tening up the cask and lashing the tarpaulin round it again
with the fastenings and beckets, which had been taken off in order the
easier to unpack it, they entered the sea for their return swim round
the headland--starting off in the best of spirits on their way back home
once more.

This time, the swim back was far more fatiguing, the wind and a slight
swell being against them; but, the good living they enjoyed while on the
plateau had nerved them up to any amount of exertion, so the journey, if
more wearying, was performed in almost the same time they had taken to
go to the western coast.

Besides, as soon as they neared the headland, the currents there, which
had been against them, were now all in their favour, the waves bearing
them and their oil cask, once they had turned the point, buoyantly up to
their own beach in the little bay, without the trouble almost of
swimming a stroke!

It was now well on towards the latter end of July, in the second year of
the island life; and, the next week or two, they were busy enough
salting down their pigs and attending to their garden, some cabbages
from which with their newly acquired pork making them many a good meal.

Then, came the return of the penguins to their breeding-place in August;
so, there was now no further fear of their suffering from a scarcity of
food, for, in case they tired of pork, they had plenty of fresh eggs for
a change, as well as an occasional roast of one of the inhabitants of
the rookery, whose fleshy breasts tasted somewhat, Eric said, like
goose--albeit Fritz called him a goose for saying so!

September was ushered in by a strong north-easterly gale, similar to
that in which the brig had been wrecked.

This alarmed the brothers, who began to fear, when the gale had lasted
over the middle of the month, that the stormy weather might possibly
prevent the _Pilot's Bride_ from venturing near the island, Captain
Brown having said that it would have been more than madness while the
wind prevailed from that quarter for any vessel to approach the coast.

However, towards the third week in the month, the north-east wind
shifting round, a gentle breeze sprang up from the south-west. A like
change had very similarly occurred at the time of their own landing on
the island; so, the brothers' hearts beat high with hope.

Everything was got ready for their instant departure; the consequence of
which was that all their own personal little goods and chattel