SAVED AT LAST. 41 



early in September, a French bark sent a boat ashore, they determined still to remain 

 on the island. They arranged with the captain for the sale of their seal-skins, and 

 bartered a quantity of eggs for some biscuit and a couple of pounds of tobacco. Late 

 in October a schooner from the Cape of Good Hope called at the island, and on leaving, 

 promised to return for them, as they had decided to quit the island, not having had any 

 success in obtaining peltries or anything else that is valuable; but she did not re-appear, 

 and in November their supplies were again at starvation-point. Selecting a calm day, 

 the two Crusoes determined to swim round the headland to the eastward, taking with 

 them their rifles and blankets, and towing after them an empty oil-barrel containing 

 their clothes, powder, matches, and kettle. This they repeated later on several occasions, 

 and, climbing the cliffs by the tussock grass, were able to kill or secure on the plateau 

 a few of the wild pigs. Sometimes one of them only would mount, and after killing a 

 pig would cut it up and lower the hams to his brother below. They caught three little 

 sucking-pigs, and towed them alive through the waves, round the point of their landing- 

 place, where they arrived half drowned. They were put in an enclosure, and fed on green 

 stuff and penguin's eggs good feeding for a delicate little porker. Attempting on 

 another occasion to tow a couple in the same way, the unfortunate pigs met a watery 

 grave in the endeavour to weather the point, and one of the brothers barely escaped, 

 with some few injuries, through a terrible surf which was beating on their part of the 

 coast. Part of their time was passed in a cave during the cold weather. When the 

 Challenger arrived their only rifle had burst in two places, and was of little use, while 

 their musket was completely burst in all directions, and was being used as a blow-pipe 

 to freshen the fire when it got low. Their only knives had been made by themselves 

 from an old saw. Their library consisted of eight books and an atlas, and these, affording 

 their only literary recreation for two years, they knew almost literally by heart. When 

 they first landed they had a dog and two pups, which they, doubtless, hoped would 

 prove something like companions. The dogs almost immediately left, and made for the 

 penguin rookeries, where they killed and worried the birds by hundreds. One of them 

 became mad, and the brothers thought it best to shoot the three of them. Captain Nares 

 gave the two Crusoes a passage to the Cape, where one of them obtained a good situation ; 

 the other returned to Germany, doubtless thinking that about a couple of dozen seal- 

 skins all they obtained was hardly enough to reward them for their two years' dreary 

 sojourn on Inaccessible Island. 



