死亡的說教者
有些人是死亡的說教者，同時世界上充滿著那些應當被勸告拋棄生命的人。
世間充滿著多餘的人；生命已被過剩的人所損害。讓人們用“永生”的餌，引著他們離去這個生命罷﹗
黃袍者或黑袍者︰人們這樣稱呼這些死亡的說教者。但是我將使你們看到他們的別種顏色。
他們中間之最可怕的，包藏著獸心。除開肉欲或自殘外，別無所擇。便是他們的肉欲還是自殘。
這些可怕的生物，還不會變成人類︰讓他們作厭惡生命之說教罷﹗讓他們離去罷﹗
他們是靈魂的癆病者︰剛才呱呱墮地，便已開始死亡，他們希求的是厭倦與放棄的學說。
他們願意死亡，我們正應當贊成他們的主張﹗我們切不要復活死者，或損壞了這些活著的棺材。
如果他們遇見一個病者，或一個老人，甚至於一個尸體，他們立刻說︰“生命是被推翻了﹗”
但是被推翻的是他們自己，和他們的僅看見生存之一方面的眼睛。
他們生活在濃濃的憂郁中，貪著致命的小冒險︰他們咬緊牙齒這樣等候著。
或者，他們向糖果伸手，卻笑自己的孩子氣︰他們把生命懸在一片草上，但他們卻笑自己還懸在那上面。
他們的智慧說︰“還活著的人是瘋狂者；然而我們正是那種瘋狂者﹗這是生命中最大的瘋狂﹗”
“生命只是痛苦﹗”──別的人如是說，而這並不是誑語︰那么，你們設法停止生活罷﹗你們停止只是痛苦的生活罷﹗
而這是你們的道德的教訓︰“你應當自殺﹗你應當把你自己偷去──”
“淫樂便是罪惡。”──第一批死亡的說教者說。──
“讓我們迴避罷，不要生育孩子罷﹗”
“生育是勞苦的。”──第二批說。──“為什麼還生育呢？人們只生育一些不幸者﹗”這一批人也是死亡的說教者。
“憐憫是必要的，”──第三批說。“取去我的所有物罷﹗
取去我的本身罷？我與生命的聯繫將愈少些。”
如果他們徹底地是憐憫者，他們會使鄰人也厭惡生命。為惡──那將是他們的真善。
但是他們想拋棄生命；如果他們的鏈索與禮物，更緊地系住了別人，他們怎會顧及呢﹗──
而你們，你們的生命是焦灼與苦工︰你們不曾疲倦于生命嗎？你們不是已經成熟得可以接受死亡的說教了嗎？
你們都喜愛苦工與一切迅捷而新奇之物，──你們對于生命的忍受已經夠了，你們的勤勞只是一個自忘的逃遁與意志。
如果你們對生命有信仰些，你們便不會自棄于當前一剎那。但是你們的內在價值不夠，所以你們不能等候，──甚至於也不能偷懶﹗
死亡的說教者的聲音到處喧嘩著，世界充滿著那種應當被勸告就死的人。 或者說世界充滿著那種應當被勸告尋求“永生”的人，這于我只是一件事，──只要他們快些走﹗
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
戰爭與戰士
我們不願意我們最好的仇敵姑息我們，也不願意我們由衷地熱愛著的人們姑息我們。所以，讓我告訴你們真話罷﹗
作戰的兄弟們﹗我從心之深處愛你們。我是，我一向是你們的同伴；我也是你們的最好的仇敵。所以，讓我告訴你們真話罷﹗ 我不茫然于你們心裡的怨恨與妒忌。你們並不是偉大得不知道怨恨妒忌。所以，你們偉大些，莫以這個為可羞罷﹗
如果你們不能做知識的聖哲，至少做知識的戰士罷。知識的戰士是這種神聖性的伴侶與先驅。
我看到很多的兵；讓我看到很多的戰士罷﹗他們的穿著被稱為製服。他們蘊藏在內的，該不是“製服”似地一律罷﹗
你們應當是那些時時用眼睛尋找仇敵的人，──尋找著你們的仇敵。你們中間的一部分人，應當第一眼就表示怨恨。
你們應當尋找你們的仇敵；你們應當作戰，為著你們的思想作戰﹗如果你們的思想被克服了，但是你們的忠誠仍當大呼勝利﹗
你們應當愛和平為未來戰爭的一種手段。你們應當愛短期的和平甚于長期的和平。
我不忠告你們工作，只忠告你們爭斗。我不忠告你們和平，只忠告你們勝利。讓你們的工作是一個爭斗，而你們的和平是一個勝利罷﹗
你們說好的主張神聖化戰爭嗎？我告訴你們︰你們的勇敢，而不是你們的憐憫，救了許多犧牲者。
“什麼是好的？”你們問。勇敢是好的。讓小女孩子們說︰
“美麗而又動人的才是好的。”
人們指斥你們無心腸；但是你們的心是真實的，而我愛你們那熱誠之羞怯。你們為著你們的大潮流而害羞，別人卻為著他們的回浪而害羞。
你們丑嗎？兄弟們﹗就算丑罷﹗用光榮這醜惡之外套包裹著你們罷﹗
當你們的靈魂變偉大了，它也變成為高傲的。你們的崇高之中，有惡。我知道你們。 高傲者與軟弱者在惡裡遇著。但是他們不互相了解。我知道你們。
你們的仇敵應當是可恨的，而不是可輕蔑的。你們應當以仇敵自豪︰于是仇敵的成功，也是你們的成功。
反抗，──這是奴隸之可貴處。你們的可貴之處，卻是服從，讓你們的命令也是服從罷﹗
一個好的戰士，不喜歡“我要”，而喜歡“你應”。一切你們喜愛之物，你們應當先讓別人命令了給你們。
讓你們的對于生命的愛，是你們的對于最高希望的愛罷︰
讓你們的最高希望是生命之最高理想罷﹗
但是，你們的最高理想，我命令你們罷，──就是這個︰
人類是應當被超越的。
所以，度著你們的服從與戰鬥的生活罷﹗長命又有何意義﹗哪個戰士愿被憐惜呢﹗
我不憐惜你們，作戰的兄弟們，我從心之深處愛你
們﹗──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
2010-04-12
查拉圖斯特拉如是說
誦讀與寫作
一切寫作之物，我只喜愛作者用自己的心血寫成的。用你的心血寫作罷︰你將知道心血便是精神。
別人的心血是不易了解的︰我恨一切以誦讀為消遣的人。
深知讀者的人，不會再給讀者寫作。這樣的讀者再有一世紀，──精神也會腐臭了。
讓每個人都有讀書的權利，不僅最後會損害了寫作，連思想也會被損害的。
從前精神便是上帝，接著變成了人，現下他變成了群眾。
誰用心血寫作格言，他是不願被人們誦讀的，而是給人們默記的。
從這個峰巔到那個峰巔是兩山間最短的距離；但是你必須有長腿，才能取道于此。格言應當是山之峰巔；而聽受這些格言的人，應當是偉大高強的。
輕快而純潔的空氣，隨時可有的危險，精神裡充滿著快樂的惡︰這一切都互相調和。
我願意魔鬼圍繞著我，因為我是勇敢的。勇敢驅逐鬼魅而自製許多魔鬼，──勇敢需要笑。
我的感覺不再和你們的相同︰我笑我下面那塊雲的烏黑與笨重，──只是那卻是你們的激起風暴的暗雲。
你們希望高舉時，你們仰望著。我卻俯視著，因為我在高處。
你們中間誰能又笑又在高處呢？
站在最高山上的人，笑看著戲台上生命裡的一切真假悲劇。
罔顧忌的，輕蔑的，炎威的，──智慧教我們如是︰智慧是一個婦人，只愛一個戰士。
你們向我說︰“生命是難于忍受的。”那么，你們為什麼晨倨而夜恭呢？
生命是難于忍受的︰那么，不要做那荏弱的樣子罷﹗我們都是載著重負的雄驢，牝驢。
我們和那在一顆露珠的重壓之下而顫栗著的玫瑰苞兒，有什麼同點呢？
這是不錯的︰我們之愛生命，並不是因為我們慣于生命，而是貫于愛。
愛裡總有瘋狂的成分。但是同樣的瘋狂裡總有理智的成分。
在我這愛生命者看來，我覺得蝴蝶，肥皂泡和一切在人間的與它們相似之物，最了解幸福。
當查拉圖斯特拉看見這些輕狂、美麗而好動的小靈魂，他便要流淚而歌唱起來。
我只能信仰一個會跳舞的上帝。
當我看見我的惡魔，我覺得他安詳，精細，深沉而像煞有介事的；這是嚴重的精神︰─ ─萬物都因它倒下。 我們殺人不用憤怒，而用笑。前進，讓我們殺了這嚴重的精神罷﹗ 我學會了走路︰以後我便讓自己跑起來。我學會了飛︰以後我便不須先被推挽而更換位置。
現下我輕了，我飛起來；我看見我在我自己的上面。一個上帝在我身上跳舞。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
山上的樹
查拉圖斯特拉發現一個少年總是迴避他。某晚，他往彩牛城邊的高山上去散步，嚇，他看見這少年靠著樹坐著，疲乏的目光望著深谷。查拉圖斯特拉抱著這少年倚坐的那棵樹說︰
“如果我想用手去搖撼這棵樹，我不能夠。
但是，我們不能看見的風，卻隨意地搖撼它彎屈它。同樣地，我們也被不能看見的手所彎屈所搖撼。”
這少年突然地立起，他說︰“我聽到查拉圖斯特拉說話了，我正想著他﹗”查拉圖斯特拉答︰
“你為什麼驚怕呢？──人與樹是一樣的。
他越想向光明的高處生長，他的根便越深深地伸入土裡，黑暗的深處去，──伸入惡裡去。”
“是的，伸入惡裡去﹗”少年喊叫起來。“你如何能夠發現我的靈魂呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉微笑地說︰“許多靈魂，除非先被製造了，是永不會被發現的。”
“是的，伸入惡裡去﹗”這少年又喊叫起來。
“你說的全是真理，查拉圖斯特拉。自從我想升往高處去，我對自己便無信心，也無人信任我；──這是何故呢？輕蔑那想升高的人。他到底想在高處做什麼呢？
我如何地自慚于我的升高與我的碰跌呵﹗我如何地譏訕我的急喘呵﹗我如何地恨那飛著的呵﹗當我在高處我是如何地疲倦呵﹗”
于是少年沈默下來。查拉圖斯特拉看著他倆旁邊那棵樹如是說︰
“這樹獨自在山上高碩起來；它在人與獸之上成長著。
如果它想說話，任何人不能了解它，它長得太高了。
于是它等候著，等候著──等候什麼呢？它住得太靠近雲座了︰它或許等候雷火第一擊罷？”
查拉圖斯特拉說完以後，這少年作激烈的手勢叫道︰“是的，查拉圖斯特拉，你說的全是真理。我之想達到高處，只是渴求我自己的沒落，而你便是我等候的雷火之一擊﹗你看我罷，自從你來到這裡以後，我成了什麼？這是對于你的妒忌殺了我﹗”──少年如是說，而痛哭起來。查拉圖斯特拉用臂挽住他的腰，把他牽走。
他倆並肩地走了幾分鐘，查拉圖斯特拉又如是說︰
“我心痛極了。你的目光訴說著你所冒的危險比你的語言還清楚些。
你還是不自由的；你仍找尋著自由。你的找尋使你如夢遊者似地清醒。
你想往自由的高處去，你的靈魂渴求著星球。但是你的惡劣的本能也熱望著自由。
你的野犬也想解放自己；當你的精神嘗試開獄門時，它們在地窖裡歡叫著。
在我看來，你還是一個幻想著自由的已決犯︰唉﹗這種已決犯之靈魂，變成機智的，同時變成狡獪的惡劣的。
精神自由了的人，還得淨化自己。在他心裡還有許多禁錮和泥垢；你的眼睛也得變成純潔的。
是的，我知道你的危險。但是憑著我的愛與希望，我請求你︰莫拋棄你的愛與你的希望罷﹗
你還覺得你自己高貴，便是恨你，用惡意的目光看你的人，也認為你高貴。你得知道︰無論何人總把一個高貴的人當成一個阻礙物。
高貴的人也是善良者之阻礙物︰雖然善良者也稱他善良，那只是把他丟放在旁邊。
高貴的人想創造新事物與新道德。善良的人們卻需要舊事物，保存舊事物。
高貴的人之危險，不是他會變成善良者，而是他會變成無恥者，譏訕者，破壞者。
唉﹗我曾知道許多高貴的人，失去了他們最高的希望。于是他們毀謗一切高貴的希望。
于是他們無恥地生活于短促的快樂上，他們沒有隔夜的計畫。
‘精神也是一種淫樂。’──他們如是說。于是他們的精神自折斷了翼︰他們現下爬著，弄髒一切他們咬吃之物。
從前他們想成英雄；現下他們僅是享樂者。英雄這理念使他們痛苦懼怕。
但是憑著我的愛與希望，我請求你︰莫拋棄你靈魂裡的英雄罷﹗神聖化你最高的希望罷﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
一切寫作之物，我只喜愛作者用自己的心血寫成的。用你的心血寫作罷︰你將知道心血便是精神。
別人的心血是不易了解的︰我恨一切以誦讀為消遣的人。
深知讀者的人，不會再給讀者寫作。這樣的讀者再有一世紀，──精神也會腐臭了。
讓每個人都有讀書的權利，不僅最後會損害了寫作，連思想也會被損害的。
從前精神便是上帝，接著變成了人，現下他變成了群眾。
誰用心血寫作格言，他是不願被人們誦讀的，而是給人們默記的。
從這個峰巔到那個峰巔是兩山間最短的距離；但是你必須有長腿，才能取道于此。格言應當是山之峰巔；而聽受這些格言的人，應當是偉大高強的。
輕快而純潔的空氣，隨時可有的危險，精神裡充滿著快樂的惡︰這一切都互相調和。
我願意魔鬼圍繞著我，因為我是勇敢的。勇敢驅逐鬼魅而自製許多魔鬼，──勇敢需要笑。
我的感覺不再和你們的相同︰我笑我下面那塊雲的烏黑與笨重，──只是那卻是你們的激起風暴的暗雲。
你們希望高舉時，你們仰望著。我卻俯視著，因為我在高處。
你們中間誰能又笑又在高處呢？
站在最高山上的人，笑看著戲台上生命裡的一切真假悲劇。
罔顧忌的，輕蔑的，炎威的，──智慧教我們如是︰智慧是一個婦人，只愛一個戰士。
你們向我說︰“生命是難于忍受的。”那么，你們為什麼晨倨而夜恭呢？
生命是難于忍受的︰那么，不要做那荏弱的樣子罷﹗我們都是載著重負的雄驢，牝驢。
我們和那在一顆露珠的重壓之下而顫栗著的玫瑰苞兒，有什麼同點呢？
這是不錯的︰我們之愛生命，並不是因為我們慣于生命，而是貫于愛。
愛裡總有瘋狂的成分。但是同樣的瘋狂裡總有理智的成分。
在我這愛生命者看來，我覺得蝴蝶，肥皂泡和一切在人間的與它們相似之物，最了解幸福。
當查拉圖斯特拉看見這些輕狂、美麗而好動的小靈魂，他便要流淚而歌唱起來。
我只能信仰一個會跳舞的上帝。
當我看見我的惡魔，我覺得他安詳，精細，深沉而像煞有介事的；這是嚴重的精神︰─ ─萬物都因它倒下。 我們殺人不用憤怒，而用笑。前進，讓我們殺了這嚴重的精神罷﹗ 我學會了走路︰以後我便讓自己跑起來。我學會了飛︰以後我便不須先被推挽而更換位置。
現下我輕了，我飛起來；我看見我在我自己的上面。一個上帝在我身上跳舞。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
山上的樹
查拉圖斯特拉發現一個少年總是迴避他。某晚，他往彩牛城邊的高山上去散步，嚇，他看見這少年靠著樹坐著，疲乏的目光望著深谷。查拉圖斯特拉抱著這少年倚坐的那棵樹說︰
“如果我想用手去搖撼這棵樹，我不能夠。
但是，我們不能看見的風，卻隨意地搖撼它彎屈它。同樣地，我們也被不能看見的手所彎屈所搖撼。”
這少年突然地立起，他說︰“我聽到查拉圖斯特拉說話了，我正想著他﹗”查拉圖斯特拉答︰
“你為什麼驚怕呢？──人與樹是一樣的。
他越想向光明的高處生長，他的根便越深深地伸入土裡，黑暗的深處去，──伸入惡裡去。”
“是的，伸入惡裡去﹗”少年喊叫起來。“你如何能夠發現我的靈魂呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉微笑地說︰“許多靈魂，除非先被製造了，是永不會被發現的。”
“是的，伸入惡裡去﹗”這少年又喊叫起來。
“你說的全是真理，查拉圖斯特拉。自從我想升往高處去，我對自己便無信心，也無人信任我；──這是何故呢？輕蔑那想升高的人。他到底想在高處做什麼呢？
我如何地自慚于我的升高與我的碰跌呵﹗我如何地譏訕我的急喘呵﹗我如何地恨那飛著的呵﹗當我在高處我是如何地疲倦呵﹗”
于是少年沈默下來。查拉圖斯特拉看著他倆旁邊那棵樹如是說︰
“這樹獨自在山上高碩起來；它在人與獸之上成長著。
如果它想說話，任何人不能了解它，它長得太高了。
于是它等候著，等候著──等候什麼呢？它住得太靠近雲座了︰它或許等候雷火第一擊罷？”
查拉圖斯特拉說完以後，這少年作激烈的手勢叫道︰“是的，查拉圖斯特拉，你說的全是真理。我之想達到高處，只是渴求我自己的沒落，而你便是我等候的雷火之一擊﹗你看我罷，自從你來到這裡以後，我成了什麼？這是對于你的妒忌殺了我﹗”──少年如是說，而痛哭起來。查拉圖斯特拉用臂挽住他的腰，把他牽走。
他倆並肩地走了幾分鐘，查拉圖斯特拉又如是說︰
“我心痛極了。你的目光訴說著你所冒的危險比你的語言還清楚些。
你還是不自由的；你仍找尋著自由。你的找尋使你如夢遊者似地清醒。
你想往自由的高處去，你的靈魂渴求著星球。但是你的惡劣的本能也熱望著自由。
你的野犬也想解放自己；當你的精神嘗試開獄門時，它們在地窖裡歡叫著。
在我看來，你還是一個幻想著自由的已決犯︰唉﹗這種已決犯之靈魂，變成機智的，同時變成狡獪的惡劣的。
精神自由了的人，還得淨化自己。在他心裡還有許多禁錮和泥垢；你的眼睛也得變成純潔的。
是的，我知道你的危險。但是憑著我的愛與希望，我請求你︰莫拋棄你的愛與你的希望罷﹗
你還覺得你自己高貴，便是恨你，用惡意的目光看你的人，也認為你高貴。你得知道︰無論何人總把一個高貴的人當成一個阻礙物。
高貴的人也是善良者之阻礙物︰雖然善良者也稱他善良，那只是把他丟放在旁邊。
高貴的人想創造新事物與新道德。善良的人們卻需要舊事物，保存舊事物。
高貴的人之危險，不是他會變成善良者，而是他會變成無恥者，譏訕者，破壞者。
唉﹗我曾知道許多高貴的人，失去了他們最高的希望。于是他們毀謗一切高貴的希望。
于是他們無恥地生活于短促的快樂上，他們沒有隔夜的計畫。
‘精神也是一種淫樂。’──他們如是說。于是他們的精神自折斷了翼︰他們現下爬著，弄髒一切他們咬吃之物。
從前他們想成英雄；現下他們僅是享樂者。英雄這理念使他們痛苦懼怕。
但是憑著我的愛與希望，我請求你︰莫拋棄你靈魂裡的英雄罷﹗神聖化你最高的希望罷﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
2010-04-11
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第二部
肉體的輕蔑者
我有幾句話，要說給肉體的輕蔑者知道。我並不要他們變換什麼學與教的方法，我只要他們向他們自己的肉體告別，──而成為啞巴。
“我是肉體與靈魂。”──小孩如是說。為什麼他們不也作如是觀呢？
但是，醒悟者自覺者卻說︰“我整個地是肉體，而不是其他什麼；靈魂是肉體某一部分的名稱。”
肉體是一個大理智，一個單一意義的複體，同時是戰爭與和平，羊群與牧者。
我的兄弟，你的小理智──被你稱為“精神”的，是你的肉體的工具，你的大理智的小工具與小玩物。
你常說著“我”而以這個字自豪，但是更偉大的──而你不願相信──是你的肉體和它的大理智︰它不言“我”，而實行“我”。
一切五官所感受的，精神所認知的，本身都沒有目的。但是，感覺與精神想使你相信它們是成物之目的︰它們是如此虛榮的。
感覺與精神不過是工具與玩物︰它們的后面，“自己”存在著。“自己”也使用感覺的眼睛與精神的耳朵。
“自己”常常諦聽而尋找著︰它較量著克服著而破壞著。 它統治著。也是“我”的主人。
我的兄弟，在你思想與感情之后，立著一個強大的主宰，未被認識的哲人，──那就是 “自己”，它住在你的肉體裡，它即是你的肉體。
你肉體裡的理智多于你的最高智慧中的理智。誰知道到底為什麼你的肉體需要你的最高智慧呢？
你的“自己”笑著你的“我”與它的驕傲的跳躍。誰知道到底為什麼你的肉體需要你的最高智慧呢？
你的“自己”笑著你的“我”與它的驕傲的跳躍。“這些思想的跳躍與飛馳對于我是什么呢？”“自己”自語道。“都只是達到我的目的的旁徑罷了。我是‘我’的極限，也是 ‘我’的一切理念的提示者。”
“自己”向“我”說︰“品嘗一點痛苦罷﹗”于是“我”便痛苦起來，而想如何免除痛苦。──它必為這個目的而思考。
“自己”向“我”說︰“品嘗一點快樂罷。”于是“我”便快樂起來，而想如何常享快樂。──它必為這個目的而思考。
我想向肉體的輕蔑者說幾句話。讓他們輕蔑肉體罷﹗這正是他們對于肉體的尊敬。誰創造了尊敬與輕蔑，價值與意志呢？
這創造性的“自己”，為自己創造了尊敬與輕蔑，歡樂與痛苦。創造性的肉體為自己創造了精神，作為它的意志之手。
你們這些肉體的輕蔑者，便在你們的瘋狂與輕蔑中，你們也是為你們的“自己”服務。我告訴你們︰你們的“自己”願意毀滅而逃避生命。
它已不能做它所最愿做的事︰──創造高于自己之物。
這才是它最強烈最熱誠的希望。
但是，現下已是過遲︰──所以你們這些肉體的輕蔑者呵，你們的“自己”願意毀滅。 因為你們的“自己”願意毀滅，所以你們成為肉體的輕蔑者﹗你們不能創造高出于你們之物。
你們怨恨生命與大地，但是一種不自覺的妒忌，顯露在你們邪射的輕蔑的目光裡。
肉體的輕蔑者，我不會蹈你們的覆轍﹗你們決不是我的達到超人的橋樑﹗──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
快樂與熱情
我的兄弟，如果你有一種道德，而它是你的特有的道德時，你切不可和其他任何人共有著它。
自然，你想賜予它一個佳名，而撫愛它；你想提提它的耳朵，和它遊戲。
但是，看罷﹗一旦它取得了你給它的名字，而群眾都共有著它的時候，那么，你會因這道德而成為群眾與常人之一﹗
你毋寧應該說︰“這使我靈魂又愁又甜的東西，是不可言喻的；這使我內心飢餓的是無名的。”
使你的道德高貴得不容許親昵的稱謂罷︰如果你須讀到它，你不必害羞，你無妨期期艾艾地說。
你可以吃吃地說︰“這是我所珍愛的善，它極使我喜悅，我所需要的善正是如此。我需要它，不是因為它是上帝的法律，或是人類的規條，或是人類的必需︰它絕不是導往另一世界或天堂的指南。
我愛它是地上的道德︰它的智慧不多，而理智更少。
但是這鳥兒在我旁邊建築了他的巢︰所以我溫柔地愛它──現下它在我家裡，孵著金卵。”
你應當這樣期期艾艾地談說與讚頌你的道德。
從前你有許多熱情，而你稱它們為惡。但是現下你只有你的道德，它們是從熱情裡誕生的。
你曾把你最高的目的放在這些熱情裡︰所以它們變成了你的道德與快樂。
你縱屬于多怒者的，肉欲者的，溺信者的，或睚眥必報者的族類︰
當你的一切熱情，終于會變成道德；你的一切魔鬼，終于變成天使。
從前你的地窖裡有許多野犬；但是現下它們變成了鳥兒與美好的歌唱者。
你用你的毒藥製出了你的止痛劑；你曾擠出痛苦之牛的乳汁，──現下你飲著這甜香的液體。
你身上不會再誕生惡，除非是多種道德之爭斗，所產生的惡。
我的兄弟，你如果是幸運的，你只須有一種道德，而不多于一種罷︰這樣，你過橋更容易些。
能有多種道德是一件漂亮的事，但是那是一個較難忍受的命運；很多人，因為不堪作多種道德之戰場，跑到沙漠裡去自殺。
我的兄弟，戰爭是惡嗎？這是必要的惡；妒忌，毀謗與不信任，在你的多種道德中也是必要的。
看罷﹗什麼是每種道德所最貪求的事呢︰它要你整個的精神做他的先驅，它需要你在愛憎與怒裡的全部力量。
道德互相妒忌，而妒忌是可怕的。多種道德都可以因妒忌而死滅。
為妒忌之火焰所包圍的人，像蠍一樣，終於以毒針轉向自己。
唉，我的兄弟，你從不曾看見一個道德之自謗與自殺嗎？
人類是應當被超越的︰所以你應當珍愛你的道德︰
──因為你可以因它而死滅。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
蒼白的罪犯
你們這些法官和祭司們，在犧牲沒俯首以前，你們當然不願意殺戮罷？看呵﹗這蒼白的罪犯俯首了︰他眼睛裡顯露著他的大輕蔑。
“我的‘我’是應當被超越的︰我的‘我’便是我對于人類的大輕蔑。”罪犯的眼睛如是說。
這是他的至高無上的時刻，他的自我審判的時刻。莫讓這高舉著的人再降到他的低下的地位去罷﹗
這樣因自己而痛苦的人，除了速死而外是無法得救的。
啊，法官啊，你們的殺人應當由於哀矜而不由於報復；你們殺人時還得留心替生命辯護。 你們僅與被你們殺死的人講和是不夠的。讓你們的悲哀成為對于超人的愛罷︰這樣，你們才合法化了你們自己的不死﹗
你們只當稱他是“仇敵”而不是“惡徒”；你們只當稱他是“病者”而不是“流氓”；你們只當稱他是“瘋子”而不是“罪孽者”。
你，赤色的法官，如果你把你思想過的事高聲說出來︰大家會如是叫道︰“除卻這穢物與毒液罷﹗”
但是思想與行為是截然不同的兩件事，行為的意象又是另一件相異的東西。因果之輪不在它們中間旋轉。
一個意象使這蒼白的人臉色灰敗。當他犯罪時，他很有犯罪的能耐︰可是完成以後，他反不能忍受這犯罪意象了。
他永遠把自己當成獨一行為的完成者。我稱這個為瘋狂︰
在他身上特例變成了原則。
一條粉線可以使雞兒迷惑；這罪犯的一擊，迷惑了他可憐的理智──我稱這個為事后的瘋狂。
聽罷，法官啊﹗另外還有一種瘋狂︰而那是事前的。唉﹗
你們還不曾深深地透視這個靈魂呢﹗
赤色的法官如是說︰“為什麼這罪犯殺了人呢？他想搶掠。”但是，我告訴你們，他的靈魂需要血，而全不是想搶掠︰
他渴求著刀之祝福。
但是他可憐的理智，不了解這種瘋狂，而決定了他的行為。“血又有何價值呢？”他說；“你不趁著機會至少搶掠一下嗎？報復一下嗎？”
他聽信了他可憐的理智︰他的語句如鉛似地懸在他身上；──于是他殺人時，也搶掠了。他不願因自己的瘋狂而懷羞。
現下他的過失之鉛又重壓在他身上，他的可憐的理智又如此地麻木，癱瘓而沉重。
他只要能搖搖頭，他的重負便會滾下來，但是誰搖這個頭呢？
這個人是什麼？他是疾病的集團；這些疾病憑藉他的精神在世界上伸長著︰它們想在那裡尋找贓物。
這個人是什麼？是一串互扭著的從不和睦的野蛇，──所以它們四出在世界上找尋贓物。
看這個可憐的軀殼吧﹗它的許多痛苦與希望，它可憐的靈魂嘗試去了解它們。它的靈魂以為那就是犯罪的快樂與焦急，想取得刀之祝福的。
現下，患病的人都被當今的惡所襲擊︰他想用致他于痛苦之物，也使別人痛苦。但從前曾有過別的時代，別的善惡。
從前，疑惑與個人的野心都是罪惡。那時候，病者變成異教徒與巫者︰他們如異教徒與巫者一樣，使自己痛苦，又使別人痛苦。
我知道你們不願聽從我︰你們以為這會對于你們中間的善良者有害，但是你們所謂善良者于我何有呢﹗
你們所謂善良者，有許多使我生厭之物；但那並不是他們的惡。我只愿他們會有一種瘋狂，使他們如這蒼白的罪犯似地死滅﹗ 真的，我愿他們的瘋狂便是真理、忠信、或正義；但是他們有他們的道德，那便是在可憐的自滿中求得長生。
“我是河邊的欄杆；誰能扶我的，便扶我罷﹗我不是你們的拐杖。──” 查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
我有幾句話，要說給肉體的輕蔑者知道。我並不要他們變換什麼學與教的方法，我只要他們向他們自己的肉體告別，──而成為啞巴。
“我是肉體與靈魂。”──小孩如是說。為什麼他們不也作如是觀呢？
但是，醒悟者自覺者卻說︰“我整個地是肉體，而不是其他什麼；靈魂是肉體某一部分的名稱。”
肉體是一個大理智，一個單一意義的複體，同時是戰爭與和平，羊群與牧者。
我的兄弟，你的小理智──被你稱為“精神”的，是你的肉體的工具，你的大理智的小工具與小玩物。
你常說著“我”而以這個字自豪，但是更偉大的──而你不願相信──是你的肉體和它的大理智︰它不言“我”，而實行“我”。
一切五官所感受的，精神所認知的，本身都沒有目的。但是，感覺與精神想使你相信它們是成物之目的︰它們是如此虛榮的。
感覺與精神不過是工具與玩物︰它們的后面，“自己”存在著。“自己”也使用感覺的眼睛與精神的耳朵。
“自己”常常諦聽而尋找著︰它較量著克服著而破壞著。 它統治著。也是“我”的主人。
我的兄弟，在你思想與感情之后，立著一個強大的主宰，未被認識的哲人，──那就是 “自己”，它住在你的肉體裡，它即是你的肉體。
你肉體裡的理智多于你的最高智慧中的理智。誰知道到底為什麼你的肉體需要你的最高智慧呢？
你的“自己”笑著你的“我”與它的驕傲的跳躍。誰知道到底為什麼你的肉體需要你的最高智慧呢？
你的“自己”笑著你的“我”與它的驕傲的跳躍。“這些思想的跳躍與飛馳對于我是什么呢？”“自己”自語道。“都只是達到我的目的的旁徑罷了。我是‘我’的極限，也是 ‘我’的一切理念的提示者。”
“自己”向“我”說︰“品嘗一點痛苦罷﹗”于是“我”便痛苦起來，而想如何免除痛苦。──它必為這個目的而思考。
“自己”向“我”說︰“品嘗一點快樂罷。”于是“我”便快樂起來，而想如何常享快樂。──它必為這個目的而思考。
我想向肉體的輕蔑者說幾句話。讓他們輕蔑肉體罷﹗這正是他們對于肉體的尊敬。誰創造了尊敬與輕蔑，價值與意志呢？
這創造性的“自己”，為自己創造了尊敬與輕蔑，歡樂與痛苦。創造性的肉體為自己創造了精神，作為它的意志之手。
你們這些肉體的輕蔑者，便在你們的瘋狂與輕蔑中，你們也是為你們的“自己”服務。我告訴你們︰你們的“自己”願意毀滅而逃避生命。
它已不能做它所最愿做的事︰──創造高于自己之物。
這才是它最強烈最熱誠的希望。
但是，現下已是過遲︰──所以你們這些肉體的輕蔑者呵，你們的“自己”願意毀滅。 因為你們的“自己”願意毀滅，所以你們成為肉體的輕蔑者﹗你們不能創造高出于你們之物。
你們怨恨生命與大地，但是一種不自覺的妒忌，顯露在你們邪射的輕蔑的目光裡。
肉體的輕蔑者，我不會蹈你們的覆轍﹗你們決不是我的達到超人的橋樑﹗──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
快樂與熱情
我的兄弟，如果你有一種道德，而它是你的特有的道德時，你切不可和其他任何人共有著它。
自然，你想賜予它一個佳名，而撫愛它；你想提提它的耳朵，和它遊戲。
但是，看罷﹗一旦它取得了你給它的名字，而群眾都共有著它的時候，那么，你會因這道德而成為群眾與常人之一﹗
你毋寧應該說︰“這使我靈魂又愁又甜的東西，是不可言喻的；這使我內心飢餓的是無名的。”
使你的道德高貴得不容許親昵的稱謂罷︰如果你須讀到它，你不必害羞，你無妨期期艾艾地說。
你可以吃吃地說︰“這是我所珍愛的善，它極使我喜悅，我所需要的善正是如此。我需要它，不是因為它是上帝的法律，或是人類的規條，或是人類的必需︰它絕不是導往另一世界或天堂的指南。
我愛它是地上的道德︰它的智慧不多，而理智更少。
但是這鳥兒在我旁邊建築了他的巢︰所以我溫柔地愛它──現下它在我家裡，孵著金卵。”
你應當這樣期期艾艾地談說與讚頌你的道德。
從前你有許多熱情，而你稱它們為惡。但是現下你只有你的道德，它們是從熱情裡誕生的。
你曾把你最高的目的放在這些熱情裡︰所以它們變成了你的道德與快樂。
你縱屬于多怒者的，肉欲者的，溺信者的，或睚眥必報者的族類︰
當你的一切熱情，終于會變成道德；你的一切魔鬼，終于變成天使。
從前你的地窖裡有許多野犬；但是現下它們變成了鳥兒與美好的歌唱者。
你用你的毒藥製出了你的止痛劑；你曾擠出痛苦之牛的乳汁，──現下你飲著這甜香的液體。
你身上不會再誕生惡，除非是多種道德之爭斗，所產生的惡。
我的兄弟，你如果是幸運的，你只須有一種道德，而不多于一種罷︰這樣，你過橋更容易些。
能有多種道德是一件漂亮的事，但是那是一個較難忍受的命運；很多人，因為不堪作多種道德之戰場，跑到沙漠裡去自殺。
我的兄弟，戰爭是惡嗎？這是必要的惡；妒忌，毀謗與不信任，在你的多種道德中也是必要的。
看罷﹗什麼是每種道德所最貪求的事呢︰它要你整個的精神做他的先驅，它需要你在愛憎與怒裡的全部力量。
道德互相妒忌，而妒忌是可怕的。多種道德都可以因妒忌而死滅。
為妒忌之火焰所包圍的人，像蠍一樣，終於以毒針轉向自己。
唉，我的兄弟，你從不曾看見一個道德之自謗與自殺嗎？
人類是應當被超越的︰所以你應當珍愛你的道德︰
──因為你可以因它而死滅。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
蒼白的罪犯
你們這些法官和祭司們，在犧牲沒俯首以前，你們當然不願意殺戮罷？看呵﹗這蒼白的罪犯俯首了︰他眼睛裡顯露著他的大輕蔑。
“我的‘我’是應當被超越的︰我的‘我’便是我對于人類的大輕蔑。”罪犯的眼睛如是說。
這是他的至高無上的時刻，他的自我審判的時刻。莫讓這高舉著的人再降到他的低下的地位去罷﹗
這樣因自己而痛苦的人，除了速死而外是無法得救的。
啊，法官啊，你們的殺人應當由於哀矜而不由於報復；你們殺人時還得留心替生命辯護。 你們僅與被你們殺死的人講和是不夠的。讓你們的悲哀成為對于超人的愛罷︰這樣，你們才合法化了你們自己的不死﹗
你們只當稱他是“仇敵”而不是“惡徒”；你們只當稱他是“病者”而不是“流氓”；你們只當稱他是“瘋子”而不是“罪孽者”。
你，赤色的法官，如果你把你思想過的事高聲說出來︰大家會如是叫道︰“除卻這穢物與毒液罷﹗”
但是思想與行為是截然不同的兩件事，行為的意象又是另一件相異的東西。因果之輪不在它們中間旋轉。
一個意象使這蒼白的人臉色灰敗。當他犯罪時，他很有犯罪的能耐︰可是完成以後，他反不能忍受這犯罪意象了。
他永遠把自己當成獨一行為的完成者。我稱這個為瘋狂︰
在他身上特例變成了原則。
一條粉線可以使雞兒迷惑；這罪犯的一擊，迷惑了他可憐的理智──我稱這個為事后的瘋狂。
聽罷，法官啊﹗另外還有一種瘋狂︰而那是事前的。唉﹗
你們還不曾深深地透視這個靈魂呢﹗
赤色的法官如是說︰“為什麼這罪犯殺了人呢？他想搶掠。”但是，我告訴你們，他的靈魂需要血，而全不是想搶掠︰
他渴求著刀之祝福。
但是他可憐的理智，不了解這種瘋狂，而決定了他的行為。“血又有何價值呢？”他說；“你不趁著機會至少搶掠一下嗎？報復一下嗎？”
他聽信了他可憐的理智︰他的語句如鉛似地懸在他身上；──于是他殺人時，也搶掠了。他不願因自己的瘋狂而懷羞。
現下他的過失之鉛又重壓在他身上，他的可憐的理智又如此地麻木，癱瘓而沉重。
他只要能搖搖頭，他的重負便會滾下來，但是誰搖這個頭呢？
這個人是什麼？他是疾病的集團；這些疾病憑藉他的精神在世界上伸長著︰它們想在那裡尋找贓物。
這個人是什麼？是一串互扭著的從不和睦的野蛇，──所以它們四出在世界上找尋贓物。
看這個可憐的軀殼吧﹗它的許多痛苦與希望，它可憐的靈魂嘗試去了解它們。它的靈魂以為那就是犯罪的快樂與焦急，想取得刀之祝福的。
現下，患病的人都被當今的惡所襲擊︰他想用致他于痛苦之物，也使別人痛苦。但從前曾有過別的時代，別的善惡。
從前，疑惑與個人的野心都是罪惡。那時候，病者變成異教徒與巫者︰他們如異教徒與巫者一樣，使自己痛苦，又使別人痛苦。
我知道你們不願聽從我︰你們以為這會對于你們中間的善良者有害，但是你們所謂善良者于我何有呢﹗
你們所謂善良者，有許多使我生厭之物；但那並不是他們的惡。我只愿他們會有一種瘋狂，使他們如這蒼白的罪犯似地死滅﹗ 真的，我愿他們的瘋狂便是真理、忠信、或正義；但是他們有他們的道德，那便是在可憐的自滿中求得長生。
“我是河邊的欄杆；誰能扶我的，便扶我罷﹗我不是你們的拐杖。──” 查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
2010-04-10
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 十
十
查拉圖斯特拉向自己的心說完這些話的時候，太陽已經正午了。忽然他向上投擲詰問的一瞥，因為他聽到天空中有尖銳的鳥叫。看呵﹗一個鷹浮在天空中畫大圈兒，懸掛著一條蛇，不像一個俘獲而像一個朋友︰因為這蛇繞在它的頸上。
“這是我的鷹與蛇了﹗”查拉圖斯特拉說，而滿心歡喜起來。
“太陽下最高傲的動物呵，太陽下最聰明的動物呵，──
它們為偵察而來的。
它們想知道查拉圖斯特拉是否還生存著。真的，我現下算是生存著嗎？
在人群裡，我遇到的危險比獸群裡還多些；查拉圖斯特拉走著危險的路途。讓我的鷹與蛇指點我罷﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了，記起森林裡聖哲的勸告。于是他嘆息著向自己的心說︰
“我希望我更聰明些﹗讓我從心的深處再聰明些，像蛇一樣罷﹗
但是這是不可能的。所以我禱求我的高傲陪伴我的智慧﹗
如果將來智慧竟舍棄了我︰──唉﹗它是喜歡逃遁
的﹗──至少我的高傲還可以和我的瘋狂繼續同飛罷﹗”──
──查拉圖斯特拉之下山如是開始。
三種變形
我告訴你們精神的三種變形︰精神如何變成駱駝，駱駝如何變成獅子，最後獅子如何變成小孩。
許多重負是給精神，給強壯忍耐而中心崇敬的精神擔載的︰精神之大力要求重的和最重的負擔。
“什麼是重的？”能擔載的精神如是問；它便駱駝似地跪下，承取一個真正的重負。
“英雄們，什麼最重的？”能擔載的精神如是問，“說罷﹗
讓我載著，讓我的大力暢快暢快罷。”
自卑以損傷高傲；顯露瘋狂以譏訕智慧︰這個是不是呢？
正當自己的主張慶祝勝利時，而拋棄了這主張；爬上高山去挑撥誘惑者︰或是這個罷？
以知識之果與草自養，為著真理而使靈魂受餓︰或是這罷？
患病而拒絕安慰者，交給永不會了解你的願望之聾聵︰或是這個罷？
只要那是真理之水，罔顧污穢地躍入，而不嫌惡冰冷的和發熱的蛙︰或是這個罷？
親善我們的輕蔑者，伸手給想使我們驚怕的妖怪︰或是這個罷？
這一切重負，勇敢的精神都擔載在身上，忙著向它的沙漠去，象負重的駱駝忙著向沙漠去一樣。
但是，在最寂寥的沙漠中，完成了第二變形︰在這裡，精神變成獅子；他想征服自由而主宰他自己的沙漠。
在這裡，他尋找他最後的主人︰他要成為這主人這最後的上帝之仇敵；他要與巨龍爭勝。 誰是那精神不願稱為主人與上帝的巨龍呢？“你應”是它的名字。但是獅子之精神說， “我要。”
“你應”躺在路上，偵候著獅子之精神；它是一個放射著金光的甲獸，每個鱗上有“你應”的金字﹗
千年來的價值在這些鱗上放光。這最有權力的龍如是說︰
“萬物之一切價值──它們在我身上閃耀。
一切價值都已創造。而一切已創造的價值──那就是我，真的，‘我要’是不應存在的。”這龍如是說。
兄弟們，精神之獅子用處何在呢？那謙讓崇敬而能擔載的駱駝不已夠了嗎？
創造新的價值，──獅子亦不足為此︰但是為著新的創造而取得自由，──這正需要獅子的力量。
創造自由和一個神聖的否定以對抗義務︰兄弟們，這是獅子的工作。
取得創造新價值的權利，──這是崇敬而能擔載的精神最可怕的征服。真的，這于它是一個掠奪與一個兇惡的食肉猛獸的行為。
從前它曾愛“你應”為最神聖之物︰現下它不得不在最神聖之物裡，找到幻謬與炎威，使它可以犧牲愛以掠奪自由︰
為著這種掠奪，我們需要獅子。
但是，兄弟們，請說，獅子所不能做的事，小孩又有何用處呢？為什麼掠奪的獅子要變成小孩呢？
小孩是天真與遺忘，一個新的開始，一個遊戲，一個自轉的輪，一個原始的動作，一個神聖的肯定。
是的。為著創造之戲，兄弟們，一個神聖的肯定是必要的︰精神現下有了他自己的意志；世界之逐客又取得他自己的世界。
我向你們說明了精神之三種變形︰精神如何變成駱駝，變成獅子，最後變成小孩。── 查拉圖斯特拉如是說。這時候，他住在被稱為彩牛的城裡。
道德的講座
人們向查拉圖斯特拉夸說一個智者，他善于談說睡眠與道德︰因此他獲得崇敬與讚頌，許多少年來到他的講座前受教。查拉圖斯特拉也來到智者這裡，和少年坐在他的講座前，于是這智者如是說︰
“尊尚睡眠而羞澀地對待它罷﹗這是第一件重要的事﹗迴避那些不能安睡而夜間醒著的人們﹗
竊賊在睡眠之前也是羞澀的︰他的腳步總是悄悄地在夜裡偷過。守夜者是不遜的；同時不遜地拿著他的號角。
睡眠絕不是一種容易的藝術︰必須有整個晝間的清醒，才有夜間的熟眠。
每日你必得克製你自己十次︰這引起健全的疲倦，這是靈魂的麻醉劑。
每日你必得舒散你自己十次；因為克製自己是痛苦的，不舒散自己的人就不能安睡。
每天你必得發現十條真理；否則你會在夜間尋求真理，你的靈魂會是飢餓的。
每天你必得開懷大笑十次；否則胃，這個苦惱之父，會在夜間擾亂你。
很少人知道這個︰但是一個人為著要有熟眠，須有一切的道德。我會犯偽證罪嗎？我將犯奸嗎？
我會貪想我鄰人的使婢嗎？這一切都與安眠不甚調和的。
縱令你有了一切道德，你還得知道一件事︰合時宜地遣道德去睡眠。
你須使它們不致互相爭執，那些小愛寵﹗不為著你爭執，你這不幸者﹗
服從上帝，親睦鄰人︰安睡的條件如此。同時也與鄰人的魔鬼和協﹗否則它會在夜間來追附你。
敬重統治者而信服他們，便是跛足的統治者，也得這樣﹗安睡的條件如此。權力高興用跛足走路，我有什麼辦法想嗎？
凡是牽引羊群往最綠的草地去的，我總認為是最好的牧者︰這樣，才與安眠調和。 我不要許多榮譽或大財富，這是自討煩惱。但是沒有美譽與小財富的人是不能安睡的。 我寧願選擇一個窄狹的友群，而不要一個惡劣的；但是他們必得按時來而按時去。這樣，才與安睡調和。
我對于痴子也感受很大的興趣︰他們促進睡眠。當人們承認他們有理由的時候，他們是很快樂的。
這樣，有德者的晝間便過去了。當夜間來到時，我切不召喚睡眠。睡眠這一切道德的主人，是不願被召喚的﹗
但是我反省著日間所做所想的事。我反芻著，我忍耐如牛地自問你的十次自克是什麼？十次舒散，十條真理與十次使我開心的大笑是什麼？
我反省著，在這四十人思念的搖籃裡搖蕩著。忽然睡眠這道德的主人，這不奉召者，竟抓著了我。
睡眠輕輕敲著我的眼睛，我的眼睛就沉重起來。睡眠接觸著我的口，我的口就張大著。 真的，它用輕悄的腳步，溜到我身上來，這最親愛的偷兒，它偷去了我的思慮︰我痴笨地站著，如這書案一樣。
但是我站不多時，就已經倒下去了。”──
查拉圖斯特拉聽完了智者這些話，他心裡暗笑起來︰一線光明在他心裡破曉。他向自己的心如是說︰
“這智者的四十個思念，頗有些傻勁︰但是我相信他是善于睡眠的。
誰是住在這智者旁邊的是有福祉的﹗這種睡眠是傳染的，雖隔著一層濃牆，也會傳染。
他的講座放射出一種魔力。這些少年們來聽這道德的說教者，不是白費時間的。
他的智慧告訴我們︰為著夜間的安睡，必須有晝間的清醒。真的，如果生命原無意義，而我不得不選擇一個謬論時，那么，我覺得這是一個最值得選擇的謬論了。
現下我知道從前人們找尋道德的教師時，人們所追求的是什麼了。人們所追求的，是安睡與麻醉性的道德。
一切被稱頌的講座智者之智慧，只是無夢的安眠︰他們不知道生命還有其他的更妙的意義。
這種道德的說教者，現下還存在幾個；但那幾個都不如眼前這個誠實︰不過他們的時候已經過去了。他們站不多時，就已經倒去下了。
這些昏昏欲睡的人們被祝福；因他們立刻熟睡了。”──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
遁世者
從前，查拉圖斯特拉也曾如遁世者一樣，把他的幻想拋擲到人類以外去。那時候我覺得世界是一個受苦受難的上帝之作品。
那時候我覺得世界是一個上帝之幻夢與奇想；一個神聖的不自足者放在眼睛前的彩色的煙霧。
善惡，苦樂與我你，──我覺得都是創造者眼睛前的彩色的煙霧。創造者不願再看見自己，──于是他創造了世界。
受苦的人能夠不看見自己的痛楚而忘卻了自己，這于他是一種陶醉的快樂。從前，世界對于我也曾是陶醉的快樂與自我的遺忘。
這世界，這永不完美的、一個永恆的矛盾的略似的形象──它的不完全的創造者的一種陶醉的快樂；──從前我曾覺得世界是這樣。
所以我也曾如遁世者一樣，把我的幻想拋擲到人類以外去。但是真正拋擲到人類以外去了嗎？
唉，兄弟們，我創造的這個上帝，如其他神們一樣，是人類的作品與人造的瘋狂﹗
他也是人，而且只是一個“人”與一個“我”的可憐的一部分罷了︰他是從我自己的灰與火焰裡走出來的幻影，真的﹗他不是從天外飛來的﹗
兄弟們，以後便如何呢？我克服了痛苦著的我；我把我自己的灰搬上山去；我給自己發明了一種更光明的火焰。看罷﹗那幻影便離我遠遁了﹗
現下，相信這樣的幻影，對于新愈者是痛苦與侮辱；對于我是惡運與羞屈。我向遁世者如是說。
痛苦與無能──它們製造了別的世界和這短期的福祉之狂，只有痛苦最深的人才能體驗到。
疲倦想以一躍，致命的一躍，達到最後的終結；可憐的無知的它，也不願再有意志︰于是它創造了神們與別的世界。
相信我，兄弟們﹗這是肉體對于肉體的失望，──它用迷路的精神之手指，沿著最後的牆壁摸索著。
相信我，兄弟們﹗這是肉體對于大地的失望，──它聽到存在之肚皮向它說話。
于是它把頭穿過最後的牆，伸出去，不僅是頭──它想整個地到“彼岸的世界”去。
但這“彼岸的世界”是無人性的非人性的，是一個無上的空虛；它深藏著，不給人類看見；存在的肚皮如果不是用人的身分，便不向人說話。
真的，證明存在，或使它發言，是很難的。但是，告訴我，兄弟們，你不覺得最奇特的事情，便是已經被證明最好的事情嗎？
是的，這個“我”，這個有創造性，有意志而給一切以衡量與價值的“我”，它的矛盾與混亂，便最忠誠肯定了它自己的存在。
這個“我”這最忠誠的存在，便是當它沈思時，狂熱時，或用斷翼低飛時，也談著肉體，還需要著肉體。
這個“我”時時學著忠誠地說話；它愈學，愈能找到讚頌肉體與大地的字句。 我的“我”教我一種新的高傲，而我又教給人們︰莫再把頭藏在天物之沙裡，自由地，戴著這地上的頭，這創造大地之意義的頭罷﹗
我教人類一個新的意志︰意識地遵循著人類無心地走過的路，肯定這條路是好的，而莫像病患與將死者一樣悄悄地離開了它﹗
病患與將死者蔑視肉體與大地，發明一些天物與贖罪之血點；但是，這甜而致死的毒藥，他們還是取自肉體與大地﹗
他們想從不幸中自救，而星球卻太遠了。于是他們嘆息著︰“不幸呵，為什麼沒有天路，使我們可以偷到另一生命裡和另一福祉裡呢﹗”──于是他們發明了一些詭計與血之小飲料﹗
他們自以為脫離了肉體與大地，這些忘恩的。誰給他們脫離時的痙攣與奇歡呢？還是他們的肉體與大地呢﹗
查拉圖斯特拉對于病患是寬濃的。真的，他不因為他們的自慰的模式，或他們的忘恩負義而惱怒。讓他們痊愈了，超越了自己，給自己一個高等的身體罷﹗
查拉圖斯特拉對于新愈者，也是寬濃的。他不因為他們留戀于失去的幻想，半夜起來巡禮他的上帝的墳墓而惱怒；我認為這些新愈者的眼淚，是一種疾與身體的一種病態溺于夢想而希求著上帝的人，很多是病態的；他們毒恨求知者與最幼的道德︰那便是誠實。
他們常常后顧已過去的黑暗時候︰自然，那時候的瘋狂與信仰，都是不同的。理智的昏亂便認為是上帝之道，疑惑便是罪惡。
我十釐清楚這些像上帝的人︰他們要別人相信他們，而疑惑便是罪惡。我也十分知道他們自己最相信的是什麼。
那真不是什麼另一世界或贖罪之血點︰他們最相信的是肉體；他們把自己的肉體視為絕對之物。
不過他們仍認為肉體是一個病物︰很願意脫去了這軀殼。
所以，他們傾聽死亡之說教者，而他們演說著另一世界。
兄弟們，傾聽著健康的肉體的呼聲罷︰那是一個較忠誠較純潔的呼聲。
健康，完善而方正的肉體，說話當然更忠誠些，更純潔些；而它談著大地的意義。──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
查拉圖斯特拉向自己的心說完這些話的時候，太陽已經正午了。忽然他向上投擲詰問的一瞥，因為他聽到天空中有尖銳的鳥叫。看呵﹗一個鷹浮在天空中畫大圈兒，懸掛著一條蛇，不像一個俘獲而像一個朋友︰因為這蛇繞在它的頸上。
“這是我的鷹與蛇了﹗”查拉圖斯特拉說，而滿心歡喜起來。
“太陽下最高傲的動物呵，太陽下最聰明的動物呵，──
它們為偵察而來的。
它們想知道查拉圖斯特拉是否還生存著。真的，我現下算是生存著嗎？
在人群裡，我遇到的危險比獸群裡還多些；查拉圖斯特拉走著危險的路途。讓我的鷹與蛇指點我罷﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了，記起森林裡聖哲的勸告。于是他嘆息著向自己的心說︰
“我希望我更聰明些﹗讓我從心的深處再聰明些，像蛇一樣罷﹗
但是這是不可能的。所以我禱求我的高傲陪伴我的智慧﹗
如果將來智慧竟舍棄了我︰──唉﹗它是喜歡逃遁
的﹗──至少我的高傲還可以和我的瘋狂繼續同飛罷﹗”──
──查拉圖斯特拉之下山如是開始。
三種變形
我告訴你們精神的三種變形︰精神如何變成駱駝，駱駝如何變成獅子，最後獅子如何變成小孩。
許多重負是給精神，給強壯忍耐而中心崇敬的精神擔載的︰精神之大力要求重的和最重的負擔。
“什麼是重的？”能擔載的精神如是問；它便駱駝似地跪下，承取一個真正的重負。
“英雄們，什麼最重的？”能擔載的精神如是問，“說罷﹗
讓我載著，讓我的大力暢快暢快罷。”
自卑以損傷高傲；顯露瘋狂以譏訕智慧︰這個是不是呢？
正當自己的主張慶祝勝利時，而拋棄了這主張；爬上高山去挑撥誘惑者︰或是這個罷？
以知識之果與草自養，為著真理而使靈魂受餓︰或是這罷？
患病而拒絕安慰者，交給永不會了解你的願望之聾聵︰或是這個罷？
只要那是真理之水，罔顧污穢地躍入，而不嫌惡冰冷的和發熱的蛙︰或是這個罷？
親善我們的輕蔑者，伸手給想使我們驚怕的妖怪︰或是這個罷？
這一切重負，勇敢的精神都擔載在身上，忙著向它的沙漠去，象負重的駱駝忙著向沙漠去一樣。
但是，在最寂寥的沙漠中，完成了第二變形︰在這裡，精神變成獅子；他想征服自由而主宰他自己的沙漠。
在這裡，他尋找他最後的主人︰他要成為這主人這最後的上帝之仇敵；他要與巨龍爭勝。 誰是那精神不願稱為主人與上帝的巨龍呢？“你應”是它的名字。但是獅子之精神說， “我要。”
“你應”躺在路上，偵候著獅子之精神；它是一個放射著金光的甲獸，每個鱗上有“你應”的金字﹗
千年來的價值在這些鱗上放光。這最有權力的龍如是說︰
“萬物之一切價值──它們在我身上閃耀。
一切價值都已創造。而一切已創造的價值──那就是我，真的，‘我要’是不應存在的。”這龍如是說。
兄弟們，精神之獅子用處何在呢？那謙讓崇敬而能擔載的駱駝不已夠了嗎？
創造新的價值，──獅子亦不足為此︰但是為著新的創造而取得自由，──這正需要獅子的力量。
創造自由和一個神聖的否定以對抗義務︰兄弟們，這是獅子的工作。
取得創造新價值的權利，──這是崇敬而能擔載的精神最可怕的征服。真的，這于它是一個掠奪與一個兇惡的食肉猛獸的行為。
從前它曾愛“你應”為最神聖之物︰現下它不得不在最神聖之物裡，找到幻謬與炎威，使它可以犧牲愛以掠奪自由︰
為著這種掠奪，我們需要獅子。
但是，兄弟們，請說，獅子所不能做的事，小孩又有何用處呢？為什麼掠奪的獅子要變成小孩呢？
小孩是天真與遺忘，一個新的開始，一個遊戲，一個自轉的輪，一個原始的動作，一個神聖的肯定。
是的。為著創造之戲，兄弟們，一個神聖的肯定是必要的︰精神現下有了他自己的意志；世界之逐客又取得他自己的世界。
我向你們說明了精神之三種變形︰精神如何變成駱駝，變成獅子，最後變成小孩。── 查拉圖斯特拉如是說。這時候，他住在被稱為彩牛的城裡。
道德的講座
人們向查拉圖斯特拉夸說一個智者，他善于談說睡眠與道德︰因此他獲得崇敬與讚頌，許多少年來到他的講座前受教。查拉圖斯特拉也來到智者這裡，和少年坐在他的講座前，于是這智者如是說︰
“尊尚睡眠而羞澀地對待它罷﹗這是第一件重要的事﹗迴避那些不能安睡而夜間醒著的人們﹗
竊賊在睡眠之前也是羞澀的︰他的腳步總是悄悄地在夜裡偷過。守夜者是不遜的；同時不遜地拿著他的號角。
睡眠絕不是一種容易的藝術︰必須有整個晝間的清醒，才有夜間的熟眠。
每日你必得克製你自己十次︰這引起健全的疲倦，這是靈魂的麻醉劑。
每日你必得舒散你自己十次；因為克製自己是痛苦的，不舒散自己的人就不能安睡。
每天你必得發現十條真理；否則你會在夜間尋求真理，你的靈魂會是飢餓的。
每天你必得開懷大笑十次；否則胃，這個苦惱之父，會在夜間擾亂你。
很少人知道這個︰但是一個人為著要有熟眠，須有一切的道德。我會犯偽證罪嗎？我將犯奸嗎？
我會貪想我鄰人的使婢嗎？這一切都與安眠不甚調和的。
縱令你有了一切道德，你還得知道一件事︰合時宜地遣道德去睡眠。
你須使它們不致互相爭執，那些小愛寵﹗不為著你爭執，你這不幸者﹗
服從上帝，親睦鄰人︰安睡的條件如此。同時也與鄰人的魔鬼和協﹗否則它會在夜間來追附你。
敬重統治者而信服他們，便是跛足的統治者，也得這樣﹗安睡的條件如此。權力高興用跛足走路，我有什麼辦法想嗎？
凡是牽引羊群往最綠的草地去的，我總認為是最好的牧者︰這樣，才與安眠調和。 我不要許多榮譽或大財富，這是自討煩惱。但是沒有美譽與小財富的人是不能安睡的。 我寧願選擇一個窄狹的友群，而不要一個惡劣的；但是他們必得按時來而按時去。這樣，才與安睡調和。
我對于痴子也感受很大的興趣︰他們促進睡眠。當人們承認他們有理由的時候，他們是很快樂的。
這樣，有德者的晝間便過去了。當夜間來到時，我切不召喚睡眠。睡眠這一切道德的主人，是不願被召喚的﹗
但是我反省著日間所做所想的事。我反芻著，我忍耐如牛地自問你的十次自克是什麼？十次舒散，十條真理與十次使我開心的大笑是什麼？
我反省著，在這四十人思念的搖籃裡搖蕩著。忽然睡眠這道德的主人，這不奉召者，竟抓著了我。
睡眠輕輕敲著我的眼睛，我的眼睛就沉重起來。睡眠接觸著我的口，我的口就張大著。 真的，它用輕悄的腳步，溜到我身上來，這最親愛的偷兒，它偷去了我的思慮︰我痴笨地站著，如這書案一樣。
但是我站不多時，就已經倒下去了。”──
查拉圖斯特拉聽完了智者這些話，他心裡暗笑起來︰一線光明在他心裡破曉。他向自己的心如是說︰
“這智者的四十個思念，頗有些傻勁︰但是我相信他是善于睡眠的。
誰是住在這智者旁邊的是有福祉的﹗這種睡眠是傳染的，雖隔著一層濃牆，也會傳染。
他的講座放射出一種魔力。這些少年們來聽這道德的說教者，不是白費時間的。
他的智慧告訴我們︰為著夜間的安睡，必須有晝間的清醒。真的，如果生命原無意義，而我不得不選擇一個謬論時，那么，我覺得這是一個最值得選擇的謬論了。
現下我知道從前人們找尋道德的教師時，人們所追求的是什麼了。人們所追求的，是安睡與麻醉性的道德。
一切被稱頌的講座智者之智慧，只是無夢的安眠︰他們不知道生命還有其他的更妙的意義。
這種道德的說教者，現下還存在幾個；但那幾個都不如眼前這個誠實︰不過他們的時候已經過去了。他們站不多時，就已經倒去下了。
這些昏昏欲睡的人們被祝福；因他們立刻熟睡了。”──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
遁世者
從前，查拉圖斯特拉也曾如遁世者一樣，把他的幻想拋擲到人類以外去。那時候我覺得世界是一個受苦受難的上帝之作品。
那時候我覺得世界是一個上帝之幻夢與奇想；一個神聖的不自足者放在眼睛前的彩色的煙霧。
善惡，苦樂與我你，──我覺得都是創造者眼睛前的彩色的煙霧。創造者不願再看見自己，──于是他創造了世界。
受苦的人能夠不看見自己的痛楚而忘卻了自己，這于他是一種陶醉的快樂。從前，世界對于我也曾是陶醉的快樂與自我的遺忘。
這世界，這永不完美的、一個永恆的矛盾的略似的形象──它的不完全的創造者的一種陶醉的快樂；──從前我曾覺得世界是這樣。
所以我也曾如遁世者一樣，把我的幻想拋擲到人類以外去。但是真正拋擲到人類以外去了嗎？
唉，兄弟們，我創造的這個上帝，如其他神們一樣，是人類的作品與人造的瘋狂﹗
他也是人，而且只是一個“人”與一個“我”的可憐的一部分罷了︰他是從我自己的灰與火焰裡走出來的幻影，真的﹗他不是從天外飛來的﹗
兄弟們，以後便如何呢？我克服了痛苦著的我；我把我自己的灰搬上山去；我給自己發明了一種更光明的火焰。看罷﹗那幻影便離我遠遁了﹗
現下，相信這樣的幻影，對于新愈者是痛苦與侮辱；對于我是惡運與羞屈。我向遁世者如是說。
痛苦與無能──它們製造了別的世界和這短期的福祉之狂，只有痛苦最深的人才能體驗到。
疲倦想以一躍，致命的一躍，達到最後的終結；可憐的無知的它，也不願再有意志︰于是它創造了神們與別的世界。
相信我，兄弟們﹗這是肉體對于肉體的失望，──它用迷路的精神之手指，沿著最後的牆壁摸索著。
相信我，兄弟們﹗這是肉體對于大地的失望，──它聽到存在之肚皮向它說話。
于是它把頭穿過最後的牆，伸出去，不僅是頭──它想整個地到“彼岸的世界”去。
但這“彼岸的世界”是無人性的非人性的，是一個無上的空虛；它深藏著，不給人類看見；存在的肚皮如果不是用人的身分，便不向人說話。
真的，證明存在，或使它發言，是很難的。但是，告訴我，兄弟們，你不覺得最奇特的事情，便是已經被證明最好的事情嗎？
是的，這個“我”，這個有創造性，有意志而給一切以衡量與價值的“我”，它的矛盾與混亂，便最忠誠肯定了它自己的存在。
這個“我”這最忠誠的存在，便是當它沈思時，狂熱時，或用斷翼低飛時，也談著肉體，還需要著肉體。
這個“我”時時學著忠誠地說話；它愈學，愈能找到讚頌肉體與大地的字句。 我的“我”教我一種新的高傲，而我又教給人們︰莫再把頭藏在天物之沙裡，自由地，戴著這地上的頭，這創造大地之意義的頭罷﹗
我教人類一個新的意志︰意識地遵循著人類無心地走過的路，肯定這條路是好的，而莫像病患與將死者一樣悄悄地離開了它﹗
病患與將死者蔑視肉體與大地，發明一些天物與贖罪之血點；但是，這甜而致死的毒藥，他們還是取自肉體與大地﹗
他們想從不幸中自救，而星球卻太遠了。于是他們嘆息著︰“不幸呵，為什麼沒有天路，使我們可以偷到另一生命裡和另一福祉裡呢﹗”──于是他們發明了一些詭計與血之小飲料﹗
他們自以為脫離了肉體與大地，這些忘恩的。誰給他們脫離時的痙攣與奇歡呢？還是他們的肉體與大地呢﹗
查拉圖斯特拉對于病患是寬濃的。真的，他不因為他們的自慰的模式，或他們的忘恩負義而惱怒。讓他們痊愈了，超越了自己，給自己一個高等的身體罷﹗
查拉圖斯特拉對于新愈者，也是寬濃的。他不因為他們留戀于失去的幻想，半夜起來巡禮他的上帝的墳墓而惱怒；我認為這些新愈者的眼淚，是一種疾與身體的一種病態溺于夢想而希求著上帝的人，很多是病態的；他們毒恨求知者與最幼的道德︰那便是誠實。
他們常常后顧已過去的黑暗時候︰自然，那時候的瘋狂與信仰，都是不同的。理智的昏亂便認為是上帝之道，疑惑便是罪惡。
我十釐清楚這些像上帝的人︰他們要別人相信他們，而疑惑便是罪惡。我也十分知道他們自己最相信的是什麼。
那真不是什麼另一世界或贖罪之血點︰他們最相信的是肉體；他們把自己的肉體視為絕對之物。
不過他們仍認為肉體是一個病物︰很願意脫去了這軀殼。
所以，他們傾聽死亡之說教者，而他們演說著另一世界。
兄弟們，傾聽著健康的肉體的呼聲罷︰那是一個較忠誠較純潔的呼聲。
健康，完善而方正的肉體，說話當然更忠誠些，更純潔些；而它談著大地的意義。──
查拉圖斯特拉如是說。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 九
九
查拉圖斯特拉睡得很久；不但黎明，連早晨也從他臉上溜過了。最後，他睜開眼睛來，向寂靜的森林投了驚詫的一瞥，又驚詫地看看自己。接著他迅速地站起來，像一個忽然發現陸地的水手；他叫出一聲快樂的呼喊︰因為他發現了一個新的真理。他向自己的心說︰
“一線光明在我心裡破曉了；我需要同伴，活的同
伴，──而不是任我負到無論什麼地方的同伴或屍體。
我需要活的同伴，他們跟隨我，因為他們願意跟隨自己，──無論我往什麼地方。
一線光明在我心裡破曉了︰查拉圖斯特拉不應當向群眾說話，而應當向同伴說話﹗查拉斯圖拉不應當做羊群之牧人或牧犬﹗
從羊群裡誘奪去許多小羊，我是為這個來到的。群眾和羊群會因我而激怒起來︰查拉斯圖拉願意被牧者們視為強盜。
我稱他們為牧者，但是他們自稱為善良正直者。我稱他們為牧者，他們自稱為正宗信仰的信徒。
請看那些善良者正直者罷﹗誰是他們最恨的呢？他們最恨破壞他們的價值表的人，破壞者，法律的破壞者︰──但是這人正是創造者。
請看各種信仰的信徒罷﹗誰是他們最恨的呢？他們最恨破壞他們的價值表的人，破壞者，法律的破壞者︰──但是這人正是創造者。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們，而不是死屍，也不是羊群或信徒。創造者所尋找的是共同創造者。他們把新的價值寫在新的表上。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們和共同斬獲者︰他認為一切都成熟了，等待著斬獲。但是他缺乏百把鐮刀︰所以他憤怒地扯拔著穗實。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們和善于磨銳鐮刀的人。他們將被稱為破壞者與善惡之輕蔑者。但從事斬獲而慶祝豐收的，會是他們。
查拉圖斯特拉所尋找的是共同創造者，查拉圖斯特拉所尋找的是共同斬獲者和共同慶祝豐收者︰羊群牧者與屍體，于他有何用處﹗
但是你，我的第一個同伴呀，在和平中安息了罷﹗我已經小心地把你埋在這空樹裡；我已經把你密藏著，不致為餓野狼所侵害了。
但是，我得離開你，時候已經到了。在兩個黎明之間，我得到一個新真理的詔示。 我不應當是牧人或是掘墓者。我決不再向群眾說話；同時這是最末一次，我向一個死者說話。
我要加入創造者之群去，加入那些斬獲者慶祝豐收者之群去；我將給他們指出彩虹與超人之梯。
我將唱歌給獨居者和雙居者傾聽；誰還有耳朵聽不曾聽過的東西，我將使他的心充滿著我的祝福。
我向著我的目的前進，我遵循著我的路途；我越過躊躇者與落后者。我的前進將是他們的沒落。”
查拉圖斯特拉睡得很久；不但黎明，連早晨也從他臉上溜過了。最後，他睜開眼睛來，向寂靜的森林投了驚詫的一瞥，又驚詫地看看自己。接著他迅速地站起來，像一個忽然發現陸地的水手；他叫出一聲快樂的呼喊︰因為他發現了一個新的真理。他向自己的心說︰
“一線光明在我心裡破曉了；我需要同伴，活的同
伴，──而不是任我負到無論什麼地方的同伴或屍體。
我需要活的同伴，他們跟隨我，因為他們願意跟隨自己，──無論我往什麼地方。
一線光明在我心裡破曉了︰查拉圖斯特拉不應當向群眾說話，而應當向同伴說話﹗查拉斯圖拉不應當做羊群之牧人或牧犬﹗
從羊群裡誘奪去許多小羊，我是為這個來到的。群眾和羊群會因我而激怒起來︰查拉斯圖拉願意被牧者們視為強盜。
我稱他們為牧者，但是他們自稱為善良正直者。我稱他們為牧者，他們自稱為正宗信仰的信徒。
請看那些善良者正直者罷﹗誰是他們最恨的呢？他們最恨破壞他們的價值表的人，破壞者，法律的破壞者︰──但是這人正是創造者。
請看各種信仰的信徒罷﹗誰是他們最恨的呢？他們最恨破壞他們的價值表的人，破壞者，法律的破壞者︰──但是這人正是創造者。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們，而不是死屍，也不是羊群或信徒。創造者所尋找的是共同創造者。他們把新的價值寫在新的表上。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們和共同斬獲者︰他認為一切都成熟了，等待著斬獲。但是他缺乏百把鐮刀︰所以他憤怒地扯拔著穗實。
創造者所尋找的是同伴們和善于磨銳鐮刀的人。他們將被稱為破壞者與善惡之輕蔑者。但從事斬獲而慶祝豐收的，會是他們。
查拉圖斯特拉所尋找的是共同創造者，查拉圖斯特拉所尋找的是共同斬獲者和共同慶祝豐收者︰羊群牧者與屍體，于他有何用處﹗
但是你，我的第一個同伴呀，在和平中安息了罷﹗我已經小心地把你埋在這空樹裡；我已經把你密藏著，不致為餓野狼所侵害了。
但是，我得離開你，時候已經到了。在兩個黎明之間，我得到一個新真理的詔示。 我不應當是牧人或是掘墓者。我決不再向群眾說話；同時這是最末一次，我向一個死者說話。
我要加入創造者之群去，加入那些斬獲者慶祝豐收者之群去；我將給他們指出彩虹與超人之梯。
我將唱歌給獨居者和雙居者傾聽；誰還有耳朵聽不曾聽過的東西，我將使他的心充滿著我的祝福。
我向著我的目的前進，我遵循著我的路途；我越過躊躇者與落后者。我的前進將是他們的沒落。”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 八
八
查拉圖斯特拉向自己的心說完這些話，便掮了屍體，開始上路。他還不曾跨到百步，一個人溜到他旁邊來，湊著他的耳朵低低地說話。──嚇﹗這說話的人竟是那塔中的丑角﹗ “啊，查拉圖斯特拉，離開這個城市罷﹗”這丑角說︰“恨你的人太多了。善良者正直者恨你，稱你為他們的仇敵，他們的輕蔑者；正宗信仰的信徒恨你，稱你為群眾之洪水猛獸。人們笑你還是你的幸運︰你說話實在太像一個丑角了。你把自己和這死狗結成伴侶，也是你的幸運；你今天的自辱救了你的性命。無論如何，離開這城市罷，否則我這活人明天又得跳過一個死人了。”
這人講完了這些話，便消失在夜裡；查拉圖斯特拉繼續取黑路前進。
在城門邊，掘墳穴的工人遇見了他︰他們用火把照照他的面部，認出他是查拉圖斯特拉，而刻薄地譏訕他。“查拉圖斯特拉背負著這死狗︰了不得，查拉圖斯特拉又變為掘墳者了﹗我們的手太乾淨，不值得去埋葬這匹獸。查拉圖斯特拉想偷魔鬼的食物嗎？去罷，祝你用餐時好福氣罷﹗只要魔鬼不是一個比你高明的偷兒就好了﹗他也許兩個一起都偷了，吃了﹗”他們並頭笑著。
查拉圖斯特拉不回答什麼，向前邁步著。他沿著森林與泥地走了兩個小時，聽到許多餓野狼之呻嚎；忽然，他也覺得飢餓起來。他便停在一個四無鄰居而內有燈光的屋子前。
“飢像餓強盜似地追著了我，”查拉圖斯特拉說，“在森林與泥地間，深夜中，飢餓抓住了我。
我的飢餓有些奇怪的惡習。常常餐時剛過，它來了，今日它卻整天不曾來︰它曾在什麼地方逗留著呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉敲敲那屋子的大門。一個老者拿著一盞燈出來，他問︰“誰到我這裡來，誰到我惡睡裡來了呢？”
“一個活人與一個死者。”查拉圖斯特拉說，“給我一點飲食罷；我晝間忘卻了這件事。智慧說︰饗餓者的人，同時也安慰自己的靈魂。”
老者進去，立刻拿了麵包與酒出來，給查拉圖斯特拉。“這是一個對于餓者很不利的地方，”他說，“所以我便住在這裡，人與獸都來找我這孤獨者。但是，請你的同伴也喝點吃點罷；他比你還疲倦些呢。”查拉圖斯特拉說︰“我的同伴死了；我不容易勸他做這件事。”
“這于我毫無關係；”老者埋怨地說，“誰敲我的門，就得接受我給他的食物。吃罷，祝你們前路平安﹗”──
接著，查拉圖斯特拉信任著星光與路又走了兩小時之久︰他有夜行的習慣，並且喜歡正視陲著的一切。當東方剛發白時，查拉斯圖已在一個前無去路的深邃的森林裡。于是他把屍體放在一個和他等高的空樹裡，──因為他想使餓野狼無法找到它，──自己便躺在地下的苔上。他立刻熟睡了，肉體雖倦，靈魂卻是平靜的。
查拉圖斯特拉向自己的心說完這些話，便掮了屍體，開始上路。他還不曾跨到百步，一個人溜到他旁邊來，湊著他的耳朵低低地說話。──嚇﹗這說話的人竟是那塔中的丑角﹗ “啊，查拉圖斯特拉，離開這個城市罷﹗”這丑角說︰“恨你的人太多了。善良者正直者恨你，稱你為他們的仇敵，他們的輕蔑者；正宗信仰的信徒恨你，稱你為群眾之洪水猛獸。人們笑你還是你的幸運︰你說話實在太像一個丑角了。你把自己和這死狗結成伴侶，也是你的幸運；你今天的自辱救了你的性命。無論如何，離開這城市罷，否則我這活人明天又得跳過一個死人了。”
這人講完了這些話，便消失在夜裡；查拉圖斯特拉繼續取黑路前進。
在城門邊，掘墳穴的工人遇見了他︰他們用火把照照他的面部，認出他是查拉圖斯特拉，而刻薄地譏訕他。“查拉圖斯特拉背負著這死狗︰了不得，查拉圖斯特拉又變為掘墳者了﹗我們的手太乾淨，不值得去埋葬這匹獸。查拉圖斯特拉想偷魔鬼的食物嗎？去罷，祝你用餐時好福氣罷﹗只要魔鬼不是一個比你高明的偷兒就好了﹗他也許兩個一起都偷了，吃了﹗”他們並頭笑著。
查拉圖斯特拉不回答什麼，向前邁步著。他沿著森林與泥地走了兩個小時，聽到許多餓野狼之呻嚎；忽然，他也覺得飢餓起來。他便停在一個四無鄰居而內有燈光的屋子前。
“飢像餓強盜似地追著了我，”查拉圖斯特拉說，“在森林與泥地間，深夜中，飢餓抓住了我。
我的飢餓有些奇怪的惡習。常常餐時剛過，它來了，今日它卻整天不曾來︰它曾在什麼地方逗留著呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉敲敲那屋子的大門。一個老者拿著一盞燈出來，他問︰“誰到我這裡來，誰到我惡睡裡來了呢？”
“一個活人與一個死者。”查拉圖斯特拉說，“給我一點飲食罷；我晝間忘卻了這件事。智慧說︰饗餓者的人，同時也安慰自己的靈魂。”
老者進去，立刻拿了麵包與酒出來，給查拉圖斯特拉。“這是一個對于餓者很不利的地方，”他說，“所以我便住在這裡，人與獸都來找我這孤獨者。但是，請你的同伴也喝點吃點罷；他比你還疲倦些呢。”查拉圖斯特拉說︰“我的同伴死了；我不容易勸他做這件事。”
“這于我毫無關係；”老者埋怨地說，“誰敲我的門，就得接受我給他的食物。吃罷，祝你們前路平安﹗”──
接著，查拉圖斯特拉信任著星光與路又走了兩小時之久︰他有夜行的習慣，並且喜歡正視陲著的一切。當東方剛發白時，查拉斯圖已在一個前無去路的深邃的森林裡。于是他把屍體放在一個和他等高的空樹裡，──因為他想使餓野狼無法找到它，──自己便躺在地下的苔上。他立刻熟睡了，肉體雖倦，靈魂卻是平靜的。
2010-04-08
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 七
七
這時候，黃昏已經降臨，市場早為黑暗所覆蓋。群眾漸漸地四散，因為好奇和驚怕也疲倦了。查拉圖斯特拉坐在死者旁的地上，沈溺在思潮裡︰他忘卻了時間。最後，夜來了，一陣冷風吹過這孤獨者。查拉圖斯特拉立起來，他向自己的心說︰
“真的，查拉圖斯特拉今天漁捕的結果太好了﹗他不曾捉到人，倒捉到一個屍體。
人生是多災難的，而且常常是無意義的︰一個丑角可以成為它的致命傷。
我將以生存的意義教給人們︰那便是超人，從人類的暗雲裡射出來的閃電。
但是我隔他們還很遼遠，我的心不能訴諸他們的心。他們眼中的我是在瘋人與屍體之間。
夜是黑暗的，查拉圖斯特拉之路途也是黑暗的。來罷，僵硬如冰的同伴﹗我背負你到我將親自埋葬你的地方去。”
這時候，黃昏已經降臨，市場早為黑暗所覆蓋。群眾漸漸地四散，因為好奇和驚怕也疲倦了。查拉圖斯特拉坐在死者旁的地上，沈溺在思潮裡︰他忘卻了時間。最後，夜來了，一陣冷風吹過這孤獨者。查拉圖斯特拉立起來，他向自己的心說︰
“真的，查拉圖斯特拉今天漁捕的結果太好了﹗他不曾捉到人，倒捉到一個屍體。
人生是多災難的，而且常常是無意義的︰一個丑角可以成為它的致命傷。
我將以生存的意義教給人們︰那便是超人，從人類的暗雲裡射出來的閃電。
但是我隔他們還很遼遠，我的心不能訴諸他們的心。他們眼中的我是在瘋人與屍體之間。
夜是黑暗的，查拉圖斯特拉之路途也是黑暗的。來罷，僵硬如冰的同伴﹗我背負你到我將親自埋葬你的地方去。”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 六
六
但是，這時候，大家的視聽都集中于一件新發生的事情上。因為這時候走軟索者正開始他的作秀︰他從一個小門出來，在軟索上走著。這軟索是系于兩塔間，張在市場和群眾上面的。當他走到軟索中點的時候，小門又開了，跳出一個彩衣的丑角似的少年，這少年用迅速的步武，跟隨著第一個人前進，“快點罷，跛子，”少年的可怕的聲音喊著，“前進﹗懶骨，偷路者，灰白的面容﹗不要讓我用腳使你發痒罷﹗你在軟索上做什麼﹗你是應當被關閉在塔裡的；你擋阻了本領較高者的去路﹗”──他每說一個字，便更迫近些。當他隔走軟索者僅只一步時，便發生了那集中全場視聽的事情︰──這丑角鬼似地叫了一聲，從那礙著路的走軟索者之頭上躍過。這走軟索者看見敵手勝利，立刻昏亂起來︰他的腳踩了空，平衡棍溜出了他的掌握；他手足亂舞地很快地倒向地下去。市場裡的群眾，便像大風雨時的海︰他們無秩序地亂逃著，尤其是走軟索者的身體將墮下的地方。
但是查拉圖斯特拉卻很鎮靜的，那身體恰墮在他旁邊，面目模糊，四肢不全，可是還有一絲氣息。過了一會，走軟索者清醒過來，他看見查拉圖斯特拉跪著。“你在這裡做什麼？”他終于發言了，“我早就知道魔鬼會賞我一鉤腿的，現下他正拖我到地獄去︰你要阻止他嗎？”
“朋友，請以我的榮譽為誓，”查拉圖斯特拉答道︰“你說的一切都不存在︰沒有魔鬼，也沒有地獄。你靈魂之死，還比你的肉體快些︰不要害怕罷﹗”
走軟索者不信任地抬眼望他︰“如果你的話不錯，”他接著說，“那么，我並不因為喪失生命，而真犧牲了什麼。我差不多只是一匹獸，人們用棍子和少量的食品，使我學會了走軟索。”
“不然，”查拉圖斯特拉說，“你使危險成為你的頭班；那並無可輕蔑之處。現下你殉了你的頭班︰所以我將親手埋葬你。”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了話，走軟索者沒有答話；但他移動他的手，像是尋找查拉圖斯特拉的手，表示感謝。
但是，這時候，大家的視聽都集中于一件新發生的事情上。因為這時候走軟索者正開始他的作秀︰他從一個小門出來，在軟索上走著。這軟索是系于兩塔間，張在市場和群眾上面的。當他走到軟索中點的時候，小門又開了，跳出一個彩衣的丑角似的少年，這少年用迅速的步武，跟隨著第一個人前進，“快點罷，跛子，”少年的可怕的聲音喊著，“前進﹗懶骨，偷路者，灰白的面容﹗不要讓我用腳使你發痒罷﹗你在軟索上做什麼﹗你是應當被關閉在塔裡的；你擋阻了本領較高者的去路﹗”──他每說一個字，便更迫近些。當他隔走軟索者僅只一步時，便發生了那集中全場視聽的事情︰──這丑角鬼似地叫了一聲，從那礙著路的走軟索者之頭上躍過。這走軟索者看見敵手勝利，立刻昏亂起來︰他的腳踩了空，平衡棍溜出了他的掌握；他手足亂舞地很快地倒向地下去。市場裡的群眾，便像大風雨時的海︰他們無秩序地亂逃著，尤其是走軟索者的身體將墮下的地方。
但是查拉圖斯特拉卻很鎮靜的，那身體恰墮在他旁邊，面目模糊，四肢不全，可是還有一絲氣息。過了一會，走軟索者清醒過來，他看見查拉圖斯特拉跪著。“你在這裡做什麼？”他終于發言了，“我早就知道魔鬼會賞我一鉤腿的，現下他正拖我到地獄去︰你要阻止他嗎？”
“朋友，請以我的榮譽為誓，”查拉圖斯特拉答道︰“你說的一切都不存在︰沒有魔鬼，也沒有地獄。你靈魂之死，還比你的肉體快些︰不要害怕罷﹗”
走軟索者不信任地抬眼望他︰“如果你的話不錯，”他接著說，“那么，我並不因為喪失生命，而真犧牲了什麼。我差不多只是一匹獸，人們用棍子和少量的食品，使我學會了走軟索。”
“不然，”查拉圖斯特拉說，“你使危險成為你的頭班；那並無可輕蔑之處。現下你殉了你的頭班︰所以我將親手埋葬你。”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了話，走軟索者沒有答話；但他移動他的手，像是尋找查拉圖斯特拉的手，表示感謝。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 五
五
查拉圖斯特拉說完了這些話，他看著群眾沈默起來。“他們站在那裡，”他向自己的心說︰“他們現下開始笑了︰他們全不了解我；我的舌與他們的耳朵太不對勁了。
難道先要撕去他們耳朵，而使他們學著用眼睛聽話嗎？難道要喧嘩得像鐃鈸與齋戒節的牧師一樣嗎？或者他們只相信口吃者罷？
他們有一件自覺可炫之物。他們怎樣稱這使他們自炫之物呢？──他們稱它為衣冠文物；這個使他們與牧羊者相異。
所以他們不願聽到‘輕蔑’這個字被用在他們身上。我應當訴諸他們的驕傲。 我將向他們講說最可輕蔑之物，那便是‘最後的人’﹗”
于是查拉圖斯特拉開始向群眾說︰
“人類給自己決定目的的時候到了。人類栽種最高希望之芽的時候到了。
現下土壤還相當地肥沃。但是有一天，它會變成不毛的瘠地，任何大樹不能在上面成長。 不幸呵﹗人類不再把他的渴望之箭擲過人類去的時候近了﹗人類的弓弦不再能顫動的時候近了﹗
我向你們說︰你們得有一個混沌，才能產生一個跳舞的星。我向你們說︰你們還有一個混沌。
不幸呵﹗人類不再產生星球的時候近了。不幸呵﹗最可輕蔑的人的時候近了，他會不知道輕蔑自己。
現下我把‘最後的人’給你們看。
‘愛情是什麼？創造是什麼？渴望是什麼、星球是什麼？’──最後的人如是問，而眼睛一開一閉著。
那時候，大地會變得更小些，最後的人在它上面跳躍著；他使一切變小。他的族類和跳蚤一樣地不可斷絕；同時他也生活得最久。
‘我們發現了福祉。’──最後的人說，而眼睛一開一閉著。
他們拋棄了難于生活的地帶︰因為他們需要熱。他們還愛鄰人，和鄰人摩擦著︰因為他們需要熱。
他們把病倒和懷疑當成罪惡︰他們謹慎地前進。走在石上與人上而跌倒的，該是瘋子罷﹗
他們隨時隨地吃一點毒藥︰給自己許多美夢。最後卻吃得多些，而愜意地死去。
他們還工作著，因為工作是一種消遣。但他們小心翼翼地不使消遣損傷自己的身體。他們不再變富些或窮些，這是兩件費力的事情。誰還願意統治呢？誰又願意服從呢？這也是兩件費力的事情。
這樣，僅有一群羊，而沒有牧羊者﹗大家平等，大家的希望一致︰誰有別的情感，便是甘心進瘋人院。
‘從前的人都是病狂的。’──他們中間的狡獪者說，而眼睛一開一閉著。
他們是聰明的，知道一切發生的事情︰這樣，他們不斷地互相譏訕著。他們偶爾爭執，但立刻言歸于好，──唯恐損傷了自己的胃。
他們晝間有他們的小快樂，夜裡亦是如此︰但是他們十分地珍護健康。
‘我們發現了福祉。’──最後的人說，而眼睛一開一閃著。──”
查拉圖斯特拉第一次說教，被稱為序篇的終止于此︰因為這時候群眾的呼喊與歡樂阻斷了他。“啊，查拉圖斯特拉，把最後的人給我們罷，”──他們叫道，──“把我們做成最後的人罷﹗我們把超人壁還給你﹗”群眾轉舌作聲地狂叫起來。但是查拉圖斯特拉卻憂郁地向自己的心說︰
“他們全不了解我︰我的舌與他們的耳朵太不對勁了。
無疑地我在山上生活得太久了；我慣聽樹木之呼嘯與溪澗之潺 ︰我現下向他們講話，還和向牧羊者攀談一樣。
我的靈魂平靜得、光明得和旭日下的山一樣。但他們當我是冷心腸和一個說刻薄話的譏訕者。
他們是怎樣地看著我笑呵︰他們的笑裡有怨恨；他們笑裡有冰霜。”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了這些話，他看著群眾沈默起來。“他們站在那裡，”他向自己的心說︰“他們現下開始笑了︰他們全不了解我；我的舌與他們的耳朵太不對勁了。
難道先要撕去他們耳朵，而使他們學著用眼睛聽話嗎？難道要喧嘩得像鐃鈸與齋戒節的牧師一樣嗎？或者他們只相信口吃者罷？
他們有一件自覺可炫之物。他們怎樣稱這使他們自炫之物呢？──他們稱它為衣冠文物；這個使他們與牧羊者相異。
所以他們不願聽到‘輕蔑’這個字被用在他們身上。我應當訴諸他們的驕傲。 我將向他們講說最可輕蔑之物，那便是‘最後的人’﹗”
于是查拉圖斯特拉開始向群眾說︰
“人類給自己決定目的的時候到了。人類栽種最高希望之芽的時候到了。
現下土壤還相當地肥沃。但是有一天，它會變成不毛的瘠地，任何大樹不能在上面成長。 不幸呵﹗人類不再把他的渴望之箭擲過人類去的時候近了﹗人類的弓弦不再能顫動的時候近了﹗
我向你們說︰你們得有一個混沌，才能產生一個跳舞的星。我向你們說︰你們還有一個混沌。
不幸呵﹗人類不再產生星球的時候近了。不幸呵﹗最可輕蔑的人的時候近了，他會不知道輕蔑自己。
現下我把‘最後的人’給你們看。
‘愛情是什麼？創造是什麼？渴望是什麼、星球是什麼？’──最後的人如是問，而眼睛一開一閉著。
那時候，大地會變得更小些，最後的人在它上面跳躍著；他使一切變小。他的族類和跳蚤一樣地不可斷絕；同時他也生活得最久。
‘我們發現了福祉。’──最後的人說，而眼睛一開一閉著。
他們拋棄了難于生活的地帶︰因為他們需要熱。他們還愛鄰人，和鄰人摩擦著︰因為他們需要熱。
他們把病倒和懷疑當成罪惡︰他們謹慎地前進。走在石上與人上而跌倒的，該是瘋子罷﹗
他們隨時隨地吃一點毒藥︰給自己許多美夢。最後卻吃得多些，而愜意地死去。
他們還工作著，因為工作是一種消遣。但他們小心翼翼地不使消遣損傷自己的身體。他們不再變富些或窮些，這是兩件費力的事情。誰還願意統治呢？誰又願意服從呢？這也是兩件費力的事情。
這樣，僅有一群羊，而沒有牧羊者﹗大家平等，大家的希望一致︰誰有別的情感，便是甘心進瘋人院。
‘從前的人都是病狂的。’──他們中間的狡獪者說，而眼睛一開一閉著。
他們是聰明的，知道一切發生的事情︰這樣，他們不斷地互相譏訕著。他們偶爾爭執，但立刻言歸于好，──唯恐損傷了自己的胃。
他們晝間有他們的小快樂，夜裡亦是如此︰但是他們十分地珍護健康。
‘我們發現了福祉。’──最後的人說，而眼睛一開一閃著。──”
查拉圖斯特拉第一次說教，被稱為序篇的終止于此︰因為這時候群眾的呼喊與歡樂阻斷了他。“啊，查拉圖斯特拉，把最後的人給我們罷，”──他們叫道，──“把我們做成最後的人罷﹗我們把超人壁還給你﹗”群眾轉舌作聲地狂叫起來。但是查拉圖斯特拉卻憂郁地向自己的心說︰
“他們全不了解我︰我的舌與他們的耳朵太不對勁了。
無疑地我在山上生活得太久了；我慣聽樹木之呼嘯與溪澗之潺 ︰我現下向他們講話，還和向牧羊者攀談一樣。
我的靈魂平靜得、光明得和旭日下的山一樣。但他們當我是冷心腸和一個說刻薄話的譏訕者。
他們是怎樣地看著我笑呵︰他們的笑裡有怨恨；他們笑裡有冰霜。”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 四
四
但是查拉圖斯特拉看著群眾，覺得很驚奇。于是他又說︰
“人類是一根系在獸與超人間的軟索──一根懸在深谷上的軟索。 往彼端去是危險的，停在半途是危險的，向后瞧望也是危險的，戰栗或不前進，都是危險的。
人類之偉大處，正在它是一座橋而不是一個目的。人類之可愛處，正在它是一個過程與一個沒落。
我愛那些只知道為沒落而生活的人。因為他們是跨過橋者。
我愛那些大輕蔑者。因為他們是大崇拜者，射向彼岸的渴望之箭。
我愛那些人，他們不先向星外找尋某種理由去沒落去作犧牲，卻為大地犧牲，使大地有一日能屬于超人。
我愛那為建築超人的住宅，為預備好大地和動植物給超人而工作而發明的人。這樣，他追求著自己的沒落。
我愛那珍愛自己的道德的人︰因為道德是沒落之意志和一枝渴望的箭。
我愛那個人，他不保留精神的任何一部分給自己，而欲整個地成為他的道德的精神︰這樣，他精神上跨過橋。
我愛那使自己的道德成為自己的傾向和命運的人︰這樣，他可以為著他的道德，或生或死。
我愛那不願有多種道德的人。一種道德勝于兩種道德，因為那種道德更是懸著命運的紐結。
我愛那浪費靈魂的、不受謝也不致謝的人︰因為他常常給予，什麼也不私存。
我愛那個人，他看見骰子有利于他而懷慚，而他自問︰我是一個作弊的賭博者嗎？── 因為他願意死滅。
我愛那嘉言先于行為、實踐多于允諾的人︰因為他追求著他的沒落。
我愛那使未來的人生活有意義，而拯救過去者的人︰他願意為現下的人死滅。
我愛那懲罰上帝的人︰因為他愛上帝；因為他要因神怒而死滅。
我愛那個人，他便在受傷時靈魂還是深邃的，而一個小冒險可以使他死滅︰這樣，他將毫不遲疑過橋。
我愛那因靈魂過滿而忘已而萬物皆備于其身的人︰這樣，萬物成為他的沒落。
我愛那精神與心兩俱自由的人︰這樣，他的頭僅是他的心之五內；但是他的心使他沒落。
我愛那些人，他們象沉重雨點，一顆一顆地從高懸在天上的黑雲下降︰它們預告著閃電的到來，而如預告者似地死滅。
看罷，我是一個閃電的預告者，一顆自雲中降下的重雨點︰但是這閃電便是超人。”
但是查拉圖斯特拉看著群眾，覺得很驚奇。于是他又說︰
“人類是一根系在獸與超人間的軟索──一根懸在深谷上的軟索。 往彼端去是危險的，停在半途是危險的，向后瞧望也是危險的，戰栗或不前進，都是危險的。
人類之偉大處，正在它是一座橋而不是一個目的。人類之可愛處，正在它是一個過程與一個沒落。
我愛那些只知道為沒落而生活的人。因為他們是跨過橋者。
我愛那些大輕蔑者。因為他們是大崇拜者，射向彼岸的渴望之箭。
我愛那些人，他們不先向星外找尋某種理由去沒落去作犧牲，卻為大地犧牲，使大地有一日能屬于超人。
我愛那為建築超人的住宅，為預備好大地和動植物給超人而工作而發明的人。這樣，他追求著自己的沒落。
我愛那珍愛自己的道德的人︰因為道德是沒落之意志和一枝渴望的箭。
我愛那個人，他不保留精神的任何一部分給自己，而欲整個地成為他的道德的精神︰這樣，他精神上跨過橋。
我愛那使自己的道德成為自己的傾向和命運的人︰這樣，他可以為著他的道德，或生或死。
我愛那不願有多種道德的人。一種道德勝于兩種道德，因為那種道德更是懸著命運的紐結。
我愛那浪費靈魂的、不受謝也不致謝的人︰因為他常常給予，什麼也不私存。
我愛那個人，他看見骰子有利于他而懷慚，而他自問︰我是一個作弊的賭博者嗎？── 因為他願意死滅。
我愛那嘉言先于行為、實踐多于允諾的人︰因為他追求著他的沒落。
我愛那使未來的人生活有意義，而拯救過去者的人︰他願意為現下的人死滅。
我愛那懲罰上帝的人︰因為他愛上帝；因為他要因神怒而死滅。
我愛那個人，他便在受傷時靈魂還是深邃的，而一個小冒險可以使他死滅︰這樣，他將毫不遲疑過橋。
我愛那因靈魂過滿而忘已而萬物皆備于其身的人︰這樣，萬物成為他的沒落。
我愛那精神與心兩俱自由的人︰這樣，他的頭僅是他的心之五內；但是他的心使他沒落。
我愛那些人，他們象沉重雨點，一顆一顆地從高懸在天上的黑雲下降︰它們預告著閃電的到來，而如預告者似地死滅。
看罷，我是一個閃電的預告者，一顆自雲中降下的重雨點︰但是這閃電便是超人。”
2010-04-07
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 三
三
查拉圖斯特拉走到了一個最近的靠著森林的城市。發現市場上集著許多人︰因為有人預告，大家可以看到一個走軟索者的獻技。于是查拉圖斯特拉向群眾說︰
“我教你們什麼是超人。人類是應當被超越的。你們曾作怎樣的努力去超越他呢？
直到現下，一切生物都創造了高出于自己的種類，難道你們願意做這大潮流的回浪，難道你們願意返于獸類，不肯超越人類嗎？
猿猴之于人是什麼？一個譏笑或是一個痛苦的羞辱。人之于超人也應如此︰一個譏笑或是一個痛苦的羞辱。
你們跑完了由虫到人的長途，但是在許多方面你們還是虫。從前你們是猿猴，便是現在，人比任何猿猴還像猿猴些。
你們中間最聰明的，也僅是一個植物與妖怪之矛盾和混種。但是我是教你們變成植物或妖怪嗎？
現下，我教你們什麼是超人﹗
超人是大地之意義。讓你們的意志說︰超人必是大地之意義罷﹗
兄弟們，我禱求著︰忠實于大地罷，不要信任那些侈談超大地的希望的人﹗無論有意地或無意地，他們是施毒者。
他們是生命之輕蔑者，將死者，他們自己也是中毒者。大地已經厭惡他們︰讓他們去罷﹗
從前侮辱上帝是最大的褻瀆；現下上帝死了，因之上帝之褻瀆者也死了。現下最可怕的是褻瀆大地，是敬重‘不可知’的心高于大地的意義﹗
從前靈魂輕蔑肉體，這種輕蔑在當時被認為是最高尚的事︰──靈魂要肉體丑瘦而飢餓。它以為這樣便可以逃避肉體，同時也逃避了大地。
啊，這靈魂自己還更丑瘦些，飢餓些；殘忍也是它的淫樂﹗ 但是，你們兄弟們請講，你們的肉體表現你們的靈魂是怎樣的呢？你們的靈魂是不是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿呢？
真的，人是一條不潔的河。我們要是大海，才能接受一條不潔的河而不致自污。
現下，我教你們什麼是超人︰他便是這大海；你們的大輕蔑可以沈沒在它的懷裡。
你們能體驗到的最偉大的事是什麼呢？那便是大輕蔑之時刻。那時候，你們的福祉，使你們覺得討厭，你們的理智與道德也是一樣。
那時候，你們說︰‘我的福祉值什麼﹗它是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿。可是我的福祉正應當使生存有意義的﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的理智值什麼﹗它是否渴求知識像獅子貪愛捕獲物一樣呢？它是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的道德值什麼﹗它還不曾使我狂熱過。我是怎樣地疲倦于我的善于惡呵﹗這一切都是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的正義值什麼﹗我不覺得我是火焰與炭。但是正直者應當是火焰與炭的﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的憐憫值什麼﹗憐憫不是那釘死愛人類者的十字架嗎？但是我的憐憫不是一個十字架刑。’
你們已經這樣說過了嗎？你們已經這樣喊過了嗎？唉﹗我何以不曾聽到你們這樣喊叫呢﹗ 這不是你們的罪惡，而是你們的節製，向天呼喊；你們對于罪惡的厭惡向天呼喊﹗ 那將用舌頭舔你們的閃電何在？那應當給你們注射的瘋狂又何在？ 現下我教你們什麼是超人︰他便是這閃電，這瘋狂﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了這些話，群眾中的一個人叫道︰“我們聽夠了那個走軟索者了，讓我們看看他罷。”于是群眾都笑查拉圖斯特拉。而走軟索者以為大家要求他出場，便開始獻技。
查拉圖斯特拉走到了一個最近的靠著森林的城市。發現市場上集著許多人︰因為有人預告，大家可以看到一個走軟索者的獻技。于是查拉圖斯特拉向群眾說︰
“我教你們什麼是超人。人類是應當被超越的。你們曾作怎樣的努力去超越他呢？
直到現下，一切生物都創造了高出于自己的種類，難道你們願意做這大潮流的回浪，難道你們願意返于獸類，不肯超越人類嗎？
猿猴之于人是什麼？一個譏笑或是一個痛苦的羞辱。人之于超人也應如此︰一個譏笑或是一個痛苦的羞辱。
你們跑完了由虫到人的長途，但是在許多方面你們還是虫。從前你們是猿猴，便是現在，人比任何猿猴還像猿猴些。
你們中間最聰明的，也僅是一個植物與妖怪之矛盾和混種。但是我是教你們變成植物或妖怪嗎？
現下，我教你們什麼是超人﹗
超人是大地之意義。讓你們的意志說︰超人必是大地之意義罷﹗
兄弟們，我禱求著︰忠實于大地罷，不要信任那些侈談超大地的希望的人﹗無論有意地或無意地，他們是施毒者。
他們是生命之輕蔑者，將死者，他們自己也是中毒者。大地已經厭惡他們︰讓他們去罷﹗
從前侮辱上帝是最大的褻瀆；現下上帝死了，因之上帝之褻瀆者也死了。現下最可怕的是褻瀆大地，是敬重‘不可知’的心高于大地的意義﹗
從前靈魂輕蔑肉體，這種輕蔑在當時被認為是最高尚的事︰──靈魂要肉體丑瘦而飢餓。它以為這樣便可以逃避肉體，同時也逃避了大地。
啊，這靈魂自己還更丑瘦些，飢餓些；殘忍也是它的淫樂﹗ 但是，你們兄弟們請講，你們的肉體表現你們的靈魂是怎樣的呢？你們的靈魂是不是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿呢？
真的，人是一條不潔的河。我們要是大海，才能接受一條不潔的河而不致自污。
現下，我教你們什麼是超人︰他便是這大海；你們的大輕蔑可以沈沒在它的懷裡。
你們能體驗到的最偉大的事是什麼呢？那便是大輕蔑之時刻。那時候，你們的福祉，使你們覺得討厭，你們的理智與道德也是一樣。
那時候，你們說︰‘我的福祉值什麼﹗它是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿。可是我的福祉正應當使生存有意義的﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的理智值什麼﹗它是否渴求知識像獅子貪愛捕獲物一樣呢？它是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的道德值什麼﹗它還不曾使我狂熱過。我是怎樣地疲倦于我的善于惡呵﹗這一切都是貧乏、污穢與可憐的自滿﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的正義值什麼﹗我不覺得我是火焰與炭。但是正直者應當是火焰與炭的﹗’
那時候，你們說︰‘我的憐憫值什麼﹗憐憫不是那釘死愛人類者的十字架嗎？但是我的憐憫不是一個十字架刑。’
你們已經這樣說過了嗎？你們已經這樣喊過了嗎？唉﹗我何以不曾聽到你們這樣喊叫呢﹗ 這不是你們的罪惡，而是你們的節製，向天呼喊；你們對于罪惡的厭惡向天呼喊﹗ 那將用舌頭舔你們的閃電何在？那應當給你們注射的瘋狂又何在？ 現下我教你們什麼是超人︰他便是這閃電，這瘋狂﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉說完了這些話，群眾中的一個人叫道︰“我們聽夠了那個走軟索者了，讓我們看看他罷。”于是群眾都笑查拉圖斯特拉。而走軟索者以為大家要求他出場，便開始獻技。
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 二
二
查拉圖斯特拉獨自從山上下來，任何人都不會遇見他。可是當他走進森林裡的時候，忽然發現一個老者站在他的前面，這老者是離開了他的神聖的茅舍，來到森林裡尋找樹根的。他向查拉圖斯特拉說︰
“這個旅行者，我與他有一面之緣︰很多年以前，他曾經過這裡。他的名字是查拉斯圖拉；但是他現下改變了。
那時候你把你的灰搬到山上去；現下你要把你的火帶到谷裡去嗎？你不怕挨‘放火犯’ 的懲罰嗎？
不錯，我認出這是查拉圖斯特拉。他的眼睛是純潔的，他的雙唇不顯露什麼厭惡。他不是正像一個跳舞者似地前進著嗎？
查拉圖斯特拉是改變了；他變成了一個孩子；查拉圖斯特拉已是一個醒覺者了︰你現下要到睡著的人群裡去做什麼呢？
唉，你現下竟想登陸了嗎？唉，你生活在孤獨裡時，像在海裡一樣，海載著你。你又想拖著你的軀殼這重負嗎？”
查拉圖斯特拉答道︰“我愛人類。”
“我為什麼，”這聖哲說，“逃跑到這森林裡與孤獨裡來了呢？不正是因為我曾太愛人類嗎？
現下我愛上帝︰我不愛人類。我覺得人是一個太不完全的物件。人類之愛很可以毀滅了我。”
“什麼也不要給他們罷﹗”這聖哲說。“你毋寧取去他們一點負擔，而替他們掮著── 只要你高興這樣，他們自然是歡喜不過了。
即今你想贈與，別給他們多于賞給乞丐的布施；並且讓他們向你請求罷。”
“不，”查拉圖斯特拉答道，“我不布施什麼，我並不窮得如此。”
這聖哲開始笑查拉圖斯特拉了，他說︰“那么，你嘗試使他們接受你的寶物罷﹗他們不信任孤獨者，也不信任我們是來贈與的。
在他們耳裡，我們的走在街上的足音，響得太孤獨了。好像他們夜間躺在床上，聽到一個人在日出以前走路一樣，他們自問著︰這竊賊往那裡去呢？
不要到人群裡去，留在森林裡罷﹗毋寧回到獸群裡去罷﹗熊歸熊群，鳥歸鳥群，──你為什麼不願意和我一樣呢？”
“在森林裡，聖哲干什麼事呢？”查拉圖斯特拉問。
這聖哲答道︰“我製作頌詩而歌唱它們。當我製曲時，我笑、我哭、我低吟︰我這樣贊美上帝。
我用歌唱、哭、笑和低吟，讚美我的上帝。可是你帶了什麼禮物給我們呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉聽完了這些話，他向這聖哲行禮道︰“我能夠給你們什麼禮物呢？請讓我快點走罷，那么，我就不會拿去你什麼東西了﹗”于是他倆──這聖哲和這旅行者，互相告別，笑得和兩個孩子一樣。
查拉圖斯特拉獨自走著，他向自己的心說︰“這難道可能嗎？
這老聖哲在他的森林裡，還不曾聽說上帝已經死了﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉獨自從山上下來，任何人都不會遇見他。可是當他走進森林裡的時候，忽然發現一個老者站在他的前面，這老者是離開了他的神聖的茅舍，來到森林裡尋找樹根的。他向查拉圖斯特拉說︰
“這個旅行者，我與他有一面之緣︰很多年以前，他曾經過這裡。他的名字是查拉斯圖拉；但是他現下改變了。
那時候你把你的灰搬到山上去；現下你要把你的火帶到谷裡去嗎？你不怕挨‘放火犯’ 的懲罰嗎？
不錯，我認出這是查拉圖斯特拉。他的眼睛是純潔的，他的雙唇不顯露什麼厭惡。他不是正像一個跳舞者似地前進著嗎？
查拉圖斯特拉是改變了；他變成了一個孩子；查拉圖斯特拉已是一個醒覺者了︰你現下要到睡著的人群裡去做什麼呢？
唉，你現下竟想登陸了嗎？唉，你生活在孤獨裡時，像在海裡一樣，海載著你。你又想拖著你的軀殼這重負嗎？”
查拉圖斯特拉答道︰“我愛人類。”
“我為什麼，”這聖哲說，“逃跑到這森林裡與孤獨裡來了呢？不正是因為我曾太愛人類嗎？
現下我愛上帝︰我不愛人類。我覺得人是一個太不完全的物件。人類之愛很可以毀滅了我。”
“什麼也不要給他們罷﹗”這聖哲說。“你毋寧取去他們一點負擔，而替他們掮著── 只要你高興這樣，他們自然是歡喜不過了。
即今你想贈與，別給他們多于賞給乞丐的布施；並且讓他們向你請求罷。”
“不，”查拉圖斯特拉答道，“我不布施什麼，我並不窮得如此。”
這聖哲開始笑查拉圖斯特拉了，他說︰“那么，你嘗試使他們接受你的寶物罷﹗他們不信任孤獨者，也不信任我們是來贈與的。
在他們耳裡，我們的走在街上的足音，響得太孤獨了。好像他們夜間躺在床上，聽到一個人在日出以前走路一樣，他們自問著︰這竊賊往那裡去呢？
不要到人群裡去，留在森林裡罷﹗毋寧回到獸群裡去罷﹗熊歸熊群，鳥歸鳥群，──你為什麼不願意和我一樣呢？”
“在森林裡，聖哲干什麼事呢？”查拉圖斯特拉問。
這聖哲答道︰“我製作頌詩而歌唱它們。當我製曲時，我笑、我哭、我低吟︰我這樣贊美上帝。
我用歌唱、哭、笑和低吟，讚美我的上帝。可是你帶了什麼禮物給我們呢？”
查拉圖斯特拉聽完了這些話，他向這聖哲行禮道︰“我能夠給你們什麼禮物呢？請讓我快點走罷，那么，我就不會拿去你什麼東西了﹗”于是他倆──這聖哲和這旅行者，互相告別，笑得和兩個孩子一樣。
查拉圖斯特拉獨自走著，他向自己的心說︰“這難道可能嗎？
這老聖哲在他的森林裡，還不曾聽說上帝已經死了﹗”
查拉圖斯特拉如是說 第一部 一
一
查拉圖斯特拉三十歲的時候，他離開了他的故鄉和故鄉之湖，而去住在山上。他在那裡保真養晦，毫不厭倦地過了十年。──可是，他的內心到底有了轉變。一天早晨，他黎明時起身，而對著太陽說︰
“啊，你，偉大的星球啊﹗假若你沒有被你照耀的人們，你的福祉何在呢？ 十年來，你每天向我的山洞走來︰假若沒有我，和我的鷹與蛇，你會厭倦于你自己的光明和這條舊路罷。
但是，每天早晨，我們等候著你，我們取得了你的多餘的光明，因此我們祝福你。 看啊﹗我像積蜜太多的蜂兒一樣，對于我的智慧已經厭倦了；我需要伸出來領受這智慧的手。
願意贈送與布散我的智慧，直到聰明的人們會再因為自己的瘋狂而喜歡，窮困的人們會再因為自己的財富而歡喜。
因此，我應當降到最深處去︰好像夜間你走到海后邊，把光明送到下面的世界去一樣。啊，恩惠無邊的星球啊﹗
我要像你一樣地‘下山’去，我將要去的人間是這樣稱呼這件事的。
祝福我罷，你這平靜的眼睛能夠不妒忌一個無量的福祉﹗
祝福這將溢的杯兒罷﹗使這水呈金色流泛出來，把你的祝福的回光送到任何地方去罷﹗看呵，這杯兒又會變成空的，查拉圖斯特拉又會再做人了。”──查拉圖斯特拉之下山如是開始。
查拉圖斯特拉三十歲的時候，他離開了他的故鄉和故鄉之湖，而去住在山上。他在那裡保真養晦，毫不厭倦地過了十年。──可是，他的內心到底有了轉變。一天早晨，他黎明時起身，而對著太陽說︰
“啊，你，偉大的星球啊﹗假若你沒有被你照耀的人們，你的福祉何在呢？ 十年來，你每天向我的山洞走來︰假若沒有我，和我的鷹與蛇，你會厭倦于你自己的光明和這條舊路罷。
但是，每天早晨，我們等候著你，我們取得了你的多餘的光明，因此我們祝福你。 看啊﹗我像積蜜太多的蜂兒一樣，對于我的智慧已經厭倦了；我需要伸出來領受這智慧的手。
願意贈送與布散我的智慧，直到聰明的人們會再因為自己的瘋狂而喜歡，窮困的人們會再因為自己的財富而歡喜。
因此，我應當降到最深處去︰好像夜間你走到海后邊，把光明送到下面的世界去一樣。啊，恩惠無邊的星球啊﹗
我要像你一樣地‘下山’去，我將要去的人間是這樣稱呼這件事的。
祝福我罷，你這平靜的眼睛能夠不妒忌一個無量的福祉﹗
祝福這將溢的杯兒罷﹗使這水呈金色流泛出來，把你的祝福的回光送到任何地方去罷﹗看呵，這杯兒又會變成空的，查拉圖斯特拉又會再做人了。”──查拉圖斯特拉之下山如是開始。
2010-04-05
2010-04-04
2010-04-03
2010-04-02
2010-04-01
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 35
CHAPTER XXXV
THE reader may rest satisfied that Tom's and Huck's windfall made a mighty stir in the poor little village of St. Petersburg. So vast a sum, all in actual cash, seemed next to incredible. It was talked about, gloated over, glorified, until the reason of many of the citizens tottered under the strain of the unhealthy excitement. Every "haunted" house in St. Petersburg and the neighboring villages was dissected, plank by plank, and its foundations dug up and ran- sacked for hidden treasure -- and not by boys, but men -- pretty grave, unromantic men, too, some of them. Wherever Tom and Huck appeared they were courted, admired, stared at. The boys were not able to remem- ber that their remarks had possessed weight before; but now their sayings were treasured and repeated; everything they did seemed somehow to be regarded as remarkable; they had evidently lost the power of doing and saying commonplace things; moreover, their past history was raked up and discovered to bear marks of conspicuous originality. The village paper published biographical sketches of the boys.
The Widow Douglas put Huck's money out at six per cent., and Judge Thatcher did the same with Tom's at Aunt Polly's request. Each lad had an in- come, now, that was simply prodigious -- a dollar for every week-day in the year and half of the Sundays. It was just what the minister got -- no, it was what he was promised -- he generally couldn't collect it. A dollar and a quarter a week would board, lodge, and school a boy in those old simple days -- and clothe him and wash him, too, for that matter.
Judge Thatcher had conceived a great opinion of Tom. He said that no commonplace boy would ever have got his daughter out of the cave. When Becky told her father, in strict confidence, how Tom had taken her whipping at school, the Judge was visibly moved; and when she pleaded grace for the mighty lie which Tom had told in order to shift that whipping from her shoulders to his own, the Judge said with a fine outburst that it was a noble, a generous, a mag- nanimous lie -- a lie that was worthy to hold up its head and march down through history breast to breast with George Washington's lauded Truth about the hatchet! Becky thought her father had never looked so tall and so superb as when he walked the floor and stamped his foot and said that. She went straight off and told Tom about it.
Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom a great lawyer or a great soldier some day. He said he meant to look to it that Tom should be admitted to the National Military Academy and afterward trained in the best law school in the country, in order that he might be ready for either career or both.
Huck Finn's wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas' protection introduced him into society -- no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it -- and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow's servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not one little spot or stain which he could press to his heart and know for a friend. He had to eat with a knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn his book, he had to go to church; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; whitherso- ever he turned, the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.
He bravely bore his miseries three weeks, and then one day turned up missing. For forty-eight hours the widow hunted for him everywhere in great distress. The public were profoundly concerned; they searched high and low, they dragged the river for his body. Early the third morning Tom Sawyer wisely went poking among some old empty hogsheads down behind the abandoned slaughter-house, and in one of them he found the refugee. Huck had slept there; he had just breakfasted upon some stolen odds and ends of food, and was lying off, now, in comfort, with his pipe. He was unkempt, uncombed, and clad in the same old ruin of rags that had made him picturesque in the days when he was free and happy. Tom routed him out, told him the trouble he had been causing, and urged him to go home. Huck's face lost its tranquil content, and took a melancholy cast. He said:
"Don't talk about it, Tom. I've tried it, and it don't work; it don't work, Tom. It ain't for me; I ain't used to it. The widder's good to me, and friendly; but I can't stand them ways. She makes me get up just at the same time every morning; she makes me wash, they comb me all to thunder; she won't let me sleep in the woodshed; I got to wear them blamed clothes that just smothers me, Tom; they don't seem to any air git through 'em, somehow; and they're so rotten nice that I can't set down, nor lay down, nor roll around anywher's; I hain't slid on a cellar-door for -- well, it 'pears to be years; I got to go to church and sweat and sweat -- I hate them ornery sermons! I can't ketch a fly in there, I can't chaw. I got to wear shoes all Sunday. The widder eats by a bell; she goes to bed by a bell; she gits up by a bell -- everything's so awful reg'lar a body can't stand it."
"Well, everybody does that way, Huck."
"Tom, it don't make no difference. I ain't every- body, and I can't STAND it. It's awful to be tied up so. And grub comes too easy -- I don't take no interest in vittles, that way. I got to ask to go a-fishing; I got to ask to go in a-swimming -- dern'd if I hain't got to ask to do everything. Well, I'd got to talk so nice it wasn't no comfort -- I'd got to go up in the attic and rip out awhile, every day, to git a taste in my mouth, or I'd a died, Tom. The widder wouldn't let me smoke; she wouldn't let me yell, she wouldn't let me gape, nor stretch, nor scratch, before folks --" [Then with a spasm of special irritation and injury] -- "And dad fetch it, she prayed all the time! I never see such a woman! I HAD to shove, Tom -- I just had to. And besides, that school's going to open, and I'd a had to go to it -- well, I wouldn't stand THAT, Tom. Looky- here, Tom, being rich ain't what it's cracked up to be. It's just worry and worry, and sweat and sweat, and a-wishing you was dead all the time. Now these clothes suits me, and this bar'l suits me, and I ain't ever going to shake 'em any more. Tom, I wouldn't ever got into all this trouble if it hadn't 'a' ben for that money; now you just take my sheer of it along with your'n, and gimme a ten-center sometimes -- not many times, becuz I don't give a dern for a thing 'thout it's tollable hard to git -- and you go and beg off for me with the widder."
"Oh, Huck, you know I can't do that. 'Tain't fair; and besides if you'll try this thing just a while longer you'll come to like it."
"Like it! Yes -- the way I'd like a hot stove if I was to set on it long enough. No, Tom, I won't be rich, and I won't live in them cussed smothery houses. I like the woods, and the river, and hogsheads, and I'll stick to 'em, too. Blame it all! just as we'd got guns, and a cave, and all just fixed to rob, here this dern foolishness has got to come up and spile it all!"
Tom saw his opportunity --
"Lookyhere, Huck, being rich ain't going to keep me back from turning robber."
"No! Oh, good-licks; are you in real dead-wood earnest, Tom?"
"Just as dead earnest as I'm sitting here. But Huck, we can't let you into the gang if you ain't re- spectable, you know."
Huck's joy was quenched.
"Can't let me in, Tom? Didn't you let me go for a pirate?"
"Yes, but that's different. A robber is more high- toned than what a pirate is -- as a general thing. In most countries they're awful high up in the nobility -- dukes and such."
"Now, Tom, hain't you always ben friendly to me? You wouldn't shet me out, would you, Tom? You wouldn't do that, now, WOULD you, Tom?"
"Huck, I wouldn't want to, and I DON'T want to -- but what would people say? Why, they'd say, 'Mph! Tom Sawyer's Gang! pretty low characters in it!' They'd mean you, Huck. You wouldn't like that, and I wouldn't."
Huck was silent for some time, engaged in a mental struggle. Finally he said:
"Well, I'll go back to the widder for a month and tackle it and see if I can come to stand it, if you'll let me b'long to the gang, Tom."
"All right, Huck, it's a whiz! Come along, old chap, and I'll ask the widow to let up on you a little, Huck."
"Will you, Tom -- now will you? That's good. If she'll let up on some of the roughest things, I'll smoke private and cuss private, and crowd through or bust. When you going to start the gang and turn robbers?"
"Oh, right off. We'll get the boys together and have the initiation to-night, maybe."
"Have the which?"
"Have the initiation."
"What's that?"
"It's to swear to stand by one another, and never tell the gang's secrets, even if you're chopped all to flinders, and kill anybody and all his family that hurts one of the gang."
"That's gay -- that's mighty gay, Tom, I tell you."
"Well, I bet it is. And all that swearing's got to be done at midnight, in the lonesomest, awfulest place you can find -- a ha'nted house is the best, but they're all ripped up now."
"Well, midnight's good, anyway, Tom."
"Yes, so it is. And you've got to swear on a coffin, and sign it with blood."
"Now, that's something LIKE! Why, it's a million times bullier than pirating. I'll stick to the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be a reg'lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking 'bout it, I reckon she'll be proud she snaked me in out of the wet."
CONCLUSION
SO endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a history of a BOY, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a MAN. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop -- that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
Most of the characters that perform in this book still live, and are prosperous and happy. Some day it may seem worth while to take up the story of the younger ones again and see what sort of men and women they turned out to be; therefore it will be wisest not to reveal any of that part of their lives at present.
THE reader may rest satisfied that Tom's and Huck's windfall made a mighty stir in the poor little village of St. Petersburg. So vast a sum, all in actual cash, seemed next to incredible. It was talked about, gloated over, glorified, until the reason of many of the citizens tottered under the strain of the unhealthy excitement. Every "haunted" house in St. Petersburg and the neighboring villages was dissected, plank by plank, and its foundations dug up and ran- sacked for hidden treasure -- and not by boys, but men -- pretty grave, unromantic men, too, some of them. Wherever Tom and Huck appeared they were courted, admired, stared at. The boys were not able to remem- ber that their remarks had possessed weight before; but now their sayings were treasured and repeated; everything they did seemed somehow to be regarded as remarkable; they had evidently lost the power of doing and saying commonplace things; moreover, their past history was raked up and discovered to bear marks of conspicuous originality. The village paper published biographical sketches of the boys.
The Widow Douglas put Huck's money out at six per cent., and Judge Thatcher did the same with Tom's at Aunt Polly's request. Each lad had an in- come, now, that was simply prodigious -- a dollar for every week-day in the year and half of the Sundays. It was just what the minister got -- no, it was what he was promised -- he generally couldn't collect it. A dollar and a quarter a week would board, lodge, and school a boy in those old simple days -- and clothe him and wash him, too, for that matter.
Judge Thatcher had conceived a great opinion of Tom. He said that no commonplace boy would ever have got his daughter out of the cave. When Becky told her father, in strict confidence, how Tom had taken her whipping at school, the Judge was visibly moved; and when she pleaded grace for the mighty lie which Tom had told in order to shift that whipping from her shoulders to his own, the Judge said with a fine outburst that it was a noble, a generous, a mag- nanimous lie -- a lie that was worthy to hold up its head and march down through history breast to breast with George Washington's lauded Truth about the hatchet! Becky thought her father had never looked so tall and so superb as when he walked the floor and stamped his foot and said that. She went straight off and told Tom about it.
Judge Thatcher hoped to see Tom a great lawyer or a great soldier some day. He said he meant to look to it that Tom should be admitted to the National Military Academy and afterward trained in the best law school in the country, in order that he might be ready for either career or both.
Huck Finn's wealth and the fact that he was now under the Widow Douglas' protection introduced him into society -- no, dragged him into it, hurled him into it -- and his sufferings were almost more than he could bear. The widow's servants kept him clean and neat, combed and brushed, and they bedded him nightly in unsympathetic sheets that had not one little spot or stain which he could press to his heart and know for a friend. He had to eat with a knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn his book, he had to go to church; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; whitherso- ever he turned, the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.
He bravely bore his miseries three weeks, and then one day turned up missing. For forty-eight hours the widow hunted for him everywhere in great distress. The public were profoundly concerned; they searched high and low, they dragged the river for his body. Early the third morning Tom Sawyer wisely went poking among some old empty hogsheads down behind the abandoned slaughter-house, and in one of them he found the refugee. Huck had slept there; he had just breakfasted upon some stolen odds and ends of food, and was lying off, now, in comfort, with his pipe. He was unkempt, uncombed, and clad in the same old ruin of rags that had made him picturesque in the days when he was free and happy. Tom routed him out, told him the trouble he had been causing, and urged him to go home. Huck's face lost its tranquil content, and took a melancholy cast. He said:
"Don't talk about it, Tom. I've tried it, and it don't work; it don't work, Tom. It ain't for me; I ain't used to it. The widder's good to me, and friendly; but I can't stand them ways. She makes me get up just at the same time every morning; she makes me wash, they comb me all to thunder; she won't let me sleep in the woodshed; I got to wear them blamed clothes that just smothers me, Tom; they don't seem to any air git through 'em, somehow; and they're so rotten nice that I can't set down, nor lay down, nor roll around anywher's; I hain't slid on a cellar-door for -- well, it 'pears to be years; I got to go to church and sweat and sweat -- I hate them ornery sermons! I can't ketch a fly in there, I can't chaw. I got to wear shoes all Sunday. The widder eats by a bell; she goes to bed by a bell; she gits up by a bell -- everything's so awful reg'lar a body can't stand it."
"Well, everybody does that way, Huck."
"Tom, it don't make no difference. I ain't every- body, and I can't STAND it. It's awful to be tied up so. And grub comes too easy -- I don't take no interest in vittles, that way. I got to ask to go a-fishing; I got to ask to go in a-swimming -- dern'd if I hain't got to ask to do everything. Well, I'd got to talk so nice it wasn't no comfort -- I'd got to go up in the attic and rip out awhile, every day, to git a taste in my mouth, or I'd a died, Tom. The widder wouldn't let me smoke; she wouldn't let me yell, she wouldn't let me gape, nor stretch, nor scratch, before folks --" [Then with a spasm of special irritation and injury] -- "And dad fetch it, she prayed all the time! I never see such a woman! I HAD to shove, Tom -- I just had to. And besides, that school's going to open, and I'd a had to go to it -- well, I wouldn't stand THAT, Tom. Looky- here, Tom, being rich ain't what it's cracked up to be. It's just worry and worry, and sweat and sweat, and a-wishing you was dead all the time. Now these clothes suits me, and this bar'l suits me, and I ain't ever going to shake 'em any more. Tom, I wouldn't ever got into all this trouble if it hadn't 'a' ben for that money; now you just take my sheer of it along with your'n, and gimme a ten-center sometimes -- not many times, becuz I don't give a dern for a thing 'thout it's tollable hard to git -- and you go and beg off for me with the widder."
"Oh, Huck, you know I can't do that. 'Tain't fair; and besides if you'll try this thing just a while longer you'll come to like it."
"Like it! Yes -- the way I'd like a hot stove if I was to set on it long enough. No, Tom, I won't be rich, and I won't live in them cussed smothery houses. I like the woods, and the river, and hogsheads, and I'll stick to 'em, too. Blame it all! just as we'd got guns, and a cave, and all just fixed to rob, here this dern foolishness has got to come up and spile it all!"
Tom saw his opportunity --
"Lookyhere, Huck, being rich ain't going to keep me back from turning robber."
"No! Oh, good-licks; are you in real dead-wood earnest, Tom?"
"Just as dead earnest as I'm sitting here. But Huck, we can't let you into the gang if you ain't re- spectable, you know."
Huck's joy was quenched.
"Can't let me in, Tom? Didn't you let me go for a pirate?"
"Yes, but that's different. A robber is more high- toned than what a pirate is -- as a general thing. In most countries they're awful high up in the nobility -- dukes and such."
"Now, Tom, hain't you always ben friendly to me? You wouldn't shet me out, would you, Tom? You wouldn't do that, now, WOULD you, Tom?"
"Huck, I wouldn't want to, and I DON'T want to -- but what would people say? Why, they'd say, 'Mph! Tom Sawyer's Gang! pretty low characters in it!' They'd mean you, Huck. You wouldn't like that, and I wouldn't."
Huck was silent for some time, engaged in a mental struggle. Finally he said:
"Well, I'll go back to the widder for a month and tackle it and see if I can come to stand it, if you'll let me b'long to the gang, Tom."
"All right, Huck, it's a whiz! Come along, old chap, and I'll ask the widow to let up on you a little, Huck."
"Will you, Tom -- now will you? That's good. If she'll let up on some of the roughest things, I'll smoke private and cuss private, and crowd through or bust. When you going to start the gang and turn robbers?"
"Oh, right off. We'll get the boys together and have the initiation to-night, maybe."
"Have the which?"
"Have the initiation."
"What's that?"
"It's to swear to stand by one another, and never tell the gang's secrets, even if you're chopped all to flinders, and kill anybody and all his family that hurts one of the gang."
"That's gay -- that's mighty gay, Tom, I tell you."
"Well, I bet it is. And all that swearing's got to be done at midnight, in the lonesomest, awfulest place you can find -- a ha'nted house is the best, but they're all ripped up now."
"Well, midnight's good, anyway, Tom."
"Yes, so it is. And you've got to swear on a coffin, and sign it with blood."
"Now, that's something LIKE! Why, it's a million times bullier than pirating. I'll stick to the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be a reg'lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking 'bout it, I reckon she'll be proud she snaked me in out of the wet."
CONCLUSION
SO endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a history of a BOY, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a MAN. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop -- that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
Most of the characters that perform in this book still live, and are prosperous and happy. Some day it may seem worth while to take up the story of the younger ones again and see what sort of men and women they turned out to be; therefore it will be wisest not to reveal any of that part of their lives at present.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 34
CHAPTER XXXIV
HUCK said
"Tom, we can slope, if we can find a rope. The window ain't high from the ground."
"Shucks! what do you want to slope for?"
"Well, I ain't used to that kind of a crowd. I can't stand it. I ain't going down there, Tom."
"Oh, bother! It ain't anything. I don't mind it a bit. I'll take care of you."
Sid appeared.
"Tom," said he, "auntie has been waiting for you all the afternoon. Mary got your Sunday clothes ready, and everybody's been fretting about you. Say -- ain't this grease and clay, on your clothes?"
"Now, Mr. Siddy, you jist 'tend to your own business. What's all this blow-out about, anyway?"
"It's one of the widow's parties that she's always having. This time it's for the Welshman and his sons, on account of that scrape they helped her out of the other night. And say -- I can tell you something, if you want to know."
"Well, what?"
"Why, old Mr. Jones is going to try to spring some- thing on the people here to-night, but I overheard him tell auntie to-day about it, as a secret, but I reckon it's not much of a secret now. Everybody knows -- the widow, too, for all she tries to let on she don't. Mr. Jones was bound Huck should be here -- couldn't get along with his grand secret without Huck, you know!"
"Secret about what, Sid?"
"About Huck tracking the robbers to the widow's. I reckon Mr. Jones was going to make a grand time over his surprise, but I bet you it will drop pretty flat."
Sid chuckled in a very contented and satisfied way.
"Sid, was it you that told?"
"Oh, never mind who it was. SOMEBODY told -- that's enough."
"Sid, there's only one person in this town mean enough to do that, and that's you. If you had been in Huck's place you'd 'a' sneaked down the hill and never told anybody on the robbers. You can't do any but mean things, and you can't bear to see anybody praised for doing good ones. There -- no thanks, as the widow says" -- and Tom cuffed Sid's ears and helped him to the door with several kicks. "Now go and tell auntie if you dare -- and to-morrow you'll catch it!"
Some minutes later the widow's guests were at the supper-table, and a dozen children were propped up at little side-tables in the same room, after the fashion of that country and that day. At the proper time Mr. Jones made his little speech, in which he thanked the widow for the honor she was doing himself and his sons, but said that there was another person whose modesty --
And so forth and so on. He sprung his secret about Huck's share in the adventure in the finest dramatic manner he was master of, but the surprise it occasioned was largely counterfeit and not as clamorous and effusive as it might have been under happier circumstances. However, the widow made a pretty fair show of astonishment, and heaped so many com- pliments and so much gratitude upon Huck that he almost forgot the nearly intolerable discomfort of his new clothes in the entirely intolerable discomfort of being set up as a target for everybody's gaze and everybody's laudations.
The widow said she meant to give Huck a home under her roof and have him educated; and that when she could spare the money she would start him in business in a modest way. Tom's chance was come. He said:
"Huck don't need it. Huck's rich."
Nothing but a heavy strain upon the good manners of the company kept back the due and proper com- plimentary laugh at this pleasant joke. But the silence was a little awkward. Tom broke it:
"Huck's got money. Maybe you don't believe it, but he's got lots of it. Oh, you needn't smile -- I reckon I can show you. You just wait a minute."
Tom ran out of doors. The company looked at each other with a perplexed interest -- and inquiringly at Huck, who was tongue-tied.
"Sid, what ails Tom?" said Aunt Polly. "He -- well, there ain't ever any making of that boy out. I never --"
Tom entered, struggling with the weight of his sacks, and Aunt Polly did not finish her sentence. Tom poured the mass of yellow coin upon the table and said:
"There -- what did I tell you? Half of it's Huck's and half of it's mine!"
The spectacle took the general breath away. All gazed, nobody spoke for a moment. Then there was a unanimous call for an explanation. Tom said he could furnish it, and he did. The tale was long, but brimful of interest. There was scarcely an interruption from any one to break the charm of its flow. When he had finished, Mr. Jones said:
"I thought I had fixed up a little surprise for this occasion, but it don't amount to anything now. This one makes it sing mighty small, I'm willing to allow."
The money was counted. The sum amounted to a little over twelve thousand dollars. It was more than any one present had ever seen at one time before, though several persons were there who were worth considerably more than that in property.
HUCK said
"Tom, we can slope, if we can find a rope. The window ain't high from the ground."
"Shucks! what do you want to slope for?"
"Well, I ain't used to that kind of a crowd. I can't stand it. I ain't going down there, Tom."
"Oh, bother! It ain't anything. I don't mind it a bit. I'll take care of you."
Sid appeared.
"Tom," said he, "auntie has been waiting for you all the afternoon. Mary got your Sunday clothes ready, and everybody's been fretting about you. Say -- ain't this grease and clay, on your clothes?"
"Now, Mr. Siddy, you jist 'tend to your own business. What's all this blow-out about, anyway?"
"It's one of the widow's parties that she's always having. This time it's for the Welshman and his sons, on account of that scrape they helped her out of the other night. And say -- I can tell you something, if you want to know."
"Well, what?"
"Why, old Mr. Jones is going to try to spring some- thing on the people here to-night, but I overheard him tell auntie to-day about it, as a secret, but I reckon it's not much of a secret now. Everybody knows -- the widow, too, for all she tries to let on she don't. Mr. Jones was bound Huck should be here -- couldn't get along with his grand secret without Huck, you know!"
"Secret about what, Sid?"
"About Huck tracking the robbers to the widow's. I reckon Mr. Jones was going to make a grand time over his surprise, but I bet you it will drop pretty flat."
Sid chuckled in a very contented and satisfied way.
"Sid, was it you that told?"
"Oh, never mind who it was. SOMEBODY told -- that's enough."
"Sid, there's only one person in this town mean enough to do that, and that's you. If you had been in Huck's place you'd 'a' sneaked down the hill and never told anybody on the robbers. You can't do any but mean things, and you can't bear to see anybody praised for doing good ones. There -- no thanks, as the widow says" -- and Tom cuffed Sid's ears and helped him to the door with several kicks. "Now go and tell auntie if you dare -- and to-morrow you'll catch it!"
Some minutes later the widow's guests were at the supper-table, and a dozen children were propped up at little side-tables in the same room, after the fashion of that country and that day. At the proper time Mr. Jones made his little speech, in which he thanked the widow for the honor she was doing himself and his sons, but said that there was another person whose modesty --
And so forth and so on. He sprung his secret about Huck's share in the adventure in the finest dramatic manner he was master of, but the surprise it occasioned was largely counterfeit and not as clamorous and effusive as it might have been under happier circumstances. However, the widow made a pretty fair show of astonishment, and heaped so many com- pliments and so much gratitude upon Huck that he almost forgot the nearly intolerable discomfort of his new clothes in the entirely intolerable discomfort of being set up as a target for everybody's gaze and everybody's laudations.
The widow said she meant to give Huck a home under her roof and have him educated; and that when she could spare the money she would start him in business in a modest way. Tom's chance was come. He said:
"Huck don't need it. Huck's rich."
Nothing but a heavy strain upon the good manners of the company kept back the due and proper com- plimentary laugh at this pleasant joke. But the silence was a little awkward. Tom broke it:
"Huck's got money. Maybe you don't believe it, but he's got lots of it. Oh, you needn't smile -- I reckon I can show you. You just wait a minute."
Tom ran out of doors. The company looked at each other with a perplexed interest -- and inquiringly at Huck, who was tongue-tied.
"Sid, what ails Tom?" said Aunt Polly. "He -- well, there ain't ever any making of that boy out. I never --"
Tom entered, struggling with the weight of his sacks, and Aunt Polly did not finish her sentence. Tom poured the mass of yellow coin upon the table and said:
"There -- what did I tell you? Half of it's Huck's and half of it's mine!"
The spectacle took the general breath away. All gazed, nobody spoke for a moment. Then there was a unanimous call for an explanation. Tom said he could furnish it, and he did. The tale was long, but brimful of interest. There was scarcely an interruption from any one to break the charm of its flow. When he had finished, Mr. Jones said:
"I thought I had fixed up a little surprise for this occasion, but it don't amount to anything now. This one makes it sing mighty small, I'm willing to allow."
The money was counted. The sum amounted to a little over twelve thousand dollars. It was more than any one present had ever seen at one time before, though several persons were there who were worth considerably more than that in property.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 33
CHAPTER XXXIII
WITHIN a few minutes the news had spread, and a dozen skiff-loads of men were on their way to McDougal's cave, and the ferryboat, well filled with pas- sengers, soon followed. Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher.
When the cave door was unlocked, a sorrowful sight presented itself in the dim twilight of the place. Injun Joe lay stretched upon the ground, dead, with his face close to the crack of the door, as if his longing eyes had been fixed, to the latest moment, upon the light and the cheer of the free world outside. Tom was touched, for he knew by his own experience how this wretch had suffered. His pity was moved, but nevertheless he felt an abounding sense of relief and security, now, which revealed to him in a degree which he had not fully appreciated before how vast a weight of dread had been lying upon him since the day he lifted his voice against this bloody-minded outcast.
Injun Joe's bowie-knife lay close by, its blade broken in two. The great foundation-beam of the door had been chipped and hacked through, with tedious labor; useless labor, too, it was, for the native rock formed a sill outside it, and upon that stubborn material the knife had wrought no effect; the only damage done was to the knife itself. But if there had been no stony obstruction there the labor would have been useless still, for if the beam had been wholly cut away Injun Joe could not have squeezed his body under the door, and he knew it. So he had only hacked that place in order to be doing something -- in order to pass the weary time -- in order to employ his tortured faculties. Ordinarily one could find half a dozen bits of candle stuck around in the crevices of this vestibule, left there by tourists; but there were none now. The prisoner had searched them out and eaten them. He had also contrived to catch a few bats, and these, also, he had eaten, leaving only their claws. The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In one place, near at hand, a stalagmite had been slowly growing up from the ground for ages, builded by the water-drip from a stalactite overhead. The captive had broken off the stalagmite, and upon the stump had placed a stone, wherein he had scooped a shallow hollow to catch the precious drop that fell once in every three minutes with the dreary regularity of a clock-tick -- a dessertspoonful once in four and twenty hours. That drop was falling when the Pyramids were new; when Troy fell; when the foundations of Rome were laid when Christ was crucified; when the Conqueror created the British empire; when Columbus sailed; when the massacre at Lexington was "news." It is falling now; it will still be falling when all these things shall have sunk down the afternoon of history, and the twilight of tradition, and been swallowed up in the thick night of oblivion. Has everything a purpose and a mission? Did this drop fall patiently during five thousand years to be ready for this flitting human insect's need? and has it another important object to accomplish ten thousand years to come? No matter. It is many and many a year since the hapless half-breed scooped out the stone to catch the priceless drops, but to this day the tourist stares longest at that pathetic stone and that slow-dropping water when he comes to see the wonders of McDougal's cave. Injun Joe's cup stands first in the list of the cavern's marvels; even "Aladdin's Palace" cannot rival it.
Injun Joe was buried near the mouth of the cave; and people flocked there in boats and wagons from the towns and from all the farms and hamlets for seven miles around; they brought their children, and all sorts of provisions, and confessed that they had had almost as satisfactory a time at the funeral as they could have had at the hanging.
This funeral stopped the further growth of one thing -- the petition to the governor for Injun Joe's pardon. The petition had been largely signed; many tearful and eloquent meetings had been held, and a committee of sappy women been appointed to go in deep mourning and wail around the governor, and implore him to be a merciful ass and trample his duty under foot. Injun Joe was believed to have killed five citizens of the village, but what of that? If he had been Satan himself there would have been plenty of weak- lings ready to scribble their names to a pardon-petition, and drip a tear on it from their permanently impaired and leaky water-works.
The morning after the funeral Tom took Huck to a private place to have an important talk. Huck had learned all about Tom's adventure from the Welsh- man and the Widow Douglas, by this time, but Tom said he reckoned there was one thing they had not told him; that thing was what he wanted to talk about now. Huck's face saddened. He said:
"I know what it is. You got into No. 2 and never found anything but whiskey. Nobody told me it was you; but I just knowed it must 'a' ben you, soon as I heard 'bout that whiskey business; and I knowed you hadn't got the money becuz you'd 'a' got at me some way or other and told me even if you was mum to everybody else. Tom, something's always told me we'd never get holt of that swag."
"Why, Huck, I never told on that tavern-keeper. YOU know his tavern was all right the Saturday I went to the picnic. Don't you remember you was to watch there that night?"
"Oh yes! Why, it seems 'bout a year ago. It was that very night that I follered Injun Joe to the widder's."
"YOU followed him?"
"Yes -- but you keep mum. I reckon Injun Joe's left friends behind him, and I don't want 'em souring on me and doing me mean tricks. If it hadn't ben for me he'd be down in Texas now, all right."
Then Huck told his entire adventure in confidence to Tom, who had only heard of the Welshman's part of it before.
"Well," said Huck, presently, coming back to the main question, "whoever nipped the whiskey in No. 2, nipped the money, too, I reckon -- anyways it's a goner for us, Tom."
"Huck, that money wasn't ever in No. 2!"
"What!" Huck searched his comrade's face keenly. "Tom, have you got on the track of that money again?"
"Huck, it's in the cave!"
Huck's eyes blazed.
"Say it again, Tom."
"The money's in the cave!"
"Tom -- honest injun, now -- is it fun, or earnest?"
"Earnest, Huck -- just as earnest as ever I was in my life. Will you go in there with me and help get it out?"
"I bet I will! I will if it's where we can blaze our way to it and not get lost."
"Huck, we can do that without the least little bit of trouble in the world."
"Good as wheat! What makes you think the money's --"
"Huck, you just wait till we get in there. If we don't find it I'll agree to give you my drum and every thing I've got in the world. I will, by jings."
"All right -- it's a whiz. When do you say?"
"Right now, if you say it. Are you strong enough?"
"Is it far in the cave? I ben on my pins a little, three or four days, now, but I can't walk more'n a mile, Tom -- least I don't think I could."
"It's about five mile into there the way anybody but me would go, Huck, but there's a mighty short cut that they don't anybody but me know about. Huck, I'll take you right to it in a skiff. I'll float the skiff down there, and I'll pull it back again all by myself. You needn't ever turn your hand over."
"Less start right off, Tom."
"All right. We want some bread and meat, and our pipes, and a little bag or two, and two or three kite-strings, and some of these new-fangled things they call lucifer matches. I tell you, many's the time I wished I had some when I was in there before."
A trifle after noon the boys borrowed a small skiff from a citizen who was absent, and got under way at once. When they were several miles below "Cave Hollow," Tom said:
"Now you see this bluff here looks all alike all the way down from the cave hollow -- no houses, no wood- yards, bushes all alike. But do you see that white place up yonder where there's been a landslide? Well, that's one of my marks. We'll get ashore, now."
They landed.
"Now, Huck, where we're a-standing you could touch that hole I got out of with a fishing-pole. See if you can find it."
Huck searched all the place about, and found nothing. Tom proudly marched into a thick clump of sumach bushes and said:
"Here you are! Look at it, Huck; it's the snuggest hole in this country. You just keep mum about it. All along I've been wanting to be a robber, but I knew I'd got to have a thing like this, and where to run across it was the bother. We've got it now, and we'll keep it quiet, only we'll let Joe Harper and Ben Rogers in -- because of course there's got to be a Gang, or else there wouldn't be any style about it. Tom Sawyer's Gang -- it sounds splendid, don't it, Huck?"
"Well, it just does, Tom. And who'll we rob?"
"Oh, most anybody. Waylay people -- that's mostly the way."
"And kill them?"
"No, not always. Hive them in the cave till they raise a ransom."
"What's a ransom?"
"Money. You make them raise all they can, off'n their friends; and after you've kept them a year, if it ain't raised then you kill them. That's the general way. Only you don't kill the women. You shut up the women, but you don't kill them. They're always beautiful and rich, and awfully scared. You take their watches and things, but you always take your hat off and talk polite. They ain't anybody as polite as robbers -- you'll see that in any book. Well, the women get to loving you, and after they've been in the cave a week or two weeks they stop crying and after that you couldn't get them to leave. If you drove them out they'd turn right around and come back. It's so in all the books."
"Why, it's real bully, Tom. I believe it's better'n to be a pirate."
"Yes, it's better in some ways, because it's close to home and circuses and all that."
By this time everything was ready and the boys entered the hole, Tom in the lead. They toiled their way to the farther end of the tunnel, then made their spliced kite-strings fast and moved on. A few steps brought them to the spring, and Tom felt a shudder quiver all through him. He showed Huck the frag- ment of candle-wick perched on a lump of clay against the wall, and described how he and Becky had watched the flame struggle and expire.
The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now, for the stillness and gloom of the place oppressed their spirits. They went on, and presently entered and followed Tom's other corridor until they reached the "jumping-off place." The candles revealed the fact that it was not really a precipice, but only a steep clay hill twenty or thirty feet high. Tom whis- pered:
"Now I'll show you something, Huck."
He held his candle aloft and said:
"Look as far around the corner as you can. Do you see that? There -- on the big rock over yonder -- done with candle-smoke."
"Tom, it's a CROSS!"
"NOW where's your Number Two? 'UNDER THE CROSS,' hey? Right yonder's where I saw Injun Joe poke up his candle, Huck!"
Huck stared at the mystic sign awhile, and then said with a shaky voice:
"Tom, less git out of here!"
"What! and leave the treasure?"
"Yes -- leave it. Injun Joe's ghost is round about there, certain."
"No it ain't, Huck, no it ain't. It would ha'nt the place where he died -- away out at the mouth of the cave -- five mile from here."
"No, Tom, it wouldn't. It would hang round the money. I know the ways of ghosts, and so do you."
Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Mis- givings gathered in his mind. But presently an idea occurred to him --
"Lookyhere, Huck, what fools we're making of ourselves! Injun Joe's ghost ain't a going to come around where there's a cross!"
The point was well taken. It had its effect.
"Tom, I didn't think of that. But that's so. It's luck for us, that cross is. I reckon we'll climb down there and have a hunt for that box."
Tom went first, cutting rude steps in the clay hill as he descended. Huck followed. Four avenues opened out of the small cavern which the great rock stood in. The boys examined three of them with no result. They found a small recess in the one nearest the base of the rock, with a pallet of blankets spread down in it; also an old suspender, some bacon rind, and the well-gnawed bones of two or three fowls. But there was no money-box. The lads searched and re- searched this place, but in vain. Tom said:
"He said UNDER the cross. Well, this comes nearest to being under the cross. It can't be under the rock itself, because that sets solid on the ground."
They searched everywhere once more, and then sat down discouraged. Huck could suggest nothing. By-and-by Tom said:
"Lookyhere, Huck, there's footprints and some can- dle-grease on the clay about one side of this rock, but not on the other sides. Now, what's that for? I bet you the money IS under the rock. I'm going to dig in the clay."
"That ain't no bad notion, Tom!" said Huck with animation.
Tom's "real Barlow" was out at once, and he had not dug four inches before he struck wood.
"Hey, Huck! -- you hear that?"
Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some boards were soon uncovered and removed. They had con- cealed a natural chasm which led under the rock. Tom got into this and held his candle as far under the rock as he could, but said he could not see to the end of the rift. He proposed to explore. He stooped and passed under; the narrow way descended gradually. He followed its winding course, first to the right, then to the left, Huck at his heels. Tom turned a short curve, by-and-by, and exclaimed:
"My goodness, Huck, lookyhere!"
It was the treasure-box, sure enough, occupying a snug little cavern, along with an empty powder-keg, a couple of guns in leather cases, two or three pairs of old moccasins, a leather belt, and some other rubbish well soaked with the water-drip.
"Got it at last!" said Huck, ploughing among the tar- nished coins with his hand. "My, but we're rich, Tom!"
"Huck, I always reckoned we'd get it. It's just too good to believe, but we HAVE got it, sure! Say -- let's not fool around here. Let's snake it out. Lemme see if I can lift the box."
It weighed about fifty pounds. Tom could lift it, after an awkward fashion, but could not carry it conveniently.
"I thought so," he said; "THEY carried it like it was heavy, that day at the ha'nted house. I noticed that. I reckon I was right to think of fetching the little bags along."
The money was soon in the bags and the boys took it up to the cross rock.
"Now less fetch the guns and things," said Huck.
"No, Huck -- leave them there. They're just the tricks to have when we go to robbing. We'll keep them there all the time, and we'll hold our orgies there, too. It's an awful snug place for orgies."
"What orgies?"
"I dono. But robbers always have orgies, and of course we've got to have them, too. Come along, Huck, we've been in here a long time. It's getting late, I reckon. I'm hungry, too. We'll eat and smoke when we get to the skiff."
They presently emerged into the clump of sumach bushes, looked warily out, found the coast clear, and were soon lunching and smoking in the skiff. As the sun dipped toward the horizon they pushed out and got under way. Tom skimmed up the shore through the long twilight, chatting cheerily with Huck, and landed shortly after dark.
"Now, Huck," said Tom, "we'll hide the money in the loft of the widow's woodshed, and I'll come up in the morning and we'll count it and divide, and then we'll hunt up a place out in the woods for it where it will be safe. Just you lay quiet here and watch the stuff till I run and hook Benny Taylor's little wagon; I won't be gone a minute."
He disappeared, and presently returned with the wagon, put the two small sacks into it, threw some old rags on top of them, and started off, dragging his cargo behind him. When the boys reached the Welsh- man's house, they stopped to rest. Just as they were about to move on, the Welshman stepped out and said:
"Hallo, who's that?"
"Huck and Tom Sawyer."
"Good! Come along with me, boys, you are keep- ing everybody waiting. Here -- hurry up, trot ahead -- I'll haul the wagon for you. Why, it's not as light as it might be. Got bricks in it? -- or old metal?"
"Old metal," said Tom.
"I judged so; the boys in this town will take more trouble and fool away more time hunting up six bits' worth of old iron to sell to the foundry than they would to make twice the money at regular work. But that's human nature -- hurry along, hurry along!"
The boys wanted to know what the hurry was about.
"Never mind; you'll see, when we get to the Widow Douglas'."
Huck said with some apprehension -- for he was long used to being falsely accused:
"Mr. Jones, we haven't been doing nothing."
The Welshman laughed.
"Well, I don't know, Huck, my boy. I don't know about that. Ain't you and the widow good friends?"
"Yes. Well, she's ben good friends to me, anyway."
"All right, then. What do you want to be afraid for?"
This question was not entirely answered in Huck's slow mind before he found himself pushed, along with Tom, into Mrs. Douglas' drawing-room. Mr. Jones left the wagon near the door and followed.
The place was grandly lighted, and everybody that was of any consequence in the village was there. The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, the Rogerses, Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, the minister, the editor, and a great many more, and all dressed in their best. The widow received the boys as heartily as any one could well receive two such looking beings. They were covered with clay and candle-grease. Aunt Polly blushed crimson with humiliation, and frowned and shook her head at Tom. Nobody suffered half as much as the two boys did, however. Mr. Jones said:
"Tom wasn't at home, yet, so I gave him up; but I stumbled on him and Huck right at my door, and so I just brought them along in a hurry."
"And you did just right," said the widow. "Come with me, boys."
She took them to a bedchamber and said:
"Now wash and dress yourselves. Here are two new suits of clothes -- shirts, socks, everything complete. They're Huck's -- no, no thanks, Huck -- Mr. Jones bought one and I the other. But they'll fit both of you. Get into them. We'll wait -- come down when you are slicked up enough."
Then she left.
WITHIN a few minutes the news had spread, and a dozen skiff-loads of men were on their way to McDougal's cave, and the ferryboat, well filled with pas- sengers, soon followed. Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher.
When the cave door was unlocked, a sorrowful sight presented itself in the dim twilight of the place. Injun Joe lay stretched upon the ground, dead, with his face close to the crack of the door, as if his longing eyes had been fixed, to the latest moment, upon the light and the cheer of the free world outside. Tom was touched, for he knew by his own experience how this wretch had suffered. His pity was moved, but nevertheless he felt an abounding sense of relief and security, now, which revealed to him in a degree which he had not fully appreciated before how vast a weight of dread had been lying upon him since the day he lifted his voice against this bloody-minded outcast.
Injun Joe's bowie-knife lay close by, its blade broken in two. The great foundation-beam of the door had been chipped and hacked through, with tedious labor; useless labor, too, it was, for the native rock formed a sill outside it, and upon that stubborn material the knife had wrought no effect; the only damage done was to the knife itself. But if there had been no stony obstruction there the labor would have been useless still, for if the beam had been wholly cut away Injun Joe could not have squeezed his body under the door, and he knew it. So he had only hacked that place in order to be doing something -- in order to pass the weary time -- in order to employ his tortured faculties. Ordinarily one could find half a dozen bits of candle stuck around in the crevices of this vestibule, left there by tourists; but there were none now. The prisoner had searched them out and eaten them. He had also contrived to catch a few bats, and these, also, he had eaten, leaving only their claws. The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In one place, near at hand, a stalagmite had been slowly growing up from the ground for ages, builded by the water-drip from a stalactite overhead. The captive had broken off the stalagmite, and upon the stump had placed a stone, wherein he had scooped a shallow hollow to catch the precious drop that fell once in every three minutes with the dreary regularity of a clock-tick -- a dessertspoonful once in four and twenty hours. That drop was falling when the Pyramids were new; when Troy fell; when the foundations of Rome were laid when Christ was crucified; when the Conqueror created the British empire; when Columbus sailed; when the massacre at Lexington was "news." It is falling now; it will still be falling when all these things shall have sunk down the afternoon of history, and the twilight of tradition, and been swallowed up in the thick night of oblivion. Has everything a purpose and a mission? Did this drop fall patiently during five thousand years to be ready for this flitting human insect's need? and has it another important object to accomplish ten thousand years to come? No matter. It is many and many a year since the hapless half-breed scooped out the stone to catch the priceless drops, but to this day the tourist stares longest at that pathetic stone and that slow-dropping water when he comes to see the wonders of McDougal's cave. Injun Joe's cup stands first in the list of the cavern's marvels; even "Aladdin's Palace" cannot rival it.
Injun Joe was buried near the mouth of the cave; and people flocked there in boats and wagons from the towns and from all the farms and hamlets for seven miles around; they brought their children, and all sorts of provisions, and confessed that they had had almost as satisfactory a time at the funeral as they could have had at the hanging.
This funeral stopped the further growth of one thing -- the petition to the governor for Injun Joe's pardon. The petition had been largely signed; many tearful and eloquent meetings had been held, and a committee of sappy women been appointed to go in deep mourning and wail around the governor, and implore him to be a merciful ass and trample his duty under foot. Injun Joe was believed to have killed five citizens of the village, but what of that? If he had been Satan himself there would have been plenty of weak- lings ready to scribble their names to a pardon-petition, and drip a tear on it from their permanently impaired and leaky water-works.
The morning after the funeral Tom took Huck to a private place to have an important talk. Huck had learned all about Tom's adventure from the Welsh- man and the Widow Douglas, by this time, but Tom said he reckoned there was one thing they had not told him; that thing was what he wanted to talk about now. Huck's face saddened. He said:
"I know what it is. You got into No. 2 and never found anything but whiskey. Nobody told me it was you; but I just knowed it must 'a' ben you, soon as I heard 'bout that whiskey business; and I knowed you hadn't got the money becuz you'd 'a' got at me some way or other and told me even if you was mum to everybody else. Tom, something's always told me we'd never get holt of that swag."
"Why, Huck, I never told on that tavern-keeper. YOU know his tavern was all right the Saturday I went to the picnic. Don't you remember you was to watch there that night?"
"Oh yes! Why, it seems 'bout a year ago. It was that very night that I follered Injun Joe to the widder's."
"YOU followed him?"
"Yes -- but you keep mum. I reckon Injun Joe's left friends behind him, and I don't want 'em souring on me and doing me mean tricks. If it hadn't ben for me he'd be down in Texas now, all right."
Then Huck told his entire adventure in confidence to Tom, who had only heard of the Welshman's part of it before.
"Well," said Huck, presently, coming back to the main question, "whoever nipped the whiskey in No. 2, nipped the money, too, I reckon -- anyways it's a goner for us, Tom."
"Huck, that money wasn't ever in No. 2!"
"What!" Huck searched his comrade's face keenly. "Tom, have you got on the track of that money again?"
"Huck, it's in the cave!"
Huck's eyes blazed.
"Say it again, Tom."
"The money's in the cave!"
"Tom -- honest injun, now -- is it fun, or earnest?"
"Earnest, Huck -- just as earnest as ever I was in my life. Will you go in there with me and help get it out?"
"I bet I will! I will if it's where we can blaze our way to it and not get lost."
"Huck, we can do that without the least little bit of trouble in the world."
"Good as wheat! What makes you think the money's --"
"Huck, you just wait till we get in there. If we don't find it I'll agree to give you my drum and every thing I've got in the world. I will, by jings."
"All right -- it's a whiz. When do you say?"
"Right now, if you say it. Are you strong enough?"
"Is it far in the cave? I ben on my pins a little, three or four days, now, but I can't walk more'n a mile, Tom -- least I don't think I could."
"It's about five mile into there the way anybody but me would go, Huck, but there's a mighty short cut that they don't anybody but me know about. Huck, I'll take you right to it in a skiff. I'll float the skiff down there, and I'll pull it back again all by myself. You needn't ever turn your hand over."
"Less start right off, Tom."
"All right. We want some bread and meat, and our pipes, and a little bag or two, and two or three kite-strings, and some of these new-fangled things they call lucifer matches. I tell you, many's the time I wished I had some when I was in there before."
A trifle after noon the boys borrowed a small skiff from a citizen who was absent, and got under way at once. When they were several miles below "Cave Hollow," Tom said:
"Now you see this bluff here looks all alike all the way down from the cave hollow -- no houses, no wood- yards, bushes all alike. But do you see that white place up yonder where there's been a landslide? Well, that's one of my marks. We'll get ashore, now."
They landed.
"Now, Huck, where we're a-standing you could touch that hole I got out of with a fishing-pole. See if you can find it."
Huck searched all the place about, and found nothing. Tom proudly marched into a thick clump of sumach bushes and said:
"Here you are! Look at it, Huck; it's the snuggest hole in this country. You just keep mum about it. All along I've been wanting to be a robber, but I knew I'd got to have a thing like this, and where to run across it was the bother. We've got it now, and we'll keep it quiet, only we'll let Joe Harper and Ben Rogers in -- because of course there's got to be a Gang, or else there wouldn't be any style about it. Tom Sawyer's Gang -- it sounds splendid, don't it, Huck?"
"Well, it just does, Tom. And who'll we rob?"
"Oh, most anybody. Waylay people -- that's mostly the way."
"And kill them?"
"No, not always. Hive them in the cave till they raise a ransom."
"What's a ransom?"
"Money. You make them raise all they can, off'n their friends; and after you've kept them a year, if it ain't raised then you kill them. That's the general way. Only you don't kill the women. You shut up the women, but you don't kill them. They're always beautiful and rich, and awfully scared. You take their watches and things, but you always take your hat off and talk polite. They ain't anybody as polite as robbers -- you'll see that in any book. Well, the women get to loving you, and after they've been in the cave a week or two weeks they stop crying and after that you couldn't get them to leave. If you drove them out they'd turn right around and come back. It's so in all the books."
"Why, it's real bully, Tom. I believe it's better'n to be a pirate."
"Yes, it's better in some ways, because it's close to home and circuses and all that."
By this time everything was ready and the boys entered the hole, Tom in the lead. They toiled their way to the farther end of the tunnel, then made their spliced kite-strings fast and moved on. A few steps brought them to the spring, and Tom felt a shudder quiver all through him. He showed Huck the frag- ment of candle-wick perched on a lump of clay against the wall, and described how he and Becky had watched the flame struggle and expire.
The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now, for the stillness and gloom of the place oppressed their spirits. They went on, and presently entered and followed Tom's other corridor until they reached the "jumping-off place." The candles revealed the fact that it was not really a precipice, but only a steep clay hill twenty or thirty feet high. Tom whis- pered:
"Now I'll show you something, Huck."
He held his candle aloft and said:
"Look as far around the corner as you can. Do you see that? There -- on the big rock over yonder -- done with candle-smoke."
"Tom, it's a CROSS!"
"NOW where's your Number Two? 'UNDER THE CROSS,' hey? Right yonder's where I saw Injun Joe poke up his candle, Huck!"
Huck stared at the mystic sign awhile, and then said with a shaky voice:
"Tom, less git out of here!"
"What! and leave the treasure?"
"Yes -- leave it. Injun Joe's ghost is round about there, certain."
"No it ain't, Huck, no it ain't. It would ha'nt the place where he died -- away out at the mouth of the cave -- five mile from here."
"No, Tom, it wouldn't. It would hang round the money. I know the ways of ghosts, and so do you."
Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Mis- givings gathered in his mind. But presently an idea occurred to him --
"Lookyhere, Huck, what fools we're making of ourselves! Injun Joe's ghost ain't a going to come around where there's a cross!"
The point was well taken. It had its effect.
"Tom, I didn't think of that. But that's so. It's luck for us, that cross is. I reckon we'll climb down there and have a hunt for that box."
Tom went first, cutting rude steps in the clay hill as he descended. Huck followed. Four avenues opened out of the small cavern which the great rock stood in. The boys examined three of them with no result. They found a small recess in the one nearest the base of the rock, with a pallet of blankets spread down in it; also an old suspender, some bacon rind, and the well-gnawed bones of two or three fowls. But there was no money-box. The lads searched and re- searched this place, but in vain. Tom said:
"He said UNDER the cross. Well, this comes nearest to being under the cross. It can't be under the rock itself, because that sets solid on the ground."
They searched everywhere once more, and then sat down discouraged. Huck could suggest nothing. By-and-by Tom said:
"Lookyhere, Huck, there's footprints and some can- dle-grease on the clay about one side of this rock, but not on the other sides. Now, what's that for? I bet you the money IS under the rock. I'm going to dig in the clay."
"That ain't no bad notion, Tom!" said Huck with animation.
Tom's "real Barlow" was out at once, and he had not dug four inches before he struck wood.
"Hey, Huck! -- you hear that?"
Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some boards were soon uncovered and removed. They had con- cealed a natural chasm which led under the rock. Tom got into this and held his candle as far under the rock as he could, but said he could not see to the end of the rift. He proposed to explore. He stooped and passed under; the narrow way descended gradually. He followed its winding course, first to the right, then to the left, Huck at his heels. Tom turned a short curve, by-and-by, and exclaimed:
"My goodness, Huck, lookyhere!"
It was the treasure-box, sure enough, occupying a snug little cavern, along with an empty powder-keg, a couple of guns in leather cases, two or three pairs of old moccasins, a leather belt, and some other rubbish well soaked with the water-drip.
"Got it at last!" said Huck, ploughing among the tar- nished coins with his hand. "My, but we're rich, Tom!"
"Huck, I always reckoned we'd get it. It's just too good to believe, but we HAVE got it, sure! Say -- let's not fool around here. Let's snake it out. Lemme see if I can lift the box."
It weighed about fifty pounds. Tom could lift it, after an awkward fashion, but could not carry it conveniently.
"I thought so," he said; "THEY carried it like it was heavy, that day at the ha'nted house. I noticed that. I reckon I was right to think of fetching the little bags along."
The money was soon in the bags and the boys took it up to the cross rock.
"Now less fetch the guns and things," said Huck.
"No, Huck -- leave them there. They're just the tricks to have when we go to robbing. We'll keep them there all the time, and we'll hold our orgies there, too. It's an awful snug place for orgies."
"What orgies?"
"I dono. But robbers always have orgies, and of course we've got to have them, too. Come along, Huck, we've been in here a long time. It's getting late, I reckon. I'm hungry, too. We'll eat and smoke when we get to the skiff."
They presently emerged into the clump of sumach bushes, looked warily out, found the coast clear, and were soon lunching and smoking in the skiff. As the sun dipped toward the horizon they pushed out and got under way. Tom skimmed up the shore through the long twilight, chatting cheerily with Huck, and landed shortly after dark.
"Now, Huck," said Tom, "we'll hide the money in the loft of the widow's woodshed, and I'll come up in the morning and we'll count it and divide, and then we'll hunt up a place out in the woods for it where it will be safe. Just you lay quiet here and watch the stuff till I run and hook Benny Taylor's little wagon; I won't be gone a minute."
He disappeared, and presently returned with the wagon, put the two small sacks into it, threw some old rags on top of them, and started off, dragging his cargo behind him. When the boys reached the Welsh- man's house, they stopped to rest. Just as they were about to move on, the Welshman stepped out and said:
"Hallo, who's that?"
"Huck and Tom Sawyer."
"Good! Come along with me, boys, you are keep- ing everybody waiting. Here -- hurry up, trot ahead -- I'll haul the wagon for you. Why, it's not as light as it might be. Got bricks in it? -- or old metal?"
"Old metal," said Tom.
"I judged so; the boys in this town will take more trouble and fool away more time hunting up six bits' worth of old iron to sell to the foundry than they would to make twice the money at regular work. But that's human nature -- hurry along, hurry along!"
The boys wanted to know what the hurry was about.
"Never mind; you'll see, when we get to the Widow Douglas'."
Huck said with some apprehension -- for he was long used to being falsely accused:
"Mr. Jones, we haven't been doing nothing."
The Welshman laughed.
"Well, I don't know, Huck, my boy. I don't know about that. Ain't you and the widow good friends?"
"Yes. Well, she's ben good friends to me, anyway."
"All right, then. What do you want to be afraid for?"
This question was not entirely answered in Huck's slow mind before he found himself pushed, along with Tom, into Mrs. Douglas' drawing-room. Mr. Jones left the wagon near the door and followed.
The place was grandly lighted, and everybody that was of any consequence in the village was there. The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, the Rogerses, Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, the minister, the editor, and a great many more, and all dressed in their best. The widow received the boys as heartily as any one could well receive two such looking beings. They were covered with clay and candle-grease. Aunt Polly blushed crimson with humiliation, and frowned and shook her head at Tom. Nobody suffered half as much as the two boys did, however. Mr. Jones said:
"Tom wasn't at home, yet, so I gave him up; but I stumbled on him and Huck right at my door, and so I just brought them along in a hurry."
"And you did just right," said the widow. "Come with me, boys."
She took them to a bedchamber and said:
"Now wash and dress yourselves. Here are two new suits of clothes -- shirts, socks, everything complete. They're Huck's -- no, no thanks, Huck -- Mr. Jones bought one and I the other. But they'll fit both of you. Get into them. We'll wait -- come down when you are slicked up enough."
Then she left.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 32
CHAPTER XXXII
TUESDAY afternoon came, and waned to the twilight. The village of St. Peters- burg still mourned. The lost children had not been found. Public prayers had been offered up for them, and many and many a private prayer that had the petitioner's whole heart in it; but still no good news came from the cave. The majority of the searchers had given up the quest and gone back to their daily avocations, saying that it was plain the children could never be found. Mrs. Thatcher was very ill, and a great part of the time delirious. People said it was heartbreaking to hear her call her child, and raise her head and listen a whole minute at a time, then lay it wearily down again with a moan. Aunt Polly had drooped into a settled melancholy, and her gray hair had grown almost white. The village went to its rest on Tuesday night, sad and forlorn.
Away in the middle of the night a wild peal burst from the village bells, and in a moment the streets were swarming with frantic half-clad people, who shouted, "Turn out! turn out! they're found! they're found!" Tin pans and horns were added to the din, the popula- tion massed itself and moved toward the river, met the children coming in an open carriage drawn by shouting citizens, thronged around it, joined its home- ward march, and swept magnificently up the main street roaring huzzah after huzzah!
The village was illuminated; nobody went to bed again; it was the greatest night the little town had ever seen. During the first half-hour a procession of villagers filed through Judge Thatcher's house, seized the saved ones and kissed them, squeezed Mrs. Thatch- er's hand, tried to speak but couldn't -- and drifted out raining tears all over the place.
Aunt Polly's happiness was complete, and Mrs. Thatcher's nearly so. It would be complete, how- ever, as soon as the messenger dispatched with the great news to the cave should get the word to her husband. Tom lay upon a sofa with an eager audi- tory about him and told the history of the wonderful adventure, putting in many striking additions to adorn it withal; and closed with a description of how he left Becky and went on an exploring expedition; how he followed two avenues as far as his kite-line would reach; how he followed a third to the fullest stretch of the kite-line, and was about to turn back when he glimpsed a far-off speck that looked like daylight; dropped the line and groped toward it, pushed his head and shoulders through a small hole, and saw the broad Mississippi rolling by! And if it had only hap- pened to be night he would not have seen that speck of daylight and would not have explored that passage any more! He told how he went back for Becky and broke the good news and she told him not to fret her with such stuff, for she was tired, and knew she was going to die, and wanted to. He described how he labored with her and convinced her; and how she almost died for joy when she had groped to where she actually saw the blue speck of daylight; how he pushed his way out at the hole and then helped her out; how they sat there and cried for gladness; how some men came along in a skiff and Tom hailed them and told them their situation and their famished condition; how the men didn't believe the wild tale at first, "because," said they, "you are five miles down the river below the valley the cave is in" -- then took them aboard, rowed to a house, gave them supper, made them rest till two or three hours after dark and then brought them home.
Before day-dawn, Judge Thatcher and the handful of searchers with him were tracked out, in the cave, by the twine clews they had strung behind them, and informed of the great news.
Three days and nights of toil and hunger in the cave were not to be shaken off at once, as Tom and Becky soon discovered. They were bedridden all of Wednesday and Thursday, and seemed to grow more and more tired and worn, all the time. Tom got about, a little, on Thursday, was down-town Friday, and nearly as whole as ever Saturday; but Becky did not leave her room until Sunday, and then she looked as if she had passed through a wasting illness.
Tom learned of Huck's sickness and went to see him on Friday, but could not be admitted to the bedroom; neither could he on Saturday or Sunday. He was admitted daily after that, but was warned to keep still about his adventure and introduce no ex- citing topic. The Widow Douglas stayed by to see that he obeyed. At home Tom learned of the Cardiff Hill event; also that the "ragged man's" body had eventually been found in the river near the ferry- landing; he had been drowned while trying to escape, perhaps.
About a fortnight after Tom's rescue from the cave, he started off to visit Huck, who had grown plenty strong enough, now, to hear exciting talk, and Tom had some that would interest him, he thought. Judge Thatcher's house was on Tom's way, and he stopped to see Becky. The Judge and some friends set Tom to talking, and some one asked him ironically if he wouldn't like to go to the cave again. Tom said he thought he wouldn't mind it. The Judge said:
"Well, there are others just like you, Tom, I've not the least doubt. But we have taken care of that. Nobody will get lost in that cave any more."
"Why?"
"Because I had its big door sheathed with boiler iron two weeks ago, and triple-locked -- and I've got the keys."
Tom turned as white as a sheet.
"What's the matter, boy! Here, run, somebody! Fetch a glass of water!"
The water was brought and thrown into Tom's face.
"Ah, now you're all right. What was the matter with you, Tom?"
"Oh, Judge, Injun Joe's in the cave!"
TUESDAY afternoon came, and waned to the twilight. The village of St. Peters- burg still mourned. The lost children had not been found. Public prayers had been offered up for them, and many and many a private prayer that had the petitioner's whole heart in it; but still no good news came from the cave. The majority of the searchers had given up the quest and gone back to their daily avocations, saying that it was plain the children could never be found. Mrs. Thatcher was very ill, and a great part of the time delirious. People said it was heartbreaking to hear her call her child, and raise her head and listen a whole minute at a time, then lay it wearily down again with a moan. Aunt Polly had drooped into a settled melancholy, and her gray hair had grown almost white. The village went to its rest on Tuesday night, sad and forlorn.
Away in the middle of the night a wild peal burst from the village bells, and in a moment the streets were swarming with frantic half-clad people, who shouted, "Turn out! turn out! they're found! they're found!" Tin pans and horns were added to the din, the popula- tion massed itself and moved toward the river, met the children coming in an open carriage drawn by shouting citizens, thronged around it, joined its home- ward march, and swept magnificently up the main street roaring huzzah after huzzah!
The village was illuminated; nobody went to bed again; it was the greatest night the little town had ever seen. During the first half-hour a procession of villagers filed through Judge Thatcher's house, seized the saved ones and kissed them, squeezed Mrs. Thatch- er's hand, tried to speak but couldn't -- and drifted out raining tears all over the place.
Aunt Polly's happiness was complete, and Mrs. Thatcher's nearly so. It would be complete, how- ever, as soon as the messenger dispatched with the great news to the cave should get the word to her husband. Tom lay upon a sofa with an eager audi- tory about him and told the history of the wonderful adventure, putting in many striking additions to adorn it withal; and closed with a description of how he left Becky and went on an exploring expedition; how he followed two avenues as far as his kite-line would reach; how he followed a third to the fullest stretch of the kite-line, and was about to turn back when he glimpsed a far-off speck that looked like daylight; dropped the line and groped toward it, pushed his head and shoulders through a small hole, and saw the broad Mississippi rolling by! And if it had only hap- pened to be night he would not have seen that speck of daylight and would not have explored that passage any more! He told how he went back for Becky and broke the good news and she told him not to fret her with such stuff, for she was tired, and knew she was going to die, and wanted to. He described how he labored with her and convinced her; and how she almost died for joy when she had groped to where she actually saw the blue speck of daylight; how he pushed his way out at the hole and then helped her out; how they sat there and cried for gladness; how some men came along in a skiff and Tom hailed them and told them their situation and their famished condition; how the men didn't believe the wild tale at first, "because," said they, "you are five miles down the river below the valley the cave is in" -- then took them aboard, rowed to a house, gave them supper, made them rest till two or three hours after dark and then brought them home.
Before day-dawn, Judge Thatcher and the handful of searchers with him were tracked out, in the cave, by the twine clews they had strung behind them, and informed of the great news.
Three days and nights of toil and hunger in the cave were not to be shaken off at once, as Tom and Becky soon discovered. They were bedridden all of Wednesday and Thursday, and seemed to grow more and more tired and worn, all the time. Tom got about, a little, on Thursday, was down-town Friday, and nearly as whole as ever Saturday; but Becky did not leave her room until Sunday, and then she looked as if she had passed through a wasting illness.
Tom learned of Huck's sickness and went to see him on Friday, but could not be admitted to the bedroom; neither could he on Saturday or Sunday. He was admitted daily after that, but was warned to keep still about his adventure and introduce no ex- citing topic. The Widow Douglas stayed by to see that he obeyed. At home Tom learned of the Cardiff Hill event; also that the "ragged man's" body had eventually been found in the river near the ferry- landing; he had been drowned while trying to escape, perhaps.
About a fortnight after Tom's rescue from the cave, he started off to visit Huck, who had grown plenty strong enough, now, to hear exciting talk, and Tom had some that would interest him, he thought. Judge Thatcher's house was on Tom's way, and he stopped to see Becky. The Judge and some friends set Tom to talking, and some one asked him ironically if he wouldn't like to go to the cave again. Tom said he thought he wouldn't mind it. The Judge said:
"Well, there are others just like you, Tom, I've not the least doubt. But we have taken care of that. Nobody will get lost in that cave any more."
"Why?"
"Because I had its big door sheathed with boiler iron two weeks ago, and triple-locked -- and I've got the keys."
Tom turned as white as a sheet.
"What's the matter, boy! Here, run, somebody! Fetch a glass of water!"
The water was brought and thrown into Tom's face.
"Ah, now you're all right. What was the matter with you, Tom?"
"Oh, Judge, Injun Joe's in the cave!"
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 31
CHAPTER XXXI
NOW to return to Tom and Becky's share in the picnic. They tripped along the murky aisles with the rest of the com- pany, visiting the familiar wonders of the cave -- wonders dubbed with rather over- descriptive names, such as "The Draw- ing-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 web-work 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 ambi- tion 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 be- witching spring, whose basin was incrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals; it was in the midst of a cavern whose walls were supported by many fan- tastic 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 creat- ures 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 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."
"Listen!" said he.
Profound silence; silence so deep that even their breathings were conspicuous in the hush. Tom shout- ed. 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 be- fore a certain indecision in his manner revealed an- other 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 econ- omize.
By-and-by, fatigue began to assert its claims; the children tried to pay 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 comfort- ing her, but all his encouragements were grown thread- bare 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 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 abun- dance 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 some one would come. He tried it; but in the darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it no more.
The hours wasted away, and hunger came to tor- ment the captives again. A portion of Tom's half of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. But they seemed hungrier than before. The poor morsel of food only whetted desire.
By-and-by Tom said:
"SH! Did you hear that?"
Both held their breath and listened. There was a sound like the faintest, far-off shout. Instantly Tom answered it, and leading Becky by the hand, started groping down the corridor in its direction. Presently he listened again; again the sound was heard, and apparently a little nearer.
"It's them!" said Tom; "they're coming! Come along, Becky -- we're all right now!"
The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. Their speed was slow, however, because pitfalls were somewhat common, and had to be guarded against. They shortly came to one and had to stop. It might be three feet deep, it might be a hundred -- there was no passing it at any rate. Tom got down on his breast and reached as far down as he could. No bottom. They must stay there and wait until the searchers came. They listened; evidently the distant shoutings were growing more distant! a moment or two more and they had gone altogether. The heart-sinking misery of it! Tom whooped until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. He talked hopefully to Becky; but an age of anxious waiting passed and no sounds came again.
The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time dragged on; they slept again, and awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believed it must be Tuesday by this time.
Now an idea struck him. There were some side passages near at hand. It would be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of the heavy time in idleness. He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and Becky started, Tom in the lead, unwinding the line as he groped along. At the end of twenty steps the corridor ended in a "jumping- off place." Tom got down on his knees and felt below, and then as far around the corner as he could reach with his hands conveniently; he made an effort to stretch yet a little farther to the right, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand, holding a candle, appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a glorious shout, and instantly that hand was followed by the body it belonged to -- Injun Joe's! Tom was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified the next moment, to see the "Spaniard" take to his heels and get himself out of sight. Tom wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice and come over and killed him for testifying in court. But the echoes must have disguised the voice. Without doubt, that was it, he reasoned. Tom's fright weak- ened every muscle in his body. He said to himself that if he had strength enough to get back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again. He was careful to keep from Becky what it was he had seen. He told her he had only shouted "for luck."
But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run. Another tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep brought changes. The chil- dren awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom believed that it must be Wednesday or Thursday or even Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search had been given over. He proposed to explore another passage. He felt willing to risk Injun Joe and all other terrors. But Becky was very weak. She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would not be roused. She said she would wait, now, where she was, and die -- it would not be long. She told Tom to go with the kite-line and explore if he chose; but she implored him to come back every little while and speak to her; and she made him promise that when the awful time came, he would stay by her and hold her hand until all was over.
Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a show of being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from the cave; then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of the passages on his hands and knees, distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of coming doom.
NOW to return to Tom and Becky's share in the picnic. They tripped along the murky aisles with the rest of the com- pany, visiting the familiar wonders of the cave -- wonders dubbed with rather over- descriptive names, such as "The Draw- ing-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 web-work 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 ambi- tion 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 be- witching spring, whose basin was incrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals; it was in the midst of a cavern whose walls were supported by many fan- tastic 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 creat- ures 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 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."
"Listen!" said he.
Profound silence; silence so deep that even their breathings were conspicuous in the hush. Tom shout- ed. 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 be- fore a certain indecision in his manner revealed an- other 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 econ- omize.
By-and-by, fatigue began to assert its claims; the children tried to pay 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 comfort- ing her, but all his encouragements were grown thread- bare 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 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 abun- dance 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 some one would come. He tried it; but in the darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it no more.
The hours wasted away, and hunger came to tor- ment the captives again. A portion of Tom's half of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. But they seemed hungrier than before. The poor morsel of food only whetted desire.
By-and-by Tom said:
"SH! Did you hear that?"
Both held their breath and listened. There was a sound like the faintest, far-off shout. Instantly Tom answered it, and leading Becky by the hand, started groping down the corridor in its direction. Presently he listened again; again the sound was heard, and apparently a little nearer.
"It's them!" said Tom; "they're coming! Come along, Becky -- we're all right now!"
The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. Their speed was slow, however, because pitfalls were somewhat common, and had to be guarded against. They shortly came to one and had to stop. It might be three feet deep, it might be a hundred -- there was no passing it at any rate. Tom got down on his breast and reached as far down as he could. No bottom. They must stay there and wait until the searchers came. They listened; evidently the distant shoutings were growing more distant! a moment or two more and they had gone altogether. The heart-sinking misery of it! Tom whooped until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. He talked hopefully to Becky; but an age of anxious waiting passed and no sounds came again.
The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time dragged on; they slept again, and awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believed it must be Tuesday by this time.
Now an idea struck him. There were some side passages near at hand. It would be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of the heavy time in idleness. He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and Becky started, Tom in the lead, unwinding the line as he groped along. At the end of twenty steps the corridor ended in a "jumping- off place." Tom got down on his knees and felt below, and then as far around the corner as he could reach with his hands conveniently; he made an effort to stretch yet a little farther to the right, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand, holding a candle, appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a glorious shout, and instantly that hand was followed by the body it belonged to -- Injun Joe's! Tom was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified the next moment, to see the "Spaniard" take to his heels and get himself out of sight. Tom wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice and come over and killed him for testifying in court. But the echoes must have disguised the voice. Without doubt, that was it, he reasoned. Tom's fright weak- ened every muscle in his body. He said to himself that if he had strength enough to get back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again. He was careful to keep from Becky what it was he had seen. He told her he had only shouted "for luck."
But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run. Another tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep brought changes. The chil- dren awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom believed that it must be Wednesday or Thursday or even Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search had been given over. He proposed to explore another passage. He felt willing to risk Injun Joe and all other terrors. But Becky was very weak. She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would not be roused. She said she would wait, now, where she was, and die -- it would not be long. She told Tom to go with the kite-line and explore if he chose; but she implored him to come back every little while and speak to her; and she made him promise that when the awful time came, he would stay by her and hold her hand until all was over.
Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a show of being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from the cave; then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of the passages on his hands and knees, distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of coming doom.
訂閱：
意見 (Atom)