fore all hope was
gone. But the pirates themselves ceased their warfare against us,
finding the stones quite as destructive as the guns; besides, they
seemed to be in a great state of uncertainty and trouble among
themselves, and had so many consultations, and talked at such a rate,
that we lost ourselves in conjectures as to what it could be all about.
"They are in a mighty rage against us, I think, for killing the two
men," said Oscar. "They don't want to hurt us, apparently," said
Serena, "as they never fixed their guns at us." "Why, my dear child,
don't you see that is against their interests to hurt any of us," said
Schillie, "they want to sell us, or some such blessed thing."

_Gatty_ (demurely).--"I don't think the king will sell you, little
Mother."

_Schillie._--"None of your nonsense. Miss. I'll marry you to him if you
don't mind, and a regular dun duckity mud-coloured spouse you will
have."

_Gatty._--"If you please, little Mother, you are and have been so cross
to me since we came up here."

_Schillie._--"And no wonder, you young noodle, talking such nonsense,
and behaving like a young ape when we are in such danger; and June is
just as bad, encouraging you in all this stuff."

_Mother._--"Come, don't let us quarrel, night is coming on. Go to bed,
children. You and I must watch, Schillie."

_Schillie._--"And I, feeling like a dead dog, wanting a week's sleep at
least."

_Mother._--"Then Hargrave shall help me."

_Schillie._--"Help the pirates you mean; but who has looked after that
female lately?"

We went to see her, and luckily she was unable to have her feelings
wounded by any remark that might have been bottling up against her, for
through her nose she gave audible demonstrations that she considered her
troubles and sorrows over, and that any remonstrances on our parts
would only be regarded as an unpleasant dream of the night.

"What a dirty draggle-tailed thing she looks," said Schillie, "in all
that worn-out old finery. Why cannot she dress like us and Jenny in
these serviceable dresses?"

"Oh, she made a particular request to me," I answered, "not to dress in
our island costume, and asked leave to use all our old things to make
herself, what she called, respectable. But are you really so tired you
cannot watch?"

_Schillie._--"To be sure not; you don't think I am going to let you
watch without me, only I am regularly done up, and think it would be
rather a good plan to get shot that