Write your own Treasure Island story

Jim Hawkins

The young narrator and protagonist of the story, son of the innkeeper of the Admiral Benbow. Jim is resourceful, observant, and courageous beyond his years, drawn into the treasure hunt through a series of dangerous encounters. He serves as the primary witness and actor across all major events, from the captain's death to the recovery of Flint's treasure map.

Billy Bones (The Captain)

A grizzled, fearsome old buccaneer who takes up lodging at the Admiral Benbow inn, paying in gold and demanding rum. He was formerly first mate to the legendary pirate Captain Flint and is the sole keeper of the treasure map. Haunted by his old crewmates, he dies of an apoplectic stroke after receiving the Black Spot from the blind pirate Pew.

Dr. Livesey

The local physician and magistrate, a composed and courageous gentleman who fearlessly stands up to Billy Bones and later becomes one of the leaders of the expedition to Treasure Island. He is described as neat and bright-eyed with a cool, authoritative manner. He also serves as a secondary narrator during portions of the story.

Squire Trelawney

A wealthy English gentleman who, along with Dr. Livesey, organizes and finances the sea voyage to recover Captain Flint's buried treasure. He is mentioned in the opening frame as one of those who asked Jim to write the full account. His enthusiasm and loose tongue are later noted as liabilities in keeping the expedition secret.

Black Dog

A pale, sinister sailor missing two fingers on his left hand and an old shipmate of Billy Bones. He arrives at the Admiral Benbow seeking Bones and is sent fleeing after a violent confrontation, his shoulder slashed by the captain's cutlass. He acts as an agent for the blind pirate Pew and the broader crew of former pirates.

Blind Pew

A terrifying blind beggar and former pirate who delivers the Black Spot to Billy Bones, sealing the captain's fate. Despite his blindness, Pew is ruthless and commanding, directing a crew of buccaneers to raid the Admiral Benbow in search of Flint's treasure map. He is ultimately trampled to death by revenue officers' horses during the raid.

Long John Silver

Referenced indirectly through the captain's fearful warnings about 'the seafaring man with one leg,' Silver is the story's great hidden antagonist. He is later revealed as the cunning, charismatic cook aboard the expedition's ship who leads a mutinous pirate faction. His combination of charm and ruthlessness makes him one of the most memorable figures in the story.

Captain Flint (historical)

A legendary and feared pirate captain, now deceased, who buried a vast treasure on a remote island. Flint's former crew, including Billy Bones and Long John Silver, are still bound together by their desire to recover his hoard. His name alone is enough to terrify coastal villagers, and his ghost is reportedly seen by the dying Billy Bones.

Supervisor Dance

A revenue officer who arrives with his men at the critical moment, accidentally trampling and killing Blind Pew. He pursues the pirates' lugger to Kitt's Hole but is unable to prevent their escape. He is a minor but pivotal figure who saves Jim and his mother from the buccaneer gang.

The Admiral Benbow Inn

A remote coastal inn at Black Hill Cove, run by Jim Hawkins's family. It serves as the story's opening setting and the site of Billy Bones's lodging, his death, and the pirates' violent raid. The inn's isolated position by the sea and cliffs makes it both atmospheric and strategically significant to the buccaneers.

Black Hill Cove

The isolated coastal cove where the Admiral Benbow inn is situated, surrounded by cliffs and the sea. The cove is a recurring backdrop for tension and action, including Billy Bones's daily watch with his telescope and the moonlit pirate raid. Its remoteness makes it both a haven and a trap.

Kitt's Hole

A nearby inlet or cove used by the pirate crew to anchor their lugger during the raid on the Admiral Benbow. Revenue officers race to Kitt's Hole but arrive too late to catch the escaping pirates' vessel. It represents the pirates' secretive local operations along the English coast.

Bristol

The port city to which Jim and his allies travel to outfit the treasure-hunting expedition and hire a crew. It is here that Long John Silver is encountered as a ship's cook, and where the voyage to Treasure Island is prepared. Bristol represents the threshold between the safe world of England and the dangerous maritime adventure.

Treasure Island

A remote, uncharted island in the Caribbean or similar waters where Captain Flint buried his vast hoard of pirate treasure. Its exact bearings are kept secret even in Jim's narrative. The island is the ultimate destination of the expedition and the site of fierce conflict between the gentlemen's party and Silver's mutinous pirates.

The Spanish Main

A broad term referring to the Spanish colonial coastlines and Caribbean waters where pirates like Captain Flint operated. Billy Bones tells wild tales of deeds on the Spanish Main, establishing the wider world of piracy from which all the major villains hail. It represents the lawless, exotic backdrop of the pirate era.

Captain Flint's Former Crew

A scattered band of old buccaneers who served under the legendary Captain Flint and are united by their desire to recover his buried treasure. Key members include Billy Bones, Black Dog, Blind Pew, and Long John Silver. Though disorganized and fractious, they are ruthless and dangerous, willing to murder for Flint's map.

The Gentlemen's Expedition

The alliance of respectable English figures—Jim Hawkins, Dr. Livesey, and Squire Trelawney—who organize a legitimate sea voyage to recover Flint's treasure using the map obtained from Billy Bones's chest. They represent order, law, and adventure against the chaos of piracy. Their expedition is compromised when Silver's pirates infiltrate the crew.

Billy Bones's Sea-Chest

A battered wooden chest branded with the initial 'B,' kept locked and mysterious throughout the captain's stay at the Admiral Benbow. Inside are sailor's sundries, foreign coins, pistols, a piece of bar silver, West Indian shells, and most critically, the oilskin packet containing Captain Flint's treasure map. Jim and his mother recover the key from around the dead captain's neck.

The Black Spot

A fearsome pirate summons—a small round of paper blackened on one side and bearing a written message or judgment on the other. Receiving the Black Spot signals that a pirate has been condemned by his crewmates and is marked for punishment or death. Billy Bones receives one reading 'You have till ten tonight,' which precipitates his fatal stroke.

Captain Flint's Treasure Map

An oilskin-wrapped packet of papers recovered from Billy Bones's sea chest, containing the map to the island where Flint buried his legendary hoard. Jim takes it during the pirates' raid on the Admiral Benbow. The map is the central MacGuffin driving the entire plot and is coveted by both the gentlemen adventurers and the pirate faction.

Brass Telescope

A brass spyglass carried by Billy Bones on his daily walks along the cliffs, used to watch for approaching ships—and specifically for anyone who might be hunting him. The telescope is emblematic of the sailor's perpetual vigilance and paranoia. It recurs as a symbol of the maritime world's constant watchfulness and danger.

The Black Spot Tradition

Among pirates, the Black Spot is a formal and feared instrument of collective judgment, delivered to mark a crewmate for death, removal from command, or other punishment. It consists of a darkened circle of paper with a written verdict, and its delivery is treated as a near-inescapable sentence. The tradition underscores the rough internal law that governs pirate society.

Captain Flint's Treasure

The legendary pirate Captain Flint accumulated an enormous hoard of gold, silver, and valuables during his career on the Spanish Main, burying it on a remote island before his death in Savannah. He revealed the location only to his first mate, Billy Bones, on his deathbed. The treasure is estimated to be worth a king's ransom and has driven multiple men to treachery and death.

Pirate Sea-Songs

Sailors and pirates of this era share a repertoire of raucous sea-songs, the most iconic being 'Fifteen men on the dead man's chest—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum.' These songs serve as cultural markers of the pirate world, simultaneously evoking camaraderie and menace. Billy Bones uses them to dominate the inn's atmosphere and intimidate the locals.

Key Events Before the Voyage

Billy Bones takes up residence at the Admiral Benbow and begins paying Jim to watch for a one-legged man. Black Dog visits and flees after a fight; Bones suffers a stroke. Blind Pew delivers the Black Spot; Bones dies of apoplexy. Jim and his mother recover the sea-chest and the treasure map before Pew's gang raids the inn. Pew is killed by revenue officers, and Jim delivers the map to Dr. Livesey, setting up the voyage to Treasure Island.