Chapter 19 of Treasure Island shifts back to Jim Hawkins’ narration, plunging us into a tense and treacherous chapter as Jim makes his way to the stockade.

With Ben Gunn by his side, Jim secures a fragile alliance with the marooned sailor, but Ben’s peculiar conditions for helping add an air of mystery:

“And when Ben Gunn is wanted, you know where to find him, Jim. Just where you found him to-day. And him that comes is to have a white thing in his hand; and he’s to come alone.”

As Ben retreats to his hideout, Jim finally reunites with the loyalists in the stockade. Together with Dr. Livesey, Captain Smollett, and Squire Trelawney, Jim joins the unrelenting grind of survival—taking watch, chopping wood, and bracing for the pirates’ next move.

The fort becomes a crucible of tension. By day, the loyalists endure volleys of gunfire, while by night, the drunken pirates’ raucous songs echo from the Hispaniola. The realization settles heavily on Captain Smollett: the ship is lost to the mutineers, and their hold on the island grows weaker by the hour.

But just as despair threatens to creep in, a visitor approaches the stockade under a flag of truce. The figure who emerges from the shadows is none other than Long John Silver himself. What could he possibly want—a surrender? A negotiation? Or is this another of his cunning ploys?

Chapter 19 crackles with unease, as alliances, strategies, and survival hang by a thread. With the cunning Silver at the gates and danger all around, the loyalists must decide: can they trust anything this pirate says, or is this the beginning of their end?

BOMBARDMENT BINGO

“For a good hour to come frequent reports shook the island, and balls kept crashing through the woods. I moved from hiding-place to hiding-place, always pursued, or so it seemed to me, by these terrifying missiles.” - Jim Hawkins

The image of the block house being attacked by a bombardment of canon balls reminds us of the game “Battleship” where opponents blindly attempt to sink each other’s ships. We have our own version suited for the stockade on Treasure Island.

TERMS TO KNOW

Jolly Roger – the iconic black pirate flag emblazoned with a skull and crossbones or other menacing symbols.

The man to have a headpiece – intelligence or mental acuity. Someone who is recognized for their cleverness.

“Silver was that genteel” – a refined and polite demeanor.

“And then nips him” – the act of quickly seizing or harming someone, often in a sudden or ruthless manner.

“There’d be widders in the morning” – a grim way of saying they’re likely to be killed overnight, making their wives widows.

“Him that comes is to have a white thing in his hand” – a signal for safe approach – the “white thing” symbolizing a flag of truce.

Unsquared trunks of pine – logs or tree trunks that haven’t been cut or shaped into uniform, squared-off beams. These are raw, natural trunks, used as they are without further refinement.

Sandy spit – a narrow, sandy strip of land that extends into the water, often forming a small peninsula or a sandbar.

A great ship’s kettle of iron – a large, sturdy iron pot used for cooking meals in bulk for the crew. These kettles were typically substantial in size, able to cook large quantities of food.

“All the world like porridge beginning to boil” – describes the churning, chaotic movement of sand throughout the stockade.

“The rest eddied about the house” – people moving around the house in an aimless way, similar to how water forms an eddy.

Snuff-box – a small, decorative container used to hold snuff, a powdered tobacco that was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Brandy grog – a mixed drink made with brandy and water, often sweetened with sugar and flavored with lemon or other spices.