"What do you call it, father?" he at length asked.
"It is evidently a fatty matter of some kind, but I cannot tell its precise nature," Mr. Boyd replied.
Mr. Floyd, however, with a sparkle in his eye, said:
"My opinion is, lad, that you had better get the rest of it, for if I mistake not you have found a treasure."
As he spoke he took from his pocket a knife and cut off a thin slice of the matter, and applied a lighted match to it. It flashed almost like powder, and the sweet odor was strongly noticeable.
"I thought so," he said, "though I never saw any of the stuff but once before, and then only a tiny piece. It's ambergris, and it's worth dollars and dollars a pound."
"I've read about it," said Budd, quickly. "It is a substance that forms in the intestines of the whale, and is occasionally found floating on the sea or thrown upon the shore. They use it in the manufacture of perfumery and cordials; and as Uncle Silas says, it is very valuable. Here, Judd, help me to get the rest of it."
Elated at their discovery, the boys worked the sloop down near the other pieces, and gathered them all up. There were a half dozen in all, the largest being the one that Budd had first secured, while one or two were comparatively small in size.
"How many pounds do you think there are of it, Uncle Silas?" asked Budd, when all had been secured.
"Nigh on to thirty pounds, I reckon," he said, lifting the pieces one by one.