“What happened next?”
“Well, when he said that I could look upon my yacht as his property for the next half-hour or so, I didn’t seem to have any fitting argument with which to reply to him, so I remained silent. His next question was rather more to the point.”
“What was it?”
“He asked me, plainly, how much money I happened to have aboard the yacht; and he added: ‘If you tell the truth about it, it will save both of us considerable trouble.’
“‘Oh, I suppose there are a couple of thousand dollars here, all told,’ I answered him.
“‘Very good,’ he said. ‘There is also some thousands of dollars’ worth of silverware, and goldware, isn’t there?’
“‘Yes,’ I admitted.
“‘And some very valuable cups, which you have won as trophies, from time to time, eh?’
“‘Why, yes, of course. But you wouldn’t be so low down as to take them, would you?’ I demanded.
“He laughed at that, as if he considered it a good joke; and he replied that he thought that part of the matter might be arranged satisfactorily. I didn’t see it, but I supposed he did, and the sequel proved that he did, too.”