path and I on the other, the rest
all ready to hand us the guns. "Shoot, Schillie, shoot," I said, "hit
the foremost man, and he'll tumble over the others."

"I am trying, I am indeed, but don't you know I cannot even kill a wasp!
Hang me if I can do it," said Schillie, turning white as a sheet, and
letting her gun drop. Steadily Otty raises his gun, fires, and the
foremost man falls, knocking over two others, and causing great
confusion. Felix, by way of calming it, fires his gun right into the
middle of them.

Their imprecations were loud and deep, and their rage seemed boundless
as they looked up at their two little antagonists. One man dead, two
hurt. "Very good boys," say we. But the pirates were not to be driven
back in this manner. It was too humiliating to be repulsed by two boys.
They seemed speculating as to what had become of Smart, he was evidently
not with us. So once more they essayed the ascent, sheltering themselves
as well as they could from the guns, by creeping under cover of the
ledges of rock. "Now let's all be firm this time," we whispered, "for
shoot them we must." Schillie took a great gulp of water, seized her
gun, and once more we all stood ready. "Let them come quite close," said
Oscar.

But a fresh person appeared on the scene of action, whose shrill screams
told her name better than anything. Not that anybody seemed hurting or
molesting her, but attracted, I suppose, by the sound of the guns, she
had ventured forth from her hiding place, and discovered us all roosting
at the top of the rock. Not being able to entertain more than one idea
at a time, and that idea being since her separation from us solely how
she could rejoin, it was not a matter of wonder, that to see us, was to
make her rush down towards us. It never entered her limited capacity to
think that the pirates might object to the re-union. However they showed
themselves most civil and polite towards Mrs. Hargrave, though we on the
rock did not give them credit for acting entirely from disinterested
motives.

_Schillie._--"Upon my life! if they are not going to let that mad woman
come up here. You may be sure, June, they have some motive for this
gratuitous kindness. I dare say they think such an ass of a woman will
be more likely to do us harm than good by her presence. Well! any body
may help her up that likes, I won't."

"Nor I, nor I," sounded on all sides.

But there was no need for us to offer, for the amiable pirates