For the Sake of Friendship
Chapter Two
Black Dog Appears and Disappears
Three days had past and I saw the captain outside on one foggy evening. He opened his mouth and hollered for some one to come, which was all I could make out. I then saw Saria run to his side with a mug, I knew at that moment the liquid in the bottle was none other than rum.
I kept my eye on the captain; I would not allow him to touch Saria again. I picked up my broom and began cleaning Saria's floor. The moment I dropped my gaze to the floor, I heard Saria rush in. I turned my head and soon found myself on the floor with her arms around me.
" What is the matter?" said I.
Saria did not reply. She held onto me and did not let go. Tears streamed down her face; I thought the captain had struck her once more. Turns out my assumption had been correct; the reason for this beating is unknown to me to this day.
I could hear footsteps outside the door and suddenly, the door swung open and before us stood a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand; and, though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter. I stared at him for a moment and realized he was not the sea faring man with one leg.
I asked this strange what his purpose for being here was and replied business. I was completely puzzled by his response. He later called for a bottle of rum and I ran to fetch his drink. When I returned to the table he sat down at, he pulled me to his side.
" Come here boy," says he. " Is this table for me mate Bill?"
I told him I knew not of his mate Bill. And that no one with that name lived in the Kokiri Forest.
" Well," said he, " is a man named captain stayin' here?"
I told him he was correct and when he asked me where he might find the captian, I told him he would return shortly.
Surely enough, the captain arrived only a few moments later and Saria and I retired into the back of her house. The two men seemed to know of each other and talked for hours. All I could make out of the conversation was " No, no, no, no, and an end of it! If it comes to swinging, swing all say I." Theses word came from the captain and I had no idea what he meant by this.
I later found out, from Saria that is, about their conversation. Saria told me they were discussing a crime that had been committed and they were arguing about who should hang for it.
Shortly after her explanation, I heard the sound of metal against metal. When I lifted my head, I saw the captain charging with his cutlass and Black Dog dodging every hit but the one, which cut his shoulder. Tables where throw around the room and the next thing I saw was Black Dog in full flight and the captain hotly pursuing. After a few more clashes of metal, Black Dog, in spite of his wound, ran like a fugitive over the hills.
" Link, rum," said the captain.
" Are you alright?" cried I.
" Rum!" he repeated. " I must get away from here. Rum! Rum!"
When I ran to fetch it, I heard a loud thump on the floor, and, after turning around, I saw the captain lying full length upon the floor. Saria and I stood speechless until the Dr Livesey barged in the door on his visit to Saria.
" Doctor," Saria cried. " Is he wounded?"
" Wounded? A fiddle-stick's end!" said the doctor. " No more wounded than you or I. Then man has had a stroke, as I warned him. Now Saria, go back to Link's house and rest. Link, help me get this ruffian into his bed."
Saria and I did as we were told. Once the doctor and I had gotten the captain into his bed, Dr. Livesey told me to bring him a basin.
When I returned the doctor had already ripped up the captain's sleeve and was staring at the tattoo's. Some read " Here's luck," " A fair wind," and " Billy Bones his fancy."
One tattoo caught the doctor's eye; it was of a man hanging at the gallows.
" Prophetic," said the doctor as he placed his finger on the picture. " And now Mr. Bones, if that be your name, we'll have a look at the color of your blood."
A great deal of blood was taken before the captain opened his eyes. First he recognized the doctor with an unmistakable frown; then his glance fell upon me, and he looked relieved. But suddenly his color changed, and he tried to raise himself, crying:
" Where's Black Dog?"
" There is no Black Dog here," said the doctor, " except what you have on your back. You have been drinking rum; you have had a stroke, precisely as I told you; and I have just, very much against my own will, dragged you head-foremost out of the grave. Now Mr. Bones-"
" That's not my name," he interrupted.
" Much I care," returned the doctor. " It's the name of a buccaneer of my acquaintance; and I call you by it for the sake of shortness, and what I have to say to you is this: one glass of rum won't kill you, but if you take one you'll take another and another, and I stake my wig if you don't break off short, you'll die- do you understand? – die, and go to your own place, like the man in the Bible."
The captain laid his head back making many grunting noises.
" Now mind you," said the doctor, " I clear my conscience – the name of rum for you is death."
And with that he went off to see Saria, taking me by the arm.
" This is nothing," he said, as soon as he had closed the door, " I have drawn blood enough to keep him quiet a while; he should lie for a week where he is – that is the best thing for him and you; but another stroke would settle him."
Chapter Two
Black Dog Appears and Disappears
Three days had past and I saw the captain outside on one foggy evening. He opened his mouth and hollered for some one to come, which was all I could make out. I then saw Saria run to his side with a mug, I knew at that moment the liquid in the bottle was none other than rum.
I kept my eye on the captain; I would not allow him to touch Saria again. I picked up my broom and began cleaning Saria's floor. The moment I dropped my gaze to the floor, I heard Saria rush in. I turned my head and soon found myself on the floor with her arms around me.
" What is the matter?" said I.
Saria did not reply. She held onto me and did not let go. Tears streamed down her face; I thought the captain had struck her once more. Turns out my assumption had been correct; the reason for this beating is unknown to me to this day.
I could hear footsteps outside the door and suddenly, the door swung open and before us stood a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand; and, though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter. I stared at him for a moment and realized he was not the sea faring man with one leg.
I asked this strange what his purpose for being here was and replied business. I was completely puzzled by his response. He later called for a bottle of rum and I ran to fetch his drink. When I returned to the table he sat down at, he pulled me to his side.
" Come here boy," says he. " Is this table for me mate Bill?"
I told him I knew not of his mate Bill. And that no one with that name lived in the Kokiri Forest.
" Well," said he, " is a man named captain stayin' here?"
I told him he was correct and when he asked me where he might find the captian, I told him he would return shortly.
Surely enough, the captain arrived only a few moments later and Saria and I retired into the back of her house. The two men seemed to know of each other and talked for hours. All I could make out of the conversation was " No, no, no, no, and an end of it! If it comes to swinging, swing all say I." Theses word came from the captain and I had no idea what he meant by this.
I later found out, from Saria that is, about their conversation. Saria told me they were discussing a crime that had been committed and they were arguing about who should hang for it.
Shortly after her explanation, I heard the sound of metal against metal. When I lifted my head, I saw the captain charging with his cutlass and Black Dog dodging every hit but the one, which cut his shoulder. Tables where throw around the room and the next thing I saw was Black Dog in full flight and the captain hotly pursuing. After a few more clashes of metal, Black Dog, in spite of his wound, ran like a fugitive over the hills.
" Link, rum," said the captain.
" Are you alright?" cried I.
" Rum!" he repeated. " I must get away from here. Rum! Rum!"
When I ran to fetch it, I heard a loud thump on the floor, and, after turning around, I saw the captain lying full length upon the floor. Saria and I stood speechless until the Dr Livesey barged in the door on his visit to Saria.
" Doctor," Saria cried. " Is he wounded?"
" Wounded? A fiddle-stick's end!" said the doctor. " No more wounded than you or I. Then man has had a stroke, as I warned him. Now Saria, go back to Link's house and rest. Link, help me get this ruffian into his bed."
Saria and I did as we were told. Once the doctor and I had gotten the captain into his bed, Dr. Livesey told me to bring him a basin.
When I returned the doctor had already ripped up the captain's sleeve and was staring at the tattoo's. Some read " Here's luck," " A fair wind," and " Billy Bones his fancy."
One tattoo caught the doctor's eye; it was of a man hanging at the gallows.
" Prophetic," said the doctor as he placed his finger on the picture. " And now Mr. Bones, if that be your name, we'll have a look at the color of your blood."
A great deal of blood was taken before the captain opened his eyes. First he recognized the doctor with an unmistakable frown; then his glance fell upon me, and he looked relieved. But suddenly his color changed, and he tried to raise himself, crying:
" Where's Black Dog?"
" There is no Black Dog here," said the doctor, " except what you have on your back. You have been drinking rum; you have had a stroke, precisely as I told you; and I have just, very much against my own will, dragged you head-foremost out of the grave. Now Mr. Bones-"
" That's not my name," he interrupted.
" Much I care," returned the doctor. " It's the name of a buccaneer of my acquaintance; and I call you by it for the sake of shortness, and what I have to say to you is this: one glass of rum won't kill you, but if you take one you'll take another and another, and I stake my wig if you don't break off short, you'll die- do you understand? – die, and go to your own place, like the man in the Bible."
The captain laid his head back making many grunting noises.
" Now mind you," said the doctor, " I clear my conscience – the name of rum for you is death."
And with that he went off to see Saria, taking me by the arm.
" This is nothing," he said, as soon as he had closed the door, " I have drawn blood enough to keep him quiet a while; he should lie for a week where he is – that is the best thing for him and you; but another stroke would settle him."