Part Three: My Shore Adventure - Chapter 15: The Man of the Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　From the side of the hill, which was here steep andstony, a spout of gravel was dislodged and fellrattling and bounding through the trees. My eyesturned instinctively in that direction, and I saw afigure leap with great rapidity behind the trunk of apine. What it was, whether bear or man or monkey, Icould in no wise tell. It seemed dark and shaggy; moreI knew not. But the terror of this new apparitionbrought me to a stand.

　　I was now, it seemed, cut off upon both sides; behindme the murderers, before me this lurking nondescript.And immediately I began to prefer the dangers that Iknew to those I knew not. Silver himself appeared lessterrible in contrast with this creature of the woods,and I turned on my heel, and looking sharply behind meover my shoulder, began to retrace my steps in thedirection of the boats.

　　Instantly the figure reappeared, and making a widecircuit, began to head me off. I was tired, at anyrate; but had I been as fresh as when I rose, I couldsee it was in vain for me to contend in speed with suchan adversary. From trunk to trunk the creature flittedlike a deer, running manlike on two legs, but unlikeany man that I had ever seen, stooping almost double asit ran. Yet a man it was, I could no longer be indoubt about that.

　　I began to recall what I had heard of cannibals. I waswithin an ace of calling for help. But the mere factthat he was a man, however wild, had somewhat reassuredme, and my fear of Silver began to revive in proportion.I stood still, therefore, and cast about for some methodof escape; and as I was so thinking, the recollection ofmy pistol flashed into my mind. As soon as I rememberedI was not defenceless, courage glowed again in my heartand I set my face resolutely for this man of the islandand walked briskly towards him.

　　He was concealed by this time behind another treetrunk; but he must have been watching me closely, foras soon as I began to move in his direction hereappeared and took a step to meet me. Then hehesitated, drew back, came forward again, and at last,to my wonder and confusion, threw himself on his kneesand held out his clasped hands in supplication.

　　At that I once more stopped.

　　"Who are you?" I asked.

　　"Ben Gunn," he answered, and his voice sounded hoarse andawkward, like a rusty lock. "I'm poor Ben Gunn, I am; andI haven't spoke with a Christian these three years."

　　I could now see that he was a white man like myself andthat his features were even pleasing. His skin,wherever it was exposed, was burnt by the sun; even hislips were black, and his fair eyes looked quitestartling in so dark a face. Of all the beggar-menthat I had seen or fancied, he was the chief forraggedness. He was clothed with tatters of old ship'scanvas and old sea-cloth, and this extraordinarypatchwork was all held together by a system of the mostvarious and incongruous fastenings, brass buttons, bitsof stick, and loops of tarry gaskin. About his waisthe wore an old brass-buckled leather belt, which wasthe one thing solid in his whole accoutrement.

　　"Three years!" I cried. "Were you shipwrecked?"

　　"Nay, mate," said he; "marooned."

　　I had heard the word, and I knew it stood for ahorrible kind of punishment common enough among thebuccaneers, in which the offender is put ashore with alittle powder and shot and left behind on some desolateand distant island.

　　"Marooned three years agone," he continued, "and livedon goats since then, and berries, and oysters. Wherevera man is, says I, a man can do for himself. But, mate,my heart is sore for Christian diet. You mightn't happento have a piece of cheese about you, now? No? Well,many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese--toasted,mostly--and woke up again, and here I were."

　　"If ever I can get aboard again," said I, "you shallhave cheese by the stone."

　　All this time he had been feeling the stuff of myjacket, smoothing my hands, looking at my boots, andgenerally, in the intervals of his speech, showing achildish pleasure in the presence of a fellow creature.But at my last words he perked up into a kind ofstartled slyness.

　　"If ever you can get aboard again, says you?" herepeated. "Why, now, who's to hinder you?"

　　"Not you, I know," was my reply.

　　"And right you was," he cried. "Now you--what do youcall yourself, mate?"

　　"Jim," I told him.

　　"Jim, Jim," says he, quite pleased apparently. "Well,now, Jim, I've lived that rough as you'd be ashamed tohear of. Now, for instance, you wouldn't think I hadhad a pious mother--to look at me?" he asked.

　　"Why, no, not in particular," I answered.

　　"Ah, well," said he, "but I had--remarkable pious. AndI was a civil, pious boy, and could rattle off mycatechism that fast, as you couldn't tell one word fromanother. And here's what it come to, Jim, and it begunwith chuck-farthen on the blessed grave-stones! That'swhat it begun with, but it went further'n that; and somy mother told me, and predicked the whole, she did, thepious woman! But it were Providence that put me here.I've thought it all out in this here lonely island, andI'm back on piety. You don't catch me tasting rum somuch, but just a thimbleful for luck, of course, thefirst chance I have. I'm bound I'll be good, and I seethe way to. And, Jim"--looking all round him and loweringhis voice to a whisper--"I'm rich."

　　I now felt sure that the poor fellow had gone crazy inhis solitude, and I suppose I must have shown thefeeling in my face, for he repeated the statementhotly: "Rich! Rich! I says. And I'll tell you what:I'll make a man of you, Jim. Ah, Jim, you'll blessyour stars, you will, you was the first that found me!"

　　And at this there came suddenly a lowering shadow overhis face, and he tightened his grasp upon my hand andraised a forefinger threateningly before my eyes.

　　"Now, Jim, you tell me true: that ain't Flint's ship?"he asked.

　　At this I had a happy inspiration. I began to believethat I had found an ally, and I answered him at once.

　　"It's not Flint's ship, and Flint is dead; but I'lltell you true, as you ask me--there are some of Flint'shands aboard; worse luck for the rest of us."

　　"Not a man--with one--leg?" he gasped.

　　"Silver?" I asked.

　　"Ah, Silver!" says he. "That were his name."

　　"He's the cook, and the ringleader too."

　　He was still holding me by the wrist, and at that hegive it quite a wring.

　　"If you was sent by Long John," he said, "I'm as good aspork, and I know it. But where was you, do you suppose?"

　　I had made my mind up in a moment, and by way of answertold him the whole story of our voyage and thepredicament in which we found ourselves. He heard mewith the keenest interest, and when I had done hepatted me on the head.

　　"You're a good lad, Jim," he said; "and you're all in aclove hitch, ain't you? Well, you just put your trustin Ben Gunn--Ben Gunn's the man to do it. Would youthink it likely, now, that your squire would prove aliberal-minded one in case of help--him being in aclove hitch, as you remark?"

　　I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.

　　"Aye, but you see," returned Ben Gunn, "I didn't meangiving me a gate to keep, and a suit of livery clothes,and such; that's not my mark, Jim. What I mean is,would he be likely to come down to the toon of, say onethousand pounds out of money that's as good as a man'sown already?"

　　"I am sure he would," said I. "As it was, all handswere to share."

　　"And a passage home?" he added with a look of greatshrewdness.

　　"Why," I cried, "the squire's a gentleman. Andbesides, if we got rid of the others, we should wantyou to help work the vessel home."

　　"Ah," said he, "so you would." And he seemed very muchrelieved.

　　"Now, I'll tell you what," he went on. "So much I'lltell you, and no more. I were in Flint's ship when heburied the treasure; he and six along--six strongseamen. They was ashore nigh on a week, and usstanding off and on in the old Walrus. One fineday up went the signal, and here come Flint by himselfin a little boat, and his head done up in a blue scarf.The sun was getting up, and mortal white he lookedabout the cutwater. But, there he was, you mind, andthe six all dead--dead and buried. How he done it, nota man aboard us could make out. It was battle, murder,and sudden death, leastways--him against six. BillyBones was the mate; Long John, he was quartermaster;and they asked him where the treasure was. 'Ah,' sayshe, 'you can go ashore, if you like, and stay,' hesays; 'but as for the ship, she'll beat up for more, bythunder!' That's what he said.

　　"Well, I was in another ship three years back, and wesighted this island. 'Boys,' said I, 'here's Flint'streasure; let's land and find it.' The cap'n wasdispleased at that, but my messmates were all of a mindand landed. Twelve days they looked for it, and everyday they had the worse word for me, until one finemorning all hands went aboard. 'As for you, BenjaminGunn,' says they, 'here's a musket,' they says, 'and aspade, and pick-axe. You can stay here and findFlint's money for yourself,' they says.

　　"Well, Jim, three years have I been here, and not a biteof Christian diet from that day to this. But now, youlook here; look at me. Do I look like a man before themast? No, says you. Nor I weren't, neither, I says."

　　And with that he winked and pinched me hard.

　　"Just you mention them words to your squire, Jim," he wenton. "Nor he weren't, neither--that's the words. Threeyears he were the man of this island, light and dark, fairand rain; and sometimes he would maybe think upon a prayer(says you), and sometimes he would maybe think of his oldmother, so be as she's alive (you'll say); but the mostpart of Gunn's time (this is what you'll say)--the mostpart of his time was took up with another matter. Andthen you'll give him a nip, like I do."

　　And he pinched me again in the most confidential manner.

　　"Then," he continued, "then you'll up, and you'll saythis: Gunn is a good man (you'll say), and he puts aprecious sight more confidence--a precious sight, mindthat--in a gen'leman born than in these gen'leman offortune, having been one hisself."

　　"Well," I said, "I don't understand one word thatyou've been saying. But that's neither here nor there;for how am I to get on board?"

　　"Ah," said he, "that's the hitch, for sure. Well,there's my boat, that I made with my two hands. I keepher under the white rock. If the worst come to theworst, we might try that after dark. Hi!" he brokeout. "What's that?"

　　For just then, although the sun had still an hour ortwo to run, all the echoes of the island awoke andbellowed to the thunder of a cannon.

　　"They have begun to fight!" I cried. "Follow me."

　　And I began to run towards the anchorage, my terrorsall forgotten, while close at my side the marooned manin his goatskins trotted easily and lightly.

　　"Left, left," says he; "keep to your left hand, mateJim! Under the trees with you! Theer's where I killedmy first goat. They don't come down here now; they'reall mastheaded on them mountings for the fear ofBenjamin Gunn. Ah! And there's the cetemery"--cemetery, he must have meant. "You see the mounds? Icome here and prayed, nows and thens, when I thoughtmaybe a Sunday would be about doo. It weren't quite achapel, but it seemed more solemn like; and then, saysyou, Ben Gunn was short-handed--no chapling, nor somuch as a Bible and a flag, you says."

　　So he kept talking as I ran, neither expecting norreceiving any answer.

　　The cannon-shot was followed after a considerableinterval by a volley of small arms.

　　Another pause, and then, not a quarter of a mile infront of me, I beheld the Union Jack flutter in the airabove a wood.