Chapter 1

At the urging of Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and others, a boy named Jim Hawkins records
his story about Treasure Island. He omits the island’s exact location, as a portion of its treasure
still remains buried there. Jim begins the story by recounting his first meeting with a ragged but
imposing old seaman who shows up at the Admiral Benbow, the inn Jim’s father owns.
The old sailor throws down a few gold coins and moves in, staying at the inn for far longer than
his payment covers. He hires Jim to stay on the lookout for a one-legged sailor whom he
apparently fears. He terrorizes the others in the inn with his coarse sailor’s songs and heavy
drinking. Livesy cautions the sailor about the dangers of drinking, but these warnings enrage the
seaman,who threatens Livesey with a knife. Livesey subdues the man with his calm
authority.
Chapter 2
On a cold January morning soon after, a tall pale man who is missing two fingers enters the inn.
The man asks Jim if he has seen his mate Bill, or Billy Bones, as he is generally called, who is
recognizable by a scar on one cheek.Jim knows the stranger is referring to the old seaman who
is staying at the inn, and he tells the stranger that Bill will be back soon. Bill returns, and he
gasps when he recognizes his former shipmate, whom he addresses as Black Dog. The two
launch into a violent conversation that Jim cannot hear. The conversation ends as Billy Bones
attempts to kill Black Dog with his sword, but he is cut short, as he suddenly succumbs to a
stroke. Livesey cares for Billy in the inn and warns him to stay away from rum, which in his ill
health would be lethal for him.
Chapter 3
Jim attends to the ailing Billy, who begs him for a swig of rum in return for some money. Jim is
offended, saying he wants only what Billy owes his father for rent. But he gives Billy one glass of
rum. Energized by the alcohol, Billy says he must quickly get moving to outsmart his pursuers.
He explains to Jim that the former crew of the ship he sailed on, under the now-dead Captain
Flint wants his sea chest. That night Jim’s father, who has also been ill, dies.Returning from his
father’s funeral, Jim encounters a sinister blind man who asks to be taken to Billy. Billy appears
sickened to see the blind man, who hands him a black spot, which Jim has learned represents
an official secret pirate summons. Reading the black spot, Billy enigmatically cries out that he
has only six hours left. He springs into action, but falls down, stricken with a fatal stroke. Jim is
worried and calls for his mother.
Chapter 4
Jim tells his mother about the pirates’ plot to take Billy’s sea chest, and he flees with her to the
neighboring village to seek help. Terrified by the name of old Flint, none of the villagers is willing
to go to the inn to offer assistance.Armed with a gun, Jim returns with his mother to the inn. He
searches through the dead Billy’s clothing to find the key to the treasure chest. Finding the key
around Billy’s neck, Jim and his mother open the chest and find gold hidden at the bottom, a
portion of which Jim’s mother claims as her due. They hear running footsteps in the street
outside. Jim takes some papers wrapped in an oilcloth that he has found in the sea chest and
then flees the inn with his mother. Weakened by fear, his mother faints outside. Jim succeeds in
dragging her under a bridge, out of sight but within earshot of the inn.
Chapter 5
Terrified but curious, Jim looks out from his hiding place. He sees seven or eight men running
toward the inn, among them the blind man who had visited before. The eight men are surprised
to find the inn door open and Billy dead.They are concerned about the chest and seem
disappointed that it contains only Billy’s money: clearly they are more interested in something
else that belonged to Flint. The blind man, whom the others address as Pew, orders the men to
scatter and find the fugitives. He reminds them that they could be as rich as kings if they find the
missing object.Enraged, Pew starts screaming at his men, and they all begin to quarrel
violently. Hearing a pistol shot, however, the men panic and flee, leaving the blind Pew alone on
the road. Pew is accidentally run down and killed by men on horseback who have come to
investigate. Returning home, Jim finds the inn ruined. He realizes that the oilcloth-wrapped
papers in his pocket may be what the pirates sought, but he is reluctant to hand them over to
the officer, Dance, who tries to take charge of the situation. Jim says he would prefer to show
the papers to Dr. Livesey, and he sets off with Dance’s party for Livesey’s house.
Chapter 6
Jim, Dance, and the others arrive at Dr. Livesey’s darkened house to learn that he is dining at
the home of Squire Trelawney, a local nobleman. The group heads to Trelawney’s residence,
where they find the two men in the library. Livesey examines the oilskin packet that Jim has
recovered.Trelawney claims that the pirate Flint is more bloodthirsty than Blackbeard and has
accumulated a huge fortune. They open the book wrapped in the oilskin and find that it is a log
of all the places where Flint acquired loot, and of the sums of gold that he obtained in each
place. The packet also includes a map of the island where the whole treasure now lies buried,
with longitude and latitude detailed. Trelawney and Livesey are filled with glee, and start making
plans to sail to the island themselves, bringing Jim along as cabin boy.Everyone present swears
to secrecy.
Chapter 7
After a frustrating delay in preparations for the journey to Treasure Island, Jim is pleased to hear
that Dr. Livesey has received a letter from Squire Trelawney describing the ship and crew that
he has obtained. The ship has been procured through one of Trelawney’s acquaintances in
Bristol, a man who seems all too ready to help him and has a poor reputation in the city.The
ship is called the Hispaniola. Trelawney relates that he had some trouble finding a crew for the
voyage until he had the good fortune to meet up with an old one- legged sailor named Long
John Silver. Silver tells Trelawney that he misses the sea and wishes to set sail again as the
ship’s cook. Trelawney hires him, and Silver helps arrange the rest of the crew as well.
After a sad farewell with his mother, Jim sets out the next morning for Bristol,accompanied by
Tom Redruth, another man who will be on the ship’s crew. At the inn in Bristol, they meet up
with Trelawney, newly clothed in a sea officer’s outfit. Trelawney informs them that they will sail
the next day.
Chapter 8
Trelawney gives Jim a note to pass on to Long John Silver at the Spy-glass, a tavern in the
town. Jim sets off happily to find the sailor. Silver is more clean-cut than Jim expects, but Jim
recognizes him and introduces himself. Just then, another customer in the bar suddenly gets up
to leave, attracting Jim’s attention. Jim recognizes the man as Black Dog and informs Silver. Jim
is pleased to learn that Silver shares his negative view of Black Dog and Pew.Silver wins over
Jim’s trust, and they stroll by the docks as Silver tells Jim about ships and sea life. Silver is
introduced to Dr.Livesey and treats him with respect. Likewise, Livesey is quite pleased to have
Silver as the ship’s new cook.
Chapter 9
While boarding the ship, Jim, Silver, and the others meet Mr. Arrow, the first mate, with whom
Trelawney gets along well. There is some animosity, however, between Trelawney and the
captain, whose name is Smollett.Smollett is very opinionated, and speaks openly about his
dislike of most of the crew and about the fact that he has a bad feeling about the voyage.
Smollett also adds that there has been too much blabbing about the map and the treasure,
though Trelawney protests that he has told no one. After the captain leaves, Livesey asserts
that he trusts Silver and Smollett completely.
Chapter 10
The voyage begins on an ominous note, as the first mate, Mr. Arrow turns out to be a hopeless
drunk who is useless on board. He disappears mysteriously one night, leading the others to
presume that he fell overboard in his drunkenness. The boatswain, Job Anderson, replaces
Arrow. Jim continues to be entranced by Silver, impressed by his swift one-legged
maneuverings around the deck. Jim is also fascinated by Silver’s two-hundred-year-old
parrot, which is named Cap’n Flint, after the famed buccaneer. Relations between Trelawney
and Smollett are still somewhat strained, but the voyage proceeds normally. One evening, Jim
gets hungry for an apple and climbs into an apple barrel on board, where, unsuspected, he
overhears an important conversation.
Chapter 11
From inside the apple barrel, Jim overhears Long John Silver talking to one of the sailors, a
young man named Dick. Silver explains that he once belonged to Captain Flint's crew, as did
most of the sailors on the Hispaniola. According to Silver, it is wonderful to be a “gentleman of
fortune”—a pirate. Pirates get rich, and if they are smart, they can live long, respectable lives.
After he leads the crew of this voyage to mutiny, Silver himself will have so much money that he
will be able to retire and live in comfort until he dies. Dick asks a few questions and, after
thinking it over, agrees to go along with Silver’s plan.Inside the barrel, Jim is shocked. He knows
that he needs to warn the captain and his friends that they are among pirates who plan to stage
a mutiny. For now, however, he stays quiet, knowing that he will likely be killed if anyone finds
out what he has heard. He wonders if there are any honest men on the ship, aside from the
captain and the few men Mr.Trelawney brought from home.Outside the barrel, another sailor,
Israel Hands, joins the conversation and demands to know when the crew will overthrow the
captain. Silver says that he would prefer to wait until after they locate the treasure and sail
halfway home. He does not have the treasure map, and none of the sailors are educated men.
They can steer a ship, but they cannot chart a course as the captain can. However, Dick and
Israel are impatient, unwilling to follow Captain Smollett's strict code of behavior much longer.
Silver says that he will order the crew to revolt on the island.Dick asks what Silver plans to do
with Captain Smollett, Mr. Trelawney,and the few men loyal to them after the mutiny. Silver says
he will kill them. He explains that if he just maroons the honest men on a deserted island, they
may eventually get rescued and make their way home to enact revenge. Besides, Silver would
enjoy killing Mr. Trelawney. “I’ll wring his calf’s head off his body with these hands, Dick!” Silver
says.Silver sends Dick to retrieve some rum from a keg he has hidden. Even in his terror, Jim
realizes that this explains how Mr. Arrow kept getting drunk before he disappeared. Dick soon
returns, and the three men drink three toasts together. Their conversation turns to other topics,
but Jim hears one more useful bit of information: “Not another man of them will join,” someone
says. Clearly, then, some of the men have not yet joined Silver’s group of mutineers. A few crew
members are honest—but who? Jim is still hidden in the barrel when he hears the look-out
shout, “Land ho!”
Chapter 12
Everyone rushes up on deck to see the land. Jim looks out over a little island that has just
appeared in the fog, the tip of its tallest hill still hidden among clouds. The view is beautiful, but
his mind is full of the evil plot he has just heard. This contrast makes him feel like he is stuck in
a strange dream.Captain Smollett asks the men if anyone knows the island, and Long John
Silver says that he does. He appears confident—not at all like he is hiding anything—as he
explains that he stopped at this island once in the past,when he was sailing on a trading ship.
He describes where to anchor the Hispaniola, and the captain lets him look at a map of the
landscape.Jim watches Silver carefully during this exchange, but the pirate is clever,and he
gives nothing away. The men mill around, glad to have arrived at their destination. Jim hovers
on the sidelines, wondering how to warn his friends of the danger without arousing the suspicion
of Silver and his Men. When Dr. Livesey asks Jim to go get him some tobacco, Jim whispers, “I
have terrible news.” He asks the doctor to go to a private cabin with Captain Smollett and Mr.
Trelawney—and then to find an excuse to call for the cabin boy.Pretending nothing is wrong, Dr.
Livesey does exactly what Jim suggests.As soon as everyone is behind closed doors together,
Jim tells them about Silver’s plot for mutiny, theft, and murder. Captain Smollett is shocked.
He says that a captain normally sees signs of mutiny brewing—but no such signs exist now. Dr.
Livesey says that Silver is a good leader who can keep the crew under control.
Captain Smollett says they will have no choice but to fight the crew. He would rather turn around
and sail home, but he is sure the men would rebel. However, Jim and his friends have one
advantage: time to plan a surprise attack. The captain is sure that the men will not mutiny until
they know where the treasure is hidden.Next, the conversation turns to odds. Mr. Trelawney
brought a few men with him from home, and they were sure to be loyal. But nobody knows
which other crew members are honest. As the matter stands, the group of loyal men consists of
six men and a boy. Before the journey is done, this small force may have to battle nineteen
pirates.
Chapter 13
The next morning, the weather is hot and gloomy, and the island looks gray and sad. Several
men go ashore to do some work, and Jim goes along. He is surprised at the way they act. On
the journey to the island, they were cheerful and quick to follow commands. Today, they act lazy
and avoid their duties. They all look angry and resentful, and anyone can see that they might
stage their mutiny soon.Only Long John Silver is still pretending to be a good crewman. He
quickly obeys every command, and he sings cheerfully whenever he is not working—almost as
if he is trying to make it appear that nothing is wrong. His attitude prevents the pirates from
beginning their fight, but it is also a bit unnerving for Jim and his friends. Now that they know
that Silver is dishonest, his acting skills seem almost scary.Captain Smollett holds a meeting of
the loyal men, including Jim,and says that the situation looks very bad. If he shouts at the men
for their behavior, they might fight back immediately, before the loyal men get a chance to take
a good tactical position. However, if Captain Smollett does not shout at the men, the mutineers
may suspect that he knows something.It is clear that, although the crew is itching for freedom,
Long John Silver does not want the battle to happen yet. The captain decides to give the crew
an afternoon’s rest on shore. His hope is that Silver will go along and convince the other sailors
to wait a while before the rebellion. If Jim’s friends are very lucky, the whole crew will go ashore
in the lifeboats. This will give the captain’s men the chance to attack from the high ground of the
ship’s decks when the mutineers return.After the captain offers the men an afternoon off, Jim
watches Silver organize them into boats to row ashore. The seven people known to be loyal to
the captain are all expected to stay on the ship, but Jim sees that Silver is leaving a few of his
own men, too. Jim knows that his friends will not be able to plan a surprise attack with Silver’s
co-conspirators on board. So Jim makes a quick decision, not yet knowing that it will help him
become a hero. He hops into one of the boats and goes to shore with Silver and the rest of the
sailors.On shore, Silver calls to Jim to stay close—but Jim disobeys. He runs into the bushes
and gets away.
Chapter 14
Proud of himself for giving the pirates “the slip,” Jim sets out to explore the island. It is unlike
any other place he has ever seen, and his interest in the landscape soon drives Long John
Silver and the other mutineers out of his mind. Jim hikes through marshes and over hills. He
sees birds and snakes. One of the snakes makes a strange sound—but Jim does not learn until
long afterward that this is the rattlesnake’s way of giving a warning before it strikes.
When Jim sees Long John Silver and another crewman walking together, he remembers that he
needs to find out what the pirates are planning. He sneaks up on the men and listens to their
conversation. Silver’s companion is a man named Tom, who turns out to be one of the last
honest men of the crew. Tom insists that he will never turn disloyal, and he pleads with Silver
not to rebel against Captain Smollett.This conversation is interrupted by a shout and a cry of
pain in the distance. Jim knows instantly that the person he is hearing is probably another loyal
crewman being murdered. Silver does not pretend otherwise. “I recon that’ll be Alan,” he says
calmly. Tom understands that he is about to be killed too—if he does not join the mutiny. Still,
he refuses to join in the crime. He runs away, but Long John Silver throws his crutch at him,
knocking him down. Jim does not know whether or not the force of this impact kills the man, but
it does not turn out to matter. Long John Silver hobbles toward the fallen man and stabs him
twice in the back.This cold-blooded murder horrifies Jim. For several moments, he cannot seem
to breathe properly or focus his eyes. Then Silver blows a whistle, and Jim hears the other
pirates running toward the sound. Quickly—but without letting himself be seen—Jim scrambles
in the opposite direction, staying in the cover of the trees. He runs as far and as fast as he can.
Now, he knows, he is in the worst possible spot. If he goes back to the boats, the pirates will kill
him. If he stays away, they will realize he suspects their plans, and they will find him and kill him
anyway.Hardly noticing where he is going, Jim runs up a little hill with two peaks. He comes into
a little forest and sees something—a man, maybe, or a monkey?—jump out of sight behind a
pine.
Chapter 15
Jim is not sure who or what is hiding in the trees. He thinks it might be a cannibal or a monster,
so he turns back toward the pirates,reasoning that a danger he understands is better than one
he does not. The mysterious figure follows Jim, hiding behind one tree after another. He catches
several more glimpses of it and becomes sure that it is a human being. He also remembers that
he is carrying a pistol. This makes him feel a bit more confident, so he decides to
approach the strange person.The person turns out to be a former sailor, Ben Gunn, who was
marooned—left alone to fend for himself or die—on the island three years ago. Ben used to be
a member of Captain Flint’s crew, so he knew that Flint had buried treasure on this island. After
Flint’s death,Ben returned with another group of sailors to look for the gold.When he was unable
to find it, his fellow sailors grew angry at him and sailed away without him.He has been alone,
living on goats and oysters, ever since. He says he is hungry for “Christian diet” and asks
hopefully if Jim has any cheese. Jim does not, but he promises to give Ben a piece of cheese
if they ever get back on board the Hispaniola.Jim tells Ben about his adventures with Long John
Silver. Ben is scared when he hears that many of Flint’s former men are on the island. Ben
knows the pirates will kill him if they see him, so he offers to fight on Jim’s side in exchange for
a share of the treasure and a ride home. Jim says he is sure his friends will accept this
arrangement. The group is planning to share the treasure equally in any case, and they need
more men who can fight and sail.When Jim says he doesn't know how to get back to Hispaniola
without getting murdered by mutineers, Ben suggests using a little boat he has built. During this
conversation, they hear the sound of a cannon. The battle has begun. Jim, hoping to see what
is going on, leads Ben back toward the pirates. As they walk, Ben talks nonsense, a habit that
he seems to have developed in his time alone on the island. Amid the gunshots, Jim sees a flag
raised above the woods.It is the British flag, the Union Jack.
Chapter 16
At this point, the story leaves Jim Hawkins behind for a little while Dr. Livesey takes over the
narration and explains what happens on the Hispaniola while Jim is gone.The captain strongly
considers launching an attack on the six mutineers who are still on board the ship. His men
would probably win because they control the weapons, and because they have the advantage
of surprise. However, there is no wind, so the captain’s men have no chance of sailing away
after their victory. Also, Captain Smollett and his friends soon learn that Jim Hawkins has left
the ship. They cannot leave Jim behind, so they watch and wait instead. After a while, Dr.
Livesey and one of Mr. Trelawney’s friends, Hunter, go ashore to explore. They find a stockade,
probably built by Captain Flint. This is a low house on top of a hill, with the land around it
cleared of any bushes that might provide cover for attackers.There is a tall fence around the
compound, and there are plenty of holes in the walls of the house so that the people inside can
shoot muskets from positions of relative safety. Dr. Livesey is particularly pleased to see a small
spring filled with fresh drinking water nearby. He immediately decides to move his friends to the
spot.Just as Dr. Livesey makes this decision, he hears the cry of Alan, the first man who gets
murdered by the mutineers. The doctor thinks he is hearing Jim’s murder, but he refuses to
allow himself to succumb to his grief and fear. As a doctor, he has plenty of experience making
decisions during times of death. He sticks to his decision to move to the stockade, and he
immediately puts the plan into action.Dr. Livesey goes back to Hispaniola and explains his plan.
The first thing the captain's men do is subdue the six mutineers on board.The mutineers are
unarmed, so the captain and Mr. Trelawney threatened them with pistols. To avoid getting shot,
the mutineers decide to wait quietly in the cabin. Meanwhile, the doctor and a couple of other
loyal men load a boat with weapons and food. They take these supplies to shore and carry them
to the stockade.Dr. Livesey leaves a man in the stockade with six loaded muskets and goes
back to get the captain and another load of food and weapons. They do not have time to carry a
third load, so they sink all of the remaining weapons and ammunition to the bottom of the sea.
This will prevent Long John Silver and the other mutineers from using them.Before leaving the
Hispaniola, Captain Smollett shouts through the doorway of the room where the six mutineers
are sitting. He offers them a chance to come over and fight for the right side. There is the
sound of a scuffle, and then one man, Abraham Gray, emerges. He has a cut on his cheek, but
he is otherwise unharmed. “I’m with you, sir,”he says to Captain Smollett.
Chapter 17:
For Dr. Livesey and his friends, the second trip to shore is much harder. Five men have to ride
in a small boat with a great deal of food and ammunition. The boat is so overloaded that it can
hardly stay afloat. To make matters worse, the tide is going out, so it is very hard to make
progress toward shore. The doctor, who is controlling the rudder, finds that he has to steer at a
right angle to the direction he wants to go; if he did not, the boat would get swamped.
As the men struggle with their overloaded boat, they suddenly realize that they have made a
serious mistake. They took or destroyed all of the weapons that could easily be moved ashore,
but in their hurried preparations, they did not destroy the ammunition for “the long nine”—a big
cannon on the Hispaniola. They look back to the ship and see that the mutineers they left on
board have noticed the error. They are already loading the cannon to take a shot. Mr. Trelawney
is the best at shooting a musket, so the men stop rowing and hold the boat steady while
Trelawney takes a shot at the pirates. He aims at Israel Hands, the man his friends know to be
the most skilled with heavy weapons. Unfortunately, Hands bends down at the last moment, and
Trelawney’s bullet hits someone else. This poor man does not die, but his comrades do not help
him. Instead, they continue their hurried preparations with the cannon.
As all this is happening, the captain’s men see several of Long John Silver’s mutineers running
along the shore. These men climb into one of their small boats and begin to row toward the
captain’s men. They are no great threat; they are fighting the tide, so it is clear they will not
arrive quickly. However, the cannon is almost ready to fire. The captain tells the doctor to steer
straight for shore, even if the boat takes on water. The doctor obeys, and he makes fairly good
progress until the cannon fires. The captain’s men dive out of the way, and the cannonball flies
over their heads. However, in all the jostling, the boat gets swamped.
Only the doctor and the captain have the presence of mind to keep their muskets out of the
water; three guns get dunked in the sea, as does the whole boatload of food and ammunition.
Now half of the supplies are lost, three of the muskets will not shoot. They run to shore, hoping
they will arrive at the stockade before Long John Silver can organize his pirates for an attack.
Chapter 18:
The pirates chase Dr. Livesey and the rest of Captain Smollett’s men through the wooded parts
of the island. The captain, who is not a very good shot, gives his musket to Mr. Trelawney,
whose own weapon is soaked with seawater. Just as they reach the stockade, Mr. Trelawney
and Dr. Livesey shoot at their pursuers. One of these shots kills a man, and the other pirates
run for cover in the trees. Dr. Livesey shoots again, and the pirates flee. It is clear at once that
Redruth will die of his wound. Dr. Livesey does his best to make the man comfortable, and
Redruth says that he wishes he had had the chance to shoot a pirate before being killed. Before
losing consciousness, he asks the other men to say a prayer for him. Captain Smollet’s first
action is to raise the flag, and he clearly feels more comfortable as soon as the colors are flying
overhead. Next, he examines the stores of food and weapons. Redruth dies, but there is no time
to mourn. The pirates may attack again at any moment, and the captain's men know that they
may be under siege in the stockade for weeks or even months. Unfortunately, in their flight from
the Hispaniola, they only managed to transport enough food to last ten days. They all seem so
bleak, that the captain sits down to record their last stand. Then a shout from outside the
stockade brightens the moment. It's Jim, climbing over the palisade.
Chapter 19:
In chapter nineteen, Jim Hawkins takes over the story again. He tells what happens to him in
the forest during his friends’ skirmish with the pirates. When he sees the Union Jack flying
over the stockade, he thinks perhaps it belongs to the pirates. Ben declares this impossible and
insists that only the captain’s men would raise the Union Jack. The mutineers would raise the
Jolly Roger—“the black flag of piracy.” Although he encourages Jim to rejoin his friends, Ben
refuses to come along. He is not willing to put himself at the mercy of Captain Smollett until he
has spoken personally to one of the leaders of the expedition. He begs Jim not to tell Long John
Silver that there is another man on the island.Ben’s talk is interrupted by a cannonball, which
hits the ground not far from where he is standing. He runs away. Jim flees in the opposite
direction and spends the afternoon in various hiding places, hoping the cannonballs will miss
him. When night falls and the bombardment stops, he finally decides that it is safe to enter the
stockade. There his friends welcome him gladly and listen to his story.
The night soon grows cold, and unfortunately, Jim’s new home is very uncomfortable. The men
are at risk of sinking into despair, but Captain Smollett does not allow this to happen. He divides
everyone into groups and sets them to work gathering firewood, burying Redruth, and keeping
watch. The mood lifts when the men are busy, and Dr. Livesey privately tells Jim that the
captain is an excellent man for leading them so well.To make matters worse, Redruth’s body
lies in a corner, reminding everyone of the grim situation they are in.
After dinner, everyone discusses the plans for fighting the mutineers. Their little group cannot
last long without more food, but their situation is not as bad as it could be. There are only fifteen
pirates left, two of whom are wounded. The captain resolves to watch and wait, taking every
opportunity to pick off pirates. His best hope is that the pirates will get fed up with fighting and
sail away in Hispaniola to seek their fortune on the high seas. If that happens, the loyal men will
only have to wait a few more months until a rescue party arrives from England. Tired from his
adventures, Jim goes to sleep. He sleeps late the next morning, awaking to find that the other
men have been hard at work collecting firewood. As he gets up to find some breakfast, Jim
hears one of his friends give a shout of surprise. Long John Silver is approaching the stockade,
carrying a white flag.
Chapter 20:
Accompanied by one other pirate, Long John Silver stands outside the stockade. A chilly fog
swirls around their knees and obscures the view of the forest behind them. The captain peers
outside, looking for signs of a surprise attack. He sends three men to strategic positions inside
the house to keep watch. He orders everyone else to load muskets and stand ready.With these
preparations complete, Captain Smollett calls out to ask Long John Silver what he wants. Long
John Silver—now calling himself Captain Silver—asks permission to come unarmed into the
bunkhouse and speak. Captain Smollett says, “I have not the slightest desire to talk to you.”
However, he adds that Silver will not be harmed if he wishes to come.The captain steps outside
and watches Silver climb the fence and make his way up the hill. With his one leg and his
crutch, Silver makes very slow progress on the sandy ground, but Captain Smollett does not
offer to help. Instead he sits down and whistles a tune while he waits. Silver eventually reaches
the captain and, after complaining that the captain should invite him inside, sits beside him on
the ground.Silver complains about something that happened last night, and it becomes clear
that one of the pirates was bludgeoned and killed while he slept. None of the captain’s men
went out last night, but the captain does not admit this. Jim knows what must have happened:
Ben Gunn must have attacked the mutineers’ camp on his own. Now there are only fourteen
pirates left.Silver and Captain Smollett smoke their pipes together, not speaking. Finally Silver
spits on the ground and makes an offer. He says that if Captain Smollett hands over the
treasure map, the pirates will spare the men’s lives and share the rest of the food. However,the
pirates will take the treasure for themselves.Captain Smollett is clearly unimpressed by Silver’s
proposal. He says that the pirates have no basis for making demands. They do not
know where to find the treasure. They do not have the knowledge necessary to sail the ship
away without wrecking it.They are cowardly drunks who cannot fight. The captain makes a
counterproposal: if the pirates turn themselves in, he will chain them up and take them back to
England for a fair trial. Otherwise he will fight them to the death. “I’ll put a bullet in your back
when next I meet you,” he says.This makes Long John Silver angry. He wants to leave, but he
cannot stand up on his own. He asks the captain to help him, but the captain refuses. Nobody
else offers to help either, so Silver is forced to crawl to the porch and pull himself up to a
standing position. He spits into the spring and vows to attack the stockade within the hour.
“Them that die’ll be the lucky ones,” he says. He stumbles back down the hill and, with great
difficulty, climbs over the fence. Jim and his friends watch, not speaking, until Silver disappears
into the trees.
Chapter 21:
After Long John Silver leaves, Captain Smollett comes inside and sees that everyone except
Abraham Gray has disobeyed orders and left his post. The men were all so excited to hear what
Silver said that they simply forgot to stay ready to fight. This makes the captain furious, and he
shouts at them.The men feel embarrassed as they get to work preparing the house for the
upcoming battle. The captain orders Mr. Trelawney to move the fire outside so they will not have
smoke in their eyes during the battle. He orders Jim, who has not yet had his breakfast, to eat.
Finally, the captain considers how to arrange his defense. After thinking a few moments, the
captain places Mr.Trelawney and Abe Gray, the two best shots, on the longest side of the
bunkhouse, where the pirates are most likely to focus their attack. Each of these men is given
two muskets so that he can shoot more often.The captain puts the doctor at the doorway, a man
named Hunter on the east side, and a man named Joyce on the west side. Meanwhile, Jim and
the captain—who are both bad shots—are supposed to stand in the center of the room and help
everyone else with the slow process of reloading muskets. Finally, the captain places a stack of
cutlasses in the center of the room, ready in case the battle comes down to hand-to-hand
fighting.The captain’s men wait and wait, growing nervous and jittery as time passes. Finally,
after more than an hour, they hear gunshots and feel musket balls hit the sides of the house.
The attack comes from the cover of the trees, so although the captain’s men return fire, they
have nowhere to aim. Suddenly, seven or eight pirates climb into the stockade. The captain’s
men shoot as fast as they can, killing two pirates and scaring one away.More shots hit the
house, and four pirates run toward the bunkhouse, storming inside. The house fills with the
smoke of gunfire, so nobody can see where to shoot.“Out, lads, out, and fight ‘em in the open.
Cutlasses!” shouts Captain Smollett. Rushing to obey, Jim grabs a cutlass and rushes out the
door. He takes a swing at a pirate and gets tripped. By the time he gets back to his feet, the
battle is already over. Three pirates are down, and one is running away. The doctor shouts at
the others to shoot the fleeing man, but nobody can get to a musket in time.When the last pirate
is gone, Jim and his friends run back inside.In the bunkhouse, they find Joyce shot dead and
Hunter knocked out by a blow to the head. The captain is injured, as well, unable to stand on his
own. This means the captain’s men have lost three fighters, whereas the pirates have lost five.
The loyal men now have four able men left, including Jim. The pirates, they believe, have nine.
Chapter 22:
The pirates do not attack again right away, so the captain’s men work at cleaning the
bunkhouse and tending the wounded. One pirate is not quite dead at the end of the battle, but
he dies soon afterward. Hunter’s head wound kills him as well. Captain Smollett,however,
survives. His wounds are not life threatening, but they are bad enough to prevent him from
fighting and working for a long time.When he has done what he can to care for the captain, Dr.
Livesey straps on some pistols and strides off into the woods. Jim is sure he has gone to meet
Ben Gunn. As Jim works at scouring pots and scrubbing blood stains in the house, he wishes
that he, too, had a chance to go out walking in the forest. Jim soon makes up an excuse to get
away for a few hours. He remembers that Ben Gunn mentioned owning a small homemade
boat, and he knows that it would be useful to have access to such an asset.Jim resolves to go
and look for it, but he does not ask permission because he strongly suspects it will be denied.
He just fills his pockets with food, grabs a couple of pistols, and sneaks away without telling
anyone where he is going. This is an unwise thing for Jim to do, considering that only two able
men remain in the bunkhouse to fight if the pirates attack, but he means no harm.Careful not to
be spotted by the pirates, Jim makes his way through the trees toward a big white rock he has
noticed at the top of a hill. It fits the description of the place where Ben said he hid his little boat
—and sure enough, Jim finds the boat quite quickly. It is a small, round, woven contraption that
is barely seaworthy. Jim doubts that it could carry a full-grown man, but it is big enough to hold
a boy.Now that Jim is outside, he is itching for an adventure. Watching the pirates, he sees
them leave two watchmen on the Hispaniola without a lifeboat. Jim decides to take Ben’s little
boat out to the ship and cut it loose. This, he reasons, will prevent the pirates from sailing away
to freedom. He waits for darkness to fall, and the night turns out to be calm and foggy—perfect
for a reconnaissance job. He carries the boat to the water and sets off.
Chapter 23
Ben Gunn’s little homemade boat is very hard to paddle, and Jim cannot easily steer it toward
the Hispaniola. However, the tide is going in about the right direction. With a little effort, Jim
manages to row and drift toward the ship. When he arrives, he bumps against the side and
pushes himself along with his hands. Soon he finds the anchor rope, and he is about to cut it
when he realizes that what he is doing is dangerous. Surely the taut rope is exerting force on
the ship. If he cuts the rope now, the ship may swing around and knock Jim into the water.Jim
wanted to get to the ship, he saw carefully it was gently getting close. It was difficult and risky
too but he had just one chance to get to the ship. Jim waits until the last possible moment, and
then he springs to his feet and reaches onto the ship.Jim is about to abandon his whole plan
when a breeze arises and loosens the rope for a moment. Reassured, Jim gets out a knife and
saws through. The rope grows tight again as he works, so he waits to cut the last few strands
until the next breeze comes along. While he waits, he listens to the arguments of the two
watchmen on board the Hispaniola, who are clearly drunk and out of sorts.Eventually a breeze
rises, and Jim takes his chance to finish cutting the rope.Immediately the Hispaniola begins to
move with the ocean’s current. Jim’s little round boat gets buffeted along the side. At first he is
afraid that he will get swamped and drown, but this does not happen. However, Jim finds that he
cannot fight against the force of the Hispaniola’s movement. He simply allows himself to be
pushed along, waiting until the current frees him on its own.The watchmen do not seem to
notice that they are adrift, and Jim wonders why. Curiosity gets the best of him, and as he drifts
past the cabin, he stands up—almost toppling overboard in the process—and peeks inside. He
sees the watchmen in a silent fight, each of them trying to strangle the other. He sits back down,
careful not to upset his boat, and soon the current carries him away.Unfortunately, Jim still
cannot steer. He drifts toward the shore, where a group of pirates is singing by their campfire.
When he sees where he is headed, Jim grows terrified that someone will soon notice him
drifting in the water and come to kill him. Unwilling to watch his death approach, he ducks down
inside the boat and closes his eyes. There he waits for someone to come and kill him.Nobody
comes, and eventually the rocking of the waves lulls him to sleep.
Chapter 24
The next morning, Jim wakes up and finds that he is still in Ben’s little boat, drifting along the
southwest edge of the island. Not far away, waves crash violently against the rocks. Strange
monster-like creatures play among the waves. These, he learns later, are just harmless sea
lions. However, right now he thinks they will surely eat him if he gets too close.The sun is
climbing in the sky, and Jim's need for water is already painful. He tries rowing, but the boat
goes out of control. After some experimentation, he finds he can use his paddle like a rudder to
ease the boat in the direction he wants to go. He does this, and soon he is making slow
progress in the right direction. After a while, Jim drifts around a point of land and sees the
Hispaniola. He ducks down into his boat, sure that he will soon be spotted, caught, and killed.
He watches the ship sail toward him, but soon it changes course and sails toward land instead.
“Clumsy fellows,” he mutters, assuming that the men on board are drunk as usual. The
Hispaniola turns again,aiming out toward the sea. It dawns on Jim that nobody is at the helm,
and that the ship is simply sailing itself in circles.Suddenly all thought of shore goes out of Jim’s
mind. Either the pirates have abandoned the ship, or they are passed out drunk.If Jim can get
aboard, he can take the ship back for Captain Smollett. Not only that, but he can also drink the
water the men keep stored on deck. He changes course, attempting to steer toward the ship
instead of the shore. For a long time, Jim makes very bad progress. He is drifting in the direction
he wants to go, but so is the Hispaniola, and he cannot seem to catch up.Suddenly the wind
shifts and the ship turns, putting yet more distance between itself and Jim. This frustrates Jim—
but only until he sees the ship turn again. This time it turns toward him.The Hispaniola’s
approach toward Jim looks slow and gentle—until it gets close. Then he realizes that it is
stronger than he expected. He can see that it will swamp his little boat, and that he will have just
one chance to get out safely. Jim waits until the last possible moment, and then he springs to
his feet and scrambles onto the ship.
Chapter 25:
Climbing aboard the Hispaniola, Jim is surprised to see no one on deck. A bit later, however, he
finds two watchmen Red cap and Israel Hands, who lie drunkenly splashed with blood and the
other is dead. Jim addresses Hands, who begs for a little rum, Jim finds that most of the ship’s
store of alcohol has been consumed. He returns with a drink for Hands and asks him to
consider him the captain, since Jim has taken possession of the ship. Jim throws the pirates’
flag, the Jolly Roger, and yells,“God save the King!” Hands strikes a deal with Jim, if Jim gives
Hands food, drink, and medical help, he will assist Jim in sailing the ship. They steer the ship
toward the North of the island, enjoying a favorable wind.Jim is delighted with his new position
of command, Israel Hands looks much stronger after he eats a bit and bandages his wound. He
watches Jim work at sailing the ship, a small smile on his face is an evidence that he is planning
some kind of pirate mischief.
Chapter 26:
Chapter 26 opens with Israel and Jim arriving at the northern end of the island. Without an
anchor, they must wait until the tide goes out to pull up the ship. So, they sit, wait, and share a
meal together in silence. Israel asks Jim to throw the dead body of the watchman's but Jim
replies that he does not like the idea, Hands responds that a dead man is simply dead. Jim
disagrees by saying that the spirit never dies. Suspiciously, Hands claims that the brandy is too
strong for his head and asks Jim for wine instead.Jim goes to fetch some port wine, but watches
Hands in secret and observes him extract a long knife from a hiding place and place it under his
jacket. Now Jim knows that Israel is armed and wishes to kill him.Jim knows that he needs
Hands to guide the ship safely into the inlet and remains wary of him. As he becomes tired of
steering the ship, he relaxes and Hands attacks him.They fight, Jim climbs up a mast and
Hands follows. Jim pulls his pistol on Hands, who throws his knife, piercing Jim’s shoulder and
pinning him to the mast. Jim’s gun goes off and Hands falls into the water.
Chapter 27:
The stranded ships lean out over the water. Jim is stuck on top of the mast, his injured shoulder
pinned to the wood with a knife. He watches Hands’ body sink in the waves. For a long time,
Jim thinks he is going to fall as well. He clings to the mast, afraid to move or pull the knife
out.After a while, Jim recovers his courage.He tries to pull out the knife and discovers that the
wound is not deep;only a small flap of skin is pinned to the wood. He frees himself and climbs
down into the ship.Unsure what else to do, he cuts it loose and leaves it lying on the surface of
the waves.Leaving the Hispaniola, Jim wades to shore. When he gets to land, he takes off
running, imagining the looks on his friends faces when he tells them what he has done. He sees
a fire and feels confused. Why would Ben burn such a bright campfire when the pirates are still
lurking nearby?Jim does not stop to find out. Helped by the moonlight, he makes his way
onward to the stockade.When Jim comes to the stockade, he sees a huge bonfire burning in the
yard.Jim decides to sneak to his bed and let his friends discover him there in the morning. As he
tiptoes farther into the room,he accidentally steps on a man’s leg. The man grunts awake, and a
voice begins shouting, “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”Jim freezes. He recognizes this voice. It
belongs to Long John Silver’s parrot, Captain Flint. The stockade has changed hands in Jim’s
absence, and he has walked straight into the company of pirates. He tries to run, but the pirates
grab him and hold on tight.
Chapter 28:
Jim demands to know what's happened to the others before he'll join, and Silver recounts what
has happened: Dr. Livesey came to bargain with the pirates and, when they saw that the
Hispaniola had disappeared from its anchorage, Silver and his men agreed to take a share of
the remaining supplies while the others left the stockade.Jim proudly tells Silver and his men the
central role he has played in repeatedly foiling the pirates' plans - that it was he who overheard
them plotting mutiny, he who cut loose the Hispaniola, and he who killed the watchmen. Jim
says that he's not afraid of dying, and that it's up to the pirates whether he lives or dies, but
offers to be a witness on their behalf after they return to England. One of the pirates grabs a
knife and goes after Jim, but Silver stops him. A split begins to grow between Silver and his men
as Silver defends Jim, and the men call a "forecastle council" - a meeting of pirates without
Silver - to discuss what to do. Left alone, Silver offers to defend Jim from the pirates if Jim will
save him from hanging back home; the two strike a bargain. Silver then tells Jim that the doctor
has given him the treasure map.
Chapter 29:
The other pirates return from their meeting and give Long John Silver the black spot. Silver
teases the pirate Dick for cutting a page from his bible on which to draw the spot, claiming that
it's bad luck; Dick seems disturbed. Silver's men list their complaints against him: he has made
a mess of the voyage, let the captain's party leave the stockade, refused to let the pirates shoot
at the captain's party as they were leaving, and he's protected Jim Hawkins: all of which, they
claim, has put them in danger of being caught and hanged. Silver answers each of the charges
in turn, arguing that it was the fault of the crew, not him, that their plan failed, and, as a final
word, he shows them the treasure map he got from the doctor. Silver wins the men over, and
they re-elect him as their captain.
Chapter 30:
In the morning, Dr. Livesey comes to the stockade to offer the pirates medical attention. Silver
announces that he is holding Jim captive. The doctor seems shocked at this, but he keeps calm
as he treats the pirates for their various illnesses and injuries. He says that it is his duty to keep
the mutineers alive “for the gallows.”(their just punishment). The men grumble at this, but they
take their medicine.When the doctor finishes treating the pirates, he demands the chance to
speak with Jim alone. All the men except Silver shout, “No!” Silver, however, makes them silent
and says that they must, in this case, do as the doctor wishes. Silver asks for Jim’s “word of
honour” not to run away, and Jim gives it. The pirates rebel, accusing Silver of betraying them
and playing a game to save his own skin—which is exactly what he is doing. Silver convinces
them otherwise. He waves the treasure map in their faces and asks them how they plan to go
treasure hunting in safety if they rekindle hostilities with their enemies.Livesey accuses Jim of
being cowardly in deserting the captain at a moment of weakness. Jim begins to weep. Livesey
suddenly suggests that they both make a run for it and flee the pirates. Jim responds that such
an action would not be right. He tells Livesey that he knows the location of the Hispaniola.
Livesey exclaims that Jim manages to save their lives at every step. He returns Jim as a
hostage to Silver and warns Silver not to be in any hurry to find the treasure.
Chapter 31:
After Dr. Livesey leaves, Long John Silver thanks Jim for not running away. They both know that
Silver’s men might have killed him if Jim had disappeared. “If I saved your life, you saved mine;
and I’ll not forget it,” Silver says.Jim and Silver join the five remaining pirates for breakfast.
While he eats, Jim wonders at the men’s general wastefulness and lawlessness. They burn up
all their firewood in one huge fire, and they cook far more food than anyone can eat, tossing the
leftovers into the flames at the end of the meal.After breakfast, Long John Silver congratulates
his men for choosing to keep him as captain. He explains the following plan: they will find the
treasure. Hearing this speech makes Jim feel sick to his stomach; he knows that Silver will
really do something wrong if he gets a chance.They start trudging through the hills, periodically
pausing to consult the map. Reaching the top of a hill, the pirates are shocked to find a skeleton
in a seaman's garb, stretched out on the ground like a compass, pointing to the treasure. The
man’s knife is missing, suggesting that the pirates are not the first to have come across the
skeleton. The pirates recognize the skeleton as a former mate, Allardyce, who served on Flint’s
crew, because of its long bones and yellow hair. Following Allardyce’s clue, they head on
toward the treasure.
Chapter 32:
Taking a rest from the search, Silver expresses his confidence that they are close to the
treasure. Silver says they are lucky the old captain is dead. The pirates suddenly hear a
trembling, high voice singing the same song the pirates frequently sing, “Fifteen men on the
dead man’s chest.” One of the pirates claims the voice is Flint’s, and the men grow terrified,
thinking they have awakened a ghost.The pirates hear the voice again, and it wails what all the
men recognize as Flint’s last words. Dick takes out his Bible and starts praying. Silver, the only
one who remains undaunted, scorns the other men’s belief in spirits and keeps focused on the
search for the treasure. The pirates continue onward. As they approach the treasure site,
Silver’s nostrils quiver and he seems half mad. Suddenly coming upon the site, the pirates are
shocked to find it has already been excavated, and only an empty hole lies before them.
Chapter 33:
The pirates stand dump staring at the empty boxes. Long John Silver realizes that they will soon
turn on him to kill him in anger. He hands Jim a pistol and moves into position for a fight. Jim is
glad to have a gun but disgusted at the way Silver’s loyalties change from moment to moment.
“So you’ve changed sides again,” Jim mutters. The other pirates leap into the hole that once
held the treasure. Digging with their hands, they unearth a single two-guinea coin that has been
left behind. They pass it around, shaking it angrily at Silver. They are furious—but they are also
afraid to fight. At this moment, three musket shots ring out from the forest. George and another
pirate fall, and the other three flee. Moments later, Dr. Livesey emerges from the trees with Ben
Gunn and Abe Gray. The doctor orders everyone to run through the trees and cut off the pirates’
access to the lifeboats, which are at a nearby shore.When Jim and his friends arrive at the top
of a hill, they see the three pirates running in the opposite direction from the boats. Reassured,
they slow their pace, and Dr. Livesey explains why the treasure was no longer lying where
Captain Flint put it.Ben Gunn has been marooned on Treasure Island for years. He found Flint's
gold one day and realized that someone was sure to come back for it.Bit by bit, he moved it to
the cave where he lives. When the doctor found out about the treasure’s new location, he
quickly gave the pirates the stockade, the food from the ship, and the treasure map.Continuing
the story, Dr. Livesey explains what happened today when he learned that Jim had been
captured. Livesey sent Ben off to imitate Captain Flint’s voice, playing on the pirates’
superstitions and slowing their progress.
Chapter 34:
And Last' is the final chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The tale that made
pirates ends .After the treasure is recovered and men have celebrated with food and spirits
around an evening fire. However, with three men still out on the island eager for blood and gold,
transporting Captain Flint's treasure from Ben Gunn's cave back out to Hispaniola is not only an
arduous task, but a dangerous one.Jim plays his part in transporting the treasure by loading the
minted money into bread bags, while the others carry the heavy gold down to the beach where
Ben Gunn and Gray transport it by rowboat to the Hispaniola, three miles away. The treasure
itself is a mix of coins and jewels from various European countries and even the Orient.After
careful discussion, it is decided that the pirates must be marooned on Treasure Island. Nobody
has the strength to fight anymore, and nobody is willing to risk another mutiny.Just the same as
the men who were loyal to the captain throughout the adventure. However, everyone despises
him and wastes no chance to tell him so. When people insult him, Silver remains silent. Only
Ben Gunn and Jim refrain from abusing him. Ben is scared of Silver, and Jim has “something to
thank him for.”Just before leaving the island, Jim and his friends put as many supplies as they
can in Ben Gunn’s cave for the benefit of the three men they are leaving behind. Still, everyone
feels terrible as they sail away. The three pirates come to shore and beg to be brought home.
The doctor tells them about the supplies, but the men just weep and blubber. Then, when they
are finally convinced that they are not going to get a ride home, one of them shoots his musket
at the Hispaniola. After that, Jim and his companions duck their heads below the bulwarks until
they are well out of range.When they land, they are given a warm greeting and the doctor,
squire and Jim spend all night on land. When they return to the ship, Ben Gunn informs them
that Silver has escaped, taking with him three or four hundred guineas of the treasure. Believing
that Silver might have killed him, Gunn did not hamper his escapeAfter adding a few soldiers to
the crew, Jim and his friends finish the journey and land at Bristol, sharing the treasure. Smollett
retires. Gray, marries and becomes part owner of a ship. Gunn spends his part of the treasure
in three weeks and again becomes a beggar - finally he becomes a lodge keeper. Jim Hawkins
never hears of Long John Silver again, but Jim still has nightmares of the "accursed island," and
the voice of Silver's parrot still rings in his dreams: "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!"