Part Six: Captain Silver - Chapter 30: On Parole

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　I was wakened--indeed, we were all wakened, for I couldsee even the sentinel shake himself together from wherehe had fallen against the door-post--by a clear, heartyvoice hailing us from the margin of the wood:

　　"Block house, ahoy!" it cried. "Here's the doctor."

　　And the doctor it was. Although I was glad to hear thesound, yet my gladness was not without admixture. Iremembered with confusion my insubordinate and stealthyconduct, and when I saw where it had brought me--amongwhat companions and surrounded by what dangers--I feltashamed to look him in the face.

　　He must have risen in the dark, for the day had hardlycome; and when I ran to a loophole and looked out, Isaw him standing, like Silver once before, up to themid-leg in creeping vapour.

　　"You, doctor! Top o' the morning to you, sir!" criedSilver, broad awake and beaming with good nature in amoment. "Bright and early, to be sure; and it's theearly bird, as the saying goes, that gets the rations.George, shake up your timbers, son, and help Dr.Livesey over the ship's side. All a-doin' well, yourpatients was--all well and merry."

　　So he pattered on, standing on the hilltop with his crutchunder his elbow and one hand upon the side of the log-house--quite the old John in voice, manner, and expression.

　　"We've quite a surprise for you too, sir," hecontinued. "We've a little stranger here--he! he! Anoo boarder and lodger, sir, and looking fit and tautas a fiddle; slep' like a supercargo, he did, rightalongside of John--stem to stem we was, all night."

　　Dr. Livesey was by this time across the stockade andpretty near the cook, and I could hear the alterationin his voice as he said, "Not Jim?"

　　"The very same Jim as ever was," says Silver.

　　The doctor stopped outright, although he did not speak,and it was some seconds before he seemed able to move on.

　　"Well, well," he said at last, "duty first and pleasureafterwards, as you might have said yourself, Silver.Let us overhaul these patients of yours."

　　A moment afterwards he had entered the block house andwith one grim nod to me proceeded with his work amongthe sick. He seemed under no apprehension, though hemust have known that his life, among these treacherousdemons, depended on a hair; and he rattled on to hispatients as if he were paying an ordinary professionalvisit in a quiet English family. His manner, Isuppose, reacted on the men, for they behaved to him asif nothing had occurred, as if he were still ship'sdoctor and they still faithful hands before the mast.

　　"You're doing well, my friend," he said to the fellowwith the bandaged head, "and if ever any person had aclose shave, it was you; your head must be as hard asiron. Well, George, how goes it? You're a prettycolour, certainly; why, your liver, man, is upsidedown. Did you take that medicine? Did he take thatmedicine, men?"

　　"Aye, aye, sir, he took it, sure enough," returned Morgan.

　　"Because, you see, since I am mutineers' doctor, orprison doctor as I prefer to call it," says DoctorLivesey in his pleasantest way, "I make it a point ofhonour not to lose a man for King George (God blesshim!) and the gallows."

　　The rogues looked at each other but swallowed the home-thrust in silence.

　　"Dick don't feel well, sir," said one.

　　"Don't he?" replied the doctor. "Well, step up here,Dick, and let me see your tongue. No, I should besurprised if he did! The man's tongue is fit tofrighten the French. Another fever."

　　"Ah, there," said Morgan, "that comed of sp'iling Bibles."

　　"That comes--as you call it--of being arrant asses,"retorted the doctor, "and not having sense enough toknow honest air from poison, and the dry land from avile, pestiferous slough. I think it most probable--though of course it's only an opinion--that you'll allhave the deuce to pay before you get that malaria outof your systems. Camp in a bog, would you? Silver,I'm surprised at you. You're less of a fool than many,take you all round; but you don't appear to me to havethe rudiments of a notion of the rules of health.

　　"Well," he added after he had dosed them round and theyhad taken his prescriptions, with really laughable humility,more like charity schoolchildren than blood-guilty mutineersand pirates--"well, that's done for today. And now I shouldwish to have a talk with that boy, please."

　　And he nodded his head in my direction carelessly.

　　George Merry was at the door, spitting and splutteringover some bad-tasted medicine; but at the first word ofthe doctor's proposal he swung round with a deep flushand cried "No!" and swore.

　　Silver struck the barrel with his open hand.

　　"Si-lence!" he roared and looked about him positivelylike a lion. "Doctor," he went on in his usual tones,"I was a-thinking of that, knowing as how you had afancy for the boy. We're all humbly grateful for yourkindness, and as you see, puts faith in you and takesthe drugs down like that much grog. And I take it I'vefound a way as'll suit all. Hawkins, will you give meyour word of honour as a young gentleman--for a younggentleman you are, although poor born--your word ofhonour not to slip your cable?"

　　I readily gave the pledge required.

　　"Then, doctor," said Silver, "you just step outside o'that stockade, and once you're there I'll bring the boydown on the inside, and I reckon you can yarn throughthe spars. Good day to you, sir, and all our dootiesto the squire and Cap'n Smollett."

　　The explosion of disapproval, which nothing butSilver's black looks had restrained, broke outimmediately the doctor had left the house. Silver wasroundly accused of playing double--of trying to make aseparate peace for himself, of sacrificing theinterests of his accomplices and victims, and, in oneword, of the identical, exact thing that he was doing.It seemed to me so obvious, in this case, that I couldnot imagine how he was to turn their anger. But he wastwice the man the rest were, and his last night'svictory had given him a huge preponderance on theirminds. He called them all the fools and dolts you canimagine, said it was necessary I should talk to thedoctor, fluttered the chart in their faces, asked themif they could afford to break the treaty the very daythey were bound a-treasure-hunting.

　　"No, by thunder!" he cried. "It's us must break thetreaty when the time comes; and till then I'll gammonthat doctor, if I have to ile his boots with brandy."

　　And then he bade them get the fire lit, and stalked outupon his crutch, with his hand on my shoulder, leavingthem in a disarray, and silenced by his volubilityrather than convinced.

　　"Slow, lad, slow," he said. "They might round upon usin a twinkle of an eye if we was seen to hurry."

　　Very deliberately, then, did we advance across the sandto where the doctor awaited us on the other side of thestockade, and as soon as we were within easy speakingdistance Silver stopped.

　　"You'll make a note of this here also, doctor," sayshe, "and the boy'll tell you how I saved his life, andwere deposed for it too, and you may lay to that.Doctor, when a man's steering as near the wind as me--playing chuck-farthing with the last breath in hisbody, like--you wouldn't think it too much, mayhap, togive him one good word? You'll please bear in mindit's not my life only now--it's that boy's into thebargain; and you'll speak me fair, doctor, and give mea bit o' hope to go on, for the sake of mercy."

　　Silver was a changed man once he was out there and hadhis back to his friends and the block house; his cheeksseemed to have fallen in, his voice trembled; never wasa soul more dead in earnest.

　　"Why, John, you're not afraid?" asked Dr. Livesey.

　　"Doctor, I'm no coward; no, not I--not so much!"and he snapped his fingers. "If I was I wouldn't sayit. But I'll own up fairly, I've the shakes upon mefor the gallows. You're a good man and a true; I neverseen a better man! And you'll not forget what I donegood, not any more than you'll forget the bad, I know.And I step aside--see here--and leave you and Jimalone. And you'll put that down for me too, for it's along stretch, is that!"

　　So saying, he stepped back a little way, till he wasout of earshot, and there sat down upon a tree-stumpand began to whistle, spinning round now and again uponhis seat so as to command a sight, sometimes of me andthe doctor and sometimes of his unruly ruffians as theywent to and fro in the sand between the fire--whichthey were busy rekindling--and the house, from whichthey brought forth pork and bread to make the breakfast.

　　"So, Jim," said the doctor sadly, "here you are. Asyou have brewed, so shall you drink, my boy. Heavenknows, I cannot find it in my heart to blame you, butthis much I will say, be it kind or unkind: whenCaptain Smollett was well, you dared not have gone off;and when he was ill and couldn't help it, by George, itwas downright cowardly!"

　　I will own that I here began to weep. "Doctor," Isaid, "you might spare me. I have blamed myselfenough; my life's forfeit anyway, and I should havebeen dead by now if Silver hadn't stood for me; anddoctor, believe this, I can die--and I dare say Ideserve it--but what I fear is torture. If they cometo torture me--"

　　"Jim," the doctor interrupted, and his voice was quitechanged, "Jim, I can't have this. Whip over, and we'llrun for it."

　　"Doctor," said I, "I passed my word."

　　"I know, I know," he cried. "We can't help that, Jim,now. I'll take it on my shoulders, holus bolus, blameand shame, my boy; but stay here, I cannot let you.Jump! One jump, and you're out, and we'll run for itlike antelopes."

　　"No," I replied; "you know right well you wouldn't dothe thing yourself--neither you nor squire nor captain;and no more will I. Silver trusted me; I passed myword, and back I go. But, doctor, you did not let mefinish. If they come to torture me, I might let slip aword of where the ship is, for I got the ship, part byluck and part by risking, and she lies in North Inlet,on the southern beach, and just below high water. Athalf tide she must be high and dry."

　　"The ship!" exclaimed the doctor.

　　Rapidly I described to him my adventures, and he heardme out in silence.

　　"There is a kind of fate in this," he observed when Ihad done. "Every step, it's you that saves our lives;and do you suppose by any chance that we are going tolet you lose yours? That would be a poor return, myboy. You found out the plot; you found Ben Gunn--thebest deed that ever you did, or will do, though youlive to ninety. Oh, by Jupiter, and talking of BenGunn! Why, this is the mischief in person. Silver!"he cried. "Silver! I'll give you a piece of advice,"he continued as the cook drew near again; "don't you bein any great hurry after that treasure."

　　"Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain't," saidSilver. "I can only, asking your pardon, save my lifeand the boy's by seeking for that treasure; and you maylay to that."

　　"Well, Silver," replied the doctor, "if that is so, I'llgo one step further: look out for squalls when you find it."

　　"Sir," said Silver, "as between man and man, that's toomuch and too little. What you're after, why you leftthe block house, why you given me that there chart, Idon't know, now, do I? And yet I done your biddingwith my eyes shut and never a word of hope! But no,this here's too much. If you won't tell me what youmean plain out, just say so and I'll leave the helm."

　　"No," said the doctor musingly; "I've no right to saymore; it's not my secret, you see, Silver, or, I giveyou my word, I'd tell it you. But I'll go as far withyou as I dare go, and a step beyond, for I'll have mywig sorted by the captain or I'm mistaken! And first,I'll give you a bit of hope; Silver, if we both getalive out of this wolf-trap, I'll do my best to saveyou, short of perjury."

　　Silver's face was radiant. "You couldn't say more, I'msure, sir, not if you was my mother," he cried.

　　"Well, that's my first concession," added the doctor."My second is a piece of advice: keep the boy closebeside you, and when you need help, halloo. I'm off toseek it for you, and that itself will show you if Ispeak at random. Good-bye, Jim."

　　And Dr. Livesey shook hands with me through thestockade, nodded to Silver, and set off at a brisk paceinto the wood.