And now how silly we looked, all exposed to the wondering gaze of the
pirates. I heard Schillie muttering, "What a pack of fools we have
been," while Oscar said, "Cousin, we have gone and done it now. We shall
have to fight for it, and we shall have a good rowing from the captain.
I had better go and see after the guns." This he did, shaking them one
by one at the pirates as he examined them, while he and Felix kept
appearing and disappearing from behind the trees, sometimes with hats
and sometimes without, as if to make believe there were half a dozen
boys. Smart lay his full length on the ground, endeavouring to recover
his breath, after his late exertions.
It was of no use disguising the fact, we had discovered ourselves and
our hiding place, and though no one certainly could get to us without
leave, our helplessness would be fully apparent, and our identity with
the lost party well known. All the advantages we had gained from our
concealment were now over. We had nothing to do but wait in patience for
what fate had yet in store for us.
All this time, while these thoughts were rapidly running through our
heads, the whole colony of pirates were staring in undisguised amazement
at us.
_Sybil._--"What a frightful set of wretches."
_Gatty._--"Horrid. We will never capitulate to them."
_Serena._--"The women look as fierce as the men. How they do stare, just
as if they never saw human beings before."
_Oscar._--"I could pick off a fellow or two from this distance, Mother,
if you like."
_Smart_ (from his lair in the bushes).--"Ha' done, if you please, Sir,
with any such notion. Let me get a breath or two afore we come to a
fight; and anyways let them strike the first blow."
_Oscar and Felix_ (together).--"Then do make haste, Smart, and get your
breath. If the captain was but here, we could easily fight those
wretches."
_Smart._--"Breath or no breath, I ben't agoing to fight them devildoms
with no better helps than you two, young masters. Bide quiet like brave
boys, and do as the Duke of Wellington does."
_Felix._--"How is that, Tommy?"
_Smart._--"Why he waits until the enemy gives him a reason to get his
blood up, and when that's done it's all up with them."
_Felix._--"But my blood is up, Tom."
_Smart._--"Then let it cool a bit, Sir; any way the tide is rising, and
them rascals is sufficiently knowledgeable to see that the sharks is a
guarding of us now. When it gets dark it will be ebbing and I'll be off
to see after cap'n, and you'll have enew to do, Sir, to keep watch until
we get back."
_Gatty._--"Don't bring Hargrave back if you can help it, Smart."
_Smart._--"I ben't much inclined that way myself, Miss, but I have heerd
we are bound to be merciful."
_Gatty._--"She has not been merciful to us, I am sure."
_Smart._--"I do partly think as she ben't quite answerable for her ways.
Any how I shanna put myself out of the way to look after her."
_Mother._--"Oh yes, Smart, you must try your best."
_Smart._--"To be sure, Ma'am, if so be you wishes it. But I be thinking
there is a power of mischief in her yet."
_Mother._--"I think it must all have been frightened out of her by this
time. Did you see anything of her when you went in search of the
others?"
_Smart._--"No, Madam, I went straight away for Miss Zoe and Jenny, the
cap'n having given me my orders so to do, let alone me ordering myself
that way also. I had to knock over a couple of women-kind, which went
agin my conscience: not knowing how people might act towards my poor
dear woman, and my two pretty boys, all these years that I have been
from them."
Here Smart showed symptoms of a pathetic nature, for which Felix tried
to comfort him saying, "I am sure they are doing very well, for Mrs.
Smart will have taken in some washing, and Jem is I dare say a
gamekeeper by now, and perhaps little Tom too."
From Jenny we further learnt that they had come round the way they did
to avoid the pirates. As they passed the upper caverns they heard what
Jenny called a great "scremmage," but saw nothing of Hargrave or the
captain. Had they been ten minutes sooner round the rock they might have
reached us in safety, and without discovery.
The pirates having given full scope to their curiosity regarding us, now
separated, and, while some remained as watchers, the others went off to
examine the waterfall and caverns, and look, as we supposed, for our two
companions.
"Ha, ha," said Smart, as he saw them emerging in and out from beneath
the waterfall, "if it had not been for that demented woman you would
never have speered that place, I'll go bail. Mighty pretty it is too as
well as uncommon convanient."
_Oscar._--"Is it not like the waterfall at Cil Hepste in
Glamorganshire."
_Smart._--"Just such another, Sir, and if I have the luck to see that
ere waterfall again, it's a pity if I don't look o' the inside of it."
_Felix._--"What, do you think we shall find caverns and pirates in it,
like this one, Tommy?"
_Smart._--"No, Sir, I'se warrant there is neer a pirate there, but it's
an uncommon curious place, and like this 'un as one pea to another. The
ould lady seems but baddish I consate."
This was but too true. Whether from the fright or the heat, or the
unusual exertions, Madame was anything but well, and fell from one fit
of hysterics to another. We could do but little to mend her, for even
supposing we had had smelling salts on the island we should not have
deemed it one of the necessaries to bring upon the rock. We put Zoe
beside her with orders to talk to her, and tell her as many of her
adventures as she could to amuse and divert her mind.
And then Jenny told us how good and brave Miss Zoe had been, and how
neither of them would have been taken prisoners had it not been for that
"squawking" Hargrave. Upon which Gatty and the boys declared they wished
her no worse fate than to be married to one of the pirates.
_Schillie_ (with gravity).--"I will make over to her my interest with
the King."
_Gatty._--"We might actually have been on board sailing away at this
moment instead of frying up here, with these frightful pirates blinking
and grinning at us, as if they never saw Christians before."
_Sybil._--"Perhaps they never did, Gatty."
_Serena._--"Jenny, did you know that we were discovered in the caverns
through Hargrave? They made her a trap to catch us."
_Jenny._--"Miss Zoe told me, Miss, she was afraid from what she could
make out that they were going to make something out of Mrs. Hargrave.
But I could not understand them at all. Nevertheless we both cautioned
her as much as possible, though she was in such a sad way I doubt if she
heard us. After awhile she was taken away from us, and, though I told
her the last thing to be sure to be careful, and do her duty by her
mistress, she screamed so I don't think she minded me one bit. The women
were pretty civil, but very wild and bad looking, and I would not bear
them to touch Miss Zoe, which they were trying to do all the while. And,
oh, Miss Zoe was so brave, and, whenever I said you were all dead she
said so too."
_Gatty._--"How could you tell such fibs, Zoe? Madame will give you that
odious Theresa Tidy's Nineteen Maxims of Neatness and Order, to do into
German, for being so naughty."
"Angel child, never, never could I punish her after her agonizing
sufferings," murmured the good kind Madame.
The strict watch kept over us began to be so wearisome we were glad when
night veiled us in her dark mantle.
It was astonishing with what composure we laid down to rest, secure in
the sharks' guard for some few hours yet, while the morrow, with all its
probable horrors, seemed not to present itself to any mind. "We trusted
in God that he would deliver us."