Jim's Diary

March 26, 1842 I don’ undastand why’m in da situation where I have ta work for nearly no pay for dis here white woman. Aleast I ain’ beat’n like sum’ of da n*****s I know, n’ aleast I have a nice roof over muh head. Widow Douglass has received custody of Huck taday n’ all his money is safe wit Judge Thatcher. Huck seemed awful worried bout Judge Thatcher havin’ a good hold on his money taday.

March 27, 1842 I overheard Miss Watson talkin’ taday. She plans on sellin’ me way down da river ta sum’ white man wit a whole lot of slaves. I know how all da slaves down dere be treated n’ it ain’ nothing’ humane. Dere be neither family nor friends of mine down dere. I’m not quite sure wat I should do.

March 28, 1842 I be sleepin’ unda da tree last night n’ sum how muh hat got from upon muh head up inta da tree. I think it be da witches tryin’ ta bewitch me or sum’. Dey gone put me in a trance n’ den dey brought me all over da world.

March 29, 1842 I read Huck a fortune taday from muh magic hairball. He be askin’ lots bout his Pap. N’ deres been lots of n******s commin’ ta hear bout muh journeys wit da witches da otha day.

April 1, 1842 I’ve thought bout runnin’ way a few time, I jus don’ know where muh feet would take me. I saw Huck taday. I find it kinda funny da way Miss Watson n’ Widow Douglass be tryin’ ta civilize em’. Dat boy only wants one thin’ n’ dats ta run.

April 2, 1842 Huck’s Pap came lookin’ for em’ taday so he could have Hucks money, I see why he was so nervous n’ wantin’ ta give it ta Judge Thatcher da otha day. I wonder how he would have known Pap be commin’ back at town. Pap ended up kidnappin’ Huck for dat money all because da Judge wouldn’ give em’ none of it. Dat man has no right ta dat money its all Hucks. No matter wat he be thinkin’. No ones seen neither of em’ since.

April 7, 1842 Erryone in town be real upset taday dat young huckleberry finn child be murdered while he was wit his daddy. Dat be a real shame. Erryones out lookin’ for his body taday so dey can give em’ a proper burial. I don’ think I can stand dis no longer, I don’ want ta be a slave no more, but if I have ta I want ta be here wit miss Watson where’m treated right, or as right as a n***** could be treated less dey were free.

April 8, 1842 Mon’ da run taday, I don’ wanna go down south wit dat white man. I know I’ll be mistreated. N’ I ain’ got no more time for dat in muh life den iv already had.

April 9, 1842 I ran inta da spirit of Huck Finn on Jackson’s Island! He was supposed ta be dead n’ I saw em’ in da woods taday muhself. He says his daddy was mistreatin’ em’ so he was tryn’ ta convince his Pap dat sumbody or sumthin’ broke inta da cabbin n’ killed em’. I gone told em’ dat was an awful mean thin’ ta be doin’ n’ how much Miss Watson n’ da Widow Douglass had been torn up, but he didn’ seem ta care too much. He says we can run way tagether, den he can help me get ta Cairo, Illinois. He seemed like he wanted sumbody ta go on an venture wit. I know ima lil old at be playin’ games, but I could always use da help from a white man ta get round here. I know once I get ta Illinois I can be free dere.

April 10, 1842 Dere be a rattlesnake in muh bed dat came out n’ bit me. Its mate had die in dere n’ whenever a rattlesnakes mate dies it wraps around it sorta like it be grieving or sumthin’. I hope I don’ get too sick from da bite it gone gave me.
April 11, 1842 Huck went inta town taday dressed like I girl, I thought dis was awful funny, but he needed ta find out bout his supposed death, n’ da bounty dat should be on muh head by now. He collected sum supplies too, dat be before da women had realized he be a boy, but Huck managed ta get way.

April 12, 1842 Were out on Jackson’s Island still, tryin’ ta stay way from any boats or even rafts comin’ close ta us. I been writtin’ lots lately, but I guess I jus got lots on muh mind. Me n’ huck are like partners in crime or sum’ now. Were both on da run n’ I heard taday dat deres a man hunt for me. Run way slaves have an awful big ol’ bounty on dere heads as soon as dey step outa dere yard ta start runnin’ for dere lives, freedom, pride n’ families.

April 13, 1842 Jackson’s Island has flooded taday, n’ so has our raft, but we found dis house floatin’ down da river, looked bandon’. We wen’ in n’ dere ta see wat we could come up wit, maybe sum suppiles or sum’. N’ dere I saw Huck Finns Pap layin’ dead on da floor in one room, shot in da back like he musta broke in ta steal sum’. I didn’ let Huck see his daddys face dough, dere was too much goin’ on for em’ ta see sum’ like dat. N’ I thought if he knew his Pap was dead den he would think he didn’ have no reason ta run no more. Den he wouldn’ n’ id be on muh own n’ he might jus turn me in. I don’ know if I could make it by muhself. Dere were sum men board da ship when it sunk, n’ dere raft was right nexta da boat, so we helped ourselves and were on our way.

April 14, 1842 We saw dese men taday while we were stopped riverside, Huck went over ta dem so dey wouldn’ come up ta da raft n’ see me. He made up sum’ stupid pox disease dat supposable his dad had, back on da raft, so da men wouldn’ come lookin’. Dey lost interest real quick. Dey be out here lookin’ for me.

April 15, 1842 Huck tried explainin’ sum’ Biblical Solemn story ta me taday n’ we jus didn’ see eye ta eye bout it. I tried ta tell em’ dat jus because you be taught sum’s right doesn’ mean its always da right thing ta do. Im not quite sure if he undastood it dough.

April 16, 1842 I can’t believe I be findin’ da time ta write wit all of dis crazy thin’s goin’ on in muh life, but I feel like it helps me keep muh head on straight. Our raft be destroyed gain taday, sum’ steam boat couldn’ see us through da fog n’ ran over our raft. I don’ know where Huck went but I needa find em’ n’ fix dis raft n’ keep on keepin’ on down da river.
April 17, 1842 Huck decided he try ta be funny n’ play a joke on me n’ tryn’ convince me I was dreamin’ when we were separated by all dat fog last night. I really don’ like it when it gets dat foggy. I know I swam out ta dat island n’ fixed da raft. Deres no way it coulda been a dream. Sumtime I think Huck takes his humor a lil too far. I think he felt a bit guilty dough because he pologized ta me. N’ dat was sumthin’ dat I had never have had happen ta me before was ta have a white man poligize ta me, it was strange feelin’ but it made me feel like erryone could be equal n’ erry white man wasn’ always evil, but were on da move gain down da river.

April 18, 1842 Huck told sum’ foolish men his Pap was sick wit small pox taday so we got a lil money from dem. Were still headed down da river I can’t wait ta be free it feels so close.

April 20, 1842 Two crooks goin’ by da names King n’ da Duke have accompanied us on da raft now. I have been painted blue n’ covered so’m disguised as a “Sick Arab”, aleast it will get me way from dese foolish men. Den maybe me n’ Huck can be on our way, but dese men ask way too many question. I think it be kinda funny ta hear all da stories of lies Huck be telling’ dem’ dough.

April 21, 1842 King n’ da Duke have gone inta town ta try n’ come up wit sum’ sort of money. Dey said sumthin’ bout a play, jus me n’ Huck are on da raft now. Hopefully we can get out of here before dey get back.

April 22, 1842 Da King n’ Duke are back n’ dey know ima run way slave now, dere tryn’ ta use it as a sorta blackmail so we don’ tryn’ get rid of dem’. Dey been impersonatin’ sum’ English brothas, Wilks or sum’ dey tryin’ ta steal dere inheritance money. Dey look so stupid wit dere fake accents.

April 23, 1842 Huck seems pretty upset bout da whole scheme dat da King n’ da Duke have goin’ on wit dat inheritance money. I don’ like dese sneaky men at all.

April 24, 1842 Huck is off tryin’ ta tell Mary Jane, da real Wilks brothas niece, da truth bout da Wilk borthers n‘ how dey be tryn‘ at steal dat money. Da King has sold me for 40$ ta da Phelps family taday. I wonder if Huck is goin’ ta help me, or if he’s jus left me like any otha white man.

April 26, 1842 Huck Finn showed up taday n’ for sum’ reason da Phelps were referrin’ ta em’ as Tom Sawyer, I havn’ got a chance ta talk ta em’ alone yet ta find out whas goin’ on.

April 27, 1842 I finally got ta talk ta Huck taday n’ he said dat da Phelps had mistaken em’ for Tom dere own nephew because he was supposed ta be comin’ ta visit, but Tom had showed up too n’ he has decided ta be in on da plan also n’ hes pretendin’ ta be em’ own younger brotha Sid.

April 28, 1842 Da King n’ da Duke were caught taday, I guess Huck made it ta Mary Jane in time. Both of dem were tarred n’ feathered.

April 29, 1842 Tom had dis elaborate plan ta set me free, durin’ dis he ended up gettin’ shot in da leg. It was den dat I decided dat bringin’ em’ ta safety was much more important dan muh own freedom. I demanded da doctor ta come out at dat island n’ help Tom. Iv never demanded anythin’ from a white man before in muh life.

April 30, 1842 Da doctor captured me n’ Tom n’ brought us back ta Tom’s Aunt Polly. She revealed Tom n’ Hucks true identities ta erryone, Tom den reveals dat I was a free man n’ dat miss Watson had died a couple weeks ago n’ released me in her will. He had jus wanted ta make up a plan ta set me free so he could actually feel like a con-artist or sum’.

May 1, 1842 I am now a free man. I have told Huck taday dat it was his father back on Jacksons Island. N’ jus taday I saw one of da advertisements in an old paper for da bounty on muh head. I wasn’ only wanted for bein’ a run way slave but dey had thought I had killed Huck Finn, muh own friend! Da townspeople had suspected me, since I was a a run way slave ta be da one who killed em’ because I had ran way only da day after he was apposed dead. Now dat were all back n’m free accordin’ ta da will, errythin’s been set straight n’ now maybe Ill be able ta pay for da rest of muh familys freedom wit dis money. I have lots ta thank ta muh hairy chest n’ muh magic hairball.