“What do you want to know?” demanded Greaves.
The fellow, with some hesitation, brought out his question.
“Was the job going to bring more money than the wages that was to be took up?”
“When the divisions have been made,” replied Greaves, looking at Bol, “there will remain a trifle over sixty-one thousand dollars—about twelve hundred and twenty pounds—to be divided among the eleven of ye according to your ratings.”
Again the sailors gazed at one another with looks of astonishment, which, in several of them, quickly made way for broad grins.
“That’s a hundred pounds a man,” said Call, in his thin voice.
“The divisions will be according to your ratings, I told you,” exclaimed Greaves. “Bol would get more than the cabin boy. He would expect more.” Bol gave a short, massive nod. “You have now heard the nature of this voyage,” said Greaves, coming to a pause in his walk to and fro abreast of the men, “does any man among you find anything to object to in it? Is there any man among you,” he continued, after a considerable interval of silence, during which I had observed him regard the men steadfastly one after the other, “who feels disinclined to make the voyage round the Horn to the island and home again with a small cargo of silver money?”
“She vhas a voyage to suit me,” said Bol, “I likes der scheme.”
Several of the men made observations to the same effect.
“May we take it, sir,” said the small-voiced Call, “that we receive the wages we agreed for as well as this here hundred pound a man, to call it so?”