Chapters 31 to 32 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter thirty one, Found and lostagain. Now to return to Tom and
Becky's share in the picnic, theytripped along the murky aisles with the rest
of the company, visiting the familiarwonders of the cave, wonders dubbed with
rather overdescriptive names such as the drawingRoom, the cathedral, Aladdin's Palace,

(00:21):
and so on. Presently, thehide and seek frolicking began, and Tom
and Becky engaged in it with zeal, until the exertion began to grow a
trifle wearisome. Then they wandered downa sinuous avenue, holding their candles aloft
and reading the tangled web work ofnames, dates, post office addresses,
and mottoes with which the rocky wallshad been frescoed in the candle smoke.

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Still drifting along and talking, theyscarcely noticed that they were now in a
part of the cave whose walls werenot frescoed. They smoked their own names
under an overhanging shelf and moved on. Presently they came to a place where
a little stream of water, tricklingover a ledge and carrying a limestone sediment
with it, had in the slowdragging ages formed a laced and ruffled niagara

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in gleaming and imperishable stone. Tomsqueezed his small body behind it in order
to illuminate it for Becky's gratification.He found that it curtained a sort of
steep natural stairway which was enclosed betweennarrow walls, and at once the ambition
to be a discoverer seized him.Becky responded to his call, and they

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made a smoke mark for future guidance, and started upon their quest. They
wound this way and that far downinto the secret depths of the cave,
made another mark, and branched offin search of novelties to tell the upper
world about. In one place theyfound a spacious cavern, from whose ceiling
depended a multitude of shining stalactites ofthe length and circumference of a man's leg.

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They walked all about it, wonderingand admiring, and presently left it
by one of the numerous passages thatopened into it. This shortly brought them
to a bewitching spring whose basin wasencrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals.
It was in the midst of acavern whose walls were supported by many fantastic
pillars, which had been formed bythe joining of great stalactites and stalac mites

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together, the result of the ceaselesswater drip of centuries under the roof,
vast knots of bats had packed themselvestogether, thousands in a bunch. The
lights disturbed the creatures, and theycame flocking down by hundreds, squeaking and
darting furiously at the candles. Tomknew their ways and the danger of this
sort of conduct. He seized Becky'shand and hurried her into the first corridor

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that offered, and none too soonfor a bat struck Becky's light out with
its wing while she was passing outof the cavern. The bats chased the
children a good distance, but thefugitives plunged into every new passage that offered,
and at last got rid of theperilous things. Tom found a subterranean
lake shortly which stretched its dim lengthaway until its shape was lost in the

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shadows. He wanted to explore itsborders, but concluded that it would be
best to sit down and rest awhilefirst. Now, for the first time,
the deep stillness of the place laida clammy hand upon the spirits of
the children. Becky said, whyI didn't notice, But it seems ever
so long since I heard of anyof the others. Come to think,

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Becky, we are away down belowthem, and I don't know how far
away north or south or east orwhichever it is. We couldn't hear them
here. Becky grew apprehensive. Iwonder how long we've been down here,
Tom, we'd better start back,Yes, I reckon, we better,
Perhaps we better. Can you findthe way, Tom, It's all a
mixed up crookedness to me. Ireckon I could find it. But then

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the bats, if they put bothof our candles out, it will be
an awful fix. Let's try someother way so as not to go through
there. Well, but I hopewe won't get lost. It would be
so awful, And the girl shudderedat the thought of the dreadful possibilities.
They started through a corridor and traversedit in silence a long way, glancing

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at each new opening to see ifthere was anything familiar about the look of
it, but they were all strange. Every time Tom made an examination,
Becky would watch his face for anencouraging sign, and he would say cheerly,
Oh, it's all right, theyain't the one, but we'll come
to it right away. But hefelt less and less hopeful with each failure,
and presently began to turn off intodiverging avenues at sheer random in desperate

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hope of finding the one that waswanted. He still said it was all
right, but there was such aleaden dread at his heart that the words
had lost their ring and sounded justas if he had said all is lost.
Becky clung to his side in ananguish of fear, and tried hard
to keep back the tears, butthey would come. At last. She
said, Oh, Tom, nevermind the bats, Let's go back that

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way. We seem to get worseand worse off all the time. Tom
stopped listen, said he profound silence, silence so deep that even their breathings
were conspicuous in the hush. Tomshouted. The call went echoing down the
empty aisles, and died out inthe distance in a faint sound that resembled
a ripple of mocking laughter. Ohdon't do it again, Tom, It

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is too horrid, said Becky.It is horrid, but I better,
Becky. They might hear us,you know, and he shouted again.
The might was even a chillier horrorthan the ghostly laughter. It so confessed
a perishing hope. The children stoodstill and listened, but there was no
result. Tom turned upon the backtrack at once and hurried his steps.

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It was but a little while beforea certain indecision in his manner revealed another
fearful fact to Becky. He couldnot find his way back. Oh,
Tom didn't make any marks, Becky. I was such a fool, Such
a fool. I never thought wemight want to come back. No,
I can't find the way. It'sall mixed up to Tom. We're lost,

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We're lost. We never can getout of this awful place. Oh
why did we ever leave the others? She sank to the ground and burst
into such a frenzy of crying thatTom was appalled with the idea that she
might die or lose her reason.He sat down by her and put his
arms around her. She buried herface in his bosom. She clung to
him. She poured out her terrors, her unavailing regrets, and the far

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echoes turned them all to jeering laughter. Tom begged her to pluck up Hope
again, and she said she couldnot. He fell to blaming and abusing
himself for getting her into this miserablesituation, and this had a better effect.
She said she would try to Hopeagain. She would get up and
follow wherever he might lead, ifonly he would not talk like that anymore,

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For he was no more to blamethan she, she said. So
they moved on again, aimlessly,simply at random. All they could do
was to move, keep moving fora little while. Hope made a show
of reviving, not with any reasonto back it, but only because it
is its nature to revive when thespring has not been taken out of it
by age and familiarity with failure.By and by Tom took Becky's candle and

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blew it out. This economy meantso much. Words were not needed.
Becky understood, and her hope diedagain. She knew that Tom had a
whole candle and three or four piecesin his pockets, yet he must economize.
By and by fatigue began to assertits claims. The children tried to

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pay no attention, for it wasdreadful to think of sitting down when time
was groans to be so precious,Moving in some direction. In any direction
was at least progress and might bearfruit. But to sit down was to
invite death and shorten its pursuit.At last, Becky's frail limbs refused to
carry her farther down. Tom restedwith her, and they talked of home

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and the friends there, and thecomfortable beds, and above all the light.
Becky cried, and Tom tried tothink of some way of comforting her,
but all his encouragements were grown threadbarewith use and sounded like sarcasms.
Fatigue bore so heavily upon Becky thatshe drowsed off to sleep. Tom was
grateful. He sat looking into herdrawn face and saw it grow smooth and

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natural under the influence of pleasant dreams, and by and by a smile dawned
and rested there. The peaceful facereflected somewhat of peace and healing into his
own spirit, and his thoughts wanderedaway to bygone times and dreamy memories.
While he was deep in his musings, Becky woke up with a breezy little

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laugh, but it was stricken deadupon her lips, and a groan followed
it. Oh, how could Isleep? I wish I never never had
waked. No, no, Idon't, Tom, don't look so I
won't say it again. I'm gladyou've slept, Becky. You'll feel rested
now, and we'll find the wayout. We can try, Tom,
but I've seen such a beautiful countryin my dream. I reckon, we

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are going there. Maybe not?Maybe not. Cheer up, Becky,
and let's go on trying. Theyrose up and wandered along, hand in
hand and hopeless. They tried toestimate how long they had been in the
cave, but all they knew wasthat it seemed days and weeks, And
yet it was plain that this couldnot be, for their candles were not

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gone yet. A long time afterthis, they could not tell how long.
Tom said they must go softly andlisten to dripping water. They must
find a spring. They found onepresently, and Tom said it was time
to rest again. Both were cruellytired, yet Becky said she thought she
could go on a little farther.She was surprised to hear tom desent.
She could not understand it. Theysat down, and Tom fastened his candle

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to the wall in front of themwith some clay. Thought was soon busy.
Nothing was said for some time.Then Becky broke the silence. Tom,
I'm so hungry. Tom took somethingout of his pocket. Do you
remember this? Said he? Beckyalmost smiled. It's our wedding cake,
Tom. Yes, I wish itwas as big as a barrel, for

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it's all we've got. I savedit from the picnic for us to dream
on, Tom, the way grownup people do with wedding cake. But
it'll be our. She dropped thesentence where it was. Tom divided the
cake and Becky ate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety.
There was abundance of cold water tofinish the feast with by and bye.

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Becky suggested that they move on again. Tom was silent a moment, then
he said, Becky, can youbear it if I tell you something?
Becky's face paled, but she thoughtshe could. Well, then, Becky,
we must stay here where there's waterto drink. That little piece is
our last candle. Becky gave looseto tears and wailings. Tom did what

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he could to comfort her, butwith little effect. At length, Becky
said Tom, Well, Becky,they'll miss us and hunt for us.
Yes, they will, certainly theywill. Maybe they're hunting for us,
now, Tom, why I reckon, maybe they are. I hope they
are. When would they miss us, Tom? When they get back to

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the boat, I reckon, Tom, it might be dark. Then would
they notice we hadn't come? Idon't know, but anyway, your mother
would miss you as soon as theygot home. A frightened look in Becky's
face brought Tom to his senses,and he saw that he had made a
blunder. Becky was not to havegone home that night. The children became
silent and thoughtful. In a moment, a new burst of grief from Becky

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showed Tom that the thing in hismind had struck hers, also that the
Sabbath morning might be half spent.Before Missus Thatcher discovered that Becky was not
at Missus Harper's. The children fastenedtheir eyes upon their bit of candle and
watched it melt slowly and pitilessly away, saw the half inch of wicks stand
alone. At last, saw thefeeble flame rise and fall climb, the

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thin column of smoke linger at itstop a moment, and then the horror
of utter darkness reigned. How longafterward it was that Becky came to a
slow consciousness that she was crying inTom's arms. Neither could tell. All
that they knew was that, afterwhat seemed a mighty stretch of time,

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both awoke out of a dead stuporof sleep and resumed their miseries once more.
Tom said it might be Sunday,now, maybe Monday. He tried
to get Becky to talk, buther sorrows were too oppressive. All her
hopes were gone. Tom said thatthey must have been missed long ago,
and no doubt the search was goingon. He would shout and maybe someone

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would come. He tried it,but in the darkness, the distant echoes
sounded so hideously that he tried itno more. The hours wasted away,
and hunger came to torment the captivesagain. A portion of Tom's half of
the cake was left. They dividedand ate it, but they seemed hungrier
than before. The poor morsel offood only wetted desire. By and by,

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Tom said, sh did you hearthat? Both held their breath and
listened. There was a sound likethe faintest far off shout. Instantly,
Tom answered it, and, leadingBecky by the hand, started groping down
the corridor in its direction. Presently, he listened again. Again, the
sound was heard, and apparently alittle nearer it's them, said Tom,

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they're coming. Come along, Becky, we're all right now. The joy
of the prisoners was almost overwhelming.Their speed was slow, however, because
pitfalls were somewhat common and had tobe guarded against. They shortly came to
one and had to stop. Itmight be three feet deep, it might
be a hundred. There was nopassing it at any rate. Tom got

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down on his breast and reached asfar down as he could. No bottle.
They must stay there and wait untilthe searchers came. They listened evidently,
the distant shoutings were growing more distant. A moment or two more and
they had gone altogether. The heartsinking misery of it. Tom whooped until
he was hoarse, but it wasof no use. He talked hopefully to

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Becky. But an age of anxiouswaiting past, and no sounds came again.
The children groped their way back tothe spring. The weary time dragged
on. They slept again and awoke, famished and woe stricken. Tom believed
it must be Tuesday by this time. Now an idea struck him. There
were some side passages near at hand. It would be better to explore some

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of these than bear the weight ofthe heavy time in idleness. He took
a kite line from his pocket,tied it to a projection, and he
and Becky started Tom and a leadunwinding the line as he groped along.
At the end of twenty paces,the corridor ended in a jumping off place.
Tom got down on his knees andfelt below and then as far round

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the corner as he could reach withhis hands. Conveniently, he made an
effort to stretch yet a little fartherto the right, and at that moment,
not twenty yards away, a humanhand holding a candle appeared from behind
a rock. Tom lifted up aglorious shout, and instantly that hand was
followed by the body it belonged toinjun Joe's. Tom was paralyzed. He

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could not move. He was vastlygratified the next moment to see the Spaniard
take to his heels and get himselfout of sight. Tom wondered that Joe
had not recognized his voice and comeover and killed him for testifying in court,
but the echoes must have disguised thevoice. Without doubt that was it,
he reasoned. Tom's fright weakened everymuscle in his body. He said

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to himself that if he had strengthenough to get back to the spring,
he would stay there, and nothingshould tempt him to run the risk of
meeting injun Joe again. He wascareful to keep from Becky what it was
he had seen. He told herhe had only shouted for luck. But
hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fearsin the long run. Another tedious weight

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of the spring and another long sleepbrought changes. The children awoke, tortured
with a raging hunger. Tom believedthat it must be Wednesday or Thursday,
or even Friday or Saturday now,and that the search had been given over.
He proposed to explore another passage.He felt willing to risk injun Joe
and all other terrors. But Beckywas very weak. She had sunk into

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a dreary apathy and would not beroused. She said she would wait now
where she was and die. Itwould not be long. She told Tom
to go with his kite line andexplore if he chose, but she implored
him to come back every little whileand speak to her, and she made
him promise that when the awful timecame, he would stay by her and

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hold her hand until all was over. Tom kissed her with a choking sensation
in his throat, and made ashow of being confident of finding the searchers
or an escape from the cave.Then he took the kite line in his
hand and went groping down one ofthe passages on his hands and knees,
distressed with hunger and sick with bodingsof coming doom. End of chapter thirty

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one, Chapter thirty two, turnout They're found. Tuesday afternoon came and
waned to the twilight. The villageof Saint Petersburg still mourned. The lost
children had not been found. Publicprayers had been offered up for them,
and many and many a private prayerthat had the petitioner's whole heart in it,

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But still no good news came fromthe cave. The majority of the
searchers had given up the quest andgone back to their daily vocations, saying
that it was plain the children couldnever be found. Missus Thatcher was very
ill and a great part of thetime delirious. People said it was heartbreaking
to hear her call her child,and raise her head and listen a whole

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minute at a time, then layit wearily down again with a moan.
Aunt Polly had drooped into a settledmelancholy, and her gray hair had grown
almost white. The village went toits rest on Tuesday night, sad and
forlorn away. In the middle ofthe night, a wild peal burst from
the village bells, and in amoment the streets were swarming with frantic,
half clad people who shouted, turnout, turn out, They're found,

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They're found. Tin pans and hornswere added to the din. The population
massed itself and moved toward the river. Met the children coming in an open
carriage drawn by shouting citizens. Throngedaround it, joined its homeward march,
and swept magnificently up the main street, roaring huzzah after hazzah. The village
was illuminated. Nobody went to bedagain. It was the greatest night the

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little town had ever seen. Duringthe first half hour, a procession of
villagers filed through Judge Thatcher's house,seized the saved ones and kissed them,
squeezed Missus Thatcher's hand tried to speak, but couldn't, drifted out, raining
tears all over the place. AuntPolly's happiness was complete, and Missus Thatcher's
nearly so it would be complete.However, as soon as the messenger dispatched

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with a great news to the caveshould get the word to her husband.
Tom lay upon a sofa with aneager auditory about him, and told the
history of the wonderful adventure, puttingin many striking additions to adorn it withal,
and closed with a description of howhe left Becky and went on an
exploring expedition. How he followed twoavenues as far as his kite line would

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reach, how he followed a thirdto the fullest stretch of the kite line,
and was about to turn back whenhe glimpsed a far off speck that
looked like daylight, dropped the lineand groped toward it, pushed his head
and shoulders through a small hole,and saw the broad Mississippi rolling by.
And if it had only happened tobe night, he would not have seen
that speck of daylight, and wouldnot have explored that passage anymore. He

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told how he went back for Beckyand broke the good news, and she
told him not to fret her withsuch stuff. Where she was tired and
knew she was going to die andwanted to He described how he labored with
her and convinced her, and howshe almost died for joy when she had
groped to where she actually saw theblue speck of daylight. How he pushed

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his way out at the hole andthen helped her out. How they sat
there and cried for gladness. Howsome men came along in a skiff,
and Tom hailed them and told themtheir situation and their famished condition. How
the men didn't believe the wild taleat first, because said they you are
five miles down the river below thevalley the cave is in. Then took
them aboard, rode to a house, gave them supper, made them rest

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till two or three hours after dark, and then brought them home before day
dawn. Judge Thatcher and the handfulof searchers with him were tracked out in
the cave by the twine clues theyhad strung behind them and informed of the
great news. Three days and nightsof toil and hunger in the cave were
ought to be shaken off at once, as Tom and Becky soon discovered they

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were bedridden all of Wednesday and Thursday, and seemed to grow more and more
tired and worn all the time.Tom got about a little on Thursday,
was downtown Friday and nearly as wholeas ever Saturday, but Becky did not
leave her room until Sunday, andthen she looked as if she had passed
through a wasting illness. Tom learnedof Huck's sickness and went to see him

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on Friday, but could not beadmitted to the bedroom, neither could he
on Saturday or Sunday. He wasadmitted daily after that, but was warned
to keep still about his adventure andintroduced no exciting topic. The widow Douglas
stayed by to see that he obeyed. At home, Tom learned of the
Cardiff Hill event, also that theragged man's body had eventually been found in

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the river near the ferry landing hehad been drowned while trying to escape,
Perhaps about a fortnight after Tom's rescuefrom the cave, he started off to
visit Huck, who had grown plentystrong enough now to hear excite talk,
and Tom had some that would interesthim. He thought, Judge Thatcher's house
was on Tom's way, and hestopped to see Becky. The judge and

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some friends set Tom to talking,and someone asked him ironically if he wouldn't
like to go to the cave again. Tom said he thought he wouldn't mind
it. The judge said, well, there are others just like you,
Tom. I've not the least doubt, but we have taken care of that.
Nobody will get lost in that caveanymore. Why because I had its

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big door sheathed with boiler iron twoweeks ago and triple locked, and I've
got the keys. Tom turned aswhite as a sheet. What's the matter?
Boy? Here? Run? Somebodyfetch a glass of water. The
water was brought and thrown into Tom'sface. Ah, now you're all right?
What was the matter with you?Tom? Oh? Judge injun Joe's

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in the cave, end of chapterthirty two,