Question

in chapter 16 what does huck tell the men on the skiff to keep them from finding out that jim is with him

Answer 1

He tells them that he has a white man along with him--his father--as well as his mother and aunt Mary Ann, and that they are all sick. At first, they are not convinced and begin to investigate, until one of the men believes that his father has small pox. Since neither of the men on the skiff want to catch small pox, they continue on.