Chapter X: Part 10

So far, so good, and we now hove about to retrace our steps, I noticing, as we passed in between the two ledges I have mentioned, that the rock, instead of being of coral formation, appeared to be composed of a lava-like substance; and I then became confirmed in an impression, which had crossed my mind once or twice before, that this island was certainly of volcanic origin, and that the mountain had once been the crater of an active volcano.

And the conformation of the summit seemed also to suggest this, for it did not taper away to a cone, but appeared to form a flat tableland of some extent; this, however, might perhaps have proved on inspection to be hollow, the flat appearance of the top resulting merely from regularity in the height of the crater walls.

In about an hour after re-entering the passage through the reef, our boat grounded gently on the beach, on the western side of the island. I leaped ashore, and assisted Ella to land, desiring Bob, as I shoved the boat off into deep water again, to meet us in the bay which I expected he would find behind a low headland which lay about three miles to the southward of us.

Ella took possession of my arm now, quite as a matter of course, without waiting for me to offer its support, and together we sauntered leisurely along in the grateful shade of the trees and giant plants with which we were surrounded.

For the first half-hour or so, we had eyes for nothing but the varied beauties of nature which lay spread before us in such luxuriant prodigality.

The forms of the trees and plants were, for the most part, new to us, but all were beautiful; and the occasional glimpses of scenery which presented themselves through unexpected avenues, made glorious by the adornment of all these varied forms and colours in foliage and flowers, and enlivened by the presence of thousands of birds of brilliant plumage, darting through the air like living gems, seemed like an absolute realisation of fairy-land or Eden.

Time passed swiftly away with us in the enjoyment of so much loveliness, especially as we made frequent pauses to admire at our leisure some more than usually bewitching scene; and I was in the act of remarking to my companion that Bob would certainly think we were lost in the woods, when she exclaimed in a startled voice:

"Oh, Harry! there is an animal of some sort following us. I have noticed the bushes moving rather strangely behind us once or twice already, but I did not like to say anything, fearing you would think me foolish and nervous; but this instant I distinctly saw a dark object glide swiftly behind that large aloe-like shrub with the beautiful purple blossoms, that we stood admiring so long."

"An animal?" I exclaimed. "Impossible, darling; you must surely be mistaken. No animals are likely to be on an island like this. How could they ever have come here, unless provided with wings?"

"That I cannot say," she replied; "but I am convinced I was not mistaken."

"Stay here a moment then," said I; "I will go back and see whether any creature really _is_ lurking there, as you seem to think."

"Oh no, Harry, dear! please do not," she exclaimed; "I feel so dreadfully nervous, though I know it is very foolish. But it has startled me, and I shall not feel at ease again until we are in the boat. Let us hasten forward as rapidly as possible, please, for I cannot enjoy the walk any longer."

"Come, then," said I, "we will go on at once; and since this animal is behind us, you had better walk on a pace or two ahead of me."

We now stepped briskly forward, my companion evidently suffering from a violent attack of nervous agitation.

I did not believe she had seen anything, and imputed her feeling to the rather depressing sense of solitude which one is sometimes apt to experience when wandering in a thickly-wooded locality. Nevertheless, I took the precaution to glance at my rifle, and satisfy myself that all its chambers were loaded, and also to verify the locality of my cartridges.

We had proceeded in this way perhaps five minutes, and had just emerged from among the trees upon an open lawn-like level of green sward which sloped gently to the beach, there about half a mile distant, when something hissed close past me; and the next moment I saw an arrow quivering in the earth, a few yards beyond.

"Savages!" I exclaimed, and I felt my blood curdle and my heart sink like lead for a moment, as I realised the dreadful nature of the danger to which my poor little darling was thus suddenly exposed.

I turned abruptly, but could see no sign of a living creature near; and, with such cheering words as I could find for the moment, I urged Ella to hasten her steps towards the open, where I should be upon more even terms with the enemy.

Poor child! she needed no urging; she would have taken to headlong flight had I not restrained her: for I felt certain that such an action would immediately be followed by a perfect shower of arrows were the savages in force.

We had not advanced half a dozen yards before I felt a sharp stinging sensation in my left arm; it was pierced by an arrow. I looked round again, but the foe remained invisible, and there was nothing for it but to push on. The next instant three or four more long slender shafts hissed past us, confirming my fears and increasing my apprehensions for my companion's safety.

She saw that I was wounded, and would have stopped to render me assistance, but time was valuable now, and moments as precious as years would be under other circumstances so I only urged her to press forward as fast as she could without actually running.

On we sped, and again came another flight of arrows, one of which pierced me in the fleshy part of the thigh, whilst two passed through Ella's flowing skirts, but happily without doing the dear girl any injury.

I suffered a few moments to elapse, and then suddenly faced about, bringing my rifle to my shoulder as I did so; and there, in the centre of the path between the trees, which we had just quitted, knelt a savage upon one knee, in the act of drawing his bow.

I was always very fond of shooting, and had acquired the reputation of being a good snap-shot among the rabbits, and my skill now stood me in good stead.

The kneeling figure was instantly covered; I pulled the trigger, and he leapt convulsively to his feet, staggered forward, and fell upon his face. I had no sooner fired than some twenty natives sprang from their cover, and ran towards us. They seemed, I thought, to have seen fire-arms before, for their advance was made with the confidence of those who know that their enemy has just emptied his piece; but they were about to make the acquaintance of a new and terrible weapon, of the properties of which they were doubtless hitherto ignorant.

Levelling again, I fired at the foremost, and then quickly turned my piece upon one close beside him. The reports rang out sharp and clear one close upon the other, and both the savages fell. Their companions paused an instant in evident surprise; and that pause proved a serious, if not fatal, matter to a fourth, whom I immediately afterwards brought down.

This was too much for them. They saw that to stand exposed to view was to court death, and with a yell of disappointed rage, they sprang back into cover.

I instantly profited by this retrograde movement on the part of the enemy to make a push for the beach, hoping that Bob would hear the rifle-shots (especially the double report, which I had arranged with him on a former occasion should be a signal of warning or a call for assistance), and hasten to the rendezvous which was now clearly within sight, or would be as soon as uncovered by an extensive screen of bush which lay a couple of hundred yards on our right.

I also reloaded with all dispatch the emptied chambers of my rifle, with which I hoped to be able to keep the savages at bay until we were fairly afloat once more.

But the fight was by no means over yet, for we had not gone far when a shower of at least thirty arrows flew about us from a point on our left, showing that the savages were following us up under cover, evidently with the intention of heading us, if possible.

I was wounded thrice by this discharge: one arrow sticking in the back of my neck, and causing me the greatest uneasiness, a second lodging in my left shoulder, and a third completely piercing the calf of my leg. I succeeded in removing some of these annoyances by thrusting them right through the flesh, breaking off the heads, and drawing out the broken shafts; but those in my neck and shoulder were firmly imbedded in the muscles, and I found I could not remove them without some sort of surgical assistance.

Ella had fortunately escaped again, and as soon as I had rid myself as far as I could of the arrows, we pressed on once more, I keeping as much between my companion and the cover of the foe as was possible. The poor girl was nearly fainting with terror, but she made a brave effort to keep up her spirits, and really behaved wonderfully well.

There was now a pause of a minute or two in the attack, and this enabled us to reach a point where we were not only nearly out of range of the arrows, but where we were also enabled to get a clear view of our goal.

We passed beyond the cover of the intervening bush, and there lay the beach, with no less than fifteen canoes drawn up on it. They were of various sizes, some large enough to carry perhaps thirty men, others not capable of accommodating more than four or six.

The headland I had indicated to Bob lay about a mile on our right; but the boat was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately there seemed to be no one left in charge of the canoes, and I at once made up my mind to take the smallest (if I could succeed in gaining the beach), and push off in it, and finish the fight afloat, trusting that Bob would yet arrive in time to lend us his aid in effecting our escape.

I told Ella, in a few hasty words, what I intended, directing her to get into the smallest canoe the moment we reached the beach, and then lie down flat in the bottom of it. We hurried forward, for increasing weakness and an occasional swimming of objects before my sight, warned me that my strength was rapidly failing with the blood which was trickling from my wounds.

I had just communicated my intentions to Ella, when I saw something passing swiftly along beyond the low point which formed the northern extremity of the bay, which I knew at once to be the head of the boat's mainsail, and presently she shot clear of the land, and headed well up for the very spot where the canoes lay.

The savages no doubt saw her too, for a shower of arrows was immediately let fly at us; but by this time we were out of their range. A second shower followed, but with no greater success; and then, with a savage yell, at least a hundred blacks sprang forth into the open, apparently _determined_ to prevent our escape.

I at once faced round, for, though we were beyond the reach of their arrows, they were by no means beyond the reach of my bullets; and, quickly levelling my rifle, I took deliberate aim, calling on Ella to make the best of her way to the canoes as I did so, covered the nearest savage and fired. Without lowering the rifle from my shoulder, I quickly selected another mark, which, in my haste and eagerness, I missed, hitting a man close behind him however, so that my shot was not thrown away; then another, and another, and a fifth.

This checked their rush, and a sixth shot stopped them altogether. My rifle was now empty. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw that Ella was within a few yards of the canoe I had indicated, and that Bob was coming up at a rattling pace; so I suddenly dropped the rifle from my shoulder, and turned and ran for the beach as fast as my now rapidly failing strength would permit, reloading as I ran.

This, as I expected, proved the signal for a general chase, the savages rushing after me two feet to my one, uttering the most terrific cries and yells, brandishing their clubs and spears, and sending an occasional arrow after me.

I was soon unpleasantly informed that I was once more within reach of their missiles, one of the arrows entering my left shoulder and piercing the shoulder-bone, a second sticking in my left arm, close to the former wound, and three entering my right leg almost simultaneously, taking effect about six inches above the knee. I still staggered on, however, and, in about two minutes more, which spread themselves out to the length of ages in that exhausting and agonising race, I reached the canoe in which Ella had already placed herself as I had directed.

I had succeeded in reloading all six chambers of my rifle, and I now turned to open fire upon my pursuers once more, in the hope of checking them long enough to get the craft afloat. As I did so, the whole earth appeared to rock and heave about me; my eyes became dizzy and my sight failed, so that I could see nothing but a vast dark crowd of savage faces scowling upon me, and surging to and fro before my reeling vision.

Into this heaving crowd I discharged the contents of my rifle rapidly, but without any attempt at aim, and then turning and flinging the now-useless weapon into the canoe, I concentrated all my fast fleeting energies into one supreme effort to launch her.

I faintly heard Bob's shout of encouragement, and earnestly prayed that he might succeed in saving my darling. I felt that _I_ was lost, and, as the cheering cry rang across the water, I threw myself with all my weight against the light craft, which was already half afloat, braced myself against the stem, and felt her move. A spear at this instant pierced me in the back; but its effect for the moment was but to stimulate me further, and with another violent effort I succeeded in getting her fairly afloat.

I saw, or fancied I saw, the boat within a few yards' distance, and Bob in her, with a rope in his hand ready to heave and plunging heavily into the clear cool sparkling water, I gave the canoe one final desperate outward impulse, and at the same moment felt a crashing, stunning blow at the back of my head--a million stars seemed to dance before my darkening eyes--a momentary feeling of the intensest agony surged through my brain and I sank insensible into the ankle-deep wavelets which came rippling merrily up to the shore, Ella's despairing shriek ringing in my ears as the last faint glimmering spark of consciousness faded away.

When consciousness at length returned, it was accompanied by a sensation of almost unendurable agony from my numerous smarting, inflamed, and stiffening wounds; and to this was added the torture of a burning thirst.

I was lying, completely naked, upon the scorching sand, a few yards distant from the water's edge, whither I had been dragged, apparently for the purpose of being stripped of the poor spoil of my clothing.

The sun, now nearing the horizon, poured his fiery beams full upon me, still further increasing the tortures from which I was suffering; but I believe that to this circumstance alone am I indebted for my preservation from death, for the glowing rays dried and hardened the blood as it oozed from my wounds, and thus prevented my bleeding to death.

To my great surprise, I was entirely alone. The sand around me was impressed with numerous footprints from unshod feet; and, on looking more intently about me, I saw that they had all left me in the direction of the beach, and the canoes were gone.

This circumstance excited within me anew the direst apprehensions; for I had not the slightest doubt that the savages were away in pursuit of the boat, and I every moment dreaded to see her reappear, and to hear the triumphant shouts proclaiming our enemies' success.

But the moments, laden with excruciating mental and bodily torture, wore slowly away, and nothing appeared to disturb or break in upon the solitude which surrounded me; and now, urged by the desire for a cooler spot, I sought to drag my agonised frame from the burning sand to the cool, fresh, verdant greensward, which was but a few yards distant.

Slowly, and writhing at every movement with the keenest anguish, I crawled foot by foot upwards along the beach, and at length, after half an hour of intense torment, sank utterly exhausted upon the utmost verge of the grass-covered plain.

My exertions caused all my wounds to burst open afresh, and I now became aware that I had received several in addition to those inflicted in the fight; these last being doubtless the result of wanton cruelty and savage delight on the part of my enemies at finding me in their power.

But I was still as far as ever from the means of slaking my burning thirst, for there was not a drop of fresh water within miles of me, as far as I knew; and had there been, my strength was by this time so completely gone that I could not have crawled another half-dozen yards to save my life, or even to quench that thirst which was now to me almost worse than death.

Stern, stubborn endurance was therefore my only resource, and I sank back upon the cool grass to await, in bitter helplessness, the death which I felt must soon come to my relief.

I now relapsed into a state of semi-consciousness, my thoughts wandering away from my present condition and fixing themselves, with strange pertinacity, upon subjects of the most trifling import; now plunging into vague speculations, and anon indulging in all sorts of fantastic fancies, as fever began to assume its burning sway over my tortured frame.

From this state I was aroused by hearing a joyous shout in the tones of Bob's well-remembered voice; and, raising myself with difficulty, only to sink back in utter feebleness, I caught a momentary glimpse of the boat in the act of grounding on the beach.

In a few brief seconds more Ella and Bob were beside me, the former raising my head upon her knee, and gazing into my face with an expression of the fondest pity and concern, as her fingers swept the hair gently off my forehead, wet with the clammy dew of suffering.

Bob, too, knelt at my side, uttering expressions of sympathy and encouragement, expressed, as usual, with true nautical figurativeness of speech. Seeing that I was conscious, however, he speedily changed his discourse, and informed me that it was necessary I should be immediately removed; for, though he had succeeded in decoying the whole of the savages away in pursuit of the boat, and had led them to such a distance as to admit of his evading them and returning in search of me, they were still in chase, and no time must be lost in getting away from the present spot, and returning to the cutter, or we should again be brought into dangerous proximity with them.

Having explained thus far, therefore, he at once proceeded to raise me in his powerful arms; and though he did so with the utmost gentleness, the agony attending the movement was so intense that I swooned away.

When I recovered, we were afloat and under way, standing off, with flowing sheets, for the headland I have mentioned as forming the northern extremity of the bay.

Ella was seated on the boat's platform or deck, with my head in her lap, and was bathing my face and neck with her pocket-handkerchief, wetted from a pannikin of water which stood by her side, and which was supplied from a small breaker we had brought with us.

As soon as I opened my eyes the dear girl bent over me, and asked, with the tenderest solicitude, whether I felt any better.

"Yes, darling," I answered; "but, for the love of mercy, pray give me some water. I am dying for want of it."

She handed the pannikin to Bob, who immediately filled it, my eyes drinking in, in eager anticipation, every cool, sparkling drop of the precious liquid, as it gurgled crystal-clear out of the bung-hole of the breaker; the next moment the pannikin was drained to the bottom, and I was craving for more. Oh, what a delicious draught was that to my parched and burning lips and throat!

Surely the man who first dreamed of nectar must have been thinking of water, clear and cool, tasted under similar circumstances to those in which I was then placed. My thirst at length temporarily assuaged, Ella once more resumed the bathing of my wounds, tearing up the skirt of her white cotton dress to bind them up with afterwards. I begged her to desist, alluding as delicately as I could to my naked condition, and the shock to her modesty which it must occasion and assured her I could and would wait until we reached the cutter, when Bob would have leisure to attend to me and enact the part of surgeon.

"I know what you mean, Harry, love," she answered; "but do not feel any distress on my account. I am, I trust, as truly and perfectly modest as any woman living; you will never have the slightest reason to complain of me in that respect. And you know, dear, that to the pure in thought all things are pure; and I can look, as I have already looked, upon your naked body, without one thought save that of sorrow and deepest pity for the cruel wounds with which it is covered. My modesty is not of the spurious kind which would cause me to turn away my face and hide it with simulated blushes, leaving those gaping wounds to remain uncared for; and I hope you will not think the worse of me if I say that I intend, not only to dress every one of them _now_, but as often as they require it, until, with God's blessing, you are completely restored. And am I not your promised wife? That alone, and apart from any abstract question of humanity, is sufficient to justify my resolve, in my own eyes, as I trust it will in yours, dearest. Bob is well enough, he is a dear old fellow in many ways; but utterly unfitted to exercise the delicacy and care, and ungifted with the lightness of touch, necessary in your case. Besides, it is woman's peculiar province to--What are you smiling at? Ah! I know. You are laughing at what you have styled my `pet phrase' but never mind! I am rejoiced to see that you _can_ smile at _anything_ in the midst of your pain, my poor darling."

We were by this time rounding the point, and the savages had been visible some five minutes about three miles to the southward, paddling away most furiously, so Bob said, in the vain hope of overtaking the swift boat.

It was not a very long journey from this point back to the cove, in which the _Water Lily_ was lying, and in about three quarters of an hour we were alongside.

To transfer me on board and below was a most painful operation, and I again swooned away soon recovering, however, under Ella's gentle ministrations. To my surprise I found she had caused me to be placed in her own cot forward, a proceeding against which I at once protested as strenuously as my feeble powers would allow.

"Dearest, dearest Harry," said she, leaning over me, and pressing her quivering lips passionately to mine, "do not, I pray you, exhaust yourself and distress me by saying a single word. You are far better here than you would be in your hammock. There you would have no room to turn, whilst here you have plenty there it is close and stifling hot, whilst here there is a cool and refreshing draught from the open deck-light; and here, too, I shall have more room to move round and get at your numerous wounds to dress them. And here I can remain at your side and watch you constantly, whilst I could not do so very well in the other cabin, without turning poor Bob out of it altogether."

"But," said I, "I protest against your devoting yourself to me so completely as these arrangements imply; you will be ill--"

"Not another word, Harry," she interrupted, stopping my lips with a kiss; I will not listen to it. I am already your wife in the sight of God, and He knows that no wife can love more fondly than I do; so in this dreadful time I shall perform all a wife's duties towards you, dearest, as in that way only is there any hope of saving you. You are now still under the influence of excitement, and do not know the extent of your injuries; but you will find all that out by-and-by, when you become more calm, and then you will need the most vigilant watching and the utmost care to save you from sinking under the effects of exhaustion.

"Oh! Ella, what can I do to repay you for all this?" I exclaimed, deeply moved by the dear twirl's devotion.

"Live, Harry," she replied passionately; "live, my dearest; recover, and bless your poor little Ella with such love as her heart now feels for you. But this will never do," she added quickly, and with a powerful effort to regain her self-control; "I must lose no time in getting these dreadful wounds bound up, for they are all bleeding afresh; and, remember, I forbid you to speak another word."

It was time, for I was so utterly exhausted that I felt doubtful whether I should ever recover; so I lay passive whilst Ella tripped about, procuring basins of warm water, bathing my wounds, and binding them up carefully and tenderly with soft lint and ample bandages. I had heard Bob's heavy tread bustling about on the deck above for a short time, but I now missed it, and endeavoured to inquire where he was gone; this, however, my nurse would not permit, assuring me that I should learn all that it was necessary to know in due time, and when I was stronger and better able to listen.

The work of dressing my injuries was a long and tedious one, for I had no less than seventeen wounds in different parts of my body, the most serious of which were the spear-wound in my back, and three, close together, in my right breast; the blow at the back of my head; the arrow-wounds in my neck and left shoulder where the weapons had been dragged violently out, lacerating the flesh terribly, no doubt when I was stripped; and a spear-thrust in my right thigh, which completely pierced the limb and seemed to have severed some important artery, from the quantity of blood which gushed from it and deluged the bed on which I lay.

It was quite dark, or as dark as it _could_ be with a full moon riding in cloudless beauty overhead, before the painful task was over; but the soothing effects of the bathing and the bland and cooling properties of the ointment applied to my smarting wounds were such that I soon felt at ease and free from pain, compared with what my condition had been an hour or two before, and I sank into a feverish doze, in the midst of which I still remained conscious of the frequent application of cool wet cloths to my burning brow, and of the constant moistening of my parched lips with a cool refreshing beverage of some kind.

Gradually I dropped off into a sounder sleep, from which I awoke but once in the night, to find my gentle nurse half-sitting, half-reclining, in a chair beside my cot, fast asleep, with one soft round arm encircling my neck and her fair head resting on the pillow close to my own.

Volume Two, Chapter VI.

IMPORTANT NEWS.

The next day I was in a raging delirium, and for nearly a week did I remain utterly unconscious of all that surrounded me, entirely engrossing the attention of my companions, and taxing their energies and ingenuity to the utmost to prevent my leaping out of the cot or doing myself some injury, in the unnatural strength and violence of the fever which burned within me.

At length their unremitting care and watchfulness were rewarded by seeing me fall into a deep sleep, in which I remained all night and until the next morning was far advanced; and when I awoke reason had resumed her sway. I knew them both, and could answer their affectionate inquiries by a faint pressure of the hand or a feeble whisper, but beyond this I had no power to go.

Ella, poor child! looked terribly pale and careworn, as well she might, for I afterwards learned that during the whole of that fearful time she had never once lain down to rest; such sleep as she had been able to obtain being snatched at uncertain intervals in a chair by the side of my cot. Bob had, of course, insisted sturdily and stubbornly on performing his full share of the watching but my poor little darling could not even then tear herself away, though she was able to do but little beyond supplying my incessant demands for water, it being utterly impossible during the whole time to renew any of the bandages.

And now ensued the terrible state of exhaustion and utter prostration consequent on my great loss of blood and the fever which had so long been devouring me. I had not strength even to raise my hand without assistance, and as to turning myself, I might as well have attempted to fly.

For nine days did I thus lie hovering between life and death, my weakness being such that my wounds had to be dressed one at a time and at intervals; and the very pressure of the sheet--the only cover it had been possible to throw over me from the time that I was first brought on board--seemed almost more than I could endure.

At length, however, the assiduous care and ceaseless attention which were bestowed upon me had their effect, and I began to rally and, the turning-point once passed, soon mended rapidly.

The moment that my recovery seemed at all probable Bob got the tents rigged up ashore again; and, one fine morning when I appeared a little stronger than usual, and seemed able to bear the removal, I was transferred to the boat and thence to the shore where my own hammock, carefully slung and provided with clean linen, awaited me. The change from the confinement of the small cabin to the tent, the fresh and balmy air, scent-laden from the adjacent groves, and, above all, the view from the open end of the tent of the clear sparkling water gently ruffled by the passing breeze, with the tree-crowned, sunlighted cliffs on either side, did more for me than the most skilful doctor or the most potent drugs could have effected, and I felt that I was drawing in new life with every inhalation.

I now slept much and soundly, the effect, no doubt, of the fresh, cool air which was freely admitted to the interior of the tent; and when I was not sleeping I was generally eating, Ella exerting all her ingenuity, which was great, in the concoction of light, tempting dishes, to provoke my languid appetite.

Bob, too, was indefatigable in his exertions in my behalf; now ranging the woods with his air-gun, in search of a species of pigeon which he had discovered; anon going away in the canoe (in which Ella had escaped, and which he had contrived to retain) to the rocks, and bringing in sundry delicately-flavoured fish; and then off to the woods again for fruit, of which the island afforded any quantity of various kinds.

As I progressed toward recovery, so did Ella regain in a measure her former cheerfulness of manner, which intense anxiety had greatly subdued; and now that she was once more able to take her natural rest, the roses speedily returned to her cheeks, and her eyes began to resume their former brightness.

At length the day arrived when I was considered strong enough to listen to Bob's story, and be made acquainted with all that had occurred since the disastrous afternoon of our walk on the south side of the island.

You must know, he began, "that as soon as I left you and your precious little dearie here ashore, I went straight away back to the channel, and anchored the craft in a bit of a nook in the first reach, where I thought as I should find some sport. Well, I didn't get so much as a nibble, and, at last--whether 'twas the heat of the sun, or what 'twas, I can't tell ye--I dropped clean off to sleep. How long I slept I can't say, but I was woke up by the tug-tugging of the line, which I'd made fast with two or three turns round my finger. I started to haul in, and had got my fish very nigh out of water, when he broke away, and I lost him. I was just baiting my hook afresh, when I thought I heard your rifle; and I fancied I'd overstayed my time, and that you was firing a signal to jine company. So I rouses up my killick, and makes sail; and whilst I was doing it, I hears two reports, one close upon t'other. I guessed at once't that something was amiss; so I crowds all sail upon the craft, and steers as straight as she would go for the p'int. Whilst I was running down towards it I fancied I heard a shout, though I couldn't be sure, but you may depend upon it I was now pretty anxious to get round the pint, and see where you was and what was going on. As soon as I cleared it, I sees you and dearie hurryin' towards the beach, as though somethin' was amiss, but what it was I couldn't at first make out, until I see'd the blackies jump out of the bushes, and then I knowed at once what a reg'lar fix you was in. I see'd ye fire at 'em, lad, and bring 'em up with a round turn, and my fingers was just all of a itch to be alongside of ye with one of them same revolvin' rifles in my fist, though I'm, a'ter all, no great matter of a shot. Well, I see'd ye run, and I see'd the little lady here step into the canoe and lie down and then in course I knowed what you was after, so I shapes a course accordin'. You knows what foller'd, lad, but you don't know, and I can't tell ye, what I felt when I saw ye struck down almost within reach of my arm, and dragged away by them incarnate devils. It seemed to me as though every mother's son of 'em was fighting for the first blow at ye, and I give ye fairly up for lost, sartain. But there warn't much time for thinkin', for some of 'em started to launch their canoes at once't in chase of dearie here, and I only had jist time to sheer alongside and take the craft in tow, when they was afloat and a'ter us. I stood away to the south'ard, hardly knowing what I was doin', and soon ran away from 'em hand over hand. I was getting little miss here out of the canoe into the boat the best way I could, for she'd fainted, when the idee comes into my old head that if I could but entice the whole lot of 'em to chase me, I might lead 'em far enough away to give 'em the slip and run back and get your body--for I never doubted but what you was dead. So I goes for'ard and lets run the main-halliards, and down comes the sail, accidental like. The niggers gives a shout as soon as they sees this, and I hauls my wind as though I couldn't go no further to leeward without my mainsail; and, sure enough, the trick answered to perfection, for the whole posse of 'em comes scurryin' down to the beach, launches their canoes, and shoves off, paddling like mad to the south'ard, to cut me off. `All right, my hearties, go it,' says I, `but,' says I, `you haven't the pleasure of knowin' a sartain Robert Trunnion,' says I, `if you supposes as you're going to circumvent him that a'way.' So I lets 'em come well up with me, and the nearer they got, the louder they yells, and the harder they paddles; and you might ha' thought by the row that all hell had broke loose, as perhaps it had, or them devils wouldn't ha' been there. Well, I'd got the main-halliards led aft to where I was sittin', and as they closed, I gently sways the sail up, a few inches at a time, and keeps grad'lly away, until we was all spinnin' away dead to the south'ard, they paddlin' like fury, and I just keepin' far enough ahead to be out of range of their harrers. We'd run, I s'pose, a matter of four knots, when I sees that the reef sinks lower and lower below the water and by the time that we had gone another couple of miles, there was unbroken water all over it. So I edges easily away to the west'ard, they following, till we'd got an offing of about four miles from the shore, and there was a tidyish jump of a sea for 'em to paddle ag'in, though I know'd 'twould make no matter of difference to the boat; and then I gives the tiller to the little lady, who'd come round ag'in, goes for'ard and h'ists the sail full up, and then hauls sharp up and goes about, keeping as straight away for the bay ag'in as I dared for the reef. The devils set up another yell at this, and round they goes like tops, heading about east, to cut me off; but I soon seed as they was pretty well done up--for I'd kept 'em paddlin' all they knowed, in the hopes of coming up with me--and I felt satisfied as I'd be able to get back in time to get your body and be off ag'in afore they could overhaul me. Well, you knows that part of the story too; so it needs no telling. Directly you was in your cot, I rouses the gun out of the cutter into the boat, takes a goodish lot of cartridges, shot and shell with me, and out I goes agin, fallin' in with the rascals just off the nor'-western end of the cliffs. They was hugging the shore pretty close, and I was dreadful afraid as they knowed the cove, and was bound in there. So as I'd loaded the gun afore starting, I just gives 'em a shell, right into the thick of 'em, and that seemed to sicken 'em all at once; for they ups helm, and away they goes faster even than they'd come, and I a'ter 'em. The first thing I did was to get between them and the land and as soon as they see'd that there warn't no chance of gettin' ashore and takin' to their cursed woods ag'in, away they all goes helter-skelter for our passage, and directly they was fairly in it, I heaves the boat to, loads the gun ag'in, and a'ter 'em once more, for I was determined that I'd drive 'em fairly out to sea, and then blow 'em all to hell, where they come from and--to make a long story short--that's just what I did, lad, bearing down upon a canoe until I _couldn't_ miss her, and then plumping a shell into her at one eend and out at t'other. I tarred the whole lot with the same brush, except one little craft with only four hands in her, and she I chased clean out to sea altogether, givin' 'em a shot close past 'em, as a freshener of their energies, just as I hauled my wind; and if ever they gets back to their own country-- wherever 'tis--I'll bet my life they'll never be for coming to _this here_ island ag'in."

Such was Bob's story, and such the end of the adventure, for though we remained at the island nearly seven weeks, we never saw any further signs of savages.

In about a month from the date of the adventure I had so far recovered as to be able to hobble about a little, a few yards only at a time; and then I began to regain strength rapidly. By the end of the following week I was able, with the assistance of Bob's strong arm, to get as far as the cascade every morning, and take a bath; and this, too, helped me on wonderfully towards entire convalescence. My wounds had closed, and were by this time so far scarred over that I was able to dispense with all dressing and bandages, and we began to talk about making another start, finally arranging to do so as soon as the new moon attained her first quarter, which would be in another fortnight.

It was, I believe, on the Sunday following this arrangement that Bob set off the first thing after breakfast to attempt an ascent of the mountain, he having discovered, as he believed, a spot at which an active man with good nerves might surmount the natural impediments which existed near the base.

I cautioned him to be very careful for our sakes as well as his own, for I was still too weak to afford him any very effectual assistance in the event of a mishap and a broken limb halfway up the mountain-side would have been death to him just at that time.

Ella and I were, of course, society for each other, and we wandered about the lawn-like ravine and reposed at frequent intervals beneath the grateful shade of the trees, in blissful oblivion of the passage of time, waiting quite contentedly until Master Bob chose to rejoin us, which he faithfully promised he would in time for dinner.

At length, however, the position of the sun in the western heavens warned us that the hour named was long past, and I proposed a walk as far as the head of the ravine, hoping to meet the truant returning. We walked slowly, my strength not yet being sufficient to permit of very active exertion, and by the time that we reached the point aimed at, the entire landscape was flooded in the lovely pinky-purplish haze which immediately precedes sunset. Still no Bob made his appearance, and I began to grow seriously alarmed. We waited another half-hour, and then, just as the sun was about to disappear in the purple western wave, and we had made up our minds to return to the cutter, thinking he might possibly have passed down the ravine on its opposite side, he made his appearance.

To my surprise, he seemed singularly uncommunicative, and we could get but little out of him beyond the fact that he had, with very great difficulty, reached the summit, and found my conjecture as to its being an extinct crater correct. He thawed a little during dinner, and volunteered the information that he had seen land far away on the southern board--nearly or quite a hundred miles distant, he supposed-- and had seen the loom of land to the westward, or about west-north-west, and also to the northward. He was of opinion, he said, that our late enemies had come from the land seen to the southward and were bound north, touching at our island on their way, on some marauding excursion, as he had been able completely to sweep the island in every direction from the commanding elevation of the mountain-top, and had detected no sign whatever of "niggers" in any direction. With this he dropped the subject and adverted to my condition, questioning me solicitously-- unusually so, I fancied--as to how I felt, the extent of my strength, where we had been, and what we had seen. He was particularly curious on this latter point, and asked the same question so repeatedly that Ella made some laughing remark, I forget what, upon it, and he carefully avoided any further repetition of it for the remainder of the evening, at least as long as Ella was with us.

When at length she retired to her own tent for the night, however, he became more communicative. I was already undressed and in my hammock, and he was sitting smoking beside me, and after a silence of some ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, during which he seemed to be ruminating deeply, he began.

"I've something to tell ye, lad," said he, knocking the ashes contemplatively out of his pipe as he spoke, "but dash my ugly old wig if I'm at all sartain that I ought to say anything about it to-night, seeing as it can't do much good, and might only be upsetting of ye for the night; but your head's better nor mine in matters of this sort, and I confess I should like to have your idees upon the subject afore I sleep. Maybe they'll in a way mark out a course upon which my idees can travel a good bit of a way betwixt this and morning, and even that much'll be an advantage gained. The fact is that I've see'd something as I didn't expect to see whilst I was away up aloft there--" pointing with the stem of his pipe backwards over his shoulder toward the mountain--"and the sight has disturbed me a little and set me thinkin' a good deal."

"Indeed," said I, "what have you seen, Bob? You must perforce tell me all about it now, for you have excited both my curiosity and my apprehensions."

"Not much need for the last, boy, I hope and believe," answered he, "but it's best perhaps as you should know at once--so, without any further palaver, the _Albatross_, the pirate brig, is inside the reef, and is lying at anchor at this very moment in the bay where you was so near losing the number of your mess."

"The _Albatross_!" exclaimed I "nonsense, Bob; surely you must be mistaken! Is it not some whaler, think you, come in to water!"

"No, no," said he; "it's no whaler, Harry. Whalers wouldn't come so far within the group as this here island. And when did ye ever know me mistaken about a vessel as has given us such good reason to remember her as this here brig? I knowed her the minute I set eyes on her: firstly, by a patch in her foresail, as you might ha' noticed the last time we see her nextly, by the shape of her main-topmast-staysail; and, thirdly and lastly, by the whull look of her, which enables a seaman to recognise a ship in the same way as one of your 'long-shore folks recognises an acquaintance in the street when they see him, though he may be dressed exactly like a score of other people within hail. And what's more, I can make a pretty near guess as to what's become of that whaler that he went a'ter when he found we wasn't to be had, for I see he's got three of the chap's whale-boats, to replace the two as was expended in our little trifle of a brush, no doubt."

"This is important news, indeed," said I "and news that provides matter for very serious reflection. What do you suppose has brought them in here, Bob? Did you see anything by which you could form an opinion?"

"Yes," replied he, "I did. Want of water may be one thing but it's my idee that they've come in here to give their craft an overhaul, for they'd no sooner let go their anchor than they outs boats, and one watch pulls ashore and turns to building huts on the green, whilst t'other watch sends down t'gallan' yards and masts, and unbends the sails and sends 'em all down on deck."

"Then they are likely to make a pretty long stay," said I, "and, in that case, we may be discovered at any moment."

"That they're likely to stay here some time I'll not deny," returned Bob; "but I don't feel partic'lar oneasy about bein' discovered. It's like enough as some on 'em may take the fancy in their heads to scale this here bit of a mountain; but I've made it my business to give the place a reg'lar overhaul this a'ternoon, and the thing _can't_ be done from the south'ard--not without ladders, that is, and good long uns at that; and I've found out, too, that though you may get round to t'other side of the mountain from here, you can't get down to the level ground beyond. I never see such a place, it's nothing but precipices one atop of t'other; and there's one place I come to which one man might defend ag'in just as many as ever like to come a'ter him, by just standin' behind a sort of wall in the cliff and shoving of 'em over the edge as they tried to get round it. No, no; you make your mind easy on that p'int, lad we ain't to be got at except 'tis by water, and I reckon they'll be all too busy to spare a boat's crew to come the length of this; and if they did, it's a thousand chances to one that they'd never find the openin' into this here cove. Why I run past it myself the day as we brought you in here wounded, and I'd never have found it if I hadn't knowed just where to look for it. So it's my opinion as we may stay here quiet and comfortable enough so long as we've a mind to; and then, when we're tired of waitin', we can slip out quietly in the night, and nobody be any the wiser. So much for that. Now for an idee that's come into my head, and that I can't get rid of noways. Wouldn't it be a pretty trick to sarve these chaps, if we was to take the brig and carry her out to sea under their noses, leavin' of 'em here to amuse themselves the best way they could?"

"It _would_ be a pretty trick indeed," I replied, "if it were possible but at this moment I cannot see how it is to be done. The difficulties in the way of its accomplishment are too many for only a couple of men to overcome. Were we half-a-dozen, or even four, we might perhaps do it; but we could never get her out clear of the reefs by our two selves. Besides, before we could get the canvas on her, they would be alongside of us in their boats, even if the watch, which they will of course leave on board, were overpowered."

"I don't reckon as they'll keep much of a watch aboard her where she's lying," returned Bob. "She's as safe as if she was in harbour, not more'n a mile from the beach, and on the lee-side of the island; and as to gettin' her out, you've only to stand to the south'ard under fore-and-aft canvas, and it's my belief as she'd fetch out clear of the reef from where she's lyin' in one tack. You recollect as I told ye that the reef dipped as it went to the south'ard? Well, it's my opinion as there'd be water for her over it by the time she was far enough south to make it worth while to think about heaving of her about. That's the road as she came in by."