Sunday morning started with the first light of the sun. Huck Finn walked carefully up the hill. He knocked gently on the door of the old Welshman. The people in the house were awake. They did not sleep well because of the exciting events of the night. A voice called from a window.
"Who is there?" the voice asked.
Huck Finn answered in a quiet, scared voice. "Please let me in! It is only Huck Finn!"
"That name can always open this door! You are welcome here!" the Welshman said.
These were strange words to the homeless boy. They were the kindest words Huck Finn ever heard. He did not remember anyone saying "welcome" to him before. The Welshman quickly unlocked the door. Huck Finn entered the house. The Welshman gave Huck Finn a chair. The old man and his two tall sons dressed quickly.
"Now, my boy, I hope you are hungry," the Welshman said. "Breakfast will be ready when the sun is up. It will be a very hot and good meal. My sons and I hoped you would stay here last night."
"I was very scared," Huck Finn said. "I ran away when the pistols went off. I ran for three miles. I came here now because I wanted to know what happened. I came before it was light. I did not want to see those bad men, even if they were dead."
"Well, poor boy, you look very tired," the Welshman said. "There is a bed for you after breakfast. No, those men are not dead. We are sorry about that. We knew where to find them because of your description. We walked very quietly on our toes. We got very close to them on the path."
The Welshman continued his story. "The path was very dark. Suddenly, I felt a sneeze coming. I tried to stop it, but I could not. I had my pistol (a small gun that you hold in one hand) ready. When I sneezed, the bad men started to run. I shouted to my sons to fire. We shot at the sound of the men."
"The men ran away into the woods," the Welshman said. "We followed them, but we did not hit them. They shot at us too, but the bullets did not hit us. We stopped chasing them and went to find the constables (police officers in a small town). They got a posse (a group of men who help the police) together. They are guarding the river now."
"As soon as it is light, the sheriff (the leader of the police in a town) will look in the woods," the Welshman said. "My sons will help them soon. I wish we knew what those men looked like. It would help us a lot. But it was dark. Did you see them, Huck Finn?"
"Oh yes," Huck Finn said. "I saw them in the town and I followed them."
"That is excellent!" the Welshman said. "Describe them to me!"
"One is the old Spaniard who cannot hear or speak," Huck Finn said. "He has been here before. The other man is a dirty man in old clothes."
"We know those men!" the Welshman said. "We saw them in the woods one day. Go now, sons! Tell the sheriff. You can have your breakfast tomorrow morning!"
The sons of the Welshman left the house immediately. As they were leaving, Huck Finn stood up quickly. He looked very worried.
"Oh, please do not tell anybody I told you!" Huck Finn cried. "Please do not tell!"
"I will not tell if you do not want me to," the Welshman said. "But you should get the credit for your help, Huck Finn."
"No, no!" Huck Finn said. "Please do not tell!"
The two young men left the house. The old Welshman looked at Huck Finn. "They will not tell, and I will not tell. But why is this a secret?"
Huck Finn did not want to explain. He knew too much about one of the men. He was afraid the man would kill him. He told the Welshman he would be in great danger.
The old man promised again to keep the secret. He asked Huck Finn, "Why did you follow those men? Did they look like they were doing something bad?"
Huck Finn was silent for a moment. He tried to think of a safe answer. "Well, people say I am a bad boy. Sometimes I cannot sleep. I walk around and think about my life. Last night, I was walking near the tavern. I stood against a wall to think."
"Then two men walked past me," Huck Finn continued. "They were carrying something. I thought they stole it. One man was smoking a cigar. The light from the cigar showed their faces. I saw the Spaniard with the white beard. The other man looked very dirty."
"Could you see his old clothes by the light of a cigar?" the Welshman asked.
Huck Finn was surprised by the question. "Well, I think I did," he answered.
"Then what did you do?" the Welshman asked.
"I followed them," Huck Finn said. "They walked quietly toward the house of the Widow Douglas. I stood in the dark and listened. I heard the dirty man talking. I heard the Spaniard say he would hurt the Widow Douglas."
"Wait!" the Welshman cried. "The man who cannot hear or speak said that?"
Huck Finn realized he made a big mistake. He was trying to hide the identity of the Spaniard. But his tongue was causing trouble. He tried to fix his story, but he made more mistakes. The Welshman looked at him closely.
"My boy, do not be afraid of me," the Welshman said. "I will protect you. This Spaniard is not a man who cannot hear or speak. You told me the truth by accident. You know something about him. Tell me the truth. I will not tell anyone."
Huck Finn looked into the honest eyes of the Welshman. He leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "He is not a Spaniard. He is Injun Joe!"
The Welshman was very surprised. "Now I understand! You told us he wanted to hurt the widow. White men do not usually take revenge in that way. But Injun Joe is different. He is a dangerous man."
They ate breakfast together. The Welshman said they looked for blood on the path last night. They did not find any blood. But they found a big bundle.
"A bundle of what?" Huck Finn asked quickly. He looked very scared. He stopped breathing while he waited for the answer.
The Welshman stared at Huck Finn for ten seconds. "It was a bundle of burglar (a person who breaks into houses to steal things) tools. Why are you so worried?"
Huck Finn sat back and breathed again. He felt very happy. The Welshman looked at him with curiosity. "Yes, tools for stealing. You look happy now. What did you think we found?"
Huck Finn needed an answer quickly. He could not think of a good story. "Maybe books for Sunday school?" he said weakly.
The Welshman laughed very loudly. He said that a good laugh was better than a doctor. "Poor boy, you are very tired. You are not thinking clearly. Rest and sleep will help you."
Huck Finn was angry at himself. He showed his excitement too easily. He realized the bundle was not the treasure. He knew the treasure was still in the secret place. He thought the men would be caught today. Then he and Tom Sawyer could take the gold tonight.
After breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Huck Finn ran to hide. He did not want anyone to see him. The Welshman opened the door for many people. The Widow Douglas was there. Many people from the town were coming up the hill. Everyone heard the news.
The Welshman told the story of the night to the visitors. The Widow Douglas was very thankful. "Do not thank me, madam," the Welshman said. "There is another person you should thank. He does not want me to say his name."
The visitors were very curious. They wanted to know who helped the widow. But the Welshman kept the secret. The Widow Douglas said, "I was sleeping during all the noise. Why did you not wake me?"
"We did not want to scare you," the Welshman said. "The men did not have their tools. They could not get into your house. My three workers stood guard at your house all night."
More visitors came. The Welshman told the story many times for two hours. There was no Sunday school that day, but everyone went to church. Everyone talked about the bad men. No one could find them yet. After the church service, Mrs. Thatcher spoke to Mrs. Harper.
"Is my Becky Thatcher still sleeping?" Mrs. Thatcher asked. "I thought she would be very tired."
"Your Becky Thatcher?" Mrs. Harper asked.
"Yes," Mrs. Thatcher said. She looked worried. "Did she stay at your house last night?"
"No, she did not," Mrs. Harper replied.
Mrs. Thatcher turned very pale. She sat down quickly. Aunt Polly walked past them. She was talking to a friend. "Good morning, Mrs. Thatcher," Aunt Polly said. "My Tom Sawyer is missing. I think he stayed at your house last night."
Mrs. Thatcher shook her head. She looked very sick. "He did not stay with us," Mrs. Harper said. Now Aunt Polly looked very worried too.
"Joe Harper, have you seen Tom Sawyer this morning?" Aunt Polly asked.
"No, ma'am," Joe Harper said.
"When did you see him last?" Aunt Polly asked.
Joe Harper tried to remember, but he was not sure. The people in the church stopped moving. They began to whisper. Everyone looked afraid. They asked the children and the teachers many questions. No one saw Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher on the boat last night. It was dark, and no one checked for missing children.
Suddenly, a young man shouted, "Maybe they are still in the cave!"
Mrs. Thatcher fainted. Aunt Polly began to cry. The news spread quickly through the town. Within five minutes, the bells were ringing. Everyone in the town was awake and moving. The story of the bad men was forgotten. Men got on horses and went to the river. Two hundred men ran toward the cave.
The village was empty all afternoon. Many women went to stay with Aunt Polly and Mrs. Thatcher. They cried together. All night, the town waited for news. In the morning, only one message came from the cave: "Send more candles and food."
The mothers were very sad and scared. Judge Thatcher sent messages of hope from the cave. But there was no good news.
The Welshman came home at daylight. He was covered in dirt and candle wax. He was very tired. He found Huck Finn in bed with a fever. All the doctors were at the cave. The Widow Douglas came to take care of Huck Finn. She said she would help him because he was a child of God.
The searchers continued to look in the cave. They went into parts of the cave that no one ever visited before. They looked in every corner. People could see lights moving in the dark tunnels. They heard shouting and pistol shots in the distance.
In one part of the cave, they found names on the wall. The names "BECKY & TOM" were written with candle smoke. They also found a piece of ribbon. Mrs. Thatcher saw the ribbon and cried. She thought her child was dead. Sometimes people thought they saw a light, but it was only another searcher.
Three long days and nights passed. The people in the town lost hope. Everyone was very sad. Someone found alcohol at the tavern, but no one cared. They only cared about the children.
Huck Finn woke up and spoke to the Widow Douglas. He asked if anything was found at the tavern.
"Yes," the widow said.
Huck Finn sat up in bed. "What was it?" he asked.
"They found alcohol and they closed the tavern," she said. "Lie down, child! You are very sick."
"Tell me one more thing," Huck Finn said. "Did Tom Sawyer find it?"
The widow began to cry. "Hush, child! You must not talk. You are very sick."
Huck Finn thought to himself. They only found alcohol. They did not find the gold. The treasure was gone forever. But he did not understand why the widow was crying. He was too tired to think. He fell asleep.
The widow said to herself, "Poor Huck Finn. He wants Tom Sawyer to find the gold. I wish someone could find Tom Sawyer! There is very little hope left now."