e they would doubtless soon find an opportunity to
return to San Francisco; or, if they preferred it, I would ship them
all, at the current rate of wages, for the voyage to China, and, if they
gave me satisfaction, thence home to England. He said he would lay my
offer before the men, and acquaint me with their decision forthwith; and
at once retired to the forecastle. Whereupon I at once called Joe and
San Domingo to me, and laid the strictest injunctions upon them both
that under no circumstances whatever were they to make the slightest
allusion to the treasure in the hold; hinting pretty strongly that, if
they did, their own share of it would probably fall very far short of
what it would be should the secret be well kept. The caution I believed
to be quite needless, so far as Joe was concerned; but its necessity, as
regarded the negro, was made quite apparent by his remark when I had
finished speaking--

"Golly, sar; it just as well you tole me dat in time, odderwise I dead
sure to hab said someting about it de fust time I had a chance. But now
dat you has warned me, sar, you may depend abs'lutely upon my
discresshun. I wants all de dollars I can git; and I doan' feel
inclined to share dem wid men dat has had no hand in de saving of dem."

The mate soon returned to the deck with the decision of his crew. He
informed me that the men were quite unanimous in their desire to leave
the ship at Honolulu, and make the best of their way back to San
Francisco with as little delay as possible, if such an arrangement would
accord with my convenience; but that, in the mean time, they would
gladly turn to and assist me to work the ship so far, without pay, in
acknowledgment of my having saved their lives.

The weather, meanwhile, was fast moderating; so much so that during the
second dog-watch we took a good drag upon the topsail halliards, and set
the foresail and mizzen; the wind gradually hauling round further from
the northward and breaking us off until we headed north-east by compass.
The mercury was rising almost as rapidly as it had fallen, and there
was every prospect of a fine night. Cooper, the late mate of the
_Golden Gate_, offered to do duty as second mate, while the cook of the
craft expressed his desire to continue the functions of his office; the
remainder of the men declared their readiness to go to work forthwith;
and that night, accordingly, we once more kept two watches, each
consisting of an officer a