Yr Ynys Unyg Part 16

_Madame._--"Yes, I should like to be buried under trees near our church."

_Schillie._--"Very well, I can safely promise that, as I suppose I shall help to dig your grave myself."

Madame then wound up in such a pathetic manner that Schillie was obliged to have recourse to her pocket handkerchief, and came blubbering out of the room, muttering that though she believed she was only an old humbug she would be very sorry if the old lady really died.

She was only just recovering this fit one very sultry day when we carried her to the edge of the cliff to catch a breath of air if she could. It was so extremely hot we could do nothing, and therefore lay beside her, instead of leaving a little girl in attendance as usual. We fancied something must be about to occur, for every breath seemed as if drawing in hot air. I, with what Schillie called my usual fidgetiness, was imagining horror upon horrors, when, suddenly looking at the sea, we beheld it rise and fall as if one tremendous wave pa.s.sed over it. Almost immediately the whole island seemed to tremble under our feet, a rumbling and at the same time crashing sound quite surrounded us. "An earthquake," cried some, while all sprang to their feet. A breathless silence ensued, but all nature seemed as if nothing had occurred. "The house," said Schillie. "The boys!" I exclaimed. We flew down headlong towards the rocks from which they usually fished. Not a trace of them or the rocks, the sea was boiling beyond what we had never seen covered before. I sat stupidly down on the sands, as if waiting for the waves to cast my sons up at my feet.

"They may not have been fishing," said Schillie. I did not heed her until the sharp cry of a child in pain struck on my ear. We rushed towards the place, and found Oscar supporting his brother, who was screaming violently. They were alive; all other things seemed to me as nothing. As I took him in my arms, Oscar told me that, finding the fish would not bite, and feeling excessively tired, they had agreed to go to a shady ledge on the rocks, and sleep for an hour. He was awakened by a strange noise, as well as being thrown rather violently from the place where he lay; opening his eyes, he beheld Felix some feet below him, lying apparently dead. He ran and picked him up, and throwing some water on his face from the brook near which they had lain down, in the course of some minutes he opened his eyes and knew his brother, but on moving he shrieked with pain. Oscar wrung his hands, and cried as he said, "Oh, Mother, Mother, what is the matter, will he die? Who has hurt him? What has happened? Oh my brother, my brother, I should die for my Felix." The sight of Oscar's distress caused a cessation in Felix's screams. He put out one little hand, and said, "Don't cry, Otty, I'll bear it, only don't cry so." "Bear what, my darling," said I, "where are you hurt?" "I am hurted all about, Mama; but is it a snake that has eaten me, or who killed me? I'll be a man, dear Otty. I'll not scream any more, if you will only not cry so, because I shall cry, I know I shall, I must cry just a little, but it is not the pain." As he tried thus to comfort his brother, the colour fled from his cheeks, his eyes closed, the rosy lips paled, he fell back in my arms motionless. I thought he was dead, but he was in my arms, the wild waves had him not for their prey; could it be possible that I felt comforted as I clasped him closer? Wine was brought, water poured on his face; and, as we laid him on the sward, his right arm fell in an unnatural position. It was broken. Stripping off his clothes, and carefully examining, we found him bruised in various places, but no other bones injured save the collar bone. Schillie set both arm and collar bone. We bandaged them as well as we could, and then carefully carrying him to the old tent place, we did our best to restore him to consciousness. In this we succeeded; and, though for many days he lay in a dangerous fever, once that was subdued he grew well astonishingly fast. The arm reunited perfectly, but the collar bone retains a lump on it to this day.

The first symptom he gave us of returning health and strength was in a conversation he had with his beloved Jenny, who was so occupied in nursing him her attentions to us were of the most scanty kind. Imagine a little figure, clothed in a little white gown, his arm and shoulder bandaged up, lying on a lot of cushions. The smallest little white face peeped out from a ma.s.s of hair, and a little brown monkey, with a face about the same size, watches the different clouds of restlessness or pleasure that pa.s.sed over the little white face with a curious mixture of wonder and curiosity. Jenny appears with a dish and exposes it to view. The little invalid, with a lordly air, surveys his dinner.

_Felix._--"A nasty chicken again, Jenny."

_Jenny._--"Oh, Sir, I have roasted it to a turn, and here is egg sauce."

_Felix._--"Then give me the egg sauce, and you may have the chicken. I wish chickens were never invented."

_Jenny._--"Would you like a duck, Sir?"

_Felix._--"No, duck is nastier. I want a mutton chop, Jenny."

_Jenny._--"But I have not got one, Sir."

_Felix._--"Then a beefsteak."

_Jenny._--"Indeed, I wish I could get one for you, Sir."

_Felix._--"Well, I don't mind, just for once, eating some boiled leg of mutton."

_Jenny._--"Oh, my darling, then you must want mutton very bad, and you know there is not such a thing on the island."

_Felix._--"Then it's a bad place, and I wish we were away, having nothing but chickens and chickens, ducks and ducks, until we shall all crow and quack."

_Jenny._--"Oh, don't, Sir, don't go for to move, and get in such a pa.s.sion, you'll displace the bones, and make your Mama so unhappy."

_Felix._--"I am sure n.o.body is so unhappy as me; and as for your chicken, there----"

And with a kick of the little impudent foot away went the chicken out of its dish into Jenny's face, who forgave her darling on the spot; nay, even came to us for congratulations on his recovery. "For," says she, "he is as impudent as ever he was when well, and is that not a good sign, Ma'am."

_Schillie._--"Wash the remains of the chicken off your face, Jenny, and then I'll tell you my opinion."

CHAPTER XXVI.

The fact that our beloved island was subject to earthquakes disturbed us considerably. Storms we began to think quite common, hurricanes nothing, rain but another mode for enjoyment; but to be swallowed up by the earth, by the very land that had proved a haven to us when storm-beset and wave-tossed, seemed an infliction not to be got over.

For some time we imagined every noise a rumbling earthquake, the swift running feet of the children as if the house was coming down, the noisy thumping of the washing stones as indicative of the rocks falling over us. This induced us to think, much to Schillie's horror, of seeking a new abode during the very hot weather on a smooth plain where no rocks could cover us, nor trees fall on us, though we could not prevent the earth opening her mouth and swallowing us up.

In one of our exploring parties for this purpose we came upon the site and signs of an old habitation, evidently having been a substantial and large dwelling, with remains of garden and palisade. We know not how it escaped the observation of our kind captain, unless from the fact that it lay on the open plain, and just before it was a plantation of trees, so that, unless you walked across the plain, and went behind the trees, you would see nothing of it; and they being able to see all across, doubtless thought it labour lost to investigate what seemed open before them.

Here we fancied had been the lair of the great serpent, from the close smell and other circ.u.mstances about the place; but it was with feelings rather akin to awe that we investigated a place built by other hands than our own. Feeling so a.s.sured, as we did, that no mortal was on the island, or apparently had been, but ourselves, we had begun to think really that it was our own, risen out of the sea for us alone, so that Schillie was for a time the only one who took a matter-of-fact view of this appearance to us "Robinson Crusoes" of "Friday's foot." She declared it had been deserted twenty years and more, and that the roof was a very bad one at the very beginning of it, and not on such a good plan as ours; that certainly she descried a new lichen on the walls, which she went to fetch, and proved herself correct; finally, that there might be some lock-up place within, giving us a clue to the former inhabitants. We accordingly searched, and found various articles of clothing and furniture, evidently of foreign manufacture. Everything was covered some inches thick with a fine sand, which caused insufferable choking and sneezing to those who were heedless. It seemed very apparent that the house had been quitted suddenly, or that something had caused great disorder and confusion. After wasting a great deal of time, talking, thinking, and conjecturing, we at last came to the conclusion that, with some trouble, we might make it a very tidy house, and that we would proceed systematically to clean it, and make it fit for the use of such august people as we were; and, being governed by the soul of honour, every article looking like private property was carefully put away, in case the real owners should arrive, though there was many a thing that would have been rather useful to us. Some books in the Spanish language we kept, as the girls and I thought to amuse ourselves during the next rainy season in teaching ourselves Spanish. "Mighty silly," says Schillie, "taking such unnecessary trouble, as who knows but that there may be n.o.body to talk to ere long even in English." This old house was very low, and full of rents and holes; also, we discovered that, though on a plain, it was so contrived n.o.body could perceive it was a habitation unless close to it. From two sides it was quite hidden by trees, though not close to them, from the third side it looked like part of the plantation, and from the fourth side it seemed to be part and parcel of a mound and clump of rocks close by. It had five rooms in it, two not much bigger than closets. Altogether we agreed our new abode had not the open, frank, handsome air of our own home, with its wide-spread doorless entrance, but looked rather like the covered den of people wishing to keep themselves concealed and out of sight. However, we used it in all openness and fairness, and whatever might have been the character of its last inhabitants, we kept open house, never closing the great iron-plated door or the barred shutters; also, we mis...o...b..ed they could have been good people, as there was nothing feminine to be found about the place. Nevertheless, we lived in great comfort, and every evening somebody told a new romance as to what had been the fate of the lost and gone, until we wove a history about them, equal to any fairy story ever told, winding up with one from Felix, who, after giving various touching descriptions as to their numerous qualities and perfections, declared that they died one by one. "How?" said the little girls, looking aghast at such an abrupt conclusion. "They disappeared,"

said Felix, "one every night." "But that's no story, how did they disappear?" "Oh, you must guess, my story is a riddle." So they guessed and guessed, but, becoming no wiser, they clamourously called on him to tell. "But if you don't guess," said Felix, "how can I tell, for not one of them was left alive." "You are a stupid boy," said Lilly, "and tell a very bad story." "Yours was a much badderer, and you are a stupid girl not to guess that the big snake eat them all up." "Well done, well done," said everybody, "a very good idea. I dare say it did happen." So then we fell upon conjecturing what we should have done to save ourselves under similar circ.u.mstances, which gave rise to so many b.l.o.o.d.y-minded schemes and horrible intentions of torture, that no respectable snake would have ventured near us.

CHAPTER XXVII.

What! has a year gone? Are we celebrating the day of our arrival at YR YNYS UNYG? More, much more, days flee away, weeks speed on, months glide by us. Has hope gone? Are the cheerful strong hearts weary and low? The elastic young spirits, the energetic wills, the high courage and strong energies, could not always last on the full stretch. But why detail the fits of despondency, the listless hopeless state into which we sometimes fell? Suffice it that nature sometimes a.s.serted her rights, while religion kept us from open despair. Many events occurred, wearisome to the reader, though interesting to ourselves. Sometimes we divided, and half lived in one house and half in the other. We then paid each other visits of ceremony, expending much labour, even if no cost, on the feasts we prepared for our company. Also we established a post, in which we wrote imaginary news from England. The girls became very expert in drawing. We spoke all kinds of languages. We invented stories and told them, many of the children's I have preserved, being very clever and amusing. Also we had another earthquake, which led to a great discovery.

No less than that the cliffs behind our house, and reaching down to the beach, were one continuous range of caverns, all apparently formed of old coral. Serena was the fortunate discoverer, for, excited by curiosity one day, she insinuated her slender figure in a fissure which had been rent in the rock by the last earthquake. Her exclamations of delight and pleasure caused all those who could follow her to do so; but, alas for the stout Schillie, and the gigantic Gatty, they were compelled to hear the shouts of joy and yet could bear no part; a discovery was made and no Schillie to give her opinion thereon; a new adventure and no Gatty to lend a helping hand. They chafed like lions in a cage, until Madame happily came to their rescue, by suggesting an enlargement of the fissure. But this was not the work of a moment, more especially as every two minutes they were interrupted by the little ones rushing out with fresh wonders to detail, while the big ones shouted more and more.

Gatty squeezed herself through with the loss of half her garments, fully prepared to prove the new discovery nothing, while Schillie, Madame, and I worked for another half hour, and went through like ladies to see a sight which enchanted us. A most magnificent cavern, cool and dark, though some light penetrated in from above somewhere, the ground was covered with fine dry sand, the numerous grotesque shapes and oddities all around the cavern seemed almost made on purpose for little private habitations and snug corners. It was so large in size that it had nothing of the musty feeling of the little caverns below, but was airy, and even bright with sunshine during part of the day. Every body seemed to find a nook or place in it so suited to their minds, that we called it the "Cavern of Content." We nearly deserted our houses during the hot weather, and lived almost entirely in the cavern, everybody choosing their own private apartment, and fitting up according to their own fashion. Schillie grumbled a good deal at the perversity of the cavern in not having suffered itself to be discovered before, and saved her the trouble of building a house. "I declare," said she, "my hands have never been fit to look at since." These hands were her weak point, as I said before, but, as they were just as white and pretty as ever, I would not nibble at her fish for a compliment, and she held them up without a remark from any of us until Gatty pinched them.

The only thing I did not like about the cavern was that it had innumerable pa.s.sages and windings about, and odd places, with dark holes, and ghostly-looking corners. I was not satisfied until I had explored them all, blocking up narrow little slits, and doing all I could to rout out anything that might be harbouring there. There was one pa.s.sage very long and steep, the entrance to it out of the cavern was so narrow we did not notice it at first; but, when once through, we had every here and there light, and it led in one or two instances to other caverns, though none so large as ours, but it always led downwards. At last we came to a place utterly dark, and, as we stopped for a moment, we heard the rushing of water. Of course I thought we should all be drowned, and commanded every one to return, but, somehow, we could not rest without finding out what dangers we might be exposing ourselves to.

So, after a couple of day's doubt, we took candles and torches, and the whole family set out, not being willing to leave one survivor to tell the tale of what might befall us. At the dark place we lighted our torches and proceeded towards a glimmering light. The rushing of water sounded nearer and nearer, our steps became slower and more slow, the light brighter and better, at last what should we see but the sea shining through a fall of waters that hung like a gauze curtain between us and the open air. We were able to creep out with but a slight sprinkling, and then found ourselves not far from the great chestnut tree, at the place before mentioned, where the rocks had a precipitate fall of twenty feet, over which the stream fell; in fact, the entrance into the cavern was immediately under the fall, and, with very little trouble, we could make egress and ingress without getting wet.

It is impossible to do justice to the beauty of the scene looking at it through the sparkling veil of waters, or to describe our pleasure at this singular discovery. Not only did the outside of the island belong to us, but now we had the secrets of the interior exposed to us, and the right of making what we liked of them.

_Mother._--"Now, Schillie, this is one of the most charming discoveries in the world, for if pirates and marauders come here, we shall be able to hide for weeks without their discovering us."

_Schillie._--"I had hoped your head was cleared of those piratical notions. For my part, I wish someone would come. The King of the Pirates would be welcome so that we could have a little variety."

_Mother._--"I think you are ungrateful. We have been eighteen months here now, and can you say that we have had one privation or serious trouble?"

_Schillie._--"June, you have your children near you, you see nothing else and care for nothing else. I own the sight of my Willie, and the long sunny curls of my Puss, would, were it but for one moment, ease my heart, and make me bear hunger, thirst, privations of every kind, without a murmur. We have everything here we can possibly want, and that without having to slave for it. We have food growing up to our mouths, the trees shed clothes for us, the sea, the sky, the air, the island, more lovely than angels' dreams; the young ones grow and thrive; Madame has become a new creature; you are regaining your youth and spirits. So what have I to do, but eat, drink, and sleep, and think of what I have left behind, and what I may never see again. I tell you, June, I am moped to death. I welcome the thunder storms as a variety, I look upon the earthquakes as a desirable change in something, I watch the hurricanes with a sort of insane desire that they would blow us all away!"

_Mother._--"My darling! I am vexed for you. I trust that G.o.d will look upon your present state with compa.s.sion and mercy, restoring you once more to your children. But remember yours are with the best and kindest friends, in the midst of civilisation and religious advantages. Look at mine. Though I have them with me, and they are healthy and strong, yet is this the sort of education I intended for them? Is this the life I had hoped to see them lead? Should they not soon be restored to their homes and country will they not be rendered unfit for mixing with civilised society? or too old to change; or, even if we remain here, will not that be worse for them?"

_Schillie._--"Well, I grant our troubles are equal, but I wish, I wish, oh how I wish to see my children once more. But here are the girls, and they must not see me thus. Upon my word Gatty is too stupid. She has grown almost as good as Sybil and Serena. I don't think she has been in a bit of mischief these three months."

_Mother._--"Don't make yourself unhappy about that, lest you find reason to eat your words, and have to sit in repentance once for some act against you. Now girls, don't you think this one of your best discoveries?"

"Yes," said Sybil, "because during the rainy season we can come here every day and have a shower bath."

"And," said Serena, "we can get fresh water every day without being half-drowned."

"And," said Gatty, "we can sit here and look out for ships all day long."

_Mother._--"What, Gatty, are you tired of being here?"

_Gatty._--"Tired, tired does not express what I think about this place.

There is nothing to do. Nothing frightens Sybil now, and Serena is so busy learning Spanish, she won't listen to a word I say in English.

Oscar makes me talk of home and Wales until I am ready to cry my eyes out at my own descriptions. And the three little girls are all so wise and womanly that they seem to reprove me if I do anything the least like play or fun. I have not had a bit of fun since Felix tried to teach his monkey to fish, that he might lazily read himself. I am quite done up with dullness" (heaving a sort of groan).

_Mother._--"Indeed, I think you are badly used, especially since Madame has found out you really can be a good girl if you like."