Then all four went to the window and looked out.
The Pirate ship had come quite close to the shore by this time. Barty could see that there was a crowd of men on the deck and that they looked as fierce as the ship. They had big hats, and big beards, and big moustaches, and big sharp-looking crooked swords at their sides. Some of them had taken their swords out of their scabbards and were flourishing them about.
"That biggest one is feeling the edge of his to see if it is sharp," said Barty. "I think he must be the captain. It would be so nice to stay in here and watch them if they wouldn't come and find us."
"Chattery-chattery chat-chat chatterdy," said Man Friday, pointing to make them look at something which was happening at the side of the ship.
He was pointing at some of the pirates who were letting down a boat into the sea. As soon as it was in the water they let down a rope ladder and half a dozen of them swarmed down it. Then the captain walked to the side and climbed down too. He took a seat and sat with his bare crooked sword across his knees. He waved his arm fiercely to the other pirates and they began to row towards the shore.
"Don't let us look out of the window any more," said Barty. "They might see us."
"I am afraid they saw us when we ran up the hill," said the Good Wolf.
Barty rather gasped. You would have gasped yourself, you know, if you had been in a cave on a desert island and a boat full of pirates was being rowed very fast to the shore, just at the foot of the cliff where your cave was.
"Well," said Barty, "this is an adventure. I hope it will end right. But I do wish there weren't so many pirates and they did not look so fierce."
And he sat down quite flat on the cave floor, and so did the Good Wolf, and so did Man Saturday. Blue Crest sat on Barty's shoulder and really hung her head and drooped her wings.
CHAPTER SIX
Pirate Captain frowned such an awful frown that Barty began to feel a little frightened again.
"Don't you want us to go?" he inquired. "You look as if something had made you angry."
"Oh! I beg your pardon," said the Captain. "You think I am frowning, but I am not. I am really smiling. That is my way of looking pleased. I can't do it the other way. I was so fierce all the years before I became polite that I can't untwist my face, and when I am perfectly delighted I scowl as if I were going to bite people's heads off. It is most inconvenient. Don't let it disturb you."
"I will try not to," answered Barty, "but it startles me because I am not used to it."
"Will you come to the ship now?" said the Captain. "Baboo Bajorum is waiting."
That made Barty give another little jump. "Baboo Bajorum," he said; "the one who is strong enough to break people into little bits?"
"He can break them into very little bits," said the Captain. "And he does not always save the pieces. But he never does it if you are polite. He is really very nice indeed."
"I always try to remember to say 'please,'" said Barty. "And I believe I should like to see what he is like."
"He will be another adventure," said the Good Wolf.
"Pray, do us the honor to lead the way," said the Pirate Captain, bowing, and he and his men stepped behind Barty and the Good Wolf and Saturday and Blue Crest.
So Barty crept through the passage and the Good Wolf crept after him and Saturday crept after him and Blue Crest hopped after him, and then the six pirates lay down on their stomachs and crept after them, and when they all crawled out in a line through the entrance on to the hill, they made such a long row that they reached yards and yards.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When they reached the ship the rest of the pirates crowded to the side to see who had been brought to the tea party.
"How they are all scowling," said Barty to the Captain.
"You must remember what I told you," the Captain said. "Those are smiles. They are really grinning from ear to ear with pleasure because they see you come without being chained and padlocked."
"Ah! I must remember," said Barty, "that when they look cross they are only trying to look perfectly delighted."
Two of the sailors let down a rope ladder. Blue Crest flew up it and Saturday ran up it in a minute. The pirates in the boat held it steady and the pirate Captain carried Barty up on his back. The Good Wolf looked serious for a second or so and then began to walk up as calmly as if he had used rope ladders all his life.
When Barty was once on board every pirate on the ship began to wave his hat and cheer. A few of them took out their swords and began to flourish them and then seemed suddenly to remember that sword waving might not seem polite, and very quickly put them back into their scabbards.
Barty looked all around him. The deck was very big and clean and the cannons were polished until the brass they were made of shone like gold. At one end there was a gay blue and white awning spread, and under it was a table which looked as if it were piled with the kind of good things you have at a tea party.