es of the land they had so recently left: the
vessel that had conveyed them to their solitary home.

Nothing was to be seen but the rolling tumid sea that stretched around
them everywhere, as far as the eye could reach, heaving and swelling and
with the breeze flecking off the tops of the billows into foam as its
resistless impetus impelled them onwards, away, away!

"Well," exclaimed Eric, after a long pause, during which neither of the
brothers had spoken, both being anxiously watching the _Pilot's Bride_--
until, first, her hull and then her gleaming sails, lit up for awhile by
the rays of the setting sun, had sunk out of sight--"well, here we are
at last!"

"Yes, here we are," said Fritz, "and we've now got to make the best of
our little kingdom with only our own companionship."

"We won't quarrel, at all events, brother," replied Eric, laughing in
his old fashion at the possibility of such a thing. The lad was quite
overwrought with emotion at parting with the old skipper as well as his
late companions in the ship; and, tears and mirth being closely allied,
he would have felt inclined to laugh at anything then--just because he
couldn'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 we
shall be during the next ensuing months--with no one else to speak to
and no authority to control us, save our own consciences and the
knowledge of the all-seeing Eye above, weighing and considering our
actions--it will require a good deal of mutual forbearance and kindly
feeling on the part of one towards the other to prevent us from falling
out sometimes, if only for a short while. Even brothers like us, Eric,
who love each other dearly, may possibly fall out under such trying
circumstances!"

"Aye, but we mustn't," said Eric. "Instead of falling out, we'll fall
into each other's arms whenever we agree to differ, as old nurse
Lorischen would have said!" and he gave his brother an enthusiastic hug
as he spoke, putting his words into action with a suddenness that almost
threw Fritz off his feet.

"Hullo!" exclaimed the latter good-humouredly, smiling as he disengaged
himself from Eric's bear-like embrace. "Gently lad. Your affectionate
plan, I'm afraid, would sometimes interfere with the progress of our
work; but talking of that, as the vessel has now dis