Yr Ynys Unyg; or, The lonely island

On the 3rd of May, 183--, we embarked on board our pretty yacht, "La Luna," the crew of which included all the party mentioned in the preceding pages, besides those necessary to...

_May 4._--The next morning there were many defaulters, myself amongst the number. In lieu of the laughter and joy of the preceding evening, there were groans, and moans, and bes...

_May 16._--GIBRALTAR.--I, for one, was very glad to land, for somehow on board ship one never seemed to be able to finish one's toilette with the degree of niceness necessary, a...

I think the three letters I have given you will sufficiently explain the feelings of our party. We now retraced our steps, though I should have much liked to stop at Lisbon to s...

There fell upon us a dead calm. The heat was insufferable; the sky was too blue to be looked at; the sea too dazzling to be gazed on; the sun too scorching to be endured. We tur...

At the end of the seventh day, we were startled by the cry "Land ho! Land, Land." We exclaimed, "we are saved, we are saved!" and, for a moment, there was deep silence, an instr...

In us was exemplified the old adage, "that man is but the creature of circumstances." Who could have foretold that in two short weeks we should think so differently, and yet in...

But not even that sound or the nearness of our approach to land prepared us for a sudden grating noise, a shock, a succession of bumps that finally left nearly everybody on thei...

I awoke in the morning, hardly at first comprehending where I was. On rising, I found myself alone, no sound broke the stillness, no sight met my eyes to assist me in restoring...

It was so hot down on the sands that we agreed to move half way up the cliff, where a cool breeze from the sea blew morning and evening. The brook fell over a shelf of rock, abo...

So we accordingly did, and long ere we were awake in the morning the captain and all his men, including Smart and Oscar, had departed to execute his plans. We busied ourselves i...

Not all the taking time to consider, "nor all the morns" that ever came reconciled Schillie to the captain's plan. For my part I liked it, and am free to own that I entered into...

All was explained now that had seemed to us extraordinary in our kind captain's conduct the evening before, and as we hurried down to the beach half in hopes not to find every o...

The first person that awoke in the morning generally rose and opened the tent letting in the fresh sea breeze. This might be between two and three in the morning, and always the...

_Mother._--"I don't intend to do anything of the sort; I said, 'What shall we do?' merely to know if you had any private business on hand. Because if you have not, I have."

The girls being very much absorbed in their gardens, Schillie and I took a scramble one day round the point she had wished to go when we commenced building our hut. We privately...

The time passed, to use Gatty's phrase, "fatally fast," in fact, we heard distant murmurs and fears expressed lest our dear old captain should return too soon. There was somethi...

The meal was finished, everything was cleared away, the two maids were bid come and form part of the conclave, we were all equal now, and every one was to have a voice in this c...

While I was thus thinking my dear companions returned from their search which had been very successful. I kissed and thanked them all for their pretty thoughts and comforting wo...

I fancied we all looked quite mouldy, when we emerged from our dusky dark caverns. But the weather was so delicious, so cool and refreshing; everything was so green and beautifu...

While I and the two maids had been undergoing the dull labour mentioned in the preceding chapter, all the others had been attending to their gardens, and they all flocked to tea...

And so it was quite ready, and with what pride and satisfaction we viewed it. We took little private excursions around it; we made innumerable drives into it; we gave it affecti...

In a distant county, in the North of England, there was situated in a quiet country parish a rural rectory, surrounded by a garden, and adorned with the only good trees in the n...

It fortunately happened that we had so much to do we could not weep all day; moreover, Jenny, who was very methodical, thought if we went on crying all the evening, how was she...

We had become somewhat accustomed to the storms, and, though this one was terrific, and also followed by no interval of sunshine to break us in for the wet weather, yet our cond...

The fact that our beloved island was subject to earthquakes disturbed us considerably. Storms we began to think quite common, hurricanes nothing, rain but another mode for enjoy...

What! has a year gone? Are we celebrating the day of our arrival at YR YNYS UNYG? More, much more, days flee away, weeks speed on, months glide by us. Has hope gone? Are the che...

We employed the next rainy season in making the passage through the cavern wider and better, so that we could run up and down without torches or fears. The rainy season had comm...

"No, no, children, don't be so absurd," said I, "drunken people are not so helpless as you imagine, and, besides, they may not be all so. Some may be watching elsewhere, some ot...

But not a minute did I stay there. We must be up and doing. Despair made us calm and cool. Everything seemed to depend on our judgment and caution. How my heart was wrung with t...

Yes! she was gone from her mooring; nevertheless she was lying to, and the boat came off to shore with about ten men in it. They lost no time, but hurried about in every directi...

Quiet prevailed, lessons predominated, we were all getting very stupid again. Schillie was very much subdued after her sojourn with the pirates, and took to following me everywh...

We were some time in learning what effect our stratagem had had upon the pirates. On our parts we were delighted at the scheme succeeding so wonderfully, and dubbed the hero of...

With a little girl on each knee, Felix hanging with arms round his neck, Oscar sitting into his pocket, and we all ranged in a circle before him, we forgot the pirates, we forgo...

Madame fulfilled her promise, and in a few days we had the inexpressible satisfaction of sitting by the rude couch of the captain, and hearing his broken exclamations of happine...

The sight of two sail in the horizon one evening prepared us for seeing them in harbour the next day. But conceive our indignation when the captain told us that the other dirty,...

"Most certainly," said the captain, "but now we must be thinking of more important matters." And as the hot weather set in with more than ordinary vigour, it was very clear that...

And now how silly we looked, all exposed to the wondering gaze of the pirates. I heard Schillie muttering, "What a pack of fools we have been," while Oscar said, "Cousin, we hav...

The morning's light brought us no change either for worse or better, excepting that under cover of the night Smart had gone to search for our other companions. He gave us orders...

Towards midnight, a sound in the water made our hearts beat. Either the pirates meant to storm us at night, or Smart and the captain were attempting to join us. Calling the girl...

The imperturbable Hargrave presented herself the next morning as perfectly rested, and ready to dress her mistress, and put her hair (now for so long neglected) into proper orde...

The pirates on shore seemed as bewildered as we were. The pirates on board seemed in a great state of confusion and uproar. A general running, hurrying, and scurrying took place...

made them forget Mrs. Hargrave, who sat down and howled like a hungry cat, not, however, before she had discovered to them every secret corner, by running madly to look for you....

The whole night long the pirates worked hard, doing what we could not see, neither could our captain at all understand their conduct. "If it was not too good to be true, they ha...

The minutes fled. Ever and anon a group of pirates would advance, and, as they gazed, pity, remorse, and even admiration seemed to blend in their swarthy countenances, as they l...

An officer was sent to take our wishes, while the other sailors, with their captain and lieutenants, proceeded to pursue and exterminate the pirates. The fresh boats' crews bein...

And now we were all on board La Luna, Capt. Bute spared us a crew; he remains behind to settle everything about the island, and to go afterwards to the other rendezvous of the p...