And he stepped calmly towards the door and disappeared out of the house. One after another, the rest of the men did the same.
‘They’re going to kill you, Jim,’ said silver when the two of us were alone, ‘and they’re going to stop me being their captain. When I looked into that bay and saw the ship was gone, I knew it was all over. Now, I’ll save your life, if I can, but it must be a bargain-you must save Long John from dying under the law.’
‘I’ll do what I can,’ I told him.
‘There’s trouble coming, Jim,’ he said. ‘And talking of trouble, why did the doctor give me the map?’
I stared at him in great surprise. Why indeed?
‘Well, he did,’ silver what on. ‘And that’s strange.’
The door Opened and the five pirates came in. They pushed one man forward and he gave something to silver.
The sea cook looked at what the man had given him. ‘The black spot’ he said. He turned the paper over. ‘What’s this? No longer captain. You’re becoming quite a leading man in this crew, George Merry. You’ll be cap’n next, I suppose. But tell me what’s wrong.’
‘I’ll tell you what’s wrong’ said George. ‘First, you made too many mistakes on this trip. Second, you let the enemy mistakes on of this trap for nothing. And then there’s this boy.’
‘Is that all?’ asked silver quietly.
‘It’s enough,’ replied George.
‘Well, I’ll answer you,’ said silver. ‘You all know what I wanted but you wouldn’t listen, would you? In my plan, we’d be on the Hispaniola now, every dead man alive and the treasure on ship, by thunder Next, this boy. Well, we’ll use him to bargain with. He might be our last chance. And the doctor you’ve been glad enough, to have a doctor coming to see you every day-you, John, with your head broken…or you, George, sick and shaking, that’s why I let em go He threw a piece of paper on to the floor. It was the map with the three crosses.
The pirates jumped on it like cats upon a mouse.
‘Very pretty.’ Said George, ‘but how are we going to get away with the treasure, when we have no ship?’
‘You tell me, George shouted silver. ‘You and the others lost the ship; I found the treasure. But I’ll not be your captain any longer!
‘Silver for cap’n!’ shouted the pirates.
After a moment, the sea cook smiled. ‘George,’ he said. ‘I think you’ll have to wait a while before you get another chance to be captain.’
Early in the morning Dr Livesey came to the stockade.
‘We’ve a surprise for you, doctor,’ Silver called out. ‘We’ve a little stranger here.’
The doctor was now inside the stockade. ‘Not Jim?’
‘The very same Jim,’ said Silver.
The doctor stopped. ‘Well, well,’ he said. Then he went on, ‘Let’s see these sick men of yours, Silver.’
A moment afterwards, he entered the house. With one look at me, he went to his work among the sick.
‘Well, that’s done,’ he said, after visiting each man. ‘And now I’d like to talk to that boy, please.’
‘No!’ cried George Merry.
‘Silence!’ shouted silver. ‘Hawkins,’ he went on in his usual voice, ‘well you promise not to escape?’ I gave the promise. Then, doctor,’ said silver, ‘you just step outside that stockade, and when you’re there, I’ll bring the boy down on the inside. You can talk through the fence.’
The men’s anger exploded after the doctor left the house, and they accused silver of trying to make a separate peace for himself . silver waved the map in front of them and told them they were stupid.
‘By thunder!’ he cried. ‘Well break the peace when the right time comes-and that’s not now!’ And then he walked out on his crutch, his hand on my shoulder. ‘slowly, boy,’ he whispered to me. ‘we don’t want to worry them.’
Dr livesey was waiting outside the stockade. ‘the boy will tell you how I saved his life,’ silver said through the fence. Will you say a good word for me?
‘You’re not afraid, John, are you?’ asked Dr liivesey.
‘I don’t like the idea of dying by the law,’ said silver, ‘And now I’ll leave you and Jim alone.’
‘So, Jim,’ said the doctor, ‘here you are. I’m disappointed in you. You went away when captain Smollett was wounded, which wasn’t a brave thing to da.’
‘Doctor,’ I cried, ‘I’ve blamed myself enough.’
‘Jim,’ said the doctor, his voice changed. ‘Jim, I can’t have this Jump over and we’ll run!’
‘No,’ I said. I promised silver I wouldn’t escape, and I must go back. But listen, I took the ship and she’s in North Inlet, on the beach.’
‘The ship!’ cried the doctor.
I told him my story and he listened in silence. Then he said, ‘It’s you that saves our lives, Jim, and now we’ll save yours. Silver!’ he called, then as the cook came nearer, said, ‘Some advice – don’t hurry to find that treasure. If you do, watch out for storms.’
‘What’s the game, doctor?’ said silver. ‘Why did you give me the map?’
‘I can’t say more,’ said the doctor. ‘It’s not my secret to tell. But if we both get out of this alive, silver, I’ll do my best to save you. Now, keep the boy close beside you, and when you need help, shout for it.’
Then Dr Livesey hurried off into the wood.