Then up rose Pirate the Terrible, and in a roaring voice he issued an order: “Capture the black-hearted scoundrel at once and bring him to me. I’ll cut him limb from limb and show him no mercy unless he hands over the treasure.”
Then, waving their knives in the air, the five other pirates leaped around the rocks, returning a moment later with the wild man securely tied with ropes.
“Yo-ho!” roared Pirate the Terrible. “So you are Ben Gunn. Three years you have lived alone on Treasure Island. What did you live on, you black-hearted scoundrel?”
“Goat meat and such,” Ben Gunn replied, looking about wildly.
“And what have you been doing?” roared Pirate the Terrible.
“Digging for the buried treasure, and, dash my buttons, I have found it, and we’ll all share equal if you’ll take me away with you on your ship,” the wild man cried eagerly.
“Old Sea-Dog,” Pirate the Terrible replied, “you have saved us many days’ digging, and so we’ll share equal and take you off on the good ship Hispaniola.”
Then, to the amusement of the onlookers, the pirates and the wild man began to caper about the fire and sing:
“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest.
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!”
Adele had risen and was stealing away. Everett followed her, glad indeed that their scary adventure had ended in so harmless a manner.