THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

By Mark Twain
(Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

CONTENTS

Chapter I. "Y-o-u-u Tom!"—Aunt Polly Decides Upon Her Duty—Tom Practices Music—The Challenge—A Private Entrance

Chapter II. Strong Temptations—Strategic Movements—The Innocents Beguiled

Chapter III. Tom as a General—Triumph and Reward—Dismal Felicity—Commission and Omission

Chapter IV. Mental Acrobatics—Attending Sunday School—The Superintendent—"Showing Off"—Tom Lionized

Chapter V. A Useful Minister—In Church—The Climax

Chapter VI. Self-Examination—Dentistry—The Midnight Charm—Witches and Devils—Cautious Approaches—Happy Hours

Chapter VII. A Treaty Entered Into—Early Lessons—A Mistake Made

Chapter VIII. Tom Decides on His Course—Old Scenes Re-enacted

Chapter IX. A Solemn Situation—Grave Subjects Introduced—Injun Joe Explains

Chapter X. The Solemn Oath—Terror Brings Repentance—Mental Punishment

Chapter XI. Muff Potter Comes Himself—Tom's Conscience at Work

Chapter XII. Tom Shows His Generosity—Aunt Polly Weakens

Chapter XIII. The Young Pirates—Going to the Rendezvous—The Camp-Fire Talk

Chapter XIV. Camp Life—A Sensation—Tom Steals Away from Camp

Chapter XV. Tom Reconnoiters—Learns the Situation—Reports at Camp

Chapter XVI. A Day's Amusements—Tom Reveals a Secret—The Pirates Take a Lesson—A Night Surprise—An Indian War

Chapter XVII. Memories of the Lost Heroes—The Point in Tom's Secret

Chapter XVIII. Tom's Feelings Investigated—Wonderful Dream—Becky Thatcher Overshadowed—Tom Becomes Jealous—Black Revenge

Chapter XIX. Tom Tells the Truth

Chapter XX. Becky in a Dilemma—Tom's Nobility Asserts Itself

Chapter XXI. Youthful Eloquence—Compositions by the Young Ladies—A Lengthy Vision—The Boy's Vengeance Satisfied

Chapter XXII. Tom's Confidence Betrayed—Expects Signal Punishment

Chapter XXIII. Old Muff's Friends—Muff Potter in Court—Muff Potter Saved

Chapter XXIV. Tom as the Village Hero—Days of Splendor and Nights of Horror—Pursuit of Injun Joe

Chapter XXV. About Kings and Diamonds—Search for the Treasure—Dead People and Ghosts

Chapter XXVI. The Haunted House—Sleepy Ghosts—A Box of Gold—Bitter Luck

Chapter XXVII. Doubts to Be Settled—The Young Detectives

Chapter XXVIII. An Attempt at No. Two—Huck Mounts Guard

Chapter XXIX. The Picnic—Huck on Injun Joe's Track—The "Revenge" Job—Aid for the Widow

Chapter XXX. The Welshman Reports—Huck Under Fire—The Story Circulated—A New Sensation—Hope Giving Way to Despair

Chapter XXXI. An Exploring Expedition—Trouble Commences—Lost in the Cave—Total Darkness—Found but Not Saved

Chapter XXXII. Tom Tells the Story of Their Escape—Tom's Enemy in Safe Quarters

Chapter XXXIII. The Fate of Injun Joe—Huck and Tom Compare Notes—An Expedition to the Cave—Protection Against Ghosts—"An Awful Snug Place"—A Reception at the Widow Douglas's

Chapter XXXIV. Springing a Secret—Mr. Jones' Surprise a Failure

Chapter XXXV. A New Order of Things—Poor Huck—New Adventures Planned

ILLUSTRATIONS

Tom Sawyer • Tom at Home • Aunt Polly Beguiled • A Good Opportunity • Who's Afraid • Late Home • Jim • 'Tendin' to Business • Ain't That Work? • Cat and Toys • Amusement • Becky Thatcher • Paying Off • After the Battle • "Showing Off" • Not Amiss • Mary • Tom Contemplating • Dampened Ardor • Youth • Boyhood • Using the "Barlow" • The Church • Necessities • Tom as a Sunday-School Hero • The Prize • At Church • The Model Boy • The Church Choir • A Side Show • Result of Playing in Church • The Pinch-Bug • Sid • Dentistry • Huckleberry Finn • Mother Hopkins • Result of Tom's Truthfulness • Tom as an Artist • Interrupted Courtship • The Master • Vain Pleading • Tail Piece • The Grave in the Woods • Tom Meditates • Robin Hood and His Foe • Death of Robin Hood • Midnight • Tom's Mode of Egress • Tom's Effort at Prayer • Muff Potter Outwitted • The Graveyard • Forewarnings • Disturbing Muff's Sleep • Tom's Talk with His Aunt • Muff Potter • A Suspicious Incident • Injun Joe's Two Victims • In the Coils • Peter • Aunt Polly Seeks Information • A General Good Time • Demoralized • Joe Harper • On Board Their First Prize • The Pirates Ashore • Wild Life • The Pirate's Bath • The Pleasant Stroll • The Search for the Drowned • The Mysterious Writing • River View • What Tom Saw • Tom Swims the River • Taking Lessons • The Pirates' Egg Market • Tom Looking for Joe's Knife • The Thunder Storm • Terrible Slaughter • The Mourner • Tom's Proudest Moment • Amy Lawrence • Tom Tries to Remember • The Hero • A Flirtation • Becky Retaliates • A Sudden Frost • Counter-irritation • Aunt Polly • Tom Justified • The Discovery • Caught in the Act • Tom Astonishes the School • Literature • Tom Declaims • Examination Evening • On Exhibition • Prize Authors • The Master's Dilemma • The School House • The Cadet • Happy for Two Days • Enjoying the Vacation • The Stolen Melons • The Judge • Visiting the Prisoner • Tom Swears • The Court Room • The Detective • Tom Dreams • The Treasure • The Private Conference • A King; Poor Fellow! • Business • The Ha'nted House • Injun Joe • The Greatest and Best • Hidden Treasures Unearthed • The Boy's Salvation • Room No. 2 • The Next Day's Conference • Treasures • Uncle Jake • Buck at Home • The Haunted Room • "Run for Your Life" • McDougal's Cave • Inside the Cave • Huck on Duty • A Rousing Act • Tail Piece • The Welshman • Result of a Sneeze • Cornered • Alarming Discoveries • Tom and Becky Stir Up the Town • Tom's Marks • Huck Questions the Widow • Vampires • Wonders of the Cave • Attacked by Natives • Despair • The Wedding Cake • A New Terror • Daylight • "Turn Out" to Receive Tom and Becky • The Escape from the Cave • Fate of the Ragged Man • The Treasures Found • Caught at Last • Drop after Drop • Having a Good Time • A Business Trip • "Got It at Last!" • Tail Piece • Widow Douglas • Tom Backs His Statement • Tail Piece • Huck Transformed • Comfortable Once More • High Up in Society • Contentment

PREFACE

Most of the adventures in this book really happened. One or two came from my own life, and the rest happened to boys who went to school with me. Huck Finn is based on a real person. So is Tom Sawyer—but not on just one boy. Tom is a mix of three boys I actually knew, so you could say he was built out of pieces, like a building made from several different plans.

The strange superstitions (old beliefs about magic, spirits, and luck) mentioned in this book were common among children and enslaved people in the American West at the time this story takes place—about thirty or forty years before it was written.

I mainly wrote this book to entertain boys and girls. But I hope grown men and women will enjoy it too, because part of my goal was to remind adults, in a pleasant way, of what they were like when they were young—how they felt, thought, and talked, and the odd adventures they used to get into.

THE AUTHOR
HARTFORD, 1876

CHAPTER I

"Tom!"

No answer.

"TOM!"

No answer.

"What's gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM!"

No answer.

The old lady pulled her glasses down her nose and peered over them around the room. Then she pushed them back up and looked out from under them instead. She almost never looked through them to find something as small as a boy—these were her fancy pair, the pride of her heart, made for looks rather than for actually seeing clearly. She might as well have tried looking through the flat iron covers on her stove. For a moment she looked puzzled, then said, not angrily but loud enough for the furniture to hear:

"Well, I declare, if I get my hands on you