ue coat, thick with brass buttons, hung as low as to his knees,
and a fine laced hat was set on the back of his head.

"Here you are, my man," said the captain, raising his head. "You had
better sit down."

"You ain't a-going to let me inside, cap'n?" complained Long John. "It's
a main cold morning, to be sure, sir, to sit outside upon the sand."

"Why, Silver," said the captain, "if you had pleased to be an honest man,
you might have been sitting in your galley. It's your own doing. You're
either my ship's cook--and then you were treated handsome--or Cap'n
Silver, a common mutineer and pirate, and then you can go hang!"

"Well, well, cap'n," returned the sea cook, sitting down as he was bidden
on the sand, "you'll have to give me a hand up again, that's all. A sweet
pretty place you have of it here.--Ah, there's Jim! The top of the
morning to you, Jim.--Doctor, here's my service. Why, there you all are
together like a happy family, in a manner of speaking."

"If you have anything to say, my man, better say it," said the captain.

"Right you were, Cap'n Smollett," replied Silver. "Dooty is dooty, to be
sure. Well, now, you look here, that was a good lay of yours last night.
I don't deny it was a good lay. Some of you pretty handy with a
handspike-end. And I'll not deny neither but what some of my people was
shook--maybe all was shook; maybe I was shook myself; maybe that's why
I'm here for terms. But you mark me, cap'n, it won't do twice, by
thunder! We'll have to do sentry-go, and ease off a point or so on the
rum. Maybe you think we were all a sheet in the wind's eye. But I'll
tell you I was sober; I was on'y dog-tired; and if I'd awoke a second
sooner I'd a-caught you at the act, I would. He wasn't dead when I got
round to him, not he."

"Well?" says Captain Smollett, as cool as can be.

All that Silver said was a riddle to him, but you would never have
guessed it from his tone. As for me, I began to have an inkling. Ben
Gunn's last words came back to my mind. I began to suppose that he had
paid the buccaneers a visit, while they all lay drunk together round
their fire, and I reckoned up with glee that we had only fourteen enemies
to deal with.

"Well, here it is," said Silver. "We want that treasure and we'll have
it--that's our point! You would just as soon save your lives, I reckon;
and that's yours. You have a chart, haven't you?"

"That's as may be," replied the captain.

"Oh, well, you have, I know