"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.