“‘Half a dozen sperm-whales wouldn’t be out of the way,’ returned the captain, cheerily; ‘might get more. Catch might range anywhere from twenty to forty thousand dollars.’
“‘Call it thirty thousand,’ I said; ‘would that be a fair average?’
“‘Well, there’s twenty-two of a crew. That would net about seven hundred dollars apiece for their share. I don’t think they would growl at that. Fifteen thousand would suit me, and I think I should be very well out of it, for that matter. But why do you ask such questions?’
“‘Read that,’ I said, for answer, and shoved a slip of paper across the table.
“‘Why, what’s this?’ said the captain, taking up the slip of paper and reading:
Off the Parry Isles,
Long. 162° W., lat. 76° N.,
May 14th, 1888.
Bank of California, San Francisco.
Pay to the order of J. F. Manson, captain whaling bark Marion, the sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) and debit