Chapter 15, Jim Resumes the Story The Garrison in the Stockade.
As soon as Ben saw the flag flying, he set me down and told me it was there.
I would find my friends.
I thought it more likely the pirates would be there.
But he told me the pirates would fly not the British flag but their dreaded Jolly Roger, the famous black flag with its skull and crossbones inscribed in white.
That place was built by Flint himself, who was afraid of no man but Long John Silver.
Well, I answered, let's go there before Silver himself finds us.
But then, trusting no man, would not go.
He made me swear that tomorrow I would send someone from our camp to meet him, as he had a proposal for us.
He insisted one of us should come, holding up a white handkerchief for caution's sake.
And if you run into Silver,' he added, "'don't let it be known that Ben Gunn is on this island.
It would be the ruin of us.'
I promised I wouldn't, and just then a cannonball fell with a crash right by our side, setting each of us off and running in his own direction.
The shots continued, and I was sure they were chasing me.
Soon enough.
I came to a clearing and saw that the Hispaniola was offshore and flying the Jolly Roger'.
I also saw what the pirates on shore were up to.
They were hacking the jolly boat apart and throwing the wood into a blazing fire.
These men, who had once been so gloomy as they rode the light boats back and forth to the ship, were clapping and singing and being foolish and mean.
I almost felt pity for men who could act so much like beasts.
I thought now was the time to make for the stockade and, while on the way, found the white rock where Ben had been hiding his boat.
This information I stored in my mind in case I might need it later.
I kept going and made my way over the fence to the stockade and into the party of my friends.
I soon told them my story and took stock of the log house.
It would do, but it was smoky from our fire, not to mention poor Gray lying wrapped in a bandage on account of his knife cut and poor Tom, cold and dead under a flag in the corner of the room.
The captain however, wisely kept us all busy with chores, collecting firewood and digging a grave for Redruth.
I spoke to the doctor about Ben, and he told me he had something special for him.
In my handkerchief, he said, I have a piece of Parmesan cheese from Italy that we shall give him.
A meeting was held and we found when we counted only fifteen mutineers left.
Two were wounded and one, who'd been shot by the cannon, probably was dead.
We knew that the climate and the mosquitoes would soon affect the remaining men and that they might soon be sick and in a bad way.
They might simply decide to get back in the ship, head out to sea and return to being pirates, said the doctor.
The captain grumbled, but he knew that losing his first ship might prove best for all of us in the long run.
Suddenly we heard a voice rise up.
There's a flag of truce.
It's Long John Silver himself.
With that, I rubbed my eyes and ran to peer through a loophole in the wall.
We could see two men, one of them being Silver indeed, waving the white flag.
"'Who goes there?' said the captain.
"'Flag of truce,' answered Silver.
"'Captain Silver, to come aboard and make terms.'
The captain snorted at Silver calling himself Captain, and yet he promised not to harm Silver if he came to the stockade unarmed.
He then hopped his way over the fence and made his way painfully and slowly up the hill and toward us.
We could see that he was in his finest blue coat with a frilled hat tipped far back on his head.
Once inside, the captain refused to let him in the fort and Silver was forced to sit in the sand across from the captain.
It's a mighty cold morning, sir, to be sitting in the sand outside.
The captain shrugged this off, telling Silver that he had brought it upon himself.
You're either the ship's cook or you're Captain Silver, in which case you're a mutineer and a pirate and you can hang.
Silver saw how we were each guarding a point of the fort and greeted us all.
He then suggested that the captain had killed one of his men in the night while they were all making merry.
I knew with joy that this had been the work of my new friend Ben Gunn.
"'Well,' said Silver, "'here it is.
We want the treasure.
You want your lives.
You have a chart, and we want it.
Now I mean you no harm.'
With that, the captain burst out in anger and told Silver that he knew his entire plan and would have none of it.
Each stared into the other's eyes without speaking.
It was like being at the theater watching a play.
"'Now,' said Silver after a moment, "'you give us the chart and you have a choice.
We'll take you back with us and drop you somewhere safe, or you can stay here and we'll give you half of our stores'.
"'It's a fair dealing for me.'
"'Is that all?' asked the captain.
"'If so, you hear me.
"'Here is my offer.
'If you come up one by one unarmed?
'I shall put the cuffs on each of you 'and take you home to a fair trial?
"'If not, I'll see you all in Davy Jones' locker, "'drowned dead at the bottom of the sea.'
You can't find the treasure.
You can't sail the ship.
These are the last good words you'll have from me.
Next, you'll have a bullet in the back.
Now get out.
Well, let's at least shake hands on it then, cried Silver.
Not I, said the captain, and we each refused in turn.
With that, Silver crawled his way across the land and when he finally got up he spat in our freshwater spring.
That's what I think of ye, he said.
Laugh all you like.
In an hour, you'll laugh out the other end.
Those who die will be lucky.
And with that and a curse, he made his way to the fence where his man dragged him over the side.
