CHAP. III.] BAHIA TO THE CAPE. 151 



ness and hospitality. They were relieved by the ill-fated North- 

 fleet, bound for Aden with coal, and Gustav Stoltenhoff found 

 his way back to Aix. 



During his stay at Tristan he heard that large numbers of 

 seals were to be had among the islands, and he seems to have 

 been greatly taken with the Tristaners, and to have formed a 

 project of returning there. When he got home, his brother 

 had just got back from the war and was unemployed, and he 

 infected him with his notion, and the two agreed to join in a 

 venture to Tristan to see what they could make by seal-hunting 

 and barter. 



They accordingly sailed for St. Helena in August, 1871, and 

 on the 6tli of November left St. Helena for Tristan in an Amer- 

 ican whaler bound on a cruise in the South Atlantic. The cap- 

 tain of the whaler, who had been often at Tristan d'Acunha, 

 had some doubt of the reception which the young men would 

 get if they went as permanent settlers, and he spoke so strong- 

 ly of the advantages of Inaccessible Island, on account of the 

 greater productiveness of the soil, and of its being the centre of 

 the seal-fishing, that they changed their plans and were landed 

 on the west side of Inaccessible on the 27th of ISTovember — early 

 in summer. A quarter of an hour after, the whaler departed, 

 leaving them the only inhabitants of one of the most remote 

 spots on the face of the earth. They do not seem, however, to 

 have been in the least depressed by their isolation. 



The same day the younger brother clambered up to the pla- 

 teau with the help of the tussock-grass, in search of goats or 

 pigs, and remained there all night, and on the following day 

 the two set to work to build themselves a hut for shelter. 

 They had reached the end of their voyage by no means unj)ro- 

 vided, and the inventory of their belongings is curious. 



They had an old whale-boat which they had bought at St. 

 Helena, with mast, sails, and oars ; three spars for a roof, a 

 door, and a glazed window ; a wheelbarrow, two spades and a 



