Yr Ynys Unyg Part 23

_Felix._--"But she had such a many of them, Smart."

_Mother._--"There you need say no more on that sore subject. You know Lilly repented afterwards, and you ought to be ashamed of mentioning the matter."

_Felix._--"But I must just tell Smart she did give us two at last, her two longest and best; and, my stars, how angry Jenny was, I really thought she would whip me."

_Jenny._--"Indeed, Sir, you was very aggravating. See how shocked Smart is that ever you should have wanted or taken Miss Lilly's curls."

_Felix._--"Well, Smart, don't be angry, we will never do it any more, only they did make such good lines, and Mama was nearly as vexed as Jenny."

_Big and little girls._--"Now, Smart, go on."

_Smart._--"I ha' a'most done, ladies; them times is too shocking to remember; but it's true gospel, as we all remained servants and slaves to them----sc.u.ms. They took the ship, and painted and fitted her out until her own sister would not ha' known her. And they came and went just as suited 'em, always a-leaving us with sum on 'em, and their wives, and houses, and children, in a outlandish place, hot as the place I trust they'll all go to."

_Oscar._--"Sailors and all, Benjie and Mr. ----"

_Smart._--"He, poor fellow, was done for at the first, and a good many of the sailors were likewise done up and made away with, so that, maybees, there was not six left on us. The cap'in and I have stuck to each other through fair and foul, though it's precious little of the former as has blessed our heads, and there be sum few yet remaining at that place I was telling you was so hot."

_The Quixotic little girls and boys_ all exclaim, "Then we must go and save them, especially Benjie."

_Smart._--"Hi, Benjie, he was doing very well, but, being a good decent sort of chap, it's my wonder he never poisoned them----ramscallions when cooking for them."

Smart always, when mentioning the pirates, seemed half choked in preventing himself saying some word that he did not deem proper for our ears. Sometimes it half slipped out, when he made an apologetical bow; sometimes he swallowed it whole; but he always paused, as if to give himself time to say it privately as a relief to his feelings.

But this conversation will be wearisome, so I will say no more than that Smart imagines they were brought to this island to help to look after the stores and gardens, and to be servants, the pirates not knowing the important interest they had in the island, or that they had ever seen it before. Also, that they intended to make it their regular colony, and by degrees bring their whole establishment there; for the island was very well known, and always shunned by vessels on account of the great snake, whom it seemed impossible to destroy. This accounted for our never seeing any vessels all this time; and the pirates would not have ventured there had it not been for the storm we had thought so unlucky, and which now seemed to be the crowning providence of our eventful lives.

In the meantime, Smart was never tired in listening to the children's tales, and whatever he was doing, he had the whole five clinging about him.

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

Madame fulfilled her promise, and in a few days we had the inexpressible satisfaction of sitting by the rude couch of the captain, and hearing his broken exclamations of happiness and delight. It seemed sufficient pleasure to him to watch us as we went about our various duties, and smiles mixed with tears often covered his poor thin face as the little ones vied with each other in nursing him. But he was too weak yet to enter into much conversation, and his nurse was very careful not to let him over-exert himself, for fear of a relapse. In fact, nature seemed to speak for him, as in reply to our anxious queries whether we could do anything for him, he would reply, "Nothing, nothing, but let me look at you, G.o.d be praised."

In these few days of exquisite happiness we forgot all about the pirates. n.o.body watched them, n.o.body thought of them, though we have reason to suppose that they made a diligent search for their prisoners, and even persevered in it to the top of the large cavern. This we had deserted for some time on account of the dead body, and we now lived in the smaller ones lower down, one of which was so near the waterfall we had nearly as much light as above, and also heard the murmuring sound of the water in a very pleasing and cooling manner. Here, close by the waterfall, the little ones led their dear captain, that he might inhale as much of the fresh sea air as we could get, and from thence we, of course, watched our enemies. They seemed very busy indeed, and it was no small satisfaction to the children to watch them working so hard, and pointing them out to Smart, saying, "See, dear Smart, you would have been doing that if our great army had not come and saved you."

By degrees the captain told us a more coherent story than Smart had been able to give us, and said within a fortnight of their leaving us they were made prisoners by the pirates; that they dragged out lengthened days of misery, want, and ill-usage, only held up by the knowledge that our future deliverance depended upon their escape. And when time went on, and he thought it was almost impossible such a helpless party of women and children could survive and bear up under such an unhappy fate, he was almost reduced to despair, and they were both determined to do something desperate when they were put on board the pirates' vessel and brought here. And when brought up on deck, and Smart's exclamation awoke his mind to the fact that he was looking upon the lovely bay in which he had left us with hopes of a speedy and happy return, his brain turned with inward emotion, his heart seemed to turn to stone, he became a moving body without soul or sense, save an eager looking for traces of us.

These could, as we knew, be only so very faint they could leave no clue to our destiny. The first ray of hope that shot through him was finding one of our little notes, though, for some time, they thought it was but the writing of ancient days, and not meant for them now. But when they found another, and when the pirates picked more up, and turned them round and round to make out their meaning, a conviction shot through them they had some kind person interested in their fate on the island.

But they had some difficulty in managing about the light, as burning it steady would have been forbidden by the pirates. A wild hope had now and then crossed their minds, but had each time been driven away as impossible, and it was not until they felt the soft smooth female hands in that dark but happy night that they gave up their minds to hopeful antic.i.p.ations, mixed with some fears. How their fondest wishes were realized almost in the first flash of the torch had been already detailed, and while the weakened frame and overwrought mind of the captain sunk under the weight of so much happiness the buoyant Smart recovered his own character at once, and became all and everything he had ever been to us, with a double portion of strength, energy, and sense to a.s.sist and help us.

And now a fortnight had pa.s.sed, and we found the pirates making great preparations to sail. This they soon did, and, counting their members as they went on board, we had the inexpressible happiness of finding that not one was left behind. Once more we had our dear little island to ourselves, and thoroughly did we enjoy the open air and brilliant sunshine, for, with all thankfulness for their kind shelter, it must be acknowledged the caverns were a little gloomy and musty. We wandered over every well-known place, shewed our dear house, now such a ruin, and expatiated upon all its beauties and conveniences, until the captain declared it must have been the most perfect house in the world, while Smart vowed he would settle a score of pirates for daring to burn it down.

And now we found out what the pirates had been so busy about during the last fortnight, namely, building a perfect village of huts at the old house by the plantation. The captain shook his head as he mournfully said, "the whole colony are coming to settle here," while Smart coolly declared, "he was mighty glad thereat, as he would not die happy unless he could settle 'em all, big and little." And forthwith persuaded everybody but Madame and Hargrave to take to ball practice as he called it, that the army might be ready in case of any emergency. We thought it no harm to practice with our neighbours' goods, though we meant to turn them against themselves. But Smart knew where their magazine was, and in a most unprincipled manner we abstracted whatever we could that would not be immediately discovered.

Smart, who always had had a secret admiration for Schillie's _sang froid_ and man-like propensities, treated her as his favourite pupil; and after she had hit the mark seventeen times running, held her up to us as worthy of imitation.

_Smart._--"I used to always be a-telling our cap'in they'll do well if they mind Mrs. E, she has the soul of a man and the wits of a king; and it's my belief even if they hadna gotten us back, she'd a outwitted them ere----rascallion divildims."

Nothing delighted the boys so much as to put Smart into a rage, talking about the pirates. The dooms they were all to meet with, if once he got them into his power, would have done for Foxe's book of Martyrs. But much as we enjoyed this time we were not idle; we were making constant preparations for the great struggle that must, we knew, inevitably take place between us and the pirates. And, calculating that they would arrive with their colony a short time before the wet weather, to get settled in their houses before it commenced, we should have that time to mature our plans, besides settling what had best be done.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

The sight of two sail in the horizon one evening prepared us for seeing them in harbour the next day. But conceive our indignation when the captain told us that the other dirty, dingy, ill-looking, black vessel was no other than our darling La Luna. To be sure she had not lost her elegant shape, but in every other respect she was so altered not one of us knew her. The little girls sat down and cried like fishes (if they do cry), and Madame helped to swell the stream by a copious flow of tears; while the indignation of the elder girls vented itself in anathemas and threats against the pirates, that showed they had profited pretty considerably by Smart's conversation and opinions. We were now obliged to take to our burrows, and watched, with immense wrath and disgust, the debarkation of the female pirates from the pretty cabins and berths of our La Luna.

In appearance and manners they matched the men, but we agreed amongst ourselves, tall and fierce as they looked, we were not afraid of them, and had no objection to "settle them," as Smart called it. There were fifteen women and about eleven children, while the pirates themselves now amounted to forty-five. Fearful odds against us. Nevertheless, the courage and determination of the army rose higher and higher. They had only just time to get themselves into their houses and huts, and the ships into winter quarters; ere the bad weather commenced. How they spent their time on the island we never enquired. It was enough that we were very happy within her friendly bosom, indulging in all sorts of merriment and fun, knowing they were a good way off, close prisoners like ourselves. And while in the pretty, elegant, and s.p.a.cious drawing-room once before mentioned, so replete with luxury, beauty, and every comfort, mourners still sat and thought of and wept for the long-lost, the mysteriously-doomed members of that once happy family; each kind face bearing the traces of the anxious fear and thoughts months but added to and time could not heal: how looked the little party in the coral caverns of the Pacific? We will look at them once more, ere we take our leave of them for good. Lying on a rude gra.s.s couch is an elderly lady, her hair snow-white, and covered with a cambric handkerchief to serve as a cap; she is reading. Not far from her are two servants, in long blue rough dresses; they seem preparing a meal. On the other side of them is seated, on a rude bench, a weather-beaten white-haired man; a pretty graceful girl of twelve is watching him concocting a pair of shoes, and as they are for herself, she diligently a.s.sists. A little sparkling bright face peeps behind, and mischievously adorns the captain's head with Hargrave's sad remains of a cap, which she always carefully puts aside when doing anything likely to hurt it. Not far from them is the fine, tall, athletic frame of the keeper, both boys intently watching him making fishing lines, they dressed in loose white shirts, open in front, and full white trousers; the elder boy imitating the art of making lines, the little one exciting his parrot to abstract Smart's apparatus, as fast as he puts one thing down after another, which leads to sundry threats on Smart's part that he will "settle" both young Master and parrot if they are not quiet. As this "settling" never takes place, of course the delinquents go on, even to abstracting all the treasures out of Smart's pockets. But you can see by Smart's eye a day of reckoning is coming for those two. There are no less than nine parrots making more or less noise in the cavern, who have each a different owner, and whose voices they distinguish with wonderful sagacity, and hop, crawl, and climb in their quaint manner whenever they are called.

Two little, quiet, serious-looking monkeys are busily watching the preparations for dinner, appropriating what they can to themselves in so secret and sly a manner that Hargrave is totally ignorant of the real thieves, and accuses Jenny wrathfully of misplacing her things. Jenny laughs and shows her pretty white teeth, enjoying the joke as much as we do.

Three fine, tall, becoming girls, each above the middle size, one fair and bright-looking as the sun, another graceful as the fawn with eyes and mouth the perfection of sweet gentle beauty, and the last a sort of female Smart, strong as a young elephant, with mouth like rosebuds, teeth like almonds, and eyes so bright in their dark beauty you could hardly gaze into them; such were the dear girls, a sight, as the captain said, such as he only thought to see in heaven. They are grouped together over two weaving machines, and while one is employed removing the broken threads that invariably occur in our clumsy machines, the other two throw the shuttle to and fro. Not with much diligence though for that ever-mischievous Gatty throws one impediment after another in their way, so that I foresee the two sisters will suddenly set upon her, and there will be a regular scuffle.

And who is that lying her full length on the ground, the flushed cheek resting on one hand, the violet eyes closed, and the knitted stocking that requires finishing that day has fallen from the little listless hand? Oh Lilly, Lilly, idle Lilly, here are you soundly sleeping, and there is your parrot conceitedly thinking he can do the work of his lazy little mistress, and in another minute it will be all destroyed. Wake up, little sleeper, wake up, and collect those long curls floating like a raven curtain about you. Think what Madame will say if she catches but a glimpse of you. A little apart from all stands one tall figure, taller than all the rest, her dark hair folded back from her forehead, her dark eyes watching each beloved group, while she spins unceasingly.

Close at her feet sits her shadow, clothed in the same sort of long white dress, with the open sleeves disclosing the prettiest ivory arms in the world. Short curling hair of a rich dark colour hangs round the white neck and broad forehead of the sitter, and what are those little pink and white fingers doing? Must I tell? A faithful historian must recite plain facts, and, therefore, provided the secret goes no further, I will allow she was cleaning pistols! And, according to Smart's opinion, "she did 'em a sight better than many a man he had had under him."

Now and then those clear dark eyes look up, and she says, "Now, June, stop that everlasting wheel or I shall have you fainting with fatigue."

_Mother._--"Take my place then."

_Schillie._--"Good lack, spinning is such dull work. Let me finish my pistols first."

And of course dinner is announced ere the pistols are p.r.o.nounced complete. A solemn grace said by the dear captain, whose "G.o.d be thanked" comes slowly from the lips as if the heart was with it. Then a merry dinner, Smart, and the maidens waiting on us, for nothing will persuade Smart to sit down with us, and Jenny keeps him company, and Hargrave, with a little hauteur condescends to do the same. All sorts of pranks go on between Smart and the boys during dinner. Felix trying to upset his solemn gravity, while Oscar sends him with preserved ginger to Schillie's duck, roasted potatoes to Madame's tapioca pudding, whereby he gets very shamefaced, as Schillie, with blunt sincerity, points out his mistake. Then behind us he shakes his fist at the boys, while they invent fresh nonsense to tease him. In the meantime the dispute runs hot and high between the little girls as to who is to sit next to their beloved captain, Gatty and Serena making believe that they will a.s.sert their rights as Signori Priori, and take the coveted seats.

However dinner is over, and we all adjourned to the lowest cavern while the servants eat theirs. Then we sing songs and tell stories.

_Felix._--"Cousin Schillie, you promised to tell us the story of the jack-daws if we behaved well and obeyed our general."

_Schillie._--"Pooh! pooh! you have heard it a hundred times, boy."

_Felix._--"But the captain has not."

"I should like to hear it very much," said he.

_Mother._--"Then, Schillie, you will have to tell it again for the hundred and first time, and you, captain, must not think that you are to hear a very wonderful story, but, as it is the only one she was ever known to tell, we are obliged to make her repeat it again and again. If she would kindly tell us a fresh one we should be obliged, but, as she won't, we will prepare ourselves to listen once more to the tale of

THE JACK-DAWS.

Once upon a time (this is too bad of you June) there stood an old church in the middle of a village (making me tell this old story), and this church had a very fine old tower (I wish you up in it now), and in this tower lived a fine pair of jack-daws (fine company for you). Well! you must know these jack-daws had a large family of greedy young children (just like you). Now there lived in the village, (besides many other brats) two boys, a big boy and a little boy. The big boy was a great big stout hulking fellow, with a snubby nose and green eyes; and the little fellow was a nice active chap, about the size of Tom Thumb, quick and sharp as a needle. So one day these two boys sat in the church-yard, and watched the jack-daws as they flew hither and thither and everywhere.

Says the little fellow, 'Them jack-daws must have a nest up there.' Says the big chap, 'No doubt, and I would like to have the young ones,' (mind children it's a wicked thing taking birds from their nests; look at all of you away from your nests; go on, cousin, go on, the captain is quite impatient). Well! so they agreed they would climb up the old church tower, and get the young ones, which accordingly they did. Now you must know the old jack-daws, being very knowing, had built their nest so that it was outside the tower, just out of their reach, and there they could see almost within grasp seven little jack-daws, all with their mouths wide open, waiting for their father to pop in a delicious fat worm!

('Oh, cousin, how nasty,' says Winny). So the two boys were much puzzled, but at last the big one takes hold of a plank, and, putting it out of the little window, 'Now,' says he, 'go you and sit at that end and I will push the plank out of the window, and you will just be able to reach the nest.' 'Very well,' says the little fellow, 'but mind you sit at the other end, lest the plank tilts up with me, and I go down.'

'All right,' says the big fellow, and away goes the little boy. 'I have got them all seven,' says he, 'and very fine ones they are.' 'Very well', says the big boy, 'mind four are mine, and three are yours.' 'No such thing,' says the little one, 'I underwent the danger, so I'll have the four, and you shall have the three.' 'No you shall not,' says big bully. 'Yes I will,' says the little st.u.r.dy fellow. 'I will let you down if you don't give me the four,' says the big rascal. 'Let away,' says the small boy, 'I won't give them up.' So the young villain let go the plank, and away went the little fellow, holding stoutly on by his little birds. Well the seven jack-daws spread their wings and fluttered, and the wind being high, it filled a great stout pinafore that he had on, so that between the two, he was borne safely to the ground, when, looking up at the window, out of which the big bully was watching his flight, he shouted out, 'Now you shall have none of them.'