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The council of the buccaneers had lasted some time, when one of themre-entered the house, and with a repetition of the same salute, whichhad in my eyes an ironical air, begged for a moment's loan of the torch.Silver briefly agreed, and this emissary retired again, leaving ustogether in the dark.

"There's a breeze coming, Jim," said Silver, who had by this timeadopted quite a friendly and familiar tone.

I turned to the loophole nearest me and looked out. The embers of thegreat fire had so far burned themselves out, and now glowed so low andduskily, that I understood why these conspirators desired a torch. Abouthalfway down the slope to the stockade they were collected in a group;one held the light; another was on his knees in their midst, and I sawthe blade of an open knife shine in his hand with varying colors, in themoon and torchlight. The rest were all somewhat stooping, as thoughwatching the maneuvers of this last. I could just make out that he had abook as well as a knife in his hand; and was still wondering howanything so incongruous had come in their possession, when the kneelingfigure rose once more to his feet, and the whole party began to movetogether toward the house.

"Here they come," said I; and I returned to my former position, for itseemed beneath my dignity that they should find me watching them.

"Well, let 'em come, lad--let 'em come," said Silver, cheerily. "I'vestill a shot in my locker."

The door opened, and the five men, standing huddled together justinside, pushed one of their number forward. In any other circumstancesit would have been comical to see his slow advance, hesitating as he setdown each foot, but holding his closed right hand in front of him.

"Step up, lad," cried Silver. "I won't eat you. Hand it over, lubber. Iknow the rules, I do; I won't hurt a depytation."

Thus encouraged the buccaneer stepped forth more briskly, and havingpassed something to Silver, from hand to hand, slipped yet more smartlyback again to his companions.

The sea-cook looked at what had been given him.

"The black spot! I thought so," he observed. "Where might you have gotthe paper? Why, hello! look here, now; this ain't lucky! You've gone andcut this out of a Bible. What fool's cut a Bible?"

"Ah, there," said Morgan, "there! Wot did I say? No good'll come o'that, I said."

"Well, you've about fixed it now, among you," continued Silver. "You'llall swing now, I reckon. What soft-headed lubber had a Bible?"

"It was Dick," said one.

"Dick, was it? Then Dick can get to prayers," said Silver. "He's seenhis slice of luck, has Dick, and you may lay to that."

But here the long man with the yellow eyes struck in.

"Belay that talk, John Silver," he said. "This crew has tipped you theblack spot in full council, as in dooty bound; just you turn it over, asin dooty bound, and see what's wrote there. Then you can talk."

"Thanky, George," replied the sea-cook. "You always was brisk forbusiness, and has the rules by heart, George, as I'm pleased to see.Well, what is it, anyway? Ah! 'Deposed'--that's it, is it? Very prettywrote, to be sure; like print, I swear. Your hand o' write, George? Why,you was gettin' quite a leadin' man in this here crew. You'll be cap'nnext, I shouldn't wonder. Just oblige me with that torch again, willyou? this pipe don't draw."

"Come, now," said George, "you don't fool this crew no more. You're afunny man, by your account; but you're over now, and you'll maybe stepdown off that barrel, and help vote."

"I thought you said you knowed the rules," returned Silver,contemptuously. "Leastways, if you don't, I do; and I wait here--and I'mstill your cap'n, mind--till you outs with your grievances, and I reply;in the meantime, your black spot ain't worth a biscuit. After that we'llsee."

"Oh," replied George, "you don't be under no kind of apprehension;_we're_ all square, we are. First, you've made a hash of thiscruise--you'll be a bold man to say no to that. Second, you let theenemy out o' this here trap for nothing. Why did they want out? I dunno,but it's pretty plain they wanted it. Third, you wouldn't let us go atthem upon the march. Oh, we see through you, John Silver; you want toplay booty, that's what's wrong with you. And then, fourth, there's thishere boy."

"Is that all?" asked Silver, quietly.

"Enough, too," retorted George. "We'll all swing and sun-dry for yourbungling."

"Well, now, look here, I'll answer these four p'ints; one after anotherI'll answer 'em. I made a hash o' this cruise, did I? Well, now, you allknow what I wanted; and you all know, if that had been done, that we'd'a' been aboard the _Hispaniola_ this night as ever was, every man of usalive, and fit, and full of good plum-duff, and the treasure in the holdof her, by thunder! Well, who crossed me? Who forced my hand, as was thelawful cap'n? Who tipped me the black spot the day we landed, and beganthis dance? Ah, it's a fine dance--I'm with you there--and looks mightylike a hornpipe in a rope's end at Execution Dock by London town, itdoes. But who done it? Why, it was Anderson, and Hands, and you, GeorgeMerry! And you're the last above board of that same meddling crew; andyou have the Davy Jones insolence to up and stand for cap'n overme--you, that sunk the lot of us! By the powers! but this tops thestiffest yarn to nothing."

Silver paused, and I could see by the faces of George and his latecomrades that these words had not been said in vain.

"That's for number one," cried the accused, wiping the sweat from hisbrow, for he had been talking with a vehemence that shook the house."Why, I give you my word, I'm sick to speak to you. You've neither sensenor memory, and I leave it to fancy where your mothers was that let youcome to sea. Sea! Gentlemen o' fortune! I reckon tailors is your trade."

"Go on, John," said Morgan. "Speak up to the others."

"Ah, the others!" returned John. "They're a nice lot, ain't they? Yousay this cruise is bungled. Ah! by gum, if you could understand how badit's bungled, you would see! We're that near the gibbet that my neck'sstiff with thinking on it. You've seen 'em, maybe, hanged in chains,birds about 'em, seamen p'inting 'em out as they go down with the tide.'Who's that?' says one. 'That! Why, that's John Silver. I knowed himwell,' says another. And you can hear the chains a-jangle as you goabout and reach for the other buoy. Now, that's about where we are,every mother's son of us, thanks to him, and Hands, and Anderson, andother ruination fools of you. And if you want to know about number four,and that boy, why, shiver my timbers! isn't he a hostage? Are we a-goingto waste a hostage? No, not us; he might be our last chance, and Ishouldn't wonder. Kill that boy? not me, mates! And number three? Ah,well, there's a deal to say to number three. Maybe you don't count itnothing to have a real college doctor come to see you every day--you,John, with your head broke--or you, George Merry, that had the agueshakes upon you not six hours agone, and has your eyes the color oflemon peel to this same moment on the clock? And maybe, perhaps, youdidn't know there was a consort coming, either? But there is, and not solong till then; and we'll see who'll be glad to have a hostage when itcomes to that. And as for number two, and why I made a bargain--well,you come crawling on your knees to me to make it--on your knees youcame, you was that downhearted--and you'd have starved, too, if Ihadn't--but that's a trifle! you look there--that's why!"

And he cast down upon the floor a paper that I instantlyrecognized--none other than the chart on yellow paper, with the threered crosses, that I had found in the oilcloth at the bottom of thecaptain's chest. Why the doctor had given it to him was more than Icould fancy.

But if it were inexplicable to me, the appearance of the chart wasincredible to the surviving mutineers. They leaped upon it like catsupon a mouse. It went from hand to hand, one tearing it from another;and by the oaths and the cries and the childish laughter with which theyaccompanied their examination, you would have thought, not only theywere fingering the very gold, but were at sea with it, besides, insafety.

"Yes," said one, "that's Flint, sure enough. J. F., and a score below,with a close hitch to it, so he done ever."

"Mighty pretty," said George. "But how are we to get away with it, andus no ship?"

Silver suddenly sprang up, and supporting himself with a hand againstthe wall: "Now, I give you warning, George," he cried. "One more word ofyour sauce, and I'll call you down and fight you. How? Why, how do Iknow? You had ought to tell me that--you and the rest, that lost me myschooner, with your interference, burn you! But not you, you can't; youain't got the invention of a cockroach. But civil you can speak, andshall, George Merry, you may lay to that."

"That's fair enow," said the old man Morgan.

"Fair! I reckon so," said the sea-cook. "You lost the ship; I found thetreasure. Who's the better man at that? And now I resign, by thunder!Elect whom you please to be your cap'n now; I'm done with it."

"Silver!" they cried. "Barbecue forever! Barbecue for cap'n!"

"So that's the toon, is it?" cried the cook. "George, I reckon you'llhave to wait another turn, friend, and lucky for you as I'm not arevengeful man. But that was never my way. And now, shipmates, thisblack spot? 'Tain't much good now, is it? Dick's crossed his luck andspoiled his Bible, and that's about all."

"It'll do to kiss the book on still, won't it?" growled Dick, who wasevidently uneasy at the curse he had brought upon himself.

"A Bible with a bit cut out!" returned Silver, derisively. "Not it. Itdon't bind no more'n a ballad-book."

"Don't it, though?" cried Dick, with a sort of joy. "Well, I reckonthat's worth having, too."

"Here, Jim--here's a cur'osity for you," said Silver, and he tossed methe paper.

It was a round about the size of a crown piece. One side was blank, forit had been the last leaf; the other contained a verse or two ofRevelation--these words among the rest, which struck sharply home uponmy mind: "Without are dogs and murderers." The printed side had beenblackened with wood ash, which already began to come off and soil myfingers; on the blank side had been written with the same material theone word "Deposed." I have that curiosity beside me at this moment; butnot a trace of writing now remains beyond a single scratch, such as aman might make with his thumb-nail.

That was the end of the night's business. Soon after, with a drink allround, we lay down to sleep, and the outside of Silver's vengeance wasto put George Merry up for sentinel, and threaten him with death if heshould prove unfaithful.

It was long ere I could close an eye, and heaven knows I had matterenough for thought in the man whom I had slain that afternoon, in my ownmost perilous position, and, above all, in the remarkable game that Isaw Silver now engaged upon--keeping the mutineers together with onehand, and grasping, with the other, after every means, possible andimpossible, to make his peace and save his miserable life. He himselfslept peacefully, and snored aloud; yet my heart was sore for him,wicked as he was, to think on the dark perils that environed, and theshameful gibbet that awaited him.