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“Well, the nigger unlocked the padlock when he went in, and he locked it again when he came out. He fetched uncle a key about the time we got up from table—same key, I bet. Watermelon shows man, lock shows prisoner; and it ain’t likely there’s two prisoners on such a little plantation, and where the people’s all so kin... |
What a head for just a boy to have! If I had Tom Sawyer’s head I wouldn’t trade it off to be a duke, nor mate of a steamboat, nor clown in a circus, nor nothing I can think of. I went to thinking out a plan, but only just to be doing something; I knowed very well where the right plan was going to come from. Pretty soon... |
“Ready?” |
“Yes,” I says. |
“All right—bring it out.” |
“My plan is this,” I says. “We can easy find out if it’s Jim in there. Then get up my canoe to-morrow night, and fetch my raft over from the island. Then the first dark night that comes steal the key out of the old man’s britches after he goes to bed, and shove off down the river on the raft with Jim, hiding daytimes a... |
“Work? Why, cert’nly it would work, like rats a-fighting. But it’s too blame’ simple; there ain’t nothing to it. What’s the good of a plan that ain’t no more trouble than that? It’s as mild as goose-milk. Why, Huck, it wouldn’t make no more talk than breaking into a soap factory.” |
I never said nothing, because I warn’t expecting nothing different; but I knowed mighty well that whenever he got his plan ready it wouldn’t have none of them objections to it. |
And it didn’t. He told me what it was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides. So I was satisfied, and said we would waltz in on it. I needn’t tell what it was here, because I knowed it wouldn’t stay the way,... |
Well, one thing was dead sure, and that was that Tom Sawyer was in earnest, and was actuly going to help steal that nigger out of slavery. That was the thing that was too many for me. Here was a boy that was respectable and well brung up; and had a character to lose; and folks at home that had characters; and he was br... |
“Don’t you reckon I know what I’m about? Don’t I generly know what I’m about?” |
“Yes.” |
“Didn’t I say I was going to help steal the nigger?” |
“Yes.” |
“Well, then.” |
That’s all he said, and that’s all I said. It warn’t no use to say any more; because when he said he’d do a thing, he always done it. But I couldn’t make out how he was willing to go into this thing; so I just let it go, and never bothered no more about it. If he was bound to have it so, I couldn’t help it. |
When we got home the house was all dark and still; so we went on down to the hut by the ash-hopper for to examine it. We went through the yard so as to see what the hounds would do. They knowed us, and didn’t make no more noise than country dogs is always doing when anything comes by in the night. When we got to the ca... |
“Here’s the ticket. This hole’s big enough for Jim to get through if we wrench off the board.” |
Tom says: |
“It’s as simple as tit-tat-toe, three-in-a-row, and as easy as playing hooky. I should hope we can find a way that’s a little more complicated than that, Huck Finn.” |
“Well, then,” I says, “how’ll it do to saw him out, the way I done before I was murdered that time?” |
“That’s more like,” he says. “It’s real mysterious, and troublesome, and good,” he says; “but I bet we can find a way that’s twice as long. There ain’t no hurry; le’s keep on looking around.” |
Betwixt the hut and the fence, on the back side, was a lean-to that joined the hut at the eaves, and was made out of plank. It was as long as the hut, but narrow—only about six foot wide. The door to it was at the south end, and was padlocked. Tom he went to the soap-kettle and searched around, and fetched back the iro... |
“Now we’re all right. We’ll dig him out. It’ll take about a week!” |
Then we started for the house, and I went in the back door—you only have to pull a buckskin latch-string, they don’t fasten the doors—but that warn’t romantical enough for Tom Sawyer; no way would do him but he must climb up the lightning-rod. But after he got up half way about three times, and missed fire and fell eve... |
In the morning we was up at break of day, and down to the nigger cabins to pet the dogs and make friends with the nigger that fed Jim—if it was Jim that was being fed. The niggers was just getting through breakfast and starting for the fields; and Jim’s nigger was piling up a tin pan with bread and meat and things; and... |
This nigger had a good-natured, chuckle-headed face, and his wool was all tied up in little bunches with thread. That was to keep witches off. He said the witches was pestering him awful these nights, and making him see all kinds of strange things, and hear all kinds of strange words and noises, and he didn’t believe h... |
“What’s the vittles for? Going to feed the dogs?” |
The nigger kind of smiled around gradually over his face, like when you heave a brickbat in a mud-puddle, and he says: |
“Yes, Mars Sid, a dog. Cur’us dog, too. Does you want to go en look at ’im?” |
“Yes.” |
I hunched Tom, and whispers: |
“You going, right here in the daybreak? That warn’t the plan.” |
“No, it warn’t; but it’s the plan now.” |
So, drat him, we went along, but I didn’t like it much. When we got in we couldn’t hardly see anything, it was so dark; but Jim was there, sure enough, and could see us; and he sings out: |
“Why, Huck! En good lan’! ain’ dat Misto Tom?” |
I just knowed how it would be; I just expected it. I didn’t know nothing to do; and if I had I couldn’t a done it, because that nigger busted in and says: |
“Why, de gracious sakes! do he know you genlmen?” |
We could see pretty well now. Tom he looked at the nigger, steady and kind of wondering, and says: |
“Does who know us?” |
“Why, dis-yer runaway nigger.” |
“I don’t reckon he does; but what put that into your head?” |
“What put it dar? Didn’ he jis’ dis minute sing out like he knowed you?” |
Tom says, in a puzzled-up kind of way: |
“Well, that’s mighty curious. Who sung out? When did he sing out? what did he sing out?” And turns to me, perfectly ca’m, and says, “Did you hear anybody sing out?” |
Of course there warn’t nothing to be said but the one thing; so I says: |
“No; I ain’t heard nobody say nothing.” |
Then he turns to Jim, and looks him over like he never see him before, and says: |
“Did you sing out?” |
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