目 录 上一节 下一节 
至于说到汤姆，眼下他正在反复思考着这么一句话："我们没有永恒之城，我们追求未来之城，我们并不因上帝被称作我们的上帝而感到羞耻，因为他已为我们预备了一座城。"这是一本已经过时了的古书中的一句话。那本书主要是由几个"不学无术的人"写的。不知什么原因，这句话对汤姆这样头脑简单的苦命人的心灵具有一种奇妙的力量，如同一阵军号，震撼他们的灵魂深处，在他们那片原本黑暗和绝望的心中重新激发起勇气、力量和激情。 Mr. Haley pulled out of his pocket sundry newspapers, and began looking over their advertisements, with absorbed interest. He was not a remarkably fluent reader, and was in the habit of reading in a sort of recitative half-aloud, by way of calling in his ears to verify the deductions of his eyes. In this tone he slowly recited the following paragraph: 赫利先生从上衣口袋里掏出几张报纸，专心致志地读起报纸上的广告来。他读报并不流畅，总像背书一样地念出声来，为的是让耳朵来确认眼睛的猜测是否正确。现在，他正在用这种腔调慢慢悠悠地读着下面这则广告： "EXECUTOR'S SALE,--NEGROES!--Agreeably to order of court, will be sold, on Tuesday, February 20, before the Court-house door, in the town of Washington, Kentucky, the following negroes: Hagar, aged 60; John, aged 30; Ben, aged 21; Saul, aged 25; Albert, aged 14. Sold for the benefit of the creditors and heirs of the estate of Jesse Blutchford, 遗嘱执行人拍卖奴隶！经法院批准，现定于二月二十日（星期二）在肯塔基州华盛顿市法院门前拍卖如下黑奴：黑格，60岁；约翰，30岁；本恩，21岁；索尔，25岁；亚伯特，14岁；我们代表杰西·布拉奇福特先生的债权人及财产继承人举办此次拍卖会。 "This yer I must look at," said he to Tom, for want of somebody else to talk to."Ye see, I'm going to get up a prime gang to take down with ye, Tom; it'll make it sociable and pleasant like,--good company will, ye know. We must drive right to Washington first and foremost, and then I'll clap you into jail, while I does the business."" 我一定要去看看这个拍卖会，"赫利对汤姆说，此时，除了汤姆，没有别人能和他交谈，"汤姆，我要到那儿去弄一批顶呱呱的货色，把他们跟你一起运到南方去；有人给我做伴，日子也会更容易打发--只要是好伙伴就行，明白吗？咱们现在要做的第一件事就是赶紧到华盛顿去。到了那儿，我就把你送到监狱去，而我呢，则去做笔买卖。" Tom received this agreeable intelligence quite meekly; simply wondering, in his own heart, how many of these doomed men had wives and children, and whether they would feel as he did about leaving them. It is to be confessed, too, that the naive, off-hand information that he was to be thrown into jail by no means produced an agreeable impression on a poor fellow who had always prided himself on a strictly honest and upright course of life. Yes, Tom, we must confess it, was rather proud of his honesty, poor fellow,--not having very much else to be proud of;--if he had belonged to some of the higher walks of society, he, perhaps, would never have been reduced to such straits. However, the day wore on, and the evening saw Haley and Tom comfortably accommodated in Washington,--the one in a tavern, and the other in a jail. 汤姆和颜悦色地听着这令人高兴的消息，心中暗想，这批可怜的黑人里，不知又会有多少人要妻离子散，在他们离别时，会不会和他一样伤心欲绝？老实说，汤姆向来对自己的为人诚实和循规蹈矩感到极为骄傲。现在这个可怜的人听到赫利顺口说出要将他关进监狱里去，他心里非常不高兴。我们必须承认的是汤姆对自己的为人是颇为满意的。可怜的他除此以外也的确没有什么值得他自己感到骄傲的了。如果他的身份能够高贵些，也不会落到今天这般境地。天色逐渐昏暗下来，这天夜里，赫利和汤姆各自满意地下榻在华盛顿--一个在旅馆，一个在监狱。 
第二天上午十一点左右，各种各样的人们聚集在法院门前的台阶上，有的在抽烟，有的在嚼烟叶，有的嘴里吐着痰，有的叫骂着，还有的在闲聊，这些人依照他们不同的品性和趣味等待着拍卖会的开始。那些即将被拍卖的奴隶们坐在另一个地方，用低低的声音交谈着。那个叫黑格的女奴，从其外貌、体形看来，是个典型的非洲人。可能只有六十岁的她由于繁重的体力劳动和病痛的折磨，看上去比实际年龄要更老一些。她的眼睛有点瞎，因为患有关节炎，因而腿也有点毛病。她的孩子亚伯特站在旁边。这孩子今年十四岁，看上去机灵可爱，是黑格身边留下的最后一个孩子。她本来儿女成行，可孩子们一个接一个地被卖到南方一个黑奴市场而被迫离开了她。现在，亚伯特是她身边唯一的孩子。黑格用颤抖的手抱着她的孩子，每当有人经过他们打量亚伯特时，她就会用一双紧张而惊恐的眼睛盯着对方。 "Don't be feard, Aunt Hagar," said the oldest of the men, "I spoke to Mas'r Thomas 'bout it, and he thought he might manage to sell you in a lot both together."" 别怕，黑格大妈，"那个年龄最大的男黑奴说，"我和托马斯老爷说过，他说他会尽量把你们母子俩一起卖出去。" "Dey needn't call me worn out yet," said she, lifting her shaking hands. "I can cook yet, and scrub, and scour,--I'm wuth a buying, if I do come cheap;--tell em dat ar,--you _tell_ em," she added, earnestly." 他们别以为我老得什么都不能干了，"她边说着，边举起那双颤微微的手，"我还能做饭，拖地，洗洗唰唰--只要价钱便宜，买我可是笔划算的买卖！--跟他们说说吧，求你。"她恳切地哀求道。 Haley here forced his way into the group, walked up to the old man, pulled his mouth open and looked in, felt of his teeth, made him stand and straighten himself, bend his back, and perform various evolutions to show his muscles; and then passed on to the next, and put him through the same trial. Walking up last to the boy, he felt of his arms, straightened his hands, and looked at his fingers, and made him jump, to show his agility. 这个时候，赫利好不容易挤到这群人中间，走到那个老头面前，用手扳开他的嘴，往里瞧了瞧，又试了试他的牙齿，让他站起来，伸伸背，弯弯腰，还做了几个动作，看他的肌肉还结不结实。然后他走到另外一个黑奴眼前，做了同样的检查。最后他走到亚伯特面前，摸摸他的胳膊，扳开他的手掌，看看他的手指，又让他跳了跳，看他灵不灵活。 "He an't gwine to be sold widout me!" said the old woman, with passionate eagerness; "he and I goes in a lot together; I 's rail strong yet, Mas'r and can do heaps o' work,--heaps on it, Mas'r." 黑格急切地说："你如果买他，可要把我也买去呀，他和我一直就在一起，我的身体也很结实，老爷，我还能干好多活呢！" 
能种庄稼吗？"赫利用轻蔑的目光看了她一眼，"蛮会瞎编的。"他走出人群，仿佛对自己的检验结果非常满意，把双手插进衣兜，嘴巴里叼着根雪茄，帽子歪戴在头上，站在边上观望，一副准备好做买卖的姿态。 "What think of 'em?" said a man who had been following Haley's examination, as if to make up his own mind from it." 你意下如何？"有个男人问他。刚才当赫利检验黑奴的时候，这人的眼睛一直盯着他。现在他似乎想等赫利说出意见后再作打算。 "Wal," said Haley, spitting, "I shall put in, I think, for the youngerly ones and the boy."" 嗯，"赫利吐了口痰，说，"我打算买那几个年轻的和那个小孩。" "They want to sell the boy and the old woman together," said the man." 他们好像要将小孩和那个老太婆一起卖掉呢。"那人说。 "Find it a tight pull;--why, she's an old rack o' bones,--not worth her salt."" 这样我可就没什么赚的--她就剩把老骨头了，几乎什么都不能干。" 
那么，你不准备买她？"那男人问道。 "Anybody 'd be a fool 't would. She's half blind, crooked with rheumatis, and foolish to boot."" 傻子才会买她，又瞎又跛，又有关节炎，又傻呆呆的。" "Some buys up these yer old critturs, and ses there's a sight more wear in 'em than a body 'd think," said the man, reflectively." 可有人就专门买这种老奴隶，说他们不是人们想象中那么没用，他们还能干上几年才会死。"那人深思熟虑地说道。 "No go, 't all," said Haley; "wouldn't take her for a present,--fact,--I've _seen_, now."" 我才不干这种买卖，就是白送我，我也不要，我已经这样决定了。"赫利说。 "Wal, 't is kinder pity, now, not to buy her with her son,--her heart seems so sot on him,--s'pose they fling her in cheap."" 但如果不一起买下她和她的孩子，真是令人觉得可怜--看样子她很疼爱她的孩子--他们也许会把她搭着贱卖掉。" 
有人乐意花那个钱，也行。可我买那个孩子是为了让他去干农活；--让我去买那个老太婆，绝不可能，--就是白送，我也不要。"赫利说道。 "She'll take on desp't," said the man." 她会大闹的。"那人说。 "Nat'lly, she will," said the trader, coolly." 她当然会那么干。"黑奴贩子赫利毫无表情地说。 The conversation was here interrupted by a busy hum in the audience; and the auctioneer, a short, bustling, important fellow, elbowed his way into the crowd. The old woman drew in her breath, and caught instinctively at her son. 这个时候，他们的谈话被人群里响起的喧闹声打断了。那个拍卖商挤到人群中。他矮小个儿，匆匆忙忙的，看上去一副自鸣得意的样子。那个老太婆黑格心中一惊，倒吸口冷气，出于本能地抓住她的儿子亚伯特。 "Keep close to yer mammy, Albert,--close,--dey'll put us up togedder," she said."O, mammy, I'm feard they won't," said the boy." 到妈妈这边来，孩子，过来，他们会把我们一起买下的。"黑格说道。"可是，妈妈，我怕他们不会这样做。"孩子说道。 
会的，孩子。如果他们不这么做，我就不想活了。"老妇人声嘶力竭地讲道。
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