Tom and Becky had lost track of time.
Their candles had gone out, and they both had fallen asleep.
Had they slept long? Tom wondered. There was no way of knowing.
"I'm so hungry," said Becky.
"Here." Tom passed her some cake. "I saved this for you."
"Are people looking for us?" asked Becky.
"Sure," said Tom.
But he knew the cave was big, and if he and Becky waited to be found, they might wait forever.
"I think I should explore," he said.
"Here, hold one end of this kite string.
I will go down these side passages as far as I can, and then I'll come back."
Becky was scared, but she agreed to Tom's plan.
Tom crawled slowly into the dark, feeling in front of him like a blind man.
He had only gone a short distance when he heard something.
He gave a shout, and his voice echoed eerily throughout the cave.
Then a light appeared.
When Tom saw who was holding the light, he almost shouted again.
The face in the light was Injun Joe's!
Injun Joe looked just as scared to see Tom. He bolted away from him.
When Tom crawled back to Becky, she asked him why he had shouted.
"Just for luck," said Tom.
He didn't want to make Becky more afraid than she already was.
Then he said, "I think I can find a way out, but I need some more luck."
He leaned forward and kissed Becky.
Then he crawled down a different passage.
Kissing Becky had indeed brought Tom some luck.
Soon Tom saw light again, but this was a different kind of light—sunlight shining through a small hole.
Tom took out his knife and gradually made the hole big enough to squeeze through.
After Tom and Becky climbed out of the cave, Tom covered the hole with some leaves.
He didn't want Injun Joe to find it and escape the same way.
When Tom realized where they were, he exclaimed, "Gosh, we're five miles downriver from town!
We walked almost two miles underground."
Tom and Becky walked to the river and got a barge that was headed upriver to stop for them.
The crew on the barge had heard about the missing children, so they agreed to take them home.
The town rejoiced, and then the two children were put to bed.
Becky stayed in bed for almost four days, but Tom felt better after two.
Tom learned that Huck had been sick as well, so Tom went to visit his friend at the Welshman's house.
When Tom and Huck were alone, Tom told Huck that he thought he knew where the treasure was.
Huck shook his head and said, "It isn't in the tavern, Tom."
Tom wanted to interrupt his friend, but Huck was talking too fast.
"When I was sick," said Huck, "I dreamed a lot, and I guess I did a lot of talking.
I talked about the tavern, I talked about Injun Joe and the murder, and I talked about the Widow Douglas.
The Welshman and others figured things out and searched the tavern.
But all they found was whiskey."
Tom smiled. "Of course!
That's all they found because the gold is in the cave.
I saw Injun Joe in the cave."
"The night you were found, Judge Thatcher blocked the cave entrance with an iron door," said Huck.
"He didn't want what happened to you and Becky to happen again."
Tom wanted to go to the judge.
But the Widow Douglas, who had been taking care of Huck at the Welshman's house, wouldn't let Huck go.
So Tom went by himself, and then headed back to the cave with the judge and the sheriff.
The judge opened the great iron door with his key.
Inside they found Injun Joe lying dead on the ground.
His knife was broken at his side where he had tried to chip his way out.
The next day Tom got Huck. They borrowed a rowboat, and Tom rowed downriver.
Tom found his secret entrance to the cave easily.
They each lit a candle and entered.
Tom showed Huck where he and Becky had slept, and then he led Huck to where he had seen Injun Joe.
They climbed down into the chamber.
Tom and Huck both noticed the large cross on the wall, and they immediately started digging.
They didn't have to dig long before they came to a board.
They lifted the board, and under it was a small compartment.
Inside the compartment were some candles, some matches, and a box full of silver and gold.
"Finally!" exclaimed Huck. "We found the treasure!"
"Even when money's free," said Tom, "you still have to work for it."
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