Chapter6-page_56-61

6. Trapped in the cave. Around eleven o 'clock on Saturday morning, Tom and all the young

people of the village met at the Thatcher's house before going on the boat ride. Sid and

Mary couldn't go because Sid was ill, and Mary had to stay home with him.

Before Becky and her friends left, Mrs. Thatcher had a short talk with Becky. Becky, if the pick

Nick ends at a late hour, you should sleep at Susan Harper's house. Their house is near

the river. You mustn't walk home. It will be too dark and not safe. The young people got

on the big river boat and sailed three miles down the river. Then they got off and joyfully

went into the forest. They had lots of fun. After a while, they gathered near the boat

and had their picnic lunch. While they were resting under the trees, someone suggested visiting

McDougall's cave on the hill. Everyone agreed and they all got their lights and candles and

walked uphill to the cave. When they reached the mouth of the cave, they looked inside.

It was very dark and cold. They all went in and lit their lights. This was a huge cave

with hundreds of rooms and long narrow tunnels. It wasn't possible to reach the other end of the

cave in one day. There were rocks, streams, and springs in the tunnels. Visitors always stayed in

the tunnels near the door. They didn't want to get lost in the cave. The children walked around

and played in the near parts of the cave. They left it in the evening and walked downhill

back to the river boat. But Becky and Tom were not with them. No one in the group noticed this.

The river boat reached the village late in the evening when it was very dark.

Huck saw the boat coming, but he did not know about the picnic. He was standing outside the

hotel at the river side because engine Joe was staying there. Huck was waiting for him to come

out of the hotel in the darkness. He wanted to follow him to his secret place.

But engine Joe did not come out of the hotel that night. He was very drunk and fell asleep on

the floor of his room. Huck waited outside the hotel all night long. It was raining hard,

so by the morning he was very wet and cold. Mrs. Douglas found him lying in the street.

He had a fever and he was very ill. The good woman took him to her home and put him in bed.

Huck lay in bed for two weeks and she looked after him until he recovered.

When Tom didn't come home on Saturday night, Aunt Polly got very worried.

She waited for him all night. Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher were not worried about Becky

because they thought she was staying at Susan Harper's house.

When she didn't appear on Sunday morning, Mrs. Thatcher went to the Harpers.

Susan and John Harper said they did not see Becky after the picnic. Mrs. Harper had a panic and fainted.

Aunt Polly was also sick because she didn't know where Tom was.

By noontime that day, everyone heard that Tom and Becky were missing.

They all got worried because they thought the two children were lost in the cave or dead.

So all the men in the village went to the cave to look for them. They searched the cave all day.

They shot guns into the air and shouted for them, but Becky and Tom did not appear.

The elder men returned from the cave late at night, but the stronger and younger ones

continued the search until the morning. They searched the farther tunnels too.

Two men saw the names Becky and Tom marked on the wall, and someone found Becky's hair ribbon.

The search went on for two more days and nights. People began to think that the children were dead.

Huck also heard about them and was very worried and sad.

During this period, Tom Sawyer and Becky were trapped in the cave. They were trying to find a way to get out.

They were also hopelessly waiting for some people to come and rescue them.

After the picnic on Saturday, Tom and Becky played and walked in the cave with the other children.

Afterwards, Tom wanted to walk through and explore the farther tunnels, and Becky went with him.

They talked and wrote their names on the walls. Behind a small water spring in one of the tunnels,

they saw a big hole going down.

Tom made a mark on the wall for the return trip, and they began to go down the hole.

They reached a big room. There were hundreds of bats hanging on the walls.

The bats all flew towards the children's candle lights.

Tom and Becky got very scared and ran out into a big long tunnel.

There was a small lake in that tunnel. They sat on the edge of it to rest. They talked for a long time.

I can't hear the other children. I am scared, said Becky. We must go back and find them.

Yes, let's go back. But we can't go back through the big room. The bats will attack us.

We must continue to go down this tunnel, said Tom.

Tom and Becky walked and walked down the long tunnel.

But the tunnel led into another tunnel.

They continued to walk from one tunnel into another one, and they got lost.

They were very tired and hungry too. Luckily, they saw a small spring.

They sat next to it and drank some water from it.

Next, they began to walk again. Becky was crying now. She sat down and in tears she said,

we are lost. We can't get out of here. We will die here.

Tom tried to comfort Becky and said,

don't worry. When the boat arrives at the village,

someone will notice that we are not with the group. And your mother will know when you don't go home.

Oh, but my mother will think I am at Susan Harper's house.

She doesn't expect me to go back home tonight, said Becky, and began to cry more loudly.

They sat down on a rock and Tom put his arms around Becky. Soon they both fell asleep.

When they woke up, Tom said, I don't know what time or what day it is. It is Sunday perhaps.

Luckily, he found two cookies in his pocket, and they ate those.

Then, their last candle burned out. Now they were in complete darkness.

Suddenly, they heard a shout. They listened. The shout came nearer and nearer.

But then, it got weaker and weaker, and stopped completely.

I think they are looking for us. We must not walk any farther.

Let's try to go back to the water spring and wait there. I hope they find us there.

They slowly walked back to the water spring in the dark, touching the walls.

They sat there and drank some more water. Then they fell asleep again.

When they woke up, Tom said, I think another day has passed. I should check the smaller tunnels near

here. It's better than sitting and doing nothing. I have some kite string in my pocket.

I will use it to return back here and get you.

Then he tied one end of the long string to a rock,

and he slowly crawled into a small tunnel. He let the string fall behind him as he moved.

Suddenly, he saw a hand with a candle. There was a man behind a rock right in front of him.

He was crawling too. When he saw Tom, he quickly stood up and ran away.

The man was engine Joe, but he didn't recognize Tom.

Tom went back to Becky following the string. He did not tell Becky about engine Joe.

They sat for a long time waiting and then fell asleep.

After a long sleep, Tom got his string again and began to crawl down another small tunnel.

Becky did not go with him. She was too tired. She told Tom to come and check on her every 10 or 15 minutes.

Tom tried three small tunnels. When he was in the last one, he saw a light in the distance.

He quickly went toward that light. It was daylight coming through an opening at the end of the tunnel.

He walked to that opening and put his head out of it. He saw the big river right in front of him,

and there was a boat sailing nearby. Tom couldn't believe his eyes. He hurried back to get Becky.

Becky screamed with joy when Tom told her the good news. They walked to the opening and climbed

out through it. Tom shouted at the man in the boat. In a few minutes, they were on the boat.

Tom told the man how they got lost. The man was surprised and said,

you were about five miles away from the mouth of the cave. That's incredible.

Then he gave them some water and food, and they sailed back to the village.