Tom and Huck could not forget that night in the graveyard. They were very
unhappy, and very afraid.
'What're we going to do?' said Tom. 'Muff Potter didn't kill the
doctor - Injun Joe
did. We saw him!'
'I know,' Huck said. 'But what can we do? We can't tell anyone. I'm afraid of Injun
Joe. He's dangerous. And he's a killer. Do you want a knife in your back?'
'Yes, I'm afraid of him, too,' Tom said. He thought for a minute. 'I'm sorry for Muff
Potter, but you're right, Huck. We can't tell anyone about Injun Joe.'
Chapter three
On Jackson’s Island
The summer holidays came, and there was no school. Tom didn't want to think about
Muff Potter and Injun Joe, but it wasn't easy. At night, when he was in bed, he saw
Injun Joe's face in the dark, and he couldn't sleep. But he couldn't talk to anyone about
it.
One hot summer's day he and Joe Harper were down by the Mississippi River.
They sat and watched the boats, and fished and talked.
'Let's get away from here!'
said Tom, suddenly. 'Let's go and do something exciting
somewhere.'
'OK,' said Joe. 'But what? And where?'
I know,' Tom said. 'Let's run away. Let's go and live on Jackson's Island. We can
sleep out, under the trees.'
They watched the boats, and fished and talked.
Jackson's Island was in the Mississippi, three miles south of St Petersburg. Nobody
lived there.
'Let's ask Huck Finn, too,' said Tom. 'But don't tell your mother or father or
anyone. Go home and get some tilings to eat, and meet me here at midnight.'
They cooked some of the meat over the fire.
So that night three boys in a small boat went down the river to Jackson's Island.
They had some
bread and some meat, and Huck had his pipe, too. When they got
there, they carried everything on to the island and made a fire, under a big old tree.
Then they cooked some of the meat over the fire, and oh, that meat was good - the
best dinner in the world! Soon, they stopped talking, their eyes closed, and they slept.
The three boys ran down to the river to swim.
The next morning Tom woke up with the sun on his head and a smile on his face.
Then Huck and joe woke up, and the three boys ran down to the river to swim. After
that, they fished, and soon they had about six big fish for their breakfast. They cooked
the fish on their fire and ate them all. They were very hungry.
'That,' said Joe happily, 'was a wonderful breakfast!'
After breakfast they walked through the island, swam some more, talked, fished,
and swam again. They came back to their fire in the afternoon.
Suddenly, Torn
looked up and said, 'Listen. Can you hear boats?'
They listened, and then ran across the island to look down the river. There were
twenty or more boats on the water. Every boat in St Petersburg was out.
'What are they doing?' asked Joe.
'They're looking for a dead body, I think,' said Huck. 'They did that last summer
when Bill Turner fell in the river and drowned.'
'Who's dead, do you think?' asked Joe.
The boys watched the boats. Suddenly, Tom cried, T know who's dead! It's us!
They're looking for us!'
This was wonderful. Tom looked at his friends. 'We're famous!' he said.
'Everybody in St Petersburg is talking about us. And they all feel sorry for us!'
Night came, and the boys went to sleep. But Tom did not sleep, and when
morning came, he wasn't there!
'Huck, where's Tom?' cried Joe.
'I don't know,' Huck began, 'but — Look! There he is. lie's swimming across to the
island now. Hey, Tom!'
At breakfast Tom told his story. I went home last night,' he said, 'and listened at
the window. Joe, your mother was there, too, and she and Aunt Polly cried and cried.
I heard some very interesting things. On Sunday there's going to be
a big funeral at
the church - for us! And listen - I've got a wonderful idea.'
Huck and Joe listened and laughed, and yes, it was a wonderful idea.
That night the boys cooked some more fish, and after dinner Huck got out his pipe
and began to smoke.
'Can we smoke, too?' asked Tom. 'I want to learn.'
So Huck made pipes for Tom and Joe, and the three boys sat and smoked.
'Hey, I Х\Ы smoking,' said Tom. 'It's easy!'
'It's nothing!' said Joe. 'I'm going to smoke every day.'
But after ten minutes Tom and Joe got quieter and quieter
and their faces went an
interesting colour.
I'm going for a little walk now,' said Tom. He stood up, carefully, and walked away
into the trees.
'Me too,' said Joe, quickly.
The two boys came back an hour later. But they didn't smoke their pipes again...
On Sunday morning there were no happy faces in St Petersburg. Aunt Polly and Joe's
mother and father were in the church, and all the boys' friends. The
minister said some
very nice things about the three boys, and the boys' families cried and cried.
Everybody cried. And little Becky Thatcher did not stop crying for one second.
There was a small noise at the back of the church, but at first nobody heard it.
Then the minister looked up -and suddenly stopped speaking. Everybody turned to
look. Their
mouths opened, and stayed open.
And into the church came the three dead boys - Tom first, Joe next, and then Huck.