us when occasion requires"
(more indignantly).

_Winny._--"Yes, indeed, all her stories are full of brave people, and
they are such pretty stories."

_Schillie._--"Well, children, don't let us have any more of this mawkish
dispute. Aunt Sib is agreed to be nearly perfection by you all, and when
I see her looking steadily at a spider without a wink I'll think her so
too. It is lucky she has turned out so brave, as we may want her
services, and I trust you will all follow her worthy example. I intend
organizing an army, and making myself field-marshal thereof; and if you
make good soldiers, and obey the word of command, I'll tell you the
story of the little jack-daws."

The house the men built, which we called Pirate Hall, was magnificent
compared to our poor dear Cartref Pellenig, and was made with such
rapidity, speed, and neatness, our clerk of the works fell into fits of
envy and jealousy. We had visited it very often without being
discovered; but the children, from sheer mischief, used to carry off
things of all kinds back to our cavern, and we were unable to prevent
them, as they almost considered it an act of duty to do so. I would not
let them go; besides, we might have been discovered, as, through the
loss of different things in such a strange manner, they must suspect
some other people were on the island. Schillie, Madame, and I had many
private conversations regarding these pirates and their settling on the
island; for we were not so hopeful as to think if they settled here
permanently we could always escape notice. Some inadvertence on our
part, some chance on theirs, an earthquake, any of these things might
discover us.

Schillie imagined, from the peculiar way in which Pirate Hall was built,
they meant to use it as a storehouse, and that probably the vessel would
return, take off the ten men, now our neighbours, and only visit the
island when they had to store away their ill-gotten gains, or from bad
weather. I agreed with her, and further added, that probably the old
house had been built for the same purpose, but that their rendezvous
had been disturbed by the extraordinary snake which had been so nearly
fatal to us. Now that it was dead they were again making use of the
island, and we must be prepared for this and any other disagreeable
occurrence that their proximity to us would cause.

Madame hoped that if they really took permanent possession of the
island, we might in some manner contrive to qui