Chapter 17: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip
Before they can reach the stockade, they need to bring the overstuffed rowboat to shore, but this is no easy feat. The tide is going out at this point, and they have to fight off such a current to avoid being swept straight down to the pirates that their only option is to row at an angle that makes uncomfortably slow progress.
Of course, the pirates back onboard aren’t being held captive anymore, and now that all pretenses are gone, they return to the deck to ready the cannon. Smollett cries, “The gun!” but Livesey jovially replies, “Don’t worry, there’s no way they could get it to shore.”
That’s not really Smollett’s concern at the moment. No, he’s a little bit more preoccupied with the fact that they’re completely broadside to the cannon and moving at a snail’s pace. His grandmother could make the shot—to say nothing of Captain Flint’s former gunner, who’s currently loading the muzzle.
Trelawney is said to be the best marksman of the group, and he stands up and takes a crack at the gunner, who unfortunately happens to kneel over at just the right time. The bullet injures the pirate standing behind him instead. If you’re looking to inject some slapstick comedy into your rendition of Treasure Island, this is a great place to do it.
One of the pirate boats launches from shore and begins to give chase, and the plan changes from “get to shore” to “get as close to shore as possible”. Their biggest problem is still the cannon, however, and by now it’s ready to fire.
“Tell us the moment you see them strike the match,” Smollett tells Trelawney. He does; and as the cannon fires, the rowers backpaddle hard, dipping the stern into the water. Livesey supposes the ball sailed just over their heads, though nobody can say for certain.
Immediate disaster is averted, but not without cost: the rowboat is too laden-down to be saved, and it sinks, along with half of the provisions. All but two of the muskets are ruined as well. As they abandon ship, the men begin hear the shouts of even more pirates advancing on foot through the woods. Time is of the essence here; Livesey worries that the pirates will either cut off their escape to the stockade, or attack it directly.
In the latter case, the only two people present to hold them off are Trelawney’s manservants, placed there to keep an eye on their stores. Considering that Livesey’s opinion of one of them is that he’s “good at brushing dirt off suits and not much else”, they opt to hustle to shore as fast as they can.