Nine

POWDER AND ARMS

The Hispaniola lay some distance from the land. We went round many other ships, and their chains sometimes rubbed underneath our boat, and sometimes swung above us. At last, however, we reached our ship, and were met as we stepped on board by Mr. Arrow, a brown old sailor, with ear-rings in his ears and curious eyes. He and Mr. Trelawney were very friendly, but I soon observed that things were not the same between Mr. Trelawney and the captain.

This last was a sharp-looking man, who seemed angry with everything on board, and was soon to tell us why, for we had hardly gone below when a sailor followed us.

"Captain Smollett, sir, asking to speak with you," said he.

"I am always at the captain's orders. Show him in," said Mr. Trelawney.

The captain, who was close behind his message, entered at once, and shut the door behind him.

"Well, Captain Smollett, what have you to say? All well, I hope; all in order and sea-worthy?"

"Well, sir," said the captain, "I had better speak plain, I believe, even at the risk of displeasing you. I don't like this trip; I don't like the men; and I don't like my officer. That's short and sweet."

"Perhaps, sir, you don't like the ship?" inquired Mr. Trelawney, very angry, as I could see.

"I can't speak as to that, sir, not having seen her tried," said the captain. "She seems a good vessel; more I can't say."

"Possibly, sir, you may not like your employer, either?" said he.

But here Dr. Livesey cut in.

"Stay a bit," said he, "stay a bit. No use of such questions as that but to produce ill-feeling. The captain has said too much or he has said too little, and I'm bound to say that I want him to explain his words. You don't, you say, like this trip. Now, why?"

"I was employed, sir, on secret orders, to sail this ship for that gentleman where he should bid me," said the captain. "So far so good. But now I find that every man on board knows more than I do. I don't call that fair, now, do you?"

"No," said Dr. Livesey, "I don't."

"Next," said the captain, "I learn we are going after treasure—hear it from my own men! Now, treasure is risky work: I don't like treasure voyages at all; and I don't like them, above all, when they are secret, and when (begging your pardon, Mr. Trelawney) the secret has been told to the parrot."

"Silver's parrot?" asked Mr. Trelawney.

"It's a way of speaking," said the captain—"told to everyone, I mean. I believe that neither of you gentlemen know what you are doing; but I'll tell you what I think it will be—life or death—and it will be a close fight."

"That is all clear, and, I dare say, true enough," replied Dr. Livesey. "We take the risk, but we are not so foolish as you believe us. Next, you say you don't like the crew. Are they not good seamen?"

"I don't like them, sir," answered Captain Smollett. "And I think I should have had the choosing of my own men."

"Perhaps you should," replied the doctor. "My friend should perhaps have taken you with him; but he did not intend to treat you rudely in any way. And you don't like Mr. Arrow?"

"I don't sir. I believe he's a good seaman; but he's too free with the crew to be a good officer. An officer should keep himself to himself—shouldn't drink with the men."

"Well, now, and the short and long of it, Captain?" asked the doctor. "Tell us what you want."

"Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go on this trip?"

"Like iron," answered Mr. Trelawney.

"Very good," said the captain. "Then, hear a few words more. They are putting the powder and the arms in the front, there. Now, you have a good place under here, where we are; why not put them there?—first point. Then you are bringing four of your own people with you, and they tell me some of them are to live in with the crew. Why not give them places here beside us?—second point."

"Any more points?" asked Mr. Trelawney.

"One more," said the captain. "There's been too much talking already."

"Far too much," agreed the doctor.

"I'll tell you what I've heard myself," continued Captain Smollett: "that you have a map of an island; that there are red marks on the map to show where treasure is; and that the island lies—" And then he named the exact spot.

"I never told that," cried Mr. Trelawney, "to a soul!"

"The men know it, sir," returned the captain.

"Livesey, that must have been you or Hawkins," cried Mr. Trelawney.

"It doesn't much matter who it was," replied the doctor. And I could see that both he and the captain still thought that Mr. Trelawney was to blame. So did I, for he was so loose a talker; yet in this case I believe he was really right, and that nobody had the direction of the island.

"Well, gentlemen," continued the captain, "I don't know who has the map; but I make it a point that it shall be kept secret even from me and Mr. Arrow. If you cannot promise to do that, I would ask you to let me leave the ship."

"I see," said the doctor. "You wish us to keep this matter secret, and you want us to keep all the arms and powder in this rear part of the ship, and to keep our men here also. In other words, you fear that there will be actual fighting on board."

"Sir," said Captain Smollett, "you have no right to put words into my mouth. No captain, sir, would be right in going to sea at all if he had reason enough to say that. As for Mr. Arrow, I believe him thoroughly honest; some of the men are the same; all may be, for what I know. But I am charged with the ship's safety and the life of every man on board of her. I see things going, as I think, not quite well. And I ask you to make certain arrangements which I consider necessary for safety, or to allow me to leave the ship. And that's all."

And with that he took his leave.

"Trelawney," said the doctor, "though I did not imagine so at first, I now believe that you have really got two honest men on board with you—that man and John Silver."

"Silver, if you like," cried Mr. Trelawney; "but as for that fellow, I declare I think that he has behaved neither as a man, nor as a good seaman—nor as an Englishman."

"Well," says the doctor, "we shall see."

When we came up, the men had begun already to take out the arms and powder, shouting "Yo-ho" as they worked, while the captain and Mr. Arrow stood by.

Long John and the last few men arrived in a boat. The cook came up the side like a monkey for quickness, and, as soon as he saw what was doing, "So ho!" says he, "what's this?"

"We're changing the powder, Jack," answers one.

"Why, by the powers," cried Long John, "if we do, we'll miss the time for sailing!

"My orders!" said the captain shortly. "You may go below, my man. The men will want supper."

"Yes, sir," answered the cook; and he disappeared at once in the direction of his kitchen.

"That's a good man, Captain," said the doctor.

"Perhaps he is, sir," replied Captain Smollett; and then suddenly observing me examining the gun which we carried in the middle of the ship—"Here, you, ship's boy," he cried, "out of that! Off with you to the cook and get some work."

I assure you I was quite of Mr. Trelawney's way of thinking, and hated the captain deeply.