theskylight.
A minute afterwards, however, Doris was weeping in his arms--ah! suchglad, glad tears--and Doris's mother arose from a couch with a happysmile.
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That same day, after taking all that was valuable out of the dear old_Sea Flower_--and that _all_ included a fortune in gold--the hull wasset on fire.
In the evening the steamer left the island, but not before Tandy andHalcott had taken the bearings of the hidden mine.
In that cave lies an immense fortune for some one some day.
Some hard work and digging will be required, however, before the fortuneis finally brought to bank, and those who go to seek it must go fullyprepared to fight as fiendish a tribe of man-eating savages as ever yethas been faced in the South Pacific Ocean.
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Ideal voyages by sea are still to be made, although not in torpedo-boatsor in _Majesties_, and this was one of them.
The Crusoes of the Island of Gold, once fairly afloat on the brinyocean, soon waxed healthy and strong again, and all hands on board thesaucy _Borneo_ were just as happy as happy could be.
I must admit, however, that "saucy _Borneo_" is simply a figure ofspeech. There wasn't, really, a trace of sauciness about the dear, oldrumble-tumble of a ship. The skipper was about as rough as they makethem; so was his mate--and so were all hands, for that matter. _But_ ifthey were rough, they were _right_, and just as Dibdin describes aseaman:--
"Though careless and headstrong if danger should press, And ranked 'mongst the free list of rovers, He'll melt into tears at a tale of distress, And prove the most constant of lovers.
"To rancour unknown, to no passion a slave, Nor unmanly, nor mean, nor a railer, He's gentle as mercy, as fortitude brave-- And this is a true British sailor."
As before, Bob and Nelda were the pets of the ship; and 'Rallie, who nowdid the drollest antics any bird ever attempted, kept all hands laughingfrom binnacle to bowsprit.
Happiness is catching. I gather this from the fact that, after watchingHalcott and Doris walking arm-in-arm up and down the quarterdeck onelovely day, with pleasure and love beaming in the eyes of each, boldCaptain Weathereye said to himself,--
"How jolly they look! He makes _her_ happy, and she makes _him_. Blameme if I don't make somebody happy myself as soon's I get to port. I'mnot so old yet, and neither is Miss Scragley. Ahem!"
Well, the reader can guess how it turned out. Many years have passedsince the voyage home of the old _Borneo_. Doris is Mrs Halcott now.A pleasant home they have, and Tandy often visits there.
Tandy built himself a beautiful house on the very spot where the humblecottage stood; but it isn't called Hangman's Hall. Bob is there, andMurrams is there--good Mrs Farrow kept him while our heroes were atsea; and little Nelda--not so little now--is there, too; while, high anddry, in the gibbet-tree still roosts the droll old Admiral.
Ransey Tansey is a man now, and walks his own quarterdeck; but I didhear, only yesterday, that he will soon marry Eedie. There is no MissScragley any longer, however. But there is a Mrs Weathereye. Ahem!
Yes; and Weathereye and Tandy are almost inseparables, and many a yarnthey spin together over their pipes.
As the canal yonder, with the sunlight glinting on its breast, goescalmly meandering through the woods and meadows green, so gently passtheir lives along.
Good-bye, lads! Please, may I come again?
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The End.
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