Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate classic
Online
Yes, that's right. Now you can download the entire unabridged text of this great novel This plunder is yours for the taking. You can download it now, or if you're short on disk space, you can come here and read it online whenever you want.
Robert
Louis Stevenson based much of this classic novel on fact and in many ways
it provides a very accurate description of pirates. While there never was
a pirate named Long John Silver or a Captain Flint, there was a real pirate
named Israel Hands (a.k.a. Basilica Hands), who was second-in-command under
Blackbeard. He was crippled when Blackbeard suddenly shot him in the leg
for no apparent reason one night when Blackbeard, Hands, a pilot and another
pirate were drinking in Blackbeard's cabin. When the fourth pirate noticed
Blackbeard secretly drawing two of his guns, he quickly left. Soon after
that, Blackbeard blew out the candle, crossed his hands and fired both
his pistols under the table striking Hands in the knee. The other pistol
did no damage. Blackbeard later explained that if he didn't kill one of
his crew once in a while, they would forget who he was. Hands later deserted
Blackbeard in Carolina and turned King's evidence. In Virginia, he was
arrested for piracy and barely escaped execution. He was last seen begging
for food in London.
Have you ever wondered what that famous line in the Treasure Island pirate song meant that goes:
One of the books Stevenson used to research his novel mentions an actual Caribbean island called the Dead Man's Chest, which was said to be a rendezvous for buccaneers and smugglers. This cryptic line apparently refers to part of a pirate crew who were either stranded or marooned on that island. The song also says, "Drink and the devil had done for the rest" and adds:"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest--
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
Whether this was an actual sea shanty or a fictional creation of Stevenson's is uncertain, but several authentic pirate songs were written down and have survived. Some of these songs can also be found Weird History 101."With one man of her crew alive,
What put to sea with seventy-five."
We hope you'll enjoy Treasure
Island.
Capt. Flint's Map of Treasure Island
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