nd as well as food for the body, eh?"

"Yes," said Fritz; "plenty of both."

"But, how on earth shall we ever be able to get through all this lot of
grub?"

"Ah, we won't find it a bit too much," said Fritz.

"What, for only us two, brother?" exclaimed Eric in astonishment.

"You forget it has got to last us more than a year, for certain; while,
should the _Pilot's Bride_ not visit us again next autumn, it will be
all we may have to depend on for twice that length of time."

"Oh, I forgot that."

"If you could see the pile of rations which one regiment alone of men
manages to consume in a week, the same as I have, Eric, you would not
wonder so much at the amount of our supplies."

"But think, brother, a regiment is very different to two fellows like
us!"

"Just calculate, laddie," answered the other, "the food so many men
would require for only one day; and then for us two, say, for seven
hundred days--where's the difference?"

"Ah, I see," said Eric, reflecting for a moment. "Perhaps there won't
be too much, after all, eh?"

"Wait till this time next year, and see what we shall have left then,
laddie!"

"But, remember the goats and pigs on the top of the mountain which the
Tristaner spoke to us about. We'll have those for food as well, won't
we?"

"Wait till we catch them," remarked Fritz dryly; adding shortly
afterwards, "We'd better stop talking now, however, and see about
getting our bed things ready for turning in for the night. Recollect,
we'll have a busy day of it to-morrow."

"Ah, I shall go up and explore the mountain top, brother, the first
thing in the morning," said Eric impulsively. "I'm dying to see what
it's like!"

"We have more important things to do, before satisfying our curiosity,"
observed the other. "Don't you recollect the garden?"

"I declare I forgot it, brother, for the moment, although there's no
need for us to hurry about that."

"The sooner we plant the seed, the sooner it will grow up," said Fritz
gravely. "Remember, old fellow, it is late in the spring now here; and,
unless the things are put into the ground without further delay, Captain
Brown said we need not hope to have any return from them this year."

"All right, Fritz," replied Eric cheerfully, the name of the skipper
having the talismanic effect of making him curb his own wishes anent the
immediate exploration of the island, which he had planned out for the
next day's programme. "We'll do the garden