Skull and Bones. John Drake

him Captain.

      “A-hem!” said Flint. “You have the watch, Mr Comstock, to be relieved by Mr Baxter and he by others according to the standing orders I have drawn up.”

      “Aye-aye, sir!”

      Then Flint drew upon his memories of another captain whom even Flint recognised to be a true leader of men: a man who had once been his dear friend and whom – in the dark depths of his mind – he still admired. Flint asked himself how John Silver would have behaved at that moment, and the answer came back bright and clear.

      “Now then, my boys!” he cried, stepping towards the lower-deck hands. “We’ve come through bad times. We’ve come through fire and pestilence and we’ve seen good comrades die…” He paused to let the dreadful memories drag them down, then judged his moment and lifted them up: “But now,” he cried, “we’ve forged a new crew. We’ve a good ship beneath us, and home lies ahead! So here’s to new times and new luck aboard the good ship Bounder. For the ship, lads: for her and all aboard of her: hip-hip-hip –”

      “Huzzah!” they roared, three times over.

      “And three cheers for Cap’n Flint!” cried Billy Bones. “Hip-hip-hip –”

      And they cheered, for there was indeed a damn fine officer inside of Joe Flint, along with all the rest, and Flint realised that as long as he had mastery of Bounder he must behave – of sheer necessity – as the very paragon of a naval officer, with no torment and exotic punishments, such as had been his way before. No! These pleasures must be set aside, and such true leadership displayed as John Silver would have done in his place, for Flint’s own precious life might depend on the account of himself given by Bounder