We were up, had had our shower bath after careful examination, had
breakfasted, and yet there lay our enemies in stupid and heavy sleep
still.
"Now then," said Gatty, "now is our time."
"Yes," said Otty, "I'll engage to kill them all."
"With my help," said Master Felix consequentially.
"No, no, children, don't be so absurd," said I, "drunken people are not
so helpless as you imagine, and, besides, they may not be all so. Some
may be watching elsewhere, some others may still be in the ship; they
will soon be tired of looking for us, and leave us in peaceable
possession of our dear little island."
_Schillie._--"I am not quite sure if it would not be a good plan to pick
them off one by one, when we can find them at an advantage."
_Mother._--"For heaven's sake don't be mad. The report of a gun would
bring them all on us, and the smoke betray us."
_Sybil._--"Besides, little Mother, they may after all be good people,
and we have no right to kill them until they have tried to hurt us."
_Hargrave._--"Oh Miss Sybil, whatever can you go for to say they 'ave
not 'armed hus. I never, no never saw such wickedness! My mistress's
best lace dress! I shall never forget it to my dying day, no nor never
forgive it. The 'eathens, the monsters, I am willing to 'old any
hinstrument for my young master while he shoots the dreadful
scrummagers."
_Gatty._--"You don't say so! Hargrave, then take hold of this."
Hargrave shuddered as she grasped the gun, but she resolutely held it at
arms length. Gatty having put her to the proof, applauded her, and we
went on with our conversation.
_Mother._--"I can never feel sufficiently grateful to you, Madame, for
your forethoughts and wisdom. We are now at all events our own
mistresses and masters, but no one knows what would have become of us,
had we gone open-armed to meet these people."
_Madame._--"They look capable of any wickedness, Madam, and I really
begin to think from all I can make out that they are pirates, and then
they would have had no scruples in carrying us all off, and selling us
for slaves."
_Schillie._--"Or worse, they might have turned us into wives, a thing I
could by no means consent to, even to be Queen of the Pirates."
_Serena_ (our best Spanish Scholar).--"I heard them talking a great deal
about the snake, and it seemed they were afraid to land at first for
fear of it, but wanted water very much. And it was only on discovering
its skin that they ceased to feel any alarm, and have wandered all about
since."
_Gatty._--"What owls we were to leave the skin there. However I think it
great fun to dodge them in this way."
_Madame._--"Fun did you say, my dear child? Poor deceived child."
_Gatty._--"Not deceived at all, Madame, and, besides, we all think it
fun."
_Sybil._--"Yes, Madame, I think it very amusing to feel so safe and
secure, and yet to be able to watch them so well."
_Serena._--"And you know, Madame, it gives us such advantage; we know
all about them, and they know nothing about us."
_Schillie._--"Also, Madame, we have now something to do, and June cannot
thrust any more of her inventions upon us for want of some other
amusement."
_Zoe._--"And you know, Madame, we cannot have any lessons while we are
so busy watching."
_Winny._--"Yes, Madame, and it is so nice to feel so useful, and have
you all running up to ask us, 'Well! what do we see now? What's going on
at present?'"
_Lilly._--"And to see them all running about here and there looking for
us, and all too in the wrong places."
_Oscar._--"And what fun it will be to shoot them."
_Felix._--"Yes! right and left shots."
_Jenny._--"Oh, Master Felix, how pleased I should be to see you do that."
_Hargrave._--"Nobody more so than hi, I make bold to say."
Madame turned from one to another in sad dismay, and then looked at me.
"Well! Madame, it is better they should all think thus than be as
wretched as we were yesterday," returned I. "So let us make the best of
it, hope the best, and ardently pray for it."
"I should like just to kill a few before they leave," said Gatty.
_Mother._--"For what possible reason, my dear child?"
_Gatty._--"Because, because, it will be then a real good downright
adventure, and we shall be able----"
Here we were interrupted by a great noise. Every heart jumped into every
mouth, at least mine did, so I suppose every other person's did. We flew
to our hiding places. By and by there was a great smell of smoke. I
telegraphed Schillie, and we crept from our corners, and went to the spy
place. Oh sight of horror, what did we see but our beloved house, that
matchless building, all in flames! Not being able to speak, Schillie
shook her fists at them, until I thought she would shake them off. The
dear little house, our pride and delight, built with such labour,
inhabited with such pleasure, was fast consuming under the hands of
these robbers. It seems that having guessed all our stores were there,
and having made every effort to find us, and not succeeding, they had
resorted to this method in the hope of forcing us to appear. But, such
a base act only made us think much more badly of them, and we could
hardly tell the news as we went sorrowfully back to the others.
In the meantime they shouted and called to us in every part of the
island, offered us every inducement they could think of to make us
appear. But, not even the bribe of a promise to take us away from the
island moved us one bit. We kept closer and more quiet the more furious
they became. This lasted two days. We had not much more food left, and
it was absolutely necessary we should get to the gardens to obtain
something, or to the other house. This was a dreadful idea. At one time
I half thought it would be better to starve altogether. But, could I
bear to see the little ones die before my face?
It makes me shiver when I think of that hour, and the settling who was
to go. It must be Schillie or I, one to go, one to stay for fear of
accidents. The lot fell on her. I would not let her have her way, but
would draw lots. I did not know which was the worst fate of two, to go
or stay. Jenny offered to go, Otty would go, and the lot fell on Serena
of the three girls. Gatty groaned aloud in disappointment. The hour
fixed on was just before night, when they would all be carousing. Well!
we let them out. Ah! how horrible it was to see them withdrawn from the
shelter of the secret cavern. I sprang to recall them my feelings were
so dreadful. But they disappeared like lapwings. On our knees we waited
for them, Sybil laying her head in the dust for sorrow, her Serena in
such danger, Gatty tearing at the rocks and stones until her hands bled.
And we could not see them if they were in danger. The suspense was too
dreadful to be borne. With a few hasty words to Madame we seized as much
rope and cordage as we could carry, and, slipping out expeditiously, we
made our way, with the dexterity of long practice, up the side of the
cliffs, among the brushwood, to the top of the cavern. Here we could see
half over the island. But first we tied two stout ropes strongly to two
trees, and let them down into the cavern through one of the apertures
which lighted it. This told them inside that we had safely arrived at
the top, and the ropes were strong enough to let us down in case we
could not safely get back. Sybil, Gatty, and I were these three
impatient ones. Having done that, we looked out for our beloved ones.
They would be under cover all but the plain. We saw them! They were just
going to cross it. How they ran! How we wept and prayed for them. How
endless appeared the time when we once more lost them in the plantation
by the house. It is beginning to grow dark. They are coming! yes, all
four of them, heavily laden evidently. Now they are across the plain!
Now the friendly trees receive them! In ten minutes more they will be
here! How we shall welcome them, though I cannot think how I am ever to
touch the food they have gained at such a risk. Now we must go down to
meet them, and help the dear beloved creatures in with their precious
loads. The trees crack, "let us make haste," the brushwood opens. Ah!
the dreadful sight! Six great pirates appear just as our dear ones burst
through the trees, hurrying all the more from being so near home,
half-blinded with the weights they carried. It is over! They are
surrounded, the pirates shout, they scream, and I fall to the ground
with those sounds ringing in my ears.