Treasure Island, Chapter 26 summary

What happens

1. While waiting for the tide, Hands asks Jim to fetch wine, and Jim secretly watches him retrieve and conceal a bloody dagger.
2. Jim returns without revealing his suspicions, and Hands guides him through the narrow entrance to North Inlet.
3. As the ship approaches shore, Hands attacks Jim, whose pistol fails because seawater ruins its priming.
4. The ship grounds and tilts, throwing both into the scuppers; Jim escapes up the rigging while Hands tangles with O’Brien’s body.
5. Jim prepares both pistols and stops Hands’s climb with a threat, prompting Hands to suggest surrender.
6. Hands throws his dagger into Jim’s shoulder; both pistols discharge, and Hands falls headfirst into the water.

In this chapter

What to notice

Hands openly favors violence over goodness. Jim echoes part of this claim when he gains the advantage in the rigging.

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