On the island I had met a wild man in goatskins called Ben Gunn, who had been marooned there for three years and wanted only a piece of cheese and a passage home. With his help I cut the schooner adrift at night, and in the morning she was aground in the north inlet. When I came back to the stockade the pirates held it, and Silver told them I would be useful as a hostage. The doctor came to the fence to speak to me and said something strange to Silver about the cook keeping his skin whole. Next day Silver took me and the crew up the hill with the map to find the treasure. We found the great pit where the chest had lain. It was empty, and the pirates turned on Silver with their muskets ready.