Fritz and Eric

by John C. Hutcheson

  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 h
ad 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 Stau
bbach 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!