Chapter 1: The Old Sea Dog

I remember the day the old captain first came to our inn. My name is Jim Hawkins, and my father owned the Admiral Benbow inn. The inn stood on a cliff by the sea, near a small English village. The old captain arrived one cold winter afternoon. He was a tall, strong man with a terrible scar across his cheek. A sailor pushed his sea chest on a wheelbarrow behind him. The captain looked around the cove and nodded with satisfaction. 'This is the place for me,' he said in a rough voice. He threw three gold coins on the counter and demanded a room. My father gave him our best room, which looked out over the sea. The captain told us to call him simply 'Captain.' He spent his days walking on the cliffs with a brass telescope. In the evenings, he sat by the fire and drank rum. Sometimes he told wild stories about pirates and the sea. His stories frightened the local farmers, but they stayed to listen. The captain always sang the same old sea song. 'Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!' One day, he called me over and offered me a silver coin. 'Keep your eyes open for a seafaring man with one leg,' he said. 'If you see him, run and tell me at once.' I promised to watch for this mysterious one-legged man. But who was he, and why did the captain fear him so? The captain never explained, and I was too afraid to ask. Months passed, and winter turned to spring. The captain stayed on and rarely paid his bill. My father was too sick and afraid to ask for money. Only Doctor Livesey ever stood up to the old sailor. The doctor was a kind man who visited my father often. One night, the captain was drunk and singing loudly. Doctor Livesey told him to be quiet or leave. The captain pulled out his knife and threatened the doctor. But Doctor Livesey did not flinch or show any fear. 'Put that knife away,' the doctor said calmly. 'If you don't, I'll have you hanged at the next court.' The captain grumbled but put his knife away. After that night, the captain was quieter when the doctor visited. My father's health grew worse day by day. My mother and I worked hard to keep the inn running. I still watched for the one-legged man, but he never came. Instead, one frosty morning, a different stranger appeared. He was a pale, thin man with two fingers missing from his left hand. He carried a cutlass at his side and looked dangerous. 'Is this where my mate Bill is staying?' he asked me. I told him about the captain who stayed at our inn. 'Ah yes, Bill would call himself captain, wouldn't he?' the stranger laughed. 'I'm an old shipmate of his. My name is Black Dog.' My heart beat fast as I led Black Dog inside. When the captain saw him, his face went white as a sheet. 'Black Dog!' he gasped, gripping the table. 'Sit down and talk, Bill,' said Black Dog with an evil smile. They sat together and spoke in low voices. Suddenly, their voices rose in anger. Both men jumped up, and swords flew out of their sheaths. The captain slashed Black Dog across the shoulder. Black Dog cried out and ran from the inn, bleeding badly. The captain watched him go, then suddenly fell to the floor. My mother came running, and we called for Doctor Livesey. The doctor said the captain had suffered a stroke. 'He must rest and stop drinking rum, or he will die,' the doctor warned. We carried the captain to his bed, not knowing what dangers still awaited us.

Chapter Summary

Comprehension Questions

What did the captain pay Jim to do?

What happened during the fight between Black Dog and the captain?

Why did Doctor Livesey tell the captain to stop drinking rum?

What can we infer about the captain's past from his reaction to Black Dog?

Vocabulary

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