How did Jim join the group in the stockade?

In Chapter Twenty-Seven, Jim is hanging from the top of the mast, perilously, looking at Hands body go up and down in the sea, amongst the blood and foam of the sea. For a while, he clings desperately to the mast, trying to hold on. The knife that Hands had thrown at him barely hit him but Jim fails when he tries to pull the knife out. Shuddering violently afterwards, he is lucky that this action displays the blade from his body. Jim finally climbs down the starboard shrouds and binds his wound, finding that it is neither deep nor dangerous. After throwing O'Brien's body overboard, the young narrator secures the boat and wades ashore, leaving the boat for Captain Smollett.

When he gets to land, he tries to head for the stockade, hoping that his absence will be forgiven because he has secured the boat. After some time, the views a glow against the sky and assumes that the fire is a sign of Ben Gunn cooking dinner, but he wonders why the strange man is not afraid that Long John Silver will find the fire. As he finally reaches the stockade, Jim slows down because he is afraid that he will shot by his companions. Reaching the stockade, Jim realizes that no one is on watch and he feels bad for abandoning his friends and consequently leaving them short-handed. Finally, as he reaches the clearing in front of the house, he is surprised to see the remnants of a fire, something that the captain would have never permitted them to do while Jim as with them. Planning on surprising his friends, he sneaks into the house but as he stumbles on one of the sleeping bodies, he hears a voice repeat "Pieces of eight!" Jim runs out of the house, and Silver calls for someone to bring a torch.