"I was awful scared," said Huck, "and I run. I took out when the

pistols went off, and I didn't stop for three mile. I've come now becuz

I wanted to know about it, you know; and I come before daylight becuz I

didn't want to run across them devils, even if they was dead."

Well, poor chap, you do look as if you'd had a hard night of it--but

there's a bed here for you when you've had your breakfast. No, they

ain't dead, lad--we are sorry enough for that. You see we knew right

where to put our hands on them, by your description; so we crept along

on tiptoe till we got within fifteen feet of them--dark as a cellar

that sumach path was--and just then I found I was going to sneeze. It

was the meanest kind of luck! I tried to keep it back, but no use

-'twas bound to come, and it did come! I was in the lead with my pistol

raised, and when the sneeze started those scoundrels a-rustling to get

out of the path, I sung out, 'Fire boys!' and blazed away at the place

where the rustling was. So did the boys. But they were off in a jiffy,

those villains, and we after them, down through the woods. I judge we

never touched them. They fired a shot apiece as they started, but their

bullets whizzed by and didn't do us any harm. As soon as we lost the

sound of their feet we quit chasing, and went down and stirred up the

constables. They got a posse together, and went off to guard the river

bank, and as soon as it is light the sheriff and a gang are going to

beat up the woods. My boys will be with them presently. I wish we had

some sort of description of those rascals--'twould help a good deal.

But you couldn't see what they were like, in the dark, lad, I suppose?"

281

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer