Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins were alone for a moment. Long John Silver said that Jim Hawkins saved his life. He saw the doctor tell Jim Hawkins to run. He saw Jim Hawkins say no. Long John Silver said they must stay together to stay alive. He promised to help Jim Hawkins.
A pirate called them to breakfast. The pirates sat on the sand and ate biscuits and salt meat. They made a very big fire. It was so hot that the pirates could not sit near it. They were very wasteful. They cooked too much food and threw the extra meat into the fire.
Jim Hawkins noticed that the pirates were very careless. They did not think about the future. They wasted their food and did not watch for danger. Jim Hawkins thought they were not good at planning. Long John Silver did not say anything to stop them.
Long John Silver told the pirates he was a very clever leader. He said that the ship was safe somewhere. He told the men they would find the ship after they found the gold. Long John Silver called Jim Hawkins a hostage (a prisoner kept to make sure a deal is followed).
Long John Silver said Jim Hawkins was as valuable as gold. He said they would keep him until they reached the sea. Then they would give Jim Hawkins a share of the money. The pirates were in a very good mood. But Jim Hawkins felt very sad and worried.
Jim Hawkins did not trust Long John Silver. He knew Long John Silver was a traitor (a person who is not loyal to his friends). Jim Hawkins was also afraid of the other five pirates. They were strong and active men. Long John Silver was a cripple and Jim Hawkins was only a boy.
The group began the walk. All the pirates had many weapons. Long John Silver had two guns and a large knife. He also had a pistol in each pocket. His parrot sat on his shoulder. Long John Silver tied a rope around Jim Hawkins. He held the end of the rope in his hand.
The pirates carried tools like picks and shovels. They also carried pork and brandy. They took two small boats to the beach. They looked at the treasure map. It mentioned a tall tree and the Spy-glass hill. They saw a large plateau (a flat area of land high up on a hill) in front of them.
There were many pine trees on the plateau. One tree was much taller than the others. The pirates each chose a different tree as their favorite. Long John Silver told them to wait until they reached the top. They rowed the boats to a river and started to climb the hill.
At first, the ground was wet and soft. Then the hill became stony and the trees were further apart. The air smelled like spices and flowers. The pirates ran around and shouted. Long John Silver followed behind them. He breathed very hard and Jim Hawkins had to help him climb.
They were near the top of the plateau. Suddenly, a pirate on the left shouted in terror. The other men ran toward him. Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver also reached the spot. They saw a human skeleton (the bones of a dead person) on the ground.
The bones were under a green plant. There were a few pieces of old clothes on the bones. George Merry said the man was a seaman. Long John Silver looked at the bones carefully. He said the body was in a very strange position.
The body was lying perfectly straight. The feet pointed in one direction. The hands were above the head. They pointed in the opposite direction. Long John Silver took out a compass (a tool with a needle that shows direction). He looked at the line of the bones.
The bones pointed straight toward Skeleton Island. Long John Silver said this was a sign from Captain Flint. He said Captain Flint killed six men and left this one as a pointer. Long John Silver said the bones belonged to a man named Allardyce.
The pirates felt very cold and afraid. They remembered Captain Flint. They said he was a very bad man who died while shouting for rum. They were afraid of his spirit. Long John Silver told them to stop talking about ghosts. He told them to find the gold.
The pirates started to walk again. They did not run or shout now. They stayed close to each other. They spoke in quiet voices. The fear of the dead Captain Flint was now in their hearts.