Chapter 34

Treasure Island

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!

Read the second sentence aloud. A semicolon separates what Jim will not do from what he dreams. Which two sounds does the sentence name, and which of the two does it end on? What does the repeated "Pieces of eight!" do to the way the sentence finishes?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens from the carrying of the gold to the fates of the survivors, in order.

1. Jim lists the coins he sorts, from doubloons to pieces stamped like “wisps of string.” Why might the author give us the whole list?Author's choice

2. The doctor says he would help the mutineers “at whatever risk to my own carcass,” and Silver says he would be “very wrong.” What does each answer show about the man who gave it?Character

3. The party leaves the three mutineers on the island with powder, goat meat and tobacco. Is that mercy, cruelty, or both?Moral reasoning

4. Silver slips off with a sack of coin, and Jim says, “I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him.” Why would they be pleased?Inference

5. Ben Gunn spends a thousand pounds in nineteen days and is given a lodge to keep, “exactly as he had feared.” Is that a sad ending for him?Theme

Make a Connection Tell about a time a long task came to an end and felt different from what you expected.

Vocabulary

Crossword

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Across

Across 1. hateful, as if under a curse
Across 4. carrying from one place to another
Across 5. win favour by flattery and service
Across 6. with a vengeance: to an extreme degree
Across 8. a person who relies on others for support
Across 9. secretly allowed or helped a wrong
Across 10. making a deep, resounding noise

Down

Down 2. kind and merciful
Down 3. a fierce attack
Down 7. twistings of the body or face

The words in the chapter

accursed Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island;
booming when I hear the surf booming about its coasts
transportation the transportation of this great mass of gold near a mile by land to the beach,
onslaught a single sentry on the shoulder of the hill was sufficient to ensure us against any sudden onslaught,
dependent seemed to regard himself once more as quite a privileged and friendly dependent.

ingratiate with what unwearying politeness he kept on trying to ingratiate himself with all.
humane I suppose you would hardly ask me to call you a humane man, returned the doctor with a sneer, and so my feelings may surprise you, Master Silver.
contortions Ben Gunn was on deck alone, and as soon as we came on board he began, with wonderful contortions, to make us a confession.
connived The maroon had connived at his escape in a shore boat some hours ago,
vengeance Drink and the devil had done for the rest, with a vengeance,

Critical thinking

1. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why moving the treasure to the ship takes so many days.

2. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Jim describes the contrast between the port and the island.

3. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Jim speaks of Silver when he last mentions him.