Ten years passed, and we were still living in the place we called New Switzerland. We built a watch tower on an island in the bay and added two cannons. We made many improvements at Rockburg. The swamp, cleared and drained, was now a large lake. Beneath the trees, old Hurry, the ostrich, walked at a dignified pace.
My boys retained their love of animals. They now had a beautiful white cow, a bull, and two new donkeys. Jack had a descendant of Fangs the jackal. He named it Coco.
The boys were fine, handsome fellows. Fritz, now 25, was very strong and high-spirited. Ernest, 23, was still calm and studious. Jack, 21, was known for his agility and sense of humor. And Franz, 18, was a lively youth.
My older sons often went away on expeditions by themselves. One evening I realized Fritz had been away all day. Anxious to see him return, I went to our watch tower with Ernest and Jack. When we finally spotted Fritz's kayak, it was moving very slowly.
"Welcome back from wherever you've been!" I cried when he landed. "You seem to have a lot of cargo there."
"Yes, and my trip has led to discoveries that will tempt us to go out again," he replied.
Ernest and Jack helped Fritz unload the kayak. After supper Fritz told us of his adventures.
"I paddled for a long time until I came to another bay," he said. "The water was as clear as crystal. I could see beds of oysters. I brought up several clusters and left them on the beach while I went back for more. When I returned, the shells had opened a bit, and I think I found some pearls."
He held out his hand to show us.
"Those are pearls indeed!" I said. "And they may prove a source of wealth if we are ever rescued."
"After I gathered my oysters," Fritz continued, "I crossed Pearl Bay, as I named it. There I saw thousands of seabirds. They must have thought I was invading their territory. The next thing I knew, they were attacking me."
"What did you do?" asked my wife.
"I waved my paddle over my head and managed to hit an albatross! It fell into the water, and the other birds flew away. And then—well, I guess that's the end of my story."
The next morning Fritz drew me aside because he had more to tell me.
"There was something extraordinary about that albatross," he said. "I lifted it onto my kayak and found a rag around one leg. When I removed the rag, I was amazed to see words written on it."
"What did they say?" I asked.
"'Save an unfortunate Englishwoman from the smoking rock.'"
"What!" I cried in astonishment. "Another human being is here in this lonely place?"
"The bird was beginning to show signs of life," Fritz continued. "So I had to decide what to do. I quickly tore a strip from my handkerchief and wrote, 'Do not despair! Help is near!'"
Fritz carefully tied his message around one of the bird's legs. Then he devoted himself to reviving the bird. After drinking some water, it suddenly took off and headed west.
"I lost sight of it," said Fritz. "But I keep wondering: Will my note ever reach this Englishwoman? Will I be able to find her and save her?"
"You were wise to keep this part of your story from the others," I said. "Until we know more, we must not excite them. It's possible that those words were written long ago. By now the unhappy woman may have died. The 'smoking rock' must be a volcano, and there are none here."
Fritz, however, refused to be discouraged. It was obvious he hoped that he could rescue this woman. In fact, I was just as excited as he was. But I felt it wise to contain my excitement.
After some discussion we decided that Fritz should go in search of the Englishwoman. He would need to modify his kayak to carry two people. And he would need enough food in case he was away for a long time. Impatient as he was to leave, Fritz knew he must take some time to prepare.
We returned to the house and saw the other boys busily opening oysters. They were very excited.
"Look, Father!" said Franz. "I found a pearl!"
"Let's establish a pearl fishery at once!" said Jack.
"If we built a hut at Pearl Bay, we could harvest oysters on a regular basis," Ernest pointed out.
"Let's take the sailboat to Pearl Bay," I said.
Fritz winked at me and then remarked in an innocent tone, "I've been thinking of adding another seat to the kayak in case someone ever needs a ride."