j Coins bearing the image of Saint George, patron saint of England.
k Good fellow, loyal companion.
l Picturesque coastal town of northwestern Trinidad.
m Admiral Edward Hawke won major battles against the French and Spanish during the Seven Years’ War ( 1756-1763) .
n Long John Silver’s Caribbean wife, “his old Negress” (see p. 236) .
o Punitively dragging a man under the keel of a ship.
p Member of a group of London policemen, established in 1750 and stationed at Bow Street Court.
q Death is proverbially called “Davy Jones’s Locker”—for obscure reasons. Silver is saying something like, “God strike me dead, if I am only a cabin boy!” His station is higher than that, though.
r Throughout the novel, there is a theme of “parroting” secret information.
s Long wooden spokes (staves) of the winch used to raise the anchor or heavy sails.
t Pronounced “bosun”; a senior sailor, in charge of the ship’s hull and rigging.
u Pronounced “coxun”; sailor in charge of a ship’s boat and its crew.
v Chief Portuguese colony and port in southwestern India.
w Quarter (one-fourth) of an English penny. There were 12 pennies per shilling, 20 shillings per pound, and 21 shillings per guinea.
x Hard liquor; rum, most likely.
y Born in Scotland around 1645 and hanged in England for piracy in 1701, Captain William Kidd was famous for his mysterious “treasure.”
z Scuppers are openings cut into the siding of the bulwarks of a ship, designed to permit water runoff. Here the scuppers are under water.
aa That is, the ship had to be pulled by oarsmen in small boats, who hauled it by means of long ropes (warps).
ab A common sailor.
ac Popular Irish dance tune, published in 1689 by English composer Henry Purcell.
ad Small pot used by pharmacists to hold medicines; the doctor uses the word as a metaphor in referring to the small boat.
ae The mutineers were soon only eight in number, for the man shot by Mr. Trelawney on board the schooner died that same evening of his wound. But this was, of course, not known till after by the faithful party (Stevenson’s note) .
af A bowline, a strong knot often used for tying taut lines, is probably the most important knot sailors use.
ag That is, she stopped; with the wind dead ahead, the sails flap and the boat slows to a stop.
ah Pirates were hanged in London at Execution Dock, on the north bank of the Thames a mile downstream from the Tower of London. Hangings were performed at low tide, and the bodies were left in place until three tides had passed over them.
ai Dagger.
aj Command to steer the ship into oncoming wind, so her sails cannot pull but instead flap idly.
ak One of the official “running” flags of the British Royal Navy.
al Tipped dangerously almost 90 degrees, over on her side (the beam).
am Sharp-pointed tool used for splicing frayed ropes.
an Feverish tremors caused by malaria.
ao Cajole or mislead by deception.
ap Completely, altogether.
aq Salted beef used on shipboard.
ar Marshy.
as Close examination.
at Pirates forced men to walk out on a wooden plank, from which they fell to their deaths in the sea.
au Jim finally thinks that death and money belong together.
Treasure Island (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Page 26