"We should escape," you say. "The pirates won't leave without the treasure. Since Livesey has the map, we'll be able to find it before they do." You don't know what will happen after that, but there is something else to remind the men about. "The cannon at the ship's bow," you note. "The pirates might be aiming the cannon at us right now." "Good point," Trelawney says. The captain adds, "We'll stand a better chance against that cannon out at sea than we would here.

" "From looking at the map, there's a small fort on the eastern edge of the island," Livesey says. "We could make that our base." In the back of the ship, outside the stern port, the captain's rowboat hangs. Your group loads it with all the food and weapons you can find in the captain's cabin. Then the boat is lowered into the water. The men pull gently at the oars so as not to make a sound. You are about 100 yards from the ship when one of the pirates notices you. "They're off the starboard bow!" he shouts.

You see the four pirates gather at the railing. They quickly discuss something before disappearing. "Trelawney," the captain says, "are you a good shot with that musket?" Trelawney nods. "Prepare to fire as soon as you see them rolling the cannon up to the rail," the captain orders. "The rest of you, row as if your lives depend on it." The men dig in with the oars, and the boat lurches forward. A moment later, you see the cannon poke above the ship's railing. The pirates are beside it.

"Aim for the man at the fuse," the captain says. Trelawney raises his musket. He takes aim. Bang! The shot rings out, and the pirate nearest the cannon falls into the sea. "Give me another musket, quick," Trelawney shouts as another pirate steps up to the cannon. The men at the oars continue to pull as hard as they can. The boat is only about 20 yards from shore. Trelawney fires again.

This time he misses. Seconds later, there's a loud boom from the cannon. A black dot screams toward your boat like an angry hornet. It explodes in the water less than 10 feet away. Waves from the explosion tip over the boat. You, your friends, and all of your supplies are tossed into the ocean. Luckily, the water is only waist deep. Everyone grabs what they can salvage and runs to the shore.

When you make it to the beach, everything turns to chaos. The rest of your group is ahead of you and races off to the right, down the sandy beach. From the left, pirates burst out of the woods. With swords drawn, they give chase. A cannonball explodes in front of you. You're thrown backward, dazed. The sound of ringing fills your ears. Men fire guns.

Swords clash. Then one pirate turns in your direction. He smiles cruelly. Knife drawn, he stalks toward you. Should you race after your friends toward the fort? Pirates are already chasing them. Or is it better to escape to the left, in the direction from which the pirates just came? There might be more pirates that way, too. What will you choose to do?.