Part Two: The Sea-cook - Chapter 9: Powder and Arms

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　The Hispaniola lay some way out, and we went underthe figureheads and round the sterns of many otherships, and their cables sometimes grated underneath ourkeel, and sometimes swung above us. At last, however,we got alongside, and were met and saluted as westepped aboard by the mate, Mr. Arrow, a brown oldsailor with earrings in his ears and a squint. He andthe squire were very thick and friendly, but I soonobserved that things were not the same between Mr.Trelawney and the captain.

　　This last was a sharp-looking man who seemed angry witheverything on board and was soon to tell us why, for wehad hardly got down into the cabin when a sailorfollowed 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? Allwell, I hope; all shipshape and seaworthy?"

　　"Well, sir," said the captain, "better speak plain, Ibelieve, even at the risk of offence. I don't likethis cruise; I don't like the men; and I don't like myofficer. That's short and sweet."

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

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

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

　　But here Dr. Livesey cut in.

　　"Stay a bit," said he, "stay a bit. No use of suchquestions as that but to produce ill feeling. Thecaptain has said too much or he has said too little, andI'm bound to say that I require an explanation of hiswords. You don't, you say, like this cruise. Now, why?"

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

　　"No," said Dr. Livesey, "I don't."

　　"Next," said the captain, "I learn we are going aftertreasure--hear it from my own hands, mind you. Now,treasure is ticklish work; I don't like treasure voyageson any account, and I don't like them, above all, whenthey 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 knowwhat 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 Dr. Livesey. "We take the risk, but we are notso ignorant as you believe us. Next, you say you don'tlike 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 ownhands, if you go to that."

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

　　"I don't, sir. I believe he's a good seaman, but he'stoo free with the crew to be a good officer. A mateshould keep himself to himself--shouldn't drink withthe 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 heardme very patiently, saying things that I could notprove, hear me a few words more. They are putting thepowder and the arms in the fore hold. Now, you have agood place under the cabin; why not put them there?--first point. Then, you are bringing four of your ownpeople with you, and they tell me some of them are tobe berthed forward. Why not give them the berths herebeside the cabin?--second point."

　　"Any more?" asked Mr. Trelawney.

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

　　"Far too much," agreed the doctor.

　　"I'll tell you what I've heard myself," continuedCaptain Smollett: "that you have a map of an island,that there's crosses on the map to show where treasureis, and that the island lies--" And then he named thelatitude 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," criedthe squire.

　　"It doesn't much matter who it was," replied thedoctor. And I could see that neither he nor thecaptain paid much regard to Mr. Trelawney'sprotestations. Neither did I, to be sure, he was soloose a talker; yet in this case I believe he wasreally right and that nobody had told the situation ofthe island.

　　"Well, gentlemen," continued the captain, "I don't knowwho has this map; but I make it a point, it shall bekept secret even from me and Mr. Arrow. Otherwise Iwould ask you to let me resign."

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

　　"Sir," said Captain Smollett, "with no intention totake offence, I deny your right to put words into mymouth. No captain, sir, would be justified in going tosea at all if he had ground enough to say that. As forMr. Arrow, I believe him thoroughly honest; some of themen are the same; all may be for what I know. But I amresponsible for the ship's safety and the life of everyman Jack aboard of her. I see things going, as Ithink, not quite right. And I ask you to take certainprecautions or let me resign my berth. And that's all."

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

　　"Doctor," said the captain, "you are smart. When Icame in here I meant to get discharged. I had nothought that Mr. Trelawney would hear a word."

　　"No more I would," cried the squire. "Had Livesey notbeen here I should have seen you to the deuce. As itis, I have heard you. I will do as you desire, but Ithink the worse of you."

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

　　And with that he took his leave.

　　"Trelawney," said the doctor, "contrary to all mynotions, I believed you have managed to get two honestmen on board with you--that man and John Silver."

　　"Silver, if you like," cried the squire; "but as forthat intolerable humbug, I declare I think his conductunmanly, unsailorly, and downright un-English."

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

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

　　The new arrangement was quite to my liking. The wholeschooner had been overhauled; six berths had been madeastern out of what had been the after-part of the mainhold; and this set of cabins was only joined to thegalley and forecastle by a sparred passage on the portside. It had been originally meant that the captain,Mr. Arrow, Hunter, Joyce, the doctor, and the squirewere to occupy these six berths. Now Redruth and Iwere to get two of them and Mr. Arrow and the captainwere to sleep on deck in the companion, which had beenenlarged on each side till you might almost have calledit a round-house. Very low it was still, of course;but there was room to swing two hammocks, and even themate seemed pleased with the arrangement. Even he,perhaps, had been doubtful as to the crew, but that isonly guess, for as you shall hear, we had not long thebenefit of his opinion.

　　We were all hard at work, changing the powder and theberths, when the last man or two, and Long John alongwith 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!"says he. "What's this?"

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

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

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

　　"Aye, aye, sir," answered the cook, and touching hisforelock, he disappeared at once in the direction ofhis galley.

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

　　"Very likely, sir," replied Captain Smollett. "Easywith that, men--easy," he ran on, to the fellows whowere shifting the powder; and then suddenly observingme examining the swivel we carried amidships, a longbrass 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 favourites on my ship."

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