Treasure Island: Chapter 33 Summary & Analysis

Everyone is thunderstruck. Silver is the first to regain his composure and quickly think up a new plan. He slips a pistol to Jim and begins to quietly move away from the hollow. Then he nods at Jim, who whispers to Silver that he’s switched sides once again.

The pirates leap into the pit, and Morgan finds one gold piece. He shakes it at Silver, cursing at him for all their wasted efforts. Merry accuses Silver of knowing it all along, and while Silver casually makes fun of him, the other pirates are soon of Merry’s opinion. Soon they’re facing each other across the pit, two against the four (without Dick). Merry begins to make a speech, taking on his role of new captain, but suddenly Silver shoots into Merry’s body and he falls into the pit. The three others turn and run away.

Instantly, the doctor, Gray, and Ben Gunn emerge from behind the trees. The doctor cries that they must chase the pirates away from the small boats they’ve left in an inlet. After pursuing them through the woods, they realize that the pirates have headed in the opposite direction, towards Mizzen-mast Hill. Gunn and Silver greet each other, and the group proceeds down-hill, with Gunn relating the long tale.

It was Gunn who had found the skeleton and the treasure, and he who had dug it up and carried it to a cave on the north-east part of the island for safekeeping. The afternoon of the attack, the doctor had gotten this information from Gunn, so the next morning, seeing the Hispaniola gone, the doctor had given Silver the map and the provisions, since Gunn’s cave was well-stocked, as well as the stockade, so that the doctor could be certain the group could safely leave for the hill to keep watch over the treasure.

That morning, when the doctor found out that Jim would be part of the pirates’ surprise (and might be in danger), he had taken Gray and Gunn across the island to lie in wait. Gunn, who had gone out ahead, hoped to play with his fellow pirates’ superstitions. Silver says that it was lucky Jim was there—otherwise they would have killed Silver, too, without a thought. Dr. Livesey agrees with this, cheerfully.

The group reaches the boats and head out around the coast to North Inlet. Passing around the hill, they catch sight of the squire waiting outside Gunn’s cave. They finally reach the Hispaniola, which is in good shape, apart from the cut mainsail that Jim had dealt with earlier. They drop anchor and pull around to Rum Cove, near the cave.

They climb to the cave and meet the squire, who treats Jim kindly and doesn’t mention his escapade. The squire tells Silver that he’s a villain and impostor, who deserves all the blame and guilt for the men who have died, even if he has been told not to prosecute Silver. Silver salutes and thanks him, to which the squire cries that this is against his duty, not something to be thanked for. Inside the cave lies Captain Smollett, resting, and surrounded by heaps of coins and gold—the treasure that had cost the lives of seventeen men, not to mention all the other lives and ships sunk by its allure.

Captain Smollett tells Jim that he’s done well, but that neither of them should go to to sea again. He asks Silver what he’s doing there: Silver says he’s returned to his duty, and the captain simply says, “Ah!” They enjoy a feast that night, and Silver remains at a slight remove from the rest, acting like the same bland and polite sailor who had begun the trip with them.