09 Treasure island - Powder and Arms

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dream Audio Books presents Chapter nine, Powder and Arms. The
Hispaniola lay some way out, and we went under the
figure heads 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

(00:21):
were met and saluted as we stepped aboard by the
mate mister 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 mister 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.

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For we had hardly got down into the cabin when
a sailor followed us. Captain Smollett, Sir, axe thing 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

(01:08):
you to say? All? Well, I hope all ship shape
and seaworthy. Well, sir, said the captain. Better speak plain
I believe, even at the risk of of fence. 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,

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you don't like the ship, inquired the squire, very angry
as I could see. 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

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may not like your employer either, said the squire. But
here doctor Livesey cut in day 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

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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

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that every man before the mass knows more than I do.
I don't call that fair, now, do you no, said
Doctor 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

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treasure voyages on any account, and I don't like them
above all when they are secret, and when begging your pardon,
mister chilauney, the secret has been told to the parrot.
Silver's parrot, asked the squire. It's a way of speaking,

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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 doctor Livesey. We take the risk,

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but we are not so ignorant as you believe us. Next,
you say you don't like the crew? Are they not good? Seamen?
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.

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My friend should perhaps have taken you along with him.
But the slight, if there be one, was unintentional. And
you don't like mister Arrow, I don't, sir, I believe
he's a good seaman. But he's too free with the
crew to be a good officer. A mate should keep

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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,

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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

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me a few words more. They are putting the powder
and the arms in the forehold. 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

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berths here beside the cabin? Second point? Anymore, asked mister 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

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map of an island that they're 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 saul. The
hands know it, Sir, returned the captain. Livesey. That must

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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 mister Trelawney's protestations. Neither did I to be
sure he was so loose a talker. Yet in this
case I believe it was really right, and that nobody

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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, a mister Arrow. Otherwise I would ask
you to let me resign. I see, said the doctor.

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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 offense. I deny your right to put words

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into my mouth. No, Captain, Sir would be justified in
going to see it all if he had ground enough
to say that. As for mister Arrow, I believe him
thoroughly honest. Some of the men are the same. All
may be for what I know, but I am responsible

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for the ship's safety in 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

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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 mister Trelawney

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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.

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You'll find I do my duty, and with that he
took his leave. Trelawny, 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

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for that intolerable humbug, I declare I think his conduct
unmanly on sailorly, and don't write on English well, says
the doctor. We shall see. When we came on deck,
the men had begun already to take out the arms
in powder yohoeing at their work, while the captain and

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mister 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

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been originally meant that the Captain, mister 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
mister 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 roundhouse. Very

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low it was, still, of course, but there was room
to swing two hammocks, and even the mates 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

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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 change in of the powder. Jack answers one. Why

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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.

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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

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cried out of 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 favorites on my ship. I assure you. I
was quite of the squire's way of thinking and hated
the captain deeply. End of chapter. Dream Audio Books hopes

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you have enjoyed this program.