After returning twice for water, to satisfy those in the house, Mr
Seagrave came to the assistance of William, who had been removing
Ready's clothes to ascertain the nature of the wound he had received.
"We had better move him to where the other cocoa-nut boughs lie; he will
be more comfortable there," said William.
Ready whispered, "More water." William gave him some more and then,
with the assistance of his father, Ready was removed to a more
comfortable place. As soon as they laid him there, Ready turned on his
side, and threw up a quantity of blood.
"I am better now," said he in a low voice; "bind up the wound, William;
an old man like me has not much blood to spare."
Mr Seagrave and William then examined the wound; the spear had gone
deep into the lungs. William threw off his shirt, tore it up into
strips, and then bound up the wound so as to stop the effusion of blood.
Ready, who at first appeared much exhausted with being moved about,
gradually recovered so as to be able to speak in a low voice, when Mrs
Seagrave came out of the house.
"Where is that brave, kind man?" cried she, "that I may bless him and
thank him."
Mr Seagrave went to her, and caught her by the arm. "He is hurt, my
dear; and very much hurt. I did not tell you at the time."
Mr Seagrave related what had occurred, and then led her to where Ready
was lying. Mrs Seagrave knelt by his side, took his hand, and burst
into tears.
"Don't weep for me," said Ready; "my days have been numbered; I'm only
sorry that I cannot any more be useful to you."
"Dear good man," said Mrs Seagrave, "whatever may be our fates, and
that is for the Almighty to decide for us, as long as I have life, what
you have done for me and mine shall never be forgotten."
Mrs Seagrave then bent over him, and kissing his forehead, rose and
retired weeping into the house.
"William," said Ready, "I can't talk now; raise my head a little, and
then leave me. You have not looked round lately. Come again in about
half an hour. Leave me now, Mr Seagrave; I shall be better if I doze a
little."
They complied with Ready's request; went up to the planks, and examined
carefully all round the stockade; at last they stopped.
"This is a sad business, William," said Mr Seagrave.
William shook his head. "He would not let me go," replied he; "I wish
he had. I fear that he is much hurt."
"I should say that he cannot recover, William. We shall miss him
to-morrow if they attack us."
"I hardly know what to say, papa; but I feel that since we have been
relieved, I am able to do twice as much as I could have done before."
"I feel the same, but still with such a force against us, two people
cannot do much."
"If my mother and Juno load the muskets for us," replied William, "we
shall at all events do as much now as we should have been able to do if
there were three, so exhausted as we should have been."
"Perhaps so; at all events we will do our best, for we fight for our
lives and for those most dear to us."
William went softly up to Ready, and found that he was dozing; he
therefore did not disturb him, but returned to his father. Now that
their thirst had been appeased, they all felt the calls of hunger. Juno
and William went and cut off steaks from the turtle, and fried them;
they all made a hearty meal, and perhaps never had they taken one with
so much relish in their lives.
It was nearly daylight, when William, who had several times been softly
up to Ready, found him with his eyes open.
"How do you find yourself, Ready?" said William.
"I am quiet and easy, William, and without much pain; but I think I am
sinking, and shall not last long. Recollect that if you are obliged to
escape from the stockade, you take no heed of me, but leave me where I
am. I cannot live, and were you to move me, I should only die the
sooner."
"I had rather die with you, than leave you, Ready."
"No, that is wrong; you must save your mother, and your brothers and
sister; promise me that you will do as I wish."
William hesitated.
"I point out to you your duty, William. I know what your feelings are,
but you must not give way to them; promise me this, or you will make me
very miserable."
William squeezed Ready's hand; his heart was too full to speak.
"They will come at daylight, William; you have not much time to spare;
climb to the look-out, and wait there till day dawns; watch them as long
as you can, and then come and tell me what you have seen."
Ready's voice became faint after this exertion of speaking so much.
William immediately climbed up the cocoa-nut tree, and waited there till
daylight. At the dawn of day, he perceived that the savages were at
work, that they had collected all the faggots together opposite to where
the old house had stood, and were very busy in making arrangements for
the attack. At last, every one shouldered a faggot, and commenced their
advance towards the stockade; William immediately descended and called
his father, who was talking with Mrs Seagrave. The muskets were all
loaded, and Mrs Seagrave and Juno took their posts below the planking,
to reload them as fast as they were fired.
"We must fire upon them as soon as we are sure of not missing, William,"
said Mr Seagrave, "for the more we check their advance, the better."
When the first savages were within fifty yards, they both fired, and two
of the men dropped; they continued to fire as their assailants came up,
with great success for the first ten minutes; after which the savages
advanced in a larger body, and took the precaution to hold the faggots
in front of them, for some protection as they approached. By these
means they gained the stockade in safety, and commenced laying their
faggots. Mr Seagrave and William still kept up an incessant fire upon
them, but not with so much success as before.
Although many fell, the faggots were gradually heaped up, till they
almost reached to the holes between the palisades, through which they
pointed their muskets; and as the savages contrived to slope them down
from the stockade to the ground, it was evident that they meant to mount
up and take them by escalade. At last, it appeared as if all the
faggots had been placed, and the savages retired farther back, to where
the cocoa-nut trees were still standing.
"They have gone away, father," said William; "but they will come again,
and I fear it is all over with us."
"I fear so too, my boy," replied Mr Seagrave; "they are only retreating
to arrange for a general assault, and they now will be able to gain an
entrance. I almost wish that they had fired the faggots; we might have
escaped as Ready pointed out to us, but now I fear we have no chance."
"Don't say a word to my mother," said William; "let us defend ourselves
to the last, and if we are overpowered it is the will of God."
"I should like to take a farewell embrace of your dear mother," said Mr
Seagrave; "but, no; it will be weakness just now. Here they come,
William, in a swarm. Well, God bless you, my boy; we shall all, I
trust, meet in Heaven!"
The whole body of savages were now advancing from the cocoa-nut wood in
a solid mass; they raised a yell, which struck terror into the hearts of
Mrs Seagrave and Juno, yet they flinched not. The savages were again
within fifty yards of them, when the fire was opened upon them; the fire
was answered by loud yells, and the savages had already reached to the
bottom of the sloping pile of faggots, when the yells and the reports of
the muskets were drowned by a much louder report, followed by the
crackling and breaking of the cocoa-nut trees, which made both parties
start with surprise; another and another followed, the ground was
ploughed up, and the savages fell in numbers.
"It must be the cannon of a ship, father," said William; "we are saved--
we are saved!"
"It can be nothing else; we are saved, and by a miracle!" replied Mr
Seagrave in utter astonishment.
The savages paused in the advance, quite stupefied; again, again, again,
the report of the loud guns boomed through the air, and the round-shot
and grape came whizzing and tearing through the cocoa-nut grove; at this
last broadside, the savages turned, and fled towards their canoes: not
one was left to be seen.
"We are saved!" cried Mr Seagrave, leaping off the plank and embracing
his wife, who sank down on her knees, and held up her clasped hands in
thankfulness to Heaven.
William had hastened up to the look-out on the cocoa-nut tree, and now
cried out to them below, as the guns were again discharged:
"A large schooner, father; she is firing at the savages, who are at the
canoes; they are falling in every direction: some have plunged into the
water; there is a boat full of armed men coming on shore; they are close
to the beach, by the garden-point. Three of the canoes have got off
full of men; there go the guns again; two of the canoes are sunk,
father; the boat has landed, and the people are coming up this way."
William then descended from the look-out as fast as he could.
As soon as he was down, he commenced unbarring the door of the stockade.
He pulled out the last pole just as he heard the feet of their
deliverers outside. He threw open the door, and, a second after, found
himself in the arms of Captain Osborn.