The Island Queen Part 20

"Well, I never!" exclaimed Otto, gazing with distended eyes at the soft fair face and at the pretty little innocent mouth that gave vent to these vigorous sentiments. "And what may it be your majesty's pleasure to do next?"

"It is my pleasure that you, sir, shall go down to the beach and prepare the dinghy for immediate service. I have already directed the prime minister, in conjunction with Dom and our Court physician, to draw up a const.i.tution and code of laws; while they are thus employed you and I will go a-fis.h.i.+ng."

"Very good; I suppose I'm bound to obey, but I thought your majesty preferred to go a-sketching."

"We will do both. Be off, sirrah!"

Otto was not long in launching and getting ready the little punt, or dinghy, belonging to the wreck, which, being too small for carrying goods to the island, had been made over to Pauline as a royal barge for her special amus.e.m.e.nt, and already had she and her little brother enjoyed several charming expeditions among the sheltered islets of the lagoon, when Otto devoted himself chiefly to rowing and fis.h.i.+ng, while his sister sketched with pencil and water-colours. Being expert with both, she took great pleasure therein.

"It _is_ so pleasant and so very engrossing," she murmured, busying herself with a sketch of Otto as he rowed gently towards one of the smaller islets. "I can't tell you how much I delight--turn your head a little more to the left--so--and do keep your nose quiet if you can."

"Impossible," said Otto. "There's a little fly that has made up its mind to go into my nose. I can neither drive it away nor catch it while both hands are engaged with the oars, so there's no resource left but to screw my nose about. But what were you going to say you delighted in?"

"In--in drawing," replied the queen very slowly, while her pretty little head went up and down as she glanced alternately at her sitter and the sketch-book on her knee; "it--it takes one's mind--so--off--"

"The cares of state?" said Otto. "Yes, I can easily understand what a-re-re-ha! hk-s.h.!.+" he gave way to a convulsive sneeze; "there, it went up at last, and that little fly's doom is sealed!"

"I should think it was," said Pauline laughingly. "To be blown from a cannon's mouth must be nothing to that. Now, do keep still, just for one minute."

For considerably more than a minute she went on sketching busily, while her brother pulled along very gently, as if unwilling to break the pleasant silence. Everything around was calculated to foster a dreamy, languid, peaceful state of mind. The weather was pleasantly cool--just cool enough to render the brilliant suns.h.i.+ne most enjoyable. Not a zephyr disturbed the gla.s.sy surface of the sea outside or the lagoon within, or broke the perfect reflections of the islets among which they moved. The silence would have been even oppressive had it not been for the soft, plaintive cries of wildfowl and the occasional whistling of wings as they hurried to and fro, and the solemn boom of the great breakers as they fell at slow regular intervals on the reef. "Doesn't it sound," said Pauline, looking up from her sketch with a flush of delight, "like the deep soft voice of the ocean speaking peace to all mankind?"

"What, the breakers?" asked Otto.

"Yes, dropping with a soft deep roar as they do in the midst of the universal silence."

"Well, it doesn't quite strike me in that light, Pina. My imagination isn't so lively as yours. Seems to me more like the snoring of a sleeping giant, whom it is best to let lie still like a sleeping dog, for he's apt to do considerable damage when roused."

The soft influences around soon reduced the pair to silence again.

After a time it was broken by Pauline.

"What are you thinking of, Otto?"

"I was thinking, your majesty, that it seems unfair, after making Joe prime minister, Dom a privy councillor, the doctor Court physician and general humbug, that you should give me no definite position in the royal household."

"What would you say to being commander of the forces?" asked Pauline dreamily, as she put in a few finis.h.i.+ng touches, "for then, you see, you might adopt the t.i.tle which you have unfairly bestowed on the doctor-- General Humbug."

Otto shook his head. "Wouldn't do, my dear queen. Not being a correct description, your bestowing it would compromise your majesty's well-known character for truthfulness. What d'you say to make me a page--page in waiting?"

"You'll have to turn over a new leaf if I do, for a page is supposed to be quiet, respectful, polite, obedient, ready--"

"No use to go further, Pina. I'm not cut out for a page. Will you land on this islet?"

They were gliding softly past one of the most picturesque and verdant gems of the lagoon at the time.

"No, I've taken a fancy to make a sketch from that one nearer to the sh.o.r.e of Big Island. You see, there is not only a very picturesque group of trees on it just at that place, but the background happens to be filled up by a distant view of the prettiest part of our settlement, where Joe Binney's garden lies, close to Mrs Lynch's garden, with its wonderfully shaped and curious hut, (no wonder, built by herself!) and a corner of the palace rising just behind the new schoolhouse."

"Mind your eye, queen, else you go souse overboard when we strike," said Otto, not without reason, for next moment the dinghy's keel grated on the sand of the islet, and Pauline, having risen in her eagerness to go to work, almost fulfilled the boy's prediction.

"But tell me, Pina, what do you mean to do with that schoolhouse when it is built?" asked Otto, as he walked beside his sister to the picturesque spot above referred to.

"To teach in it, of course."

"What--yourself?"

"Well, yes, to some extent. Of course I cannot do much in that way--"

"I understand--the affairs of state!" said Otto, "will not permit, etcetera."

"Put it so if you please," returned Pauline, laughing. "Here, sit down; help me to arrange my things, and I'll explain. You cannot fail to have been impressed with the fact that the children of the settlers are dreadfully ignorant."

"H'm! I suppose you are right; but I have been more deeply impressed with the fact that they are dreadfully dirty, and desperately quarrelsome, and deplorably mischievous."

"Just so," resumed Pauline. "Now, I intend to get your friend Redding, who was once a schoolmaster, to take these children in hand when the schoolroom is finished, and teach them what he can, superintended by Dr Marsh, who volunteered his services the moment I mentioned the school.

In the evenings I will take the mothers in hand, and teach them their duties to their children and the community--"

"Being yourself such an old and experienced mother," said Otto.

"Silence, sir! you ought to remember that we have a dear, darling mother at home, whose character is engraven on my memory, and whom I can hold up as a model."

"True, Pina! The dear old mother!" returned Otto, a burst of home-feeling interfering for a moment with his levity. "Just you paint her portrait fair and true, and if they come anything within a hundred miles o' the mark yours will be a kingd---queendom, I mean--of amazin'

mothers. I sometimes fear," continued the boy, becoming grave, "it may be a long time before we set eyes on mother again."

"I used to fear the same," said Pauline, "but I have become more hopeful on that point since Dr Marsh said he was determined to have a small schooner built out of the wreck, and attempt with a few sailors to reach England in her, and report our condition here."

"Why, that would do you out of your kingdom, Pina!"

"It does not follow. And what if it did?"

"It would be a pity. Not pleasant you know, to be dethroned. But to return to mother. D'you think the old cat will have learned to speak by this time?"

To this Pauline replied that she feared not; that, although the cat might have mastered the consonants, it could never have managed the vowels. "Dear mother," she added, in a more earnest tone, "I am quite sure that though the cat may not speak to her, she will not have ceased to speak to the cat. Now, go away, Otto, you're beginning to make me talk nonsense."

"But what about the schoolhouse?" persisted the boy, while the girl began to sketch the view. "You have not finished that subject."

"True--well, besides teaching the mothers I have great hopes of inducing Dom to set up a Sunday-school, in which those who feel inclined might be taught out of the Bible, and that might in time lead to our making a church of it on Sundays, and having regular services, for there are some earnest Christians among the men, who I feel quite sure would be ready to help in the work. Then as to an army--"

"An army!" echoed Otto, "what do we want with an army? who have we to fight against?"

Little did Otto or Pauline think that at the very time they were conversing thus pleasantly on that beautiful islet, the presence of a friendly army was urgently required, for there in the bushes close behind them listening to every sentence, but understanding never a word, lay a group of tattooed and armed savages!

In the prosecution of evil designs, the nature of which was best known to themselves, these savages had arrived at Refuge Islands the night before. Instantly they became aware of the presence of the white men, and took measures to observe them closely without being themselves observed. Carrying their war-canoe over the reef in the dark, and launching it on the lagoon, they advanced as near to the settlement as possible, landed a small party on an islet, and then retired with the canoe. It was this party which lay in ambush so near to our little hero and heroine. They had been watching the settlers since daybreak, and were not a little surprised, as well as gratified, by the unexpected arrival of the little boat.

The savage who lay there grinning like a Ches.h.i.+re cat, and peeping through the long gra.s.s not ten feet from where the brother and sister sat, was a huge man, tattooed all over, so that his face resembled carved mahogany, his most prominent feature being a great flat nose, with a blue spot on the point of it.

Suddenly Otto caught sight of the glitter of this man's eyes and teeth.

Now, the power of self-restraint was a prominent feature in Otto's character, at least in circ.u.mstances of danger, though in the matter of fun and mischief he was rather weak. No sign did Otto give of his discovery, although his heart seemed to jump into his mouth. He did not even check or alter the tone of his conversation, but he changed the subject with surprising abruptness. He had brought up one of the dinghy's oars on his shoulder as a sort of plaything or vaulting-pole.

Suddenly, asking Pauline if she had ever seen him balance an oar on his chin, he proceeded to perform the feat, much to her amus.e.m.e.nt. In doing so he turned his back completely on the savage in ambush, whose cattish grin increased as the boy staggered about.