The Buccaneer - A Tale

This even-handed justice

Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice

To our own lips.

SHAKSPEARE

As the grey and misty twilight brightened into the glowing and happy

morn, there were two men prying about and around the otherwise deserted

cavern of the Gull's Nest Crag.

Nothing is more dreary and lonely to look upon than a scene, where

bustle and traffic have but lately been, changed, as if by magic, into a

place of stillness--forsaken by those who gave to it animation and

existence which before it knew not, and may never know again.

Solitude now covered it as with a pall. At the door of the once noisy

and frequented hostelry, instead of the bent but busy figure of old

Mother Hays, two sea-gulls stalked, and flapped their wings, and

screamed, and thrust their bills into the rude cooking-pots that stood

without.

The two persons, who appeared intent upon investigating the mysteries of

the place, could not be seen without bending over the edge of the

topmost cliff. It was then at once perceived that they were occupied in

fulfilling no ordinary or every-day task. They moved in and out of the

lower entrance like bees intent on forming new cells. For a considerable

time no word was spoken by either: at length the object they had in view

appeared accomplished, and, after climbing to the highest cliff, they

sat down opposite each other, so as to command a full prospect of both

sea and land.

"It was only a little farther on--about a quarter of a mile nearer Cecil

Place--that I first set foot on the Isle of Shepey," said the younger,

"and a precious fright I got--a fright that never was clear explained,

nor ever will be now, I guess."

"I little thought matters would have had such an end," replied the

other. "Gad, I'm hardly paid for the powder of the train by the few bits

I've picked up inside. I couldn't believe, unless I'd seen it myself,

that the place was so cleared out: except the furs and shawls belonging

to the women, there wasn't the wrapping round my finger of anything

worth having. Well, Hugh had many friends--I never thought he'd turn

tail."

"Turn tail!" repeated the youth: "who dares to say he turned tail? If

any one repeats that before me, I'll make free to give him a dose of

cold lead without farther ceremony!"

"All our chickens are game-cocks now-a-days!" returned the elder one,

half laughing: "but, Springall, could you swear that the Skipper and

Robin Hays didn't concert it all together?"