at
consternation."

"Yes, sir; but such has not been the case with these people, and
therefore I reckon it is not the first time that they have fought with
Europeans."

"Are they all gone, Ready?" said William, who had come down from the
plank to his mother.

"No; I see them between the trees now; they are sitting round in a
circle, and, I suppose, making speeches."

"Well, I'm very thirsty, at all events," said William; "Juno, bring me a
little water."

Juno went to the water-tub to comply with William's request, and in a
few moments afterwards came back in great consternation.

"Oh, Massa! oh, Missy! no water; water all gone!"

"Water all gone!" cried Ready and all of them in a breath.

"Yes; not one little drop in the cask."

"I filled it up to the top!" exclaimed Ready very gravely; "the tub did
not leak, that I am sure of; how can this have happened?"

"Missy, I tink I know now," said Juno; "you remember you send Massa
Tommy, the two or three days we wash, to fetch water from the well in
little bucket. You know how soon he come back, and how you say what
good boy he was, and how you tell Massa Seagrave when he come to dinner.
Now, Missy, I quite certain Massa Tommy no take trouble go to well, but
fetch water from tub all the while, and so he empty it."

"I'm afraid you're right, Juno," replied Mrs Seagrave. "What shall we
do?"

"I go speak Massa Tommy," said Juno, running to the house.

"This is a very awkward thing, Mr Seagrave," observed Ready gravely.

Mr Seagrave shook his head.

The fact was, that they all perceived the danger of their position: if
the savages did not leave the island, they would perish of thirst or
have to surrender; and in the latter case, all their lives would most
certainly be sacrificed.

Juno now returned: her suspicions were but too true. Tommy, pleased
with the praise of being so quick in bringing the water, had taken out
the spigot of the cask, and drawn it all off.

"Well," observed Mr Seagrave, "it is the will of Heaven that all our
careful arrangements and preparations against this attack should be
defeated by the idleness of a child, and we must submit."

"Very true, sir," replied Ready; "all our hopes now are that the savages
may be tired out, and leave the island."

"If I had but a little for the children, I should not care," observed
Mrs Seagrave; "but to see those poor things suffer--is there not a drop
left, Juno, anywhere?"

Juno shook her head.