"There's only one thing left to do, now," said Tom.
"We have to send the family a mysterious warning, like they do in books."
So that same night, we pushed a note under the front door to the house.
It read: BEWARE. Trouble is coming. Someone is going to try to steal the escaped slave. From your unknown friend.
The next night, we drew a coffin on the back door. By now the Phelpses were very nervous.
They jumped at every noise, and if anything brushed against them, they thought it was a snake.
They asked some neighbors to help them guard their house.
That evening, there were 15 farmers, armed with guns, sitting in the parlor.
Some of the men said they were going to go down to the shed and guard it.
That's when I knew that Tom had gone too far with his crazy plan.
We should have freed Jim days ago. In a panic, Tom and I ran to the hut.
We went through our tunnel to Jim's shed and told him we had to escape right away.
Suddenly, we heard men outside the door, putting the key in the lock.
Just as they pushed the door open, we hurried into the tunnel.
The men didn't see the hole because it was under Jim's bed.
In the dark, we crept out of the hut and ran across the yard.
Jim and I got over the fence, but Tom's pants caught on a splinter of wood.
The splinter broke off with a loud snap and Tom was free.
But one of the men yelled, "Who's there? Stop, or I'll shoot!"
Bullets whizzed over our heads as we ran through the woods.
We hid behind some bushes until the men gave up looking for us.
Then we scrambled down the riverbank, untied the raft, and got onboard.
We headed for the middle of the river, to a small island called Spanish Island.
"Well, Jim," I said, "you are a free man.
I hope you won't ever be a slave again."
We were both happy for a minute, until we saw that Tom had been shot in the leg!
Jim and I helped him into the hut on the raft.
We bandaged Tom's bleeding calf with one of the duke's old shirts.
Then we looked at each other with serious faces.
Jim said, "Huck, we have to get a doctor for Tom.
Even if it means that I am captured again."
I knew Jim was right. I paddled back to the shore in the canoe that we kept on the raft. Jim and Tom stayed behind.
The town doctor was a kind man. Even though I woke him up late at night, he dressed and came with me right away.
I made up a story that my brother Sid and I had been hunting on the island.
There had been an accident with Sid's gun, I said.
When the doctor saw the old canoe, however, he didn't think it was safe for two people.
He said that he would paddle over to the raft by himself.
I waited for a long time, but the doctor didn't come back. I was worried about Tom's wound.
Then I realized that it was morning; I had fallen asleep on the riverbank.
I went to the doctor's house and learned that he still hadn't come back.
I decided that I had to find out how Tom was, even if I had to swim to the island.
But as I was hurrying down the street, I met Uncle Silas.
"Why, Tom!" he exclaimed. "Your aunt and I have been so worried about you and Sid. Where have you been all night?"
Once again, I made up a story. I told Uncle Silas that Sid and I had run to help the men chase the runaway slave.
But we lost them in the dark woods.
We were so tired that we fell asleep there.
I said that Sid had gone to buy rolls for our breakfast from the bakery.
As soon as Sid came back, we were planning to go home to Aunt Sally.
Uncle Silas said we must go to the bakery to get Sid. But of course he wasn't there.
Finally, Uncle Silas said that we shouldn't wait any longer to get me home, where Aunt Sally was waiting anxiously.
Then he would go out to search for Sid.
Aunt Sally was so happy to see me that she cried and hugged me.
She was very upset that Sid wasn't with us, but I told the same story again. Uncle Silas went out again to search.
The hours went by. Aunt Sally was worried because her nephew was lost.
I knew he wasn't lost, but I was afraid he was dying.
I couldn't tell anyone, though, because if they found Tom, they would find Jim and make him a slave again.
By dinnertime, Uncle Silas hadn't returned. By bedtime, he still wasn't back. I went up to my room and cried.
Later Aunt Sally stopped by my room.
"I know how worried you are," she said, "but I want you to promise that you won't sneak out to look for Sid."
She was a good, kind person, so I promised.