Part 16 (1/2)
My numerous pursuits, as I stated in a preceding chapter obliging me to constant occupation, kept me from useless repining about my destiny, in being obliged to live so many years on this far-distant corner of the earth, I had long ceased to look for pa.s.sing s.h.i.+ps--I scarcely ever thought about them, and had given up all speculations about my grandfather's reception of me. I rarely went out to sea, except to fish, and never cared to trouble myself about anything beyond the limited s.p.a.ce which had become my inheritance.
The reader, then, may judge of my surprise when, one sultry day, I had been busily engaged for several hours cutting down a field of wheat, Mrs Reichardt came running to me with the astounding news that there was a s.h.i.+p off the island, and a boat full of people had just left her, and were rowing towards the rocks. I hastily took the gla.s.s she had brought with her, and as soon as I could get to a convenient position, threw myself on the ground on the rock, and reconnoitred through the gla.s.s the appearance of the new comers.
I soon noticed that a part were well armed, which was not the case with the rest, for they were pinioned in such a manner that they could scarcely move hand or foot. We concealed ourselves by lying our lengths on the gra.s.s. As the boat approached, I could discern that the unarmed party belonged to a superior cla.s.s of men, while many of the others had countenances that did not prepossess me at all in their favour.
We lay hid in the long gra.s.s, from which we could command a view of our approaching visitors.
”I think I understand this,” whispered Mrs Reichardt. ”There is mischief here.”
”Had I not better run home and get arms?” I asked.
”No,” she replied, ”you had better not. If we are able to do any good, we must do it by stratagem. Let us watch their movements, and act with great caution.”
My companion's advice was, I saw, the wisest that could be pursued; and therefore we remained in our hiding places, narrowly observing our visitors as they approached. They entered the fis.h.i.+ng-pool, and I could then distinctly not only see but hear them. To my extreme surprise, one of the first men who jumped out of the boat was John Gough, who had brought Mrs Reichardt to the island. He looked older, but I recognised him in a moment, and so did my companion. Her admonitory ”Hus.h.!.+” kept me from betraying the place of our concealment--so great was my astonishment--having long believed him and all his lawless a.s.sociates to have been lost at sea.
He was well armed, and evidently possessed some authority; nevertheless, I thought I could detect an air of concern in his features, as he offered to help one of the captives out of the boat. The latter, however, regarded him with an air of disdain, and, though his hands were tied behind him, leaped ash.o.r.e without a.s.sistance. He was a man of commanding stature, with a well bronzed face, and a look of great energy of character. He wore a band of gold lace round his cap, and had on duck trousers, and a blue jacket and waistcoat.
”Come, captain!” exclaimed John Gough, ”I bear you no malice. Though you have been rather hard upon us, we won't leave you to starve.”
”He's a deuced deal better off than he desarves to be,” cried a man from the boat, whom I at once recognised as the fellow on whom I had drawn my knife for hurting Nero. ”If we had made him walk the plank, as I proposed, I'm blowed if it wouldn't have been much more to the purpose than putting him on this here island, with lots o' prog, and everything calkilated to make him and his domineering officers comfortable for the rest of their days.”
”Hold your tongue, you mutineering rascal,” exclaimed the captain angrily. ”A rope's end at the yard-arm will be your deserts before long.”
”Thank ye kindly, captain,” replied the fellow, touching his hat in mockery. ”But you must be pleased to remember I ain't caught yet; and we means to have many a jolly cruise in your s.h.i.+p, and get no end o' treasure, before I shall think o' my latter end; and then I means to die like a Christian, and repent o' my sins, and make a much more edifying example than I should exhibit dangling at the end of a rope.”
The men laughed, the captain muttered something about ”pirates and mutineers,” but the rest of the officers wisely held their tongues.
I now noticed an elderly man of very respectable appearance, who was not pinioned like the rest. His hair was quite white, his complexion very pale, and he looked like one oppressed with deep sorrow and anxiety. He rose from his seat in the boat, and was a.s.sisted out by John Gough.
”I'm very sorry that we are obliged to leave you here, Mr Evelyn,” said Gough, ”but you see, sir, we have no alternative. We couldn't keep you with us, for many reasons; and therefore we have been obliged to make you a sharer in the fate of our officers.”
”And werry painful this is to our feelings, sir, you may believe,” said another of the mutineers mockingly. ”I'm quite moloncholy as I thinks on it.”
The men again laughed; but the person so addressed walked to the side of the captain without making any observation. The other captives also left the boat in silence. They were eight in all, but four of them were evidently common seamen by their dress--the others were officers. All were well-made, strong men.
”What a precious pretty colony you'll make, my hearties!” exclaimed one of the mutineers, jeeringly, as he helped to land a cask, and some other packages, that they had brought with them. ”It's a thousand pities you ain't got no female a.s.sociates, that you might marry, and settle, and bring up respectable families.”
”Talking of women,” cried the one who had first spoken, ”I wonder what became of the one we left here so cleverly when we was wrecked at this here place six years ago.”
John Gough looked uneasy at this inquiry, as if the recollection was not agreeable to him.
”And the Little Savage,” continued the fellow, ”what was agoing to send his knife into my ribs for summat or other--I forget what. They must have died long ago, I ain't no doubt, as we unfortnitely left 'em nothin' to live upon.”
”No doubt they died hand in hand, like the Babes in the Wood,” said another.
I still observed John Gough; he seemed distressed at the turn the conversation had taken.
”Now, mates,” he said hurriedly, ”let us return to the s.h.i.+p. We have done what we came to do.”
”I votes as we shall go and see arter the Missionary's woman and the Little Savage,” cried the fourth. ”I should like, somehow, to see whether they be living or not, and a stroll ash.o.r.e won't do any on us any harm.”
”I shall remain here till you return,” said John Gough; and he threw himself on the gra.s.s with his back towards me, and only a few yards from the place in which we were concealed. The rest, after making fast the boat, started off on an exploring expedition, in the direction of the old hut.
Chapter XLIX.
The captives were grouped together, some sitting, and some standing. Not one of them looked dejected at his fate; though I could see by their movements that they were impatient of the bonds that tied them. My attention was most frequently directed to the old gentleman who had been addressed as Mr Evelyn. Notwithstanding the grief expressed in his countenance, it possessed an air of benevolence and kindness of heart that even his settled melancholy did not conceal. I could not understand why, but I felt a deeper interest for this person than for any of the others--a sort of yearning towards him, mingled with a desire to protect him from the malice of his enemies.
Almost as soon as they were gone, John Gough beckoned to Mr Evelyn to sit down by his side. Possibly this was done to prevent his a.s.sisting his companions to regain their liberty, as he, not being pinioned like the rest, might easily have done, and they might have overpowered their guard before his companions could come to his a.s.sistance. But Gough was well armed, and the rest being without weapons of any kind, it was scarcely probable that they would have risked their lives in so desperate an attempt.
Mr Evelyn came and quietly sat himself down in the place indicated. I observed him with increasing interest, and singular to relate, the more I gazed on his venerable face, the more strongly I felt a.s.sured that I had seen it before. This of course was impossible, nevertheless, the fancy took possession of me, and I experienced a strange sensation of pleasure as I watched the changes his features underwent.
”John Gough, I am sorry to see you mixed up in this miserable business,” said he, mildly addressing his companion. The other did not answer, and as his back was turned towards me I could not observe the effect the observation had upon him.
”The men who have left us I know to be bad men,” continued the speaker; ”I expect nothing but wickedness from them. But you I am aware have been better brought up. Your responsibility therefore becomes the greater in a.s.sisting them in their villainy.”