Carew hove the yacht to, and waited for them. The boat was soon alongside. Four little old men, all fat and rosy, were in her. One who understood English well was the spokesman. Standing up in the stern he shouted-- "Captain, you want pilot, sar?" "Yes; how much do you want to take me to Rotterdam?" Carew felt how necessary it was to husband his funds, and he suspected that Dutch pilots consider a yacht fair prey for extortion. The man named an exorbitant sum. "Nonsense! Too much. I'll sail her in myself." "Right, captain," replied the Dutchman calmly; "that better for me and my mates. You try and go in alone, you sure to run ashore. Then we help you off, and you give us plenty money for salvage instead of small pilot-fee." Carew felt that it might happen as the old man had said. The Maas is encumbered with shoals, and the navigation is difficult for a stranger. "Now, how much you give me, captain?" The solicitor mentioned a moderate sum. "Ah, you rich man with yacht to be hard on poor pilot! Now, I pilot you for the middle price." "Come on board, then," said Carew. The pilot leapt on to the yacht's deck, and the other three pulled away in their boat. "Now, captain. Tide in river running strong, wind is light; so we want all sail, or else we no move. Call up your hands and hoist topsail." "There are no hands below. I am alone," replied Carew. "Alone? What do you mean? You come from England all alone?" exclaimed the man in great astonishment. "Yes; my crew got drunk and were insolent just before I sailed. They thought I could not do without them, and they knew I was in a hurry. But I put them all on shore without hesitation, and I have come across alone." "You a very mad Englishman, but you a brave man. I never hear anything like that." "Pilot," said Carew, later on, as they were sailing up the river, "I don't want to be followed about Rotterdam as if I were a curiosity; so I should like you not to mention the fact of my having sailed across the sea alone." "All right, captain; my mouth close." "I shall want a crew of two or three good, honest Dutchmen, pilot. Can you recommend me any men?" "This very night you shall have one--my cousin Willem--a very good boy, captain." "And there is another thing, pilot. What sort of a berth are you going to put me in in Rotterdam?" "I will moor you along the Boompjees; nice quays them. Plenty good Schiedam shops on shore there. All yachts go there." "I thought so; that's why I asked. Now, pilot, I do not want to be moored along the Boompjees. Take me to some quiet canal, out of the way; you understand--a place where no yachts or foreign vessels go." "Ah, I know, captain, just the place: nothing but Holland schuyts there; no yachts like it, no captains like it; I not think you will like it." "I will go there. But why don't you think I shall like it?" "You no have Dutch nose; and that canal plenty smellful, captain." CHAPTER IV