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11 - Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty one the attack. As soon as Silver disappeared,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: the captain, who had been closely watching him, turned toward
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the interior of the house, and found not a man
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of us at his post but Gray. It was the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: first time we had ever seen him angry quarters, he roared,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: and then as we slunk back to our places, Gray,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: he said, I'll put your name in the log. You've
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: stood by your duty like a seaman, mister Trelawney. I'm
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: surprised at you, sir, Doctor. I thought you had worn
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: the king's coat. If that was how you served at Fontenoy, sir,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: you'd have been better in your berth. The Doctor's watch
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: were all back at their loop holes. The rest were
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: busy loading the spare muskets, and every one with a
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: red face, you may be certain, and a flea in
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: his ear. As the saying is. The captain looked on
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: for a while in silence. Then he said, spoke, my lads.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: He said, I've given Silver a broadside. I pitched it
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: in red hot on the purpose, and before the hour's out,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: as he said, we shall be boarded. We're outnumbered. I
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: needn't tell you that, but we fight in shelter and
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: minutes ago I would have said, we fought with discipline.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: I have no manner of doubt that we can drub
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: them if you choose. Then he went the round and saw,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: as he said, that all was clear. On the two
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: short sides of the house east and west. There were
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: only two loopholes. On the south side, where the porch
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: was two again, and on the north side five. There
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: was a round score of muskets for the seven of us.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: The firewood had been built into four piles tables, you
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: might say, one about the middle of each side. And
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: on each of these tables some ammunition and four loaded
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: muskets were laid ready to the hand of the defenders.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: In the middle, the cutlasses lay ranged. Toss out the fire,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: said the captain. The chin is past, and we mustn't
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: have smoke in our eyes. The iron fire basket was
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: carried bodily out by mister Trelawney, and the embers smothered
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: among sand. Hawkins hasn't had his breakfast, Hawkins, help yourself
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: and back to your post to eat it, continued Captain
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Smollett lively. Now, my lad, you'll want it before you're done. Hunter,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: serve out a round of brandy to all hands. And
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: while this was going on, the Captain completed in his
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: own mind the plan of defense. Doctor, you will take
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: the door, he resumed. See, don't expose yourself, keep within
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: and fire through the porch. Hunter take the east side there, Joyce,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: you stand by the west, my man, mister Trelawney, you
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: are the best shot. You and Gray. We'll take this
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: long north side with the five loopholes. It's there. The
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: danger is if they can get up to it and
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: fire upon us through our own ports, things would begin
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: to look dirty. Hawkins, neither you nor I are much
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: a count at the shooting. We all stand by to
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: load and bear a hand. As the Captain had said,
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: the chill was pasted. As soon as the sun had
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: climbed above our girdle of trees. It fell with all
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: its force upon the clearing and rank up the vapors
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: at a draft. Soon the sand was baking and the
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: resin melting in the logs of the blockhouse. Jackets and
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: coats were flung aside. Shirts were thrown open at the
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: neck and rolled up to the shoulders. And we stood there,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: each at his post, in a fever of heat and anxiety.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: An hour passed away. Hang them, said the captain. This
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: is as dull as the doldrums. Gray whistle for a wind,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: And just at that moment came the first news of
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: the attack. If you please, sir, said Joyce. If I
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: see anyone, am I to fire? I told you so,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: cried the captain. Thank you, sir, returned Joyce, with the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: same quiet civility. Nothing followed for a time, but the
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: remark had set us all on the alert, straining ears
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: and eyes, the musketeers with their pieces balanced in their hands,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: the captain out in the middle of the block house,
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: with his mouth very tight and a frown on his face.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: So some seconds passed till suddenly Joyce whipped up his
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: musket and fired. The report had scarcely died away ere
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: it was repeated and repeated from without, an scattering volley
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: shot behind, shot like a string of geese, from every
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: side of the enclosure. Several bullets struck the log house,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: but not one entered, And as the smoke cleared away
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: and vanished, the stockade and the woods around it looked
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: as quiet and empty as before. Not a bough waved,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: not a gleam of a musket barrel, betrayed the presence
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: of our foes. Did you hit your men, asked the captain, No, sir,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: replied Joyce, I believe not, sir. Next best thing to
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: tell the truth, muttered Captain Smollett, load his gun, Hawkins.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: How many should you saber on your side? A doctor?
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: I know, precisely, said doctor Livesey. Three shots were fired
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: on this side. I saw three flashes, two close together,
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: one farther to the west, three, repeated the captain. And
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: how many on yours, mister Trelawney. But this was not
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: so easily answered. There had come many from the north,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: seven by the squire's computation, eight or nine, according to Gray,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: from the east and west only a single shot had
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: been fired. It was plain, therefore that the attack would
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: be developed from the north, and that on the other
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: three sides we were only to be annoyed by a
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: show of hostilities. But Captain Smollett made no change in
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: his arrangements. If the mutineers succeeded in crossing the stockade,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: he argued, they would take possession of any protected loophole
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: and shoot us down like rats in our stronghold. Nor
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: had we much time left to us for thought. Suddenly,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: with a loud huzzah, a little cloud of pirates leaped
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: from the woods on the north side and ran straight
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: on the stockade. At the same moment, the fire was
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: once more opened from the woods, and a rifle ball
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: sang through the doorway and knocked the doctor's musket into bits.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: The boarders swarmed over the fence like monkey squire, and
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Gray fired again, and yet again three men fell, one
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: forward into the enclosure, two back on the outside. But
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: of these one was evidently more frightened than hurt, for
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: he was on his feet again in a crack, and
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: instantly disappeared among the trees. Two had bit the dust,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: one had fled, four had made good their footing inside
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: our defenses, while from the shelter of the woods, seven
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: or eight men, each evidently supplied with several muskets, kept
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: up a hot, though useless fire on the log house.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: The four who had boarded made straight before them for
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: the building, shouting as they ran, and the men among
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: the trees shouted back to encourage them. Several shots were fired,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: but such was the hurry of the marksmen that not
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: one appeared to have taken effect. In a moment, the
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: four pirates had swarmed up the mound and were upon us.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: The head of job Anderson the Bozoen, appeared at the
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: middle loop hole. Em all hands, all hands, he roared
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: in a voice of thunder. At the same moment, another
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: pirate grasped Hunter's musket by the muzzle, wrenched it from
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: his hands, pllucked it through the loophole, and with one
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: stunning blow, laid the poor fellow senseless on the floor. Meanwhile,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: a third running unharmed all round the house, appeared suddenly
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: in the doorway and fell with his cutlass on the doctor.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Our position was utterly reversed a moment, since we were
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: firing under cover at an exposed enemy. Now it was
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: we who lay uncovered and could not return a blow.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: The log house was full of smoke, to which we
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: owed our comparative safety. Cries and confusion, the flashes and
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: reports of pistol shots, and one loud groan rang in
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: my ears. Out lads, out and fight em in the
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: open cutlasses, cried the captain. I snatched a cutlass from
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: the pile, and someone at the same time snatching another,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: made me a cut across the knuckles, which I hardly
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: felt I dashed out of the door into the clear sunlight.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: Someone was close behind, I knew, not whom. Right in front,
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: the doctor was pursuing his assailant down the hill, and
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: just as my eyes fell upon him, beat down his
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: guard and sent him sprawling on his back with a
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: great slash across his face. Rail to the house. Lads
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: round to the house, cried the captain, and even in
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: the hurly burly I perceived a change in his voice.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Mechanically I obeyed, turned eastward, and with my cutlass raised,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: ran round the corner of the house. Next moment I
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: was face to face with Anderson. He roared aloud, and
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: his hanger went up above his head, flashing in the sunlight.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: I had not time to be afraid, but as the
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: blow still hung impending, let dinner trice upon one side, and,
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: missing my footing in the soft sand, rolled headlong down
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: the slope. When I had first salad from the door,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: the other mutineers had been already swarming up the palisade
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: to make an end of us. One man in a
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: red night cap, with his cutlass in his mouth, had
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: even got upon the top and thrown a leg across well.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: So short had been the interval that when I found
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: my feet again, all was in the same posture, the
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: fellow with the red nightcap still half way over, another
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: still showing his head above the top of the stockade.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: And yet in this breath of time the fight was
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: over and the victory. Hours Gray, following close behind me,
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: had cut down the big bozen ere he had time
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: to recover from his lost blow. Another had been shot
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: at a loophole in the very act of firing into
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: the house, and now lay in agony, the pistol still
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: smoking in his hand. A third, as I had seen
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: the doctor, had disposed of at a blow. Of the
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: four who had scaled the palisade, only one remained unaccounted for,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: and he, having left his cutlass on the field, was
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: now clambering out again, with the fear of death upon him.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: Fire fire from the house, cried the doctor, and you
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: lads back into cover, But his words were unheeded, no
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: shot was fired, and the last border made good his
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: escape and disappeared with the rest into the wood. In
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: three seconds. Nothing remained of the attacking party but the
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: five who had fallen, four on the inside and one
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: on the outside of the palisade. The doctor and Gray
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: and I ran full speed for shelter. The survivors would
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: soon be back where they had left their muskets, and
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: at any moment the fire might recommence. The house was
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: by this time somewhat cleared of smoke, and we saw
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: at a glance the price we had paid for victory.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: Hunter lay beside his loophole, stunned Joyce by his shot
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: through the head, never to move again. While riot in
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: the center the squire were supporting the captain, one as
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: pale as the other. The captain's wounded, said mister Trelawney.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: Have they run, asked mister Smollett. All that could, You
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: may be bound, returned the doctor. But there's five of them.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: Will never run again, five, cried the captain. Come, that's better.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Five against three leaves us four to nine. That's better
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: odds than we had at starting. We were seven to
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: nineteen then, or thought we were, and that's bad to
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: bear footnote the mutineers were soon only eight in number.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: For the man shot by mister Trelawney on board the
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: schooner died that same evening of his wound, but this
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: was of course not known till after By the faithful party.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: End of Chapter twenty one, Part five, My Sea Adventure.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty two, How My Sea Adventure began. There was
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: no return of the mutineers, not so much as another
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: shot out of the woods. They had got their rations
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: for that day, as the Captain put it, and we
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: had the place to ourselves in a quiet time to
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: overhaul the wounded and get dinner. Squire and I cooked
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: outside in spite of the danger, and even outside we
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: could hardly tell what we were at, for the horror
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: of the loud groans that reached us from the doctor's patients.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Out of the eight men who had fallen in the action,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: only three still breathed, that one of the pirates who
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: had been shot at the loophole, Hunter and Captain Smollett,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: And of these the first two were as good as dead.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: The mutineer, indeed, died under the doctor's knife, and huntered
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: do what we could. Never regained consciousness in this world.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: He lingered all day, breathing loudly like the old bucket
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: near at home in his apleptic fit. But the bones
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: of his chest had been crushed by the blow, and
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: his skull fractured in falling, and some time in the
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: following night, without sign nor sound, he went to his maker.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: As for the captain, his wounds were grievous, indeed, but
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: not dangerous. No organ was fatally injured. Anderson's ball, for
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: it was job that shot him first, had broken his
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: shoulder blade and touched the lung, not badly. The second
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: had only torn and displaced some muscles in the calf.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: He was sure to recover, the doctor said, but in
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: the meantime, and for weeks to come, he must not walk,
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: nor move his arm, nor so much as speak. When
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: he could help it, my own accidental cart across the
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: knuckles was a flea bite. Doctor Livesey patched it up
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: with plaster, and pulled my ears for me into the bargain.
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: After dinner, the Squire and the doctor sat by the
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: captain's side, awhile in consultation, And when they had talked
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: to their heart's content, it being then a little past noon,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: the doctor took up his hat and pistols, girt on
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: a cutlass, put the chart in his pocket, and with
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: a musket over his shoulder, crossed the palisade on the
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: north side, and set off briskly through the trees, gray
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: and I were sitting together at the far end of
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: the block house to be out of earshot of our
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: officers consulting, and Gray took his pipe out of his
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: mouth and fairly forgot to put it back again. So
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: thunderstruck was he at this occurrence. Why in the name
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: of Davy, Jones, said he is doctor Livesey mad? Why no,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: says I. He's about the last of this crew. For that,
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: I take it, well, shipmate, said Gray. Mad he may
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: not be, but if he's not my words, I am,
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: I take it, replied I. The doctor has his idea,
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: and if I am right, he's going now to see Ben.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: I was right, as appeared later. But in the meantime,
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: the house being stifling hot, and the little patch of
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: sand inside the palisade ablaze with midday sun, I began
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: to get another thought into my head, which was not
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: by any means so right. What I began to do
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: was to envy the doctor walking in the cool shadow
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: of the woods, with the birds about him and the
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: pleasant smell of the pines, while I sat grilling with
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: my clothes stuck to the hot resin, and so much
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: blood about me, and so many poor dead bodies lying
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: all around that I took a disgust of that place
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: that was almost as strong as fear. All the time
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: I was washing out the blockhouse and then washing up
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: the things from dinner, this disgust and envy kept growing
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: stronger and stronger, till at last, being near a bread
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: bag and no one then observing me, I took the
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: first steps toward my escape and filled both pockets of
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: my coat with biscuit. I was a fool, if you like,
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: and certainly I was going to do a foolish, overbold act.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: But I was determined to do it with all the
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: precautions in my power. These biscuits, should anything before me,
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: would at least keep me from starving till far on
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: in the next day. The next thing I laid hold
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: of was a brace of pistols. As I already had
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: a powder horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: with arms. As for the scheme I had in my head,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: it was not a bad one in itself. It was
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: to go down the sandy spit that divides the anchorage
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: on the east from the open sea find the white
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: rock I had observed last evening and ascertain whether it
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: was there or not. That ben Gunn had hidden his boat,
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: a thing quite worth doing, as I still believe, But
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: as I was certain I should not be allowed to
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: leave the enclosure, my only plan was to take French
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: leave and slip out when nobody was watching. And that
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: was so bad a way of doing it, as made
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: the thing itself wrong. But I was only a boy,
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: and I hadn't made my mind up. Well. As things
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: at last fell out, I found an admirable opportunity. The
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: Squire and Gray were busy helping the captain with his bandages.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: The coast was clear. I made a bolt for it,
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: over the stockade and into the thickest of the trees,
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: and before my absence was observed, I was out of
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: cry of my companions. This was my second folly, far
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: worse than the first, as I left but two sound
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: men to guard the house. But like the first, it
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: was a help towards saving all of us. I took
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: my way straight for the east coast of the island,
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: for I was determined to go down the sea side
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: of the spit to avoid all chance of observation from
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: the anchorage. It was already late in the afternoon, although
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: still warm and sunny, as I continued to thread the
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: tall woods. I could hear from far before me not
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: only the continuous thunder of the surf, but a certain
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: tossing of foliage and grinding of boughs, which showed me
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: the sea breeze set in higher than usual. Soon, cool
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: drafts of air began to reach me, and a few
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: steps farther I came forth into the open borders of
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: the grove and saw the sea lying blue and sunny
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: to the horizon, and the surf tumbling and tossing its
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: foam along the beach. I have never seen the sea
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: quiet round Treasure Island. The sun might blaze overhead, the
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: air be without a breath, the surface smooth and blue.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: But still these great rollers would be running along all
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: the external coast, thundering and thundering by day and night.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: And I scarce believe there is one spot in the
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: island where a man would be out of earshot of
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: their noise. I walked along beside the surf with great enjoyment, till,
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: thinking I was now got far enough to the south,
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: I took the cover of some thick bushes and crept
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: warily up to the ridge of the spit behind me.
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: Was the sea in front the anchorage. The sea breeze,
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: as though it had the sooner blown itself out by
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: its unusual violence, was already at an end. It had
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: been succeeded by light variable airs from the south and southeast,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: carrying great banks of fog, and the anchorage under lee
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: of Skeleton Island lay still and leaden, as when first
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: we entered it. The Hispaniola on that unbroken mirror was
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: exactly portrayed from the truck to the water line. The
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: Jolly Roger hanging from her peak alongside lay one of
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: the gigs silver in the stern sheets, him I could
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: always recognize. While a couple of men were leaning over
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: the stern bulwarks, one of them with a red cap,
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: the very rogue that I had seen some hours before,
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: stride legs upon the palisade. Apparently they were talking and laughing,
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: though that that distance upward of a mile, I could
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: of course hear no word of what was said. All
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: at once there began the most horrid, unearthly screaming, which
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: at first startled me badly, though I had soon remembered
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: the voice of Captain Flint, and even thought I could
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: make out the bird by her bright plumage as she
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: sat perched upon her master's wrist. Soon after, the jolly
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: boat shoved off and pulled for shore, and the man
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: with the red cap and his comrade went below by
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: the cabin companion. Just about the same time, the sun
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: had gone down behind the spyglass, and as the fog
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: was collecting rapidly, it began to grow dark in earnest.
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: I saw I must lose no time if I were
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: to find the boat that evening. The white rock visible
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: enough above the brush was still some eighth of a
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: mile farther down the spit, and it took me a
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: goodish while to get up with it, crawling off and
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: on all fours among the scrub. Night had almost come
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: when I laid my hands on its rough sides. Right
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: below it, there was an exceeding small hollow of green
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: turf hidden by banks, and a thick understory about knee
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: deep that grew there very plentifully, and in the center
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: of the dell shore enough a little tent of goat skins,
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: like what the gypsies carry about with them in England.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: I dropped into the hollow, lifted the side of the tent,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: and there was ben Gunn's boat home made, if ever
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: anything was homemade. A rude, lopsided framework of tough wood,
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: and stretched upon that a covering of goat skin with
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: the hair inside. The thing was extremely small, even for me,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: and I can hardly imagine that it could have floated
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: with a full sized man. There was one a thwart
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: set as low as possible, a kind of stretcher in
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: the boughs, and a double paddle for propulsion. I had
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: not then seen a coracle such as the ancient Britons made,
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: but I have seen one since, and can give you
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: no fairer idea of ben Gunn's boat than by saying
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: it was like the first and the worst coracle ever
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: made by a man. But the great advantage of the
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: coracle it certainly possessed, for it was exceedingly light and portable. Well,
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: now that I had found the boat, you would have
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: thought I had had enough of truancy for once. But
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: in the meantime I had taken another notion and become
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: so obstinately fond of it that I would have carried
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: it out. I believe in the teeth of Captain Smollett
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: himself this was to slip out under cover of the night,
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: cut the Hispaniola adrift, and let her go ashore where
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: she fancied. I had quite made up my mind that
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: the mutineers, after their repulse of the morning, had nothing
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: nearer their hearts than to up anchor and away. To
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: see this, I thought it would be a fine thing
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: to prevent. And now that I had seen how they
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: left their watchmen unprovided with a boat, I thought it
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: might be done with little risk. Down I sat to
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: wait for darkness, and made a hearty meal of biscuit.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: It was a night out of ten thousand for my purpose.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: The fog had now buried all heaven. As the last
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: rays of daylight dwindled and disappeared, absolute blackness settled down
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: on Treasure Island, And when at last I shouldered my
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: coracle and groped my way stumblingly out of the hollow
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: where I had supped, there were but two points visible
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: on the whole anchorage. One was the great fire on shore,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: by which the defeated pirates lay carousing in the swamp.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: The other, a mere blur of light upon the darkness,
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: indicated the position of the anchored ship. She had swung
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: round to the ebb her bow was now toward me.
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: The only lights on board were in the cabin, and
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: what I saw was merely a reflection on the fog
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: of the strong rays that flowed from the stern window.
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: The airp had already run some time, and I had
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: to wade through a long belt of swampy sand, where
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: I sank several times above the ankle before I came
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: to the edge of the retreating water, and, wading a
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: little way in with some strength and dexterity, set my
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: coracle keel downward on the surface. End of Chapter twenty two.