CHAPTER XXII.
“OHO! THE FOX AT LAST!”
All this day during which his sweetheart has been obtaining papa’s consent, Chester has worked like a beaver laying in winter store. The seamen under Bodé Volcker’s direction have got out all the silver, some of which is in ingots, the rest in Spanish dollars, into the cellar, and by the very earliest sunrise at the opening of the city gates, the first load comes into the hold of the Esperanza, for this is more bulky, though not nearly as valuable, as the gold.
Working at this with that diligence that men always give to looting treasure, they succeed in getting all of it into the hold of the Esperanza by twelve o’clock in the day.
Martin Corker, who has been at the house of Mother Sebastian assisting in the shipment since Chester has taken charge of the Esperanza, coming down with the last load, says to his captain: “Bodé Volcker wants to see you at the house of old Dumb Devil like a flash.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t bring out the chest of jewels. He feared some of the men might buccaneer it on the sly, it’s so easily handled, and is probably very valuable.”
With a muttered imprecation on the merchant’s commercial care, for Chester is now anxious to set sail, he strides rapidly up to the house of Mother Sebastian, and there finds Niklaas in company with four seamen, the last who have remained in charge.
“Did I not tell you that I didn’t wish to make entry into the treasure chamber during the day?”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to take the chance of losing the jewels,” returns the merchant.