"Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer Abroad (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

same. Tom he tried to cheer us up by saying he would think up another
speculation for us that would be just as good as this one and better, but
it didn't do no good, we didn't believe there was any as big as this. It
was mighty hard; such a little while ago we was so rich, and could 'a'
bought a country and started a kingdom and been celebrated and happy, and
now we was so poor and ornery again, and had our sand left on our hands.
The sand was looking so lovely before, just like gold and di'monds, and
the feel of it was so soft and so silky and nice, but now I couldn't bear
the sight of it, it made me sick to look at it, and I knowed I wouldn't
ever feel comfortable again till we got shut of it, and I didn't have it
there no more to remind us of what we had been and what we had got
degraded down to. The others was feeling the same way about it that I was.
I knowed it, because they cheered up so, the minute I says le's throw this
truck overboard.
Well, it was going to be work, you know, and pretty solid work, too; so
Tom he divided it up according to fairness and strength. He said me and
him would clear out a fifth apiece of the sand, and Jim threefifths. Jim
he didn't quite like that arrangement. He says:
"Course I's de stronges', en I's willin' to do a share accordin', but
by jings you's kinder pilin' it onto ole Jim, Mars Tom, hain't you?"
"Well, I didn't think so, Jim, but you try your hand at fixing it, and
let's see."
So Jim reckoned it wouldn't be no more than fair if me and Tom done a
TENTH apiece. Tom he turned his back to git room and be private, and then
he smole a smile that spread around and covered the whole Sahara to the
westward, back to the Atlantic edge of it where we come from. Then he
turned around again and said it was a good enough arrangement, and we was
satisfied if Jim was. Jim said he was.
So then Tom measured off our two-tenths in the bow and left the rest
for Jim, and it surprised Jim a good deal to see how much difference there
was and what a raging lot of sand his share come to, and said he was
powerful glad now that he had spoke up in time and got the first
arrangement altered, for he said that even the way it was now, there was
more sand than enjoyment in his end of the contract, he believed.
Then we laid into it. It was mighty hot work, and tough; so hot we had
to move up into cooler weather or we couldn't 'a' stood it. Me and Tom
took turn about, and one worked while t'other rested, but there warn't
nobody to spell poor old Jim, and he made all that part of Africa damp, he
sweated so. We couldn't work good, we was so full of laugh, and Jim he
kept fretting and wanting to know what tickled us so, and we had to keep
making up things to account for it, and they was pretty poor inventions,
but they done well enough, Jim didn't see through them. At last when we
got done we was 'most dead, but not with work but with laughing. By and by
Jim was 'most dead, too, but: it was with work; then we took turns and
spelled him, and he was as thankfull as he could be, and would set on the
gunnel and swab the sweat, and heave and pant, and say how good we was to
a poor old nigger, and he wouldn't ever forgit us. He was always the
gratefulest nigger I ever see, for any little thing you done for him. He
was only nigger outside; inside he was as white as you be.