Kitabı oku: «Остров сокровищ / Treasure Island. Уровень 1», sayfa 14
10. The Voyage
TheHispaniola began its voyage to the Isle of Treasure. I am not going to describe that voyage in detail. It was good. The ship proved to be a good ship. The crew were good seamen. And the captain understood his business. As for Long John Silver, the men called him Barbecue33.
“He’s no common man34, Barbecue,” said the coxswain35 to me. “He can speak like a book. And he can be brave – like a lion!”
All the crew respected and even obeyed him. To me he was very kind, and always glad to see me.
“Come here, Hawkins,” he often told me. “Nobody is more welcome than yourself, my son. Sit down and hear the news. Here’sCaptain Flint36 – I call my parrot Captain Flint, after the famous pirate – predicts success to our voyage.”
And the parrot would say rapidly, “Pieces of eight37! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!” till John threw his handkerchief over the cage.
“Now, that bird,” he would say, “is, maybe, two hundred years old, Hawkins. They live forever.”
Every man on board seemed pleased and well fed. There was even a barrel of apples that always stood on the deck. And you will see, it saved us.
After sundown, all my work was over and I was on my way to my bed. I decided to eat an apple. I ran on deck and found that there was only one apple left. I got inside the barrel to reach it. Suddenly I heard Silver’s voice and I heard what he was saying. I decided not to show myself. Later I realized that the lives of all the honest men aboard the ship depended upon me.
