and shook his head, and said he reckoned he'd look around for a bigger one.  But they was all locked and chained; so he took my canoe, and said for me to wait till he come back, or I could hunt around further, or maybe I better go down home and get them ready for the surprise if I wanted to.  But I said I didn't; so I told him just how to find the raft, and then he started. I struck an idea pretty soon.  I says to myself, spos'n he can't fix that leg just in three shakes of a sheep's tail, as the saying is? spos'n it takes him three or four days?  What are we going to do?--lay around there till he lets the cat out of the bag?  No, sir; I know what _I'll_ do.  I'll wait, and when he comes back if he says he's got to go any more I'll get down there, too, if I swim; and we'll take and tie him, and keep him, and shove out down the river; and when Tom's done with him we'll give him what it's worth, or all we got, and then let him get ashore. So then I crept into a lumber-pile to get some sleep; and next time I waked up the sun was away up over my head!  I shot out and went for the doctor's house, but they told me he'd gone away in the night some time or other, and warn't back yet.  Well, thinks I, that looks powerful bad for Tom, and I'll dig out for the island right off.  So away I shoved, and turned the corner, and nearly rammed my head into Uncle Silas's stomach! He says: “Why, _Tom!_  Where you been all this time, you rascal?” “I hain't been nowheres,” I says, “only just hunting for the runaway nigger--me and Sid.” “Why, where ever did you go?” he says. “Your aunt's been mighty uneasy.” “She needn't,” I says, “because we was all right.  We followed the men and the dogs, but they outrun us, and we lost them; but we thought we heard them on the water, so we got a canoe and took out after them and crossed over, but couldn't find nothing of them; so we cruised along up-shore till we got kind of tired and beat out; and tied up the canoe and went to sleep, and neve