CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A Difficult Night

Joe was still thinking about returning home. He was feeling worse and worse the longer he was away from home. Huckleberry felt sad, as well. Tom realized this and was eager to tell them something that would help them to feel better. However, he wanted to wait for the right moment.

He tried to get them to think about something else, so he reminded them they were now pirates: "I believe other pirates once lived on this island. If that's true, then they probably left some treasure hidden somewhere near here. Why don't we look for it? We could all become rich!"

Huck and Joe just sat there looking sad. Then Joe said: "I just feel too terrible. I'm ready to go back home."

"Hey, don't talk like that, Joe. You're just not used to it yet. Let's go fishing, you'll soon forget about it."

"I don't really want to fish, Tom. I just want to go home."

"But home is boring, Joe!"

"I don't care anymore. I miss my mother."

"Your such a child, Joe. Go home then; we don't need you!"

"There's nothing wrong with missing your mother. You just don't know what it's like, because you've never had a mother."

"Huck, you've had a mother before, and you don't seem to miss her much. Right?"

Huck just looked at the ground.

Joe started walking toward the river and Huck suddenly said: "I kind of agree with Joe, Tom. I may not miss my family, but I miss my old life."

"Fine! You go, but I'm staying right here!"

When Huck began to follow Joe toward the river, Tom felt a pain in his heart. He also wanted to go home, but he wasn't ready to go just yet. He had a plan and now was the right moment to tell the boys about it.

"OK, wait a minute, boys. There's something I haven't told you."

Tom walked out to where they were standing in the river. They listened to what Tom had to say, ready to keep walking as soon as he had finished, but the more he talked, the less of a hurry they were in to go back home. They liked his plan and agreed to follow it. "Why did you wait so long to tell us about it, Tom?"

Later that evening, Tom and Joe asked Huck to teach them how to smoke. So, Huck took out his tobacco and paper, and taught them first how to make a cigarette, how to light it, and finally how to smoke it.

"Hey, this isn't difficult! I can't believe they don't teach us this when we're younger!" shouted Tom.

"Yea, I agree. I thought that I'd feel sick, but I don't feel anything," said Joe.

Then Tom had an idea: "Listen Huck. When we go back to the village you and I will surprise the other kids. One day when we're all together, I'll ask you for a cigarette, and then you'll say that you didn't bring your good tobacco; and I'll say that if it's strong tobacco then it's good enough for me. Then you and I will smoke like we've been doing it since we were born. Those kids would really be surprised then!"

"Good idea, Tom. I can't wait to see their faces!"

They kept talking for a while, until Joe said that he'd lost his knife. Tom offered to help him find it and they both walked off together, leaving Huck alone by the fire. After an hour had past, Huck started to wonder what had happened to the others. He got up and found both of them sleeping under a nearby tree.

Later that night, Joe woke up and felt something was strange about the weather. He shouted for the other boys to wake up. Tom and Huck felt that something was strange, as well. They built a fire and sat around it, waiting to see what would happen. Then there was a bright light in the sky for only a short moment, and after it came a loud noise. It was the beginning of a storm, and soon it started to rain.

"Run everyone! Before we get wet!" Tom shouted.

Each boy ran and found his own shelter. It was a strong storm. The wind blew hard and the rain fell heavily. The boys tried shouting to each other, but the sound of the rain made it impossible for them to hear. The boys were frightened as the wind blew several trees on their side and the light continued to come and go in the sky. Eventually, however, the storm started to calm and the weather once again became quiet and peaceful.

Surprisingly, the boys' fire was still burning. They were too wet to sleep, so they cooked some meat and talked around the fire until morning. After the sun rose, they lay under it to dry themselves, until it became too hot, then they rested under some trees. Lying there, they all thought eagerly about returning home. They were tired of being pirates. They still had one more day on the island, so Tom thought of another game for them to play. They pretended they were Indians. They hunted like Indians, fought like Indians, and, at the end of the day, they smoked together like real Indians. And it was nice for Tom and Joe to realize once again that they had taken another step toward being men, by learning how to smoke without feeling ill.

(end of section)