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 Tom Sawyer – Part
Fifty-two
Before you read the text, read the following comprehension questions.
Now read the text and answer the questions.
He had to keep still for a long time after Aunt
Polly had gone to bed because she occasionally cried out and turned over in bed.
Finally, she lay still, moaning a little in her sleep.
Now the boy came out, slowly stood up next to the bed, shaded the candle-light
with his hand, and stood looking at her. His heart was full of pity for her. He
took out the note that he had previously written on the tree bark and put it
next to the candle. But something occurred to him, and he stood there, thinking.
His face brightened up with a happy thought. He put the tree bark back in his
pocket. Then he bent over and kissed her lips, and left immediately, closing the
door behind him.
He went back to the ferry landing and found nobody there. He walked onto the
boat without hesitation. He knew there was nobody on the ferry apart from a
guard who always went to sleep and slept heavily.
He untied the small boat at the back of the boat, stepped into it, and was soon
rowing cautiously upstream. When he had gone about two kilometres past the
village, he started crossing the river. It was hard work. He hit the landing on
the other side easily, because this was a familiar bit of work to him.
He thought about capturing the small boat. It might be considered a ship and
therefore legitimate prey for a pirate, but he knew a thorough search would be
made for it and that might end in disaster. So, he stepped ashore and went into
the woods.
He sat down and took a long rest, trying his best to keep awake, and then
started walking the final part to the camp. The night was almost over. It was
broad daylight before he found himself not far from where the boys had camped.
He rested again until the sun was well up and shining on the great river with
its splendor, and then he jumped into the stream. A little later he arrived to
the camp, still dripping from his swim in the river. He heard Joe say:
"No, Tom can be trusted, Huck, and he'll come back. He won't desert. He knows
that would be a disgrace to a pirate, and Tom's too proud for that sort of thing.
He's up to something or other. Now I wonder what?"
"Well, the things are ours, anyway, aren’t they?"
Almost, Huck, but not yet. The note says they are if he isn’t back here for
breakfast."
"Which he is!" exclaimed Tom, with fine dramatic effect, stepping grandly into
camp.
A wonderful breakfast of bacon and fish was soon provided, and as the boys
started eating it, Tom told them about his adventures.
They were a vain and boastful group of heroes when he had finished.
Then Tom went away on his own to a quiet place to sleep until noon, and the
other pirates got ready to fish and explore.
... to be continued!
* The text has been adapted from the Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
Download the
original book for free
*Consulta
un PDF con la información y resumen de 100 libros en inglés
que puedes descargar en 1 único archivo.
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Now read the text and answer the questions.
After dinner all the gang went to hunt for turtle
eggs on the side of the river. They walked about pushing sticks into the sand,
and when they found a soft place they went down on their knees and dug with
their hands.
Sometimes, they would take fifty or sixty eggs out of one hole. They were
perfectly round white things a bit smaller than an English walnut. They had a
famous fried-egg feast that night, and another on Friday morning.
After breakfast they went playing and shouting on the sand, and chased each
other round and round, taking off their clothes until they were naked, and then
continued playing in the river further upstream against the strong current,
which took away their legs from under them from time to time and greatly
increased the fun.
From time to time they stopped and splashed water in each other's faces with
their hands. They gradually moved toward each other, turning their faces away to
avoid the water. They fought and wrestled until the best man pushed his
opponent’s head underwater. Then they all came to the surface at the same time,
laughing and gasping for breath.
When they were exhausted, they ran to lie down on the hot sand, covering
themselves with it before running into the water again to repeat the whole
process.
Finally, it occurred to them that their naked skin represented flesh-colored "tights".
So they drew a ring in the sand and had a circus, with three clowns in it. Of
course, each boy wanted to be a clown!
Next, they took out their marbles and played until they got bored. Then Joe and
Huck had another swim, but Tom didn’t go in. He discovered that when he had
kicked off his trousers, he had also kicked off his ankle bracelet. He was
surprised that he had escaped any physical problem without the protection of
this mysterious lucky charm. He didn’t join the fun again until he had found it,
and by that time the other boys were tired and ready to rest.
They gradually separated and began to feel a bit sad. The looked across the wide
river to where the village lay sleeping in the sun. Tom wrote "BECKY" in the
sand with his big toe. Then he rubbed it out, and was angry with himself for his
weakness. But he wrote it again, nevertheless. He could not help it.
He erased it once more and then took himself out of temptation by calling the
other boys together and joining them.
But Joe's mood had gone down almost beyond saving. He was so homesick that he
could hardly stand the misery of it. He was close to tears. Huck was melancholy,
too. Tom was a bit depressed, but tried hard not to show it. He had a secret
which he was not ready to tell, yet, but if this group depression was not broken
up soon, he would have to bring it out. He said, with a great show of
cheerfulness:
"I bet there's been pirates on this island before, boys. We'll explore it again.
They've hidden treasures here somewhere. How would you feel about finding an old
chest full of gold and silver?"
But it caused only a little enthusiasm, which soon died, with no reply. Tom
tried one or two other techniques, but they failed, too. It was discouraging
work. Joe sat poking at the sand with a stick and looking very miserable.
Finally, he said:
"Oh, boys, let's give it up. I want to go home. It's so lonely."
"Oh no, Joe, you'll feel better soon," said Tom. "Just think of the fishing
that's here."
"I don't care much for fishing. I want to go home."
"But, Joe, there isn’t a better place to swim anywhere."
"Swimming's no good. I don't care much about that either. It’s not the same when
there’s no one to tell me not to go in. I want to go home.
"Oh, you’re such a baby! You want to see your mother, I suppose."
"Yes, I do want to see my mother, and you would, too, if you had one. I’m no
more of a baby than you are." And Joe cried a little.
"Well, we'll let the cry-baby go home to his mother, won't we, Huck? Poor thing.
Does it want to see its mother? And so it shall. You like it here, don't you,
Huck? We'll stay, won't we?"
Huck said, "Y-e-s",without any enthusiasm.
"I'll never speak to you again as long as I live," said Joe, standing up and
moving away, moodily. He began to get dressed.
"Who cares!" said Tom. "Nobody wants you to. Go home and get laughed at. Oh,
you're a nice pirate. Huck and me aren't cry-babies. We'll stay, won't we, Huck?
Let him go if he wants to. I think we can get along without him just fine."
But Tom was uneasy, nevertheless, and was alarmed to see Joe miserably getting
dressed. And then it was discomforting to see Huck looking at Joe's preparations
so enviously, and staying totally silent.
Then, without saying a word, Joe began to walk in the water in the direction of
the Illinois shore. Tom's heart began to sink. He looked quickly at Huck.
Huck could not bear the look, and dropped his eyes. Then he said:
"I want to go, too, Tom. It was getting so lonely anyway, and now it'll be
worse. Why don’t we go as well, Tom?"
"I won't! You can all go, if you want to. I’m going to stay."
"Tom, I better go."
"Well, go on then, who’s stopping you?"
... to be continued!
* The text has been adapted from the Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
Download the
original book for free
*Consulta
un PDF con la información y resumen de 100 libros en inglés
que puedes descargar en 1 único archivo.
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