until I am driven to my wit's end to keep the peace between us. Yet I
doubt not, if he knew the truth, he would marry me willy-nilly to Count
Hendrick Luitken by force."

"Then it would be to a corpse he would marry you," I cried, "for sooner
than see you wedded to Count Luitken I would strangle him with my bare
hands if he refused to meet me as an equal in fair fight."

"Dear Peter," whispered Anna, as she nestled closer to me, "if I cannot
marry you I'll marry none other, and the Church does not now sanction
marriage vows given unwillingly. If they drive me to it I can at least
seek the cloister or the grave."

"Do not speak so, dear Anna," I entreated. "We are both young, and by
patience and industry I may yet win a place in the world."

But although I spoke hopefully I could see but little prospect of my
advancement at Amsterdam. My master, De Decker, the merchant, in whose
house I was employed, told me plainly that I need expect nothing more
than a clerkship so long as I remained in his service. His son, then a
boy at school, would inherit his business, and it might be many years
before I could hope to buy a partnership in it. De Decker's business at
this time, moreover, was not in a very flourishing condition. It
seemed, therefore, not improbable that I would lose my clerkship unless
it improved.

In these circumstances I was approached by Dirk Hartog some twelve
months after the return of the "Endraght", who offered to take me as
first officer on the "Arms of Amsterdam", a new vessel upon which he
was about to make a second voyage of discovery to the South.

"It is not because we met no luck with the 'Endraght' that there is
nothing to be gained, Peter," he said. "There is an island I have heard
of which, if we can strike it, will make us rich men. Nothing venture,
nothing win, and there is little prospect here for a man like you to
make money by quill-driving."

His words impressed me, as well they might, for the love of adventure
was strong within me, and I reflected that in my present calling of a
merchant's clerk I could not hope to obtain an independence for many
years--perhaps not at all. De Decker, also, appeared anxious that I
should go. The sale of the pearls which the king of Pearl Island had
given Hartog had more than repaid the merchants for sending out the
"Endraght", and with the "Arms of Amsterdam" they hoped to accumulate
further treasure. I was influenced also by Hartog's description of