Chapter 5 · Treasure Island

Copywork

Him they had deserted, whether in sheer panic or out of revenge for his ill words and blows I know not; but there he remained behind, tapping up and down the road in a frenzy, and groping and calling for his comrades.

The sentence leaves one man alone while the others are gone. Which words tell you what Jim does not know, and why do you think he admits "I know not" instead of guessing?

Discussion

Narration Tell what happens from the blind man's arrival at the inn to the ride to Dr. Livesey's house.

Pew curses his men for delay and calls them fools. Is he leading them, or only shouting at them? Character
Pew cries out, “if I had eyes!” What do you hear in his voice: rage, self-pity, or something else? Tone
Pew dies under the horses' hooves, not at an enemy's hand. Why might Stevenson end him that way? Author's choice
Mr. Dance says “not that I regret it” about Pew's death, then worries how it will look. Is he honest, careful, or both? Moral reasoning
Jim says, “This quarrel was the saving of us.” What do you think mattered most in saving them that night? Plot structure

Make a Connection Tell about a time you were helped by something you did not expect.

Vocabulary

deserted: Him they had deserted, whether in sheer panic or out of revenge for his ill words and blows I know not; abandoned; left behind alone
frenzy: tapping up and down the road in a frenzy, wild, uncontrolled excitement
comrades: groping and calling for his comrades. companions who share one's work or danger
formidable: two remaining on the road with the formidable beggar. frightening because of power or size
irresolute: while the rest stood irresolute on the road. unable to decide what to do
miscreant: cursed back at the blind miscreant, a wicked person; a villain
wrest: tried in vain to catch the stick and wrest it from his grasp. pull away by force
spurned: the four hoofs trampled and spurned him and passed by. kicked aside with contempt
preservation: my mother and I owed our preservation from death. being kept safe from harm
deplore: she still continued to deplore the balance of the money. grieve over; regret deeply

Critical thinking

Jim says his “curiosity, in a sense, was stronger than my fear.” Using two pieces of evidence, was it worth the risk to watch from the bush?
When Dirk's whistle sounds twice, the men want to move and Pew will not. Using two pieces of evidence, who reads the night better?
Supervisor Dance rode out on news of the lugger, yet the lugger gets away. Using two pieces of evidence, was his night a success?