She had a quantity of it, and it
looked even richer and more precious, put up hastily out of her way, than
I had seen it look when it was carefully arranged. She was very pale,
but extraordinarily quiet and still.

"Dear good Davis," said she, "I have been waiting to speak one word to
you."

I turned to her directly. If I had received a musket-ball in the heart,
and she had stood there, I almost believe I should have turned to her
before I dropped.

"This pretty little creature," said she, kissing the child in her arms,
who was playing with her hair and trying to pull it down, "cannot hear
what we say--can hear nothing. I trust you so much, and have such great
confidence in you, that I want you to make me a promise."

"What is it, Miss?"

"That if we are defeated, and you are absolutely sure of my being taken,
you will kill me."

"I shall not be alive to do it, Miss. I shall have died in your defence
before it comes to that. They must step across my body to lay a hand on
you."

"But, if you are alive, you brave soldier." How she looked at me! "And
if you cannot save me from the Pirates, living, you will save me, dead.
Tell me so."

Well! I told her I would do that at the last, if all else failed. She
took my hand--my rough, coarse hand--and put it to her lips. She put it
to the child's lips, and the child kissed it. I believe I had the
strength of half a dozen men in me, from that moment, until the fight was
over.

All this time, Mr. Commissioner Pordage had been wanting to make a
Proclamation to the Pirates to lay down their arms and go away; and
everybody had been hustling him about and tumbling over him, while he was
calling for pen and ink to write it with. Mrs. Pordage, too, had some
curious ideas about the British respectability of her nightcap (which had
as many frills to it, growing in layers one inside another, as if it was
a white vegetable of the artichoke sort), and she wouldn't take the
nightcap off, and would be angry when it got crushed by the other ladies
who were handing things about, and, in short, she gave as much trouble as
her husband did. But, as we were now forming for the defence of the
place, they were both poked out of the way with no ceremony. The
children and ladies were got into the little trench which surrounded the
silver-house (we were afraid of leaving them in any of the light
buildings, lest they should be set on fire), and we made the best
disposition we coul