f forcing
the secret, fearing that Ferragut's generosity might prove excessive,
and impossible to consider. He protested, handing to Ulysses the check
taken from the envelope.

"I could not accept it!... It's a crazy idea!..."

He had read with terror the amount made out to him in the letter of
credit, first in figures then in long hand. Two hundred and fifty
thousand pesetas!... fifty thousand dollars!

"That is not for me," he said again. "I do not deserve it.... What
could I ever do with so much money?"

The captain pretended to be irritated by his disobedience.

"You take that paper, you brute!... I was just afraid that you were
going to protest.... It's for your children, and so that you can take a
rest. Now we won't talk any more about it or I shall get angry."

Then, in order to conquer Toni's scruples, he abandoned his violent
tone, and said sadly:

"I have no heirs.... I don't know what to do with my useless fortune."

And he repeated once more like a complaint against destiny: "I am
rotten with money!..."

The following morning, while Toni was in his cabin adjusting the
accounts of the crew, astonished by the munificence of their
paying-off, Uncle Caragol came into the saloon, asking to speak to
Ferragut.

He had placed an old cape over his flapping and scanty clothing, more
as a decoration for the visit than because the cold of Brittany was
really making him suffer.

He removed from his shaved head his everlasting palm-leaf hat, fixing
his bloodshot eyes on the captain who continued writing after replying
to his greeting.

"What does this mean, this order that I've just received to prepare to
leave the boat within a few hours?... It must be some kind of a joke of
Toni's; he's an excellent fellow but an enemy to holy things and likes
to tease me because of my piety...."

Ferragut laid aside his pen, swinging around toward the cook whose fate
had troubled him as much as the first mate's.

"Uncle Caragol, we are growing old and we must think about retiring....
I am going to give you a paper; you will guard it just as though it
were a sacred picture, and when you present it in Valencia they will
give you ten thousand dollars. Do you know how much ten thousand
dollars are?..."

Bringing his mentality down to the level of this simple-minded man, he
enjoyed tracing out for him a plan of living. He could invest his
capital in whatever modest enterprise in the port of Valencia might
appeal to his