!" he
cried, "Silver!--I'll give you a piece of advice," he continued, as the
cook drew near again; "don't you be in any great hurry after that
treasure."

"Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain't," said Silver. "I can only,
asking your pardon, save my life and the boy's by seeking for that
treasure; and you may lay to that."

"Well, Silver," replied the doctor, "if that is so, I'll go one step
further: look out for squalls when you find it."

"Sir," said Silver, "as between man and man, that's too much and too
little. What you're after, why you left the block-house, why you given me
that there chart, I don't know, now, do I? and yet I done your bidding
with my eyes shut and never a word of hope! But no, this here's too much.
If you won't tell me what you mean plain out, just say so, and I'll leave
the helm."

"No," said the doctor musingly, "I've no right to say more; it's not my
secret, you see, Silver, or, I give you my word, I'd tell it you. But
I'll go as far with you as I dare go, and a step beyond; for I'll have my
wig sorted by the captain, or I'm mistaken! And, first, I'll give you a
bit of hope: Silver, if we both get alive out of this wolf-trap, I'll do
my best to save you, short of perjury."

Silver's face was radiant. "You couldn't say more, I'm sure, sir, not if
you was my mother," he cried.

"Well, that's my first concession," added the doctor. "My second is a
piece of advice: Keep the boy close beside you, and when you need help,
halloo. I'm off to seek it for you, and that itself will show you if I
speak at random.--Good-bye, Jim."

And Dr. Livesey shook hands with me through the stockade, nodded to
Silver, and set off at a brisk pace into the wood.

CHAPTER XXXI

THE TREASURE HUNT--FLINT'S POINTER

"Jim," said Silver, when we were alone, "if I saved your life, you saved
mine; and I'll not forget it. I seen the doctor waving you to run for
it--with the tail of my eye, I did; and I seen you say no, as plain as
hearing. Jim, that's one to you. This is the first glint of hope I had
since the attack failed, and I owe it you. And now, Jim, we're to go in
for this here treasure-hunting, with sealed orders, too, and I don't like
it; and you and me must stick close, back to back like, and we'll save
our necks in spite o' fate and fortune."

Just then a man hailed us from the fire that breakfast was ready, and we
were soon seated here and there about the sand over biscuit and fried