Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
Contents
CHAPTER XII
Overview
Huck and Jim refine their river routine, hiding by day and drifting by night past St. Louis, while debating the morality of “borrowing.” A storm reveals a wrecked steamboat that Huck insists on exploring. He overhears robbers plotting to let a partner drown and resolves to trap them—but discovers their raft has broken loose.
Summary
Before dawn, Huck and Jim hide their raft under cottonwood branches on a towhead and lay low all day as boats pass the Missouri channel. At nightfall they build a wigwam with a raised floor, a dirt hearth, and a lantern post, and they prepare an extra steering oar for safety.
They travel nights, passing towns and the vast lights of St. Louis, while Huck quietly buys or “borrows” food ashore. Huck and Jim debate the Widow’s view versus Pap’s on stealing and agree to stop taking certain items, settling on dropping crabapples and persimmons.
On a stormy night below St. Louis, lightning reveals a wrecked steamboat. Despite Jim’s caution, Huck, inspired by Tom Sawyer–style adventure, boards it. Creeping through the texas, Huck overhears Jake Packard and Bill arguing over killing their tied-up partner, Jim Turner. Packard decides to wait for the wreck to break apart so Turner will drown without them firing a shot.
Huck slips back, finds Jim, and urges him to locate the robbers’ boat so they can set it adrift and trap the gang for the sheriff. As they search in the dark, Jim moans that their own raft has broken loose and disappeared, leaving them stranded with the murderers nearby.
Who Appears
- Huckleberry FinnNarrator; organizes hiding the raft, builds camp, debates borrowing, explores the wreck, overhears robbers, and plans to strand them.
- JimCautious companion; helps improve the raft, weighs morality of borrowing, resists the wreck scheme, and discovers their raft is gone.
- Jake PackardRobber on the wreck; argues against shooting, plans to let Jim Turner drown when the wreck breaks up.
- BillRobber; wants to shoot Jim Turner immediately, then agrees to Packard’s plan to avoid risk.
- Jim TurnerRobber tied on the floor; begs for his life while partners plot to let him drown.