"what are your plans with regard to
the matter? Will you still go on to Sydney, and discharge your cargo
before attempting to secure your treasure, or will you make a detour,
and prosecute your search for it forthwith?"

"Oh, of course I must fulfil my present obligations before I attempt to
do anything toward recovering the treasure," said I. "When I have done
that--when I have safely landed you all on the wharf at Sydney, and have
discharged my cargo, I shall well ballast the ship and clear for the
Pacific in search of a cargo of sandal-wood. I shall of course make it
my first business to secure the treasure; but, in order to keep up
appearances, I shall also collect what sandal-wood I can find without
very much trouble, and proceed with it to China, from whence I shall
take home a cargo of tea, if I can secure one."

"And how long do you expect to remain in Sydney?" inquired Sir Edgar.

"Oh, about a fortnight, or three weeks at the utmost," said I.

"Upon my word, I should very much like to go with you," remarked Sir
Edgar, reflectively. "I confess I feel curious to see the end of your
adventure; but if you are not likely to lie in port longer than the time
you have named, I am afraid it can scarcely be managed. However, we
shall see."

And with that the subject was dismissed for the moment, although it was
afterwards frequently touched upon again before our arrival in Sydney.

The other affair, to which I have referred as ultimately proving to be
intimately associated with my fortunes and those of my friends the
Desmonds, was one in which the ship's steward became the most
conspicuous figure.

I had never liked the man, from the moment that I first came into
contact with him upon the occasion of the crew signing articles. He had
a sly, shifty expression of eye that aroused my instant antipathy; but
he held such unexceptionable testimonials that I had no excuse for
refusing to engage him, apart from the manifest injustice it would have
been to deny him employment simply on account of a feeling of prejudice
that, for aught I could tell, might disappear upon a further
acquaintance. It did not, however; on the contrary, it rather
increased, for he had not been with us long ere I discovered that he had
a quiet, stealthy, cat-like way of moving about that would have been
irreproachable had it not happened that frequently, when writing a
letter, making up my accounts, or otherwise engaged upon work of a
str