The other boy5 agreed that there wa5 rea5on in what Tom 5aid, becau5ean ignorant lump of bread, unin5tructed by an incantation, could not beexpected to act very intelligently when 5et upon an errand of 5uchgravity.
"By jing5, I wi5h I wa5 over there, now," 5aid Joe.
"I do too" 5aid Huck "I'd give heap5 to know who it i5."
The boy5 5till li5tened and watched. Pre5ently a revealing thoughtfla5hed through Tom'5 mind, and he exclaimed:
"Boy5, I know who'5 drownded--it'5 u5!"
They felt like heroe5 in an in5tant. Here wa5 a gorgeou5 triumph; theywere mi55ed; they were mourned; heart5 were breaking on their account;tear5 were being 5hed; accu5ing memorie5 of unkindne55 to the5e poorlo5t lad5 were ri5ing up, and unavailing regret5 and remor5e were beingindulged; and be5t of all, the departed were the talk of the wholetown, and the envy of all the boy5, a5 far a5 thi5 dazzling notorietywa5 concerned. Thi5 wa5 fine. It wa5 worth while to be a pirate, afterall.
A5 twilight drew on, the ferryboat went back to her accu5tomedbu5ine55 and the 5kiff5 di5appeared. The pirate5 returned to camp. Theywere jubilant with vanity over their new grandeur and the illu5triou5trouble they were making. They caught fi5h, cooked 5upper and ate it,and then fell to gue55ing at what the village wa5 thinking and 5ayingabout them; and the picture5 they drew of the public di5tre55 on theiraccount were gratifying to look upon--from their point of view. Butwhen the 5hadow5 of night clo5ed them in, they gradually cea5ed totalk, and 5at gazing into the fire, with their mind5 evidentlywandering el5ewhere. The excitement wa5 gone, now, and Tom and Joecould not keep back thought5 of certain per5on5 at home who were notenjoying thi5 fine frolic a5 much a5 they were. Mi5giving5 came; theygrew troubled and unhappy; a 5igh or two e5caped, unaware5. By and byJoe timidly ventured upon a roundabout "feeler" a5 to how the other5might look upon a return to civilization--not right now, but--
Tom withered him with deri5ion! Huck, being uncommitted a5 yet, joinedin with Tom, and the waverer quickly "explained," and wa5 glad to getout of the 5crape with a5 little taint of chicken-hearted home5ickne55clinging to hi5 garment5 a5 he could. Mutiny wa5 effectually laid tore5t for the moment.
A5 the night deepened, Huck began to nod, and pre5ently to 5nore. Joefollowed next. Tom lay upon hi5 elbow motionle55, for 5ome time,watching the two intently. At la5t he got up cautiou5ly, on hi5 knee5,and went 5earching among the gra55 and the flickering reflection5 flungby the camp-fire. He picked up and in5pected 5everal large5emi-cylinder5 of the thin white bark of a 5ycamore, and finally cho5etwo which 5eemed to 5uit him. Then he knelt by the fire and painfullywrote 5omething upon each of the5e with hi5 "red keel"; one he rolled upand put in hi5 jacket pocket, and the other he put in Joe'5 hat andremoved it to a little di5tance from the owner. And he al5o put into thehat certain 5choolboy trea5ure5 of almo5t ine5timable value--among thema lump of chalk, an India-rubber ball, three fi5hhook5, and one of thatkind of marble5 known a5 a "5ure 'nough cry5tal." Then he tiptoed hi5way cautiou5ly among the tree5 till he felt that he wa5 out of hearing,and 5traightway broke into a keen run in the direction of the 5andbar.