Chapter: NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY THE DOCTOR--HOW THE SHIP WAS ABANDONED


It was about half-past one--three bells in the sea phrase--that the two
boats went ashore from the _Hispaniola_. The captain, the squire, and I
were talking matters over in the cabin. Had there been a breath of wind,
we should have fallen on the six mutineers who were left aboard with us,
slipped our cable, and away to sea. But the wind was wanting; and, to
complete our helplessness, down came Hunter with the news that Jim
Hawkins had slipped into a boat and was gone ashore with the rest.

It had never occurred to us to doubt Jim Hawkins, but we were alarmed
for his safety. With the men in the temper they were in, it seemed an
even chance if we should see the lad again. We ran on deck. The pitch
was bubbling in the seams; the nasty stench of the place turned me sick;
if ever a man smelled fever and dysentery it was in that abominable
anchorage. The six scoundrels were sitting grumbling under a sail in the
forecastle; ashore we could see the gigs made fast, and a man sitting in
each, hard by where the river runs in. One of them was whistling
"Lillibullero."

Waiting was a strain, and it was decided that Hunter and I should go
ashore with the jolly-boat, in quest of information.

The gigs had leaned to their right, but Hunter and I pulled straight in,
in the direction of the stockade upon the chart. The two who were left
guarding their boats seemed in a bustle at our appearance;
"Lillibullero" stopped off, and I could see the pair discussing what
they ought to do. Had they gone and told Silver, all might have turned
out differently; but they had their orders, I suppose, and decided to
sit quietly where they were and hark back again to "Lillibullero."

There was a slight bend in the coast, and I steered so as to put it
between us. Even before we landed we had thus lost sight of the gigs; I
jumped out and came as near running as I durst, with a big silk
handkerchief under my hat for coolness' sake, and a brace of pistols
ready primed for safety.

I had not gone a hundred yards when I came on the stockade.

This was how it was: A spring of clear water arose at the top of a
knoll. Well, on the knoll, and inclosing the spring, they had clapped a
stout log house, fit to hold two-score people on a pinch, and loopholed
for musketry on every side. All around this they had cleared a wide
space, and then the thing was completed by a paling six feet high,
without door or opening, too strong to pull down without time and labor,
and too open to shelter the besiegers. The people in the log house had
them in every way; they stood quiet in the shelter and shot the others
like partridges. All they wanted was a good watch and food; for, short
of a complete surprise, they might have held the place against a
regiment.

What particularly took my fancy was the spring. For, though we had a
good place of it in the cabin of the _Hispaniola_, with plenty of arms
and ammunition, and things to eat, and excellent wines, there had been
one thing overlooked--we had no water. I was thinking this over, when
there came ringing over the island the cry of a man at the point of
death. I was not new to violent death--I have served his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland, and got a wound myself at Fontenoy--but I know
my pulse went dot and carry one. "Jim Hawkins is gone," was my first
thought.

It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have been
a doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work. And so now I made
up my mind instantly, and with no time lost returned to the shore and
jumped on board the jolly-boat.

By good fortune Hunter pulled a good oar. We made the water fly, and the
boat was soon alongside and I aboard the schooner.

I found them all shaken, as was natural. The squire was sitting down, as
white as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, the good soul!
and one of the six forecastle hands was little better.

"There's a man," said Captain Smollett, nodding toward him, "new to this
work. He came nigh-hand fainting, doctor, when he heard the cry. Another
touch of the rudder and that man would join us."

I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the details
of its accomplishment.

We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle,
with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection. Hunter
brought the boat round under the stern port, and Joyce and I set to work
loading her with powder, tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork,
a cask of cognac, and my invaluable medicine chest.

In the meantime the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and the
latter hailed the coxswain, who was the principal man aboard.

"Mr. Hands," he said, "here are two of us with a brace of pistols each.
If any one of you six make a signal of any description, that man's
dead."

They were a good deal taken aback; and, after a little consultation, one
and all tumbled down the fore companion, thinking, no doubt, to take us
on the rear. But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred
gallery, they went about ship at once, and a head popped out again on
deck.

"Down, dog!" cried the captain.

And the head popped back again, and we heard no more for the time of
these six very faint-hearted seamen.

By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boat
loaded as much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the stern port,
and we made for shore again, as fast as oars could take us.

This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. "Lillibullero"
was dropped again, and just before we lost sight of them behind the
little point, one of them whipped ashore and disappeared. I had half a
mind to change my plan and destroy their boats, but I feared that Silver
and the others might be close at hand, and all might very well be lost
by trying for too much.

We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to work to
provision the blockhouse. All three made the first journey, heavily
laden, and tossed our stores over the palisade. Then, leaving Joyce to
guard them--one man, to be sure, but with half a dozen muskets--Hunter
and I returned to the jolly-boat, and loaded ourselves once more. So we
proceeded, without pausing to take breath, till the whole cargo was
bestowed, when the two servants took up their position in the
blockhouse, and I, with all my power, sculled back to the _Hispaniola_.

That we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring than it
really was. They had the advantage of numbers, of course, but we had the
advantage of arms. Not one of the men ashore had a musket, and before
they could get within range for pistol shooting, we flattered ourselves
we should be able to give a good account of a half dozen at least.

The squire was waiting for me at the stern window, all his faintness
gone from him. He caught the painter and made it fast, and we fell to
loading the boat for our very lives. Pork, powder, and biscuit was the
cargo, with only a musket and a cutlass apiece for squire and me and
Redruth and the captain. The rest of the arms and powder we dropped
overboard in two fathoms and a half of water, so that we could see the
bright steel shining far below us in the sun on the clean, sandy bottom.

By this time the tide was beginning to ebb, and the ship was swinging
round to her anchor. Voices were heard faintly halloaing in the
direction of the two gigs; and though this reassured us for Joyce and
Hunter, who were well to the eastward, it warned our party to be off.

Redruth retreated from his place in the gallery and dropped into the
boat, which we then brought round to the ship's counter, to be handier
for Captain Smollett.

"Now, men," said he, "do you hear me?"

There was no answer from the forecastle.

"It's to you, Abraham Gray--it's to you I am speaking."

Still no reply.

"Gray," resumed Mr. Smollett, a little louder, "I am leaving this ship,
and I order you to follow your captain. I know you are a good man at
bottom, and I dare say not one of the lot of you's as bad as he makes
out. I have my watch here in my hand; I give you thirty seconds to join
me in."

There was a pause.

"Come, my fine fellow," continued the captain, "don't hang so long in
stays. I'm risking my life and the lives of these good gentlemen every
second."

There was a sudden scuffle, a sound of blows, and out burst Abraham Gray
with a knife-cut on the side of the cheek, and came running to the
captain, like a dog to the whistle.

"I'm with you, sir," said he.

And the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard of us, and we
had shoved off and given way.

We were clear out of the ship, but not yet ashore in our stockade.

 As Jim is out on the island with Ben Gunn, the narrative of the story of the incidents on the Hispaniola is taken over and recorded by Dr. Livesey. As they are making plans to go to the island, Hunter informs them that Jim had already left to go ashore alone in one of the small boats. Shortly afterwards, six of the mutineers including Silver had taken other boats to shore. They are concerned about Jim's safety. Hunter and Dr. Livesay go ashore in another boat. Their appearance, the doctor says, is not obstructed by Silvers men. The men Silver had left to protect his boats on the shore, saw Hunter and the Doctor coming, but did not alert Silver. As they approach land, Dr. Livesey knows he has to be ready for anything. Covering his head with a big handkerchief, he readies his pistols. The land and go approximately 100 yards and find the Stockade. The doctor makes a detailed study of the stockade. He sees a spring of clear water rising from the top of the knoll. The stockade is a six-feet tall structure made of logs. It sits on the knoll enclosing the spring. The doctor assumes that the stockade can easily hold around forty people at a time. It has no doors or openings thus giving the men inside a double advantage. Firstly, their safety and secondly, they could attack under cover. Dr. Livesey is impressed with the structure. He is very pleased to see fresh water springs as there was very little fresh water on the Hispaniola. Suddenly he hears a mans death cry. The first thought that came to his mind is regarding the safety of Jim. They rush back to the ship. Dr. Livesey finds the Squire pale and stunned. Having made a study of the location, Dr. Livesey puts forward his plan and they ready themselves to return to the Stockade. Old Redruth is positioned between the cabin and the fore castle. Hunter steers the boat and Joyce and the doctor load it with all the necessary provisions including the doctors medicine chest. The Squire and Captain Smollet stayed on deck and the Captain takes control of the ship. He warns Israel Hands and Silvers men against any deadly maneuvers. The boat rows towards the stockade under the watchful eyes of Long Johns men. They dont move. After loading the goods and entrusting Joyce to guard them, Hunter and the doctor come back for the second load. They make a lot of trips. When the last load is stacked, Captain Smollet asks Abraham Gray to join him and go to shore. Sound of blows are heard and he appears from the forecastle with a cut on his right check. He climbs down to the small boat and heads to shore with them.

