Lots of times, Pap would lock me in the wooden house and go away. Pap was pretty careful not to leave a knife or anything in the cabin while he was gone. But I finally got something — a saw, and started sawing hard to help myself out. As soon as I heard Pap coming up from town, I hid the saw and waited. He came in angrily, "Get out to the boat and get what I brought from town."
It was good to be outside again, even if it was for just a few minutes. If I wanted to, I could take off running right now. I'd just run away, but that's when Pap yelled, "Boy, are you asleep or drowned?"
At dinner time, Pap'd drank too much and fell asleep on the floor. I thought about taking the key from his pocket quietly, but he was having a restless sleep. I waited for him to settle down, but then I got too tired and fell asleep.
It was after sunup when Pap woke me. "Get out there and catch us some fish," he ordered. I headed out and saw something else floating toward me in the river. It was a canoe (独木舟). I jumped in and swam over to it. It was empty inside, then I had a good idea. I pulled that canoe up and hid it behind some bushes. When I had my chance, I'd go down the river in the canoe. No one would ever find me.
Pap got angry when he saw me back, wet all over. So I got locked inside the cabin again. Once Pap set off for town, I had my chance.
When I was ready to run off through the hole I cut with the saw, I realized Pap would know I'd run away. So I smashed the door with an ax. Then I found a wild pig lying dead in the woods and dripped some of its blood on the cabin floor. I pulled out some of my hair and dropped it on the floor, too.
