Treasure Island by Robert Stevenson

原文

Chapter 8: Got The Ship

The pirates had a big fire on the beach, and there was a small light on the Hispaniola.

Very quietly, I put Ben Gunn's boat into the sea.

The boat moved slowly and quietly across the water.

Soon I was near the ship.

Nobody saw me.

'I can cut the ship's rope with my knife,' I thought. 'And then the wind can push the ship away from the beach.'

I listened.

There were two men on the ship.

The other pirates were all on the beach.

The men on the ship were talking loudly and angrily.

'They're going to have a fight,' I thought.

One of the men was Israel Hands.

I waited, then I cut the rope.

Slowly the ship turned round and began to move away from the beach.

The two men on the ship started to fight.

The pirates on the beach sat round their fire and sang.

They did not see the ship moving away.

I sat down in Ben Gunn's boat and fell asleep.

In the morning, I sat up and looked around.

The little boat was not far from the island and I saw that I was quite near the Hispaniola.

I looked for Israel Hands and the other pirate, but I did not see them.

I moved slowly nearer and nearer to the Hispaniola.

Then I climbed on to the ship.

The two pirates were there, on the ship.

They did not move.

One of them was dead.

Israel Hand's leg was badly hurt, but he was not dead.

I looked round the ship.

All the cupboards were open, and everything was dirty.

There were a lot of bottles on the floor.

I found some drink and gave it to Hands.

Then I took down the pirates' flag.

'The ship is ours, now,'I thought.

Israel Hands spoke.

'You can't sail the ship, Jim Hawkins,' he said. 'Give me some food. I can help you.'

'I don't want to go back to the beach,' I said. 'Help me to sail it to the North Inlet.'

'Right,' he said.

So we sailed to the north of the island.

The ship moved quietly through the water; I was happy.

The old pirate watched me carefully.

Then he smiled.'Jim, go and get me ... er ... get me something to drink,' he said. 'I'm thirsty.'

I did not like his smile.  

I went away, but I came back very quietly and watched him.

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