Treasure Island

The voices stopped at once, all but Dr Livesey’s; he went on as

before speaking clear and kind and drawing briskly at his pipe between

every word or two. The captain glared at him for a while, flapped his hand

again, glared still harder, and at last broke out with a villainous, low oath,

“Silence there between decks!”

“Were you addressing me, sir?” says the doctor, and when the

ruffian had told him, with another oath, that this was so, “I have only one

thing to say to you, sir,” replies the doctor, “that if you keep on drinking

rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!”

The old fellow’s fury was awful. He sprang to his feet, drew and

opened a sailor’s clasp-knife, and balancing it open on the palm of his

hand, threatened to pin the doctor to the wall.

The doctor never so much as moved. He spoke to him as before,

over his shoulder and in the same tone of voice, rather high, so that all the

room might hear, but perfectly calm and steady: "If you do not put that

knife this instant in your pocket, I promise, upon my honour, you shall

hang at the next assizes.”

Then followed a battle of looks

between them, but the captain soon

knuckled under, put up his weapon, and

resumed his seat, grumbling like a beaten

dog.