where he did; for, according to my reckoning, we were
several degrees, at the least, to the eastward of the Cape. However, I
suppose 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 be
very unlikely for the captain to make so great an error in his
calculations as that. He was esteemed a good navigator, you know, by
Herr Grosschnapper."

"Well, anyway," continued Eric, without waiting to argue this point with
his brother, "we did not reach land that day, which some of the men
expected from his words; nor did we the next morning, although, then
much to our sorrow, we could see the pinnace no longer near us, she
having parted company in the night time and gone to the bottom, as we
thought."

"You were wrong," interrupted Fritz; "the boat was picked up by an
Australian ship, the survivors being taken on to Melbourne. It was
through these that we heard later on of the loss of the _Gustav
Barentz_; 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 thought
that they were the lost ones, not us, lamenting them much accordingly!
That Groots, the first mate, was a capital chap, as fine an officer as
ever stepped aboard a ship; so I'm pleased to know he's safe. But, to
go on with my yarn, there we found ourselves alone in the morning on the
wild waste of waters, dancing about in an angry sea that threatened
every moment to overwhelm us, and with the gale increasing instead of
having 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 filling
every moment, the waves were breaking over her so continually. It only
escaped sinking by constantly baling her out with our boots and keeping
her head to the wind with a floating anchor, which we rigged together
out of all the spare oars and spars we had aboard, veering the little
craft to leeward of this by the painter. All that day, too, the gale
kept up; and the sea, you may be sure, did not calm down, rolling
mountains 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, we
having to ride it out all the while;