"SAIL HO!"
"Gold!" exclaimed Fritz in astonishment.
"Yes, gold," repeated the other, excitedly. "There are a lot of coins
here each bigger than an eight-gulden piece."
"Nonsense?"
"Yes, there is, really. Come down here and see for yourself. There's
plenty of room for both you and me."
Trembling with excitement, Fritz jumped down beside his brother, who,
stooping down in the crevice of the gully, had discovered a cavity in
the rock further in the face of the cliff. This the fringe of the now
destroyed tussock-grass had previously hidden from view as they ascended
and descended the ladder-way; else they must have noticed the place the
very first time they came up to the tableland from the valley below. It
was exactly facing the ledge from whence they climbed on to the plateau;
so, had it not been then covered over, they could not have failed to see
it.
The cavity, which had been probably worn away by the water trickling
down, was like a little grotto; and there, piled on the bare rock, were
hundreds of coins!
These were quite bright, strange to say, although this circumstance was
most likely owing to the action of the fire that had burnt the tussock-
grass; for, some heavy iron clamps and hinges, that had evidently
belonged to the box which contained the coins originally and had been
consumed at the same time, lay on either side of the golden treasure. A
number of the coins, too, if any further proof was needed, were fused
together in a solid lump.
With eyes dilated with joy, the brothers gazed at the mine of wealth,
hardly daring to believe that what they saw was real.
Then, Fritz put out his hands and touched the heap.
"It is there--I feel it!" he exclaimed. "We are not dreaming?"
"I'm sure I'm not," said Eric, laughing with delight. "Why, it is a
regular fortune--it will beat all that we have earned by our sealing!"
Fritz took up one of the coins and examined it carefully. He had some
knowledge of numismatics from his mercantile education in Herr
Grosschnapper's office, that worthy merchant trading to all parts of the
globe and having considerable dealings with foreign monies.
"It is a doubloon," he explained to his brother after studying it a bit.
"The treasure consists of old Spanish coins that must have lain here
for years."
"I wonder who put them in this little hole?" said Eric.
Fritz did not answer this query for the moment; but, almost at the same
instant, there flashed across his recollection a curious story which an
old man at Tristan d'Acunha had told him--at the time when he and Eric
were inspecting the settlement on that island, before coming over to
their own little colony--concerning an old pirate who had buried a lot
of treasure either there or on Inaccessible Island.
After the brothers had gazed to their hearts' fill at the precious hoard
which had so suddenly been, revealed to them, the next thought was how
to remove it to their hut below.
"We'll roll up the lot in a blanket," said Eric, who as usual was always
to the fore when anything had to be planned out. "Tie up the gold
securely; and then chuck the bundle containing it down below, along with
the poor pigs we have slaughtered! There's no fear of anybody making
off with our doubloons before we accomplish the swim round the headland
back home."
"Yes, that will be the wisest course," acquiesced Fritz; "but, talking
of swimming round the headland, the sooner we're off the better. Those
clouds look very threatening."
"Only rain, I think," replied Eric, looking up at the sky.
"Good, that will not make us very wet when we are in the water, with our
bare skins," said Fritz quizzingly.
"No," replied Eric, laughing. "But, the sooner we are now off the
better, as you say; for, even if the weather holds up, there are a lot
of things for us to do when we get home. We have the pigs to skin, as
well as cut up and salt; and, besides, there's all our money to count
over."
"We can do that now, as we roll it up in the blanket," replied Fritz,
proceeding to suit the action to the word.
To their high delight, they found that there were nearly two thousand
separate gold coins, apart from the solid lump fused together, the whole
being probably worth some three thousand pounds, or thereabouts.
"Why, it's a perfect fortune!" exclaimed Eric. "You and Madaleine will
now be able to marry and settle down, and mother be comfortably provided
for, and everything!"
"But, how about your share?" said Fritz, looking at the unselfish lad
with glistening eyes. "Your share, indeed, why it's all yours!"
"Nonsense," replied Eric; "we are partners, are we not? Besides, I
don't want any money. When we leave here, you know, I'm going to sea
again with Captain Brown, in the _Pilot's Bride_; and a sailor, unlike
you poor land folk, carries his home with him. He does not continually
want cash for housekeeping expanses!"
"Very well, we'll see about that bye-and-bye," said Fritz, putting all
the coins into the blanket, which Eric then tied up securely, lashing it
round with a cord in seaman fashion. After that, they pitched the
bundle down below, when the chink of the coins at the bottom of the
gully sounded like pleasant music in their ears!
The barrel of the needle-gun was then unscrewed from the stock, Fritz
having kept the weapon ready for use as long as they remained on the
plateau, thinking that as Fortune had so strangely endowed them with the
pirate's treasure, perhaps some outlandish bird might equally suddenly
make its appearance for him to add to their spoil. However, as nothing
new in the feathered line came in sight, the albatross having taken
their departure with the penguins, and not even an "island hen" being to
be seen, the two now clambered down to the west beach once more.
Here, packing up their cask again with the various impedimenta they
still had, they proceeded also to put in their clothing.
Then, fastening 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 chattels were
packed up so soon that they had frequently to open the bundles again to
take out some article they required for use!
The golden treasure was not forgotten either--that may be taken for
granted.
The result of their sealing for the past year was also put up for
shipment. This consisted of eighty-five sealskins and fifty barrels of
oil--a result that said much for their industry during the period.
And so, the brother crusoes waited and looked out, day after day, with
longing eyes for the anxiously expected vessel that was to terminate
their exile on Inaccessible Island and bear them back to the loved ones
at home!
Fritz of late had somewhat reformed his lazy habits, rising much earlier
than he used to do, this reformation being caused by a natural desire to
be up and stirring when the _Pilot's Bride_ should arrive; but, still,
Eric invariably forestalled him. The sailor lad was always down on the
beach on the look-out, in default of being able to climb up to his
former signalling station on the cliff, at the first break of day!
Morning after morning, he went down to the shore; morning after morning,
he returned with a disconsolate face and the same sad report--
"Nothing in sight!"
This was the case every day.
There was never the vestige of a vessel on the horizon.
At last, one morning became a gladdened one in their calendar!
Eric had proceeded to the beach as usual; but, not returning so soon as
was his general habit, Fritz had time to awaken and rouse up from bed.
Anxious at the lad's delay, he went to the door of the hut, peering out
to seaward as the sun rose in the east, flooding the ocean with a
radiance of light.
At the same instant, Fritz heard Eric hailing him in the distance.
It was the cheeriest shout, he thought, he had ever heard!
Only two words the lad called out.
"Sail ho!"