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each other, on our feet. The other three took complete `
`
headers, and came up again drenched and bubbling. `
`
`
`
So far there was no great harm. No lives were lost, `
`
and we could wade ashore in safety. But there were all `
`
our stores at the bottom, and to make things worse, `
`
only two guns out of five remained in a state for `
`
service. Mine I had snatched from my knees and held `
`
over my head, by a sort of instinct. As for the `
`
captain, he had carried his over his shoulder by a `
`
bandoleer, and like a wise man, lock uppermost. The `
`
other three had gone down with the boat. `
`
`
`
To add to our concern, we heard voices already drawing `
`
near us in the woods along shore, and we had not only `
`
the danger of being cut off from the stockade in our `
`
half-crippled state but the fear before us whether, if `
`
Hunter and Joyce were attacked by half a dozen, they `
`
would have the sense and conduct to stand firm. Hunter `
`
was steady, that we knew; Joyce was a doubtful case--a `
`
pleasant, polite man for a valet and to brush one's `
`
clothes, but not entirely fitted for a man of war. `
`
`
`
With all this in our minds, we waded ashore as fast as `
`
we could, leaving behind us the poor jolly-boat and a `
`
good half of all our powder and provisions. `
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
18 `
`
`
`
Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the `
`
First Day's Fighting `
`
`
`
WE made our best speed across the strip of wood that `
`
now divided us from the stockade, and at every step we `
`
took the voices of the buccaneers rang nearer. Soon we `
`
could hear their footfalls as they ran and the cracking `
`
of the branches as they breasted across a bit of thicket. `
`
`
`
I began to see we should have a brush for it in earnest `
`
and looked to my priming. `
`
`
`
"Captain," said I, "Trelawney is the dead shot. Give `
`
him your gun; his own is useless." `
`
`
`
They exchanged guns, and Trelawney, silent and cool as `
`
he had been since the beginning of the bustle, hung a `
`
moment on his heel to see that all was fit for service. `
`
At the same time, observing Gray to be unarmed, I `
`
handed him my cutlass. It did all our hearts good to `
`
see him spit in his hand, knit his brows, and make the `
`
blade sing through the air. It was plain from every `
`
line of his body that our new hand was worth his salt. `
`
`
`
Forty paces farther we came to the edge of the wood and `
`
saw the stockade in front of us. We struck the `
`
enclosure about the middle of the south side, and `
`
almost at the same time, seven mutineers--Job Anderson, `
`
the boatswain, at their head--appeared in full cry at `
`
the southwestern corner. `
`
`
`
They paused as if taken aback, and before they recovered, `
`
not only the squire and I, but Hunter and Joyce from the `
`
block house, had time to fire. The four shots came in `
`
rather a scattering volley, but they did the business: `
`
one of the enemy actually fell, and the rest, without `
`
hesitation, turned and plunged into the trees. `
`
`
`
After reloading, we walked down the outside of the `
`
palisade to see to the fallen enemy. He was stone `
`
dead--shot through the heart. `
`
`
`
We began to rejoice over our good success when just at `
`
that moment a pistol cracked in the bush, a ball `
`
whistled close past my ear, and poor Tom Redruth `
`
stumbled and fell his length on the ground. Both the `
`
squire and I returned the shot, but as we had nothing `
`
to aim at, it is probable we only wasted powder. Then `
`
we reloaded and turned our attention to poor Tom. `
`
`
`
The captain and Gray were already examining him, and I `
`
saw with half an eye that all was over. `
`
`
`
I believe the readiness of our return volley had `
`
scattered the mutineers once more, for we were suffered `
`
without further molestation to get the poor old `
`
gamekeeper hoisted over the stockade and carried, `
`
groaning and bleeding, into the log-house. `
`
`
`
Poor old fellow, he had not uttered one word of surprise, `
`
complaint, fear, or even acquiescence from the very `
`
beginning of our troubles till now, when we had laid him `
`
down in the log-house to die. He had lain like a Trojan `
`
behind his mattress in the gallery; he had followed every `
`
order silently, doggedly, and well; he was the oldest of `
`
our party by a score of years; and now, sullen, old, `
`
serviceable servant, it was he that was to die. `
`
`
`
The squire dropped down beside him on his knees and `
`
kissed his hand, crying like a child. `
`
`
`
"Be I going, doctor?" he asked. `
`
`
`
"Tom, my man," said I, "you're going home." `
`
`
`
"I wish I had had a lick at them with the gun first," `
`
he replied. `
`
`
`
"Tom," said the squire, "say you forgive me, won't you?" `
`
`
`
"Would that be respectful like, from me to you, `
`
squire?" was the answer. "Howsoever, so be it, amen!" `
`
`
`
After a little while of silence, he said he thought `
`
somebody might read a prayer. "It's the custom, sir," `
`
he added apologetically. And not long after, without `
`
another word, he passed away. `
`
`
`
In the meantime the captain, whom I had observed to be `
`
wonderfully swollen about the chest and pockets, had `
`
turned out a great many various stores--the British `
`
colours, a Bible, a coil of stoutish rope, pen, ink, `
`
the log-book, and pounds of tobacco. He had found a `
`
longish fir-tree lying felled and trimmed in the `
`
enclosure, and with the help of Hunter he had set it up `
`
at the corner of the log-house where the trunks crossed `
`
and made an angle. Then, climbing on the roof, he had `
`
with his own hand bent and run up the colours. `
`
`
`
This seemed mightily to relieve him. He re-entered the `
`
log-house and set about counting up the stores as if `
`
nothing else existed. But he had an eye on Tom's passage `
`
for all that, and as soon as all was over, came forward `
`
with another flag and reverently spread it on the body. `
`
`
`
"Don't you take on, sir," he said, shaking the squire's `
`
hand. "All's well with him; no fear for a hand that's `
`
been shot down in his duty to captain and owner. It `
`
mayn't be good divinity, but it's a fact." `
`
`
`
Then he pulled me aside. `
`
`
`
"Dr. Livesey," he said, "in how many weeks do you and `
`
squire expect the consort?" `
`
`
`
I told him it was a question not of weeks but of `
`
months, that if we were not back by the end of August `
`
Blandly was to send to find us, but neither sooner nor `
`
later. "You can calculate for yourself," I said. `
`
`
`
"Why, yes," returned the captain, scratching his head; `
`
"and making a large allowance, sir, for all the gifts `
`
of Providence, I should say we were pretty close hauled." `
`
`
`
"How do you mean?" I asked. `
`
`
`
"It's a pity, sir, we lost that second load. That's `
`
what I mean," replied the captain. "As for powder and `
`
shot, we'll do. But the rations are short, very short-- `
`
so short, Dr. Livesey, that we're perhaps as well `
`
without that extra mouth." `
`
`
`
And he pointed to the dead body under the flag. `
`
`
`
Just then, with a roar and a whistle, a round-shot `
`
passed high above the roof of the log-house and plumped `
`
far beyond us in the wood. `
`
`
`
"Oho!" said the captain. "Blaze away! You've little `
`
enough powder already, my lads." `
`
`
`
At the second trial, the aim was better, and the ball `
`
descended inside the stockade, scattering a cloud of `
`
sand but doing no further damage. `
`
`
`
"Captain," said the squire, "the house is quite `
`
invisible from the ship. It must be the flag they are `
`
aiming at. Would it not be wiser to take it in?" `
`
`
`
"Strike my colours!" cried the captain. "No, sir, not I"; `
`
and as soon as he had said the words, I think we all agreed `
`
with him. For it was not only a piece of stout, seamanly, `
`
good feeling; it was good policy besides and showed our `
`
enemies that we despised their cannonade. `
`
`
`
All through the evening they kept thundering away. `
`
Ball after ball flew over or fell short or kicked up `
`
the sand in the enclosure, but they had to fire so high `
`
that the shot fell dead and buried itself in the soft `
`
sand. We had no ricochet to fear, and though one `
`
popped in through the roof of the log-house and out `
`
again through the floor, we soon got used to that sort `
`
of horse-play and minded it no more than cricket. `
`
`
`
"There is one good thing about all this," observed the `
`
captain; "the wood in front of us is likely clear. The `
`
ebb has made a good while; our stores should be `
`
uncovered. Volunteers to go and bring in pork." `
`
`
`
Gray and hunter were the first to come forward. Well `
`
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