[chapter the last] why did jim keep the dead man's identity a secret from huck.

Tom makes a full recovery and wears the bullet from his leg on a watch-guard around his neck. He and Huck would like to go on another adventure, to “Indian Territory” (present-day Oklahoma). Huck thinks it quite possible that Pap has taken all his money by now, but Jim says that could not have happened. Jim tells Huck that the dead body they found on the floating house during the flood was Pap. Huck now has nothing more to write about and is “rotten glad” about that, because writing a book turned out to be quite a task. He does not plan any future writings. Instead, he plans to head out west immediately because Aunt Sally is already trying to “sivilize” him. Huck has had quite enough of that.

Jim recognizes the dead man as Pap. He doesn't want Huck to be hurt by that news; besides, he likes traveling with Huck and doesn't want that to end.

He realised that the dead man was Pap, Huck's Dad