“So! Und dis vhas Mr. Fielding?” said Mynheer Tulp standing up and extending his hand. “Vell, I vhas glad to see you.”
He uttered even this commonplace slowly and cautiously as though he feared his tongue.
“Now, Bill,” cried my uncle, “I want you to show Greaves’ bond to Mr. Tulp; for he says you aren’t entitled to more than your wages—not even to them as a matter of law, seeing you wasn’t shipped by him.”
“I tink you vill find dot right,” said Mynheer Tulp.
I carried Greaves’ bond, as well as his will, in my pocket; I placed the bond or agreement upon the table, and Mynheer Tulp, picking it up, put on a large pair of spectacles and read it through.
“Dis vhas of no use,” said he.
“We’ll see,” said my uncle.
“Understand me, Mr. Fielding,” continued the little Dutchman. “I don’t mean to say dot you have not acted very vell, und dot you vhas not entitled to a handsome reward, vhich certainly you shall have; but vhen you talk to me of dirty odd tousand dollars—six tousand pounds of English money——” he grinned hideously and shrugged his shoulders.
“What would you consider a handsome reward?” said I.
“You vhas second mate. I learn from your uncle dot your life vhas safed by my brig. Should I sharge you mit safing your life? No. But if I vhas you I should consider der safing of my life as handsome a reward as I had der right to expect for any services afterward performed. But mit you, my good young man, I goes much further. You have navigated the brig safely home mit my money, und I say help yourself, my boy, to five hundred pounds of der dollars before I takes them.”