Yr Ynys Unyg Part 18

In the security of darkness and secrecy we slept that night, Madame and Jenny moving their mattresses to the waterfall side, Schillie and I to the side where Tir-y-hir was, that, at all events we might have the first intimation of any discovery they might make. Before we went to sleep, however, we a.s.sured ourselves that they had been to the other house, and, if anything could have completed our disgust it was the fact that they returned dragging with them all our summer clothes, with which they covered themselves. The pretty white hats belonging to the girls, which they had learned to plait themselves, were thrust on the great, dirty, greasy heads of these horrid men. All the pretty silk Sunday frocks, the shawls, the scarfs, the caps, the bonnets, the carefully h.o.a.rded remains of our civilized attire, alas! alas! did they not also tell these wretches what a helpless party were on the island? Everything was recklessly thrown about, torn, and trodden under foot. Hargrave flew from the sight, and hid her tears and stifled her sobs in the darkest corner of the cavern. From that hour they were doomed in her estimation as the acme of wickedness and vice.

Many times during the night were we awakened by their noise and drunken revelry, and alas for the hopes we had formed of the Sabbath-day none ever were less fulfilled.

The scenes of riot, quarrelling, drinking, and imprecation were so dreadful we could not keep watch any more, but hurried as far we were able from the sight and sounds of life so abhorrent to our nature, so horrid to witness. With pale faces and tearful eyes, and ears yet filled with oaths and bitter words, we proceeded to gain courage and implore help from the throne of grace, feeling how we stood in need of such aid.

For not even when about to be a prey to the stormy elements, or the desolate feeling when left alone in a solitary island, or the sudden death which appeared inevitable in the jaws of the horrid snake, not even in all these did we feel our helplessness as we did now. And it was our own species we feared, for whose coming we had so often prayed. It was man, once created in the image of G.o.d, that sent this pang of horror through us.

But, enough of this; suffice it to say we were a set of miserable, trembling, quaking women, but G.o.d in his mercy calmed and comforted us, so that after the morning prayers we proceeded to make our hiding place still more secure.

As I said before, the waterfall was a most effectual screen, especially now that there was so much water in the brook. The more water that fell of course the more liable we were to get wet as we pa.s.sed in and out, but, owing to the height from which it fell, the water cleared the rock by some feet, and thus gave us a pa.s.sage underneath. The tall ones had always to stoop, but the little ones ran out and in like rabbits in a burrow. At the other entrance it was almost as well concealed. Now we got in and out, for the rock projected some ten feet out, and then just round the corner appeared a sort of recess. This seemed exactly smooth with the rock, but, by edging round and squeezing a little, you came to a sort of slit or cleft in the rock and that led to the cavern. But even when there we had innumerable holes and hiding places, and it would have been a good week's work to ferret us all out from thence. In case, however, of discovery, we organised a plan and arranged our places of retreat, and we practised ourselves in quick hiding, and, to get our lesson perfect, in every now and then calling out "The pirates are coming." Whereupon, as a matter of course, every one ran for their lives to their appointed place. Each place had a communication with another, so that we could telegraph all round. The place from whence we made our observations was on a ledge up in the cavern, from whence some of the light came in; it might be about twenty feet from the ground, and we looked down on them. Dreadful wretches.

CHAPTER XXIX.

We were up, had had our shower bath after careful examination, had breakfasted, and yet there lay our enemies in stupid and heavy sleep still.

"Now then," said Gatty, "now is our time."

"Yes," said Otty, "I'll engage to kill them all."

"With my help," said Master Felix consequentially.

"No, no, children, don't be so absurd," said I, "drunken people are not so helpless as you imagine, and, besides, they may not be all so. Some may be watching elsewhere, some others may still be in the ship; they will soon be tired of looking for us, and leave us in peaceable possession of our dear little island."

_Schillie._--"I am not quite sure if it would not be a good plan to pick them off one by one, when we can find them at an advantage."

_Mother._--"For heaven's sake don't be mad. The report of a gun would bring them all on us, and the smoke betray us."

_Sybil._--"Besides, little Mother, they may after all be good people, and we have no right to kill them until they have tried to hurt us."

_Hargrave._--"Oh Miss Sybil, whatever can you go for to say they 'ave not 'armed hus. I never, no never saw such wickedness! My mistress's best lace dress! I shall never forget it to my dying day, no nor never forgive it. The 'eathens, the monsters, I am willing to 'old any hinstrument for my young master while he shoots the dreadful scrummagers."

_Gatty._--"You don't say so! Hargrave, then take hold of this."

Hargrave shuddered as she grasped the gun, but she resolutely held it at arms length. Gatty having put her to the proof, applauded her, and we went on with our conversation.

_Mother._--"I can never feel sufficiently grateful to you, Madame, for your forethoughts and wisdom. We are now at all events our own mistresses and masters, but no one knows what would have become of us, had we gone open-armed to meet these people."

_Madame._--"They look capable of any wickedness, Madam, and I really begin to think from all I can make out that they are pirates, and then they would have had no scruples in carrying us all off, and selling us for slaves."

_Schillie._--"Or worse, they might have turned us into wives, a thing I could by no means consent to, even to be Queen of the Pirates."

_Serena_ (our best Spanish Scholar).--"I heard them talking a great deal about the snake, and it seemed they were afraid to land at first for fear of it, but wanted water very much. And it was only on discovering its skin that they ceased to feel any alarm, and have wandered all about since."

_Gatty._--"What owls we were to leave the skin there. However I think it great fun to dodge them in this way."

_Madame._--"Fun did you say, my dear child? Poor deceived child."

_Gatty._--"Not deceived at all, Madame, and, besides, we all think it fun."

_Sybil._--"Yes, Madame, I think it very amusing to feel so safe and secure, and yet to be able to watch them so well."

_Serena._--"And you know, Madame, it gives us such advantage; we know all about them, and they know nothing about us."

_Schillie._--"Also, Madame, we have now something to do, and June cannot thrust any more of her inventions upon us for want of some other amus.e.m.e.nt."

_Zoe._--"And you know, Madame, we cannot have any lessons while we are so busy watching."

_Winny._--"Yes, Madame, and it is so nice to feel so useful, and have you all running up to ask us, 'Well! what do we see now? What's going on at present?'"

_Lilly._--"And to see them all running about here and there looking for us, and all too in the wrong places."

_Oscar._--"And what fun it will be to shoot them."

_Felix._--"Yes! right and left shots."

_Jenny._--"Oh, Master Felix, how pleased I should be to see you do that."

_Hargrave._--"n.o.body more so than hi, I make bold to say."

Madame turned from one to another in sad dismay, and then looked at me.

"Well! Madame, it is better they should all think thus than be as wretched as we were yesterday," returned I. "So let us make the best of it, hope the best, and ardently pray for it."

"I should like just to kill a few before they leave," said Gatty.

_Mother._--"For what possible reason, my dear child?"

_Gatty._--"Because, because, it will be then a real good downright adventure, and we shall be able----"

Here we were interrupted by a great noise. Every heart jumped into every mouth, at least mine did, so I suppose every other person's did. We flew to our hiding places. By and by there was a great smell of smoke. I telegraphed Schillie, and we crept from our corners, and went to the spy place. Oh sight of horror, what did we see but our beloved house, that matchless building, all in flames! Not being able to speak, Schillie shook her fists at them, until I thought she would shake them off. The dear little house, our pride and delight, built with such labour, inhabited with such pleasure, was fast consuming under the hands of these robbers. It seems that having guessed all our stores were there, and having made every effort to find us, and not succeeding, they had resorted to this method in the hope of forcing us to appear. But, such a base act only made us think much more badly of them, and we could hardly tell the news as we went sorrowfully back to the others.

In the meantime they shouted and called to us in every part of the island, offered us every inducement they could think of to make us appear. But, not even the bribe of a promise to take us away from the island moved us one bit. We kept closer and more quiet the more furious they became. This lasted two days. We had not much more food left, and it was absolutely necessary we should get to the gardens to obtain something, or to the other house. This was a dreadful idea. At one time I half thought it would be better to starve altogether. But, could I bear to see the little ones die before my face?

It makes me shiver when I think of that hour, and the settling who was to go. It must be Schillie or I, one to go, one to stay for fear of accidents. The lot fell on her. I would not let her have her way, but would draw lots. I did not know which was the worst fate of two, to go or stay. Jenny offered to go, Otty would go, and the lot fell on Serena of the three girls. Gatty groaned aloud in disappointment. The hour fixed on was just before night, when they would all be carousing. Well!

we let them out. Ah! how horrible it was to see them withdrawn from the shelter of the secret cavern. I sprang to recall them my feelings were so dreadful. But they disappeared like lapwings. On our knees we waited for them, Sybil laying her head in the dust for sorrow, her Serena in such danger, Gatty tearing at the rocks and stones until her hands bled.

And we could not see them if they were in danger. The suspense was too dreadful to be borne. With a few hasty words to Madame we seized as much rope and cordage as we could carry, and, slipping out expeditiously, we made our way, with the dexterity of long practice, up the side of the cliffs, among the brushwood, to the top of the cavern. Here we could see half over the island. But first we tied two stout ropes strongly to two trees, and let them down into the cavern through one of the apertures which lighted it. This told them inside that we had safely arrived at the top, and the ropes were strong enough to let us down in case we could not safely get back. Sybil, Gatty, and I were these three impatient ones. Having done that, we looked out for our beloved ones.

They would be under cover all but the plain. We saw them! They were just going to cross it. How they ran! How we wept and prayed for them. How endless appeared the time when we once more lost them in the plantation by the house. It is beginning to grow dark. They are coming! yes, all four of them, heavily laden evidently. Now they are across the plain!

Now the friendly trees receive them! In ten minutes more they will be here! How we shall welcome them, though I cannot think how I am ever to touch the food they have gained at such a risk. Now we must go down to meet them, and help the dear beloved creatures in with their precious loads. The trees crack, "let us make haste," the brushwood opens. Ah!

the dreadful sight! Six great pirates appear just as our dear ones burst through the trees, hurrying all the more from being so near home, half-blinded with the weights they carried. It is over! They are surrounded, the pirates shout, they scream, and I fall to the ground with those sounds ringing in my ears.

CHAPTER x.x.x.