The Truth of the Map

When I finally got to the fort, my heart nearly stopped. Pirates, not my friends, stood guard at the door. I had walked straight into Silver's hands. "Well, well," Silver said, almost kindly. "Look who has come back to us."

For a moment, I felt pure panic, sure that these men would kill me the instant I let down my guard. But strangely, no one raised a hand against me. It seemed even pirates could still show a little mercy, when it suited them.

My friends, I soon learned, had to leave the fort and had gone away to stay safe, leaving it — and me — in Silver's power. The other pirates wanted to kill me at once, but Silver stopped them. "This boy may still be useful," he said. "Leave him to me." I did not know whether to feel grateful or afraid.

That night, the angry pirates gave Silver something called a black spot — a sign that they no longer trusted him as their leader. Silver only laughed and held up the map. "Kill me now," he said, "and none of you will ever find Flint's gold. Follow me instead, and we shall all be rich." The furious men slowly grew quiet, and once again, they agreed to follow him.

The next day, Doctor Livesey came to visit under a white flag, to treat the sick pirates. Before leaving, he pulled Silver aside and spoke to him quietly. I could not hear every word, but I caught one strange hint: "Once you find what you are looking for, watch your back very carefully." Silver said nothing, but his face grew serious.

I began to notice something strange about Silver himself. He was still a traitor to the Captain, and still loyal to no one but himself — yet again and again, he chose to protect me instead of letting his own greedy men have their way. I did not understand him, and I still do not know, even now, whether to call him a traitor or, in his own strange way, a friend.

With the map in hand, Silver led his pirates — and me, as his prisoner — deep into the jungle, following an old mark on a tall, dead tree. At last, we found the exact spot the map showed. But when the pirates began to dig, they found only an empty hole, and a few old bones. Flint's treasure was gone.

The pirates turned on Silver at once, furious and ready to kill. But before they could do anything, shots sounded from the trees — it was Doctor Livesey, Captain Smollett, and Ben Gunn, come to rescue us! The surprised pirates ran in every direction, and Silver, seeing his chance, quietly came over to our side.

It turned out that Ben Gunn had found Flint's treasure many months before, all alone, and had already carried it, coin by coin, to a safe cave nearby. He had watched and waited patiently for the right moment to reveal his secret. Together, we carried the gold and silver back to the ship — far more treasure than any of us had ever seen.

On our journey home, the Captain let Silver slip quietly away at a small harbor, with a little gold for himself, and did not punish him in England. None of us tried to stop him — we were only grateful the danger was finally over. When I close my eyes now, I can still see that island, and I know I will never forget the friends, and the dangers, of that voyage.

Looking back now, I sometimes wonder if the treasure was ever really good for anyone at all. Wanting too much gold had made honest men into traitors, and had nearly cost several of us our lives. I made myself a quiet promise, that day: I would keep my share of the gold, and be grateful for it, but I would never again go looking for treasure like that.