Yr Ynys Unyg Part 25

_Schillie._--"Come, captain, don't let her talk any more nonsense, crying her eyes out, let you and I go and take as quick a view of the caverns as we can, and leave her to watch, there is no danger for an hour or so. And here is a pencil and a bit of paper for you to keep you quiet until we come back. Write a page for that beautiful journal, for you have got something rather more interesting to detail than heretofore."

_Mother._--"Schillie, I shall really begin to think you quite heartless."

_Schillie._--"Pray do. I only wish it was the case, for I doubt our hearts will be sadly torn to bits the next few days."

They returned in less than an hour with rather less hope than they had before of our being able to hide in the caverns. One thing was certain we could not hide altogether, and the notion of being in different places, and not knowing whether one set might not be discovered and the others looking on, not daring to help for fear of discovering more, quite upset me. I began to think any fate was better than playing bo-peep in the caverns, and so I said, "We will take our chance on the rock, for we have many things ready by the waterfall which were meant for the s.h.i.+p, and we need but s.n.a.t.c.h up a bundle a-piece."

_Schillie._--"When up there, too, we can look down upon our enemies, and take good aim. I shall not fire at random, but pick out my man."

_Mother._--"Don't be so b.l.o.o.d.y-minded. Hark! there is a scream!"

The captain looked out, applying an epithet to Mrs. Hargrave that only the exigency of the case could excuse. He said, "Here she comes, and I make no doubt the whole body of them after her. You'll find lots of bottles and kegs on the right hand side within the waterfall. Whatever you do think of water. Hang that woman she is coming straight away. I see those rascals close behind her, she'll be here in five minutes.

Come, gang, oh gang yer ways, oh aye here she is, sailing like a mad woman."

_Mother._--"Then you think we had better go at once to the rock."

_Captain._--"Yes, yes, without a doubt. Ye'll get up without a soul seeing ye, and ye can kick in the brushwood weel. Now gang, gang yer ways, and when aince up, keep close as mice."

_Schillie._--"I begin to think you have some _nous_ in your head, June, thinking of that rock. It's so near the s.h.i.+p we may, perhaps, get off in the night."

_Mother._--"Heaven grant it. How that woman screams."

_Schillie._--"I should like to give her something to scream about, but you are loading yourself like a pack horse. Well done, Sybil; now, girls, scuttle about, take what's useful; whoever carries up anything not wanted will have to bring it back again in the teeth of the enemy."

_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, may I stop behind for one minute, just to speak my mind to Hargrave."

_Schillie._--"She won't be let in this hour, you ape. Now is our only time for getting up to the top of that rock; where we shall have a full view of the enemy all round."

_Madame._--"Gracious heaven, preserve us all. What dangers have we not to endure from the frightful weakness of one woman."

_Schillie._--"It's no use moralizing, Madame, pick up something useful, and be off."

_Gatty._--"Here is the green parasol, Madame."

_Serena._--"And here is your warm shawl."

_Sybil._--"And here is my arm to help you along."

_Madame_ (murmuring).--"May G.o.d help us, may the Almighty look down upon us in our hour of need, and preserve my beloved ones."

_Sybil._--"Come, Madame, come, see how active the little ones are. Think how charming to be safe up there, think how lucky we are to have Smart and the dear captain to help us. Look at Otty with all the guns running like a hare, and all the little girls flying like lapwings. Come, Madame, come quickly."

So we ran about in every direction, and, collecting everything that was useful, we left our friendly shelter and took refuge on the isolated rock before-mentioned.

There was some brushwood at the top, and two or three old weather-beaten palm trees, these afforded us most welcome shelter.

It was weary work getting to the top, but when once there we hauled up many of our things by ropes, and some of us had time to return to the cavern and bring away a rope ladder, with several other valuable acquisitions that, had we been hurried, we should not have recollected them, also quant.i.ties of water.

To our surprise, we saw nothing of Smart after Hargrave's first scream; he disappeared, and we were all upon the rock but Madame when we missed him, requiring his strong arm to help her up.

Not all the a.s.sistance we could give her seemed likely to get her to the top, she was in so nervous a state. In vain she implored us to leave her to her fate. Nothing but seeing us all begin to scramble down again to share it with her made her at last, in a fit of desperation, reach the top. When there, she sunk on the ground helpless, and we laid her at the foot of one of the palm trees, where she declared she would breathe her last sigh. The three elder girls now collected all the precious drops of water, putting them under bushes, covering them with sand, to prevent the powerful sun from evaporating the smallest quant.i.ty of such precious liquid.

Schillie and the boys prepared the guns and pistols, putting everything "handy," as they called it, for a siege. We s.n.a.t.c.hed a hasty meal, not knowing when we might have another opportunity; then laying ourselves down, we hid snugly in the brushwood, seeing everything, yet utterly unseen ourselves.

_Gatty._--"It's jolly fun being perched up here seeing all the country round. But what is the reason we have come up?"

_Schillie_ (shortly).--"You were ordered to, that's enough."

_Gatty_ (half whispering to the girls).--"The bear is out to-day. If I don't mind I shall get a scratch from its claws."

_Schillie_ (overhearing).--"Bear or not, Miss Gatty, you will be so good as to keep a silent tongue in your head."

_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, why?"

_Mother._--"Why, Gatty, don't you perceive that if we continue to hide ourselves as we do now the enemy will never guess where we are. But if you chatter like any magpie, of course they will find us out."

_Gatty._--"Well, I am ready to do anything reasonable and now that I have had a good reason given me, I'll be as mute as any mole."

_Schillie._--"Who deems a mole like you worth a reason."

_Sybil._--"Oh, little Mother, Gatty has a capital head when she is trusted."

_Schillie._--"Filled with your notions, I suppose, Miss Sybil."

_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, cannot we get off to the s.h.i.+p to-night; it's quite close, and no sharks to speak of."

_Schillie._--"When your advice is asked, then you may give us your sage opinions."

_Mother._--"Come, Schillie, don't be so cross to the poor girls. You know Gatty has given your own advice in almost your own words."

_Schillie._--"Why don't you and those two magpies follow the example of that good child Serena, and hold your tongues, as she does."

_Mother._--"We shall not be disturbed yet awhile. But what makes you so cross?"

_Schillie._--"I wonder you don't see what a predicament we are in; and it is no very pleasant prospect being sea-sick for the next month, let alone going to sea in this mad way, with only the captain for crew."

_Mother._--"Indeed it is very hazardous. I almost think we had better not trust ourselves to the sea, but run our chance with the pirates."

"Oh, no, no," said all the girls and boys.

"Now if you make such a noise again, children, down you shall all go into the mouths of those sharks," said Schillie.

"Then promise not to give up," said they in return.

"I promise nothing," said she.

"Then the king of the pirates will come and take you away, cousin," said Felix.

Schillie uttered something between a sigh and a groan, and then said, "You are an impudent boy, Master Felix, and I always tell your Mother you'll come to no good. But whether she will live to see you hanged or not I cannot say, for our fate is horrible every way. Just too as we were getting so comfortable, and having everything so nice and snug about us. I do not think there is a plant on the island of which I have not discovered the name and property, and everything grows so beautifully, and such bathing, besides, such delicious fish, and I am so fond of fish, really it is too bad. I am just beginning to think the island a very nice sort of little place, and here we are sent to the right about in this horrid fas.h.i.+on."