The next morning we fell early to work, for the transportation of thisgreat mass of gold near a mile by land to the beach, and thence threemiles by boat to the _Hispaniola_, was a considerable task for so smalla number of workmen. The three fellows still abroad upon the island didnot greatly trouble us; a single sentry on the shoulder of the hill wassufficient to insure us against any sudden onslaught, and we thought,besides, they had had more than enough of fighting.

Therefore the work was pushed on briskly. Gray and Ben Gunn came andwent with the boat, while the rest during their absences piled treasureon the beach. Two of the bars, slung in a rope's end, made a good loadfor a grown man--one that he was glad to walk slowly with. For my part,as I was not much use at carrying, I was kept busy all day in the cave,packing the minted money into bread-bags.

It was a strange collection, like Billy Bones's hoard for the diversityof coinage, but so much larger and so much more varied that I think Inever had more pleasure than in sorting them. English, French, Spanish,Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas andmoidores and sequins, the pictures of all the kings of Europe for thelast hundred years, strange oriental pieces stamped with what lookedlike wisps of string or bits of spider's web, round pieces and squarepieces, and pieces bored through the middle, as if to wear them roundyour neck--nearly every variety of money in the world must, I think,have found a place in that collection; and for number, I am sure theywere like autumn leaves, so that my back ached with stooping and myfingers with sorting them out.

[Illustration: _Nearly every variety of money in the world must havefound a place in that collection_ (Page 253)]

Day after day this work went on; by every evening a fortune had beenstowed aboard, but there was another fortune waiting for the morrow; andall this time we heard nothing of the three surviving mutineers.

At last--I think it was on the third night--the doctor and I werestrolling on the shoulder of the hill where it overlooks the lowlands ofthe isle, when, from out the thick darkness below, the wind brought us anoise between shrieking and singing. It was only a snatch that reachedour ears, followed by the former silence.

"Heaven forgive them," said the doctor; "'tis the mutineers!"

"All drunk, sir," struck in the voice of Silver from behind us.

Silver, I should say, was allowed his entire liberty, and, in spite ofdaily rebuffs, seemed to regard himself once more as quite a privilegedand friendly dependent. Indeed, it was remarkable how well he bore theseslights, and with what unwearying politeness he kept at trying toingratiate himself with all. Yet, I think, none treated him better thana dog, unless it was Ben Gunn, who was still terribly afraid of his oldquartermaster, or myself, who had really something to thank him for;although for that matter, I suppose, I had reason to think even worse ofhim than anybody else, for I had seen him meditating a fresh treacheryupon the plateau. Accordingly, it was pretty gruffly that the doctoranswered him.

"Drunk or raving," said he.

"Right you were, sir," replied Silver; "and precious little odds which,to you and me."

"I suppose you would hardly ask me to call you a humane man," returnedthe doctor, with a sneer, "and so my feelings may surprise you, MasterSilver. But if I were sure they were raving--as I am morally certainone, at least, of them is down with fever--I should leave this camp,and, at whatever risk to my own carcass, take them the assistance of myskill."

"Ask your pardon, sir, you would be very wrong," quoth Silver. "Youwould lose your precious life, and you may lay to that. I'm on your sidenow, hand and glove; and I shouldn't wish for to see the party weakened,let alone yourself, seeing as I know what I owes you. But these men downthere, they couldn't keep their word--no, not supposing they wishedto--and what's more, they couldn't believe as you could."

"No," said the doctor. "You're the man to keep your word, we know that."

Well, that was about the last news we had of the three pirates. Onlyonce we heard a gunshot a great way off, and supposed them to behunting. A council was held and it was decided that we must desert themon the island--to the huge glee, I must say, of Ben Gunn, and with thestrong approval of Gray. We left a good stock of powder and shot, thebulk of the salt goat, a few medicines and some other necessaries,tools, clothing, a spare sail, a fathom or two of rope, and, by theparticular desire of the doctor, a handsome present of tobacco.

That was about our last doing on the island. Before that we had got thetreasure stowed and had shipped enough water and the remainder of thegoat meat, in case of any distress; and at last, one fine morning, weweighed anchor, which was about all that we could manage, and stood outof North Inlet, the same colors flying that the captain had flown andfought under at the palisade.

The three fellows must have been watching us closer than we thought for,as we soon had proved. For, coming through the narrows we had to lievery near the southern point, and there we saw all three of themkneeling together on a spit of sand with their arms raised insupplication. It went to all our hearts, I think, to leave them in thatwretched state, but we could not risk another mutiny, and to take themhome for the gibbet would have been a cruel sort of kindness. The doctorhailed them and told them of the stores we had left, and where they wereto find them, but they continued to call us by name and appeal to us forGod's sake to be merciful and not leave them to die in such a place.

At last, seeing the ship still bore on her course, and was now swiftlydrawing out of earshot, one of them--I know not which it was--leaped tohis feet with a hoarse cry, whipped his musket to his shoulder, and senta shot whistling over Silver's head and through the mainsail.

After that we kept under cover of the bulwarks, and when next I lookedout they had disappeared from the spit, and the spit itself had almostmelted out of sight in the growing distance. That was, at least, the endof that; and before noon, to my inexpressible joy, the highest rock ofTreasure Island had sunk into the blue round of sea.

We were so short of men that everyone on board had to bear a hand--onlythe captain lying on a mattress in the stern and giving his orders, forthough greatly recovered he was still in want of quiet. We laid her headfor the nearest port in Spanish America, for we could not risk thevoyage home without fresh hands; and as it was, what with baffling windsand a couple of fresh gales, we were all worn out before we reached it.

It was just at sundown when we cast anchor in a most beautifullandlocked gulf, and were immediately surrounded by shore boats full ofnegroes and Mexican Indians and half-bloods, selling fruits andvegetables, and offering to dive for bits of money. The sight of so manygood-humored faces (especially the blacks), the taste of the tropicalfruits, and above all, the lights that began to shine in the town, madea most charming contrast to our dark and bloody sojourn on the island;and the doctor and the squire, taking me along with them, went ashore topass the early part of the night. Here they met the captain of anEnglish man-of-war, fell in talk with him, went on board his ship, andin short, had so agreeable a time that day was breaking when we camealongside the _Hispaniola_.

Ben Gunn was on deck alone, and as soon as we came on board he began,with wonderful contortions, to make us a confession. Silver was gone.The maroon had connived at his escape in a shore boat some hours ago,and he now assured us he had only done so to preserve our lives, whichwould certainly have been forfeited if "that man with the one leg hadstayed aboard." But this was not all. The sea-cook had not goneempty-handed. He had cut through a bulkhead unobserved, and had removedone of the sacks of coin, worth, perhaps, three or four hundredguineas, to help him on his further wanderings.

I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him.

Well, to make a long story short, we got a few hands on board, made agood cruise home, and the _Hispaniola_ reached Bristol just as Mr.Blandly was beginning to think of fitting out her consort. Five men onlyof those who had sailed returned with her. "Drink and the devil had donefor the rest" with a vengeance, although, to be sure, we were not quitein so bad a case as that other ship they sang about:

"With one man of the crew alive, What put to sea with seventy-five."

All of us had an ample share of the treasure, and used it wisely orfoolishly, according to our natures. Captain Smollett is now retiredfrom the sea. Gray not only saved his money, but, being suddenly smitwith the desire to rise, also studied his profession, and he is now mateand part owner of a fine full-rigged ship; married besides, and thefather of a family. As for Ben Gunn, he got a thousand pounds, which hespent or lost in three weeks, or, to be more exact, in nineteen days,for he was back begging on the twentieth. Then he was given a lodge tokeep, exactly as he had feared upon the island; and he still lives, agreat favorite, though something of a butt with the country boys, and anotable singer in church on Sundays and saints' days.

Of Silver we have heard no more. That formidable seafaring man with oneleg has at last gone clean out of my life, but I dare say he met his oldnegress, and perhaps still lives in comfort with her and Captain Flint.It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his chances of comfort in anotherworld are very small.

The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flintburied them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen andwain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island, andthe worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming aboutits coasts, or start upright in bed, with the sharp voice of CaptainFlint still ringing in my ears: "Pieces of eight! pieces of eight!"