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‘If Arthur dies, I cannot survive him.’

CHAPTER V.

Henry Huntington and Pat O’Leary, the Earl’s Servant, start upon An Exploring Expedition–Its Strange and Sudden Termination at the Pirates’ Cavern.

With a love of adventure, which no sense of anticipated or real danger could restrain, glowing upon his mind, and beaming forth from his handsome eyes, did Henry Huntington, upon his first landing upon the island, declare to his companions that he intended to pass the day in exploring its beautiful though limited dimensions, and when hunting for curious sea-shells and other marine curiosities, wherewith to enrich a sort of miniature museum which he had commenced some years before in merry England.

‘Is that your real intention, Henry, or are you joking,’ asked the earl, as the young man finished speaking.

‘I certainly intend, sir, to spend the time allotted to me here, in doing as I have said,’ replied Henry.

‘Then it is my opinion that you will have a tiresome time of it,’ said the earl.

‘With all deference to your better judgment, my lord, I anticipate a far different result.’

‘Well, then, I wish you all prosperity in your adventurous undertaking,’ replied the earl, ‘but be careful to keep within sight of the ship.’

‘I shall undoubtedly be very careful about that, sir, for although I own that I am an enthusiastic lover of romantic adventures, I do not by any means, aspire to the envious celebrity of being left alone, in all my glory, upon a desolate island. But who amongst all the party is hardy enough to volunteer to go with me. Will you, Arthur?’

‘Why, what a selfish fellow you have got to be, Henry,’ said Mary Hamilton, ‘to start on a wild goose chase yourself, and then ask the only other young gentleman of the party to accompany you.’

‘That would be ungallant, without dispute,’ chimed in ‘sweet’ Ellen Armstrong.

‘Upon a second thought, I am compelled to believe it would,’ replied Henry. ‘But to settle the matter, by Lord Armstrong’s leave, I will take his servant Patrick with me.’

‘Do you hear that, Patrick,’ asked the earl?

‘Indade, sir, and I do,’ replied Mr. Patrick O’Leary, with the true Hibernian accent. ‘And its to the end of the world that I would follow swate master Henry, intirely.’

‘Well, Patrick, let us take a start now, then,’ said Henry.

‘Stop a bit, if ye plase, master Henry, till I ask yer honor a bit of a question. Is there any wild bastes on this elligant little island?’

‘Not that I know of. But what made you think of that, Patrick?’

‘Faith, an it was just this, then, your honor. Ould Father McGrave, rest to his sowl, who was the parish praste at Bully Bannon, when I was a wee bit spalpeen of a boy, used to tell me that in ‘forrin’ places like this, where the sun was as hot as purgatory all the year round, there was a great plinty of tigers and illifonts, [meaning probably–elephants,] and sarpints, and all other kinds of savage bastes. Now I jest thought, master Henry, if that was the case here, I would just cut a couple of “shillalahs,” one for each of us, off of yonder tree, as they might work in handy in case of accidint.’

‘Although there is no danger of our being attacked by wild bastes, as you call them,’ replied Henry, smiling at the simplicity of the honest Patlander, ‘still, the shillalahs may not come amiss, so make haste and cut them, and then we will set out upon our journey,’

Having thus gained Huntington’s permission, Pat O’Leary lost no time in repairing to the tree which he has before mentioned, where he selected two of its branches, which he thought suitable to his purposes, he quickly cut them from their parent trunk with his jacknife, and returned with them to Henry, who chose the shortest one of the two, and then said:–