Table of Contents

“Yes, it’s better in some ways, because it’s close to home and circuses and all
that.” By this time everything was ready and the boys entered the hole, Tom in
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 steps brought them to the spring
and Tom felt a shudder quiver all through him. He showed Huck the fragment
of candle-wick perched on a lump of clay against the wall, and described how he
and Becky had watched the flame struggle and expire.

The boys began to quiet down to whispers, now, for the stillness and gloom of
the place oppressed their spirits. They went on, and presently entered and
followed Tom’s other corridor until they reached the “jumping-off place.” The
candles revealed the fact that it was not really a precipice, but only a steep clay
hill twenty or thirty feet high. 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-on the 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’s where I saw Injun joe poke up his candle, Huck!”
Huck stared at the mystic sign a while, 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 he died-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 ways
of ghosts, and so do you.” Tom began to fear that Huck was right. Misgivings
gathered in his mind. But presently an idea occurred to him“Looky-here Huck,
what fools we’re making of ourselves! Injun Joe’s ghost 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, that cross 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 the great 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, with a pallet of blankets spread down in it; also an old suspender, some
bacon rind, and the well gnawed bones of two or three fowls. But there was no
money box. The lads searched and re-searched this place, but in vain. Tom said:
“He said under the cross. Well, this comes nearest to being under the cross. It
can’t be under the rock itself, because that sets solid on the ground.” They
searched everywhere once more, and then sat down discouraged. Huck could
suggest nothing. By and by Tom said: “Looky-here, Huck, there’s foot-prints and
some candle grease on the clay 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 to
dig 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 inches before he
struck wood.

“Hey, Huck!- you hear that?” Huck began to dig and scratch now. Some boards
were soon uncovered and removed. They had concealed a natural chasm which