ransom?"
"Money. You make them raise all they can, off'n their friends; andafter you've kept them a year, if it ain't raised then you kill them.That's the general way. Only you don't kill the women. You shut up thewomen, but you don't kill them. They're always beautiful and rich, andawfully scared. You take their watches and things, but you always takeyour hat off and talk polite. They ain't anybody as polite as robbers--you'll see that in any book. Well, the women get to loving you, andafter they've been in the cave a week or two weeks they stop crying andafter that you couldn't get them to leave. If you drove them out they'dturn right around and come back. It's so in all the books."
"Why, it's real bully, Tom. I believe it's better'n to be a pirate."
"Yes, it's better in some ways, because it's close to home andcircuses and all that."
By this time everything was ready and the boys entered the hole, Tomin the lead. They toiled their way to the farther end of the tunnel,then made their spliced kite-strings fast and moved on. A few stepsbrought them to the spring, and Tom felt a shudder quiver all throughhim. He showed Huck the fragment of candle-wick perched on a lump ofclay against the wall, and described how he and Becky had watched theflame struggle and expire.
The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now, for the stillness andgloom of the place oppressed their spirits. They went on, and presentlyentered and followed Tom's other corridor until they reached the"jumping-off place." The candles revealed the fact that it was notreally a precipice, but only a steep clay hill twenty or thirty feethigh. Tom whispered:
"Now I'll show you something, Huck."
He held his candle aloft and said:
"Look as far around the corner as you can. Do you see that? There--onthe big rock over yonder--done with candle-smoke."
"Tom, it's a CROSS!"
"NOW where's your Number Two? 'UNDER THE CROSS,' hey? Right yonder'swhere I saw Injun Joe poke up his candle, Huck!"
Huck stared at the mystic sign awhile, and then said with a shaky voice:
"Tom, less git out of here!"
"What! and leave the treasure?"
"Yes--leave it. Injun Joe's ghost is round about there, certain."
"No it ain't, Huck, no it ain't. It would ha'nt the place where hedied--away out at the mouth of the cave--five mile from here."
"No, Tom, it wouldn't. It would hang round the money. I know the waysof ghosts, and so do you."
Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Misgivings gathered in hismind. But presently an idea occurred to him--
"Lookyhere, Huck, what fools we're making of ourselves! Injun Joe'sghost ain't a going to come around where there's a cross!"
The point was well taken. It had its effect.
"Tom, I didn't think of that. But that's so. It's luck for us, thatcross is. I reckon we'll climb down there and have a hunt for that box."
Tom went first, cutting rude steps in the clay hill as he descended.Huck followed. Four avenues opened out of the small cavern which thegreat rock stood in. The boys examined three of them with no result.They found a small recess in the one nearest the base of the rock, witha pallet of blankets spread down in it; also an old suspender, somebacon rind, and the well-gnawed bones of two or three fowls. But therewas no money-box. The lads searched and researched this place, but invain. Tom said:
"He said UNDER the cross. Well, this comes nearest to being under thecross. It can't be under the rock itself, because that sets solid onthe ground."
They searched everywhere once more, and then sat down discouraged.Huck could suggest nothing. By-and-by Tom said:
"Lookyhere, Huck, there's footprints and some candle-grease on theclay about one side of this rock, but not on the other sides. Now,what's that for? I bet you the money IS under the rock. I'm going todig in the clay."
"That ain't no bad notion, Tom!" said Huck with animation.
Tom's "real Barlow" was out at once, and he had not dug four inchesbefore he struck wood.
"Hey, Huck!--you hear that?"
Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some boards were soon uncovered andremoved. They had concealed a natural chasm which led under the rock.Tom got into this and held his candle as far under the rock as hecould, but said he could not see to the end of the rift. He proposed toexplore. He stooped and passed under; the narrow way descendedgradually. He followed its winding course, first to the right, then tothe left, Huck at his heels. Tom turned a short curve, by-and-by, andexclaimed:
"My goodness, Huck, lookyhere!"
It was the treasure-box, sure enough, occupying a snug little cavern,along with an empty powder-keg, a couple of guns in leather cases, twoor three pairs of old moccasins, a leather belt, and some other rubbishwell soaked with the water-drip.
"Got it at last!" said Huck, ploughing among the tarnished coins withhis hand. "My, but we're rich, Tom!"
"Huck, I always reckoned we'd get it. It's just too good to believe,but we HAVE got it, sure! Say--let's not fool around here. Let's snakeit out. Lemme see if I can lift the box."
It weighed about fifty pounds. Tom could lift it, after an awkwardfashion, but could not carry it conveniently.
"I thought so," he said; "THEY carried it like it was heavy, that dayat the ha'nted house. I noticed that. I reckon I was right to think offetching the little bags along."
The money was soon in the bags and the boys took it up to the crossrock.
"Now less fetch the guns and things," said Huck.
"No, Huck--leave them there. They're just the tricks to have when wego to robbing. We'll keep them there all the time, and we'll hold ourorgies there, too. It's an awful snug place for orgies."
"What orgies?"
"I dono. But robbers always have orgies, and of course we've got tohave them, too. Come along, Huck, we've been in here a long time. It'sgetting late, I reckon. I'm hungry, too. We'll eat and smoke when weget to the skiff."
They presently emerged into the clump of sumach bushes, looked warilyout, found the coast clear, and were soon lunching and smoking in theskiff. As the sun dipped toward the horizon they pushed out and gotunder way. Tom skimmed up the shore through the long twilight, chattingcheerily with Huck, and landed shortly after dark.
"Now, Huck," said Tom, "we'll hide the money in the loft of thewidow's woodshed, and I'll come up in the morning and we'll count itand divide, and then we'll hunt up a place out in the woods for itwhere it will be safe. Just you lay quiet here and watch the stuff tillI run and hook Benny Taylor's little wagon; I won't be gone a minute."
He disappeared, and presently returned with the wagon, put the twosmall sacks into it, threw some old rags on top of them, and startedoff, dragging his cargo behind him. When the boys reached theWelshman's house, they stopped to rest. Just as they were about to moveon, the Welshman stepped out and said:
"Hallo, who's that?"
"Huck and Tom Sawyer."
"Good! Come along with me, boys, you are keeping everybody waiting.Here--hurry up, trot ahead--I'll haul the wagon for you. Why, it's notas light as it might be. Got bricks in it?--or old metal?"
"Old metal," said Tom.
"I judged so; the boys in this town will take more trouble and foolaway more time hunting up six bits' worth of old iron to sell to thefoundry than they would to make twice the money at regular work. Butthat's human nature--hurry along, hurry along!"
The boys wanted to know what the hurry was about.
"Never mind; you'll see, when we get to the Widow Douglas'."
Huck said with some apprehension--for he was long used to beingfalsely accused:
"Mr. Jones, we haven't been doing nothing."
The Welshman laughed.
"Well, I don't know, Huck, my boy. I don't know about that. Ain't youand the widow good friends?"
"Yes. Well, she's ben good friends to me, anyway."
"All right, then. What do you want to be afraid for?"
This question was not entirely answered in Huck's slow mind before hefound himself pushed, along with Tom, into Mrs. Douglas' d
rawing-room.Mr. Jones left the wagon near the door and followed.
The place was grandly lighted, and everybody that was of anyconsequence in the village was there. The Thatchers were there, theHarpers, the Rogerses, Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, the minister, the editor,and a great many more, and all dressed in their best. The widowreceived the boys as heartily as any one could well receive two suchlooking beings. They were covered with clay and candle-grease. AuntPolly blushed crimson with