WE judged that three nights more would fetch us to Cairo, at the bottom of Illinois, where the Ohio River comes in, and that was what we was after. We would sell the raft and get on a steamboat and go way up the Ohio amongst the free States, and then be out of trouble.

Well, the second night a fog begun to come on, and we made for a towhead to tie to, for it wouldn't do to try to run in a fog; but when I paddled ahead in the canoe, with the line to make fast, there warn't anything but little saplings to tie to. I passed the line around one of them right on the edge of the cut bank, but there was a stiff current, and the raft come booming down so lively she tore it out by the roots and away she went. I see the fog closing down, and it made me so sick and scared I couldn't budge for most a half a minute it seemed to me -- and then there warn't no raft in sight; you couldn't see twenty yards. I jumped into the canoe and run back to the stern, and grabbed the paddle and set her back a stroke. But she didn't come. I was in such a hurry I hadn't untied her. I got up and tried to untie her, but I was so excited my hands shook so I couldn't hardly do anything with them.

As soon as I got started I took out after the raft, hot and heavy, right down the towhead. That was all right as far as it went, but the towhead warn't sixty yards long, and the minute I flew by the foot of it I shot out into the solid white fog, and hadn't no more idea which way I was going than a dead man.

Thinks I, it won't do to paddle; first I know I'll run into the bank or a towhead or something; I got to set still and float, and yet it's mighty fidgety business to have to hold your hands still at such a time. I whooped and listened. Away down there somewheres I hears a small whoop, and up comes my spirits. I went tearing after it, listening sharp to hear it again. The next time it come I see I warn't heading for it, but heading away to the right of it. And the next time I was heading away to the left of it -- and not gaining on it much either, for I was flying around, this way and that and t'other, but it was going straight ahead all the time.

I did wish the fool would think to beat a tin pan, and beat it all the time, but he never did, and it was the still places between the whoops that was making the trouble for me. Well, I fought along, and directly I hears the whoop BEHIND me. I was tangled good now. That was somebody else's whoop, or else I was turned around.

I throwed the paddle down. I heard the whoop again; it was behind me yet, but in a different place; it kept coming, and kept changing its place, and I kept answering, till by and by it was in front of me again, and I knowed the current had swung the canoe's head down-stream, and I was all right if that was Jim and not some other raftsman hollering. I couldn't tell nothing about voices in a fog, for nothing don't look natural nor sound natural in a fog.

The whooping went on, and in about a minute I come a-booming down on a cut bank with smoky ghosts of big trees on it, and the current throwed me off to the left and shot by, amongst a lot of snags that fairly roared, the currrent was tearing by them so swift.

In another second or two it was solid white and still again. I set perfectly still then, listening to my heart thump, and I reckon I didn't draw a breath while it thumped a hundred.

I just give up then. I knowed what the matter was. That cut bank was an island, and Jim had gone down t'other side of it. It warn't no towhead that you could float by in ten minutes. It had the big timber of a regular island; it might be five or six miles long and more than half a mile wide.

I kept quiet, with my ears cocked, about fifteen minutes, I reckon. I was floating along, of course, four or five miles an hour; but you don't ever think of that. No, you FEEL like you are laying dead still on the water; and if a little glimpse of a snag slips by you don't think to yourself how fast YOU'RE going, but you catch your breath and think, my! how that snag's tearing along. If you think it ain't dismal and lonesome out in a fog that way by yourself in the night, you try it once -- you'll see.

Next, for about a half an hour, I whoops now and then; at last I hears the answer a long ways off, and tries to follow it, but I couldn't do it, and directly I judged I'd got into a nest of towheads, for I had little dim glimpses of them on both sides of me -- sometimes just a narrow channel between, and some that I couldn't see I knowed was there because I'd hear the wash of the current against the old dead brush and trash that hung over the banks. Well, I warn't long loosing the whoops down amongst the towheads; and I only tried to chase them a little while, anyway, because it was worse than chasing a Jack-o'-lantern. You never knowed a sound dodge around so, and swap places so quick and so much.

I had to claw away from the bank pretty lively four or five times, to keep from knocking the islands out of the river; and so I judged the raft must be butting into the bank every now and then, or else it would get further ahead and clear out of hearing -- it was floating a little faster than what I was.

Well, I seemed to be in the open river again by and by, but I couldn't hear no sign of a whoop nowheres. I reckoned Jim had fetched up on a snag, maybe, and it was all up with him. I was good and tired, so I laid down in the canoe and said I wouldn't bother no more. I didn't want to go to sleep, of course; but I was so sleepy I couldn't help it; so I thought I would take jest one little cat-nap.

But I reckon it was more than a cat-nap, for when I waked up the stars was shining bright, the fog was all gone, and I was spinning down a big bend stern first. First I didn't know where I was; I thought I was dreaming; and when things began to come back to me they seemed to come up dim out of last week.

It was a monstrous big river here, with the tallest and the thickest kind of timber on both banks; just a solid wall, as well as I could see by the stars. I looked away down-stream, and seen a black speck on the water. I took after it; but when I got to it it warn't nothing but a couple of sawlogs made fast together. Then I see another speck, and chased that; then another, and this time I was right. It was the raft.

When I got to it Jim was setting there with his head down between his knees, asleep, with his right arm hanging over the steering-oar. The other oar was smashed off, and the raft was littered up with leaves and branches and dirt. So she'd had a rough time.

I made fast and laid down under Jim's nose on the raft, and began to gap, and stretch my fists out against Jim, and says:

"Hello, Jim, have I been asleep? Why didn't you stir me up?"

"Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain' dead -- you ain' drownded -- you's back agin? It's too good for true, honey, it's too good for true. Lemme look at you chile, lemme feel o' you. No, you ain' dead! you's back agin, 'live en soun', jis de same ole Huck -- de same ole Huck, thanks to goodness!"

"What's the matter with you, Jim? You been adrinking?"

"Drinkin'? Has I ben a-drinkin'? Has I had a chance to be a-drinkin'?"

"Well, then, what makes you talk so wild?"

"How does I talk wild?"

"HOW? Why, hain't you been talking about my coming back, and all that stuff, as if I'd been gone away?"

"Huck -- Huck Finn, you look me in de eye; look me in de eye. HAIN'T you ben gone away?"

"Gone away? Why, what in the nation do you mean? I hain't been gone anywheres. Where would I go to?"

"Well, looky here, boss, dey's sumf'n wrong, dey is. Is I ME, or who IS I? Is I heah, or whah IS I? Now dat's what I wants to know."

"Well, I think you're here, plain enough, but I think you're a tangle-headed old fool, Jim."

"I is, is I? Well, you answer me dis: Didn't you tote out de line in de canoe fer to make fas' to de towhead?"

"No, I didn't. What tow-head? I hain't see no tow-head."

"You hain't seen no towhead? Looky here, didn't de line pull loose en de raf' go a-hummin' down de river, en leave you en de canoe behine in de fog?"

"What fog?"

"Why, de fog! -- de fog dat's been aroun' all night. En didn't you whoop, en didn't I whoop, tell we got mix' up in de islands en one un us got los' en t'other one was jis' as good as los', 'kase he didn' know whah he wuz? En didn't I bust up agin a lot er dem islands en have a turrible time en mos' git drownded? Now ain' dat so, boss -- ain't it so? You answer me dat."

"Well, this is too many for me, Jim. I hain't seen no fog, nor no islands, nor no troubles, nor nothing. I been setting here talking with you all night till you went to sleep about ten minutes ago, and I reckon I done the same. You couldn't a got drunk in that time, so of course you've been dreaming."

"Dad fetch it, how is I gwyne to dream all dat in ten minutes?"

"Well, hang it all, you did dream it, because there didn't any of it happen."

"But, Huck, it's all jis' as plain to me as --"

"It don't make no difference how plain it is; there ain't nothing in it. I know, because I've been here all the time."

Jim didn't say nothing for about five minutes, but set there studying over it. Then he says:

"Well, den, I reck'n I did dream it, Huck; but dog my cats ef it ain't de powerfullest dream I ever see. En I hain't ever had no dream b'fo' dat's tired me like dis one."

"Oh, well, that's all right, because a dream does tire a body like everything sometimes. But this one was a staving dream; tell me all about it, Jim."

So Jim went to work and told me the whole thing right through, just as it happened, only he painted it up considerable. Then he said he must start in and "'terpret" it, because it was sent for a warning. He said the first towhead stood for a man that would try to do us some good, but the current was another man that would get us away from him. The whoops was warnings that would come to us every now and then, and if we didn't try hard to make out to understand them they'd just take us into bad luck, 'stead of keeping us out of it. The lot of towheads was troubles we was going to get into with quarrelsome people and all kinds of mean folks, but if we minded our business and didn't talk back and aggravate them, we would pull through and get out of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free States, and wouldn't have no more trouble.

It had clouded up pretty dark just after I got on to the raft, but it was clearing up again now.

"Oh, well, that's all interpreted well enough as far as it goes, Jim," I says; "but what does THESE things stand for?"

It was the leaves and rubbish on the raft and the smashed oar. You could see them first-rate now.

Jim looked at the trash, and then looked at me, and back at the trash again. He had got the dream fixed so strong in his head that he couldn't seem to shake it loose and get the facts back into its place again right away. But when he did get the thing straightened around he looked at me steady without ever smiling, and says:

"What do dey stan' for? I'se gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los', en I didn' k'yer no' mo' what become er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back agin, all safe en soun', de tears come, en I could a got down on my knees en kiss yo' foot, I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin' 'bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is TRASH; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed."

Then he got up slow and walked to the wigwam, and went in there without saying anything but that. But that was enough. It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed HIS foot to get him to take it back.

It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way.

我们断定，再有三个晚上，我们就会来到开罗。那是在伊利诺斯的南头，俄亥俄河在此
汇合，我们要到的地方正是这里。我们准备把木筏卖了，搭上轮船，沿着俄亥俄河往上走，
到那些不买卖黑奴的自由洲去，这样也就摆脱了是非之地啦①。    ①诺顿版注：马克·吐温为什么没有按照杰姆求得了自由那个原来的路子写下去，评论家们对此历来都有争论。据对手稿进行过研究的人说，马克·吐温写到近第十六章结尾处便停了下来，一搁笔，恐达两年。后来续写时，爱上了这样一个写法，即要抒写密西西比河上的自由气氛，写成一种时间之流，在时间之流的流逝中，能免于陆地上的残酷与假冒伪善这类的灾难。比较本书第八章中的注释。①诺顿版注：杰姆所说的话，具有朴质而高尚的特色，那是很明白的。有关这次事件的描写，也是作者第一次写了人与自然的启示。这样的抒写，往往是通过杰姆来写的。这方面的抒写，也表现了哈克天性的淳朴。否则的话，当哈克在童年时代涉世渐深，深知人世间种种罪恶以后，便很可能使淳朴的天性逐渐泯灭。

后来，在第二个夜晚，开始起了雾，我们便朝一处沙洲划去，把木筏系好，因为在雾中行舟是不行的。不过，我坐在独木小舟上，拉着一根缆绳，想把木筏拴在什么一个地方，却无处可拴，除了一些小小的嫩枝。我把缆绳套在那凹岸旁边的一颗小树上。不过正好有一个急流，木筏猛地一冲，就把小树连根拔了起来，而木筏也就往前漂去了。我见到迷雾正四面八方聚拢来，只感到心里既不舒服，又发慌，至少有半分钟动弹不得。——抬头一望，木筏已经无影无踪。二十码以外，就什么也望不清。我跳进了独木小舟，跑到船尾，抄起桨来，使劲往后一退。可是它动也不动。我一慌张，忘了解开绳索啦。我立起身来，解开了独木舟，可是我心慌意乱，两只手抖抖的，弄得什么事也干不成。船一开动，我就顺着沙洲，朝着木筏，拼命追去。情况还算顺利，不过，沙洲还不到六十码长，我刚窜过沙洲的末尾，眼看就一头冲进了白茫茫一片浓浓的大雾之中了。我象个死人一般，连自己正在往哪一个方向漂行也一点儿辨不清了。我寻思，这样一味地划可不行。首先，我知道会撞在岸上、沙洲上或是别的什么东西上面。我必须得坐着不动，随着它漂。可是啊，在这么一个关头，偏偏要人家空有双手不动弹，叫人如何安得下心。我喊了一声，又仔细地听。我听到，从下游那边，隐隐约约地从某处什么地方，远远传来了微弱的喊声。这下子，我的精神就上来了。我飞快地追赶它，一边又屏住气仔细地听。等到下一回听到那喊声的时候，我这才明白了自己并非是正对着它朝前赶，而是偏到了右边去了。等到再下一次，又偏到了左方——偏左也好，偏右也好，进展都不大，因为我正在团团地乱转，一会儿这一边，一会儿那一边，一会儿又回过头来，可木筏却始终在朝着正前方走。我心里但愿那个傻瓜会想得到敲响洋铁锅这样一个办法，可是他从没有敲过一声。叫我最难受的，还是前后两次喊声间隙时听不到一点儿声音。啊，我一直在拼搏着，可猛听得那喊声又硬是转到我的身后去了。这下子真是把我搞胡涂了。准是别的什么人的喊声吧，要不然，那就是我的划子转过头了。我把桨一扔，但听得喊声又起。还是在我身后，只是换了个地方。喊声不停地传来，又不停地更换地方，我呢，不停地答应。到后来，又转到了我的前边了。我知道，是水流把独木船的船头转到了朝下游的方向，只要那是杰姆的喊声，并非是别的木筏上的人叫喊声，那我还是走对了。在沉沉迷雾中，我委实无法把声音辨认清楚，因为在沉沉迷雾中，形体也好，声音也好，都和原来的本色不一样。喊声继续响着。大约一分钟光景，我突然撞到一处陡峭的河岸上，但见岸上一簇簇黑黝黝、鬼影森森的大树。河水把我一冲，冲到了左边，河水飞箭似地往前直冲，在断枝残桠中一边咆哮着，一边夹着它们朝前猛冲。不一会儿，又只见白茫茫的一片，四周一派寂静。我就静静地坐着，纹丝不动，听着自己心跳的声音。据我估计，心跳了一百下，我连一口气也没有吸。在那个时刻，我算是死了心了。我明白那究竟是怎么一回事了。那陡峭的河岸是一座小岛。杰姆已经到了小岛的另一边了。这里可不是什么沙洲，十分钟便能漂过的。这里有一般小岛上那种大树。小岛可能有五、六英里长，半英里多宽。估计有十五分钟时间，我一声不响，竖起了耳朵听。我当然是在漂着，我估计，一小时漂四五英里路，只是你并不觉得自己是在水上漂。不。你只觉得自己死了一般地躺在水面上。要是一眼瞥见一段枝桠滑过，也不会想到自己正飞快地往前走，而只是屏住了呼吸，心里想着，天啊，这段树枝往前冲得有多快啊。要是你想知道，一个人，在深夜里，四下一片迷雾，此情此景，会有多凄冷，有多孤单，那你不妨也来试一试——那你就准会知道。随后大概有半个钟点光景，我时不时地喊几声，到后来，终于听到远处传来了回答的声音，我就使劲追踪，可是不成。我推断，我这里陷进了沙洲窝啦。因为在我的左右两旁，我都隐隐约约瞥见了沙洲的景色。有的时候，只是在两岸中间一条狭窄的水道上漂。有些是我看不见的。只是我知道自己是在那里，因为我听到了挂在河岸水面上的枯树残枝之类的东西被流水撞击时发出的声音。没有好久，我在陷进了沙洲窝里以后，连喊声也听不见了。我只是隔一会儿试着追踪一下。因为实际情况比追踪鬼火还要糟糕。声音如此地东躲西闪，难以捉摸，地点又如此变得飞快，而且面广量大，这些可真是闻所未闻的。有四五回，我非得用手利索地推开河岸，免得猛然撞上高出水面的小岛。因此我断定，我们那个木筏子一定也是时不时撞到了河岸上，不然的话，它会漂到老远去，听也听不见了——木筏子与我的小舟比起来要漂得快一些。再后来，我仿佛又进到了大河宽阔的河面上了。不过，到处也听不到一丝丝喊声了。我猜想，会不会杰姆撞到了一块礁石上，遭到了什么不测呢。我这时候也够累的了，便在小舟上躺了下来，跟自己说，别再烦什么神了吧。我当然并非存心要睡觉，不过实在困得没法了，所以我想就先打个瞌睡吧。不过大概不只是打了个瞌睡。我醒来时，只见星星亮晶晶，迷雾已经烟消云散，我架的小舟舟尾朝前，正飞快地沿着一处大的河湾往下游走。开头，我还不知道自己身在何处，还以为自己正在做梦呢。等到过去的事慢慢想起来以后，依稀仿佛象是上星期发生的事。这里已是一片浩瀚的大河，两岸参天的大树浓浓密密，星光照处，仿佛是一堵堵结结实实的城墙。我朝下游远处望去，只见水面上有一个黑点，我就朝它追去。一走近，原来只是捆在一起的几根圆木。接着看到了另一个黑点，追上去，又是另一个黑点，这一回可是追得对了，正是我们自己的木筏子。我上去的时候，杰姆正坐在那里，脑袋往两腿中间垂着，是睡着了，右胳膊还在掌舵的桨上耷拉着。另一柄桨已经震裂了，木筏子上到处是树叶、枝桠和灰尘。这样看来，他过去的那段时间也充满了风险。我把小划子系好，在木筏上杰姆跟前躺下，打起了呵欠。我伸出拳头对杰姆捅了桶。我说：“喂，杰姆，我刚才睡着了么？你为什么没有把我叫醒啊？”“天啊，难道是你么，哈克？你没有死啊——你没有烟（淹）死啊——你又活过来了么？这可是太好了，乖乖，难道会有这样的霍（好）事？让我好好看一看你，伙计啊，让我墨墨（摸摸）你。是啊，你可没有死，你回来了，活蹦活跳的。还是哈克那个老样子，谢天谢地！”“你怎么啦，杰姆？你喝醉了么？”“喝醉？我喝醉了么？我难道还有时间喝酒么？”“好，那么为什么你说话说得没头没脑？”“我又哪里说得没头没脑？”“哪里？哈，你不是在说什么我回来了，如此等等一类的话，仿佛我真的走开过似的。”“哈克——哈克·芬，你看着我，你看着我，难道你没有走开过？”“走开？你这是什么意思？我哪儿也没有去啊。我能到哪里去啊？”“嗯，听我说，老弟，该是什么地方出了岔儿吧，一定是的。我还是我么？，要不然，我又是谁呢？我是在这儿么？要不然，我又在哪里呢？这我倒要弄个一青（清）二粗（楚）。”“嗯，我看嘛，你是在这里，明明白白的。不过我看啊，杰姆，你可是个一脑袋浆糊的老傻瓜。”“我是么？难道我是么？你回答我这个问题。你有没有坐着小划子，牵着绳子，想把划子拴在沙舟（洲）上？”“没有，我没有。什么沙洲？我没有见到什么沙洲啊。”“你没有见到过什么沙舟（洲）？听我说——那根绳子不是拉松了么？木筏子不是在河上顺着水呜呜地冲下来了么？不是把你和那只小舟给撂在大午（雾）之中么？”“什么大雾？”“连大午（雾）都——大午（雾）下了整整一个晚上。难道你不是喊了么？我不是喊了么？喊到后来，我们便被那些小岛弄得晕头转向，我们一个迷了路，另一个也迷了路，因为谁也不知道自己究竟是在哪里。难道我没有在那些小岛上东撞西撞，吃足了苦头，差一点儿给烟（淹）死？你说是不是这样，老弟——是不是这样？你回答我这个问题。”“哈，这可叫我太为难了，杰姆。我没有见到什么大雾，没有见到什么岛屿，没有遇到什么麻烦，什么都没有。我在这儿坐着，一整夜在跟你说话来着，只是在十分钟前你才睡觉，我呢，大概也是这样。在那个时间里，你不可能喝醉啊，这样说来，你肯定是在做梦吧。”“真他妈的怪了，我怎么能十分中（钟）里梦见这么多一大堆的事啊？”“啊，他妈的，你准定是做梦来着，因为根本没有发生过其中任何一件事啊。”“不过哈克，对我来说，这一切是冥冥（明明）白白的——”“不管多么明明白白，也没有用，根本没有这回事啊。这我明白。我自始至终，一直在这里嘛。”杰姆有五分钟之久什么话都没有说，只是坐在那里，想啊想的。接下来，他说：“嗯，这么说来，我看我是做了梦了，哈克。不过啊，这可真是我平生一场极大极大的恶梦了。我平生也从没有做过这么把我类（累）死的梦哩。”“哦，不错，这可没有什么，因为做梦有时候也确实会累人。不过嘛，这场梦啊，可真是无比美妙的梦哩——把梦的经过，一五一十全都对我说一说，杰姆。”这样，杰姆就把全部经过从头到尾说了一遍，跟实际发生过的事说得一模一样，只是加油加醋描画了一番。他随后说，他得“详一详”这个梦，因为这是上天降下来的一个警告啊。他说，那第一个沙洲指的是存心对我们做好事的人，可是，那流水指的是另一个人，此人存心要叫我们遇不到那个好人。喊声呢，指的是一些警告，警告我们会有时候遇到些什么，要是我们不能对这些警告的含义弄个明白，那这些警告的喊声非但不能帮我们逢凶化吉，反倒会叫我们遭殃。至于沙洲的数目有多少，指的是我们会有多少回跟爱惹事生非的家伙和各种各样卑劣之徒吵架；不过只要我们管好自己本身的事，不去跟人家顶嘴，把事情弄僵，我们也能顶过去，平安无事；能冲出重重浓雾，漂到宽敞的大河之上，那就是到了解放了黑奴的自由州，从此无灾无难啦。我上木筏的时候，起了云，天挺黑，这会儿倒是又开朗起来了。“哦，好啊，杰姆，这样就把梦全都‘详’得个清清楚楚了，”我说，“不过嘛，这些个事情又指的是什么呢？”我指的是木筏上的树叶子和那些破破烂烂的东西，还有那支撞裂了的桨。这会儿，这些能看得清清楚楚了。杰姆看了一眼那一堆肮脏的东西，接着对我看了一眼，然后又看了一眼那一堆肮脏的东西。做过了一场梦这样的观念，在他的脑子里印得太深了，摆脱不掉，一时间无法把发生过的事重新理出个头路来。不过嘛，等到他把事情理清楚了，他便定神看着我，连一点儿笑容也没有，说道：“这些个事情指的是什么嘛？我要对你说的。我使劲划，使劲喊你，累得没得命了。睡的时候，因为丢失了你，我心都率（碎）了，对自己，对木筏子，我也不放在心上了。一醒来，发现你可回来了，一切平安无事，我禁不住流出了眼泪，为了谢天谢地，我恨不得双膝跪下，吻你的脚。可是啊，你心里想的只是怎样编一个荒（谎）来糊弄老杰姆。那边一堆残枝败叶是肮脏的东西。肮脏的东西也就是人家把脏东西往朋友的脑袋上道（倒），叫人家为他害少（臊）的人嘛。”然后他慢慢地站起身来，往窝棚走去，走了进去，一路之上，不则一声。可是这就够了。我只觉得自己那么卑鄙，简直想伏下身来亲他的脚，求他收回他刚才说的话。足足经过了十五分钟，我才鼓足了勇气，在一个黑奴面前低头认错——不过我总算认了错，并且从此以后，对此从未后悔过。从此以后，我再也没有卑鄙地作弄过他。我要是早知道他会那么难过，我也决不会干那样的事①。