“Was the job going to bring more money than the wages that was to be took up?” “When the divisions have been made,” replied Greaves, looking at Bol, “there will remain a trifle over sixty-one thousand dollars--about twelve hundred and twenty pounds--to be divided among the eleven of ye according to your ratings.” Again the sailors gazed at one another with looks of astonishment, which, in several of them, quickly made way for broad grins. “That’s a hundred pounds a man,” said Call, in his thin voice. “The divisions will be according to your ratings, I told you,” exclaimed Greaves. “Bol would get more than the cabin boy. He would expect more.” Bol gave a short, massive nod. “You have now heard the nature of this voyage,” said Greaves, coming to a pause in his walk to and fro abreast of the men, “does any man among you find anything to object to in it? Is there any man among you,” he continued, after a considerable interval of silence, during which I had observed him regard the men steadfastly one after the other, “who feels disinclined to make the voyage round the Horn to the island and home again with a small cargo of silver money?” “She vhas a voyage to suit me,” said Bol, “I likes der scheme.” Several of the men made observations to the same effect. “May we take it, sir,” said the small-voiced Call, “that we receive the wages we agreed for as well as this here hundred pound a man, to call it so?” “You _may_ take it,” said Greaves shortly. “Beg pardon, cap’n,” said Hals, the cook, knuckling his forehead, and contriving a clumsy sea bow with a scrape of a spade-shaped foot, “how long might dot ship hov been in der cave?” “How long? Since 1810.” “Who see her, cap’n,” said Bol. “I did.” “And did you see der dollars?” said Hals, again knuckling his brow and again scraping his foot. “Yes; but you now know the motive of the voyage, and there’s an end. If any man is not satisfied let him say so. We can make shift, no doubt, with fewer hands, and the fewer the crew the larger each man’s share. Note that. The fewer----” and he repeated the sentence. “I have agreements in my pockets for each of you, in which Heer Bartholomew Tulp, the charterer of this brig and the promoter of this expedition, agrees to divide the sum of sixty-one thousand dollars--supposing the ship to be still in the cave and the money to be still on board of her--in which Mr. Tulp, I say, agrees to divide sixty-one thousand dollars among the crew who return home in the ship, the proportions according to their ratings to be determined.” He put his hand upon his breast. “But, before I hand you these documents, I must know that you are satisfied with the intention of the voyage.” “We are satisfied,” was the answer delivered by a number of voices, as though one man had spoken.