Fritz and Eric, or the Brother Crusoes

by John Conroy Hutcheson________________________________________________________________This is rather an extraordinary book, because it consists of tworather different eras in the lives of two brothers. In thefirst the brother Fritz takes part in the Franco-Prussian war of1870-71, and is severely wounded, but survives - just. He istended by a beauteous maiden, with whom he falls in love. 

Meanwhile the brother Eric has gone to sea in what turns out tobe a rotten old vessel, which sinks in southern waters. Thereare some survivors, but Eric is not among them, and is presumeddead. 

Fritz departs for America, and is wondering how to get a job. Hemeets a whaling captain and they are having a chat in a bar whenwho should appear but Eric, who has had a miraculous rescue, buthas never had a chance of writing home. The two brothers decidethey will get the whaling ship to drop them off on a very remoteisland in the South Atlantic, Inaccessible Island, where theywill spend a year sealing, and make their fortunes from theskins they get during the year. 

There are many vicissitudes, and they do make their fortunes, but not from sealing. There are so many tense situations, sovery well described, that the book might almost have come fromthe pen of George Manville Fenn. A well-written and interestingbook, and with a very good description of the Franco-PrussianWar, the war which is so often forgotten about. N. H. ________________________________________________________________

FRITZ AND ERIC; OR, THE BROTHER CRUSOES

BY JOHN CONROY HUTCHESON

CHAPTER ONE. 

"GOOD-BYE!"

"Time is getting on, little mother, and we'll soon have to sayfarewell!"

"Aye, my child. The parting is a sad one to me; but I hope and trustthe good God will hold you in His safe keeping, and guide your footstepsback home to me again!"

"Never you fear, little mother. He will do that, and in a year's timewe shall all meet again under the old roof-tree, I'm certain. Keep yourheart up, mother mine, the same as I do; remember, it is not a`Farewell' I am saying for ever, it is merely `Auf wiedersehen!'"

"I hope so, Eric, surely; still, we cannot tell what the future maybring forth!" said the other sadly. 

Mother and son were wending their way through the quaint, old-fashioned, sleepy main street of Lubeck that led to the railway station--a bran-newmodern structure that seemed strangely incongruous amidst the antiquesurroundings of the ancient town. Although it was past the midday hour, hardly a soul was to be seen moving about; and the western sun lightedup the green spires of the churches and red-tiled pointed roofs of thehouses, glinting from the peculiar eye-shaped dormer windows of some ofthe cottages with the most grotesque effect and making them appear as ifwinking at the onlooker. It seemed like a scene of a bygone agereproduced on the canvas of some Flemish artist; and, but that Eric andhis mother were accustomed to it, they must have rubbed their eyes, likeRip Van Winkle when he came down from the goblin-haunted mountain intothe old village of his youth, in doubt whether all was real, thinking itmight be a dream. Presently, however, they were at the railway station, and they would have been convinced, if they had felt inclined to believeotherwise, that they were living in the present. But, even here, amidall the hissing of steam, and creaking of carriages, and whirr of movingmachinery, the queer old-world costumes of the peasantry, with theirquaint hats and mantles, which more resembled the stage properties of aChristmas pantomime than the known dress of any people of the period, all spoke of the past--a past when the great Barbarossa reigned inCentral Europe, and when there were "Robbers of the Rhine, " and "Fortythousand virgins, " in company with Saint Ursula, canonising the saintedand scented city of Cologne. Ah, those days of long ago!

"Here we are at last, mother, " said Eric, slinging the bag containinghis sea kit on to the railway platform. "The old engine is getting itssteam up, and we'll soon be off. Cheer up, little mother! As I've toldyou, it is not a good-bye for ever!"

"So you say, my son. The young ever look forward; but old people likemyself look back, and it makes us reflect how few of the nobleaspirations and longing anticipations of our youth are ever realised!"

"Old people like yourself indeed, little mother!" said Eric indignantly, tossing up his lion-like head, and looking as if he would like to seeany one else who would dare to make such an assertion, the next momentthrowing his arms round her neck, and hugging her fondly. "I won't haveyou calling yourself old, you dear little mother, with your nice glossybrown hair, and beautiful bright blue eyes and handsome face--a facewhich I fail not to see Burgher Jans gaze on with eloquent expressionevery Sunday when we go to the Dom Kirche. Ah, I know--"

"Fie, my son!" exclaimed Madame Dort, interrupting him by placing herhand across his mouth, a process which soon stopped his indiscreetimpetuosity, a warm blush the while mantling her comely countenance; forshe was yet in the bloom of middle-aged womanhood. "Suppose, now, anyone were to overhear you, audacious child!"

"Ah, but I know, though, " repeated the boy triumphantly, when he hadagain regained his freedom of speech. "I won't tell, little mother;still, I must make a bargain with you, as I don't intend that fusty oldBurgher Jans to have my handsome young mutterchen, that's poz! But, tochange the subject, why are you so despondent about my leaving you now, dear mother? I've been already away from you two voyages, and yet havereturned safe and sound to Lubeck. "

"You forget, my child, that the pitcher sometimes goes once too often tothe well. The ocean is treacherous, and the perils of the sea aregreat, although you, in boy-like fashion, may laugh at them. Strong menhave but too often to acknowledge the supremacy of the waves when theybear them down to their watery grave, leaving widows and orphans, alas!to mourn their untimely fate with sad and bitter tears! Don't youremember your poor father's end, my son?"

"I do, mother, " answered the boy gravely; "still, all sailors are notdrowned, nor is a seafaring life always dangerous. "

"Granted, my child, " responded his mother to this truism; "but, thosewho go down to the sea in ships, as the Psalmist says, see the perils ofthe deep, and lead a venturesome calling! Besides, Eric, I must tellyou that I--I do not feel myself so strong as I was when you first lefthome and became a sailor boy; and, although I have no doubt a goodProvidence will watch over you, and preserve you in answer to myheartfelt prayers, yet you are now starting on a longer voyage than youhave yet undertaken, and perchance I may not live to greet you on yourreturn!"

"Oh, mother, don't say that, don't say that!" exclaimed Eric in a heart-broken voice; "you are not ill, you are not ailing, mother dear?" and hepeered anxiously with a loving gaze into her eyes, to try and read somemeaning there for the sorrowful presage that had escaped thusinadvertently from her lips, drawn forth by the agony of parting. 

"No, my darling, nothing very alarming, " she said soothingly, wishing toavoid distressing him needlessly by communicating what might really beonly, as she hoped, a groundless fear on her part. "I do not feelexactly ill, dear. I was only speaking about the natural frail tenureof this mortal life of ours. This saying `Good-bye' to you too, mydarling, makes me infected with morbid fear and nervous anxiety. Fancyme nervous, Eric--I whom you call your strong-minded mother, eh?" andthe poor lady smiled bravely, so as to encourage the lad, and banish hiseasily excited fears on her account. It was but a sickly smile, however, for it did not come genuinely from the heart, prompted thoughthe latter was with the fullest affection. Still, Eric did not perceivethis, and the smile quickly dismissed his fears. 

"Ha, ha, " he laughed in his light-hearted, ringing way. "The idea ofyour being nervous, like I remember old grandmother Grimple was when Iused to jump suddenly in at the door or fire my popgun! I would neverbelieve it, not even if you yourself said it. Ah, now you look betteralready, and like my own dear little mother who will keep safe and well, and welcome me back next year, surely; and then, dear one, we'll have noend of a happy time!"

"I hope so, Eric; I hope so with all my heart, " said she, pressing theeager lad to her bosom in a fond embrace; "and you may be sure that nonewill be so glad to welcome you back as I!"

"Think, mother, " said Eric presently, after a moment's silence, in whichthe feelings of the two seemed too great to find expression in words ofcommon import. "Why, by that time I will have nearly sailed round theworld; for in my voyage to Java and back I will have to `double theCape, ' as sailors say!"

"Yes, that you will, my boy, " chimed in his mother, anxious to sustainthis buoyant change in his humour, and drive away the somewhatmelancholy tone she had unwittingly introduced into their last partingconversation. "You'll be a regular little travelled monkey, like theone belonging to the Dutchman that we were reading about the other daywhich could do everything almost but speak, although I don't thinkanybody would accuse you of any want of ability on the latter score, youchatterbox!"

"No, no, little mother; I think not likewise, " chuckled Ericcomplacently. "I'm not one of your silent ones, not so! But, hurrah!--There comes Fritz turning in under the old gateway. He said he wouldtry and get away for half an hour in the afternoon from the counting-house to wish me another good-bye and see me off, if Herr Grosschnappercould spare him. Ah ha, Master Fritz, " shouted out the sailor lad, ashis brother drew nigh, "you're just in time to see the last of me. Ithought the worthy Herr would not let you come, you are so very late. "

"Better late than never, " said the other, smiling, coming up beside thepair, who were standing in front of one of the railway carriages, intowhich Eric had already bundled his bag. "The old man did growl a bitabout my `idling away the afternoon, ' as he called it; but when Iimpressed him with the fact that you were going away to sea, he relentedand let me come, saying that it was a good job such a circumstance didnot occur every day!"

"Much obliged to him, I'm sure!" said Eric, with that usual toss of hishead which threw back his mane-like locks of yellow hair. "He wouldhave been a fine old curmudgeon to have refused you leave to wish good-bye to your only brother!" And he put one of his arms round Fritz'sneck as he spoke. 

"Hush, my son, " interposed Madame Dort. "You must not speak ill of thegood merchant who has been such a kind friend to Fritz and given himregular employment in his warehouse!"

"All right, mutterchen, I won't mention again the name of the old cur--, I mean dear old gentleman, little mother, there!" And then catching thetwinkling eye of Fritz, the two burst into a simultaneous laugh at thenarrow escape there had been of his repeating the obnoxious epithet;while Madame Dort could not help smiling too, as she gazed fondly intothe merry face of the roguish boy, standing by his brother's side andclinging to him with that deep fraternal affection which is so rarelyseen, alas! in members of the same family. 

Truly, they were sons of whom any mother might have been proud. 

Fritz was tall and manly, by virtue of his two-and-twenty years and asmall fringe of dark down that covered his upper lip; Eric was shorterby some inches, but more thick-set and with broader shoulders, predicting that he would be the bigger of the two as time rolled on. 

The firstborn, Fritz, with his closely cropped hair and swarthycomplexion, took after his dead father, who had been a Holsteiner--amariner by profession, who had sailed his ship from the Elbe some yearsbefore for the last time, and left his wife to bring up her fatherlessboys by the sweat of her brow and her own exertions; for Captain Dorthad left but little worldly goods behind him, his all being embarkedwith himself in his ship, which was lost, with all hands on board, inthe North Sea. Fritz and Eric had both been too young at the time toappreciate the struggles of their mother to support herself and them, until she had achieved a comfortable competency by teaching music andlanguages in several rich Hanoverian families; and now she had no longerto battle for her bread. 

Eric took after her in face and expression, having the same light-coloured hair and bright blue eyes; but there the resemblance ceased, ashardly had he grown to boyhood than he evinced that desire for a sealife which he must have inherited with his father's blood--he would, hemust be a sailor!

Being the youngest, he naturally was her pet; and thus, although therecollection of her husband's fate was ever before her, and Madame Dorthad a dread of the sea which only those who have suffered a similarbereavement can fully understand, she could not resist the boy'scontinual pleadings, backed up as they were by his evident andunaffected bias of mind towards everything connected with ships andshipping; for, Eric never seemed so happy as when frequenting the quaysand talking with the sailors and sea-captains who came to the old portof Lubeck, where of late years the mother had taken up her residence, inorder to be near Fritz, who had obtained a clerkship in a merchant'shouse there, through the friendly offices of the parents of one of themusic-teacher's pupils. 

Eric had already received his `sea-baptism, ' so to speak, having been ona trip to England in a Hamburgh cattle-boat, and on a cruise up theBaltic in a timber-ship; but he was now going away in a Dutch vessel tothe East Indies, the voyage promising to occupy more than a year, sothere is no wonder that his mother was anxious on his account, thinkingshe would never live to see him again. It seemed so terrible to her asshe stood on the railway platform, surrounded by all the bustle andpreparation of the train about to depart, to fancy, as she gazed withlonging eyes at her brave and gallant Eric, with his lion-like head andcurling locks of golden hair, that she might never look on her sailorladdie's merry, loving face any more; and, tears dropped from thewidow's eyes as she drew him towards her, clasping him to her, as if shecould not bear to let him go. 

"Come, mother, " said Fritz, after a moment's interval. "Time is up!The guard is calling out for the passengers to take their seats. Eric, old fellow, good-bye, and God bless you! You will write to the motherand me from every port you touch at?"

"Aye, surely, " said the boy, a sob breaking his voice and banishing themannish composure which he had tried to maintain to the last. "Good-bye, Fritz; you'll take care of mother?"

"Don't you fear, that will I, brother!" was the answer in those earnesttones which Fritz always used when he was making a promise and givinghis word to anything he undertook--a word which he never broke. 

"And now, good-bye, mutterchen, my own darling little mother, " saidEric, clasping his mother in a last clinging hug; "you'll never forgetme, but will keep strong and well till I come back. "

"I will try, my child, with God's help, " sobbed out the poor lady. "But, may He preserve you and bring you back safe to my arms! Good-bye, my darling. You must never forget Him or me; my consolation in yourabsence will be that your prayers will ascend to heaven along withmine. "

"You may trust me, mother, indeed you may. Good-bye, little mother!God bless you, mutterchen! Good-bye!" cried out the sailor lad from thecarriage window; and then, the train moved off, puffing and panting outof the station, leaving Fritz and his mother standing on the platform, and waving their handkerchiefs in farewell to Eric, who was as busilyengaged gesticulating, with his hat in one hand and in the other anewspaper that his brother had brought him, shouting out, `Lebewohl!'--asobbing farewell it was--for the last time, and still waving adieux whenhis voice failed him!

"Never mind, my mother, " said Fritz softly, giving his arm to the heart-stricken lady, and leading her away with tender care from the railwaystation to their now sadly bereaved home. "Cheer up, and hope, mutterchen! You have a son still left you, who will never desert you orquit his post of looking after you, till Eric, the dear boy, comesback. "

"I know, my son, I know your love and affection, " replied Madame Dort, pressing his arm to her side affectionately; "but, who can tell what thefuture may have in store for us? Ah, it's a wise proverb that, dearson, which reminds us that `man proposes, but God disposes!'"

"It is so, " murmured Fritz, more to himself than to her; "still, I trustwe'll all meet again beneath the old roof-tree. "

"And I the same, from the bottom of my heart!" said his mother, incordial sympathy with his wish, as she began to ascend the steps leadingup to her dwelling; while Fritz returned to the counting-house of hisemployer, Herr Grosschnapper, to finish those duties which had beeninterrupted by his having to see Eric off. 

CHAPTER TWO. 

A THUNDERCLAP!

It was late in the autumn when Eric left Lubeck on his way to Rotterdam, where he was to go on board the good ship _Gustav Barentz_, bound on atrading voyage to the eastern isles of the Indian Ocean; and, as theyear rolled on, bringing winter in its train--a season which the Dortfamily had hitherto always hailed with pleasure on account of itsfestive associations--the hours lagged with the now sadly diminishedlittle household in the Gulden Strasse; for, the merry Christmas-tidereminded them more than ever of the absent sailor boy, who had alwaysbeen the very life and soul of the home circle, and the eagerly sought-for guest at every neighbourly gathering. 

"It does not seem at all the same now the dear lad is away on the seas, "said old Lorischen, the whilom nurse, and now part servant, partcompanion of Madame Dort. "Indeed, I cannot fancy him far-distant atall. I feel as if he were only just gone out skating on the canal, andthat we might expect him in again at any moment!"

"Ah, I miss him every minute of the day, " replied Madame Dort, who wassitting on one side of the white porcelain stove that occupied a cosycorner of the sitting-room, facing the old nurse, who was busily engagedknitting a pair of lambs-wool stockings on the other. 

"It is now--aye, just two months since the dear lad left us, " continuedLorischen, "and we've never had a line from him yet. I hope no evil hasbefallen the ship!"

"Oh, don't say such a thing as that, " said Madame Dort nervously. "Thevessel has a long voyage to make, and would only touch at the Cape ofGood Hope on her way; so we cannot expect to hear yet. I wonder at you, Lorischen, alarming me with your misgivings! I am sure I am anxiousenough already about poor Eric. "

"Ach himmel! I meant no harm, dear lady, " rejoined the other; "but, when one has thoughts, you know, they must find vent, and I've beendreaming of him the last three nights. I do wish he were safe backagain. The house is not itself without him. "

"You are not the only one that thinks that, " said Madame Dort. "Why, even the very birds that come to be fed at the gallery window miss him!They won't take their bread crumbs from my hand as they used to do lastwinter from his; you remember how tame they were, and how they would hopon his shoulder when he opened the window and called them?"

"Aye, that do I, well! He was a kind lad to bird and beast alike. There is my old cat, which another boy would have tormented according tothe nature of all boys where poor cats are concerned; but Eric loved it, and petted it like myself! Many a time I see Mouser looking up at thatmodel of his ship there, blinking his eyes as if he knew well where theyoung master is, for cats have deeper penetration than human folk givethem credit for. I heard him miaow-wowing this morning; and, when Iwent to look for him, there he was on the top of the stove, if youplease, gazing up at the little ship, with his tail up in the air asstiff as a hair-brush! I couldn't make it out at all, and that's whatmade me so thoughtful to-day about the dear lad, especially as I'ddreamt of him, too. "

"My dear Lorischen, you absurd creature, " laughed out Madame Dort. "I'mglad you said that. Don't you know what was old Mouser's grievance?Was I not close behind you at the time the cat was making the noise, anddid not Burgher Jans' dog rush out of the room as the door was opened?Of course, Mouser got on the stove to be out of his way, and that waswhy you thought he was speaking in cat language to poor Eric's littlemodel ship. What a superstitious old lady you are, to be sure!"

"Ah well, you may think so, and explain it away, madame, " saidLorischen, in no way convinced; "but I have my beliefs all the same; andI think that cat knows more than you and I do. Dear, dear! There, Ideclare it is snowing again. What a Christmas we will have, and how thedear lad would have enjoyed it, eh?"

"Yes, that he would, " rejoined the other. "He did love to watch thesnowflakes come down, and talk of longing to see an Arctic winter; but Ihope it will not fall so heavily as to block the railway, and prevent usfrom getting any letters. "

"I hope not, " replied Lorischen sympathisingly. "That would be a badlook-out, especially at Christmas time! Look, the roof of the MarienKirche is covered already: what must it not be in the open country!"

The old town presented a very different aspect now to what it had donewhen Madame Dort had walked by Eric's side to the railway station, forthe red tiles of the houses were hidden from view by the white coveringwhich now covered the face of nature everywhere--the frozen canal waysand river, with the ice-bound ships along the quays and the tall poplartrees and willows on the banks, as well as the streets and market-place, being thickly powdered, like a gigantic wedding-cake, with snow-dust;while icicles hung pendent, as jewels, from the masts of the vessels andthe boughs of the trees alike, and from the open-work galleries of themarket hall and groined carvings of the archways and outside staircasesthat led to the upper storeys of the ancient buildings around. Theselatter glittered in every occasional ray of sunshine that escaped everynow and then from the overhanging clouds, flashing out strange radiantshades of colouring to light up the monotonous tone of the landscape. 

Madame Dort rose from her chair and went to the window where sheremained for some little time watching the fast descending flakes thatcame down in never-ceasing succession. 

"I'm afraid it is going to be a very heavy fall, " said she presently, after gazing at the scene around in the street below. Then, lifting hereyes, she noticed that the heavy mass of snow-clouds on the horizon hadnow crept up to the zenith, totally obscuring the sun, and that the windhad shifted to the north-east--a bad quarter from whence to expect achange at that time of year. 

"But, dear me, there is Fritz! I wonder what brings him home so earlyto-day?" she exclaimed again after another pause. "See, " she added, "the dear child! He has got something white in his hand, and is wavingit as he comes up the stairway. It's a letter, I'm sure; and it must befrom Eric!"

Old Lorischen bounced out of her chair at this announcement and was atthe door of the room almost as soon as her mistress; but, before eithercould touch the handle, it was opened from without, and Fritz came intothe apartment. 

"Hurrah, mother!" he shouted out in joyful tones. "Here's news fromEric at last! A letter in his own dear handwriting. I have not openedit yet; but it must have been put on board some passing vessel homewardsbound, as it is marked `ship's letter, ' and I've had to pay twosilbergroschen for it. Open it and read, mother dear; I'm so anxious tohear what our boy says. "

With trembling hands Madame Dort tore the envelope apart, and soon madeherself mistress of the contents of the letter. It was only a shortscrawl which the sailor lad had written off hurriedly to take advantageof the opportunity of sending a message home by a passing ship, as hisbrother had surmised--Eric not expecting to have been able to forwardany communication until the vessel reached the Cape; and, the strangeronly lying-to for a brief space of time to receive the despatches of the_Gustav Barentz_, he could merely send a few hasty lines, telling themthat he was well and happy, although he missed them all very much, andsending his "dearest love" to his "own little mother" and "dear brotherFritz, " not forgetting "darling, cross old Lorischen, " and the "cream-stealing Mouser. "

"Just hear that, the little fond rascal!" exclaimed the worthy oldnurse, when Madame Dort read out this postscript. "To think of hiscalling me cross, and accusing Mouser of stealing; it is just like hisimpudence, the rogue! I only wish he were here now, and I would soontell him a piece of my mind. "

Eric added that they had had a rough passage down the North Sea, hisvessel having to put into Plymouth, in the English Channel, for repairs;and that, as she was a bad sailer, they expected to be much longer onthe voyage than had been anticipated. He said, too, that if the windwas fair, the captain did not intend to stop at the Cape, unlesscompelled to call in for provisions and water, but to push on to Bataviaso as not to be late for the season's produce. He had overheard himtelling the mate this, and now informed those at home of the fact thatthey might not be disappointed at not receiving another letter from himbefore he reached the East Indies, which would be a most unlikely case, unless they had the lucky chance of communicating a second time with ahomeward-bound ship--a very improbable contingency, vessels not likingto stop on their journey and lay-to, except in answer to a signal ofdistress or through seeing brother mariners in peril. 

"So, you see, " said Madame Dort, as soon as she had reached the end ofthe sheet, "we must not hope to hear from the dear boy again for sometime, and can only trust that all will go well with him on the voyage!"She heaved a heavy sigh from the bottom of her mother's heart as shespoke, and her face looked sad again, like it had been before Eric'sletter came. 

"Yes, that's right enough, mutterchen, " answered Fritz hopefully; "but, you can likewise see that Providence has watched over our Eric so far, in preserving him safely, and there is now no reason for our feeling anyalarm on his account. We shall hear from him in the spring, withoutdoubt, telling us of his safe arrival at Java, and saying what time wemay look forward to expecting him home. At any rate, this dear lettercomes welcome enough now, and it will enable us to have a happierChristmas-tide than we should otherwise have passed. "

"Ach, that it does, " put in old Lorischen, beginning again to bustleabout the room with all her former zest in making preparations for thecoming festival, which her melancholy forebodings about Eric andsuperstitious, fears anent the cat's colloquy in the morning hadsomewhat interrupted: "we shall have a right merry Christmas in spite ofthe dear lad's absence. We must remember that he will be with us inspirit, at least, and it would grieve him if we were down-hearted!"

This wise reflection of the old nurse, coupled with Fritz's hopefulwords, appeared to have a cheering influence on Madame Dort, whom manytrials had made rather more despondent than could have been expectedfrom her bright, handsome face, which did not seem sometimes to haveever known what sorrow was; although, like Eric's, it exhibited for themoment every passing mood, so that those familiar with her dispositioncould almost read her very thoughts, her nature being so open. Banishing her gloom away, apparently by the mere effort of will, she nowproceeded to assist Lorischen in getting the room decorated for theChristmas Eve feast, of which all partook with more merriment andcontent than the little household in the Gulden Strasse had known sincethe sailor boy left. Nay, it seemed to them, happy with the tidings ofhis safety and well-being, that Eric was there too in their midst; forthey drank his health before separating for the night, and his mother, when placing the surprise presents, which were to tell the members ofthe family in the morning that they had not been overlooked in thecustomary distribution of those little gifts that form the most pleasingremembrances of the festive season in Germany, did not omit also to fillthe stocking which Eric had suspended from the head of his bedsteadbefore leaving--he having laughingly said that he expected to find itchock-full when he returned home in time for the next Christmas feast, as he was certain that Santa Claus would never be so unkind as to forgethim because he chanced to be away and so missed his turn in the usualvisit of the benevolent patron of the little ones!

Time passed on at Lubeck, the same as it does everywhere else. The yearturned and the months flew by. Winter gave place to spring, when theadamantine chains with which the ice-king had bound the rivers andwaters of the north were loosed asunder by the mighty power of theexultant sun; the snow melted away from the earth, which decked itselfin green to rejoice at its freedom, smiling in satisfaction withflowers; while the trees began to clothe their ragged limbs and branchesin dainty apparel, and the birds to sing at the approach of summer. 

June came, when Madame Dort had fully expected to hear of Eric's arrivalat Batavia; but the month waned to its close without any letter comingto gladden the mother's heart again, nor was there any news to be heardof the good ship _Gustav Barentz_ in the commercial world--not a singletelegram having been received to report her having reached herdestination, nor was there any mention of her having been seen andsignalled by some passing vessel, save that time when she was met offthe Cape de Verde Islands in the previous November. It began to lookominous!

But, while Madame Dort was filled with apprehension as to the fate ofher younger son, a sudden conjuncture of circumstances almost made herforget Eric. This was, the unexpected summons of Fritz from her side, to battle with the legions of Germany against the threatened invasion of"the Fatherland" by France. 

At the time, it looked sudden enough. A little cloud, no bigger than aman's hand, had arisen on the horizon of European politics, which, eachmoment, grew blacker and more portentous; and, in a brief while, itburst into a war that deluged the vine-clad slopes of Rhineland and thefair plains of Lorraine with blood and fire, making havoc everywhere. Now, however, looking back on all the events of that terrible struggleand duly weighing the surroundings and impelling forces leading up toit, allowing also for all temporary excuses and pretexts, and admittingall that can be said for partisanship on either side, there can be nouse in blinking at the pregnant fact that the real cause of the wararose from a desire to settle whether the French or the Germans were thestrongest in sheer brute force--just in the same way as two men, orboys, fight with nature's weapons in a pugilistic encounter to strivefor the mastery, thus indulging in passions which they share with thebeasts of the field!

The long, steady, complete preparation for war on each side shows thatthis very simple and intelligible motive was at the bottom of it all;and it is pitiable to think, for the sake of human nature, whenrecapitulating the history of this fearful conflict of fifteen years agowhich caused such misery and murderous loss of life, that two of themost polished, advanced, educated, and representative nations of Europeat that time should not have apparently attained a higher code ofcivilised morality than that adopted by the natives of Dahomey--one, ruled over by the blood-stained fetish of human sacrifice! As the worldadvances, looking at the matter in this light, we seem to have exchangedone sort of barbarism for another, and the present one appears almostthe worse of the two, by the very reason of its being mixed up with somuch scientific advancement, cultural refinement, and the higherdevelopment of man. It is like the old devil returning and bringingwith him seven other devils more powerful for evil than their originalprototype, this prostitution of learning, intellect, and philosophy tothe most debasing influences of human nature!

These thoughts, however, did not affect either Fritz or his mother atthe time. 

Not being the only son of a widow, in which case he might have beenexempted from service, Fritz, when he had reached his eighteenth year, had been compelled to join the ranks of the national army; and, aftercompleting the ordinary course of drill, had been relegated to theLandwehr and allowed to return home to his civic occupation. But, whenthe order was promulgated throughout the German empire to mobilise thevast human man-slaying machine which General Moltke and Prince Bismarkhad constructed with such painstaking care that units could bemultiplied into tens, and tens into hundreds, and hundred intothousands--swelling into a gigantic host of armed men almost at amoment's notice, ready either to guard the frontier from invasion, or tohurl its resistless battalions on the hated foe whose defeat had beensuch a long-cherished dream--the young clerk received peremptory ordersto join the headquarters of the regiment to which he was attached. Thevery place and hour at which he was to report himself to his commandingofficer were named in the general order forwarded along with his railwaypass, so comprehensive were the details of the Prussian militaryorganisation. This latter so thoroughly embraced the entire countryafter the absorption of the lesser states on the collapse of Koniggratz, that each separate individual could be moved at any given moment to acertain defined point; while the instructions for his guidance were socomplete and perfect, that they could not fail to be understood. 

Fritz had to proceed, in the first instance, to the capital city of hisstate, Hanover, now no longer a kingdom, but only a small division ofthe great empire into which it was incorporated. For him there was nochance of evasion or getting out of the obligation to serve, for thewhilom "kingdom" having withstood to the last during the six weeks' warthe onward progress to victory of the all-devouring Prussians, hercitizens would be at once suspected of disloyalty on the least sign ofany defection. Besides, a keen official eye was kept on the movementsof all Hanoverians, their patriotism to the newly formed empire beingdiligently nourished by a military rule as stern and strict as that ofDraco. 

"Oh, my boy, my firstborn! and must I lose thee too?" exclaimed MadameDort, when Fritz made her acquainted with the news of his summons toheadquarters. "Truly Providence sees fit to afflict me for my sins, totry me with this fresh calamity!"

"Pray do not take such a sombre view of my departure, dear mother, " saidFritz. "Why, probably, in a month's time I will be back again in oldLubeck; for, I'm sure, we'll double up the French in a twinkling. "

"Ah, my child, you do not know what a campaign is, yet! The matter willnot be settled so easily as you think. War is a terrible thing, and thePrussians may not be able to crush the whole power of the French nationin the same way in which they conquered Austria and Saxony, and subduedour own little state four years ago. "

"But, mother recollect, that now we shall be fighting all together forthe Fatherland, " said Fritz, who like most young Germans was well readin his country's history, and to him the remembrance of the old wartime, when Buonaparte trampled over central Europe, was as fresh as ifit were only yesterday. "We've long been waiting for this day, and ithas come at last! Besides, dear mutterchen, you forget that theLandwehr, to which I belong, will only act as a reserve, and will notprobably take any part in the fighting--worse luck!" He added thelatter words under his breath, for it was not so long since he hadabandoned his barrack-room life for him to have lost the soldierlyinstincts there implanted into him; and, truth to say, he longed for thestrife, the summons to arms making him "sniff the battle from afar likea young war-horse!" The French declaration of war and the proclamationof the German emperor had roused the people throughout the country intoa state of patriotic frenzy; so that, from the North Sea to the Danube, from the Rhine to the Niemen, the summons to meet the ancient foe wasresponded to with an alacrity and devotion which none who witnessed thestirring scenes of that period can ever forget. 

Fritz was no less eager than his comrades; and, considerably within theinterval allowed him for preparation, he and the others of his corpsliving in the same vicinity were on their way to Hanover. 

This second parting with another of her children almost wrung poorMadame Dort's heart in twain; but, like the majority of German mothersat the time, she sent off her son, with a blessing, "to fight for hiscountry, his Fatherland"; for, noble and peasant alike, every wife andmother throughout the length and breadth of the land seemed to beinfected with the patriotism of a Roman matron. Madame Dort would besecond to none. 

"Good-bye, my son, " she said, "be brave, although I need hardly tellyour father's son that, and do your duty to God and your country!"

"I will, mother; I will, " said Fritz, giving her a last kiss, as thetrain rolled away with him out of the station to the martial strains of"Der Deutsche Vaterland, " which a band was playing on the platform inhonour of the young recruits going to the war. 

The widow had to-day no son left to support her steps homeward to thedesolate house in the Gulden Strasse, now bereaved of her twin hopes, Fritz and Eric both; only old Lorischen was by her side, and she feltsadly alone. 

"Both gone, both gone!" she murmured to herself as she ascended theoutside stairway that led to her apartments in the upper part of thehouse. "It will be soon time for me to go, too!"

"Ach nein, dear mistress, " said the faithful servant and friend who wasnow the sole companion left to share the deserted home. "What wouldbecome of me in that case, eh? We will wait and watch for the truantsin patience and hope. They'll come back to us again in God's good time;and they will be all the more precious to us by their being taken fromus now. Himmel! mistress, why we've lots of things to do to get readyfor their return!"

CHAPTER THREE. 

GRAVELOTTE. 

The actual declaration of war by France against Germany was not madeuntil the 15th of July, 1870, reaching Berlin some four days later; but, for some weeks prior to that date, there is not the slightest doubt thatboth sides were busily engaged in mobilising their respective armies andmaking extensive preparations for a struggle that promised at the outsetto be "a war to the knife"--the cut-and-dried official announcement ofhostilities only precipitating the crisis and bringing matters to ahead, so to speak. 

On the general order being given throughout the states of the Empire toplace the national army on a war footing, in a very few days themarvellous system by which the German people can be marshalled forbattle, "each tribe and family according to its place, and not in anaggregate of mere armed men, " was in full operation throughout the land;and, under the influence of fervid zeal, of well-tested discipline, andof skilful arrangement, the Teuton hosts became truly formidable. Fromthe recruiting ground allotted to it, each separate battalion speedilycalled in its reserves, expanding into full strength, the regiments soformed being at once arrayed into divisions and corps under provedcommanders, furnished with every appliance which modern military sciencedeemed necessary. These battalions composed the first line of defencefor the Fatherland; while behind them, to augment the regular troops, again following out local distinctions and keeping up "the familyarrangement, " the Landwehr stood in the second line; the additionalreserve of the Landsturm--yet to be called out in the event of freshlevies being required for garrisoning the fortresses with this militiaforce, so as to enable the trained soldiery to move onward and fill upthe casualties of the campaign--forming a third line of defence. 

These gigantic masses were organised with the celerity and precision ofclockwork, and then sent forward westward, perfectly equipped--in thehighest sense a national army, being over four hundred thousand strong!

Day after day, up to the end of July, the different railway lines ofGermany bore the mighty host onward to the banks of the Rhine in endlesssuccession of train-loads. Mass after mass of armed men, duly suppliedwith all the material of war, advanced rapidly, yet in due pre-arrangedorder, to the points selected for their gathering; while, in themeantime, the fortresses along the line of the river, where the firstFrench attack was expected to be made, were put in a proper state ofdefence, and now, with strong garrisons, repaired works, ditches filled, and ramparts crowned with Krupp cannon, were prepared to defy theinvader. By the first week of August three great armies had takenpossession of the strip of territory, lying between the lower stream ofthe Moselle and the Rhine, which had for centuries been a battlefieldbetween the German and French races, and which was now to witnessfighting on a scale which put every previous campaign into the shade. The first army, under the veteran General Steinmetz, who had won hisspurs at Waterloo, had been moved from the north down the valley of theMoselle and along the railway from Bingen, with its headquarters at thestrongly fortified town of Coblentz. The second, or "central army, "under Prince Frederick Charles, "the Red Prince, " as his enthusiasticsoldiers styled him, occupied Mannheim and Mayence, guarding the Vosges, through which was the principal avenue to the heart of the covetedRhineland provinces; while the third army, under the Crown Prince ofPrussia, who, as is well-known, is married to our own "Princess Royal, "had its headquarters at Landau, where also the Baden and Wurtembergcontingents had to rendezvous. 

"The ball was opened"--to use the light-hearted expression of a Frenchjournalist in describing the commencement of the murderous struggle forsupremacy between the two nations--at Saarbruck on the 2nd of August, 1870, when the late ill-fated Prince Imperial of France received his"baptism of fire"; but the first real engagement of the war did notoccur till two days later, at Weissembourg, this being succeeded by theterrible battle of Woerth on the 6th of the month, when the German armyunder the Crown Prince of Prussia crumpled up the forces of Mcmahon, andthus effectually disposed of the previously much-vaunted superiority ofthe French military system, with its chassepot rifle and mitrailleuse. 

With these initial victories of Germany we have not much to do, however;for Fritz belonged to the Hanoverian division, which formed one of theunits of the Tenth Army Corps, under the command of Steinmetz, which didnot come into action until later on. 

On joining his regiment at headquarters, our young recruit from Lubeck, hastily summoned to exchange the pen and desk of a Dutch merchant'scounting-house for the needle-gun and camp of the soldier, discovered tohis great joy, that, instead of having to go through the tedious routineof garrison duty--which he had expected would have mainly composed hisexperiences of the war--the French invasion of Rhineland had so suddenlycollapsed, that the Teuton forces, which had been assembled for theoriginal purpose of defending the native soil, were now able to take theoffensive and in their turn invade the territory of the foe; and, thus, he would be able to see active service on the field. This was aconsummation dearly desired on his part, for he was young and ardent;although, perhaps, the order to go forwards was not quite so muchrelished by some of his comrades, who were married men and preferred thequiet of their home fireside to the many risks and discomforts of acampaign, which, at the beginning, they did not look upon so hopefullyas their leaders. 

"Hurrah!" he exclaimed one morning at Coblentz, when the division inwhich he served was paraded on the Platz in heavy marching order, themen hurriedly falling into the ranks. "No more sentry rounds now andguard-mounting; we're off to Paris!"

"Don't you crow too loudly, my young bantam, " said a veteran near him;"we'll have a long march first, and then perhaps one of those confoundedchassepot bullets we've heard so much of will put you feet foremost, ina way you won't like!"

"Bah!" replied Fritz; "I'll run the chance of that. Anything is betterthan stopping here kicking our heels in this old town, while ourbrothers are gaining laurels in the battlefield!"

"Ach, mein lieber, " said the other; "wait till you've seen a little ofthe reality of war, the same as I did four years ago at Sadowa; you'llthen think differently. It all looks very well now, with your smart newuniform and bright helmet; but, when the one is ragged with bayonet cutsand bloody and dirty, and the other doesn't preserve you from a leadenheadache, you will prefer, like me, barrack life--aye, even inCoblentz!"

"Hush there! order in the ranks!" sang out an officer at this moment, stopping Fritz's answer; and, the word of command being presently givento march, the conversation was not renewed. 

After the fearful loss they had suffered at Woerth, which battle wasfollowed up by the sanguinary defeat of Frossard at Forbach, to the leftof their line, on the same day, the French fell back on Metz as theirrallying point, hoping by means of the vast entrenched camp there andits facilities of communication with Chalons and Verdun, to be able tomake a stand against the enemy, now pressing them so sore. Militarycritics say that this was the greatest mistake made by the EmperorNapoleon's advisers; and that, had the forces under Bazaine retreatedfarther to the west--after throwing a sufficient garrison into Metz--they might have been able to effect a junction with the defeated army ofMcmahon, which that general was withdrawing into the interior and fromwhich they were now completely cut off. 

Be that as it may, however, during this interval of inactivity, when theshattered fragments of the magnificent French army--which had so proudlyassumed the offensive but a bare fortnight before along the frontiers ofthe Rhine--were idling away precious moments that were fraught withperil and disaster to the Gallic race, the huge German masses, animatedby a sense of victory and the consciousness of a superiority in arms aswell as in numbers, were sweeping forward like a whirlwind ofdestruction. The Crown Prince, who had routed Mcmahon at Woerth anddriven the wedge in that separated him from Bazaine, continued hisonward march on the left of the German line through the passes of theVosges into the fertile plains of Champagne. At the same time, PrinceFrederick Charles, with the main portion of the second army, had crossedthe Moselle at Pont-a-Mousson; and, moving northwards, was already in aposition to threaten the line of the French retreat on Verdun, while theremainder of the Red Prince's forces were advancing to the eastward ofMetz. The columns, too, of Steinmetz, moving with mathematicalregularity at an equal rate of progression, were also being echelonnedalong the northern face of the fortress, just within striking distance. 

To put it concisely, some two hundred and fifty thousand unbeaten Germansoldiers, with an artillery numbering over eight hundred guns, almostsurrounded the stronghold of Lorraine and the far weaker and partlydemoralised force which the French had gathered together beneath itswalls, only, as it turned out subsequently, to court defeat andannihilation. 

It was not until the 14th of August that the series of battles that wereto rage round Metz, began. 

Early in the morning of that day--apparently for the first time struckwith an apprehension of having his retreat on Chalons by way of Verduninterfered with and his communications with his base of supply cut off, thus appreciating his critical position only when it was too late toremedy it--the French Marshal commenced crossing the Moselle with hisvanguard. The entire body of troops, however, did not reach the river;for, three corps, which had been encamped to the eastward of thefortress, delayed their departure until the afternoon--a tardiness thatenabled Steinmetz to attack their rear and detain them on the spot, until the flanking movement of Prince Frederick Charles' army beyond theMoselle towards Pont-a-Mousson had been completed. A bloody andindecisive action was the result, in which, if the Germans did not gaina victory, they succeeded in accomplishing their object--that ofdetaining the French troops before Metz, until their retreat on Verdunshould be impossible of achievement. 

On the 16th occurred the battle of Vionville; and, two days later, thatof Gravelotte, the bloodiest contest that took place between theopposing forces throughout the entire war--the first general engagement, too, in which our friend Fritz really "smelt powder" and became anactive participant. 

The rough skirmishing work which some of the divisions of the army corpsunder Steinmetz had already had, during the intervening days since the14th, somewhat prepared the soldiers of the Waterloo veteran forbutchery. They could plainly perceive from his tactics that theirgeneral was one who would spare no sacrifice of human life in order togain his end and defeat the enemy. The corpses piled high on the fieldof Vionville of the Cuirassiers and Ziethen Hussars, who had beenordered to charge batteries of artillery in Balaclava fashion, affordedproof enough of that; and the men said, with a laugh and a shrug of theshoulders, "Ah, yes; we're going to have a warm time of it now with `OldBlood and Iron, ' we are!"

And they had!

Fritz had barely dropped to sleep on the evening of the 17th, when, towards midnight, he was aroused by the wild music of military trumpets, blown apparently from every bivouac in his neighbourhood for milesround. 

"Who goes there?" he exclaimed, raising himself up on his elbow, buthalf awake and dreaming he was on sentry duty. 

"Rouse up! rouse up!" shouted a comrade in his ear, and then herecollected all at once where he was. As he sprang to his feet, thenoise throughout the camp told without further explanation that animportant crisis was at hand, for the measured tramp of marchingbattalions pulsated the ground like the beat of a muffled drum, whileabove this sound could be heard the roll of wheels and dragging of gunlimbers, and the ringing of horses' hoofs, all swelling into a perfectroar of sound. 

Bazaine, having been driven back from the forward positions his army hadattained on the Verdun and Etain roads, in its progress of retreattowards Chalons, by the intervention of the German forces, now sought afresh vantage-ground during the brief respite allowed by his enemy--one, that is, where he would be able not only to offer a determinedresistance, but also retain his lines of retreat; and whence, ifvictorious, he might be able to break forth and make good his intendedmovement on Chalons. Such a position he found in the range of uplands, which, intersected at points by ravines, with brooks and difficultground in front and with belts of wood in the near distance, extendsfrom the village of Gravelotte on the north-east to Privat-la-Montaigne, beyond the road that runs from Metz to the whilom German frontier; and, throughout the whole of the previous day the Marshal had been busilyengaged in stationing his troops along this line collecting every meansof defence which could add to its natural strength. 

The arrangements of Bazaine certainly gave proof on this occasion ofthat tactical skill for which he had previously been renowned. 

The French left, occupying Gravelotte at the junction of the roads fromVerdun and Etain and thence extended along the high-road to Metz, held arange of heights, with a wood beneath, which commanded all theneighbouring approaches. This position, besides, was protected in frontby lines of entrenchments, with rifle-pits and a formidable display ofartillery; and, shielded in its rear by the heavily armed fort of SaintQuentin, might well-nigh be considered impregnable. Bazaine's centre, although not so strongly placed, had also the advantage of risingground; and, the right of the line was equally protected by natural andartificial means. Along this admirably selected fighting ground theFrench Marshal posted some hundred thousand men altogether, clinging toGravelotte with his best troops, and leaving about twenty thousand as areserve near Metz--thus acting entirely on the defensive. 

While Bazaine had been making these preparations, the German leaders hadnot by any means been idle. On the same day that the French Marshal wasentrenching himself on his chosen field of battle, the entire force ofthe second army, under the Red Prince, approaching from Pont-a-Mousson, had come into line; and, in communication with the first army, under old"Blood and Iron" Steinmetz, had completely crossed the French, line ofretreat, occupying the Verdun and Etain roads northward from Rezonvilleto Doncourt, with the remaining corps that had remained to the east ofMetz supporting the rear and right flank. Altogether, the Germancommanders had at least nine army corps in hand; and when thereinforcements were brought up, they could calculate on possessing aforce of no less than two hundred and forty thousand men to hurl againsttheir antagonists, thus overmatched at the very outset by at least twoto one. 

The Teuton plan of battle, as subsequently detailed, premised, that, asthe French left at Gravelotte was prodigiously strong, making itextremely difficult to carry that position without enormous sacrifices, it would be preferable to move a large part of the army across Bazaine'sfront, in order to assail and crush his right wing, which was protectedin the rear by Metz, and so could not be turned in that direction. Itwas also decided that, at the same time, a forward attack should be madeas a feint on Gravelotte, the German commanders hoping that under thedouble pressure of a simultaneous onslaught on both its wings, theFrench army would lose its hold of the Verdun and Etain roads--which ofcourse it was Bazaine's object to secure--when, being driven in underthe guns of Metz, his forces would there be isolated and completely cutoff from any further action in the campaign. 

This result, it may be here stated, was ultimately attained, althoughthe turning movement against the right of the French line was found tobe impracticable shortly after it was undertaken and had to be given up, the operations of the German host being subsequently confined to anattack in front on the formidable position of Gravelotte--which, withits ridge of hills lined with fortifications and strengthened with rowsof rifle-pits that covered the slopes in every direction, overtoppingeach other like seats in a circus, seemed proof against attack. 

Marching in the darkness, he knew not whither, by the side of comradesin solid phalanx, Fritz found himself, when morning broke, at the rearof some other battalions that were concealed from the enemy behind amass of brushwood and scattered forest trees. These grew on an elevatedplateau from which a very good view could be obtained of the field ofbattle, the rising sun lighting up the whole landscape and displayingthe beautiful details of the country around, so soon, alas! to be marredby the terrible havoc of battle, bringing fire and ruin and bloodshed inits train. 

On the left, stretched out like a silver thread amidst the green sheenof the foliage the road leading to Verdun and Paris beyond, lined alongits extent with rows of tall poplars planted with mathematicalregularity; while a series of pretty villages, each with its own churchsteeple and surrounded by charming villa residences, only a few hundredyards apart apparently, broke the monotonous regularity of the highway--Mars la Tour, Florigny, Vionville, Rezonville, Malmaison, and last, though by no means least, Gravelotte, which was in the immediateforeground. On the right were thickly wooded hills; and, far away inthe distance, glittered the peaks and pinnacles of Metz, the wholeforming a lovely panorama, spread out below in the smiling valley ofLorraine. 

As Fritz was looking on this scene with mingled feelings, a splendidregiment of uhlans dashed up behind the infantry; and, when they reachedthe brow of the hill, they broke into a wild hurrah, which almost seemedto thrill their horses, which neighed in chorus. This provoked aresponsive echo from the marching battalions on foot; and then, thecavalry galloped forwards. At the same time, distant cannonading couldbe heard in the neighbourhood of Vionville, and shells were seenbursting in the air around the French positions at Point du Jour, withthe smaller puffs of smoke from rifles in action between the treesbelow. 

The battle had begun. 

Bang, bang, went the guns; and soon the cannonade, drawing in closer andcloser upon the doomed villages, became a deafening roar, with streamsof hurtling missiles shrieking overhead and bursting with a crash atintervals. Masses of men could be perceived winding in and out alongthe main road and the side lanes like ants, a gap every now and thenshowing in their ranks when some shot had accomplished its purpose. Bytwelve o'clock the engagement had become general; although, as yet, ithad been only a battle of the guns, which bellowed and hurleddestruction on assailant and defender alike--the curious harsh gratingsound of the French mitrailleuse being plainly perceptible above thethunder of the cannon and rattle of musketry, "just like the angry growlof a cross dog under a wagon when some one pretends to take away hisbone!" as one of the men said. 

The Ninth Army Corps, composed of Schleswig-Holsteiners, Fritz'scompatriots and close neighbours, were the first to come into collisionwith the enemy's van but soon the Hanoverian artillery had to followsuit; and bye-and-bye, in the main attack on Gravelotte, the infantrybecame engaged at last, much to the relief of the men, who were burstingwith impatience at being allowed to rest idly on their arms when suchstirring scenes were being enacted before their eyes. 

This was not, however, until the French positions in front of Vionvillehad been carried, a success only achieved late in the afternoon, afterthe most desperate fighting and when the slaughter-dealing Steinmetzordered an advance in front of the enemy's defences. 

A tremendous fire of artillery was first concentrated on the Frenchworks, one hundred and twenty guns taking part in the bombardment; andthen, after about half an hour's shelling, the leading Prussian regimentdashed up the slopes above Gravelotte. The men were rushing into thevery jaws of death; for, when they had got about half-way up, themitrailleuses opened on them, doing terrible execution at closequarters. The brave fellows, however, pressed on, though they fellliterally by hundreds. Indeed, they actually got into the works, and ahalf battery of four-pounder guns which had followed them up was closein their rear on their way to the crest of the hill, when the French, who had run their mitrailleuses farther back some four hundred yards toavoid capture, opened so deadly a fire that the "forlorn hope" had toretire again down the slope--leaving the guns behind them, for everyhorse in the battery had been killed or disabled. After this, a madattempt was made to charge the hill with cavalry, the cuirassiers anduhlans dashing up the road at the French works; but men and horses weremowed down so rapidly that the scattered remnants of these finesquadrons had to retire like the infantry. A third effort was made byanother line regiment, the men advancing in skirmishing order, insteadof in column like the first pioneers of the attack; but although thisattempt was covered by a tremendous artillery fire, it was equallyunsuccessful. Some of the men certainly managed to reach the Frenchbatteries, but they were then shot down in such numbers by the terriblemitrailleuses that they could not hold their ground. 

These different episodes of the battle consumed the greater portion ofthe afternoon, although of course fighting was going on elsewhere alongthe line. Fritz's battalion was engaged in another part of the field, and in the Bois du Vaux, as well as on the opposite bank of the Moselle, it did good service in crushing in the wing of the French. Here Fritzhad an opportunity of distinguishing himself. In charging an entrenchedoutwork held by the enemy, the captain of his company got struck down bya bullet; when, as no officer remained to take his place, Fritzgallantly seized the sword of the fallen man, leading on his comrades tothe capture of the battery, which had been annoying the German reservesgreatly by its fire. Fortunately, too, for Fritz, his commandingofficer, General Von Voigts-Rhetz, not only noticed his bravery on theoccasion, but let him know that it should not be forgotten atheadquarters. 

Meanwhile, the continual bombardment of the French position wasmaintained, and about half-past six o'clock in the evening a lastdesperate attack was made on Gravelotte--the outlying farmhouse of LaVillette, which was the key to the defence, being especially assailed. The reserve artillery being brought up commenced playing upon the stillstaunchly guarded slopes with storms of shot and shell; and, presently, the farmhouse was in flames, although the garden was still held by theFrench, who had crenellated the walls, making it into a perfect redan. A gallant foot regiment then took the lead of the German forces, charging up the deadly slope, followed by a regiment of hussars; when, after more than an hour spent in the most desperate fighting of the day, the French at last began to retire from the entrenchments which they haddefended so gallantly up to now, the infantry being protected in theirretreat by the murderous mitrailleuses that had so disunited the ranksof their stubborn foes, the hoarse growl of their discharge being yetheard in the distance long after the louder and sharper reports of theguns and howitzers had generally ceased. 

The evening was now closing in, and soon darkness reigned around, theprevailing gloom being only broken by the fiery path of some bombshellwinging its parabolic flight through the air, or the long tongue of firedarting forth from the mouth of a stray cannon; while, in the sky above, the lurid smoke-clouds of burning houses joined with the shades of nightin casting a pall over the scene of hideous carnage which the bright dayhad witnessed, hiding it for ever save from the memories of those whowere there and had shared its horrors. 

The battle of Gravelotte was lost and won; but, to the Germans, thevictory was almost akin to a defeat, no less than five-and-twentythousand of the best troops of the "Fatherland" being either killed orwounded!

Fritz escaped scathless through all the perils of the day, in spite, too, of his risking his life most unnecessarily on many occasions inorder to see the progress of the fight when his battalion was not inaction; but his favourite comrade, the veteran soldier who had fought atSadowa, received a bullet in his chest, and his life-blood was graduallyebbing away when Fritz, kneeling at his side, asked him if he could doanything for him. 

"Ah, no, " answered the poor fellow; "nobody can do anything for me now!I told you, comrade, to wait till you saw what real war was like. Himmel! Sadowa and '66 were child's play to this here, with the fire ofthe chassepot and that infernal mitrailleuse! Hurrah, though we'vewon!" shouted out the veteran in a paroxysm of patriotism; and then, joining in with the chorus of "Die Wacht am Rhein, " which a Prussiancorps was singing as they marched by, he thus sobbed out his last breathand so died!

"His was a patriot soldier's end, " said Fritz, as he closed his eyes andcovered over his face reverently with his pocket-handkerchief. 

"Yes, so it was, " chimed in the others sententiously. "It is good so todie!"

CHAPTER FOUR. 

AFTER THE BATTLE. 

During the height of the struggle, Fritz had been carried away by aperfect delirium of excitement, as if in a dream; and what he had donehad been done almost unconsciously, in spite of himself, and on the spurof the moment. He had been marched here; marched there; halted; orderedto fire; charged with his comrades; retreated; charged again--all, as itseemed, in one brief second of time!

What, with the continuous roar of artillery reverberating through thesurrounding hills; the constant ping; pinging and singing of riflebullets; the rattling discharge of platoon firing; the whirring of heavyshot and shell through the air above the ranks and the bursting everynow and then of some huge bomb in their midst, knocking down the menlike ninepins and sending up a pyramid of dust and stones, mingled withparticles of their arms and clothing, as well as fragments of the tornflesh of some victims, on the missile exploding in a sheet of cracklingflame, with a rasping, tearing noise--all combined with the thicksulphureous cloud of gunpowder which hung over the battlefield, halfasphyxiating the combatants, whose hoarse cries of rage and hatred couldbe heard above the noise of the cannon and discharges of musketry, mixedup with the words of command of their different officers, the "_Enavant, mes amis_!" of the French, the stern "_Vorwarts_!" of theGermans, and the occasional wild, weird, frenzied scream of somestricken charger echoing shrilly in the distance, like the wail of alost soul in purgatory--the whole realised a mad riot of destruction andcarnival of blood, the essence of whose moving spirit appeared to takepossession of each one engaged, rendering him unaccountable for hisactions for the time being. Like the rest, Fritz felt the "war fever"upon him. A red mist hovered before his eyes. He smelt blood andlonged to spill more. The fumes of brimstone acted on his senses likehasheesh to narcotic smokers. An irresistible impulse urged himforwards. A voice kept crying in his ears, "Kill and slay, and sparenot!"

This was while the fury of the combat lasted, when the Prussianbattalions were hurling their human waves in columns against the rockydefences of Gravelotte, only for them to fall back impotently, like thebroken foam and spent wash of billows which have assailed in vain theprecipitous peaks of some cliff-defended coast that repels their everyattack; when the sharp clash of steel met opposing steel and gallopingthud of flying squadrons, urged on with savage oath and triumphantcheer, filled the air; when the gurgling groan of the death-agony andmoan of painless pain, made the treble of the devil-music, to thethundering sustained bass of the cannon roar, and the growling arpeggioaccompaniment of the mitrailleuse!

But, when, after one last fearful combined volley, in which every singlepiece of ordnance on the field seemed to take part, the hideous turmoilof sound ceased as if by mutual consent. A sort of solemn hush, incompany with the night, caused comparative stillness to brood over thescene, in contrast to the pandemoniacal noise that had previouslyreigned so fiendishly. Then, all of a sudden, Fritz appeared to awakesuddenly from a disturbed dream or phantom-haunted night-mare, in whichall the powers of evil were tearing at his heart and brain. The warfever, for him, had exhausted its final paroxysm. The red mist had beenwithdrawn from his eyes. The thirst for blood from his soul. He washimself again; but a strangely altered self, for he felt weak and ill, and as languid and worn-out as if he had just recovered from a faintingfit. 

It was at this moment that Hermann his comrade had been struck down by achassepot ball, winging its murderous mission from some unknown point;and when Fritz had sat down by the side of the body, covering over theface of the dead man, he did not seem to feel any desire to live or evento rise up again, he was so utterly powerless and lacking in energy. The majority of his fellow-soldiers appeared, too, to be in the samemood, stretching their weary limbs on the ground in listless apathy, asif caring for nothing; they did not either seem to be affected by hungeror thirst, although it was more than twelve hours since they had brokentheir fast; the fury of the fight had satiated them, taking away allstamina and appetite. 

Presently, however, an ambulance detachment, passing by on theirmerciful errand to seek for the wounded, besought aid; and Fritz, withothers, at once sprang up and volunteered assistance to bear away thoseto whom the surgeon's care could do any good to the field hospitals, where their hurts could be attended to in a general way. The number ofwounded men was so great that it was simply impossible for the doctorsto hunt after individual cases and treat them properly. 

The battlefield was now covered by a dense cloud, illuminated at eitherend of the valley in which it lay by two enormous fires of burninghouses. But, above, the stars shone down peacefully from the blue vaultof heaven on the terrible picture of carnage below; and, as the smoke ofthe gunpowder cleared away, the different points of the struggle couldbe clearly picked out by reason of the heaps of corpses and dead horses, piled beneath overturned cannon and broken limbers, shattered needle-guns and chassepots, all of which were scattered around pell-mell inendless profusion. 

"Water, water, for the love of God!" was the heartrending cry thatproceeded everywhere from yet living men hidden among hecatombs of theslain, as they heard the footsteps of the ambulance corps and theirhelpers. Really, the task was an endless one, to try to relieve themisery around; for, hardly had one wounded wretch been saved from beingburied alive in the mountain of dead under which he writhed, than anappeal for aid was heard in another direction--and yet again another, until the bearers and relief corps themselves became exhausted. Eachrequired forty pairs of hands instead of one!

It was terrible work to go over the scene of slaughter in cold blood, with no fever of excitement to blot out the hideous details, nowdisplaying themselves in all their naked reality! Conspicuously, infront of La Villette, were to be seen the white trimmings of theuniforms of the Prussian Imperial Guards; the red trousers of the Frenchline; the shining helmets of the cuirassiers, whose breastplates wereall torn and dented with shot, as if they had been ploughed over; whilethe wind, now rising as the night progressed towards morning, rustledthe myriad leaves of white paper that had escaped from out of the Frenchstaff carriages, blowing them across the valley, like a flock of sea-gulls fluttering on the bosom of the breeze. 

As the day broke, the bright beams of the rising sun lit up the field ofbattle, only to disclose its horrors the more unmistakably. The rays oflight, flashing on the exposed sword blades and bayonet points, reflected little radiant gleams of brightness; but, the hands of thosewho wielded them so valiantly not many hours agone were now cold andcramped in the agony of death, alas! Sad bruised eyes glared out fromdisfigured faces under torn-open breasts, appearing to look up to wherethe stars only so recently twinkled down, vainly asking Providence whyit had put the lightning into the hands of man for so fell a purpose!Rows of infantry lay dead in perfect order, as if on parade, where themitrailleuse had mowed them down; whole squadrons of hussars and lancerswere heaped up in mass; and, in some of the French rifle-pits, therewere more than a thousand corpses piled, the one on top of another withtrim regularity, as if carefully arranged so. Blue, red, and yellowuniforms, with the occasional green of the Tyrolean Jager, were mixedtogether in picturesque confusion along the Verdun road; in fact, thedead and dying were everywhere in such prodigious numbers that thehearts of those seeking out the wounded were appalled. 

Worse than in the fields were the scenes displayed in the villages andlittle towns along the white high-road to Metz, the tall poplars thatlined it being torn down by the round shot, thus blocking the way. Thebroken vehicles and baggage wagons that were mingled together in aninextricable mass also added to the obstruction; Malmaison, Vionville, and Rezonville were filled with war victims; and all the surgeons, French as well as German, that could be summoned to help, were as busyas they could possibly be. Carriages and stretchers covered the openplaces in front of every house, the Red Cross of Geneva being rudelydepicted on the doors, with the neutral flag of the society floatingabove; while pools of blood marked the dressing places of the wounded, the pale white faces of whom looked down in mute misery from the cartsin which they were being borne away to the rear to make room for othersto be attended to. To complete the picture, those who had died underoperation were laid by the roadside until they could be collected bye-and-bye for burial, the living having to be seen to first!

Released at length, after toiling through the night and early morning athis voluntary labour, Fritz was able at last to return to the bivouac ofthe Hanoverians; but, while on his way to camp, he passed one of themost affecting pictures he had yet seen. Hearing the howl of a dog, heturned aside towards a little clump of trees from which the sound seemedto come, and here he came up to a splendid large black retriever, which, with one paw on a dead officer's breast and with his noble head raisedto the sky, was baying in that melancholy fashion in which dogs telltheir woe on being overcome by grief. Near this little group was anunfortunate horse sitting on its haunches, its hind-quarters having beentorn off by the discharge of a shell, or the passage of some conicalprojectile. The animal was moaning heavily with pain, and looked soappealingly at Fritz out of its large deep eyes, that he raised arevolver which he had picked up on the field and put the poor brute outof its agony. It was a different matter with the dog, however; althoughhe could not persuade the faithful retriever to leave his master's side;and, as it was getting late, and Fritz thought he might be missed andreported as a straggler from his corps, he hurried on to the campingground of his regiment, promising himself to return later on in the day, if spared from duty, when he would bury the dead body of the officer andtake possession of the dog--that is, should no one else haveappropriated him in the meantime, as might possibly be the case. 

He was so worn-out with fatigue, on arrival at the bivouac of theregiment in the Bois du Vaux, that, on finding that his absence was nottaken any notice of, he laid himself down by the side of a fire whichthe men had kindled for cooking their camp kettles; and, although it wasa warm summer day, he immediately fell asleep, not waking until late inthe afternoon. Then, partaking of some Erbwurst, or "peasoup sausage, "which one of his comrades had kindly kept for him, albeit the rationswere rather scanty, he felt a new man, and fit for anything; for, theworn-out feeling of exhaustion and nervous horror which had possessedhis mind throughout the many hours that elapsed since the close of thefighting on the evening before, being only the effects of over-excitement, had now completely disappeared on his getting rest andrefreshment. Indeed, he no longer felt sickened with war. On thecontrary, he was quite ready to start into a fresh battle, and that, too, with as eager an impetus as he had plunged into his firstengagement. 

This was not all, either. 

On the regiment being paraded shortly afterwards in front of itsbivouac, the field officer of the day called out "Fritz Dort" a secondtime, after the names of the men had been run over on the muster roll--many failing to answer, and having the brief military comment "Dead, " or"Missing, " placed after their numbers. 

"Here!" answered Fritz, stepping forwards and saluting the officer inthe ordinary routine fashion, wondering what was to come next. 

"Fritz Dort and men of the 16th Hanoverians, " proceeded the major, reading from an official document in his hand, "I am directed by thegeneral commanding the Tenth Army Corps, in the order of the day, tosignalise the distinguished gallantry which the said Fritz Dortdisplayed yesterday in the face of the enemy at the engagement in frontof Gravelotte, when, on the falling of the officer leading the companyto which he was attached, the said Fritz Dort bravely stepped to thefront, and taking his commander's vacant post, led on his men to capturethe French battery, which they were detailed to take by storm. For suchconspicuously good service in action, the general commanding herebypromotes the said Fritz Dort to be a sub-lieutenant in the sameregiment, trusting that, as an officer, he will perform his duty as hehas done as a private soldier and meet with the obedience and honour ofthose with whom he has previously served as a brother comrade, none theless on account of his promotion from the ranks which as one ofthemselves he has adorned!"

A loud "Hurrah!" broke from all the men when the major had finishedreading this document; and that officer then shook hands kindly withFritz, welcoming him cordially to the higher station he had attained. The other subalterns also advanced, doing the same; while, on retiringfrom the parade, the men of the rank and file, without receiving anyorder to that effect, gave the young hero a general salute, in token oftheir respect and recognition of his new dignity as an officer overthem. 

Fritz's heart was bursting with joy at his unexpected promotion. Hethought how proud his mother would be to hear of it; but, before writinghome by the afternoon field post, as he intended doing, he determined tocarry out the promise he had made to himself, and which he held asequally binding as if it had been made in the presence of witnesses--thepromise to bury the body of the dead officer which he had come across inthe wood, guarded by his faithful dog. 

"Heinrich!" he called out to the man who, as his whilom comrade, hadpreserved his rations for him. He forgot for the moment the alteredcondition of their respective ranks. 

"Ja, Herr Lieutenant, " said Heinrich, much to his surprise, stepping outtowards him and saluting, with forefinger to pickelhaube, as straight asa ramrod. 

"Bother!" exclaimed Fritz, a bit puzzled at first by the inconveniencein some ways of his exaltation in rank. There was some difficulty atfirst in accommodating himself to his new position. 

"Never mind my being an officer for awhile, friend Heinrich, " heexplained to his whilom comrade--"the dignity can keep without harmingit until we are again on duty together, when I promise to remember it toall your advantage; for you've been good fellows to me, one and all! Iwant you now to help me, friend Heinrich, in a sad commission; so, Irely upon your assistance from our old brotherly feelings whentogether--not because I ask you as your superior. Get a pickaxe andspade from one of the pioneers and come with me. I'm going to bury apoor fellow who has fallen over there, whose fate has attracted mysympathy. " Fritz pointed, as he spoke, to the wood where the dead manlay. 

"With right good pleasure, Herr Lieutenant, " said the other in acheerful tone of voice, with great alacrity of manner, saluting again asbefore. As a soldier, he knew his place too well to take a liberty withan officer, even if a newly-made one, and with his own permission! TheGerman, or rather Prussian, system was and is very strict on suchpoints. 

"Oh, bother!" ejaculated Fritz again, between his teeth. "The idea ofhelping to bury a man `with right good pleasure'!"

He could not help smiling at the ludicrous association with so grave asubject, as he unconsciously mimicked the soldier's simple speech. 

"Poor dear old fellow, though, " thought he a moment afterwards, "hedoesn't know what a funny phrase he used. "

In a minute or two the man returned with the required articles; when heand Fritz set off towards the wood, the latter leading the way, andHeinrich following close behind in single file. 

On reaching the spot which he had marked, Fritz found that no one hadapparently been there in his absence, for the dog was still on guardover his master's corpse, although he was now lying across the body, andhad ceased his melancholy howl. When he approached the animal waggedhis bushy tail, as if in recognition of having seen Fritz before. 

"Poor fellow!" said Fritz; "come here, old man! We're here to put yourmaster in his last home, and you must not prevent us. We will treat himvery tenderly. "

The dog looked up in his face, as if he understood what his new friendsaid; and, crawling off from the officer's body, he came to Fritz andlicked his hand, holding up the while one paw, which was bleeding as iffrom a cut. 

"He is wounded, " said Heinrich, stooping down. 

"Yes, " answered Fritz, examining the poor paw, much apparently to thedog's satisfaction. "It's from a piece of shell, probably the same thatsettled the horse there; but it's not a bad wound, and will soon getwell, doggie!" So saying, lifting up the injured member gently, hebegan to bind it round with a piece of lint which he had in his pocket, the retriever keeping perfectly quiet, as if knowing that no injury wasintended him. 

Fritz then proceeded to open the dead officer's jacket, in order tosearch for any papers or articles of value, which he might keep andforward to his relatives. Previously, the dog would not allow him totouch the body at all, but now he did not offer any objection, so Fritzturned out all the pockets. He could discover no paper, however, norany trace of identity. The only token he could find was a little silverring wrapped in a small piece of paper, inscribed, "From my beloved, 18th July, 1870. " This was carefully enclosed in a little bag of silk, and suspended by a ribbon round the poor young fellow's neck, resting onthe cold and lifeless spot where his heart once used to beat. 

"A love gage, " said Heinrich sympathisingly. 

"Ah, yes, " replied Fritz; "and the poor girl will, I suppose, continueto look out for him, hoping to see him again, while he lies here in anameless tomb! Never mind, I will keep the token and the dog; perhaps Imay discover her and his friends some day through them. Now, let usmake the grave quickly, comrade, and commit him to his rest!"

In silence the two then dug a low trench in the soil beneath the treewhere the officer had found his death, and then reverently laid him init. He had died calmly from the effects of a bullet which must havepenetrated his brain, as only a small blue orifice was to be seen in thecentre of his forehead; and a smile was on his handsome young face, asif no painful thought had vexed his last moment. 

During the sad obsequies, the dog kept close to the side of Fritz, watching attentively everything that was done, without stirring oruttering a sound, save when they shovelled the earth on his poormaster's breast. He then gave vent to a short, angry bark; but, onFritz speaking to him soothingly, he again became quiet, remaining so tothe end, when he laid down on the newly-made grave, with a deep, lowwhine that was almost a sigh, that seemed to come from the bottom of hisfaithful canine heart!

From a piece of broken wood close by, Fritz then carved a rude cross, which he fixed in the ground at the head of the poor young fellow's lastresting-place, inscribing on it the words: "To a French officer. Peaceto his remains. The grave knows no enmities! 18th August, 1870. "

The date on this unknown victim's grave was exactly one month later thanthat on which he must have parted from his sweetheart. What a strangefatality, pondered Fritz and his companion, that one who had probablybeen so much loved and cared for, should be indebted for the lastfriendly offices which man or woman could render him--to strangers!"May he rest in peace!" said Fritz, uncovering his head as he turnedaway, and then putting on his helmet again. 

"So, too, I wish, " echoed Heinrich. "We can do no more for him, pooryouth!"

"No, " said Fritz; "we'd better go now. Come on, old fellow!" he added, with a whistle to the retriever, who, wise dog that he was, seeing hecould do no further good to the one to whom he had been faithful in lifeand watched in death as long as he was able, now answered the call ofthe new friend whom Providence had sent him. Without any demur hereturned with Fritz and Heinrich to the Hanoverian camp, following closebehind the heels of the former, as if recognising him as his master inthe place of him whom he had lost. 

Fritz christened this treasure trove of the battlefield "Gelert"; andlike that trusty hound of old, the animal became known to all the men ina very short while. He was formally adopted, indeed, as the pet of theregiment, besides coming in for Fritz's own special care, being knowneven to the general in command of the division as "the dog of the sub-lieutenant of Gravelotte. "

CHAPTER FIVE. 

BAD NEWS. 

If it had seemed dull and lonely in the little household of the GuldenStrasse at Lubeck after Eric had gone to sea, how much more so was itnot to the two sad women left alone to console each other when Fritz, also, had departed from home!

For days, Madame Dort appeared borne down by a weight of woe, and evenLorischen lost that customary cheeriness with which she usuallyperformed her daily duties in her endeavours to console her mistress. Mouser, too, went miaow-wowing about the house at nights, as if helikewise shared in the family despondency--not once being caught in theact of stealing the breakfast cream, a predilection for which hadhitherto been an abnormal failing on his part. So changed, indeed, became the old cat that he did not possess spirit enough to put up histail and "phit" and "fiz" at Burgher Jans' terrier, when that predatoryanimal made an occasional excursion into the parlour at meal times, tosee what he could pick up, either on the sly or in that sneaking, fawning fashion which a well-trained dog would have despised. Thiscontinued almost to the end of the month; but then came a bright littlebit of intelligence to gladden their hearts. It was like a gleam ofsunshine breaking through the dark cloud of gloom that hung over them. 

Fritz wrote home from Coblentz, close to the frontier, telling howcomfortable he was, and how every one in the army of the Fatherland wasconfident as to the result of the campaign. In a few weeks at theoutside, they thought--everything was so carefully planned and everycontingency provided against--the French army of invasion would havebeen dispersed to the four winds of heaven and the war be over; and, then, the Landwehr, at all events, would be enabled to return home totheir several states and resume those peaceful employments which theirmobilisation had interrupted. Fritz said that he feared he would haveno chance of distinguishing himself in the campaign, as one alone of thethree great army corps they had already massed along the Rhine would besufficient to crush the hated foe. The only men who would probably seeany fighting would be those serving under the Crown Prince, who hadalready routed the enemy and were in active pursuit of them across theborderland. His veteran old general, Steinmetz, every one considered tobe "out of the hunt completely!" All he would see of the whole affair, they thought, would be the warriors returning home crowned with laurelsafter the victory. 

Thus ran the tenor of Fritz's letter, the writer evidently not dreamingof the events in store for him; and that, instead of returning to Lubeckin a few weeks, it would be many weary months before he saw the blinkingeyes of the ancient astronomical clock in the Dom Kirche again!

Through the intricacies of the field post, too, this communication was along time in reaching the little seaport town on the North Sea, being atleast ten days old when it arrived; but what mattered that? Itcontained good news when it did come, and was as welcome as if it hadbeen dated only yesterday. 

"Ah, ha!" exclaimed Lorischen, when her mistress communicated thecontents of Fritz's letter. "The young Herr will soon be back, and thenwe'll see him give Meinherr Burgher Jans the right-about. I call itscandalous, I do, his persecuting an unprotected, lone widow--justbecause her sons are away, and there's only me to look after her! But, I keep him at arm's distance, I promise you, madame. It is only histhief of a dog who manages to creep in here when I am about!"

Madame Dort blushed. She was a comely, middle-aged woman, and when shecoloured up she looked quite pretty. 

"I'm sure, Lorischen, " she said, "I wonder you can talk such nonsense;you are as bad as poor Eric used to be, teasing me about that little fatman! Poor Burgher Jans means no harm in coming to inquire after myhealth while Fritz is away. "

"That's just what I object to, dear lady, " interrupted the other; "whydoes he do it?"

"Can't you see, you stupid thing, " said Madame Dort, laughing heartily, the hopeful letter of her son having quite restored her spirits, "thatis the very reason? If dear Fritz were here, he would naturally ask himhow we all are; but, as he is away now, and I never go outside thehouse, while you, my faithful Lorischen, are not very communicative, Isuppose, when you go to the Market Platz, it is plain enough to commonsense that the worthy Burgher, if he takes an interest in us, must comehere to inquire after the family himself!"

"Oh yes, I understand, " answered the old nurse, in a grumbling tone. She had lived so long with the widow, whom she looked upon really as achild committed to her charge, that she considered she had a perfectright to pass an opinion on anything which did not please her. Besides, she was jealous, on behalf of the boys, of any interloper being put overtheir heads in the shape of a stepfather, she as an old spinster havinga wholesome horror of the designing nature of all men, especially of thelittle Burgher Jans, to whom she had taken an inveterate dislike. "Ohyes, I understand, " she said in an ironical tone she always assumed onbeing a bit vexed; "when the cat's away the mice play!"

"I presume then, " said Madame Dort dryly, "that Mouser is a good dealabsent now from his duties; for, I noticed this morning that half thatcheese in the cupboard was nibbled up. It was a good Limburger cheese, too!"

"Ach, Himmel!" exclaimed the old nurse, not perceiving the design of hermistress to change the conversation, and taking up the cudgels readilyto defend her dearly loved cat. "The poor creature has not been himselfsince the young masters have been away. He feels too lonesome to huntthe mice as he used to do so gaily in the old days, tossing them up inthe air when he caught them, and bringing them mewing to my feet, --thedear one! Why, he hardly ever touches a drop of milk now. "

"Yes, I see he spares our cream--"

"Oh, madame, that was a libel on the poor animal. It was only the dearlad Eric's joke! Mouser would never touch one drop of the breakfastcream, save perhaps when we might be late for the meal, or when the dearfellow felt a little thirsty, or--"

"Ah, indeed! Yes, no doubt, " interrupted Madame Dort, laughing again. "He would have been at it again to-day, only Burgher Jans' dog came inat the nick of time and scared him away!"

"Did he!" said Lorischen indignantly. "It strikes me that pest of aterrier is here a good deal too much, like his master! And, talk ofhim, there he is!" she added hastily, leaving the room as a knock cameto the door. 

Burgher Jans came in as the old nurse went out, brushing by him withill-concealed contempt and aversion. He was a fat little man, with longstraight hair coming down over his coat collar, and a round, full-moonsort of face, whose effect of beaming complacency was enhanced by a pairof large-rimmed tortoise-shell spectacles out of which his owl-like eyesshone with an air of balmy wisdom. 

"Most worthy lady, " he commenced, addressing Madame Dort with anelaborate bow, sweeping the floor with his hat. "Unto me the greatestand ever-much rapture doth it with added satisfaction bring, to tell youof the glorious success of the German arms over our greatly-overbearingand hopeful-of-victory foe. "

"Dear me!" exclaimed the widow, "you are rather late with your news; Iheard from Fritz just now. "

"And is the dear, well-brought-up, and worthy youth in good health?"

"He is, " said Madame Dort; "and tells us to expect him home soon. "

Burgher Jans looked startled at this announcement, losing a trifle ofhis beaming smile. "He is not wounded, I trust?" asked he tremblingly. 

"Oh dear no, thank the good God who has watched over him, " answered theother cheerfully. "Why, he has not been in battle yet! He tells usthat the French are retreating, and that the war will be over almostbefore another blow has been struck, the enemy having to surrenderbefore our irresistible battalions. "

"Have you not heard of the battles of Woerth and Forbach, then?"

"No; what--when were they?"

"Where did your son Fritz write to you from, then?"

"From Coblentz. His letter is dated the day he arrived there, but Ionly got it this morning. "

"Ah then, most worthy lady, two terrible battles have occurred sincethat time. We have beaten the French and forced them back into theirown country; but, alas! thousands of German lives have been lost. Theslaughter has been terrific!"

"Good heavens, Burgher Jans, you alarm me!" said Madame Dort, risingfrom her chair in excitement. "Fritz told me there would be no fightingexcept between the Crown. Prince's army and the enemy!"

"The worthy young Herr was right so far, " put in the little mansoothingly, "that is as regards the south of the line; but our secondarmy corps has been likewise engaged on the banks of the Saar, hurlingdisaster on the foe, although the French fought well, too, it is said. Where, however, is Herr Fritz?"

"Serving under General Steinmetz. "

"Ah, then he's safe enough, dear madame. That army is but acting as thereserve. It is only my poor countrymen, the Bavarians, and the Saxonswho will have the hard work of the campaign to do. Von Bismark wants tolet out a little of their blood in return for the feverish excitementthey displayed against the Prussians in '66!"

"You relieve my mind, " said Madame Dort, resuming her seat. "I thoughtfor the moment Fritz was in danger. You speak bitterly against theChancellor, however. He is a great man, and has done much for Germany. "

"Oh, yes, I grant that, " replied the other warmly; "still, he is one whonever forgets. He always pays out a grudge! You will see, now, ifthose poor Bavarians do not come in for all the thick of the fighting. "

"You talk as if there is going to be a lot more?"

"So there is, without doubt, without doubt, " said Burgher Jans, rubbinghis hands together, as if he rather enjoyed the prospect. 

"In that case, then, Fritz cannot return to Lubeck as soon as he thinkspossible?" and Madame Dort looked grave again, as she said this halfquestioningly. 

"I fear not, most worthy lady, " replied the little man in a tone ofgreat concern; but, from the look on his face and the brisk way in whichhe still continued to rub his hands together, it might have beensurmised that the prolonged absence of poor Fritz from his home wouldnot affect him much, --in fact, that he would be rather pleased by such acontingency than not. 

Madame Dort noticed this, and became quite sharp to him in consequence. 

"I must beg you to say good-bye now, " she said; "I've a busy day beforeme, and have no more time to waste in chatting. Good-morning, BurgherJans. "

"Good-morning, most worthy lady, " said the little fat man, accepting hisdismissal and bowing himself out. 

"The ill-natured little manoeuvrer!" exclaimed Madame Dort, half toherself, as he left the room. Lorischen entered again at the same time, the two always playing the game apparently of one of those old-fashionedweather tellers, in which a male or female figure respectively comes outfrom the little rustic cottage whenever it is going to be wet or fine;for, as surely as the Burgher ever entered the sitting-room, the oldnurse withdrew, never returning until he had left. "The ill-naturedlittle manoeuvrer!" exclaimed Madame Dort, not thinking she wasoverheard. "I believe he would be glad to keep poor Fritz away if hecould. "

"Just what I've thought all along!" said Lorischen, immensely pleased atthis acknowledgment of her superior power of discernment. 

"I mean, not on account of wishing any harm to Fritz, " explained thewidow, "but that he himself might be able to come here oftener. "

"Just what I've said!" chirped out the old nurse triumphantly; butMadame Dort made no reply to this second thrust, and before Lorischencould say anything further, a second visitor came to the little house inthe Gulden Strasse. It seemed fated as if that was to be a day forcallers, and "people who had no business to do preventing those whohad, " as the old nurse grumbled while on her way to open the street doorfor the new-comer--a courtesy Burgher Jans never required, walking in, as she said, without asking leave or license, just when he pleased!

The visitor was Herr Grosschnapper, the merchant who employed Fritz inhis counting-house and who was also a part proprietor in the ship inwhich Eric had sailed for Java. Madame Dort's heart leapt in her bosomwhen she saw the old gentleman enter the parlour. 

But, the shipowner's face did not look as if he brought any pleasingnews; and, after one brief glance at his countenance, the widow's fellin sympathy. She almost anticipated the evil tidings which she wascertain he had in store for her. 

"Madame Dort, " he began, "pray compose yourself. "

"I am quite calm, Herr Grosschnapper, " she answered. "Go on with whatyou come to tell me. You have heard something of my poor boy Eric; isit not so?"

"It is, madame, " replied the merchant, deceived by her composure. "Igrieve to say that I have received intelligence through the Englishhouse of Lloyd's that the _Gustav Barentz_ foundered at sea in theSouthern Ocean early this year. Two boats escaped from her with thecrew and passengers, one of which, containing the first officer andseveral hands, was picked up when those on board were in the last stageof exhaustion, by a vessel bound to Australia. The men were taken toMelbourne before any communication could be received from them, so thatis why the news of the wreck has been so long in reaching us. "

"And Eric?" asked the widow, with her head bent down. 

"He was with the captain in the other boat, dear madame, " said HerrGrosschnapper; "but, I'm afraid there is little or no chance of theirhaving been saved, or else we would have heard of them by this time. Pray bear up under the loss, madame. He was a good son, I believe, andwould have made a good sailor and officer; but it was not to be!Remember, you have another son left. "

"Ah, but not Eric, my little one, my darling!" burst forth the poorbereaved mother in a passion of tears; and then, the merchant, seeingthat any words of comfort on his part would be worse than useless, withdrew. 

The violence of Madame Dort's grief, however, was soon assuaged, for shehad long been preparing herself for this blow. She had given up allhope of ever hearing from Eric again, even before Fritz left home. 

Thenceforth, all her motherly love was bound up in her firstborn, nowthe only son left her; and daily she scanned the papers to learn news ofthe war. 

Time passed on, the widow occasionally receiving a hurried scrawl fromFritz, who, as she knew, was now no longer resting with the reservebattalions in the fortresses of the Rhine, but marching onwards with theinvading army through France. 

She heard of the terrible battle of Gravelotte, in which she dreadedthat he had taken part; but, almost before she could read the fullofficial details published in the German newspapers under militarycensorship, her anxieties were relieved by a long letter coming fromFritz, telling of his participation in the colossal contest and of hismiraculous escape without a wound, although he had been in the thick ofthe fire and numbers of his comrades from the same part of the countryhad been killed. 

But, he had better news to tell--that, at least, is what he wrote, onlythe mother doubted whether any intelligence could be more important toher than the fact of his safety!

What would she think of hearing that he had been promoted to be anofficer "for gallantry in the field of battle, " as the general orderread out to the whole army worded it? Would she not be proud of herFritz after that?

Aye, would she not, would not Lorischen?

And did not the entire gossiping community of Lubeck know all about itby and through the means of the old nurse before the close of the self-same day, eh?

Certainly; still, would it be believed that the very first person whomLorischen told the news to was her special antipathy, Burgher Jans? Sheactually went up to and accosted him of her own free-will on the MarketPlatz for the very purpose of telling him of Fritz's promotion! Yes, such was the case; and she not only was friendly to the little fat manon this occasion, but she actually patted his dog at the same time!

Still, Eric, the lost sailor laddie, was not forgotten in his brother'ssuccess. The mother's grief was only chastened; and almost the veryfirst thought she had on receiving the news from Fritz, and afterwardswhen she read it in official print, was "how pleased poor Eric wouldhave been at this!"

Bye-and-bye, Fritz wrote again, telling that their task had become verymonotonous. The Tenth Army Corps was detained along with several othersto besiege Metz, so hemming in Bazaine and the remainder of the armythat had endeavoured so gallantly at Gravelotte to pierce the Germanlines, that they were powerless to assist the rest of their countrymenin driving the Teuton invader from their soil. The besieging army, which was formed of the united forces of the different corps underPrince Frederick Charles and Steinmetz, had nothing to do, said Fritz, save to stand to their guns and perform sentry duty; for the French, since the fearful battle of the 18th of August, had not once attemptedto push their way out beyond range of the guns of the fortress, underwhose shelter they were cantoned in an extended entrenched camp, andwere apparently being daily drilled and disciplined for some greateffort. 

On the 31st of the month, however, Fritz told his mother later on, Bazaine made a desperate effort to break the German cordon around Metz;and this being repulsed with heavy loss, the Marshal again remainedquiet for the space of another six weeks. 

During this period Madame Dort heard regularly from her son through thefield post. She sent him letters in return, telling him all the homenews she could glean, and saying that she expected him back before thewinter. She hoped, at least, that he would come by that time, for HerrGrosschnapper had informed her that he would have to fill up Fritz'splace in his counting-house if the exigencies of the war caused hiswhilom clerk to remain away any longer. 

Things went on like this up to the month of October, the anniversary ofpoor Eric's going away; when, all at once, there came a cessation of theweekly letters of Fritz from headquarters. 

His mother wrote to inquire the reason. 

She received no answer. 

Then she read in the papers of another heavy battle before Metz, inwhich the Tenth Army Corps had taken part. The engagement had happenedmore than a week before, and Fritz was silent. He might be wounded, possibly killed!

Madame Dort's anxiety became terrible. 

"No news, " says the proverb, "is good news;" but, to some it is the veryworst that could possibly be; for, their breasts are filled with a stormof mingled doubts and fears, while hope is deadened and there is, asyet, no balm of resignation to soothe the troubled heart! The proverbis wrong; even the most heartbreaking confirmation of one's most painfulsurmise is infinitely preferable to being kept in a state of perpetualsuspense, where one dreads the worst and yet is not absolutely certainof it. 

It was so now with Madame Dort. She thought she could bear the strainno longer, but must go to the frontier herself and seek for informationof her missing son, as she had read in the newspapers of other mothersdoing. However, one afternoon, as she was sitting in the parlour in astate of utter dejection by the side of the lighted stove, for winterwas coming on and the days were getting cold, Lorischen brought in aletter to her which had just come by the post. 

It was in a strange handwriting!

The widow tore it open hurriedly, glancing first at the signature at theend. "Madaleine Vogelstein!" she said aloud. "I wonder who she is; Inever heard of her before!" She then went on to read the letter. 

It did not take her long to understand the sense of it. 

For, after scanning the contents with startled eyes, she exclaimed, "Myson! oh, my son!" and then fell flat upon the floor in a dead faint. 

CHAPTER SIX. 

WOUNDED. 

The stupendous events of the war rushed on with startling rapidity. 

The invasion of France, in retaliation for the projected invasion ofGermany, was now an accomplished fact; and, day after day, the Teutonhost added victory to victory on the long list of their triumphantbattle-roll, almost every engagement swelling the number of Gallicdefeats and lessening the power of the French to resist their relentlessfoe, who now, with iron-clad hand on the throat of the prostratecountry, marched onward towards Paris, scattering havoc with fire andsword wherever the accumulating legions of armed men trod. 

The battle of Woerth succeeded that of Weissembourg; Forbach that ofWoerth; and then came Vionville and Gravelotte to add their thousands ofvictims to the valhalla of victory. The surrender of Sedan followed, when the Germans passed on their way to the capital; but the bravegeneral Urich still held out in besieged Strasbourg, and Bazaine had notyet made his last brilliant sortie from the invested Metz. The lattergeneral especially kept the encircling armies of Prince FrederickCharles and Steinmetz on the constant alert by his continuous endeavoursto search out the weakest spot in the German armour. The real attemptof the French Marshal to break through the investing lines was yet tocome; that of the 31st of August, to which Fritz alluded in his letterto his mother, having been only made apparently to support Mcmahon as adiversion to the latter's attack on Montmedy, before the surrender ofSedan. 

From this period, up to the beginning of October, the French remainedpretty quiet, the guns of the different forts lying without thefortifications of Metz only keeping up a harassing fire on the besiegingbatteries that the Germans had erected around on the heights commandingthe various roads by which Bazaine's army could alone hope to force apassage through their lines. Summer had now entirely disappeared andcold weather set in, so the Teuton forces found it very unpleasant workin the trenches when the biting winds of autumn blew through theirencampments of a night, making their bivouac anything but comfortable;while the sharp morning frosts also made their rising most unpleasantlydisagreeable; add to this, whenever they succeeded in making theirquarters a trifle more cosy than usual, as certainly would the cannon ofFort Quelin or the monster guns of Saint Julien send a storm of shot andshell to awaken them, causing an instant turn-out of the men in a bodyto resist a possible sortie. Bazaine made perpetual feints of thissort, with the evident intention of wearying out his antagonists, evenif he could do them no further harm. 

The position was like that of a cat watching a mouse-hole, the timidlittle occupant of which would every now and then put out its head tosee whether the coast were clear; and then, perceiving its enemy on thewatch, provokingly draw it in again, leaving pussy angry at her repeateddisappointments and almost inclined to bite her paws with vexation ather inability to follow up her prey into its stronghold; for, the heavyartillery of the fortress so protected the surrounding country adjacentto Metz, that the Germans had to place the batteries of their works outof its range, that is, almost at a distance of some four miles from theFrench camp--of which any bombardment was found after a time to be worsethan useless, causing the most infinitesimal amount of damage in returnfor an enormous expenditure of ammunition and projectiles that had to beconveyed over very precarious roads all the way from the frontiers ofthe Rhine into the heart of Lorraine. 

"Oh, that the French would only do something!" cried Fritz and hiscompanions, sick of inactivity and the wearisome nature of their duties, which, after the excitement of battle and the stirring campaigning theyhad already gone through, seemed now far worse than guard-mounting inCoblentz. "Oh, that the French would only do something to end thistedious siege!"

Soon this wish was gratified. 

On the morning of the 6th of October, when the investiture of Metz hadlasted some six weeks or more--just at daybreak--a heavy, dull reportwas heard at Mercy-le-Haut. It was like the bursting of a mine. 

"Something is up at last!" exclaimed one of the staff-officers, enteringthe tent where Fritz and others were stretched on the bare ground, trying to keep themselves as warm as they could with all the spareblankets and other covering that could be collected heaped overthem--"Something is up at last! Rouse up; the general assembly hassounded!"

The ringing bugle notes without in the frosty air emphasised thesewords, causing the young fellows to turn out hastily, without requiringany further summons. 

Aye, something was up. The pioneers of the Seventh German army corps, on the extreme right, had mined and blown up the farm buildings ofLegrange aux Bois, close to Peltre. These farm buildings had hithertoserved as a cover to the French troops when they made their foragingsorties, but they could not be held by the Germans, for they weresituated within the line of fire of Fort Quelin; so, as may be imagined, their destruction was hailed with a ringing cheer by the besiegers. Theartillerymen in the fort, however, apparently anticipating an attack inforce of which this explosion was but the prelude, were on the alert atonce; and, soon after sunrise, they began to pour in a heavy rain offire on the German works, which the conflagration of the buildings andremoval of intervening obstacles now clearly disclosed. Wholebroadsides of projectiles from the great guns flew into the valley ofthe Moselle as far as Ars, sweeping away the entrenchments as if theywere mere packs of cards; and, presently, an onward movement of Frenchbattalions of infantry, supported by field artillery and cavalry, showedthat, this time at least, something more was intended by Marshal Bazainethan a mere feint. 

Trumpet called to trumpet in the German ranks, and speedily the whole ofthe second army under Prince Frederick Charles mustered its forces inline of battle, the men gathering in imposing masses towards thethreatened point at Ars. Here the 61st and 21st infantry regiments, which were on outpost duty, were the first: to commence hostilities, rushing to meet the French who were advancing from Metz. Aided by thebatteries erected by the side of the Bois de Vaux, the Germans, after asharp conflict, succeeded in repulsing the enemy, who had ultimately toretire again under the guns of Fort Quelin, although they made avigorous resistance while the engagement lasted--only falling back onsuffering severe loss from the shower of shrapnel to which they weresubjected, besides losing many prisoners. During all the time of thisattack and repulse, Fort Saint Julien, on the other side of thefortress, was shelling the Landwehr reserve, causing many casualtiesamongst the Hanoverian legion; and, but that the men here were quiteprepared for their foe, the combat might have extended to their lines. 

As it was, the expected fight, for which the Tenth Corps was ready andwaiting, was only delayed for a few hours; when, if Fritz and hiscomrades had complained of the cold of the weather, they found the workcut out for them "hot" enough in all conscience!

In the afternoon of the following day, Bazaine made a desperate effortto break through the environment of the Germans in the direction ofThionville. On the previous evening, in resisting the attack from SaintJulien, which had been undertaken at the same time as that from SaintQuelin on Ars, the French had been driven from the village ofLadonchamps, and their adversaries had established foreposts at SaintRemy, Petites et Grandes Tapes, and Maxe; and now, under cover of athick fog, the French Marshal advanced his troops again and commenced avigorous attempt, supported by a heavy artillery fire, for the recoveryof the lost Ladonchamps. Failing in this, although possibly the attackmight have been a blind, the general being such a thorough master ofstrategy, Bazaine made a dash for Petites et Grandes Tapes, annihilatingthe foreposts and hurling great masses of men at their supports. Havingoccupied these villages, the French Marshal then sent forward a largebody of troops to the right, close to the Moselle. These advanced upthe valley against the German entrenchments on the heights until checkedby cannon fire from batteries on both sides of the river, and were onlyfinally stopped by an advance in force of two brigades of the Landwehr, the men of whom occupied a position just in front of Petites et GrandesTapes. 

Amongst these latter troops was the regiment of our friend Fritz. 

The fighting was terrific here. 

Clouds of bullets came like hail upon the advancing men, reaping theranks down as if with a scythe, while bursting shells cleared openspaces in their midst in a manner that was appalling; still, those inthe rear pressed on to fill the places of the fallen, with a fierce roarof revenge, and the needle-gun answered the chassepot as quickly as thecombatants could put the cartridges into the breech-pieces and bringtheir rifles again to the "present. "

Fritz felt the frenzy of Gravelotte return to him as he gripped thesword which he now wielded in place of the musket; and, urging on hiscompany, the men, scattering right and left in tirailleur formation weresoon creeping up to the enemy, taking advantage of every little coverwhich the irregularities of the ground afforded. 

Then, suddenly, right in front, could be seen a splendid line regimentof the French, advancing in column. A sheet of flame came from theirlevelled rifles, and the Fusilier battalion of the Landwehr regiment tothe left of Fritz's company were exterminated to a man, the enemymarching over their dead bodies with a shout of victory. 

Their progress, however, was not to last. 

"Close up there, men!" came the order from Fritz's commanding officer;when the troops hurriedly formed up in a hollow which protected them fora moment from the galling fire. "Fix bayonets!"--and they awaited thestill steady advance of the French until they appeared above the risingground. "Fire, and aim low!" was the next order from the major; andthen, "Charge!"

With a ringing cheer of "Vorwarts!" Fritz dashed onward at the head ofthe regiment, a couple of paces in front of his men, who with theirsharp weapons extended in front like a fringe of steel, came on behindat the double. 

Whiz, sang a bullet by his ear, but he did not mind that; crash, plungeda shell into the ground in front, tearing up a hole that he nearly fellinto; when, jumping over this at the run, in another second he hadcrossed swords with one of the officers of the French battalion, whorushed out as eagerly to meet him. 

They had not time, though, to exchange a couple of passes before afragment of a bursting bomb carried away the French officer's head, bespattering Fritz with the brains and almost making him reel withsickness; while, at the same moment, the men of the German regiment boredown the French line, scattering it like chaff, for the sturdyHanoverians seemed like giants in their wrath, bayoneting every soulwithin reach!

This was only the beginning of it. 

"On, " still "on, " was the cry; and, not until the lost villages wererecaptured and the unfortunate German foreposts avenged did the advancecease. 

But the struggle was fierce and terribly contested. Three several timesdid the Germans get possession of Petites et Grandes Tapes, and threeseveral times did the French drive them out again with their fearfulmitrailleuse hail of fire; the bayonet settled it at last, in the handsof the northern legions, who had not forgotten the use of it since thedays of Waterloo, nor, as it would appear, the French yet learnt towithstand it!

Beyond a slight touch from a passing bullet which had grazed his lowerjaw, having the effect of rattling his teeth together, as if somebodyhad "chucked him under the chin, " Fritz had escaped without any seriouswound up to the time that the French were beaten back after the thirdattempt to carry their positions; but then, as they turned to run andthe Hanoverians pressed on in pursuit, he felt suddenly hit somewhere inthe breast. A spasm of pain shivered through him as the missile seemedto rend its way through his vitals; and then, throwing up his arms, hefell across the corpse of a soldier who must have been shot almostimmediately before him, for the body was quite warm to the touch. 

How he was hurt he could not tell; he only knew that he was unable tostir, and that each breath of air he drew came fainter and fainter, asif it were his last. 

He heard, from the retreating tramp of footsteps and distant shouts, that his regiment had moved on after the enemy; but, as he lay on hisback, he could not see anything save the sky, while each moment somestray shot whistled by in the air or threw up earth over him, threatening to give him his finishing blow should the wound he hadreceived not be sufficient to settle him. 

Then, he felt thirsty, and longed to cry out for help; but, no soundcame from his lips, while the exertion to speak caused such intolerableagony that he wished he could die at once and be put out of his misery. When charging the French battalion, he recollected putting his foot onthe dead face of some victim of the fight, and he could recall thethrill of horror that passed through him as he had done thisinadvertently; now, each instant he expected, too, to be trampled on inthe same manner. 

Ha! He could distinguish footsteps pressing the ground near. "Oh, mother!" he thought, "the end is coming now, for the fight must bedrawing near again. I wish a shell or bullet would settle the matter!"

But the footsteps he imagined to be the tramp of marching men--onaccount of his ear being so close to the ground and thus, of course, magnifying the sound--were only those of the faithful Gelert, who withthe instinct of a well-trained retriever was searching for his new-foundfriend. He had tracked his path over the valley from the advanced postwhich the regiment had occupied in the morning, and where the dog hadbeen kept by Fritz to watch his camp equipments until he should return. Gelert evidently considered that he had waited long enough for duty'ssake; and, that, as his adopted master did not come to fetch him, heought to start to seek for him instead, one good turn deserving another!

At the moment, therefore, when Fritz expected to have the remainingbreath trampled out of him by a rush of opposing battalions across hispoor prone body, he felt the dog licking his face, whining andwhimpering in recognition and mad with joy at discovering him. 

"Dear old Gelert, you brave, good doggie, " he ejaculated feebly, inpanting whispers. "You'll have to try and find a third master now!" andthen, overcome by the effort, which taxed what little strength was leftin him, he swooned away like a dead man--the last distinct impression hehad being that of seeing a bright star twinkle out from the opal skyabove him as he lay on the battlefield, which seemed to be winking andblinking at him as if beckoning him up to heaven!

His awakening was very different. 

On coming to his consciousness again, he felt nice and warm andcomfortable, just as if he were in bed; and, opening his eyes, he sawthe sweet face of a young girl bending over him. 

"I must be dreaming, " he murmured to himself lazily. He felt so utterlyfree from pain and at ease that he did not experience the slightestanxiety or perplexity to know where he was. He was perfectly satisfiedto take what came. "I must be dreaming, or else I am dead, and this isone of the angels come to take me away!"

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

MADALEINE. 

"I am glad you are better, " said a soft voice in liquid accents, soclose to his ear that he felt the perfumed breath of the speaker waftedacross his face. 

Fritz stared with wide-opened eyes. "I'm glad you're better, " repeatedthe voice; "you are better, are you not; you feel conscious, don't you, and in your right senses?"

"Where am I?" at last said Fritz faintly. 

"Here, " answered the girl, "with friends, who are attending to you. Donot fear, you shall be watched over with every care until you are quitewell again. "

"Where is `here'?" whispered Fritz feebly again, smiling at his ownquaint question. 

The girl laughed gently in response to his smile. "You are at Mezieres, not far from the battlefield where you fell. I discovered you thereearly yesterday morning. "

"You?" inquired Fritz, his eyes expressing his astonishment. 

"Yes, I, " said the girl kindly; "and I was only too happy to be themeans of finding you, and getting you removed to a place of safety; for, I'm afraid that if you had lain there much longer on the damp ground youwould have died. "

"Oh!" interrupted Fritz as eagerly as his exhausted condition wouldallow; "I remember all now! I was wounded and lay there close to thebattery; and then I saw the stars come out and thought--"

"Hush!" said the girl, "you must not speak any more now. You are tooweak; I only spoke to you to find out whether you had regainedconsciousness or not. "

"But you must let me thank you. If it had not been--"

"No, I won't allow another word, " she interposed authoritatively. "Youwill do yourself harm, and then I shall be accused of being a bad nurse!Besides, you haven't got to thank me at all; it was the dog who made mesee you. "

"What, Gelert, " whispered Fritz again, in spite of heradmonition, --"dear old fellow!"

He had hardly uttered these words, when the faithful dog, who must havebeen close beside the bed, raised himself up, putting a paw on one ofFritz's arms which lay outside the coverings and licking his hand, whining rapturously the while, as if rejoiced to hear the voice of hismaster again. 

"`Gelert!'" exclaimed the girl with some surprise. "Why, I know the dogperfectly, and he recognises me quite well; but he is called `Fritz, 'not `Gelert, ' as you said. "

"`Fritz!'" ejaculated he, in his turn. "Why, that is my name!"

"Gracious me, " thought the girl to herself, "he is rambling again, andconfusing his own name with that of the dog! I must put a stop to hisspeaking, or else he will get worse. Here, take this, " she said aloud, lifting to his lips a wineglass containing a composing draught which thedoctor had left for her patient to take as soon as he showed any signsof recovery from his swoon, and which she really ought to have given himbefore; "it will do you good, and make you stronger. "

Fritz swallowed the potion unhesitatingly, immediately sinking back onhis pillow in a quiet sleep; when the girl, sitting down by the side ofthe bed, watched the long-drawn, quivering respirations that came fromthe white, parted lips of the wounded man. 

"Poor young fellow!" she said with a sigh; "I fear he will never getover it. I wonder where Armand is now, and how came this stranger tohave possession of his dog! The funniest thing, too, is that `Fritz'seems as much attached to this new master as he was to Armand, althoughhe has not forgotten me. Have you, `Fritz, ' my beauty, eh?"

The retriever, in response, gave three impressive thumps with his bushytail on the floor, as he lay at the girl's feet by the side of the bed. He evidently answered to this other familiar appellation quite asreadily as he had done to that of "Gelert, " being apparently on perfectterms of friendship, not to say intimacy, with the young lady who hadjust asked him so pertinent a question. 

He certainly had not forgotten her. He would not have been a gallantdog if he had; nor would he have displayed that taste and wisediscrimination which one would naturally have expected to find, in awell-bred dog of his particular class, for his interlocutor was aremarkably pretty girl--possessing the most lovely golden-hued hair anda pair of blue eyes that were almost turquoise in tint, albeit with asomewhat wistful, faraway look in them, especially now when she gazeddown into the brown, honest orbs of the retriever, who was watching herevery moment with faithful attention. She had, too, an unmistakeableair of refinement and culture, in spite of her being attired in aplainly made black stuff dress such as a servant might have worn, andhaving a sort of cap like those affected by nuns and sisters of charitydrawn over her dainty little head, partly concealing its wealth of fairsilky hair. No one would have dreamt of taking her to be anything elsebut a lady, no matter what costume she adopted, or how she wasdisguised. 

"Who ever thought, dear doggie, " she continued, speaking the thoughtsthat surged up in her mind while addressing the dumb animal, who lookedas if he would like to understand her if he only could, --"who ever wouldhave thought that things would turn out as they have when I last pattedyour dear old head at Bingen, `Fair Bingen on the Rhine, ' eh?" and shemurmured to herself the refrain of that beautiful ballad. 

The retriever gave a long sniff here to express his thorough sympathywith her, and the girl proceeded, musingly, thinking aloud. 

"Yes, I mean, doggie, when Armand and I parted for the last time. Poormamma was alive then, and we never dreamt that this terrible war wouldcome to pass, severing us so completely! Poor Armand, he said he wouldbe true and return to me again when he was old enough to be able todecide for himself without the consent of that stern father of his, whothought that the daughter of a poor German pastor was not good enoughmate for his handsome son--although he was only a merchant, while mymother was a French countess in her own right. Still, parents have theright to settle these things, and I quite agreed with dear mamma that Iwould never consent to enter a family against their will, especially, too, when they despised our humble position!"

The girl drew herself up proudly as she said this. 

"Never mind, " she went on again presently, "it is all over and done for. But, still, I believe Armand loved me. How handsome he looked thatlast time I saw him when he came to our little cottage to say good-bye, before he went to join his regiment in Algeria, where his father had gothim ordered off on purpose to separate us. However, perhaps it was onlya boy and girl affection at the best, and would never have lasted; myheart has not broken, I know, although I thought it would break then;for, alas! I have since seen sorrow enough to crush me down, even muchmore than parting with Armand de la Tour. Fancy, poor darling mammagone to her grave, and I, her cherished child, forced to earn my breadas companion to this haughty old baroness, who thinks me like the dustunder her feet! Ah, it is sad, is it not, doggie?"

The retriever sniffed again, while the blue eyes continued to look downupon him through a haze of tears; and then, the girl was silent for atime. 

"Heigho, doggie, " she exclaimed, after a short pause of reflection, brushing away the tear drops from her cheeks and shaking her daintylittle head as if she would fain banish all her painful imaginings withthe action, "I must not repine at my lot, for the good Father above hastaken care of me through all my adversity, giving me a comfortable homewhen I, an orphan, had none to look after me. And, the good baroness, too--she may be haughty, but then she is of a very noble family, and hasbeen brought up like most German ladies of rank to look down upon herinferiors in position; besides, she is kind to me in her way. I ampleased that she took it into her head to come off here to seek for herson, and bring him presents from home in person. Nothing else wouldsuit her, if you please, on his birthday, although the young baron, Ithink, was not over-delighted at his mother coming to hunt for him inwar time, as if he were a little boy--he on the staff of the general! Ifancy he got no little chaff from his brother officers in consequence. However, `it is an ill wind that blows nobody good, ' for the goodbaroness being here has been seized with a freak for looking after thewounded, because the Princess of Alten-Schlossen goes in for that sortof thing; and thus it is, doggie, that I'm now attending to this poorfellow here. Though, how on earth Armand parted with you, and youbecame attached to this new master, whom you seem to love with suchaffection, I'm sure I cannot tell!"

Fritz at this moment turned in the little pallet bed on which he waslying, and in an instant the girl was up from her seat and bending overhim. 

"Restless?" she said, smoothing the pillows and laying her cool hand onthe hot brow of her patient, who gave vent to a sigh of satisfaction inhis sleep. "Ah! you'll be better bye-and-bye. Then, you will wake uprefreshed and have some nourishment; and then, too, you'll be able totell me all about yourself and master doggie here, eh?"

But, it was many days before poor Fritz was in a condition to offer anyexplanation about the dog--many days, when the possibility was tremblingin the balance of fate as to whether he would ever speak again, or besilent for aye in this world!

When he woke up, he was delirious; and the doctor, a grave Germansurgeon of middle age, on coming into the room to examine him, whenmaking the rounds of the house--a villa in the suburbs of Mezieres, which had been transformed into a sort of field hospital for the mostdangerous cases in the vicinity--declared Fritz to be in a very criticalstate. His life, he said, was in serious peril, a change having takenplace for the worse. 

He had been struck by a chassepot conical rifle bullet in the chest; andthe ball, after breaking two of his ribs and slightly grazing the lungs, had lodged near the spine, where it yet remained, the wounded man beingtoo prostrate for an operation to be performed for its extraction, although all the while it was intensifying the pain and adding to thefeverish symptoms of the patient. 

"You've not been allowing him to talk, have you?" asked the surgeon, scanning the girl's face with a stern professional glance. 

"No, " she replied, blushing slightly under his gaze; "that is, he wantedto, an hour ago, when he became conscious, but I gave him the sleepingdraught you ordered at once. "

"Donnerwetter!" exclaimed the other. "The potion then has done him harminstead of good. I thought it would have composed him and made himcomfortable for the operation, as, until that bullet is taken out hecan't possibly get well. However, he must now be kept as quiet aspossible. Put a bandage on his head and make it constantly cool withcold water. I will return bye-and-bye, and then we'll see about cuttingout the ball. "

The surgeon then went out softly from the room, leaving the girl toattend to his directions, which she proceeded to do at once; shudderingthe while at what she knew her poor patient would have to undergo, whenthe disciple of Aesculapius came back anon, with his myrmidons and theirmurderous-looking surgical knives and forceps, to hack and hew away atFritz in their search for the bullet buried in his chest--he utterlyoblivious either of his surroundings or what was in store for him, tossing in the bed under her eyes and rambling in his mind. He fanciedhimself still on the battlefield in the thick of the fight:-- "Vorwarts, my children!" he muttered. "One more charge and the battery is won. Pouf! that shell had a narrow squeak of spoiling my new helmet. Thegunner will have to take better aim next time!" Then he would shudderall over, and cry out in piteous tones, "Take it away, take it away--theblood is all over my face; and his body, oh, it is pressing me down intothat yawning open grave! Will no one save me? It is terrible, terribleto be buried alive, and the pale stars twinkling down on my agony!"Presently, however, the cold applications to his head had their effect, and he sank down into a torpid sleep, only to start up again in theravings of delirium a few moments afterwards. 

Fritz continued in this state for hours, with intervals of quiet, duringwhich his nurse, by the doctor's orders, administered beef tea and othernourishment which sustained the struggle going on in his sinking frame;until, at last, the ball was extracted, after an operation which was soprolonged that the girl, who felt almost as if she were undergoing itherself, thought it would never end. 

Then came the worst stage for the sufferer. Fever supervened; and, although the wound began to heal up, his physical condition grew weakerevery day under the tearing strain his constitution was subjected to. 

Even the doctor gave him up; but the girl, who had attended to him withthe most unwearying assiduity had hopes to the last. 

Fritz had been unconscious from the time that he first recognised thedog, on the evening after he was wounded and found himself in the villa, until the fever left him, when he was so weak that he was unable to lifta finger and seemed at the very gates of death. 

Now, however, his senses returned to him, and a glad look came into hiseyes on seeing, like as he did before and now remembered, the face ofthe beautiful girl bending over him again; but he noticed that she didnot look so bright as when he first beheld her. 

"Ah!" he exclaimed feebly, "it was not a dream! How long have I beenill?"

"More than a fortnight, " said the girl promptly. 

"Oh, my poor mother!" ejaculated Fritz with a sob, "she will havethought me dead, and broken her heart!"

"Don't fear that, " said she kindly. "I wrote to her, telling her youwere badly hurt, but that you were in good hands. "

"You! Why, how did you know her name, or where she lived?"

"I found the address in your pocket, " answered the girl with a laugh. "Don't you recollect putting a slip of paper there, telling any one, incase you were wounded or killed, to write and break the news gently toyour mother, `madame Dort, Gulden Strasse, Lubeck'? I never heardbefore of such a thoughtful son!"

"Ah, I remember now, " said Fritz; "and you wrote, then, to her?"

"Yes, last week, when we despaired of your recovery; but, I have writtenagain since, telling her that the bullet has been removed from yourwound, and that if you get over the fever you will recover all right. "

"Thank you, and thank God!" exclaimed Fritz fervently, and he shut hiseyes and remained quiet for a minute or two, although his lips moved asif in prayer. 

"And where is Gelert, my dog?" he asked presently. 

"`Fritz, ' you mean, " said the girl, smiling. 

"No, that is my name, the dog's is Gelert. "

"That is what I want explained, " said the other. 

"But, please pardon my rudeness, Fraulein, " interrupted Fritz, "may Iask to whom I am indebted for watching over me, and adding to it thethoughtful kindness of relieving my mother's misery?"

"My name is Madaleine Vogelstein, " said the girl softly. "Do you likeit?"

"I do; it is a very pretty one, " he replied. "The surname is German, but the given name is French--Madaleine? It sounds sweeter than wouldbe thought possible in our guttural Teuton tongue!"

"My mother was a Frenchwoman, and I take the name from her, " explainedthe girl. "But now, before I stop you from talking any more, for thegood doctor would blame me much if he came in, you must tell me how youcame to possess that dog; or, rather, why he so faithfully attachedhimself to you, as it was entirely through him that I found you, and gotyou picked up by the ambulance corps and brought here. You must firsttake this soup, however, to strengthen you. It has been kept nice andwarm on that little lamp there, and it will do you good. I won't hear aword more until you have swallowed it!"

"A soldier should always obey the orders of his commanding officer, "said Fritz with a smile, as he slowly gulped down the broth, spoonful byspoonful, as Madaleine placed it in his mouth, for he could not feedhimself. 

"That will do, " she remarked, when he had taken what she thoughtsufficient. "And now you can tell me about the dog. Here he is, " shecontinued, as the retriever came into the room; and, going up to theside of the bed where Fritz was lying, put up his paws on thecounterpane and licked his master's face, in the wildest joy, apparently, at his recovery and notice of him. "He must have heard hisname spoken, as I only just sent him out for a run with one of the men, for all the time you were so ill we could not get him to leave the room. Now, doggie, lie down like a good fellow, and let us hear all aboutyou. "

The retriever at once obeyed the girl, stretching himself on the floorat her feet, although close beside his master all the while. 

Fritz then narrated the sad little episode of the battle of Gravelotte, and how he had found the dead body of the French officer with the dogkeeping guard over it. 

The girl wept silently as he went on. 

"It must have been poor Armand, " she said presently through her tears. "Did you find nothing about him to tell who he was?"

"There was a little bag I saw round his neck, " said Fritz; "I took itoff the poor fellow before we buried him, and suspended it on my ownbreast afterwards for security, thinking that I might restore it someday to his friends, if I ever came across them. "

"Ah, that must be the little packet which got driven into your wound, and, stopping the flow of blood, saved your life, the doctor says. Ihave kept it carefully for you, and here it is, " cried the girl, hastilyjumping up from her seat and bringing the article in question to Fritz. 

"Open it, " he said; "I haven't got the strength to do it, you know. "

Madaleine unfastened the silken string that confined the mouth of thebag, now stained with Fritz's blood; and then she pulled out the littlesilver ring it contained. 

One glance was enough for her. 

"Yes, " she faltered through her sobs. "It is the ring I gave him; butthat was months before the date engraved upon it, `July 18th, 1870, 'which was the day he said he would come back to Bingen, as then he wouldbe of age. "

"And he never came, then?" inquired Fritz. 

"No, never again, " said she mournfully. 

"Ah, I would come if I had been in his place, " exclaimed Fritz eagerly, with a flashing eye. "I never fail in an appointment I promise to keep;and to fail to meet a betrothed--why it is unpardonable!"

He had raised his voice from the whisper in which he had previouslyspoken, and its indignant tone seemed quite loud. 

"Perhaps he couldn't come, " said Madaleine more composedly. "Besides, we were not engaged; all was over between us. "

"I'm very glad to hear that, " replied Fritz. "It would have beendastardly on his part otherwise! But, would you like to keep the dogfor his sake, Fraulein Vogelstein? I have got no claim to him, youknow. "

"Oh dear no, I would not like to deprive you of him for the world, muchas I love the poor faithful fellow. Why, he would think nobody was hisproper master if he were constantly changing hands like this!"

"Poor old Gelert!" said Fritz; and the dog, hearing himself talkedabout, here raised himself up again from his recumbent attitude by theside of the bed and thrust his black nose into the hand of his master, who tried feebly to caress him. 

"`Fritz, ' you mean, " corrected Miss Madaleine, determined to have herpoint about his right name. 

"Well, if you call him so, I shall think you mean me, " said Fritzjokingly, as well as his feeble utterance would permit his voice to beexpressive. He wanted, however, to imply much more than the mere words. 

"That would not be any great harm, would it?" she replied with a littlesmile, her tears of sorrow at Armand de la Tour's untimely fate havingdried up as quickly as raindrops disappear after a shower as soon as thesun shines out again; however, she apparently now thought theconversation was becoming a little too personal, for she proceeded toply the invalid with more soup in order to stop his mouth and preventhim from replying to this last speech of hers!

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

THE "LITTLE FAT MAN. "

"Hullo! What fails with the well-born and most worthy lady, her to makein such pitiable plight?" inquired Burgher Jans, poking his little roundface into the parlour of the house in the Gulden Strasse, just asLorischen, bending over her mistress, was endeavouring to raise her onto the sofa, where she would be better enabled to apply restoratives inorder to bring her to. 

The old nurse was glad of any assistance in the emergency; and, even thefat little Burgher, disliked as he was by her, as a rule, with aninveterate hatred, was better than nobody!

"Madame has fainted, " she said. "Help me to lift her up, and I'll beobliged to you, worshipful Herr. "

"Yes, so, right gladly will I do it, dearest maiden, " replied BurgherJans politely, with his usual sweeping bow, taking off his hat anddepositing it on an adjacent chair, while he lent a hand to raise thepoor lady and place her on the couch. 

This done, he espied the letter that had caused the commotion, whichMadame Dort still held tightly clutched in her hand when she fell; andhe tried to pull it away from her rigid fingers. "Ha, what have wehere?" he said. 

"You just leave that alone!" snapped out Lorischen. "Pray take yourselfoff, with your wanting to spy into other people's business! If I were aman I'd be ashamed of being so curious, I would. Burgher Jans, I'llthank you to withdraw; I wish to attend to my mistress. "

"I will obey your behests, dearest maiden, " blandly replied the littleman, taking his hat from the chair and backing towards the door, although casting the while most covetous eyes on the mysterious letter, which he would have cheerfully given a thaler to have been allowed toperuse. "I will return anon to inquire how the gracious lady is afterher indisposition, and--"

"If you are not out of the room before I count five, " exclaimed the oldnurse, angrily interrupting him, "I declare I'll pitch this footstool atyour little round turnip-top of a head, that I will. One--two--three--"

"Why, whatever is the matter, Lorischen?" interposed Madame Dort, opening her eyes at this juncture, while the old nurse yet stood withthe footstool raised in her uplifted hands facing the door, half in andhalf out of which peered the tortoise-shell spectacles of the little fatburgher. "Who is there?"

The poor lady spoke very faintly, and did not seem to know where she wasat first, her gaze wandering round the room. 

Lorischen quickly put down the heavy missile with which she wasthreatening Burgher Jans; and he, taking advantage of this suspension ofhostilities, at once advanced again within the apartment, although stillkeeping his hand on the door so as to be ready to beat a retreat in afresh emergency, should the old nurse attempt to renew the interruptedfray. 

"High, well-born, and most gracious madame, " said he obsequiously. "Itis me, only me!"

"Hein!" grunted Lorischen. "A nice `me' it is--a little, inquisitive, meddlesome morsel of a man!"

"Oh, Meinherr Burgher Jans, " said Madame Dort, rising up from the sofa. "I'm glad to see you; I wanted to ask you something. I--"

Just at that moment she caught sight of the letter she held between herfingers, when she recollected all at once the news she had received, ofwhich she had been for the time oblivious. 

"Ah, poor Fritz!" she exclaimed, bursting into a fit of weeping. "Myson, my firstborn, I shall never see him more!"

"Why, what have you heard, gracious lady?" said Burgher Jans, abandoninghis refuge by the door, and coming forwards into the centre of the room. "No bad news, I trust, from the young and well-born Herr?"

"Read, " said the widow, extending the letter in her hand towards him;"read for yourself and see. "

His owlish eyes all expanded with delight through the tortoise-shellspectacles, the fat little man eagerly took hold of the rustling pieceof paper and unfolded it, his hands trembling with nervous anxiety toknow what the missive contained--and which he had been all along burningwith curiosity to find out. 

Lorischen actually snorted with indignation. 

"There, just see that!" she grumbled through her set teeth, opening andclenching her fingers together convulsively, as if she would like tosnatch the letter away from him--when, perhaps, she would have expressedher feelings pretty forcibly in the way of scratches on the Burgher'sbeaming face: "there, I wouldn't have let him see it if he had gone downon his bended knees for it--no, not if I had died first!"

The widow continued to sob in her handkerchief; while the Burgherappeared to gloat over the delicate angular handwriting of the letter, as if he were learning it by heart and spelling out every word--he tookso long over it. 

"Ah, it is bad, gracious lady, " he said at length; "but, still, not sobad as it might otherwise be. "

Madame Dort raised her tear-stained face, looking at the little roanquestioningly; while Lorischen, who in her longing to hear about Fritzhad not quitted the apartment, according to her usual custom whenBurgher Jans was in it, drew nearer, resting her impulsive fingers onthe table, so as not to alarm that worthy unnecessarily and make himstop speaking. 

The Burgher felt himself a person of importance, on account of hisopinion being consulted; so he drew himself up to his full height--justfive feet one inch!

"The letter only says, most worthy and gracious lady, --and you, dearestmaiden, " he proceeded--with a special bow to Lorischen, which thelatter, sad to relate, only received with a grimace from her tightlydrawn spinster lips--"that the young and well-born Herr is merelygrievously wounded, and not, thanks be to Providence, that he is--heis--he is--"

"Why don't you say `dead' at once, and not beat about the bush in thatstupid way?" interposed the old nurse, who detested the little man'shemming and hawing over matters which she was in the habit of blurtingout roughly without demur. 

"No, I like not the ugly word, " suavely expostulated the Burgher. "Thegreat-to-come-for-all-of-us can be better expressed than that! But, toresume my argument, dearest maiden and most gracious lady, this documentdoes not state that the dear son of the house has shaken off this mortalcoil entirely as yet. "

"I'd like to shake off yours, and you with it!" said Lorischen angrily, under her breath--"for a word-weaving, pedantic little fool!"

"You mean that there is hope?" asked Madame Dort, looking a bit lesstearful, her grief having nearly exhausted itself. 

"Most decidedly, dear lady, " said the Burgher. "Does not the letter sayso in plain and very-much-nicely-written characters?"

"But, all such painful communications are generally worded, if thewriters have a tender heart, so as to break bad news as gently aspossible, " answered the widow, wishing to have the faint sanguinesuspicion of hope that was stealing over her confirmed by the other'sopinion. 

"Just so, " said Burgher Jans authoritatively. "You have reason in yourstatement; still, dear lady, by what I can gather from this letter, Ishould think that the Frau or Fraulein Vogelstein who signs it wishes toprepare you for the worst, but yet intimates at the same time that thereis room to hope for the best. "

"Ah, I'm glad you say so, " exclaimed the widow joyfully. "Now I read itover, I believe the same; but at first, I thought, in my hurried glanceover it, that Fritz was slain, the writer only pretending he was stillalive, in order to prepare me for his loss. He is not dead, thank God!That is everything; for, whilst there is life, there's hope, eh?"

"Most decidedly, gracious lady, " responded the little man with effusion. "If ever I under the down-pressing weight of despondency lie, so I untomyself much comfort make by that happy consolation!"

Madame Dort experienced such relief from the cheering aspect in whichthe Burgher's explanation had enabled her now to look upon the news ofFritz's wound, that her natural feelings of hospitality, which had beendormant for the while, asserted themselves in favour of her timelyvisitor, who in spite of his curiosity had certainly done her much goodin banishing all the ill effects of her fainting fit. 

"Will you not have a glass of lager, Herr Jans?" said she. 

"Mein Gott, yes, " promptly returned the little man. "Much talking makesone dry, and beer is good for the stomach. "

"Lorischen, get the Burgher some lager bier, " ordered Madame Dort, onher invitation being accepted, the old nurse proceeding to execute thecommand with very ill grace. 

"The Lord only knows when he'll leave now, once he starts guzzling beerin the parlour! That Burgher Jans is getting to be a positive nuisanceto us; and I shall be glad when our poor wounded Fritz comes home, ifonly to stop his coming here so frequently--the gossipping little time-server, with his bowing and scraping and calling me his `dearestmaiden, ' indeed--I'd `maiden' him if I had the chance!"

Lorischen was much exasperated, and so she grumbled to herself as shesallied out of the room. 

However, much to her relief, the "fat little man" did not make a longstay on this occasion, for he took his leave soon after swallowing thebeer. He was anxious to make a round of visits amongst hisacquaintances, to retail the news that Fritz was wounded and lying in ahospital at Mezieres, near Metz, for he had read it himself in theletter, you know! He likewise informed his hearers, although he had notso impressed the widow, that they would probably never see the youngclerk of Herr Grosschnapper again in Lubeck, as his case was sodesperate that he was not expected to live! His story otherwise, probably, would have been far less interesting to scandal-mongers, asthey would have thus lost the opportunity of settling all the affairs ofthe widow and considering whom she would marry again. Of course, theynow decided, that, as she had as good as lost both her sons and had anice little property of her own, besides being comparatively not old, soto speak, and not very plain, she would naturally seek another partnerto console herself in her solitude--Burgher Jans getting much quizzed onthis point, with sly allusions as to his being the widow's best friend!

Some days after Madaleine Vogelstein's first letter, Madame Dortreceived a second, telling her that the ball had been extracted from herson's wound, but fever had come on, making him very weak and prostrate;although, as his good constitution had enabled him to survive thepainful operation, he would probably pull through this second ordeal. 

The widow again grew down-hearted at this intelligence, and it was asmuch as Burgher Jans could do, with all his plausibility, to make herhopeful; while Lorischen, her old superstitious fears and belief inMouser's prophetic miaow-wowing again revived, did all her best tonegative the fat little man's praiseworthy efforts at cheering. Eversince the Burgher had been elected a confidant of Madaleine's originalcommunication, he had made a point of calling every day in the GuldenStrasse, with his, to the old nurse, sickening and stereotypedinquiry--"Any news yet?" until the field post brought the next despatch, when, as he now naturally expected and wished, the letter was given himto read. 

"He seems bent on hanging up his hat in our lobby here!" Lorischenwould say spitefully, on the widow seeking to excuse the little man'spertinacity in visiting her. "Much he cares whether poor Master Fritzgets well or ill; he takes more interest in somebody else, I think!"

"Oh, Lorischen!" Madame Dort would remonstrate. "How can you say suchthings?"

"It is `Oh, mistress!' it strikes me, " the other would retort. "I wishthe young master were only here!"

"And so do I heartily, " said Madame Dort, at the end of one of thesedaily skirmishes between the two on the same subject. "We agree on thatpoint, at all events!" and she sighed heavily. The old servant was soprivileged a person that she did not like to speak harshly to her, although she did not at all relish Lorischen's frequent allusions as tothe real object of the Burgher's visits, and her surmises as to what theneighbours would think about them. Madame Dort put up with Lorischen'sinnuendoes in silence, but still, she did not look pleased. 

"Ach Himmel, dear mistress!" pleaded the offender, "never mind mywaspish old tongue. I am always saying what I shouldn't; but thatlittle fat man does irritate me with his hypocritical, oily smile andsmooth way--calling me his `dearest maiden, ' indeed!"

"Why, don't you see, Lorischen, that it is you really whom he comes hereafter, although you treat him so cruelly!" said the widow, smiling. 

This was more than the old spinster could bear. 

"What, me!" she exclaimed, with withering scorn. "Himmel, if I thoughtthat, I would soon scratch his chubby face for him--me, indeed!" and sheretreated from the room in high dudgeon. 

Bye-and-bye, there came another letter from the now familiarcorrespondent, saying that Fritz was really recovering at last; and, ohwhat happiness! the mother's heart was rejoiced by the sight of a fewawkwardly scrawled lines at the end. It was a postscript from her sonhimself!

The almost indecipherable words were only "Love to Mutterchen, from herown Fritz, " but they were more precious to her than the lengthiestepistle from any one else. 

"Any news?" asked Burgher Jans of Lorischen soon afterwards, when hecame to the house to make his stereotyped inquiry. 

"Yes, " said the old nurse, instead of replying with her usual negative. 

"Indeed!" exclaimed the little man. "The noble, well-born young Herr isnot worse, I hope?" and he tried to hide his abnormally bland expressionwith a sympathetic look of deep concern; but he failed miserably in theattempt. His full-moon face could not help beaming with a self-satisfied complacency which it was impossible to subdue; indeed, hewould have been unable to disguise this appearance of smiling, even ifhe had been at a funeral and was, mentally, plunged in the deepest woe--if that were possible for him to be!

"No, not worse, " answered Lorischen. "He is--"

"Not dead, I trust?" said Burgher Jans, interrupting her before shecould finish her sentence, and using in his hurry the very word to whichhe had objected before. 

"No, he is not dead, " retorted the old nurse, with a triumphant ring inher voice. "And, if you were expecting that, I only hope you aredisappointed, that's all! He is getting better, for he has written tothe mistress himself; and, what is more, he's coming home to send you tothe right-about, Burgher Jans, and stop your coming here any more. Doyou hear that, eh?"

"My dearest maiden, " commenced to stammer out the little fat man, woefully taken aback by this outburst, "I--I--don't know what you mean. "

"Ah, but I do, " returned Lorischen, not feeling any the more amiablydisposed towards him by his addressing her in that way after what MadameDort had said about his calling especially to see her. "I know what Imean; and what I mean to say now, is, that my mistress told me to sayshe was engaged when you came, should you call to-day, and that she isunable to see you, there! Good-morning, Burgher Jans; good-morning, most worshipful Herr!"

So saying, she slammed the door in the poor little man's face, leavinghim without, cogitating the reason for this summary dismissal of him bythe widow; albeit Lorischen, in order to indulge her own feelings ofdislike, had somewhat exaggerated a casual remark made by her mistress--that she did not wish to be interrupted after the receipt of the goodnews about Fritz, as she wanted to answer the letter at once!

CHAPTER NINE. 

A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING!

"Do you know what is going on to-day?" said Madaleine Vogelstein to herpatient, a couple of days after she had aided him to scrawl thatpostscript to her letter to his mother in his own handwriting, when hehad so far recovered that he might be said to be almost convalescent. "No, what--anything important?" he replied, answering her question inquestionable fashion by asking another. 

"Guess, " said she teasingly, holding up her finger. "I'm sure I can't. "

"The capitulation of Metz!" she said slowly with some emphasis, markingthe importance of the news she was telling. 

"Never--it can't be!" ejaculated Fritz, making an effort to spring up inthe pallet bed on which he was still lying, but falling back with agroan on finding himself too weak. "What an unlucky beggar I am!"

"Lie still, " said she, putting her hand gently on his, which was outsidethe quilt. "You must keep quiet, or you'll never get better, so as tobe able to stand up and walk about again--no, you won't, if you try tohurry matters now. "

"That's more than the French have done if they've only just given in!Is it true, though? Perhaps you've only heard a rumour, for there arealways such false reports flying about. Why, in the camp it used to bethe current cry every morning, after we began the siege, that Metz hadfallen. "

"It is true enough now, I can tell you, " said Madaleine. "The wholeFrench army commanded by Bazaine has capitulated, and the Germans havemarched in and taken possession of the fortress. "

"I must believe you; but, is it not aggravating that this should justhappen when I am invalided here, and not able to take part in the finaltriumph? It is rather hard lines, after serving so long in the trenchesall during our wearisome environment, not to have had the satisfactionin the end of being a witness to the surrender!"

"It's the fortune of war, " said she soothingly, noticing how bitterlyFritz spoke. "Although all may fight bravely, it is not every one whoreaps the laurels of victory. "

"No, " he replied, smiling at some thoughts which her words suggested--somuch is dry humour allied to sentiment that the mention of laurelsbrought to his mind a comic association which at once dispelled hischagrin. "When did you say the capitulation took place?"

"Well, I heard that the formal agreement was signed by the Frenchofficers on behalf of Marshal Bazaine two days ago; but the actualsurrender takes place to-day, the Marshal having already left, it issaid, to join his imprisoned emperor at Cassel. "

What Madaleine told Fritz was perfectly true. 

On the 27th of October, the seventieth day after it had been drivenunder the guns of Metz on the disastrous termination of the battle ofGravelotte, Bazaine's army, in addition to the regular garrison of thefortress and an unknown number of Gardes Mobiles, was forced tosurrender to the Germans--thus now allowing the latter to utilise thegiant legions hitherto employed in investing the stronghold of Lorraine, in further trampling out the last evidences of organised resistance inFrance, and so, by coercing the country, sooner put an end to theduration of the war. 

Notwithstanding all the comments made--especially those by his owncountrymen in their unreasoning prejudice against every one andeverything connected with the late empire, from its unfortunate andmuch-maligned head downwards--in the matter of this capitulation, and onMarshal Bazaine's conduct, it is absolutely certain that he held out aslong as it was possible to do so. Indeed, it is a surprising fact thathis provisions lasted such a length of time; and it would be a cause forsorrow to believe that the brave defender of Metz was in any way stainedby the crime of "treachery" as his act was stigmatised by the demagoguesof Paris. Those who assert that a clever commander ought somehow orother to have made his escape from the place, do not take intoconsideration the strength of the investing force, which comprised theunited armies of Prince Frederick Charles and Steinmetz--more than twohundred and fifty thousand men, in addition to their reserves, allcapable of being concentrated at any given point where an attack wasanticipated, and protected, besides, by entrenched lines of greatstrength. Nor do these biassed critics consider the ruin that must havefallen on Bazaine's army, even if it had succeeded in cutting its waythrough the ranks of the besiegers, as the general tried gallantly, butunsuccessfully, to do on more than one occasion, besides making numeroussorties. It is apparent to most unprejudiced minds now, at thisdistance of time from the momentous epoch of the struggle between thetwo nations, that the Marshal, in his situation, accomplished all thatcould have been expected in detaining for such a length of time a hugeGerman army nearly on the frontier, thus giving the invaded countrybreathing time to collect its resources for just so long a period. Thefact is, that when an army like that of Bazaine's is severed from itscommunications and supplies, its surrender can only be a question oftime; and, therefore, unparalleled as is the capitulation of Metz inmodern history, the unprecedented catastrophe--can be fully accountedfor on military grounds. 

"I'm sorry I missed the sight, " said Fritz presently, after thinkingover the news. "It would have been some fair return for all that bitternight work I had in the trenches before I was wounded. Still, I'm gladit's all ended now, for my corps will be able to march onward on Parislike the rest. "

"That will not benefit you much, my poor friend, " remarked Madaleinesympathisingly. "I'm afraid it will be some time before you will bestrong enough to move from this room, although you're improving eachday. "

"Oh, will it?" said Fritz triumphantly; "that's all you know about it, young lady! Why, Doctor Carl said this morning that he thought I wouldbe able to report myself fit for duty in another week. "

"I suppose you'll rejoice to get back to your friends and comrades inthe regiment? You must find it miserable and dull enough in thisplace!"

"No, not quite that. I've been very happy and comfortable here the lastfew days; and I shall never forget all your kindness and care of me--no, never!"

"Don't speak of that, pray; it's only what any one else would have donein my place. Besides, " she added demurely, "you know that in attendingto you as a wounded soldier, I have only been carrying out the orders ofthe baroness, my employer. "

"Hang the fussy old thing!" said Fritz impatiently trying to shrug hisshoulders. He had had the honour of one interview with Madaleine'sdistinguished patroness, and did not crave for another; for, she had agood deal of that old-fashioned, starched formality which the Germannobility affect, mixed up with a fidgety, condescending, patronisingmanner which much annoyed the generous-minded young fellow. He burnedwith indignation all the time the visit of the old lady to him hadlasted, for she ordered Madaleine to do this and corrected her for doingthat, in, as he thought, the rudest manner possible. Her exquisitelydignified patronage of himself, as a species of inferior animal, who, being in pain and distress, she was bound in common charity to take somenotice of, caused him no umbrage whatever; but it annoyed him to see agentle, ladylike girl like Madaleine subjected to the whims and capricesof an old woman, who, in spite of her high birth, was naturally vulgarand inconsiderate. "Hang the fussy old thing!" he repeated, withconsiderable heat. "I wish you had nothing to do with her. I'm sureshe would drive me mad in a day if I were constantly associated withher!"

"Ah, dear friend, beggars mustn't be choosers, " said Madaleine sadly. "You forget my position, in your kind zeal on my behalf! A poor orphangirl such as I, left friendless and penniless, ought to be glad to beunder the protection of so grand a lady as the Baroness Stolzenkop. Sheis kind to me, too, in her way. "

"But, what a way!" interposed Fritz angrily. "I wouldn't speak to a dogin that fashion. "

"You are different. "

"I should hope so, indeed!"

"Besides, Herr Fritz, remember, that if it hadn't been for this oldlady, of whom you speak in such disrespectful terms, I should never havecome here to Mezieres and been able to nurse you. "

"I forgot for the moment, Fraulein. My blessing on the old catamaranfor the fancy that seized her, so auspiciously, to go touring on thetrail of the war and thus to bring you here. I don't believe I wouldhave lived, if it had not been for your care and kindness!"

"Meinherr, you exaggerate. It is to your own good constitution and toProvidence that your thanks are due; I have only been a simple meanstowards that happy end. "

"Well, I shall always attribute my recovery to you, at all events; andso will my good mother, who I hope will some day be able to thank you inperson for all that you've done for me and her. "

"I should like to see her, " said Madaleine; "she must be a kind, goodlady, from her letters to you. "

"And the fondest mother in the world!" exclaimed Fritz with enthusiasm. "But, you will see her--some day, " he added after a pause. "I vow thatyou shall. "

"I don't know how that will be, " said Madaleine, half laughing in aconstrained fashion, as if wishing to conceal her real feelings. "In aweek or two you will be off to the wars again and forget me--like a truesoldier!"

"Stay, " interposed Fritz, interrupting her. "You have no right to saythat! Do you think me so ungrateful? You must have a very bad opinionof me! I--"

"Never mind explanations now, " interrupted the girl in her turn, speaking hurriedly in a nervous way, although trying to laugh the matteroff as a joke. "If the doctor says you can soon report yourself as fitfor duty, of course you'll have to rejoin your regiment. "

"Ah, I wonder where that is now?" said Fritz musingly. "Since our campround Metz is broken up, the army will naturally march on farther intothe interior. No matter, there's no good my worrying myself about it. They'll soon let me know where I've got to go to join them; for, thepowers that be do not allow any shirking of duty in the ranks, from thehighest to the lowest!"

"I saw that here, " remarked Madaleine. "The baroness wanted to get herson to return home with her; but she was told that, if he were allowedto go he could never come back to the army, as his reputation forcourage would be settled for ever. "

"Yes, that would be the case, true enough. Hev would be thought to haveshown the white feather! But, about your movements, FrauleinMadaleine--the baroness is not going to remain here long, is she?"

"No; she spoke this morning about going away. She said that, as thesiege of Metz was raised, and the greater portion of the wounded menwould be removed to Germany, along with the prisoners of war, shethought she would go back home--to Darmstadt, that is. "

"And there you will stop, I suppose?" asked Fritz. 

"Until she has a whim to go somewhere else!" replied Madaleine. 

"May I write to you there?"

"I will be glad to hear of your welfare, " answered she discreetly, aslight colour mantling to her cheeks. "Of course, you have been mypatient; and, like a good nurse, I should like to know that you weregetting on well, without any relapse. "

"I will write to you, then, " said Fritz in those firm, ringing tones ofhis that clearly intimated he had made a promise which he intended tokeep. "And you, I hope, will answer my letters?"

"When I can, " replied the girl; "that is, you know, if the BaronessStolzenkop does not object. "

"Bother the Baroness Stolzenkop!" said he energetically, and hestretched out his hand to her with a smile. "Promise to write to me, "he repeated. 

Madaleine did not say anything; but she returned his smile, and he couldfeel a slight pressure of her fingers on his, so with this he wasperfectly contented for the while. 

"Ah, when the war is over!" he exclaimed presently, after a moment'ssilence between the two, which expressed more than words would have doneperhaps. "Ah, when the war is over!"

"Eh, what?" said the doctor, coming in unexpectedly at that instant andcatching the last words. 

"I--I--said, " explained Fritz rather confusedly, "that when the war wasover, I'd be glad to get home again to my mother and those dear to me;"and he looked at Madaleine as he spoke meaningly. 

"Eh, what?" repeated the doctor. "But, the war isn't over yet, myworthy young lieutenant, and I hope we'll patch you up so as to be ableto play a good part in it still for the Fatherland!"

"I hope so, Herr Doctor, " answered Fritz. "I've no desire yet to belaid on the shelf while laurels and promotion are to be won. "

"Just so, that is good; and how do you feel this afternoon, eh?"

"Much better. "

"Ah yes, so I see! You will go on improving, if you take plenty offood. I bet that in a week's time I shall be able to turn you out ofthese nice quarters here. "

So saying, the surgeon bustled out of the room, with a kind nod to hispatient and a bow to Madaleine, who was shortly afterwards summoned by aservant to the baroness--the footman telling her that her ladyshiprequested her presence at once. 

She returned later on, but it was only for a very brief interval, to saygood-bye. The Princess of Alten-Schlossen, she said, was about to leaveMezieres immediately for Germany, and the baroness could not think ofstaying behind, even for the charitable consideration of nursing anymore wounded, if the exalted lady, whose actions traced the pattern forher own conduct, thought fit to go away! Madaleine, therefore, hadorders to pack up all the old dowager's numerous belongings, being alsogiven permission to make any arrangements she pleased for the poorfellows who remained in the villa, in order to have them handed over tothe regular authorities, now that this amateur ambulance of the baronesswas going to abandon its voluntary labours. 

"It's a shame, " said Madaleine indignantly. "It is like putting one'shand to the plough and then turning back!"

"Never mind, Fraulein, do not fret yourself, " interposed Fritz. "Theold lady has done some good by starting this hospital here, even if shedid it in imitation of the Princess; and, although she may now give itup, it will be carried on all right by others, you see if it won't! AsI am getting well, too, and will have to go, as the doctor says; why, Ishall not regret it as I should otherwise have done. "

"Oh, you selfish fellow!" said she, smiling. "Now you have beenattended to and nursed into convalescence, you do not care what becomesof those who may come after you!"

"Not quite so bad as that, " replied Fritz; "only, as I shall be awayserving with my regiment, I should prefer to think of you ensconced inthe quiet security of the baroness' castle on the Rhine, to being hereamidst the excitement of the war and in the very thick of bands ofstragglers to and from the front. "

"Especially since I would lose your valuable protection!" laughedMadaleine. 

"Ah, wait till I get up and am strong!" said Fritz. "When you see meagain, I promise to be able to protect you. "

"Aye, when!" repeated the girl with a sigh. "However, I must say good-bye now, Herr Lieutenant I have told our man Hans, whom the baronessleaves behind, to see that you want for nothing until you shall be ableto attend to yourself. I'm sorry you'll have no female nurse now tolook after you. "

"I wouldn't let another woman come near me after you go!" exclaimedFritz impulsively. "Mind, you have promised to write to me, you know. "

"Yes, " said she, "I will answer your letters; and now, good-bye! Don'tforget me quite when you get amongst the gay ladies of Paris, who willquite eclipse your little German nurse!"

"Never!" he ejaculated. "Good-bye, till we meet again!" and he pressedher hand to his lips, looking up into her eyes. 

"Good-bye!" said she in a husky voice, turning away; when the dog, whichhad been lying down in his usual place by his master's bedside, startedup, "Good-bye you, too, my darling `Fritz'!" she added, throwing herarms round the retriever's neck and kissing his smooth black head; "Inearly forgot you, dearest doggie, I do declare!"

"Heavens!" exclaimed the other Fritz, mortally jealous of his dog forthe moment, "I wish you would only say farewell to me like that!"

Madaleine blushed a celestial rosy red. 

But "Auf wiedersehen!" was all she said, as she left the room with aspeaking glance from her violet eyes; and, towards the evening, from theconfused bustling about which he heard going on within the villa, andthe sound of carriage wheels without driving off, Fritz knew that theBaroness Stolzenkop and her party--amongst whom, of course, wasMadaleine--had quitted Mezieres, on their way back to the banks of theRhine. 

CHAPTER TEN. 

ON THE MOVE AGAIN. 

"I wonder if she cares about that French fellow still?" thought Fritz tohimself when Madaleine had gone. "I don't believe she could have feltfor him much, from the manner in which she listened when I told her ofhis death and the way she looked at that ring. Himmel! Would shereceive the news of my being shot in the same fashion, I wonder?"

Fritz, however, could not settle this momentous question satisfactorilyto his own mind just then; so he had, consequently, to leave the matterto be decided at that blissful period when everybody thought that"everything would come straight"--the period to which he had alluded atthe interesting instant when his slightly confidential conversation withMadaleine was so inopportunely interrupted by the maladroit entrance ofDoctor Carl. In other words, "when the war should be over!" But, asthe worthy disciple of Aesculapius had sapiently remarked on theoccasion of his accidental interference with what might have beenotherwise a mutual understanding between the two, the war was not overyet. The halcyon time had not arrived for the sword to be beaten into aploughshare, nor did there seem much prospect of such a happycontingency in the near immediate future; for, although the contest hadalready lasted three months--during which a series of terribleengagements had invariably resulted in the defeat of the French--fromthe commencement of the campaign to the capitulation of Metz, eachcrushing disaster only seemed to have the effect of nerving the Gallicrace to fresh resistance and so prolong the struggle. Indeed, at thebeginning of November, 1870, with Paris laughing the idea of a siege toscorn and new armies being rapidly organised, in the north at SaintQuentin, in the west at Havre, and in the south at Orleans, the end ofthe war appeared as far off as ever!

Fritz missed the attentions of his unwearying little nurse much, and hisconvalescence did not progress so rapidly in consequence; but onemorning, some three weeks after the departure of the party of thebaroness' from Mezieres, he was agreeably surprised by Doctor Carlgiving him permission to rejoin his corps. 

"I don't quite think you exactly strong enough yet, you know; but I'vereceived orders to clear out the hospitals here, sending forward allsuch as are fit to their respective regiments, while those notsufficiently recovered I am to invalid to Germany. Now, which is it tobe, Herr Lieutenant? I candidly don't believe you're quite up to themark for campaigning again yet; but still, perhaps, you would not likebeing put on the shelf, and no doubt you'd gain strength from the changeof air as you moved on with the army. Which course will you select, Herr Lieutenant? I give you the choice. "

"To rejoin my regiment, certainly, doctor!" answered Fritz, without amoment's hesitation. "I'm tired of doing nothing here, and I fancy I'vebeen well enough to move for the past fortnight. "

"Ah, permit me to be the best judge of that, young man, " said the other. "No doubt you feel wonderfully strong just now! Can you lift thischair, do you think, eh?"

"Certainly, " replied Fritz, laying his hand on the slight little articleof furniture the doctor had pointed out with his cane, and which hecould have easily held up with one finger when in the possession of hisproper strength. He was quite indignant, indeed, with Doctor Carl forsuggesting such a feeble trial for him, as if he were a child; but, muchto his astonishment, he found that he was utterly unable to raise thechair from the ground. Besides which, he quite panted after theexertion, just as if he had been endeavouring to lift a ton weight!

"Ha, what did I say, Herr Lieutenant?" said the surgeon with a laugh. "You will now allow, I suppose, that we doctors know best as to what isgood for our patients! But, come, you will not be wanted to raise orcarry about a greater weight than yourself until you come up with yourregiment, which is now with Manteuffel's division near Amiens, for, bythat time, you'll be yourself again. I'll now go and sign yourcertificate and papers, so that you may get ready to start as soon asyou like. "

"Hurrah!" exclaimed Fritz. "It is `Forwards' again--the very word putsfresh life in me!" and, trying once more, he lifted the chair this timewith ease. "You see, Herr Doctor, I can do it now!"

"Ah, there's nothing like hope and will!" said the doctor, bustling outof the room--which Fritz, unlike many poor victims of the war, had hadentirely to himself, instead of being only one amongst hundreds ofothers in a crowded hospital ward. "By the time you join your comradesagain, you'll be double the man you were before you came under my care!"

"Thanks to you, dear doctor, " shouted out Fritz after him in cordialtones; and he then proceeded to overhaul his somewhat dilapidateduniform to see whether it was in order for him to don once more. 

On the termination of the siege of Metz, by its capitulation at the endof October, the large German force which had been employed up till thenin the investment of Marshal Bazaine's entrenched camp before thefortress, became released for other duties; thus enabling Von Moltke, the great strategical head of the Teuton legions, to develop his plansfor the complete subjugation of the country. 

In accordance, therefore, with these arrangements, two army corps, eachof some thirty thousand men, proceeded at once to aid the hostsencircling Paris with fire and steel; while two more corps were led byPrince Frederick Charles towards the south of France, where they arrivedin the nick of time to assist the Duke of Mecklenburgh and the defeatedBavarians under Van der Tann in breaking up the formidable army of theLoire commanded by Chanzy, which had very nearly succeeded in alteringthe condition of the war; the remainder of the German investing forcefrom Metz were sent northwards, under Manteuffel, in the direction ofBrittany and the departments bordering on the English Channel, so as tocrush out all opposition there. 

With this latter force marched the regiment of our friend Fritz, whichhe was able to rejoin about the beginning of December at Amiens, wherewere established the headquarters of General Manteuffel, the presentcommander of the first army--"Old Blood and Iron. "

Steinmetz having been shelved, it was said, on account of his age andinfirmities, he having fought at Waterloo, but more probably on accountof his rather lavish sacrifice of his men, especially at Gravelotte. This force kept firm hold of Normandy with a strong hand, threateningDieppe and Havre on either side. 

Fritz had a tedious journey to the front. 

Partly by railway where practicable, and partly by roads that wereblocked by the heavy siege guns and waggon loads of ammunition goingforwards for the use of the force besieging Paris, the young lieutenantmade his way onwards in company with a reserve column of Landwehrproceeding to fill up casualties in Manteuffel's ranks--the journey notbeing rendered any the more agreeable by the frequent attacks sufferedfrom franc-tireurs when passing through the many woods and forestsencountered on the route, in addition to meeting straggling bands of theenemy, who opposed the progress of the column the more vigorously as itabandoned the main roads leading from the frontier and struck acrosscountry. 

It was not by any means a pleasure trip; but, putting all perils aside, regarding them merely as the vicissitudes of a soldier's lot, whatimpressed Fritz more than anything else was the ruin and devastationwhich, following thus in the rear of a triumphant army, he everywherenoticed. 

The towns he entered on his way had most of their shops shut, and thewindows of the private houses were closed, as if in sympathy with anational funeral, those which had been bombarded--and these were many--having, besides, their streets blocked up with fallen masonry andscattered beams of timber, their church steeples prostrate, and thewalls of buildings perforated with round shot and bursting shells thathad likewise burnt and demolished the roofs; while, in the more opencountry, the farms and villages had been swept away as if with awhirlwind of fire, only bare gables and blackened rafters staring upinto the clouds, like the skeletons of what were once happy homes. Thevineyards and fields and gardens around were destroyed and running towaste in the most pitiful way, for every one connected with them, whohad formerly cherished and tended them with such care and attention, hadeither been killed or else sought safety in flight to the cities, wheretheir refuge was equally precarious. Along the highway, the trees, whose branches once gave such grateful shade to wayfarers, were now cutdown, only rows of hideous, half-consumed stumps remaining in theirstead; while here and there, as the scene of some great battle waspassed, great mounds like oblong bases of flattened pyramids rose abovethe surface of the devastated plain--mounds under whose frozen surfacelay the mouldering bodies of thousands of brave men who had fallen onthe bloody field, their last resting-place unmarked by sepulchral crossor monumental marble. Everywhere there was terrible evidence of theeffects of war and the price of that "glory" which, the poet singstruly, "leads but to the grave!"

Fritz was sickened with it all; but, what struck his keen sense ofhonour and honesty more, was the wholesale pillage and robbery permittedby the German commanders to be exercised by their soldiery on thedefenceless peasantry of France. A cart which he overhauled, proceedingback to the frontier, contained such wretched spoil as women's clothes, a bale of coffee, a quantity of cheap engravings and chimney ornaments, an old-fashioned kitchen clock, with an arm-chair--the pride of somefireside corner--a quantity of copper, and several pairs of ear-rings, such as are sold for a few sous in the Palais Royale!

The sight of this made his blood boil, and Fritz got into some troublewith a colonel of Uhlans by ordering the contents of the cart to be atonce confiscated and burnt, the huckster being on the good books of thatofficer--doubtless as a useful collector of curios!

It was a current report amongst the French at the time that the Germanarmy was followed by a tribe of Jew speculators, who purchased from thesoldiers the plunder that they certainly could not themselves expect tocarry back to their own country; and this incident led Fritz to believethe rumour well founded. 

"Heavens, little mother, " as he wrote home subsequently to Madame Dort, after his experience of what went on at headquarters under his newcommander. "I do not fear the enemy; but the only thing which will dous any harm, God willing that we come safely home, is that we shall notbe able to distinguish between mine and thine, the `meum' and `tuum'taught us at school, for we shall be all thorough thieves; that is tosay, we are ordered to take--`requisition' they call it--everything thatwe can find and that we can use. This does not confine itself alone tofood for the horses and people, but to every piece of portable property, not an absolute fixture, which, if of any value, we are directed toappropriate and `nail' fast!

"Through the desertion of most of the castles here in the neighbourhoodby their legitimate proprietors, the entry to all of them is open to us;and now everything is taken out of them that is worth taking at all. The wine-cellars in particular are searched; and I may say that ourdivision has drank more champagne on its own account than I everremember to have seen in the district of Champagne, when I visited itlast year before the war. 

"In the second place, our light-fingered forces carry off all the horseswe can take with us; all toilet things, glasses, stockings, brushes, boots and shoes, linen--in a word, everything is `stuck to!'

"The officers, I may add, are no exception to the private soldiers, butsteal in their proper precedence, appropriating whatever objects of artor pictures of value they can find in the mansions we visit in thesearchaeological tours of ours. Only yesterday, the adjutant of myregiment, a noble by birth, but I am sorry to say not a gentleman eitherby manners or moral demeanour, came to me and said, `Fritz Dort, do methe favour to steal for me all the loot you can bring me. We will atall events show Moltke that he has not sent us into this war fornothing. ' Of course, this being an order from a superior officer, Icould not say anything but `At your command, your highness!' But whatwill come of it all only God knows! I'm afraid, when there is nothingleft to lay our hands on, we will begin to appropriate the goods andchattels of each other; although, little mother, I will endeavour tokeep my fingers clean, if only for your sake!"

Fritz, however, soon had something more exciting to think about than themorals of his comrades; for, only a few days after he joined hisregiment, he went into action again at the battle of Amiens, when theGermans drove back Faidherbe's "army of the north, " routing them withmuch slaughter, and taking many prisoners, besides thirteen cannon. AFrench regiment of marines was ridden down by a body of German Hussars, who were almost decimated by the charge--which resembled that ofBalaclava, the "sea soldiers" standing behind entrenchments with theirguns. 

Later on, too, Fritz was in a more memorable engagement. It occurred onthe morning of the 23rd of December at Pont Noyelles, where the army ofGeneral Manteuffel, numbering about fifty thousand men with some fortyguns, attacked a force of almost double the strength, commanded byFaidherbe, the last of the generals on whom the French relied outside ofParis. The two armies confronted each other from opposing heights, separated by the valley of the Somme and a small, winding stream, whichfalls into the larger river at Daours, on the right and left banks ofwhich the contending forces were respectively aligned; and the combatopened about eleven o'clock in the forenoon with a heavy cannonade, under cover of which the German tirailleurs smartly advanced and tookpossession of several small villages, although the French shortlyafterwards drove them out of these at the point of the bayonet, exhibiting great gallantry. In the evening, both armies rested in thesame positions they had occupied at the commencement of the fight; but, although the French greatly outnumbered their antagonists, beingespecially superior in artillery, the fire of which had considerablythinned the German ranks, they did nothing the whole of the succeedingday. On the contrary, they rested in a state of complete inactivity, when, if they had but pushed forwards, they might have compelled theretreat of Manteuffel. 

The next morning was that of Christmas Day. 

Fritz could not but remember it, in spite of his surroundings, for hereceived a small parcel by the field post, containing some warm woollensocks knitted by Lorischen's own fair fingers, and sent to him in order"to prevent his appropriating those of the poor French peasantry, " as hehad intimated might be the case with him in his last letter home, shouldhe be in need of such necessaries and not have any of his own. His goodmother, too, did not forget him, nor did a certain young lady whoresided at Darmstadt. 

It was the morning of Christmas Day; but not withstanding its holy andpeaceful associations, Fritz and every one else in Manteuffel's armycorps expected that the anniversary would be celebrated in blood. Judgeof their surprise, however, when, as the day advanced, the vedettes andoutposts they sent ahead returned with the strange intelligence that theenemy had abandoned the highly advantageous ground they had selected onPont Noyelles, retiring on Arras. 

The news was almost too good to be true; but, nevertheless, the Germancavalry were soon on the alert, pursuing the retreating force andslaughtering thousands in the chase--thus Christmas Day was passed!

The new year opened with more fighting for Fritz; for, on the 2nd ofJanuary, occurred the battle of Bapaume, and on the 19th of the samemonth the more disastrous engagement for the French of Saint Quentin, which finally crumbled up "the army of the north" under Faidherbe, whichat one time almost looked as if it would have succeeded in raising thesiege of Paris, by diverting the attention of the encircling force. However, in neither of these actions did Fritz either get wounded orgain additional promotion; and from thence, up to the close of the war, his life in the invaded country was uneventful and without interest. 

Yes, to him; for he was longing to return home. 

"Going to the war" had lost all its excitement for him, the carnage ofthe past months and the sorrowful scenes he had witnessed having fairlysatiated him with "glory" and all the horrors which follow in its train. 

Now, he was fairly hungering for home, and the quiet of the oldhousehold at Lubeck with his "little mother" and Lorischen--notforgetting Mouser, to make home more homelike and enjoyable, for Fritzthought how he would have to teach Gelert, who had likewise escapedscathless throughout the remainder of the campaign in the north ofFrance, to be on friendly terms with the old nurse's pet cat. 

He was thinking of some one else too; for, lately, the letters ofMadaleine had stopped, although she had previously corresponded with himregularly. He could not make out the reason for her silence. Onedespatch might certainly have been lost in transmission through thefield post; but for three or four--as would have been the case if shehad responded in due course to his effusions, which were written off toDarmstadt each week without fail--to miss on the journey, was simplyimpossible!

Some treachery must be at work; or else, Madaleine was ill; or, she hadchanged her mind towards him. 

Which of these reasons caused her silence?

It was probably, he thought, the former which he had to thank for hisanxiety; and the cause, he was certain, was the baroness. Whatblessings he heaped on her devoted head!

It was in this frame of mind that Fritz awaited the end of the war. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

A PLEASANT SURPRISE!

That winter was the dullest ever known in the little household of theGulden Strasse, and the coldest experienced for years in Lubeck--quiettown of cold winters, situated as it is on the shores of the ice-boundBaltic!

It was such bitter, inclement weather, with the thermometer going downto zero and the snow freezing as it fell, that neither Madame Dort norold Lorischen went out of the house more than they could help; and, asfor Mouser, he lived and slept and miaow-wowed in close neighbourhood tothe stove in the parlour, not even the temptation of cream inducing himto leave the protection of its enjoyable warmth. For him, the micemight ravage the cupboards below the staircase, his whilom happyhunting-ground, at their own sweet will; and the birds, rendered tame bytheir privations, invade the sanctity of the balcony and the window-sills, whereon at another season their lives would not be worth amoment's purchase. He heeded them not now, nor did he, as of yore, resent the intrusion of Burgher Jans' terrier, when that predatoryanimal came prowling within the widow's tenement in company with hismaster, who had not entirely ceased his periodic visits, in spite of"the cold shoulder" invariably turned to him by Lorischen. Mouserwasn't going to inconvenience himself for the best dog in Christendom;so, on the advent of the terrier, he merely hopped from the front of thestove to the top, where he frizzled his feet and fizzed at his enemy, without risking the danger of catching an influenza, as he mightotherwise have done if he had sought refuge elsewhere out in the cold. 

Aye, for it was cold; and many was the time, when, rubbing theirtingling fingers, both the widow and Lorischen pitied the hardships towhich poor Fritz was exposed in the field, almost feeling angry andashamed at themselves for being comfortable when he had to endure somuch--as they knew from all the accounts published in the newspapers ofthe sufferings which the invading armies had to put up with, althoughFritz himself made light of his physical grievances. 

At Christmas-tide they were sad enough at his absence, with the memoryof the lost Eric also to make that merry-making time for others doublymiserable to them; but, on the dawn of the new year, their hopes beganto brighten with the receipt of every fresh piece of news from Franceconcerning the progress of the war. 

"The end cannot be far off now, " they said to one another in mutualconsolation, so as to cheer up each other's drooping spirits. "Surelythe campaign cannot last much longer!"

The last Sunday in the month came, and on this day Madame Dort andLorischen went to the Marien Kirche to service. 

Previously they had been in the habit of attending the Dom Kirche, fromthe fact of Eric's liking to see, first as a child and afterwards as agrowing boy, the great astronomical clock whose queer-looking eyesrolled so very curiously with the swing of the pendulum backwards andforwards each second; but, now, they went to the other house of God fora different reason. It, too, had an eccentric clock, distinguished fora procession of figures of the saints, which jerked themselves intonotice each hour above the dial; still it was not that which attractedthe widow there. The church was filled with large monumental figureswith white, outstretching wings, that hovered out into prominence abovethe carvings of the old oak screens, black with age. These figuresappeared as if soaring up to the roof of the chancel; and Madame Dorthad a fancy, morbid it might have been, that she could pray betterthere, surrounded as it were by guardian angels, whose protection sheinvoked on behalf of her boy lost at sea, and that other, yet alive, whowas "in danger, necessity, " and possibly "tribulation!"

After she and Lorischen had returned home from the Marien Kirche, theday passed quietly and melancholy away; but the next morning broke morecheerfully. 

It was the 30th of January, 1871. Both the lone women at the littlehouse in the Gulden Strasse remembered that fact well; for, on themorrow, the month from which they had expected such good tidings wouldbe up, and if they heard nothing before its close they must needsdespair. 

Seeing that the morning broke bright and cheerily, with the sun shiningdown through the frost-laden air, making the snow on the roofs lookcrisper and causing the icicles from the eaves to glitter in itsscintillating rays, Lorischen determined to go to market, especially asshe had not been outside the doorway, except to go to church, since theprevious week. 

She had not much to buy, it is true; but then she might have a gossipwith the neighbours and hear some news, perhaps--who knows?

Anything might have happened without the knowledge of herself or hermistress, as no one, not even Burgher Jans, had been to visit them forever so long!

Clad, therefore, in her thick cloak and warm boots, with her wide, red-knitted woollen shawl over her head and portly market-basket on arm, Lorischen sallied out like the dove from the ark, hoping perchance tobring back with her an olive branch of comfort; while the widow satherself down by the stove in the parlour with her needle, stitching awayat some new shirts she was engaged on to renew Fritz's wardrobe when hecame back. Seeing an opportunity for taking up a comfortable position, Mouser jumped up at once into her lap as soon as the old nurse had leftthe room, purring away with great complacency and watching in a lazy waythe movements of her busy fingers, blinking sleepily the while at theglowing fire in front of him. 

Lorischen had not been gone long when Madame Dort heard her bustlingback up the staircase without. She knew the old nurse's step well; but, besides hers, she heard the tread of some one else, and then the noisybark of a dog. A sort of altercation between two voices followed, inwhich the old nurse's angry accents were plainly perceptible; and nextthere seemed a hurried scuffle just without the parlour door, whichsuddenly burst open with a clatter, and two people entered the room. 

They were Lorischen and Burgher Jans, who both tried to speak together, the result being a confused jangle of tongues from which Madame Dortcould learn nothing. 

"I say I was first!" squeaked the Burgher in a high treble key, which healways adopted when excited beyond his usual placid mode of utterance. 

"And I say it was me!" retorted the old nurse in her gruff tones, whichwere much more like those of a man. "What right have you to try andsupplant the servant of the house, who specially went out about it, youlittle meddlesome teetotum, I'd like to know, hey?"

"But I was first, I say! Madame Dort--"

"Don't listen to him, mistress, " interposed Lorischen. "I've just--"

"There's news of--"

But, bang just then came Lorischen's market-basket against the side ofthe little man's head, knocking his hat off and stopping his speechabruptly; while the old nurse muttered savagely, "I wish it had beenyour little turnip-top of a head instead of your hat, that I do!"

"Good people! good people!" exclaimed Madame Dort, rising to her feetand dropping her needlework and Mouser--who rapidly jumped on to the topof the stove out of the reach of Burgher Jans' terrier, which, ofcourse, had followed his master into the parlour and at once made a dartat the cat as he tumbled on to the floor from the widow's lap. "Pray donot make such a noise, and both speak at once! What is the matter thatyou are so eager to tell me--good news, I trust, Lorischen, or you wouldnot have hurried back so soon?"

Madame Dort's voice trembled with anxiety, and tears of suspense stoodin her eyes. 

"There, " said Lorischen triumphantly to the Burgher, who remained silentfor the moment from the shock of the old nurse's attack. "You see foryourself that my mistress wishes me to tell her. "

"Oh, what is it--what have you heard?" cried the widow plaintively. "Donot keep me in this agony any longer!"

And she sat down again nervously in her chair, gazing from one to theother in mute entreaty and looking as if she were going to faint. 

"There now, see what you've done!" said Lorischen, hastening to MadameDort's side. "I told you what it would be if you blurted it out likethat!"

Burgher Jans' eyes grew quite wide with astonishment beneath the broadrims of his tortoise-shell spectacles, giving him more than ever theappearance of an owl. 

"Peace, woman!" he exclaimed. "I--"

"Yes, that's it, dear mistress, " interrupted the old nurse, halflaughing, half crying, as she knelt down beside the widow's chair andput her arm round her caressingly. "There's peace proclaimed at last, and the dear young Herr will come home again to you now!"

"Peace?" repeated the widow, looking up with an anxious stare from oneto the other. 

"Yes, peace, most worthy lady, " said Burgher Jans pompously in hisordinary bland voice; adding immediately afterwards for Lorischen'sespecial benefit--"and I was the first to tell you of it, after all. "

"Never mind, " replied that worthy, too much overpowered with emotion atthe happiness of the widow to contest the point. "We both brought theglad tidings together. Madame, dearest mistress, you are glad, are younot?"

But Madame Dort was silent for the moment. Her eyes were closed, andher lips moving in earnest prayer of thankfulness to Him who had heardher prayers and granted the fervent wish of her heart at last. 

"Is it really true?" she asked presently. 

"Yes, well-born and most worthy lady, " replied the little fat man, whomLorischen now allowed to speak without further interruption. "OurBismark signed an armistice with the French at Versailles on Saturday bywhich Paris capitulates, the forts defending it being given over to oursoldiers, and the starving city allowed to be reprovisioned by the goodEnglish, who have prepared ever so many train-loads of food to go in forthe use of the population. "

"Ah, those good English!" chimed in Lorischen. 

"You have reason to say that, dearest maiden, " continued the Burgher, bowing suavely to the old woman. "They subscribed, ah! more than amillion thalers for this purpose in London. "

"And I suppose the war will now cease?" said Madame Dort. 

"Most certainly, worthy lady, " replied Burgher Jans. "The armistice isto last for three weeks to enable the French to have an election ofmembers to an assembly which will decide whether the contest shall go onany further; but there is no doubt, as their armies have all beendefeated and their resources exhausted, that hostilities will not beagain resumed. All parties are sick of fighting by this time!"

"So I should think, " exclaimed Lorischen warmly. "It has been a bloody, murdering work, that of the last six months!"

"Yes, but good for Germany, " put in the little man in his bland way. 

"Humph! much good, with widows left without their husbands and childrenfatherless, and the stalwart sons that should have been the help oftheir mothers made food for French powder and the chassepot! Besides, Idon't think the German states, Meinherr, " added the old nurse morepolitely than she usually addressed the Burgher, "will get much of theplunder. Mark my words if Prussia does not take the lion's share!"

"You have reason, dearest maiden, " answered the other, agreeing with hisold opponent for once. "I've no doubt that, like the poor Bavarians whohad to do the heaviest part of the fighting, we shall get only the kicksand Prussia the halfpence!"

"That's more than likely, " said Lorischen, much pleased at thesimilarity of their sentiments; "and I suppose we can expect Herr Fritzhome soon now, eh?"

"Probably as soon as peace is regularly established; for then, ourtroops will commence to evacuate France and march back to the Rhine, "replied Burgher Jans, --"that Rhine whose banks they have so valiantlydefended. "

"Ah, we'd better begin at once to prepare to receive our soldier lad, "said the old nurse with much cheerfulness, as if she wished to set towithout a moment's delay at making things ready for Fritz; seeing which, Burgher Jans took his departure, the widow and Lorischen both expressingtheir thanks for the good news he had brought, and the old nurseactually escorting him to the door in a most unusual fit of civility!

The definite treaty of peace between France and Germany was completed onthe 28th February, 1871, when it was ratified by the constituentassembly sitting at Bordeaux, the conquered country surrendering two ofher richest provinces, Alsace and Lorraine, together with the fortressesof Metz and Belfort--the strongest on the frontier--besides paying anindemnity of no less a sum than five milliards of francs, some twohundred millions of pounds in English money, to the victors!

It was a terrible price to pay for the war; for, in addition to thesesacrifices must be reckoned:-- 2, 400 captured field guns; 120 eagles, flags, and standards; 4, 000 fortress guns; and 11, 669 officers and363, 326 men taken prisoners in battle and interned in Germany--notcounting 170, 000 men of the garrison of Paris who must be held to havesurrendered to their conquerors, although these were not led awaycaptive like the others, who were kept in durance until the first moietyof their ransom was paid!

But, Prince Bismark over-reached himself in grinding down the country ashe did. He thought, that, by fixing such an enormous sum for theindemnity, France would be under the heel of Germany for years to come, as the Prussian troops were not to leave until the money was paid. Instead of which, by a general and stupendous movement of herpopulation, inflamed by a praiseworthy spirit of patriotism, the fivemilliards were paid within a year and the French soil clear of theinvader--this being the most wonderful thing connected with the war, some persons think!

Meanwhile, Madame Dort's anxiety to behold her son again at home and hisearnest wish to the same effect had to await gratification. 

The news of the armistice before Paris reached Lubeck on the 30thJanuary; but it was not until March that the German troops began toevacuate their positions in front of the capital of France, and nearlythe end of the month before the last battalion turned its face homeward. 

Before that wished-for end was reached, Fritz was terribly heart-sickabout Madaleine. 

After a long silence, enduring for over a month, during which his mindwas torn by conflicting doubts and fears, he had received a short, hurried note from her, telling him that she had been ill and was worriedby domestic circumstances. She did not know what would become of her, she wrote, adding that he had better cease to think of her, although shewould always pray for his welfare. 

That was all; but it wasn't a very agreeable collapse to the nice littleenchanted "castle in Spain" he had been diligently building up eversince his meeting with Madaleine at Mezieres:-- it was a sad downfall tothe hopes he had of meeting her again!

Of course, he wrote to his mother, telling her of his misery; but shecould not console him much, save by exhorting him to live in hope, forthat all would come well in good time. 

"Old people can't feel like young ones, " thought Fritz. "She doesn'tknow what I suffer in my heart. "

And so time rolled on slowly enough for mother and son; he, counting thedays--sadly now, for his return was robbed of one of its chiefexpectations; she, gladly, watching to clasp her firstborn in her armsonce more. Ample amends she thought this would be to her for all theanxiety she had suffered since Fritz had left home the previous summer, especially after her agonised fear of losing him!

Towards the close of March, the Hanoverian regiments returned to theirdepot, Fritz being forwarded on to Lubeck. 

As no one knew the precise day or hour when the train bearing him homemight be expected to arrive, of course there was no one speciallywaiting at the railway station to welcome him back. Only the ordinarycuriosity-mongers amongst the townspeople were there; but these werealways on the watch for new-comers. They raised a sort of cheer when heand his comrades belonging to the neighbourhood alighted from therailway carriages; but, although the cheering was hearty, and Fritz andthe others joined in the popular Volkslieder that the townspeoplestarted, the young sub-lieutenant missed his mother's dear face andLorischen's friendly, wrinkled old countenance, both of whom, somehow orother without any reason to warrant the assumption, he had thought wouldhave been there. 

It was in a melancholy manner, therefore, that he took his way towardsthe Gulden Strasse and the little house he had not seen for so long--could it only have been barely nine months ago?

How small everything looked now, after his travels and experiences ofthe busy towns and handsome cities of France which he had but so latelypassed through! All here seemed quiet, quaint, diminutive, old-fashioned, like the resemblance to some antique picture, or the dreamcity of a dream!

Presently, he is in the old familiar street of his youth. It seemed solong and wide then; now, he can traverse its length in two strides, andit is so narrow that the buildings on either side almost meet in themiddle. 

But, the home-coming charm is on him; love draws him forward quicklylike a magnet! He sees his mother's house at the end of the street. Heis up the outside stairway with an agile bound. 

With full heart, he bursts open the door, and, in a second, is withinthe parlour. He hears his mother's cry of joy. 

"My son, my son!" and she throws herself on his neck, as he clasps herin a fond embrace, recollecting that once he never expected to havelived to see her again. 

And Lorischen, too, she comes forward with a handshake and a hug for theboy she has nursed on her knee many a time in the years agone. 

But, who is this besides?

"What! Madaleine?" exclaims Fritz. 

"Yes, it is I, " she replies demurely, a merry smile dancing on her face, and a glad light in the bright blue eyes. 

This was the surprise Madame Dort had prepared for Fritz--a pleasantone, wasn't it, with which to welcome him home?

CHAPTER TWELVE. 

FAMILY COUNCILS. 

"I have to thank you, dear mother, for this!" said Fritz, with anaffectionate smile, to Madame Dort. "How did you contrive such apleasant surprise?"

"You told me of your trouble, my son, " she replied; "so I did my best tohelp you under the circumstances. "

"And you, little traitress, " exclaimed he, turning to Madaleine. "Howcould you keep me in suspense all those weary weeks that have elapsedsince the year began?"

"I did not think you cared so much, " said she defiantly. 

"Cared!" he repeated. 

"Well, it was not my fault, " she explained. "When I wrote to you last, I really never thought I should see you again. "

"You don't know me yet, " said Fritz. "I should have hunted you out tothe world's end! I had determined, as soon as I had seen mother, to gooff to Darmstadt and find out what had become of you. "

"And a nice wild-goose chase you would have had, " answered Madaleine, tossing her head, and shaking the silky masses of golden hair, nowunconfined by any jealous coiffe, with her blue eyes laughing fun. "Youwouldn't have found me there! The baroness--"

"Hang her!" interrupted Fritz angrily; "I should like to settle her!"

"Ah, I wouldn't mind your doing that now, " continued the girl naively;"she treated me very unkindly at the end. "

"The brute!" said Fritz indignantly. 

"Her son--the young baron, you know--came home from the war in January. He was invalided, but I don't think there was anything the matter withhim at all; for, no sooner had he got back to the castle than he beganworrying me, paying all sorts of attention and pestering me with hispresence. "

"Puppy!" exclaimed Fritz; "I would have paid him some delicate littleattentions if I'd been there!"

"Oh, I knew how to treat him, " said Madaleine. "I soon made him keephis distance! But it is the Baroness Stolzenkop that I complain of; sheactually taxed me with encouraging him!"

"Indeed?" interrogated Fritz. 

"Yes; and, when I told her I wouldn't choose her fop of a son if therewasn't another man in Germany, why she accused me of impertinence, telling me that the fact of my having attracted the young baron was anhonour which an humble girl in my position should have been proud of--she did, really!"

"The old cat!" said Fritz indignantly; "I should like to wring her neckfor her. "

"Hush, my son, " interposed Madame Dort. "Pray don't make use of suchviolent expressions. The baroness, you know, is exalted in rank, and--"

"Then all the greater shame for her to act so dishonourably, " heinterrupted hotly. "She ought to be--I can find no words to tell what Iwould do to her, there!"

"Besides, Master Fritz, " said old Lorischen, "I won't have you speak sodisrespectfully of cats, the noblest animals on earth! Look at Mouserthere, looking his indignation at you; can't you see how he feels thereproach of your comparing him to that horrid baroness?"

This remark at once diverted the conversation, all turning in thedirection the old nurse pointed, where a little comedy was beingenacted. 

Mouser--with his tail erected like a stiff bottle-brush, and everyindividual hair galvanised into a perpendicular position on his back, which was curved into the position of a bent bow with rage andexcitement, his whiskers bristling out from each side of his head andhis mouth uttering the most horrible anathemas the cat language iscapable of--was perched on the back of Madame Dort's arm-chair in thecorner; while poor Gelert, the innocent cause of all this display ofemotion on Mouser's part, was calmly surveying him and sniffinginterrogatory inquiries as to whom he had the pleasure of speaking. Thedog had not yet been formally introduced to his new cat friend, and fromthe commanding position he had taken up, with his hind legs on thehearthrug and his fore paws on the seat of the easy chair, he hadconsiderable advantage over pussy, should that sagacious creature thinkof fleeing to another vantage-ground; although the thought of this, itshould be added, never crossed for an instant the mind of old Mouser; heknew well when he was safe. 

Fritz burst out laughing. 

"Lie down, Gelert!" he cried; and the retriever at once obeyed. 

"Is that the dear dog?" inquired Madame Dort, stooping to pat him. 

"Yes, " said Fritz, "this is Gelert, the brave, faithful fellow but forwhom I would have bled to death on the battlefield and never have beensaved by Madaleine!"

"Thanks be to God!" exclaimed the widow piously. "What a nice dog heis!"

"He is all that, " replied Fritz; "still, he must be taught not to molestMaster Mouser. Here, Gelert!"

The dog at once sprang up again from his recumbent position on thehearthrug; while Mouser, his excessive spiny and porcupinish appearancehaving become somewhat toned down, was now watchfully observing this newvariety of the dog species, which his natural instinct taught him toregard with antagonism and yet who was so utterly different from BurgherJans' terrier, the only specimen of the canine race with whom he hadbeen previously acquainted. 

"See, " said Fritz to the retriever, laying one hand on his head andstroking the cat with the other, "you mustn't touch poor Mouser. Gooddog!"

The animal gave a sniff of intelligence, seeming to know at once whatwas expected of him; and, never, from that moment, did he ever exhibitthe slightest approach of hostility to pussy--no, not even when Mouser, as he did sometimes from curiosity, would approach him at the verydelicate juncture when he was engaged on a bone, which few dogs canstand--the two ever after remaining on the friendliest of friendlyterms; so friendly, indeed, that Mouser would frequently curl himself tosleep between Gelert's paws on the hearthrug. 

This little diversion had drawn away the conversation from Madaleine'streatment by the old Baroness Stolzenkop; but, presently, Madame Dortproceeded to explain to Fritz that, on account of his telling her in oneof his letters home how anxious he was in the matter, and knowingbesides how much she was indebted to Madaleine for saving his life byher kindly nursing when he was in the villa hospital at Mezieres, shehad written to her at Darmstadt, asking her to pay her a visit and solight up a lonely house with her presence until her son should havereturned from the war. "And a veritable house fairy she has been, "concluded the widow, speaking from her heart, with tears in her eyes. "She has been like sunshine to me in the winter of my desolation. "

"And Mouser likes her, too, " said Lorischen, as if that settled thematter. 

"She's the best manager in the world, " next put in Madame Dort. "Shehas saved me a world of trouble since she's been in the house. "

"And she cooks better than any one else in Lubeck!" exclaimed the oldnurse, not to be beat in enumerating all the good qualities of Fritz'sguardian angel, who had taken her heart, as well as the widow's, bystorm. 

Meanwhile, the subject of all these remarks stood in the centre of theroom, blushing at the compliments paid her on all sides. 

"Dear me, good people, I shall have to run away if you go on like that, "she cried at last. "I have been so happy here, " she added, turning toFritz. "It's the first time I've known what home was since my motherdied. "

"Poor child, " said Madame Dort, opening her arms. "Come here, I'll beyour mother now. "

"Ah, that's just what I've longed for!" exclaimed Fritz rapturously. "Madaleine, will you be her daughter in reality?"

The girl did not reply in words, but she gave him one look, and then hidher face in the widow's bosom. 

"Poor Eric, " said the widow presently, resigning Madaleine to the careof Fritz, who was nothing loth to take charge of her--the two retreatingto a corner and sitting down side by side, having much apparently to sayto each other, if such might be surmised from their bent heads andwhispered conversation. "If he were but here, my happiness would now bealmost complete!"

"Yes, " chimed in Lorischen as she bustled out of the room, Madame Dortfollowing her quietly, so as to leave the lovers to themselves--"thedear flaxen-haired sailor laddie, with his merry ways and laughing eyes. I think I can see him now before me! Ah, it is just nineteen months tothe day since he sailed away on that ill-fated voyage, you remember, mistress?"

But, she need not have asked the question. Madame Dort had countedevery day since that bright autumn morning when she saw her darling forthe last time at the railway station. It was not likely that she wouldforget how long he had been absent!

Later on, when the excitement of coming home to his mother and meetingwith Madaleine had calmed down, Fritz, having ceased to be a soldier, his services not being any longer required with the Landwehr, turned hisattention to civil employment; for, now, with the prospect of marryingbefore him, it was more urgent than ever that he should have somethingto do in order to occupy his proper position as bread-winner of thefamily, the widow's means being limited and it being as much as shecould do to support herself and Lorischen out of her savings, withouthaving to take again to teaching--which avocation, indeed, her health oflate years had rendered her unable to continue, had she been desirous ofresuming it again. 

Madaleine, of course, could have gone out as a governess, Madame Dortbeing, probably, easily able to procure her a situation in the family ofone of her former pupils; or she might have resumed the position of ahospital nurse, for which she had been trained at Darmstadt, having beentaken on as an assistant in the convalescent home established in thattown by the late Princess Alice of Hesse, when the Baroness Stolzenkopturned her adrift. But Fritz would not hear of Madaleine's leaving hismother. 

"No, " said he decisively to her, "your place is here with mutterchen, who regards you as a daughter--don't you, mother?"

"Yes, indeed, " answered the widow readily enough--"so long as I'mspared. "

"There, you see, you've no option, " continued Fritz triumphantly. "Mother would not be able to do without you now. Besides, it is notnecessary. I will be able to earn bread enough for all. Look at thesebroad shoulders and strong arms, hey! What were they made for else, I'dlike to know?"

Still, Fritz did not find it so easy to get employment as he thought. 

Herr Grosschnapper had kept the clerkship he had formerly filled in hiscounting-house open for him some time after the commencement of the war;but, finding that Fritz would be away much longer than he had expected, he had been forced to employ a substitute in his place. This young manhad proved himself so diligent and active in mastering all the detailsof the business in a short time, that the worthy shipowner did not wishto discharge him now when his original clerk returned, and Fritz himselfwould have been loth to press the matter; although, he had looked uponhis re-engagement in the merchant's office as a certainty when he cameback to Lubeck. 

Fritz had thought, with that self-confidence which most of us possess, that no one could possibly have kept Herr Grosschnapper's books orcalculated insurances with such ability as he could, and that the worthymerchant would have been only too delighted to welcome so able a clerkwhen he walked into the counting-house again. He had not lived longenough to know that as good, or better, a man can always be found tofill the place of even the best; and that, much as we may estimate ourown value, a proportionate equivalent can soon be supplied from othersources!

So, much to Fritz's chagrin, on going down to the merchant's place ofbusiness on the quay, all eagerness to resume work again on the oldfooting, he found that he was not wanted: he would have to applyelsewhere for employment. 

"Oh, that will not be a hard matter, " he thought to himself. 

"Softly, my friend, " whispered fickle Dame Fortune in his ear, "notquite so fast! Things don't always turn out just as you wish, youngsir, with your reliant impetuosity!"

Lubeck had never been at any time a bustling place, for it had no tradeto speak of; and now, since the war had crippled commerce, everythingwas in a state of complete stagnation. Ships were laying up idle allalong the banks of the great canal, although spring was advancing andthe ice-chains that bound up the Baltic would soon be loosed. Therewere no cargoes to be had; and perforce, the carriers of the sea wereuseless, making a corresponding dearth of business in the houses of theshipping firms. Why, instead of engaging fresh hands at their desks, they would have need soon to discharge some of their old ones! This wasthe answer that met his ear at every place he applied to, and he hadfinally to give up all hope of finding work in his native town. 

It was the same elsewhere. 

The five milliards of ransom paid by France, brought no alleviation ofthe enormous taxation imposed on Germany to bear the expense oforganising the great military machine employed to carry out the war. The Prussian exchequer alone reaped the benefit of this plunder of theconquered nation; as for the remaining states of the newly createdempire, they were not a farthing to the good for all the long train ofwaggons filled with gold and silver and bales of bank-notes thatstreamed over the frontier when the war indemnity was paid. Ifpossible, their position was made worse instead of better; as, from themore extravagant style of living now adopted, in lieu of the formerfrugal habits in vogue--on account of the soldiers of the Fatherlandlearning to love luxury through their becoming accustomed during thecampaign to what they had never dreamt of in their lives before--articles of food and dress became increased in price, so that it was adifficult matter for people with a small income to make both ends meet. 

Ah, there was wide-spread poverty and dearth of employment throughoutthe length and breadth of the land, albeit there might be feasting andhurrahing, and clinking of champagne glasses Unter den Linden at Berlin!

However, Fritz was not the sort of fellow to grow despondent, or fail torecognise the urgency of the situation. 

Long before Eric had gone to sea, he had fancied that Lubeck, with itsslow movements and asthmatic trade, offered little opening for theenergy and ability with which he felt himself endowed; for, he mightlive and die a clerk there, without the chance of ever rising toanything else. He had frequently longed to go abroad and carve out afortune in some fresh sphere; but the thought of leaving his motheralone prevented him from indulging in this day-dream, and he haddetermined, much against the grain, to be satisfied with the humble lotwhich appeared to be his appointed place in life. 

Now, however, circumstances had changed. His place was filled up in theold world; Providence itself forced him to seek an opening in the new. 

His mind was made up at once. 

"Little mother, " said he one evening, when he had been home a month, seeing every prospect of employment shut out from him--his last hope, that of a situation in the house of a comrade's father at Coblentz, fromwhich he had expected great things, having failed--"I've determined toemigrate to America--that is, if you do not offer any objection; for Ishould not like to go without your consent, although I see there's nochance for me here in Germany. "

"What!" exclaimed Madame Dort, so startled that she let her knittingdrop. "Go to America, across the terrible sea?"

Fritz had already explained matters to Madaleine, and she, brave-heartedgirl that she was, concealing her own feelings at the separation betweenthem which her lover's resolve would necessitate, did not seek to urgehim against his will to abandon his project. She believed in hishonesty of purpose, relying on his strong, impulsive character; and whathe had decided on, she decided, too, as a good wife that was to be, would be best not only for them both but for all. 

"Yes, to America, mutterchen, " he replied to the widow's exclamation, speaking in a tender voice of entreaty. "It is not so very far, youknow, dear little mother, eh? It will be only from Bremerhaven toSouthampton in England, --you recollect going there with me for a trip, don't you, the year before last?--and from Southampton to New York; and, there, I shall be in my new home in ten days' time at the outside! Why, it's nothing, a mere nothing of a voyage when you come to consider itproperly. "

"Across the wide, wild ocean that has already robbed me of Eric, myyoungest, " went on poor Madame Dort, unheeding his words; "you, myfirstborn--my only son now--I shall never see you more, I know!" and shegave way to a burst of tears. 

"Say not so, darling mother, " said Madaleine, throwing her arms roundher and joining in her weeping with a sympathetic heart, feeling quiteas great grief at the idea of parting with her lover. "He will returnfor us both bye-and-bye. He is only going to make that home for us inthe Far West we've read about so often lately, which he cannot hope toestablish here; and then, my mother, --for you are my mother too, now, are you not?--he will come back for you and me, or we will go out andjoin him. "

"And I should like to know what will become of me, Fraulein Madaleine, "interposed Lorischen indignantly. "Am I to be left behind to bebothered all my life long by that little plague, Burgher Jans?"

"No, no, Lorischen, " laughed Fritz; "a home across the sea in Americawould not be a home without you--or Mouser, either, " he added. 

"That's all right, then, " said the old nurse affably; her digressionserving to break the gravity of the conversation, and make Madame Dorttake a better view of the matter. 

"But, it's a terrible journey, though, a terrible journey--almost worsethan parting with him to go to the war, " said the widow sadly toherself. 

"Ah, but you did not have Madaleine with you then, " replied Fritz, turning a look of affection to the fair girl clinging to his mother. "She will be a daughter to you, and comfort you in my absence, I know. "

"Aye, that I will, " exclaimed Madaleine fondly, caressing her adoptedparent and gazing at Fritz with the blue eyes full of love, althoughblinded with tears. "I shall love her dearly for your sake, my darling, as well as for her own--and my own too; and we will all look forward tomeeting again happily after our present parting, with hope and trust inthe good God who will protect and watch over you in return for ourprayers!"

"Amen to that, " said Lorischen heartily. "And I tell you what it is, Master Fritz--we'll be all ready when you give the word to follow youacross the sea to that wonderful America! I declare I'm quite longingto see it, for I don't think much of this Lubeck now, with such curious, meddling, impertinent people in it like that odious little fat man, Burgher Jans. "

These words of the old nurse put them all in a merry mood, and thefamily council thus terminated more cheerily than it had begun. 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. 

Fritz was as prompt in action as he was rapid in resolve; so in a fewdays after he had imparted to Madaleine and his mother his intention ofemigrating to America, his last good-byes were exchanged with the littlehousehold in the Gulden Strasse--not forgetting the faithful Gelert, nowdomiciled in the family, whom it was impossible to take with him onaccount of the expense and trouble his transit would have occasioned, besides which, the good doggie would be ever so much better looked afterby those left behind and would serve "as a sort of pledge, " Fritz toldMadaleine, "of his master's return!"

Yes, within a week at the outside, he had left Lubeck once more, and wason his way to that western "land of the free" which Henry Russell theballad writer, has sung of:-- where the "mighty Missouri rolls down tothe sea, " and where imperial autocrats and conscription are undreamtof--although, not so very, very many years ago, it was convulsed in thethroes of a civil war which could boast of as gigantic struggles betweenhostile forces and as terrible and bloodthirsty battles as those whichhad characterised that Franco-German campaign, in which Fritz had but sorecently participated and been heartily sick of before it terminated!

The love of colonisation seems to be the controlling spirit of moderntimes. 

Some sceptics in the truth of historical accuracy, have whispered theirsuspicions that, the "New World" was actually discovered at a date longanterior to the age of Columbus; but, even allowing that there might besome stray scrap of fact for this assertion, it may be taken for grantedthat the first nucleus of our present system of emigration, from theolder continent to the "new" one, originated in the little band ofthirty-nine men left behind him by Christopher in Hispaniola, at theclose of his first "voyage beyond seas, " in the year 1493, orthereabouts. This small settlement failed, as is well-known, and thebones of the Genoese mariner who founded it have been mouldering in dustfor centuries. Sir Walter Raleigh--the gallant imitator of Columbus, treading so successfully in his footsteps as to illustrate the old adageof the pupil excelling the master, the original expounder, indeed, ofthe famous "Westwards Ho!" doctrine since preached so ably by latter-dayenthusiasts--has also departed to that bourne from whence no travellerreturns. So have, likewise, a host of others, possessing names proudlyborne on the chronicle of fame as martyrs to the universal spread ofdiscovery and spirit of progress. But, the love of enterprise, andconsequent expansion of civilisation and commercial venture, inauguratedby the brave old pioneers of Queen Elizabeth's day, have not ceased toimpel similar seekers after something beyond ordinary humdrum life. Thepath of discovery, although narrowed through research, has not yet beenentirely exhausted; for "fresh fields and pastures new, " as hopeful asthose about which Milton rhapsodised and as plenteously flowing withtypical milk and honey as the promised land of the Israelites, are beingcontinually opened up and offered to the oppressed and pauperisedpopulations of Europe. Thus, the tide of emigration, swelled from thetiny ocean-drop which marked its first inception more than three hundredyears ago to its present torrentine proportions and bearing awayfrequently entire nationalities on its bosom, still flows from the eastto the west, tracing the progress of civilisation from its Alpha to itsOmega, as steadily as when it originally began--aye, and as it willcontinue to flow on, until the entire habitable globe shall be peopledas with one family by the intermixture and association of alien races!

It is curious how this migratory spirit has permeated through the oddcorners of the old world, leading the natives of different countries toflock like sheep to every freshly spoken of colony; and how, by suchmeans, Englishmen, Celts, Germans, French, Hollanders, Italians, Norsemen, Africans, as well as the "Heathen Chinee, " are scattered in amixed mass over the whole face of the earth now-a-days, as widely as thedescendants of Noah were dispersed from the plain of Shinar after theirunsuccessful attempt at building the tower of Babel--the result being, that some of the highest types of advancement are at present to be foundwhere, but a few years back, uncultivated savages, as rude but perhapsnot quite so inquisitive as the late Bishop Colenso's apocryphal Zulu, were the sole existing evidences of latent humanity!

Fritz, however, was not proceeding to any of these newly colonisedcountries. Like the majority of other Germans who had emigrated beforehim, he was aiming for "the States, " where, according to the popularidea in Europe, money can be had for nothing in the shape of anyexpenditure of labour, time, or trouble. Really, the ne'er-do-well andshiftless seem to regard America as a sort of Tom Tiddler's ground forthe idle, the lazy, and the dissolute--although, mind you, Fritz wasnone of these, having made up his mind to work as hard in the New Worldas he would have been forced to do in the Old for the fortune he couldnot win there, and which he had been forced to turn his back on. 

Bremerhaven to Southampton; Southampton to Sandy Hook, as he had toldhis mother; and, in ten days altogether, the ocean steamer he travelledin, one of the North German line, had landed him safely in New York. 

Seven years before, when he would have reached the "Empire City" duringthe height of the Secession War, he might have sold himself to a "bountyjumper, " as the enlisting agents of the northern army were termed, for anice little sum in "greenback" dollars; now, he found sharpers, or"confidence men, " ready to "sell" him in a similar way--only, that theformer rogues would have been satisfied with nothing less than his bodyand life, as an emigrant recruit for Grant or Sherman's force; while thepresent set cared but for his cash, seeking the same with ravenous mawalmost as soon as he had landed at Castle Garden!

Fritz had taken a steerage passage, so as to save money; and, beingdressed in shabby clothes, in keeping with his third-class ticket, theloafers about the Battery, at the end of Manhattan Island, on which thetown of New York is built, thought he was merely an ignorant Germanpeasant whom they might easily impose on. They, however, soon foundthat he had not been campaigning six months for nothing, and so theirefforts at getting him to part with the little capital he had werepretty well thrown away--especially as Fritz, in his anxiety to findsome work to do at once, did not "let the grass grow under his feet, "but proceeded up Broadway instead of wasting his time by lounging in thevicinity of the emigrant depot, as the majority of his countrymengenerally do, apparently in the expectation that employment will come insearch of them. 

Still, he soon discovered that New York was overstocked with just thespecies of labour he was able to supply. 

Of course, if he had been at the pitch of desperation, he might havefound a job of some sort to his hand; but, writing and speaking Englishand French fluently in addition to his native tongue, besides being agood correspondent and book-keeper, he did not feel disposed to throwaway his talents on mere manual labour. He had emigrated to "make hisfortune, " or, at all events, to achieve a position in which he couldhope to build up a home for the dear ones left behind at Lubeck; andthere would not be much chance of his accomplishing this by engaginghimself out as a day labourer--to assist some skilled carpenter orbricklayer--which was the only work offered him. 

"No, sir; nary an opening here!" was the constant reply he met with atevery merchant's office he entered from Wall Street upwards alongBroadway until he came to Canal Street; when, finding the shops, or"stores" as the Americans call them, going more in the "dry goods" orhaberdashery line, he wended his way back again "down town, "investigating the various establishments lying between the mainthoroughfare and the North and East rivers, hoping to find a situationvacant in one of the shipping houses thereabouts. 

But, "No, sir; all filled up, I guess, " was still the stereotypedresponse to his applications, with much emphasis on the "sir"--themajority of the Manhattanese uttering this word, as Fritz thought, in ahighly indignant tone, although, as he discovered later on, this was thegeneral pronunciation adopted throughout the States. 

"I suppose, " he said to one gentleman he asked, and who was, it seemedto Fritz, the master, or "boss, " of the establishment, from the fact ofhis lounging back in a rocking chair contiguous to his desk, andbalancing his feet instead of his hands on the latter, --"I suppose it'sbecause I can give no references to former employers here, that all themen I speak to invariably decline my services?"

"No, sirree; I reckon not, " was the reply. "Guess we don't care a cusswhere you come from. We take a man as we find him, for just what he isworth, without minding what he might have been in the old country, orbothering other folks for his ka-racter, you bet! I reckon, mister, you'd better start right away out West if you want work. Book-keepersand sich-like are played out haar; we're filled up to bustin' with 'em, I guess!"

It was good advice probably; but, still, Fritz did not care to act uponit. Having been accustomed all his life to the shipping trade, hewished to find some opening in that special branch of business; and, ifhe went inland to Chicago or elsewhere, he thought, he would beabandoning his chances for securing the very sort of work he preferredto have. Besides, going away from the neighbourhood of ships and quaysand the sea would be like cutting adrift every old association withLubeck and Europe; while, in addition, he had directed his letters fromhome to be sent to the "Poste Restante, New York, " and if he left thatcity, why he would never hear how Madaleine and his mother were gettingon in his absence!

So, for days and days he patrolled the town in vain; seeking for work, and finding none. The place, as his candid informer had said, wasfilled with clerks like himself in search of employment; and they, linguists especially, were a drug in the market--the cessation of theFranco-German War having flooded the country with foreign labour. 

What should he do?

Before making a move, as everybody advised him, he determined to awaitthe next mail steamer. This would bring him a letter from home, inanswer to the one he had written, immediately on landing, telling of hissafe arrival in the New World. He was dying to have, if only, a linefrom those dear ones he had left with a good-bye in the Gulden Strasse, recounting all that had happened since he had started from home--hispassage across the Atlantic having lasted, according to his morbidimagination, at least as long as the war he had lately served through!

At last, a letter came; and, as it really put fresh heart in him--cheering up his drooping energies and banishing a sort of despondentfeeling which had begun to prey upon him, altering him completely fromhis former buoyant self--he made up his mind in his old prompt fashionto visit some of the other seaports on the coast, "Down East, " asAmericans say, in order to try whether he might not be able there to geta billet. 

He had very little money left now; for, he had not brought much with himfrom home, originally and the greater part of what he had in his pocketswhen he came ashore had melted away in paying for his board and lodgingwhile remaining in New York. Although he had put up at the cheapestboarding-house he could find, it was far dearer than the most expensiveaccommodation in Lubeck or even at a first-class hotel in any large townon the Continent. Living in such a city was actually like eating hardcash!

Fritz saw that he would have to proceed on his journey along the coastas cheaply as possible:-- he had not much to spare for railway andsteamboat fares. 

With this resolution staring him in the face, he made his way oneafternoon to the foot of Canal Street, from the quays facing which, onthe North River, start the huge floating palaces of steamers thatnavigate the waters of Long Island Sound--visiting on their way thoseNew England States where, it may be recollected, the Pilgrim Fatherslanded after their voyage in the _Mayflower_, of historic renown, acouple of odd centuries ago. 

One of these vessels had "Providence" marked on her; and the name atonce arrested the attention of Fritz. 

"Himmel!" he said to himself, with a superstitious sort of feeling likethat which he used to ridicule in old Lorischen when she read omens inMouser's attitudes and cat language of a night--"this looks lucky;perhaps providence is going to interpose on my behalf, and relieve mefrom all the misery and anxiety I'm suffering! At all events, I will goon board and see where the steamer is bound for. "

No sooner said than done. 

Fritz stepped on to the gangway; and, quickly gaining the vessel, askedone of the deck hands he saw forward where she was going to. 

"Ha-o-ow?" repeated the man--meaning "what?"

"Where are you bound for?" said Fritz again. 

"Providence, Rhode Island, I guess, mister. Can't ye see it writ up?"

"And where's that?" further inquired Fritz. 

"New England way, I reckon, whar I wer raised. "

"Any ships or shipping trade there?"

The man laughed out heartily. 

"Jerusalem, that's prime, anyhow!" he exclaimed. "Any ships atProvidence? Why, you might as well ask if thar wer any fish in the sea!Thar are heaps and heaps on 'em up to Rhode Island, mister, from ascoop up to a whaler; so I guess we can fix you up slick if you comeaboard!"

"All right, I will, " said Fritz; "that is, if the fare is not too high. "

"Guess two-fifty won't break you, hey?" responded the deck hand, meaningtwo-and-a-half dollars. 

"No, " said Fritz; "I think I can manage that. What time do you start?"

"Five o'clock sharp. "

"That will just give me time to fetch my valise, " said Fritz, thinkingaloud. 

"Where away is that?" asked the man. 

"Chatham Street, " answered Fritz, "just below the town hall. "

"Oh, I know, mister, well enough whar Chatham Street is! Yes, you'llhave plenty of time if you look smart. "

"Thank you, I will, " said Fritz; and, going back to the boarding-housewhere he had been stopping, he soon returned to the quay with the littlevalise that carried all his impedimenta--reaching the steamer just inthe nick of time as she was casting off. 

As he jumped on to her deck, the gangway was withdrawn. 

"All aboard?" sang out the captain from the pilot-house on the hurricanedeck. 

"Aye, aye, all aboard, " was the response from Fritz's friend the deckhand, who, with only a red flannel shirt on and a pair of checktrousers--very unsailorlike in appearance altogether--stood in the bows. 

"Then fire away and let her rip!" came the reply from the captain above, followed by the tinkle of an electric bell in the engine-room, thesteamer's paddles revolving with a splash the moment afterwards andurging her on her watery way. 

Round the Battery at Manhattan Point she glided, and up the East Riverthrough Hell Gate into Long Island Sound--one of the most shelteredchannels in the world, and more like a lake or lagoon than an arm of thesea--leaving a broad wake of creamy green foam behind her like a mill-race, and quivering from stem to stern with every revolution of hershaft, with every throb of her high-pressure engines!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. 

The Rhode Island steamer was a splendid boat, Fritz found, when he cameto look about him; for, she was a "floating palace, " every inch of her, with magnificent saloons and state-cabins stretching away the entirelength of the vessel fore and aft. A light hurricane deck was aboveall, on which the passengers could promenade up and down to theirhearts' content, having comfortable cane-bottomed seats along the sidesto sit down upon when tired and no gear, or rope coils, or othernautical "dunnage, " to interrupt their free locomotion on this king ofquarter-decks, which had, besides, an awning on top to tone down thepotency of the western sun. 

With three tiers of decks--the lowermost, or main, containing theengine-room and stowage place for cargo, as well as the men's quarters;the lower saloon, in which were the refreshment bars, and what couldonly appropriately be called the "dining hall, " if such a term were notan anachronism on board ship; and, thirdly, the upper saloon, containingthe principal cabins and state-rooms, in addition to the gracefulpromenading hurricane deck surmounting the whole--the steamer had theappearance of one of those bungalow-like pretended "houses" whichchildren build up with a pack of cards. Only that, this illusion wasspeedily destroyed by the huge beam of the engine, working up and downlike a monster chain-pump on top of the whole structure--not to speak ofthe twin smoke-stacks on either side of the paddle-boxes emittingvolumes of thick, stifling vapour, and the two pilot-houses, one at eachextremity of the hurricane deck; for, like most American river steamers, the boat was what was called a "double-ender, " built whale-boat fashionto go either backwards or forwards, a very necessary thing to avoidcollision in crowded waters. 

Fritz could not but realise that the ingenious construction which he wasgazing at was essentially a Yankee invention, resembling nothing inEuropean waters. 

If he had not yet been fully convinced of this fact, the eldritchscreech which the steam whistle shortly evolved, in obedience to thepressure of the captain's finger on a valve in the pilot-house forward--whence the vessel was steered--would have at once decided his mind onthe point. It was the most fearful, ear-deafening, blood-curdling soundhe had ever heard in his life!

Fritz thought something had happened--that the boiler was in danger ofbursting, or the vessel sinking at the least--but, on making a startledinquiry of the nearest person, he was reassured by learning that the"whistle, " as the frightful noise was called, was only emitted incourteous salutation to another steamer passing in the distance, bounddown to New York; and soon, an answering squeal from the boat inquestion, mercifully tempered by the distance into a faint squeak thatlent more "enchantment" to its notes than was possessed by the one whichhad just startled him, corroborated the truth of this statement. 

After enjoying the scenery from the hurricane deck for some little time, Fritz made his way below to the forward part of the main deck runninginto the bows, where he had noticed, while looking down from above, hisfriend the deck hand of the Garibaldi shirt and blue cotton checktrousers--or "pants" as the man would himself probably have called thesegarments. 

He was busily engaged coiling down ropes and otherwise making himselfuseful, singing the while in a light-hearted way a queer sort of serio-comic and semi-sentimental ditty, the most curious composition Fritz hadever come across. 

He, therefore, could not help laughing when the singer arrived at theend of his lay. 

The man turned round at once on hearing the sound of his merriment. 

"Nice song, that, " said Fritz, as soon as he could compose his facesufficiently to speak. "Just the sort of tender tone about it that Ilike!"

"None o' your gas, mister, " replied the other with a smile, which showedthat he was not offended at Fritz's chaff. "It's only a lot o' nonsenseI picked up somehow or other out West. "

"It is a very funny mixture, " said Fritz. "It is a wonder to me whoimagines these absurd things and makes them up!"

"Right you air, " replied the man. "A heap more curious it is than thefolks who write the clever things; and the queerest bit about it is, too, that the nonsense spreads quicker and faster than the sense!"

"Human nature, " said Fritz laconically, expressing thus his opinion ofthe matter. 

"You're a philosopher, I reckon?" observed the deck hand in reply. 

"No, not quite that, " answered Fritz, rather surprised at such a remarkfrom a man of the sort. "I merely form conclusions from what I see. I'm only a clerk--and you?"

"I'm a deck hand now, " said the other, speaking rather bitterly. "Lastfall, I was a cow boy, Minnesota way; next year, I'll be goodness knowswhat. Once, I was a gentleman!"

"And how--" began Fritz, when the other interrupted him brusquely. 

"Put it all down to the cussed drink, mister, and you won't be far out, "said he, laughing mockingly, so as to disguise what he really felt bythe avowal; "but, " he added, to turn the conversation, "you speak verygood English for a German, which I ken see you are. "

"I was educated partly in England, " said Fritz. 

"Ah, that accounts for it. Been long in this country?"

"About six weeks, " replied Fritz. 

"Travelling for pleasure, or looking about you?" was the next query fromthe deck hand, whom Fritz thought strangely inquisitive for an utterstranger. Still, the man did not mean any harm; it was only the customof the country, as all new-comers speedily find out. 

"I'm looking about for work, " he answered rather curtly. "I wish youwould get me some. "

Fritz thought this would have silenced his interlocutor; but, instead ofthat, the deck hand proceeded with a fresh string of questions. 

"What can you do?" he asked amiably, his smile robbing the words of anyimpertinence. "You don't look like one who has roughed it much. "

"No?" said Fritz, somewhat amused. "You would not think, then, that Ihad been all through the terrible war we've had with France, eh?"

"Pst!" ejaculated the other. "You don't call that a war, do you? Why, you don't know what a war is in your miserable, played-out oldcontinent! Look at ours, lasting nearly four years, and the battle ofGettysburgh, with thirty thousand dead alone! What do you think ofthat, hey?"

"Gravelotte had nearly as many, " said Fritz quietly. 

"All right, mister; we won't argy the p'int now; but you haven'tanswered me yet as to what you ken do. "

"Well, then, " answered Fritz, "I can speak and write three languages, keep books, and act as a good correspondent and manager. "

"I like that, " exclaimed the other admiringly. "You speak slick andstraight to the p'int, without any bunkum or blarney, like some of themthat come over here. But, what line have you run on in the oldcountry?"

"The shipping business is what I know best about, " replied Fritz. 

"Ah, that's the reason, I suppose, you asked me if thar wer any ships upto Providence, hey, mister?"

"Yes, " said Fritz. "I have applied to all the houses in New York invain, and I thought I would try my chance at some other seaport town. "

"Didn't like going inland, then!"

"No, " he answered. 

"And so you selected Providence?"

"I only did so from chance. If I had not seen the name painted on thesteamer, I would not have thought of speaking to you and asking whereshe was going. "

"And if you had not spoken to me again, why, I would not have knownanything about you, nor been able to put you in the way of something, "replied the deck hand, more earnestly than he had yet spoken. 

"You can do that?" said Fritz eagerly. 

"Yes; but wait till we get to Providence. As soon as the old ship ismoored alongside the wharf and all the luggage ashore, you come along ofme, and I'll show you whar to go. I shall be my own boss then, with noskipper to order me about. "

The man hurried off as he said these last words, in obedience to a hailfrom above--telling him to go and do something or other, "and look smartabout it too"--which had probably influenced his remark about being hisown "boss" when he got to land; and Fritz did not see him again untilthe next morning, by which time the steamer had reached its destination. 

To Fritz's eyes, Providence was more like a European town than New York, the more especially from his being accustomed to the look of seaports onthe Baltic and banks of the Elbe; for the houses were mostly built ofstone, and there was much less of that wooden, flimsy look which thenewly sprung up cities of America possess. 

This old-fashioned appearance is a characteristic of all the New Englandstates--Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut--for, here theoriginal "Pilgrim Fathers" settled down and built unto themselvesdwellings as nearly like those they had left behind them as it waspossible with the materials to their hands, their descendants seeminglykeeping up the habit of building in like manner. If this is not thecase, then, most certainly, the old buildings of two centuries ago havelasted uncommonly well!

Fritz waited to go ashore until his friend the deck hand should bedisengaged. He had seen him soon after they reached the steamer'swharf; and, again, a second time when the crowd of passengers, with theexception of himself, brought up from New York had all disembarked--theman telling him he was just going to "clean himself down a bit, " and hewould then be ready to take him to a decent place to stop, where hewould not be charged too exorbitantly for his board. 

And so Fritz waited on the steamer's deck alongside the quay, gazingwith much interest at the scene around him. 

There were not quite so many ships as his casual acquaintance had ledhim to expect when he told him he would "see heaps up thaar"; but, still, the port evidently had a large import trade, for several bigvessels were moored in the harbour and others were loading up at thewharves or discharging cargo, the latter being in the majority, whilelots of smaller sailing craft and tiny boats were flying about, transporting goods and bales of merchandise to other places further upthe river. 

He had hardly, however, seen half what was in view when some one tappedhim on the shoulder, and he turned round. 

It was his friend the deck hand of the red flannel shirt and blue checkcotton trousers; but, a wonderful transformation had taken place in hisdress!

Clad now in an irreproachable suit of black, with a broad, grey felt haton his head, the man looked quite the gentleman he had representedhimself as once being. His manners, too, seemed to have changed withhis outer apparel, the off-hand boorishness of the whilom "deck hand"having vanished with his cast-off raiment. 

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, sir, " he said to Fritz, still, however, with the strongly accentuated "sir" he had noticed in those whohad spoken to him at New York, "but I've hurried up as quickly as Icould. Shall we now go ashore?"

"Certainly, " said Fritz, "although you've not detained me, I assure you. I have had plenty to look at during the little time I've been waiting. "

"Ah, you've not seen half of Providence yet, " replied the other, as thetwo stepped from the gangway that led from the deck of the steamer on tothe stone quay alongside. "Why, some of the houses further up are finerthan those of Broadway!"

"This is your native place, I suppose?" said Fritz slyly. 

"Yes, " answered his companion, "but I do not flatter it on thataccount. "

The two walked on, until presently the Rhode Islander stopped in frontof one of the smaller hotels. This looked, despite its lesserproportions, in comparison with its larger rivals, far more respectableand aristocratic--if such terms may be permitted to anythingappertaining to the land of so-called "equality" and "freedom, " where, according to the poetical belief, there is no aristocracy save hat ofmerit and shoddy!

"Let's go in here, " said the deck hand. "It is a great place for themerchants and sea-captains, and I might be able to introduce you to someone I know while we're having a drink. "

"It's too early for that, " said Fritz, feeling inclined to draw back, remembering what his companion had confessed the night before about hishabits. 

"Ah, I see, " exclaimed the other, colouring up as he took the hint, being evidently highly sensitive. "But you need not be afraid of thatnow. I'm always on my good behaviour whenever I come up to Providence. I'm really not going in here to drink now, I assure you; this is a houseof call for business people, and I want to see some one just come homewhom I know. "

"All right, then, " said Fritz, going into the hotel without any furtherprotest; when, following his companion through several long passages, they at length entered a large room at the back. 

"Jerusalem!" ejaculated the Rhode Islander almost the very instant hehad crossed the threshold of this apartment. "If that aren't theidentical coon right oppo-site, mister!"

"Where?" asked Fritz. 

"There, " said the other, pointing to where a rather short, broad-shouldered man was engaged in conversation with a lithe lad, whose backwas turned but the colour of whose hair reminded Fritz of poor Eric. 

"Hullo, Cap'en Brown, " sang out the whilom deck hand at this juncture;and, the broad-shouldered man looking round in the direction whence thevoice proceeded, the lad also turned his face towards Fritz. 

Good heavens! It was his brother Eric, whom he and every one at homehad believed to be buried beneath the ocean with the rest of the boat'screw that had escaped when the _Gustav Barentz_ foundered, nothing ofthem having been heard since!

With one bound he was across the room. 

"Eric!" he exclaimed in astonishment. 

"Fritz!" ejaculated the other; and, forgetting their surroundings in thejoy of thus meeting again, the two brothers fell into each other's arms, almost weeping with joy. 

"By thunder!" said the Rhode Islander to his friend the sea captain, both looking on with much interest at the affecting scene, "I'm glad Imade him come in here anyhow, and we'll have a licker-up on the strengthof it, Cap'en Brown. It seems it wer a sort of providence that made himtake our boat away haar, after all!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 

THE YANKEE SKIPPER. 

"And how on earth did you escape?" asked Fritz, when he and Eric hadsomewhat recovered from their first surprise and emotion at meetingagain in so unexpected a manner. 

"Well, it's a long story to tell, brother, " replied Eric, as soon as hecould speak calmly, putting his arm through that of Fritz and drawinghim towards a sort of long sofa, like a divan, which stretched acrossone side of the wide apartment where they had so strangely encountered--the other and opposite side of the room being occupied by the usual longhotel "bar, " common in most American towns, in front of which variouslittle detached groups of people were standing up, drinking and chattingtogether. "Suppose we come to an anchor here awhile, and I'll reel youoff a yarn about all that has happened to me since I left Lubeck. "

"All right, we may as well sit down, at all events, " said Fritz. "Theywon't charge us for that, eh?"

"Oh no, I guess not, " answered Eric, with that old light-hearted laughof his, which his brother had never thought he should ever hear again. "This is a free country, they say, you know!"

"Now tell me all about yourself, " said Fritz, when they had ensconcedthemselves comfortably in the furthest corner of the divan, or settee, which they had pretty much to themselves. "I'm dying to know how youwere saved!"

"Right you are, my hearty, " replied Eric, in sailor fashion. "Here goesfor the log of my cruise in the poor old _Gustav Barentz_!"

"Fire away!" said Fritz; and then, the lad thereupon began his story. 

The ship, Eric declared, was found to be terribly leaky almost as soonas they had started on the voyage, and this necessitated their having toput into Plymouth for repairs, which detained them a considerable time. Indeed, it was as much as they could do to patch her up at all; for, hertimbers were so rotten and the vessel had been strained so much fromoverloading that she was really unfit to be sent to sea. However, asFritz already knew, the _Gustav Barentz_ managed to clear out of theChannel, reaching the latitude of the Cape de Verde Islands all right, and it was shortly after passing Teneriffe that Eric had been enabled toforward that letter of his which had so gladdened his mother's heart, toLubeck by a homeward-bound ship. After that, however, all went wrongwith the ill-fated vessel. She had knocked about in the doldrums forweeks; and, after making a long leg over to the South American coast, had succeeded at last in getting round the Cape of Good Hope safely--although taking a terrible time over it, and dragging out a most tediouspassage from Plymouth--when she met a south-east gale, just as she hadentered the Indian Ocean and was shaping a course towards the Straits ofSunda, so as to fetch Java. 

Leaky and strained and overladen as the ship was, she was in nocondition to fight the elements on fair terms; so the result of it was, that, after being buffetted by the gale for some four days and then, finally, pooped by a heavy following sea as she tried to run before thewind, it was discovered that she was making water too fast for the pumpsto be of any avail. Consequently, as nothing further could be done, itwas determined to abandon her. Accordingly, the jolly-boat and pinnacewere provisioned and launched over the side, the crew being dividedbetween the two, under the direction of the captain and chief officer;and they had hardly time to get into these frail craft, to encounteronce again on worse terms the perils of the ocean that had alreadyproved too strong for their vessel, and push off from her side, whenthey saw the old _Gustav Barentz_ go down before their eyes--founderingalmost without a moment's warning. 

"It was terrible for you all to be left tossing about on the raging seain a couple of open boats!" said Fritz sympathisingly, pressing hisbrother's arm, --"worse than being in a leaky ship, I should think. "

"Yes, " answered Eric; "but we kept up our courage well, the captainsustaining us with brave words, saying that, as we were not many milessouth of Cape Arguilhas and had the wind blowing right on to the land, we must soon reach shore. But, I don't know, I'm sure, how he came toplace the ship where he did; for, according to my reckoning, we wereseveral degrees, at the least, to the eastward of the Cape. However, Isuppose he said what he did to prevent our giving way to despair, which, perhaps, we might otherwise have done, eh?"

"Most probably, " said Fritz, agreeing with his brother. "It would bevery unlikely for the captain to make so great an error in hiscalculations as that. He was esteemed a good navigator, you know, byHerr Grosschnapper. "

"Well, anyway, " continued Eric, without waiting to argue this point withhis brother, "we did not reach land that day, which some of the menexpected from his words; nor did we the next morning, although, thenmuch to our sorrow, we could see the pinnace no longer near us, shehaving parted company in the night time and gone to the bottom, as wethought. "

"You were wrong, " interrupted Fritz; "the boat was picked up by anAustralian ship, the survivors being taken on to Melbourne. It wasthrough these that we heard later on of the loss of the _GustavBarentz_; and naturally, as you had not been rescued at the same time, we all gave you and the captain's party up. "

"Oh, indeed!" said Eric. "I'm right glad to hear that! Why, we thoughtthat they were the lost ones, not us, lamenting them much accordingly!That Groots, the first mate, was a capital chap, as fine an officer asever stepped aboard a ship; so I'm pleased to know he's safe. But, togo on with my yarn, there we found ourselves alone in the morning on thewild waste of waters, dancing about in an angry sea that threatenedevery moment to overwhelm us, and with the gale increasing instead ofhaving blown itself out, as we hoped. We didn't feel very comfortable, I can tell you, Fritz. "

"I should think not, " responded his brother. 

"No; for it was as much as we could do to prevent the boat from fillingevery moment, the waves were breaking over her so continually. It onlyescaped sinking by constantly baling her out with our boots and keepingher head to the wind with a floating anchor, which we rigged togetherout of all the spare oars and spars we had aboard, veering the littlecraft to leeward of this by the painter. All that day, too, the galekept up; and the sea, you may be sure, did not calm down, rollingmountains high, as it seemed to us just down to its level in the jolly-boat! So it was the next night, there not being the slightest lull, wehaving to ride it out all the while; but, on the third morning, the galemoderated sufficiently for us to be able to scud before it in thedirection of the Cape. It was lucky for us that the wind, by the way, did not shift once while we were lying-to, blowing steadily from thesame quarter it began in, from the south-east. If it had changed atall, especially during the night at any time, it would have been all upwith us!"

"Yes?" said Fritz interrogatively. 

"Why, of course it would, for it was as dark as pitch, so that you couldnot see your hand before your face; and if the wind had chopped round, bringing us athwart the heavy rolling sea that was running, we shouldhave been swamped in a moment, without the chance of saving ourselves byturning the boat's head so as to meet the waves; do you see now?"

"I see, " said Fritz, with a shudder. "It was bad enough to confrontyour peril in daylight, but it would have been awful to have beenengulfed in the darkness!"

"That was what was in our minds, " proceeded Eric; "at least, I cananswer for my own thoughts. However, on the morning of the third day, as I've told you, the wind slackening down somewhat, although stillblowing steadily from the south-east, we hauled up to our floatinganchor, which we quickly proceeded to take to pieces, hauling on boardagain the oars and old boat-stretchers that had composed it, and whichhad served the purpose of fending off somewhat the rollers, thesebreaking over the spars, under whose lee we had comparatively stillwater. We then, with a great deal of difficulty, as it was a dangerousoperation on account of getting broadside on to the waves, managed toslew the jolly-boat's head round; when, rigging up a scrap of a sprit-sail amidships, so as not to bury the little craft's nose, which mighthave been the case if we had tried to step our proper mast more forward, with the captain steering with an oar out to windward to give himgreater command of her than the rudder would have done, we scudded awaytowards the African coast, giving up the pinnace as lost, and lookingout only for ourselves. "

"You had plenty to do, " said Fritz, "without thinking of any one else. "

"Yes, " replied Eric; "but still, we could not forget them so easily asall that. Shore folk think sailors are heartless, and that when a poorchap is lost overboard, they only say that `So-and-so has lost thenumber of his mess!' and, after having an auction over his kit in thefo'c's'le, then dismiss him from their memory! But, I assure you, thisis not always the case. You see, a ship is a sort of little world, andthose on board are so closely bound together--getting to know each otherso thoroughly from not having any others to associate with--that whenone is taken away from amongst them, particularly by a violent death, his absence, cannot but be felt. A sailor often misses even a messmatewhom he may dislike. How much the more, therefore, did we feel the lossof the whole boat's crew of the pinnace, every man of whom was almost asmuch a brother to me as you!"

"I beg your pardon if I spoke thoughtlessly, " said Fritz; "but I shouldhave imagined that being in such imminent danger, you would not have hadmuch time to mourn your lost comrades. "

"Nor did we, " continued Eric, "so long as we had something to do, eitherin helping to bale the boat out or keeping her head to wind; but, whenwe began to run before the gale, the men stretched out in the bottom andalong the stern-sheets, doing nothing, --for there was nothing for us todo, --we began to think of the poor fellows. This was only for a shorttime, however, as presently we had a more serious consideration on ourminds than even the fate of the others. During all the strain on us, when we were in such danger, none of us had thought of eating ordrinking; and, consequently, we had not examined the provisions--puthastily on board as we were leaving the sinking ship. But, now, feelingalmost famished, on proceeding to overhaul the lockers, we found to ourdismay that the sea water had spoilt everything, our biscuit being pasteand the other food rendered unfit for use. "

"What a calamity!" exclaimed Fritz. 

"Yes, " said Eric, "it was. Fortunately, we had some water, although ourtwo barricoes did not contain an over-abundant supply for seven men asthere were of us in the jolly-boat all told, including me. The captain, too, had stowed away a bottle of rum in the pocket of his pea jacket;and this being served out all round in a little tin pannikin we had, diluted to the strength of about four-water grog, it strengthened us allup a bit, bracing up our energies for what lay before us. "

"What did you do?" asked Fritz. 

"Why, what could we do, save let the boat go where the wind chose totake us, and trust in providence!" said Eric, seemingly surprised at thequestion. 

"Ah, we had an awful time of it, " he resumed presently. "When you cometo being five days in an open boat, with nothing to eat and only a smallquantity of water to assuage your burning thirst with at statedintervals, exposed all the time, too, to rough seas breaking over you--encrusting your hair and skin and everything with salt that blisteredyou when the sun came out afterwards, as it did, roasting us almost assoon as the gale lessened--why it was a painful ordeal, that's all! Therum did not last out long; and soon after the final drop of this wasserved out, the captain succumbed to weakness, having been dying byinches, and the stimulant only sustaining him so long. We kept him acouple of days, and then flung the body overboard, along with those oftwo other men who had died in the meantime from exposure and want offood; thus, only three others were now left in the jolly-boat besidesme. "

"And then?" interrupted Fritz anxiously. 

"I don't know what happened afterwards, " said Eric. "I got delirious, Isuppose, for I remember fancying myself at home again in Lubeck, withLorischen bending over me and offering me all sorts of nice things toeat! Really, I do not recollect anything further as to what occurred inthe boat. "

"How were you saved, then?" asked Fritz. 

"It was that good Captain Brown there, talking to the gentleman whom youcame in here with, " replied Eric, pointing out the broad-shouldered, jolly-looking, seafaring man whom Fritz's friend, the deck hand of thesteamer, had accosted and was now conversing with, close to where thetwo brothers were seated on the divan. 

"Oh, he rescued you!" said Fritz, looking at the seafaring man with someinterest. "I should like to thank him. "

"Yes; he's a good fellow, " Eric went on. "The first thing I saw when inmy right senses again, I think, after we had heaved the bodies of ourdead shipmates overboard the boat, was Captain Brown bending over me. Imust have confused his face with that of Lorischen, whom I had beendreaming of, for I thought it was hers, and called the captain by hername. "

"You did?"

"Yes; I remember his laughing and saying, `poor little chap, ' meaningme. He took care of me well, though; and it was only through his kindcare that they were able to bring me round again. They told meafterwards that I was in a most pitiable state of emaciation--askeleton, they said, with only fragments of burnt, blistered skincovering my poor bones!"

"And the others, " inquired Fritz, --"did they recover too?"

"No; not one of the three was alive when Captain Brown's ship cameacross our boat. I was the only one who had any life remaining. Theythought me a corpse, too, and would have left me to die with the rest, if it hadn't been for the captain, who declared there was breath stillin my apparently dead body, and kindly had me hoisted on board andattended to. "

"But how was it you never wrote home?" said Fritz after a bit, therecollection of what he had gone through overcoming Eric and making himsilent for a moment. 

"How could I, when the first land I touched, since I was picked up inthe ocean south of the Cape, was when I stepped ashore here last week!"

"I can't make that out, " said Fritz, puzzled at this. 

"Why, " replied the other, "you must know that Captain Brown's ship, the_Pilot's Bride_, is a whaling vessel; and she was on her usual cruisefor her fishing ground in the Southern Ocean, when I was rescued. Ifthere had been a boatload of us, or had our skipper been alive, perhapsCaptain Brown would have put in to the Cape to land us and so give newsof the loss of our ship; but, as there was only me, a boy, and I was fordays insensible and unable to give him any particulars about the vesselI belonged to, of course he continued his voyage. When I came tomyself, he promised to put me on board the first home-going ship we met;but, as we were far out of the track of these, we never came across asail. We did land at Tristan d'Acunha, about which I'll have to tellyou something bye-and-bye as to a plan I've got in my head, however, asno vessel with the exception of ourselves had been there for six months, there was not much use in my leaving a letter to be forwarded home, onthe chance of its being called for, was there?"

"No, " said Fritz, laughing. "A bad sort of post office that!"

"So, " continued Eric, "I had to wait till I landed here last Friday, when I wrote at once to dear mother and you, whom I thought would ofcourse still be at Lubeck. "

"Ah, you don't know all that has happened since you left, " said Fritzsolemnly. 

"Nothing is the matter with mother, dear mutterchen?" asked Eric in afrightened voice. 

"No; she's quite well, thank God, " said Fritz, who then proceeded togive his brother a history of all that had transpired in his absence--the account taking all the longer from Eric's ignorance of the war andeverything connected with it, he not having seen a newspaper from thetime of his leaving home until his arrival at Rhode Island, when, theevents of the past memorable year being of course stale news, they hadno chance of being communicated to him. 

"And now, " said Fritz, when he had made an end of his confidences inreturn for his brother's story, "I want to know Captain Brown, and thankhim for all his kindness to you, Eric. "

As Fritz said this, the broad-shouldered, jolly, seafaring man Eric hadpointed out--who was still talking to Fritz's acquaintance of thesteamboat, close to the divan and within sound of the brothers' voices--hearing his name spoken, looked towards Fritz, who at once raised hishat politely. 

"Sarvint, sir, " said he, coming forward and stretching out an open handabout the size of a small-sized ham. 

"You're the brother, I reckon from the likeness, of this young shaver Ipicked up off the Cape, hey? My name's Brown, Cap'en Brown, sir, of the_Pilot's Bride_, the smartest whaling craft as ever sailed out o'Providence, I guess. Glad to know you, mister!"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

AN INVITATION. 

"Yes, I'm Eric's brother, " said Fritz, grasping the huge paw of theother, and shaking hands cordially, --"Fritz Dort, at your service. I'monly too glad to have the pleasure of personally thanking you, on my ownand my mother's behalf, for your bravery in saving my poor brother herefrom a watery grave, as well as for all your kindness to him afterwards!He has told me about you, captain, and how you rescued him at sea, besides treating him so very handsomely afterwards. "

"Avast there!" roared out the Yankee skipper in a voice which was asloud as if he were hailing the maintop from his own quarter-deck, albeitit had a genial, cheery tone and there was a good-natured expression onhis jolly, weather-beaten face. "Stow all thet fine lingo, my hearty!I only did for the b'y, mister, no more'n any other sailor would hevdone fur a shepmate in distress; though, I reckon I wer powerful glad Ioverhauled thet there jolly-boat in time to save him, afore starvationan' the sun hed done their work on him. I opine another day's exposurewould hev settled the b'y's hash; yes, sir, I du!"

"I've no doubt of that, " said Fritz kindly. "From what he says, youmust have picked him up just in the nick of time. "

"Yes, sirree, you bet on thet, " responded the skipper. "Six hours moredriftin' about in thet boat, with the sun a-broilin' his brain-box an'his wits wool-gatherin' in delirimums, would ha' flummuxed him to ahaar, I guess. He wer so mad when we got him aboard thet he took me furhis gran'mother, Lorry sunthin' or other--I'm durned if I ken kinderrec'lect the name!"

"So he tells me, " said Fritz, laughing at the idea of old Lorischenbeing mistaken for the broad-shouldered, red-faced, whaling captain. The old nurse, who was very particular about her personal appearance, would have had a fit at the bare supposition, much less at such anallusion to her age as would have supposed her ancient enough to beEric's grandmother!

"Never mind, mister, " continued the skipper, giving Eric a hearty slapon the back, which made the lad wince although he smiled at what theworthy sailor intended for a little friendly attention. "He's all rightnow, the b'y is--ain't you, my bully, hey?"

"Yes; all right, captain, all right, sir, thanks to you, " replied Eric. 

"Thet's your sort, " said the skipper exultantly. "We've coddled him upan' made a man of him ag'in, we hev, sirree. Jerusalem, mister, youwouldn't know him ag'in for the skillagalee young shaver we h'istedaboard! An', what is more, mister, look here, we've made a sailor ofthe b'y since he's been along of us in the _Pilot's Bride_--none of yourlazy, good-for-nothin' idlers; but, a reg'ler downeaster cat block, clear grit an' no mistake, a sailor every inch of him, yes, sir!"

"I should have thought he had seen enough of the sea, eh?" said Fritz, turning to Eric with a smile. 

"Thunder, mister!" exclaimed the Yankee skipper indignantly. "What d'yemean with your `'nough of the sea, ' when he's only jest cut his eye-teeth an' taken to larnin'? Why, mister, it would be a sin to let thetb'y turn his hand to anythin' else, fur he's a born sailor to the verybackbone!"

"What say you, Eric?" said Fritz to his brother. 

"Oh, I'm with the captain, " replied he. "I always loved the sea, andthe wreck of the old _Gustav Barentz_ has not altered my thinking aboutit just the same. I don't believe I could ever settle down to a shorelife now! I have learnt a lot of seamanship, too, with Captain Brown;and he says, that if I will go with him on his next whaling voyage, he'll make me third mate of the _Pilot's Bride_. "

"Jest so, my young cock shaver, " said that gentleman; "an' what old JobBrown sez, why I guess he'll stick to! You rec'lect what I told you'bout wages, hey? We whalin' men don't gen'rally give a fixed sum, aswe go shares in the vally o' the venture; but, if yer brother haar likesit better, I'll give you twenty dollars a month, besides yer keep an'mess money, thaar!"

"I'm sure, Captain Brown, that is a very generous offer, " replied Fritz, acting as spokesman for his brother; "still, I hardly think my poormother would like his being away for so long a time as your voyage wouldlast. "

"We'll be away, I reckon, fur a twelvemonth, countin' from next month, when we'll start--thet is if my shep's ready for the v'y'ge, as I kinderguess she'll be, with me to look arter her an' see the longshore mendon't lose time over the job, " interrupted the skipper. "Say now, shesails latter end o' July, so as to git down to the Forties aforeOctober, or tharabouts; waall, I guess we'll cast anchor in NarragansetBay ag'in 'fore next fall--will that du for you, mister, hey?"

"You see, " explained Fritz, "my poor mother thinks him dead; and, ofcourse, after she gets the letter he tells me he has just sent home, itwill be as bad as a second death to her to know that he has now startedon another voyage without returning to see her first! Besides that, I've read and heard that whaling life is terribly dangerous--isn't it?"

"Not a bit of it, " said the skipper bluntly, in sea-dog fashion. "Ireckon it's nary half so dangerous as sailin' back'ards an' for'ardsacross the herrin' pond 'twixt Noo Yark an' your old Eu-rope in one o'them ocean steamers, thet are thought so safe, whar you run the risk o'bustin' yer biler an' gettin' blown up, or else smashin' yer screw-shaftan' goin' down to Davy Jones' locker! Why, thaar ain't a quarter theper'l 'bout it, much less half, as I sed jest naow! You jest ax myfriend haar, whom you seem to hev known afore. Say, Nat, what d'yethink o' whalin' life?"

"Safe as the National Bank, I guess, Job, " promptly responded theindividual addressed, Fritz's acquaintance the "deck hand, " whose fullname he now learnt was Nathaniel Washington Slater--usually addressed as"Nathaniel W Slater, " or called familiarly "Nat" by his friends!

"Thaar!" exclaimed the skipper, "what more d'ye want than thet, hey?You see, mister, the _Pilot's Bride_ don't do whalin' up in Baffin's Bayan' further north, whar I'll allow the fishin' is a bit risky. We onlymakes reg'ler trips once a year to the Southern Ocean, callin' in on ourway at Saint Helena an' the Cape o' Good Hope. Thaar, I guess, we meetsa fleet of schooners thet do all the fishin' fur us 'mongst the islands. We fetch 'em out grub, an' sich-like notions, an' take in return allthe ile an' skins they've got to bring home. In course, sometimes, westrike a fish on our own 'count; but, we don't make a trade of it, 'ceptthe black fins comes under our noses, so to speak! The b'y'll run norisk, you bet, if you're skeart about him. "

"No, not a bit, mister, " corroborated Nat; "and it's a downright capitalopenin' for him, I guess, too. Why, there are scores of people wouldgive something handsome as a premium to get the cap'en to take theirsons along o' him!"

"Thet's a fact, " said the skipper; "though I reckon I don't kinder liketo be bothered with b'ys--'specially sich as are mother's darlin's. They're gen'rally powerful sassy, or else white-livered do-nuthins!I've taken a fancy to this lad, howbeit; an' thet's the reason I wantsfur to hev him with me. "

"Besides, Fritz, " put in Eric, who had refrained from speaking as yetthroughout the conversation, although so interested in it, "you mustrecollect what a sum mother paid for my outfit? Well, I have lost everystitch of it, and shall not get the slightest return from the owners forwhat went down in the _Gustav Barentz_--merchant sailors have to run therisk of all such casualties, you know! Now, I should not like to goback on mother's hands again, like a bad penny, with nothing to blessmyself with; but, here's a capital chance for me. As Captain Brownsays, I shall return in a year, and then my wages would be somethinghandsome to take home to mutterchen, even if I then gave up the sea. "

"Did you tell mother of this in your letter?" asked Fritz. 

"Certainly; for, of course, I did not expect to see you here. I toldher that I had almost pledged my word with Captain Brown to go with him, even if it were only to pay him for what he had already done for me, inadvancing me money to buy clothes and other necessaries, for I hadn't arag on when he rescued me, as well as promising to keep me here till thevessel is ready to start again on her next voyage. Why, Fritz, he's sokind, that he actually offered to pay my passage home, if I were bent onseeing mother first before deciding about his offer!"

"That settles it then, Eric, for mother will be certain to say that theright thing to do will be to pay your debts first; in addition to which, knowing I am now out here, she will not expect you to return yet. Really, Captain Brown, " added Fritz, turning to the skipper, whoappeared to be anxiously awaiting the result of the colloquy between thetwo brothers, "I'm quite at a loss to express my gratitude to you, bothon my brother's and my own behalf! I hope you will not think melukewarm in the matter, from my taking so long to make up my mind?"

"Sartenly not, sirree, " said the Yankee skipper with emphasis, as hegripped Fritz's hand again. "Sartenly not, sirree. Bizness is bizness, an' pleasure's another kind o' notion altogether! I only gev' the b'yan invitation, thet's all, I reckon!"

"An invitation which he now accepts with thanks, " replied Fritz. "Eh, Eric?" he added, turning to the lad, who was looking at Captain Brownwith a face as beaming as his own. 

"Of course I will, " answered Eric, without a moment's hesitation. "Ishould be a donkey to refuse such an offer. "

"Waall, " drawled out the skipper in high good humour, "I'm raal glad tohear you say thet so. You won't repent j'inin' me, I ken tell you, norregret slingin' yer hammock aboard the _Pilot's Bride_!"

He then proceeded to wring Eric's hand as cordially, and forcibly too, in his big fist as he had done his brother's. 

"Now thet's all settled an' fixed up slick, " said Captain Brown, when hehad finished hand-shaking, passing on the friendly civility to Mr NatSlater. "I guess we'd better hev a liquor-up to seal the barg'in; an'when thet's done, if you've got nuthin' better to du, I reckon you'dbetter come along o' me to my little shanty at the head of the bay--yourbrother's ben made welcome thaar already. "

"You are very kind, " replied Fritz, to whom this courteous speech wasaddressed; "but this gentleman here, " indicating Nat, "was just going toshow me a boarding-house where I can put up at. He has also promised tointroduce me to some shipping firm where I can get work. "

"Out o' collar, then?" asked the skipper, with deep interest. 

"Yes, " answered Fritz. "I could get no employment in New York, and thatis what made me come up here, so providentially as it has now turnedout. "

"Waall, come home along o' me, anyhow, till you find sunthin' to put yerhand to, " said the other kindly. "My folks'll make you downrightwelcome, you bet, mister. "

"Thank you, I will, " replied Fritz, accepting the kind invitation in thesame spirit in which it was offered; and presently the two brothers, reunited so strangely, were on their way, in company with the good-hearted skipper to his "shanty, " as he called it, on Narraganset Bay--acomfortable, old-fashioned house, as Fritz presently found out, commanding a fine view of the Providence river on one hand, and of thewide Atlantic, rolling away into the illimitable distance, on the other. 

"Nat" declined to accompany the party, on the plea of an engagement Hemade an appointment, however, with Fritz for the morrow, promising thento introduce him to some business men, who, he said, would probably findthe young German employment; after which he took leave of the Yankeeskipper and the two brothers, with a brief parting, "So long!"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. 

ERIC'S PROJECT. 

Fritz was not long in the company of Mr Nathaniel Washington Slater onthe following day before he discovered, much to his disappointment, thathe was one of those superficial characters who are given largely todealing in promises that they either have no intention of keeping whenmaking them originally, or which they never were or would be in aposition to carry out. 

When coming up Long Island Sound on board the Rhode Island steamer andhaving that friendly chat in the bows of the boat, the deck hand hadbeen lavishly expansive as to what he would be able to accomplish forhis newly-made acquaintance, in the way of procuring him employment;but, when Fritz met him again, according to their arrangement of theprevious afternoon, "Nat" did not appear to exhibit that eager alacrityin introducing him to business men--or "big bugs, " as he termed them--which his words of the night before had led Fritz naturally to expect. 

Whether this arose from the fact that the deck hand's desire to aid theyoung German had evaporated as rapidly as it had arisen, or because hismorning reflections had convinced him that he had too rashly promisedsomething which he was unable to perform, Fritz, of course, could notprecisely tell. Whatever was the reason, the result came to the samething, that Mr Slater showed a most unmistakable inclination to "backout" of the matter in the same easy way in which those double-enderfloating palaces Fritz had noticed on the way up could go astern inorder to avoid an obstruction; albeit Nat was prolific in the extremewith all manner of excuses--excuses that were as baseless andunsubstantial as the foam churned up by the steamboat's paddle-wheels!

He "felt ugly" and was "no end sorry, " but he really "hadn't the timethat morning. " This was his first attempt at shunting the engagement;but then, when Fritz, in the exuberance of hopeful possibilities, offered to meet him at the same place and time on the following day, "Nat" "couldn't think of putting him to the trouble, " as he "might haveto return to New York in the boat at a moment's notice. " Besides, hesaid, it would be "better to put off the appointment awhile, " as he'djust heard that the "boss" of the very identical shipping firm where hethought he could have got Fritz a berth had started "right away" forBoston, and he was such a "durned electric eel of a cuss, here, there, and everywhere, " that it would be "just dubersome to kalkerlate" when hewould "reel his way back to hum!"

Fritz could not understand many of these very choice Americanisms;still, he was sufficiently gifted with common sense to see prettyplainly that all the deck hand's "tall talking" of the previous eveninghad been, to use his own expressive vernacular, nothing but "bunkum, "and that, if he wished to get any situation in the place, he must trustmore to his own good fortune than to Mr Slater's kind offices as a go-between. 

This disheartened him at the time; but when he got back to CaptainBrown's shanty later on, the worthy old skipper, noticing hisdespondency, soon cheered him out of it. 

"Bless you, sonny, " said he affectionately, for he seemed to have takenas great a fancy to Fritz as he had to Eric--the young fellow havingtold him all his plans and prospects, besides giving him an epitome ofhis adventures during the war when narrating the same for his brother'sedification, --"Bless you, sonny, nary you mind what thet ne'er-do-wellNat Slater sez. I'd half a mind to tell you thet yesterday, when I seedyou so thick with him! Jerusalem, mister, he's a coon thet's bin allersa loafer all his life, stickin' to nuthin' even fur a dog-watch, an' asshifty as one o' them sculpens in the creek thaar! You jest wait an'make yourself comf'able haar till bye-em-bye, an' I reckon we'll fix youup to sunthin'. "

The same evening, when the two brothers were alone together, andspeaking of old Captain Brown's kindness, Eric suddenly, as if in amoment of inspiration, said, "Why should you not come along with me inthe _Pilot's Bride_ when we start next month?"

"What!" exclaimed Fritz in astonishment. 

"Don't look so startled, brother, " said Eric, laughing at the expressionof the other's face. "Recollect, that as you say, you've been unable toget any work here, so, why not go with me? I'm sure Captain Brown wouldtake you with us if you ask him. "

"But I'm not a sailor, " argued Fritz; "and, besides, if I were one, going to sea would not be the way to make the fortune I have planned, sothat I may be able to return home and marry Madaleine. "

"Ah, that dear Madaleine!" said Eric. "I wonder when I'll see her, andwhether I shall think her all that you describe? Never mind, " he added, seeing that Fritz appeared vexed at this speech, "I've no doubt she's abeautiful maiden, and that you'll both be as happy as the day is long!But, I'm going to speak about business now, my brother; and, if youlisten, you'll see that my idea of your coming in the _Pilot's Bride_ isnot such a wild-goose chase, after all. "

"I confess I don't see it yet, " interposed Fritz, with a smile at Eric'sboyish eagerness. "In what way will going whaling with Captain Brownand your important self advance my fortunes?"

"Listen, " said the other, "and I'll soon tell you. Do you recollectwhen I was recounting my story, that after I was picked up from the boatand taken on board the _Pilot's Bride_, I mentioned the fact of the shipcalling at Tristan d'Acunha?"

"Yes; and you also said that you would inform me of something importantabout the place `bye-and-bye, ' if you alluded then to what you're goingto tell me now. "

"Precisely, `bye-and-bye' is `now, '" said Eric, laughing again andtossing his mane-like hair back from his forehead in the old fashion. "We landed at Tristan d'Acunha--"

"Where on earth is that place?" interrupted Fritz. "I've a confusednotion that it is an island of some sort; but, in what precise spot itis situated, I'm sure I can't tell!"

"Well, then, " commenced Eric grandiloquently--only too glad of theopportunity of having to instruct his elder brother, who had beenregarded in the family circle as the centre of all wisdom--"`Tristand'Acunha' is the centre island of a group, so-called after thePortuguese navigator who discovered them in the early beginning of thesixteenth century. The islands are probably the most isolated andremote of all the abodes of men, lying as they do almost in the middleof the Atlantic Ocean, and nearly equidistant from the continents ofAmerica and Africa; for, they are situated nearly on the line that couldbe drawn between Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope--from the latter ofwhich they are distant some fifteen hundred miles in a westerlydirection, while Saint Helena, the nearest other land to them on thenorth, is thirteen hundred miles away. "

"You're very explicit, I'm sure, " said Fritz in a chaffing way; "youmust have been coaching up your geography recently. "

"I disdain vulgar interruption and idle clamour, " returned the other ina similar vein. "But, to proceed. The group consists of the largerisland of Tristan and two smaller islands--Inaccessible Island, someeighteen miles to the south-west, and Nightingale Island, twenty milesto the south. These islands are uninhabited, save by penguins andseals; but an interesting little colony of some eighty souls occupiesTristan, breeding cattle and cultivating vegetables, with which theysupply passing vessels, mostly whalers--these calling there from time totime, on their way to and from their fishing grounds in the greatSouthern Ocean. "

"Your account is highly interesting, my dear Eric, " said Fritz, when hisbrother had completed this exhaustive description of the Tristand'Acunha group; "still, I confess I do not see in what way it affectsme. "

"Don't you?"

"No. "

"Then you will soon; listen a moment longer. I told you that, with theexception of the larger one, these islands are uninhabited save by thepenguins and seals and such-like marine animals. "

"Yes, you've told me that; and I don't wonder at it when they aresituated so remotely from all civilisation. "

"That fact has its advantages none the less, " proceeded Eric. "Being socut off from communication with men makes these islands just thefavourite resort of those animals that shun the presence of theirdestroyers. Seals, as you know, are very nervous, retiring creaturesseeking their breeding-places in the most out-of-the-way, deserted spotsthey can find; and the advance of the human race, planting colonieswhere the poor things had formerly undisputed sway around the shores ofthe South American continent, has driven them further and furtherafield, or rather to sea, until they are now only to be met with in anynumbers in the Antarctic Ocean, and such islands as lie adjacent to thatgreat Southern continent which has never yet been discovered--althoughLord Ross pretty nearly put foot on it, if any explorer can be said tohave done that. "

"Really, Eric, " exclaimed Fritz jokingly, "you surpass yourself!"

"Oh, I've read up all this in some books Captain Brown lent me, " saidthe boy. "I wanted to learn everything that was to be learnt about awhaler's life, and to become acquainted with the special parts of theocean that have to be visited by vessels in the trade in order to find aprofitable fishing ground. "

"But you've been talking about seals, not whales, " remarked Fritz. 

"Yes, because it is with seals that my present business lies, " said theother, not a bit put out by the correction. 

"Banished now from their once favourite waters around Cape Horn, adjacent to the islands of the Pacific, there are yet some strayoutlandish spots left which the animals frequent, so as to be able tobreed in peace and multiply, without fear of that wholesaleextermination which is their unhappy lot elsewhere. Amongst suchisolated places is the Tristan d'Acunha group; and, to InaccessibleIsland as well as the other islets they come in countless numbers everyyear. Seal fishing is a very profitable concern; for, not only is theoil valuable, but the skins fetch the most extravagant prices in themarket, especially those of the finer sort. Now, do you see what I'mafter, brother?"

"You want to go sealing, I suppose; but, won't you have plenty of thatin the _Pilot's Bride_ with Captain Brown, eh?"

"Not in the way I mean, " replied Eric. "I have an idea of settling fora time at Tristan d'Acunha, going in thoroughly for the thing as abusiness on shore. "

Fritz appeared to prick up his ears at this. 

"But, I thought you said there was a colony there already; why don't thepeople manage to cultivate the trade? Besides, if they have it alltheir own way, I think they would not like a couple of strangeinterlopers, like you and me, going amongst them to rob them of theirharvest from the sea!"

"Ah, I see you're bitten with the idea, " exclaimed Eric, clapping hishands triumphantly. "But, it was not of Tristan, the larger island, Iwas thinking; it was of Inaccessible Island, where there wouldn't beanother living soul but ourselves, the seals, and sea birds. "

"`Monarchs of all we survey, ' eh, like Robinson Crusoe?" said Fritz witha smile. "That would be very nice, wouldn't it?"

"Don't laugh, brother, " returned Eric, speaking earnestly. "I assureyou I've considered this thing well. The people living at Tristan toldme that they went fishing to the other islands once a year; but, theweather is generally so rough and the beach so hard to land at or getoff from, on account of the heavy ocean rollers coming in when the windis up at all, that the islanders can never make a long stay at theislets--and so cannot get half the number of sealskins which might beeasily procured by any one stopping ashore there for any length of time. I really thought, I assure you, of asking Captain Brown, when I went onmy next voyage with him, to land me at Inaccessible Island, withprovisions enough to last me six months or so, and to call for me on hisreturn voyage from the Cape, as he was wending his way back home againhere. "

"And you would have gone there alone?"

"Yes; why not? But now, oh, Fritz, if you would only go with me, wemight settle at this place like regular Robinson Crusoes--as you saidjust now--and make a pile of money, or, rather, of skins, in a year ortwo!"

"The idea is feasible, " said Fritz in a reflective way. "I'll talk toCaptain Brown, and see what he says of it. " The elder brother had agood deal of German caution in his composition; so that, although promptof action, he was never accustomed to undertake anything without duedeliberation. 

Eric, on the contrary, all impulse, was thoroughly carried away by thenotion, now that he saw that Fritz, instead of ridiculing it, thought itworth consideration. 

The project of going to settle on a real uninhabited island, likeRobinson Crusoe, that hero of boyhood throughout the world, exceeded therealisation of his wildest dreams, when first as a little chap he hadplanned how he should go to sea as soon as he was big enough. Why, heand Fritz would now be "Brother Crusoes, " if his project were carriedout, as there seemed every likelihood of its being--crusoes of their ownfree-will and not by compulsion, besides having the satisfaction ofknowing that within a certain period it would be in their power to endtheir solitary island life; that is, should they find, either that itdid not come up to their expectations in a business point of view, orthat its loneliness and seclusion combined with the discomforts ofroughing it were more than they could bear. 

It was a glorious plan!

This was Eric's conclusion, the more he thought of it; while Fritz, onhis part, believed that there was something in the suggestion--somethingthat had to be weighed and considered carefully--for, might he notreally conquer Fortune in this way?

Captain Brown did not throw any cold water on the matter either, when itwas brought before him. 

"By thunder! it's a durned good plan, it air, mister, " said he to Fritz, "thet it air, fur a young scaramouch like thet youngster thaar! I seedhim palaverin' with one o' them islanders at Tristan--they're a sort ofhalf-caste tan colour there, like mulattoes in the States. I rec'lectone of the men who wer oncest on a whaler with me a v'y'ge or two toKerguelen Land an' back, tellin' me 'bout the lot of seals thet were onInaccessible Island, now I come to think of it; but I've never beenthaar myself. Its name's good enough fur me, since most of us thet goby thaar gives it a pretty wide berth, you bet; fur it air inaccessible, with a vengeance--a rocky coast plungin' down abruptly into the sea, with a terrible surf breakin' ag'in the cliffs, an' no anchorage groundanywheres nigh thet's safe!"

"And how could we land then?" asked Fritz. 

"Oh, it ken be done, mister, fur the Tristaners go over thaar, as theb'y told you, every year fur a week or so; an' they hev to git ashoresomehow or other. Yes, we'll manage to land you, safe enough, in awhale-boat when the time comes. What I meant to say was, thet the shipcouldn't stay any while lyin' off, so as to see whether you liked theplace or not. If you land, thaar you'll hev to stay till we come backfur you next v'y'ge!"

"All right, I shan't mind that, with Eric. If I were alone, of courseit would be another matter. "

"Jest so, " replied the Yankee skipper; and he then proceeded to advisethe brothers what would be best to take with them, Fritz wishing to layout his small remaining stock of money to advantage. 

He also told them, good-naturedly, that he would convey them to theircontemplated destination for nothing, so that they would have no passageto pay. Eric, indeed, would work his, being considered as attached tothe ship, his name besides being retained on the list of the crew whilesealing on shore; and, as for Fritz, Captain Brown said, he would "grubhim and give him a bunk into the barg'in. "

Then, again, in respect of the provisions they would need for theirmaintenance during their stay on the island, the skipper promised tosupply them from the ship's stores, on their arrival there, at costprice; so that, not only would they thus get them much cheaper than theywould have been able to purchase them in open market, but they wouldlikewise save the cost of their freightage to Inaccessible Island, whichany one else would have expected them to pay. 

Could Fritz desire more?

Hardly. 

"I guess, mister, " concluded the skipper, "so be it as how you kindermakes up yer mind fur the venture, thet you two coons will start inbizness with a clean sheet an' no book debts, like the boss of a drygoods store; an' if you don't make a pile in less than no time, why itwon't be Job Brown's fault, I reckon!"

This settled the matter; when, the captain giving them a shortmemorandum of certain necessary articles which they would find useful onthe island and which they could readily procure in Providence while the_Pilot's Bride_ was refitting, the two brothers set to work making theirpreparations without delay for the novel enterprise to which Eric'sproject had given birth--that of going crusoeing in the South Atlantic!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. 

THE "PILOT'S BRIDE. "

The more Fritz thought over the project, the more enthusiastic he becameabout it. 

Unlike Eric, he was deeply reflective, never adventuring into any schemeor undertaking action in any matter until he had fully weighed the prosand cons and had considered everything that could be said for andagainst it; but, once his judgment was convinced, there was no morehearty co-operator than he. 

It was so in this instance. 

Eric's idea had struck him as feasible at the first blush, the boy beingso eager in giving vent to his own impressions and experiences of whathe had seen at Tristan d'Acunha with regard to the advantage of startinga new sealing station of their own; but, when Fritz came to ponder overthe plan, it seemed so chimerical that he felt inclined to be angry withhimself for having entertained it for a moment. These second thoughts, however, did not long stand their ground after old Captain Brown hadbeen consulted; for, that experienced mariner, who had, as he thought, such better means of judging than himself, immediately took so sanguinea view of the enterprise, that Fritz's original opinion in favour of itbecame confirmed, and he entered upon the preparations for theexpedition with even greater zest than Eric, its first inceptor andpropounder. 

"Brother, " said he to the latter, on Captain Brown's approving of theplan and promising his cordial assistance in helping them to carry itout to a successful issue, "we'll not leave anything to chance. We willput our shoulders to the wheel and determine to win!"

"Aye, " responded the other, "and we oughtn't to make a failure either;for, you know, the old adage has it that, `Fortune favours the brave, 'eh?"

"Yes, " said Fritz, the practical. "However, it is in little things thatsuccess is attained, so we must not neglect these. "

Nor did they. Indeed, so much did Fritz impress Eric with the value ofcarefully considering every petty detail of their outfit, so that theymight not find something omitted at the last moment which would be ofuse, that there was danger of their forgetting more important articles--the "little things, " apparently, absorbing all their attention. 

So engrossed were they in this enthusiasm for collecting and packing upthe most out-of-the-way trifles which it struck one or other of the twobrothers that they might want--getting these ready, too, for theirdeparture weeks before the _Pilot's Bride_ could possibly be refittedfor her voyage--that they were the subject of many a joke from thehospitable household of the little "shanty" on Narraganset Bay. 

The captain and Mrs Brown, or else Celia their daughter--a livelyAmerican lassie of Eric's age, who seemed to have taken as great a fancyto the young sailor as her father had done towards Fritz--would ever besuggesting the most extraordinary things as likely to "come in handy onthe island, " such as a warming pan or a boot-jack; with which latter, indeed, the skipper gravely presented the elder brother one day, tellinghim it would save him time when he was anxious to get on his slippers ofan evening after sealing on the rocks!

But, although they "chaffed" them, the kind people helped them none theless good-naturedly in completing their equipment, the old captain's"missis" and his "gal" plying their needles as energetically on theirbehalf as Madame Dort and Lorischen would have done in the little houseat home in the Gulden Strasse of Lubeck. The very eagerness and"thoroughgoingness" of the hopeful young fellows enlisted sympathy forthem, in addition to those good qualities which had already made themprime favourites. 

"Bully for them, old woman, " as the skipper said, when talking them overto his wife. "They're raal grit an' bound to run into port with a fairwind an' no mistake, you bet; they're such a tarnation go-ahead pair o'coons, with no empty gas or nonsense about 'em!"

But, full as he was of the venture, and embarking heart and soul intoits details with every energy he possessed, Fritz did not neglect towrite home a long letter to his mother and Madaleine, telling them allabout the new undertaking in which his hopes and prospects alike werecentred and expressing his feelings thoroughly in the matter--thusshowing the amount of reflection he had given to the scheme. 

Eric, he said, was a sailor; and, therefore, should the venture notsucceed, its failure would not affect him much, as it would be merely anepisode in his nautical life, Captain Brown promising to retain his nameon the books of the _Pilot's Bride_ and allow him to ship again as thirdmate in the event of his taking to the sea once more when the two gottired of their sojourn on the island or found that sealing did notanswer their expectations; but, for him, Fritz, the enterprise was a farmore important one, changing the whole aspect of his career. 

However, he wrote, he not only hoped for the best, but believed theundertaking would result more favourably than his most sanguine wishesled him to estimate its returns; still, in any case, it was better, hethought, to engage in it, rather than waste any further time in vainlysearching for employment in the States. 

But, whether successful or unfortunate, he was fully determined, so heconcluded his letter, to return home within the period of three years towhich he had limited his absence when leaving Lubeck; and, he prayedthat his coming back would be the opening of a new era of happiness forthem all--that is should the good God, who had so mercifully preservedtheir Eric from the dangers of the deep and restored the dead to life, prosper the joint enterprise of the reunited brothers, who, come whatmay, would now be together. 

"Good-bye, dear mutterchen, and you, my darling Madaleine, " were hislast words. "Watch and pray for us, and look forward to seeing us againbeneath the old roof-tree in time for our third Christmas festival fromnow; and, then, won't there be a home-coming, a house-warming, with usaltogether once more!"

Much to Fritz's satisfaction, before the _Pilot's Bride_ was ready toput to sea, a reply was received to this communication, bidding thebrother crusoes a cheery "God speed!" from home. Madame Dort was sooverjoyed with the unexpected news of Eric's safety that she made nodemur to the prolongation of his absence from home, the more especiallynow that he would be in Fritz's company. As for Madaleine, sheexpressed herself perfectly contented with her betrothed's plans, considering, as she did, that he would know best; but she was all thebetter pleased, she wrote, that he was going to an uninhabited island, as then he would be unable to come across other girls, who might blother image from his heart. 

"The little stupid!" as Fritz said fondly to himself when he readthis, --"as if that were possible, the darling!"

If Madaleine, however, could have known that, when she penned thosewords, Master Fritz was engaged making himself agreeable to a party ofNew York belles who had come up from the stifling "Empire City" to seetheir cousins the Browns and sniff the bracing sea breezes ofNarraganset Bay, she might not have been quite so easy in her mind!

But, she need not have alarmed herself much, for Fritz was too busilyengaged, along with Eric, in helping Captain Brown to prepare the_Pilot's Bride_ for her forthcoming voyage, to spare much time to thefascinating fair ladies from Fifth Avenue. 

The elder brother could do but little to aid the skipper in a nauticalway; still, as a clerk, he proved himself of great assistance, attendingto all the captain's correspondence and acting as a sort of supercargo. 

Eric, however, having now had considerable experience of the sea, besides, as the skipper had said, being "a born sailor, " came out instrong colours in all those minutiae required in getting a vessel readyfor sea. 

Really, he showed himself so active and intelligent that the skipperlooked upon him as "his right-hand man"--at least, so declared he oneday in the presence of Mrs Brown, Celia, and the entire family at theshanty, in full and open conclave; and no one disputed his statement, albeit Master Eric was sadly confused at the compliment. 

But, how was it with the ship, in which, like twin Caesars, the brotherswere about to embark "all their fortunes?"

Well, the _Pilot's Bride_, after going into dry dock and dischargingcargo on her return home, first had her sheathing stripped and theexterior of her hull carefully examined to see that no rotten timber-work should be overlooked that might subsequently be fatal to her whenbattling with the billows in mid-ocean. She had then been recaulked andcoppered; besides having her rigging set up again and tarred down, aswell as the coverings and seizings replaced, and the chaffing gear paidover. Finally, on the yards being sent up and the rigging completed, with all the running gear seen to and thoroughly overhauled, a good coatof paint, and an overcoat, too, in addition was given to the vessel frombow to taffrail down to the water-line, with a white streak, in regularYankee fashion, running along her ports. The stern gallery and railwere then gilded, as was also the figure-head--a wooden damsel, witharms akimbo, of the most unprepossessing appearance, representing thebride of the "pilot" whose name she bore. 

This completed the exterior refitting of the ship. 

Much remained to be done to her interior, however; and, here it was thatEric was able to be of considerable service, having learnt all of asailor's duty in reference to the stowage of a vessel's hold--a matterthat might seem easy enough to a landsman who only has to do with thepacking of boxes, but which is of serious importance on board a ship, where the misplacement of the cargo may not only affect her sailingproperties but also the safety of those she carries. 

To commence with, the _Pilot's Bride_ being a whaler would have to startfrom her home port comparatively "light"--as, having no cargo to speakof, save the provisions for her own crew for twelve months and thestores she carried for the use of the sealing schooners amongst theislands, she was forced to take in a great deal of ballast to ensure herstability, and this had to be so apportioned in her hold as to make herof good trim. 

This being done, the water and provisions were then shipped and a largenumber of empty casks placed on top of all the stores in the hold, amidships. These latter were carried to be subsequently filled with theoil and skins that might be collected by the schooners acting as tendersto the _Pilot's Bride_ amongst the islands; and, besides, the ship had"trying pots" of her own to melt down the blubber of any whales or oddfish she might capture "on her own hook. "

The brothers' belongings were next taken on board and placed in thecabin appropriated by Captain Brown to Fritz's use; and then, only thelive stock remained to be shipped and the crew mustered for the vesselto be ready for sea, as now, with her sails bent she lay along the wharfat Providence, waiting but to be hauled out into the stream. 

She was a barque of some three or four hundred tons, riding rather highout of the water in consequence of being mostly in ballast. Inappearance she looked somewhat wall-sided, and she had those heavy roundbows that are seen mostly in whaling vessels, which are thus protectedforwards in order to resist the pressure of the ice in those arcticregions whither they go to and fro; but, in spite of her build, whichresembled more that of a Dutch galliot--such as Fritz's eyes wereaccustomed to see in the ports of the North Sea--than an Americanmerchantman, with her freshly painted hull, whose ports were picked outin white, and her tall shapely spars all newly varnished, the _Pilot'sBride_ looked as dapper and neat as her namesake. Eric certainlythought this, no matter what his brother's opinion might be, andbelieved there was every reason for Captain Brown taking the pride inthe vessel that he did. 

"There you are, " said the skipper to the brothers, taking them with himto survey her from the jetty when all her preparations were finished, the vessel only waiting his mandate to haul out into the river--"did youever see sich a tarnation duck of a beauty in all yer born days, hey?"

"She looks very pretty, " observed Fritz admiringly. 

"Blow thet!" exclaimed the skipper with a laugh. "Folks would think youwere talkin' 'bout a gal; but, what ken a longshore fellow know 'bout ashep!" he added compassionately. "What d'ye say 'bout her Mas' Eric, hey?"

"I say she's a regular clipper, captain, " answered the lad in promptsailor fashion, much to the skipper's delight. Eric's encomium was allthe more appreciative from the fact of his having been familiar with theship through part of her last voyage. Then, she was all battered andbruised from her conflict with the elements during her cruise insouthern seas; so, now, her present transformation and gala trim madethe difference in her appearance all the more striking to him, causingher good points to shine out with all the greater display and hidingmost of her drawbacks. 

"Ah, thet's your sort of 'pinion I likes, " said the skipper in reply toEric's tribute to the vessel's merits. "Yes, suttenly, she's a clipper, if ever there wer one; an' a beauty to the back of thet, I reckon, hey, sonny?" and he gave the lad one of his thundering pats of approvalacross the shoulders with his broad hand that almost jerked him off thejetty. 

"I guess, " he added presently, "the only thing we've got to do now is toshep a tol'able crew aboard; an' then, I kalkerlate, mister, she'll bethe slickest whaler this v'y'ge as ever loos'd tops'les an' sailed outo' Narraganset Bay!"

"Will there be any difficulty in getting men?" asked Fritz. 

"No, I reckon not, mister, " replied the skipper, with a huge guffaw athis ignorance. "Why, the crimpers would send 'em to me in shoals, furJob Brown is as well-known in Providence as Queen Victoria is inEngland, God bless her fur a good woman, too! The diff'culty lies inpickin' out the good ones thet air worth their salt from the greenhands, as ain't up to a kid of lobscouse fur all the work they ken doaboard a shep!"

"Well, I hope you'll get the men you want, " said Fritz cordially. 

"Nary a doubt 'bout thet, " answered the other, slewing round andtrotting across the wharf to a line of warehouses and merchants' officeson the other side. "I'm just a-goin' to my agents now; an' I ken tellyou, fur a fact, thet Job Brown is never licked, no, sir, not when hemakes up his mind to anythin'!"

In the evening of the same day he astonished Fritz somewhat. 

"Who d'ye think wished fur to sign articles with me to-day fur thev'y'ge?" said he, after he mentioned that he had shipped his crew andthat the _Pilot's Bride_ would haul out into the stream the nextmorning, preparatory to starting off altogether on the following day. 

"I'm sure I can't say, " replied Fritz. 

"Who but our old friend Nat Slater!" said the skipper with a broad grin. "I guess Nathaniel Washington hez come down in the world ag'in, fur allhis tall talkin' about what he wer goin' to do to help you, hey?"

"Have you taken him on?" asked Fritz, somewhat dubious about thepleasure which the society of the whilom "deck hand" of the steamboatwould afford him when the two of them should be cooped together on boardthe same vessel for any length of time, especially after the way inwhich that individual had behaved to him. 

"Yes, I let him jine, " answered the skipper. "I couldn't do else, considerin' the poor cuss wer so down on his luck as to ask me; 'sides, mister, I knewed him afore he went to the bad; an' if he du come withme, it'll do him good in one way. He'll never get none o' thet infarnaldrink till he comes back ag'in to Providence, fur I never allows a dropo' pizen in any craft I sails from the time we leaves port till we castsanchor ag'in!"

"I'm glad to hear that, " said Fritz. "There's mischief enough done withit on land without taking it to sea. "

"Right you air, mister, " rejoined the other; "but, mind you, I don't askmy men to do what I don't do myself. This old hoss doesn't believe in afellow's preachin' one thing and practisin' another; no, sirree! Iain't a teetotaler, nohow; but I never touches a drop o' licker from thetime I sots foot aboard ship till I treads land ag'in--an' what I does, every man Jack o' my crew shall do ditto, or I'll know an' larn 'em thereason why, you bet! Howsomedever, mister, I guess we'd all better turnin now, " he added, making a signal which Mrs Brown and Celia alwaysinterpreted as meaning their departure to bed. "Recollect, this'll beour last night ashore, fur we shall all hev to rise airly in the mornin'to git the _Pilot's Bride_ under weigh. "

CHAPTER NINETEEN. 

THE VOYAGE OF THE SHIP. 

When Fritz awoke the next day, however, he could not quite make out whatwas going on in the place. There was a strong smell of gunpowder in theair, and he could hear the cracking reports of small cannon, let off atfrequent intervals with much noise in the streets by a crowd of boys, whose voices mingled with the excruciating sound of squeaking trumpetsand the shrill, ear-piercing scream of penny whistles. 

For the moment, he thought he was dreaming again of the old days of thewar, and that the confused medley, which became each moment louder, wasbut the half-waking recollection of the bivouac around Metz, with itsmany constant alarms of sallies and sorties from the beleagueredfortress; but, when he came downstairs from his bedroom, he was speedilyundeceived as to the reason for the pandemonium without. 

The captain and Eric had already started off for the ship, and only MrsBrown and Celia were below waiting breakfast for him. 

"What on earth is the matter?" he asked. "It seems like Bedlam brokenloose. Is there an insurrection going on?"

"Ah, they're having a fine time, ain't they!" said Miss Celia. 

"But, what is it all about?" he repeated, gazing from one to the otherof the smiling ladies, almost bewildered by the uproar out of doors. 

"Fourth of July, " replied the lady of the house, as if that was quite asufficient answer and accounted for everything. 

"The fourth of July!" he repeated mechanically. "What has the day ofthe month got to do with it--is it an anniversary of some sort--somenational holiday?"

"An anniversary, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Celia indignantly. "I thoughtyou were such a good hand at history. Why, haven't you ever heard ofour glorious Declaration of Independence, when the free states ofAmerica severed the hated yoke that bound them under the thraldom of thetyrant England?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot. I'm sure I beg your pardon for not recollectingwhat must be to you a sacred day!" said Fritz, somewhat deceived by thegirl's affected enthusiasm, Celia having spoken as grandiloquently as ifshe were an actress declaiming tragedy. 

"Sacred day, fiddlesticks!" she replied, laughing at his grave face andsolemn manner. "I guess we don't worry ourselves much about that! Wetry and have a good time of it, and leave it to the politicians andskallywags to do the speechifying and bunkum! The boys have the besttime of it, I reckon. "

"Yes, " he replied, his ideas as to the patriotic associations ofAmerican citizens considerably modified. "They seem to enjoythemselves, if the noise they're making affords any criterion of that!"

"I guess so, " answered the girl. "They've burnt a few fire crackersthis morning; but, it's nothing to what they do at Boston. Law, why youshould see the goings on there'll be in front of Faneuil Hall to-night, when the `Bonfire Boys' set to work!"

"By that time, I imagine, I'll be on the sea, " said Fritz. "Your fathertold us last evening that he would start to-day if the wind was fair, and I noticed a bit of a breeze blowing through my window when I wasdressing. "

"Yes, " put in Mrs Brown; "and he said this mornin', 'fore he went offdown town, to tell you to be sure and hurry up as soon as ever you'dswallowed your breakfast--not for what I want to hasten you away, though!"

"Did he?" said Fritz, bolting a bit of buckwheat cake and hastily risingfrom the table. "If that's the case, I'd better be off to see about mytraps. "

"Bless you, they're all aboard hours ago! Eric took them with him whenhe started off with pa, " remarked Celia demurely. 

"Oh, you saw him before he went, then?" said Fritz. 

"Yes, I wished your brother good-bye, " replied the girl, colouring up. 

"Oh!" repeated Fritz meaningly, with a sly glance at her. 

"And now, Mr Dort, we must wish you good-bye, too, " interposed MrsBrown, in order to distract his attention from Celia, who looked a bitconfused by Fritz's interrogatories respecting Master Eric. 

"Aren't you coming down to see us off?" said he. 

"Guess not, " replied Mrs Brown with much composure, her husband'sdeparture with his ship being of such periodic occurrence as to havelong since lost all sense of novelty. "We'll see you when you get outin the bay, and wish you good luck in the distance. I hope, mister, that you and your brother will be successful in your venture--that I doheartily. "

"Thank you, " said Fritz, shaking the hand of the good-natured womancordially. "I can't express how grateful we both are to you and yourhusband for all your kindness to us, strangers in a foreign land!"

"What, do you leave me out?" put in Miss Celia saucily. 

"I should think not, " returned Fritz gallantly. "I included you, ofcourse, when thanking your mother. I'm sure words would fail to giveyou any idea of my feelings on the subject; but I dare say Eric spoke onmy behalf this morning. "

"Indeed, he had too much to say for himself, " retorted the girl; "and, instead of his behaving like a quiet German lad, as I thought him, hewas more of a saucy American sailor boy! Not that I minded that much, "she added demurely. "It made him more sparkish-like and all thepleasanter. "

"Really?" said Fritz, smiling. "I think I shall have to talk to MasterEric when I get on board the ship. "

"No, nary you mind that, " pleaded Miss Celia most magnanimously. "Iforgive him this time; but you can tell him, though, I'll pay him outwhen he comes back to our shanty, that I will!"

"All right, I will give him your message, " replied Fritz, as he shookhands with the fair little Rhode Islander, whose eyes were full of tearsas she said good-bye, in spite of her sprightly manner and off-hand way. "And now, ladies, " he added, addressing them both collectively, "I mustsay farewell, hoping to have the pleasure of seeing you again on ourreturn from Inaccessible Island, somewhere about two years hence. "

"I'm sure I hope so, too, " said the lady of the house kindly, Celiajoining cordially in the wish; and Fritz then left the shanty, directinghis steps down to the quay, where he expected to find the _Pilot'sBride_ still moored. 

She was not here, however; but, after a moment, he could discern thevessel lying out in the river some little distance from the shore. There, anchored almost in mid-stream and with a blue peter flying at thefore as well as the American stars and stripes trailing over her stern, she looked even more picturesque than when Fritz had seen her lyingalong the wharf on his first view of her. 

It was much earlier in the month than Captain Brown had stated was hisusual time for starting on his annual voyage to the South Atlantic; butthe skipper had accelerated his departure in order to have time to go toTristan d'Acunha on his outward trip, instead of calling there as heusually did just before returning to Providence--so as to allow thebrothers to pick up a little information that might be of use to themfrom the little colony at Tristan, before proceeding to their ownselected settlement on Inaccessible Island. 

The ship was now, therefore, quite ready to start as soon as the windand her captain willed it; for, her sails were bent, with the gasketscast-off and the topsails loose, ready to be let fall and sheeted homeat the word of command. A nautical man would have noticed, too, thatshe was hove short, right over her anchor, so that no time should belost in bowsing that up to the cathead and getting under weigh, when thetime came to man the windlass and heave up the cable, with a "Yo-heaveho!"

Presently, Fritz observed a boat that had been towing astern of the shiphauled up alongside, and then this put off for the shore, with some onein the stern-sheets whom he did not recognise at first, on account ofthe person having a gilt-banded cap on; but, as soon as the boat gotnearer, he saw that it was Eric, who now hailed him while yet a hundredyards away. 

"Hullo!" he shouted; "how is it you're so late? The captain is onlywaiting for you to set sail, for the pilot's coming on board now!"

"I didn't think you were going until the evening, " replied Fritz, descending the steps of the jetty, which the boat had now nearlyapproached. 

"Nor were we, if this breeze hadn't sprung up since morning so verysuddenly, when we least expected it! I suppose it's because of all thatgunpowder firing that the air's got stirred up a bit? But, jump in, oldfellow, the skipper seems a bit impatient; and the sooner we're all onboard the better he'll be pleased. "

With these words, Eric stretched out a hand to help his brother into thelittle dinghy, which could barely carry two comfortably besides the manpulling amid-ship, and then the frail little craft started on her wayback to the mother ship, of which she seemed the chicken!

No sooner were they alongside and up the ladder, than Captain Brown'svoice was heard rapidly giving orders, as if no time were to be lost. 

"Veer thet boat astern an' hook on the falls, " he roared in stentorianaccents. "I want her walked up to the davits 'fore I can say JackRobinson! There, thet's the way to do it, men. Now, get her inboardan' secure her; we shan't want her in a hurry ag'in, till we come backto the bay!"

"Mr Dort, " he sang out presently to Eric, who was standing by ready forthe skipper's orders and watching his eye--prepared to jump anywhere ata second's notice, and looking so full of eagerness and attention thatFritz felt quite proud of him!

"Aye, aye, sir, " answered the lad, touching his cap; for, nowhere isdeference insisted on so stringently from inferior officers to theirsuperiors as on board ship, especially in merchantmen commanded bycaptains worth their salt. In no other way can proper respect be paidto authority, or the necessary orders requisite for the safety andcomfort of all enforced. 

"I give you charge o' the mizzen mast, " said Captain Brown, meaning thatEric would have to see to all that was necessary for making sail in theafter part of the ship. At the same time, the second mate stationedhimself amidships, and the first officer went forward to the bows, tosuperintend the getting up of the anchor, each of them repeating theseveral directions of the captain in turn. 

"All hands make sail!" then shouted the skipper, who, with his hands inthe pockets of his monkey jacket, stood on the poop deck aft, lookingeverywhere apparently in one glance, it was so comprehensive ofeverything that was going on below and aloft; whereupon, the men, racingup the rigging with alacrity, the topsails were soon sheeted home andthe yards hoisted, after which more canvas was unfolded to the breeze, that came in short, sharp puffs off the land. 

The headsails were then backed, as the ship brought up over her anchor;and, the windlass coming round with a ringing "clink, clank!" of thepawl to the hearty long heaves of the sailors--who worked at it with awill, singing in chorus the while--the heavy weight of metal that stillattached the _Pilot's Bride_ to the sand and shells at the bottom ofNarraganset Bay was ere long lifted gradually above the water and run upto the cathead. The jib and foretop-sail were then allowed to fillagain and the yards squared; when, the vessel, paying off, began tomove, at first slowly, and then more rapidly as she gathered way, out ofthe harbour away towards the open sea, some thirty miles beyond. 

The wind being light and flickering, the crew were soon ordered aloftagain to set the top-gallant-sails, for the breeze was so far favourablethat the ship did not have to beat out of the bay; consequently, she wasable to spread more canvas than if she had been forced to tack, or hadto be steered by her sails. 

Nor was Captain Brown satisfied with top-gallants alone; for, quickly, the order came to set the royals and flying jib before the men couldclimb down the ratlins; and, soon, the vessel was under a cloud of sailalow and aloft, taking advantage of every breath of air. Towards theafternoon, the north-westerly breeze still lasting, the ship clearedNarraganset Bay, running before the wind; when, shaping a course betweenthe treacherous Martha's Vineyard on the one hand and Gardiner's Islandon the other, she was steered out into the open Atlantic. 

No sooner had they got to sea than Captain Brown called all hands aft, mustering the crew--who numbered some twenty in all, including the cookand a couple of boys. He then gave them a short speech from the poop. 

Some of the men had been with him before, he said, so they knew what hewas; but, as for those who didn't, he would tell them that, as long asthey did their duty manfully, they would find him always consideratetowards them. If they "turned rusty, " however, why then "they'd betterlook out for squalls, " for they would discover, should they try on anyof their notions, that he was "a hard row to hoe!"

The men were next divided into watches and dismissed to their severalduties; after which the _Pilot's Bride_ settled down steadily to hervoyage. 

At first, Fritz found the life on board very enjoyable. The motion ofthe ship was so slight, as she slipped through the water with the windon her quarter, that there was no rolling; and the difference of herarrangements, with clean cabins and the absence of that sickening smellof the engine-room which had permeated the steamer in which he had madethe passage from Bremen to New York--his only previous acquaintance withthe ocean-made him fancy that he could spend all his days on the deepwithout discomfort. But, after a time, the routine grew verymonotonous; and long ere the _Pilot's Bride_ had reached tropicallatitudes, Fritz would have been glad if she had reached their appointeddestination. 

Truth to say, the vessel was not that smart sailer which a strangerwould have imagined from all the skipper had said about her. It wasnearly three weeks before she ran into the north-east trades; and threemore weeks, after she got within these favouring winds, before shemanaged to cross the Line, which she did somewhere about 24 degreesWest. All this time, too, to add to Fritz's disgust, they never passeda single other sail!

The weather throughout the voyage, up to now, had treated the vesselfairly enough, so no complaint could be made on that score; but, nosooner had they arrived at the equator, than the wind suddenly shiftedround to the west and south-west, accompanied by a violent squall thatwould have settled the _Pilot's Bride_, if Captain Brown had notfortunately anticipated it and prepared in time. 

The ship was nearing Pernambuco, off the South American coast, on ashort "leg, " before taking the long one that would fetch down towardsTristan d'Acunha, proceeding in the ordinary track of vessels goinground the Cape of Good Hope; when, suddenly, towards evening, it fellnearly calm and sheet lightning was noticed towards the eastward, wherea dense bank of dark clouds had mounted up, obscuring the sky. 

This was enough for Captain Brown, who had gone through a similarexperience before. 

"All hands take in sail!" came his order, without a moment's delay. 

The men sprang aloft immediately and furled the royals and top-gallant-sails; while others below took in the flying jib and hauled up themainsail and trysail--the hands wondering all the time what on earth theskipper was at, taking in all the spread of the vessel's canvas, whenthere wasn't a breath of air blowing!

However, the "old man, " as he was generally called by the crew, knewbetter than they; and so, with the ship's yards stripped and squared, heawaited what science and forethought had taught him to expect. 

Science and forethought had not caused him to make these preparations invain!

The blackness in the south-east extended round the horizon to the west, and, presently, a thick mist came rolling up from that quarter, enveloping the vessel in its folds and covering the stars in front likea curtain, although those lesser lights of the night shone out brightlyin other parts of the sky. 

Then, all at once, the squall burst with a furious blast that made theship heel over almost on her beam ends, the wind being followed by ashower of rain and hail that seemed as if it would batter in the decks. 

"Let go the halliards!" sang out Captain Brown; and, his order beingpromptly attended to, the vessel was not taken aback--otherwise everyspar would have snapped away, or else she would have gone down sternforemost. 

Now, however, instead of any accident happening, the good ship, althoughreeling with the blow like a drunken man, paid off from the windhandsomely--running on for some time before the gale and tearing throughthe water with everything flying, "as if old Nick were after her, " themen said!

All hands being then called again, the topsails and trysails were close-reefed, the courses furled, and the foretopmast-staysail set; when, thebarque was brought round nearly to her course again, with the weather-braces hauled in a bit to ease her. 

This was the first rough weather Fritz experienced, and it cannot besaid to have increased his admiration for a sea life, all he saw ofwhich only tended to make him wonder more and more every day what couldinduce his brother Eric to have such a passionate inclination towardsit! It was a strange fancy, he thought, as he watched the disturbedstate of the wild ocean, lashed into frenzy by the force of the gale, which seemed to wax more lusty each hour; for, the ship appeared to be, now, careering like a mad thing through some deep watery valley, betweenlofty mountainous peaks of spray, and, the next moment, seeming to be onthe toppling edge of a fathomless abyss, into which she looked about toplunge headlong to destruction as she rose above the plane of tempest-tossed water, borne aloft on the rolling crest of one of the huge wavesthat were racing by each other as if in sport--the broken, billowyelement boiling and seething as far as the eye could reach, in eddies ofcreamy foam and ridges of turbid green, with the clouds above of aleaden tinge that deepened, as they approached the horizon, to a darkslatish hue, becoming blue-black in the extreme distance. 

"That Shakespeare was a fine fellow!" Fritz said to Captain Brown, whostood close by the binnacle, keeping an eye to the two men who were nowat the wheel steering; for, the ship required careful handling in theheavy sea that was running to prevent her from broaching to, and itneeded very prompt action frequently to jam down the helm in time, so asto let her fall off her course before some threatening mountain of waterthat bore down on her bows. 

"Ha-ow?" ejaculated the skipper inquiringly, turning to the other, whowas looking over the taffrail surveying the scene around and had spokenmusingly--uttering his thoughts aloud. 

"I mean Shakespeare, the great dramatist, " replied Fritz, who, like alleducated Germans, had a keen appreciation of the bard and could quotehis pregnant sayings at pleasure. "He wrote plays, you know, " he added, seeing that Captain Brown did not quite comprehend him. 

"Oh, I rec'lect now, " replied the skipper, understanding him at last, and his face beaming with curious intelligence. "Him as wrote a piececalled `Hamlet, ' hey? I reckon I see it once when I wer to Boston someyears ago, an' Booth acted it uncommon well, too, yes, sirree!"

"Well then, " said Fritz, going on to explain the reason for his originalremark, "Shakespeare exactly expresses my sentiments, at this presentmoment, in the words which he puts into the mouth of one of hischaracters in the `Tempest, ' Gonzalo, I think. `Now would I give athousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground; long heath, brownfurze, anything: the wills above be done, but I would fain die a drydeath!'"

The young fellow laughed as he ended the apt quotation. 

The skipper, however, did not appear to see the matter in the samelight. 

"I guess thet there Gonzalo, " he remarked indignantly, "wer no sailor;an' Mister Shakespeare must hev hed a durned pain in his stummick whenhe writ sich trash!"

Some hours afterwards, fortunately for Fritz's feelings, the gale broke;when, the wind shifting round to the northward of west, the _Pilot'sBride_ was enabled to steer away from the South American coast and shapea straight course for Tristan d'Acunha. 

CHAPTER TWENTY. 

ARRIVAL AT TRISTAN D'ACUNHA. 

"This air prime, now ain't it?" said the skipper to Fritz, as the ship, with her nose pointing almost south, was driving away before the north-west wind and making some ten knots an hour. 

"Yes, she's going along all right, " replied he; adding frankly, however, "I should like it all the better, though, if the vessel didn't rollabout so much. "

"Roll?" exclaimed Captain Brown indignantly; "call this rolling? Why, Jee-rusalem, she only gives a kinder bit of a lurch now an' ag'in! Ithought you would hev got your sea-legs on by this time. "

Fritz could only bow to this statement, of course; but, all duedeference to the skipper, nevertheless, the _Pilot's Bride_ did roll, and roll most unmercifully, too. 

She was just like a huge porpoise wallowing in the water!

It may be remembered that she had sailed from port light, with a prettyconsiderable freeboard; and now, with the wind almost right aft, so thatshe had no lateral pressure to steady her--as would have been the caseif the breeze had been abeam or on her quarter--she listed first to portand then to starboard, with the "send" of the sea, as regularly as theswing of a clock's pendulum. Really, the oscillation made it almost asimpossible for Fritz to move about as if the ship had been contendingwith all the powers of the elements in a heavy storm, whereas theskipper said she was only "going easy, " with a fair wind!

Why, the "breeze" had not lasted a day, before nearly every particle ofglass and crockery-ware in the steward's cabin was smashed to atoms;while preventer stays had to be rove to save the masts from partingcompany. 

Roll, eh? She did roll--roll with a vengeance!

Fortunately, this did not last long; the wind shifting round to thenorth-east, after a three days' spell from the west, which brought theship on a bow line, steering, as she was, south-east and by south. Hadnot this change come when it did, "the old tub would hev rolled herbottom out, " as Mr Slater, the whilom deck hand, "guessed" one morningto Fritz, while the crew were engaged in washing decks. 

Of course, the brothers themselves had many a chat together while thevoyage lasted, talking over their plans as well as chatting about thedifferent scenes and circumstances surrounding the endless panorama ofsea and sky, sky and sea, now daily unfolded before them. 

Naturally--to Fritz, at least--all was new; and it was deeplyinteresting to him to notice the alteration in the aspect of the heavenswhich each night produced as the ship ran to the southward. The northstar had disappeared with its pointers, as well as other familiarstellar bodies belonging to higher latitudes; but, a new and morebrilliant constellation had risen up in the sky within his new range ofview, which each evening became more and more distinct. 

This was the Southern Cross, as it is called, consisting of four stars, three of the first magnitude and the fourth somewhat smaller, arrangedin the form of an oblique crucifix, pointing across the firmament"athwartship-like, " as the skipper explained one night-watch when thebrothers were looking out together. Only once in the year, CaptainBrown said, is this cross perfectly perpendicular towards the zenith;for, as it circles round our planet, it reverses its position, finallyturning upside-down. 

When the _Pilot's Bride_ ceased to roll and began to make steady waytowards Tristan, with the wind from the northward and eastwards on herbeam, she ran along steadily on one tack, with hardly a lurch, coveringsome two hundred miles a day as regularly as the log was hove and thesun taken at noon. 

All this time, no sight could now have been more glorious than theheavens presented each night after sunset. The myriads upon myriads ofstars that then shone out with startling brilliancy was somethingamazing; and the puzzle to Fritz was, how astronomers could name andplace all these "lesser lights"--following their movements from day today and year's end to year's end, without an error of calculation, sothat they could tell the precise spot in the firmament where to findthem at any hour they might wish!

"And yet, " said Fritz, musingly, "these wise men are puzzled sometimes. "

"Nary a doubt o' thet, " responded the skipper, who, in spite of hisrough manner and somewhat uncultivated language, thought more deeplythan many would have given him credit for; "I guess, mister, all thebook-larnin' in the world won't give us an insight inter the workin's o'providence!"

"No, " said Fritz. "The study of the infinite makes all our puny effortsat probing into the mysteries of nature and analysing the motives ofnature's God appear mean and contemptible, even to ourselves. "

"Thet's a fact, " assented the skipper. "Look thaar, now! Don't thetsky-e, now, take the gildin' off yer bunkum phi-loserphy an' talltalkin' 'bout this system an' thet--ain't thet sight above worth more'na bushel o' words, I reckon, hey?"

Fritz gazed upwards in the direction the other pointed, right over theport quarter of the ship and where the starry expanse of the stellarworld stretched out in all its beauty. 

Eastwards, near the constellation Scorpio, was the Southern Cross, whichhad first attracted their attention, the figurative crucifix of theheavens; while the "scorpion, " itself, upreared its head aloft, surmounted by a brilliant diadem of stars that twinkled and scintillatedin flashes of light, like a row of gems of the first water--the body ofthe fabled animal being marked out in fine curves, in which fancy couldtrace its general proportions, half-way down the heavens. In a moresoutherly direction, still, the parallel stars of the twin heroes Castorand Pollux could be seen, shining out with full lustre in a sky that wasbeautifully, intensely blue, conveying a sense of depths beyond depthsof azure beyond; and, as the wondering lookers gazed and the nightdeepened, fresh myriads of stars appeared to come forth and swell theheavenly phalanx, although the greater lights still maintained theirglittering superiority, Jupiter emitting an effulgence of radiant beamsfrom his throne at the zenith, while the Milky Way powdered the greatcelestial dome with a smoke wreath of starlets that circled across thefirmament in crescent fashion, like a sort of triumphal arch of flashingdiamonds which the angels could tread in their missions from heaven toearth, or the feet of those translated to the realms of the blest!

"Grand, ain't it?" repeated the skipper. 

But Fritz said nothing; his thoughts went deeper than words. 

A day or two after this, the north-east wind suddenly failed and a deadcalm set in, lasting for twenty-four hours. This circumstance did notplease Captain Brown much, for he hardly knew what to make of it;however, after a day and night of stagnation, the breeze returned again, although, in the interim of lull, it took it into its head to shiftround more to the southwards, causing the _Pilot's Bride_ to run close-hauled. 

On the evening before this change of wind, and while the calm yetcontinued, the sea presented what seemed to Fritz--and Eric too, for hehad never seen such a sight before, although he had much betteracquaintance with the wonders of the deep than his brother--a mostextraordinary scene of phosphorescent display, the strange effect of itbeing almost magical. 

The sun had set early and the moon did not rise till late; but, as soonas the orb of day had disappeared below water, the horizon all roundbecame nearly as black as ink, without any after-glow, as had invariablybeen noticed at previous sunsets. The whole sky was dark and pitchylike; only a few stars showing themselves momentarily for a while highup towards the zenith, although they were soon hidden by the mantle ofsombre cloud that enveloped the heavens everywhere. 

Meanwhile, the entire surface of the sea, in every direction as far astheir eyes could reach, seemed as if covered with a coating of frostedsilver; and, all around the ship, at the water-line, there appeared abrilliant illumination, as if from a row of gas jets or like thefootlights in front of the stage of a theatre. Where the sea, too, wasbroken into foam by the slight motion of the ship, it also gave out thesame appearance; and the faint wake astern was as bright as the trackusually lit up by the moon or rising sun across the ocean, resembling apathway of light yellow gold. 

When Fritz first saw the reflection, on looking over the side of theship, he thought that something had happened down below, and that theappearance he noticed was caused by different lights, streaming throughthe portholes and scuttles. 

"What are they doing with all those lanterns in the hold?" he asked Ericin surprise. 

The sailor lad laughed. 

"No ship lanterns, " said he, "are at work here. They say that thisqueer look of the sea is occasioned by thousands of little insects thatfloat on the surface and which are like the fireflies of the tropics. Don't you recollect reading about them?"

"But then, this light is so continuous, " replied Fritz. "It is brightas far away as we can see. "

"Yes, I suppose the shoal of insects stretches onward for miles; still, it is only when it is dark like this, with the sky overcast, that youcan see them. At least, that is what I've been told, for I never sawsuch a display before. "

"You're 'bout right, my lad, " observed Captain Brown, who had come overto leeward, where the brothers were. "I forgit what they call thedurned things; but, they're as thick as muskitters on the Florida coast. You'll see 'em all clear away as soon as the moon shows a streak, though. They can't stand her candlelight, you bet!"

It was as the skipper said. Although the illumination of the sea was sovivid that it lit up the ship's sails with flashes as the water wasstirred, it died away when the moon shone out. Then, too, the skylightened all round and the clouds cleared away before the approachingwind which had thus apparently heralded its coming. 

Nothing occurred after this to break the monotony of the voyage, beyonda school of whales being noticed blowing in the distance away to thewindward one day, about a week after the change of wind. 

"There she spouts!" called out a man who was up in the fore cross-trees, overhauling some of the running gear; but the hail only occasioned alittle temporary excitement, for the animals were much too far off forpursuit and, besides, Captain Brown wished to land the brothers andclear his ship of all cargo before going whaling on his own account. 

This consummation, however, was not long distant; for some sixteen daysor so after they had turned their backs on the South American coast, theskipper told Fritz he hoped to be at Tristan on the morrow. This waswhen he and the captain were having their usual quarter-deck walk in thefirst watch, the evening of the same day on which they passed the schoolof whales. 

"Yes, sirree, " he said, "we've run down to 36 degrees South latitude, Iguess, an' wer 'bout 13 degrees West when I took the sun at noon; so Ikalkerlate, if the wind don't fail an' the shep keeps on goin' as sheis, which is bootiful, I reckon, why we'll fetch Tristan nigh onbreakfus-time to-morrow, --yes, sir!"

"Indeed!" exclaimed Fritz. He did not think they were anywhere near theplace yet; for, although it was more than two months since they had leftNarraganset Bay, the ship appeared to sail so sluggishly and the voyageto be so tedious, that he would not have been surprised to hear some dayfrom the captain that they would not reach their destination untilsomewhere about Christmas time!

"Ya-as, really, I guess so, mister. No doubt you're a bit flustered atgettin' thaar so soon; but the _Pilot's Bride's_ sich a powerful clipperthet we've kinder raced here, an' arrove afore we wer due, I reckon!"

The skipper innocently took Fritz's expression of surprise to be acompliment to the ship's sailing powers; and so Fritz would notundeceive him by telling him his real opinion about the vessel. Itwould have been cruel to try and weaken his belief in the lubberly oldwhaler, every piece of timber in whose hull he loved with a fatherlyaffection almost equal to that with which he regarded his daughterCelia. 

Fritz therefore limited himself to an expression of delight at thespeedy termination of their voyage, without hazarding any comment on the_Pilot's Bride's_ progress; by which means he avoided either hurting theold skipper's feelings or telling an untruth, which he would otherwisehave had to do. 

He was undoubtedly glad to have advanced so far in their undertaking;for, once arrived at Tristan d'Acunha, a few more days would see themlanded on Inaccessible Island, when, he and Eric would really begintheir crusoe life of seal-catching and "making the best" of it, insolitary state. 

Wasn't he up on deck early next morning, turning out of his bunk as soonas he heard the first mate calling the captain at four bells--although, when he got there, he found Eric had preceded him, he having charge ofthe morning watch and having been up two hours before himself!

However, neither of the brothers had much the advantage of the other;for, up to breakfast time, Tristan had not been sighted. 

But, about noon, "a change came o'er the spirit of their dream!"

Captain Brown had just gone below to his cabin to get his sextant inorder to take the sun, while Fritz, to quiet his impatience, had satdown on the top of the cuddy skylight with a book in his hand, which hewas pretending to read so as to cheat himself, as it were; when, suddenly, there came a shout from a man whom the skipper had ordered tobe placed on the look-out forward--a shout that rang through the ship. 

"Land ho!"

Fritz dropped his book on to the deck at once and Eric sprang up intothe mizzen rigging, hurriedly scrambling up the ratlins to the masthead, whence he would have a better point of observation; the skippermeanwhile racing up the companion way with his sextant in his hand. 

"Land--where away?" he sang out, hailing the man on the fore cross-trees. 

"Dead away to leeward, two points off the beam, " was the answer at oncereturned by the man on the look-out, who happened, strangely enough, tobe Fritz's whilom acquaintance, the "deck hand!"

"Are you sure?" hailed the captain again to make certain. 

"As sure as there's claws on a Rocky Mountain b'ar, " replied the man ina tone of voice that showed he was a bit nettled at his judgment beingquestioned; for he next added, quite loud enough for all to hear, "Iguess I oughter know land when I see it. I ain't a child put out to drynurse, I ain't!"

"There, thet'll do; stow thet palaver!" said Captain Brown sharply, "else you'll find thet if Rocky Mountain b'ars hev claws, they ken use'em, an' hug with a prutty good grip of their own too, when they meanbizness, I guess, Nat Slater; so, you'd better quiet down an' keep thetsass o' yourn for some un else!"

This stopped the fellow's grumbling at once; and Captain Brown, afterproceeding aloft to have a look for himself and see how far the islandwas off, gave directions for having the ship's course altered, lettingher fall off a point or two from the wind. 

"I guess I wer standin' a bit too much to the northward, " he said toFritz, who was waiting on the poop, longing to ask him a thousandquestions as to when they would get in, and where they would land, andso on; "but thet don't matter much, as we are well to win'ard, an' kenfetch the land as we like. "

The island, which at first appeared like a sort of low-lying cloud onthe horizon, was now plainly perceptible, a faint mountain peak beingnoticeable, just rising in the centre of the dark patch of haze. 

"Is it far off?" asked Fritz. 

"'Bout fifty mile or so, I sh'u'd think, mister, " answered theskipper--"thet is more or less, as the air down below the line isclearer than it is north, so folks ken see further, I guess. I don'tkinder think it's more'n fifty mile, though, sou'-sou'-west o' whar theshep is now. "

"Fifty miles!" repeated Fritz, somewhat disconcerted by theannouncement; for, he would not have thought the object, which all couldnow see from the deck, more than half that distance away. "Why, we'llnever get there to-day!"

"Won't we?" said the skipper. "Thet's all you know 'bout it, mister. The _Pilot's Bride_ 'll walk over thet little bit o' water like a racehoss, an' 'ill arrive at Tristan 'fore dinner time, you bet!"

The skipper's prognostication as to the time of their arrival did notturn out quite correct, but Fritz's anxiety was allayed by theirreaching the place the same night; for, the mountain peak, which hadbeen noticed above the haze that hung over the lower part of the island, began to rise higher and higher as the ship approached, until its sharpridges could be plainly seen beneath a covering of snow that envelopedthe upper cone and which changed its colour from glistening white to abright pink hue as it became lit up by the rays of the setting sun--thelatter dipping beneath the western horizon at the same instant that the_Pilot's Bride_ cast anchor in a shallow bay some little distance offthe land, close to Herald Point, where the English settlement on theisland lies. 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. 

AN OCEAN COLONY. 

Fritz and Eric wished to go ashore the moment the anchor plunged intothe water and the chain cable grated through the hawse hole; but, darkness setting in almost immediately after sunset, as is usual in suchsoutherly latitudes, their landing had to be postponed until the nextmorning, when the skipper told them they would have plenty of time toinspect the little ocean colony of Tristan d'Acunha--that is, should nota westerly-wind set in, bringing with it a heavy swell, as it invariablydid; for, this would cause them "to cut and run from their anchorage ina jiffy, " if they did not desire to lay the ship's bones on the rocks byHerald Point, which he, "for one, " he said, had no intention of doing. 

However, the wind still remained in the same quarter, blowing steadilyfrom the south-east, which made it calm where the _Pilot's Bride_ waslying--Captain Brown from previous experience knowing the safest berthto take up--so she did not have to shift her berth. When morning broke, too, the brothers had a better view of the place than on the eveningbefore; for then, only a hasty peep at it could be obtained before itwas hidden by night. 

The small bay in which the ship was moored opened to the westward; and, on the right, a slope of rough pasture land, about a quarter of a milein width, ran up from the beach to an almost precipitous wall of rock, athousand feet or more in height--although a sort of misty vapour hungover it, which prevented Fritz from gauging its right altitude. On theleft-hand side, the wall of rock came sheer down into the sea, leavingonly a few yards of narrow shingle, on which the surf noisily broke. Astream leaped down from the high ground, nearly opposite the vessel, andthe low fall with which it tumbled into the bay at this point indicatedthat there would be found the best landing-place, an opinion whichCaptain Brown confirmed as soon as he came on deck. 

"I guess, though, " said the skipper, pointing out a red flag which Fritzcould notice just being hoisted on one of the cottage chimneys in thedistance, "we needn't hurry 'bout launchin' a boat, fur some o' themislanders are comin' off to pay us a visit an' will take you ashore. Thet's their signal for communicatin' with any vessel thet calls inhere. Run up our ensign, Mr Dort, " he added to Eric, who stood at hisstation on the lee side of the mizzen mast; "an' tell 'em to fire thegun forrud, jest to give 'em a kinder sort o' salute, you know. UncleSam likes to do the civil, the same as other men-o'-war when they goesto foreign ports!"

These orders were obeyed; and no sooner were the "Stars and Stripes" runup to the masthead and the report of the little gun on the topgallantfo'c's'le heard reverberating through the distant mountain tops--thesound of the discharge being caught up and echoed between the narrowarms of the bay--than a smart whale-boat, pulled by eight men and with awhite-bearded, venerable-looking individual seated in the stern-sheets, was seen coming out from the very spot which Fritz had determined to bethe landing-place. 

They were soon alongside the _Pilot's Bride_; when the old man--whointroduced himself as Green, the oldest inhabitant of the island andwith whom Captain Brown had already had an acquaintance of some years'duration--cordially invited Fritz to land, the skipper having explainedthat he wished to see the place and hear all about it. He told thebrothers aside, however, that perhaps they'd better not mention theirintention of settling on Inaccessible Island, for the inhabitants ofTristan, who sent expeditions every year on sealing excursions there, might not like to hear this news. 

While on their way to the shore with the old man and four of theislanders--the other Tristaners remaining on board the ship to selectcertain articles they required from her stores and arrange for thebarter of fresh meat and potatoes with Captain Brown in exchange--Fritzobserved that, some distance out from the land, there was a sort ofnatural breakwater, composed of the long, flat leaves of a giant speciesof seaweed which grew up from the bottom, where its roots extended tothe depth of fifteen fathoms. This, old Green pointed out, preventedthe rollers, when the wind was from the westward, from breaking tooviolently on the shore, between which and the floating weed was a beltof calm water, as undisturbed as the surface of a mountain tarn. 

The landing-place was of fine black sand, showing the volcanic characterof the mountain peak above, which Green said was over eight thousandfeet high and had an extinct crater on the top; and, when Fritz and hisbrother had jumped out of the boat, they proceeded up to the littlesettlement of the islanders, which was called "Edinburgh" out ofcompliment to his Royal Highness Prince Alfred, who had visited theplace when cruising in HMS _Galatea_, just four years before theirlanding. 

The village consisted of some dozen cottages or so, roughly built ofsquare blocks of hewn stone dovetailed into each other, without mortar, and thatched with tussock-grass. The houses were scattered about, eachin its own little garden, enclosed by walls of loosely piled stonesabout four feet high; but, as it was now the early spring of Tristan, these had very little growing in them. One of the enclosures, Fritznoticed, had a lot of marigolds in flower, another, several dwarfstrawberry plants just budding, while a third was filled with youngonions; but the majority displayed only the same coarse, long tussock-grass with which the cottages were thatched. 

When the brothers came to examine the houses more closely, they wereparticularly struck with the neatness with which they were constructedand the extreme labour that must have been expended on them. 

Apart from the difficulty of procuring wood, which they could only getfrom stray whaling ships, the islanders are obliged to build theirdwellings of stone, in order to prevent their being demolished by thefierce and frequent hurricanes that assail the isolated little spot, exposed as it is to all the rude blustering blasts that career over theexpanse of the Atlantic. The cottages are, therefore, put together witha dark-brown, soft sort of stone, which is hewn out in great blocks fromthe cliffs above the settlement and afterwards shaped with greataccuracy and care with the axe. Many of these masses of stone areupwards of a ton in weight; but, still, they are cut so as to lock intoone another in a double row to form the main wall, which is someeighteen inches thick, with smaller pieces of stone, selected with equalcare as to their fitting, placed in between. There is no lime on theisland, so that the blocks are put together on the cyclopean plan, without cement. They are also raised into their places in the sameprimitive fashion, strong spars being used for inclined planes, up whichthese monoliths are pushed by manual labour in a similar way to thatdescribed in the old hieroglyphics of the Nineveh marbles. With allthese precautions as to strength, however, the sou'-westers blow withsuch fierceness into the little bay where the colony is situated, thatmany of these massive buildings, Green said, were constantly blown down, the huge blocks being tumbled about like pieces of cork!

The roofs were thatched with the long grass that Fritz had seen growingin the gardens and with which he had later on a closer and more painfulacquaintance, the tussock fibres being fastened inside to light polesthat were attached to rafters placed horizontally, while the ridgesoutside were covered with bands of green turf, firmly fixed on. 

As for the colony, which numbered some eighty souls in all, it consistedof fifteen families, who possessed from five to six hundred head ofcattle and about an equal supply of sheep, with lots of pigs andpoultry, each family having its own stock in the same way that eachcultivated its own garden; but, there was a common grazing ground, wherealso large quantities of potatoes were raised--the trade of the islandbeing principally with the American whalers, who take supplies of freshmeat and vegetables, for which they barter manufactured goods, householdstuffs, and "notions. "

During their visit, Fritz and Eric were hospitably entertained by theold man Green at his cottage, which had three large rooms and was thebest in the place; and the roast pig which furnished the main dish ofthe banquet was all the more toothsome, by reason of the long time thebrothers had been at sea and so deprived of fresh meat and those goodthings of the land, to which they had grown somewhat accustomed duringtheir stay at the comfortable shanty on Narraganset Bay under MrsBrown's auspices. 

Indirectly, too, Fritz found out a great deal about Inaccessible Island;and, the more he heard, the more firmly rooted became his determinationto settle there. The seals, old Green said, were numerous enough; but, he added that the islanders were only able to pay a short visit inDecember every year, and so lost considerable chances of taking more ofthem. 

"Aha, " thought Fritz, "we'll be there altogether, and so will haveopportunities for taking them all the year round. Tristaners, my goodpeople, look out for your sealskins and oil in future; we, crusoes, aregoing into the business wholesale!"

When the brothers were rowed back to the ship in the evening--havingspent the entire day on the island in noticing what would be most usefulto themselves subsequently for the new life they were about to adopt--the other Tristaners who had remained on board choosing goods returnedto the shore, promising to send the value of the articles they hadselected in beef and potatoes on the following morning. Before turningin for the night, however, Captain Brown gave Fritz to read a newspaperextract which he had posted into his logbook. This detailed the earlyhistory of the little colony, and the gist of it was as follows:--

Although discovered as early as the year 1506 by d'Acunha, the firstcomparatively modern navigator who visited the island was the captain ofan American ship--the _Industry_, a whaler sailing from Philadelphia--who remained at Tristan from August, 1790, to April, 1791, his peoplepitching their tents on almost the precise spot now occupied by thesettlement. At the time of this vessel's visit, it was mentioned thatthere was plenty of wood of a small growth excellent for firewood; butthis Fritz noticed was not the case when he inspected the place duringthe day, hardly anything but slight brush being apparent beyond thetussock-grass. The American captain also stated that the amount of seaanimals of all kinds on the island--whales, seals, and penguins--wasalmost inexhaustible, his party having procured over six thousandsealskins during their stay of seven months, besides killing more whalesthan they could find room for the oil from them in their ship! This, too, had become altered during the years which had elapsed, the sealsgetting scarcer at Tristan now, through the wholesale war carried onagainst them by the islanders, who latterly, with the exception of thevisits they paid to Inaccessible Island and Nightingale Islet--accordingto old Green's account--had almost abandoned the pursuit for sheer wantof sport. 

The next mention of Tristan d'Acunha, as related in the printedchronicle Fritz read, was in the year after the American captain'ssojourn there, when two British ships of war, the _Lion_ and_Hindostan_, which were probably East Indiamen, with the English embassyto China on board, anchored off the north side of the island under thecliff of the mountain peak; but, a sudden squall coming on, thesevessels had to leave without investigating the place thoroughly, although their commanders described it as being uninhabited at thattime. 

Nine years later, the captain of another ship that called there foundthree Americans settled on the island, preparing sealskins and boilingdown oil. Goats and pigs had been set adrift by some of the earliervisitors, as well as vegetables planted, and these colonists appeared tobe in a very flourishing condition, declaring themselves perfectlycontented to pass their lives there. One of the men, indeed, had drawnup a proclamation, stating that he was the king of the country, a titlewhich the others acknowledged; and the three, the monarch and his twosubjects, had cleared about fifty acres of land, which they had sownwith various things, including coffee-trees and sugar-canes; but, whether this plantation turned out unsuccessful, or from some othernotion, the "king" and his colleagues abandoned the settlement--theplace remaining deserted until the year 1817, when, during NapoleonBuonaparte's captivity at Saint Helena, the island was formally takenpossession of by the English Government, a guard of soldiers beingespecially drafted thither for its protection, selected from the Cape ofGood Hope garrison. 

This was, undoubtedly, the foundation of the present colony; for, although the military picket was withdrawn in the following year, acorporal of artillery with his wife and two brother soldiers, whoexpressed a desire to remain on the island, stayed behind. Since then, Tristan has always been inhabited--the original little colony of foursouls having formed the nucleus of the present settlement of overeighty, men joining it at various times from passing whalers, whilewomen were imported from the Cape when wives were wanted. From the factof these latter being mostly Hottentots, the complexion of the youngermen, Fritz noticed, was somewhat darker than that of Europeans. Thisexplained what the skipper meant, on first telling him about the island, when he said the inhabitants were "mulattoes"; although Fritz thoughtthem only of a brunette tinge, for they were of much lighter hue thanmany Spaniards and Italians whom he had met on the Continent. 

Glass, the ex-artilleryman and original founder of the Englishsettlement, was a Scotchman, born at Kelso. He seems to have been a manof great principle and energy, these qualities gaining for him thecomplete confidence of the little community over which his authority wasquite of a patriarchal character. For thirty-seven years he maintainedhis position as leader, representing the colony in all its transactionswith passing ships and showing himself just and honest in his dealings. The islanders had always been English-speaking, and having strongBritish sympathies, "Governor Glass, " as he was styled, receivedpermission from one of the naval officers visiting the island to hoistthe red ensign, as a signal to vessels going by. This slight officialrecognition was all the notice that the settlement has received fromEngland ever since its establishment--that is, beyond the sending out ofa chaplain there by the "Religious Tract Society, " who remained for fiveyears and when leaving spoke of the members of the little settlement asbeing so highly moral that they did not require any spiritualministration, "there not being a vice in the colony to contend with!"

To this latter statement, Fritz found the skipper had appended aneccentric footnote:-- "'Cos why, there ain't no rum handier than theCape, the little to be got from the whalers visiting the spot--an' theyhave little enough from me, you bet!--being speedily guzzled down by theold birds, an' the young uns never gettin' a taste o' the pizen!"

On Glass's death, he was succeeded in the leadership of the colony byGreen, the next oldest man, who now lived in the house of the latefounder of the settlement and hoisted the English ensign in his turn. Green was a venerable-looking man, with a long white beard, and seemed, from what Fritz could gather in his different conversations with theislanders, to have successfully followed in his predecessor's footsteps. 

Since the Duke of Edinburgh's visit in the _Galatea_, many other straymen-of-war have occasionally called to see how the islanders weregetting on; but the principal trading communication they have has alwaysbeen with American whalers, some round dozen of which call at Tristanyearly for the purposes of barter. 

"An' I guess it's a downright shame, " said Captain Brown, whenmentioning this latter fact to Fritz, "thet they don't fly the star-spangled banner instead o' thet there rag of a British ensign! If itweren't for us whalers, they'd starve fur want of wood to warmthemselves in winter; an', who'd buy their beef an' mutton an' fixins, if we didn't call in, hey?"

"That's a conundrum, and I give it up, " answered Fritz with a laugh. 

"Ah, you're a sly coon, " said the skipper, sailing away to his cabin. "I guess it's 'bout time to bunk in, mister, so I'm off. Good-night!"

"Good-night!" returned Fritz, shutting up the log book and going his waylikewise to the small state room set apart for the use of himself andhis brother, where he found Eric asleep and snoring away soundly, thetramping about ashore having completely tired out the lad. 

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. 

"ALONE!"

The next morning, when Fritz got on deck, he found the ship diving andcourtesying to her anchor, while an ominous swell came rolling in pasther from the westward towards the beach. The surf, too, was breakingagainst the boulders of the high rocky ramparts that came down sheerfrom the cliff on the left-hand side of the bay, which was now to theright of where Fritz was standing at the stern of the _Pilot's Bride_, she having swung round during the night and now laying head to sea. 

There was no wind to speak of, although there was evidently a changebrewing; still, any one with half an eye could see that the skipper wasquite prepared for any emergency, for the headsails of the vessel, instead of being furled up, now hung loose, the gaskets being cast-offand the bunts dropped. The men, also, were forward, heaving away at thewindlass and getting up the cable, of which a considerable length hadbeen paid out, the ship riding in over forty fathoms of water. 

"Hullo, mister, " exclaimed Captain Brown, when he noticed Fritz lookingabout him, as if perplexed as to what these signs meant, --"I told you wemight hev to cut an' run any moment!"

"Why?" said Fritz. 

"Can't you see, man, " retorted the other. "I thought you'd hev beenhalf a sailor by this time, judgin' by your smart lad of a brother!Why, the wind is jest choppin' round to the west'ard, I reckon; an', asI don't kinder like to let the ship go to pieces on them thaar cliffs toloo'a'd, I guess we're goin' to make tracks into the offin' an' give theland a wide berth. "

"Are you going to start soon?" asked Fritz. 

"Waall, there ain't no 'mediate hurry, mister; but I allers like to beon the safe side, an' when them islanders bring their second boatload o'taters an' t'other grub, I reckon we'll be off. They've brought one lotalready, in return for the dry goods an' bread-stuffs I've let 'em hev;an' when they bring the second, I guess the barg'in'll be toted up!"

Not long afterwards, Fritz saw the islanders' boat coming off from thelanding-place. It was pretty well laden, and the swell had increased sogreatly that it sometimes was lost to sight in the trough between theheavy rollers that undulated towards the shore. The Tristaners, however, being accustomed to the water and experienced boatmen, did notmake much of the waves; but, pulling a good steady stroke, were soonalongside--the bowman catching a rope which was hove from the chains andholding on, while the various contents of the cargo brought were handedon board. This operation had to be performed most dexterously; for, onemoment, the little craft would be almost on a level with the ship'sbulwarks, while the next she would be thirty feet below, as the billowysurface of the sea sank below her keel. 

Eric was beside the skipper, checking the quantities of provisions whichhad been accurately calculated beforehand, for the Tristaners showed akeen eye to business and weighed everything they bartered for thewhaler's goods, when one of the men hailed him. This was the identicalyoung fellow of whom he had spoken to Fritz when first expounding hisprojected scheme for going sealing to Inaccessible Island, and who, hementioned besides, had told him all about the place. Indeed, he hadactually suggested his going there. Eric had wondered much at nothaving come across this young man on the previous day when they hadvisited the settlement, although he looked about for him, so he wasdoubly pleased to see him now. 

"Hullo!" cried out this Tristaner to the young German. "So you are backagain, eh?"

"Yes, " said Eric. "Come aboard a moment; I want to speak to you. "

"All right, " exclaimed the other, who was a fine, stalwart young fellow, with jet-black hair and a bronzed face that appeared to be more tannedby the weather than owing its hue to coloured blood; when, in a jiffy, he had swung himself into the chains by the rope attached to the boat'sbows and was by Eric's side on the deck of the _Pilot's Bride_, his faceall over smiles. 

"You're the very chap I was wanting to see, " said Eric, shaking handswith him cordially. "I was puzzled to know what had become of youyesterday. I did not see you anywhere. "

"I was away up the mountain, gathering grass, " replied the young fellow. "So, you've returned here, as you said you would, early in the year?"

"You told me such fine accounts of the fishing, " retorted Eric with alaugh, "that, really, I couldn't stop away. I want to talk to you aboutit again now. This is my brother, " he added, introducing Fritz. 

"Glad to know him, " said the Tristaner, bowing politely--indeed, themanners of all the islanders struck Fritz as being more polished thanwhat he had observed in so-called civilised society. "Is he going tojoin you in settling on Inaccessible Island?"

"Yes, " replied Eric. "He and I have determined to start sealing there. We have come from America on purpose. Is there anything more you cantell us about it?"

"Have you got provisions to last you a year at the least? You mustcalculate to hold out so long, for no ship may be able to visit youearlier and you cannot count on procuring much food on the island. "

"Oh, yes; we've got plenty of grub, " said Eric, using the sailor's termfor food. 

"And the things besides that I told you would be necessary?"

"You may be certain of that, " replied Eric. "The only thing I see thatwe'll have any difficulty about will be in rigging up a house. I'm surethat Fritz and I will never be able to build a substantial shanty likeone of those you have here in your island. "

"No, perhaps not, " said the young fellow, smiling. "You see, when weare going to run up a house, we all join together and lend a hand, whichmakes it easy work for us. It would be impossible for one or two men--or many more, indeed. I'll tell you what I'll do for you, though. Ifthe captain of your ship here will promise to bring me back again toTristan, I will go over there with you for a couple of days or so, tosee you comfortably fixed up, as you Americans say, at InaccessibleIsland, before you and your brother are left to yourselves. "

"Agreed!" exclaimed Eric joyfully. "I will ask the skipper at once. "

To dart across the deck to where Captain Brown was now standing by theopen hatchway, overseeing the provisions being passed down into theship's hold, was, for the sailor lad, but the work of a moment!

"Oh, Captain Brown, "--commenced Eric breathlessly, his excitement almoststopping his speech for a second. 

"Waall, what's all the muss about?" said the old skipper, turning roundand scanning the lad's eager face. "Do you an' your brother want toback out o' the venture naow? I saw you talkin' to thet Tristaner youmet here with me in the spring. "

"Back out of the project?" repeated Eric very indignantly. "Give up mypet plan, when everything is turning more and more in favour of it, captain? I should think not, indeed!"

"Then, what's the matter?" asked the skipper. 

"I want you to grant me a favour, " said Eric, hesitating a bit as theother looked at him steadfastly, a half-smile, half-grin on his weather-beaten countenance. 

"Thought sunthin' wer up!" ejaculated the skipper. "Waall, what's thisdurned favour o' your'n?" he added in his good-natured way. "Spit itout, sonny, an' don't make sich a mealy mouth of it!"

"This Tristaner--young Glass, you recollect him, don't you, captain?"said Eric, proceeding with his request--"says he'll come with us andhelp to build our cabin for us at Inaccessible Island, and settle us--"

"Show you the ropes, in fact, hey?" interrupted the skipper. 

"Yes, " continued Eric. "He agrees to stop a day or two with us, till wefeel at home, so to speak, if you will undertake to bring him back againand land him at Tristan before you go on to the Cape. "

"Oh!" exclaimed the skipper, giving expression to a long, low whistlefrom between his closed teeth. "Thet's the ticket, is it? Waall, Iguess I don't mind doin' it to oblige you an' your brother, though it'lltake me a main heap out o' my way coastin' up haar ag'in!"

"Thank you; oh, thank you, captain, " said Eric, quite delighted withthis promise; and he rushed back across the deck to tell the others thegood news. 

While the young Tristaner was explaining matters to his comrades in theboat--from which all the stores had now been removed that had beenbrought off from the island and a few extra articles put in, whichCaptain Brown had made them a present of, as "boot" to the bargain ofbarter--the wind began to spring up in gusts, causing the ship's sailsto flap ominously against the masts. 

"Guess you'd better be off, " cried the skipper, coming to the side, where the two brothers and the young Tristaner who was going toaccompany them stood leaning over, having a parting palaver with thosein the boat below. "The breeze is risin', an' if you don't kinder care'bout startin', I reckon we must. Shove off thaar!"

"All right, " sang out one of the islanders, casting off the rope whichattached them still to the ship. "Good-bye, and mind you bring ourcountryman back safe. "

"You bet, " shouted the skipper. "I'll take care o' him as if he wer myown kin. Now, Eric, " he added, "you've got to tend your duties to thelast aboard, you know; away aft with you an' see to the mizzen sheets. All hands make sail!"

The topsails were dropped at the same moment and sheeted home, while thejib was hoisted; and the ship, paying off, forged slowly up to heranchor. 

"Now, men, " sang out Captain Brown sharply. "Put your heart into thetwindlass thaar, an' git the cable in! It's comin' on to blow hard, an'if you don't look smart we'll never git out of this durned bay in time!"

Clink, clank, went round the unwieldy machine, as the crew heaved with awill, their movements quickened by the urgency of getting under weighwithout delay, and each man exerting the strength of two. 

"Heave away, men!" chorussed the mate, standing over them and lendinghis voice to their harmonious chant. "Heave! Yo ho, heave!"

A few hearty and long pulls, and then the anchor showed its stock. 

"Hook cat!" shouted the mate; whereupon, the fall being stretched alongthe deck, all hands laid hold. 

"Hurrah, up with her now, altogether!" came the next cry; and then, theanchor was bowsed up to the cathead to the lively chorus that rangthrough the ship, the men walking away with the fall as if it had noweight attached to it. The yards were now braced round and the _Pilot'sBride_ began to beat out of the bay against the head wind, which was nowblowing right on to the shore. 

"Guess we aren't a bit too soon, " said the skipper, when the vessel, after her second tack to starboard, just cleared Herald Point. "If we'dstopped much longer, we'd been forced to stop altogether, I reckon!"

"Was there any danger?" asked Fritz innocently. 

"Yes, mister; there's allers danger to a shep with a gale comin' on an'a nasty shore under her lee. There's nothin' like the open sea forsafety! When you can't come to an anchor in a safe harbour, the bestthing is to up cable an' cut and run, say I!"

Inaccessible Island was only about eighteen miles distant from Tristan;but, as it lay to the south-west of that island and the wind blewstrongly from almost the same quarter, the _Pilot's Bride_ had to make acouple of long tacks before she could approach sufficiently near forFritz to see the spot where he and his brother had elected to pass somany weary months of solitary exile. 

As the ship beat to windward, passing the island twice on either tack, he was able to notice what a bare, inhospitable-looking place it was. 

Its structure seemed pretty much the same as that of Tristan, with theexception that the snow-white cone projecting into the clouds, which wasthe most noticeable feature in the latter island, was here wanting; but, a wall of volcanic rocks, about the same height as the cliff of Tristand'Acunha, entirely surrounded the desolate spot, falling for the mostpart sheer into the sea and only sloping, as far as could be seen fromthe distance the ship was off, sufficiently on one side to allow of anyaccess to the top. Against this impenetrable, adamantine barrier, onthe west, the heavy rolling sea that had travelled all the way from CapeHorn was breaking with a loud din, sending columns of spray flying overalmost the highest peaks and making the scene grand but awesome at thesame time. 

"Well might it be called Inaccessible Island!" exclaimed Fritz, gazingintently at the threatening cliffs and cruel surge. 

"Yes, sirree, it kinder skearts one to look at it, don't it now, hey?"

"I should think it more dangerous to approach than Tristan?" said Fritzpresently. 

"I rayther guess so, mister, " replied the skipper. "I rec'lect readin', when I was a b'y, of the wreck of a big East Indyman here bound furBombay. She wer called the _Blenden Hall_, an' I ken call to mind, though it must be nigh fifty year ago, the hull yarn as to how she werlost. "

"Do you?" said Fritz. "I should like to hear about it. "

"Waall, here goes, I reckon. You see as how there wer several ladiesaboard, an' it wer the plight they wer put in thet made me 'member itall. It wer in the month of July thet it happen'd, an' the vessel, as Isaid afore, wer bound to Bombay. The weather bein' thick an' the masterfunky about his latitudes, findin' himself by observation near theseislands, he detarmined to look for 'em, in order to get a sight of 'eman' correct his reck'nin'. I guess he hed too much of a sight soon;fur, a thick fog shortly shut out everythin' from gaze, an' lookin' overthe side he found the vessel in the midst of a lot o' floatin' weed. The helm wer put down, but by reason of light winds and a heavy swellsettin' in to the shore, the same as you just now saw at Tristan, theshep's head couldn't be got to come round. Breakers were now heardahead, so the jolly-boat wer lowered with a tow-line to heave the bowsround; but it wer of no use, as the wind hed failed entirely an' theswell was a-drivin' the shep on to the rocks. An anchor wer then letgo, but the depth of water didn't allow it to take hold, so, theylowered the cutter to help tow the shep's head round, along with thejolly-boat, when all of a sudden she struck. The fog wer so thick bythen, thet those on board couldn't see the boats alongside, much lessthe shore. Howsomedever, they cut away the masts, to ease the vesselan' stop her grindin' on the rocks. Soon arter this, the fog liftedwhen those on board were frit by seein' right over their headsapparently, those very terrific-lookin' cliffs you see in front, justthaar--only thet they wer close into 'em, not more nor half a cable'slength off, an' the heavy seas, sich as you ken now see runnin' up theface of the rocky wall thaar, wer breaking boldly right over the shep--"

"And, " interrupted Fritz, "what happened then?"

"What could you expect?" replied the skipper. "I guess she wer beateninto matchwood in five minutes; although, won'erful to say, the hull ofthe passengers, ladies an' all, wer got ashore safely, only one manbein' drowned--an' it sarved him right, as he was one of the crew whotried to escape when the shep first struck, an' leave all the rest toperish! They wer all got to land by a hawser rigged from a peak ofprojectin' rock to a bit of the wreck; an' the ladies, I read, mister, an' all o' them, lived from July to November on penguins an' seal flesh, which they cooked in part of an iron buoy that they sawed in half fur akittle, shelterin' themselves from the cold in tents thet they made outof the vessel's sails. I reckon, mister, you'll be kinder betterprovided fur an' lodged, hey?"

"Yes, thanks to your kindness, " said Fritz; "but the island seemscompletely encompassed by this rocky wall. I don't see where and howwe're going to land and get our things on shore!"

"Don't you?" chuckled the skipper. "I guess you'll soon see how we'llfix it. "

Presently, Fritz's doubts were solved. 

When the _Pilot's Bride_ had worked her way well to windward of theisland, the captain fetched down towards the eastern side, where, onrounding a point, a narrow bay lay right before the ship, quitesheltered from the rough swell and wind that reigned paramount on theother side of the coast, storming and beating against the wall-likecliffs in blind fury!

Here, it was as calm as a mill pond; so, the ship was brought to ananchor right in front of a pretty little waterfall that leaped its wayby a series of cascades from the cliff above to a level plateau at thebase, where a narrow belt of low ground extended for about a mile infront of the bay, its seaweed face being bordered by a broad sandy beachof black sand. 

"Oh, that is pretty!" exclaimed Fritz and Eric, almost together in onebreath. "It is like the falls of the Staubbach at home in dearGermany. "

"I don't know nary anythin' 'bout thet, " said the skipper laconically, for the brothers spoke for the moment in their native tongue, carriedaway by old associations; "but I guess we'll hev to see 'bout gettin'your fixins ashore pretty sharp, fur the wind may change agin, an' thenI'd hev to cut an' leave you. "

"All right, captain, we're quite at your service, " said Fritz; and, aboat being lowered, the various packages containing the brothers'personal belongings, as well as the supply of provisions furnished bythe skipper from the ship's stores for their use, were put on board, after which the two then jumped in accompanied by Captain Brown and theyoung Tristaner, the little party being rowed ashore by four seamen whomthe skipper had ordered to assist. 

As soon as they landed, the things were carried up the beach; when, theseamen bearing a hand, --directed by Captain Brown, who seemed quite usedto the sort of work, --all devoted their efforts towards building a roughsort of house, which would serve the adventurous brothers for atemporary habitation until they could make themselves more comfortable. 

Young Glass selected the best site for the building; and the skipperhaving caused a lot of timber to be placed in the boat, a makeshiftcottage was hastily run up, the walls being of blocks of stone withoutand of wood inside. The islander then thatched this neatly withtussock-grass, which grew all up the face of the cliff, where, as heshowed the brothers, it could be utilised as a sort of ladder to gainthe plateau on top--on which, he also told Fritz and Eric, they wouldfind droves of wild hogs and a flock of goats that would come in handyfor food when their provisions failed. 

The Tristaner had promised to remain with them as long as Captain Brownwould stay with the _Pilot's Bride_, that is, for a week or so, if theweather was favourable. However, quite unexpectedly, towards afternoonon the next day--when the cottage was completed, it is true, but theyhad not as yet had time to explore the island in company with youngGlass, in order to be familiarised as to the best spots for sealing, planting their potatoes and vegetable seeds, and so on--the wind shiftedagain round to the south-east; and no sooner was this change apparentthan the skipper had to weigh anchor without a moment's delay, when ofcourse the Tristaner had to embark, or else submit to share the youngcrusoes' exile. 

Captain Brown had remained on shore with them all the time from theirlanding, and he appeared now very loth to leave them at the last. Really, as they went down with him to the whale-boat in which they hadcome ashore, there were tears in the old man's eyes, which he triedvainly to hide. 

"Pooh!" he exclaimed, stamping his foot vigorously. "It's all themdratted 'skeaters or flies, or sunthin's got inter my durned old opticsas I can't see! Hail the ship, Eric my lad, an' tell 'em to send a boatto take us off, will you, sonny?"

"But the whale-boat that we landed in is here, captain, " said Eric, thinking the skipper had forgotten all about it. 

"Nary you mind thet, my lad, " shouted the good-hearted old man; "I'mgoin' to leave thet with you fur a present, b'ys, in case you sh'u'd gettired an' want ter shift your quarters to Tristan some day. It's allersbest to be purvided with the means of escape, you know, in case of theworst, for the _Pilot's Bride_ might get wracked down 'mongst theislands Kerguelen way, an' no shep might ever call to take you off. "

"Oh, captain, how can we thank you!" exclaimed Fritz, overcome withemotion at the skipper's thoughtfulness. "Still, you will come and lookus up next year should all be well with you, eh?"

"You bet on thet, " replied the worthy old man. "I guess you'll see menext fall, if I'm in the land o' the livin'!"

"And you'll call to see if there are any letters for us at the Cape ofGood Hope, won't you? I told our people at home to write there, on thechance of their communications being forwarded on. "

"I'll bring 'em sure, if there's any, " replied the skipper; and, by thistime, a second boat having been sent off from the ship, in which theseamen who had pulled the first whale-boat ashore now took their places, along with the Tristan islander, it only remained for the kind oldcaptain to embark--and then, the brothers would be crusoes indeed!

"Good-bye, an' God bless you, my b'ys, " he said, wringing first the handof Fritz and then that of Eric, in a grip that almost crushed everyfeeling in those respective members. "Good-bye, my lads; but keep astiff upper lip an' you'll do! Trust in providence, too, an' look arterthe seals, so as to be ready with a good cargo when I come back nextfall!"

"Good-bye, good old friend, " repeated Fritz, wringing his honest handagain on the old man stepping into the boat, the crew of which raised aparting cheer as it glided away to the ship, leaving the young crusoesbehind on the beach!

They watched with eager eyes the sails being dropped and the anchorweighed, the _Pilot's Bride_ soon after spreading her canvas and makingway out of the little bay. 

Then, when she got into the offing, the skipper, as a final adieu, backed the vessel's main-topsail and dipped her colours three times, firing the bow gun at the same time. 

It was a nautical farewell from their whilom comrades: and then thebrothers were left alone!

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. 

TAKING AN INVENTORY. 

The westerly wind being, of course, fair for the _Pilot's Bride_ in herrun back to Tristan d'Acunha, she soon disappeared in the distance--thesnow-capped cone of the larger island being presently the only object tobe seen on the horizon, looking in the distance like a faint white cloudagainst the sky. The evening haze shut out everything else from theirgaze: the lower outlines of the land they had so recently left: thevessel that had conveyed them to their solitary home. 

Nothing was to be seen but the rolling tumid sea that stretched aroundthem everywhere, as far as the eye could reach, heaving and swelling andwith the breeze flecking off the tops of the billows into foam as itsresistless impetus impelled them onwards, away, away!

"Well, " exclaimed Eric, after a long pause, during which neither of thebrothers had spoken, both being anxiously watching the _Pilot's Bride_--until, first, her hull and then her gleaming sails, lit up for awhile bythe rays of the setting sun, had sunk out of sight--"well, here we areat last!"

"Yes, here we are, " said Fritz, "and we've now got to make the best ofour little kingdom with only our own companionship. "

"We won't quarrel, at all events, brother, " replied Eric, laughing inhis old fashion at the possibility of such a thing. The lad was quiteoverwrought with emotion at parting with the old skipper as well as hislate companions in the ship; and, tears and mirth being closely allied, he would have felt inclined to laugh at anything then--just because hecouldn't cry!

"I don't suppose we will, " said the other--"that is, not intentionally. But, brother, we will have to guard our tempers with a strong hand; for, when two persons are thrown together in such close association as weshall be during the next ensuing months--with no one else to speak toand no authority to control us, save our own consciences and theknowledge of the all-seeing Eye above, weighing and considering ouractions--it will require a good deal of mutual forbearance and kindlyfeeling on the part of one towards the other to prevent us from fallingout sometimes, if only for a short while. Even brothers like us, Eric, who love each other dearly, may possibly fall out under such tryingcircumstances!"

"Aye, but we mustn't, " said Eric. "Instead of falling out, we'll fallinto each other's arms whenever we agree to differ, as old nurseLorischen would have said!" and he gave his brother an enthusiastic hugas he spoke, putting his words into action with a suddenness that almostthrew Fritz off his feet. 

"Hullo!" exclaimed the latter good-humouredly, smiling as he disengagedhimself from Eric's bear-like embrace. "Gently lad. Your affectionateplan, I'm afraid, would sometimes interfere with the progress of ourwork; but talking of that, as the vessel has now disappeared, there's nouse in our standing here any longer looking at the sea. Suppose webegin to make ourselves at home and arrange our things in the snuglittle cottage which our good friends have built for us?"

"Right you are!" responded Eric, starting off towards the cliff, underthe lee of which the Tristaner had directed the hut to be built, so thatit might be sheltered from the strong winds of the winter, which wouldsoon have blown it down had it been erected in a more exposed situation. 

Fritz followed more leisurely to the level plateau by the waterfall, where stood their cottage. 

Here, arresting his footsteps, he remained a moment surveying the littledomain before joining his brother, who had already rushed within thebuilding. 

That boy was all impulse: always eager to be doing something!

The territory of the young crusoes was of limited dimensions. Extendingabout a mile laterally, it was bounded on either side by lofty headlandsthat projected into the sea, enclosing the narrow strip of beach thatlay between in their twin arms. The depth of the valley inwards waseven more confined by a steep cliff, down whose abrupt face slipped andhopped through a gorge, or gully, a little rivulet. This stream, on itsprogress being arrested by a shelf in front of the rocky escarpment, tumbled over the obstacle in a sheet of cloud-like spray, being thusconverted into a typical "waterfall" that resembled somewhat that ofStaubbach, as the brothers had noticed when making their firstobservations from the ship. The rivulet, collecting its scatteredfragments below, made its way to the beach in a meandering course, passing by in its passage the slight hollow in the plateau at the baseof the furthermost crag, close by where the cottage was situated. 

The "location, " as Captain Brown would have termed the sloping groundbetween the cliff and the sea, was certainly not an extensive one; for, in the event of their wishing to expand their little settlement, in thefashion of squatters out West, by "borrowing" land from adjacent lots, the inexorable wall of volcanic rock to the rear of the plateau and onits right and left flank forbade the carrying out of any such scheme;still, the place was big enough for their house, besides affording roomfor a tidy-sized garden--that is, when the two had time to dig up thesoil and plant the potatoes and other seed which the skipper hadprovided them with, so that they might have a supply of vegetables anon. 

At first sight, there did not appear to be any means of exit from thislittle valley; for, the steep cliffs that hedged in its sides and backlifted themselves skywards to the height of nearly a thousand feet, while their fronts were generally so smooth and perpendicular that itwould have been impossible even for a monkey to have climbed them--muchless human beings, albeit one was a sailor and pretty well accustomed tosaltatory feats! But, on their inspecting the apparently insurmountablebreastwork a little closer, Fritz noticed, as the young Tristaner hadpointed out to them, that, by the side of the gorge through which thewaterfall made its erratic descent to the lower level, the face of thecliff was more strongly indented; so that, by using the tussock-grass, which grew there in great abundance, as a sort of scaling ladder, andtaking advantage of the niches in the rock to step upon where thisfailed, the summit could be thus easily gained. The top, however, wasso far away from the beach and the foothold so insecure that the work ofascending the crag would be a most hazardous proceeding at the best oftimes, to the elder brother at all events. 

While Fritz was thus cogitating, and diligently studying the features ofthe scene around, Eric was waiting for him impatiently at the door ofthe rough-looking hut which the sailors had built for them under thesuperintendence of Captain Brown and the Tristaner. 

The young sailor was too restless to remain quiet very long. 

"Do come along, brother!" he called out after a while. "What a time youare, to be sure; we'll never be able to unpack our things before it'sdark, unless you look sharp!"

"All right, I'm coming, " replied the other; and he was soon by the sideof Eric, who had already begun to overhaul the various articles that hadbeen brought up from the boat by the sailors and piled up in a corner ofthe hut. 

"What a lot of things!" exclaimed the lad. "Why, there are ever so manymore parcels than I thought there were!"

"Yes, " said his brother; "it is all that good Captain Brown's doing, Isuppose. When we were parting, he told me that he had left me a few`notions, ' besides our own traps. "

"He has too, brother. Just look here at this barrel of beef; you didn'tpay him for that, eh?"

"No, " said Fritz; "I only bought some pork and ship's biscuits, besidesflour and a few groceries. "

"Then he has thought of much that we forgot, " remarked Eric withconsiderable satisfaction. "I don't think our groceries includedpreserved peaches and tinned oysters, Fritz; yet, here they are!"

"You don't say so--the kind old fellow!" exclaimed Fritz; and then he, too, set to work examining the stores as eagerly as his brother. 

Before leaving Providence, the two had purchased a couple of spades andshovels, an American axe, a pick, a rake, a wheelbarrow, and a hoe foragricultural purposes--the skipper having told them that the soil wouldbe fertile enough in the summer at Inaccessible Island for them to plantmost sorts of kitchen produce, which they would find of great help ineking out the salted provisions they took from the ship, besides beingbetter for their health; while, to give emphasis to his advice, hepresented them with a plentiful stock of potatoes to put into theground, besides garden seed. 

For cooking, the brothers were provided with a large kettle and fryingpan, a couple of saucepans, several knives and forks, some crockery, and, in addition, a large iron cauldron for melting down seal blubber;for hunting purposes, to complete the list of their gear, they had twoharpoons, a supply of fishing hooks and a grapnel, two Remingtonrifles--besides Fritz's needle-gun which he had used in the first partof the Franco-German war, before he became an officer and was entitledto carry a sword--a supply of cartridges, five pounds of loose powder, lead for making bullets, and a mould. 

Among their weapons, also, was an old muzzle-loading fowling piece forwhich shot had been taken, Fritz thinking that it might come in handyfor shooting birds--although, as he subsequently found out, all of thefeathered tribe they saw were penguins, and these did not require anyexpenditure of powder and shot on their behalf, being easily knockeddown with a stick. 

Nor did they forget to bring with them three or four strong sheathknives, for skinning the seals and any other use for which they wereapplicable; and, to add to their stock of cutlery implements, theskipper had presented Fritz with a serviceable bowie knife, whose broaddouble-dagger-like blade was powerful enough to cut down a tree on anemergency or make mince-meat of an enemy!

Fritz had likewise purchased in Rhode Island a good stock of winterclothing for himself and Eric, a couple of thick blanket rugs, and twoempty bed-tick covers--to be afterwards filled with the down they shouldprocure from the sea birds. He bought, too, a strong lamp, with asupply of paraffin oil, and several dozen boxes of matches; so that heand Eric should not have to adopt the tinder and flint business, or beobliged to rub two pieces of dry stick together, in the primitivefashion of the Australian aborigines, when they wanted a light. 

So much for their equipment. 

For their internal use, Fritz had selected from the ship's stores abarrel of salt pork, two hundred-weight of rice, one hundred pounds ofhard biscuit, two hundred-weight of flour, twenty pounds of tea andthirty of coffee, and a barrel of sugar; besides which, in the way ofcondiments and luxuries, their stores included three pounds of tablesalt, some pepper, a gallon of vinegar, a jar of pickles, a bottle ofbrandy and some Epsom salts in the view of possible medicalcontingencies. The skipper also advised their taking a barrel of coarsesalt to cure their sealskins with, as well as empty casks to containwhat oil they managed to boil down. 

These were their own stores; but, imagine the surprise of Fritz and hisbrother, when they found that Captain Brown had added to their stock thewelcome present of a barrel of salt beef and a couple of hams, a good-sized cheese, and some boxes of sardines, besides the preserved fruitsand pickled oysters which Eric had already discovered. 

Nor did the skipper's kindness stop here. He had packed up with theirthings a couple of extra blankets, which they subsequently found ofgreat comfort in the cold weather, in addition to their rugs; a widepiece of tarpaulin to cover their hut with; a few short spars and sparetimber; and, lastly, a clock--not to speak of the valuable whale-boatwhich he had thought of just as he was going away and had presented tothem all standing, with oars, mast and sails in complete trim. 

"I declare, " said Fritz, "he has been better than a father to us allthrough. I never heard of such good nature in my life!"

"Nor I, " responded Eric, equally full of gratitude. "Celia, too, beforeI left Providence, gave me a nice little housewife, wherewith I shallmend all our things when they want repairing, besides which, she made maa present of quite a little library of books. "

"And I've brought all mine as well, " said Fritz, unrolling a largepackage as he spoke. 

"We'll not be hard up for reading, at any rate, " remarked Eric, laughingjoyously. "Food for the mind as well as food for the body, eh?"

"Yes, " said Fritz; "plenty of both. "

"But, how on earth shall we ever be able to get through all this lot ofgrub?"

"Ah, we won't find it a bit too much, " said Fritz. 

"What, for only us two, brother?" exclaimed Eric in astonishment. 

"You forget it has got to last us more than a year, for certain; while, should the _Pilot's Bride_ not visit us again next autumn, it will beall we may have to depend on for twice that length of time. "

"Oh, I forgot that. "

"If you could see the pile of rations which one regiment alone of menmanages to consume in a week, the same as I have, Eric, you would notwonder so much at the amount of our supplies. "

"But think, brother, a regiment is very different to two fellows likeus!"

"Just calculate, laddie, " answered the other, "the food so many menwould require for only one day; and then for us two, say, for sevenhundred days--where's the difference?"

"Ah, I see, " said Eric, reflecting for a moment. "Perhaps there won'tbe too much, after all, eh?"

"Wait till this time next year, and see what we shall have left then, laddie!"

"But, remember the goats and pigs on the top of the mountain which theTristaner spoke to us about. We'll have those for food as well, won'twe?"

"Wait till we catch them, " remarked Fritz dryly; adding shortlyafterwards, "We'd better stop talking now, however, and see aboutgetting our bed things ready for turning in for the night. Recollect, we'll have a busy day of it to-morrow. "

"Ah, I shall go up and explore the mountain top, brother, the firstthing in the morning, " said Eric impulsively. "I'm dying to see whatit's like!"

"We have more important things to do, before satisfying our curiosity, "observed the other. "Don't you recollect the garden?"

"I declare I forgot it, brother, for the moment, although there's noneed for us to hurry about that. "

"The sooner we plant the seed, the sooner it will grow up, " said Fritzgravely. "Remember, old fellow, it is late in the spring now here; and, unless the things are put into the ground without further delay, CaptainBrown said we need not hope to have any return from them this year. "

"All right, Fritz, " replied Eric cheerfully, the name of the skipperhaving the talismanic effect of making him curb his own wishes anent theimmediate exploration of the island, which he had planned out for thenext day's programme. "We'll do the garden first, brother, if youlike. "

"I think that will be wisest, " said Fritz. "But now let us arrange ourbunks and have a bit of something to eat from the little basket thesteward put up for us before coming ashore. After that, we must go toroost like the penguins outside, for it is nearly dark. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " responded Eric, touching his cap with mock deference. 

"You just do that again!" said Fritz, threatening him in a joking way. 

"Or, what?" asked the other, jumping out of his reach in make-believeterror. 

"I'll eat your share of this nice supper as well as mine. "

"Oh, a truce then, " cried Eric, laughing and coming back to hisbrother's side; when the two, sitting down in the hut, whose interiornow looked very comfortable with the lamp lit, they proceeded todemolish the roast fowl and piece of salt pork which Captain Brown haddirected the steward to put into a basket for them, so that they shouldbe saved the trouble of cooking for themselves the first day of theirsojourn on the island, as well as enjoy a savoury little repast in theirearly experience of solitude. 

"I say, " remarked Eric, with his mouth full. "This is jolly, ain't it!"

"Yes, pretty well for a first start at our new life, " replied Fritz, eating away with equal gusto. "I only hope that we'll get on asfavourably later on. "

"I hope so, too, brother, " responded the other. "There's no harm inwishing that, is there?"

"No, " said Fritz. "But, remember, the garden to-morrow. "

"I shan't forget again, old fellow, with you to jog my memory!"

"Ah, I'll not omit my part of it, then, " retorted Fritz, joining inEric's laughter. Then, the brothers, having finished their meal, turnedout their lamp; and, throwing themselves down on a heap of rugs andblankets which they had piled together in a corner of the hut, they weresoon asleep, completely tired out with all the fatigues and exertions ofthe eventful day. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. 

GARDENING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 

If the brothers thought that they were going to hold undisputed swayover the island and be monarchs of all they surveyed, they were speedilyundeceived next morning!

When they landed from the ship on the day before, in company with thecaptain and boat's crew, all had noticed the numbers of penguins androck petrels proceeding to and from the sea--the point from whence theystarted and the goal they invariably arrived at being a tangled mass ofbrushwood and tussock-grass on the right of the bay, about a mile or sodistant from the waterfall on the extreme left of the hut. 

The birds had kept up an endless chatter, croaking, or rather barking, just like a number of dogs quarrelling, in all manner of keys, as theybustled in and out of the "rookery" they had established in the arm ofthe cliff; and Fritz and Eric had been much diverted by their movements, particularly when the feathered colonists came out of the water fromtheir fishing excursions and proceeded towards their nests. 

The penguins, especially, seemed to possess the diving capabilities ofthe piscine tribe, for they were able to remain so long under thesurface that they approached the beach without giving any warning thatthey were in the neighbourhood. Looking out to sea, as the little partyof observers watched them, not a penguin was to be seen. Really, itwould have been supposed that all of them were on shore, particularly asthose there made such a din that it sounded as if myriads were gatheredtogether in their hidden retreat; but, all at once, the surface of thewater, some hundred yards or so from the beach, would be seen disturbed, as if from a catspaw of a breeze, although what wind there was blew fromthe opposite quarter, and then, a ripple appeared moving in towards theland, a dark-red beak and sometimes a pair of owlish eyes showing for asecond and then disappearing again. The ripple came onwards quickly, and the lookers-on could notice that it was wedge-shaped, in the samefashion as wild geese wing their way through the air. A moment later, aband of perhaps from three to four hundred penguins would scramble outon to the stones with great rapidity, at once exchanging the vigorousand graceful movements for which they were so remarkable while in thewater for the most ludicrous and ungainly ones possible now that theywere on terra firma; for, they tumbled about on the shingle andapparently with difficulty assumed the normal position which is theirhabit when on land--that of standing upright on their feet. Theselatter are set too far back for their bodies to hang horizontally; so, with their fin-like wings hanging down helplessly by their sides, theylook ashore, as Fritz said to Eric, "just the very image of a parcel ofrough recruits" going through their first drill in the "awkward squad!"

When the penguins got fairly out of the water, beyond reach of thesurf--which broke with a monotonous motion on the beach in a sullen sortof way, as if it was curbed by a higher law for the present, but wouldrevenge itself bye-and-bye when it had free play--they would standtogether in a cluster, drying and dressing themselves, talking togetherthe while in their gruff barking voice, as if congratulating each otheron their safe landing; and then, again, all at once, as if bypreconcerted order, they would start scrambling off in a body over thestony causeway that lay between the beach and their rookery in thescrub, many falling down by the way and picking themselves up again bytheir flappers, their bodies being apparently too weighty for theirlegs. The whole lot thus waddled and rolled along, like a number of oldgentlemen with gouty feet, until they reached one particular road intothe tussock-grass thicket, which their repeated passage had worn smooth;and, along this they passed in single file in the funniest fashionimaginable. The performance altogether more resembled a scene in apantomime than anything else!

This was not all, either. 

The onlookers had only seen half the play; for, no sooner had this partyof excursionists returned home than another band of equal numbersappeared coming out of the rookery from a second path, almost parallelwith the first but distinctly separated by a hedge of brushwood--so asto prevent the birds going to and from the sea from interfering witheach other's movements. 

These new--comers, when they got out of the grass on to the beach--whichthey reached in a similar sprawling way to that in which the others hadbefore traversed the intervening space, "jest as if they were all drunk, every mother's son of 'em!" as the skipper had said--stopped, similarly, to have a chat, telling each other probably their various plans forfishing; and then, after three or four minutes of noisy conversation, inwhich they barked and growled as if quarrelling vehemently, they wouldscuttle down with one consent in a group over the stones into the water. 

From this spot, once they had dived in, a long line of ripples, radiating outwards towards the open sea, like that caused by a pebbleflung into a pond, was the only indication, as far as could be seen, that the penguins were below the surface, not a head or beak showing. 

Such was the ordinary procedure of the penguins, according to what Fritzand the others noticed on the first day of the brothers' landing on theisland. 

A cursory glance was also given to the movements of the curious littlerock hoppers and petrels. These made burrows in the ground under thebasaltic debris at the foot of the cliffs, just like rabbits, popping inand out of their subterranean retreats in the same way as peopletravelling in the American backwoods have noticed the "prairie dogs" do;but, both the brothers, as well as the men from the _Pilot's Bride_, were too busy getting the hut finished while daylight lasted andcarrying up the stores from the beach to the little building afterwards, to devote much time to anything else. 

When, too, the captain and seamen returned on board and the ship sailed, leaving Fritz and Eric alone, they had quite enough to occupy all theirtime with unpacking their things and preparing for the night, withoutthinking of the penguins; although they could hear their confusedbarking noise in the distance, long after nightfall, above the singingof the wind overhead through the waterfall gully and the dull roar ofthe surf breaking against the western side of the coast. The brothers, however, were too tired to keep awake long, soon sinking into a heavysleep that was undisturbed till the early morning. 

But, when day broke, the penguins would not allow their existence to beany longer forgotten, the brothers being soon made aware of theirneighbourhood. 

Eric, the sailor lad, accustomed to early calls at sea when on watchduty, was the first to awake. 

"Himmel!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms out and giving a mighty kickout with his legs so as to thoroughly rouse himself. He fancied that heheard the mate's voice calling down the hatchway, while summoning thecrew on deck with the customary cry for all hands. "What's all the rowabout--is the vessel taken aback, a mutiny broken loose, or what?"

"Eh?" said Fritz sleepily, opening his eyes with difficulty and staringround in a puzzled way, unable at first to make out where he was, theplace seemed so strange. 

"Why, whatever is the matter?" repeated Eric, springing up from amongstthe rugs and blankets, which had made them a very comfortable bed. "Ithought I was on board the _Pilot's Bride_ still, instead of here!Listen to that noise going on outside, Fritz? It sounds as if therewere a lot of people fighting--I wonder if there are any other peoplehere beside ourselves?"

"Nonsense!" said his brother, turning out too, now thoroughly awake. "There's no chance of a ship coming in during the night; still, therecertainly is a most awful row going on!--What can it be?"

"We'll soon see!" ejaculated Eric, unfastening a rude door, which theyhad made with some broken spars, so as to shut up the entrance to thehut, and rolling away the barrels that had been piled against it, towithstand any shock of the wind from without. The brothers did not fearany other intruder save some blustering south-easter bursting in uponthem unexpectedly. 

"Well!" sang out Fritz, as soon as the lad had peered without--"do yousee anybody?"

"No, " replied Eric, "not a soul! I don't notice, either anything movingabout but some penguins down on the beach. They are waddling aboutthere in droves. "

"Ah, those are the noisy gentlemen you hear, " responded the other, coming to the doorway and looking around. "Don't you catch the soundmore fully now?"

"I would rather think I did, " said Eric. "I would be deaf otherwise!"

There was no doubt of the noise the birds made being audible enough!

The barking, grunting, yelping cries came in a regular chorus from thebrushwood thicket in the distance, sometimes fainter and then again withincreased force, as if fresh voices joined in the discordant refrain. 

The noise of the birds was exactly like that laughing sort of gratingcry which a flock of geese make on being frightened, by some passer-byon a common, say, when they run screaming away with outstretched wings, standing on the tips of their webbed feet as if dancing--the appearanceof the penguins rushing in and out of the tussock clump where theirrookery was, bearing out the parallel. 

"They are nice shipmates, that's all I can say!" remarked Ericpresently, after gazing at the movements of the birds for some littletime and listening to the deafening din they made. "They seem to be allat loggerheads. "

"I dare say if we understood their language, " said Fritz, "we would knowthat each of their different cries has a peculiar signification of itsown. Perhaps, they are talking together sociably about all sorts ofthings. "

"Just like a pack of gabbling old women, you mean!" exclaimed Eric. "Ishould like to wring all their necks for waking us up so early!"

"Not a bit too soon, " observed Fritz. "See, the sun is just rising overthe sea there; and, as we turned in early last night, there is all thebetter reason for our being up betimes this morning, considering allthere is for us to do before we can settle down regularly to thebusiness that brought us here. What a lovely sunrise!"

"Yes, pretty fairish to look at from the land, " replied the other, giving but a half-assent to his brother's exclamation of admiration. "I've seen finer when I was with Captain Brown last voyage down belowthe Cape near Kerguelen. There, the sun used to light up all theicebergs. Himmel, Fritz, it was like fairyland!"

"That might have been so, " responded the elder of the two, in his graveGerman way when his thoughts ran deep; "but, this is beautiful enoughfor me. "

And so it might have been, as he said--beautiful enough for any one!

The moon had risen late on the previous night, and when Fritz and Ericturned out it was still shining brightly, with the stars peeping outhere and there from the blue vault above; while, the wind having diedaway, all the shimmering expanse of sea that stretched away to theeastwards out of the bay shone like silver, appearing to be lazilywrapped in slumber, and only giving vent to an occasional long hum likea deeply drawn breath. But, all in a moment, the scene was changed--asif by the wave of an enchanter's wand. 

First, a rosy tinge appeared, creeping up from below the horizonimperceptibly and spreading gradually over the whole arc of sky, meltingpresently into a bright, glowing madder hue that changed to purple, which faded again into a greenish neutral tint that blended with thefaint ultramarine blue of the zenith above. The bright moonlight nowwaning, was replaced for an instant or two only--the transition was soshort--by a hazy, misty chiaro-oscuro, which, in another second, wasdissolved by the ready effulgence of the solar rays, that darted here, there, and everywhere through it, piercing the curtain of mist to thecore as it annihilated it. 

Then, the sun rose. 

But no, it did not rise in the ordinary sense of the expression; itliterally jumped up at once from the sea, appearing several degreesabove the horizon the same instant almost that Fritz and Eric caughtsight of it and before they could realise its presence, albeit theireyes were intently fixed all the while on the point where it heraldedits coming by the glowing vapours sent before. 

"Ah!" exclaimed Fritz, drawing a deep breath when this transformation ofnature was complete, the light touching up the projecting peaks of thecliff and making a glittering pathway right into the bay. "This sightis enough to inspire any one. It ought to make us set to our work witha good heart!"

"Right you are, " responded Eric, who was equally impressed with themagic scene--in spite of his disclaimer about having seen a bettersunrise in antarctic seas. "As soon as we've had breakfast, for Iconfess I feel peckish again--it's on account of going to bed so early, I suppose!--I'm ready to bear a hand as your assistant and help you withthe garden. But, who shall be cook? One of the two of us had bettertake that office permanently, I think; eh, Fritz?"

"You can be, if you like, " said the other. "I fancy you have got aslight leaning that way, from what I recollect of you at home. "

"When I used to bother poor old Lorischen's life out of her, by runninginto the kitchen, eh?"

"Yes, I remember it well. "

"Ah, that was when I was young, " said Eric, laughing. "I wouldn't do itnow, when I am grown up and know better!"

"Grown up, indeed! you're a fine fellow to talk of being of age withyour seventeen years, laddie!"

"Never mind that, " retorted Eric; "I mayn't be as old as you are; but, at all events, I flatter myself I know better how to cook than a sub-lieutenant of the Hanoverian Tirailleurs!"

So saying, the lad proceeded to make a fire and put the kettle on insuch a dexterous manner that it showed he was to the manner born, so tospeak; Fritz helping to aid the progress of the breakfast by fetchingwater from a pool which the cascade had hollowed out for itself at thepoint where it finally leapt to level ground and betook itself to thesea in rivulet fashion. 

The brothers only trenched on their stores to the extent of getting outsome coffee and sugar, the remains of their supper being ample toprovide them with their morning meal; and, after partaking of this, armed with their wheelbarrow and other agricultural implements, besidesa bag of potatoes and some seed for planting, they sallied forth fromthe hut in the direction of the penguin colony. 

Here, the Tristaner told them, they would find the best spot for agarden, the soil being not only richer and easier to cultivate but itwas the only place that was free from rock, and not overrun by theluxuriant tussock-grass which spread over the rest of the land that wasnot thicket. 

Proceeding to the right-hand side of the cliff under which their hut wasbuilt, they descended the somewhat sloping and broken ground that led inthe direction of the penguin colony, the noise from which grew louderand louder as they advanced, until it culminated in a regular ear-deafening chorus. 

When they had reached the distance of about a quarter of a mile, theycame to a closely grown thicket, principally composed of a species ofbuckthorn tree that grew to the height of some thirty feet although ofvery slender trunk, underneath which was a mass of tangled grass and thesame sort of debris from the cliff as that whereon their hut stood. Theplace was overgrown with moss and beautiful ferns, while severalthrushes were to be seen amongst the branches of the trees just likethose at home, although the brothers did not think they sang as sweetly:they whistled more in the way of the blackbird. The ground here, too, was quite honeycombed with the burrows of the little petrels, and intothese their footsteps broke every moment. It was odd to hear themuffled chirp and feel the struggling birds beneath their feet as theystepped over the grass-grown soil. The ground had not the slightestappearance of being undermined by the mole-like petrels, its hollownessbeing only proved when it gave way to the tread; although, after thefirst surprise of the two young fellows at thus disturbing the tenantsof the burrows, they walked as "gingerly" as they could, so as to avoidhurting the little creatures. The birds, however, seemed too busy withtheir domestic concerns to take any notice of them. 

After passing through the strip of wood, which was not of very extensivedimensions, Fritz and Eric found the ground on the other side level andpretty free from vegetation. This open land was just at the anglebetween the cliffs, occupying a space of perhaps a couple of acres, exactly as the Tristaner had told them; so, here they began at oncetheir operations for laying out their projected garden, which was to bethe first task they had to accomplish before settling down, now thatthey had been saved the trouble of building a house to live in. 

Eric, impetuous as usual, wanted to dig up and plant the entire lot; butFritz was more practical, thinking it the wisest plan not to attempt toomuch at once. 

"No, " said he, "we had better begin with a small portion at first; andthen, when we have planted that, we can easily take in more land. Itwon't be such easy work as you think, laddie!"

Accordingly, they marked out a space of about twenty yards square; andthen, the brothers, taking off their coats, commenced digging at thiswith considerable energy for some length of time. But, Eric soondiscovered that, easy as the thing looked, it was a much tougher jobthan he had expected, the ground being very hard from the fact of itsnever having had a spade put into it before; besides which, the exercisewas one to which the lad was unaccustomed. 

"Really, I must rest, " he exclaimed after a bit, his hands being thenblistered, while he was bathed in perspiration from head to foot. Hedid not wish to give in so long as he saw Fritz plodding on laboriously, especially as he had made light of the matter when they began; but nowhe really had to confess to being beaten. "I declare, " he panted out, half-breathlessly--"my back feels broken, and I couldn't dig anotherspadeful to save my life!"

"You went at it too hard at first, " said his brother. "Slow and sure isthe best in the long run, you know! Why, I haven't tired myself half asmuch as you; and, see, I have turned over twice the distance of hardground that you have. "

"Ah, you are used to it, " replied Eric. "I'm more accustomed toploughing the sea than turning up land! But, I say, Fritz; while you goon digging--that is if you're not tired--I've just thought of somethingelse I can do, so as not to be idle. "

"What is that--look on at me working, eh?"

"No, " said the lad, laughing at the other's somewhat ironical question;"I mean doing something really--something that will be helping you andbe of service to the garden. "

"Well, tell me, " replied Fritz, industriously going on using his spadewith the most praiseworthy assiduity, not pausing for a moment evenwhile he was speaking; for, he was anxious to have the ground finishedas soon as he could. 

"I thought that some of the guano from the place where the penguins maketheir nests would be fine stuff to manure our garden with before we putin the seeds, eh?"

"The very thing, " said Fritz. "It's a capital idea of yours; and I amglad you thought of it, as it never occurred to me. I recollect now, that the Tristaner said they used it for the little gardens we saw attheir settlement. It will make our potatoes and cabbages grow finely. "

"All right then; shall I get some?"

"By all means, " responded Fritz; "and, while you are collecting it, Iwill go on preparing the ground ready for it; I've nearly done half now, so, by the time you get back with the guano I shall have dug up thewhole plot. "

"Here goes then!" cried Eric; and, away he went, trundling thewheelbarrow along, with a shovel inside it for scraping up the birdrefuse and loading the little vehicle--disappearing soon from hisbrother's gaze behind the tussock-grass thicket that skirted the extremeend of the garden patch, close to the cliff on the right-hand side ofthe bay, and exactly opposite to the site of their cottage, this beingthe place where, as already mentioned, the penguins had establishedtheir breeding-place, or "rookery. "

Prior to Eric's departure, the birds had been noisy enough, keeping upsuch a continual croaking and barking that the brothers could hardlyhear each other's voice; but now, no sooner had the lad invaded whatthey seemed to look upon as their own particular domain, than the dinproceeding from thence became terrific, causing Fritz to drop his spadefor the first time since handling it and look up from his work, wondering what was happening in the distance. 

He could, however, see nothing of Eric, the tussock-grass growing sohigh as to conceal his movements; so, he was just about resumingdigging, fancying that his brother would shortly be back with hiswheelbarrow full of guano manure and that then the uproar would be over, when, suddenly, he distinguished, above all the growling and barking ofthe penguins, the sound of the lad's voice calling to him for aid. 

"Help, Fritz, help!" cried Eric, almost in a shriek, as if in greatpain. "Help, Fritz, help!"

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. 

ERIC'S COOKERY. 

To throw down his spade a second time and rush off in the direction fromwhence his brother's cries for assistance proceeded was but the work ofan instant for Fritz; and when he had succeeded in pushing his waythrough the tangled tussock-grass, which grew matted as thick as a cane-brake, he found the lad in a terrible plight. 

At first, the strong ammoniacal smell of the guano was so overpowering, combined with the fearful noise the penguins made--all screaming andchattering together, as if the denizens of the monkey house at theZoological Gardens, which Fritz had once visited when in London, hadbeen suddenly let loose amongst the parrots in the same establishment--that his senses were too confused to distinguish anything, especially asthe thicket was enveloped in semi-darkness from the overhanging stems ofthe long grass which shut out the sunlight; but, after a brief interval, Fritz was able to comprehend the situation and see his brother. PoorEric was lying face downwards, half-suffocated amidst the mass of birdrefuse, with the wheelbarrow, which had got turned over in somemysterious way or other, lying over him and preventing him from rising. Really, but for Fritz's speedy arrival, the lad might have lost his lifein so strange a fashion, for he was quite speechless and his breath gonewhen his brother lifted him up. 

Nor was this the worst either. 

The penguins had made such a determined onslaught on Eric with theirheavy beaks and flapping wings, and possibly too with their webbed feetwhen he was down struggling amongst them, that his clothes were all tornto rags; while his legs and body were bleeding profusely from the bitesand scratches he had received. His face alone escaped injury, from thefact of its being buried in the guano debris. 

Fritz took hold of him, after pulling away the wheelbarrow, and luggedhim outside the penguin colony; when the lad, recovering presently, wasable to tell the incidents of the adventure, laughing subsequently atits ridiculous aspect. It seemed funny, he explained, that he, a sailorwho had battled with the storms of the ocean and feared nothing, shouldbe ignominiously beaten back by a flock of birds that were more stupidthan geese!

He had thought it easy enough to get the guano for the garden, he said, but he had overrated his ability or rather, underrated the obstacles inhis way; for, no sooner had he left the level ground which they hadselected for their little clearing, than he found that the tussock-grass, which appeared as light and graceful in the distance as wavingcorn, grew into a nearly-impenetrable jungle. 

The root-clumps, or "tussocks" of the grass--whence its name--were twoor three feet in width, and grew into a mound about a foot high, thespaces intervening between, which the penguins utilised for their nests, averaging about eighteen inches apart, as if the grass had been almostplanted in mathematical order. 

It would have been hard enough to wheel in the wheelbarrow between theclumps, Eric remarked, if all else had been plain sailing; but since, ashe pointed out and as Fritz indeed could see for himself, the stems ofthe thick grass raised themselves up to the height of seven or eightfeet from the roots, besides interweaving their blades with those ofadjoining clumps, the difficulty of passing through the thicket wasincreased tenfold. He had, he said, to bend himself double in stoopingso as to push along the wheelbarrow into the birds' breeding-place, which he did, thinking his path would become more open the farther hegot in. 

So, not to be daunted, Eric trundled along the little vehicle right intothe heart of the birds' colony, beating down the grass as he advancedand crushing hundreds of eggs in his progress, as well as wheeling overthose birds that could not, or stupidly would not, get out of his way;when, as he was beginning to load up the wheelbarrow with a mass of thefiner sort of guano which he had scraped up, the penguins, which hadbeen all the while grumbling terribly at the intruder who was thusdesolating their domain--waiting to "get up steam, " as the lad expressedit--made a concerted rush upon him all together, just in the same manneras they appeared always to enter and leave the water. 

"In a moment, " Eric said, "the wheelbarrow got bowsed over, when Imanaged, worse luck, to fall underneath; and then, finding I couldn'tget up again, I hailed you, brother. "

"I came at once, " interposed Fritz, "the moment I heard you call out. "

"Well, I suppose you did, old fellow, " said Eric; "but whether you didor didn't, in another five minutes I believe it would have been all upwith me, for I felt as if I were strangled, lying down there on my facein that beastly stuff. It seemed to have a sort of take-away-your-breath feeling, like smelling-salts; and, besides, the penguins kickedup such a hideous row all the while that I thought I would go mad. Inever heard such a racket in my life anywhere before, I declare!"

"But they've bitten you, too, awfully, " remarked Fritz sympathisingly. "Look, your poor legs are all bleeding. "

"Oh, hang my legs, brother!" replied the other. "They'll soon comeright, never fear, when they have had a good wash in salt water. It wasthe noise of the blessed birds that bothered me more than all theirpecking; and, I can say truly of them, as of an old dog, that their barkis worse than their bite!"

So chuckling, the lad appeared to think no more of it; albeit he had notescaped scathless, and had been really in imminent peril a momentbefore. "The penguins do bark, don't they, Fritz?" he presently askedwhen he had stopped laughing. 

"Yes, " said his brother, "I don't think we can describe the sounds theymake as anything else than barking. Talking of dogs, I wish I had myold Gelert here; he would soon have made a diversion in your favour androuted the penguins!"

"Would he?" exclaimed Eric in a doubting tone, still rather sore in hismind at having been forced to beat a retreat before his featheredassailants. "I fancy the best dog in the world would have been cowed bythose vicious brutes; for, if he didn't turn tail, he would be pecked todeath in a minute!"

Eric was not far wrong, as a fine setter, belonging to one of theofficers of HMS _Challenger_, when that vessel was engaged in surveyingthe islands of the South Atlantic, during her scientific voyage in 1874, was torn to pieces by the penguins in the same way that Eric wasassailed, before it could be rescued. 

"Never mind, " said Fritz, "I wish dear old Gelert were here all thesame. "

"So do I, " chorussed Eric, jumping up on his legs and shaking himself, to see whether his bones might not have received some damage in theaffray. "We should have rare fun setting him at the penguins andinterrupting their triumphant marches up and down the beach!" And heraised his fist threateningly at his late foes. 

"Do you know, " observed Fritz, who had been cogitating awhile, "I thinkI see the reason for their methodical habit of going to and from thewater. "

"Indeed?" said Eric. 

"Yes. Don't you recollect how an equal number seem always to come outfrom the rookery and proceed down the beach when the other batches landfrom the sea, just as if they took it in rotation to go fishing?"

"Of course. Why, Captain Brown specially pointed that out to us. "

"Well, " said Fritz, "the reason for that is, that the males and femalesmind the nests in turn, just as you sailors keep watch on board ship. First, let us say, the gentlemen penguins go off to the sea to have aswim, and see what they can catch; and then, at the expiration of afixed time, these return to the shore and take charge of the nests, sitting on the eggs while their wives, whom they thus relieve for aspell, have a spell off, so as to get a mouthful of fresh air--"

"Water, you mean, " interposed Eric, jokingly. 

"All right, water then, and perhaps a fish or two as well; after whichthey come back to attend to their own legitimate department. Look nowat that group there, just in front of us?"

Eric glanced towards the spot where his brother directed his attention, and noticed a party of penguins returning from the sea. These separatedas soon as they approached the line of nests, different individualssidling up to the sitting birds and giving their partners a peck withtheir beaks, by way of a hint, barking out some word of explanation atthe same time. In another moment, the home-coming penguin had wedgeditself into the place of the other, which struggling on to its feet thenproceeded outside the thicket, where, being joined by others whose guardhad been thus similarly relieved, the fresh group proceeded together, ina hurried, scrambling sort of run, to the beach, whence they shortlyplunged into the sea, having, however, their usual gabbling colloquyfirst in concert before taking to the water. 

"They're a funny lot, " said Eric; "still, they're not going to get thebetter of me, for I intend to load the wheelbarrow with their guano, whether they like it or not!"

"I wouldn't disturb them again, if I were you, " observed Fritz. "Theyseem to have quieted down, and do not mind our presence now. "

"I won't trouble them, for I shall not go inside their rookery, " saidEric. "I only intend to skirt round the place, and see what I can pickup outside. "

"Very well then, I will go on digging the garden, which I have beenneglecting all this time, if you will get the manure. I should like toplant some of our potatoes to-day, before knocking off work, if we canmanage it. "

"All right, fire away; I will soon come and join you, " said Eric, andthe brothers separated again--Fritz proceeding back to the ground he hadbeen digging, which now began to look quite tidy; while the sailor lad, lifting up the handles of the wheelbarrow, trundled it off once morealong the edge of the tussock-grass thicket, stopping every now andagain to shovel up the guano, until he had collected a full load, whenhe wheeled his way back to where Fritz was working away still hard atthe potato patch. 

A piece of ground twenty yards long by the same in breadth is not easyto dig over in a day, even to the most industrious toiler, and so Fritzfound it; for, in spite of the interruption his brother had sufferedfrom on his first start after the manure from the bird colony, the ladmanaged to cover the whole of the plot they had marked out with thefertilising compound, which he wheeled up load after load, long beforehe had accomplished half his task, although he dug away earnestly. 

Fritz had been a little more sanguine than he usually was. He thoughthe could have finished the job before the middle of the day; but, whenit got late on in the afternoon and the sun gave notice as he sankbehind the western cliff that the evening was drawing nigh, there wasstill much to finish; and so, much to the elder brother's chagrin, thetask had to be abandoned for the day in an incomplete state. 

"Never mind, " he said to Eric--when, putting their spades and othertools into the wheelbarrow, they trundled it homeward in turn, like astheir friends the penguins practised their domestic duties--"we'll getit done by to-morrow, if we only stick to it. "

"I'm sure I will do my best, brother, " responded Eric; "but, really, Ido hate digging. The man who invented that horrible thing, a spade, ought to be keel-hauled; that's how I would serve him!"

"Is that anything like what the penguins did to you this morning?" askedFritz with a chuckle. 

"Pretty much the same, " said Eric, grinning at the allusion. "I declareI had almost forgotten all about that! However, I'll now go and get achange of clothes, and have a bath in the sea before sitting downcomfortably to our evening meal;" and, anxious to carry out this resolveat once, the lad set off running towards the hut with the wheelbarrowbefore him, he having the last turn of the little vehicle. 

"There never was so impetuous a fellow as Eric, " Fritz said to himself, seeing the lad start off in this fashion. "Himmel, he is a regularyoung scatter-brain, as old Lorischen used to call him!"

"Pray be quick about your bath, " he called out after him. "I will getthe coffee ready by the time you come back. "

"Good!" shouted Eric in return. "Mind and make it strong too; for, I'msure I shall want something to sustain me after all my exertions!"

The day terminated without any further incident; although the windhaving calmed down, the young fellows heard the penguins much moreplainly through the night than previously. Still, this did not muchaffect their rest; for in the morning they turned out fresh and heartyfor another day's experience of gardening. 

But, again, they were unable to finish the plot of land properly on thissecond day, to Fritz's satisfaction, so as to begin planting theirseeds. The ground was so hard and there were such numbers of roots andweeds to remove from the soil, that it took them up to the middle of theafternoon of the third day ere their little plot could be said to beclear of all extraneous matter. Then, however, it was really ready forthe reception of their seedling potatoes and other vegetables, with theguano well dug in. 

"Hurrah!" exclaimed Fritz, as he and Eric began fixing a piece of lineacross the fresh mould, so as to be able to make the furrows straightfor the potatoes, which they had ready cut in a basket, only pieces withan "eye" in them being selected, "now, we'll soon be finished at last!When we've put in the cabbage seed and onions, I think we'll have aholiday for the rest of the day. "

"Right you are, " said Eric, in high glee at the prospect of a littlerespite from the arduous toil they had been engaged in almost since theyhad landed. He would have struck work long before, had it not been forFritz labouring on so steadily, which made him ashamed to remain idle. "I tell you what we'll do to celebrate the event, now the garden isdone. We will have a feast there. "

"I don't know where that's to come from, " observed Fritz in his soberway, just then beginning to place carefully the pieces of potato in thedrills prepared for them. "I don't think there's much chance of ourhaving any feasting here. "

"Oh, indeed, " replied Eric; "am I not cook?"

"Well, laddie, I haven't noticed any great display of your skill yetsince we landed, " said Fritz dryly. 

"Ah, we've been too busy; you just wait till I have time, like thisafternoon. Then you shall see what you shall see!"

"No doubt, " said Fritz, laughing at this sapient declaration. "However, I assure you, brother mine and most considerate of cooks, I'll not besorry to have a change of diet from the cold salt pork and biscuit onwhich we have fared all the time we've been gardening. "

"How could I cook anything else, when you wanted me here?" replied Ericindignantly, handing the last piece of potato to put in the soleremaining drill. "I couldn't be up at the hut with my saucepans anddown here helping you at the same time, eh?"

"No, " said Fritz, proceeding to give the plot a final rake over; afterwhich he sowed some cabbage seed and onions in a separate patch, whileEric put in the peas and scarlet runners which the skipper had givenhim. "We'll consider the past a blank, laddie. See what you can dowith your saucepans to-day; you've got the whole afternoon before you. "

"All right, " replied Eric. "Only, you must promise not to interferewith me, you know; mind that, old fellow!"

"What, I have the temerity to offer advice to such a grand cuisinier asthe noble ex-midshipman? no, not if I know myself. "

"Thanks, Herr Lieutenant, " said Eric, with a deferential bow; "I willsummon your lordship when the dinner is ready. "

With this parting shot, the lad went off laughing towards the hut. Fritz proceeded down to the shore; and, in order that he might keep hispromise to Eric of not disturbing him, he determined to devote his timeto watching the penguins, so as to get up an appetite for theforthcoming banquet--although the hard work he had just gone throughrendered any stimulus to eating hardly necessary. Indeed, Fritz wouldhave been well enough satisfied to have sat down and demolished a fairquantity of the despised cold pork and biscuits long before Ericsummoned him up to the hut, which he did presently, with a hail as loudas if he were calling "all hands" at sea, in a heavy squall. 

"Ahoy, Herr Lieutenant!" shouted out the lad in his funny way. "Yourgracious majesty is served!"--screeching out the words so distinctlythat, though he was on the opposite side of the valley, the portentousannouncement sounded to Fritz as if it had been bellowed in his ears. 

"I'm coming, " he answered; and, with no lagging footsteps, he quicklyhastened towards the left cliff, where in front of the hut he could seeMaster Eric had made the most elaborate preparations in his power forthe promised feast. The lad had even gone so far as to spread the pieceof tarpaulin which the skipper had given them, on the ground in lieu ofa tablecloth!

Everything looked charming. 

Eric had arranged some plates and a couple of dishes round the tarpaulinwith great artistic effect, and a carving knife and fork before theplace where he motioned Fritz to seat himself. The lad's own position, as host, was in front of a large mess tin which was covered with acloth. A most agreeable odour filled the air, albeit the faint smell asof burnt meat somewhat struck Fritz as Eric proceeded to take off thecovering cloth with a flourish. 

"Well, Monsieur Cuisinier, what is the bill of fare?" asked the elderbrother with a gratified smile, the unaccustomed smell of a hot dinneralmost making his mouth water before he knew what he was going to have. 

"Roast beef to begin with, " announced Master Eric pompously. 

"Himmel!" exclaimed Fritz, "roast beef! How have you managed to providethat?" His heart sank within him as he asked the almost unnecessaryquestion; for, quickly came the answer he feared. 

"Oh, " said Eric in an off-hand way, "I opened the cask Captain Browngave us and roasted a piece over the fire. "

"But, that was salt meat!" ejaculated Fritz in consternation. 

"Well, what matter?" rejoined Eric; "I suppose it was as good to roastas any other. Besides, we didn't have any fresh. "

Fritz heaved a sigh of despair. 

"Let us try it, anyhow, " he said in a melancholy tone, and Eric having, carved off with extreme difficulty a knob--it could be called nothingelse--of the black mass in the mess tin he had before him, handed theplate containing it over to Fritz, who, sawing off a fragment, endeavoured to chew it unsuccessfully and then had finally to eject itfrom his mouth. 

"Good heavens, Eric!" he exclaimed, "it's as hard as a brickbat, as saltas brine, and burnt up as thoroughly as a piece of coke. How could youeven think of trying to roast a bit of salt junk? Why, your ownexperience of the article on board ship should have told you better!"

"Well, I know it is tough when boiled; but I fancied it might be betterroasted for a change. I'm very sorry, old fellow, but, still, wehaven't come to the end of our resources yet; I have got another dish tosurprise you. "

"I hope not in the same way!" said Fritz with a shudder. "What is theother string to your bow, eh, Mr Cook?"

"A stew, " replied Eric laconically. 

"Ho, that sounds better, " said his brother, the complacent look whichhad stolen over his face on sitting down to the banquet now returningagain in the expectation of having something savoury at last. "A stew, eh? Why, that used to be my favourite dish at home; don't you remember, laddie?"

"Yes, I remember, " responded Eric, not quite so joyously as his brotherevidently expected; "but, " he added hesitatingly, "you'll find this alittle different, because, ah, you know, ah, I hadn't got all the properthings. Still, it's very nice, very nice indeed!"

The amateur cook brought out the last words with great earnestness, asif wishing to impress Fritz with the fact that, although the dish mightnot be quite what he expected, yet it would be certainly "tasty"--thatis, according to his notions!

It was; for, hardly had Fritz tasted a spoonful of it, than he spat itout again, making the most terrible faces. 

"Why, this is worse than the other!" he cried rather angrily. "What onearth have you made it of. Eric?"

"Well, I put in some pork and the tinned oysters--"

"That mixture would be almost enough to settle one!" said Fritz, interrupting him. "Anything else?"

"Oh, yes. As there were only a few potatoes left from those we used forplanting in the garden I put them in; and, as I had no other vegetables, I also shook in some preserved peaches, and--"

"There, that will do, " shouted Fritz, quite put out at having hisexpected dinner treat spoilt in such a fashion, --"salt pork, pickledoysters, and preserved peaches, --good heavens! The stew only wantedsome cheese to be added to make it perfect. "

"I did put some in, " said Eric innocently. 

This naive acknowledgment quite restored Fritz's good humour, and heburst out laughing; his anger and disgust dispelled at once by thecomical confession. 

"If ever I let you cook for me again, " he observed presently when he wasable to speak again, "I'll--yes, I will eat a stewed penguin, there!"

Eric laughed, too, at this; although he remarked, wisely enough, "Perhaps you might have to eat worse than that, old fellow!"

"I don't know what could be, " said Fritz. 

"Nothing!" curtly replied Eric, the truism silencing his brother for themoment and setting him thinking; but he presently spoke again to thepoint at issue. 

"Is there nothing left for us to eat?" he asked. "I'm famishing. "

"There's the cheese and some raw ham if you can manage with those, " saidEric sadly, quite disheartened at the failure of all his grandpreparations for giving his brother a treat. 

"Capitally, " replied Fritz, "fetch them out, and let us make a goodsquare meal. We can have some coffee afterwards. Next time, laddie, "he added to cheer up Eric, "I dare say you'll do better. "

The lad was somewhat relieved at his brother taking the matter so good-humouredly, and quickly brought out the cheese and ham, which with somebiscuits served them very well in place of the rejected viands; and, soon, the two were chatting away together again in their oldaffectionate way as if no misunderstanding had come between them, talking of home and old familiar scenes and recollections of Lubeck. 

While they were yet sitting in front of the hut, over their coffee, thesetting sun cast the shadow of the cliff right before their feet; and, at the very edge of the craggy outline, they perceived the shadow ofsomething else which was in motion. 

This somewhat aroused their attention and made them look up towards theheights above the waterfall. 

What was their astonishment, there, to see a large animal, which, in thestrong light behind it from the descending orb, appeared almost ofgigantic proportions. 

The beast appeared to be right over their heads; and, as they looked up, it seemed as if about to jump down on them!

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. 

THE WILD GOATS. 

"Ach, Himmel! What is it?" exclaimed Eric, getting closer to hisbrother, who also was at first a bit frightened. 

"I sure I don't know, " said Fritz, quite perplexed for the moment; buthe was soon reassured, for the animal, which had hitherto presenteditself end on towards them, so that its head and body were humped uptogether, now turning sideways, its change of position enabled himbetter to judge of its proportions. "Pshaw!" he cried out, "it's only agoat, after all!"

"A goat?" repeated Eric, still surprised, not catching at once themeaning of the word. 

"Yes; don't you remember that young Glass said there was a flock ofgoats on the tableland above the cliff?"

"Oh, I recollect now, " said Eric, his mind quite relieved. For themoment, he really believed that some terrible monster inhabited thedesert island besides themselves; and thought that this unknown animalmight possibly sally forth as soon as the sun set and darkness reigned, in search of its prey, when he and Fritz would fall victims to itsrapacity. "I did not understand you at first. "

"Well, it's all right now, brother, so you need not be afraid. I cannotwonder at your alarm, however for I was startled, I must confess. Fancy, me, a soldier, to show such want of nerve! Why, I'm as bad asyou were the other morning when the penguins attacked you!"

"Don't say any more about that, please, " pleaded Eric, whose fright ofthe birds was still a standing joke with Fritz. "I'm sure when theyrushed at me so fiercely they seemed quite as awful as the sight of thatbig brute up there on the cliff, who looked just as if he were going toleap down on us. "

"Very well, we'll let the matter drop, then, " said the other, laughing. "I can't afford to boast of my courage now! If all goes well, laddie, we will ascend the cliffs to-morrow and have a peep at my gentleman atcloser quarters. "

"All right, " replied Eric, using his stock phrase for everything; andthen, as it was getting dark, the brothers turned in for the night--thesailor lad taking particular care, by the way, to see that the door ofthe hut was carefully barricaded, a precaution which had been omittedsince the first evening of their taking possession of the littledwelling. 

The next morning was a bright and cheerful one, with no wind to speakof, save a pleasant breeze, while the sun was warm and cheerful--itslight dancing on the curly little waves that rippled on the beach, causing the plumage of the penguins as they made their pilgrimages toand from the rookery to gleam with iridescent colours. This wasespecially the case when the birds emerged from the water, the lightjust then giving them the tints which the dolphin displays when firstcaught and before death has deadened its changing hues. 

"A splendid day for our exploring trip!" sang out Eric, the early riser, waking up Fritz by rolling away the barrels from before their fraildoorway and fussing about the hut. "Rouse up, brother. The old sun hasbeen up for an hour or more, and it will be soon time for us to start. "

"Eh, what? oh, yes, " cried Fritz, rubbing his eyes and yawning; but, Eric, pulling away his blankets, soon made him bestir himself, when hisbrother jumped up with his usual alertness--first running down to thebeach and imitating the penguins in having a dip in the sea, to wash thecobwebs out of his head, as he laughingly said on his return to theirlittle domicile, when proceeding to dress. 

For a sailor, Eric was, strangely enough, not half so fond of a dailybath; but, as he said in excuse to his brother, this was perhaps owingto his having so many impromptu and unexpected douches on board ship. Most seamen, especially those of foreign nationality, have seemingly ahorror of water for ablutionary purposes, in contradistinction tolandsmen. 

However, there was one advantage in this, to Fritz at least; for, whilehe was performing his swim and making his subsequent toilet, Eric hadlit a fire and was preparing coffee for their breakfast, to which, whenready, Fritz was able to sit down comfortably without any trouble orexertion on his part. 

A cup of the steaming fluid apiece warmed the two, invigorating them forthe business of the day; and, as soon as the matutinal meal wasfinished, they set about getting their traps ready. 

"Of course, we'll take our guns, eh?" asked Eric; although, as far as hewas concerned, he had evidently already come to a decision on the point, for he had carefully selected one of the Remington rifles from theirarmoury for his own especial weapon. 

"Yes, I suppose we had better take something to shoot with, " repliedFritz. "We need not pot our old friend the goat yet, however. Judgingby his horns and beard, he must be the kaiser of the flock, and so maybe a little tough; still, we may find some daintier morsel to shoot. Iconfess I should be glad of a little fresh meat for a change--a realroast this time, eh, Eric?"

"Oh, bother that roast salt beef; I suppose I'll never hear the end ofit!" cried the lad pathetically, although he could not refrain fromlaughing at Fritz's allusion to the unsuccessful banquet. "You just getme something proper to cook, and I bet you'll not be disgusted with theway in which I dress it!"

"We'll see, " replied Fritz, taking up the fowling piece and slinging apowder flask and shot case round his neck. "As you're going to carry arifle for heavy game, laddie, I'll take this for the benefit of anylikely-looking birds we may come across. "

"All right, " responded Eric; when the two, packing up some biscuit andcheese for their refreshment by the way and barricading the door of thehut from the outside--lest the penguins might chance to pay them a visitin their absence--set forth towards the base of the waterfall up thegorge. Here, the Tristaner had told them, they would be able to climbup by the aid of the tussock-grass should they wish to reach the summitof the cliff. 

It was a tedious ascent, the top of the ridge being over a thousand feetabove the little valley in which they lived. 

As for Fritz, he was quite worn-out when they arrived at the head of thecrags above the waterfall; but Eric found the climbing easier work fromhis practice in the rigging aboard the _Pilot's Bride_. This was justas well, for he had to pull his brother up nearly all the way. 

However, once arrived at the summit, the two had the whole tablelandexposed to their view. This sight alone well rewarded them for theirtrouble, for the plateau stretched like an undulating plain before them, occupying the entire extent of the island--with the exception of thethree-cornered slice taken out of it by their valley, like a segment cutfrom a round cheese. There was, also, a slight depression on thewestern side, where there was a little cave, although this was notnearly so wide as the bay on the east fronting their valley. 

Groups of stunted trees grew in the hollows, in which sprang up in greatluxuriance the inevitable tussock-grass; while, amongst the littlethickets that were sparsely scattered over the plain, were grazing largenumbers of hogs, headed by a monster boar. This animal had tusks nearlya foot long; and he almost impaled Eric against a buckthorn tree, underthe shelter of which he had been lying until surprised by the lad, when, after making a rush at him, he ran grunting away, followed by hisnumerous family. 

As the brothers proceeded across the tableland, they also saw numbers ofa small bird, about the size of a bantam, called by young Glass the"island hen. " Its plumage was almost entirely black, and its wings wereso short that they were useless for flight, the bird running in and outof the long grass and ferns with which the surface of the plateau wascovered in the open, like the partridge does amongst the turnips inEngland. Fritz shot a couple of the little things, and the brothersplucked and roasted them over an extemporary fire which Eric lit withthe box of matches he invariably "carried in his pocket--as a sort ofbadge of his culinary office, " Fritz said. The birds were found to bevery palatable for lunch, along with the biscuit and cheese which thebrothers had brought with them. 

The goats were the main object of the excursion; but Fritz could not seeanything of them until they had nearly made the circuit of the plain. 

When they had almost given up the animals as a myth, feeling inclined tobelieve that the old "billy" they had seen the evening before was thecreature of their imagination, they suddenly came upon the flock. Thegoats were secreted in a thicket of buckthorn trees and tussock-grass, close to where the tableland sloped to the beach at its westernextremity. 

There were twenty-three in all, and must have been the produce of a pairwhich some whaling vessel had turned loose on the island; for, they wereevery one marked in the same way as the patriarchal-looking male, --evidently their progenitor. He was a stately old fellow, with a finepair of curving horns that nearly reached to his tail; in addition towhich, he could boast of a long silky beard that a Turkish pasha mighthave envied. 

Seeing three kids amongst the number, Fritz told Eric to shoot one; andthe lad, after a third attempt with the repeating rifle he carried, succeeded in making a successful shot. There was some excuse for Eric'snot killing his kid at first; for, the old male was extremely wary, keeping at a very respectful distance from the two sportsmen and makingthe flock remain in his rear, while he fronted the intruders--continually retreating as they advanced, and dexterously shifting hisposition, by a flank movement every now and then, so as not to be drivenover the cliffs. 

"Master Billy can't be ignorant of men folk or firearms, " said Eric, when he had missed his second shot, "otherwise, he would not remain sofar off!"

"He was probably brought here originally from the Cape, " replied Fritz, telling his brother to aim lower next time, his last bullet having onlymissed by too great an elevation. "So, like all animals that have onceheard a gun go off, he knows what it means! Most likely, if I had notfired twice at those little birds, we might have got up quite close tothe flock; but, the old gentleman must have heard the report and thathas made him so cautious about letting us approach. Look out, Eric;now's your chance! Only aim low and steadily, and you will bring downthat kid there to the right!"

Puff, bang! No sooner said than done. 

"Hurrah!" shouted Eric, "I've got him this time, without fail!"

He had; for, although the flock of goats scampered off from the thicketthey were at that moment occupying towards another woody clump on theopposite side of the plain, darting away with the rapidity of the wind, they left one of their number behind. 

The unfortunate victim was a pretty little kid, about three months old;and it lay stretched out, bleeding, on the grass. Its body had beenperforated by the bullet from Eric's rifle. 

"That was a capital shot!" exclaimed Fritz, when the two came up towhere the poor little kid lay. "The ball has passed right through itsheart; so, you must have aimed, as I told you, behind the shoulder. "

"I did, " said Eric, alike proud of his powers and the compliment; "but, poor little thing, it seems a pity to have killed it!"

"Ah, " remarked Fritz the practical, "still, roast mutton will taste niceafter our living on salt meat for so many days, eh?"

"Yes, " replied Eric, with much satisfaction, his sympathy for theslaughtered kid quickly disappearing at the thought of all that youngGlass had told him as to the flavour of the animal when cooked. "It isbetter than the tenderest pork, they say. "

"Very well, we'll try it for dinner to-morrow and see whether we agreewith that verdict. It will be too late to cook it when we get home thisevening. "

"Dear me, I really did not think the time was going so fast! Why, itmust be within a hour of sunset; don't you think so?"

"Not far off, " said Fritz; "so, therefore, there's all the greaterreason for our returning down the gully as soon as possible. If thedarkness came on while we were descending, I should never be able toscramble down. "

"Never fear, brother; I'll look after you, " cried Eric. 

On their approaching the eastern end of the clift again, the sailor ladfirst lowered down the dead kid by a piece of rope he had taken withhim, on to one of the niches in the gorge above the waterfall, and thenprepared for the descent of Fritz and himself. "Never fear brother, " herepeated. "Although you may be stronger than I, still my eye is steadyand my hand sure!"

"Good!" said Fritz. "You had better then go down first, and direct mewhere to put my feet. After we've been up and down once or twice, ofcourse, I shall not find it so difficult. "

"All right, " responded Eric, "here goes!" So saying, he swung himselfover the top of the cliff, when, holding on firmly to the tussock-grassand half slipping down and half stepping on the projections in the faceof the crag, he reached in a few minutes the first broad ledge overwhich the rivulet from above tossed its spray. 

"Are you quite safe?" asked Fritz, before adventuring on the descent. 

"Certainly, " said the other. "Hold on to the grass stems the same as Idid, and let yourself slide over at the corner--there! Now, feel withyour foot for a projecting bit of stone just below where you arestanding and about a yard to the right. Have you got it?"

"Yes, " replied Fritz. 

"All right, then, let yourself down on it and take a fresh grip of thetussock-grass, for you will have to bear more to the left this time. Hold on tight and take a long step down, now, and you'll be beside me;there you are, you see!"

Eric then proceeded down to the next step, or leap, of the waterfall inthe same way, lowering the kid first, and then descending and directinghis brother's steps; so that, in a much shorter time than they hadascended, they arrived once more in the valley--although, from the factof the tableland being more open and exposed and the cliffs obscuringthe light, the lads found it quite dark when they reached their hut, thesun having sunk below the western ocean while they were climbing downthe crags. 

"Thank goodness, we're here at last!" exclaimed Fritz, when, having gotwithin their hut, he sank upon the bed in the corner. "I didn't tellyou before, for fear of alarming you; but, as I came down the cliff, Isprained my ankle fearfully. Once, I thought I should never reach thebottom alive, laddie. Really, if we had but another step now to go, I'mcertain I would not have been able to limp it. "

"Himmel!" ejaculated Eric, "I couldn't see that you walked lame onaccount of its being dark; and, you wouldn't tell me, of course, or leanon my arm so as to let me help you!"

Eric spoke in quite an aggrieved tone, which struck his brother keenly, although he refrained from answering him; but, while expressing hissense of hurt feeling at Fritz not asking his aid, the lad was busilyemployed in lighting the lamp and examining the injured ankle, which, tohis consternation, he found so badly dislocated that the bone protruded. The foot, too, was already swollen to more than twice its size!

"It looks awful, " he said; "and, just think, if it had given way when wewere descending the crag you might have tumbled down the precipice andmade me brotherless! Why did you not tell me and ask my help?"

"Because, " replied Fritz, with some reason, "my doing so might perhapshave frightened you, causing you to lose your nerve at a moment when thesafety of both of us depended on your keeping cool and steady. "

"That might have been so, " said Eric; "but, still, I would have beenable to help you more if I had known! However, `everything that is, isfor the best, ' isn't that so, brother?"

With this consoling reflection, the sailor lad, under Fritz'sdirections, set about bandaging the wounded limb with a longhandkerchief dipped in cold water and wrapped round it as tightly aspossible. 

This surgical operation accomplished, the two then went to bed, prettywell tired with the day's excursion. 

They had had a long chase after the wild goats, in addition to firstexploring the tableland above and the exertion of ascending anddescending the cliff--which latter was quite an arduous enoughenterprise in itself and sufficiently dangerous, as was amply proved bythe fact of Fritz's accident, that might lay him up for some time. 

However, the next day, the invalid thought roast kid ample payment forsprained ankle; and he was not sorry for the enforced rest he wasobliged to take after the rough exercise he had undergone since landingon the island, having now an opportunity of reading and investigatingthe little library of books given by Celia Brown to Eric, which he hadnot yet had the chance of overhauling. 

Indeed, Master Fritz had a nice easy time of it; for Eric not onlywaited on him, but saw to everything that had to be done until he wasable to move about again. 

"That old billy-goat was bound to do me an injury! I thought so when Ifirst saw him that evening, standing out against the sunset sky over ourheads, " said the elder brother to Eric, when he was once more out ofdoors and felt again like his old self. "Aha, though, I've not donewith the old rascal yet! Some day, I'll pay him out, never fear!"

"Right you are!" was Eric's answer, laughing the while. 

The lad was really so overjoyed to see his brother on his legs again, that he went off into fits of laughter every now and then about nothingat all. 

He could not contain himself!

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. 

SEALING. 

It was well on in the month of September--the spring of the year inSouth Atlantic latitudes--when the brothers commenced their crusoe-likelife on Inaccessible Island; and, by the time that Fritz had recoveredfrom the effects of his sprained ankle, so far as to be able to hobbleabout the place, it was nearly the end of October. This was thebeginning of the early summer at Inaccessible Island; and, the seasonbeing but a short one, not an hour of it could be wasted if they wishedto carry out to advantage the special purpose that had taken them awayfrom the haunts of men. 

The sealing season would soon begin; and, it behoved them to be readyfor it, so that they should lose no chance of securing as many skins asthey could get. The amount of oil they might procure from the boiled-down blubber was also a consideration, but only a secondary one incomparison with the pelts; for, owing to the market demand for sealskinsand the wholesale extermination of the animal that supplies them that isnow continually going on in arctic and antarctic seas alike, the pursuitis as valuable as it is more and more precarious each year--thebreeding-grounds now being almost deserted to what they once were, evenin the most out-of-the-way spots, the Esquimaux to the north andAmerican whalers in the south having depopulated the whilom numerousherds. 

The garden was the first point Fritz aimed for, when he found he couldput his foot to the ground; and he proceeded thither slowly, with theaid of a stick to lean upon and with Eric "frisking round him, " as hesaid, just like old Gelert would have done!

In the comparatively short space of time since Fritz had last seen thelittle plot, a wonderful transformation had been effected--thanks to therichness of the virgin soil, the productiveness of the climate, and, lastly, the super-stratum of guano which Eric had suggested being placedover the clearing. 

The sailor lad, too, had not forgotten each morning to water the newlyplanted land, which was exposed all day to the sun's heat, with theexception of a brief period in the afternoon when the shade of thecliffs extended over it; so, now, the garden presented a smilingappearance, with the potatoes just sprouting above their ridges, andcabbages and radishes coming up in clusters, while rows of peas andscarlet runners were sprouting as thick as hedges--not to speak of theslender onion stems, like tiny spears, each bearing its own seed backabove ground after it had performed its creative mission below thesurface, leaving a root behind. 

"This looks well, " said Fritz, delighted at the result of their jointhandiwork. "Bye-and-bye, we ought to reap a good return for all ourlabour. I'm glad we got the job done when we did; otherwise, we shouldnot have such a charming prospect before us. "

"I'm jolly glad we haven't got to do it now!" replied Eric, with a shrugof his shoulders and laughing as usual. "Himmel! I shall never forgetthat digging!"

"Nor the penguins either, I suppose, when you went to get the guano thatday?" said Fritz slyly, with a meaning glance. 

"Ah, brother, `no more of that, an thou lovest me!'" quoted Eric. "Still, the guano, perhaps, has made the things come on so well, eh?"

"No doubt of that, " replied Fritz. "But, we'll have to thin out thosecabbage plants shortly, laddie; that will necessitate our digging upsome more ground, so as to make a place ready for them. "

"Oh!" groaned the other in a lachrymose way, making a hideous grimace. 

"However, we needn't hurry about it, " continued Fritz, smiling at hisgrimace. 

"Ah!" exclaimed Eric, much relieved. He knew that if the thing had tobe done, he should have to accomplish it; for, in spite of all hisdisgust for spade work, he certainly would not have allowed Fritz toattempt gardening so soon with his invalided foot. 

"No, there's no hurry, " went on Fritz, as if thinking aloud. "We'llhave to confine our attention to the seals now for the next two monthsor so, as that is our special business here. When we can capture nomore of those gentry, we'll have plenty of time to attend to the garden;although, probably, we shall get something out of it ere long, if only afew radishes--at all events we ought to have some new potatoes byChristmas, that is if they ripen as rapidly as they have jumped out ofthe ground!"

"Fancy, new potatoes at Christmas!" cried Eric. "I wonder what theywould say to that at home in Lubeck?"

"Aye, what!" repeated Fritz; and, in a second, his thoughts were faraway across the rolling Atlantic. His mental eyes could see--as plainlyas if the scene was there before him, now, in that little valley betweenthe cliffs of the desert isle where the two brothers were--the house inthe Gulden Strasse, with the dear home faces belonging to it. Yes, there they were in a loving vision, the "little mother, " Lorischen, andMadaleine, not forgetting Gelert or Mouser even; while the old-fashionedtown, with its antique gateway and pillared market platz, and quaint DomKirche and clock of the rolling eyes, seemed moving past in a mentalpanorama before him!

Eric recalled him presently to himself by a pertinent inquiry. 

"We'll have to see to our boat to hunt the seals in, won't we?" heasked. 

"Yes, certainly, " said Fritz, fixing his mind on present things with aneffort. "I hope it's all right!"

"You may make sure of that, " answered Eric. "I wasn't going to let anyharm happen to the boat which the good captain so kindly gave us! No. I have been down to look at and overhaul it every day--keeping water init besides, that the seams should not open with the heat and make itleak. "

"Then it is quite seaworthy?"

"Oh, yes, without doubt. "

"Well, I tell you what we'll do, " said Fritz. "As the exertion will notcompel me to have any walking to speak of, nor interfere with thestrengthening of my poor foot, I vote that we sail round the headland tothe western beach on the other side of the island. We can then seewhether there is any appearance yet of the seals coming to take up theirsummer residence here. "

"Won't that be jolly!" shouted out Eric. "Why, it is the very thing Ihave been longing to do since we went up the cliffs and saw the beachthere from the tableland! I would not speak to you about it, because Iknew, of course, you could not move, and feared that talking of it mightexcite you. "

"That was very considerate of you, laddie, " replied Fritz; "so, now toreward you for your thoughtfulness, I vote that we proceed there as soonas we can get the boat ready and prepare for the excursion. Apart fromits being in the nature of a little pleasure trip--my convalescent tour, as it were, for change of air--it is really necessary work for us toknow when we can begin, if we are going to be seal hunters and trade inskins and oil!"

"Right you are, " said Eric, quite convinced by this argument thatnothing could be more wise or sensible than a voyage round the island inthe whale-boat, especially as the plan agreed with his own views of thematter to an iota; and, in his usually impulsive way, in spite of havingalready inspected the little craft that morning, he rushed off down tothe beach, scaring multitudes of penguins on his way, to see whether shewas as sound and seaworthy as he had said, and thoroughly fit for thecruise. 

Everything was right, fortunately; so, early on the following day, theyshoved off the whale-boat from the beach. This was a rather fatiguingoperation, although it was greatly facilitated by some rollers whichEric sawed off a spare topgallant mast that was amongst the old sparsthe skipper gave them. The brothers then started on their trip roundthe island, the wind being fair from the south-east--the same point, indeed, from which it had blown almost entirely during their stay, withthe exception of a short spell from the south-west just after theirarrival. 

The coast, after clearing the headland, was bold and precipitous, thewall of rock continuing round to the west side; although here it brokeaway, with a lower ridge of soft dolomite that had caves worn into itsface from the action of the sea, and one or two creeks that the boatcould run into. This was evidently the haunt of the seals, for numbersof fish bones were scattered about on the floor of the caves and on thefragments of volcanic rock that were scattered on the beach below, piledand heaped up in pyramid fashion. 

Landing at one of the little caves, just under a tussock-grass-growngully, like that close to their hut on the eastern side, Eric ascendedwith his rifle to the ridge above. He soon gained the tableland, returning anon with a well-grown kid which Fritz had told him to shoot, so that they might take it home with them. The ascent to the plateau, the lad said, was much easier from this part of the coast than by thewaterfall; but, of course, as it would necessitate a voyage almost roundthe island whenever they attempted it, the other way was morepreferable, although dangerous by contrast. 

One or two seals were seen sunning themselves on the rocks; but thesequickly slid off into the sea when the boat approached. Their breeding-season had certainly not yet arrived, else they would not only have beenmore numerous, but have been too much engaged with their families tomind ordinary intruders. When separated from their fellows, as thebrothers now saw them, however, they were naturally extremely timidanimals. 

Proceeding round the southern extremity of the island, the cliff thatencircled the coast seemed the more precipitous the further theyadvanced, frowning down destruction on any ship that might approach itunawares in the darkness--should the wind blow on shore and the set ofthe sea prevent escape from its terrors!

Eric steered the boat out a bit here, so that they might tack further oninwards and so weather the eastern promontory, which stretched to theleft of the bay outwards into the ocean. They were thus able to have agrand view of the whole island, getting back to their little home, notlong before sundown. Nor did they return empty-handed, either; for, thekid furnished fresh meat for their dinner, to which their trip besidesadded a piquant relish. 

What with making things more comfortable in their hut and attending tothe garden, which bloomed out apace each day, the hours did not lag ontheir hands by any means during the next week or two. There wasoccupation enough, even in this interval, to pass the time pleasantlyaway; but, when the month of November was ushered in, the seals thencoming to the island in shoals, they found plenty to do from morningtill night. 

There was work of all kinds to be done:-- first, boating round the coastafter their prey; secondly, hunting the animals into their caves andkilling them, taking care to secure their bodies before they sank intodeep water and were thus irrecoverably lost; thirdly, getting off theskins and salting them down to prevent their putrefying; and, lastly, boiling blubber--oh, yes, they had enough work to employ them, and notime to be idle!

Before this busy period, however, every morning, again at midday, and inthe afternoon, Eric would go up and down the tussock-grass ladder bywhich he scaled the precipice on to the tableland above, whence he wasable to reconnoitre the west coast, the favourite resort of the seals, according to the information of young Glass, the Tristaner whoinstructed them in the matter. 

The lad did this daily as a matter of duty, "climbing the fore cross-trees for a look-out, " as he termed the scramble up the gorge; and, asregularly, three times every day, after his morning, midday, andafternoon observations, he would come back to Fritz with the sameunsatisfactory tale--that no seals were in sight. 

One afternoon, however, towards the end of the month, he reported morecheering news. 

"Oh, there are such a lot of seals on the rocks!" he called out from thetop of the cliff, without waiting to come down. "Why, there must behundreds of them there, crawling in and out of the caves on theirflappers, to and from the sea! Which will be the best way to tacklethem, brother, we can reach them from here, you know?"

Fritz, who was below seated outside the hut, just preparing to mend someof his clothes that had long needed looking after, in a moment becameequally excited, pitching the dilapidated garments back inside the hutand putting off the work of repairing to some future day. 

"Come down sharp, Eric, and help me to get the boat out, " he cried. "Wemust attack them from seaward; for, if we went at them from the cliff, they would at once take to the water, and so escape us. Descend atonce, while I am getting the guns and tackle ready!"

"Right you are!" shouted the sailor lad in answer. "I'll be down withyou in a brace of shakes!"

No sooner had he uttered the words than he was scrambling down by thetussock-grass through the waterfall gully; while, at the same time, Fritz below was proceeding hurriedly to collect the various articlesrequired for the sealing expedition, which had been put away on one sideso as to be handy for just such an emergency:-- the loaded rifles, withspare cartridges; the two harpoons, to each of which a long coiled-upline was attached; the strong boat-hook to pull in the carcases of theirvictims; and, other little etceteras. 

The common seal, which is frequently seen on the north coast of Scotlandamongst the Hebrides and Shetland Islands, and the sea bear of Cape Hornand the Magellan Straits, are both very similar in their general habitsto the Greenland seal of the Esquimaux; and the animals usually herdtogether in flocks or droves of some thirty to a hundred, each malehaving a certain number of females under his charge--the males beingsome six to eight feet long and the females of less dimensions. 

The seals invariably frequent the most desolate rocks and caverns, wherethey can have ready access to the sea, which is their proper element;and, in the north and extreme south, they live on the ice-peaks as arule, getting the fish they require for their food by diving off andcatching their prey in the same way that an otter does. 

The wildest and stormiest seas appear to delight them most. In suchthey may be seen, sporting amidst the breakers and rough water, in thehighest of spirits apparently, and escaping scatheless where othercreatures would be dashed to pieces on the rocks that form theirtemporary homes. Although they do not assemble on shore in any numbers, except during the summer months of the latitudes in which they arefound, they are never far-distant from their favourite haunts at anytime, the reason for their not being seen, most probably, being thatthey only leave the water at night during the winter, or else becausethe stormy weather prevents those who go after them from approachingtheir habitats and so noticing them. 

By the time Eric descended the cliff, Fritz had the boat ready to shoveoff, with their hunting gear inside and all necessary weapons for thechase; so, the two were soon on their way round the headland, steeringtowards the seal-caves on the western side of the island. 

"You never saw such a lot, brother, " Eric went on to say, when they hadembarked and were working round the coast. "There were hundreds ofsmall ones, while some were big monsters that had long noses and seemedto be double the size of the others!"

"Ah, those were probably sea elephants, " said Fritz. "I should like tocatch one. The fur, they say, is not so good as that of the commonseal, but they yield an immense lot of oil from their blubber--fromeight to ten barrels, I have been told. "

"Really?" observed Eric. "Why, one or two of those gentlemen would soonfill up our casks!"

"Yes, and I shouldn't regret it, " said Fritz. "We should then have agood stock ready against the time Captain Brown returns to visit us withthe _Pilot's Bride_!"

"Aye, I should like that, " replied the other; and then, as both rowingand sailing--for the wind was light--the boat neared the rock caves ofthe western coast, the brothers grew too excited to talk any more. 

Presently, they hove in sight of their hunting-ground; whereupon, theyat once stopped the way of the boat in order to map out their campaign. 

It did not take long for them to do this; and the gist of the plan couldbe seen in the arrangements they made for battle. 

Fritz and Eric both put their rifles ready on the thwarts of the boat, and the harpoons were also placed handy in the bows along with the boat-hook; then, lowering the lugsail which the little craft carried, theymuffled their oars with some rags they had prepared and pulled insteadily towards the beach. 

As they got nearer, the seals could be seen swarming on the rocks, whilethe noise they made--something like the bleating of sheep mingled with ahoarse growling roar, not dissimilar to that of an angry bull in thedistance--could be heard plainly while the brothers were yet more than amile off. 

Some of the seals were swimming about in the water, but the majoritywere basking on the huge slabs of rocks that had been broken off fromthe face of the cliff by the onslaught of the waves and which now lay onthe beach at its base, partly in and partly out of the sea. 

"Now, Eric, be ready!" called out Fritz in a hoarse whisper. "Do yousee those two fellows on that boulder nearest us?"

"Yes, " whispered Eric in return, almost breathless with excitement. 

"Then, you take the right-hand one, and I will make sure of the one tothe left. Aim low and steadily at the head, for that is the only vitalpart a ball will reach. Remember, if you only wound him, he'll slipinto the water and dive out of our reach!"

"Right you are; I'm ready, " was Eric's reply. 

"Wait till I give the word, then, " said Fritz. 

There was a moment of suspense as the boat crept closer to the poorseals, who were playing away, thoughtless of danger, and then--

"Fire!" exclaimed Fritz. 

The two murderous rifles, at the same instant, at once belched forththeir contents; and, a moment after, the dropped heads of the animalsaimed at showed that the respective bullets had accomplished theirmission. 

"Now, let us push in, " cried Fritz, seizing his oar again, when, hisbrother following his example, they beached the boat in a few strokes. 

Then, each taking up a harpoon, they attacked the cluster of animals, killing fifteen before the frightened creatures could escape into theirnative element, although they came off the rocks with a rush, lookingmost formidable as they opened their mouths and showed their fangs, emitting the while terrific roars; and, as they waddled in a crowd intothe water, they rolled down the brothers with their impetus as if theyhad been ninepins. 

"I don't mind the bruises, " said Fritz, picking himself up again with alaugh. "Not when I have such a sound salve for them as the thought ofthe oil we'll get out of all the carcases!"

"Nor I, " chimed in Eric, rubbing his nose ruefully though all the same. "Think of fifteen--no, seventeen sealskins, counting in the two we shotfirst on the rocks! They ought to fetch something handsome when we sendthem to the States, eh?"

"Yes, " said Fritz; "but now, out with your knife, laddie! Let us set towork, taking off the pelts while they are still warm. "

"Right you are, " replied Eric; and the two were soon at work, skinningthe animals and taking off the layer of blubber which lay immediatelybeneath the inner lining of the skin--rolling up the greasy and reekingmass of skin and fat together in bundles and placing them in the boat assoon as each seal had his toilet thus attended to. 

It was very dirty work and neither was sorry when all the blubber andskins were stowed in the whale-boat; their last care being to roll thepoor bodies of the seals now bereft of those coveted coats which hadcaused their destruction, into the sea. This was done in order that theremains might not scare away others of the herd from such inhospitableshores. The task was soon accomplished, for the rocks shelved downabruptly into the water; and, when the place was made tidy again, thebrothers set sail for home with their cargo, going back the contrary waythey came, so as to have the advantage of the wind and save the labourof rowing. 

Since their onslaught, not another live seal was to be seen in thevicinity, the first to make off before the boat was pulled into thebeach after Fritz and Eric had fired being the couple of sea elephantswhich they had noticed amongst the mass of animals, clustered togetheron the rocks; and these, consequently, they were unable to secure. 

However, they consoled themselves on their way back to the bay with thereflection that they had done a very good day's work. They were by nomeans dissatisfied with the result of their sport--seventeen seals atone haul were not to be despised!

For some time after reaching the hut they were busily engaged, cleaningthe skins and salting them down for preservation. They had both beeninstructed how to do this on board the whaler; although Eric, having hadprevious practical experience with all the details of the operation, nowacted as superintendent. 

They had also to boil the blubber in the iron cauldron, which they hadbrought from the States for the purpose of "trying out the oil, " aswhaling men technically term the procedure; and they found when they hadfinished that the result realised some ten barrels full. 

This was a splendid start for them and it made them so contented that itwas upwards of a fortnight before they undertook another expedition tothe west beach. 

But, apart, from the satisfactory results of their first venture, theythought it best to let the seals have a little interlude of calm beforeattacking them again. Besides this, Eric's reports from his look-outstation on the tableland were most unfavourable, as, for some days aftertheir last foray, hardly a seal was to be seen in the neighbourhood ofthe scene of the fray. 

However, one fine morning in December, Eric reported the arrival of afresh batch of the fur-bearing animals on the west rocks; so, makingtheir boat ready, the brothers soon sailed round thither once more. 

They had turned the last projecting point of the headland, beforeopening the beach frequented by the seals, and Fritz had brought up theboat's head to the wind, preparatory to their lowering the sail andtaking to their oars to pull into shore, when Eric, who had been lookingout over the bows, arrested his brother's intention. 

"Hullo, Fritz!" he exclaimed, "there's some one there before us. I cansee a boat, with a lot of men in it, close to the beach!"

"Indeed!" said Fritz, quite as much astonished. "I wonder who theyare?"

He felt almost as indignant as a landlord on finding that a party ofpoachers had invaded his choicest preserves and were ruthlesslyappropriating his pet pheasants!

"Himmel!" he repeated, "I wonder who the fellows can be?"

Just then, the discharge of several rifles all together, as ifpractising platoon firing, struck on his ear; and, as Fritz sniffed thesmell of the burnt gunpowder floating by him in the air to seaward, driven off from shore by the wind, the saltpetrous scent did not tend torestore his equanimity!

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. 

SOME VISITORS. 

"What donkeys we are!" exclaimed Eric presently, a moment or so afterthe discharge of the firearms. "We are real stupids to be astonished atall!"

"How, in what way?" asked Fritz. "Why, the strange boat must have comefrom Tristan d'Acunha. Don't you recollect, we were told that a partyalways came sealing here, as well as at Nightingale Island, during thesummer?"

"Oh yes; I forgot, " said Fritz. "I wonder, though, you didn't see theirboat pass your look-out station--you, with your fine observant eyes!"

"Ah, they must have come round to leeward of the promontory, close underthe land, " replied Eric to this taunt:--"that is how they escaped mynotice. But, what shall we do now--go on, or return home?"

"It strikes me we had better go home, for we shall have uncommon littlesport to-day, since they have been first in the field!" said Fritzdryly. "Still, I suppose we'd better be friendly with them. Let us goon to shore first before leaving, and have a chat. No doubt, they'll beas much surprised to see us as we were just now at their unexpectedappearance here. "

"Well, I don't know about that, " observed Eric. "I should think youngGlass would have told them about our having settled here. "

"But, I asked him not to mention it, " replied Fritz, "and, as he seemeda very decent sort of young fellow, I dare say he has obeyed my wish--especially as he was your friend, you know. "

"It's all right then, " said Eric; "my Tristaner would be certain to keephis word if he promised it. Let us proceed now and astonish them withour presence, which must therefore, as you say, be quite unexpected. "

"Pull away then, brother. "

"Right you are!" said Eric in response; and the two, putting their backsinto the oars, the boat was soon speeding to the point where theislanders were gathered in a group on the shore--far too busy with theseals they had shot to notice their approach. 

"Now, " cried Fritz, when they were close to the others, although stillunobserved, "let us give them a call. "

"Shout away!" said Eric; when, he and his brother joining their voices, they gave utterance to a ringing hail that must have frightened all thefish near. 

"Boat ahoy!"

The party on shore, who had their backs turned seawards, jumped round atthis as if they had been shot; but soon, an answering hail assured themthat some one amongst the islanders had recognised them. 

"Hillo, whar be you sprung from?" inquired a voice with a strong nasaltwang. 

It was that of Nat Slater, the "deck hand" of the Rhode Islandsteamboat!

Fritz was perfectly astounded to find him now amongst the Tristaners. How came he there? What could possibly have become of the _Pilot'sBride_ and Captain Brown?

These were the anxious thoughts that at once flashed through the mind ofthe young German, and his brother shared his anxiety to an equal extent. 

Nat Slater however did not keep them long in suspense. 

"I guess, " he said--as soon as they reached the beach and accosted theislanders, who received them very coldly they could perceive, as iflooking upon them now as rivals in the same pursuit--"me and the old mancouldn't drive the same team long. We had a muss together, soon as youparted company, an' I asked him to put me ashore at Tristan, thinking toship in another whaling craft; but, I'm blest if ary a one's called tharsince the _Pilot's Bride_ sailed, so I've ben forced to chum in withthese islanders!"

"Did you get on a spree, or what, to make Captain Brown leave youbehind?" asked Fritz, judging by what the skipper had told him of MrNathaniel Slater's character that the real facts of the case might putquite another complexion on his plausible statement, that the skipperhad quarrelled with him. 

"Waall, I reckon, I did go on a bit of a bender aboard, " said the whilomdeck hand in a drawling way. "I managed to stow away a couple o'bottles of Bourbon whisky I got to Providence after I left hum, an' Ithought I would have a licker-up arter we parted with you an' yourbrother, mister, I felt so kinder lonesome. "

"And I suppose you got so drunk that Captain Brown kicked you out of theship?" exclaimed the young German indignantly. "Why, you knew hisparticular orders about never allowing any spirituous liquors on boardhis vessel when at sea!"

"I guess he wern't boss of everybody, " said the American coolly. "An'so I told him, too! But, say, mister, I've a kinder hankering to jineyou and your brother haar; will you let a poor coon chum in?"

"No, I confess I would rather not, " was the instant reply that came fromFritz--a decision which, from his quick look of satisfaction, Eric mostcordially shared in. "We did not appear to get on together very wellbefore, and I certainly do not care to associate with any one who doesnot keep his word!"

"I guess this here island don't belong to you, mister?" said Nat Slatersneeringly, on purpose apparently to make Fritz angry; but the youngGerman remained perfectly cool and collected. 

"I never said it did, " he answered. "Of course, you have every right tosettle here if you like; but I and my brother decline having anyassociation with you. "

"Oh, jist as you like, mister, " replied the American, now showinghimself in his true colours, having evidently nourished a spite againstthe two brothers on account of Captain Brown's friendship for them. "I'm durned if I kinder kear now to hang out along with you, as I sed atfirst; I'd rayther a durned sight stick to these good chaps haar, as hevmore friendly feelins than a pair o' blessed foreign coons that don'tknow how to treat a free-born American citizen like a man! I guess, though, I'll spile your sealing for you, if I hev any influence with theislanders. "

"You are welcome to do your worst, " said Fritz; and then, as young Glasswas not amongst the Tristaners--who now seemed, either from the deckhand's threat or on account of some other reason, to look upon them inrather a hostile manner--he and Eric withdrew from the party. Retiringat once to their boat, they returned to their own little settlement inthe eastern bay, with the resolve of not coming out after the sealsagain until after the islanders had left the coast, so as not to riskany further altercation with them. 

"It's a great nuisance, though, " grumbled Eric, who was especiallyannoyed by the fact of their going back to the hut with an empty boatinstead of the full cargo | he expected, similar to their first day'sexperience of sealing. "I should like to pay out that mean Yankee forhis spite. He's not like a true sailor, for he wasn't worth his saltaboard the _Pilot's Bride_; and I've heard the skipper say that he onlytook him out of good nature and nothing else!"

"Yes, I know he only allowed him to come in order to save him from ruinat home, " Fritz said. "But, he might just as well have left him atProvidence, for all the good the voyage has done him!"

"Well, he has spoilt our sealing, as he said he would, " observed Ericafter a bit, when they were rounding the western promontory of their ownlittle bay, and their cottage home was just in sight. 

"Only to-day, or, at the worst, for but a short time longer, " repliedFritz. "The islanders will not stay for any period after they've filledtheir boat; and, of course, he will return with them to Tristan. He'stoo lazy to stop here and shift for himself, although he would have beenglad to sponge upon us. "

"Joy go with him when he leaves!" cried Eric heartily on the keel oftheir whale-boat touching the beach, when they then proceeded to drawher up on the shingle and take all their traps and gear out of her. They did this in case their American friend might persuade the islandersto come round to the bay and make a raid on their property, so as toprevent them from interfering with their sealing--that being the onlygrievance which they could possibly have against them. 

However, as next morning, the whale-boat lay intact where they had lefther, their suspicions of the Tristaners' bad faith proved to be quiteunfounded. 

Still, the brothers were glad to find, from Eric's observations on thetableland, whence he kept a constant watch on the visitors' movements, that, after a ten days' stay they left the little island once more tothem alone; although, as they also discovered to their grief a shorttime after their departure, the Tristaners took away with them thegreater number of the goats on the plateau, or else killed them fortheir sustenance whilst they remained. 

This was a sad discovery. The islanders were quite welcome to the pigs, thought the brother crusoes; but the flesh of the goats was so delicateand needful besides, as a change of diet to their ordinary saltprovision, that any diminution of their numbers was a serious loss tothem. 

It was not until a week at least after the Tristaners had left, thatEric reported the presence of seals again on the west beach, where, probably, the fact of the islanders camping on the spot had quite asmuch to do with scaring away the timid creatures from the coast as thewarfare waged upon them. Fortunately, however, the poor animals had anaffection for the place; for, having now observed, no doubt from some oftheir number sent out as scouts, that their enemies had departed, theyonce more returned to the rock caverns they had before frequented. 

"There are some of those `elephants, ' as you call them, amongst them, too, " said Eric when he came down the cliff with the news to Fritz. "There are a great many more than I saw last time. "

"Ah, we must try and catch some of the gentlemen this trip, " remarkedFritz. "Perhaps it will be the last chance we may have of capturing seaelephants!"

"Right you are, " replied the lad. "I'll do my best to kill them; butreally, brother, they look awfully formidable fellows!"

"Oh, they're not half so dangerous as they look, " said Fritz. "They'relike your friends the penguins; their bark is worse than their bite!"

"Ha, ha!" laughed Eric good-temperedly; "you will continue to chaff meabout those wretched birds I suppose! Never mind, though, I've got thejoke about the billy-goat frightening you as a set-off, eh, brother?"

"That's nothing--nothing!" said Fritz in an off-hand way. "We'd bettersee about starting round after the seals, I think. "

"Ah, it's all very well your trying to get out of it like that!"retorted Eric, going off, laughing, to haul the whale-boat down into thebay; when, as soon as she was afloat and all their preparations made, they set off again round the headland for the sealing ground. 

They noticed, as they approached, that the animals were much more warynow than at the time of their first visit, many plunging into the waterfrom off the outlying rocks on the boat nearing the shore; consequently, they had to use their rifles at once to secure any seals at all, withouttrusting to their harpoons. 

Fritz fired six shots rapidly from the Remington he carried, Eric, whowas not so handy in the use of the weapon, managing about half thenumber; and then, seeing that some of the animals which were onlywounded were endeavouring to wriggle down the beach into the sea, thetwo dashed in at them with the harpoons and boat-hook--Master Ericselecting the latter weapon from his being more accustomed to its use. 

They had a great scrimmage amongst the struggling seals, which roaredand bellowed like so many bull calves, looking when they opened theirmouths as if they would swallow up the brothers at one gulp; but, it wasall bravado, for the poor things had not an ounce of fight in them. They suffered themselves to be knocked on the head without the slightestresistance, only bleating piteously when they received their death-blowand dropping down in their tracks at once. 

One enormous sea elephant Fritz made for, just as he was on the point ofsliding off into the sea from a little rocky jetty where he hadensconced himself. 

The animal reared itself on its fore flappers and seemed to tower overthe young German; but, on Fritz pluckily piercing it with his harpoonright through the chest, the warm blood gushed over him in a torrent andthe portentous sea elephant sank down lifeless. 

The creature was upwards of eighteen feet long, from the point of hisqueer-looking nose or snout, which was elongated like an elephant'strunk--hence its name of "sea elephant"--to the hind flappers; while itmust have been pretty nearly ten feet in girth. 

"Ah, here are eight barrels of oil at least!" shouted Fritz when he hadgiven the monster his death-blow. "Fancy all that quantity from one seaelephant!"

"You don't say you've caught one of those fellows?" cried Eric, who waskneeling down and trying to detach a little cub seal from its deadmother. "I wish I had killed him, instead of my victim here. I wonderwhat this poor little baby thing will do without its parent?"

"You'd better knock it on the head, " said Fritz. "It is safe to pineaway, if left alone to take care of itself, now that its mother isdead. "

"I'm sure I can't do that, " replied the lad, turning away from thepitiful sight. "It would seem to me exactly like committing a murder incold blood!"

"You are too tender-hearted for a sealer, " said Fritz in his matter-of-fact way; and then, with one tap from the butt end of his harpoon on itsnose, he settled the fate of the poor little beast. 

The result of this day's sport was, some thirteen sealskins, in additionto that of the sea elephant, which, although much larger of course thanthe others, did not appear to be of the same quality of fur. From thenumber of animals they bagged, it was apparent that the bullets fromtheir rifles must have penetrated more than one seal at a time, passingthrough the one aimed at and hitting some of those behind. This wouldbe quite feasible if the leaden messenger of death did not come incontact with the bone, for the bodies of the mammals were very soft andyielding from the amount of adipose tissue they contained. 

These sealskins, with those which they had previously obtained, made uptheir quota to thirty. The oil, likewise, extracted from the blubberfilled up their remaining empty casks, so that they had now noreceptacle wherein to stow any more should they succeed in killing moreseals. But, the brothers need not have troubled themselves on thisaccount, for their last onslaught on the breeding-ground had the effectof the final straw on the camel's back, not one of the cat-facedanimals--as Eric called them, from their fancied resemblance to oldMouser--being to be seen in the neighbourhood of the coast for monthsafterwards, albeit the young crusoes were constantly on the watch forthem!

Boiling down the blubber was, certainly, a tedious operation. 

The brothers had made a rocky bed for their cauldron, near the hut, withan ingeniously constructed fireplace beneath it which had a cross-cuttrench for creating a draught, in the way Fritz noticed that thesoldiers made their camp fires during the war--the whole affair whenfinished looking like one of those "coppers" placed in back kitchens forwashing days. Over this laboratory, the two were busy enough for somedays, making themselves so black with smoke and begrimed with oil thatthey resembled a couple of chimney sweepers, or engine fitters for thenonce!

Eric, who superintended the details by reason of the superior knowledgewhich his whaling experience gave him, first cut up the blubber intolong thin strips, which Fritz again subdivided into smaller portionswith the aid of his sheath knife. These strips of blubber were thenheaped into the pot, under which a roaring fire was kept up, theoperation being continued until the cauldron was full; when, as it cameto the boil, the refuse matter and pieces of flesh adhering to the fatwere skimmed off from the top, and the melted oil allowed to coolgradually, after which it was emptied into the casks kept ready by theside of the hut. 

The brothers were very glad when the job was ended, for the blubbersmelt terribly fishy and almost suffocated them with its fumes as thepot came to the boiling point; but, they persevered with their taskuntil their casks were all full and headed up, when they proceeded todress their sealskins roughly and salt them down in a large puncheonwhich they had reserved especially for their storage. 

Next, they had a grand clean up, putting the hut and place in order, theblubber boiling having covered everything with a deposit of oily soot;and, the morning after they had made things comfortable again, theyproceeded down to the garden to see how matters were progressing there, not having visited the spot since the day they had started on their lastsealing excursion. 

"I say, brother, " observed Eric, as they directed their steps towardsthe little wood beyond the waterfall, where they could hear the thrusheschirping and whistling as they came near; for, the penguins were not sonoisy now, having hatched their eggs and abandoned the nests they usedto make such a fuss over. "I say, brother, how are the days going--itmust be nearly the end of December now, eh?"

Fritz thought for a moment. 

He was the methodical member of the family and had always been looked upto as having the best memory for dates at home. 

"Himmel!" he exclaimed. "What day do you think it is?"

"I'm sure I can't imagine, " replied Eric. "All the days go alike here;why, it seems more than a year already since good Captain Brown left us, although I know it's only a few months. "

"Only, think, Eric, it is--"

"No, never!" said the lad, interrupting his brother and guessing thatthe answer he was going to give would confirm his own conjecture. "Itcannot be, really, eh?"

While saying this, Eric stopped abruptly as they were entering thelittle grove of buckthorn trees, where the thrushes and finches werehopping about amongst their branches as merry as grigs in the sunshine;for, the weather was as warm as our June, although it was thenDecember--the seasons in southern latitudes being the reverse of what weare accustomed to in Europe. 

"Yes, you've guessed right, laddie, " replied Fritz, looking into hisface with a smile. "It is, without doubt, Christmas Day!"

"What, to-day?" said Eric, incredulous in spite of himself. 

"Yes, to-day, " repeated his brother. 

"Well, that is wonderful!" exclaimed Eric; adding a moment afterwards, however, in a tone of the greatest dismay, "only think, though, wehaven't prepared a Christmas tree, or anything!"

"Never mind, " said Fritz consolingly. "Those sort of arrangements forthe festival would be a little out of place here. "

"Would they?" cried Eric. "Ah, we'll see about that!"

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. 

FRITZ GOES HUNTING. 

After his last remark, Eric, silent for a little while, as if buried indeep thought, followed behind his brother to the garden patch, which wasfound in the most flourishing state. 

The potatoes were all in full flower and the haulms of sturdy growthpromised well for the crop of tubers beneath, some indeed being alreadyhalf withered, as if fit for digging; while pods were thick on the tworows of peas planted, and the scarlet runners were a mass of bloom andbrilliancy. 

At such a glorious sight, Eric could remain silent no longer. 

"This is capital, " he exclaimed in high delight; "why, we've got aregular harvest, brother!"

"Yes, the great Mother Earth has rewarded our exertions, " said Fritzthoughtfully. "It is wonderful how she yields to those who cultivateher properly! I can see that we'll have bushels of potatoes--enough tolast us through the winter. "

"Aye, and peas and beans, too, " chorussed Eric. "Look, here, at thislot, Fritz! I believe we can have a dish of them to-day. "

"What, to keep up the festival with?" said his brother, smiling. "I seeyou are still thinking of that; but, methinks, green peas at Christmaswill be rather an anachronism!"

"Hang the what-do-you-call-it--oh, anachronism!" cried the ladimpulsively. "When we're at Rome we must do as Rome does. "

"I don't remember, though, that the citizens of `The city on the sevenhills' ate peas in December, as far as my reading of the classics go, "remarked Fritz ironically. 

He liked to "pick up" his brother sometimes in fun. 

"Ah, that was because they were pagans, and didn't keep up our Christmasceremonies!" cried Eric triumphantly. "Still, Romans or no Romans, Ideclare we'll have a rare banquet to-day, brother, eh!"

"No roast beef, I hope!"

"Oh no, bother it--something better than that! You just let me aloneand you'll see bye-and-bye!"

"All right, laddie, I don't mind leaving the cooking in your hands, now, " said Fritz kindly, wishing to blot out the recollection of hislast remark. "You have had experience since your first memorableattempt, which I must say was perhaps excusable under thecircumstances. "

"You are a brick, old fellow, " responded Eric, much pleased at thisspeech. "Only trust matters to my hands and, I promise you I'll not letyou have any opportunity to find fault with me a second time!"

"Very good; that's agreed, " said Fritz; and, after thus settlingmatters, the two then went about the garden, gathering its produce--theelder digging up some new potatoes for trial, while Eric picked all theearly peas that seemed fit, quite filling a good-sized basket which hehad brought with him; although Fritz, who had not been so thoughtful, had to put his potatoes in a handkerchief. 

On their way home, the brothers passed through the deserted penguinrookery, with never a bark or a grumble from the whilom excited birds asthey tramped the well-worn paths which they had made from the thicket tothe beach. 

The inhabitants of the feathered colony were now educating their littleones in the art of fishing; and, the scene in front of the bay was quiteenlivening as the birds swam about gracefully in curves, losing in thesea that ungainliness and ugly, awkward appearance which seemedinseparable from them on land, and prosecuting their task, without anyof the noise that had distinguished them while breeding. 

Birds were darting about--here, there, and everywhere in the water;some, swimming after each other as if in a race, like a shoal of fish;others, again, chasing one another on the surface, on which they seemedto run, using the ends of their wings, or flappers, to propel them likeoars, for they dipped in the tips of their pinions and scattered thespray in their progress. To add to the charm, the calm expanse of seareflected the pure ultramarine blue of the sky above, being illumined atthe same time by the bright sunlight, which brought out in strong reliefthe twin headlands embracing the little bay with their outstretchingarms. 

Nothing, indeed, could be more unlike the crusoes' old associations ofChristmas and Christmas-tide than this prospect presented, nothing lesssuggestive of: home; and yet, standing there, on the shore of theirlonely sea-girt and cliff-embattled island home, gazing across the oceanthat spanned the horizon, the thoughts of both strayed away to theirlittle native town on the Baltic--where, probably, the housetops werethen covered with snow and the waters bound in chains of ice; but where, also, troops of children were singing Christmas hymns and Christmasbells were ringing, while prayers were no doubt being offered up forthem, so distant and yet so near in spirit!

Eric, however, was not long pensive. The day was too bright and finefor him to be sorrowful or reflective for any length of time; so, afterstaying by the side of Fritz for a short while on the shore, sharing histhoughts about the dear ones far away--although neither uttered a wordon the subject the one to the other--his impulsive nature quicklyasserted itself, as usual. 

"I'm off, old fellow, " said the young sailor, slinging the basket offreshly picked peas on his arm and leaving the bundle of potatoes forFritz to carry. "It is getting near the noonday hour, and time for meto be thinking of preparing dinner!"

"All right, laddie, go on and I will follow you soon, " replied theother, but, still, without making any move from his seat on the shingle. 

"Mind, and don't forget the potatoes, " cried Eric, who was already half-way towards their hut. "I shall want them soon!"

"All right, " replied the other, but the mention of the potatoes, whichhad been an anxious consideration with Fritz all along, seemed to havethe effect of banishing his sad reflections; for, in another minute, he, with his bundle on arm, followed Eric up the incline that led to thecottage. 

Considering all things, the two had a capital Christmas dinner. Indeed, Eric, the cook, so greatly distinguished himself on this occasion thathe blotted out all recollection of his previous mishaps when undertakinga similar role. 

What say you to a splendid ham, one of those given them by CaptainBrown; green peas, fresh and tender and dressed to perfection; and, newpotatoes?

Many a person might have a worse meal on a warm summer day, like it wasthis anniversary of the festival on Inaccessible Island!

Nor was this all; for, after the more substantial portion of the feast, Eric introduced a wonderfully savoury compound in the confectioneryline, which he had manufactured with some care. This consisted of flourand sugar made into a thick paste, with some of those very preservedpeaches which had figured so prominently in the despised stew that hadbeen Eric's first essay in cooking, placed within the envelope, thecompound being then boiled in a saucepan until thoroughly done. 

During the early months of the new year, the brothers had little to dosave attending to their garden, digging up the remaining potatoes whenripe, and then storing them in a corner of their hut. They also clearedsome more land and planted out the little seedling cabbages in longrows, so that in time they had a fine show of this vegetable, which wasespecially valuable as an antiscorbutic to the continuous use of saltmeat, --now their main nutriment with the exception of a few birds whichFritz brought down occasionally with his fowling piece. 

Once or twice they went round the promontory in their boat, in pursuitof stray single seals; but, the animals were so shy that only a longshot could be had at them. This made it a risky and almost needlesstask to waste gunpowder in their pursuit; for, in the event of theanimals being merely wounded and not killed right out at once, theyinvariably slipped off the rocks, disappearing in deep water before thebrothers had time to row up to them and haul them into the boat. 

Under these circumstances, therefore, although they expended aconsiderable number of bullets, they had only two more sealskins to showin return to add to their great hauls at the commencement of the season;so, after a third unsuccessful expedition early in the new year, theymade up their minds to leave the animals alone until the followingsummer. Then, they determined to begin their campaign before theTristaners should forestall them, hoping to secure a large number by anewly-organised system of capture--Eric assailing them from the shore byway of the descent from the tableland on the western coast, while Fritzattacked them by sea in the boat. 

"Talking of expeditions, " said Eric, while the two were thus planningtogether their future seal campaign--"we haven't been up on the cliffsfor a long time now; suppose we ascend the plateau and see how the pigsand goats are getting on, eh?"

"That's a very good idea, " replied his brother. "The garden is in goodorder now, needing nothing further to be done to it for some time;while, as for reading, I'm sure I have devoured every book in our littlelibrary, including Shakespeare, which I know by heart--so, there'snothing to occupy my mind with. "

"I'm in the same position precisely, " said Eric. "You therefore agreeto our hunting expedition, eh?"

"Yes; the more especially as I wish to try and pot that old billy-goat. He is such an artful old fellow that he always keeps just out of rangeof my weapon, as if he knows the distance it carries. He will thusoffer good sport. That other kid too, that we saw, must be grown up bynow. "

"He shall be my prey, " cried Eric, proceeding immediately to polish hisrifle, so as to be ready for the excursion. 

A day or two afterwards, the two ascended the cliff by the now familiartussock-grass ladder; but, although Eric could almost have gone upblindfold this time, the ascent was quite as difficult as it had been atfirst to Fritz, who had never climbed it once since the day he sprainedhis ankle in coming down, having left the look-out department entirelyto the sailor lad, on account, as he said, of its "being more in hisline!"

As he had not, therefore, seen it for so long, Fritz noticed aconsiderable change on going up. 

The grass had grown very much taller, while the trees appeared morebushy; but, besides these alterations, the inhabitants of the plateauhad become changed and more varied. 

The droves of wild hogs had increased considerably; while the goats, headed by the old billy, who looked as lively and venerable as ever, haddiminished--of course, through the ravages of the Tristaners, asmentioned before. 

Still, not even the loss of these latter animals specially attracted hisattention; what he particularly observed was, that the prairie tablelandhad a fresh class of visitors, which must have arrived with the newyear, for they had not been there when he had previously ascended thecliff. 

Eric was too much taken up with looking for seals to notice them, for hecertainly never mentioned them on his return below to the hut; and, so, Fritz was doubly surprised now at seeing them. 

These newcomers were the wandering albatross--the "Diomedia exulans, " asnaturalists term it--which sailors believe to float constantly in theupper air, never alighting on land or sea, but living perpetually on thewing!

Eric was firmly convinced of this from what he had been told when onboard the _Pilot's Bride_; but Fritz, of course, expressed doubts of thebird having any such fabulous existence when it was pointed out to himwhile illustrating "flight without motion, " as its graceful movementthrough the air might be described. Now, he had ocular demonstration ofthe fact that the albatross not only rests its weary feet on solid earthsometimes, but that it also builds a nest, and, marvellous to relate, actually lays eggs!

No sooner had Fritz set foot on the plateau, after a weary climb up thetoilsome staircase which the tussock-grass and irregularities of thecliff afforded, than he startled one of these birds. It was straddlingon the ground in a funny fashion over a little heap of rubbish, as thepile appeared to him. The albatross was quite in the open part of thetableland, and the reason why it selected such a spot for its resting-place, instead of amid the brushwood and tussock-grass thickets thatspread over the plateau, was apparent at once when the bird wasdisturbed; for, it had to take a short run along the bare ground beforeit could get its pinions thoroughly inflated and rise in the air. Hadit been amidst the trees or long grass, Fritz would have been able toapproach it and knock it over before it could have sought safety inflight, on account of its long wings requiring a wide space for theirexpansion. 

On proceeding to the little heap of rubbish, as Fritz thought it, fromwhich the albatross had risen, he found it to be a nest. This wasbuilt, like that of an ostrich, about a foot high from the surface ofthe ground, on the exterior side, and three feet or so in diameter;while the interior was constructed of grass and pieces of stick woventogether with clay. There was one large egg in the centre of this nest, a little bigger than that of a swan and quite white, with the exceptionof a band of small bright red spots which encircled the larger end. 

In addition to the albatross, several nests of which were scatteredabout the open ground on the plateau to the number of a hundred or more, there were lots of mollymawks and terns, or "sea swallows. " Theselatter were beautifully plumaged, Fritz thought, the wings and bodybeing delicately harmonised in white and pale grey, while tiny blackheads and red beaks and feet, further improved their dainty appearance. 

After noticing these new arrivals carefully, although he would not fireat any of them, thinking it needless destruction to kill any creaturesbut such as were required for food or other purposes, such as the seals, Fritz made after the goats. These, he soon discovered, had removedthemselves, under the leadership of "Kaiser Billy"--as his brother hadchristened the big old male which had frightened them both by his shadowon the cliff--to the further side of the tableland, placing the width ofthe plateau between the brothers and themselves. 

"Artful old brute!" said Fritz on noticing this. 

"Ah, he doesn't intend you to come near him to-day, " observed Eric. "He's too wise to put himself within reach of your rifle. "

"Is he?" replied the other, beginning to get vexed, as the goatdexterously managed to preserve the same distance between them byshifting round in a sidling fashion as he and Eric advanced. "I tellyou what, laddie, you go round one way, and I shall take the reversedirection. By that means we will circumvent the cunning old gentleman. "

These tactics were adopted; but, by some keen intuitive instinct whichwarned him which of the brothers was most to be feared, "Kaiser Billy, "while allowing Eric many a time to get within range, still carefullykept out of Fritz's reach!

It was most provoking. 

"Hang the old fellow!" cried the elder between his clenched teeth. "I'll have him yet;" and, thinking to deceive the animal's wariness bypretending to give up the chase, he sat down in one of the nests of thealbatross, whence he could command a good view around of the severalthickets of grass and brushwood, asking Eric to continue driving thegoats towards him while he lay here concealed. 

This Eric did, after first shooting the plumpest-looking of the females, which had the effect of scaring the rest and making them run in thedirection where Fritz was lying in ambush. 

The goats, however, went faster than either of the brothers expected; soFritz, seeing them coming out of a clump of brushwood in the distancejust after Eric had brought down his selected victim, immediatelycrouched down in his retreat. Hearing soon afterwards, however, thesound of the animals' hoofs, he was afraid of raising his head to makean observation as to their whereabouts until they should come closer, thinking that his sudden appearance might cause them race off again inanother direction and lose him the chance of a shot. 

He had not to wait long, for the goats came closer and closer--tooclose, indeed, to be pleasant!

"Look out, Fritz! look out, brother! they're right on top of you, "shouted out Eric from the distance, away behind the flock, now coming upat a gallop, and still headed by the venerable "Kaiser Billy. "

Fritz at once scrambled to his feet, rifle in hand, cocking the weaponas he rose up; but, at the same instant that he stood on his legs, ablow like a battering ram struck him in the small of the back, sendinghim down flying to the ground again on his face and pitching the cockedrifle out of his hands. 

This was not the end of it, either; for, the weapon went off with a loudbang as it fell beside him, the bullet penetrating his leg just belowthe knee in an upward direction and narrowly escaping his head. As for"Kaiser Billy, " who had butted him as he rose up, and thus did thedamage, he galloped off with a loud "baa" of triumph, as if shouting apaean of victory. 

"Himmel! are you hurt, Fritz?" called out Eric, hastening up on hearingthe report of the rifle. He was alarmed at seeing his brother lyingmotionless on the ground. 

But, there was no answer; nor did Fritz even move at the sound of hisvoice!

CHAPTER THIRTY. 

ANOTHER MISHAP. 

In another minute Eric arrived where his brother was lying; when, throwing himself on his knees, he bent over him anxiously. "Oh, Fritz, are you badly hurt?" he cried: and, still receiving no answer, he burstinto a passion of sobs. "He's dead, he's dead!" he wailed in a brokenvoice--"dead, never to speak to me more!"

"No, laddie, not quite dead yet, " whispered Fritz faintly. The suddenblow in the back from the goat's horns, striking him as it did at thebase of the spine, had rendered him for the moment unconscious; theunexpected attack had injured him terribly--more so, indeed, than thebullet wound through his leg. Besides, he was lying face downwards, andso was unable to turn over, which fact prevented him from speaking moreplainly when he recovered his senses. 

"Not dead? Oh, I am so glad!" shouted out Eric joyously, in suddenrevulsion of feeling. "I was afraid that you were killed!"

"I feel pretty near it, " said Fritz, although he spoke now in a strongertone, Eric having partly raised him up, by putting his arm under hisneck. "Gently, laddie, gently, " he called out, however, as his brotherlifted him, "my poor back hurts fearfully!"

"I thought it was your leg, Fritz, for it is bleeding awfully. Yourtrousers are wet with blood!"

"That's nothing, laddie--nothing to speak of, " said Fritz. 

"Oh, isn't it?" cried the other, who had been busily cutting away thetrouser leg and stocking with his sheath knife. "Why, the bullet hasgone through the fleshy part of your calf. "

"I wish it had gone through the horny part of that horrid old goat, "said Fritz grimly, smiling at his own joke, which made Eric laugh. 

"The old brute! But, you would go after him, you know. "

"Yes; still, I am suffering now, and perhaps justly, for not leaving thepoor animal alone. He never harmed me before I tried to harm him, so itonly serves me right! It's a bad job, Eric; I'm afraid I shan't be ableto get down to the hut again. You will have to rig me up some sort ofshelter here. "

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary, " said Eric, glad that his brotherseemed to be getting more like his old calm self and able to lookmatters in the face. 

"Why, how can I move? Do you think I shall be able to climb down thatabominable tussock-grass ladder in this condition, especially when I washardly able to manage it while sound in wind and limb--which I can't sayis the case at present?"

"I didn't think of your getting down that way, old fellow, " said thelad, after a moment's reflection. "I've got another plan in my noddle--a better one than yours I think. "

"And what is that?" asked Fritz. 

"Why, you know where you are now, don't you?"

"Yes, I should think I did; I haven't quite lost my consciousness yet!"

"You are close to the western side of the coast, just near where theplateau slopes down to the sea by our sealing ground. "

"Well, what of that?"

"Why, don't you see through my plan yet, brother? Can I not pull thewhale-boat round from our bay, and then manage to lift you down theincline here into it--thus getting you back home easily in that way?"

"Himmel, Eric, you're a grand fellow, " exclaimed Fritz, in honestadmiration of the proposal. "I declare I never thought of such a simplething as that. Of course it can be done. What a stupid I was, not tothink of it! That old goat must have knocked all my seven senses out ofmy head; for, I declare I never recollected that there was any other wayof getting down from here save by the waterfall gully!"

"Ah, well, there is another way, " said Eric, laughing joyously. "But, really we must now see about using it, for I don't want you to remain uphere all night when you may be so much more comfortable in the hut. Iwill scramble down and fetch round the boat at once, if there is nothingmore I can do for you before I go--is there anything you wish?"

"No, nothing, now that you've raised my head and propped it up so nicelywith your coat. I should be glad, though, if you will bring a can ofwater with you when you come back with the boat. "

"Stay, I'll get some for you now!" cried the lad; and, flying across theplateau, he was soon half-way down a niche in the gully whence he couldreach the cascade. In a few minutes more, he was up again on thetableland and by the side of Fritz, with his cap full of the welcomewater, which tasted to the sufferer, already feverish from the bulletwound--which Eric had bandaged up to stop the bleeding--more deliciousthan nectar, more strengthening than wine. It at once brought thecolour back to his cheek and the fire to his eye. 

"Ha!" Fritz exclaimed, "that draught has made a new man of me, laddie. You may be off as soon as you please, now, to fetch the boat; while Iwill wait patiently here until you can bring it round the headland. How's the wind?"

"South-east and by south, " cried the young sailor promptly. 

"That will be all in your favour, then. Go now, laddie, and don't belonger than you can help. "

"You may depend on that, " cried Eric, pressing his brother's handsoftly; and, in another moment, he was racing again across the plateauto the point where the two had ascended from the gully by the waterfall. 

Ere long, Eric had brought round the whale-boat to the haunt of theseals on the west beach; when, after a good deal of labour, in which hecould not help hurting Fritz somewhat, he succeeded in getting thesufferer down the sloping rocks. Thence, he lifted him bodily into thestern-sheets of the boat, where he had prepared a comfortable couch bypiling up on the bottom grating all the blankets and rugs from the hut. 

Eric had a hard pull back against the wind and tide round the headland, there being none to help him with an oar; but, naturally indomitable, hebravely accomplished the task at last, arriving back at the bay beforesunset with his almost unconscious burden, who was now unable to move orassist him in the least. 

Fortunately, the most arduous part of the transportation was nowaccomplished, the remainder being "all plain sailing, " as Eric said. 

The lad certainly had a most inventive mind; for, as soon as theyreached their own little bay, he once more astonished Fritz--who wasglad enough to get so far, but puzzled as to how he would ever arrive atthe hut, knowing that the lad would never be able to carry him there. 

"Now, brother, " cried Eric, "you just stop quietly where you are aminute or two while I get the carriage ready. "

"The carriage?" cried Fritz, more puzzled than ever. "What do you mean, laddie?"

"The wheelbarrow, of course, " answered Eric, laughing. "See, I have putthe door of our hut across it; and, with the bedding on top of this, Ishall be able to wheel you, without the slightest jolting, right up tothe cottage. "

"Donnerwetter!" exclaimed Fritz--"you're a wonderful lad; you seem tothink of everything. "

"Nonsense! Silence, now--you mustn't talk; it might bring on feverperhaps!" exclaimed Eric, to stop his brother's grateful expressions. Then, lifting him out carefully from the boat, he placed the invalid onthe novel ambulance wagon he had so ingeniously improvised; and, rollingthe wheelbarrow along the little pathway up the incline that led to thehut, he proceeded carefully to transport him home. Arrived here, Ericat once put Fritz to bed, so that he might be able to examine hisinjuries more closely and apply proper bandages to the wounded leg andback, in place of the temporary appliances he had made shift with whenfirst attending to the wounded hero, who was now able to direct him whatto do and how to do it. 

Eric could not help thinking what an unlucky fellow that elder brotherof his was!

The cliff seemed fatal to him; for, the first time he ascended it, hesprained his ankle, which laid him up for three weeks; and now he hadhurt himself even worse. Really, the sailor lad wished there were nocrags at all; but, should that devout consummation not be feasible, thenhe wished there were no means of getting to the summit, for then Fritzwould never incur any danger through climbing there. 

Little did Eric think, as these hasty reflections passed through hismind, that, in a very short while, his last wish would be gratified--andthat in a way, too, which would seriously affect them both!

The very next morning, indeed, he was glad enough to go up the cliff bythe tussock-grass ladder, in order to fetch the young goat he had shotthe day before, which, in the excitement of Fritz's accident, had beenleft behind on the plateau; and, as he was coming down the gully again, he saw the old goat "Kaiser Billy, " and shook his fist at him. 

"You old rascal!" he cried--"had it not been for you and your nastyhorns, poor Fritz would be now all right. "

He then fired a shot at the animal in the distance; but, the knowingfellow, who must have noticed the lad's deadly aim the previousafternoon--when he had slain one of his family while she was gallopingalong beside him--now kept carefully out of the range of Eric's rifle, so that the bullet did not fall any way near him, so the lad had todescend the tussock-grass ladder in a somewhat disappointed frame ofmind. 

He had not wished actually to hurt the old goat, but merely to give hima sort of mild lesson anent his impudent treatment of Fritz. However, the astute animal declined learning even from so gentle an instructor asEric, despite the possibility of the lad having his welfare at heart!

This was the last time the sailor lad ever had the chance to climb up ordown the face of the cliff by means of the much-abused ladder-way; for, within the next few days, a sudden mishap happened that cleared thetangled masses of grass away in a jiffy, leaving the precipitous passthrough the gorge bare--the grim rocks thenceforth disclosing themselvesin all their naked ruggedness, for, there were no friendly tendrilshanging down whereby to escalade the heights. 

The accident occurred in this wise. 

When clearing the land for the garden, a large amount of brushwood andweeds had to be removed from its surface. These, when cut down and dugup, made a large heap of rubbish, which, for the sake of neatness andbeing out of the way, was piled up at the bottom of the gorge adjoiningthe waterfall--the embrasure of the gully making a capital dust-hole, asEric had suggested. 

From the effects of the hot sun, this rubbish was now as dry as straw;so, one afternoon, when Fritz had so far recovered from his injuries asto be able to crawl out of the hut and sit on a bench outside, which thetwo had constructed under a rude sort of porch, Eric determined tosignalise his brother's convalescence by having a bonfire in honour ofthe event. 

To the impulsive lad it was all one to think of such a thing and tocarry out the idea. In a moment, rushing from Fritz's side, he haddrawn his inseparable box of matches from his pocket, struck a light, and ignited the pile of rubbish. 

"Doesn't it flare up splendidly?" he cried with glee as he watched thetongue-like flames darting upwards, the whole body of dry material beingsoon in a red fiery glow, so hot and scorching that the lad had to moveaway from the vicinity; and, returning to the front of the hut he stoodfor a time by the side of Fritz, gazing with great admiration at theblaze, which, mounting higher and higher, quickly enveloped the gorgewith clouds of that light, pungent smoke which wood fires always giveout. 

"Yes, it burns well enough, " said the calm, methodical Fritz; "but, perhaps, laddie, it will spread farther than you intend. I fear it willburn up the little wood to the right of our garden, with all the poorthrushes and other birds in it. It is easy enough to start a fire, youknow: the difficulty is to limit its action and put it out when youwish!"

"Oh, there's no fear about that, " replied Eric with great nonchalance. "The wind is blowing from the north-east and will only carry the flamesagainst the cliff, where there is nothing to harm. "

Was there not?

Higher and higher rose the smoke, ascending pyramidically up thechimney-like gorge; and, the quick-darting tongues of flame could beseen spreading through the hazy veil, while the crackle and roar of thefire sounded fiercer and fiercer. Presently, growing bolder in itsstrength, the fire advanced outwards from the cleft in the rock where itwas first kindled, spreading to the right and left of the gully. Next, it began to clamber up the face of the cliff, burning away gaily evenright under the waterfall, which seemed powerless to stay its rapidprogress. 

"Look, Eric, " cried Fritz, "it has caught the tussock grass now close toour ladder. I told you it would do mischief!"

"Bother it all, so it has!" exclaimed the lad, darting off with the vainintention of trying to stop the conflagration. 

He might just as well have attempted to arrest the flow of the sea inthe little bay below by the aid of his much-detested spade!

Crackle, crackle--puff--whish; and, in another few moments, the wholecliff seemed on fire, the flames licking every particle of herbage offthe face of the rock. 

The heat soon made the solid stone glow like molten iron; while thecolumns of white smoke, as they rose up, were swept by the wind over thetableland, frightening away several of the albatross, which hovered overthe scene of devastation on poised wing, wondering apparently what allthe fuss was about!

The fire gradually burnt itself out when there was nothing more toconsume, only an angry pile of smouldering embers remaining below thewaterfall, which still danced and tumbled itself over the blackenededges of the crags, no longer festooned with the tussock-grass andshrubs which had previously given the brothers handhold and footholdwhen climbing to the summit of the cliff. 

The ladder up to Eric's look-out station being now irremediablydestroyed, henceforth the sphere of action of the brother crusoes wouldbe limited to the confined valley in which they had landed and builttheir home; for, there was now no means of reaching the tableland, saveby the pass on the western side near their sealing station, to reachwhich they would have to use the whale-boat and venture out to sea, round the eastern or western headland. 

They were now really shut completely within their little valley, withouta chance of escaping in any sudden emergency, except by taking to thewater!

The destruction of the ladder-way was a sad calamity; but, that was notthe worst of the damage done by Eric's bonfire!

It was late in the afternoon when the lad first lit up the pile ofrubbish and night came ere the fire had died out, its blazing light, reflected back by the glistening surface of the cliff, shining out tosea from the bay, like a beacon welcoming the passing mariner tofriendly shores--instead of which, the cruel crags that encircled theisland only grinned through the surf, like the pointed teeth of a packof snarling wolves, waiting to rend and tear any hapless craft thatshould make for them!

In addition to this, there was yet another peril to any ship in thevicinity; for, the wind from the north-east had risen to a gale as theevening set in, bringing with it a heavy, rolling swell that thunderedin upon the beach with a harsh, grating roar, throwing up columns ofspray over the projecting peaks of the headlands on either hand. 

"I hope no vessel will mistake your bonfire for a beacon, " said Fritz, as the darkness increased. "If so, and they should chance to approachthe land, God help them, with this wind and sea on!"

"I trust not, " replied Eric sadly, already regretting his handiwork; "itwould be a bad look-out for them!"

But, as he spoke the words, the sound of a cannon could be heard comingfrom seaward over the water; and the lad shuddered with apprehension. 

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. 

THE WRECK OF THE BRIG. 

"Himmel!" exclaimed Fritz, rising up from the bench on which he wassitting and clutching on to the side of the hut for support, being stillvery feeble and hardly able to stand upright. "There must be a ship outthere approaching the island. If she should get too close inshore, sheis doomed!"

But, Eric did not answer him. The lad had already rushed down to thebeach; and, climbing on to a projecting boulder, was peering into theoffing, endeavouring to make out the vessel whose signal gun had beenheard in the distance. 

The darkness, however, was too great. The heavens were overcast withthick, drifting clouds, while the sea below was as black as ink--exceptwhere the breakers at the base of the cliffs broke in masses of foamthat gave out a sort of phosphorescent light for the moment, lighting upthe outlines of the headlands during the brief interval, only for themto be swallowed up the next instant in the sombre gloom that enwrappedthe bay and surrounding scene. Eric, consequently, could see nothingbeyond the wall of heaving water which the rollers presented as theythundered on the shingle, dragging back the pebbles in their back-washwith a rattling noise, as if the spirits of the deep were playing withdice in the depths below under the waves!

At his back, the lad could see the bonfire still blazing, casting theforeground in all the deeper shadow from its flickering light; and, never did he regret anything more in his life than the sudden impulsewhich had led him into so dangerous a freak, as that of lighting thebonfire. 

Who knew what further terrible peril that treacherous fire might notlead to, besides the mischief it had already done?

Bye-and-bye, there came the sound of another gun from the sea. Thereport sounded nearer this time; still, Eric could see nothing in sighton the horizon when some break in the clouds allowed him a momentaryglimpse of the angry ocean--nothing but the huge billows chasing eachother in towards the land and the seething foam at the base of thecrags, on which they broke themselves in impotent fury when they foundtheir further course arrested by the rocky ramparts of the island. 

Nor could the lad hear anything beyond the crash of the breakers andsplash of the eddying water, which sometimes washed up to his feet, ashe stood on the boulder gazing out vainly to sea, the sound of thebreaking billows being mingled with the shriek of the wind as itwhistled by overhead. 

Nothing but the tumult of the sea, stirred into frenzy by the storm-blast of angry Aeolus!

After a time, Eric suddenly recollected that his brother could not movefar from the hut and must be wondering what had become of him; and, recognising as well the fact that he was powerless alone to do anythingwhere he was, even if a ship should be in danger, he returned towardsthe cottage to rejoin Fritz, his path up the valley being lit up quiteclearly by the expiring bonfire, which still flamed out every now andthen, as the wind fanned it in its mad rush up the gorge, stirring outthe embers into an occasional flash of brilliancy. 

Fritz, usually so calm, was in a terribly anxious state when his brotherreached him. 

"Well, have you seen anything?" he asked impatiently. 

"No, " said Eric sorrowfully. "There's nothing to be seen. "

"But _you_ heard another cannon, did you not?"

"Oh yes, and it seemed closer in. "

"So I thought, too, " said the other, whom the sound of the heavy guns, from his old experience in war, appeared to affect like a stimulant. "Can't we do anything? It is terrible to stand idly here and allow ourfellow-creatures to perish, without trying to save them!"

"What could we do?" asked Eric helplessly, all the buoyancy gone out ofhim. He seemed to be quite another lad. 

"You couldn't launch the boat without me, eh?"

"No, " answered Eric; "I couldn't move it off the beach with all mystrength--I tried just now. "

Fritz ground his teeth in rage at his invalid condition. 

"It serves me right to be crippled in this fashion!" he cried. "It allresults from my making such a fool of myself the other day, after thatgoat on the plateau. I ought to have known better. "

"You need not vex yourself, brother, about that, " said Eric. "If therewere twenty of us to get the boat into the water, instead of two, shecould not live in the heavy sea that is now running. She would beswamped by the first roller that came in upon us, for the wind isblowing dead on shore!"

"That may be, " replied Fritz; "still, I should like to do something, even if I knew it would be useless!"

"So should I, " said Eric, disconsolately. 

In silence, the two continued to pace up and down the little platformthey had levelled in front of their hut, trying to pierce the darknessthat now entirely obscured the sea, the north-easter having brought up athick fog in its train, perhaps from the far-distant African coast, which shut out everything on that side; although, the light of thebonfire still illumined the cliff encircling the valley where they hadpitched their homestead, disclosing the inmost recesses of this, so thatthey could see from where they stood, the wood, which the conflagrationhad spared, as well as their garden and the tussock-grass rookery of thepenguins beyond, not a feature of the landscape being hid. 

Again came the booming, melancholy sound of the minute guns from sea, making the brothers more impatient than ever; and, at that moment, thefog suddenly lifted, being rapidly wafted away to leeward over theisland, enabling the two anxious watchers to see a bit of bright skyoverhead, with a twinkling star or two looking down on the raging ocean, now exposed to their gaze--all covered with rolling breakers andseething foam as far as the eye could reach, to the furthest confines ofthe horizon beyond the bay. 

Still, they could perceive nothing of the ship that had been firing thesignals of distress, till, all at once, another gun was heard; and theflash, which caught their glance at the same moment as the reportreached them, now enabled them to notice her imminent peril. This, thepeople on board could only then have noticed for the first time, the foghaving previously concealed their danger; for they distinctly heard, above the noise of the sea and wind, a hoarse shout of agonised, franticalarm, wafted shorewards by the wind in one of its wild gusts. 

The vessel was coming up under close-reefed topsails, bow on to theheadland on the western side of the bay; and, almost at the very instantthe brothers saw her, she struck with a crash on the rocks, the surfrushing up the steep face of the cliff and falling back on the deck ofthe ill-fated craft in sheets of spray like soapsuds. 

Fritz and Eric clasped their hands in mute supplication to heaven; but, at the same moment, the spars of the vessel--she was a brig, they couldsee--fell over her side with a crash. There was a grinding and rendingof timbers; and then, one enormous wave, as of three billows rolled intoone, poured over her in a cataract. 

One concentrated shriek of horror and agony came from the seethingwhirlpool of broken water, and, all was over; for, when the foam hadwashed away with the retreating wave, not a single vestige could be seenof the hapless craft!

She had sunk below the sea with those on board. 

"Oh, brother, it is awful!" cried Eric. 

Fritz could not answer. His throat was filled with a great gulping lumpwhich prevented him from drawing his breath; while his eyes weresuffused with tears that no unmanly feelings had called forth. 

Eric was starting off again down to the beach, to see whether any onehad escaped from the wreck and been swept into the bay, in which case hemight have been of use in trying to drag them from the clutch of thecruel waves, when Fritz called him back. 

"Don't leave me behind, brother, " he cried out passionately. "Wheel medown, in the barrow, so that I may help, too!"

The lad stopped in a instant, comprehending his brother's request; and, flying back, in and out of the hut as if he had been galvanised, hequickly placed the old door on top of the wheelbarrow as a sort ofplatform, with a mattress on top. He then lifted Fritz on thesuperstructure as if he were a child, the excitement having given himtenfold strength; and, wheeling the barrow down at a run, the twoarrived on the beach almost sooner than a boat could have pulled ashorefrom the point where the catastrophe to the vessel had occurred. 

But, although it was now light enough to scan the surface of therestless sea for some distance out, no struggling form could be seenbattling with the waves; nor was there a single fragment of the wrecknoticeable, tossing about on the billows that still rolled inthunderingly on the beach, marking out the contour of the bay with aline of white surf, which shone out in contrast to the glittering blacksand that was ever and anon displayed as the back-wash of the wavesswept out again in a downward curve preparatory to the billows hurlingthemselves in shore once more with renewed force. 

"Poor chaps, they must all have gone down!" said Eric, half crying. Hehad made sure that some one would have escaped, if only for him torescue at the last moment--perhaps just when the sinking swimmer mightrequire a helping hand to drag him from the clutches of the graspingbillows that sought to overwhelm him as he was getting beyond theirreach!

"There's no doubt of that, " echoed Fritz, who had got off his platformon the wheelbarrow with much more agility than he had been capable of ashort time before. "The sea has swallowed up those who were not dashedto pieces on the headland! I hardly know which fate was the leastpreferable of the two?"

"I do hope that the bonfire did not lead to their misfortune, " said Ericpresently. "If so, I should consider myself to be the cause of theirdeath!"

"No, I don't think it was, laddie, " replied Fritz, to cheer him, the ladbeing greatly distressed at the thought of having occasioned thecatastrophe. "You see, the ship must have been coming from the otherside of the headland, whose height would shut all view of our valleyentirely from the sea. "

"Well, I only hope so, " replied Eric, only half consoled. "I'm afraid, however, the people on board took the flame of the burning grass to besome beacon to warn them. "

"In that case, they would have kept away from it, of course, " said Fritzdecidedly; "so, no blame can be attached to you. The wind, you see, wasblowing a gale from the north-east; and, probably, they were driving onbefore it, never thinking they were near Inaccessible Island, norbelieving that there was such a place anywhere within miles of them, orland at all, for that matter, till they should reach the South Americancoast!"

"Perhaps so, " rejoined Eric, in a brighter tone; "but then, again, theymight have thought the light to be a ship on fire, and, in going out oftheir way to lend assistance, they possibly met with their doom, eh?"

"Ah, that would be sad to believe, " said Fritz. "However, I don't thinkwe should worry ourselves over the dispensations of providence. Poorfellows, whoever they are, or whatever they were about at the time ofthe disaster, I'm sorry for them from the bottom of my heart!"

"And so am I, " chimed in his brother. "But now, old fellow, " addedEric, "it is time for you to be getting back indoors, with your poorback and wounded leg. "

"Yes, I shan't be sorry to lie down now; for, I've exerted myself morethan I should have done. Oh, " continued Fritz, as the lad helped him onto the wheelbarrow platform, again preparing to return to the hut, "Ishall never forget the sight of that doomed vessel dashing against therocks. I fancy I can now see the whole hideous panorama before my eyesagain, just as we saw it when the mist cleared away, disclosing all thehorrors of the scene!"

"I shan't forget it either, brother, " said Eric, as he commenced towheel back Fritz homeward, neither uttering another word on the way. 

Both went to bed sadly enough; for, the calamity that had just occurredbefore their eyes made them more depressed than they had ever beenbefore--aye, even in the solitude of their first night alone on theisland. 

Next morning, the gale had blown itself out, the wind having toned downto a gentle breeze; while the sea was smiling in the sunshine, soinnocently that it seemed impossible it could have been lashed into thefury it exhibited the previous night. There it was, rippling andprattling away on the beach in the most light-hearted fashion, oblivious, apparently, of all thought of evil!

All trace of the wreck, too, had disappeared, nothing being subsequentlycast ashore but one single plank, on which the hieroglyphic letters, "PFBordeaux, " were carved rudely with a chisel; so, the mystery of thebrig's name and destination remained unsolved to the brothers, as itprobably will continue a mystery, until that day when the ocean gives upits secrets and yields up its dead to life!

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. 

"NEWS FROM HOME. "

For some time after the wreck, the brothers seemed to experience astrange dreariness about the place which they never felt before. 

They were now shut in entirely, being confined, as it were, to thelittle valley of the waterfall through the destruction of the tussock-grass ladder, which previously had opened the tableland on top of thecrags to them, giving greater liberty of action; although the ascent hadnot been by any means an easy matter for Fritz. 

Now, however, restricted to their scanty domain, bounded by the barecliff at the back and encompassed by lofty headlands on either side, they were prevented from wandering beyond the limits of the bay, save bytaking to their boat; and this, the strong winds which set in at thelatter end of March rendered utterly impossible of achievement. 

Consequently, they began to realise more fully their solitary condition, recognising the fact that they were crusoes indeed!

No event of any importance happened after the episode of the bonfire andthe storm in which the crew of the brig perished, for some weeks, nothing occurring to break the monotony of the solitary life they wereleading; until, one morning, without any warning, the penguins, whichhad been their constant companions from the commencement of their self-chosen exile up to now, suddenly left the island. 

This was in the month of April. 

Never was a migration more unexpected. 

On the evening before, the birds, so long as daylight lasted, were seenstill playing about in the bay and arranging themselves in lines alongthe rough escarpment of the headlands, where they were drawn up likesoldiers on parade and apparently dressed in the old-fashioned uniformthat is sometimes still seen on the stage. Really, their black andwhite plumage exactly resembled the white buckskin breeches and blackthree-cornered hats of the whilom mousquetaires; while their droopingflappers seemed like hands down their sides in the attitude of"attention!"--the upper portions of the wings, projecting in front, representing those horrible cross-belts that used to make the men lookas if they wore stays. 

The penguins seemed so much at home on the island that it looked as ifthey never intended leaving it, albeit the brothers noticed that thebirds barked and grumbled more discordantly than they had done of late. No doubt there was something on hand, they thought; but they neverdreamt that this grand pow-wow was their leave-taking of the rookery;but, lo and behold! when Eric came out of the hut next morning to payhis customary matutinal visit to the beach, there was not a singlepenguin to be seen anywhere in the vicinity, either out in the water oron land!

They had disappeared, as if by magic, in one single night. In theevening before, they were with them; when day dawned, they were gone!

Fritz and Eric had got so accustomed to the birds by this time, studyingtheir habits and watching the progress of many of the adult penguinsfrom the egg to representative birdom, as they passed through thevarious gradations of hatching and moulting, that they quite missed themfor the first few days after their departure. 

The cliffs, without their presence to enliven them, appeared never sostern and bleak and bare as now; the headlands never so forbidding andimpassable; the valley never so prison-like, to the brothers, shut in asthey were and confined to the bay!

However, the winter season coming on apace, the two soon had plenty todo in preparing for its advent. This served to distract their attentionfrom becoming morbid and dwelling on their loneliness, which was all themore dismal now from the fact of their being debarred from theirhunting-ground on the plateau--Fritz having got strong and well againafter the wreck, and being now able to start on a second expedition inpursuit of "Kaiser Billy, " did he so wish, if the access to thetableland above the cliffs by way of the gully were only still open tothem. 

Goat-shooting, therefore, being denied them, the brothers busiedthemselves about other matters, as soon as the increasing coldness ofthe air and an occasional snow-storm warned them that winter would soonvisit the shores of the island. 

"I tell you what, " said Fritz, when the first few flakes of snow camefluttering down one afternoon as they were standing outside the hut, thesun having set early and darkness coming on. "We're going to have someof the old weather we were accustomed to at Lubeck. "

"Ah; but, we can have no skating or slides here!" replied Eric, thinkingof the canals and frozen surface of the sea near his northern home, whenthe frost asserted its sway, ruling with a sceptre of ice everywhere. 

"No, and we don't want them either, " rejoined the practical Fritz. "Iam pondering over a much more serious matter; and that is, how we shallkeep ourselves warm? My coat, unfortunately, is getting pretty nearlyworn-out!"

"And so is mine, " cried Eric, exhibiting the elbows of his reefingjacket, in which a couple of large holes showed themselves. The rest ofthe garment, also, was so patched up with pieces of different colouredcloth that it more resembled an old-clothes-man's sack than anythingelse!

"Well, what do you think of our paying our tailor a visit?" said Fritzall at once, after cogitating a while in a brown study. 

Eric burst out into a loud fit of laughing; so hearty that he nearlydoubled himself up in the paroxysms of his mirth. 

"Ha, ha, ha, what a funny fellow you are, Fritz!" he exclaimed. "Iwonder where we are going to find a tailor here?"

"Oh, I know one, " said his brother coolly, in such a matter-of-fact waythat the lad was quite staggered with surprise. 

"Do you?" he asked in astonishment. "Who is he?"

"Your humble servant, " said Fritz, with a low bow. "Can I have thepleasure of measuring you for a new suit, meinherr?"

Eric began laughing again. 

"You can measure away to your heart's content, " he replied; "but, Ifancy it will puzzle even your lofty intellect to discover thewherewithal to make clothes with--that is, except sailcloth, which wouldbe rather cold wear for winter, I think, eh, Master Schneider?"

"How about those two last sealskins we didn't salt down, or pack up withthe rest in the puncheon?" enquired Fritz with a smile. 

"O-oh!" exclaimed Eric, opening his mouth wide with wonder. 

"A-ah, " rejoined his brother. "I think they'll do very well to make acouple of good coats for us; they'll be warm and serviceable. "

"Of course they will, " said Eric, jumping at the idea. "And, they willbe fashionable too! Why, sealskin jackets are all the rage in Berlinand Hanover; so, we'll be regular dandies!"

"Dandies of the first water, oh yes, " replied Fritz quizzingly. "Iwonder what they would think of us at, Lubeck if they could just see usnow!"

"Never mind, brother, we'll astonish them when we go back with ourpockets full of money, " said Eric in his happy fashion; and then, without further delay, the two set to work making themselves wintergarments, as Fritz had suggested, from the sealskins. 

These had been dried, instead of being salted down with the rest, in theordinary way whalers preserve them for the furriers; so, now, all thatremained for the brothers to do was to make the skins limp and pliable. 

This they managed to effect by rubbing grease over the inner surface ofthe skins with a hard piece of lava slab selected from the volcanicdebris at the foot of the cliff, in the same way, as Eric explained, that sailors holystone the decks of a ship; and, after the pelts of theseals were subjected to this process, they underwent a species oftanning by being steeped in a decoction of tea leaves, keeping, however, the hair out of the liquor. Lastly, the outside portion of the skinswas dressed by pulling off the long fibrous exterior hairs, concealingthe soft fur below that resembled the down beneath a bird's roughfeathers. 

The skins being now thoroughly prepared, all that remained to do was tocut out the coats, a feat the crusoes accomplished by using their oldgarments for patterns; and then, by the aid of the useful littlehousewife which Celia Brown had given Eric, after an immense amount ofstitching, the brothers were able at last to clothe themselves in acouple of fur jackets. These, although they were perhaps roughly made, the good people at home could not have turned up their noses at, for thearticles were certainly intrinsically worth more than the best-cutmasterpiece of the best outfitter, even if not of so perfect a fit orstyle!

Fritz was the chief tailor in this operation; but, while he was busilyengaged with needle and thread, Eric was employed in another way, equally for the good of both. 

The hut had been found somewhat cold and damp in consequence of thesun's power beginning to wane by reason of its shifting further north, through the periodic revolution of the earth; so it was determined tobuild a fireplace within the dwelling. 

This had not been necessary before, all their cooking operations havingbeen carried on without the hut at an open-air campaigner's stovedesigned by soldier Fritz. 

Now, however, Master Eric devoted himself to the task of improving theirhousehold economy, accomplishing the feat so well that, wonderful torelate, the place never smoked once after the fire had been lit in thenew receptacle for it, excepting when the wind blew from the westward. Then, indeed, coming from over the top of the plateau above, it whirleddown the gorge, roaring through the lad's patent chimney like a cyclone. 

From May, until the end of July--during which time the extreme severityof the winter lasted--the brothers did little, save stop indoors andread, or play dominoes. 

Really, there was nothing else for them to occupy their minds with; for, it was impossible to cultivate the garden, while the weather was toorough for them to venture out in the whale-boat. 

Early in August, however, the penguins returned. 

The birds did this as suddenly as they had left; although they did notcome all together, as at the period of their migrating from the island. 

It need hardly be said that Fritz and Eric welcomed them joyfully as theearly swallows of the coming summer; for, as the summer advanced, theirlife would be more varied, and there would be plenty for them to do. 

Besides, the brothers had not forgotten Captain Brown's promise toreturn at this period and visit them with the _Pilot's Bride_, thearrival of which vessel might be expected in a couple of months or so. 

The male penguins were the first to make their reappearance in the bay, Eric returning to the hut with the news of this fact one morning inAugust. 

"I say, Fritz, " he called out, when yet some distance off from theirdwelling--"I've just seen two penguins down by the sea!"

"Have you?" exclaimed the other eagerly. "That's good news. "

"Is it?" said Eric. "I didn't think you cared about them so much. "

"Ah, I'm looking out for their eggs, " replied Fritz. 

"Why, you never seemed to fancy them last year, old fellow, " said thesailor lad surprised. "What means this change of view on your part?"

"Well, you know, when we arrived here first, the birds were alreadysitting; and, I certainly confess I did not care about the eggs then, for they would probably have been half addled! Now, however, if we lookout each day, we can get them quite fresh, when they'll be ever so muchbetter. Young Glass told us, as you ought to remember, that they tastedvery nice and not in the least fishy. "

"Oh, yes, I recollect, " said Eric. "I will keep a good look-out forthem now you say they're worth looking after!"

And he did. 

The two male birds, who first came, were succeeded on the following dayby half a dozen more, a large number coming later on the same afternoon. 

All these penguins were in their best plumage, and very fat and lazy, contenting themselves with lolling about the beach for a day or two, asif to recover from the fatigues of their journey. 

Then, after a solemn conference together close to the rookery, the birdsbegan to prepare their nests, so as to be ready for the reception of thefemales, which did not make their appearance for nearly a month afterthe first male penguins were seen. 

A fortnight later, there was in almost each nest an egg of a pale bluecolour, very round in shape and about the size of a turkey's--the sightof which much gratified Master Eric, who, fearless of consequences, madea point of investigating the tussock-grass colony every morning. Hecalled the birds habitat his "poultry yard, " seeming to be quiteunmindful of his mishap there the previous year; although now, as thepenguins had not begun regularly to sit yet, they were not so noisy ortroublesome as when he then intruded on their domain. Besides, as thesailor lad argued, the eggs were uncommonly good eating, and well worthrisk getting them. 

September came; and the brother crusoes were all agog with excitement, watching for the expected coming of the old Yankee skipper. 

"Do you know what to-day is?" asked Fritz one morning, as Eric woke himup in turning out. 

"What a fellow you are for dates!" exclaimed the other. "You ought togo and live in the East, where they cultivate them, brother! No, Ican't say I recollect what day it is. Tuesday, is it not?"

"I don't mean that, " said Fritz petulantly. "I alluded to the sort ofanniversary, that's all. "

"Anniversary of what?"

"Our landing here last year, " replied Fritz. 

"Oh, I forgot that!" exclaimed Eric. 

"It strikes me you forget a good many things, " said his brother in hisdry way. "Still, what I was thinking of was, that we might now reallybegin to look out for Captain Brown. What a pity it is that you can'tascend to your old signalling station on top of the gully. "

"Yes, it was all on account of the grass burning that our ladder gotspoilt and--"

"Of course you didn't set it on fire, eh?" interposed Fritz. 

"Ah well, it's of no use our talking about that now; words will not mendmatters, " said Eric. "We'll have look out from here!"

The wind latterly had been from the east, blowing right into the bay. On account of this, the brothers could not venture out in the boat andthus get round the headland, so as to climb the plateau from the otherside of the island and scan the offing from thence. 

Still, no amount of looking out on their part--or lack of observation, whichever way the matter was put--seemed to effect the arrival of theexpected ship; for, the month passed away in daily counted days withouta trace of a sail being seen on the horizon. 

At last, just when the brothers had given up in despair all hope ofhearing from home, Eric, one morning in October, reported that there wassomething in sight to windward of the bay; although, he said, he did notthink she looked like the _Pilot's Bride_. 

Hastily jumping into his clothes--for Fritz, sad to relate, could neverpractise early rising, in which good habit day after day Eric set him apraiseworthy example--the elder followed the younger lad again to theshore of the bay; from which point, well away out to sea, and her hulljust rising from the rolling plane of water, could be seen a vessel. She was steering for the island apparently, with the wind well on herbeam. 

"It isn't Captain Brown's ship, " said Eric now decisively, his sailoreye having distinguished while she was yet in the distance that thevessel was a fore-and-aft-rigged schooner, although Fritz could not thentell what sort of craft she was. "It is one of those small whalers thatply amongst the islands, such as I saw down at Kerguelen. "

"What can have become of the skipper, then?" cried Fritz, quitedisappointed. "I hope nothing has happened to him. "

"We'll soon know, " replied Eric. "If I mistake not this very schooner, which is evidently going to call here, is the _Jane_. I know her bythat queer patch in her jib; and, if that's the case, she is one of theconsorts of the _Pilot's Bride_ and will be bound to be able to tell ussomething about her. "

"I sincerely hope so, " said Fritz. 

The two then remained silent for some time, watching the approachingvessel; but they took the precaution to run down their whale-boat to thebeach, so as to be ready to put off as soon as the visitor should comenear enough for them to board her. 

In a short time, bowling up before a good breeze, although it seemedhours to them, they were so anxious, the schooner lay-to off the bay, hoisting her flag as a signal that she wished to communicate. But, longbefore the bunting had been run up to the masthead, the brothers hadlaunched their boat and were pulling out towards the vessel, which didnot anchor, for there was a heavy ground swell on--this latter, indeed, cost them, too, some trouble in getting their little craft out to sea, the rolling surge first lifting her up and then plunging her down sothat everything was hidden from them for the moment by a wall of wateron either side. 

However, they managed to get through the waves somehow; and, presently, they were alongside the schooner, --pulling in under her stern, whence arope was hove them to get on board by. 

An active-looking, slim, seamanlike young fellow advanced to them asthey scrambled on the schooner's deck; and Eric appeared to recognisehim. 

"Hullo, Captain Fuller, " he said, "where's the _Pilot's Bride_ and theold skipper?"

"I'm sorry you won't see him this trip, " replied the other. "The barquegot damaged in a gale off the African coast a month ago: so, she had toput into the Cape of Good Hope for repairs, which'll take such a timethat Captain Brown couldn't manage to come along here and see you as hepromised. Howsomever, the old skipper has sent me in his stead, tobring you some letters and take home any cargo you might have ready insealskins and oil. He told me, likewise, to let you have any provisionsyou may want; but, I'm sorry to say, while coming here I helped anAmerican ship that was short, and now I only have a little flour left tospare. "

"Thank you, all the same, " said Fritz, who had been waiting patientlywhile the master of the schooner gave this explanation. "I'm very sorryat not seeing Captain Brown; however, I suppose he'll come for us nextyear, as he said, won't he?"

"Oh yes, " answered the other cordially. "I'm sure he will, for itseemed a great disappointment to him not to be able to do so now. Hetold me to be certain to say that, `blow great guns and small arms ornot, he'll be at Inaccessible Island next year!' But, you must beanxious about your letters. Here they are, " and the nice-looking youngfellow, whom Fritz had quite taken a fancy to, handed a little packet tohim, adding, "I am afraid I'll have to hurry you up about your returnmessages, as the wind is getting up from the eastwards and I shan't beable to remain here long. "

Fritz at once broke the seal of a thick letter, which Captain Brown hadenclosed in one of his own. This he saw came from Lubeck, although ithad the Capetown post mark on it, and he glanced hurriedly over thefront page and then at the end. 

"All right at home, thank God!" he said aloud for Eric's benefit, thelad staring at his brother with eager eyes. "And now, Captain Fuller, I'm ready to attend to you. I shall be glad of a barrel of flour if youcan spare it, but our other provisions can hold out. Will you let a manor two come ashore to help get our freight aboard?"

"How much have you got to ship?" asked the other. 

"Thirty sealskins and twenty barrels of oil, " replied Fritz at once; heand Eric had counted over their little store too often for him not tohave their tally at his fingers' ends!

"Come now, " said Captain Fuller encouragingly. "That's not bad work fora couple of novices as their first take here! Next year, you'll be ableto fill up the _Pilot's Bride_, `I reckon, ' as the old skipper wouldsay. "

"Not quite that, " replied Fritz, while he and Eric joined in the other'slaugh; "still, I've no doubt we'll do better than this, for we'll takecare to be beforehand with some folks!"

The commander of the schooner looking puzzled by the latter part of thisspeech, Fritz proceeded to tell the young seaman all about Nat Slaterand the Tristaners, anent which he became very indignant. 

"I'll take care to call at the island and spoil the mean fellow's gamefor him, so that you shan't be troubled in the same way again!" criedtheir new friend, with much heartiness; "but, do, please, let these mengo ashore with you now and fetch your produce at once, or else we'llhave to be off without it! Here, Harris and Betkins, " he sang out totwo of the schooner's men, "go along with these gentlemen in their boatand bring off some cargo they'll point out to you!"

"I don't think we can stow all in one boat, " said Eric. 

"Then, we must make two or three trips till we do, " answered the other, equal to the occasion; and this procedure was adopted until all thebrothers' sealskins and barrels of oils were shipped in the schooner. The goods were consigned to Captain Brown, who had undertaken to disposeof all the produce of their expedition; and, when the freight was allshipped, the schooner, filling her sails, bore away from the island onher return trip to the Cape--not without a hearty farewell to Fritz andEric from those on board. 

This visit of the little craft cheered them up wonderfully, reconcilingthem cheerfully to another year's sojourn in their island home; for, hadnot the schooner brought them comfort and hope, and, above all else, what was to their longing hearts like manna to the Israelites in thewilderness, water to a dry ground, warmth to those shivering with cold--in other words, "good news from home?"

Aye, that she had!

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. 

A DIRE PERIL. 

Oh, those dear letters from home!

Did not Fritz pore over them, when he and Eric got back to their littlehut, glad to sit down and be quiet again, all to themselves after theexcitement of the schooner's visit and the fatigue of shipping theproduce of their labours during the past?

Madame Dort's missive was a long, voluminous epistle of ever so manypages, written in their dear mother's clear hand, without a blot or ascratch out, or any tedious crossing of the pages to make the writingindistinct. She had been a teacher, and able to write well, if onlybecause she had formerly to instruct others? The letter was publicproperty for both, being addressed to Eric as well as Fritz, and itcontained much loving news--news that caused the elder brotherfrequently to pause in his reading and Eric to dash away the quick tearsfrom his bright eyes; while, anon, it made them both laugh by some funnyallusion to household arrangements as they recalled the well-rememberedlittle home scene in the old-fashioned house in which the two had beenbrought up, in the Gulden Strasse at Lubeck. 

The communication was so lengthy that it was almost a journal, MadameDort recounting all the haps and mishaps of the family since Fritz hadgone away, taking it for granted that he would have informed Eric of allthat had transpired during the lad's previous absence. 

The letter mentioned, too, that the neighbours were all interested inthe brothers' adventures and called frequently to ask her about them. Herr Grosschnapper, she also related, had especially told her that hehad never employed so accurate a book-keeper as Fritz; for, the newclerk had, like a new broom, swept so clean that he had swept himselfout of favour, the old merchant longing to have the widow's son back inhis counting-house again. 

"I don't wonder at that, " exclaimed Eric, interrupting the reading here. "He should have known when he was well off and kept your place open foryou until your return from the war!"

"So he did, brother, he waited as long as he could, " said Fritz, takingthe part of the absent, although the matter was still a sore subjectwith him; and, then, he continued reading out his mother's letter, whichwent on to detail Lorischen's many dreams about the children of hernursing--how she prophesied that Eric would be such a big strappingfellow that the house would not be able to contain him, and how Mouserhad developed such an affection for Gelert, that he even followed thedog, when the latter went out to take his walks abroad, in the mostfearless manner possible, trusting evidently to the kindness of hiscanine protector to prevent other obnoxious animals like Burgher Jansterrier from molesting him! Oh, and while mentioning the little fatman's dog, Madame Dort said she had such a wonderful story to relate. What would they think of Lorischen--

"I said it would turn out so!" cried Eric, interrupting his brother asecond time. "I always said it would turn out so, in spite of all ourold nurse's cruel treatment of the little Burgher. "

"What did you say, Mr Prophet?" asked Fritz good-humouredly. 

"That he and Lorischen would make a match of it yet, " replied Eric, clapping his hands in high glee. "What fun that would be! Is it notso, brother?"

"You might be further out in your guessing than that, " said Fritz, goingon to the denouement of the story told in his mother's letter. Yes, Madame Dort wrote, the little fat man had really, one day when Lorischenhad received him more affably than usual and invited him to partake ofsome nice cheese-cakes she had just made, asked her to marry him! And, more wonderful still, in spite of all their old nurse used to say aboutthe Burgher, and how she pretended to detest him, as they must rememberwell, Lorischen had finally agreed to an engagement with him, promisingto unite her fate with his when Herr Fritz and Master Eric came home. "So now, dear boys both, you know how much depends on your return, "concluded their mother in her quaint way, for she had a keenappreciation of humour. "If only to hasten the happiness of oldLorischen and her well-beloved little fat man, pray do not delay yourcoming back as soon as ever you can conveniently manage it. I saynothing about myself or of Madaleine, my new daughter; for, you must beable to imagine without the aid of any words of mine, how we are bothlonging and praying to see you again!"

"And now for sister Madaleine's letter, " cried Eric, when he had kissedthe signature to that of his mother's which Fritz handed over to him assoon as he had done reading it aloud. "It seems almost as big a one asmutterchen's and I dare say there'll be lots more news in it!"

"Ah, I think I'll read this first to myself, " said Fritz dryly; adding amoment after when he noticed Eric's look of intense disgust: "you see, she only writes to me, you know. "

"Oh yes, that's very fine!" exclaimed the other, in a highly aggrievedtone. "Never mind, though, I can pay you out sooner than you think, Master Fritz! See this little note here!"

"No--yes--what is it?" said Fritz, looking up in an absent way from thesecond of the home letters, which now lay open on his knee. 

"Ah, wouldn't you like to know, Mr Selfish-keep-his-letters-to-himselfsort of a brother, eh? Well, then, this note here contains some of thedearest words you ever saw penned! It was enclosed by Miss Celia Brownin a letter of her father's to you--which you've taken such littleaccount of that you chucked it down on the floor in your ridiculoushurry to read that letter which you won't tell me about. Now, I didintend, Master Fritz, to give you this delightful little note, which Iwould not part with for the world, for you to read it your own self;but, now, I shan't let you once cast your eyes over it, there! It isonly a little tiny note; still, I think much more of it than all yourbig letters from that Madaleine Vogelstein, who I don't believe is halfas handsome as Celia!"

"All right then, we're both satisfied if such is the case, " rejoinedFritz, in no way put out by this outburst, or alarmed at the terriblereprisals threatened by Eric, and then, the elder brother bowed his headagain over the unfolded sheets of scented paper lying on his knee thatcame from his sweetheart across the sea. 

The letter was all that the fondest lover could wish; and, with theomission of a few endearing terms, Fritz subsequently read it to Eric, who thereupon relented from his previous resolution and showed him MissCelia Brown's note. This, however, contained nothing very remarkable, after all; unless a postscript, saying that the writer "expected to havea good time" when the sailor lad returned to Providence, deserves to bedescribed in Eric's extravagant language. 

The schooner's visit having settled their minds, so to speak, thebrother crusoes were able after her departure to devote themselves anew, with all the greater zest, to what they now considered their regularwork. 

As in the previous year, before adventuring beyond their own specialdomain, the garden was dug up and replanted; the labour this time, ofcourse, being far less than on the first occasion, for they had nolonger virgin soil to tackle with as then. 

A much larger lot of potatoes were put into the ground, the brothershaving learnt by experience that, after once planting, these useful"apples of the earth" necessitated little further trouble, one goodhoeing up when the sprouts had appeared above the surface and anoccasional rake over to keep down the weeds being quite sufficient tomake the plot look neat; while, should they have more than they requiredfor themselves when harvest time came, they could easily store them upfor the use of the _Pilot's Bride_ crew, as a slight return for allCaptain Brown's kindness. 

A good crop of cabbages and onions was also provided for; while Eric didnot forget his favourite peas and beans for their next Christmasbanquet. 

This task done and things tidied up about the hut, so as to make theirimmediate surroundings snug and comfortable, the brothers determined, the weather being now settled and fair, to have a cruise round the coastagain. They were anxious to find out whether the seals were about yet, besides wishing to pay another visit to the tableland, which they hadbeen debarred from exploring since the bonfire had burnt up their ladderat the beginning of the winter season. 

They would, naturally, have made this expedition long before, had thewind and sea not been so boisterous--very unlike, indeed, the genialspell they had experienced in the previous year; but, really, from themonth of August, a succession of gales had set in from different pointsof the compass and the navigation was so dangerous that it would nothave been safe to have ventured out beyond the bay. Indeed, as it was, the whale-boat got so much knocked about by a heavy sea, which camerolling in on the beach one night when they had not drawn her up farenough, that she was now far too cranky for them to trust their lives inher in bad weather. 

However, one fine day, late in November, with all their shooting andhunting gear, in addition to a supply of provisions for a week or tendays, they set sail from the bay bound westward round the headland, intending to have a regular outing. 

Seals they found plentiful enough, the animals having returned to theirbreeding haunts much earlier than the year before. They seemed, besides, so tame that the new-comers must either have been quite a freshfamily of the mammals, or else the brothers had stolen a march on theTristaners and would therefore have the advantage of the first assaulton the seals. 

There was nothing like taking time by the forelock, and so, withoutfrightening the animals by any display of hostility, the brothersquietly landed their traps in a little creek some distance away from theprincipal cove they frequented; and then, the two organised a regularcampaign against their unsuspecting prey. 

Eric with a rifle and harpoon got round the seals by way of the land;while Fritz, equally well provided with weapons, assailed them from thesea in the boat, both making a rush together by a preconcerted signal. 

Their strategy was triumphant this time; for, after a very one-sidedbattle between the intrepid seal killers on the one hand and theterrified, helpless creatures on the other, eighty-five victims werecounted on the field of battle--six of the animals being sea elephants, and five sea bears, or "lions, " a species having a curious sort of curlymane round their necks, while the remainder of the slain consisted ofspecimens of the common seal of commerce. 

"Why, brother, this is grand!" exclaimed Eric, as he and Fritz countedover the spoil. "But, how shall we get the blubber and skins round tothe bay? Our boat will never carry them all in her leaky state. "

"Well, laddie, I thought you were the inventive genius of the family, "said the other. "Can't you think of an easier plan than lugging themround the headland all that way by sea?"

"I'm sure I can't, " Eric replied, with a hopeless stare. 

"Then, I'll tell you, " said Fritz. "What think you of our just takingthem up to the top of the plateau; and, after a short walk across thetableland, pitching our bundle of spoil down right in front of our hut--without first loading up the boat and then unloading her again, besideshaving the trouble of toiling all the way from the beach to the cottageafterwards?"

"Why, that's a splendid plan!" cried Eric; "almost good enough for me tohave thought of it. "

"I like your impudence!" said Fritz, laughing. "Certainly, a youngsailor of my acquaintance has a very good opinion of himself!"

"Right you are, " rejoined Eric, with his time-honoured phrase; and thenthe two, as usual, had a hearty laugh. 

Skinning the seals and packing up the layers of blubber within the peltswas then the order of the day with them for some hours, Fritz pointingout, that, if they removed all the traces of the combat beforenightfall, the seals would return to their old haunt the next day, theevening tide being sufficient to wash away the traces of blood on therocks as well as bear to the bottom the bodies of the slain victims;otherwise, the sad sight of the carcases of their slain comrades stilllying about the scene of battle would prevent the scared and timidanimals from coming back. 

Consequently, the brothers worked hard; and, practice having made themproficients in the knack of ripping off the coats of the seals with oneor two dexterous slashes with a keen knife along the stomach and downthe legs of the animals, they stripped off the skins in much less timethan might be imagined. 

Then, the pelts and layers of blubber were rolled up together in handybundles and conveyed up to the plateau. This was a very tedious job, necessitating, first, a weary tramp to and from the beach to where thepath led up to the summit of the tableland; and, secondly, a scramble upthe rocky and wearisome ascent of the plateau, this latter part of theirlabour being rendered all the more difficult and disagreeable by thebundles of blubber and skins, which they had to carry up on their headsin the same fashion as negroes always convey their loads--a thingapparently easy enough to the blacks by reason of their strong craniums, but terribly "headachy" for Europeans unaccustomed to such burdens!

Fritz and Eric did not hurry over this job, however, deferring itscompletion till the morning. They camped out on the plateau so as to beout of the way of the seals, glad enough to rest after their day'slabour, without going hunting after the goats, as they had intended atfirst doing, the same afternoon. 

Next morning, seeing no seals about--the animals probably not havingrecovered from their fright yet--they continued carrying up the skinsand blubber, until they had quite a respectable pile on the plateau;when, the next question arose about its transportation across thetableland to the eastern side, immediately over the gully by which theyused to climb up, near their hut. 

"I wish we had brought your carriage, Fritz, " said Eric, alluding to thewheelbarrow, which had been so styled by the sailor lad after he hadutilised it as an ambulance waggon. 

"It's too late to wish that now, " replied the other. 

"I could soon go round in the boat and fetch it, brother, " cried Eric, looking as if he were going to start off at the moment. 

"No, stop, laddie; we could not spare the boat, " said Fritz, laying hishand on his arm. "It would be more than likely that, the moment youwere out of sight the seals would land again on the rocks, when weshould miss the chance of taking them! I don't believe we shall havemore than one other chance of getting their skins; for the Tristanerswill soon be here again on their annual excursion, with that fellowSlater in their company, and, I confess, I should not like us to be herewhen they came. "

"I wouldn't mind a row at all!" cried Eric defiantly; "still, as youdon't want me to go for the wheelbarrow, how do you suggest that weshould carry the skins across this dreary expanse here?"

"Let us make a stretcher with the oars, " said Fritz. 

"Bravo, the very thing, " replied Eric. "Why, you are the inventivegenius this time!"

"Well, one must think of something sometimes, " said Fritz, in hismatter-of-fact way; and the two then proceeded to carry out the plan ofthe elder brother, which simplified their labour immensely. They onlyhad to make some three journeys across the plateau with the skins, which, when the bundles were all transported to the eastern side of thetableland, were incontinently tumbled over to the foot of the cliffbelow, alighting quite close to the cauldron in which the blubber wouldbe subsequently "tried out" into oil. 

Then, and not till then, did they pick up their guns and think of thegoats, which had hitherto led a charmed life as far as they wereconcerned. 

They soon noticed, however, that, in lieu of the large number they hadobserved when they last saw them, the flock had been now reduced tofive. The Tristaners must evidently have paid another visit to the westcoast since they had met them there when going sealing the previousseason; and, this second visit the brothers put down to the instigationof the whilom "deck hand, " who had no doubt incited the islanders to doeverything they could to annoy them. 

Fritz only shot one goat, leaving "Kaiser Billy" and the other three, onthe chance of their numbers being afterwards increased. He and Ericthen went for a hunt after the wild pigs, killing a fine young porker, which they roasted on the plateau and made a feast of at their camp. The flesh, however, was very coarse, tasting fishy and rank, probably onaccount of the pigs feeding on the penguins, the young of which theycould easily secure by going down to the beach by the same pathway thatthe brothers had climbed. 

Fritz and Eric stayed ten days on the western shore; but during all thetime they remained they only were able to capture eleven more seals, which made up their quota to ninety-six. Eric longed to run it up tothe even hundred, but they did not see another single mammal, althoughthey remained a day longer on the coast than they had intended. 

This delay led to the most disastrous consequences; for, a gale sprangup right in their teeth when they were on their way back to the bay withthe goat and the remaining sealskins, which they had not taken thetrouble of transporting across the plateau, but took along with them inthe boat. 

It was something wonderful to notice the sea, which a short timepreviously had been so placid, presently running high with mightyrollers, that threatened each moment to engulf their little craft; andthey had to allow her to run before the wind some little time for fearof getting her swamped. 

This danger avoided, a worse one arose, which Fritz had not thought of, but which soon became apparent to the sailor lad, his intelligenceheightened by his former painful experience when adrift in a boat atsea, out of sight of land. 

"I say, Fritz, " he cried; "we are leaving the land!"

"What?" asked the other, not understanding him. 

"We are getting away too far from the island; and if we go on like this, we'll never get back. "

"Good heavens, what shall we do?" said Fritz. 

"I'm sure, I can't say, " replied Eric despondently. 

"Can't we put back?"

"No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it. "

"Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz. "The land is now growing quitefaint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"

This was not the worst, either. 

The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast, darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut outeverything from their gaze. 

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR. 

ANXIOUS TIMES. 

The boat continued driving before the wind for some little time, untilthe mountain cliffs of Inaccessible Island gradually lost their contour. They had become but a mere haze in the distance, when Eric, who hadbeen intently gazing upward at the sky since Fritz's last speech ofalarm, and seemed buried in despondency, suddenly appeared to wake upinto fresh life. 

He had noticed the clouds being swept rapidly overhead in the samedirection in which the boat was travelling; but, all at once, they nowappeared to be stationary, or else, the waves must be bearing theirfrail little craft along faster than the wind's speed. What could thispuzzling state of things mean? Eric reflected a moment and thenastonished Fritz as they both sat in the stern-sheets, by convulsivelygrasping his hand. 

"The wind has turned, brother!" he cried out in a paroxysm of joy. 

Fritz thought he was going mad. "Why, my poor fellow, what's thematter?" he said soothingly. 

"Matter, eh?" shouted out Eric boisterously, wringing | his brother'shand up and down. "I mean that the wind has changed! It is choppinground to the opposite | corner of the compass, like most gales in theselatitudes, that's what's the matter! See those clouds there?"

Fritz looked up to where the other pointed in the sky--to a spot nearthe zenith. 

"Well, " continued the lad, "a moment ago those clouds there werewhirling along the same course as ourselves. Then, when I first calledout to you, they stopped, as if uncertain what to do; while now, as youcan notice for yourself, they seem to be impelled in the very oppositedirection. What do you think that means?"

Fritz was silent, only half convinced, for the send of the sea appearedto be rolling their unhappy boat further and further from the island, which, only a bare speck on the horizon, could be but very faintly seenastern, low down on the water. 

"It means, " said Eric, answering his own question, without waitinglonger for his brother's reply, "that the same wind which bore us awayfrom our dear little bay is about to waft us back again to it; still, wemust look out sharply to help ourselves and not neglect a chance. Oarsout, old fellow!"

"But, it is impossible to row amidst these waves, " the otherexpostulated. 

"Bah, nothing is impossible to brave men!" cried the sailor ladvaliantly. "I only want to get her head round to sea. Perhaps, though, my old friend that served me in such good stead when the _GustavBarentz_ foundered may serve my turn better now; we'll try a floatinganchor, brother, that's what we'll do, eh?"

"All right, you know best, " replied Fritz, who, to tell the truth, hadvery little hopes of their ever seeing the island again. He thoughtthat, no matter what Eric might attempt, all would be labour in vain. 

The sailor lad, on the contrary, was of a different opinion. He was notthe one to let a chance slip when there seemed a prospect of safety, however remote that prospect might be!

Rapidly attaching a rope round the bale of sealskins that wereamidships, thinking these more adapted for his purpose than the oars, which he had first intended using, he hove the mass overboard, gentlypoising it on the side and letting it slip gradually into the water. Hedid this in order that he might not disturb the balance of the boat, which any sudden rash movement would have done, causing her probably toheel over--for the waves, when they raced by, came level with hergunwale, and an inch more either way would have swamped her. 

In a few seconds after this impromptu anchor was tried, the effect onthe whale-boat's buoyancy became marvellous. 

Swinging round by degrees, Eric helping the operation by an occasionalshort paddle with one of the oars he had handy, the little craftpresently rode head to sea, some little distance to leeward of thesealskins whose weight sunk them almost to the level of the water; andthen, another unexpected thing happened. 

The oil attached to the still reeking skins came floating out on thesurface of the sea, so calming the waves in their vicinity that thesedid not break any longer, but glided under the keel of the boat with aheavy rolling undulation. 

"This is more than I hoped!" exclaimed Eric joyfully. "Why, we'll beable to ride out the gale capitally now; and, as soon as the wind chopsround--as it has already done in the upper currents of air, a sure signthat it will presently blow along the water from the same quarter--why, we can up anchor and away home!"

"How shall we ever know the proper direction in which to steer?" askedFritz, who was still faint-hearted about the result of the adventure. 

"We won't steer at all, " said Eric. "There are no currents to speak ofabout here; and as we have run south-westwards before the north-easter, if we run back in an opposite direction before the south-wester, whichis not far off now from setting in, why we must arrive pretty nearly atthe same point from which we started. "

"But we may then pass the island by a second time and be as badly off aswe are now. "

"What an old croaker you are!" cried Eric impatiently. "Won't I be onthe look-out to see that such an accident as that shan't happen? We'llhave to be very careful in turning the boat however--so as to bring thewind abeam when we get up abreast of the island, in order to beat intothe bay--for the poor craft is so leaky and cranky now that she'll notstand much buffeting about. "

"Can't I do anything?" asked Fritz, beginning to regain his courage andbestir himself, now that he reflected that their chances of getting backto the island were not so precarious and slight as he had at firstimagined. 

"Yes, you can bale out the boat, if you like, " said Eric. "She's nearlyhalf full of water now and continues leaking like a sieve. The seamsstrain and yawn awfully when she rides, even worse than when she wasflying along at the mercy of the wind and waves. Still, we must try tokeep her clear if possible, as the lighter and more buoyant she is, thebetter chance have we of getting out of this mess. "

"I'll do the baling gladly, " rejoined Fritz, really pleased at doingsomething, and beginning at once with the job, using a large tinpannikin that they had taken with them. 

"Then, fire away, " said Eric. "It will be as much as I can do to attendto the steering of the boat. Look sharp, old fellow, and get some ofthe light ballast out of her! I see a light scud creeping up fromleeward, behind us, with the waves fringing up into a curl before it. The wind has chopped round at last and we'll have to cut and run as soonas it reaches us. "

Fritz baled away with the tin pannikin for dear life. 

"Now, brother, " cried Eric, a moment later, "get your knife ready, andgo forwards into the bows. I want you, the instant I sing out, to givea slash across the painter holding us to our moorings. "

"What, and lose our bundle of sealskins!" exclaimed the practical Fritz. 

"Lose them? Of course! Do you think we'd have time to lug them intothe boat before we'd be pooped! What are the blessed things worth incomparison with our lives?"

"I beg your pardon, " said Fritz humbly, always ready to acknowledge whenhe was in the wrong. "I spoke unthinkingly; besides, if we lose these, we've got plenty more under the cliff by our hut. "

"Aye, if we ever reach there!" replied Eric grimly. Although takingadvantage of every possible device to reach the island again, as asailor he was fully conscious of the dire peril they were in. "Now, Fritz, " he called out presently, as a big white wave came up astern, "cut away the painter, and just give a hoist to the jib and belay theend of the halliards, half-way up. There, that will do. Lie down forthe present, old fellow. The wind has reached us at last; so, it's acase of neck or nothing now!"

Hardly had Eric uttered the last words, when a sudden rush of windstruck the boat's stern like a flail, seeming to get underneath and liftit out of the water. The next instant the little craft sank down againas if she were going to founder stern foremost; but, at the same moment, the wind, travelling on, caught the half-set jib, and blowing this outwith a sound like the report of a cannon, the small sail soon began todrive the boat through the swelling waves at racing speed. 

Onward speeded the boat, faster and yet faster. Fortunately, the mastwas a strong spar, or otherwise it would have broken off like a carrot;as, even with the half-hoisted jib, it bent like a whip, thus yieldingto the motion of the little craft as she rose from the trough of the seaand leaped from one wave crest to another. The boat appeared just tokeep in advance of the following rollers that vainly endeavoured toovertake her, and only broke a yard or so behind her stern--which, onaccount of her being a whale-boat, was built exactly like her bows andthus offered a smaller target for the billows to practise on, as theysent their broken tops hurtling after her in a shower of thick foam. 

Eric had an oar out to leeward steering, while Fritz crouched downamidships, with the belayed end of the jib halliards in his hand, readyto let them go by the run when his brother gave the word; and, as theboat tore on through the water like a mad thing, the darkness aroundgrew thicker and thicker, until all they could distinguish ahead was thescrap of white sail in the bows and the occasional sparkle of surf as aroller broke near them. 

Should they not be able to see where they were going, they mightpossibly be dashed right on to the island in the same way as they hadseen the unfortunate brig destroyed. It was a terrible eventuality toconsider!

Presently, however, the moon rose; and, although the wind did not abateits force one jot, nor did the sea subside, still, it was more consolingto see where they were going than to be hurled on destruction unawares. 

Eric was peering out over the weather side of the boat, when, all of asudden, on the starboard bow, he could plainly distinguish the island, looking like a large heavy flat mass lifting itself out of the sea. 

"There it is!" he cried out to Fritz, who at once looked up, rising alittle from the thwart on which he had been lying. 

"Where?"

"To your right, old fellow; but, still ahead. Now, we must see whetherwe can make the boat go our way, instead of her own. Do you think youcould manage to haul up the jib by yourself? Take a half-turn round oneof the thwarts with the bight of the halliards, so that it shall notslip. "

Fritz did what was requested; when Eric, keeping the boat's head off thewind, sang out to his brother to "hoist away. "

The effect was instantaneous, for the boat quivered to her keel, as ifshe had scraped over a rock in the ocean, and then made a frantic plungeforwards that sent her bows under. 

"Gently, boat, gently, " said Eric, bringing her head up again to thewind, upon which she heeled over till her gunwale was nearly submerged, but she now raced along more evenly. "Sit over to windward as much asyou can, " he called out to Fritz, shifting his own position as he spoke. 

Almost before they were aware of it, they were careering past thewestern headland of the bay, when Eric, by a sudden turn of his steeringoar, brought the bows of the whale-boat to bear towards the beach. Thelittle craft partly obeyed the impetus of his nervous arm, veering roundin the wished-for direction, in spite of the broken water, which just atthat point was in a terrible state of commotion from a cross currentthat set the tide against the wind. 

But, it was not to be. 

The doom of the boat was sealed in the very moment of its apparentvictory over the elements!

A return wave--curling under from the base of the headland, againstwhose adamant wall it had hurled itself aloft, in the vain attempt toscale the cliff--falling back angrily in a whirling whish of foam, struck the frail craft fair on the quarter. The shock turned her overinstantly, when she rolled bottom upwards over and over again. The seathen hurled her with the force of a catapult upon the rocks that juttedout below the headland; and Fritz and Eric were at once pitched out intothe seething surf that eddied around, battling for their lives. 

How they managed it, neither could afterwards tell; but they must havestruck out so vigorously with their arms and legs at this perilousmoment, in the agony of desperation, that, somehow or other, theysucceeded in getting beyond the downward suction of the undertowimmediately under the overhanging headland. Otherwise, they would haveshared the fate of the boat, for their bodies would have been dashed topieces against the cruel crags. 

Providentially, however, the strength of the struggling strokes of boththe young fellows just carried them, beyond the reach of the back-washof the current, out amidst the rolling waves that swept into the bayfrom the open in regular succession; and so, first Eric and then Fritzfound themselves washed up on the old familiar beach, which they hadnever expected to set foot on again alive. 

Here, scrambling up on their hands and knees, they quickly gained therefuge of the shingle, where they were out of reach of the clutchingbillows that tried to pull them back. 

As for the boat, it was smashed into matchwood on the jagged edges ofthe boulders, not a fragment of timber a foot long being to be seen. 

The brothers had escaped by almost a miracle!

"That was a narrow squeak, " cried Eric, when he was able to speak andsaw that Fritz was also safe. 

"Yes, thank God for it!" replied the other. "I had utterly given uphope. "

"So had I; but still, here we are. "

"Aye, but only through the merciful interposition of a watchful Hand, "said Fritz; and then both silently made their way up the incline totheir little hut by the waterfall, unspeakably grateful that they wereallowed to behold it again. 

Never had the cottage seemed to their tired eyes more homelike andwelcome than now; and they were glad enough to throw themselves in bedand have some necessary rest:-- they were completely worn-out with allthey had gone through since the previous morning, for the anxious nighthad passed by and it was broad daylight again before they reached shore. 

Not a particle of the boat or anything that had been in her was everwashed up by the sea; consequently, they had to deplore the loss, notonly of the little craft itself, the sole means they had of ever leavingthe bay, but also of the carcase of the goat they were conveying home tosupply them with fresh meat, as a change from their generally salt diet. The sea, too, had taken from them their last haul of sealskins, whichhad cost them more pains to procure than the much larger lot they hadpitched down from the plateau, and which fortunately were safe. 

Nor was this the worst. 

Their two rifles and the fowling piece--which Fritz had taken with him, as usual, in his last hunting expedition, for the benefit of the islandhen and other small birds--as well as the harpoons, and many otherarticles, whose loss they would feel keenly, were irrevocably gone!

But, on the other side of the account, as the brother crusoes devoutlyremembered, they had saved their lives--a set-off against far greaterevils than the destruction of all their implements and weapons!

The first week or two of their return from this ill-fated expedition, Fritz and Eric had plenty to do in preparing the bundles of sealskinsthey had secured in their first foray, and which they found safe enoughat the bottom of the gully where they had cast them down from above;although they little thought then of the peril they would subsequentlyundergo and the narrow chance of their ever wanting to make use of thepelts. 

Still, there the skins were, and there being no reason why they shouldnot now attend to them, they set to work in the old fashion of theprevious year, scraping and drying and then salting them down in somefresh puncheons Captain Fuller of the _Jane_ had supplied them with, aswell as a quantity of barrels to contain their oil, in exchange for thefull ones he had taken on board. 

After the skins were prepared, the blubber had to be "tried out" in thecauldron, with all the adjuncts of its oily smoke and fishy smell, spoiling everything within reach; and, when this was done, there was thegarden to attend to, their early potatoes having to be dug up andvegetables gathered, besides the rest of the land having to be put inorder. 

They had no time to be idle!

Christmas with them passed quietly enough this time. The loss of theboat and the escape they had of their own lives just preceded theanniversary, so they felt in no great mood for rejoicing. In additionto that, the festival had too many painful memories of home, for whichthey now longed with an ardent desire that they had not felt in theirfirst year on the island. 

The fact was, that, now the whale-boat was destroyed, they were soirrevocably confined to the little valley where their hut was planted--shut in alike by land and sea, there being no chance of escape from itin any emergency that might arise, save through the unlikely contingencyof some stray passing vessel happening to call in at the bay--that thesense of being thus imprisoned began to affect their spirits. 

This was not all. 

Their provisions lately had been diminishing in a very perceptiblemanner; so much so, indeed, that there was now no fear of their beingtroubled with that superabundance of food which Eric had commented onwhen they were taking the inventory of their stores!

But for some flour which Captain Fuller had supplied them with, theywould have been entirely without any article in the farinaceous linebeyond potatoes, their biscuits being all gone. The hams and otherdelicate cabin stores Captain Brown had originally given them were nowalso consumed; so that, with the exception of two or three pieces ofsalt pork still remaining and a cask of beef, they had nothing to dependon save the produce of their garden and some tea--all their other storesas well as their coffee and sugar having long since been "expended, " assailors say. 

The months passed by idly enough, with nothing to do, and they watchedfor the approach of winter with some satisfaction; for, when that hadonce set in, they might look for the return of the _Pilot's Bride_ torescue them from an exile of which they were becoming heartily weary. 

The penguins departed in April, as before, leaving them entirelysolitary and more crusoe-like than ever, when thus left alonethemselves; and, then, came the winter, which was much sharper thanpreviously, there being several heavy falls of snow, while the waterfallfroze up down the gorge, hanging there like a huge icicle for weeks. 

It was dreary enough, and they hardly needed the wintry scene to maketheir outlook worse; but, one bitter morning they made a discovery whichfilled them with fresh alarm. 

They had finished eating all their salt pork, but had never once openedthe cask of beef since Eric abstracted the piece he roasted the yearbefore "for a treat"; and, now, on going to get out a good boilingpiece, in order to cook it in a more legitimate fashion, they found totheir grief that, whether through damp, or exposure to the air, or fromsome other cause, the cask of beef was completely putrid and unfit forhuman food!

This was very serious!

They had kept this beef as a last resource, trusting to it as a "stand-by" to last them through the winter months; but now it had to be thrownaway, reducing them to dry potatoes for their diet--for, the penguins, which they might have eaten "on a pinch, " had departed and would notreturn to the island until August, and there was no other bird or animalto be seen in the valley!

Their plight was made all the more aggravating from the knowledge of thefact that, if they could only manage to ascend the plateau, they mightlive in clover on the wild pigs and goats there; so, here they weresuffering from semi-starvation almost in sight of plenty!

Fritz and Eric, however, were not the sort of fellows to allowthemselves to be conquered by circumstances. Both, therefore, put theirthinking caps on, and, after much cogitation, they at last hit upon aplan for relieving their necessities. 

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE. 

A LONG SWIM. 

This plan was nothing else than their attempting the feat of swimminground the headland, in order to reach the western shore, from whence, ofcourse, they knew from past experience they could easily ascend to thetableland above--the happy hunting-ground for goats and pigs, theirlegitimate prey. 

"Nonsense, " exclaimed Fritz, when Eric mooted the project; "the thingcan never be done!"

"Never is a long day, " rejoined the sailor lad. "I'm sure I havecovered over twice that distance in the water before now. "

"Ah, that might have been in a calm sea, " said Fritz; "but, justrecollect the terrible rough breakers we had to contend with that timein December when the whale-boat got smashed! Why, we might never getout of the reach of that current which you know runs like a mill-raceunder the eastern cliff. "

"We won't go that way, " persisted Eric. "Besides, the sea is not alwaysrough; for, on some days the water, especially now since the frost hasset in, is as calm as a lake. "

"And terribly cold, too, " cried his brother. "I dare say a fellow wouldget the cramp before he had well-nigh cleared the bay. "

"Well, I never saw such a chap for throwing cold water on any suggestionone makes!" exclaimed Eric in an indignant tone. He was almost angry. 

"It is cold water this time with a vengeance, " retorted Fritz, laughing;whereupon Eric calmed down again, but only to argue the point moredeterminedly. 

"Mind, I don't want you to go, brother, " he pleaded. "I'm much thestronger of the two of us, although I am the youngest; so, I'll try thefeat. It will be easy enough after rounding the headland, which will bethe hardest part of the job; but when I have weathered that, it will becomparatively easy to reach the seal-caves. Once arrived there, I shallonly have to climb up to the plateau and shoot some pigs and a goat andfling them down to you here, returning at my leisure; for, there'll beno hurry. As for the swim back, it will not be half so difficult a taskas getting round there, for the wind and tide will both be in myfavour. "

But, Fritz would not hear of this for a moment. 

"No, " he said; "if anybody attempts the thing, it must be me, myimpulsive laddie! Do you think I could remain here quietly while youwere risking your life to get food for us both?"

"And how do you expect me to do so either?" was the prompt rejoinder. 

"I am the eldest, and ought to decide. "

"Ah, we are brothers in misfortune now, as well as in reality; so theaccident of birth shall not permit you to assert a right of self-sacrifice over me!" cried Eric, using almost glowing language in hiszealous wish to secure his brother's safety at the expense of his own. 

"What fine words, laddie!" said Fritz, laughing again at the other'searnestness, as if to make light of it, although he well recognised theaffection that called forth Eric's eloquence. "Why, you are speaking inas grand periods as little Burgher Jans!"

Eric laughed, too, at this; but, still, he was not going to be defeatedby ridicule. 

"Grand words or not, brother, " he said, with a decision that the othercould not bear down; "you shall not venture upon the swim while I stophere doing nothing!"

"Nor will I allow you to go and I remain behind, " retorted Fritz. 

"I tell you what, then, " cried Eric; "as we're two obstinate fellows andhave both made up our minds, suppose we attempt the feat together, eh?"

Fritz urged at first that it was unnecessary for both to run the risk;however, Eric's pleadings made him finally yield. 

"You see, " argued the sailor lad, "we can swim side by side, the same aswe have done many a time in the old canal at Lubeck; and then, shouldeither of us get the cramp, or feel `played-out, ' as the skipper used tosay, why the other can lend a helping hand!"

And, so it was finally settled, that, on the first bright calm day whenthere should be but little wind, and while the tide was setting out ofthe bay in the direction favourable for them, which was generally at thefull and change of the moon, they were to attempt the task of swimminground the headland to the west shore of the island. Thence they couldascend the plateau in search of that animal food which they so sadlyrequired, the two having been restricted for some weeks to a diet of drypotatoes, without even a scrap of butter or grease to make them go downmore palatably. 

This being determined on, the two quickly made their preparations forthe undertaking, which to them appeared almost as formidable as poorCaptain Webb's feat of trying to go down the Falls of Niagara; although, it might be mentioned incidentally, that, at the time they attemptedtheir natatory exploit, that reckless swimmer's name was unknown tofame. 

Of course, they had to consider that, should they reach the beach on theother side all right and thus get up to the tableland, they wouldrequire some weapon to bring down the animals they were going in chaseof; and, as both the Remington rifles as well as Fritz's shot gun hadbeen lost with the whale-boat, the only firearm remaining was theneedle-gun, which the elder brother had brought with him from Germany--more, indeed, as a reminiscence of the campaign in which he had beenengaged than from any idea of its serviceableness. 

However, for want of anything better, there it was; and, as Fritz hadplenty of cartridges which would fit it, the weapon had a chance of nowbeing employed for a more peaceful purpose than that for which it wasoriginally intended. It would, certainly, still take life, it is true;but it would do so with the object of ultimately saving and notdestroying humanity. 

There was the weapon and the cartridges; but, how to get them round withthem was the question?

The brothers could swim well enough without any encumbrance, still, theywould be crippled in their efforts should they be foolish enough to loadthemselves with a heavy gun, as well as sundry other articles which theythought it necessary to take with them for the success of theirexpedition. 

Why, such a procedure would be like handicapping themselves heavily forthe race!

What was to be done?

Eric, the "inventive genius, " very soon solved this difficulty. 

"I tell you what we'll do, brother, " he said; "let us put our blankets, with the kettle and rifle and the other things we require, in one of theoil casks. We can then push this before us as we swim along, the caskserving us for a life buoy to rest upon when we are tired, besidescarrying our traps, eh?"

"Himmel, Eric, you're a genius!" exclaimed Fritz, clapping him on theback. "I never knew such a fellow for thinking of things like you, laddie; you beat Bismark and Von Moltke both rolled into one!"

"Ah, the idea only just flashed across my mind, " said the other, somewhat shamefaced at his brother's eulogy and almost blushing. "Itcame just on the spur of the moment, you know!"

"But, how are we going to get the needle-gun into the barrel?" askedFritz suddenly, taking up the weapon and seeing that its muzzle wouldproject considerably beyond the mouth of the said article, even when thebutt end was resting on the bottom. 

"Why, by unscrewing the breech, of course, " said Eric promptly. 

Fritz gazed at him admiringly. 

"The lad is never conquered by anything!" he cried out, as if speakingto a third person. "He's the wonder of Lubeck, that's what he is!"

"The `wonder of Lubeck' then requests you'll lose no time in getting thegun ready, " retorted Eric, in answer to this chaff. "While we'retalking and thus wasting time, we may lose the very opportunity we wishfor our swim out of the bay!"

This observation made Fritz set to work: and the two had shortly placedall their little property in one of the stoutest of the oil casks, whichthey then proceeded to cooper up firmly, binding their old bed tarpaulinround it as an additional precaution for keeping out the salt water whenit should be immersed in the sea. 

Rolling the cask down to the beach, they tried it, to see how itfloated; and this it did admirably, although it was pretty well loadedwith their blankets wrapped round the needle-gun and other things. Itstill rose, indeed, quite half out of the water. 

Eric then plaited a rope round it, with beckets for them to hold on by;and so, everything being ready, they only waited for a calm day to makethe venture. 

Some three days afterwards, the south-east wind having lulled to agentle breeze and the sea being as smooth as glass, only a tumid swellwith an unbroken surface rolling into the bay, the brothers started, after having first stripped and anointed their bodies with seal oil--aplan for the prevention of cold which Eric had been told of by thewhalers. 

Until they reached the headland, they had easy work; but, there, a crosscurrent carried them first one way and then another, so much interferingwith their onward progress that it took them a good hour to round thepoint. 

That achieved, however, as the sailor lad had pointed out when they werefirst considering the feasibility of the attempt, all the rest of thedistance before them was "plain sailing"; so that, although they had tocover twice the length of water, if not more, another couple of hourscarried them to the west beach. Here they arrived not the leastexhausted with their long swim; for, by pushing the cask before them inturn and holding on to it by the beckets, they, were enabled to haveseveral rests and breathing spells by the way. 

Arrived again on terra firma, they at once opened their novelportmanteau; and, taking out a spare suit of clothes for each, whichthey had taken the precaution to pack up with the rest of their gear, they proceeded to dress themselves. After this, they carried up theirblankets and other things to a little sheltered spot on the plateauabove, where they had camped on their previous expedition. 

They did not find the tableland much altered, save that a considerableamount of snow was scattered about over its surface, accumulating inhigh drifts at some points where the wind had piled it in the hollows. The ground beneath the various little clumps of wood and brush, however, was partly bare; so, here, they expected to find their old friend"Kaiser Billy" and the remains of his flock. 

But, high and low, everywhere, in the thickets and out on the openalike, they searched in vain for the goats. Not a trace of them was tobe seen; so, Fritz and Eric had finally to come to the conclusion thatthe islanders--along with their enemy, as they now looked upon him, NatSlater--had paid another secret visit to the plateau and destroyed theanimals. They believed the Tristaners did this with the object ofexpediting their departure from Inaccessible Island, where there couldbe no doubt they must have spoiled their sealing, thus depriving them ofa valuable article of barter. 

"Never mind, " said Eric the indomitable, when Fritz lamented thedisappearance of the goats. "We've got the wild hogs left; and, for mypart, I think roast pig better than dry potatoes!"

"Himmel, the idea is good!" replied Fritz, who had already screwed onthe breech of the needle-gun, making it ready for action. "We must gopig-chasing, then. "

And, so they did, shooting a lusty young porker ere they had travelledmany steps further. 

Eric's matches were then produced, the inevitable box of safety lightsbeing in the pocket of the sealskin jacket he had headed up in the oilcask; when, a fire being lit, the game was prepared in a very impromptufashion, the animal being roasted whole. 

On previously tasting the flesh of these island hogs, they had thoughtthe pork rather fishy; but now, after weeks of deprivation from anyspecies of animal food, it seemed more delicious than anything they hadever eaten before. 

"Why, Eric, it beats even your roast beef!" said Fritz jokingly. 

The lad looked at him reproachfully; that was all he could do, for hismouth was full and this prevented him from speaking. 

"I beg your pardon, " interposed the other. "I shan't say so again; Iforgot myself that time. "

"I should think you did, " rejoined Eric, now better able to expresshimself. "It's best to let bye-gones be bye-gones!"

"Yes, " replied Fritz; and the two then went on eating in silence, soheartily that it seemed as if they would never stop. Indeed, they madesuch good knife-and-fork play, that they were quite weary with theirexertions when they had finished, and were obliged to adjourn to theirlittle camp in the sheltered hollow where, curling themselves upcomfortably in their blankets, they went cosily to sleep. 

The next day, they killed several of the younger hogs and threw theircarcases down to the bottom of the gully by the waterfall; for, besidesplanning out the manufacture of some hams out of the island porkers, they intended utilising the lard for frying their potatoes, in. This, in the event of their finding the pig's flesh too rank after a time, would then afford them an agreeable change of diet to the plain boiledtubers with which hitherto they had had only salt to eat for a relish. 

On the third day, as the wind seemed about to change and ominous cloudswere flying across the face of the sky, they determined to return home, having by that time consumed the last of their roast pig as well as allthe potatoes they had brought with them in their floating cask. 

They were taking a last walk over the plateau, which they thought theymight never see again--for the swim round the headland was not a feat tobe repeated often, even if the weather allowed it, the currents being sotreacherous and the sea working itself up into commotion at a moment'snotice--when, suddenly, Eric stopped right over the edge of the gully. He arrested his footsteps just at the spot where the tussock-grassladder had formerly trailed down, enabling them to reach their valley, without all the bother of toiling round the coast as they had to do now. 

"Don't you think this spot here has altered greatly?" said the sailorlad to Fritz. 

"No, I can't say I do, " returned the other. "The grass has only beenburnt away; that, of course, makes it look bare. "

"Well, I think differently, " replied Eric, jumping down into thecrevice. "This place wasn't half so wide before. "

"Indeed?"

"No, it wasn't I couldn't have squeezed myself in here when I last cameup the plateau. "

"Why, that was all on account of the space the tussock-grass took up. "

Eric did not reply to this; but, a moment after, he shouted out in atone of great surprise, "Hullo, there's a cave here, with somethingglittering on the floor!"

"Really?"

"Yes, and it looks like gold!"

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. 

"SAIL HO!"

"Gold!" exclaimed Fritz in astonishment. 

"Yes, gold, " repeated the other, excitedly. "There are a lot of coinshere each bigger than an eight-gulden piece. "

"Nonsense?"

"Yes, there is, really. Come down here and see for yourself. There'splenty of room for both you and me. "

Trembling with excitement, Fritz jumped down beside his brother, who, stooping down in the crevice of the gully, had discovered a cavity inthe rock further in the face of the cliff. This the fringe of the nowdestroyed tussock-grass had previously hidden from view as they ascendedand descended the ladder-way; else they must have noticed the place thevery first time they came up to the tableland from the valley below. Itwas exactly facing the ledge from whence they climbed on to the plateau;so, had it not been then covered over, they could not have failed to seeit. 

The cavity, which had been probably worn away by the water tricklingdown, was like a little grotto; and there, piled on the bare rock, werehundreds of coins!

These were quite bright, strange to say, although this circumstance wasmost likely owing to the action of the fire that had burnt the tussock-grass; for, some heavy iron clamps and hinges, that had evidentlybelonged to the box which contained the coins originally and had beenconsumed at the same time, lay on either side of the golden treasure. Anumber of the coins, too, if any further proof was needed, were fusedtogether in a solid lump. 

With eyes dilated with joy, the brothers gazed at the mine of wealth, hardly daring to believe that what they saw was real. 

Then, Fritz put out his hands and touched the heap. 

"It is there--I feel it!" he exclaimed. "We are not dreaming?"

"I'm sure I'm not, " said Eric, laughing with delight. "Why, it is aregular fortune--it will beat all that we have earned by our sealing!"

Fritz took up one of the coins and examined it carefully. He had someknowledge of numismatics from his mercantile education in HerrGrosschnapper's office, that worthy merchant trading to all parts of theglobe and having considerable dealings with foreign monies. 

"It is a doubloon, " he explained to his brother after studying it a bit. "The treasure consists of old Spanish coins that must have lain herefor years. "

"I wonder who put them in this little hole?" said Eric. 

Fritz did not answer this query for the moment; but, almost at the sameinstant, there flashed across his recollection a curious story which anold man at Tristan d'Acunha had told him--at the time when he and Ericwere inspecting the settlement on that island, before coming over totheir own little colony--concerning an old pirate who had buried a lotof treasure either there or on Inaccessible Island. 

After the brothers had gazed to their hearts' fill at the precious hoardwhich had so suddenly been, revealed to them, the next thought was howto remove it to their hut below. 

"We'll roll up the lot in a blanket, " said Eric, who as usual was alwaysto the fore when anything had to be planned out. "Tie up the goldsecurely; and then chuck the bundle containing it down below, along withthe poor pigs we have slaughtered! There's no fear of anybody makingoff with our doubloons before we accomplish the swim round the headlandback home. "

"Yes, that will be the wisest course, " acquiesced Fritz; "but, talkingof swimming round the headland, the sooner we're off the better. Thoseclouds look very threatening. "

"Only rain, I think, " replied Eric, looking up at the sky. 

"Good, that will not make us very wet when we are in the water, with ourbare skins, " said Fritz quizzingly. 

"No, " replied Eric, laughing. "But, the sooner we are now off thebetter, as you say; for, even if the weather holds up, there are a lotof things for us to do when we get home. We have the pigs to skin, aswell as cut up and salt; and, besides, there's all our money to countover. "

"We can do that now, as we roll it up in the blanket, " replied Fritz, proceeding to suit the action to the word. 

To their high delight, they found that there were nearly two thousandseparate gold coins, apart from the solid lump fused together, the wholebeing probably worth some three thousand pounds, or thereabouts. 

"Why, it's a perfect fortune!" exclaimed Eric. "You and Madaleine willnow be able to marry and settle down, and mother be comfortably providedfor, and everything!"

"But, how about your share?" said Fritz, looking at the unselfish ladwith glistening eyes. "Your share, indeed, why it's all yours!"

"Nonsense, " replied Eric; "we are partners, are we not? Besides, Idon't want any money. When we leave here, you know, I'm going to seaagain with Captain Brown, in the _Pilot's Bride_; and a sailor, unlikeyou poor land folk, carries his home with him. He does not continuallywant cash for housekeeping expanses!"

"Very well, we'll see about that bye-and-bye, " said Fritz, putting allthe coins into the blanket, which Eric then tied up securely, lashing itround with a cord in seaman fashion. After that, they pitched thebundle down below, when the chink of the coins at the bottom of thegully sounded like pleasant music in their ears!

The barrel of the needle-gun was then unscrewed from the stock, Fritzhaving kept the weapon ready for use as long as they remained on theplateau, thinking that as Fortune had so strangely endowed them with thepirate's treasure, perhaps some outlandish bird might equally suddenlymake its appearance for him to add to their spoil. However, as nothingnew in the feathered line came in sight, the albatross having takentheir departure with the penguins, and not even an "island hen" being tobe seen, the two now clambered down to the west beach once more. 

Here, packing up their cask again with the various impedimenta theystill had, they proceeded also to put in their clothing. 

Then, fastening up the cask and lashing the tarpaulin round it againwith the fastenings and beckets, which had been taken off in order theeasier to unpack it, they entered the sea for their return swim roundthe headland--starting off in the best of spirits on their way back homeonce more. 

This time, the swim back was far more fatiguing, the wind and a slightswell being against them; but, the good living they enjoyed while on theplateau had nerved them up to any amount of exertion, so the journey, ifmore wearying, was performed in almost the same time they had taken togo to the western coast. 

Besides, as soon as they neared the headland, the currents there, whichhad been against them, were now all in their favour, the waves bearingthem and their oil cask, once they had turned the point, buoyantly up totheir own beach in the little bay, without the trouble almost ofswimming a stroke!

It was now well on towards the latter end of July, in the second year ofthe island life; and, the next week or two, they were busy enoughsalting down their pigs and attending to their garden, some cabbagesfrom which with their newly acquired pork making them many a good meal. 

Then, came the return of the penguins to their breeding-place in August;so, there was now no further fear of their suffering from a scarcity offood, for, in case they tired of pork, they had plenty of fresh eggs fora change, as well as an occasional roast of one of the inhabitants ofthe rookery, whose fleshy breasts tasted somewhat, Eric said, likegoose--albeit Fritz called him a goose for saying so!

September was ushered in by a strong north-easterly gale, similar tothat in which the brig had been wrecked. 

This alarmed the brothers, who began to fear, when the gale had lastedover the middle of the month, that the stormy weather might possiblyprevent the _Pilot's Bride_ from venturing near the island, CaptainBrown having said that it would have been more than madness while thewind prevailed from that quarter for any vessel to approach the coast. 

However, towards the third week in the month, the north-east windshifting round, a gentle breeze sprang up from the south-west. A likechange had very similarly occurred at the time of their own landing onthe island; so, the brothers' hearts beat high with hope. 

Everything was got ready for their instant departure; the consequence ofwhich was that all their own personal little goods and chattels werepacked up so soon that they had frequently to open the bundles again totake out some article they required for use!

The golden treasure was not forgotten either--that may be taken forgranted. 

The result of their sealing for the past year was also put up forshipment. This consisted of eighty-five sealskins and fifty barrels ofoil--a result that said much for their industry during the period. 

And so, the brother crusoes waited and looked out, day after day, withlonging eyes for the anxiously expected vessel that was to terminatetheir exile on Inaccessible Island and bear them back to the loved onesat home!

Fritz of late had somewhat reformed his lazy habits, rising much earlierthan he used to do, this reformation being caused by a natural desire tobe up and stirring when the _Pilot's Bride_ should arrive; but, still, Eric invariably forestalled him. The sailor lad was always down on thebeach on the look-out, in default of being able to climb up to hisformer signalling station on the cliff, at the first break of day!

Morning after morning, he went down to the shore; morning after morning, he returned with a disconsolate face and the same sad report--

"Nothing in sight!"

This was the case every day. 

There was never the vestige of a vessel on the horizon. 

At last, one morning became a gladdened one in their calendar!

Eric had proceeded to the beach as usual; but, not returning so soon aswas his general habit, Fritz had time to awaken and rouse up from bed. 

Anxious at the lad's delay, he went to the door of the hut, peering outto seaward as the sun rose in the east, flooding the ocean with aradiance of light. 

At the same instant, Fritz heard Eric hailing him in the distance. 

It was the cheeriest shout, he thought, he had ever heard!

Only two words the lad called out. 

"Sail ho!"

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN. 

IN THE GULDEN STRASSE AGAIN. 

That was all. 

"Sail ho!" shouted Eric in stentorian tones, his voice penetratingthrough the entire valley, and reaching probably the remotest extent ofthe island. 

The shout was quite enough for Fritz; for, hardly taking time to dress, he at once rushed down to join his brother on the beach. 

"Where is she?" he cried out anxiously, when yet some distance off. Hepanted out the question as he ran. 

"Right off the bay!" sang out Eric, in quite as great a state offrenzied excitement. "She's hull down to windward now; but she's risingevery moment on the horizon. "

"Where?" repeated Fritz, now alongside of the other. "I can't see her. "

"There, " said Eric, pointing to a tiny white speck in the distance, which to Fritz's eyes seemed more like the wing of a sea bird thananything else. 

"How can you make her out to be the _Pilot's Bride_?" was his nextquery. "I can barely discern a faint spec far away; and that might beanything!"

Eric smiled. 

"Himmel!" he cried with an infinite superiority. "What bad sight youlandsmen have, to be sure! Can't you see that she is a barque and issteering straight for the bay. What other vessel, I should like toknow, would be coming here of that description, save the old skipper'sship!"

Fritz made no reply to this unanswerable logic; so, he asked anotherquestion instead. 

"What time do you think she'll be near enough to send a boat off, eh, brother? We can't go out to meet her, now, you know. "

"No, worse luck!" said Eric. "However, I think, with this breeze, she'll be close to us in a couple of hours' time. "

"A couple of hours!" exclaimed Fritz with dismay, the interval, in hispresent excited state of feeling, appearing like an eternity!

"Yes; but, the time will soon pass in watching her, " replied the sailorlad. "Look how she rises! There, can't you now see her hull above thewaves?"

Fritz gazed till his eyes were almost blinded, the sun being right inhis face when he looked in the direction of the advancing vessel; but, to his inexperienced eyes, she still seemed as far off as ever. 

"I dare say you are right, Eric, " he said; "still, I cannot see her hullyet--nor anything indeed but the same little tiny speck I noticed atfirst! However, " he added, drawing a deep sigh, "if we only waitpatiently, I suppose she'll arrive in time. "

"Everything comes to him who knows how to wait, " replied his brother, rather grandiloquently; after which speech the two continued to look outover the shimmering expanse of water, now lit up by the rays of thesteadily rising sun, without interchanging another word. Their thoughtswere too full for speech. 

Some two hours later, the _Pilot's Bride_--for it was that vessel, Eric's instinct not having misled him--backed her main-topsail and lay-to off the entrance to the little bay, the gaudy American flag being runup as she came to the wind, and a gun fired. 

The brother crusoes were almost mad in their eagerness to get on board. 

"What a pity we have no boat!" they both exclaimed together. 

They looked as if they could have plunged into the sea, ready dressed asthey were, so as to swim off to the welcome vessel!

Eric waved his handkerchief frantically to and fro. 

"The skipper will soon know that something has prevented our coming off, and will send in a boat, " he said; and the two then waited impatientlyfor the next act of the stirring nautical drama in which they had sodeep an interest. 

In a few minutes, they could see a boat lowered from the side of theship; and, presently, this was pulled towards the shore by four oarsmen, while another individual, whom Eric readily recognised in the distanceas Captain Brown, sat in the stern-sheets, steering the little craft inwhaling fashion with another oar. 

"It's the good old skipper!" exclaimed Eric, dancing about and wavinghis hat round his head so wildly that it seemed as if he had taken leaveof his senses. "I can see his jolly old face behind the rowers, aslarge as life!"

Two or three minutes more, and the boat's keel grated on the beach, whenFritz and Eric sprang into the water to greet their old friend. 

"Waall, boys!" cried the skipper, "I guess I'm raal downright glad tosee you both ag'in, thet I am--all thet, I reckon. It's a sight forsore eyes to see you lookin' so slick and hearty. "

So saying, Captain Brown shook hands with the two in his old, thoroughgoing arm-wrenching fashion, their hands when released seemingto be almost reduced to pulp in the process, through the pressure of hisbrawny fist. 

Of course, they then had a long talk together, the brothers recountingall that had happened to them in the past year, Captain Fuller of theschooner _Jane_ having taken to the Cape an account of their doingsduring the preceding twelve months. 

"Waal, " exclaimed the skipper, when he was showed their little cargo ofsealskins and oil, and told also of the treasure which they had found, "I guess you h'ain't made half so bad a job o' crusoeing, arter all! Ireckon them skins an' He, along o' what you shipped afore, will fetchyou more'n a couple o' thousan' dollars; an' what with them doubloonsyou mention, I guess you'll hev' made a pretty considerable pile fur thetime you've been sealin'!"

There being no object to be gained by the vessel remaining any length oftime at the island--which indeed was the reason that the skipper had notbrought the _Pilot's Bride_ to anchor, preferring to ply on and on infront of the bay, so as to be ready for an instant start--the littleproperty of the brothers was, without further delay, taken on board; andthen, crusoes now no longer, they bade adieu, a long adieu, toInaccessible Island, their abiding place for the past two years. 

As the _Pilot's Bride_ filled her sails and cleared the headlands, which, stretching their giant arms across the entrance to the littlebay, soon shut out all view of the valley from their gaze, the lastthing they noticed was their hut, the home of so many long and wearymonths, blazing away in regular bonfire fashion. Master Eric had put amatch to the thatch of the little edifice on crossing its threshold forthe last time!

"There's no fear, however, of this bonfire doing as much mischief as thelast, old fellow!" he said apologetically to Fritz as they gazed backover the ship's stern at the rapidly receding island. 

"No, " replied the other. "It won't do any particular harm, it is true;but still, I think it was a pity to burn down our little home. We havepassed many pleasant as well as sad hours there, you know, during thelast two years. "

"That may be all very true, brother, " replied Eric, "but do you knowwhat was my real reason for setting fire to it?"

"No, " said Fritz. 

"Well then I'll tell you, " continued the other. "I couldn't bear tothink that those cheeky penguins should invade it and perhaps make theirnests there after we were gone!"

"What?" exclaimed Fritz, beginning to laugh. "You don't mean to say youhaven't forgiven the poor birds yet for--"

"Stop!" cried Eric, interrupting him. "You know what you agreed to, eh?Let bye-gones be bye-gones!"

"Good, " said Fritz; and there ended the matter. 

The return voyage of the _Pilot's Bride_ back to America was uneventful, although full enough of incident to the brothers after their enforcedexile; but when the vessel arrived again at her old home port ofProvidence in Rhode Island, of course the two had something more toexcite them in the greeting they received from the cheery and kindly-hearted family of the good old skipper at the shanty on the bay. 

The worthy dame, Mrs Brown, welcomed them like sons of her own; while, Miss Celia--declared that Eric had grown quite a man--adding, with atoss of her head, that she "guessed he'd lost nothing of his oldimpudence!"

However, in spite of all the kindness and hospitality of these goodpeople, Fritz and Eric were both too anxious to get home to Lubeck toprolong their stay in the States any longer than was absolutelynecessary; so, as soon as the worthy skipper had managed to converttheir stock of sealskins and oil into hard cash--getting the weighty andold-fashioned doubloons exchanged for a valuable banker's draft, saveone or two which they kept for curiosity's sake--the pair were off andaway again on their way back to Europe by the next--starting NorthGerman steamer from New York. 

Before setting out, however, Eric promised to return to Providence erethe following "fall, " in time to resume his post of third mate of the_Pilot's Bride_ before she started again on another whaling voyage tothe southern seas. 

One more scene, and the story of "The Brother Crusoes" will be "as atale that is told!"

It is Christmas Eve again at Lubeck. 

The streets as well as the roofs and exteriors of the houses are coveredwith snow, exhibiting without every appearance of a hard winter; while, within, the interiors are filled with bustling folk, busy with all themyriad and manifold preparations for the coming festival on the morrow. 

Mirth, music, and merry-making are everywhere apparent. 

In the little old-fashioned house in the Gulden Strasse, where Fritz andEric were first introduced to the readers notice, these cheery signs ofthe festive season are even more prominently displayed than usual; for, are not the long-absent wanderers expected back beneath the old roof-tree once more, and is not their coming anticipated at every hour--nay, almost at any moment?

Aye!

Madame Dort is sitting in her accustomed corner of the stove. She islooking ever so much better in health and younger in appearance than shewas at the time of that sad celebration of the Christmas anniversarythree years ago, detailed in an early chapter of the story; and there isa smile of happiness and content beaming over her face. 

The good lady of the house is pretending to be darning a pair ofstockings, which she has taken up to keep her fingers busy; but everynow and then, she lets the work drop from her hands on to her knees, andlooks round the room, as if listening and waiting for some one who willsoon be here. 

Madaleine, prettier than ever, clad in a gala dress and with brightribbons in her golden hair, while her rosebud lips are half parted andher blue eyes dancing with joy and excitement, is pacing up and down theroom impatiently. She is too eager to sit still!

Mouser, our old friend the cat, is curled up in a round ball betweenGelert's paws on the rug in front of the stove; while, as for Lorischen, she is bustling in and out of the room, placing things on the well-spread table and then immediately taking them away again, quiteforgetful of what she is about in her absence of mind and anxiety ofexpectancy. 

Burgher Jans, too, now and again, keeps popping his head through thedoorway, to ask if "the high, well-born and noble Herren" have yetcome--the little fat man then retiring, with an humble apology forintruding, only to intrude again the next instant!

Madame Dort had received, late that afternoon, a telegram from Fritz, stating that he had reached Bremerhaven; and that he and Eric were justgoing to take the train, hoping to be with them in Lubeck ere nightfall. 

Cause enough, is there not, for all this excitement and expectancy inthe household?

Presently, a party of singers pass down the street, singing a plaintiveVolkslieder, that sounds, oh so tender and touching in the frostyevening air; and then, suddenly, there is a sound of footsteps crunchingthe snow on the outside stairway. 

Gelert, shaking off poor Mouser's fraternal embrace mostunceremoniously, starts up with a growl, rushing the moment afterwardswith a whine and yelp of joy to the rapidly thrown open door; and, herehe jumps affectionately up upon a stalwart, bearded individual whoenters, trying to lick his face in welcome. 

"Fritz!" cries Madaleine. 

"Eric!" echoes the mother, the same instant. 

"Madaleine!" bursts forth from Fritz's lips; while Eric, close behind, cries out joyously, "Mother--mutterchen--dear little mother mine!"

The long-expected meeting is over, and the "Brother Crusoes" are safe athome again. 

Little remains to be told. 

Early in the new year, when winter had given place to spring and theearth was budding forth into fresh life, Fritz and Madaleine weremarried. The happy pair live on still with good Madame Dort in thelittle house of the Gulden Strasse as of yore; for, Fritz has settleddown into the old groove he occupied before the war, having gone back torejoin his former employer, Herr Grosschnapper--although, mind you, instead of being only a mere clerk and book-keeper, he is now a partnerin the shipbroker's business:-- the little capital which he and Ericgained in their sealing venture to Inaccessible Island, and which Fritzhas invested in the concern in their joint names, is amply sufficient tomake him a co-proprietor instead of occupying a subordinate position. 

And Eric?

Well, the lad is doing well enough. 

He went back to Providence at the end of the following summer, as he hadpromised; and, having joined the _Pilot's Bride_, and sailed in hersince, he is now first officer of that staunch old ship--which the fateswill that our old friend the Yankee skipper shall still command. 

The last news from Rhode Island, however, records a rumour anent a"splice, " to use the nautical phrase, between Master Eric and Miss CeliaBrown; and report has it that when this matrimonial engagement iseffected "the old man" has announced his intention of giving over hisdearly beloved vessel to the entire charge of his son-in-law. 

Still, this has not happened yet--Master Eric being yet too young forsuch honours. 

Lorischen and Burgher Jans, strange to say, did not make a match of itafter all, the fickle-minded old nurse backing out of the bargaininstead of holding to her promise after the arrival of her young mastersat home. 

Gelert is yet to the fore, and as good and brave an old dog as ever, albeit time has robbed him of some of his teeth and made him somewhatless active; but as for Mouser, he does not seem to have "turned ahair. " The highly intelligent animal still purrs and fizzes asvigourously as in his youth--occupying his leisure moments, when notafter birds or mice, in basking in the sunshine on the window-ledgeabove the staircase in summer; while, in winter, he curls himself upbetween Gelert's outstretched paws on the hearthrug, in front of theold-fashioned china stove. 

The brothers must have the last word; and, here a little sermon mustcome in. 

Do you know, if you should ask them their candid opinion, they wouldtell you that, although the idea of playing at Robinson Crusoe may seempleasant enough to those whose only experience of life on a desertisland is derived from what they have read about its romantic featuresin books, persons, like themselves, who know what the real thing is, could narrate a very different story concerning its haps and mishaps, its deadly monotony and dreary solitude, its hopes and its despair!

THE END.