Huck Finn by Mark Twain. Chapter 5

 CHAPTER 5

JIM HELPED TO MAKE THE RAFT LIKE HOME. HE BUILT A SHELTER  in the middle so that they would stay dry when it rained. On the floor of the shelter they put some soil so that they could have a fire. They hung their lantern from a stick, so that the steamboats could see them at night. Then one night, they set off down the river. They decided they would only travel at night, because they didn't want anyone to see Jim. People might think that he was a runaway slave. The plan was to go down the river until they got to Cairo in Illinois. Illinois was a Free State and there, Jim would be a free man.

In the meantime, Jim and Huck passed the time as they pleased. Sometimes they lay back on the raft and watched the stars. Often they talked. Sometimes Huck read to Jim out of the books they found in the floating house. He read to him about kings, and princes, and dukes, and how they wore beautiful clothes, and called each other Your Majesty, and Your Highness, and lived in palaces. Jim was very impressed. "And what do kings have to do?" he asked Huck.

"How silly you are!" laughed Huck. "Kings don't do anything, unless there is a war. They just sit around. Everything belongs to them "

Jim thought about that. "One day I'll be rich like a king, Huck," he said.

"How is that, Jim?" asked Huck.

Jim pointed to his chest and said, "I have a hairy chest. So, one day I'll be rich. People with hairy chests always become rich." He thought for a moment. "Actually, Huck, I'm rich right now," he added.

"Really, Jim?" asked Huck. "And how's that?"

"Well, I own myself, and I'm worth eight hundred dollars!" said Jim and laughed.

When morning came, Huck and Jim went ashore and hid the raft using tree branches. When they were hungry, they caught fish, or shot a bird with the gun. Sometimes, early in the morning, Huck would steal a chicken or some vegetables from a plantation. Once, when he was on one of these adventures, Huck found a snake skin. It was beautiful. He picked it up to show it to Jim. But when he saw it, Jim was horrified.

"Throw that away, Huck! Don't you know? Picking up a snake's skin brings bad luck!" he shouted.

Jim was very worried, so Huck threw the skin away. But he felt a little annoyed. Everything was bad luck for Jim. "Say," he asked Jim, "Don't you know of anything that brings good luck?"

"Sure," said Jim. "But that isn't as important. We don't need to worry about good luck, because it's good anyway. It's the bad luck we have to watch out for!"

CHAPTER 5

Comprehension

1.Answer the following questions.

 

1.                 Why did Jim build a shelter in the middle of the raft?

2.                 Where would Jim become a free man?

3.                 How much money was Jim worth?

4.                 Why did Huck sometimes go to a plantation?

5.                 What did Jim think of the snake skin?

 

2.  Read the sentences. Write T for True or F for False in the boxes.

1. Huck and Jim travelled only at night.     

2.  Jim read to Huck from lots of books.

3.  Jim was a rich man.

4.  Jim had a hairy chest.

5.  Jim was worried about their future.

 

 

Vocabulary

3 Choose a, b or c to complete the following sentences.

1. It is fun to ride on a_____ down a river.

a. raft                  b. chest               c. shelter

2.  James ________ his coat in the wardrobe and sat down.

a. picked             b. hung              c. hid

3.  Would you like to live in a king's ______ one day?

a. plantation        b. war               c. palace

4. We need more__________ in the garden to grow flowers.

a. branches             b. soil                                            c. sticks

5. My father was very_________ by my school grades. I had a

    grade A in each subject.

a. impressed          b. horrified                    c. worried

4 Match the words or phrases 1-6 with their definitions a-f.

1.set off             a. a thin piece of wood

2.annoyed          b. with a lot of hair

3.silly                 c. slightly angry

4.hairy                d. to take something without paying for it

5.steal                 e. to start a journey

6.stick                 f. foolish

Follow-up activities

5 Discuss.

1.      Jim believes that a snake skin brings bad luck. Do you think that some things are lucky or unlucky? Give examples.

2.      Huck and Jim have a lot of fun together. What makes you laugh and smile?

3.      What stories of kings and princes do you know?

4.      What bad luck might the two friends have on the Mississippi River?

 

6. Imagine that you are Huck Finn. Write a letter to your best friend, Tom Sawyer, giving him all your latest news about your adventure on the Mississippi. (60-80 words)