the down they should
procure from the sea birds. He bought, too, a strong lamp, with a
supply of paraffin oil, and several dozen boxes of matches; so that he
and Eric should not have to adopt the tinder and flint business, or be
obliged to rub two pieces of dry stick together, in the primitive
fashion 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 a
barrel of salt pork, two hundred-weight of rice, one hundred pounds of
hard biscuit, two hundred-weight of flour, twenty pounds of tea and
thirty of coffee, and a barrel of sugar; besides which, in the way of
condiments and luxuries, their stores included three pounds of table
salt, some pepper, a gallon of vinegar, a jar of pickles, a bottle of
brandy and some Epsom salts in the view of possible medical
contingencies. The skipper also advised their taking a barrel of coarse
salt to cure their sealskins with, as well as empty casks to contain
what oil they managed to boil down.

These were their own stores; but, imagine the surprise of Fritz and his
brother, when they found that Captain Brown had added to their stock the
welcome present of a barrel of salt beef and a couple of hams, a good-
sized cheese, and some boxes of sardines, besides the preserved fruits
and pickled oysters which Eric had already discovered.

Nor did the skipper's kindness stop here. He had packed up with their
things a couple of extra blankets, which they subsequently found of
great comfort in the cold weather, in addition to their rugs; a wide
piece of tarpaulin to cover their hut with; a few short spars and spare
timber; and, lastly, a clock--not to speak of the valuable whale-boat
which he had thought of just as he was going away and had presented to
them all standing, with oars, mast and sails in complete trim.

"I declare," said Fritz, "he has been better than a father to us all
through. I never heard of such good nature in my life!"

"Nor I," responded Eric, equally full of gratitude. "Celia, too, before
I left Providence, gave me a nice little housewife, wherewith I shall
mend all our things when they want repairing, besides which, she made ma
a present of quite a little library of books."

"And I've brought all mine as well," said Fritz, unrolling a large
package as he spoke.

"We'll not be hard up for reading, at any rate," remarked Eric, laughing
joyously. "Food for the mi