1 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:20,574 As soon as Ben Gunn saw the flag above the cabin in the stockade, he grabbed me by the arm. "Ah, your friends are there," he said. 2 00:00:20,575 --> 00:00:23,892 "It's probably the mutineers," I answered. 3 00:00:23,893 --> 00:00:30,861 "No, Long John would fly the Jolly Roger, the skull and crossbones flag. That's your friends. 4 00:00:30,862 --> 00:00:38,088 There's been a fight, and I'll bet your friends are now ashore in the old stockade that Flint built years ago." 5 00:00:38,089 --> 00:00:41,876 "Well, then," I said, "I should hurry and join them." 6 00:00:41,877 --> 00:00:46,103 "If anyone needs me, they can find me where we met today. 7 00:00:46,104 --> 00:00:52,535 But whoever comes to find me must carry something white and they must come alone. 8 00:00:52,536 --> 00:00:57,694 If they ask why, tell them, 'Ben Gunn has reasons of his own.'" 9 00:00:57,695 --> 00:01:01,367 "I understand," I said. "Is that all?" 10 00:01:01,368 --> 00:01:06,369 He nodded. "They can find me from about noon to about six o'clock." 11 00:01:06,370 --> 00:01:07,967 "Good." 12 00:01:07,968 --> 00:01:15,448 "And, Jim, if you see Long John, don't tell him you saw me! Please don't!" 13 00:01:15,449 --> 00:01:21,827 "I wouldn't―," I started to say, but suddenly, we were interrupted by a loud, sharp noise. 14 00:01:21,828 --> 00:01:25,021 A cannonball came tearing through the trees. 15 00:01:25,022 --> 00:01:29,781 The next moment, Ben Gunn and I ran off in different directions. 16 00:01:29,782 --> 00:01:33,969 For the next hour, balls kept crashing through the woods. 17 00:01:33,970 --> 00:01:40,420 I moved from place to place, always pursued—or so it seemed—by those terrifying missiles. 18 00:01:40,421 --> 00:01:46,568 Feeling brave, I finally crept down among the shoreside trees to see what was going on. 19 00:01:46,569 --> 00:01:55,884 The Hispaniola was still where she'd been anchored, but sure enough, the Jolly Roger—the flag of piracy—was flying from her mast. 20 00:01:55,885 --> 00:02:03,621 I lay for a while, watching as two pirates on the shore near the stockade demolished our poor, sunken rowboat. 21 00:02:03,622 --> 00:02:10,005 Then I crawled closer to the mouth of the river, where a great fire glowed among the trees. 22 00:02:10,006 --> 00:02:15,646 One of the shore boats kept going to and from the ship, as the pirates shouted drunkenly to each other. 23 00:02:15,647 --> 00:02:20,638 "Don't forget the sea biscuits!" hollered one man on the beach. 24 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:26,452 "Quiet, swab!" yelled another, rowing toward the ship. "I want more rum!" 25 00:02:26,453 --> 00:02:30,725 I got up and, keeping out of sight, headed toward the stockade. 26 00:02:30,726 --> 00:02:38,666 Soon I saw an isolated rock rising high up from among the low bushes. Strangely, it was white. 27 00:02:38,667 --> 00:02:42,009 "Could that be Ben Gunn's white rock?" I asked myself. 28 00:02:42,010 --> 00:02:44,755 "That might be the place where he keeps his boat." 29 00:02:44,756 --> 00:02:48,593 I continued walking through the woods and was soon at the stockade; 30 00:02:48,594 --> 00:02:52,698 I scrambled over the fence with high hopes that my friends would be there. 31 00:02:52,699 --> 00:02:57,128 "Jim!" the doctor shouted when he saw me, and welcomed me warmly. 32 00:02:57,129 --> 00:03:05,242 As I told my story, I looked around and noticed that the log house was made of pine tree trunks and had a floor about a foot above the sand. 33 00:03:05,243 --> 00:03:11,886 There was a porch, and under it, a little spring was bubbling up into a big iron pot with the bottom knocked out. 34 00:03:11,887 --> 00:03:19,648 Inside, a stone slab formed a corner hearth, and a big, rusty iron grate contained a smoky fire. 35 00:03:19,649 --> 00:03:25,116 Gray, the new man, had his face bandaged because of a cut he'd gotten from the mutineers. 36 00:03:25,117 --> 00:03:30,472 And poor Tom Redruth was laid out along the wall under the Union Jack. 37 00:03:30,473 --> 00:03:36,012 To keep us busy and our spirits up, Captain Smollett gave everyone something to do. 38 00:03:36,013 --> 00:03:40,610 "Men," the captain said, "we're all tired, but we can't just sit around. 39 00:03:40,611 --> 00:03:46,358 Gray and Hunter will collect firewood. The squire and Joyce will dig Redruth's grave. 40 00:03:46,359 --> 00:03:50,954 The doctor will be our cook, and Jim, you'll be the lookout at the door." 41 00:03:50,955 --> 00:03:55,600 A bit later, the doctor came to the door for air and tilted his head toward me. 42 00:03:55,601 --> 00:03:59,503 "Tell me again about Ben Gunn," he said. 43 00:03:59,504 --> 00:04:03,911 "Well," I replied, "I'm not sure he's sane." 44 00:04:03,912 --> 00:04:07,663 "If you have any doubt, he probably is," said the doctor. 45 00:04:07,664 --> 00:04:16,339 "You can't expect a man who's been on a deserted island for three years to appear as sane as you or I. You said he had a craving for cheese?" 46 00:04:16,340 --> 00:04:19,297 "Yes, sir, cheese," I answered. 47 00:04:19,298 --> 00:04:28,905 "Well, Jim," he said with a laugh, "inside my medicine bag, I carry a piece of Parmesan cheese—a cheese made in Italy, very nutritious. 48 00:04:28,906 --> 00:04:32,896 That's going to be for our friend Ben Gunn!" 49 00:04:32,897 --> 00:04:37,334 Before supper, we buried old Tom in the sand and said a prayer. 50 00:04:37,335 --> 00:04:41,430 Then we collected firewood, but not enough to satisfy the captain. 51 00:04:41,431 --> 00:04:44,985 "We'll get back to this tomorrow when we're more rested," he said. 52 00:04:44,986 --> 00:04:48,746 "But now, let's eat and then make some plans." 53 00:04:48,747 --> 00:04:57,377 We ate a bit of pork and each had a good, stiff glass of brandy, and then the doctor, the squire, and the captain huddled together in a corner. 54 00:04:57,378 --> 00:05:00,823 "We'll starve to death long before help comes," declared Smollett. 55 00:05:00,824 --> 00:05:03,884 "Our best hope is to kill all the pirates." 56 00:05:03,885 --> 00:05:09,416 "We've already reduced their number from nineteen to fifteen," noted the squire. 57 00:05:09,417 --> 00:05:12,629 "And others are wounded," the captain added. 58 00:05:12,630 --> 00:05:18,123 "Well, we have two strong allies—rum and the climate," the doctor said. 59 00:05:18,124 --> 00:05:24,383 "Listen to them! We're half a mile away and can still hear them singing late into the night. 60 00:05:24,384 --> 00:05:30,044 Making camp in the marsh, without medicine, half will be sick in a week." He frowned. 61 00:05:30,045 --> 00:05:36,279 "So, hopefully," he continued, "they'll be glad to return to the ship and get back to sea again." 62 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:41,111 "That's the first ship I ever lost," Captain Smollett said sadly. 63 00:05:41,112 --> 00:05:46,355 We all went to bed then, and after a great deal of tossing, I slept soundly. 64 00:05:46,356 --> 00:05:50,473 In the morning, I was awakened by the sound of excited voices. 65 00:05:50,474 --> 00:05:54,304 "There's a flag of truce!" someone exclaimed. 66 00:05:54,305 --> 00:05:59,103 Then another, with a cry of surprise, said, "It's Silver himself!" 67 00:05:59,104 --> 00:06:08,307 I jumped up, rubbed my eyes, and ran to a musket hole in the wall.