第6章

HalfthetimeTomwasafraidInjunJoewouldneverbecaptured；

theotherhalfhewasafraidhewouldbe。Hefeltsurehenevercoulddrawasafebreathagainuntilthatmanwasdeadandhehadseenthecorpse。

Rewardshadbeenoffered，thecountryhadbeenscoured，butnoInjunJoewasfound。Oneofthoseomniscientandawe—inspiringmarvels，adetective，cameupfromSt。Louis，mousedaround，shookhishead，lookedwise，andmadethatsortofastoundingsuccesswhichmembersofthatcraftusuallyachieve。Thatistosay，he"foundaclew。"Butyoucan’thanga"clew"formurder，andsoafterthatdetectivehadgotthroughandgonehome，Tomfeltjustasinsecureashewasbefore。

Theslowdaysdriftedon，andeachleftbehinditaslightlylightenedweightofapprehension。

TheAdventuresofTomSawyer：Chapter25CHAPTERXXVTHEREcomesatimeineveryrightlyconstructedboy’slifewhenhehasaragingdesiretogosomewhereanddigforhiddentreasure。ThisdesiresuddenlycameuponTomoneday。HesalliedouttofindJoeHarper，butfailedofsuccess。NexthesoughtBenRogers；hehadgonefishing。PresentlyhestumbleduponHuckFinntheRed—Handed。Huckwouldanswer。Tomtookhimtoaprivateplaceandopenedthemattertohimconfidentially。Huckwaswilling。Huckwasalwayswillingtotakeahandinanyenterprisethatofferedentertainmentandrequirednocapital，forhehadatroublesomesuperabundanceofthatsortoftimewhichisnotmoney。"Where’llwedig？"

saidHuck。

"Oh，mostanywhere。"

"Why，isithidallaround？"

"No，indeeditain’t。It’shidinmightyparticularplaces，Huck——sometimesonislands，sometimesinrottenchestsundertheendofalimbofanolddeadtree，justwheretheshadowfallsatmidnight；butmostlyunderthefloorinha’ntedhouses。"

"Whohidesit？"

"Why，robbers，ofcourse——who’dyoureckon？Sunday—schoolsup’rintendents？"

"Idon’tknow。If’twasmineIwouldn’thideit；I’dspenditandhaveagoodtime。"

"SowouldI。Butrobbersdon’tdothatway。Theyalwayshideitandleaveitthere。"

"Don’ttheycomeafteritanymore？"

"No，theythinktheywill，buttheygenerallyforgetthemarks，orelsetheydie。Anyway，itlaystherealongtimeandgetsrusty；andbyandbysomebodyfindsanoldyellowpaperthattellshowtofindthemarks——apaperthat’sgottobecipheredoveraboutaweekbecauseit’smostlysignsandhy’roglyphics。"

"HyroQwhich？"

"Hy’roglyphics——picturesandthings，youknow，thatdon’tseemtomeananything。"

"Haveyougotoneofthempapers，Tom？"

"No。"

"Wellthen，howyougoingtofindthemarks？"

"Idon’twantanymarks。Theyalwaysburyitunderaha’ntedhouseoronanisland，orunderadeadtreethat’sgotonelimbstickingout。

Well，we’vetriedJackson’sIslandalittle，andwecantryitagainsometime；andthere’stheoldha’ntedhouseuptheStill—Housebranch，andthere’slotsofdeadlimbtrees——deadloadsof’em。"

"Isitunderallofthem？"

"Howyoutalk！No！"

"Thenhowyougoingtoknowwhichonetogofor？"

"Goforallof’em！"

"Why，Tom，it’lltakeallsummer。"

"Well，whatofthat？Supposeyoufindabrasspotwithahundreddollarsinit，allrustyandgray，orrottenchestfullofdi’monds。How’sthat？"

Huck’seyesglowed。

"That’sbully。Plentybullyenoughforme。JustyougimmethehundreddollarsandIdon’twantnodi’monds。"

"Allright。ButIbetyouIain’tgoingtothrowoffondi’monds。

Someof’em’sworthtwentydollarsapiece——thereain’tany，hardly，but’sworthsixbitsoradollar。"

"No！Isthatso？"

"Cert’nly——anybody’lltellyouso。Hain’tyoueverseenone，Huck？"

"NotasIremember。"

"Oh，kingshaveslathersofthem。"

"Well，Idon’knownokings，Tom。"

"Ireckonyoudon’t。ButifyouwastogotoEuropeyou’dseearaftof’emhoppingaround。"

"Dotheyhop？"

"Hop？——yourgranny！No！"

"Well，whatdidyousaytheydid，for？"

"Shucks，Ionlymeantyou’dsee’em——nothopping，ofcourse——whatdotheywanttohopfor？——butImeanyou’djustsee’em——scatteredaround，youknow，inakindofageneralway。LikethatoldhumpbackedRichard。"

"Richard？What’shisothername？"

"Hedidn’thaveanyothername。Kingsdon’thaveanybutagivenname。"

"No？"

"Buttheydon’t。"

"Well，iftheylikeit，Tom，allright；butIdon’twanttobeakingandhaveonlyjustagivenname，likeanigger。Butsay——whereyougoingtodigfirst？"

"Well，Idon’tknow。S’posewetacklethatolddead—limbtreeonthehillt’othersideofStill—Housebranch？"

"I’magreed。"

Sotheygotacrippledpickandashovel，andsetoutontheirthree—miletramp。Theyarrivedhotandpanting，andthrewthemselvesdownintheshadeofaneighboringelmtorestandhaveasmoke。

"Ilikethis，"saidTom。

"SodoI。"

"Say，Huck，ifwefindatreasurehere，whatyougoingtodowithyourshare？"

"Well，I’llhavepieandaglassofsodaeveryday，andI’llgotoeverycircusthatcomesalong。IbetI’llhaveagaytime。"

"Well，ain’tyougoingtosaveanyofit？"

"Saveit？Whatfor？"

"Why，soastohavesomethingtoliveon，byandby。"

"Oh，thatain’tanyuse。Papwouldcomebacktothish—yertownsomedayandgethisclawsonitifIdidn’thurryup，andItellyouhe’dcleanitoutprettyquick。Whatyougoingtodowithyourn，Tom？"

"I’mgoingtobuyanewdrum，andasure—’noughsword，andarednecktieandabullpup，andgetmarried。"

"Married！"

"That’sit。"

"Tom，you——why，youain’tinyourrightmind。"

"Wait——you’llsee。"

"Well，that’sthefoolishestthingyoucoulddo。Lookatpapandmymother。Fight！Why，theyusedtofightallthetime。Iremember，mightywell。"

"Thatain’tanything。ThegirlI’mgoingtomarrywon’tfight。"

"Tom，Ireckonthey’reallalike。They’llallcombabody。Nowyoubetterthink’boutthisawhile。Itellyouyoubetter。What’sthenameofthegal？"

"Itain’tagalatall——it’sagirl。"

"It’sallthesame，Ireckon；somesaysgal，somesaysgirl——

both’sright，likeenough。Anyway，what’shername，Tom？"

"I’lltellyousometime——notnow。"

"Allright——that’lldo。OnlyifyougetmarriedI’llbemorelonesomerthanever。"

"Noyouwon’t。You’llcomeandlivewithme。Nowstiroutofthisandwe’llgotodigging。"

Theyworkedandsweatedforhalfanhour。Noresult。Theytoiledanotherhalf—hour。Stillnoresult。Hucksaid：

"Dotheyalwaysburyitasdeepasthis？"

"Sometimes——notalways。Notgenerally。Ireckonwehaven’tgottherightplace。"

Sotheychoseanewspotandbeganagain。Thelabordraggedalittle，butstilltheymadeprogress。Theypeggedawayinsilenceforsometime。FinallyHuckleanedonhisshovel，swabbedthebeadeddropsfromhisbrowwithhissleeve，andsaid：

"Whereyougoingtodignext，afterwegetthisone？"

"Ireckonmaybewe’lltackletheoldtreethat’soveryonderonCardiffHillbackofthewidow’s。"

"Ireckonthat’llbeagoodone。Butwon’tthewidowtakeitawayfromus，Tom？It’sonherland。"

"Shetakeitaway！Maybeshe’dliketotryitonce。Whoeverfindsoneofthesehidtreasures，itbelongstohim。Itdon’tmakeanydifferencewhoselandit’son。"

Thatwassatisfactory。Theworkwenton。ByandbyHucksaid：

"Blameit，wemustbeinthewrongplaceagain。Whatdoyouthink？"

"Itismightycurious，Huck。Idon’tunderstandit。Sometimeswitchesinterfere。Ireckonmaybethat’swhat’sthetroublenow。"

"Shucks！Witchesain’tgotnopowerinthedaytime。"

"Well，that’sso。Ididn’tthinkofthat。Oh，Iknowwhatthematteris！Whatablamedlotoffoolsweare！Yougottofindoutwheretheshadowofthelimbfallsatmidnight，andthat’swhereyoudig！"

"Thenconsoundit，we’vefooledawayallthisworkfornothing。

Nowhangitall，wegottocomebackinthenight。It’sanawfullongway。

Canyougetout？"

"IbetIwill。We’vegottodoitto—night，too，becauseifsomebodyseestheseholesthey’llknowinaminutewhat’shereandthey’llgoforit。"

"Well，I’llcomearoundandmaowto—night。"

"Allright。Let’shidethetoolsinthebushes。"

Theboysweretherethatnight，abouttheappointedtime。Theysatintheshadowwaiting。Itwasalonelyplace，andanhourmadesolemnbyoldtraditions。Spiritswhisperedintherustlingleaves，ghostslurkedinthemurkynooks，thedeepbayingofahoundfloatedupoutofthedistance，anowlansweredwithhissepulchralnote。Theboysweresubduedbythesesolemnities，andtalkedlittle。Byandbytheyjudgedthattwelvehadcome；

theymarkedwheretheshadowfell，andbegantodig。Theirhopescommencedtorise。Theirinterestgrewstronger，andtheirindustrykeptpacewithit。Theholedeepenedandstilldeepened，buteverytimetheirheartsjumpedtohearthepickstrikeuponsomething，theyonlysufferedanewdisappointment。

Itwasonlyastoneorachunk。AtlastTomsaid：

"Itain’tanyuse，Huck，we’rewrongagain。"

"Well，butwecan’tbewrong。Wespottedtheshaddertoadot。"

"Iknowit，butthenthere’sanotherthing。"

"What’sthat？"。

"Why，weonlyguessedatthetime。Likeenoughitwastoolateortooearly。"

Huckdroppedhisshovel。

"That’sit，"saidhe。"That’stheverytrouble。Wegottogivethisoneup。Wecan’tevertelltherighttime，andbesidesthiskindofthing’stooawful，herethistimeofnightwithwitchesandghostsa—flutteringaroundso。Ifeelasifsomething’sbehindmeallthetime；andI’mafeardtoturnaround，becuzmaybethere’sothersinfronta—waitingforachance。

Ibeencreepingallover，eversinceIgothere。"

"Well，I’vebeenprettymuchso，too，Huck。Theymostalwaysputinadeadmanwhentheyburyatreasureunderatree，tolookoutforit。"

"Lordy！"

"Yes，theydo。I’vealwaysheardthat。"

"Tom，Idon’tliketofoolaroundmuchwherethere’sdeadpeople。

Abody’sboundtogetintotroublewith’em，sure。"

"Idon’tliketostir’emup，either。S’posethisoneherewastostickhisskulloutandsaysomething！"

"Don’tTom！It’sawful。"

"Well，itjustis。Huck，Idon’tfeelcomfortableabit。"

"Say，Tom，let’sgivethisplaceup，andtrysomewhereselse。"

"Allright，Ireckonwebetter。"

"What’llitbe？"

Tomconsideredawhile；andthensaid：

"Theha’ntedhouse。That’sit！"

"Blameit，Idon’tlikeha’ntedhouses，Tom。Why，they’readernsightworse’ndeadpeople。Deadpeoplemighttalk，maybe，buttheydon’tcomeslidingaroundinashroud，whenyouain’tnoticing，andpeepoveryourshoulderallofasuddenandgrittheirteeth，thewayaghostdoes。

Icouldn’tstandsuchathingasthat，Tom——nobodycould。"

"Yes，but，Huck，ghostsdon’ttravelaroundonlyatnight。Theywon’thenderusfromdiggingthereinthedaytime。"

"Well，that’sso。Butyouknowmightywellpeopledon’tgoaboutthatha’ntedhouseinthedaynorthenight。"

"Well，that’smostlybecausetheydon’tliketogowhereaman’sbeenmurdered，anyway——butnothing’severbeenseenaroundthathouseexceptinthenight——justsomebluelightsslippingbythewindows——

noregularghosts。"

"Well，whereyouseeoneofthembluelightsflickeringaround，Tom，youcanbetthere’saghostmightyclosebehindit。Itstandstoreason。

Becuzyouknowthattheydon’tanybodybutghostsuse’em。"

"Yes，that’sso。Butanywaytheydon’tcomearoundinthedaytime，sowhat’stheuseofourbeingafeard？"

"Well，allright。We’lltackletheha’ntedhouseifyousayso——butIreckonit’stakingchances。"

Theyhadstarteddownthehillbythistime。Thereinthemiddleofthemoonlitvalleybelowthemstoodthe"ha’nted"house，utterlyisolated，itsfencesgonelongago，rankweedssmotheringtheverydoorsteps，thechimneycrumbledtoruin，thewindow—sashesvacant，acorneroftheroofcavedin。Theboysgazedawhile，halfexpectingtoseeabluelightflitpastawindow；thentalkinginalowtone，asbefittedthetimeandthecircumstances，theystruckfarofftotheright，togivethehauntedhouseawideberth，andtooktheirwayhomewardthroughthewoodsthatadornedtherearwardsideofCardiffHill。

TheAdventuresofTomSawyer：Chapter26CHAPTERXXVIABOUTnoonthenextdaytheboysarrivedatthedeadtree；theyhadcomefortheirtools。Tomwasimpatienttogotothehauntedhouse；Huckwasmeasurablyso，also——butsuddenlysaid：

"Lookyhere，Tom，doyouknowwhatdayitis？"

Tommentallyranoverthedaysoftheweek，andthenquicklyliftedhiseyeswithastartledlookinthem——

"My！Ineveroncethoughtofit，Huck！"

"Well，Ididn’tneither，butallatonceitpoppedontomethatitwasFriday。"

"Blameit，abodycan’tbetoocareful，Huck。Wemight’a’gotintoanawfulscrape，tacklingsuchathingonaFriday。"

"~might！Bettersaywewould！There’ssomeluckydays，maybe，butFridayain’t。"

"Anyfoolknowsthat。Idon’treckonYOUwasthefirstthatfounditout，Huck。"

"Well，IneversaidIwas，didI？AndFridayain’tall，neither。

Ihadarottenbaddreamlastnight——dreamptaboutrats。"

"No！Suresignoftrouble。Didtheyfight？"

"No。"

"Well，that’sgood，Huck。Whentheydon’tfightit’sonlyasignthatthere’stroublearound，youknow。Allwegottodoistolookmightysharpandkeepoutofit。We’lldropthisthingforto—day，andplay。DoyouknowRobinHood，Huck？"

"No。Who’sRobinHood？"

"Why，hewasoneofthegreatestmenthatwaseverinEngland——andthebest。Hewasarobber。"

"Cracky，IwishtIwas。Whodidherob？"

"Onlysheriffsandbishopsandrichpeopleandkings，andsuchlike。Butheneverbotheredthepoor。Heloved’em。Healwaysdividedupwith’emperfectlysquare。"

"Well，hemust’a’beenabrick。"

"Ibetyouhewas，Huck。Oh，hewasthenoblestmanthateverwas。Theyain’tanysuchmennow，Icantellyou。HecouldlickanymaninEngland，withonehandtiedbehindhim；andhecouldtakehisyewbowandplugaten—centpieceeverytime，amileandahalf。"

"What’sayewbow？"

"Idon’tknow。It’ssomekindofabow，ofcourse。Andifhehitthatdimeonlyontheedgehewouldsetdownandcry——andcurse。Butwe’llplayRobinHood——it’snobbyfun。I’lllearnyou。"

"I’magreed。"

SotheyplayedRobinHoodalltheafternoon，nowandthencastingayearningeyedownuponthehauntedhouseandpassingaremarkaboutthemorrow’sprospectsandpossibilitiesthere。AsthesunbegantosinkintothewesttheytooktheirwayhomewardathwartthelongshadowsofthetreesandsoonwereburiedfromsightintheforestsofCardiffHill。

OnSaturday，shortlyafternoon，theboyswereatthedeadtreeagain。Theyhadasmokeandachatintheshade，andthendugalittleintheirlasthole，notwithgreathope，butmerelybecauseTomsaidthereweresomanycaseswherepeoplehadgivenupatreasureaftergettingdownwithinsixinchesofit，andthensomebodyelsehadcomealongandturneditupwithasinglethrustofashovel。Thethingfailedthistime，however，sotheboysshoulderedtheirtoolsandwentawayfeelingthattheyhadnottrifledwithfortune，buthadfulfilledalltherequirementsthatbelongtothebusinessoftreasure—hunting。

Whentheyreachedthehauntedhousetherewassomethingsoweirdandgrislyaboutthedeadsilencethatreignedthereunderthebakingsun，andsomethingsodepressingaboutthelonelinessanddesolationoftheplace，thattheywereafraid，foramoment，toventurein。Thentheycrepttothedoorandtookatremblingpeep。Theysawaweed—grown，floorlessroom，unplastered，anancientfireplace，vacantwindows，aruinousstaircase；

andhere，there，andeverywherehungraggedandabandonedcobwebs。Theypresentlyentered，softly，withquickenedpulses，talkinginwhispers，earsalerttocatchtheslightestsound，andmusclestenseandreadyforinstantretreat。

Inalittlewhilefamiliaritymodifiedtheirfearsandtheygavetheplaceacriticalandinterestedexamination，ratheradmiringtheirownboldness，andwonderingatit，too。Nexttheywantedtolookup—stairs。

Thiswassomethinglikecuttingoffretreat，buttheygottodaringeachother，andofcoursetherecouldbebutoneresult——theythrewtheirtoolsintoacornerandmadetheascent。Uptherewerethesamesignsofdecay。Inonecornertheyfoundaclosetthatpromisedmystery，butthepromisewasafraud——therewasnothinginit。Theircouragewasupnowandwellinhand。Theywereabouttogodownandbeginworkwhen——

"Sh！"saidTom。

"Whatisit？"whisperedHuck，blanchingwithfright。

"Sh！……There！……Hearit？"

"Yes！……Oh，my！Let’srun！"

"Keepstill！Don’tyoubudge！They’recomingrighttowardthedoor。"

Theboysstretchedthemselvesuponthefloorwiththeireyestoknot—holesintheplanking，andlaywaiting，inamiseryoffear。

"They’vestopped……No——coming……Heretheyare。Don’twhisperanotherword，Huck。Mygoodness，IwishIwasoutofthis！"

Twomenentered。Eachboysaidtohimself："There’stheolddeafanddumbSpaniardthat’sbeenabouttownonceortwicelately——neversawt’othermanbefore。"

"T’other"wasaragged，unkemptcreature，withnothingverypleasantinhisface。TheSpaniardwaswrappedinaserape；hehadbushywhitewhiskers；longwhitehairflowedfromunderhissombrero，andheworegreengoggles。Whentheycamein，"t’other"wastalkinginalowvoice；

theysatdownontheground，facingthedoor，withtheirbackstothewall，andthespeakercontinuedhisremarks。Hismannerbecamelessguardedandhiswordsmoredistinctasheproceeded：

"No，"saidhe，"I’vethoughtitallover，andIdon’tlikeit。

It’sdangerous。"

"Dangerous！"gruntedthe"deafanddumb"Spaniard——tothevastsurpriseoftheboys。"Milksop！"

Thisvoicemadetheboysgaspandquake。ItwasInjunJoe’s！Therewassilenceforsometime。ThenJoesaid：

"What’sanymoredangerousthanthatjobupyonder——butnothing’scomeofit。"

"That’sdifferent。Awayuptheriverso，andnotanotherhouseabout。’Twon’teverbeknownthatwetried，anyway，longaswedidn’tsucceed。"

"Well，what’smoredangerousthancominghereinthedaytime！

——anybodywouldsuspicionusthatsawus。"

"Iknowthat。Buttherewarn’tanyotherplaceashandyafterthatfoolofajob。Iwanttoquitthisshanty。Iwantedtoyesterday，onlyitwarn’tanyusetryingtostiroutofhere，withthoseinfernalboysplayingoverthereonthehillrightinfullview。"

"Thoseinfernalboys"quakedagainundertheinspirationofthisremark，andthoughthowluckyitwasthattheyhadremembereditwasFridayandconcludedtowaitaday。Theywishedintheirheartstheyhadwaitedayear。

Thetwomengotoutsomefoodandmadealuncheon。Afteralongandthoughtfulsilence，InjunJoesaid：

"Lookhere，lad——yougobackuptheriverwhereyoubelong。

Waittheretillyouhearfromme。I’lltakethechancesondroppingintothistownjustoncemore，foralook。We’lldothat’dangerous’jobafterI’vespiedaroundalittleandthinkthingslookwellforit。ThenforTexas！We’lllegittogether！"

Thiswassatisfactory。Bothmenpresentlyfelltoyawning，andInjunJoesaid：

"I’mdeadforsleep！It’syourturntowatch。"

Hecurleddownintheweedsandsoonbegantosnore。Hiscomradestirredhimonceortwiceandhebecamequiet。Presentlythewatcherbegantonod；hisheaddroopedlowerandlower，bothmenbegantosnorenow。

Theboysdrewalong，gratefulbreath。Tomwhispered：

"Now’sourchance——come！"

Hucksaid：

"Ican’t——I’ddieiftheywastowake。"

Tomurged——Huckheldback。AtlastTomroseslowlyandsoftly，andstartedalone。Butthefirststephemadewrungsuchahideouscreakfromthecrazyfloorthathesankdownalmostdeadwithfright。Henevermadeasecondattempt。Theboyslaytherecountingthedraggingmomentstillitseemedtothemthattimemustbedoneandeternitygrowinggray；

andthentheyweregratefultonotethatatlastthesunwassetting。

Nowonesnoreceased。InjunJoesatup，staredaround——smiledgrimlyuponhiscomrade，whoseheadwasdroopinguponhisknees——stirredhimupwithhisfootandsaid：

"Here！you’reawatchman，ain’tyou！Allright，though——nothing’shappened。"

"My！haveIbeenasleep？"

"Oh，partly，partly。Nearlytimeforustobemoving，pard。What’llwedowithwhatlittleswagwe’vegotleft？"

"Idon’tknow——leaveithereaswe’vealwaysdone，Ireckon。

Nousetotakeitawaytillwestartsouth。Sixhundredandfiftyinsilver’ssomethingtocarry。"

"Well——allright——itwon’tmattertocomehereoncemore。"

"No——butI’dsaycomeinthenightasweusedtodo——it’sbetter。"

"Yes：butlookhere；itmaybeagoodwhilebeforeIgettherightchanceatthatjob；accidentsmighthappen；’tain’tinsuchaverygoodplace；we’lljustregularlyburyit——andburyitdeep。"

"Goodidea，"saidthecomrade，whowalkedacrosstheroom，kneltdown，raisedoneoftherearwardhearthstonesandtookoutabagthatjingledpleasantly。HesubtractedfromittwentyorthirtydollarsforhimselfandasmuchforInjunJoe，andpassedthebagtothelatter，whowasonhiskneesinthecorner，now，diggingwithhisbowie—knife。

Theboysforgotalltheirfears，alltheirmiseriesinaninstant。

Withgloatingeyestheywatchedeverymovement。Luck！——thesplendorofitwasbeyondallimagination！Sixhundreddollarswasmoneyenoughtomakehalfadozenboysrich！Herewastreasure—huntingunderthehappiestauspices——therewouldnotbeanybothersomeuncertaintyastowheretodig。Theynudgedeachothereverymoment——eloquentnudgesandeasilyunderstood，fortheysimplymeant——"Oh，butain’tyougladNOWwe’rehere！"

Joe’sknifestruckuponsomething。

"Hello！"saidhe。

"Whatisit？"saidhiscomrade。

"Half—rottenplank——no，it’sabox，Ibelieve。Here——bearahandandwe’llseewhatit’sherefor。Nevermind，I’vebrokeahole。"

Hereachedhishandinanddrewitout——

"Man，it’smoney！"

Thetwomenexaminedthehandfulofcoins。Theyweregold。Theboysabovewereasexcitedasthemselves，andasdelighted。

Joe’scomradesaid：

"We’llmakequickworkofthis。There’sanoldrustypickoveramongsttheweedsinthecornertheothersideofthefireplace——Isawitaminuteago。"

Heranandbroughttheboys’pickandshovel。InjunJoetookthepick，lookeditovercritically，shookhishead，mutteredsomethingtohimself，andthenbegantouseit。Theboxwassoonunearthed。Itwasnotverylarge；itwasironboundandhadbeenverystrongbeforetheslowyearshadinjuredit。Themencontemplatedthetreasureawhileinblissfulsilence。

"Pard，there’sthousandsofdollarshere，"saidInjunJoe。

"’TwasalwayssaidthatMurrel’sgangusedtobearoundhereonesummer，"thestrangerobserved。

"Iknowit，"saidInjunJoe；"andthislookslikeit，Ishouldsay。"

"Nowyouwon’tneedtodothatjob。"

Thehalf—breedfrowned。Saidhe：

"Youdon’tknowme。Leastyoudon’tknowallaboutthatthing。

’Tain’trobberyaltogether——it’srevenge！"andawickedlightflamedinhiseyes。"I’llneedyourhelpinit。Whenit’sfinished——thenTexas。GohometoyourNanceandyourkids，andstandbytillyouhearfromme。"

"Well——ifyousayso；what’llwedowiththis——buryitagain？"

"Yes。[Ravishingdelightoverhead。]No！bythegreatSachem，no！[Profounddistressoverhead。]I’dnearlyforgot。Thatpickhadfreshearthonit！[Theboysweresickwithterrorinamoment。]Whatbusinesshasapickandashovelhere？Whatbusinesswithfreshearthonthem？Whobroughtthemhere——andwherearetheygone？Haveyouheardanybody？——

seenanybody？What！buryitagainandleavethemtocomeandseethegrounddisturbed？Notexactly——notexactly。We’lltakeittomyden。"

"Why，ofcourse！Mighthavethoughtofthatbefore。YoumeanNumberOne？"

"No——NumberTwo——underthecross。Theotherplaceisbad——

toocommon。"

"Allright。It’snearlydarkenoughtostart。"

InjunJoegotupandwentaboutfromwindowtowindowcautiouslypeepingout。Presentlyhesaid：

"Whocouldhavebroughtthosetoolshere？Doyoureckontheycanbeup—stairs？"

Theboys’breathforsookthem。InjunJoeputhishandonhisknife，haltedamoment，undecided，andthenturnedtowardthestairway。Theboysthoughtofthecloset，buttheirstrengthwasgone。Thestepscamecreakingupthestairs——theintolerabledistressofthesituationwokethestrickenresolutionofthelads——theywereabouttospringforthecloset，whentherewasacrashofrottentimbersandInjunJoelandedonthegroundamidthedé；brisoftheruinedstairway。Hegatheredhimselfupcursing，andhiscomradesaid：

"Nowwhat’stheuseofallthat？Ifit’sanybody，andthey’reupthere，letthemstaythere——whocares？Iftheywanttojumpdown，now，andgetintotrouble，whoobjects？Itwillbedarkinfifteenminutes——andthenletthemfollowusiftheywantto。I’mwilling。Inmyopinion，whoeverhovethosethingsinherecaughtasightofusandtookusforghostsordevilsorsomething。I’llbetthey’rerunningyet。"

Joegrumbledawhile；thenheagreedwithhisfriendthatwhatdaylightwasleftoughttobeeconomizedingettingthingsreadyforleaving。

Shortlyafterwardtheyslippedoutofthehouseinthedeepeningtwilight，andmovedtowardtheriverwiththeirpreciousbox。

TomandHuckroseup，weakbutvastlyrelieved，andstaredafterthemthroughthechinksbetweenthelogsofthehouse。Follow？Notthey。

Theywerecontenttoreachgroundagainwithoutbrokennecks，andtakethetownwardtrackoverthehill。Theydidnottalkmuch。Theyweretoomuchabsorbedinhatingthemselves——hatingtheillluckthatmadethemtakethespadeandthepickthere。Butforthat，InjunJoeneverwouldhavesuspected。Hewouldhavehiddenthesilverwiththegoldtowaittheretillhis"revenge"wassatisfied，andthenhewouldhavehadthemisfortunetofindthatmoneyturnupmissing。Bitter，bitterluckthatthetoolswereeverbroughtthere！

TheyresolvedtokeepalookoutforthatSpaniardwhenheshouldcometotownspyingoutforchancestodohisrevengefuljob，andfollowhimto"NumberTwo，"whereverthatmightbe。ThenaghastlythoughtoccurredtoTom。

"Revenge？Whatifhemeansus，Huck！"

"Oh，don’t！"saidHuck，nearlyfainting。

Theytalkeditallover，andastheyenteredtowntheyagreedtobelievethathemightpossiblymeansomebodyelse——atleastthathemightatleastmeannobodybutTom，sinceonlyTomhadtestified。

Very，verysmallcomfortitwastoTomtobealoneindanger！

Companywouldbeapalpableimprovement，hethought。

TheAdventuresofTomSawyer：Chapter27CHAPTERXXVIITHEadventureofthedaymightilytormentedTom’sdreamsthatnight。Fourtimeshehadhishandsonthatrichtreasureandfourtimesitwastedtonothingnessinhisfingersassleepforsookhimandwakefulnessbroughtbackthehardrealityofhismisfortune。Ashelayintheearlymorningrecallingtheincidentsofhisgreatadventure，henoticedthattheyseemedcuriouslysubduedandfaraway——somewhatasiftheyhadhappenedinanotherworld，orinatimelonggoneby。Thenitoccurredtohimthatthegreatadventureitselfmustbeadream！Therewasoneverystrongargumentinfavorofthisidea——namely，thatthequantityofcoinhehadseenwastoovasttobereal。Hehadneverseenasmuchasfiftydollarsinonemassbefore，andhewaslikeallboysofhisageandstationinlife，inthatheimaginedthatallreferencesto"hundreds"and"thousands"weremerefancifulformsofspeech，andthatnosuchsumsreallyexistedintheworld。Heneverhadsupposedforamomentthatsolargeasumasahundreddollarswastobefoundinactualmoneyinanyone’spossession。

Ifhisnotionsofhiddentreasurehadbeenanalyzed，theywouldhavebeenfoundtoconsistofahandfulofrealdimesandabushelofvague，splendid，ungraspabledollars。

Buttheincidentsofhisadventuregrewsensiblysharperandclearerundertheattritionofthinkingthemover，andsohepresentlyfoundhimselfleaningtotheimpressionthatthethingmightnothavebeenadream，afterall。Thisuncertaintymustbesweptaway。HewouldsnatchahurriedbreakfastandgoandfindHuck。Huckwassittingonthegunwaleofaflatboat，listlesslydanglinghisfeetinthewaterandlookingverymelancholy。TomconcludedtoletHuckleaduptothesubject。Ifhedidnotdoit，thentheadventurewouldbeprovedtohavebeenonlyadream。

"Hello，Huck！"

"Hello，yourself。"

Silence，foraminute。

"Tom，ifwe’d’a’lefttheblametoolsatthedeadtree，we’d’a’gotthemoney。Oh，ain’titawful！"

"’Tain’tadream，then，’tain’tadream！SomehowImostwishitwas。Dog’difIdon’t，Huck。"

"Whatain’tadream？"

"Oh，thatthingyesterday。Ibeenhalfthinkingitwas。"

"Dream！Ifthemstairshadn’tbrokedownyou’d’a’seenhowmuchdreamitwas！I’vehaddreamsenoughallnight——withthatpatch—eyedSpanishdevilgoingformeallthrough’em——rothim！"

"No，notrothim。FINDhim！Trackthemoney！"

"Tom，we’llneverfindhim。Afellerdon’thaveonlyonechanceforsuchapile——andthatone’slost。I’dfeelmightyshakyifIwastoseehim，anyway。"

"Well，so’dI；butI’dliketoseehim，anyway——andtrackhimout——tohisNumberTwo。"

"NumberTwo——yes，that’sit。Ibeenthinking’boutthat。ButIcan’tmakenothingoutofit。Whatdoyoureckonitis？"

"Idono。It’stoodeep。Say，Huck——maybeit’sthenumberofahouse！"

"Goody！……No，Tom，thatain’tit。Ifitis，itain’tinthisone—horsetown。Theyain’tnonumbershere。"

"Well，that’sso。Lemmethinkaminute。Here——it’sthenumberofaroom——inatavern，youknow！"

"Oh，that’sthetrick！Theyain’tonlytwotaverns。Wecanfindoutquick。"

"Youstayhere，Huck，tillIcome。"

Tomwasoffatonce。HedidnotcaretohaveHuck’scompanyinpublicplaces。Hewasgonehalfanhour。Hefoundthatinthebesttavern，No。2hadlongbeenoccupiedbyayounglawyer，andwasstillsooccupied。

Inthelessostentatioushouse，No。2wasamystery。Thetavern—keeper’syoungsonsaiditwaskeptlockedallthetime，andheneversawanybodygointoitorcomeoutofitexceptatnight；hedidnotknowanyparticularreasonforthisstateofthings；hadhadsomelittlecuriosity，butitwasratherfeeble；hadmadethemostofthemysterybyentertaininghimselfwiththeideathatthatroomwas"ha’nted"；hadnoticedthattherewasalightintherethenightbefore。

"That’swhatI’vefoundout，Huck。Ireckonthat’stheveryNo。

2we’reafter。"

"Ireckonitis，Tom。Nowwhatyougoingtodo？"

"Lemmethink。"

Tomthoughtalongtime。Thenhesaid：

"I’lltellyou。ThebackdoorofthatNo。2isthedoorthatcomesoutintothatlittleclosealleybetweenthetavernandtheoldrattletrapofabrickstore。Nowyougetholdofallthedoor—keysyoucanfind，andI’llnipallofauntie’s，andthefirstdarknightwe’llgothereandtry’em。Andmindyou，keepalookoutforInjunJoe，becausehesaidhewasgoingtodropintotownandspyaroundoncemoreforachancetogethisrevenge。Ifyouseehim，youjustfollowhim；andifhedon’tgotothatNo。2，thatain’ttheplace。"

"Lordy，Idon’twanttofollerhimbymyself！"

"Why，it’llbenight，sure。Hemightn’teverseeyou——andifhedid，maybehe’dneverthinkanything。"

"Well，ifit’sprettydarkIreckonI’lltrackhim。Idono——

Idono。I’lltry。"

"YoubetI’llfollowhim，ifit’sdark，Huck。Why，hemight’a’

foundouthecouldn’tgethisrevenge，andbegoingrightafterthatmoney。"

"It’sso，Tom，it’sso。I’llfollerhim；Iwill，byjingoes！"

"Nowyou’retalking！Don’tyoueverweaken，Huck，andI

won’t。"

TheAdventuresofTomSawyer：Chapter28CHAPTERXXVIIITHATnightTomandHuckwerereadyfortheiradventure。Theyhungabouttheneighborhoodofthetavernuntilafternine，onewatchingthealleyatadistanceandtheotherthetaverndoor。Nobodyenteredthealleyorleftit；nobodyresemblingtheSpaniardenteredorleftthetaverndoor。

Thenightpromisedtobeafairone；soTomwenthomewiththeunderstandingthatifaconsiderabledegreeofdarknesscameon，Huckwastocomeand"maow，"whereuponhewouldslipoutandtrythekeys。Butthenightremainedclear，andHuckclosedhiswatchandretiredtobedinanemptysugarhogsheadabouttwelve。

Tuesdaytheboyshadthesameillluck。AlsoWednesday。ButThursdaynightpromisedbetter。Tomslippedoutingoodseasonwithhisaunt’soldtinlantern，andalargetoweltoblindfolditwith。HehidthelanterninHuck’ssugarhogsheadandthewatchbegan。Anhourbeforemidnightthetavernclosedupanditslights（theonlyonesthereabouts）wereputout。

NoSpaniardhadbeenseen。Nobodyhadenteredorleftthealley。Everythingwasauspicious。Theblacknessofdarknessreigned，theperfectstillnesswasinterruptedonlybyoccasionalmutteringsofdistantthunder。

Tomgothislantern，lititinthehogshead，wrappeditcloselyinthetowel，andthetwoadventurerscreptinthegloomtowardthetavern。

HuckstoodsentryandTomfelthiswayintothealley。ThentherewasaseasonofwaitinganxietythatweigheduponHuck’sspiritslikeamountain。

Hebegantowishhecouldseeaflashfromthelantern——itwouldfrightenhim，butitwouldatleasttellhimthatTomwasaliveyet。ItseemedhourssinceTomhaddisappeared。Surelyhemusthavefainted；maybehewasdead；

maybehishearthadburstunderterrorandexcitement。InhisuneasinessHuckfoundhimselfdrawingcloserandclosertothealley；fearingallsortsofdreadfulthings，andmomentarilyexpectingsomecatastrophetohappenthatwouldtakeawayhisbreath。Therewasnotmuchtotakeaway，forheseemedonlyabletoinhaleitbythimblefuls，andhisheartwouldsoonwearitselfout，thewayitwasbeating。SuddenlytherewasaflashoflightandTomcametearingbyhim：。"Run！"saidhe；"run，foryourlife！"

Heneedn’thaverepeatedit；oncewasenough；Huckwasmakingthirtyorfortymilesanhourbeforetherepetitionwasuttered。Theboysneverstoppedtilltheyreachedtheshedofadesertedslaughterhouseatthelowerendofthevillage。Justastheygotwithinitsshelterthestormburstandtherainpoureddown。AssoonasTomgothisbreathhesaid：

"Huck，itwasawful！Itriedtwoofthekeys，justassoftasIcould；buttheyseemedtomakesuchapowerofracketthatIcouldn’thardlygetmybreathIwassoscared。Theywouldn’tturninthelock，either。

Well，withoutnoticingwhatIwasdoing，Itookholdoftheknob，andopencomesthedoor！Itwarn’tlocked！Ihoppedin，andshookoffthetowel，and，greatCaesar’sghost！"

"What！——what’dyousee，Tom？"

"Huck，ImoststeppedontoInjunJoe’shand！"

"No！"

"Yes！Hewaslyingthere，soundasleeponthefloor，withhisoldpatchonhiseyeandhisarmsspreadout。"

"Lordy，whatdidyoudo？Didhewakeup？"

"No，neverbudged。Drunk，Ireckon。Ijustgrabbedthattowelandstarted！"

"I’dnever’a’thoughtofthetowel，Ibet！"

"Well，Iwould。MyauntwouldmakememightysickifIlostit。"

"Say，Tom，didyouseethatbox？"

"Huck，Ididn’twaittolookaround。Ididn’tseethebox，Ididn’tseethecross。Ididn’tseeanythingbutabottleandatincuponthefloorbyInjunJoe；yes，Isawtwobarrelsandlotsmorebottlesintheroom。Don’tyousee，now，what’sthematterwiththatha’ntedroom？"

"How？"

"Why，it’sha’ntedwithwhiskey！MaybeALLtheTemperanceTavernshavegotaha’ntedroom，hey，Huck？"

"Well，Ireckonmaybethat’sso。Who’d’a’thoughtsuchathing？

Butsay，Tom，now’samightygoodtimetogetthatbox，ifInjunJoe’sdrunk。"

"Itis，that！Youtryit！"

Huckshuddered。

"Well，no——Ireckonnot。"

"AndIreckonnot，Huck。OnlyonebottlealongsideofInjunJoeain’tenough。Ifthere’dbeenthree，he’dbedrunkenoughandI’ddoit。"

Therewasalongpauseforreflection，andthenTomsaid：

"Lookyhere，Huck，lessnottrythatthinganymoretillweknowInjunJoe’snotinthere。It’stooscary。Now，ifwewatcheverynight，we’llbedeadsuretoseehimgoout，sometimeorother，andthenwe’llsnatchthatboxquicker’nlightning。"

"Well，I’magreed。I’llwatchthewholenightlong，andI’lldoiteverynight，too，ifyou’lldotheotherpartofthejob。"

"Allright，Iwill。AllyougottodoistotrotupHooperStreetablockandmaow——andifI’masleep，youthrowsomegravelatthewindowandthat’llfetchme。"

"Agreed，andgoodaswheat！"

"Now，Huck，thestorm’sover，andI’llgohome。It’llbegintobedaylightinacoupleofhours。Yougobackandwatchthatlong，willyou？"

"IsaidIwould，Tom，andIwill。I’llha’ntthattaverneverynightforayear！I’llsleepalldayandI’llstandwatchallnight。"

"That’sallright。Now，whereyougoingtosleep？"

"InBenRogers’hayloft。Heletsme，andsodoeshispap’sniggerman，UncleJake。ItotewaterforUncleJakewheneverhewantsmeto，andanytimeIaskhimhegivesmealittlesomethingtoeatifhecanspareit。That’samightygoodnigger，Tom。Helikesme，becuzIdon’teveractasifIwasabovehim。SometimeI’vesetrightdownandeatwithhim。Butyouneedn’ttellthat。Abody’sgottodothingswhenhe’sawfulhungryhewouldn’twanttodoasasteadything。"

"Well，ifIdon’twantyouinthedaytime，I’llletyousleep。

Iwon’tcomebotheringaround。Anytimeyouseesomething’sup，inthenight，justskiprightaroundandmaow。"

TheAdventuresofTomSawyer：Chapter29CHAPTERXXIXTHEfirstthingTomheardonFridaymorningwasagladpieceofnews——

JudgeThatcher’sfamilyhadcomebacktotownthenightbefore。BothInjunJoeandthetreasuresunkintosecondaryimportanceforamoment，andBeckytookthechiefplaceintheboy’sinterest。Hesawherandtheyhadanexhaustinggoodtimeplaying"hi—spy"and"gully—keeper"withacrowdoftheirschoolmates。Thedaywascompletedandcrownedinapeculiarlysatisfactoryway：Beckyteasedhermothertoappointthenextdayforthelong—promisedandlong—delayedpicnic，andsheconsented。Thechild’sdelightwasboundless；

andTom’snotmoremoderate。Theinvitationsweresentoutbeforesunset，andstraightwaytheyoungfolksofthevillagewerethrownintoafeverofpreparationandpleasurableanticipation。Tom’sexcitementenabledhimtokeepawakeuntilaprettylatehour，andhehadgoodhopesofhearingHuck’s"maow，"andofhavinghistreasuretoastonishBeckyandthepicnickerswith，nextday；buthewasdisappointed。Nosignalcamethatnight。

Morningcame，eventually，andbytenoreleveno’clockagiddyandrollickingcompanyweregatheredatJudgeThatcher’s，andeverythingwasreadyforastart。Itwasnotthecustomforelderlypeopletomarthepicnicswiththeirpresence。Thechildrenwereconsideredsafeenoughunderthewingsofafewyoungladiesofeighteenandafewyounggentlemenoftwenty—threeorthereabouts。Theoldsteamferry—boatwascharteredfortheoccasion；presentlythegaythrongfiledupthemainstreetladenwithprovision—baskets。Sidwassickandhadtomissthefun；Maryremainedathometoentertainhim。ThelastthingMrs。ThatchersaidtoBecky，was：

"You’llnotgetbacktilllate。Perhapsyou’dbetterstayallnightwithsomeofthegirlsthatliveneartheferry—landing，child。"

"ThenI’llstaywithSusyHarper，mamma。"

"Verywell。Andmindandbehaveyourselfanddon’tbeanytrouble。"

Presently，astheytrippedalong，TomsaidtoBecky：

"Say——I’lltellyouwhatwe’lldo。’SteadofgoingtoJoeHarper’swe’llclimbrightupthehillandstopattheWidowDouglas’。She’llhaveice—cream！Shehasitmosteveryday——deadloadsofit。Andshe’llbeawfulgladtohaveus。"

"Oh，thatwillbefun！"

ThenBeckyreflectedamomentandsaid：

"Butwhatwillmammasay？"

"How’llsheeverknow？"

Thegirlturnedtheideaoverinhermind，andsaidreluctantly：

"Ireckonit’swrong——but——"

"Butshucks！Yourmotherwon’tknow，andsowhat’stheharm？Allshewantsisthatyou’llbesafe；andIbetyoushe’d’a’saidgothereifshe’d’a’thoughtofit。Iknowshewould！"

TheWidowDouglas’splendidhospitalitywasatemptingbait。ItandTom’spersuasionspresentlycarriedtheday。Soitwasdecidedtosaynothinganybodyaboutthenight’sprogramme。PresentlyitoccurredtoTomthatmaybeHuckmightcomethisverynightandgivethesignal。Thethoughttookadealofthespiritoutofhisanticipations。StillhecouldnotbeartogiveupthefunatWidowDouglas’。Andwhyshouldhegiveitup，hereasoned——thesignaldidnotcomethenightbefore，sowhyshoulditbeanymorelikelytocometo—night？Thesurefunoftheeveningoutweighedtheuncertaintreasure；and，boy—like，hedeterminedtoyieldtothestrongerinclinationandnotallowhimselftothinkoftheboxofmoneyanothertimethatday。

Threemilesbelowtowntheferryboatstoppedatthemouthofawoodyhollowandtiedup。Thecrowdswarmedashoreandsoontheforestdistancesandcraggyheightsechoedfarandnearwithshoutingsandlaughter。

Allthedifferentwaysofgettinghotandtiredweregonethroughwith，andby—and—bytheroversstraggledbacktocampfortifiedwithresponsibleappetites，andthenthedestructionofthegoodthingsbegan。Afterthefeasttherewasarefreshingseasonofrestandchatintheshadeofspreadingoaks。By—and—bysomebodyshouted：

"Who’sreadyforthecave？"

Everybodywas。Bundlesofcandleswereprocured，andstraightwaytherewasageneralscamperupthehill。Themouthofthecavewasupthehillside——anopeningshapedlikealetterA。Itsmassiveoakendoorstoodunbarred。Withinwasasmallchamber，chillyasanice—house，andwalledbyNaturewithsolidlimestonethatwasdewywithacoldsweat。Itwasromanticandmysterioustostandhereinthedeepgloomandlookoutuponthegreenvalleyshininginthesun。Buttheimpressivenessofthesituationquicklyworeoff，andtherompingbeganagain。Themomentacandlewaslightedtherewasageneralrushupontheownerofit；astruggleandagallantdefencefollowed，butthecandlewassoonknockeddownorblownout，andthentherewasagladclamoroflaughterandanewchase。Butallthingshaveanend。By—and—bytheprocessionwentfilingdownthesteepdescentofthemainavenue，theflickeringrankoflightsdimlyrevealingtheloftywallsofrockalmosttotheirpointofjunctionsixtyfeetoverhead。

Thismainavenuewasnotmorethaneightortenfeetwide。Everyfewstepsotherloftyandstillnarrowercrevicesbranchedfromitoneitherhand——forMcDougal’scavewasbutavastlabyrinthofcrookedaislesthatranintoeachotherandoutagainandlednowhere。Itwassaidthatonemightwanderdaysandnightstogetherthroughitsintricatetangleofriftsandchasms，andneverfindtheendofthecave；andthathemightgodown，anddown，andstilldown，intotheearth，anditwasjustthesame——labyrinthunderlabyrinth，andnoendtoanyofthem。Noman"knew"thecave。Thatwasanimpossiblething。Mostoftheyoungmenknewaportionofit，anditwasnotcustomarytoventuremuchbeyondthisknownportion。TomSawyerknewasmuchofthecaveasanyone。

Theprocessionmovedalongthemainavenuesomethree—quartersofamile，andthengroupsandcouplesbegantoslipasideintobranchavenues，flyalongthedismalcorridors，andtakeeachotherbysurpriseatpointswherethecorridorsjoinedagain。Partieswereabletoeludeeachotherforthespaceofhalfanhourwithoutgoingbeyondthe"known"

ground。

By—and—by，onegroupafteranothercamestragglingbacktothemouthofthecave，panting，hilarious，smearedfromheadtofootwithtallowdrippings，daubedwithclay，andentirelydelightedwiththesuccessoftheday。Thentheywereastonishedtofindthattheyhadbeentakingnonoteoftimeandthatnightwasaboutathand。Theclangingbellhadbeencallingforhalfanhour。However，thissortofclosetotheday’sadventureswasromanticandthereforesatisfactory。Whentheferryboatwithherwildfreightpushedintothestream，nobodycaredsixpenceforthewastedtimebutthecaptainofthecraft。

Huckwasalreadyuponhiswatchwhentheferry—boat’slightswentglintingpastthewharf。Heheardnonoiseonboard，fortheyoungpeoplewereassubduedandstillaspeopleusuallyarewhoarenearlytiredtodeath。Hewonderedwhatboatitwas，andwhyshedidnotstopatthewharf——andthenhedroppedheroutofhismindandputhisattentionuponhisbusiness。Thenightwasgrowingcloudyanddark。Teno’clockcame，andthenoiseofvehiclesceased，scatteredlightsbegantowinkout，allstragglingfoot—passengersdisappeared，thevillagebetookitselftoitsslumbersandleftthesmallwatcheralonewiththesilenceandtheghosts。Eleveno’clockcame，andthetavernlightswereputout；darknesseverywhere，now。Huckwaitedwhatseemedawearylongtime，butnothinghappened。Hisfaithwasweakening。Wasthereanyuse？Wastherereallyanyuse？Whynotgiveitupandturnin？

Anoisefelluponhisear。Hewasallattentioninaninstant。

Thealleydoorclosedsoftly。Hesprangtothecornerofthebrickstore。

Thenextmomenttwomenbrushedbyhim，andoneseemedtohavesomethingunderhisarm。Itmustbethatbox！Sotheyweregoingtoremovethetreasure。

WhycallTomnow？Itwouldbeabsurd——themenwouldgetawaywiththeboxandneverbefoundagain。No，hewouldsticktotheirwakeandfollowthem；hewouldtrusttothedarknessforsecurityfromdiscovery。Socommuningwithhimself，Hucksteppedoutandglidedalongbehindthemen，cat—like，withbarefeet，allowingthemtokeepjustfarenoughaheadnottobeinvisible。

Theymoveduptheriverstreetthreeblocks，thenturnedtotheleftupacross—street。Theywentstraightahead，then，untiltheycametothepaththatledupCardiffHill；thistheytook。TheypassedbytheoldWelshman’shouse，half—wayupthehill，withouthesitating，andstillclimbedupward。Good，thoughtHuck，theywillburyitintheoldquarry。

Buttheyneverstoppedatthequarry。Theypassedon，upthesummit。Theyplungedintothenarrowpathbetweenthetallsumachbushes，andwereatoncehiddeninthegloom。Huckclosedupandshortenedhisdistance，now，fortheywouldneverbeabletoseehim。Hetrottedalongawhile；thenslackenedhispace，fearinghewasgainingtoofast；movedonapiece，thenstoppedaltogether；listened；nosound；none，savethatheseemedtohearthebeatingofhisownheart。Thehootingofanowlcameoverthehill——ominoussound！Butnofootsteps。Heavens，waseverythinglost！

Hewasabouttospringwithwingedfeet，whenamanclearedhisthroatnotfourfeetfromhim！Huck’sheartshotintohisthroat，butheswalloweditagain；andthenhestoodthereshakingasifadozenagueshadtakenchargeofhimatonce，andsoweakthathethoughthemustsurelyfalltotheground。Heknewwherehewas。HeknewhewaswithinfivestepsofthestileleadingintoWidowDouglas’grounds。Verywell，hethought，letthemburyitthere；itwon’tbehardtofind。

Nowtherewasavoice——averylowvoice——InjunJoe’s：

"Damnher，maybeshe’sgotcompany——there’slights，lateasitis。"

"Ican’tseeany。"

Thiswasthatstranger’svoice——thestrangerofthehauntedhouse。AdeadlychillwenttoHuck’sheart——this，then，wasthe"revenge"

job！Histhoughtwas，tofly。ThenherememberedthattheWidowDouglashadbeenkindtohimmorethanonce，andmaybethesemenweregoingtomurderher。Hewishedhedaredventuretowarnher；butheknewhedidn’tdare——theymightcomeandcatchhim。Hethoughtallthisandmoreinthemomentthatelapsedbetweenthestranger’sremarkandInjunJoe’snext——whichwas——

"Becausethebushisinyourway。Now——thisway——nowyousee，don’tyou？"

"Yes。Well，thereIScompanythere，Ireckon。Bettergiveitup。"

"Giveitup，andIjustleavingthiscountryforever！Giveitupandmaybeneverhaveanotherchance。Itellyouagain，asI’vetoldyoubefore，Idon’tcareforherswag——youmayhaveit。Butherhusbandwasroughonme——manytimeshewasroughonme——andmainlyhewasthejusticeofthepeacethatjuggedmeforavagrant。Andthatain’tall。

Itain’tamillionthpartofit！Hehadmehorsewhipped！——horsewhippedinfrontofthejail，likeanigger！——withallthetownlookingon！horsewhipped！——doyouunderstand？Hetookadvantageofmeanddied。ButI’lltakeitoutofher。"

"Oh，don’tkillher！Don’tdothat！"

"Kill？Whosaidanythingaboutkilling？Iwouldkillhimifhewashere；butnother。Whenyouwanttogetrevengeonawomanyoudon’tkillher——bosh！yougoforherlooks。Youslithernostrils——

younotchherearslikeasow！"

"ByGod，that’s——"

"Keepyouropiniontoyourself！Itwillbesafestforyou。I’lltiehertothebed。Ifshebleedstodeath，isthatmyfault？I’llnotcry，ifshedoes。Myfriend，you’llhelpmeinthisthing——formysake——that’swhyyou’rehere——Imightn’tbeablealone。Ifyouflinch，I’llkillyou。Doyouunderstandthat？AndifIhavetokillyou，I’llkillher——andthenIreckonnobody’lleverknowmuchaboutwhodonethisbusiness。"

"Well，ifit’sgottobedone，let’sgetatit。Thequickerthebetter——I’mallinashiver。"

"Doitnow？Andcompanythere？Lookhere——I’llgetsuspiciousofyou，firstthingyouknow。No——we’llwaittillthelightsareout——there’snohurry。"

Huckfeltthatasilencewasgoingtoensue——athingstillmoreawfulthananyamountofmurderoustalk；soheheldhisbreathandsteppedgingerlyback；plantedhisfootcarefullyandfirmly，afterbalancing，one—legged，inaprecariouswayandalmosttopplingover，firstononesideandthenontheother。Hetookanotherstepback，withthesameelaborationandthesamerisks；thenanotherandanother，and——atwigsnappedunderhisfoot！Hisbreathstoppedandhelistened。Therewasnosound——thestillnesswasperfect。Hisgratitudewasmeasureless。Nowheturnedinhistracks，betweenthewallsofsumachbushes——turnedhimselfascarefullyasifhewereaship——andthensteppedquicklybutcautiouslyalong。

Whenheemergedatthequarryhefeltsecure，andsohepickeduphisnimbleheelsandflew。Down，downhesped，tillhereachedtheWelshman’s。Hebangedatthedoor，andpresentlytheheadsoftheoldmanandhistwostalwartsonswerethrustfromwindows。