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Chapter 9
Powder and Arms
THE HISPANIOLA lay some way out, and we
went under the figureheads and round the
sterns of many other ships, and their
cables sometimes grated underneath our
keel, and sometimes swung above us.
At last, however, we got alongside, and
were met and saluted as we stepped aboard
by the mate, Mr. Arrow, a brown old sailor
with earrings in his ears and a squint.
He and the squire were very thick and
friendly, but I soon observed that things
were not the same between Mr. Trelawney and
the captain.
This last was a sharp-looking man who
seemed angry with everything on board and
was soon to tell us why, for we had hardly
got down into the cabin when a sailor
followed us.
"Captain Smollett, sir, axing to speak with
you," said he.
"I am always at the captain's orders.
Show him in," said the squire.
The captain, who was close behind his
messenger, entered at once and shut the
door behind him.
"Well, Captain Smollett, what have you to
say?
All well, I hope; all shipshape and
seaworthy?"
"Well, sir," said the captain, "better
speak plain, I believe, even at the risk of
offence.
I don't like this cruise; I don't like the
men; and I don't like my officer.
That's short and sweet."
"Perhaps, sir, you don't like the ship?"
inquired the squire, very angry, as I could
"I can't speak as to that, sir, not having
seen her tried," said the captain.
"She seems a clever craft; more I can't
say."
"Possibly, sir, you may not like your
employer, either?" says the squire.
But here Dr. Livesey cut in.
"Stay a bit," said he, "stay a bit.
No use of such questions as that but to
produce ill feeling.
The captain has said too much or he has
said too little, and I'm bound to say that
I require an explanation of his words.
You don't, you say, like this cruise.
Now, why?"
"I was engaged, sir, on what we call sealed
orders, to sail this ship for that
gentleman where he should bid me," said the
captain.
"So far so good.
But now I find that every man before the
mast knows more than I do.
I don't call that fair, now, do you?"
"No," said Dr. Livesey, "I don't."
"Next," said the captain, "I learn we are
going after treasure--hear it from my own
hands, mind you.
Now, treasure is ticklish work; I don't
like treasure voyages on any account, and I
don't like them, above all, when they are
secret and when (begging your pardon, Mr.
Trelawney) the secret has been told to the
parrot."
"Silver's parrot?" asked the squire.
"It's a way of speaking," said the captain.
"Blabbed, I mean.
It's my belief neither of you gentlemen
know what you are about, but I'll tell you
my way of it--life or death, and a close
run."
"That is all clear, and, I dare say, true
enough," replied Dr. Livesey.
"We take the risk, but we are not so
ignorant as you believe us.
Next, you say you don't like the crew.
Are they not good ***?"
"I don't like them, sir," returned Captain
Smollett.
"And I think I should have had the choosing
of my own hands, if you go to that."
"Perhaps you should," replied the doctor.
"My friend should, perhaps, have taken you
along with him; but the slight, if there be
one, was unintentional.
And you don't like Mr. Arrow?"
"I don't, sir.
I believe he's a good ***, but he's too
free with the crew to be a good officer.
A mate should keep himself to himself--
shouldn't drink with the men before the
mast!"
"Do you mean he drinks?" cried the squire.
"No, sir," replied the captain, "only that
he's too familiar."
"Well, now, and the short and long of it,
captain?" asked the doctor.
"Tell us what you want."
"Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go
on this cruise?"
"Like iron," answered the squire.
"Very good," said the captain.
"Then, as you've heard me very patiently,
saying things that I could not prove, hear
me a few words more.
They are putting the powder and the arms in
the fore hold.
Now, you have a good place under the cabin;
why not put them there?--first point.
Then, you are bringing four of your own
people with you, and they tell me some of
them are to be berthed forward.
Why not give them the berths here beside
the cabin?--second point."
"Any more?" asked Mr. Trelawney.
"One more," said the captain.
"There's been too much blabbing already."
"Far too much," agreed the doctor.
"I'll tell you what I've heard myself,"
continued Captain Smollett: "that you have
a map of an island, that there's crosses on
the map to show where treasure is, and that
the island lies--" And then he named the
latitude and longitude exactly.
"I never told that," cried the squire, "to
a soul!"
"The hands know it, sir," returned the
captain.
"Livesey, that must have been you or
Hawkins," cried the squire.
"It doesn't much matter who it was,"
replied the doctor.
And I could see that neither he nor the
captain paid much regard to Mr. Trelawney's
protestations.
Neither did I, to be sure, he was so loose
a talker; yet in this case I believe he was
really right and that nobody had told the
situation of the island.
"Well, gentlemen," continued the captain,
"I don't know who has this map; but I make
it a point, it shall be kept secret even
from me and Mr. Arrow.
Otherwise I would ask you to let me
resign."
"I see," said the doctor.
"You wish us to keep this matter dark and
to make a garrison of the stern part of the
ship, manned with my friend's own people,
and provided with all the arms and powder
on board.
In other words, you fear a mutiny."
"Sir," said Captain Smollett, "with no
intention to take offence, I deny your
right to put words into my mouth.
No captain, sir, would be justified in
going to sea at all if he had ground enough
to say that.
As for Mr. Arrow, I believe him thoroughly
honest; some of the men are the same; all
may be for what I know.
But I am responsible for the ship's safety
and the life of every man Jack aboard of
her.
I see things going, as I think, not quite
right.
And I ask you to take certain precautions
or let me resign my berth.
And that's all."
"Captain Smollett," began the doctor with a
smile, "did ever you hear the fable of the
mountain and the mouse?
You'll excuse me, I dare say, but you
remind me of that fable.
When you came in here, I'll stake my wig,
you meant more than this."
"Doctor," said the captain, "you are smart.
When I came in here I meant to get
discharged.
I had no thought that Mr. Trelawney would
hear a word."
"No more I would," cried the squire.
"Had Livesey not been here I should have
seen you to the deuce.
As it is, I have heard you.
I will do as you desire, but I think the
worse of you."
"That's as you please, sir," said the
captain.
"You'll find I do my duty."
And with that he took his leave.
"Trelawney," said the doctor, "contrary to
all my notions, I believed you have managed
to get two honest men on board with you--
that man and John Silver."
"Silver, if you like," cried the squire;
"but as for that intolerable humbug, I
declare I think his conduct unmanly,
unsailorly, and downright un-English."
"Well," says the doctor, "we shall see."
When we came on deck, the men had begun
already to take out the arms and powder,
yo-ho-ing at their work, while the captain
and Mr. Arrow stood by superintending.
The new arrangement was quite to my liking.
The whole schooner had been overhauled; six
berths had been made astern out of what had
been the after-part of the main hold; and
this set of cabins was only joined to the
galley and forecastle by a sparred passage
on the port side.
It had been originally meant that the
captain, Mr. Arrow, Hunter, Joyce, the
doctor, and the squire were to occupy these
six berths.
Now Redruth and I were to get two of them
and Mr. Arrow and the captain were to sleep
on deck in the companion, which had been
enlarged on each side till you might almost
have called it a round-house.
Very low it was still, of course; but there
was room to swing two hammocks, and even
the mate seemed pleased with the
arrangement.
Even he, perhaps, had been doubtful as to
the crew, but that is only guess, for as
you shall hear, we had not long the benefit
of his opinion.
We were all hard at work, changing the
powder and the berths, when the last man or
two, and Long John along with them, came
off in a shore-boat.
The cook came up the side like a monkey for
cleverness, and as soon as he saw what was
doing, "So ho, mates!" says he.
"What's this?"
"We're a-changing of the powder, Jack,"
answers one.
"Why, by the powers," cried Long John, "if
we do, we'll miss the morning tide!"
"My orders!" said the captain shortly.
"You may go below, my man.
Hands will want supper."
"Aye, aye, sir," answered the cook, and
touching his forelock, he disappeared at
once in the direction of his galley.
"That's a good man, captain," said the
doctor.
"Very likely, sir," replied Captain
Smollett.
"Easy with that, men--easy," he ran on, to
the fellows who were shifting the powder;
and then suddenly observing me examining
the swivel we carried amidships, a long
brass nine, "Here you, ship's boy," he
cried, "out o' that!
Off with you to the cook and get some
work."
And then as I was hurrying off I heard him
say, quite loudly, to the doctor, "I'll
have no favourites on my ship."
I assure you I was quite of the squire's
way of thinking, and hated the captain
deeply.