The Pirate Island | Page 9

exclaimed--
"Now then, you idle huzzies, what d'ye mean by blocking up the
passage so that a body can get neither in nor out? D'ye want these poor
souls to be quite froze to death before you lets 'em in? You, Em'ly, be
off to Number 4 and run the warmin' pan through the bed, and give the
fire a good stir. Emma, do wake up, child, and take a couple of buckets
of hot water up to Number 4, and put 'em in the bath. Run, Mary Jane,
for your life, and see if the fire in Number 7 is burning properly; and
you, Susan, be off and turn down all the beds."
The maids rushed off to their several duties like startled deer, while the
mistress turned to Sam and directed him to convey his burden to
Number 4, herself leading the way.
A number of women, the mothers and wives of the fishermen, had
gathered at the "Anchor" as soon as it was known that the smack had
gone out to a wreck, in order that they might be at hand to render any
assistance which might be required. They were all collected in the
bar-parlour; and two of them now rose, in obedience to "mother"
Salmon's summons, and following her upstairs, took over from Sam
their patient; and, shutting the door, lost not a moment in applying such
restoratives and adopting such measures as their experience taught
them would be most likely to prove beneficial.
The rest of the survivors speedily followed; the women and children
being promptly conveyed to the rooms already prepared for them; but
the men, for the most part, proved to be very little the worse for their
exposure, seeming to need for their restoration a good hot supper more
than anything else; and this contingency also having by "mother"
Salmon's experience and foresight been provided for, the rescued and
their rescuers were soon seated together at the same table busily
engaged in the endeavour to restore their exhausted energies.

One man only of the entire party seemed unable to do justice to the
meal spread before him, and this was the master of the wrecked ship.
He seated himself indeed at the table, and made an effort to eat and
drink, but his thoughts were evidently elsewhere. He could not settle
comfortably down to his meal, but kept gliding softly out of the room,
to glide as softly back again after an absence of a few minutes, when he
would abstractedly swallow a mouthful or two, and then glide out once
more. At length, after a somewhat longer absence than before, he
returned to the room in which the meal was being discussed, the look of
care and anxiety on his face replaced by an expression of almost
overwhelming joy, and, walking up to Bob, somewhat astonished that
individual by exclaiming--
"Young man, let me without further delay tender you and your brave
comrades my most hearty thanks for the rescue of my passengers, my
crew, and myself from a situation of deadly peril, a rescue which was
only effected at very great hazard to yourselves, and which was
successfully accomplished mainly--I am sure your comrades will join
me in saying-- through your indomitable courage and perseverance.
The debt which I owe you is one that it will be quite impossible for me
ever to repay; I can merely acknowledge it and testify to the
overwhelming nature of my obligation, for to your gallant behaviour,
under God, I owe not only the deliverance of twenty-five human lives
from a watery grave, but also the safety of my wife and only child--all,
in fact, that I have left to me to make life worth living. As I have said, it
will be quite impossible for me ever to cancel so heavy a debt; but what
I can do I will. Your conduct shall be so represented in the proper
quarter as to secure for you all the honour which such noble service
demands; and, for the rest, I hope you will always remember that
Captain Staunton--that is my name--will deem no service that you may
require of him too great to be promptly rendered. And what I say to you
especially, I say also to all your gallant comrades, who will, I hope,
accept the grateful thanks which I now tender to them."
Poor Bob blushed like a girl at these warm outspoken praises, and
stammered some deprecatory remarks, which, however, were drowned
by the more vigorous disclaimers of the rest of the fishermen and their

somewhat noisy applause of the shipwrecked captain's manly speech;
in the midst of which commotion "mother" Salmon entered to enjoin
strict silence and to announce the gratifying intelligence that all the
women and children were doing well, including