When I came up on deck the next morning, the island looked absolutely different. The wind had become calm, but we had travelled far during the night. Our position was now about half a mile from the low eastern coast.
Grey woods covered most of the island. There were lines of yellow sand and some tall pine trees, standing alone or in small groups. The island looked dull and miserable . The hills rose above the trees with sharp rocks. The tallest hill, called the Spy-glass, stood high and strange, rising steeply and then suddenly cut off at the top.
The ship, the Hispaniola, was moving up and down on the sea. The wooden deck of the ship made strange noises, as the ship moved. I had to hold on tightly to a rope, and the world seemed to turn around me. I was fine when the ship was moving forwards, but being still and moving like this made me want to be sick, especially on an empty stomach.
Maybe it was that feeling—or maybe it was the island itself . The grey woods, the wild rocks, and the sound of waves crashing on the shore made me anxious . Although the sun was shining and birds were flying and calling, my heart sank. From the first moment, I was certain I couldn't stand Treasure Island.
We had a long and tiring job ahead. There was no wind, so we had to get out the boats and move the ship by hand around the island. I joined in on one of the boats, although I wasn’t really needed. It was very hot, and the men began to complain. Even Anderson, the first officer, who was in charge, was complaining loudly.
This worried me. Until then, the men had been willing to work hard, but now they seemed different.
Long John Silver stood by the man steering the ship and gave directions . He knew the way perfectly.
'There’s a strong current here,' he said. 'This way has been cut out by the sea.'
We finally dropped anchor in a quiet place between the island and Skeleton Island. Birds flew up into the air, crying loudly, but soon everything became silent again.
The place was surrounded by trees, with hills in the distance.Two small rivers flowed into the water. The plants looked bright but somehow dangerous. We couldn’t see any houses or buildings from the ship.
There was no wind at all, and the only sound was the open sea in the distance. A disgusting smell at this place—like wet leaves and dying wood. I saw the doctor smelling the air again and again.
'I don’t know about treasure,' he said, 'but I’m certain there’s fever here.'
The men’s behaviour got worse when they went back to the ship. They lay around the deck, talking angrily. They followed orders slowly and with bad looks. It was obvious something was wrong.
Long John tried to calm them down. He moved from group to group, smiling and speaking kindly.
'Aye, aye, sir!' he would say cheerfully whenever he got an order.
He even started singing to keep the men cheerful. But to me, his behaviour was the most worrying thing of all.
We had a meeting in the cabin.
'Sir,' said the captain, 'if I give another order, the men might turn against us. If I argue, there’ll be a fight. If I stay quiet, Silver will know something is wrong. We have only one man to trust .'
'Who?' asked the squire.
'Silver,' said the captain. 'He wants to keep things calm. Let’s give the men a chance to go ashore.'
So we agreed. The captain went on deck.
'My lads,' he said, 'we’re all exhausted . You can go ashore this afternoon. I’ll shoot a gun before sunset so you can come back.'
The men cheered loudly and forgot about being angry at once.
Soon, the boats were ready. Thirteen men, including Silver, got in. Six stayed on the ship.
At that moment, I had a sudden idea. I quickly got over the side and hid in one of the boats.
When we reached the shore, I jumped out, and ran into the trees.
'Jim! Jim!' I heard Silver shout.
But I didn’t stop. I kept running away, pushing through bushes* until I couldn’t run anymore.
Soon, I began to look around. I had escaped Silver, and I felt excitement. I saw strange plants and even a snake that lifted its head and looked at me.
I walked on and came to an open sandy area with trees. In the distance, I saw a hill with two sharp peaks.
I felt the pleasure of exploring something new. I was alone, far from the ship.
Suddenly, birds flew up into the air. I guessed someone was coming. Then I heard voices.
I quickly hid under a tree and listened.
One voice was Silver’s.
'Mate,' he said, 'I care about you. That’s why I’m warning you. Things are bad. I’m trying to save your life.'
'Silver,' said the other man, 'you’re older and respected. You have money. Are you really going to join these bad men in this mutiny? Not me! I would rather lose my hand than not do my duty!'
Suddenly, there was an awful scream from far away. The sound travelled across the island. The birds flew up again.
'That’ll be Alan,' said Silver quietly.
'Alan!' cried the sailor. 'Your men have murdered him! And you, Silver—you’re no friend of mine now. Kill me if you want. I’ll die doing my duty!'
He turned and walked away.
But Silver quickly grabbed a large stick and threw it at him. It hit the man hard in the back, and he fell. Then Silver jumped on the man, raised his knife and killed him.
I felt sick. The world seemed to go dark.
When I came back to myself, Silver was cleaning his knife calmly.
Then he took out a whistle* and blew it. I knew more men would come.
I quickly ran off as fast as I could. Fear took over, and I didn’t know where I was going.
I thought, 'If I go back, they will kill me. If I stay here, I might die alone.'
I kept running until I reached a higher, drier place with tall trees. Here there was fresher air.
I stopped and sat down. What was I going to do now?
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