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Huck and Tom start to dig the hole with case-knives, but find that it takes too long; their hands are also full of blisters. They switch to using picks, but decide to tell everyone they used case-knives. Eventually, they make it to Jim and tell him all about their plans. Tom suggests that they give messages and other things to Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas, and have Jim steal them out of their pockets.

Tom wants to make everything seem like it is really mysterious and complicated. He also wants to follow the ways that real prisoners do things in the books he reads.

Nat, a slave who gives Jim his meals, is afraid of witches. Tom tells Nat to ignore it if Jim bites into a pie and something is hidden inside. The pie is meant to keep witches away (Tom and Huck hide things in the pie for Jim). The slave agrees and is so happy that Tom is willing to keep witches away from him.