Latest / Classic Adventure Books Collection / 11 - Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Transcript

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

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