there was still no sign of the missing man, it was concluded that he
had fallen overboard.

"But at eight o'clock two men were sent aloft to shake out the
fore-royal. They reached the yard almost simultaneously, and were just
stepping on to the foot-ropes when one of them gave a shout; then the
pair came sliding down a backstay, with faces as white as tallow. As
soon as they reached the deck, they took the officer of the watch
forward, and, standing on the heel of the bowsprit, pointed aloft.
Several of the hands, including Foucault and Parratt, had followed, and
all looked up; and there they saw the body of Nilsson, hanging on the
front of the fore-topgallant sail. He was dangling at the end of a
gasket, and bouncing up and down on the taut belly of the sail as the
ship rose and fell to the send of the sea.

"The two survivors were now in some doubt about having anything further
to do with the pearl. But the great value of the jewel, and the
consideration that it was now to be divided between two instead of four,
tempted them. They abstracted it from Nilsson's chest, and then, as they
could not come to an agreement in any other way, they decided to settle
who should take charge of it by tossing a coin. The coin was accordingly
spun, and the pearl went to Foucault's chest.

"From this moment Foucault lived in a state of continual apprehension.
When on deck, his eyes were for ever wandering towards the companion
hatch, and during his watch below, when not asleep, he would sit moodily
on his chest, lost in gloomy reflection. But a fortnight passed, then
three weeks, and still nothing happened. Land was sighted, the Straits
of Gibraltar passed, and the end of the voyage was but a matter of days.
And still the dreaded mandarin made no sign.

"At length the ship was within twenty-four hours of Marseilles, to which
port a large part of the cargo was consigned. Active preparations were
being made for entering the port, and among other things the shore
tackle was being overhauled. A share in this latter work fell to
Foucault and Parratt, and about the middle of the second
dog-watch--seven o'clock in the evening--they were sitting on the deck
working an eye-splice in the end of a large rope. Suddenly Foucault, who
was facing forward, saw his companion turn pale and stare aft with an
expression of terror. He immediately turned and looked over his shoulder
to see what Parratt was staring at. It was the mandarin, standing by
th