We was feeling pretty good, after breakfast, and took my canoe and went over the river a-fishingⒶhistorical collation, with a lunch, and had a good time, and took a look at the raft and found her all right, and got home late to supper, and found them in such a sweat and worry they didn’t know which end they was standing on, and made us go right off to bed the minute we was done supper, and wouldn’t tell us what the trouble was, and never let on a word about the new letter, but didn’t need to, because we knowed as much about it as anybody did, and as soon as we was half up stairs and her back was turned, we slidⒶalteration in the MS for the cellar cubboard and loaded up a good lunch and took itⒶalteration in the MS up to our room and went to bed, and got up about half pastⒶhistorical collation Ⓐalteration in the MS eleven, and Tom put on auntⒶhistorical collation Sally’s dress that he stoleⒶalteration in the MS and was going to start with the lunch, but says:
“Where’s the butter?”
“I laid out a hunk of it,” I says, “on a piece of a corn-pone.”
“Well, you left it laid out, then—it ain’t here.”
“We can get along without it,” I says.
“We can get along with it, too,” he says; “just you slide down cellar and fetch it. And thenⒶalteration in the MS mosey right down the lightning rodⒶhistorical collation and come along. I’ll go and stuff the straw into Jim’s clothes to represent his mother in disguise, and be ready to ba Ⓐemendation like a sheepⒶalteration in the MS and shove,Ⓐhistorical collation soon as you get there.”
So out he went, and down cellar went I. The hunk of butter, big [begin page 336] as a person’s fist, was where I hadⒶemendation left it, so I took up the slab of corn-pone with it on, and blowedⒶalteration in the MS out my light, and started up stairsⒶalteration in the MS, very stealthy, and got up to the main floor all right, but hereⒶemendation comes auntⒶhistorical collation Sally with a candle, and I clapped the truck in my hat, and clapped my hat on my head, and the next second she see me; and she says:
“You been down cellar?”
“Yes’m.”
“What youⒶalteration in the MS been doingⒶemendation down there?”
“Noth’n.”
“Noth’n!”
“No’m.”
“Well, then, what possessed you to go down there, this time ofⒶemendation night?”
“I don’t know’mⒶalteration in the MS.”
“You don’t know? Don’t answer me that way, Tom, I wantⒶalteration in the MS to know what you been doing Ⓐemendation down there?”
“I hain’t been doingⒶemendation a single thing, auntⒶhistorical collation Sally, I hope to gracious if I have.”
I reckoned she’dⒶemendation let me go, now, and as a generlⒶalteration in the MS thing she would; but I spose there was soⒶalteration in the MS many strangeⒶalteration in the MS things going on she was just in a sweat about every little thing that warn’t yard-stick straight; so she says, very decided:
“You justⒶemendation marchⒶalteration in the MS into that setting-roomⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS and stay there till I come. You been up to something you no business to, and I lay I’ll find out what it is before I’mⒶhistorical collation done with you.”
So she went awayⒶalteration in the MS as I opened the door and walked into the setting roomⒶhistorical collation. My, but there was a crowd there! Fifteen farmers, and every one of them had a gun. I was most powerful sick, and slunk to a chair and set down. They was setting around, some of them talking a little, in a low voice, and all of them fidgetyⒶemendation and uneasy, but trying to look like they warn’t;Ⓐemendation but I knowed they was, because they was always taking off their hats, and putting them on, and scratching their heads, and changing their seats, and fumblingⒶalteration in the MS with their buttons.Ⓐalteration in the MS I warn’tⒶalteration in the MS easy,Ⓐhistorical collation myself, but I didn’t take my hatⒶemendation off, all the sameⒶemendation.Ⓐalteration in the MS
I did wish auntⒶemendation Sally would come, and get done with me, and lick me, if she wanted to, and let me get away and tell Tom howⒶalteration in the MS we’d overdone this thing, and what a thundering hornet’s nest we’d gotⒶalteration in the MS [begin page 337] ourselves into, so we could stop fooling around, straight offⒶalteration in the MS, and clear out with Jim before these rips got out of patience and come for us.
At last she come, and begun to ask me questions, but I couldn’t answer them straight, I didn’t know which end of meⒶalteration in the MS was up; because these men was in such a fidget,Ⓐhistorical collation now, that some was wanting to start right now Ⓐalteration in the MS and lay for them desperadoes, and saying it warn’t but a few minutes to midnight; and others was trying to get them to hold on and wait for the sheep-signal; and here was aunty pegging away at the questions,Ⓐalteration in the MS and me a shaking all over and ready to sink downⒶemendation Ⓐalteration in the MS in my tracks I was that scared; and the place getting hotter and hotter, and the butter beginning to melt and run down my neck and behind my ears; and pretty soon, when one of them says, “ I’mⒶhistorical collation for going and getting in the cabin first, and right now,Ⓐalteration in the MS and catching them when they come,” I most droppedⒶemendation; and a streak of butter come a trickling down my forehead, and auntⒶhistorical collation Sally sheⒶemendation see it, and turns whiteⒶemendation as a sheet,Ⓐalteration in the MS and says:
“For the land’s sake what is the matter with the child!—he’s got theⒶalteration in the MS brain fever as shore as you’re born, and they’re oozing out!”
And everybody runs to see, and she snatches off my hat, and out comes the bread, and what was left of the butter, and she grabbed me, and hugged me, and saysⒶalteration in the MS:
“Oh, what a turn you did give me! and how glad and grateful I am [begin page 338] it ain’t no worse;Ⓐemendation for luck’s againstⒶemendation us, and it never rains but it pours, and when I see that truck I thought we’d lost you, for I knowed by the color and all, it was just like your brains would be if—DearⒶemendation, dear, whydn’tⒶhistorical collation Ⓐalteration in the MS you tell me that was what you’d been down there for, I wouldn’t a caredⒶalteration in the MS. Now clerⒶemendation out to bed, and don’t lemme see no more of youⒶemendation till morning!”
I was up stairs in a second, and down the lightning rodⒶhistorical collation in another one, and shinning through the dark for the lean-to. I couldn’tⒶemendation hardly get my words out, I was so anxious; but I told Tom as quick as I could, weⒶemendation mustⒶalteration in the MS jump for it, now, and not a minute to loseⒶalteration in the MS—theⒶemendation house full of men, yonder, with guns!Ⓐalteration in the MS
His eyes just blazed; and he says:Ⓐalteration in the MS
“No!—is that so? Ain’t it bully! Why, Huck,Ⓐalteration in the MS if it was to do over again, I bet I could fetch two hundred! If we could put it off till—Ⓐhistorical collation”Ⓐalteration in the MS
“Hurry! hurry!” I says. “Where’sⒶemendation Jim?”
“Right at your elbow; if you reach out your arm you can touch him. He’s dressed, and everything’s ready. Now we’ll slide out and give the sheep-signalⒶemendation.”
But thenⒶalteration in the MS we heard the tramp of men, coming to the door, and heard them begin to fumble with the padlock; and heard a man say:
“I told you we’d be too soon; they haven’t come—the door isⒶemendation locked. Here—Ⓐhistorical collationI’ll lock some of you into the cabin and you lay for ’em in the dark and kill ’em when they comeⒶalteration in the MS; and the rest scatter around a piece, and listen if you can hear ’emⒶemendation coming.”
So in they come, but couldn’t see us in the dark, and most trod on us whilst we was hustling to getⒶalteration in the MS under the bed. But we got under,Ⓐhistorical collation all right, and out through the hole, swift but soft—JimⒶalteration in the MS first, me next, and Tom last, which was according to Tom’s orders. Now we was in the lean-toⒶemendation, and heard trampings close by,Ⓐhistorical collation outside. So we crept to the door, and Tom stopped us there and put his eye to the crack, but couldn’t make out nothing, it was so dark; and whispered and said he would listen for the steps to get further, and when he nudged us Jim must glide out first, and him last. So he set his ear to the crack and listenedⒶalteration in the MS, and listened, and listened, and the steps a scraping around, out there, all the time; andⒶalteration in the MS at last he nudged us, and we slid out, and stooped down, not breathing,Ⓐalteration in the MS and not making the least noise, and slippedⒶalteration in the MS stealthy towardsⒶalteration in the MS the fence, in Injun file, and got toⒶalteration in the MS it, all right, and me and Jim over it; but Tom’s britches [begin page 339] catched fast on a splinter on the top rail, and thenⒶalteration in the MS he hear the steps coming, so he had to pull loose, whichⒶalteration in the MS snapped the splinter and made a noise; and as he dropped in our tracks and started, somebody sings out:
“Who’s that? Answer, or I’ll shoot!”
But we didn’t answer; we just unfurled our heelsⒶalteration in the MS and shoved. Then there was a rush, and a bang, bang, bang! Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation and the bullets fairly whizzed around us! We heard them sing out:
“Here they are!Ⓐalteration in the MS They’ve broke for the river! after ’em, boys! And turn loose the dogs!”Ⓐalteration in the MS
So hereⒶalteration in the MS they come, full tilt. We could hear them, because they wore boots, and yelled, but we didn’t wear no boots, and didn’t yell. We was in the path to the mill; and when they got pretty close onto us, we dodged into the bush and let them go by, and then dropped in behind them. They’d hadⒶalteration in the MS all the dogs shut up, so they wouldn’t scare off the robbers; but by this time somebody had let them loose, and here they come, making pow-wow enough for a million; but [begin page 340] they was our dogs; so we stopped in our tracks till they catched up; and when they see it warn’t nobody but us,Ⓐalteration in the MS and no excitement to offer them, they only just said howdy, and toreⒶalteration in the MS right ahead towards the shouting and clattering; and then weⒶalteration in the MS up steam again and whizzed along after them till weⒶalteration in the MS was nearly to the mill, and thenⒶalteration in the MS struck up through the bush to where my canoe was tied, and hopped in and pulled for dear life towardsⒶalteration in the MS the middle of the river, but didn’t make no more noise than we was obleegedⒶemendation to.Ⓐalteration in the MS Then we struck out, easy and comfortable, for the island where my raft was; and we could hear them yelling and barkingⒶalteration in the MS at each other all up and down the bank, till we was so far away the sounds got dim and died out. And when we stepped onto the raft, I says:
“Now, old Jim, youⒶemendation’re a free man again, and I bet you won’t ever be a slave noⒶalteration in the MS more.”
“En a mighty good job it wuz,Ⓐalteration in the MS too, Huck. It ’uzⒶalteration in the MS planned beautiful, en itⒶalteration in the MS ’uzⒶalteration in the MS done beautiful; en deyⒶalteration in the MS ain’t nobody kin git up a plan dat’s mo’ mixed-up en splendidⒶalteration in the MS den what dat one wuz.”
We was all as glad as we could be, but Tom was the gladdest of all, because he had a bullet in theⒶalteration in the MS calf of his leg.
When me and Jim heard that, we didn’tⒶalteration in the MS feel so brash as what we did before. It was hurting him considerbleⒶemendation, and bleeding;Ⓐalteration in the MS so we laid him in the wigwamⒶalteration in the MS and tore up one of the duke’s shirts forⒶalteration in the MS to bandage him;Ⓐhistorical collation but he says:
“Gimme the rags, I can do it myself. Don’t stop,Ⓐalteration in the MS now; don’t fool around here, and the evasion booming along so handsome:Ⓐhistorical collation man the sweeps, and set her loose!Ⓐalteration in the MS Boys, we done it elegant!Ⓐalteration in the MS—’deed we did. I wish we’dⒶhistorical collation a had the handling of Louis XVIⒶhistorical collation, there wouldn’t a been no ‘Son of Saint Louis, ascend to heaven!’Ⓔexplanatory note wroteⒶalteration in the MS down in his biography: no, sir, we’d a whooped him over the border—that’s what we’d a done with him—and done it just as slick as nothing at all, too.Ⓐalteration in the MS Man the sweeps—man the sweeps!”
But me and Jim was consulting—Ⓐalteration in the MSand thinking. And after we’d thought a minute,Ⓐalteration in the MS I says:
“Say it, Jim.”
So he says:
“Well, den, dis is de way it look to me,Ⓐalteration in the MS Huck. EfⒶalteration in the MS it wuzⒶalteration in the MS him dat ’uzⒶalteration in the MS bein’ sot free, en one er de boys wuz to git shot, would he say, ‘Go on en save me, nemmine ’bout a doctor f’rⒶemendation to save dis one?’Ⓐalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation IsⒶalteration in the MS [begin page 341] dat like marsⒶhistorical collation Tom Sawyer? Would he say dat? You bet he wouldn’t! Well den— Ⓐhistorical collation is Jim Ⓐalteration in the MS gwyne to say it? No, sah—I doan’Ⓐalteration in the MS budge a step out’n dis place, ’dout a doctor; Ⓐalteration in the MS notⒶalteration in the MS efⒶhistorical collation it’s forty year!”
I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he’dⒶemendation say what he did say—so it was all right, now, and I told Tom I was agoing for a doctor. He raised considerbleⒶemendation row about it, but me and Jim stuck to it and wouldn’t budge; so he was for crawling out and setting the raft loose himself; but we wouldn’t let him. Then he give us a piece of his mind—but it didn’t do no good.
So when he see me getting the canoe ready, he says:
“Well, then, if you’re bound to go, I’ll tell you the way to do, when you get to the village.Ⓐemendation Shut the door, and blindfold the doctor tight and fast, and make him swearⒶalteration in the MS to be silent as the grave, and put a purse fullⒶalteration in the MS of gold in his handⒺexplanatory note, and then take and lead him all around the back alleys and everywheres, in the dark, and then fetch him here in the canoe, in a roundabout way amongst the islands,Ⓐalteration in the MS and [begin page 342] search him and take his chalk away from him, and don’t give it back to him till you get him back to the village, or else he will chalk this raft so he can find it again. It’s the way they all do.”
So I said I would, and left, and Jim was to hide in the woods when he see the doctor coming, till he was gone again.