The next moment each of us had taken to his heels in a different direction . For a good hour to come frequent reports shook the island , and balls kept crashing through the woods . I moved from hiding-place to hiding-place , always pursued , or so it seemed to me , by these terrifying missiles . But towards the end of the bombardment , though still I durst not venture in the direction of the stockade , where the balls fell oftenest , I had begun , in a manner , to pluck up my heart again , and after a long detour to the east , crept down among the shore-side trees . The sun had just set , the sea breeze was rustling and tumbling in the woods and ruffling the grey surface of the anchorage ; the tide , too , was far out , and great tracts of sand lay uncovered ; the air , after the heat of the day , chilled me through my jacket . The HISPANIOLA still lay where she had anchored ; but , sure enough , there was the Jolly Roger -- the black flag of piracy -- flying from her peak . Even as I looked , there came another red flash and another report that sent the echoes clattering , and one more round-shot whistled through the air . It was the last of the cannonade . I lay for some time watching the bustle which succeeded the attack . Men were demolishing something with axes on the beach near the stockade -- the poor jolly-boat , I afterwards discovered . Away , near the mouth of the river , a great fire was glowing among the trees , and between that point and the ship one of the gigs kept coming and going , the men , whom I had seen so gloomy , shouting at the oars like children . But there was a sound in their voices which suggested rum . At length I thought I might return towards the stockade . I was pretty far down on the low , sandy spit that encloses the anchorage to the east , and is joined at half-water to Skeleton Island ; and now , as I rose to my feet , I saw , some distance further down the spit and rising from among low bushes , an isolated rock , pretty high , and peculiarly white in colour . It occurred to me that this might be the white rock of which Ben Gunn had spoken and that some day or other a boat might be wanted and I should know where to look for one . Then I skirted among the woods until I had regained the rear , or shoreward side , of the stockade , and was soon warmly welcomed by the faithful party . I had soon told my story and began to look about me . The log-house was made of unsquared trunks of pine -- roof , walls , and floor . The latter stood in several places as much as a foot or a foot and a half above the surface of the sand . There was a porch at the door , and under this porch the little spring welled up into an artificial basin of a rather odd kind -- no other than a great ship 's kettle of iron , with the bottom knocked out , and sunk `` to her bearings , '' as the captain said , among the sand .
Little had been left besides the framework of the house , but in one corner there was a stone slab laid down by way of hearth and an old rusty iron basket to contain the XXXXX .
Island Roger attack cannonade colour fire gigs hour round-shot shore-side