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At the end of that time, the sun having set meanwhile, Smellie staggered to his feet, and, leaning on Daphne's shoulder, passed into the hut. My mysterious neighbour maintained his position for some five minutes longer, and then, springing from his hiding-place, made a dash for the hut at full speed, I following.
At this Smellie drew himself up rather haughtily, and was beginning to express his profound regret that our presence in the house should prove the means of introducing a discordant element into an affair of so delicate a nature, when Don Manuel interrupted him by assuring us both that he regarded the circumstance as rather fortunate than otherwise, since, however much he might esteem Senor Madera as an acquaintance and a man of business, he was by no means the class of person to whom he would be disposed to confide the happiness of his daughter.
But there was no time to lose; the schooner was already settling down beneath our feet, and I saw that it would very soon be "Every man for himself and God for us all;" so I passed my charge on deck and quickly followed it myself. I was just in time to see Smellie spinning the schooner's wheel hard over to port and lashing it there.
"Say 'made a grimace' not 'made a face," corrected Miss Smellie. "Only God can make faces." Dam exploded. "At what are you laughing, Damocles?" she asked sternly. "Nothing, Miss Smellie. What you said sounded rather funny and a little irrevilent or is it irrembrant?" "Damocles! Should I be likely to say anything Irreverent? Should I ever dream of Irreverence? What can you mean?
"We have one man killed, and I think none of us have escaped quite scot- free," was Armitage's reply; whilst Williams reported that two of his men were seriously hurt and seven others slightly wounded. "Well," said Smellie, "it is evident that we can do nothing with them unless we change our tactics.
"Now we shall see some fun shortly," exclaimed Smellie, in high glee he having got an inkling that something out of the common was toward, in that mysterious way in which people do learn such things on board a small ship, and had accordingly come on deck.
Then, as if inspired with a sudden suspicion, he asked: "Have you seen any men-o'-war in here lately?" I could see by the knowing look in our Yankee friend's eyes that he read poor Smellie like a book. "Wall," he replied. "Come to speak of it, there was a brig in here a few days ago that looked like a man-o'-war.
Smellie then, with infinite tact and patience, gradually broke to the poor old gentleman the news of the tragedy which had been enacted in the house during its owner's brief absence, together with our fears as to the fate which had befallen Dona Antonia.
Stand by the other side of the pail, Samuel." Rebecca's head was bowed with shame and wrath. Life looked too black a thing to be endured. The punishment was bad enough, but to be coupled in correction with Seesaw Simpson was beyond human endurance. Singing was the last exercise in the afternoon, and Minnie Smellie chose Shall we Gather at the River?
"Stand by with the grappling-irons fore and aft. Mr Smellie, stand by to lead a party on board him forward; I will attend to matters aft here." It really looked for a moment as though we actually had the brig; but a chill of disappointment thrilled through me when I saw how splendidly she was handled.
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