Tales Of Adventure. Robert Louis Stevenson
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then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and his jaw dropped as though he had remembered something.
‘The score!’ he burst out. ‘Three goes o’ rum! Why, shiver my timbers, if I hadn’t forgotten my score!’
And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal after peal, until the tavern rang again.
‘Why, what a precious old sea-calf I am!’ he said, at last, wiping his cheeks. ‘You and me should get on well, Hawkins, for I’ll take my davy I should be rated ship’s boy. But, come, now, stand by to go about. This won’t do. Dooty is dooty, messmates. I’ll put on my old cocked hat, and step along of you to Cap’n Trelawney, and report this here affair. For, mind you, it’s serious, young Hawkins; and neither you nor me’s come out of it with what I should make so bold as to call credit. Nor you neither, says you; not smart – none of the pair of us smart. But dash my buttons! that was a good ’un about my score.’
And he began to laugh again, and that so heartily, that though I did not see the joke as he did, I was again obliged to join him in his mirth.
On our little walk along the quays, he made himself the most interesting companion, telling me about the different ships that we passed by, their rig, tonnage, and nationality, explaining the work that was going forward – how one was discharging, another taking in cargo, and a third making ready for sea; and every now and then telling me some little anecdote of ships or seamen, or repeating a nautical phrase till I had learned it perfectly. I began to see that here was one of the best of possible shipmates.
When we got to the inn, the squire and Dr Livesey were seated together, finishing a quart of ale with a toast in it, before they should go aboard the schooner on a visit of inspection.
Long John told the story from first to last, with a great deal of spirit and the most perfect truth. ‘That was how it were, now, weren’t it, Hawkins?’ he would say, now and again, and I could always bear him entirely out.
The two gentlemen regretted that Black Dog had got away; but we all agreed there was nothing to be done, and after he had been complimented, Long John took up his crutch and departed.
‘All hands aboard by four this afternoon,’ shouted the squire, after him.
‘Ay, ay, sir,’ cried the cook, in the passage.
‘Well, squire,’ said Dr Livesey, ‘I don’t put much faith in your discoveries, as a general thing; but I will say this, John Silver suits me.’
‘The man’s a perfect trump,’ declared the squire.
‘And now,’ added the doctor, ‘Jim may come on board with us, may he not?’
‘To be sure he may,’ says squire. ‘Take your hat, Hawkins, and we’ll see the ship.’
THE Hispaniola lay some way out, and we went under the figureheads and round the sterns of many other ships, and their cables sometimes grated underneath our keel, and sometimes swung above us. At last, however, we got alongside, and were met and saluted as we stepped aboard by the mate, Mr Arrow, a brown old sailor, with earrings in his ears and a squint. He and the squire were very thick and friendly, but I soon observed that things were not the same between Mr Trelawney and the captain.
This last was a sharp-looking man, who seemed angry with everything on board, and was soon to tell us why, for we had hardly got down into the cabin when a sailor followed us.
‘Captain Smollett, sir, axing to speak with you,’ said he.
‘I am always at the captain’s order. Show him in,’ said the squire.
The captain, who was close behind his messenger, entered at once, and shut the door behind him.
‘Well, Captain Smollett, what have you to say? All well, I hope; all shipshape and seaworthy?’
‘Well, sir,’ said the captain, ‘better speak plain, I believe, even at the risk of offence. I don’t like this cruise; I don’t like the men; and I don’t like my officer. That’s short and sweet.’
‘Perhaps, sir, you don’t like the ship?’ inquired the squire, very angry, as I could see.
‘I can’t speak as to that, sir, not having seen her tried,’ said the captain. ‘She seems a clever craft; more I can’t say.’
‘Possibly, sir, you may not like your employer, either?’ says the squire.
But here Dr Livesey cut in.
‘Stay a bit,’ said he, ‘stay a bit. No use of such questions as that but to produce ill-feeling. The captain has said too much or he has said too little, and I’m bound to say that I require an explanation of his words. You don’t, you say, like this cruise. Now, why?’
‘I was engaged, sir, on what we call sealed orders, to sail this ship for that gentleman where he should bid me,’ said the captain. ‘So far so good. But now I find that every man before the mast knows more than I do. I don’t call that fair, now, do you?’
‘No,’ said Dr Livesey, ‘I don’t.’
‘Next,’ said the captain, ‘I learn we are going after treasure – hear it from my own hands, mind you. Now, treasure is ticklish work; I don’t like treasure voyages on any account; and I don’t like them, above all, when they are secret, and when (begging your pardon, Mr Trelawney) the secret has been told to the parrot.’
‘Silver’s parrot?’ asked the squire.
‘It’s a way of speaking,’ said the captain. ‘Blabbed, I mean. It’s my belief neither of you gentlemen know what you are about; but I’ll tell you my way of it – life or death, and a close run.’
‘That is all clear, and, I daresay, true enough,’ replied Dr Livesey. ‘We take the risk; but we are not so ignorant as you believe us. Next, you say you don’t like the crew. Are they not good seamen?’
‘I don’t like them, sir,’ returned Captain Smollett. ‘And I think I should have had the choosing of my own hands, if you go to that.’
‘Perhaps you should,’ replied the doctor. ‘My friend should, perhaps, have taken you along with him; but the slight, if there be one, was unintentional. And you don’t like Mr Arrow?’
‘I don’t, sir. I believe he’s a good seaman; but he’s too free with the crew to be a good officer. A mate should keep himself to himself – shouldn’t drink with the men before the mast!’
‘Do you mean he drinks?’ cried the squire.
‘No, sir,’ replied the captain; ‘only that he’s too familiar.’
‘Well, now, and the short and long of it, captain?’ asked the doctor. ‘Tell us what you want.’
‘Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go on this cruise?’
‘Like iron,’ answered the squire.
‘Very good,’ said the captain. ‘Then, as you’ve heard me very patiently, saying things that I could not prove, hear me a few words more. They are putting the powder and the arms in the fore hold. Now, you have a good place under the cabin; why not put them there? – first point. Then you are bringing four of your own people with you, and they tell me some of them are to be berthed forward. Why not give them the berths here beside the cabin? – second point.’
‘Any more?’ asked Mr Trelawney.
‘One more,’ said the captain. ‘There’s been too much blabbing