I remember him clearly, the brown old seaman, as he came to the inn door, his hands hard and torn, and the , sword cut across one cheek. I remember him looking round the bay and singing that old sea song: Fifteen men on the dead man's chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Then he called roughly for a glass of rum. He drank the rum slowly.
"This is a nice bay," he said at last. "I'll stay here a bit." And to my father he said, "You may call me 'Cap- tain." And then threw down three or four gold pieces
“You can tell me when I've worked through that," he said. looking very fierce,nHe was a very silent man, usually. All day he walked round the bay with a brass spyglass; all the evening he sat in a corner near the fire, and drank very strong rum He stayed week after week, and at last month after month, so that all the money had been long used up. My father never had the courage to demand more Dr Livesey came late one afternoon to see my father, and went into the sitting room to smoke a pipe. I remember observing the great difference between the doctor with his powdered hair as white as snow. his bright black eyes and pleasant manners and that dirty, heavy. red eyes pirate of ouni who had already drunk far too much rum
Suddenly the captain began his usual song For men on the dead man chest Yo bob and a bone of rum Drink and the dev nad done for the rest Ho-ho-ha and a bottle of run! By this time nobody in the inn took much notice of the song I was new that night only to Dr Livesey booked up for a moment quite angrily before he went on Talking to old Taylor, the gardener. The captain booked hun for a time knocked on the table for lence looked still harder, and at last broke out with a curence Are you speaking to me in the doctor asked there you
"Yes" with another curse Then I have only one thing to say to you the doctor said if you keep on drinking rum the world soon be free of a very dirty and nasty Follow The old fellow's anger was terrible. He jumped up drew a great knife and looked as if he was going to the doctor The doctor never moved. He spoke to him as before over his shoulder perfectly calm and steady Puma knife amay at once, or I promise you shall hang
The captain put away his weapon and sat down again making low noises in his throat le a beaten dog
It was a very cold winter, and it was clear that my poor father would not see the spring He grew weaker daily and my mother and I had all the work of the inn to do.
One January morning, I heard a loud fall in the sitting room. I ran in and saw the captain lying on the floor. My mother came running downstairs to help me. Between us, we raised his head. He was breathing very hard, his eyes were closed, and his face was a dreadful colour. We were very glad when the door opened and Dr Livesey came in, on his visit to my father.
"He's ill," said the doctor, "seriously ill, as I warned him that he would be if he went on drinking rum. Now, Mrs Hawkins, you just run upstairs to your husband. I must do my best to save this fellow's entirely worthless life."
The doctor had to work hard before the captain opened his eyes. Between us, with much trouble, we got him upstairs and laid him on his bed.
"Now remember," said the doctor, "rum, for you, is death." And he went off to see my father, taking me with him.
“This is nothing," he said, as soon as he had closed the door. "He'll lie for a week where he is. That's the best thing for him and you. But the next attack will finish him."