Treasure Island: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Jim tells his mother everything he knows, and they realize that the blind man and Black Dog probably won’t be willing to settle the captain’s debts to the inn. They’re also both increasingly scared to be alone in the house, so they decide to seek help in a village nearby.

They walk together to the village and arrive by evening, and yet no one agrees to return with them to the Admiral Benbow to help: the name of Captain Flint terrifies many of them, and cowardice, Jim realizes, is infectious. But Jim’s mother makes a speech vowing to get back the money that belongs to her fatherless son, so they’ll open the chest on their own.

Jim and his mother return, still frightened, and enter the parlor with the dead captain still lying there. Jim goes to his knees and sees that the captain was clutching a blackened piece of paper, which he imagines to be the “black spot.” It says, “You have till ten tonight.” It’s now six in the evening.

Jim feels through the captain’s pockets and finally finds a key hanging around his neck. Jim and his mother then hurry upstairs to where his chest is lying. They open it: there are new clothes inside, some tobacco, a watch, and some compasses. Below all these things, however, is a canvas bag that holds gold, along with an oil-cloth packet. Jim’s mother says that she’ll only take exactly what she’s due, and begins to count out the coins, while Jim takes hold of the packet.

Jim then starts to hear the tapping of a blind man’s stick, and he begs his mother to leave, but she’s now even more frightened to take more than she’s owed. Then they hear a whistle; they jump up, Jim grabbing the oil-cloth bag, and race downstairs and outside back to the village. As they look behind them, they see a stranger carrying a lantern. Jim curses the neighbors’ cowardice as his mother faints, and he drags her under a bridge to hide.