1

The Admiral Benbow Inn

My name is Jim Hawkins. When I was a boy, I lived with my mother and father in an inn called the Admiral Benbow. My father was the owner of the inn. One day, an old seaman came to stay with us. I remember him well. He was a tall, strong man. On his face was a mark, from a sword cut. He brought his sea chest with him. This was a large wooden box. He kept it locked all the time. We called this rough old man "the Captain".

One morning the Captain spoke to me. He said he wanted me to watch for a seaman with a wooden leg. As soon as I saw this man, I had to tell the Captain. If I did this, he would give me a silver coin every month.

In the winter a man did come. But not the man with a wooden leg.

This man looked very rough. He had only three fingers on his left hand. He carried a knife. I asked him what he wanted to drink. He said, 'Rum'.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Scotland over one hundred years ago. He studied to be a lawyer, but later became a great writer. 'Treasure Island' is his best loved book for children.

Robert Louis Stevenson: Treasure Island. Oxford Progressive English Readers; Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1992

Grade 1 (1,400 headwords)