resemblance to "Christy Minstrels" in their blackened
faces and attitudes that somehow made them seem less awful. In
particular, Polly was impressed with the fact that even the most
ferocious had a certain kindliness of eye, and showed their teeth almost
idiotically.
"Welcome!" said the leader,--"welcome to the Pirates' Cave! The Red
Rover of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River salutes the Queen of
the Pirate Isle!" He rose up and made an extraordinary bow. It was
repeated by the others with more or less exaggeration, to the point of
one humorist losing his balance!
"Oh, thank you very much," said Polly timidly, but drawing her little
flock closer to her with a small protecting arm; "but could you--would
you--please--tell us--what time it is?"
"We are approaching the middle of Next Week," said the leader gravely;
"but what of that? Time is made for slaves! The Red Rover seeks it not!
Why should the Queen?"
"I think we must be going," hesitated Polly, yet by no means displeased
with the recognition of her rank.
"Not until we have paid homage to Your Majesty," returned the leader.
"What ho! there! Let Brother Step-and-Fetch-It pass the Queen around
that we may do her honor." Observing that Polly shrank slightly back,
he added: "Fear nothing; the man who hurts a hair of Her Majesty's
head dies by this hand. Ah! ha!"
The others all said ha! ha! and danced alternately on one leg and then
on the other, but always with the same dark resemblance to Christy
Minstrels. Brother Step-and-Fetch-It, whose very long beard had a
confusing suggestion of being a part of the leader's buffalo robe, lifted
her gently in his arms and carried her to the Red Rovers in turn. Each
one bestowed a kiss upon her cheek or forehead, and would have taken
her in his arms, or on his knees, or otherwise lingered over his salute,
but they were sternly restrained by their leader. When the solemn rite
was concluded, Step-and-Fetch-It paid his own courtesy with an extra
squeeze of the curly head, and deposited her again in the truck, a little
frightened, a little astonished, but with a considerable accession to her
dignity. Hickory and Patsey looked on with stupefied amazement. Wan
Lee alone remained stolid and unimpressed, regarding the scene with
calm and triangular eyes.
"Will Your Majesty see the Red Rovers dance?"
"No, if you please," said Polly, with gentle seriousness.
"Will Your Majesty fire this barrel of gunpowder, or tap this breaker of
grog?"
"No, I thank you."
"Is there no command Your Majesty would lay upon us?"
"No, please," said Polly, in a failing voice.
"Is there anything Your Majesty has lost? Think again! Will Your
Majesty deign to cast your royal eyes on this?"
He drew from under his buffalo robe what seemed like a long tress of
blond hair, and held it aloft. Polly instantly recognized the missing
scalp of her hapless doll.
"If you please, sir, it's Lady Mary's. She's lost it."
"And lost it--Your Majesty--only to find something more precious.
Would Your Majesty hear the story?"
A little alarmed, a little curious, a little self-anxious, and a little
induced by the nudges and pinches of her companions, the Queen
blushingly signified her royal assent.
"Enough. Bring refreshments. Will Your Majesty prefer wintergreen,
peppermint, rose, or acidulated drops? Red or white? Or perhaps Your
Majesty will let me recommend these bull's-eyes," said the leader, as a
collection of sweets in a hat were suddenly produced from the barrel
labeled "Gunpowder" and handed to the children.
"Listen," he continued, in a silence broken only by the gentle sucking
of bull's-eyes. "Many years ago the old Red Rovers of these parts
locked up all their treasures in a secret cavern in this mountain. They
used spells and magic to keep it from being entered or found by
anybody, for there was a certain mark upon it made by a peculiar rock
that stuck out of it, which signified what there was below. Long
afterwards, other Red Rovers who had heard of it came here and spent
days and days trying to discover it, digging holes and blasting tunnels
like this, but of no use! Sometimes they thought they discovered the
magic marks in the peculiar rock that stuck out of it, but when they dug
there they found no treasure. And why? Because there was a magic
spell upon it. And what was that magic spell? Why, this! It could only
be discovered by a person who could not possibly know that he or she
had discovered it; who never could or would be able to enjoy it; who
could never see it, never feel it, never, in fact, know anything at all
about it! It wasn't a dead man, it wasn't an animal,
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