In the meantime , the captain gradually brightened up at his own music , and at last flapped his hand upon the table before him in a way we all knew to mean silence . The voices stopped at once , all but Dr. Livesey 's ; he went on as before speaking clear and kind and drawing briskly at his pipe between every word or two . The captain glared at him for a while , flapped his hand again , glared still harder , and at last broke out with a villainous , low oath , `` Silence , there , between decks ! '' `` Were you addressing me , sir ? '' says the doctor ; and when the ruffian had told him , with another oath , that this was so , `` I have only one thing to say to you , sir , '' replies the doctor , `` that if you keep on drinking rum , the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel ! '' The old fellow 's fury was awful . He sprang to his feet , drew and opened a sailor 's clasp-knife , and balancing it open on the palm of his hand , threatened to pin the doctor to the wall . The doctor never so much as moved . He spoke to him as before , over his shoulder and in the same tone of voice , rather high , so that all the room might hear , but perfectly calm and steady : `` If you do not put that knife this instant in your pocket , I promise , upon my honour , you shall hang at the next assizes . '' Then followed a battle of looks between them , but the captain soon knuckled under , put up his weapon , and resumed his seat , grumbling like a beaten dog . `` And now , sir , '' continued the doctor , `` since I now know there 's such a fellow in my district , you may count I 'll have an eye upon you day and night . I 'm not a doctor only ; I 'm a magistrate ; and if I catch a breath of complaint against you , if it 's only for a piece of incivility like tonight 's , I 'll take effectual means to have you hunted down and routed out of this . Let that suffice . '' Soon after , Dr. Livesey 's horse came to the door and he rode away , but the captain held his peace that evening , and for many evenings to come . 2 Black Dog Appears and Disappears IT was not very long after this that there occurred the first of the mysterious events that rid us at last of the captain , though not , as you will see , of his affairs . It was a bitter cold winter , with long , hard frosts and heavy gales ; and it was plain from the first that my poor father was little likely to see the spring . He sank daily , and my mother and I had all the inn upon our hands , and were kept busy enough without paying much regard to our unpleasant guest . It was one January morning , very early -- a pinching , frosty morning -- the cove all grey with hoar-frost , the ripple lapping softly on the stones , the sun still low and only touching the hilltops and shining far to seaward . The captain had risen earlier than usual and set out down the beach , his cutlass swinging under the broad skirts of the old blue coat , his brass telescope under his arm , his hat tilted back upon his head . I remember his breath hanging like smoke in his wake as he strode off , and the last sound I heard of him as he turned the big rock was a loud snort of indignation , as though his mind was still running upon Dr. Livesey .
Well , mother was upstairs with father and I was laying the breakfast-table against the captain 's return when the parlour door XXXXX and a man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before .
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