In this text, the question is not included. However, we are still able to determine what the quote means within the larger context of the work.
These lines refer to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In these lines, we learn that Jim and Huck are travelling with the duke and the dauphin. Huck describes the journey that the four embarked on. He tells us that the duke and the dauphin engaged in various scams in order to raise money. However, despite their efforts, they were unable to earn a significant amount of money.