,the ,project ,gutenberg e,book of ,treasure ,island ,this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the ,united ,states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever4 ,you may copy it1 give it away or re-use it under the terms of the ,project ,gutenberg ,license included with this ebook or online at www4gutenberg4org4 ,if you are not located in the ,united ,states1 you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this e,book4 ~1,title3 ,treasure ,island ~1,author3 ,robert ,louis ,stevenson ~1,illustrator3 ,louis ,rhead ~1,release ~1date3 ,february #bf1 #bjjf . ,most recently updated3 ,june #bj1 #bjbb ~1,language3 ,english "9"9"9 ,,,start of the project gutenberg ebook treasure island,' "9"9"9 ,,treasure ,,island by ,robert ,louis ,stevenson ,illustrated by ,louis ,rhead ,,treasure ,,island ,,part ,,one,-,the ,old ,buccaneer #a4 ,the ,old ,sea-dog at the 8,admiral ,benbow0 #b4 ,black ,dog ,appears and ,disappears #c4 ,the ,black ,spot #d4 ,the ,sea-chest #e4 ,the ,last of the ,blind ,man #f4 ,the ,captain's ,papers ,,part ,,two,-,the ,sea-cook #g4 ,i ,go to ,bristol #h4 ,at the ,sign of the ,spy-glass #i4 ,powder and ,arms #aj4 ,the ,voyage #aa4 ,what ,i ,heard in the ,apple ,barrel #ab4 ,council of ,war ,,part ,,three,-,my ,shore ,adventure #ac4 ,how ,my ,shore ,adventure ,began #ad4 ,the ,first ,blow #ae4 ,the ,man of the ,island ,,part ,,four,-,the ,stockade #af4 ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,how the ,ship ,was ,abandoned #ag4 ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,the ,jolly-boat's ,last ,trip #ah4 ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,end of the ,first ,day's ,fighting #ai4 ,narrative ,resumed by ,jim ,hawkins3 ,the ,garrison in the ,stockade #bj4 ,silver's ,embassy #ba4 ,the ,attack ,,part ,,five,-,my ,sea ,adventure #bb4 ,how ,my ,sea ,adventure ,began #bc4 ,the ,ebb-tide ,runs #bd4 ,the ,cruise of the ,coracle #be4 ,i ,strike the ,jolly ,roger #bf4 ,israel ,hands #bg4 8,pieces of ,eight0 ,,part ,,six,-,captain ,silver #bh4 ,in the ,enemy's ,camp #bi4 ,the ,black ,spot ,again #cj4 ,on ,parole #ca4 ,the ,treasure-hunt,-,f lint's ,pointer #cb4 ,the ,treasure-hunt,-,t he ,voice ,among the ,trees #cc4 ,the ,fall of a ,chieftain #cd4 ,and ,last ,,treasure ,,island ,to ,s4,l4,o41 an ,american gentleman in accordance with whose classic taste the following narrative has been designed1 it is now1 in return for numerous delightful hours1 and with the kindest wishes1 dedicated by his affectionate friend1 the author4 ,,,to the hesitating purchaser,' ,if sailor tales to sailor tunes1 ,storm and adventure1 heat and cold1 ,if schooners1 islands1 and maroons1 ,and buccaneers1 and buried gold1 ,and all the old romance1 retold ,exactly in the ancient way1 ,can please1 as me they pleased of old1 ,the wiser youngsters of today3 ,-,so be it1 and fall on6 ,if not1 ,if studious youth no longer crave1 ,his ancient appetites forgot1 ,kingston1 or ,ballantyne the brave1 ,or ,cooper of the wood and wave3 ,so be it1 also6 ,and may ,i ,and all my pirates share the grave ,where these and their creations lie6 ,,treasure ,,island ,,part ,,one,-,the ,old ,buccaneer #a ,the ,old ,sea-dog at the 8,admiral ,benbow0 ,,squire ,,trelawney1 ,dr4 ,livesey1 and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about ,treasure ,island1 from the beginning to the end1 keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island1 and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted1 ,i take up my pen in the year of grace #ag.-.- and go back to the time when my father kept the ,admiral ,benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof4 ,i remember him as if it were yesterday1 as he came plodding to the inn door1 his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow,-a tall1 strong1 heavy1 nut-brown man1 his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat1 his hands ragged and scarred1 with black1 broken nails1 and the sabre cut across one cheek1 a dirty1 livid white4 ,i remember him looking round the cove and whistling to himself as he did so1 and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards3 8,fifteen men on the dead man's chest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum60 in the high1 old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstan bars4 ,then he rapped on the door with a bit of stick like a handspike that he carried1 and when my father appeared1 called roughly for a glass of rum4 ,this1 when it was brought to him1 he drank slowly1 like a connoisseur1 lingering on the taste and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our signboard4 8,this is a handy cove10 says he at length2 8and a pleasant sittyated grog-shop4 ,much company1 mate80 ,my father told him no1 very little company1 the more was the pity4 8,well1 then10 said he1 8this is the berth for me4 ,here you1 matey10 he cried to the man who trundled the barrow2 8bring up alongside and help up my chest4 ,i'll stay here a bit10 he continued4 8,i'm a plain man2 rum and bacon and eggs is what ,i want1 and that head up there for to watch ships off4 ,what you mought call me8 ,you mought call me captain4 ,oh1 ,i see what you're at,-there02 and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the threshold4 8,you can tell me when ,i've worked through that10 says he1 looking as fierce as a commander4 ,and indeed bad as his clothes were and coarsely as he spoke1 he had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast1 but seemed like a mate or skipper accustomed to be obeyed or to strike4 ,the man who came with the barrow told us the mail had set him down the morning before at the ,royal ,george1 that he had inquired what inns there were along the coast1 and hearing ours well spoken of1 ,i suppose1 and described as lonely1 had chosen it from the others for his place of residence4 ,and that was all we could learn of our guest4 ,he was a very silent man by custom4 ,all day he hung round the cove or upon the cliffs with a brass telescope2 all evening he sat in a corner of the parlour next the fire and drank rum and water very strong4 ,mostly he would not speak when spoken to1 only look up sudden and fierce and blow through his nose like a fog-horn2 and we and the people who came about our house soon learned to let him be4 ,every day when he came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road4 ,at first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question1 but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them4 ,when a seaman did put up at the ,admiral ,benbow " he would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour2 and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when any such was present4 ,for me1 at least1 there was no secret about the matter1 for ,i was1 in a way1 a sharer in his alarms4 ,he had taken me aside one day and promised me a silver fourpenny on the first of every month if ,i would only keep my 8weather-eye open for a seafaring man with one leg0 and let him know the moment he appeared4 ,often enough when the first of the month came round and ,i applied to him for my wage1 he would only blow through his nose at me and stare me down1 but before the week was out he was sure to think better of it1 bring me my four-penny piece1 and repeat his orders to look out for 8the seafaring man with one leg40 ,how that personage haunted my dreams1 ,i need scarcely tell you4 ,on stormy nights1 when the wind shook the four corners of the house and the surf roared along the cove and up the cliffs1 ,i would see him in a thousand forms1 and with a thousand diabolical expressions4 ,now the leg would be cut off at the knee1 now at the hip2 now he was a monstrous kind of a creature who had never had but the one leg1 and that in the middle of his body4 ,to see him leap and run and pursue me over hedge and ditch was the worst of nightmares4 ,and altogether ,i paid pretty dear for my monthly fourpenny piece1 in the shape of these abominable fancies4 ,but though ,i was so terrified by the idea of the seafaring man with one leg1 ,i was far less afraid of the captain himself than anybody else who knew him4 ,there were nights when he took a deal more rum and water than his head would carry2 and then he would sometimes sit and sing his wicked1 old1 wild sea-songs1 minding nobody2 but sometimes he would call for glasses round and force all the trembling company to listen to his stories or bear a chorus to his singing4 ,often ,i have heard the house shaking with 8,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum10 all the neighbours joining in for dear life1 with the fear of death upon them1 and each singing louder than the other to avoid remark4 ,for in these fits he was the most overriding companion ever known2 he would slap his hand on the table for silence all round2 he would fly up in a passion of anger at a question1 or sometimes because none was put1 and so he judged the company was not following his story4 ,nor would he allow anyone to leave the inn till he had drunk himself sleepy and reeled off to bed4 ,his stories were what frightened people worst of all4 ,dreadful stories they were,-about hanging1 and walking the plank1 and storms at sea1 and the ,dry ,tortugas1 and wild deeds and places on the ,spanish ,main4 ,by his own account he must have lived his life among some of the wickedest men that ,god ever allowed upon the sea1 and the language in which he told these stories shocked our plain country people almost as much as the crimes that he described4 ,my father was always saying the inn would be ruined1 for people would soon cease coming there to be tyrannized over and put down1 and sent shivering to their beds2 but ,i really believe his presence did us good4 ,people were frightened at the time1 but on looking back they rather liked it2 it was a fine excitement in a quiet country life1 and there was even a party of the younger men who pretended to admire him1 calling him a 8true sea-dog0 and a 8real old salt0 and such like names1 and saying there was the sort of man that made ,england terrible at sea4 ,in one way1 indeed1 he bade fair to ruin us1 for he kept on staying week after week1 and at last month after month1 so that all the money had been long exhausted1 and still my father never plucked up the heart to insist on having more4 ,if ever he mentioned it1 the captain blew through his nose so loudly that you might say he roared1 and stared my poor father out of the room4 ,i have seen him wringing his hands after such a rebuff1 and ,i am sure the annoyance and the terror he lived in must have greatly hastened his early and unhappy death4 ,all the time he lived with us the captain made no change whatever in his dress but to buy some stockings from a hawker4 ,one of the cocks of his hat having fallen down1 he let it hang from that day forth1 though it was a great annoyance when it blew4 ,i remember the appearance of his coat1 which he patched himself upstairs in his room1 and which1 before the end1 was nothing but patches4 ,he never wrote or received a letter1 and he never spoke with any but the neighbours1 and with these1 for the most part1 only when drunk on rum4 ,the great sea-chest none of us had ever seen open4 ,he was only once crossed1 and that was towards the end1 when my poor father was far gone in a decline that took him off4 ,dr4 ,livesey came late one afternoon to see the patient1 took a bit of dinner from my mother1 and went into the parlour to smoke a pipe until his horse should come down from the hamlet1 for we had no stabling at the old ,benbow4 ,i followed him in1 and ,i remember observing the contrast the neat1 bright doctor1 with his powder as white as snow and his bright1 black eyes and pleasant manners1 made with the coltish country folk1 and above all1 with that filthy1 heavy1 bleared scarecrow of a pirate of ours1 sitting1 far gone in rum1 with his arms on the table4 ,suddenly he,-the captain1 that is,-began to pipe up his eternal song3 8,fifteen men on the dead man's chest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum6 ,drink and the devil had done for the rest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum60 ,at first ,i had supposed 8the dead man's chest0 to be that identical big box of his upstairs in the front room1 and the thought had been mingled in my nightmares with that of the one-legged seafaring man4 ,but by this time we had all long ceased to pay any particular notice to the song2 it was new1 that night1 to nobody but ,dr4 ,livesey1 and on him ,i observed it did not produce an agreeable effect1 for he looked up for a moment quite angrily before he went on with his talk to old ,taylor1 the gardener1 on a new cure for the rheumatics4 ,in the meantime1 the captain gradually brightened up at his own music1 and at last flapped his hand upon the table before him in a way we all knew to mean silence4 ,the voices stopped at once1 all but ,dr4 ,livesey's2 he went on as before speaking clear and kind and drawing briskly at his pipe between every word or two4 ,the captain glared at him for a while1 flapped his hand again1 glared still harder1 and at last broke out with a villainous1 low oath1 8,silence1 there1 between decks60 8,were you addressing me1 sir80 says the doctor2 and when the ruffian had told him1 with another oath1 that this was so1 8,i have only one thing to say to you1 sir10 replies the doctor1 8that if you keep on drinking rum1 the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel60 ,the old fellow's fury was awful4 ,he sprang to his feet1 drew and opened a sailor's clasp-knife1 and balancing it open on the palm of his hand1 threatened to pin the doctor to the wall4 ,the doctor never so much as moved4 ,he spoke to him as before1 over his shoulder and in the same tone of voice1 rather high1 so that all the room might hear1 but perfectly calm and steady3 8,if you do not put that knife this instant in your pocket1 ,i promise1 upon my honour1 you shall hang at the next assizes40 #jjccm ,then followed a battle of looks between them1 but the captain soon knuckled under1 put up his weapon1 and resumed his seat1 grumbling like a beaten dog4 8,and now1 sir10 continued the doctor1 8since ,i now know there's such a fellow in my district1 you may count ,i'll have an eye upon you day and night4 ,i'm not a doctor only2 ,i'm a magistrate2 and if ,i catch a breath of complaint against you1 if it's only for a piece of incivility like tonight's1 ,i'll take effectual means to have you hunted down and routed out of this4 ,let that suffice40 ,soon after1 ,dr4 ,livesey's horse came to the door and he rode away1 but the captain held his peace that evening1 and for many evenings to come4 #b ,black ,dog ,appears and ,disappears ,,it was not very long after this that there occurred the first of the mysterious events that rid us at last of the captain1 though not1 as you will see1 of his affairs4 ,it was a bitter cold winter1 with long1 hard frosts and heavy gales2 and it was plain from the first that my poor father was little likely to see the spring4 ,he sank daily1 and my mother and ,i had all the inn upon our hands1 and were kept busy enough without paying much regard to our unpleasant guest4 ,it was one ,january morning1 very early,-a pinching1 frosty morning,-the cove all grey with hoar-frost1 the ripple lapping softly on the stones1 the sun still low and only touching the hilltops and shining far to seaward4 ,the captain had risen earlier than usual and set out down the beach1 his cutlass swinging under the broad skirts of the old blue coat1 his brass telescope under his arm1 his hat tilted back upon his head4 ,i remember his breath hanging like smoke in his wake as he strode off1 and the last sound ,i heard of him as he turned the big rock was a loud snort of indignation1 as though his mind was still running upon ,dr4 ,livesey4 ,well1 mother was upstairs with father and ,i was laying the breakfast-table against the captain's return when the parlour door opened and a man stepped in on whom ,i had never set my eyes before4 ,he was a pale1 tallowy creature1 wanting two fingers of the left hand1 and though he wore a cutlass1 he did not look much like a fighter4 ,i had always my eye open for seafaring men1 with one leg or two1 and ,i remember this one puzzled me4 ,he was not sailorly1 and yet he had a smack of the sea about him too4 ,i asked him what was for his service1 and he said he would take rum2 but as ,i was going out of the room to fetch it1 he sat down upon a table and motioned me to draw near4 ,i paused where ,i was1 with my napkin in my hand4 8,come here1 sonny10 says he4 8,come nearer here40 ,i took a step nearer4 8,is this here table for my mate ,bill80 he asked with a kind of leer4 ,i told him ,i did not know his mate ,bill1 and this was for a person who stayed in our house whom we called the captain4 8,well10 said he1 8my mate ,bill would be called the captain1 as like as not4 ,he has a cut on one cheek and a mighty pleasant way with him1 particularly in drink1 has my mate ,bill4 ,we'll put it1 for argument like1 that your captain has a cut on one cheek,-and we'll put it1 if you like1 that that cheek's the right one4 ,ah1 well6 ,i told you4 ,now1 is my mate ,bill in this here house80 ,i told him he was out walking4 8,which way1 sonny8 ,which way is he gone80 ,and when ,i had pointed out the rock and told him how the captain was likely to return1 and how soon1 and answered a few other questions1 8,ah10 said he1 8this'll be as good as drink to my mate ,bill40 ,the expression of his face as he said these words was not at all pleasant1 and ,i had my own reasons for thinking that the stranger was mistaken1 even supposing he meant what he said4 ,but it was no affair of mine1 ,i thought2 and besides1 it was difficult to know what to do4 ,the stranger kept hanging about just inside the inn door1 peering round the corner like a cat waiting for a mouse4 ,once ,i stepped out myself into the road1 but he immediately called me back1 and as ,i did not obey quick enough for his fancy1 a most horrible change came over his tallowy face1 and he ordered me in with an oath that made me jump4 ,as soon as ,i was back again he returned to his former manner1 half fawning1 half sneering1 patted me on the shoulder1 told me ,i was a good boy and he had taken quite a fancy to me4 8,i have a son of my own10 said he1 8as like you as two blocks1 and he's all the pride of my ,0art4 ,but the great thing for boys is discipline1 sonny,-discipline4 ,now1 if you had sailed along of ,bill1 you wouldn't have stood there to be spoke to twice,-not you4 ,that was never ,bill's way1 nor the way of sich as sailed with him4 ,and here1 sure enough1 is my mate ,bill1 with a spy-glass under his arm1 bless his old ,0art1 to be sure4 ,you and me'll just go back into the parlour1 sonny1 and get behind the door1 and we'll give ,bill a little surprise,-bless his ,0art1 ,i say again40 ,so saying1 the stranger backed along with me into the parlour and put me behind him in the corner so that we were both hidden by the open door4 ,i was very uneasy and alarmed1 as you may fancy1 and it rather added to my fears to observe that the stranger was certainly frightened himself4 ,he cleared the hilt of his cutlass and loosened the blade in the sheath2 and all the time we were waiting there he kept swallowing as if he felt what we used to call a lump in the throat4 ,at last in strode the captain1 slammed the door behind him1 without looking to the right or left1 and marched straight across the room to where his breakfast awaited him4 8,bill10 said the stranger in a voice that ,i thought he had tried to make bold and big4 ,the captain spun round on his heel and fronted us2 all the brown had gone out of his face1 and even his nose was blue2 he had the look of a man who sees a ghost1 or the evil one1 or something worse1 if anything can be2 and upon my word1 ,i felt sorry to see him all in a moment turn so old and sick4 8,come1 ,bill1 you know me2 you know an old shipmate1 ,bill1 surely10 said the stranger4 ,the captain made a sort of gasp4 8,black ,dog60 said he4 8,and who else80 returned the other1 getting more at his ease4 8,black ,dog as ever was1 come for to see his old shipmate ,billy1 at the ,admiral ,benbow inn4 ,ah1 ,bill1 ,bill1 we have seen a sight of times1 us two1 since ,i lost them two talons10 holding up his mutilated hand4 8,now1 look here10 said the captain2 8you've run me down2 here ,i am2 well1 then1 speak up2 what is it80 8,that's you1 ,bill10 returned ,black ,dog1 8you're in the right of it1 ,billy4 ,i'll have a glass of rum from this dear child here1 as ,i've took such a liking to2 and we'll sit down1 if you please1 and talk square1 like old shipmates40 ,when ,i returned with the rum1 they were already seated on either side of the captain's breakfast-table,-,bl ack ,dog next to the door and sitting sideways so as to have one eye on his old shipmate and one1 as ,i thought1 on his retreat4 ,he bade me go and leave the door wide open4 8,none of your keyholes for me1 sonny10 he said2 and ,i left them together and retired into the bar4 ,for a long time1 though ,i certainly did my best to listen1 ,i could hear nothing but a low gattling2 but at last the voices began to grow higher1 and ,i could pick up a word or two1 mostly oaths1 from the captain4 8,no1 no1 no1 no2 and an end of it60 he cried once4 ,and again1 8,if it comes to swinging1 swing all1 say ,i40 ,then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises,-the chair and table went over in a lump1 a clash of steel followed1 and then a cry of pain1 and the next instant ,i saw ,black ,dog in full flight1 and the captain hotly pursuing1 both with drawn cutlasses1 and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder4 ,just at the door the captain aimed at the fugitive one last tremendous cut1 which would certainly have split him to the chine had it not been intercepted by our big signboard of ,admiral ,benbow4 ,you may see the notch on the lower side of the frame to this day4 ,that blow was the last of the battle4 ,once out upon the road1 ,black ,dog1 in spite of his wound1 showed a wonderful clean pair of heels and disappeared over the edge of the hill in half a minute4 ,the captain1 for his part1 stood staring at the signboard like a bewildered man4 ,then he passed his hand over his eyes several times and at last turned back into the house4 8,jim10 says he1 8rum02 and as he spoke1 he reeled a little1 and caught himself with one hand against the wall4 8,are you hurt80 cried ,i4 8,rum10 he repeated4 8,i must get away from here4 ,rum6 ,rum60 ,i ran to fetch it1 but ,i was quite unsteadied by all that had fallen out1 and ,i broke one glass and fouled the tap1 and while ,i was still getting in my own way1 ,i heard a loud fall in the parlour1 and running in1 beheld the captain lying full length upon the floor4 ,at the same instant my mother1 alarmed by the cries and fighting1 came running downstairs to help me4 ,between us we raised his head4 ,he was breathing very loud and hard1 but his eyes were closed and his face a horrible colour4 8,dear1 deary me10 cried my mother1 8what a disgrace upon the house6 ,and your poor father sick60 ,in the meantime1 we had no idea what to do to help the captain1 nor any other thought but that he had got his death-hurt in the scuffle with the stranger4 ,i got the rum1 to be sure1 and tried to put it down his throat1 but his teeth were tightly shut and his jaws as strong as iron4 ,it was a happy relief for us when the door opened and ,doctor ,livesey came in1 on his visit to my father4 8,oh1 doctor10 we cried1 8what shall we do8 ,where is he wounded80 8,wounded8 ,a fiddle-stick's end60 said the doctor4 8,no more wounded than you or ,i4 ,the man has had a stroke1 as ,i warned him4 ,now1 ,mrs4 ,hawkins1 just you run upstairs to your husband and tell him1 if possible1 nothing about it4 ,for my part1 ,i must do my best to save this fellow's trebly worthless life2 ,jim1 you get me a basin40 ,when ,i got back with the basin1 the doctor had already ripped up the captain's sleeve and exposed his great sinewy arm4 ,it was tattooed in several places4 8,here's luck10 8,a fair wind10 and 8,billy ,bones his fancy10 were very neatly and clearly executed on the forearm2 and up near the shoulder there was a sketch of a gallows and a man hanging from it,-done1 as ,i thought1 with great spirit4 8,prophetic10 said the doctor1 touching this picture with his finger4 8,and now1 ,master ,billy ,bones1 if that be your name1 we'll have a look at the colour of your blood4 ,jim10 he said1 8are you afraid of blood80 8,no1 sir10 said ,i4 8,well1 then10 said he1 8you hold the basin02 and with that he took his lancet and opened a vein4 ,a great deal of blood was taken before the captain opened his eyes and looked mistily about him4 ,first he recognized the doctor with an unmistakable frown2 then his glance fell upon me1 and he looked relieved4 ,but suddenly his colour changed1 and he tried to raise himself1 crying1 8,where's ,black ,dog80 8,there is no ,black ,dog here10 said the doctor1 8except what you have on your own back4 ,you have been drinking rum2 you have had a stroke1 precisely as ,i told you2 and ,i have just1 very much against my own will1 dragged you headforemost out of the grave4 ,now1 ,mr4 ,bones,-0 8,that's not my name10 he interrupted4 8,much ,i care10 returned the doctor4 8,it's the name of a buccaneer of my acquaintance2 and ,i call you by it for the sake of shortness1 and what ,i have to say to you is this2 one glass of rum won't kill you1 but if you take one you'll take another and another1 and ,i stake my wig if you don't break off short1 you'll die,-do you understand that8,-die1 and go to your own place1 like the man in the ,bible4 ,come1 now1 make an effort4 ,i'll help you to your bed for once40 ,between us1 with much trouble1 we managed to hoist him upstairs1 and laid him on his bed1 where his head fell back on the pillow as if he were almost fainting4 8,now1 mind you10 said the doctor1 8,i clear my conscience,-the name of rum for you is death40 ,and with that he went off to see my father1 taking me with him by the arm4 8,this is nothing10 he said as soon as he had closed the door4 8,i have drawn blood enough to keep him quiet awhile2 he should lie for a week where he is,-that is the best thing for him and you2 but another stroke would settle him40 #c ,the ,black ,spot ,,about noon ,i stopped at the captain's door with some cooling drinks and medicines4 ,he was lying very much as we had left him1 only a little higher1 and he seemed both weak and excited4 8,jim10 he said1 8you're the only one here that's worth anything1 and you know ,i've been always good to you4 ,never a month but ,i've given you a silver fourpenny for yourself4 ,and now you see1 mate1 ,i'm pretty low1 and deserted by all2 and ,jim1 you'll bring me one noggin of rum1 now1 won't you1 matey80 8,the doctor,-0 ,i began4 ,but he broke in cursing the doctor1 in a feeble voice but heartily4 8,doctors is all swabs10 he said2 8and that doctor there1 why1 what do he know about seafaring men8 ,i been in places hot as pitch1 and mates dropping round with ,yellow ,jack1 and the blessed land a-heaving like the sea with earthquakes,-what to the doctor know of lands like that8,-and ,i lived on rum1 ,i tell you4 ,it's been meat and drink1 and man and wife1 to me2 and if ,i'm not to have my rum now ,i'm a poor old hulk on a lee shore1 my blood'll be on you1 ,jim1 and that doctor swab02 and he ran on again for a while with curses4 8,look1 ,jim1 how my fingers fidges10 he continued in the pleading tone4 8,i can't keep ,0em still1 not ,i4 ,i haven't had a drop this blessed day4 ,that doctor's a fool1 ,i tell you4 ,if ,i don't have a dram o,0 rum1 ,jim1 ,i'll have the horrors2 ,i seen some on ,0em already4 ,i seen old ,flint in the corner there1 behind you2 as plain as print1 ,i seen him2 and if ,i get the horrors1 ,i'm a man that has lived rough1 and ,i'll raise ,cain4 ,your doctor hisself said one glass wouldn't hurt me4 ,i'll give you a golden guinea for a noggin1 ,jim40 ,he was growing more and more excited1 and this alarmed me for my father1 who was very low that day and needed quiet2 besides1 ,i was reassured by the doctor's words1 now quoted to me1 and rather offended by the offer of a bribe4 8,i want none of your money10 said ,i1 8but what you owe my father4 ,i'll get you one glass1 and no more40 ,when ,i brought it to him1 he seized it greedily and drank it out4 8,aye1 aye10 said he1 8that's some better1 sure enough4 ,and now1 matey1 did that doctor say how long ,i was to lie here in this old berth80 8,a week at least10 said ,i4 8,thunder60 he cried4 8,a week6 ,i can't do that2 they'd have the black spot on me by then4 ,the lubbers is going about to get the wind of me this blessed moment2 lubbers as couldn't keep what they got1 and want to nail what is another's4 ,is that seamanly behaviour1 now1 ,i want to know8 ,but ,i'm a saving soul4 ,i never wasted good money of mine1 nor lost it neither2 and ,i'll trick ,0em again4 ,i'm not afraid on ,0em4 ,i'll shake out another reef1 matey1 and daddle ,0em again40 ,as he was thus speaking1 he had risen from bed with great difficulty1 holding to my shoulder with a grip that almost made me cry out1 and moving his legs like so much dead weight4 ,his words1 spirited as they were in meaning1 contrasted sadly with the weakness of the voice in which they were uttered4 ,he paused when he had got into a sitting position on the edge4 8,that doctor's done me10 he murmured4 8,my ears is singing4 ,lay me back40 ,before ,i could do much to help him he had fallen back again to his former place1 where he lay for a while silent4 8,jim10 he said at length1 8you saw that seafaring man today80 8,black ,dog80 ,i asked4 8,ah6 ,black ,dog10 says he4 8.1,he's a bad ,0un2 but there's worse that put him on4 ,now1 if ,i can't get away nohow1 and they tip me the black spot1 mind you1 it's my old sea-chest they're after2 you get on a horse,-you can1 can't you8 ,well1 then1 you get on a horse1 and go to,-well1 yes1 ,i will6,-to that eternal doctor swab1 and tell him to pipe all hands,-magistrates and sich,-and he'll lay ,0em aboard at the ,admiral ,benbow,-all old ,flint's crew1 man and boy1 all on ,0em that's left4 ,i was first mate1 ,i was1 old ,flint's first mate1 and ,i'm the on'y one as knows the place4 ,he gave it me at ,savannah1 when he lay a-dying1 like as if ,i was to now1 you see4 ,but you won't peach unless they get the black spot on me1 or unless you see that ,black ,dog again or a seafaring man with one leg1 ,jim,-him above all40 8,but what is the black spot1 captain80 ,i asked4 8,that's a summons1 mate4 ,i'll tell you if they get that4 ,but you keep your weather-eye open1 ,jim1 and ,i'll share with you equals1 upon my honour40 ,he wandered a little longer1 his voice growing weaker2 but soon after ,i had given him his medicine1 which he took like a child1 with the remark1 8,if ever a seaman wanted drugs1 it's me10 he fell at last into a heavy1 swoon-like sleep1 in which ,i left him4 ,what ,i should have done had all gone well ,i do not know4 ,probably ,i should have told the whole story to the doctor1 for ,i was in mortal fear lest the captain should repent of his confessions and make an end of me4 ,but as things fell out1 my poor father died quite suddenly that evening1 which put all other matters on one side4 ,our natural distress1 the visits of the neighbours1 the arranging of the funeral1 and all the work of the inn to be carried on in the meanwhile kept me so busy that ,i had scarcely time to think of the captain1 far less to be afraid of him4 ,he got downstairs next morning1 to be sure1 and had his meals as usual1 though he ate little and had more1 ,i am afraid1 than his usual supply of rum1 for he helped himself out of the bar1 scowling and blowing through his nose1 and no one dared to cross him4 ,on the night before the funeral he was as drunk as ever2 and it was shocking1 in that house of mourning1 to hear him singing away at his ugly old sea-song2 but weak as he was1 we were all in the fear of death for him1 and the doctor was suddenly taken up with a case many miles away and was never near the house after my father's death4 ,i have said the captain was weak1 and indeed he seemed rather to grow weaker than regain his strength4 ,he clambered up and down stairs1 and went from the parlour to the bar and back again1 and sometimes put his nose out of doors to smell the sea1 holding on to the walls as he went for support and breathing hard and fast like a man on a steep mountain4 ,he never particularly addressed me1 and it is my belief he had as good as forgotten his confidences2 but his temper was more flighty1 and allowing for his bodily weakness1 more violent than ever4 ,he had an alarming way now when he was drunk of drawing his cutlass and laying it bare before him on the table4 ,but with all that1 he minded people less and seemed shut up in his own thoughts and rather wandering4 ,once1 for instance1 to our extreme wonder1 he piped up to a different air1 a kind of country love-song that he must have learned in his youth before he had begun to follow the sea4 ,so things passed until1 the day after the funeral1 and about three o'clock of a bitter1 foggy1 frosty afternoon1 ,i was standing at the door for a moment1 full of sad thoughts about my father1 when ,i saw someone drawing slowly near along the road4 ,he was plainly blind1 for he tapped before him with a stick and wore a great green shade over his eyes and nose2 and he was hunched1 as if with age or weakness1 and wore a huge old tattered sea-cloak with a hood that made him appear positively deformed4 ,i never saw in my life a more dreadful-looking figure4 ,he stopped a little from the inn1 and raising his voice in an odd sing-song1 addressed the air in front of him1 8,will any kind friend inform a poor blind man1 who has lost the precious sight of his eyes in the gracious defence of his native country1 ,england,-and ,god bless ,king ,george6,-where or in what part of this country he may now be80 8,you are at the ,admiral ,benbow1 ,black ,hill ,cove1 my good man10 said ,i4 8,i hear a voice10 said he1 8a young voice4 ,will you give me your hand1 my kind young friend1 and lead me in80 ,i held out my hand1 and the horrible1 soft-spoken1 eyeless creature gripped it in a moment like a vise4 ,i was so much startled that ,i struggled to withdraw1 but the blind man pulled me close up to him with a single action of his arm4 8,now1 boy10 he said1 8take me in to the captain40 8,sir10 said ,i1 8upon my word ,i dare not40 8,oh10 he sneered1 8that's it6 ,take me in straight or ,i'll break your arm40 ,and he gave it1 as he spoke1 a wrench that made me cry out4 8,sir10 said ,i1 8it is for yourself ,i mean4 ,the captain is not what he used to be4 ,he sits with a drawn cutlass4 ,another gentleman,-0 8,come1 now1 march10 interrupted he2 and ,i never heard a voice so cruel1 and cold1 and ugly as that blind man's4 ,it cowed me more than the pain1 and ,i began to obey him at once1 walking straight in at the door and towards the parlour1 where our sick old buccaneer was sitting1 dazed with rum4 ,the blind man clung close to me1 holding me in one iron fist and leaning almost more of his weight on me than ,i could carry4 8,lead me straight up to him1 and when ,i'm in view1 cry out1 ,8,here's a friend for you1 ,bill4,0 ,if you don't1 ,i'll do this10 and with that he gave me a twitch that ,i thought would have made me faint4 ,between this and that1 ,i was so utterly terrified of the blind beggar that ,i forgot my terror of the captain1 and as ,i opened the parlour door1 cried out the words he had ordered in a trembling voice4 #jjeam ,the poor captain raised his eyes1 and at one look the rum went out of him and left him staring sober4 ,the expression of his face was not so much of terror as of mortal sickness4 ,he made a movement to rise1 but ,i do not believe he had enough force left in his body4 8,now1 ,bill1 sit where you are10 said the beggar4 8,if ,i can't see1 ,i can hear a finger stirring4 ,business is business4 ,hold out your left hand4 ,boy1 take his left hand by the wrist and bring it near to my right40 ,we both obeyed him to the letter1 and ,i saw him pass something from the hollow of the hand that held his stick into the palm of the captain's1 which closed upon it instantly4 8,and now that's done10 said the blind man2 and at the words he suddenly left hold of me1 and with incredible accuracy and nimbleness1 skipped out of the parlour and into the road1 where1 as ,i still stood motionless1 ,i could hear his stick go tap-tap-tapping into the distance4 ,it was some time before either ,i or the captain seemed to gather our senses1 but at length1 and about at the same moment1 ,i released his wrist1 which ,i was still holding1 and he drew in his hand and looked sharply into the palm4 8,ten o'clock60 he cried4 8,six hours4 ,we'll do them yet10 and he sprang to his feet4 ,even as he did so1 he reeled1 put his hand to his throat1 stood swaying for a moment1 and then1 with a peculiar sound1 fell from his whole height face foremost to the floor4 ,i ran to him at once1 calling to my mother4 ,but haste was all in vain4 ,the captain had been struck dead by thundering apoplexy4 ,it is a curious thing to understand1 for ,i had certainly never liked the man1 though of late ,i had begun to pity him1 but as soon as ,i saw that he was dead1 ,i burst into a flood of tears4 ,it was the second death ,i had known1 and the sorrow of the first was still fresh in my heart4 #d ,the ,sea-chest ,i ,,lost no time1 of course1 in telling my mother all that ,i knew1 and perhaps should have told her long before1 and we saw ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position4 ,some of the man's money,-if he had any,-was certainly due to us1 but it was not likely that our captain's shipmates1 above all the two specimens seen by me1 ,black ,dog and the blind beggar1 would be inclined to give up their booty in payment of the dead man's debts4 ,the captain's order to mount at once and ride for ,doctor ,livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected1 which was not to be thought of4 ,indeed1 it seemed impossible for either of us to remain much longer in the house2 the fall of coals in the kitchen grate1 the very ticking of the clock1 filled us with alarms4 ,the neighbourhood1 to our ears1 seemed haunted by approaching footsteps2 and what between the dead body of the captain on the parlour floor and the thought of that detestable blind beggar hovering near at hand and ready to return1 there were moments when1 as the saying goes1 ,i jumped in my skin for terror4 ,something must speedily be resolved upon1 and it occurred to us at last to go forth together and seek help in the neighbouring hamlet4 ,no sooner said than done4 ,bare-headed as we were1 we ran out at once in the gathering evening and the frosty fog4 ,the hamlet lay not many hundred yards away1 though out of view1 on the other side of the next cove2 and what greatly encouraged me1 it was in an opposite direction from that whence the blind man had made his appearance and whither he had presumably returned4 ,we were not many minutes on the road1 though we sometimes stopped to lay hold of each other and hearken4 ,but there was no unusual sound,-nothing but the low wash of the ripple and the croaking of the inmates of the wood4 ,it was already candle-light when we reached the hamlet1 and ,i shall never forget how much ,i was cheered to see the yellow shine in doors and windows2 but that1 as it proved1 was the best of the help we were likely to get in that quarter4 ,for,-you would have thought men would have been ashamed of themselves,-no soul would consent to return with us to the ,admiral ,benbow4 ,the more we told of our troubles1 the more,-man1 woman1 and child,-they clung to the shelter of their houses4 ,the name of ,captain ,flint1 though it was strange to me1 was well enough known to some there and carried a great weight of terror4 ,some of the men who had been to field-work on the far side of the ,admiral ,benbow remembered1 besides1 to have seen several strangers on the road1 and taking them to be smugglers1 to have bolted away2 and one at least had seen a little lugger in what we called ,kitt's ,hole4 ,for that matter1 anyone who was a comrade of the captain's was enough to frighten them to death4 ,and the short and the long of the matter was1 that while we could get several who were willing enough to ride to ,dr4 ,livesey's1 which lay in another direction1 not one would help us to defend the inn4 ,they say cowardice is infectious2 but then argument is1 on the other hand1 a great emboldener2 and so when each had said his say1 my mother made them a speech4 ,she would not1 she declared1 lose money that belonged to her fatherless boy2 8,if none of the rest of you dare10 she said1 8,jim and ,i dare4 ,back we will go1 the way we came1 and small thanks to you big1 hulking1 chicken-hearted men4 ,we'll have that chest open1 if we die for it4 ,and ,i'll thank you for that bag1 ,mrs4 ,crossley1 to bring back our lawful money in40 ,of course ,i said ,i would go with my mother1 and of course they all cried out at our foolhardiness1 but even then not a man would go along with us4 ,all they would do was to give me a loaded pistol lest we were attacked1 and to promise to have horses ready saddled in case we were pursued on our return1 while one lad was to ride forward to the doctor's in search of armed assistance4 ,my heart was beating finely when we two set forth in the cold night upon this dangerous venture4 ,a full moon was beginning to rise and peered redly through the upper edges of the fog1 and this increased our haste1 for it was plain1 before we came forth again1 that all would be as bright as day1 and our departure exposed to the eyes of any watchers4 ,we slipped along the hedges1 noiseless and swift1 nor did we see or hear anything to increase our terrors1 till1 to our relief1 the door of the ,admiral ,benbow had closed behind us4 ,i slipped the bolt at once1 and we stood and panted for a moment in the dark1 alone in the house with the dead captain's body4 ,then my mother got a candle in the bar1 and holding each other's hands1 we advanced into the parlour4 ,he lay as we had left him1 on his back1 with his eyes open and one arm stretched out4 8,draw down the blind1 ,jim10 whispered my mother2 8they might come and watch outside4 ,and now10 said she when ,i had done so1 8we have to get the key off .1that2 and who's to touch it1 ,i should like to know60 and she gave a kind of sob as she said the words4 ,i went down on my knees at once4 ,on the floor close to his hand there was a little round of paper1 blackened on the one side4 ,i could not doubt that this was the .1black .1spot2 and taking it up1 ,i found written on the other side1 in a very good1 clear hand1 this short message3 8,you have till ten tonight40 8,he had till ten1 ,mother10 said ,i2 and just as ,i said it1 our old clock began striking4 ,this sudden noise startled us shockingly2 but the news was good1 for it was only six4 8,now1 ,jim10 she said1 8that key40 ,i felt in his pockets1 one after another4 ,a few small coins1 a thimble1 and some thread and big needles1 a piece of pigtail tobacco bitten away at the end1 his gully with the crooked handle1 a pocket compass1 and a tinder box were all that they contained1 and ,i began to despair4 8,perhaps it's round his neck10 suggested my mother4 ,overcoming a strong repugnance1 ,i tore open his shirt at the neck1 and there1 sure enough1 hanging to a bit of tarry string1 which ,i cut with his own gully1 we found the key4 ,at this triumph we were filled with hope and hurried upstairs without delay to the little room where he had slept so long and where his box had stood since the day of his arrival4 ,it was like any other seaman's chest on the outside1 the initial 8,b0 burned on the top of it with a hot iron1 and the corners somewhat smashed and broken as by long1 rough usage4 8,give me the key10 said my mother2 and though the lock was very stiff1 she had turned it and thrown back the lid in a twinkling4 ,a strong smell of tobacco and tar rose from the interior1 but nothing was to be seen on the top except a suit of very good clothes1 carefully brushed and folded4 ,they had never been worn1 my mother said4 ,under that1 the miscellany began,-a quadrant1 a tin canikin1 several sticks of tobacco1 two brace of very handsome pistols1 a piece of bar silver1 an old ,spanish watch and some other trinkets of little value and mostly of foreign make1 a pair of compasses mounted with brass1 and five or six curious ,west ,indian shells4 ,i have often wondered since why he should have carried about these shells with him in his wandering1 guilty1 and hunted life4 ,in the meantime1 we had found nothing of any value but the silver and the trinkets1 and neither of these were in our way4 ,underneath there was an old boat-cloak1 whitened with sea-salt on many a harbour-bar4 ,my mother pulled it up with impatience1 and there lay before us1 the last things in the chest1 a bundle tied up in oilcloth1 and looking like papers1 and a canvas bag that gave forth1 at a touch1 the jingle of gold4 8,i'll show these rogues that ,i'm an honest woman10 said my mother4 8,i'll have my dues1 and not a farthing over4 ,hold ,mrs4 ,crossley's bag40 ,and she began to count over the amount of the captain's score from the sailor's bag into the one that ,i was holding4 ,it was a long1 difficult business1 for the coins were of all countries and sizes,-doubloons1 and louis d'ors1 and guineas1 and pieces of eight1 and ,i know not what besides1 all shaken together at random4 ,the guineas1 too1 were about the scarcest1 and it was with these only that my mother knew how to make her count4 ,when we were about half-way through1 ,i suddenly put my hand upon her arm1 for ,i had heard in the silent frosty air a sound that brought my heart into my mouth,-the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick upon the frozen road4 ,it drew nearer and nearer1 while we sat holding our breath4 ,then it struck sharp on the inn door1 and then we could hear the handle being turned and the bolt rattling as the wretched being tried to enter2 and then there was a long time of silence both within and without4 ,at last the tapping recommenced1 and1 to our indescribable joy and gratitude1 died slowly away again until it ceased to be heard4 8,mother10 said ,i1 8take the whole and let's be going10 for ,i was sure the bolted door must have seemed suspicious and would bring the whole hornet's nest about our ears1 though how thankful ,i was that ,i had bolted it1 none could tell who had never met that terrible blind man4 ,but my mother1 frightened as she was1 would not consent to take a fraction more than was due to her and was obstinately unwilling to be content with less4 ,it was not yet seven1 she said1 by a long way2 she knew her rights and she would have them2 and she was still arguing with me when a little low whistle sounded a good way off upon the hill4 ,that was enough1 and more than enough1 for both of us4 8,i'll take what ,i have10 she said1 jumping to her feet4 8,and ,i'll take this to square the count10 said ,i1 picking up the oilskin packet4 ,next moment we were both groping downstairs1 leaving the candle by the empty chest2 and the next we had opened the door and were in full retreat4 ,we had not started a moment too soon4 ,the fog was rapidly dispersing2 already the moon shone quite clear on the high ground on either side2 and it was only in the exact bottom of the dell and round the tavern door that a thin veil still hung unbroken to conceal the first steps of our escape4 ,far less than half-way to the hamlet1 very little beyond the bottom of the hill1 we must come forth into the moonlight4 ,nor was this all1 for the sound of several footsteps running came already to our ears1 and as we looked back in their direction1 a light tossing to and fro and still rapidly advancing showed that one of the newcomers carried a lantern4 8,my dear10 said my mother suddenly1 8take the money and run on4 ,i am going to faint40 ,this was certainly the end for both of us1 ,i thought4 ,how ,i cursed the cowardice of the neighbours2 how ,i blamed my poor mother for her honesty and her greed1 for her past foolhardiness and present weakness6 ,we were just at the little bridge1 by good fortune2 and ,i helped her1 tottering as she was1 to the edge of the bank1 where1 sure enough1 she gave a sigh and fell on my shoulder4 ,i do not know how ,i found the strength to do it at all1 and ,i am afraid it was roughly done1 but ,i managed to drag her down the bank and a little way under the arch4 ,farther ,i could not move her1 for the bridge was too low to let me do more than crawl below it4 ,so there we had to stay,-my mother almost entirely exposed and both of us within earshot of the inn4 #e ,the ,last of the ,blind ,man ,,my curiosity1 in a sense1 was stronger than my fear1 for ,i could not remain where ,i was1 but crept back to the bank again1 whence1 sheltering my head behind a bush of broom1 ,i might command the road before our door4 ,i was scarcely in position ere my enemies began to arrive1 seven or eight of them1 running hard1 their feet beating out of time along the road and the man with the lantern some paces in front4 ,three men ran together1 hand in hand2 and ,i made out1 even through the mist1 that the middle man of this trio was the blind beggar4 ,the next moment his voice showed me that ,i was right4 8,down with the door60 he cried4 8,aye1 aye1 sir60 answered two or three2 and a rush was made upon the ,admiral ,benbow1 the lantern-bearer following2 and then ,i could see them pause1 and hear speeches passed in a lower key1 as if they were surprised to find the door open4 ,but the pause was brief1 for the blind man again issued his commands4 ,his voice sounded louder and higher1 as if he were afire with eagerness and rage4 8,in1 in1 in60 he shouted1 and cursed them for their delay4 ,four or five of them obeyed at once1 two remaining on the road with the formidable beggar4 ,there was a pause1 then a cry of surprise1 and then a voice shouting from the house1 8,bill's dead40 ,but the blind man swore at them again for their delay4 8,search him1 some of you shirking lubbers1 and the rest of you aloft and get the chest10 he cried4 ,i could hear their feet rattling up our old stairs1 so that the house must have shook with it4 ,promptly afterwards1 fresh sounds of astonishment arose2 the window of the captain's room was thrown open with a slam and a jingle of broken glass1 and a man leaned out into the moonlight1 head and shoulders1 and addressed the blind beggar on the road below him4 8,pew10 he cried1 8they've been before us4 ,someone's turned the chest out alow and aloft40 8,is it there80 roared ,pew4 8,the money's there40 ,the blind man cursed the money4 8,flint's fist1 ,i mean10 he cried4 8,we don't see it here nohow10 returned the man4 8,here1 you below there1 is it on ,bill80 cried the blind man again4 ,at that another fellow1 probably him who had remained below to search the captain's body1 came to the door of the inn4 8,bill's been overhauled a'ready10 said he2 8nothin,0 left40 8,it's these people of the inn,-it's that boy4 ,i wish ,i had put his eyes out60 cried the blind man1 ,pew4 8,there were no time ago,-they had the door bolted when ,i tried it4 ,scatter1 lads1 and find ,0em40 8,sure enough1 they left their glim here10 said the fellow from the window4 8,scatter and find ,0em6 ,rout the house out60 reiterated ,pew1 striking with his stick upon the road4 ,then there followed a great to-do through all our old inn1 heavy feet pounding to and fro1 furniture thrown over1 doors kicked in1 until the very rocks re-echoed and the men came out again1 one after another1 on the road and declared that we were nowhere to be found4 ,and just the same whistle that had alarmed my mother and myself over the dead captain's money was once more clearly audible through the night1 but this time twice repeated4 ,i had thought it to be the blind man's trumpet1 so to speak1 summoning his crew to the assault1 but ,i now found that it was a signal from the hillside towards the hamlet1 and from its effect upon the buccaneers1 a signal to warn them of approaching danger4 8,there's ,dirk again10 said one4 8,twice6 ,we'll have to budge1 mates40 8,budge1 you skulk60 cried ,pew4 8,dirk was a fool and a coward from the first,-you wouldn't mind him4 ,they must be close by2 they can't be far2 you have your hands on it4 ,scatter and look for them1 dogs6 ,oh1 shiver my soul10 he cried1 8if ,i had eyes60 ,this appeal seemed to produce some effect1 for two of the fellows began to look here and there among the lumber1 but half-heartedly1 ,i thought1 and with half an eye to their own danger all the time1 while the rest stood irresolute on the road4 8,you have your hands on thousands1 you fools1 and you hang a leg6 ,you'd be as rich as kings if you could find it1 and you know it's here1 and you stand there skulking4 ,there wasn't one of you dared face ,bill1 and ,i did it,-a blind man6 ,and ,i'm to lose my chance for you6 ,i'm to be a poor1 crawling beggar1 sponging for rum1 when ,i might be rolling in a coach6 ,if you had the pluck of a weevil in a biscuit you would catch them still40 8,hang it1 ,pew1 we've got the doubloons60 grumbled one4 8,they might have hid the blessed thing10 said another4 8,take the ,georges1 ,pew1 and don't stand here squalling40 ,squalling was the word for it2 ,pew's anger rose so high at these objections till at last1 his passion completely taking the upper hand1 he struck at them right and left in his blindness and his stick sounded heavily on more than one4 #jjfem ,these1 in their turn1 cursed back at the blind miscreant1 threatened him in horrid terms1 and tried in vain to catch the stick and wrest it from his grasp4 ,this quarrel was the saving of us1 for while it was still raging1 another sound came from the top of the hill on the side of the hamlet,-the tramp of horses galloping4 ,almost at the same time a pistol-shot1 flash and report1 came from the hedge side4 ,and that was plainly the last signal of danger1 for the buccaneers turned at once and ran1 separating in every direction1 one seaward along the cove1 one slant across the hill1 and so on1 so that in half a minute not a sign of them remained but ,pew4 ,him they had deserted1 whether in sheer panic or out of revenge for his ill words and blows ,i know not2 but there he remained behind1 tapping up and down the road in a frenzy1 and groping and calling for his comrades4 ,finally he took a wrong turn and ran a few steps past me1 towards the hamlet1 crying1 8,johnny1 ,black ,dog1 ,dirk10 and other names1 8you won't leave old ,pew1 mates,-not old ,pew60 ,just then the noise of horses topped the rise1 and four or five riders came in sight in the moonlight and swept at full gallop down the slope4 ,at this ,pew saw his error1 turned with a scream1 and ran straight for the ditch1 into which he rolled4 ,but he was on his feet again in a second and made another dash1 now utterly bewildered1 right under the nearest of the coming horses4 ,the rider tried to save him1 but in vain4 ,down went ,pew with a cry that rang high into the night2 and the four hoofs trampled and spurned him and passed by4 ,he fell on his side1 then gently collapsed upon his face and moved no more4 ,i leaped to my feet and hailed the riders4 ,they were pulling up1 at any rate1 horrified at the accident2 and ,i soon saw what they were4 ,one1 tailing out behind the rest1 was a lad that had gone from the hamlet to ,dr4 ,livesey's2 the rest were revenue officers1 whom he had met by the way1 and with whom he had had the intelligence to return at once4 ,some news of the lugger in ,kitt's ,hole had found its way to ,supervisor ,dance and set him forth that night in our direction1 and to that circumstance my mother and ,i owed our preservation from death4 ,pew was dead1 stone dead4 ,as for my mother1 when we had carried her up to the hamlet1 a little cold water and salts and that soon brought her back again1 and she was none the worse for her terror1 though she still continued to deplore the balance of the money4 ,in the meantime the supervisor rode on1 as fast as he could1 to ,kitt's ,hole2 but his men had to dismount and grope down the dingle1 leading1 and sometimes supporting1 their horses1 and in continual fear of ambushes2 so it was no great matter for surprise that when they got down to the ,hole the lugger was already under way1 though still close in4 ,he hailed her4 ,a voice replied1 telling him to keep out of the moonlight or he would get some lead in him1 and at the same time a bullet whistled close by his arm4 ,soon after1 the lugger doubled the point and disappeared4 ,mr4 ,dance stood there1 as he said1 8like a fish out of water10 and all he could do was to dispatch a man to ,b,-,- to warn the cutter4 8,and that10 said he1 8is just about as good as nothing4 ,they've got off clean1 and there's an end4 ,only10 he added1 8,i'm glad ,i trod on ,master ,pew's corns10 for by this time he had heard my story4 ,i went back with him to the ,admiral ,benbow1 and you cannot imagine a house in such a state of smash2 the very clock had been thrown down by these fellows in their furious hunt after my mother and myself2 and though nothing had actually been taken away except the captain's money-bag and a little silver from the till1 ,i could see at once that we were ruined4 ,mr4 ,dance could make nothing of the scene4 8,they got the money1 you say8 ,well1 then1 ,hawkins1 what in fortune were they after8 ,more money1 ,i suppose80 8,no1 sir2 not money1 ,i think10 replied ,i4 8,in fact1 sir1 ,i believe ,i have the thing in my breast pocket2 and to tell you the truth1 ,i should like to get it put in safety40 8,to be sure1 boy2 quite right10 said he4 8,i'll take it1 if you like40 8,i thought perhaps ,dr4 ,livesey,-0 ,i began4 8,perfectly right10 he interrupted very cheerily1 8perfectly right,-a gentleman and a magistrate4 ,and1 now ,i come to think of it1 ,i might as well ride round there myself and report to him or squire4 ,master ,pew's dead1 when all's done2 not that ,i regret it1 but he's dead1 you see1 and people will make it out against an officer of his ,majesty's revenue1 if make it out they can4 ,now1 ,i'll tell you1 ,hawkins1 if you like1 ,i'll take you along40 ,i thanked him heartily for the offer1 and we walked back to the hamlet where the horses were4 ,by the time ,i had told mother of my purpose they were all in the saddle4 8,dogger10 said ,mr4 ,dance1 8you have a good horse2 take up this lad behind you40 ,as soon as ,i was mounted1 holding on to ,dogger's belt1 the supervisor gave the word1 and the party struck out at a bouncing trot on the road to ,dr4 ,livesey's house4 #f ,the ,captain's ,papers ,,we rode hard all the way till we drew up before ,dr4 ,livesey's door4 ,the house was all dark to the front4 ,mr4 ,dance told me to jump down and knock1 and ,dogger gave me a stirrup to descend by4 ,the door was opened almost at once by the maid4 8,is ,dr4 ,livesey in80 ,i asked4 ,no1 she said1 he had come home in the afternoon but had gone up to the hall to dine and pass the evening with the squire4 8,so there we go1 boys10 said ,mr4 ,dance4 ,this time1 as the distance was short1 ,i did not mount1 but ran with ,dogger's stirrup-leather to the lodge gates and up the long1 leafless1 moonlit avenue to where the white line of the hall buildings looked on either hand on great old gardens4 ,here ,mr4 ,dance dismounted1 and taking me along with him1 was admitted at a word into the house4 ,the servant led us down a matted passage and showed us at the end into a great library1 all lined with bookcases and busts upon the top of them1 where the squire and ,dr4 ,livesey sat1 pipe in hand1 on either side of a bright fire4 ,i had never seen the squire so near at hand4 ,he was a tall man1 over six feet high1 and broad in proportion1 and he had a bluff1 rough-and-ready face1 all roughened and reddened and lined in his long travels4 ,his eyebrows were very black1 and moved readily1 and this gave him a look of some temper1 not bad1 you would say1 but quick and high4 8,come in1 ,mr4 ,dance10 says he1 very stately and condescending4 8,good evening1 ,dance10 says the doctor with a nod4 8,and good evening to you1 friend ,jim4 ,what good wind brings you here80 ,the supervisor stood up straight and stiff and told his story like a lesson2 and you should have seen how the two gentlemen leaned forward and looked at each other1 and forgot to smoke in their surprise and interest4 ,when they heard how my mother went back to the inn1 ,dr4 ,livesey fairly slapped his thigh1 and the squire cried 8,bravo60 and broke his long pipe against the grate4 ,long before it was done1 ,mr4 ,trelawney " had got up from his seat and was striding about the room1 and the doctor1 as if to hear the better1 had taken off his powdered wig and sat there looking very strange indeed with his own close-cropped black poll4 ,at last ,mr4 ,dance finished the story4 8,mr4 ,dance10 said the squire1 8you are a very noble fellow4 ,and as for riding down that black1 atrocious miscreant1 ,i regard it as an act of virtue1 sir1 like stamping on a cockroach4 ,this lad ,hawkins is a trump1 ,i perceive4 ,hawkins1 will you ring that bell8 ,mr4 ,dance must have some ale40 8,and so1 ,jim10 said the doctor1 8you have the thing that they were after1 have you80 8,here it is1 sir10 said ,i1 and gave him the oilskin packet4 ,the doctor looked it all over1 as if his fingers were itching to open it2 but instead of doing that1 he put it quietly in the pocket of his coat4 8,squire10 said he1 8when ,dance has had his ale he must1 of course1 be off on his ,majesty's service2 but ,i mean to keep ,jim ,hawkins here to sleep at my house1 and with your permission1 ,i propose we should have up the cold pie and let him sup40 8,as you will1 ,livesey10 said the squire2 8,hawkins has earned better than cold pie40 ,so a big pigeon pie was brought in and put on a sidetable1 and ,i made a hearty supper1 for ,i was as hungry as a hawk1 while ,mr4 ,dance was further complimented and at last dismissed4 8,and now1 squire10 said the doctor4 8,and now1 ,livesey10 said the squire in the same breath4 8,one at a time1 one at a time10 laughed ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,you have heard of this ,flint1 ,i suppose80 8,heard of him60 cried the squire4 8,heard of him1 you say6 ,he was the bloodthirstiest buccaneer that sailed4 ,blackbeard was a child to ,flint4 ,the ,spaniards were so prodigiously afraid of him that1 ,i tell you1 sir1 ,i was sometimes proud he was an ,englishman4 ,i've seen his top-sails with these eyes1 off ,trinidad1 and the cowardly son of a rum-puncheon that ,i sailed with put back,-put back1 sir1 into ,port of ,spain40 8,well1 ,i've heard of him myself1 in ,england10 said the doctor4 8,but the point is1 had he money80 8,money60 cried the squire4 8,have you heard the story8 ,what were these villains after but money8 ,what do they care for but money8 ,for what would they risk their rascal carcasses but money80 8,that we shall soon know10 replied the doctor4 8,but you are so confoundedly hot-headed and exclamatory that ,i cannot get a word in4 ,what ,i want to know is this3 ,supposing that ,i have here in my pocket some clue to where ,flint buried his treasure1 will that treasure amount to much80 8,amount1 sir60 cried the squire4 8,it will amount to this3 ,if we have the clue you talk about1 ,i fit out a ship in ,bristol dock1 and take you and ,hawkins here along1 and ,i'll have that treasure if ,i search a year40 8,very well10 said the doctor4 8,now1 then1 if ,jim is agreeable1 we'll open the packet02 and he laid it before him on the table4 ,the bundle was sewn together1 and the doctor had to get out his instrument case and cut the stitches with his medical scissors4 ,it contained two things,-a book and a sealed paper4 8,first of all we'll try the book10 observed the doctor4 ,the squire and ,i were both peering over his shoulder as he opened it1 for ,dr4 ,livesey had kindly motioned me to come round from the side-table1 where ,i had been eating1 to enjoy the sport of the search4 ,on the first page there were only some scraps of writing1 such as a man with a pen in his hand might make for idleness or practice4 ,one was the same as the tattoo mark1 8,billy ,bones his fancy02 then there was 8,mr4 ,w4 ,bones1 mate10 8,no more rum10 8,off ,palm ,key he got itt10 and some other snatches1 mostly single words and unintelligible4 ,i could not help wondering who it was that had 8got itt10 and what 8itt0 was that he got4 ,a knife in his back as like as not4 8,not much instruction there10 said ,dr4 ,livesey as he passed on4 ,the next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious series of entries4 ,there was a date at one end of the line and at the other a sum of money1 as in common account-books1 but instead of explanatory writing1 only a varying number of crosses between the two4 ,on the #abth of ,june1 #agde1 for instance1 a sum of seventy pounds had plainly become due to someone1 and there was nothing but six crosses to explain the cause4 ,in a few cases1 to be sure1 the name of a place would be added1 as 8,offe ,caraccas10 or a mere entry of latitude and longitude1 as 8#fb~j #ag7 #bj771 #ai~j #b7 #dj7740 ,the record lasted over nearly twenty years1 the amount of the separate entries growing larger as time went on1 and at the end a grand total had been made out after five or six wrong additions1 and these words appended1 8,bones1 his pile40 8,i can't make head or tail of this10 said ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,the thing is as clear as noonday10 cried the squire4 8,this is the black-hearted hound's account-book4 ,these crosses stand for the names of ships or towns that they sank or plundered4 ,the sums are the scoundrel's share1 and where he feared an ambiguity1 you see he added something clearer4 ,8,offe ,caraccas1,0 now2 you see1 here was some unhappy vessel boarded off that coast4 ,god help the poor souls that manned her,-coral long ago40 8,right60 said the doctor4 8,see what it is to be a traveller4 ,right6 ,and the amounts increase1 you see1 as he rose in rank40 ,there was little else in the volume but a few bearings of places noted in the blank leaves towards the end and a table for reducing ,french1 ,english1 and ,spanish moneys to a common value4 8,thrifty man60 cried the doctor4 8,he wasn't the one to be cheated40 8,and now10 said the squire1 8for the other40 ,the paper had been sealed in several places with a thimble by way of seal2 the very thimble1 perhaps1 that ,i had found in the captain's pocket4 ,the doctor opened the seals with great care1 and there fell out the map of an island1 with latitude and longitude1 soundings1 names of hills and bays and inlets1 and every particular that would be needed to bring a ship to a safe anchorage upon its shores4 ,it was about nine miles long and five across1 shaped1 you might say1 like a fat dragon standing up1 and had two fine land-locked harbours1 and a hill in the centre part marked 8,the ,spy-glass40 ,there were several additions of a later date1 but above all1 three crosses of red ink,-two on the north part of the island1 one in the southwest,-and beside this last1 in the same red ink1 and in a small1 neat hand1 very different from the captain's tottery characters1 these words3 8,bulk of treasure here40 ,over on the back the same hand had written this further information3 ,tall tree1 ,spy-glass shoulder1 bearing a point to the ,n4 of ,n4,n4,e4 ,skeleton ,island ,e4,s4,e4 and by ,e4 ,ten feet4 ,the bar silver is in the north cache2 you can find it by the trend of the east hummock1 ten fathoms south of the black crag with the face on it4 ,the arms are easy found1 in the sand-hill1 ,n4 point of north inlet cape1 bearing ,e4 and a quarter ,n4 ,j4,f4 ,that was all2 but brief as it was1 and to me incomprehensible1 it filled the squire and ,dr4 ,livesey with delight4 8,livesey10 said the squire1 8you will give up this wretched practice at once4 ,tomorrow ,i start for ,bristol4 ,in three weeks' time,-three weeks6,-two weeks,-ten days,-we'll have the best ship1 sir1 and the choicest crew in ,england4 ,hawkins shall come as cabin-boy4 ,you'll make a famous cabin-boy1 ,hawkins4 ,you1 ,livesey1 are ship's doctor2 ,i am admiral4 ,we'll take ,redruth1 ,joyce1 and ,hunter4 ,we'll have favourable winds1 a quick passage1 and not the least difficulty in finding the spot1 and money to eat1 to roll in1 to play duck and drake with ever after40 8,trelawney10 said the doctor1 8,i'll go with you2 and ,i'll go bail for it1 so will ,jim1 and be a credit to the undertaking4 ,there's only one man ,i'm afraid of40 8,and who's that80 cried the squire4 8,name the dog1 sir60 8,you10 replied the doctor2 8for you cannot hold your tongue4 ,we are not the only men who know of this paper4 ,these fellows who attacked the inn tonight,-bold1 desperate blades1 for sure,-and the rest who stayed aboard that lugger1 and more1 ,i dare say1 not far off1 are1 one and all1 through thick and thin1 bound that they'll get that money4 ,we must none of us go alone till we get to sea4 ,jim and ,i shall stick together in the meanwhile2 you'll take ,joyce and ,hunter when you ride to ,bristol1 and from first to last1 not one of us must breathe a word of what we've found40 8,livesey10 returned the squire1 8you are always in the right of it4 ,i'll be as silent as the grave40 ,,part ,,two,-,the ,sea-cook #g ,i ,go to ,bristol ,,it was longer than the squire imagined ere we were ready for the sea1 and none of our first plans,-not even ,dr4 ,livesey's1 of keeping me beside him,-could be carried out as we intended4 ,the doctor had to go to ,london for a physician to take charge of his practice2 the squire was hard at work at ,bristol2 and ,i lived on at the hall under the charge of old ,redruth1 the gamekeeper1 almost a prisoner1 but full of sea-dreams and the most charming anticipations of strange islands and adventures4 ,i brooded by the hour together over the map1 all the details of which ,i well remembered4 ,sitting by the fire in the housekeeper's room1 ,i approached that island in my fancy from every possible direction2 ,i explored every acre of its surface2 ,i climbed a thousand times to that tall hill they call the ,spy-glass1 and from the top enjoyed the most wonderful and changing prospects4 ,sometimes the isle was thick with savages1 with whom we fought1 sometimes full of dangerous animals that hunted us1 but in all my fancies nothing occurred to me so strange and tragic as our actual adventures4 ,so the weeks passed on1 till one fine day there came a letter addressed to ,dr4 ,livesey1 with this addition1 8,to be opened1 in the case of his absence1 by ,tom ,redruth or young ,hawkins40 ,obeying this order1 we found1 or rather ,i found,-for the gamekeeper was a poor hand at reading anything but print,-the following important news3 ,old ,anchor ,inn1 ,bristol1 ,march #a1 #ag,- ,dear ,livesey,-,as ,i do not know whether you are at the hall or still in ,london1 ,i send this in double to both places4 ,the ship is bought and fitted4 ,she lies at anchor1 ready for sea4 ,you never imagined a sweeter schooner,-a child might sail her,-two hundred tons2 name1 .1,hispaniola4 ,i got her through my old friend1 ,blandly1 who has proved himself throughout the most surprising trump4 ,the admirable fellow literally slaved in my interest1 and so1 ,i may say1 did everyone in ,bristol1 as soon as they got wind of the port we sailed for,-treasure1 ,i mean4 8,redruth10 said ,i1 interrupting the letter1 8,dr4 ,livesey will not like that4 ,the squire has been talking1 after all40 8,well1 who's a better right80 growled the gamekeeper4 8,a pretty rum go if squire ain't to talk for ,dr4 ,livesey1 ,i should think40 ,at that ,i gave up all attempts at commentary and read straight on3 ,blandly himself found the .1,hispaniola1 and by the most admirable management got her for the merest trifle4 ,there is a class of men in ,bristol monstrously prejudiced against ,blandly4 ,they go the length of declaring that this honest creature would do anything for money1 that the .1,hispaniola belonged to him1 and that he sold it me absurdly high,-the most transparent calumnies4 ,none of them dare1 however1 to deny the merits of the ship4 ,so far there was not a hitch4 ,the workpeople1 to be sure,-riggers and what not,-were most annoyingly slow2 but time cured that4 ,it was the crew that troubled me4 ,i wished a round score of men,-in case of natives1 buccaneers1 or the odious ,french,-and ,i had the worry of the deuce itself to find so much as half a dozen1 till the most remarkable stroke of fortune brought me the very man that ,i required4 ,i was standing on the dock1 when1 by the merest accident1 ,i fell in talk with him4 ,i found he was an old sailor1 kept a public-house1 knew all the seafaring men in ,bristol1 had lost his health ashore1 and wanted a good berth as cook to get to sea again4 ,he had hobbled down there that morning1 he said1 to get a smell of the salt4 ,i was monstrously touched,-so would you have been,-and1 out of pure pity1 ,i engaged him on the spot to be ship's cook4 ,long ,john ,silver1 he is called1 and has lost a leg2 but that ,i regarded as a recommendation1 since he lost it in his country's service1 under the immortal ,hawke4 ,he has no pension1 ,livesey4 ,imagine the abominable age we live in6 ,well1 sir1 ,i thought ,i had only found a cook1 but it was a crew ,i had discovered4 ,between ,silver and myself we got together in a few days a company of the toughest old salts imaginable,-not pretty to look at1 but fellows1 by their faces1 of the most indomitable spirit4 ,i declare we could fight a frigate4 ,long ,john even got rid of two out of the six or seven ,i had already engaged4 ,he showed me in a moment that they were just the sort of fresh-water swabs we had to fear in an adventure of importance4 ,i am in the most magnificent health and spirits1 eating like a bull1 sleeping like a tree1 yet ,i shall not enjoy a moment till ,i hear my old tarpaulins tramping round the capstan4 ,seaward1 ho6 ,hang the treasure6 ,it's the glory of the sea that has turned my head4 ,so now1 ,livesey1 come post2 do not lose an hour1 if you respect me4 ,let young ,hawkins go at once to see his mother1 with ,redruth for a guard2 and then both come full speed to ,bristol4 ,john ,trelawney ,postscript,-,i did not tell you that ,blandly1 who1 by the way1 is to send a consort after us if we don't turn up by the end of ,august1 had found an admirable fellow for sailing master,-a stiff man1 which ,i regret1 but in all other respects a treasure4 ,long ,john ,silver unearthed a very competent man for a mate1 a man named ,arrow4 ,i have a boatswain who pipes1 ,livesey2 so things shall go man-o,0-war fashion on board the good ship .1,hispaniola4 ,i forgot to tell you that ,silver is a man of substance2 ,i know of my own knowledge that he has a banker's account1 which has never been overdrawn4 ,he leaves his wife to manage the inn2 and as she is a woman of colour1 a pair of old bachelors like you and ,i may be excused for guessing that it is the wife1 quite as much as the health1 that sends him back to roving4 ,j4 ,t4 ,p4,p4,s4,-,hawkin s may stay one night with his mother4 ,j4 ,t4 ,you can fancy the excitement into which that letter put me4 ,i was half beside myself with glee2 and if ever ,i despised a man1 it was old ,tom ,redruth1 who could do nothing but grumble and lament4 ,any of the under-gamekeepers would gladly have changed places with him2 but such was not the squire's pleasure1 and the squire's pleasure was like law among them all4 ,nobody but old ,redruth would have dared so much as even to grumble4 ,the next morning he and ,i set out on foot for the ,admiral ,benbow1 and there ,i found my mother in good health and spirits4 ,the captain1 who had so long been a cause of so much discomfort1 was gone where the wicked cease from troubling4 ,the squire had had everything repaired1 and the public rooms and the sign repainted1 and had added some furniture,-above all a beautiful armchair for mother in the bar4 ,he had found her a boy as an apprentice also so that she should not want help while ,i was gone4 ,it was on seeing that boy that ,i understood1 for the first time1 my situation4 ,i had thought up to that moment of the adventures before me1 not at all of the home that ,i was leaving2 and now1 at sight of this clumsy stranger1 who was to stay here in my place beside my mother1 ,i had my first attack of tears4 ,i am afraid ,i led that boy a dog's life1 for as he was new to the work1 ,i had a hundred opportunities of setting him right and putting him down1 and ,i was not slow to profit by them4 ,the night passed1 and the next day1 after dinner1 ,redruth and ,i were afoot again and on the road4 ,i said good-bye to ,mother and the cove where ,i had lived since ,i was born1 and the dear old ,admiral ,benbow,-since he was repainted1 no longer quite so dear4 ,one of my last thoughts was of the captain1 who had so often strode along the beach with his cocked hat1 his sabre-cut cheek1 and his old brass telescope4 ,next moment we had turned the corner and my home was out of sight4 ,the mail picked us up about dusk at the ,royal ,george on the heath4 ,i was wedged in between ,redruth and a stout old gentleman1 and in spite of the swift motion and the cold night air1 ,i must have dozed a great deal from the very first1 and then slept like a log up hill and down dale through stage after stage1 for when ,i was awakened at last it was by a punch in the ribs1 and ,i opened my eyes to find that we were standing still before a large building in a city street and that the day had already broken a long time4 8,where are we80 ,i asked4 8,bristol10 said ,tom4 8,get down40 ,mr4 ,trelawney had taken up his residence at an inn far down the docks to superintend the work upon the schooner4 ,thither we had now to walk1 and our way1 to my great delight1 lay along the quays and beside the great multitude of ships of all sizes and rigs and nations4 ,in one1 sailors were singing at their work1 in another there were men aloft1 high over my head1 hanging to threads that seemed no thicker than a spider's4 ,though ,i had lived by the shore all my life1 ,i seemed never to have been near the sea till then4 ,the smell of tar and salt was something new4 ,i saw the most wonderful figureheads1 that had all been far over the ocean4 ,i saw1 besides1 many old sailors1 with rings in their ears1 and whiskers curled in ringlets1 and tarry pigtails1 and their swaggering1 clumsy sea-walk2 and if ,i had seen as many kings or archbishops ,i could not have been more delighted4 ,and ,i was going to sea myself1 to sea in a schooner1 with a piping boatswain and pig-tailed singing seamen1 to sea1 bound for an unknown island1 and to seek for buried treasure6 ,while ,i was still in this delightful dream1 we came suddenly in front of a large inn and met ,squire ,trelawney1 all dressed out like a sea-officer1 in stout blue cloth1 coming out of the door with a smile on his face and a capital imitation of a sailor's walk4 8,here you are10 he cried1 8and the doctor came last night from ,london4 ,bravo6 ,the ship's company complete60 8,oh1 sir10 cried ,i1 8when do we sail80 8,sail60 says he4 8,we sail tomorrow60 #h ,at the ,sign of the ,spy-glass ,,when ,i had done breakfasting the squire gave me a note addressed to ,john ,silver1 at the sign of the ,spy-glass1 and told me ,i should easily find the place by following the line of the docks and keeping a bright lookout for a little tavern with a large brass telescope for sign4 ,i set off1 overjoyed at this opportunity to see some more of the ships and seamen1 and picked my way among a great crowd of people and carts and bales1 for the dock was now at its busiest1 until ,i found the tavern in question4 ,it was a bright enough little place of entertainment4 ,the sign was newly painted2 the windows had neat red curtains2 the floor was cleanly sanded4 ,there was a street on each side and an open door on both1 which made the large1 low room pretty clear to see in1 in spite of clouds of tobacco smoke4 ,the customers were mostly seafaring men1 and they talked so loudly that ,i hung at the door1 almost afraid to enter4 ,as ,i was waiting1 a man came out of a side room1 and at a glance ,i was sure he must be ,long ,john4 ,his left leg was cut off close by the hip1 and under the left shoulder he carried a crutch1 which he managed with wonderful dexterity1 hopping about upon it like a bird4 ,he was very tall and strong1 with a face as big as a ham,-plain and pale1 but intelligent and smiling4 ,indeed1 he seemed in the most cheerful spirits1 whistling as he moved about among the tables1 with a merry word or a slap on the shoulder for the more favoured of his guests4 ,now1 to tell you the truth1 from the very first mention of ,long ,john in ,squire ,trelawney's letter ,i had taken a fear in my mind that he might prove to be the very one-legged sailor whom ,i had watched for so long at the old ,benbow4 ,but one look at the man before me was enough4 ,i had seen the captain1 and ,black ,dog1 and the blind man1 ,pew1 and ,i thought ,i knew what a buccaneer was like,-a very different creature1 according to me1 from this clean and pleasant-tempered landlord4 ,i plucked up courage at once1 crossed the threshold1 and walked right up to the man where he stood1 propped on his crutch1 talking to a customer4 8,mr4 ,silver1 sir80 ,i asked1 holding out the note4 8,yes1 my lad10 said he2 8such is my name1 to be sure4 ,and who may you be80 ,and then as he saw the squire's letter1 he seemed to me to give something almost like a start4 8,oh60 said he1 quite loud1 and offering his hand4 8,i see4 ,you are our new cabin-boy2 pleased ,i am to see you40 ,and he took my hand in his large firm grasp4 ,just then one of the customers at the far side rose suddenly and made for the door4 ,it was close by him1 and he was out in the street in a moment4 ,but his hurry had attracted my notice1 and ,i recognized him at glance4 ,it was the tallow-faced man1 wanting two fingers1 who had come first to the ,admiral ,benbow4 8,oh10 ,i cried1 8stop him6 ,it's ,black ,dog60 8,i don't care two coppers who he is10 cried ,silver4 8,but he hasn't paid his score4 ,harry1 run and catch him40 ,one of the others who was nearest the door leaped up and started in pursuit4 8,if he were ,admiral ,hawke he shall pay his score10 cried ,silver2 and then1 relinquishing my hand1 8,who did you say he was80 he asked4 8,black what80 8,dog1 sir10 said ,i4 8,has ,mr4 ,trelawney not told you of the buccaneers8 ,he was one of them40 8,so80 cried ,silver4 8,in my house6 ,ben1 run and help ,harry4 ,one of those swabs1 was he8 ,was that you drinking with him1 ,morgan8 ,step up here40 ,the man whom he called ,morgan,-an old1 grey-haired1 mahogany-faced sailor,-came forward pretty sheepishly1 rolling his quid4 8,now1 ,morgan10 said ,long ,john very sternly1 8you never clapped your eyes on that ,black,-,black ,dog before1 did you1 now80 8,not ,i1 sir10 said ,morgan with a salute4 8,you didn't know his name1 did you80 8,no1 sir40 8,by the powers1 ,tom ,morgan1 it's as good for you60 exclaimed the landlord4 8,if you had been mixed up with the like of that1 you would never have put another foot in my house1 you may lay to that4 ,and what was he saying to you80 8,i don't rightly know1 sir10 answered ,morgan4 8,do you call that a head on your shoulders1 or a blessed dead-eye80 cried ,long ,john4 8,don't rightly know1 don't you6 ,perhaps you don't happen to rightly know who you was speaking to1 perhaps8 ,come1 now1 what was he jawing,-v'yages1 cap'ns1 ships8 ,pipe up6 ,what was it80 8,we was a-talkin,0 of keel-hauling10 answered ,morgan4 8,keel-hauling1 was you8 ,and a mighty suitable thing1 too1 and you may lay to that4 ,get back to your place for a lubber1 ,tom40 ,and then1 as ,morgan rolled back to his seat1 ,silver added to me in a confidential whisper that was very flattering1 as ,i thought1 8,he's quite an honest man1 ,tom ,morgan1 on'y stupid4 ,and now10 he ran on again1 aloud1 8let's see,-,black ,dog8 ,no1 ,i don't know the name1 not ,i4 ,yet ,i kind of think ,i've,-yes1 ,i've seen the swab4 ,he used to come here with a blind beggar1 he used40 8,that he did1 you may be sure10 said ,i4 8,i knew that blind man too4 ,his name was ,pew40 8,it was60 cried ,silver1 now quite excited4 8,pew6 ,that were his name for certain4 ,ah1 he looked a shark1 he did6 ,if we run down this ,black ,dog1 now1 there'll be news for ,cap'n ,trelawney6 ,ben's a good runner2 few seamen run better than ,ben4 ,he should run him down1 hand over hand1 by the powers6 ,he talked o,0 keel-hauling1 did he8 .1,i'll keel-haul him60 ,all the time he was jerking out these phrases he was stumping up and down the tavern on his crutch1 slapping tables with his hand1 and giving such a show of excitement as would have convinced an ,old ,bailey judge or a ,bow ,street runner4 ,my suspicions had been thoroughly reawakened on finding ,black ,dog at the ,spy-glass1 and ,i watched the cook narrowly4 ,but he was too deep1 and too ready1 and too clever for me1 and by the time the two men had come back out of breath and confessed that they had lost the track in a crowd1 and been scolded like thieves1 ,i would have gone bail for the innocence of ,long ,john ,silver4 8,see here1 now1 ,hawkins10 said he1 8here's a blessed hard thing on a man like me1 now1 ain't it8 ,there's ,cap'n ,trelawney,-what's he to think8 ,here ,i have this confounded son of a ,dutchman sitting in my own house drinking of my own rum6 ,here you comes and tells me of it plain2 and here ,i let him give us all the slip before my blessed deadlights6 ,now1 ,hawkins1 you do me justice with the cap'n4 ,you're a lad1 you are1 but you're as smart as paint4 ,i see that when you first come in4 ,now1 here it is3 ,what could ,i do1 with this old timber ,i hobble on8 ,when ,i was an ,a ,b master mariner ,i'd have come up alongside of him1 hand over hand1 and broached him to in a brace of old shakes1 ,i would2 but now,-0 ,and then1 all of a sudden1 he stopped1 and his jaw dropped as though he had remembered something4 8,the score60 he burst out4 8,three goes o,0 rum6 ,why1 shiver my timbers1 if ,i hadn't forgotten my score60 ,and falling on a bench1 he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks4 ,i could not help joining1 and we laughed together1 peal after peal1 until the tavern rang again4 8,why1 what a precious old sea-calf ,i am60 he said at last1 wiping his cheeks4 8,you and me should get on well1 ,hawkins1 for ,i'll take my davy ,i should be rated ship's boy4 ,but come now1 stand by to go about4 ,this won't do4 ,dooty is dooty1 messmates4 ,i'll put on my old cockerel hat1 and step along of you to ,cap'n ,trelawney1 and report this here affair4 ,for mind you1 it's serious1 young ,hawkins2 and neither you nor me's come out of it with what ,i should make so bold as to call credit4 ,nor you neither1 says you2 not smart,-none of the pair of us smart4 ,but dash my buttons6 ,that was a good un about my score40 ,and he began to laugh again1 and that so heartily1 that though ,i did not see the joke as he did1 ,i was again obliged to join him in his mirth4 ,on our little walk along the quays1 he made himself the most interesting companion1 telling me about the different ships that we passed by1 their rig1 tonnage1 and nationality1 explaining the work that was going forward,-how one was discharging1 another taking in cargo1 and a third making ready for sea,-and every now and then telling me some little anecdote of ships or seamen or repeating a nautical phrase till ,i had learned it perfectly4 ,i began to see that here was one of the best of possible shipmates4 ,when we got to the inn1 the squire and ,dr4 ,livesey were seated together1 finishing a quart of ale with a toast in it1 before they should go aboard the schooner on a visit of inspection4 ,long ,john told the story from first to last1 with a great deal of spirit and the most perfect truth4 8,that was how it were1 now1 weren't it1 ,hawkins80 he would say1 now and again1 and ,i could always bear him entirely out4 ,the two gentlemen regretted that ,black ,dog had got away1 but we all agreed there was nothing to be done1 and after he had been complimented1 ,long ,john took up his crutch and departed4 8,all hands aboard by four this afternoon10 shouted the squire after him4 8,aye1 aye1 sir10 cried the cook1 in the passage4 8,well1 squire10 said ,dr4 ,livesey1 8,i don't put much faith in your discoveries1 as a general thing2 but ,i will say this1 ,john ,silver suits me40 8,the man's a perfect trump10 declared the squire4 8,and now10 added the doctor1 8,jim may come on board with us1 may he not80 8,to be sure he may10 says squire4 8,take your hat1 ,hawkins1 and we'll see the ship40 #i ,powder and ,arms ,,the .1,hispaniola lay some way out1 and we went under the figureheads and round the sterns of many other ships1 and their cables sometimes grated underneath our keel1 and sometimes swung above us4 ,at last1 however1 we got alongside1 and were met and saluted as we stepped aboard by the mate1 ,mr4 ,arrow1 a brown old sailor with earrings in his ears and a squint4 ,he and the squire were very thick and friendly1 but ,i soon observed that things were not the same between ,mr4 ,trelawney and the captain4 ,this last was a sharp-looking man who seemed angry with everything on board and was soon to tell us why1 for we had hardly got down into the cabin when a sailor followed us4 8,captain ,smollett1 sir1 axing to speak with you10 said he4 8,i am always at the captain's orders4 ,show him in10 said the squire4 ,the captain1 who was close behind his messenger1 entered at once and shut the door behind him4 8,well1 ,captain ,smollett1 what have you to say8 ,all well1 ,i hope2 all shipshape and seaworthy80 8,well1 sir10 said the captain1 8better speak plain1 ,i believe1 even at the risk of offence4 ,i don't like this cruise2 ,i don't like the men2 and ,i don't like my officer4 ,that's short and sweet40 8,perhaps1 sir1 you don't like the ship80 inquired the squire1 very angry1 as ,i could see4 8,i can't speak as to that1 sir1 not having seen her tried10 said the captain4 8,she seems a clever craft2 more ,i can't say40 8,possibly1 sir1 you may not like your employer1 either80 says the squire4 ,but here ,dr4 ,livesey cut in4 8,stay a bit10 said he1 8stay a bit4 ,no use of such questions as that but to produce ill feeling4 ,the captain has said too much or he has said too little1 and ,i'm bound to say that ,i require an explanation of his words4 ,you don't1 you say1 like this cruise4 ,now1 why80 8,i was engaged1 sir1 on what we call sealed orders1 to sail this ship for that gentleman where he should bid me10 said the captain4 8,so far so good4 ,but now ,i find that every man before the mast knows more than ,i do4 ,i don't call that fair1 now1 do you80 8,no10 said ,dr4 ,livesey1 8,i don't40 8,next10 said the captain1 8,i learn we are going after treasure,-hear it from my own hands1 mind you4 ,now1 treasure is ticklish work2 ,i don't like treasure voyages on any account1 and ,i don't like them1 above all1 when they are secret and when " the secret has been told to the parrot40 8,silver's parrot80 asked the squire4 8,it's a way of speaking10 said the captain4 8,blabbed1 ,i mean4 ,it's my belief neither of you gentlemen know what you are about1 but ,i'll tell you my way of it,-life or death1 and a close run40 8,that is all clear1 and1 ,i dare say1 true enough10 replied ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,we take the risk1 but we are not so ignorant as you believe us4 ,next1 you say you don't like the crew4 ,are they not good seamen80 8,i don't like them1 sir10 returned ,captain ,smollett4 8,and ,i think ,i should have had the choosing of my own hands1 if you go to that40 8,perhaps you should10 replied the doctor4 8,my friend should1 perhaps1 have taken you along with him2 but the slight1 if there be one1 was unintentional4 ,and you don't like ,mr4 ,arrow80 8,i don't1 sir4 ,i believe he's a good seaman1 but he's too free with the crew to be a good officer4 ,a mate should keep himself to himself,-shouldn't drink with the men before the mast60 8,do you mean he drinks80 cried the squire4 8,no1 sir10 replied the captain1 8only that he's too familiar40 8,well1 now1 and the short and long of it1 captain80 asked the doctor4 8,tell us what you want40 8,well1 gentlemen1 are you determined to go on this cruise80 8,like iron10 answered the squire4 8,very good10 said the captain4 8,then1 as you've heard me very patiently1 saying things that ,i could not prove1 hear me a few words more4 ,they are putting the powder and the arms in the fore hold4 ,now1 you have a good place under the cabin2 why not put them there8,-first point4 ,then1 you are bringing four of your own people with you1 and they tell me some of them are to be berthed forward4 ,why not give them the berths here beside the cabin8,-second point40 8,any more80 asked ,mr4 ,trelawney4 8,one more10 said the captain4 8,there's been too much blabbing already40 8,far too much10 agreed the doctor4 8,i'll tell you what ,i've heard myself10 continued ,captain ,smollett3 8that you have a map of an island1 that there's crosses on the map to show where treasure is1 and that the island lies,-0 ,and then he named the latitude and longitude exactly4 8,i never told that10 cried the squire1 8to a soul60 8,the hands know it1 sir10 returned the captain4 8,livesey1 that must have been you or ,hawkins10 cried the squire4 8,it doesn't much matter who it was10 replied the doctor4 ,and ,i could see that neither he nor the captain paid much regard to ,mr4 ,trelawney's protestations4 ,neither did ,i1 to be sure1 he was so loose a talker2 yet in this case ,i believe he was really right and that nobody had told the situation of the island4 8,well1 gentlemen10 continued the captain1 8,i don't know who has this map2 but ,i make it a point1 it shall be kept secret even from me and ,mr4 ,arrow4 ,otherwise ,i would ask you to let me resign40 8,i see10 said the doctor4 8,you wish us to keep this matter dark and to make a garrison of the stern part of the ship1 manned with my friend's own people1 and provided with all the arms and powder on board4 ,in other words1 you fear a mutiny40 8,sir10 said ,captain ,smollett1 8with no intention to take offence1 ,i deny your right to put words into my mouth4 ,no captain1 sir1 would be justified in going to sea at all if he had ground enough to say that4 ,as for ,mr4 ,arrow1 ,i believe him thoroughly honest2 some of the men are the same2 all may be for what ,i know4 ,but ,i am responsible for the ship's safety and the life of every man ,jack aboard of her4 ,i see things going1 as ,i think1 not quite right4 ,and ,i ask you to take certain precautions or let me resign my berth4 ,and that's all40 8,captain ,smollett10 began the doctor with a smile1 8did ever you hear the fable of the mountain and the mouse8 ,you'll excuse me1 ,i dare say1 but you remind me of that fable4 ,when you came in here1 ,i'll stake my wig1 you meant more than this40 8,doctor10 said the captain1 8you are smart4 ,when ,i came in here ,i meant to get discharged4 ,i had no thought that ,mr4 ,trelawney would hear a word40 8,no more ,i would10 cried the squire4 8,had ,livesey not been here ,i should have seen you to the deuce4 ,as it is1 ,i have heard you4 ,i will do as you desire1 but ,i think the worse of you40 8,that's as you please1 sir10 said the captain4 8,you'll find ,i do my duty40 ,and with that he took his leave4 8,trelawney10 said the doctor1 8contrary to all my notions1 ,i believed you have managed to get two honest men on board with you,-that man and ,john ,silver40 8,silver1 if you like10 cried the squire2 8but as for that intolerable humbug1 ,i declare ,i think his conduct unmanly1 unsailorly1 and downright un-,english40 8,well10 says the doctor1 8we shall see40 ,when we came on deck1 the men had begun already to take out the arms and powder1 yo-ho-ing at their work1 while the captain and ,mr4 ,arrow stood by superintending4 ,the new arrangement was quite to my liking4 ,the whole schooner had been overhauled2 six berths had been made astern out of what had been the after-part of the main hold2 and this set of cabins was only joined to the galley and forecastle by a sparred passage on the port side4 ,it had been originally meant that the captain1 ,mr4 ,arrow1 ,hunter1 ,joyce1 the doctor1 and the squire were to occupy these six berths4 ,now ,redruth and ,i were to get two of them and ,mr4 ,arrow and the captain were to sleep on deck in the companion1 which had been enlarged on each side till you might almost have called it a round-house4 ,very low it was still1 of course2 but there was room to swing two hammocks1 and even the mate seemed pleased with the arrangement4 ,even he1 perhaps1 had been doubtful as to the crew1 but that is only guess1 for as you shall hear1 we had not long the benefit of his opinion4 ,we were all hard at work1 changing the powder and the berths1 when the last man or two1 and ,long ,john along with them1 came off in a shore-boat4 ,the cook came up the side like a monkey for cleverness1 and as soon as he saw what was doing1 8,so ho1 mates60 says he4 8,what's this80 8,we're a-changing of the powder1 ,jack10 answers one4 8,why1 by the powers10 cried ,long ,john1 8if we do1 we'll miss the morning tide60 8,my orders60 said the captain shortly4 8,you may go below1 my man4 ,hands will want supper40 8,aye1 aye1 sir10 answered the cook1 and touching his forelock1 he disappeared at once in the direction of his galley4 8,that's a good man1 captain10 said the doctor4 8,very likely1 sir10 replied ,captain ,smollett4 8,easy with that1 men,-easy10 he ran on1 to the fellows who were shifting the powder2 and then suddenly observing me examining the swivel we carried amidships1 a long brass nine1 8,here you1 ship's boy10 he cried1 8out o,0 that6 ,off with you to the cook and get some work40 ,and then as ,i was hurrying off ,i heard him say1 quite loudly1 to the doctor1 8,i'll have no favourites on my ship40 ,i assure you ,i was quite of the squire's way of thinking1 and hated the captain deeply4 #aj ,the ,voyage ,,all that night we were in a great bustle getting things stowed in their place1 and boatfuls of the squire's friends1 ,mr4 ,blandly and the like1 coming off to wish him a good voyage and a safe return4 ,we never had a night at the ,admiral ,benbow when ,i had half the work2 and ,i was dog-tired when1 a little before dawn1 the boatswain sounded his pipe and the crew began to man the capstan-bars4 ,i might have been twice as weary1 yet ,i would not have left the deck1 all was so new and interesting to me,-the brief commands1 the shrill note of the whistle1 the men bustling to their places in the glimmer of the ship's lanterns4 8,now1 ,barbecue1 tip us a stave10 cried one voice4 8,the old one10 cried another4 8,aye1 aye1 mates10 said ,long ,john1 who was standing by1 with his crutch under his arm1 and at once broke out in the air and words ,i knew so well3 8,fifteen men on the dead man's chest,-0 ,and then the whole crew bore chorus3,- 8,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum60 ,and at the third 8,ho60 drove the bars before them with a will4 ,even at that exciting moment it carried me back to the old ,admiral ,benbow in a second1 and ,i seemed to hear the voice of the captain piping in the chorus4 ,but soon the anchor was short up2 soon it was hanging dripping at the bows2 soon the sails began to draw1 and the land and shipping to flit by on either side2 and before ,i could lie down to snatch an hour of slumber the .1,hispaniola had begun her voyage to the ,isle of ,treasure4 ,i am not going to relate that voyage in detail4 ,it was fairly prosperous4 ,the ship proved to be a good ship1 the crew were capable seamen1 and the captain thoroughly understood his business4 ,but before we came the length of ,treasure ,island1 two or three things had happened which require to be known4 ,mr4 ,arrow1 first of all1 turned out even worse than the captain had feared4 ,he had no command among the men1 and people did what they pleased with him4 ,but that was by no means the worst of it1 for after a day or two at sea he began to appear on deck with hazy eye1 red cheeks1 stuttering tongue1 and other marks of drunkenness4 ,time after time he was ordered below in disgrace4 ,sometimes he fell and cut himself2 sometimes he lay all day long in his little bunk at one side of the companion2 sometimes for a day or two he would be almost sober and attend to his work at least passably4 ,in the meantime1 we could never make out where he got the drink4 ,that was the ship's mystery4 ,watch him as we pleased1 we could do nothing to solve it2 and when we asked him to his face1 he would only laugh if he were drunk1 and if he were sober deny solemnly that he ever tasted anything but water4 ,he was not only useless as an officer and a bad influence amongst the men1 but it was plain that at this rate he must soon kill himself outright1 so nobody was much surprised1 nor very sorry1 when one dark night1 with a head sea1 he disappeared entirely and was seen no more4 8,overboard60 said the captain4 8,well1 gentlemen1 that saves the trouble of putting him in irons40 ,but there we were1 without a mate2 and it was necessary1 of course1 to advance one of the men4 ,the boatswain1 ,job ,anderson1 was the likeliest man aboard1 and though he kept his old title1 he served in a way as mate4 ,mr4 ,trelawney had followed the sea1 and his knowledge made him very useful1 for he often took a watch himself in easy weather4 ,and the coxswain1 ,israel ,hands1 was a careful1 wily1 old1 experienced seaman who could be trusted at a pinch with almost anything4 ,he was a great confidant of ,long ,john ,silver1 and so the mention of his name leads me on to speak of our ship's cook1 ,barbecue1 as the men called him4 ,aboard ship he carried his crutch by a lanyard round his neck1 to have both hands as free as possible4 ,it was something to see him wedge the foot of the crutch against a bulkhead1 and propped against it1 yielding to every movement of the ship1 get on with his cooking like someone safe ashore4 ,still more strange was it to see him in the heaviest of weather cross the deck4 ,he had a line or two rigged up to help him across the widest spaces,-,long ,john's earrings1 they were called2 and he would hand himself from one place to another1 now using the crutch1 now trailing it alongside by the lanyard1 as quickly as another man could walk4 ,yet some of the men who had sailed with him before expressed their pity to see him so reduced4 8,he's no common man1 ,barbecue10 said the coxswain to me4 8,he had good schooling in his young days and can speak like a book when so minded2 and brave,-a lion's nothing alongside of ,long ,john6 ,i seen him grapple four and knock their heads together,-him unarmed40 ,all the crew respected and even obeyed him4 ,he had a way of talking to each and doing everybody some particular service4 ,to me he was unweariedly kind1 and always glad to see me in the galley1 which he kept as clean as a new pin1 the dishes hanging up burnished and his parrot in a cage in one corner4 8,come away1 ,hawkins10 he would say2 8come and have a yarn with ,john4 ,nobody more welcome than yourself1 my son4 ,sit you down and hear the news4 ,here's ,cap'n ,flint,-,i calls my parrot ,cap'n ,flint1 after the famous buccaneer,-here's ,cap'n ,flint predicting success to our v'yage4 ,wasn't you1 cap'n80 ,and the parrot would say1 with great rapidity1 8,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight60 till you wondered that it was not out of breath1 or till ,john threw his handkerchief over the cage4 8,now1 that bird10 he would say1 8is1 maybe1 two hundred years old1 ,hawkins,-they live forever mostly2 and if anybody's seen more wickedness1 it must be the devil himself4 ,she's sailed with ,england1 the great ,cap'n ,england1 the pirate4 ,she's been at ,madagascar1 and at ,malabar1 and ,surinam1 and ,providence1 and ,portobello4 ,she was at the fishing up of the wrecked plate ships4 ,it's there she learned ,8,pieces of eight1,0 and little wonder2 three hundred and fifty thousand of ,0em1 ,hawkins6 ,she was at the boarding of the viceroy of the ,indies out of ,goa1 she was2 and to look at her you would think she was a babby4 ,but you smelt powder,-didn't you1 cap'n80 8,stand by to go about10 the parrot would scream4 8,ah1 she's a handsome craft1 she is10 the cook would say1 and give her sugar from his pocket1 and then the bird would peck at the bars and swear straight on1 passing belief for wickedness4 8,there10 ,john would add1 8you can't touch pitch and not be mucked1 lad4 ,here's this poor old innocent bird o,0 mine swearing blue fire1 and none the wiser1 you may lay to that4 ,she would swear the same1 in a manner of speaking1 before chaplain40 ,and ,john would touch his forelock with a solemn way he had that made me think he was the best of men4 ,in the meantime1 the squire and ,captain ,smollett were still on pretty distant terms with one another4 ,the squire made no bones about the matter2 he despised the captain4 ,the captain1 on his part1 never spoke but when he was spoken to1 and then sharp and short and dry1 and not a word wasted4 ,he owned1 when driven into a corner1 that he seemed to have been wrong about the crew1 that some of them were as brisk as he wanted to see and all had behaved fairly well4 ,as for the ship1 he had taken a downright fancy to her4 8,she'll lie a point nearer the wind than a man has a right to expect of his own married wife1 sir4 ,but10 he would add1 8all ,i say is1 we're not home again1 and ,i don't like the cruise40 ,the squire1 at this1 would turn away and march up and down the deck1 chin in air4 8,a trifle more of that man10 he would say1 8and ,i shall explode40 ,we had some heavy weather1 which only proved the qualities of the .1,hispaniola4 ,every man on board seemed well content1 and they must have been hard to please if they had been otherwise1 for it is my belief there was never a ship's company so spoiled since ,noah put to sea4 ,double grog was going on the least excuse2 there was duff on odd days1 as1 for instance1 if the squire heard it was any man's birthday1 and always a barrel of apples standing broached in the waist for anyone to help himself that had a fancy4 8,never knew good come of it yet10 the captain said to ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,spoil forecastle hands1 make devils4 ,that's my belief40 ,but good did come of the apple barrel1 as you shall hear1 for if it had not been for that1 we should have had no note of warning and might all have perished by the hand of treachery4 ,this was how it came about4 ,we had run up the trades to get the wind of the island we were after,-,i am not allowed to be more plain,-and now we were running down for it with a bright lookout day and night4 ,it was about the last day of our outward voyage by the largest computation2 some time that night1 or at latest before noon of the morrow1 we should sight the ,treasure ,island4 ,we were heading ,s4,s4,w4 and had a steady breeze abeam and a quiet sea4 ,the .1,hispaniola rolled steadily1 dipping her bowsprit now and then with a whiff of spray4 ,all was drawing alow and aloft2 everyone was in the bravest spirits because we were now so near an end of the first part of our adventure4 ,now1 just after sundown1 when all my work was over and ,i was on my way to my berth1 it occurred to me that ,i should like an apple4 ,i ran on deck4 ,the watch was all forward looking out for the island4 ,the man at the helm was watching the luff of the sail and whistling away gently to himself1 and that was the only sound excepting the swish of the sea against the bows and around the sides of the ship4 ,in ,i got bodily into the apple barrel1 and found there was scarce an apple left2 but sitting down there in the dark1 what with the sound of the waters and the rocking movement of the ship1 ,i had either fallen asleep or was on the point of doing so when a heavy man sat down with rather a clash close by4 ,the barrel shook as he leaned his shoulders against it1 and ,i was just about to jump up when the man began to speak4 ,it was ,silver's voice1 and before ,i had heard a dozen words1 ,i would not have shown myself for all the world1 but lay there1 trembling and listening1 in the extreme of fear and curiosity1 for from these dozen words ,i understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended upon me alone4 #aa ,what ,i ,heard in the ,apple ,barrel 8,,no1 not ,i10 said ,silver4 8,flint was cap'n2 ,i was quartermaster1 along of my timber leg4 ,the same broadside ,i lost my leg1 old ,pew lost his deadlights4 ,it was a master surgeon1 him that ampytated me,-out of college and all,-,latin by the bucket1 and what not2 but he was hanged like a dog1 and sun-dried like the rest1 at ,corso ,castle4 ,that was ,roberts' men1 that was1 and comed of changing names to their ships,-.1,royal .1,fortune and so on4 ,now1 what a ship was christened1 so let her stay1 ,i says4 ,so it was with the .1,cassandra1 as brought us all safe home from ,malabar1 after ,england took the viceroy of the ,indies2 so it was with the old .1,walrus1 ,flint's old ship1 as ,i've seen amuck with the red blood and fit to sink with gold40 8,ah60 cried another voice1 that of the youngest hand on board1 and evidently full of admiration4 8,he was the flower of the flock1 was ,flint60 8,davis was a man too1 by all accounts10 said ,silver4 8,i never sailed along of him2 first with ,england1 then with ,flint1 that's my story2 and now here on my own account1 in a manner of speaking4 ,i laid by nine hundred safe1 from ,england1 and two thousand after ,flint4 ,that ain't bad for a man before the mast,-all safe in bank4 ,0,tain't earning now1 it's saving does it1 you may lay to that4 ,where's all ,england's men now8 ,i dunno4 ,where's ,flint's8 ,why1 most on ,0em aboard here1 and glad to get the duff,-been begging before that1 some on ,0em4 ,old ,pew1 as had lost his sight1 and might have thought shame1 spends twelve hundred pound in a year1 like a lord in ,parliament4 ,where is he now8 ,well1 he's dead now and under hatches2 but for two year before that1 shiver my timbers1 the man was starving6 ,he begged1 and he stole1 and he cut throats1 and starved at that1 by the powers60 8,well1 it ain't much use1 after all10 said the young seaman4 8,0,tain't much use for fools1 you may lay to it,-that1 nor nothing10 cried ,silver4 8,but now1 you look here3 you're young1 you are1 but you're as smart as paint4 ,i see that when ,i set my eyes on you1 and ,i'll talk to you like a man40 ,you may imagine how ,i felt when ,i heard this abominable old rogue addressing another in the very same words of flattery as he had used to myself4 ,i think1 if ,i had been able1 that ,i would have killed him through the barrel4 ,meantime1 he ran on1 little supposing he was overheard4 8,here it is about gentlemen of fortune4 ,they lives rough1 and they risk swinging1 but they eat and drink like fighting-cocks1 and when a cruise is done1 why1 it's hundreds of pounds instead of hundreds of farthings in their pockets4 ,now1 the most goes for rum and a good fling1 and to sea again in their shirts4 ,but that's not the course ,i lay4 ,i puts it all away1 some here1 some there1 and none too much anywheres1 by reason of suspicion4 ,i'm fifty1 mark you2 once back from this cruise1 ,i set up gentleman in earnest4 ,time enough too1 says you4 ,ah1 but ,i've lived easy in the meantime1 never denied myself o,0 nothing heart desires1 and slep,0 soft and ate dainty all my days but when at sea4 ,and how did ,i begin8 ,before the mast1 like you60 8,well10 said the other1 8but all the other money's gone now1 ain't it8 ,you daren't show face in ,bristol after this40 8,why1 where might you suppose it was80 asked ,silver derisively4 8,at ,bristol1 in banks and places10 answered his companion4 8,it were10 said the cook2 8it were when we weighed anchor4 ,but my old missis has it all by now4 ,and the ,spy-glass is sold1 lease and goodwill and rigging2 and the old girl's off to meet me4 ,i would tell you where1 for ,i trust you1 but it'd make jealousy among the mates40 8,and can you trust your missis80 asked the other4 8,gentlemen of fortune10 returned the cook1 8usually trusts little among themselves1 and right they are1 you may lay to it4 ,but ,i have a way with me1 ,i have4 ,when a mate brings a slip on his cable,-one as knows me1 ,i mean,-it won't be in the same world with old ,john4 ,there was some that was feared of ,pew1 and some that was feared of ,flint2 but ,flint his own self was feared of me4 ,feared he was1 and proud4 ,they was the roughest crew afloat1 was ,flint's2 the devil himself would have been feared to go to sea with them4 ,well now1 ,i tell you1 ,i'm not a boasting man1 and you seen yourself how easy ,i keep company1 but when ,i was quartermaster1 .1lambs wasn't the word for ,flint's old buccaneers4 ,ah1 you may be sure of yourself in old ,john's ship40 8,well1 ,i tell you now10 replied the lad1 8,i didn't half a quarter like the job till ,i had this talk with you1 ,john2 but there's my hand on it now40 8,and a brave lad you were1 and smart too10 answered ,silver1 shaking hands so heartily that all the barrel shook1 8and a finer figurehead for a gentleman of fortune ,i never clapped my eyes on40 ,by this time ,i had begun to understand the meaning of their terms4 ,by a 8gentleman of fortune0 they plainly meant neither more nor less than a common pirate1 and the little scene that ,i had overheard was the last act in the corruption of one of the honest hands,-perhaps of the last one left aboard4 ,but on this point ,i was soon to be relieved1 for ,silver giving a little whistle1 a third man strolled up and sat down by the party4 8,dick's square10 said ,silver4 8,oh1 ,i know'd ,dick was square10 returned the voice of the coxswain1 ,israel ,hands4 8,he's no fool1 is ,dick40 ,and he turned his quid and spat4 8,but look here10 he went on1 8here's what ,i want to know1 ,barbecue3 how long are we a-going to stand off and on like a blessed bumboat8 ,i've had a'most enough o,0 ,cap'n ,smollett2 he's hazed me long enough1 by thunder6 ,i want to go into that cabin1 ,i do4 ,i want their pickles and wines1 and that40 8,israel10 said ,silver1 8your head ain't much account1 nor ever was4 ,but you're able to hear1 ,i reckon2 leastways1 your ears is big enough4 ,now1 here's what ,i say3 you'll berth forward1 and you'll live hard1 and you'll speak soft1 and you'll keep sober till ,i give the word2 and you may lay to that1 my son40 8,well1 ,i don't say no1 do ,i80 growled the coxswain4 8,what ,i say is1 when8 ,that's what ,i say40 8,when6 ,by the powers60 cried ,silver4 8,well now1 if you want to know1 ,i'll tell you when4 ,the last moment ,i can manage1 and that's when4 ,here's a first-rate seaman1 ,cap'n ,smollett1 sails the blessed ship for us4 ,here's this squire and doctor with a map and such,-,i don't know where it is1 do ,i8 ,no more do you1 says you4 ,well then1 ,i mean this squire and doctor shall find the stuff1 and help us to get it aboard1 by the powers4 ,then we'll see4 ,if ,i was sure of you all1 sons of double ,dutchmen1 ,i'd have ,cap'n ,smollett navigate us half-way back again before ,i struck40 8,why1 we're all seamen aboard here1 ,i should think10 said the lad ,dick4 8,we're all forecastle hands1 you mean10 snapped ,silver4 8,we can steer a course1 but who's to set one8 ,that's what all you gentlemen split on1 first and last4 ,if ,i had my way1 ,i'd have ,cap'n ,smollett work us back into the trades at least2 then we'd have no blessed miscalculations and a spoonful of water a day4 ,but ,i know the sort you are4 ,i'll finish with ,0em at the island1 as soon's the blunt's on board1 and a pity it is4 ,but you're never happy till you're drunk4 ,split my sides1 ,i've a sick heart to sail with the likes of you60 8,easy all1 ,long ,john10 cried ,israel4 8,who's a-crossin,0 of you80 8,why1 how many tall ships1 think ye1 now1 have ,i seen laid aboard8 ,and how many brisk lads drying in the sun at ,execution ,dock80 cried ,silver4 8,and all for this same hurry and hurry and hurry4 ,you hear me8 ,i seen a thing or two at sea1 ,i have4 ,if you would on'y lay your course1 and a p'int to windward1 you would ride in carriages1 you would4 ,but not you6 ,i know you4 ,you'll have your mouthful of rum tomorrow1 and go hang40 8,everybody knowed you was a kind of a chapling1 ,john2 but there's others as could hand and steer as well as you10 said ,israel4 8,they liked a bit o,0 fun1 they did4 ,they wasn't so high and dry1 nohow1 but took their fling1 like jolly companions every one40 8,so80 says ,silver4 8,well1 and where are they now8 ,pew was that sort1 and he died a beggar-man4 ,flint was1 and he died of rum at ,savannah4 ,ah1 they was a sweet crew1 they was6 ,on'y1 where are they80 8,but10 asked ,dick1 8when we do lay ,0em athwart1 what are we to do with ,0em1 anyhow80 8,there's the man for me60 cried the cook admiringly4 8,that's what ,i call business4 ,well1 what would you think8 ,put ,0em ashore like maroons8 ,that would have been ,england's way4 ,or cut ,0em down like that much pork8 ,that would have been ,flint's1 or ,billy ,bones's40 8,billy was the man for that10 said ,israel4 8,8,dead men don't bite1,0 says he4 ,well1 he's dead now hisself2 he knows the long and short on it now2 and if ever a rough hand come to port1 it was ,billy40 8,right you are10 said ,silver2 8rough and ready4 ,but mark you here1 ,i'm an easy man,-,i'm quite the gentleman1 says you2 but this time it's serious4 ,dooty is dooty1 mates4 ,i give my vote,-death4 ,when ,i'm in ,parlyment and riding in my coach1 ,i don't want none of these sea-lawyers in the cabin a-coming home1 unlooked for1 like the devil at prayers4 ,wait is what ,i say2 but when the time comes1 why1 let her rip60 8,john10 cries the coxswain1 8you're a man60 8,you'll say so1 ,israel when you see10 said ,silver4 8,only one thing ,i claim,-,i claim ,trelawney4 ,i'll wring his calf's head off his body with these hands1 ,dick60 he added1 breaking off4 8,you just jump up1 like a sweet lad1 and get me an apple1 to wet my pipe like40 ,you may fancy the terror ,i was in6 ,i should have leaped out and run for it if ,i had found the strength1 but my limbs and heart alike misgave me4 ,i heard ,dick begin to rise1 and then someone seemingly stopped him1 and the voice of ,hands exclaimed1 8,oh1 stow that6 ,don't you get sucking of that bilge1 ,john4 ,let's have a go of the rum40 8,dick10 said ,silver1 8,i trust you4 ,i've a gauge on the keg1 mind4 ,there's the key2 you fill a pannikin and bring it up40 ,terrified as ,i was1 ,i could not help thinking to myself that this must have been how ,mr4 ,arrow got the strong waters that destroyed him4 ,dick was gone but a little while1 and during his absence ,israel spoke straight on in the cook's ear4 ,it was but a word or two that ,i could catch1 and yet ,i gathered some important news1 for besides other scraps that tended to the same purpose1 this whole clause was audible3 8,not another man of them'll jine40 ,hence there were still faithful men on board4 ,when ,dick returned1 one after another of the trio took the pannikin and drank,-one 8,to luck10 another with a 8,here's to old ,flint10 and ,silver himself saying1 in a kind of song1 8,here's to ourselves1 and hold your luff1 plenty of prizes and plenty of duff40 ,just then a sort of brightness fell upon me in the barrel1 and looking up1 ,i found the moon had risen and was silvering the mizzen-top and shining white on the luff of the fore-sail2 and almost at the same time the voice of the lookout shouted1 8,land ho60 #ab ,council of ,war ,,there was a great rush of feet across the deck4 ,i could hear people tumbling up from the cabin and the forecastle1 and slipping in an instant outside my barrel1 ,i dived behind the fore-sail1 made a double towards the stern1 and came out upon the open deck in time to join ,hunter and ,dr4 ,livesey in the rush for the weather bow4 ,there all hands were already congregated4 ,a belt of fog had lifted almost simultaneously with the appearance of the moon4 ,away to the south-west of us we saw two low hills1 about a couple of miles apart1 and rising behind one of them a third and higher hill1 whose peak was still buried in the fog4 ,all three seemed sharp and conical in figure4 ,so much ,i saw1 almost in a dream1 for ,i had not yet recovered from my horrid fear of a minute or two before4 ,and then ,i heard the voice of ,captain ,smollett issuing orders4 ,the .1,hispaniola was laid a couple of points nearer the wind and now sailed a course that would just clear the island on the east4 8,and now1 men10 said the captain1 when all was sheeted home1 8has any one of you ever seen that land ahead80 8,i have1 sir10 said ,silver4 8,i've watered there with a trader ,i was cook in40 8,the anchorage is on the south1 behind an islet1 ,i fancy80 asked the captain4 8,yes1 sir2 ,skeleton ,island they calls it4 ,it were a main place for pirates once1 and a hand we had on board knowed all their names for it4 ,that hill to the nor'ard they calls the ,fore-mast ,hill2 there are three hills in a row running south'ard,-fore1 main1 and mizzen1 sir4 ,but the main,-that's the big un1 with the cloud on it,-they usually calls the ,spy-glass1 by reason of a lookout they kept when they was in the anchorage cleaning1 for it's there they cleaned their ships1 sir1 asking your pardon40 8,i have a chart here10 says ,captain ,smollett4 8,see if that's the place40 ,long ,john's eyes burned in his head as he took the chart1 but by the fresh look of the paper ,i knew he was doomed to disappointment4 ,this was not the map we found in ,billy ,bones's chest1 but an accurate copy1 complete in all things,-names and heights and soundings,-with the single exception of the red crosses and the written notes4 ,sharp as must have been his annoyance1 ,silver had the strength of mind to hide it4 8,yes1 sir10 said he1 8this is the spot1 to be sure1 and very prettily drawed out4 ,who might have done that1 ,i wonder8 ,the pirates were too ignorant1 ,i reckon4 ,aye1 here it is3 ,8,capt4 ,kidd's ,anchorage,0,-just the name my shipmate called it4 ,there's a strong current runs along the south1 and then away nor'ard up the west coast4 ,right you was1 sir10 says he1 8to haul your wind and keep the weather of the island4 ,leastways1 if such was your intention as to enter and careen1 and there ain't no better place for that in these waters40 8,thank you1 my man10 says ,captain ,smollett4 8,i'll ask you later on to give us a help4 ,you may go40 ,i was surprised at the coolness with which ,john avowed his knowledge of the island1 and ,i own ,i was half-frightened when ,i saw him drawing nearer to myself4 ,he did not know1 to be sure1 that ,i had overheard his council from the apple barrel1 and yet ,i had by this time taken such a horror of his cruelty1 duplicity1 and power that ,i could scarce conceal a shudder when he laid his hand upon my arm4 8,ah10 says he1 8this here is a sweet spot1 this island,-a sweet spot for a lad to get ashore on4 ,you'll bathe1 and you'll climb trees1 and you'll hunt goats1 you will2 and you'll get aloft on them hills like a goat yourself4 ,why1 it makes me young again4 ,i was going to forget my timber leg1 ,i was4 ,it's a pleasant thing to be young and have ten toes1 and you may lay to that4 ,when you want to go a bit of exploring1 you just ask old ,john1 and he'll put up a snack for you to take along40 ,and clapping me in the friendliest way upon the shoulder1 he hobbled off forward and went below4 ,captain ,smollett1 the squire1 and ,dr4 ,livesey were talking together on the quarter-deck1 and anxious as ,i was to tell them my story1 ,i durst not interrupt them openly4 ,while ,i was still casting about in my thoughts to find some probable excuse1 ,dr4 ,livesey called me to his side4 ,he had left his pipe below1 and being a slave to tobacco1 had meant that ,i should fetch it2 but as soon as ,i was near enough to speak and not to be overheard1 ,i broke immediately1 8,doctor1 let me speak4 ,get the captain and squire down to the cabin1 and then make some pretence to send for me4 ,i have terrible news40 ,the doctor changed countenance a little1 but next moment he was master of himself4 8,thank you1 ,jim10 said he quite loudly1 8that was all ,i wanted to know10 as if he had asked me a question4 ,and with that he turned on his heel and rejoined the other two4 ,they spoke together for a little1 and though none of them started1 or raised his voice1 or so much as whistled1 it was plain enough that ,dr4 ,livesey had communicated my request1 for the next thing that ,i heard was the captain giving an order to ,job ,anderson1 and all hands were piped on deck4 8,my lads10 said ,captain ,smollett1 8,i've a word to say to you4 ,this land that we have sighted is the place we have been sailing for4 ,mr4 ,trelawney1 being a very open-handed gentleman1 as we all know1 has just asked me a word or two1 and as ,i was able to tell him that every man on board had done his duty1 alow and aloft1 as ,i never ask to see it done better1 why1 he and ,i and the doctor are going below to the cabin to drink .1your health and luck1 and you'll have grog served out for you to drink .1our health and luck4 ,i'll tell you what ,i think of this3 ,i think it handsome4 ,and if you think as ,i do1 you'll give a good sea-cheer for the gentleman that does it40 ,the cheer followed,-that was a matter of course2 but it rang out so full and hearty that ,i confess ,i could hardly believe these same men were plotting for our blood4 8,one more cheer for ,cap'n ,smollett10 cried ,long ,john when the first had subsided4 ,and this also was given with a will4 ,on the top of that the three gentlemen went below1 and not long after1 word was sent forward that ,jim ,hawkins was wanted in the cabin4 ,i found them all three seated round the table1 a bottle of ,spanish wine and some raisins before them1 and the doctor smoking away1 with his wig on his lap1 and that1 ,i knew1 was a sign that he was agitated4 ,the stern window was open1 for it was a warm night1 and you could see the moon shining behind on the ship's wake4 8,now1 ,hawkins10 said the squire1 8you have something to say4 ,speak up40 ,i did as ,i was bid1 and as short as ,i could make it1 told the whole details of ,silver's conversation4 ,nobody interrupted me till ,i was done1 nor did any one of the three of them make so much as a movement1 but they kept their eyes upon my face from first to last4 8,jim10 said ,dr4 ,livesey1 8take a seat40 ,and they made me sit down at table beside them1 poured me out a glass of wine1 filled my hands with raisins1 and all three1 one after the other1 and each with a bow1 drank my good health1 and their service to me1 for my luck and courage4 8,now1 captain10 said the squire1 8you were right1 and ,i was wrong4 ,i own myself an ass1 and ,i await your orders40 8,no more an ass than ,i1 sir10 returned the captain4 8,i never heard of a crew that meant to mutiny but what showed signs before1 for any man that had an eye in his head to see the mischief and take steps according4 ,but this crew10 he added1 8beats me40 8,captain10 said the doctor1 8with your permission1 that's ,silver4 ,a very remarkable man40 8,he'd look remarkably well from a yard-arm1 sir10 returned the captain4 8,but this is talk2 this don't lead to anything4 ,i see three or four points1 and with ,mr4 ,trelawney's permission1 ,i'll name them40 8,you1 sir1 are the captain4 ,it is for you to speak10 says ,mr4 ,trelawney grandly4 8,first point10 began ,mr4 ,smollett4 8,we must go on1 because we can't turn back4 ,if ,i gave the word to go about1 they would rise at once4 ,second point1 we have time before us,-at least until this treasure's found4 ,third point1 there are faithful hands4 ,now1 sir1 it's got to come to blows sooner or later1 and what ,i propose is to take time by the forelock1 as the saying is1 and come to blows some fine day when they least expect it4 ,we can count1 ,i take it1 on your own home servants1 ,mr4 ,trelawney80 8,as upon myself10 declared the squire4 8,three10 reckoned the captain2 8ourselves make seven1 counting ,hawkins here4 ,now1 about the honest hands80 8,most likely ,trelawney's own men10 said the doctor2 8those he had picked up for himself before he lit on ,silver40 8,nay10 replied the squire4 8,hands was one of mine40 8,i did think ,i could have trusted ,hands10 added the captain4 8,and to think that they're all ,englishmen60 broke out the squire4 8,sir1 ,i could find it in my heart to blow the ship up40 8,well1 gentlemen10 said the captain1 8the best that ,i can say is not much4 ,we must lay to1 if you please1 and keep a bright lookout4 ,it's trying on a man1 ,i know4 ,it would be pleasanter to come to blows4 ,but there's no help for it till we know our men4 ,lay to1 and whistle for a wind1 that's my view40 8,jim here10 said the doctor1 8can help us more than anyone4 ,the men are not shy with him1 and ,jim is a noticing lad40 8,hawkins1 ,i put prodigious faith in you10 added the squire4 ,i began to feel pretty desperate at this1 for ,i felt altogether helpless2 and yet1 by an odd train of circumstances1 it was indeed through me that safety came4 ,in the meantime1 talk as we pleased1 there were only seven out of the twenty-six on whom we knew we could rely2 and out of these seven one was a boy1 so that the grown men on our side were six to their nineteen4 ,,part ,,three,-,my ,shore ,adventure #ac ,how ,my ,shore ,adventure ,began ,,the appearance of the island when ,i came on deck next morning was altogether changed4 ,although the breeze had now utterly ceased1 we had made a great deal of way during the night and were now lying becalmed about half a mile to the south-east of the low eastern coast4 ,grey-coloured woods covered a large part of the surface4 ,this even tint was indeed broken up by streaks of yellow sand-break in the lower lands1 and by many tall trees of the pine family1 out-topping the others,-some singly1 some in clumps2 but the general colouring was uniform and sad4 ,the hills ran up clear above the vegetation in spires of naked rock4 ,all were strangely shaped1 and the ,spy-glass1 which was by three or four hundred feet the tallest on the island1 was likewise the strangest in configuration1 running up sheer from almost every side and then suddenly cut off at the top like a pedestal to put a statue on4 ,the .1,hispaniola was rolling scuppers under in the ocean swell4 ,the booms were tearing at the blocks1 the rudder was banging to and fro1 and the whole ship creaking1 groaning1 and jumping like a manufactory4 ,i had to cling tight to the backstay1 and the world turned giddily before my eyes1 for though ,i was a good enough sailor when there was way on1 this standing still and being rolled about like a bottle was a thing ,i never learned to stand without a qualm or so1 above all in the morning1 on an empty stomach4 ,perhaps it was this,-perhaps it was the look of the island1 with its grey1 melancholy woods1 and wild stone spires1 and the surf that we could both see and hear foaming and thundering on the steep beach,-at least1 although the sun shone bright and hot1 and the shore birds were fishing and crying all around us1 and you would have thought anyone would have been glad to get to land after being so long at sea1 my heart sank1 as the saying is1 into my boots2 and from the first look onward1 ,i hated the very thought of ,treasure ,island4 ,we had a dreary morning's work before us1 for there was no sign of any wind1 and the boats had to be got out and manned1 and the ship warped three or four miles round the corner of the island and up the narrow passage to the haven behind ,skeleton ,island4 ,i volunteered for one of the boats1 where ,i had1 of course1 no business4 ,the heat was sweltering1 and the men grumbled fiercely over their work4 ,anderson was in command of my boat1 and instead of keeping the crew in order1 he grumbled as loud as the worst4 8,well10 he said with an oath1 8it's not forever40 ,i thought this was a very bad sign1 for up to that day the men had gone briskly and willingly about their business2 but the very sight of the island had relaxed the cords of discipline4 ,all the way in1 ,long ,john stood by the steersman and conned the ship4 ,he knew the passage like the palm of his hand1 and though the man in the chains got everywhere more water than was down in the chart1 ,john never hesitated once4 8,there's a strong scour with the ebb10 he said1 8and this here passage has been dug out1 in a manner of speaking1 with a spade40 ,we brought up just where the anchor was in the chart1 about a third of a mile from each shore1 the mainland on one side and ,skeleton ,island on the other4 ,the bottom was clean sand4 ,the plunge of our anchor sent up clouds of birds wheeling and crying over the woods1 but in less than a minute they were down again and all was once more silent4 ,the place was entirely land-locked1 buried in woods1 the trees coming right down to high-water mark1 the shores mostly flat1 and the hilltops standing round at a distance in a sort of amphitheatre1 one here1 one there4 ,two little rivers1 or rather two swamps1 emptied out into this pond1 as you might call it2 and the foliage round that part of the shore had a kind of poisonous brightness4 ,from the ship we could see nothing of the house or stockade1 for they were quite buried among trees2 and if it had not been for the chart on the companion1 we might have been the first that had ever anchored there since the island arose out of the seas4 ,there was not a breath of air moving1 nor a sound but that of the surf booming half a mile away along the beaches and against the rocks outside4 ,a peculiar stagnant smell hung over the anchorage,-a smell of sodden leaves and rotting tree trunks4 ,i observed the doctor sniffing and sniffing1 like someone tasting a bad egg4 8,i don't know about treasure10 he said1 8but ,i'll stake my wig there's fever here40 ,if the conduct of the men had been alarming in the boat1 it became truly threatening when they had come aboard4 ,they lay about the deck growling together in talk4 ,the slightest order was received with a black look and grudgingly and carelessly obeyed4 ,even the honest hands must have caught the infection1 for there was not one man aboard to mend another4 ,mutiny1 it was plain1 hung over us like a thunder-cloud4 ,and it was not only we of the cabin party who perceived the danger4 ,long ,john was hard at work going from group to group1 spending himself in good advice1 and as for example no man could have shown a better4 ,he fairly outstripped himself in willingness and civility2 he was all smiles to everyone4 ,if an order were given1 ,john would be on his crutch in an instant1 with the cheeriest 8,aye1 aye1 sir60 in the world2 and when there was nothing else to do1 he kept up one song after another1 as if to conceal the discontent of the rest4 ,of all the gloomy features of that gloomy afternoon1 this obvious anxiety on the part of ,long ,john appeared the worst4 ,we held a council in the cabin4 8,sir10 said the captain1 8if ,i risk another order1 the whole ship'll come about our ears by the run4 ,you see1 sir1 here it is4 ,i get a rough answer1 do ,i not8 ,well1 if ,i speak back1 pikes will be going in two shakes2 if ,i don't1 ,silver will see there's something under that1 and the game's up4 ,now1 we've only one man to rely on40 8,and who is that80 asked the squire4 8,silver1 sir10 returned the captain2 8he's as anxious as you and ,i to smother things up4 ,this is a tiff2 he'd soon talk ,0em out of it if he had the chance1 and what ,i propose to do is to give him the chance4 ,let's allow the men an afternoon ashore4 ,if they all go1 why we'll fight the ship4 ,if they none of them go1 well then1 we hold the cabin1 and ,god defend the right4 ,if some go1 you mark my words1 sir1 ,silver'll bring ,0em aboard again as mild as lambs40 ,it was so decided2 loaded pistols were served out to all the sure men2 ,hunter1 ,joyce1 and ,redruth were taken into our confidence and received the news with less surprise and a better spirit than we had looked for1 and then the captain went on deck and addressed the crew4 8,my lads10 said he1 8we've had a hot day and are all tired and out of sorts4 ,a turn ashore'll hurt nobody,-the boats are still in the water2 you can take the gigs1 and as many as please may go ashore for the afternoon4 ,i'll fire a gun half an hour before sundown40 ,i believe the silly fellows must have thought they would break their shins over treasure as soon as they were landed1 for they all came out of their sulks in a moment and gave a cheer that started the echo in a faraway hill and sent the birds once more flying and squalling round the anchorage4 ,the captain was too bright to be in the way4 ,he whipped out of sight in a moment1 leaving ,silver to arrange the party1 and ,i fancy it was as well he did so4 ,had he been on deck1 he could no longer so much as have pretended not to understand the situation4 ,it was as plain as day4 ,silver was the captain1 and a mighty rebellious crew he had of it4 ,the honest hands,-and ,i was soon to see it proved that there were such on board,-must have been very stupid fellows4 ,or rather1 ,i suppose the truth was this1 that all hands were disaffected by the example of the ringleaders,-only some more1 some less2 and a few1 being good fellows in the main1 could neither be led nor driven any further4 ,it is one thing to be idle and skulk and quite another to take a ship and murder a number of innocent men4 ,at last1 however1 the party was made up4 ,six fellows were to stay on board1 and the remaining thirteen1 including ,silver1 began to embark4 ,then it was that there came into my head the first of the mad notions that contributed so much to save our lives4 ,if six men were left by ,silver1 it was plain our party could not take and fight the ship2 and since only six were left1 it was equally plain that the cabin party had no present need of my assistance4 ,it occurred to me at once to go ashore4 ,in a jiffy ,i had slipped over the side and curled up in the fore-sheets of the nearest boat1 and almost at the same moment she shoved off4 ,no one took notice of me1 only the bow oar saying1 8,is that you1 ,jim8 ,keep your head down40 ,but ,silver1 from the other boat1 looked sharply over and called out to know if that were me2 and from that moment ,i began to regret what ,i had done4 ,the crews raced for the beach1 but the boat ,i was in1 having some start and being at once the lighter and the better manned1 shot far ahead of her consort1 and the bow had struck among the shore-side trees and ,i had caught a branch and swung myself out and plunged into the nearest thicket while ,silver and the rest were still a hundred yards behind4 8,jim1 ,jim60 ,i heard him shouting4 ,but you may suppose ,i paid no heed2 jumping1 ducking1 and breaking through1 ,i ran straight before my nose till ,i could run no longer4 #ad ,the ,first ,blow ,i ,,was so pleased at having given the slip to ,long ,john that ,i began to enjoy myself and look around me with some interest on the strange land that ,i was in4 ,i had crossed a marshy tract full of willows1 bulrushes1 and odd1 outlandish1 swampy trees2 and ,i had now come out upon the skirts of an open piece of undulating1 sandy country1 about a mile long1 dotted with a few pines and a great number of contorted trees1 not unlike the oak in growth1 but pale in the foliage1 like willows4 ,on the far side of the open stood one of the hills1 with two quaint1 craggy peaks shining vividly in the sun4 ,i now felt for the first time the joy of exploration4 ,the isle was uninhabited2 my shipmates ,i had left behind1 and nothing lived in front of me but dumb brutes and fowls4 ,i turned hither and thither among the trees4 ,here and there were flowering plants1 unknown to me2 here and there ,i saw snakes1 and one raised his head from a ledge of rock and hissed at me with a noise not unlike the spinning of a top4 ,little did ,i suppose that he was a deadly enemy and that the noise was the famous rattle4 ,then ,i came to a long thicket of these oaklike trees,-live1 or evergreen1 oaks1 ,i heard afterwards they should be called,-which grew low along the sand like brambles1 the boughs curiously twisted1 the foliage compact1 like thatch4 ,the thicket stretched down from the top of one of the sandy knolls1 spreading and growing taller as it went1 until it reached the margin of the broad1 reedy fen1 through which the nearest of the little rivers soaked its way into the anchorage4 ,the marsh was steaming in the strong sun1 and the outline of the ,spy-glass trembled through the haze4 ,all at once there began to go a sort of bustle among the bulrushes2 a wild duck flew up with a quack1 another followed1 and soon over the whole surface of the marsh a great cloud of birds hung screaming and circling in the air4 ,i judged at once that some of my shipmates must be drawing near along the borders of the fen4 ,nor was ,i deceived1 for soon ,i heard the very distant and low tones of a human voice1 which1 as ,i continued to give ear1 grew steadily louder and nearer4 ,this put me in a great fear1 and ,i crawled under cover of the nearest live-oak and squatted there1 hearkening1 as silent as a mouse4 ,another voice answered1 and then the first voice1 which ,i now recognized to be ,silver's1 once more took up the story and ran on for a long while in a stream1 only now and again interrupted by the other4 ,by the sound they must have been talking earnestly1 and almost fiercely2 but no distinct word came to my hearing4 ,at last the speakers seemed to have paused and perhaps to have sat down1 for not only did they cease to draw any nearer1 but the birds themselves began to grow more quiet and to settle again to their places in the swamp4 ,and now ,i began to feel that ,i was neglecting my business1 that since ,i had been so foolhardy as to come ashore with these desperadoes1 the least ,i could do was to overhear them at their councils1 and that my plain and obvious duty was to draw as close as ,i could manage1 under the favourable ambush of the crouching trees4 ,i could tell the direction of the speakers pretty exactly1 not only by the sound of their voices but by the behaviour of the few birds that still hung in alarm above the heads of the intruders4 ,crawling on all fours1 ,i made steadily but slowly towards them1 till at last1 raising my head to an aperture among the leaves1 ,i could see clear down into a little green dell beside the marsh1 and closely set about with trees1 where ,long ,john ,silver and another of the crew stood face to face in conversation4 ,the sun beat full upon them4 ,silver had thrown his hat beside him on the ground1 and his great1 smooth1 blond face1 all shining with heat1 was lifted to the other man's in a kind of appeal4 8,mate10 he was saying1 8it's because ,i thinks gold dust of you,-gold dust1 and you may lay to that6 ,if ,i hadn't took to you like pitch1 do you think ,i'd have been here a-warning of you8 ,all's up,-you can't make nor mend2 it's to save your neck that ,i'm a-speaking1 and if one of the wild uns knew it1 where'd ,i be1 ,tom,-now1 tell me1 where'd ,i be80 8,silver10 said the other man,-and ,i observed he was not only red in the face1 but spoke as hoarse as a crow1 and his voice shook too1 like a taut rope,-8,silver10 says he1 8you're old1 and you're honest1 or has the name for it2 and you've money too1 which lots of poor sailors hasn't2 and you're brave1 or ,i'm mistook4 ,and will you tell me you'll let yourself be led away with that kind of a mess of swabs8 ,not you6 ,as sure as ,god sees me1 ,i'd sooner lose my hand4 ,if ,i turn agin my dooty,-0 ,and then all of a sudden he was interrupted by a noise4 ,i had found one of the honest hands,-well1 here1 at that same moment1 came news of another4 ,far away out in the marsh there arose1 all of a sudden1 a sound like the cry of anger1 then another on the back of it2 and then one horrid1 long-drawn scream4 ,the rocks of the ,spy-glass re-echoed it a score of times2 the whole troop of marsh-birds rose again1 darkening heaven1 with a simultaneous whirr2 and long after that death yell was still ringing in my brain1 silence had re-established its empire1 and only the rustle of the redescending birds and the boom of the distant surges disturbed the languor of the afternoon4 ,tom had leaped at the sound1 like a horse at the spur1 but ,silver had not winked an eye4 ,he stood where he was1 resting lightly on his crutch1 watching his companion like a snake about to spring4 8,john60 said the sailor1 stretching out his hand4 8,hands off60 cried ,silver1 leaping back a yard1 as it seemed to me1 with the speed and security of a trained gymnast4 8,hands off1 if you like1 ,john ,silver10 said the other4 8,it's a black conscience that can make you feared of me4 ,but in heaven's name1 tell me1 what was that80 8,that80 returned ,silver1 smiling away1 but warier than ever1 his eye a mere pin-point in his big face1 but gleaming like a crumb of glass4 8,that8 ,oh1 ,i reckon that'll be ,alan40 ,and at this point ,tom flashed out like a hero4 8,alan60 he cried4 8,then rest his soul for a true seaman6 ,and as for you1 ,john ,silver1 long you've been a mate of mine1 but you're mate of mine no more4 ,if ,i die like a dog1 ,i'll die in my dooty4 ,you've killed ,alan1 have you8 ,kill me too1 if you can4 ,but ,i defies you40 ,and with that1 this brave fellow turned his back directly on the cook and set off walking for the beach4 ,but he was not destined to go far4 ,with a cry ,john seized the branch of a tree1 whipped the crutch out of his armpit1 and sent that uncouth missile hurtling through the air4 ,it struck poor ,tom1 point foremost1 and with stunning violence1 right between the shoulders in the middle of his back4 ,his hands flew up1 he gave a sort of gasp1 and fell4 ,whether he were injured much or little1 none could ever tell4 ,like enough1 to judge from the sound1 his back was broken on the spot4 ,but he had no time given him to recover4 ,silver1 agile as a monkey even without leg or crutch1 was on the top of him next moment and had twice buried his knife up to the hilt in that defenceless body4 ,from my place of ambush1 ,i could hear him pant aloud as he struck the blows4 ,i do not know what it rightly is to faint1 but ,i do know that for the next little while the whole world swam away from before me in a whirling mist2 ,silver and the birds1 and the tall ,spy-glass hilltop1 going round and round and topsy-turvy before my eyes1 and all manner of bells ringing and distant voices shouting in my ear4 ,when ,i came again to myself the monster had pulled himself together1 his crutch under his arm1 his hat upon his head4 ,just before him ,tom lay motionless upon the sward2 but the murderer minded him not a whit1 cleansing his blood-stained knife the while upon a wisp of grass4 ,everything else was unchanged1 the sun still shining mercilessly on the steaming marsh and the tall pinnacle of the mountain1 and ,i could scarce persuade myself that murder had been actually done and a human life cruelly cut short a moment since before my eyes4 ,but now ,john put his hand into his pocket1 brought out a whistle1 and blew upon it several modulated blasts that rang far across the heated air4 ,i could not tell1 of course1 the meaning of the signal1 but it instantly awoke my fears4 ,more men would be coming4 ,i might be discovered4 ,they had already slain two of the honest people2 after ,tom and ,alan1 might not ,i come next8 ,instantly ,i began to extricate myself and crawl back again1 with what speed and silence ,i could manage1 to the more open portion of the wood4 ,as ,i did so1 ,i could hear hails coming and going between the old buccaneer and his comrades1 and this sound of danger lent me wings4 ,as soon as ,i was clear of the thicket1 ,i ran as ,i never ran before1 scarce minding the direction of my flight1 so long as it led me from the murderers2 and as ,i ran1 fear grew and grew upon me until it turned into a kind of frenzy4 ,indeed1 could anyone be more entirely lost than ,i8 ,when the gun fired1 how should ,i dare to go down to the boats among those fiends1 still smoking from their crime8 ,would not the first of them who saw me wring my neck like a snipe's8 ,would not my absence itself be an evidence to them of my alarm1 and therefore of my fatal knowledge8 ,it was all over1 ,i thought4 ,good-bye to the .1,hispaniola2 good-bye to the squire1 the doctor1 and the captain6 ,there was nothing left for me but death by starvation or death by the hands of the mutineers4 ,all this while1 as ,i say1 ,i was still running1 and without taking any notice1 ,i had drawn near to the foot of the little hill with the two peaks and had got into a part of the island where the live-oaks grew more widely apart and seemed more like forest trees in their bearing and dimensions4 ,mingled with these were a few scattered pines1 some fifty1 some nearer seventy1 feet high4 ,the air too smelt more freshly than down beside the marsh4 ,and here a fresh alarm brought me to a standstill with a thumping heart4 #ae ,the ,man of the ,island ,,from the side of the hill1 which was here steep and stony1 a spout of gravel was dislodged and fell rattling and bounding through the trees4 ,my eyes turned instinctively in that direction1 and ,i saw a figure leap with great rapidity behind the trunk of a pine4 ,what it was1 whether bear or man or monkey1 ,i could in no wise tell4 ,it seemed dark and shaggy2 more ,i knew not4 ,but the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand4 ,i was now1 it seemed1 cut off upon both sides2 behind me the murderers1 before me this lurking nondescript4 ,and immediately ,i began to prefer the dangers that ,i knew to those ,i knew not4 ,silver himself appeared less terrible in contrast with this creature of the woods1 and ,i turned on my heel1 and looking sharply behind me over my shoulder1 began to retrace my steps in the direction of the boats4 ,instantly the figure reappeared1 and making a wide circuit1 began to head me off4 ,i was tired1 at any rate2 but had ,i been as fresh as when ,i rose1 ,i could see it was in vain for me to contend in speed with such an adversary4 ,from trunk to trunk the creature flitted like a deer1 running manlike on two legs1 but unlike any man that ,i had ever seen1 stooping almost double as it ran4 ,yet a man it was1 ,i could no longer be in doubt about that4 ,i began to recall what ,i had heard of cannibals4 ,i was within an ace of calling for help4 ,but the mere fact that he was a man1 however wild1 had somewhat reassured me1 and my fear of ,silver began to revive in proportion4 ,i stood still1 therefore1 and cast about for some method of escape2 and as ,i was so thinking1 the recollection of my pistol flashed into my mind4 ,as soon as ,i remembered ,i was not defenceless1 courage glowed again in my heart and ,i set my face resolutely for this man of the island and walked briskly towards him4 ,he was concealed by this time behind another tree trunk2 but he must have been watching me closely1 for as soon as ,i began to move in his direction he reappeared and took a step to meet me4 ,then he hesitated1 drew back1 came forward again1 and at last1 to my wonder and confusion1 threw himself on his knees and held out his clasped hands in supplication4 ,at that ,i once more stopped4 8,who are you80 ,i asked4 8,ben ,gunn10 he answered1 and his voice sounded hoarse and awkward1 like a rusty lock4 8,i'm poor ,ben ,gunn1 ,i am2 and ,i haven't spoke with a ,christian these three years40 ,i could now see that he was a white man like myself and that his features were even pleasing4 ,his skin1 wherever it was exposed1 was burnt by the sun2 even his lips were black1 and his fair eyes looked quite startling in so dark a face4 ,of all the beggar-men that ,i had seen or fancied1 he was the chief for raggedness4 ,he was clothed with tatters of old ship's canvas and old sea-cloth1 and this extraordinary patchwork was all held together by a system of the most various and incongruous fastenings1 brass buttons1 bits of stick1 and loops of tarry gaskin4 ,about his waist he wore an old brass-buckled leather belt1 which was the one thing solid in his whole accoutrement4 8,three years60 ,i cried4 8,were you shipwrecked80 8,nay1 mate10 said he2 8marooned40 ,i had heard the word1 and ,i knew it stood for a horrible kind of punishment common enough among the buccaneers1 in which the offender is put ashore with a little powder and shot and left behind on some desolate and distant island4 8,marooned three years agone10 he continued1 8and lived on goats since then1 and berries1 and oysters4 ,wherever a man is1 says ,i1 a man can do for himself4 ,but1 mate1 my heart is sore for ,christian diet4 ,you mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you1 now8 ,no8 ,well1 many's the long night ,i've dreamed of cheese,-toasted1 mostly,-and woke up again1 and here ,i were40 8,if ever ,i can get aboard again10 said ,i1 8you shall have cheese by the stone40 ,all this time he had been feeling the stuff of my jacket1 smoothing my hands1 looking at my boots1 and generally1 in the intervals of his speech1 showing a childish pleasure in the presence of a fellow creature4 ,but at my last words he perked up into a kind of startled slyness4 8,if ever you can get aboard again1 says you80 he repeated4 8,why1 now1 who's to hinder you80 8,not you1 ,i know10 was my reply4 8,and right you was10 he cried4 8,now you,-what do you call yourself1 mate80 8,jim10 ,i told him4 8,jim1 ,jim10 says he1 quite pleased apparently4 8,well1 now1 ,jim1 ,i've lived that rough as you'd be ashamed to hear of4 ,now1 for instance1 you wouldn't think ,i had had a pious mother,-to look at me80 he asked4 8,why1 no1 not in particular10 ,i answered4 8,ah1 well10 said he1 8but ,i had,-remarkable pious4 ,and ,i was a civil1 pious boy1 and could rattle off my catechism that fast1 as you couldn't tell one word from another4 ,and here's what it come to1 ,jim1 and it begun with chuck-farthen on the blessed grave-stones6 ,that's what it begun with1 but it went further'n that2 and so my mother told me1 and predicked the whole1 she did1 the pious woman6 ,but it were ,providence that put me here4 ,i've thought it all out in this here lonely island1 and ,i'm back on piety4 ,you don't catch me tasting rum so much1 but just a thimbleful for luck1 of course1 the first chance ,i have4 ,i'm bound ,i'll be good1 and ,i see the way to4 ,and1 ,jim0,-looking all round him and lowering his voice to a whisper,-8,i'm rich40 ,i now felt sure that the poor fellow had gone crazy in his solitude1 and ,i suppose ,i must have shown the feeling in my face1 for he repeated the statement hotly3 8,rich6 ,rich6 ,i says4 ,and ,i'll tell you what3 ,i'll make a man of you1 ,jim4 ,ah1 ,jim1 you'll bless your stars1 you will1 you was the first that found me60 ,and at this there came suddenly a lowering shadow over his face1 and he tightened his grasp upon my hand and raised a forefinger threateningly before my eyes4 8,now1 ,jim1 you tell me true3 that ain't ,flint's ship80 he asked4 ,at this ,i had a happy inspiration4 ,i began to believe that ,i had found an ally1 and ,i answered him at once4 8,it's not ,flint's ship1 and ,flint is dead2 but ,i'll tell you true1 as you ask me,-there are some of ,flint's hands aboard2 worse luck for the rest of us40 8,not a man,-with one,-leg80 he gasped4 8,silver80 ,i asked4 8,ah1 ,silver60 says he4 8,that were his name40 8,he's the cook1 and the ringleader too40 ,he was still holding me by the wrist1 and at that he give it quite a wring4 8,if you was sent by ,long ,john10 he said1 8,i'm as good as pork1 and ,i know it4 ,but where was you1 do you suppose80 ,i had made my mind up in a moment1 and by way of answer told him the whole story of our voyage and the predicament in which we found ourselves4 ,he heard me with the keenest interest1 and when ,i had done he patted me on the head4 8,you're a good lad1 ,jim10 he said2 8and you're all in a clove hitch1 ain't you8 ,well1 you just put your trust in ,ben ,gunn,-,ben ,gunn's the man to do it4 ,would you think it likely1 now1 that your squire would prove a liberal-minded one in case of help,-him being in a clove hitch1 as you remark80 ,i told him the squire was the most liberal of men4 8,aye1 but you see10 returned ,ben ,gunn1 8,i didn't mean giving me a gate to keep1 and a suit of livery clothes1 and such2 that's not my mark1 ,jim4 ,what ,i mean is1 would he be likely to come down to the toon of1 say one thousand pounds out of money that's as good as a man's own already80 8,i am sure he would10 said ,i4 8,as it was1 all hands were to share40 8.1,and a passage home80 he added with a look of great shrewdness4 8,why10 ,i cried1 8the squire's a gentleman4 ,and besides1 if we got rid of the others1 we should want you to help work the vessel home40 8,ah10 said he1 8so you would40 ,and he seemed very much relieved4 8,now1 ,i'll tell you what10 he went on4 8,so much ,i'll tell you1 and no more4 ,i were in ,flint's ship when he buried the treasure2 he and six along,-six strong seamen4 ,they was ashore nigh on a week1 and us standing off and on in the old .1,walrus4 ,one fine day up went the signal1 and here come ,flint by himself in a little boat1 and his head done up in a blue scarf4 ,the sun was getting up1 and mortal white he looked about the cutwater4 ,but1 there he was1 you mind1 and the six all dead,-dead and buried4 ,how he done it1 not a man aboard us could make out4 ,it was battle1 murder1 and sudden death1 leastways,-him against six4 ,billy ,bones was the mate2 ,long ,john1 he was quartermaster2 and they asked him where the treasure was4 ,8,ah1,0 says he1 ,8you can go ashore1 if you like1 and stay1,0 he says2 ,8but as for the ship1 she'll beat up for more1 by thunder6,0 ,that's what he said4 8,well1 ,i was in another ship three years back1 and we sighted this island4 ,8,boys1,0 said ,i1 ,8here's ,flint's treasure2 let's land and find it4,0 ,the cap'n was displeased at that1 but my messmates were all of a mind and landed4 ,twelve days they looked for it1 and every day they had the worse word for me1 until one fine morning all hands went aboard4 ,8,as for you1 ,benjamin ,gunn1,0 says they1 ,8here's a musket1,0 they says1 ,8and a spade1 and pick-axe4 ,you can stay here and find ,flint's money for yourself1,0 they says4 8,well1 ,jim1 three years have ,i been here1 and not a bite of ,christian diet from that day to this4 ,but now1 you look here2 look at me4 ,do ,i look like a man before the mast8 ,no1 says you4 ,nor ,i weren't1 neither1 ,i says40 ,and with that he winked and pinched me hard4 8,just you mention them words to your squire1 ,jim10 he went on4 8,nor he weren't1 neither,-that's the words4 ,three years he were the man of this island1 light and dark1 fair and rain2 and sometimes he would maybe think upon a prayer "1 and sometimes he would maybe think of his old mother1 so be as she's alive "2 but the most part of ,gunn's time ",-the most part of his time was took up with another matter4 ,and then you'll give him a nip1 like ,i do40 ,and he pinched me again in the most confidential manner4 8,then10 he continued1 8then you'll up1 and you'll say this3 ,gunn is a good man "1 and he puts a precious sight more confidence,-a precious sight1 mind that,-in a gen'leman born than in these gen'leman of fortune1 having been one hisself40 8,well10 ,i said1 8,i don't understand one word that you've been saying4 ,but that's neither here nor there2 for how am ,i to get on board80 8,ah10 said he1 8that's the hitch1 for sure4 ,well1 there's my boat1 that ,i made with my two hands4 ,i keep her under the white rock4 ,if the worst come to the worst1 we might try that after dark4 ,hi60 he broke out4 8,what's that80 ,for just then1 although the sun had still an hour or two to run1 all the echoes of the island awoke and bellowed to the thunder of a cannon4 8,they have begun to fight60 ,i cried4 8,follow me40 ,and ,i began to run towards the anchorage1 my terrors all forgotten1 while close at my side the marooned man in his goatskins trotted easily and lightly4 8,left1 left10 says he2 8keep to your left hand1 mate ,jim6 ,under the trees with you6 ,theer's where ,i killed my first goat4 ,they don't come down here now2 they're all mastheaded on them mountings for the fear of ,benjamin ,gunn4 ,ah6 ,and there's the cetemery0,-cemetery1 he must have meant4 8,you see the mounds8 ,i come here and prayed1 nows and thens1 when ,i thought maybe a ,sunday would be about doo4 ,it weren't quite a chapel1 but it seemed more solemn like2 and then1 says you1 ,ben ,gunn was short-handed,-no chapling1 nor so much as a ,bible and a flag1 you says40 ,so he kept talking as ,i ran1 neither expecting nor receiving any answer4 ,the cannon-shot was followed after a considerable interval by a volley of small arms4 ,another pause1 and then1 not a quarter of a mile in front of me1 ,i beheld the ,union ,jack flutter in the air above a wood4 ,,part ,,four,-,the ,stockade #af ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,how the ,ship ,was ,abandoned ,,it was about half past one,-three bells in the sea phrase,-that the two boats went ashore from the .1,hispaniola4 ,the captain1 the squire1 and ,i were talking matters over in the cabin4 ,had there been a breath of wind1 we should have fallen on the six mutineers who were left aboard with us1 slipped our cable1 and away to sea4 ,but the wind was wanting2 and to complete our helplessness1 down came ,hunter with the news that ,jim ,hawkins had slipped into a boat and was gone ashore with the rest4 ,it never occurred to us to doubt ,jim ,hawkins1 but we were alarmed for his safety4 ,with the men in the temper they were in1 it seemed an even chance if we should see the lad again4 ,we ran on deck4 ,the pitch was bubbling in the seams2 the nasty stench of the place turned me sick2 if ever a man smelt fever and dysentery1 it was in that abominable anchorage4 ,the six scoundrels were sitting grumbling under a sail in the forecastle2 ashore we could see the gigs made fast and a man sitting in each1 hard by where the river runs in4 ,one of them was whistling 8,lillibullero40 ,waiting was a strain1 and it was decided that ,hunter and ,i should go ashore with the jolly-boat in quest of information4 ,the gigs had leaned to their right1 but ,hunter and ,i pulled straight in1 in the direction of the stockade upon the chart4 ,the two who were left guarding their boats seemed in a bustle at our appearance2 8,lillibullero0 stopped off1 and ,i could see the pair discussing what they ought to do4 ,had they gone and told ,silver1 all might have turned out differently2 but they had their orders1 ,i suppose1 and decided to sit quietly where they were and hark back again to 8,lillibullero40 ,there was a slight bend in the coast1 and ,i steered so as to put it between us2 even before we landed we had thus lost sight of the gigs4 ,i jumped out and came as near running as ,i durst1 with a big silk handkerchief under my hat for coolness' sake and a brace of pistols ready primed for safety4 ,i had not gone a hundred yards when ,i reached the stockade4 ,this was how it was3 a spring of clear water rose almost at the top of a knoll4 ,well1 on the knoll1 and enclosing the spring1 they had clapped a stout loghouse fit to hold two score of people on a pinch and loopholed for musketry on either side4 ,all round this they had cleared a wide space1 and then the thing was completed by a paling six feet high1 without door or opening1 too strong to pull down without time and labour and too open to shelter the besiegers4 ,the people in the log-house had them in every way2 they stood quiet in shelter and shot the others like partridges4 ,all they wanted was a good watch and food2 for1 short of a complete surprise1 they might have held the place against a regiment4 ,what particularly took my fancy was the spring4 ,for though we had a good enough place of it in the cabin of the .1,hispaniola1 with plenty of arms and ammunition1 and things to eat1 and excellent wines1 there had been one thing overlooked,-we had no water4 ,i was thinking this over when there came ringing over the island the cry of a man at the point of death4 ,i was not new to violent death,-,i have served his ,royal ,highness the ,duke of ,cumberland1 and got a wound myself at ,fontenoy,-but ,i know my pulse went dot and carry one4 8,jim ,hawkins is gone10 was my first thought4 ,it is something to have been an old soldier1 but more still to have been a doctor4 ,there is no time to dilly-dally in our work4 ,and so now ,i made up my mind instantly1 and with no time lost returned to the shore and jumped on board the jolly-boat4 ,by good fortune ,hunter pulled a good oar4 ,we made the water fly1 and the boat was soon alongside and ,i aboard the schooner4 ,i found them all shaken1 as was natural4 ,the squire was sitting down1 as white as a sheet1 thinking of the harm he had led us to1 the good soul6 ,and one of the six forecastle hands was little better4 8,there's a man10 says ,captain ,smollett1 nodding towards him1 8new to this work4 ,he came nigh-hand fainting1 doctor1 when he heard the cry4 ,another touch of the rudder and that man would join us40 ,i told my plan to the captain1 and between us we settled on the details of its accomplishment4 ,we put old ,redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle1 with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection4 ,hunter brought the boat round under the stern-port1 and ,joyce and ,i set to work loading her with powder tins1 muskets1 bags of biscuits1 kegs of pork1 a cask of cognac1 and my invaluable medicine chest4 ,in the meantime1 the squire and the captain stayed on deck1 and the latter hailed the coxswain1 who was the principal man aboard4 8,mr4 ,hands10 he said1 8here are two of us with a brace of pistols each4 ,if any one of you six make a signal of any description1 that man's dead40 ,they were a good deal taken aback1 and after a little consultation one and all tumbled down the fore companion1 thinking no doubt to take us on the rear4 ,but when they saw ,redruth waiting for them in the sparred galley1 they went about ship at once1 and a head popped out again on deck4 8,down1 dog60 cries the captain4 ,and the head popped back again2 and we heard no more1 for the time1 of these six very faint-hearted seamen4 ,by this time1 tumbling things in as they came1 we had the jolly-boat loaded as much as we dared4 ,joyce and ,i got out through the stern-port1 and we made for shore again as fast as oars could take us4 ,this second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore4 8,lillibullero0 was dropped again2 and just before we lost sight of them behind the little point1 one of them whipped ashore and disappeared4 ,i had half a mind to change my plan and destroy their boats1 but ,i feared that ,silver and the others might be close at hand1 and all might very well be lost by trying for too much4 ,we had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to provision the block house4 ,all three made the first journey1 heavily laden1 and tossed our stores over the palisade4 ,then1 leaving ,joyce to guard them,-one man1 to be sure1 but with half a dozen muskets,-,hunter and ,i returned to the jolly-boat and loaded ourselves once more4 ,so we proceeded without pausing to take breath1 till the whole cargo was bestowed1 when the two servants took up their position in the block house1 and ,i1 with all my power1 sculled back to the .1,hispaniola4 ,that we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring than it really was4 ,they had the advantage of numbers1 of course1 but we had the advantage of arms4 ,not one of the men ashore had a musket1 and before they could get within range for pistol shooting1 we flattered ourselves we should be able to give a good account of a half-dozen at least4 ,the squire was waiting for me at the stern window1 all his faintness gone from him4 ,he caught the painter and made it fast1 and we fell to loading the boat for our very lives4 ,pork1 powder1 and biscuit was the cargo1 with only a musket and a cutlass apiece for the squire and me and ,redruth and the captain4 ,the rest of the arms and powder we dropped overboard in two fathoms and a half of water1 so that we could see the bright steel shining far below us in the sun1 on the clean1 sandy bottom4 ,by this time the tide was beginning to ebb1 and the ship was swinging round to her anchor4 ,voices were heard faintly halloaing in the direction of the two gigs2 and though this reassured us for ,joyce and ,hunter1 who were well to the eastward1 it warned our party to be off4 ,redruth retreated from his place in the gallery and dropped into the boat1 which we then brought round to the ship's counter1 to be handier for ,captain ,smollett4 8,now1 men10 said he1 8do you hear me80 ,there was no answer from the forecastle4 8,it's to you1 ,abraham ,gray,-it's to you ,i am speaking40 ,still no reply4 8,gray10 resumed ,mr4 ,smollett1 a little louder1 8,i am leaving this ship1 and ,i order you to follow your captain4 ,i know you are a good man at bottom1 and ,i dare say not one of the lot of you's as bad as he makes out4 ,i have my watch here in my hand2 ,i give you thirty seconds to join me in40 ,there was a pause4 8,come1 my fine fellow10 continued the captain2 8don't hang so long in stays4 ,i'm risking my life and the lives of these good gentlemen every second40 ,there was a sudden scuffle1 a sound of blows1 and out burst ,abraham ,gray with a knife cut on the side of the cheek1 and came running to the captain like a dog to the whistle4 8,i'm with you1 sir10 said he4 ,and the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard of us1 and we had shoved off and given way4 ,we were clear out of the ship1 but not yet ashore in our stockade4 #ag ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,the ,jolly-boat's ,last ,trip ,,this fifth trip was quite different from any of the others4 ,in the first place1 the little gallipot of a boat that we were in was gravely overloaded4 ,five grown men1 and three of them,-,trelawney1 ,redruth1 and the captain,-over six feet high1 was already more than she was meant to carry4 ,add to that the powder1 pork1 and bread-bags4 ,the gunwale was lipping astern4 ,several times we shipped a little water1 and my breeches and the tails of my coat were all soaking wet before we had gone a hundred yards4 ,the captain made us trim the boat1 and we got her to lie a little more evenly4 ,all the same1 we were afraid to breathe4 ,in the second place1 the ebb was now making,-a strong rippling current running westward through the basin1 and then south'ard and seaward down the straits by which we had entered in the morning4 ,even the ripples were a danger to our overloaded craft1 but the worst of it was that we were swept out of our true course and away from our proper landing-place behind the point4 ,if we let the current have its way we should come ashore beside the gigs1 where the pirates might appear at any moment4 8,i cannot keep her head for the stockade1 sir10 said ,i to the captain4 ,i was steering1 while he and ,redruth1 two fresh men1 were at the oars4 8,the tide keeps washing her down4 ,could you pull a little stronger80 8,not without swamping the boat10 said he4 8,you must bear up1 sir1 if you please,-bear up until you see you're gaining40 ,i tried and found by experiment that the tide kept sweeping us westward until ,i had laid her head due east1 or just about right angles to the way we ought to go4 8,we'll never get ashore at this rate10 said ,i4 8,if it's the only course that we can lie1 sir1 we must even lie it10 returned the captain4 8,we must keep upstream4 ,you see1 sir10 he went on1 8if once we dropped to leeward of the landing-place1 it's hard to say where we should get ashore1 besides the chance of being boarded by the gigs2 whereas1 the way we go the current must slacken1 and then we can dodge back along the shore40 8,the current's less a'ready1 sir10 said the man ,gray1 who was sitting in the fore-sheets2 8you can ease her off a bit40 8,thank you1 my man10 said ,i1 quite as if nothing had happened1 for we had all quietly made up our minds to treat him like one of ourselves4 ,suddenly the captain spoke up again1 and ,i thought his voice was a little changed4 8,the gun60 said he4 8,i have thought of that10 said ,i1 for ,i made sure he was thinking of a bombardment of the fort4 8,they could never get the gun ashore1 and if they did1 they could never haul it through the woods40 8,look astern1 doctor10 replied the captain4 ,we had entirely forgotten the long nine2 and there1 to our horror1 were the five rogues busy about her1 getting off her jacket1 as they called the stout tarpaulin cover under which she sailed4 ,not only that1 but it flashed into my mind at the same moment that the round-shot and the powder for the gun had been left behind1 and a stroke with an axe would put it all into the possession of the evil ones abroad4 8,israel was ,flint's gunner10 said ,gray hoarsely4 ,at any risk1 we put the boat's head direct for the landing-place4 ,by this time we had got so far out of the run of the current that we kept steerage way even at our necessarily gentle rate of rowing1 and ,i could keep her steady for the goal4 ,but the worst of it was that with the course ,i now held we turned our broadside instead of our stern to the .1,hispaniola and offered a target like a barn door4 ,i could hear as well as see that brandy-faced rascal ,israel ,hands plumping down a round-shot on the deck4 8,who's the best shot80 asked the captain4 8,mr4 ,trelawney1 out and away10 said ,i4 8,mr4 ,trelawney1 will you please pick me off one of these men1 sir8 ,hands1 if possible10 said the captain4 ,trelawney was as cool as steel4 ,he looked to the priming of his gun4 8,now10 cried the captain1 8easy with that gun1 sir1 or you'll swamp the boat4 ,all hands stand by to trim her when he aims40 ,the squire raised his gun1 the rowing ceased1 and we leaned over to the other side to keep the balance1 and all was so nicely contrived that we did not ship a drop4 ,they had the gun1 by this time1 slewed round upon the swivel1 and ,hands1 who was at the muzzle with the rammer1 was in consequence the most exposed4 ,however1 we had no luck1 for just as ,trelawney fired1 down he stooped1 the ball whistled over him1 and it was one of the other four who fell4 ,the cry he gave was echoed not only by his companions on board but by a great number of voices from the shore1 and looking in that direction ,i saw the other pirates trooping out from among the trees and tumbling into their places in the boats4 8,here come the gigs1 sir10 said ,i4 8,give way1 then10 cried the captain4 8,we mustn't mind if we swamp her now4 ,if we can't get ashore1 all's up40 8,only one of the gigs is being manned1 sir10 ,i added2 8the crew of the other most likely going round by shore to cut us off40 8,they'll have a hot run1 sir10 returned the captain4 8,jack ashore1 you know4 ,it's not them ,i mind2 it's the round-shot4 ,carpet bowls6 ,my lady's maid couldn't miss4 ,tell us1 squire1 when you see the match1 and we'll hold water40 ,in the meanwhile we had been making headway at a good pace for a boat so overloaded1 and we had shipped but little water in the process4 ,we were now close in2 thirty or forty strokes and we should beach her1 for the ebb had already disclosed a narrow belt of sand below the clustering trees4 ,the gig was no longer to be feared2 the little point had already concealed it from our eyes4 ,the ebb-tide1 which had so cruelly delayed us1 was now making reparation and delaying our assailants4 ,the one source of danger was the gun4 8,if ,i durst10 said the captain1 8,i'd stop and pick off another man40 ,but it was plain that they meant nothing should delay their shot4 ,they had never so much as looked at their fallen comrade1 though he was not dead1 and ,i could see him trying to crawl away4 8,ready60 cried the squire4 8,hold60 cried the captain1 quick as an echo4 ,and he and ,redruth backed with a great heave that sent her stern bodily under water4 ,the report fell in at the same instant of time4 ,this was the first that ,jim heard1 the sound of the squire's shot not having reached him4 ,where the ball passed1 not one of us precisely knew1 but ,i fancy it must have been over our heads and that the wind of it may have contributed to our disaster4 ,at any rate1 the boat sank by the stern1 quite gently1 in three feet of water1 leaving the captain and myself1 facing each other1 on our feet4 ,the other three took complete headers1 and came up again drenched and bubbling4 ,so far there was no great harm4 ,no lives were lost1 and we could wade ashore in safety4 ,but there were all our stores at the bottom1 and to make things worse1 only two guns out of five remained in a state for service4 ,mine ,i had snatched from my knees and held over my head1 by a sort of instinct4 ,as for the captain1 he had carried his over his shoulder by a bandoleer1 and like a wise man1 lock uppermost4 ,the other three had gone down with the boat4 ,to add to our concern1 we heard voices already drawing near us in the woods along shore1 and we had not only the danger of being cut off from the stockade in our half-crippled state but the fear before us whether1 if ,hunter and ,joyce were attacked by half a dozen1 they would have the sense and conduct to stand firm4 ,hunter was steady1 that we knew2 ,joyce was a doubtful case,-a pleasant1 polite man for a valet and to brush one's clothes1 but not entirely fitted for a man of war4 ,with all this in our minds1 we waded ashore as fast as we could1 leaving behind us the poor jolly-boat and a good half of all our powder and provisions4 #ah ,narrative ,continued by the ,doctor3 ,end of the ,first ,day's ,fighting ,,we made our best speed across the strip of wood that now divided us from the stockade1 and at every step we took the voices of the buccaneers rang nearer4 ,soon we could hear their footfalls as they ran and the cracking of the branches as they breasted across a bit of thicket4 ,i began to see we should have a brush for it in earnest and looked to my priming4 8,captain10 said ,i1 8,trelawney is the dead shot4 ,give him your gun2 his own is useless40 ,they exchanged guns1 and ,trelawney1 silent and cool as he had been since the beginning of the bustle1 hung a moment on his heel to see that all was fit for service4 ,at the same time1 observing ,gray to be unarmed1 ,i handed him my cutlass4 ,it did all our hearts good to see him spit in his hand1 knit his brows1 and make the blade sing through the air4 ,it was plain from every line of his body that our new hand was worth his salt4 ,forty paces farther we came to the edge of the wood and saw the stockade in front of us4 ,we struck the enclosure about the middle of the south side1 and almost at the same time1 seven mutineers,-,job ,anderson1 the boatswain1 at their head,-appeared in full cry at the southwestern corner4 ,they paused as if taken aback1 and before they recovered1 not only the squire and ,i1 but ,hunter and ,joyce from the block house1 had time to fire4 ,the four shots came in rather a scattering volley1 but they did the business3 one of the enemy actually fell1 and the rest1 without hesitation1 turned and plunged into the trees4 ,after reloading1 we walked down the outside of the palisade to see to the fallen enemy4 ,he was stone dead,-shot through the heart4 ,we began to rejoice over our good success when just at that moment a pistol cracked in the bush1 a ball whistled close past my ear1 and poor ,tom ,redruth stumbled and fell his length on the ground4 ,both the squire and ,i returned the shot1 but as we had nothing to aim at1 it is probable we only wasted powder4 ,then we reloaded and turned our attention to poor ,tom4 ,the captain and ,gray were already examining him1 and ,i saw with half an eye that all was over4 ,i believe the readiness of our return volley had scattered the mutineers once more1 for we were suffered without further molestation to get the poor old gamekeeper hoisted over the stockade and carried1 groaning and bleeding1 into the log-house4 ,poor old fellow1 he had not uttered one word of surprise1 complaint1 fear1 or even acquiescence from the very beginning of our troubles till now1 when we had laid him down in the log-house to die4 ,he had lain like a ,trojan behind his mattress in the gallery2 he had followed every order silently1 doggedly1 and well2 he was the oldest of our party by a score of years2 and now1 sullen1 old1 serviceable servant1 it was he that was to die4 ,the squire dropped down beside him on his knees and kissed his hand1 crying like a child4 8,be ,i going1 doctor80 he asked4 8,tom1 my man10 said ,i1 8you're going home40 8,i wish ,i had had a lick at them with the gun first10 he replied4 8,tom10 said the squire1 8say you forgive me1 won't you80 8,would that be respectful like1 from me to you1 squire80 was the answer4 8,howsoever1 so be it1 amen60 ,after a little while of silence1 he said he thought somebody might read a prayer4 8,it's the custom1 sir10 he added apologetically4 ,and not long after1 without another word1 he passed away4 ,in the meantime the captain1 whom ,i had observed to be wonderfully swollen about the chest and pockets1 had turned out a great many various stores,-the ,british colours1 a ,bible1 a coil of stoutish rope1 pen1 ink1 the log-book1 and pounds of tobacco4 ,he had found a longish fir-tree lying felled and trimmed in the enclosure1 and with the help of ,hunter he had set it up at the corner of the log-house where the trunks crossed and made an angle4 ,then1 climbing on the roof1 he had with his own hand bent and run up the colours4 ,this seemed mightily to relieve him4 ,he re-entered the log-house and set about counting up the stores as if nothing else existed4 ,but he had an eye on ,tom's passage for all that1 and as soon as all was over1 came forward with another flag and reverently spread it on the body4 8,don't you take on1 sir10 he said1 shaking the squire's hand4 8,all's well with him2 no fear for a hand that's been shot down in his duty to captain and owner4 ,it mayn't be good divinity1 but it's a fact40 ,then he pulled me aside4 8,dr4 ,livesey10 he said1 8in how many weeks do you and squire expect the consort80 ,i told him it was a question not of weeks but of months1 that if we were not back by the end of ,august ,blandly was to send to find us1 but neither sooner nor later4 8,you can calculate for yourself10 ,i said4 8,why1 yes10 returned the captain1 scratching his head2 8and making a large allowance1 sir1 for all the gifts of ,providence1 ,i should say we were pretty close hauled40 8,how do you mean80 ,i asked4 8,it's a pity1 sir1 we lost that second load4 ,that's what ,i mean10 replied the captain4 8,as for powder and shot1 we'll do4 ,but the rations are short1 very short,-so short1 ,dr4 ,livesey1 that we're perhaps as well without that extra mouth40 ,and he pointed to the dead body under the flag4 ,just then1 with a roar and a whistle1 a round-shot passed high above the roof of the log-house and plumped far beyond us in the wood4 8,oho60 said the captain4 8,blaze away6 ,you've little enough powder already1 my lads40 ,at the second trial1 the aim was better1 and the ball descended inside the stockade1 scattering a cloud of sand but doing no further damage4 8,captain10 said the squire1 8the house is quite invisible from the ship4 ,it must be the flag they are aiming at4 ,would it not be wiser to take it in80 8,strike my colours60 cried the captain4 8,no1 sir1 not ,i02 and as soon as he had said the words1 ,i think we all agreed with him4 ,for it was not only a piece of stout1 seamanly1 good feeling2 it was good policy besides and showed our enemies that we despised their cannonade4 ,all through the evening they kept thundering away4 ,ball after ball flew over or fell short or kicked up the sand in the enclosure1 but they had to fire so high that the shot fell dead and buried itself in the soft sand4 ,we had no ricochet to fear1 and though one popped in through the roof of the log-house and out again through the floor1 we soon got used to that sort of horse-play and minded it no more than cricket4 8,there is one good thing about all this10 observed the captain2 8the wood in front of us is likely clear4 ,the ebb has made a good while2 our stores should be uncovered4 ,volunteers to go and bring in pork40 ,gray and ,hunter were the first to come forward4 ,well armed1 they stole out of the stockade1 but it proved a useless mission4 ,the mutineers were bolder than we fancied or they put more trust in ,israel's gunnery4 ,for four or five of them were busy carrying off our stores and wading out with them to one of the gigs that lay close by1 pulling an oar or so to hold her steady against the current4 ,silver was in the stern-sheets in command2 and every man of them was now provided with a musket from some secret magazine of their own4 ,the captain sat down to his log1 and here is the beginning of the entry3 ,alexander ,smollett1 master2 ,david ,livesey1 ship's doctor2 ,abraham ,gray1 carpenter's mate2 ,john ,trelawney1 owner2 ,john ,hunter and ,richard ,joyce1 owner's servants1 landsmen,-being all that is left faithful of the ship's company,-with stores for ten days at short rations1 came ashore this day and flew ,british colours on the log-house in ,treasure ,island4 ,thomas ,redruth1 owner's servant1 landsman1 shot by the mutineers2 ,james ,hawkins1 cabin-boy,- ,and at the same time1 ,i was wondering over poor ,jim ,hawkins' fate4 ,a hail on the land side4 8,somebody hailing us10 said ,hunter1 who was on guard4 8,doctor6 ,squire6 ,captain6 ,hullo1 ,hunter1 is that you80 came the cries4 ,and ,i ran to the door in time to see ,jim ,hawkins1 safe and sound1 come climbing over the stockade4 #ai ,narrative ,resumed by ,jim ,hawkins3 ,the ,garrison in the ,stockade ,,as soon as ,ben ,gunn saw the colours he came to a halt1 stopped me by the arm1 and sat down4 8,now10 said he1 8there's your friends1 sure enough40 8,far more likely it's the mutineers10 ,i answered4 8,that60 he cried4 8,why1 in a place like this1 where nobody puts in but gen'lemen of fortune1 ,silver would fly the ,jolly ,roger1 you don't make no doubt of that4 ,no1 that's your friends4 ,there's been blows too1 and ,i reckon your friends has had the best of it2 and here they are ashore in the old stockade1 as was made years and years ago by ,flint4 ,ah1 he was the man to have a headpiece1 was ,flint6 ,barring rum1 his match were never seen4 ,he were afraid of none1 not he2 on'y ,silver,-,silver was that genteel40 8,well10 said ,i1 8that may be so1 and so be it2 all the more reason that ,i should hurry on and join my friends40 8,nay1 mate10 returned ,ben1 8not you4 ,you're a good boy1 or ,i'm mistook2 but you're on'y a boy1 all told4 ,now1 ,ben ,gunn is fly4 ,rum wouldn't bring me there1 where you're going,-not rum wouldn't1 till ,i see your born gen'leman and gets it on his word of honour4 ,and you won't forget my words2 ,8,a precious sight "1 a precious sight more confidence,0,-and then nips him40 ,and he pinched me the third time with the same air of cleverness4 8,and when ,ben ,gunn is wanted1 you know where to find him1 ,jim4 ,just wheer you found him today4 ,and him that comes is to have a white thing in his hand1 and he's to come alone4 ,oh6 ,and you'll say this3 ,8,ben ,gunn1,0 says you1 ,8has reasons of his own4,00 8,well10 said ,i1 8,i believe ,i understand4 ,you have something to propose1 and you wish to see the squire or the doctor1 and you're to be found where ,i found you4 ,is that all80 8,and when8 says you10 he added4 8,why1 from about noon observation to about six bells40 8,good10 said ,i1 8and now may ,i go80 8,you won't forget80 he inquired anxiously4 8,precious sight1 and reasons of his own1 says you4 ,reasons of his own2 that's the mainstay2 as between man and man4 ,well1 then0,-still holding me,-8,i reckon you can go1 ,jim4 ,and1 ,jim1 if you was to see ,silver1 you wouldn't go for to sell ,ben ,gunn8 ,wild horses wouldn't draw it from you8 ,no1 says you4 ,and if them pirates camp ashore1 ,jim1 what would you say but there'd be widders in the morning80 ,here he was interrupted by a loud report1 and a cannonball came tearing through the trees and pitched in the sand not a hundred yards from where we two were talking4 ,the next moment each of us had taken to his heels in a different direction4 ,for a good hour to come frequent reports shook the island1 and balls kept crashing through the woods4 ,i moved from hiding-place to hiding-place1 always pursued1 or so it seemed to me1 by these terrifying missiles4 ,but towards the end of the bombardment1 though still ,i durst not venture in the direction of the stockade1 where the balls fell oftenest1 ,i had begun1 in a manner1 to pluck up my heart again1 and after a long detour to the east1 crept down among the shore-side trees4 ,the sun had just set1 the sea breeze was rustling and tumbling in the woods and ruffling the grey surface of the anchorage2 the tide1 too1 was far out1 and great tracts of sand lay uncovered2 the air1 after the heat of the day1 chilled me through my jacket4 ,the .1,hispaniola still lay where she had anchored2 but1 sure enough1 there was the ,jolly ,roger,-the black flag of piracy,-flying from her peak4 ,even as ,i looked1 there came another red flash and another report that sent the echoes clattering1 and one more round-shot whistled through the air4 ,it was the last of the cannonade4 ,i lay for some time watching the bustle which succeeded the attack4 ,men were demolishing something with axes on the beach near the stockade,-the poor jolly-boat1 ,i afterwards discovered4 ,away1 near the mouth of the river1 a great fire was glowing among the trees1 and between that point and the ship one of the gigs kept coming and going1 the men1 whom ,i had seen so gloomy1 shouting at the oars like children4 ,but there was a sound in their voices which suggested rum4 ,at length ,i thought ,i might return towards the stockade4 ,i was pretty far down on the low1 sandy spit that encloses the anchorage to the east1 and is joined at half-water to ,skeleton ,island2 and now1 as ,i rose to my feet1 ,i saw1 some distance further down the spit and rising from among low bushes1 an isolated rock1 pretty high1 and peculiarly white in colour4 ,it occurred to me that this might be the white rock of which ,ben ,gunn had spoken and that some day or other a boat might be wanted and ,i should know where to look for one4 ,then ,i skirted among the woods until ,i had regained the rear1 or shoreward side1 of the stockade1 and was soon warmly welcomed by the faithful party4 ,i had soon told my story and began to look about me4 ,the log-house was made of unsquared trunks of pine,-roof1 walls1 and floor4 ,the latter stood in several places as much as a foot or a foot and a half above the surface of the sand4 ,there was a porch at the door1 and under this porch the little spring welled up into an artificial basin of a rather odd kind,-no other than a great ship's kettle of iron1 with the bottom knocked out1 and sunk 8to her bearings10 as the captain said1 among the sand4 ,little had been left besides the framework of the house1 but in one corner there was a stone slab laid down by way of hearth and an old rusty iron basket to contain the fire4 ,the slopes of the knoll and all the inside of the stockade had been cleared of timber to build the house1 and we could see by the stumps what a fine and lofty grove had been destroyed4 ,most of the soil had been washed away or buried in drift after the removal of the trees2 only where the streamlet ran down from the kettle a thick bed of moss and some ferns and little creeping bushes were still green among the sand4 ,very close around the stockade,-too close for defence1 they said,-the wood still flourished high and dense1 all of fir on the land side1 but towards the sea with a large admixture of live-oaks4 ,the cold evening breeze1 of which ,i have spoken1 whistled through every chink of the rude building and sprinkled the floor with a continual rain of fine sand4 ,there was sand in our eyes1 sand in our teeth1 sand in our suppers1 sand dancing in the spring at the bottom of the kettle1 for all the world like porridge beginning to boil4 ,our chimney was a square hole in the roof2 it was but a little part of the smoke that found its way out1 and the rest eddied about the house and kept us coughing and piping the eye4 ,add to this that ,gray1 the new man1 had his face tied up in a bandage for a cut he had got in breaking away from the mutineers and that poor old ,tom ,redruth1 still unburied1 lay along the wall1 stiff and stark1 under the ,union ,jack4 ,if we had been allowed to sit idle1 we should all have fallen in the blues1 but ,captain ,smollett was never the man for that4 ,all hands were called up before him1 and he divided us into watches4 ,the doctor and ,gray and ,i for one2 the squire1 ,hunter1 and ,joyce upon the other4 ,tired though we all were1 two were sent out for firewood2 two more were set to dig a grave for ,redruth2 the doctor was named cook2 ,i was put sentry at the door2 and the captain himself went from one to another1 keeping up our spirits and lending a hand wherever it was wanted4 ,from time to time the doctor came to the door for a little air and to rest his eyes1 which were almost smoked out of his head1 and whenever he did so1 he had a word for me4 8,that man ,smollett10 he said once1 8is a better man than ,i am4 ,and when ,i say that it means a deal1 ,jim40 ,another time he came and was silent for a while4 ,then he put his head on one side1 and looked at me4 8,is this ,ben ,gunn a man80 he asked4 8,i do not know1 sir10 said ,i4 8,i am not very sure whether he's sane40 8,if there's any doubt about the matter1 he is10 returned the doctor4 8,a man who has been three years biting his nails on a desert island1 ,jim1 can't expect to appear as sane as you or me4 ,it doesn't lie in human nature4 ,was it cheese you said he had a fancy for80 8,yes1 sir1 cheese10 ,i answered4 8,well1 ,jim10 says he1 8just see the good that comes of being dainty in your food4 ,you've seen my snuff-box1 haven't you8 ,and you never saw me take snuff1 the reason being that in my snuff-box ,i carry a piece of ,parmesan cheese,-a cheese made in ,italy1 very nutritious4 ,well1 that's for ,ben ,gunn60 ,before supper was eaten we buried old ,tom in the sand and stood round him for a while bare-headed in the breeze4 ,a good deal of firewood had been got in1 but not enough for the captain's fancy1 and he shook his head over it and told us we 8must get back to this tomorrow rather livelier40 ,then1 when we had eaten our pork and each had a good stiff glass of brandy grog1 the three chiefs got together in a corner to discuss our prospects4 ,it appears they were at their wits' end what to do1 the stores being so low that we must have been starved into surrender long before help came4 ,but our best hope1 it was decided1 was to kill off the buccaneers until they either hauled down their flag or ran away with the .1,hispaniola4 ,from nineteen they were already reduced to fifteen1 two others were wounded1 and one at least,-the man shot beside the gun,-severely wounded1 if he were not dead4 ,every time we had a crack at them1 we were to take it1 saving our own lives1 with the extremest care4 ,and besides that1 we had two able allies,-rum and the climate4 ,as for the first1 though we were about half a mile away1 we could hear them roaring and singing late into the night2 and as for the second1 the doctor staked his wig that1 camped where they were in the marsh and unprovided with remedies1 the half of them would be on their backs before a week4 8,so10 he added1 8if we are not all shot down first they'll be glad to be packing in the schooner4 ,it's always a ship1 and they can get to buccaneering again1 ,i suppose40 8,first ship that ever ,i lost10 said ,captain ,smollett4 ,i was dead tired1 as you may fancy2 and when ,i got to sleep1 which was not till after a great deal of tossing1 ,i slept like a log of wood4 ,the rest had long been up and had already breakfasted and increased the pile of firewood by about half as much again when ,i was wakened by a bustle and the sound of voices4 8,flag of truce60 ,i heard someone say2 and then1 immediately after1 with a cry of surprise1 8,silver himself60 ,and at that1 up ,i jumped1 and rubbing my eyes1 ran to a loophole in the wall4 #bj ,silver's ,embassy ,,sure enough1 there were two men just outside the stockade1 one of them waving a white cloth1 the other1 no less a person than ,silver himself1 standing placidly by4 ,it was still quite early1 and the coldest morning that ,i think ,i ever was abroad in,-a chill that pierced into the marrow4 ,the sky was bright and cloudless overhead1 and the tops of the trees shone rosily in the sun4 ,but where ,silver stood with his lieutenant1 all was still in shadow1 and they waded knee-deep in a low white vapour that had crawled during the night out of the morass4 ,the chill and the vapour taken together told a poor tale of the island4 ,it was plainly a damp1 feverish1 unhealthy spot4 8,keep indoors1 men10 said the captain4 8,ten to one this is a trick40 ,then he hailed the buccaneer4 8,who goes8 ,stand1 or we fire40 8,flag of truce10 cried ,silver4 ,the captain was in the porch1 keeping himself carefully out of the way of a treacherous shot1 should any be intended4 ,he turned and spoke to us1 8,doctor's watch on the lookout4 ,dr4 ,livesey take the north side1 if you please2 ,jim1 the east2 ,gray1 west4 ,the watch below1 all hands to load muskets4 ,lively1 men1 and careful40 ,and then he turned again to the mutineers4 8,and what do you want with your flag of truce80 he cried4 ,this time it was the other man who replied4 8,cap'n ,silver1 sir1 to come on board and make terms10 he shouted4 8,cap'n ,silver6 ,don't know him4 ,who's he80 cried the captain4 ,and we could hear him adding to himself1 8,cap'n1 is it8 ,my heart1 and here's promotion60 ,long ,john answered for himself4 8,me1 sir4 ,these poor lads have chosen me cap'n1 after your desertion1 sir0,-laying a particular emphasis upon the word 8desertion40 8,we're willing to submit1 if we can come to terms1 and no bones about it4 ,all ,i ask is your word1 ,cap'n ,smollett1 to let me safe and sound out of this here stockade1 and one minute to get out o,0 shot before a gun is fired40 8,my man10 said ,captain ,smollett1 8,i have not the slightest desire to talk to you4 ,if you wish to talk to me1 you can come1 that's all4 ,if there's any treachery1 it'll be on your side1 and the ,lord help you40 8,that's enough1 cap'n10 shouted ,long ,john cheerily4 8,a word from you's enough4 ,i know a gentleman1 and you may lay to that40 ,we could see the man who carried the flag of truce attempting to hold ,silver back4 ,nor was that wonderful1 seeing how cavalier had been the captain's answer4 ,but ,silver laughed at him aloud and slapped him on the back as if the idea of alarm had been absurd4 ,then he advanced to the stockade1 threw over his crutch1 got a leg up1 and with great vigour and skill succeeded in surmounting the fence and dropping safely to the other side4 ,i will confess that ,i was far too much taken up with what was going on to be of the slightest use as sentry2 indeed1 ,i had already deserted my eastern loophole and crept up behind the captain1 who had now seated himself on the threshold1 with his elbows on his knees1 his head in his hands1 and his eyes fixed on the water as it bubbled out of the old iron kettle in the sand4 ,he was whistling 8,come1 ,lasses and ,lads40 ,silver had terrible hard work getting up the knoll4 ,what with the steepness of the incline1 the thick tree stumps1 and the soft sand1 he and his crutch were as helpless as a ship in stays4 ,but he stuck to it like a man in silence1 and at last arrived before the captain1 whom he saluted in the handsomest style4 ,he was tricked out in his best2 an immense blue coat1 thick with brass buttons1 hung as low as to his knees1 and a fine laced hat was set on the back of his head4 8,here you are1 my man10 said the captain1 raising his head4 8,you had better sit down40 8,you ain't a-going to let me inside1 cap'n80 complained ,long ,john4 8,it's a main cold morning1 to be sure1 sir1 to sit outside upon the sand40 8,why1 ,silver10 said the captain1 8if you had pleased to be an honest man1 you might have been sitting in your galley4 ,it's your own doing4 ,you're either my ship's cook,-and then you were treated handsome,-or ,cap'n ,silver1 a common mutineer and pirate1 and then you can go hang60 8,well1 well1 cap'n10 returned the sea-cook1 sitting down as he was bidden on the sand1 8you'll have to give me a hand up again1 that's all4 ,a sweet pretty place you have of it here4 ,ah1 there's ,jim6 ,the top of the morning to you1 ,jim4 ,doctor1 here's my service4 ,why1 there you all are together like a happy family1 in a manner of speaking40 8,if you have anything to say1 my man1 better say it10 said the captain4 8,right you were1 ,cap'n ,smollett10 replied ,silver4 8,dooty is dooty1 to be sure4 ,well now1 you look here1 that was a good lay of yours last night4 ,i don't deny it was a good lay4 ,some of you pretty handy with a handspike-end4 ,and ,i'll not deny neither but what some of my people was shook,-maybe all was shook2 maybe ,i was shook myself2 maybe that's why ,i'm here for terms4 ,but you mark me1 cap'n1 it won't do twice1 by thunder6 ,we'll have to do sentry-go and ease off a point or so on the rum4 ,maybe you think we were all a sheet in the wind's eye4 ,but ,i'll tell you ,i was sober2 ,i was on'y dog tired2 and if ,i'd awoke a second sooner1 ,i'd ,0a caught you at the act1 ,i would4 ,he wasn't dead when ,i got round to him1 not he40 8,well80 says ,captain ,smollett as cool as can be4 ,all that ,silver said was a riddle to him1 but you would never have guessed it from his tone4 ,as for me1 ,i began to have an inkling4 ,ben ,gunn's last words came back to my mind4 ,i began to suppose that he had paid the buccaneers a visit while they all lay drunk together round their fire1 and ,i reckoned up with glee that we had only fourteen enemies to deal with4 8,well1 here it is10 said ,silver4 8,we want that treasure1 and we'll have it,-that's our point6 ,you would just as soon save your lives1 ,i reckon2 and that's yours4 ,you have a chart1 haven't you80 8,that's as may be10 replied the captain4 8,oh1 well1 you have1 ,i know that10 returned ,long ,john4 8,you needn't be so husky with a man2 there ain't a particle of service in that1 and you may lay to it4 ,what ,i mean is1 we want your chart4 ,now1 ,i never meant you no harm1 myself40 8,that won't do with me1 my man10 interrupted the captain4 8,we know exactly what you meant to do1 and we don't care1 for now1 you see1 you can't do it40 ,and the captain looked at him calmly and proceeded to fill a pipe4 8,if ,abe ,gray,-0 ,silver broke out4 8,avast there60 cried ,mr4 ,smollett4 8,gray told me nothing1 and ,i asked him nothing2 and what's more1 ,i would see you and him and this whole island blown clean out of the water into blazes first4 ,so there's my mind for you1 my man1 on that40 ,this little whiff of temper seemed to cool ,silver down4 ,he had been growing nettled before1 but now he pulled himself together4 8,like enough10 said he4 8,i would set no limits to what gentlemen might consider shipshape1 or might not1 as the case were4 ,and seein,0 as how you are about to take a pipe1 cap'n1 ,i'll make so free as do likewise40 ,and he filled a pipe and lighted it2 and the two men sat silently smoking for quite a while1 now looking each other in the face1 now stopping their tobacco1 now leaning forward to spit4 ,it was as good as the play to see them4 8,now10 resumed ,silver1 8here it is4 ,you give us the chart to get the treasure by1 and drop shooting poor seamen and stoving of their heads in while asleep4 ,you do that1 and we'll offer you a choice4 ,either you come aboard along of us1 once the treasure shipped1 and then ,i'll give you my affy-davy1 upon my word of honour1 to clap you somewhere safe ashore4 ,or if that ain't to your fancy1 some of my hands being rough and having old scores on account of hazing1 then you can stay here1 you can4 ,we'll divide stores with you1 man for man2 and ,i'll give my affy-davy1 as before to speak the first ship ,i sight1 and send ,0em here to pick you up4 ,now1 you'll own that's talking4 ,handsomer you couldn't look to get1 now you4 ,and ,i hope0,-raising his voice,-8that all hands in this here block house will overhaul my words1 for what is spoke to one is spoke to all40 ,captain ,smollett rose from his seat and knocked out the ashes of his pipe in the palm of his left hand4 8,is that all80 he asked4 8,every last word1 by thunder60 answered ,john4 8,refuse that1 and you've seen the last of me but musket-balls40 8,very good10 said the captain4 8,now you'll hear me4 ,if you'll come up one by one1 unarmed1 ,i'll engage to clap you all in irons and take you home to a fair trial in ,england4 ,if you won't1 my name is ,alexander ,smollett1 ,i've flown my sovereign's colours1 and ,i'll see you all to ,davy ,jones4 ,you can't find the treasure4 ,you can't sail the ship,-there's not a man among you fit to sail the ship4 ,you can't fight us,-,gray1 there1 got away from five of you4 ,your ship's in irons1 ,master ,silver2 you're on a lee shore1 and so you'll find4 ,i stand here and tell you so2 and they're the last good words you'll get from me1 for in the name of heaven1 ,i'll put a bullet in your back when next ,i meet you4 ,tramp1 my lad4 ,bundle out of this1 please1 hand over hand1 and double quick40 ,silver's face was a picture2 his eyes started in his head with wrath4 ,he shook the fire out of his pipe4 8,give me a hand up60 he cried4 8,not ,i10 returned the captain4 8,who'll give me a hand up80 he roared4 ,not a man among us moved4 ,growling the foulest imprecations1 he crawled along the sand till he got hold of the porch and could hoist himself again upon his crutch4 ,then he spat into the spring4 8,there60 he cried4 8,that's what ,i think of ye4 ,before an hour's out1 ,i'll stove in your old block house like a rum puncheon4 ,laugh1 by thunder1 laugh6 ,before an hour's out1 ye'll laugh upon the other side4 ,them that die'll be the lucky ones40 ,and with a dreadful oath he stumbled off1 ploughed down the sand1 was helped across the stockade1 after four or five failures1 by the man with the flag of truce1 and disappeared in an instant afterwards among the trees4 #ba ,the ,attack ,,as soon as ,silver disappeared1 the captain1 who had been closely watching him1 turned towards the interior of the house and found not a man of us at his post but ,gray4 ,it was the first time we had ever seen him angry4 8,quarters60 he roared4 ,and then1 as we all slunk back to our places1 8,gray10 he said1 8,i'll put your name in the log2 you've stood by your duty like a seaman4 ,mr4 ,trelawney1 ,i'm surprised at you1 sir4 ,doctor1 ,i thought you had worn the king's coat6 ,if that was how you served at ,fontenoy1 sir1 you'd have been better in your berth40 ,the doctor's watch were all back at their loopholes1 the rest were busy loading the spare muskets1 and everyone with a red face1 you may be certain1 and a flea in his ear1 as the saying is4 ,the captain looked on for a while in silence4 ,then he spoke4 8,my lads10 said he1 8,i've given ,silver a broadside4 ,i pitched it in red-hot on purpose2 and before the hour's out1 as he said1 we shall be boarded4 ,we're outnumbered1 ,i needn't tell you that1 but we fight in shelter2 and a minute ago ,i should have said we fought with discipline4 ,i've no manner of doubt that we can drub them1 if you choose40 ,then he went the rounds and saw1 as he said1 that all was clear4 ,on the two short sides of the house1 east and west1 there were only two loopholes2 on the south side where the porch was1 two again2 and on the north side1 five4 ,there was a round score of muskets for the seven of us2 the firewood had been built into four piles,-tables1 you might say,-one about the middle of each side1 and on each of these tables some ammunition and four loaded muskets were laid ready to the hand of the defenders4 ,in the middle1 the cutlasses lay ranged4 8,toss out the fire10 said the captain2 8the chill is past1 and we mustn't have smoke in our eyes40 ,the iron fire-basket was carried bodily out by ,mr4 ,trelawney1 and the embers smothered among sand4 8,hawkins hasn't had his breakfast4 ,hawkins1 help yourself1 and back to your post to eat it10 continued ,captain ,smollett4 8,lively1 now1 my lad2 you'll want it before you've done4 ,hunter1 serve out a round of brandy to all hands40 ,and while this was going on1 the captain completed1 in his own mind1 the plan of the defence4 8,doctor1 you will take the door10 he resumed4 8,see1 and don't expose yourself2 keep within1 and fire through the porch4 ,hunter1 take the east side1 there4 ,joyce1 you stand by the west1 my man4 ,mr4 ,trelawney1 you are the best shot,-you and ,gray will take this long north side1 with the five loopholes2 it's there the danger is4 ,if they can get up to it and fire in upon us through our own ports1 things would begin to look dirty4 ,hawkins1 neither you nor ,i are much account at the shooting2 we'll stand by to load and bear a hand40 ,as the captain had said1 the chill was past4 ,as soon as the sun had climbed above our girdle of trees1 it fell with all its force upon the clearing and drank up the vapours at a draught4 ,soon the sand was baking and the resin melting in the logs of the block house4 ,jackets and coats were flung aside1 shirts thrown open at the neck and rolled up to the shoulders2 and we stood there1 each at his post1 in a fever of heat and anxiety4 ,an hour passed away4 8,hang them60 said the captain4 8,this is as dull as the doldrums4 ,gray1 whistle for a wind40 ,and just at that moment came the first news of the attack4 8,if you please1 sir10 said ,joyce1 8if ,i see anyone1 am ,i to fire80 8,i told you so60 cried the captain4 8,thank you1 sir10 returned ,joyce with the same quiet civility4 ,nothing followed for a time1 but the remark had set us all on the alert1 straining ears and eyes,-the musketeers with their pieces balanced in their hands1 the captain out in the middle of the block house with his mouth very tight and a frown on his face4 ,so some seconds passed1 till suddenly ,joyce whipped up his musket and fired4 ,the report had scarcely died away ere it was repeated and repeated from without in a scattering volley1 shot behind shot1 like a string of geese1 from every side of the enclosure4 ,several bullets struck the log-house1 but not one entered2 and as the smoke cleared away and vanished1 the stockade and the woods around it looked as quiet and empty as before4 ,not a bough waved1 not the gleam of a musket-barrel betrayed the presence of our foes4 8,did you hit your man80 asked the captain4 8,no1 sir10 replied ,joyce4 8,i believe not1 sir40 8,next best thing to tell the truth10 muttered ,captain ,smollett4 8,load his gun1 ,hawkins4 ,how many should say there were on your side1 doctor80 8,i know precisely10 said ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,three shots were fired on this side4 ,i saw the three flashes,-two close together,-one farther to the west40 8,three60 repeated the captain4 8,and how many on yours1 ,mr4 ,trelawney80 ,but this was not so easily answered4 ,there had come many from the north,-seven by the squire's computation1 eight or nine according to ,gray4 ,from the east and west only a single shot had been fired4 ,it was plain1 therefore1 that the attack would be developed from the north and that on the other three sides we were only to be annoyed by a show of hostilities4 ,but ,captain ,smollett made no change in his arrangements4 ,if the mutineers succeeded in crossing the stockade1 he argued1 they would take possession of any unprotected loophole and shoot us down like rats in our own stronghold4 ,nor had we much time left to us for thought4 ,suddenly1 with a loud huzza1 a little cloud of pirates leaped from the woods on the north side and ran straight on the stockade4 ,at the same moment1 the fire was once more opened from the woods1 and a rifle ball sang through the doorway and knocked the doctor's musket into bits4 ,the boarders swarmed over the fence like monkeys4 ,squire and ,gray fired again and yet again2 three men fell1 one forwards into the enclosure1 two back on the outside4 ,but of these1 one was evidently more frightened than hurt1 for he was on his feet again in a crack and instantly disappeared among the trees4 ,two had bit the dust1 one had fled1 four had made good their footing inside our defences1 while from the shelter of the woods seven or eight men1 each evidently supplied with several muskets1 kept up a hot though useless fire on the log-house4 ,the four who had boarded made straight before them for the building1 shouting as they ran1 and the men among the trees shouted back to encourage them4 ,several shots were fired1 but such was the hurry of the marksmen that not one appears to have taken effect4 ,in a moment1 the four pirates had swarmed up the mound and were upon us4 ,the head of ,job ,anderson1 the boatswain1 appeared at the middle loophole4 8,at ,0em1 all hands,-all hands60 he roared in a voice of thunder4 ,at the same moment1 another pirate grasped ,hunter's musket by the muzzle1 wrenched it from his hands1 plucked it through the loophole1 and with one stunning blow1 laid the poor fellow senseless on the floor4 ,meanwhile a third1 running unharmed all around the house1 appeared suddenly in the doorway and fell with his cutlass on the doctor4 ,our position was utterly reversed4 ,a moment since we were firing1 under cover1 at an exposed enemy2 now it was we who lay uncovered and could not return a blow4 ,the log-house was full of smoke1 to which we owed our comparative safety4 ,cries and confusion1 the flashes and reports of pistol-shots1 and one loud groan rang in my ears4 8,out1 lads1 out1 and fight ,0em in the open6 ,cutlasses60 cried the captain4 ,i snatched a cutlass from the pile1 and someone1 at the same time snatching another1 gave me a cut across the knuckles which ,i hardly felt4 ,i dashed out of the door into the clear sunlight4 ,someone was close behind1 ,i knew not whom4 ,right in front1 the doctor was pursuing his assailant down the hill1 and just as my eyes fell upon him1 beat down his guard and sent him sprawling on his back with a great slash across the face4 8,round the house1 lads6 ,round the house60 cried the captain2 and even in the hurly-burly1 ,i perceived a change in his voice4 ,mechanically1 ,i obeyed1 turned eastwards1 and with my cutlass raised1 ran round the corner of the house4 ,next moment ,i was face to face with ,anderson4 ,he roared aloud1 and his hanger went up above his head1 flashing in the sunlight4 ,i had not time to be afraid1 but as the blow still hung impending1 leaped in a trice upon one side1 and missing my foot in the soft sand1 rolled headlong down the slope4 ,when ,i had first sallied from the door1 the other mutineers had been already swarming up the palisade to make an end of us4 ,one man1 in a red night-cap1 with his cutlass in his mouth1 had even got upon the top and thrown a leg across4 ,well1 so short had been the interval that when ,i found my feet again all was in the same posture1 the fellow with the red night-cap still half-way over1 another still just showing his head above the top of the stockade4 ,and yet1 in this breath of time1 the fight was over and the victory was ours4 ,gray1 following close behind me1 had cut down the big boatswain ere he had time to recover from his last blow4 ,another had been shot at a loophole in the very act of firing into the house and now lay in agony1 the pistol still smoking in his hand4 ,a third1 as ,i had seen1 the doctor had disposed of at a blow4 ,of the four who had scaled the palisade1 one only remained unaccounted for1 and he1 having left his cutlass on the field1 was now clambering out again with the fear of death upon him4 8,fire,-fire from the house60 cried the doctor4 8,and you1 lads1 back into cover40 ,but his words were unheeded1 no shot was fired1 and the last boarder made good his escape and disappeared with the rest into the wood4 ,in three seconds nothing remained of the attacking party but the five who had fallen1 four on the inside and one on the outside of the palisade4 ,the doctor and ,gray and ,i ran full speed for shelter4 ,the survivors would soon be back where they had left their muskets1 and at any moment the fire might recommence4 ,the house was by this time somewhat cleared of smoke1 and we saw at a glance the price we had paid for victory4 ,hunter lay beside his loophole1 stunned2 ,joyce by his1 shot through the head1 never to move again2 while right in the centre1 the squire was supporting the captain1 one as pale as the other4 8,the captain's wounded10 said ,mr4 ,trelawney4 8,have they run80 asked ,mr4 ,smollett4 8,all that could1 you may be bound10 returned the doctor2 8but there's five of them will never run again40 8,five60 cried the captain4 8,come1 that's better4 ,five against three leaves us four to nine4 ,that's better odds than we had at starting4 ,we were seven to nineteen then1 or thought we were1 and that's as bad to bear40 "9 "9,the mutineers were soon only eight in number1 for the man shot by ,mr4 ,trelawney on board the schooner died that same evening of his wound4 ,but this was1 of course1 not known till after by the faithful party4 ,,part ,,five,-,my ,sea ,adventure #bb ,how ,my ,sea ,adventure ,began ,,there was no return of the mutineers,-not so much as another shot out of the woods4 ,they had 8got their rations for that day10 as the captain put it1 and we had the place to ourselves and a quiet time to overhaul the wounded and get dinner4 ,squire and ,i cooked outside in spite of the danger1 and even outside we could hardly tell what we were at1 for horror of the loud groans that reached us from the doctor's patients4 ,out of the eight men who had fallen in the action1 only three still breathed,-that one of the pirates who had been shot at the loophole1 ,hunter1 and ,captain ,smollett2 and of these1 the first two were as good as dead2 the mutineer indeed died under the doctor's knife1 and ,hunter1 do what we could1 never recovered consciousness in this world4 ,he lingered all day1 breathing loudly like the old buccaneer at home in his apoplectic fit1 but the bones of his chest had been crushed by the blow and his skull fractured in falling1 and some time in the following night1 without sign or sound1 he went to his ,maker4 ,as for the captain1 his wounds were grievous indeed1 but not dangerous4 ,no organ was fatally injured4 ,anderson's ball,-for it was ,job that shot him first,-had broken his shoulder-blade and touched the lung1 not badly2 the second had only torn and displaced some muscles in the calf4 ,he was sure to recover1 the doctor said1 but in the meantime1 and for weeks to come1 he must not walk nor move his arm1 nor so much as speak when he could help it4 ,my own accidental cut across the knuckles was a flea-bite4 ,doctor ,livesey patched it up with plaster and pulled my ears for me into the bargain4 ,after dinner the squire and the doctor sat by the captain's side awhile in consultation2 and when they had talked to their hearts' content1 it being then a little past noon1 the doctor took up his hat and pistols1 girt on a cutlass1 put the chart in his pocket1 and with a musket over his shoulder crossed the palisade on the north side and set off briskly through the trees4 ,gray and ,i were sitting together at the far end of the block house1 to be out of earshot of our officers consulting2 and ,gray took his pipe out of his mouth and fairly forgot to put it back again1 so thunder-struck he was at this occurrence4 8,why1 in the name of ,davy ,jones10 said he1 8is ,dr4 ,livesey mad80 8,why no10 says ,i4 8,he's about the last of this crew for that1 ,i take it40 8,well1 shipmate10 said ,gray1 8mad he may not be2 but if .1he's not1 you mark my words1 .2,i am40 8,i take it10 replied ,i1 8the doctor has his idea2 and if ,i am right1 he's going now to see ,ben ,gunn40 ,i was right1 as appeared later2 but in the meantime1 the house being stifling hot and the little patch of sand inside the palisade ablaze with midday sun1 ,i began to get another thought into my head1 which was not by any means so right4 ,what ,i began to do was to envy the doctor walking in the cool shadow of the woods with the birds about him and the pleasant smell of the pines1 while ,i sat grilling1 with my clothes stuck to the hot resin1 and so much blood about me and so many poor dead bodies lying all around that ,i took a disgust of the place that was almost as strong as fear4 ,all the time ,i was washing out the block house1 and then washing up the things from dinner1 this disgust and envy kept growing stronger and stronger1 till at last1 being near a bread-bag1 and no one then observing me1 ,i took the first step towards my escapade and filled both pockets of my coat with biscuit4 ,i was a fool1 if you like1 and certainly ,i was going to do a foolish1 over-bold act2 but ,i was determined to do it with all the precautions in my power4 ,these biscuits1 should anything befall me1 would keep me1 at least1 from starving till far on in the next day4 ,the next thing ,i laid hold of was a brace of pistols1 and as ,i already had a powder-horn and bullets1 ,i felt myself well supplied with arms4 ,as for the scheme ,i had in my head1 it was not a bad one in itself4 ,i was to go down the sandy spit that divides the anchorage on the east from the open sea1 find the white rock ,i had observed last evening1 and ascertain whether it was there or not that ,ben ,gunn had hidden his boat1 a thing quite worth doing1 as ,i still believe4 ,but as ,i was certain ,i should not be allowed to leave the enclosure1 my only plan was to take ,french leave and slip out when nobody was watching1 and that was so bad a way of doing it as made the thing itself wrong4 ,but ,i was only a boy1 and ,i had made my mind up4 ,well1 as things at last fell out1 ,i found an admirable opportunity4 ,the squire and ,gray were busy helping the captain with his bandages1 the coast was clear1 ,i made a bolt for it over the stockade and into the thickest of the trees1 and before my absence was observed ,i was out of cry of my companions4 ,this was my second folly1 far worse than the first1 as ,i left but two sound men to guard the house2 but like the first1 it was a help towards saving all of us4 ,i took my way straight for the east coast of the island1 for ,i was determined to go down the sea side of the spit to avoid all chance of observation from the anchorage4 ,it was already late in the afternoon1 although still warm and sunny4 ,as ,i continued to thread the tall woods1 ,i could hear from far before me not only the continuous thunder of the surf1 but a certain tossing of foliage and grinding of boughs which showed me the sea breeze had set in higher than usual4 ,soon cool draughts of air began to reach me1 and a few steps farther ,i came forth into the open borders of the grove1 and saw the sea lying blue and sunny to the horizon and the surf tumbling and tossing its foam along the beach4 ,i have never seen the sea quiet round ,treasure ,island4 ,the sun might blaze overhead1 the air be without a breath1 the surface smooth and blue1 but still these great rollers would be running along all the external coast1 thundering and thundering by day and night2 and ,i scarce believe there is one spot in the island where a man would be out of earshot of their noise4 ,i walked along beside the surf with great enjoyment1 till1 thinking ,i was now got far enough to the south1 ,i took the cover of some thick bushes and crept warily up to the ridge of the spit4 ,behind me was the sea1 in front the anchorage4 ,the sea breeze1 as though it had the sooner blown itself out by its unusual violence1 was already at an end2 it had been succeeded by light1 variable airs from the south and south-east1 carrying great banks of fog2 and the anchorage1 under lee of ,skeleton ,island1 lay still and leaden as when first we entered it4 ,the .1,hispaniola1 in that unbroken mirror1 was exactly portrayed from the truck to the waterline1 the ,jolly ,roger hanging from her peak4 ,alongside lay one of the gigs1 ,silver in the stern-sheets,-him ,i could always recognize,-while a couple of men were leaning over the stern bulwarks1 one of them with a red cap,-the very rogue that ,i had seen some hours before stride-legs upon the palisade4 ,apparently they were talking and laughing1 though at that distance,-upwards of a mile,-,i could1 of course1 hear no word of what was said4 ,all at once there began the most horrid1 unearthly screaming1 which at first startled me badly1 though ,i had soon remembered the voice of ,captain ,flint and even thought ,i could make out the bird by her bright plumage as she sat perched upon her master's wrist4 ,soon after1 the jolly-boat shoved off and pulled for shore1 and the man with the red cap and his comrade went below by the cabin companion4 ,just about the same time1 the sun had gone down behind the ,spy-glass1 and as the fog was collecting rapidly1 it began to grow dark in earnest4 ,i saw ,i must lose no time if ,i were to find the boat that evening4 ,the white rock1 visible enough above the brush1 was still some eighth of a mile further down the spit1 and it took me a goodish while to get up with it1 crawling1 often on all fours1 among the scrub4 ,night had almost come when ,i laid my hand on its rough sides4 ,right below it there was an exceedingly small hollow of green turf1 hidden by banks and a thick underwood about knee-deep1 that grew there very plentifully2 and in the centre of the dell1 sure enough1 a little tent of goat-skins1 like what the gipsies carry about with them in ,england4 ,i dropped into the hollow1 lifted the side of the tent1 and there was ,ben ,gunn's boat,-home-made if ever anything was home-made2 a rude1 lop-sided framework of tough wood1 and stretched upon that a covering of goat-skin1 with the hair inside4 ,the thing was extremely small1 even for me1 and ,i can hardly imagine that it could have floated with a full-sized man4 ,there was one thwart set as low as possible1 a kind of stretcher in the bows1 and a double paddle for propulsion4 ,i had not then seen a coracle1 such as the ancient ,britons made1 but ,i have seen one since1 and ,i can give you no fairer idea of ,ben ,gunn's boat than by saying it was like the first and the worst coracle ever made by man4 ,but the great advantage of the coracle it certainly possessed1 for it was exceedingly light and portable4 ,well1 now that ,i had found the boat1 you would have thought ,i had had enough of truantry for once1 but in the meantime ,i had taken another notion and become so obstinately fond of it that ,i would have carried it out1 ,i believe1 in the teeth of ,captain ,smollett himself4 ,this was to slip out under cover of the night1 cut the .1,hispaniola adrift1 and let her go ashore where she fancied4 ,i had quite made up my mind that the mutineers1 after their repulse of the morning1 had nothing nearer their hearts than to up anchor and away to sea2 this1 ,i thought1 it would be a fine thing to prevent1 and now that ,i had seen how they left their watchmen unprovided with a boat1 ,i thought it might be done with little risk4 ,down ,i sat to wait for darkness1 and made a hearty meal of biscuit4 ,it was a night out of ten thousand for my purpose4 ,the fog had now buried all heaven4 ,as the last rays of daylight dwindled and disappeared1 absolute blackness settled down on ,treasure ,island4 ,and when1 at last1 ,i shouldered the coracle and groped my way stumblingly out of the hollow where ,i had supped1 there were but two points visible on the whole anchorage4 ,one was the great fire on shore1 by which the defeated pirates lay carousing in the swamp4 ,the other1 a mere blur of light upon the darkness1 indicated the position of the anchored ship4 ,she had swung round to the ebb,-her bow was now towards me,-the only lights on board were in the cabin1 and what ,i saw was merely a reflection on the fog of the strong rays that flowed from the stern window4 ,the ebb had already run some time1 and ,i had to wade through a long belt of swampy sand1 where ,i sank several times above the ankle1 before ,i came to the edge of the retreating water1 and wading a little way in1 with some strength and dexterity1 set my coracle1 keel downwards1 on the surface4 #bc ,the ,ebb-tide ,runs ,,the coracle,-as ,i had ample reason to know before ,i was done with her,-was a very safe boat for a person of my height and weight1 both buoyant and clever in a seaway2 but she was the most cross-grained1 lop-sided craft to manage4 ,do as you pleased1 she always made more leeway than anything else1 and turning round and round was the manoeuvre she was best at4 ,even ,ben ,gunn himself has admitted that she was 8queer to handle till you knew her way40 ,certainly ,i did not know her way4 ,she turned in every direction but the one ,i was bound to go2 the most part of the time we were broadside on1 and ,i am very sure ,i never should have made the ship at all but for the tide4 ,by good fortune1 paddle as ,i pleased1 the tide was still sweeping me down2 and there lay the .1,hispaniola right in the fairway1 hardly to be missed4 ,first she loomed before me like a blot of something yet blacker than darkness1 then her spars and hull began to take shape1 and the next moment1 as it seemed "1 ,i was alongside of her hawser and had laid hold4 ,the hawser was as taut as a bowstring1 and the current so strong she pulled upon her anchor4 ,all round the hull1 in the blackness1 the rippling current bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream4 ,one cut with my sea-gully and the .1,hispaniola would go humming down the tide4 ,so far so good1 but it next occurred to my recollection that a taut hawser1 suddenly cut1 is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse4 ,ten to one1 if ,i were so foolhardy as to cut the .1,hispaniola from her anchor1 ,i and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the water4 ,this brought me to a full stop1 and if fortune had not again particularly favoured me1 ,i should have had to abandon my design4 ,but the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and south had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west4 ,just while ,i was meditating1 a puff came1 caught the .1,hispaniola1 and forced her up into the current2 and to my great joy1 ,i felt the hawser slacken in my grasp1 and the hand by which ,i held it dip for a second under water4 ,with that ,i made my mind up1 took out my gully1 opened it with my teeth1 and cut one strand after another1 till the vessel swung only by two4 ,then ,i lay quiet1 waiting to sever these last when the strain should be once more lightened by a breath of wind4 ,all this time ,i had heard the sound of loud voices from the cabin1 but to say truth1 my mind had been so entirely taken up with other thoughts that ,i had scarcely given ear4 ,now1 however1 when ,i had nothing else to do1 ,i began to pay more heed4 ,one ,i recognized for the coxswain's1 ,israel ,hands1 that had been ,flint's gunner in former days4 ,the other was1 of course1 my friend of the red night-cap4 ,both men were plainly the worse of drink1 and they were still drinking1 for even while ,i was listening1 one of them1 with a drunken cry1 opened the stern window and threw out something1 which ,i divined to be an empty bottle4 ,but they were not only tipsy2 it was plain that they were furiously angry4 ,oaths flew like hailstones1 and every now and then there came forth such an explosion as ,i thought was sure to end in blows4 ,but each time the quarrel passed off and the voices grumbled lower for a while1 until the next crisis came and in its turn passed away without result4 ,on shore1 ,i could see the glow of the great camp-fire burning warmly through the shore-side trees4 ,someone was singing1 a dull1 old1 droning sailor's song1 with a droop and a quaver at the end of every verse1 and seemingly no end to it at all but the patience of the singer4 ,i had heard it on the voyage more than once and remembered these words3 8,but one man of her crew alive1 ,what put to sea with seventy-five40 ,and ,i thought it was a ditty rather too dolefully appropriate for a company that had met such cruel losses in the morning4 ,but1 indeed1 from what ,i saw1 all these buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on4 ,at last the breeze came2 the schooner sidled and drew nearer in the dark2 ,i felt the hawser slacken once more1 and with a good1 tough effort1 cut the last fibres through4 ,the breeze had but little action on the coracle1 and ,i was almost instantly swept against the bows of the .1,hispaniola4 ,at the same time1 the schooner began to turn upon her heel1 spinning slowly1 end for end1 across the current4 ,i wrought like a fiend1 for ,i expected every moment to be swamped2 and since ,i found ,i could not push the coracle directly off1 ,i now shoved straight astern4 ,at length ,i was clear of my dangerous neighbour1 and just as ,i gave the last impulsion1 my hands came across a light cord that was trailing overboard across the stern bulwarks4 ,instantly ,i grasped it4 ,why ,i should have done so ,i can hardly say4 ,it was at first mere instinct1 but once ,i had it in my hands and found it fast1 curiosity began to get the upper hand1 and ,i determined ,i should have one look through the cabin window4 ,i pulled in hand over hand on the cord1 and when ,i judged myself near enough1 rose at infinite risk to about half my height and thus commanded the roof and a slice of the interior of the cabin4 ,by this time the schooner and her little consort were gliding pretty swiftly through the water2 indeed1 we had already fetched up level with the camp-fire4 ,the ship was talking1 as sailors say1 loudly1 treading the innumerable ripples with an incessant weltering splash2 and until ,i got my eye above the window-sill ,i could not comprehend why the watchmen had taken no alarm4 ,one glance1 however1 was sufficient2 and it was only one glance that ,i durst take from that unsteady skiff4 ,it showed me ,hands and his companion locked together in deadly wrestle1 each with a hand upon the other's throat4 ,i dropped upon the thwart again1 none too soon1 for ,i was near overboard4 ,i could see nothing for the moment but these two furious1 encrimsoned faces swaying together under the smoky lamp1 and ,i shut my eyes to let them grow once more familiar with the darkness4 ,the endless ballad had come to an end at last1 and the whole diminished company about the camp-fire had broken into the chorus ,i had heard so often3 8,fifteen men on the dead man's chest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum6 ,drink and the devil had done for the rest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum60 ,i was just thinking how busy drink and the devil were at that very moment in the cabin of the .1,hispaniola1 when ,i was surprised by a sudden lurch of the coracle4 ,at the same moment1 she yawed sharply and seemed to change her course4 ,the speed in the meantime had strangely increased4 ,i opened my eyes at once4 ,all round me were little ripples1 combing over with a sharp1 bristling sound and slightly phosphorescent4 ,the .1,hispaniola herself1 a few yards in whose wake ,i was still being whirled along1 seemed to stagger in her course1 and ,i saw her spars toss a little against the blackness of the night2 nay1 as ,i looked longer1 ,i made sure she also was wheeling to the southward4 ,i glanced over my shoulder1 and my heart jumped against my ribs4 ,there1 right behind me1 was the glow of the camp-fire4 ,the current had turned at right angles1 sweeping round along with it the tall schooner and the little dancing coracle2 ever quickening1 ever bubbling higher1 ever muttering louder1 it went spinning through the narrows for the open sea4 ,suddenly the schooner in front of me gave a violent yaw1 turning1 perhaps1 through twenty degrees2 and almost at the same moment one shout followed another from on board2 ,i could hear feet pounding on the companion ladder and ,i knew that the two drunkards had at last been interrupted in their quarrel and awakened to a sense of their disaster4 ,i lay down flat in the bottom of that wretched skiff and devoutly recommended my spirit to its ,maker4 ,at the end of the straits1 ,i made sure we must fall into some bar of raging breakers1 where all my troubles would be ended speedily2 and though ,i could1 perhaps1 bear to die1 ,i could not bear to look upon my fate as it approached4 ,so ,i must have lain for hours1 continually beaten to and fro upon the billows1 now and again wetted with flying sprays1 and never ceasing to expect death at the next plunge4 ,gradually weariness grew upon me2 a numbness1 an occasional stupor1 fell upon my mind even in the midst of my terrors1 until sleep at last supervened and in my sea-tossed coracle ,i lay and dreamed of home and the old ,admiral ,benbow4 #bd ,the ,cruise of the ,coracle ,,it was broad day when ,i awoke and found myself tossing at the south-west end of ,treasure ,island4 ,the sun was up but was still hid from me behind the great bulk of the ,spy-glass1 which on this side descended almost to the sea in formidable cliffs4 ,haulbowline ,head and ,mizzen-mast ,hill were at my elbow1 the hill bare and dark1 the head bound with cliffs forty or fifty feet high and fringed with great masses of fallen rock4 ,i was scarce a quarter of a mile to seaward1 and it was my first thought to paddle in and land4 ,that notion was soon given over4 ,among the fallen rocks the breakers spouted and bellowed2 loud reverberations1 heavy sprays flying and falling1 succeeded one another from second to second2 and ,i saw myself1 if ,i ventured nearer1 dashed to death upon the rough shore or spending my strength in vain to scale the beetling crags4 ,nor was that all1 for crawling together on flat tables of rock or letting themselves drop into the sea with loud reports ,i beheld huge slimy monsters,-soft snails1 as it were1 of incredible bigness,-two or three score of them together1 making the rocks to echo with their barkings4 ,i have understood since that they were sea lions1 and entirely harmless4 ,but the look of them1 added to the difficulty of the shore and the high running of the surf1 was more than enough to disgust me of that landing-place4 ,i felt willing rather to starve at sea than to confront such perils4 ,in the meantime ,i had a better chance1 as ,i supposed1 before me4 ,north of ,haulbowline ,head1 the land runs in a long way1 leaving at low tide a long stretch of yellow sand4 ,to the north of that1 again1 there comes another cape,-,cape of the ,woods1 as it was marked upon the chart,-buried in tall green pines1 which descended to the margin of the sea4 ,i remembered what ,silver had said about the current that sets northward along the whole west coast of ,treasure ,island1 and seeing from my position that ,i was already under its influence1 ,i preferred to leave ,haulbowline ,head behind me and reserve my strength for an attempt to land upon the kindlier-looking ,cape of the ,woods4 ,there was a great1 smooth swell upon the sea4 ,the wind blowing steady and gentle from the south1 there was no contrariety between that and the current1 and the billows rose and fell unbroken4 ,had it been otherwise1 ,i must long ago have perished2 but as it was1 it is surprising how easily and securely my little and light boat could ride4 ,often1 as ,i still lay at the bottom and kept no more than an eye above the gunwale1 ,i would see a big blue summit heaving close above me2 yet the coracle would but bounce a little1 dance as if on springs1 and subside on the other side into the trough as lightly as a bird4 ,i began after a little to grow very bold and sat up to try my skill at paddling4 ,but even a small change in the disposition of the weight will produce violent changes in the behaviour of a coracle4 ,and ,i had hardly moved before the boat1 giving up at once her gentle dancing movement1 ran straight down a slope of water so steep that it made me giddy1 and struck her nose1 with a spout of spray1 deep into the side of the next wave4 ,i was drenched and terrified1 and fell instantly back into my old position1 whereupon the coracle seemed to find her head again and led me as softly as before among the billows4 ,it was plain she was not to be interfered with1 and at that rate1 since ,i could in no way influence her course1 what hope had ,i left of reaching land8 ,i began to be horribly frightened1 but ,i kept my head1 for all that4 ,first1 moving with all care1 ,i gradually baled out the coracle with my sea-cap2 then1 getting my eye once more above the gunwale1 ,i set myself to study how it was she managed to slip so quietly through the rollers4 ,i found each wave1 instead of the big1 smooth glossy mountain it looks from shore or from a vessel's deck1 was for all the world like any range of hills on dry land1 full of peaks and smooth places and valleys4 ,the coracle1 left to herself1 turning from side to side1 threaded1 so to speak1 her way through these lower parts and avoided the steep slopes and higher1 toppling summits of the wave4 8,well1 now10 thought ,i to myself1 8it is plain ,i must lie where ,i am and not disturb the balance2 but it is plain also that ,i can put the paddle over the side and from time to time1 in smooth places1 give her a shove or two towards land40 ,no sooner thought upon than done4 ,there ,i lay on my elbows in the most trying attitude1 and every now and again gave a weak stroke or two to turn her head to shore4 ,it was very tiring and slow work1 yet ,i did visibly gain ground2 and as we drew near the ,cape of the ,woods1 though ,i saw ,i must infallibly miss that point1 ,i had still made some hundred yards of easting4 ,i was1 indeed1 close in4 ,i could see the cool green tree-tops swaying together in the breeze1 and ,i felt sure ,i should make the next promontory without fail4 ,it was high time1 for ,i now began to be tortured with thirst4 ,the glow of the sun from above1 its thousandfold reflection from the waves1 the sea-water that fell and dried upon me1 caking my very lips with salt1 combined to make my throat burn and my brain ache4 ,the sight of the trees so near at hand had almost made me sick with longing1 but the current had soon carried me past the point1 and as the next reach of sea opened out1 ,i beheld a sight that changed the nature of my thoughts4 ,right in front of me1 not half a mile away1 ,i beheld the .1,hispaniola under sail4 ,i made sure1 of course1 that ,i should be taken2 but ,i was so distressed for want of water that ,i scarce knew whether to be glad or sorry at the thought1 and long before ,i had come to a conclusion1 surprise had taken entire possession of my mind and ,i could do nothing but stare and wonder4 ,the .1,hispaniola was under her main-sail and two jibs1 and the beautiful white canvas shone in the sun like snow or silver4 ,when ,i first sighted her1 all her sails were drawing2 she was lying a course about north-west1 and ,i presumed the men on board were going round the island on their way back to the anchorage4 ,presently she began to fetch more and more to the westward1 so that ,i thought they had sighted me and were going about in chase4 ,at last1 however1 she fell right into the wind's eye1 was taken dead aback1 and stood there awhile helpless1 with her sails shivering4 8,clumsy fellows10 said ,i2 8they must still be drunk as owls40 ,and ,i thought how ,captain ,smollett would have set them skipping4 ,meanwhile the schooner gradually fell off and filled again upon another tack1 sailed swiftly for a minute or so1 and brought up once more dead in the wind's eye4 ,again and again was this repeated4 ,to and fro1 up and down1 north1 south1 east1 and west1 the .1,hispaniola sailed by swoops and dashes1 and at each repetition ended as she had begun1 with idly flapping canvas4 ,it became plain to me that nobody was steering4 ,and if so1 where were the men8 ,either they were dead drunk or had deserted her1 ,i thought1 and perhaps if ,i could get on board ,i might return the vessel to her captain4 ,the current was bearing coracle and schooner southward at an equal rate4 ,as for the latter's sailing1 it was so wild and intermittent1 and she hung each time so long in irons1 that she certainly gained nothing1 if she did not even lose4 ,if only ,i dared to sit up and paddle1 ,i made sure that ,i could overhaul her4 ,the scheme had an air of adventure that inspired me1 and the thought of the water breaker beside the fore companion doubled my growing courage4 ,up ,i got1 was welcomed almost instantly by another cloud of spray1 but this time stuck to my purpose and set myself1 with all my strength and caution1 to paddle after the unsteered .1,hispaniola4 ,once ,i shipped a sea so heavy that ,i had to stop and bail1 with my heart fluttering like a bird1 but gradually ,i got into the way of the thing and guided my coracle among the waves1 with only now and then a blow upon her bows and a dash of foam in my face4 ,i was now gaining rapidly on the schooner2 ,i could see the brass glisten on the tiller as it banged about1 and still no soul appeared upon her decks4 ,i could not choose but suppose she was deserted4 ,if not1 the men were lying drunk below1 where ,i might batten them down1 perhaps1 and do what ,i chose with the ship4 ,for some time she had been doing the worse thing possible for me,-standing still4 ,she headed nearly due south1 yawing1 of course1 all the time4 ,each time she fell off1 her sails partly filled1 and these brought her in a moment right to the wind again4 ,i have said this was the worst thing possible for me1 for helpless as she looked in this situation1 with the canvas cracking like cannon and the blocks trundling and banging on the deck1 she still continued to run away from me1 not only with the speed of the current1 but by the whole amount of her leeway1 which was naturally great4 ,but now1 at last1 ,i had my chance4 ,the breeze fell for some seconds1 very low1 and the current gradually turning her1 the .1,hispaniola revolved slowly round her centre and at last presented me her stern1 with the cabin window still gaping open and the lamp over the table still burning on into the day4 ,the main-sail hung drooped like a banner4 ,she was stock-still but for the current4 ,for the last little while ,i had even lost1 but now redoubling my efforts1 ,i began once more to overhaul the chase4 ,i was not a hundred yards from her when the wind came again in a clap2 she filled on the port tack and was off again1 stooping and skimming like a swallow4 ,my first impulse was one of despair1 but my second was towards joy4 ,round she came1 till she was broadside on to me,-round still till she had covered a half and then two thirds and then three quarters of the distance that separated us4 ,i could see the waves boiling white under her forefoot4 ,immensely tall she looked to me from my low station in the coracle4 ,and then1 of a sudden1 ,i began to comprehend4 ,i had scarce time to think,-scarce time to act and save myself4 ,i was on the summit of one swell when the schooner came stooping over the next4 ,the bowsprit was over my head4 ,i sprang to my feet and leaped1 stamping the coracle under water4 ,with one hand ,i caught the jib-boom1 while my foot was lodged between the stay and the brace2 and as ,i still clung there panting1 a dull blow told me that the schooner had charged down upon and struck the coracle and that ,i was left without retreat on the .1,hispaniola4 #be ,i ,strike the ,jolly ,roger ,i ,,had scarce gained a position on the bowsprit when the flying jib flapped and filled upon the other tack1 with a report like a gun4 ,the schooner trembled to her keel under the reverse1 but next moment1 the other sails still drawing1 the jib flapped back again and hung idle4 ,this had nearly tossed me off into the sea2 and now ,i lost no time1 crawled back along the bowsprit1 and tumbled head foremost on the deck4 ,i was on the lee side of the forecastle1 and the mainsail1 which was still drawing1 concealed from me a certain portion of the after-deck4 ,not a soul was to be seen4 ,the planks1 which had not been swabbed since the mutiny1 bore the print of many feet1 and an empty bottle1 broken by the neck1 tumbled to and fro like a live thing in the scuppers4 ,suddenly the .1,hispaniola came right into the wind4 ,the jibs behind me cracked aloud1 the rudder slammed to1 the whole ship gave a sickening heave and shudder1 and at the same moment the main-boom swung inboard1 the sheet groaning in the blocks1 and showed me the lee after-deck4 ,there were the two watchmen1 sure enough3 red-cap on his back1 as stiff as a handspike1 with his arms stretched out like those of a crucifix and his teeth showing through his open lips2 ,israel ,hands propped against the bulwarks1 his chin on his chest1 his hands lying open before him on the deck1 his face as white1 under its tan1 as a tallow candle4 ,for a while the ship kept bucking and sidling like a vicious horse1 the sails filling1 now on one tack1 now on another1 and the boom swinging to and fro till the mast groaned aloud under the strain4 ,now and again too there would come a cloud of light sprays over the bulwark and a heavy blow of the ship's bows against the swell2 so much heavier weather was made of it by this great rigged ship than by my home-made1 lop-sided coracle1 now gone to the bottom of the sea4 ,at every jump of the schooner1 red-cap slipped to and fro1 but,-what was ghastly to behold,-neither his attitude nor his fixed teeth-disclosing grin was anyway disturbed by this rough usage4 ,at every jump too1 ,hands appeared still more to sink into himself and settle down upon the deck1 his feet sliding ever the farther out1 and the whole body canting towards the stern1 so that his face became1 little by little1 hid from me2 and at last ,i could see nothing beyond his ear and the frayed ringlet of one whisker4 ,at the same time1 ,i observed1 around both of them1 splashes of dark blood upon the planks and began to feel sure that they had killed each other in their drunken wrath4 ,while ,i was thus looking and wondering1 in a calm moment1 when the ship was still1 ,israel ,hands turned partly round and with a low moan writhed himself back to the position in which ,i had seen him first4 ,the moan1 which told of pain and deadly weakness1 and the way in which his jaw hung open went right to my heart4 ,but when ,i remembered the talk ,i had overheard from the apple barrel1 all pity left me4 ,i walked aft until ,i reached the main-mast4 8,come aboard1 ,mr4 ,hands10 ,i said ironically4 ,he rolled his eyes round heavily1 but he was too far gone to express surprise4 ,all he could do was to utter one word1 8,brandy40 ,it occurred to me there was no time to lose1 and dodging the boom as it once more lurched across the deck1 ,i slipped aft and down the companion stairs into the cabin4 ,it was such a scene of confusion as you can hardly fancy4 ,all the lockfast places had been broken open in quest of the chart4 ,the floor was thick with mud where ruffians had sat down to drink or consult after wading in the marshes round their camp4 ,the bulkheads1 all painted in clear white and beaded round with gilt1 bore a pattern of dirty hands4 ,dozens of empty bottles clinked together in corners to the rolling of the ship4 ,one of the doctor's medical books lay open on the table1 half of the leaves gutted out1 ,i suppose1 for pipelights4 ,in the midst of all this the lamp still cast a smoky glow1 obscure and brown as umber4 ,i went into the cellar2 all the barrels were gone1 and of the bottles a most surprising number had been drunk out and thrown away4 ,certainly1 since the mutiny began1 not a man of them could ever have been sober4 ,foraging about1 ,i found a bottle with some brandy left1 for ,hands2 and for myself ,i routed out some biscuit1 some pickled fruits1 a great bunch of raisins1 and a piece of cheese4 ,with these ,i came on deck1 put down my own stock behind the rudder head and well out of the coxswain's reach1 went forward to the water-breaker1 and had a good deep drink of water1 and then1 and not till then1 gave ,hands the brandy4 ,he must have drunk a gill before he took the bottle from his mouth4 8,aye10 said he1 8by thunder1 but ,i wanted some o,0 that60 ,i had sat down already in my own corner and begun to eat4 8,much hurt80 ,i asked him4 ,he grunted1 or rather1 ,i might say1 he barked4 8,if that doctor was aboard10 he said1 8,i'd be right enough in a couple of turns1 but ,i don't have no manner of luck1 you see1 and that's what's the matter with me4 ,as for that swab1 he's good and dead1 he is10 he added1 indicating the man with the red cap4 8,he warn't no seaman anyhow4 ,and where mought you have come from80 8,well10 said ,i1 8,i've come aboard to take possession of this ship1 ,mr4 ,hands2 and you'll please regard me as your captain until further notice40 ,he looked at me sourly enough but said nothing4 ,some of the colour had come back into his cheeks1 though he still looked very sick and still continued to slip out and settle down as the ship banged about4 8,by the by10 ,i continued1 8,i can't have these colours1 ,mr4 ,hands2 and by your leave1 ,i'll strike ,0em4 ,better none than these40 ,and again dodging the boom1 ,i ran to the colour lines1 handed down their cursed black flag1 and chucked it overboard4 8,god save the king60 said ,i1 waving my cap4 8,and there's an end to ,captain ,silver60 ,he watched me keenly and slyly1 his chin all the while on his breast4 8,i reckon10 he said at last1 8,i reckon1 ,cap'n ,hawkins1 you'll kind of want to get ashore now4 ,s'pose we talks40 8,why1 yes10 says ,i1 8with all my heart1 ,mr4 ,hands4 ,say on40 ,and ,i went back to my meal with a good appetite4 8,this man10 he began1 nodding feebly at the corpse 8,-,o',brien were his name1 a rank ,irelander,-this man and me got the canvas on her1 meaning for to sail her back4 ,well1 .1he's dead now1 he is,-as dead as bilge2 and who's to sail this ship1 ,i don't see4 ,without ,i gives you a hint1 you ain't that man1 as far's ,i can tell4 ,now1 look here1 you gives me food and drink and a old scarf or ankecher to tie my wound up1 you do1 and ,i'll tell you how to sail her1 and that's about square all round1 ,i take it40 8,i'll tell you one thing10 says ,i3 8,i'm not going back to ,captain ,kidd's anchorage4 ,i mean to get into ,north ,inlet and beach her quietly there40 8,to be sure you did10 he cried4 8,why1 ,i ain't sich an infernal lubber after all4 ,i can see1 can't ,i8 ,i've tried my fling1 ,i have1 and ,i've lost1 and it's you has the wind of me4 ,north ,inlet8 ,why1 ,i haven't no ch'ice1 not ,i6 ,i'd help you sail her up to ,execution ,dock1 by thunder6 ,so ,i would40 ,well1 as it seemed to me1 there was some sense in this4 ,we struck our bargain on the spot4 ,in three minutes ,i had the .1,hispaniola sailing easily before the wind along the coast of ,treasure ,island1 with good hopes of turning the northern point ere noon and beating down again as far as ,north ,inlet before high water1 when we might beach her safely and wait till the subsiding tide permitted us to land4 ,then ,i lashed the tiller and went below to my own chest1 where ,i got a soft silk handkerchief of my mother's4 ,with this1 and with my aid1 ,hands bound up the great bleeding stab he had received in the thigh1 and after he had eaten a little and had a swallow or two more of the brandy1 he began to pick up visibly1 sat straighter up1 spoke louder and clearer1 and looked in every way another man4 ,the breeze served us admirably4 ,we skimmed before it like a bird1 the coast of the island flashing by and the view changing every minute4 ,soon we were past the high lands and bowling beside low1 sandy country1 sparsely dotted with dwarf pines1 and soon we were beyond that again and had turned the corner of the rocky hill that ends the island on the north4 ,i was greatly elated with my new command1 and pleased with the bright1 sunshiny weather and these different prospects of the coast4 ,i had now plenty of water and good things to eat1 and my conscience1 which had smitten me hard for my desertion1 was quieted by the great conquest ,i had made4 ,i should1 ,i think1 have had nothing left me to desire but for the eyes of the coxswain as they followed me derisively about the deck and the odd smile that appeared continually on his face4 ,it was a smile that had in it something both of pain and weakness,-a haggard old man's smile2 but there was1 besides that1 a grain of derision1 a shadow of treachery1 in his expression as he craftily watched1 and watched1 and watched me at my work4 #bf ,israel ,hands ,,the wind1 serving us to a desire1 now hauled into the west4 ,we could run so much the easier from the north-east corner of the island to the mouth of the ,north ,inlet4 ,only1 as we had no power to anchor and dared not beach her till the tide had flowed a good deal farther1 time hung on our hands4 ,the coxswain told me how to lay the ship to2 after a good many trials ,i succeeded1 and we both sat in silence over another meal4 8,cap'n10 said he at length with that same uncomfortable smile1 8here's my old shipmate1 ,o',brien2 s'pose you was to heave him overboard4 ,i ain't partic'lar as a rule1 and ,i don't take no blame for settling his hash1 but ,i don't reckon him ornamental now1 do you80 8,i'm not strong enough1 and ,i don't like the job2 and there he lies1 for me10 said ,i4 8,this here's an unlucky ship1 this .1,hispaniola1 ,jim10 he went on1 blinking4 8,there's a power of men been killed in this .1,hispaniola.',-a sight o,0 poor seamen dead and gone since you and me took ship to ,bristol4 ,i never seen sich dirty luck1 not ,i4 ,there was this here ,o',brien now,-he's dead1 ain't he8 ,well now1 ,i'm no scholar1 and you're a lad as can read and figure1 and to put it straight1 do you take it as a dead man is dead for good1 or do he come alive again80 8,you can kill the body1 ,mr4 ,hands1 but not the spirit2 you must know that already10 ,i replied4 8,o',brien there is in another world1 and may be watching us40 8,ah60 says he4 8,well1 that's unfort'nate,-appears as if killing parties was a waste of time4 ,howsomever1 sperrits don't reckon for much1 by what ,i've seen4 ,i'll chance it with the sperrits1 ,jim4 ,and now1 you've spoke up free1 and ,i'll take it kind if you'd step down into that there cabin and get me a,-well1 a,-shiver my timbers6 ,i can't hit the name on ,0t2 well1 you get me a bottle of wine1 ,jim,-this here brandy's too strong for my head40 ,now1 the coxswain's hesitation seemed to be unnatural1 and as for the notion of his preferring wine to brandy1 ,i entirely disbelieved it4 ,the whole story was a pretext4 ,he wanted me to leave the deck,-so much was plain2 but with what purpose ,i could in no way imagine4 ,his eyes never met mine2 they kept wandering to and fro1 up and down1 now with a look to the sky1 now with a flitting glance upon the dead ,o',brien4 ,all the time he kept smiling and putting his tongue out in the most guilty1 embarrassed manner1 so that a child could have told that he was bent on some deception4 ,i was prompt with my answer1 however1 for ,i saw where my advantage lay and that with a fellow so densely stupid ,i could easily conceal my suspicions to the end4 8,some wine80 ,i said4 8,far better4 ,will you have white or red80 8,well1 ,i reckon it's about the blessed same to me1 shipmate10 he replied2 8so it's strong1 and plenty of it1 what's the odds80 8,all right10 ,i answered4 8,i'll bring you port1 ,mr4 ,hands4 ,but ,i'll have to dig for it40 ,with that ,i scuttled down the companion with all the noise ,i could1 slipped off my shoes1 ran quietly along the sparred gallery1 mounted the forecastle ladder1 and popped my head out of the fore companion4 ,i knew he would not expect to see me there1 yet ,i took every precaution possible1 and certainly the worst of my suspicions proved too true4 ,he had risen from his position to his hands and knees1 and though his leg obviously hurt him pretty sharply when he moved,-for ,i could hear him stifle a groan,-yet it was at a good1 rattling rate that he trailed himself across the deck4 ,in half a minute he had reached the port scuppers and picked1 out of a coil of rope1 a long knife1 or rather a short dirk1 discoloured to the hilt with blood4 ,he looked upon it for a moment1 thrusting forth his under jaw1 tried the point upon his hand1 and then1 hastily concealing it in the bosom of his jacket1 trundled back again into his old place against the bulwark4 ,this was all that ,i required to know4 ,israel could move about1 he was now armed1 and if he had been at so much trouble to get rid of me1 it was plain that ,i was meant to be the victim4 ,what he would do afterwards,-whether he would try to crawl right across the island from ,north ,inlet to the camp among the swamps or whether he would fire ,long ,tom1 trusting that his own comrades might come first to help him,-was1 of course1 more than ,i could say4 ,yet ,i felt sure that ,i could trust him in one point1 since in that our interests jumped together1 and that was in the disposition of the schooner4 ,we both desired to have her stranded safe enough1 in a sheltered place1 and so that1 when the time came1 she could be got off again with as little labour and danger as might be2 and until that was done ,i considered that my life would certainly be spared4 ,while ,i was thus turning the business over in my mind1 ,i had not been idle with my body4 ,i had stolen back to the cabin1 slipped once more into my shoes1 and laid my hand at random on a bottle of wine1 and now1 with this for an excuse1 ,i made my reappearance on the deck4 ,hands lay as ,i had left him1 all fallen together in a bundle and with his eyelids lowered as though he were too weak to bear the light4 ,he looked up1 however1 at my coming1 knocked the neck off the bottle like a man who had done the same thing often1 and took a good swig1 with his favourite toast of 8,here's luck60 ,then he lay quiet for a little1 and then1 pulling out a stick of tobacco1 begged me to cut him a quid4 8,cut me a junk o,0 that10 says he1 8for ,i haven't no knife and hardly strength enough1 so be as ,i had4 ,ah1 ,jim1 ,jim1 ,i reckon ,i've missed stays6 ,cut me a quid1 as'll likely be the last1 lad1 for ,i'm for my long home1 and no mistake40 8,well10 said ,i1 8,i'll cut you some tobacco1 but if ,i was you and thought myself so badly1 ,i would go to my prayers like a ,christian man40 8,why80 said he4 8,now1 you tell me why40 8,why80 ,i cried4 8,you were asking me just now about the dead4 ,you've broken your trust2 you've lived in sin and lies and blood2 there's a man you killed lying at your feet this moment1 and you ask me why6 ,for ,god's mercy1 ,mr4 ,hands1 that's why40 ,i spoke with a little heat1 thinking of the bloody dirk he had hidden in his pocket and designed1 in his ill thoughts1 to end me with4 ,he1 for his part1 took a great draught of the wine and spoke with the most unusual solemnity4 8,for thirty years10 he said1 8,i've sailed the seas and seen good and bad1 better and worse1 fair weather and foul1 provisions running out1 knives going1 and what not4 ,well1 now ,i tell you1 ,i never seen good come o,0 goodness yet4 ,him as strikes first is my fancy2 dead men don't bite2 them's my views,-amen1 so be it4 ,and now1 you look here10 he added1 suddenly changing his tone1 8we've had about enough of this foolery4 ,the tide's made good enough by now4 ,you just take my orders1 ,cap'n ,hawkins1 and we'll sail slap in and be done with it40 ,all told1 we had scarce two miles to run2 but the navigation was delicate1 the entrance to this northern anchorage was not only narrow and shoal1 but lay east and west1 so that the schooner must be nicely handled to be got in4 ,i think ,i was a good1 prompt subaltern1 and ,i am very sure that ,hands was an excellent pilot1 for we went about and about and dodged in1 shaving the banks1 with a certainty and a neatness that were a pleasure to behold4 ,scarcely had we passed the heads before the land closed around us4 ,the shores of ,north ,inlet were as thickly wooded as those of the southern anchorage1 but the space was longer and narrower and more like1 what in truth it was1 the estuary of a river4 ,right before us1 at the southern end1 we saw the wreck of a ship in the last stages of dilapidation4 ,it had been a great vessel of three masts but had lain so long exposed to the injuries of the weather that it was hung about with great webs of dripping seaweed1 and on the deck of it shore bushes had taken root and now flourished thick with flowers4 ,it was a sad sight1 but it showed us that the anchorage was calm4 8,now10 said ,hands1 8look there2 there's a pet bit for to beach a ship in4 ,fine flat sand1 never a cat's paw1 trees all around of it1 and flowers a-blowing like a garding on that old ship40 8,and once beached10 ,i inquired1 8how shall we get her off again80 8,why1 so10 he replied3 8you take a line ashore there on the other side at low water1 take a turn about one of them big pines2 bring it back1 take a turn around the capstan1 and lie to for the tide4 ,come high water1 all hands take a pull upon the line1 and off she comes as sweet as natur,04 ,and now1 boy1 you stand by4 ,we're near the bit now1 and she's too much way on her4 ,starboard a little,-so,-steady,- starboard,-larboard a little,-steady,-stea dy60 ,so he issued his commands1 which ,i breathlessly obeyed1 till1 all of a sudden1 he cried1 8,now1 my hearty1 luff60 ,and ,i put the helm hard up1 and the .1,hispaniola swung round rapidly and ran stem on for the low1 wooded shore4 ,the excitement of these last manoeuvres had somewhat interfered with the watch ,i had kept hitherto1 sharply enough1 upon the coxswain4 ,even then ,i was still so much interested1 waiting for the ship to touch1 that ,i had quite forgot the peril that hung over my head and stood craning over the starboard bulwarks and watching the ripples spreading wide before the bows4 ,i might have fallen without a struggle for my life had not a sudden disquietude seized upon me and made me turn my head4 ,perhaps ,i had heard a creak or seen his shadow moving with the tail of my eye2 perhaps it was an instinct like a cat's2 but1 sure enough1 when ,i looked round1 there was ,hands1 already half-way towards me1 with the dirk in his right hand4 ,we must both have cried out aloud when our eyes met1 but while mine was the shrill cry of terror1 his was a roar of fury like a charging bully's4 ,at the same instant1 he threw himself forward and ,i leapt sideways towards the bows4 ,as ,i did so1 ,i let go of the tiller1 which sprang sharp to leeward1 and ,i think this saved my life1 for it struck ,hands across the chest and stopped him1 for the moment1 dead4 ,before he could recover1 ,i was safe out of the corner where he had me trapped1 with all the deck to dodge about4 ,just forward of the main-mast ,i stopped1 drew a pistol from my pocket1 took a cool aim1 though he had already turned and was once more coming directly after me1 and drew the trigger4 ,the hammer fell1 but there followed neither flash nor sound2 the priming was useless with sea-water4 ,i cursed myself for my neglect4 ,why had not ,i1 long before1 reprimed and reloaded my only weapons8 ,then ,i should not have been as now1 a mere fleeing sheep before this butcher4 ,wounded as he was1 it was wonderful how fast he could move1 his grizzled hair tumbling over his face1 and his face itself as red as a red ensign with his haste and fury4 ,i had no time to try my other pistol1 nor indeed much inclination1 for ,i was sure it would be useless4 ,one thing ,i saw plainly3 ,i must not simply retreat before him1 or he would speedily hold me boxed into the bows1 as a moment since he had so nearly boxed me in the stern4 ,once so caught1 and nine or ten inches of the blood-stained dirk would be my last experience on this side of eternity4 ,i placed my palms against the main-mast1 which was of a goodish bigness1 and waited1 every nerve upon the stretch4 ,seeing that ,i meant to dodge1 he also paused2 and a moment or two passed in feints on his part and corresponding movements upon mine4 ,it was such a game as ,i had often played at home about the rocks of ,black ,hill ,cove1 but never before1 you may be sure1 with such a wildly beating heart as now4 ,still1 as ,i say1 it was a boy's game1 and ,i thought ,i could hold my own at it against an elderly seaman with a wounded thigh4 ,indeed my courage had begun to rise so high that ,i allowed myself a few darting thoughts on what would be the end of the affair1 and while ,i saw certainly that ,i could spin it out for long1 ,i saw no hope of any ultimate escape4 ,well1 while things stood thus1 suddenly the .1,hispaniola struck1 staggered1 ground for an instant in the sand1 and then1 swift as a blow1 canted over to the port side till the deck stood at an angle of forty-five degrees and about a puncheon of water splashed into the scupper holes and lay1 in a pool1 between the deck and bulwark4 ,we were both of us capsized in a second1 and both of us rolled1 almost together1 into the scuppers1 the dead red-cap1 with his arms still spread out1 tumbling stiffly after us4 ,so near were we1 indeed1 that my head came against the coxswain's foot with a crack that made my teeth rattle4 ,blow and all1 ,i was the first afoot again1 for ,hands had got involved with the dead body4 ,the sudden canting of the ship had made the deck no place for running on2 ,i had to find some new way of escape1 and that upon the instant1 for my foe was almost touching me4 ,quick as thought1 ,i sprang into the mizzen shrouds1 rattled up hand over hand1 and did not draw a breath till ,i was seated on the cross-trees4 ,i had been saved by being prompt2 the dirk had struck not half a foot below me as ,i pursued my upward flight2 and there stood ,israel ,hands with his mouth open and his face upturned to mine1 a perfect statue of surprise and disappointment4 ,now that ,i had a moment to myself1 ,i lost no time in changing the priming of my pistol1 and then1 having one ready for service1 and to make assurance doubly sure1 ,i proceeded to draw the load of the other and recharge it afresh from the beginning4 ,my new employment struck ,hands all of a heap2 he began to see the dice going against him1 and after an obvious hesitation1 he also hauled himself heavily into the shrouds1 and with the dirk in his teeth1 began slowly and painfully to mount4 ,it cost him no end of time and groans to haul his wounded leg behind him1 and ,i had quietly finished my arrangements before he was much more than a third of the way up4 ,then1 with a pistol in either hand1 ,i addressed him4 8,one more step1 ,mr4 ,hands10 said ,i1 8and ,i'll blow your brains out6 ,dead men don't bite1 you know10 ,i added with a chuckle4 ,he stopped instantly4 ,i could see by the working of his face that he was trying to think1 and the process was so slow and laborious that1 in my new-found security1 ,i laughed aloud4 ,at last1 with a swallow or two1 he spoke1 his face still wearing the same expression of extreme perplexity4 ,in order to speak he had to take the dagger from his mouth1 but in all else he remained unmoved4 8,jim10 says he1 8,i reckon we're fouled1 you and me1 and we'll have to sign articles4 ,i'd have had you but for that there lurch1 but ,i don't have no luck1 not ,i2 and ,i reckon ,i'll have to strike1 which comes hard1 you see1 for a master mariner to a ship's younker like you1 ,jim40 ,i was drinking in his words and smiling away1 as conceited as a cock upon a wall1 when1 all in a breath1 back went his right hand over his shoulder4 ,something sang like an arrow through the air2 ,i felt a blow and then a sharp pang1 and there ,i was pinned by the shoulder to the mast4 ,in the horrid pain and surprise of the moment,-,i scarce can say it was by my own volition1 and ,i am sure it was without a conscious aim,-both my pistols went off1 and both escaped out of my hands4 ,they did not fall alone2 with a choked cry1 the coxswain loosed his grasp upon the shrouds and plunged head first into the water4 #bg 8,pieces of ,eight0 ,,owing to the cant of the vessel1 the masts hung far out over the water1 and from my perch on the cross-trees ,i had nothing below me but the surface of the bay4 ,hands1 who was not so far up1 was in consequence nearer to the ship and fell between me and the bulwarks4 ,he rose once to the surface in a lather of foam and blood and then sank again for good4 ,as the water settled1 ,i could see him lying huddled together on the clean1 bright sand in the shadow of the vessel's sides4 ,a fish or two whipped past his body4 ,sometimes1 by the quivering of the water1 he appeared to move a little1 as if he were trying to rise4 ,but he was dead enough1 for all that1 being both shot and drowned1 and was food for fish in the very place where he had designed my slaughter4 ,i was no sooner certain of this than ,i began to feel sick1 faint1 and terrified4 ,the hot blood was running over my back and chest4 ,the dirk1 where it had pinned my shoulder to the mast1 seemed to burn like a hot iron2 yet it was not so much these real sufferings that distressed me1 for these1 it seemed to me1 ,i could bear without a murmur2 it was the horror ,i had upon my mind of falling from the cross-trees into that still green water1 beside the body of the coxswain4 ,i clung with both hands till my nails ached1 and ,i shut my eyes as if to cover up the peril4 ,gradually my mind came back again1 my pulses quieted down to a more natural time1 and ,i was once more in possession of myself4 ,it was my first thought to pluck forth the dirk1 but either it stuck too hard or my nerve failed me1 and ,i desisted with a violent shudder4 ,oddly enough1 that very shudder did the business4 ,the knife1 in fact1 had come the nearest in the world to missing me altogether2 it held me by a mere pinch of skin1 and this the shudder tore away4 ,the blood ran down the faster1 to be sure1 but ,i was my own master again and only tacked to the mast by my coat and shirt4 ,these last ,i broke through with a sudden jerk1 and then regained the deck by the starboard shrouds4 ,for nothing in the world would ,i have again ventured1 shaken as ,i was1 upon the overhanging port shrouds from which ,israel had so lately fallen4 ,i went below and did what ,i could for my wound2 it pained me a good deal and still bled freely1 but it was neither deep nor dangerous1 nor did it greatly gall me when ,i used my arm4 ,then ,i looked around me1 and as the ship was now1 in a sense1 my own1 ,i began to think of clearing it from its last passenger,-the dead man1 ,o',brien4 ,he had pitched1 as ,i have said1 against the bulwarks1 where he lay like some horrible1 ungainly sort of puppet1 life-size1 indeed1 but how different from life's colour or life's comeliness6 ,in that position ,i could easily have my way with him1 and as the habit of tragical adventures had worn off almost all my terror for the dead1 ,i took him by the waist as if he had been a sack of bran and with one good heave1 tumbled him overboard4 ,he went in with a sounding plunge2 the red cap came off and remained floating on the surface2 and as soon as the splash subsided1 ,i could see him and ,israel lying side by side1 both wavering with the tremulous movement of the water4 ,o',brien1 though still quite a young man1 was very bald4 ,there he lay1 with that bald head across the knees of the man who had killed him and the quick fishes steering to and fro over both4 ,i was now alone upon the ship2 the tide had just turned4 ,the sun was within so few degrees of setting that already the shadow of the pines upon the western shore began to reach right across the anchorage and fall in patterns on the deck4 ,the evening breeze had sprung up1 and though it was well warded off by the hill with the two peaks upon the east1 the cordage had begun to sing a little softly to itself and the idle sails to rattle to and fro4 ,i began to see a danger to the ship4 ,the jibs ,i speedily doused and brought tumbling to the deck1 but the main-sail was a harder matter4 ,of course1 when the schooner canted over1 the boom had swung out-board1 and the cap of it and a foot or two of sail hung even under water4 ,i thought this made it still more dangerous2 yet the strain was so heavy that ,i half feared to meddle4 ,at last ,i got my knife and cut the halyards4 ,the peak dropped instantly1 a great belly of loose canvas floated broad upon the water1 and since1 pull as ,i liked1 ,i could not budge the downhall1 that was the extent of what ,i could accomplish4 ,for the rest1 the .1,hispaniola must trust to luck1 like myself4 ,by this time the whole anchorage had fallen into shadow,-the last rays1 ,i remember1 falling through a glade of the wood and shining bright as jewels on the flowery mantle of the wreck4 ,it began to be chill2 the tide was rapidly fleeting seaward1 the schooner settling more and more on her beam-ends4 ,i scrambled forward and looked over4 ,it seemed shallow enough1 and holding the cut hawser in both hands for a last security1 ,i let myself drop softly overboard4 ,the water scarcely reached my waist2 the sand was firm and covered with ripple marks1 and ,i waded ashore in great spirits1 leaving the .1,hispaniola on her side1 with her main-sail trailing wide upon the surface of the bay4 ,about the same time1 the sun went fairly down and the breeze whistled low in the dusk among the tossing pines4 ,at least1 and at last1 ,i was off the sea1 nor had ,i returned thence empty-handed4 ,there lay the schooner1 clear at last from buccaneers and ready for our own men to board and get to sea again4 ,i had nothing nearer my fancy than to get home to the stockade and boast of my achievements4 ,possibly ,i might be blamed a bit for my truantry1 but the recapture of the .1,hispaniola was a clenching answer1 and ,i hoped that even ,captain ,smollett would confess ,i had not lost my time4 ,so thinking1 and in famous spirits1 ,i began to set my face homeward for the block house and my companions4 ,i remembered that the most easterly of the rivers which drain into ,captain ,kidd's anchorage ran from the two-peaked hill upon my left1 and ,i bent my course in that direction that ,i might pass the stream while it was small4 ,the wood was pretty open1 and keeping along the lower spurs1 ,i had soon turned the corner of that hill1 and not long after waded to the mid-calf across the watercourse4 ,this brought me near to where ,i had encountered ,ben ,gunn1 the maroon2 and ,i walked more circumspectly1 keeping an eye on every side4 ,the dusk had come nigh hand completely1 and as ,i opened out the cleft between the two peaks1 ,i became aware of a wavering glow against the sky1 where1 as ,i judged1 the man of the island was cooking his supper before a roaring fire4 ,and yet ,i wondered1 in my heart1 that he should show himself so careless4 ,for if ,i could see this radiance1 might it not reach the eyes of ,silver himself where he camped upon the shore among the marshes8 ,gradually the night fell blacker2 it was all ,i could do to guide myself even roughly towards my destination2 the double hill behind me and the ,spy-glass on my right hand loomed faint and fainter2 the stars were few and pale2 and in the low ground where ,i wandered ,i kept tripping among bushes and rolling into sandy pits4 ,suddenly a kind of brightness fell about me4 ,i looked up2 a pale glimmer of moonbeams had alighted on the summit of the ,spy-glass1 and soon after ,i saw something broad and silvery moving low down behind the trees1 and knew the moon had risen4 ,with this to help me1 ,i passed rapidly over what remained to me of my journey1 and sometimes walking1 sometimes running1 impatiently drew near to the stockade4 ,yet1 as ,i began to thread the grove that lies before it1 ,i was not so thoughtless but that ,i slacked my pace and went a trifle warily4 ,it would have been a poor end of my adventures to get shot down by my own party in mistake4 ,the moon was climbing higher and higher1 its light began to fall here and there in masses through the more open districts of the wood1 and right in front of me a glow of a different colour appeared among the trees4 ,it was red and hot1 and now and again it was a little darkened,-as it were1 the embers of a bonfire smouldering4 ,for the life of me ,i could not think what it might be4 ,at last ,i came right down upon the borders of the clearing4 ,the western end was already steeped in moonshine2 the rest1 and the block house itself1 still lay in a black shadow chequered with long silvery streaks of light4 ,on the other side of the house an immense fire had burned itself into clear embers and shed a steady1 red reverberation1 contrasted strongly with the mellow paleness of the moon4 ,there was not a soul stirring nor a sound beside the noises of the breeze4 ,i stopped1 with much wonder in my heart1 and perhaps a little terror also4 ,it had not been our way to build great fires2 we were1 indeed1 by the captain's orders1 somewhat niggardly of firewood1 and ,i began to fear that something had gone wrong while ,i was absent4 ,i stole round by the eastern end1 keeping close in shadow1 and at a convenient place1 where the darkness was thickest1 crossed the palisade4 ,to make assurance surer1 ,i got upon my hands and knees and crawled1 without a sound1 towards the corner of the house4 ,as ,i drew nearer1 my heart was suddenly and greatly lightened4 ,it is not a pleasant noise in itself1 and ,i have often complained of it at other times1 but just then it was like music to hear my friends snoring together so loud and peaceful in their sleep4 ,the sea-cry of the watch1 that beautiful 8,all's well10 never fell more reassuringly on my ear4 ,in the meantime1 there was no doubt of one thing2 they kept an infamous bad watch4 ,if it had been ,silver and his lads that were now creeping in on them1 not a soul would have seen daybreak4 ,that was what it was1 thought ,i1 to have the captain wounded2 and again ,i blamed myself sharply for leaving them in that danger with so few to mount guard4 ,by this time ,i had got to the door and stood up4 ,all was dark within1 so that ,i could distinguish nothing by the eye4 ,as for sounds1 there was the steady drone of the snorers and a small occasional noise1 a flickering or pecking that ,i could in no way account for4 ,with my arms before me ,i walked steadily in4 ,i should lie down in my own place "<,i thought with a silent chuckle"> and enjoy their faces when they found me in the morning4 ,my foot struck something yielding,-it was a sleeper's leg2 and he turned and groaned1 but without awaking4 ,and then1 all of a sudden1 a shrill voice broke forth out of the darkness3 8,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight60 and so forth1 without pause or change1 like the clacking of a tiny mill4 ,silver's green parrot1 ,captain ,flint6 ,it was she whom ,i had heard pecking at a piece of bark2 it was she1 keeping better watch than any human being1 who thus announced my arrival with her wearisome refrain4 ,i had no time left me to recover4 ,at the sharp1 clipping tone of the parrot1 the sleepers awoke and sprang up2 and with a mighty oath1 the voice of ,silver cried1 8,who goes80 ,i turned to run1 struck violently against one person1 recoiled1 and ran full into the arms of a second1 who for his part closed upon and held me tight4 8,bring a torch1 ,dick10 said ,silver when my capture was thus assured4 ,and one of the men left the log-house and presently returned with a lighted brand4 ,,part ,,six,-,captai n ,silver #bh ,in the ,enemy's ,camp ,,the red glare of the torch1 lighting up the interior of the block house1 showed me the worst of my apprehensions realized4 ,the pirates were in possession of the house and stores3 there was the cask of cognac1 there were the pork and bread1 as before1 and what tenfold increased my horror1 not a sign of any prisoner4 ,i could only judge that all had perished1 and my heart smote me sorely that ,i had not been there to perish with them4 ,there were six of the buccaneers1 all told2 not another man was left alive4 ,five of them were on their feet1 flushed and swollen1 suddenly called out of the first sleep of drunkenness4 ,the sixth had only risen upon his elbow2 he was deadly pale1 and the blood-stained bandage round his head told that he had recently been wounded1 and still more recently dressed4 ,i remembered the man who had been shot and had run back among the woods in the great attack1 and doubted not that this was he4 ,the parrot sat1 preening her plumage1 on ,long ,john's shoulder4 ,he himself1 ,i thought1 looked somewhat paler and more stern than ,i was used to4 ,he still wore the fine broadcloth suit in which he had fulfilled his mission1 but it was bitterly the worse for wear1 daubed with clay and torn with the sharp briers of the wood4 8,so10 said he1 8here's ,jim ,hawkins1 shiver my timbers6 ,dropped in1 like1 eh8 ,well1 come1 ,i take that friendly40 ,and thereupon he sat down across the brandy cask and began to fill a pipe4 8,give me a loan of the link1 ,dick10 said he2 and then1 when he had a good light1 8,that'll do1 lad10 he added2 8stick the glim in the wood heap2 and you1 gentlemen1 bring yourselves to6 ,you needn't stand up for ,mr4 ,hawkins2 .1he'll excuse you1 you may lay to that4 ,and so1 ,jim0,-stopping the tobacco,-8here you were1 and quite a pleasant surprise for poor old ,john4 ,i see you were smart when first ,i set my eyes on you1 but this here gets away from me clean1 it do40 ,to all this1 as may be well supposed1 ,i made no answer4 ,they had set me with my back against the wall1 and ,i stood there1 looking ,silver in the face1 pluckily enough1 ,i hope1 to all outward appearance1 but with black despair in my heart4 ,silver took a whiff or two of his pipe with great composure and then ran on again4 8,now1 you see1 ,jim1 so be as you .1are here10 says he1 8,i'll give you a piece of my mind4 ,i've always liked you1 ,i have1 for a lad of spirit1 and the picter of my own self when ,i was young and handsome4 ,i always wanted you to jine and take your share1 and die a gentleman1 and now1 my cock1 you've got to4 ,cap'n ,smollett's a fine seaman1 as ,i'll own up to any day1 but stiff on discipline4 ,8,dooty is dooty1,0 says he1 and right he is4 ,just you keep clear of the cap'n4 ,the doctor himself is gone dead again you,-,8ungrateful scamp,0 was what he said2 and the short and the long of the whole story is about here3 you can't go back to your own lot1 for they won't have you2 and without you start a third ship's company all by yourself1 which might be lonely1 you'll have to jine with ,cap'n ,silver40 ,so far so good4 ,my friends1 then1 were still alive1 and though ,i partly believed the truth of ,silver's statement1 that the cabin party were incensed at me for my desertion1 ,i was more relieved than distressed by what ,i heard4 8,i don't say nothing as to your being in our hands10 continued ,silver1 8though there you are1 and you may lay to it4 ,i'm all for argyment2 ,i never seen good come out o,0 threatening4 ,if you like the service1 well1 you'll jine2 and if you don't1 ,jim1 why1 you're free to answer no,-free and welcome1 shipmate2 and if fairer can be said by mortal seaman1 shiver my sides60 8,am ,i to answer1 then80 ,i asked with a very tremulous voice4 ,through all this sneering talk1 ,i was made to feel the threat of death that overhung me1 and my cheeks burned and my heart beat painfully in my breast4 8,lad10 said ,silver1 8no one's a-pressing of you4 ,take your bearings4 ,none of us won't hurry you1 mate2 time goes so pleasant in your company1 you see40 8,well10 says ,i1 growing a bit bolder1 8if ,i'm to choose1 ,i declare ,i have a right to know what's what1 and why you're here1 and where my friends are40 8,wot's wot80 repeated one of the buccaneers in a deep growl4 8,ah1 he'd be a lucky one as knowed that60 8,you'll perhaps batten down your hatches till you're spoke to1 my friend10 cried ,silver truculently to this speaker4 ,and then1 in his first gracious tones1 he replied to me1 8,yesterday morning1 ,mr4 ,hawkins10 said he1 8in the dog-watch1 down came ,doctor ,livesey with a flag of truce4 ,says he1 ,8,cap'n ,silver1 you're sold out4 ,ship's gone4,0 ,well1 maybe we'd been taking a glass1 and a song to help it round4 ,i won't say no4 ,leastways1 none of us had looked out4 ,we looked out1 and by thunder1 the old ship was gone6 ,i never seen a pack o,0 fools look fishier2 and you may lay to that1 if ,i tells you that looked the fishiest4 ,8,well1,0 says the doctor1 ,8let's bargain4,0 ,we bargained1 him and ,i1 and here we are3 stores1 brandy1 block house1 the firewood you was thoughtful enough to cut1 and in a manner of speaking1 the whole blessed boat1 from cross-trees to kelson4 ,as for them1 they've tramped2 ,i don't know where's they are40 ,he drew again quietly at his pipe4 8,and lest you should take it into that head of yours10 he went on1 8that you was included in the treaty1 here's the last word that was said3 ,8,how many are you1,0 says ,i1 ,8to leave8,0 ,8,four1,0 says he2 ,8four1 and one of us wounded4 ,as for that boy1 ,i don't know where he is1 confound him1,0 says he1 ,8nor ,i don't much care4 ,we're about sick of him4,0 ,these was his words4 8,is that all80 ,i asked4 8,well1 it's all that you're to hear1 my son10 returned ,silver4 8,and now ,i am to choose80 8,and now you are to choose1 and you may lay to that10 said ,silver4 8,well10 said ,i1 8,i am not such a fool but ,i know pretty well what ,i have to look for4 ,let the worst come to the worst1 it's little ,i care4 ,i've seen too many die since ,i fell in with you4 ,but there's a thing or two ,i have to tell you10 ,i said1 and by this time ,i was quite excited2 8and the first is this3 here you are1 in a bad way,-ship lost1 treasure lost1 men lost1 your whole business gone to wreck2 and if you want to know who did it,-it was ,i6 ,i was in the apple barrel the night we sighted land1 and ,i heard you1 ,john1 and you1 ,dick ,johnson1 and ,hands1 who is now at the bottom of the sea1 and told every word you said before the hour was out4 ,and as for the schooner1 it was ,i who cut her cable1 and it was ,i that killed the men you had aboard of her1 and it was ,i who brought her where you'll never see her more1 not one of you4 ,the laugh's on my side2 ,i've had the top of this business from the first2 ,i no more fear you than ,i fear a fly4 ,kill me1 if you please1 or spare me4 ,but one thing ,i'll say1 and no more2 if you spare me1 bygones are bygones1 and when you fellows are in court for piracy1 ,i'll save you all ,i can4 ,it is for you to choose4 ,kill another and do yourselves no good1 or spare me and keep a witness to save you from the gallows40 ,i stopped1 for1 ,i tell you1 ,i was out of breath1 and to my wonder1 not a man of them moved1 but all sat staring at me like as many sheep4 ,and while they were still staring1 ,i broke out again1 8,and now1 ,mr4 ,silver10 ,i said1 8,i believe you're the best man here1 and if things go to the worst1 ,i'll take it kind of you to let the doctor know the way ,i took it40 8,i'll bear it in mind10 said ,silver with an accent so curious that ,i could not1 for the life of me1 decide whether he were laughing at my request or had been favourably affected by my courage4 8,i'll put one to that10 cried the old mahogany-faced seaman,-,morgan by name,-whom ,i had seen in ,long ,john's public-house upon the quays of ,bristol4 8,it was him that knowed ,black ,dog40 8,well1 and see here10 added the sea-cook4 8,i'll put another again to that1 by thunder6 ,for it was this same boy that faked the chart from ,billy ,bones4 ,first and last1 we've split upon ,jim ,hawkins60 8,then here goes60 said ,morgan with an oath4 ,and he sprang up1 drawing his knife as if he had been twenty4 8,avast1 there60 cried ,silver4 8,who are you1 ,tom ,morgan8 ,maybe you thought you was cap'n here1 perhaps4 ,by the powers1 but ,i'll teach you better6 ,cross me1 and you'll go where many a good man's gone before you1 first and last1 these thirty year back,-some to the yard-arm1 shiver my timbers1 and some by the board1 and all to feed the fishes4 ,there's never a man looked me between the eyes and seen a good day a'terwards1 ,tom ,morgan1 you may lay to that40 ,morgan paused1 but a hoarse murmur rose from the others4 8,tom's right10 said one4 8,i stood hazing long enough from one10 added another4 8,i'll be hanged if ,i'll be hazed by you1 ,john ,silver40 8,did any of you gentlemen want to have it out with .1me80 roared ,silver1 bending far forward from his position on the keg1 with his pipe still glowing in his right hand4 8,put a name on what you're at2 you ain't dumb1 ,i reckon4 ,him that wants shall get it4 ,have ,i lived this many years1 and a son of a rum puncheon cock his hat athwart my hawse at the latter end of it8 ,you know the way2 you're all gentlemen o,0 fortune1 by your account4 ,well1 ,i'm ready4 ,take a cutlass1 him that dares1 and ,i'll see the colour of his inside1 crutch and all1 before that pipe's empty40 ,not a man stirred2 not a man answered4 8,that's your sort1 is it80 he added1 returning his pipe to his mouth4 8,well1 you're a gay lot to look at1 anyway4 ,not much worth to fight1 you ain't4 ,p'r'aps you can understand ,king ,george's ,english4 ,i'm cap'n here by ,0lection4 ,i'm cap'n here because ,i'm the best man by a long sea-mile4 ,you won't fight1 as gentlemen o,0 fortune should2 then1 by thunder1 you'll obey1 and you may lay to it6 ,i like that boy1 now2 ,i never seen a better boy than that4 ,he's more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house1 and what ,i say is this3 let me see him that'll lay a hand on him,-that's what ,i say1 and you may lay to it40 ,there was a long pause after this4 ,i stood straight up against the wall1 my heart still going like a sledge-hammer1 but with a ray of hope now shining in my bosom4 ,silver leant back against the wall1 his arms crossed1 his pipe in the corner of his mouth1 as calm as though he had been in church2 yet his eye kept wandering furtively1 and he kept the tail of it on his unruly followers4 ,they1 on their part1 drew gradually together towards the far end of the block house1 and the low hiss of their whispering sounded in my ear continuously1 like a stream4 ,one after another1 they would look up1 and the red light of the torch would fall for a second on their nervous faces2 but it was not towards me1 it was towards ,silver that they turned their eyes4 8,you seem to have a lot to say10 remarked ,silver1 spitting far into the air4 8,pipe up and let me hear it1 or lay to40 8,ax your pardon1 sir10 returned one of the men2 8you're pretty free with some of the rules2 maybe you'll kindly keep an eye upon the rest4 ,this crew's dissatisfied2 this crew don't vally bullying a marlin-spike2 this crew has its rights like other crews1 ,i'll make so free as that2 and by your own rules1 ,i take it we can talk together4 ,i ax your pardon1 sir1 acknowledging you for to be captaing at this present2 but ,i claim my right1 and steps outside for a council40 ,and with an elaborate sea-salute1 this fellow1 a long1 ill-looking1 yellow-eyed man of five and thirty1 stepped coolly towards the door and disappeared out of the house4 ,one after another the rest followed his example1 each making a salute as he passed1 each adding some apology4 8,according to rules10 said one4 8,forecastle council10 said ,morgan4 ,and so with one remark or another all marched out and left ,silver and me alone with the torch4 ,the sea-cook instantly removed his pipe4 8,now1 look you here1 ,jim ,hawkins10 he said in a steady whisper that was no more than audible1 8you're within half a plank of death1 and what's a long sight worse1 of torture4 ,they're going to throw me off4 ,but1 you mark1 ,i stand by you through thick and thin4 ,i didn't mean to2 no1 not till you spoke up4 ,i was about desperate to lose that much blunt1 and be hanged into the bargain4 ,but ,i see you was the right sort4 ,i says to myself1 you stand by ,hawkins1 ,john1 and ,hawkins'll stand by you4 ,you're his last card1 and by the living thunder1 ,john1 he's yours6 ,back to back1 says ,i4 ,you save your witness1 and he'll save your neck60 ,i began dimly to understand4 8,you mean all's lost80 ,i asked4 8,aye1 by gum1 ,i do60 he answered4 8,ship gone1 neck gone,-that's the size of it4 ,once ,i looked into that bay1 ,jim ,hawkins1 and seen no schooner,-well1 ,i'm tough1 but ,i gave out4 ,as for that lot and their council1 mark me1 they're outright fools and cowards4 ,i'll save your life,-if so be as ,i can,-from them4 ,but1 see here1 ,jim,-tit for tat,-you save ,long ,john from swinging40 ,i was bewildered2 it seemed a thing so hopeless he was asking,-he1 the old buccaneer1 the ringleader throughout4 8,what ,i can do1 that ,i'll do10 ,i said4 8,it's a bargain60 cried ,long ,john4 8,you speak up plucky1 and by thunder1 ,i've a chance60 ,he hobbled to the torch1 where it stood propped among the firewood1 and took a fresh light to his pipe4 8,understand me1 ,jim10 he said1 returning4 8,i've a head on my shoulders1 ,i have4 ,i'm on squire's side now4 ,i know you've got that ship safe somewheres4 ,how you done it1 ,i don't know1 but safe it is4 ,i guess ,hands and ,o',brien turned soft4 ,i never much believed in neither of .1them4 ,now you mark me4 ,i ask no questions1 nor ,i won't let others4 ,i know when a game's up1 ,i do2 and ,i know a lad that's staunch4 ,ah1 you that's young,-you and me might have done a power of good together60 ,he drew some cognac from the cask into a tin cannikin4 8,will you taste1 messmate80 he asked2 and when ,i had refused3 8,well1 ,i'll take a dram myself1 ,jim10 said he4 8,i need a caulker1 for there's trouble on hand4 ,and talking o,0 trouble1 why did that doctor give me the chart1 ,jim80 ,my face expressed a wonder so unaffected that he saw the needlessness of further questions4 8,ah1 well1 he did1 though10 said he4 8,and there's something under that1 no doubt,-something1 surely1 under that1 ,jim,-bad or good40 ,and he took another swallow of the brandy1 shaking his great fair head like a man who looks forward to the worst4 #bi ,the ,black ,spot ,again ,,the council of buccaneers had lasted some time1 when one of them re-entered the house1 and with a repetition of the same salute1 which had in my eyes an ironical air1 begged for a moment's loan of the torch4 ,silver briefly agreed1 and this emissary retired again1 leaving us together in the dark4 8,there's a breeze coming1 ,jim10 said ,silver1 who had by this time adopted quite a friendly and familiar tone4 ,i turned to the loophole nearest me and looked out4 ,the embers of the great fire had so far burned themselves out and now glowed so low and duskily that ,i understood why these conspirators desired a torch4 ,about half-way down the slope to the stockade1 they were collected in a group2 one held the light1 another was on his knees in their midst1 and ,i saw the blade of an open knife shine in his hand with varying colours in the moon and torchlight4 ,the rest were all somewhat stooping1 as though watching the manoeuvres of this last4 ,i could just make out that he had a book as well as a knife in his hand1 and was still wondering how anything so incongruous had come in their possession when the kneeling figure rose once more to his feet and the whole party began to move together towards the house4 8,here they come10 said ,i2 and ,i returned to my former position1 for it seemed beneath my dignity that they should find me watching them4 8,well1 let ,0em come1 lad,-let ,0em come10 said ,silver cheerily4 8,i've still a shot in my locker40 ,the door opened1 and the five men1 standing huddled together just inside1 pushed one of their number forward4 ,in any other circumstances it would have been comical to see his slow advance1 hesitating as he set down each foot1 but holding his closed right hand in front of him4 8,step up1 lad10 cried ,silver4 8,i won't eat you4 ,hand it over1 lubber4 ,i know the rules1 ,i do2 ,i won't hurt a depytation40 ,thus encouraged1 the buccaneer stepped forth more briskly1 and having passed something to ,silver1 from hand to hand1 slipped yet more smartly back again to his companions4 ,the sea-cook looked at what had been given him4 8,the black spot6 ,i thought so10 he observed4 8,where might you have got the paper8 ,why1 hillo6 ,look here1 now2 this ain't lucky6 ,you've gone and cut this out of a ,bible4 ,what fool's cut a ,bible80 8,ah1 there60 said ,morgan4 8,there6 ,wot did ,i say8 ,no good'll come o,0 that1 ,i said40 8,well1 you've about fixed it now1 among you10 continued ,silver4 8,you'll all swing now1 ,i reckon4 ,what soft-headed lubber had a ,bible80 8,it was ,dick10 said one4 8,dick1 was it8 ,then ,dick can get to prayers10 said ,silver4 8,he's seen his slice of luck1 has ,dick1 and you may lay to that40 ,but here the long man with the yellow eyes struck in4 8,belay that talk1 ,john ,silver10 he said4 8,this crew has tipped you the black spot in full council1 as in dooty bound2 just you turn it over1 as in dooty bound1 and see what's wrote there4 ,then you can talk40 8,thanky1 ,george10 replied the sea-cook4 8,you always was brisk for business1 and has the rules by heart1 ,george1 as ,i'm pleased to see4 ,well1 what is it1 anyway8 ,ah6 ,8,deposed,0,-that's it1 is it8 ,very pretty wrote1 to be sure2 like print1 ,i swear4 ,your hand o,0 write1 ,george8 ,why1 you was gettin,0 quite a leadin,0 man in this here crew4 ,you'll be cap'n next1 ,i shouldn't wonder4 ,just oblige me with that torch again1 will you8 ,this pipe don't draw40 8,come1 now10 said ,george1 8you don't fool this crew no more4 ,you're a funny man1 by your account2 but you're over now1 and you'll maybe step down off that barrel and help vote40 8,i thought you said you knowed the rules10 returned ,silver contemptuously4 8,leastways1 if you don't1 ,i do2 and ,i wait here,-and ,i'm still your cap'n1 mind,-till you outs with your grievances and ,i reply2 in the meantime1 your black spot ain't worth a biscuit4 ,after that1 we'll see40 8,oh10 replied ,george1 8you don't be under no kind of apprehension2 .1we're all square1 we are4 ,first1 you've made a hash of this cruise,-you'll be a bold man to say no to that4 ,second1 you let the enemy out o,0 this here trap for nothing4 ,why did they want out8 ,i dunno1 but it's pretty plain they wanted it4 ,third1 you wouldn't let us go at them upon the march4 ,oh1 we see through you1 ,john ,silver2 you want to play booty1 that's what's wrong with you4 ,and then1 fourth1 there's this here boy40 8,is that all80 asked ,silver quietly4 8,enough1 too10 retorted ,george4 8,we'll all swing and sun-dry for your bungling40 8,well now1 look here1 ,i'll answer these four p'ints2 one after another ,i'll answer ,0em4 ,i made a hash o,0 this cruise1 did ,i8 ,well now1 you all know what ,i wanted1 and you all know if that had been done that we'd ,0a been aboard the .1,hispaniola this night as ever was1 every man of us alive1 and fit1 and full of good plum-duff1 and the treasure in the hold of her1 by thunder6 ,well1 who crossed me8 ,who forced my hand1 as was the lawful cap'n8 ,who tipped me the black spot the day we landed and began this dance8 ,ah1 it's a fine dance,-,i'm with you there,-and looks mighty like a hornpipe in a rope's end at ,execution ,dock by ,london town1 it does4 ,but who done it8 ,why1 it was ,anderson1 and ,hands1 and you1 ,george ,merry6 ,and you're the last above board of that same meddling crew2 and you have the ,davy ,jones's insolence to up and stand for cap'n over me,-you1 that sank the lot of us6 ,by the powers6 ,but this tops the stiffest yarn to nothing40 ,silver paused1 and ,i could see by the faces of ,george and his late comrades that these words had not been said in vain4 8,that's for number one10 cried the accused1 wiping the sweat from his brow1 for he had been talking with a vehemence that shook the house4 8,why1 ,i give you my word1 ,i'm sick to speak to you4 ,you've neither sense nor memory1 and ,i leave it to fancy where your mothers was that let you come to sea4 ,sea6 ,gentlemen o,0 fortune6 ,i reckon tailors is your trade40 8,go on1 ,john10 said ,morgan4 8,speak up to the others40 8,ah1 the others60 returned ,john4 8,they're a nice lot1 ain't they8 ,you say this cruise is bungled4 ,ah6 ,by gum1 if you could understand how bad it's bungled1 you would see6 ,we're that near the gibbet that my neck's stiff with thinking on it4 ,you've seen ,0em1 maybe1 hanged in chains1 birds about ,0em1 seamen p'inting ,0em out as they go down with the tide4 ,8,who's that8,0 says one4 ,8,that6 ,why1 that's ,john ,silver4 ,i knowed him well1,0 says another4 ,and you can hear the chains a-jangle as you go about and reach for the other buoy4 ,now1 that's about where we are1 every mother's son of us1 thanks to him1 and ,hands1 and ,anderson1 and other ruination fools of you4 ,and if you want to know about number four1 and that boy1 why1 shiver my timbers1 isn't he a hostage8 ,are we a-going to waste a hostage8 ,no1 not us2 he might be our last chance1 and ,i shouldn't wonder4 ,kill that boy8 ,not me1 mates6 ,and number three8 ,ah1 well1 there's a deal to say to number three4 ,maybe you don't count it nothing to have a real college doctor to see you every day,-you1 ,john1 with your head broke,-or you1 ,george ,merry1 that had the ague shakes upon you not six hours agone1 and has your eyes the colour of lemon peel to this same moment on the clock8 ,and maybe1 perhaps1 you didn't know there was a consort coming either8 ,but there is1 and not so long till then2 and we'll see who'll be glad to have a hostage when it comes to that4 ,and as for number two1 and why ,i made a bargain,-well1 you came crawling on your knees to me to make it,-on your knees you came1 you was that downhearted,-and you'd have starved too if ,i hadn't,-but that's a trifle6 ,you look there,-that's why60 ,and he cast down upon the floor a paper that ,i instantly recognized,-none other than the chart on yellow paper1 with the three red crosses1 that ,i had found in the oilcloth at the bottom of the captain's chest4 ,why the doctor had given it to him was more than ,i could fancy4 ,but if it were inexplicable to me1 the appearance of the chart was incredible to the surviving mutineers4 ,they leaped upon it like cats upon a mouse4 ,it went from hand to hand1 one tearing it from another2 and by the oaths and the cries and the childish laughter with which they accompanied their examination1 you would have thought1 not only they were fingering the very gold1 but were at sea with it1 besides1 in safety4 8,yes10 said one1 8that's ,flint1 sure enough4 ,j4 ,f41 and a score below1 with a clove hitch to it2 so he done ever40 8,mighty pretty10 said ,george4 8,but how are we to get away with it1 and us no ship40 ,silver suddenly sprang up1 and supporting himself with a hand against the wall3 8,now ,i give you warning1 ,george10 he cried4 8,one more word of your sauce1 and ,i'll call you down and fight you4 ,how8 ,why1 how do ,i know8 ,you had ought to tell me that,-you and the rest1 that lost me my schooner1 with your interference1 burn you6 ,but not you1 you can't2 you hain't got the invention of a cockroach4 ,but civil you can speak1 and shall1 ,george ,merry1 you may lay to that40 8,that's fair enow10 said the old man ,morgan4 8,fair6 ,i reckon so10 said the sea-cook4 8,you lost the ship2 ,i found the treasure4 ,who's the better man at that8 ,and now ,i resign1 by thunder6 ,elect whom you please to be your cap'n now2 ,i'm done with it40 8,silver60 they cried4 8,barbecue forever6 ,barbecue for cap'n60 8,so that's the toon1 is it80 cried the cook4 8,george1 ,i reckon you'll have to wait another turn1 friend2 and lucky for you as ,i'm not a revengeful man4 ,but that was never my way4 ,and now1 shipmates1 this black spot8 ,0,tain't much good now1 is it8 ,dick's crossed his luck and spoiled his ,bible1 and that's about all40 8,it'll do to kiss the book on still1 won't it80 growled ,dick1 who was evidently uneasy at the curse he had brought upon himself4 8,a ,bible with a bit cut out60 returned ,silver derisively4 8,not it4 ,it don't bind no more'n a ballad-book40 8,don't it1 though80 cried ,dick with a sort of joy4 8,well1 ,i reckon that's worth having too40 8,here1 ,jim,-here's a cur'osity for you10 said ,silver1 and he tossed me the paper4 ,it was around about the size of a crown piece4 ,one side was blank1 for it had been the last leaf2 the other contained a verse or two of ,revelation,-these words among the rest1 which struck sharply home upon my mind3 8,without are dogs and murderers40 ,the printed side had been blackened with wood ash1 which already began to come off and soil my fingers2 on the blank side had been written with the same material the one word 8,depposed40 ,i have that curiosity beside me at this moment1 but not a trace of writing now remains beyond a single scratch1 such as a man might make with his thumb-nail4 ,that was the end of the night's business4 ,soon after1 with a drink all round1 we lay down to sleep1 and the outside of ,silver's vengeance was to put ,george ,merry up for sentinel and threaten him with death if he should prove unfaithful4 ,it was long ere ,i could close an eye1 and heaven knows ,i had matter enough for thought in the man whom ,i had slain that afternoon1 in my own most perilous position1 and above all1 in the remarkable game that ,i saw ,silver now engaged upon,-keeping the mutineers together with one hand and grasping with the other after every means1 possible and impossible1 to make his peace and save his miserable life4 ,he himself slept peacefully and snored aloud1 yet my heart was sore for him1 wicked as he was1 to think on the dark perils that environed and the shameful gibbet that awaited him4 #cj ,on ,parole ,,was wakened,-indeed1 we were all wakened1 for ,i could see even the sentinel shake himself together from where he had fallen against the door-post,-by a clear1 hearty voice hailing us from the margin of the wood3 8,block house1 ahoy60 it cried4 8,here's the doctor40 ,and the doctor it was4 ,although ,i was glad to hear the sound1 yet my gladness was not without admixture4 ,i remembered with confusion my insubordinate and stealthy conduct1 and when ,i saw where it had brought me,-among what companions and surrounded by what dangers,-,i felt ashamed to look him in the face4 ,he must have risen in the dark1 for the day had hardly come2 and when ,i ran to a loophole and looked out1 ,i saw him standing1 like ,silver once before1 up to the mid-leg in creeping vapour4 8,you1 doctor6 ,top o,0 the morning to you1 sir60 cried ,silver1 broad awake and beaming with good nature in a moment4 8,bright and early1 to be sure2 and it's the early bird1 as the saying goes1 that gets the rations4 ,george1 shake up your timbers1 son1 and help ,dr4 ,livesey over the ship's side4 ,all a-doin,0 well1 your patients was,-all well and merry40 ,so he pattered on1 standing on the hilltop with his crutch under his elbow and one hand upon the side of the log-house,-quite the old ,john in voice1 manner1 and expression4 8,we've quite a surprise for you too1 sir10 he continued4 8,we've a little stranger here,-he6 he6 ,a noo boarder and lodger1 sir1 and looking fit and taut as a fiddle2 slep,0 like a supercargo1 he did1 right alongside of ,john,-stem to stem we was1 all night40 ,dr4 ,livesey was by this time across the stockade and pretty near the cook1 and ,i could hear the alteration in his voice as he said1 8,not ,jim80 8,the very same ,jim as ever was10 says ,silver4 ,the doctor stopped outright1 although he did not speak1 and it was some seconds before he seemed able to move on4 8,well1 well10 he said at last1 8duty first and pleasure afterwards1 as you might have said yourself1 ,silver4 ,let us overhaul these patients of yours40 ,a moment afterwards he had entered the block house and with one grim nod to me proceeded with his work among the sick4 ,he seemed under no apprehension1 though he must have known that his life1 among these treacherous demons1 depended on a hair2 and he rattled on to his patients as if he were paying an ordinary professional visit in a quiet ,english family4 ,his manner1 ,i suppose1 reacted on the men1 for they behaved to him as if nothing had occurred1 as if he were still ship's doctor and they still faithful hands before the mast4 8,you're doing well1 my friend10 he said to the fellow with the bandaged head1 8and if ever any person had a close shave1 it was you2 your head must be as hard as iron4 ,well1 ,george1 how goes it8 ,you're a pretty colour1 certainly2 why1 your liver1 man1 is upside down4 ,did you take that medicine8 ,did he take that medicine1 men80 8,aye1 aye1 sir1 he took it1 sure enough10 returned ,morgan4 8,because1 you see1 since ,i am mutineers' doctor1 or prison doctor as ,i prefer to call it10 says ,doctor ,livesey in his pleasantest way1 8,i make it a point of honour not to lose a man for ,king ,george "<,god bless him6"> and the gallows40 ,the rogues looked at each other but swallowed the home-thrust in silence4 8,dick don't feel well1 sir10 said one4 8,don't he80 replied the doctor4 8,well1 step up here1 ,dick1 and let me see your tongue4 ,no1 ,i should be surprised if he did6 ,the man's tongue is fit to frighten the ,french4 ,another fever40 8,ah1 there10 said ,morgan1 8that comed of sp'iling ,bibles40 8,that comes,-as you call it,-of being arrant asses10 retorted the doctor1 8and not having sense enough to know honest air from poison1 and the dry land from a vile1 pestiferous slough4 ,i think it most probable,-though of course it's only an opinion,-that you'll all have the deuce to pay before you get that malaria out of your systems4 ,camp in a bog1 would you8 ,silver1 ,i'm surprised at you4 ,you're less of a fool than many1 take you all round2 but you don't appear to me to have the rudiments of a notion of the rules of health4 8,well10 he added after he had dosed them round and they had taken his prescriptions1 with really laughable humility1 more like charity schoolchildren than blood-guilty mutineers and pirates,-8well1 that's done for today4 ,and now ,i should wish to have a talk with that boy1 please40 ,and he nodded his head in my direction carelessly4 ,george ,merry was at the door1 spitting and spluttering over some bad-tasted medicine2 but at the first word of the doctor's proposal he swung round with a deep flush and cried 8,no60 and swore4 ,silver struck the barrel with his open hand4 8,si-lence60 he roared and looked about him positively like a lion4 8,doctor10 he went on in his usual tones1 8,i was a-thinking of that1 knowing as how you had a fancy for the boy4 ,we're all humbly grateful for your kindness1 and as you see1 puts faith in you and takes the drugs down like that much grog4 ,and ,i take it ,i've found a way as'll suit all4 ,hawkins1 will you give me your word of honour as a young gentleman,-for a young gentleman you are1 although poor born,-your word of honour not to slip your cable80 ,i readily gave the pledge required4 8,then1 doctor10 said ,silver1 8you just step outside o,0 that stockade1 and once you're there ,i'll bring the boy down on the inside1 and ,i reckon you can yarn through the spars4 ,good day to you1 sir1 and all our dooties to the squire and ,cap'n ,smollett40 ,the explosion of disapproval1 which nothing but ,silver's black looks had restrained1 broke out immediately the doctor had left the house4 ,silver was roundly accused of playing double,-of trying to make a separate peace for himself1 of sacrificing the interests of his accomplices and victims1 and1 in one word1 of the identical1 exact thing that he was doing4 ,it seemed to me so obvious1 in this case1 that ,i could not imagine how he was to turn their anger4 ,but he was twice the man the rest were1 and his last night's victory had given him a huge preponderance on their minds4 ,he called them all the fools and dolts you can imagine1 said it was necessary ,i should talk to the doctor1 fluttered the chart in their faces1 asked them if they could afford to break the treaty the very day they were bound a-treasure-hunting4 8,no1 by thunder60 he cried4 8,it's us must break the treaty when the time comes2 and till then ,i'll gammon that doctor1 if ,i have to ile his boots with brandy40 ,and then he bade them get the fire lit1 and stalked out upon his crutch1 with his hand on my shoulder1 leaving them in a disarray1 and silenced by his volubility rather than convinced4 8,slow1 lad1 slow10 he said4 8,they might round upon us in a twinkle of an eye if we was seen to hurry40 ,very deliberately1 then1 did we advance across the sand to where the doctor awaited us on the other side of the stockade1 and as soon as we were within easy speaking distance ,silver stopped4 8,you'll make a note of this here also1 doctor10 says he1 8and the boy'll tell you how ,i saved his life1 and were deposed for it too1 and you may lay to that4 ,doctor1 when a man's steering as near the wind as me,-playing chuck-farthing with the last breath in his body1 like,-you wouldn't think it too much1 mayhap1 to give him one good word8 ,you'll please bear in mind it's not my life only now,-it's that boy's into the bargain2 and you'll speak me fair1 doctor1 and give me a bit o,0 hope to go on1 for the sake of mercy40 ,silver was a changed man once he was out there and had his back to his friends and the block house2 his cheeks seemed to have fallen in1 his voice trembled2 never was a soul more dead in earnest4 8,why1 ,john1 you're not afraid80 asked ,dr4 ,livesey4 8,doctor1 ,i'm no coward2 no1 not ,i,-not .1so much60 and he snapped his fingers4 8,if ,i was ,i wouldn't say it4 ,but ,i'll own up fairly1 ,i've the shakes upon me for the gallows4 ,you're a good man and a true2 ,i never seen a better man6 ,and you'll not forget what ,i done good1 not any more than you'll forget the bad1 ,i know4 ,and ,i step aside,-see here,-and leave you and ,jim alone4 ,and you'll put that down for me too1 for it's a long stretch1 is that60 ,so saying1 he stepped back a little way1 till he was out of earshot1 and there sat down upon a tree-stump and began to whistle1 spinning round now and again upon his seat so as to command a sight1 sometimes of me and the doctor and sometimes of his unruly ruffians as they went to and fro in the sand between the fire,-which they were busy rekindling,-and the house1 from which they brought forth pork and bread to make the breakfast4 8,so1 ,jim10 said the doctor sadly1 8here you are4 ,as you have brewed1 so shall you drink1 my boy4 ,heaven knows1 ,i cannot find it in my heart to blame you1 but this much ,i will say1 be it kind or unkind3 when ,captain ,smollett was well1 you dared not have gone off2 and when he was ill and couldn't help it1 by ,george1 it was downright cowardly60 ,i will own that ,i here began to weep4 8,doctor10 ,i said1 8you might spare me4 ,i have blamed myself enough2 my life's forfeit anyway1 and ,i should have been dead by now if ,silver hadn't stood for me2 and doctor1 believe this1 ,i can die,-and ,i dare say ,i deserve it,-but what ,i fear is torture4 ,if they come to torture me,-0 8,jim10 the doctor interrupted1 and his voice was quite changed1 8,jim1 ,i can't have this4 ,whip over1 and we'll run for it40 8,doctor10 said ,i1 8,i passed my word40 8,i know1 ,i know10 he cried4 8,we can't help that1 ,jim1 now4 ,i'll take it on my shoulders1 holus bolus1 blame and shame1 my boy2 but stay here1 ,i cannot let you4 ,jump6 ,one jump1 and you're out1 and we'll run for it like antelopes40 8,no10 ,i replied2 8you know right well you wouldn't do the thing yourself,-neither you nor squire nor captain2 and no more will ,i4 ,silver trusted me2 ,i passed my word1 and back ,i go4 ,but1 doctor1 you did not let me finish4 ,if they come to torture me1 ,i might let slip a word of where the ship is1 for ,i got the ship1 part by luck and part by risking1 and she lies in ,north ,inlet1 on the southern beach1 and just below high water4 ,at half tide she must be high and dry40 8,the ship60 exclaimed the doctor4 ,rapidly ,i described to him my adventures1 and he heard me out in silence4 8,there is a kind of fate in this10 he observed when ,i had done4 8,every step1 it's you that saves our lives2 and do you suppose by any chance that we are going to let you lose yours8 ,that would be a poor return1 my boy4 ,you found out the plot2 you found ,ben ,gunn,-the best deed that ever you did1 or will do1 though you live to ninety4 ,oh1 by ,jupiter1 and talking of ,ben ,gunn6 ,why1 this is the mischief in person4 ,silver60 he cried4 8,silver6 ,i'll give you a piece of advice10 he continued as the cook drew near again2 8don't you be in any great hurry after that treasure40 8,why1 sir1 ,i do my possible1 which that ain't10 said ,silver4 8,i can only1 asking your pardon1 save my life and the boy's by seeking for that treasure2 and you may lay to that40 8,well1 ,silver10 replied the doctor1 8if that is so1 ,i'll go one step further3 look out for squalls when you find it40 8,sir10 said ,silver1 8as between man and man1 that's too much and too little4 ,what you're after1 why you left the block house1 why you given me that there chart1 ,i don't know1 now1 do ,i8 ,and yet ,i done your bidding with my eyes shut and never a word of hope6 ,but no1 this here's too much4 ,if you won't tell me what you mean plain out1 just say so and ,i'll leave the helm40 8,no10 said the doctor musingly2 8,i've no right to say more2 it's not my secret1 you see1 ,silver1 or1 ,i give you my word1 ,i'd tell it you4 ,but ,i'll go as far with you as ,i dare go1 and a step beyond1 for ,i'll have my wig sorted by the captain or ,i'm mistaken6 ,and first1 ,i'll give you a bit of hope2 ,silver1 if we both get alive out of this wolf-trap1 ,i'll do my best to save you1 short of perjury40 ,silver's face was radiant4 8,you couldn't say more1 ,i'm sure1 sir1 not if you was my mother10 he cried4 8,well1 that's my first concession10 added the doctor4 8,my second is a piece of advice3 keep the boy close beside you1 and when you need help1 halloo4 ,i'm off to seek it for you1 and that itself will show you if ,i speak at random4 ,good-bye1 ,jim40 ,and ,dr4 ,livesey shook hands with me through the stockade1 nodded to ,silver1 and set off at a brisk pace into the wood4 #ca ,the ,treasure-hunt ,-,flint's ,pointer 8,,jim10 said ,silver when we were alone1 8if ,i saved your life1 you saved mine2 and ,i'll not forget it4 ,i seen the doctor waving you to run for it,-with the tail of my eye1 ,i did2 and ,i seen you say no1 as plain as hearing4 ,jim1 that's one to you4 ,this is the first glint of hope ,i had since the attack failed1 and ,i owe it you4 ,and now1 ,jim1 we're to go in for this here treasure-hunting1 with sealed orders too1 and ,i don't like it2 and you and me must stick close1 back to back like1 and we'll save our necks in spite o,0 fate and fortune40 ,just then a man hailed us from the fire that breakfast was ready1 and we were soon seated here and there about the sand over biscuit and fried junk4 ,they had lit a fire fit to roast an ox1 and it was now grown so hot that they could only approach it from the windward1 and even there not without precaution4 ,in the same wasteful spirit1 they had cooked1 ,i suppose1 three times more than we could eat2 and one of them1 with an empty laugh1 threw what was left into the fire1 which blazed and roared again over this unusual fuel4 ,i never in my life saw men so careless of the morrow2 hand to mouth is the only word that can describe their way of doing2 and what with wasted food and sleeping sentries1 though they were bold enough for a brush and be done with it1 ,i could see their entire unfitness for anything like a prolonged campaign4 ,even ,silver1 eating away1 with ,captain ,flint upon his shoulder1 had not a word of blame for their recklessness4 ,and this the more surprised me1 for ,i thought he had never shown himself so cunning as he did then4 8,aye1 mates10 said he1 8it's lucky you have ,barbecue to think for you with this here head4 ,i got what ,i wanted1 ,i did4 ,sure enough1 they have the ship4 ,where they have it1 ,i don't know yet2 but once we hit the treasure1 we'll have to jump about and find out4 ,and then1 mates1 us that has the boats1 ,i reckon1 has the upper hand40 ,thus he kept running on1 with his mouth full of the hot bacon2 thus he restored their hope and confidence1 and1 ,i more than suspect1 repaired his own at the same time4 8,as for hostage10 he continued1 8that's his last talk1 ,i guess1 with them he loves so dear4 ,i've got my piece o,0 news1 and thanky to him for that2 but it's over and done4 ,i'll take him in a line when we go treasure-hunting1 for we'll keep him like so much gold1 in case of accidents1 you mark1 and in the meantime4 ,once we got the ship and treasure both and off to sea like jolly companions1 why then we'll talk ,mr4 ,hawkins over1 we will1 and we'll give him his share1 to be sure1 for all his kindness40 ,it was no wonder the men were in a good humour now4 ,for my part1 ,i was horribly cast down4 ,should the scheme he had now sketched prove feasible1 ,silver1 already doubly a traitor1 would not hesitate to adopt it4 ,he had still a foot in either camp1 and there was no doubt he would prefer wealth and freedom with the pirates to a bare escape from hanging1 which was the best he had to hope on our side4 ,nay1 and even if things so fell out that he was forced to keep his faith with ,dr4 ,livesey1 even then what danger lay before us6 ,what a moment that would be when the suspicions of his followers turned to certainty and he and ,i should have to fight for dear life,-he a cripple and ,i a boy,-against five strong and active seamen6 ,add to this double apprehension the mystery that still hung over the behaviour of my friends1 their unexplained desertion of the stockade1 their inexplicable cession of the chart1 or harder still to understand1 the doctor's last warning to ,silver1 8,look out for squalls when you find it10 and you will readily believe how little taste ,i found in my breakfast and with how uneasy a heart ,i set forth behind my captors on the quest for treasure4 ,we made a curious figure1 had anyone been there to see us,-all in soiled sailor clothes and all but me armed to the teeth4 ,silver had two guns slung about him,-one before and one behind,-besides the great cutlass at his waist and a pistol in each pocket of his square-tailed coat4 ,to complete his strange appearance1 ,captain ,flint sat perched upon his shoulder and gabbling odds and ends of purposeless sea-talk4 ,i had a line about my waist and followed obediently after the sea-cook1 who held the loose end of the rope1 now in his free hand1 now between his powerful teeth4 ,for all the world1 ,i was led like a dancing bear4 ,the other men were variously burthened1 some carrying picks and shovels,-for that had been the very first necessary they brought ashore from the .1,hispaniola.' ,-others laden with pork1 bread1 and brandy for the midday meal4 ,all the stores1 ,i observed1 came from our stock1 and ,i could see the truth of ,silver's words the night before4 ,had he not struck a bargain with the doctor1 he and his mutineers1 deserted by the ship1 must have been driven to subsist on clear water and the proceeds of their hunting4 ,water would have been little to their taste2 a sailor is not usually a good shot2 and besides all that1 when they were so short of eatables1 it was not likely they would be very flush of powder4 ,well1 thus equipped1 we all set out,-even the fellow with the broken head1 who should certainly have kept in shadow,-and straggled1 one after another1 to the beach1 where the two gigs awaited us4 ,even these bore trace of the drunken folly of the pirates1 one in a broken thwart1 and both in their muddy and unbailed condition4 ,both were to be carried along with us for the sake of safety2 and so1 with our numbers divided between them1 we set forth upon the bosom of the anchorage4 ,as we pulled over1 there was some discussion on the chart4 ,the red cross was1 of course1 far too large to be a guide2 and the terms of the note on the back1 as you will hear1 admitted of some ambiguity4 ,they ran1 the reader may remember1 thus3 ,tall tree1 ,spy-glass shoulder1 bearing a point to the ,n4 of ,n4,n4,e4 ,skeleton ,island ,e4,s4,e4 and by ,e4 ,ten feet4 ,a tall tree was thus the principal mark4 ,now1 right before us the anchorage was bounded by a plateau from two to three hundred feet high1 adjoining on the north the sloping southern shoulder of the ,spy-glass and rising again towards the south into the rough1 cliffy eminence called the ,mizzen-mast ,hill4 ,the top of the plateau was dotted thickly with pine-trees of varying height4 ,every here and there1 one of a different species rose forty or fifty feet clear above its neighbours1 and which of these was the particular 8tall tree0 of ,captain ,flint could only be decided on the spot1 and by the readings of the compass4 ,yet1 although that was the case1 every man on board the boats had picked a favourite of his own ere we were half-way over1 ,long ,john alone shrugging his shoulders and bidding them wait till they were there4 ,we pulled easily1 by ,silver's directions1 not to weary the hands prematurely1 and after quite a long passage1 landed at the mouth of the second river,-that which runs down a woody cleft of the ,spy-glass4 ,thence1 bending to our left1 we began to ascend the slope towards the plateau4 ,at the first outset1 heavy1 miry ground and a matted1 marish vegetation greatly delayed our progress2 but by little and little the hill began to steepen and become stony under foot1 and the wood to change its character and to grow in a more open order4 ,it was1 indeed1 a most pleasant portion of the island that we were now approaching4 ,a heavy-scented broom and many flowering shrubs had almost taken the place of grass4 ,thickets of green nutmeg-trees were dotted here and there with the red columns and the broad shadow of the pines2 and the first mingled their spice with the aroma of the others4 ,the air1 besides1 was fresh and stirring1 and this1 under the sheer sunbeams1 was a wonderful refreshment to our senses4 ,the party spread itself abroad1 in a fan shape1 shouting and leaping to and fro4 ,about the centre1 and a good way behind the rest1 ,silver and ,i followed,-,i tethered by my rope1 he ploughing1 with deep pants1 among the sliding gravel4 ,from time to time1 indeed1 ,i had to lend him a hand1 or he must have missed his footing and fallen backward down the hill4 ,we had thus proceeded for about half a mile and were approaching the brow of the plateau when the man upon the farthest left began to cry aloud1 as if in terror4 ,shout after shout came from him1 and the others began to run in his direction4 8,he can't ,0a found the treasure10 said old ,morgan1 hurrying past us from the right1 8for that's clean a-top40 ,indeed1 as we found when we also reached the spot1 it was something very different4 ,at the foot of a pretty big pine and involved in a green creeper1 which had even partly lifted some of the smaller bones1 a human skeleton lay1 with a few shreds of clothing1 on the ground4 ,i believe a chill struck for a moment to every heart4 8,he was a seaman10 said ,george ,merry1 who1 bolder than the rest1 had gone up close and was examining the rags of clothing4 8,leastways1 this is good sea-cloth40 8,aye1 aye10 said ,silver2 8like enough2 you wouldn't look to find a bishop here1 ,i reckon4 ,but what sort of a way is that for bones to lie8 ,0,tain't in natur,040 ,indeed1 on a second glance1 it seemed impossible to fancy that the body was in a natural position4 ,but for some disarray " the man lay perfectly straight,-his feet pointing in one direction1 his hands1 raised above his head like a diver's1 pointing directly in the opposite4 8,i've taken a notion into my old numbskull10 observed ,silver4 8,here's the compass2 there's the tip-top p'int o,0 ,skeleton ,island1 stickin,0 out like a tooth4 ,just take a bearing1 will you1 along the line of them bones40 ,it was done4 ,the body pointed straight in the direction of the island1 and the compass read duly ,e4,s4,e4 and by ,e4 8,i thought so10 cried the cook2 8this here is a p'inter4 ,right up there is our line for the ,pole ,star and the jolly dollars4 ,but1 by thunder6 ,if it don't make me cold inside to think of ,flint4 ,this is one of .1his jokes1 and no mistake4 ,him and these six was alone here2 he killed ,0em1 every man2 and this one he hauled here and laid down by compass1 shiver my timbers6 ,they're long bones1 and the hair's been yellow4 ,aye1 that would be ,allardyce4 ,you mind ,allardyce1 ,tom ,morgan80 8,aye1 aye10 returned ,morgan2 8,i mind him2 he owed me money1 he did1 and took my knife ashore with him40 8,speaking of knives10 said another1 8why don't we find his'n lying round8 ,flint warn't the man to pick a seaman's pocket2 and the birds1 ,i guess1 would leave it be40 8,by the powers1 and that's true60 cried ,silver4 8,there ain't a thing left here10 said ,merry1 still feeling round among the bones2 8not a copper doit nor a baccy box4 ,it don't look nat'ral to me40 8,no1 by gum1 it don't10 agreed ,silver2 8not nat'ral1 nor not nice1 says you4 ,great guns6 ,messmates1 but if ,flint was living1 this would be a hot spot for you and me4 ,six they were1 and six are we2 and bones is what they are now40 8,i saw him dead with these here deadlights10 said ,morgan4 8,billy took me in4 ,there he laid1 with penny-pieces on his eyes40 8,dead,-aye1 sure enough he's dead and gone below10 said the fellow with the bandage2 8but if ever sperrit walked1 it would be ,flint's4 ,dear heart1 but he died bad1 did ,flint60 8,aye1 that he did10 observed another2 8now he raged1 and now he hollered for the rum1 and now he sang4 ,8,fifteen ,men,0 were his only song1 mates2 and ,i tell you true1 ,i never rightly liked to hear it since4 ,it was main hot1 and the windy was open1 and ,i hear that old song comin,0 out as clear as clear,-and the death-haul on the man already40 8,come1 come10 said ,silver2 8stow this talk4 ,he's dead1 and he don't walk1 that ,i know2 leastways1 he won't walk by day1 and you may lay to that4 ,care killed a cat4 ,fetch ahead for the doubloons40 ,we started1 certainly2 but in spite of the hot sun and the staring daylight1 the pirates no longer ran separate and shouting through the wood1 but kept side by side and spoke with bated breath4 ,the terror of the dead buccaneer had fallen on their spirits4 #cb ,the ,treasure-hunt ,-,the ,voice ,among the ,trees ,,partly from the damping influence of this alarm1 partly to rest ,silver and the sick folk1 the whole party sat down as soon as they had gained the brow of the ascent4 ,the plateau being somewhat tilted towards the west1 this spot on which we had paused commanded a wide prospect on either hand4 ,before us1 over the tree-tops1 we beheld the ,cape of the ,woods fringed with surf2 behind1 we not only looked down upon the anchorage and ,skeleton ,island1 but saw,-clear across the spit and the eastern lowlands,-a great field of open sea upon the east4 ,sheer above us rose the ,spyglass1 here dotted with single pines1 there black with precipices4 ,there was no sound but that of the distant breakers1 mounting from all round1 and the chirp of countless insects in the brush4 ,not a man1 not a sail1 upon the sea2 the very largeness of the view increased the sense of solitude4 ,silver1 as he sat1 took certain bearings with his compass4 8,there are three ,8tall trees'0 said he1 8about in the right line from ,skeleton ,island4 ,8,spy-glass shoulder1,0 ,i take it1 means that lower p'int there4 ,it's child's play to find the stuff now4 ,i've half a mind to dine first40 8,i don't feel sharp10 growled ,morgan4 8,thinkin,0 o,0 ,flint,-,i think it were,-as done me40 8,ah1 well1 my son1 you praise your stars he's dead10 said ,silver4 8,he were an ugly devil10 cried a third pirate with a shudder2 8that blue in the face too60 8,that was how the rum took him10 added ,merry4 8,blue6 ,well1 ,i reckon he was blue4 ,that's a true word40 ,ever since they had found the skeleton and got upon this train of thought1 they had spoken lower and lower1 and they had almost got to whispering by now1 so that the sound of their talk hardly interrupted the silence of the wood4 ,all of a sudden1 out of the middle of the trees in front of us1 a thin1 high1 trembling voice struck up the well-known air and words3 8,fifteen men on the dead man's chest,- ,yo-ho-ho1 and a bottle of rum60 ,i never have seen men more dreadfully affected than the pirates4 ,the colour went from their six faces like enchantment2 some leaped to their feet1 some clawed hold of others2 ,morgan grovelled on the ground4 8,it's ,flint1 by ,-,-60 cried ,merry4 ,the song had stopped as suddenly as it began,-broken off1 you would have said1 in the middle of a note1 as though someone had laid his hand upon the singer's mouth4 ,coming through the clear1 sunny atmosphere among the green tree-tops1 ,i thought it had sounded airily and sweetly2 and the effect on my companions was the stranger4 8,come10 said ,silver1 struggling with his ashen lips to get the word out2 8this won't do4 ,stand by to go about4 ,this is a rum start1 and ,i can't name the voice1 but it's someone skylarking,-someone that's flesh and blood1 and you may lay to that40 ,his courage had come back as he spoke1 and some of the colour to his face along with it4 ,already the others had begun to lend an ear to this encouragement and were coming a little to themselves1 when the same voice broke out again,-not this time singing1 but in a faint distant hail that echoed yet fainter among the clefts of the ,spy-glass4 8,darby ,m',graw10 it wailed,-for that is the word that best describes the sound,-8,darby ,m',graw6 ,darby ,m',graw60 again and again and again2 and then rising a little higher1 and with an oath that ,i leave out3 8,fetch aft the rum1 ,darby60 ,the buccaneers remained rooted to the ground1 their eyes starting from their heads4 ,long after the voice had died away they still stared in silence1 dreadfully1 before them4 8,that fixes it60 gasped one4 8,let's go40 8,they was his last words10 moaned ,morgan1 8his last words above board40 ,dick had his ,bible out and was praying volubly4 ,he had been well brought up1 had ,dick1 before he came to sea and fell among bad companions4 ,still ,silver was unconquered4 ,i could hear his teeth rattle in his head1 but he had not yet surrendered4 8,nobody in this here island ever heard of ,darby10 he muttered2 8not one but us that's here40 ,and then1 making a great effort3 8,shipmates10 he cried1 8,i'm here to get that stuff1 and ,i'll not be beat by man or devil4 ,i never was feared of ,flint in his life1 and1 by the powers1 ,i'll face him dead4 ,there's seven hundred thousand pound not a quarter of a mile from here4 ,when did ever a gentleman o,0 fortune show his stern to that much dollars for a boozy old seaman with a blue mug,-and him dead too80 ,but there was no sign of reawakening courage in his followers1 rather1 indeed1 of growing terror at the irreverence of his words4 8,belay there1 ,john60 said ,merry4 8,don't you cross a sperrit40 ,and the rest were all too terrified to reply4 ,they would have run away severally had they dared2 but fear kept them together1 and kept them close by ,john1 as if his daring helped them4 ,he1 on his part1 had pretty well fought his weakness down4 8,sperrit8 ,well1 maybe10 he said4 8,but there's one thing not clear to me4 ,there was an echo4 ,now1 no man ever seen a sperrit with a shadow2 well then1 what's he doing with an echo to him1 ,i should like to know8 ,that ain't in natur,01 surely80 ,this argument seemed weak enough to me4 ,but you can never tell what will affect the superstitious1 and to my wonder1 ,george ,merry was greatly relieved4 8,well1 that's so10 he said4 8,you've a head upon your shoulders1 ,john1 and no mistake4 ,0,bout ship1 mates6 ,this here crew is on a wrong tack1 ,i do believe4 ,and come to think on it1 it was like ,flint's voice1 ,i grant you1 but not just so clear-away like it1 after all4 ,it was liker somebody else's voice now,-it was liker,-0 8,by the powers1 ,ben ,gunn60 roared ,silver4 8,aye1 and so it were10 cried ,morgan1 springing on his knees4 8,ben ,gunn it were60 8,it don't make much odds1 do it1 now80 asked ,dick4 8,ben ,gunn's not here in the body any more'n ,flint40 ,but the older hands greeted this remark with scorn4 8,why1 nobody minds ,ben ,gunn10 cried ,merry2 8dead or alive1 nobody minds him40 ,it was extraordinary how their spirits had returned and how the natural colour had revived in their faces4 ,soon they were chatting together1 with intervals of listening2 and not long after1 hearing no further sound1 they shouldered the tools and set forth again1 ,merry walking first with ,silver's compass to keep them on the right line with ,skeleton ,island4 ,he had said the truth3 dead or alive1 nobody minded ,ben ,gunn4 ,dick alone still held his ,bible1 and looked around him as he went1 with fearful glances2 but he found no sympathy1 and ,silver even joked him on his precautions4 8,i told you10 said he,-8,i told you you had sp'iled your ,bible4 ,if it ain't no good to swear by1 what do you suppose a sperrit would give for it8 ,not that60 and he snapped his big fingers1 halting a moment on his crutch4 ,but ,dick was not to be comforted2 indeed1 it was soon plain to me that the lad was falling sick2 hastened by heat1 exhaustion1 and the shock of his alarm1 the fever1 predicted by ,dr4 ,livesey1 was evidently growing swiftly higher4 ,it was fine open walking here1 upon the summit2 our way lay a little downhill1 for1 as ,i have said1 the plateau tilted towards the west4 ,the pines1 great and small1 grew wide apart2 and even between the clumps of nutmeg and azalea1 wide open spaces baked in the hot sunshine4 ,striking1 as we did1 pretty near north-west across the island1 we drew1 on the one hand1 ever nearer under the shoulders of the ,spy-glass1 and on the other1 looked ever wider over that western bay where ,i had once tossed and trembled in the coracle4 ,the first of the tall trees was reached1 and by the bearings proved the wrong one4 ,so with the second4 ,the third rose nearly two hundred feet into the air above a clump of underwood,-a giant of a vegetable1 with a red column as big as a cottage1 and a wide shadow around in which a company could have manoeuvred4 ,it was conspicuous far to sea both on the east and west and might have been entered as a sailing mark upon the chart4 ,but it was not its size that now impressed my companions2 it was the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay somewhere buried below its spreading shadow4 ,the thought of the money1 as they drew nearer1 swallowed up their previous terrors4 ,their eyes burned in their heads2 their feet grew speedier and lighter2 their whole soul was bound up in that fortune1 that whole lifetime of extravagance and pleasure1 that lay waiting there for each of them4 ,silver hobbled1 grunting1 on his crutch2 his nostrils stood out and quivered2 he cursed like a madman when the flies settled on his hot and shiny countenance2 he plucked furiously at the line that held me to him and from time to time turned his eyes upon me with a deadly look4 ,certainly he took no pains to hide his thoughts1 and certainly ,i read them like print4 ,in the immediate nearness of the gold1 all else had been forgotten3 his promise and the doctor's warning were both things of the past1 and ,i could not doubt that he hoped to seize upon the treasure1 find and board the .1,hispaniola under cover of night1 cut every honest throat about that island1 and sail away as he had at first intended1 laden with crimes and riches4 ,shaken as ,i was with these alarms1 it was hard for me to keep up with the rapid pace of the treasure-hunters4 ,now and again ,i stumbled1 and it was then that ,silver plucked so roughly at the rope and launched at me his murderous glances4 ,dick1 who had dropped behind us and now brought up the rear1 was babbling to himself both prayers and curses as his fever kept rising4 ,this also added to my wretchedness1 and to crown all1 ,i was haunted by the thought of the tragedy that had once been acted on that plateau1 when that ungodly buccaneer with the blue face,-he who died at ,savannah1 singing and shouting for drink,-had there1 with his own hand1 cut down his six accomplices4 ,this grove that was now so peaceful must then have rung with cries1 ,i thought2 and even with the thought ,i could believe ,i heard it ringing still4 ,we were now at the margin of the thicket4 8,huzza1 mates1 all together60 shouted ,merry2 and the foremost broke into a run4 ,and suddenly1 not ten yards further1 we beheld them stop4 ,a low cry arose4 ,silver doubled his pace1 digging away with the foot of his crutch like one possessed2 and next moment he and ,i had come also to a dead halt4 ,before us was a great excavation1 not very recent1 for the sides had fallen in and grass had sprouted on the bottom4 ,in this were the shaft of a pick broken in two and the boards of several packing-cases strewn around4 ,on one of these boards ,i saw1 branded with a hot iron1 the name .1,walrus.',-the name of ,flint's ship4 ,all was clear to probation4 ,the .1cache had been found and rifled2 the seven hundred thousand pounds were gone6 #cc ,the ,fall of a ,chieftain ,,there never was such an overturn in this world4 ,each of these six men was as though he had been struck4 ,but with ,silver the blow passed almost instantly4 ,every thought of his soul had been set full-stretch1 like a racer1 on that money2 well1 he was brought up1 in a single second1 dead2 and he kept his head1 found his temper1 and changed his plan before the others had had time to realize the disappointment4 8,jim10 he whispered1 8take that1 and stand by for trouble40 ,and he passed me a double-barrelled pistol4 ,at the same time1 he began quietly moving northward1 and in a few steps had put the hollow between us two and the other five4 ,then he looked at me and nodded1 as much as to say1 8,here is a narrow corner10 as1 indeed1 ,i thought it was4 ,his looks were not quite friendly1 and ,i was so revolted at these constant changes that ,i could not forbear whispering1 8,so you've changed sides again40 ,there was no time left for him to answer in4 ,the buccaneers1 with oaths and cries1 began to leap1 one after another1 into the pit and to dig with their fingers1 throwing the boards aside as they did so4 ,morgan found a piece of gold4 ,he held it up with a perfect spout of oaths4 ,it was a two-guinea piece1 and it went from hand to hand among them for a quarter of a minute4 8,two guineas60 roared ,merry1 shaking it at ,silver4 8,that's your seven hundred thousand pounds1 is it8 ,you're the man for bargains1 ain't you8 ,you're him that never bungled nothing1 you wooden-headed lubber60 8,dig away1 boys10 said ,silver with the coolest insolence2 8you'll find some pig-nuts and ,i shouldn't wonder40 8,pig-nuts60 repeated ,merry1 in a scream4 8,mates1 do you hear that8 ,i tell you now1 that man there knew it all along4 ,look in the face of him and you'll see it wrote there40 8,ah1 ,merry10 remarked ,silver1 8standing for cap'n again8 ,you're a pushing lad1 to be sure40 ,but this time everyone was entirely in ,merry's favour4 ,they began to scramble out of the excavation1 darting furious glances behind them4 ,one thing ,i observed1 which looked well for us3 they all got out upon the opposite side from ,silver4 ,well1 there we stood1 two on one side1 five on the other1 the pit between us1 and nobody screwed up high enough to offer the first blow4 ,silver never moved2 he watched them1 very upright on his crutch1 and looked as cool as ever ,i saw him4 ,he was brave1 and no mistake4 ,at last ,merry seemed to think a speech might help matters4 8,mates10 says he1 8there's two of them alone there2 one's the old cripple that brought us all here and blundered us down to this2 the other's that cub that ,i mean to have the heart of4 ,now1 mates,-0 ,he was raising his arm and his voice1 and plainly meant to lead a charge4 ,but just then,-crack6 crack6 crack6,-three musket-shots flashed out of the thicket4 ,merry tumbled head foremost into the excavation2 the man with the bandage spun round like a teetotum and fell all his length upon his side1 where he lay dead1 but still twitching2 and the other three turned and ran for it with all their might4 ,before you could wink1 ,long ,john had fired two barrels of a pistol into the struggling ,merry1 and as the man rolled up his eyes at him in the last agony1 8,george10 said he1 8,i reckon ,i settled you40 ,at the same moment1 the doctor1 ,gray1 and ,ben ,gunn joined us1 with smoking muskets1 from among the nutmeg-trees4 8,forward60 cried the doctor4 8,double quick1 my lads4 ,we must head ,0em off the boats40 ,and we set off at a great pace1 sometimes plunging through the bushes to the chest4 ,i tell you1 but ,silver was anxious to keep up with us4 ,the work that man went through1 leaping on his crutch till the muscles of his chest were fit to burst1 was work no sound man ever equalled2 and so thinks the doctor4 ,as it was1 he was already thirty yards behind us and on the verge of strangling when we reached the brow of the slope4 8,doctor10 he hailed1 8see there6 ,no hurry60 ,sure enough there was no hurry4 ,in a more open part of the plateau1 we could see the three survivors still running in the same direction as they had started1 right for ,mizzenmast ,hill4 ,we were already between them and the boats2 and so we four sat down to breathe1 while ,long ,john1 mopping his face1 came slowly up with us4 8,thank ye kindly1 doctor10 says he4 8,you came in in about the nick1 ,i guess1 for me and ,hawkins4 ,and so it's you1 ,ben ,gunn60 he added4 8,well1 you're a nice one1 to be sure40 8,i'm ,ben ,gunn1 ,i am10 replied the maroon1 wriggling like an eel in his embarrassment4 8,and10 he added1 after a long pause1 8how do1 ,mr4 ,silver8 ,pretty well1 ,i thank ye1 says you40 8,ben1 ,ben10 murmured ,silver1 8to think as you've done me60 ,the doctor sent back ,gray for one of the pick-axes deserted1 in their flight1 by the mutineers1 and then as we proceeded leisurely downhill to where the boats were lying1 related in a few words what had taken place4 ,it was a story that profoundly interested ,silver2 and ,ben ,gunn1 the half-idiot maroon1 was the hero from beginning to end4 ,ben1 in his long1 lonely wanderings about the island1 had found the skeleton,-it was he that had rifled it2 he had found the treasure2 he had dug it up "2 he had carried it on his back1 in many weary journeys1 from the foot of the tall pine to a cave he had on the two-pointed hill at the north-east angle of the island1 and there it had lain stored in safety since two months before the arrival of the .1,hispaniola4 ,when the doctor had wormed this secret from him on the afternoon of the attack1 and when next morning he saw the anchorage deserted1 he had gone to ,silver1 given him the chart1 which was now useless,-given him the stores1 for ,ben ,gunn's cave was well supplied with goats' meat salted by himself,-given anything and everything to get a chance of moving in safety from the stockade to the two-pointed hill1 there to be clear of malaria and keep a guard upon the money4 8,as for you1 ,jim10 he said1 8it went against my heart1 but ,i did what ,i thought best for those who had stood by their duty2 and if you were not one of these1 whose fault was it80 ,that morning1 finding that ,i was to be involved in the horrid disappointment he had prepared for the mutineers1 he had run all the way to the cave1 and leaving the squire to guard the captain1 had taken ,gray and the maroon and started1 making the diagonal across the island to be at hand beside the pine4 ,soon1 however1 he saw that our party had the start of him2 and ,ben ,gunn1 being fleet of foot1 had been dispatched in front to do his best alone4 ,then it had occurred to him to work upon the superstitions of his former shipmates1 and he was so far successful that ,gray and the doctor had come up and were already ambushed before the arrival of the treasure-hunters4 8,ah10 said ,silver1 8it were fortunate for me that ,i had ,hawkins here4 ,you would have let old ,john be cut to bits1 and never given it a thought1 doctor40 8,not a thought10 replied ,dr4 ,livesey cheerily4 ,and by this time we had reached the gigs4 ,the doctor1 with the pick-axe1 demolished one of them1 and then we all got aboard the other and set out to go round by sea for ,north ,inlet4 ,this was a run of eight or nine miles4 ,silver1 though he was almost killed already with fatigue1 was set to an oar1 like the rest of us1 and we were soon skimming swiftly over a smooth sea4 ,soon we passed out of the straits and doubled the south-east corner of the island1 round which1 four days ago1 we had towed the .1,hispaniola4 ,as we passed the two-pointed hill1 we could see the black mouth of ,ben ,gunn's cave and a figure standing by it1 leaning on a musket4 ,it was the squire1 and we waved a handkerchief and gave him three cheers1 in which the voice of ,silver joined as heartily as any4 ,three miles farther1 just inside the mouth of ,north ,inlet1 what should we meet but the .1,hispaniola1 cruising by herself8 ,the last flood had lifted her1 and had there been much wind or a strong tide current1 as in the southern anchorage1 we should never have found her more1 or found her stranded beyond help4 ,as it was1 there was little amiss beyond the wreck of the main-sail4 ,another anchor was got ready and dropped in a fathom and a half of water4 ,we all pulled round again to ,rum ,cove1 the nearest point for ,ben ,gunn's treasure-house2 and then ,gray1 single-handed1 returned with the gig to the .1,hispaniola1 where he was to pass the night on guard4 ,a gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave4 ,at the top1 the squire met us4 ,to me he was cordial and kind1 saying nothing of my escapade either in the way of blame or praise4 ,at ,silver's polite salute he somewhat flushed4 8,john ,silver10 he said1 8you're a prodigious villain and imposter,-a monstrous imposter1 sir4 ,i am told ,i am not to prosecute you4 ,well1 then1 ,i will not4 ,but the dead men1 sir1 hang about your neck like mill-stones40 8,thank you kindly1 sir10 replied ,long ,john1 again saluting4 8,i dare you to thank me60 cried the squire4 8,it is a gross dereliction of my duty4 ,stand back40 ,and thereupon we all entered the cave4 ,it was a large1 airy place1 with a little spring and a pool of clear water1 overhung with ferns4 ,the floor was sand4 ,before a big fire lay ,captain ,smollett2 and in a far corner1 only duskily flickered over by the blaze1 ,i beheld great heaps of coin and quadrilaterals built of bars of gold4 ,that was ,flint's treasure that we had come so far to seek and that had cost already the lives of seventeen men from the .1,hispaniola4 ,how many it had cost in the amassing1 what blood and sorrow1 what good ships scuttled on the deep1 what brave men walking the plank blindfold1 what shot of cannon1 what shame and lies and cruelty1 perhaps no man alive could tell4 ,yet there were still three upon that island,-,silver1 and old ,morgan1 and ,ben ,gunn,-who had each taken his share in these crimes1 as each had hoped in vain to share in the reward4 8,come in1 ,jim10 said the captain4 8,you're a good boy in your line1 ,jim1 but ,i don't think you and me'll go to sea again4 ,you're too much of the born favourite for me4 ,is that you1 ,john ,silver8 ,what brings you here1 man80 8,come back to my dooty1 sir10 returned ,silver4 8,ah60 said the captain1 and that was all he said4 ,what a supper ,i had of it that night1 with all my friends around me2 and what a meal it was1 with ,ben ,gunn's salted goat and some delicacies and a bottle of old wine from the .1,hispaniola4 ,never1 ,i am sure1 were people gayer or happier4 ,and there was ,silver1 sitting back almost out of the firelight1 but eating heartily1 prompt to spring forward when anything was wanted1 even joining quietly in our laughter,-the same bland1 polite1 obsequious seaman of the voyage out4 #cd ,and ,last ,,the next morning we fell early to work1 for the transportation of this great mass of gold near a mile by land to the beach1 and thence three miles by boat to the .1,hispaniola1 was a considerable task for so small a number of workmen4 ,the three fellows still abroad upon the island did not greatly trouble us2 a single sentry on the shoulder of the hill was sufficient to ensure us against any sudden onslaught1 and we thought1 besides1 they had had more than enough of fighting4 ,therefore the work was pushed on briskly4 ,gray and ,ben ,gunn came and went with the boat1 while the rest during their absences piled treasure on the beach4 ,two of the bars1 slung in a rope's end1 made a good load for a grown man,-one that he was glad to walk slowly with4 ,for my part1 as ,i was not much use at carrying1 ,i was kept busy all day in the cave packing the minted money into bread-bags4 ,it was a strange collection1 like ,billy ,bones's hoard for the diversity of coinage1 but so much larger and so much more varied that ,i think ,i never had more pleasure than in sorting them4 ,english1 ,french1 ,spanish1 ,portuguese1 ,georges1 and ,louises1 doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins1 the pictures of all the kings of ,europe for the last hundred years1 strange ,oriental pieces stamped with what looked like wisps of string or bits of spider's web1 round pieces and square pieces1 and pieces bored through the middle1 as if to wear them round your neck,-nearly every variety of money in the world must1 ,i think1 have found a place in that collection2 and for number1 ,i am sure they were like autumn leaves1 so that my back ached with stooping and my fingers with sorting them out4 ,day after day this work went on2 by every evening a fortune had been stowed aboard1 but there was another fortune waiting for the morrow2 and all this time we heard nothing of the three surviving mutineers4 ,at last,-,i think it was on the third night,-the doctor and ,i were strolling on the shoulder of the hill where it overlooks the lowlands of the isle1 when1 from out the thick darkness below1 the wind brought us a noise between shrieking and singing4 ,it was only a snatch that reached our ears1 followed by the former silence4 8,heaven forgive them10 said the doctor2 8,0tis the mutineers60 8,all drunk1 sir10 struck in the voice of ,silver from behind us4 ,silver1 ,i should say1 was allowed his entire liberty1 and in spite of daily rebuffs1 seemed to regard himself once more as quite a privileged and friendly dependent4 ,indeed1 it was remarkable how well he bore these slights and with what unwearying politeness he kept on trying to ingratiate himself with all4 ,yet1 ,i think1 none treated him better than a dog1 unless it was ,ben ,gunn1 who was still terribly afraid of his old quartermaster1 or myself1 who had really something to thank him for2 although for that matter1 ,i suppose1 ,i had reason to think even worse of him than anybody else1 for ,i had seen him meditating a fresh treachery upon the plateau4 ,accordingly1 it was pretty gruffly that the doctor answered him4 8,drunk or raving10 said he4 8,right you were1 sir10 replied ,silver2 8and precious little odds which1 to you and me40 8,i suppose you would hardly ask me to call you a humane man10 returned the doctor with a sneer1 8and so my feelings may surprise you1 ,master ,silver4 ,but if ,i were sure they were raving,-as ,i am morally certain one1 at least1 of them is down with fever,-,i should leave this camp1 and at whatever risk to my own carcass1 take them the assistance of my skill40 8,ask your pardon1 sir1 you would be very wrong10 quoth ,silver4 8,you would lose your precious life1 and you may lay to that4 ,i'm on your side now1 hand and glove2 and ,i shouldn't wish for to see the party weakened1 let alone yourself1 seeing as ,i know what ,i owes you4 ,but these men down there1 they couldn't keep their word,-no1 not supposing they wished to2 and what's more1 they couldn't believe as you could40 8,no10 said the doctor4 8,you're the man to keep your word1 we know that40 ,well1 that was about the last news we had of the three pirates4 ,only once we heard a gunshot a great way off and supposed them to be hunting4 ,a council was held1 and it was decided that we must desert them on the island,-to the huge glee1 ,i must say1 of ,ben ,gunn1 and with the strong approval of ,gray4 ,we left a good stock of powder and shot1 the bulk of the salt goat1 a few medicines1 and some other necessaries1 tools1 clothing1 a spare sail1 a fathom or two of rope1 and by the particular desire of the doctor1 a handsome present of tobacco4 ,that was about our last doing on the island4 ,before that1 we had got the treasure stowed and had shipped enough water and the remainder of the goat meat in case of any distress2 and at last1 one fine morning1 we weighed anchor1 which was about all that we could manage1 and stood out of ,north ,inlet1 the same colours flying that the captain had flown and fought under at the palisade4 ,the three fellows must have been watching us closer than we thought for1 as we soon had proved4 ,for coming through the narrows1 we had to lie very near the southern point1 and there we saw all three of them kneeling together on a spit of sand1 with their arms raised in supplication4 ,it went to all our hearts1 ,i think1 to leave them in that wretched state2 but we could not risk another mutiny2 and to take them home for the gibbet would have been a cruel sort of kindness4 ,the doctor hailed them and told them of the stores we had left1 and where they were to find them4 ,but they continued to call us by name and appeal to us1 for ,god's sake1 to be merciful and not leave them to die in such a place4 ,at last1 seeing the ship still bore on her course and was now swiftly drawing out of earshot1 one of them,-,i know not which it was,-leapt to his feet with a hoarse cry1 whipped his musket to his shoulder1 and sent a shot whistling over ,silver's head and through the main-sail4 ,after that1 we kept under cover of the bulwarks1 and when next ,i looked out they had disappeared from the spit1 and the spit itself had almost melted out of sight in the growing distance4 ,that was1 at least1 the end of that2 and before noon1 to my inexpressible joy1 the highest rock of ,treasure ,island had sunk into the blue round of sea4 ,we were so short of men that everyone on board had to bear a hand,-only the captain lying on a mattress in the stern and giving his orders1 for though greatly recovered he was still in want of quiet4 ,we laid her head for the nearest port in ,spanish ,america1 for we could not risk the voyage home without fresh hands2 and as it was1 what with baffling winds and a couple of fresh gales1 we were all worn out before we reached it4 ,it was just at sundown when we cast anchor in a most beautiful land-locked gulf1 and were immediately surrounded by shore boats full of ,negroes and ,mexican ,indians and half-bloods selling fruits and vegetables and offering to dive for bits of money4 ,the sight of so many good-humoured faces "1 the taste of the tropical fruits1 and above all the lights that began to shine in the town made a most charming contrast to our dark and bloody sojourn on the island2 and the doctor and the squire1 taking me along with them1 went ashore to pass the early part of the night4 ,here they met the captain of an ,english man-of-war1 fell in talk with him1 went on board his ship1 and1 in short1 had so agreeable a time that day was breaking when we came alongside the .1,hispaniola4 ,ben ,gunn was on deck alone1 and as soon as we came on board he began1 with wonderful contortions1 to make us a confession4 ,silver was gone4 ,the maroon had connived at his escape in a shore boat some hours ago1 and he now assured us he had only done so to preserve our lives1 which would certainly have been forfeit if 8that man with the one leg had stayed aboard40 ,but this was not all4 ,the sea-cook had not gone empty-handed4 ,he had cut through a bulkhead unobserved and had removed one of the sacks of coin1 worth perhaps three or four hundred guineas1 to help him on his further wanderings4 ,i think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him4 ,well1 to make a long story short1 we got a few hands on board1 made a good cruise home1 and the .1,hispaniola reached ,bristol just as ,mr4 ,blandly was beginning to think of fitting out her consort4 ,five men only of those who had sailed returned with her4 8,drink and the devil had done for the rest10 with a vengeance1 although1 to be sure1 we were not quite in so bad a case as that other ship they sang about3 ,with one man of her crew alive1 ,what put to sea with seventy-five4 ,all of us had an ample share of the treasure and used it wisely or foolishly1 according to our natures4 ,captain ,smollett is now retired from the sea4 ,gray not only saved his money1 but being suddenly smit with the desire to rise1 also studied his profession1 and he is now mate and part owner of a fine full-rigged ship1 married besides1 and the father of a family4 ,as for ,ben ,gunn1 he got a thousand pounds1 which he spent or lost in three weeks1 or to be more exact1 in nineteen days1 for he was back begging on the twentieth4 ,then he was given a lodge to keep1 exactly as he had feared upon the island2 and he still lives1 a great favourite1 though something of a butt1 with the country boys1 and a notable singer in church on ,sundays and saints' days4 ,of ,silver we have heard no more4 ,that formidable seafaring man with one leg has at last gone clean out of my life2 but ,i dare say he met his old ,negress1 and perhaps still lives in comfort with her and ,captain ,flint4 ,it is to be hoped so1 ,i suppose1 for his chances of comfort in another world are very small4 ,the bar silver and the arms still lie1 for all that ,i know1 where ,flint buried them2 and certainly they shall lie there for me4 ,oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island2 and the worst dreams that ever ,i have are when ,i hear the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice of ,captain ,flint still ringing in my ears3 8,pieces of eight6 ,pieces of eight60 "9"9"9 ,,,end of the project gutenberg ebook treasure island,' "9"9"9 ,updated editions will replace the previous one,-the old editions will be renamed4 ,creating the works from print editions not protected by ,u4,s4 copyright law means that no one owns a ,united ,states copyright in these works1 so the ,foundation " can copy and distribute it in the ,united ,states without permission and without paying copyright royalties4 ,special rules1 set forth in the ,general ,terms of ,use part of this license1 apply to copying and distributing ,project ,gutenberg~t electronic works to protect the ,,project ,,gutenberg~t concept and trademark4 ,project ,gutenberg is a registered trademark1 and may 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