t came nearer and nearer and yet kept off the island. We might have
thought, for a time, that perchance it was our friends, but one after
another allowed the mournful fact to escape from our lips, that it was
indeed the pirates' vessel.

Supposing us to be inexperienced in vessels, and not likely to know one
again, after seeing it once, we imagined they kept dodging on and off
the island to deceive us, and that they would do this until dark, and
then landing as best they might, they would thus take us by surprise.
They little knew how sharp was the watch we kept, as much prompted by
affection as fear.

But we understood their man[oe]uvres very well, and were quite prepared.
We had long ceased to need the Cartref Pellenig entrance, letting
everything down by the aperture above, where the rock and brushwood
would tell no tales of our footsteps. We had made some more places of
observation, and we went to rest that night feeling prepared for
everything. It happened as we expected. The whole island seemed alive
with pirates as the sun arose. We had taken care to leave their works of
destruction as much like what they had left them as possible. They spent
a whole week in diligently searching the island, yet were no restraint
upon us whatever. We had our shower baths, and even our exercise up and
down the rope ladders, peeping out upon them from the top, for we had
smoothed the sides of the cliff so well, there was not a place for a cat
to get up, and besides it seeming only to be bare rock and brushwood,
they thought they saw all over it without deeming that anything could be
hidden down in it.

We got rather rash, they got very vexed, we were delighted, they were
disappointed. At last at the end of ten days, they began to unload the
vessel. Now! thought we, "what is going to happen, surely they are not
going to stay here." Our ill-timed hilarity received a sudden check, for
our fears were confirmed, they unloaded the vessel completely, and after
ballasting her with sand and shingle, they set sail, and departed. But
alas! for us they left ten of their people behind them, who commenced to
our horror and disgust building a house very near Cartref Pellenig, but
so placed that they could look down the cliffs and over the sea. By this
arrangement we had certainly one-half of the island entirely to
ourselves, and as they were extremely busy, evidently trying to get
their house completed ere the second rains came on, and as what t