CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
"SAIL HO!"
"Gold!" exclaimed Fritz in astonishment.
"Yes, gold," repeated the other, excitedly. "There are a lot of coinshere each bigger than an eight-gulden piece."
"Nonsense?"
"Yes, there is, really. Come down here and see for yourself. There'splenty 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 inthe rock further in the face of the cliff. This the fringe of the nowdestroyed tussock-grass had previously hidden from view as they ascendedand descended the ladder-way; else they must have noticed the place thevery first time they came up to the tableland from the valley below. Itwas 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 seeit.
The cavity, which had been probably worn away by the water tricklingdown, was like a little grotto; and there, piled on the bare rock, werehundreds of coins!
These were quite bright, strange to say, although this circumstance wasmost likely owing to the action of the fire that had burnt the tussock-grass; for, some heavy iron clamps and hinges, that had evidentlybelonged to the box which contained the coins originally and had beenconsumed at the same time, lay on either side of the golden treasure. Anumber of the coins, too, if any further proof was needed, were fusedtogether 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 aregular 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 someknowledge of numismatics from his mercantile education in HerrGrosschnapper's office, that worthy merchant trading to all parts of theglobe 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 herefor 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 sameinstant, there flashed across his recollection a curious story which anold man at Tristan d'Acunha had told him--at the time when he and Ericwere inspecting the settlement on that island, before coming over totheir own little colony--concerning an old pirate who had buried a lotof treasure either there or on Inaccessible Island.
After the brothers had gazed to their hearts' fill at the precious hoardwhich had so suddenly been, revealed to them, the next thought was howto remove it to their hut below.
"We'll roll up the lot in a blanket," said Eric, who as usual was alwaysto the fore when anything had to be planned out. "Tie up the goldsecurely; and then chuck the bundle containing it down below, along withthe poor pigs we have slaughtered! There's no fear of anybody makingoff with our doubloons before we accomplish the swim round the headlandback home."
"Yes, that will be the wisest course," acquiesced Fritz; "but, talkingof swimming round the headland, the sooner we're off the better. Thoseclouds 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 ourbare skins," said Fritz quizzingly.
"No," replied Eric, laughing. "But, the sooner we are now off thebetter, as you say; for, even if the weather holds up, there are a lotof things for us to do when we get home. We have the pigs to skin, aswell as cut up and salt; and, besides, there's all our money to countover."
"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 thousandseparate gold coins, apart from the solid lump fused together, the wholebeing probably worth some three thousand pounds, or thereabouts.
"Why, it's a perfect fortune!" exclaimed Eric. "You and Madaleine willnow be able to marry and settle down, and mother be comfortably providedfor, and everything!"
"But, how about your share?" said Fritz, looking at the unselfish ladwith glistening eyes. "Your share, indeed, why it's all yours!"
"Nonsense," replied Eric; "we are partners, are we not? Besides, Idon't want any money. When we leave here, you know, I'm going to seaagain with Captain Brown, in the _Pilot's Bride_; and a sailor, unlikeyou poor land folk, carries his home with him. He does not continuallywant cash for housekeeping expanses!"
"Very well, we'll see about that bye-and-bye," said Fritz, putting allthe coins into the blanket, which Eric then tied up securely, lashing itround with a cord in seaman fashion. After that, they pitched thebundle down below, when the chink of the coins at the bottom of thegully sounded like pleasant music in their ears!
The barrel of the needle-gun was then unscrewed from the stock, Fritzhaving kept the weapon ready for use as long as they remained on theplateau, thinking that as Fortune had so strangely endowed them with thepirate's treasure, perhaps some outlandish bird might equally suddenlymake its appearance for him to add to their spoil. However, as nothingnew in the feathered line came in sight, the albatross having takentheir departure with the penguins, and not even an "island hen" being tobe seen, the two now clambered down to the west beach once more.
Here, packing up their cask again with the various impedimenta theystill had, they proceeded also to put in their clothing.
Then, fastening up the cask and lashing the tarpaulin round it againwith the fastenings and beckets, which had been taken off in order theeasier to unpack it, they entered the sea for their return swim roundthe headland--starting off in the best of spirits on their way back homeonce more.
This time, the swim back was far more fatiguing, the wind and a slightswell being against them; but, the good living they enjoyed while on theplateau had nerved them up to any amount of exertion, so the journey, ifmore wearying, was performed in almost the same time they had taken togo to the western coast.
Besides, as soon as they neared the headland, the currents there, whichhad been against them, were now all in their favour, the waves bearingthem and their oil cask, once they had turned the point, buoyantly up totheir own beach in the little bay, without the trouble almost ofswimming a stroke!
It was now well on towards the latter end of July, in the second year ofthe island life; and, the next week or two, they were busy enoughsalting down their pigs and attending to their garden, some cabbagesfrom 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 offood, for, in case they tired of pork, they had plenty of fresh eggs fora change, as well as an occasional roast of one of the inhabitants ofthe rookery, whose fleshy breasts tasted somewhat, Eric said, likegoose--albeit Fritz called him a goose for saying so!
September was ushered in by a strong north-easterly gale, similar tothat in which the brig had been wrecked.
This alarmed the brothers, who began to fear, when the gale had lastedover the middle of the month, that the stormy weather might possiblyprevent the _Pilot's Bride_ from venturing near the island, CaptainBrown having said that it would have been more than madness while thewind prevailed from that quarter for any vessel to approach the coast.
However, towards the third week in the month, the north-east windshifting round, a gentle breeze sprang up from the south-west. A likechange had very similarly occurred at the time of their own landing onthe island; so, the brothers' hearts beat high with hope.
Everything was got ready for their instant departure; the consequence ofwhich was that all their own personal little goods
and chattels werepacked up so soon that they had frequently to open the bundles again totake out some article they required for use!
The golden treasure was not forgotten either--that may be taken forgranted.
The result of their sealing for the past year was also put up forshipment. This consisted of eighty-five sealskins and fifty barrels ofoil--a result that said much for their industry during the period.
And so, the brother crusoes waited and looked out, day after day, withlonging eyes for the anxiously expected vessel that was to terminatetheir exile on Inaccessible Island and bear them back to the loved onesat home!
Fritz of late had somewhat reformed his lazy habits, rising much earlierthan he used to do, this reformation being caused by a natural desire tobe up and stirring when the _Pilot's Bride_ should arrive; but, still,Eric invariably forestalled him. The sailor lad was always down on thebeach on the look-out, in default of being able to climb up to hisformer 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 aswas 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 outto seaward as the sun rose in the east, flooding the ocean with aradiance 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!"
Fritz and Eric Page 36
