The Island Queen Read online

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  STIRRING EVENTS AND CHANGES.

  An event was now pending over the castaway family which was destined todarken their bright sky, and interrupt them in the even tenor of theirway.

  Up to this time the interest, not to say delight, with which they wentabout their daily avocations, the fineness of the weather, and theromance of their situation, had prevented their minds from dwelling muchon the flight of time, and if Pauline had not remembered the Sundays byconscientiously keeping a daily record with a pencil on a piece of bark,not one of them would have believed it possible that two months hadelapsed since they were cast ashore.

  The sanguine hope, too, which filled the breast of each, that a vesselwould certainly pass by sooner or later and take them off, preventedtheir being disturbed by gloomy anticipations of a long exile, and it isprobable that they would have gone on pleasantly for a much longer time,improving the golden cave, and exploring the reef, and developing theresources of what Otto styled the Queendom, without much caring aboutthe future, had not the event above referred to come upon them with thesudden violence of a thunder-clap, terminating their peaceful life in away they had never anticipated, and leading to changes which the wildestimagination could hardly have conceived.

  That event was, indeed, the arrival of a ship, but it did not arrive inthe manner that had been expected. It came in the dead of a dark night,when the elements seemed to have declared fierce war against each other,for it was difficult to say whether the roaring of the sea, the crashingof the thunder, or the flashing of the forked lightning was mosttremendous.

  A previous storm or two, of a mild type, having warned our trio thatParadise had not been quite regained, even in that lovely region, theyhad fitted something like a front, formed of wreckage, to the goldencave, and this had, up to that time, formed a sufficient protectionagainst slight inclemencies of weather; but on this particular night thegusts of wind were so violent, and shook the front of their dwelling somuch, that both Dominick and his brother found it impossible to sleep.Their sister, however, lay undisturbed, because she reposed in an innerchamber, which had been screened off with broken planks, and these notonly checked draughts, but deadened sounds.

  "I'm afraid our wall will come down," said Dominick, raising himself atlast on one elbow, and gazing at the wooden erection uneasily.

  "Oh, let it come!" growled Otto, who had been so frequently checkedwhile dropping into slumber that night that he was getting quite cross.

  Not feeling quite so regardless of consequences, his brother Dominickarose and endeavoured to prop the weak part of the structure with anadditional piece of timber.

  He had accomplished his object, and was about to lie down again to rest,when a terrible cry was heard, which rose above the roaring of thestorm. There seemed something so appalling in it, and at the same timeso unaccountable in that solitary spot, that Dominick's heart almoststood still for a moment with superstitious fear. Otto also heard thecry, and sat bolt upright, while drowsiness was effectually banishedfrom his brain.

  "Dom, did you hear that?" he asked in a solemn voice. "I should think Idid," replied his brother in a low tone. The cave being very dark,neither could see the other distinctly. They sat silent for a fewmoments, anxiously listening for a repetition of the cry.

  "Move quietly, Otto," said Dominick, as he crept towards their littledoor, "it evidently has not awaked Pina, and we may as well let her liestill till we find out what it is."

  "You're not going out, Dom?" asked Otto, in anxiety.

  "Yes, why not?"

  "Be--because--it--it may be--be--something--_awful_!"

  "It _must_ be something awful, and that is just why I am going out.Come, you didn't use to be a coward."

  This was touching the boy on a tender point. He was indeed by no meansa coward when the danger he had to face was comprehensible and obvious,but when the danger happened to be incomprehensible, as well asinvisible, his courage was not quite as high as might have been desired.The taunt of his brother stirred up his pride however. He rose andfollowed him in silence, with stern resolve and a quaking heart!

  On issuing from their shelter the brothers had to lean heavily againstthe blast to prevent their being swept away. Seeking the shelter of abush, they gazed around them, but saw nothing save a dim appearance ofbending trees and scudding foam.

  "The cry may have come from the beach; let's go down," said Dominick,leaving the shelter of the bush, and pushing forward.

  "Better go back," was on Otto's lips, but he repressed the words andfollowed.

  There was not light enough to enable them to see objects on land, butwhatever chanced to be pictured against the dark sky became distinctlyvisible as a dark object. The old familiar wreck was therefore seen themoment they cleared the bushes that fringed the bay, but close to it wasanother object which was very unfamiliar indeed to their eyes. Itaccounted for the cry and caused a gush of mingled feelings in thebreasts of the brothers.

  Let us now, good reader, wing our flight out to sea, and backwards alittle in time. On that stormy night of which we treat, a largeemigrant ship was scudding before the gale almost under bare poles.Part of her sails and rigging had been carried away; the rest of her wasmore or less damaged. The officers, having had no reliable observationfor several days, were not sure of their exact position on the greatocean, and the captain, being well aware of the danger of those seas,was filled with anxiety. To add to his troubles, the crew had becomeslightly mutinous, and some of the emigrants--of whom there were upwardsof three hundred on board--sided with the crew. It was even whisperedthat the chief mate was at the bottom of a plot to murder the captainand seize the ship. For what purpose, of course, no one could tell,and, indeed, there was no apparent ground for the rumour, beyond thefact that the mate--Malines by name--was a surly, taciturn man, with ascowling, though handsome, visage, and a powerful frame.

  But whatever of truth might have been in these rumours was never broughtto light, for an accident occurred during the gale which put thecommander of the vessel beyond the power of earthly foes. One of thelarger ropes of the vessel snapt, and the heavy block attached to itswung against the captain with such violence as to kill him on the spot.The momentary confusion which followed the disaster distracted theattention of the steersman, and a heavy sea was shipped, by which thecaptain's body was swept overboard. No attempt was made to lower a boator check the ship. Even the unskilled emigrants understood that no boatcould live in such a sea, and that rescue was impossible. The vesselheld on her wild course as if nothing had happened.

  Malines, being now in command, issued an order that all the emigrantsshould go below, and the hatches be secured.

  The women and children and most of the men were already in theiruncomfortable quarters below hatches, but a group of hardy-lookingfellows, who held on to ropes and stanchions near the windlass, refusedto move. Among them was a remarkably powerful woman, whose tongueafforded presumptive evidence that she had been born in the EmeraldIsle.

  "We'll stop where we be, master," said one of the emigrants, with aquiet but resolute air.

  "That's right, Joe, stick up. We ain't slaves," said another.

  To this last speaker Malines turned fiercely and knocked him down; then,seizing him by the collar and dragging him to the hatchway, he thrusthim below. It may be remarked that the man thus roughly treated--Redding by name--was a little man. Bullies usually select little menwhen inclined to display their courage.

  "Shame on yez," exclaimed the Irish woman, clenching her huge fist. "Ifit wasn't that I'm a poor widdy woman, I'd--I'd--"

  "Howld yer tongue, Mother Lynch," whispered a lively youth of aboutnineteen by her side, who obviously hailed from the same country. "It'snot aggravatin' him that'll do _him_ good. Let him be, darlin', andhe'll soon blow the steam off."

  "An' what does it matter to me, Teddy Malone, whether he blows the steamoff, or keeps it down till he bursts his biler? Is it a descendant o'the royal fami
ly o' Munster as'll howld her tongue whin she sees crueltyand injustice?"

  Without paying the slightest regard to this royal personage, Malinesreturned to the group of men, and repeated his order to go below; butthey did not go, and he seized a handspike with a view to enforce hiscommands. He hesitated, however, on observing that the man named Joe,after quietly buttoning his coat, was turning up his wristbands as if inpreparation for a pugilistic encounter.

  "Lookee here now, Mister Malines," said Joe, with a mild, even kindly,expression, which was the very reverse of belligerent; "I was allers alaw-abidin' man myself, and don't have no love for fightin'; but whenI'm ordered to go into a dark hole, and have the lid shut down on me an'locked, I feels a sort of objection, d'ee see. If you lets us be, us'lllet you be. If otherwise--"

  Joe stopped abruptly, grinned, and clenched his enormous fists.

  Mr Malines was one of those wise men who know when they have met theirmatch. His knockings down and overbearing ways always stopped short atthat line where he met courage and strength equal or superior to hisown. He possessed about the average of bull-dog courage and more thanthe average of physical strength, but observing that Joe was gifted withstill more of both these qualities, he lowered the handspike, and with asneer replied--

  "Oh, well--please yourselves. It matters nothing to me if you getwashed overboard. Make all fast, lads," he added, turning to his crew,who stood prepared for what one of them styled a scrimmage. Malinesreturned to the quarter-deck, followed by a half-suppressed laugh fromsome of the mutinous emigrants.

  "You see, David," remarked Joe, in a quiet tone, to a man beside him, ashe turned down his cuffs, "I think, from the look of him, that if we wasto strike on rocks, or run on shore, or take to sinking, or anything o'that sort, the mate is mean enough to look arter hisself and leave thepoor things below to be choked in a hole. So you an' me must keep ondeck, so as to let 'em all out if need be."

  "Right, Joe, right you are."

  The man who thus replied bore such a strong resemblance to Joe in gravekindliness of expression and colossal size of frame, that even astranger could not fail to recognise them as brothers, and such theywere--in truth they were twins, having first seen the light togetherjust thirty years before. There was this difference in the character ofthe brothers, however, that Joe Binney was the more intellectual andresolute of the two. David Binney, recognising this fact, and lovinghis brother with all the fervour of a strong nature, was in the habit oflooking up to him for advice, and submitting to him as if he had been anelder brother. Nevertheless, David was not without a mind of his own,and sometimes differed in opinion with Joe. He even occasionallydisputed, but never with the slightest tinge of ill-feeling.

  While the brothers were conversing in an undertone on the dangers of thesea, and the disagreeables of a fore-cabin, the mass of unfortunatesbelow were cowering in their berths, rendered almost forgetful of thestifling atmosphere, and the wailing of sick children, by the fear ofshipwreck, as they listened with throbbing hearts to the howling windand rattling cordage overhead, and felt the tremendous shocks when thegood ship was buffeted by the sea.

  Near to Joe Binney stood one of the sailors on outlook. He was adark-complexioned, savage-looking man, who had done more than any oneelse to foment the bad feeling that had existed between the captain andhis men.

  "Ye look somethin' skeared, Hugh Morris," said Joe, observing that thelook-out was gazing over the bow with an expression of alarm.

  "Breakers ahead!" roared the man at that moment--"port!--hard-a-port!"

  The order was sharply repeated, and promptly obeyed, and the vessel cameround in time to escape destruction on a ledge of rocks, over which thewater was foaming furiously.

  Instantly Malines went forward and began to give hurried directions tothe steersman. The danger was avoided, though the escape was narrow,and the low rocks were seen passing astern, while the sea ahead seemedto be free from obstruction, as far, at least, as the profound darknesspermitted them to see.

  "They'll be all drowned like rats in a hole if we strike," muttered thesailor, Hugh Morris, as if speaking to himself.

  "Not if I can help it," said Joe Binney, who overheard the remark.

  As he spoke he went to the little companion hatch, or door to thefore-cabin, and tried to open it, but could not.

  "Here, David," he cried, "lend a hand."

  Applying their united strength--with some assistance from Teddy Malone,and earnest encouragement from Mrs Lynch--they succeeded in burstingopen the hatch.

  "Hallo! there," shouted Joe, in a voice that would have been creditableto a boatswain, "come on deck if ye don't want to be drownded."

  "Hooroo!" added Malone, "we're goin' to the bottom! Look alive wid ye."

  "Ay, an' bring up the childers," yelled Mrs Lynch. "Don't lave wan o'thim below."

  Of course, the poor emigrants were not slow to obey these startlingorders.

  The state of affairs was so serious that Malines either did not see, ordid not care for, what was going on. He stood on the forecastle lookingout intently ahead.

  "Land on the starboard beam!" shouted Morris suddenly.

  The mate was on the point of giving an order to the steersman when heobserved land looming on the port bow. Instantly he saw that all hopewas over. They were steering to inevitable destruction between twoledges of rock! What he would have done in the circumstances no one cantell, because before he had time to act the vessel struck with greatviolence, and the terror-stricken passengers gave vent to that appallingcry of fear which had so suddenly aroused Dominick Rigonda and hisbrother.

  As the vessel remained hard and fast, with her bow thrust high on therocks, the emigrants and crew found a partial refuge from the violenceof the waves on the forecastle. Hence the first wild shriek of fear wasnot repeated. In a few minutes, however, a wave of greater size thanusual came rushing towards the vessel. Fortunately, most of theemigrants failed to realise the danger, but the seamen were fully aliveto it.

  "It's all over with us," exclaimed the mate, in a sort of recklessdespair. But he was wrong. The great billow, which he expected woulddash the vessel in pieces--and which, in nine cases out of ten, wouldhave done so--lifted the wreck so high as to carry it almost completelyover the ledge, on which it had struck, leaving the stern high on therocks, while the bow was plunged into the partly-protected water on theother side.

  The sudden descent of the forecastle induced the belief an many of theemigrants' minds that they were about to go headlong to the bottom, andanother cry of terror arose; but when they found that their place ofrefuge sank no further than to a level with the water, most of them tookheart again, and began to scramble up to the quarter-deck as hastily asthey had before scrambled to the forecastle.

  "Something like land ahead," observed Hugh Morris, who stood close tothe mate.

  "I don't see it," returned the latter, gruffly, for he was jealous ofthe influence that Morris had over the crew, and, during the wholevoyage, had treated him harshly.

  "It may be there, although you don't see it," retorted Hugh, with afeeling of scorn, which he made no attempt to conceal.

  "Sure I sees somethin' movin' on the wather," exclaimed Mrs Lynch, who,during the occurrences just described, had held on to a belaying pinwith the tenacity and strength of an octopus.

  "It's the wather movin' in yer own eyes, mother," said Malone, who stoodbeside his Amazonian countrywoman.

  At that moment a halloo was heard faintly in the distance, and, soonafter, a raft was seen approaching, guided, apparently, by two men.

  "Raft a-hoy! Where d'ee hail from?" shouted the mate.

  "From nowhere!" came back promptly in a boy's ringing voice.

  "You've got on a coral reef," shouted a powerful voice, which, we needscarcely say, was that of Dominick Rigonda, "but you're safe enough now.The last wave has shoved you over into sheltered water. You're inluck. We'll soon put you on shore."

  "An island, I suppose," said Malines,
as the raft came alongside. "Whatmay be its name?"

  "Got no name that I know of; as far as I know it's uninhabited, and,probably, unknown. Only three of us here--wrecked like yourselves. Ifyou have boats, lower them, and I'll pilot you to land."

  "Ohone!" groaned Mrs Lynch, in solemn despair, as she tried to see thespeaker, whom darkness rendered almost invisible. "An unbeknown island,uninhabited by nobody. Boys, we are done for intirely. Didn't I saythis would be the end of it, when we made up our minds to go to say?"

  No one seemed inclined just then to dispute the prophetic reminiscencesof the widow, for the order had been given to get ready one of theboats. Turning to the emigrants, who were now clustering on the forepart of the vessel, Malines, condescending to adopt a more respectfultone, addressed them as follows:--

  "Now, let me tell you, one and all, that your voyage has come to an endsooner than I expected. Our ship is wrecked, but we're out of danger,and must go ashore an' live as best we can, or die if we can't live.Where we are, I don't know, and don't care, for it don't much matter.It's an island, it seems, and three people who have been wrecked beforeus are all its population. As it is too dark to go ashore comfortablyto-night, I would advise you to go below again, an' turn in tilldaylight. You may make your minds easy, for there's no fear of ourgoing to the bottom _now_."

  "Sure, an' you're right there," murmured Teddy Malone, "for aren't we atthe bottom already?"

  "You may all do as you please, however," continued the mate, after alow-toned remark from one of the crew, "for my command has come to anend with the loss of the ship."

  When the mate ceased speaking, there was a brief pause, for theunfortunate emigrants had been so long accustomed to conform to thestrict discipline of the ship that they felt like sheep suddenlydeprived of a shepherd, or soldiers bereft of their officers when thusleft to think for themselves. Then the self-sufficient and officiousamong them began to give advice, and to dispute noisily as to what theyshould do, so that in a few minutes their voices, mingling with the galeand the cries of terrified children, caused such a din that the strongspirit of the widow Lynch was stirred within her, inducing her to raiseher masculine voice in a shout that silenced nearly all the rest.

  "That's right, mother," cried young Malone, "howld yer tongues, boys,and let's hear what the widdy has to say. Isn't it herself has got thegreat mind--not to mintion the body?"

  "Shut your murphy-trap, Teddy," retorted the widow, "an' here's whatI've got to say. We must have only wan man to guide us if we are to geton at all. Too many cooks, ye knows well enough, is sure to spile thebroth. Let Joe Binney speak, and the rest of 'ee howld yer tongues, ifye can."

  Thus invited, modest Joe gave it as his opinion that the emigrants couldnot do better than follow the advice of Muster Malines--go below, turnin, and wait till daylight. He added further that he would count it afavour if Muster Malines would continue in command of the party, atleast till they all got ashore.

  This little compliment to the man whom he had so recently defied had asoftening influence on the mate, and the proposal was well received bythe people, who, even during the few minutes of anarchy which hadprevailed, were led to appreciate the value of order and government.

  "You are right, Binney," said the mate. "I would advise you all, goodpeople, to go below and rest as well as you can, while I, and those whochoose to act under me, will go ashore and make the best possiblearrangements for your landing in the morning."

  "Now, why don't ye do what ye'er towld at wanst?" cried Mrs Lynch, whohad evidently made up her mind that the reins of government were not tobe entirely given up to the mate. "It's not wishin', are ye, to getwetter than ye are, a'ready? Go below, ivery wan of ye."

  Like a meek flock, the women and children obeyed the mandate, beingabsolutely in bodily fear of the woman, while most of the men followedthem with a laugh, or a little chaff, according to temperament.

  Before the latter had left the deck, Malines suggested that Joe Binneyand his brother David should accompany him on shore that night, torepresent the emigrants, as it were, and assist him in the proposedarrangements.

  "Besides," he added, "there is just the possibility that we may fallinto a trap. We know nothing about the man who has come off to usexcept his voice, so that it will be wise to land with some of our bestmen armed."

  Of course the brothers had no objection to this plan, and accordinglythey, with the mate and four of the ship's crew--all armed withcutlasses and pistols--got into one of the boats and were lowered intothe water on the lee side of the vessel, where Dominick and Otto hadbeen quietly awaiting the end of the foregoing discussions.

  In a few minutes they reached the shore, and then Dominick shook handswith them, and welcomed them to the islands, "which," he said, "we havenamed `Refuge Islands.'"

  "Run up to the cave, Otto," he whispered, while the party was engaged indrawing up the boat. "Stir up the fire and rouse Pina,--tell her toprepare to receive company."

  "She'll be as much puzzled as if I told her to prepare to receivecavalry," muttered the boy as he ran up to the cave.

  "Hallo! Pina! rouse up, old girl," he shouted, bursting into the cave,and falling on his knees before the embers of the fire, which he soonblew up into a flame. "I say, Pina! hallo! Pina! Pi-i-i-i-na!"

  "Dear me, Otto, what is wrong?" asked the sleepy voice of Pauline frombehind her screen.

  "Wrong?" cried her brother, "nothing's wrong--that is, everything'swrong; but don't be afraid, old girl, all's right. Dress as fast as youcan, and prepare for company!"

  "What _do_ you mean?" cried the girl, by that time thoroughly aroused,and somewhat alarmed by Otto's words and excitement.

  "Can't explain. No time. Get up, make yourself presentable, and comeout of your den."

  As he spoke Pauline lifted the curtain door of her apartment and steppedinto the outer cave, which was by that time all aglow with the ruddyblaze.

  "Do you call yourself presentable?" asked Otto, laughing; "why your hairis raised like the back of a wild cat."

  It is only right to say that the boy did not do his sister justice. Anold shawl thrown hastily on, and descending in confused folds around herslight, graceful figure, invested her with an air of classic simplicity,while her pretty face, surrounded by a wealth of dishevelled, butbeautiful, hair, was suggestive of something very much the reverse of awild cat.

  "Are you prepared, sister, for a stunning surprise?" said Otto, quickly,for he heard the approaching footsteps of the party.

  "I'm prepared for anything," said Pauline, her lustrous eyes and herlittle mouth opening simultaneously, for she also heard the numerousfootfalls outside.

  "'Tis well!" cried Otto, starting up, and assuming a heroic attitude ashe waved his right hand toward the door of the cavern, "no time toexplain. Enter Dominick, with band of robbers, headed by their captain,amid shrieking wind, forked lightning, and peals of thunder!"

  As he spoke, Pauline, despite her surprise, could scarcely refrain fromlaughter, for Otto's words were fulfilled almost to the letter. Amid astrife of elements that caused their frail erections to tremble, thelittle door burst open, and Dominick, stooping low to save his head,entered. He was followed by the gaunt, dark form of Malines, who, inrough garments and long fishermen's boots, with pistols in belt, andcutlass by his side, was a particularly good representative of arobber-captain. Following him came the still more gigantic Joe Binney,and his equally huge brother David, after which trooped in the boat'screw one by one.

  As each man entered he stood stock still--dumb, petrified withastonishment--as he gazed, saucer-eyed, at Pauline. Bereft of speechand motion, she returned the gaze with interest.

  Oh! it was a rare treat to Otto! His little bosom heaved with delightas he watched the shipwrecked men enter one after another and becomepetrefactions! Some of the sailors even dropped their lower jaws withwonder.

  Dominick, who, in the bustle of action, had not thought of the surprisein store for his visitors, burs
t into a hearty fit of laughter.

  "It was well got up, Otto," he said at last.

  "No, it wasn't, Dom. I do assure you it was not got up at all, but cameabout in the most natural manner."

  "Well, got up or not," returned Dominick, "here you are, friends, inwhat we have styled our golden cave, and this is my sister Pauline--allow me to introduce you, Pina, to part of a shipwrecked crew."

  The youth's laughter, and the introduction which followed, seemed todisenchant the mariners, who, recovering self-possession with a deepsigh, became sheepish in bearing, and seemed inclined to beat a retreat,but our heroine quickly put them at their ease. With a natural tact andgrace of manner which had the appearance of, but was not meant for,dignity, she advanced and offered her little hand to Malines, who seemedto fear that he might crush it unintentionally, so slight was the shakehe gave it.

  "You are heartily welcome to our cavern," she said. "I'm _so_ grievedto hear that you have been wrecked."

  "Don't mention it, Miss. Not worth speaking of, I assure you; we'requite used to it," replied Malines, not knowing very well what he said.

  The ice, however, was broken. From this point all went on, as Ottosaid, swimmingly. The mate began to relate the circumstances of therecent wreck, while Pauline and Otto spread the remains of their supperbefore the men, and set about roasting the fowls that had been intendedfor the morrow's breakfast.

  Before long the gale began to abate, and the sailors went out withDominick, to select a spot on which the emigrants might encamp, beingaided in this work by a struggling and fitful moonlight. After thatMalines went back with his party to the ship, and Dominick returned withOtto to court slumber in the golden cave.