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Treasure Island
Chapter 9. Powder and Arms
The Hispaniola was anchored some way out.
We went under the figureheads of many other ships and around their sterns.
Their cables sometimes rubbed under our keel and sometimes swung above us.
At last we got alongside, As we stepped aboard, the mate, Mr. Arrow, met us and greeted us.
He was a brown old sailor with earrings in his ears and a squint.
He and the squire were very close and friendly.
But I soon noticed that things weren't the same between Mr. Trelawney and the captain.
The captain was a sharp-looking man who seemed angry with everything on board.
He was soon to tell us why.
We had hardly gotten down into the cabin when a sailor followed us.
"Captain Smollett, sir, asking to speak with you," he said.
"I'm always at the captain's orders. Show him in," said the squire.
The captain, who was close behind his messenger, entered at once and shut the door behind him.
"Well, Captain Smollett, what do you have to say? All well, I hope, all shipshape and seaworthy?"
"Well, sir," said the captain.
"It's better to speak plainly, I believe, even at the risk of causing offence."
"I don't like this cruise."
"I don't like the men."
"And I don't like my officer."
"That's short and sweet."
"Perhaps, sir, you don't like the ship?" asked the squire, very angry, as I could see.
"I can't speak about that, sir, not having seen her tried," said the captain.
"She seems a clever craft. I can't say more than that."
"Possibly, sir, you may not like your employer, either?" said the squire.
But just then Dr. Livesey cut in with a word.
"Wait a bit,"
"Wait a bit," he said.
"There's no use asking such questions, they'll only cause bad feelings," he added.
"You say you don't like this cruise, why?" he asked.
"I was hired, sir, on what we call sealed orders, to sail this ship for that gentleman wherever he should tell me," said the captain.
"So far so good. But now I find that every man before the mast knows more than I do. I don't call that fair, now, do you?"
"No," said Dr. Livesey, "I don't."
"Next," said the captain.
"I learn we're going after treasure."
"I hear it from my own hands, mind you."
"Now, treasure is tricky work."
"I don't like treasure voyages at all, and I don't like them, above all, when they're secret and when, begging your pardon, Mr."
"Trelawney, the secret has been told to the parrot."
"Silver's parrot?" asked the squire.
"It's a way of speaking," said the captain.
"I mean it's been blabbed."
"It's my belief that neither of you gentlemen knows what you're doing."
"But I'll tell you my way of looking at it."
"It's life or death, and a close run."
"That's all clear, and I dare say true enough," replied Dr. Livesey.
"We take the risk, but we aren't as ignorant as you believe us. Next, you say you don't like the crew. Aren't they good seamen?"
"I don't like them, sir," replied Captain Smollett.
"And I think I should have had the choosing of my own men, if you go to that."
"Perhaps you should," replied the doctor.
"My friend should, perhaps, have taken you along with him. But the slight, if there's one, was unintentional. And you don't like Mr. Arrow?"
"I don't, sir."
"I believe he's a good seaman, but he's too free with the crew to be a good officer."
"A mate should keep to himself."
"He shouldn't drink with the men before the mast!"
"Do you mean he drinks?" cried the squire.
"No, sir," replied the captain, "only that he's too familiar."
"Well, now, and the short and long of it, captain?" asked the doctor.
"Tell us what you want."
"Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go on this cruise?"
"Like iron," answered the squire.
"Very good," said the captain.
"Then, since you've heard me very patiently, saying things that I couldn't prove, hear me a few more words."
"They're putting the powder and the arms in the fore hold."
"Now, you have a good place under the cabin."
"Why not put them there?"
"That's the first point."
"Then, you're bringing four of your own people with you, and they tell me some of them are to sleep forward."
"Why not give them the berths here beside the cabin?"
"That's the second point."
"Any more?" asked Mr. Trelawney.
"One more," said the captain.
"There's been too much blabbing already."
"Far too much," agreed the doctor.
"I'll tell you what I've heard myself," continued Captain Smollett.
"That you have a map of an island, that there are crosses on the map to show where the treasure is, and that the island lies, "
And then he named the latitude and longitude exactly.
"I never told that," cried the squire, "to a soul!"
"The hands know it, sir," replied the captain.
"Livesey, that must have been you or Hawkins," cried the squire.
"It doesn't much matter who it was," replied the doctor.
And I could see that neither he nor the captain paid much attention to Mr. Trelawney's protests.
Neither did I, to be sure, he was such a loose talker.
Yet in this case I believe he was really right and that nobody had told the location of the island.
"Well, gentlemen," continued the captain.
"I don't know who has this map."
"I make it a point that it shall be kept secret even from me and Mr. Arrow. Otherwise I'd ask you to let me resign."
"I see," said the doctor.
You want us to keep this matter quiet.
We must also make a garrison of the stern part of the ship.
It should be manned with my friend's own people.
It must have all the arms and powder on board.
"In other words, you fear a mutiny."
"Sir," said Captain Smollett.
"With no intention to cause offence, I deny your right to put words into my mouth."
"No captain, sir, would be justified in going to sea at all if he had enough reason to say that."
"As for Mr."
"Arrow, I believe him completely honest."
"Some of the men are the same."
"All may be, for all I know."
"But I'm responsible for the ship's safety and the life of every man Jack aboard of her."
"I see things going, as I think, not quite right."
"And I ask you to take certain precautions or let me resign my berth."
"And that's all."
"Captain Smollett," began the doctor with a smile, "did you ever hear the fable of the mountain and the mouse?"
"You'll excuse me, I dare say, but you remind me of that fable, when you came in here, I'll stake my wig you meant more than this".
"Doctor," said the captain, "you're smart. When I came in here I meant to get discharged. I had no thought that Mr. Trelawney would hear a word."
"No more I'd," cried the squire.
"If Livesey hadn't been here, I'd have sent you to the devil."
"As it's, I have heard you."
"I'll do as you desire, but I think the worse of you."
"That's as you please, sir," said the captain.
"You'll find I do my duty."
And with that he took his leave.
"Trelawney," said the doctor.
"Contrary to all my ideas, I believe you have managed to get two honest men on board with you. That man and John Silver."
"Silver, if you like," cried the squire.
"But as for that intolerable humbug, I declare I think his conduct is unmanly, unsailorly, and downright un-English."
"Well," said the doctor, "we shall see."
When we came on deck, the men were taking out the arms and powder, yo-ho-ing, while the captain and Mr. Arrow supervised.
The new arrangement was quite to my liking.
The whole schooner had been overhauled, Six berths had been made astern out of what had been the after-part of the main hold.
This set of cabins was only joined to the galley and forecastle by a sparred passage on the port side.
It had originally been meant that the captain, Mr. Arrow, Hunter, Joyce, the doctor, and the squire would occupy these six berths.
Redruth and I were to get two of them.
Mr. Arrow and the captain were to sleep on deck in the companion.
It had been enlarged on each side till you might almost have called it a round-house.
It was still very low, of course.
But there was room to swing two hammocks, and even the mate seemed pleased with the arrangement.
Even he, perhaps, had been doubtful about the crew.
But that's only a guess, for as you shall hear, we didn't have the benefit of his opinion for long.
We were hard at work changing the powder and berths when the last men, Long John among them, came off in a shore-boat.
The cook came up the side like a monkey for cleverness.
As soon as he saw what was happening, "So ho, mates!" he said.
"What's this?"
"We're changing the powder, Jack," answered one.
"Why, by the powers," cried Long John, "if we do, we'll miss the morning tide!"
"My orders!" said the captain shortly.
"You may go below, my man. The hands will want supper."
"Aye, aye, sir," answered the cook.
Touching his forelock, he disappeared at once in the direction of his galley.
"That's a good man, captain," said the doctor.
"Very likely, sir," replied Captain Smollett.
"Easy with that, men. Easy," he went on, to the fellows who were moving the powder.
Then suddenly noticing me examining the swivel we carried amidships, a long brass nine, "Here, you, ship's boy,"
He cried, "out of that! Off with you to the cook and get some work."
And then as I was hurrying off, I heard him say, quite loudly, to the doctor, "I'll have no favourites on my ship."
I assure you I was quite of the squire's way of thinking, and I hated the captain deeply.