Chapter 20 A New Islander This, Fritz said, is Jenny Montrose.
Our own boys leapt for joy and ran to embrace the first person other than our family they had seen in over more than thirteen years.
They began to pepper the girl with questions and as they did, I saw my wife overjoyed to have a female friend to share our lives with.
Our new friend laughed and chatted with us, trying to find a way to say what had happened to her.
We all talked at once, laughing and losing ourselves in the excitement.
After hours of sharing adventures, our new friend went off to bed.
The boys asked Fritz how he had found Jenny.
He began to tell the story of the albatross.
It had a message attached to its leg.
Only father knew.
I sent a letter in return and then soon left in my kayak.
I found many amazing things on my travels and would have stopped, but I was on a mission.
When I reached a cove, I rested and made a fire and got a bird ready to eat.
Out of the bushes then came a tiger with bright eyes that leaped out at me.
Our pet eagle lunged at him and surprised him long enough for me to get my gun.
I only just got the pistol out in time and managed to knock him down with a shot.
However, my eagle also lay dead.
I got back in my boat after burying our friend and headed out to sea, feeling sad and alone, but not for long.
Soon, as I came around a bend, I saw a plume of smoke rising up.
I raced with my kayak toward it, excited and breathless.
I ran up the beach and toward the fire, but there was no one there.
Then I saw someone running.
It was Jenny.
She led me to the hut that she had made with many items from her own shipwreck when she washed ashore three years ago.
Like us, she had built many things and had learned to fish and hunt.
She is the daughter of a British officer.
She was on her way aboard a ship to meet her father when her ship was wrecked here.
She was on a lifeboat that overturned, and she was the only survivor.
After gaining her strength, she would attach a message to any bird she could catch, in hopes that she would be found.
I heard her story and, as I was in my kayak, making a last trip to fish before heading to bring her home, I met up with you.
I thought you were pirates, and all was lost.
Thank God it was my family.
With that, everyone had many questions.
We talked excitedly and as clearly as we could in our broken English until we were all tired.
The next morning, the boys all greeted Jenny again with curiosity and excitement.
We were thrilled to be able to invite Jenny to our home and to include her as a part of our family.
The day was beautiful and we stopped at Shark Island to launch a salute for Jenny as we introduced her to our humble home.
She reacted as if it were a palace.
She had been alone so long, and we had done so much work that it truly seemed a kingdom to her.
Jack joked that all of our servants had run away just a few days ago.
The boys outdid themselves setting out a dinner on all of our dishes, and my wife found Jenny a dress to wear so that she could feel at home.
We had a wonderful meal, and then the boys took Jenny to show her all of our lands.
The next day we started packing again for winter, which we knew was sure to come.
As we worked, the boys treated Jenny like a queen and saddled a cow for her to ride side saddle.
It wasn't long before she was just like one of us in our island kingdom.
Her cheer made us happy.
Soon, though, the winter came and we went back to Rockburg to wait for better days.
But our time there was made happy with Jenny and the winter seemed short.
She taught us to improve our English and we taught her to speak our language before the spring came.
It was a wonderful time.
