After breakfast, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer went fishing in a canoe. They had a good time and checked on the raft (a simple, flat boat made of logs tied together). The raft was safe. They came home late for supper.
The family was very worried and nervous. Aunt Sally sent Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer to bed immediately. She did not tell them about the new letter. But the boys already knew about it because they wrote it.
The boys went to their room. Then they went down to the cellar to get some food. Tom Sawyer wore Aunt Sally's dress for the escape. Huckleberry Finn forgot the butter, so he went back to the cellar.
Huckleberry Finn found a large piece of butter. Suddenly, he saw Aunt Sally. He hid the butter under his hat and put the hat on his head. Aunt Sally asked what he was doing in the cellar.
Huckleberry Finn said he was doing nothing. Aunt Sally was very suspicious because many strange things were happening. She told Huckleberry Finn to go into the living room. She wanted to talk to him later.
Huckleberry Finn walked into the living room and saw a big crowd. There were fifteen farmers there. Every farmer had a gun. Huckleberry Finn felt very sick and scared. He sat in a chair and kept his hat on.
The room was very hot. The farmers were nervous and talked in low voices. Huckleberry Finn wanted to find Tom Sawyer. He wanted to tell Tom Sawyer about the men with guns. He wanted to leave with Jim immediately.
Aunt Sally began to ask Huckleberry Finn many questions. Huckleberry Finn was so scared he could not answer well. The farmers wanted to go to the cabin to catch the bad men. Huckleberry Finn began to shake.
The butter under the hat began to melt. It ran down Huckleberry Finn’s neck and behind his ears. Then a streak of butter ran down his forehead. Aunt Sally saw it and her face went white.
Aunt Sally thought Huckleberry Finn was very sick. She thought his brains were melting and coming out of his head. She was very frightened. Everyone ran to look at Huckleberry Finn.
Aunt Sally took off Huckleberry Finn's hat. The bread and the rest of the butter fell out. Aunt Sally was very happy. She was glad Huckleberry Finn was not dying. She told him to go to bed immediately.
Huckleberry Finn ran upstairs and climbed down the lightning-rod. He ran to the lean-to (the small building next to the cabin). He told Tom Sawyer that the house was full of men with guns.
Tom Sawyer was not afraid. His eyes were bright and he was very excited. He thought the danger was wonderful. Tom Sawyer said Jim was ready. Jim was dressed in the other dress.
Then the boys heard the farmers at the cabin door. The farmers began to open the lock. One man said they were too early. He told some men to hide in the dark cabin and wait.
The men entered the cabin. They could not see Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, or Jim in the dark. The boys and Jim hid under the bed. Then they crawled out through the hole.
They were in the lean-to now. They heard men walking outside. Tom Sawyer looked through a crack in the door. He waited for the men to walk away. Then he signaled to Huckleberry Finn and Jim.
They slid out of the door and moved very quietly. They walked toward the fence in a line. Huckleberry Finn and Jim climbed over the fence safely. But Tom Sawyer’s trousers caught on a piece of wood.
Tom Sawyer pulled himself loose, but the wood made a loud noise. A man heard the noise and shouted. He told them to stop or he would shoot. The boys did not stop. They began to run very fast.
The farmers began to shoot their guns. The bullets flew past the boys. The men shouted that the prisoners were running toward the river. They let the dogs loose to catch them.
The boys heard the men and the dogs behind them. They hid in the bushes and let the men run past. The dogs found the boys, but they were the family dogs. They knew the boys, so they did not bark.
The boys ran to the river and got into the canoe. They paddled to the middle of the river. Soon they reached the island and the raft. Huckleberry Finn told Jim that he was a free man.
Jim was very happy. He said the plan was beautiful. But then they saw that Tom Sawyer was hurt. There was a bullet in Tom Sawyer's leg. Tom Sawyer was the happiest of all because of the wound.
Huckleberry Finn and Jim were very worried. Tom Sawyer’s leg was bleeding. They put him in the wigwam (the small tent on the raft). They used a shirt to tie around his leg.
Tom Sawyer told them to start moving the raft. He wanted to continue the escape. But Jim stopped and thought. Jim said he would not leave without a doctor.
Jim said Tom Sawyer was a true friend. He knew Tom Sawyer would never leave a friend behind. Huckleberry Finn agreed with Jim. They told Tom Sawyer they must find a doctor.
Tom Sawyer was angry, but he could not move. He told Huckleberry Finn how to find a doctor in the village. He told Huckleberry Finn to use a blindfold (a cloth used to cover a person's eyes).
Tom Sawyer wanted the escape to be like a storybook. He wanted the doctor to be confused and lost. Huckleberry Finn said he would do it. He left in the canoe to find help.