Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson    

Chapter 18: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day's Fighting

Performer: LibriVox - Adrian Praetzellis


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 colors, 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 colors.
Captain Smollett Running Up the Union Flag

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 colors!" 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 armed, they stole out of the stockade, but it proved a useless mission. The mutineers were bolder than we fancied or they put more trust in Israel's gunnery. For four or five of them were busy carrying off our stores and wading out with them to one of the gigs that lay close by, pulling an oar or so to hold her steady against the current. Silver was in the stern-sheets in command; and every man of them was now provided with a musket from some secret magazine of their own.

The captain sat down to his log, and here is the beginning of the entry:

Alexander Smollett, master; David Livesey, ship's doctor; Abraham Gray, carpenter's mate; John Trelawney, owner; John Hunter and Richard Joyce, owner's servants, landsmen—being all that is left faithful of the ship's company—with stores for ten days at short rations, came ashore this day and flew British colors on the log-house in Treasure Island. Thomas Redruth, owner's servant, landsman, shot by the mutineers; James Hawkins, cabin-boy—

And at the same time, I was wondering over poor Jim Hawkins' fate.

A hail on the land side.

"Somebody hailing us," said Hunter, who was on guard.

"Doctor! Squire! Captain! Hullo, Hunter, is that you?" came the cries.

And I ran to the door in time to see Jim Hawkins, safe and sound, come climbing over the stockade.

    Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson    

Chapter 18: Narrative Continued by the Doctor: End of the First Day's Fighting

Performer: LibriVox - Adrian Praetzellis

Directions

Study the chapter for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read and/or listen to the chapter.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Answer the review questions.

Synopsis

Dr. Livesey and the others run into the pirates outside the stockade and exchange fire. Tom Redruth and one of the pirates are shot and killed. The good guys make it into the stockade, and Captain Smollett runs up the Union Jack flag. The mutineers begin fruitlessly firing cannonballs from the Hispaniola at the flag, wasting their ammunition and powder. The men in the stockade realize they do not have enough food to make it through the months until August when the consort comes to rescue them. Realizing the mutineers have moved away from the stockade to avoid the cannon fire, Gray and Hunter attempt to retrieve the provisions that fell into the sea. They find that mutineers have already claimed the provisions. Gray and Hunter realize the mutineers have an additional supply of weapons that they snuck aboard the ship. As Dr. Livesey worries about Jim Hawkins, Jim hails the stockade watchman and climbs over the stockade, safe and sound.

Vocabulary

Brush: A short and sometimes occasional encounter or experience.
Priming: The powder or other combustible used to communicate fire to a charge of gunpowder, as in a firearm.
Palisade: A wall of wooden stakes, used as a defensive barrier.
Acquiescence: A silent or passive assent or submission.
Trojan: One who shows great pluck, endurance, or strength.
Lick: A stroke or blow.
Run up the Colors: Raise a flag up on a flagpole.
Consort: A ship accompanying another.
Ration: A portion of some limited resource allocated to a person or group.
Cannonade: Artillery fire.
Ricochet: To rebound off something wildly in a seemingly random direction.
Ship's Log: A book in which measurements from the ship's log are recorded, along with other salient details of the voyage.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Book Information

  • Recite the name of the author, the title of the book, and the title of the chapter.

Activity 2: Narrate the Story

  • Narrate the events aloud in your own words.

Activity 3: Study the Story Picture(s)

  • Study the story picture(s) and verbally describe the relation to the story.

Activity 4: Act Out a Passage

Practice acting out the following passage, with drama and feeling.

  • 'Be I going, doctor?' (Tom Redruth, shot and dying)
  • 'Tom, my man, you're going home.' (Dr. Livesey)
  • 'I wish I had had a lick at them with the gun first.' (Tom Redruth)

Activity 5: Complete Written Narration   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 55 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 6: Complete Copywork and Dictation   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete pages 55-56 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 7: Color the Image   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 56 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 8: Answer Written Review Questions   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 57 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Review

Question 1

What happens to Tom Redruth?
1 / 7

Answer 1

Tom Redruth is shot by a mutineer and dies.
1 / 7

Question 2

What does Captain Smollett 'run up?'
2 / 7

Answer 2

Captain Smollett runs up the Union Jack flag.
2 / 7

Question 3

What do the mutineers target with the cannon?
3 / 7

Answer 3

The mutineers fire the cannon at the stockade and the flag.
3 / 7

Question 4

What life threating problem will get worse over time for the men in the stockade?
4 / 7

Answer 4

The men in the stockade don't have enough food to last until they are rescued.
4 / 7

Question 5

Who retrieved the provisions lost to the sea when the jolly-boat capsized?
5 / 7

Answer 5

The mutineers retrieved the lost provisions.
5 / 7

Question 6

What did the mutineers sneak aboard the Hispaniola?
6 / 7

Answer 6

The mutineers snuck their own guns (and probably powder and shot too) aboard the Hispaniola.
6 / 7

Question 7

Who hails the watchman and climbs over the stockade?
7 / 7

Answer 7

Jim Hawkins hails the watchmen and climbs over the stockade.
7 / 7

  1. What happens to Tom Redruth? Tom Redruth is shot by a mutineer and dies.
  2. What does Captain Smollett 'run up?' Captain Smollett runs up the Union Jack flag.
  3. What do the mutineers target with the cannon? The mutineers fire the cannon at the stockade and the flag.
  4. What life threating problem will get worse over time for the men in the stockade? The men in the stockade don't have enough food to last until they are rescued.
  5. Who retrieved the provisions lost to the sea when the jolly-boat capsized? The mutineers retrieved the lost provisions.
  6. What did the mutineers sneak aboard the Hispaniola? The mutineers snuck their own guns (and probably powder and shot too) aboard the Hispaniola.
  7. Who hails the watchman and climbs over the stockade? Jim Hawkins hails the watchmen and climbs over the stockade.