The Island and Ben Gunn

As soon as the Hispaniola dropped anchor near the island, I felt a strange need to go ashore myself, before anyone could stop me. I climbed quietly into one of the small boats already being rowed toward the beach, and no one seemed to notice me until it was too late to send me back.

Once on the beach, I ran ahead of the pirates and was hiding in the jungle, watching everything from far away. That is when I saw something that filled me with terror: Long John Silver, speaking quietly to a sailor named Tom who refused to join the mutiny, then suddenly striking him down without mercy. Tom had stayed loyal to the Captain until the very end.

I could not move, and could not look away. Silver had just committed murder before everyone's eyes, calmly, as though it were nothing at all. In that moment, I understood that Silver and his men would show no mercy to anyone who stood against them — and that if they ever found me watching, they would kill me just as easily.

I ran deeper into the jungle, alone and afraid, not knowing which way was safe. After a long time, I heard a strange voice call out from behind a tree. I turned, ready to flee, and saw a wild, ragged man, with brown, dirty skin and long hair. "Are you a friend, or one of Silver's men?" he asked carefully.

His name was Ben Gunn, and he told me he had once sailed with pirates himself, but they had left him alone on this island a long time ago, with no food and no ship. He had lived alone, eating what he could find, but he dreamed, more than anything, of eating real cheese again. "I know this island better than anyone," he said. "And I know something about Flint's treasure, too — something even Silver does not know."

While I was lost in the jungle, my friends back on the ship had done something brave. Captain Smollett, Doctor Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and three loyal sailors had escaped the ship in a small boat, bringing food, guns, and the map, and had moved into an old wooden fort left behind by other sailors long ago. It was the safest place on the whole island, with strong walls and only one door.

Ben Gunn told me his own sad story. Long ago, his own crew had betrayed him and left him on this island alone, not by accident, but on purpose, as punishment for a plan that had failed. Since then, he had waited, for a long, long time, hoping some ship would finally rescue him and carry him home.

That night, Silver's men attacked the fort with guns and terrible shouts. My friends defended the walls bravely, firing back, and though two of the enemy fell, one of our own loyal men, named Redruth, was shot and later died. It was very sad for all of us, and it showed everyone that this fight would not end without more danger.

From the jungle, I watched smoke rise from the direction of the fort, and I knew a battle had happened. Feeling afraid for my friends, I said farewell to Ben Gunn for now, and began to make my way carefully back toward the fort, hoping I was not already too late to help them.

I knew I could not stay in hiding forever. My friends were in danger, and I had to tell them everything I had seen and heard, even if it was risky. Leaving Ben Gunn behind felt wrong, but he only smiled and told me to go, promising that we would meet again before this adventure was over.