Public Domain Super Heroes
Advertisement
Ben Gunn

Real Name

Ben Gunn

First Appearance

Treasure Island (1883)

Original Publisher

Cassell and Company

Created by

Robert Louis Stevenson

Origin[]

Ben Gunn is an ex-crewman of Captain Flint's who has been marooned for three years on Treasure Island by his crewmates, after his failure to find the treasure without the map. During his time alone on the island, Gunn develops an obsessional craving for cheese. He first appears in the novel when Jim Hawkins encounters him. Ben treats Jim kindly in return for a chance of getting back to civilization.

Jim leaves Ben Gunn behind but escapes to the Hispaniola on Ben's coracle. Ben appears later making ghostly sounds to delay Long John Silver's party on its search for the treasure, but Silver recognizes his voice, which restores the pirates' confidence. They forge ahead and locate the place where Flint's treasure was buried. The pirates discover that the cache has been rifled and all of the treasure is gone.

The enraged pirates turn on Silver and Jim, but Ben Gunn and several others attack the pirates by surprise, killing two and dispersing the rest. Silver surrenders to Dr. Livesey, promising to return to his "dooty". They go to Ben Gunn's cave home, where Gunn has had the treasure hidden for some months. The treasure is divided amongst Squire Trelawney and his loyal men, including Jim and Ben Gunn - who gets a very small share, £1,000 (equivalent to £127,000 in 2023) of £700,000 (equivalent to £89,053,000 in 2023) total - and they return to England, leaving the surviving pirates marooned on the island.

Once in England, Gunn manages to spend his entire portion of the treasure in just a few days and becomes an estate gamekeeper for the rest of his life.

Public Domain Appearances[]

Public Domain Literary Appearances[]

  • Young Folks Magazine 1881-1882 (Serialized as Treasure Island or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola)
  • Treasure Island (1883)
  • Porto Bello Gold (1924)

Public Domain Comic Book Appearances[]

  • Famous Stories #1
  • Real Life Comics #33

See Also[]

Advertisement