Now we return to Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher at the picnic. They walked along the dark paths of the cave with the other children. They visited the famous parts of the cave. These places had names like "The Cathedral" and "Aladdin’s Palace." Soon, the children started to play hide-and-seek. Tom and Becky played for a long time. Then they felt tired. They walked away from the group. They held their candles high and looked at names on the rocky walls. People wrote these names with candle smoke.
Tom and Becky did not notice they were in a new part of the cave. They found a beautiful place where water fell over the rocks. Over many years, the water left white stone on the rocks. It looked like a waterfall. Tom went behind the stone waterfall. He saw a small, natural stairway. He wanted to be a discoverer. Becky followed him. They made a smoke-mark on the wall to help them find the way back.
They walked deep into the cave. They saw a large room with many stalactites. These stone pieces were as big as a man’s leg. They walked around and looked at the stones. Then they found a beautiful spring of water. The walls were covered in crystals. In this room, thousands of bats lived on the roof. The lights from the candles woke the bats up.
Hundreds of bats flew down quickly. They made loud noises and flew at the candles. Tom knew the bats were dangerous. He grabbed Becky's hand. They ran into a small passage. A bat hit Becky's candle and the light went out. The bats followed the children for a long time. Finally, Tom and Becky escaped.
Tom found a dark lake under the ground. He wanted to rest there for a while. Everything was very quiet. Becky said, "I do not hear the other children." Tom said, "We are very deep in the cave. We are far away from the others." Becky looked worried. She wanted to go back. Tom agreed. But he was worried about the bats. He did not want to go back through the room with the bats.
They walked along a new path for a long time. Every path looked strange. Tom tried to look happy. He said, "Everything is fine. We will find the path soon!" But he felt very afraid. Becky stayed close to him. She was very scared. She started to cry. Tom tried different paths, but he was lost. He had a heavy feeling of fear in his heart.
They stopped and listened. The cave was perfectly silent. Tom shouted. His voice echoed far into the cave. The echo sounded like a mean laugh. Becky asked him not to do it again. But Tom shouted again. No one answered. Tom realized the truth. He could not find the way back. He did not make enough marks on the walls.
"Tom, we are lost!" Becky cried. "We can never get out of this place!" She sat on the ground and cried. Tom was afraid she would die of fear. He sat next to her and put his arms around her. He said it was his fault. He told her to have hope. Becky said she would try to be brave. They started walking again. They had no plan. They just needed to keep moving.
Tom took Becky's candle and blew it out. He wanted to save the wax. Becky understood. They only had one full candle and a few small pieces in their pockets. They were very tired. It was dangerous to sit down, but they could not walk anymore. Becky sat down. Tom rested with her. They talked about their homes and their friends.
Becky fell asleep. Tom watched her face. She looked peaceful in her dreams. When she woke up, she felt sad again. She said she saw a beautiful country in her dream. Tom told her to be brave. They got up and walked again. They did not know how many days they had been in the cave. Their candles were almost gone.
They found another spring and drank water. Becky said she was very hungry. Tom found a piece of cake in his pocket. "It is our wedding cake from the picnic," Becky said. They shared the cake. It was a very small meal. Then Tom told Becky the bad news. They had to stay near the water. They only had one tiny piece of candle left.
Becky cried again. Tom tried to comfort her. They watched the last piece of the candle. The flame was very small. Then, the flame went out. Now, they were in total darkness. They slept for a long time. When they woke up, they were very hungry. Tom shouted for help, but no one answered. The echoes in the dark were very scary.
The hours passed. They were very hungry. They ate the last bit of the cake. Suddenly, Tom heard a sound. It was a very quiet shout far away. He answered it. He led Becky through the dark toward the sound. They walked carefully. But they found a deep hole in the path. They could not go past it. They listened again. The shouts were going away. Soon, the sounds stopped.
They went back to the spring. They slept again and woke up very hungry. Tom thought it was Tuesday now. He had an idea. He had a kite-line in his pocket. He tied the string to a rock. He told Becky to stay by the spring. Tom walked into a side passage and let out the string. He reached a corner.
Suddenly, he saw a hand with a candle! Tom shouted for help. Then he saw the man. It was Indian Joe! Indian Joe was scared and ran away. He did not recognize Tom's voice. Tom was very afraid. He went back to the spring. He did not tell Becky about Indian Joe. He told her he shouted "for luck."
They waited a long time. They were starving. Becky was very weak. She could not move. She said she would wait and die. She told Tom to explore more with the string. But she asked him to come back often. She asked him to hold her hand when she died. Tom kissed her. He felt a lump in his throat. He took the string and went into a dark passage on his hands and knees. He was very sick with hunger and fear.