The imperturbable Hargrave presented herself the next morning as
perfectly rested, and ready to dress her mistress, and put her hair (now
for so long neglected) into proper order. A piece of coolness and
effrontery that so surprised me I remained quite dumb.
Not so the young ones; but I am ashamed to repeat all that was said,
for, though they had right on their side, the unfortunate woman was set
upon by all, and if tongues could sting, she would not have been alive
now. At last she sat down in a remote corner of the rock, to weep and
bewail herself, thinking, I dare say, that she had escaped from one set
of savages into another. And, though she derived some consolation part
of the time in what she called "tidying herself," she shed many a tear
over her torn garments and battered appearance, declaring that she had
had her clothes ruined by the rough way in which the captain and Smart
had dragged her about. "Say that again," said Felix, "and I must spit at
you to show my contempt."
That the captain and Smart had joined us soon became known among the
pirates, and if they had been so severely repulsed before by two boys,
it was madness attempting another assault.
So they set about means of devising how they could dislodge us, without
endangering their own lives. Madame's increasing illness became our
great care now, she was becoming delirious, and there was no possibility
of subduing the fever upon this baking rock.
"A little cooling lime juice, Ma'am, I would venture to advise," said
Hargrave.
"And who has put a stop to our having that?" was uttered on various
sides, in various indignant tones.
Hargrave shrunk back into her corner again, while the captain said, "I
will draw up some sea water, with which you must bathe her head. Smart's
wound will fester I doubt; we have nothing here to ease that, I am
grieved to say."
Middle day came, when the heat was greatest. We lay gasping, half dead
with fatigue, heat, and fears as to what would be our fate. Suddenly we
were roused by Smart's voice, who could not rest for the pain of his
wound. "Be sharp, be sharp," he cried, "they are throwing lighted brands
up here, we shall be on fire in a minute, and roast meat in ten." We
flew in every direction, and threw them off as fast as they could throw
them on. It was hotter work for them than us and, seeing us so active,
they ceased for awhile. The captain then cut away great square plots of
brushwood as best he could, to prevent much harm accruing in case they
tried their brands again.
While thus occupied, Sybil came running to me, all in tears, and
wringing her hands. "Oh, I have killed him, I am afraid he is dead," she
cried.
"How? who?" we exclaimed.
"I only meant to frighten him, I would not hurt anybody. Oh, what shall
I do?"
We ran with her to the extreme end of the rock, and, looking down, we
saw on a ledge below, a large stone with a man beneath it.
"I was running here," continued the weeping Sybil, "to see if any brands
were thrown in this direction, and, peeping down, I saw a man scrambling
up, very near the top. He did not see me, but I had no time to lose, so
I just pushed that great stone with all my might. You know we had
remarked this stone before as being just in the position to roll down,
if it was only on the other side. I do not know how I managed, but over
it went, and fell directly on him; and, oh, I am afraid it has killed
him. What shall I do, I shall never be happy again."
_Gatty._--"Not happy again, Sib, I only wish I had done it."
_Sybil._--"But, sister, do you think he is really dead? Can we not go
down and save him, or take that great stone off him? Oh dear, oh dear,
how could I do such a cruel thing."
_Gatty._--"Oh, Sib, Sib, what a goose you are. You have done a glorious
thing. I only wish it had been me. Think, Serena, of Sib having killed a
pirate all by herself and we have not even cut off the little finger of
one. It is too provoking."
We were obliged to take the poor tender-hearted girl away from the spot,
and she shook and shivered with remorse all the rest of the day. We
comforted her as well as we could by saying he must have died
immediately (for dead he was without any doubt), and he had fallen on a
spot where the sea would carry away all remains of him before morning.
The little ones looked at poor trembling aunt Sib with the greatest
admiration, Gatty with envy and jealousy, while Serena, like a true
tender-hearted little sister, comforted and kissed her, telling her how
gentle, good, and kind she was to everybody, and what a good thing she
had done for us, and how, perhaps, this was the identical pirate who had
stolen her, and that she was not to be unhappy at what perhaps we might
all have to do ere long. And this set us talking upon our plans.
"Don't you think, captain," said Schillie, "we may get off to the ship
to-night?"
_Captain._--"We must try, Madam. If they should chance to go on board,
they will find out how busy we have been there, and they will then take
measures to prevent us executing any such plan. But I have lost my right
hand in Smart."
_Gatty and Oscar._--"Oh, captain, send me for the boat. I can swim like
a duck, and it's not a hundred yards from here."
_Mother._--"My dear children, the sharks."
_Oscar._--"I don't mind them, Mother."
_Gatty._--"They will have a good mouthful if they swallow me; and if I
am as troublesome inside a shark as you, little Mother, say I sometimes
am here, I shall not agree with him at all."
_Schillie._--"Now, Gatty, I won't have you running into any danger. I
don't mean to say you are not extremely troublesome, but still I have
got used to you, and I won't have you expose yourself to any danger."
_Captain._--"I think I can manage to make them both of use, and yet
without much danger, I trust. I would not have a hair of their precious
heads lost."
Gatty flushed up like the setting sun with pleasure; Oscar nodded in
approbation, while I said, "Then it is decided, at all events, we get
off to-night, if we can."
"Man proposes, and God disposes."
"Sister, look," said Serena, in a low sorrowful voice. Ah me, did I see
rightly? With every sail set, that ominous, black, hateful vessel, the
pirate ship, hove in sight, and ere we could collect our senses, or
believe our eyes, she was anchoring in the bay.