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哎，你手头这笔生意可以带给你一千美元或一千六百美元的纯利，汤姆，你这样做可是有失公道。"赫利说。 "Yes, and hasn't we business booked for five weeks to come,--all we can do? And suppose we leaves all, and goes to bush-whacking round arter yer young uns, and finally doesn't catch the gal,--and gals allers is the devil _to_ catch,--what's then? would you pay us a cent--would you? I think I see you a doin' it--ugh! No, no; flap down your fifty. If we get the job, and it pays, I'll hand it back; if we don't, it's for our trouble,--that's _far_, an't it, Marks?"" 是的，以后一个星期，我们都要忙着做你这笔生意，这是我们能做的所有的事。你想一想，我们抛掉了其他的生意，全心全意去帮你抓那个小鬼头，但最后没有抓到那个女人，你知道女人是最难抓的，那我们怎么办呢？到时你会给我们一分钱吗？我想我已看透你了，不，不，先给我们五十美元。如果我们抓到那孩子，有钱可赚，我会把那五十美元还给你，如果事情办得不成功，那就算我们的劳务费了。这很公平，不是吗？马科斯。" "Certainly, certainly," said Marks, with a conciliatory tone; "it's only a retaining fee, you see,--he! he! he!--we lawyers, you know. Wal, we must all keep good-natured,--keep easy, yer know. Tom'll have the boy for yer, anywhere ye'll name; won't ye, Tom?"" 当然，当然了，"马科斯调解说，"你看，这就算作我们的定金吧！嘿！嘿！嘿！你知道我们这些律师的！我们一定要保持良好的教养，别着急，你知道的。汤姆会为你抓回那个男孩的。你说吧，我们在哪儿都可以交货。汤姆，你认为呢？" "If I find the young un, I'll bring him on to Cincinnati, and leave him at Granny Belcher's, on the landing," said Loker." 如果我抓到那个年轻男孩，我会把他送往辛辛那提，我会把他放在贝彻奶奶那儿。"洛科说。 Marks had got from his pocket a greasy pocket-book, and taking a long paper from thence, he sat down, and fixing his keen black eyes on it, began mumbling over its contents: "Barnes--Shelby County--boy Jim, three hundred dollars for him, dead or alive."Edwards--Dick and Lucy--man and wife, six hundred dollars; wench Polly and two children--six hundred for her or her head."I'm jest a runnin' over our business, to see if we can take up this yer handily. Loker," he said, after a pause, "we must set Adams and Springer on the track of these yer; they've been booked some time." 马科斯从口袋中掏出一只油乎乎的皮夹，并从中抽出一张长长的纸。他坐下来以那双锐利的黑眼睛看着那张纸。并开始轻声念着上面的内容："巴尼斯--希尔比郡--吉姆，男奴，三百美元，死活都行；艾德吾德夫妇--狄克和鲁西，六百美元；女奴波利和两个孩子--六百美元，活捉或取她的头。我只想看一看我们的生意，看看我们是否能顺便把这事办了。洛科，"停顿了一下后，他说，"我们一定要派亚得姆斯和斯波瑞格去抓他们了，他们已经和我们预约很长时间了。" 
他们会向我们漫天要价的。"汤姆说。 "I'll manage that ar; they 's young in the business, and must spect to work cheap," said Marks, as he continued to read. "Ther's three on 'em easy cases, 'cause all you've got to do is to shoot 'em, or swear they is shot; they couldn't, of course, charge much for that. Them other cases," he said, folding the paper, "will bear puttin' off a spell. So now let's come to the particulars. Now, Mr. Haley, you saw this yer gal when she landed?"" 我来安排这件事，他们还是这行中的新手，不能期望什么高价，"马科斯说，接着又继续向下读着，"这上面有三宗生意比较容易做，因为你所做的只是打死他们或者坚持说必须开枪打死他们，当然他们不会要太多的钱。另外几宗生意，"他边说着边卷好名单纸，"可以再往后拖一段时问。现在让我们谈一下细节吧。嗯，赫利先生，你亲眼看见那女人上了河岸，是吗？" "To be sure,--plain as I see you."" 当然了，我看得清清楚楚。" "And a man helpin' on her up the bank?" said Loker." 有个男人扶着她上了岸，是吗？"洛科说。 "To be sure, I did."" 是的，一点也不错。" 
她很可能已经找了个地方藏起来了，"马科斯说，"但问题是她藏在哪里。汤姆，你认为是这样吗？" "We must cross the river tonight, no mistake," said Tom." 不容置疑，我们今晚一定要过河。"汤姆说。 "But there's no boat about," said Marks. "The ice is running awfully, Tom; an't it dangerous?"" 但这儿没有渡船，"马科斯说，"河里那些冰筏横冲直撞，汤姆，看来很危险，是吗？" "Don'no nothing 'bout that,--only it's got to be done," said Tom, decidedly." 可能很危险，但我们一定要过河。"汤姆毫不迟疑地说。 "Dear me," said Marks, fidgeting, "it'll be--I say," he said, walking to the window, "it's dark as a wolf's mouth, and, Tom--"" 哎呀！"马科斯不安地说，"这要是--我说，"他说着走到门窗前，"外面就像狼的嘴一样黑，汤姆--" 
说来说去，你害怕了，马科斯，但我可是下定决心了，你一定要去。你不会是想休息一两天，直到那女人被秘密转移到桑那西时，你才出发吧！" "O, no; I an't a grain afraid," said Marks, "only--"" 噢，不，我一点也不害怕，"马科斯说，"只不过--" "Only what?" said Tom." 不过什么？"汤姆问道。 "Well, about the boat. Yer see there an't any boat."" 是船，你知道，这连船的影子都没有。" "I heard the woman say there was one coming along this evening, and that a man was going to cross over in it. Neck or nothing, we must go with him," said Tom." 我听那女人说今晚会有一条船过来，有个人想过河去。无论如何，我们必须跟他一起过去。"汤姆说。 
我想你们身边应该有好猎狗吧？"赫利说。 "First rate," said Marks. "But what's the use? you han't got nothin' o' hers to smell on."" 上等的猎狗，"马科斯说，"但那有什么用？你没有她的东西给它嗅的。" "Yes, I have," said Haley, triumphantly. "Here's her shawl she left on the bed in her hurry; she left her bonnet, too."" 不，我有，"赫利得意地说，"这是她仓促逃跑时落在床上的头巾，她还落了帽子。" "That ar's lucky," said Loker; "fork over."" 我们很幸运，"洛科说，"把那递给我。" "Though the dogs might damage the gal, if they come on her unawars," said Haley." 如果你们的狗追上她，把她咬伤，破坏了她的容貌怎么办？"赫利说。 
我们要考虑一下这件事，"马科斯说，"以前在美孚时，我们的狗差点撕烂那个人，我们赶到后才把狗赶走。" "Well, ye see, for this sort that's to be sold for their looks, that ar won't answer, ye see," said Haley." 嗯，你明白，我们要靠她漂亮的外貌去卖钱，如果咬坏就把我们的事破坏了。"赫利说。 "I do see," said Marks. "Besides, if she's got took in, 'tan't no go, neither. Dogs is no 'count in these yer up states where these critters gets carried; of course, ye can't get on their track. They only does down in plantations, where niggers, when they runs, has to do their own running, and don't get no help."" 我知道，"马科斯说，"另外，如果有人把她藏起来，那可就麻烦了。有些州藏匿黑奴，你很难找到她们，狗也起不到什么作用。狗只有在庄园时起作用，那时他们独自向前跑，没有人帮助他们的。" "Well," said Loker, who had just stepped out to the bar to make some inquiries, "they say the man's come with the boat; so, Marks--"" 好了，"洛科说，他刚到柜台那去探听完消息回来，"他们说那人把船划过来了。马科斯，走吧。" That worthy cast a rueful look at the comfortable quarters he was leaving, but slowly rose to obey. After exchanging a few words of further arrangement, Haley, with visible reluctance, handed over the fifty dollars to Tom, and the worthy trio separated for the night. 马科斯恋恋不舍地看了一眼即将离开的舒适的住处，慢慢地站起来，听从了汤姆的话。谈了几句话后，赫利不情愿地交给汤姆五十美元。当晚这三个人便分手了。 
如果我们文明的信仰基督教的读者不希望看到我们刚介绍的那一幕的话，让我们请他们尽可能早一些控制一下他们的偏见。我们想提醒他们，抓捕逃奴这种生意正在上升为合法、爱国的职业。如果密西西比河和太平洋之间的广大土地成为一个进行身体和灵魂交易的市场的话，如果人们的财产依旧保持着19世纪的移动趋势的话，那么奴隶贩子们和追捕奴隶的人们今天可能仍自立于我们这个贵族之林。 While this scene was going on at the tavern, Sam and Andy, in a state of high felicitation, pursued their way home. 当客店这一幕正在进行的时候，山姆和艾迪正兴高采烈地骑马向回赶去。 Sam was in the highest possible feather, and expressed his exultation by all sorts of supernatural howls and ejaculations, by divers odd motions and contortions of his whole system. Sometimes he would sit backward, with his face to the horse's tail and sides, and then, with a whoop and a somerset, come right side up in his place again, and, drawing on a grave face, begin to lecture Andy in high-sounding tones for laughing and playing the fool. Anon, slapping his sides with his arms, he would burst forth in peals of laughter, that made the old woods ring as they passed. With all these evolutions, he contrived to keep the horses up to the top of their speed, until, between ten and eleven, their heels resounded on the gravel at the end of the balcony. Mrs. Shelby flew to the railings. 一路上，山姆都很兴奋，他不时发出各种各样的怪叫、呼喊，并以许多奇妙的翻滚和扭摆动作表达着他内心的喜悦。有时他倒骑在马背上，面对着马屁股和尾巴，有时他大叫着腾身翻个跟斗，端正地坐在了马鞍上。有时他却扳起面孔教训艾迪，大声责怪他的说笑和玩笑。然后，他用手夹住两腰，发出一串爽朗的笑声，这笑声响彻他们所路经的整片树林。一路上，他不断变着花样让马儿尽情地向前飞奔着。大约十点到十一点的时候，在阳台尽头的砂石路上传来了他们马匹的蹄声，听到这声音，希尔比太太飞快地跑到了栏杆边。
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