The mutineers (sailors who fight against their captain) did not return. No one shot at us from the woods again. They had enough fighting for one day. We were alone and the house was quiet. We looked at the wounded men and prepared dinner.
Squire Trelawney and I cooked the food outside. We were in danger, but the house was worse. Inside the house, the wounded men made loud cries of pain. It was a terrible sound.
Eight men fell in the fight. Only three of those men were still breathing. One was a pirate, one was Hunter, and the third was Captain Smollett. The pirate died while the doctor worked on him.
Hunter never woke up. He breathed loudly all day. His chest was crushed and his head was badly hurt. He died quietly during the night. He made no sound when he died.
Captain Smollett was hurt badly, but he was not going to die. No important part of his body was destroyed. One bullet broke his shoulder and touched his lung. A second bullet hurt the muscle in his leg.
Doctor Livesey said Captain Smollett would get well. But the captain had to stay still for many weeks. Captain Smollett could not walk or move his arm. He could not speak often.
I had a small cut on my hand, but it was not serious. Doctor Livesey put a plaster (a small piece of sticky material to cover a cut) on it. Then he pulled my ears playfully.
After dinner, Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey talked to the captain. After they finished talking, it was a little past noon. Doctor Livesey took his hat and his pistols.
Doctor Livesey put a cutlass (a short sword with a curved blade) on his belt. He put the map in his pocket and a gun over his shoulder. He climbed over the palisade (a high fence made of wooden posts) and walked into the trees.
Gray and I sat at the end of the house. Gray was very surprised when he saw the doctor leave. Gray took his pipe out of his mouth. He asked me if Doctor Livesey was crazy.
I told Gray that Doctor Livesey was not crazy. I told Gray my idea. I thought Doctor Livesey was going to see Ben Gunn. I was right, but I did not know it then.
The house was very hot. The sun was very bright on the sand inside the fence. I started to have a different thought. I wanted to be in the cool woods like Doctor Livesey.
I could smell the pine trees in the woods. But I sat in the heat. There was blood and dead bodies all around me. I hated the place and I felt afraid.
I washed the house and the dishes after dinner. My bad feelings grew stronger and stronger. No one was watching me. I went to a bag of bread and filled my pockets with biscuits (hard, dry bread that sailors eat).
I was doing something very silly and dangerous. But I wanted to be ready. These biscuits would stop me from getting hungry. Then I took two pistols and some bullets.
I had a plan. I wanted to go to the shore. I wanted to find a white rock near the sea. I thought Ben Gunn hid his boat there. It was a good thing to do.
I knew the men would not let me leave the house. My only plan was to leave secretly when nobody was watching. This was a bad way to act. But I was only a boy and I wanted to go.
Soon, I found a good chance to leave. Squire Trelawney and Gray were helping Captain Smollett with his bandages. No one saw me. I ran over the fence and into the thick trees.
My friends could not see me or hear me. This was my second big mistake. I left only two healthy men to guard the house. But my mistake helped save all of us later.
I walked toward the east coast of the island. I walked on the sea side of the land. I did not want the pirates to see me from their ship. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still warm.
I walked through the woods. I heard the loud sound of the waves. A cool wind began to blow. Soon I came out of the trees and saw the sea. The water was blue and bright.
The sea around Treasure Island is never quiet. The sun can be bright and the air can be still. But the large waves always hit the beach. They make a loud noise all day and all night.
I walked by the water and I felt happy. Then I hid in some thick bushes. I crept up to the top of the hill. I looked at the sea behind me and the ship in front of me.
The wind stopped blowing. The air was still and there was a lot of fog. The ship, the Hispaniola, stayed very still in the water. I saw the pirate flag on the ship.
A small boat was next to the ship. I saw Long John Silver in the boat. Two men were on the ship. One man wore a red cap. They were talking and laughing.
Suddenly, I heard a loud, scary scream. It startled me. Then I remembered the voice of the parrot, Captain Flint. I saw the bright bird on Long John Silver’s arm.
Soon after, the small boat moved to the shore. The man in the red cap went inside the ship. The sun went down behind the mountain. The fog came quickly and it grew dark.
I had to find the boat quickly. I saw the white rock far away. I crawled on my hands and knees through the bushes. I reached the rock when it was almost night.
I found a small hole in the green grass. There was a little tent made of goat skins. I went into the hole and lifted the side of the tent. I found Ben Gunn’s boat.
The boat was a coracle (a small, light boat made of wood and animal skins). It was very simple and small. It was a boat for a boy, not for a man.
The boat had goat skin on the outside with the hair on the inside. It had a small seat and a paddle. It was a very bad boat, but it was very light. I could carry it easily.
I had a new idea. I wanted to go to the ship at night. I wanted to cut the rope of the Hispaniola. Then the ship would move away and the pirates could not use it.
I sat down and waited for the dark. I ate a meal of biscuits. The fog covered the sky. The island became very black. I put the coracle on my shoulder and walked out of the hole.
I could see only two lights. One light was a big fire on the shore. The pirates were there. The other light was on the ship. I could see the light from the ship's window on the fog.
I walked through the wet sand. I sank into the sand many times. Finally, I reached the water. I put the coracle on the sea. Now I was ready for my adventure.