With a little girl on each knee, Felix hanging with arms round his neck,
Oscar sitting into his pocket, and we all ranged in a circle before him,
we forgot the pirates, we forgot everything but the present moment. We
almost fancied ourselves once more at home; and thus we sat for hours,
heedless of meals and dangers, listening to and retailing again all that
had occurred since our sad and fatal parting.
The only interruptions were our occasional visits to the dear captain,
whose insensibility had given place to an attack of fever and delirium,
through which Madame had engaged to bring him, if we left her in peace
and quiet to fulfil her own prescriptions. We could not avoid, however,
spite our deep interest in all Smart said, running to enquire every ten
minutes if he was better. And painful was it to hear his broken
exclamations, his cries after us, the mournful repetition of each little
pet name, his agonies for their fancied danger, his remorse and sorrow
choking the prayers and petitions he mixed with all he said. Dear kind
captain, if all you said in your delirium had been running through your
brain once you had parted from us, no wonder that it had at last given
way, and that you now lay before us a wreck of what you once were, a
broken-down, miserable-looking, white-headed man. But now for Smart's
story, which I think it best to give in his own words, as well as how we
questioned it all out of him.
_Felix._--"Ah, Tommy, dear Tommy, how could you run away and leave us in
that bad manner?"
_Oscar._--"Yes, Smart, I don't think we have ever been happy since,
until to-day."
_Smart_ (blowing his nose and wiping his eyes).--"My dear young 'squire,
my darling Mr. Felix, was it not the mistress's orders? But I will never
leave you again, no, not if I am pounded to death by those scums of the
earth, and live to see them rewarded for their trouble."
_The three little girls_ (all in piteous voices).--"And could they hurt
you, dear Smart, so good and kind as you are, and our darling captain?
Oh, make haste, make haste, and tell us all about it."
_Smart._--"I will make every haste, dear young ladies, but I don't
rightly know where to begin. The sight of all your beautiful faces and
my young gentlemen grown into men, and looking so proud and handsome,
makes me in a manner beside myself; and me and the old captain was but
a-saying last night no longer could we bear the trouble, but must do
ourselves a mischief."
_Felix._--"You, a mischief! No, no, Smart, you were always a very good
boy. It's only me was a mischief."
_Smart._--"You are a very fine young gentleman, and be growed; dear me,
Sir, how you be growed. I would not a known you but for them eyes, and
that bit of mischief they have in them. Give me leave, Ma'am, just to
take one good look of you all. My heart, how the young ladies have
sprung up, like lilies on a stalk. Miss Gatty no doubt as free as ever,
only quite a woman; and you, Ma'am, be a sight stouter. Oh, what a sight
this is. Little did we think, ould captain and I, when we seed this
onlucky island agin, little did we think as you was still here. When
they brought us up out of the hold, I knowed the spot in a minute. Says
I to the cap'in, 'Not content with murdering us they mean to cut our
hearts in two. Here's the very blessed place as I saw them all last time
as ever I laid eyes on them.' With that he gave a great shout and has
never rightly been himself since. And, truly, with my own heart nigh
bursting, his'n was a mighty heavy one to bear up. Spite of all our hard
work, we did our best to examine every spot to find traces of you, and
we came to the notion, as you were all gone, through good whiles,
maybees safe, unknowst of our fate, maybees dead; any way, we thought
you had escaped our sad hap."
_Schillie._--"But, Smart, that's the end of your story, begin at the
beginning."
_Smart._--"Where's that, Ma'am? I know neither beginning or end of
anything since that unlucky morn we slipped away."
_Schillie._--"Where did you go to then?"
_Smart._--"Why we sailed away some few days; the vessel was but a cockle
on the water, she was so light, so that we were noways comfortable in
the matter of steadiness and good walking ground. Anyways, however, we
had plenty to do spelling at the pumps, and so we went on, I won't say
with hearts as light as the vessel, until a shot struck the big stick as
stands in the middle of the ship. Well, we looked about, and saw an
evil-disposed, black-looking, hang-dog of a vessel, that sent shot upon
shot into us. Well, the smell of powder did me good, and we gave it them
back right well with them two brass guns, Master. I beg your pardon,
Sir, you being so growed, Mr. Oscar. And so we should ha' gone on
peppering them to this minute, until they were all dead or gave in, had
it not been for them same guns getting so hot, they were next to no use
at all. Howsumdever, when they came aboord, we gave it them in a manner
as some will carry to their dying day. And though that never mended the
matter, it's a poor heart that does not rejoice over something, and that
something was the settling of a round dozen of them rascally pirates by
my own hand."
_The boys_ (together).--"Twelve pirates! Did you really kill twelve?"
_Smart._--"Kill or drown 'em, you may reckon on that, Sirs, and many
more would I have served out in like manner, but four great brutes came
behind me, and cracked my skull to that degree as neither sight to my
eyes or sense to my tongue came for a length of weeks. And, maybe, but
for the good old captain, it's in heaven only (if God in his goodness
will grant me to go there) that I ever thought to see your sweet faces
again."
_Lilly._--"Now, dear Smart, go on."
_Smart._--"Yes, Miss Lilly, but what a head o' hair you have, my pretty
young lady; why here are curls enough to hang a score of pirates, but
never a hair shall go near them, mark my words. They shall hew me into
mince-meat ere they look on the sight that makes me strong as lions."
_Lilly._--"But go on, dear Smart."
_Smart._--"The breadth and length of them shall pass over my body ere
they touch even Mrs. Hargrave. My heart sings with joy. I feel as a
giant refreshed, now I know thee to be all safe and well, and growed so
beautiful. I wants nothing, I cares for nothing. It's enough that I see
you once more."
_All the little girls and boys._--"But, dear Smart, go on. What did the
pirates do to you?"
_Smart._--"They did that to me as I never thought living man would do.
They marked my back with stripes, but I never felt them, for the wound
in my heart. They worked me worse than any horse; yet I was glad to be
druv from my thoughts. And when I would fall from weakness, want, and
hard treatment, I would sink with pleasure, trusting my time was come,
and that they would have nothing but senseless clay to kick.
Howsumdever, God has been good to me. May I never forget this hour. All
things will prosper now. The good time is coming, and the worst is over.
Could we but build a bridge now to bonnie ould England, I would desire
nothing else in this world, save one good fight with those d----. I
humbly beg pardon, ladies, but excuse poor Smart, he has almost forgot
his manners in the bad company he has been keeping."
_The boys._--"Never mind, Smart, we will help you to kill them. Mother
and cousin Schillie were going to set about it as soon as ever the
pirate vessel was gone, and we were to help."
_Felix._--"And I was going to have a right and left shot, Tommy."
_Smart._--"And you would ha' settled 'em, I'll be bound, Sir. What a
stout fine fellow you be growed, Sir, and I hope as good too, and very
sensible too; and I dare say, Sir, quite the gentleman to the little
ladies."
_Felix_ (looking down).--"Yes, yes, I dare say, perhaps, Smart, but we
are not able to be ladies and gentlemen here you know. We are obliged to
be servants and everything, and Otty and I are the gamekeepers."
_Smart._--"Well, I do suppose, Sir, that does not prevent your behaving
in a civil like way to the little ladies."
_Felix._--"Oh yes, we are very civil to them when they are kind to us.
But once we could not have any fish, because Lilly would not give us one
of her curls to make lines."
_Smart._--"Oh, my heart alive, take one of these pretty curls to make
fishing lines? Indeed, Master Felix, I always thought you were very
oudacious, Sir, begging your pardon."
_Felix._--"But she had such a many of them, Smart."
_Mother._--"There you need say no more on that sore subject. You know
Lilly repented afterwards, and you ought to be ashamed of mentioning the
matter."
_Felix._--"But I must just tell Smart she did give us two at last, her
two longest and best; and, my stars, how angry Jenny was, I really
thought she would whip me."
_Jenny._--"Indeed, Sir, you was very aggravating. See how shocked Smart
is that ever you should have wanted or taken Miss Lilly's curls."
_Felix._--"Well, Smart, don't be angry, we will never do it any more,
only they did make such good lines, and Mama was nearly as vexed as
Jenny."
_Big and little girls._--"Now, Smart, go on."
_Smart._--"I ha' a'most done, ladies; them times is too shocking to
remember; but it's true gospel, as we all remained servants and slaves
to them----scums. They took the ship, and painted and fitted her out
until her own sister would not ha' known her. And they came and went
just as suited 'em, always a-leaving us with sum on 'em, and their
wives, and houses, and children, in a outlandish place, hot as the place
I trust they'll all go to."
_Oscar._--"Sailors and all, Benjie and Mr. ----"
_Smart._--"He, poor fellow, was done for at the first, and a good many
of the sailors were likewise done up and made away with, so that,
maybees, there was not six left on us. The cap'in and I have stuck to
each other through fair and foul, though it's precious little of the
former as has blessed our heads, and there be sum few yet remaining at
that place I was telling you was so hot."
_The Quixotic little girls and boys_ all exclaim, "Then we must go and
save them, especially Benjie."
_Smart._--"Hi, Benjie, he was doing very well, but, being a good decent
sort of chap, it's my wonder he never poisoned them----ramscallions
when cooking for them."
Smart always, when mentioning the pirates, seemed half choked in
preventing himself saying some word that he did not deem proper for our
ears. Sometimes it half slipped out, when he made an apologetical bow;
sometimes he swallowed it whole; but he always paused, as if to give
himself time to say it privately as a relief to his feelings.
But this conversation will be wearisome, so I will say no more than that
Smart imagines they were brought to this island to help to look after
the stores and gardens, and to be servants, the pirates not knowing the
important interest they had in the island, or that they had ever seen it
before. Also, that they intended to make it their regular colony, and by
degrees bring their whole establishment there; for the island was very
well known, and always shunned by vessels on account of the great
snake, whom it seemed impossible to destroy. This accounted for our
never seeing any vessels all this time; and the pirates would not have
ventured there had it not been for the storm we had thought so unlucky,
and which now seemed to be the crowning providence of our eventful
lives.
In the meantime, Smart was never tired in listening to the children's
tales, and whatever he was doing, he had the whole five clinging about
him.