Study Guide — Treasure Island, Chapter: “What I Heard in the Apple-Barrel”

Scene snapshot: Hiding inside an apple-barrel, Jim overhears Long John Silver recruit another crewman and lay out the pirates’ plan: wait until the treasure is found, then mutiny. The chapter ends as the lookout cries, “Land ho!”

Themes / Big Ideas (and how they fit the novel)

Deception and double identities
- Silver’s smooth, flattering talk (the same words he used on Jim) reveals his two-faced nature. The novel repeatedly blurs appearances and reality—pirates posing as honest sailors, shifting loyalties, and secret motives.
The lure and corruption of treasure
- Silver sells piracy as comfort and abundance (“hundreds of pounds”), while also preaching thrift. Treasure’s promise drives men to betrayal and violence, a central engine of the novel’s conflict.
Leadership, power, and strategy
- Silver wants to delay the mutiny until the treasure is located and loaded—cunning versus Israel Hands’s impatience. Throughout the book, competing styles of command (Smollett’s discipline vs. Silver’s charisma) shape events.
Moral ambiguity and “codes” at sea
- The pirates debate whether to maroon or murder. Silver invokes “Dooty is dooty” to justify killing—twisting moral language. Treasure Island frequently contrasts legal justice (Execution Dock) with pirate “justice.”
Coming-of-age and loss of innocence
- Jim’s secret discovery of the mutiny is a turning point. Fear gives way to responsibility as he realizes he must act, part of his gradual transformation into a resourceful protagonist.
Class, respectability, and hypocrisy
- Silver dreams of going “into Parlyment and riding in my coach,” masking crime with respectability. The book often examines the performance of gentility (Trelawney’s status vs. the pirates’ affectations).
Patience vs. reckless appetite
- Silver urges prudence—save the rum, wait for the right moment—contrasting with the crew’s craving for immediate pleasures. This tension recurs whenever discipline is tested by greed.

Vocabulary

Word/Phrase	Part of Speech	Definition
quartermaster	noun	On naval ships, a petty officer who assists with steering and navigation; among pirates, an elected officer who shares power with the captain.
timber leg	noun	A wooden prosthetic leg.
deadlights	plural noun (slang)	Eyes; also shutters over a ship’s portholes (here: eyes).
ampytated (dialect of “amputated”)	verb	Surgically cut off (a limb).
before the mast	phrase	Serving as an ordinary seaman (living in the ship’s forward section).
duff	noun	A boiled pudding commonly served aboard ships.
“shiver my timbers”	interjection	A sailor’s oath/exclamation of surprise or emphasis.
under hatches	phrase	Below deck; also used to mean buried/dead.
coxswain	noun	The person who steers a boat and directs its crew.
hazed	verb	To harass, bully, or overwork (a subordinate sailor).
berth	noun	A sleeping place or designated space on a ship.
forecastle (fo’c’sle)	noun	The forward part of a ship where the crew’s quarters are located.
bumboat	noun	A small boat that sells supplies to ships at anchor.
set a course	verb phrase	To plan and establish a navigational route.
windward	adjective/noun	Toward the direction from which the wind is blowing.
maroon	verb	To strand someone on a deserted island or coast.
sea-lawyer	noun	An argumentative sailor who nitpicks rules and disputes orders.
bilge	noun	The lowest inner part of a ship where foul water collects; also, nonsense.
pannikin	noun	A small metal cup or pan used for drinking.
mizzen-top	noun	The platform partway up the mizzenmast (the aft mast).
luff	noun/verb	The forward edge of a sail; to steer closer to the wind so the sail flutters.
athwart	preposition/adverb	Across; from side to side of a ship.
lay to (you may lay to that)	verb phrase	To bring a ship to a near standstill in the wind; figuratively, “you can rely on that.”
Execution Dock	proper noun	Historical site on the Thames where pirates were hanged.
blunt (slang)	noun	Money.
weigh anchor	verb phrase	To raise the anchor and get underway.

Quotes to Look For

“Here it is about gentlemen of fortune. They lives rough, and they risk swinging, but they eat and drink like fighting-cocks…”
- Silver glamorizes piracy; euphemism and recruitment tactic.
“It ain’t earning now, it’s saving does it, you may lay to that.”
- Silver’s self-portrait as prudent and disciplined; greed rationalized as virtue.
“Flint his own self was feared of me.”
- Silver’s claim to dominance within pirate lore; builds his authority.
“The last moment I can manage, and that’s when.”
- Silver’s strategy: wait to mutiny until the treasure is secured; patience over impulse.
“I mean this squire and doctor shall find the stuff, and help us to get it aboard…”
- Using the honest men’s skills before betraying them; instrumental morality.
“Dooty is dooty, mates. I give my vote—death.”
- Twisting the language of duty to justify murder; moral inversion.
“Billy was the man for that—‘Dead men don’t bite,’ says he.”
- Ruthless pirate logic; foreshadows the stakes if the mutiny succeeds.
“When I’m in Parlyment and riding in my coach…”
- Silver’s social ambition and hypocrisy; crime masquerading as respectability.
“Not another man of them’ll jine.”
- Israel’s aside that reveals some crew remain loyal; a spark of hope for Jim and the honest party.
“You may imagine how I felt…”
- Jim’s shock and fear mark his growing awareness and responsibility.
“Here’s to ourselves, and hold your luff, plenty of prizes and plenty of duff.”
- Pirate toast mixing greed with seamanship jargon; community built on plunder.
“Land ho!”
- Structural and dramatic pivot: the island is sighted just as the mutiny plot is exposed.