The Curse of Treasure Island by Francis Bryan

Author:Francis Bryan [Bryan, Francis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Escape into Peril

When I awake in these days of my life (and I am by anyone’s measure a young man) I first ask myself by instinct the question, “Am I safe?” Since I am usually abed in the Admiral Benbow, my answer comes swift and sure: yes, I’m safe. That morning, Tail’s knife knocked me senseless and when I awoke, on that makeshift, shambling raft, I knew I had never been less safe.

My eyes were pained, and one eye blurred; my head was desperately sore and dizzy and I bled from shoulder, nose and thigh. Add to this that I had been seized on a fast tidal current and was sweeping out to sea. In short I was beleaguered to a point of serious danger.

My mind was in a fair jumble. I had done the right thing in escaping, because I had no hope of influencing the horrible state of affairs in the cave. Also, I had been correct in attempting my escape so soon, while I was still a matter of surprise to Tait. But what now? Not even the heavens, it seemed, could answer that.

Uncle Ambrose’s face came to me. My concern swerved to include all those for whom I had taken responsibility. Poor Ben Gunn—I had enticed him from a life of safety. And Louis—what a fate to be the son of such a degenerate brute!

Far behind me the figure of Tait grew smaller. He had remained on the shore, perhaps hoping for a quirk of the tide that would deliver me back to him. My race down to the sand had taken me in a transverse direction and I could catch no sight of the cave mouth or the men strung out in the sun.

Now I must see to it that I survived to help them—or as many of them as might still be alive if I ever got back. A hot tropical glare bore down on me and salt water lashed me. I was wounded, perhaps grievously, and adrift without sail or rudder on an ocean I knew to be pitilessly whimsical. That was the size, energy and savagery of my misfortune.

Soon, all fortitude and sense deserted me and for several unseeing minutes I watched the distant line of the Spyglass—accursed hill! The belief that had sustained me—of experience through former hardship—was nowhere to be found within my mind. I sat on the raft and watched the waves; then I lay down and must have lapsed from consciousness again.

When my senses returned I felt new alarm. My distance from the island told me that I must have been unconscious for many minutes. Where had Tail’s knife struck me? On my head, without a doubt; I felt the place without needing to place fingers to it.

Hauling myself to my knees, I felt another infernal sharpness, as if stabbed again. I looked down; I was kneeling on the villain’s dagger where it had lain after hitting my head. At least he had furnished me with a weapon.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.