After nearly 45 minutes of walking over the treacherous rocky, black terrain, the boy-girl duo slowed in their steps; the castle was near. Jim silently dropped to the ground and crawled behind a jutting rock spire formation. Beth followed right behind. Once there, Jim put his pointer finger to his lips to signal "stay quiet". He then leaned over and listened with his ear to the ground for about 40 seconds. He lifted his head and looked at her. "There has to be a passageway through the rock somewhere around here. I could hear some vibrations like voice echoes through the ground." His companion nodded in a barely perceptible motion. Jim slowly got to his feet and slowly rose in a low, crouching form. He motioned Beth to follow and they sneaked from one formation to another and another and another as Jim did the same listening procedure over again. "Why are you doing this?", Bethany asked with a bit of frustration from the "moves". "I'm trying to find where the voices are loudest and feel if there's any cool breeze on the ground. That means there's an opening around here."
He kept up this routine for another minute until he felt a cool waft of air at last! He kept his hand in the stream and followed it in the direction it was coming from until he came upon a overhanging rock that seemed to sit over a dark, black hole. As Beth caught up with Jim, he knelt down and stuck his head forward to listen. Yeah, the voices were definitely coming from somewhere down there and he was going to investigate.
Slowly, cautiously, Jim took off his big backpack and rummaged through it till he found a strong length of rope. He unraveled a section and motioned for Beth to come closer. Soon as she did, he leaned over and whispered, "I'm going to crawl down the hole. I need you to hold onto this end up here to support me; just sit down and brace your feet against the rocks on either side. This is how we'll do it: If I start to pull really hard on the rope, then you start pulling as hard as you can and help me climb back up. If I pull very gently, that means it's safe to come down. But if nothing happens after 5 minutes, then that means I've been caught or hurt. But don't come after me! Just take my surfer and weapons and pack and hide in the nearest crevasse that you can find and stay there. Wait until the attack comes—from the warships that I told you about—and there's no more fighting. If you see soldiers in uniforms with long rifles, go and tell them what happened." Beth listened with a countenance that grew more fearful as she slowly began to fathom Jim's words. "You meanâthatâyou-might-get-killed?" She immediately burst in to tears and clutched Jim's chest. "Oh Jim, please don't go. I don't want you to dieâ.please, don't." Jim pulled her closer and whispered: "Shhhhhhhhh, it's alright, I know what to do. I've been in danger before. I'll always come back for you as long as I'm alive. Trust me, you're more than worth returning for." He dabbed off her tears with his left hand before tying himself with the rope end in his right hand. Once done, he held out the other end for her to hold. She put out her hand to take it and Jim's grasped hers in a firm yet gentle reassuring grip. They exchanged smiles and Jim let go to lower himself into a prone position. Before he set off down the hole, He turned his head back and said, "Once I'm down there safe, I'll pull gently and you lower yourself feet-first; just hold onto the rope as strongly as you can." He gave her that smile again and then in one smooth, fluid motion slid himself face first down the hole.
Beth, still uneasy, placed herself as Jim instructed and observed the rope snaking down in short intervals. For about five minutes, the cotton cord would stop for about 5 to 25 seconds and then run further for about 20 to 45 seconds. Then, the rope slowed to a stop. Beth tensed and waited for about 5 more minutes. After an unbearably loooooooong time, she felt several small tugs on the section in her hand. She suddenly realized that the rope needed to be tied down. Looking around her, she realized that there was nothing suitable to tie it to. So, she set down the rope, got up from her position and rolled over the largest boulder she could find. Beth set the entire slack in a circle and rolled the humongous rock onto the rope so that it partially hid the opening and completely sat on the length. She noticed the rope vibrating as Jim gave a few more tugs. She tugged back gently and reached for Jim's pack. Attaching it via short strap to her ankle, she took a deep breath and started inching her way down, feet-first with the big bag in front of her.
As she let herself down the nearly-vertical yet wide-enough shaft, her ears became attuned to several voices talking in loud volumes. She recognized them as those of the Flint's. The farther she slid down, the clearer the noises became. After traveling 18 feet, the shaft turned straight down in a plumb line-straight vertical fall; she gripped the rope tighter and hesitated. Finally, she gulped really hard and continued to let herself down with her feet pressed terribly hard against the wall. In this pose, she walked down the tunnel and kept her head looking down towards a rock shelf that was slightly illuminated like light coming from under a door. She quickened her pace yet did her best to make certain she did not make loud noises. Finally, she was right above the shelf where the bag touched the surface. Beth nearly emitted a scream when she saw a hand reach out and take the pack; she took a few deep breaths to calm down and remember that it was Jim's hand. Beth saw him stick his head out from the small cubby hole he was positioned in and look up towards her with a beckoning motion from his right hand. Beth slowly let herself down noiselessly and scooted in next to Jim. "The whole clan of the brother's are down in that room," he whispered into her ear. "I've got this tiny phonograph that's relaying what they say onto a disk." He pointed to the box near the light opening with a small cone facing the direction of the voices. "It'll play back every word they are saying down there. We might be able to find out something important." Just then, there was a loud banging noise and another voice speaking in a high pitch. Jim and Beth laid down on their bellies to get closer and hear.
"Beg yer pardon , Sirs—""PARDON!?!?!? PARDON?!?!?!? WHAT SORT'A REQUEST IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ARE YE AS STONE DEAF 'N DUMB AS THOSE SQUIDMEATS THAT WE'VE MADE AN EXAMPLE OF!?!?!?!?!?!?! ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!" "Y-y-y-ye-ye-yes-yes-yes, s-s-s-s-s-si-si-sir-sirsâI've just come here to sayâwe haveâ.moreâmoreâfriends." "WHAT?!?!?! You mean that—" "No, no, no, no, no sir, I mean, more scoundrels likeâusâand they-want-to-speak-with, withâyou, all youâsirs."
Nobody said anything for a minute. Then, Pekerth Flint said, "Sho'em in!!!" The door shut as the messenger left. A few seconds later, it opened again and there was a strangely familiar tapping noise that sounded like several exoskeleton legs clicking on the stone floor.
Suddenly, Jim recognized the sounds: Butâit couldn't be!!!! Here, Alive???? A few seconds later, his terrible fears were set in stone.
"Grrraaay Flint, I pressssume." "Aye, and who be ye?", snapped the eldest and senior brother. "Sssssssscroop isssss the name. I'm here to inform you that yooooou've " "And how would you know that?", spoke up Sherven Flint. "What gives you such reason to believe thus?", added Kashir. "Becausssssse, I've beeen informed thatâthe encounter, between your sssssshhhhhipssss were ssssssset-up for ssssuch an engagement—by the Royal Interssssstellar Navy! I'll be short—they knew where you were-all-this-time." "WHAT, THEY'VE KNOWN SLL ABOUT US !?!?!? THIS ?!?!?! FOR HOW LONG ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" "I only know what an old shipmate, Mr. Onus by name, has told me. He sssayssss that he wasssss lookout for the warship, disguised as a ssssurveyor's vessel, and crewed by a trained sssssoldiers and ssssailors ready to fight and take on the like's of usssss." Nobody was asking questions so Scroop pressed on. "Twas when ye fell for their ruse that yer fate was sealed. The sssssship could only claim eight casssualties from your effortsss. Only ssssseven wounded; none dead nor dying." "We All know the Outcome!!!!," roared Carter Flint in seething pride. "Just tell us HOW MUCH the Bloody Navy knows 'bout us." "That I cannot say, 'cept that they can now trumpet in their ports 'n ssssstreets that a grand outpost of piratessss hasss been umasssked. And there isssss no hiding or hope of being forgotten."
Scroop let this all sink in for a few minutes. Then, Jamal Flint spoke up. "Ye say that cursed piece of flotsam took only eight casualties—and only seven wounded but no dead. What does that mean?" "It meansssss," slithered Scropp with a very tight, hateful glare in his yellow eyes, "that one of the crew is sssstill unaccounted for. And I know who it be. Perhaps he'ssssss even here, among this very fortresssssss." "What are you speaking about???", demanded Sherven. "I'm speaking aboouutâthat cabin boyyy!" "Eh, what cabin boy?? Ye mean a little scrap of bonzabeast droppings???" "No, I meanâTHE cabin boy, the one who—", and Scroop went on to relate to them the tale of the Treasure Planet venture from his viewpoint. He fairly sizzled with heat and fury when it came to the last encounter between him and Jim Hawkins, the boy that helped thwart the entire mutiny and plans of obtaining the Loot of a Thousand Worlds. "It's that boy who flung me into the Etherium where I was llllost for 2 dayssss, 'til I came upon a meteor that connnnveyed me to the nearest porrrt." "And what makes ye so certain thae lad would be here?", Jamal, "How could it be?" "My frrriend , Mr. Onus, ssssaid he recognized the boy from our lllllast voyage. And when the battle was over, he wasssssâunaccounted for." "And how do you suppose," queried Pekerth, "a simple cabin boy could situate himself here-without our know-how of it?" "Ssssimple asss he may beee, the boy is cccclever and dangerous," Scroop spat with disturbed memories. "Cunning enough to ssssneak around and sssstick his nose where it sshouldn't. And he learned from the Interssstellar Academy."
"HA!!!", laughed the unimpressed Carter Flint, "You come a three weeks journey into Our Realm just to make us quake in our boots 'cause of a stringy speck from that-thatâmeat factory??? I've yet to see any—""And ye WILL!!!", interrupted Scroop. "I sssaid that the boy is clever, More than either of any of you all in thisss room. Mark me, that boy didn't abandon sssshhhhhip to get away from a fight; he has ssssssomething in mind—maybe against all of you." The brothers just glared back at him; they were not moved by this news but Scroop wasn't discouraged.
"We'll take thought to what yeh've told us," Gafter Flint stated slowly to convey that they'd heard enough, "and if that boy is laying low within our borders, he shall be captured and drawn of whatever scuttlebutt that can tell us everything. Jamal, have the guards the Razorbacks ready the garrison to search every corner and crevice of this whole wretched land. Leave Nothing Untouched!" Jamal stood and strode for the double wooden doors.
Once gone, the others returned their gaze to Scroop who remained posed and steady in his spot and expression. "You and whatever rabble ye've dragged up with yeh are more than welcome to remain here and seek out yer'fearsome, cunning and ferocious cabin boy'", uttered Gray Flint with an air of mockery at the mention of the foe. "But you shall be required and expected to assist us should there be any more trouble like we've been cursed with as of this time." "Your request is—""THAT IS NOT A REQUEST!!!!! Ye stepped foot on our soil so ye'll be answering to every call we make!!! And Yeh's not leaving this planet 'til we say so!!!! From now on, every step ye make is only because we say ye can take it!!! You do as we say 'n maybe ye shall have yer revenge on that boy! Dismissed!!!" With that , Scroop growled, slunk his shoulders and exited.
As he did, Jamal came back in and silently closed the door again. After quickly seating himself, all eyes turned to Flint who stood with crossed arms and an authoritive glare. Nothing was said for a few moments. Then Sherven spoke up: "Brother, yeh think his words bear any weight?" Gray didn't move or answer for about half a minute. "That shall be determined soon enough," he began, "but this is certain: Our Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather's trove has been both discovered and lost. And if it's true that the boy he spoke of led the way and survived whatever traps or surprises and escaped, then that Scroop has more than enough reason to be wary—and so shall We be!" Kashir Flint joined in. "Much as I couldn't give two toots 'bout any Naval Academy, I can't help but feel that any who could escape the demise of our forefather's planet and live to earn some fighting skills might very-well be part of whatever the Navy's got in for us. If that Scroop be true, then certain I am that the shrimp be more than a match for the likes of us." "Bah," yelled Carter, "Nothing but hoo-haw if ye ask me! We've all seen more battles 'n ships 'n dangers 'n traps than either one of those primp-nosed, lace-feathered pups could even dream up in their sleep. Nobody outside this system knows even—" "ARE YE EVEN AWAKE, Yeh crumpled piece 'o fish flesh?!?!?!?!?", screamed Gray at the top of his lungs, "OF COURSE SOMEBODY KNOWS!!!! THAT BLOODY SHIP GOT AWAY, Didn't It?!!?!? And now we're sitting here, cowering behind our own coats and buttons 'cause of our lads own blunders!!!!" None of the other Flint's answered until their brother had ceased his heaving breaths.
Pekerth raised his hand to request to speak. Gray nodded and his younger brother stood to face them all. "I believe in me heart that, mayhap, one of us have already been witness to the said boy's presence—though that one and we be ignorant to the possibility." "You meanâ," began Kashir Flint, "thatâKearsargeâhe saw, I mean...was attacked by—" "Aye, the boy," answered Pekerth, "Our brother is far too strong to possibly have been subdued by any servant girl. I believe the boy took him by surprise, maybe even ambushed him before Kearsarge could know what was what." The others took this with chagrin and their minds churned over the possibilities. "And I suppose then," Gray suggested, "that thisâboy made off with the servant to wherever he is now?" "Aye, that could very well tell us why we've yet to receive any sign of the girl's whereabouts." "But why would any young whelp want to come this far here and sneak around? Spying for the naval fleet , maybe?" "Exactly what I fear, Jamal. If they've been trailing us longer than we know, there be no reason they wouldn't attempt infiltration." "You mean," commented Kashir, "that whole clash that took out a fifth of our squadron was all to-toâsneak in a spy? And a boy at that?" "It's not inconceivable; perhaps they sent in this boy because he was on Treasure Planet." "Aye, and probably got him well-trained for sniffing out the likes of us.", muttered Gafter. "No Way!", spat Carter, "No One—not sailor, cabin boy nor spy—shall ever take us down on this ground that Nathaniel J. Flint took with his might." "Aye, well said brother," agreed Gray. "On this planet, we've got all the card decks; It'll be bad—NO, terrible—for the fleet if they come this far!!! I'll make sure that they are taken for all that they've got, AND PAY WITH ALL THEIR GUTS AND FLESH FOR EACH OF OUR SEVEN SHIPS WE LOST!!!!!!!"
"AYE-AYE!!!!!," roared each of Gray's siblings. With a final look, Gray nodded and said, "That is all I have to say: Gafter, ready the 90-pounder batteries; Carter, organize the ship crews for gunnery practice and don't let a derringer be rusty or dirty. Jamal, you and Kashir will inspect the walls, turrets, caverns and round up some of our ragglers to set up a line of defense with whatever we've got. If all of it is rubble, we'll make it the bloodiest defended heap of garbage that can cut down a whole division of attackers!!!" Gafter, Carter, Jamal and Kashir left to carry out their orders.
Gray then turned to Pekerth. "Brother, you and I will speak to Mr. Scroop and his entourage. We'll make sure they spit out everything they've got in their pudding heads." "Aye, let's do it—For the memory of Nathaniel Flint!!" "Aye, in his memory!" They both stood and exited the room.