X Marks the Spot by Tony Abbott

Author:Tony Abbott
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480486911
Publisher: Open Road Media

Chapter 14

“Don’t fuss over me!” the captain protested, clutching his wounded leg. “We still have a job to do.”

The doctor was very upset. “This must end!” he growled as he patched the captain’s wound. “To fight over money? Treasure? No, this terrible war must end!”

The grown-ups made sure that the dead sailors were buried respectfully in the stockade yard, but wouldn’t let Frankie and Jim and me help. It was a dark moment for us, not to mention the poor characters who had died.

“Devin, I don’t like this,” Frankie said, wiping away a tear. “I mean, I know it’s easy for an author to say somebody died. It’s just words. But when you’re really into a story—and how much more into it can we be?—it means more than just words. These are people. When they die, you get sad.”

“I know how you feel. I want to cry, too. But we have to keep going. We can do it. We have to do it. There’s more story to go, and we have to see it through.”

Frankie looked at me, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Okay, but we have to stick together.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said.

After the burials, Dr. Livesey seemed deep in thought. Finally, he plopped his hat over his head, stuffed the treasure map in his pocket, took a musket, and went to the front gate. “The rest of you stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, doctor,” said Frankie, “what if the pirates are still out there?”

Without answering, the doctor strode out of the stockade and set off quickly through the trees.

“He’s taking a big risk going out there,” I said.

“I bet he’s going to see Ben Gunn,” said Jim.

“Ben Gunn?” I said. “I hope he packed his cheese!”

Jim chuckled, then said he was going to check up on the wounded captain.

I turned to Frankie. “With everything else going on, let’s not forget the green feather. We still have to find it or we probably can’t go home. Maybe we can get Jim to help us search. Starting right here in the stockade. That feather has to be somewhere.”

“Good idea,” said Frankie. “Let’s talk to him.”

But Jim wasn’t with the captain. We found him near the biscuit barrel, stuffing his pockets with the dry, tasteless things.

“Hey, that’s our breakfast,” said Frankie. “Not to mention our lunch and supper. What are you doing?”

“The doctor is on a mission,” said Jim. “Now it’s my turn.”

That was when we noticed that not only had Jim packed a wad of biscuits, he’d also packed two pistols.

“Whoa, dude, what’s your big plan?” I asked.

Jim peered through the gates into the jungle. “Ben Gunn said he built a little boat. I’m going to find it and sail out to the Hispaniola.”

“That’s nutty. The pirates have the ship now,” I said.

Frankie stuck her nose in the book. Suddenly, she gasped. “I can’t believe it. You don’t mean—”

“I do!” said Jim. “I mean to take over the ship!”

“Whoa, danger, danger!” I said.

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