essel herself, save the
shoals of flying-fish which now and then sparkled out from under our
forefoot and went skimming away through the air to leeward, until they
vanished with a flash, only to reappear, perhaps, next moment, with
their inveterate foe, a dolphin, in hot pursuit. The moment we showed
ourselves above the companion the skipper rose to his feet--he had been
sitting cross-legged on the deck, under the weather bulwarks--and joined
us, evidently under the impression that it was an essential part of his
duty to make himself agreeable. He made some commonplace remark about
the weather, to which we both vouchsafed a ready and gracious response,
very fully realising by this time the peculiarity and perilous nature of
our position on board the felucca--a position from which it was, of
course, utterly impossible for us then to effect a retreat--and being
especially anxious not only to avert any possibility of a suspicion as
to our _bona fides_, but also to extract such further hints as might
tend to the elucidation of that position. For some time the
conversation was of a general and utterly unimportant character; at
length, however, Carera, evidently reverting to the topic which was
uppermost in his mind, remarked:

"I have thought it best, senors, to mention to Manuel, my mate there,"
nodding his head toward the helmsman, "and the rest of the hands, the
fact that you are both seamen, and they are as pleased as I was to hear
it. It has made matters much easier for us all round, and very much
less dangerous for you; indeed, Manuel thinks that if you will only
consent to act as part of the crew whilst we are in harbour there, and
rig accordingly, neither Giuseppe nor any of his people will suspect
anything, and you will thus be able to freely look about you and make
such observations as will enable you to subsequently carry out your part
of the scheme with success. If it can only be carried through it will
make all our fortunes, for they must have doubloons stored away by the
caskful by this time. Why, I am taking across two hundred doubloons
this time to trade with, and I have never taken less in any one of my
trips."

"And how many trips do you consider you have made altogether?" asked
Courtenay.

"Oh, well, let me see--not less than sixty, I should suppose," was the
answer.

"Sixty times two hundred gives twelve thousand. Twelve thousand
doubloons--that is a goodly sum indeed," murmured I.

"Yes," a