[00:00.30] Chapter 18.
[00:02.51] The end of the first day's fighting.
[00:05.95] A strip of wood divided us from the stockade.
[00:09.78] We ran across it, hearing the pirates coming closer with every step.
[00:15.94] I could see that we would have to stand and fight.
[00:20.78] Captain, I said.
[00:22.88] Treloni is the best shot.
[00:26.79] Give him your gun, his own is useless.
[00:33.49] They swapped guns and Treloni, cool and silent, primed it, ready to fire.
[00:41.90] At the same time, I handed my cutlass to Gray, who was unarmed.
[00:46.68] He spat in his hand and made the blade sing through the air.
[00:53.49] We reached the edge of the wood and could see the stockade in front of us.
[01:00.78] At that moment, seven of the pirates appeared, led by Job Anderson, the Boson.
[01:09.85] When they saw we had muskets, they stopped in their tracks.
[01:14.75] Before they could recover, the squire and I fired, and so did Hunter and Joyce in the log house.
[01:23.74] The volley of shots was enough.
[01:27.26] One of the pirates fell dead to the ground, while his friends turned and fled into the woods.
[01:36.24] As we ran to the stockade, a pistol shot rang out from the woods.
[01:41.40] The ball whistled past my ear, and poor Tom Redruth stumbled and fell.
[01:49.77] We carried the gamekeeper groaning and bleeding to the log house.
[01:55.95] The poor fellow was the oldest among us.
[02:02.82] The squire bent over him and kissed his hand, crying like a child.
[02:12.67] Be I dying, doctor?
[02:16.49] he asked.
[02:19.81] Tom, I said, you're going home.
[02:25.96] The squire still felt guilty for bringing us all on this doomed trip.
[02:34.24] Tom, say you forgive me, he pleaded.
[02:41.91] Would that be respectful like from me to you, squire? asked Tom.
[02:49.96] So be it.
[02:52.05] Amen.
[02:57.53] Not long after he died without a word.
[03:02.69] The captain put a hand on the squire's shoulder.
[03:08.48] All's well with Tom.
[03:11.75] He died doing his duty to this captain and his master.
[03:17.80] All's well with him, never fear.
[03:23.68] The captain had brought two union jacks from the ship.
[03:29.47] He placed one over Tom's body, and the other he hoisted over the stockade.
[03:38.13] Having done that, he took me on one side.
[03:44.31] Dr. Lisie.
[03:47.69] In how many weeks do you expect the squire's friend in Bristol to send a ship to look for us?
[03:59.38] It's a question of months, not weeks, I replied.
[04:04.16] We agreed that he would wait until the end of August.
[04:11.69] The captain looked worried.
[04:15.27] Then it's a great pity, sir, we lost that second boat load.
[04:21.52] We have enough ammunition to last out, but our food supplies are short, very short.
[04:32.04] Suddenly, there was a roar and a whistle.
[04:36.70] A cannon ball passed high above our roof and landed beyond us in the wood.
[04:44.60] Oh ho!
[04:46.53] cried the captain.
[04:48.61] Blaze away lads and use up your powder.
[04:54.68] The next shot landed a little closer.
[04:59.79] Captain, said the squire.
[05:04.12] The log house can't be seen from the ship, it's the flag they're aiming at.
[05:10.80] Wouldn't it be wiser to take it down?
[05:16.16] Take down our colors, cried the captain.
[05:20.99] Never, sir.
[05:24.68] We'll show those rogues we're not afraid of them.
[05:30.55] All through the evening, the cannon kept thundering away.
[05:38.48] Ball after ball flew over or fell short, but none did any damage.
[05:48.70] Later, the captain sat down to write in the ship's log.
[05:54.25] He wrote,
[05:58.54] Captain Smollet, Dr. Lisie, Squire Treloni, Abraham Gray, John Hunter, and Richard Joyce.
[06:14.36] We are all the loyal men left of the ship's company.
[06:20.82] We have stores for 10 days on short rations.
[06:28.98] Thomas Redruth, owner servant, was shot by the mutineers.
[06:38.41] James Hawkins, cabin boy.
[06:44.48] What had happened to poor Jim Hawkins?
[06:49.95] I was wondering this myself when we heard a voice outside the stockade.
[06:56.97] Doctor, Squire, Captain, hello.
[07:05.87] Hunter, is that you?
[07:11.81] I ran to the door to see Jim Hawkins safe and sound, climbing over the stockade.