13 Lost!
‘Come on, Becky!’ said Tom. ‘We’ll soon find the way to the entrance.’
They started to walk. Tom held his candle up high. He walked in front of Becky. ‘It’s all right, Becky,’ he said. ‘We’ll soon find the white lake.’
An hour passed. At last, Becky said, ‘Tom’ we aren’t near the lake. You don’t know the way back!’
‘Becky, I’m stupid,’ said Tom. ‘I forgot to make any smoke marks on the walls.’
‘Tom! Tom! We’re cried Becky. ‘We will never get out of this terrible place!’ And she started to cry.
Tom shouted loudly. ‘Help! Help!’ He shouted again. ‘Help! Can anybody hear me!’
‘Can anybody hear me? Can anybody hear me? Tom’s voice came back to them a hundred times. It came from the walls of rock. Then there was silence.
Becky sat down on the ground. She cried and cried. Tom sat down and put his arms around her.
‘Come on. Becky.’ He said. ‘We will get out.’
The two children walked and walked. Sometimes they sat down and rested. Sometimes they slept for a few hours. Then they walked again. But they did not find the entrance. How long had they been in the caves? What day was it? They did not know!
Tom and Becky came to a small river.
‘We have to stop here,’ said Tom. ‘this is the last candle. It is very small now. The flame will go out soon.’
‘Oh,’ said Becky, and she sat down. She did not speak for many minutes. Then she said, ‘Will my father be looking for us’ Tom? Will he find us?’
‘Yes, Becky, he will,’ said Tom.
They sat quietly. They looked at the candle. It got smaller and smaller. Then the flame went out. There was no light at all!
Time passed very slowly. Tom and Becky slept or they sat quietly.
Suddenly, Tom moved. ‘Listen, Becky! Listen! There is a noise! Somebody’s coming.’
They heard the noise again. Then they shouted and shouted. ‘Help! Help!’
‘Tom, the noise is going away. They can’t hear us!’ said Becky. She was very frightened.
‘I’ll go along the path towards them and shout again,’ said Tom. ‘I won’t go far.’
‘Yes, all right,’ said Becky.
Tom went very slowly along the path. He walked very close to the wall of rock. Then he walked very close to the wall of rock. Then he went round a corner and he stopped suddenly. There was a light behind a big stone in front of him! Tom saw a hand holding up a candle.
Tom shouted loudly. ‘HELP!’
The man with the candle stood up. It was Injun Joe!
But Tom’s shout frightened Injun Joe. He turned and ran away.
Tom was very frightened too. Quickly and quietly he went back to Becky.
Tom did not want to frighten Becky. He did not tell her about Injun Joe.
‘there wasn’t anybody there,’ he said. ‘u shouted, but nobody came.’
‘Oh,’ said Becky quietly.
They sat by the small river for hours. At last’ they fell asleep.
Tom woke up. He was very hungry and very thirsty. Becky was awake too.
‘Becky, we must walk again,’ said Tom.
Becky understood. They were going to die in caves. But they were going to look for the entrance.
Slowly, Tom and Becky went along the path.it was very dark.
But after an hour, Tom saw another light.
‘Look, Becky. Look!’ he said.
Becky looked. There was a small, round, white light in front of them.
‘Tom, it’s light,’ she cried. ‘It’s daylight. It’s the sun!’
14 Injun Joe’s Revenge
Lots of children had gone to the picnic at McDougal’s Caves on Saturday, it was quiet in St Petersburg. Huck sat by the river. In the evening, he saw the old steamboat come back. He saw all the tired children walking home. He did not see Tom. Where was Tom?
At eleven o’clock, the lights in the town started to go out. Huck walked out of the town. He was going to sleep in a barn.
Suddenly, Huck saw somebody in front of him. It was Injun Joe! Huck followed him.
‘He’s carrying something,’ Huck said to himself. ’He’s going to bury the treasure!’
Soon, Injun Joe met the Stranger, the two men walked up a hill outside the town. They stopped next to a house.
‘That’s Mrs Douglas’ house,’ Huck said to himself. ‘Are they going to bury the treasure on her land?’
‘There’s a light in the house,’ Injun Joe said to the Stranger. ‘We’ll wait here. She’ll go to bed soon.’
‘No! Let’s do away,’ said the Stranger.
‘We’ll go in. wait! The light will go out soon,’ said Injun Joe.
Suddenly, Huck was frightened. Was this Injun Joe’s revenge? Was he going to murder Mrs Douglas? Huck heard Injun Joe’s voice again.
‘The woman’s husband was a Judge. The judge sent me to jail. I was going to get revenge on him. But the judge died. So I’ll get my revenger on his wife!’
‘Don’t kill her!’ said the Stranger. I’ don’t want to kill anybody!’
‘No’ I won’t kill her. I don’t kill women,’ replied Injun Joe. ‘But I revenge. I’ll cut her face and her ears. And you must help’
Huck moved away very, very slowly. Then he turned and ran down the hill. Mrs Douglas was a good lady.
Mrs Douglas gave him food sometimes. He had to get help.
Huck ran and ran. He ran to Judge Thatcher’s house. He knocked on the door. A window opened.
‘Who’s that? Why are you knocking on the door?’ said s voice.
‘Let me in – quickly,’ said Huck. ‘Please!’
‘Who are you?’
‘Huck. Huckleberry Finn. Please be quick.
Judge Thatcher knew about Huck. ‘Well, Huck Finn,’ he said. ‘Many people will not open their doors for you. But I will open mine.’
The judge opened the door and Huck ran into the house
Three minutes later, the judge and some other men came out of the house, they ran up the hill. Huck stared to follow them. Suddenly, he was very tired. He stopped and he sat down on the ground.
Then Huck heard the sound of a gun. He jumped up and ran away down the hill.
Early on Sunday morning, there was a knock on the judge’s door.
‘Who’s there?’
‘Huck Finn?’
‘Come in, Huck Finn,’ said Judge Thatcher. ‘You’re very welcome.’
Huck was surprised. People did not say, ‘You’re very welcome’ to him!
The door opened and Huck went in.
‘I want to talk to you,’ said the judge. ‘Why did you run away last night?’
‘I heard the gun,’ said Huck. ‘I was frightened.’
‘Poor boy,’ said Judge Thatcher. ‘Everything is all right now. We frightened those men away. We didn’t catch them. But we’ll catch them soon. What did they look like? Who were they?’
‘There was a stranger,’ said Huck. ‘And Injun Joe.’
‘Injun Joe!’ The judge stood up. ‘I’ll tell the sheriff.’
Soon, there was something else to tell the sheriff. Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher were lost. They were lost in McDougal’s Caves. All the men from the town went to the caves. They looked for the children all day and all night.
Huck slept all day and all night at the judge’s house.
Huck was ill. On Monday, Mrs Douglas took him to her house.
‘I will take care of the boy,’ she said.
The people of St Petersburg looked for Tom and Becky on Monday and Tuesday. But on Wednesday morning, they stopped. The children were lost for ever!
Judge Thatcher and some other men went to the door at the entrance to the caves. They put a big piece of metal across the door.
‘Now, nobody can get in. nobody will ever get lost in the caves again,’ said Judge Thatcher.
15 The Reward
But Tom and Becky were not lost for ever! On Wednesday afternoon, they were home again.
Tom was telling their story. Aunt Polly and Becky’s parents and lots of friends were listening.
‘—and we saw the daylight coming through a hole ,’ he said. ‘We got out through the hole, we were near the river. Some man came along the river in a boat and we shouted to them.’
Everybody was very happy. Becky and Tom were not hurt. But they were very tired and very hungry. They both slept for two days.
It was two weeks after Tom and Becky escaped from the caves. Tom was talking to Judge Thatcher.
‘Nobody will get lost in those caves again,’ said the judge.
‘Why not?’ said Tom.
‘Tom weeks ago, we put a big piece of metal across the door.’
‘Oh!’ said Tom. His face was white.
‘Tom!’ said Judge Thatcher. ‘Tom’ and you all right?’
‘Oh, Judge, Injun Joe is in the caves!’
Judge Thatcher went to the caves with the sheriff. They took away the piece of metal from the door. They opened the door.
Injun Joe was lying on the ground. He was dead!
The two man found an old wooden box near Injun Joe’s body. And in the box were gold coins-hundreds of gold coins. The judge and the sheriff took the box back to St Petersburg.
Tom and Huck told the story of the Haunted House. Injun Joe had taken the gold coins from the Haunted House to the caves.
‘Give the money to Tom and Huck,’ said sheriff. ‘Give them a reward.’
So Tom and Huck were rich. And everybody was pleased with them. Judge Thatcher was pleased with Tom. Tom had saved the life of his daughter. Mrs Douglas was pleased with Huck. Huck had saved her from Injun Joe.
Tom was friends with Becky and he often visited the Thatchers. Huck lived with Mrs Douglas. He slept in a bed and he wore clean clothes. But Huck did not like clean clothes and beds. He did not want to stay in St Petersburg for ever. One day, he got into a small boat and he went south. He travelled down the Mississippi River. But that is another story!