To make assurance surer , I got upon my hands and knees and crawled , without a sound , towards the corner of the house . As I drew nearer , my heart was suddenly and greatly lightened . It is not a pleasant noise in itself , and I have often complained of it at other times , but just then it was like music to hear my friends snoring together so loud and peaceful in their sleep . The sea-cry of the watch , that beautiful `` All 's well , '' never fell more reassuringly on my ear . In the meantime , there was no doubt of one thing ; they kept an infamous bad watch . If it had been Silver and his lads that were now creeping in on them , not a soul would have seen daybreak . That was what it was , thought I , to have the captain wounded ; and again I blamed myself sharply for leaving them in that danger with so few to mount guard . By this time I had got to the door and stood up . All was dark within , so that I could distinguish nothing by the eye . As for sounds , there was the steady drone of the snorers and a small occasional noise , a flickering or pecking that I could in no way account for . With my arms before me I walked steadily in . I should lie down in my own place -LRB- I thought with a silent chuckle -RRB- and enjoy their faces when they found me in the morning . My foot struck something yielding -- it was a sleeper 's leg ; and he turned and groaned , but without awaking . And then , all of a sudden , a shrill voice broke forth out of the darkness : `` Pieces of eight ! Pieces of eight ! Pieces of eight ! Pieces of eight ! Pieces of eight ! '' and so forth , without pause or change , like the clacking of a tiny mill . Silver 's green parrot , Captain Flint !
It was she whom I had heard XXXXX at a piece of bark ; it was she , keeping better watch than any human being , who thus announced my arrival with her wearisome refrain .
Flint Silver clacking flickering house morning pecking sea-cry snorers sounds