Smart.—"He, poor fellow, was done for at the first, and a good many of the sailors were likewise done up and made away with, so that, maybees, there was not six left on us. The cap'in and I have stuck to each other through fair and foul, though it's precious little of the former as has blessed our heads, and there be sum few yet remaining at that place I was telling you was so hot."
The Quixotic little girls and boys all exclaim, "Then we must go and save them, especially Benjie."
Smart.—"Hi, Benjie, he was doing very well, but, being a good decent sort of chap, it's my wonder he never poisoned them——ramscallions when cooking for them."
Smart always, when mentioning the pirates, seemed half choked in preventing himself saying some word that he did not deem proper for our ears. Sometimes it half slipped out, when he made an apologetical bow; sometimes he swallowed it whole; but he always paused, as if to give himself time to say it privately as a relief to his feelings.
But this conversation will be wearisome, so I will say no more than that Smart imagines they were brought to this island to help to look after the stores and gardens, and to be servants, the pirates not knowing the important interest they had in the island, or that they had ever seen it before. Also, that they intended to make it their regular colony, and by degrees bring their whole establishment there; for the island was very well known, and always shunned by vessels on account of the great snake, whom it seemed impossible to destroy. This accounted for our never seeing any vessels all this time; and the pirates would not have ventured there had it not been for the storm we had thought so unlucky, and which now seemed to be the crowning providence of our eventful lives.
In the meantime, Smart was never tired in listening to the children's tales, and whatever he was doing, he had the whole five clinging about him.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Madame fulfilled her promise, and in a few days we had the inexpressible satisfaction of sitting by the rude couch of the captain, and hearing his broken exclamations of happiness and delight. It seemed sufficient pleasure to him to watch us as we went about our various duties, and smiles mixed with tears often covered his poor thin face as the little ones vied with each other in nursing him. But he was too weak yet to enter into much conversation, and his nurse was very careful not to let him over-exert himself, for fear of a relapse. In fact, nature seemed to speak for him, as in reply to our anxious queries whether we could do anything for him, he would reply, "Nothing, nothing, but let me look at you, God be praised."