cabin party were
incensed at me for my desertion, I was more relieved than distressed by
what I heard.

"I don't say nothing as to your being in our hands," continued Silver,
"though there you are, and you may lay to it. I'm all for argyment; I
never seen good come out o' threatening. If you like the service, well,
you'll jine; and if you don't, Jim, why, you're free to answer no--free
and welcome, shipmate; and if fairer can be said by mortal seaman,
shiver my sides!"

"Am I to answer, then?" I asked, with a very tremulous voice. Through
all this sneering talk I was made to feel the threat of death that
overhung me, and my cheeks burned and my heart beat painfully in my
breast.

"Lad," said Silver, "no one's a-pressing of you. Take your bearings.
None of us won't hurry you, mate; time goes so pleasant in your company,
you see."

"Well," says I, growing a bit bolder, "if I'm to choose, I declare I
have a right to know what's what, and why you're here, and where my
friends are."

"Wot's wot?" repeated one of the buccaneers, in a deep growl. "Ah, he'd
be a lucky one as knowed that!"

"You'll, perhaps, batten down your hatches till you're spoke to, my
friend," cried Silver, truculently, to this speaker. And then, in his
first gracious tones, he replied to me: "Yesterday morning, Mr.
Hawkins," said he, "in the dogwatch, down came Doctor Livesey with a
flag of truce. Says he: 'Cap'n Silver, you're sold out. Ship's gone!'
Well, maybe we'd been taking a glass, and a song to help it round. I
won't say no. Leastways, none of us had looked out. We looked out, and,
by thunder! the old ship was gone. I never seen a pack o' fools look
fishier; and you may lay to that, if I tells you that I looked the
fishiest. 'Well,' says the doctor, 'let's bargain.' We bargained, him
and I, and here we are; stores, brandy, blockhouse, the firewood you was
thoughtful enough to cut, and, in a manner of speaking, the whole
blessed boat, from crosstrees to keelson. As for them, they've tramped;
I don't know where's they are."

He drew again quietly at his pipe.

"And lest you should take it into that head of yours," he went on, "that
you was included in the treaty, here's the last word that was said: 'How
many are you,' says I, 'to leave?' 'Four,' says he--'four, and one of us
wounded. As for that boy, I don't know where he is, confound him,' says
he, 'nor I don't much care. We're about sick of him.' These was his
words."

"Is that all?