y bed for their cauldron, near the hut, with
an ingeniously constructed fireplace beneath it which had a cross-cut
trench for creating a draught, in the way Fritz noticed that the
soldiers made their camp fires during the war--the whole affair when
finished looking like one of those "coppers" placed in back kitchens for
washing days. Over this laboratory, the two were busy enough for some
days, making themselves so black with smoke and begrimed with oil that
they resembled a couple of chimney sweepers, or engine fitters for the
nonce!

Eric, who superintended the details by reason of the superior knowledge
which his whaling experience gave him, first cut up the blubber into
long thin strips, which Fritz again subdivided into smaller portions
with the aid of his sheath knife. These strips of blubber were then
heaped into the pot, under which a roaring fire was kept up, the
operation being continued until the cauldron was full; when, as it came
to the boil, the refuse matter and pieces of flesh adhering to the fat
were skimmed off from the top, and the melted oil allowed to cool
gradually, after which it was emptied into the casks kept ready by the
side of the hut.

The brothers were very glad when the job was ended, for the blubber
smelt terribly fishy and almost suffocated them with its fumes as the
pot came to the boiling point; but, they persevered with their task
until their casks were all full and headed up, when they proceeded to
dress their sealskins roughly and salt them down in a large puncheon
which they had reserved especially for their storage.

Next, they had a grand clean up, putting the hut and place in order, the
blubber boiling having covered everything with a deposit of oily soot;
and, the morning after they had made things comfortable again, they
proceeded down to the garden to see how matters were progressing there,
not having visited the spot since the day they had started on their last
sealing excursion.

"I say, brother," observed Eric, as they directed their steps towards
the little wood beyond the waterfall, where they could hear the thrushes
chirping and whistling as they came near; for, the penguins were not so
noisy now, having hatched their eggs and abandoned the nests they used
to make such a fuss over. "I say, brother, how are the days going--it
must be nearly the end of December now, eh?"

Fritz thought for a moment.

He was the methodical member of the family and had always been