I lit a pipe and had a good long smoke, and went on watching. The ferryboat was floating with the current, and I allowed Id have a chance to see who was aboard when she come along, because she would come in close, where the bread did. When shed got pretty well along down towards me, I put out my pipe and went to where I fished out the bread, and laid down behind a log on the bank in a little open place. Where the log forked I could peep through.
By and by she come along, and she drifted in so close that they could a run out a plank and walked ashore. Most everybody was on the boat. Pap, and Judge Thatcher, and Bessie Thatcher, and Jo Harper, and Tom Sawyer, and his old Aunt Polly, and Sid and Mary, and plenty more. Everybody was talking about the murder, but the captain broke in and says:
Look sharp, now; the current sets in the closest here, and maybe hes washed ashore and got tangled amongst the brush at the waters edge. I hope so, anyway.
I didnt hope so. They all crowded up and leaned over the rails, nearly in my face, and kept still, watching with all their might. I could see them first-rate, but they couldnt see me. Then the captain sung out:
Stand away![65] and the cannon let off such a blast right before me that it made me deef with the noise and pretty near blind with the smoke, and I judged I was gone. If theyd a had some bullets in, I reckon theyd a got the corpse they was after. Well, I see I warnt hurt, thanks to goodness. The boat floated on and went out of sight around the shoulder of the island. I could hear the booming now and then, further and further off, and by and by, after an hour, I didnt hear it no more. The island was three mile long. I judged they had got to the foot, and was giving it up. But they didnt yet a while. They turned around the foot of the island and started up the channel on the Missouri side, under steam, and booming once in a while as they went. I crossed over to that side and watched them. When they got abreast the head of the island they quit shooting and dropped over to the Missouri shore and went home to the town.
I knowed I was all right now. Nobody else would come a-hunting after me. I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a kind of a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldnt get at them. I catched a catfish and haggled him open with my saw, and towards sundown I started my camp fire and had supper. Then I set out a line to catch some fish for breakfast.
When it was dark I set by my camp fire smoking, and feeling pretty well satisfied; but by and by it got sort of lonesome, and so I went and set on the bank and listened to the current swashing along, and counted the stars and drift logs and rafts that come down, and then went to bed; there aint no better way to put in time when you are lonesome[66]; you cant stay so, you soon get over it.
And so for three days and nights. No difference just the same thing. But the next day I went exploring around down through the island. I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, so to say, and I wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to put in the time. I found plenty strawberries, ripe and prime; and green summer grapes, and green razberries; and the green blackberries was just beginning to show. They would all come handy by and by[67], I judged.
Well, I went fooling along in the deep woods till I judged I warnt far from the foot of the island. I had my gun along, but I hadnt shot nothing; it was for protection; thought I would kill some game nigh home. About this time I mighty near stepped on a good-sized snake, and it went sliding off through the grass and flowers, and I after it, trying to get a shot at it. I clipped along, and all of a sudden I bounded right on to the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking.
My heart jumped up amongst my lungs. I never waited for to look further, but uncocked my gun and went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as ever I could. Every now and then[68] I stopped a second amongst the thick leaves and listened, but my breath come so hard I couldnt hear nothing else. I slunk along another piece further, then listened again; and so on, and so on. If I see a stump, I took it for a man; if I trod on a stick and broke it, it made me feel like a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too.
When I got to camp I warnt feeling very brash, there warnt much sand in my craw; but I says, this aint no time to be fooling around. So I got all my traps into my canoe again so as to have them out of sight, and I put out the fire and scattered the ashes around to look like an old last years camp, and then clumb a tree.
I reckon I was up in the tree two hours; but I didnt see nothing, I didnt hear nothing I only THOUGHT I heard and seen as much as a thousand things. Well, I couldnt stay up there forever; so at last I got down, but I kept in the thick woods and on the lookout all the time. All I could get to eat was berries and what was left over from breakfast.
By the time it was night I was pretty hungry. So when it was good and dark I slid out from shore before moonrise and paddled over to the Illinois bank about a quarter of a mile. I went out in the woods and cooked a supper, and I had about made up my mind[69] I would stay there all night when I hear a PLUNKETYPLUNK, PLUNKETY-PLUNK, and says to myself, horses coming; and next I hear peoples voices. I got everything into the canoe as quick as I could, and then went creeping through the woods to see what I could find out. I hadnt got far when I hear a man say:
We better camp here if we can find a good place; the horses is about beat out. Lets look around.
I didnt wait, but shoved out and paddled away easy. I tied up in the old place, and reckoned I would sleep in the canoe.
I didnt sleep much. I couldnt, somehow, for thinking. And every time I waked up I thought somebody had me by the neck. So the sleep didnt do me no good. By and by I says to myself, I cant live this way; Im a-going to find out who it is thats here on the island with me; Ill find it out or bust. Well, I felt better right off[70].
So I took my paddle and slid out from shore just a step or two, and then let the canoe drop along down amongst the shadows. The moon was shining, and outside of the shadows it made it most as light as day. I poked along well on to an hour, everything still as rocks and sound asleep. Well, by this time I was most down to the foot of the island. A little ripply, cool breeze begun to blow, and that was as good as saying the night was about done. I give her a turn with the paddle and brung her nose to shore; then I got my gun and slipped out and into the edge of the woods. I sat down there on a log, and looked out through the leaves. I see the moon go off watch, and the darkness begin to blanket the river. But in a little while I see a pale streak over the treetops, and knowed the day was coming. So I took my gun and slipped off towards where I had run across that camp fire, stopping every minute or two to listen. But I hadnt no luck somehow; I couldnt seem to find the place. But by and by, sure enough, I catched a glimpse of fire away through the trees. I went for it, cautious and slow. By and by I was close enough to have a look, and there laid a man on the ground. It most give me the fantods.[71] He had a blanket around his head, and his head was nearly in the fire. I set there behind a clump of bushes in about six foot of him, and kept my eyes on him steady. It was getting gray daylight now. Pretty soon he gapped and stretched himself and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watsons Jim! I bet I was glad to see him. I says:
Hello, Jim! and skipped out.
He bounced up and stared at me wild. Then he drops down on his knees, and puts his hands together and says:
Doan hurt me dont! I haint ever done no harm to a ghos. I alwuz liked dead people, en done all I could for em. You go en git in de river agin, whah you blongs, en doan do nuffn to Ole Jim, at uz awluz yo fren.
Well, I warnt long making him understand I warnt dead. I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warnt lonesome now. I told him I warnt afraid of HIM telling the people where I was. I talked along, but he only set there and looked at me; never said nothing. Then I says:
Its good daylight. Les get breakfast. Make up your camp fire good.
Whats de use er makin up de camp fire to cook strawbries en sich truck[72]? But you got a gun, haint you? Den we kin git sumfn better den strawbries.
Strawberries and such truck, I says. Is that what you live on?
I couldn git nuffn else, he says.
Why, how long you been on the island, Jim?
I come heah de night arter yous killed.
What, all that time?
Yes indeedy.
And aint you had nothing but that kind of rubbage to eat?
No, sah nuffn else.
Well, you must be most starved, aint you?
I reckn I could eat a hoss. I think I could. How long you ben on de islan?
Since the night I got killed.
No! Wy, what has you lived on? But you got a gun. Oh, yes, you got a gun. Dats good. Now you kill sumfn en Ill make up de fire.
So we went over to where the canoe was, and while he built a fire in a grassy open place amongst the trees, I fetched meal and bacon and coffee, and coffee-pot and frying-pan, and sugar and tin cups, and the nigger was set back considerable, because he reckoned it was all done with witchcraft. I catched a good big catfish, too, and Jim cleaned him with his knife, and fried him.
When breakfast was ready we lolled on the grass and eat it smoking hot[73]. Jim laid it in with all his might, for he was most about starved. Then when we had got pretty well stuffed, we laid off and lazied. By and by Jim says:
But looky here, Huck, who wuz it dat uz killed in dat shanty ef it warnt you?
Then I told him the whole thing, and he said it was smart. He said Tom Sawyer couldnt get up no better plan than what I had. Then I says:
How do you come to be here, Jim, and howd you get here?
He looked pretty uneasy, and didnt say nothing for a minute. Then he says:
Maybe I better not tell.
Why, Jim?
Well, deys reasons. But you wouldn tell on me ef I uz to tell you, would you, Huck?
Blamed if I would, Jim.
Well, I blieve you, Huck. I I RUN OFF.
Jim!
But mind, you said you wouldn tell-you know you said you wouldn tell, Huck.
Well, I did. I said I wouldnt, and Ill stick to it. Honest INJUN, I will. People would call me a low-down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum but that dont make no difference. I aint a-going to tell, and I aint a-going back there, anyways. So, now, les know all about it.
Well, you see, it uz dis way. Ole missus dats Miss Watson she pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn sell me down to Orleans. But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun de place considable lately, en I begin to git oneasy. Well, one night I creeps to de do pooty late, en de do warnt quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn want to, but she could git eight hundd dollars for me, en it uz sich a big stack o money she couldn resis[74]. De widder she try to git her to say she wouldn do it, but I never waited to hear de res. I lit out mighty quick, I tell you.
I tuck out en shin down de hill, en spec to steal a skift long de sho somers bove de town, but dey wuz people a-stirring yit, so I hid in de ole tumble-down cooper-shop on de bank to wait for everybody to go way. Well, I wuz dah all night. Dey wuz somebody roun all de time. Long bout six in de mawnin skifts begin to go by, en bout eight er nine every skift dat went long wuz talkin bout how yo pap come over to de town en say yous killed. Dese las skifts wuz full o ladies en genlmen a-goin over for to see de place. Sometimes deyd pull up at de sho en take a res bfo dey started acrost, so by de talk I got to know all bout de killin. I uz powerful sorry yous killed, Huck, but I aint no mo now.
I laid dah under de shavins all day. I uz hungry, but I warnt afeard; bekase I knowed ole missus en de widder wuz goin to start to de camp-meetn right arter breakfas en be gone all day, en dey knows I goes off wid de cattle bout daylight, so dey wouldn spec to see me roun de place, en so dey wouldn miss me tell arter dark in de evenin. De yuther servants wouldn miss me, kase deyd shin out en take holiday soon as de ole folks uz outn de way[75].
Well, when it come dark I tuck out up de river road, en went bout two mile er more to whah dey warnt no houses. Id made up my mine bout what Is agwyne to do. You see, ef I kep on tryin to git away afoot, de dogs ud track me; ef I stole a skift to cross over, deyd miss dat skift, you see, en deyd know bout whah Id lan on de yuther side, en whah to pick up my track. So I says, a raff is what Is arter; it doan MAKE no track.
I see a light a-comin roun de pint bymeby, so I wade in en shove a log ahead o me en swum moren half way acrost de river, en got in mongst de drift-wood, en kep my head down low, en kinder swum agin de current tell de raff come along. Den I swum to de stern uv it en tuck a-holt. It clouded up en uz pooty dark for a little while. So I clumb up en laid down on de planks. De men uz all way yonder in de middle, whah de lantern wuz. De river wuz a-risin, en dey wuz a good current; so I recknd at by fo in de mawnin Id be twenty-five mile down de river, en den Id slip in jis bfo daylight en swim asho, en take to de woods on de Illinois side.
But I didn have no luck. When we uz mos down to de head er de islan a man begin to come aft wid de lantern, I see it warnt no use fer to wait, so I slid overboard en struck out fer de islan. Well, I had a notion I could lan mos anywhers, but I couldnt bank too bluff[76]. I uz mos to de foot er de islan bfo I found a good place. I went into de woods en jedged I wouldn fool wid raffs no mo, long as dey move de lantern roun so. I had my pipe en a plug er dog-leg, en some matches in my cap, en dey warnt wet, so I uz all right.
And so you aint had no meat nor bread to eat all this time? Why didnt you get mud-turkles?
How you gwyne to git m? You cant slip up on um en grab um; en hows a body gwyne to hit um wid a rock? How could a body do it in de night? En I warnt gwyne to show mysef on de bank in de daytime.
Well, thats so. Youve had to keep in the woods all the time, of course. Did you hear em shooting the cannon?
Oh, yes. I knowed dey was arter you. I see um go by heah watched um thoo de bushes.