Chapter 11 The Camp Meeting Next day, the king and the duke had an idea about how they might be able to make some money in the next little town.
Jim stayed on the raft while I went with the king and the duke.
When we got to the town, the streets were empty and perfectly still.
Duke found a printing office and said he could do some work there.
King learned of a camp meeting, so he took me with him to it.
There were almost a thousand people at that meeting, which was inside a large shed.
Everyone sat on benches and listened to people talking about their lives and religion.
Women wore sun bonnets, and some of the young men were barefoot.
The old women were knit, and the young folks were flirting on the sly.
The preacher had everyone excited.
They were all singing and shouting.
I thought it was crazy, and Well before I knew it, the king started yelling and talking like the preacher.
King even climbed on stage and started telling the people he'd been a pirate for 30 years out in the Indian Ocean.
He said he'd come here looking for a new crew.
But after hearing these people he told the crowd he was a changed man.
Said he wanted to go back to the Indian Ocean to talk to the other pirates and get them to change their lives.
And then he burst into tears.
Everyone else began to cry, too.
Then somebody yelled, Take up a collection for him!
Take up a collection!
So the king went all through the crowd with his hat.
By the time we got back to the raft, he'd collected $87.75.
Next morning, the king and the duke practiced their lines for a play called Romeo and Juliet.
It was pretty rough to hear.
Then they got out a couple of longswords that the Duke made out of some branches and practiced a sword fight.
They also made up some more things to do on the stage.
Finally, they decided that they had a whole show.
They tried the play in town that night, and it was awful.
Hardly anyone showed up.
Well, the Duke had learned of a circus that was in the next town.
He'd made up some new posters for the show that he and the King wanted to do.
The poster said it would be grand and that ladies and children would not be admitted.
If that doesn't get them to come to the show, I don't know what will, the Duke said.
All the next day, the king and the duke worked hard.
They set up a stage with curtains and a row of candles for light.
They also discussed some new ideas for the night show.
That night, the place was packed full of men.
Each had paid 50 cents to get in.
The duke's poster had worked on them.
The duke came out on stage and talked about the play.
He told the men over and over again how great it was.
When he'd finally raised everyone's hopes up high enough, he rolled up the curtain.
Then the king came out crawling on his hands and knees.
His whole body was painted different colors.
He was as colorful as a rainbow.
It was wild, but it was also awfully funny.
The audience almost died laughing.
When the king finished prancing around on stage, they roared and clapped until he came back and did it over again.
After that, they made him do it another time.
It would have made a cow laugh to see that old man.
Then the duke closed the curtains and said that was the end of the show.
Twenty people called out.
What?
Is it over?
Is that all?
The duke said yes.
Then there was a fine time.
Everybody yelled and stood up.
They were mad, and they're going to attack the stage and two actors.
Just then a big man shouted, Hold on!
Just a word, gentlemen.
They got us all right, but we don't want to be the laughingstock of this whole town.
We should leave quietly and talk this show up.
We could sell the rest of the town on it.
Then we'll all be in the same boat.
Ain't that smart?
The next day the place was full again.
The king and the duke put on the same show for the new men.
Then on the third night, the house was crammed again.
All of the people who were at the shows the first two nights had come back.
I saw that every man had bulging pockets.
Some held something bundled up under their coats.
I smelled rotten eggs and cabbages.
When the place couldn't hold any more people, the duke started around for the stage door and I followed him.
The minute we turned the corner and were in the dark, he said Walk fast now till you get away from the houses.
Then run for the raft like the devil's after you.
We got to the raft pretty quickly and were soon all out on the river again.
The Duke said he knew the audience would try to fool us by coming back to throw the rotten food at us.
They wanted revenge for being fooled the other two nights.
The King and the Duke weren't upset, though.
They took in four hundred and sixty-five dollars in those three nights.
I never saw money hauled in by the wagon load like that before.
