Both Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie are rooted in part on accounts of the island and its native and pirate inhabitants , as well as long dugout canoes ( which were often used by pirates as well as indigenous peoples ) and the great American crocodile ( Crocodylus acutus ) on the island . Both Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie are rooted in part on accounts of the island and its native and pirate inhabitants , as well as long dugout canoes ( which were often used by pirates as well as indigenous peoples ) and the American crocodile ( Crocodylus acutus ) on the island .