Quiet prevailed, lessons predominated, we were all getting very stupid
again. Schillie was very much subdued after her sojourn with the
pirates, and took to following me everywhere, as the faithful dog
follows his master. Also, she was very amenable to all my wishes and
worked like a horse in the gardens and potatoe grounds, because I
thought we had better lay in great stores of food, for fear the pirates
should come again. Besides this work, we plaited grass into ropes, and
made a ladder or two, with which we practised running up and down into
the cavern from the opening at the top. It was something to do, and
might be useful. The children were like cats at last, and used to
frighten me out of my wits by their feats of agility.
So many of our clothes had been destroyed that it became necessary to do
something towards replacing them; and, after various attempts, Schillie
and I constructed two rude weaving machines, in which, with hard work,
we made a coarse kind of cloth. This was dyed any colour we fancied, and
then made into a long loose dress, with hanging sleeves, capable of
being tucked up, and a broad belt to confine them round the waist. We
found them very convenient and cool, only it was incessant work,
spinning, weaving, and making them. We certainly did not eat the bread
of idleness, and many a day's holiday was asked from Madame, only to
work the poor girls harder at spinning, weaving, or gardening. But they
enjoyed it, and grew like palm trees, looking so pretty and lively, that
it was quite a sight to look at them: Sybil fair as a lily, and bright
as a rose; Gatty glowing like the bright hibiscus; the pale and graceful
Serena, faultless in form and action; while the little ones seemed to be
growing up into what the elder girls had been when we first landed on
the island.
The rainy season came and went. God blessed us in our house and field,
and in the hearts content that filled every mind.
Intuitively we all seemed to feel that a good time was coming for us,
and we prepared for the fine weather with fresh energies and renewed
hopes, not unmixed with the notion that we should have dangers and
difficulties to encounter, ere we should be finally restored to all we
loved.
We encouraged each other in every way. We relied on some of our letters
reaching their proper destination, we assured each other that another
six months would not pass without our friends coming to look for us.
We made every preparation, stores of food for a full year were stowed
away in the cavern. We concocted a kitchen, from whence the smoke could
never betray us, and we sat down in patient expectation, and full trust
in our Almighty Father, that should the pirates come again we were quite
prepared; therefore, without fear, though with a little palpitation of
heart, we received the news one brilliant morning that a sail was to be
seen on the horizon.
It came nearer and nearer and yet kept off the island. We might have
thought, for a time, that perchance it was our friends, but one after
another allowed the mournful fact to escape from our lips, that it was
indeed the pirates' vessel.
Supposing us to be inexperienced in vessels, and not likely to know one
again, after seeing it once, we imagined they kept dodging on and off
the island to deceive us, and that they would do this until dark, and
then landing as best they might, they would thus take us by surprise.
They little knew how sharp was the watch we kept, as much prompted by
affection as fear.
But we understood their man[oe]uvres very well, and were quite prepared.
We had long ceased to need the Cartref Pellenig entrance, letting
everything down by the aperture above, where the rock and brushwood
would tell no tales of our footsteps. We had made some more places of
observation, and we went to rest that night feeling prepared for
everything. It happened as we expected. The whole island seemed alive
with pirates as the sun arose. We had taken care to leave their works of
destruction as much like what they had left them as possible. They spent
a whole week in diligently searching the island, yet were no restraint
upon us whatever. We had our shower baths, and even our exercise up and
down the rope ladders, peeping out upon them from the top, for we had
smoothed the sides of the cliff so well, there was not a place for a cat
to get up, and besides it seeming only to be bare rock and brushwood,
they thought they saw all over it without deeming that anything could be
hidden down in it.
We got rather rash, they got very vexed, we were delighted, they were
disappointed. At last at the end of ten days, they began to unload the
vessel. Now! thought we, "what is going to happen, surely they are not
going to stay here." Our ill-timed hilarity received a sudden check, for
our fears were confirmed, they unloaded the vessel completely, and after
ballasting her with sand and shingle, they set sail, and departed. But
alas! for us they left ten of their people behind them, who commenced to
our horror and disgust building a house very near Cartref Pellenig, but
so placed that they could look down the cliffs and over the sea. By this
arrangement we had certainly one-half of the island entirely to
ourselves, and as they were extremely busy, evidently trying to get
their house completed ere the second rains came on, and as what time
they had to spare they spent entirely in carousing and sleeping, we ran
little danger of being discovered, though out for hours together. One
precaution we took which was always to have a watcher on their
movements, and never to leave the cavern, without settling where we were
to be found in case of warning. Also they seemed quite to have made up
their own minds that they were the sole inhabitants of the island.
Little dreaming what a home she gave in her friendly bosom to the weak
and helpless, and how many eyes watched their every movement.
We gathered the fruits of roots, enjoyed the turtle, collected eggs, and
accustomed our hens to lay in the cavern, giving them a remote egress,
through which nothing but fowls could get. We were not therefore in
danger of starving, supposing they did take up their abode on the island
with us. So we sat down on the carpet of contentment.
During the ensuing wet weather we saw nothing of our visitors, and we
beguiled the time with writing stories and romances, and reciting them
in the evening while we knitted, spun, and weaved. Part of the girls'
lessons consisted in learning French Plays by heart, and Schillie and I
as spectators saw more than poor Madame, who innocently left them to
select their own lessons. Sometimes they would repeat the same lessons
three days running, making grimaces at us to say nothing. Sometimes
Gatty managed so to arrange it, that, during four or five long pages of
dialogue, all she had to say was, "_Et Tartuffe_" "_Le Pauvre-homme_"
two or three times, and then she received the good jeton necessary for
such a long lesson.
_Schillie._--"You will be hanged some day, Miss Gatty, if you go on in
this deceptious manner."
_Gatty._--"Oh, Sib likes the fun, and Serena is so fond of languages,
she does not care how much she says, provided it is not in her mother
tongue, and I love them both so much, I always like to oblige them."
_Schillie._--"I dare say you do, you young sinner. Now see if I don't
expose you to Madame, and then in addition to the crime of stealing, you
will have fibbing added."
_Gatty._--"I am quite ready to go and restore the kettle and other
things, if you like it, little Mother. Perhaps you would not mind coming
with me to do this act of justice."
_Schillie._--"Mention such a thing again, and see how I will punch you,
Miss, just as if I would walk one yard nearer those wretches, than the
horrid narrow limits of this island oblige me. No, if they were dying by
inches for want of their kettle I would not stir one step to give it
them."
_Serena._--"How severe you are upon them, little Mother, I hate the sight
of them, but I don't think I could see them starve."
_Sybil._--"Indeed I should not care what became of them, or what fate
happened to them so that they were all dead."
_Gatty._--"There, Madame, there, hear what your pattern of gentleness
and goodness says. Don't talk to me any more about being more like a boy
than a girl. Here Syb declares she would like to see the pirates roasted
alive."
_Sybil._--"Now, Gatty, how can you?"
_Gatty._--"You said you did not care what became of them; perhaps flayed
alive will suit you better."
_Sybil._--"Horrid girl, how you make me shudder."
_Madame._--"I feel perfectly correct in saying, Gertrude, that you are
merely giving voice to your own ideas, and not to my gentle Sybil's."
_Sybil._--"Then, dear Madame, I must undeceive you, for, when I look at
Serena, I don't think I should care whether they were roasted or not."
_Madame._--"My child, my dear child, since when have you adopted these
notions, so foreign to your mild nature?"
_Sybil._--"I don't know, indeed, Madame; but I am ready to fire off a
gun if it is necessary to drive them away."
_Madame._--"You see, Madam, what an effect it has had upon our household
already, the visit of these pirates."
_Mother._--"Then, Madame, we must hope no worse effects will ensue. At
present I admire Sybil's spirit and energy, and think she wanted but
that to make her almost what you think her, perfection."
_Gatty._--"I don't like the change at all. Nothing I can do to her now
frightens her. I found the most frightful old bloated toad yesterday,
and put it on her fat white arm, saying 'there's a pirate for you, Syb,'
and, would you believe it, she neither shrieked or screamed, but said
quite savagely, 'I only wish it was, and that I could make away with him
as quickly as I could this poor toad.' It is quite provoking, all my fun
is gone."
_Oscar._--"Perhaps, aunt Sib, you won't mind learning to fire a gun
now."
_Sybil._--"Not at all, dear boy, but (adding quickly) you know we must
not shoot at present for fear of discovering ourselves."
_Felix._--"Oh, she's a coward yet, she most certainly is."
_Lilly._--"She was no coward when she went to the ship that dark night,
boy" (indignantly).
_Zoe._--"I am sure she is as brave as any of us when occasion requires"
(more indignantly).
_Winny._--"Yes, indeed, all her stories are full of brave people, and
they are such pretty stories."
_Schillie._--"Well, children, don't let us have any more of this mawkish
dispute. Aunt Sib is agreed to be nearly perfection by you all, and when
I see her looking steadily at a spider without a wink I'll think her so
too. It is lucky she has turned out so brave, as we may want her
services, and I trust you will all follow her worthy example. I intend
organizing an army, and making myself field-marshal thereof; and if you
make good soldiers, and obey the word of command, I'll tell you the
story of the little jack-daws."
The house the men built, which we called Pirate Hall, was magnificent
compared to our poor dear Cartref Pellenig, and was made with such
rapidity, speed, and neatness, our clerk of the works fell into fits of
envy and jealousy. We had visited it very often without being
discovered; but the children, from sheer mischief, used to carry off
things of all kinds back to our cavern, and we were unable to prevent
them, as they almost considered it an act of duty to do so. I would not
let them go; besides, we might have been discovered, as, through the
loss of different things in such a strange manner, they must suspect
some other people were on the island. Schillie, Madame, and I had many
private conversations regarding these pirates and their settling on the
island; for we were not so hopeful as to think if they settled here
permanently we could always escape notice. Some inadvertence on our
part, some chance on theirs, an earthquake, any of these things might
discover us.
Schillie imagined, from the peculiar way in which Pirate Hall was built,
they meant to use it as a storehouse, and that probably the vessel would
return, take off the ten men, now our neighbours, and only visit the
island when they had to store away their ill-gotten gains, or from bad
weather. I agreed with her, and further added, that probably the old
house had been built for the same purpose, but that their rendezvous
had been disturbed by the extraordinary snake which had been so nearly
fatal to us. Now that it was dead they were again making use of the
island, and we must be prepared for this and any other disagreeable
occurrence that their proximity to us would cause.
Madame hoped that if they really took permanent possession of the
island, we might in some manner contrive to quit it, either through
their ships and boats, or from my brother's ship, which we knew had been
stationed on the South American Coast, for the purpose of exterminating
the pirates, and discovering their hordes. And if he ever pursued one,
in endeavouring to reach this island, he might be led on after them, and
so discover us.
I doubted their permitting so safe and convenient a spot being
discovered. However time would show, and without any event occurring,
that could be interesting to others than ourselves, time brought the
pirate's vessel back again. Henceforward its visits were at all times
and all hours, never staying above a day when it did come, then all
hands worked hard to unload and refit again. Sometimes everybody went in
it. Sometimes two or three remained behind. And it was on one of these
occasions we had a most dreadful fright. Hearing a noise amongst the
brushwood at the top of the cavern, we found out in a minute, one or all
of the pirates were up there. Almost before the thought rushed through
us, there was a crash, a whizzing through the air, and the large heavy
body of one of the men fell into the midst of us, and lay there a
shapeless bloody mass. Voices were immediately heard, calling to the
man, and cautioning each other to beware. We heard the axe cutting away
the brushwood, which fell in the cavern amongst us, and fancied faces
were peeping down upon us, to see what had occurred to their companion.
We stood and sat motionless. They called to him, and speculated on his
fate, and wondered that they heard nothing from him. What should we do,
if they discovered our ladders. It seemed however that they were too
much alarmed at the unknown fate of their companion, to hazard their
lives in search of him, but left the place, saying something about ropes
and a further search.
And now what were we do? Here we were with the great body of a pirate in
the midst of us, who, though dead, inspired us with almost as much
horror and terror, as if alive. What could we do with the crushed and
horrid remains. This seemed to oppress us the most, and in thinking who
was to touch and move it, we lost sight of the danger we incurred from
the other pirates coming back to look for the body.
_Mother._--"Well! Schillie, what must we do?"
_Schillie._--"I shall not touch the beast!"
_Madame._--"The sight is frightful, I really must retire."
The three girls hung aloof, the little ones had hidden themselves out of
sight. Though I said nothing, I looked at Hargrave and Jenny.
_Hargrave_ (very mysteriously).--"I hassure you, Ma'am, I am not
haccustomed, that is, Ma'am, it is no business of mine. I ham not in the
'abits of touching corpses and hexcuse me, Ma'am, this is so very--oh
dear me whathever 'as come hover me. I shall faint, I know."
_Jenny_ (very pale and _resolute_).--"I think, Ma'am, if I rolled it up
in a sheet, we might drag it between us to some distant cavern, and bury
it in the sand."
_Oscar._--"No, Jenny, we must cut him in pieces, and carry him out bit by
bit into the sea."
_Felix._--"Yes, here is his own saw, that I took away the last time we
were at his house. He is only a pirate, Jenny, and quite dead; so, saw
away!"
_Jenny._--"Oh, Master Felix, I did not think you had the heart to be so
cruel."
_Oscar._--"Cruel! don't be absurd, Jenny. You don't care a bit for
cutting off the heads of the chickens so why should you mind cutting up
this great brute."
_Jenny._--"Oh! Sir, you really must excuse me, I cannot do it, even to
please you."
Our dilemma was really growing most painful. "Can one bury him here, as
he is, without touching him?" said I. "Oh no, Mother," said Oscar. "We
could never endure the place knowing this body was buried in it.
Besides, see where he has fallen just where we dine. At all events, if
you will none of you touch him, and he must be buried here, let us seek
another cavern to live in, one nearer the waterfall."
"Shall we follow Otty's advice," said I to the others, "it seems the
only thing we can do, but it is horrible."
"Cover up those unsightly remains, and let us begone," said Schillie,
"the place is getting horrible even now."
We ran for every sort of thing we could find to shovel the sand over
him, and though very soon out of sight, we worked harder and harder, as
if the more sand we put over him, the more we drove from us the horrible
sight. We then recollected the ladders, and Gatty and Serena ran up, and
let them down, and then swung themselves down by a rope, which we
fastened at the side of the cavern, in such a manner as to be hardly
apparent, and certainly of no use.
For a full hour after we had done, the children were throwing more sand
on the great Tumulus now before us, while we moved as many of our things
as we could to another cavern, smaller, less convenient, and darker. We
were so busy, that we forgot the pirates might come back, and were
therefore electrified at the sound of their voices above. They called
once or twice to the dead man, now buried many feet in sand, and of
course receiving no answer, we found they were preparing to let a man
down.
"Oh! Mother," said Oscar, "let us stone him well as he comes down, and
that will frighten him." "And let us hiss like snakes," said Felix,
"and he'll think he has got into a nest of big snakes." "Capital," said
Gatty, "it will be glorious fun." "No, we must shoot him," said
Schillie. "No, no, little Mother, do let us stone him, and hiss him
out," said all the little ones, and they ran to collect stones.
"Indeed, Schillie, I think the children's idea a very good one. If he is
well stoned he won't come down, and if we hiss they will certainly think
us snakes and, being already fearful about them, who knows but the fear
of their being in the caverns of the island may drive them all away."
_Schillie._--"Did ever any one hear of anything so silly. As if a man
with an ounce of brains would be taken in by such a child's trick as
this."
_Oscar._--"Then keep the guns ready, cousin, and you and I will have a
shot at him if necessary."
"Agreed," said she. "Now make haste, every one hide in different
corners; he is coming down."
Most of this conversation was, of course, in whispers. Gatty was to give
the signal for the stoning operations by her most accomplished hiss.
A sudden burst of daylight; he was cutting the brushwood away to
investigate as far as he could before descending. We were all like
silent mice. Three hairy faces peered down. We shivered, and picked up
the biggest stones. Now then he is coming, they say all right in
Spanish, and he requests they will let him down very slowly. Now we see
his legs, now his body, now the whole of him. Why does not Gatty give
the signal? Lower and lower, I must hiss in a minute if she does not; at
last he is fairly half way down. A great hiss, a perfect hurricane of
hisses ensues, and a shower of stones aimed with such right goodwill
that the man roared again. In their start and alarm above they had let
him slip down suddenly a few feet, but his violent cries and entreaties
to be drawn up were quickly attended to, and, amidst incessant hitting,
and such a volley of stones that I do not think one inch of his body
escaped a bruise, he disappeared from our sight.
We heard him groaning and moaning above, while the others questioned
him. He was too much stunned however to say anything as far as we could
make it out, and presently we found they were lowering him down from the
cliffs near Cartref Pellenig, as the easiest way of getting him home.
From our peep-holes we had the satisfaction of seeing our enemy in a
deplorable state, and apparently insensible, which Gatty averred was her
performance, as she aimed particularly at his head.
As Madame observed, a most unladylike proceeding!