Chapter 4.
Blind Man's Bluff.
The Sea Chest is Opened.
I told my mother all that I knew, and both of us realized that the captain's terrible shipmates would soon be coming for his chest and that we would never get the money we were owed.
We heard footsteps in the dark and were haunted by visions in the mist.
We made up our minds to go to the nearest town to seek help and were soon running scared.
We ran on through the night and were happy to see the lights of the town burning brightly, but it was all for nothing.
When we told the townspeople what had happened and mentioned the name of Captain Flint, they all hid, afraid to help us.
They would seek out the doctor's aid, but they would not help us defend our inn forever.
My mother cursed the men and told them we would risk returning alone.
All they would do was to give me a loaded pistol and to promise to have horses for us when we returned, in case we needed them.
We headed back home in the dark, moonless night, through drifting fog.
We somehow found our way back to the Admiral Bimbo, where we bolted the door behind us, having only the captain's dead body for company.
I reached down to his hand and found the crumpled paper he had so feared getting.
The one with the words on it that read, You have till ten.
Suddenly, our clock began chiming, and we heard that it was only six, and we were cheered.
We still had four hours before anything could happen.
I felt through his pockets for the key, but found only a pocket knife and compass.
My mother suggested that it might be around his neck, so I tore open his shirt and there, sure enough, hanging on a string was the key.
We hurried to his room and spotted the old, battered chest.
My mother quickly turned the key in the lock and had it open.
Inside were carefully cleaned, unworn clothing, pistols, silver, and trinkets from faraway lands.
Beneath those things were parchment scrolls and a sack of gold.
My mother insisted on taking only what was owed us.
As we sat counting out the foreign coins, I grabbed her arm hard, holding a finger to my mouth.
From the street.
I heard the tapping of the blind man's cane and then heard him pulling at the lock of the door.
When it wouldn't open, we heard him retreat, tapping into the night.
Mother, I said, let's take it all and go.
But she would not.
And then suddenly we heard a whistle from the street, and she quickly changed her mind.
I'll take what I have, she exclaimed, and I'll take this bundle of old papers to make it even.
With that, we jumped up and sprinted downstairs, opened the door and ran into the street.
As we went on our way, the mist began to disappear and we saw that we were not a moment too soon.
The moon rose high and we would have been exposed had we stayed still.
Again, we heard voices coming our way and my mother turned to me.
Take this money.
I'm going to faint.
As she did so, I caught her in my arms and dragged her under the low bridge by the Admiral Benbow.
We could still hear the voices within earshot of the inn.
I crouched as low as I could.
