"I'm afraid I can't give you much time to think it over, Abott."
"By thunder, I'll take it on then!"
"I'm glad, because there's no other man I could trust," answered Calamity. "We'd better set to work and get the job over as quickly as possible."
"Wait, though," said the other. "This is the sort of thing that wants to be done at night. Suppose we sheer away from land a bit and don't put in till to-morrow morning?"
"That's not a bad idea. Your boat could come alongside after dark then?"
"Yes, but there's another thing to consider as well. How about the men? Can't you pay them off, prize-money and all, before we put in? You'll want to get rid of that crowd as soon as possible after the hook touches mud."
"It might be possible. Just lend me a hand, Abott."
With the pilot's assistance, all the boxes containing money, including the heavy box found in the fort, were dragged out into the middle of the cabin and opened.
"Before we count this you'd better tell the first-mate—a woman, by the way—to alter the course and signal the Satellite to do the same," said the Captain.
The pilot left the cabin, and when he returned Calamity had already started to count out the money. Even with the two of them at work it took a long time, and when it was finished and the values of the various currencies adjusted, Calamity made some hurried calculations on paper.