TOM'S mind was made up now. He was gloomy and desperate. He was a forsaken, friendless boy, he said; nobody loved him; when they found out what they had driven him to, perhaps they would be sorry; he had tried to do right and get along, but they would not let him; since nothing would do them but to be rid of him, let it be so; and let them blame HIM for the consequences -- why shouldn't they? What right had the friendless to complain? Yes, they had forced him to it at last: he would lead a life of crime. There was no choice.

By this time he was far down Meadow Lane, and the bell for school to "take up" tinkled faintly upon his ear. He sobbed, now, to think he should never, never hear that old familiar sound any more -- it was very hard, but it was forced on him; since he was driven out into the cold world, he must submit -- but he forgave them. Then the sobs came thick and fast. Just at this point he met his soul's sworn comrade, Joe Harper -- hard-eyed, and with evidently a great and dismal purpose in his heart. Plainly here were "two souls with but a single thought." Tom, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, began to blubber out something about a resolution to escape from hard usage and lack of sympathy at home by roaming abroad into the great world never to return; and ended by hoping that Joe would not forget him.

But it transpired that this was a request which Joe had just been going to make of Tom, and had come to hunt him up for that purpose. His mother had whipped him for drinking some cream which he had never tasted and knew nothing about; it was plain that she was tired of him and wished him to go; if she felt that way, there was nothing for him to do but succumb; he hoped she would be happy, and never regret having driven her poor boy out into the unfeeling world to suffer and die.

As the two boys walked sorrowing along, they made a new compact to stand by each other and be brothers and never separate till death relieved them of their troubles. Then they began to lay their plans. Joe was for being a hermit, and living on crusts in a remote cave, and dying, some time, of cold and want and grief; but after listening to Tom, he conceded that there were some conspicuous advantages about a life of crime, and so he consented to be a pirate.

Three miles below St. Petersburg, at a point where the Mississippi River was a trifle over a mile wide, there was a long, narrow, wooded island, with a shallow bar at the head of it, and this offered well as a rendezvous. It was not inhabited; it lay far over toward the further shore, abreast a dense and almost wholly unpeopled forest. So Jackson's Island was chosen. Who were to be the subjects of their piracies was a matter that did not occur to them. Then they hunted up Huckleberry Finn, and he joined them promptly, for all careers were one to him; he was indifferent. They presently separated to meet at a lonely spot on the river-bank two miles above the village at the favorite hour -- which was midnight. There was a small log raft there which they meant to capture. Each would bring hooks and lines, and such provision as he could steal in the most dark and mysterious way -- as became outlaws. And before the afternoon was done, they had all managed to enjoy the sweet glory of spreading the fact that pretty soon the town would "hear something." All who got this vague hint were cautioned to "be mum and wait."

About midnight Tom arrived with a boiled ham and a few trifles, and stopped in a dense undergrowth on a small bluff overlooking the meeting-place. It was starlight, and very still. The mighty river lay like an ocean at rest. Tom listened a moment, but no sound disturbed the quiet. Then he gave a low, distinct whistle. It was answered from under the bluff. Tom whistled twice more; these signals were answered in the same way. Then a guarded voice said:

"Who goes there?"

"Tom Sawyer, the Black Avenger of the Spanish Main. Name your names."

"Huck Finn the Red-Handed, and Joe Harper the Terror of the Seas." Tom had furnished these titles, from his favorite literature.

"'Tis well. Give the countersign."

Two hoarse whispers delivered the same awful word simultaneously to the brooding night:

"BLOOD!"

Then Tom tumbled his ham over the bluff and let himself down after it, tearing both skin and clothes to some extent in the effort. There was an easy, comfortable path along the shore under the bluff, but it lacked the advantages of difficulty and danger so valued by a pirate.

The Terror of the Seas had brought a side of bacon, and had about worn himself out with getting it there. Finn the Red-Handed had stolen a skillet and a quantity of half-cured leaf tobacco, and had also brought a few corn-cobs to make pipes with. But none of the pirates smoked or "chewed" but himself. The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main said it would never do to start without some fire. That was a wise thought; matches were hardly known there in that day. They saw a fire smouldering upon a great raft a hundred yards above, and they went stealthily thither and helped themselves to a chunk. They made an imposing adventure of it, saying, "Hist!" every now and then, and suddenly halting with finger on lip; moving with hands on imaginary dagger-hilts; and giving orders in dismal whispers that if "the foe" stirred, to "let him have it to the hilt," because "dead men tell no tales." They knew well enough that the raftsmen were all down at the village laying in stores or having a spree, but still that was no excuse for their conducting this thing in an unpiratical way.

They shoved off, presently, Tom in command, Huck at the after oar and Joe at the forward. Tom stood amidships, gloomy-browed, and with folded arms, and gave his orders in a low, stern whisper:

"Luff, and bring her to the wind!"

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Steady, steady-y-y-y!"

"Steady it is, sir!"

"Let her go off a point!"

"Point it is, sir!"

As the boys steadily and monotonously drove the raft toward mid-stream it was no doubt understood that these orders were given only for "style," and were not intended to mean anything in particular.

"What sail's she carrying?"

"Courses, tops'ls, and flying-jib, sir."

"Send the r'yals up! Lay out aloft, there, half a dozen of ye -- foretopmaststuns'l! Lively, now!"

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Shake out that maintogalans'l! Sheets and braces! NOW my hearties!"

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"Hellum-a-lee -- hard a port! Stand by to meet her when she comes! Port, port! Now, men! With a will! Stead-y-y-y!"

"Steady it is, sir!"

The raft drew beyond the middle of the river; the boys pointed her head right, and then lay on their oars. The river was not high, so there was not more than a two or three mile current. Hardly a word was said during the next three-quarters of an hour. Now the raft was passing before the distant town. Two or three glimmering lights showed where it lay, peacefully sleeping, beyond the vague vast sweep of star-gemmed water, unconscious of the tremendous event that was happening. The Black Avenger stood still with folded arms, "looking his last" upon the scene of his former joys and his later sufferings, and wishing "she" could see him now, abroad on the wild sea, facing peril and death with dauntless heart, going to his doom with a grim smile on his lips. It was but a small strain on his imagination to remove Jackson's Island beyond eye-shot of the village, and so he "looked his last" with a broken and satisfied heart. The other pirates were looking their last, too; and they all looked so long that they came near letting the current drift them out of the range of the island. But they discovered the danger in time, and made shift to avert it. About two o'clock in the morning the raft grounded on the bar two hundred yards above the head of the island, and they waded back and forth until they had landed their freight. Part of the little raft's belongings consisted of an old sail, and this they spread over a nook in the bushes for a tent to shelter their provisions; but they themselves would sleep in the open air in good weather, as became outlaws.

They built a fire against the side of a great log twenty or thirty steps within the sombre depths of the forest, and then cooked some bacon in the frying-pan for supper, and used up half of the corn "pone" stock they had brought. It seemed glorious sport to be feasting in that wild, free way in the virgin forest of an unexplored and uninhabited island, far from the haunts of men, and they said they never would return to civilization. The climbing fire lit up their faces and threw its ruddy glare upon the pillared tree-trunks of their forest temple, and upon the varnished foliage and festooning vines.

When the last crisp slice of bacon was gone, and the last allowance of corn pone devoured, the boys stretched themselves out on the grass, filled with contentment. They could have found a cooler place, but they would not deny themselves such a romantic feature as the roasting camp-fire.

"Ain't it gay?" said Joe.

"It's nuts!" said Tom. "What would the boys say if they could see us?"

"Say? Well, they'd just die to be here -- hey, Hucky!"

"I reckon so," said Huckleberry; "anyways, I'm suited. I don't want nothing better'n this. I don't ever get enough to eat, gen'ally -- and here they can't come and pick at a feller and bullyrag him so."

"It's just the life for me," said Tom. "You don't have to get up, mornings, and you don't have to go to school, and wash, and all that blame foolishness. You see a pirate don't have to do anything, Joe, when he's ashore, but a hermit he has to be praying considerable, and then he don't have any fun, anyway, all by himself that way."

"Oh yes, that's so," said Joe, "but I hadn't thought much about it, you know. I'd a good deal rather be a pirate, now that I've tried it."

"You see," said Tom, "people don't go much on hermits, nowadays, like they used to in old times, but a pirate's always respected. And a hermit's got to sleep on the hardest place he can find, and put sackcloth and ashes on his head, and stand out in the rain, and --"

"What does he put sackcloth and ashes on his head for?" inquired Huck.

"I dono. But they've GOT to do it. Hermits always do. You'd have to do that if you was a hermit."

"Dern'd if I would," said Huck.

"Well, what would you do?"

"I dono. But I wouldn't do that."

"Why, Huck, you'd have to. How'd you get around it?"

"Why, I just wouldn't stand it. I'd run away."

"Run away! Well, you would be a nice old slouch of a hermit. You'd be a disgrace."

The Red-Handed made no response, being better employed. He had finished gouging out a cob, and now he fitted a weed stem to it, loaded it with tobacco, and was pressing a coal to the charge and blowing a cloud of fragrant smoke -- he was in the full bloom of luxurious contentment. The other pirates envied him this majestic vice, and secretly resolved to acquire it shortly. Presently Huck said:

"What does pirates have to do?"

Tom said:

"Oh, they have just a bully time -- take ships and burn them, and get the money and bury it in awful places in their island where there's ghosts and things to watch it, and kill everybody in the ships -- make 'em walk a plank."

"And they carry the women to the island," said Joe; "they don't kill the women."

"No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. And the women's always beautiful, too.

"And don't they wear the bulliest clothes! Oh no! All gold and silver and di'monds," said Joe, with enthusiasm.

"Who?" said Huck.

"Why, the pirates."

Huck scanned his own clothing forlornly.

"I reckon I ain't dressed fitten for a pirate," said he, with a regretful pathos in his voice; "but I ain't got none but these."

But the other boys told him the fine clothes would come fast enough, after they should have begun their adventures. They made him understand that his poor rags would do to begin with, though it was customary for wealthy pirates to start with a proper wardrobe.

Gradually their talk died out and drowsiness began to steal upon the eyelids of the little waifs. The pipe dropped from the fingers of the Red-Handed, and he slept the sleep of the conscience-free and the weary. The Terror of the Seas and the Black Avenger of the Spanish Main had more difficulty in getting to sleep. They said their prayers inwardly, and lying down, since there was nobody there with authority to make them kneel and recite aloud; in truth, they had a mind not to say them at all, but they were afraid to proceed to such lengths as that, lest they might call down a sudden and special thunderbolt from heaven. Then at once they reached and hovered upon the imminent verge of sleep -- but an intruder came, now, that would not "down." It was conscience. They began to feel a vague fear that they had been doing wrong to run away; and next they thought of the stolen meat, and then the real torture came. They tried to argue it away by reminding conscience that they had purloined sweetmeats and apples scores of times; but conscience was not to be appeased by such thin plausibilities; it seemed to them, in the end, that there was no getting around the stubborn fact that taking sweetmeats was only "hooking," while taking bacon and hams and such valuables was plain simple stealing -- and there was a command against that in the Bible. So they inwardly resolved that so long as they remained in the business, their piracies should not again be sullied with the crime of stealing. Then conscience granted a truce, and these curiously inconsistent pirates fell peacefully to sleep

汤姆现在横下了一条心。他又忧郁又绝望。他说自个儿成了无亲无友、被人抛弃的孩
子，没谁爱他。也许，等那些人发觉把地逼到这般田地时，他们会内疚的。他一直努力着以
便不出差错，好好向上，但人们偏偏又不让他那样；既然他们一心要避开他，那就悉听尊便
吧；就让他们为了将要发生的事来责怪他好了——他们就这德性，随他们去！话再说回来
了，像他这样一个无亲无故的人哪有资格责怪人家呢？是的，是他们逼他铤而走险的：他要
过犯罪的营生，别无选择。
    此刻他已快走到草坪巷的尽头，学校的上课铃声隐隐在耳边震响。一想到自己将永远、
永远也听不到这熟悉的声音，他禁不住啜泣起来——残酷的事实怎能不令人难受呢，可这是
人家逼的呀。既然他们存心要把他投进冰窟，他只有认命的份——但他原谅了他们。想到这
里，他哭得更伤心了。
    恰在此时，他遇到了他的铁哥们儿乔·哈帕——他两眼发直，显然心怀鬼胎。不消说，
他俩正是“一条道儿上”的朋友。汤姆用袖子擦了擦眼睛，边哭边说自己决意要离开这非人
生活的鬼学校和没有同情心的家人，浪迹天涯，一去不回。最后他说希望乔别忘了他。
    可巧，乔原来也正是特地赶来向汤姆告别，向他提出这样的请求的。他妈妈因为他偷喝
奶酪揍了他一顿，其实他压根儿没喝，尝都没尝过，根本不知道那回事。明摆着的，她讨厌
他了，巴望他走开。既然她这么想，他除了顺从，还能怎么样呢？但愿她能开开心，永远不
会后悔是自己把可怜的儿子赶出家门，让他置身冷酷的世界，去受罪，去死。
    两个孩子一边伤心地赶路，一边订立了一个新盟约，发誓互帮互助，情同手足，永不离
分，除非死神硬要来拆散他们，让他们获得彻底的解脱。接着，他们就开始拟订行动计划。
乔提议去当隐士，远离人群，穴居野外，靠干面包维生，等着终于有那么一天被冻死、饿
死、伤心而死。不过，听罢汤姆一席话后，他也认为干犯罪的勾当并不赖，于是欣然同意去
当海盗。
    在圣彼得堡镇下游三英里的地方，密西西比河宽约一英里多，那儿有个狭长的、林木丛
生的小岛。岛前有块很浅的沙滩，这地方是块秘密碰头的风水宝地。岛上荒无人烟，离对岸
很近，紧挨着河岸还有片茂林，人迹罕至。于是他们相中了这个杰克逊岛。至于当海盗后，
该打劫谁，他们倒一点也没动脑子。接着，他们找到了哈克贝利·费恩，他马上就入了伙，
因为对他来说，随遇而安惯了，他反正是无所谓。不久，他们便分了手，约好在他们最喜欢
的时刻——半夜，在镇子上游两英里远的河岸上一个僻静处碰头。那儿有只小木筏，他们打
算据为己有。每个人都要带上钓鱼的钩子和线，以及各自用秘密招术——也就是照强盗们那
样子偷来物什，并以此来装备自己。天刚擦黑，他们就已经在镇子里扬出话来，说人们很快
就将“听到重大新闻”，如此这般以后，他们自是得意不已。凡是得到这种暗示的人，都被
——关照“别吭声，等着瞧”。
    夜半光景，汤姆带着一只熟火腿和几件小东西赶来了。他站在一个小悬崖上的一片又密
又矮的树林里。从悬崖往下望就能瞧见他们约好的碰头处。这是个星光灿烂的夜晚，四周一
片寂静。宽阔的河流海洋般静卧着。汤姆侧耳听了会儿，没有什么声音来搅扰这一片宁静。
于是他就吹了声口哨，声音虽然低，可却清晰可辨。悬崖下立即有人回应。汤姆又吹了两
声，也得到了同样的回应。然后他听到一个警惕的声音问：
    “来者何人？”
    “我乃西班牙海黑衣侠盗，汤姆·索亚。尔等何人？”
    “赤手大盗哈克·费恩，海上死神乔·哈帕。”
    这两个头衔是汤姆从他最爱看的书里，挑出来封给他俩的。
    “好，口令？”
    两个沙哑的声音，在一片岑寂中，几乎同时，低低地喊出一个可怖的字：
    “血！”
    于是汤姆就把他那只火腿，从崖上扔下去，自己也跟着滑下来，这一滑他的衣服和皮肉
都挂了彩。其实有一条坦直的小道直通崖下，但走那条太平坦、没有危险的路反倒让海盗觉
得没有刺激。
    海上死神带来了一大块咸猪肉，这几乎累得他精疲力尽。赤手大盗费恩偷来了一只长柄
平底煎锅，外带些烤得半干的烟叶，几个玉米棒子，准备用来做烟斗。不过除了他自己以
外，这几个海盗没谁抽烟，也不嚼烟叶。西班牙海黑衣侠盗说，无火不成事。这真是灵机一
动，而当时在那一带，人们几乎还不知道有火柴。他们看见一百码远的上游处一只大木筏上
有堆冒烟的火，就溜过去取了火种来。他们故意装出一脸惊险，不时地说一声：“嘘！”忽
然手指压着嘴唇停下来。他们手握想象中的刀柄前进，阴沉着脸低声发布命令，说只要“敌
人”胆敢动一动，就“杀无赦”一扫干净，这样“死人是不会说三道四的”。他们明知撑筏
人到镇上商店采购物品或是喝酒找乐去了，但仍然按偷盗的惯例来盗船。
    他们很快就撑舟弃岸，由汤姆任指挥，哈克划右桨，乔划前桨。汤姆站在船中间，眉峰
紧锁，抱臂当胸，低沉而又威严地发着口令：
    “转舵向风行驶！”
    “是——是，船长！”
    “把定，照直走！”
    “是，照直走，船长！”
    “向外转一点？”
    “完毕，船长！”
    几个孩子稳稳当当、始终如一地将木筏向中流划过去。这些口令不过是为了摆摆派头而
已，并不表示特别的意思，仅此而已。
    “现在升的是什么帆？”
    “大横帆、中桅帆、三角帆，船长。”
    “把上桅帆拉起来！升到桅杆顶上，喂，你们六个一齐动手——拉起前中桅的副帆！使
点劲，喂！”
    “是——是，船长！”
    “拉起第二接桅帆！拉起脚索，转帆索！喂，伙计们！”
    “是——是，船长！”
    “要起大风了——左转舵！风一来就顺风开！左转，左转！
    伙计们，加把油！照直——走！”
    “是，照直走，船长！”
    木筏驶过了中流，孩子们转正船头，紧接着奋力划桨。水流不急，流速不过二三英里，
之后的三刻钟里，几乎没谁吭一声。现在木筏正划过那隐约可见的镇子。两三处灯火闪烁，
显示着镇子的方位，它在星光点点，波光粼粼的河对岸，平静而安详地躺着，竟没有察觉眼
皮底下发生着怎样惊人的一桩大事。黑衣侠盗交叉着双臂，站在木筏上一动不动。他在“最
后再看一眼”，那给了他欢乐又带来苦闷的地方，并希望“她”此刻能看见他在白浪滔天的
大海上，直面险恶和死亡，毫无惧色，一脸冷笑，从容赴死。他稍稍动用了一点想象力，就
把杰克逊岛移到了一眼望不到的地方，因此他“最后再看一眼”那个镇子时，虽然有些伤
感，却也不乏慰藉。另外两个海盗也在和故乡惜别，他们望了许久，以致差点儿让急流把木
筏冲过那个岛去，好在他们及时发现了这一险情并设法阻止了它。凌晨两点钟光景，木筏在
岛子前面二百码的沙滩上搁浅了。于是他们就在水里趟来趟去，把带来的东西都搬到岸上。
筏上原有的物件中有块旧帆，他们用它在矮树丛里隐蔽处搭了个帐篷。他们把东西放在帐篷
里，自己却效仿海盗的做法，天气晴爽时，就睡在外面。
    在距离树林深处二三十步远的地方，他们紧挨着一根倒伏于地的大树干生起火，架起平
底煎锅烧熟了些咸肉当晚餐，还把带来的玉米面包吃掉了一半。远离人群，索居荒岛，在这
么一片原始森林里自由自在地野餐，似乎妙趣无穷，他们说不打算回文明世界了。烈焰腾
腾，辉耀着他们的脸庞，也照亮了他们用树干撑起的那座林中圣殿，还把流光镀到那些光滑
得似油漆过一般的树叶上和那些缀着花朵的青藤上。
    几个孩子吃完最后一块松脆的咸肉和一些玉米面包以后，就心满意足地倒在草地上。他
们本来还可以找个更清凉的地方，但如此热烘烘的篝火，如此浪漫的情调，他们实在难以割
舍。
    “这不是蛮快活的吗？”乔说。
    “赛过活神仙！”汤姆说，“要是那帮小子能瞧见咱们，他们会怎么说？”
    “怎么说？哈，他们会神往得要命——喂，你说对不对，哈克！”
    “我猜是这样，”哈克贝利说，“不管怎样讲，我挺喜欢这儿。就这么生活，我觉得再
好也不过了。平常我连顿饱饭也没吃过——而且这儿也没谁来欺负你。”
    “我也喜欢这种生活，”汤姆说，“你不必一大早就起床，也不必上学，也不必洗脸，
他妈的那些烦心事儿都不必干了。乔，你要知道，海盗在岸上时，是什么事都不必干的，可
是当个隐士呢，他就老是得做祷告、祷告，这样他就没有一丁点儿开心事，始终是孤鬼一
个。”
    “嗯，是呀，是这么回事，”乔说，“不过你知道，我当初没怎么想这事。现在试过以
后，我情愿当海盗。”
    “你要知道，”汤姆说，“现在隐士们不大吃香了，不像古时候那样子，可海盗一直就
没谁敢小瞧过。而且做个隐士，就得找最硬的地方睡觉，头上缠粗麻布、抹着灰，还得站在
外面淋雨，还有——”
    哈克问：“他们头上缠粗麻布、抹着灰干嘛？”
    “我不清楚。不过他们非这么做不可。隐士就得这样。你要是隐士，你也得这么做。”
    “我才不干呢，”哈克说。
    “那你怎么干？”
    “我不知道，反正我不干。”
    “哼，哈克，你必须这么做，逃是逃不掉的。”
    “嗐，我就是不去受那个罪，我会一走了之。”
    “一走了之！哼，说得真好，那你就成了一个道道地地的懒汉隐士，太丢人现眼了。”
    赤手大盗正忙着别的事，没有答话。他刚挖空一只玉米棒子，现在正忙着把一根芦杆装
上去作烟斗筒子，又装上烟叶，用一大块火红的炭把烟叶点着，然后吸了一口，喷出一道香
喷喷的烟来——此刻他心旷神怡，惬意极了。旁边的两个海盗看着他这副十分气派的痞相，
非常羡慕，暗下决心，尽快学会这一招。哈克说：
    “海盗一般要干些什么？”
    汤姆说：“嘿，他们过的可是神仙日子——把人家的船抢到手再烧掉，抢了钱就埋到他
们岛上那些阴森森的地方，那地方神出鬼没。他们还把船上的人通通杀光——蒙上他们的眼
睛，让他们掉到海里去。”
    “他们还把女人带回岛上，”乔说，“他们不杀女人。”“对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，
“他们不杀女人——真伟大！
    那些女人也常常是些漂亮的妇女。”
    “他们穿的衣服也总是很讲究的！哦，还不止这些！，他们穿金戴银，”乔兴致勃勃地
说。
    “谁呀？”哈克问。
    “嗐，那些海盗呗。”
    哈克可怜兮兮地瞟了一眼自己的衣服。
    “我看凭我这身打扮不配当海盗，”他说，懊丧之情溢于言表。“可我除了这一身再没
有衣服了。”
    不过另外两个伙伴安慰他说，只要他们行动起来，好衣服很快就会到手。他们对他讲，
虽然按一般惯例，手面阔的海盗一开始就讲究，但他开始时穿着虽破，这也是允许的。
    他们的谈话渐渐平息了，小流浪汉们困了，上下眼皮打起了架。赤手大盗的烟斗从手中
滑到地上，他无忧无虑、精疲力尽地睡着了。海上死神和西班牙黑衣侠盗却久久不能成眠。
既然那儿没有人强行让他们跪下大声地做祷告，他们就躺在地上，只在心里默默祈祷。其实
他们内心根本不想祷什么告，可他们又怕不这样会惹上帝发怒，降下晴空霹雳。很快他们也
迷迷糊糊起来，——可偏偏又有什么东西在“捣鬼”，不让他们睡去。那是良心那个家伙。
他们害怕起来，隐隐约约觉得从家里逃出来是个错误。一想到偷肉的事情，他们更加难受。
他们试图安抚自己的良心，说以往他们也多次偷过糖果和苹果，可是良心并不买这个帐。最
后，他们似乎觉得有一个事实是不容回避的，那就是偷糖果之类不过是“顺阳手牵羊”，而
偷咸肉和火腿等贵重东西就正儿巴经是偷窃了——《圣经》曾就此明文禁止过。所以他们暗
下决心，只要还在当海盗，就不能让偷窃的罪行玷污他们海盗的英名。后来良心同意跟他们
和解了，这两个令人费解而又矛盾重重的海盗才心安理得地睡着了