Dead Man’s Chest

Pyrates and sea chests are almost synonymous. Almost.

There are some fairly well-known pyrate chests, and those are the ones I’ve been plunderin’ lately. Namely, the mysterious chest of Billy Bones of Treasure Island fame; Blackbeard’s medicine chest adventure in Charles Towne; the infamous chest of Captain William Kidd; and the chest of Captain Thomas Tew.

So, get your grog and let’s set sail!

Billy Bones’ Dead Man’s Chest

If yer first pyrate story was Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, then the first literary pyrate to make your acquaintance was none other than Billy Bones. Billy introduces himself simply as “Captain” when he shows up rather ominously at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Billy has a good bit of coin with him and a sea chest that he guards very closely. He stays at the inn for months, mostly being a drunk nuisance, but at times, attracting other customers with his “salty” demeanor.

Crusty and more than a wee bit creepy, Billy stalks the grounds of the inn, always looking seaward, afraid of a “one legged man”.  The first pyrate to arrive in search of Billy and the contents of his chest is a scallywag named Black Dog. Billy is able to fight off and wound Black Dog, but then Billy has a stroke and collapses. He recovers, but only a few days later, he receives a “black spot” delivered by another pyrate who is called “Pew”.

Bones completely loses his shite over the black spot and has another stroke. This time, the stroke leaves him stone cold dead. Other pyrates arrive in the night and completely ransack the inn as they frantically search for Billy’s sea chest. Alas, (for the pyrates), the item that they so desire, a map of (recently deceased) pyrate Captain Flint’s treasure location, has left the building, (quite literally). The inn owner’s son, Jim Hawkins, has taken the map and fled.

Eventually, Jim and some friends sail to Treasure Island in search of Flint’s treasure.  However, they rather naively and foolishly hire pyrates for their ship’s crew. Aye, the same pyrates that were searchin’ for Billy. Among them, our ole pal Long John Silver, who acts as the ship’s cook. And guess what these pyrates are after? Aye, Flint’s map.

Billy Bones might not have made it back to the island, but he did achieve pyrate infamy with his much sought after sea chest. In fact, we owe Billy for singing what is probably one of the best known pyrate shanties:

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—

…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Drink and the devil had done for the rest—

…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

So, pyrate chest plunderin’ checklist:

Chest: Belonged to “Captain” Billy Bones

Chest Type: Personal sea chest that became a dead man’s chest (Billy stroked out at the black spot)

Real or fiction: Fiction (from the original pyrate novel, Treasure Island)

Chest contents: Billy’s old socks, some watches, a few compasses, one very fancy outfit (never worn), and Captain Flint’s treasure map – “Flint’s Fist”

Whereabouts of chest: Damaged in the ransacking of the Admiral Benbow Inn

Okay, so that was some work, aye? Time for some rum!!

Next time: Blackbeard’s 400 lb. Medicine Chest. Until then, keep plunderin’ !