Jim Hawkins felt more curious than afraid. Jim could not stay in his hiding place. Jim walked back to the top of the hill. Jim hid his head behind a bush of broom (a small plant with yellow flowers). From there, Jim could see the road in front of the inn.
Soon, Jim saw his enemies. Seven or eight men were running fast. Their feet made a loud noise on the road. One man carried a lantern (a lamp that you carry in your hand). Three men ran together and held hands. Jim saw that the man in the middle was the blind man, Pew.
"Break down the door!" Pew shouted.
"Yes, sir!" two or three men answered. They ran at the Admiral Benbow. The man with the lantern followed them. Then the men stopped. They were surprised because the door was already open.
The pause was very short. Pew spoke again. His voice was loud and angry. Pew was very excited and full of rage.
"Go in, go in, go in!" Pew shouted. Pew called the men bad names because they were slow.
Four or five men went inside the inn. Two men stayed on the road with the beggar (a person who asks for money). There was silence for a moment. Then a man shouted from the house, "Bill is dead!"
But Pew shouted at them again. Pew did not care about the dead man.
"Search his body!" Pew cried. "The rest of you go upstairs and get the chest!"
Jim heard their feet on the old stairs. The house shook. Then Jim heard more shouting. A window in the captain’s room opened with a loud noise. Some glass broke. A man leaned out of the window into the moonlight. He talked to Pew on the road below.
"Pew," the man cried. "Someone was here before us. Someone searched the chest."
"Is the thing there?" Pew shouted.
"The money is here," the man said.
Pew was angry about the money. Pew did not want the money.
"I mean the paper from Captain Flint!" Pew cried.
"We do not see it here," the man answered.
"Is it on Bill’s body?" Pew shouted again.
Another man came to the door of the inn. This man searched the dead captain. "Someone searched Bill already," the man said. "There is nothing here."
"It is the people from the inn! It is that boy!" Pew cried. "I want to pull his eyes out! They were here a short time ago. The door was locked when I was here before. Run and find them!"
"The men left their light here," the man at the window said.
"Find them! Search the house!" Pew shouted. Pew hit the road with his stick.
The men ran through the old inn. They made a lot of noise. They threw furniture on the floor. They kicked the doors. But the men came out of the inn one by one. The men told Pew that they could not find Jim or his mother.
Then a whistle sounded through the night. Jim heard this whistle before. It was the same whistle that scared Jim and his mother. This time, the whistle sounded two times.
Jim thought the whistle was a signal from Pew. But Jim was wrong. The whistle was a signal from the hill. It was a warning for the buccaneers (pirates). A friend was telling the pirates that danger was coming.
"There is the signal again," one man said. "We must leave, friends."
"You are cowards!" Pew cried. "The danger is not close. You can be as rich as kings if you find that paper. You know the paper is here! I am a blind man, but I am the only brave man here!"
Pew was very angry. "I will be a poor beggar because of you!" Pew shouted. "You are lazy and afraid!"
"We have the gold coins, Pew," one man said.
"They hid the paper," another man said. "Take the money and stop shouting, Pew."
Pew became very angry. Pew lost his control. Pew began to hit the men with his stick. Pew hit the men because he could not see them. The men were angry at Pew. They said bad words to the blind man. They tried to take the stick from his hands.
This fight saved Jim and his mother. While the men fought, a new sound came from the hill. It was the sound of horses running fast. Then a pistol fired. This was the final signal of danger.
The pirates turned and ran. They ran in different directions. In a few seconds, only Pew remained on the road. The pirates left Pew because they were afraid. Maybe they were also angry at Pew for hitting them.
Pew was alone. Pew hit the road with his stick. He was very scared. Pew called for his friends. "Johnny! Black Dog! Dirk!" Pew cried. "Do not leave old Pew!"
Then the horses came over the hill. Jim saw four or five riders in the moonlight. They were galloping fast down the hill.
Pew heard the horses. He turned and ran toward a ditch. Pew fell into the water. Pew got up quickly and ran again. Pew was very confused. He ran right under the first horse.
The rider tried to stop the horse, but he could not. Pew cried out as he fell. The horse’s feet hit Pew and passed over him. Pew fell on his side. Then he moved onto his face and did not move again.
Jim ran to the riders. The riders stopped their horses. They were shocked by the accident. Jim saw the men. One rider was a boy from the village. The other men were revenue officers (police who look for illegal goods).
The boy from the village went to find Dr. Livesey. On the road, the boy met the officers. They all came back to the inn together. These men saved Jim and his mother.
Pew was dead. Jim’s mother was safe now. Some men carried her to the village. She was very scared, but she was okay. She was only sad because she did not have all the money.
The leader of the officers was Mr. Dance. Mr. Dance rode to the beach to find the pirates' ship. The ship was a lugger (a small ship with sails). The pirates were already on the ship. Mr. Dance shouted at them.
The pirates told Mr. Dance to go away. They said they would shoot him. A bullet flew past Mr. Dance’s arm. Then the ship sailed away and disappeared. Mr. Dance was sad because the pirates escaped. But Mr. Dance was happy that Pew was dead.
Jim went back to the Admiral Benbow with Mr. Dance. The inn was a mess. The pirates broke everything. They even broke the clock. The pirates took the captain’s money, but they did not take anything else.
"They took the money," Mr. Dance said. "What were they looking for, Hawkins? Did they want more money?"
"No, sir," Jim said. "I do not think they wanted money. I have a secret thing in my pocket. I want to keep it safe."
"You are a good boy," Mr. Dance said. "I can take it for you."
"I want to show it to Dr. Livesey," Jim said.
"That is a very good idea," Mr. Dance said. "Dr. Livesey is a gentleman and a judge. I will go with you. We can tell the doctor about Pew."
Jim thanked Mr. Dance. They walked back to the village to get the horses. Jim told his mother about his plan. The men were ready to ride.
"Dogger," Mr. Dance said to one of his men. "You have a strong horse. Let the boy sit behind you."
Jim sat on the horse and held Dogger’s belt. Mr. Dance gave the command. The horses began to run toward the house of Dr. Livesey.