“Eh?” said I. “Yes, Bol, that will be a matter of counting, won’t it?”
“I like to know, Mr. Fielding, vy she vhas sixty-one tousand dollar? Vy not a leedle more or a leedle less, or much more, or some tousands less? Dot’ll mean,” he continued after a pause, during which I remained silent, “dot dere vhas a large share ofer und aboove der sixty-one tousand dollar; but how vhas us men’s share arrived at I like to know?”
“Why do you not ask the captain? Why do you ask me these questions? I am not the captain.”
“No, dot vhas very right. But you hov der captain’s confidence; und vy do I ox, Mr. Fielding? Because der captain’s yarn is vonderful——” He broke off, looking at me very earnestly.
“Do you distrust the story?” said I.
“Hov I said so, hov I said so, Mr. Fielding? But she vhas vonderful all der same.”
I was silent. He continued to look at me for some moments in a dull Dutch way, then, seeming to check some observation he was about to make, he exclaimed:
“Veil, der coast vhas clear. I feel like sleeping. Good-night, Mr. Fielding.”
CHAPTER XIV.
I SEND MY LETTER.
At sunrise nothing was to be seen of the schooner, though a seaman was sent on to the main royal yard with a telescope, where he swept the sea in all directions.