" The other captains agreed to this.
"He will be here in half an hour," Captain Vipon said. "The men were
sitting down to a meal when I came away, and I ordered them to make
their way back as soon as they had done. If he refuses, the only other
way I can see will be for all the men to cast lots, when, of course,
whoever stays would get his three shares as we agreed."
Half an hour later the twenty men arrived from the other side of the
island. As soon as they came on board Captain Vipon called Jacques
into the cabin and told him that it would be necessary to leave two
men behind, explaining the duties they would have to perform.
"Now Jacques," he said when he had finished, "I thought that perhaps
you would be more likely than any other man on board the three ships
to volunteer for this work."
"I volunteer!" Jacques said in astonishment. "What should make you
think of such a thing, captain?"
"For this reason, Jacques: I have settled to leave the English lad
here as one of the signallers. Of course he will gladly undertake the
job, as it will enable him to join his friends when they land; and as
you like him and he likes you, he might be able to make things easy
for you. In the second place we have determined that the name of
whoever stops shall be borne on the ship books of all three vessels to
the end of their cruise, so that there would be a good bit of money
coming even if only one out of the three ships gets back, and enough
to set you up for life if all three get back safely.
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