CHAPTER XX

Questioned by the newly rescued king and duke, Huck invents a story to explain the raft, the nighttime travel, and Jim’s presence. The impostors accept it and begin plotting how to travel safely by day.

As night falls, a fierce storm sweeps the river. The king and duke take Huck’s and Jim’s better sleeping spots but then turn in, leaving Huck and Jim to manage the raft. The lightning guides them around snags, though a sudden wave washes Huck overboard before he resumes the watch. At dawn, they hide the raft.

In daylight, the king and duke gamble briefly, then lay plans for profit. The duke boasts of his printed handbills and theatrical talents and proposes staging Shakespeare scenes with the king as Juliet. They head to a nearby town; finding it empty for a camp-meeting, the king targets the gathering while the duke seeks a printing office.

At the camp-meeting, the king poses as a reformed Indian Ocean pirate seeking converts and charity. Moved by his performance, the crowd showers him with money and affection. He returns with $87.75 and a jug of whiskey, proclaiming pirates better than heathens for missionary grifts.

Meanwhile, the duke prints horse bills, collects small fees and subscriptions, and prepares a fake “$200 reward” handbill describing Jim. He explains a new strategy: tie Jim and claim they captured him, allowing safe daytime travel under the guise of returning a runaway. That night they slip past town, planning to make distance.

Toward morning, Jim complains about dealing with more “kings,” calling them drunk and troublesome. He has tried and failed to get the king to speak French, which the man claims to have forgotten, deepening Jim’s skepticism about their pretended nobility.