James: Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Huck reports to Jim what he observed while in town. One woman told him that everyone was looking for “Huck’s murderer,” having first assumed it was Pap before he ran out of town once again. Some people think Jim is to blame. Both men have a bounty on their heads. Huck suspects the woman saw through his disguise. He only saw Sadie and Lizzie from a distance, and he tells Jim they both looked sad. Jim promises himself that he will come back for his family.

Jim and Huck reach shore and hide in the woods during the day. They plan to travel along the river at night, fashioning a raft with a cover and lashing it to Huck’s canoe. Huck asks Jim again why Pap hates him and why he seems to have a special hate for Jim himself. Jim only nods. In the evening, they set out on their raft, keeping an eye out for larger riverboats. One such vessel sneaks up on them, nearly pulling them under, and its wake damages their raft. They bale water from their craft, and though neither of them prays, they make it through without capsizing.