Narrator: Dawn breaks over Treasure Island. But the rising sun reveals no palm trees,no white sand - no blue sea. This is no magical, tropical place. It is dank anddark with dismal woods and wizened trees. Around it a leaden, thick sea rollsblankly onto jagged rocks. This is an island of death and despair.
Swaying on her anchor, just off Skeleton Point, is the Hispaniola, the skulland crossbones hanging limply from her mast. And pulling away from her in asmall boat, oars grabbing at the water, are a handful of figures: Squire Trelawney, Doctor Livesey, Captain Smollett and three faithful crew-members.
Pirate: Come back here, you swabs!
Narrator: They鈥檙e rowing for their lives - as behind them from the Pirate Ship Hispaniola there鈥檚 the crack of muskets and the roar of cannon.
Squire: Pull, chaps! Pull! We鈥檒l see off these scurvy knaves yet, my boys!
Dr Livesey: Perhaps if you sat down and pulled on an oar yourself dear fellow, we mightindeed have a chance.
Squire: What? What? Eh? Someone has to look after morale, Livesey! Pull, pull!
Smollett: Ach, any justice - the Squire鈥檒l catch one of they musket balls while he鈥檚 upthere鈥
Squire: Nearly out of range! Well done, men!
Dr Livesey: We were lucky to get away with our lives. Silver鈥檚 a blackguard if ever I sawone.
Hunter: Here鈥檚 the glass, sir.
Livesey: Good man, Hunter.
Squire: No sign of Jim then, I take it?
Dr Livesey: Not a scrap.
Hunter: Some of the pirates took a skiff and went round the headland - maybe hewent with them?
Squire: He knows what he鈥檚 doing. He鈥檒l be all right, young Jim will.
Narrator: If they could but see, as they settled back to row the last few hundred yardsto the shore, they鈥檇 know that Jim is indeed all right up on the far hillside.Hiding in one of the small boats during the night, he let the pirates row himto safety, then slipped away when they weren鈥檛 looking. Just as well - for withhis own eyes he saw Long John Silver take a knife and slice the throat ofone good sailor who wouldn鈥檛 take the pirate鈥檚 way. Slice the throat, wipe theblade, as if nothing had happened and then cut some bread and cheese鈥ut now, head up, Jim鈥檚 on dry land, on Treasure Island, exploring, climbing,surviving. He looks back at the men down in the boats scurrying like ants tosafety in the bay.
Jim: I鈥檓 safe. For now, anyhow鈥
Narrator: And off he strides - only to stop dead in his tracks, and drop behind a rock.For there in the trees is a shape running. A bear? A man? A monkey? Cannibals? The shape disappears - and is suddenly there, behind him! A man,long beard, rags, bare feet, wild eyes, a wooden club鈥
Jim: Who鈥ho are you?
Ben Gunn: I鈥檓 poor Ben Gunn I am. And you be the first fella I鈥檝e spoken to in threeyears. Are you a pirate? Are ya?
Jim: No.
Ben: Thanks be to heaven.
Narrator: Ben sinks to the ground and tells Jim his story. How once he sailed withCap鈥檔 Flint and Long John Silver and the others. How he came here manyyears before with a great treasure hoard. And how Flint buried it - and killedevery man who helped him. How he came back years later on another shipand promised the crew he鈥檇 find the treasure for them.
Ben Gunn: But I couldn鈥檛 find it. They lost heart. They sailed away. And left me herealone for punishment. Marooned, boy, marooned!
Jim: That鈥檚 terrible, Mister Gunn, terrible.
Ben Gunn: Terrible鈥檚 the word. But it ain鈥檛 been all bad. Fact, there鈥檚 been one bright sideto it -
Narrator: But before Ben Gunn can say more - there鈥檚 the howl of a cannon ball andthe crash as it lands. Gunn鈥檚 gone in an instant - and at the same time Jimspies below him in the woods the ship鈥檚 flag - the Union Jack - suddenlyflying bravely! The others are alive - they鈥檝e escaped from the pirates
5. Escape to the island and Ben Gunn
Dawn the following morning. The Squire, Doctor and Captain are escaping the Hispaniola in a small rowing boat with the other faithful crew members.
The mutineers fire at them from the ship.
Jim is not with the escaping group, having made his way to the island the previous evening. He is exploring the island when he is alarmed by a figure in the darkness. This person is Ben Gunn and once Ben has established that Jim isn't a pirate he's willing to share his story.
Ben relates how he once sailed with Captain Flint and Long John Silver to the island to bury the treasure hoard. He sailed back with another crew some years later promising to find the treasure - but when he was unable to do so the other crew members sailed away, leaving Ben marooned on the island.
Ben is about to reveal something else鈥hen suddenly a cannon shot causes Ben to flee and Jim looks down to the coast to see his comrades escaping from the pirates.
Teacher Notes
This series can be used to increase pupils' familiarity with a broad range of texts and narratives, including myths, legends and traditional stories and to make connections between these and other stories they are familiar with.
It will also support a broad range of writing objectives.
This series is relevant for teaching English at KS2, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and at First and Second Level in Scotland.
6. The stockade and the pirates attack. video
Jim's friends have taken refuge in an old stockade...but the pirates are advancing.
7. A fight and the Hispaniola captured. video
Jim slips away at night, sets the Hispaniola adrift and in the morning boards the ship
8. The pirates parley and the black spot. video
Jim returns to the stockade to discover that it is now in the hands of the pirates
