It was a very cold winter. There was ice on the ground and strong winds blew from the sea. My father was very sick. He was more tired every day. Jim Hawkins and Mrs. Hawkins were very busy at the Admiral Benbow. We did not have time to think about the Captain.
One morning in January, it was very cold. The sun was low in the sky. The Captain got up early and walked to the beach. He carried his cutlass (a short, curved sword used by sailors) under his coat. He also had his telescope under his arm. He looked very angry as he walked away.
Mrs. Hawkins was upstairs with my father. I was preparing the breakfast table. Suddenly, the door opened and a man came in. I never saw this man before. He was pale and he was missing two fingers on his left hand. He had a sword, but he did not look like a fighter.
The man sat at a table. He told me to come near. He asked if the table was for his friend "Bill." I told him I did not know a man named Bill. I told him the table was for the Captain. The man smiled in a mean way. He said his friend Bill had a scar on his cheek.
I told the man that the Captain was walking. The man asked which way the Captain went. I pointed to the big rock on the beach. The man waited inside the door. He watched the road like a cat waiting for a mouse. He was not a kind man and he shouted at me.
Soon, the Captain came back. The stranger told me to hide behind the door with him. I was very scared. The stranger was also afraid. He held his sword and he looked nervous. The Captain walked into the room and went to his breakfast.
"Bill," the stranger said. The Captain turned around quickly. His face became white and his nose looked blue. He looked like he saw a ghost. I felt sorry for him because he looked very old and sick. The stranger said, "Bill, you know me. I am your old friend."
The Captain spoke one name: "Black Dog!" Black Dog sat down at the table. He asked me for a glass of rum. He wanted to talk to the Captain. I brought the rum and then I went to the bar. I tried to listen to their conversation.
At first, they spoke quietly. Then their voices became loud and angry. I heard the Captain shout, "No!" Suddenly, there was a loud noise. A chair and a table fell over. I heard the sound of swords hitting each other. Then someone cried in pain.
Black Dog ran out of the house. The Captain followed him with his sword. Black Dog was bleeding from his shoulder. The Captain tried to hit him again. But the sword hit the sign of the Admiral Benbow instead. You can still see the mark on the sign today.
Black Dog ran away very fast and disappeared. The Captain stood outside and looked confused. He walked back into the inn. "Jim," the Captain said. "Give me rum." He was not steady on his feet. He leaned against the wall.
I went to get the rum. Then I heard a loud noise in the parlour. I ran into the room and saw the Captain on the floor. Mrs. Hawkins came running downstairs. We lifted the Captain’s head. He was breathing very hard but his eyes were closed.
We did not know how to help the Captain. Then Dr. Livesey arrived to see my father. We asked the doctor if the Captain was wounded. "He is not wounded," Dr. Livesey said. "The man had a stroke (a sudden illness in the brain caused by drinking too much)."
Dr. Livesey opened the Captain’s sleeve. The Captain had many tattoos (pictures or words drawn on the skin with ink). One tattoo said "Billy Bones." Another tattoo showed a man hanging from a rope. Dr. Livesey said the Captain’s name was probably Billy Bones.
Dr. Livesey took some blood from the Captain’s arm to help him. Finally, the Captain opened his eyes. He looked at Dr. Livesey and then he looked at me. He asked, "Where is Black Dog?" Dr. Livesey told him there was no Black Dog there.
Dr. Livesey gave the Captain a warning. He said that rum was very dangerous for his health. "If you drink more rum, you will die," Dr. Livesey said. We helped the Captain go upstairs to his bed. The Captain was very weak.
Dr. Livesey spoke to me before he left. He said the Captain must stay in bed for one week. He said that another stroke would kill the Captain. Then Dr. Livesey went to see my father. I stayed alone with my many fears.