The adventure of the day tormented Tom’s dreams that night. Even his waking hours were filled with fantasies of the thousands of dollars he and Huck had seen. It was more money than either boy had ever believed possible. If they could only figure out what Injun Joe had meant by “number two, under the cross,” the money would be theirs.
The next afternoon, Huck and Tom met down by the river to plan their strategy.
“Huck, I’ve been thinking,” began Tom. “I think that ‘number two’ might be the number of
Huck immediately agreed. This idea sounded reasonable, and since there were only two taverns in town, he decided to find out which one had a room called “number two.”
Within an hour, Huck had returned with some information. The smaller tavern had a room which was kept locked at all times. Huck was sure this was the “number two” Injun Joe had mentioned in the haunted house. The boys agreed to stake out the tavern.
They met that night and hid in the alley by the tavern door. No one resembling Injun Joe or his partner entered or left. After several hours, the boys gave up and agreed to return again the next night.
The following evening, at the same hour, they resumed their watch. This time, Huck stood guard, while Tom ventured closer to the tavern
Huck waited in silence for what seemed like hours. “Maybe Tom fainted,” he thought. “Maybe he has been caught. What if he is dead?”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Tom came tearing by him, shouting, “Run! Run for your life!”
Tom didn’t need to repeat these words. Huck was practically flying after him. When the two boys reached the abandoned barn at the edge of the village, they relaxed. As soon as Tom got his breath, he explained, “Huck, it was awful! I tried two of my keys, just as soft as I could, but they wouldn’t turn. Then I took hold of the knob, and the door opened. It wasn’t even locked! As I walked in…I almost stepped onto Injun Joe’s hand! He was lying there, sound asleep on the floor, with his arms spread out. Huck, I didn’t wait to look around. I didn’t see the box and I didn’t see the cross. All I saw
The boys agreed that it was too risky to return to the tavern that night. Instead, Huck promised to watch the place every night, and if Injun Joe or his partner ever left for a while, he would give Tom the signal.
The boys said good night. Tom returned home, and Huck found a deserted hayloft to sleep in.
That night, Tom lay awake thinking of Injun Joe and the treasure and later dreamed of them too. There was no escape from these thoughts!