# ■ 3 The black spot

Later that day, I took the captain a cool drink.

‘Jim, ’he said,‘you're the only person here worth anything.You'll bring me some rum,won't you, boy?’

‘The doctor said—’I began.

He swore about the doctor.‘Look, Jim, one glass is all I ask. I'll pay you for it.’

‘The only money I want, ’I said,‘is the money you owe my father.But I'll get you one glass of rum,no more.’

He was grateful and drank it quickly.‘Did the doctor say how long I must lie in my bed?’he asked.

‘A week,’I told him.

‘A week!’he cried.‘I can't do that.They'll have the black spot on me by then. They'll come for me.’

‘Who will? Black Dog?’I said.

‘Yes, but there's worse than him. It's my old sea－chest they want, but I'll show them! Jim, if I get the black spot, you go to that doctor. Tell him to bring a crowd of law officers and a local judge to the inn. They can catch Flint's crew-all that are left-at the Admiral Benbow.I was Flint's first ship's officer, and I'm the only one who knows the place. He told me when he was dying. But don't call the law unless they give me the black spot, or if you see the seaman with one leg-he's worse than any of them.’

‘But what is the black spot, captain?’I asked.

‘That's a message, boy. I'll tell you if they give me that. Keep your eyes open, Jim, and I'll give you half of everything I have.’He talked for a little longer then fell into a heavy sleep,and I left him.

That night, my father died. This put all other thoughts to one side and I had no time to worry about the captain.

The next morning, the captain came downstairs. He didn't eat much food but he drank more rum than usual. He helped himself and we were too busy to stop him. There were visits from neighbours, and my father's burial to arrange.

The day after the burial was cold and foggy.At about three o’clock in the afternoon, I was standing at the door of the inn when I saw a blind man coming along the road. He was feeling his way with a stick.

‘Will any kind friend tell a poor blind man where he is?’he said.

‘You're at the Admiral Benbow inn, Black Hill Cove, my good man,’I said.

‘I hear a young voice,’ he said. Will you give me your hand, my kind young friend,and take me inside?’

I held out my hand, and the terrible, soft-speaking,eyeless man took hold of it like a dog biting a bone.He pulled me vio－lently towards him.

‘Now,boy,’he said,‘take me to the captain or I'll break your arm! ’And I had never heard a voice so cruel and cold.

I was so frightened by the blind man's violence that I obeyed him without question, and took, him into the room where the sick captain was sitting. He saw the blind man and a look of fear passed across his face.

‘Sit where you are, Bill,’ said the blind man.‘I can't see, but I can hear a finger move.Hold out your right hand.’

I watched him put something in the captain's hand.‘And now that's done, ’said the blind man, and he quickly went out of the inn. I heard his stick tap－tap－tapping away along the road.

The captain opened his hand and looked into it.‘Ten o’clock!’he cried,and jumped up. He put his hand round his neck, made a strange sound, and fell face down on to the floor.

I ran to him, calling to my mother.But the captain was dead.

■ 3 黑券

那天晚些時候，我送了一杯清涼飲料到老船長屋裡去。

“吉姆，”他說，“這裡我只看得起你一個人。你給我拿一杯朗姆酒來好不好？”

“大夫說——”我開始說。

他立即咒罵起大夫來。“聽著，吉姆，我只要一杯朗姆酒，我可以付錢。”

“我想要的，”我說，“只是你欠我父親的錢。我可以給你一杯朗姆酒，不能再多了。”

他非常感激我，然後把酒一飲而盡。“大夫說我要在床上躺多久？”他問。

“一個星期，”我告訴他。

“一個星期！”他嚷道，“那可不行，他們會送黑券來的，他們會來找我的。”

“誰，黑狗嗎？”我問。

“對，還有比他更壞的呢。他們想要我的水手箱，我會給他們看的。吉姆，如果我搞到那張黑券，你就去找那個大夫，叫他召集一群警官來，包括治安推事，叫他們都到客店來。這樣就可以把弗林特一幫全抓起來——所有餘下的人。我以前是弗林特船上的大副，只有我一個人知道那個地方。他臨死前告訴我所有的事。他們給我送黑券之前，你先別去報官，除非你看見一條腿的水手——那個獨腳水手是最壞的。”

“黑券是什麼東西，老船長？”我問。

“那是一條訊息，孩子。他們送來後我會告訴你的。你要留心守望，吉姆，我以後什麼都會和你平分的。”他又說了幾句話就沉沉地睡去，於是我就走開了。

那天晚上我父親死了。我只好把別的事情放在一邊，也沒有時間想到老船長了。

第二天早上，老船長下樓來。他沒吃多少東西，但比平時喝了更多的朗姆酒。他自斟自飲，我們也無暇阻止他。很多鄰居和朋友過來探望，我父親的葬禮也需要安排。

我父親葬禮的第二天，天很冷，霧很濃。大約下午三點鐘時，我正站在客店門口，剛好看見一個瞎子沿著大路走來，他用一根棍子在前面探路。

“哪位好心的人能告訴我這兒是什麼地方？”他問。

“我的朋友，你在布萊克希爾灣的本葆將軍客店，”我說。

“我聽見一個少年的聲音，”他說。“好心的孩子，你能不能把手伸給我，帶我到店裡去？”

我伸出一隻手，立刻被那個說話溫和的瞎子緊緊鉗住，他把我粗暴地拉到他身邊。

“現在，孩子，”他說，“領我到老船長那兒，否則我就弄斷你的胳膊。”我還從來沒聽見過這麼冷酷、狠毒的聲音。

我怕得要死，只好立刻從命，帶他到生病的老船長住的房間去。老船長看見了瞎子，臉上充滿了恐懼。

“比爾，呆在那兒別動，”瞎子說。“我看不見，但我知道你的手在動，伸出你的右手。”

我看見瞎子把一樣東西放在老船長手裡。“現在事情了結了，”瞎子說，然後迅速走出客店。大路上留下了木棍探路的嗒嗒聲。

老船長收回手，仔細看自己手心。“10點鐘！”他喊道，然後跳起來。他一隻手卡住自己的脖子，怪叫一聲，撲倒在地。

我一邊跑過去，一邊喊我的母親。但老船長已經死了。