Schillie.—"It's no use moralizing, Madame, pick up something useful, and be off."
Gatty.—"Here is the green parasol, Madame."
Serena.—"And here is your warm shawl."
Sybil.—"And here is my arm to help you along."
Madame (murmuring).—"May God help us, may the Almighty look down upon us in our hour of need, and preserve my beloved ones."
Sybil.—"Come, Madame, come, see how active the little ones are. Think how charming to be safe up there, think how lucky we are to have Smart and the dear captain to help us. Look at Otty with all the guns running like a hare, and all the little girls flying like lapwings. Come, Madame, come quickly."
So we ran about in every direction, and, collecting everything that was useful, we left our friendly shelter and took refuge on the isolated rock before-mentioned.
There was some brushwood at the top, and two or three old weather-beaten palm trees, these afforded us most welcome shelter.
It was weary work getting to the top, but when once there we hauled up many of our things by ropes, and some of us had time to return to the cavern and bring away a rope ladder, with several other valuable acquisitions that, had we been hurried, we should not have recollected them, also quantities of water.
To our surprise, we saw nothing of Smart after Hargrave's first scream; he disappeared, and we were all upon the rock but Madame when we missed him, requiring his strong arm to help her up.