Part 15 (1/2)
Nextto proht, that my shi+p was in the place where I had left her, which see andfor 's vessel would not visit the Engano Islands, since strangers were not welcoood-bye to the Amazons, I once more embarked with Sylvia in her canoe, and was paddled round the east end of the Great Barren Island, where, in the distance, was the ”Golden Seahorse” still at anchor in the bay where I had last seen her
When I ca was overjoyed at my return ”I shall have to keep thee tied up, Peter,” he said to me, in jest atoverboard or running away”
But when I told hireat interest, expressing regret that I should have pledgedthere His disappoint of any coano Islands; nothing, in fact, being worthy of notice but the wonderful contentment of the inhabitants, a commodity which could not be carried away
”Let us up stick and ho presented Sylvia and her accoifts, in return for which they showed us where excellent water was to be obtained hich we ht replenish our tanks, we bade farewell to the Great Barren Island, and shaped a course for Holland
On our arrival at Aed for the disposal and division of our treasure He and I, as joint promoters of the expedition, each took to the value of twenty thousand English pounds, giving the re our officers and creho had never in their lives before looked to possess so h, for the present, we deter promised himself a spell ashore, and I also looked forward to a life of ease and recreation I was now a rich man, with more wealth to my credit than would satisfy my simple needs for the remainder of my life Why then, I asked myself, should I seek further peril and adventure in unknown lands to gain money of which I already possessed more than I knehat to do with?
I did not return to , as it did, the brief span of nuptial happiness which I had enjoyed with Anna, and when, later, my father-in-law, the Count of Holstein, offered to buy it frolad to sell it to him With a portion of my capital I now secured a full share in the business of De Decker,purchased a fine house at Amsterdam, I resolved to settle down to the lucrative business of apossession of my new home I paid a visit to my family at Urk, where I found that e business, which was now carried on by my eldest brother, as er brothers were also un to rear families
”Only you, Peter,” said my mother, ”my favourite son, the flower of the flock, are alone and childless”
I had not, since Anna's death, given a thought to ain, but my mother's words appealed to me with some force when I reflected that I owed it to my country not to lead a life of selfish celibacy I would never love with the strength of iven to Anna; but there seemed to be no reason why I should not become the head of a house, and the father of a faain in my children
Now, it so fell out that Pauline Rutter, a niece of De Decker, came at this time to stay with her uncle at Amsterdam, and as I was a frequent visitor at De Decker's house, I often met her Pauline was proud, dark, and self-willed--the very opposite of what Anna Holstein had been when I married her, and for this reason, perhaps, I liked her the more, since it put an end to all coiven my first love
Pauline was flattered by the attention I paid her, and when at length I asked her to become my wife sheMadaht, sir,” she said, ”that you would ain It is a duty which you owe to your wealth and position That your choice should have fallen upon me is an honour of which I am very sensible”
It will thus be seen that in the alliance which Pauline and I proposed there was to be no love-ht have been ive Pauline my wealth and name, in return for which she proeain, and I ell served for my part in it
We had not been an to observe in the other an incoreement between us, even on the most trivial ht the -room, while the social inanities to which she devotedher with her frivolity and lack of common sense These mutual recriminations soon led us into a condition of life which destroyed all prospect of peace and contentive way one jot The more Pauline stormed at me for my boorishness and want of consideration for her theto her frivolous nature the true cause of our unhappiness I admired Pauline, and I looked to her to become the mother of my children; but we could neither of us endure the other's presence for any length of time without a squabble, so that our do our servants
In these circumstances I felt it would be better that we should part
It is said that absence row fonder, and I was convinced that I would regard Pauline with s if seas between us rolled than were possible if we reether in the sahly reciprocated htI found him, as I expected, at a tavern which he frequented He was seated at a table with Bantu over a chart in which all three appeared to be deeply interested
CHAPTER XL
THE YELLOW PARCHMENT
”Welcoered you'd be with us, and here you are in the nick of time”
”What's in the wind now?” I asked, as I drew a chair to the table at which the three were seated
”The greatest and best chance that was ever offered to seafarers,”
answered Hartog ”Read that, and say whether any man with the blood of a rover in him could sit ta to be explored”
With these words he pushed toward e, but very clearly written, so it was easy to decipher The paper, a translation in Spanish froue, read as follows: