Seeing Hands' body lying under the shallow water of the bay (Chapter 27, "Pieces of Eight"), Jim tears free from the knife, returns to deck to tend his wound, which is not deep, and manages to heave O'Brien's body overboard to lie beside that of Hands. Then, as the sun sets, the tide turns, and a wind begins to rise, Jim does what he can to bring down the sails so that the ship will not be damaged by being blown about. When this is done, he drops down from the cut hawser into waist-deep water and wades ashore. Feeling proud of having recaptured the ship, he starts in the direction of the stockade, crosses a stream, and, seeing a fire in the distance, supposes it is Ben Gunn's camp. The moon comes up and he approaches the stockade, where he sees the embers of another fire dying in the yard. This puzzles him, and he climbs over the palisade and crawls toward the blockhouse cautiously. Then he hears from inside the snores of sleeping men and, reassured, enters the building, thinking to lie down in his own place and surprise his friends when they awaken. But he manages to step on one sleeper, and in the ensuing confusion (he hears Silver's parrot screaming "Pieces of eight!"), he realizes that he has stumbled into the pirates' stronghold; they have somehow taken it over while he has been gone. He turns to run but is held fast, captured by the pirates.
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