FACE TO FACE WITH DANGER G3sr01

 1. FACE TO FACE WITH DANGER

*(One afternoon, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn went to a deserted house to look for "hidden treasures.")*

The dead silence of the place almost drove them away. When they finally got up enough courage to go in, they found themselves in a dusty room with broken windows and rotten stairs.

After looking around, they decided to have a look upstairs. Throwing their tools in a corner, they went up. There was nothing there, just more dust. They were about to go down again when Tom suddenly whispered: "Sh! Keep still! Don't move!"

"What is it?" Huck turned as white as a sheet.

"Someone's coming."

"Who is it? Who would be coming to this deserted old place?"

The frightened boys lay down quietly, their eyes fixed to holes in the floor..

Two men came into the room downstairs. One of them was the old deaf and dumb Spaniard who had been hanging around in the town lately. The second was someone they had never seen before.

This man went on with what he had been saying: “No, I've thought it over and it's too dangerous.”

“Don't be a coward！” the “Spaniard” said. The boys were shocked by the voice, not only because the “Spaniard” could now speak, but because it was the voice of the bad man, Joe, whom Tom had exposed as the murderer of Dr Robinson.

After some more talk the two men lay down and soon fell asleep. Tom then rose softly, but the very first step he took produced such a terrible noise that he almost died of fright. He didn't make a second try.

At last, as the sun was setting, the two men below got up. They took out a bag they had hidden in the fireplace. There were hundreds of silver dollars in it. They took out twenty or thirty dollars each. Then, going down on his knees in the corner, Joe began to dig a hole with his knife in order to hide the bag again.

All of a sudden Joe's knife struck something. “What is it？” the other asked.

“It's a box, I believe.” He got the boys' pick and spade and dug the box out.

It was full of gold coins!

“There are thousands of dollars here,” exclaimed Joe, his eyes wide with excitement.

“I've often heard that Murrel's gang was around here one summer,” his friend said. “This is probably their money. Well, now you won't have to do that job that you've been planning.”

“You don't understand,” said Joe, a cruel light shining in his eyes. “It's not her money. It's revenge that I want! And I'll need your help.”

“What shall we do with the money? Bury it?”

“Yes…” Suddenly he stopped. “Why are a pick and a shovel here? And the pick had fresh earth on it. Who brought them here?” He looked around, then looked up. “Do you think they can be upstairs?”

The boys' blood ran cold. Joe put his hand on his knife and turned towards the stairs. The boys could hear him coming upstairs step by step. They were sick with fear.

Crash！ The rotten stairs had broken. Joe landed on the floor.

“Look, Joe,” said his friend, “whoever left those tools here must have seen us and thought we were ghosts. I'm sure they haven't stopped running yet."

Joe stood undecided for some time. "All right," he said. Then the two picked up the box and went out.

The boys let out a long breath.

*(Tom and Huck decided to keep an eye on Joe and try to get the treasure from him. It was decided that Huck was to wait every night near the room where Joe sometimes stayed.)*

Huck had been waiting a long, long time, but nothing had happened. Why not give it up and go to bed?

Just as he was trying to make up his mind, he heard a noise. He jumped into a doorway. The next moment two men passed by him. One seemed to be carrying something under his arm. It must be that box! They were going to hide the treasure in a new place. What should he do? Should he call Tom? No, the men would get away and probably never be found again. He must follow them alone.

The two men took the path that led up the hill. They passed the house of the old Welshman and kept on going. Huck shortened the distance between them now, thinking they would not be able to see him in the darkness. He slowed down after a while, fearing that he was getting too near to be safe. He was about to hurry on again when he heard someone cough not four feet from him! Huck's heart jumped into his mouth. Then he relaxed. He knew where he was—right outside Widow Douglas's yard.

“There are lights, although it's late,” he heard Joe say in a low voice.

“You'd better give it up, then.” This was the voice of the stranger of the deserted house.

“Give it up? Never! Her husband was the judge who had me thrown into prison. And that isn't all. He had me whipped, with all the town looking on! He died, and escaped me. But she'll suffer in his stead”

“Oh, don't kill her!” the other said. “Don't do that”

“Keep your opinion to yourself! You'll help me. If you refuse, I'll kill you”

“All right, but the quicker we do it the better.”

“No, we'll wait until the lights are out. There's no hurry.”

Huck didn't wait to hear more. With the greatest care he stepped back little by little, until he judged that he was safe. Then he flew like the wind. Down, down he raced till he reached the Welshman's. He banged at the door and the heads of the old man and his sons stuck out from the windows.

“Let me in. Quick! It's Huck Finn！ I've got something important to tell you."

As soon as he was let in, Huck said, "Please don't tell anyone that I told you, or I'll get killed. But the widow's in danger. She's been good to me and I must help her!"

"Speak out, Huck," the old man said. "I promise you that no harm will ever come to you."

Huck hurriedly told them what he had overheard, and a few minutes later the old man and his sons, well armed, were going silently up the hill towards the widow's house. Huck, hidden behind a great rock, listened anxiously. All of a sudden there was the sound of shots and a cry. Huck waited for nothing more. He rushed down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him.