Page:Castaway on the Auckland Isles (IA castawayonauckla01musg).pdf/133

Rh the one who saw us ran into the house to tell the other, and before they reached the beach Captain Cross and myself had landed, leaving the cutter under weigh, as there was too much wind and sea to anchor her. One of them, the cook, on seeing me, turned as pale as a ghost, and staggered up to a post, against which he leaned for support, for he was evidently on the point of fainting; while the other, George, seized my hand in both of his and gave my arm a severe shaking, crying, 'Captain Musgrave, how are ye, how are ye?' apparently unable to say anything else.

The excitement of the moment over, I hurried them off to get anything they might want to take on board with them for the present; for it was now getting dark, and we wanted to get back to the cove as soon as possible: the distance is seven miles. In a very few minutes we were all on board the 'Flying Scud,' and off before the wind down the harbour again, and reached the anchorage in Camp Cove at half-past 6. Immediately after anchoring we had supper, which consisted of fish and potatoes, tea, and bread and butter, and which the two poor fellows set about with such a zest as I have seldom seen exhibited over a meal. My first meal in Port Adventure bore no comparison to this of theirs (although I had been five days without food); and I did ample justice to it. They tell me that they have been very much pinched for food since I left them, and on one occasion they were obliged to catch mice and eat them. Moreover, it appears that they could not agree, and, strange as it may seem, although there were only the two of them on the island, they were on the point of separating and living apart! Snow has been two feet thick. They tell me that they have not been on the mountains since I left them; therefore if it was smoke which we saw the other day, there must have been some other unfortunates on the island, and it is our intention to run along the shore as we go back, and endeavour to find out whether there is anyone else on the