“No; there’s been no one troubling us,” jeers Guy. “For that reason it’s dangerous, Bodé Volcker.”
But Bodé Volcker can no more be kept from seeing Alva’s treasure than he could be kept from running away from it before; and he goes back with Guy to the house of Mother Dumb Devil.
Here he says: “Leave everything in my charge. I’ll get it out; every dollar shall be accounted for to you on the honor of a merchant.”
To this Chester answers: “The honor of a merchant is sufficient for me. But in our freebooter’s way, I have directed Corker to tally every bag and store every coin on the Esperanza. We’ll divide it at Flushing. But you get it out. You’re better at this business than I am.”
And in truth Bodé Volcker is, for his whole soul is in the transaction, while Guy has only half his heart in it, the best half being at Sandvliet with Alva’s daughter.
So the matter is arranged; the men are to carry out all the gold into the cellar during this night, then the iron doors in the gallery are to be closed again, all of them, and during the day Bodé Volcker is to transfer the treasure done up as sailors’ bedding on board the Esperanza. This his facilities as merchant permit him to do with little chance of suspicion. The next night with fresh men they are to bring out the silver from the vault to the cellar of the house and get it away in the same manner during the daytime, also the box containing jewels.
“When we have the gold I think we’ll have the main value of it,” says Bodé Volcker. “Meantime I’ll commence to put cargo into the Esperanza, to give commercial reason for the vessel sailing from Antwerp again.”
“You are commercially correct about this,” says Chester. With this he orders Corker when the gold comes on board to store it under the cabin in the place where the smuggled arquebuses had been concealed on their previous visit to Antwerp. Then turning away and looking at his watch he mutters with a start: “By heaven, eight o’clock! I can’t get through the gates of the town. I shall break my appointment.” [[228]]
“Ah! At Sandvliet?” chuckles the merchant to him.
“Yes.”