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I was wakened--indeed, we were all wakened, for I could see even thesentinel shake himself together from where he had fallen against thedoorpost--by a clear, hearty voice hailing us from the margin of thewood:

"Blockhouse, ahoy!" it cried. "Here's the doctor."

And the doctor it was. Although I was glad to hear the sound, yet mygladness was not without admixture. I remembered with confusion myinsubordinate and stealthy conduct; and when I saw where it had broughtme--among what companions and surrounded by what dangers--I felt ashamedto look him in the face.

He must have risen in the dark, for the day had hardly come; and when Iran to a loophole and looked out, I saw him standing, like Silver oncebefore, up to the mid-leg in creeping vapor.

"You, doctor! Top o' the morning to you, sir!" cried Silver, broad awakeand beaming with good nature in a moment. "Bright and early, to be sure;and it's the early bird, as the saying goes, that gets the rations.George, shake up your timbers, son, and help Doctor Livesey over theship's side. All a-doin' well, your patients was--all well and merry."

So he pattered on, standing on the hilltop, with his crutch under hiselbow, and one hand upon the side of the log-house--quite the old Johnin voice, manner, and expression.

"We've quite a surprise for you, too, sir," he continued. "We've alittle stranger here--he! he! A noo boarder and lodger, sir, and lookingfit and taut as a fiddle; slep' like a supercargo, he did, rightalongside of John--stem to stem we was, all night."

Doctor Livesey was by this time across the stockade and pretty near thecook, and I could hear the alteration in his voice as he said:

"Not Jim?"

"The very same Jim as ever was," says Silver.

The doctor stopped outright, although he did not speak, and it was someseconds before he seemed able to move on.

"Well, well," he said at last, "duty first and pleasure afterwards, asyou might have said yourself, Silver. Let us overhaul these patients ofyours."

A moment afterwards he had entered the blockhouse, and, with one grimnod to me, proceeded with his work among the sick. He seemed under noapprehension, though he must have known that his life, among thesetreacherous demons, depended on a hair, and he rattled on to hispatients as if he were paying an ordinary professional visit in a quietEnglish family. His manner, I suppose, reacted on the men, for theybehaved to him as if nothing had occurred--as if he were still ship'sdoctor, and they still faithful hands before the mast.

"You're doing well, my friend," he said to the fellow with the bandagedhead, "and if ever any person had a close shave, it was you; your headmust be as hard as iron. Well, George, how goes it? You're a prettycolor, certainly; why, your liver, man, is upside down. Did you takethat medicine? Did he take that medicine, men?"

"Ay, ay, sir, he took it sure enough," returned Morgan.

"Because, you see, since I am mutineers' doctor, or prison doctor, as Iprefer to call it," says Doctor Livesey, in his pleasantest way, "I makeit a point of honor not to lose a man for King George (God bless him!)and the gallows."

The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust insilence.

"Dick don't feel well, sir," said one.

"Don't he?" replied the doctor. "Well, step up here, Dick, and let mesee your tongue. No, I should be surprised if he did; the man's tongueis fit to frighten the French. Another fever."

"Ah, there," said Morgan, "that comed of sp'iling Bibles."

"That comed--as you call it--of being arrant asses," retorted thedoctor, "and not having sense enough to know honest air from poison, andthe dry land from a vile, pestiferous slough. I think it mostprobable--though, of course, it's only an opinion--that you'll all havethe deuce to pay before you get that malaria out of your systems. Campin a bog, would you? Silver, I'm surprised at you. You're less of a foolthan many, take you all round; but you don't appear to me to have therudiments of a notion of the rules of health.

"Well," he added, after he had dosed them round, and they had taken hisprescriptions, with really laughable humility, more like charityschool-children than blood-guilty mutineers and pirates, "well, that'sdone for to-day. And now I should wish to have a talk with that boy,please."

And he nodded his head in my direction carelessly.

George Merry was at the door, spitting and spluttering over somebad-tasted medicine; but at the first word of the doctor's proposal heswung round with a deep flush, and cried, "No!" and swore.

Silver struck the barrel with his open hand.

"Si-lence!" he roared, and looked about him positively like a lion."Doctor," he went on, in his usual tones, "I was thinking of that,knowing as how you had a fancy for the boy. We're all humbly gratefulfor your kindness, and, as you see, puts faith in you, and takes thedrugs down like that much grog. And I take it I've found a way as'llsuit all. Hawkins, will you give me your word of honor as a younggentleman--for a young gentleman you are, although poor born--your wordof honor not to slip your cable?"

I readily gave the pledge required.

"Then, doctor," said Silver, "you just step outside o' that stockade,and once you're there, I'll bring the boy down on the inside, and Ireckon you can yarn through the spars. Good-day to you, sir, and all ourdooties to the squire and Cap'n Smollett."

The explosion of disapproval, which nothing but Silver's black looks hadrestrained, broke out immediately the doctor had left the house. Silverwas roundly accused of playing double--of trying to make a separatepeace for himself--of sacrificing the interests of his accomplices andvictims; and, in one word, of the identical, exact thing that he wasdoing. It seemed to me so obvious, in this case, that I could notimagine how he was to turn their anger. But he was twice the man therest were, and his last night's victory had given him a hugepreponderance on their minds. He called them all the fools and doltsyou can imagine, said it was necessary I should talk to the doctor,fluttered the chart in their faces, asked them if they could afford tobreak the treaty the very day they were bound a-treasure-hunting.

"No, by thunder!" he cried, "it's us must break the treaty when the timecomes; and till then I'll gammon that doctor, if I have to ile his bootswith brandy."

And then he bade them get the fire lit, and stalked out upon his crutch,with his hand on my shoulder, leaving them in a disarray, and silencedby his volubility rather than convinced.

"Slow, lad, slow," he said. "They might round upon us in a twinkle of aneye if we was seen to hurry."

Very deliberately, then, did we advance across the sand to where thedoctor awaited us on the other side of the stockade, and as soon as wewere within easy speaking distance, Silver stopped.

"You'll make a note of this here also, doctor," said he, "and the boy'lltell you how I saved his life, and were deposed for it, too, and you maylay to that. Doctor, when a man's steering as near to the wind asme--playing chuck-farthing with the last breath in his body, like--youwouldn't think it too much, mayhap, to give him one good word! You'llplease bear in mind it's not my life only now--it's that boy's into thebargain; and you'll speak me fair, doctor, and give me a bit o' hope togo on, for the sake of mercy."

Silver was a changed man, once he was out there and had his back to hisfriends and the blockhouse; his cheeks seemed to have fallen in, hisvoice trembled; never was a soul more dead in earnest.

"Why, John, you're not afraid?" asked Doctor Livesey.

"Doctor, I'm no coward; no, not I--not _so_ much!" and he snapped hisfingers. "If I was I wouldn't say it. But I'll own up fairly, I've theshakes upon me for the gallows. You're a good man and a true; I neverseen a better man! And you'll not forget what I done good, not any morethan you'll forget the bad, I know. And I step aside--see here--andleave you and Jim alone. And you'll put that down for me, too, for it'sa long stretch, is that!"

So saying, he stepped back a little way till he was out of earshot, andthere sat down upon a tree-stump and began to whistle, spinning roundnow and again upon his seat so as to command a sight, sometimes of meand the doctor, and sometimes of his unruly ruffians as they went to andfro in the sand, between the fire--which they were busy rekindling--andthe house, from which they brought forth pork and bread to make thebreakfast.

"So, Jim," said the doctor, sadly, "here you are. As you have brewed, soshall you drink, my boy. Heaven knows I cannot find it in my heart toblame you; but this much I will say, be it kind or unkind: when CaptainSmollett was well you dared not have gone off, and when he was ill, andcouldn't help it by George, it was downright cowardly!"

I will own that I here began to weep. "Doctor," I said, "you might spareme. I have blamed myself enough; my life's forfeit anyway, and I shouldhave been dead now if Silver hadn't stood for me; and, doctor, believethis, I can die--and I dare say I deserve it--but what I fear istorture. If they come to torture me--"

"Jim," the doctor interrupted, and his voice was quite changed, "Jim, Ican't have this. Whip over, and we'll run for it."

"Doctor," said I, "I passed my word."

"I know, I know," he cried. "We can't help that, Jim, now. I'll take iton my shoulders, holus-bolus, blame and shame, my boy; but stay here, Icannot let you. Jump! One jump and you're out, and we'll run for it likeantelopes."

"No," I replied, "you know right well you wouldn't do the thingyourself; neither you, nor squire, nor captain, and no more will I.Silver trusted me; I passed my word, and back I go. But, doctor, you didnot let me finish. If they come to torture me, I might let slip a wordof where the ship is; for I got the ship, part by luck and part byrisking, and she lies in North Inlet, on the southern beach, and justbelow high water. At half-tide she must be high and dry."

"The ship!" exclaimed the doctor.

Rapidly I described to him my adventures, and he heard me out insilence.

"There's a kind of fate in this," he observed, when I had done. "Everystep it's you that save our lives, and do you suppose by any chance thatwe are going to let you lose yours? That would be a poor return, my boy.You found out the plot; you found Ben Gunn--the best deed that ever youdid, or will do, though you live to ninety. Oh, by Jupiter! and talkingof Ben Gunn, why, this is the mischief in person. Silver!" he cried,"Silver! I'll give you a piece of advice," he continued, as the cookdrew near again; "don't you be in any great hurry after that treasure."

"Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain't," said Silver. "I canonly, asking your pardon, save my life and the boy's by seeking for thattreasure; and you may lay to that."

"Well, Silver," replied the doctor, "if that is so, I'll go one stepfarther; look out for squalls when you find it!"

"Sir," said Silver, "as between man and man, that's too much and toolittle. What you're after, why you left the blockhouse, why you've givenme that there chart, I don't know, now, do I? and yet I done yourbidding with my eyes shut and never a word of hope! But no, this here'stoo much. If you won't tell me what you mean plain out, just say so, andI'll leave the helm."

"No," said the doctor, musingly, "I've no right to say more; it's not mysecret, you see, Silver, or, I give you my word, I'd tell it you. ButI'll go as far with you as I dare go, and a step beyond, for I'll havemy wig sorted by the captain, or I'm mistaken! And first, I'll give youa bit of hope. Silver, if we both get out alive out of this wolf-trap,I'll do my best to save you, short of perjury."

Silver's face was radiant. "You couldn't say more, I am sure, sir, notif you was my mother," he cried.

"Well, that's my first concession," added the doctor. "My second is apiece of advice. Keep the boy close beside you, and when you need help,halloo. I'm off to seek it for you, and that itself will show you if Ispeak at random. Good-by, Jim."

And Doctor Livesey shook hands with me through the stockade, nodded toSilver, and set off at a brisk pace into the wood.