Study Guide: Treasure Island — Part Four: The Stockade (“How the Ship Was Abandoned”)

Themes / Big Ideas

Leadership and discipline vs. mutiny: Captain Smollett’s firm control and decisive orders contrast with the chaos of the mutineers; Abraham Gray’s return to duty shows the pull of lawful authority—a recurring novel-wide tension.
Strategy and prudence over bravado: Dr. Livesey prioritizes logistics (fresh water, defensible position, arms control) over direct combat, echoing the book’s theme that cunning and planning outmatch brute force.
Loyalty, trust, and moral choice: The loyal crew never doubts Jim’s character even when he’s absent; Gray chooses conscience over comrades, highlighting personal responsibility amid group pressure.
Civilization under siege: The stockade (log-house, palisade, watch) symbolizes order and community defending itself against lawlessness—an island microcosm of society vs. savagery seen throughout the book.
Survival necessities vs. treasure fever: The spring of fresh water becomes the central asset, reminding readers that survival basics outrank gold—a motif that tempers the lure of treasure.
The ethics of command: Smollett threatens lethal force to prevent signaling and scuttles spare arms to keep them from mutineers—tough choices that explore moral complexity in wartime leadership.
Courage and professional identity: Livesey’s line about being “more still…a doctor” shows duty-driven bravery; characters act from roles (captain, doctor, squire), a broader theme of identity shaping action.
The environment as a force: The “abominable anchorage,” heat, and disease risk heighten peril and influence strategy, reinforcing the island’s power as more than a backdrop.

Vocabulary

Word	Part of Speech	Definition
stockade	noun	A defensive enclosure or barrier of posts; here, a fortified position ashore.
log-house	noun	A small house built of logs; in this chapter, the fortified building inside the palisade.
jolly-boat	noun	A small, light ship’s boat used for general purposes.
gig	noun	A fast, light ship’s boat (often for transport to shore).
schooner	noun	A sailing vessel with two or more masts rigged fore-and-aft (the Hispaniola).
forecastle	noun	The forward part of a ship, often housing crew quarters.
coxswain	noun	The person who steers and is in charge of a ship’s boat.
mutineer	noun	A person who rebels against lawful authority, especially at sea.
anchorage	noun	A place suitable for anchoring a ship; the act or location of anchoring.
knoll	noun	A small, rounded hill.
loopholed	adjective	Fitted with narrow openings (loopholes) to shoot through.
musketry	noun	Muskets collectively; musket fire.
paling	noun	A fence made of pointed stakes or pales; a palisade.
brace	noun	A pair of similar things (e.g., a “brace of pistols”).
painter	noun	A rope attached to the bow of a boat for tying it.
ebb	verb	To recede, as the tide moving out.
counter	noun	The overhanging part of a ship’s stern above the waterline.
fathom	noun	A nautical unit of length equal to six feet (about 1.8 meters).
scull	verb	To propel a boat with a single oar over the stern.
stern-port	noun	An opening or door at a ship’s stern.
cutlass	noun	A short, heavy, curved sword used by sailors.
dysentery	noun	Severe intestinal illness causing diarrhea, often with blood.
durst	verb (archaic)	Past tense of “dare” (e.g., “as near running as I durst”).
halloa	verb	To shout or call out loudly (spelled “halloaing” in the text).

Quotes to Look For

“Had there been a breath of wind, we should have fallen on the six mutineers… slipped our cable, and away to sea.” — Chance and weather alter fate; restraint vs. rashness.
“It never occurred to us to doubt Jim Hawkins, but we were alarmed for his safety.” — Trust in Jim’s character, a thread across the novel.
“If ever a man smelt fever and dysentery, it was in that abominable anchorage.” — The environment as threat; medical realism guiding choices.
“The people in the log-house had them in every way; they stood quiet in shelter and shot the others like partridges.” — The stockade’s tactical superiority; defense over offense.
“What particularly took my fancy was the spring.” — Survival needs prioritized over comfort or treasure.
“It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have been a doctor.” — Livesey’s professional ethos driving action.
“Mr. Hands… If any one of you six make a signal of any description, that man’s dead.” — Smollett’s hard-edged command; order vs. mutiny.
“The squire was sitting down, as white as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, the good soul!” — Squire Trelawney’s remorse and growth.
“The rest of the arms and powder we dropped overboard in two fathoms and a half of water…” — Denying resources to the enemy; calculated sacrifice.
“‘I’m with you, sir,’ said he.” — Abraham Gray’s pivotal choice of loyalty and redemption.