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It was about half-past one--three bells in the sea phrase--that the twoboats went ashore from the _Hispaniola_. The captain, the squire, and Iwere talking matters over in the cabin. Had there been a breath of wind,we should have fallen on the six mutineers who were left aboard with us,slipped our cable, and away to sea. But the wind was wanting; and, tocomplete our helplessness, down came Hunter with the news that JimHawkins had slipped into a boat and was gone ashore with the rest.

It had never occurred to us to doubt Jim Hawkins, but we were alarmedfor his safety. With the men in the temper they were in, it seemed aneven chance if we should see the lad again. We ran on deck. The pitchwas bubbling in the seams; the nasty stench of the place turned me sick;if ever a man smelled fever and dysentery it was in that abominableanchorage. The six scoundrels were sitting grumbling under a sail in theforecastle; ashore we could see the gigs made fast, and a man sitting ineach, hard by where the river runs in. One of them was whistling"Lillibullero."

Waiting was a strain, and it was decided that Hunter and I should goashore with the jolly-boat, in quest of information.

The gigs had leaned to their right, but Hunter and I pulled straight in,in the direction of the stockade upon the chart. The two who were leftguarding their boats seemed in a bustle at our appearance;"Lillibullero" stopped off, and I could see the pair discussing whatthey ought to do. Had they gone and told Silver, all might have turnedout differently; but they had their orders, I suppose, and decided tosit quietly where they were and hark back again to "Lillibullero."

There was a slight bend in the coast, and I steered so as to put itbetween us. Even before we landed we had thus lost sight of the gigs; Ijumped out and came as near running as I durst, with a big silkhandkerchief under my hat for coolness' sake, and a brace of pistolsready primed for safety.

I had not gone a hundred yards when I came on the stockade.

This was how it was: A spring of clear water arose at the top of aknoll. Well, on the knoll, and inclosing the spring, they had clapped astout log house, fit to hold two-score people on a pinch, and loopholedfor musketry on every side. All around this they had cleared a widespace, and then the thing was completed by a paling six feet high,without door or opening, too strong to pull down without time and labor,and too open to shelter the besiegers. The people in the log house hadthem in every way; they stood quiet in the shelter and shot the otherslike partridges. All they wanted was a good watch and food; for, shortof a complete surprise, they might have held the place against aregiment.

What particularly took my fancy was the spring. For, though we had agood place of it in the cabin of the _Hispaniola_, with plenty of armsand ammunition, and things to eat, and excellent wines, there had beenone thing overlooked--we had no water. I was thinking this over, whenthere came ringing over the island the cry of a man at the point ofdeath. I was not new to violent death--I have served his Royal Highnessthe Duke of Cumberland, and got a wound myself at Fontenoy--but I knowmy pulse went dot and carry one. "Jim Hawkins is gone," was my firstthought.

It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have beena doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work. And so now I madeup my mind instantly, and with no time lost returned to the shore andjumped on board the jolly-boat.

By good fortune Hunter pulled a good oar. We made the water fly, and theboat was soon alongside and I aboard the schooner.

I found them all shaken, as was natural. The squire was sitting down, aswhite as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, the good soul!and one of the six forecastle hands was little better.

"There's a man," said Captain Smollett, nodding toward him, "new to thiswork. He came nigh-hand fainting, doctor, when he heard the cry. Anothertouch of the rudder and that man would join us."

I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the detailsof its accomplishment.

We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle,with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection. Hunterbrought the boat round under the stern port, and Joyce and I set to workloading her with powder, tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork,a cask of cognac, and my invaluable medicine chest.

In the meantime the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and thelatter hailed the coxswain, who was the principal man aboard.

"Mr. Hands," he said, "here are two of us with a brace of pistols each.If any one of you six make a signal of any description, that man'sdead."

They were a good deal taken aback; and, after a little consultation, oneand all tumbled down the fore companion, thinking, no doubt, to take uson the rear. But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparredgallery, they went about ship at once, and a head popped out again ondeck.

"Down, dog!" cried the captain.

And the head popped back again, and we heard no more for the time ofthese six very faint-hearted seamen.

By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boatloaded as much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the stern port,and we made for shore again, as fast as oars could take us.

This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. "Lillibullero"was dropped again, and just before we lost sight of them behind thelittle point, one of them whipped ashore and disappeared. I had half amind to change my plan and destroy their boats, but I feared that Silverand the others might be close at hand, and all might very well be lostby trying for too much.

We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to work toprovision the blockhouse. All three made the first journey, heavilyladen, and tossed our stores over the palisade. Then, leaving Joyce toguard them--one man, to be sure, but with half a dozen muskets--Hunterand I returned to the jolly-boat, and loaded ourselves once more. So weproceeded, without pausing to take breath, till the whole cargo wasbestowed, when the two servants took up their position in theblockhouse, and I, with all my power, sculled back to the _Hispaniola_.

That we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring than itreally was. They had the advantage of numbers, of course, but we had theadvantage of arms. Not one of the men ashore had a musket, and beforethey could get within range for pistol shooting, we flattered ourselveswe should be able to give a good account of a half dozen at least.

The squire was waiting for me at the stern window, all his faintnessgone from him. He caught the painter and made it fast, and we fell toloading the boat for our very lives. Pork, powder, and biscuit was thecargo, with only a musket and a cutlass apiece for squire and me andRedruth and the captain. The rest of the arms and powder we droppedoverboard in two fathoms and a half of water, so that we could see thebright steel shining far below us in the sun on the clean, sandy bottom.

By this time the tide was beginning to ebb, and the ship was swinginground to her anchor. Voices were heard faintly halloaing in thedirection of the two gigs; and though this reassured us for Joyce andHunter, who were well to the eastward, it warned our party to be off.

Redruth retreated from his place in the gallery and dropped into theboat, which we then brought round to the ship's counter, to be handierfor Captain Smollett.

"Now, men," said he, "do you hear me?"

There was no answer from the forecastle.

"It's to you, Abraham Gray--it's to you I am speaking."

Still no reply.

"Gray," resumed Mr. Smollett, a little louder, "I am leaving this ship,and I order you to follow your captain. I know you are a good man atbottom, and I dare say not one of the lot of you's as bad as he makesout. I have my watch here in my hand; I give you thirty seconds to joinme in."

There was a pause.

"Come, my fine fellow," continued the captain, "don't hang so long instays. I'm risking my life and the lives of these good gentlemen everysecond."

There was a sudden scuffle, a sound of blows, and out burst Abraham Graywith a knife-cut on the side of the cheek, and came running to thecaptain, like a dog to the whistle.

"I'm with you, sir," said he.

And the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard of us, and wehad shoved off and given way.

We were clear out of the ship, but not yet ashore in our stockade.