“Did you often go there—that is, did the ship often touch there?”
“Every few months, when we had a good supply of money and articles to leave there.”
“I suppose there was quite a valuable collection of articles stored there?”
“I can’t tell the value, but there were chests full of gold and silver coins, boxes of bankbills, and merchandise of the rarest and most valuable description.”
“Is it there now, or has it been divided?”
“It is there yet.”
“How came you to leave the pirate ship?”
“I did not leave it till I was compelled to do so.”
“How is that? Were you discharged? I should hardly think the officers would have dared to let you go, considering your knowledge as to the character of the ship.”
“You are right there. They would not have dared to do so, but the Almighty, whose laws had been so flagrantly defied, interfered. There came on a terrible storm when we were cruising in the Indian Ocean. It was so violent and unexpected that we were by no means prepared to meet it.