04-02-05-金银岛 [4]
’he cried.
I could hear their feet on the stairs ,then a voice shouting down to the blind man in the road outside:‘Pew! They've been here before us. The money's here but Flint's papers have gone!’
‘It's those people of the inn-it's that boy!’shouted the blind man Pew.‘Search and find’em.’
Just then there came the sound of horses and riders thunder－ing along the road. It was heard by the men in the inn, and in a second they were out in the road, running into the darkness of the fields. They did not wait for blind Pew, who tried to follow them, tapping wildly with his stick.‘Johnny, Black Dog! You won't leave your old friend Pew, boys－not old Pew!’
He was still in the middle of the road when the horses thun－dered up to the inn. Pew turned with a scream, but he turned the wrong way ,and ran straight into the first of the horses .The rider tried to save him, but failed. Down went Pew, under the horse's feet, with a cry that rang high into the night .It was all over in seconds ,and Pew didn't move again.
I jumped up and shouted to the riders. One of the men was Captain Dance, the law officer from the nearby town. He had head reports of a pirate ship in Black Hill Cove and had come looking for the pirates. I told him my story, and he and his men chased the pirates down into the cove. But by the time they got to the beach, the ship was already out to sea.
‘Well,’ said Captain Dance when he returned, ‘at least we finished off Pew.’
We took my mother to a house in the villag, then went back to the Admiral Benbow. Inside, everything was smashed and broken.
‘What were they looking for Hawkins
’asked Mr Dance.
‘They got the money from the chest,’I said,‘ but I think I have what they wanted most. I'd like to get it to a safe place. I thought, perhaps, Dr Livesey…’
‘Quite right,’ said Mr Dance. ‘He's the local judge, and I ought to report Pew's death to him or Squire Trelawney. I'll take you with me to his house.’
Dr Livesey was not at his house but with the squire at his home ,so Captain Dance and I went on there.
I had never seen Squire Trelawney so near .He was a big tall man, with a red face, and was sitting beside a fire with Dr Livesey.‘Come in, Mr Dance,’he said.
Mr Dance gave his report and both men listened with deep interest.
‘And so, Jim,’ said the doctor,‘you have the thing that they were looking for, have you
’
‘Here it is, sir, I said, and gave him the papers tied inside the cloth. The doctor looked at them and put them quietly in the pocket of his coat. After that, Mr Dance went away and I was given some food.
‘And now ,squire ,said the doctor,‘you have heard of this Flint,I suppose
’
‘Heard of him!’ cried the squire. ‘He was the worst pirate that ever sailed. The Spanish used to tremble just to hear his name!’
‘Well ,I've heard of him myself,’said Dr Livesey.‘But the question is, did he have money
’
‘Money!’said the squire.‘Of course Flint had money! Those scoundrels were after it.’
‘Well then, suppose I have here in my pocket a paper that shows where Flint hid his treasure,’ said the doctor.‘Would the treasure be worth looking for
’
‘Worth looking for!’ cried the squire, with great enthusiasm. I'll tell you what it's worth. I'll prepare a ship at Bristol ,take you and Hawkins with me, and have that trea－sure if I have to search for a year!’
We opened the cloth and found two things-a book and a paper .The book gave a list of all the money Flint had stolen from different ships during twenty years at sea. The doctor opened the paper and found a map of an island. There was a hill in the centre marked Spyglass, and several names that had been added later. There were three big black crosses—two in the north of the island and one in the south－west. Beside the last cross were the words: Most of the treasure here. On the back of the paper, the same person had written:
Tall tree. Spyglass shoulder, to the North of North－
North-East.
Skeleton Island East-South－East and by East.
The squire and Dr Llvesey were delighted.
‘Tomorrow I start for Bristol,
I could hear their feet on the stairs ,then a voice shouting down to the blind man in the road outside:‘Pew! They've been here before us. The money's here but Flint's papers have gone!’
‘It's those people of the inn-it's that boy!’shouted the blind man Pew.‘Search and find’em.’
Just then there came the sound of horses and riders thunder－ing along the road. It was heard by the men in the inn, and in a second they were out in the road, running into the darkness of the fields. They did not wait for blind Pew, who tried to follow them, tapping wildly with his stick.‘Johnny, Black Dog! You won't leave your old friend Pew, boys－not old Pew!’
He was still in the middle of the road when the horses thun－dered up to the inn. Pew turned with a scream, but he turned the wrong way ,and ran straight into the first of the horses .The rider tried to save him, but failed. Down went Pew, under the horse's feet, with a cry that rang high into the night .It was all over in seconds ,and Pew didn't move again.
I jumped up and shouted to the riders. One of the men was Captain Dance, the law officer from the nearby town. He had head reports of a pirate ship in Black Hill Cove and had come looking for the pirates. I told him my story, and he and his men chased the pirates down into the cove. But by the time they got to the beach, the ship was already out to sea.
‘Well,’ said Captain Dance when he returned, ‘at least we finished off Pew.’
We took my mother to a house in the villag, then went back to the Admiral Benbow. Inside, everything was smashed and broken.
‘What were they looking for Hawkins
’asked Mr Dance.
‘They got the money from the chest,’I said,‘ but I think I have what they wanted most. I'd like to get it to a safe place. I thought, perhaps, Dr Livesey…’
‘Quite right,’ said Mr Dance. ‘He's the local judge, and I ought to report Pew's death to him or Squire Trelawney. I'll take you with me to his house.’
Dr Livesey was not at his house but with the squire at his home ,so Captain Dance and I went on there.
I had never seen Squire Trelawney so near .He was a big tall man, with a red face, and was sitting beside a fire with Dr Livesey.‘Come in, Mr Dance,’he said.
Mr Dance gave his report and both men listened with deep interest.
‘And so, Jim,’ said the doctor,‘you have the thing that they were looking for, have you
’
‘Here it is, sir, I said, and gave him the papers tied inside the cloth. The doctor looked at them and put them quietly in the pocket of his coat. After that, Mr Dance went away and I was given some food.
‘And now ,squire ,said the doctor,‘you have heard of this Flint,I suppose
’
‘Heard of him!’ cried the squire. ‘He was the worst pirate that ever sailed. The Spanish used to tremble just to hear his name!’
‘Well ,I've heard of him myself,’said Dr Livesey.‘But the question is, did he have money
’
‘Money!’said the squire.‘Of course Flint had money! Those scoundrels were after it.’
‘Well then, suppose I have here in my pocket a paper that shows where Flint hid his treasure,’ said the doctor.‘Would the treasure be worth looking for
’
‘Worth looking for!’ cried the squire, with great enthusiasm. I'll tell you what it's worth. I'll prepare a ship at Bristol ,take you and Hawkins with me, and have that trea－sure if I have to search for a year!’
We opened the cloth and found two things-a book and a paper .The book gave a list of all the money Flint had stolen from different ships during twenty years at sea. The doctor opened the paper and found a map of an island. There was a hill in the centre marked Spyglass, and several names that had been added later. There were three big black crosses—two in the north of the island and one in the south－west. Beside the last cross were the words: Most of the treasure here. On the back of the paper, the same person had written:
Tall tree. Spyglass shoulder, to the North of North－
North-East.
Skeleton Island East-South－East and by East.
The squire and Dr Llvesey were delighted.
‘Tomorrow I start for Bristol,