two small barrels marked "Grog" and "Gunpowder."The children stared and clung closer to Polly. Yet, in spite ofthese desperate and warlike accessories, the strangers bore asingular resemblance to "Christy Minstrels" in their blackened facesand attitudes that somehow made them seem less awful. In particular,Polly was impressed with the fact that even the most ferocious had acertain kindliness of eye, and showed their teeth almostidiotically.
"Welcome," said the leader. "Welcome to the Pirate's Cave! The RedRover of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River salutes the Queen ofthe Pirate Isle!" He rose up and made an extraordinary bow. It wasrepeated by the others with more or less exaggeration to the pointof one humourist losing his balance!
"O, thank you very much," said Polly, timidly, but drawing herlittle flock closer to her with a small protecting arm; "but couldyou--would you--please--tell us--what time it is?"
"We are approaching the Middle of Next Week," said the leader,gravely; "but what of that? Time is made for slaves! The Red Roverseeks it not! Why should the Queen?"
"I think we must be going," hesitated Polly, yet by no meansdispleased with the recognition of her rank.
"Not until we have paid homage to your Majesty," returned theleader. "What ho! there! Let Brother Step-and-Fetch-It pass theQueen around that we may do her honour." Observing that Polly shrankslightly back, he added: "Fear nothing, the man who hurts a hair ofHer Majesty's head, dies by this hand. Ah! ha!"
The others all said, ha! ha! and danced alternately on one legand then on the other, but always with the same dark resemblanceto Christy Minstrels. Brother Step-and-Fetch-It, whose very longbeard had a confusing suggestion of being a part of the leader'sbuffalo robe, lifted her gently in his arms and carried her tothe Red Rovers in turn. Each one bestowed a kiss upon her cheekor forehead, and would have taken her in his arms, or on hisknees, or otherwise lingered over his salute, but they were sternlyrestrained by their leader. When the solemn rite was concluded,Step-and-Fetch-It paid his own courtesy with an extra squeeze ofthe curly head, and deposited her again in the truck--a littlefrightened, a little astonished, but with a considerable accessionto her dignity. Hickory and Patsey looked on with stupefiedamazement. Wan Lee alone remained stolid and unimpressed, regardingthe scene with calm and triangular eyes.
"Will Your Majesty see the Red Rover's dance?"
"No, if you please," said Polly, with gentle seriousness.
"Will Your Majesty fire this barrel of Gunpowder, or tap thisbreaker of Grog?"
"No, I thank you."
"Is there no command Your Majesty would lay upon us?"
"No, please," said Polly, in a failing voice.
"Is there anything Your Majesty has lost? Think again! Will YourMajesty deign to cast your royal eyes on this?"
He drew from under his buffalo robe what seemed like a long tress ofblond hair, and held it aloft. Polly instantly recognized themissing scalp of her hapless doll.
"If you please, Sir, it's Lady Mary's. She's lost it."
"And lost it--Your Majesty--only to find something more precious!Would Your Majesty hear the story?"
A little alarmed, a little curious, a little self-anxious, and alittle induced by the nudges and pinches of her companions, theQueen blushingly signified her royal assent.
"Enough. Bring refreshments. Will Your Majesty prefer winter-green,peppermint, rose, or accidulated drops? Red or white? Or perhapsYour Majesty will let me recommend these bull's eyes," said theleader, as a collection of sweets in a hat were suddenly producedfrom the barrel labelled "Gunpowder" and handed to the children.
"Listen," he continued, in a silence broken only by the gentlesucking of bull's eyes. "Many years ago the old Red Rovers of theseparts locked up all their treasures in a secret cavern in thismountain. They used spells and magic to keep it from being enteredor found by anybody, for there was a certain mark upon it made by apeculiar rock that stuck out of it, which signified what there wasbelow. Long afterwards, other Red Rovers who had heard of it, camehere and spent days and days trying to discover it; digging holesand blasting tunnels like this, but of no use! Sometimes theythought they discovered the magic marks in the peculiar rock thatstuck out of it, but when they dug there they found no treasure. Andwhy? Because there was a magic spell upon it. And what was thatmagic spell? Why, this! It could only be discovered by a person whocould not possibly know that he or she had discovered it, who nevercould or would be able to enjoy it, who could never see it, neverfeel it, never, in fact know anything at all about it! It wasn't adead man, it wasn't an animal, it wasn't a baby!"
"Why," said Polly, jumping up and clapping her hands, "it was aDolly."
"Your Majesty's head is level! Your Majesty has guessed it!" saidthe leader, gravely. "It was Your Majesty's own dolly, Lady Mary,who broke the spell! When Your Majesty came down the slide, the dollfell from your gracious hand when your foot slipped. Your Majestyrecovered Lady Mary, but did not observe that her hair had caught ina peculiar rock, called the 'Outcrop,' and remained behind! When,later on, while sitting with your attendants at the mouth of thetunnel, Your Majesty discovered that Lady Mary's hair was gone; Ioverheard Your Majesty, and despatched the trusty Step-and-Fetch-Itto seek it at the mountain side. He did so, and found it clinging tothe rock, and beneath it--the entrance to the Secret Cave!"
Patsey and Hickory, who, failing to understand a word of thisexplanation, had given themselves up to the unconstrained enjoymentof the sweets, began now to apprehend that some change wasimpending, and prepared for the worst by hastily swallowing whatthey had in their mouths, thus defying enchantment, and gettingready for speech. Polly, who had closely followed the story, albeitwith the embellishments of her own imagination, made her eyesrounder than ever. A bland smile broke on Wan Lee's face, as, to thechildren's amazement, he quietly disengaged himself from the groupand stepped before the leader.
"Melican man plenty foolee Melican chillern. No foolee China boy!China boy knowee you. _You_ no Led Lofer. _You_ no Pilat--you alleesame tunnel man--you Bob Johnson! Me shabbee you! You dressee upallee same as Led Lofer--but you Bob Johnson--allee same. My faderwashee washee for you. You no payee him. You owee him folty dolla!Me blingee you billee. You no payee billee! You say, 'Chalkee up,John.' You say, 'Bimeby, John.' But me no catchee folty dolla!"
A roar of laughter followed, in which even the leader apparentlyforgot himself enough to join. But the next moment springing to hisfeet, he shouted, "Ho! ho! A traitor! Away with him to the deepestdungeon beneath the castle moat!"
Hickory and Patsey began to whimper. But Polly, albeit with atremulous lip, stepped to the side of her little Pagan friend."Don't you dare to touch him," she said, with a shake of unexpecteddetermination in her little curly head; "if you do, I'll tell myfather, and he will slay you! All of you--there!"
"Your father! Then you are _not_ the Queen!"
It was a sore struggle to Polly to abdicate her royal position, itwas harder to do it with befitting dignity. To evade the directquestion she was obliged to abandon her defiant attitude. "If youplease, Sir," she said, hurriedly, with an increasing colour and nostops, "we're not always pirates, you know, and Wan Lee is only ourboy what brushes my shoes in the morning, and runs of errands, andhe doesn't mean anything bad, Sir, and we'd like to take him backhome with us."
"Enough," said the leader, changing his entire manner with the mostsudden and shameless inconsistency. "You shall go back together, andwoe betide the miscreant who would prevent it. What say youbrothers? What shall be his fate who dares to separate our nobleQueen from her faithful Chinese henchman?"
"He shall die!" roared the others, with beaming cheerfulness.
"And what say you--shall we see them home?"
"We will!" roared the others.
Before the children could fairly comprehend what had passed, theywere again lifted into the truck and began to glide back into thetunnel they had just quitted. But not again in darkness and silence;the entire band of Red Rovers accompanied them, illuminating thedark passage with the candles
they had snatched from the walls. In afew moments they were at the entrance again. The great world laybeyond them once more with rocks and valleys suffused by the rosylight of the setting sun. The past seemed like a dream.
But were they really awake now? They could not tell. They acceptedeverything with the confidence and credulity of all children whohave no experience to compare with their first impressions and towhom the future contains nothing impossible. It was withoutsurprise, therefore, that they felt themselves lifted on theshoulders of the men who were making