_Mary Hamilton and Ellen Armstrong Captured and conveyed to
the Pirate Palace. Contemplated Escape--Frustrated by
Blackbeard. Ellen afterwards conveyed on board the Pirate
Brig._
In spite of their entreaties, the females were ruthlessly torn away from
their companions, and conducted by these remorseless ruffians to the
pirate's palace. Mary then thought, that the beauty and loveliness of
the island, which, but a few hours previous she would not have exchanged
for all England, she would now gladly quit for the meanest spot on
Briton's Isle.
Sweet Ellen murmured to herself that the horrible forebodings she had in
reference to the island, were but the precursor of what might be
expected. The grandeur and sublimity of its scenery, its isolated
position, being surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic--the unnatural
music and noises, all conspired to fill the mind of this young girl with
the idea that something was about to transpire of no ordinary
nature,--and neither was she deceived.
A great change however, had been wrought in the course of the last few
hours, upon the thoughts and feelings of our two fair captives, a change
which had caused reality to usurp for a time at least, the place of
romance, and constrained them to gaze with a vacant look upon the
superbly natural beauties of the island glen. Therefore with thoughts
concentrated upon their immediate personal prospects and fruitless
conjectures as to the complexion of their coming fate, the fair captives
mechanically followed the footsteps of their guides, who when they had
reached the bottom of the hill, suddenly stopped before the open door of
a long building which had been ingeniously constructed of bamboo and
other light materials well suited for the covering of a cool place of
shelter, under the heat of a tropical sun. There was nothing farther,
worthy of remark about its exterior appearance, with the exception of
its being so thickly covered on all sides by the luxuriant and evergreen
foliage of the surrounding trees, as to preclude it from being seen from
the tops of the adjacent hills, but its interior contained four large
apartments, two of which had been fitted up in a manner luxurious, and
even elegant.
Into one of these two rooms, whose walls were decorated and hung round
with the richest crimson drapery, and which was as richly furnished in
every other respect, did the strange guides usher their fair prisoners,
after which, they instantly retired, leaving our heroine and her
companion to consult together as they might see fit upon their singular
and mysterious situation.
'Do we dream dear Mary,' exclaimed Ellen, us she gazed wildly around
this strange apartment, 'or are we laboring under the influence of some
fairy spell of necromantic enchantment?'
'Would to Heaven, that it was so,' exclaimed Mary, in reply, 'but alas,
it is not. For the present at least, dear Ellen, we are in the power of
ferocious pirates, from whom, I hope we shall soon be released.'
'How?' asked Ellen, hardly realizing what she said.
'Through the agency of our friends on ship-board' replied Mary.
'Oh yes, I recollect now,' said Ellen. 'My father and Arthur have gone
on board our vessel, but I have seen nothing of Henry or Patrick, since
we first landed upon this fatal spot. Where do you think they can be?'
'I have been trying to convince my mind of their safety, ever since we
fell in with our cruel captors,' answered Mary, 'yet I cannot say that I
have succeeded in so doing. From the top of some adjacent hill, they may
have witnessed the scenes which transpired on the occasion of our
capture, and concealed themselves in some of the fissures of the rocky
cliffs, there to await assistance from the ship, or--'
'They may have been taken prisoners, by the pirates, as you call them,'
interrupted Ellen.
'Heaven forbid,' exclaimed Mary earnestly. 'But if that should be the
fact,' continued the fair girl, after a moment's pause, 'I feel greatly
consoled by the hope that they, as well as ourselves, will find a speedy
release from this horrible bondage.'
'I'm sure it will not be Captain Rowland's fault, if we are not very
soon liberated,' replied Ellen.
'You seem to be rather partial towards this Captain Rowland,' Mary
carelessly remarked.
'Partial, what mean you by that, Mary?' asked Ellen, as a slight blush
overspread her beautiful features. 'He has been very kind and attentive
to all of us during our voyage, and such treatment requires, in my
opinion, at least civility in return.'
Before Mary could find time to reply to the words of her companion, the
ears of both our fair captives were suddenly astonished by the sound of
a female voice, singing in a sweet, low tone of touching melody the
following words--
'Beware, beware,
Of the false and fair,
For many a noble form,
Hides a heart within,
Quite as full of sin,
And as black as the midnight storm.'
'This must be the very palace of enchantment,' exclaimed Ellen, as the
voice of the singer abruptly ceased, 'where one could almost be led to
forget their own personal identity. But hark, I hear the strange voice
again.'
Ellen and her companion again listened in almost breathless silence as
the invisible vocalist continued her song, thus:
'Beware, beware,
For grief and care
Broods over the youthful heart,
And the chastening rod
Of an Infinite God,
His justice will soon impart.'
Here the voice of the invisible songster again ceased, and although both
Ellen and her companion listened long for its repetition, they listened
in vain, for it was heard no more.
After a short interval of silence had elapsed, Mary Hamilton addressed
her companion as follows--
'The thought has just entered my mind of attempting to escape from this
strange and horrible place.'
'I must own, dear Mary,' replied Ellen, 'that the place is strange
enough to terrify a less romantic person than myself, still I think it
far from being horrible. This room is almost as elegantly furnished as
was my dear mother's in London, and then only think of the delightful
music which has so lately greeted our ears.'
'Think too, of the horrid farce we have seen,' continued
Mary.--'Earnestly consider, dear Ellen, that we are in the power of
pirates and murderers, whose motives for detaining us, cannot be any
thing but evil, and then say if you will join me in making an attempt to
escape.'
'You talk of escaping from the pirate's palace, as though it were the
most easy and practicable thing in the world,' exclaimed Blackbeard,
who had abruptly entered the apartment from an inner room, and had stood
unperceived behind the captives whilst Mary Hamilton had spoken the
words quoted above.
Startled by the sudden and unexpected appearance of their strange, yet
famous captor, our two maidens were at first awed into silence, but it
was of short duration, for Mary Hamilton quickly gathered sufficient
courage to enable her to answer the pirate's words as follows:
'If it is not an easy thing for us to escape, surely you possess the
power to make it so.'
'True, I possess the power,' replied the pirate, somewhat ironically,
'yet for the present at least, I lack the inclination. So you must make
yourselves as contented as you can here in my poor house, until I can
make arrangements for your future government.'
'Allow me to ask, sir, by what right it is that you, a person totally
unknown to us, have forcibly abducted from their natural protectors, two
poor females who never harmed you nor yours?'
'Believe me, Miss Hamilton,' answered the pirate earnestly, 'when I tell
you that I have not acted in the manner of which you speak, without
reason. But my motives and reasons, I shall take the liberty of
explaining when and where I please.'
'Were your motives such as would do honor to an angel,' replied Mary,
'it would not alter my opinion either of yourself or your actions. I
believe you to be both a pirate, and murderer, and--'
'Stop, you have said enough,' exclaimed Blackbeard, sternly. 'If you do
not fear the consequences of such rash speaking for yourself, know that
I hold in my hand the power of life and death over thy betrothed lover.'
'My worst forebodings are then realized,' exclaimed Mary in a faltering
tone, 'and I must condescend to sue for mercy at your feet.--Mercy, not
for myself, but for him who is far dearer to me than life.'
'He is almost too dangerous a character to receive clemency at my
hands,' answered the pirate, 'for his capture and that of his servant,
has cost one of the bravest of my crew his life, therefore, according to
our code of laws, which require blood for blood, he is answerable to
immediate death. But the pardoning power still remains in my hands, and
I am willing to spare him upon one condition.'
'Name, oh name it,' exclaimed Mary, eagerly.
'It is this,' continued the pirate. 'You must consent to marry Captain
Rowland.'
As these dread words fell into accents cold and calm upon her ears, the
self possession which had distinguished her throughout the foregoing
conversation, suddenly passed away, and poor Mary Hamilton sunk utterly
bereft of consciousness upon one of the richly cushioned seats which
ornamented the apartment, while sweet Ellen Armstrong almost as
terrified as her companion, looked vacantly around, and as if not
comprehending the import of the pirate's significant speech.
After gazing fixedly for a few moments upon the forms of the two fair
creatures before him, Blackbeard stepped softly to the door from which
he had made his ingress into the apartment, and in a low but distinct
voice uttered the following words:
'Violette, come hither.'
A moment or two of dead silence intervened, and then a dark
complectioned but beautifully formed female entered the apartment, and
stood before the pirate, who thus addressed her:
'Seest thou, Violette, that lady reclining upon yonder seat, with face
as pale as death?'
Casting her eyes in the direction intimated by the pirate's glance, she
gave a nod of assent as he continued:
'I am about to leave this place for a short season, and in the meanwhile
I wish to place this fair lady in your keeping.'
'And her companion also?' asked Violette.
'No; she accompanies me.'
'It is well,' replied Violette, 'your orders shall be faithfully
obeyed.'
The pirate here whispered a few words in the ear of the dark female, who
immediately after approached the seat where Mary was reclining, stamped
thrice with her tiny foot upon the floor, when two hideous looking
negressess entered the apartment, and at a sign from Violette, they
instantly removed the still prostrate form of Mary Hamilton into the
inner room.
This last singular and unnatural proceeding totally confused the few
ideas which had remained to poor Ellen after her friend had swooned, and
as the loud booming of distant cannon fell upon her ear, she too would
have sank fainting to the floor, had not Violette sprang forward and
caught her in her arms.