te again. The schooner's canvas might
be made to help it along--though suppose it capsized!"

"We must consider," said he; "there is no need to hurry. When the wind
falls we will survey the ice."

He warmed himself afresh, and after remaining silent with the air of one
turning many thoughts over in his mind, he suddenly cried, "D'ye know I
have a mind to view the plate and money below. What say you?"

His little eyes seemed to sparkle with suspicion as he directed them at
me. I was confident he suspected I had lied in saying I knew nothing of
this treasure and that he wanted to see if I had meddled with those
chests. One of the penalties attached to a man being forced to keep the
company of liars is, he himself is never believed by them. I answered
instantly, "Certainly; I should like to see this wonderful booty. It is
right that we should find out at once if it is there; for supposing it
vanished we should be no better than madmen to sit talking here of the
fine lives we shall live if ever we get home."

He picked up the lanthorn and said, "I must go to your cabin: it was the
captain's. The keys of the chests should be in one of his boxes."

He marched off, and was so long gone that I was almost of belief he had
tumbled down in a fit. However, I had made up my mind to act a very wary
part; and particularly never to let him think I distrusted him, and so I
would not go to see what he was about. But what I did was this: the
arms-room was next door: I lighted a candle, entered it, and swiftly
armed myself with a sort of dagger, a kind of boarding-knife, a very
murderous little two-edged sword, the blade about seven inches long, and
the haft of brass. There were some fifty of these weapons, and I took
the first that came to my hand and dropped it into the deep side pocket
of my coat and returned to the cook-room. It was not that I was afraid
of going unarmed with this man into the hold: there was no more danger
to me there than here: should he ever design to despatch me, one place
was the same as another, for the dead above could not testify: there
were no witnesses in this white and desolate kingdom. What resolved me
to go armed was the fear that should the treasure be missing--and who
was to swear that the schooner had never been visited once in
eight-and-forty years?--the Frenchman, who was persuaded his stupor had
not lasted above a week, and who was doubtless satisfied the chests were
in the hold down to the perio