La isla del tesoro de Robert Louis Stevenson es un clásico de la literatura que transporta al lector a un mundo lleno de aventuras, piratas y misterios. 🏴☠️⚓️ En esta historia, el joven Jim Hawkins se embarca en una peligrosa travesía hacia una isla desconocida, donde descubrirá secretos ocultos, mapas de tesoros y, por supuesto, la amenaza de los temibles piratas. ¡Una lectura fascinante para grandes y pequeños! 📚✨
En este video, podrás disfrutar de la narración completa de este emocionante relato lleno de giros inesperados y personajes inolvidables. 🔎⛵️
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-🌴🏴☠️ La isla del tesoro: ¡Aventura y Misterio en el Mar! 🏝️💀[https://youtu.be/F_vSKb8–5s]
🔹 Aventura y acción en cada página
🔹 Misterio que te atrapará hasta el final
🔹 Personajes entrañables y villanos inolvidables
¡Acompáñanos en esta maravillosa aventura literaria! 🏝️📖
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In this exciting adventure, we embark on a journey filled with mysteries and dangers. Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, introduces us to Jim Hawkins, a young man who finds himself involved in a dangerous search for hidden treasure. Throughout his journey, he meets pirates, traitors, and heroes as he fights to survive and unravel the island’s secrets. Prepare for a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, exploring courage, loyalty, and greed. PART 1. _THE OLD FILIBUSTER_. Chapter 1. THE OLD SEA WOLF AT ADMIRAL BENBOW’S INN. I have found it impossible to refuse the repeated requests of Sir Trelawney, Doctor Livesey, and many other gentlemen to write a detailed and complete history of Treasure Island. I will, therefore, set to work, telling everything from alpha to omega, leaving nothing unsaid, except the geographical determination of the island, and this only because I am certain that there still exists an undiscovered treasure . I take up my pen in the year of grace 17 and go back to the time when my father still kept Admiral Benbow’s Inn, and to the day when that old sailor with his bronzed, weather-beaten complexion and his large, visible scar first came to lodge there. I still remember it as if it had happened yesterday: he arrived at the inn door, studying his appearance busily and attentively, followed by his valise, which someone was pushing behind him on a handcart . He was a tall, strong, heavy man, with a pronounced hazelnut tan. His tarred braid or pigtail fell over the shoulders of his not-so-clean seaman’s smock. His calloused, ragged, and scarred hands displayed the tips of broken, blackish nails. And his dark face bore on one cheek that large , dirty, whitish, livid, and revolting saber scar. I still remember him casting his searching gaze around the shed, whistling as he examined it, and then bursting into that old sea shanty I so often heard him sing afterward: “There are fifteen who want that dead man’s chest! There are fifteen, yo-ho-ho! There are fifteen, long live the rom!” in an old man’s voice, trembling, high and heavy, which seemed to have been formed and broken on the windlass’s bars. When he seemed satisfied with his examination, he knocked at the door with a small stick, a sort of spade, which he carried in his hand, and when my father came, he brusquely asked him for a glass of roma. After it had been served, he savored it slowly and deliberately, like an ancient connoisseur, savoring it with delight and constantly scanning the rocks and the inn’s sign alternately. “This is a deep cove,” he said in his nautical jargon, “and at the same time a very well-situated tavern. A large clientele, skipper? ” “No,” my father replied, “rather few, which is all the more sensible. ” “Well,” he said, “then this is the cabin I need. Hello, you, cabin boy,” he called to the man wheeling the wheelbarrow on which his large ship’s chest came, “bring that suitcase over here and put it on board. I intend to anchor here for a bit.” And then he continued: “I’m a fairly plain man; all I need is some bread, eggs, and bacon, and that height over there to keep a watchful eye on the ships. Do you want to know what they’re supposed to call me?” Call me Captain. Oh! I know what you’re going to ask of me! Having said this, he threw three or four gold pieces on the threshold, and added in a tone of haughty, and with a look as proud as a true Captain’s: “Tell me when that’s over!” And the truth is, though his shabby dress did not predispose him, nor his coarse language still less, he did not at all have the appearance of a cheat, but rather more like a sailor, a ship’s master accustomed to being obeyed as a Captain. The boy who brought the barrow told us that the post-chaise or mail-coach had left him the day before morning at the Royal George’s Inn, which There he was informed of the inns along the coast, and that, having probably heard good reports about ours and having been described as very uncrowded, he had chosen it in preference to all the others for his residence. That was all we were able to learn about our guest. The Captain was usually a man of very few words. He spent the whole day either wandering along the shores of the cove or on the rocks with a long telescope or marine telescope. At night, he would settle down in a corner of the room near the fire and drink his fill of wine and water. Most of the time, he refused to reply when spoken to; he contented himself with casting a quick, haughty glance upon whoever addressed him and letting out a snort from his nose that formed a curve of thick vapor in the atmosphere near his face . Those of us in the house, and our friends and regular guests, soon decided to ignore him. Day after day, when he arrived at the inn, returning from his vagabond excursions, he invariably asked if any sailors had been seen passing along the road. At first, it seemed to us that the lack of comrades to keep him company was what compelled him to ask this constant question; but very soon we saw that he was rather trying to avoid them. Whenever a sailor stopped at the inn, as those who follow the coast road to Bristol did then and still do, the Captain would examine him through the curtains of the door before entering the room, and it was already known that, whenever such a visitor appeared, he invariably remained as silent as a carp. For me, however, there was little mystery or secrecy in his alarms, in which I had a certain share. One day he had called me aside and secretly promised to give me a fourpenny piece on the first of every month, on condition only that I would be on the alert and notify him the moment I discovered the appearance of a one-legged sailor. Frequently, however, when I went on the first of the month to demand my promised wages, he gave me no other answer than his usual formidable snort of the nose and his angry eyes, forcing me to lower them; but before a week had passed, I was sure that his opinion would have changed, and I saw him, in fact, coming to me, bringing my fourpenny piece of his own free will, after repeating his orders to be on the alert and notify him of the appearance of this one-legged sailor. It would be impossible for me to describe how much this expected personage disturbed and saddened my dreams. On stormy nights, when the wind shook the four corners of our house, and when the roaring tide dashed its waves along the cove and on the steep cliffs, I saw him appear to me in a thousand different forms and with a thousand diabolical expressions. Now his leg was severed to the knee, now his joint was severed from the hip; now he appeared to me as some sort of monstrous creature that had never had but one leg, and that one of indescribable shape. At other times I saw him leap and run and chase me through ditches and fences, which was, indeed, the worst of all my nightmares. It must be admitted, then, that I paid dearly for my meager monthly salary of four pence with these abominable visions. But if it is true that such was my terror regarding the one-legged sailor, it is also true that, as regards the Captain himself, I was far less afraid of him than anyone who knew him. There were some nights when he indulged in far more rum than his head could reasonably tolerate. Then he would be seen to sit and intone his wicked and savage old sea songs, which no one paid any attention to anymore. But sometimes he would order glasses for everyone and force his timid and trembling audience to listen to his wicked stories or to form a chorus to his sinister songs. I often heard the The whole house would shudder with that refrain: “The devil, yo-ho-ho! The devil, long live Rome!” in which all the neighbors joined in for the love of their lives, fearing that the ogre would kill them, each trying to raise his voice louder than his neighbor so as not to attract attention for his negligence, because in those fits the Captain was the most intolerant and impassioned companion ever known. Sometimes he would rap sharply with his calloused hand on the table to impose absolute silence on those present; at other times, he would be swept away by a fit of savage rage at the slightest question, and at other times he had the same effect when no one addressed him, because he said that the company was not paying attention to his story. He would never have allowed any soul to leave the inn until, feeling completely drunk and sleepy himself, he staggered to throw himself down on his bed. His tales and stories were what frightened people most of all. Horrible stories they were, indeed; stories of hangings, barbaric punishments like the so-called “walking of the plank,” and fearful storms at sea and in the Passage of Tortugas—and savage exploits and rugged landscapes in the Caribbean Sea and on the mainland. According to his narratives, he must have spent his entire life among the most wicked men God has allowed to cross the seas; and the language he used to tell all his stories disgusted that simple audience of peasants almost as much as the frightful crimes he described to them. My father was always saying that the inn would eventually fall into ruin, because the people would soon cease to come there, only to be tyrannized over, frightened, and sent to bed in horror and trembling; but I believe that, on the contrary, his presence was of some benefit to us. People began by being terribly afraid of him, but soon, as far as I can remember, they began to like him. For, in truth, the Captain was a source of valuable emotion in the midst of that quiet and peaceful country life. Some of our younger neighbors did not withhold even their admiration for him, calling him a true sea-wolf, a legitimate shark, and other such names, adding that men of his ilk are precisely those who make the name of England feared and respected across the ocean. But also, in a certain way, he did not fail to lead us beautifully towards ruin; because his stay in our house was prolonged week after week, and then month after month, so that by then the gold coins had been more than earned, without my father having the heart to insist too much on his renewing the exhibition. If he ever permitted himself to point out anything, the Captain would snort through his nostrils in such a formidable manner that one might almost say he was bellowing, and with his fierce look he would throw my poor father out of the room. I often saw him, after such repulses, wring his hands in despair, and I am convinced that the boredom and terror that divided his existence greatly contributed to hastening his untimely and unhappy death. During the whole time he lived with us, the Captain made not the slightest alteration in his attire, except to buy himself a few pairs of stockings, taking advantage of the chance of a peddler passing by. One of the brims of his hat having fallen off, he didn’t bother to replace that flap, which was a great nuisance to him, especially in windy weather. I still remember the miserable appearance of his doublet , which he himself mended upstairs in his room, and which, before his death, was nothing but patches. He never wrote or received any letters, nor did he deign to speak to anyone except the neighbors he knew as such, and even to them he did so only when the spirits of Rome were boiling in his head. As for the large chest on board, none of us had managed to see it opened. He only once suffered real anger, which occurred shortly before his sad end, when my father’s health was already declining and sinking so rapidly that it brought him to his grave. Dr. Livesey once came late in the afternoon to see his patient; he partook of some light repast from my mother, and then went into the parlor to smoke his cigar, while his horse was brought from the village, for we had neither beasts nor stables at the inn. I followed him, and I remember remarking the contrast between this fine, neat doctor, with his powdered hair as white as snow, his lively black eyes, and his pleasant, amiable manner, and these frisky country bumpkins . and most of all with the filthy, enormous, and disgusting pirate scarecrow of our inn, who was sitting in his usual corner, quite advanced at that hour in his daily intoxication, and leaning his muscular arms on the table. Suddenly our host began to sing his eternal song: _There are fifteen who want that dead man’s chest_ _There are fifteen, yo-ho-ho! There are fifteen, long live the Rom!_ _The devil and the drink did the rest_ _The devil, yo-ho-ho! the devil, long live the Rom!_ At first I had imagined that the dead man’s chest he was singing about was probably that large trunk of his that he kept upstairs in his front room, and this thought had not ceased to mingle confusedly in my nightmares with the figure of the long-awaited one-legged sailor. But when what I am now describing happened, we had all ceased to pay the slightest attention to our man’s strange singing, which, with the exception of Doctor Livesey, was no longer new to anyone. I could observe, however, that it did not produce the most agreeable effect on the Doctor, for I saw him raise his eyes for a moment, with an air of considerable displeasure, towards the Captain, before beginning a conversation, which he immediately entered upon with old Taylor, the gardener, about a new cure for rheumatic affections. Meanwhile, the Captain seemed to gradually become more and more pleased with the sound of his own music, until he finally rapped his hand upon the table in that abrupt and authoritative manner which we all knew very well meant, “Silence!” All the voices fell silent at once, as if by magic, except that of Doctor Livesey, which continued to be heard, imperturbably clear and pleasant, interrupted only by the vigorous puffs he took of his cigar every two or three words. The Captain stared at him for a few moments, banged on the table again, gave him a new, even more terrible look, and concluded by shouting, with a villainous and vulgar oath: “Silence, there, those between the decks! ” “Is it me you were addressing?” asked the Doctor, to which our ruffian replied that he was, not without adding another new oath. “I have only one reply,” said the Doctor, “and that is that if you continue drinking rum as you have been doing, the world will soon be free of a very disgusting vermin.” It would be useless to attempt to describe the fury that seized the old man when he heard this. He jumped to his feet, drew and opened a large sea knife, and, swinging it open in the palm of his hand, threatened to pin the Doctor against the wall. The Doctor did not make the slightest movement. He spoke to him again, just as before, over his shoulder, and in the same tone of voice, only a little louder so that everyone present could hear, but with the most perfect calm and serenity: “If you do not put that knife back in your pocket this instant, I swear to you, by who I am, that you will be hanged at the next sitting of the County Court.” A staring contest then ensued between the two, but the Captain soon gave in, put away his weapon, and returned to his seat, growling like a dog that has been bitten. “And now, my friend,” continued the Doctor, “as far as I know, the presence of a man like yourself in my district, you may be assured that you will be kept out of my sight day or night. I am not only a doctor, I am also a magistrate; therefore, if the slightest complaint against you reaches me, even if it be only a hint of rudeness like that of this evening, I will take the most necessary measures to have you hunted down and removed from the country. Let that suffice. Soon after, the mount arrived at the door, and Doctor Livesey set off without delay. But the Captain remained peaceful that night and many subsequent nights. Chapter 2. Black Dog Appears and Disappears. Not long after what was related in the preceding chapter, occurred the first of the mysterious events that finally got rid of the Captain, though not of his business, as those who read will soon see. It was a bitterly cold winter, with long and severe frosts and stormy spells. My poor father’s condition continued to worsen day by day, until it became clear that he was unlikely to see another spring. The management of the inn had fallen entirely into the hands of my mother and me, and we both had too much to do with it to be able to take much notice of our unpleasant guest. It was a cold and unpleasant January morning— still very early—and the cove, covered entirely with frost, appeared gray or whitish, while the tide was coming in, gently licking the pebbles of the beach, and the sun, still very low, barely touched the tops of the hills and shone far away on the edge of the ocean. The Captain had risen much earlier than usual, and had set off for the beach, his sort of cutlass dangling under the wide flaps of his old sailor’s smock, his telescope under his arm, and his hat thrown back upon his head. I can still see his breath, suspended in a trail of smoke, as he strode along, and I still remember that the last sound I heard from him, as he disappeared behind the great rock, was a great snort of indignation, as if he were still revolving the unpleasant memory of the scene with Doctor Livesey. Now, my mother was with my father in their room at the time, and I was busy arranging the table for breakfast, waiting for the Captain to return, when the door of the drawing-room suddenly opened, and a man entered whom I had not seen before. This was a pale, gaunt individual, with two fingers missing from his left hand , and although he also carried his knife in his belt, he did not look like a man of substance. I was always on the lookout for one-legged or two-legged sailors, but the one who had just appeared was an enigma to me. He did not look like a true sailor, yet there was something of a seaman’s air about him. I asked him, of course, how I could be of service, and he replied that he would like some rum. But I was hardly about to leave the room in search of what I was asking for when he sat down at one of the tables, urging me to approach him. I stopped where he had indicated me, holding a napkin in my hand. “Come here, lad,” he repeated, “come closer.” I took a step toward him. “Is this for my comrade Bill that you have prepared this table?” he asked me , giving me a rather strange look. “I don’t know who your comrade Bill is,” I replied. “This table is for a person who stays at our house, whom we call the Captain. ” “That’s right,” he replied. “My comrade Bill might as well be called Captain as not. He has a scar on one cheek, and a valiantly pleasant manner, very much like him, especially when he’s drunk. As signs, well—what else?—I tell you again, your Captain has a scar on one cheek—and if you want more, I’ll tell you that that cheek is the right one.” “Ah! Well! I’ve already said it… so what?” My comrade Bill is here in this house? ‘ ‘He’s out now,’ I answered; ‘he’s gone for a walk. ‘ ‘Which way has he gone, my boy?’ I then pointed in the direction of the rock, telling him that the Captain would soon be back; I answered some of his other questions, and then he added: ‘Ah! Come! This will be as good as a glass of rum for my comrade Bill.’ The expression on his face as he said this was anything but pleasant, and I had my reasons for thinking that the stranger was mistaken, if he really believed what he said. But, after all, I decided it was none of my business, and it was no easy matter to know what course to take. The newcomer kept skulking behind the inside of the inn door, peering sideways around his hiding place, like a cat on the lookout for a mouse. Once, I went out toward the road, but he called me inside immediately, and when I did not obey his command as quickly as he desired, an instant and frightful change came over his gaunt countenance, and he repeated his order to me, accompanied by an oath that made me jump. As soon as I was back inside, he resumed his original attitude, half flattering, half mocking, patted me on the shoulder, and said: “Come now, lad, you’re a good lad; I only wanted to frighten you for a joke. I have a son your age,” he added, “who takes after you as much as a fool as anyone else, and I assure you, he’s already the pride of my craft. But the great thing for lads is discipline, lad— plenty of discipline. Look, if you had ever sailed with Bill, you would have probably stayed there waiting for a second call; I tell you, no.” Bill never acted otherwise, nor did any who sailed with him. Now, I’m not mistaken, here comes Comrade Bill with his glass under his arm, blessed be his old skill that enables me to recognize him. All right, then: you and I, lad, let’s go over there in the back, into the saloon, and we’ll hide behind the door and give Bill a little surprise; and bless his skill again a thousand times over! With that, my man retreated with me into the saloon and placed me behind him in the corner, so that the open door hid us both. I was positively uneasy and alarmed, as you may imagine, and it added no little to my fears to observe that this new personage was not entirely in his element either. I saw him ready the handle of his knife and loosen the blade in its scabbard, without ceasing, during the whole time we were waiting, to swallow hard, or as if he had, as the familiar expression goes, a lump in his throat. Finally, the Captain entered, pushed the door behind him, without looking left or right, and marched directly across the room to where his lunch was waiting. Then my man uttered, in a voice that seemed to me to be striving to make hollow and resounding, the single word: “Bill!” The Captain turned quickly on his heel and faced us. All that was dark in his face had vanished at that moment, and even his nose had a tinge of bluish lividity. He had every appearance of a man who sees a spectre, or the devil himself, or something worse, if there is such a thing; and, take my word for it, I felt sorry for him, to see him, in a single instant, grow so old and so sick. “Come here, Bill, you know me well. You have not forgotten an old comrade, Bill, I am sure of it,” continued the newcomer. The Captain then cried, with a sort of rueful gasp: “Black Dog!” “Who could it be but him?” replied the other, beginning to feel a little easier. “Black Dog, yes, who, just as before , comes here to Admiral Benbow’s Inn to pay his old comrade Billy a salute. Ah, Bill, Bill, what things have we seen together, we two, since the time I lost these two hooks!” he added, lifting his maimed hand a little. “Well,” said the Captain, “I see you’ve got me… here I am… come… what do you want?… talk… say… what’s the matter? ” “I see you’re the same,” replied Black Dog; “you’re right, Bill, you’re right. I’ll have a glass of rum that this good lad, whom I’ve taken such a liking to, will bring me; we’ll sit down at once, if you like, and talk plainly like the good comrades we are.” When I returned with the rum, they had both seated themselves at either end of the table where the Captain was to lunch. Black Dog had remained nearest the door and was seen sitting sideways, so that he could keep one eye on his old comrade, and the other, as I fancied, on his free retreat. He then dismissed me, ordering me to leave the door wide open, and added: “No peeking at keyholes, lad, do you understand?” I had nothing to do but leave them alone and retire to the establishment’s bar. For a long time, no matter how hard I strained my five senses to hear what was going on, nothing reached my ears but a vague and confused murmur of conversation. But at last the voices began to become more and more audible; and I was finally able to distinctly hear a few words here and there, most of them oaths and insolences uttered by the Captain. “No, no, no, no!” I heard him utter, “No! And let’s get it over with!” And then he added, “If it’s necessary to hang, hang them all!” And that’s enough! Then, all at once, everything turned into a tremendous explosion of oaths and other fearful noises. The chair and table tumbled together, followed by a clang of clashing blades, then a cry of pain. At that same instant, I saw Black Dog in full flight, the Captain in hot pursuit: both with knives drawn, the first of them with blood flowing profusely from his left shoulder. Just as he reached the door, the Captain unleashed a final, tremendous blow upon the fugitive, which would undoubtedly have split him open to the spine, had not his weapon struck the ensign of our inn, which had received the blow, the mark of which is still easy to see today on the frame of our Admiral Benbow toward the bottom. That blow was the last of the fight. Once outside, and on the public road, Black Dog, in spite of his wound, seemed to say, with marvelous haste, “Foots, what do I want with you?” And in half a minute we saw him disappear behind the crest of the nearby rise. The Captain, for his part, remained rooted to the spot near the establishment’s sign like a lost man. A little later, he passed his hand over his eyes several times, as if to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, and then immediately went back into the house. “Jim,” he said, “bring me some steam!” And as he spoke, he swayed a little, leaning one hand against the wall. “Are you hurt?” I asked him. “Steam!” he repeated, “I must get away from here… steam! steam!” I ran to get him; but in the excitement caused by the events that had occurred, I broke a glass, jammed the faucet, and while I was still trying to get my bearings as best I could, I heard the loud, heavy crash of someone falling in the room. I rushed over and found the Captain’s body lying lengthwise on the floor. At the same instant, my mother, alarmed by the voices and rumors of the quarrel, came running downstairs to my assistance. Between us, we lifted up the Captain’s head, who was breathing heavily and labored, but whose eyes were closed, and whose face was covered with a horrible color. “Good heavens!” cried my mother, “what a misfortune upon our house, and with your poor father so sick!” Meanwhile, I could not think of the slightest idea as to what could be done to relieve the Captain, and it seemed to me certain that he had been mortally wounded in his fierce combat with that stranger. I brought the rom to make sure of it, and tried to bring him into his home. throat; but his teeth were terribly set together, and his jaws were as hard as if they had been made of steel. It was a great relief to us then to see the door open, and Doctor Livesey appear, coming to pay my father his daily visit. “Oh, Doctor!” my mother and I cried together. “What shall we do? Where is he hurt? ” “Hurt?” said the Doctor; “why not! No less than you or I. The man has just had such an attack as I had predicted. Now, Mrs. Hawkins, run upstairs, and if possible, don’t say a word to our sick man about what is happening. For my part, it is my duty to do all I can to save this man’s thrice-useless life. Go on, then, Jim, and fetch a basin.” When I returned with the request, the Doctor had already uncovered the Captain’s sinewy arm and unwound it from its sleeves. It was painted all over with those indelible patterns that sailors and convicts paint on their bodies. “Good luck,” said one of the inscriptions; and on others, “Prosperous winds,” and “Whims of Billy Bones,” were clearly and carefully executed on the forearm. A little higher up, near the shoulder, was the outline of a gallows, with a hanged man hanging from it—all, as far as I could see, quite skillfully and properly executed. “Prosthetic!” said the Doctor, touching this last design with his finger. “And now, Master Billy Bones, if that be his name, let us see what color his blood is. Jim,” he added, “are you afraid of blood?” “No, sir,” I answered. “Very well,” he replied. Then hold the basin for me. He immediately took his lancet and with great skill pierced a vein. A great quantity of blood flowed out before the Captain opened his eyes and cast a vague, clouded look around him. He then recognized the Doctor, whom he looked at with a frown that was impossible to mistake; then he looked at me, and my presence seemed to relieve him somewhat. But suddenly his color changed again; he tried to straighten himself and exclaimed: “Where is Black Dog? ” “There is no Black Dog here,” said the Doctor, “except the one you have drawn on your back. You have continued drinking rum, and, as I warned you, you have had a fit. Very much against my will, I have been obliged, by duty, to assist you, and I may say that I have almost pulled you out of the grave. And now Master Bones—” “That is not my name,” he interrupted. “It doesn’t matter,” replied the Doctor, “it’s the name of a certain filibuster I know, and I call you by him for the sake of brevity. All I have to add, then, is this: a glass of rum wouldn’t do you any harm; but if you take one, you’ll take another, and another after that, and I’ll bet my wig that if you don’t check yourself quickly and in time, you’ll die very soon—do you understand this? You’ll die and go to hell itself, which is your proper place, as the Bible says. Now, come, make an effort. I’ll help you, this time, to get him to bed.” Between the two of us, and not without much difficulty, we managed to carry him upstairs to his room and lay him down on his bed, where he let his head fall heavily upon the pillow as if he felt he was about to faint. “Now, remember this well,” said the Doctor, “to clear my conscience I must repeat that, to you, death and death are two words that mean the same thing. ” Having said this, he went away to see my father, taking me by the arm to persuade me to go with him. “That’s nothing,” he said as soon as he had closed the door behind him. “I have drawn enough blood to keep him well for quite some time. He must stay in bed for a week: that is the least bad thing for him and for you; but a new attack will inevitably bring death .” Chapter 3. THE BLACK DISC. About noon I went to the Captain’s room, taking some refrigerants and medicines. I found him lying almost in the same position in which we had left him, only a little higher , and he seemed to me at the same time weak and excited. “Jim,” he said to me, “you’re the only one here that’s worth anything, and you know very well how good I’ve always been to you. I’ve never failed to give you your careful fourpence every month. Now then, my boy, look here, I feel very downcast, and deserted by everyone —for the same reason, Jim, come now, you’ll get me a glass of rum right now , won’t you? ” “The Doctor,” I began. But he interrupted me in a weak, though animated, voice. “Doctors are all rubbish,” he said, “and as for this one here, well, what does he know about seamen?” I’ve been in places as hot as a cauldron of pitch, with my crew wiped out by yellow fever, and the damned earth dancing like a sea with its earthquakes—what does the Doctor know of such lands as that?—for I ‘ve lived there with nothing but the Rom—you may well believe. He’s been to me, food and drink, body and shade, yes sir, and if they won’t give me my Rom now, I’ll be nothing but a poor old hull marooned on a leeward beach—my blood will be on you, Jim, and on that mop of the Doctor’s. And then he went on about this for some time, accompanying it with curses; until at last, changing his tactics, he went on in a plaintive tone: “Look, Jim, how my fingers are twitching; I can’t steady them, or settle myself—why, all this blessed day I haven’t touched a drop yet, not a single drop! That Doctor is mad, you may believe me.” If you don’t give me a little rum right now, I feel the rabies coming on… I think I can feel some of its horrors, some of its visions at this moment… there I see old Flint, in that corner… there… behind you, as clear as his living image… oh! if these visions come upon me, I’m a man who’s lived a rough enough life, and I’ll raise Cain again! Your own Doctor said a glass wouldn’t hurt me at all. I’ll give you a gold guinea for just one, Jim. I saw the Captain getting more and more excited, and this alarmed me for my father, who was in a much worse state that day and needed a great deal of quiet; besides, reassured by the Doctor’s own words, which were recalled to my memory, though a little offended by this offer of a bribe, I said to him: “I don’t want your money, but what you owe my father. I’ll get you a glass, but don’t ask for more, because it would be useless. ” When I had brought it to him, he seized it with real anxiety and drank it in one gulp. “Oh, oh, oh!” he said, as if feeling a great relief, “this is better, no doubt about it. And now, my boy, has that Doctor said how long I have to lie in this old cabin? ” “A week, at least,” I answered. “A thousand carronades!” he cried, “a week! This is impossible. In that time they could send me their black disk. At this very moment those vagabonds are already straightening their bows and trying to have a go at me; vagabonds who wouldn’t know how to keep what they’ve taken and who want to scratch what belongs to someone else. Go on, you bastard! Is that conduct worthy of sailors? I want to know. But I’m a blessed soul. I’ve never squandered a good bit of money of mine, nor have I lost it either. I’ll know how to cheat them once more . I’m not afraid of them.” I’ll let out another reef, and I’ll have them round , my boy, you’ll see! While she was thus speaking, she had risen from the bed, though with great difficulty, clinging—that’s the word—to my shoulder with a pressure so strong that it almost made me weep, and moving her legs as if they were dead weights. Her words, which, as you can see, were full of active and lively thought, contrasted sadly with the weakness of the voice in which they were spoken. When she had seated herself on the edge of the bed, she paused a little, and then murmured: “That Doctor has ruined me—my ears are ringing—put me back to bed . ” Before she had done much to please him, he had already fallen back into his former position, in which he remained silent. for a while. “Jim,” he said to me at last, “did you see that sailor today? ” “Black Dog?” I asked him. “Ah! Black Dog!” he cried. “Black Dog is a wicked man, but there’s somebody worse than that who makes him be so. Now, if I can’t possibly get away from here, and if they send me the black disk, remember it’s my old ship’s chest they’re after… You get on a horse… you will, won’t you?… you get on a horse and go … why, yes… it’s hopeless… to that eternal Devil’s Doctor, and tell him to hurry and get all his people together… magistrates and such like… and make a course for them and bring them here on board the Admiral Benbow… and all that’s left of Flint’s old crew, men and boys.” I was first mate—yes, old Captain Flint’s first mate—and I’m the only one who knows the real place. He showed it to me at Savannah, when I was, as I was today, close to death. But you won’t give them up unless they can get me their black disc, or if you ever see that Black Dog again, or a one -legged sailor—this one above all, Jim! ‘ ‘But what’s that black disc, Captain?’ I asked him. ‘It’s just a warning, kid,’ he answered. ‘I ‘ll explain it to you if they get their way. In the meantime, Jim, keep your eye out, and on my honor, you’ll be my equal partner . ‘ He rambled on a little longer, his voice growing fainter and fainter every moment. I gave him his medicine at once, which he drained like a child, without making the slightest remark, and then added: ‘If ever a sailor wanted drugs, I’m the one now.’ After saying this, he fell into a deep sleep, very much like fainting, and in that state I left him. What should I have done then to make everything work out? I don’t know. Probably I should have told the Doctor everything, for the fact is, I was in mortal distress, fearing that the Captain would at least regret his confidences and want to give me a good account. But what happened was that my poor father died almost suddenly that night, which forced me to do everything else aside. Our natural grief, the visits from the neighbors, the funeral arrangements, and all the innkeeping business that had to be performed in the meantime, kept me so busy that I hardly had time to think of the Captain then, much less to think of being afraid of him. The next morning, I believe, he went down to the parlor by himself and ate his dinner as usual, only he ate little, and, I fear, consumed even more than usual, for he took his own course in the saloon, sulking and blowing through his nose, so that no one dared to contradict him. The night before the funeral, the Captain was as drunk as ever, and it was truly a cause for rebellion against him, in that house plunged in mourning and desolation, to hear him sing his eternal and horrible sea-sing ditty. But dejected and sad as we were, we were still troubled by the thought of the man’s mortal danger, especially as the Doctor was suddenly recalled many miles from our house to attend a new patient, and was never, so to speak, within our reach after my father’s death. I have said that the Captain was weak, and the truth is that not only was he weak, but he seemed to be declining more and more visibly instead of recovering his health. I saw him go up and down the stairs agitatedly ; now he went from the living room to the bar, now from the bar to the living room; now he half leaned out of the outer door of the house as if to breathe the salty breezes from the sea, holding on to the walls as if to avoid falling, and breathing hard and fast like a man who climbs the steep slope of a mountain. He did not converse with me again in any special way, and I truly believe that he had forgotten his confidences, but his temper had become more volatile, and, given his physical weakness, much more violent than ever. He now had a very alarming symptom when he was drunk, which was to place his enormous scimitar, or knife, unsheathed, next to him on the table. But for all this, he cared less about those present and seemed entirely absorbed in his own thoughts, hardly speaking at all, but rambling a little. Once, for example, to our great surprise, he began to sing a different, new song: a kind of country-folk love tune, which he must have learned in his early youth, before he had dedicated himself to a career as a sailor. Things continued in this way until the day after my father’s burial. That day, about three o’clock on a foggy, freezing, and unpleasant afternoon, I had been standing for a few moments at the door of the establishment, filled with sad and disconsolate thoughts about my poor father, when I perceived someone slowly approaching along the road. He was a completely blind man, for he was groping in front of him with a stick, and he had a large green bandage over his eyes and nose. He appeared hunched over, as if under the weight of years or a terrible illness, and he was dressed in an old and tattered cape with a hood, which gave him a positively deformed and hideous appearance. I have never seen a more hideous and frightful figure in my life. He paused for a moment near the inn, and raising his voice in a strange, nasal croon, he uttered this account to the wind: “Will some kind soul be pleased to inform a poor blind man, who has lost the precious gift of his sight in the voluntary defense of his country, England”—God bless King George—”where or in what part of this country he is now? ” “You are at Admiral Benbow’s Inn, in the cove of Black Hill, my good man,” I said. “I hear a voice—a young man’s voice,” he replied. “Will you give me your hand and lead me in, my good, gentle boy?” I held out my hand, and in an instant that horrible sightless creature, who spoke so sweetly, seized it as if with a claw. I was so frightened that I struggled to free myself, but the blind man drew me powerfully to him by a single contraction of his arm. “Now, lad,” he said to me, “take me to the Captain. ” “Sir,” I replied, “on my word I assure you I dare not. ” “Oh!” he replied with a mocking little laugh, “take me at once, or I ‘ll break your arm.” And as soon as he said this, he gave me such a horrible grip that I cried out. “Sir,” I added, “if I dare not, it is only for your sake. The Captain is not the same as he was before. He always has a drawn knife at his side now . Another gentleman— ” “Come, come, let’s go!” the blind man interrupted me, in a voice as harsh, as cold, as ungrateful, and as dreadful as I have ever heard in my life. She frightened me even more than the pain I had felt before, so without hesitation I obeyed her, leading him straight into the parlor where our sick old filibuster sat, absorbed in his habit of drinking rom. The blind man held me fast, holding me in his formidable grip as if in an iron vice, and weighing me down with more of his body than I could reasonably bear. “Take me straight to him,” he repeated, “and when I am within sight of him, shout to him, ‘Bill, here’s one of his friends.’ If you don’t do this , I’ll repeat the same trick to you.” So saying, he twisted my arm again in such a brutal and painful manner that I thought I would faint. One way or another, such was the terror that seized me of the blind beggar that I forgot all my former fear of the Captain, and as soon as I had opened the door of the parlor, I cried as I had been commanded: “Bill, here is one of your friends!” The poor Captain looked up, and the first glance was enough to make his head instantly free of the smoke of the smoke that had lodged in it, and to become perfectly natural and clear. The expression on his face was not so much one of terror as one of mortal and agonizing agony. He made a movement to rise to his feet, but I don’t think he had enough strength left in his body to do it. “Now, Bill,” said the beggar, “there’s no need to bother yourself; sit there where you are. Though I can’t see, I can hear even the movement of a finger. Let’s not talk too much; let’s get down to business; business is business. Raise your left hand… lad, take his left hand by the wrist and bring it to my right.” We both obeyed as if fascinated, to the letter, and then I noticed that the blind man was passing something to the Captain’s hand that he carried in the very hand with which he held his stick. The Captain quickly and nervously squeezed and closed it in his own. “It’s done!” “Then said the blind man, and as he uttered these words he abruptly and with incredible precision and dexterity threw himself free from me , left the room of his own accord, and launched himself upon the high road. I was still unable to move from the place where he had left me, as if petrified, when the tip-tap of his cane, tentatively swinging in the distance over the road along which I was walking, had already disappeared into the distance. It was some time before the Captain and I recovered our senses , but at last, and almost at the same instant, I released his grip on the fist which I was still holding; he cast an anxious glance at what he held in the palm of his hand, and at once, springing violently to his feet, exclaimed: “Ten o’clock! There’s still time!” As he said this and rose to his feet, he staggered like a drunken man, clasped both hands to his throat, swayed for a moment, and then, with a peculiar and sinister rumble, sprawled flat on his face upon the ground. I rushed to him, crying aloud for my mother. But all haste was in vain. The Captain had already fallen dead, seized by a sudden stroke of apoplexy. Strange and curious thing! I, who had certainly never cared for the man, though in his last days he inspired me with great compassion, as soon as I saw him dead, burst into a flood of tears. This was the second death I had seen, and the pain of the first was still too fresh in my heart. Chapter 4. THE DEAD MAN’S CHEST. Without losing a moment, of course, I then did what I perhaps ought to have done long before, which was to tell my mother everything I knew, and I saw at once that we were in a most difficult position. Some of that man’s money—if he had any—was evidently due to us; but it was hardly likely that the Captain’s strange and sinister comrades, especially those two already known to me, would consent to part with any of the loot they intended to divide in order to pay the dead man’s debts. The Captain’s order to me, as you may remember, to jump on horseback and ride in search of Doctor Livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected, so there was no need to think about it. The truth is that it seemed impossible for either of us to remain in the house for long: the most common and insignificant sounds, such as coal falling into the kitchen stove, the ticking of the grandfather clock, and others of that kind, filled us, under those circumstances, with superstitious terror. The surroundings of the house seemed to fill the air with the muffled sound of cautious footsteps approaching, so that, between the corpse of the poor Captain, lying on the parlor floor, and the memory of that detestable and hideous blind beggar, perhaps hovering very close and perhaps soon to return, there were times when, as a common saying goes, I couldn’t even keep up with my shirt. A quick resolution had to be made, whatever it might be, and finally we decided to leave together and seek help in the nearby village. It was all talk and all do. Even though our heads were all in turmoil, we did not hesitate to run, without delay, into the middle of the waning afternoon and the thick, icy fog that covered everything. The village, though out of sight from our inn, was nevertheless only a few hundred yards away on the other side of the neighboring creek, and—which was a great consolation to me —in the opposite direction from that in which the blind beggar had appeared , and probably from which he had also retreated . We were not long on the road, though we sometimes stopped close together to listen. But we perceived no unusual noise; nothing but the faint, faint murmur of the tide, and the last cries and last flappings of the jungle-dwellers. It was just getting dark when we reached the village, and I shall never forget how much it cheered me to see the yellowish gleam of lights in doors and windows ; though, alas! as I was soon to see them, that was the only relief we could expect on that side. For there was not a soul—as shameful as this must be to those men—there was not a soul who consented to accompany us back to the inn. The more we detailed our troubles, the more we saw that men, women, and children clung to the shelter of their own homes. The name of Captain Flint, though completely foreign to me, was familiar enough to some of those peasants, and was enough to strike a great deal of terror into their hearts. Some of those men who had been working in the fields near Admiral Benbow also remembered seeing several strangers on the road and, taking them for smugglers, had driven them away; another claimed, at least, to have seen some kind of square-rigged boat off the part of the coast we call Cat Cove. Apparently, anyone who was a mere comrade of the Captain was enough to strike a mortal terror into those people. And although, after many twists and turns, we found some willing to mount and go warn Doctor Livesey of what was happening, for which they had to go in another direction, the fact is that not one of them wanted to come to help us defend the inn. It is commonly said that fear is contagious; but on the other hand, eloquence is a great encourager, so when each one had expressed his opinion, my mother gave them a little speech. “I declare,” she said among other things, “that I will never consent to lose money that belongs to my orphan son, and if none of you dare to help me, Jim and I will dare anything. We will now return the way we came, and I will give you few thanks, you codgers, gutted, chicken hearts. We alone will open that portmanteau, even if my daring must cost me my life.” Thank you a thousand times, Mrs. Crossley, for this little bag you have lent me, in which I shall bring my very own and very legitimate money. It is clear that I said I would go with my mother, and it is also clear that all those people protested against our rashness ; but despite this , not a single man was determined to accompany us. All they did was give me a loaded pistol in case we were attacked and promise to have saddled horses ready in case we were pursued on our return; and meanwhile, a boy was already running to the Doctor to summon armed help. My heart was beating violently as my mother and I returned, alone again, through the freezing night, to face this fearful and dangerous adventure. The full moon was beginning to raise its reddish disk above the vague silhouettes of the mists on the horizon, which impelled us to quicken our pace, because it was evident that ere long, and before we had returned again, everything would be flooded with a brightness as of day, and our journey would be exposed, therefore, to the searching eyes of our vigilant enemies. We crept cautiously along the hedges and fences, without making the slightest noise, and saw nor heard anything that would increase our anxiety, until, at last, to our great comfort, the door of the The inn closed behind us, and we were, after all, inside. Instinctively, I bolted it as soon as we entered, and for a moment we stood in the darkness, panting and throbbing, alone, with no company but the Captain’s corpse. My mother immediately went to the counter and took a candle, and, holding hands, we passed into the room. The dead man stood there, just as we had left him, with his eyes open and one arm stretched out. “Put down the window, Jim,” my mother murmured; “it might happen that they come looking in on us from outside. And now,” she added, when her order was executed, “we must find the key to it, and then we’ll see who can take it.” And as she said this, she gave something like a sigh or a sob. I was immediately brought to my knees. On the floor, very near the deceased’s hand, I immediately found a small paper disk, blackened on one side. I could not doubt that this was the black disk to which he had referred, and lifting it, I found written on the other side, in very good and clear handwriting, this all-too-laconic injunction. You are given until ten o’clock tonight. “You are given until ten o’clock, Mother,” I said, and I had hardly finished uttering these words when our old clock creaked to strike the hour, and began to chime slowly, making us flinch with an involuntary movement… “One… two… three… four… five… six! Six o’clock! It’s barely six … we’ve got time, Jim,” said my mother. “Now, let’s see; that key!” I searched each of his bags for a few small coins, a thimble, a bit of thread, thick needles, a piece of pipe tobacco, his curved-handled razor, a pocket compass, and a small box with a wire and some kindling were all I found, and I was beginning to despair. “Perhaps he’s wearing it around his neck,” my mother suggested. Overcoming a great repugnance, I resolved to open his shirt, and there, of course, hanging from a dirty, tarred cord, which I hastened to cut with his own razor, was the key we had been seeking. With this first victory, we felt filled with courage and hope, and hastened up to the deceased’s room, where he had slept for so long, and where his ship’s chest had remained since the day of his arrival. It was an ordinary sea-portfolio, like any other sailor’s, only on the outside it bore the initial B made with a red-hot iron, and the corners were a little broken and worn, as if from long and careless use. “Give me that key,” my mother said; and although the plate was very hard and little used, she had opened it and lifted the lid of the portmanteau in the twinkling of an eye. A strong smell of tobacco and tar immediately came from the interior, but we could see nothing in the upper compartment, except a suit of very good cloth, carefully brushed and folded, which, according to my mother, should never have been worn. Beneath it began the miscellany: a quadrant, a small tin box, several tobacco sticks, two pairs of very good and handsome pistols, a small piece of silver bar, an antique Spanish watch, and some other trinkets of very little value , most of them of foreign make, a pair of brass-mounted compasses, and five or six strange and curious seashells from the West Indies. I have often wondered afterward why he had brought and stored those shellfish in the course of his eventful, guilty, and turbulent life. In the meantime, we had found nothing worthwhile except the barilla and the silver trinkets, which were certainly not what we were looking for. Beneath it was an old ship’s cloak, whitened with sea salt, which my mother impatiently lifted, revealing to our view the last of the contents of the valise. These were a package or bundle of papers, carefully wrapped in waterproof cloth, and a hemp bag, which we only had to shake for its sound told us it contained gold. “I will prove to those scoundrels,” my mother burst out, “that I am an honest woman. I will take from here what is owed to us, and not a single penny more. Here, take Mrs. Crossley’s little purse.” So saying, she began to carefully count the amount owed, transferring the coins from the Captain’s purse into the little purse which I held open in my hands. It was a long and difficult operation, for the coins were from every country and of every imaginable stamp. Gold doubloons and louises , guineas and pieces of eight, and I don’t know how many others, all mixed together and in a heap. The guineas, moreover, were the least abundant, and they were the only ones my mother knew how to count. We were about halfway through our task when I suddenly had to put my hand on his arm to impose silence, for I had just heard, amidst the cold and hushed atmosphere, a sound that made my heart beat again until it wanted to burst out of my mouth: it was the formidable tap-tap of the blind beggar’s cane tapping on the icy surface of the road. I heard it coming nearer and nearer, while we struggled to catch our breath. Finally, he struck firmly on the inn door, and then we distinctly heard him turn the outside knob of the lock, and the bolt creak with the efforts the wretch was making to enter. There followed a long and anguished silence both outside and inside the house. Finally , the tap-tap of the cane began again, and to our indescribable joy, it slowly died away in the distance, until at last it ceased to be heard altogether. “Mother,” I said, “take it all at once and let’s go.” It seemed to me that the bolted door must have excited that man’s suspicions, and that he would probably set his whole nest of hawks upon us. Besides, no one who has not been in the presence of that terrible blind man can understand how glad I was that I had had the instinctive idea of unbolting it when we entered. However, my mother, embarrassed as she was, would not consent to taking a single farthing more than what was owed to us; but she also persisted in not being content with less. “It’s not even seven o’clock yet,” she said; “there’s still a long way to go: I know what’s coming to me, and I want it at all costs. ” She was still arguing with me when a light hiss reached us, a good distance away, over the hill. That was enough, and more than enough, for the two of us. “I’ll take what I’ve told you,” said my mother, suddenly rising to her feet. “And I’ll take this to round out the account,” I added, seizing the bundle of papers wrapped in waterproof cloth. A moment later, we were both hurrying down the stairs, leaving the candle beside the empty trunk, and it took us only a few seconds to open the outer door and begin our retreat. A minute’s delay and it would have been too late. The fog was rapidly breaking up, and the moon was already shining brightly on the high ground on either side of us. Only a faint veil remained at the edge of the hollow and at the doors of the tavern to favor, with its still unbroken gauze, the first steps of our escape. Long before we had reached the halfway point leading to the village, a little beyond the foot of the rise, we were bound to enter the clear, open space lit by the moon. And this was not all: the sound of numerous footsteps approaching in a crowd reached our ears, and as we looked in their direction, we could see, from the flickering of a small light and their rapid approach, that one of those approaching had a lantern with him. “My son,” my mother said suddenly, “take the money and run away. I feel as if I were going to faint. This was truly the end of everything for us, at least that is what I thought. How I hated the cowardice of the neighbors at that moment! How I did not disapprove of my poor mother for her honesty and avarice, as much as for her past boldness and extreme weakness at that moment! By our great good fortune, we were at that moment on the little bridge; I supported her as best I could, tottering as she was, to the extremity of the bank, where she gave a sigh and flung herself upon my shoulder. How I found it in myself to do what I did under those critical circumstances, I cannot now say, and I fear that what I did was rather roughly executed. The fact is, I contrived to draw her down the face of the ravine with me, and almost dragged her so as to place us somewhat under the arch of the bridge itself. There was nothing more I could do after this, for the little bridge was too low to allow us to do anything but curl up under it, leaving my mother almost entirely outside. English: but we were both at such a short distance from the inn that we could distinctly hear whatever was being said there. Chapter 5. OF THE END OF THE BLIND BEGGAR. My curiosity, however, got the better of my fears; I perceived that remaining where I was was of no use to me except to remain crouching there for God knows how long, so I climbed as best I could once more to the side of the ravine, and hiding my head in a copse of gorse, I was able to command from thence the whole section of the road which passes in front of our door. I had scarcely succeeded in settling in when the enemy began to arrive, seven or eight in number, at full speed, their feet beating wildly along the path, and bringing the man with the lantern a few paces in front of them. Three men were running together, hand in hand, and I understood at once, even through the mist, that the one in the middle of the trio was none other than my formidable blind beggar. A moment later, his voice proved me right . “Down with the door!” he cried. “Good, good, sir!” replied two or three of the assailants, who rushed in a crowd to the inn door, followed by the man with the lantern. But very soon I saw them pause and exchange a few words in low voices, as if surprised at finding the very entrance they were proposing to force open. But their surprise was very short-lived. The blind man once more shouted his orders, his voice rising in intensity and intensity, as if he were inflamed by a great desire and a violent rage at the same time. “In, in, in!” he shouted to them, not without cursing and swearing at what seemed to him a delay. Four or five of them hastened to obey, two remaining on the path beside the formidable beggar. There was another pause of no great length, and after it a cry of surprise resounded, followed by a voice from within: “Bill’s dead!” But the blind man hurled another tremendous oath at them for their lack of diligence, adding: “Search him, one of you, you cheats, you vagabonds! And the rest of you, up you go and take down your valises!” The sound of those men’s feet on the wooden steps of our staircase reached my hiding-place, so it is certain that the whole house must have been shaking with them. At that moment, more exclamations of surprise followed : the Captain’s window was flung open with a violent heave, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass. A man appeared at it, illuminated by the full light of the moon, and addressed himself to the blind beggar who stood, as I have said, on the road and just below the newly opened window. “Pew!” he cried, “they’ve beaten us to the punch!” Someone has already searched the suitcase, from top to bottom. “Is that _it_ in there?” he asked. “The money, yes,” replied the one above. “Take a thousand devils with you and the money! What I’m asking is, is Flint’s manuscript in there, you scoundrel? ” “As for here, there’s nothing,” replied the other. “Well, go downstairs and see if he’s lying on Bill’s body.” At that moment, another of the party, probably the one who had been left in the parlor searching the Captain’s body, appeared at the inn door, saying, “Bill’s been searched before: they’ve left nothing on him. ” “It was the inn folk, it was that lad. I would fain have put his eyes out,” roared Blind Pew. “They weren’t long here yet: they had the bolt on when I tried to get in. Search, lads, search and find them! ” “All they’ve left us here is their candle,” said the one at the window. “Then get to work, get to work! Search and find them!” said Pew again, rapping angrily on the floor with his stick. Then a great uproar ensued, an indescribable commotion within the house; the sounds of rough footsteps resounded from side to side; The sound of furniture being thrown to the ground; doors being kicked open, until the rocks echoed with their infernal sounds. Then all those men were seen coming out onto the road, one after another, declaring that they had nothing left to search and that we were certainly not hidden inside the house. At that instant, the same whistle that had so alarmed my mother and me when we were working on the deceased Captain’s money was heard again, clearly and distinctly, in the middle of the night, but this time it was repeated twice. I had thought that this sound was something like the blind man’s trumpet ordering his crew to board, but now I understood that it was nothing but a signal sounded stealthily from the side of the hill in the direction of the village, and, judging by the effect it produced on our filibusters, it was a warning of some approaching danger. “Dirk has whistled,” said one… and twice! “We must get clear!” “Get the hell out of here, you idiot!” cried Pew. “Dirk has been a coward and a fool from the first, and you mustn’t listen to him . Those people must be right around here; we’ve got our hands on them, for sure. Turn everything over, search everything—what else have we come for, you dogs of Satan? Oh! By the devil’s life! If only I had my eyes!” These exclamations seemed to have some effect, for two of the band began to search here and there among the staves and junk that were lying about outside, but with very little resolution, as far as I could see, and always keeping one eye ready to escape the danger they feared, while the rest were still hesitant and wavering on the road. “Ah, you fools!” cried the blind man; “you have your hands on thousands upon thousands, and you stand there like idiots with your arms crossed!” You all can become as rich as kings in no time, if you can find that thing you know is right here within your reach, and not one of you wants to do your duty! You idiots! You idiots! Not one of you dared to introduce yourself to Bill, and I had to resolve to do it myself —a blind man! Well, I don’t want to lose the lot that falls to me , because of you! What! Am I going to remain a beggar all my life, crawling, hustling, and scamping for a miserable glass of rum, when I ought and can drive around in magnificent cars? If those people were to turn out to be ants, you’d still have to find them! “Shut your hatch, Pew,” growled one of them, “we’ve got the doubloons already. ” “They’ve probably hidden the damned mess well,” jumped in another. ” But let’s not waste time; you take the Georges, Pew, and don’t stand there yelling.” Screaming was the true word, and upon hearing it the blind man’s very ill-contained rage exploded, already excited by the preceding objections, in such a manner and so furiously that his excitement overcame everything else; so it was that, seizing his thick stick, he attacked his henchmen with it, striking furiously right and left, in spite of his blindness, and his tremendous blows could be heard on more than one of them. those nearest to him. These, in turn, responded by hurling the most horrible insults and threats at the wicked blind man, and rushed at him to seize the club, twisting it in their powerful fists. This scuffle proved our salvation, for those men were still engaged in it, when a new sound was heard towards the crest of the hill, on the side of the village, and it was the full gallop of several horses. Almost at the same instant, a pistol shot rang out from beside the fence, the light and the thunder of the shot being heard simultaneously. This was evidently the last sign of danger, for the filibusters took to flight at once, in a headlong rush of every man for himself. They all ran in different directions : one towards the sea, another towards the cove, another obliquely along the hill, and so on with the rest, so that in less time than I am describing it, there was no trace of them left, except blind Pew. As for him, they had abandoned him, whether in the panic that seized them, or in revenge for his insults and blows with clubs, I cannot say. The fact is that he was there, behind them all, groping along the road with his stick, madly and desperately, and calling aloud to his fugitive comrades. Finally, he took the worst direction for him, in the direction of the village, and passed within a few paces of my hiding place, crying frantically: “Johnny, Black Dog, Dirk, and others… You won’t leave your old Pew here, my comrades… you won’t leave your poor Pew!” At that instant, the sound of horses reached the summit, and four or five riders appeared on the ridge, clearly illuminated by the moon, and rushed down the slope at a full gallop. Then Pew realized his mistake; he tried to turn around, bursting into a curse, and headed for the ditch, into which he fell. But in a second, he was back on his feet and trying to escape again ; but, already swayed, he only managed to place himself right under the nearest of the approaching horses. The rider tried to save him, but in vain. The beggar fell helplessly, crushed by the beast, which threw him to the ground and smashed its four powerful, shod hooves into him, tearing him to pieces. Pew uttered a single, horrible, anguished scream that was lost in the tragic silence of the night. He fell on his side, then rolled weakly with his face to the ground, and never moved again. I then straightened up and courteously greeted the riders, who were already preparing to retreat, horrified by the accident. I soon realized who they were. One, still behind everyone else, was the boy who had come from the village in search of Doctor Livesey; the others were customs officers or revenue guards he had met on his way and with whom he had arranged to return without delay. The news of this strange square-rigged boat anchored in Cat Cove had reached Inspector Dance, who, as a result, had resolved to make an excursion that night in the direction of our shores, without which, it is certain my mother and I would have lost our lives. As for Pew, he was dead, and very dead indeed. As for my mother, whom we conducted to the village, some cold water and some salts which we made her inhale completely restored her consciousness, and although she was not entirely exhausted by her terrors, she still continued to deplore the remainder of the money which she refused to take. In the meantime, the Inspector hastened his march as much as he could in the direction of Cat’s Cove; but his guards had to dismount and grope their way along the roughness of the ravine, leading their horses by the right hand, sometimes restraining them, and constantly in fear of an ambush. It was therefore not surprising that, when they arrived at the place where they knew the boat was anchored, it had already put to the right. sea, although he was still a very short distance from the beach. The Inspector’s voice still reached the fugitives, one of whom shouted to him to get out of the moonlight so that he could come and salute him with a bit of lead. The echo of this warning had scarcely died away when a musket ball whistled past Dance’s arm, and immediately the boat rounded the point of the cove and disappeared. The Inspector stood there, as he himself said, like a fish out of water, and the most he could do was send a man to Bristol to prevent the possible arrival of that longboat, which was as good as nothing, in his opinion. “They got off safely,” he added, “and that’s the end of it. I’m only very glad that we got Master Pew under way, otherwise he would have heard from me by now.” I then returned with him to Admiral Benbow’s inn, and no one could imagine the scene of disorder and destruction I found in our house. The clock, with its large wooden case, had been thrown to the ground by those barbarians in their desperate hunt for my mother and me, and although it is true that they had carried off nothing except the Captain’s money-bag and some silver in our drawer, I could see from the first glance that we were ruined. Inspector Dance could do nothing in this chaos. “Well, Jim,” he said to me, “you say they took the money, don’t you? Then what fortune was it they were after here? More money, perhaps ? ” “No, sir, I don’t believe it was money,” I replied. “The fact is, I believe I have what they were after here, in the breast-pouch of my doublet, and I would gladly deposit it at once in a safe place.” “To put him in a safe place, my boy?” “That seems very good to me,” he said. “I will take him if you wish. ” “I thought, perhaps, that Doctor Livesey—” I began. “Excellent! Magnificent!” he interrupted me in a very plausible tone; “your idea is unbeatable; he is a perfect gentleman and a perfect magistrate. And now that I think of it, I too must go there and report, either to him or to Sir Trelawney, the death of this Master Pew, which is beyond remedy. Not that I deplore it, no; but unkind people might be inclined to blame an officer of Her Majesty’s treasury for it, if blame were possible in the case. Now then, Hawkins, if you wish, I can take you with me.” I thanked him cordially for his offer, and we walked back to the village where the horses were. While I went to tell my mother what I was going to do, the horses were already saddled. “Dogger,” said Mr. Dance, “you have a fine horse there; put this lad on your haunches.” I had no sooner mounted than I had fastened myself upon Dogger’s belt than the Inspector gave the signal to start, and the whole caravan moved out upon the road at a fairly brisk trot, crossing the bridge which served as our hiding-place, in the direction of Doctor Livesey’s house. Chapter 6. THE CAPTAIN’S PAPERS. We walked quite rapidly until at last we stopped at Doctor Livesey’s door. The house was perfectly dark outside. Inspector Dance told me to dismount and knock at the door, and Dogger gave me one of his stirrups to step down. The door opened almost immediately, and the maid appeared. “Is the Doctor at home?” I asked her. “No,” he replied, “he was here that afternoon, but he set out again for the University, where he was to dine and spend the evening with Sir Trelawney. ” “Then let’s go, lads,” said the Inspector. This time, as the distance to be traveled was very short, I did not remount, but walked by Dogger’s stirrup to the caretaker’s lodge, and thence up the long, bare avenue, lit at that hour by the moonlight, and at the end of which could be seen, on either side, amidst old gardens, the white silhouette of the group of buildings that form the University. Here Inspector Dance dismounted, and taking me with him, obtained permission to pass into the establishment on a small matter. The servant led us into a carpeted corridor, at the end of which he showed us the great library, all lined with immense shelves, crowned with busts of scholars of all ages. There we found Sir Trelawney and Doctor Livesey, chatting animatedly, cigar in hand, by the sides of a cheerful and glowing fire. Until that evening I had not had an opportunity of seeing Sir Trelawney at close range . He was a tall man, over six feet in height and of a proportionate width, with a wild, harsh, red face, which his long travels had made so, as if covered by a mask. His pupils were very black and moved with great vivacity, which gave him the appearance of possessing a temper, I will not say bad, but violent and haughty. “Come in, Mr. Dance,” he said then, in a benevolent and friendly tone. “Good evening, Dance,” said the Doctor in turn, with a nod . “And good evening to you too, friend Jim. What fair winds blow you this way?” The Inspector stood as erect and stiff as a veteran, and related the event like a student reciting his lesson. It was quite remarkable how the two gentlemen crept imperceptibly toward each other, and what glances they exchanged, so completely seizing them that they quite forgot to smoke their cigars. When it was told how my mother had returned alone with me to the inn, the Doctor slapped himself soundly on the thigh, and Sir Trelawney cried, “Bravo, bravo!” and in his enthusiasm flung his excellent cigar into the fireplace. Long before he did so, he was on his feet and pacing briskly around the room, while the Doctor, as if this would aid him to hear better, had torn off his powdered wig and was standing there, cutting a very strange figure, with his own black hair, cut short, as they say in a barber’s shop. At last, Inspector Dance concluded his narrative. “Mr. Dance,” said the Gentleman, “you are a very noble-hearted man. As for knocking down that scoundrel, I consider it, sir, as much a creditable act as treading on a poisonous vermin. And as for this good lad Hawkins, he has been a success at this game. Come, lad, will you please pull that bell-string? We must treat Mr. Inspector to a good glass of beer.” “It seems, Jim, that you think you have in your possession what those villains were looking for?” inquired the Doctor. “Here it is,” I said, handing him the parcel wrapped in oilcloth. The Doctor took it and turned it over and over, as if his fingers were dancing with nervous impatience to open it; but instead of doing so, he quietly deposited the package in his pocket. “Sir Trelawney,” he said, “as soon as Mr. Dance has had his ale, he must, of course, go out on Her Majesty’s service again ; but as for Jim, I intend to make him stay at my house tonight, so with your permission, I propose we send for a good slice of cold pie for his supper. ” “As you please, Livesey,” said the Gentleman, “Hawkins has made himself entitled to something much better than a cold pie.” Having said this, a large and delicious pigeon pie was brought to me and placed on a small side table , which I finished conscientiously and to my heart’s content, for I was as hungry as a hawk. In the meantime, Mr. Dance received further compliments, sipped his beer, and finally took his leave. “And now, Sir,” said the Doctor— “And now, Livesey,” cried the Gentleman in the same tone. “Everything in its time, as the saying goes,” said the Doctor, laughing . “You’ve heard of this Flint, I believe? ” “Heard of him!” cried the Gentleman, “heard of him!” He was the most bloodthirsty freebooter that ever crossed the ocean. Redbeard was a babe in arms beside him. The Spaniards were so horribly afraid of him that, I must say frankly, I was proud that Flint was an Englishman. I saw with my own eyes the topsails of his ship off the Trinidad, and the vulture, son of a drunkard with whom I had embarked, put her bows astern, and hastened to Port of Spain. “Very well,” said the Doctor, “I have heard of him in England, too; but the question is, had he money? ” “Money!” cried Sir Trelawney, “you have heard something! For what were those villains after but money? What do they care for anything but money? And what would they risk their vile hides for except money?” “We shall soon see,” replied the Doctor; “but you are so extraordinarily excited and declaiming that I cannot make out anything I wish. What I want to know is this: supposing I have in my bag here the key to discovering the spot where Flint has buried his treasure, will the treasure be worth while ? ” “Worthwhile! By St. George! It will be worth nothing less than this: if we have the key you suspect, I will charter a ship from Bristol and take you and Hawkins with me, and believe me, I shall unearth the treasure if I have to search for it for a whole year. ” “Very well; now, if Jim consents, we will open this parcel,” said the Doctor, laying it on the table. The package was so tightly sewn that the Doctor was obliged to take a pair of scissors out of his case and cut the threads that secured it. Two things appeared: a notebook and a sealed piece of paper. “Let’s examine the notebook first,” suggested the Doctor. ” Both the Gentleman and I were already looking over his shoulder when he opened it, for, as for me, the Doctor himself had previously invited me to approach without ceremony, leaving the table where he had dined, in order to participate in the pleasure of curious investigation. On the first page there were only a few manuscript marks, such as a man, with a pen in his hand, may make for practice or amusement. One of the written sentences was the same one the Captain had in the indelible drawings on his arm: Caprices of Billy Bones. Then there was this: Master W. Bones, pilot, No more rom, and Near Palma Point there was, and a few other nicknames and odd words, for the most part unintelligible. I could not help being excited by the thought of who it was that “was” and what “was.” It might just as well have been a good stab in the back as anything else . “We won’t get much out of this,” said the Doctor, turning the page. The next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious series of entries. At one end of each line was a date, and at the other a sum of money, as in ordinary account books ; but instead of explanatory words, there were only a varying number of crosses between the two. On the date marked June 12, 1745, for instance, it was plainly evident that the sum of seventy pounds sterling was owed to someone, and there were only six crosses to explain the cause or origin of the debt. In some places, for greater security, the name of a place was added, such as “Off Caracas,” or a mere geographical reference to latitude and longitude, such as 53° 17.20 and 19° 2.40. This memorandum lasted nearly twenty years, the total figure naturally increasing as time progressed, until at last a grand total was added up, after four or five erroneous additions were rectified, and for all appendages these three words, “Bones’ Money Box.” “I can’t make head or tail of it,” said the Doctor. ” Well, the thing is as clear as noonday,” exclaimed the Gentleman: ” this is the account book of the wicked bloodhound. Those crosses are there.” the place of the names of ships and villages that he scuttled or plundered . The sums are nothing more than the share that our scorpion received in each of these exploits, and where he made a mistake, you see that he took care to add something to clarify how, off Caracas , you can now gather from this inscription that some unfortunate vessel was boarded off the aforementioned coast. May God have received into his bosom the poor souls who manned that boat some time ago! “It’s true,” said the Doctor. “See what it’s good to be a traveler; it’s true. And the amount increases as he rises in rank.” There was very little else in the book, except geographical determinations of some places noted on the blank pages toward the end of the notebook, and a table for reducing French, English, and Spanish coins to a common value. “Clear man!” exclaimed the Doctor; It wasn’t him who could be tricked, that was certain. “Now,” continued the Gentleman, “let’s look at this other thing.” The paper I was examining next was sealed in several places, a thimble having been used as a seal, perhaps the same one I had found in the Captain’s bag. The Doctor opened the seals with great care, and there appeared a map of an island, with its latitude, longitude, soundings, names of mountains, bays, coves, inlets, and all the necessary details to bring a vessel safely to anchor on its shores. It appeared to be about nine miles long and five miles wide, having the shape of a sort of standing dragon, and showing two magnificent anchorages, perfectly sealed, and a prominence in the central part marked with the name of El Vigía. Some more recent additions were visible, but the most striking were three crosses marked in red ink, two on the northern side of the island and one in the southwest, and also, written in the same red ink, in very clear and elegant characters, quite distinct from the Captain’s rough handwriting, these three significant words, “Here is the treasure.” Behind them, the same hand had inscribed these additional instructions. “A large tree, on the WATCHMAN’S slope, NNNE . ” “Skeleton Islet ESE quarter E. Ten feet. ” The large silver bar is in the hole on the north side; it may be found by following the slope of the knoll to the east, ten fathoms south of the black rock opposite it. The weapons will be easily found on the sandbank at the northern point of the northern anchorage, eastward, quarter north.” JF That was all; But concise as it was, and to me incomprehensible, it filled the Gentleman and Doctor Livesey with jubilation. “Livesey,” said Mr. Trelawney, “you will immediately abandon your wretched and arduous profession. Tomorrow I leave for Bristol. In three weeks—no! in two weeks—in ten days, I assure you we shall have the best ship, yes sir, and the most chosen crew that England can furnish. Hawkins will come with us as a page . Come! I know you will make a famous page, my boy… You, Livesey, will be the ship’s doctor; I am going to be an admiral at once. We shall take Redruce, Joyce, and Hunter with us. We shall have favorable winds, a rapid voyage, and without the slightest difficulty we shall find the right place, and therein, enough money to eat, to draw carriages, and to spend like princes for the rest of our lives.” “Trelawney,” said the Doctor, “I promise to accompany you on the expedition, and I can vouch for its success; Jim will come too, of course, and he will be an honor to the enterprise. But there is one man, one only, whom I fear. ” “And who is he?” exclaimed the Gentleman. “Name that rogue without delay. ” “You!” retorted the Doctor. “You have not the strength to bridle your tongue. We are not the only ones who know of the existence of this document. Those individuals who attacked the inn tonight—bold and brave tricksters, no doubt—just like those who remained behind to guard the strange boat Dance told us about, all of them, and I dare say that others still, by hook or by crook, believe themselves unshaken in their resolve to seize the box. None of us, then, must go out alone from now on until we are on board. Jim and I will walk together in the meantime. You will take Joyce and Hunter with you when you leave for Bristol, and from the first to the last of us here, we must undertake not to breathe a word of what we have discovered. “Livesey,” said the Gentleman; “you are always right: for my part, I promise to be as dumb as a grave.” PART 2. _THE COOK ON THE SPANISH WOMAN_ Chapter 7. I LEAVE FOR BRISTOL. Much longer than Sir Trelawney had at first imagined before we were ready to sail, and none of our original plans could be carried out, not even that of having Dr. Livesey always with me. The Doctor had to go to London to find a physician to take charge of his patients; the Sir went to Bristol, where he threw himself with all his ardour into the preparations for the expedition; and as for me, I remained installed at the University, in the charge of Redruth the gamekeeper , almost in the capacity of a prisoner, but full of maritime reveries and the most attractive imaginary anticipations of strange islands and romantic adventures. I delighted in reproducing on a map, for hours on end, every detail I could remember. And without moving from the fireside in the master’s parlor, I would approach the longed-for island in every possible direction; I would explore every acre of ground on its surface, climb twenty times to the summit of that lofty mountain called The Lookout, and from its summit enjoy the most delightful and varied panoramas. Sometimes I saw that island densely covered with cannibals with whom we had to fight; at other times, full of fierce and savage animals that pursued us; but the truth is that all the lucubrations of my fancy were far from resembling our strange and tragic adventures in that land. Thus weeks and weeks passed until one fine day a letter arrived addressed to Doctor Livesey, with this addition: In case of the Doctor’s absence, this letter is to be opened by Tom Redruth or young Hawkins. In compliance with this order, we found, or rather I found, since the gamekeeper was a man somewhat backward in writing difficulties, and reading anything but print, I found, I say, the following important news: ANCHOR HOTEL, BRISTOL, March 1, 17–. DEAR LIVESEY: Not knowing whether you have returned to the University or whether you are still in London, I am sending this in duplicate to both places. Our vessel has been purchased and fitted out with everything necessary. She is now equipped and ready to sail at the first moment she is required. You have never seen a more slender , more gallant, and more sailing schooner in your life. Any young man could maneuver her with the greatest ease: she has a tonnage of 200 tons and her name is La Española. I bought her with the help of my old friend Blandy, who has proved on this occasion to be surprisingly knowledgeable in the matter. This incomparable friend has literally devoted himself body and soul to my interests, and—I may say so—so has everyone at Bristol, as soon as they see the kind of port we are bound for—that is to say, Treasure Port.— ” “Redruth,” I said, breaking off from the letter, “Dr. Livesey will not be very pleased with this. I see, after all, that the Gentleman has let his tongue slip. ” “Well, who has more right to do so?” murmured the gamekeeper. ” I’ll bet a bottle of rum that the Gentleman can talk very well without to wait for Dr. Livesey’s permission. After this, I thought it prudent to forgo all commentary and continued reading: Blandy himself found the Hispaniola, and with a skill I admire, bought her for a pittance. There are certain men here in Bristol who are monstrously hostile to poor Blandy. They seem to be going about the streets of God proclaiming that my honest and excellent friend has been engaging in nothing but gross speculation; that the Hispaniola was his property, and that all he did was sell her to me at an absurdly high price. All this is nothing but obvious calumny, and the fact is that none of its authors dare deny the excellent qualities of our schooner. However, I said, he didn’t count on a single turn of the rope. The workers, or rather, the riggers, have truly moved at a snail’s pace. But this was only the work of a few days. What worried me was the crew. I wanted about twenty men— local pirates, if possible, or some of the hated French—but it seems the devil himself was doing it; the fact is, I couldn’t find even half of what was required, until a real stroke of luck brought me the man I wanted. One day I was standing on the quay when, quite by chance, I fell into conversation with him. I found he was an old sailor who keeps a sort of tavern in Bristol known to all sailors; that he had lost his health on land, and that he would be very glad to have a place as cook on board, so he could go to sea again. He told me he was wandering around that morning to get a whiff of the salty ocean air. I was deeply moved—as you yourself would have been—and, though not out of mere pity, I engaged him on the spot to be cook on our schooner. John Silver is his name, and he has one less leg, which is a commendation in my eyes, since he lost it in defense of his country, under the immortal Hawke. He has no pension, Livesey… tell me, what abominable times we live in! Now, my friend, at first I thought I had found nothing but a simple cook; but it was, in reality, a whole crew I discovered. Between Silver and myself, we have obtained, in a week, the most complete and characteristic crew that could be desired; not pleasant or smiling in appearance, in truth, but, judging by their countenances, men of the most valiant and indomitable spirit. I dare declare that we could very well defeat a warship. Silver has carried his scrupulousness so far as to discharge two of the men I had already assigned. Without much difficulty, he showed me at the opportune moment that the aforementioned were nothing more than freshwater mops, which would be of no use to us, and would actually be a hindrance in a pinch. I feel in the most excellent health and in admirable disposition : like a bull, I sleep like a log, and yet I will not give myself a moment’s respite or rest until I hear and see my old sea-wolves maneuvering around the capstan. To sea! Quick to sea! To bring up that treasure! The madness of maritime glories has taken possession of my head. So, then, Livesey, come flying: if you value me at all, don’t lose a minute. Let young Hawkins go, without delay, to visit his mother, in the care of my old Redruth, and then both of you come back with all haste to Bristol. JOHN TRELAWNEY. _Postscript._–I forgot to tell you that Blandy, whom I leave with the charge of sending a vessel in search of us if we are not back by the end of August, has found an admirable man for Captain of our schooner, a very serious and stiff man–which I deplore, by the way–but in every other respect a real treasure. Silver, on his side, has brought us a very competent man for a pilot: his name is Arrow. I have a boatswain whistling for the maneuver that is a glory, so things are going to go, on board the Hispaniola, as if we had chartered a real warship. I forgot to add that Silver is a man of substance: I personally know that he has his account at the bank and that his expenses have never exceeded his deposits. He leaves his establishment in the hands of his wife, and as she is a mulatto, we can say here, among bachelors as we both are, that it seems to me that it is not only his health but his wife that makes Silver want to go out to sea again. JT _P. PS_–Hawkins can stay one night with his mother. JT Anyone can easily imagine the emotion that letter produced in me. I was half beside myself with joy. But if ever there was a disheartened man on earth, it was certainly poor old Tom Redruth, who did not and could not do anything but grumble and moan. Any of his subordinate gamekeepers would have exchanged places with him with the greatest pleasure, but such were not the Gentleman’s wishes, and such wishes were as law among those good people. No one but old Redruth would have taken the liberty of even murmuring as he was permitted to do. The next morning he and I set out on foot for Admiral Benbow’s inn, where I found my mother very well in body and mind. The Captain, who had so long been the cause of so much trouble to us, had already gone to the place where wicked men cease to molest. The Gentleman had caused all the ravages to be repaired at his own expense, and both the parlors in the public part of the house and the inn sign had been repainted , and some furniture had been added that we had previously lacked, among them, principally, a very comfortable armchair for my mother behind the counter. At the same time, I had found her a lad, about my own age, as an apprentice, with whom my mother would have no further need of servants during my absence. It was at the sight of this lad that I fully understood my true situation. Up to that moment, I had been thinking only of the adventures that awaited me, but not of the home I was leaving behind. So it was that, there, in the presence of that strange yokel, who was to stay in my place, by my mother’s side, I inevitably had my first fit of tears. I suspect that that day I made that poor lad more angry than was proper. Being new to the trade, he gave me a thousand opportunities, which I took advantage of to correct him and humiliate him as much as I could. The night passed, and the next day, after dinner, Redruth and I set out again on foot along the highroad. I bid a very moving farewell to my mother, to the cove where I had lived since birth, to that dear old Admiral Benbow, who, however, seemed less dear to me from the moment the painter’s profane hand had touched him . One of the last things I thought of was the Captain, who so frequently wandered along the beach with his hat flying over his back, his great knife slung under his blouse , and his enormous telescope under his arm. A moment later, we had turned around the corner of the rocks, and my home and its surroundings had disappeared. The mail cart picked us up, at dusk, on the Royal George, heading for the heath. I was wedged in the carriage between a fat old man and my friend Redruth, and in spite of the unpleasant motion and the cold night air, I must have nodded off beautifully from the start, and then given over to a dormouse’s sleep, both uphill and downhill, and from station to station, for when I finally awoke, it was thanks to a rather unkind suggestion I felt from my side. I then opened my eyes and found that we had just stopped in front of a large building in a town street, and that It was now perfectly daylight, and had been for a long time. “Where are we?” I asked. “In Bristol,” said Tom, “get down now.” Mr. Trelawney had taken up his quarters at an inn near the docks, so that he could personally supervise the work on the schooner. For this purpose , we had to right our course at once, and, to my great satisfaction, our path lay along all the docks , and consequently alongside a veritable multitude of vessels of all sizes, all nationalities, and all imaginable rigging. On one, sailors were singing merrily as they worked; on another, men were suspended high above my head, clinging only to ropes that seemed no thicker than the strands of a cobweb. Although I had spent all my life on the beach, it seemed to me that only then had I truly known the sea. The penetrating smell of tar and salt was a novelty to me. I saw the strangest and most marvelous heads that ever crossed the ocean. I saw, moreover, many old sailors with earrings in their ears and their sideburns curled into ringlets; and most of them flaunting their tarry pigtails over their backs, all of them marching with that waddling gait characteristic of sailors. You may believe that if I had seen so many kings or archbishops together, I could not have been more delighted than I was at that moment. And I… I myself was going to sea; I was going to join a schooner with its boatswain commanding the maneuvers with his whistle, with its braided sailors singing in time with the waves; and all of them sailing in pursuit of an unknown island, in search of buried treasure! I was still enjoying this delightful reverie when we suddenly stopped before a large inn, and met Sir Trelawney, already dressed and arrayed like a ship’s officer, in a suit of heavy blue cloth, just then coming out of the inn door , with a smiling expression on his face, and a perfect imitation of a sailor’s waddling walk. “Come! Here you are,” he said. “The Doctor arrived from London last night. Bravo! Our ship’s company is complete! ” “Oh!” I cried, “and when do we sail? ” “Sail?” he answered, “tomorrow without fail!” Chapter 8. THE LOOKOUT TAVERN. As soon as I had breakfasted, the Gentleman gave me a letter addressed to John Silver at his tavern, The Lookout, and told me that I could easily find it by following the line of the wharves and keeping an eye out for a small tavern with a long-range marine-glass for a sign. I rushed out without delay, all excited by this new opportunity of observing all these vessels and sailors more closely and more attentively, and accordingly made my way through a veritable mass of people, wagons, and bundles of merchandise, this being the busiest time of day on the wharves, until at last I came upon the tavern in question. It was, in truth, a very tolerable place of recreation. The sign was freshly painted; the windows had bright red curtains, and the floors were carefully sanded. The establishment was on a corner, with a door to each street, wide open, which gave the lower room plenty of air and light, in spite of the clouds of tobacco smoke that issued from the mouths of the customers. They were, for the most part, sailors of the harbor, and they talked so loudly that, when I arrived, I could not help pausing at the door, hesitant and almost afraid to enter. I was waiting for the landlord when a man emerged from a room next to the room, and at first glance I was sure that this was none other than John Silver. His left leg had been amputated at the hip, and under his left arm he leaned on a crutch which he handled with the most incredible dexterity, hopping on it with his agility of a bird. He was very tall and strong, with a face as large as a ham, shaven and pale, but intelligent and cheerful. There could be no doubt that he was, at that time, in the best spirits in the world, whistling cheerfully as he passed between the tables, and, at every step, cracking a graceful joke, or giving a familiar pat on the shoulder to each of his favorite customers. Now, if I may speak the truth, I will confess that, from the first mention the Gentleman made in his letter of John Silver, I began to inwardly fear that this was none other than the one- legged sailor for whose dreaded appearance I had so long watched in the Admiral Benbow. But the first glance I took of him was sufficient to dispel my fears. I had a good look at the Captain, and Black Dog, and Blind Pew, and I thought that was enough to show me what a freebooter was, or ought to be—a creature, I thought, quite different from that tidy, smiling, and good-humored householder. All my courage returned to me at once; I passed the hall and addressed myself directly to the man, where he stood at that moment, leaning on his crutch and conversing with a customer. “Mr. Silver?” I asked, handing him the letter. “I am, lad; that’s my name, it seems. And who are you?” And then, as I saw the Gentleman’s handwriting on the envelope of the letter, it seemed to me that it might have contained an involuntary start. “Oh!” he said to me in a loud voice, offering me his hand, “I understand now, you’re the chamberlain on the schooner, aren’t you? I’m very glad to see you.” And so saying, he took mine in his long, powerful hand. Just at that moment, one of the customers on the farther side suddenly sprang up and rushed out of the doorway that was quite close to him, and he was able to gain access to the street in an instant. But his haste drew my attention to him, and I recognized him at a glance. It was that same gaunt-faced man, missing two fingers on one hand, who had once been to Admiral Benbow’s. “Oh!” I cried, “stop him! that’s Black Dog!” “I don’t much care who he may be,” cried Silver, “but he hasn’t paid his bill. Harry, run and catch him! ” One of the others who had been near the door sprang to his feet and rushed out in pursuit of the fugitive. “Oh! I’ll make him pay for his bill, if only I were Admiral Hawke himself, body and soul.” He immediately added, letting go of my hand: “Who do you say that is? Black… what?” “Black Dog, sir,” I answered. “Hasn’t Mr. Trelawney told you about the freebooters? Well, this was one of them. ” “It’s possible!” cried Silver. “And such a man in my house! Look here, Ben, run and help Harry chase that man. So he was one of those rascals, eh? Hello, Morgan, come here. Were you drinking with that man? ” The man addressed, who was a rather gray-haired old man with a mahogany face, approached with a rather sealike air, waddling from port to starboard. “Now,” said John Silver, rather stiffly, “haven’t you seen this Black… Black Dog before now? Say it quickly! ” “Not I, sir,” answered Morgan with a bow. “You didn’t know his name, eh?” “No, sir. ” “Thunder and lightning! Tom Morgan; thank God for that,” exclaimed the irritated innkeeper, “because if I find out you’re mixing with scoundrels of that kind, I promise you, by who I am, that you’ll never set foot in my house again, understand that clearly.” “And what was he talking about? ” “I really don’t know; I wasn’t paying attention. ” “It’s credible! And then you’ll say you have your heads on your shoulders! Isn’t this a blessed man who sees nothing? So you don’t know ? So you didn’t pay attention? Perhaps you didn’t even know who you were talking to, did you? Or what he was saying, eh? Come on, try to remember, what was he talking about, voyages? Captains? Ships? Come on, what was it?”
“I believe we were just talking about stretching the keel. ” “Stretch it, eh? A big deal indeed! It’s quite possible, yes! Go back to your place, lazy bum!” As Morgan was returning to his seat, Silver murmured almost in my ear, in a very confidential tone, which seemed exceedingly flattering to me: “That poor Tom Morgan is a perfect honest man; he only has the misfortune of being stupid.” And then, raising his voice again, he went on. “So let’s see… Black Dog? No, I don’t know that name, certainly. However, I have some idea… yes, I believe I’ve seen that sweetwater hereabouts before. I understand he used to come in company with a blind beggar. ” “Of course,” I said with certainty; you may believe it. I knew that blind man, too. His name was Pew. ” “That’s right!” cried Silver, now extremely excited, “Pew!” That was his name, no doubt about it. Ah! He looked like a complete shark, indeed he did! So, if we catch this Black Dog now, we shall have news to send to our good Master, Sir Trelawney. Ben is a fine greyhound; I think few sailors have swifter legs than he. Thunder and lightning! I think I ought to strangle him and bring him here tightly harnessed. So, was he talking about stretching the keel, eh? I won’t give the rascal a bad keel pull if you bring him to me! All the time he was in firing this volley of threats, he was constantly pacing up and down the room, hopping wildly on his crutch, beating his hand on the tables, and manifesting such excitement as would have convinced the most experienced judge and lured the most cautious into the trap. My suspicions had been again strongly aroused by my meeting with Black Dog in the Watchman’s tavern, so I resolved to keep a sharp eye on the cook of the Hispaniola and spy out his every movement. But the man was too quick, too foxy, and too cunning for me; and so I was soon distracted by the return of the two bloodhounds that had been let loose in pursuit of Black Dog, who came in breathless, confessing that they had lost the scent of their quarry in a scramble, and had been scolded like thieves. At that moment I would have laid my head on the innocence of John Silver. “Look here, Hawkins,” said he, “here’s a betrothal for a man like myself. What will Sir Trelawney think of me? To have that son of a devil here in my own house, drinking my own rum! Come, tell me if it isn’t devilry.” And right here, before my very eyes, we’ll all let him have his way! Thunder and lightning! I believe, my lad, that you’ll do me justice with the Captain. You’re still a lad, but I’m as lively as a mosquito. I knew you as soon as I laid eyes on you. The thing is this: what can I do with this old crutch that is my support? When I was just beginning my career as a sailor, I would have known how to bring that freshwater boat before me, hand in hand, and subdue it in a fight, hand to hand. Yes, I would have done it then, but now, thunder and lightning…! At that point he suddenly stopped talking, his jaw hanging still and suspended as if he had remembered something. “The count!” he finally burst out; “three rom passes! a thousand carronades! ” for I hadn’t already forgotten the count! And, sinking down upon a bench, he burst into such a sustained peal of laughter that tears streamed down his face. I could not refrain from imitating him, and so we laughed together, one peal after another, until the tavern rang with the echoes of our laughter. “Come on! I’m a handsome seal!” he said at last, wiping his cheeks. “You and I shall get along well, Hawkins; for if the devil allows me, you think I’d be nothing more than a page on board, like you. But now, what can we do? It’s no time for nonsense.” Duty comes first, comrade, so I’ll put on my old hat at once and go with you straight away to Sir Trelawney and tell him what’s happened here. Because, mark my words, Hawkins, this is serious, so serious that neither you nor I will get out of it with what I shall pompously call credit. Nor you either, I said… what a fool! We’re both complete fools now. But by St. George, he sure knew how to make a fool of me! And with that, he began to laugh again with all his might and with such communicative force that, although I could neither make sense of it nor make any sense of it, I found myself drawn back into his uproarious laughter. On our little excursion along the docks, he proved to be a most helpful and interesting companion, explaining to me, near each of the principal vessels we passed, everything relative to their rigging, capacity, size, the work being done on them, whether one was loading and the other unloading, whether the one beyond was ready to sail, and at every step interspersing amusing anecdotes about ships and sailors, or repeating to me the technical terms of shipboard practice until I had them perfectly mastered. I then began to believe that the man was positively one of the best possible sailors. When we arrived at the inn, the Gentleman and Doctor Livesey were sitting together cheerfully finishing a bottle of beer with their corresponding toast, before they set off on a visit to Hispaniola. John Silver told them what had just happened, from start to finish, with animated speech, preserving the most perfect truth in his story. “That’s what happened, isn’t it, Hawkins?” He interrupted himself from time to time, to which interpellation, of course, I had to answer in the affirmative. The two gentlemen were very sorry that Black Dog had escaped, but we all had to agree that nothing could be done, so, after having received cordial compliments, John Silver took up his crutch again and went off to his tavern. “Everyone on board, this afternoon at four o’clock,” cried the Gentleman, as he was already moving away. “Bravo, bravo, bravo!” cried the cook enthusiastically, continuing on his way. “Listen, Mr. Trelawney,” said the Doctor, “as a rule I don’t have great faith in your discoveries, but as for this John Silver, I must confess that I am quite satisfied with him. ” “A man like him is a trump card in hand,” declared the Gentleman. “And now,” added the Doctor, “I think Jim ought to come on board with us, don’t you?” “I agree,” replied Mr. Trelawney. “Take your hat, Hawkins, and let’s go and see that famous vessel.” Chapter 9. Gunpowder and Weapons. The Hispaniola was a considerable distance off, and we made our way among the elaborate and elegant prows of some vessels and the sterns of others, whose rigging and yards were sometimes wound around each other and lay under our feet, sometimes swinging gracefully above our heads. At length we reached our ship, where we were received as soon as we stepped on board by the pilot, Mr. Arrow, a dark-faced old sailor with earrings in his ears, and who, unfortunately, had crooked eyes. The gentleman and he seemed to be getting along quite well and on very good terms, but I soon observed that the same was not the case in the relations of Mr. Trelawney himself with the Captain of the Hispaniola. The latter was a stern-looking man who seemed displeased with everything on board our schooner, and was soon about to tell us why, for we had scarcely entered the saloon when a sailor came up behind us and said: “Sir, Captain Smollet desires to speak with you.” “I am always at the Captain’s orders,” replied the gentleman. “Do it .” You go ahead. The Captain, who was very close to his messenger, entered immediately and closed the door behind him. “Now then, Captain Smollett, what is it you have to tell us? I suppose everything here is going well and is arranged as between good navigators and true seamen. ” “Look here, sir,” replied the Captain, “I think speaking bluntly is always the most practical, even at the risk of seeming to offend. Here’s my opinion : I don’t like this voyage, I don’t like the crew, and I don’t like my second in command: that’s speaking plainly.” “Perhaps, sir, you don’t like the ship either?” added the Gentleman, quite annoyed, as it seemed to me. “As for that, I can’t say anything, since I haven’t seen her move yet. At first glance, she seems a very beautiful sailing vessel; I can’t say more. ” “It’s also quite possible that you don’t like the Master,” the Gentleman emphasized. At this point, Dr. Livesey thought it appropriate to intervene, saying: “Just a moment, gentlemen, just a moment, if you please. Such questions lead to nothing but harmful ill will. I believe the Captain has either said too much or too little, and I feel it my duty to ask him to explain what he said. You said, to begin with, that you don’t like this voyage. Let’s see… why? ” “I have been hired, sir, under what we call a closed contract. I have been asked simply to govern a ship, taking it to the point and course designated by the contractor. So far, so good. But now I find that each and every one of the crew knows much more about our voyage than I do. I can’t call this right or natural; am I right? ” “Yes, you are,” said the Doctor. “I immediately learned from my own sailors that we are in search of treasure.” “Don’t forget that they are the ones who told me. Now , this matter of treasure has its dangers. I don’t like treasure voyages for any reason, especially when they are secret, and especially —Mr. Trelawney, pardon me—when the secret has been confided to a parrot. ” “Silver’s parrot?” asked the Gentleman. “I spoke figuratively. I mean that it has been divulged. I have a belief that none of you, gentlemen, really knows what you have gotten yourself into. I will tell you, then, my opinion plain and simple: this is a matter of life or death, and a positively delicate gamble. ” “That’s how I see it,” said the Doctor, “and it seems to me to be as clear as it is true. We are open to contingencies, although we are not as much in the dark as you suppose.” But you also added that you don’t like the crew. Do you think ours aren’t real sailors? “I don’t like them, sir,” Captain Smollet persisted. “I think I ought to have been allowed to choose my men, going on an expedition such as the one we’re on. ” “Perhaps you are right,” replied the Doctor. “Perhaps it would have been better if my friend had made his choice with your consent. But you may believe that the fault, if there was one, was entirely involuntary. Finally, you said that you don’t like your second-in-command, Mr. Arrow, either. ” “That’s right, sir. I believe he’s a good sailor, but he rubs too closely with the crew to be a good officer. A pilot should always command respect, and not allow himself to toast, like this one, in intimate company with the sailors. ” “Do you mean to say the man drinks?” exclaimed the Gentleman. “No, sir; only that he maintains a rather unwelcome intimacy with the men of the crew.” “Very well, then, Captain,” said the Doctor; “but if we must settle difficulties, tell us what you wish. ” “Well, gentlemen; are you determined to carry out this expedition? ” “Come hell or high water,” replied the Gentleman. “Very well,” said the Captain. “But supposing you have had the patience to hear me say things that I could not prove, listen to a few more words. The gunpowder and weapons are being placed in the holds of bow: why not put them in a very convenient place here, just under the saloon? First point. Now, second: You are bringing four of your own servants who, I hear, are to have their bedrooms forward, with the other men. Why not give them the cabins here next to the after-cabin ? “Is there anything else?” asked Mr. Trelawney. “Yes, there is still another requirement,” continued the Captain. “Unfortunately, there has already been much talk and divulgement about the expedition. ” “Yes, too much,” agreed the Doctor. “I will tell you what I myself have heard,” continued the Captain: “They say that you have a map of a certain island on which are red crosses marking the exact spot where these riches are buried; they add that the island is… and here you name its longitude and latitude with absolute precision. ” “I never said such a thing,” exclaimed the Gentleman. “The fact is, the men know,” rejoined the Captain. “Livesey, perhaps some indiscretion on your part ; or perhaps you, Hawkins,” exclaimed Mr. Trelawney. “It is not much to the point of ascertaining who may have been indiscreet,” rejoined the Doctor. “ For my part, I found it easy to see that neither he nor the Captain attached much weight to Mr. Trelawney’s assertions and protestations, nor was I myself averse to their opinions, for I knew the Gentleman to be an incorrigible chatterbox. However, on this occasion, he spoke the plain truth, I believe, and it was a fact that neither of them had revealed the geographical position of the island. ” “Good riddance, gentlemen,” continued the Captain; “I do not know in whose hands that map is, but I make it a strict condition that it be kept absolutely secret and concealed even from myself and my second, Mr. Arrow, or else I resign my commission this instant. ” “I understand,” said the Doctor; “What you want is that the real object be kept as veiled as possible, and that, in the meantime, we convert the stern into a sort of fortification, guarded by our own men and provided with all the powder and arms we can find on board. In other words, you fear a rebellion. ” “Sir,” said Captain Smollet gravely, protesting that it is not my intention to injure you, “allow me to deny you the right of putting words into my mouth that I have not uttered. There is no captain who could be deemed authorized to go to sea if he had the necessary evidence to say what you have supposed me to say. As for the Pilot, I believe him to be perfectly honest; some of our crew are undoubtedly so, and perhaps all of them, from what appears to be true. But you will please bear in mind that I bear the double responsibility of the safety of the vessel and the life of every man our schooner carries on board.” It seemed to me that things were not going quite straight, and I thought it prudent to ask you to take certain precautions: that is all I have to say. “Captain Smollet,” the Doctor began, with a certain smile on his lips, “have you ever heard of a certain fable about the Mountain and the Mouse? I beg your pardon a thousand times, but the truth is, you have reminded me of that fable. When you came in here, I’ll bet my wig you thought more than you admit. ” “Doctor, you are very clever,” replied the Captain; “when I came in here, I thought I was going to be separated from the ship. I did not imagine that Mr. Trelawney had heard a single word of what I said. ” “And you were not far off the mark,” exclaimed the Gentleman. “If it were not for Livesey’s timely intervention, I would have sent you to hell.” But for now I have heard you, and everything you want will be done; but that does not prevent me from believing that you are mistaken in this matter. ” “As for that, believe what you like,” said the Captain. “You will see, in any case, that I am doing my duty. ” With that, he saluted and left without another word. “Trelawney,” said the Doctor, “contrary to all my expectations, I see that you have taken steps to bring on board two honest men: the Captain Smollet and John Silver. “Silver, if you please,” cried the Gentleman. “As for this intolerable trompe l’oeil, I declare that your conduct does not appear to me worthy either of a man, a sailor, or much less of an Englishman. ” “Very well,” said the Doctor, “we shall see about it.” When we came on deck, the men had already begun to move the guns and powder around, humming as they worked, while the Captain and Mate inspected the transfer. The new order of things was quite to my liking. The whole original arrangement of the ship had been changed. Six bunks had been made in the poop deck, aft of what constituted the after part of the main saloon, this section of cabins being accessible to the galley and forecastle only by a narrow passage on the port side. It had been originally arranged that the Captain, Mate, Hunter, Joyce, the Doctor, and the Gentleman should occupy these six cabins. It was now agreed that Redruth and I should take two of them, and that Mr. Arrow and the Captain should sleep on deck in what is called in nautical terms the coach, which had been widened on both sides until it was almost in a state of being called the quarter-powder. It was certainly quite low, but not so low that a couple of hammocks could be comfortably hung from it, and I even believe that the Mate seemed very pleased with the arrangement, though perhaps he was not entirely sure of the crew. However, this is merely a conjecture, for, as will soon be seen, we did not have the benefit of his opinions for long. We were all hard at work changing the powder and weapons and arranging the bunks and cabins when the last two crew members, and John Silver with them, arrived in a small coastal boat. The cook jumped on board as swiftly as a monkey, and no sooner had he seen what we were doing than he exclaimed, “Hello, lads, what’s up?” “Changing ammunition and weapons, you see,” replied a sailor. “Why, on earth?” Silver exclaimed. “If we waste time like that, we’ll miss the morning tide! ” “I gave the order,” said the Captain tersely. “You, my friend, go down to your galley, for the people will be feeling like dinner before long. ” “Running, running,” replied the cook, touching his long hair by way of reverence; and he disappeared immediately in the direction of his galley. “That’s a good man, Captain,” said the Doctor. “It’s quite possible, Sir,” replied the Captain, “at peace with him, at peace with everyone.” He immediately urged those who were changing the gunpowder to hurry, and suddenly, noticing me, who was very busy examining the stern link we were carrying amidships, he called out harshly to me: “Hello, you, cabin boy, get out of there!” Go to the galley and find something to do. And though I hastened to obey his command, I still heard him say, in a very loud voice, to the Doctor: “I keep no favorites on my ship. I can assure you that at that moment I was exceedingly filled with Mr. Trelawney’s opinions and feelings regarding the Captain, whom I hated with all my heart.” Chapter 10. THE VOYAGE. The whole night was spent in great bustle, getting everything ready, putting everything in its place, and seeing boat after boat full of the Gentleman’s friends, such as Mr. Blandy and others of that kind , arrive to wish him a safe voyage and a safe return. I never had such a night on our Admiral Benbow, not even half as much business as I had on this one, and you may believe I was already exhausted with fatigue when, shortly before dawn, the boatswain blew his whistle, and the whole crew began to work the capstan. But had I been twice as tired as I was, I would not have left the deck. All this was new and interesting to me, the concise orders, the piercing note of the whistle, and the sailors moving to their places by the faint glow of the ship’s lanterns. ship. “Now, Barbecue, give us a verse,” cried a voice. “The familiar one,” added another. “Go for the old familiar one, comrades,” said Silver, who was standing there with his crutch under his arm; and immediately he broke into that horrible chant that was so familiar to me: “Fifteen want that dead man’s chest.” To which the whole crew answered in chorus: “Fifteen, yo-ho-ho! Fifteen, long live the Rom!” And at the third repetition of the chorus, he shoved the capstan bars in front of them with great vigor. But even at that moment of excitement, that gloomy chant would carry me back in a flash to my old inn at Admiral Benbow’s, where I heard that Captain’s voice again rising above the whole chorus. But very soon the anchor was out and was left to hang drifting alongside the bows. Soon the sails were also hoisted and began to swell gently in the breeze, and the shores and ships began to pass before my eyes on either side, so that before I had even sought an hour’s sleep , the Hispaniola had already gently set sail, beginning her voyage toward Treasure Island. It is not my intention to relate each and every detail of that voyage; suffice it to say that it was extremely successful; that our schooner proved to be a good, light vessel; that the crew were all experienced sailors, and that the Captain understood very well what he was doing. But before we reached the shores of Treasure Island, two or three things happened which are indispensable to relate for the understanding of this narrative. Arrow, the pilot, soon became much worse than the captain had feared: he had no authority over the sailors, who did with him as they saw fit. But this was not the worst of it; one or two days after our departure, he began to appear on deck with bloodshot eyes, reddened cheekbones, a clumsy tongue, and all the most obvious signs of drunkenness. Time and again, he had to be sent to the hold for punishment. Sometimes he fell and broke his face; other times, he lay all day on his platform beside the quarterdeck. As a reaction, which lasted a day or two, he seemed sober and ready to go about his work, at least passably. But in the meantime, we could not find out where he took what he drank; this was the mysterious secret of our ship. Our redoubled and multiplied vigilance was of no use; everything we did to discover it was useless . We used to ask him openly, and then, one of two things: He would either laugh at us if he was drunk, or stubbornly deny us the right to get drunk if he happened to be in his right mind, protesting that he would never taste anything but water. Not only was he useless as an officer of the ship and a terrible source of bad influence among the crew, but it was clear that, at the rate he was going, he would soon kill himself against all rights. So no one was surprised or even very sorry when, on a very dark night when the sea seemed less calm than usual, the man disappeared without our seeing him again. “Man overboard!” said the Captain. “Good thing, gentlemen, this saves us the trouble of having to put him in irons. The fact is that, with him gone, we found ourselves completely without a pilot, and it was therefore necessary to promote one of the crew. ” Job Anderson, the boatswain, was the most capable of those on board, so, although he retained his original title, he became the pilot. Mr. Trelawney, who had studied naval science and traveled extensively, as will be remembered, had knowledge that made him very useful in those circumstances, and he really put it to use by exercising the vigilance proper to a pilot on days when the weather was favorable. As for the helmsman, Israel Hands, he was an old and an experienced sailor, careful and astute, someone one could trust in anything and for anything. This was Silver’s great confidant, whose name leads me to speak of our cook Barbacoa, as the crew called him. On board the vessel, he carried his crutch suspended from his neck by means of a lanyard, in order to have both hands as free and available as possible. It was remarkable to see him wedge the foot of his crutch against an opening in some plank and , leaning on it, carry out his cooking as beautifully as any healthy, able-bodied man on land might do. But it was even stranger to see him traverse the deck in the worst weather. He was seen moving from one place to another, either using his crutch or dragging it behind him by means of the lanyard, as quickly and expeditiously as a man who had the use of both his legs could do. And yet, some of the sailors, those who had already made other voyages with him, said it was pitiful to see him so dejected. “This Barbacoa is no ordinary man,” the helmsman once told me. ” He had his education in his youth, and when he wants to, he can talk like a book. And brave, that’s true! A lion is nothing compared to Barbacoa. I’ve seen him dispatch four enemies in a single blow, knocking them to the ground, without holding a single weapon. The entire crew respected him, and I can even say they obeyed him. He had a very peculiar way of speaking to each one, and he always found an opportunity to do everyone a small service.” As for me, Silver was always extraordinarily amiable, and always pleased to see me appear in his galley, which was always as clean and shining as a mirror: the saucepans hung polished and bright, and his parrot sat in its shining cage in a corner. “Come here, Hawkins, come here,” he used to say to me. “Come and have a word with your friend John. No one is more welcome than you, my boy. Sit down and come and hear what’s going on. Here’s Captain Flint”—that’s what I call my parrot, after the celebrated freebooter—“here’s Captain Flint, predicting the success of our voyage. Isn’t that right, Captain?” And the parrot, as if wound up, would break loose, crying, “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!” Pieces of eight! And so rapidly that one had to marvel at how he never ran out of breath; and he never stopped until Silver shook his handkerchief over the animal’s cage. “Now, Hawkins, from where you see him, that bird must be at least two hundred years old. Most of them are little less than eternal, and I believe, as regards this one, that only the devil has seen more atrocities and horrors than he. Just imagine, this one belonged to Captain England, the famous and great pirate England. He’s been to Madagascar and Malabar; to Surinam, to Providence, and to Porto Bello. He attended the exploration and recovery of the foundering silver-laden vessels, and it was there that he learned his proverb, *Pieces of eight*, which is not very surprising, because, imagine, Hawkins, more than three hundred and fifty thousand pieces were taken from them .” He also participated in the boarding of the Viceroy of the Indies near Goa, and seeing him now, you’d think he’d only just been born. But you’ve smelled the gunpowder, haven’t you, Captain? “Get ready for a scramble!” cried the animal. “Ah! This little animal is a jewel,” added the cook, handing him pieces of sugar that he took from his pouches. Then the bird would cling to the bars of his cage and begin to swear and curse round and round, in a manner so full of malice that it seemed incredible. Then John was forced to add: “He who walks in the tar, has to stick. Here, if not, you have this innocent little animal of mine, swearing like a madman, and we shouldn’t accuse him for that. You can believe that he would swear the same, so to speak, in front of Capuchin nuns and barefoot friars.” And John would then touch his hair in that solemn and peculiar way that he had, and which confirmed me in the belief that he was the best of men. Meanwhile, the Gentleman and the Captain still continued their relations on very unfriendly terms. The Gentleman made no great secret of his feelings, but clearly despised the Captain. The latter, for his part, never spoke except when spoken to , and even then, he was short, sharp, and abrupt, and not a useless word. He admitted, when driven into a corner, that he had been unjust and mistaken about his crew; that some of his men were as vigorous and apt as he could wish, and that all had conducted themselves perfectly well so far. As for the schooner, the man was in love with her, and was accustomed to saying, ” She is always ready to steer into the wind, with more docility and agility than if she were a good wife pleasing her husband. ” Nevertheless, he added, “we are not home yet, and I repeat that I do not like this expedition.” At these last words, the Gentleman turned his back and began pacing the deck, giving the man the devil as usual. “One more joke from that man, and one of these days I’ll explode,” he used to say. “We had a bit of bad weather, which served to prove to us the good qualities of the Hispaniola. Every single one of the men on board seemed happy, and the truth is, they would have been guilty of being overly demanding if it had been otherwise, for I believe that no crew was ever more pampered and indulged since the Patriarch Noah sailed in his biblical ark. At the slightest pretext, the daily bread would be doubled, and the flour pudding on special days, for example, if the Gentleman knew it was the birthday of one of the sailors, and there was always a barrel of good apples, opened and placed on the bow, so that anyone who had a craving for them could dispense with them.” “I have never seen anything good come of such treatment, until now,” the Captain said to Dr. Livesey. “A crow will pluck out his eyes: that is simply my opinion. However, a good thing came out of the barrel of apples, as will soon be seen, for had it not been for it, nothing would have prevented us in time, and we would all have perished at the hands of treachery and infamy . This is what happened: we had hitherto been sailing with the trade winds in the direction of the island we were seeking. I am not permitted to be more explicit. And at that time we were already sailing in the opposite direction, maintaining an assiduous and careful watch day and night. That was already the last day, according to the longest reckoning for the voyage, and any moment that night, or at the latest the following morning before noon, we should arrive in sight of Treasure Island. Our bow was pointing south-southwest, and we had a firm breeze from the beams, with a very calm sea. The Hispaniola glided along steadily , occasionally dipping her bowsprit into the waves and producing with it something like small explosions of spray; everything followed its natural course from the topsails to the keel, and everyone seemed filled with the most courageous spirits, supposing that we were now almost at hand , so to speak, to the end of the first part of our adventure. In such conditions, and long after sunset, when my day’s work was done and I was already going straight to my cabin to sleep, I was seized with the desire for an apple. I went on deck. The lookout was all forward, naturally, waiting to discover the island. The helmsman was watching the centerboard of the sail and amused himself by whistling happily. This was the only sound to be heard, except for the murmur of the sea as it lapped the bow and murmured softly over the sides of the schooner. I gently dove to the bottom of the big barrel of apples in search of some, and found that hardly any remained in their depths one or two. I crossed my legs quietly on that dark bottom, with no other intention than to finish my apple; but whether it was the monotonous murmur of the sea, or the gentle rolling of the schooner at that moment, the fact is, either I dozed for a few moments or was on the point of doing so, when a heavy man suddenly sat down beside my hiding place. The barrel shook as the man leaned his back, and I was about to jump out when the newcomer began to speak. It was Silver’s voice, and I hadn’t heard a dozen words yet, when I wouldn’t have dared to show myself for all the gold in the world. So I remained there, trembling and attentive, in the utmost extremity of anguish and curiosity, because those few words were enough to make me understand that the lives of every honest man on board depended on me alone. Chapter 11. WHAT I HEARD FROM THE BARREL. “No!” “Not me!” said Silver. Flint was the captain; I was only a boatswain, with my wooden leg. In the same collision, I lost my leg, and old Pew lost his sight. I remember it was a well-educated surgeon, with his Latin-filled degree, which was all I needed to ask for, who sawed off this leg; but all his rhetoric and his sawing didn’t save him from being hanged like a dog and left to dry in the sun at the Chateau du Corso. Those were Flint’s men , those were, yes sir! That was also the result of changing the names of their ships, the Royal Fortune and others. But I say that the name they gave a ship is the one it ought to stick with.” Thus it was with the Cassandra, which brought us home safe and sound after England had captured the Viceroy of the Indies; and the same with the old Walrus, which was Flint’s old ship, and which I saw red with blood from stem to stern sometimes, and sometimes piled high with gold until it foundered under the weight of it. “Ah!” cried another voice, which I afterwards recognized as that of the youngest of the crew, and which expressed the most complete admiration; “Ah! Flint was the flower of that whole band!” “Davis was a man of his own accord, too, you bet,” said Silver; “but I never sailed with him, though. My story is this: first with England, then with Flint, and now on my own account—well, that is! I was able to save nine hundred pounds during my service with England, and two thousand with Flint. You see, that’s no small thing for a common sailor.” And all that is safely tucked away in the bank, very well guarded, no doubt about it. And what has become of England’s men today? I don’t know! And of Flint’s men? As for them, most of them are here on board with us. Old Pew, who had lost his sight, got 1,200 pounds, which—it’s a shame to say—he spent completely in one year, as a Lord of Parliament can. Where is he now? Dead, quite dead, and under the hatches. But two years before he died… what did he do? A thousand storms! Barking like a dog with hunger; begging , begging, stealing, cutting people’s throats, and still dying of hunger and misery… I swear to the devil! “I’m beginning to think a career isn’t much use, then,” observed Silver’s young catechumen. “It’s not much use to spendthrifts and madmen; certainly not,” replied Silver. But as for you, look here; you are still a boy, but live as a gnat. I knew you as soon as I laid eyes on you, and you see I speak to you as to a grown man. You will easily understand what I felt when I heard this abominable old scoundrel address to another the very same flattering words he had used to me. Believe me, if I could have, I would have crushed him with all my heart through my barrel. But he continued, in the meantime, quite unaware that anyone was listening: “Look at what happens to the gentlemen of fortune. They lead a hard life and are always risking their necks, but they eat and drink like canons and abbots, and when they have done a good job, expedition, there! then… then you see them putting thousands of pounds into their pockets, instead of handfuls of miserable pence. Now, most of them throw it away in orgies and revels, that’s also true, and then you see them returning to the sea, in their shirts, as it were. But I certainly haven’t gone down that path. No, no! I’ve made sure everything is well secured, a little here, a little there, and nowhere too much, so as not to arouse useless and dangerous suspicions. I’m fifty years old now, mind you, and once I return from this expedition, I’ll settle down like a lazy rentier. “It’s about time ,” I think you’ll reply. “Ah, yes!” But I can assure you that in the meantime I’ve lived comfortably. I’ve never deprived myself of anything my body has asked for: long sleeps, delicious meals, and all this, day after day, except when I travel through salt water. And how did I begin? “Well, no more and no less than you are now, a pure and simple sailor. ” “Well,” replied the young man; “but as it is now, all that other money is as if it no longer existed, isn’t it? Because surely after this expedition you’ll be back in Bristol! ” “Bah!” replied Silver ironically. “So where do you think that money was?” “Well… in Bristol, of course, in the banks and earning,” replied his interlocutor. “That’s true, it was there when we weighed anchor; but at the time it is, _my wife_… you understand me… my wife has already made good money, and everything is in her power. The Lookout Tavern has already been sold, or leased, or given away, or whatever. But as for the girl, I assure you that she has already left Bristol to join me.” I would gladly tell you where you are going to wait for me, but that would make your companions jealous of me, and I don’t want any jealousy here. ” “And do you have complete confidence in your… _wife_, as you call her?” asked the catechumen. “We _gentlemen_,” replied the cook, ” are generally not very trusting of one another, and by all means—you may believe it—we have good reason for it. But I have my own peculiar ways ; I do. When a comrade is capable of ambushing me —I mean, one who knows me—he can be sure that he won’t be able to live in the same world as old John. There were some who were afraid of Pew; others who were terrified of Flint, but I tell you that Flint himself wasn’t entirely sure of himself when it came to me, despite what he was. He was certainly afraid of me, and he was proud of me, so to speak.” There never was a more scurrilous crew on the seas than Flint’s, so that the devil himself would have been afraid to go on board with her. Well, you see , I’m no braggart or boaster, and I can keep company with all my mates as easily as if I weren’t what I am. But when I was boatswain— ah, devil! then, you couldn’t say any of our brood of old freebooters was a lamb. Ah! I know what I’m telling you: you can be sure of yourself on this ship of old John’s. “Very well,” replied the young fellow; “I’ll tell you now, when I came here, I didn’t like the project so much; but now that we’ve had that explanation, John, you know they can count on me, come what may. ” “I am very glad, for you are a valuable young fellow,” replied Silver, shaking his convert’s hand in the most cordial manner. ” You may believe I have never seen in my life a finer appearance than yours for one of the gentlemen of fortune. ” When I arrived here, I had already begun to understand that by “gentlemen of fortune” these men meant nothing more and nothing less than common pirates, and that this little scene I had heard about was nothing more than the latest act in the corruption of one of the honest men on board, perhaps already the last of them. Nevertheless, I was soon to receive some consolation on this point, as will be seen. Then. Silver, at that moment, let out a slight whistle, and a third personage soon appeared and came to join the gathering. “Dick’s a hairy-chested man,” Silver said to the newcomer. “Oh! I knew that,” replied a voice I immediately recognized as that of the helmsman Israel Hands. “This Dick isn’t a fool at all. But come on,” he went on; “what I want to know is this, Barbecue: are we going to stay out there for so long in this sort of damned live-boat? I say I’ve had enough of Captain Smollett, and all the devils; he’s bored me enough, and I want to be able to settle down in his cabin; I want his pickles, I want his wines, I want all that. ” “Israel,” Silver retorted, “you’ve been a fool now and always . But I think you’ll come around, won’t I?” “Well, then, open your ears, for they’re too big to hear what I’m going to tell you right now: you’ll go on sleeping in the bow, and you’ll go on struggling, and you’ll go on talking sweetly, and you’ll go on drinking as slowly as you can until I give the word, and in the meantime you’ll be content with what I tell you. ” “All right, I’m not saying no,” growled the helmsman. “All I’m saying is this: _when?_ That’s all! ” “When? A thousand storms!” cried Silver. “So when, eh? Well , since you want it, I’ll tell you when. Until the last possible moment: then! Here we have an excellent seaman, this Captain Smollet, who’s been steering the blessed ship for our benefit. Here we also have that gentleman and that doctor with their map and other things that interest us, and which neither I nor you know where the devil they keep them. Congratulations!” “Then we must wait for this gentleman and this doctor to find the box and help us even to put it on board the ship, for a hundred thousand deuce. Then we shall see. If I were quite sure of you children of the devil, I would let Captain Smollett take us halfway back before striking the final blow. ” “Aren’t all of us on board here sailors?” “I think so,” said the boy Dick. “You mean we understand the maneuver, don’t you?” Silver burst in. “We can steer in a given direction, but who can give us that one? That’s where all your opinions are divided, from the first to the last. As for me, if I could act according to my sole desire, I would let Captain Smollett take us back to the last minute, so as not to expose ourselves to erroneous calculations and to walking on water in those devilish seas.” But I know very well what kind of creatures you are, and… there’s no help for it. I’ll finish them off on the island as soon as they’ve helped us put the money box on board, which is a pity. May I burst at the wrong time if it isn’t something that makes me mad and disgusted to sail with fools like you! “That’s just talking for the sake of talking,” exclaimed Israel. “Who gives you cause to be angry, John? ” “Talking for the sake of talking!” retorted Silver, excitedly. “How many high-sided vessels do you think I’ve seen boarded, and how many vigorous young men drying themselves in the sun in the Place of the Executioners, and all this just for this damned hurry? Do you hear me well? Well, look; I’ve seen a thing or two at sea, you can believe it, and I tell you that if you were to limit yourself to setting sail with the wind, you would, no doubt, one day be pulling carriages, of course! Ah! But it won’t be so! I know you very well. You’ll begin by wandering from tavern to tavern, gorged with wine, and tomorrow or the next day you’ll be going at your own pace to get yourself hanged. “We all knew well that you’ve always been something of an abbot, John. But there are others who have been able to maneuver and govern as well as you,” said Israel. “And yet they liked a bit of fuss and fun. They weren’t so lively or so severe, after all, but they joined in the banter, taking their part like cheerful comrades.” and in good humor. “That’s true,” says Silver, “it’s quite true. Only, where are they at the present time? Pew was of that sort, and he died a beggar. Flint was also like that, and he died of a robbery in Savannah. Oh! They were very cheerful and very amusing, yes, sir; but I say again, where are they now? ” “That’s all very well,” interrupted Dick, “but what I ask is this : when we strike and have our men foot in hand, what are we going to do with them? ” “That’s called talking straight,” said Silver, in a tone of great admiration. “I like this fellow. Down to business, and nothing but business!” Very well; but what do you think? Do we leave them ashore on that desert island like Robinson Crusoe? That would have been what England would have done. Or do we simply slaughter them like pigs? That would have been Flint’s or Billy Bones’s procedure.” “Billy was the man for these things,” said Israel. “Dead men don’t bite,” he used to say. The sly one already knows where he stands on that point, since he himself is already underground, but if ever a hand was hard and implacable, it was certainly Billy’s. ” “You’re right,” Silver observed, “hard, but quick. Now then, let’s get this straight. I’m a man of goodwill, almost a gentleman, as you say; but, my friends, for today, the matter is serious. Duty is duty, and that before all else. Here’s my opinion: kill them. When I’ve become a Lord and am riding around in carriages, I don’t want any of these first-class inkwells to be able to appear to me one day, when I least expect it, like the devil at prayer time . But all I’m saying is this: let’s wait, and when the opportune time comes, let’s have our way by slitting one throat after another.” “John,” cried the helmsman, “you’re a real man!” “You’ll say so when you see me at work, Israel,” said Silver. ” I’ll only ask for one thing then, and that is that they don’t take Trelawney away from me. I want the pleasure of cutting off that beef head with my own hands. ” And as if cutting the conversation short, he added: “Hey, Dick, jump up and give me an apple from the barrel here to wet my throat a little.” You’ll understand the frightful terror I felt when I heard this. I would have jumped up and run if I’d had the strength to do it, but I had neither legs nor spirit, and I remained motionless. I heard Dick begin to rise, but at the same instant someone checked him, and Hands’s voice was heard saying: “Oh! Leave that! You won’t suck such a bilge, John. Let’s have a round of the fine stuff. ” “You’re right, Dick,” said Silver. I have a probe in the barrel of the ROM , with its corresponding key. Fill a vessel and raise it at once. Terrified as I was, I could not help thinking that this explained the mystery of the fountain from which Pilot Arrow drank the waters that finally killed him. Dick left for a short time, but during his absence Israel spoke in the cook’s ear in a very low but animated voice. I could only make out two or three sentences, but in them I learned something interesting, for besides other words that tended to confirm it, this came very distinctly to my ears: “None of them else wants to go into the business anymore.” It was clear, therefore, that we still had loyal men on board. When Dick returned, each of the party in turn took the mug from the barrel, and did it the honors conscientiously, one drinking “To success!” another “To old Flint!” and Silver closing the round with these words: “To our health!” and luff to starboard. “Picks and fortune! Money and love!” At that moment a certain light fell upon me within the barrel; I looked up, and found that the moon had just risen in the sky, silvered the mizzen topsail, and imparted a whitish tinge to the foremast palm. Almost at the same instant the lookout’s voice arose, shouting: “Land! land!” Chapter 12. COUNCIL OF WAR. Hasty footsteps sounded everywhere at the cry of “Land!” as everyone rushed on deck, both my friends in the after-cabin and the crew. I quickly jumped out of my barrel, slipped under the foresail, circled around to the quarterdeck, and returned on deck by the same route as everyone else, in time to join them as they rushed forward. Everyone was already assembled there. A ribbon of mist had lifted almost at the same time as the moon appeared. Far off to the southwest, we could see two not very high mountains about two miles away, and above one of them appeared a third eminence, noticeably higher than the others, its summit still shrouded in mist. All three seemed pointed and conical in shape. This, at least, was what I thought I saw, for I had not yet recovered from my terrors of two or three minutes before. Next I heard Captain Smollet’s voice giving orders. The Hispaniola was brought about two points closer to the wind and began to right her course so that she would be heading right for the eastern coast of the island. “Now, boys,” said the Captain, “when the maneuver was executed, have any of you seen that land before now? ” “I have,” said Silver. “Being cook on a merchant vessel, we anchored there to get water. ” “The anchorage is to the south, behind an islet, isn’t it?” asked the Captain. “Yes, sir, the islet of the Skeleton, as they call it. This place has once been a haven for pirates, and a man we had on board knew the names of all those places. That hill to the north they call The Trinquet.” There are three hills arranged in a line to the south, and they are called by nautical names: The Trinquet, The Main, and The Mizzen. But the principal one is the largest, with its peak buried in the cloud. They also called it Lookout Hill, because of the vigilance those men kept from its summit while their vessels remained at anchor cleaning the bottoms . “I have a map here,” said Captain Smollet; “see if this is the place you speak of.” Something like a flash of fierce joy passed through Silver’s eyes as he took the chart the Captain handed him. But the very instant his eyes fell upon the paper, I knew that his hope of a second had suffered a terrible disappointment. This was not the map found in Billy Bones’s suitcase, but a careful copy, complete with names, heights, and soundings, with the sole exception of the red crosses and the handwritten notes. However acute Silver’s annoyance, he had the presence of mind to control himself and appear calm. “Yes, sir,” he replied, “this is the place, as I understand it, and very well drawn indeed. Who could have been the author of this chart? The pirates were too ignorant, I believe, to be able to draw this. Ah! Come! Here it is marked “Captain Kidd’s Anchorage”; that is precisely the name my skipper gave it. There is a strong current along the south coast , and then it rises north along the west coast.” “You were right,” he continued, “to head to the wind and set our bows for the island, at least if your intention was to enter immediately and careen there, because the truth is that in all these waters there is no more suitable place than that. ” “Thank you, my friend,” said Captain Smollet. “Later on I think I will ask you for some other information to help us somewhat. You may go. ” I could not help being surprised at the sangfroid with which Silver confessed his knowledge of the island. For my part, I was still half terrified and I felt even more so when I saw that man coming closer and closer to me. Of course, he had not the slightest idea I wish I had listened to their confabulation from the bottom of an apple barrel, and yet, at that point, I had acquired such a horror of their cruelty, duplicity, and power that I could hardly repress a nervous shudder when his hand took my arm as he said to me: “Ah, my lad! Here’s a fine place for a lad like you, on this island. You can bathe, climb trees, hunt wild goats, anything you like. You yourself can go like the goats, climbing the highest rocks and mountains. Ah! Believe me, it all makes me young again, and I was almost forgetting my wooden leg. It’s a fine thing to be young and have twenty toes, you can be sure of that. Whenever you want to go for a little exploring , just let your old friend John know, and he’ll see to it that your little basket of provisions is neatly arranged for you to take with you. ” Having said this, he patted me on the shoulder in the most friendly manner, hobbled away, and disappeared into the interior of the galleys. Captain Smollet, Chevalier, and Doctor Livesey remained conversing near the foredeck. Notwithstanding my impatient eagerness to tell them what chance had caused me to overhear, I dared not openly interrupt them. In the meantime, while I was most absorbed in my thoughts to discover some probable excuse, Doctor Livesey called me. He had forgotten his pipe downstairs in the cabin, and, being a true slave to tobacco, he was about to signal me to go down and fetch it for him, no doubt. But as soon as I was near enough to be heard by himself, I said quickly: “Doctor, let me speak to you. Take the Captain and Chevalier downstairs with you at once, and on some pretext , send for me. I have terrible news.” The Doctor seemed taken aback for a moment, but then he was completely master of himself again. “Thank you, Jim,” he said loudly; “that’s all I wanted to know.” He pretended, by this, that he had asked me some question to which I would have answered. He then turned and rejoined the group he was part of. The three of them talked for a few moments, and although none of them showed any alarm or raised their voices, it seemed evident to me that Dr. Livesey had just communicated my request to them, for the first thing I heard was the Captain giving orders to Job Anderson, and then the whistle sounded, calling all hands on deck. “Lads,” said the Captain, as soon as they were all assembled, ” I have two words to say to you. This land we have just seen is the place of our destiny.” The skipper of this ship, a very liberal and generous man, as we all know from experience, has just asked me two questions, which I have been able to answer by telling him that every sailor on this schooner has fulfilled his duty, from the masthead to the hold, in such a manner that nothing better could have been asked. For this reason, he, the Doctor , and I are going to the cabin to drink to the health and good fortune of all of you, while you will be served a good grog so that you may toast us in turn. I will give you my opinion on this: I think it is magnificent. If you agree with me, I will propose that you send a round of applause to the gentleman who behaves in this way. The applause was audible, that was clear; but it broke out so firmly and so cordially that I confess I had a hard time convincing myself that those same ones giving it were arranging infernal plots against our lives. “One more hand for Captain Smollett!” cried Silver, when the last had died away. Like the preceding hand, this second clap seemed entirely sincere and voluntary. This being no sooner had the three gentlemen descended into the cabin, and it was not long before a message was sent that Jim Hawkins was required in the drawing-room. I found all three of them around the table, with a bottle of Spanish wine and some grapes before them; the Doctor smoking heavily, and with his wig was thrown upon his knees, which I knew to be a sign of agitation in him. The stern-window was open, for the night was quite warm, and from within the window the moonlight twinkling upon the wake of our vessel could be clearly seen. “Now, Hawkins,” said the Gentleman, “it appears that you have something to say to me: speak now.” I did as I was directed, and without going on too long, related every particular of Silver’s conversation. No one attempted to interrupt me until I had said everything; nor did any of them make a movement of any kind, but all three of them kept their eyes riveted upon my countenance from the beginning to the end of my narrative. “Sit down, Jim,” said the Doctor. They then made a place for me at the table beside them, poured me a glass of wine, and put a large bunch of grapes into my hands; and all three of them, with a cordial greeting, drank to my health, congratulating me on my courage and good fortune. “Now, Captain,” said the Gentleman, “it is time to proclaim that you were right and I was wrong. I simply declare myself an ass and await your orders. ” “No one is more ass than I,” replied the Captain. “I have never seen a crew plotting a rebellion that did not perceptibly let slip some signs of its discontent, so that any man who is not blind can see the danger and take the necessary measures to avoid it. But I confess that this crew defeats all my experience. ” “Captain,” said the Doctor, “with your permission I will say that this is Silver’s work , and that he is a very remarkable man. ” “I think he would be very remarkable on a yardarm ,” replied the Captain. “But this is nothing but talk that leads to nothing.” I have fixed my attention on three or four points, and with Mr. Trelawney’s permission, I will expound them. “Sir,” said Mr. Trelawney in a solemn tone, “you are the Captain, and it is your turn to speak. ” “First point,” began Captain Smollet, “we must press on, for it is now impossible to retreat. If the latter were attempted, rebellion would break out immediately. Second point: we have time at our disposal until this treasure is found. Third point: we still have loyal men on board. Now, gentlemen, it is a hopeless thing that sooner or later we shall have to enter into hostilities. We must, then, seize the opportunity when it presents itself; that is to say, I propose that we be the ones to open fire, on the most suitable day, and when they least expect it. It seems to me, Mr. Trelawney, that we may trust your household servants, may I not? ” “As much as I trust myself,” declared the Gentleman. “Three,” said the Captain, “and with the four of us, that makes seven, including Hawkins. And how many of those loyal men are there? ” “Very likely,” rejoined the Doctor, “they are the ones Trelawney personally engaged before he had thrown himself into Silver’s arms. ” “Not at all,” rejoined the Gentleman. “Hands is one of those men. ” “I should have thought we could have blind faith in the latter,” said the Captain. “And to think they are all English!” burst out the Gentleman . “Gentlemen, believe me how much I long to blow this ship up! ” “Well, gentlemen,” added the Captain, “the best I can say at present is very little. We must consider ourselves forewarned and maintain the most attentive vigilance. This is unpleasant for a man, I know. I would prefer, for that very reason, that hostilities should break out at once, but we shall not have sufficient assistance to prevent us from knowing who our men are. Let us lie still and wait for our opportunity; that is my opinion.” “This Jim,” said the Doctor, “may be more useful to us than anything else we do. The enemy bears him no ill will, and I know him to be a very observant fellow. ” “Hawkins,” added the Gentleman, “I have complete and blind faith in you.” Upon hearing this, I began to feel almost desperate, for I felt entirely without support. And yet, by a strange confluence of circumstances, it was only through me that we were all saved. In the meantime, however much one may turn the matter over, the fact remains that out of twenty-six men on board, there were only seven who could be counted on, and even of these seven, one was only a boy; so that, in reality, the number of grown men we had on our side was six, compared to nineteen for our enemy. PART 3. MY LAND ADVENTURE. CHAPTER 13. HOW THE ADVENTURE BEGAN. When I came on deck the next morning, the appearance of the island had changed considerably. Although the breeze of the previous evening had died away, the distance we had made during the night was very considerable, and at that time we found ourselves stopped about half a mile southeast of the low eastern shore. Forests of a brownish color covered a large part of the land’s surface. However, this hue was interrupted here and there by the yellowish stripes of sand on the lower ground and by a few taller trees of the pine family, which rose above the tops of the others, some of them isolated and scattered, others gathered together; but the general appearance and color of the island was sad and uniform. The hills rose freely above the vegetation in spirals of bare rocks. All were of a strange configuration, and Vigía, which surpassed the nearest eminence by three or four hundred feet in elevation, was probably the strangest in appearance, rising almost straight on all sides and then appearing suddenly cut off at the summit, like a pedestal ready to receive a statue. Hispaniola emptied its scuppers in torrents into the agitated surface of a swell. The booms clashed with the blocks, the rudder thumped from side to side, and the whole ship creaked and seemed to groan and tremble like a great factory in operation. I was forced to hold on to the topmast bows with all my strength and felt as if the whole world was spinning dizzily around my head, because even though I was already a fairly good sailor, when the ship was underway, that mobile immobility —if I may say so—that desperate swaying without leaving a point, and seeing myself rolled here and there like a loose bottle, were things I never faced without feeling faint, especially in the morning and when my stomach was completely empty. Perhaps it was because of this; Perhaps it was the appearance of the island, with its ashen, melancholy forests, its wild spirals of rocks , and its swell, which we could see and hear breaking thunderously and foaming against the rugged shore; the fact is, though the sun shone bright and bright, and the shore birds fished and cried merrily around us, and though it was to be believed that after so many days of seeing nothing but water and sky, everyone would be glad to jump ashore, my courage and all my blood, as the saying goes, had sunk to my heels, and from the first instant my eyes beheld it, that long-awaited Treasure Island inspired in me the deepest and most cordial hatred. That morning, however, we had to face a difficult and arduous task. There was not the slightest trace of wind, and it was therefore necessary to launch the boats and put them under oars to tow the schooner for a stretch of three or four miles around the island until we entered the narrow passage that led us to the roadstead or shelter that opens behind Skeleton Islet. I volunteered for one of the boats, in which, as might be supposed, I had no business. The heat was stifling, and the men at the oars were openly grumbling at their task. Anderson had command of the boat in which I was, and instead of keeping his crew in order, He grunted as loudly and rudely as anyone. “But don’t worry,” he said with a blasphemy; “after all, this isn’t forever.” This seemed to me a very bad sign, because up to that day our men had performed their duties willingly and vigorously; but the mere sight of the island had been enough to relax the strings of discipline. During this entire voyage, Silver stood by the helmsman and, in fact, steered the ship. He knew the passage like the back of his hand, and so , even when the man handling the chains found more water everywhere than the soundings on the chart showed, John never hesitated for a moment. “There’s always a great drag with the ebb,” he said, “and this passage has been, you might say, dug out like a spade.” We finally reached the precise spot marked on the map as an anchorage, about a third of a mile from the shore, from the main island on one side and from Skeleton Islet on the other. The bottom was pure sand. As our anchor sank into the water, a veritable cloud of waterfowl arose, wheeling and screeching above our heads, as well as above the trees, but a minute later they had returned to their nests, and all was once more perfectly still. Our anchorage was entirely surrounded by land, buried on all sides in forests whose trees reached down to the highest high-water mark. The beaches were almost entirely flat, and there, in a sort of distant amphitheater, the peaks of the mountains could be seen , one here, one there. Two streams, or rather two swamps, emptied into what we might well call a pond. As for the foliage around that part of the beach, it presented, I know not what sort of poisonous sheen. From on board we could see nothing of the house or palisade that stood there, for they were too hidden among the thick trees , and had it not been for the chart that accompanied us, we might well have believed that we were the first who had dropped anchor in that place since the island arose from the depths of the waters. Not the slightest gust of wind blew, nor was there any sound but that of the surf thundering half a mile away upon the beaches, against the steep rocks of the shore. There was a peculiar and disagreeable odor where we were anchored, an odor like that of rotting leaves and tree trunks. I observed the Doctor sucking in air and making grimaces with his nose, such as one might make when tasting an unpalatable food. “I won’t vouch for whether there is treasure here or not,” he said, “but as for fevers, I’ll bet my wig this is a breeding ground for them. ” Meanwhile, if the conduct of the sailors was alarming in the boat, it became truly threatening when they returned on board the schooner. They huddled together on deck, grumbling in the midst of their conversation. The slightest order was received with grim looks and muttered under their breath, and was obeyed with genuine negligence. It is possible that even those not contaminated by the mutiny had already been infected by the relaxation of discipline, because the fact is that there was not a single man on board fit to correct others. The rebellion—this was palpable—was already hanging over our heads like a storm about to break. And it was not only the cabin passengers who understood the danger. John Silver worked tirelessly, going from group to group, distributing advice to all, and being a true model by his example of submission and sweetness. Nothing could equal his restraint and courtesy at that time; a perpetual smile was on his lips for each and every one of us. If he was ordered to do something, he would immediately jump upon his crutch, crying in the most complacent tone in the world, “Running, running, sir!” And when there was nothing special to be done, he would sing song after song as if trying to hide the discontent of the others with them. Of all the somber details of that gloomy afternoon, that notorious anxiety of John Silver’s struck me as the worst. We held another council in the after-cabin. “Gentlemen,” said the Captain, “if I venture the slightest order, the whole crew will be at our throats. Here’s the thing : I get a harsh answer, isn’t it? Well, if I reply in a louder tone, the knives will immediately come out swinging. If I don’t do this, if I keep silent, Silver will immediately sense that there is something beneath our silence, and then the whole game will be revealed. Now then, there is only one man we can trust in the present situation. ” “And who is he?” asked the Gentleman. “Silver,” replied the Captain. “He is as impatient as you and I to put things down. What there is, is a disagreement; He will soon speak to his men to calm them if the opportunity arises. What I propose, therefore, is to give him the opportunity he seeks. Let’s let them spend an afternoon ashore. If they all leave, fine , we’ll fight from the fortified walls of our ship. If none of them want to go down, then we’ll stay in our after-cabin, and God help the good cause. If any of them go, mark my words, Silver will bring them back on board as tame as lambs. So it was agreed. At the same time, all the trusted men were provided with loaded pistols; Hunter, Joyce, and Redruth were informed of what was happening and fortunately received the confidence with less surprise and more courage than we had imagined; whereupon the Captain went on deck and addressed the crew. “Lads,” he said, “we’ve had a stifling day, and we’re all tired and out of breath for nothing.” I believe, however, that a walk along the beach will do no harm to anyone: the boats are still afloat. You may take the skiffs, and all who wish may go ashore for the rest of the afternoon. I will take care to fire a cannon shot half an hour before sunset. I suppose those villains must have thought that all they had to do was land and fall upon the treasure without further ado, because in an instant they all instantly threw off their bad tempers and burst into applause and a spontaneous hurrah so thunderous that it awakened the sleeping echoes of one of the distant mountains and caused a new uprising of birds that wheeled and screeched again in infinite numbers around us. The Captain was too quick to know what was best at that critical moment, so without waiting for a reply, he vanished as if by magic, leaving Silver to arrange the departure, in which I believe he performed perfectly. Had he remained on deck a moment longer, it would have been impossible for him to prolong his pretended ignorance of what was happening. This was already as clear as daylight. Silver was the Captain and had a formidable crew of rebels at his disposal. The men, still uncorrupted—and I was soon to see proof of their presence on board—must have been men of very little talent. Or at least, I suppose the truth was that they were all disgusted by the example of the ringleaders, only some were more so than others, and some of them, though at heart good fellows, could not be convinced or swayed beyond mere disgust. It is one thing to feel lassitude and ill- humored, and quite another to think of seizing a ship and murdering a good number of innocent people. Finally, the party was organized. Six of them remained on board, and the remaining thirteen, including Silver, began to embark. It was then that the first of the foolish ideas that contributed to saving our lives occurred to me. If Silver left six of his men, it was clear that our party could not be mounted on the schooner, on the warpath, as in a fortress; and not being those of the said reserve more than six, it was also certain that the after side did not require any assistance at the moment. It occurred to me, therefore, instantly to go ashore. In the twinkling of an eye I slid over the balustrade and, letting myself slide down one of the bow sheets, fell into one of the boats at the very moment it was moving . No one noticed my presence; only the bowman said to me: “Ah! Is that you, Jim? Keep your head down.” But Silver from the other boat began to cast penetrating, searching glances to try to find out if it was I who was there. From that very instant I began to regret what I had done. The two parties of sailors amused themselves by rowing harder than each other, in a sort of race to see which of the boats would reach the beach first. But as the boat I had been assigned to occupy had received a greater thrust, was lighter, and was much better rowed, it soon left its competitor far behind. The prow had already landed among the bushes on the beach; I had already seized a branch and flung myself out, immediately hiding in the nearest thicket , while Silver and his men were still about a hundred yards behind. “Jim, Jim!” I heard him cry to me. But I must suppose I took no damned notice of his cries. Leaping, crouching, breaking through the brush, I ran and ran across the ground before me, haphazardly, madly, until practically I could run no further. Chapter 14. THE FIRST BLOW. I was so satisfied with having left Silver with a mere handful of noses that I was beginning to revel in myself and cast my eyes eagerly over the strange land I found myself in. I had now crossed a marshy stretch, thick with willows, rushes, and ugly, muddy bushes of aquatic rather than terrestrial vegetation, and had just arrived at the foot of an open, rolling, sandy country about a mile in length, dotted with occasional pines and a great many crooked trees, not unlike oaks in configuration, but with pale leaves like willows. At the open end of this country rose one of the hills, with two strange, rugged, and precipitous peaks that glittered vividly in the sun. For the first time in my life I felt the joy and excitement of an explorer. The island was uninhabited. My comrades were behind me, and nothing living was before my eyes except animals of the earth and air, mute to me. Here and there rose some flowering plants that were completely unknown to me; further away I saw snakes, one of which raised its head from its stone nest, looked at me, and let out a kind of hissing sound very similar to the whirring of a top. I was quite unaware that this enemy carried death with it and that its hissing was nothing other than the famous rattle. I soon came to a thick group of those oak-like trees whose name, as I later learned, was the tree of life. They grew low among the sand, like brambles, with their curiously twisted branches and their leaves compacted like artificial paste . The mountain stretched downward from the summit of one of the sandy ridges, unfolding and growing in elevation as it descended, until it reached the edge of the wide, reedy swamp, through which the smallest of the streams that emptied into it emptied into the anchorage. The marsh vaporized under the burning rays of a tropical sun, and the silhouette of the Lookout throbbed with the swift ripples of the solar mist. Suddenly, a certain commotion began to be noticed among the reeds of the marsh: a wild duck rose and cried; another followed, and very soon a veritable cloud of birds could be seen over the entire surface of the marsh, flitting, calling, and wheeling in the air. I immediately supposed that one of my companions must be near the edges of the swamp, and I was not mistaken in my supposition, for very soon the faint and distant murmurs of a human voice reached me. which, the more I listened, the more distinct and nearer it came to my ears. This filled me with a terrible fear, and I could only crouch down under the thicket of the nearest clump of _trees of life_ that came my way, and huddle there, becoming all ears and mute as a carp. Another new voice was heard in answer to the first, and then this one, which I afterwards recognized as Silver’s, rose again and broke into a veritable avalanche of words that lasted for a long time, interrupted only occasionally by an occasional phrase from the other voice. Judging from their intonations, they must have been talking heatedly, perhaps angrily, but not a single word reached my ears distinctly. At last, the interlocutors seemed to pause, and perhaps, I supposed, they had sat down, for not only did their voices cease to approach each other, but the birds were already beginning to quiet down, and most of them were returning to their nests in the swamp. I then began to fear that I was failing in the obligations I had voluntarily imposed on myself by the mere fact of having come ashore with those strays, and to tell myself that the least I could do was to listen to their discussions, getting as close to them as possible, in favor of the thick brambles and the fallen trees . It was easy for me to determine the direction of the two interlocutors, not only from the sound of their voices, but also from the calculations I could make of the few birds that were still fluttering in alarm over the heads of the intruders. I crouched on all fours, very quietly, but very straight toward them, until at last, raising my head a little at the level of a small opening in the undergrowth, I could distinctly see, on the edge of a small hollow covered with grass, near the swamp and backed by the trees, John Silver and another of the crew, standing face to face in conversation. The sun was beating down on them. Silver had thrown his hat aside upon the turf, and his whole enormous, smooth, ruddy face, sweating and shining with the heat, was fixed upon the countenance of his interlocutor as if in demand or expectation of something. “Look here, comrade,” said Silver, “if I didn’t think you were worth gold dust—you may believe it as I say, gold dust, yes, sir—I wouldn’t have brought you into this business when it’s already hot as a pot of boiling pitch.” “If that were not so, I would not be here warning you. Everything is already arranged and ready, and you can do nothing or remedy a thing. If I try to convince you, it is only to save your neck, for you may believe that if any of those savages knew, where would I be, Tom, where would I be? ” “Silver,” replied the other, and I could see that not only was his face red, but his voice was as hoarse as a crow’s, and constricted as if by a very tight rope. “Silver, you are old, you are honorable, or at least pass for such, you have, besides, a fortune that countless sailors would envy, you are brave, if I am not mistaken. Well then, tell me, are you going to let yourself be governed by that gang of filthy mops? I think not!” And as surely as God sees me now, I’d rather have my hand torn off than fail in my duty! Suddenly his speech was interrupted by an unexpected noise. I had just seen one of the honest men on board, and immediately afterward I was about to hear from another. Far away, on the other side of the marsh, a sound like a cry of anguish was suddenly heard, then another, and then a long, horrible shriek. The rocks of the Lookout echoed it several times; the flock of waterfowl rose again, clouding the sky, with a simultaneous cry, and still that death-shriek continued to vibrate in my head, when silence had already reestablished its dominion and no sound was heard but the soft fluttering of the birds as they returned to their nests and the distant murmur of the tide faintly disturbing the languor of the afternoon. At that cry of supreme anguish, Tom had sprung to his feet , like a horse upon a spur, but Silver had not even winked. He remained where he was, leaning only lightly on his crutch, and with his eyes fixed upon his companion like a viper ready to pounce. “John!” cried the sailor, stretching out his hand towards Silver. “Don’t touch me!” replied the latter, springing back a yard, as it seemed to me, with all the dexterity and assurance of a professional gymnast. “I won’t touch you, if you please, John Silver,” said Tom. “Only a black conscience can make you afraid of me; but in heaven’s name, tell me, what was that cry?” Silver smiled in a hideous, sinister way, but without losing his cautious and expectant attitude. His eyes, usually small, were at that moment nothing more than pinheads in his immense face, but they flashed like two carbuncles. “That scream?” came the fury; “that scream, I suppose, was Alan’s. ” Hearing this, poor Tom burst out like a hero: “Alan?… Rest in peace, then, that loyal sailor’s soul! As for you, Silver, you have been a comrade of mine until today, but from today you are no longer one! If you kill me like a dog, what does it matter? I’ll die doing my duty. So you have had poor Alan killed, have you? Well, kill me too, if you can, I dare you!” And with that, the brave and loyal lad turned his back on the cook and started off, heading for the beach. However, it was not his destiny to go far. With a savage yell, John seized the branch of a tree, yanked his crutch from under his arm , and hurled this improvised missile with unprecedented force. It whizzed through the wind and struck poor Tom, striking him with horrible violence between the shoulders and in the middle of his back. His hands flew in the air, he gave a sort of gasp, and he fell forward upon the ground. Whether the blow was fatal or not, I can say nothing of. Judging from the sound, however , it is almost certain that the spine was broken by the impact; but he had no time to recover in the least, for Silver, as agile as an orang-outang, though without a crutch or any aid, was upon his victim in a moment, and in less time than it takes me to tell, had twice plunged his long knife up to the hilt into the helpless wretch. From my concealment in the bushes I could hear the ferocious snorts of his breathing as he buried his ignoble weapon in that defenseless body. I do not know how far a man has the right to faint, but I do know that for a time, at that instant, it seemed as if the whole world were whirling around me in a nebulous vortex; Silver and the birds and the towering Watcher danced before my eyes in a whirlwind, all inverted, while a thousand different bells, mingled with distant echoes, rang furiously in my ears. By the time I had somewhat recovered, the monster had composed himself and reorganized himself, so to speak, with his hat on his head and his crutch under his arm. Beside him lay the motionless, lifeless body of poor Tom, upon the ground, without his murderer taking the slightest notice of it, for I saw him, with a truly satanic calm, mopping the blood from the blade of his dagger on the turf. Everything else remained unchanged : the sun blazing mercilessly upon the vaporizing marsh and the high mountain peak. And it seemed impossible for me to persuade myself that a murder had been committed there before my eyes, that a human life had been brutally cut short in my very presence. Then I saw John Silver reach into his purse, take out a whistle, and blow its modulated notes several times, which flew through the gloomy atmosphere. I was, of course, unable to explain the the significance of that signal, but I did realize that it reawakened all my previous fears. The other men were about to come, and I was, therefore, in danger of being discovered. Two of our loyal and honorable men had just been murdered; was it not quite possible that after Tom and Alan, it would be my turn? In the twinkling of an eye, I began to move, always crouching, as quietly and quickly as possible, toward the most open part of the forest. While I was making this movement, I could still hear greetings exchanged between the old pirate and his comrades, and at this sound, a clear indicator of my danger, I felt wings sprouting from my feet. No sooner was I out of the thicket than I began to run as I had never run before in my life, paying no attention to the direction I was following except as far as it led me away from the assassins. The faster I ran, the more fear grew in my soul, until it became a veritable frenzy of terror. And truly, could anyone be in a more hopeless situation than I was? When the cannon shot thundered, how could I dare present myself in the boats, in the midst of those infernal beings, whose hands still smoked with the blood of their victims? Would not the first one who saw me wring my neck like a snipe? Was not my very absence already evidence to them of my alarm, and consequently, of my fatal knowledge of the facts? Everything, then, was over for me. Goodbye, Hispaniola! Goodbye, the Gentleman, the Doctor, and the Captain! Nothing remained for me to await but death by starvation or at the hands of the rebels! While I was thinking this, I kept running, and without realizing it, I found myself already near the foot of one of the small peaks, and had penetrated to a part of the island where the saplings grew farther apart and more closely resembled real forest trees in their bulk and size. Interspersed with these were a few pines, some about fifty feet high, others as high as seventy. The air here also already had a fresher smell than down below near the swamp. But when I reached this spot, a new alarm awaited me, which made my heart feel as if it were about to burst from my breast. Chapter 15. THE MAN OF THE ISLAND. From one side of the hill, which was, in that place, steep and stony, a pebble fell down the dry bed of one of the gravelly slopes, skipping, bouncing, and crashing as it repeatedly struck trees and stones. I instinctively turned my eyes in that direction and saw a strange shape moving and hiding behind the trunk of one of the trees. Was it a bear, a man, or an orangutan? I could not say. It seemed black and hairy; but that was all I could perceive at the moment. Nevertheless, the terror of this new apparition made me check my run. I saw, in all probability, that I was cut off from both front and rear: behind me, the assassins, and in front, that indescribable form that was stalking me. At once, I began to prefer the dangers that were known to me to those that appeared veiled. Silver himself seemed to me less terrible than that strange creature, a sort of mountain gnome, and so it was that, without further hesitation, I turned my back on him, not without turning in amazement to see him over my shoulder, and began to run again, this time in the direction of the boats. But in a few seconds the horrible figure, after making a great circuit, equaled me in the race, and even began to advance before me. I was already quite exhausted, there was no doubt about it, but even if I had been fresh and rested, I soon saw that it was madness to attempt to compete in speed with such an adversary. From one trunk to another, this strange creature seemed to fly like a deer, running at full speed. resembling a man, on two feet, but differing from human running in that, like certain birds, they allow themselves to glide for a long time in space with their wings closed, this one glided at times down the slope in a manner fantastic, marvelous, and inexplicable to me. And yet it was a man; I could no longer doubt it . Everything I had heard or read about cannibals immediately came back to me, and I was almost ready to cry out, “Help!” But the mere fact that this was a man, even a savage, had already calmed me somewhat, and the fear that Silver inspired in me reappeared vivid and formidable in my mind. I stopped, then, for the moment, and searching in my troubled imagination for some means of safety or escape, I suddenly remembered the pistol I had with me. And I only remembered that I was not so defenseless, and felt courage return to my heart, and facing the man on the island resolutely, I marched towards him with a vigorous step. At this moment he was concealed behind another tree trunk, but he must have been watching me very closely, for as soon as I advanced towards him, he suddenly appeared and took a step towards me. But immediately he hesitated, took a few steps backward , then a few steps towards me again, until at last, to my extraordinary surprise and confusion, I saw him fall upon his knees and extend his clasped hands to me in supplication. Seeing this, I stopped again, uncertain. “Who are you?” I asked him. To which he hastened to answer me in a hoarse, dull voice, like the sound made by a rusty and disused lock: “I am Ben Gunn!” “I am poor little Ben Gunn, who for three years has not had a Christian before me to speak to!” Hearing this, I could already see that this man was not a cannibal, as I had at first believed, but a white man like myself, and I even observed that his features were regular and pleasant. His skin, wherever it was exposed, was browned by the sun; his lips themselves were blackened, and his light eyes were a striking sight against that dark background. Of all the beggars I had ever seen or imagined, this one was number one, so ragged and ragged he was.” He was dressed in shreds of sailcloth, added and mixed with shapeless scraps of navy-blue broadcloth, and this whole extraordinary structure of rags was fastened and encircled about his person by the most incongruous and exotic assemblage of fasteners and seams: metal buttons, fishbones, rawhide thongs, bits of wood serving as shoelaces, and loops of tarred laces. Around his waist was an old leather belt with a metal buckle, the only thing solid and seamless about it . “Three years!” I exclaimed. “Were you shipwrecked near this coast? ” “No, my friend, I was marooned here.” I had heard that word applied to a kind of horrible punishment, very common among pirates, the essence of which was to land the condemned man on an uninhabited island, leaving him only a rifle and a little gunpowder, and abandoning him there forever. “Isolated for three years!” continued that wretch. ” Three mortal years during which I have lived on wild goats, wild cabbages, and oysters from the beach. I know that wherever a man finds himself , that man can help himself and take care of himself. But, my friend, my heart is already yearning for some Christian repast. You happen to have a piece of cheese there, won’t you? Well, give it to me, go on! Don’t you have any? Ah! If you only knew what long nights I’ve spent here, dreaming of a slice of cheese, a piece of toast, above all! And then I would wake up… and what? Here! Always here! ” “God willing, I promise you, you’ll have cheese until you’re stuffed,” I replied. All the time our previous short conversation had lasted, Ben Gunn had been constantly smoothing the cloth of my doublet with his hand, gently touching my hands, gazing at my boots, and, in short, expressing the most childish pleasure in the presence of a fellow man. But upon hearing my last words, he suddenly sat up with a certain start. “God willing, you can go back on board,” you said. “Well, who ‘s stopping you? ” “It’s not you, by the way,” I replied. “And you’re quite right about that,” he exclaimed. “But before we go any further, let’s see, what’s your name, comrade? ” “Jim,” I said. “Jim, Jim,” he repeated with apparent complacency. “Now, Jim, I must tell you that I’ve lived such a stormy life that I don’t even dare tell you about it, because you’d be ashamed to hear me tell it.” Will you believe, when you hear this, that I never had a good and pious mother to direct and watch over me? “No! I never thought of such a thing,” I answered. “Ah!” he said. “I did have one, and a very holy and pious one! I was a very good and accomplished country lad, and I knew my catechism so well that when I started reciting it, I would repeat it, as if it were a single word, without taking a breath, from beginning to end. Ah! But here’s what happened, Jim. One day I began to play marbles and dimples; that’s where I began, don’t you believe. My poor little mother lectured me and told me what was going to happen to me—poor lady, I remember very well! But Providence brought me here. I haven’t stopped thinking about it all the time I’ve been forgotten on this desert island, and now I feel fine again.” Nobody will ever catch me trying the rom again—unless it be a little thimble—just a thimble by accident, when the opportunity comes. I must be good now, and I know just the way to get it, because, listen to me, Jim—” and as he said this, he looked around him and lowered his voice to a whisper—”I’m very rich!” At this, I had no doubt that the wretch had gone mad in his loneliness, and I suppose I must have let my thought show on my face, for he hastened to repeat himself warmly: “Rich, rich, yes, sir! I’ll tell you how, and I’ll make a man of you, Jim. Ah, lad, thank God a thousand times over that you were the first human creature that ever met me!” But no sooner had he uttered these words than his countenance suddenly darkened , as if struck by an unpleasant thought; he clasped my hand more firmly in his own, and raised his forefinger before my eyes with a threatening gesture, saying: “But first of all, Jim, tell me the truth— isn’t that Captain Flint’s ship over there?” At this, a swift and happy inspiration came upon me. I began to believe that what I had found was an ally, and with that in mind I hastened to answer: “No, certainly. Flint is dead. But if I must tell you the truth, as you ask, there are several of this Flint’s men on board that schooner , to the misfortune of all the rest of the party. Isn’t there a man with only one leg?” murmured Ben Gunn. “Silver?” I asked him. “Ah! Silver!” he answered. “Silver! That’s it—that’s his name!” “He’s the cook on board, and at the same time the leader or director of those men.” When I arrived here, Ben Gunn, who was still holding me by the wrist, gave me a sort of violent shock. “If you were sent here by John Silver,” he said, “I’m as fit as a pig, I know it very well. But what were you thinking of, my boy?” I had already formed my resolve in an instant, so, by way of reply, I told him the whole story of our voyage and the difficult predicament we were in at that hour. He listened to me with the deepest interest, and when I had finished, he exclaimed, patting me on the head: “Jim, you’re a good fellow, and you and your people are in a hell of a fix , aren’t you? Well, don’t worry. Trust me. Ben Gunn’s the man to get you out of your mess. But first, tell me, do you think your Knight will prove liberal enough for anyone who can get him out of the fix he’s in? ” “Oh! As for that, the Knight is the most liberal and generous man I ever knew,” I answered. “But you must see,” said Ben Gunn; “I don’t mean to say that he’ll reward me by giving me a porter’s hole to guard a door, or a footman’s gold livery, or anything like that. Oh, no! I mean to say, if he’ll give me, say, a good thousand pounds sterling, ready and ready, which is as much as a man like myself can want to be happy. What do you say?” “Well, I’m sure he would,” I replied. “The way things were going, all of us expeditionaries were bound to share the money. ” “And will you also give me passage to England?” he added with a suspicious and distrustful look. “Why not?” I said. “Mr. Trelawney is a man of honor. And besides this, don’t you see that if with your help we manage to get rid of the others, we would absolutely need you to help us maneuver the ship? ” “Ah! Well, that’s true!” replied Ben Gunn. “I would be indispensable to them!” And with this, he seemed relieved of a great burden. “Now,” he continued, “I’m going to tell you how things happened, no more and no less. I was on board Flint’s ship when he buried his treasure here . He came ashore with six big, strong men.” They remained here for nearly a week, and we, meanwhile, were out there … waiting… anchored in the anchorage, in their old ship the Walrus. One fine day, we finally saw the expected signal. Flint was coming by himself… all alone in his little boat, with his head bandaged with a blue band… The sun was beginning to rise, and he appeared pale… pale as a corpse by the cutwater… But there he was, all right! As for the other six… all dead! Dead and buried! How was it arranged? None of us on board could ever find out. Was it fair fighting, murder, surprise, or whatever ? Who knows! All we knew was that there were six of them and he was only one… one against six! Billy Bones was the ship’s pilot; John Silver was the boatswain, and they both asked him where the treasure was hidden. “Ah!” he replied, “if you want to go and find it, you can go ashore and stay there looking. The ship will go back to sea for more, damn it!” That’s what he said! Three years after that, it fell to my lot to come over on another ship. When we saw the island, I said, “Well, boys; Captain Flint’s treasure is here. Let’s go ashore and find it!” The captain was displeased at this, but my comrades all agreed with me, and we went ashore. For twelve days they searched and searched in vain. They thought I had played a horrible trick on them, and every day they piled me with new and harsher insults, until one morning, tired and hopeless, they all went back on board. “As for you, Benjamin Gunn,” they said to me as we left, “here’s a musket, a pickaxe, and a spade: stay here and find Captain Flint’s treasure for yourself!… It’s been three years, Jim; three years I’ve been here without a single bite of Christian food, until today!… But tell me now… look at me… do I look like a sailor?… I can hear you murmuring that I don’t!… Ah! I say so too… myself! As he said this, he winked at me and squeezed my hand firmly. Then he went on: “Just tell your gentleman my own words, Jim.” Tell him this: For three years now, Ben Gunn has been the sole inhabitant of this island, in the hour of light as in the middle of the night, in storm as in fine weather. Perhaps on some occasions that “Poor thing,” I said to him, “perhaps he has thought of his old mother, what an old woman she must be if she still lives; perhaps, sometimes, he has fallen on his knees to say a prayer. But most of Ben Gunn’s time has been spent on other matters. And when you tell him this, you will give him a pinch like this one I give you here. ” And he did as he said, in the most confidential manner imaginable , proceeding at once: “But you will go on straight away and tell him: Gunn is a good boy, there is no doubt about it, and he _puts the precious gift_ of his confidence, _puts the precious gift_ of his confidence”—do not forget to tell him so in those words—”in a Gentleman by birth, rather than in any of those _gentlemen of fortune_ of which he has been one. ” “But come, then,” I said to him; “Aside from the fact that I can’t understand a word of what you’ve been saying to me here, how could I repeat it to the Gentleman if I don’t see any possibility of getting back on board? ” “Ah! There’s the turn of the cape! Well, here’s my boat; my boat that I made with my own hands. I’ve got it hidden under the white rock. If the worst comes to the worst, I think we ought to attempt that crossing after dark…” At this point he had to break off abruptly, because although the sun still had an hour or more to rise before setting below the horizon, we suddenly heard, echoed all over the island, the thunderous crack of a cannon shot. “Hey! What’s that?” asked Ben Gunn. “They’ve begun to fight,” I replied. “Follow me! ” And forgetting at that moment all my previous terrors, I began to run towards the roadstead, in the direction of the anchorage, accompanied by the isolated man who ran swiftly beside me on his goatskin canes , with great lightness and ease. “To the left! To the left!” he said to me. “Always charge to the left, comrade!” he repeated. “Who would have thought that I go here under the trees with you! Look, that’s where I killed my first goat. They don’t come down here anymore; now you always have them perched on their topmasts, there among the rigging and the blocks of their mountains, all for no other reason than for fear of Ben Gunn! Ah! Look… there is the cemetery! Don’t you see its banks? When, by my calculations, I think it must be Sunday, you know… I usually come here and kneel and pray.” This doesn’t have much in the way of a chapel, or even a poor hermitage, does it? Well, look here… I find it something solemn and imposing. And then, you see, I haven’t had my hands very full… not a Bible, not a banner… and as for a chaplain, well… not a dream of it. And so it went on, chattering and chattering as we ran, without expecting or receiving any reply. A considerable time had elapsed after the shot of the cannon, when we heard a discharge from weapons of lesser caliber. Another pause followed, and then, less than a quarter of a mile in front of me, I suddenly saw in the air, floating above the tops of the trees in the wood, the glorious flag of England. PART 4. _THE STAKEHOUSE_. CHAPTER 16. THE DOCTOR CONTINUES THE NARRATION AND RELATES HOW THE SHIP WAS ABANDONED. It was about half past one in the afternoon when the two boats from the Hispaniola went ashore. The Captain, the Gentleman, and I were discussing the situation in our after-cabin. Had the slightest breeze been blowing at that moment, we might have fallen upon the six rebels left on board by surprise, weighed anchor, and put out to sea. But the wind was completely gone, and to make matters worse, Hunter soon arrived with the news that Hawkins had taken to one of the boats and gone with the expeditionaries to the island. It never occurred to us to question Hawkins’s loyalty, but we were alarmed for his life. In the excitement those men were in, it seemed to us that only chance could have caused them to be captured. We ran onto the deck. The heat was so great that the pitch between the planks was beginning to bubble and melt; the nauseating stench of the place made me truly ill, and if ever a man inhaled the germs of a thousand infectious diseases through his nose, it was certainly me in that abominable anchorage. The six vermin were sitting in the bow, grumbling in the shade of a sail. Toward the beach, we could see the boats tied up, and a man from Silver’s crew sitting in each of them. One of those two conspirators was amusing himself by whistling the Lilibullero. Waiting was madness, so we decided that Hunter and I would go ashore in the cool of the night to gather information and explore the area. The boats had leaned on their right sides, but Hunter and I rowed straight ahead in the direction of the stockade marked on our map. The sentries and keepers in the skiffs seemed somewhat disconcerted by our appearance. The Lilibullero ceased to be heard, and I could see the pair of jewels discussing what they should do. If they had gone off to warn Silver what was happening by abandoning their boats, things would obviously have happened very differently; but I suppose they had their orders, and in accordance with them, they decided to remain quietly where they were, and very soon we heard the music of Lilibullero begin again. There was a slight curve in the shore at that point, and I lost no time in rowing as hard as I could to put it between the men in the skiffs and us, so that before we reached the land we were out of sight of each other. I finally jumped onto the beach and ran as fast as I dared, spreading over my head a large white silk handkerchief to prevent sunstroke , and carrying a good pair of pistols, fully ready, as a precaution, against any surprise. I had not gone a hundred yards when I arrived at the stockade. This was what it was: a spring of clear, limpid water gushed out almost at the top of the hill; over this, and enclosing the spring, of course, a spacious hut of wooden poles had been improvised, so arranged as to contain about two score men in case of emergency, and with musket loopholes on all sides. Around this hut, a considerable space had been cleared, and, to complete the work, a fairly strong stockade had been erected, about six feet in height, without any door or passageway, strong enough to prevent it from being torn down without time and effort, but sufficiently open so that it could not serve as a parapet to the besiegers. Those in possession of the center hut could call themselves masters of the field and hunt down those outside like partridges. What was needed there was constant vigilance and provisions, because unless completely surprised, the besieged could hold their own very well against an entire regiment. What I then focused my attention on more particularly was the fountain, because although in our sterncastle on Hispaniola we had plenty of arms and ammunition, and an abundance of provisions and excellent wines, the truth is that we were already very short of one thing , and that was water. I was preoccupied with this thought when suddenly, from some point on the island, there distinctly reached my ears the supreme cry of a dying man. I served His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and was myself wounded at Fontenoy, but at that instant my pulse stopped, and I could not help being struck by this thought: “They’ve killed Hawkins!” To have been an old soldier is something, but to have been a doctor is even more so. One has no time for vacillations or useless things, so in an instant I formed my resolution, and without losing a second I returned to the beach and jumped back on board the serení. Fortunately, Hunter was a strong oarsman. We made our little boat, and very soon we were alongside the Hispaniola, aboard which we hastened. I found everyone in a state of excitement, as was natural. The Gentleman was sitting white as a sheet, lamenting, good heavens, the dangers into which he had brought us. One of the six men left on board was now better. “There’s a man,” said Captain Smollet, pointing towards him, “who is a novice in the work of these villains. He came here almost fainting when he heard that death-cry. With another turn of the capstan, we’ll have him with us, that’s certain.” I then explained my plan to Captain Smollet, and between us we arranged the details of its execution. We placed our old Redruth on the narrow gallery which, it will be remembered, was the only possible communication between the stern and the forecastle , giving him three or four loaded muskets and putting a mattress in the way of a barricade to protect him. Hunter brought the small boat so that it was positioned just under the stern port, and Joyce and I immediately set to work loading it with powder cans, muskets, bundles of biscuits, crackers, ham, a demijohn of cognac, and my invaluable surgical kit. Meanwhile, the Gentleman and the Captain remained on deck, and the latter made the following friendly and courteous request to the helmsman: “Friend Hands, here are two of us with two pistols each . If any of you six makes the slightest movement to approach us, he may be considered a man overboard. ” The men deliberated for a short time, and after their little council of war, one after another, they dropped down from the carriage below, doubtless thinking of taking us from the rear. But as soon as they found Redruth waiting for them, musket in hand, in the narrow connecting gallery, they again sought to resume their former position forward, and the head of one of them appeared on deck through a hatch. “Get down again, you pirate dog!” the captain shouted, “or I’ll blow your brains out!” The head sank back into the hatch as if by magic, and by then we heard nothing more from those wretches. Meanwhile, our light night-ship was already as loaded as was reasonable to carry. Joyce and I jumped through the stern porthole and rowed back toward the beach as fast as our strength allowed. This second trip had undoubtedly aroused the alarm of the watchmen in the skiffs. Lilibullero was again defeated, and just before we lost sight of them behind the small headland , one of them had already jumped ashore and quickly disappeared. I was then on the point of changing my tactics and going straight to their boats and destroying them, but I feared that Silver was too close with the rest, and in that case it was quite possible that everything would be lost through trying to do too much. We soon reached land again at the same place as on the preceding voyage. The three of us made the first portage from the boat to the cabin, well loaded, and deposited our arms and provisions there. We then left Joyce in the palisade, on guard to guard our store, and although it is true that he was entirely alone, he had half a dozen well- prepared muskets at his disposal. Hunter and I returned to the little boat again, reloaded as much as we could, and returned to the stockade. Thus we continued, almost breathless, until the entire cargo in the boat had been transferred to the cabin, where the two servants finally took up their positions, while I, with all my strength, rowed once more in the now light sea until we reached Hispaniola once more . Risking a second charge was, in reality, less daring and dangerous than it seemed. It is true that they had the advantage of numbers, but we had the advantage of weapons. None of the men on land had a musket, and so before they could have approached us within pistol shot, we would certainly have made short work of them. The Gentleman was watching me from the stern-port, his courage and spirits now restored. He took the line of the mooring-rope I threw him, fastened it above, and we began to make up a truly vital cargo for ourselves, consisting of meat, gunpowder, and biscuits, adding no more weapons than a musket and a saber each for the Gentleman, myself, Redruth, and the Captain. We threw the rest of the weapons and the powder into the water at a depth of two and a half fathoms, so that we could see the clean steel of the muskets gleaming in the sunlight far below on the clean, sandy bottom of the anchorage. At this time the tide was already beginning to fall, and the ship was beginning to roll around the anchor. We heard voices calling to each other, very far away and very faint, way in the direction of the skiffs, and although this reassured us for Joyce and Hunter, who apparently still remained unmolested in their eastern position, it nevertheless made us realize that we must hurry. Redruth then abandoned his woollen trench in the gallery and retreated to the boat with us. The little watchman, led by Captain Smollet himself, we circled the ship and took up position by the forward hatch. “Now, friends,” cried the Captain, “can you hear me?” Not a voice answered on deck. “It is you, Abraham Gray, I am speaking to!” The same silence as before. “Gray!” said the Captain again, in an even louder voice, “at this very moment I am leaving this ship, and as your Captain, I order you to follow me.” I know that you are, at heart, a good lad, and I even dare say that none of the six over there is as bad as he appears. Here is my open watch in my hand: I give you thirty seconds to join me. There was another silence. “Come quickly, my lad,” continued the Captain, “do not hesitate so long . I am here risking my life and the lives of these excellent gentlemen every second that passes.” Then there was the sudden sound of a quarrel, the sound of blows exchanged, and in a few seconds Abraham Gray appeared at the port, with a knife wound in one of his cheeks, but running as quickly to the Captain’s call as a dog might come to its master’s whistle. “I am with you, my Captain!” said that loyal lad. A moment later, with Gray now on board, we had pushed our little boat back towards the beach. And it is true that we were now off the dangerous schooner, but alas! We were not yet on land, within the walls of the stockade. Chapter 17. THE DOCTOR, CONTINUING THE NARRATIVE, DESCRIBES THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE SERENÍ. This fifth voyage, however, was quite different from the preceding ones. In the first place, that little nutshell in which we traveled was over- laden. Five men, of whom Redruth, the Captain, and Trelawney were over six feet tall, was more than our little boat could rationally and comfortably carry. Add to this the gunpowder, the weapons, and the provisions, and it will be understood that the serení rolled in a disquieting manner, occasionally taking in water at the stern, to such an extent that we had not yet gone a hundred yards when a good part of my clothes were already soaked to the point of exhaustion. The Captain made us rig the boat so that the weight was distributed more evenly, which we hastened to do, managing to balance it a little better. But even so, we still felt the fear, not entirely unfounded, of capsizing. Secondly, the ebb tide was producing, at that time, a strong current of waves in a westerly direction, crossing the roadstead and immediately moving south, towards the sea, through the strait that bordered us. had made the passage in the morning to the anchorage. The waves in themselves were a danger to our overloaded skiff, but worse than that, the current was carrying us out of our way and far from the place on the beach where we were to land, behind the point I have already mentioned. If we allowed the current to do its work, the result would be that we would soon be on land, it is true, but right alongside the pirates’ skiffs , who perhaps would not be long in appearing. “I can’t steer our course towards the stockade, Captain,” I said , sitting at the wheel, while he and Redruth, who were on refreshment, held the oars. The tide is constantly pushing us under ; couldn’t you row a little harder? ” “Not without sinking the boat,” he replied. “Hold the rudder still until you see that we are gaining the way.” I did as I was directed, and soon saw that, although the tide continued to push us westward, we soon managed to right the boat’s bow eastward, following a line that marked a right angle to the course we were to take. “This way we shall never touch land,” I said. ” If we have no other course open but this, we can do nothing but follow it at random,” replied the Captain. ” We must go against the current of the falling tide. You see, then, that if we continued along to leeward of our landing-place, it would be very difficult to say where we were going to touch land; this is without taking into account the immediate possibility of being boarded by Silver’s boats, whereas, in the course we are on, the current may soon slacken, and then we shall be able to turn straight for the beach. ” “The current has abated considerably now, sir,” said Gray, who was sitting towards the bow. You can have us tack a little.’ ‘Thank you, lad,’ I replied, as if nothing had happened, since we had all tacitly resolved to treat him immediately as one of our own. Suddenly the Captain spoke again, and I noticed a perceptible change in his voice. ‘And the cannon?’ he said. ‘I was already thinking of that,’ I replied, certain that he was referring to the possibility of our redoubt being bombarded. ‘Don’t you think they’ll be able to get the cannon down on land, and even if they did, they’d never be able to bring it up through the hills. ‘ ‘Well, look aft, Doctor,’ replied the Captain. I turned my head… The truth is, we had completely forgotten our piece of artillery on the schooner, and hence our horror when we heard that the five bandits were busily engaged in stripping it of what they called “the jacket,” that is, the thick tarred hemp coat with which we kept it wrapped during the voyage. That was not all, but I immediately remembered that the balls and gunpowder for the piece had been left on board in a crate, so that our enemies needed only a blow with an axe to take possession of those terrible munitions of war. This forgetfulness could only be excused by the haste with which we were forced to evacuate the vessel, but unfortunately it was inevitable. “Israel Hands was Flint’s gunner,” Gray said in a hoarse voice. ” I had no other recourse, then, than, at all costs, to resolutely head for land.” By this time, fortunately for us, the current was so far behind us that it was easy for us to steer toward the beach along a path as straight as our keel, despite the necessarily weak thrust the oars gave our boat. It was no longer difficult for me to steer straight toward the goal. But the worst part was that in the direction we were going, we did not present our stern to the Hispaniola, but rather a broadside, offering a target of such size to its shot that it seemed impossible to miss its aim. It was easy for me to see and hear that rascal Hands with his drunken face. customary, arranging a cartridge for the cannon on deck. “Who’s the best shot here?” asked the Captain. “Mr. Trelawney, here and wherever you like,” I replied. “Well then, Mr. Trelawney, will you do me the favor of getting one of those rascals out of my way?” “Hands, by all means, if possible,” said the Captain. Trelawney was as cool as steel; without a word, he readied his weapon. “Now,” said the Captain, “be very careful. Fire your weapon without making a movement, or else we’ll all go down. Everybody ready to balance if the boat capsizes under the shot!” The Gentleman raised his weapon, and the oars ceased to cut the water. We all leaned to the opposite side to maintain our balance, and everything was executed with such success that we did not get a single drop of liquid into the boat . At this instant our enemies had their piece mounted and ready, and Hands, who stood at the mouth, with the broom in his hand, was the most exposed of all. However, we were not fortunate, for precisely at the moment when, now sure of his aim, Trelawney fired, the cunning helmsman bent forward as quick as a thought, and the ball whizzing over him struck another of the four pirates, who instantly fell. The cry he uttered was echoed not only by his companions next door but by many other voices from the beach. I looked in this direction and noticed that all the other pirates were coming out of the trees at that moment and hurrying to take their places in the skiffs. “The boats are coming now, gentlemen,” I said. “Put on straight ahead, then,” cried the Captain. “Now there’s no more fear of capsizing; keep to the oars!” If we can’t get ashore, it’s all over for us. “They’ve only manned one of the boats, Captain,” I added. “The men in the other are probably going overland to cut us off. ” “The heat is excessive, and the distance isn’t so short that they’ll easily accomplish it,” replied the Captain. “Sailors on land aren’t very formidable. What worries me is the shot they’re going to throw at us from on board. Thunder and lightning! Our flank is such that a bigwig could pass a bullet through our eye without missing. Mr. Trelawney, let us know as soon as you see the scuttle lit, and we’ll row astern. ” In the meantime, we had been going straight ahead at a pace that was quite rapid for a skiff as loaded as our night watchman, and very little water had entered us. We were now within a few fathoms of the shore; A few more strokes of the oar and we could finally land, because the ebb tide had just revealed a strip of sand below a clump of trees on the shore. The skiff that had been chasing us could no longer harm us; the ebb tide that had held us back for so long was now compensating us by halting our pursuers. The only danger lay in the canyon. “If I dared,” said the Captain, “we would gladly halt and hunt down another of those bandits.” It was clear, however, that they were thinking of nothing but prolonging their fire any longer. They had not even taken the slightest notice of their fallen comrade, who, however, was not dead but merely wounded, and whom I watched as he tried to drag himself to one side. “The stern!” cried the Cavalier. “Pull aft!” cried the Captain, swift as an echo. He and Redruth immediately made a counter-ramp, but with such vigor that the whole stern of the night-boat sank into the water. At the same instant the gun thundered, and its report was the first thing Jim heard, the sound of Trelawney’s shot not having reached him from the distance. Where the ball passed, none of us knew precisely, but I suppose it must have been over our heads, and that the wind from it must have contributed to our disaster. Our boat had gone down by the stern, as I have said, with the greatest ease, in a depth of three feet of water, leaving us on the The Captain and I stood facing each other, while the remaining three, who had bent down to avoid the stone-thrower’s bullet as much as possible, emerged from the water soaked and dripping from head to toe. Even so, the damage wasn’t so great. None of us had perished , and from there we could walk on foot through the water, the few fathoms that separated us from the beach. The trouble was that our provisions were in the bottom of the skiff, and of the five muskets we had put in it, only two remained dry and serviceable: mine , which I had taken from my knees and raised with a quick, instinctive movement; and the Captain’s, which he carried over his shoulder and, as an experienced man, had taken the greatest care of his weapon. The rest were now lying underwater with the boat. To add to our distress, we heard voices approaching through the woods along the beach. Thus, not only did we now feel the danger of being cut off from our stronghold in that state of semi-catastrophe and defeat, but we were also spurred on by the fear that if Hunter and Joyce were attacked by half a dozen men, they might not have the courage and good sense to stand firm on the defensive. Hunter was a man of firmness and heart: this we knew well; but with Joyce, the case was quite different, and quite doubtful. Joyce was a very pleasant footman, of very fine manners, and excellent at cleaning a pair of boots or brushing a garment, but the truth is that we did not know him to be the size of a man of arms. All this, as I have said, urged us to reach dry land as quickly as possible, leaving to his fate the poor night watchman who, to our misfortune, had stowed in his back something like half of our gunpowder and provisions. Chapter 18. IN WHICH THE DOCTOR RELATES HOW THE FIRST DAY OF FIGHTING CONCLUDED. Once ashore, we made all the haste we could to cross the stretch of wood that separated us from our stronghold. With every step we took, the voices of the pirates coming along the beach reached our ears more and more distinctly. Very soon it was easy to distinguish the sound of their hurried footsteps, and the crackling of the branches of the bushes through whose thickets they were forcing their way. I then began to believe that this was serious, and even called for the safety of my musket. “Captain,” I said, “Mr. Trelawney is the most unerring shot among us; give him your musket, for his is useless.” Without replying, they quickly exchanged weapons, and Trelawney, silent and cold as he had been since the beginning of the battle, paused for a moment to satisfy himself that his weapon was ready for immediate service. At the same moment, noticing that Gray was unarmed, I handed him my knife. We were greatly encouraged by the sight of the boy spit in his hand, roll up his shirtsleeves, take hold of the weapon, and make it whirl, brandishing it in the air. It was immediately evident that our new ally was a real sailor. About forty paces after this rapid halt, we reached the edge of the wood and saw the stockade before us. We rushed towards it, entering its enclosure from the south side, whose palisade we jumped as quickly as lightning, and almost at the same instant seven of the mutineers, with Job Anderson, the boatswain, at their head, appeared on the southwest side uttering tremendous yells. They paused for a moment upon reaching there, as if they felt themselves caught from behind, but before they had time to recover from their surprise, not only Trelawney and I, but Hunter and Joyce as well, had time to open fire from the redoubt. The four shots did not ring out in a perfectly simultaneous volley, but they had their effect nonetheless. One of the enemy fell dead, and the rest, without further hesitation, turned their backs and took cover behind the trees. After reloading our weapons, we went outside the stockade to examine the enemy who had fallen. He was dead, and very dead, with his heart pierced through and through. We were just beginning to congratulate ourselves on our good fortune when, at that very moment, a report from a pistol was heard in the nearest bush ; the ball whistled past my ear, and poor Tom Redruth staggered and fell full length to the ground. Both the Gentleman and I returned fire, but as we had nothing to aim at, it is very likely that we only wasted our powder. We reloaded and then turned to look at poor Tom. The Captain and Gray were already examining him, and as for me, the first glance alone was enough to understand that there was no remedy. I believe that the promptness with which we responded to their shot dispersed the rebels once more, for although we were in the open, they no longer attacked us while we were trying to hoist the poor gamekeeper into the stockade and carry him, groaning and bleeding, into the hut. Poor old man! Not a word of surprise, complaint, or fear, nor even of sorrow, had passed from his lips from the moment our troubles had begun until that moment when we laid him down there, in the center of our redoubt, to die. Like a true Trojan, he had remained vigilant and motionless behind his mattress in the gallery; whatever orders had been given him, he had obeyed silently, with the docility of a dog, and very well, indeed. He was the oldest of all those in our camp, at least twenty years older than the oldest; And now, that taciturn, obliging old servant was lying there, close to the grave. The Chevalier threw himself almost beside him on his knees, and kissed his hand, weeping like a child. “Do you think I’m going away, Doctor?” asked the dying man. “Tom, my boy,” I answered, “you are going back to your true country. ” “I am very sorry,” replied the dying man, “that I did not give those rascals a lesson with my musket before. ” “Tom,” cried the Chevalier, quite moved; “Tom, tell me you forgive me, is it not true? ” “Sir,” was his reply, “do you not think that would seem to show you little respect? But let it be as you ask—yes, sir, with all my heart.” A short silence followed, after which he murmured that he wished someone would say a prayer near his bedside, adding in a simple tone, as if apologizing for his boldness. “I believe that is the custom—is it not?” Then followed a very short agony; and without uttering another word, Redruth’s soul departed this world. Meanwhile, the Captain, whose purses and breast I had seen extremely swollen during the voyage, was taking out a whole store of articles: an English flag, a Bible, a bundle of rather strong rope, quills, ink, the ship’s log, and a few pounds of tobacco. A long, dressed fir log had been found in our stockade, which, with Hunter’s help , he lifted and placed in the corner of the cabin where the logs crossed. Immediately afterwards, climbing swiftly onto the roof of the redoubt, he placed with his own hand and hoisted high the flag of our country. This operation seemed to relieve him of a great burden. He immediately re-entered the cabin and, as if nothing had happened, calmly began to count our war and food provisions. However, he did not fail to look surreptitiously at the side of poor Tom Redruth, who was dying, and so, no sooner had he breathed than he approached with another flag and reverently unfurled it over the corpse. Then, manfully shaking the Gentleman’s hand, he said: “There is no need to worry, sir. All fear is in vain when it comes to the soul of a loyal man, who has succumbed in the fulfillment of his duty to his Captain and with his master. It would be an insult to Divinity to believe otherwise. Having said this, he took me aside and said: “In how many weeks do you and the Chevalier expect the ship Blandy is sending to arrive? ” “It’s not a question of weeks, but of months,” I replied. “If we are not back by the end of August, Blandy will send for us, but not before or after that time. You can calculate for yourself. ” “I believe so,” he replied, scratching his head in a very significant manner. “So, not without giving Providence a good portion of thanks for all its benefits, I must say that we have not been any the less unfortunate for that. ” “What do you mean by that?” I asked him. “I mean,” he replied, “that it’s a pity we lost that second shipment of the little boat. As for gunpowder and bullets, we have plenty.” But as for provisions, we are short, very short; so short, Doctor, that perhaps it is a good thing to have that one less mouth. And as he said this, he pointed to the corpse lying covered with the English flag as a shroud. At that same instant, the thunder and the whistle of a cannonball were heard , which grazed the roof of our redoubt and went to bury itself among the trees of the forest. “Aha!” said the Captain. “We have a salvo! Those boys have little powder enough to waste it so foolishly. ” A second shot delivered its ball with better aim, for the projectile penetrated the inside of the palisade, raising a cloud of sand, but without causing us the slightest damage. “Captain,” said the Gentleman, “I am certain that our redoubt, in itself, is entirely invisible from the ship.” I believe, therefore, that it’s the flag they’re using as a target… don’t you think it would be more prudent to bring it in here? “Lower my flag? Never!” exclaimed the Captain. We all immediately agreed with him, because this not only had a martial, naval, and imposing appearance, but also implied sound policy, which was to show our enemies that we didn’t care a fig for their cannon fire. All afternoon they continued their fire. Ball after ball came; some passed over the roof, others fell to one side, others entered the palisade, clearing the sand on the floor. But since they had to aim from a very high sight, their shots only managed to find burial in the soft sand of the hill. We had no ricochets to fear, and although a ball entered the cabin through the roof and then came out again through the side, we soon grew accustomed to this sort of practical joke and took no more notice of it than we would have taken notice of a round of vilorta. “I have a good idea,” said the Captain. “The woods in front of us are quite clear; the tide has left a goodly dry area, and by this time our stores will probably be exposed. I think if some of our men would volunteer to make a little sortie for that purpose, we might recover some of our salted meat.” Gray and Hunter immediately volunteered, and, well armed, cleared the stockade. Their mission, however, was useless. The rebels were either more intrepid than we believed, or they had more faith in their gunner Hands than was deserved, for the fact is that already five or six of them were busily engaged in hauling our stores out of the bottom of the moor and conveying them into one of their skiffs, which lay close by, and was held upstream by the steady work of an oar. Silver was in the stern in command of operations, and every one of his men was already provided with his proper musket, taken from some hidden arsenal of their own. The Captain sat down to write in his log, and here is the beginning of what he recorded in it: Alexander Smollet, Captain; David Livesey, ship’s surgeon; Abraham Gray, schooner’s carpenter; John Trelawney, proprietor; John Hunter and Richard Joyce, servants to the proprietor, who are not seamen; these are Those who remain loyal of all the people embarked on board the Hispaniola; we have provisions for ten days on short rations; we have landed today and immediately hoisted the English flag on the stockade or redoubt we found on this Treasure Island. Tom Redruth, another servant of the proprietor, has been killed by the rebels. James Hawkins, page of the chamber… At this moment I was lamenting the sad fate and disastrous end of poor Hawkins, when we heard some shouts and calls from the landward side. “Someone is calling for us this way,” said Hunter, who was on sentry. “Doctor! Sir! Captain! Hello! Is that you Hunter? ” came the shouts. I ran to the door of the cabin and arrived in time to see Jim Hawkins again, safe and sound, just then crossing the stockade. Chapter 19. THE FIRST NARRATOR TAKES THE FLOOR AGAIN–THE GARRISON OF THE STOCKHOLE. No sooner had Ben Gunn seen the flag than he halted, took me by the arm to stop me, and sat down. “Ah! for now, Jim, there are your friends, I’m sure of it . ” “I rather think they’re the rebels,” I replied. “Oh, no!” he said. “Do you think that in a place like this, where only pirates board, Silver would come and fly the English flag? Not in the least! They’re your friends, Jim, don’t you doubt it. Besides, there’s been a fight already, and I suspect yours have had the better of it, and now you’ve got them installed in that stockade and redoubt that was built years and years ago by Captain Flint. Ah! you can believe that Captain Flint was a man who knew what he was doing.” Apart from his drunkenness, he was a man who never betrayed his game. He was afraid of no one—no one but Silver. Silver can boast of that. “Well, since this is so, as I believe it is, all the more reason for me to hurry back to my friends. ” “As you wish,” he replied. “You are a good fellow, or I am mistaken, but a boy only, and that says it all. As for Ben Gunn, he’s running away. Not a glass of rum could entice me enough to go there, not even rum, no! Not until I see your Knight of birth and give him that on his word of honor. But mark my words—the precious gift of his trust—that is what you must tell him—the precious gift of his trust—and in saying this, you give him the pinch you know about.” And adding action to word, he pinched me for the third time , with the same air of intimate confidence as before. “So, when Ben Gunn is needed, you know where to find him, Jim: right in the place you saw me today. Whoever comes looking for me should carry a white cloth in their hand as a sign, and they should go alone, entirely alone. For this, you will add, Ben Gunn has his very special good reasons. ” “Very well,” I said; I think I understand. You have something to propose and you wish to see either the Gentleman or the Doctor, for which you can be found in the same place where I found you today. Is that all? ” “At what time? You also want to know what time, don’t you? Well , I’ll be there every day from noon until six in the evening. ” “Understanding,” I replied, “now don’t you think we ought to say goodbye?” “Yes; but look… be careful not to forget those words: _the precious gift of your confidence_ and the others about _your very special good reasons_ .” “Now this is very essential… _very particular reasons_, eh? Like man to man!” And without letting go of my arm yet, he added: “I think you can go now, Jim… But listen to me… if by misfortune you were to run into Silver now, isn’t it true that not even wild horses would wring you out of me to confess what I’ve told you?… Is n’t it?… Ah! Well!… But, what if the pirates camp on land tonight , Jim, can’t we hope that by tomorrow they’ll be a little less savage?” Upon arriving here, it was interrupted by a loud report, and a ball from the ship’s quarryman came ricocheting among the trees and buried itself in the sand less than a hundred yards from where we were talking. Without waiting for more, that was like the signal for our farewell, and each of us broke off in the opposite direction. For the space of nearly an hour, frequent shots continued to shake the island, and the balls continued to break and splinter the trees of the forest. I was approaching from hiding place to hiding place, to avoid this kind of pursuit of terrifying projectiles; but as the bombardment was coming to an end, although I still did not dare to openly enter the stockade, into whose enclosure I saw the balls falling more frequently, I had already begun to gain more courage, and after a considerable circuit to the east, I managed to slip among the trees on the beach and lay down there to observe. The sun had just set; The sea breeze rustled and fluttered through the forest branches, ruffling the brown surface of the water in the anchorage. The reflection was already very far away, and large sections of beach appeared uncovered. The air, after the terrible heat of the day, was more than fresh, and I felt myself shivering through my doublet. The Hispaniola still lay at anchor in the same place where we had anchored that morning; only from the top of her mainmast , it was no longer the British Union Jack, but the sinister ensign of the pirates. From my hiding place, I could see a new light flash on board and heard a new report, while another ball whizzed through the wind, while the echoes still repeated the thunder of the shot. That, however, was the last of the cannonade. I remained for some time at my vantage point, taking in the commotion and uproar that followed the attack. Some of the pirates were engaged in hacking something to pieces with axes on the beach not far from the stockade: it was none other than the poor night watchman, as I later discovered. Farther off, near the mouth of the stream, the glow of a good fire could be seen glimmering among the trees, and between that spot and the ship, one of the skiffs was cruising back and forth, its oarsmen, whom I had seen a little while before, sullen and threatening, now singing and whistling like children, though it is true that their voices had an accent that betrayed the Rom from a mile away. I decided, at last, that I could and should return to the stockade. I had positioned myself far below on the sandy point that enclosed the anchorage to the east and is connected to Skeleton Island by a very shallow strip of water. As I stood up, my eyes fell upon an isolated rock some distance below the point, rising quite high among the bushes and of a remarkable white color. It immediately occurred to me that this must be the “White Rock” Ben Gunn had told me about, and that if one day or another we needed a boat, it would be an advantage to know where we could go to get it. I then slipped into the woods until I was back behind our rampart; I climbed it, entered, and was cordially greeted by that loyal and brave group. I soon finished relating my adventure and began to look around me to get a sense of our position. The redoubt was built of unsquared pine logs, the roof, walls, and floor. The latter rose, in some places, a foot or a foot and a half above the surface of the sand. A small portal or vestibule had been formed in the doorway, beneath which the fountain gushed forth, spewing its crystalline waters into an artificial basin of very strange design, which was nothing more than a large iron cauldron taken from some ship, with the bottom torn out and embedded there in the sand. There was very little in that enclosure, except the actual work of the house; in one corner a large smooth stone, placed there to serve as a hearth or brazier, and a crude iron basket to contain the fire and place it on the stone. The slopes of the hill and the entire interior of the palisade had been cleared of trees that had been used in the construction of the house and the outer palisade. From the trunks still sticking out of the ground, one could see what a magnificent forest had been felled for the erection of this redoubt. All the debris and branches had been thrown far away or buried in some hedge after the timbers had been moved. The only vegetation that remained there was a bed of moss where the water from the fountain ran, escaping from its crude iron basin, and on either side of the stream, a few ferns, creeping brambles, and tiny bushes, painfully emerging from the sand. Very close to the stockade—too close to serve as a defense, as I heard—the forest still extended, dense and high, all fir on the landward side and mingled with a great number of arborvitae on the seaward side. The cold night breeze, of which I have spoken before, whistled through every opening of the rustic and primitive building and brought down upon the floor a continual shower of the finest sand. We had sand in our eyes, sand in our teeth, sand in our ears, sand in our supper, and sand swirling about in the hollow cauldron of the little fountain, which was like a large kettle, on the point of boiling. Our chimney was limited to a square hole in the roof, and only a very small part of the smoke managed to escape through it, while all the rest remained fluttering about the room, making us cough profusely and forcing us to wipe our weeping eyes every moment. Add to this that Gray, our new ally, had his face almost covered with a large bandage, owing to a wound he had received on board the ship when he had broken away from the mutineers; and that poor Redruth still lay there, unburied, stiff and cold, along the wall, covered with the national flag. Had we been allowed to sit down and rest, it is clear that we would all have done so with our legs stretched out; but Captain Smollett was not the man for that. We were all summoned to his presence and divided into several factions: the Doctor, Gray, and myself in one party; the Gentleman, Hunter, and Joyce in another. Tired as we were, two of us were ordered to fetch firewood, two others to fix as best they could a grave for Redruth’s burial; the Doctor was appointed cook; I was posted as a sentry at the cabin door, and the Captain busied himself going from one to another, cheering our spirits and lending his material assistance wherever it was needed. From time to time, the Doctor would step out of his kitchen door for a moment to get some fresh air and rest his eyes, which were already bulging from the smoke, and each time he came to my guard post, he would address me a few words. On one of these occasions, he said to me: “That man Smollet is worth a lot more than I am.” And look, Jim, my saying so means a lot. Another time, he came up and was quiet for a little while. Then he turned his head and asked me: “Tell me, Jim, is this Ben Gunn really a man? ” “I can’t tell you, sir,” I replied. “At least, I doubt very much whether he’s in his right mind. ” “Well, if doubt is possible, then he’s certainly in his right mind,” replied the Doctor. You see, Jim, that a man who has been alone on a desert island for three years cannot possibly keep his reason as sound as you or I. That’s not possible in human nature. You say that what seemed most urgent to him was a piece of cheese? “Cheese, yes, sir,” I answered. “Very well; well, now see what it is to come swimming in plenty. You’ve seen my snuff-box, haven’t you? And you’ve never known me to take a powder before: the reason is that what I have in that box is precisely a piece of Parma cheese, a cheese made in Italy, and extraordinarily nutritious. Well then: that cheese is now for Ben Gunn. Before we sat down to supper, we buried old Tom’s body in a grave dug in the sand, around which we stood piously for some time, sad and worried, with our heads uncovered, cooled by the night breeze, in this solemn act. A good supply of firewood had been brought into the cabin, but not as much as the Captain desired, so when he had inspected it, he told us that he hoped the work would be recommenced in the morning , and with a little more diligence this time. When we had all taken our respective rations of bacon and drained a good jug of Cognac grog, the three leaders retired to a corner of the room to discuss the situation. We clearly saw that they had exhausted their imaginations in deciding what we would do, since our provisions were so scarce that in the end we would be forced to surrender long before even the shadow of relief could reach us. Thus, it was decided that our best hope was to try to kill as many pirates as we could until we forced them, either to strike the flag or finally to sail away with Hispaniola. From nineteen they were now reduced to fifteen, with two wounded, and at least one of them, the one who fell by the cannon, seriously injured. Every time we had a battle, we had to make good use of our gunpowder, taking great care not to risk our lives uselessly. We also had two magnificent allies: the Rom and the weather. As for the Rom, although we were more than half a mile away from the enemy, we could hear their uproar and their singing, which lasted well into the night. And as for the weather, the Doctor wagered his wig that, anchored where they were, near or nearly in the middle of the swamp, with no medicine available, at least half a dozen of them would be down with the fever within the week. “Therefore,” he added, “if they don’t kill us all at once, they’ll be damned if they pack themselves into the ship and sail off with a fresh breeze to pirate again in those good seas, for after all, our schooner is the ship that can serve them well. ” “It will be the first ship I ever lost in my life,” said Captain Smollett. “I was tired to death, as you may easily imagine, so that as soon as I was allowed to lie down to sleep, which wasn’t until I had been much disturbed, I fell into such a deep sleep that there wasn’t the least difference between me and a log. Everybody else had been up for a long time; They had already eaten their lunch, and brought in almost twice as much wood as had been hauled the night before, when I was aroused by a sudden uproar and an unusual commotion. “Flag of peace!” I heard someone say; and then, almost at once, I perceived that, with an exclamation of surprise, they added, “It is Silver himself!” At this, I jumped up, and, still rubbing my eyes, ran to one of the loopholes of the redoubt. Chapter 20. Silver’s Embassy. It was true! Two men were standing outside the stockade, one waving a white flag, and the other standing beside him with a calm air: this was none other than Silver himself. It was still quite early, and the morning was so cold as I never felt a colder outside of England, for a freezing wind practically penetrated to the marrow of my bones. The sky was clear, without a single cloud, and the treetops at that moment had the rosy tinge of morning. But the shallows where Silver and his companion were standing were still quite shaded, and they seemed buried up to their knees in a low mist that had drifted up from the swamp during the night. The cold north wind and the mist , existing at the same time, gave a very sad impression of the island . It was evident that this was a damp, swampy place. hot and unhealthy par excellence. “Everyone in!” cried the Captain; “I’ll wager ten to one that this involves some mischief.” Having said this, he called to the pirate: “Who’s there? Hold right there, or we’ll fire! ” “Flag of peace!” replied Silver. The Captain was stationed at the portcullis, carefully guarding against any stray shot should the pirates attempt such an action. He then turned to us and said: “Doctor, you stand watch on the north side, if you please. Jim, you go east. Gray, you go west. Eyes wide open : everyone to loaded guns. Quick, gentlemen, and watch! ” With this, he turned again to the rebels, shouting: “What are you doing here with your flag of peace?” To this interpellation it was the man waving the canvas who answered: “Sir, Captain Silver wishes to come on board to make propositions. ” “Captain Silver? I don’t know who he is, I don’t!” cried Captain Smollett. And I could hear him add to himself, in a lower voice: “Captain, eh? Damn! there are promotions in the career!” Silver then answered for himself: “It’s me, sir. Those poor fellows elected me their Captain after your desertion.” He emphasized the word desertion very clearly and went on without pausing: “We are determined to submit if we can get some accommodation, and nothing more. All I ask is your word, Captain Smollett, that you will let me walk safely out of that stockade, and one minute’s time to get out of range before a gun is fired.” “Well, listen here,” replied Captain Smollett, “I’m in no hurry or desire to talk to you. If you want to talk to me, you can come right in here. I don’t have to give my word to a man of your caliber; if there’s any hidden treachery in this, it’s bound to be on your side, and then God help you. ” “That’s enough for me, Captain,” replied John Silver in a satisfied tone. “Your word is more than enough. I know what a gentleman is; you can believe it.” Then we could see the man with the color trying to draw Silver back. This wasn’t very surprising, considering the chivalrous tone of the Captain’s reply. But Silver laughed in his face and, striking him on the shoulder, seemed to tell him that the idea of any fear or alarm was perfectly absurd. Then he advanced toward the palisade, threw his crutch across, and with great vigor and skill managed to clear the enclosure, leaping safely into the palisade enclosure . I must confess that what was happening at that moment attracted me too much to be of any use as a sentry. I had certainly already deserted my eastern embrasure, which the Captain had assigned me, and had slipped behind him, who had just sat down on the threshold of the gate, stoically crossing his legs, resting his head on one of his hands, and directing his gaze with the utmost indifference toward the fountain that bubbled and gurgled from the cauldron, before scampering away onto the sand. He also began to whistle the little tune of “Come, boys and girls!” It was a hell of a job for Silver to climb the side of the hill. The ruggedness of the surface, the trunks of the felled trees still clinging to each other, and the softness of the sand made him and his crutch seem to me like a ship tossing and turning among the waves without sails or rudder. But he endured it like a man, in silence, and finally arrived at the presence of the Captain, whom he greeted in the most courteous manner in the world. He had put on his best trappings: a large blue coat, covered with metal buttons, hung to his knees, and a beautiful braided hat sat on his head, tilted slightly back. “Well, my friend, are you here now?” said the Captain, raising his head. I think you may sit down. “Aren’t you going to see me in there?” said Silver, somewhat grumblingly. “This morning seems too cold for us to be sitting here on the sand. ” “Friend Silver,” replied the Captain, “if you had conducted yourself like an honest man, you would be sitting very comfortably in your galley by now. This is nothing but your own doing. As cook on my ship, which you were, you were treated as well as anyone could possibly want; as Captain Silver, that is to say, as a mutineer and pirate, you have the gallows in front of you. ” “Congratulations, Captain,” replied the cook , seating himself on the sand as directed. “You’ll have to give me your hand later to get up, that’s all. A fine place, indeed, you’ve found yourselves in! Ah! There’s Jim! Happy days to you, Hawkins! Doctor!” You too! I’m here at your command. Well, you’re all together, all like a family, so to speak, aren’t you? Friend, said the Captain, if you’ve come to say something, I think you’d do well to get it over with at once. You’re quite right, Captain Smollet, replied the pirate. Duty before everything else, no doubt about it. Well, let’s get to the point: yesterday you gave us a very good job; a very good job, I won’t deny it, sir. We’ve seen that some of you don’t mind carrying a fishing pole, by God they don’t! For that reason, I won’t try to hide the fact that some of my boys have been scared stiff ; perhaps they’re all in that situation; perhaps I’m not entirely sure myself, and that’s the reason you’ve got me here looking for a compromise. But know it well, Captain; This won’t happen twice, for God’s sake! We’ll have to take up sentry duty and not go too far in the matter of Rome. You may think we were nothing more than a piece of paper tossed in a whirlpool. But I’ll tell you, the truth is, I was quite in my right mind; I was as tired as a wheelbarrow, and if I had been called a second sooner, I would have had you in the act. He was still alive at that hour, very much alive, you can be sure of it. “Well?” said Captain Smollett, with the utmost calmness and composure in the world. Everything Silver said in his tangled, inextricable language was a veritable enigma to the Captain, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from the tone of his voice. As for me, I was beginning to have a suspicion. Ben Gunn’s last words came back to me, and I began to suppose that he might have paid a visit to the pirates as they sat around their fire, quite drunk, or nearly so, and I happily entertained the hope that perhaps we had, at that hour, but fourteen enemies to contend with. “Well,” replied Silver, “this is it: we want that treasure, and we shall have it; that’s our basis. You, in turn, can, without loss of time, secure your lives, I believe; that’s your basis. There is a map in your possession, is there not? ” “It may well be!” murmured the Captain. “Oh! It is, surely, I have no doubt about it,” replied Silver. “There’s no need to act mysterious with a man like me; it’s a perfectly useless ruse, you may believe it. What I mean is, we need that map.” For the rest, we’ve never thought of doing you the slightest harm, no sir! “My friend, that’s not the point,” the Captain interrupted him. “We know perfectly well what you were proposing to do, and the truth is that we couldn’t care less, because you can see that, for the moment, such plans are simply impossible.” And saying this, the Captain looked at his interlocutor with the utmost calmness and began to fill his pipe with tobacco. “If Gray could have…” Silver began. “An excused assumption,” the Captain interrupted. “Gray has told me nothing for the simple reason that I haven’t asked him anything. And what’s more, Rather than agree, I would rather see you, him, and this whole blessed island blown to pieces . That and nothing else, my friend, is what I think of your proposals. That whiff—pardon the word for the sake of accuracy—that whiff of ill humor from the Captain seemed to cool Silver considerably. A moment before, his words had already taken on a certain provocative tone, which ceased at that outburst as if by magic. “That’s enough!” he said. “I will have no more. I will not discuss what gentlemen like yourself consider to be within or outside the rules and spirit of true sailors. In the meantime, and since I see you about to light your pipe, I will take the liberty of doing the same.” Having said this, he filled his pipe and lit it. For a considerable time the two men sat in silence, calmly, now looking into each other’s eyes, now arranging their tobacco, now leaning forward to spit. “Let’s see then,” Silver summed up, “here’s the thing straight: You give us this map to use to find the treasure, and you stop shooting poor sailors and worrying your heads even in your sleep. You do this, and we give you one of two choices: either you come on board with us after the treasure has been shipped, and in that case, I’ll give you, on my word of honor, an affidavit—that is, I will land you safe and sound on an inhabited shore; or if this doesn’t suit you much, because some of my men are half-savages, or because I’m afraid of awakening old grudges, then damn it!” You may remain here, yes, gentlemen! We will divide the provisions with you legally and fairly, in proportion to what we are entitled to, so much each, and, as in the previous case, I give you my afilavis that I will send the first ship we find here to collect you. You will not say that this is mere talk; the truth is, you cannot expect anything better than what I propose. I hope, then,” and as he said this, he raised his voice considerably, that the whole crew—let us say—the whole crew of this redoubt will consider my words well, because what I have said for one, is said for all. Captain Smollett rose to his feet, knocked the ashes out of the bottom of his pipe, shaking it out in the palm of his hand, and then with all his former calmness questioned Silver thus: “Is that all? ” “Yes, by hell’s life, that’s my last word!” Refuse that, and you will hear nothing from me except the whizz of my musket balls. “Very well,” said the Captain. “Well, now listen to me. If you come here, one by one and unarmed, I promise to put you all in irons and manacles and take you to England for a proper trial. If my proposition does not suit you, my name is Alexander Smollet, my Sovereign’s flag is flying over this house, and I promise to send you and all your people to the tightest hells. You cannot and will not find any treasure. You cannot sail that schooner. You cannot beat us.” Gray, alone, was easily able to escape from the hands of five of your men. Your ship is as if in chains, Master Silver; You are as if stranded on a leeward beach, and you will soon realize it. So I will stay here after telling you what I have told you, which is, by the way, the last kind word you will ever hear from me, because, by the devil’s life, the first time I meet you again, Master Silver, I will put a bullet in your head; three and two make five. Get out of there. Get out of this place at once, hands folded, and get yourself ready.” Silver was, at that moment, the picture of rage. His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets with indignation. He shook the tobacco out of his pipe and then shouted: “Give me your hand so I can get up!” “Not at all!” replied the Captain. “Which of you will give me your hand?” he yelled at us. Not one of our ranks even stirred. Vomiting the most horrible blasphemies, he dragged himself along the sand until he came within reach of one of the pillars of the gateway, which he seized, and then was able to pull himself upright with his crutch. He walked at once, and with a contemptuous and insulting action, roared: “That’s what you’re worth! Before an hour has passed, I’ll have you boiling like burning punch on your stake. Laugh, laugh like a thousand devils! Before an hour has passed, you’ll be laughing in hell, and by that time those who have died will be able to call themselves the most fortunate.” With another terrible oath, he hobbled away, pointed to the sand in which he was burying himself, clambered up onto the palisade with the help of the man with the color, failing three or four times, and an instant later disappeared among the trees. Chapter 21. THE ATTACK. Silver had scarcely disappeared when the captain, who had been so closely following him, turned back into the redoubt, and with the exception of Gray, found none of us in our places. This was the first time I saw him truly angry. “To your stations!” he cried. And when we had all humbly gained our positions, he continued: “Gray! You shall have an honorable mention in the log today: you have done your duty like a good seaman. Mr. Trelawney, I am surprised at your conduct, Doctor. I thought you had once worn the King’s uniform. Is that how you served at Fontenoy, sir?” If that were the case, you would have been better off staying at home. The sentries commanded by the Doctor were already all in their embrasures; the other men were busy loading their weapons, all with their faces flushed, you may believe me, and, as the English saying goes, “with a flea in their ear.” The Captain watched them all for a moment in silence and then spoke thus: “My friends, I have just unloaded a veritable volley upon Silver. I have purposely put him on the point of boiling pitch, and so, as he himself has already announced, before an hour is up, we shall have to suffer boarding. They outnumber us, I need hardly remind you, but we are fighting under cover: a minute ago, perhaps I would have added, and with discipline. There is no doubt, therefore, that we can give them a good beating if you like.” Having said this, he walked along the ranks to make sure that everything was ready and in order. On the two narrowest sides, that is, at the ends of the cabin, facing east and west, there were only two loopholes; on the south side, where the gateway was, there were also only two, and five on the north wall. We had in all about twenty muskets for seven of us. The firewood had been arranged in four piles—let’s call them tables—one in the middle of each side, and on each of these tables were placed four well-loaded muskets, ready for the defenders of the redoubt to have at hand. In the center, the sabers were all lined up in order. “Extinguish the fire,” said the Captain. “The cold has passed, and it is not good for us to have smoke in our eyes.” The iron basket with its burning logs was carried by Mr. Trelawney himself outside the cabin, and the embers were extinguished with sand. “Hawkins hasn’t had his lunch yet,” continued the Captain. “Come, lad, take your leave and go back to your post and eat. Alive, alive, lad; you might need it before you can. You, Hunter, give everyone a good glass of cognac.” While this was being done, the Captain was completing his plan of defense in his mind. “Doctor, you will take your place at the door,” he continued. “Be careful not to expose yourself; keep under cover and fire through the gateway. Hunter, you take your place on the eastern side—there! Joyce, you on the other side, to the west. Mr. Trelawney, you are the best shot, and you will be He, assisted by Gray, entrusts us with the defense of this long northern flank , which has five embrasures. If we are in any danger, it lies at that point. If they were to manage to get up here and fire into the redoubt through our own embrasures, things would then begin to look grim. Hawkins, neither you nor I , I believe, are very skilled marksmen; therefore, we will remain with the riflemen engaged in loading the guns. As the Captain had said, the cold had already passed. As soon as the sun had let its rays pass over the treetops to us, it made itself felt in all its force on the unshaded parts and in an instant dissipated the mist of the swamp. Very soon the sand was already scorching hot, and the resin of the firs began to melt on the walls of the redoubt. We hung up our coats and doublets to one side, our shirts opened at the breasts, revealing our collars almost to our shoulders. In this position, each of us stood at attention , weapon in arm, at our post, with the double fever of heat and the most anxious expectation. More than an hour passed in this manner. “May lightning strike them!” said the Captain. “This is as heavy as a dead calm. Gray, whistle into the wind.” As if someone had heard the Captain’s wishes, at that very instant the first intelligence of the attack reached us. “Excuse me, Captain,” said Joyce; “if I discover any of them, shall I fire? ” “I have said as much before,” replied the Captain. “A thousand thanks, sir,” replied Joyce with the same calm courtesy. For a few moments nothing happened, but that short exchange had put us all on the alert, concentrating our whole lives on our ears and eyes. The riflemen still held their muskets; The Captain stood in the center of the redoubt, his lips tightly compressed and his brow furrowed. A few more seconds passed in this way until we suddenly heard Joyce ready his weapon and fire immediately. The echo of the report had not yet died away when we heard it repeated by shots that issued from outside, one after another, in a vigorous volley, on each of the four sides of the redoubt. Several balls struck the wall posts, but none penetrated. When the smoke had cleared, the stockade and the surrounding woods appeared as still and unoccupied as before: not a branch stirred; not the gleam of a single musket betrayed the presence of our adversaries. “Did you hit your man?” asked the Captain. “No, sir,” replied Joyce, “I think not. ” “Well, it could be done better than that, to tell the truth,” grumbled Captain Smollet. “Hawkins, reload that musket.” How many do you think there were on your side, Doctor? I can say that with absolute certainty: three shots were fired on this side. I saw the three bursts of flame, two of them very close together, and the other farther away, towards the west. Three! said the Captain. And how many on your side, Mr. Trelawney ? This question was not answered with such precision. According to the Gentleman, the shots fired on the north side were about seven, and eight or nine according to Gray’s reckoning. From the east and west sides only one shot had been fired. It was, therefore, beyond doubt that the attack was going to be made on the north side, and that on the three remaining sides we were only going to be bothered with a barrage of hostilities. However, Captain Smollett did not make the slightest change in his previous dispositions. If the rebels manage to overcome the stockade and take possession of some of our unoccupied loopholes, they will certainly shoot us with impunity like rats, within our own fortress. But we were not given much time for deliberation. Suddenly, with a loud cry of “Up!”, a small cloud of pirates leaped from the trees on the north side and rushed directly at the stockade. At the same instant, the skirmishers hidden in the woods They opened fire again, and a rifle ball whizzed through the gate and, striking the Doctor’s musket, literally shattered it to pieces. The assailants mounted the stockade like monkeys; Chevalier and Gray fired again and again, and three of their men fell, one within the wall of the stockade, and two outside it; though of the latter one appears to have been more shaken than wounded, for he was soon on his feet and disappeared in a twinkling among the trees. Two, then, had bitten the dust, one had fled, and four had already succeeded in gaining a firm foothold within our defensive enclosure; while , under the cover of the trees, seven or eight men, each evidently with a supply of several muskets, kept up a lively, though ineffective, fire against the walls of our redoubt. The four who had ventured upon the assault rushed straight upon the building, encouraging one another with shouts, and encouraged by the hurrahs of the marksmen in the woods. Several shots were fired upon them, but they moved with such rapidity, and such was the haste of our marksmen, that not a single ball found its mark. In a moment the four pirates had climbed the slope of the rise and were upon us. Job Anderson’s head appeared in the center embrasure, shouting in a voice like thunder, “Everyone at them! Everyone at them!” At the same instant, another pirate seized Hunter’s musket by the barrel and dealt the loyal man such a tremendous blow that he rolled senseless to the ground. Meanwhile, a third ran safely around the house and suddenly appeared in the doorway, falling upon the Doctor, knife in hand. Our position was completely changed. A moment before, we were fighting under cover and the enemy in the open; now we were the ones in the open and unable to return blow for blow. The interior of the redoubt was filled with smoke, to which circumstance we owed, in part, our relative salvation. Shouts, confusion, the flashes of firearms, reports, and a very long and perceptible wail all resounded deafeningly in my ears. “Out, boys, out!” shouted the Captain. “Fight in the open and get your knives on! ” I snatched a knife from the center, and someone, who was simultaneously grabbing another, cut me so hard across the knuckles I barely felt it. I dashed toward the door, stepping out into the sunlight. Someone, I don’t know who, was coming up behind me. In front of me, the Doctor pursued his assailant down the slope, and precisely at the moment my eyes met the group, the Doctor brought down a superb blow on his enemy, knocking him sprawling to the ground, a slash that bisected his face. “Surround the house, boys, surround the house!” shouted the Captain. Hearing this shout, I noticed, despite the general uproar, a very noticeable change in his voice. I obeyed like an automaton, turning to the east, my knife raised. But as I turned the corner of the redoubt, I found myself face to face with Anderson. The man roared like a wild beast, and his hammer was raised above his head, the blade glinting in the air in the sunlight. I had no time to feel afraid: the man had not yet brought his sword down upon me, when I instantly slipped on the slope and, losing my footing on the sand, rolled full length down the descent. When, having left the cabin by order of the Captain , I appeared at the door, I saw that the mutineers’ reserves were already trying to save the palisade to finish off us. A sailor wearing a red cap, who had put the knife between his teeth, had already managed to climb up and had one leg inside the palisade and the other outside. Now, My fall was so rapid that when I got back to my feet everything was still in the same position; the man with the red cap was still half in and half out, and another was just then poking his head above the ends of the posts. But quick as that moment had been, it was in it that the victory was decided in our favor. Gray, following me at three paces, had knocked the big boatswain to the ground before he had time to recover from having missed me. Another of them had been shot dead at the very moment he was about to fire through one of the loopholes, and was lying there, dying, with his pistol still smoking in his hands. The Doctor, as far as I could see, had made short work of a third with a magnificent cut. Of the four who had scaled the stockade, only one remained intact, and this one, having lost his knife in the fray, was already leaping back over the stockade to take cover from the death that was closing in on him. “Fire from within!” cried the Captain. “And you, lads, back into the redoubt !” But his order had no further effect: not a shot came from the loopholes, and the last of the assailants was able to escape unharmed and disappear with all the others into the woods. In three seconds, there was no trace of the assailants except the five who had fallen in the fray, of whom four lay inside and the fifth outside the walls of the stockade. The Doctor, Gray, and I ran with all our might to get to the cover of the stockade, for it was likely that the assailants would soon return from where they had left their muskets and open fire upon us once more . Our house, by this time, was quite clear of smoke, and we could see at a glance the price at which we had purchased victory. Hunter lay senseless at the foot of his embrasure. Joyce, near him, with a bullet in his brain, lay also, never to stir again ; and in the middle of the enclosure, the Gentleman was supporting the Captain, each as pale as the other. “The Captain is wounded,” said Mr. Trelawney. “Have they run?” asked Captain Smollett. “They were missing their legs,” replied the Doctor. “But there are five of them who will never run again. ” “Five?” cried the Captain. “So much the better, come on! Five of them and three of us; that leaves nine to four. That is much less disproportionate than it was at first. We were seven to nineteen then; at least we thought so, which is almost as bad as it is in reality.” The rebels soon numbered no more than eight, for the man wounded by the Chevalier on board ship, with his shot fired from the watchtower, died that same night from his wounds. This, however , was not known in our redoubt until later. PART 5. _MY SEA ADVENTURE_. Chapter 22. HOW MY ADVENTURE BEGAN. The rebels never returned; not even one more shot came from among the trees. They had already received _their ration_ for that day, according to the Captain’s words, and we were therefore in possession of our redoubt, with time to care for and transport the wounded, and to prepare our meals. The Chevalier and I set up our kitchen outside despite the danger we were in, but even there we could hardly attend to what we had in hand because of the moans and lamentations that reached us from the Doctor’s patients. Of the eight people who had fallen during the battle, only three were still breathing: the pirate who was wounded near the gun port, Hunter, and Captain Smollet; and even of these, the first were almost dead. The rebel died, in fact, under the Doctor’s knife, and as for Hunter, despite all the efforts made to bring him back to his senses, he was no longer conscious of himself in this world: he agonized all day, breathing heavily and laboriously like the old pirate when He lay the victim of that terrible apoplectic fit; but the bones of his chest had been shattered by the blow, and his skull had been fractured by the fall. Therefore, when night came, without a voice or a shudder, he yielded his soul to his Maker. The Captain’s wounds were indeed severe, but not fatal. No organ had been mortally injured. Anderson’s bullet, which had struck him first, had broken the upper part of his shoulder and lightly touched one of his lungs. The second bullet had merely passed through his calf, tearing and dislocating several muscles. His recovery was certain, according to the Doctor, but in the meantime, for weeks to come, he was to neither walk nor move his arm, and even refrain from speaking as far as possible. My accidental cut across the knuckles was a trifling graze; The Doctor dressed me with some strips of plaster, and gave me a pat on the ear for having gotten off so well. When our meal was over, the Gentleman and the Doctor sat down in consultation by the Captain’s side, and when they had spoken all they had to say, and it being about noon, the Doctor took his hat, strapped his pistols to his belt, deposited Captain Flint’s letter in his pouch, and, shouldering a musket and a saber at his waist, crossed the stockade on the north side, and ventured vigorously into the midst of the trees. Gray and I were seated together at the opposite end of the redoubt, so as to be out of earshot of the conversation of our superiors in consultation. Gray took his pipe from his lips, and never remembered to carry it to them again; so astonished was he at what he saw. “By the devil!” he exclaimed, “has Doctor Livesey gone mad?” “No, I don’t think so,” I replied. “It seems to me that of all of us he is the least exposed to that accident. ” “Good heavens, my boy, if he isn’t, listen carefully to what I’m telling you, I must be! ” “It’s possible,” I replied. “The Doctor has his idea, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe he’s now going to look for Ben Gunn.” Events proved that I was right and rational. But meanwhile, as that redoubt was as hot as an oven, and the sand outside was as hot as a coal, with the midday sun, an idea began to stir in my head that couldn’t be described as rational or just, like the other one. What happened to me was that I began to envy the Doctor walking in the cool shade of the trees, surrounded by birds and inhaling the fresh smell of the pines; While I stood there roasting, my back pressed against those timbers, which saturated my clothing with their half-melted resin, surrounded by blood on all sides, amidst so many corpses lying around me, I thought about it so much that I ended by feeling a disgust for that place that was almost as strong as fear itself. All the time I was occupied in washing the inside of the redoubt and then putting the dishes in order for our meal, this disgust and this envy continued to increase more and more in my mind, until finally, finding a basket of bread at hand, and there being no one to observe me at that moment, I filled all my pockets with biscuits and with that took the first step on the road to my escape. I was a good fool, if you will, and certainly what I was about to do could only be described as madness and a reckless act, but I was fully determined to carry it out, taking all the precautions I could take. Those biscuits, in case anything happened to me, could feed me at least until the next day. After the biscuits, the next thing I seized was a pair of pistols, and as I already had a magazine and bullets, I felt sufficiently equipped with weapons. As for the project itself, as it was in my head, it seems to me that it was not altogether bad: I was going to look for, in the sandy division between the anchorage and the open sea, the White Rock I had seen the day before, and to ascertain whether or not it was the one that concealed Ben Gunn’s boat; a thing well worthy of execution, as it still seems to me today. But since I was assured that I would not be allowed to leave the confines of the stockade, my plan was reduced to taking my leave in the French manner and slipping out when no one could see me, which was in itself so bad as to make my whole thought reprehensible. But I was only a boy, and my resolution was well made up. Now, at length, things presented themselves to me in such a way that I found a wonderful opportunity for my purpose. The Chevalier and Gray were deeply engaged in arranging the Captain’s bandages; the coast was clear; I nimbly flung myself over the stockade, entered the thicket of trees, and before my absence could be noticed, I was already out of earshot of my companions. This was now my second folly, much worse than the first, since I had left only two men safe and sound in the house to guard it. But, like the first, this second act of mischief helped to save us all. I made a beeline straight for the eastern shore of the island, for my resolution was to reach the point on the seaward side, so as to avoid any chance of being observed from the anchorage. It was already quite late in the afternoon, but the sun was still shining, and the heat was still quite palpable. As I continued my journey, cutting through the tall, thick forest, I heard far ahead of me not only the continuous thunder of the surf, but also a certain rustling of leaves and creaking of branches, which showed me that the sea breeze had sprung up stronger than usual. Very soon, gusts of fresh air began to reach me, and within a few steps I found myself at the open edges of the woods. I could see the blue, sun-filled sea, reverberating from the shore to the distant horizon, while its waves murmured, cutting their capricious silhouettes of foam along the beach. I have never seen the sea so calm all around Treasure Island . The sun can throw down from above as much heat as possible; the atmosphere can be without a single gust of wind, and the distant surface of the waters smooth and blue; this will never prevent those great masses of foaming water from rolling along the entire coast, always thundering, thundering day and night, so that there will hardly be a place on the entire island where one can escape hearing that eternal murmur. I then followed the edge of the beach, marching along beside the surf, to my great delight, until, judging myself now quite far south , I re-entered the dense forest and cautiously wound my way toward the elevated point, the end of my journey. At my back was the sea, and in front of me was the anchorage. The sea breeze , as if it had spent all its force in the violent blast of a short while before, had now ceased, and was now succeeded by gentle currents of air whose direction varied from south to southeast, carrying with them great masses of fog. The anchorage, to leeward of Skeleton Island, remained as smooth and leaden as it had been when we entered it the previous morning . Hispaniola was entirely reproduced in that tranquil mirror, portraying her hull from the waterline to the mastheads from which the pirates’ flag flew. To one side was lying one of the skiffs, and Silver appeared beside one of the stern sails. I always recognized that man easily. Two of the rebels were leaning against the balustrade; one of them was the same man with the red cap whom I had seen a few hours before astride the palisade. Apparently, they did nothing but talk and laugh, although at the distance I was at—a little over a mile—he could not reach me, for Of course, not a single word of what they were talking about. At that instant, there suddenly began the most horrible and indescribable roar of screams , which at once alarmed me considerably, though afterwards, fortunately, I recognized the voice of Captain Flint, and even fancied I saw the bird itself, with its bright green plumage, hopping onto its master’s fist. A few moments later, I saw the skiff being propelled towards the beach by the man in the red cap and his companion, who had descended into it through the stern port. At the same time that this happened, the sun was sinking behind the summit of the Lookout, and as the mist was rapidly gathering, everything began to get very dark. I saw, therefore, that I had no time to lose if I was to find the boat that very afternoon. The White Rock, quite visible above the bushes, was still about an eighth of a mile away from me, towards the lower part of the Point, and so I dragged on a little longer before reaching it, having, at intervals, to march on all fours among the brambles and gorse. It was almost night when I laid my hands on its rough and jagged sides. Directly below, I perceived a small hollow of green turf, hidden by mounds of earth and a thicket of bushes no higher than knee-high, which grew abundantly there; and in the middle of the hollow, I had no doubt, was a small tent made of goatskins, such as the gypsies are in the habit of carrying with them in England. I slipped into the hollow, lifted one side of the tent, and there, sure enough, was Ben Gunn’s boat, a homemade manufacture if ever there was one. This was a rude structure of leathery wood, barely trimmed, with a goatskin stretched over it, the hair tucked in. This toy was extremely small, even for me, and I can hardly believe that it could have been kept afloat by a man of ordinary size. It included a rower’s bench as low as could be imagined, a sort of footrest toward the bow, and two paddles or oars for propulsion. Up to that day, I had never been able to see one of those entirely rudimentary and primitive boats used by the ancient Breton fishermen, and even apparently by the Egyptians, and which in ancient Britain were called coracles. But at that moment I had a real coracle in my presence, and I cannot give a better idea of it than by saying that it was, without a doubt, equal to the first and most imperfect floating device ever devised by man. But the truth is that, with all the defects of the coracle, it had, like the latter, the great advantage of being extremely light and portable. Now, it may be supposed that once I had found my boat, that was enough to satisfy me for my rascality for that occasion; but the fact is that, during that time, another idea had struck my imagination, and I became so fascinated by it that I fancy I would have carried it out in the very face of Captain Smollet. This idea was to venture in that boat, under the cover of night, sail smoothly over to the Hispaniola, cut the cable of her anchor, and let her lie upon the beach wherever her good or ill fortune might carry her. I had determined that, after the lesson the rebels had just received that day, they would probably find nothing better to do than to weigh anchor and launch the schooner into the sea. It seemed to me truly convenient and agreeable to prevent them from carrying out such a resolution, and I was confirmed in the practicability of my thought when I saw how they left the ship’s guardian, barricaded inside, without a single boat at his disposal. So I sat down to wait for darkness to become quite dense, and in the meantime I began to eat some of my biscuits with great appetite. That was a night, perhaps one in ten thousand, for me to carry out my purpose. The fog had completely buried the sky and the horizon. As the last rays of twilight disappeared, the Complete darkness had fallen upon Treasure Island. So, when I finally hoisted the little boat onto my back and clambered up as God helped me out of the hollow where I had just dined, there were only two visible points in the entire anchorage. One of them was the great bonfire lit on the beach, around which the defeated pirates were consoling themselves for their disaster in a tremendous drunken stupor on the edge of the reed bed. The other, which was nothing more than a reflection of opaque light barely breaking the darkness, indicated the position of the ship at anchor. The ebb tide had caused her to describe a complete semicircle around her mooring, so that at that moment her bow was turned toward me. The only lights on board were in the stern and in the cabin, so that the faint glow I saw was nothing more than the reflection, in the fog, of the strong rays of light that escaped from the stern window. The tide had been out for a long time, so I had to wade for a long way over marshy sand, into which I sank several times up to my calves, before I could reach the point where the water continued its retreating course. With some strength and no small skill, I waded through the sea as I had done on the beach, and happily launched my coracle keel down upon the shifting surface. Chapter 23. THE EBB RUNS. Ben Gunn’s skiff, as I had justly judged it beforehand , was a very safe boat for a person of my height and weight, and as light as it was buoyant in making her way through the sea; but she was, at the same time, the most intractable and disobedient little craft imaginable, as far as handling was concerned. No matter what one did, she always went sideways, to leeward, in preference to any other direction, so that always turning and turning was the maneuver that best suited her nature. I remember that Ben Gunn himself had told me that his boat was strange and difficult to handle until one got the hang of it. And the truth is that I did not know his way. In my hands, she went back and forth in every direction except the one I needed. Our almost constant progress was sideways, and I am sure that, were it not for the aid of the tide, I would never have succeeded in getting that little boat where I wanted. As luck would have it, no matter how hard I rowed, the ebb tide always dragged me down in the exact direction in which the Hispaniola lay anchored, from which, therefore , it was almost impossible to turn. At first, I saw nothing before me but a blur, blacker even than darkness itself; By and by, the hull, masts, and rigging began to take on a different shape before my eyes, and in a moment—which was no more, as the tidal current was carrying me ever more violently—my little boat was alongside the hawser, which I immediately seized. The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and the current was so strong that it held the schooner in a great tension on her anchor. Around the hull, the current seethed, sloshed, and, bubbling and murmuring, broke over the schooner’s sides, like a brook leaping down the sides of a mountain. I had nothing to do but cut that rope with my knife on board, and the Hispaniola would be whizzing down the stream. That was all very well; But just as I was about to complete my exploit, it suddenly occurred to me that a hawser suddenly cut off is as dangerous a thing as a kicking horse. The odds were ten to one that if I was rash enough to cut Hispaniola from her anchor, both my little vessel and I would have to pay dearly for our boldness, and almost certain shipwreck. This consideration stopped me immediately, and had not fortune once more favored me in a very particular manner, I should have been obliged to abandon my design altogether. But the gentle winds which had The wind, which had begun to blow from the southeast and south, had changed, after nightfall, to the southwest. Just while I was reflecting, a gust of wind came along and caught the schooner, driving her into the current. To my great delight, I felt the tension of the hawser, which I was still holding, decrease so much that for a moment the hand with which I held it was submerged in the water. This was enough to resolve me: I took out my knife, opened it with my teeth, and with the greatest precautions, I cut the strands of the rope one after another, until the schooner was held by only two. I then paused, waiting to cut these last two until the tension would be relieved again by another gust of wind. During all this time I had not ceased to hear voices coming from the after-cabin, rising to a fairly high pitch; But to tell the truth, my imagination was so preoccupied with other ideas that I had scarcely listened. But now, having much less to do, I began to pay more attention to what was being said. I could immediately recognize the voice of Coxswain Israel Hands, the former gunner of Captain Flint’s ship. The other was, of course, that of my acquaintance, the man in the red cap. They were both as drunk as skulkers, which did not prevent them from drinking further, for while I was listening, one of them, with a drunken cry, appeared at the stern-port and threw through it something that seemed to me to be an empty bottle. But they were not only drunk, but I could easily ascertain that they were in the middle of a brawl. The oaths fell like hailstones, and every moment such outbursts of anger were heard that it seemed to me that it was going to end in a fight. Yet, one after another of these explosions passed without further ado; the voices would return to a growl in a lower tone for some time, until the next crisis occurred and passed, like the preceding ones, without result. There, on the beach, the glow of the great campfire could still be distinguished, shining brightly through the trees on the shore. Someone among the pirates was singing an old and monotonous sea song, with a sigh and a trill at the end of each verse, and, as it seemed, with no possible ending except that of the singer’s patience. More than once during the voyage I heard this same refrain, of which I remembered these two lines: “There came on board but one living man, when they were seventy-five at the time of sailing. ” This seemed to me a very painful refrain appropriate to a crew like ours, who had just suffered such cruel losses on the very morning of that day. But, in truth, what I saw for myself confirmed my belief that those filibusters were as insensitive as the sea they sailed on. The gust of breeze I had been expecting finally arrived; the schooner listed a little and came closer to me in the darkness. Once again I felt the hawser loosen in my hand, and with a good, though painful, effort I cut the last fibers that still held the Hispaniola. The breeze’s action on my little vessel was almost imperceptible, but this did not prevent me from feeling myself dragged against the schooner’s bow almost immediately . But, now freed from her bonds, the Hispaniola began to turn on her own axis, slowly turning across the current. I worked like a fury, for at every moment I expected to be submerged, and as soon as I saw that it was impossible for me to steer my little boat so as to safely escape the circle described by the schooner, I preferred to push it straight towards the stern. Finally, I was free from the reach of my dangerous neighbor, but at the very moment I gave my coracle its last push, my hands came across a light rope that the schooner was dragging astern, over the side of the stern. Quickly and instinctively, I seized it. What dictated that movement? I would find it very difficult to explain: it was, as I said before, an act of mere instinct. But no sooner had I got my hands on that rope and made sure it was securely fastened at the top than curiosity began to overcome all other feelings, and I determined to satisfy it by glancing into the ship through the stern porthole. I advanced one hand and then the other along the rope, and when I believed myself a good distance away, not without immense danger, I carefully hauled myself up to a height almost twice my body elevation, which enabled me to survey the roof and part of the interior of the cabin. At this point, both the schooner and its microscopic appendage were already skimming fairly rapidly through the water, and there was no doubt that we were level with the pirates’ camp. The ship, as the sailors say, was talking loudly, treading on the countless spurs, with an incessant and disorderly rolling. I had scarcely seen through the porthole when I understood why this strange rolling had not caused any alarm to the schooner’s watchmen. A glance was enough to explain it to me, and I must add that a glance was all I dared to venture from that uncertain position. What I saw was that Hands and his companion were locked together, engaged in a bitter struggle, each with his hand at the throat of his adversary. I slid back onto the crossbar of my boat, and it was time, for a second more delay would have made it a man overboard without fail. I could see nothing at the moment except those two horrible faces, purple with fury, twisting into abominable gestures beneath the smoky lamp; so I was forced to close my eyes and accustom them to the darkness for a while. While this was happening, the ballad sung in the camp, which threatened to last forever, had already ended, and the well-groomed company of pirates, gathered around the fire, were now breaking out in that familiar chorus: “There are fifteen who want that dead man’s chest!” ” There are fifteen yo-ho-ho! There are fifteen, long live the Rom!” ” The devil and the drink did the rest.” “The devil , yo-ho-ho! The devil, long live the Rom!” ” Just so,” I thought, at that very hour, “how busy the drink and the devil were in the cabin of Hispaniola!” At this point, I was greatly surprised to feel my skiff suddenly founder; it jerked sharply and seemed to change direction. At the same time, I noticed that the speed of our progress was strangely increasing. The shock had forced me to open my eyes. All around me, I noticed small swellings of the water, which were becoming numb, accompanied by a sharp, harsh sound and exhibiting phosphorescent reflections. The Hispaniola herself, in whose wake I was being dragged a few yards away, seemed to me to stagger in her course, and that her masts and rigging were leaning a little to one side against the blackness of the night. Moreover , upon closer examination, I had no doubt that the schooner was rolling southward. I glanced quickly over my shoulder, and my heart leaped terribly with terror. There, just behind me, could be seen the glow of the campfire. The current had turned at right angles, sweeping with it in its rapid course both the tall vessel and the tiny, dancing coracle. And every instant its velocity increased, and every time its bubbles rose higher and higher, every time murmuring faster and faster, it ran and ran, moving away through the strait to engulf itself in the open sea. Suddenly the schooner in front of me gave a violent yawing, turning perhaps twenty degrees, and almost at once exclamations were heard on board, one after another, and then the sound of hurried feet on the coach’s ladder. It was, then, evident that the two drunkards had finally realized the disaster that interrupted their quarrel and brought them back to reality. I then lay face down in the bottom of my boat and truly commended my soul to God, for I believed my last moment had arrived. I considered it inevitable that, upon exiting the strait, we would run aground on some reef or crash against some raging breakers, where all my troubles would soon find an end. But although death itself did not terrify me so much, it was impossible for me to contemplate with serenity the kind of capital execution that was approaching every moment. In that position I must have remained for hours on end, tossed to and fro on the high waves, occasionally wetted by the foam that flew in flakes, and constantly believing that at the first plunge death awaited me. Gradually, lassitude and fatigue took possession of my wasted body; Then a strange torpor, an unaccustomed stupor, fell upon me, even in the midst of my terrors, until sleep came at last, and in that far-fetched skiff I slept, slept dreaming of home and my old Admiral Benbow. Chapter 24. THE VOYAGE OF THE CORACLE. It was already clear day when I awoke and found myself winding over the waves to the southwest of the island. The sun had risen, but was still hidden from me behind the great Rock of Lookout, which on that side descended almost to the sea in formidable cliffs. Bowcrest and Mizzenna Hill were, as it were, within my grasp: the one black and bare; the other surrounded by cliffs from forty to fifty feet high, and fringed with great quantities of fallen rocks. I was no more than a quarter of a mile from the shore, so my first thought was to row out and jump ashore. But I soon had to desist from such an idea. On the rocks scattered along the coast, the waves were breaking into a thousand pieces, roaring furiously; one thunderclap followed another, and one explosion of foam followed another, second by second, which made me realize that if I ventured to approach, I would either perish by crashing against the steep shore, or waste my strength trying in vain to scale the steep cliffs. But that was not all. As if trying to gather together and crawl together on a single plateau of rocks, or rushing into the water with a tremendous crash, I perceived a multitude of colossal, slimy, horrendous sea monsters , which seemed to me to be immense, soft snails of incredible dimensions. I believe there were about forty or fifty of them there, making the hollows of the rocks resound with their terrifying cries. I later learned that these animals were nothing more than seals or sea calves, entirely harmless. But their appearance at that moment, added to the roughness of the beach and the unusual violence with which the waves broke upon it, finally took away all desire from me to go ashore in such a place. Rather than disembark there, I felt ready to die of hunger in the middle of the ocean, rather than face those dangers. But the truth is that I had a much better opportunity than I had supposed. To the north of the Bolina Ridge, the land offers a long extension that leaves, at low tide, a strip of yellowish sand exposed. To the north of this strip, another cape appears–Cape Jungle, as the chart showed it– literally buried in a mass of very tall pines that descended to the very shore of the sea. I remembered what Silver had said about the current that runs northward, following the entire length of the western coast of the island, and seeing, from my position, that I was within that current, I preferred to leave Bolina Ridge behind me and reserve my strength for an attempt at landing at Cape Jungle, whose beaches were, without a doubt, much more accessible and safe. There were, at that time, a great number of soft swellings on the Sea. The wind, blowing gently but steadily from south to north, was not an obstacle but rather a help in following the course of the current, and the waves raised and fell its ripples without breaking them to pieces. Had this not been the case, I would undoubtedly have perished long ago; but going as I did, it was marvelous how easily and surely my light little boat cut through the water. Often, from the depths where I was still hidden, I could see close, very close, a large blue peak projecting from the railing. This was a wave, but my coracle only gave a slight jump, and ready as a bird, I would fall in an instant on the other side into the hammock formed by the space between the two waves . Then I began to gather strength and sat down to test my skill at the oars. But the slightest change in the disposition of weight, in a small hull like that, produces the most violent results in its bearing and movement. So that, no sooner had I moved into a sitting position, and at once ceased its previous gentle and rhythmic rolling, than I felt myself flung directly downward and sideways against a rather violent wave, the shock of which stunned me, while the spray, lashing against the small prow, broke against it, rising almost as high as the wave that was coming. At the same time, I felt myself soaked and terrified, so without further delay I resumed my previous position , whereupon the little boat seemed to right itself again and carry me as smoothly as at first over the crests of the great waves. It was evident that I must let it go as it pleased, without interfering with its steering; but the question was, at that rate, what hope remained to me of reaching the beach? I began to feel greatly terrified, but nevertheless, I did not entirely lose my head. First of all, and trying to move as little as possible, I gradually drained away the water that had been sucked in by the sudden leap of a little while before, using my sea-cap for this operation . This done, I cast another glance over the railing and tried to explain why my coracle glided so easily through the heavy waves. I then perceived that each wave, instead of the smooth, shining, and enormous mountain one sees from the land or the deck of a ship, was actually like a chain of mountains on the mainland, bristling with upward-pointing peaks and surrounded by gentle places and open valleys. My little boat, left to itself, tumbled from side to side, winding itself about, so to speak, winding its way through the shallower parts of the water, always avoiding climbing to the tops or venturing into the dangerous slopes of those liquid heights. “All right,” I told myself. “It’s clear that I must remain lying where I am and not disturb my equilibrium, but it also seems evident to me that, from time to time, in the calmest spots, I can find a way to stop and take a stroke or two of the oar in the direction of land. ” I did as I thought. I continued lying on my elbows in the most expectant position in the world, on the cape, and taking every opportunity that presented itself to give very gently a stroke or two in order to straighten the prow towards the beach. It was extremely slow and tiring work, and yet I felt myself gaining ground. So much so that, as we approached Cape Selva, although I saw that I was not yet able to gain that point, I was able to note with joy that I had already advanced about a hundred yards towards the land, to the east. I was very close to it, indeed. I could now make out the fresh, green treetops gently swaying together in the breeze, and I was therefore certain that on the nearby promontory my landing was already evident. And it would certainly be just in time, for my thirst was beginning to make me suffer quite a lot. The glare of the sun falling upon my head and its rays breaking on the waves in a thousand different reflections; the water from the sea, which fell and dried upon my body, coating my lips with a salty coating; all this combined to make my throat burn and my head ache violently. The sight of the trees so close off made me almost beside myself with a vehement desire to land. However, the current had ere long carried me far from the point, and when I found myself once more in the open sea, I perceived something which immediately changed the nature of my thoughts. Right in front of me, less than half a mile away, lay Hispaniola with her sails set. I had no doubt that I was about to be caught, but the fact is that I was already suffering from thirst to such an extent that I cannot say whether I was sorry or glad of this occurrence; And I must add that long before I had come to any conclusion, surprise had so completely seized my mind that I could do nothing but marvel and stare at what lay before me. The Hispaniola had her mainsail and two jibs to the wind, and her white canvas shone in the sun like snow or silver. At the moment I discovered her, her full sails were pushing her well in a northwesterly direction, which led me to suspect that the men on board were intending to sail around the island and thus reach the anchorage again. But at that moment she began to list more and more to the west, and seeing this, I began to believe that they had discovered me and were about to give chase. Before long, however, she headed firmly against the wind and was held in her progress for some time, deprived of propulsion, her sails fluttering and throbbing uselessly. “What animals!” I said to myself. “Those barbarians must be even drunker than a still. Ah! If Captain Smollet were on board, those clumsy fellows would have to jump in ready. In the meantime, the schooner tacked a little, tacked, and her canvassed her forward again for a minute or two, only to fall motionless once more against the wind. The same occurrence was repeated again and again. Back and forth, up and down, north to south, and east to west. The Hispaniola got underway with a kind of instantaneous dash or firing, but each repetition ended as it had begun, leaving the sails useless and fluttering weakly. I had no trouble realizing that no one was steering the vessel, and if this was so, what had become of the two men?” Either they were drowned from drunkenness, or they had abandoned ship, I thought, so that if I managed to get on board, I might be able to return the ship to its Captain. The current was dragging both the schooner and the coracle southward with equal velocity . As for the schooner, its progress was so irregular and intermittent, so that it seemed constantly in chains, that the truth is that it was gaining very little, if anything, losing ground. If only I dared to sit down again and try the oar again, I was sure that I would soon be able to be on her. The project had a flavor of adventure that whetted my appetite, not without being increased, and my energy doubled, by the recollection that opposite the bow carriage lay a good reservoir of fresh water on the coveted Hispaniola. I sat down, then, and like the first time I had done so, I was greeted by a lash of water and foam, with the difference that, this time, the thrust given to the coracle was in my favor. I then dedicated myself to rowing with all the caution, but with all the energy I could muster, toward the ungoverned Hispaniola. In one of my impulses, however, I lodged such a quantity of water inside the little boat that I had to stop my maneuver and be on the alert, feeling that my heart was about to drown me. But, now more cautious and very gradually, I finally put myself on the true path to my goal, guiding my boat around the large waves and still not being able to prevent the crest of some from hitting the bow. from my boat and splashed my face with its shattered foam. By now my advance on the schooner was rapid and perceptible. I could clearly distinguish the gleam of the metal on the tiller as it jerked about, yet still not a soul appeared on deck. I could therefore suppose nothing else but that the schooner had been abandoned. If not, those men must be drunk below, as dead as dead, in which case it would perhaps be easy for me to secure them and do with the schooner what I thought. For a good while she had continued doing what could not be worse for me, that is, continuing in the same state of inertia. Her bow was heading almost directly south, yawing, of course, every moment. At every yawing, she let her sails, partly filled, fall outwards , and these would be set back in an instant, once more heading into the wind. I have said that this was the worst of all for me, because, without steering as the schooner was, with its sails thundering like a cannon and the waves noisily lashing its sides and washing the topsides , it nevertheless continued to race ahead of me, not only with the natural velocity of the current, but with the full force of its drift , which was naturally very great. At last, an opportunity finally presented itself to me. The breeze grew extremely light for a few moments, and the current that slowly turned the Hispaniola over caused her to finally present her stern to me with the porthole still wide open and the lamp on the table still burning, despite it being daylight. At that moment, the mainsail hung limp and drooping like a flag. Nothing, except the current, interrupted the immobility of that vessel. For a while, I did little; instead of gaining, I was losing ground; But now, redoubling my efforts, I was once again beginning to get near my hunt. I was not even a hundred yards from reaching her when the wind came up again with a roar, billowing the canvas over the port bows, and immediately she glided away from me again, billowing, and almost flying like a swallow. My first impulse was one of despair, but the second was one of joy, for lo and behold, describing a great curve, the Hispaniola was coming towards me until she was opposite one of my sides; and continuing the same unexpected trajectory, I soon saw her at half, then at a third, and then at a quarter of the distance that had separated us a short while before. I could already distinguish the waves boiling beneath her throat. How enormous the bulk of that schooner seemed to me from my very low station in the little boat! But I instantly understood the situation and had hardly time to think, much less to take refuge. I was with my coracle on the crest of a high wave, and the schooner was coming over the next one, bearing down on me. A second’s hesitation and my death was certain! The bowsprit was over my head at that instant. Quick as a thought, I was on my feet and, with a desperate leap, sprang, causing the coracle to disappear beneath the water. With one hand I had grasped the jib boom, while my foot was lodged between the stay and the brace. I had not yet had time to make the slightest movement to change my position when the dull sound of a crash told me that the schooner had charged downwards, having finished sinking and smashing the coracle to pieces, and that, consequently, there I was, hanging between sky and sea, with no possible retreat from Hispaniola. Chapter 25. DOWN WITH THE PIRATE’S FLAG! I had scarcely been able to clamber onto the bowsprit when the billowing jib flapped, so to speak, and charged over the other bow with a noise like a cannon shot. The schooner shuddered to the keel with this tremendous heave, but a moment later the other sails, still pushing, drove the jib back to its former position, and then it remained suspended and motionless. In these movements I almost plunged into the water, but at that moment I lost no time and dragged myself back, or rather, slid down the bowsprit onto the deck, where I fell as if dropped from heaven, with my face towards the ocean. I found myself to leeward of the forecastle, and the mainsail, still full, hid a good part of the aft deck from me. I didn’t see a soul in all that. The floorboards, which had not been washed since the outbreak of the rebellion, showed the marks of many footsteps, and a bottle, broken at the neck, was rolling back and forth as the ship rolled, as if it were a living thing. Unexpectedly, the Hispaniola swung into the wind on one of her tacks; the jibs behind me thundered violently; the wheel closed suddenly; The whole ship heaved and shuddered as if fainting, and at the same moment the main bowsprit swung inboard, the sail also fell, groaning faintly upon the blocks, and as it furled, revealed to me to leeward the previously hidden part of the deck aft. Only then did the two watchmen of the vessel appear before me . I had no doubt, it was them! Red Cap, lying face up, stiff as a spar, with his arms spread like those of a crucifix, his lips parted, revealing his yellow teeth. Israel Hands, leaning against the balustrade of the deck, his beard on his chest, his open hands resting on the floor, his face as white, under his tanned color, as wax. For some time the ship continued listing and rearing like a crafty horse, the sails swelling now on one tack, now on the other, and the bowsprit dangling and beating, until the mast seemed to groan under the strain of those violent tugs. From time to time, a spray of foam also covered the balustrade, and the ship’s bows thumped heavily against the swells of the water in that swell . This became a much more violent storm for a high-sided vessel like the Hispaniola than it was for my little coracle, which at that time was already lying at the bottom of the ocean. With each leap of the schooner, the Red Cap, she slid back and forth, but, horrible thing! Her attitude did not change, nor were her clenched teeth, protruding from between her open lips, hidden by any movement of them in that sudden rattling. With every bound, Hands also seemed to sink lower and lower, sliding along the deck, his feet advancing forward, and his body box sloping aft, so that his face was gradually hidden from me until I finally saw nothing of it except his ear and one of his sideburn rings. At the same time, I noticed, around them both, pools of blackish blood on the floorboards, and I began to feel certain that these men had killed each other in their drunken quarrel. I was still gazing at this spectacle, still reeling from my surprise, when, in a moment of calm, before the ship rolled, Israel Hands half turned around and, with a vague groan, wrung himself painfully up into the position in which I had first seen him. That groan, which simultaneously expressed pain and mortal weakness, and the appearance of his drooping jaw, suddenly inspired me with immense compassion. But I immediately remembered the words I had heard from the villain’s mouth from the apple barrel, and all pity vanished from my heart. I marched resolutely to the stern and called out in an ironic tone: “Hello, friend Hands, come aboard!” He glanced painfully around him, but his agitation and dejection were such that there was no room for surprise in his spirit at that hour. The most he managed was to blurt out this single word: “Brand!” It occurred to me then that I must not lose a single instant, and so, dodging the bowsprit, which was still pounding as before, I marched to the stern and descended into the cabin by the carriage’s ladder. The scene of confusion and disorder I witnessed there was indescribable. Every cupboard and piece of furniture with key locks had been broken into in search of Flint’s letter. The floor was saturated with mud, on which those ruffians had sat drinking and consulting, after getting drunk in the marsh around their fire. The screens, whose color was dull white with gold bands, bore the marks of filthy hands all over. Dozens of empty bottles rattled against each other in the corners or rolled with the motion of the schooner. One of the Doctor’s medical books lay open on the table, with a good number of pages torn out, no doubt to be used to light pipes. And in the midst of it all, the smoky lamp still sent forth its pale glow, almost as dark as shadow itself. I went down to the hold: the barrels were all empty, and as for the bottles, the number that had been emptied and then thrown away was surprising. It was evident that since the mutiny began, not a single one of those men had been in their right mind. Searching here and there, I found a bottle with a little cognac for Hands. For myself, I took some biscuits, pickled fruit, a large bunch of grapes, and a slice of cheese. With these provisions, I presented myself again on deck, placed my part safely behind the wheelhead , out of the helmsman’s reach, advanced forward to where the water was kept, there thoroughly quenched my thirst, and then, and only then, went to Hands to give him his cognac. I believe he must have drunk at least a quarter of a liter before he had taken the bottle from his lips. Then he said: “Ah! I swear to hell!” A bit of this was what I wanted! Hearing this, I sat down quietly in the place I had chosen and began to indulge my palate with this unexpected lunch. “Are you feeling very ill?” I asked him. “If that Doctor were on board,” he replied in a voice that was half growl, half bark, “if he were here, I’d be healed in no time. But, the devil and his tail! I’m not lucky… really, no!… and that, and nothing else, is what’s wrong with me. As for that fresh water, it’s already _gotten cold_ from this point on,” he added, pointing with his finger at the man in the red cap. “Well, so what?… after all, he wasn’t a sailor at all!… Come on!… and now that I think about it… where did you come from here?” “Friend,” I replied, “I have come on board to take possession of this vessel, and so, until further orders, you will be pleased to consider me your Captain. ” Hearing this, he looked at me in a rather sour manner, but did not reply . Some of his natural color had returned to his cheeks, though he still looked very ill, and still continued to slide and turn as the ship went this way and that . “For the present, friend Hands,” I continued, “I am not pleased to see this flag hoisted from the top of my masts; therefore, with your permission, I proceed to lower it immediately. I prefer nothing to that.” Dodging the blows of the bowsprit again, I went straight to the flag-rails, pulled them down, lowered the piratical black flag, and as soon as I had it in my hands, I resolutely threw it into the sea. “Long live the King!” I then cried, waving my cap in the air. “ Captain Silver has finished here!” Hands continued to look at me with a certain mordant air, though furtively, without, however, lifting the beard that still lay on his breast. After a while he added: “It seems to me, Captain Hawkins, that you will need some assistance in getting ashore, is it not true? Well, then, how would you feel about a meeting? ” “It seems to me, very well, my friend Hands; with all my heart: speak.” And with that, I returned to my meal with the greatest appetite. “That man,” the helmsman began, pointing weakly to the corpse, “as I understand it, his name was O’Brien, and he was a fine Irishman; that man, As I was saying, I and I unfurled the sails with the intention of taking the schooner back to her place. But now what! Now she’s cooled down, and she’s as taut as a bilge, so what I’m saying is, who’s going to steer the ship now? That’s what I don’t see. If I don’t give you my help, you’re not the one who can steer the schooner, or I don’t know anything about schooners or the sea. Well, here’s the thing: You assure me of my food and drink, and an old cravat or something to bandage my wound, and I’ll tell you how to steer the ship. It seems to me the deal I’m proposing couldn’t be more perfect. “I’ll tell you something, Master Hands,” I burst out; “my intention is not to return La Española to her old anchorage, but to take her to the North Bay and there quietly approach the beach.” “Well, I understand now,” cried Hands. “I reckon I’m not such a damned lazybones after all. I know how to see things as they are, I say yes! I’ve tried to get my foot in the door and couldn’t; well, now it’s your turn, Captain Hawkins. You’ve won the game. So, to North Bay? Well, let’s go there; I don’t have to choose; I say no! I’ll help you get the ship underway, even if we’re going to anchor at Death Stranding. By a hundred thousand devils, yes!” It seemed to me that the man wasn’t far off the mark in his resolution. We concluded our bargain at once, and in three minutes the Hispaniola was gallantly bearing close to the wind along the coast of the island, with very good hopes of rounding the northern point about noon and bearing down again towards the Bay before high water, in order to be able, at that time, to put in safely alongside and wait until the ebb tide would permit us to step ashore. I then left the tiller for a while and went down into the cabin to search in my trunk for a soft chew of my mother’s, with which, with my personal assistance, Hands dressed a large wound he had received in his thigh, which was still bleeding. With this relief, and after having eaten a little and taken a drink or two more of cognac, the helmsman began to revive very visibly, sat up straight, spoke more clearly and loudly, and, in a word, seemed positively another man. The breeze aided us admirably. Hispaniola glided before us with the lightness of a bird; the island’s coast seemed to flow by our side, changing every moment the scenery before us. Very soon we left the high ground behind, and, skirting a low, sandy coast dotted with a moderately dense pine forest, which before long was also behind us, we finally came around the tip of the rugged mountain that borders the island to the north. I felt exceedingly proud of my new position as captain of a ship, and no less pleased with the clear and favorable weather, as well as with the varied panorama my eyes were enjoying of the coast. At that time I had sufficient water, excellent food, and, to make matters worse , my conscience, which had not ceased to bother me over my desertion, was now quite calmed by the thought of the great conquest I had made. It had seemed to me that I had nothing left to wish for, except for the helmsman’s eyes, which followed me in all my maneuvers with a mocking look, and for the strange smile that appeared incessantly on his lips. It was a smile that carried within it a mixture of pain and malice, the sullen smile of an old man, wild and savage. But, besides that, his face betrayed an expression of mockery, a shadow of I know not what traitorous thoughts that were boiling in his head, for, while I worked, he, with his cunning dissimulation, spied, and spied and spied without ceasing. Chapter 26. Israel Hands. The wind, which seemed to serve our thoughts, changed to the west. This greatly facilitated our course, from the northeast point of the island towards the mouth of the northern bay. Only, as it was not possible to anchor, and not daring to come alongside until the ebb had subsided, we found ourselves with plenty of time. The helmsman told me what I must do to get the ship under control; after two or three unsuccessful attempts, I succeeded, and then we both sat down in silence to another meal. Hands was the first to break the silence, saying to me with his mocking, sardonic little smile: “Listen, Captain. Here’s my old comrade O’Brien rolling around . Don’t you think it would be a good idea to throw him in with the fish? I’m not very delicate or scrupulous, as a rule, nor does my conscience prickle me for having put a stop to making mincemeat of me; but, at the same time, I don’t think that piece of meat would be a very pretty ornament. What do you say to that?” “I say,” I replied, “that I’m neither strong enough to do that, nor do I like the task. As far as I’m concerned, being there is no use. ” “This Spanish ship, Jim,” he continued, trying to dissemble, “is a very unlucky ship. She’s already killed a number of men in a few days, a number of poor sailors dead and missing since you and I took passage on board her at Bristol. I ‘ve never been on such an unlucky ship in my life. And if not, here’s that poor O’Brien; he’s gone cold too, hasn’t he? Well, all I’m saying is this: I’m no student, and you’re a well-read and literate lad who would know how to clear up my doubts. He who dies, does he die for good, or can he revive someday? ” “Friend Hands,” I replied, ” you can kill the body, but not the spirit; you must know that well enough by now.” O’Brien is now in another world from which he may be looking down on us. “Ah!” he said. “According to that thought, it seems to me that killing people is almost—shall we say—wasted time. All in all , and from what I have experience, spirits don’t count for much in the game anymore. I don’t mind them at all, Jim. Well; but for now you’ve talked like a doctor, and I don’t think you ‘ll be angry with me if I ask you to go down to the cabin again and fetch me from there—well—yes—by the deuce, why not?—bring me a bottle of—of—I can’t guess the name—a bottle of wine, come now. This cognac, Jim, is very raspy now and very strong for my head. ” Now, the helmsman’s hesitation seemed very unnatural to me, and as for his preferring wine to cognac, I found it quite incredible. It all smelled to me like a pretext. What he wanted was for me to leave the deck; that was as clear as day ; but for what purpose, I couldn’t imagine. His eyes stubbornly avoided mine; his glances wandered here and there , up and down, now with a glance at the sky, now with a sidelong glance at O’Brien’s corpse. I constantly saw him smile or stick out his tongue in the most embarrassed manner, so that a child could have known that the man was contemplating some trick. I soon had my answer, however, because it wasn’t lost on me where my own advantage lay, and, besides, with such a completely stupid fellow, it was very easy for me to conceal my suspicions until the very end. “Do you want wine?” I said. “Nothing could be simpler. Do you want red or white?” “Well, look here , I reckon it makes no difference, comrade,” he replied. “As long as it’s very fortifying, what do I care about the color? ” “Very well,” I replied. “I’ll bring you some port, my friend Hands. But I have to dig it out of the back of the hold.” With that, I went down the carriage ladder as noisily as I could; then I quickly took off my shoes, ran down the gallery that connected the cabin with the bow, climbed the hatchway ladder, and cautiously poked my head out of the bow carriage. I knew Hands didn’t expect to see me there, but I took every precaution nonetheless. possible, and indeed this only served to confirm my worst suspicions, which proved only too correct. Hands had raised himself from his position, first on his hands, then on his knees, and then, although his leg gave him severe pain as he moved, and I even heard him utter more than a moan, he was nevertheless able to drag himself fairly quickly onto the deck. In half a minute he had reached the port scuppers and produced from a coil of rope a long knife, or rather a short rapier, discolored and stained with blood to the hilt. Hands contemplated the weapon for a moment; he made a gesture with his lower jaw, tested the point in the palm of his hand, and then, hastily concealing it in the breast of his doublet, he dragged himself back to his former place against the stern rail. He needed to know no more. Israel could move, he was armed, and if he had shown such determination to get rid of me, it was clear that he was plotting to make me a victim of his machinations. What he would do next— whether he would try to creep the length of the island to reach the pirates’ camp near the swamps, or whether he would attempt to signal, trusting that his comrades could arrive sooner to his assistance—those were things, of course, I could not guess. Of one thing, however, I was certain, and that was that our common interest required us to bring the schooner alongside in a reasonably safe and sheltered place, so that, when the opportunity arose, she could be put back to sea with the least possible trouble and risk. Until this was accomplished, I considered that my life would not be in the slightest danger. But while I was ruminating on these thoughts, I had not remained idle. I had returned by the same route to the cabin, hastily put on my shoes again , seized at random the first bottle of wine that came my way, and with this as an excuse, made my reappearance on deck. Hands stood where I had left him, all bunched up and knotted, with his eyelids drooping, as if to show that he was too weak to bear the light. However, feeling my steps, he looked up, broke the neck of the flask with the ease of a man who is frequently used to the same operation, and took a deep gulp with his favorite phrase, “Good luck!” He then remained quite still for some time, and then, taking out a packet of tobacco, begged me to cut him a slice. “Cut me a piece of that,” he said; for I haven’t got a knife, and I can hardly feel strong enough to move about. Oh, Jim, Jim, I reckon all my stays are burst!” Cut me a little piece, I imagine it will be the last, because my hull is taking on water and I think I’m going down without a doubt. ” “Very well, I can’t resist cutting your tobacco, but if I were you and I felt that bad, believe me, what I would do is ask God for mercy, like a good Christian. ” “Why?” he asked me. “Would you like to tell me why? ” “Why?” I exclaimed. “Just a moment ago you were asking me something about those who die. You have betrayed your faith. You have lived mired in vice, lies, and bloodshed. You still have there, rolling at your feet, the corpse of a man you murdered a few moments ago, and you still ask me why ? Well, that’s why, my friend Hands, all of that!” My words bore an unusual seal of warmth, thanks to the fact that, deep down, I was thinking of that dagger the ruffian had just hidden in his doublet and with which he intended to make short work of me. He, for his part, saw me, took a deep gulp of wine, and then said in a tone of unusual solemnity: “For thirty long years I have traveled the seas; for thirty years I have seen good and bad, better and worse, beautiful weather and horrendous storms; scarce provisions on board; almost exhausted water; and brawls and rebellions, and fights, and deaths, and boardings… oh! So many things!” Well, the one thing I haven’t seen in those thirty years is that good things produce nothing good. He who strikes first is the lucky one, and nothing else. Dead men don’t bite, Jim; that’s my opinion, that’s my faith, and so be it… And instantly changing his tone, he continued: “But come on. I think we’ve wasted enough time with that nonsense. The low tide is quite favorable at the moment. Follow my orders, Captain Hawkins, and we’ll soon be docked and ready with the schooner. ” Said and done: we had only a scant two miles to go, but the navigation was delicate because the approach to this northern bay was not only narrow and full of sandbanks, but it wound from east to west, so that the ship had to be cleverly maneuvered to find the passage. I believe I was, on that occasion, a ready and good subaltern, and I am also certain that Hands was an excellent pilot, for the fact is that we passed and passed, skillfully cutting out the dangers, almost deflowering the reefs, with such safety and cleanliness that it was positively pleasing. We had just crossed in front of the rocks, right next to us. The beaches of the North Bay were as densely wooded as those of the South anchorage, but the space was longer and narrower, and more like what it really was, that is, the mouth of a river. Exactly next to us, towards the southern end, we saw the remains of a ship in its final period of destruction. It was clear that this had once been a large three-masted vessel, but it had been exposed to the elements for so long that it was fringed here and there by enormous clumps of seaweed, and the branches of the beach bushes had taken root on its sandy deck , dense and vigorous, as if they were on land, flourishing there without hindrance. It was a sad sight, but it assured us that the anchorage was perfectly calm and safe. “Now,” said Hands, “there we have a bank just right for a ship to land: clean, flat sand, never a breath of water on the surface, trees all around, and a multitude of flowers bursting out of the hull of that ship like a garden… what more could we want? ” “That’s fine,” I replied, “but once we’re docked or grounded, how do we get the schooner afloat again? ” “Very easy,” he replied. You put out a line over there, to the opposite beach, at the time of the ebb tide, you wrap it around one of the thickest pines and bring the point on board. During the ebb tide, everything is calm there, but when the tide comes on, you fasten your line to the capstan, all on board stand at the bars, they turn two or three times, and the schooner will float out as smoothly as if by her own will. And now, lad, stop! We are already close to our bench and we are going too fast… A little to starboard… that’s it!… steady… to starboard!… now a quarter to port… steady… steady! Thus he shouted his commands, which I obeyed almost without taking a breath, until, at last, he suddenly called out: “Good, very good!… Luff!” I obeyed once more and with all my might raised the helm: The Hispaniola turned rapidly and, with her bow to the ground, glided lightly toward the wooded beach. The enthusiasm of these last maneuvers had caused me to somewhat forget to watch as closely as I had hitherto, every movement of the helmsman. At that very moment, I was still so keenly interested in seeing the ship touch land that I had even forgotten the danger hovering over my head, and I remained standing, spellbound, on the starboard balustrade, watching the gentle lapping of the water as it ruffled the bow and sides of our vessel. I might have fallen there, simply and easily, without a single effort to defend myself, had it not been for a sudden restlessness that seized me and forced me to turn my head. Perhaps someone had reached me. a slight creaking sound; perhaps out of the corner of my eye I saw his shadow moving towards me; perhaps it was merely an instinctive movement like that of a cat, but as I turned my head I saw Hands standing halfway towards me, holding the dagger, now drawn, in his right hand. We must both have uttered a simultaneous cry as our eyes met, but if mine was the shriek of terror, his was nothing more than the hideous bellow of a wild bull about to charge. At the same instant Hands advanced towards me, and I sprang sideways towards the bow. As I executed this movement I let fall the tiller, which sprang violently to leeward, and I believe this saved my life , for the timber struck Hands hard on the chest and stopped him for a moment, completely paralysing him. Before he could recover from this blow, I had wriggled out of the corner into which he had cornered me, and was in the process of having the whole deck at my disposal for my escape. Fore-mast , I halted, took a pistol from my pocket, and took cold aim, although he had already doubled back and was once more making for me; I readied my weapon and pressed the safety catch. The hammer fell, but there was neither flash nor report: the primer had been rendered useless by the sea water! I could not but condemn my negligence… Why had it not occurred to me, long before, to reload and re-prime my only weapons? Had I done so, I would not have been reduced to a mere lamb scampering before its butcher. Wounded as I was, it was astonishing how quickly I could move; with his tangled hair falling about his face, and his face itself as red with fury and haste as a slaughter-flag. Unfortunately, I had no time left to try my other pistol; that was already impossible, and besides, I was certain that it must be as useless as the other. One thing seemed clear to me beyond doubt, and that was that I must do something other than simply retreat before him, because, if I continued to do so, he would soon corner me forward as he had a moment before cornered me sternward. And once cornered, and with nine or ten inches of that dagger inside my body, I could say that my adventures on this side of eternity were over. I placed the palms of my hands against the mainmast, which was quite thick, and waited, my soul hanging by a thread, as they say. Hands, noticing that I was intent on outfoxing him, also halted, and a moment or two was spent feigning attacks and movements , which I evaded with the greatest agility. This was a repetition of a game I had often played on the rocks of Black Hill Cove; but, most assuredly, I never played it with my heart beating so rapidly as then. However, as I have just said, it was a boy’s game, in form, if not in substance, and I believed I could easily have the advantage in it, a boy as I was, over a man older than myself and with a wounded thigh. Indeed, my courage had begun to so return that it allowed me some bold thoughts about the probable outcome of the fight; and yet, although I was certain of delaying the maneuver for a long time, I saw no real possibility of a definitive escape. Well, in this state of affairs, the Hispaniola suddenly touched the bank to which we were directing her. It rolled, skimmed the sand for a moment, and then, quick as lightning, rolled over to port, lying so that the surface of the deck formed an angle of forty-five degrees. The splash raised a wave that rushed through the scuppers and then pooled in a pool between the deck and the balustrade. Both Hands and I rolled in a second, almost together, towards the scuppers, the corpse of O’Brien, with his red cap and his arms always crossed, turning with us. We rolled so close together that my head found itself entangled with the helmsman’s feet. striking against them with a sound that made my teeth chatter together with horror. But even with a bang, I was the first on my feet, for Hands was tightly entwined with the arms and legs of his victim. The sudden list of the ship rendered her deck useless for running upon. I was, therefore, obliged to seek some fresh means of escape, and that at that very instant, for my adversary had already thrown himself free from the dead man and was once more on his feet, almost upon me. Quick as a thought, I sprang upon the mizzen-shrouds, thrust one hand over the other, and did not even draw breath until I was seated upon one of the topsail beams. To the swiftness with which I acted was my salvation; the dagger had struck half a foot beneath me, while my work of ascending was in progress; But at last, there stood Israel Hands, his mouth open and his face turned toward me, in an attitude that made me see him as the perfect statue of surprise and disappointment. Realizing then that I had a few moments at my disposal, I wasted no time, but immediately changed the primer on my pistol, and with one ready for service, I doubled the security of my defense by reloading and priming the other with equal care. This new operation of mine impressed Hands greatly; he began to see that the tables were turning against him, and so it was that, after a short hesitation, he too leaped heavily onto the shrouds, and placing the dagger between his teeth to free his hands , began a slow and painful ascent. It took him a considerable amount of time and groaning to drag that wounded leg with him, so that I had enough time to complete my defensive preparations before he had advanced even a third of the way . I then took a pistol in each hand and, pointing them at him, said: “One more step this way, friend Hands, and I’ll blow your brains out. I’ve learned from you that dead men don’t bite,” I added with a mocking tone. As if by magic, he stopped in his tracks. I saw by the movement of his face that he was trying to think, but in that stupid brain, thinking was such a slow and laborious process that, feeling very confident, I couldn’t help laughing at him with all my heart. Finally, after swallowing once or twice, he spoke, still wearing the same perplexed expression. In order to speak, he had to take the dagger out of his mouth, but in every other respect his attitude remained unchanged. “Jim,” he said to me, “I confess we’ve been making fools of ourselves, both you and I, yes, sir. We must make peace.” “I would have caught you for sure if it hadn’t been for that barrier you’ve run into. But I’m out of luck, my friend, I say no! So I reckon I’ll have to surrender, which is a hard thing, you understand, for an old sailor, trying to capitulate to a lad like you, Jim.” I was rejoicing in these words, and feeling as proud and satisfied as a rooster on a wall, when in an almost imperceptible instant I saw him draw back his right hand and raise it again upon his shoulder. Something like an arrow whistled in the wind, I experienced a horrible blow, a sharp torment, and I felt myself pinned to the mast by the shoulder. In the awful surprise and unspeakable pain of that moment, whether it was of my own volition or, which is more probable, by an unconscious movement, and without any aim, I cannot say, but the fact is that my two pistols fired, flew from my hands and fell on the deck. However, they were not the only ones that fell. With the impulse that his right arm made to throw the dagger, the helmsman relaxed the pressure of his left hand on the shrouds and, not without uttering a frightful cry of terror, fell headlong into the water. Chapter 27. PIECES OF EIGHT! Owing to the great list in which the schooner had remained, The masts were suspended for the most part above the water, so that from my seat on the topsail beam, I could see nothing below me but the surface of the bay. Hands, who was not yet so high, was consequently nearer the ship, and his fall occurred between me and the balustrade. For once I saw him rise to the surface of the water in a mixture of foam and blood, and then sink again, never to reappear. As soon as the water calmed down, I could see him lying on the clean, shining sand at the bottom, as if protected by the shadow cast by the sides of the ship. One or two fish lashed against his body as they passed. Once or twice, with the rippling of the water, he seemed to move a little, as if trying to rise. But he was quite dead for such maneuvers, having been hit by one of my bullets and immediately drowned, so that in a short time he was nothing but food for the fish in the very spot where he had been contemplating finishing me off. No sooner was I certain of this than I began to feel sick, faint, terrified. My hot blood flowed copiously over my chest and back. Where the dagger had stuck me to the mast, I felt it burning like a hot iron. And yet , however great this suffering was, it was not what distressed me most, and it seemed to me that I could very well endure it without complaint. What drove me mad was the horror inspired in me by the idea that at any moment I could be released from the beam and fall into the still unsettled water beside the corpse of the helmsman. I clung to the mast with both hands, so tightly that my nails stung, and closed my eyes as if not to see the danger I was in. Gradually, however, my spirits returned, my agitated pulses calmed somewhat, and I felt once more in possession of myself. My first thought was to draw the dagger, but either it was too tightly fastened, or my strength was not sufficient, so I desisted with a violent shudder. Strange! That shudder accomplished what I could not. The dagger, in short, had come very nearly missing the blow; so nearly that it had scarcely caught my skin, so that the convulsion was sufficient to pull the weapon from the wound. The blood was escaping more quickly, that was evident, but I was once more master of myself and was only pinned to the mast by my coat and shirt. With a violent jerk, I tore these off and immediately descended onto the deck by the starboard shrouds. For nothing in the world would I have dared, shaken as I was, to descend by the same shrouds by which I had climbed, from which Hands had fallen directly into the water. I immediately went down to the cabin and dressed my wound as God gave me to understand; it was a rather sharp pain from it, and it was still bleeding profusely, but it was neither deep nor dangerous, nor did I feel that it impeded the free movement of my arm. I then glanced around me, and, quite convinced that the ship was, in a certain sense, now entirely mine, I began to think of ridding her of her last passenger, that is, the corpse of O’Brien. He had fallen heavily against the balustrade due to the jolt of the ship , and remained standing in a horrible position, somewhat resembling that of a living person, but quite unlike a living body in color and grace—oh! quite different! In this position, it was very easy for me to find the means of accomplishing what I desired, and since the habit of tragic adventures had finally made me lose all fear of corpses, I seized him by the waist as if he had been a sack of bran and, with a great effort, threw him into the water. Hands’s victim fell into the sea with a resounding splash; and the red cap surfaced and remained swimming on the surface. As soon as the agitation of the water had calmed down, I could see the horrible dead man lying on top of the helmsman’s body, both of them gently rocking with the swaying of the gentle bottom of the bay. O’Brien, though still quite young, was extremely bald, and I could clearly see his bare head resting on the knees of the man who had murdered him, while the fish, swift and nervous, lashed past those inert masses. He was now alone, entirely alone, on the schooner; the tide had turned, and the sun was so few degrees from setting that the shadows of the pines on the west coast were already beginning to cross the breadth of the anchorage and fall upon the deck of the Hispaniola. The evening breeze had sprung up, and although well under cover of the Twin Peaks to the east, the rigging was already beginning to whistle a little, and the loose canvas sheets to whip from side to side. I then began to fear some danger to the ship; I hurriedly lowered the jibs and hoisted them, without much difficulty, onto the deck. But as for the mainsail, this was a much more difficult matter. Of course, as the ship heeled, the bowsprit had swung outward, so that its top and one or two feet of sail were hanging submerged in the water. This circumstance seemed to me to make it even more dangerous, and the crushing force was so great that I was half afraid to do anything about it. Finally, I made up my mind; I took my knife and cut the yard rope. The masthead instantly fell down, and a large curve of canvas, now loose, floated scattered on the water. From that moment, weighed down as I wished, I could no longer move the bowsprit; that was all I could do. For the rest, La Española had to trust, as I did, to our lucky stars. Meanwhile, the entire bay was already submerged in the shadow of the pine grove. I remember that the last rays of the sun had just penetrated through a small opening in the woods and shone like dazzling jewels on the flowery diadem of that shattered ship’s hull, with its shrubs, lichens, and sea mosses. The cool air was already penetrating, the ebb tide was rapidly receding from the anchorage, and the schooner was resting more and more on the extremities of the beams. I climbed forward on all fours and cast a glance around me. I convinced myself that the remaining depth of water was insignificant, and so, holding on with both hands to the severed hawser, as a last precaution, I allowed myself to be gently slid out of the ship. The water barely covered my legs; the sand was firm, covered with the undulating accentuations of the gentle agitation of the waters. So I finally stepped ashore, filled with joy, leaving the Hispaniola lying on itself, its mainsail bathing widely on the surface of the waves. At that very moment, the sun was finally setting in the west, and the breeze murmured softly in the twilight, playing among the swaying pines. Finally, and at least, I saw myself out of the sea, and I certainly wasn’t returning empty-handed. There was the schooner, free at last from all pirates, and ready for our men to crew her once more and put to sea once more. Nothing, therefore, was more in my mind than to return, so to speak, home, that is, to the stockade, and there proudly recount my exploits and adventures. It would not be strange if I were somewhat scolded for my rascality, but the recapture of Hispaniola was an eloquent and significant reply , which, I hoped, would compel Captain Smollet to confess that I had not wasted my time. Reasoning in this manner, and with my spirits greatly lifted, I set out for what I have called my home, which was the redoubt where my companions were. I well remembered that the easternmost of the rivers that empty into Captain Kidd’s Bay flowed from Twin Peaks Mountain on my left, so I straightened my course in that direction, confident of being able to cross the river at the point where it was still narrow. The woods were not at all thick, and following, without deviating, the lower line of the hill’s slope, I soon had turned his head, and before long I had waded through the river, only halfway up to my legs, in the water. This brought me very near the spot where I had found Ben Gunn, the isolated man, and my progress was therefore more cautious, always keeping an eye open in either direction. The twilight was already giving way to the great shadows of night, and I had no sooner crossed the gap between the two peaks than the rippling light of a fire reached me , rising against the horizon. I supposed the island man was there cooking his supper by the glow of a bright, cheerful fire. But I still marveled at his carelessness and want of caution, for if I could see that light , was it not likely that it also reached Silver’s eyes in his camp on the beach among the marshes? Gradually the night grew blacker and blacker; And in the darkness that enveloped me, all I could do was guide myself, and that not very surely, towards my destination, having at my back the double summit of the height, and to my right the bulk of the Watchman, which every moment faded more and more in the nimbus of darkness. The stars were few and pale, and in the low ground through which I traversed it was impossible for me to avoid becoming entangled in brambles and bushes or falling into sandy desolations. Suddenly, a certain unexpected light fell close to me. I raised my eyes; the pale glimpse of the moon’s rays expanded over the summit of the Watchman, and very soon I saw something like a silver globe slowly rising from above the treetops: it was the moon at sunrise. With this aid, I was able to traverse more easily the remaining stretch of ground, and sometimes marching at a leisurely pace, sometimes running, I drew ever nearer the stockade. However, since I was now within the woods bordering the fortress, it did not seem so unwise to moderate my pace and proceed with considerable caution, for it would certainly have been a sad end to my adventures had I been shot by a sentry from our camp, who had fired upon me without recognizing me. The moon rose higher and higher; its light was now scattering here and there over the spaces left clear by the forest trees, and, strange to say, a glow of a different hue appeared before me among the pines. That glow was red and fiery, but every now and then it grew darker, as if it were a brazier occasionally smothered by smoke. For the life of me, I could not guess what it might be. But at last I reached the edge of the treeless area. The western end was now flooded with the brightness of the night star; but the remaining part, as well as the redoubt, was still shrouded in shadow, albeit with an occasional sliver of light that managed to fall through the dense foliage. At the other end of the house, an immense bonfire had burned down to pure embers, its intensely red glow contrasting sharply with the sweet pallor of the moon. Yet there was not a soul stirring in all that, nor did the slightest noise interrupt the gentle , monotonous cadence of the breeze. I stopped, seized with the greatest astonishment, and perhaps with some terror in my heart. It had not been our custom, indeed, to light large fires, as one of the Captain’s strictest orders was to save firewood, so I began to fear that something bad had happened there during my absence. I crept cautiously around the eastern corner, keeping to the cover of darkness, and at what I judged to be the most suitable spot, having the deepest shadow, I resolutely cleared the stockade. To increase my security, I began to cover the distance that separated me from the corner of the redoubt, walking on my knees and hands, without making the slightest noise. When I was quite close, my My heart expanded with an expansion of unspeakable joy. The cause of it was not a rumor that could be called, in itself, in any way pleasant, and I still remember having complained about it on more than one occasion; but on this occasion I perceived it as if it had been the echo of some delightful music. What was it? Ah! nothing less than the sonorous concert of the snores of my friends, all peacefully sleeping. The cry of the night sentry on board, announcing to us at the wee hours, “All is well!” never sounded more pleasant to my ear. For the moment, there was no doubt that vigilance in my camp was absolutely detestable. If Silver and his men had been descending upon my friends at that moment, surely not one of them would see the dawn of the new day. That was what had to do with it, I thought, having the Captain wounded; a reasoning that made me reproach myself once more for having left them in that dangerous situation, with so few capable people to keep watch. By now I had reached the entrance and was standing there. It was all darkness inside, and my eyes could distinguish nothing in the dense gloom of the room. As for hearing, it will be understood that at that point the music of the snoring was much more distinct and perceptible to me . To it was added, although it was entirely insignificant, a light noise like wings or a pecking, almost imperceptible. With my hands outstretched, I resolutely advanced inside. My intention was to lie down in my usual place, and, I added, laughing to myself, how I will amuse myself seeing the faces they will make tomorrow when they see me! My foot stumbled on something that gave way under my step: it was the leg of one of those careless sleepers, who, at my touch, did nothing but murmur and turn over; but without waking. But at that instant, as if from the darkest corner of the room, a shrill, high-pitched voice burst forth in a frenzied voice: “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”—and it continued thus, tirelessly and breathlessly as a rattle. That was Captain Flint, Silver’s green parrot! It was he who was producing the light noise I heard, pecking at a bark on the wall. It was he who, exercising a vigilance far better than that of a human creature, had just announced my arrival with his tireless refrain. I had not even the time necessary to recover myself. At the sharp, piercing cry of the parrot, all the snorers awoke and sprang to their feet, and at once the commanding voice of Silver, accompanied by an insolence, cried: “Who’s there?” I turned to run, but ran into someone; I stepped aside to seek another path, and fell into the arms of another, who, in turn, clasped me violently, holding me tightly. “Bring a torch, Dick,” said Silver, when my capture was assured. Then one of the men issued from the redoubt and a few moments later returned with a lighted torch. PART 6. CAPTAIN SILVER. CHAPTER 28. THE ENEMY CAMP. The reddish light of the torch illuminating the interior of the cabin made me see that all the evil I could imagine at that moment was, unfortunately, only too true. The pirates were in possession of the redoubt and the stores: there was the cask of cognac; There were salted meats and biscuits as before my absence, and, which increased my terror infinitely, not the slightest sign of a prisoner. It was impossible to think anything but that they had all perished, and my heart was oppressed with anguish at the thought that I had not been there to perish with them. Only six of the pirates remained; not one more survived. Five were on their feet, red-faced, sleepy, and ill-humored from having been dragged from the stupor of intoxication. The sixth had half He was only propped up on one elbow; he was deathly pale, and the bloody bandage around his head showed that the man had been recently wounded, and even more recently treated. I then remembered the man who had been wounded at the palisade and escaped into the woods, and I had no doubt that this was the same man. The parrot had hopped on its master’s shoulder, combing and arranging its plumage. As for Silver, he seemed paler and, as it were, more stern than usual. He was still wearing the beautiful cloth suit he had donned on the day of the lectures, only now it was badly stained with clay and torn to pieces by the thorny brambles of the woods. “The devil help me!” he exclaimed. “What a surprise! So here is Jim Hawkins, walking in, as it were, without any compliments, eh? Let’s have a good time! Let’s welcome him as friends!” With that, he sat down on the barrel of the cognac and made a show of mending and filling his pipe. “Dick, lend me your matchstick and kindling for a moment,” he said. And when he had a good blaze going, he added: “You’ll do just fine, lad! Now, Dick, stick that torch in the woodpile. And you fellows can sit down; there’s no need to stand about. Mr. Hawkins will excuse you, you’ll be sure of that. So, yes, friend Jim, here you are. What a welcome surprise for your old John! I’ve always said you were as quick as a gnat ever since I laid eyes on you; but the truth is, lad, this just beats all my predictions!” In all this, as you may easily imagine, I didn’t reply a word. I had leaned back against one of the walls, and from there I was staring straight into Silver’s eyes, with apparent boldness and resolution enough, but God knows that, meanwhile, the blackest despair was enveloping my soul. Silver took one or two vigorous puffs of his pipe with the utmost composure, and then went on: “Now, Jim, since you’re here now, I’ll tell you something of my own mind. I’ve always loved you, and always taken you for a lively lad, and for the very image of myself when I was just like you, a young fellow and a fine young fellow. I always wanted you to be one of us, and to take your part, so that you might live and die a man of truth. Now you’re here, lad—so much the better! Captain Smollett’s a good seaman, no doubt about it—as good a seaman as I could be in any weather, but he’s a stickler for discipline.” Duty before all else is his favorite saying, and he’s right, by the skin of his teeth. But here you are, now emancipated from your Captain. The very Doctor who loved you so much is now furious with you—ungrateful fugitive—he said, referring to you. So, no matter how much you twist the matter, the result is that you can no longer go back to your people, because they no longer want you, and so, unless you propose to lead a third faction on the island, for which you would feel you have no company but your own shadow, you are forced to enlist under the banner of your old friend Silver. That speech did me a tremendous amount of good. Through it I learned that my friends were still alive, and although I did not suspect that what Silver said about the resentment of the lower house party over my desertion was partly true, I felt much more consoled than distressed by his news. “I won’t tell you anything about the fact that you’re in our hands,” Silver continued. ” I suppose you have no doubt about that. But, look, I ‘m playing with my cards close to the vest; my intention isn’t to intimidate you but to convince you. I’ve never known threats to produce anything good. If you like the service… well, go ahead; join us and that ‘s it… Now… if it doesn’t suit you, you’re quite free of your will and your mouth to give us a flat no here, and the devil take me if you do anything else.” Of course, all this can be released through a human hatch. “May I answer now?” I asked in a rather tremulous voice. Amidst all this mocking chatter, I saw quite clearly that the threat of death was hanging over my head, which was why my cheeks were burning and my heart was beating painfully in my chest. “Boy,” Silver replied, “no one here is urging you. Form your own course. None of us is in a hurry, comrade. Time passes so pleasantly in your company that, as you see, there’s no need to rush things. ” “Very well,” I replied, feeling a little more spirited and daring. “If I must choose, I declare that I consider myself entitled to know first how things are, why you are here, and where my friends are. ” “Well, the boy wants nothing less!” one of the pirates said grumpily . It would be no small fortune for him to find out all that. “It seems to me, my friend,” Silver said to the switch, in a tone rather too sour, “that you had better cover that hatchway and save your broadsides for when they are required and needed.” Then, turning to me, he continued in the same amiable and gracious tone as before: “Yesterday morning, friend Hawkins, at the hour of the second watch, Doctor Livesey came this way carrying a flag of peace in his hand. Captain Silver,” he said, “you’re sold; the ship’s gone!” That might very well happen; we had been having a drink and singing along to it to make him feel better. I didn’t say no. The truth is, none of us had pointed our glass that way. We went out to see—hell break loose! It was true—the schooner was gone! I never saw a more insane bunch of men in my life ; you can believe it— they seemed hopelessly frantic.” “It’s all good,” the Doctor told me, ” I think it’s time to capitulate.” And we capitulated, there was no other way. He and I capitulated, and here we are, installed with a redoubt, cognac, provisions, and all the firewood you were careful to stock; in a word, the boat, complete and complete, from the cross-trees to the keel. As for them, they’ve left with a fresh breeze, but I’ll be damned if I know where they’ve dropped anchor.” Saying this, he took another puff of his pipe with the utmost calmness, and then continued: “And so that you don’t get the illusion that you’ve been included in the treaty, I’ll tell you the last words we spoke. How many of you are there to get out of here?” I asked him. “Four,” he replied, “and one of those four is wounded.” As for that lad, I don’t know where he is, nor do I care to know—the devil take him, though we feel sorry for him suddenly. Those were his words. “Is that all?” I asked him. “That’s all you have to hear, my boy,” Silver replied. “And now—shall I make my choice? ” “Now you must choose; yes, my friend, don’t you doubt it. ” “Very well,” I continued. “I’m not such a fool as to be ignorant of what lies ahead. But come what may, I care little if it be the worst possible. Since I’ve been involved in this adventure, I’ve seen so many men die that the thought of death doesn’t frighten me so much now. But there are one or two things I want to say to you…” My speech was assuming an unusual accent of excitement. In that tone I went on: “The first thing I want to say is this: you are lost; The ship is lost , the treasure is lost, the men are lost to you. The whole project that engendered your rebellion is nothing but a wreck… it’s in pieces! And you want to know whose work it is that destroyed it? It’s mine! I was hidden in the apple barrel the night we saw land, and from it I heard you, John, and you, Dick Johnson, and Hands, tell me that at this hour you are lying at the bottom of the ocean; and after hearing everything you said, I repeated it all, word for word, within an hour, to those who had a right to know. And as for the schooner, it was I also who cut off her cable; I who killed the two men you had on board, and I, finally , I who have brought her to a point where none of you will ever see her again . If anyone should and can laugh in this matter, it is I… I, who from the beginning have had the advantage over all of you, of whom I am, at this moment, no more afraid than a fly. Kill me, if you like, or let me live. But I will say one thing only in conclusion, and that is, if I am allowed to live… service for service… the day that you, friends, are in a criminal court, accused of piracy, I will save from the gallows, with my testimony, as many as I can. You, then, and not I, are the ones who have to choose. Kill one more, and uselessly increase, with that, the list of your crimes; Or leave me alive, and that way secure the witness who can rescue you from the gallows. I stopped on arriving here, for, I confess, I was out of breath. However, to my great astonishment, not one of the men stirred , but all stared at me like lambs. Taking advantage of their silence, while they continued to stare at me in astonishment, I broke out again: “Now then, Mr. Silver, as I believe you are the most trustworthy man here , I want to give you one single request, in case the worst that can happen to me happens to me, and that is to be so good as to tell the Doctor how I suffered my final fate. ” “I will bear it in mind,” replied the pirate, in such a strange tone that, for my life, I could not decide whether he was making fun of me or whether he was favorably impressed with my courage. Then that mahogany-faced Morgan, whom I saw at Silver’s public house near the docks at Bristol, spoke up. “I’ll add one more thing to that,” he said, “and that is that this very lad is the one who recognized Black Dog. ” “Well,” the cook added, “I can add one more thing, by hell’s life! And that is that this very lad you see is the one who snatched Flint’s letter from Billy Bones. From first to last, we’ve been running headlong into Jim Hawkins. ” “Well, he’ll pay for it all!” Morgan swore , advancing on me with his big knife open. “Get out of the way!” cried Silver. “Who are you here, Tom Morgan? I imagine you think you’re the Captain. By Satan, my father and lord, I promise to teach you what you are!” Make me angry, and you’ll see if I don’t send you to where many good men have ended up, by my hand, these last thirty years, some bobbing on the rocks, others in the water, tied hand and foot, and all of them fattening the fish of the ocean. Remember, there isn’t, nor has there ever been, a man who dares to look me in the eye, who could boast of seeing a day after that; Tom Morgan, don’t dismiss that! Morgan stopped, but a hoarse murmur arose from all the others. “Tom’s right,” one advanced. “I think I’ve had a man for a scarecrow longer than usual ,” ventured another. “The devil take me if a lame man like you, John Silver, frightens a sound man like me!” “Could it be that any of you gentlemen feel like knowing for yourselves who John Silver is?” The cook bellowed rather than spoke, leaping from the cognac keg on which he was sitting, advancing quite far toward the group of pirates, without letting go of his pipe, which still glowed in his right hand. And without pausing, he continued: “Well, that’s fine by me! Let whoever wants to, step forward and say what he wants; I imagine no one is dumb. He has nothing more to ask; I’ll give whatever is asked of me. With all my years, would some fool, the son of some freshwater robber, come and pull his hat sideways in my presence, as a conclusion to my story? By holy hell, he’s mistaken! But let the bravest one try it… you know the way! You’re all gentlemen.” of fortune, according to yourselves… Well, to work! Here I am, ready! Let him who is the man for it take out his knife, and by my boss, Satan, before this pipe is finished, I shall have seen the color and size of your giblets!… None of those men moved, none of them murmured a word. Then he added, turning the pipe back to his mouth: “Ah! Hens!… that’s what you are! It is truly a glory to see that bunch of lazybones! Very brave when it comes to fighting with a bottle, but very deaf when called upon to prove whether you are what you seem!… We shall see if you understand the English of our King George: I am the Captain here, by unanimous election. I am the Captain because I am by far better and worth more than all of you put together.” So, then, since no one wants to come out with me to measure himself as one of the true gentlemen of fortune, you scoundrels, you must all obey without question… understand?… I love this boy; I have never seen a boy worth what he is, and being who I am, I affirm that he is a bigger man and is worth much more alone than the best pair of all these ship’s rats piled up here. Now, what I say is this and nothing more: I take him to my side; I protect him and cover him with my hand. That is all I have to say, and bear this in mind!… After this came a long silence. I still remained rigid, leaning against the wall, my heart still beating like a forge hammer, but with a ray of hope beginning to appear in the depths of my soul. Silver also retreated to his former place against the wall, and stood there with his arms crossed, his pipe in the corner of his mouth, as calm and serene as if he had been in a church. However, his small but shrewd eye roamed furtively from one to another of his insubordinate followers, whom he incessantly looked at sideways. They, for their part, gradually withdrew to the opposite end of the room, and there began to murmur in low voices with a murmur that seemed to me like that of a distant torrent . One after another, they turned their faces from time to time in the direction where Silver and I were standing, and as they did so, the reddish light that fell on their features lent them frightful contours and tints. However, their threatening glances were no longer directed at me, but at Silver. “It seems to me that you have a bunch of things that are looking for air rotting away from your silence . ” “Well, open the hatches and let them go, no fuss, friends, or else get out of the way!” Silver spat with the most haughty disdain. “Well, with your permission, sir,” one of the men jumped out. “You’re rather forgetful when it comes to some of our rules. Perhaps it’s to see that the rest are observed. Very well! But this crew you see here is discontented; this crew is determined to risk everything by giving up their liberty, and so, in accordance with our own rules, as I understand it, we’re all withdrawing to hold a council together. You’ll excuse me, sir, acknowledging you as we do our Captain at this hour. I claim my right and step outside to deliberate. ” With that, he made a respectful and complicated salute, in the sailor’s style , and with the utmost calm and composure, left the redoubt. This man, a tall, sickly-looking fellow with yellowish eyes and about thirty-five years of age, was followed by another and others of the gang, observing his example. Each bowed as he passed, and each added some excuse of the sort. “According to regulations!” said one. “Members’ meeting,” added Morgan. And so, now with one expression, now with another, they all filed out of the redoubt, leaving Silver and me alone, illuminated by the torch. The cook from the Hispaniola immediately took his pipe from his mouth and, in a firm, resolute, but barely perceptible manner, spoke to me thus: “Quick, come here, Hawkins. You must understand that the blade of the Death hangs by a single hair on your head, and what’s worse, it’s accompanied by torment. At this moment they’re going to depose me from my position. But never mind, mark this: I remain firmly on your side, come what may. That wasn’t what I had in mind at first, certainly! But after you spoke, it was another matter. I was desperate at the thought of losing all my bravado and being defeated in the business. But I’ve seen that you’re the man I need. Then I said to myself: John, you take Hawkins’s side and he’ll be on yours in the same way. You’re the last card in the game to him, and by your employer Satan, John, he may be yours as well! Help for help, I said to myself: you, Silver, save your witness and he’ll save your neck from the gallows! Although in a dim way I began to understand. “Do you mean to say that all is lost?” I asked him. “Ah! By hell yes!” he answered. “A ship gone, a neck’s worth a pound: that’s the situation in a nutshell. Once I took one look at that bay, Jim Hawkins, and saw there wasn’t a schooner to tell about anymore… I’m tough and tough, but still, you can believe I felt lost. As for that group and their council, I tell you they’re nothing but stupid and cowardly. I’ll get you out safe from their clutches, as far as I can; but as I said, Jim, service for service, you save your friend Silver from the gallows.” I was stunned and stunned. It seemed so hopeless what he asked of me… he… the old pirate, the ringleader of the rebellion! “Whatever I can do, I’ll do it,” I answered. “Then it’s a deal!” exclaimed John Silver. “You spoke bravely and fiercely, and by hell!” I’ll keep my word to you.” He then went forward to the torch, which, as I said before, was stuck in the wood, and there he relit his pipe, which had gone out. “Understand me well, Jim,” he continued immediately. “I’ve got a real head on my shoulders. As it is, nobody is more in favor of the Chevalier than I am. I understand very well that you’ve put that ship to safety somewhere—how? I don’t know; but I do affirm that she’s safe. Perhaps you managed to reduce and convince Hands and O’Brien. I never had great faith in them. But mark this: I don’t ask anything, nor will I allow others to ask anything. I know and I know well when a game is ready, yes, sir! Well, I assure you, boy, that this is already hot! Ah! You’re still a child; but you and I together, how many, many good things we could have done!” With that, he turned on the keg and ran a little cognac into a small tin cup. “Would you like a drink, comrade?” he asked me. When I refused , he continued: “I need a tonic, because, as it happens, we’re going to have a row in a few moments. And speaking of a row, why would the Doctor have given me Flint’s letter?” My face expressed such natural and profound astonishment that Silver immediately saw the futility of questioning me further on the subject. “Oh! Yes, he did,” he added. “ And I’ve no doubt there’s something beneath it, no doubt about it, Jim; good or bad, but there’s something.” Having said this, he took a swallow or two of cognac, then pressed his large, intelligent head with the gesture of a man who foresees and fears everything that’s most evil. Chapter 29. THE BLACK RECORD AGAIN. The filibusters’ session had already lasted for quite some time when one of them re-entered the redoubt and, not without repeating the same greeting or bow I referred to earlier, which, in my opinion, was more ironic than sincere, begged Silver to lend them his torch for a moment. John immediately agreed, and the emissary withdrew, leaving us in darkness. “The breeze’s beginning to blow, Jim,” said Silver, who by now had definitely assumed a tone that was entirely friendly and familiar with me. I then approached the loophole nearest me and peered out. The logs of the great fire had almost burned down, glowing so dully and dimly at that hour that, just by looking at them, I seemed to understand why those men wanted the torch. About halfway down the slope of the palisade, they all appeared gathered in a group; one of them held the torch; another was half-kneeling in the middle of the group, and I could see that in his hand the steel of an open razor gleamed, producing changes of various colors in the dual light of the moon and the torch. The others were leaning slightly over the one in the middle, as if watching or attentively observing what he was doing. I could also see that the same man in the middle was holding a book, and I had not yet recovered from the astonishment caused by seeing in the hands of those pirates something so foreign to their character and customs, when the kneeling individual rose to his feet, and the whole group with him began to file back toward the redoubt. “They’re coming back,” I said; and at once I hastened to resume my former position, for it seemed beneath me to be found spying on them. “Let them come, lad, let them,” cried Silver, with great airs of confidence. “I think I still have a shot in my holster.” The door admitted the five men, standing together in a tight group; but they took only one step within the threshold and pushed one of them forward so that he took the lead. Under any other circumstances, it would have been exceedingly comical to see the poor fellow stumble in his slow, hesitant advance, holding his right hand out in a ball and socket. “Go on, lad, go on,” cried Silver; “don’t think I’m going to eat you up. Hand that over, you lazy bum; I know the rules, you may believe me, and I won’t interfere with a deputation.” This gave the pirate deputy a little more courage, and he was able to advance more easily. Then, as soon as he had Silver within reach of his hand, he passed something to the cook’s and immediately retreated with the greatest agility to the group of his companions. John Silver glanced at what had just been passed to him and muttered: “The black disk! I expected it! But where the deuce did you get any paper from! Ah! Come! I get it now! Here’s the secret: but, boys, this is a bad omen.” You’ve gone to cut the paper of a Bible. Well, granny, nothing more foolish could have happened! “Oh! What’s up?” said Morgan, “what’s up? Wasn’t that what I said? Nothing good can come of it!” “So much the worse for the desecrators: you’ve condemned yourselves to be hanged!” continued Silver. “And who was the sanctimonious loafer who had a Bible? ” “It was Dick,” said one. “Dick, eh? Well, my boy, you can commend yourself to God now,” rejoined John. “I think that’s about the end of your lot of good luck, you may believe me. ” At this the skinny, yellow-eyed pirate jumped up, saying: “Enough of this idle chatter, John Silver. This crew has passed you the black disk, in full session, and according to the rules; You have nothing more to do than turn it over as the rules themselves command and read what is written on it. Then you may speak. “Thank you, Jorge, a million thanks!” replied the cook of La Española. “This lad has always been like this in all matters, lively and energetic. Besides, he knows all our rules by heart, which pleases me greatly. But, anyway, let’s see what it is, so nothing is lost. Ah! Come on: “Deposed!” That’s it, isn’t it? Nice writing, man, very nice! You’d think it was from a schoolmaster! It even looks like it was done in print! Was it you who wrote this, Jorge? Well, man, I congratulate you, because, honestly, you’re clearly becoming a notable figure among these fine lads. What do we bet that you’re going to be my successor, named Captain with all the rest?” your honors? But in the meantime, won’t you do me the favor of passing me that torch? This pipe doesn’t burn well. “That’s enough once more,” said George. “The time is up for you to tangle this crew with your chatter. You think you’re very amusing, as far as we can see; but for the present, you’re nobody, so you’d do well to get down from that barrel and help us vote for another leader. ” “I thought I heard you say you knew our rules,” said Silver disdainfully. “But if you don’t, I certainly do. I say, therefore , that I’m not moving from here, and I add that I’m still Captain of the gang”—mark this carefully—”until you have aired, one by one, all your grievances and I have answered them. In the meantime, your black record isn’t worth a farthing. After you’ve fulfilled that requirement, we’ll see! ” “Oh!” Well, as for that, there’s no problem in indulging you. We’re all level-headed and level-headed here, and we don’t mince our words. Here are our reasons: First, you’ve turned this expedition into a mere mess; I suppose you won’t have the nerve to deny it. Second, you’ve let the enemy escape from this trap without any profit… Why did they want to get out? I don’t know, but it’s obvious they wanted to get out. Third, you haven’t allowed us to attack them after we’d left… Ah! Don’t imagine we’re not seeing this clearly: you’re not playing fair, John Silver, and that’s the worst thing you can do. Fourth, that young man who snuck in on us tonight, whom you’re defending. “Is that all?” Silver asked calmly. “That’s more than enough,” George replied. It seems to me that we will all have to see ourselves hanging and drying in the sun, all because of you. –Well, all right. I’ll answer those four points, one by one. So I’ve made a mess of this expedition? Come on!… Do you perhaps not know what I wanted and what I had resolved? You know very well that if that had been done tonight we would all be aboard the Hispaniola, as always, all alive, all happy, very well fed, even better watered, and with the treasure stored in the hold, like a thousand devils! Well, who stood in my way? Who forced my hand, which was that of the legitimate captain? Who made me pass the black disc the very day we landed and this dance began? Ah! A nice dance indeed! I already see myself in it with you until the very end. This seems to me as funny and amusing as if I saw a bagpipe dangling from the end of a gallows on Death Beach. But whose fault is it? Well, it was Anderson, and Hands, and you, George Merry, who brought it about. You’re the only one left alive of those impertinent officious fools, and now you come to me with the stupid and devilish insolence of standing in my way to take my place as captain—you who have sunk most of our crew! By my master Satan, this is the height of shamelessness and cynicism! Silver paused, during which I could see from the faces of George and his comrades that this tremendous tirade had not been uttered in vain. “That’s as far as charge number one is concerned,” said the accused, softening a little the terribly stern frown with which he had spoken up until then, and lowering the pitch of that voice with which he had just made the house tremble. “It’s something that makes one sick,” he continued, “the displeasure of having to deal with you all. Of all of us, there’s not one who has either understanding or memory; and I’m even surprised to think how your mothers must have been when they let you go to sea. To sea!… Sailors, you! Gentlemen of fortune!… Tailors; that must be your trade. ” “Go on, John,” said Morgan. ” But speak to the others as well; no, not just to me. ” “Ah! Yes! The others! A precious bunch of men! Isn’t it true? You say this expedition is all confused and out of joint.” Oh!” If you could only understand how disjointed it is! You would see! You then! Suffice it to say that the gallows are so close to us that I can almost smell the hemp and feel my neck pricked just thinking about it. You’ve all seen that spectacle before… how beautiful, isn’t it? A man loaded with chains, suspended from a rope, surrounded by vultures hovering over his corpse or peacefully dining on his entrails. And the horrified sailors pointing him out to one another at low tide as they cross in their boats beside the gallows. “Who’s that?” one asks. “That one?” “And you ask?” “Well, it’s John Silver; I knew him very well,” another replies. And meanwhile, the sinister sound of the chains of that condemned man clanging against each other may reach the ears of the seafaring worker crossing toward the nearby buoy… Well, you must convince yourself that this is what awaits us, every son of a bitch, in this company, thanks to George, and Hands, and Anderson, and all the idiots who have ruined this business. Now, if you want me to answer your fourth point—that is, that boy Hawkins, by the devil himself! Do you think we’re going to murder a guest? Not us, by my life! It’s quite possible he’s our last plank in the wreck, and I won’t be surprised if he is. Kill this boy? I repeat, no, comrades! And about the third point? Ah! There’s much to be said about the third point. It may happen that it means nothing to you to have a real and whole Doctor coming to visit you daily, you, John, with your broken head, or you, George Merry, whom malaria has put there with eyes as yellow as ripe lemons, and who not even six hours ago were shivering with the chill and delirious with the fever. It may also happen that you are unaware that there is a second ship due to come for the crew of the Hispaniola, if it is delayed for a certain time. Yes, gentlemen, it is coming, and by then we shall see who is happy or who is sorry to receive a visit. And as for number two, that is, what was my reason for making a deal, you have no choice but to all kneel here, on your knees as you came one day to ask me, crawling, so that I would do it. Well, that’s nothing at all, you see the reason… that’s it! And so saying, he threw down into the middle of the group, on the floor, a paper that I recognized at once, and which was nothing other than the parchment map with the three red crosses that I had found in the waterproof cloth stowed at the bottom of the Captain’s chest. Why the Doctor had passed this on to Silver was a problem I couldn’t solve. But while for me there was no plausible explanation, the letter itself had an incredible and magical effect on the rioters. All at once they jumped on it like cats on a mouse. They passed it from hand to hand, almost scratching each other to snatch it away. Hearing the shouts, the oaths, the childish laughter with which they accompanied its examination, one would have believed not only that they now had the coveted gold in their hands, but that they were already on the high seas, in possession of it, and completely safe. “Of course,” said one; “this is Flint’s, you’ll see.” Here are his initials JF and below a line with a nail through it, which was what he always put in his name. “That’s all very well,” said George, “but the thing is, how are we going to carry the money box if there’s no more ship? ” “George Merry!” cried Silver, rising violently to his feet and bracing himself with one hand against the wall. “I’m going to give you a warning just in time. If you utter one more word, you’ll have to get out of here down there and face me, for I’m sure I’ll crush you. What? What do I know! Do you have the insolence to utter what you’ve said, you who with your cronies have caused the loss of my schooner, because of your intervention? Hell swallow you up! No! You won’t be the one to get us out of this mess, because you can’t even match the poor inventiveness of a cockroach. In none of this matter can you take the lead.” word, George Merry; and you count on disobeying me. ‘ ‘That’s very clear,’ said old Morgan. ‘Of course! Well, I believe it!’ replied the cook. ‘You lost the ship and I found the treasure. Who’s worth it between us two, George Merry? And now… I tender my resignation. You may elect whomever you please as Captain. I’ve had enough of this office. ‘ ‘Silver!’ they all shouted in chorus. ‘Barbacoa now and forever! Barbacoa is our Captain! Long live Barbacoa! ‘ ‘In fine time! That’s what we have, isn’t it?’ exclaimed the cook. ‘Well , you see, George, for today it seems you’ll have to wait for another turn to have your captaincy. And thank the devil I’m not a vengeful man. But it’s the truth, that’s not my way. Now then, comrades… this black disc?… It seems to me it’s not worth much today , is it?’ It will all come down to Dick having darkened his lucky star and mistreated his Bible—nothing more! “Don’t you think the matter will be settled by a severe kiss to the book?” exclaimed Dick, who was positively uneasy at the thought of the celestial curse he believed he had brought down upon his head. “A Bible with a piece cut out!” said Silver sarcastically. “Impossible! There’s no longer any difference between it and a simple collection of songs . ” “Do you think not?” retorted Dick with a certain kind of gaiety. “Well! Nevertheless, I believe it’s still worth keeping. ” “And now, Jim,” said Silver, “here’s a curiosity for your collection of them.” Saying this, he handed me the little piece of paper: it was about the size of a kroner. On one side there was no printing, for it was the last leaf of the book; on the other side it contained a verse from Revelation, and on it these words caught my attention in a particular way: “ Outside are the dogs and the murderers.” The printed side had been blackened with charcoal from the fire, which was now beginning to slough off and stain my fingers; on the white side was written the same material, the word “Deposed.” Even as I write this account, I still have that curiosity in my possession, and it lies here on my table; but not the slightest trace of writing can be seen on it, save a sort of scratch such as a person might make with their thumbnail. With that, the events of that night ended. In a few moments, a glass of cognac was poured out for everyone, and we all lay down to sleep. Silver’s signal of revenge was to appoint George to the sentry room, threatening him with death if he did not act faithfully. It took me a long time to close my eyes, and heaven knows I was more than just thinking of that man whose life I had involuntarily taken that afternoon, at the moment of greatest danger to my own. But what most kept me awake was that terrible and shrewd game I had just seen Silver play, whose marvelous efforts were, on the one hand, to keep the rebels united and at bay, and on the other, to try every human means, possible and impossible, to obtain a reconciliation and save his miserable existence. But he, for his part, immediately fell asleep in the most peaceful manner, and very soon I began to hear the thunder of his snores. Meanwhile, my heart was oppressed painfully at the thought of the imminent dangers that surrounded that man, wicked as he was, and of the infamous gallows that was the last prospect of his sad career. Chapter 30. ON PAROLE. A clear, cheerful voice from the edge of the wood calling to those in the redoubt woke me, and woke everyone else as well; and the sentry himself, who had been politely leaning against the gate, shuddered and sat up in his post. “Here comes the Doctor!” cried the voice. “Here comes the Doctor.” And it was the Doctor, of course. I was certainly pleased to hear that friendly tone, but my joy was not very pure, so to speak. I immediately recalled, with great shame, my insubordination and conduct. furtive, and seeing to what extremity she had driven me, in what company and by what dangers I was surrounded, I felt ashamed to look at the Doctor’s face. He must have gotten up very early in the morning, for the light had not yet arrived definitely, and when I had run to one of the gun ports to see him, I saw him down below, standing like Silver on the day of his mission, up to his knees in a creeping mist. “It’s you, Doctor! Good morning to you, your grace!” said Silver, perfectly awake and in excellent spirits in a moment. “Alive and early, no doubt about it, but we know here that, as the saying goes, the early bird gets the rations. George, get moving, lad, and help Doctor Livesey to jump on board this ship. All is well here, Doctor; all your patients are getting much better, and everyone is happy.” Speaking of which, he stood there, at the top of the rise, with his crutch under his arm and his other hand leaning against one of the walls of the house. His attitude, his accent, his words, his manners, were again those of the same John Silver I had known in Bristol. “We have a little surprise in store for you today, Doctor,” he continued. “We have a little stranger here. A new guest and companion, yes sir, as clever and as tempered as a fiddle. He has slept here all night, like a purser, right next to old John.” By this time, Doctor Livesey had already jumped over the fence and was very close to the cook, so I could clearly observe the change in his voice as he asked: “I suppose it isn’t Jim? ” “The same Jim through and through, yes sir,” replied Silver. The Doctor stopped outside, and although he did not reply a word, it was some seconds before he seemed able to move. “Good, good!” he said finally. “Duty first, pleasure second, as you would say to yourself. Let’s go see and examine these patients. ” A moment later he was inside the cabin and, without giving me more than a grim nod, he immediately set to work with his patients. He didn’t seem to have the slightest misgivings, although he must have understood very well that his life in the hands of those traitorous and devilish pirates hung in the balance. As naturally as if he were making an ordinary professional visit to a quiet family in England, he went from patient to patient, dreaming, composing, and arranging everything. His manner, I believe, had had a healthy reaction on those men, because they behaved toward him as if nothing had happened, as if he were still the ship’s doctor and they were loyal sailors in their respective posts. “You’re doing very well,” he said to the individual with the tufted head. And if any man in the world ever took a dangerous blow, it was you: your head must be as hard as steel. Now, George, how are you today? You’re turning a fine lemon color there, you’ll be sure: your liver has turned downwards. Did you take that medicine? Now, lads, tell the truth, did George take his medicine? “Oh! As for that, yes, sir, indeed he did,” replied Morgan. “The thing is, ever since I became a rebel doctor, or shall I say, a jail doctor,” continued the Doctor in the most affable tone, “I’ve considered it a place of honor not to lose a single man to our King George QDG and to the gallows.” Those wicked men looked at each other, but only swallowed the pill in silence. “Dick isn’t very well today, sir,” said one. “Is that it? Let’s see, come here, Dick,” called the Doctor. Teach me that language. No, I don’t wonder if you feel ill: this language alone would be enough to frighten a French armada. We have another malaria! “Ah!” said Morgan, “that comes from desecrating Bibles. ” “That comes from being, as you say, wild asses,” replied the Doctor; or to put it more clearly, from not knowing how to distinguish a breath stale and poisonous, with healthy and invigorating air, nor a filthy and poisoned swamp of high, dry land. It seems to me the most probable, without this being more than an opinion, of course, that all of you, without exception, are going to have to pay the heavy price of fever before we manage to expel from your bodies the malaria germs that you absorbed through every pore. Camping in a marsh!… Silver, I’m surprised to see you authorizing such nonsense. You’re much less stupid than all of these people put together, but I don’t imagine you have even the smallest rudiments of hygiene. “All right,” he added after he had medicated everyone, and when each one had taken their respective drug with a childlike humility that was far from denouncing those men as bloodthirsty rebels and pirates. “All right; there’s nothing more to be done for today. And now, I’d like to have a moment’s conversation with that boy.” And with that, he nodded at me with a contemptuous nod. George Merry was standing in the doorway spitting out some unpleasant medicine , but no sooner had the Doctor said his last words than he turned sharply and almost bellowed, “No! by a hundred thousand devils!” Silver struck the cask with his open hand and roared these two words, assuming the air of a real lion. “Silence!” And then in his usual mellifluous tone, he continued, “Doctor, I was thinking of that, knowing how much you have always loved this little fellow. We are all immensely grateful to you for your kindness, and, as you see, we place the greatest faith in you, and take your drugs as we would a jug of grog. I believe, then, that I have found a way out of all doubt. Hawkins, will you give me your word of honor, as a gentleman, for one you are, though young and poor by birth, that you will play us no tricks?” “You have my word,” I replied without hesitation. “Well then, Doctor,” added Silver, “you have nothing more to do but step outside the stockade, and once there, I will personally take Jim downstairs so that he on this side and you on the other can converse across the large spans between the posts. Have a good time, Doctor, and present my most humble respects to the Gentleman and Captain Smollet.” The explosion of discontent, hardly repressed by Silver’s terrible looks , broke out as soon as the Doctor left the redoubt. Silver was roundly accused of playing a double game; of attempting a special reconciliation for himself; of sacrificing the interests of his accomplices and victims; and, in short, of doing precisely what he was actually doing. This seemed so clear to me that I could not imagine how he could disarm his fury. But the truth is that he alone was worth twice as much, as a man, as all of them put together, and that his triumph of the previous evening had secured him a solid hold on everyone’s mind. He very formally told them the greatest imaginable string of nonsense and follies to convince them; he added that it was absolutely necessary that I should speak to the Doctor; he waved the letter before their eyes once more, and concluded by asking if any of them dared to break the treaties on the very day they were allowed to set out in search of the treasure. “No! by hell!” he exclaimed. “We are the ones who must break the treaty, but only until the proper time. In the meantime, I must pamper and deceive this Doctor, even if I were obliged to clean his boots myself. ” Having said this, he ordered them to prepare the fire and launched himself out on his crutch, resting one of his hands on my shoulder, leaving them bewildered and silent, but more bewildered by his chatter than convinced by his arguments. “Slow down, boy, slow down!” he said, slowing down my pace . “We could have them upon us in the twinkling of an eye if they saw us going too fast.” Now, halting deliberately, we advanced across the sand to the point where, having fulfilled the condition, the Doctor was waiting on the other side of the stockade. “You will take note of what I do now, Doctor,” said Silver, as soon as we came within speaking distance. “Besides, Jim will tell you how I saved his life last night, and how I was deposed for that very reason alone; don’t forget that, Doctor, when a man is doing all in his power to steer his vessel on a straight course, as I am doing, when, with his last efforts, he is still trying to play the dimple, do you think it will be too much to give such a man a word of hope? You must not lose sight of the fact that it is not simply a question of my life now, but of this boy’s, which is involved in our dealings; so, then, speak to me plainly, Doctor, and give me at least a ray of that hope which I solicit, that I may continue in my work.” Please do it. Silver was, at that moment, a completely different man from the one he had seemed before turning his back on his friends. There he was now, with a trembling voice, drooping cheeks, and looking positively dead. “What’s that, John?” said the Doctor. “I suppose you’re not afraid?” ” Doctor,” he replied. “I’m not a coward, not by any means. If I were, I wouldn’t admit it. But the fact remains that I believe I already feel the dreadful shudders of the gallows. You are a good and loyal man; I never saw a finer subject than you. So, what I desire is that you will not forget the good I have done and endeavor to forget the bad. With that, I will step aside, you see, here, to leave you two to speak alone.” And I want you to add this more in my favor as well, because we are going through a more than thorny situation. ” Saying this, he retreated a little to where he was out of earshot, and there he sat down on the trunk of one of the felled fir trees and began to whistle, whirling around his seat again and again with the object of keeping an eye on both me and the Doctor, as well as on his insubordinate henchmen up above who were busy running back and forth on the sand, arranging the fire and going back and forth to the cabin from which they were taking bacon and bread to prepare their lunch. “So yes, my little friend,” the Doctor said to me in a sad tone, ” you’re here at last, eh? What you sow is what you reap, lad.” God knows I don’t feel strong enough to scold you properly , but I won’t omit to tell you this, whether you like it mildly or harshly: When Captain Smollett was well and healthy, you never dared to leave him alone, but as soon as you saw him wounded and nothing could stop you —by Saint George!—then you took advantage of it at once. See how base and cowardly such conduct was! I must confess that when I heard this, I burst into tears beyond restraint. As soon as I could speak, I said: “Doctor, you may excuse me; I have reproached myself enough ; but, however it may be, my life is lost, and I would have been dead at this hour had Silver not been on my side, and—believe me, Doctor—I may very well die, and I dare say I deserve it; but, frankly, the thought of being tortured terrifies me.” “Well, if it comes to that they give me torture—” “Jim,” interrupted the Doctor, in a voice now quite changed; “Jim, I cannot consent to such an idea. Jump over this fence at once, and we will run to safety! ” “Doctor,” I said, “I have given my word. ” “I know, I know,” he replied. “We cannot avoid breaking it, Jim. I take the responsibility for the act; all on myself, my boy. Shame or punishment, I undertake to suffer whatever comes. But it is impossible to leave you here. Come! Hurry up! Jump! In one bound you will be across, and I assure you that we shall run like antelopes. ” “No!” I answered. “You understand well that you yourself would be incapable of doing what you advise me; and like you, neither the Gentleman nor The Captain… Well, neither do I. Silver has trusted me. He has left me with no other bond than the guarantee of my word… I must, therefore, return, and I will. But you have not let me finish: if it comes to the point where they torture me, I was saying, it might happen that I might let slip some confession about the spot where the schooner now is, since I have managed to capture her, partly by my good luck and partly by taking a bit of a risk. The Hispaniola, Doctor, is at this moment in the North Bay, towards its southern beach, just below the high-water mark. At mid-tide she should be found high and dry. “The schooner!” exclaimed the Doctor, astonished. I briefly told him of my adventures at sea, which he listened to in silence. “There is a kind of mysterious fate in this,” he told me when I had finished. “At every step, you are the one destined to save our lives.” And can you suppose, therefore, that we are going to leave you here to certain destruction? That would be a very poor gratitude, friend Jim. You discovered the conspiracy; you found Ben Gunn, a feat as remarkable as you have ever performed, and that you will perform even if you outlive Methuselah. Oh! by heaven! And speaking of Ben Gunn, he is mischief personified. “Silver!” he cried; “Silver!” And when the cook was near enough to hear, he went on. “Don’t be in any hurry about this treasure: it’s advice I’m willing to give you. ” “You may believe, sir,” replied John, “that I am doing everything in my power to stall for time. But bear in mind that my life and this boy’s depend on the discovery of this treasure; you mustn’t forget that. ” “Good heavens, Silver,” replied the Doctor. If that is so, I will go a step further in my warnings: beware of a possible squall when it is encountered. “Doctor,” said Silver, “as one man to another, I must tell you that your words either tell me too much or too little. What are you after? Why did you leave this redoubt? Why did you give me the letter? I don’t know all that, do I not? And yet, you see, I follow your instructions blindly without having received a single word of hope. Well, this last is too much. If you do not wish to tell me clearly what it is you want to convey to me, state it so bluntly, and I promise you that I will immediately let go of the helm . ” “No,” replied the Doctor. “I have no right to say anything more: it is not a secret of mine, Silver; and if it were, I pledge my word that I would tell it. ” However, I’m going to go on, for your sake, as far as I think I dare, and a step further; for I think the Captain is going to adjust my wig if I’m not mistaken. But never mind: for the first time, Silver, I’m giving you some hope; if we both get out of this wolf-hole alive, I offer you that, short of swearing, I’ll do everything in my power to save you. ” Silver’s face beamed with a brilliant expression. “If you were my mother,” the man exclaimed, “you couldn’t say anything that would comfort me more; I’m sure of it. ” “Well! That’s my first concession,” added the Doctor. The second is something like new advice: keep this boy very close to you, and if you need help, just shout. I’ll assure you of it, and that will prove to you that I’m not talking at random. Goodbye, Jim.” So saying, Doctor Livesey squeezed my hand through the loosely joined posts, bowed to Silver, and walked briskly off into the woods. Chapter 31. TREASURE HUNT–FLINT’S DIRECTORY. “Jim,” said Silver to me, as soon as we were alone, “if I saved your life, you have saved mine also, and I promise you I will never forget it. I saw the Doctor urging you to escape; I saw him out of the corner of my eye, yes, sir, and I saw that you would not; I saw it as plain as if I had heard it. Jim, I must give you credit for this. Since the first attack failed, this is the first ray of hope that has come to me, and I owe that to You. Now, it’s high time we set out in search of that treasure, carrying sealed packets, as it were; which is not to my taste; but be that as it may, you and I must always keep together, almost back to back, and I assure you we shall save our necks, in spite of fate and fortune. At that very moment, a man called down to us from above, shouting that breakfast was ready; whereupon, without further deliberation, we arrived near the fire and sat down all here and there on the sand, doing honor to the biscuit and the fried bacon. The pirates had lit a fire large enough to roast a whole ox ; and this fire had become so hot that it was impossible to approach it except from the windward side, and that with considerable caution. In the same spirit of waste, I suppose , they had cooked a quantity of meat at least three times as much as we needed and could eat, whereupon one of them, with a foolish laugh, threw all that remained into the fire , greatly fueling the blaze with this new fodder. I never in my life saw men more careless of the morning; “hand to mouth” is the only thing that can describe their manner and actions. With waste of provisions and sleeping sentries, those men might have been fit, perhaps, for a short skirmish and carried off well, but it was evident that they were in no way fit for anything resembling a prolonged campaign. Silver himself, running along with his “Captain Flint” perched on his shoulder, had not a single word of reproach for their lack of foresight and care. And this surprised me all the more because it seemed to me that the man had never shown himself to be so astute and crafty as that day. “Ah! Comrade,” he said, “you must consider yourselves very fortunate to have this Barbacoa as Captain, so that he can think instead of you with this head that God has given him. I’ve already found what I wanted,” he continued. “Those people have the ship. Where? I haven’t figured it out yet; but once we find the money box, we’ll know how to find out. Besides, lads, we have the boats; that is to say, we have the advantage over them.” He continued to discourse on this subject, without waiting for his mouth to be free of the tremendous morsels of bacon he was carrying . This served to restore the hope and faith of the pirates; but I, on the other hand, becoming distrustful, felt the sums I had earned a short time before greatly diminished. “As for our guest,” he continued, “it seems to me he will never have another conversation with those he loves so much. I have received my few pieces of news, and thank him for that; but that is done and over. For the present, I will take him with me while our search for the treasure continues, for I believe that keeping him with us is like keeping ground gold, just in case ? But once we have the money and the ship—both—and are off to sea like good comrades, then what! We shall take leave of Mr. Hawkins, yes, sir, and give him his share, without a doubt, thanking him for all his services and kindnesses to his friends. ” It was not surprising that these men were in good spirits; but as for me, I felt terribly discouraged. It seemed to me that if the project I had just outlined seemed feasible, Silver, doubly traitorous, would certainly not hesitate to adopt it. At that moment he still had one foot in each camp, but there was no doubt that he would prefer wealth and liberty with the pirates to the slight chance of escaping execution, which was the most that awaited him on our side. But even supposing that events should turn out in such a way that that man should be compelled to keep the faith of the pact with Doctor Livesey; even supposing this, what a terrible danger we had before us! What a critical moment that was when suspicions of his henchmen and accomplices were transformed into perfect reality! What a deadly and unequal struggle it was, that of five vigorous, agile , and determined sailors against an old invalid and a weak child! Add to this double concern the mystery that still shrouded, in my eyes, the conduct of my companions: their inexplicable abandonment of the stake; their no less strange surrender of Flint’s map; or, what was even more incomprehensible to me, the Doctor’s last warning to Silver: “Beware of a possible squall when you find it.” Add all this together, and it will be easily understood how little savor I could take from my lunch and with what little peace of mind I set off after my captors in search of the blessed treasure. Our appearance was quite curious and would have amused anyone who could have seen us: all in perfectly soiled sailors’ suits, and all, except myself, armed to the teeth. Silver carried two rifles slung across his chest and the other across his back, both slung across his shoulder. His large knife was cinched around his belt, and a pistol was in each pouch of his coat. To complete this strange figure, Captain Flint was perched on his shoulder, muttering all sorts of nonsense and incoherent phrases from the words of a sailor. I was tied to my waist by a rope, the end of which the cook held, sometimes with his free hand, sometimes with his powerful teeth. I had no recourse but to follow him humbly, but the truth is that I looked like a bear in a carnival. The rest were variously loaded: some with picks, shovels, and hoes, which they had taken care to bring from Hispaniola from the very beginning ; and others with provisions for the midday meal. All the provisions were the same as ours, which proved that Silver had spoken the truth the night before. If the Doctor and he had not concluded a genuine agreement, both he and his followers would have been forced to subsist on clear water and the produce of their hunts. Water would have been of little use to their palate, and as far as hunting is concerned, a sailor is hardly what one might call a good shot; to which must be added that it is very probable that if they were short of provisions, they would have been better provided with gunpowder and ammunition. Now, thus prepared and equipped, we set off, not even excepting the fellow with the broken head, who, it seemed, should have remained in the shade. One after another, we made our way to the beach where the boats were moored. They also bore the marks of the pirates’ brutal drunkenness; one had a broken crossbar , and both were positively filthy with mud and every kind of filth. As a precaution, both skiffs were taken, the gang divided into them, and once embarked in this arrangement, we set out for the center of the anchorage. As we set out, some discussion about the map arose . Of course, the red cross was too large to serve as a guide by itself, and the terms in which the note on the back of the parchment was written were not without some ambiguity. As will be remembered, they read: Tall tree on the slope of El Vigía in a north- northeast direction. Skeleton Islet, east-southeast, quarter east. Ten feet. A tall tree was the principal landmark. Now, directly in front of us, the anchorage was surrounded by a plateau of two to three hundred feet in elevation, joining the southern slope of El Vigía to the north and receding again, to the south, toward the abrupt and rocky eminence known as Mizzen Hill. The whole summit of the slope was thickly wooded with pines of various heights. Here and there, some of a different species rose forty or fifty feet above the summits of those surrounding it… which of these, then, was specially designated by Captain Flint as a lofty tree? This could not be decided except on the spot with precise indications. of the compass. But although this latter point was obvious, each of the boat crew had chosen his favorite tree before we were halfway across, and only John Silver remained, shrugging his shoulders and telling his men to wait until they were on land. We rowed without great effort, in accordance with Silver’s instructions , so as not to tire ourselves prematurely, and after a not very short passage, we landed near the mouth of the second creek, the one that runs downland through one of the most wooded basins of the Vigía. Once ashore, we turned back to the left and began to ascend the slope of the land toward the upper plateau. At first, a heavy, muddy ground and dense marsh vegetation greatly delayed our progress; But little by little the hill steepened slightly, now offering us a somewhat stony path, while the vegetation took on a very different character, its trees presenting a more open and orderly arrangement. Positively, the part of the island we were entering was the most pleasant of all. Fine brooms with a delicious aroma and small shrubs dressed in flowers had almost entirely taken the place of the grass. Small groves of verdant mimosas crowded here and there between the erect columns of the pinaletes and under their protective shade, all those plants and flowers mingling their essences and perfumes into a single fragrance that intoxicated the senses. The breeze, moreover, was fresh and regenerating, which, under the very clear flashes of the sun, surprisingly refreshed and invigorated all our senses. The expeditionaries spread out in the form of a fan, shouting and jumping like children. Toward the center and quite behind the party , Silver and I followed; he stumbling with every step on the slippery stones, and I behind him, pulled by the rope I have referred to. From time to time, however, I was obliged to support him, otherwise he would have lost his footing and fallen backward down the hill. In this manner, we had advanced about half a mile and were almost touching the edge of the plateau when the man walking farthest to our left began to shout at the top of his lungs, with a marked accent of terror. Again and again he called to his companions; now they were beginning to run toward him. “I reckon he can’t have found the money box,” said old Morgan, passing on the right side of us in the direction of the one who was shouting. “This is a very bare peak to have made such a discovery.” And indeed, when Silver and I reached that spot, we found it to be something else entirely. At the foot of a fairly tall pine tree, half wrapped in the coils of a green creeper, lay a human skeleton, and beside it, on the ground, a few tattered garments. The luxuriance of the vine had already covered some of the members of that skeleton. It seems to me that an involuntary chill seized us all, reaching even to our hearts at that moment. “This was a sailor,” said George Merry, who, more daring than the others, had approached and was examining the tattered rags scattered on the ground. “At least, this is nothing more than good marine cloth. ” “By my life!” said Silver, “I like the discovery! Could we expect to find the body of an archbishop here? But what sort of posture is that for a corpse? It seems very unnatural , or unnatural at all, don’t you think? ”
And certainly a second glance convinced us of the improbability of that extraordinary position. For who knows what reasons, perhaps the work of the birds that had eaten their flesh, perhaps the growing action of the vine, the fact is that the man was lying perfectly upright with his feet pointing in one direction, and his hands stretched out parallel to his head, pointing rigidly in opposite direction. “I’ve just had an idea,” said Silver jokingly. “Here’s the compass; there you can see the main peak of Skeleton Islet sticking out like a great fang: follow the direction marked by the bones and take a visual toward that point.” This was done as Silver ordered. The skeleton’s hands pointed directly toward the Islet, and the compass marked, quite clearly: East Southeast, quarter East. ” “I figured it right,” exclaimed the cook; “this fellow’s a director. Well, right there’s the line that guides us to the North Star and the blessed bags. But damn me if I don’t get the creeps thinking about friend Flint. That’s one of his jokes, no doubt about it.” He and his six sailors came here alone: all six died at his hands, the devil knows how, and this one happened to be placed here as a recorder, with all the nautical measurements very well taken, by hell! Those bones are very long, and the hair seems to have been yellow. Surely this was Allan—do you remember Allan, Tom Morgan? ‘ ‘I do!’ replied Morgan. ‘He certainly owed me some guineas which I lent him, yes, sir; and besides, he brought my knife with him when he came ashore. ‘ ‘And speaking of knives,’ said another, ‘why didn’t we find Allan’s near him, or his money? Captain Flint was not a man to amuse himself with a sailor’s purse, and as for birds, I don’t think such a find would have excited his greed. ‘ ‘By my master, Satan!’ cried Silver. ‘That seems very reasonable to me.’ “Well, there’s not a trace of anything at all,” said Merry, still searching all around the skeleton; not a single copper penny, or anything like that. Well, this certainly isn’t natural. ” “No, by my life!” added Silver; “not natural, nor reassuring, nor in any way pleasant. A thousand carronades! My friends! The truth is , if Flint were still alive, we’d have a long accounting to settle here. There were six who accompanied him; there are six of us, and of those, as we’ve seen, nothing remains but the bones. ” “I saw him dead with those eyes that the earth will eat,” said Morgan. Billy Bones took me to see him. He was lying there with a copper penny over each eye. “Dead, yes! I believe it, and buried in hell,” said the man with the head wound. But I truly believe that if ever there was a soul in pain, it must be the damned soul of Flint! Gosh! What a nasty, horrible death that man had! —As for that, no one can doubt it, observed a third. In his agony, now he was blaspheming like a damned man, now he was delirious with his rheum, now he was bursting out in a hollow voice as if rising from the grave, into his eternal song: “Fifteen want that dead man’s chest!” It was as if he knew no other song but that, and, truth be told, comrades, since then I have not much fun with that croon. It was horribly hot; the window of the dying man was open, and I could hear clearly, and more and more clearly, the mournful strain that the man let out, interrupted by the hiccups of death, and now with the shadows of the corpse upon his face… “Come, come!” said Silver, “will you stop such a conversation?” The man is dead, very dead, and those who die don’t return, as far as I know; or if they do, they don’t wander about during the day; at least, let’s be sure. The tale is over: I enter through one golden pipe and come out through another, and that’s enough! Onward! Onward, the money box awaits us! Saying and doing, we set off again. But in spite of the burning sun and the dazzling light, the pirates no longer marched separately, running and shouting through the thicket, but all together, pressed against one another and talking with labored breaths. The terror of the dead filibuster had fallen like a heavy shadow over their spirits. Chapter 32. THE VOICE OF THE TROUBLESHOOTED SOUL. Partly because of the terrifying influence of this alarm, and partly to allow Silver and his sick companions some rest, the entire expedition sat down as soon as we had finally reached the upper edge of the plateau. The plateau sloped slightly to the west, and the place where we had halted offered us a wide panorama on either side. In front of us, over the treetops, we looked down upon Cape Jungle with its immense fringe of foaming waves. Behind us, not only did we command the anchorage and Skeleton Islet, but we could also see, over the sandy point where White Rock is located, and above the lowlands, a great expanse of open sea to the east. Above us, the Vigía loomed, now shaded in places by isolated pines, now blackened by deep ravines and gorges. Not a sound reached them, except the monotonous beating of the distant breakers, rising in waves of incessant murmur to our ears, and the buzzing of countless insects swarming in the thickets. Not a man, not a sail on the ocean: the immensity of that vast prospect seemed to increase its sad solitude. As soon as Silver had seated himself, he made some calculations with his compass. “There are three tall trees,” he said, “in the direction of the straight-marked line of Skeleton Islet. Lookout Point, I take it; that means that point sloping down that way. Well, it’s child’s play now to find the money-box. It seems to me, however , that we had better eat first. ” “I don’t feel very sharp,” murmured Morgan. “This thought of Flint has taken my appetite away. Ah! If Flint were still alive, I might as well give myself up for dead. ” “Ah, come, my boy,” said Silver; “thank your luck.” Flint has no business being in this world anymore. “He was a real ugly devil, that Flint,” cried the third pirate. “With that eternally glum face! ” “It was the rom that gave him that blue tinge and that glum expression; though glum, as you say, I suppose is a better word.” Ever since we had discovered Allan’s skeleton and given him leeway with this sort of thought, the pirates’ voices had been getting lower and lower, until at that point it was almost nothing more than a low murmur, the sound of which could scarcely be said to break the mysterious silence of the forest. Suddenly, as if from the midst of the trees in front of us, a shrill, piercing, trembling voice broke into the mournful and familiar refrain: “There are fifteen who want that dead man’s chest.” ” There are fifteen, yo-ho-ho!” There are fifteen of them! Long live the Rom! I have never seen, nor do I expect to see again, men more horribly frightened than the pirates. As if by magic, their faces suddenly became as pale as wax; some sprang to their feet; some clutched, trembling and distraught, at the arm or garment of the nearest one; Morgan, without rising, muttered meaningless words. “That’s Flint, by hell!” cried Merry. The song had ceased as suddenly as it had begun; cut short, as if someone had suddenly covered the singer’s mouth with his hand. Coming from the distance at which it came through the clear, luminous atmosphere and from among the treetops , it seemed to me that the voice had sounded sweet and graceful, and what was surprising was the effect produced on my companions. “Come on!” said Silver, struggling with his ashen lips to get the words out, “That one won’t do! That’ll hit someone else with that bone. That’s someone who’s beginning to get all worked up and go around making a fool of us; he’s a man with real flesh and blood, don’t you doubt it.” As he spoke, his spirit returned more and more to his body, and with it, color to his face. The others were also beginning to listen to his rising spirits, and were gradually recovering, when he himself accent broke out again, this time no longer in song, but in a distant cry that the echoes of the sockets on the Lookout echoed very faintly: “Darby Grow!” groaned that accent, “Darby Grow! Darby Grow!” and it kept repeating that name; and then in a slightly higher pitch, and not without accompanying a horrible oath, it concluded thus: “Hurry and get me rom; quick Darby! ” “That leaves no doubt,” muttered one. “Let’s go! ” Those were Flint’s last words, muttered Morgan; his last words on board this world. Dick had taken out a Bible and was praying mechanically, like a maniac. This poor lad had received a mediocre education before coming to the navy with such bad company. However, Silver still continued to fight. His teeth almost chattered from time to time, but he did not yield to terror, not in the least. “No one on this island has ever heard of Darby,” he cried; “no one but those of us here. ” But then, as if to counterbalance these words, he went on with a strong effort: “Comrades, I have come here to find that money-box, and neither lost soul nor man of flesh and blood will be able to stop me. I was never afraid of old Flint in my life, and by Satan my employer! I will stand up to his own damned soul. Less than a quarter of a mile from here lies seven hundred thousand pounds in gold… When has it ever been known that a gentleman of fortune has turned his stern over to a money-box of that size simply out of fear for the memory of an old drunkard, with his cup of rum, and already dead and buried?” The pirates showed no sign of being revived by this speech; rather , the obvious irreverence of these words seemed to increase their terror. “Look out, look out, John!” said Merry. “It’s no good angering spirits !” As for the others, they were too terrified to make a reply. Several of them would have run away at a running start if they had had even the courage to do so; but their fear made them want to stay close around John, as if they could find help in his courage. Silver, on his part, had already overcome his weakness to a considerable extent. “Spirit?” he said. “Well! That may be so. But I notice one thing that is not quite clear to me, and that is, the voice of that spirit had an echo. Now, I say, no man ever saw souls cast a shadow. How then could his voice have an echo? I should like to find this out. To me, at first, it doesn’t seem natural. That argument seemed rather weak to me. But it is impossible to say what things will affect superstition; so, to my no small surprise, I saw that George Merry seemed very much consoled. “Well, indeed!” he exclaimed. “John, you’ve got a real head on your shoulders, there’s no doubt about that. By the way, comrades, this crew’s got their sail on a bad tack. We were saying that voice sounds like Flint’s; a little, I say; but at that great distance it wasn’t easy to judge of the resemblance so well. It may very well be someone else ‘s voice— ” “By hell!” cried Silver; “that was Ben Gunn! ” “Ben Gunn it was, you guessed him right,” said Morgan, rising to his knees. “Ben Gunn, and very Ben Gunn indeed! ” “Well, he’s not so extraordinary now,” said Dick. “Ben Gunn isn’t with us, it’s true, but I suppose he’s not with Flint either.” The older members of the company received Dick’s bland remark with the most marked contempt. “What do we care about Ben Gunn!” exclaimed Merry. Dead or alive, no one here fears Ben Gunn. It was a surprising thing to see how much courage had returned to their hearts and the natural color to their faces, which had been a little while ago pale. A little later they were talking to each other, though still occasionally listening attentively; but when they could no longer hear a sound, they finally shouldered all their gear and the whole caravan set off again. Merry led the way, carrying with me Silver’s compass, in order to follow, without deviating, the straight line drawn to Skeleton Islet. George had spoken the truth; alive or dead, no one there was afraid of Ben Gunn. Dick, however, still held his Bible in his hand like a charm, and cast fearful glances around; but his cowardice no longer found any converts, and Silver mocked him no little for his caution. “I told you, Dick,” cried the cook; “I told you , your Bible was desecrated, and if it is no longer fit to swear by, what power do you expect it to have to free you from a spirit? None indeed!” But Dick was in no mood to listen to reason: the truth is, as I noticed, the poor lad was getting very sick; The fever the Doctor had warned him would have in the morning was rapidly taking hold of him, spurred on by fright, heat, and fatigue. Once on the summit, the terrain was open, and our path descended slightly , for, as I have said before, the plateau sloped somewhat to the west. The pines, small and large, grew at a considerable distance from each other, and even among the thick patches of azaleas and mimosas, there were large clearings where the sun shone with unusual force. Continuing northwestward across the island, we drew ever nearer, on the one hand, to the slopes of Vigía, and on the other, to that western bay formed by Cape Jungle where I had endured such anguish aboard the well-traveled coracle. We reached the first of the large trees, but having taken the bearing with the compass, it turned out not to be the one we were looking for. The same thing happened with the second. The third rose about two hundred feet above the top of a thicket of bushes. This was a true giant of the forest, with a straight and majestic column like the pillars of a basilica, and a broad, dense canopy under whose shadow a company of soldiers might well have maneuvered. From both the east and the west, this colossus could be clearly seen out at sea and could have been marked on the map, like a maritime landmark. But it was certainly not its imposing bulk that impressed my companions, but the certainty that no less than seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay buried somewhere beneath the wide circle of its shadow. The thought of the riches that awaited them finally shattered all their previous terrors as soon as they approached the coveted spot. Their eyes flashed with lightning; their feet seemed swifter and more agile; His whole soul was absorbed in the expectation of that fabulous wealth which was to assure them for a lifetime of an uninterrupted series of extravagances and boundless pleasures, images of which danced tumultuously in their imaginations. Silver groaned, limping more than ever on his crutch; his nose appeared broad and dilated, twitching from time to time; if a fly landed on any part of his face, he would swear and curse like one possessed; he tugged furiously at the rope by which he held me, and from time to time cast glances upon me with which he would have annihilated me. The truth is, he no longer took the slightest trouble to conceal his thoughts, and it was as easy for me to read them as if they were written on his forehead. At the approach of the gold, every other thought was blotted out from his memory; His promise, the Doctor’s warnings, everything seemed as if it were nonexistent to him, and I had no doubt that his hope, at that moment, was to seize the treasure, find and charter the Hispaniola under the cover of night, ruthlessly slaughter all the honorable people on the island, and put to sea, as he had first planned, with his double cargo of crimes and gold. Impressed with such inconsolable thoughts, it was difficult for me to keep up with the rapid and agitated pace of the gold seekers. Occasionally I stumbled, and then Silver would jerk violently at the rope by which he led me, and glare at me like darts . Dick, who had remained behind us and who, at that time, formed the rear guard of the caravan, came along muttering to himself, all in mingled prayers and oaths. This only increased my uneasiness and discomfort, and, to crown it all, I remembered at that moment the tragedy that had once occurred on this very plateau, when that godless pirate who died at Savannah singing and begging for rum, had there murdered his six accomplices. That wood, so still and quiet at that time, must have resounded with the screams of terror and agony of the sacrificed victims, screams that terror made resound in the ears of my imagination. We were, at that moment, on the edge of the wood. “Hurrah, lads!” cried Merry; “All together!” With this, the man in charge broke into a run. Suddenly, before he had gone ten yards, we saw the party halt. A stifled cry escaped from every heart. Silver quickened his pace, pushing himself with the support of his crutch to improbable distances, and a moment later both he and I had to halt like the others. At our feet was a large, by no means recent excavation, for the sides of the pit were clearly visible, and the turf had already sprung up at the bottom. There lay, broken in two, the handle of a hoe, and the boards of several packing cases were scattered here and there. On one of these boards I could read this mark made with a red-hot iron: “Walrus,” the name of Flint’s ship, as you may perhaps remember. It was clear as daylight. The hiding place had been discovered and exploited. The seven hundred thousand pounds were gone! Chapter 33. THE FALL OF A LEADER. Never has any upheaval in life been more keenly felt than that. It seemed as if lightning had struck all those men. But the blow passed over Silver in an instant. All the faculties of his soul had been concentrated for a moment on that treasure, it is true; but instinct made him recover in a second: his head was raised, his courage appeared at once, and he had already formed his entire plan before the others had yet been able to fully grasp the terrible disappointment. And at once, handing me a double-barreled pistol, he said: “Take this, Jim, and let’s get ready for a fight.” At the same time, he began to move slowly northward, and in a few steps he had already placed the excavation between us and the other five. At once he glanced at me and made a very significant sign with his finger, as if to say: “This is where skin is at stake,” to which I agreed. But their glances were now quite friendly, and I felt so indignant at these frequent exchanges that I could not help saying to him: “It seems you are one of us again.” He had no time to reply. The freebooters, shouting and cursing in every way, began to jump into the hole one after another, digging furiously with their own nails and making the sides of the pit collapse as they did so. Morgan found a gold piece. He held it up with a veritable explosion of oaths: it was a two-guinea piece, and it passed from hand to hand for about fifteen seconds. “Two guineas!” roared Merry, showing the piece to Silver and shaking it in the air. “Is this your seven hundred thousand pounds? You are really the man to make contracts! You are the one who claims that no enterprise has ever been spoiled in your hands, you lazy, scatterbrained old fool!” “Dig, dig, boys!” cried Silver with the coldest insolence; “I won’t be surprised if you find some peanuts yet. ” “Peanuts!” repeated Merry in a wild shout. “Comrades, did you hear that? For now I am sure that the scoundrel knew.” everything. You only have to look at his face; there I read his treachery. “Hello, Merry!” Silver cried after him; “are you thinking of running for captain again ? You’re an enterprising fellow, that’s for sure!” But this time, everyone was decidedly on Merry’s side. One after another, they all poured out of the pit, casting angry glances behind them. One thing I noticed during those critical moments, which certainly worked in our favor, was that they all jumped from the side opposite to that occupied by Silver and myself. At last, we were standing there face to face, two on one side and five on the other, with the pit separating the two factions, and with neither of them seeming determined to strike the first blow. Silver remained motionless, simply watching the enemy, upright on his crutch, with a coldness that seemed incredible. That bandit was brave, that was beyond doubt. Merry, at last, believed that a speech would hasten the conclusion of the scene. “Comrades,” he said, “there are two individuals alone, one of whom is that old man, who has been swallowed up by hell, who has made a mockery of us by bringing us to suffer an undeserved disappointment. The other is nothing more than that devil’s whelp, whom I intend to tear out of his very guts this time. Fear them, comrades!” As he said this, he raised his voice and his arm as if to lead the attack; but at that very instant—crack! crack! crack! Three musket shots rang out almost simultaneously, and three flashes of lightning were seen to flash in the nearest thicket. Merry tumbled headfirst into the excavation; the man with the bandaged face spun around like a spinning top and fell on his side, completely dead, although he still made some unconscious movements after his fall. As for the remaining three, they waited for no further explanation, but immediately turned their backs and fled like startled deer. In the twinkling of an eye, Silver had discharged both barrels of a double pistol upon the dying Merry, and as the wretch looked up to him in his last convulsions, the pitiless cook called out, “I think, George, I’ve got you even.” At the same instant, the Doctor, Gray, and Ben Gunn came out of a mimosa grove to join us, carrying their still-smoking muskets in their hands. “Onward, lads!” cried the Doctor. “There must not be an instant lost to prevent them from seizing the boats: onward! onward!” With this urgent urge, we set off at a rapid pace , sometimes plunging up to our chests in thickets of gorse and bushes of every kind. Silver, under the circumstances, was showing the greatest determination to stay with us. And what that old invalid did, forcing his way where we were going, leaping frantically on his crutch until his chest muscles were almost torn to pieces, all this could not have been done with more energy and determination by a healthy man. The Doctor was of the same opinion as I on this point. Nevertheless , when we reached the edge of the mesa as we were descending, the man was about thirty yards behind us, and his fatigue was such that he seemed about to drown. “Doctor,” he cried, “look over there; there’s no hurry now.” Indeed, there wasn’t. Through a fairly large opening in the plateau, we could see the three fugitives, still running in the same direction in which they had started, that is, straight towards Mizzen Hill . We were now, at that hour, between them and the boats, so the four of us sat down to catch our breath, while John Silver, wiping his face, slowly came up to us. “I thank you most sincerely, Doctor,” he said. “You have arrived at the critical moment, I believe, for Hawkins and me. Hello! So Ben Gunn is here too, eh? Good! Good! You are a good boy, no doubt about it. “Ben Gunn, and very Ben Gunn!” rejoined the islander, wriggling like an eel in obvious embarrassment. And then, after a pause, the wretched stranger added: “And how are you, Mr. Silver? Very well, you say, isn’t that so; I’m so glad! ” “Ah! Ben, Ben!” murmured Silver. “And think what a play you’ve played on us!” The Doctor sent Gray to pick up one of the picks the pirates had abandoned in their hasty flight, and we immediately proceeded very slowly down to the spot where the boats were moored, during which time the Doctor himself told us in a few words what had passed. But his narrative interested Silver very deeply; especially when he saw that, from beginning to end, the only hero of it was that Ben Gunn, the semi-idiot abandoned three years before on the island. Ben, in his solitary and vagrant excursions around the island, had found Allan’s skeleton and stripped him of his weapons and money. Then he had found the treasure; he had excavated it, leaving behind, finally, his broken and useless hoe; he had carried all the gold on his shoulders, in countless arduous journeys, from the foot of the gigantic pine to a cave he had on the ridge of the two points, in the northeast corner of the island, and there, finally, he had stored everything, two months ago, perfectly safe. When the Doctor had become master of this secret on the evening of the day of the attack, and saw the anchorage deserted the following morning, he did not hesitate to go to Silver, give him the map, which was now perfectly useless, and cede all the provisions to him, since Ben Gunn’s cave was abundantly stocked with the meat of mountain goats and venison, salted by himself; in short, he held nothing back, in order to ensure the withdrawal of the redoubt towards the hill with two points, where there was no danger of malaria and a good watch could be kept over the treasure. “As for you, Jim,” he said, “I was quite against you; but I did what seemed best to me for those who had remained faithful to their duty, and if you were not among them, whose fault was it?” But that morning, realizing that I was about to be involved in the horrible deception he had prepared for the rebels, he had hurried to the grotto, and, leaving the Gentleman to look after the Captain, had brought the isolated man and Gray with him, and, describing a diagonal line across the island, was preparing to be at hand, near the great pine tree. He soon saw, however, that the rebels had the advantage, and therefore Ben Gunn, who was already almost flying in those parts, as will be remembered, was sent to the vanguard, to do his best alone to check the advance of the rebels. It was under these circumstances that the man on the island occurred to take advantage of the pirates’ superstition, and he was so successful in his experiment that the Doctor and Gray were able to easily reach the great pine tree and lie in ambush near it before the treasure seekers arrived . “Ah!” said Silver. It seems to have been a great piece of good fortune for me to have Jim with me. If it hadn’t been for him, you would have let poor old John be chopped into pieces without giving him a thought, wouldn’t you? “Not a thought!” said the Doctor jovially. By this time we had reached the boats. The Doctor, using his pick, destroyed one of them, and then we all got on board the other and made ready to sail around to North Bay. It was a voyage of about eight or nine miles. Silver, although almost dead from fatigue, was assigned to one of the oars like the rest of us, and very soon our boat was gliding lightly over a smooth , favorable sea. Before long we had passed the strait and rounded the southeastern point of the island, around which, four days before, we had so laboriously towed the Hispaniola. As we passed the twin-peaked hill, we could see the black mouth of Ben Gunn’s Cave, and a human figure standing near it, leaning on a rifle. It was the Chevalier, whom we greeted by waving our handkerchiefs and shouting three cheers, in which Silver’s voice joined as warmly as any of our own. Three miles farther out, and very close to the entrance of North Bay, what else could we find but the Hispaniola sailing alone? The last flood had lifted her from the position in which I had left her, and had a strong wind happened to blow, or the tide created a strong current, as was happening at the southern anchorage, we should certainly never have seen her again, or have found her grounded on some reef beyond all possibility of refloating. As she stood before us, there was very little to repair and mend, except the wreck of the mainsail. A new anchor was made ready and dropped into a fathom and a half of water, and at once we all rowed back to the boat for Rom Cove, the nearest shelter to Ben Gunn’s treasure cave. Gray, with no one else to accompany him, was again dispatched in the skiff to Hispaniola to spend the night on guard there. A slight slope led from the beach of the cove to the mouth of the cave. At the highest point, the Chevalier met us . He was cordial and amiable to me, omitting all reference to my escape, whether in praise or condemnation. Upon receiving Silver’s courteous salutation, he became excited and said thus: “John Silver, you are the most prodigious villain and impostor that ever lived on earth—a monstrous impostor, yes, sir. I am told that I must give up pursuing you in court.” Good hour : I will not. But that will not prevent all those men who have perished from weighing on your neck like millstones. “Thank you again, most cordial thanks, sir,” cried Silver, bowing again. “I defy you to utter those words again,” said the Gentleman vehemently. ” That is a mockery of my duty. Stay behind everyone!” With that, we all entered the grotto. It was a large, well -ventilated room, with a small fountain and a small reservoir of clear water surrounded by ferns. The floor was sanded. Captain Smollet lay before a large, comfortable fire, and in a far corner, poorly lit by the slanting glow of the fire, I noticed a large pile of coins and a quadrangle formed of gold bars. That was Flint’s treasure we had come so far to seek, and which, by that time, had already cost the lives of seventeen of the crew of the Hispaniola. How much more would it have cost to recover it, how much blood shed, how many bitter duels provoked, how many ships thrown to the bottom of the ocean, how many men blindfolded making the horrible plank walk, how many cannon shots fired, how much lying, how much deceit, and how much cruelty?… This is something impossible to inquire into. And yet, right there on that island, there were still three men who had played a part in those crimes: Silver, old Morgan, and Ben Gunn; and each of them had hoped in vain for his share of the reward. “Come here, Jim,” the Captain said to me. “You’re a good fellow in your class; but I don’t think you and I will ever go to sea together again.” You are too much of a spoiled brat to have been under my command for long. Is that you, John Silver? What winds blow you this way, my friend? ‘ ‘Back to my duties, sir,’ replied Silver. ‘Ah!’ said the Captain, and did not add another word. ‘My goodness! And what a dinner I had that night, with all my friends, with meats salted by Ben Gunn, and exquisite sweetmeats brought from Hispaniola, and a bottle of fine wine! I am sure that never on earth were there more cheerful and happy people. And with us was Silver, sitting at the rear of our party, almost out of the range of the firelight, but eating with a hearty appetite, ready to get up and serve anything that was wanted, and even joining in our laughter in a low-sounding manner; in short, the same obsequious, courteous, and agreeable man who left Bristol with us. Chapter 34. THE END OF THIS TRUE STORY IS TOLD. By the early dawn of the next morning we were all afoot and at work, for it was certainly no easy task to transport all that mass of gold nearly a mile on land, and three miles in the boat, to Hispaniola , as we were so few in number of workmen. The three rebels who had escaped the day before, and who were necessarily still on the island, gave us no work to do. We posted a sentry on the slope of the hill to prevent surprise, and besides, we were reassured by the thought that they would no longer have much desire for fighting after the events of four fruitless days. With this belief, the transport work was vigorously activated. Gray and Ben Gunn went back and forth with the boat, while the others, during their absences, piled up gold on the beach. Two of these bars tied together with a length of rope made a sufficient load for a serious man, and you may believe that everyone was content to the point of being exhausted by moving slowly with such a load. As for me, since I was of no use to them for transport, they occupied me all day in the cave packing the coins into boxes and sacks that had been brought specifically for the purpose from Hispaniola. As in Billy Bones’s bag, there was the strangest collection of coins, only infinitely larger in quantity, and of far greater variety, so that I do not believe I have ever had more pleasure in my life than in sorting and arranging them. French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges and Louises, doubloons and double guineas, moidores and zequies, with the portraits of all the sovereigns of Europe for at least a century; and strange oriental pieces marked with what seemed to me to be bundles of string or bits of cobwebs; circular pieces, and others pierced as if intended to be worn around the neck as a necklace; almost every variety of known coin, in short, had its representatives in that collection. As for the number, I am certain they were as countless as the leaves that autumn scatters; so that my back was already aching terribly from bending over, and my nails were pricking with the effort of separating them. Day after day we repeated the same task, and at the coming of each night a fortune had been carried on board the Hispaniola, while another fortune was still waiting for the following day. As for the three surviving rebels, they did not molest us at all. At last—and I believe this was the third night—the Doctor and I were wandering along the slope of the hill at the point from which all the lower parts of the island can be commanded, when, in the midst of the darkness of the night, the wind carried down to us a sound between howling and singing. It was a mere gust that reached our ears, and then silence was restored. “God rest their souls,” said the Doctor; “those are the rebels. ” “Drunken, yes, sir!” added Silver’s voice behind us. Here is the opportunity to say that Silver had been allowed the full enjoyment of his freedom and that, despite the constant and daily slights he had to endure, he seemed to consider himself, once again, a beloved and privileged dependent. The truth is that the prudence with which he bore all his humiliations and the invariable civility with which he tried to ingratiate himself with everyone was admirable. However, I understand that no one treated him better than if he had been a dog; Ser Ben Gunn, who continued to feel a terrified terror for his former boatswain, and I, who, in truth, had something to thank him for, although it is true that even in this I might have been as prejudiced against him as anyone else, since I well remembered having seen him on the plateau contemplating some new treachery against me. On this account, it was only very sharply that the Doctor answered him: “Drunk or raving, what do you know?” “You are quite right,” retorted John. “But the devil take me if it matters neither to me nor to you whether it is one or the other. ” “I do not suppose you have much pretension to being considered a real member of humanity,” said the Doctor, with a look of contempt for his interlocutor; and therefore, Master Silver, my sentiments will probably surprise you; But if I had the moral certainty that all three of them were delirious, as I do that at least one of them must be prostrated by the fever, do you believe that I would immediately leave this field and, at the risk of my own life , go and bring them the aid of my profession? You will forgive me very much, sir, if I tell you that that would be a great mistake, added Silver. You would certainly lose your precious life, and you can be sure of it. I am now in your ranks, body and soul, and I would never consent to your weakening our strength by leaving you to go alone, to whom I know very well how much I owe. Besides, those men would never know how to keep their word, even supposing they tried, and, what is worse, they could never have faith in the promise of a man of honor like yourself. That is true, said the Doctor; But as far as men who keep their word go, you’re the man for it. Now, that was almost the last news we had of the three pirates. Only once did we hear a distant shot, and we supposed they were out hunting. We held a council of war over them, and they were sentenced to be abandoned on the island, to the unspeakable delight of Ben Gunn and the most cordial approval of Gray. We left them a plentiful supply of gunpowder and shot, all Ben’s provisions of salted meat, some medicines, clothing, a small candle, some fathoms of rope, farming implements, and many other useful items, and, at the Doctor’s express wish, a good quantity of tobacco, as the best present, in his opinion. This was almost the last we did on Treasure Island. Before this, we had carefully embarked all our gold, as well as plenty of water, and plenty of provisions in case of any accident. Therefore, on a very beautiful morning, we weighed anchor, which was all that remained for us to do. Hoisting from our mainmast the same flag that the Captain had hoisted on the stockade and under which we had fought, we quietly sailed out of North Bay. The three rebels must have been watching our movements more closely than we thought. This was confirmed by the fact that , in crossing the strait that leads to the open sea, we had to go almost along the southern point, and there we descried all three of them on a small eminence of sand, kneeling down and stretching out their arms to us in a suppliant manner. What we were doing was very much against our feelings, leaving them on that wild and abandoned island. but it was impossible to expose ourselves to the risk of another mutiny on board, and to take them on board to deliver them to the executioner in England would have been compassion of a cruel kind. The Doctor called out to them, advising them of the provisions of every kind we had left them, and the place where they might be found. However, they continued calling us all by name with heart-rending cries, and begging us, for the love of God, not to condemn them to die in such a place. At last, seeing that the ship was inflexibly pursuing her course, and was already passing out of earshot, one of them, whom I well know which he was, sprang to his feet with a hoarse shout, laid his musket on his shoulder, took aim, and fired, sending a ball that barely grazed Silver’s head and pierced the mainsail. After this, we took cover behind the balustrade of the deck, and when, some time later, I looked out to see them, they had already disappeared from the sandy eminence, and the eminence itself was gradually lost in the mist of the distance. That, in truth, was the end of the drama enacted on Treasure Island; and about noon, to my inexpressible joy, the highest point , that of the Lookout, was at last submerged in the blue immensity of the ocean. Our crew was so small that each of us had to lend personal assistance to the maneuvers, except for the Captain , who, lying in the stern on a mattress, gave his orders with complete propriety. Although much recovered from his serious wound, he still had to remain almost motionless. We set sail for one of the nearest ports in Spanish America because it was impossible for us to risk making the entire voyage without fresh crew members. Even on that short voyage, one or two days of foul winds and a couple of strong breaks were enough to put almost all of us out of action. It was just sunset when we dropped anchor in a beautiful, admirably protected gulf. We immediately found ourselves surrounded by barges of Native Americans, Blacks, and mestizos selling fruits and vegetables of all kinds and offering us diving opportunities for amusement, for truly paltry rewards. The sight of so many pleasant and friendly faces , especially those of the Blacks, The taste of the delicious tropical fruits, and above all, the lights that were beginning to shine in the streets, doors, and windows of the town, made me feel the immensity of the most pleasant contrast to our bloody stay on the island. The Doctor and the Gentleman, taking me with them, went ashore with the intention of spending the first hours of the night there. But once there, they found the Captain of an English warship anchored in the bay. They began a conversation with him, went aboard his ship, and, in short, enjoyed themselves so much and so well that it would have been like dawn the next day when we returned aboard the Hispaniola. Ben Gunn was alone on deck, and no sooner had we entered the ship than he began, with the most bizarre contortions, to make a confession to us. Silver had left. The man from the island had facilitated his escape in a coastal launch a few hours before, and now assured us that he had done so with the sole intention of saving our lives, which would certainly have been at immense risk had that one-legged sailor remained on board. But that was not all. The cook had not left empty-handed. He had surreptitiously made a hole and taken out one of the sacks containing about 500 guineas, to aid him in his subsequent adventures. I truly believe we were all extremely pleased to be rid of him at such a cheap cost. Now, to cut short what remains to be related, I will say that we hired some new and honest seamen there to complete our crew; that we made a successful voyage, and that the Hispaniola dropped anchor at Bristol, just at the moment when Mr. Blandy was beginning to think of sending another vessel in search of us. Only five of the people who had left on the schooner returned. The devil and drink did the rest, with a vengeance to boot. However, there can be no doubt that our condition was not nearly as bad as that of the ship of which the song says that “There came on board but one living man,” when they had sailed, numbering seventy-five. We all received a considerable portion of the treasure, and used it, sometimes wisely, sometimes foolishly, according to our respective needs. inclinations. Captain Smollett now lives retired from the sea, in a comfortable and easy position; Gray not only saved his money, but feeling a lively desire to increase it, carefully studied his profession, and is now a pilot and part-owner of a large and magnificent merchant vessel. He has also married, and is the father of a perfectly happy family. As for Ben Gunn, he was allotted five thousand pounds, which he squandered with surprising alacrity, finding himself, in a few weeks, begging for alms. Then he was given the very thing he so loathed on the island: that is, the caretakership of a house, in which he now lives, a great favorite with all the neighborhood children, whom he charms with the tales of his exploits and adventures. For the rest, his pious habit of praying on Sundays in the island’s wild cemetery has led him to become an excellent singer in the church, both on Sundays and on the feast days of the great saints. We never heard a word from Silver again. That formidable one-legged sailor had finally disappeared from the scene of my life. But it wouldn’t be surprising if he had eventually reunited with his mulatto wife, and perhaps by the time of this one he’s still living comfortably with her and in the inseparable company of his parrot. I want to believe this because if he’s unable to enjoy anything in this life, which he is in the next, I’m afraid nothing awaits him worth envying. The great silver bar and the weapons still remain, as I imagine, in the same place where the terrible pirate buried them, and they will certainly remain there until I come for them. But neither barefoot nuns nor monks will persuade me to go back to that cursed place. Believe me, the most sinister nightmares that still usually disturb the rest of my peaceful nights are those in which I see myself transported to Treasure Island, and I hear the dull roar of the sea crashing against its rugged shores, until I wake up sweating in my bed as soon as the nightmare makes me hear the sharp and penetrating voice of Captain Flint, desperately shouting: Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! In the end, Treasure Island leaves us with a lesson about human ambition and the fight for what we believe is right. Throughout this fascinating adventure, Jim Hawkins and his companions have faced unimaginable dangers, but they have emerged victorious, although not without sacrifices. This story, full of twists and unexpected moments, reminds us that the greatest treasure isn’t always material, but rather the courage and determination to achieve it. Thank you for joining us on this journey through the pages of Treasure Island.
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