Exhausted by our many emotions, and the agony of the last twenty-four
hours, we slept until very late. But our first words on awaking were,
"Is the ship gone?"
Yes! she was gone from her mooring; nevertheless she was lying to, and
the boat came off to shore with about ten men in it. They lost no time,
but hurried about in every direction to find what we were certainly not
going to lose sight of again. We heard them wrangling and grumbling as
they searched all about Cartref Pellenig. A gun recalled them to the
ship after they had spent many fruitless hours in the search. Ere sunset
arrived, the low black hull of the evil ship was hardly to be traced on
the horizon. Then we questioned the three heroines as to their
adventures.
_Schillie._--"Odious beasts."
_Mother._--"Is that all you have to say about them?"
_Schillie._--"Wretches."
_Mother._--"But, Serena, what do you say?"
_Serena._--"They are shocking people."
_Mother._--"Well, I must try Jenny, for you did only tell us what we
guessed before."
_Jenny._--"Oh, Ma'am, they are such a wicked lot!"
Finding we could not get any news out of them, we waited until they had
sufficiently relieved their feelings by abusing them, and then gleaned
the following information by fits and starts. To use Schillie's words
they were audibly and horribly elated at having captured such notable
prisoners. Also they were questioned very much about themselves, and
Schillie's friend, the King of the Pirates, asked if they belonged to a
party of ladies and children supposed to be lost in a yacht about two
years ago. To this she replied in the affirmative, hoping to hear news
from home. Then they told her that many people were employed in the
search after them, and that very large rewards were offered to any one
who could give information. "Then," said Schillie, "if you take us all
home you shall receive rewards beyond your greatest wishes."
This conversation was held in French. He went and retailed it to his
companions in Spanish, not deeming that Serena understood them. They
then had a dispute amongst themselves as to whether they would retain
possession of the prisoners or claim the promised reward. The dispute
ran so high that they all agreed to defer it till they got to sea,
having too much to do to waste the time at present. When Serena
interpreted this to Schillie she was wrath beyond expression, and vowed
she would jump overboard and be swallowed by a shark ere she went to sea
and leave it undecided as to what their future fate must be. Then the
captain asked her where all the others were? And in a fit of disgust
and horror she said to him he should not take her from the island unless
it was to restore them to their friends. Giving her a ferocious look he
said her fate should be decided according as she behaved, and they were
in no particular want of money at present, having been very successful
in their late excursion. He also told her that they had been on the look
out for us a long time, and wanted to know if we had not great riches,
plate, and diamonds with us; he, in fact, asked so many questions, we
could not but perceive they knew a great deal about us. Finding Schillie
grew more and more reserved and angry, he separated the three, and
proceeded to question them. Jenny declared point blank, as well as she
could by signs, that all the rest of us were dead! and only those three
left. Serena pretended not to understand, and fell into such hysterical
tears at being separated from Schillie, that after awhile they restored
them together.
"Well, Schillie," said I, "I don't think I should have objected to go
with them so much, for they are generally such needy people these
pirates that money would surely have tempted them to give you up."
_Schillie._--"Brutes!"
_Mother._--"And then you could have made arrangements to come for us."
_Schillie._--"Villains!"
_Mother._--"Now do be rational, why don't you listen to what I say,
instead of vituperating in this manner?"
_Schillie._--"It is you that want reason. I tell you what, June, I had
rather stay here all the days of my life, and live to be the last
person on it, burying you every one, than be a week at sea with such a
set of rascally, vile, audacious, drunken robbers as they were. Now if
you love me let me hear their names no more. Let me enjoy the fact that
I am with you all again. Let me do anything to drive away the horrors
that beset me when in their power. I don't mean to say they were
uncivil, or rude, or that they treated us unnecessarily roughly. I had a
knife ready if they had done so to either of us."
So the subject was dropped, and, though we might have had some
misgivings that we had not acted with great courage, and that we had
lost an opportunity of being restored to the world which we might not
have again, yet we were not worse off than we had been ten days ago.
Moreover, we had escaped a great and serious misfortune, namely, being
separated. Also we knew the extent of what we had suffered, and we could
not tell what we might have had to endure. Also we had the heartfelt
satisfaction of knowing that we were not given up as lost, that kind
hearts and active energies were being employed in our behalf. Were we
wrong to be so hopeful that these exertions would meet with a due
reward?
These thoughts gave us food for many a conversation, though we made very
few allusions to the pirates themselves. Once, indeed, on remarking a
few cooking utensils, and a great big bottle that were now in use among
us, and which I had never seen before, "Oh," said Gatty composedly,
"they had no business to burn down our house, so Otty and I cleared
their caboose while you were down in the cabin, and Jenny helped us, and
she allows we have now a tidy set of cooking things, and Goodness knows
they have arrived just in the nick of time as ours were done up."
_Jenny._--"Indeed, Ma'am, it is quite true. Look at our old saucepans.
Past mending, even if there was a tinker next door."
_Schillie._--"Very sensible brat! I did not think she had such _nous_ in
her."
_Mother._--"Really I think we ought to give you a vote of thanks,
Gatty."
_Madame._--"But surely, my dear Madam, the want of principle Gertrude
has shewn ought to be reproved. It was (pray do not think me unkind) but
I am afraid I can call it nothing but a theft on her part."
_Hargrave_ (bursting into the conversation _nolens volens_).--"I beg
pardon, ladies, but I must say Miss Gertrude has hacted in a manner
surprisingly delightful. Them 'orrifying hannimals 'as destroyed 'eaps
of our best dresses and millineries; and hif Miss could but 'ave tossed
their best suits hoverboard my mind would be hat rest, and my 'eart
heased."
So Gatty got applauded on all sides, for Madame was reminded if it had
not been for her thieving propensities she would never have had the nice
quantities of warm water we could now heat for her bath. Therefore she
pocketed her principles at the shrine of her baths, at least to a
certain extent.