Treasure Island Page #3

who touched off the ball...

...that blew that old leg of mine overboard.

- You served in the navy, my man?

Aye, aye, sir.

Under Admiral Hawke, off Biscay.

- Under the immortal Hawke?

- Aye, aye, sir.

Are there many

one-legged seafaring men?

Why, the country's full of them, matey.

Just like storks on a roof.

Truly, Mr. Silver,

I'm sorry for my bluntness.

Here, matey, you try this out.

Of course, you realize we can

only sign on able-bodied men.

Oh, bless me, sir. I didn't think

when I came hobbling down here...

...that you'd have any use

for this timber leg and me.

Oh, no, no.

Now, you don't happen to have...

...a cook onboard, do you?

- Cook? Why, no, not yet.

Well, squire, I own a little sailor's tavern

up here, and I can make salt pork...

...taste just like roast pheasant.

Why, damn me, Silver, if you want

the berth, you're hereby made ship's cook.

Silver, this port

is full of the most unreliable men.

Of the dozen or so that I signed on,

eight have never come back.

Disappeared entirely.

Oh, no.

Now, ain't that a shame.

I wonder what

could have happened to them.

Shiftless idiots.

How many men

might you be needing, squire?

I should like a round score of stout fellows,

in case of savages or buccaneers.

Oh, now, you be scared of pirates, huh?

Well, Silver, one never knows.

Not presuming, sir, but I know

every able-bodied seafaring man...

...in the town of Bristol.

What say you that I fetch a flock

of them right down here to you?

Fetch them down.

Fetch them down, Silver.

Why, strike me pink.

We may get Smollett's entire crew for him...

...and be able to sail sooner, eh, Jim?

Aye. Aye, aye, sir.

With your eye for seamen, sir...

Here, matey.

There you are.

Oh, sir, mayn't I go with Mr. Silver?

- Well, Jim...

- Oh, no. No, no, no.

- There's a lot to be done.

- But, sir, I want to go. Please.

Oh, now, take the boy along, Silver.

Take him along.

Show him the port, the ships.

Start his education for him.

- All right.

Come on, matey. Come on.

That's the way it be, matey.

That's the way it be.

Then you surely would have been

a captain if you hadn't lost your leg.

Come on, lads, come on.

Overboard with ye.

Oh, yes, I'd be captain.

I'd be captain, matey.

Here. Help yourself to a boatswain's pipe.

There you are. Here.

- Thank you.

- Let me show you how to blow it.

- Oh, thank you, Mr. Silver.

- Now you blow it.

This is my little inn, Jim, as I keep

for sailors as ain't appreciated.

Mateys, this is Jim Hawkins,

ship's boy off the 'Hispaniola'.

- Hi there.

- Aye, lad.

You might be glad to know

that I've been made ship's cook.

Just friends, Jim. All happy to know that

old John's gonna get his health back.

They wouldn't be needing

any other hands, would they, John?

Them as is worthy, George.

I've just been yarning

with the ship's owner.

Maybe I can convince him

of your high qualities, them as has them.

Oh, John.

That's the kind of joke, Long John.

Now, this here is Dandy Dawson.

A gentleman, is Dandy.

Took to the sea for the love of it,

he says.

Wouldn't harm a cockroach.

- Your servant, sonny.

- My pleasure, Mr. Dawson.

And this is William O'Brien.

Now, William is a lay reader

in the church, is William.

Lost his ear defending a woman.

A maid in Santiago that he had taken

unto his heart, as it were.

- As it were, sonny.

- Bless my soul.

And, matey, this is Israel Hands.

Ugly Israel, we calls him, but as honest

a man as you'll find in the room, Jim.

My pleasure, Mr. Hands.

You come on a fair breeze,

Master Hawkins.

Where's John?

Stop him! Stop him!

Here, here. Jim, Jim, Jim.

Here, here. Who is he?

- It's Black Dog.

- Who? Black Dog? Who?

- What's he done?

- He was one of the buccaneers...

A buccaneer?

Not one of the pirates that

Squire Trelawney was telling us about?

Yes. He ought to be caught.

Now, have any of you ever

seen the likes of him before?

- No, John.

- He ain't a friend of anybody in here, be he?

- No.

- No, John.

That's good. That's good for all of you.

If I ever catch any of you running alongside

the likes of that, why, I'll...

A scurvy pirate in my inn.

You wait here, matey.

I'll run and get me sea bag

and me bird.

And we'll go right up

and tell the squire about this.

Blimey.

Pirates.

Those are pretty boots, Master Hawkins.

Yes. My mother gave them to me

before I left.

And the same size our foot is.

Alike as two sister craft.

- Yes.

- I'm fond of pretty things, I am.

Yes.

- Oh, a parrot.

- Yes, matey.

If any of you wants a voyage,

you go right down to the 'Hispaniola'.

She's lying in Wolf's Wharf.

Is it a boy or a girl parrot?

No, Jim, a girl, and usually

a well-mannered little wench, too, says I.

Pieces of eight, pieces of eight,

pieces of eight, pieces of eight.

Upon my word, she's a good talker.

Well, I wouldn't say "good," Jim,

but powerful.

- What's her name?

- Captain Flint, I calls her.

Here, matey. You take her for a spell.

She likes you, Jim.

- But does she bite?

- No, no. Nary a nibble.

- I thought most parrots liked to bite.

- Not this one.

She's a lovebird, matey.

You know, I've been thinking

about the squire, matey.

- Yes, Mr. Silver.

- You just call me Long John.

- Yes, Long John.

- You know, I don't think...

...that we ought to tell him

about that Black Dog, now, do you?

- Well, why not?

- Well, the squire is very excitable.

- He's got a lot on his mind, now, ain't he?

- Well, yes.

Well, now, we didn't catch Black Dog,

and there's nothing can be done...

...about it, is there?

- Well, I know, but...

Well, now, there's Admiral Hawke.

I remember in a battle off of Lisbon...

...why, a young lieutenant tells him

something without using his judgment...

...and do you know what happened?

Why, that admiral fell in a fit...

...and pink foam

oozed out of his ears for 42 days.

- Out of his...? All that time?

- Yes, sirree. Just like two spigots...

...out of a barrel of ale.

So just for the peace of the mind

of the squire, why, we won't tell him, huh?

- I believe you're right, Long John.

- Matey, you're just smart as paint.

Why, you and me's gonna get along

just fine in my galley.

She did bite me.

Now, ain't that too bad.

Well, matey, I guess she ain't used to you.

She's a little bit jealous, yeah.

I guess you don't want to leave

old Long John alone, do you?

You...

- Just a little kiss, matey.

- Yes.

You clam brain.

Is a crew always happy like that

when they leave a port?

A good crew, Jim.

You know,

if this voyage were a rainbow...

...and there was a pot of gold

at the other end...

...they couldn't be any happier.

- I'm glad you like Dr. Livesey.

- Now, he's a pretty smart man, Jim.

He's not a sailor, of course. But he can

cut you open and sew you up again.

Well, that sewing up

must be pretty difficult.

- So is the cutting-up part.

- Yeah, well, experience, Jim.

- I couldn't do it.

- Oh, no. Neither could I.

I'd swoon like a lady of quality, I would.

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