English
Partlyfromthedampinginfluenceofthisalarm,partlytorestSilverandthesickfolk,thewholepartysatdownassoonastheyhadgainedthebrowoftheascent.
Theplateaubeingsomewhattiltedtowardsthewest,thisspotonwhichwehadpausedcommandedawideprospectoneitherhand.
Beforeus,overthetree-tops,webeheldtheCapeoftheWoodsfringedwithsurf;behind,wenotonlylookeddownupontheanchorageandSkeletonIsland,butsaw—clearacrossthespitandtheeasternlowlands—agreatfieldofopenseaupontheeast.
SheeraboveusrosetheSpyglass,heredottedwithsinglepines,thereblackwithprecipices.
Therewasnosoundbutthatofthedistantbreakers,mountingfromallround,andthechirpofcountlessinsectsinthebrush.
Notaman,notasail,uponthesea;theverylargenessoftheviewincreasedthesenseofsolitude.
Silver,ashesat,tookcertainbearingswithhiscompass.
“Therearethree‘talltrees’”saidhe,“aboutintherightlinefromSkeletonIsland.
‘Spy-glassshoulder,’Itakeit,meansthatlowerp’intthere.
It’schild’splaytofindthestuffnow.I’vehalfamindtodinefirst.”
“Idon’tfeelsharp,”growledMorgan.“Thinkin’o’Flint—Ithinkitwere—asdoneme.”
“Ah,well,myson,youpraiseyourstarshe’sdead,”saidSilver.
“Hewereanuglydevil,”criedathirdpiratewithashudder;“thatblueinthefacetoo!”
“Thatwashowtherumtookhim,”addedMerry.“Blue!Well,Ireckonhewasblue.That’satrueword.”
Eversincetheyhadfoundtheskeletonandgotuponthistrainofthought,theyhadspokenlowerandlower,andtheyhadalmostgottowhisperingbynow,sothatthesoundoftheirtalkhardlyinterruptedthesilenceofthewood.
Allofasudden,outofthemiddleofthetreesinfrontofus,athin,high,tremblingvoicestruckupthewell-knownairandwords:
“Fifteenmenonthedeadman’schest—
Yo-ho-ho,andabottleofrum!”
Ineverhaveseenmenmoredreadfullyaffectedthanthepirates.
Thecolourwentfromtheirsixfaceslikeenchantment;someleapedtotheirfeet,someclawedholdofothers;Morgangrovelledontheground.
“It’sFlint,by——!”criedMerry.
Thesonghadstoppedassuddenlyasitbegan—brokenoff,youwouldhavesaid,inthemiddleofanote,asthoughsomeonehadlaidhishanduponthesinger’smouth.
Comingthroughtheclear,sunnyatmosphereamongthegreentree-tops,Ithoughtithadsoundedairilyandsweetly;andtheeffectonmycompanionswasthestranger.
“Come,”saidSilver,strugglingwithhisashenlipstogetthewordout;“thiswon’tdo.Standbytogoabout.
Thisisarumstart,andIcan’tnamethevoice,butit’ssomeoneskylarking—someonethat’sfleshandblood,andyoumaylaytothat.”
Hiscouragehadcomebackashespoke,andsomeofthecolourtohisfacealongwithit.
Alreadytheothershadbeguntolendaneartothisencouragementandwerecomingalittletothemselves,whenthesamevoicebrokeoutagain—notthistimesinging,butinafaintdistanthailthatechoedyetfainteramongthecleftsoftheSpy-glass.
“DarbyM’Graw,”itwailed—forthatisthewordthatbestdescribesthesound—”DarbyM’Graw!DarbyM’Graw!”
againandagainandagain;andthenrisingalittlehigher,andwithanoaththatIleaveout:“Fetchafttherum,Darby!”
Thebuccaneersremainedrootedtotheground,theireyesstartingfromtheirheads.Longafterthevoicehaddiedawaytheystillstaredinsilence,dreadfully,beforethem.
“Thatfixesit!”gaspedone.“Let’sgo.”
“Theywashislastwords,”moanedMorgan,“hislastwordsaboveboard.”
DickhadhisBibleoutandwasprayingvolubly.Hehadbeenwellbroughtup,hadDick,beforehecametoseaandfellamongbadcompanions.
StillSilverwasunconquered.Icouldhearhisteethrattleinhishead,buthehadnotyetsurrendered.
“NobodyinthishereislandeverheardofDarby,”hemuttered;“notonebutusthat’shere.”
Andthen,makingagreateffort:“Shipmates,”hecried,“I’mheretogetthatstuff,andI’llnotbebeatbymanordevil.
IneverwasfearedofFlintinhislife,and,bythepowers,I’llfacehimdead.
There’ssevenhundredthousandpoundnotaquarterofamilefromhere.
Whendideveragentlemano’fortuneshowhissterntothatmuchdollarsforaboozyoldseamanwithabluemug—andhimdeadtoo?”
Buttherewasnosignofreawakeningcourageinhisfollowers,rather,indeed,ofgrowingterrorattheirreverenceofhiswords.
“Belaythere,John!”saidMerry.“Don’tyoucrossasperrit.”
Andtherestwerealltooterrifiedtoreply.
Theywouldhaverunawayseverallyhadtheydared;butfearkeptthemtogether,andkeptthemclosebyJohn,asifhisdaringhelpedthem.
He,onhispart,hadprettywellfoughthisweaknessdown.
“Sperrit?Well,maybe,”hesaid.“Butthere’sonethingnotcleartome.Therewasanecho.
Now,nomaneverseenasperritwithashadow;wellthen,what’shedoingwithanechotohim,Ishouldliketoknow?Thatain’tinnatur’,surely?”
Thisargumentseemedweakenoughtome.Butyoucannevertellwhatwillaffectthesuperstitious,andtomywonder,GeorgeMerrywasgreatlyrelieved.
“Well,that’sso,”hesaid.“You’veaheaduponyourshoulders,John,andnomistake.‘Boutship,mates!
Thisherecrewisonawrongtack,Idobelieve.
Andcometothinkonit,itwaslikeFlint’svoice,Igrantyou,butnotjustsoclear-awaylikeit,afterall.
Itwaslikersomebodyelse’svoicenow—itwasliker—”
“Bythepowers,BenGunn!”roaredSilver.
“Aye,andsoitwere,”criedMorgan,springingonhisknees.“BenGunnitwere!”
“Itdon’tmakemuchodds,doit,now?”askedDick.“BenGunn’snothereinthebodyanymore’nFlint.”
Buttheolderhandsgreetedthisremarkwithscorn.
“Why,nobodymindsBenGunn,”criedMerry;“deadoralive,nobodymindshim.”
Itwasextraordinaryhowtheirspiritshadreturnedandhowthenaturalcolourhadrevivedintheirfaces.
Soontheywerechattingtogether,withintervalsoflistening;andnotlongafter,hearingnofurthersound,theyshoulderedthetoolsandsetforthagain,MerrywalkingfirstwithSilver’scompasstokeepthemontherightlinewithSkeletonIsland.
Hehadsaidthetruth:deadoralive,nobodymindedBenGunn.
DickalonestillheldhisBible,andlookedaroundhimashewent,withfearfulglances;buthefoundnosympathy,andSilverevenjokedhimonhisprecautions.
“Itoldyou,”saidhe—“Itoldyouyouhadsp’iledyourBible.
Ifitain’tnogoodtoswearby,whatdoyousupposeasperritwouldgiveforit?Notthat!”
andhesnappedhisbigfingers,haltingamomentonhiscrutch.
ButDickwasnottobecomforted;indeed,itwassoonplaintomethattheladwasfallingsick;hastenedbyheat,exhaustion,andtheshockofhisalarm,thefever,predictedbyDr.Livesey,wasevidentlygrowingswiftlyhigher.
Itwasfineopenwalkinghere,uponthesummit;ourwaylayalittledownhill,for,asIhavesaid,theplateautiltedtowardsthewest.
Thepines,greatandsmall,grewwideapart;andevenbetweentheclumpsofnutmegandazalea,wideopenspacesbakedinthehotsunshine.
Striking,aswedid,prettynearnorth-westacrosstheisland,wedrew,ontheonehand,evernearerundertheshouldersoftheSpy-glass,andontheother,lookedeverwideroverthatwesternbaywhereIhadoncetossedandtrembledintheoracle.
Thefirstofthetalltreeswasreached,andbythebearingsprovedthewrongone.Sowiththesecond.
Thethirdrosenearlytwohundredfeetintotheairaboveaclumpofunderwood—agiantofavegetable,witharedcolumnasbigasacottage,andawideshadowaroundinwhichacompanycouldhavemanoeuvred.
Itwasconspicuousfartoseabothontheeastandwestandmighthavebeenenteredasasailingmarkuponthechart.
Butitwasnotitssizethatnowimpressedmycompanions;itwastheknowledgethatsevenhundredthousandpoundsingoldlaysomewhereburiedbelowitsspreadingshadow.
Thethoughtofthemoney,astheydrewnearer,swalloweduptheirpreviousterrors.
Theireyesburnedintheirheads;theirfeetgrewspeedierandlighter;theirwholesoulwasfoundupinthatfortune,thatwholelifetimeofextravaganceandpleasure,thatlaywaitingthereforeachofthem.
Silverhobbled,grunting,onhiscrutch;hisnostrilsstoodoutandquivered;hecursedlikeamadmanwhenthefliessettledonhishotandshinycountenance;hepluckedfuriouslyatthelinethatheldmetohimandfromtimetotimeturnedhiseyesuponmewithadeadlylook.
Certainlyhetooknopainstohidehisthoughts,andcertainlyIreadthemlikeprint.
Intheimmediatenearnessofthegold,allelsehadbeenforgotten:hispromiseandthedoctor’swarningwereboththingsofthepast,andIcouldnotdoubtthathehopedtoseizeuponthetreasure,findandboardtheHispaniolaundercoverofnight,cuteveryhonestthroataboutthatisland,andsailawayashehadatfirstintended,ladenwithcrimesandriches.
ShakenasIwaswiththesealarms,itwashardformetokeepupwiththerapidpaceofthetreasure-hunters.
NowandagainIstumbled,anditwasthenthatSilverpluckedsoroughlyattheropeandlaunchedatmehismurderousglances.
Dick,whohaddroppedbehindusandnowbroughtuptherear,wasbabblingtohimselfbothprayersandcursesashisfeverkeptrising.
Thisalsoaddedtomywretchedness,andtocrownall,Iwashauntedbythethoughtofthetragedythathadoncebeenactedonthatplateau,whenthatungodlybuccaneerwiththeblueface—hewhodiedatSavannah,singingandshoutingfordrink—hadthere,withhisownhand,cutdownhissixaccomplices.
Thisgrovethatwasnowsopeacefulmustthenhaverungwithcries,Ithought;andevenwiththethoughtIcouldbelieveIhearditringingstill.
Wewerenowatthemarginofthethicket.
“Huzza,mates,alltogether!”shoutedMerry;andtheforemostbrokeintoarun.
Andsuddenly,nottenyardsfurther,webeheldthemstop.Alowcryarose.
Silverdoubledhispace,diggingawaywiththefootofhiscrutchlikeonepossessed;andnextmomentheandIhadcomealsotoadeadhalt.
Beforeuswasagreatexcavation,notveryrecent,forthesideshadfalleninandgrasshadsproutedonthebottom.
Inthisweretheshaftofapickbrokenintwoandtheboardsofseveralpacking-casesstrewnaround.
OnoneoftheseboardsIsaw,brandedwithahotiron,thenameWalrus—thenameofFlint’sship.
Allwascleartoprobation.Thecachehadbeenfoundandrifled;thesevenhundredthousandpoundsweregone!
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