An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1644 words)
arrative Continued by the Doctor: How the Ship Was Abandoned
It was about half past one--three bells in the sea phrase--that the two
boats went ashore from the HISPANIOLA. The captain, the squire, and I
were talking matters over in the cabin. Had there been a breath of wind,
we should have fallen on the six mutineers who were left aboard with
us, slipped our cable, and away to sea. But the wind was wanting; and
to complete our helplessness, down came Hunter with the news that Jim
Hawkins had slipped into a boat and was gone ashore with the rest.
It never occurred to us to doubt Jim Hawkins, but we were alarmed for
his safety. With the men in the temper they were in, it seemed an even
chance if we should see the lad again. We ran on deck. The pitch was
bubbling in the seams; the nasty stench of the place turned me sick;
if ever a man smelt fever and dysentery, it was in that abominable
anchorage. The six scoundrels were sitting grumbling under a sail in the
forecastle; ashore we could see the gigs made fast and a man sitting
in each, hard by where the river runs in. One of them was whistling
“Lillibullero.”
Waiting was a strain, and it was decided that Hunter and I should go
ashore with the jolly-boat in quest of information.
The gigs had leaned to their right, but Hunter and I pulled straight in,
in the direction of the stockade upon the chart. The two who were
left guarding their boats seemed in a bustle at our appearance;
“Lillibullero” stopped off, and I could see the pair discussing what
they ought to do. Had they gone and told Silver, all might have turned
out differently; but they had their orders, I suppose, and decided to
sit quietly where they were and hark back again to “Lillibullero.”
There was a slight bend in the coast, and I steered so as to put it
between us; even before we landed we had thus lost sight of the gigs.
I jumped out and came as near running as I durst, with a big silk
handkerchief under my hat for coolness’ sake and a brace of pistols
ready primed for safety.
I had not gone a hundred yards when I reached the stockade.
This was how it was: a spring of clear water rose almost at the top of a
knoll. Well, on the knoll, and enclosing the spring, they had clapped a
stout loghouse fit to hold two score of people on a pinch and loopholed
for musketry on either side. All round this they had cleared a wide
space, and then the thing was completed by a paling six feet high,
without door or opening, too strong to pull down without time and labour
and too open to shelter the besiegers. The people in the log-house had
them in every way; they stood quiet in shelter and shot the others like
partridges. All they wanted was a good watch and food; for, short of a
complete surprise, they might have held the place against a regiment.
What particularly took my fancy was the spring. For though we had a good
enough place of it in the cabin of the HISPANIOLA, with plenty of arms
and ammunition, and things to eat, and excellent wines, there had been
one thing overlooked--we had no water. I was thinking this over when
there came ringing over the island the cry of a man at the point of
death. I was not new to violent death--I have served his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland, and got a wound myself at Fontenoy--but I know
my pulse went dot and carry one. “Jim Hawkins is gone,” was my first
thought.
It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have been
a doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work. And so now I made
up my mind instantly, and with no time lost returned to the shore and
jumped on board the jolly-boat.
By good fortune Hunter pulled a good oar. We made the water fly, and the
boat was soon alongside and I aboard the schooner.
I found them all shaken, as was natural. The squire was sitting down, as
white as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, the good soul!
And one of the six forecastle hands was little better.
“There’s a man,” says Captain Smollett, nodding towards him, “new to
this work. He came nigh-hand fainting, doctor, when he heard the cry.
Another touch of the rudder and that man would join us.”
I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the details
of its accomplishment.
We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle,
with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection. Hunter
brought the boat round under the stern-port, and Joyce and I set to work
loading her with powder tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork, a
cask of cognac, and my invaluable medicine chest.
In the meantime, the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and the
latter hailed the coxswain, who was the principal man aboard.
“Mr. Hands,” he said, “here are two of us with a brace of pistols each.
If any one of you six make a signal of any description, that man’s
dead.”
They were a good deal taken aback, and after a little consultation one
and all tumbled down the fore companion, thinking no doubt to take us
on the rear. But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred
galley, they went about ship at once, and a head popped out again on
deck.
“Down, dog!” cries the captain.
And the head popped back again; and we heard no more, for the time, of
these six very faint-hearted seamen.
By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boat
loaded as much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the stern-port,
and we made for shore again as fast as oars could take us.
This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. “Lillibullero”
was dropped again; and just before we lost sight of them behind the
little point, one of them whipped ashore and disappeared. I had half a
mind to change my plan and destroy their boats, but I feared that Silver
and the others might be close at hand, and all might very well be lost
by trying for too much.
We had soon touched land in the same place as before and set to
provision the block house. All three made the first journey, heavily
laden, and tossed our stores over the palisade. Then, leaving Joyce to
guard them--one man, to be sure, but with half a dozen muskets--Hunter
and I returned to the jolly-boat and loaded ourselves once more. So
we proceeded without pausing to take breath, till the whole cargo was
bestowed, when the two servants took up their position in the block
house, and I, with all my power, sculled back to the HISPANIOLA.
That we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring than it
really was. They had the advantage of numbers, of course, but we had the
advantage of arms. Not one of the men ashore had a musket, and before
they could get within range for pistol shooting, we flattered ourselves
we should be able to give a good account of a half-dozen at least.
The squire was waiting for me at the stern window, all his faintness
gone from him. He caught the painter and made it fast, and we fell to
loading the boat for our very lives. Pork, powder, and biscuit was the
cargo, with only a musket and a cutlass apiece for the squire and me
and Redruth and the captain. The rest of the arms and powder we dropped
overboard in two fathoms and a half of water, so that we could see
the bright steel shining far below us in the sun, on the clean, sandy
bottom.
By this time the tide was beginning to ebb, and the ship was swinging
round to her anchor. Voices were heard faintly halloaing in the
direction of the two gigs; and though this reassured us for Joyce and
Hunter, who were well to the eastward, it warned our party to be off.
Redruth retreated from his place in the gallery and dropped into the
boat, which we then brought round to the ship’s counter, to be handier
for Captain Smollett.
“Now, men,” said he, “do you hear me?”
There was no answer from the forecastle.
“It’s to you, Abraham Gray--it’s to you I am speaking.”
Still no reply.
“Gray,” resumed Mr. Smollett, a little louder, “I am leaving this ship,
and I order you to follow your captain. I know you are a good man at
bottom, and I dare say not one of the lot of you’s as bad as he makes
out. I have my watch here in my hand; I give you thirty seconds to join
me in.”
There was a pause.
“Come, my fine fellow,” continued the captain; “don’t hang so long in
stays. I’m risking my life and the lives of these good gentlemen every
second.”
There was a sudden scuffle, a sound of blows, and out burst Abraham
Gray with a knife cut on the side of the cheek, and came running to the
captain like a dog to the whistle.
“I’m with you, sir,” said he.
And the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard of us, and we
had shoved off and given way.
We were clear out of the ship, but not yet ashore in our stockade.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Moving away from immediate conflict to gain control over essential resources and long-term advantage.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between giving up and repositioning for advantage, especially when facing overwhelming opposition.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel cornered at work or home—ask yourself 'What's the real resource here?' and look for ways to control that instead of fighting the obvious battle.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Had there been a breath of wind, we should have fallen on the six mutineers who were left aboard with us, slipped our cable, and away to sea."
Context: Explaining why they can't simply sail away from their problems
Shows how external circumstances can trap you even when you know what you want to do. Sometimes the timing just isn't right for the obvious solution, forcing you to find another way.
In Today's Words:
If we'd had any luck at all, we could have overpowered the troublemakers and gotten out of there.
"Waiting was a strain, and it was decided that Hunter and I should go ashore with the jolly-boat in quest of information."
Context: When they realize sitting around is making things worse
Demonstrates that sometimes action, even risky action, is better than passive waiting. Information gathering becomes a form of taking control when you feel powerless.
In Today's Words:
We couldn't just sit there doing nothing anymore, so we decided to go find out what was really happening.
"If ever a man smelt fever and dysentery, it was in that abominable anchorage."
Context: Describing the unhealthy conditions of their current location
Uses his medical knowledge to emphasize that staying put isn't just strategically dangerous - it's literally toxic. Sometimes your environment is slowly killing you even if it seems safer than moving.
In Today's Words:
This place was a disease waiting to happen - we had to get out of there.
Thematic Threads
Leadership
In This Chapter
Dr. Livesey takes command through calm decision-making and strategic thinking rather than rank or force
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters where leadership was about authority—now it's about competence under pressure
In Your Life:
Real leadership emerges in crisis when someone can see clearly while others panic.
Class
In This Chapter
The educated doctor's military and medical background gives him advantages in crisis that working sailors lack
Development
Continues the theme of how different backgrounds provide different survival tools
In Your Life:
Your professional training and life experience become your survival tools in unexpected situations.
Loyalty
In This Chapter
Abraham Gray finally chooses sides when he sees genuine leadership and clear action
Development
Builds on earlier loyalty conflicts—people follow competence and clear direction over just friendship
In Your Life:
People's loyalty often goes to whoever provides the clearest path forward, not just the nicest person.
Resources
In This Chapter
Water becomes more valuable than weapons or treasure because it's essential for survival
Development
Introduced here as a new way of thinking about what really matters in conflict
In Your Life:
In any crisis, identify what people actually need versus what they think they want.
Timing
In This Chapter
The crew succeeds because they act decisively when the mutineers are distracted and disorganized
Development
Builds on earlier themes about seizing moments—but now it's about strategic timing, not just opportunity
In Your Life:
The best time to make your move is often when your opponents are focused elsewhere.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Dr. Livesey makes a crucial observation about the stockade having fresh water while the mutineers don't. What does this tell us about how he approaches problems differently than others?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Abraham Gray finally choose to join the loyal crew at this moment? What does his decision reveal about how people respond to leadership during crisis?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about a time when you had to choose between fighting a battle head-on or finding a different approach. How did you decide, and what happened?
application • medium - 4
In your workplace or community, when have you seen someone 'retreat' strategically to gain a better position later? What made their approach successful?
application • deep - 5
Dr. Livesey focuses on controlling water while others think about treasure or immediate threats. What does this teach us about how successful people think differently during crisis?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Strategic Resources
Think of a current challenge you're facing - at work, in relationships, or with finances. List all the obvious 'battles' everyone focuses on, then identify the hidden resource that actually controls the situation (like Dr. Livesey spotting the water source). Map out how you could position yourself to control or access that key resource.
Consider:
- •Look beyond the obvious conflict to find what everyone actually needs
- •Consider what you could 'give up' tactically to gain strategic advantage
- •Think about timing - when would be the best moment to make your move
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you walked away from a fight or argument, only to realize later it was the smartest thing you could have done. What did you learn about choosing your battles?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 17: When Everything Goes Wrong at Once
The escape isn't over yet—they still have to make it safely to the stockade while enemy boats patrol the waters. But bigger questions loom: Is Jim Hawkins still alive after that terrible scream echoed across the island?
