Publisher's Synopsis
QUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me towrite down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is stilltreasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and go back to the timewhen my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cutfirst took up his lodging under our roof.I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his seachest following behind him in a hand-barrow-a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, histarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. Iremember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and thenbreaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards: "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"in the high, old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstanbars. Then he rapped on the door with a bit of stick like a handspike that he carried, andwhen my father appeared, called roughly for a glass of rum. This, when it was brought tohim, he drank slowly, like a connoisseur, lingering on the taste and still looking about himat the cliffs and up at our signboard."This is a handy cove," says he at length; "and a pleasant sittyated grog-shop. Muchcompany, mate?"My father told him no, very little company, the more was the pity."Well, then," said he, "this is the berth for me. Here you, matey," he cried to the man whotrundled the barrow; "bring up alongside and help up my chest. I'll stay here a bit," hecontinued. "I'm a plain man; rum and bacon and eggs is what I want, and that head up therefor to watch ships off. What you mought call me? You mought call me captain. Oh, I seewhat you're at-there"; and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the threshold. "Youcan tell me when I've worked through that," says he, looking as fierce as a commander.And indeed bad as his clothes were and coarsely as he spoke, he had none of theappearance of a man who sailed before the mast, but seemed like a mate or skipperaccustomed to be obeyed or to strike. The man who came with the barrow told us the mailhad set him down the morning before at the Royal George, that he had inquired what innsthere were along the coast, and hearing ours well spoken of, I suppose, and described aslonely, had chosen it from the others for his place of residence. And that was all we couldlearn of our gue