Schillie.—"She certainly is a little trump, and never thinks of herself."
Madame.—"If I fold my darling Zoë in my arms once more, I shall never be able sufficiently to show my gratitude to Jane."
Captain.—"She shall never want for bite nor sup, once we get her free, as long as I live."
Felix.—"She is not your Jenny, captain, she is mine, she is always to live with me, and, when I am married, she is to be my children's nurse."
Sybil and Serena and Gatty all expressed their admiration, while Gatty added, "I wish Smart had sent his bullet where he said, for if there is an owl in the world it is that Hargrave."
The captain proceeded to state that there seemed no likelihood of the prisoners being harmed at present. I had visions before my eyes of the old stories where innocent children are brought forward with bloody swords held over their heads, ready to be sacrificed if they did not confess and capitulate, and while all agreed they would sacrifice themselves for Zoë and Jenny, Smart and the captain declared we were not allowed the choice, for our lives were in their keeping, and all must not be sacrificed for two. We none of us seemed to have the least pity or care for poor Hargrave.
"It was mighty lucky," said Smart, "she could speak nothing but her mother tongue, and that but badly clipping and mincing it, for she was letting out everything in such a way I could ha' shook her well; and I'll be bound to do it when I next see her. I hopes as they did not understand, but I ha' my doubts."
The captain now set them all to work watching at different posts, with orders to run and tell him all that occurred every half hour. Turning to Schillie and me he said, "Ladies I would advise you to prepare for the worst. They will work on the fears of that silly woman I doubt. We must be prepared, and while I can defend the entrance for a good hour, you must make your retreat, and where that is to be the Lord only knows."
Mother.—"If we could get to the top of that big rock standing out this side the bay, we can keep them off for some time there."
Captain.—"That rock is but changing one desperate hope for another. However we must trust in God. I'll try and believe that poor woman will not utterly forget herself and us."