1) Why wouldn't the people from the village help Jim and his mother?
2) How much money did Jim's mother take from the chest (box)?
3) How did the blind man and his men get into the inn?
4) What was inside the packet that Jim found inside the chest?
I did not waste time telling my mother everything I knew. I should have told her earlier, but now it was too late to think about that. We both understood at once that we were in a dangerous situation . Some of the captain’s money must belong to us, but we knew his old shipmates would never give up their treasure easily. The blind beggar* and the man called Black Dog were frightening people, and we were sure they would come back.
My mother looked around the house with fear . Every small sound—the fire in the kitchen, the sound of the clock —made us feel nervous . We imagined footsteps outside and jumped at every noise.
'We can’t stay here,' my mother said quietly. 'We must get help .'
So we decided to go together to the nearby village. Without hats and coats, we ran out into the cold evening fog .
The village was not far away, and luckily it was in the opposite direction from where the blind man had gone. As we walked, we sometimes stopped and listened, but we heard nothing except the sea and the sounds of the woods.
When we reached the village, lights were shining in the windows. I felt calmer , but our hope soon disappeared . No one wanted to return with us to the Admiral Benbow. When we told our story, the villagers became even more afraid.
'Captain Flint?' one man whispered . 'That name means trouble .'
Some had seen strange men near the inn, and others had noticed a small ship in the bay . Everyone was too scared to help defend the inn. They were willing to send someone to Doctor Livesey, but that was all.
Then my mother spoke bravely .
'If all of you are too afraid to help us,' she said, 'then Jim and I will go back alone. I will take only what is ours from the chest.'
They called us fools , but no one stopped us. They gave me a pistol and promised to have horses ready if we needed to escape .
The moon was rising as we returned to the inn. We moved quickly , hiding in the shadows . When we finally closed the door behind us, we both took a deep breath .
Inside, the house was silent. The dead captain lay where we had left him.
'Close the curtains Jim,' my mother whispered .
I did so, and then she said, 'We must find the key. But who will touch him?'
I knelt down and searched his pockets. I found coins , tobacco, and small tools—but no key.
'Maybe it’s around his neck,' my mother said.
With great fear , I opened his shirt and found the key on a string. We hurried upstairs to his room and opened the chest*.
Inside were clothes, pistols, silver, strange shells, and finally a bag of gold and a packet wrapped in paper.
'I will take only what we are owed ,' my mother said.
As she counted the money, I suddenly heard a sound—the tap-tap of a stick on the frozen road.
'Mother,' I whispered , 'he’s back.'
The blind man tried the door, but it was locked . After a long silence , he went away.
'Let’s go now,' I said. 'Please.'
But my mother refused to take more than her share. Then we heard a whistle outside.
'That’s enough,' she said. 'Let’s leave.'
I grabbed the paper packet , and we ran out into the night.
We had not gone far when we heard running footsteps and saw a lantern* coming closer.
'Jim,' my mother said suddenly, 'I can’t go on.'
She fell, and I pulled her under a small bridge. Then I went back to watch.
Seven or eight men arrived at the inn. The blind beggar* shouted, ' Break down the door!'
They broke it down and ran inside and soon one of them cried , 'Bill’s dead!'
'Search the house!' the blind man shouted. 'Find the chest!'
A man leaned out the window. 'They’ve already been here. The chest is empty.'
The blind man became extremely angry.
'Find them!' he shouted.
The men searched everywhere, but then another whistle sounded—this time from the hills. Horses were coming.
'They’re coming!' someone cried.
The men ran away in all directions , leaving the blind beggar alone. Confused , he ran into the road just as the horses arrived. One rider tried to stop, but it was too late. The blind man fell as the horse ran into him.
I ran forward and called out. The riders were soldiers and law officers , led by Mr. Dance. They had come just in time.
My mother soon recovered , though she still worried about the missing money. The officers chased the ship in the bay , but it escaped .
Later, I returned to the inn with Mr. Dance. The place was destroyed .
'What were they looking for?' he asked.
'Not money,' I said. 'There was not much in there. My mother took the money we were owed but there was not a large amount . I think I have something here that they were interested in.' I touched the packet in my pocket.
We rode to Doctor Livesey’s house, and from there to the squire’s hall. Doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney listened carefully as Mr. Dance told the story.
'Well done!' cried the squire. 'A brave lad!'
I gave the packet to the doctor. Inside were a book and a map.
The book showed a list of crimes and stolen money. The map showed an island with three red crosses .
' Treasure ,' whispered the squire.
The doctor smiled . 'Then we must be careful. These men will try again.'
The squire stood up excitedly.
'I will get ready a ship at once! Jim will come with us!'
Doctor Livesey nodded.
'Yes—but we must keep quiet . Not a word to anyone.'
And so, that night, my great adventure began.
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