Fritz and Eric

by John C. Hutcheson

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

  A DIRE PERIL.

  Oh, those dear letters from home!

  Did not Fritz pore over them, when he and Eric got back to their littlehut, glad to sit down and be quiet again, all to themselves after theexcitement of the schooner's visit and the fatigue of shipping theproduce of their labours during the past?

  Madame Dort's missive was a long, voluminous epistle of ever so manypages, written in their dear mother's clear hand, without a blot or ascratch out, or any tedious crossing of the pages to make the writingindistinct. She had been a teacher, and able to write well, if onlybecause she had formerly to instruct others? The letter was publicproperty for both, being addressed to Eric as well as Fritz, and itcontained much loving news--news that caused the elder brotherfrequently to pause in his reading and Eric to dash away the quick tearsfrom his bright eyes; while, anon, it made them both laugh by some funnyallusion to household arrangements as they recalled the well-rememberedlittle home scene in the old-fashioned house in which the two had beenbrought up, in the Gulden Strasse at Lubeck.

  The communication was so lengthy that it was almost a journal, MadameDort recounting all the haps and mishaps of the family since Fritz hadgone away, taking it for granted that he would have informed Eric of allthat had transpired during the lad's previous absence.

  The letter mentioned, too, that the neighbours were all interested inthe brothers' adventures and called frequently to ask her about them.Herr Grosschnapper, she also related, had especially told her that hehad never employed so accurate a book-keeper as Fritz; for, the newclerk had, like a new broom, swept so clean that he had swept himselfout of favour, the old merchant longing to have the widow's son back inhis counting-house again.

  "I don't wonder at that," exclaimed Eric, interrupting the reading here."He should have known when he was well off and kept your place open foryou until your return from the war!"

  "So he did, brother, he waited as long as he could," said Fritz, takingthe part of the absent, although the matter was still a sore subjectwith him; and, then, he continued reading out his mother's letter, whichwent on to detail Lorischen's many dreams about the children of hernursing--how she prophesied that Eric would be such a big strappingfellow that the house would not be able to contain him, and how Mouserhad developed such an affection for Gelert, that he even followed thedog, when the latter went out to take his walks abroad, in the mostfearless manner possible, trusting evidently to the kindness of hiscanine protector to prevent other obnoxious animals like Burgher Jansterrier from molesting him! Oh, and while mentioning the little fatman's dog, Madame Dort said she had such a wonderful story to relate.What would they think of Lorischen--

  "I said it would turn out so!" cried Eric, interrupting his brother asecond time. "I always said it would turn out so, in spite of all ourold nurse's cruel treatment of the little Burgher."

  "What did you say, Mr Prophet?" asked Fritz good-humouredly.

  "That he and Lorischen would make a match of it yet," replied Eric,clapping his hands in high glee. "What fun that would be! Is it notso, brother?"

  "You might be further out in your guessing than that," said Fritz, goingon to the denouement of the story told in his mother's letter. Yes,Madame Dort wrote, the little fat man had really, one day when Lorischenhad received him more affably than usual and invited him to partake ofsome nice cheese-cakes she had just made, asked her to marry him! And,more wonderful still, in spite of all their old nurse used to say aboutthe Burgher, and how she pretended to detest him, as they must rememberwell, Lorischen had finally agreed to an engagement with him, promisingto unite her fate with his when Herr Fritz and Master Eric came home."So now, dear boys both, you know how much depends on your return,"concluded their mother in her quaint way, for she had a keenappreciation of humour. "If only to hasten the happiness of oldLorischen and her well-beloved little fat man, pray do not delay yourcoming back as soon as ever you can conveniently manage it. I saynothing about myself or of Madaleine, my new daughter; for, you must beable to imagine without the aid of any words of mine, how we are bothlonging and praying to see you again!"

  "And now for sister Madaleine's letter," cried Eric, when he had kissedthe signature to that of his mother's which Fritz handed over to him assoon as he had done reading it aloud. "It seems almost as big a one asmutterchen's and I dare say there'll be lots more news in it!"

  "Ah, I think I'll read this first to myself," said Fritz dryly; adding amoment after when he noticed Eric's look of intense disgust: "you see,she only writes to me, you know."

  "Oh yes, that's very fine!" exclaimed the other, in a highly aggrievedtone. "Never mind, though, I can pay you out sooner than you think,Master Fritz! See this little note here!"

  "No--yes--what is it?" said Fritz, looking up in an absent way from thesecond of the home letters, which now lay open on his knee.

  "Ah, wouldn't you like to know, Mr Selfish-keep-his-letters-to-himselfsort of a brother, eh? Well, then, this note here contains some of thedearest words you ever saw penned! It was enclosed by Miss Celia Brownin a letter of her father's to you--which you've taken such littleaccount of that you chucked it down on the floor in your ridiculoushurry to read that letter which you won't tell me about. Now, I didintend, Master Fritz, to give you this delightful little note, which Iwould not part with for the world, for you to read it your own self;but, now, I shan't let you once cast your eyes over it, there! It isonly a little tiny note; still, I think much more of it than all yourbig letters from that Madaleine Vogelstein, who I don't believe is halfas handsome as Celia!"

  "All right then, we're both satisfied if such is the case," rejoinedFritz, in no way put out by this outburst, or alarmed at the terriblereprisals threatened by Eric, and then, the elder brother bowed his headagain over the unfolded sheets of scented paper lying on his knee thatcame from his sweetheart across the sea.

  The letter was all that the fondest lover could wish; and, with theomission of a few endearing terms, Fritz subsequently read it to Eric,who thereupon relented from his previous resolution and showed him MissCelia Brown's note. This, however, contained nothing very remarkable,after all; unless a postscript, saying that the writer "expected to havea good time" when the sailor lad returned to Providence, deserves to bedescribed in Eric's extravagant language.

  The schooner's visit having settled their minds, so to speak, thebrother crusoes were able after her departure to devote themselves anew,with all the greater zest, to what they now considered their regularwork.

  As in the previous year, before adventuring beyond their own specialdomain, the garden was dug up and replanted; the labour this time, ofcourse, being far less than on the first occasion, for they had nolonger virgin soil to tackle with as then.

  A much larger lot of potatoes were put into the ground, the brothershaving learnt by experience that, after once planting, these useful"apples of the earth" necessitated little further trouble, one goodhoeing up when the sprouts had appeared above the surface and anoccasional rake over to keep down the weeds being quite sufficient tomake the plot look neat; while, should they have more than they requiredfor themselves when harvest time came, they could easily store them upfor the use of the _Pilot's Bride_ crew, as a slight return for allCaptain Brown's kindness.

  A good crop of cabbages and onions was also provided for; while Eric didnot forget his favourite peas and beans for their next Christmasbanquet.

  This task done and things tidied up about the hut, so as to make theirimmediate surroundings snug and comfortable, the brothers determined,the weather being now settled and fair, to have a cruise round the coastagain. They were anxious to find out whether the seals were about yet,besides wishing to pay another visit to the tableland, which they hadbeen debarred from exploring since the bonfire had burnt up their ladderat the beginning of the winter season.

  They would, naturally, have made this expedition long before, had thewind and sea not been so boisterous--very unlike, indeed, the gen
ialspell they had experienced in the previous year; but, really, from themonth of August, a succession of gales had set in from different pointsof the compass and the navigation was so dangerous that it would nothave been safe to have ventured out beyond the bay. Indeed, as it was,the whale-boat got so much knocked about by a heavy sea, which camerolling in on the beach one night when they had not drawn her up farenough, that she was now far too cranky for them to trust their lives inher in bad weather.

  However, one fine day, late in November, with all their shooting andhunting gear, in addition to a supply of provisions for a week or tendays, they set sail from the bay bound westward round the headland,intending to have a regular outing.

  Seals they found plentiful enough, the animals having returned to theirbreeding haunts much earlier than the year before. They seemed,besides, so tame that the new-comers must either have been quite a freshfamily of the mammals, or else the brothers had stolen a march on theTristaners and would therefore have the advantage of the first assaulton the seals.

  There was nothing like taking time by the forelock, and so, withoutfrightening the animals by any display of hostility, the brothersquietly landed their traps in a little creek some distance away from theprincipal cove they frequented; and then, the two organised a regularcampaign against their unsuspecting prey.

  Eric with a rifle and harpoon got round the seals by way of the land;while Fritz, equally well provided with weapons, assailed them from thesea in the boat, both making a rush together by a preconcerted signal.

  Their strategy was triumphant this time; for, after a very one-sidedbattle between the intrepid seal killers on the one hand and theterrified, helpless creatures on the other, eighty-five victims werecounted on the field of battle--six of the animals being sea elephants,and five sea bears, or "lions," a species having a curious sort of curlymane round their necks, while the remainder of the slain consisted ofspecimens of the common seal of commerce.

  "Why, brother, this is grand!" exclaimed Eric, as he and Fritz countedover the spoil. "But, how shall we get the blubber and skins round tothe bay? Our boat will never carry them all in her leaky state."

  "Well, laddie, I thought you were the inventive genius of the family,"said the other. "Can't you think of an easier plan than lugging themround the headland all that way by sea?"

  "I'm sure I can't," Eric replied, with a hopeless stare.

  "Then, I'll tell you," said Fritz. "What think you of our just takingthem up to the top of the plateau; and, after a short walk across thetableland, pitching our bundle of spoil down right in front of our hut--without first loading up the boat and then unloading her again, besideshaving the trouble of toiling all the way from the beach to the cottageafterwards?"

  "Why, that's a splendid plan!" cried Eric; "almost good enough for me tohave thought of it."

  "I like your impudence!" said Fritz, laughing. "Certainly, a youngsailor of my acquaintance has a very good opinion of himself!"

  "Right you are," rejoined Eric, with his time-honoured phrase; and thenthe two, as usual, had a hearty laugh.

  Skinning the seals and packing up the layers of blubber within the peltswas then the order of the day with them for some hours, Fritz pointingout, that, if they removed all the traces of the combat beforenightfall, the seals would return to their old haunt the next day, theevening tide being sufficient to wash away the traces of blood on therocks as well as bear to the bottom the bodies of the slain victims;otherwise, the sad sight of the carcases of their slain comrades stilllying about the scene of battle would prevent the scared and timidanimals from coming back.

  Consequently, the brothers worked hard; and, practice having made themproficients in the knack of ripping off the coats of the seals with oneor two dexterous slashes with a keen knife along the stomach and downthe legs of the animals, they stripped off the skins in much less timethan might be imagined.

  Then, the pelts and layers of blubber were rolled up together in handybundles and conveyed up to the plateau. This was a very tedious job,necessitating, first, a weary tramp to and from the beach to where thepath led up to the summit of the tableland; and, secondly, a scramble upthe rocky and wearisome ascent of the plateau, this latter part of theirlabour being rendered all the more difficult and disagreeable by thebundles of blubber and skins, which they had to carry up on their headsin the same fashion as negroes always convey their loads--a thingapparently easy enough to the blacks by reason of their strong craniums,but terribly "headachy" for Europeans unaccustomed to such burdens!

  Fritz and Eric did not hurry over this job, however, deferring itscompletion till the morning. They camped out on the plateau so as to beout of the way of the seals, glad enough to rest after their day'slabour, without going hunting after the goats, as they had intended atfirst doing, the same afternoon.

  Next morning, seeing no seals about--the animals probably not havingrecovered from their fright yet--they continued carrying up the skinsand blubber, until they had quite a respectable pile on the plateau;when, the next question arose about its transportation across thetableland to the eastern side, immediately over the gully by which theyused to climb up, near their hut.

  "I wish we had brought your carriage, Fritz," said Eric, alluding to thewheelbarrow, which had been so styled by the sailor lad after he hadutilised it as an ambulance waggon.

  "It's too late to wish that now," replied the other.

  "I could soon go round in the boat and fetch it, brother," cried Eric,looking as if he were going to start off at the moment.

  "No, stop, laddie; we could not spare the boat," said Fritz, laying hishand on his arm. "It would be more than likely that, the moment youwere out of sight the seals would land again on the rocks, when weshould miss the chance of taking them! I don't believe we shall havemore than one other chance of getting their skins; for the Tristanerswill soon be here again on their annual excursion, with that fellowSlater in their company, and, I confess, I should not like us to be herewhen they came."

  "I wouldn't mind a row at all!" cried Eric defiantly; "still, as youdon't want me to go for the wheelbarrow, how do you suggest that weshould carry the skins across this dreary expanse here?"

  "Let us make a stretcher with the oars," said Fritz.

  "Bravo, the very thing," replied Eric. "Why, you are the inventivegenius this time!"

  "Well, one must think of something sometimes," said Fritz, in hismatter-of-fact way; and the two then proceeded to carry out the plan ofthe elder brother, which simplified their labour immensely. They onlyhad to make some three journeys across the plateau with the skins,which, when the bundles were all transported to the eastern side of thetableland, were incontinently tumbled over to the foot of the cliffbelow, alighting quite close to the cauldron in which the blubber wouldbe subsequently "tried out" into oil.

  Then, and not till then, did they pick up their guns and think of thegoats, which had hitherto led a charmed life as far as they wereconcerned.

  They soon noticed, however, that, in lieu of the large number they hadobserved when they last saw them, the flock had been now reduced tofive. The Tristaners must evidently have paid another visit to the westcoast since they had met them there when going sealing the previousseason; and, this second visit the brothers put down to the instigationof the whilom "deck hand," who had no doubt incited the islanders to doeverything they could to annoy them.

  Fritz only shot one goat, leaving "Kaiser Billy" and the other three, onthe chance of their numbers being afterwards increased. He and Ericthen went for a hunt after the wild pigs, killing a fine young porker,which they roasted on the plateau and made a feast of at their camp.The flesh, however, was very coarse, tasting fishy and rank, probably onaccount of the pigs feeding on the penguins, the young of which theycould easily secure by going down to the beach by the same pathway thatthe brothers had climbed.

  Fritz and Eric stayed ten days on the western shore; but during all thetime they remained they only were able to capture eleven more seals,whic
h made up their quota to ninety-six. Eric longed to run it up tothe even hundred, but they did not see another single mammal, althoughthey remained a day longer on the coast than they had intended.

  This delay led to the most disastrous consequences; for, a gale sprangup right in their teeth when they were on their way back to the bay withthe goat and the remaining sealskins, which they had not taken thetrouble of transporting across the plateau, but took along with them inthe boat.

  It was something wonderful to notice the sea, which a short timepreviously had been so placid, presently running high with mightyrollers, that threatened each moment to engulf their little craft; andthey had to allow her to run before the wind some little time for fearof getting her swamped.

  This danger avoided, a worse one arose, which Fritz had not thought of,but which soon became apparent to the sailor lad, his intelligenceheightened by his former painful experience when adrift in a boat atsea, out of sight of land.

  "I say, Fritz," he cried; "we are leaving the land!"

  "What?" asked the other, not understanding him.

  "We are getting away too far from the island; and if we go on like this,we'll never get back."

  "Good heavens, what shall we do?" said Fritz.

  "I'm sure, I can't say," replied Eric despondently.

  "Can't we put back?"

  "No; we'd be upset in an instant, if we attempted it."

  "Then, we're lost!" exclaimed Fritz. "The land is now growing quitefaint in the distance and each moment it sinks lower and lower!"

  This was not the worst, either.

  The afternoon was drawing to a close; and, the sky being overcast,darkness threatened presently to creep over the water and shut outeverything from their gaze.