The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-09-02

Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and
the rest of these gentlemen having
asked me to write down the whole par
ticulars about Treasure Island, from
the beginning to the end, keeping moth
ing back but the bearings of the island,
and that only because there is still
treasure not yet lifted, take up my
pen in the year of grace IL, and go
back to the time when my father kept
the Admiral Benbow Inn, and the
brown old seaman, with the saber cut,
first took up his lodgings under our
roof.
| remember him as if it was yester-
day, as he came plodding to the inn
door, his sea chest following behind
him in hand-barrow; tall, strong,
heavy, nut-brown man; his tarry pig
tail falling over the shoulders of his
soiled blue coat; his hands ragged and
SCARED, with black, broken nails, and
the saber cut across one cheek, dirty,
livid white. | remember him looking
round the cove and whistling to him
self as he did so, and then breaking out
in that old sea song that he sung so
often afterward:
Fifteen men on the dead mans chest
Yo-ho-ho, and bottle Of rum.
in the high, old tottering voice that
seemed to have been tuned and broken
at the capstan bars. Then he raped
on the door with bit of of stick like a
handspike that he carried, and when
my father appeared called roughly for
a glass of rum. This, when it was
brought to him, he drank slowly, like a
connoisseur, lingering ON the taste,
and still looking about him at the cliffs
and up at our signboard.
"This is handy cove" says he, at
length; "and pleasant sittyated
grogshop. Much company. mate?"
My father told him no. very little
company, the more was the pity.
"Well, them" said he, "this is the
berth for me. Here you, matey," he
cried to the man who trundled the bar
row; bring up alongside and help up
my chest. I'll stay here bit" he con-
tinued. "I'm a plain man; rum and
bacon and eggs is what want, and
that head up there for to watch ships
off. What you mought call me? You
mought call me captain. Oh, l see
what you're at-there;" and he threw
down three or four gold pieces on the
threshold. "You can tell me when I've
worked through that" says he, looking
as fierce as commander.
And, indeed, bad as his clothes were,
and coarsely as he spoke, he had none
of the appearances of man who sailed
before the mast; but seemed like a
mate or skipper, accustomed to be
obeyed or to strike. The man who
came with the barrow told us the mail
had set him down the morning before
ut the Royal George; that he had in
Quilted what inns there were along the
coast, and hearing ours well spoken of
i suppose, and described as lonely, hao
chosen it from the Others for his place
of residence. And that was all we
could learn of our guest.
He was very silent man by custom
All day he hung round the cove, or up
on the cliffs, with brass telescope;
all evening he sat in a corner of the par
lor next the fire, and drank rum ant
water very strong. Mostly he woulc
not speak when spoken to; only lool
up suddenly and fierce, and blow
through his nose like fog-horn; ant
we and the people who came about oul
house soon learned to let him be
Every day. when he came back from
his stroll, he would ask if any seafarins
men had gone by along the road? A
first I'VE thought it was the want o
company of his kind that made hin
ask this question: but at last we began
to see he was DESTROYS to avoit
them. When a seaman put up at tn
Admiral Benbow (as now ant
then slime did, making by the coas
road for BristoD, he would look at hin
through the curtained door before h
entered the parlor; and he was Away
sure to be as silent as a mouse whel
any,such was present. For me, a
least, there was no secret about tn
matter; for was, in way, sharer il
his alarms.
He had taken me aside one day, AM
promised me silver fourpenny on tn
first of every month if l would onl,
keep my "weather-eye open for sea
farng man with one leg" and let hir
know the moment he appeared. Oftel
enough, when the first of the mont
came round, and l applied to him TO
my wage, he would only blow throug
his nose at me, and stare me down, bu
before the week was cut he was sure t
think better of it, bring me my -four
penny piece, and repeat his orders t
look out for "the seafaring man wit
one leg"
How that parsonage haunted m
dreams, need scarcely tell you. o
stormy nights, when the wind shoe
the four corners of the house, and tn
surf reared along the cove and up tn
cliffs. { would see him in thousan
forms, and with thousand diabolict
expressions. Now the leg would be GU
off at the knee, now at the hip; now b
was monstrous kind of creatuI
who had never had but the one lie:
and that in the middle Of his body. I
see him leap and run and pursue m
over hedge and ditch, was the worst {