He ran into the woods. Maybe Becky would be sorry if he never came back to school!

In the woods Tom met his old friend Joe Harper. Joe was tired of living with people too. His mother had punished him for drinking cream—and he hadn’t even done it! So Joe had run away.

The two boys were feeling sorry for themselves. Joe wanted to be a hermit and live alone on an island. He wanted to eat crusts of bread and maybe die from the cold. Then everybody would be sorry.

But Tom wanted to be a pirate. He wanted to steal his food and live a good life on an island. Joe liked the idea. Being a pirate sounded a lot more fun than being a hermit.

Jackson’s Island was located on the Mississippi River, three miles south of town. The boys could cross over at the narrowest part of the river. It was the perfect place for pirates.

On their way the boys found Huck. He was happy to join in the adventure. A pirate’s life was the life for him!

The boys stole some meat and found a log raft. They paddled across the Mississippi to Jackson’s Island and set up camp.

Tom wanted to be called “The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main.” Huck was “Huck Finn the Red-handed,” and Joe was “The Terror of the Seas.” The pirates had great battles on land and sea. They sang songs and took turns being villains.

They made a tent out of an old sail. When the sun set, they built a fire and cooked the meat. It was a good meal.

“Ain’t it jolly?” said Joe.

“The others would die to be here,” agreed Tom. “What do you say, Hucky?”

“I’m happy,” said Huckleberry. “I don’t want nothing better than this.”

“It’s just the life for me,” said Tom. “You don’t have to get up in the mornings to go to school. You don’t have to wash or nothing.”

“What else do pirates do?” asked Huck.

“Oh, they have a great time,” began Tom. “They take ships and burn them. They get the money and bury it in awful places where ghosts watch over it. And they make everybody on the ship walk the plank!”

Tom’s eyes sparkled with excitement. What an adventure this was going to be!

Soon the boys were tired. Before falling asleep, each boy wondered if he had done the right thing by running away. Each one decided that stealing was definitely wrong. With their consciences at peace, the three pirates drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Five
A Pirate’s Life

Tom was the first one awake. He rubbed his eyes and wondered where he was.