The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-18

L
gether, seventeen men Who partaks Of food
especially reserved for them, ct nine O'Clock
So far you pAdsrstand met"
"Clearly, Miss" .,E.s.s
The hext thing / have noticed, is the man
ner in which that food 10 prepared. About twt
hours before sunset, the Pirate Captain walk,
out to smoke, after be has eaten the ,mea
which he calls bis dinner. In his abeence from
the hall, the Indians light their Ere on the nm
sheltered side Of II, and prepare the last batch
of the food before they leave as for the night
They knesd up two separate masses of dough
The largest is the frst which is separated iDtc
cakes and baked That il taken for the use o.
us prisoners, and of the men who are CT dpty
all the night. The second and smaller piece O
dough is then prepared for the nine o'cloch
change of guard. Onthat food-come nearer
Davis, must 80 it in . whisper-on that food
ell our chances Of escape now turn. If We car
drug it unobserved, the Pirates who 90 of duty
the Pirates who 60 on duty, and the Captain
whois more 70 be feared than all the rest vii
be a. absolatsly issessible 10 our leaving the
Palace, as if they were every one of them dead
| men,"
was unable to speak, was unable even tc
fetch my breath at those words
81 have taken Mr.. Kitten, a. matter OF ne
cessity, into our confidence" she said. II have
learnt from him q simple way of obtaining the
juice of that plant which he forbade the child
to eat. / have also made myself acquainted
with the quantity which it il necessary to use
for or purpose and have resolved that no
hands but mine shall be charged with the work
of knesdipg it into the dough-"
"Not yon, Miss-not you. Let one of us
let me-run that risk"
"You have work enough and risk enough
already" said Miss Maryon. at is time that
the women, for whom you have suffered and
ventured 30 much, should take their share. Be.
sides, the risk is not great, where the Indians
only are concerned. They are idle and curious.
have seen, with my own eyes, that they are
as easily tempted away from their occupation,
by any chance sight or chance noise, as if they
were children; and / have already arranged
with Mr.. Macy, that be is to excite their ouri.
osity BY suddenly pulling down one of the loose
stones in that doorway, when the right time
comes. The Indians are certain to run in here,
to hnd out what is the matter. Mr.. Macy
will tell them that he has seen q snake-they
will hunt for the creature, las have seen them
hunt, over and over again, in this ruined plsce;)
and while they are 20 engaged, the opportunity
that want, the two minutes to myself, which
are all that require, will be mine. Dread the
Pirate Captain, Devils, for the slightest caprice
of his may ruin all our hopes-but never dread
the Indians, and never doubt me-"
| Nobody, who had looked in her face at that
moment-or at any moment that ever / knew
of-could have doubted her.
There ID one thing more" she went on.
when is the attempt to be nader"
Sin three days Time" answered, "there
will be timber enough down to make the<afts."
"In three days' time, then, let rs decide the
question of our freedom or our death" She
spoke those words with frmnees that ans zed
me. "Rest now" she said. "Reet and hope.n
The third day was the hottest we had yet ex.
perienced; we we're kept longer at work than
usual; and when we had done, we left or the
bank enough, and more than enough, of tir,ber
and poles, to make both the RATS.
The Indians had gone when we got back to
the Palace, and the Pirate Captain was still
smoking on the fight of steps. AS we crossed
the hall, / looked on one side, and saw the tor
tias set up in q pile, waiting for the men who
came in and went out at nine o'clock.
At the door which opened between our room
and the women's room, Miss Maryon was wait
ing for us.
"Is it done?" asked in whisper.
at is DONE" she answered
1t was, then, by Mr.. Mscey's watch, (which
he had kept hidden about him throughout our
imprisonment seven o'clock. We had two
hours to wait-hours Of suspense, but houfs of
rest also for the overworked men who had been
cutting the wood. Before 1 lay down, loo ked
into the inner ROOM The women we're all sit
ting together; and ] sew by the looks they east
on me that Miss Msryon had told them of hat
was coming with the night. The children we're
much as usual, playing quiet games among
themselves. In the mems room, noticed hat
Mr.. Macy had posted himself along with Fom
Packer, close to Sergeant Drooce, and that,M
Fisher seemed to be- taking great pains to make
himself agreeable 70 Mr.. Pordage. was klad
to see that the two gentlemen Of the company,
who were quick witted and experienced in most
things, were already taking in hand the two un.
reasonable men.
The evening brought no GOODNESS with it.
The heat was so oppressive that we all painted
under it. The stiffness in the forest was awful
We could almost hear the falling of the leaves.
Half past seven, eight, half past eight, quar-
ter to nine-nine. The tramp of feet came up
the steps on one side, and the tramp of feet
came into the hall on the other. There was a
confusion of voices-then, the voice of the
Pirate Captain, speaking in his own Ian.
guage-then, the voice of the American mate,
ordering out the guard-then, silence.
/ crawled to the door of our roo q, and laid
myself down behind it, where could see strip
OF the hall, being that part of it in which the
way out was situated. Here, also, the Pirate
Captains tent had been set up, about twelve or
fourteen feet from the door. Two torches were
burning before it. By their light, 1 saw the
guard on duty file out, each man munchins bis
tortilla, and each man grumbling over it. At
the same time, in the part of the hsll which /
could not see, heard the men off duty grum
bling also. The Pirate Captain, who had en-.
tered his tent the minute before, came out of
it, and calling to the American mate, at the
far end of the hall, bsked sharply, in English,
what that murmurirg meant.
"The men complain of the Tortillas,' the
mate tells him. "They say they are MASTER
than ever to night"
Bring me one, and let me taste it." said
the Captain. i had often before heard people
talk of their hearts being in their mouths, but
never really knew what the sensation was,
till l heard that order given.
The tortilla was brought to him. He nib.
oied bit off it, spatthe morsel out with disgust,
and threw the rest Of the cake away.
|, those Indian beasts have burnt the tortil.
las" he said, "ane their dirty hides shall
snffer Tor 1t tomorrow morning." With those
WORDS, ne wh'sked roond on his heel, and went
| back into his tent.
Some OF the men. had crept up behind me.
and, looking over my head, had seen what /
saw. They passed the account of it in whis.
pers to those who cpuld not see; and they, in
their turn, repeated il to the women. In five min.
utes, everybody in the two rooms knew that the
scheme had tailed with the very man whose
sleep it was most important to secure. heard
no stihed crying among the women or stiHed
cursing among the men. The despair of chat
time Was too deep for tears, and too deep fol
words. -.
myself could nsstake my eyes off the tent
In little while, be came out of it again