Part Two: The Sea-cook - Chapter 11: What I Heard in the Apple Barrel

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　"No, not I," said Silver. "Flint was cap'n; I wasquartermaster, along of my timber leg. The samebroadside I lost my leg, old Pew lost his deadlights.It was a master surgeon, him that ampytated me--out ofcollege and all--Latin by the bucket, and what not; buthe was hanged like a dog, and sun-dried like the rest,at Corso Castle. That was Roberts' men, that was, andcomed of changing names to their ships--RoyalFortune and so on. Now, what a ship was christened,so let her stay, I says. So it was with the Cassandra,as brought us all safe home from Malabar,after England took the viceroy of the Indies; so it waswith the old Walrus, Flint's old ship, as I've seenamuck with the red blood and fit to sink with gold."

　　"Ah!" cried another voice, that of the youngest hand onboard, and evidently full of admiration. "He was theflower of the flock, was Flint!"

　　"Davis was a man too, by all accounts," said Silver."I never sailed along of him; first with England, thenwith Flint, that's my story; and now here on my ownaccount, in a manner of speaking. I laid by ninehundred safe, from England, and two thousand afterFlint. That ain't bad for a man before the mast--allsafe in bank. 'Tain't earning now, it's saving doesit, you may lay to that. Where's all England's mennow? I dunno. Where's Flint's? Why, most on 'emaboard here, and glad to get the duff--been beggingbefore that, some on 'em. Old Pew, as had lost hissight, and might have thought shame, spends twelvehundred pound in a year, like a lord in Parliament.Where is he now? Well, he's dead now and under hatches;but for two year before that, shiver my timbers, theman was starving! He begged, and he stole, and he cutthroats, and starved at that, by the powers!"

　　"Well, it ain't much use, after all," said theyoung seaman.

　　"'Tain't much use for fools, you may lay to it--that,nor nothing," cried Silver. "But now, you look here:you're young, you are, but you're as smart as paint. Isee that when I set my eyes on you, and I'll talk toyou like a man."

　　You may imagine how I felt when I heard this abominable oldrogue addressing another in the very same words of flatteryas he had used to myself. I think, if I had been able, thatI would have killed him through the barrel. Meantime, he ranon, little supposing he was overheard.

　　"Here it is about gentlemen of fortune. They livesrough, and they risk swinging, but they eat and drinklike fighting-cocks, and when a cruise is done, why,it's hundreds of pounds instead of hundreds offarthings in their pockets. Now, the most goes for rumand a good fling, and to sea again in their shirts.But that's not the course I lay. I puts it all away,some here, some there, and none too much anywheres, byreason of suspicion. I'm fifty, mark you; once backfrom this cruise, I set up gentleman in earnest. Timeenough too, says you. Ah, but I've lived easy in themeantime, never denied myself o' nothing heart desires,and slep' soft and ate dainty all my days but when atsea. And how did I begin? Before the mast, like you!"

　　"Well," said the other, "but all the other money's gone now,ain't it? You daren't show face in Bristol after this."

　　"Why, where might you suppose it was?" asked Silver derisively.

　　"At Bristol, in banks and places," answered his companion.

　　"It were," said the cook; "it were when we weighed anchor.But my old missis has it all by now. And the Spy-glass issold, lease and goodwill and rigging; and the old girl's offto meet me. I would tell you where, for I trust you, butit'd make jealousy among the mates."

　　"And can you trust your missis?" asked the other.

　　"Gentlemen of fortune," returned the cook, "usuallytrusts little among themselves, and right they are, you maylay to it. But I have a way with me, I have. When a matebrings a slip on his cable--one as knows me, I mean--itwon't be in the same world with old John. There was somethat was feared of Pew, and some that was feared of Flint;but Flint his own self was feared of me. Feared he was, andproud. They was the roughest crew afloat, was Flint's; thedevil himself would have been feared to go to sea with them.Well now, I tell you, I'm not a boasting man, and you seenyourself how easy I keep company, but when I was quartermaster,lambs wasn't the word for Flint's old buccaneers. Ah, you maybe sure of yourself in old John's ship."

　　"Well, I tell you now," replied the lad, "I didn't halfa quarter like the job till I had this talk with you,John; but there's my hand on it now."

　　"And a brave lad you were, and smart too," answeredSilver, shaking hands so heartily that all the barrelshook, "and a finer figurehead for a gentleman offortune I never clapped my eyes on."

　　By this time I had begun to understand the meaning oftheir terms. By a "gentleman of fortune" they plainlymeant neither more nor less than a common pirate, andthe little scene that I had overheard was the last actin the corruption of one of the honest hands--perhaps ofthe last one left aboard. But on this point I was soonto be relieved, for Silver giving a little whistle, athird man strolled up and sat down by the party.

　　"Dick's square," said Silver.

　　"Oh, I know'd Dick was square," returned the voice of thecoxswain, Israel Hands. "He's no fool, is Dick." And heturned his quid and spat. "But look here," he went on,"here's what I want to know, Barbecue: how long are wea-going to stand off and on like a blessed bumboat? I'vehad a'most enough o' Cap'n Smollett; he's hazed me longenough, by thunder! I want to go into that cabin, I do.I want their pickles and wines, and that."

　　"Israel," said Silver, "your head ain't much account,nor ever was. But you're able to hear, I reckon;leastways, your ears is big enough. Now, here's what Isay: you'll berth forward, and you'll live hard, andyou'll speak soft, and you'll keep sober till I givethe word; and you may lay to that, my son."

　　"Well, I don't say no, do I?" growled the coxswain."What I say is, when? That's what I say."

　　"When! By the powers!" cried Silver. "Well now, ifyou want to know, I'll tell you when. The last momentI can manage, and that's when. Here's a first-rateseaman, Cap'n Smollett, sails the blessed ship for us.Here's this squire and doctor with a map and such--Idon't know where it is, do I? No more do you, saysyou. Well then, I mean this squire and doctor shallfind the stuff, and help us to get it aboard, by thepowers. Then we'll see. If I was sure of you all,sons of double Dutchmen, I'd have Cap'n Smollettnavigate us half-way back again before I struck."

　　"Why, we're all seamen aboard here, I should think,"said the lad Dick.

　　"We're all forecastle hands, you mean," snapped Silver. "Wecan steer a course, but who's to set one? That's what all yougentlemen split on, first and last. If I had my way, I'd haveCap'n Smollett work us back into the trades at least; then we'dhave no blessed miscalculations and a spoonful of water a day.But I know the sort you are. I'll finish with 'em at theisland, as soon's the blunt's on board, and a pity it is. Butyou're never happy till you're drunk. Split my sides, I've asick heart to sail with the likes of you!"

　　"Easy all, Long John," cried Israel. "Who's a-crossin'of you?"

　　"Why, how many tall ships, think ye, now, have I seenlaid aboard? And how many brisk lads drying in the sunat Execution Dock?" cried Silver. "And all for thissame hurry and hurry and hurry. You hear me? I seen athing or two at sea, I have. If you would on'y layyour course, and a p'int to windward, you would ride incarriages, you would. But not you! I know you. You'llhave your mouthful of rum tomorrow, and go hang."

　　"Everybody knowed you was a kind of a chapling, John;but there's others as could hand and steer as well asyou," said Israel. "They liked a bit o' fun, they did.They wasn't so high and dry, nohow, but took theirfling, like jolly companions every one."

　　"So?" says Silver. "Well, and where are they now? Pewwas that sort, and he died a beggar-man. Flint was,and he died of rum at Savannah. Ah, they was a sweetcrew, they was! On'y, where are they?"

　　"But," asked Dick, "when we do lay 'em athwart, whatare we to do with 'em, anyhow?"

　　"There's the man for me!" cried the cook admiringly."That's what I call business. Well, what would youthink? Put 'em ashore like maroons? That would havebeen England's way. Or cut 'em down like that muchpork? That would have been Flint's, or Billy Bones's."

　　"Billy was the man for that," said Israel. "'Dead mendon't bite,' says he. Well, he's dead now hisself; heknows the long and short on it now; and if ever a roughhand come to port, it was Billy."

　　"Right you are," said Silver; "rough and ready. Butmark you here, I'm an easy man--I'm quite thegentleman, says you; but this time it's serious. Dootyis dooty, mates. I give my vote--death. When I'm inParlyment and riding in my coach, I don't want none ofthese sea-lawyers in the cabin a-coming home, unlookedfor, like the devil at prayers. Wait is what I say;but when the time comes, why, let her rip!"

　　"John," cries the coxswain, "you're a man!"

　　"You'll say so, Israel when you see," said Silver."Only one thing I claim--I claim Trelawney. I'll wringhis calf's head off his body with these hands, Dick!"he added, breaking off. "You just jump up, like asweet lad, and get me an apple, to wet my pipe like."

　　You may fancy the terror I was in! I should haveleaped out and run for it if I had found the strength,but my limbs and heart alike misgave me. I heard Dickbegin to rise, and then someone seemingly stopped him,and the voice of Hands exclaimed, "Oh, stow that!Don't you get sucking of that bilge, John. Let's havea go of the rum."

　　"Dick," said Silver, "I trust you. I've a gauge on thekeg, mind. There's the key; you fill a pannikin andbring it up."

　　Terrified as I was, I could not help thinking to myselfthat this must have been how Mr. Arrow got the strongwaters that destroyed him.

　　Dick was gone but a little while, and during hisabsence Israel spoke straight on in the cook's ear. Itwas but a word or two that I could catch, and yet Igathered some important news, for besides other scrapsthat tended to the same purpose, this whole clause wasaudible: "Not another man of them'll jine." Hencethere were still faithful men on board.

　　When Dick returned, one after another of the trio tookthe pannikin and drank--one "To luck," another with a"Here's to old Flint," and Silver himself saying, in akind of song, "Here's to ourselves, and hold your luff,plenty of prizes and plenty of duff."

　　Just then a sort of brightness fell upon me in thebarrel, and looking up, I found the moon had risen andwas silvering the mizzen-top and shining white on theluff of the fore-sail; and almost at the same time thevoice of the lookout shouted, "Land ho!"