Chapter: POWDER AND ARMS


The _Hispaniola_ lay some way out, and we went under the figureheads and
around the sterns of many other ships, and their cables sometimes grated
beneath our keel, and sometimes swung above us. At last, however, we
swung alongside, and were met and saluted as we stepped aboard by the
mate, Mr. Arrow, a brown old sailor, with earrings in his ears and a
squint. He and the squire were very thick and friendly, but I soon
observed that things were not the same between Mr. Trelawney and the
captain.

This last was a sharp-looking man, who seemed angry with everything on
board, and was soon to tell us why, for we had hardly got down into the
cabin when a sailor followed us.

"Captain Smollett, sir, axing to speak with you," said he.

"I am always at the captain's orders. Show him in," said the squire.

The captain, who was close behind his messenger, entered at once, and
shut the door behind him.

"Well, Captain Smollett, what have you to say? All well, I hope; all
shipshape and seaworthy?"

"Well, sir," said the captain, "better speak plain, I believe, at the
risk of offense. I don't like this cruise; I don't like the men; and I
don't like my officer. That's short and sweet."

"Perhaps, sir, you don't like the ship?" inquired the squire, very
angry, as I could see.

"I can't speak as to that, sir, not having seen her tried," said the
captain. "She seems a clever craft; more I can't say."

"Possibly, sir, you may not like your employer, either?" said the
squire.

But here Doctor Livesey cut in.

"Stay a bit," said he, "stay a bit. No use of such questions as that but
to produce ill-feeling. The captain has said too much or he has said too
little, and I'm bound to say that I require an explanation of his words.
You don't, you say, like this cruise. Now, why?"

"I was engaged, sir, on what we call sealed orders, to sail this ship
for that gentleman where he should bid me," said the captain. "So far so
good. But now I find that every man before the mast knows more than I
do. I don't call that fair, now, do you?"

"No," said Doctor Livesey, "I don't."

"Next," said the captain, "I learn we are going after treasure--hear it
from my own hands, mind you. Now, treasure is ticklish work; I don't
like treasure voyages on any account; and I don't like them, above all,
when they are secret, and when (begging your pardon, Mr. Trelawney) the
secret has been told to the parrot."

"Silver's parrot?" asked the squire.

"It's a way of speaking," said the captain. "Blabbed, I mean. It's my
belief neither of you gentlemen know what you are about; but I'll tell
you my way of it--life or death, and a close run."

"That is all clear, and, I dare say, true enough," replied Doctor
Livesey. "We take the risk, but we are not so ignorant as you believe
us. Next, you say you don't like the crew. Are they not good seamen?"

"I don't like them, sir," returned Captain Smollett. "And I think I
should have had the choosing of my own hands, if you go to that."

"Perhaps you should," replied the doctor. "My friend should, perhaps,
have taken you along with him; but the slight, if there be one, was
unintentional. And you don't like Mr. Arrow?"

"I don't, sir. I believe he's a good seaman, but he's too free with
the crew to be a good officer. A mate should keep himself to
himself--shouldn't drink with the men before the mast."

"Do you mean he drinks?" cried the squire.

"No, sir," replied the captain; "only that he's too familiar."

"Well, now, and the short and long of it, captain?" asked the doctor.
"Tell us what you want."

"Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go on this cruise?"

"Like iron," answered the squire.

"Very good," said the captain. "Then, as you've heard me very patiently,
saying things that I could not prove, hear me a few words more. They are
putting the powder and the arms in the fore hold. Now, you have a good
place under the cabin; why not put them there?--first point. Then you
are bringing four of your own people with you, and they tell me some of
them are to be berthed forward. Why not give them the berths here beside
the cabin?--second point."

"Any more?" asked Mr. Trelawney.

"One more," said the captain. "There's been too much blabbing already."

"Far too much," agreed the doctor.

"I'll tell you what I've heard myself," continued Captain Smollett;
"that you have a map of an island; that there's crosses on the map to
show where treasure is; and that the island lies--" And then he named
the latitude and longitude exactly.

"I never told that," cried the squire, "to a soul."

"The hands know it, sir," returned the captain.

"Livesey, that must have been you or Hawkins," cried the squire.

"It doesn't much matter who it was," replied the doctor. And I could see
that neither he nor the captain paid much regard to Mr. Trelawney's
protestations. Neither did I, to be sure, he was so loose a talker; yet
in this case I believe he was really right, and that nobody had told the
situation of the island.

"Well, gentlemen," continued the captain, "I don't know who has this
map, but I make it a point it shall be kept secret even from me and Mr.
Arrow. Otherwise I would ask you to let me resign."

"I see," said the doctor. "You wish us to keep this matter dark, and to
make a garrison of the stern part of the ship, manned with my friend's
own people, and provided with all the arms and powder on board. In other
words, you fear a mutiny."

"Sir," said Captain Smollett, "with no intention to take offense, I deny
your right to put words into my mouth. No captain, sir, would be
justified in going to sea at all if he had ground enough to say that. As
for Mr. Arrow, I believe him thoroughly honest; some of the men are the
same; all may be for what I know. But I am responsible for the ship's
safety and the life of every man Jack aboard of her. I see things going,
as I think, not quite right; and I ask you to take certain precautions,
or let me resign my berth. And that's all."

"Captain Smollett," began the doctor, with a smile, "did ever you hear
the fable of the mountain and the mouse? You'll excuse me, I dare say,
but you remind me of that fable. When you came in here I'll stake my wig
you meant more than this."

"Doctor," said the captain, "you are smart. When I came in here I meant
to get discharged. I had no thought that Mr. Trelawney would hear a
word."

"No more I would," cried the squire. "Had Livesey not been here I should
have seen you to the deuce. As it is, I have heard you. I will do as you
desire, but I think the worse of you."

"That's as you please, sir," said the captain. "You'll find I do my
duty."

And with that he took his leave.

"Trelawney," said the doctor, "contrary to all my notions, I believe you
have managed to get two honest men on board with you--that man and John
Silver."

"Silver, if you like," cried the squire, "but as for that intolerable
humbug, I declare I think his conduct unmanly, unsailorly, and downright
un-English."

"Well," said the doctor, "we shall see."

When we came on deck the men had begun already to take out the arms and
powder, yo-ho-ing at their work, while the captain and Mr. Arrow stood
by superintending.

The new arrangement was quite to my liking. The whole schooner had been
overhauled; six berths had been made astern, out of what had been the
after-part of the main hold, and this set of cabins was only joined to
the galley and forecastle by a sparred passage on the port side. It had
been originally meant that the captain, Mr. Arrow, Hunter, Joyce, the
doctor, and the squire were to occupy these six berths. Now Redruth and
I were to get two of them, and Mr. Arrow and the captain were to sleep
on deck in the companion, which had been enlarged on each side till you
might almost have called it a round-house. Very low it was still, of
course, but there was room to swing two hammocks, and even the mate
seemed pleased with the arrangement. Even he, perhaps, had been doubtful
as to the crew, but that is only guess, for, as you shall hear, we had
not long the benefit of his opinion.

We were all hard at work changing the powder and the berths, when the
last man or two, and Long John along with them, came off in a
shore-boat.

The cook came up the side like a monkey for cleverness, and, as soon as
he saw what was doing, "So ho, mates!" said he, "what's this!"

"We're a-changing the powder, Jack," answers one.

"Why, by the powers," cried Long John, "if we do, we'll miss the morning
tide!"

"My orders!" said the captain, shortly. "You may go below, my man. Hands
will want supper."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the cook; and, touching his forelock, he
disappeared at once in the direction of his galley.

"That's a good man, captain," said the doctor.

"Very likely, sir," replied Captain Smollett. "Easy with that,
men--easy," he ran on, to the fellows who were shifting the powder; and
then suddenly observing me examining the swivel we carried amidships, a
long brass nine--"Here, you ship's boy," he cried, "out o' that! Off
with you to the cook and get some work."

And then as I was hurrying off I heard him say, quite loudly, to the
doctor:

"I'll have no favorites on my ship."

I assure you I was quite of the squire's way of thinking, and hated the
captain deeply.

 Jim, Doctor Livesey, and Squire Trelawney all go over to the dock where the Hispaniola is moored. Jim observes that Squire Trelawney gets along well with the mate, Arrow, but not with the captain of the ship, Smollett. Captain Smollett soon levels with Squire Trelawney: he's not happy with the crew or his first mate. Squire Trelawney quickly takes offense and asks point-blank if Captain Smollett doesn't like him either. Doctor Livesey interrupts the argument and asks Captain Smollett for an explanation. Captain Smollett has the following complaints: He doesn't know why he's being kept in the dark about the Hispaniola's destination by Squire Trelawney;He has found out that their goal is a treasure hunt - from his own crew, who know more than he does;He's worried that neither Doctor Livesey nor Squire Trelawney really knows what he is doing;He would have preferred to hire his own crew; andhe mistrusts Mr. Arrow, his first mate, who seems too friendly with the crew to be a good officer. He doesn't know why he's being kept in the dark about the Hispaniola's destination by Squire Trelawney; He has found out that their goal is a treasure hunt - from his own crew, who know more than he does; He's worried that neither Doctor Livesey nor Squire Trelawney really knows what he is doing; He would have preferred to hire his own crew; and he mistrusts Mr. Arrow, his first mate, who seems too friendly with the crew to be a good officer. To this list of complaints Captain Smollett adds some really serious objections: the crew seems to be stockpiling gunpowder in a place that is handier for them to reach than for the Captain. Also, Squire Trelawney has been talking way too much, and some of the private details of the treasure map have clearly spread throughout the crew. Doctor Livesey asks Captain Smollett if he is worried about a mutiny - an uprising on the part of the crew once they are at sea. Captain Smollett agrees. He thinks some of the men, including Arrow, are honest, but he is worried that something about the trip is not quite right. He won't sail unless he's allowed to take certain precautions. Captain Smollett takes his leave, and Doctor Livesey says that he is an honest man - along with Long John Silver. Squire Trelawney protests that Captain Smollett is a coward. Doctor Livesey won't judge him yet. Doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney agree to Captain Smollett's wishes: instead of allowing all the officers to be quartered at one end of the ship, they set up places to sleep throughout the boat. Spreading themselves out will prevent the crew from ambushing them all in one place. Captain Smollett also manages to get Squire Trelawney to move the gunpowder so it isn't all centralized near the crew. Long John Silver comes aboard just as these changes are being made and seems surprised. Captain Smollett reminds him that they are his orders.

