Stevenson’s Treasure Island in Two Translations
(and One Adaptation)
(Analysis and comparison)

Hana Baráčková, 2002

Works Cited:
Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Treasure Island.  London: Penguin Popular Classics, 1994
Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Ostrov pokladů.  Trans. Aloys Skoumal.  Praha: Odeon, 1967
Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Poklad na ostrově.  Trans. Hana Šnajdrová.  Praha: Albatros, 1989
Stevenson, Robert Louis.  Poklad na ostrově.  (Adapted by Deidre S. Laiken).  Trans. Ondřej 
                                           Müller.  BB art, 1999

The aim of this essay is mainly to analyse and compare two translations of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. In addition, I would like to make some points about the adaptation by Ondřej Müller. However, I do not intend to go into details here because he translated and adapted another adaptation and, not having access to that one, I cannot say precisely what is his own work and what was changed already by Laiken.
	The best thing will be to start at the very beginning – the title. Translation of the title of a book frequently represents one of the trickiest tasks for the translator. Treasure Island should not be a very hard nut to crack; still, there are two versions of translation. Skoumal chooses the title Ostrov pokladů, Šnajdrová and Müller Poklad na ostrově. Even though Skoumal is in a minority, I personally think his solution to be happier than the other one, mainly because it seems to me more expressive and concrete, like a real geographical name. Flint himself could have called it so; moreover,it has a notion of something fantastic. Whereas Poklad na ostrově is rather dull, because the treasure can be on any island island in the world. In contrast to this, Ostrov pokladů is one particular place.
The translations by Skoumal and by Šnajdrová are both very good, even though there are some places which could be improved. Yet, it is much easier to criticise a finished work than to translate yourself.
	Both translators keep the composition of the original, which comprises six parts with altogether thirty four chapters. The titles of the parts and the chapters are also practically identical to the original in both translations. In Müller’s adaptation, however, the division into the parts is dropped and the number of chapters reduced to 27. In the original, three chapters are narrated by doctor Livesey instead of Jim, in Müller there are included only the first two of these, and one of them is  narrated by captain Smollett.
	The main difference between the translations by Skoumal and Šnajdrová is probably caused by the time they were written in. Skoumal translated Treasure Island in 1967, whereas 
the translation by Šnajdrová was published in 1989, more than twenty years later. This results in Skoumal’s text sounding archaic; some of the words are perhaps not truly archaic, but they are not commonly used and might be even incomprehensible for contemporary readers. Among these are for example klnout (curse), skrutlík (a piece of pigtail tobacco), vlásenka (wig), chlumek (knoll), trabant (consort), matróz (sailor), štoudev (water-breaker) and švadronit (patter). But obsolescence is a common problem of translations and  difficult to deal with. Skoumal also offers a rather fascinating translation of one saying. In the original it says:
You can’t touch pitch and not be mucked (pg. 63)  
This is translated by Šnajdrová as:
	Kdo se smůlou zachází, ten se jistě umaže (pg. 60), 
that is - word for word. Skoumal, however, uses quite a different saying, which sounds quite odd:
	Okolo močidla chodě neujdeš nádchy (pg. 59).
I think that this could really be very puzzling for many readers (particularly for those who do not understand Slovakian). I admit that it took me some time before I was able to decode the meaning.
	Another point is that Skoumal’s language seems more expressive, colloquial and sometimes even coarse. This phenomenon might be caused by him being a man and Šnajdrová a woman. However, when compared with Stevenson’s style, Skoumal sometimes appears to go too far. The story is translated by Jim Hawkins several years after the adventurous voyage (it is not stated exactly how many). As he got a lot of money from the treasure, I would suppose that he has become a young accomplished gentleman, but in Skoumal’s translation he in some places sounds rather like an old sailor. There is for example a scene where two pirates are shot. In Skoumal’s translation, the comment is:
Sk: Merry se střemhlav skácel do jámy, námořník s ovázanou hlavou se otočil jako káča a jak široký 
tak dlouhý padl vedle něho; než dodělal, ještě jednou sebou škubl; ostatní tři vzali nohy na ramena. (pg. 174)

Orig.: Merry tumbled head foremost into the excavation; the man with the bandage spun round like a teetotum, and fell all his length upon his side, where he lay dead, but still twitching; and the other three turned and ran for it with all their might. (pg. 213)

Šn.: Merry se zapotácel a zřítil se střemhlav do jámy. Muž s ovázanou hlavou se zamotal jako vlček a natáhl se jak široký tak dlouhý. Jěště se zachvěl a bylo po něm. Ostatní tři vzali do zaječích a utíkali, co jim nohy stačily. (pg. 184)

There is another place, where Jim and his mother flight for the pirates and she faints:

Orig.: We were just at the little bridge, by good fortune; and I helped her, tottering as she was, to the edge of the bank, where, sure enough, she gave a sigh and fell on my shoulder … I managed to drag her down the bank and a little under the arch. … so there we had to stay – my mother almost entirely exposed, and both of us within earshot of the inn.

Sk.: Naštěstí jsme zrovna došli k můstku; pomohl jsem vrávorající matce ke břehu a ona se mi s povzdechem svalila na rameno. … stáhl jsem ji z břehu dolů a šoupl ji kousek pod mostní oblouk. … Nezbylo nám než tam zůstat na doslech od hostince – matka přitom trčela skoro celá ven.(pg. 30)

Šn.: Naštěstí jsme došli právě na malý můstek. Pomohl jsem jí, podklesávající v kolenou, sejít na břeh. Tam však zavzdychala a klesla mi do náručí. … Podařilo se mi však dovléci ji po břehu skoro až pod můstek. … Museli jsme tedy zůstat tam, kde jsme byli – já pod můstkem, maminka skoro celá venku – oba na doslech od hospody. (pg. 30)
(Šnajdrová translates the passage  more gently but she has problems with the word order and adds something to the original.) 

 Even squire Trelawney and doctor Livesey, who seem to speak rather formally in the original, sometimes sound more colloquial than in the English original. There is, for instance, the letter by squire Trelawney written to Jim and doctor Livesey from Bristol in chapter 7. I chose several passages which I thought to be the most different in style from the English text.
Original: ‘Blandly himself found the Hispaniola, and by  the most admirable management got her for the merest triffle. There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. They go the length of declaring that this honest creature would do anything for money, that the Hispaniola belonged to him, and that he sold it me absurdly high – the most transparent calumnies. None of them dare, however, to deny the merits of the ship. (pg. 43)

Skoumal: „Na Hispaniolu kápl Blandly, a šel na to tak šikovně, že ji dostal za babku. Určití lidé v Bristolu jsou proti Blandlymu náramně zaujati. Neostýchají se tvrdit, že tomu poctivci jde jen a jen o peníze, Hispaniola že byla jeho a on mě vzal na hůl – vyložená pomluva. Ale že je škuner znamenitý, to si nikdo netroufne popírat. (pg. 44)

Šnajdrová: Blandly sám mi našel Hispaniolu a čert ví, jak to zařídil, že ji dostal za pár babek. Jistí pánové v Bristolu jsou proti Blandlymu náramně zaujatí a až do omrzení rozhlašují, že tento poctivec by se pro peníze upsal čertu, že Hispaniola byla jeho majetkem a že mi ji prodal nesmyslně draho - a podobné průhledné pomluvy. Žádný z nich se ovšem neodváží popírat přednosti naší lodi. (pg. 45)
***
Orig.: ‘I wished a round score of men - in case of natives, buccaneers, or the odious French - and I had the worry of the deuce itself to find so much as half a dozen, till the most remarkable stroke of fortune brought me the very man that I required. (pg. 43)

Sk.: Chtěl jsem jich nějakých dvacet – kdyby snad došlo ke srážce s domorodci, s  bukanýry  nebo s těmi hnusnými Francouzi. Setsakramentsky jsem se nadřel, a víc jsem jich nesehnal než půl tuctu, až jsem šťastně kápl na pravého člověka.(pg. 44)

Šn.: Chtěl jsem s sebou vzít dvacet mužů – pro případ, že bychom narazili na domorodce, piráty nebo na ty hnusné Francouze. Ale ať jsem dělal co chtěl, sehnal jsem jich sotva půl tuctu. A tu mi šťastná áhoda poslala do cesty muže, jakého jsem potřeboval. (pg. 45)

***
Orig.: ‘Let young Hawkins go at once to see his mother, with Redruth for a guard; and then both come full speed to Bristol. (pg. 44)

Sk.: Mladičký Hawkins ať si pod Redruthovou ochranou zaskočí k matce; potom hajdy oba do Bristolu. (pg. 45)
	
Šn.: Mladý Hawkins ať se jde v Redruthově doprovodu rozloučit s matkou a pak ať oba přijedou co nejrychleji do Bristolu.(pg. 46)

Other passages in Skoumal are, however,  completely neutral and true to the style of the original. Apparently, he tries to find original Czech equivalents of the English words, which occasionally brings him to a different level of language. Šnajdrová’s translation is more literal and closer in style, but, on the other hand, it sometimes sounds a little clumsy, perhaps because she is now and then too much influenced by the original. 
One of the shortcomings of Šnajdrová’s translation is the way in which she changes the names of the figures. Not only do Czech names for the pirats sound odd (somewhat like in a Czech fairy tale), she even does not change them all. What comes up is a strange and incongruous mixture. You find Dlouhý Honza Silver, coxswain Arrow is called Šíp by Šnajdrová and she has Jíra Merry for George, on the other hand she keeps Jim Hawkins, Billy Bones, Ben Gunn and other names.  Both Šnajdrová and Skoumal translate Black Dog as Černý pes but this is a nickname. Yet, there are more such nicknames which are translated by Šnajdrová but not Skoumal. These are Lavička for Pew and Dýka for Dirk.  The only other case of a translated name by Skoumal is that of King George, who is translated as král Jiří. This is nevertheless somewhat different because it is a common thing to adapt the names of rulers. 
	It is always difficult for the translator of literature for children to decide what to do 
with the names. In this case, I think, Šnajdrová made the bad choice. The names in Treasure Island underline the setting of the book and thus it is a bit out of place to change them. In books for smaller children, like Winnie-the-Pooh, or in books which are not set in a particular country and in which the names characterise the figures (as in Wind in the Willows), it is better to translate them.  But it is not very suitable for books like Treasure Island.
	A further point is the translation of the pirates’ song. There are two versions of it in the original – one shorter and one longer. The four-line version is used only once, the longer version is repeated several times. While Skoumal translates also the longer variant, Šnajdrová makes it more simple for herself in that she translates only the two-line version and uses this as well for the longer one. So you have
‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest –
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!’     
                                                                   	        and
‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest –
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!’
Drink and devil had done for the rest –
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!’

in the original, translated by Skoumal as
Patnáct nás pilo rum ze všech sil,
Johoho, na truhle nebožtíka.
   	and
„Patnáct nás pilo rum ze všech sil,
johoho, na truhle nebožtíka.
Čert a chlast ostatní dorazil,
Johoho, na truhle nebožtíka.“
whereas Šnajdrová only has
Na černé rakvi patnáct chlapů popíjí,
Jo-ho-ho, ať teče rum!

This fact is not so much important for the translation as a whole, but it should not be so difficult to invent some translation of the song and it is a pity Šnajdrová omits the second part.         
	An interesting feature  of Skoumal’s  translation  is his punctuation.  He uses  a lot of semi-colons, which is  rather untypical for  the Czech language.  Sometimes this helps him to 
avoid too complicated and long complex sentences, yet a excessive use of semi-colons can also have an opposite effect and make the sentence sound a little clumsy and difficult to follow.  	
It is probably impossible to say objectively which of the translations is better because this depends on a personal opinion. Each of them has its positives as well as negatives. Sometimes it is Skoumal, who has found a better solution, sometimes it is Šnajdrová. Neither of them could avoid some factual mistakes. Nevertheless, without knowing the original text, these slips would not attract attention, even though some of them could be noticed by careful readers. The following examples should illustrate the kind of mistake I have in mind:
Orig.:  ‘I’ll fire a gun half an hour before sundown.’ (pg. 83)
Sk.: „Hodinu před západem slunce vypálím z děla.“ (pg. 76)               
Šn.: „Půl hodiny před západem slunce dám výstřelem z děla znamení k návratu.“ (pg. 78)
***
Orig.: The crews raced for the beach; but the boat I was in, having some start, and being at once the lighter and the better manned, shot far ahead of her consort, and the bow had struck among the shore-side trees, and I had caught a branch and swung myself out, and plunged into the nearest thicket, while Silver and the rest were still a hundred yards behind. (pg. 84)

Sk.: Námořníci veslovali jako o život ke břehu; můj člun měl náskok, byl lehčí a lépe obsazený, a tak druhý člun předehnal; Silver s ostatními byl ještě sto yardů za ním, když jsme se přídí zaklesli mezi pobřežní stromy; chytil jsem se haluze, vyšvihl se po ní ven a skokem jsem byl v houští. (pg. 76-77)

Šn.: Mužstvo veslovalo o závod ke břehu; protože však náš člun měl před ostatními od počátku náskok, byl lehčí a nesl menší zatížení, předjel brzy všechny ostatní. Jakmile zajel kýlem mezi stromy, chytil jsem se větve, vyhoupl se na břeh a zmizel v nejbližší houštině, kdežto Silver a ostatní lidé byli ješně nějakých sto yardů od pobřeží. (pg. 79)

	In this passage, Šnajdrová not only makes a factual mistake in the number of boats [this is proved in the first sentence of chapter 16 – It was about half past one … that the two boats went ashore…(Orig., pg. 98)], she also translates bow as kýl instead of příď. Regarding the words describing parts of the ship in the whole, I must admit that Skoumal’s translation seems to show a deeper knowledge of the subject. Šnajdrová often prefers more general terms: 
Orig.: That hill to the nor’ard they calls the Fore-mast Hill; there are three hills in a row running 
south’ard – fore, main, and mizzen, sir. (pg. 73)

Sk.: Severnímu kopci se říká Přední stěžeň; k jihu se, prosím, táhnou za sebou celkem tři: Přední, 
Hlavní a Křížový. (pg. 66)

Šn.: Tomu pahorku na severu říkají Přední stěžeň. Jsou tu celkem tři kopce v řadě, probíhají od severu k jihu: Přední, Střední a Zadní stěžeň. (pg. 68)

This exactness does not concern the ship only, but also for example the wood on the island:

Orig.: Very close around the stockade – too close for defence, they said – the wood still flourished high and dense, all of fir on the land side, but towards the sea with a large admixture of live-oaks. (pg. 117)

Sk.: Blizoučko za palisádou – na pořádnou obranu, jak říkali moji druhové, snad až příliš blizoučko – bujel vysoký a hustý les, na vnitrozemské straně samé jedle, směrem k moři promísené hojnými cesmínami. (pg. 103)

Šn.: Docela blízko za ohradou – prý až příliš blízko pro obranu – bujel hustý vysoký les, směrem do nitra ostrova čistě jehličnatý, ale na straně k moři promíšený listnáči. (pg. 107)

In this case, however, it is understandable that Šnajdrová prefers the more general terms, because fir has several equivalents in Czech. Moreover, I do not especially like that blizoučko.
***
Other examples of factual mistakes are :

Orig.: It was about half past one – three bells in the sea phrase – that the two boats went ashore from the Hispaniola.(pg. 98)

Sk.: Bylo kolem půl druhé – po námořnicku se říká třetí zvonění – když oba čluny odjely z Hispanioly ke břehu. (pg. 89)

Šn.: Asi o půl šesté – „třetí zvonění“ v námořnické hantýrce – odrazily oba čluny od Hispanioly k ostrovu.(pg. 92)
***
Orig.: ‘For thirty years,’ he said, ‘I’ve sailed the seas, and seen good and bad, better and worse, fair weather and foul, provisions running out, knives going, and what not.Well, now I tell you, I never seen good come o’ goodness yet....’ (pg. 161)

Sk.: „Třicet let se plavím po moři; zažil jsem věci dobré i zlé, lepší i horší, pohodu i bouřku, bídu s nouzí, rvačky na nůž a kdo ví co ještě. Něco ti povím, ještě jsem neviděl, že by z dobroty vzešlo něco dobrého.“ (pg. 136)

Šn.: „Už třináct let se plavím po moři, prožil jsem dobré i zlé, slunečno i nepohodu, hlad, rvačky a čertvíco ještě. Ale aby dobré pošlo z dobrého, to jsem ještě neviděl.“ (pg. 143) 
(Here it is not only a factual mistake, Šnajdrová also leaves out one part of the sentence.)
***
Orig.: ‘Well, George, how goes it? You’re a pretty colour, certainly; why, your liver, man, is upside down.’ (pg. 191)

Sk.: „Jak se máme, Georgi? Hrajete všemi barvami; a jak by ne, máte, člověče, játra na huntě.“ (pg. 159)

Šn.: „A co vy, Jíro, jakpak se vám daří? Vy vypadáte! Máte jistě ledviny naruby.“ (pg. 167)
***
Orig.: They paused, as if taken aback; and before they recovered, not only the squire and I, but Hunter and Joyce from the block-house, had time to fire. (pg. 109)

Sk.: Zůstali jsme celí zkoprnělí; než se vzpamatovali, měli jsme kdy vystřelit nejen zeman a já, ale taky za sebou Hunter a Joyce. (pg. 97)     

Šn.: Když nás spatřili, na chvilku se zarazili, a než se vzpamatovali, vypálili jsme nejen zeman a já, ale i Hunter a Joyce ze srubu. (pg. 102) 
***
Orig.: … the Hispaniola reached Bristol just as Mr Blandly was beginning to think of fitting out her consort. Five men only of those who had sailed returned with her. (pg. 223)

Sk.: … do Bristolu jsme s Hispaniolou dorazili zrovna včas, pan Blandly se už chystal vypravit za námi záchrannou loď. Z mužstva, které s námi kdysi vyplulo, vrátilo se jich jenom pět. (pg. 181)

Šn.: … dorazili (jsme) do Bristolu, právě když pan Blandly začal pomýšlet na uspořádání záchranné výpravy. Jen pět mužů z původní posádky se vrátilo nazpět … (pg. 192)

In this passage, Skoumal’s translation conveys quite a different meaning from the original. Stevenson says that of all the men on Hispaniola, only five returned back. Skoumal implies that there were five sailors of the crew returning to Bristol, which is not true. In fact, only one of the sailors remained.
***
It might seem from the examples given here that Šnajdrová is more imprecise in her translation than Skoumal. But I gave only a random choice of short passages. There are many places, where Šnajdrová finds a better solution than Skoumal. He perhaps does not make such basic mistakes but sometimes he goes quite far from the meaning of the original. 
Orig.: ‘It’s not them I mind; it’s the round-shot. Carpet bowls! My lady’s maid couldn’t miss.’ (pg. 107) 
Sk.: „Těch se nebojím, bojím se dělové koule. Hotové cvrnkání do důlku! Každá rána se do nás strefí.“ (pg. 95)
Šn.: „Z těch si nic nedělám! Horší je dělová koule. To se jim bude střílet! Ani naše posluhovačka by se neminula.“ (pg. 100)

	I would like to present here also some examples of better and worse solutions:
For example the phrase he blew through his nose, concerning Billy Bones and his way of expressing annoyance or disagreement is translated by Šnajdrová as zatroubil do kapesníku and by Skoumal as zafrkal. I think that Šnajdrová mistakes this connection for the phrase blow one’s nose. If captain did what she translates, he would probably not terrify anyone.
When there is a talk about keel-hauling (Orig., pg. 50), Šnajdrová translates it as potápění pod kýl (pg. 50) and Skoumal as provlékání pod kýlem (pg. 49). Again, I like Skoumal’s  version more, but i think the most common connection is protahování pod kýlem. Yet I do not want to criticise only Šnajdrová. Skoumal  is not always perfect either:
Orig.: ‘And now, Mr Silver,’ I said, ‘I believe you’re the best man here, and if things go the worst, I’ll take it kind of you to let the doctor know the way I took it.’ (pg. 178) 

Sk.: “Jak se mi zdá, pane Silvere, vy jste tady ze všech nejhodnější. Jestli to špatně dopadne, buďte tak laskav a povězte panu doktorovi, jak jsem se choval.” (pg. 150)

Šn.: “Myslím, pane Silvere, že jste o trochu lepší než ostatní, a proto vás prosím - dojde-li k nejhoršímu -, abyste oznámil doktorovi, jak jsem se zachoval.” (pg. 158)

To translate the best man as ze všech nejhodnější is probably not really suitable in a case of an old  treacherous pirate. Also his translation of gentlemen o’ fortune with the rather plain dobrodruzi is not very happy. Much better is rytíři Štěstěny used by Šnajdrová. He also translates fathom (pg. 102) as střevíc (pg. 92), while Šnajdrová has sáh (pg. 96). Though it is true that střevíc is an old measure of length, sáh is certainly much more familiar to the contemporary reader and it is also the equivalent given in the dictionary. The last thing I would like to mention here is Skoumal’s translation of cabin boy, resp. ship’s boy – the function Jim Hawkins has on the ship. While Šnajdrová has plavčík, he chooses the rather derogative poskok. There is a passage before they set sail, in which the captain says to Jim:
Orig.: ‘Here, you ship’s boy,’ he cried, ‘out o’ that! Off with you to the cook and get some work.’ (pg. 59)
Sk.: „Hej, poskoku,“ osopil se na mě, „kliď se odtud! Jdi za kuchařem a dělej něco.“ (pg. 56)

Šn.: „Hej, mládenče,“ zavolal na mne, „jdi od toho! Už ať jsi dole v kuchyni a ať ti dá kuchař nějakou práci!“ (pg. 57)
 
These examples might be enough for illustration but it would be quite easy to find many more 
in the book.
Another  common  problem  of translation  is  the word order.  Neither  Skoumal  nor 
Šnajdrová manage to deal with it without any difficulties. In any case, it is very easy to get influenced by the word order of the original. Nevertheless, it should not happen too often. The influence of the original is furthermore sometimes visible as well on the use of certain words or constructions:
Orig.: Mr Dance stood there, as he said, ‘like a fish out of water’, and all he could do was to despatch a man to B - to warn the cutter. (pg. 33)

Sk.: Pan Dance tam podle vlastních slov stál „jako ryba na suchu“, poslal jen do B- upozornění celnímu kutru, na víc se nezmohl. (pg. 33)

Šn.: Pan Dance zůstal stát – jak sám přiznal – jako socha. Všechno, nač se zmohl, bylo, že poslal jednoho ze svých mužů do B., aby varoval strážní člun. (pg. 34)

 It is clear that Šnajdrová let the English language influence her in this passage.
***
I have also chosen some passages concerning word order:
Sk.: Při těch slovech se těžce na posteli pozvedl, pevně mi sevřel rameno, div jsem nezavřískl, a bezvládně spustil nohy dolů. (pg. 22)

Sk.: Do vesničky bylo od nás jen pár set yardů, nebylo ji však vidět, ležela na druhé straně zátoky … Dlouho nám cesta netrvala, třebaže jsme chvílemi zůstávali stát, drželi se za ruce a napínali sluch. (pg. 26)

Sk.: Mluvil tedy Silver včera pravdu. Nezbývalo mu, než se s doktorem dohodnout. (pg. 165)

Šn.: „Přece nemohl najít ještě poklad,“ řekl starý Morgan, když kolem nás běžel, „ten je jistě až nahoře“. (pg. 176)

Šn.: Byl smrtelně bledý a zakrvácený obvaz svědčil o tom, že utrpěl nedávno zranění a že ho kdosi ošetřil. (pg. 154)

	From this analysis it might seem that the translations are not particularly good because I have always pointed out the weak places. Still, despite all that is stated on these pages, both the translations are among the successful ones. If I should choose I would probably prefer Šnajdrová’s version, but only because Skoumal’s language slowly becomes archaic.
	I would like to close by mentionig some aspects of Müller’s adaptation. However, as wes said above, this will be rather a kind of general summary.
 Many dialogues from the original are changed to indirect speech to save place. Some events,  which do not seem  to be vital  to the development of the plot,  are omitted altogether. 
The story can thus make a faster progress, but it is also in a way reduced and flattened. Other passages are changed and some, particularly at the end of the book, even added. The original, for instance, does not say anything about what has happened to the doctor. In Müller’s adaptation you learn that he has established a hospital open to the poor and suffering. This simplification and changes in the plot also affect the picture of the main figures. Some of their reactions are left out together with the situations concerned and so the reader does not get the full picture of their characters. 
In addition to the various changes, the adaptation contains logical mistakes. In the original, when Jim Hawkins meets Ben Gunn, Ben asks him if he came with Flint’s ship. In Müller’s adaptation he asks if he came with Flint. But later he terrifies the pirates repeating Flint’s last words. Thus he must have known that Flint was dead. He would not ask about Flint. Another misunderstood translation appears in chapter 16. In the original, it says:
With a cry, John …whipped the crutch out of his armpit, and sent that uncouth missile hurling through the air. It struck poor Tom … right between the shoulders in the middle of his back. … Whether he were injured much or little, none could ever tell. Like enough, to judge from the sound, his back was broken on the spot. (pg. 88)

Müller: John … mrštil svou berlou po námořníkovi. Zasáhla jej … doprostřed zad. …Nebyl jsem s to říct, jak vážně byl zraněn, ale podle jeho sténání jsem usoudil, že má zlomenou páteř. (pg. 74)

The sound of the original has nothing to do with sténání, it means the sound of breaking one’s spine, which is also the way Skoumal and Šnajdrová translate this passage.
	Contrary to Skoumal’s style, Müller  strives to have all the logical relationships between the sentences clearly defined and the story flowing smoothly from one point to another. It would be perhaps preferable (at least occasionally) to use fewer conjunctions. 
	Although Müller could not avoid some of the common translation mistakes, like the word order, on the whole his translation reads quite well. Nevertheless, I was so struck by the style of one chapter (chapter 5) that I decided to present the whole of it here. It is noticeable especially for the frequent appearence of the word muž/muži.
Má zvědavost byla nakonec větší než můj strach, a tak jsem se připlížil do blízkosti hostince, abych viděl a slyšel, co se bude dít.
     Sedm či devět mužů vytrvale tlouklo na dubové dveře. I přes houstnoucí mlhu jsem poznal slepého muže. Slyšel jsem jej, jak křičí, aby vyrazili dveře. Muži jej uposlechli a v mžiku dveře vyvrátili z pantů.
     Jakmile se ocitli uvnitř, zaslechl jsem, jak jeden z mužů překvapeně vykřikl, když spatřil mrtvého Billa.
     „Prohledejte ho a najděte ten kufr!“ volal slepec.
     O několik vteřin později se otevřelo okno kapitánova pokoje, jakýsi muž se vyklonil ven a křičel, že někdo již kufr prohledal.
     „Peníze jsou pořád tady,“ houkl jeden z mužů.
     „Čert vem peníze!“ vyhrkl slepec. „Jsou tam ty Flintovy listiny?“
     Slepému muži na Billových penězích očividně nezáleželo. Chtěl svitek listin, který jsem teď pevně držel s prudce bušícím srdcem na hrudi.
     Když muži volali z okna, že balíček s listinami nemohou nikde nalézt, slepec jim nařídil, aby našli mou matku a mě. Dobře věděl, že to, co hledá, jsme museli vzít my. Muži však ztratili zájem. Spokojili se s kupou zlaťáků a nijak se jim nechtělo plnit slepcovy nesmyslné rozkazy.
     Hned nato se rozpoutal pekelný hlomoz. Muži se začali mezi sebou hádat, pokřikovali na slepce a snažili se mu vyrvat hůl, kterou se kolem sebe oháněl a rozdával rány na všechny strany.
     Jejich hádka nás zachránila. Zatímco se mezi sebou rvali, z vršku kopce se ozval nový zvuk – dusot cválajících koní. Hned nato jsem zaslechl výstřel z pistole, který měl být varováním. Jakmile muži zaslechli výstřel, rozutekli se do všech stran. Jen slepý muž zůstal stát, vztekle tápal kolem sebe, pak se nejistě vydal po cestě a volal na své druhy.
     Naneštěstí se vydal špatným směrem a zamířil přímo k blížícím se koním. Náhle si uvědomil svůj omyl a s výkřikem se otočil. Klopýtl však, upadl, pokusil se vstát, ale bylo již pozdě. Jeden z koní ho srazil kopyty. Muž dopadl na zem s bolestivým výkřikem, který rozťal ticho. Ostré podkovy jej na místě usmrtily.
     Vylezl jsem ze svého úkrytu a zavolal na jezdce. Byli to muži, kteří se doslechli o našich těžkostech a rozhodli se nám přispěchat na pomoc. Díky nim se má matka rychle probrala z mrákot, ale slepého muže již vzkřísit nedokázali.
     Společně jsme se vrátili do hostince, který byl celý vzhůru nohama, a vše bylo zničeno muži, kteří zde hledali tajemný svitek listin. Náhle jsem si uvědomil, že tyhle listiny musí mít neuvěřitelnou cenu. Požádal jsem muže, zda by se mnou nezajeli k domu doktora Liveseye. Zdálo se, že chápou můj strach a mé obavy, a bez otálení jsme se vydali na cestu.

	Coming to factual changes, I should say that in the original, for instance, Redruth, Hunter and Joyce are all servants of the squire, whereas in Müller’s adaptation the latter two are counted among sailors. Another difference is that there is no notion of the fact that some of the crew are former Flint’s men. Müller makes it a task of Silver to persuade the others to join him. Stevenson pictures Trelawney as an irresponsible gabbler. He shall keep secret the purpose of their voyage but he anounces it publicly. Nevertheless, this feature of his character is  not mentioned in Müller’s adaptation. All are shocked that their destination is known. It says exactly: Baron s doktorem si vyměnili překvapené a zděšené pohledy. Nikdo z nich o mapě nic nevyprávěl. (pg. 51) You would find similar omissions and changes everywhere in the book, but the main story remains. Nevertheless, I would recommend reading the full version.