Now we return to Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher at the picnic. They walked into 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 Sawyer and Becky Thatcher 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 Sawyer and Becky Thatcher did not notice they were in a new part of the cave. They found a beautiful place where water fell over the rocks. The water turned into white stone over many years. It looked like a waterfall. Tom Sawyer went behind the stone waterfall. He saw a small, natural stairway. He wanted to be a discoverer (a person who finds a new place). Becky Thatcher 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 (long pieces of stone that hang from the roof of a cave). 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 Sawyer knew the bats were dangerous. He grabbed the hand of Becky Thatcher. They ran into a small passage. A bat hit the candle of Becky Thatcher and the light went out. The bats followed the children for a long time. Finally, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher escaped.
Tom Sawyer found a dark lake under the ground. He wanted to rest there for a while. Everything was very quiet. Becky Thatcher said, "I do not hear the other children." Tom Sawyer said, "We are very deep in the cave. We are far away from the others." Becky Thatcher looked worried. She wanted to go back. Tom Sawyer agreed. But he was worried about the bats. He did not want to go back through the room with the bats.
They walked through a new path for a long time. Every path looked strange. Tom Sawyer tried to look happy. He said, "Everything is fine. We will find the path soon!" But he felt very afraid. Becky Thatcher stayed close to him. She was very scared. She started to cry. Tom Sawyer 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 Sawyer shouted. His voice went far into the cave. It sounded like a mean laugh. Becky Thatcher asked him not to do it again. But Tom Sawyer shouted again. No one answered. Tom Sawyer realized the truth. He could not find the way back. He did not make enough marks on the walls.
"Tom Sawyer, we are lost!" Becky Thatcher cried. "We can never get out of this place!" She sat on the ground and cried. Tom Sawyer 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 Thatcher said she would try to be brave. They started walking again. They had no plan. They just needed to keep moving.
Tom Sawyer took the candle of Becky Thatcher and blew it out. He wanted to save the wax. Becky Thatcher 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 Thatcher sat down. Tom Sawyer rested with her. They talked about their homes and their friends.
Becky Thatcher fell asleep. Tom Sawyer 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 Sawyer told her to be brave. They rose up and walked again. They did not know how many days they were in the cave. Their candles were almost gone.
They found another spring and drank water. Becky Thatcher said she was very hungry. Tom Sawyer found a piece of cake in his pocket. "It is our wedding cake from the picnic," Tom Sawyer said. They shared the cake. It was a very small meal. Then Tom Sawyer told Becky Thatcher the bad news. They must stay near the water. They only had one tiny piece of candle left.
Becky Thatcher cried again. Tom Sawyer tried to comfort her. They watched the last piece of the candle. The fire was very small. Then, the fire went out. Now, they were in total darkness. They slept for a long time. When they woke up, they were very hungry. Tom Sawyer 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 Sawyer heard a sound. It was a very quiet shout far away. He answered it. He led Becky Thatcher 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 Sawyer thought it was Tuesday now. He had an idea. He had a kite-line (a long, thin string used for flying a kite) in his pocket. He tied the string to a rock. He told Becky Thatcher to stay by the spring. Tom Sawyer walked into a side passage and let out the string. He reached a corner.
Suddenly, he saw a hand with a candle! It was Injun Joe! Tom Sawyer shouted loudly. Injun Joe was scared and ran away. He did not recognize the voice of Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer was very afraid. He went back to the spring. He did not tell Becky Thatcher about Injun Joe. He told her he shouted "for luck."
They waited a long time. They were starving. Becky Thatcher was very weak. She could not move. She said she would wait and die. She told Tom Sawyer 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 Sawyer 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.