Each man looked as if he'd been punched, but with Long John, the shock seemed to pass almost instantly.
"Jim," he whispered, passing me a pistol, "stand by for trouble and stick close."
"So you've changed sides again," I whispered back as I untied the rope around my waist. Long John didn't answer.
Jumping into the pit one by one, the pirates threw the boards aside and began digging with their fingers.
Tom Morgan found one small gold coin.
"One stinking coin!" he shouted, as he tossed it to the nearest man.
"Is that all?" George Merry roared. "That's our seven hundred thousand dollars' worth of gold?"
"Dig away, boys," Long John said coolly, moving so that we were atop the steeper, harder-to-climb side of the pit.
"You'll find some tasty nuts down there too, I bet."
"Nuts!" George Merry screamed. He pointed accusingly at Long John.
"He knew the treasure was gone the whole time!"
The pirates scrambled out, and there we stood—Long John and I on one side of the pit, the five angry pirates on the other.
"Mates," George Merry said, "that swab brought us to this miserable island!
Let's kill him and his young friend!"
He raised his arm to signal the others to charge.
But just then—crack! crack! crack!—three musket shots flashed out of some nearby trees, and George Merry tumbled headfirst into the pit.
The man with the bandage spun like a top and fell dead. The other three turned and ran.
Long John took out his pistol and fired two shots into George Merry as he struggled to get out of the pit.
"George, I reckon I've settled with you."
The doctor, Abe Gray, and Ben Gunn emerged from the trees with smoking muskets.
"Hurry, lads," commanded Dr. Livesey. "We have to beat them to the boats!"
We set off at a fast pace, plunging into the woods, as Long John hobbled on his crutch behind us.
His strength as he tried to keep up was astounding; he never stopped, even though his chest must have felt ready to burst.
"Doctor! Wait!" Long John called when we finally paused for a moment.
From the plateau, we could see the three pirates running toward Mizzen Hill,
and since we were closer to the boats than they were, we waited until Long John caught up.
"Thank you, Doctor! You came in the nick of time," Long John said. "So it was you, Ben Gunn!"
"Yes," replied the marooned man, embarrassed. "How are you, Mr. Silver?"
"Ben, Ben," Silver murmured. "Good to see you, mate."
"Gray," the doctor said, "run back and bring us one of the pickaxes they left behind."
As we proceeded to the boats, the doctor told the story of the missing treasure.
"Ben Gunn's our hero. He found the skeleton.
He found the treasure, dug it up, and carried it on his back from that tall pine to his cave.
It's been there for over two months."
Bashful, Ben Gunn kept his head down as we walked.
"I got this secret out of Ben after the attack at the stockade.
The next morning, when I saw the ship was gone, I gave the useless map and possession of the stockade to Silver.
We moved to the safety of Ben Gunn's cave to guard the money.
"As for you, Jim," the doctor continued, "I knew you would suffer when the pirates discovered the treasure was gone.
So I left the squire to guard the captain in the cave, while Gray, Ben Gunn, and I raced to the tall pine.
But you and the others were too fast.
So Ben Gunn ran ahead and played the part of Flint's ghost, which delayed matters until Gray and I could get into position."
"Lucky for me Hawkins was there," said Long John. "You would have let them cut me to bits."
"Without a doubt," Dr. Livesey agreed cheerily.
We reached the boats, and the doctor, with the pickax Gray had, demolished one of them.
We boarded the other and set out for North Inlet to check on the ship.
As we passed Rum Cove, we saw someone on shore outside Ben Gunn's cave.
"It's the squire!" I waved and started cheering: "Hip! Hip!—"
"Hooray!" we all shouted.
We finally sailed just inside the mouth of North Inlet, and there was the Hispaniola.
"The tide lifted her!" I cried. "She's standing straight as ever."
"There's a problem with the mainsail," Gray said. "But she'll get us home.
After I drop you off at Rum Cove, I'll go back to the ship."
So we rowed back to the cave. The squire came out to greet us, saying, "I'm glad you're safe, Jim."
Long John saluted politely.
Trelawney gave him an angry look. "You're a villain and an impostor.
I was told not to prosecute you, so I won't.
But those dead men will haunt you."
We entered the large, airy cave, and before a big fire lay Captain Smollett.
In a far corner, shining in the firelight, were great heaps of coins and gold bars.
"I know of seventeen men who died for that," I thought.
"And how many more? How much blood, sorrow, and cruelty was involved? No one alive can tell."
"You're a good boy, Jim," the captain said, "but I don't think you and I will go to sea again.
Is that you, John Silver? What brings you here, man?"
"I've come back to do my duty, sir," replied Silver.
"Ah!" was all the captain said.
That night, we dined on Ben Gunn's salted goat meat, with fruit and wine from the Hispaniola.
"No one has ever been happier," I declared, "than we are right now."
And there was Silver in the corner, eating heartily and joining quietly in our laughter—the same eager-to-please seaman I'd met in Bristol.