# ■ 6 The ship and its men

We went out to the His paniola in a small boat. Mr Ar－row met us, and it was clear that he and the squire were very friendly.But things were not the same between Mr Trelawney and the captain. Captain Smollett seemed angry with everybody on board, and told us why.

‘I don't like this voyage,’he told us.‘I don't like the men, and I don't like my first officer.’

‘Perhaps,sir,you don't like the ship?’said the squire,an－grily.

‘I can't say that,sir,as I haven't yet sailed her, replied the captain.‘She seems a good ship.’

‘Possibly, sir, you don't like your employer either? said the squire.

‘Now, now, let's not argue,’ said Dr Livesey. He turned to the captain.‘You say you don't like this voyage,’ he said.‘Please explain.’

‘I was employed, sir,’said the captain,‘on secret orders,and to sail this ship where that gentleman ordered me to sail it. Now I find every other man on this ship knows more than I do.I don't call that fair, do you?’

‘No,’said Dr Livesey, ‘I don't.’

‘Next,’said the captain, I learn we are going to look for treasure－hear it from my own crew! Now, I don't like trea－sure voyages at the best of times, and I certainly don't like them when they are secret. Also, a captain is usually allowed to choose his own crew.’

‘That's true, ’agreed the doctor.‘And you don't like Mr Arrow?’

‘No, sir, ’replied Captain Smollett.‘He's too friendly with the crew.’

‘Tell us what you want, ’said the doctor.

‘First of all, the men are putting the powder and weapons in the front of the ship,’said the captain.‘Now, you have a good place under the cabin.Why not put them there ?Second, you are bringing four of your own people. Let them sleep here be－ side the cabin.’

‘What else?’asked Mr Trelawney.

‘Only one thing, sir, ’said the captain.‘There's been too much talking already. I'll tell you what I've heard. That you have a map of an island; that there's crosses on the map to show where treasure is; and that the island is-’Then he told us the exact place.

‘I never told that to anyone!’cried the squire.

‘The crew know it, sir,’replied the captain.‘I don't know who has this map, but I want it to be kept secret,even from me and Mr Arrow. If not,I will ask you to let me leave the ship.’

‘You want us to keep all this a secret,’said the doctor,‘and you want all the weapons and powder to be kept near us. In other words,you fear a mutiny.’

‘I did not say that,sir,’replied Captain Smoll ett.‘No cap－tain could go to sea believing that.’And he went away.

‘ Trelawney, said the doctor, I believe you have managed to get two honest men on board-that man,and John Silver.’

‘Silver, yes,’ said the squire, ‘but the captain acts neither like a man, nor a good seaman!’

‘Well,’ said the doctor,‘ we shall see.’

We were moving the weapons and powder when Long John came aboard. The cook came up the side as quick as a monkey and saw what we were doing.

‘What's this?’he wanted to know.

‘My orders,’said the captain, coldly.‘You may go below, my man.The crew will want supper.’

‘Yes,sir,’said the cook, and disappeared quickly.

‘That's a good man, captain,’said the doctor.

‘That may be,sir,replied Captain Smollett.

■ 6 船和船員

我們乘小船去看伊斯帕尼奧拉號船。埃羅正在那裡等我們，顯然他和鄉紳非常友好。但屈利勞尼和船長就不那麼友好了。斯摩列特船長似乎對船上所有的人都很生氣，並對我們講了他為什麼生氣。

“我不喜歡這次航行，”他說，“我不喜歡這些人，我也不喜歡大副。”

“也許，先生，您不喜歡這條船？”鄉紳不高興地問道。

“我還不能這麼說，先生，我還沒駕駛她，”船長回答。“船似乎不錯。”

“或許，先生，你對你的僱主不滿意？”鄉紳說。

“好，好，大家別爭論了，”李甫西大夫說。他轉向船長說：“你說你不喜歡這次航行，為什麼？”

“我祕密受僱於人，先生，”船長說，“這位先生讓我去哪兒我就去哪兒。而現在我發現船上任何一個人知道的都比我多。我認為這不公平，你說呢？”

“是不公平，”李甫西大夫說，“我也這麼認為。”

“還有，”船長說，“我聽說我們要去尋寶——我是聽我自己的船員說的。老實說，在情況最好的時候我也不喜歡尋寶航行，我更不喜歡這樣遮遮掩掩的。並且，船長應該有權選擇自己的船員。”

“是這樣，”大夫說。“你不喜歡埃羅嗎？”

“不是，先生，”船長斯摩列特說，“他對船員們非常友好。”

“告訴我們你想怎樣？”大夫說。

“首先，那些人把火藥和武器放在船頭，”船長說。“其實，船艙下面有個不錯的地方，為什麼不放在那裡呢？其次，你們帶來的四個人，讓他們睡在船長室隔壁吧。”

“還有嗎？”屈利勞尼先生問。

“還有一件事，先生，”船長說。“現在洩露出去的事情太多了。我把我聽到的告訴你們。據說你們有一個島的地圖，上面畫著叉叉標出了寶藏的位置；那個島位於——”他說出了那個島的準確位置。

“我沒告訴過任何人！”鄉紳說。

“船員知道了，先生，”船長說。“我不知道地圖在誰手裡，但我希望保密，即使對我和埃羅也一樣。否則我就請求離開這條船。”

“你讓我們保守祕密，”大夫說，“你把所有的武器都安置在我們附近。這就是說，你擔心船上暴亂？”

“我沒這麼說，先生，”斯摩列特船長說。“相信有暴亂的船長是不會出海的。”說完他走了。

“屈利勞尼，”大夫說，“我認為你物色到了兩個正直的人——船長和約翰·西爾弗。”

“西爾弗，沒錯，”鄉紳說。“至於船長，他根本不像個男人，更不像一個好海員！”

“那麼，”大夫說，“咱們走著瞧吧。”

高個約翰來的時候我們正忙著搬火藥和武器。他跳上船，像只靈巧的猴子，看著我們幹活。

“這是幹什麼？”他問。

“是我的命令，”船長冷冷地說。“你可以下去了，船員們該吃晚飯了。”

“是，先生，”廚子說，然後就離開了。

“他是個好人，船長，”大夫說。

“也許是，先生，”船長斯摩列特答道。