Neither Tom Sawyer nor Huck Finn knew much about medicine, but they mentioned several folk beliefs in chapter 6, such as using "spunk-water" (rainwater from a rotten tree stump), and you had to chant "Barley-corn, barley-corn, injun-meal shorts; Spunk-water, spunk-water, swaller these warts." Or, you could use a bean: "You take and split the bean, and cut the wart so as to get some blood, and then you put the blood on one piece of the bean and take and dig a hole and bury it 'bout midnight at the crossroads in the dark of the moon, and then you burn up the rest of the bean." This was supposed to cause the rest of the wart to disappear, but only if you chanted "'Down bean; off wart; come no more to bother me!'"
But the final and supposedly best way was using a dead cat. "Take your cat and go and get in the graveyard 'long about midnight when somebody that was wicked has been buried; and when it's midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can't see 'em, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear 'em talk; and when they're taking that feller away, you heave your cat after 'em and say, 'Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I'm done with ye!'" That was supposed to get rid of even the most difficult warts.
Neither Tom Sawyer nor Huck Finn knew much about medicine, but they mentioned several folk beliefs in chapter 6, such as using "spunk-water" (rainwater from a rotten tree stump), and you had to chant "Barley-corn, barley-corn, injun-meal shorts; Spunk-water, spunk-water, swaller these warts." Or, you could use a bean: "You take and split the bean, and cut the wart so as to get some blood, and then you put the blood on one piece of the bean and take and dig a hole and bury it 'bout midnight at the crossroads in the dark of the moon, and then you burn up the rest of the bean." This was supposed to cause the rest of the wart to disappear, but only if you chanted "'Down bean; off wart; come no more to bother me!'"
But the final and supposedly best way was using a dead cat. "Take your cat and go and get in the graveyard 'long about midnight when somebody that was wicked has been buried; and when it's midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can't see 'em, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear 'em talk; and when they're taking that feller away, you heave your cat after 'em and say, 'Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I'm done with ye!'" That was supposed to get rid of even the most difficult warts.
Tom and Huck went to the graveyard to seek out a cure for warts. They believed that if they visited a graveyard at midnight and completed a specific ritual, their warts would disappear.
Huck and Tom decide to rub a dead cat on their warts at midnight to make them disappear, based on a superstition they've heard. They believe in the power of the ritual and think it will work.
They were afraid that if they told, Injun Joe would kill them.
In the book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," Huck Finn uses spunk-water, which is a magical remedy made of natural ingredients, to remove warts by reciting a specific chant or spell while applying the solution to the affected area. The belief is that the spunk-water possesses mystical powers that can cure warts when used in this manner.
Huck Finn believes in various superstitions, such as bad luck coming from touching a snakeskin, and good luck from turning around three times before sitting down. He is also superstitious about touching a rattlesnake's skin, believing it could bring bad luck. These beliefs reflect the superstitious nature of the time and place in which the story is set.
The only person who hugged Huck when the three boys return for the funeral was Aunt Polly.
Tom, Joe, and Huck went to the graveyard that night to carry out their plan of finding a cure for warts by witnessing a dead man's shadow. This adventure sparked a series of events that led to an encounter with Injun Joe and the discovery of treasure.
The two boys were very superstitious, just like most people in their town. They didn't have actual cures for warts, but strange rituals meant to magically send them away. Each thought they had their info from reliable sources (someone who told someone who knew someone).
Throughout the book โThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,โ Huck witnesses the deaths of three characters: Pap, the Shepherdsonsโ daughter, and Boggs. Each of these deaths has a significant impact on Huck and shapes his character throughout the story.
Three. Jesse, Marmaduke (Duke), and Huckleberry (Huck).
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn went to the cemetery because they believed in a superstitious ritual to cure warts. They were there to try out the "devil's cure" which involved saying an incantation at midnight over a dead cat.
Huck resolves his guilty feelings by deciding to not turn in the three robbers he left on the steamboat. He convinces himself that they are not worth saving and that his loyalty to Jim is more important. This choice reflects Huck's growing moral development and his willingness to prioritize his own beliefs over societal expectations.