ead, 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 a
kittle, shelterin' themselves from the cold in tents thet they made out
of the vessel's sails. I reckon, mister, you'll be kinder better
provided fur an' lodged, hey?"

"Yes, thanks to your kindness," said Fritz; "but the island seems
completely encompassed by this rocky wall. I don't see where and how
we're going to land and get our things on shore!"

"Don't you?" chuckled the skipper. "I guess you'll soon see how we'll
fix it."

Presently, Fritz's doubts were solved.

When the _Pilot's Bride_ had worked her way well to windward of the
island, the captain fetched down towards the eastern side, where, on
rounding a point, a narrow bay lay right before the ship, quite
sheltered from the rough swell and wind that reigned paramount on the
other side of the coast, storming and beating against the wall-like
cliffs in blind fury!

Here, it was as calm as a mill pond; so, the ship was brought to an
anchor right in front of a pretty little waterfall that leaped its way
by a series of cascades from the cliff above to a level plateau at the
base, where a narrow belt of low ground extended for about a mile in
front of the bay, its seaweed face being bordered by a broad sandy beach
of black sand.

"Oh, that is pretty!" exclaimed Fritz and Eric, almost together in one
breath. "It is like the falls of the Staubbach at home in dear
Germany."

"I don't know nary anythin' 'bout thet," said the skipper laconically,
for the brothers spoke for the moment in their native tongue, carried
away 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' then
I'd hev to cut an' leave you."

"All right, captain, we're quite at your service," said Fritz; and, a
boat being lowered, the various packages containing the brothers'
personal belongings, as well as the supply of provisions furnished by
the 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 the
young Tristaner, the little party being rowed ashore by four seamen whom
the skipper had ordered to assist.

As soon as they landed, the things were carried up the beach; when, the
seamen bearing a hand,--directed by Captain Brown, who seemed quite used
to the sort of work,--