r, preferring to ply on and on in
front of the bay, so as to be ready for an instant start--the little
property of the brothers was, without further delay, taken on board; and
then, crusoes now no longer, they bade adieu, a long adieu, to
Inaccessible Island, their abiding place for the past two years.

As the _Pilot's Bride_ filled her sails and cleared the headlands,
which, stretching their giant arms across the entrance to the little
bay, soon shut out all view of the valley from their gaze, the last
thing they noticed was their hut, the home of so many long and weary
months, blazing away in regular bonfire fashion. Master Eric had put a
match to the thatch of the little edifice on crossing its threshold for
the last time!

"There's no fear, however, of this bonfire doing as much mischief as the
last, old fellow!" he said apologetically to Fritz as they gazed back
over the ship's stern at the rapidly receding island.

"No," replied the other. "It won't do any particular harm, it is true;
but still, I think it was a pity to burn down our little home. We have
passed many pleasant as well as sad hours there, you know, during the
last two years."

"That may be all very true, brother," replied Eric, "but do you know
what was my real reason for setting fire to it?"

"No," said Fritz.

"Well then I'll tell you," continued the other. "I couldn't bear to
think that those cheeky penguins should invade it and perhaps make their
nests there after we were gone!"

"What?" exclaimed Fritz, beginning to laugh. "You don't mean to say you
haven't forgiven the poor birds yet for--"

"Stop!" cried Eric, interrupting him. "You know what you agreed to, eh?
Let bye-gones be bye-gones!"

"Good," said Fritz; and there ended the matter.

The return voyage of the _Pilot's Bride_ back to America was uneventful,
although full enough of incident to the brothers after their enforced
exile; but when the vessel arrived again at her old home port of
Providence in Rhode Island, of course the two had something more to
excite them in the greeting they received from the cheery and kindly-
hearted family of the good old skipper at the shanty on the bay.

The worthy dame, Mrs Brown, welcomed them like sons of her own; while,
Miss Celia--declared that Eric had grown quite a man--adding, with a
toss of her head, that she "guessed he'd lost nothing of his old
impudence!"

However, in spite of all the kindness and hospitality of these good