Twenty-two

BEN GUNN'S BOAT

The pirates did not return; they had had enough punishment for one day.

Hunter lived only for a few hours. The captain's wound was serious, but not dangerous; for some weeks to come he would not be able to move his arm.

After dinner Mr. Trelawney and the doctor sat by the captain's side. They talked until a little past noon; then the doctor took up his hat and pistols, put the map in his pocket and, with a gun over his shoulder, crossed the stockade on the north side, and set off quickly through the trees.

Gray and I were sitting together at the far end of the log-house; Gray took his pipe out of his mouth and forgot to put it back again, so thunder-struck he was at this event.

"Why! In the name of heaven," said he, "is Dr. Livesey mad?"

"Why, no," said I. "He's about the last of this crew for that."

"Well," said Gray, "mad he may not be; but if he's not, I am."

"I think," replied I, "that the doctor has his idea; and if I am right, he's going now to see Ben Gunn."

I was right, as appeared later. But at the moment the house was hot; the sand was blazing in the midday sun, and I began to think how fortunate the doctor was, walking in the cool shadows of the woods.

As I should not be allowed to leave the stockade, I decided to slip out without being seen. I approached the bread-bag: no one was observing me; I filled both my pockets. I also took a couple of pistols and powder for them.

My idea was not a bad one. It was to go down to the white rock which I had observed last evening and to see whether Ben Gunn had hidden his boat there.

Mr. Trelawney and Gray were now attending to the captain's wound. I climbed quickly over the stockade and ran into the nearest group of trees. I made my way through the wood, and soon cool breaths of sea air began to reach me; and, after a few steps farther, I came out on the shore.

It was now late in the afternoon; I saw the sea lying blue and sunny to the horizon and the white waves breaking on the beach.

I walked along the shore with great enjoyment till I thought that I had now gone far enough to the south. I then went in among some thick bushes, and crept carefully up to the top of the cape.

I could see the Hispaniola lying in the calm water behind the little island, every line of it pictured in the clear sea beneath. Near it lay one of the boats, with Silver in it. Two men were leaning over the side of the ship talking to him, one of them the fellow with a red cap whom I had seen some hours before on the top of the stockade.

Soon after the boat moved off and pulled for the shore, and the man with the red cap and his companion went below.

The sun went down behind the Spy-glass; and, as the mist was collecting rapidly, it began to grow dark. I saw I must lose no time if I were to find the boat that evening.

The white rock could be seen clearly enough above the bushes, but it took me a long time to reach it, creeping through them. Night had almost come when I laid my hand on its rough sides. Right below it there was a small grassy hollow, and in the centre of it was a little tent made of the goat-skins.

I climbed down into the hollow and lifted the side of the. tent—and there was Ben Gunn's boat, a rough thing made of wood and goat-skins. It was very small, even for me, and I could hardly imagine that it could have floated with a full-sized man.

Well, now that I had found the boat, you would have thought I would have gone back to the stockade; but I had taken another idea. This was to slip out under cover of night, cut the Hispaniola free, and let her be carried on shore by the wind and waves wherever she might happen to go. I felt sure that, after our victory of the morning, the pirates were very eager to get on the ship and sail away; it would be a fine thing to prevent this. And, since they had left no boat for the men who were on board, it seemed that it might be done with little risk.

I sat down to wait for darkness, and made a good meal of bread. It was an excellent night for my purpose. The sky was clouded over. As the last beams of daylight disappeared, thick blackness settled down upon Treasure Island. I put Ben Gunn's boat on my shoulder and felt my way out of the hollow.

As I looked round, there were only two points that could be seen in the circle of blackness. One was the great fire on shore by which the pirates sat drinking and singing, and the other, a faint misty light, was the ship.

I found my way down the wet sand to the water's edge and set the boat in the sea.