Chapters 31-33
Chapter 31: After traveling south for a few days now, the schemers begin to plot secretly.Huck becomes nervous.Coming back to the raft a few hours later, he realizes that Jim is gone, and suspects that the king and duke have sold him back into slavery.He quickly learns from a boy from the town that Jim has been brought to Phelps farm, which is nearby.
Huck returns to the wigwam to think, considering whether or not to send a letter to Miss Watson telling her Jim's whereabouts. He ultimately decides against this, believing he will be the laughing stock of the town for helping a slave escape.He also considers how wicked he has become, thinking that he must be surely damned for such actions. He accepts this fate, however, believing that he's going to hell anyway so he might as well help his friend, Jim.
Thus, Huck begins to walk towards the Phelps' farm. On the way, however, he encounters the duke, who is putting up a flyer for another Royal Nonesuch performance. The duke blames the king for selling Jim, saying that he took all the money for himself. He tells Huck that Jim is forty miles away, making up a story to get rid of the boy. Of course Huck realizes that he's being lied to, but he pretends to follow the duke's advice, starting off right away towards the place the duke has directed him. Once out of sight, however, Huck heads directly towards the Phelps' house.
Chapter 32: Huck approaches the farm, not knowing what he will say, but just trusting Providence "to put the right words in [his] mouth." Soon he realizes that they are expecting someone, and eventually he realizes that they are anticipating the arrival of one Tom Sawyer. Since they haven't seen Tom in many years, they assume that Huck is him. This sudden turn of fortune delights Huck, who willingly assumes the identity of his best friend and eagerly answers all their questions about the family he knows so much about.
Chapter 33: Worried that the real Tom Sawyer could be coming at any moment, Huck tells his new family that he will get his own baggage from the steamboat. Walking on the road back into town, he reunites with his friend, who can't believe that he is actually alive. He grudgingly admits to Tom that he's been trying to free Jim from slavery. Surprisingly, Tom says that he will help him free Miss Watson's slave. This stupefies Huck, who believes Tom to be a "civilized" boy who knows right from wrong.
Reaching the Phelps' farm himself, Tom assumes the identity of Sid, his older brother, and explains the circumstances that bring him to visit too.
Later, they see a wild crowd gathered around two men who have been tarred and feathered. Huck knows that these must be the infamous king and duke, and though he feels sorry for them, he's glad that justice has finally been done.
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