Madame fulfilled her promise, and in a few days we had the inexpressible
satisfaction of sitting by the rude couch of the captain, and hearing
his broken exclamations of happiness and delight. It seemed sufficient
pleasure to him to watch us as we went about our various duties, and
smiles mixed with tears often covered his poor thin face as the little
ones vied with each other in nursing him. But he was too weak yet to
enter into much conversation, and his nurse was very careful not to let
him over-exert himself, for fear of a relapse. In fact, nature seemed to
speak for him, as in reply to our anxious queries whether we could do
anything for him, he would reply, "Nothing, nothing, but let me look at
you, God be praised."
In these few days of exquisite happiness we forgot all about the
pirates. Nobody watched them, nobody thought of them, though we have
reason to suppose that they made a diligent search for their prisoners,
and even persevered in it to the top of the large cavern. This we had
deserted for some time on account of the dead body, and we now lived in
the smaller ones lower down, one of which was so near the waterfall we
had nearly as much light as above, and also heard the murmuring sound of
the water in a very pleasing and cooling manner. Here, close by the
waterfall, the little ones led their dear captain, that he might inhale
as much of the fresh sea air as we could get, and from thence we, of
course, watched our enemies. They seemed very busy indeed, and it was no
small satisfaction to the children to watch them working so hard, and
pointing them out to Smart, saying, "See, dear Smart, you would have
been doing that if our great army had not come and saved you."
By degrees the captain told us a more coherent story than Smart had been
able to give us, and said within a fortnight of their leaving us they
were made prisoners by the pirates; that they dragged out lengthened
days of misery, want, and ill-usage, only held up by the knowledge that
our future deliverance depended upon their escape. And when time went
on, and he thought it was almost impossible such a helpless party of
women and children could survive and bear up under such an unhappy fate,
he was almost reduced to despair, and they were both determined to do
something desperate when they were put on board the pirates' vessel and
brought here. And when brought up on deck, and Smart's exclamation awoke
his mind to the fact that he was looking upon the lovely bay in which he
had left us with hopes of a speedy and happy return, his brain turned
with inward emotion, his heart seemed to turn to stone, he became a
moving body without soul or sense, save an eager looking for traces of
us.
These could, as we knew, be only so very faint they could leave no clue
to our destiny. The first ray of hope that shot through him was finding
one of our little notes, though, for some time, they thought it was but
the writing of ancient days, and not meant for them now. But when they
found another, and when the pirates picked more up, and turned them
round and round to make out their meaning, a conviction shot through
them they had some kind person interested in their fate on the island.
But they had some difficulty in managing about the light, as burning it
steady would have been forbidden by the pirates. A wild hope had now and
then crossed their minds, but had each time been driven away as
impossible, and it was not until they felt the soft smooth female hands
in that dark but happy night that they gave up their minds to hopeful
anticipations, mixed with some fears. How their fondest wishes were
realized almost in the first flash of the torch had been already
detailed, and while the weakened frame and overwrought mind of the
captain sunk under the weight of so much happiness the buoyant Smart
recovered his own character at once, and became all and everything he
had ever been to us, with a double portion of strength, energy, and
sense to assist and help us.
And now a fortnight had passed, and we found the pirates making great
preparations to sail. This they soon did, and, counting their members as
they went on board, we had the inexpressible happiness of finding that
not one was left behind. Once more we had our dear little island to
ourselves, and thoroughly did we enjoy the open air and brilliant
sunshine, for, with all thankfulness for their kind shelter, it must be
acknowledged the caverns were a little gloomy and musty. We wandered
over every well-known place, shewed our dear house, now such a ruin, and
expatiated upon all its beauties and conveniences, until the captain
declared it must have been the most perfect house in the world, while
Smart vowed he would settle a score of pirates for daring to burn it
down.
And now we found out what the pirates had been so busy about during the
last fortnight, namely, building a perfect village of huts at the old
house by the plantation. The captain shook his head as he mournfully
said, "the whole colony are coming to settle here," while Smart coolly
declared, "he was mighty glad thereat, as he would not die happy unless
he could settle 'em all, big and little." And forthwith persuaded
everybody but Madame and Hargrave to take to ball practice as he called
it, that the army might be ready in case of any emergency. We thought it
no harm to practice with our neighbours' goods, though we meant to turn
them against themselves. But Smart knew where their magazine was, and in
a most unprincipled manner we abstracted whatever we could that would
not be immediately discovered.
Smart, who always had had a secret admiration for Schillie's _sang
froid_ and man-like propensities, treated her as his favourite pupil;
and after she had hit the mark seventeen times running, held her up to
us as worthy of imitation.
_Smart._--"I used to always be a-telling our cap'in they'll do well if
they mind Mrs. E, she has the soul of a man and the wits of a king; and
it's my belief even if they hadna gotten us back, she'd a outwitted them
ere----rascallion divildims."
Nothing delighted the boys so much as to put Smart into a rage, talking
about the pirates. The dooms they were all to meet with, if once he got
them into his power, would have done for Foxe's book of Martyrs. But
much as we enjoyed this time we were not idle; we were making constant
preparations for the great struggle that must, we knew, inevitably take
place between us and the pirates. And, calculating that they would
arrive with their colony a short time before the wet weather, to get
settled in their houses before it commenced, we should have that time to
mature our plans, besides settling what had best be done.