After satisfying himself that Nimbus was comfortably provided for, and that the ambergris, upon which he was now building many hopes and no longer wished to exchange for a loaf of bread, was safe, the tired boy sought his bunk, feeling very grateful for the snug quarters in which he found himself.
On the following day, Nimbus, to his own intense satisfaction, was installed in the galley, and given charge of more pots, pans, kettles, and other kitchen utensils than he had ever dreamed could exist in one ship. He also found that he had full authority to order about as he pleased, a young lad who filled the position of scullion in his department. With the gaining of this knowledge, he assumed such an air of dignity as made him appear comical enough to all eyes except those of the unfortunate boy for whose especial benefit it was put on. The originality of the black man’s appearance was further increased by a white jacket, a large white apron, and a cook’s white linen cap. When this cap was perched on the back of his head it seemed to rest upon his immense ears; while his grotesque thatch of wool projected several inches in front of it. In spite of the absurdity of his appearance, he proved to be a capital cook, and managed his department in a manner thoroughly satisfactory to his new employer. The good-natured fellow’s sole regret, which he expressed to Breeze many times, was, that “Dat ole rask Mateo” could not see him in his present exalted station, “at de head ob a camboose fit fo’ de King ob Africa hissef.”
During this day, too, the grayish mass in the dory was pronounced to be ambergris, beyond a doubt, was carefully weighed, and stored in stout boxes made by the yacht’s carpenter. Its weight was found to be a few ounces over one hundred and twenty pounds, and Lord Seabright told Breeze that its value in the London market would not be far from fifty thousand dollars.
Quite dazzled by the magnitude of this sum, Breeze for a while thought of himself as a young man of fortune, and indulged in delightful dreams of what he would do with the money as soon as it came into his possession. Suddenly the remembrance of Nimbus came upon him like a blow. Was not the black man, who had been his faithful dorymate, entitled to an equal share in it? Of course he was, though it was with reluctance that Breeze admitted the fact to himself. Still, even such a division would leave him twenty-five thousand dollars. It would be enough to purchase several fishing vessels, and make him a person of considerable prominence in Gloucester.
The thought of Gloucester brought another with it. On what terms was the fishing business carried on there? Was it not on the basis of one-half the catch to the vessel and half to the crew? To be sure it was, and this ambergris was one of the incidental profits of the Fish-hawk’s voyage to Iceland. But, then, had not he and Nimbus found it all by themselves and risked their lives in obtaining and saving it? It would be easy enough to sell it, keep the money, and say nothing about it.
So, locked in his tiny state-room, the boy struggled with the right and the wrong of this question for more than an hour. Finally the right triumphed, and when he became conscious of the fact, Breeze felt as light-hearted and happy as though he had been crushed under the whole weight of fifty thousand dollars in gold, and it had suddenly been lifted from him.
When, soon afterwards, he was congratulated by Mr. Whyte Whymper upon the amount of his fortune, he replied, “Yes, sir, seventeen hundred dollars is a good deal of money for a boy like me to have at once.”
“Seventeen hundred dollars!” exclaimed the other. “Why, I thought it was ten thousand pounds?”
“So it is, sir, in all; but, according to Gloucester rule, half of it goes to the schooner, and the other half must be divided among her crew of twelve others besides Nimbus and myself.”
When he made this statement of the case to his black dorymate, he was put to shame by discovering that the honest fellow had never taken any other view of it.