The pirates talked outside for a long time. Then one pirate came back into the house. He asked to borrow the torch. Long John Silver gave the torch to the man. Now Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver were in the dark. Long John Silver spoke to Jim Hawkins in a friendly way. He said a storm was coming.
Jim Hawkins looked out of a small hole in the wall. He saw the pirates in the moonlight. One pirate held the torch. Another pirate was on his knees with a knife and a book. He was cutting a page from the book. Then the pirates walked back toward the house. Jim Hawkins went back to his place against the wall.
Long John Silver told Jim Hawkins to be ready. The five pirates came into the house. They pushed one pirate forward. He moved very slowly and looked afraid. He held out his closed hand. Long John Silver told the man to come closer. The pirate gave something to Long John Silver. Then the pirate ran back to his friends.
Long John Silver looked at the paper in his hand. It was the Black Spot (a circular piece of paper that means you are a prisoner or will die). Long John Silver saw that the paper came from a Bible. He told the pirates this was very bad luck. He said they would all be hanged now because they broke a holy book.
A pirate named Dick was the one who cut the Bible. Dick was very scared. But George Merry told Long John Silver to stop talking. George Merry said the crew voted in a council. He told Long John Silver to look at the back of the paper. Long John Silver turned the paper over.
The word on the paper was Deposed (this means you are no longer the leader). Long John Silver laughed. He told George Merry that he was still the captain. He said he would not leave until he heard their problems. George Merry was very angry. He said Long John Silver was a bad leader.
George Merry listed four problems. First, the voyage was a failure. Second, Long John Silver let the doctor and his friends go for nothing. Third, Long John Silver did not let the pirates attack. Fourth, Long John Silver protected Jim Hawkins. George Merry said they would all die because of Long John Silver.
Long John Silver stood up and shouted. He told the pirates that they were the ones who made mistakes. He said they were all near the gibbet (a wooden frame where dead criminals hang to warn others). Long John Silver said he kept Jim Hawkins as a hostage (a prisoner used to make sure a deal is kept).
Long John Silver said Jim Hawkins was their last chance to live. He also said the doctor was helping the sick pirates. Then Long John Silver threw a piece of yellow paper on the floor. It was the treasure map! The pirates jumped on the map like cats. They were very happy and began to laugh.
The pirates looked at the map. They saw the red crosses and the name of Captain Flint. George Merry asked how they would leave the island without a ship. Long John Silver got angry again. He told George Merry to be quiet. He said he found the treasure, but the pirates lost the ship.
The pirates changed their minds. They shouted that Long John Silver was their captain again. Long John Silver looked at George Merry and smiled. Then Long John Silver looked at the paper in his hand. He told Dick that a Bible with a hole in it was not a real Bible anymore.
Long John Silver gave the paper to Jim Hawkins as a gift. Jim Hawkins looked at it. One side had words from the Bible about murderers. On the other side, the word "Deposed" was written with black coal. Jim Hawkins kept the paper in his pocket.
The night ended and everyone wanted to sleep. Long John Silver told George Merry to be the sentinel (a guard who stays awake to watch for danger). Long John Silver said he would kill George Merry if he fell asleep. Then Long John Silver went to sleep and snored loudly.
Jim Hawkins could not sleep for a long time. He thought about the man he killed earlier that day. He also thought about Long John Silver. The pirate was very clever. Long John Silver was trying to save his own life by helping Jim Hawkins and the pirates at the same time.