Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson chapter xx Silver's embassy sure enough there were two men just outside the stockade one of them waving a white cloth the other no less a person than silver himself standing placidly by he was still quite early and the coldest morning that I think I ever was abroad in a chill that pierced into the marrow the sky was bright and cloudless overhead and the tops of the trees shone rosily in the Sun but where silver stood with his lieutenant all was still in shadow and they waded knee-deep in a low white vapor that had crawled during the night out of the morass the chill and the vapor taken together told a poor tale of the island it was plainly a damp feverish unhealthy spot keep indoors men said the captain ten-to-one this is a trick then he hailed The Buccaneer who goes stand early fire flag at truce cried silver the captain was in the porch keeping himself carefully out of the way of a treacherous shot should any be intended he turned and spoke to us doctor's watch on the lookout dr. Livesey take the north side if you please Jim the east grey West the watch below All Hands to load muskets lively men and careful and then he turned again to the mutineers and what do you want will your flag of truce he cried this time it was the other man who replied grab me silver sir - come on Baldy make terms he shouted captain silver don't know him who's he cried the captain and we could hear him adding to himself captain is it my heart and here's promotion Long John answered for himself me sir these poor lads have chosen me cotton after your desertion sir laying a particular emphasis upon the word desertion we're willing to submit if we can come to terms and no bones about it all I ask is your word captain Smollett to let me safe and sound out of this here stockade and one minute to get a shot before God is fired my man said captain smoke I have not the slightest desire to talk to you if you wish to talk to me you can come that's all if there's any treachery it'll be on your side and the Lord help you that's enough captain shouted Long John cheerily a word from yous enough I know a gentleman and you may lay to that we could see the man who carried the flag of truce attempting to hold silver back nor was that wonderful seeing how Cavalier had been the captain's answer but silver laughed at him aloud and slapped him on the back as if the idea of alarm had been absurd then he advanced to the stockade threw over his crutch got a leg up and with great vigor and skill succeeded in surmounting the fence and dropping safely to the other side I will confess that I was far too much taken up with what was going on to be of the slightest use a century indeed I had already deserted my Eastern loophole and crept up behind the captain who had now seated himself on the threshold with his elbows on his knees his head in his hands in his eyes fixed on the water as it bubbled out of the old iron kettle in the sand he was whistling to himself come lasses and lads silver had terrible hard work getting up the knoll what with the steepness of the incline the thick tree stumps in the soft sand he and his crutch were as helpless as a ship in stays but he stuck to it like a man in silence and at last arrived before the captain whom he saluted in the handsomest style he was tricked out in his best an immense blue coat thick with brass buttons hung as low as to his knees and a fine laced hat was set on the back of his head here you are my man said the captain raising his head you had better down you ain't gonna let me inside captain complain Long John it's a main cold morning to be sure sir to sit outside upon the sand why silver said the captain if you had pleased to be an honest man you might have been sitting in your galley it's your own doing you're either my ship's cook and then you retreated handsome or captain silver a common mutineer and pirate and then you can go hang well well captain returned the sea-cook sitting down as he was bidden on the sand you'll have to give me a hand up again that's all a sweet pretty place you have of it here ah there's Jim at the top of the morning to you Jim a doctor here's my service why there you all are together like a happy family in a manner of speaking if you have anything to say my man better say it said the captain alright you are captain Smollett replied silver duty is duty to be sure well now you look here that was a good lay of yours last night I don't deny it was a good lay some of you pretty handy with a hand spike end and I'll not deny neither but what some of my people were shook maybe all was shook ahem maybe I was shook myself maybe that's why I'm here for terms but you mark me captain it won't do twice by thunder he'll have to do century go and ease off a point or so on the rum maybe you think we were all a seat in the winds eye but I'll tell you I was sober I was only dog tired and if I'd awoke a second sooner I have caught you at the act I would he wasn't dead when I got around to him Noddy well says captain Smollett as cool as can be all that silver said was a riddle to him but you would never have guessed it from his tone as for me I began to have an inkling Ben Gunn's last words came back to my mind I began to suppose that he had paid the Buccaneers a visit while they all lay drunk together round their fire and I reckoned up with glee that we had only 14 enemies to deal with well here it is said silver we want that treasure and we'll have it that's our point you would just assume save your lives I reckon and that's yours you have a charge haven't you that just may be replied the captain oh well you have it I know that Long John you needn't be so husky with a man there ain't a particle of service in that and you may lay to it what I mean is we want your chart now I never meant you no harm myself that won't do with me my man interrupted the captain well you know exactly what you meant to do and we don't care for now you see you can't do it and the captain looked at him calmly and proceeded to fill a pipe if Abe gray/silver broke out Avast there cried mr. Smollett gray told me nothing and I asked him nothing and what's more I would see you and him and this whole island blown clean out of the water in the blazes first so there's my mind for you my man on that this little whiff of temper seemed to cool silver down he had been growing nettled before but now he pulled himself together like enough said he I would said no limits to what gentlemen might consider shipshape or might not as the case were and as seeing as how you're about to take a pipe captain I'll make so free as do likewise and he filled a pipe and lighted it and the two men sat silently smoking for quite a while now looking each other in the face now stopping the tobacco now leaning forward to spit it was as good as the play to see them now resumed silver here it is you give us the chart to get the treasure by and drop shooting poor seamen and stoven of their heads in while asleep you do that and we'll offer you a choice either you come aboard along of us once the treasure shipped and then I'll give you my affidavit upon my word of honor to clap you somewhere safe ashore or if that ain't to your fancy some of my hands being rough and have an old scores on account of hazing then you can stay here you can will divide stores with your man for man and I'll give my affidavit as before to speak the first ship I sight and send them here to pick you up now your loan that's talking handsomer you could look to get not you and I hope raising his voice that all hands and miss here blockhouse will over hold my words from what his spoke to one is spoke to all captain smollett rose from his seat and knocked out the ashes of his pipe in the palm of his left hand is that old he asked every last word by Thunder answer John refused that and you seen the last of me but musket balls very good said the captain now you'll hear me if you'll come up one by one unarmed I'll engage to clap you all in irons and take you home to a fair trial in England if you won't my name is Alexander Smollett I've flown my sovereigns colors and I'll see you all to Davy Jones you can't find the treasure you can't sail the ship there's not a man among you fit to sail the ship you can't fight us gray there got away from five of you your ships and irons master silver you're on a lee shore and so you'll find I stand here and tell you so and there's the last good words you'll get from me for in the name of heaven I'll put a bullet in your back when next I meet you my lad bundle out of this please hand over hand and double-click Silver's face was a picture his eyes started in his head with Wrath he shook the fire out of his pipe give me a hand up he cried nod I returned the captain who'll give me a hand gap he roared not a man among us moved growling the Fallas imprecations he crawled along the sand till he got hold of the porch and could hoist himself again upon his crutch then he spat into the spring there he cried that's what I think he before an hour's out how stove in your old black house like a rum puncheon laughs by thunder laughs before an hour's out you'll laugh upon the other side then that dial be the lucky ones and with a dreadful oath he stumbled off plowed down the sand was helped across the stockade after four or five failures by man with the flag of truce and disappeared in an instant afterwards among the trees end of chapter 20