An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1479 words)
arrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip
This fifth trip was quite different from any of the others. In the
first place, the little gallipot of a boat that we were in was gravely
overloaded. Five grown men, and three of them--Trelawney, Redruth, and
the captain--over six feet high, was already more than she was meant
to carry. Add to that the powder, pork, and bread-bags. The gunwale was
lipping astern. Several times we shipped a little water, and my breeches
and the tails of my coat were all soaking wet before we had gone a
hundred yards.
The captain made us trim the boat, and we got her to lie a little more
evenly. All the same, we were afraid to breathe.
In the second place, the ebb was now making--a strong rippling current
running westward through the basin, and then south’ard and seaward down
the straits by which we had entered in the morning. Even the ripples
were a danger to our overloaded craft, but the worst of it was that we
were swept out of our true course and away from our proper landing-place
behind the point. If we let the current have its way we should come
ashore beside the gigs, where the pirates might appear at any moment.
“I cannot keep her head for the stockade, sir,” said I to the captain.
I was steering, while he and Redruth, two fresh men, were at the oars.
“The tide keeps washing her down. Could you pull a little stronger?”
“Not without swamping the boat,” said he. “You must bear up, sir, if you
please--bear up until you see you’re gaining.”
I tried and found by experiment that the tide kept sweeping us westward
until I had laid her head due east, or just about right angles to the
way we ought to go.
“We’ll never get ashore at this rate,” said I.
“If it’s the only course that we can lie, sir, we must even lie it,”
returned the captain. “We must keep upstream. You see, sir,” he went on,
“if once we dropped to leeward of the landing-place, it’s hard to say
where we should get ashore, besides the chance of being boarded by the
gigs; whereas, the way we go the current must slacken, and then we can
dodge back along the shore.”
“The current’s less a’ready, sir,” said the man Gray, who was sitting in
the fore-sheets; “you can ease her off a bit.”
“Thank you, my man,” said I, quite as if nothing had happened, for we
had all quietly made up our minds to treat him like one of ourselves.
Suddenly the captain spoke up again, and I thought his voice was a
little changed.
“The gun!” said he.
“I have thought of that,” said I, for I made sure he was thinking of a
bombardment of the fort. “They could never get the gun ashore, and if
they did, they could never haul it through the woods.”
“Look astern, doctor,” replied the captain.
We had entirely forgotten the long nine; and there, to our horror, were
the five rogues busy about her, getting off her jacket, as they called
the stout tarpaulin cover under which she sailed. Not only that, but
it flashed into my mind at the same moment that the round-shot and the
powder for the gun had been left behind, and a stroke with an axe would
put it all into the possession of the evil ones abroad.
“Israel was Flint’s gunner,” said Gray hoarsely.
At any risk, we put the boat’s head direct for the landing-place. By
this time we had got so far out of the run of the current that we kept
steerage way even at our necessarily gentle rate of rowing, and I could
keep her steady for the goal. But the worst of it was that with the
course I now held we turned our broadside instead of our stern to the
HISPANIOLA and offered a target like a barn door.
I could hear as well as see that brandy-faced rascal Israel Hands
plumping down a round-shot on the deck.
“Who’s the best shot?” asked the captain.
“Mr. Trelawney, out and away,” said I.
“Mr. Trelawney, will you please pick me off one of these men, sir?
Hands, if possible,” said the captain.
Trelawney was as cool as steel. He looked to the priming of his gun.
“Now,” cried the captain, “easy with that gun, sir, or you’ll swamp the
boat. All hands stand by to trim her when he aims.”
The squire raised his gun, the rowing ceased, and we leaned over to the
other side to keep the balance, and all was so nicely contrived that we
did not ship a drop.
They had the gun, by this time, slewed round upon the swivel, and Hands,
who was at the muzzle with the rammer, was in consequence the most
exposed. However, we had no luck, for just as Trelawney fired, down he
stooped, the ball whistled over him, and it was one of the other four
who fell.
The cry he gave was echoed not only by his companions on board but by a
great number of voices from the shore, and looking in that direction
I saw the other pirates trooping out from among the trees and tumbling
into their places in the boats.
“Here come the gigs, sir,” said I.
“Give way, then,” cried the captain. “We mustn’t mind if we swamp her
now. If we can’t get ashore, all’s up.”
“Only one of the gigs is being manned, sir,” I added; “the crew of the
other most likely going round by shore to cut us off.”
“They’ll have a hot run, sir,” returned the captain. “Jack ashore, you
know. It’s not them I mind; it’s the round-shot. Carpet bowls! My lady’s
maid couldn’t miss. Tell us, squire, when you see the match, and we’ll
hold water.”
In the meanwhile we had been making headway at a good pace for a boat so
overloaded, and we had shipped but little water in the process. We were
now close in; thirty or forty strokes and we should beach her, for the
ebb had already disclosed a narrow belt of sand below the clustering
trees. The gig was no longer to be feared; the little point had already
concealed it from our eyes. The ebb-tide, which had so cruelly delayed
us, was now making reparation and delaying our assailants. The one
source of danger was the gun.
“If I durst,” said the captain, “I’d stop and pick off another man.”
But it was plain that they meant nothing should delay their shot. They
had never so much as looked at their fallen comrade, though he was not
dead, and I could see him trying to crawl away.
“Ready!” cried the squire.
“Hold!” cried the captain, quick as an echo.
And he and Redruth backed with a great heave that sent her stern bodily
under water. The report fell in at the same instant of time. This was
the first that Jim heard, the sound of the squire’s shot not having
reached him. Where the ball passed, not one of us precisely knew, but I
fancy it must have been over our heads and that the wind of it may have
contributed to our disaster.
At any rate, the boat sank by the stern, quite gently, in three feet of
water, leaving the captain and myself, facing each other, on our feet.
The other three took complete headers, and came up again drenched and
bubbling.
So far there was no great harm. No lives were lost, and we could wade
ashore in safety. But there were all our stores at the bottom, and to
make things worse, only two guns out of five remained in a state for
service. Mine I had snatched from my knees and held over my head, by
a sort of instinct. As for the captain, he had carried his over his
shoulder by a bandoleer, and like a wise man, lock uppermost. The other
three had gone down with the boat.
To add to our concern, we heard voices already drawing near us in the
woods along shore, and we had not only the danger of being cut off from
the stockade in our half-crippled state but the fear before us whether,
if Hunter and Joyce were attacked by half a dozen, they would have the
sense and conduct to stand firm. Hunter was steady, that we knew; Joyce
was a doubtful case--a pleasant, polite man for a valet and to brush
one’s clothes, but not entirely fitted for a man of war.
With all this in our minds, we waded ashore as fast as we could, leaving
behind us the poor jolly-boat and a good half of all our powder and
provisions.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When one oversight or poor decision creates a chain reaction where each new problem limits options and forces increasingly desperate choices.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to spot when one mistake triggers a chain reaction that makes every subsequent choice worse.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're making decisions under increasing pressure - pause and ask what bigger mistake you might be missing while focused on the immediate crisis.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I cannot keep her head for the stockade, sir. The tide keeps washing her down."
Context: While steering the overloaded boat against the current
Shows how natural forces don't care about human plans or needs. Sometimes you can do everything right and still lose control because bigger forces are working against you.
In Today's Words:
I'm trying my best here, but this situation is bigger than what I can handle.
"The gunwale was lipping astern."
Context: Describing how dangerously low their overloaded boat sits in the water
A technical detail that shows they're right at the edge of disaster. One wrong move and they'll sink before reaching safety.
In Today's Words:
We were already in over our heads before we even got started.
"We were afraid to breathe."
Context: After they managed to balance the boat slightly better
Shows the extreme tension when you know that even the smallest mistake could be fatal. Every movement matters when you're operating at the limits.
In Today's Words:
We knew we were walking on thin ice and one wrong step would end everything.
"All the same, we were afraid to breathe."
Context: Even after getting the boat somewhat balanced
Captures that feeling when you're in such a precarious situation that you're scared to do anything that might tip the balance toward disaster.
In Today's Words:
Even when things got a little better, we knew we were still one mistake away from total disaster.
Thematic Threads
Leadership
In This Chapter
The captain must make impossible choices with incomplete information while lives depend on split-second decisions
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters showing different leadership styles to now showing leadership under extreme pressure
In Your Life:
You face this when you're the one everyone looks to when everything goes wrong at once
Consequences
In This Chapter
The crew's strategic oversight of leaving weapons behind creates cascading problems they can't undo
Development
Building from earlier chapters where consequences were delayed to now showing immediate, compounding effects
In Your Life:
You experience this when one mistake at work or home triggers a series of problems that keep getting worse
Resource Management
In This Chapter
Every decision involves trade-offs between speed, safety, and supplies with no good options available
Development
Introduced here as the crew faces scarcity under pressure
In Your Life:
You deal with this when managing tight budgets, time constraints, or limited energy while handling multiple crises
Adaptation
In This Chapter
Characters must rapidly adjust plans as conditions change, abandoning original strategies for survival
Development
Evolved from earlier planning scenes to now showing real-time adaptation under fire
In Your Life:
You need this skill when your carefully made plans fall apart and you have to figure out next steps on the fly
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific mistake did the crew make when leaving the ship, and how did it affect everything that happened afterward?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did each problem they faced make the next decision harder to make well?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this same pattern of one mistake creating a chain reaction of bigger problems?
application • medium - 4
When you're in the middle of a crisis cascade like this, what can you do to stop making it worse?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how pressure affects our ability to think clearly and see the big picture?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Cascade
Think of a time when one small mistake or oversight created a chain reaction of problems in your life. Draw or write out the sequence: what was the original mistake, what problems did it create, and how did each new problem limit your options for the next decision. Look for the moment when you could have broken the pattern.
Consider:
- •Focus on decisions you actually had control over, not random bad luck
- •Notice how time pressure made each choice feel more urgent
- •Identify the point where slowing down might have helped more than speeding up
Journaling Prompt
Write about a current situation where you feel pressure building. What small problem are you focusing on that might be hiding a bigger strategic mistake? What would change if you paused to look at the whole picture?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 18: First Blood and Last Stands
Soaked and under-armed, the survivors must reach the stockade before the pirates cut them off. But with Joyce's loyalty questionable and enemies closing in from multiple directions, the first day's fighting is far from over.
