To all this, as may be well supposed, I made no answer.  They had set me with my back against the wall, and I stood there, looking Silver in the face, pluckily enough, I hope, to all outward appearance, but with black despair in my heart.

Silver took a whiff or two of his pipe with great composure and then ran on again.

“Now, you see, Jim, so be as you are here,” says he, “I’ll give you a piece of my mind.  I’ve always liked you, I have, for a lad of spirit, and the picter of my own self when I was young and handsome.  I always wanted you to jine and take your share, and die a gentleman, and now, my cock, you’ve got to.  Cap’n Smollett’s a fine seaman, as I’ll own up to any day, but stiff on discipline.  ‘Dooty is dooty,’ says he, and right he is.  Just you keep clear of the cap’n.  The doctor himself is gone dead again you—­’ungrateful scamp’ was what he said; and the short and the long of the whole story is about here:  you can’t go back to your own lot, for they won’t have you; and without you start a third ship’s company all by yourself, which might be lonely, you’ll have to jine with Cap’n Silver.”

So far so good.  My friends, then, were still alive, and though I partly believed the truth of Silver’s statement, that the cabin party were incensed at me for my desertion, I was more relieved than distressed by what I heard.

“I don’t say nothing as to your being in our hands,” continued Silver, “though there you are, and you may lay to it.  I’m all for argyment; I never seen good come out o’ threatening.  If you like the service, well, you’ll jine; and if you don’t, Jim, why, you’re free to answer no—­free and welcome, shipmate; and if fairer can be said by mortal seaman, shiver my sides!”

“Am I to answer, then?” I asked with a very tremulous voice.  Through all this sneering talk, I was made to feel the threat of death that overhung me, and my cheeks burned and my heart beat painfully in my breast.

“Lad,” said Silver, “no one’s a-pressing of you.  Take your bearings.  None of us won’t hurry you, mate; time goes so pleasant in your company, you see.”

“Well,” says I, growing a bit bolder, “if I’m to choose, I declare I have a right to know what’s what, and why you’re here, and where my friends are.”

“Wot’s wot?” repeated one of the buccaneers in a deep growl.  “Ah, he’d be a lucky one as knowed that!”

“You’ll perhaps batten down your hatches till you’re spoke to, my friend,” cried Silver truculently to this speaker.  And then, in his first gracious tones, he replied to me, “Yesterday morning, Mr. Hawkins,” said he, “in the dog-watch, down came Doctor Livesey with a flag of truce.  Says he, ‘Cap’n Silver, you’re sold out.  Ship’s gone.’  Well, maybe we’d been taking a glass, and a song to help it round.  I won’t say no.  Leastways, none of us had looked out.  We looked out, and by thunder, the old ship was gone!  I never seen a pack o’ fools look fishier; and you may lay to that, if I tells you that looked the fishiest.  ‘Well,’ says the doctor, ‘let’s bargain.’  We bargained, him and I, and here we are:  stores, brandy, block house, the firewood you was thoughtful enough to cut, and in a manner of speaking, the whole blessed boat, from cross-trees to kelson.  As for them, they’ve tramped; I don’t know where’s they are.”