Part 29 (2/2)

”Dear uncle,” said Isobel, ”you remember the time when the pirates attacked--”

She paused, for her uncle's look frightened her.

”Go on, Isobel,” he said quickly.

”Your dear wife, uncle, _was not lost at that time_--”

Captain Ellice turned pale. ”What mean you, girl? How came you to know this?” Then a thought flashed across him. Seizing Isobel by the shoulder he gasped, rather than said, ”Speak quick--is--is she alive?”

”Yes, dear uncle, she--”

The captain heard no more. He would have fallen to the ground had not Fred, who was almost as much overpowered as his father, supported him.

In a few minutes he recovered, and he was told that Alice was alive--in England--_in the cottage_. This was said as they approached the door.

Alice was aware of her husband's arrival. In another moment husband and wife and son were reunited.

Scenes of intense joy cannot be adequately described, and there are meetings in this world which ought not to be too closely touched upon.

Such was the present. We will therefore leave Captain Ellice and his wife and son to pour out the deep feelings of their hearts to each other, and follow the footsteps of honest John Buzzby, as he sailed down the village with his wife and children, and a host of admiring friends in tow.

Buzzby's feelings had been rather powerfully stirred up by the joy of all around, and a tear _would_ occasionally tumble over his weather-beaten cheek, and hang at the point of his sunburnt and oft frost-bitten nose, despite his utmost efforts to subdue such outrageous demonstrations.

”Sit down, John dear,” said Mrs. Buzzby in kind but commanding tones, when she got her husband fairly into his cottage, the little parlour of which was instantly crowded to excess. ”Sit down, John dear, and tell us all about it.”

”Wot! begin to spin the whole yarn o' the Voyage afore I've had time to say, 'How d'ye do?'” exclaimed Buzzby, at the same time grasping his two uproarious sons, who had, the instant he sat down, rushed at his legs like two miniature mids.h.i.+pmen, climbed up them as if they had been two masts, and settled on his knees as if they had been their own favourite cross-trees!

”No, John, not the yarn of the voyage,” replied his wife, while she spread the board before him with bread and cheese and beer, ”but tell us how you found old Captain Ellice and where, and what's comed of the crew.”

”Werry good! then here goes.”

Buzzby was a man of action. He screwed up his weather-eye (the one next his wife, _of course_, that being the quarter from which squalls might be expected). and began a yarn which lasted the better part of two hours.

It is not to be supposed that Buzzby spun it off without interruption.

Besides the questions that broke in upon him from all quarters, the two Buzzbys junior scrambled, as far as was possible, into his pockets, pulled his whiskers as if they had been hoisting a main-sail therewith, and, generally, behaved in such an obstreperous manner as to render coherent discourse all but impracticable. He got through with it, however; and then Mrs. Buzzby intimated her wish, pretty strongly, that the neighbours should vacate the premises, which they did laughingly, p.r.o.nouncing Buzzby to be ”a trump,” and his better half ”a true blue.”

”Good day, old chap,” said the last who made his exit; ”tiller's fixed agin--nailed amid-s.h.i.+ps, eh?”

”Hard and fast,” replied Buzzby, with a broad grin, as he shut the door and returned to the bosom of his family.

Two days later a grand feast was given at Mrs. Bright's cottage, to which all the friends of the family were invited to meet with Captain Ellice and those who had returned from their long and perilous voyage.

It was a joyful gathering that, and glad and grateful hearts were there.

Two days later still, and another feast was given. On this occasion Buzzby was the host, and Buzzby's cottage was the scene. It was a joyful meeting, too, and a jolly one to boot, for O'Riley was there, and Peter Grim, and Amos Parr, and David Mizzle, and Mivins--in short, the entire crew of the lost _Dolphin_--captain, mates, surgeon, and all. Fred and his father were also there, and old Mr. Singleton, and a number of other friends, so that all the rooms in the house had to be thrown open, and even then Mrs. Buzzby had barely room to move. It was on this occasion that Buzzby related to his s.h.i.+pmates how Mrs. Ellice had escaped from drowning on the night they were attacked by pirates on board the West Indiaman. He took occasion to relate the circ.u.mstances just before the ”people from the house” arrived, and as the reader may perhaps prefer Buzzby's account to ours, we give it as it was delivered.

”You see, it happened this way,” began Buzzby.

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