“Name your price,” he added; and he was willing to pay liberally for the service he desired.
“Five hundred reales,” answered the man.
“Do you think we have so much money?” laughed the fugitive. “We can’t make a bargain with you.”
“What will you give?” asked the boatman.
“Two hundred reales.”
After considerable haggling, the bargain was struck at three hundred reales, or fifteen dollars; and this was less than the fugitive had expected to pay. The rest of the arrangements were readily made. Filipe, for this was the name he gave, was afraid his passengers would be captured while he went for his felucca; and, keeping in the shadow of the sea-wall, he pulled them around the point on which the old light-house stands, and landed them on some rocks under the wall. In this position they could not be seen from the vessels of the fleet, or from the landing-place on the other side, while the high wall concealed them from any person on the shore who did not take the trouble to look over at them.
“We shall want something to eat,” said Raimundo, as the boatman was about to leave them. “Take this, and buy as much bread and cold meat as you can with it.”
Raimundo handed him three dollars in Spanish silver, which Hugo had obtained for him. The large sum of money he had was in Spanish gold, obtained in Genoa. He had a few dollars in silver left for small expenses.
“What are we here for?” asked Bill Stout, who, of course, had not understood a word of the conversation of his companion and the boatman.
Both he and Bark had asked half a dozen times what they were talking about; but Raimundo had not answered them.