Jim Hawkins was very happy because he escaped from Long John Silver. Jim began to look at the strange island. He walked through a marsh (a wet, soft area of land). There were many strange trees and tall grass.
Jim came to an open area with sand. He saw some pine trees and many twisted trees. In the distance, Jim saw a hill with two sharp peaks. The sun was very bright on the rocks.
Jim felt like an explorer (a person who travels to a new place to learn about it). No people lived on this island. Jim saw many birds and strange flowers. He saw a snake in the rocks.
The snake made a loud noise. Jim did not know the snake was dangerous. It was a rattlesnake (a snake that makes a loud noise with its tail before it bites). Jim walked past it and went into a group of small trees.
The sun was very hot now. Suddenly, many birds flew into the sky. They made a lot of noise. Jim knew that men were walking near the marsh. Jim was afraid.
Jim crawled under a tree and stayed very quiet. He heard a human voice far away. The voice became louder. Then Jim heard another voice answer.
One voice belonged to Long John Silver. Long John Silver talked for a long time. The two men talked in a serious way. Jim could not hear their words.
Jim thought about his job. He was a brave boy. Jim decided to follow the men. He wanted to hear their secret plan. Jim crawled on his hands and knees.
Jim looked through a hole in the leaves. He saw a green area near the marsh. Long John Silver stood there with a sailor named Tom. The sun was very hot on their faces.
Long John Silver took off his hat. He looked at Tom and spoke kindly. Long John Silver said, "Tom, I am your friend. I want to help you. I am telling you this because I want to save your life."
Tom looked very angry. His voice was loud and shaky. Tom said, "Silver, you are an old man. You are brave and you have money. Why are you helping these bad sailors? I will not join you."
Suddenly, a loud scream came from the marsh. It was a terrible, long cry. The birds flew into the air again. Then the island became very silent.
Tom jumped when he heard the sound. Long John Silver did not move. Long John Silver watched Tom like a snake. Tom asked, "John, what was that sound?"
Long John Silver smiled. His eyes were very small and bright. Long John Silver said, "That? I think that was Alan." Alan was another honest sailor on the ship.
Tom shouted, "Alan is dead! You killed a good man." Tom looked at Long John Silver with anger. Tom said, "You are not my friend now. Kill me too if you can. I will do my duty."
Tom turned his back to Long John Silver. Tom began to walk toward the beach. Long John Silver grabbed a tree branch. He pulled his crutch (a wooden stick that helps a person walk) from under his arm.
Long John Silver threw the crutch through the air. The crutch hit Tom in the middle of his back. Tom made a soft sound and fell to the ground. He did not move.
Long John Silver moved very fast like a monkey. He did not need his crutch. Long John Silver reached Tom and used a knife. He killed Tom quickly. Jim watched this from the trees.
Jim felt very sick. The world felt like it was spinning. He saw the birds and the hill go round and round. Jim heard bells in his ears. He almost fainted.
After a minute, Long John Silver stood up. He put his hat on his head and his crutch under his arm. Tom lay dead on the grass. Long John Silver cleaned his knife on some grass.
The sun was still hot and the island was beautiful. Jim could not believe what he saw. A man was murdered in front of his eyes. Long John Silver took a whistle (a small metal instrument that makes a high sound) from his pocket.
Long John Silver blew the whistle several times. Jim was terrified. He knew that more pirates were coming. Jim began to crawl away very slowly and quietly.
Jim heard the pirates shouting to each other. He reached the open woods and began to run. Jim did not know where he was going. He just wanted to escape the murderers.
Jim felt very lost. He thought, "I cannot go back to the boats. The pirates will kill me. I cannot go back to the ship." Jim was alone on the island.
Jim ran toward the hill with the two peaks. In this part of the island, the trees were taller. The air was fresh and clean. Jim stopped running because his heart was beating very fast.
Suddenly, Jim saw something move. He felt a new fear and he stopped. Someone or something was watching him.