- description
- # Discovery of the box
## Overview
This entity is a **scene** extracted from the novel *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer* by Mark Twain. It represents a pivotal moment in **Chapter XXVI**, occurring between lines 6714 and 6726 of the source text file *tom_sawyer.txt*. The scene is titled "Discovery of the box" and captures the instant when one of two hidden men, Injun Joe, uncovers a buried wooden box while digging in a haunted house. The entity was digitally extracted on January 28, 2026, as part of the [Test Collection](arke:01KG2T49K0H5GDRB0G4YDTPG8H).
## Context
This scene is situated within [CHAPTER XXVI](arke:01KG2TRBJ3N8PQZE3STX3F94JX), a chapter in which Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn secretly observe Injun Joe and his companion in the haunted house, unaware that their own tools have drawn suspicion. It directly follows the scene titled [Discussion about the swag](arke:01KG2TS1RF8WSAR6DP5SN7EVAC), in which the men decide to bury their stolen money more securely. The discovery occurs after Injun Joe begins digging with a bowie knife, prompted by the earlier decision to rehide their loot. The scene is part of the larger narrative arc in [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer](arke:01KG2TP9MA26GMS73H3R2KPN3R), focusing on themes of adventure, danger, and moral reckoning.
## Contents
The scene begins when Joe’s knife strikes a solid object beneath the floorboards. After initial confusion—thinking it might be a rotten plank—he realizes it is a box and calls his companion to help. He breaks a hole in the box and pulls out its contents, exclaiming, “Man, it’s money!” This moment marks the climax of the boys’ suspense, as Tom and Huck, hiding above, witness the discovery of what appears to be a vast treasure. The scene immediately precedes [Examination of the treasure](arke:01KG2TS1AHPH097F3BTC6A7DBD), in which the men confirm the coins are gold and speculate that the box belonged to the outlaw Murrel’s gang. The discovery sets in motion Injun Joe’s plan to move the treasure to a new hiding place—“Number Two, under the cross”—a clue that will drive the next phase of the boys’ adventure.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-28T17:38:40.148Z
- description_model
- Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
- description_title
- Discovery of the box
- end_line
- 6726
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-28T17:35:17.999Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 6714
- text
- Joe’s knife struck upon something.
“Hello!” said he.
“What is it?” said his comrade.
“Half-rotten plank—no, it’s a box, I believe. Here—bear a hand and we’ll
see what it’s here for. Never mind, I’ve broke a hole.”
He reached his hand in and drew it out—
“Man, it’s money!”
- title
- Discovery of the box