Well, pretty soon the old man was up and around again, and then he went for Judge ThatcherⒶemendation in the courts to make him give up that money,Ⓐalteration in the MS and he went for me, too, for not stopping school. He catched me a couple of times and thrashed me, but I went to school just the same, and dodged him or out-run him most of the time. I didn’t want to go to school,Ⓐhistorical collation much, before, but I reckoned I’d go now to spite papⒶemendation. That law trial was a slow business; appeared likeⒶemendation they warn’t ever going to get started on it; so every now and then, all winter, the old man would lay for me and catch me, and thenⒶhistorical collation I’d borrowⒶtextual note two or three dollars off of the judge for him, to keep from getting a cowhidingⒶemendation. Every time he got money he got drunk; and every time he got drunk he raised Cain aroundⒶalteration in the MS town; and every time he raised Cain he got jailed. He was just suited—this kind of thing was right in his line.
He got to hanging around the widow’s too much, and so she told him,Ⓐhistorical collation at last, that if he didn’t quit using around there she wouldⒶemendation make trouble for him. Well, wasn’t Ⓐalteration in the MS he mad? He said he wouldⒶemendation show who was Huck Finn’s boss. So he watched outⒶalteration in the MS for me one day in the spring, and catched me, and took me up the river about three mileⒶhistorical collation in a skiffⒶhistorical collation and crossed over to the Illinois shore where it was woody and there warn’t no housesⒶalteration in the MS but an old log hut in a place where the timber was so thick you couldn’t find it if you didn’t know where it was.
He kept me withⒶemendation him all the timeⒶhistorical collation and I never got a chance to run off. We lived in that old cabin, and he always locked the door and [begin page 30] put the key under his head, nights. He had a gun,Ⓐhistorical collation which heⒶalteration in the MS had stole, I reckon, and we fished and hunted, and that was what we lived on. Every little while he locked me in and went down to the store, three miles, to the ferry, and traded fish and game for whisky and fetched it home and got drunk and had a good time, and licked me. The widow she found out where I was, by and byⒶhistorical collation, and she sent a man overⒶemendation to try to get hold of me, but papⒶemendation drove him off with the gun, and it warn’t long after that till I was used to being where I was, and liked it, all but the cowhideⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation part.
It was kind of lazyⒶalteration in the MS and jolly, laying off comfortable,Ⓐhistorical collation all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study. Two months or more run along, and my clothes got to be all rags and dirt, and I didn’t see how I’d ever got to like it so well at the widow’sⒶhistorical collation where you had to wash, and eat on a plate, and comb up, and go to bed and get up regular, and be forever bothering overⒶalteration in the MS a book and have old Miss Watson pecking at you all the timeⒶemendation. I didn’t want to go back no more. I hadⒶalteration in the MS stopped cussing, because the widow didn’t like it; but now I took to it again,Ⓐhistorical collation becauseⒶalteration in the MS papⒶemendation hadn’tⒶalteration in the MS no objections. It was pretty good timesⒶalteration in the MS up in the woods there, take it all aroundⒶemendation.Ⓐalteration in the MS
But by and byⒶhistorical collation papⒶemendation got too handy with his hick’ryⒶemendation, and I couldn’t stand it. I was all over welts. He got to going away so much, too, and [begin page 31] locking me in.Ⓐalteration in the MS Once he locked me in and was gone three days. It was dreadfulⒶalteration in the MS lonesome. I judged he had got drowndedⒶhistorical collation and I wasn’t ever going to get out any more. I was scared.Ⓐalteration in the MS I made up my mind I would fix up some way to leave there. I had tried to get out of that cabinⒶalteration in the MS many a time, but I couldn’t find no way. There warn’t a window to it big enoughⒶhistorical collation for a dog to get through. I couldn’t get up the chimblyⒶemendation, it was too narrow.Ⓐalteration in the MS TheⒶalteration in the MS door was thick,Ⓐhistorical collation solid oakⒶalteration in the MS slabsⒶemendation. Pap was pretty careful not to leave a knife or anything in the cabin when he wasⒶemendation away; I reckon I had hunted the place over as much as a hundred times; well, I was mostⒶhistorical collation all the time at it, because it was about the only way to put in the timeⒶalteration in the MS. But this time I found something at last; I found an old rusty wood-saw without any handle; it was laid in between a rafter and the clapboards of the roof. I greased it up and went to work. There was an old horse-blanket nailed against the logs at the far end of the cabin behind the table, to keep the wind from blowing through the chinks and putting the candle out. I got under the table and raisedⒶemendation the blanket and went to work to saw a section of the big bottom log out, big enough to let me through. Well, it was a good long job, but I was getting towards the end of it when I heard pap’sⒶemendation gun in the woods. I got rid of the signs of my work, and dropped the blanket and hid my saw, and pretty soon papⒶemendation come in.Ⓐalteration in the MS
Pap warn’t in a good humor—so he was his natural self. He said he was down to town, and everything was goingⒶalteration in the MS wrong. His lawyer said he reckoned he would win his lawsuit and get the money, if they ever got started on the trial,Ⓐhistorical collation but then there was ways to put it off a long timeⒶhistorical collation and Judge Thatcher knowed how to do it. And he said people allowed there’d be another trial to get me away from him and give me to the widow for my guardian, and they guessed it would win, this time. This shookⒶalteration in the MS me up considerable, because I didn’t want to go back to the widow’s any more and be so cramped up and sivilizedⒶemendation, as they called it. Then the old man gotⒶalteration in the MS to cussing, and cussed everything and everybodyⒶemendation he could think of, and then cussed them all over again to make sure he hadn’t skippedⒶalteration in the MS any, and after that he polished off with a kind of a general cuss all round, including a considerableⒶalteration in the MS parcel of people which he didn’t know the names of, and so called them What’s-his-nameⒶhistorical collation, when he got to them, and wentⒶalteration in the MS right alongⒶalteration in the MS with his cussing.
[begin page 32] He said he would likeⒶalteration in the MS to see the widow get me. He said he wouldⒶalteration in the MS watch out, and if they tried to come any such game on him he knowed of a place six or seven mileⒶemendation off, to stow me in, where theyⒶalteration in the MS might hunt till they droppedⒶalteration in the MS and they couldn’t find me. That made me pretty uneasy again,Ⓐalteration in the MS but only for a minute; I reckoned I wouldn’t stayⒶalteration in the MS on hand till he got that chance.
The old man made me go to the skiff and fetch the things he had got. There was a fifty-pound sack of corn meal, and a side of bacon, ammunition, andⒶalteration in the MS a four-gallon jug of whisky, and an old book and two newspapers for wadding, besides some tow. I toted up a load, and went back and set down on the bow of the skiff to rest. I thought it all overⒶhistorical collation and I reckoned I would walk off with the gunⒶalteration in the MS and some fishingⒶalteration in the MS linesⒶhistorical collation Ⓐtextual note, and take to the woods when I run away. I guessed I wouldn’t stay in one place, but just tramp right across the country, mostly night-timesⒶemendation, and hunt and fish to keep alive, and so get so far away that the old man nor the widow couldn’t ever find me any more. I judged I would saw out andⒶalteration in the MS leave that night if papⒶemendation got drunk enough, and I reckoned he would. I got so full of it I didn’t notice [begin page 33] how long I was stayingⒶhistorical collation till the old man holleredⒶalteration in the MS and asked me whetherⒶalteration in the MS I was asleep or drownded.
I got the things all up to the cabin, and then it was about dark. WhileⒶemendation I was cooking supper the old manⒶalteration in the MS took a swig or two and got sort of warmed up, and went to rippingⒶalteration in the MS again. He had been drunk over in town, and laid in the gutter all night, and he was aⒶalteration in the MS sight to look at. A body would a thought heⒶalteration in the MS was Adam, he was just all mudⒺexplanatory note Ⓐalteration in the MS. Whenever his liquor begun to work, he most always went for the govmentⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐtextual note Ⓔexplanatory note. ThisⒶemendation time he says:
“Call thisⒶemendation a govmentⒶemendation! WhyⒶhistorical collation, just look at it and see whatⒶalteration in the MS it’s like. Here’s the law a-standing ready to take a man’s son away from him—a man’s own son, which he has had all the trouble and all the anxiety and all the expense of raising. Yes, just as that man has got that son raised at last,Ⓐalteration in the MS and ready to go to work and begin to do suthin’ for him and give him a rest, the law up and goes for him. And they call that govment!Ⓐemendation That ain’t all, nutherⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation. The law backs that old Judge Thatcher up and helps him to keep me out o’Ⓐemendation my property. Here’s what the law does. The law takes a man worth six thousand dollars and up’ardsⒶhistorical collation, and jams him into an old trap of a cabin like this, and lets him go round in clothes that ain’t fitten for a hog. They call that govment!Ⓐemendation A man can’t gitⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐhistorical collation his rights in a govmentⒶemendation like this. Sometimes I’ve a mighty notion to justⒶalteration in the MS leave the country for good and all. Yes, and I told ’em so; I told old ThatcherⒶalteration in the MS soⒶhistorical collation, to his face. Lots of ’em heard me, and can tellⒶalteration in the MS what I said. Says I, for two cents I’d leave the blamedⒶemendation country and never come a-nearⒶhistorical collation it agin. Them’s the very words. I says, look at my hat—if you call it a hat—but the lid raises up and the rest ofⒶemendation it goes down till it’s belowⒶemendation my chin, and then it ain’t rightly a hat at all, but more like my head was shoved up throughⒶemendation a j’intⒶhistorical collation o’Ⓐemendation stove pipeⒶhistorical collation. Look at it, says I—suchⒶemendation a hatⒶemendation for me to wear—one of the wealthiest men in this town, if I could git my rights.
“OⒶhistorical collation, yes, this is a wonderful govmentⒶemendation, wonderful. WhyⒶhistorical collation looky-hereⒶhistorical collation. There was a free nigger there, from Ohio; a mulatter, most as white as a white man.Ⓐalteration in the MS He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too,Ⓐalteration in the MS and the shiniest hat; and there ain’t a man in that town that’s got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane—the awfulest old gray-headed nabobⒶemendation in the State. And what do you think? they said he was a p’fessorⒶalteration in the MS in a [begin page 34] college, and could talk all kinds of languagesⒺexplanatory note, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could vote Ⓐemendation, when he was at homeⒺexplanatory note. WellⒶhistorical collation that let meⒶemendation out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was ’lection day, and I was just about to go and vote, myself, if I warn’t too drunk to gitⒶhistorical collation there; but when they told me there was a stateⒶhistorical collation in this country where they’d let that nigger vote, I drawedⒶalteration in the MS out. I says I’llⒶemendation never vote agin. Them’s the very words I said; they all heard me; and the country may rot,Ⓐhistorical collation for all me—I’ll never vote agin as long as I live. And to see the cool way of that nigger—whyⒶhistorical collation he wouldn’t a giveⒶemendation me the road if I hadn’tⒶemendation shoved him out o’Ⓐemendation the way. I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auctionⒶemendation and sold?—that’s what IⒶemendation want to know. And what do you reckon they said? WhyⒶhistorical collation they said he couldn’tⒶemendation be sold till he’d beenⒶemendation in the State six monthsⒺexplanatory note, and he hadn’t beenⒶemendation there that long yet. There, now—that’s a specimen. They call that a govmentⒶemendation that can’t sell a free nigger till he’s beenⒶemendation in the State six months. Here’s a govmentⒶemendation that calls itself a govmentⒶemendation, and lets on to be a govmentⒶemendation, and thinks it isⒶemendation a govmentⒶemendation, and yet’s got to set stock stillⒶhistorical collation for six whole months before it can take a-holdⒶhistorical collation of a prowling, thieving, infernalⒶemendation, white-shirted free niggerⒶhistorical collation and—Ⓐhistorical collation”
Pap was agoingⒶemendation on so, he never noticed where his old limber legs was taking him to, so he went head over heels over the tub of salt porkⒶhistorical collation and barked both shins, and the rest of his speech was all the hottest kind of languageⒶalteration in the MS—mostly hove at the nigger and the govmentⒶemendation, though he give the tub some,Ⓐalteration in the MS too, all along, here and there. He hopped around the cabin considerableⒶalteration in the MS, first on one leg and then on the other,Ⓐalteration in the MS holding first one shin and then the otherⒶalteration in the MS one,Ⓐalteration in the MS andⒶalteration in the MS at last he let out with his left foot all of a sudden and fetched the tubⒶalteration in the MS a rattling kick.Ⓐalteration in the MS But it warn’t good judgment, because that was theⒶalteration in the MS boot that had a couple of his toes leakingⒶalteration in the MS out of the front end of it; so now he raisedⒶalteration in the MS a howl that fairly made a body’s hair raiseⒶemendation,Ⓐalteration in the MS and down he went in the dirt, and rolled there, and held his toes; and the cussing he done then laid over anything he hadⒶalteration in the MS ever done previous. He saidⒶalteration in the MS so his own self, afterwards. He had heard old Sowberry Hagan in his best days, and he said it laid over him, too; but I reckon that was sortⒶalteration in the MS of piling it on, maybe.
After supper papⒶemendation tookⒶalteration in the MS Ⓐemendation the jugⒶhistorical collation and saidⒶalteration in the MS he had enough whisky there for two drunks and one deliriumⒶemendation tremens. That was always [begin page 35] his word.Ⓐalteration in the MS I judged he would be blind drunk in about an hour, and then I would steal theⒶalteration in the MS key, or saw myself out, one or t’otherⒶemendation. He drank and drankⒶhistorical collation,Ⓐalteration in the MS and tumbled downⒶalteration in the MS onⒶalteration in the MS his blankets, by and byⒶhistorical collation; but luck didn’t run my way. He didn’t go sound asleep, but was uneasy. He groanedⒶhistorical collation and moanedⒶhistorical collation and thrashed around this way and thatⒶhistorical collation for a long time. At last I got so sleepy I couldn’t keep my eyes open, all I could do, and so before I knowed what I was about I was sound asleep, and the candle burningⒶalteration in the MS.
I don’t know how long I was asleep, but all of a sudden there was an awful scream,Ⓐhistorical collation Ⓐalteration in the MS and I was up. There was papⒶemendation, looking wild and skipping aroundⒺexplanatory note every which way and yelling about snakes. He said they was crawling up his legs; and then he would give a jump and screamⒶemendation,Ⓐalteration in the MS and say one had bit him on the cheek—Ⓐalteration in the MSbut I couldn’t see noⒶemendation snakes. He started,Ⓐhistorical collation and run round and round the cabin, holleringⒶalteration in the MS “TakeⒶhistorical collation him off! take him off! he’s bitingⒶalteration in the MS me on the neck!” I never see a man look so wild in the eyes. Pretty soon he was all fagged outⒶhistorical collation and fell down,Ⓐhistorical collation pantingⒶalteration in the MS; thenⒶalteration in the MS he rolled over and over, wonderful fast, [begin page 36] kicking things every which way, and striking and grabbing at the air with his hands, and screaming, and saying there was devils aholdⒶalteration in the MS of him. He wore out, by and byⒶhistorical collation, and laid still a while, moaning. Then he laid stiller,Ⓐalteration in the MS and didn’t make a sound. I could hear the owls and the wolves, away offⒶalteration in the MS in the woods, and it seemed terrible still. He was layingⒶalteration in the MS over by the corner. By and byⒶhistorical collation he raised up, part way, and listened, with his head to one sideⒶalteration in the MS. He says,Ⓐhistorical collation very low:Ⓐemendation
“TrampⒶalteration in the MS—tramp—tramp; that’s the deadⒺexplanatory note; tramp—tramp—tramp; they’re comingⒶemendation after me; but I won’t go—Ⓐemendation OⒶhistorical collation,Ⓐalteration in the MS they’re here! don’t touch me—don’t! hands off—they’re cold; let go—OⒶhistorical collation, let a poor devil alone!Ⓐemendation”
ThenⒶalteration in the MS he went down on allⒶalteration in the MS fours and crawled off begging them to let him alone, and he rolled himself up in his blanketⒶemendation and wallowedⒶemendation in under the old pine table, still a beggingⒶhistorical collation; and then he went to crying. I could hear him through the blanketⒶemendation.
By and byⒶhistorical collation he rolled out and jumped up on his feet looking wild, and he seeⒶemendation me and went for me. He chased me round and round the place, with a clasp-knifeⒶemendation, callingⒶalteration in the MS me the angel of deathⒶhistorical collation and saying he would kill me and then I couldn’t come for him no more. I begged, and told him I was only Huck, but he laughed such Ⓐemendation a screechy laugh, and roared and cussed, and kept on chasing me up. Once when I turned short and dodged under his arm he made a grab and got me by the jacket between my shouldersⒶhistorical collation and I thought I was gone; but I slid out of the jacket quick as lightning, and saved myself. Pretty soon he was all tired outⒶhistorical collation and dropped down with his back against the door, and said he would rest a minute and then kill me. He put his knifeⒶemendation under him, and said he would sleep and get strong, and then he would see who was who.
SoⒶalteration in the MS he dozedⒶalteration in the MS off, pretty soon. By and byⒶhistorical collation I got the old split-bottomⒶemendation chair and clumb up, as easy as I could, not to make any noise, and got down the gunⒶalteration in the MS. I slipped the ramrodⒶemendation down it to make sure it was loaded, and then I laid it across the turnip barrel,Ⓐalteration in the MS pointing towards pap, and set down behind it to waitⒶalteration in the MS for him to stir. And howⒶalteration in the MS slow and still the time did drag along.
and then, all winter, the old man would lay for me and catch me, and then I’d borrow] As in the manuscript. The first edition reads simply “and then I’d borrow”. While it is possible that Mark Twain deleted “all winter, the old man would lay for me and catch me,” on the typescript, the change seems unlikely to be his since the missing words made it clear why Huck borrowed money from Judge Thatcher. It is more likely that the typist skipped from the first “and then” to the second, inadvertently deleting the intervening words, and that Mark Twain did not notice the omission. The eyeskip could have occurred between MS1 and TS1, or between TS1 and TS3, or even between TS3 and the first edition. The original reading of the manuscript is therefore retained.
fishing lines] The manuscript originally read “fishing lines”. Mark Twain canceled and then restored “fishing” in the manuscript—probably when he realized a reader might misconstrue Huck’s reference at 32.10 to “tow” (short for “tow-linen”) as a reference to tow-lines. While it is possible that Mark Twain changed his mind again on the typescript, it is much more likely that the typist overlooked the author’s restoration marks and neglected to type “fishing”. The manuscript reading is therefore retained.
he couldn’t be sold till he’d been in the State six months] By the 1840s all slave states, including Missouri, absolutely prohibited immigration of free blacks. In Hannibal free blacks could be treated as runaways if they failed to satisfy stringent legal requirements that they register with the state and have a certificate of freedom. An 1843 Missouri law further stipulated that free blacks be licensed; and the 1855 statutes, which restricted licensing and length of residence, “were very severe”:
No colored person could live in this State without a license, and these licenses were to be issued only to certain classes of them; moreover, bond, not exceeding a thousand dollars, had to be given in security for good behavior. The negro was not allowed to retain in his possession the license or other free papers, though he could obtain them in the event of his moving from one county to another, as they had to be filed with the clerk of the county court where he resided. No free negro or mulatto could emigrate into the State or enter the State unless in the service of a white man, or for the purpose of passing through. In either case the time that he could remain in the borders was limited. If he stayed longer he was liable to arrest, a fine of $10, and expulsion. If the fine was not paid he was further liable to not more than twenty lashes, and the court could either order that he immediately leave the State or else hire him out until the fine, costs and expenses of imprisonment had been paid for by his labor. (Conard, 5:604–5)
One Hannibal ordinance made mandatory an annual fee of five dollars, a cash bond, and “evidence of good moral character and behavior” for the required license (Hurd, 2:168n, 169n, 170; Welsh, 38).
Tramp—tramp—tramp; that’s the dead] “Tramp, tramp, tramp,” a common nineteenth-century refrain, appears, for instance, in “The Dead March,” a temperance song included in an 1882 collection that Clemens owned, The Treasury of Song for the Home Circle: The Richest, Best-Loved Gems. The lyrics read in part:
March the feet of a million men.
If none shall pity and none shall save,
Where will all this marching end?
The young, the strong, and the old are there,
In woeful ranks as they hurry past,
With not a moment to think or care
What the fate that comes at last.
| Tramp, tramp, tramp . . .
They are rushing madly on,
Tramp, tramp, tramp . . .
What a fearful ghastly throng;
Rouse, Christian rouse ere it be too late,
Rescue these souls from the drunkard’s fate.
(Morrison, 448–49; thanks to Paul Baender for this discovery)