THE appearance of the island when I
came on deck next morning was
altogether changed. Although the
breeze had now utterly ceased, we
had made a great deal of way during
the night and were now lying
becalmed about half a mile to the
south-east of the low eastern coast.
Grey-coloured woods covered a large
part of the surface. This even tint
was indeed broken up by streaks of
yellow sand-break in the lower
lands, and by many tall trees of the
pine family, out-topping the
others—some singly, some in clumps;
but the general colouring was
uniform and sad. The hills ran up
clear above the vegetation in spires
of naked rock. All were strangely
shaped, and the Spy-glass, which was
by three or four hundred feet the
tallest on the island, was likewise
the strangest in configuration,
running up sheer from almost every
side and then suddenly cut off at
the top like a pedestal to put a
statue on.
The HISPANIOLA was rolling scuppers
under in the ocean swell. The booms
were tearing at the blocks, the
rudder was banging to and fro, and
the whole ship creaking, groaning,
and jumping like a manufactory. I
had to cling tight to the backstay,
and the world turned giddily before
my eyes, for though I was a good
enough sailor when there was way on,
this standing still and being rolled
about like a bottle was a thing I
never learned to stand without a
qualm or so, above all in the
morning, on an empty stomach.
Perhaps it was this—perhaps it was
the look of the island, with its
grey, melancholy woods, and wild
stone spires, and the surf that we
could both see and hear foaming and
thundering on the steep beach—at
least, although the sun shone bright
and hot, and the shore birds were
fishing and crying all around us,
and you would have thought anyone
would have been glad to get to land
after being so long at sea, my heart
sank, as the saying is, into my
boots; and from the first look
onward, I hated the very thought of
Treasure Island.
We had a dreary morning's work
before us, for there was no sign of
any wind, and the boats had to be
got out and manned, and the ship
warped three or four miles round the
corner of the island and up the
narrow passage to the haven behind
Skeleton Island. I volunteered for
one of the boats, where I had, of
course, no business. The heat was
sweltering, and the men grumbled
fiercely over their work. Anderson
was in command of my boat, and
instead of keeping the crew in
order, he grumbled as loud as the
worst.
"Well," he said with an oath, "it's
not forever."
I thought this was a very bad sign,
for up to that day the men had gone
briskly and willingly about their
business; but the very sight of the
island had relaxed the cords of
discipline.
All the way in, Long John stood by
the steersman and conned the ship.
He knew the passage like the palm of
his hand, and though the man in the
chains got everywhere more water
than was down in the chart, John
never hesitated once.
"There's a strong scour with the
ebb," he said, "and this here
passage has been dug out, in a
manner of speaking, with a spade."
We brought up just where the anchor
was in the chart, about a third of a
mile from each shore, the mainland
on one side and Skeleton Island on
the other. The bottom was clean
sand. The plunge of our anchor sent
up clouds of birds wheeling and
crying over the woods, but in less
than a minute they were down again
and all was once more silent.
The place was entirely land-locked,
buried in woods, the trees coming
right down to high-water mark, the
shores mostly flat, and the hilltops
standing round at a distance in a
sort of amphitheatre, one here, one
there. Two little rivers, or rather
two swamps, emptied out into this
pond, as you might call it; and the
foliage round that part of the shore
had a kind of poisonous brightness.
From the ship we could see nothing
of the house or stockade, for they
were quite buried among trees; and
if it had not been for the chart on
the companion, we might have been
the first that had ever anchored
there since the island arose out of
the seas.
There was not a breath of air
moving, nor a sound but that of the
surf booming half a mile away along
the beaches and against the rocks
outside. A peculiar stagnant smell
hung over the anchorage—a smell of
sodden leaves and rotting tree
trunks. I observed the doctor
sniffing and sniffing, like someone
tasting a bad egg.
"I don't know about treasure," he
said, "but I'll stake my wig there's
fever here."
If the conduct of the men had been
alarming in the boat, it became
truly threatening when they had come
aboard. They lay about the deck
growling together in talk. The
slightest order was received with a
black look and grudgingly and
carelessly obeyed. Even the honest
hands must have caught the
infection, for there was not one man
aboard to mend another. Mutiny, it
was plain, hung over us like a
thunder-cloud.
And it was not only we of the cabin
party who perceived the danger. Long
John was hard at work going from
group to group, spending himself in
good advice, and as for example no
man could have shown a better. He
fairly outstripped himself in
willingness and civility; he was all
smiles to everyone. If an order were
given, John would be on his crutch
in an instant, with the cheeriest
"Aye, aye, sir!" in the world; and
when there was nothing else to do,
he kept up one song after another,
as if to conceal the discontent of
the rest.
Of all the gloomy features of that
gloomy afternoon, this obvious
anxiety on the part of Long John
appeared the worst.
We held a council in the cabin.
"Sir," said the captain, "if I risk
another order, the whole ship'll
come about our ears by the run. You
see, sir, here it is. I get a rough
answer, do I not? Well, if I speak
back, pikes will be going in two
shakes; if I don't, Silver will see
there's something under that, and
the game's up. Now, we've only one
man to rely on."
"And who is that?" asked the squire.
"Silver, sir," returned the captain;
"he's as anxious as you and I to
smother things up. This is a tiff;
he'd soon talk 'em out of it if he
had the chance, and what I propose
to do is to give him the chance.
Let's allow the men an afternoon
ashore. If they all go, why we'll
fight the ship. If they none of them
go, well then, we hold the cabin,
and God defend the right. If some
go, you mark my words, sir,
Silver'll bring 'em aboard again as
mild as lambs."
It was so decided; loaded pistols
were served out to all the sure men;
Hunter, Joyce, and Redruth were
taken into our confidence and
received the news with less surprise
and a better spirit than we had
looked for, and then the captain
went on deck and addressed the crew.
"My lads," said he, "we've had a hot
day and are all tired and out of
sorts. A turn ashore'll hurt
nobody—the boats are still in the
water; you can take the gigs, and as
many as please may go ashore for the
afternoon. I'll fire a gun half an
hour before sundown."
I believe the silly fellows must
have thought they would break their
shins over treasure as soon as they
were landed, for they all came out
of their sulks in a moment and gave
a cheer that started the echo in a
faraway hill and sent the birds once
more flying and squalling round the
anchorage.
The captain was too bright to be in
the way. He whipped out of sight in
a moment, leaving Silver to arrange
the party, and I fancy it was as
well he did so. Had he been on deck,
he could no longer so much as have
pretended not to understand the
situation. It was as plain as day.
Silver was the captain, and a mighty
rebellious crew he had of it. The
honest hands—and I was soon to see
it proved that there were such on
board—must have been very stupid
fellows. Or rather, I suppose the
truth was this, that all hands were
disaffected by the example of the
ringleaders—only some more, some
less; and a few, being good fellows
in the main, could neither be led
nor driven any further. It is one
thing to be idle and skulk and quite
another to take a ship and murder a
number of innocent men.
At last, however, the party was made
up. Six fellows were to stay on
board, and the remaining thirteen,
including Silver, began to embark.
Then it was that there came into my
head the first of the mad notions
that contributed so much to save our
lives. If six men were left by
Silver, it was plain our party could
not take and fight the ship; and
since only six were left, it was
equally plain that the cabin party
had no present need of my
assistance. It occurred to me at
once to go ashore. In a jiffy I had
slipped over the side and curled up
in the fore-sheets of the nearest
boat, and almost at the same moment
she shoved off.
No one took notice of me, only the
bow oar saying, "Is that you, Jim?
Keep your head down." But Silver,
from the other boat, looked sharply
over and called out to know if that
were me; and from that moment I
began to regret what I had done.
The crews raced for the beach, but
the boat I was in, having some start
and being at once the lighter and
the better manned, shot far ahead of
her consort, and the bow had struck
among the shore-side trees and I had
caught a branch and swung myself out
and plunged into the nearest thicket
while Silver and the rest were still
a hundred yards behind.
"Jim, Jim!" I heard him shouting.
But you may suppose I paid no heed;
jumping, ducking, and breaking
through, I ran straight before my
nose till I could run no longer. |
