“Well, Harry,” said he, as I drew the light canoe up a foot or two on the beach, “it seems that you haven’t been noways idle whilst I’ve been aloft there spying into the inimy’s movements. I hardly knowed what to make of it when I first found the tents struck and ’most everything gone. But I’m glad in one sense that matters is so far for’ard, though I’m sorry in another; for I’m greatly afeared you’ve been working hard and have tired yourself, and there’s just a chance of our havin’ our hands full of work to-night. I stumbled over these here bananas as I was coming down the ravine, and brought ’em along, as I s’pose it was intended I should.”
“Just so,” I answered. “Now let me hear the result of your day’s observations. I have amused myself, as you see, in getting as many of our things as I could back into the cutter; for I felt that, in the present condition of affairs, it may be imperatively necessary for us to be off at a moment’s notice. But I do not feel very much fatigued; I am picking up strength rapidly, and my experience of to-day has shown me that I am stronger than I really thought I was. There are a few things still lying about here which were rather too heavy for me single-handed; but when these are on board and stowed away, we can be off at any moment.”
“So much the better,” returned Bob. “Let’s get a few on ’em into the canoe at once’t, and whilst we’re working I can be telling ye what I’ve see’d from my perch up aloft there. It won’t take very long in the telling. In the first place, two boats has been right to the south eend of the island. They went away full o’ men, and landed all hands, excepting a couple of men in each boat; and while the shore party was reg’lar beating the woods, the boats paddled slowly back, keepin’ close in shore, to take their shipmates off in case of anything going wrong—at least, that was my idee. Then I soon made out that another party was working their way to the nor’ard from their camp, giving this eend of the island a overhaul. I see’d ’em often, crossing the open country between the different clumps of trees, and was able once or twice to hear faintly their shouts to one another. This lot would ha’ made me very oneasy, hadn’t I give the place such a complete overhaul myself no later ’n yesterday, for they seemed to be bent on getting up the bit of a mountain, and stood off and on, this way and that, as though they wouldn’t be beat; but they had to give it up at last and go back, though I make no manner of doubt as they’ve pretty well decided to come this way with a boat to-morrer, and finish their surwey of the island. So much for the shore gang. They’re all back in their camp by this time, and if they don’t sleep without rocking it won’t be for want of walking, and shouting, and hollering; and let me tell ye, lad, it’s no joke to be fighting your way through thick bush for hours at a time, as most of them chaps have been doing this blessed hot day.
“Now, as to the brig, it’s my opinion as they means to careen her, just as we’ve done with our little barkie. They’ve been working like galley-slaves aboard there all day, and have stripped her to her lower-masts. The sails are all gone ashore, for I saw ’em lowered over the side into the boats with these same two good-looking eyes of mine, but the spars is still aboard. They’ve been striking out cargo wholesale, and, to my mind, in a most lubberly, un-seamanlike fashion. If it had been me, now, I should ha’ built a raft with all the spars, and rafted the things ashore, but they’ve done everything with their boats; maybe, hows’ever it’s valyable stuff, and they didn’t care to trust it to a raft. It was a’most all boxes and bales, of all sorts and sizes, the pickings of many a good ship’s cargo, I’ll warrant. Now I reckon that a’ter the work as this lot has got through to-day they’ll sleep pretty sound too, so it’s my idee that we ain’t likely to have a much better chance for playin’ our little trick upon ’em than we shall have to-night. They’re all as tired as tired can be, you may take your oath upon that; and they’ll sleep without any fear of savages, for the reason that they’ve give the island a pretty thorough overhaul without findin’ any. And to-morrow it may be too late; for if so be as they comes this way in a boat, it won’t do for us to be found here, and the chances is that we shall have to cut and run for it, without doing ’em a farthing’s-worth of harm a’ter all. The sails all being took ashore knocks my little plan for carryin’ the brig off clean on the head, even if her spars was aloft to set ’em on, which they’re not. So I s’pose we shall have to burn the pretty little craft, if we’re to do anything at all. Now what say ye, lad?”
“Simply, that whatever is to be attempted must be attempted to-night,” I replied. “The reasons for doing so are too obvious to need enumeration; so we will get our few traps on board, have tea, and then snatch what rest we can between this and midnight, when we must be stirring again. I would give a great deal to see this brilliantly starlit sky overcast, but we must take things as we find them, and only use the greater precautions. Now I think we have as much in the canoe as she will safely carry, so let’s shove off; we can come back for the remainder after tea. And mind, Bob, not a word of this before Ella.”
“Trust me for that,” returned Bob. “Let the little dearie turn in and get her night’s rest ondisturbed by any anxiety on your account. We can slip off quietly at the right time, without her bein’ a bit the wiser; and it’ll be soon enough to talk about this here job when we’ve done it.”
We were by this time close alongside, and no more was said. Everything was got out of the canoe and stowed in its proper place, and we then went to tea, getting the remainder of the goods on board and stowing them away immediately that the meal was over; after which Bob stretched himself out on the lockers below, and went to sleep, whilst Ella and I remained on deck until about ten o’clock. I was glad when the dear girl wished me good-night and left me; for I could not but feel that, praiseworthy and righteous as was our proposed adventure, it was one which most seriously involved her safety and well-being, closely knit with ours as her fortunes were, and I could not conceal from myself, either, that we were about to run a tremendous risk, ignorant as we were of what the camp arrangements of the pirates were; and I wished to have time to reflect calmly upon all the risks we ran, and the best possible means of avoiding them, before setting out. Everything would depend upon whether a watch were set on board the brig or not. Bob was strongly of opinion that they left her to take care of herself at night, but I thought otherwise.