Jibby Jones · Chapter
The Fishing Prize explained
The boys form the Land Pirate's Treasure-Hunting and Exploration Company after Jibby shares more details about Murrell's treasure, including the key word 'Riverbank' and the significance of a lone pine tree.
What happens
The boys form the Land Pirate's Treasure-Hunting and Exploration Company after Jibby shares more details about Murrell's treasure, including the key word 'Riverbank' and the significance of a lone pine tree. The next day, Rover returns, and the boys prepare for Uncle Oscar's annual fishing prize, though they expect Wampus to win again. Jibby demonstrates his unusual nose exercises and claims he can identify a bee's home tree by smell, leaving the boys uncertain whether he is joking or serious.
Themes in this chapter
Adventure and Exploration
The boys form a treasure-hunting company and plan to search for lone pines and hidden treasure, embodying the spirit of adventure and exploration.
Imagination and Ingenuity
Jibby's creative nose exercises and his method of tracking bees by smell showcase imaginative thinking and playful ingenuity.
Characters to notice
- Jibby Jones
Tells the boys more about Murrell's treasure, demonstrates his flexible nose, and claims he can identify a bee's home tree by smell.
- Wampus Smale
Elected Captain of the treasure-hunting company; expected to win Uncle Oscar's fishing prize again.
- Skippy Root
Expresses doubt about winning the fishing prize but plans to try for Uncle Oscar's sake.
- Tad Willing
Participates in the treasure company discussions and agrees that Wampus will likely win the prize.
- Rover
Returns to the island after being treated for hair loss; the narrator is glad to have him back for protection.
Key passages
“There wasn't any constitution or any bylaws, but that did not matter—we swore to be true to them, anyhow, and maybe, sometime when we had time, we might get up some, if we thought we needed them.”
The boys swore loyalty to a nonexistent constitution, planning to write one later if they felt it necessary.
Highlights the boys' informal, imaginative approach to forming their treasure-hunting company.
“I get up every morning and push my nose all around my face, to keep it keen and lively. It would be mighty dangerous for me if I ever let my nose get stiff and hard.”
Jibby claims he exercises his nose daily to keep it flexible, warning that a stiff nose could be dangerous in strong winds.
Illustrates Jibby's tall-tale storytelling and the boys' uncertainty about whether he is joking.