"What was the weight of them?" asked T. B.
"About fifty kilos," said the man, "and," he added with an assumption of carelessness, "they each contained gold."
T. B. did a little sum in his head.
"In fact a million and a half of English pounds," he said half to himself.
"As to that I do not know," said the other, "but it was enormous; I discovered the gold by accident, for I and another officer had been chosen to store the boxes in one of the ammunition flats, and, owing to the breaking of a box, I saw—what I saw.
"However, to get back to the captain. In the evening he came aboard, having first given orders for steam to be ready and every preparation made for slipping.
"Then it was I told him that I had seen the contents of one of the boxes, and he was distressed.
"'Who else has seen this?' he asked, and I informed him of the sub-officer who had been with me.
"'Do not speak of this matter, as you value your soul,' he said, 'for this is a high Government secret—send sub-officer Alverez to me'—that was the name of my companion. I obeyed and sent Alverez aft. He too received similar injunctions, and was dismissed.
"At ten o'clock that night, the quartermasters went to their stations, and all stood ready for dropping our mooring.