Still in disguise, Huck enters the woman’s house and introduces himself as “Sarah Williams from Hookerville.” Accepting Huck as a girl, the woman talks freely about the town’s events and eventually reaches the subject of Huck and Tom, the reward money, and Huck’s “murder.” Suspicion began with Pap Finn, she says, but after Jim escaped, the town decided that the runaway slave had murdered Huck. With both Pap and Jim still suspects, the town has announced a reward of $300 for Jim and $200 for Pap.
The woman tells Huck she thinks she knows where Jim could be hiding, for she is sure she has seen smoke over at Jackson’s Island. Huck becomes nervous when he learns that the woman’s husband and another man are heading for Jackson’s Island to search for Jim. Before Huck can leave, the woman figures out that he is not a girl, and Huck makes up yet another wild tale for explanation.
Huck rushes back to Jackson’s Island and wakes Jim with the news that “There ain’t a minute to lose. They’re after us!” In complete silence, the two runaways pack their camp and head down the river on the raft.
