Captain Flint facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Captain Flint |
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| Treasure Island character | |
Long John Silver finding the skeleton of seaman Allardyce, illustration by Georges Roux, 1885
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| Created by | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Pirate |
| Title | Pirate Captain |
| Nationality | English |
Captain J. Flint is a famous fictional pirate captain. He appears in many stories, TV shows, and movies. The character was first created by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Captain Flint first showed up in the classic adventure story Treasure Island. This story was first published in a children's magazine in 1881. It later became a full novel in 1883.
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Captain Flint in Treasure Island
Captain Flint is a key character in the book Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson created him in 1883. In the book, Flint was the captain of a pirate ship called The Walrus. This ship collected a huge amount of treasure. It was worth about £700,000.
Flint and six of his crew members buried this treasure. They hid it on an island somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. Flint then made sure no one else knew the exact spot. He left one of his crew, Allardyce, pointing towards the buried treasure.
Flint marked the treasure's location on a map. He gave this map to his first mate, William "Billy" Bones. Later, the map ended up with the main character of the novel, Jim Hawkins.
The only person Flint was said to be afraid of was his quartermaster, Long John Silver. Long John Silver even named his parrot "Captain Flint" to make fun of him.
The book says Flint died in Savannah. This happened many years before the main story of the book takes place. His last words were, "Darby M'Graw - fetch aft the rum...." The map suggests he died around 1754.
Captain Flint in Other Books
Captain Flint plays a big part in the 1924 book Porto Bello Gold. This story is a prequel, meaning it tells what happened before Treasure Island. It shows how the treasure was taken from a Spanish ship. In this book, Flint started as a junior pirate with Andrew Murray. Murray was an idealist who became a pirate. Flint slowly became the main leader. The book explains how Flint secretly buried the treasure. This treasure would be found much later by the characters in Treasure Island.
John Drake also wrote three prequels about Captain Flint. These are Flint and Silver (2008), Pieces of Eight (2009), and Skull and Bones (2010). These books give his first name as Joseph.
Flint is also mentioned in the book Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie. Barrie was a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson. One mention is when Captain Hook's pirate crew is introduced. It talks about "Bill Jukes" who got into trouble with Flint on the WALRUS. Another mention is when Hook tries to scare the Darling children. He says, "'I am the only man whom Barbecue feared,' he urged, 'and Flint feared Barbecue.'"
In Arthur Ransome's book Swallows and Amazons, the Blacketts' uncle is nicknamed Captain Flint. His real name is James Turner. The children gave him this nickname because they thought he looked like a retired pirate. They got the name from Treasure Island. He is almost always called Captain Flint in the rest of the books.
Captain Flint in Movies
Captain Flint appears briefly in the 1988 Soviet comedy film Treasure Island. He is seen digging his treasure and finishing his map. Some pirates try to get the map, but they end up fighting each other. Then, Billy Bones appears and takes the map from Flint. A character who looks like Flint (maybe his ghost) also appears in other live-action scenes. He was played by Valery Chiglyayev and Yuri Nevgamonny.
In the movie Muppet Treasure Island, Captain Flint is shown burying the treasure. He then makes sure no one else knows where it is. He gives his map to Billy Bones. In this movie, Flint has fifteen crew members helping him, not six. The treasure includes guineas and pieces of eight. In the film, he is called Bernie Flint.
Captain Flint was also briefly shown in the animated film Treasure Planet by Disney. In this movie, his name is Nathaniel Flint. He is a famous space pirate from another planet. He was known for attacking merchant ships and disappearing without a trace. He buried his treasure, called "Flint's Trove," inside a giant alien machine called Treasure Planet. To protect his treasure, he set up a special trap. The planet would explode if anyone tried to steal it.
Captain Flint in Television Shows
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The 2014 TV series Black Sails tells stories about Captain Flint. This show takes place about twenty years before Treasure Island. His first name is given as James in one episode. Later episodes show that he was once a Royal Navy officer named James McGraw. He had to leave the service and was sent away from England with Miranda Barlow. Miranda later hid herself on the island of Nassau. James McGraw took the name "Flint" from a mysterious man. This man had once boarded his grandfather's ship and then disappeared. Captain Flint is played by Toby Stephens in the show.
