Chapter VII: I Go to
Bristol
In
Bristol, Trelawney acquires a schooner called the Hispaniola. He hires a
man named Long John Silver as the ship's cook. Silver lost a leg in a
naval battle serving his country. Trelawney is impressed by Silver, and
describes him as a man of substance. With Silver's help, the squire
also acquires a crew for the vessel. Jim takes leave of his mother, and
travels with Redruth, the squire's gamekeeper, to Bristol. He is
excited about his new adventure. Trelawney says they are to sail the
next day.
Chapter VIII: At the
Sign of the "Spyglass"
Jim
meets Silver at a tavern, when he delivers a note to Silver from the
squire. Like the squire, Jim forms a favorable impression of Silver. He
is cheerful, pleasant and intelligent, and Jim no longer fears that he
may be the one-legged man that Billy Bones told him to look out for at
the "Admiral Benbow." As he and Silver exchange greetings, Jim sees
the buccaneer he remembers as Black Dog fleeing the tavern. Silver
claims he does not know who Black Dog is, and Jim believes him. As they
talk more, Silver tells Jim he is smart. They go outside and walk along
the quays together. Jim finds Silver an interesting companion.
Chapter IX: Powder and
Arms
They
go aboard the ship. Jim meets Arrow, the ship's mate, and Captain
Smollett. Smollett tells the squire that he does not like the crew, or
the planned trip, or Arrow. On being asked to explain himself, he says
he has heard the voyage is for treasure, and he does not like treasure
voyages. Still less does he like it when everyone else seems to know
more about the matter than he does. He has heard that there is a map
with the location of the treasure marked on it, and all the crew knows
of it. The captain fears a mutiny. After Smollett leaves, the squire
comments that he dislikes him. But he acts on the captain's
precautionary suggestions, which is to place all the men they know to be
loyal in the stern part of the ship, with access to all the guns and
powder.
Chapter X: The Voyage
The Hispaniola begins
its voyage. Jim does not relate the voyage in detail, but he does tell
of a few events. Arrow turns out to have no control over the men, and he
is also a drunkard. One day when he is drunk he falls overboard. Job
Anderson replaces him as mate. In contrast to Arrow, Silver is liked and
respected by the men, who obey him. Silver is always kind to Jim. He
keeps a parrot called Cap'n Flint, and claims that the parrot is two
hundred years old.
Meanwhile,
the squire and the captain are still on bad terms. The captain speaks
little. On the last day of the voyage, Jim decides that he wants an
apple. He climbs into the apple barrel, and falls asleep inside it. Then
he is awakened by the thud of a man leaning up against the barrel. He
hears the voice of Long John Silver, and soon realizes to his horror
that the lives of all the honest men on the ship depend on him alone.
Chapter XI: What I
Heard in the Apple Barrel
Jim
overhears Silver talking to Dick, a young member of the crew. Silver
reveals that he is a pirate. He was Captain Flint's quartermaster, and
accumulated wealth from his share of the treasure they stole. He used
the money wisely, unlike most pirates, by putting it in banks. He got to
live like a gentleman through his ill-gotten gains. As he listens, Jim
realizes that Silver is enlisting the crew for a plot to gain the
treasure for themselves. Silver and Dick are then joined by Israel
Hands, the coxswain, who is also a member of the conspiracy. He wants to
know when they can strike. Silver says only when he gives the word, and
that will be as late as possible, when the treasure has been found and
loaded on to the ship. Then he intends to kill everyone other than his
band of pirates. He wants to strangle the squire. Jim also learns that
there are still some members of the crew who will not join the
conspiracy.
Chapter XII: Council
of War
The
Hispaniola sails within sight of the treasure island. Jim finds a way of
arranging a meeting with Dr. Livesey, Captain Smollett and the squire in
the cabin. He tells them everything he heard Silver say. The squire
admits that Smollett was right about the crew. Smollett says that time
is on their side until they find the treasure. Then he suggests that
they attack first, taking the pirates by surprise. They assess who are
the men they can still rely on. Jim realizes that they are outnumbered
by seven to nineteen.
Analysis:
Part II
In
Part II, as the adventure at sea begins, Stevenson cleverly manipulates
the reader's perception of two of the central figures, Long John
Silver and Captain Smollett. At first, Silver appears in the best
possible light. He impresses the squire, and no one doubts that he lost
his leg in honorable service with the English navy. When Jim first meets
Silver, he gets a similarly favorable impression. Silver is warm and
friendly towards him. Silver also has the respect of the ship's crew.
The change, when it comes, is sudden, and therefore all the more
gripping for the reader. This happens when Jim overhears Silver plotting
with other members of the crew. All Jim's favorable feelings about
Silver (and those of the reader too), immediately evaporate. Silver is
not what he appeared to be.
The
exact opposite is the case with the captain. At first, he appears to be
a sullen man, ready to complain about everything. The squire makes a
point of saying that he dislikes him, and Jim goes even further. After
the captain gives him a brusque order, Jim remarks that he hates him
deeply. But gradually it transpires that the captain is a man of sound
judgment. He is right to distrust Arrow, for example, and to be wary of
taking part in a treasure voyage. The squire is forced to acknowledge
that he was wrong about the captain. From this point on, the captain
will play an exemplary role in the adventure. He shows himself to be
courageous, calm and efficient, and the others accept his authority.
At the end of Chapter
X, Stevenson reveals his frequent technique of ending a chapter on a
note of suspense and anticipation. From his place in the apple barrel,
Jim has just realized that Silver, who he still thinks is a good man, is
leaning against the barrel. Then before Jim has heard Silver speak a
dozen words, he realizes that "the lives of all the honest men aboard
depended upon me alone." There the chapter ends. Who could read that
and not want to continue? This technique of ending on a
"cliff-hanger" may be related to the fact that Treasure Island was
originally published in serial form, so it was important to end each
episode in a way that would make readers eager for the next installment.
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