On Friday morning, Tom Sawyer heard great news. Judge Thatcher and his family were back in town. Tom Sawyer was very happy to see Becky Thatcher again. They played games all day with their friends.
Becky Thatcher asked her mother for a picnic (a party where people eat outside). Her mother said yes. The picnic was planned for Saturday. Tom Sawyer was very excited. He hoped to hear Huckleberry Finn’s signal that night, but the night was quiet.
On Saturday morning, the children met at Judge Thatcher’s house. They did not have many adults with them. They walked to the river and got on a ferryboat (a large boat that carries many people across a river). Sid was sick, so he stayed home with Mary.
Mrs. Thatcher spoke to Becky Thatcher before the boat left. "You will be late," Mrs. Thatcher said. "You should stay the night with a friend near the river." Becky Thatcher said she would stay with Susy Harper.
But Tom Sawyer had a secret plan. "Let's not go to Susy's house," Tom Sawyer whispered to Becky Thatcher. "Let's go to the house of Widow Douglas. She always has a lot of ice cream. She will be happy to see us."
Becky Thatcher was worried about her mother. Tom Sawyer said her mother would never know. He said Mrs. Thatcher only wanted Becky Thatcher to be safe. Becky Thatcher agreed to the plan. They decided to keep it a secret.
The ferryboat stopped three miles down the river. The children ran into the woods. They played games and ate a lot of food. After lunch, they rested under the big trees. Then someone shouted, "Who wants to visit the cave (a large, natural hole in a hill)?"
Everyone wanted to go. They all took candles and ran up the hill. The entrance to the cave was shaped like the letter A. Inside, the air was very cold. The walls were made of wet stone. It was a very mysterious place.
The children played with their candles. They laughed and chased each other in the dark. Then they began to walk deeper into the cave. This place was a labyrinth (a place with many paths where it is easy to get lost). There were hundreds of narrow paths.
No person knew the whole cave. It was too big and too deep. Most people only knew a small part of it. Tom Sawyer knew as much as anyone. The children played for hours in the many tunnels.
Late in the evening, the children returned to the ferryboat. They were tired and dirty. They did not notice how much time had passed. The boat started to move back to the town. Everyone was quiet and sleepy.
Huckleberry Finn was waiting near the tavern. He saw the lights of the ferryboat go past. He did not know the children were on it. The night became very dark and cloudy. At eleven o'clock, the lights in the tavern went out.
Suddenly, Huckleberry Finn heard a noise. Two men came out of the alley. One man was carrying a box. Huckleberry Finn thought it was the treasure. He followed the men quietly with his bare feet. He was like a cat in the dark.
The men walked up Cardiff Hill. They passed the house of the Welshman. They did not stop. They went to the top of the hill and entered some bushes. Huckleberry Finn followed them very closely. He could hear his own heart beating.
The men stopped. Huckleberry Finn was only a few steps away. He heard Injun Joe’s voice. Injun Joe was looking at the house of Widow Douglas. There were lights in the windows.
"She has guests," the other man said. "Let's leave."
"No!" Injun Joe said. "I am leaving this country forever. This is my only chance. Her husband was a justice of the peace (a type of judge in a small town). He was very mean to me. He sent me to jail."
Injun Joe was very angry. "He had me horsewhipped (hit many times with a long piece of leather)," Injun Joe said. "The whole town watched. He is dead now, but I will get my revenge (hurting someone because they hurt you first) on his wife."
"Are you going to kill her?" the other man asked.
"No," Injun Joe said. "I will not kill her. I will cut her face. I will cut her ears and her nose. You must help me. If you do not help, I will kill you."
The other man was afraid. "Okay," he said. "But let's wait until the lights go out."
Huckleberry Finn was terrified. He knew he had to help Widow Douglas. He walked backward very carefully. He did not want the men to hear him. Suddenly, his foot broke a small branch. The sound was loud in the quiet night.
Huckleberry Finn waited, but the men did not move. He turned and ran down the hill as fast as he could. He reached the Welshman’s house and knocked loudly on the door. The Welshman and his sons looked out of the windows.
"Let me in!" Huckleberry Finn shouted. "It is Huckleberry Finn!"
They opened the door. Huckleberry Finn told them everything. "Please do not tell anyone I told you," Huckleberry Finn said. "Injun Joe will kill me. But he wants to hurt Widow Douglas!"
The Welshman and his sons took their guns. they ran up the hill toward the bushes. Huckleberry Finn stayed behind a large rock. He listened carefully. Suddenly, he heard the sound of guns and a loud cry. Huckleberry Finn did not wait. He ran away into the dark.