The Washington herald., 1919-10-15
TREASURE ISLAND
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
(condensation by Alice G. Grozier.)

<A11CC W. SiO<ASh'
command; then one morning a little
before dawn, the boatswain sound
ed his pipe and the crew began to
man the capstan bars.
Now Barbecue, tip US a stave."
cried a voice.
The old one" cried another.
"Ay, ay mates" said Long John
who was standing by with his
crutch under his arm. and at once
broke into the air and words knew
so well; Fifteen men on the dead
mans chest"-the crew coming IN
on the chorus; and then we were
of on our cruise for the treasure.
At sundown one evening. I went
to the apple barrel for an apple.
and. finding them low. 1 got into
the barrel bodily and being rather
sleepy, sat there awhile in the dark
Soon a heavy man sat down with q
crash near by: I was about to jump
out when l heard John Silver's
voice and kept very still. Before
he had said a dozen words 1 knew
that all honest men aboard were In
great danger.
Well. made the discovery that
Long John and most of the-crew
were old shipmates Of Bill Jones
and John Flint: they knew the OBJ
ject Of our voyage. and were plann-
ing to do away with our party and
get the treasure for themselves.
A moment more and the lookout
shouted Land Ho" and we an
chored at Captain Kids anchor
age" according to the chart I told
had heard. and they had the cap
tain send the crew ashore, so that
we might have an opportunity to
talk matters over.
1t was decided that we must &C
on, and we counted those we could
trust only to find out that we were
but six against nineteen.
The next morning it was plain
that mutiny hung over US like a
b u d r. cloud. Captain Smollet
thought it best to give the crew
shore leave, and a party was made
up including Silver. Some of the
men. however. remained aboard. I
suddenly took 1t into my head to
go ashore too, and slipped unseen
over the side and into the forward
sheets of the nearest boat: as soon
as the bow struck among the shore
side trees. I caught a branch and
swung ashore, making of into a
nearby thicket.
I cannot tell all the details of the
voyage: they were many and excit-
ing. but one or two happenings 1
must tell.
While wandering about in the
thicket I came upon a wild looking
man who said he was a seaman.
Ben Gum, marooned on the island
three years before. I got his story
and he ours; he was a great help
to us as you shall see.
In the meantime our party had
abandoned the ship and taken up
the hight ashore. I had a notion to
get out to the ship, cut her adrift
and let her go. ashore where she
would. and so prevent the mutineers
from sailing away IN her; and re-
membering Ben Gums mention of
a coracle which he had made and
put in hiding. set out to find it:
being successful I made ray way
to the ship. and laying hold Of her
hawser. was about to finish cutting
her loose when I heard voices from
the cabin; one recognized as that
of the coxwain, Israel Hands, the
other was a sailor whose name I
did not know. Both were drunk
and when I got a look at them
through the cabin window, I saw
that they were in o deaths grin.
The strong current had BY this
parted the last strand Of the hawser
which had left. and both coracle
and ship were adrift; with a lean ,
caught at the jib boom, and clun 2
painting. left without retreat on the
Hispaniola-
when I got aft found the sailor
dead. and Hands in q sad condition,
He>was friendly enough while help
less, but as he grew stronger he
asserted himself and issued orders
which obeyed until the ship was
round In the low wooded north in
let.
The excitement Of the last ma.
noSuvres had interfered with my
watch upon the coxwain, but some
thing caused me to turn my head
when I saw the fellow half way
towards me. his dirk in his hand;
he chased me around the deck try
Ing to corner me: quick as thought
I sprang into the mixzen shrouds
and ratified up hand over hand into
the cross-trees; none too soon. the
AAA n AAo3 SNA oSh hoI q lOOI OGlOW
me as climbed.
Now primed my pistols and re-
loaded. and Hands seeing this, knew
that the dice were against him: in
spite of this he started up after
me. "One more step, Mr.. Hands. /"
said I. "and I'll blow your brains
OUT" I saw his right hand 20
up over his shoulder, somethins
sang like an arrow through the air
and was pinned to the mast-both
my pistols went on and escaped
from my hands, but they did no,
fall alone; with q choking cry the
coxwain loosed his grasp and
plunged down head first and saw
him through the clear water lying
on the sand beneath
found that was held only by the
skin of my arm and pulling myself
free, ] finally got ashore, and with
difficulty reached my friends They
had had some fierce battling with
the mutineers, but in the end q fiae
of truce appeared and Silver came
forward to bargain. The doctor,
much to the surprise of all, gave
him the chart: but this was ex-
plained later. for when they dug