Yr Ynys Unyg Part 28

"What a dirty draggle-tailed thing she looks," said Schillie, "in all that worn-out old finery. Why cannot she dress like us and Jenny in these serviceable dresses?"

"Oh, she made a particular request to me," I answered, "not to dress in our island costume, and asked leave to use all our old things to make herself, what she called, respectable. But are you really so tired you cannot watch?"

_Schillie._--"To be sure not; you don't think I am going to let you watch without me, only I am regularly done up, and think it would be rather a good plan to get shot that I might have some rest."

_Mother._--"Fie, Schillie, you forget what you are saying."

_Schillie._--"I dare say I am very wicked, but don't bother me now; keep your scolding until we get out of this mess, if we ever do."

CHAPTER XL.

Towards midnight, a sound in the water made our hearts beat. Either the pirates meant to storm us at night, or Smart and the captain were attempting to join us. Calling the girls, we set them to watch the rope ladder, which we let down on the one side, while we watched the pathway on the other.

The tide was ebbing, though our rock was still wholly surrounded by water, yet not sufficient to make the sharks any protection to us. It was this which made us so anxious, for there were such a few hours in the day during which the pirates could attack us, and they had been so unexpectedly repulsed, we had but little doubt they would attempt a night a.s.sault if possible, and for this the tide now suited very well, and we could not hope that they would be ignorant of the advantage.

The sounds advanced on one side, though still so faint and designedly smothered we could distinguish nothing to lead us to know whether friends or foes were coming. Now, whoever they were, they certainly had landed at the foot of the rock. We instinctively each grasped a stone.

"The Lord be thankit, captain; I do consate as we have found the pathway," in Smart's tones, rose up to our delighted ears, and we grasped their hands with heartfelt pleasure as they severally reached the top. We had, however, a drawback to our pleasure, for Smart had been wounded looking for Mrs. Hargrave. The necessity of binding his wound and restoring his exhausted strength, prevented us from thinking of getting off to the ship then; besides, we had little more than an hour's darkness left us, and it would have taken that time to move Madame alone. So, after making Smart as comfortable as we could, Schillie and I ran off to take some rest, in the full a.s.surance that half our cares were over, now that we had got our two able-bodied defenders among us again. Besides, no further responsibility rested on our shoulders, and that was so great a relief we were asleep almost before we laid down.

CHAPTER XLI.

The imperturbable Hargrave presented herself the next morning as perfectly rested, and ready to dress her mistress, and put her hair (now for so long neglected) into proper order. A piece of coolness and effrontery that so surprised me I remained quite dumb.

Not so the young ones; but I am ashamed to repeat all that was said, for, though they had right on their side, the unfortunate woman was set upon by all, and if tongues could sting, she would not have been alive now. At last she sat down in a remote corner of the rock, to weep and bewail herself, thinking, I dare say, that she had escaped from one set of savages into another. And, though she derived some consolation part of the time in what she called "tidying herself," she shed many a tear over her torn garments and battered appearance, declaring that she had had her clothes ruined by the rough way in which the captain and Smart had dragged her about. "Say that again," said Felix, "and I must spit at you to show my contempt."

That the captain and Smart had joined us soon became known among the pirates, and if they had been so severely repulsed before by two boys, it was madness attempting another a.s.sault.

So they set about means of devising how they could dislodge us, without endangering their own lives. Madame's increasing illness became our great care now, she was becoming delirious, and there was no possibility of subduing the fever upon this baking rock.

"A little cooling lime juice, Ma'am, I would venture to advise," said Hargrave.

"And who has put a stop to our having that?" was uttered on various sides, in various indignant tones.

Hargrave shrunk back into her corner again, while the captain said, "I will draw up some sea water, with which you must bathe her head. Smart's wound will fester I doubt; we have nothing here to ease that, I am grieved to say."

Middle day came, when the heat was greatest. We lay gasping, half dead with fatigue, heat, and fears as to what would be our fate. Suddenly we were roused by Smart's voice, who could not rest for the pain of his wound. "Be sharp, be sharp," he cried, "they are throwing lighted brands up here, we shall be on fire in a minute, and roast meat in ten." We flew in every direction, and threw them off as fast as they could throw them on. It was hotter work for them than us and, seeing us so active, they ceased for awhile. The captain then cut away great square plots of brushwood as best he could, to prevent much harm accruing in case they tried their brands again.

While thus occupied, Sybil came running to me, all in tears, and wringing her hands. "Oh, I have killed him, I am afraid he is dead," she cried.

"How? who?" we exclaimed.

"I only meant to frighten him, I would not hurt anybody. Oh, what shall I do?"

We ran with her to the extreme end of the rock, and, looking down, we saw on a ledge below, a large stone with a man beneath it.

"I was running here," continued the weeping Sybil, "to see if any brands were thrown in this direction, and, peeping down, I saw a man scrambling up, very near the top. He did not see me, but I had no time to lose, so I just pushed that great stone with all my might. You know we had remarked this stone before as being just in the position to roll down, if it was only on the other side. I do not know how I managed, but over it went, and fell directly on him; and, oh, I am afraid it has killed him. What shall I do, I shall never be happy again."

_Gatty._--"Not happy again, Sib, I only wish I had done it."

_Sybil._--"But, sister, do you think he is really dead? Can we not go down and save him, or take that great stone off him? Oh dear, oh dear, how could I do such a cruel thing."

_Gatty._--"Oh, Sib, Sib, what a goose you are. You have done a glorious thing. I only wish it had been me. Think, Serena, of Sib having killed a pirate all by herself and we have not even cut off the little finger of one. It is too provoking."

We were obliged to take the poor tender-hearted girl away from the spot, and she shook and shivered with remorse all the rest of the day. We comforted her as well as we could by saying he must have died immediately (for dead he was without any doubt), and he had fallen on a spot where the sea would carry away all remains of him before morning.

The little ones looked at poor trembling aunt Sib with the greatest admiration, Gatty with envy and jealousy, while Serena, like a true tender-hearted little sister, comforted and kissed her, telling her how gentle, good, and kind she was to everybody, and what a good thing she had done for us, and how, perhaps, this was the identical pirate who had stolen her, and that she was not to be unhappy at what perhaps we might all have to do ere long. And this set us talking upon our plans.

"Don't you think, captain," said Schillie, "we may get off to the ship to-night?"

_Captain._--"We must try, Madam. If they should chance to go on board, they will find out how busy we have been there, and they will then take measures to prevent us executing any such plan. But I have lost my right hand in Smart."

_Gatty and Oscar._--"Oh, captain, send me for the boat. I can swim like a duck, and it's not a hundred yards from here."

_Mother._--"My dear children, the sharks."

_Oscar._--"I don't mind them, Mother."

_Gatty._--"They will have a good mouthful if they swallow me; and if I am as troublesome inside a shark as you, little Mother, say I sometimes am here, I shall not agree with him at all."

_Schillie._--"Now, Gatty, I won't have you running into any danger. I don't mean to say you are not extremely troublesome, but still I have got used to you, and I won't have you expose yourself to any danger."

_Captain._--"I think I can manage to make them both of use, and yet without much danger, I trust. I would not have a hair of their precious heads lost."

Gatty flushed up like the setting sun with pleasure; Oscar nodded in approbation, while I said, "Then it is decided, at all events, we get off to-night, if we can."

"Man proposes, and G.o.d disposes."

"Sister, look," said Serena, in a low sorrowful voice. Ah me, did I see rightly? With every sail set, that ominous, black, hateful vessel, the pirate ship, hove in sight, and ere we could collect our senses, or believe our eyes, she was anchoring in the bay.

CHAPTER XLII.

We sat down on the carpet of desperation and the stools of despair.

The pirates on sh.o.r.e seemed as bewildered as we were. The pirates on board seemed in a great state of confusion and uproar. A general running, hurrying, and scurrying took place among them all.

While those of the ship pointed vehemently to the sea, they of the land gesticulated violently towards the caverns, and both were equally eccentric in their observations regarding us. At last regular parties were organized, who began systematically, at the same time with the utmost rapidity, to unload their vessel; while the pirate king, hoisting a white flag, and attended by a few ferocious-looking followers, advanced towards our rock. By the captain's advice we hoisted a white rag of some sort, as a token of friendship, and in silence waited the result.