The sun was very high when Huck Finn woke up. It was after eight o’clock. Huck Finn lay in the grass and felt very comfortable. Big trees were all around him. The sun light came through the leaves and made spots on the ground. Two squirrels sat on a tree branch and looked at Huck Finn.
Huck Finn was very lazy and did not want to cook breakfast. He started to sleep again, but then he heard a deep "boom!" far away. Huck Finn sat up and listened. He heard the sound again. Huck Finn looked through the trees at the river. He saw smoke near the ferry boat.
The ferry boat was full of people. The people were firing a cannon (a very large, loud gun used on ships). They wanted the loud sound to make the dead body of Huck Finn float to the top of the water. Huck Finn was very hungry. But he did not start a fire. He did not want the people to see his smoke.
Huck Finn watched the boat for a long time. Then he remembered something. People often put quicksilver (a heavy, silver liquid metal) inside bread. They put the bread in the river. They believed the bread would float to a dead body and stop. Huck Finn watched the water for the bread.
Huck Finn went to the edge of the island. He saw a big piece of bread in the water. He tried to catch it with a long stick, but he failed. Soon, another piece of bread floated near the shore. Huck Finn caught it. He took out the quicksilver and began to eat. The bread was very good.
Huck Finn sat on a log and ate the bread. He watched the ferry boat. He thought about Widow Douglas or the priest. He thought they prayed for the bread to find his body. Huck Finn thought that prayer worked for good people like them, but it did not work for him.
Huck Finn smoked his pipe and waited. The boat moved closer to the island. Huck Finn hid behind a log on the bank. He looked through a hole in the log. The boat came very close to the shore. Huck Finn saw Pap, Judge Thatcher, and Bessie Thatcher. He also saw Tom Sawyer, Aunt Polly, Sid, and Mary.
The people on the boat were talking about the murder of Huck Finn. The captain of the boat told everyone to look at the shore. He thought the body might be in the bushes. The boat was very close to Huck Finn. Then the people fired the cannon again. The noise was very loud.
Huck Finn thought the sound would kill him. The smoke was very thick. But Huck Finn was not hurt. The boat moved past the island and went away. After one hour, Huck Finn did not hear the cannon anymore. The people gave up and went back to the town.
Huck Finn knew he was safe now. He took his things out of the canoe. He made a camp in the thick woods. He used his blankets to make a tent. Huck Finn caught a fish and used his saw to open it. He started a fire and had a good dinner. Then he went to sleep.
Huck Finn lived this way for three days. He was a little lonely, so he counted the stars at night. On the fourth day, Huck Finn explored the island. He found many strawberries and grapes. He saw a snake in the grass and followed it. Suddenly, Huck Finn found a camp fire. The fire was still smoking.
Huck Finn was very scared. His heart beat very fast. He did not look for the person. He ran back to his camp on his tiptoes. Every time he heard a sound, he thought it was a person. He thought every tree stump was a man. Huck Finn reached his camp and put all his things back into the boat.
Huck Finn put out his fire and climbed a tree. He stayed in the tree for two hours, but he saw nothing. He was very hungry. When it was dark, Huck Finn paddled his boat to the Illinois shore. He cooked a meal in the woods. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses and voices.
Huck Finn put his things in the boat and left quickly. He went back to the island. He could not sleep because he was thinking. He decided he must find the other person on the island. He paddled his boat in the shadows of the trees. It was almost morning.
Huck Finn walked through the woods very quietly. Finally, he saw a fire through the trees. He moved slowly and looked. A man lay on the ground near the fire. The man had a blanket over his head. Huck Finn hid behind some bushes and watched the man.
The sun began to rise. The man moved and took off the blanket. It was Miss Watson’s Jim! Huck Finn was very happy to see him. Huck Finn ran out and said, "Hello, Jim!" Miss Watson’s Jim jumped up. He was very scared and looked at Huck Finn with wild eyes.
Miss Watson’s Jim fell on his knees. He put his hands together. He said, "Please do not hurt me! I never did anything bad to a ghost. I always liked dead people. Please go back into the river, Huck Finn. I was always your friend."
Huck Finn told Miss Watson’s Jim that he was not dead. He was not a ghost. Huck Finn was very happy. He was not lonesome anymore. Huck Finn told Miss Watson’s Jim to make the fire bigger. He wanted to cook breakfast.
Miss Watson’s Jim asked why they needed a fire. He said he only had strawberries to eat. Huck Finn laughed. He told Miss Watson’s Jim that he had a gun. They went to the boat and got meal, bacon, and coffee. Miss Watson’s Jim was surprised. He thought it was magic.
They cooked a big fish and ate breakfast. Miss Watson’s Jim was very hungry. He ate a lot of food. Then they rested in the grass. Miss Watson’s Jim asked Huck Finn who was killed in the house. Huck Finn told the whole story. Miss Watson’s Jim said the plan was very smart.
Huck Finn asked why Miss Watson’s Jim was on the island. Miss Watson’s Jim looked uneasy. He did not want to say. Finally, he said, "I ran away." Huck Finn was surprised. Miss Watson’s Jim asked Huck Finn not to tell anyone. Huck Finn promised to keep the secret.
Miss Watson’s Jim explained why he ran away. He said Miss Watson was often mean to him. She promised she would never sell him. But Miss Watson’s Jim heard her talking to Widow Douglas. Miss Watson wanted to sell Miss Watson’s Jim for eight hundred dollars.
Miss Watson’s Jim did not wait to hear more. He ran away that night. He hid in an old shop and heard people talking about the murder of Huck Finn. Then he went to the river. He did not want to walk because dogs would find him. He wanted a raft.
Miss Watson’s Jim saw a raft on the river. He swam to the logs and climbed on. It was very dark. He stayed on the raft until he was near the island. A man with a lantern almost saw him. Miss Watson’s Jim jumped into the water and swam to the shore.
Huck Finn and Miss Watson’s Jim talked about signs of bad luck. Miss Watson’s Jim knew many signs. He said catching a bird brings death. He said you must not count the things for dinner. Huck Finn asked if there were any signs for good luck.
Miss Watson’s Jim said there were very few. He said having hairy arms and a hairy chest is a sign. It means the person will be rich in the future. Huck Finn looked at the arms of Miss Watson’s Jim. They were very hairy. Huck Finn asked if Miss Watson’s Jim was rich.
Miss Watson’s Jim said he was rich once, but he lost his money. He put ten dollars into a cow, but the cow died. Then he put five dollars into a bank. But the bank lost all the money. Miss Watson’s Jim also gave ten cents to a man because of a dream, but he lost that too.
"I am rich now," Miss Watson’s Jim said. "I own myself, and I am worth eight hundred dollars. I wish I had that money in my hand. I would not want anything more."