Yr Ynys Unyg Part 30

CHAPTER XLIV.

The minutes fled. Ever and anon a group of pirates would advance, and, as they gazed, pity, remorse, and even admiration seemed to blend in their swarthy countenances, as they looked at the motionless helpless group. Evidently reluctant to give the fatal signal for death, the pirate captain restlessly paced to and fro, only taking his eyes from us to look hurriedly on the sea. The hour was gone. The boat shot from the sh.o.r.e, bearing the fatal messengers of death. The pirate captain clenched his hands, and hurried up and down, like one in despair.

Sometimes he looked as if he would speak to us, then turned more quickly away.

Our hearts beat audibly to each other. "May G.o.d take us into His safe keeping this hour," murmured the low earnest voice of our dear captain.

"Amen," was fervently uttered by all that could speak.

Still the pirate captain wavered and hesitated; but what made our captain start? A body of pirates came forward, and drawing their chief away, began expostulating with him, and we heard a sound behind us.

"For the love of G.o.d move not," said the captain; but every ear listened.

As the sun gilds one cloud after another in rapid succession, rising higher and higher, so did one face after another illumine with hope and deliverance as the sound became more audible. We had heard it before, but, oh, so long ago, could it have been in our dreams? It seemed so familiar, yet we had never heard it on the island. It sounded so homelike, though our own home was far inland. But to British ears and British hearts could such a sound be unknown? The long, measured, steady stroke of the oars of a man-of-war's boat broke upon our happy senses; and yet we were silent, as if turned to stone. The conviction of our safety and deliverance sent the once-burthened hearts in silent thankfulness to the foot of G.o.d.

"Avast there! keep under the shelter of this rock," said a man's deep voice, in a subdued tone, "it won't do to run right into the mouths of these blackguards without a little reconnoitering." Our captain crept silently to the side from whence the voice proceeded and hailed them.

"Hollo! here's a fellow up here, we had better settle him at once, lest he gives the alarm," said the deep voice.

This made us all move quickly to the same place, and, as we caught sight of the gallant sailors, who, though strangers to us, seemed each to possess the features of dear and long-lost friends, our feelings could scarcely be restrained. An intuitive feeling that we might, by some rash movement, lose the heavenly chance just opening to our view, kept us in iron bounds. As it was, a sort of hub-bub did ensue, they not understanding who we were, and we caring for nothing on this near approach of delivery. But our captain swung himself down by the rope ladder into the boat, while we eagerly drank in every word of the precious voices and language we had thought never to hear again, while he explained our situation. "What, the missing family so long sought for, so deeply mourned? Now G.o.d be praised. Up there four days, battling it out. Well done! Those blackguards shall have it double-fold. What an innocent boy with his big hat; who is the pretty child? Is that all her own hair? I say, which is the Mother? She is tall enough for a grenadier. Poor things, poor souls; what sufferings, what privations.

All by themselves. Hah! indeed, joined only the last year. Well, we are heart and soul at their service. Are they all ladies, or some servants?

What rum dresses. They look very picturesque up there, and you, boatswain, must make a sketch of them for us to take home when we have settled these pirates. Is that a boy or a girl? she's a whopper if she is a female. That short one looks cool enough to face any danger. But don't let us waste more time, we are burning to be at them. How shall we manage? Blown to pieces in five minutes; I'm blowed if you shall. D----n those (ah, ladies, I beg pardon). No, no, we will attack them at once.

Too few, not a bit; as if a dozen English sailors could not knock over two score of pirates, and eat them too. Well, just as you like, only be quick; as for restraining my men, I shall not be able to do that long, especially as I know I can't hold in much longer myself."

Such was the disjointed conversation that reached our ears, and which we drank in with such delight. Our captain swung himself up again, and said that another boat's crew were expected in a few minutes; and though the sailors in this boat scouted the notion of not being able to settle the pirates' business themselves, yet it would be as well to make a.s.surance doubly sure, on account of the savage nature of the pirates. They might be driven to desperation when they saw what succour we had received.

_Schillie._--"Captain, you must make haste, they are on board the vessel and loading the guns; in a few minutes we shall be scattered into a thousand pieces."

_Captain._--"What I advise is, as there is no time to lose, hold out a flag of truce, and capitulate."

"Oh no, captain," said many of us.

"You must, indeed you must; make haste. Come, begin to go down at once.

Those devildoms are only too rejoiced they have got their captain's consent, and are going to lose no time. Come, don't lose your courage at the last hour, you will be in their power but a few minutes. That's a sweet brave girl, now she is down you will all go."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

This latter remark was addressed to Serena, whom I tried to grasp as she lightly sprang down. We all followed, save Schillie and the two invalids. The pirates shouted with great deafening shouts, and ran towards us, rudely grasping hold of us as we each descended. We shuddered and shrieked with horror. The pirate king ran and brought Schillie down in spite of her struggles. The captain was instantly seized, and would have been roughly treated, but the sailors, unable to hear our cries and not help us, shot round the corner like a flash of lightning, and, ere the pirates were aware of their presence, mixed in the _melee_, cutla.s.s in hand.

Though at first the sailors gained an instantaneous advantage, the numbers against them were so great and the pirates so desperate, that much blood must have been shed and a fierce battle fought, but another boat appeared round the rock, most vigorously propelled, another, and again another. Now we were saved, G.o.d be praised! No more doubts, no more fears. We withdrew to a sheltered place on the cliffs, thankful, oh, how thankful G.o.d alone can tell. The pirates fled in every direction, but not before our captain, raising his gun, sent a shot after the pirate king that put an end to his reign and his love for ever.

CHAPTER XLV.

An officer was sent to take our wishes, while the other sailors, with their captain and lieutenants, proceeded to pursue and exterminate the pirates. The fresh boats' crews being so eager in the chase that they knew nothing more about us than that some prisoners had been found. The captain, therefore, politely sent an officer to attend to us, with a message to say he was too busy to do so himself. We learnt from this officer that our captain's conjecture was quite true about the pirate vessel having been chased; and they knew well enough that, once seeing them, Capt. Bute would scour the sea in search of them.

They made for "YR YNYS UNYG" as a last chance, knowing that few but themselves were aware that the great Anaconda was dead, and they trusted that the fear of it would prevent any one from landing on the island.

Their intentions were all frustrated by finding us all perched upon the rock, and it became a matter of policy to get rid of us somehow. They were unwilling to harm us at first, wis.h.i.+ng to reap a golden harvest by claiming the rewards for our recovery; but our obstinacy in refusing to come down drove the pirate captain much beyond his own wishes. Had Capt.

Bute's boats been half an hour later there would have been but little of our sad remains left. To his eagerness and skill in following the pirate vessel, and anchoring the Turtle side of the island under cover of the night, we, humanly speaking, owed our lives. May G.o.d be praised for all his mercies.

Madame and Smart were first to be considered. It was agreed they must both be taken on board the man-of-war for medical advice. I was to go with them, and Felix was to accompany me to attend on Smart. The rest were to be employed in making preparations for our final departure, besides getting La Luna ready for our once more taking possession of her.

But we had never been separated before for more than a few hours, and the leave taking was quite a business. So I promised to return in the evening, after seeing Madame and Smart comfortable and well cared for.

We must talk over our joys as well as sorrows, and, hearing that there were some ladies and servants on board, I the more readily agreed to return. Madame was let down from the rock with great difficulty, utterly unconscious of anything but her own delicious thoughts.

In Turtle harbour, not a mile from our memorable bay, we found the s.h.i.+p, and it was with indescribable emotion that I climbed on to her deck. With the tenderness of women the kind sailors lifted up the invalids, while I was shewn down into the cabin to beseech the good offices of the ladies in it. There were two of them; one reclining on a sofa, hearing a little girl read, whose golden hair hung round her fair face, as the glory surrounds the cherubim; the other and oldest of the two was sketching from the cabin window. The lovely fair face of the rec.u.mbent one was raised as I entered.

Why did I start? Have I seen that face before, those calm clear blue eyes, the delicately-formed nose, the beautiful expression? Be calm, my heart, beat not so wildly. "Poor woman, she is ill, what is the matter with her?" said the lady at the window. I knew her too, so well, so perfectly, I wondered she could speak so calmly to me. I forgot my strange appearance, my island dress, my grizzled hair, and brow burnt by the ardent sun.

The younger lady gazed at me, but said nothing. "Pray be seated," said the sweet soft voice of the sketcher, "you look so ill, I will bring you some water." The other lady still gazed, was still silent, but she half rose from her sofa. I could not withdraw my eyes from the well-known face, but I grasped the kind hand that placed the chair for me, while my breath laboured under the convulsive swellings of my heart. "She must be one of the pirate women, and some of her people have been killed,"

said the elder lady. "Pray, Meta speak to her, and don't gaze at her so fixedly."

I tried to speak, it was impossible. I clung to the one sister, and held out my hand imploringly to the other. She sprang up, and rushed towards me. She pushed my hair from my forehead; her colour came and went like the evening clouds. "Oh, June, June, my sister, my beloved one, it must be you. I cannot be mistaken. I should know that face through every change. Speak to me, speak but one word, call me by my name, if only to ease my heart. My long-lost, my own sister, relieve me, relieve my bursting heart."

Faintly breathing the word "Meta," I remember no more. I sunk upon the ground, but I felt loved arms round me, and the bliss of heaven seemed to take possession of my senses. I awoke to the blessed reality my loving sisters were near me, they soothed me with sweet words, kissed me with sisters' kisses, asked nothing, said nothing but endearing sentences, and suffered my overburdened heart to relieve itself to the full.

The anxieties and cares of the past years, the fear and anguish of the last few days, rolled away like a dark cloud from my troubled brain, while peace, happiness, and rest flooded my heart to overflowing. The transition from utter misery to perfect bliss seemed too much for me at first; I had not felt until then the forlorn and hopeless state to which we had been reduced, and how death in its most dreadful form had nearly severed all I lived for from the earth they were so formed to enjoy and ornament. But, it is idle thus to write, joy does not often kill, so having seen our invalids well cared for, and introduced my lovely little savage boy to his aunts, my beloved sisters accompanied me back to my companions. We found the whole of the pirate gang secured, and going on board La Luna, ah! what joy. The surprise, the ecstasy, the happy welcome, the boundless joy, the innumerable questions. It is impossible to describe it.

We found we owed the meeting with our beloved relatives to the following circ.u.mstance:--After my brother's leave was up, and his s.h.i.+p's commission expired, instead of spending his time at home, he, with Sir Walter Mayton, chartered a vessel and determined between them to spend all the time his services were not required by his Queen in searching for us. My two sisters had begged to accompany them, one with her husband and children, and my eldest sister to be her companion. The Esperanza, their vessel, was something similar to La Luna, only larger and carrying six guns. They had been out six months, when, owing to the Esperanza requiring some little repairs, the party, consisting of my two sisters, Mr. J., and the children, accepted Capt. Bute's invitation to take a little cruise with him. He was in command of her Majesty's S.

H., which had superseded my brother's s.h.i.+p on the piratical coast.

Accidentally coming across the pirates' vessel, Capt. Bute had given chase, and pursued her so sharply, that, under cover of the night, he had got the H. into safe anchorage on the lea side of the island without the pirates' knowledge. The rest of the tale has been told.

CHAPTER XLVI.

And now we were all on board La Luna, Capt. Bute spared us a crew; he remains behind to settle everything about the island, and to go afterwards to the other rendezvous of the pirates, there to rescue the remainder of our crew should they yet survive. Our captain gave him all particulars where to find it.

But we were not to be separated from our newly found relatives. Oh no!

they came with us. We collected everything we wished to take from the island; the children's endless parrots, monkeys, sh.e.l.ls, and pet things.

Schillie took nothing, but her last act was to stoop down, and take a lengthened draught from the lovely stream. Florence, my eldest sister, made sketches of every place interesting to us, and, finally, we bade adieu to "YR YNYS UNYG." Seated on the deck we saw the lovely island fade from our sight, with mixed feelings certainly but no regret. We had none for it, because we could only think of the happiness opening before us. The lost were found, the deeply-mourned restored, the mother given back to her little ones, the fondly-loved children to their sorrowing parents. There was rapture in these thoughts. No wonder that our little home, our little haven of so many conflicting emotions, faded from our sight for ever without a tear from any eye.

We were to shape our course so as to fall in with the Esperanza, which we did in about ten days. During those days fancy alone can paint the innumerable questions asked, the pang and half fear ere they were answered. We lived a life time, it seemed, in those ten days.

We had had no opportunity of restoring our pretty La Luna to her original beauty, therefore we did not wonder (my brother being on board, and we looking so practical) that the Esperanza bore down upon us in a menacing and warlike manner.

We submissively struck our colours, and ere long were boarded by my brother and Sir Walter Mayton. At the request of my sisters we all remained below, that they might have a little amus.e.m.e.nt. But it was hardly possible for us to wait. However, my brother quickly put an end to the suspense himself; for, in his quick decisive manner, down he came into the cabin, requesting to see the s.h.i.+p's papers. And, what papers did he see? The whole party in the cabin! He gave but one look, he comprehended it all, and, ere I thought it could be him, he had wrapt me in his arms; he wept with joy and thankfulness, and he could not cease to gaze at us all with unutterable emotions of pleasure. We forgot Sir Walter Mayton until we heard his well-known firm tread stamping above, as if impatient at the Captain's delay. We determined to have a little amus.e.m.e.nt with him, and yet not keep him long in suspense. We sent the two boys up, and watched the effect. He started, and looked keenly at them, he threw his cigar away, and then we heard his loud cheery voice say, "Whose boys are you?" They said nothing, but each took hold of a kind hand, and smiled up in his face.

"Boys, I bid you tell me, who you are," and his voice husky, while we could see he trembled.

"It is us uncle, dear uncle, here we are all safe," and throwing their arms round his neck, they half smothered him with kisses, Lilly joining her brothers.