Jim's Solo War Against the Ship

One boy against a pirate-held schooner: cutting, boarding, and fighting for the Hispaniola.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Resolve to Cut the Cable

Resolve to Cut the Cable Context Jim Hawkins decides the mutineers must not be allowed to sail the Hispaniola away. He forms a wild plan to cut her adrift. Development He takes Ben Gunn's coracle and waits for darkness, carrying biscuit and pistols. He knows the risk of leaving his friends under-guarded. Significance The decision puts Jim directly against the pirate ship. It is a solo act of war with enormous consequences.

Struggling with the Coracle

Struggling with the Coracle Context Jim paddles the round coracle through the dark, swamped by currents and barely able to steer. Development He reaches the schooner and cuts the anchor cable strand by strand, then is swept against the hull and hangs on a rope. Significance The physical struggle is the first phase of the action. Jim's small boat vs. the great ship is a perfect image of unequal conflict.

Drifting Past the Cape

Drifting Past the Cape Context Jim wakes off Haulbowline Head and sees sea lions on the rocks. He cannot land and must continue in the coracle. Development He learns to stay still and let the boat ride the swells. Thirst torments him as he works north along the coast. Significance The drift is a lonely war against the sea itself. It tests Jim's endurance before he ever faces Israel Hands.

Leaping Aboard the Hispaniola

Leaping Aboard the Hispaniola Context Jim sees the Hispaniola sailing in wild circles with no one at the helm. He decides to board her. Development He paddles alongside and leaps for the jib-boom as the schooner runs down his coracle. He falls onto the deck—a boy alone on a pirate ship. Significance The boarding is the boldest action of the war. It gives Jim the ship without firing a shot.

Striking the Jolly Roger

Striking the Jolly Roger Context Jim finds the two watchmen dead or dying, and a black flag flying from the peak. He hauls down the Jolly Roger and waves his cap. Development The act is a public declaration that the pirates no longer own the ship. It enrages and demoralizes the mutineers ashore. Significance The striking of the colours is the symbolic end of the mutiny. It turns Jim into the ship's new commander, however briefly.

the night after the stockade attack

as the ebb tide sweeps through the anchorage

the day after the night sea

when the unsteered schooner crosses his path

after Jim gains the deck