"They are full of silver," the man said, sullenly. "They are stowed in the lazaretto, under this cabin."
"We will have one of them up, and look into it," the captain said.
"Joe, call a couple of hands down."
The trapdoor of the lazaretto was lifted. Joe and the two sailors descended the ladder and, with some difficulty, one of the boxes was hoisted up.
"That weighs over two hundredweight, I'm sure," Joe said.
The box was broken open, and it was found to be filled with small bars of silver.
"Are they all the same size, Joe?" the captain asked.
"Yes, as far as I can see."