Chapter 25

Treasure Island

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

I was greatly elated with my new command, and pleased with the bright, sunshiny weather and these different prospects of the coast. I had now plenty of water and good things to eat, and my conscience, which had smitten me hard for my desertion, was quieted by the great conquest I had made.

Read the second sentence aloud. It lists what Jim now has and then says what was "quieted". Which phrase carries the most weight for Jim, and what does the verb "smitten" add?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what Jim does on board, from tumbling onto the deck to the smile he cannot stop watching.

1. Jim greets the wounded Hands with “Come aboard, Mr. Hands,” said ironically. What is Jim doing with that joke?Tone

2. Jim drinks his water first and “not till then” gives Hands the brandy, and he sits with his food “well out of the coxswain’s reach.” What do these small choices show?Character

3. Hands offers to show Jim how to sail the ship for food, drink and a bandage. Who gets the better of that bargain?Inference

4. Jim says his conscience, which “had smitten me hard for my desertion,” was “quieted by the great conquest.” Is that a good reason for a conscience to go quiet?Moral reasoning

5. The chapter ends with Hands’s face and the words “watched, and watched, and watched me.” Why might the author end on that repetition?Author's choice

Make a Connection Tell about a time you helped someone you did not quite trust, in a story or in life.

Vocabulary

Crossword

1
		2	3
4	5

Across

Across 1. joyful; in high spirits
Across 4. the inner sense of right and wrong

Down

Down 2. a sudden change to the opposite direction
Down 3. openings at deck level that let water run off
Down 4. tilting; leaning to one side
Down 5. going down; sinking back

The words in the chapter

elated I was greatly elated with my new command,
conscience my conscience, which had smitten me hard
reverse trembled to her keel under the reverse,
scuppers like a live thing in the scuppers.

canting the whole body canting towards the stern,
lockfast All the lockfast places had been broken
foraging Foraging about, I found a bottle
subsiding the subsiding tide permitted us to land.

Define These Words

lockfast: fastened with a lock
foraging: searching about for food and supplies

Critical thinking

1. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Jim sees on the deck that makes him think the watchmen have killed each other.

2. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Hands looks and acts once he has had brandy, food and a bandage.

3. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the state of the cabin shows about life aboard since the mutiny.