1 An Old Sea Dog at the Inn Dr Livesey and my friends have said I should write my tale of our experiences on Treasure Island and so I do The story rightly begins when a tall ragged seaman first burst through the door of the Admiral Benbow Inn with a great sea chest in tow A thick white scar across his cheek gave the man a dangerous look The man rapped sharply on the floor with a piece of stick he carried like a cane As soon as my father appeared the stranger called for a glass of rum As he waited he launched into a song he would sing many times during his stay with us Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum 4
Then just as suddenly the man fell silent and looked sharply at my father He asked Much company mate My father shook his head sadly and answered Business has been slow That will suit me just fine The man tossed three or four gold pieces down on the table You just tell me when I’ve worked through that The stranger never told us his name asking only to be called Captain Though his clothes were rough and often patched he acted like a man who knew he would be obeyed and we never doubted that Captain was a fair title Soon after his arrival the captain pulled me aside and offered me a silver coin to keep watch for a one-legged man For all he tried to cover it up I could tell the captain was afraid of this man The captain’s fear must have passed to me for I soon found one-legged men chased me through many nightmares 5
The captain quickly settled into a routine at the inn During most of the day he took long walks along the cove Many times he stood on the cliffs and peered out at sea with a brass telescope As evening crept in he returned to the inn and drank rum with a little water On some nights the captain grew restless and burst into fierce tales full of pirates deadly storms and walking the plank My father complained that such gruesome stories drove away guests but I saw no sign of that I suspect people enjoyed the adventure the captain brought into our quiet country lives Other times the captain launched into rowdy songs that he belted out at the top of his lungs If other customers dared complain of his stories or songs the captain stared them down until they slunk away in silence In all the time he stayed with us only one man stood up to the captain That man was Dr Livesey My father had long been ill Within a few months of the captain’s stay Father rarely left 7
