The Lonely Island: The Refuge of the Mutineers Part 38

"That was truly a great battle," said Adams, while Brace, having concluded, was refilling his pipe.

"Right you are, John," said the other; "about the greatest victory we ever gained. It has settled the fleets of France and Spain, I guess, for the next fifty years."

"But what was it all for?" asked Bessy Mills, looking up in the sailor's face with much simplicity.

"What was it for?" repeated Brace, with a perplexed look. "Why, my dear, it was--it was for the honour and glory of Old England, to be sure."

"No, no, Jack, not quite that," interposed Adams, with a laugh, "it was to clap a stopper on the ambition of the French, as far as I can make out; or rather to snub that rascal Napoleon Bonnypart, an' keep him within bounds."

"But he ain't easy to keep within bounds," said Brace, putting his pipe in his pocket and rising; "for he's been knockin' the lobsters of Europe over like ninepins of late years. Hows'ever, we'll lick him yet on land, as we've licked him already on the sea, or my name's not--"

He stopped abruptly, having caught sight of Dan McCoy's twinkling eye.

"Now, John Adams, I must go, else the Cap'n'll think I've deserted altogether."

"Oh, _don't_ go yet; please don't!" pleaded Dolly Young, as she grasped and fondled the seaman's huge hand.

Dolly was at that time about nine years of age, and full of enthusiasm.

She was seconded in her entreaties by Dinah Adams, who seized the other hand, while several of the older girls sought to influence him by words and smiles; but Jack Brace was not to be overcome.

"I'll be ash.o.r.e again to-morrow, p'r'aps, with the Captain, if he lands," said Brace, "and spin you some more yarns about the wars."

With this promise they were obliged to rest content. In a few minutes the visitor was carried over the surf by Toc and Charlie in their canoe, and soon put on board the _Topaz_, which stood insh.o.r.e to receive him.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

ADAMS AND THE GIRLS.

Great was the interest aroused on board the _Topaz_ when Jack Brace narrated his experiences among the islanders, and Captain Folger resolved to pay them a visit. He did so next day, accompanied by the Englishman and some of the other men, the sight of whom gladdened the eyes and hearts of Adams and his large family.

Besides a.s.suring himself of the truth of Brace's statements, the Captain obtained additional proof of the truth of Adams's account of himself and his community in the form of the chronometer and azimuth compa.s.s of the _Bounty_.

"How many did you say your colony consists of?" asked Folger.

"Thirty-five all told, sir," answered Adams; "but I fear we shall be only thirty-four soon."

"How so?"

"One of our lads, a dear boy of about eight years of age, is dying, I fear," returned Adams, sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear it, and still more sorry that I have no doctor in my s.h.i.+p," said Folger, "but I have a smatterin' of doctors' work myself.

Let me see him."

Adams led the way to the hut where poor James Young lay, tenderly nursed by Mary Christian. The boy was lying on his bed as they entered, gazing wistfully out at the little window which opened from the side of it like the port-lights or bull's-eyes of a s.h.i.+p's berth. His young nurse sat beside him with the _Bounty_ Bible open on her knees. She shut it and rose as the strangers entered.

The poor invalid was too weak to take much interest in them. He was extremely thin, and breathed with great difficulty. Nevertheless his face flushed, and a gleam of surprise shot from his eyes as he turned languidly towards the Captain.

"My poor boy," said Folger, taking his hand and gently feeling his pulse, "do you suffer much?"

"Yes,--very much," said little James, with a sickly smile.

"Can you rest at all?" asked the Captain.

"I am--always--resting," he replied, with a pause between each word; "resting--on Jesus."

The Captain was evidently surprised by the answer.

"Who told you about Jesus?" he asked.

"G.o.d's book--and--the Holy--Spirit."

It was obvious that the exertion of thinking and talking was not good for poor little James. Captain Folger therefore, after smoothing the hair on his forehead once or twice very tenderly, bade him good-bye, and went out.

"Doctors could do nothing for the child," he said, while returning with Adams to his house; "but he is rather to be envied than pitied. I would give much for the _rest_ which he apparently has found."

"_Give_ much!" exclaimed Adams, with an earnest look. "Rest in the Lord is not to be purchased by gifts. Itself is the grand free gift of G.o.d to man, to be had for the asking."

"I know it," was the Captain's curt reply, as he entered Adams's house.

"Where got you the chronometer and azimuth compa.s.s?" he said, on observing these instruments.

"They belonged to the _Bounty_. You are heartily welcome to both of them if you choose; they are of no use to me." [See Note.]

Folger accepted the gift, and promised to write to England and acquaint the Government with his discovery of the colony.

"You see, sir," said Adams, with a grave look, while hospitably entertaining his visitor that afternoon, "we are increasing at a great rate, and although they may perhaps take me home and swing me up to the yard-arm, I think it better to run the risk o' that than to leave all these poor young things here unprotected. Why, just think what might happen if one o' them traders which are little better than pirates were to come an' find us here."

He looked at the Captain earnestly.

"Now, if we were under the protection o' the British flag--only just recognised, as it were,--that would go a long way to help us, and prevent mischief."

At this point the importunities of some of the young people to hear about the outside world prevailed, and Folger began, as Jack Brace had done the day before, to tell them some of the most stirring events in the history of his own land.

But he soon found out that the mental capacity of the Pitcairners was like a bottomless pit. However much they got, they wanted more.

Anecdote after anecdote, story after story, fact after fact, was thrown into the gulf, and still the cry was, "More! more!"

At last he tore himself away.

"Good-bye, and G.o.d bless you all," he said, while stepping into the canoe which was to carry him off. "I won't forget my promise."

"And tell 'em to send us story-books," shouted Daniel McCoy, as the canoe rose on the back of the breakers.

The Captain waved his hand. Most of the women and children wiped their eyes, and then they all ran to the heights to watch the _Topaz_ as she sailed away. They watched her till she vanished over that mysterious horizon which seemed to the Pitcairners the utmost boundary of the world, and some of them continued to gaze until the stars came out, and the gulls retired to bed, and the soft black mantle of night descended like a blessing of tranquillity on land and sea.

Before bidding the _Topaz_ farewell, we may remark that Captain Folger faithfully fulfilled his promise. He wrote a letter to England giving a full account of his discovery of the retreat of the mutineers, which aroused much interest all over the land; but at that time the stirring events of warfare filled the minds of men in Europe so exclusively, that the lonely island and its inhabitants were soon forgotten--at least no action was taken by the Government--and six years elapsed before another vessel sailed out of the great world into the circle of vision around Pitcairn.

Meanwhile the Pitcairners, knowing that, even at the shortest, a long, long time must pa.s.s before Folger could communicate with the "old country," continued the even tenor of their innocent lives.