15 Jim Resumes the Story The Garrison in the Stockade

CHAPTER 15 Jim Resumes the Story: The Garrison in the Stockade As soon as Ben saw the flag flying, he sat me down and told me it was there I would find my friends. I thought it more likely the pirates would be there, but he told me that pirates would fly, not the British flag, but their dreaded Jolly Roger—the famous black flag with its skull and crossbones inscribed in white. "That place was built by Flint himself, who was afraid of no man but Long John Silver!"

"Well," I answered, "let's go there before Silver himself finds us!" But Ben, trusting no man, would not go. He made me swear that tomorrow I would send someone from our camp to meet him, as he had a proposal for us. He insisted one of us should come, holding up a white handkerchief for caution's sake. "And if you run into Silver," he added, "don't let it be known that Ben Gunn is on this island. It would be the ruin of us!" I promised I wouldn't and just then, a cannonball fell with a crash right by our side, setting each of us off and running in his own direction. The shots continued and I was sure they were chasing me. Soon enough, I came to a clearing and saw that the Hispaniola was offshore and flying the Jolly Roger.

I also saw what the pirates on shore were up to. They were hacking the jolly-boat apart and throwing the wood into a blazing fire. These men, who had once been so gloomy as they rowed the light boats back and forth to the ship, were clapping and singing and being foolish and mean. I almost felt pity for men who could act so much like beasts. I thought now was the time to make for the stockade and, while on the way, found the white rock where Ben had been hiding his boat. This information I stored in my mind in case I might need it later. I kept

going and made my way over the fence to the stockade and into the party of my friends. I soon told them my story and took stock of the log house. It would do, but it was smoky from our fire, not to mention poor Gray lying wrapped in a bandage on account of his knife cut, and poor Tom cold and dead under a flag in the corner of the room. The Captain, however, wisely kept us all busy with chores, collecting firewood and digging a grave for Redruth. I spoke to the doctor about Ben, and he told me he had something special for him. "In my handkerchief," he said, "I have a piece of Parmesan cheese from Italy that we shall give him." A meeting was held and we found when we counted only fifteen mutineers left. Two were wounded and one, who'd been shot by the cannon, probably was dead. We knew

that the climate and the mosquitoes would soon affect the remaining men and that they might soon be sick and in a bad way. "They might simply decide to get back in the ship, head out to sea, and return to being pirates," said the doctor. The Captain grumbled, but he knew that losing his first ship might prove best for all of us in the long run. Suddenly, we heard a voice rise up. "There's a flag of truce! It's Long John Silver himself!" With that, I rubbed my eyes and ran to peer through a loophole in the wall. We could see two men, one of them being

Silver, indeed waving the white flag. "Who goes there?" said the Captain. "Flag of truce," answered Silver. "Cap'n Silver to come aboard and make terms." The Captain snorted at Silver calling himself Captain, and yet he promised not to harm Silver if he came to the stockade unarmed. He then hopped his way over the fence and made his way, painfully and slowly, up the hill and toward us. We could see that he was in his finest blue coat, with a frilled hat tipped far back on his head. Once inside, the Captain refused to let him in the fort, and Silver was forced to sit in the sand across from the Captain. "It's a mighty cold morning, sir, to be sitting in the sand outside." The Captain shrugged this off, telling Silver that he had brought it upon himself. "You're either the ship's cook or you're