Part Six: Captain Silver - Chapter 29: The Black Spot Again

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　The council of buccaneers had lasted some time, whenone of them re-entered the house, and with a repetitionof the same salute, which had in my eyes an ironicalair, begged for a moment's loan of the torch. Silverbriefly agreed, and this emissary retired again,leaving us together in the dark.

　　"There's a breeze coming, Jim," said Silver, who had bythis time adopted quite a friendly and familiar tone.

　　I turned to the loophole nearest me and looked out.The embers of the great fire had so far burnedthemselves out and now glowed so low and duskily that Iunderstood why these conspirators desired a torch.About half-way down the slope to the stockade, theywere collected in a group; one held the light, anotherwas on his knees in their midst, and I saw the blade ofan open knife shine in his hand with varying colours inthe moon and torchlight. The rest were all somewhatstooping, as though watching the manoeuvres of this last.I could just make out that he had a book as well as aknife in his hand, and was still wondering how anythingso incongruous had come in their possession when thekneeling figure rose once more to his feet and the wholeparty began to move together towards the house.

　　"Here they come," said I; and I returned to my formerposition, for it seemed beneath my dignity that theyshould find me watching them.

　　"Well, let 'em come, lad--let 'em come," said Silvercheerily. "I've still a shot in my locker."

　　The door opened, and the five men, standing huddledtogether just inside, pushed one of their numberforward. In any other circumstances it would have beencomical to see his slow advance, hesitating as he setdown each foot, but holding his closed right hand infront of him.

　　"Step up, lad," cried Silver. "I won't eat you. Handit over, lubber. I know the rules, I do; I won't hurta depytation."

　　Thus encouraged, the buccaneer stepped forth morebriskly, and having passed something to Silver, fromhand to hand, slipped yet more smartly back again tohis companions.

　　The sea-cook looked at what had been given him.

　　"The black spot! I thought so," he observed. "Wheremight you have got the paper? Why, hillo! Look here,now; this ain't lucky! You've gone and cut this out ofa Bible. What fool's cut a Bible?"

　　"Ah, there!" said Morgan. "There! Wot did I say? Nogood'll come o' that, I said."

　　"Well, you've about fixed it now, among you," continuedSilver. "You'll all swing now, I reckon. What soft-headed lubber had a Bible?"

　　"It was Dick," said one.

　　"Dick, was it? Then Dick can get to prayers," saidSilver. "He's seen his slice of luck, has Dick, andyou may lay to that."

　　But here the long man with the yellow eyes struck in.

　　"Belay that talk, John Silver," he said. "This crewhas tipped you the black spot in full council, as indooty bound; just you turn it over, as in dooty bound,and see what's wrote there. Then you can talk."

　　"Thanky, George," replied the sea-cook. "You alwayswas brisk for business, and has the rules by heart,George, as I'm pleased to see. Well, what is it,anyway? Ah! 'Deposed'--that's it, is it? Very prettywrote, to be sure; like print, I swear. Your hand o'write, George? Why, you was gettin' quite a leadin'man in this here crew. You'll be cap'n next, Ishouldn't wonder. Just oblige me with that torchagain, will you? This pipe don't draw."

　　"Come, now," said George, "you don't fool this crew nomore. You're a funny man, by your account; but you'reover now, and you'll maybe step down off that barreland help vote."

　　"I thought you said you knowed the rules," returnedSilver contemptuously. "Leastways, if you don't, I do;and I wait here--and I'm still your cap'n, mind--tillyou outs with your grievances and I reply; in themeantime, your black spot ain't worth a biscuit. Afterthat, we'll see."

　　"Oh," replied George, "you don't be under no kind ofapprehension; we're all square, we are. First,you've made a hash of this cruise--you'll be a bold manto say no to that. Second, you let the enemy out o'this here trap for nothing. Why did they want out? Idunno, but it's pretty plain they wanted it. Third,you wouldn't let us go at them upon the march. Oh, wesee through you, John Silver; you want to play booty,that's what's wrong with you. And then, fourth,there's this here boy."

　　"Is that all?" asked Silver quietly.

　　"Enough, too," retorted George. "We'll all swing andsun-dry for your bungling."

　　"Well now, look here, I'll answer these four p'ints;one after another I'll answer 'em. I made a hash o'this cruise, did I? Well now, you all know what Iwanted, and you all know if that had been done thatwe'd 'a been aboard the Hispaniola this night asever was, every man of us alive, and fit, and full ofgood plum-duff, and the treasure in the hold of her, bythunder! Well, who crossed me? Who forced my hand, aswas the lawful cap'n? Who tipped me the black spot theday we landed and began this dance? Ah, it's a finedance--I'm with you there--and looks mighty like ahornpipe in a rope's end at Execution Dock by Londontown, it does. But who done it? Why, it was Anderson,and Hands, and you, George Merry! And you're the lastabove board of that same meddling crew; and you havethe Davy Jones's insolence to up and stand for cap'nover me--you, that sank the lot of us! By the powers!But this tops the stiffest yarn to nothing."

　　Silver paused, and I could see by the faces of Georgeand his late comrades that these words had not beensaid in vain.

　　"That's for number one," cried the accused, wiping thesweat from his brow, for he had been talking with avehemence that shook the house. "Why, I give you myword, I'm sick to speak to you. You've neither sensenor memory, and I leave it to fancy where your motherswas that let you come to sea. Sea! Gentlemen o'fortune! I reckon tailors is your trade."

　　"Go on, John," said Morgan. "Speak up to the others."

　　"Ah, the others!" returned John. "They're a nice lot,ain't they? You say this cruise is bungled. Ah! Bygum, if you could understand how bad it's bungled, youwould see! We're that near the gibbet that my neck'sstiff with thinking on it. You've seen 'em, maybe,hanged in chains, birds about 'em, seamen p'inting 'emout as they go down with the tide. 'Who's that?' saysone. 'That! Why, that's John Silver. I knowed himwell,' says another. And you can hear the chains a-jangle as you go about and reach for the other buoy.Now, that's about where we are, every mother's son ofus, thanks to him, and Hands, and Anderson, and otherruination fools of you. And if you want to know aboutnumber four, and that boy, why, shiver my timbers,isn't he a hostage? Are we a-going to waste a hostage?No, not us; he might be our last chance, and Ishouldn't wonder. Kill that boy? Not me, mates! Andnumber three? Ah, well, there's a deal to say tonumber three. Maybe you don't count it nothing to havea real college doctor to see you every day--you, John,with your head broke--or you, George Merry, that hadthe ague shakes upon you not six hours agone, and hasyour eyes the colour of lemon peel to this same momenton the clock? And maybe, perhaps, you didn't knowthere was a consort coming either? But there is, andnot so long till then; and we'll see who'll be glad tohave a hostage when it comes to that. And as fornumber two, and why I made a bargain--well, you camecrawling on your knees to me to make it--on your kneesyou came, you was that downhearted--and you'd havestarved too if I hadn't--but that's a trifle! You lookthere--that's why!"

　　And he cast down upon the floor a paper that Iinstantly recognized--none other than the chart onyellow paper, with the three red crosses, that I hadfound in the oilcloth at the bottom of the captain'schest. Why the doctor had given it to him was morethan I could fancy.

　　But if it were inexplicable to me, the appearance ofthe chart was incredible to the surviving mutineers.They leaped upon it like cats upon a mouse. It wentfrom hand to hand, one tearing it from another; and bythe oaths and the cries and the childish laughter withwhich they accompanied their examination, you wouldhave thought, not only they were fingering the verygold, but were at sea with it, besides, in safety.

　　"Yes," said one, "that's Flint, sure enough. J. F., anda score below, with a clove hitch to it; so he done ever."

　　"Mighty pretty," said George. "But how are we to getaway with it, and us no ship."

　　Silver suddenly sprang up, and supporting himself witha hand against the wall: "Now I give you warning,George," he cried. "One more word of your sauce, andI'll call you down and fight you. How? Why, how do Iknow? You had ought to tell me that--you and the rest,that lost me my schooner, with your interference, burnyou! But not you, you can't; you hain't got theinvention of a cockroach. But civil you can speak, andshall, George Merry, you may lay to that."

　　"That's fair enow," said the old man Morgan.

　　"Fair! I reckon so," said the sea-cook. "You lost theship; I found the treasure. Who's the better man atthat? And now I resign, by thunder! Elect whom youplease to be your cap'n now; I'm done with it."

　　"Silver!" they cried. "Barbecue forever! Barbecuefor cap'n!"

　　"So that's the toon, is it?" cried the cook. "George,I reckon you'll have to wait another turn, friend; andlucky for you as I'm not a revengeful man. But thatwas never my way. And now, shipmates, this black spot?'Tain't much good now, is it? Dick's crossed his luckand spoiled his Bible, and that's about all."

　　"It'll do to kiss the book on still, won't it?" growledDick, who was evidently uneasy at the curse he hadbrought upon himself.

　　"A Bible with a bit cut out!" returned Silverderisively. "Not it. It don't bind no more'n aballad-book."

　　"Don't it, though?" cried Dick with a sort of joy."Well, I reckon that's worth having too."

　　"Here, Jim--here's a cur'osity for you," said Silver,and he tossed me the paper.

　　It was around about the size of a crown piece. Oneside was blank, for it had been the last leaf; theother contained a verse or two of Revelation--thesewords among the rest, which struck sharply home upon mymind: "Without are dogs and murderers." The printedside had been blackened with wood ash, which alreadybegan to come off and soil my fingers; on the blankside had been written with the same material the oneword "Depposed." I have that curiosity beside me atthis moment, but not a trace of writing now remainsbeyond a single scratch, such as a man might make withhis thumb-nail.

　　That was the end of the night's business. Soon after,with a drink all round, we lay down to sleep, and theoutside of Silver's vengeance was to put George Merryup for sentinel and threaten him with death if heshould prove unfaithful.

　　It was long ere I could close an eye, and heaven knowsI had matter enough for thought in the man whom I hadslain that afternoon, in my own most perilous position,and above all, in the remarkable game that I saw Silvernow engaged upon--keeping the mutineers together withone hand and grasping with the other after every means,possible and impossible, to make his peace and save hismiserable life. He himself slept peacefully and snoredaloud, yet my heart was sore for him, wicked as he was,to think on the dark perils that environed and theshameful gibbet that awaited him.