Huckleberry Finn Chapter 18

Huck describes the Grangerfords in detail. The father, Col. Grangerford, is tall and thin with black hair and black eyes. He is very handsome, with a well-mannered and commanding personality. There are two sons, Tom and Bob, who are older and look just like the father. Then there is the younger son, Buck, who is just like Huck. There are also two sweet, beautiful daughters, Miss Charlotte and Miss Sophia. The mother is just like them and is very sweet. They also had three other sons and a daughter, Emmeline, all who have died.

There is another family, the Shepherdsons, who live near the Grangerfords.

Huck and Buck run into one of the Shepherdson boys, Harney Shepherdson, and Buck tries to shoot him. They run home and tell Buck's father. Buck tells Huck all about the feud that's been going on for the past thirty years between the two families. They keep trying to kill one another because of a legal dispute over land that happened thirty years ago.

Miss Sophia asks Huck to sneak over to the church and get her Testament that she left there. He goes and finds a note in the book that says, "Half past two." When he brings it home to her, she is very excited and she tells Huck it is only a bookmark.

Buck's slave takes Huck down to the river to supposedly show him some water moccasins, but when he gets there, he is reunited with Jim. Jim is so happy to see Huck. He tells Huck that the night the boat crashed into the raft, he was behind Huck the whole time. He didn't want to shout because he didn't want to get caught. He's been hiding out in the woods this whole time fixing their raft and preparing to leave. The slaves have been bringing him food and letting him know how Huck is doing.

Huck goes back to the house and when he wakes up the next morning, everyone is gone and there is an odd stillness. He asks one of the slaves what is going on and he tells him that Miss Sophia ran off with Harney Shepherdson and there is a big fight going on because of it. Huck sneaks into the woods and hides in a tree to watch the feud. He sees men being shot at and chased and he hears gunshots and cursing. Buck sees Huck and he tells him that his father and two brothers were killed. Huck is horrified at the violence.

"It made me so sick I most fell out of the tree. I ain't agoing to tell all that happened - it would make me sick again if I was to do that. I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night, to see such things . . ." Chapter 18, pg. 127

Topic Tracking: Humanity 8
Topic Tracking: Picaresque 4

Huck waits until dark to climb out of the tree. He finds Buck dead in the river, pulls him out, and covers him up.

He doesn't go back to the house, but instead goes to find Jim. They shove off on the raft and eat a good meal. They are both happy to be back on the raft. It feels natural to be on the river again.

Topic Tracking: Picaresque 5