The people brought an old man and a younger man to the crowd. The younger man had his right arm in a sling (a piece of cloth used to hold a broken arm). Many people laughed and shouted. Huckleberry Finn thought the Duke and the King would be afraid. But the Duke and the King did not look afraid. The Duke acted happy and satisfied. The King looked at the new men with a very sad face. He acted like he was a good man who saw bad people.
Many people gathered around the King. They wanted to show that they were on his side. The new old man looked very puzzled. Soon, the old man began to speak. Huckleberry Finn knew the man was from England. He sounded like a real Englishman. The King was good at copying the sound, but this man was real. Huckleberry Finn could not repeat the old man’s exact words.
The old man told the crowd that he did not expect this trouble. He said he was Peter Wilks’ brother, Harvey Wilks. He said his brother and he had many misfortunes. His brother, William Wilks, broke his arm. Their baggage (the bags and suitcases for travel) was lost at another town. William could not hear or speak. Now, William could not even use his hands to make signs. Harvey Wilks said he could prove his name in a few days. Then he went to the hotel to wait.
The King laughed at the old man. The King said the story about the broken arm was very lucky for a fraud. He said the story about the lost baggage was also a lie. Most people laughed with the King. But a few people did not laugh. One was the Doctor. Another was a lawyer named Levi Bell. A big, strong man named Hines also did not laugh.
Hines asked the King a question. He asked when the King came to town. The King said he arrived the day before the funeral. Hines asked what time of day he arrived. The King said he arrived in the evening. Hines asked how the King arrived. The King said he came on a big boat. Hines said that was a lie. Hines said he saw the King in a canoe (a small, narrow boat) that morning.
Several people told Hines not to talk to a preacher that way. But Hines said the King was a liar. Hines said he lived up the river. He saw the King in a canoe with a boy. The Doctor asked if Hines knew the boy. Hines pointed at Huckleberry Finn. The Doctor said he did not believe the King and the Duke. He said they must not leave the town.
The Doctor led the group to the hotel. He held Huckleberry Finn’s hand. The Doctor was kind, but he did not let Huckleberry Finn go. They went into a big room and lit candles. The Doctor asked about the bag of gold. The King said the money was gone. He said he put the gold inside his bed. He said the slaves (people who are owned by others and forced to work) stole it.
The King said the slaves ran away with the gold. Nobody believed the King. The Doctor asked Huckleberry Finn if he saw the slaves. Huckleberry Finn said he saw them leave the room. Then the Doctor asked if Huckleberry Finn was English. Huckleberry Finn said yes. The Doctor and the others laughed. They knew Huckleberry Finn was lying.
They stayed in the room for many hours. The King told his story and the old man told his story. The lawyer, Levi Bell, told Huckleberry Finn to sit down. He said Huckleberry Finn was not good at lying. Huckleberry Finn was glad to stop talking. Then the King tried to act like a friend to Levi Bell. Levi Bell smiled, but he did not believe the King.
The lawyer asked the King and the Duke to write on paper. Then he asked the new old man to write. The King and the Duke wrote, but their writing was wrong. The old man’s writing was very bad. No one could read it. The lawyer looked at some old letters from Harvey Wilks. The writing did not match any of the men. The old man said that William usually wrote for him. But William could not write now because his arm was broken.
The lawyer said that none of the men were the real Wilks brothers. But the King did not stop. He said the test was not fair. Then the new old man had another idea. He asked about a tattoo (a permanent picture or word on a person’s skin) on Peter Wilks’ chest. The King was surprised. He did not know about a tattoo. But the King began to smile.
The King said there was a small blue arrow on the chest. The new old man said the King was wrong. He said there were three letters: P, B, and W. Two men named Ab Turner and Hines looked at the body before the funeral. They said they did not see any marks. There were no tattoos at all. The crowd became very angry. They wanted to hurt the King and the Duke.
Levi Bell shouted for everyone to be quiet. He said they should dig up the body and look. Everyone shouted and agreed. They took the King, the Duke, and Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard (a place where dead people are buried). It was nine o’clock in the evening. A storm was coming. There was lightning and a strong wind. Huckleberry Finn was very scared.
The people began to dig. It was very dark. They did not have a light. When the lightning flashed, Huckleberry Finn saw the faces of the crowd. Finally, they opened the coffin. The lightning flashed again. Someone saw the bag of gold on the chest of the dead man! Hines was very excited. He dropped Huckleberry Finn’s arm to see the gold.
Huckleberry Finn ran away immediately. He ran through the dark streets in the storm. He saw a light in Mary Jane’s window. He was sad because he would not see her again. He found a canoe by the river. He paddled to the middle of the river. Finally, he found the raft (a flat boat made of pieces of wood tied together).
Jim was on the raft. Huckleberry Finn told Jim to move fast. He was happy to be free from the King and the Duke. He jumped and cheered. But then the lightning flashed over the water. He saw a small boat coming fast. The King and the Duke were in the boat. Huckleberry Finn felt very sad. He wanted to cry.