5 A Mysterious Campfire

CHAPTER 5 A Mysterious Campfire The next morning I was lazy and didn't want to get up to cook breakfast. I was dozing off again when I heard a deep "boom!" away up the river. I looked out through a hole in the leaves and saw a lot of smoke on the water. It was a long way up, near the ferry landing. And there was the ferryboat full of people. I knew what was going on now. "Boom!" I saw the white smoke come out of the ferryboat's side. They were firing a

cannon over the water, trying to make my body float to the top. The ferryboat was floating with the current and soon I could see who was aboard. Pap, Judge Thatcher, Jo Harper, Tom Sawyer, his old Aunt Polly, Sid, and plenty more were there. Everybody was talking about the murder. Soon they floated past and went out of sight around the island. I could hear the booming now and then, further and further off. After about an hour, I didn't hear it anymore. I felt bad about lying to them like this, but I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want my pap to find me and I didn't want to go back to my old life with the widow. I knew I was all right now. Nobody else would come looking for me. I got my things from the canoe and set up a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a kind of tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldn't get at them. I also caught a catfish. Toward sundown I started

my campfire and had supper. When it got dark, I sat by the fire feeling satisfied. But by and by it also got sort of lonesome. I sat on the bank and listened to the water swishing along and counted the stars and drift logs. Then I went to bed. There's no easier way to feel better when you're lonesome. You get over it soon. It went on like this for three days and nights. Every day was the same. After that I went exploring around the island. It felt like it all belonged to me and I wanted to know all about it. I found plenty of strawberries and green summer grapes. Green raspberries and the blackberries were just beginning to come out. They would come in handy, I thought. I almost caught a snake, too. I was running after it when, all of a sudden, I stepped right into the ashes of a campfire that was still smoking. Someone else was on my island! My heart jumped up into my lungs. I didn't

wait to look around, but went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as I could. Every now and then I stopped and listened, but I was breathing so hard I couldn't hear anything else. When I got back to camp, I wasn't feeling very brave. I told myself that this was no time to fool around. I gathered all my gear and put out my fire. I spread the ashes around to look like an old camp from last year and then I climbed up a tree. I was up there for about two hours, but I didn't see or hear anything. There were a few times when my imagination made me think I heard and saw many things coming. I couldn't stay up there forever, so I finally climbed down. I stayed in the thick woods and kept on the lookout all the time. All I could eat were berries and leftovers from breakfast. By nighttime I was pretty hungry. When it was good and dark, I moved the canoe out and paddled across the river. I went into the woods

and cooked a supper. I had almost decided to stay there all night when I heard horses coming. Then I heard people's voices. I got everything back into the canoe as fast as I could and then crept through the woods to see what I could find out. I hadn't got far when I heard a man talking. "We should camp here if we can find a place," he said. "The horses are tired." I didn't wait, but shoved the canoe out and paddled away. I hid back on the island where I had been before and decided to sleep in the canoe. I didn't sleep much. I couldn't. Every time I woke up I thought someone had caught me by the neck. Finally I said to myself, I can't live this way. I'm going to find out who's on this island with me. One way or another, I'll find out. Well, I felt better right away. In the morning, I looked around some more and caught a glimpse of a fire away through the trees. I moved toward it, cautious and slow. Soon

I was close enough to see a man lying on the ground and covered with a blanket. He yawned, stretched, and took off the blanket. It was Jim! I sure was glad to see him. I said: "Hello Jim," and walked out. He jumped up and stared at me with a scared look in his eyes. Then he fell to his knees and put his hands together and said: "Don't hurt me! I never did any harm to a ghost. I always liked dead people and did all I could for them. You've got to get back in the river where you belong. Don't do anything to old Jim. I was always your friend." Well it didn't take long to make him understand that I wasn't dead and I wasn't a ghost. I was ever so glad to see Jim. I wasn't lonesome now. I knew he wouldn't tell anyone where I was. "How long have you been on the island?" I asked. "I came here the night after you were killed—