4 The sea-chest 
　  
　　On the floor close to the captain's hand was a little round piece of paper, blackened on one side. I had no doubt that this was the black spot .On the other side was some writ－ ing: You have till ten o’clock tonight. Our old clock reminded me it was now six. 
　　Quickly, I told my mother everything, and we decided to run to the village to hide, before the blind man and his friends re-turned.  
　　‘But first,’my mother said bravely, ‘we have to get the key to the sea-chest. Why shouldn't we take the money the captain owes us? His friends certainly won’ t give it to us!’ 
　　The key was around his neck on a piece of string. I cut the string, and we hurried up to his room where the chest had stood since the day he came. There was a letter ‘B’ painted on the top of it. Inside were two very fine pistols, some silver, pipe-tobacco ,and an old clock. Underneath these things were some papers tied up inside a cloth, and a bag of gold coins.  
　　‘I'll show these scoundrels I'm an honest woman,’said my mother.‘I'll take what I'm owed and no more.’She began counting the money .There were all kinds of gold coins in the bag-big French gold coins, Spanish doubloons and pieces of eight. It was slow work to find the English gold guineas that we needed. 
　　We were half-way through when I heard a sound that filled my heart with fear ;the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick on the frozen road. Then it knocked against the inn door and we did not breathe .But then the tapping started again and slowly died away.  
　　‘Mother,’I said,‘take it all, and let's go before the blind man comes back with his friends.’ 
　　But my mother went on counting until we heard a low shout coming from the hill outside.‘I'll take what I have,’ she said, jumping to her feet.  
　　‘And I'll take this for what I'm owed, ’I said, and picked up the cloth of papers. 
　　We ran from the inn and along the road to the village. It was dark but there was a full moon .We heard running feet coming towards us.  
　　‘Take the money and run on,’ my mother said breathlessly. But I refused to leave her. Quickly, I pulled her off the road and down under a small bridge .There we hid ,trembling. 
　　Not a moment too soon .Seven or eight men were running past us. Three men ran in front, and I saw that the one in the middle was the blind man. Silently, I climbed back up to the road and lay in the long grass to watch what happened.  
　　‘Down with the door!’the blind man shouted. 
　　Four or five of them broke down the door of the Admiral Benbow and ran inside. There was a shout:‘ Bill's dead!’ 
　　The blind man swore at them.‘Look upstairs and find the chest!’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,’ said Squire Trelawney.‘In three weeks we will have the best ship ir,and the finest crew in England. Hawkins can come as cabin－boy. You, Livesey, are the ship's doctor. I am admiral. We'll take three of my men ,Redruth, Joyce ,and Hunter.’ 
　　‘Trelawney,’said the doctor,‘I'll go with you. So ,I am sure, will Hawkins. There's only one man I'm afraid of.’ 
　　‘And who's that?’cried the squire.‘Name the scoundrel!’ 
　　‘You,’said the doctor,‘because you cannot keep silent. We aren't the only men who know of this paper. Those who broke into the inn tonight want to find the same treasure .We must none of us go alone until we get to sea. You'll take Joyce and Hunter to Bristol. Meanwhile ,Jim and I will stay together .And not one of us must say a word about what we have found.’ 
　　‘Livesey, replied the squire,‘you're always right. I'll be as silent as a dead man.’  
　　　 
4 水手箱 
　  
　　老船长手边的地上有一小片圆的硬纸，一面涂着黑色。我相信这就是所谓的“黑券”。黑券的另一面写着：今晚10点以前答复。墙上的老钟刚好敲了6下，告诉我现在6点钟了。 
　　我立即把一切都告诉了母亲，我们决定在瞎子和他的人回来之前逃到村子里躲起来。 
　　“但是首先，”我母亲勇敢地说，“我们必须找到水手箱的钥匙，干嘛不把老船长欠的钱找回来呢？他的朋友肯定不会给我们的！” 
　　水手箱的钥匙套在老船长的脖子上，我割断绳子，取下钥匙，赶紧到他房间去。从他来住店的那一天起，他的箱子一直放在那里。他的水手箱顶部涂着一个字母“B”，里面有两把精制的手枪，一些银锭，一些烟草，一只老式表。这些东西下面还有卷在布里的几页纸和一袋金币。 
　　“我要让那些流氓知道，我是个诚实的女人，”母亲说。“我只要收回欠账，一个子儿也不多拿。”她开始数钱。那一个袋里各国钱币都有：法国的金路易，西班牙的杜布龙金币和每枚8个里亚尔的银币。从中找到我们需要的英国畿尼是件很费时的事。 
　　钱才数了一半的时候，我听到一种可怕的声音，是那个瞎子用棍子探路的嗒嗒声。接着我们听到棍子敲门的声音，我们屏住呼吸。然后探路的嗒嗒声又响起来，慢慢地消失了。 
　　“妈妈，”我说，“把这些都拿上，我们得赶在瞎子和他的人到来之前逃走。” 
　　可是我母亲还是继续数钱。这时，从小山上传来一声很轻的呼哨。“我先把数好的钱拿走，”她说，忽然跳起来。 
　　“我把这东西带走抵账。”我捡起那个布裹着的小包。 
　　我们跑出客店向村子逃去。天黑了，但月亮很圆。我们听见有好些人朝这边跑来。 
　　“你拿了钱快跑吧，”我母亲上气不接下气地说。我不能丢下她不管。我很快把她拖离大路，来到一个座桥下躲起来，浑身直发抖。 
　　不一会儿就有七八个人跑过去。其中有三个人跑在前面，我认出中间的就是那个瞎子。我悄悄地爬到路上，藏在草丛里观察发生的一切。 
　　“把门撞开，”瞎子喊道。 
　　四五个人撞开了本葆将军客店的门冲了进去。有人喊道：“比尔死了。” 
　　瞎子又骂他们。他嚷道：“上楼去找水手箱。” 
　　我可以听见他们匆匆上楼的声音，不一会儿又有人冲着外面路上的瞎子喊道：“皮尤，他们在我们之前来过，钱还在这儿，可弗林特的藏宝图不见了。” 
　　“是客店的那伙人，那个孩子干的，”瞎子皮尤喊道。“给我找到他们。” 
　　正在这时路上传来了马蹄声，客店里的人听到后马上跑出来，不一会儿就消失在田间的路上。没人等瞎子皮尤，他想跟上他们，用木棍使劲地敲着地。“约翰尼，黑狗，别把你们的伙伴老皮尤丢下不管！” 
　　马队朝客店冲过来时皮尤正走在路中间，他尖叫一声转过身来，但转错方向，径直朝着领头的马跑去。骑马人努力想救他的命，但已来不及了，皮尤的一声惨叫响彻夜空，四只马蹄从他身上践踏而过。只有几秒钟时间，他便不再动弹。 
　　我跳起来招呼骑马的人，他们中一个人是丹斯上尉，附近一个镇的法官。他得悉布莱克希尔湾出现了一只海盗船，便到我们这边来搜捕海盗。我给他讲了我们的经历，他和他的人就去海湾追海盗船了。但他们到海边时，海盗船已走远。 
　　“不过，”丹斯上尉回来后说，“至少我们解决了皮尤。” 
　　我母亲被安顿在村子里的一间房内，然后我们回到本堡将军客店，客店内的一切都受到了破坏。 
　　“他们想找什么呢，霍金斯？”丹斯先生问道。 
　　“他们从水手箱里拿走了钱，”我说，“但我有他们想要的东西。我希望把它放到一个稳妥的地方。我想，也许，李甫西大夫……” 
　　“对，说得对，”丹斯先生说。“李甫西大夫是本地的治安推事，我应该向他或是乡绅屈利劳尼报告皮尤的事。我带你一起去。” 
　　　  
　　李甫西大夫不在家，据说他和乡绅在一起。于是我和丹斯先生去乡绅家。 
　　我从来没这么近打量过乡绅屈利劳尼。他个子很高，暗红色的脸，和李甫西大夫坐在火炉旁边。“进来，丹斯先生，”他说。 
　　丹斯先生报告了刚才发生的事，那两个人听得津津有味。 
　　“那么，吉姆，”大夫说，“你说他们要找的东西在你身上，是不是？” 
　　“在这儿，先生，”我说着把油布裹着的小包给他。大夫看了看，把小包静静地放在上衣口袋里。过了一会儿，丹斯先生走了，我坐下来吃了些东西。 
　　“那么，乡绅先生，”大夫说，“你听说过这位弗林特船长，对吗？” 
　　“怎么没听说过？！”乡绅大声说。“他是有史以来最残暴的一个海盗。西班牙人听到他的名字就发抖。” 
　　“我也听到过他的名字，”李甫西大夫说。“但问题是，他有钱吗？” 
　　“钱！”乡绅喊道。“弗林特当然有钱！那帮匪徒找的就是钱。” 
　　“那么，假定我口袋里有弗林特藏宝的线索，”大夫说，“那宝藏值得去寻吗？” 
　　“当然值得！”乡绅激动地嚷道。“如果你真的有那个线索，我就在布里斯托尔准备一条大船，带着你和霍金斯一起出海，哪怕花一年功夫也要找到宝藏。” 
　　我们打开布包发现了两件东西，一本书和一张纸。书本上记载着弗林特20年来在海上从不同船上抢来的钱。大夫打开那张纸，一幅海岛地图展现在我们面前，岛的中部有一座小山，标着的名称是“望远镜山”，旁边有一些名字是后来注上的。图中有三个用墨水画着的叉叉：两个在岛的北部，一个在西南部。在西南部的那个叉叉旁边写着：大部分宝藏在此。在地图的背面同一个人写着： 
　　　  
　　望远镜肩上一棵大树，北北东偏北。 
　　骷髅岛，东南东偏东。 
　　　  
　　乡绅和李甫西大夫都非常高兴。 
　　“明天我就去布里斯托尔，”乡绅说。“只要过三个星期我们就能备好英国最好的船和精选的水手。霍金斯可以在船上当服务员。你，李甫西，当随船医生。我当船长。我们把我的伙计雷德拉斯，乔伊斯和亨特都带上。” 
　　“乡绅先生，”大夫说，“我跟你一起去。而且我相信霍金斯也会去的。我只对一个人不放心。” 
　　“对谁？”乡绅喊道。“把那混蛋的名字说出来！” 
　　“你，”大夫说，“因为你不能保持沉默。不仅仅是我们知道这张图。那些冲进客店的人也想找到这些宝藏。出海之前我们谁也不能单独出门。你带着乔伊斯和亨特去布里斯托尔。我和吉姆在一起。关于我们的发现，我们中任何人都不能走漏一点风声。” 
　　“李甫西，”乡绅说，“你说得对，我会守口如瓶的。” 
　　　    


 