Yr Ynys Unyg Part 26

_Gatty._--"Cannot we somehow contrive to kill all the pirates, and get rid of them altogether."

_Sybil._--"Yes, we could shoot them from here, taking good aim."

_Gatty._--"Ha! ha! just listen to Sybil. Could any one ever have thought she would have been so b.l.o.o.d.y-minded."

_Serena._--"I wish Zoe and Jenny were safely with us, then we should be quite happy, having only the captain and Smart to wait for."

_Sybil._--"I dare say that is the reason Smart left us in such a hurry."

_Gatty._--"I hope it is as you say, old Syb, and I hope still more that they will join us soon, and I hope most of all that they will leave Hargrave behind."

_Sybil._--"Poor thing, but what will they do with her?"

_Gatty._--"Eat her, I dare say, and very tough----"

_Lilly._--"Oh, Mother, look there! Oh, look! look! Here is Zoe coming, and Smart, and Jenny."

Up we all jumped, and saw the three stealing round the rocks, not two hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e. Run, we all shouted, waving everything we could lay our hands on. They saw us in a moment, and quitting the shelter of the rocks, ran down towards us.

At this moment a noise of yelling and screaming was heard, and the whole body of pirates, men, women, and children, came rushing out from underneath the waterfall.

Smart heard them first, and catching up Zoe in his arms, giving Jenny some directions, he plunged into the sea, while Jenny kept running to that point of the rock where was the only accessible point for scrambling up. The tide was half flow, which favoured Smart but would impede Jenny, unless she dashed through the waves without regarding a wetting. By the care that Smart took of his little charge, and by Jenny's deliberate proceedings, we saw the servants both meant to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the child.

We, on our parts, were bewildered for a moment with the coming strife, but the thoughtful boys, rolling stones down to startle away the sharks before their dear Smart's way, recalled us to our senses. We let down the rope ladder, and the ready Smart swam to it. Placing his precious charge on it, he watched her run nimbly up it and we receive her with rapture in safety, when he wiped his streaming brow, and plunged into the sea again.

Leaving the little ones all to kiss and embrace the lost and found, we ran to the other side to watch Jenny, and help her if we could. She is flying now, and dashes through the water, heedless of the coming waves.

She does not intend to be taken prisoner again without a struggle. But there is one horrid pirate outstripping all the others. "Oh, Jenny, Jenny, run, he is gaining on you." What shall we do to help her? How shall we bear to see her taken before our eyes? She touches the rock. "A few more steps, Jenny, and you can seize the rope we have let down to a.s.sist you. Oh, horrid fellow, did ever any one run so fast. Ah, it is of no use, dear, dear Jenny; one more effort." "Mother, Mother," said Oscar, "cannot I shoot him?" "No, dear boy," said Schillie, "you cannot without hurting Jenny." "But let me try, do let me try. Oh dear, oh dear, it is too late, he has hold of her." Throwing away his gun, the boy swung down by the rope before we could prevent him. In vain Jenny called on him not to come, he was down in a moment, and attacked the pirate, who had both arms round Jenny, with his cutla.s.s. She struggled, and turning round aided his efforts by buffeting the pirate in the face with her hands and nails. At this moment Smart appeared, emerging from the sea, having swam round the rock. One blow from his powerful fist settled the matter. The pirate fell down stunned upon the rocks. Oscar gave him a parting kick, and then all three a.s.sisting each other, scrambled up the rock in no time, where we most joyfully received them, and where they did not arrive a minute too soon, for the whole body of pirates were close at hand.

CHAPTER x.x.xVIII.

And now how silly we looked, all exposed to the wondering gaze of the pirates. I heard Schillie muttering, "What a pack of fools we have been," while Oscar said, "Cousin, we have gone and done it now. We shall have to fight for it, and we shall have a good rowing from the captain.

I had better go and see after the guns." This he did, shaking them one by one at the pirates as he examined them, while he and Felix kept appearing and disappearing from behind the trees, sometimes with hats and sometimes without, as if to make believe there were half a dozen boys. Smart lay his full length on the ground, endeavouring to recover his breath, after his late exertions.

It was of no use disguising the fact, we had discovered ourselves and our hiding place, and though no one certainly could get to us without leave, our helplessness would be fully apparent, and our ident.i.ty with the lost party well known. All the advantages we had gained from our concealment were now over. We had nothing to do but wait in patience for what fate had yet in store for us.

All this time, while these thoughts were rapidly running through our heads, the whole colony of pirates were staring in undisguised amazement at us.

_Sybil._--"What a frightful set of wretches."

_Gatty._--"Horrid. We will never capitulate to them."

_Serena._--"The women look as fierce as the men. How they do stare, just as if they never saw human beings before."

_Oscar._--"I could pick off a fellow or two from this distance, Mother, if you like."

_Smart_ (from his lair in the bushes).--"Ha' done, if you please, Sir, with any such notion. Let me get a breath or two afore we come to a fight; and anyways let them strike the first blow."

_Oscar and Felix_ (together).--"Then do make haste, Smart, and get your breath. If the captain was but here, we could easily fight those wretches."

_Smart._--"Breath or no breath, I ben't agoing to fight them devildoms with no better helps than you two, young masters. Bide quiet like brave boys, and do as the Duke of Wellington does."

_Felix._--"How is that, Tommy?"

_Smart._--"Why he waits until the enemy gives him a reason to get his blood up, and when that's done it's all up with them."

_Felix._--"But my blood is up, Tom."

_Smart._--"Then let it cool a bit, Sir; any way the tide is rising, and them rascals is sufficiently knowledgeable to see that the sharks is a guarding of us now. When it gets dark it will be ebbing and I'll be off to see after cap'n, and you'll have enew to do, Sir, to keep watch until we get back."

_Gatty._--"Don't bring Hargrave back if you can help it, Smart."

_Smart._--"I ben't much inclined that way myself, Miss, but I have heerd we are bound to be merciful."

_Gatty._--"She has not been merciful to us, I am sure."

_Smart._--"I do partly think as she ben't quite answerable for her ways.

Any how I shanna put myself out of the way to look after her."

_Mother._--"Oh yes, Smart, you must try your best."

_Smart._--"To be sure, Ma'am, if so be you wishes it. But I be thinking there is a power of mischief in her yet."

_Mother._--"I think it must all have been frightened out of her by this time. Did you see anything of her when you went in search of the others?"

_Smart._--"No, Madam, I went straight away for Miss Zoe and Jenny, the cap'n having given me my orders so to do, let alone me ordering myself that way also. I had to knock over a couple of women-kind, which went agin my conscience: not knowing how people might act towards my poor dear woman, and my two pretty boys, all these years that I have been from them."

Here Smart showed symptoms of a pathetic nature, for which Felix tried to comfort him saying, "I am sure they are doing very well, for Mrs.

Smart will have taken in some washing, and Jem is I dare say a gamekeeper by now, and perhaps little Tom too."

From Jenny we further learnt that they had come round the way they did to avoid the pirates. As they pa.s.sed the upper caverns they heard what Jenny called a great "scremmage," but saw nothing of Hargrave or the captain. Had they been ten minutes sooner round the rock they might have reached us in safety, and without discovery.

The pirates having given full scope to their curiosity regarding us, now separated, and, while some remained as watchers, the others went off to examine the waterfall and caverns, and look, as we supposed, for our two companions.

"Ha, ha," said Smart, as he saw them emerging in and out from beneath the waterfall, "if it had not been for that demented woman you would never have speered that place, I'll go bail. Mighty pretty it is too as well as uncommon convanient."

_Oscar._--"Is it not like the waterfall at Cil Hepste in Glamorganshire."

_Smart._--"Just such another, Sir, and if I have the luck to see that ere waterfall again, it's a pity if I don't look o' the inside of it."

_Felix._--"What, do you think we shall find caverns and pirates in it, like this one, Tommy?"

_Smart._--"No, Sir, I'se warrant there is neer a pirate there, but it's an uncommon curious place, and like this 'un as one pea to another. The ould lady seems but baddish I consate."

This was but too true. Whether from the fright or the heat, or the unusual exertions, Madame was anything but well, and fell from one fit of hysterics to another. We could do but little to mend her, for even supposing we had had smelling salts on the island we should not have deemed it one of the necessaries to bring upon the rock. We put Zoe beside her with orders to talk to her, and tell her as many of her adventures as she could to amuse and divert her mind.