得還是先坐下來歇息一會兒為好。這時候他倆才第一次感到這幽洞的寂靜是何等的陰森恐怖。貝基說：

“哦，我竟沒有注意到，已好久好久沒聽見其他人的聲音了?！?/p>

“想到?jīng)]有，貝基，咱倆是呆在他們的底下——不知道離他們有多遠，也分不清東南西北，呆在這里能聽得到他們的聲音嗎？”

貝基聽了好不擔(dān)心。

“不知道咱倆在這里呆多久了，湯姆。不如回去吧?！?/p>

“不錯，是得回去了。該回去了?！?/p>

“你認得路嗎，湯姆？我覺得到處彎彎繞繞，已搞得我暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向了。”

“我想路我認得，可那些蝙蝠很難對付。要是咱倆的蠟燭都讓它們給撲滅了，那就太糟了。還是另找一條路試試吧，這樣就用不著經(jīng)過那里了?！?/p>

“好吧，可我希望別迷路了。那就太可怕了?！必惢幌氲娇赡軙獾竭@樣的局面，不由得打了個寒戰(zhàn)。

兩個人進了一條通道，默默地走了好長一段路，每到一個出口，都打量一眼，看看是不是有眼熟的地方，可全是沒見過的。每當(dāng)湯姆查看道口時，貝基都注視他的臉，想見到一絲令人鼓舞的神色。而湯姆每每充滿信心地說：

“哦，毫無問題。這雖不是咱倆要找的路，可很快就會出去的?！?/p>

但找呀找，都沒有找到正確的路，他也覺得希望越來越渺茫了。后來他干脆不由分說，胡亂找了起來，見岔道就鉆，也許能僥幸找到該找的路。這時候他嘴里還是說“毫無問題”，但心頭像是灌了鉛似的沉重，說出的話也沒有原先那樣爽朗，聽來仿佛是說“全錯了”。貝基膽戰(zhàn)心驚，緊緊依偎在他身旁，使勁不讓眼淚流出來，可就是忍不住。最后她說：

“哦，湯姆，別管那些蝙蝠吧。咱倆還是回原路！看來咱倆越來越糟了?！?/p>

湯姆停住了腳步。

“聽！”他說。

一片深沉的寂靜，靜得連他倆不說話時都能聽到彼此的呼吸聲。湯姆喊了一聲。喊聲在一條條空蕩蕩的通道上回響著，到了遠處漸次變?nèi)?，成了低微的嘲笑聲?/p>

“別再喊了，湯姆。太可怕了?！必惢f。

“是可怕，可我覺得還是喊喊好，貝基。知道嗎，可能會被他們聽到?！彼f罷又喊了一聲。

這“可能”兩字比鬼怪的笑聲還要恐怖，這無異于承認希望的破滅。兩個孩子站著一動不動，聽了起來。但毫無結(jié)果。突然，湯姆轉(zhuǎn)身就走，腳步匆忙。但不久貝基從他猶豫不決的舉動中看出另一個可怕的事實：他找不到回去的路了！

“哦，湯姆，你沒留下過記號嗎？”

“貝基，我蠢極了！我就沒有想到過會往回走！我找不到路了。全亂套了。”

“湯姆，湯姆，咱倆迷路了！再也找不到離開這可怕的地方的路了。哦，為什么當(dāng)初不跟大家在一起呢！”

她一屁股坐到了地上，號啕大哭起來，這一哭讓湯姆不由想到，她說不定會死去，要么會發(fā)瘋，嚇得他呆了。他在她身旁坐了下來，雙手摟住她，她把臉埋在他的胸口，依偎著他，向他傾訴自己的恐懼，傾訴自己于事無補的悔恨，而遠處的回聲在他們聽來都變成了嘲弄的笑聲。湯姆懇求她重新鼓起希望，她說辦不到。他責(zé)怪自己害得她陷入這么悲慘的境地。這番話很有作用。她說她要努力再次鼓起希望，她要振作起來，只要他不再說那樣的話，不管他帶她到哪里，她都跟著他走。她說，她也該受到同樣的責(zé)備。

于是兩個人繼續(xù)走下去——漫無目標(biāo)——簡直是亂走一氣——他們所能做的就是走著走著，不停地走著。不久，他倆似乎又燃起了希望之光，倒不是有什么理由來支撐，完全是因為希望之源既然未被歲月和頻頻的失敗所阻，那么希望自然而然會復(fù)蘇。

過了一會兒，湯姆拿過貝基的蠟燭，吹滅它。這一節(jié)約的舉措大有好處。這是不言而喻的。貝基明白其深意。她又感到希望破滅了。她知道湯姆口袋里有整整一根蠟燭，外加三四根用了半截的——可他還得省著用。

慢慢地疲勞開始加劇。兩個孩子竭力不加理會，雖然多么想坐下來，但那是多么可怕。因為時間很寶貴，只能朝前走，不論朝哪個方向，走下去就有進展，就有所獲，而坐下去無異于坐以待斃，縮短死亡來臨的時間。

最后貝基累得再也邁不開步了，便坐了下來。湯姆也跟著她坐下來歇息。他倆談起了家，談起了朋友，也談到了舒適的床鋪，特別是燈光！貝基哭開了，湯姆想方設(shè)法安慰她，但鼓勵的話一說再說，說多了變得軟弱無力，聽來反成了挖苦了。貝基感到精疲力竭，不覺睡了過去。湯姆反而感得欣慰。他坐著端詳起她扭曲的臉龐。在美夢的作用下，那臉又變得平滑而自然，慢慢地漾起了絲絲笑意，久久沒有消逝。這面容是何等的安詳，也感染了湯姆，他的心靈也跟著平和下來，他的思緒不覺轉(zhuǎn)到了往事和種種夢幻般的記憶之中。就在他沉醉于靜思之中，貝基醒了，且輕聲一笑，但笑聲即刻在她唇邊凍結(jié)住了，緊接著是一聲嘆息。

“哦，我怎么能睡著呢！我多么希望別醒過來就好了！不，不，湯姆，別這樣看著我！我不再說了?！?/p>

“你睡著了，我挺高興的，貝基。你已經(jīng)休息了一會兒，不再那么累了吧。咱倆這就找路去。”

“咱倆可以試試，湯姆。我剛才在夢中去了一個非常美麗的國家，我想咱倆就要去那里了?！?/p>

“說不定不去那里，不去那里。提起精神來，貝基。咱倆這就去找路。”

兩個孩子站起身，手拉著手，無望地慢慢走下去。他倆估算著在洞穴里已呆了多長時間，卻拿不準(zhǔn)是幾天，還是幾個星期。不過顯然沒有這么久，因為手頭的蠟燭還沒點完呢。此后過了很長一段時間——說不準(zhǔn)有多長——湯姆說，現(xiàn)在腳步要放輕些，好聽到滴水聲——他們必須要找到一處泉水。很快就找到了。湯姆說該再次休息了。兩個人實在太累了，但貝基說，她認為自己可以接著走會兒?？蓽氛f他不同意，貝基覺得挺奇怪，她想不通。兩個人坐了下來。湯姆用些泥土將蠟燭固定在面前的石壁上。兩個人忙著想心事，好一會兒沒人說話。后來還是貝基先開口，打破了沉默：

“湯姆，我好餓！”

湯姆從口袋掏出樣?xùn)|西。

“你記不記得這是什么？”

貝基差點沒笑出聲來。

“這是你我的結(jié)婚蛋糕呀，湯姆?！?/p>

“說對了。要是它有木桶那么大就好了，因為現(xiàn)在咱倆只有這點了?！?/p>

“我是野餐時省下留作紀(jì)念的，湯姆。就像大人對待結(jié)婚蛋糕那樣——可現(xiàn)在它成了咱倆——”

貝基只說到這里便不說下去。湯姆把蛋糕一分為二。貝基吃得津津有味，很快就吃完了。湯姆卻一口一口慢慢吃著自己的一份。吃了蛋糕想喝水，水有的是。湯姆和貝基都說該接著走了。湯姆沉默了一會兒，便說：

“貝基，我要跟你說句話，你聽了受得了嗎？”

貝基的臉色刷地變得蒼白，不過她說，她想受得了。

“那好，貝基，這里有的是水，咱倆就呆在這里不走了。咱倆剩下的就是這一小塊蠟燭了！”

貝基忍不住失聲痛哭起來。湯姆生著法子安慰她，但沒有用。最后貝基說：

“湯姆！”

“怎么，貝基？”

“他們丟了咱倆，會來找嗎？”

“會的，一定會來找。當(dāng)然會來找。”

“說不定這會兒就在找呢，是不是，湯姆？”

“我想他們可能在找！希望他們在找?！?/p>

“他們是在什么時候發(fā)現(xiàn)咱倆不見了的呢，湯姆？”

“我估計他們是在回船上的時候?！?/p>

“那時候天大概暗了——那么他們能注意到咱倆不在嗎？”

“我說不上。不過他們一回到家，你媽媽一定會發(fā)現(xiàn)你沒回來?！?/p>

湯姆一見貝基臉上露出恐懼的神色，就意識到，他犯了個天大的錯誤，那就是當(dāng)晚貝基原本就是不準(zhǔn)備回家的！兩個孩子一時陷入了沉默，想著心事。不一會兒貝基突然露出傷心的神色，讓湯姆感到，他與貝基的想法居然不謀而合——待撒切爾太太發(fā)現(xiàn)貝基不在哈珀家，星期天上午差不多要過去一半了。

兩個孩子眼睛緊緊盯著最后一小截蠟燭，眼看著它慢慢無情地短下去，最后只剩下短短的半英寸燭芯了。微弱的火焰忽升忽落，化成一縷輕煙騰空而去，在煙柱頂盤桓片刻，然后——四周即刻籠罩在令人心驚肉跳的黑暗之中。

兩個孩子誰也說不準(zhǔn)，多久之后，貝基才慢慢地清醒過來，意識到自己躺在湯姆的懷中哭泣著，他倆只知道，經(jīng)過一段似乎非常漫長的時間，他們都從死去一般的昏睡中醒過來，再度陷入悲痛之中。湯姆說現(xiàn)在恐怕已到星期天了——說不定是星期一了。他試著讓貝基說話?？伤珎牧耍耆^望了。湯姆說，他倆迷路的時間也許很久了，大家肯定都在尋找他們。他一定要大聲喊叫，也許會被人聽到，過來找他們。他試著喊了喊。但黑暗中遠處的回聲聽來令人心驚肉跳，他就不喊了。