, I did find the
old gentleman alive, but he had made so sure of my death that my
reappearance almost caused his. The pipe he was smoking dropped from his
mouth, and he sank back in his chair with an exclamation of fear and
dismay.

"Yor need not be alarmed, Mynheer Van Voorst," I said; "I am in the
flesh."

"I am glad to see you in the flesh. I don't believe in ghosts, of course.
But I happened to be in what you call a brown study, and as I had heard
you were shot long ago on the llanos you rather startled me, coming in so
quietly--that rascally boy ought to have announced you. But I was not
afraid--not in the least. Why should one be afraid of a ghost! And I saw
at a glance that, as you say, you were in the flesh. I suppose you have
come to inquire about your money. It is quite safe, my dear sir, and at
your disposal, and you will find that it has materially increased. I will
call for the ledger, and you shall see."

The ledger was brought in by a business-looking young man, whom the old
merchant introduced to me as his nephew and partner, Mynheer Bernhard Van
Voorst.

"This is Mr. Fortescue, Bernhard," he said, "the English gentleman who was
dead--I mean that I thought he was dead, but is alive--and who many years
ago left in my hands a sum of about two thousand piasters. Turn to his
account and see how much there is now to his credit?"

"At the last balance the amount to Mr. Fortescue's credit was six thousand
two hundred piasters."[2]

[2] At the time in question, "piaster" was a word often used as an
equivalent for "dollar," both in the "Gulf ports" and the West
Indies.

"You see! Did I not say so? Your capital is more than doubled."

"More than doubled! How so?"

"We have credited you with the colonial rate of interest--ten per
cent.--as was only right, seeing that you had no security, and we had used
the money in our business; and my friend, compound interest at ten per
cent, is a great institution. It beats gold-mining, and is almost as
profitable as being President of the Republic of Venezuela. How will you
take your balance, Mr. Fortescue? We will have the account made up to
date. I can give you half the amount in hard money--coin is not too
plentiful just now in Curacoa, half in drafts at seven days' sight on the
house of Goldberg, Van Voorst & Company, at Amsterdam, or Spring &
Gerolstein, at London. They are a young firm, but do a safe business and
work with a large capital.