ached, and bade the little Mother, who sat so silent and quiet beside
her, to look for her through the telescope. And the merry voices were
hushed, no laughter was heard, the meals passed in silence, the little
ones played at a distance speaking in whispers, on every face you could
trace a hidden fear, a secret dread, a mysterious foreboding, but not a
word was spoken on the thought of each heart. As evening after evening
stole by, the Mothers came down from their watch on the cliff, and
though every eye asked, "Have you seen nothing?" yet no tongue had
courage to say, "Where was the Captain, Smart, La Luna?"

One day, it was hotter than usual, the sun was going down with a red
glare, a low moaning wind came every now and then suddenly through the
trees. As Schillie and I came down the cliffs, our knees knocked
together with heat and lassitude. We had not spoken for several hours
until I had said, "Come, let us go." She mutely assented, and,
supporting each other, we wearily and slowly clambered down. Suddenly
stopping at a a smooth place on the cliff, on which had been spread by
Smart the skin of the Anaconda to dry, and which still remained as he
had left it, she said to me, "Which fate do you prefer, June, would you
rather now be a corpse within that skin, or yet alive with your present
feelings and fears." "O, Schillie, Schillie," I exclaimed, "it is not
for myself I fear, but think of all these young ones, can it really be
possible or true that we are likely to spend our lives in this place."

_Schillie._--"At present it seems true enough, not that you will have
long to fret about it, for we shall have to bury you soon, grieving in
this manner; I shall go as soon as I can after you; Madame is already
gasping; and then I should like to know what will become of all the
young ones."

_Mother._--"I do my best, I try to think about it as little as possible.
But what are your thoughts, Schillie? What do you think about them not
returning for us? Is it accident, or----"

_Schillie._--"Come, say no more at present, here are the girls coming to
meet us. To-morrow we must settle something, it is due to them for the
patience with which they have acted in the last fortnight, to take them
into our councils. Give us all until to-morrow, before we finally doom
ourselves to consider this island our living grave."

_Mother._--"But have you no hope, Schillie, speak quickly ere they come,
have you no hope?"

_Schillie._--"Hope!