Treasure Island · Chapter
At the Admiral Benbow explained
Jim Hawkins begins his account of the Treasure Island adventure, recalling the arrival of a mysterious old seaman with a saber cut—known only as 'the captain'—at his father's inn, the Admiral Benbow.
What happens
Jim Hawkins begins his account of the Treasure Island adventure, recalling the arrival of a mysterious old seaman with a saber cut—known only as 'the captain'—at his father's inn, the Admiral Benbow. The captain pays generously, stays for months, and lives in constant fear of a one-legged seafaring man, offering Jim a monthly silver coin to watch for him. He terrifies the locals with wild sea stories and drunken songs, but is confronted by Doctor Livesey, who stands up to him and threatens legal action. The captain's presence both frightens and excites the community, while his paranoia and drinking hasten Jim's father's decline.
Themes in this chapter
Superstition and Fear
The captain's terror of a one-legged seafaring man and Jim's nightmares about the same figure highlight the theme of irrational fear and superstition.
Courage and Cowardice
Doctor Livesey displays courage by standing up to the captain's threats, while the captain's bullying and the villagers' fearful compliance illustrate cowardice.
Deception and Disguise
The captain hides his true identity and past, living under a false name and avoiding other seamen, embodying deception and secrecy.
Characters to notice
- Jim Hawkins
The narrator and son of the innkeeper; he is both fascinated and terrified by the captain, and is paid to watch for a one-legged seafaring man.
- Billy Bones
The old seaman who lodges at the Admiral Benbow, known only as 'the captain'; he is secretive, violent when drunk, and lives in fear of a one-legged man.
- Doctor Livesey
A local doctor and magistrate who confronts the captain after he threatens him with a knife, warning him to behave or face legal consequences.
- Squire Trelawney
Mentioned in the opening as one of the gentlemen who asked Jim to write down the particulars of the adventure.
Key passages
“I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a handbarrow; a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man; his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulders of his soiled blue coat; his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the saber cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white.”
Jim vividly recalls the day the old seaman arrived at the inn, trudging to the door with his sea chest wheeled behind him—a tall, sturdy, sun-browned man with a tarred pigtail, scarred hands, and a pale saber wound on his cheek.
This description establishes the captain's rough, pirate-like appearance and sets the tone for his mysterious and threatening presence.
“He had taken me aside one day and promised me a silver fourpenny on the first of every month if I would only keep my 'weather eye open for a seafaring man with one leg,' and let him know the moment he appeared.”
The captain secretly hired Jim to watch for a one-legged sailor, offering him a monthly coin for the warning.
This introduces the central mystery and the captain's paranoid fear, which drives much of the early plot.
“I have only one thing to say to you, sir, that if you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!”
Doctor Livesey tells the captain that his drinking will soon kill him, calling him a scoundrel.
This moment shows the doctor's moral authority and courage, contrasting with the captain's brutishness.