It was upon _these_ that the eyes of the
field-cornet were bent.

Ay, and bent too with an eagerness unusual in his glance. His lips were
compressed, his chest was visibly heaving. Oh! there was a world of
thoughts passing through the mind of Von Bloom at that moment.

Were they painful thoughts? The expression of his face told the
contrary. The cloud that all that day sat perched upon his brow had
vanished. Not a trace of it remained, but in its place could be seen
the lines of hope and joy, and these feelings at length found expression
in words.

"It is the hand of Heaven!" he exclaimed aloud. "A fortune--a fortune!"

"What is it, papa?" inquired little Truey, who was near him; "what were
you speaking about, dear papa?"

And then all the others gathered around him, noticing his excited
manner, and pleased at seeing him look so happy.

"What is it, papa?" asked all together, while Swartboy and Totty stood
eager as the rest to hear the answer.

In the pleasant excitement of his thoughts, the fond father could no
longer conceal from his children the secret of his new-born happiness.
He would gratify them by disclosing it.

Pointing to the long crescents he said,--

"You see those beautiful tusks?"

Yes, of course, they all did.

"Well, do you know their value?"

No. They knew they were worth something. They knew that it was from
elephants' tusks that ivory was obtained, or, more properly, that
elephants' tusks were ivory itself; and that it was used in the
manufacture of hundreds of articles. In fact, little Truey had a
beautiful fan made out of it, which had been her mother's; and Jan had a
knife with an ivory handle. Ivory was a very beautiful material and
cost very dear, they knew. All this they knew, but the value of the two
tusks they could not guess at. They said so.

"Well, my children," said Von Bloom, "as near as I can estimate them,
they are worth twenty pounds each of English money."

"Oh! oh! Such a grand sum!" cried all in a breath.

"Yes," continued the field-cornet; "I should think each tusk is one
hundred pounds in weight, and as ivory at present sells for four
shillings and sixpence the pound weight, these two would yield between
forty and fifty pounds of sterling money."

"Why, it would buy a full span of best oxen!" cried Hans.

"Four good horses!" said Hendrik.

"A whole flock of sheep!" added little Jan.

"But whom can we sell them to?" asked Hendrik, after a paus