Part Four: The Stockade - Chapter 20: Silver's Embassy

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　Sure enough, there were two men just outside the stockade,one of them waving a white cloth, the other, no less aperson than Silver himself, standing placidly by.

　　It was still quite early, and the coldest morning thatI think I ever was abroad in--a chill that pierced intothe marrow. The sky was bright and cloudless overhead,and the tops of the trees shone rosily in the sun. Butwhere Silver stood with his lieutenant, all was stillin shadow, and they waded knee-deep in a low whitevapour that had crawled during the night out of themorass. The chill and the vapour taken together told apoor tale of the island. It was plainly a damp,feverish, unhealthy spot.

　　"Keep indoors, men," said the captain. "Ten to onethis is a trick."

　　Then he hailed the buccaneer.

　　"Who goes? Stand, or we fire."

　　"Flag of truce," cried Silver.

　　The captain was in the porch, keeping himself carefullyout of the way of a treacherous shot, should any beintended. He turned and spoke to us, "Doctor's watchon the lookout. Dr. Livesey take the north side, ifyou please; Jim, the east; Gray, west. The watch below,all hands to load muskets. Lively, men, and careful."

　　And then he turned again to the mutineers.

　　"And what do you want with your flag of truce?" he cried.

　　This time it was the other man who replied.

　　"Cap'n Silver, sir, to come on board and make terms,"he shouted.

　　"Cap'n Silver! Don't know him. Who's he?" cried thecaptain. And we could hear him adding to himself,"Cap'n, is it? My heart, and here's promotion!"

　　Long John answered for himself. "Me, sir. These poorlads have chosen me cap'n, after your desertion, sir"--laying a particular emphasis upon the word "desertion.""We're willing to submit, if we can come to terms, andno bones about it. All I ask is your word, Cap'nSmollett, to let me safe and sound out of this herestockade, and one minute to get out o' shot before agun is fired."

　　"My man," said Captain Smollett, "I have not the slightestdesire to talk to you. If you wish to talk to me, you cancome, that's all. If there's any treachery, it'll be onyour side, and the Lord help you."

　　"That's enough, cap'n," shouted Long John cheerily. "Aword from you's enough. I know a gentleman, and youmay lay to that."

　　We could see the man who carried the flag of truceattempting to hold Silver back. Nor was thatwonderful, seeing how cavalier had been the captain'sanswer. But Silver laughed at him aloud and slappedhim on the back as if the idea of alarm had beenabsurd. Then he advanced to the stockade, threw overhis crutch, got a leg up, and with great vigour andskill succeeded in surmounting the fence and droppingsafely to the other side.

　　I will confess that I was far too much taken up withwhat was going on to be of the slightest use as sentry;indeed, I had already deserted my eastern loophole andcrept up behind the captain, who had now seated himselfon the threshold, with his elbows on his knees, hishead in his hands, and his eyes fixed on the water asit bubbled out of the old iron kettle in the sand. Hewas whistling "Come, Lasses and Lads."

　　Silver had terrible hard work getting up the knoll.What with the steepness of the incline, the thick treestumps, and the soft sand, he and his crutch were ashelpless as a ship in stays. But he stuck to it like aman in silence, and at last arrived before the captain,whom he saluted in the handsomest style. He wastricked out in his best; an immense blue coat, thickwith brass buttons, hung as low as to his knees, and afine laced hat was set on the back of his head.

　　"Here you are, my man," said the captain, raising hishead. "You had better sit down."

　　"You ain't a-going to let me inside, cap'n?" complainedLong John. "It's a main cold morning, to be sure, sir,to sit outside upon the sand."

　　"Why, Silver," said the captain, "if you had pleased tobe an honest man, you might have been sitting in yourgalley. It's your own doing. You're either my ship'scook--and then you were treated handsome--or Cap'n Silver,a common mutineer and pirate, and then you can go hang!"

　　"Well, well, cap'n," returned the sea-cook, sittingdown as he was bidden on the sand, "you'll have to giveme a hand up again, that's all. A sweet pretty placeyou have of it here. Ah, there's Jim! The top of themorning to you, Jim. Doctor, here's my service. Why,there you all are together like a happy family, in amanner of speaking."

　　"If you have anything to say, my man, better say it,"said the captain.

　　"Right you were, Cap'n Smollett," replied Silver."Dooty is dooty, to be sure. Well now, you look here,that was a good lay of yours last night. I don't denyit was a good lay. Some of you pretty handy with ahandspike-end. And I'll not deny neither but what someof my people was shook--maybe all was shook; maybe Iwas shook myself; maybe that's why I'm here for terms.But you mark me, cap'n, it won't do twice, by thunder!We'll have to do sentry-go and ease off a point or soon the rum. Maybe you think we were all a sheet in thewind's eye. But I'll tell you I was sober; I was on'ydog tired; and if I'd awoke a second sooner, I'd 'acaught you at the act, I would. He wasn't dead when Igot round to him, not he."

　　"Well?" says Captain Smollett as cool as can be.

　　All that Silver said was a riddle to him, but you wouldnever have guessed it from his tone. As for me, Ibegan to have an inkling. Ben Gunn's last words cameback to my mind. I began to suppose that he had paidthe buccaneers a visit while they all lay drunktogether round their fire, and I reckoned up with gleethat we had only fourteen enemies to deal with.

　　"Well, here it is," said Silver. "We want thattreasure, and we'll have it--that's our point! Youwould just as soon save your lives, I reckon; andthat's yours. You have a chart, haven't you?"

　　"That's as may be," replied the captain.

　　"Oh, well, you have, I know that," returned Long John."You needn't be so husky with a man; there ain't aparticle of service in that, and you may lay to it.What I mean is, we want your chart. Now, I never meantyou no harm, myself."

　　"That won't do with me, my man," interrupted thecaptain. "We know exactly what you meant to do, and wedon't care, for now, you see, you can't do it."

　　And the captain looked at him calmly and proceededto fill a pipe.

　　"If Abe Gray--" Silver broke out.

　　"Avast there!" cried Mr. Smollett. "Gray told menothing, and I asked him nothing; and what's more, Iwould see you and him and this whole island blown cleanout of the water into blazes first. So there's my mindfor you, my man, on that."

　　This little whiff of temper seemed to cool Silver down.He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulledhimself together.

　　"Like enough," said he. "I would set no limits to whatgentlemen might consider shipshape, or might not, asthe case were. And seein' as how you are about to takea pipe, cap'n, I'll make so free as do likewise."

　　And he filled a pipe and lighted it; and the two men satsilently smoking for quite a while, now looking each otherin the face, now stopping their tobacco, now leaning forwardto spit. It was as good as the play to see them.

　　"Now," resumed Silver, "here it is. You give us thechart to get the treasure by, and drop shooting poorseamen and stoving of their heads in while asleep. Youdo that, and we'll offer you a choice. Either you comeaboard along of us, once the treasure shipped, and thenI'll give you my affy-davy, upon my word of honour, toclap you somewhere safe ashore. Or if that ain't toyour fancy, some of my hands being rough and having oldscores on account of hazing, then you can stay here,you can. We'll divide stores with you, man for man;and I'll give my affy-davy, as before to speak thefirst ship I sight, and send 'em here to pick you up.Now, you'll own that's talking. Handsomer you couldn'tlook to get, now you. And I hope"--raising his voice--"that all hands in this here block house will overhaulmy words, for what is spoke to one is spoke to all."

　　Captain Smollett rose from his seat and knocked out theashes of his pipe in the palm of his left hand.

　　"Is that all?" he asked.

　　"Every last word, by thunder!" answered John. "Refusethat, and you've seen the last of me but musket-balls."

　　"Very good," said the captain. "Now you'll hear me.If you'll come up one by one, unarmed, I'll engage toclap you all in irons and take you home to a fair trialin England. If you won't, my name is AlexanderSmollett, I've flown my sovereign's colours, and I'llsee you all to Davy Jones. You can't find thetreasure. You can't sail the ship--there's not a manamong you fit to sail the ship. You can't fight us--Gray, there, got away from five of you. Your ship's inirons, Master Silver; you're on a lee shore, and soyou'll find. I stand here and tell you so; and they'rethe last good words you'll get from me, for in the nameof heaven, I'll put a bullet in your back when next Imeet you. Tramp, my lad. Bundle out of this, please,hand over hand, and double quick."

　　Silver's face was a picture; his eyes started in hishead with wrath. He shook the fire out of his pipe.

　　"Give me a hand up!" he cried.

　　"Not I," returned the captain.

　　"Who'll give me a hand up?" he roared.

　　Not a man among us moved. Growling the foulestimprecations, he crawled along the sand till he gothold of the porch and could hoist himself again uponhis crutch. Then he spat into the spring.

　　"There!" he cried. "That's what I think of ye. Beforean hour's out, I'll stove in your old block house likea rum puncheon. Laugh, by thunder, laugh! Before anhour's out, ye'll laugh upon the other side. Them thatdie'll be the lucky ones."

　　And with a dreadful oath he stumbled off, ploughed downthe sand, was helped across the stockade, after four orfive failures, by the man with the flag of truce, anddisappeared in an instant afterwards among the trees.