By jings, that ll be gay, Tom! I wish it was _now_!
So do I! And when we tell em we learned when we was off pirating,
won t they wish they d been along?
Oh, I reckon not! I ll just _bet_ they will!
So the talk ran on. But presently it began to flag a trifle, and
grow disjointed. The silences widened; the expectoration marvellously
increased. Every pore inside the boys cheeks became a spouting
fountain; they could scarcely bail out the cellars under their tongues
fast enough to prevent an inundation; little overflowings down their
throats occurred in spite of all they could do, and sudden retchings
followed every time. Both boys were looking very pale and miserable,
now. Joe s pipe dropped from his nerveless fingers. Tom s followed. Both
fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and
main. Joe said feebly:
I ve lost my knife. I reckon I better go and find it.
Tom said, with quivering lips and halting utterance:
I ll help you. You go over that way and I ll hunt around by the spring.
No, you needn t come, Huck we can find it.
So Huck sat down again, and waited an hour. Then he found it lonesome,
and went to find his comrades. They were wide apart in the woods, both
very pale, both fast asleep. But something informed him that if they had
had any trouble they had got rid of it.
They were not talkative at supper that night. They had a humble look,
and when Huck prepared his pipe after the meal and was going to prepare
theirs, they said no, they were not feeling very well something they ate
at dinner had disagreed with them.
About midnight Joe awoke, and called the boys. There was a brooding
oppressiveness in the air that seemed to bode something. The boys
huddled themselves together and sought the friendly companionship of
the fire, though the dull dead heat of the breathless atmosphere was
stifling. They sat still, intent and waiting. The solemn hush continued.
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