"I thought you said you knowed the rules," returned Silver
contemptuously. "Leastways, if you don't, I do; and I wait here--and I'm
still your cap'n, mind--till you outs with your grievances and I reply;
in the meantime, your black spot ain't worth a biscuit. After that,
we'll see."

"Oh," replied George, "you don't be under no kind of apprehension; WE'RE
all square, we are. First, you've made a hash of this cruise--you'll be
a bold man to say no to that. Second, you let the enemy out o' this here
trap for nothing. Why did they want out? I dunno, but it's pretty plain
they wanted it. Third, you wouldn't let us go at them upon the march.
Oh, we see through you, John Silver; you want to play booty, that's
what's wrong with you. And then, fourth, there's this here boy."

"Is that all?" asked Silver quietly.

"Enough, too," retorted George. "We'll all swing and sun-dry for your
bungling."

"Well now, look here, I'll answer these four p'ints; one after another
I'll answer 'em. I made a hash o' this cruise, did I? Well now, you all
know what I wanted, and you all know if that had been done that we'd
'a been aboard the HISPANIOLA this night as ever was, every man of us
alive, and fit, and full of good plum-duff, and the treasure in the hold
of her, by thunder! Well, who crossed me? Who forced my hand, as was the
lawful cap'n? Who tipped me the black spot the day we landed and began
this dance? Ah, it's a fine dance--I'm with you there--and looks mighty
like a hornpipe in a rope's end at Execution Dock by London town, it
does. But who done it? Why, it was Anderson, and Hands, and you, George
Merry! And you're the last above board of that same meddling crew;