Eight

AT THE SIGN OF THE "SPY-GLASS"

When I had finished breakfast, Mr. Trelawney gave me a note addressed to "John Silver, at the sign of the 'Spy-glass'," and told me I should easily find the place by following the line of the harbour, and keeping a bright look-out for a little inn with a large brass spy-glass for sign. I set off, delighted at this chance of seeing something of the ships and seamen. I found my way among a great crowd of people and carts and goods, for the port was now at its busiest, until I found the inn.

It was a bright enough little place. The sign was newly painted; the windows had pretty red curtains; the floor was covered with clean sand. There was a street on either side, and an open door on both, which made the large, low room pretty clear to see in, in spite of clouds of smoke.

The men in the room were mostly seamen; and they talked so loudly that I waited at the door, almost afraid to enter.

As I was waiting, a man came out of a side room, and instantly I was sure he must be Long John. His left leg was cut off high above the knee, and under the left shoulder he carried a long stick with the aid of which he walked; and he made wonderful use of it, for he jumped about like a bird. He was very tall and strong, with a large face, plain and with little colour in it, but full of smiles and quick understanding. Indeed, he seemed in the best of spirits, whistling as he moved about among the tables with a merry word for the more favoured of his guests.

Now, to tell you the truth, from the very first mention of Long John in Mr. Trelawney's letter, I had taken a fear in my mind that he might prove to be the very one-legged sailor whom I had watched for so long at the old "Benbow." But one look at the man before me was enough. I had seen the captain and Black Dog, and the blind man Pew, and I thought I knew what a pirate was like—a very different creature, according to me, from this clean and pleasant-tempered fellow.

I gathered my courage, entered, and walked right up to the man where he stood, leaning on his stick, talking to a friend.

"Mr. Silver, sir?" I asked, holding out the note.

"Yes, my lad," said he; "such is my name, to be sure. And who may you be?" And then, when he saw Mr. Trelawney's letter, it seemed to come to him as rather a shock.

"Oh!" said he, quite loud, and offering his hand, "I see. You are our new ship's boy; pleased I am to see you."

And he took my hand in his large firm fingers.

Just then one of the men at the far side rose suddenly and made for the door. It was close by him, and he was out in the street in a moment. But his hurry made me notice him, and I recognized him at once. It was the yellow-faced man, wanting two fingers, who had come first to the "Benbow."

"Oh," I cried, "stop him! It's Black Dog!"

"I don't care twopence (/"tJpHns/) who he is," cried Silver. "But he hasn't paid his money. Harry, run and catch him."

One of the others who was nearest the door leaped up, and started in pursuit.

"If he were Lord Hawke, he shall pay for his drinks," cried Silver; and then, letting go of my hand: "Who did you say he was?" he asked. "Black what?"

"Dog, sir," said I. "Has Mr. Trelawney not told you of the pirates? He was one of them."

"So?" cried Silver. "In my house! Ben, run and help Harry. One of those dogs, was he? Was that you drinking with him, Morgan? Step up here."

The man whom he called Morgan—an old, grey-haired, dark-faced sailor—came forward looking very foolish.

"Now, Morgan," said Long John very gravely; "you never set your eyes on that Black—Black Dog before, did you, now?"

"Not I, sir," said Morgan.

"You didn't know his name, did you?"

"No, sir."

"By the powers, Tom Morgan, it's as well for you!" exclaimed Silver. "If you had been mixed up with that sort of fellow, you would never have put another foot in my house."

And then, as Morgan rolled back to his seat, Silver added to me in a whisper:

"He's quite an honest man, Tom Morgan, only rather a fool. And now," he ran on again, aloud, "let's see—Black Dog? No, I don't know the name, not I. Yet I kind of think I've—yes, I've seen the dog. He used to come here with a blind man, he used."

"That he did, you may be sure," said I. "I knew that blind man, too. His name was Pew."

"It was!" cried Silver, now quite excited. "Pew! That was his name for certain. Ah, he looked a bad one, he did! If we catch this Black Dog, now, there'll be news for Captain Trelawney! Ben should run him down, by the powers!"

All the time he was saying this he was going up and down the room on his stick, striking tables with his hand, and giving such a show of excitement as would have made anyone believe in him. All my fears had been awakened again by finding Black Dog at the "Spy-glass"; and I watched our ship's cook carefully. But he was too deep, and too ready, and too clever for me, and, by the time the two men had come back out of breath, and said that they had lost the track in a crowd, and been cursed like thieves, I was quite sure of the honesty of Long John Silver.

"See here, now, Hawkins," said he, "here's a hard thing on a man like me now, isn't it? There's Captain Trelawney—what will he think? Here I have this cursed son of a Dutchman sitting in my own house drinking of my own rum! Here you come and tell me of it plain; and here I let him get clean away before my blessed eyes! Now, Hawkins, you speak to the captain for me. You're a lad, you are, but you're as sharp as a needle. I saw that when you first came in. Now here it is: What could I do, with this old stick I walk on? When I was a whole man, and a fine seaman too, I could have caught him in a couple of minutes; but now—"

And then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and his mouth fell open as though he had remembered something.

"The money!" he burst out. "Three glasses o' rum! Why, curse my soul, if I hadn't forgotten my money!"

And, falling on a seat, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. I could not help joining; and we laughed together until the inn rang again.

"Why, what a precious old sea-cow I am!" he said at last, drying his cheeks. "But, come now, this won't do. Duty is duty. I'll put on my old hat, and step along with you to Captain Trelawney, and report this thing. For, remember, it's serious, young Hawkins; and neither you nor I have anything to be proud of in it. Not quick—neither of the pair of us quick enough. But my money, me forgetting about my money!"

And he began to laugh again, and that so loud, that, though I did not see the point as he did, I was again forced to join him in his merriment.

On our little walk along the harbour-side, he made himself a most interesting companion, telling me about the different ships that we passed, explaining the work that was going on—how one was getting ready for sea, another had just come in, and so on—and every now and then telling me some little story of ships or seamen. I began to see that here was one of the best of possible fellows.

When we got to the inn, Mr. Trelawney and Dr. Livesey were seated together, finishing a drink before they should go on board the vessel to see that everything was in order.

Long John told the story from first to last, with a great deal of spirit and the most perfect truth. "That was how it was now, wasn't it, Hawkins?" he would say, now and again, and I could always entirely support him.

The two gentlemen were sorry that Black Dog had got away; but we all agreed there was nothing to be done, and after he had been thanked for his trouble, Long John departed.

"All to be on board by four this afternoon," shouted Mr. Trelawney after him.

"Right, sir," cried the cook.

"Well, Trelawney," said Dr. Livesey, "I don't put much faith in the fine fellows you discover, as a general rule; but I will say this, John Silver suits me."

"That man's a splendid fellow," declared Mr. Trelawney.

"And now," added the doctor, "Jim may come on board with us, may he not?"

"Certainly," he answered. "Take your hat, Hawkins, and we'll see the ship."