X Marks the Spot by Tony Abbott Read Free Book Online

the navy! Guys, he’s nothing but a … big old … pirate!”
    â€œOne thing’s for sure,” I whispered. “I’m not eating his soup anymore!”
    Jim put a quivering finger to his lips. “Hush …”
    â€œI see, sir,” said the one Silver was talking to. “And what happened to Flint’s men?”
    I recognized the voice as one of the youngest of the sailors on board the ship. His name was Dick Depper. He obviously thought Silver was cool.
    â€œWhy, most of the men be right here on this ship!” Silver replied. “Israel Hands and Tom Morgan and George Merry and Job Anderson—Flint’s men, all of them!”
    I went cold. Silver had just named four of the scariest-looking men in our crew. When he finished naming Flint’s other men, we realized that nearly the entire crew was pirates!
    â€œWe’re way outnumbered here,” I whispered.
    â€œYou are such a math whiz,” Frankie added. “Shhh.”
    â€œNow, look here,” said Silver to the young seaman. “You’re young, but you’re as smart as paint to want to join us.”
    â€œI still don’t know what that means,” said Frankie.
    A few seconds later the two pirates were joined by Israel Hands, a sneaky, hunched-over pirate with gnarly skin and a long gray mustache drooping below his chin.
    â€œAhoy there, evil mateys,” said Hands.
    â€œArrh, arrh, to you, too,” said Silver.
    â€œLook here,” said Hands with a spitting sound in his voice. “I’ve had enough of the doctor and that dim squire and that captain! When do we steal the map and find our treasure?”
    â€œAt the last possible moment, that’s when!” Silver growled. “Captain Smollett is better than any of you to sail this ship to the island. The squire and the doctor have got the treasure map. And they have all the guns and powder, don’t they? The squire may be dim, but he’s a crack shot with the rifle and pistol. So, the right thing is to let them find the treasure and bring it back on board without making trouble.”
    Frankie, Jim, and I stared at one another. With each word, the conversation got creepier and scarier.
    â€œAnd then?” asked Hands.
    Silver gave out a low laugh. “Arrh, my friend. We could maroon them ashore. But I know what happens if you maroon a man. He comes back later to haunt you. I plan to live as a gentleman after this, to ride my fancy coaches free and easy of walking ghosts, I tell you. When I’m rich, I don’t want no memories coming at my back. No, sir, my vote is death, clear and simple.”
    Death!
    I guess I knew what sort of character Long John Silver was. The bad kind. The very bad kind.
    And Mr. Wexler wanted me to do a report on him!
    â€œAnd if anyone gets wind of our plan?” asked Dick.
    Silver made an awful sound in his throat. “Then we strike them down on the instant!”
    The way Silver said the word strike was horrifying. I had this instant image of an enormous crutch slamming down on my head and then everything going black.
    â€œStrike! Strike!” cried the parrot, and Silver laughed.
    He paused to spit while Frankie, Jim, and I had heart attacks three inches away. A moment later, Silver belched out a long smelly burp.
    That’s when he said it.
    â€œNow, Dick,” said Silver. “I be hungry. Be a good lad and grab me an apple from this here barrel!”
    Jim stiffened. “No … no …”
    We heard Dick begin to rise. He lifted a lantern over his head and it spread its thin yellow light into the barrel right over us.
    Frankie grabbed my arm and squeezed tight, her face going white and bloodless in the sickly light.
    Oh, my gosh ! she mouthed silently at me. Devin !
    Just then, as Dick was turning to lean into the barrel—fractions of a second before he and Silver and Hands would discover us—someone yelled out two words at the top