As James and Huck continue south between Missouri and Illinois, James focuses on reaching the Ohio River so they can finally turn north. Because they travel only at night and hide during the day, they move slowly, and James realizes that anyone traveling openly could overtake them much faster.

When James and Huck come out of hiding, they discover the Duke and the King waiting on their raft. The two con men explain that they escaped the mob by hiding in a shop and then stole a boat, which allowed them to catch up. The Duke also reveals that he still has James’s runaway poster, making clear that James cannot safely flee without risking immediate capture.

The Duke and the King then announce a new scheme: they plan to sell James, let him escape, and sell him again repeatedly for profit. Huck objects and says James belongs to him, but the Duke and the King manipulate both legal language and their earlier cover story to claim control over James. Their argument shows that they see James only as property and as a source of money.

To reassert power, the Duke takes off his belt and orders James to pull down his trousers for a whipping. Huck tries to protect James and is slapped violently aside. When the Duke offers James a choice between seeing himself beaten or seeing Huck beaten, James submits to the punishment himself but refuses the extra humiliation of undressing.

The Duke whips James across the legs again and again until James falls to his knees and his skin tears. Huck cries and begs him to stop, while the King warns the Duke not to damage James so badly that he cannot be sold. Even in pain, James signals Huck to stay back, choosing to endure the beating rather than let Huck suffer more.