Crawling on all fours , I made steadily but slowly towards them , till at last , raising my head to an aperture among the leaves , I could see clear down into a little green dell beside the marsh , and closely set about with trees , where Long John Silver and another of the crew stood face to face in conversation . The sun beat full upon them . Silver had thrown his hat beside him on the ground , and his great , smooth , blond face , all shining with heat , was lifted to the other man 's in a kind of appeal . `` Mate , '' he was saying , `` it 's because I thinks gold dust of you -- gold dust , and you may lay to that ! If I had n't took to you like pitch , do you think I 'd have been here a-warning of you ? All 's up -- you ca n't make nor mend ; it 's to save your neck that I 'm a-speaking , and if one of the wild uns knew it , where 'd I be , Tom -- now , tell me , where 'd I be ? '' `` Silver , '' said the other man -- and I observed he was not only red in the face , but spoke as hoarse as a crow , and his voice shook too , like a taut rope -- `` Silver , '' says he , `` you 're old , and you 're honest , or has the name for it ; and you 've money too , which lots of poor sailors has n't ; and you 're brave , or I 'm mistook . And will you tell me you 'll let yourself be led away with that kind of a mess of swabs ? Not you ! As sure as God sees me , I 'd sooner lose my hand . If I turn agin my dooty -- '' And then all of a sudden he was interrupted by a noise . I had found one of the honest hands -- well , here , at that same moment , came news of another . Far away out in the marsh there arose , all of a sudden , a sound like the cry of anger , then another on the back of it ; and then one horrid , long-drawn scream . The rocks of the Spy-glass re-echoed it a score of times ; the whole troop of marsh-birds rose again , darkening heaven , with a simultaneous whirr ; and long after that death yell was still ringing in my brain , silence had re-established its empire , and only the rustle of the redescending birds and the boom of the distant surges disturbed the languor of the afternoon . Tom had leaped at the sound , like a horse at the spur , but Silver had not winked an eye . He stood where he was , resting lightly on his crutch , watching his companion like a snake about to spring . `` John ! '' said the sailor , stretching out his hand . `` Hands off ! '' cried Silver , leaping back a yard , as it seemed to me , with the speed and security of a trained gymnast .
`` Hands off , if you like , John XXXXX , '' said the other .
John Silver Spy-glass Tom a-warning afternoon dooty languor swabs whirr