B. J. Harrison Reads Treasure Island characters

Appears from the start

The young son of the innkeepers at the Admiral Benbow, where a scarred old sailor takes up residence. Jim helps his parents run the isolated inn and becomes the keeper of the sailor's dangerous secret. Curious, observant, and capable of acting quickly under pressure, he narrates most of the adventure.

Also known as The Captain

Appears from the start

A weathered, hard-drinking seaman who lodges at the Admiral Benbow and pays Jim to watch for a one-legged sailor. His sea chest and fear of former shipmates suggest that he has brought more than old stories to the inn.

Appears from the start

A local physician and magistrate who refuses to be intimidated by Billy Bones. Calm, principled, and experienced with firearms, he becomes one of the responsible adults Jim trusts when the trouble at the inn grows dangerous.

First appears in chapter 2

A pale, hostile seaman who visits Billy Bones at the inn. Their meeting reveals that the captain's former associates have begun searching for him and for something he possesses.

First appears in chapter 3

A blind beggar whose helpless appearance conceals a commanding and violent pirate. He delivers a warning to Billy Bones and later leads the raid on the Admiral Benbow in search of the captain's papers.

First appears in chapter 6

A wealthy country gentleman who joins Doctor Livesey in examining the papers recovered from Billy Bones. Excitable, generous, and confident, he undertakes to finance a voyage to the island shown on the map and to hire a ship and crew.

Also known as Barbecue

First appears in chapter 8

The one-legged landlord of the Spy-glass tavern in Bristol, hired as the Hispaniola's cook. Cheerful, capable, and well liked by the sailors, he quickly wins Jim's confidence despite matching the figure Billy Bones once taught him to fear.

First appears in chapter 9

The professional captain of the Hispaniola. He is bluntly unhappy with the loose talk surrounding the voyage and distrusts the crew, insisting that the weapons and powder be moved and that reliable men sleep near the cabin.

First appears in chapter 10

An experienced seaman serving as coxswain aboard the Hispaniola. He is among the rough but outwardly capable sailors hired for the treasure voyage.

First appears in chapter 15

A former member of Flint's crew who has been marooned alone on Treasure Island for three years. Ragged, lonely, and hungry for ordinary food, he tells Jim that he has information valuable to the honest party and asks for help returning home.

First appears in chapter 17

A sailor who refuses to join the mutineers and escapes from them to the loyal party. Wounded during the retreat from the ship, he nevertheless proves steady and courageous in the defense of the stockade.

First appears in chapter 20

One of Silver's more forceful followers, impatient with delay and suspicious of his leader's dealings with the loyal party. He presses the mutineers toward open attack and later challenges Silver's authority.