The key was around his neck on a piece of string. I cut the string, and we hurried up to his room where the chest had stood since the day he came. There was a letter "B" painted on the top of it. Inside were two very fine pistols, some silver, pipe-tobacco, and an old clock. Underneath these things were some papers tied up inside a cloth, and a bag of gold coins.

"But first," my mother said bravely, "we have to get the key to the sea-chest. Why shouldn't we take the money the captain owes us? His friends certainly won't give it to us!"

"I'll show these scoundrels I'm an honest woman," said my mother. "I'll take what I'm owed and no more." She began counting the money. There were all kinds of gold coins in the bag -- big French gold coins, Spanish doubloons and pieces of eight. It was slow work to find the English gold guineas that we needed.

Quickly, I told my mother everything, and we decided to run to the village to hide, before the blind man and his friends returned.

On the floor close to the captain's hand was a little round piece of paper, blackened on one side. I had no doubt that this was the black spot. On the other side was some writing: You have till ten o'clock tonight. Our old clock reminded me it was now six.

We were half-way through when I heard a sound that filled my heart with fear. the tap-tapping of the blind man's stick on the frozen road. Then it knocked against the inn door and we did not breathe. But then the tapping started again and slowly died away.

"Mother," I said, "take it all, and let's go before the blind man comes back with his friends."

But my mother went on counting until we heard a low shout coming from the hill outside."I'll take what I have," she said, jumping to her feet.

"And I'll take this for what I'm owed," I said, and picked up the cloth of papers.

We ran from the inn and along the road to the village. It was dark but there was a full moon. We heard running feet coming towards us.

"Take the money and run on," my mother said breathlessly. But I refused to leave her. Quickly, I pulled her off the road and down under a small bridge. There we hid, trembling.

Not a moment too soon. Seven or eight men were running past us. Three men ran in front, and I saw that the one in the middle was the blind man. Silently, I climbed back up to the road and lay in the long grass to watch what happened.

The blind man swore at them. "Look upstairs and find the chest!" he cried.

"Down with the door!" the blind man shouted.

Four or five of them broke down the door of the Admiral Benbow and ran inside. There was a shout: "Bill's dead!"

"It's those people of the inn -- it's that boy!" shouted the blind man Pew."Search and find 'em."

I could hear their feet on the stairs, then a voice shouting down to the blind man in the road outside: "Pew! They've been here before us. The money's here but Flint's papers have gone!"

Just then there came the sound of horses and riders thundering along the road. It was heard by the men in the inn, and in a second they were out in the road, running into the darkness of the fields. They did not wait for blind Pew, who tried to follow them, tapping wildly with his stick. "Johnny, Black Dog! You won't leave your old friend Pew, boys -- not old Pew!"

He was still in the middle of the road when the horses thundered up to the inn. Pew turned with a scream, but he turned the wrong way, and ran straight into the first of the horses. The rider tried to save him, but failed. Down went Pew, under the horse's feet, with a cry that rang high into the night. It was all over in seconds, and Pew didn't move again.

Dr Livesey was not at his house but with the squire at his home, so Captain Dance and I went on there.

"Quite right," said Mr Dance. "He's the local judge, and I ought to report Pew's death to him or Squire Trelawney. I'll take you with me to his house."

We took my mother to a house in the village, then went back to the Admiral Benbow. Inside, everything was smashed and broken.

"What were they looking for Hawkins?" asked Mr Dance.

"Well," said Captain Dance when he returned, "at least we finished off Pew."

I jumped up and shouted to the riders. One of the men was Captain Dance, the law officer from the nearby town. He had head reports of a pirate ship in Black Hill Cove and had come looking for the pirates. I told him my story, and he and his men chased the pirates down into the cove. But by the time they got to the beach, the ship was already out to sea.

"They got the money from the chest," I said, "but I think I have what they wanted most. I'd like to get it to a safe place. I thought, perhaps, Dr Livesey…"

I had never seen Squire Trelawney so near. He was a big tall man, with a red face, and was sitting beside a fire with Dr Livesey. "Come in, Mr Dance," he said.

"Well, I've heard of him myself," said Dr Livesey. "But the question is, did he have money?"

Mr Dance gave his report and both men listened with deep interest.

"And so, Jim," said the doctor, "you have the thing that they were looking for, have you?"

"Here it is, sir," I said, and gave him the papers tied inside the cloth. The doctor looked at them and put them quietly in the pocket of his coat. After that, Mr Dance went away and I was given some food.

"Heard of him!" cried the squire. "He was the worst pirate that ever sailed. The Spanish used to tremble just to hear his name!"

"And now, squire," said the doctor, "you have heard of this Flint, I suppose?"

"Money!" said the squire. "Of course Flint had money! Those scoundrels were after it."

"Well then, suppose I have here in my pocket a paper that shows where Flint hid his treasure," said the doctor. "Would the treasure be worth looking for?"

We opened the cloth and found two things -- a book and a paper. The book gave a list of all the money Flint had stolen from different ships during twenty years at sea. The doctor opened the paper and found a map of an island. There was a hill in the centre marked Spyglass, and several names that had been added later. There were three big black crosses -- two in the north of the island and one in the south-west. Beside the last cross were the words: Most of the treasure here. On the back of the paper, the same person had written:

"Worth looking for!" cried the squire, "with great enthusiasm. I'll tell you what it's worth. I'll prepare a ship at Bristol, take you and Hawkins with me, and have that treasure if I have to search for a year!"

Tall tree. Spyglass shoulder, to the North of North-North-East.

"Tomorrow I start for Bristol," said Squire Trelawney. "In three weeks we will have the best sailor, and the finest crew in England. Hawkins can come as cabin-boy. You, Livesey, are the ship's doctor. I am admiral. We'll take three of my men, Redruth, Joyce, and Hunter."

The squire and Dr Llvesey were delighted.

Skeleton Island East-South-East and by East.

"You," said the doctor, "because you cannot keep silent. We aren't the only men who know of this paper. Those who broke into the inn tonight want to find the same treasure. We must none of us go alone until we get to sea. You'll take Joyce and Hunter to Bristol. Meanwhile, Jim and I will stay together. And not one of us must say a word about what we have found."

"Trelawney," said the doctor, "I'll go with you. So, I am sure, will Hawkins. There's only one man I'm afraid of."

"Livesey," replied the squire, "you're always right. I'll be as silent as a dead man."

"And who's that?" cried the squire. "Name the scoundrel!"