A S soon as Ben Gunn saw the colors he came to a
halt, stopped me by the arm, and sat down.

"Now," said he, "there's your friends, sure
enough."

"Far more likely it's the mutineers," I answered.

"That!" he cried. "Why, in a place like this,
where nobody puts in but gen'lemen of fortune, Silver
would fly the Jolly Roger, you don't make no doubt
of that. No, that's your friends. There's been
blows, too, and I reckon your friends has had the
best of it; and here they are ashore in the old stock-
ade, as was made years and years ago by Flint. Ah!
he was the man to have a headpiece, was Flint.
Barring rum, his match was never seen. He were
afraid of none, not he; on'y Silver -- Silver was that
genteel."

"Well," said I, "that may be so, and so be it;
all the more reason that I should hurry on and join
my friends."

"Nay, mate," returned Ben, "not you. You're
a good boy, or I'm mistook; but you're on'y a boy,
all told. Now Ben Gunn is fly. Rum wouldn't

-158-