📖 Tom Sawyer – Chapter 14 (Adapted for English Learners)
Title: Pirates at Play
Life on the Island
Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Joe Harper woke on Jackson’s Island to the sound of birds singing and the warm sun on their faces. For a moment, they forgot everything about home. They were free—no school, no chores, no rules.
They cooked breakfast over the campfire and then went swimming in the Mississippi River. They played at sword-fighting with sticks, shouting like real pirates. “Surrender, you dog!” Joe cried, as Tom leapt at him dramatically. Huck laughed so hard he nearly fell into the water.
All morning they explored the island, eating berries, climbing trees, and pretending to be fearsome outlaws.
First Doubts
But by the afternoon, a quiet feeling settled over them. The laughter grew softer. Huck was the first to speak.
“Do you reckon Aunt Polly’s worried, Tom?”
Tom frowned. “Maybe. But pirates don’t worry about mothers or aunts. We’re free men now.”
Joe didn’t look convinced. He kicked the dirt with his foot. “I wonder if my mother misses me,” he muttered.
The boys tried to push away their doubts. They built another fire, roasted fish, and sang songs until night fell.
A Surprise on the River
The next day, they were swimming again when Huck suddenly pointed to the horizon. “Look!”
A small boat was gliding along the river, and behind it came more boats. People were calling, searching the water with long poles.
The boys crouched behind bushes, watching. Then they heard a voice call out from a boat:
“Poor boys! We’ll find them if we can!”
The boys froze. They realized the truth—these were search parties. Everyone in town thought they had drowned.
Tom’s stomach twisted. He pictured Aunt Polly crying, Sid looking smug, and Mary praying. A strange mixture of pride and guilt washed over him. People were mourning them as if they were dead.
A Secret Plan
That night, while Huck and Joe slept, Tom stayed awake, staring into the fire. An idea came to him—a daring plan.
He would sneak back into town, not to return home, but to spy on what people were saying. Maybe, he thought, he could even plan a surprise that would make their adventure unforgettable.
Smiling to himself, Tom crept closer to the fire, wrapped his jacket around him, and whispered, “They’ll never forget the Pirates of Jackson’s Island.”
📘 Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Chores | Small jobs at home, like cleaning or feeding animals |
| Surrender | To give up in a fight |
| Outlaws | People who live outside the law, often criminals |
| Reckon | (informal) Think or believe |
| Search parties | Groups of people looking for someone who is lost |
| Mourning | Showing sadness for someone thought to be dead |
| Spy | To watch secretly |
❓ Comprehension Questions
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How did the boys spend their first morning on the island?
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Why did they begin to feel doubtful in the afternoon?
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What did the boys see on the river the next day?
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Why did the townspeople think the boys were dead?
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What secret plan did Tom think of at night?
✅ Answers
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They cooked breakfast, swam, explored, and played pirate games.
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They began to think about their families and whether they were missed.
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Boats searching the river with people calling out.
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Because they believed the boys had drowned.
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To sneak back into town and spy on what people were saying, planning a surprise.
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